The Eternal Avenger

Chapter Forty-Six: Havoc

(Claray's POV):

The moment I examined the bodies in Dublin, I knew it wasn't the kind of handiwork we were looking for. The corpses were sliced and it could easily be mistaken for sword work, but the gashes seemed too thin to me. In addition, there was not nearly enough blood found at the scene to explain the blood loss that these corpses experienced. No, the only explanation for what I was seeing looked very much like a supernatural attack. I left the morgue, heading to my hotel room in the Temple Bar district. When I arrived, I grabbed myself a bowl of stew from the restaurant below the hotel before making my way up to my room. While not nearly as luxurious as my accommodations had been elsewhere, the rooms were clean and were in an excellent location. I smiled slightly, seeing Natasha's face pop up on my caller ID. Shuri had sent over the picture she took of the two of us, me on Natasha's back like an injured koala, her grinning back at me like a patient sibling. It made me smile every time I saw it and remembered the moment clearly. "It's not him, Tasha," I sighed, leaning back onto the bed and resting my eyes momentarily.

"I know," her voice carried an edge, and I sat up on the bed immediately.

"What's going on?" I asked. The silence on the other end of the line was concerning. When she spoke, it sounded as though she was using every ounce of energy she had in order to keep her voice steady.

"We might have something," she said softly. That caught my attention.

"Something like what?"

"Do you remember Scott from your side at the airport in Germany?" She asked.

"Of course – the miniature giant one," I nodded.

"He showed up. And he's talking about time travel like it's a thing that's possible." I frowned, thinking about what Natasha was saying.

"Are you serious?" I asked, getting to my feet, pacing around the room.

"Afraid so, love." I sighed, rubbing my forehead with my fingers. "There's more." She started again. I paused, waiting for her to continue.

"I know where Clint is, now." I inhaled sharply.

"Are you sure?" her voice was less steady now.

"I'm headed to Tokyo in the morning." I digested this information as quickly as I could.

"Be careful, Tasha," I warned softly. "I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you." She sniffled on the other end of the line.

"I feel the same way, you know," she whispered softly. My phone beeped loudly, notifying me of a special alert.

"I've got to go. Something else is going down in Dublin." She cleared her throat, getting back to business.

"Take care of it, and I'll see you soon." She clicked off the line as I glanced at the incoming notification. There had been another massacre, this time of civilians. The killings weren't solely related to the mob, then. I sighed, pushing my phone into my pocket, grabbing a jacket and heading back down into the night.

(Natasha's POV):

Admittedly, my timing was off. I didn't get to Clint in time to stop him from fulfilling his plans for the Yakuza in Tokyo. As much as it pained me to admit, seeing him killing the leader of one of the biggest crime organizations in the world really didn't prick my conscience too badly. He sensed my presence almost immediately, though. The moment I saw him I realized what happened without him having to say a word. His family was gone. All of them. If a single person was left standing after the snap, the man that stood in front of me now would not be here. He would be with them. They had always been his top priority, even over saving the world and being an Avenger. That's why he ended up taking the deal and staying on house arrest, in order to make it easier for Laura and the kids. His broken voice, however, tore something deep inside – a part of me that I didn't realize I still had.

"Don't give me hope." I said the only thing I could think to say in response.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give it to you sooner." As he grasped my hand tightly in his own, I caught a glimpse of the man that had once been ordered to kill me, but had made a different call. I knew what it was like to crawl back from that dark place, and if I could do it he could too. And I was going to make sure that his journey back wasn't in vain – that he was going to get his family back, the way things should be.

(Claray's POV):

As soon as I approached the scene, I was aware of another presence. There was a vampire here. An old one. And it was in Havoc. I sighed, letting my eyes wander the perimeter, spotting movement off towards the right heading away from the scene. I dropped my jacket on the ground, setting off in pursuit. After a brief but hearty chase, the other vampire and I squared off in a clearing between the trees. They had a hood over their head, hiding their features, but their frame was small and wiry.

"You need to let me go, Ridel," an all-too-familiar voice resonated through the still trees. I frowned, catching my breath and holding it without even realizing. Slowly, pale, small hands emerged from the sleeves of their jacket, pushing the hood back on their head.

"Amelia?" I gasped. The vampire looked at me with a smile, eyes glowing bright red.

"Nice to see you again, Claray," she spoke lowly.

"What are you doing?" I asked, too shocked by the sight of my old friend to react to the threat.

"It's my birthright," she spat. I shook my head.

"Amelia, it's not right. You know it's not right. We've talked about this a million times." She laughed, but it was completely devoid of humor.

"For a while, I agreed with your ridiculous morality," she chuckled softly. "No more. Why should I care what happens to these pathetic, fragile creatures?" I looked at her incredulously.

"Amelia," her name stuck in my throat.

"Going to try to kill me, hybrid?" Her voice lilted as she teased me. I gaped at her, unsure of how to proceed.

"If I have to. Don't make me do this," I pleaded. She lunged at me, and I spun away. When I turned back to the spot she had just been, she was gone.

My hands shook as I took my phone out my pocket. I shook my head, replacing the phone and pulling out the Kimono bead bracelet I carried with me from Wakanda. I pulled up Okoye, who answered immediately. "What's the problem?" She asked, down to business as usual.

"I have a havoc vampire outside of Dublin. She's...an old friend. I need backup." I could tell I had her interest – I could almost hear her sitting up straighter in her chair.

"Ayo is on the way," she nodded at me before the connection clicked shut. I made my way back to my hotel, sending a quick text to Natasha. There was no immediate answer. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that Natasha was okay and that her trip had been more successful than mine had been so far.

I woke the next morning to a nudge at the foot of my bed. Ayo stood there, straight at attention, looking down at me expectantly. "Let's go." She ordered. I knew better than to argue with a determined and angry Dora. We made our way back to the woods where I had last seen Amelia. She was still nearby. I could smell her. I nodded to Ayo as we split up. I took of my jacket – Natasha's leather jacket, actually – and slowly started to shift.

Amelia came at me first. As the wolf, it was far easier to be graceful, but I couldn't move nearly as quickly as she could. I snapped at whatever part of her I could reach, but she was easily able to dodge. She next went for Ayo, who pulled a spear out of god knows where and fended her off admirably. Somehow, we managed to trap the vampire between the two of us. She glanced between us, crouching, ready for action, hissing at us in warning. She lunged at me, and I grabbed her by the throat as she moved past. All it would take would be a single bite to crush her neck, potentially removing her head. I glanced down, noticing her fingernails sharpened into points, resembling little daggers. I sighed as I released her neck from my jaws. Amelia straightened herself, chuckling. "You can't do it, can you little wolf?" She taunted. The smile faded from her face, however, as Ayo's spear sliced right through her neck, severing her head. It paused for a moment before finally tumbling to the ground. The warrior nodded at me, retrieving my jacket before saluting me and disappearing back into the night. Too exhausted to shift back, I nudged Natasha's jacket into a ball on the forest floor, flopping over on my side and using it as a pillow as I slowly drifted off to sleep.