ᴀɴᴀʀᴄʜɪsᴛ sᴇʀɪᴇs | B. Barnes, S. Rogers, L. Laufeyson

Scars | 31 |

Harli put out her fourth cigarette, getting up to go investigate the source of the sound. She glanced around, then tentatively spoke, "Chickadee?"

Hearing her speak it in person made his heart clench, though he didn't know why. He was suddenly very aware of the bracelet in his pocket, having purposely hid it there so his handler wouldn't take it.

The girl sighed, then retreated from the ledge. He heard a swishing noise, and when he peeked up and over the building's lip, she was gone.

-

12:53 pm
September 23

The mission was supposed to go smoothly.

It was a simple recovery and hostage situation.

Harli snuck her way along the edge of the walls two floors above where the people were being held.

She was supposed to wait for Tony's word, then he would cause a diversion as she got the hostages out.

Steve was on the ground floor, ready to fight the terrorists if any escaped. Natasha was circled around the back of the building, and Clint was stationed on the opposite building. Bruce and Thor weren't needed for this mission, so both were left at the Tower to entertain each other.

"Icarus- it's go time."

"Roger."

She jumped down the stairwell, grabbing the railing two floors down as she fell through the air. Shots were fired and screams echoed around the hall, the sickening thunk of bodies hitting the floor, blood leaking from whatever fatal wound had ended them.

The girl crept into the room, seeing six people gagged and bound.

They started to make noise when she entered, and she quickly shushed them.

"Shh- I'm here to help." She flicked her fingers and the knots tying their hands together came undone.

A woman rushed up to her, "Thank you- thank you!"

That was when everything went wrong.

A needle was stuck into her neck, and something was injected into her veins. Her vision blurred, and she felt her body go numb.

"Sir?" One of the 'hostages' said into an earpiece. "We got the girl, heading to the rendezvous point now."

-

When she awoke she was tied to a chair, and her wings were clipped back uncomfortably behind her.

She had been disarmed, and her weapons were nowhere to be seen.

Her neck was killing her, and blood spilled down onto her shoulder from a wound.

Harli flexed her fingers, trying to summon the well of magic inside her, but there was nothing.

"Little magic tricks not working for you?" A voice said from the other side of the room.

"Who-" She started, but he cut her off

"Save it." The man came into the light. He was tall, with long black hair, and one eye was a milky white color.

"Why-?" He cut her off again.

"Runes- it wasn't hard to rig up a circle to stop your little light show."

She looked down, and realized that there was a circle drawn around her chair, with carvings and indents in the stone around it: runes.

The circle itself was white, and looked strangely like salt.

"The demon? Harder to control." The man sighed, circling around behind her.