Chapter Text
Champagne was flowing and a cheesy pop song was blaring from a nearby speaker. For the first time in a very long time Isabelle felt content, sipping on her drink surveying the party from her spot on the bar. Normally she’d have been out on the dance floor busting a move, but after a strenuous mission sitting cross-legged on the bar sipping a cocktail was actually quite a nice place to be. The alcohol ran warm in her veins and the music numbed her aching soul. A distinctive smashing sound broke her out of her reverie and a snicker caused her to turn, catching one of her closest friends inconspicuously trying to hide the packet of m and m’s they’d been using as missiles seeing who they could hit in the bustling party crowds
‘Nice aim Hawk’
The guilty party winked reaching out a hand and with the quirk of an eyebrow the avenger accepted.
‘Well you know me Bells, I never miss, must say you look really good tonight, did you do something to your hair?’ Clint replied as he led his teammate out onto the dance floor.
‘I brushed it, you should try it sometime Katniss. How’s the wound?’
‘Katniss seriously, actually no I’ll take that she’s pretty cool? The side’s a little achey won’t lie, I’m sure it never used to hurt this much, getting shot I mean, not you stepping on my toes dancing.’
‘You’re just getting old and my dancing is not that bad.’
‘Oh ha ha. You won’t be in your 20’s forever you know, one day you’ll be just like me’
‘Keep dreaming Clint, I have superpowers and treat my body like a temple, I’m practically a goddess’
‘Whatever you say kid’
It was nights like this when Isabelle truly felt like she belonged. Hanging out with her team, joking and dancing. When Phil Coulson had recruited her for SHIELD all those years ago, she hadn’t been sure, but gradually she had begun to put down roots and now she felt like she’d found a place in the world.
The tricky thing about happiness though is that it can be lost as suddenly as a candle being blown out or grow gradually as the autumnal colours on trees.
In a matter of days, the seams keeping the Avengers together were fraying and sitting in the quin jet preparing for battle Isabelle knew deep in her heart that nothing would ever be the same. She could hear Steve making a hero speech, but the words sounded muffled like she was sitting underwater, she tried to clear her mind and ready herself for the worst part of her job. Taking down arms dealers and monsters and animalistic humans, making the world better, was what being a hero was about; but the risk to civilians, knowing that they could be hurt in the attempt to save lives, it never sat well with her. Many nights she had spent sitting with Tony in his lab discussing the topic. She only knew that she’d save innocents by any means necessary - even if it came at a personal cost.
The battle was long, every fibre of her being ached but this was what she was good at. Out on the floating streets of Sokovia (this was a first) battling evil robots, Inferno, her avenger alias truly made a difference. Inferno was much admired but slightly feared. With the ability to manipulate the elements specifically fire and earth Isabelle or Inferno was one of the most powerful avengers equal to, or on a good day maybe more so than Thor. Today however, little did she know, would be her final mission alongside her team; the last time she’d see her little dysfunctional family for a very long time. The city was rising, higher and higher, if they didn’t figure out a way to bring it down safely soon then mass destruction on the ground below would be certain and suffocation up in the clouds would be unavoidable. A successful evacuation of the city was underway and Fury had brought in reinforcements to help escort the civilians to safety. Seeing the helicarrier against the endless clouds Isabelle couldn’t help the swell of pride that had filled her, this was why she joined, because SHIELD and her powers they could save lives. Together. Hopefully it would be enough.
Over comms a plan was being formed, a way to stop Ultron from using Sokovia as a replica of the dinosaur killing meteor, Tony was saying about blowing the city to kingdom come and with everyone almost on the helicarrier the moment was rapidly approaching.
“Izzy, I’m gonna need you back at the Church” Tony’s voice ordered.
Turning to Steve she got the clarification she needed that everyone was on the carriers before Tony warned, “If this works, there’s a chance we don’t walk away.”
Taking a deep breath as she began moving towards the church Isabelle responded with as much stability in her voice as she could muster, “I know. But if I go through with this then I die, if I don’t then we all do. There’s no choice to make Tony, just say the word. The Kree used to call me ‘The Destroyer of Worlds’, well that’s who I need to be now.”
Running towards the Church the ground suddenly shuddered and began to plummet downwards sending Isabelle flying forwards scraping her palms and knees on the gravely ruins of Sokovia. Pushing ahead she took her place standing in the centre of the Church. Slowly she began quaking the ground gradually building towards full strength, waiting for Tony’s cue.
“Izzy, on my mark” Tony’s voice resounded in her ear as she felt fire run through her veins towards her hands as she quaked stronger, it felt like a million bees were swarming through lava in her body, but she was ready, “NOW!!!”
On the command she grabbed the core and taking a deep breath threw her head back and arms out. Power emanating from every inch of her body, fire and seismic waves of a colossal magnitude were sent out in every direction. Around her the city exploded. Cracking and crumbling.
Sokovia was no more.
The helicarrier further up in the sky than the city that had just been tumbling, shook violently as a seismic blast reached it, but remained intact and safe. Standing near the edge Steve, with Vision and the Maximoff girl at his side, watched the disintegrating city fall. Tony in his suit would be able to manoeuvre out of the rubble, but in his heart, he knew that shy of a miracle, there was no conceivable way Isabelle would have survived the destruction she had just caused.
Smouldering pieces of rubble that once formed Sokovia fell like hail to the ground below. Amidst the shards of glass, broken bricks and pieces of stone Isabelle’s body tumbled, a leaf caught in the wind, down towards the expanse of water that had lain undisturbed far below the Sokovian landmass. Barely conscious Isabelle sent out a feeble shockwave in hopes of breaking her fall, expecting a splash of water to come.
But it never did.
Instead a blinding light and a soft thud resulted, with Isabelle’s head colliding unexpectedly with a grass verge. A group of men in 1940’s style green outfits running towards her was the last thing she registered before the pain overwhelmed her and Isabelle Bennet, Agent of Shield, Avenger, Destroyer of Worlds, succumbed to the darkness.