01. | SOKOVIA

NIGHTTIME ON THE mountain was beautiful.

    Moonlight shone across deep snowdrifts. A majestic forest of ancient pines stood over an idyllic valley, and the landscape's slope led to an ancient stone fortress. Painters would dream of capturing this scene on canvas—without the small security webcams mounted everywhere, of course.

    Iron Man's—Tony Stark—highly specialized lasers, called repulsors, blasted down from the sky, battering the lead Hydra tank. Captain America's—Steve Rogers—motorcycle screamed as it charged enemy troops who were jumped out of their transports into the woods. As Hydra soldiers continued to pour out of the fortress, a flying war hammer swooped out of the sky and bowled over several of them before returning to the hands of its owner.

    Enemies in powerful mecha-suit exoskeletons fired lethal blasts into the woods at Thor, but missed.

    One Hydra driver brought his jeep around, trying to get in range of the Avengers, when his door was suddenly ripped open and Black Widow—Natasha Romanoff—kicked him aside. She jumped behind the wheel and took control of the vehicle while two of the Avengers climbed on top of the jeep.

    Christina Sitma—Red Cobra—was truly amazed at how many Hydra bases there were. After taking down the ones in America, they had branched out to international lands to countries like Peru, Austria, Portugal, and Greece. But, fortunately for the Avengers, the Hydra bases were easy to take from the Hydra agents and were defeated.

    A small country in Eastern Europe was where their next Hydra base was located; led by Baron von Strucker. Every time they went to these bases, they were there for two reasons—the first was that it was Hydra and they needed to be stopped, and the second was that they were searching for Loki's—God of Mischief—scepter. With the damage that the specter caused in New York a few years ago, they were determined to receive it and have Thor Odinson return it to Asgard.

    Despite being held captive and having been tortured—physically and emotionally—for over two months, the sounds of gunfire or the feeling of hands enclosing around her throat had no effect on Christina's resolve. In fact, these things seemed to sharpen her mind, not cripple like most people with PTSD. She knew that every person was different when it came to this sort of thing, but she couldn't help but feel that she was different in other ways. What other people would consider triggers, were her sanity—they kept her aware.

    It was the silence that killed Christina.

    All those quiet nights in her concrete cell deep in Nazi Germany with snow whirling in through the solitary widow down onto her bare body were what haunted her nightmares. She would take all the torture they could dish out, even the Strappado, over the piercing silence that consumed her every night. Christina quickly came to realize that one could find sanctuary in chaos—in noise—but silence was like a deep dark abyss she couldn't escape.

    "Belle!" A voice shouted.

    Snapping back into reality, Christina quickly remembered where she was and ducked as a large blue laser blast came flying at her head, missing her by a mere millimeter. She felt embarrassment flame her face and she stood, firing her gun at the two jeeps that were flanking them. She stood beside Clint Barton—Hawkeye—leaning as close to him a possible without getting in the way of his quiver as he fired his arrows. They were balancing upright on the jeep that Natasha Romanoff had commandeered.

    "Where's your head at, kid?" Clint called to Christina, who was refusing to meet his eyes. "Belle, you're slacking!"

    "My head is right here, Barton!" Christina shouted over the commotion. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, firing at the jeep that was pulling up beside them, the last thing she needed was for them to start fretting about her more. For the first few weeks since her escape, they wouldn't even let her go to the restroom by herself, afraid that she would do...something. "And how many times have I told you not to call me that? You know that I hate it."

    Clint grinned over his shoulder at her. "I know, and that's exactly why I keep calling you that."

    Bright blue laser fire continued to shower them from above. Some Hydra troops stationed in tree platforms were firing Chitauri weapons that the organization had rounded up during the aftermath of the Battle of New York. They were more powerful than any similar-sized weapons ever created on Earth, and their destruction was being unleashed on them.

    Clint fired an arrow at one of the tree platforms. The soldiers sneered at it for a moment before the arrow exploded, knocking the soldiers out of the tree. Christina saw Hawkeye smile at the blast as he unleased more shots. Just then, Thor flew down out of the sky, slamming into the other platform and smashing it to dust.

    Christina knew that they were making major headway against Hydra, but she knew that they had vastly superior numbers, and that they had a row of tanks. Her worry over the tanks quickly disappeared as the Hulk landed like a bomb, pounding a crater into the ground. Hulk slipped in the snow, and accidentally smashed into a tank, obliterating it. Christina couldn't help but grin as he started smashing everything in sight.

    The driver of the jeep to their left ducked and swerved at Christina shot at him, but was suddenly yanked out of the vehicle completely as Thor swooped in before quickly flew off toward a sniper-post. Christina watched as the driver-less jeep crashed into some trees before firing her guns at a group of approaching soldiers. A single one evaded her fire, but was quickly taken out by Iron Man with a blast from one of his hand repulsors. Christina stiffly saluted at him as he flew past, and he waved in response.

    Their pattern of attack continued, as the group raced toward Hydra base, until their path was blocked by a felled tree. Black Widow slammed on the brakes, causing Hawkeye and Red Cobra to lower their stances. They braced themselves—Christina shoving her guns back into her thigh-holsters and made a grab for her twin-swords. The vehicle swerved sharply and they fled the jeep just as it hit the tree. The trio were joined by the rest of team.

    Steve raced past on his motorcycle, throwing his shield to take out hostiles directly in their path while using his motorcycle to power through many of the foot soldiers as well. Any of the targets that he missed, the Hulk—Bruce Banner—smashed, while Tony and Thor cleared the skies.

    Iron Man, seeing Hulk tearing through the heart of Hydra defenses, turned his attention to the fortress, flying straight at it. He had almost reached its central building when—BASH!—he slammed into an invisible barrier and crashed into the ground.

    "SHIT!" Tony shouted in pain over the comms network.

    Christina rolled her eyes, slicing into two more foot soldiers and knocked another unconscious.

    "Language!" scolded Cap at the sound of the profanity. "Jarvis, what's the view from upstairs?"

    Jarvis, the artificial intelligence that assisted the Avengers with real-time tactical support, instantly analyzed the area around the fortress and focused on what caused Iron Man's crash.

    "It appears that the central building is protected by some kind of energy shield," reported Jarvis over the comms.

    Christina groaned as a soldier managed to brush his knuckles against her cheek before she spun and whacked him hard on the back of his head with the heel of her boot.

    "Then Loki's scepter must be here," said Thor as he landed in a circle of Hydra exoskeletons. The Hydra suits jumped on him, but he battled them back with ease. "Strucker couldn't possibly mount this kind of defense or kind of barrier without the energy of the scepter. At long last..."

    "'At long last' is lasting a little long, boys," said Black Widow as she jumped into another jeep filled with enemies. She fought all the troops in the vehicle by herself.

    Hawkeye, from a firing position in the trees, agreed with Widow. "Yeah. I think we lost the element of surprise. We need to finish this up. Stark, heads up! You've got reinforcements running out of the exterior fortress staircases."

    "Wait a second," said Iron Man. "Is no one going to deal with the fact that Cap just warned me about by bad language?"

    "I know," said Cap and Red Cobra snorted. Cap swerved his motorcycle as a jeep began firing at him, before straightening himself out. He lifted himself up onto the seat, jerking at the handlebars sharply, and used the momentum to flip the motorcycle over his head and sent it flying at the jeep. "It just slipped out."

    "Don't worry, Steve. I think it's gentlemanly." Red Cobra teased, and stabbed a soldier in the neck, feeling the man's warm blood splatter across her face.

    "Thanks, Chris." Cap replied and she grinned.

    "Ewwwwww," Iron Man moaned childishly. "No. Do not flirt over the comms!"

    "I second that." Hawkeye said.

    "Seriously, guys. Save it for the bedroom." Black Widow said.

    "No, do not make lewd references either." Iron Man whined, and Hawkeye chuckled.

▲▽▲

Hawkeye was fighting off the last of the soldiers, the rest of the team doing the same somewhere else in the forest. "They're on the run," he observed. But then he saw his arrows seemingly disappear before hitting their targets. "What...?" he asked in confusion.

    Then suddenly, out of thin air, a young man appeared in front of him. "You didn't see that coming, did you?" asked the Eastern European. Hawkeye blinked, hesitating. Where had this guy come from?

    In the split-second that Hawkeye hesitated, he lost focus. He didn't see Red Cobra running to stand next to him or even see the Hydra tank that zapped them with a Chitauri weapon. Christina and Clint howled in pain, crumpling to the ground as the strange kid zipped away. He moved so fast that he was like a blur in the air. Faster than a bullet train, faster than a jet. It was...impossible.

    Christina immediately pushed the fact that she was injured to the back of her mind and allowed herself to worry about Clint instead. Natasha appeared running from the tree-line and pulled out a med kit.

    "Clint and Christina are hit," Widow informed the others.

    "I'm fine." Christina hissed in response.

    Steve raced toward their position, but the super-speeding man intercepted him, knocking him into a tree. Cap barely managed to land on his feet and immediately started scanning the area, looking for his attacker's position. But the man was gone.

    "We have an Enhanced in the field," Cap shouted over the comms to the others. "Enhanced" was the term the team used for anyone who had super powers. A new Enhanced meant big trouble. How much trouble? Christina couldn't guess.

    "Getting yourselves hit? What is this amateur-hour, guys?" Natasha said the wounded Clint and Christina, teasing her teammates. Christina knew that she was trying to lighten the mood as she dressed Clint's very serious injury.

    Steve continued to scan the area until he saw that there was no immediate danger around them, he instantly whipped around and cupped Christina's cold face in his hands—surveying her well-being. She had a large gash on her right bicep from the tank and could see that it had already started to heal.

    "You scared me there, for a second," Steve said, half-heartedly.

    "I had you scared?" Christina remarked, cupping his face in her hands. "I think you should've been scared for Mr. Barton here."

    Thor landed nearby.

    "He's around here somewhere," Cap told Thor. "He's a blur of motion. With all the new players we've faced, I've never seen this. In fact, I still haven't."

    "I'll get Barton and Lady Sitma to the jet," said Thor. "You and Stark secure the scepter."

    Christina's eyes widened in protest, but halted in voicing her thoughts when she saw the look in Steve's eyes. Without any words being shared, she nodded in affirmation and Steve breathed in relief before kissing her chastely and running off toward the fortress.

    "Will you give me a piggy-back ride, Thor?" Christina asked hopefully, feigning injury and cradled her arm pathetically. "I'm badly injured"

    Clint barked out in laughter despite being actually injured.

    "Well, at least you haven't lost you sense of humor, Clint."

▲▽▲

The Avengers' Quinjet soared across the sky with Tony Stark in the pilot's seat. Behind him, one of the passenger seats had been laid back and converted into a make-shift gurney. Clint was in stable condition, thanks to some of the most advanced medical equipment available.

    Christina watched as Natasha checked on Clint once more before turning to look at Bruce, who was sitting in an ill-fitting T-shirt, a blanket still draped over him. She approached him.

    "How's our bright-eyed boy?" she asked.

    "I wasn't expecting...to see the other guy today," Bruce replied.

    "Well, you know how you get when people shoot at you," Christina replied in a joking tone from across the Quinjet.

    "What after happened that?"

    They all knew what Bruce was asking. He never remembered what happened when the Hulk was in charge of his body, and he was always terrified at the thought of the pain and misery his other half might cause.

    "If you hadn't been there, there would have been double the casualities," Natasha replied honestly, then pointed at Clint and Christina. "And my best friends would be treasured memories."

    Bruce grunted, not sure if he believed her account.

    "How long before you trust me?" asked Natasha.

    Bruce shivered a little more, pulling the blanket closer. "It's not you I don't trust."

    Natasha put her hand on his, looking him in the eyes, but she called out to Thor behind her. "Thor, report on the Hulk."

    Thor replied proudly with a triumphant fist raised high in the air, "Ha! The gates of hell are filled with the screams of his victims!"

    Christina winced at his words and pinched the bridge of her nose while Steve sighed. Natasha gave Thor a sharp glare. They knew that wasn't exactly what Bruce needed to hear right now.

    "But, uh, not the screams of the dead," Thor backpedaled. "No, no, uh...wounded screams, mainly. Whimpering. A great roar of complaining, and tales of sprained, uh, deltoids...and...gout..."

    Christina and Steve shared a smile at the sound of the Asgardian's awkwardness before Tony called back to Bruce from the front of the jet. "Hey Banner. Dr. Cho's on her way in from Seoul. Is it okay if she sets up in your lab?"

    Christina glanced at Natasha, seeing a slightly dejected look passing over her face as Bruce turned away from her to reply to Tony. "Uh, yeah. She knows her way around."

    "Thanks."   

    Christina yawned loudly and leaned against Steve tiredly, who automatically wrapped an arm around her tense shoulders. Thor glanced at them for a moment before turning back to the scepter thoughtfully. After Tony gave Jarvis the appropriate commands, he turned and left the cockpit to join them.

    "It feels good, right?" Tony asked. "I mean, you've been after this thing since S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed. Not that I haven't enjoyed our little raiding parties, but..."

    "But this brings it to a close," Thor finished with a nod.

    "As soon as we fully understand what that thing's been used for." Steve interjected tensely. Christina's gaze flitted up to his face, eyebrows furrowed. "I don't just mean weapons. Since when has Baron Strucker been capable of human enhancement?"

    Christina winced slightly, consciously rubbing the spot on her neck where the Winter Soldier—James Buchanan Barnes—had injected the mutated Super-Soldier serum into her body. It made her think about what her life would be like Bucky hadn't lied to the Hydra scientists about her dying. Would she be like the enhanced(s) that they faced in the field today? Would she be ruthless, and murderous without a cause? Cut into, torn apart, and put back together like Scott? Or Mary? Or Micah? Who were brought back to life only to have their lives controlled by Hydra. The dark thoughts swirled through her mind and made her stomach churn restlessly.

    Tony nodded. "Banner and I will give that thing the once-over before it goes back to Asgard," he said, looking to Thor for confirmation. "Is that cool with you? Just a fe days, until the going-away party. You're staying, right?"

    "Of course," confirmed Thor. "A victory should be honored with revels."

    Tony smiled. "Who doesn't love revels? How about you, Captain? Cobra?"

    "Well, hopefully this puts an end to the Chitauri—and Hydra," Steve said and Christina smiled softly. "So, yes...revels."

▲▽▲

not edited

author's note:

as some of you may have noticed, i am in the process of completely re-writing this series and i have several of my own reasons for wanting to re-write the series (one of them is that i am disappointed in my writing at some parts and am not completely satisfied with the plot in some places). with that being said, i hope that you all will be happy with the subtle changes i will be making to christina and her plot.

as always, like and comment if you enjoyed the book and/series so far!

xx vxidmccall_