The Ghost Initiative (Avengers Next Gen)

Fight, flight or fall?

~ Lexi Roses P.O.V ~

I stumbled and lost my balance, watching as the sky came into view. I was about to fall out a building, until I watched a hand reach out and grasp around my arc reactor, sparks appeared before my eyes and electricity pulsed through my body as I tried to stop the convulsions, I bit my tongue to stop a scream from exiting my mouth at the agony that had overtaken my body. Blood filled my mouth as by body's functions found to stay functioning without any blood flow. I watched the sunlight leave the sky and saw the recognition cross Howie's face as my appearance changed.

" Lexi?"  The sound of his voice broke my heart, it was same tone he used when he stood in front of me all those years ago, so apologetic. And I knew in that moment, I had been right about this. A shocked smile came across his face before he uttered another quiet sentence, no one around us dared move. Not with our slightly perilous position.

" You're Iron Woman? How?" I could feel my body shutting down the longer I hung over the ledge, Howie adjusted his grip to pull me back when I saw the gun appear from behind him. Leah Rumlow stood behind him, a sick sadistic smirk on her face.

" Keep pulling, or you're gonna end up with a bullet in your head Stark." I watched as Howie steeled himself, ready to take another hit because I couldn't protect myself. And I remembered why I had come here, I took a deep breath and watched as Howie opened his mouth.

" It's okay Howie, It's my turn to protect you this time... I love you" With that I reached my hand and gripped his wrist, his eyes widened and I watched his head shake in disbelief, before I forcefully twisted his hand to the left and felt my arc reactor disconnect. Howie reached forwards to grab me as I tumbled backwards out the hole.

I could feel the air around me, and it was almost peaceful. Maybe... it was meant to be me all along, but if I hadn't been saved by Howie that day, my life would have never amounted to anything as great as it did. Instinctively I tried to reach for something to grab, now I know why the dramatic scenes in action movies had characters flail around. It was instinct. I knew the ground would be growing closer each second, yet I couldn't really think about that.

Instead all I could think about was everything that had happened in the last few months. A million images ran through my head.

All the late night conversations I had with Dad after our fight, the surprise birthday party the team threw me when I left hospital. All the times Mom had been lucid enough for conversations, telling her about my friends and Bucky, how excited I was for my first date. The fact that she actually said she was happy for me, it all seemed so magnificent now.

I started to think about James, our night camping where we stayed up to all hours of the morning talking about everything and nothing at the same time, our favourite foods, favourite memories. Where he told me about the war and how sad he was when he got rescued because he didn't have his twin sister.

The moment I realised that there were people out there, people that truely understood what I felt. And I knew that Becky and Amelia knew how I felt, but they always seemed to have it all together. I thought back to learning about how to control my powers, realising I was falling for James. The first kiss in the hospital room, the way he was so worried about me. So annoyed that I had put myself in danger, determined to make sure I knew I was worth something.

I thought back to the date, how special he made me feel. Treating me like I was an equal despite my lack of experience dating. How that one night was the first time I felt... normal... since the attack.

I could feel the earth getting closer now, I realised what effect this was going to have one everyone. James would lose someone else, Thank God he was unconscious when this all happened.

I watched as someone appeared to almost jump out of the building and his voice hit my ears before everything went black.

" Rosie!!!! "

* That's it. Done and dusted. The Ghost team will partially appear again*