Vengeance [Avengers Fanfiction]

[Chapter 36]

[A/N:] This chapter is dedicated to my best friend duality_ for her unwavering support. :) Go check out her book, Angel With a Shotgun. It's also an Avengers fanfic and it promises some really great things!

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THIS CHAPTER HAS A TRIGGER WARNING. PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION.

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[Steve]

    My cheek stuck to the blue, vinyl mat of the boxing ring uncomfortably as the Phantom pinned me down to the floor even though I was three times her weight and muscle.

    "What is this, the third time?" I panted, feeling her knee digging into my spine, her right foot holding down my right arm as her left hand pinned down my left wrist. Her touch seared against my skin as I laid there.

    "Sounds about right." she smirked. "So, you gonna tap out or what? I'm getting bored."

    With a grunt, I flipped us so that she was the one being held down by me, my hands wrapped firmly around her wrists. She now faced up, a scowl taking the place of her previously victorious expression.

    "I'm sorry, what was that?" I asked innocently, eyes wide.

    The air was knocked from my lungs momentarily as she brought her feet up and kicked me hard in the stomach, loosening my grip. She sent me rolling to the side and easily stood, pressing her foot against my throat.

    "I win." the Phantom deadpanned, face expressionless but gray eyes glittering.

    "Fine, fine. You are the victor." I said breathlessly as she let me rise to my feet. I grinned despite my aching muscles. "Good fight."

    "You, too." she said, exiting the ring and grabbing a water bottle out of a fridge that stood by the benches leading to the locker room.

    I didn't mention that I had held back, not wanting to hurt her in her already fragile health. Quinn was a fighter, though, I would give her that. If she was in her peak physical condition and I wasn't holding back, she probably would've won, regardless.

    "So, where are you heading after this?" I asked, wiping my sweaty face down with a towel after I had returned to the benches. 

    She shrugged, slipping her socks and shoes back on as she made her way over to me.

    "Probably going to hit the shower and then go to the roof, try to figure out Vermont's next move."

    I nodded, throwing my things into my forest green duffel bag. "I'm going to search through the League files again for the fiftieth time and see if we missed anything. I hate this, waiting to see what will happen. But it's not like we can burst into Fycon City's city hall and raid the place and arrest everyone known to be in the League. S.H.I.E.L.D's protocol states that we have to have solid proof or a known, verifiable threat with plenty of evidence."

    "Protocols." Quinn scoffed. "Protocols and rules get you nowhere. The only thing that's keeping me from busting into city hall is my judgment, which tells me it wouldn't be wise to march in and demand to know what the League is up to. Surely someone would salvage whatever plan the "Instructor" has for them and just enact it at a different time. Vermont's cunning, he has backup plans in case whatever scheme he has fails."

    I frowned at her. "Then why are we focusing on taking down just him and whatever's happening at the moment?"

    "Because Vermont's cocky enough to include himself as a vital part of all of the plans." she replied simply. "Also, it's likely that he hasn't given full details about any plan to a singular member of the Inner Circle, just fragments to different members. That's a mistake on his part because when he dies, there will be confusion within the League about how to revive the plan. Take the base away from the tower and it crumbles."