1| Silver & Gold [Pietro M.] ✔

4. Gone

You know that thing that people say? Your whole life flashes before your eyes right before you die?

They're liars.

As I free fall to what I can only assume will be my ultimate end, the only thing I see is my hair blinding my view of the ever nearing streets of good old NYC. Not to mention I could taste it also. It tasted awful. Do not recommend. 0/10.

Actually, I could probably go for a shower. I'm sure my hair is dirty. Besides, I probably smell like gunpowder and smoke. It's wise to assume so after previously being in the middle of a small war zone in Sokovia. And who knows how long ago that was? Because I don't. I don't know what today's date is and how long I could've been unconscious while held in Stark's glorified tech tower. I guess I'll have to ask someone what day it is, you know if I live.

However this raises a more important question: why am I so concerned about a shower right now? I'm like, a few hundred feet from death. I should be trying to think of a snappy plan. Well, I have like 88% of a plan. I just need the other 12% of it before I hit the busy New York concrete.

Then it hits me.

Not the concrete, but the other 12% of my plan. Or, so I hope.

As I near the streets of the city that never sleeps, I shake the strands of hair from my eyes. I also do my best to evenly distribute my weight in the chilly air. Now that I'm not falling in a flailing, jumbled mess, I have a decent view of where I'm headed — a clear place to land. Or clear so long as nobody decides to stop in the middle of the street right about now. Which, of course, with my luck is too much to ask.

I guess the whole commotion at Stark's tower is drawing the attention of the ever-watchful public. A crowd begins to grow with their eyes turned towards the tower bearing the Avenger's symbol. A tower that is obviously in some sort of trouble. Nobody seems to pay much mind to the falling girl, though.

Sigh.

People are so blind sometimes, I swear.

My plummeting grows ever faster and the ground approaches swiftly. I try not to let it phase me, but its quite sickening to know that if your plan doesn't work...well, the resulting outcome will appear to come off as a suicide. Yeah. That might rattle your confidence a bit. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

As I fall, I begin to build a charge in my hands and feet. Given that this is a stupid plan, I am 70% sure I am about to die. I suck in as much air as I can right before I let the charge I have built in my hands out. It's a bright golden pulse that knocks the people I'm about to land on out of the way. Then I shift my body so I can land feet first. Right before my feet touch the concrete, I release the final burst of energy. The rebound energy bounces off the sidewalk and pushes against my feet to slow the momentum I had accumulated. As the rest of the energy fans out into the crowd, I land on somewhat unstably.

The pedestrians who took the brunt of the first energy blast are shoved a couple more feet away from the clear circle around me. The rest of the crowd are sent stumbling from the second blast as well. It's a perfect distraction. As they all fight to regain their balance, I make a quick escape from the growing crowd. Thankfully nobody manages to really comprehend what just happened.

I weave my way through the loudly murmuring crowd, careful to keep my face downcast as I hobble down the sidewalk. I may be alive, but I'm not exactly uninjured. Guess who continuously seems to manage to injure themselves doing just about anything? You guessed it. Me.

With two ankles twisted to high heavens and pain rivaling that of getting hit in the ankles by a scooter, I grimace. I begin to limp in the general direction of the Avenger's tower. I'm careful to take back alleys and stay off the main walks where I'm sure the majority of cameras will be. This may very well be my only chance to escape the superheroes until I'm ready to face them again, but I also know that if I disappear I'll look like I'm guilty or hiding something. Or worse, that I'm in league with HYDRA.

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I manage to cover about three blocks when I have to stop because the pain radiating in the muscles surrounding my ankles becomes so intense. I plop down on a quiet corner to rub the joints as I begin to think about my options once again. They're fairly limited at this moment. One, I can continue to return to the Avengers. Two, I can just run from my problems and hope they don't catch up to me. Knowing my luck though they probably will. Especially considering I can't exactly run let alone walk normally right now.

Sighing in frustration, I rub my face with the heels of my palms. Okay, if I do return to the tower, what then? Will they give me a chance to show I'm not a threat? Do they already have a biased opinion about me? I mean I did just help them up there after all. It's not like I tried to destroy anything or reign down hellfire on them. Before I got pulled out of the window by a crazy murder bot anyways.

But on the other hand, I can so easily get away. They probably think that robot has me. Or that I took a detour straight to heaven. But they won't find a body. Then they'd know I'm not dead and that I'm out in the world, which would mean they'd come after me again. They might not even give up until they find me... My life would literally be an 'on-the-run' deal. And frankly? I've had enough of running. Besides, they also don't know I have powers...they might just think I'm a spy? No. That lady I saved and told to stay hidden probably saw me. Oh, and the Widow saw me before she tasered me in Sokovia.

Sigh.

Well, at least according to that AI they had nothing on me. That was good. Then they couldn't blackmail me...if the Avengers even did that kind of stuff. I look down the street to where the large brightly lit building towers and purse my lips. If I really want to do good, maybe be a hero and get some revenge on HYDRA, I really only have one option.

The Avengers.