Games of Deception (Hawkeye/Avengers)

Chapter 29 - Confrontation and a One Way Trip

-Jacqueline's P.O.V-

Okay, so let’s be honest: I had no idea what I was doing.

I took careful steps toward the enclosure that the Tesseract was held in. Several computers surrounded it, and the beam of light continued to pulse through the sky into the gaping tear that the Chitauri continued to pour from. There was an older man struggling to stand at the foot of what looked to be the main computer, and his appearance gave me the assumption that it was Dr. Erik Selvig, the man the others had spoken of who was among those Loki had taken. I braced myself, in case he decided to approach me, although I wasn’t sure quite what he would be capable of.

However, his reaction to me was different than what I’d imagined. I’d obviously come at a strange time for him; when he looked up at me I watched as his eyes shifted from a deep, almost glowing blue, back to a very light blue-grey. He glanced from me to the Tesseract, and a look of fear and confusion spread across his face.

I was unsure of how to approach him, so while keeping my gun to my side, I took another cautious step toward him. “You’re Dr. Selvig?” I asked firmly. He quickly nodded, but was still distracted by his surroundings. It was as if he’d just woken up.

That was when it clicked; somehow, he’d broken out of Loki’s manipulation. I let myself relax and stepped closer to him, offering my hand out to help him stand. He brushed himself off and looked at me, quite stunned.

"You’re with S.H.I.E.L.D?” He asked. Without hesitation, I nodded in agreement. He was still looking around in a daze, and I had to catch him as he began to stumble. I helped him to sit himself down against the side of the tower, and then walked back toward the Tesseract. I stared back at the pulsing energy flowing from it, taking in a deep breath.

“Okay,” I breathed. I closed my eyes momentarily to concentrate, focusing all of the energy that I could conjure up through my body and into my hands. It took several tries to be successful, but after several moments I felt it; the sense that I was now at my full power. It was freeing, but also meant I had to be extremely careful.

“I’m at the Tesseract, I’m going to try and stop it.” I announced to whoever was listening. My surroundings were foggy, but I heard Clint answer through my com.

“What?! Jacqueline what are you doing?!”

Then Tony. “Good luck, Sparky.”

The others may have tried to reply, but I hadn’t heard them. All of my focus was now on the Tesseract as I steadied myself, and slowly tried to break through the barrier of energy it had formed around itself. I was making progress, able to use my own energy to combat its own and had begun to come through the barrier. It was incredible, the feeling of the pure energy running freely through my veins. “I think I can—“ I began, but then the unexpected happened; I lost control.

My body suddenly became deathly weak, and the warmth and light of my power flickered out briefly, causing me to let out a wrenching cry of pain. It was as if my body had been set on fire. Still, I pushed on, almost touching the Tesseract itself until it happened again, and I knew that I wasn’t strong enough to do it on my own.

The energy relaxed without my will, and I found myself being blasted back by the Tesseract’s force. Another scream escaped me, this time because I knew the impact had launched me off the side of the roof, and I began to fall in what felt like slow-motion, down to the pavement below.

The breath was knocked out of me and I jolted when I suddenly stopped falling with a harsh thud. There had been a ledge below the roof I had been standing on, and although I had still fallen several feet I managed to land without any greater injury. The impact vibrated throughout my body, and I lay there for a moment trying to collect myself. When I stood, I saw that I was looking into an open room of the tower with a bar and several places to sit. There was an elevator and set of stairs off to the side. I jogged inside, stepping through a broken window to get into the room, and made my way toward the staircase. Obviously, I wasn’t strong enough to deal with the Tesseract on my own, but maybe Selvig knew something...