Alex POV:
Landscapes blew past as I sat, dazed, in the back of the Shield SUV.
I think Ned and Peter were talking. I caught bits—"Dude, are you okay?" and "He looks pale, does he look pale?"
But it all went in one ear and slipped right out the other.
It kinda felt like my brain was underwater, all murky and stuff. I didn't know what I was supposed to do.
Up to this point, I've been trying to get as strong as possible so that I could stand up against anything the world would be able to throw at me. So I that I would be able to make a difference. Now, did anything have any meaning? My efforts of trying to grow stronger to save more people might have accidentally caused the opposite effect.
I shudder, thinking about how much ruin a buffed-up chitauri army could bring to New York City.
I need to do something. But what if me trying to do something causes even more death? I look down at my hands. They're shaking.
I remember all my power-ups to this point. Especially the last one. The X-Factor.
[Kinetic Vault (Active)]
[Your mutant ability allows you to store up to X impacts taken, and discharge them from your body later.]
Along with it, I remember the words The Beyonder told me.
"Use it well, and entertain me."
Fuck. Is this all a game to you?
My nails sharpen instinctively, fangs pressing against my lip.
I sigh. It's not the time. Gotta stay calm.
All things considered, it's not a bad ability. It's not something like Blink that'll get weaker late game, but it'll scale as the enemies get stronger.
Suddenly, a gust of wind slams into the SUV's interior.
A burst of ocean smells, salt, brine, and crashing waves hits me all at once. My enhanced senses flare painfully.
I blink and look right.
Of course.
Ned rolled the window all the way down and is leaning out like an excited golden retriever.
"DUDE," he yells over the wind. "THE OCEAN LOOKS SO COOL FROM UP HERE-"
"Ned- stop- Ned, you're gonna fall!" Peter panics, grabbing the back of Ned's hoodie.
I exhale.
Yeah. We're here.
As the SUV crests a rise, a massive shadow stretches across the water. An aircraft carrier docked in the middle of the ocean. Except… it isn't docked. It's hovering. Engines hum beneath its belly, turbines spinning up with a low, monstrous growl.
The Helicarrier.
The literal beating heart of SHIELD.
And we're being brought straight into it. Me, Peter Parker, and Ned Leeds.
A bear, a spider, and… a guy who pays for a gym membership to walk on a treadmill.
The SUV rolls onto a metallic platform. Bright floodlights hit us from above, and agents swarm around, directing us in with military precision.
Peter gulps audibly.
Ned whispers, "Oh my god, we're all gonna die."
-o-
The inside of the Helicarrier doesn't feel like a base, but more like a city.
Steel corridors stretch on forever, humming with power. Every surface is alive, screens flickering with data, agents moving with purpose, and engines thrumming beneath our feet.
In addition to my prior revelation, all these sensations are too much to handle.
Ned's head is on a swivel, eyes darting everywhere at once.
"Oh my god," he whispers. "Oh my god. This is, this is real. This is actually real."
Peters's doing that thing where he pretends to be all calm and collected, but is very obviously vibrating with nervous energy, analyzing everything around him.
Neither of them notices how quiet I am.
My senses are screaming. Every footstep echoes too loud. Every voice is too sharp. Too many heartbeats. Too many people. I can feel the Helicarrier's engines through the soles of my boots, vibrations rolling up my bones. My breathing is shallow.
Control it. Breathe.
We're escorted through security checkpoints, more than I can count, before finally entering a wider corridor. The air is clearly different in this corridor. It's like all the sensations from before were muffled out.
Then I feel it.
A presence.
Strong. Steady. Grounded.
A man steps into view from around the corner, dressed not in a suit or tactical gear, but in simple, everyday clothes. Tan jeans and a white Tshirt not at all hiding his broad shoulders and straight posture. A quiet confidence, one can only achieve after going through a war. The Second World War, to be exact.
Blue eyes lock onto us.
Steve Rogers smiles.
"Well," he says, hands on his hips, voice warm and calm like he's greeting neighbours. "I've heard a lot of good things about you guys."
Peter freezes.
Ned stops breathing.
I… blink.
Steve looks us over, not like the kids we are, or as possible assets that the agents look at us like, but as equals.
"You must be the bear guy," he says, nodding toward me. "And you-" his gaze shifts to Peter "-you're the spider kid Stark keeps mentioning."
Peter's brain visibly short-circuits. He stutters out.
"I- uh- hi- sir- I mean- Captain- I mean- Mr. Rogers-"
Steve chuckles. "Steve's fine."
Then he looks at Ned.
"And you are…?"
Ned swallows. Straightens up. "Ned. Uh. Ned Leeds. I don't have powers. I'm the chair in the man." He blurts out confidently.
We pause and give him a weird look. Only after a few seconds of silence, Ned realizes his mistake and corrects himself quickly, face red as a tomato.
"I- erm, man in the chair. Sir." He squeaks out.
Steve pauses.
Then nods solemnly. "Those are important roles."
Ned looks like he might cry.
Steve gestures for us to follow. "Come on. Fury's finishing up some prep. Figured I'd say hello before the briefing."
As we walk, he glances sideways at us, not probing, not suspicious.
"You all holding up okay?" he asks, gentle but firm, as expected of a soldier. "First time In a government facility could be a lot."
Peter nods too fast. "Yes. Sir. Totally. Super normal, sir."
Steve smiles, like he understands that exact feeling, probably thinking back on his twink days.
Then his gaze shifts to me.
"And you?"
I hesitate.
There are a thousand answers. None of them feels right.
"…I've been better," I say finally. "I've learnt some things recently that I kind of wish I didn't."
Steve studies me for half a second longer than the others, but not with any judgment.
"Yeah," he says quietly. "That tracks."
Before I can respond-
"Alex."
Her sharp voice cuts through the calm atmosphere.
I turn.
Natasha stands a few meters down the corridor.
She's in her Shield agent getup, the fabric perfectly morphing with her curves. Her expression is cold, but somehow, I know it's just a mask, just her Black Widow persona.
But when our eyes meet, I freeze.
Because beneath the cold exterior, I recognize it instantly.
Concern.
"Uh, hi, Nat-" I start, lifting a hand.
She doesn't let me finish.
She strides forward, sharp and purposeful, flicks a glance toward Steve that says I've got this, then grabs my arm and steers me down a side corridor without breaking pace.
Pete and Ned stare after me like I'm being escorted to my execution.
The supply closet door shuts behind us with a soft click.
Then, Natasha turns, steps into my space, and plants a hand against the wall beside my shoulder, cornering me. puts her other hand on her waist, and glares at me.
"Spit it out" she says.
"…What?" I blink.
"Somethings up with you." She says flatly, "I can tell by the look in her eyes."
I open my mouth to deflect, but she cuts in again, quieter now.
"I've seen you every day for almost half a year," she says. "Not once have you ever looked like this. Had that look in your eyes."
Her hard expression softens, as if shes swapping out of her spy persona.
I look away.
"Its nothing much. Nothing I can even really do about it." One lie, one truth.
She obviously sees through it and gives me a side eye.
I quickly change the topic, trying to appear energetic, like nothing's wrong.
"Uhh Anyways how have you been?" I force a grin. "Hows the whole alien god from outer space thing been treating you?"
"How do you- Never mind. Youve probably seen the news."
She sighs wearily and rubs her temple, fatigue bleeding through the cracks.
"Its not looking too good. We've captured him in Germany, but agent Bartons still MIA. There's also no way that the trickster god from Norse mythology would have gotten caught so easily."
Even though she was acting nonchalant about it, I could see right through her, just as she could see through me.
The tension in her shoulders. The way her jaw tightens when she says his name.
I could see how much Barton's disappearance affected her, Him being her best friend and the person who got her out of her old life and into Shield.
Sensing how worried she was inside, without thinking, I step forward and wrap my arms around her.
She stiffens instantly.
For half a second, I think I messed up.
Then she exhales, and doesn't pull away. Slowly relaxing into the embrace.
The room goes silent except for the rhythmic sounds of our breathing.
I break the silence.
"It's going to be okay," I say softly. "You know how strong I am, right? You, me, whoever shield brought into this mess can take care of it. You trust me, right?"
She doesn't respond, but I swore I could hear her mumble something along the lines of "brat..." under her breath.
The silence persists in the dark supply room for a few minutes, with my arms wrapped around her.
After a moment, she gently pushes me back, expression back to the cold mask of Black Widow.
"The director wanted us in the briefing room 3 minutes ago. Let's get moving."
She makes her way to the exit of the room, motioning me to follow.
She reaches for the door-
Then pauses.
She turns back, and for a brief, unguarded second, she smiles. One of the biggest and most genuine smiles I've ever seen plastered on her face.
"Thanks, Alex. I really needed that."
Then she quickly turns and steps out of the room, heart beating faster than usual.
(a/n Jesus christ that was a long hiatus. Sorry guys. If there's any weird disconnects this chapter, that's because Ive wrote at least 5 different versions of this chapter over the last month, and kinda stitched the good parts together.)