oh captain! my captain! | barnes

harlem

2:30 pm
Harlem

It was the first complex she saw. It was a two story, brick building on the opposite side of the highway than the shore.

She trudged up the dirty beach, coming to a busy highway. A horn blared as a sleek car veered along with every other. She glared at it as it shrunk with distance.

She began across the highway, without looking. She didn't know better.

A car swerved and hit another; she carried on. She made it across. Her clothes clung to her as they began to stiffen with dryness.

She locked her eyes on the brick complex. She made it to a door and opened it. She carried up the steps silently.

She had no weapon other than herself. She placed her hand on a faux gold doorknob, she opened it. Foolish mistake: leaving your door unlocked.

A teenaged girl froze. She held a plate with a sandwich in one hand, and the other smoothed her curly hair down.

"Hungry?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," Audrey sighed with relief.

"Here," the girl handed Audrey her plate and disappeared into another room to make her own. Audrey followed, lunch in-hand.

She appeared in a kitchenette; Audrey sat at a round table-for-two. The girl began making another sandwich with the ingredients that were left out.

"You have a name?" the girl asked, buttering bread.

"Soldier 0324, Audrey Rolf," she spat out. It was one of the few things she remembered. "Yours?"

"Ray Ann. How old are you?"

"I don't know."

"I'm sixteen," Ray answered the unasked question.

"You're young to be on your own, no?" Audrey took a bite of her food.

"I'm not alone," a cat climbed through an open window as the sentence tumbled out. "This is Daisy."

"Daisy," she echoed. The white feline looked up at the assassin, both cocked their heads.

"Ray?" Audrey tested the name.

"Yes?" the girl hopped onto the counter and began eating.

"Where are we?"

"Harlem, baby," she grinned.

"Harlem..." the assassin trailed off.

"Say, where are you from? How'd you get here?" Ray popped a chip in her mouth.

"I'm not sure where I'm from," the assassin admitted. "But I know the jail flooded."

"Jail?" she tensed, pushing her food away.

"I'm amazed you haven't heard of me," Audrey stood. She took a step closer to Ray. "I've been in the news a lot. The Avengers took me in, a murderer and assassin," she laughed a short note.

"Murderer? Assassin?" Ray hopped off, still pushed against the counter. Audrey caught the shorter, weaker girl by the wrist as Ray lifted a kitchen knife.

Audrey clenched Ray's wrist with her metal hand, she dropped the knife and the cat hissed away.

"Thanks for lunch, but I'll be on my way. Call the cops and I'll skin you alive, feed you to your cat," Audrey moved her face to get close to Ray's whenever Ray would move away. Audrey's hips pinned the teenager to the counter, her breath seizing the kid.

"Got it?"

Ray cowered.

"I said-"

A blow to her knee. The assassin stumbled back, away from Ray.

Audrey saw another woman. The other woman stood, ready to take the assassin on.

Audrey stood, chuckling. She blew the first fist, utilizing her deep-set training. The other woman, who was stronger and tougher than Ray, put up a good fight. But her nose soon bled and she stopped fighting.

"I'm done," she said. She sounded miles away. "Kill me if you will. If not, let us help." She sounded closer this time.

The woman extended her hand. Audrey watched it for a moment. The white cat stepped between Audrey's legs. Audrey took the woman's hand and shook it.

"Audrey Rolf, Soldier 0324."

"Phoebe Tan."

"Where'd you train, Phoebe?"

"The streets of Harlem," she smiled. "The best training anyone can get."

Audrey would've argued, but she was too exhausted.

"You're that 'Villainess,' right?"

"Yes, one of the few things I still remember," she smiled sadly. "All I know is I how to find who did this," she tapped her temple.

"Did what?"

"A jailbreak that cost me my memory."

"Ah, I see. Well you're not leaving, by the way. We're here until you find them. We'll help you," Phoebe stated calmly and surely as she left the kitchen.

"Why?" Audrey caught Phoebe by the skin of her neck with the question.

"Because sometimes the villain can be the good guy," Phoebe replied. Ray watched her profile, following her out of the room.

Ray caught Phoebe around the waste, pulling her close. Phoebe kissed her hairline and disappeared into a bathroom to shower.

"Ray?" Audrey beckoned once more, leaning in the doorway.

"Yes?" Ray sat on the couch.

"Who are the Avengers?"