The Eternal Avenger

Chapter Twelve: Winter Soldier

(Claray's POV)

Even though I had managed to detangle myself from Shield's grip and was relatively free to live my life as I so chose, I couldn't stop thinking about what they had told me. Part of the reason I was here, doing what I did, was to help. What if I could help them in more ways than one? What could it hurt, really? I shook my head, pushing from my desk at the office and resting my face on my hands. No, it was too much. Part of the reason that I had survived this long was actively avoiding getting on the radar of powerful agencies. My cell phone vibrated next to me, Agent Romanoff's name popping up on the caller ID. I smiled. I hadn't seen Natasha in weeks now, and to occupy myself, I had been practically living in my office attempting to reorganize the chaos into something more manageable. "Agent Romanoff, I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me," I couldn't help but smile. I jumped up from my desk in shock as a familiar male voice responded.

"Ms. Ridel," I recognized Agent Barton.

"Yes, Agent Barton. Why are you?" He cut me off. "Natasha's been injured, and I thought you should know." I anxiously began pacing the room.

"Where is she? How bad is it? Why didn't you call sooner? Who is treating her?" The questions flew out of my mouth as fast as I could think of them.

"Whoa, hold on," Clint stopped me, attempting to manage the chaos. "She's in and out of consciousness right now, and she's at the tower."

"I'm coming over," I said, instantly looking around for anything I'd need to take with me.

"Ms. Ridel, I don't think that's a good idea," Clint said. His voice was strained.

"What aren't you telling me?" I demanded.

"Shield fell, Ms. Ridel. It has been infiltrated by Hydra all along." He sounded defeated. I found myself plopping back heavily onto my chair, gripping the arm so tightly that the wood began to strain.

"Agent Barton, I am coming to see her." He sighed.

"You can try." I didn't wait for him to say anything further, before hanging up, leaving the shop so quickly that I didn't even bother locking the door. I made it to the tower in record time - even for me - but was stopped shortly after entering by a small contingent of metallic guards.

"We're here to help," their raspy voices rattling as they gathered around me. I saw a familiar face between their blank expressions.

"Agent Hill!" I called. She walked over to me.

"You shouldn't be here, Ms. Ridel." She shook her head and blocked my path, standing between me and the robots. Fuck it.

"Agent Hill...Maria..." I started. She looked at me in shock when I used her first name. "I can help her." She shook her head again.

"She's getting the best possible medical care..." I cut her off mid-sentence.

"SOMETIMES MEDICAL CARE DOESN'T WORK, AGENT HILL!" I was losing my patience. Agent Hill stood up straighter, appraising me.

"What do you plan to do differently?" I sighed before throwing my hands up in exasperation.

"Agent Hill, in my interrogation when I said that there were a lot of wolves, but only one of me?" She nodded. "I'm not just a werewolf. I'm a hybrid. I am a vampire as well as a werewolf, and as a vampire, my blood can heal her." Her mouth gaped open in shock.

"H...Heal her?" She asked, eyes wide. "Vampire?" Her voice was far steadier asking the second question than the first, as though it took her a few moments to process what I had said.