Control (Avengers Fan Fiction)

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Scarlett landed flat on her back, grunting as the air in her lungs was forced out. She sat up, propping herself on one elbow.
She wiped the blood from her nose as she glared at the man standing across the room from her. He twirled the knife in his hand, smirking.

"I always thought it would be interesting to meet you." His Eastern European accent was thick. "Now I'll have the pleasure of killing you."

Scarlett stood to her feet and cracked her neck from one side to the other. Her eyes found the man once more. The corner of her lips turned up. She motioned for him to make his move.

He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm not an idiot, Rose." He put his hand into his pocket and pulled something out. It appeared to be a little timer of some sort. From the wires on it, Scarlett gathered that it had to be a bomb. "Everyone who's tried to kill you before couldn't because you're the best."

He tossed the timer down on to the floor.
Scarlett could hear the timer ticking.
She nodded her head, falling out of her defensive stance. There was no use fighting. He was blocking her only exit out of the office building.

"I can respect that."

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the handgun she'd lost in the fight.

In a last minute decision, Scarlett decided to move. She picked the gun up and fired a shot into the man's chest.  Then she turned and fired two rounds into the glass fourth story window behind her.

Everything happened so quickly. Scarlett got to the window just as the explosion went off. The blast blew her through the already shattered and broken glass.

–––

"What's with all the smoke in Hell's Kitchen, Stark?" Steve asked. He stood near the window-wall that overlooked New York City in Avengers Tower.

"I don't know. Do I look like a news reporter to you?"

"Can you turn the news on, Bruce?" Wanda took a seat next to Vision on the sofa.

Bruce picked up the remote that was nearest to him and changed the channel from sports to the local news.

Natasha, curious from where she sat at the bar on her laptop, glanced up to see what was on.

The letters at the bottom of the screen read, "Explosion at Building Downtown." However, that wasn't what caught Natasha's attention. The video being shown on screen seemed to be the actual explosion, which involved something– or someone– falling from four stories up.

"Oh my God." Tony furrowed his brows and leaned forward in his seat. "Bruce, Bruce, Bruce! Rewind that!"

"What? What did you see–,"

"Rewind it, Bruce. Just-Just do it!"

Bruce did as told and replayed the explosion. Natasha rewatched the unknown object fall from the building and land on a car below, crushing the rooftop. She gasped audibly, causing everyone to look at her.

Tony turned his head to her, nodding softly.

"That's her, isn't it?"