As soon as the group stepped out of the jet, Keira couldn't help but take a deep breath, breathing in the fresh air of the forest. She had never ventured this far out in her youth, but it still felt like home to her.
The air was still, barely a breeze rustling the leaves in the canopy. Crouching down, her gaze searched the ground where the snow lay untouched, and she couldn't spot a single deer track, which was odd since the forest was usually full of them.
"Seeing anything interesting down there?" Natasha mused with a smile, leaning against a nearby tree with her arms crossed.
Keira glanced up at her and shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. It's just... empty." It was almost eerie, how unnaturally still the forest was. Not a single bird flew across the sky, it was almost as though nature had abandoned this part of the land, or was holding its breath.
"Come on."
Keira took Natasha's outstretched hand and pulled herself off from the ground, brushing off the snow from her hair. She looked back at the jet, where the sound of motors was rumbling. They hadn't taken much with them, just a jeep and a motorcycle for Cap. It fitted them well enough, considering that neither Stark nor the Hulk would need a vehicle. Or Thor for that matter.
"This is gonna blow our cover, but nobody ever listens to me..." Keira muttered in a low, sing-song voice as she unshouldered her bow and took her place on the back of the jeep.
Clint, who was already in place, just gave her an amused smile. "Have some faith, Keira. This has worked on the other bases." He signed with his hands before fixing an arrowhead. They had taken down several bases before this one, and this was the first one that Keira was back on, so it was natural for her to be suspicious.
Keira just huffed and shook her head. "Maybe it's worked before, but it ain't gonna work on this one. I've told them this much, but their male egos are too proud to listen." She signed back, shooting a glare in the direction of Stark and Cap. Yes, she had been absent for quite some time, but that didn't mean that her intel was useless. But at least she would get the satisfaction of saying 'I told you so' when the guys were proven wrong.
As if Stark had felt her glare, he flew over to them and hovered beside the jeep that was rolling over the uneven ground, the faceplate retracting to show his face. "And what secrets are you talking about?" He questioned, shooting a meaningful look at their hands.
"Oh, nothing." Keira shrugged, shooting him a smirk as she fiddled with her bow, having nothing else to do.
"I don't like secrets." Stark pouted.
"We know you don't, that's why we're having them." Clint joined in. "Think he'll ever learn ASL so we can't speak in code anymore?" He added in sign language, smirking at the indignant look on Stark's face.
"Maybe? If we annoy him enough with it." Keira shrugged, holding back at laughter. "Oh, don't pout, Stark. I love the new suit, you know." She said, trying to divert his attention, which worked gloriously.
His pout turned into a smile, and he nodded in satisfaction. "I know you would. Worked on it for quite some time to get it to reflect your diamond skin so you wouldn't have to suffer any more destroyed clothing."
Keira looked down at her suit, slightly surprised. She wasn't aware of that special little trick. To test it out, she let the skin on her forearm transform and picked up an arrow, only to stab herself with it on the crystallized spot. And just like Stark had said, the fabric stayed intact. As she looked closer at it, having removed the arrow, she also realized that it was glittering slightly, as though indeed, reflecting the diamond skin underneath.
"Wow, that's a really neat trick, Tony. Not bad, not bad at all." She admitted, impressed. Despite her own words that she hated one-pieces, she had to give it to Stark, that this suit felt amazing.
It was based on Natasha's suit, that much she could tell. But the design had been tweaked, small paddings of protection were added around the shoulders, trailing down her arms. And some on the knees as well, Tony knew full well that one of her signature moves was to slide on her legs in order to knock people out from below.
It held none of the bright, light blue seams either. No, the design of her suit was more discreet. Delicate silver threads were weaved into the black fabrics, catching the light beautifully when the sun shone it at the right angle.
Keira shook her head, feeling more than seeing an unknown presence. Since they were driving through the woods, it was surprising that they hadn't been attacked yet. "Stark, on your six. Up in the trees." She warned, nocking an arrow. But she needn't have bothered.
Stark fired a shot behind him, and a HYDRA agent fell screaming to the ground from the treetops. "Looks like we got company!"
And company they got indeed. It was as though they had crossed an invisible line. It went from being a desolate forest to being overcrowded in an instant. Agents were spilling out from every crevice, both from above and on the ground.
It became messy in an instant, and Keira had no way of keeping track of her teammates, except for Clint and Natasha of course. The redhead maneuvered the jeep expertly, avoiding any trees that might threaten to interrupt their path.
"You never said anything about them being able to fly!" Clint yelled as he shot a soldier down.
"They didn't fly back in the days, so excuse me, your majesty!" Keira shouted back, switching to her gun to shoot another soldier down. It was true, she had no idea that they had been working on some weird exoskeleton that would give them the ability to fly.
Gunshots mixed with the sounds of roaring engines, their jeep not being the only one out on the battlefield.
One of the agents attached themselves to the side of the door, and Keira quickly fired a shot that buried itself into their neck at the same time that Natasha kicked the door open. "Thanks!"
Another truck was coming up from behind and Keira aimed her gun at them, but she didn't get the opportunity to fire before Thor swooped in and rid the vehicle of its inhabitants. He didn't stay long before he flew off, ridding the guard tower in front of them of any guards as well.
Keira barely had time to think, and her gun didn't get a chance to cool down before she changed the clips, putting it to work once again. Stark had flown past them, and Steve was driving through the forest on his motorcycle, dragging an agent behind him. He had an easier time navigating through the forest than Natasha, considering the truck's size. Hulk was having the time of his life, ripping through the soldiers like butter, but also catching one of the tanks that Thor had just destroyed, that otherwise would've crashed into Natasha's driving path.
Seeing the obstacle ahead, Keira seized her shooting momentarily and instead prepared to jump. As though they had rehearsed it, Natasha tugged the wheel, causing it to slide onto its side and giving the people on the truck a bit of extra boost as it slid into the man-made wall of defense.
The fighting didn't slow down in any way but rather increased. She saw Stark flying ahead, blowing up a bunker on the way.
"Shit!" He yelled just after the dull clunk of metal hitting something was heard. Seemed like HYDRA had upped their defenses since last time.
"Language!" Steve reprimanded immediately and Keira had to hold back her laughter, nearly getting shot because of it. "JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?"
"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well-beyond any other HYDRA base we've taken." The UI responded calmly, sounding like a polite Englishman.
"Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it." Thor proclaimed as he fought his way through their enemies. "At long last."
"At long last is lasting a little long, boys." Natasha answered, fighting beside Keira, and knocking out a whole row of agents.
"Yeah. I think we lost the element of surprise." Clint agreed. Keira had lost track of him during the battle, as she stayed close to Natasha, but several bodies were sporting arrows, so she knew he wasn't too far away.
"What gives you that idea?" Keira grunted, throwing a soldier over her shoulder before shooting at him while he was still in the air. "Also, is this a bad time to tell you guys 'I told you so'?" She added, catching a grenade that had been thrown at her and hurling it back onto the back of a truck, which exploded into flames. She had just managed to cover Natasha from the debris, her skin transformed, and the metal pieces just bounced off her.
"Wait a second. No one else is gonna deal with the fact that Cap just said 'language'?" Tony's dry voice said through the comms.
"I know." The roaring of Steve's motorcycle ended and got followed by a loud crash. "Just slipped out." He too, like the rest of the team, was panting.
Keira pulled Natasha up from the ground, who shot a grateful smile at the blonde. "Go, kick some ass." Natasha grinned, firing a shot behind her at an approaching guard.
"Your wish is my command, ma'am." Keira said, giving a mock bow before running away. It didn't take long before she found Hulk, ripping through vehicles and bunkers. "Hey, Hulkie!" She yelled forming a spear in her hand and throwing it hard at the muzzle of a tank that the green giant was about to attack. The crystal spear found its target perfectly, blocking the opening so no more shots could be fired, and the Hulk crushed it by smashing down his fists.
The green juggernaut gave her an appreciative grin, and the two of them danced through the forest, destroying anything in their path. Keira had to admit, it was exciting to be out on a real battlefield, surrounded by her friends. And she and the Hulk worked surprisingly well together.
But Keira's movements halted as she heard a faint, familiar voice over the comms, followed by a painful grunt. "Clint? You alright?" Spinning around, she tried to catch a glimpse of her friend.
"Clint!" Natasha's voice broke through the comms.
"We have an enhanced in the field." Steve informed the team.
"Clint's hit!" Natasha, who had been nearest to Clint, immediately got to work to stop the bleeding that the canon had caused. "Somebody wanna deal with that bunker?"
"Keep Legolas alive, will you?" Keira said, spotting the flock of red in the distance and tapping the Hulk on the bicep. He turned towards her and as she nodded in the direction of the blasts, he gave a short nod, throwing her up on his shoulder before launching off.
Just as the juggernaut landed on the ground again, Keira threw herself off, landing rather clumsily, and was forced to roll on the hard ground before coming to a stop. She heard rather than saw the satisfying break of the bunker and hurried to Natasha's side.
"Thank you." The redhead said sweetly, working hard to cover the wound and giving Clint a shot to stop an infection from getting hold. She looked up as Keira slid to a halt beside her and arched an eyebrow. "About time, where have you been?"
"Following your orders, ma'am." Keira just shook her head, putting a hand on Clint's forehead who was groaning in pain. "Hey, Katniss. How you holding up?"
It seemed like whatever painkiller Natasha had put in him, worked quickly because Clint had enough strength to lift a hand and lightly smack Keira on the thigh. "I've told you to shut up with the nicknames." He reprimanded lightly before his hand fell back to the ground.
"Well, he's not dying, otherwise he wouldn't be talking like that." Keira joked, her eyes jumping between Natasha and Clint. It was a weak attempt to hide her worry, because her voice still shook slightly.
"Oh, no. I'm definitely dying. I see the light." Clint croaked, wincing as Natasha put more pressure on his wound.
"And you call me dramatic? Take a look in the mirror." Keira tried to keep the conversation light, but it was obvious that Clint was in a lot of pain, and would need more severe medical assistance than what Natasha was able to offer out in the field.
She hadn't paid attention to the chattering in her ear, the welfare of Clint being higher on her priority list, but something that Steve said caught her attention.
"He's a blur. All the new players we've faced, I've never seen this. In fact, I still haven't."
"Hey! What am I then? The next-door neighbor?!" Keira yelped indignantly, earning a light smack on the back of her head by Natasha.
"Keira, you know I didn't me-"
Steve's excuse was cut off by Natasha, however. "Clint's hit pretty bad, guys. We're gonna need evac."
"I can get Barton to the jet. The sooner we're gone, the better." Thor offered kindly. "You and Stark secure the scepter."
"Copy that."
Keira drowned out the rest of the conversation, helping Clint into an upright position when Thor landed a few feet from them. She watched as the god flew away with her friend, and silently prayed that Clint would be alright. The laser had taken a considerable chunk from his ribs, and it wouldn't surprise her if it turned out to be a bitch to heal.
Keira watched as the Iron Legion helped to secure the last of the guards, the men and women throwing their weapons to the ground, throwing up their hands in surrender. She turned to Natasha and arched an eyebrow. "You gotta tell me your secret, Tasha." She mused, looking her up and down casually.
Natasha's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Keira gestured up and down her body, her amused smile firmly in place. "Your secret." She repeated, watching how the cogs turned in Natasha's head. "How the hell you're always managing to get out of a fight without so much as a flesh wound."
Natasha just rolled her eyes and punched the mutant lightly on the shoulder. "Oh, you're so dramatic. I don't always come out unharmed." She turned her back to Keira and spoke into her comm. "We're locked down out here."
"Then get to Banner. Time for a lullaby." Steve replied curtly.
Keira caught up with Natasha and they kept walking to the place where the Hulk's grunts could still be heard. They stopped on a ridge, watching as the juggernaut tore apart some big metal plates, probably scavenged from the destroyed tank behind him. "Care to give me the honors?" She asked, watching how surprise painted the redhead's features.
"You sure?"
"I wanna try. And if I fail, you can be my guardian angel and swoop in to rescue me." Keira fluttered her eyelashes dramatically before sliding down the small hill, staying in a crouching position as Natasha backed a couple of steps.
"Hey, Hulkie." The green juggernaut turned around quickly, as though stung like a bee. His face was still contorted in fury, but Keira held her ground, only meeting his gaze steadily. "We did well today. You did well today."
He towered over her, and she was fully aware that he would be able to crush her in mere second in this state, but she didn't rise from her position and didn't display any fear. She just held out her hand, humming a faint Sokovian lullaby as she did so.
The beast gave a frustrated roar, but he didn't move.
"I know what people say about you. Don't listen to them. You're not a monster." She said in a low voice, seeing that the green bean took a careful step towards her. "The sun's getting real low, but it'll rise again. It always does." She could see that the beast was interested, but he was also shaking his head, as though fighting off a pesky fly.
When she wasn't talking, she continued to hum the lullaby, and after a while, the green juggernaut warily placed his big hand in hers. "That's it. The sun will rise again." She shushed gently and met his gaze. It was a subtle shift, but she could tell that Banner had gained control.
He stumbled away from her, the bulging muscles and green skin fading away.
Keira raised herself into a standing position again, and threw him his clothes before turning away and joining Natasha, who gave a low whistle.
"I didn't know you could do that." She said impressed as they began the long walk back to the jet.
The blonde merely shrugged. "Neither did I." She admitted, stepping over a fallen tree with difficulty, her foot almost getting stuck on one of the branches. "But if you never try, you never know." She didn't have to continue her train of thought.
Natasha knew far too well what was on the blonde's mind.
"Guys, I got Strucker." Steve announced, drawing Keira's attention. But she didn't get a chance to praise him for it before Tony interrupted her.
"Yeah, I got... something bigger." He said vaguely. It was unlike him to not elaborate on things, so Keira's eyebrows furrowed together. He sounded distracted, as though he couldn't believe his eyes.
"What does 'something bigger' entail?" She asked cautiously, pausing her steps and throwing a glance back at the fortress. If needed, she could find a way over to him in a couple of minutes. Even faster than that if Thor would offer a lift.
But it was as though he didn't hear her. "Thor, I got eyes on the price."