The Ghost [Marvel | Steve Rogers]

Chapter 46

New York, USA

Spring 2015

No sooner had Hawkeye's shot rung out from the workroom below than everything descended into chaos.

Even as the sister cried out her brother's name in panic and warnings and alarms from whatever Stark and Banner had been doing began screaming around the Lab, Nadine was instinctively spinning toward the source of the shot.

For the span of half a heartbeat, no one seemed quite sure what to do. But then Stark was reacting, turning to the console behind him.

"I'm rerouting the upload." It was then that Nadine's attention truly snapped to the billionaire as comprehension crashed over her. Upload?! It was then that she finally understood what he and Banner had been doing; why Rogers was so adamant that they stop. Why he was so angry when she had appeared and hijacked the confrontation in the Lab. Current personal conflict or not, on this, it would seem Nadine and Rogers were of the same opinion.

Even as Stark was reaching for the keyboard, Nadine was reacting.

As a shot of her own rang out, perfectly punching a hole in the monitor in front of the billionaire, Rogers' shield was smashing its own path around the room, ricocheting from console to screen to console in a blinding shower of sparks.

But of course, just as Nadine and Rogers had reacted to Stark's declaration, the billionaire was reacting to their response. At once, pieces of his suit were soaring into the Lab, latching onto Stark. In a smooth motion, his face deadly serious, the billionaire had spun to the Captain, catching Rogers square in the chest with a repulsor beam. With a pained grunt Steve was knocked off his feet just as Stark was turning to Nadine.

Warned as she was by his attack on the Captain, the blonde assassin was already moving, just barely missing being hit by an energy pulse herself. But she wasn't quite fast enough, the impact of the pulse crashing into the huge cabinet behind her, sending its contents flying to clip her even as she dove out of the way, sending her sprawling.

Immediately she was rolling back to her feet, just in time to see Rogers leaping toward Stark, his fist slamming into the billionaire's chestplate just as Stark fired a unibeam blast at the Captain, sending both men careening away from the other. But as Nadine was coiling to go after Iron Man herself, the Maximoff girl broke the hold Banner had gotten on her, the scarlet, mist-like tendrils of her Enhancement flashing through her own body before she spun to blast him with another wave, sending the scientist stumbling back with a pained grunt.

Nadine froze, her eyes fixed on the doctor as he staggered, her heart suddenly in her throat in fear that he was about to go green; something she wasn't the only one concerned about, judging by the look on Barton's face across the lab, and the suddenly panicked look on the girl's.

Mercifully, the doctor merely slumped heavily against the equipment to his right, glaring up at the Maximoff girl.

But Nadine had already spun to face the young Sokovian, once again locking her sights on the girl. But Wanda Maximoff's hands were already raised in Nadine's direction, the scarlet nimbus dancing around her fingers as her grim eyes gleamed briefly red.

Only for them both to flinch back as a wave of electricity seemed to cascade through the lab, converging on Thor as he leapt atop the Cradle.

Before anyone could even react to the Asgardian's appearance, before Banner had even managed to bellow out his warning to wait, Thor was channelling a blast of lightning into the Cradle with a deafening, elemental roar as the bolts surged from his Hammer.