The Sokovian Shadow

Chapter 22

The Quinjet dropped us off at a white building in the middle of a forest. The first thing I did was follow Tichu as she zipped off into the trees away from Bruce and the Quinjet. I'd kept my wings furled into my back on the Quinjet, not wanting to fly and risk losing Tichu. It'd been a challenge getting onto the Quinjet with my claustrophobia, but I'd managed. I think Tichu had it worse. She'd gotten jumpier and tenser as the flight continued.

I followed her as she flitted through the trees. She eventually slowed to a halt on a log in a clearing. I jumped over a couple more logs, ducked under a hanging branch, and walked over to her, sitting down next to her as I unfurled my wings and flicked them over the log so I wasn't sitting on them. Tichu's feathers were puffed and her eyes were wild with fear as her chest heaved for air.

She's worse than I thought. I commented to Celes. She hummed in agreement as a started smoothing down Tichu's puffed up feathers.

'I can't do that again.' She insisted once she calmed down slightly.

'I won't ask you to.' I murmured as I continued stroking her feathers. She shook herself up slightly, re-puffing her feathers, then hopped onto my leg. I continued stroking her back, and she eventually fell asleep. I couldn't say I blamed her. She'd spent at least half an hour on a strange machine with 2 humans she didn't know. I'd tried to stay calm for her sake, but she must have felt that I wasn't breathing.

After waiting for a few minutes to make sure she was really asleep, I picked her up and placed her back where she'd landed. I shifted into my falcon form and flew around the forest, gathering grass, moss and leaves. I landed back in the clearing with the last of the materials and started to build. A few minutes later, the nest was done. I hopped down to the ground and shifted back into my Wraith form.

I picked her up gently and placed her in the nest, adding a couple of my feathers to give it a bit more structure. I picked up the nest and flew above the trees. I hadn't noticed how much time had passed; it was already night. I wandered through the dark, empty hallways of the compound, my wings folded into my back. I switched the nest holding Tichu from both hands to my left arm, creating a soul steel knife in my right. I tensed up when I heard a feminine voice from the air around me.

'You seem lost. Could I be of assistance?'

'Who are you? Where are you?' I demanded

'My name is Friday. I am Mr Stark's Artificial Intelligence, after my predecessor, Jarvis, was downloaded into the Vision. Therefore, I am everywhere in the Avengers Compound, as I have no physical form. Mr Stark has not yet set a name for you in my database. What would you like me to call you?' She asked again. She had a smooth Irish accent, and she was very polite.

'Call me Shadow.' I decided.

'Downloading name to database. Download complete. Welcome to the Avengers Compound, Shadow. How may I be of assistance?'

I thought for a moment. 'Could you please direct me to a training room?'

'Of course. Please wait for a moment.' I jumped as lights showed up on the floor, leading down the hallway. 'The lights will lead you to one of the many training rooms throughout the compound.'

'Thanks, Friday.' I was beginning to warm up the friendly A.I.

'You are quite welcome, Shadow. Have a good evening.'

I turned and started following the lights down the hallway. After a few minutes of walking, I arrived at a room empty of people. There were racks of firearms next to a shooting range along one wall, and an area on the far side of the room contained different sized punching bags. The centre of the room was empty, most likely used for sparring. I placed the nest I'd created for Tichu on the bleachers, then walked to the middle of the room.

I took a deep breath, and started to dance. There was no music, I was just dancing. I had my soul sense spread out, so I wouldn't be caught off guard, but eventually I stopped paying attention to it. I'd started dancing to one of the songs I'd heard in Sokovia; a lullaby I'd heard just before the bombings. It'd stayed with me ever since. Tears started to slip down my face as I doubled my speed from the slow tempo I'd been dancing to. I missed a step and fell to the ground, staying there as I sobbed.

Celes released my wings from my back and wrapped them around me as comfort, but it didn't help. Everything I'd been through, every traumatic event I'd experienced, killing Celes, my training, losing Oris, the bombings, and now watching Sokovia explode, it all caught up to me. I was broken. I felt Tichu nudge my wing to side with her head and nuzzle up against my arm. I smiled through the tears and started stroking her back.

We stayed like that for a few minutes before Tichu squawked and flew back to her nest hurriedly. I jumped to my feet and lunged toward the newcomer with a knife in hand, coating my wings with my soul fire. They sidestepped, and I lashed out with a wing. They ducked, and I spun around, aiming for the throat.

'Aorta, stop!' I froze. My knife was touching the skin of Nat's throat. I took a few steps back. I'd almost killed her. My knife dissolved, as did the soul steel on my wings. I folded my wings into my back and walked over to the bleachers. I picked up Tichu's nest and headed to the door. I had to get out there. I felt a hand on my shoulder and froze, I unfurled my wings and wrapped my left one around Tichu, trying to make her feel safe.

'Why did you come here?' I forced myself to sound calm, but I was terrified. I was terrified of what I could do when I didn't hold back. I was terrified of what I almost did to Nat. I was terrified of what I would do if I didn't get out of there.

'Nightmares. I usually train when I wake up from them. It helps me relax. You?'

'I couldn't fall asleep after seeing my home explode. I swore an oath to protect that country with my death, Natasha! I can't...' I took a deep breath and tried to calm back down. 'If the Reaper finds out about this, I'll be brought back to the Inter World. I'll become a Guide. I'll forget everything I was, everything I became.' I finished, spinning around to face her. She was stony faced, but there was pity in her eyes. I scoffed at seeing it. 'I don't need your pity. I brought this on myself. I should have-'

'Don't you dare blame this on yourself.' She snapped. 'You did as much as you could. If that isn't enough for this "Reaper", then he can take that up with me.' She finished. Cold fear flooded through my body.

'You don't want to meet him. He's death incarnate. The Reaper isn't his undercover name. It's who he is. The higher power I bow to, it's him. The Grim Reaper.' I rushed out. Realization filled her eyes as desperation filled mine. But as she opened her mouth to reply, an icy cold filled the room. I folded my wings into my back and spun in place as Tichu cowered in her nest, then flew up to the rafters. Natasha looked confused as I dropped into a crouch facing the entity I'd hoped I'd never have to see after Sokovia was destroyed.

'Well, well, Aorta.' I rose to my feet slowly and clasped my hands behind my back. Natasha looked confused at my actions, but she had a gun in hand nonetheless. I wished I could tell her it wouldn't do anything to the skeleton I'd feared my entire life. I could see his scythe flashing in the shadows as he made himself visible to Nat. Her eyes widened as she took in Death. 'It appears we have much to discuss, don't we?'