Unexpected

The Shattered Chandelier

The three of us stood there, silent and still, all staring down at the small camera bug lying silently on the sopping white cloth. Time was at a standstill for a moment and it was almost like everything was in slow motion as I shifted my eyes up to see Blanc's eyes which were pinned on me, fury sketching itself on his features. Broussard responded first.

"Spy!" He cried, raising his hand to snap at his men.

"We've been compromised!" Rumlow's voice sounded, and suddenly everything sprung into motion.

Blanc's hand moved in a flash to grab the camera, but I snatched at his wrist, gripping it and, in a swift, movement I twisted his hand up behind his back. He stamped on my foot then butted me with his elbow, knocking my waist into the table. Looking down, I grabbed the bug but Blanc grabbed my wrist and squeezed it, forcing me to drop it on the ground. He was about to step on it when one of Broussard's men rammed into him, knocking him and me onto the ground.

The room was in an uproar now with both Broussard and Blanc's backup scrabbling with each other and both of the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents shouting for everyone to get out. Patrons scurried around screaming and shouting, some clattering in too-high heels and others with napkins tucked into their shirt collars. A gun shot fired somewhere in the huge dining room, causing the panic to increase tenfold.

Pushing myself onto my hands and knees, I crawled to retrieve the camera before anyone stepped on it, when the old rat of a man bent and snatched it up himself, smirking as he pointed a familiar looking, gun-like device at me. "Hold it right there, Mademoiselle."

Slowly I stood up, putting my hands in the air, and took a step towards him. "Now, Monsieur Broussard-"

"Not another move! One more step and I'll Taser you and you'll be a twitching mess on the ground!" His hand shook as he pointed at me, turning the dial on the Taser to what I assumed was its highest setting, to the point it could stop someone's heart or destroy their body, "I'll not have my reputation ruined, do you hear? Who do you work for? C.I.A.? Interpol? F.B.I.?"

"Broussard, give me that device." I took another step forward.

"Not likely. Whoever you work for has nothing on me, and I'm going to keep it that way!" he pulled the trigger and I immediately tensed, readying myself for the shock. The two wires hit me and I breathed in deeply as the current of energy surged through my veins, sucking it in like air. Broussard's triumphant grin faded immediately into a look of confusion and fear as I took a running step toward him, unaffected by the major jolts of energy. Immediately, he dropped the Taser, spun around, and started running away towards one of his monstrous bodyguards, but I was too fast for him. Yanking the wires from the front of my shirt, I whipped the cords around my head like a lasso with the Taser gun swinging at the end, after a few spins, I released it and it flew right into the back of Broussard's head. It hit him hard and in a second he crumpled to the ground. Charging up to his body I saw the man blinking in pain as he lay face down between a table and a knocked over chair.

"You ruined my shirt." I huffed at him, stealing the bug from his loosened grip and shoving it in my pocket as I stood up, putting my hand to my ear, "Send back up!" Immediately I found that standing up was a mistake as one of Broussard's men threw himself at me throwing both of us onto the table behind me.

My head made a sickening 'thunk'ing sound as it bounced off the tabletop, losing my brunette wig, as I was bent over backwards by the bodyguard, his hands holding my wrists up and away from my head. For a few seconds I didn't struggle because little black spots swarmed in front of my eyes. He was a huge, burly guy who could probably have snapped my arm in half with no problem. The man started reaching for my pocket when I sprang into action, my head clearing as energy ran through me, giving me super-soldier-type strength, kneeing him hard in the hip right beside the place where the sun don't shine. The man bent over with a grunt and I whirled on him, leaning him bent backwards before I used my free hand to give him a swift punch to the jaw, forcing him to release his grasp on my other wrist. To make sure he kept out of the fight, I gave him a swift kick in the side that was enough to bruise his ribs, but not break them.