Infinity | Spider-Man | 2

TWENTY

BRONWEN FELT ALIVE.
But she did not in the next moment.
It was only until after the event happened, she realised what took place. First, her two feet were planted safely on the ground, a grin across her face as she looked over to her father.
Second, she was flung across the room, pain radiating up her body and through her bones, her smile fell.
Third, she fell into a passage that was opened up due to the explosion. Her head was pounding, her jumper torn.
It wasn't even her jumper.
It was Peter's.
She cursed herself for allowing it to be ruined, and groaned as she pushed herself up - sitting. Bronwen ran a hand through her hair, hands finding the small touch-sensitive button on her earring to turn them on.
All she heard was static.
Cursing once more, Bronwen turned the earrings off.
And finally, Bronwen took in her surroundings.
A long hallway, walls covered in pipes, the lighting a gloomy red. She realised where she was; a service hallway.
Underneath the compound.
Probably buried under a ton or so of concrete.
She sighed, pulling herself to her feet. Miraculously, nothing had been broken. She was unharmed beside the many bruises that would form over the next few days.
Through the dim light, Bronwen saw a lump in the form of a body. Hesitantly, she headed down the hall, a hand tugging down the sides of her jumper that had rode up. She then found the elastic kept around her wrist and swept her hair up and out of her face.
"Hello?"

The figure sprung up, and she blinked in the harsh light of their flashlight.
"Bronwen?" The figure asked.

She grinned, allowing the light to illuminate her face as they got their bearings. The light lowered to the floor.
"Is there any chance you know the layout of the sewage system?" Bronwen gestured to the tunnel they were in.

"Nope." Clint replied, popping the 'p'.

"Great. This is just great." Edging around Clint, she headed down the hall, stepping around puddles as they came. In the gleam of Clint's light, gold and red had been reflected, "Oh fuck me."

Clint snorted, "Stark allows you to speak like that?"

"I only learn from the best."

Reaching down, Bronwen gingerly picked up the red and gold gauntlet. She held it into Clint's torchlight, and he swore.
Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned the gauntlet around, the underside having shown first.
The stones were still on it.
Bronwen used all of her power to stop herself from dropping it.
A scuttle in the darkness caused Bronwen to freeze.
Clint held up the flashlight and illuminated the darkness.
And the pair discovered an uncountable amount of the aliens that attacked New York eleven years ago.
The Chitauri.
Both Clint and Bronwen swore.
They turned tailed, legging it down the hallway, back the way they came. Bronwen did not care for what she splashed through as she pounded across the metal. She was not aware of her father, Thor and Steve battling the 2014 incarnation of Thanos above her head as she rushed down the hall.
"This way!" Clint took the gauntlet from her hands and pushed her up the ladder.

Bronwen clung onto the rungs, using small bursts of her power to suppress the oncoming wave of aliens snapping at their heels. She pulled herself up on the final rung, rolling to the side, allowing Clint passage as he slammed the manhole closed. He laid flat on his back, exhausted.
"Oh, hey..." Clint loosened his grip on the gauntlet, looking over to the pair of footsteps walking into the room, "I know you..."

Bronwen watched with curiosity as Nebula picked up the gauntlet from the floor. She was... different. The air around her felt more hostile than the Nebula Bronwen remembered.
And Nebula hadn't even acknowledged their presence.
Nebula lifted her arm to her mouth, and spoke, "Father, I have the stones."

Bronwen and Clint spoke in unison, "What?!"

Bronwen sprung to her feet, but before she could advance another Nebula and a green-skinned woman rounded the corner, weapons brandished. Bronwen sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Oh, this is going to give me a headache."