Serpent | The Avengers [1]

Chapter 28

When I woke up, some clothes were sitting on my dresser. I put them on, then strapped my pistol to my belt. After downing some food, I stepped outside of the building, staring at the picture. I glanced around, seeing if she was nearby. I opened her file again, seeing that she was working at a clothes store a few blocks away.

I acted casual, pausing in front of the storefront when my com beeped. "Everyone, return to base, now!" Agent Koenig said over the com urgently. I had my eyes trained on the girl, and she was looking back at me. Before I could move, she came out and came over to me. "Hello, can I help you?" She asked.

"No," I responded instantly, kicking myself internally. This was a trained assassin, she knew the signs of fear and stuff. "Why were you pressing your finger to your head?" She asked. "Oh, I've just got a headache," I lied smoothly, recovering. Her eyes narrowed, but she went back inside and I let out a breath.

I took off down the street, making a beeline towards the headquarters. I skidded to a stop when I heard ICERS being discharged inside. I wrenched open the door, feeling a cool sensation flow over me. I glanced down at my feet, not seeing them and confirming my invisibility. Agents were running around, a large pile of bodies in the middle.

I saw Clint in the rafters, so I kicked off the ground as hard as I could and flew over to him. "What the hell is going on?" I hissed. "Ellie! Nat's just released all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files, exposing HYDRA hiding in the organization. The HYDRA agents started firing at us, making a pile of bodies," He explained. "HYDRA? The WWII Nazi Divison? I thought Cap got rid of that in '45," I said. "Apparently not. Come on, we have to get out of here before they shoot us too. I got a message from Stark, he said to go to the Tower," He hissed.

"Well, we can use the vents, no one would think to check them," I suggested, sliding into a vent after pulling off the cover. I army-crawled down the vent, leading the way because of my enhanced senses. I spotted a vent to the outside world, having to do a strange maneuver to kick it off. I dropped down to the street, moving out of the way for Clint to jump. He rolled as he landed on the ground, scrambling to his feet and waving for me to follow him.

People were staring at us, but we kept going. We arrived at Stark Tower, wrenching the door open and scrambling inside. We made a beeline to the elevator, where Pepper was coming out, looking panicked. "Oh, there you are! I just saw the news! Tony's on the top floor," She said, coming over to us. I nodded as thanks, and we stepped onto the elevator, pressing the top button.

"Hello, Mr. Barton and Miss Scotch," A voice said, making me jump. The elevator shot up to the top floor, where we stepped out to see Tony standing there, something in his hand. "Welcome to the Avengers Tower!" He said extravagantly. "Avengers Tower?" I asked skeptically. "Since your precious organization has fallen, we'll be working here now. Cap and Nat will be making their way here shortly, and Thor's coming...now," There's a rumble of thunder outside, along with a thud.

Shortly after, Thor appeared in the staircase, looking suspicious. "What's the meaning of this, Stark?" He asked. "We've got a new mission! Take out the rats that didn't go down with the mama HYDRA ship. Plus, we can find your brother's glow stick of destiny," He said. "The Scepter? Didn't we give that to the STRIKE team?" I asked, and Tony pulled up a holographic list of HYDRA agents. Among those, was the STRIKE team.

"Great. Now we have to find that damn thing," I muttered, getting an annoyed look from Clint. "Cyanide? What's she doing on the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent list? I thought she was sentenced to life in prison," I said, my eyes narrowing at the picture of the brown-haired woman that had given us a lot of trouble last year. "She got recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. It was an order from the men above Fury," Clint informed me. "Yeah, great idea. Hire the woman with one of the highest kill counts in the world," I muttered. "She has turned herself around. Besides, she knows how criminals think, she's one of our best assets when it comes to finding people who don't want to be found," He coaxed.

"So...what's next?"

a/n Since Cyanide popped up in this chapter, and I've already written half the book... I am happy to announce that my newest book, Cyanide, will be published on Wednesdays alongside Serpent and The Dark Assassin.