Captain's Hart

Chapter 7 Push

Arianna turned, quickly taking a defensive position by the door. "Sir, do you need backup?" She called into her coms, and Fury replied: "Stay where you are agent, and do what you need to do to get that engine back on."

"Roger, that." She replied just as she spotted movement from down the corridor. Arianna whipped out her gun and opened fire, hitting each target as she called to the other two: "We've got incoming."

The hostile forces took cover around a corner and began to shoot back at her. Arianna ducked behind the doorway, and fired back when she could. Steve saw her and yelled above the wind: "Need a hand?" "Under control." She shouted back just as something came rolling in by her foot.

"Grenade!" She shouted in warning as she backed away quickly right as it exploded. Arianna was flung off the side, falling off the open walkway as Steve yelled: "Ria!" But he breathed a sigh of relief as she grabbed hold of the edge, hoisting herself up quickly just as the hostiles arrived. One began to fire at her as another threw another grenade at the engine.

Arianna avoided the gunner as she leapt up, while Steve jumped across to hit the grenade away, causing it to fall and explode harmlessly a few feet below the helicarrier. He jumped on the grenade-thrower as Arianna kicked the other hostile before reaching into the many hidden pockets on her suit. She grabbed a knife and stabbed the hostile just as Steve threw his opponent off the helicarrier.

The pair looked up as more hostiles appeared down the corridor and began to fire at them. Arianna threw her knife at him, hitting one right in the chest, before the pair ducked back behind the doorway. "You need to get back to that lever." Arianna told Steve as she pulled out another knife.

He glanced at it and then at her as he asked seriously: "Can you handle it?" "Yes." She replied firmly. He nodded and jumped back to the lever as Arianna waited for the break between the gunfire to throw the knife, once again hitting her target.

Suddenly the whole helicarrier jerked, shuddered, and then began to tilt. Arianna grabbed the railings as she threated to fall, and she realized what must've happened Sitwell confirmed as he called: "Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1."

Fury growled: "It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?" Arianna hesitated, wondering if she should go or stay. But Nat replied: "This is Agent Romanoff. I copy."

Arianna grimly threw another knife as Fury called urgently: "Stark, we're losing altitude." "Yeah. Noticed." Tony replied grimly. Another grenade came flying in and Arianna kicked it, but unfortunately, the helicarrier lurched at that timing.

Arianna lost her balance and went tumbling while the grenade went flying towards Steve, who punched it away but it still exploded a little too close. He went flying backwards, barely managing to stay aboard as he clung to a loose cable.

"Steve?" Arianna cried in alarm, and he grunted back: "Next time, don't kick it!" "What else was I supposed to do?" Arianna demanded as she hauled herself up in time to throw a knife as one of the hostiles ran out into the engine port. Steve began to haul himself up as more hostiles crowded out onto the walkway with Arianna.

Arianna twisted as they began to fire at her and Steve, avoiding the bullets as she slid between the gunners. She kicked one in the leg, tripping him up as she flipped herself up. She grabbed another one's gun as he turned to her, using her leverage to twist him so that she could punch him.

The third one tried to shoot her, but she twisted so that the bullets hit the man's comrades before she threw a knife over the now dead man's head and her gunman. The last two men turned away from firing at Steve and to Arianna, and she stabbed a knife into one as Tony called: "Cap, I need the lever."