| the mission |

❝ n e r v o u s ❞

Celeste rubs her head groggily, having been thrown out of the bunk she was napping in as the helicarrier rises out of the water. The room is dark, with the exception of a small window, leaving her struggling to climb to her feet as the flying contraption steadies itself.

Barely twelve hours have passed since Loki got away with stealing Clint and the tesseract, and Celeste had honestly thought she'd have more time to recover before everything was set in motion. Instead, it had taken no time at all to whisk her away to the helicarrier and gather the other alleged heroes, leaving her with only a thirty minute nap that would have to suffice.

Smoothing her hair and clothes, she throws the door open, blinking against the harsh lighting as she steps out into the hallway. People rush past coming from both directions, too busy to take notice of the confused woman.

Struggling to remember where Phil had told her to go once she woke up, she turns left, barely avoiding knocking into anyone.

"You must be the latest recruit," a woman with shockingly red hair calls out, walking briskly towards her with another man in tow. "Clint couldn't stop talking about."

"That's me." Celeste offers a smile and holds out her hand, instantly welcoming a friendly face after being surrounded by so many annoyed and busy ones. "I'm Celeste."

"I'm Natasha," the other woman introduces herself, shaking her hand before gesturing to the man next to her. "And this is Dr. Banner."

"Bruce," he corrects, also shaking Celeste's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Celeste opens her mouth to respond, but hesitates and let's out a giggle instead. Bruce furrows his eyebrows together, confused as to what joke he had missed.

"I tried to think of something smart to say, but completely blanked," she admits. "Honestly, your work confuses the hell out of me, but I'm sure it's something to be very proud of."

"Thanks?"

"Unfortunately, we'll have to save the chitchat for another time," Natasha interrupts. "I've got to get Doc to his science toys."

"And I need to find Fury," Celeste agrees, waving goodbye to the duo.

Stepping through the doors at the end of the hallway, she finds herself in a highly technological bridge area, with computer screens everywhere she looks and floor to ceiling windows giving her a view of the sky.

"I'm glad you finally decided to join us, Miss Wilson," Nick's voice booms over the other quiet conversations. "Will there be any more unscheduled nap times?"

"In my defense, everyone failed to mention that being an Avenger meant forgetting what sleep is," the woman defends herself, her gaze quickly falling on the blond man standing next to Nick. "Holy shit. You're real!"

"What else would I be?" The one and only Steve Rogers questions, shooting her a curious glance.

"I mean, yeah, obviously, you're real," she explains. "I kind of thought your unthawing was just a BuzzFeed article."

What the hell?

"Whoa now! I don't care if you're a living legend or not; if I have to get reprimanded for my foul language, so do you."

➵➵➵➵

"I mean, if it's not too much to ask."

"No- no. It's fine."

Celeste stands next to Phil and Steve, stifling a giggle as she watches Phil fanboy over the super soldier, who couldn't have looked more disinterested if he tried.

"It's a vintage set," Phil rambles. "Took me a couple of years to collect them all. Near mint, slight foxing around the edges but-"

"We got a hit," an agent sitting at one of the many computers shouts over Phil. "Sixty-seven percent match. Wait. Cross match, seventy-nine percent."

"Location?" Phil asks, reverting back to his professional mode.

"Stuttgart, Germany. Twenty eight, Königstraße. He's not exactly hiding."

"Captain and Wilson," Nick calls out. "You're up."

Steve nods before walking out of the bridge area.

"How does he know where to go?" Celeste questions. "We never even discussed this. Is he programmed with the ability to just know where his patriotism is needed most?"

Phil chuckles, gesturing for her to join him. "Follow me, Miss Wilson. You'll need to be suited up."

"Suited up?" She raises an eyebrow, nevertheless following.

"Agent Barton saw to it that you have a suit of your own. After all, you can't fight bad guys in civilian clothes."

"If it looks anything like his, I will be fighting in civilian clothes."

"Don't worry," Phil reassures her, leading her into another brightly lit room. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Displayed on a podium inside a glass case is a white bodysuit - not too dissimilar from what she had been told about Black Widow's black one - and red gloves, boots, and a belt to match.

"Clint did this?"

"He oversaw everything to do with your new arrangements."

"What's attached to the belt?" Celeste asks, her eyes not straying from the outfit.

"A fascine knife that automatically expands as soon as you unlatch it," Phil explains. "Agent Barton made it very clear that it's the weapon you're most skilled at. And the fabric is designed to take away the heat of your telaportations, so now you can go further when necessary."

The woman merely nods along, marveling at how much thought Clint had put into designing her suit.

"The quinjet heading to Germany leaves in seven minutes. Good luck."

<<>>

Celeste sits in the back of the quinjet as Natasha pilots it through the cloudy skies, quietly studying the digital blueprints of the building Loki and Clint were spotted at that Phil had given her.

Her job was simple; to stop Clint from getting his hands on whatever they're trying to steal, and to help out Steve if he struggles against Loki. Unfortunately, it was obvious to her that the mind-controlled archer wasn't about to take it easy on her, considering how willing he was to shoot her during their last encounter.

"Nervous?" Steve asks, adjusting the shield strapped to his back before sitting down next to her.

Celeste glances up, offering a weak smile. "Nervous? Ha! I laugh in the face of danger."

"Well, your leg that hasn't stopped shaking since you sat down says otherwise," Steve points out with a chuckle, causing her to immediately grow still. "Want to talk about it?"

The woman sighs, fiddling with the gloves to her suit.

"I just don't think I can fight someone that used to be my- that used to mean the world to me," she admits. "I could barely do it when they got away with the Tesseract. And I know I should be able to, because of the greater good and what not, but I don't know."

Steve ponders her words for several moments, choosing his own carefully before speaking. "I don't know Clint, and I definitely can't speak for him. But, if I was in his shoes, I'd be more upset if someone didn't stop me."

"He would be too," Celeste agrees, feeling some of her guilt ease away. "Besides, I've already shot him in the leg. How much more damage can I possibly do?"

"The building is in view," Natasha calls back to them. "We're going to land a couple hundred yards away."

"That's my cue," Celeste sighs, pushing herself to her feet. "See you on the other side, Cap."

Before Steve can respond - or before her nerves can get the best of her - she closes her eyes and focuses on the interior layout of the building she memorized within the hour.

Classical music floats around her, causing her to peak her eyes open. Elegant paintings hang on the walls in the hallway before her and marble floors cause footsteps to echo with every step. She frowns, confused as to how she managed to telaport without feeling the familiar surge of heat.

Glancing around to ensure her target isn't in sight, Celeste takes a moment to examine herself. Immediately, she notices her gloves glowing a brighter red than what they had been previously.

"Well," she murmurs, a few guesses as to what her gloves will do already forming. "Only one way to find out."

Taking a deep breath, the curious blonde latches her hands onto the nearby handrail. A loud sizzling drowns out the music as her gloves quickly burn through the rail, causing the melted metal to pool on the floor.

"Holy shit!" She breathes out, careful not to let her excitement get the best of her as her gloves return to their normal color.

Horrified shrieks echo from the floors below, snapping Celeste out of her revelry. On the opposite side of the room, Clint and a group of men carrying a metal briefcase run up the other staircase, not yet spotting her as they prepare to break into one of the rooms.

Watching as the image of an eye downloads itself onto the device in his hands, Clint holds it up to the retina scanner, stepping back as the door swings open.

"How's your leg?" Celeste questions, gesturing to his bandages as she steps out of the room with a smirk.

The men behind Clint immediately raise their guns, but the archer waves them down.

"As good as it can be," Clint retorts. "Especially given the circumstances."

He pushes past her, reaching for the stand on which a glass tube of iridium once stood. Seeing it empty, he turns back to Celeste, who merely offers a shrug paired with an innocent smile.

"You wouldn't happen to be looking for that, would you?" She asks, gesturing to the melted glass and puddle of iridium on the floor. "Whoops."

Rushing forward, Clint pins her against one of the walls, his face transfixed in a nasty glare. She clucks her tongue condescendingly and shakes her head, not startled in the slightest.

"Was that really necessary? We both know hand-to-hand combat isn't your strongest suit; why not just stick to archery?"

"I know for a fact two tubes of iridium were in here before you were," he snarls, a cloud of blue swirling in his normally brown eyes. "Only one is on the floor. Where's the other?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bullshit!"

Clint throws his arm back, his punch narrowly missing her head as she ducks. Weaseling out of his slackened grip, Celeste manages to kick his legs out from underneath him. She groans, struggling to keep his arms pinned behind his back as he attempts to throw her off.

The other men advance, their guns poised and ready to fire on her.

"This isn't who you are, Clint!" She cries out. "I know you're in there somewhere. Fight whatever this is and come back to us. Please-"

Clint jerks, flipping their positions in one swift movement. She stares up at him, the breath knocked out of her and unshed tears threatening to spill. Unsheathing an arrow with a flat, non-harmful end from behind him, he stands up and slams it into her side before she can move. Electricity crackles in the air and immediately courses through her body, temporarily paralyzing her.

"Let's go," Clint barks, stepping around her convulsing body and leading his men out of sight.

The door slams behind him, leaving her in the dark. Barely able to control her spasming movements, she shakily grasps the arrow and pulls it off of her, ending the electricity currents.

Groaning loudly, Celeste doesn't move for several moments, unable to ignore the strong ache throbbing in each of her muscles. Eventually pushing herself to her feet, she immediately doubles over and rests her hands on her knees, her entire body shaking.

"Celeste?" Steve's voice booms inside her head over the earpiece, although ,in reality, it was coming in quieter than usual due to the electric hit. The woman winces, her head pounding. "We've got Loki. How are things on your end?"

"Be there in a sec," she breathes out, yanking the earpiece out before she can hear Steve's reply. She didn't think her headache could handle anything else.

Pulling herself together, Celeste wills all thoughts of her pain away for a moment as she focuses on getting back to the quinjet.

The classical music disappears and is replaced with the noises of the quinjet's engine starting up. With a relieved sigh, Celeste doesn't hesitate to drop to the floor, too tired to stop her aching limbs from sprawling across it.

"Are we not going to talk about where the hell she just came from?" Tony Stark's startled voice booms in her head, standing before her in his Iron Man suit. "And are we certain she's still alive?"

Not bothering to acknowledge Tony's questions, Steve brushes past him and offers a hand to help Celeste up, gently guiding her into one of the seats as Natasha navigates the quinjet back into the sky. Across from her sits Loki, strapped down to the seat and a scowl on his face.

"What happened?" Steve asks, careful to keep his voice low when she visibly winces at the sound of it. "No offense, but you seem- um- seem a little shaken up."

"He didn't get what he was after," she says, slumping forward to prop her elbows on her knees and rest her head in her hands. "But, he got away. Again. He hit me with one of his tricked out arrows. It was like an extremely high-powered taser."

"I'm sorry, but while that's interesting and what not, I'd still like to know who you are," Tony interrupts, gesturing for her to explain herself.

Steve gives him a look but steps away to talk to Natasha. Celeste's head throbs with every noise, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for her to keep up the mental barrier that stops everyone's thoughts from pouring in. But, she pushes aside her headache and manages to offer a small, albeit tired, smile.

"I'm Celeste," she answers with a small wave. "Fury's latest Avenger recruit."

"Oh. That's nice, I guess."

"I don't like it," Steve decides, looking pointedly at Loki.

"What?" Tony asks. "Rock of Ages giving up so easily?"

"I don't remember it being that easy," he explains. "This guy packs a wallop."

"Still, you were pretty spry, for an older fellow," Tony jokes. "What's your thing? Pilates?"

"What?"

"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple of things. Y'know, doing time as a Cap-sicle."

Celeste can't help but to giggle at Tony's sarcasm, although quickly regretting it as he headache flares up. She couldn't tell if the aches in the rest of her body are gone, or if the pain in her head was so great she just simply couldn't focus on other pains.

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in," Steve remarks.

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you."

A flash of lightning and roar of thunder shakes the quinjet, startling everyone. Loki leans forward, looking around anxiously.

"Where's this coming from?" Natasha wonders aloud.

"What's the matter?" Steve asks him. "Scared of a little lightning?"

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," he admits.

There's a crash on top of the quinjet as something lands. Celeste glances up, slightly expecting whatever it was to fall through the ceiling.

Natasha speeds up, hoping to shake it off. Steve grabs his cowl, pulling it onto his head as Tony grabs his helmet. Celeste stands up, readjusting her gloves as Tony presses a button that opens the ramp.

"What are you doing?"

A figure jumps onto the ramp, preventing Tony from answering. A man holding a large hammer and dressed in medieval times body armor and a red cape steps forward, with muscles larger than Celeste's entire body and long, blond hair. Not saying a word, he grabs Loki by the neck and jumps out of the quinjet.

"Now there's that guy," Tony huffs.

Another Asgardian?" Natasha questions.

"This guy's a friendly," Steve states.

"Good," Celeste adds. "Because if he's on the opposing team, I'm quitting."

"Doesn't matter," Natasha says. "If he frees Loki, or kills him, the Tesseract's lost."

Tony walks to the edge of the ramp, his armor clanking.

"Stark," Steve calls out. "We need a plan of attack."

"I have a plan. Attack!"

He flies off of the ramp and Steve runs for a parachute.

"I'd sit this one out, Cap," Natasha protests.

"I don't see how I can."

"These guys come from legend. They're basically gods."

"There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that."

Steve straps on a parachute, grabs his shield and jumps out of the quinjet, head first. Celeste, on the other hand, sighs and drops back into her seat.

"Aren't you following them?" Natasha questions.

"To go against Muscle Man? Absolutely not."