THINKING OUT LOUD || Avengers

-)Twenty: Don't Panic, There are Nazis under the Floorboards(-

Mythology will tell you that at the end of the Earth, there are beautiful things.

Strange things, definitely, and dangerous things, but we as a species always tend to focus ourselves on the beautiful. We like to think it's what defines us, a clear cut line between the human race and all the other organisms dwelling on our little space rock. We search for beautiful thoughts, beautiful feelings, beautiful people, all with no clear definition of the word. 

And maybe that's why we've become this self-destructive force for annihilation. We were so busy chasing our own version of beauty that we forgot the images of things that were anything but that we left in our wake. We were so distracted by the bright mating colours that we forgot to check if the dancer had teeth.

If any of that were true, you could see it on Venus Island. 

From his position high up the mountain, Steve had the perfect view over the impossibly green plant life, bursting here and there with glimpses of colour, flowers in saffron and ruby, too impossible a shade to be described with bland words like 'yellow' and 'red'. The sea stretched out to the horizon, postcard-ready and aching with possibility. 

Dan had huddled herself into a corner. She was furiously working on a cat's cradle that she'd kept in her pocket the whole flight. Steve didn't even know where she'd found a corner up on the ridge. But there the fifteen-year-old was, clearly in the guarded end-point of their little set up. Maybe her HYDRA training had gifted her with more capability for strategising than she was letting on.

Some part of him thought about going over and talking to her, but a larger portion took in the focus in her eyes, and the deft- almost exclamatory- way her fingers were moving the string from digit to digit, forming knots and crosses as she went. She was quite obviously otherwise occupied.

"I take it the kid's with me." Clint Barton stepped up next to the captain, ordering arrows into his quiver as he went, "High perch, away from the action, etcetera."

"That's the plan." Steve confirmed, "Think you can swing it?"

A singular eyebrow rose on Clint's face, "Sure. But I gotta ask, Rogers, are you sending Dan up with me to keep her safe, or because you think she'll run off straight back to her HYDRA buddies the second she gets close enough?"

"Be prepared." Steve said, instead of responding, "The second we pick up the HYDRA ships, I want us ready to mobilise."

He started to stride away, Clint's yell just reaching him, "I mean, you know that's not an answer, right?"

Dani had warned them about looking at the key, but it seemed she needn't have bothered. A small two story building squatted in the pit, right around where the fifteen year old had reported the glowing blue light originating from. The roof entrance was just about level with the ridge on which they stood. Steve frowned at it for a moment before gesturing the others over.

They assembled in a rough semicircle around him, even Dan drawn away from her string to watch him with curious eyes. It was almost impossible to believe that girl was capable of anything awful. Just looking around at the photo line-up of spies and assassins and warriors in front of him, she stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Stark, you and Sam run air support." Steve relayed, "Stop them landing if you can. If you can't, slow them down. Maximoff, stick to Nat. Cover the east side of the crater. Vision, you take west. Barton, I want you on the roof, keep your focus on anyone who gets too close. I'll go in. Last line of defence."

Dani raised her hand.

"Barton's gonna look after you, Dan. Just try and stay out of sight and you should be fine." Steve supplied, anticipating her question, "Now remember, coms are for emergencies only. We don't want our masked man listening in."