Animalia // Barnes

Chapter Ten: The Fall of Stark Tower

~MEL~

I wake up to an almighty crash from a few floors up, small specs of concrete dust wafting form the ceiling. I bolt out of the tub, hurriedly putting on a black shirt, black leggings, brown combat boots and a long, moss green jacket with pockets. Grabbing my cup, I bolt out of the room. "Miss Mel, all occupants of Stark Tower, other than yourself, have made-" JARVIS says, abruptly cut off.

"JARVIS?!" I yell. More crashes sound and chunks of building start to fall. Someone had to be bombing the building. I sprint toward one of the glass walls, terrified at the sight of an army of HYDRA aircraft surrounding the building. Where would the team have gone? Bullets fizz through the air, cutting at anything in their way. One embeds itself in my shoulder, making me cry out in pain. One of the gunners notices my presence, so instead of randomly shooting, he starts to aim at me.

I look around, seeing no where that I could go without certain death, so I charge forward, toward the remaining wall. I crash through it, tiny pieces flying through the air and cutting me just as the floor of the building explodes into a fiery inferno. Wings sprout from my back, sending me soaring into the air. The crisp morning air greets me as the last lines of sunset leave the sun.

I turn my head, seeing all of the ships concentrate their gunfire in one position. I can barely make out the shapes of the team running, followed by a a very large Hulk. "Oh my god." I breathe. Sam has wings protrude from his back, and I see his quick and agile shape dart between bullet and shooting at the ships. They are almost all in their pyjamas, not ready for a fight. I can't leave them. I need to help.

Beating my massive wings against the air, I soar. I wrap my wings around my body, trying to protect myself as much as I can. I Kamikaze toward the roof, trying to get to them as quickly as possible. "Look ou-" Sam begins. I feel the blistering heat of an explosion below, the force of it pushing me away form the rooftop, and over the edge of the building. I see an unconscious Natasha lying in Clint's arms, The Twins protecting them, Steve and Bucky fighting, Thor seemingly absent and Tony motionless on the ground right before they are bombarded by another explosion, engulfed by flames.

I free-fall in my own space for what seems like forever, blacking out.

***

I awake to the sounds of sirens blaring and the black smoke choking me. I sit up, coughing into my hand, which is covered in ash. My wings shoot jabbing pain across my body, small pools of blood on the concrete ground. They must have fractured, because I can't move them. I start to destroy the cells, a painful and tedious process. The rooftop of Stark Tower is ablaze, firefighters, police officers, reporters and medics surrounding the building, about forty metres away. The surrounding streets are covered in debris and prices of glass. There is no sign of HYDRA agents, or their airships.

Did HYDRA take the team? Did they kill them? Why leave me? Did they even know I had survived? I look around, crawling out of view of the crowds. Breathing heavily, I run my fingers over my gunshot wound, which is practically pouring blood. I hiss in pain, closing my eyes. Reopening them, I notice some officers nearing my shelter, which seems to be some sort of bulky chair on wheels. A car.

Hopping to my feet, I walk backwards. I turn and run straight into a brown-haired woman with a microphone, sending is both tumbling to the ground. The impact hits my shoulder first, causing me to howl in pain and clamp my eyes shut again. The woman is already on her feet, beckoning a cameraman. "Oh my goodness, George! She's hurt!" She yells. I open my eyes, and she gasps. Her eyes widen in fear at my pulsing golden ones. "George..." She squeaks. The officers footsteps are close, possibly on the other side of the car.

The cameraman, presumably George, waddles over, his bulky camera on his shoulder. Somehow, I'm on my feet, looking at the woman. "HYDRA did this. They bombed Stark Tower." I announce, the wings sprouting again from my back, just as George reaches the woman. I'm in the air just as George lets the camera roll, videoing my existence. I fly as fast as I can, trying to give them as little footage as possible. I hear the woman's chirpy voice talking to the camera.

"Does New York have another superhuman on its hands?"

I sit in a cold, bright room with a man in a black uniform. "I'm sorry M-" He begins. "Sorry won't bring her back!" A distraught teenage me shouts. "You killed her - and my Dad too!" The man nods. "We are very sorry for the inconvenience-" He tries again. "Inconvenience! My whole family is dead because of you! You're all monsters! You're evil!" I spit. The man tries to talk once more, but stand, pacing about the room and yelling any anything and everything.

"Take a seat Miss-" Another man with dark skin begins, entering the room. "I will not take a seat! I have nothing left! You took everything and it's just going to be swept under the carpet!" I scream in frustration. I start to feel salty tears prick my eyes. The dark-skinned man sighs. "We are deeply sorry about the... Incident... And have found a willing agent for you to live with for the-" I huff. "I'm so sick of the bullshit! You murdered hundreds of innocent people, you expect me to be quiet about it and go and live with some random stranger that S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit-"

"That's enough." The dark-skinned man says. "Gas her and then send her to Rohnsworth." The original man nods. "No! You can't just-" I warn, cut off by the hissing of gas. The men slide on gas masks. Pouncing on the dark-skinned man, presumably in charge, I rip the mask off of his face, digging my nails in and dragging them across his skin. He roars, pushing me off. I start to feel less of my limbs, the gas working rapidly. "Please don't do this... You can't..."

I land on a wet, concrete rooftop, panting.

The man in my flashback was Nicolas Fury.