Chapter Text
5:00 AM
The world wakes you. Your body was never accustomed to waking up past that time. Your mind knew otherwise. Things you're not fond of follow the realm of closed eyes and a resting brain. It was when they took over. You hated it when they did. You never felt like yourself. Something else took control of you. So before they can prolong their fun with you, a shrieking sound jolts you back to reality. One that was less appalling than the one you were in minutes ago.
You sit up, reaching the source of the sound and turning it off. Like most mornings when the ghosts visit you, you wake up drenched in cold sweat. Breathing as if every desperate suck of oxygen was your body's last mission. Flesh that felt pounded outside all that muscle and bone melted into a harmony of soreness and sweat. Then you see your body - adorned with blues and violets all around your arms and legs. You weren't dreaming of pain, you were feeling it.
Damn you Nat.
Training was never easy ever since you joined SHIELD years ago, but it certainly got more annoying when Natasha entered. A prick. An asshole. Your favorite person in the world.
You're going to give her hell when you meet again for another spar. Maybe even give her a taste of her own medicine.
However, as if reading your mind, a notification pings from your phone, and you see a message from Natasha.
Natasha: Before you think of revenge, I can't meet you today, sweets. I have an interrogation coming up.
You let out an amused chuckle.
You: You’re just afraid I’ll kick your ass
Until it wasn’t that amusing anymore. Your jaw gaped, taking full offense at the next text she sent.
Natasha: Yeah, like I didn’t kick yours first?
Fine. You win.
You: Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don’t get your ass kicked. I’m first in that line.
Natasha: Oh, what a pleasure. Sure, dear.
You smile, sending her a quick wink emoji, and put your phone down.
You quickly washed up, then put on a fitted black shirt over your head and some casual sweatpants. Looking at your vast collection of sneakers—three to be exact—you pondered which of them you'll exploit today. The black one had always been your go-to, but you were feeling a bit devious today. You decided the worn-out sky blue was deserving of the concrete's attention. It was pleading at you with its slightly ashy look, as if missing the outside world.
Morning runs weren’t necessarily your favorite part of your daily routine. But it never felt right to start the day without it. A few stretches and you were good to go. When you stepped out of your house, the sun had taken its place east and the sky's tint was slowly fading to the color of your sneakers.
I guess that's a sign of a good morning.
The compound SHIELD found for you was adequately comfortable for one with quite an aloof personality like yourself. It was peaceful, and people were nice and cordial, but never prying. No one ever inquired of you beyond small talk and topics of common interest and knowledge. It almost feels as if they were given instructions to do just that.
The compound was rectangular overall but had its divisions sliced up into triangles, which makes up for a fun route when running, since you could mix up your routes now and then. The morning breeze always kissed your skin and lungs with a sense of serenity you find is the best medicine to ease your worries. Nature is the remedy to your greatest enemy: your mind. And so you run—religiously, every day, without failure, to rid yourself of your ghastly midnights, and pacify your thoughts.
You end your mornings with coffee in a local shop near your university, one of the few unhealthy detours in your diet. You need your caffeine extra and sweetened.
"The regular, please." You smile at the cashier, handing out an exact amount of cash, which is received with a grin.
"Of course. You seem to be in a good mood today?"
"Had a great run. Air quality is in tip-top shape today."
"Ah, and it is. Here's your coffee. Enjoy the rest of your day." The cashier grins as she hands out the coffee.
"You too."
—
Despite how little you let on, you owed SHIELD everything. They gave you the chance to have a life. You would have been dead in the dumpster if it weren't for them. Or worse- You don't even want to think about it.
Fury was your number 1 hater. But he was also your number 1 supporter. He allowed you to pursue your interests and ambitions alongside your commitment to SHIELD. There's a bias in there, but you won't question it. You figured you'll let yourself benefit from it just a little bit more. And that is why, whenever he calls, you simply have no choice but to answer.
That is- until you're faced with a deciding factor in whether you're getting your beloved PhD. You declined the call. 6 times. But it was ringing once again. You mentally groan in frustration.
"I'm really sorry. I have to take this. Family issues." There were mixed looks among the panelists. The majority of them looked confused, while others looked unimpressed. Great
"Of course." One of the panelists decided, after noticing the rapid tapping of your foot. You swiftly excused yourself from the room and accepted the call.
"I told you any time BUT noon today. They're thinking my relative's dying here!"
"Bitch now your degree's more important?" There was no mistaking he was on the other side of the line. You don't carry that much attitude unless you were Nick Fury.
You looked up at the ceiling and begrudgingly muttered, "It has always been more important."
"Oh please, you kick ass and still think sitting on a desk and reading all that is a better way of living?"
"That's not all that we do- Never mind. Cut to the chase, Fury. We both hate wasting time."
"Fine. You need to go to HQ. Now."
You were taken aback. "Were you not listening? I'm at a defense! I'm pretty sure I just violated every single rule in defense etiquette by accepting your call."
"Defend your ass out there quickly, and get your ass in HQ." He was speaking syllable by syllable. Was it that serious?
"Oh my God, if you could only wait for a second."
"You don't make SHIELD wait."
"Watch me." You end the call and return to the seminar hall. It was clear the situation was dire. Luckily, you were more than halfway through your presentation. Using "family emergency" as a desperate excuse, you pleaded to end the session without a Q and A, to which the panelists agreed to reschedule. Your ego was whispering it's because they enjoyed your presentation. But your conscience was contradicting it with the possibility that you won't earn your degree this semester. SHIELD better hope they're alive by then.
You arrive at HQ with Agent Hill catching up to you on your way to Fury. "God, are you okay?" You ask in concern, seeing the baggy eyes and a few debris found in her hair. She shook it off with a wave and walked with you.
"We encountered something in one of our facilities studying the tesseract. It's been stolen, and the suspect wasn't friendly. Here, read the report."
"Asgardian? Like the one Agent Coulson met last year?"
"Exactly. Except he was far from our side. Our whole facility collapsed, and he's got many of our men compromised. Even Barton." You pressed the button for the elevator, then stopped in your tracks.
"Barton?" She nods.
Hill enters the elevator with you following promptly behind. "Does Nat know?"
"Agent Coulson's giving her a new mission tonight. He'll inform her then."
"What about her mission?"
"This takes precedence." She furrowed her eyebrows in contemplation. Nat hates being interrupted in missions. You mentally said good luck to Phil. Not that he needed it, though.
They arrived in Fury's office to see him viewing the busy city of New York.
He turns at the sound of the door closing. "Your field of study involves tesseract, doesn't it?"
"Yes," you answered cautiously. "Why didn't you tell me it was in SHIELD's possession?"
"You weren't in the position to know. And we weren't sure if it was right to entrust the whole study to you. Dr. Eric Selvig has prior experience in understanding its origins."
You felt irked at the remark. "He's met the Asgardian God. Big news. They didn't create the tesseract."
"He's a damn brilliant scientist with works to back it up. You're a fan with field experience."
"One with a PhD degree soon. One with a loyalty to SHIELD for almost half my life. Which qualifies me to study it, don't you think?"
"And where would you be if we let you have your way? We took a risk, allowing a very small population of agents to be aware of its existence. Knowing your recklessness, you would have ended up dead or turned."
"So, if you didn't need me. Why did you call me?" You crossed your arms, out of spite—a habit you've developed when you and Fury reach a disagreement.
"Because-" He paused, and rolled his eye. "Maybe I'm wrong."
"Huh." A smirk found its way to your face.
"You're aware of The Avengers initiative, are you?"
"Yeah, Nat mentioned it to me a few times, when she was undercover for Tony Stark's case."
"Well, it's about time to initiate it."
You turn to Agent Hill with a questioning look. She returns it with a nod, confirming your suspicions.
"So, I get to study the tesseract once we retrieve it, right?" Your enthusiasm sparks back with the idea.
Fury sighs in return. "Yes. Get to work."
With that, all was forgotten. Why feel defeated when you have the opportunity to study the Tesseract exactly the way you want it?
"Yes, sir." You said with a grin. Fury scoffs in return.
—
The Quinjet arrives the day after, with two people emerging from it. Steve Rogers and Phil Coulson. They were joined shortly by Bruce Banner and Natasha. After some briefing with Agent Hill, you approached the four.
You offered a hand with a smile.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Captain."
"Please, call me Steve."
You turned to Bruce and did the same. "And I'm a big fan of your work, Dr."
"Which one?" He joked.
You laughed. "Both, of course." He returned it with an awkward smile.
"Get comfortable with each other, boys, I'll steal this one for a while." Leaving the men to talk with one another, Natasha took you aside.
"How'd the interrogation go?" You smirked at her, overhearing Agent Coulson's call last night
She smirked back, "How'd the defense go?"
You smile. "Fury will always be Fury."
"You don't seem upset. " She pointed out.
"I get to play with the toy once we retrieve it."
She raised an eyebrow. "You may have to give Stark a heads up on that. He's expecting to work solo, or at least only with Dr. Banner here."
"He was your mission?"
She turns her gaze towards the two men talking. "Kinda hard to track, the big guy. Was expecting some quiet escapism-esque surroundings, and I got slapped with a loud town. For someone who needs to stay calm, he never picks a stress-free environment."
You chuckled, "He's a doctor. Stress-free is when he gets to help people."
"I suppose you're right."
Steve and Dr. Banner made their way to the edge of the helicarrier, witnessing the ever-astounding act of vanishing itself into thin air. Young, you thought they practiced dark magic. Growing up, you realized it was all science. Still, you loved that about SHIELD. It always outdoes itself.
"Never gets old," you murmured. Natasha looks at the cloud neighboring all of you, and nods in agreement.
The Asgardian—you now know called himself Loki—has brought himself quite the attention in Germany, much to Fury's amusement. After a quick briefing, Steve, Stark, and Natasha all boarded the Quinjet and flew to Germany; their mission being to capture Loki and retrieve the Tesseract.
From the comms, you hear chaos: screams and cries of fear and a voice that stood out to all. A God, but an aspiring King nonetheless.
"Kneel!"
It was the first time you witnessed something that scared you a little more than your nightmares. This God, he reminded you of him. And that said everything you needed to know about him. You didn't realize how it affected you because you found yourself in a daze, as Hill tries to bring you back to the present.
"I said backup." You finally realized she was calling you. Several warnings went off and you sprinted to the monitors.
"Trouble's hitting the Quinjet. It seems weather-related."
"But the forecast for this week never showed any signs of thunderstorms."
"Yeah, then it's wrong, because there's one coming right through the jet."
"Nat status report."
From the other end, Natasha's voice was disoriented, but you could make out a few words. "Uh, are you guys picking up on this?"
"Yeah, we-"
A large crash was heard, and communications were cut. Surveillance turned static, and the Quinjet became unreachable.
"Nat. Can you hear me?" No Answer.
You turned to see Agent Hill with a concerned look that matched yours. "Just what was that?"
—
Thor, son of Odin. God of Thunder. And his menace of a brother—step-brother, as he reiterates when people remind him of his crimes—Loki, God of Mischiefs. They were Coulson's field of expertise, with him handling them just a year before when Thor landed on the planet. It was Thor's lightning that struck the Quinjet and made it lose its signal. He claims to have come for his brother for proper discipline in Asgard. Hill muttered something about asking nicely, earning a snicker from Tony.
Tony examined the helicarrier's control center amid the meeting's deliberation on Loki's fate. "How does Fury see all this?"
"He turns." She replied, deadpan.
"Sounds exhausting." Nick Fury wasn't the only one with attitude. Nice to meet you, Tony Stark.
The Avengers were formed to be the planet's security: its best defender. What you were looking at is a group of individuals with skill sets that surpass your comprehension, but a nonexistent spirit of collaboration. Teamwork. They were miles away from seeing matters eye to eye. None of them like each other. None of them trust each other.
If you were being honest, this is what SHIELD gets when they put a bunch of extraordinary people with troubled pasts to try and work with each other when they all had to rely solely on themselves to survive. Their instincts are built on survival because that was how the world shaped them to be. But you soon realize you were judging them based on ink on paper. You don't know them enough to decide who they are. You were no better.
You excused yourself and went to Dr. Banner's lab to examine the scepter Loki was carrying when he was apprehended. It wasn't the tesseract, but it was just as intriguing. Its length exceeded that of usual scepters and staffs—its body sheathed with a gold-like metal, in contrast to its sharp head, which looks almost like a claw, iron housing the luminous blue gem blinking as if it were alive. You touched the handle, your interest piqued when you saw the holographic chart displaying the data currently known about the weapon.
[CONFIDENTIAL; SHIELD PROPERTY]
OBJECT NAME: UNKNOWN
NATURE: Weapon, Scepter
OWNER: Formerly owned by Loki Odinson
COMPOSITION: Unknown extraterrestrial crystal
ENERGY PROFILE: High levels of gamma radiation, other form of energy unknown
OBSERVED OUTPUTS:
1. Mind Control
2. Energy Projections
RISK LEVEL: HIGH, PROCEED WITH CAUTION
It wasn't the tesseract, but you were sure it was just as powerful. A weapon like that was what made HYDRA what it is today. A weapon like that falling into the wrong hands—that screams more than trouble.
Lost in your thoughts, you observe the gem which a part of you believes is alive and find yourself muttering. "Holy shit, even SHIELD doesn't deserve housing something this powerful."
The gem itself was entrancing in its way. It radiated an angry blue light, as if it were a star condensed to the size of a rock. You wouldn't even be surprised if this little thing carried the energy of a celestial body. However, it doesn't end there. Scrutinizing even further, you see that the gem's illumination was caused by several particles travelling virtually at the speed of light. It was like looking at synapses at work and neurons being transmitted at such a quicker speed than possible. You were even more convinced it was alive. And Thinking.
"Hey, kid, be careful with that. We don't know what we're working with." You felt your whole body jolt and twist instinctively to the sound. It was Stark, leaning against the wall of the lab with an amused look on his face. "I heard you're Fury's little science nerd."
Politely, you smiled. "I'm an Agent."
"No difference when it comes to this line of work." He shrugged.
"So, what's your verdict?"
"Too vague to find out. Your detectors found high levels of gamma radiation. But that alone doesn't account for the energy stored in this little thing. Plus, it's an elemental lattice of material no one in our planet has touched upon."
"Not the scepter. Boring. I guarantee I can speed up the processing, and we'll have it ready for testing in no time. I'm talking about Fury, little lady. What's up in his sleeves?"
"I don't know. I was roped into this just yesterday."
"And what'd recruit you for? Phil never told me there were more candidates for Fury's little experimental club." He knows he was throwing out nonsense. The look on his face says it all. But you'll have to keep playing his game for a while.
"You don't become an agent in SHIELD overnight, Mr. Stark."
"I think I can be the first."
"What were you?" You tilted your head and furrowed your eyebrows, feigning consideration. "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist?" The words seem to have taken him aback, fresh out of his mouth minutes ago.
Stark laughed. "Naughty kid. SHIELD never taught you it's rude to eavesdrop?"
You smiled. "It's my main job. But in my professional defense, the volume of your argument just now wasn't exactly private."
"I like you. If SHIELD fires you, I'd like you to consider Stark Tower. Dr. Banner would like a partner. And Oh, Pepper would love you! You're just like me!"
"Too early to tell, Mr. Stark."
"Ugh, enough with the formality. Tony is fine." For a guy who was working his way to get something out of you, he was very friendly. Maybe that's the charm you have when you're the Iron Man.
Just as you were thinking of ways to decline his offer, Steve hurriedly entered the lab.
Amused, Tony starts, "Up for round 2, Rogers?"
"Not now. We're compromised. Two men in the hallway, not ours. More are coming."
Just then, a loud bang was heard from the right side of the hallway. The sound resonated long enough for you to process what it was.
Tony and Steve looked at each other. "Right wing". You said. They're aiming for the wings first.
The two nodded and headed on their way. You rushed to the control center.
"What's happening?" Agent Hill was faced with screens of alarms. A hole was punched in one of the carrier's propellers, and a hole was made in the west wing, causing a pressure imbalance.
"All units on standby on the surface, fix the hole. And knock out those you don't know. Multiple enemies are on board." Agent Hill commands, and you pick up an M249 to scout the whole carrier. It was no mistake on Loki's part to control some of SHIELD's best. You cursed under your breath. If only you aren't as good at your job as you are, Barton
Multiple shots are heard, and you find bodies on the floor. Some knocked down, and some dead from blood loss. As you walk further west, you encounter agents whom Loki took control of. They didn't hesitate to shoot. With continuous bullets thrown at you, you hid behind a wall, waiting until they needed to reload. Once silence came, you came in with a quick 3 shots per person move, clearing your way.
Then another alarm rang.
It was different from the ones that rang previously. The cell Loki was being held captive in was disengaged. You changed your route and ran to his holding area to find a non-existent pod and a wounded soldier. Agent Coulson. Phil.
You rushed to his side, dropping your gun. "No... no... No..."
"First again?" He chuckled with a cough. You took your jacket off, rolled it into a ball, and placed it on Phil's wound, attempting to stop the bleeding.
"Phil. Stay with me. Hold this, put pressure on it."
He grimaced, all remaining energy drained out of his body as blood gushed out of his stomach.
Tears started forming in your eyes, and you fought the urge to lose composure. "I need medic in Room 8X. Hurry. Agent Coulson is down. He hasn't got much time." You uttered, hands shaking.
"I'll get you to our clinic. Okay? Just, please stay with me." Your eyes met his and lost the battle with your stubbornness. Life was being sucked out of him too quickly and all you could do was watch.
His eyes were wandering, and you know how scared he was right now.
With a hand on his chin, you kept him focused on you. The last thing he needed to feel was fear. "Hey, hey. Keep your eyes on me."
Holding his hand tightly, its temperature felt unfavorably different from yours, despite the warm blood on it.
"Keep them safe. Especially yourself."
"You are not dying on me." The shake in your outburst was evident. "Anyone. Now!"
"You know, you were my worst trainee? Obedient, 'til you're not. Maybe Cap can put you in shape. Put in a good word for you." He huffs weakly. His lips were losing color, and redness was leaving his face altogether.
You shut your eyes, resolve running thin. Forcing yourself to look at him again, you said, "You've done well, agent."
With a final smile, he let out his final breath, life lost completely as his eyes lost an subject of sight. You close them and shut your own, unable to accept his death. "Thank you for everything." You uttered, wishing he could hear it.
Paramedics finally came, but all that met them was a body to bury.
—
"Agent Phil Coulson was among the best of the best."
All Fury needed to say was a sentence.
The Avengers weren't heroes. At least not yet. But they showed potential to be Earth's mightiest heroes. And like Fury said, all they needed was a push.
"Sir, the carrier's ready to go."
"Good. Standby. I want eyes and ears on everything."
"Of course, sir." Just before she left, Agent Hill brought up Coulson.
"The cards you showed - they were in Agent Coulson's locker."
"I know." Fury was Fury, and he wasn't above deception when it came to getting things done.
"Huh." That was about the best answer Maria would get from him.
The push led the Avengers to New York.
With Stark Tower as the entrance for otherworldly creatures—and apparently Loki's lobby—New York becomes a war zone.
Captain, Natasha, and the now-awake Barton deplaned and went to assist civilians. You were now in a one-on-one firearm fight with what looked like a flying jet, except it was metal and mostly empty. Show off. And those ugly creatures. Aliens. Great. By targeting their driver, you successfully knocked the crafts down.
The portal opening was not helping your situation, as you see hundreds of vehicles like the one you just shot down rain down on the city. "You have got to be kidding me."
Cap instructs you to get out of the craft as hundreds follow the Quinjet, and you are trapped in a surge of firepower, killing two of your main engines. With seconds to combust, you eject your seat and land in the land of New York. The city was in chaos. People were in a collective panic, vehicles were thrown and trashed, buildings were destroyed, and roads were filled with broken concrete and asphalt, dispersing ashy particles into the air around you.
The Avengers focused primarily on fighting back against the aliens, and you were ordered to focus on keeping casualties to a minimum. You evacuate the areas of high risk and gather people somewhere safe. The bank was safe until about 50 alien soldiers kept you all hostage. "If anyone can hear me, hostages. MCB. A lot of aliens. Armed."
Unable to fight them all on your own, you waited until one of the six showed up. Until you couldn't wait anymore, since one of the aliens clicked the timer on a bomb. 2 minutes. Who's gonna reach you all at that speed? Without a choice, you run from the crowd to the sides, taking the alien bunch one at a time, using their comrades' bodies as a shield. 1 minute was on the clock, and before you reach the bomb, Steve comes in and throws it just 5 seconds before detonation.
"Thanks."
"Any time. Maybe relocate them somewhere where the fight isn't too heavy."
"Been trying that, Captain. Too many flying around, ready to shoot just doesn't look good for helpless and unarmed civilians."
"We'll cover you. Just make sure no civilian stays in the perimeter."
You nod. "Roger that."
Steve returns to the fight, and the team deliberately grabs the attention of the enemy. Thor tries to neutralize the incoming troops from the portal, and Tony limits the area reached by the aliens. You, on the other hand, were guiding civilians out of the battle zone and into safety. SHIELD's paramedics were just about the perimeter's edge, and injured civilians were treated. But the fight wasn't over.
And it seems as if SHIELD wanted a quick way out. A missile was heading straight to New York.
"...-And I know just where to put it." Tony Stark was mad. He redirected the missile into the portal right above his tower, aiming for the mothership. With a few more thrusts of his suit's jets, he disappeared into the portal. Moments later, the aliens fell one by one. He did it. The problem was, he was nowhere near back at Earth's atmosphere.
You hear Steve's quick hesitation before he goes, "Close it."
Nat closes the portal from the tower and it disappeared into nothingness. Everyone, expectantly looking at the sky spot a falling figure. It was Tony.
Steve squints. "He's not slowing down."
Thor starts spinning his hammer repeatedly at an increasing pace, when a big green figure catches Tony and brings him back to the ground. He wasn't breathing. Silence dawned on everyone. Worry was increasing as the moments prolonged without Tony showing a hint of consciousness.
Impatient, the Hulk roars in anger as a means to wake Tony, and the man gasps awake, eyes shooting open, processing the outcome of events.
"Did we win?" He looked over to Cap, expectantly.
Captain America was covered in dirt and sweat, his blonde hair now a shade darker with all the ashy concrete covering it. Looking around, he furrows his eyebrows and his lips curve upward. "We won."
—
The world celebrated the Avengers. The heroes you doubted would be heroes who proved you wrong. Heck, even Fury. They were more than what he expected them to be. And they were far dangerous than they were given credit for. Regardless, they have proven themselves to be Earth's most daring and dedicated defenders.
You were officially allowed scientific liberties in SHIELD, and spent the rest of your days after the Battle of New York studying Loki's Scepter. Until it went missing.
As the lead researcher and the one obsessed with its study, Fury would not let you hear the end of it. So, here he was with another mission for you: Retrieve the scepter and re-implement proper security before termination of a contract.
Or in Fury's words: Find the Goddamn scepter and make sure its not stolen this time or you say goodbye to your lab rights.
In the meantime, you were repositioned in Washington, near SHIELD's second headquarters. Your homework (really, it's a side mission), in the words of Agent Hill, was to keep an eye on Captain America when necessary and inspect the cleanliness of SHIELD. Fury believes SHIELD itself was compromised.
Another morning presents itself, marking your first day in Washington as an official desk worker in SHIELD. You hated this cover the most, but Nat insisted on it. She said she wanted eyes on controls. You know she just wanted to mock you living your worst nightmare: as a corporate slave.
Your morning routine doesn't change, despite your new environment. Habits were habits, and it simply introduced you to a new route that was working its way to the top of your favorite areas in the States. You get yourself ready and head to work. Unlike your previous quarters in New York, your workplace was an hour away from your apartment. And while driving, you were met with the worst luck. You had a flat tire, and it was 15 minutes away from 9 AM. You weren't quick when it came to fixing cars.
You went out to change the tire when you realized the tire wasn't flat. It was slashed open. But it didn't feel that way. Your heart sank when you realized what was happening. You ducked just in time before bullets rained on you. You ran behind your car and opened up the back door to pick up a rifle under the seat. Staying on one knee, you scanned the area around you. The man was gone, leaving cars as your only company. That didn't relieve you. And just as you thought, a heavy weight landed on top of your car. You aimed your firearm up to see that one was aimed right on top of you as well.
The man was huge. He was tall, whole body covered in an all black uniform except his left arm. His hair was long, wavy, and black, with most of the strands covering his face. Not that you could make out anything from his face. Half of it was covered with a black mask akin to a muzzle. And the area around his eyes was painted black. It wasn't something useful to notice, but the black paint highlighted his eyes. Unlike his dark attire, his eyes were light blue with streaks of dark crystal blue. Sapphire. His eyes were cold, insentient— but also confused? It took you a minute to realize what he was doing.
It seems he was in the same situation, because as soon as you realized, he too snapped out of it and shot in your direction multiple times. Luckily, you rolled quickly under your car and stood up. He shot through the window from the other side, and you ducked.
"I just got that tinted, Goddamit!"
You ran to his side and struck him in the sternum. You made a quick move, aiming for his throat, but the swing of your arm was stopped by his left arm. His left arm. It was the other noticeable feature on him. Instead of flesh, his left arm was made of metal. The weight and hardness of his left arm easily stopped your right arm, and with a strike from his right arm, you came flying upwards, hitting a pole. He approached you once more, and you tried to stand up and regain composure. You're not losing. You step on a concrete wall and throw your whole body at him as you strike him quickly on his jaw and wrap yourself around his neck, using your legs to steady yourself on top of him and striking his head repeatedly with your elbows. He throws you back, and you land on your arms, bouncing off them and standing once more. He faced you, and you were desperate to find a way out of this. It was clear he was far superior to you in strength. He can take you out with a punch if he wants to. You can't let that happen, so you need to make sure his lands on you are at a minimum. This meant you needed to utilize your whole body. The most viable method is to cut his airflow and make him unconscious, but that would be as hard as landing a proper strike on him. It was evident he wasn't the usual type of strong. Just what is he?
You rely on your weapons. Using the pole as a lever, it spins you just enough for your feet to hit his chest and make him fall backwards. You then slid down to his side and sliced his calf with your knife, making him fall to one knee. You pressed a button on your bracelet, and a wire wrapped itself around the body of the man who tried to kill you. Then you wrapped his neck around your arm and placed the knife to his neck. "Who sent you?" He grunts, now on both knees, not willing to talk.
"My knife is currently resting on top of a very vital artery, which I'm sure you're aware of. One wrong move and you'll be gone before I can press 3 digits for help. " You press your knife harder on his skin, and blood starts flowing out of his neck in small amounts.
"Tell me. Who sent-" Then you saw the symbol. A skull. 6 tentacles. HYDRA.
"Ju-what? HYDRA?" Lost in thought and emotions, it seemed the man noticed you were faltering. He hit your face with the back of his head and broke free from the wire with his metallic arm. Barely recovering from the headache and the pain of a broken nose, you regain your balance only to be hit with strong flesh knuckles on the stomach. This worsened your already unstable balance. The man was about to hit you with a final strike, but before his metal arm could land on you, something loud crashed onto his metal arm and redirected it. He turns to the source of the attack, and there stands a tall blonde man wearing a brown leather jacket and dark grey pants. Steve.
Before you could utter his name, you felt a strike on your lower jaw, and everything went black.