𝐏𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 (marvel fanfic)

Chapter 23

As Sarah observed the landscape changing at a high rate, a little voice in her brain whispered sweet tentations. How easy would it be to open the door and jump off?

She contemplated the thought when a steaming cup appeared in her field of vision. Coffee. She mumbled a thanks as she grabbed it, not commenting when the scientist sat beside her.

"I have to warn you, if the-" he paused, "big guy appears, please don't stay near."

"Hulk, huh." She sipped her coffee. "Don't worry, I won't die that easily."

That didn't seem to be the answer he wanted as she saw him shuffle and rub his jaw awkwardly. But it didn't matter to her. She had come near death a lot of times—when crazy scientists experimented on her, perfusing her with another weird mix of an unknown liquid that eroded her veins, when they disabled her body to see how far her powers could go in order to protect her, when they tried to fry the part of her brain that made her conscious—and more she didn't want to recall.

She wasn't scared of dying, she was given ample preparations for that.

Their jet settled a bit further from the place they were targeting. Sarah kept at a distance from the avengers, observing the boat decked in front of her, it wasn't unfamiliar to her. It tickled a part of her brain that made her uncomfortable... It didn't take long to realize she was once sent on a mission there to make a deal with its owner—Ulysses Klaue, a rude and greedy man.

The only thing that kept her from escaping the disaster incoming was the mask secured to her face—a make-shift invention of Stark—a metallic simple face that kept her face out of sight.

They sneaked into the boat, separating to cover the whole area, save for Sarah who was babysitted by Clint.

"Don't move until I say so, alright?" He warned, unfolding his bow.

She nodded, leaning against metallic walls. Her fingers slid the cap off the water bottles in her pockets, letting the water slide out and cover her skin beneath her clothes.

Clint glanced at her, momentarily stilling when he saw the transparent liquid on her visible neck.

Sarah silently smiled when he moved a bit further.

"Oh Junior, you're going to break your old man's heart," Stark lamented, as he dropped down in front of Ultron, with Thor and Steve by his side.

Sarah watched from above, her vision narrowing into the pair standing behind Ultron, a redhead and whitehead. Her brain ached painfully. 'Kanedith! You're alive!'

"Oh." She staggered back. "Oh. Fuck." She didn't hear the little back and forth between Ultron and the Avengers. All she heard was the heavy accent of Pietro as he taunted Stark.

"You alright?" Clint asked, keeping a wary glance on the situation below.

"Never been better," Sarah retorted as she started thinking of her escape plan.

Ultron punched Stark and as she watched them crash against each other brutally, she didn't feel like joining in. She observed Thor and Steve destroy the armors while bearing the brunt of the twins' attacks. 

Even during her times, she had never faced the twins but she knew they were a force to be reckoned with.

"Take care of the ones firing off for now," Clint ordered while shooting arrows at all the men surging in from everywhere.

Sarah nodded, taking out her guns, there was no need to use their trump card for now. She shot rapid fires, taking out all the mens coming too near to the avengers. As she watched the blood splurge, and heard the sound of screams echoing in her ears, her face remained impassible but she felt her stomach begin to churn.

That was a feeling she hadn't missed, seeing men fall down, to die or become disabled for life. Her gaze didn't linger on the bits flying out of their wounds, or their face of despair—she simply pushed down all her feelings. Future-her could have a fun time dealing with them but not now.

She barely had enough time to react when she saw Clint turn around, an electrical arrow in hand, tazing Wanda. "Done the whole mind control thing before, not a fan."

She gritted her teeth, forcing away any lingering attachment to one of the people she had spent the early years of her life here suffering with. They were once each other's lifeline but now they were on opposing sides of the fight.

She turned away from the blank face of Wanda who trembled from the electricity coursing through her veins. She wouldn't die.

Clint was thrown back as the other twin appeared and pulled off the arrow from Wanda's forehead.

Pietro took a step toward Clint, perhaps to finish him off, only to stop as water surged to block his path. He frowned at the familiarity of the power, before turning toward her. "You-"

Sarah simply watched them, shaking her head when he stared at her. Perhaps he understood her intention, perhaps he was worried for his sister but he left without touching her.

Sarah walked through the broken window, helping Clint up. "Left before I could do anything."

He nodded, pressing a finger to his com earpiece, "Whoever's left standing, we gotta move." When he received no answer, a bad feeling crept up, "Guys?"

Clint turned toward her, "Let's go."

They quickly enough found them all lying on the floor, frowning and visibly taken out.

Stark's voice came from the coms, "I'm gonna need the lullaby."

"It's not going to happen, not for a while," he answered, checking Natasha's pulse, parting her pupil to see her dazed iris. "She's out."

"Sarah," Stark sighed. "I need backup."

She stretched, looking up at the widened hole of the ship, "Alright, coming."

She flew up, moving the water surrounding her body to lift herself up. It was the first time she tried that and she quickly got the hang of it—it was a lot more secure than stepping on water that moved.

When she floated above the city, she frowned seeing all the damage already caused by the furious green being. Citizens were becoming casualties of a useless fight.

She dropped down behind Hulk, letting the water flow from her. One part slid across the air to stop a full car from crashing against a building, while another part stopped a police officer from becoming minced meat.

"I'll try to protect the citizens, take Hulk somewhere else," she told Stark when she saw him appear in his equally big suit.