Chapter Twelve: Hostile Takeover

Okay, so I know it took me awhile to get around to writing this, but I'm gonna try to get it finished ASAP because there's a million other story ideas in my head and I keep thinking about how I need to get this one finished. As for Vanya's father, well, I'm not a thousand percent sure who it is, but I have an idea for who I may have it be. Anyways, hopefully it won't take me a million years to update this time around, heh, heh, heh...

Tension was as thick as a block of ice, the room seems to have dropped about thirty degrees. Considering that it was only about sixty to begin with, it's obviously gotten pretty frigid. Awkwardly, I rub the back of my neck as I glance back and forth between the two best friends. Wonder what Bucky's gonna say to that, it's got to be uncomfortable. Seeing the friend you tried to kill and all...

Natasha edges forward, slowly, as if she's afraid that any sudden movement will make me bolt in the opposite direction. She's wrong, but I suppose I can understand why she might make that assumption. When she's about three footsteps away, she comes to a stop and I bite back a sigh. I know what she's after. I close the distance between us and throw my arms around her.

Immediately, she tenses up but lets herself relax after a few fleeting seconds. Just as we pull apart and she's about to speak, I shake my head. As much as it must pain her not to tell me what she wants to say, we just don't have time.

"We can have a heart to heart later, we're still in a HYDRA base and now's not the time for a reunion," I reply, my voice void of emotions. It's better this way, to keep myself from feeling until we're out of the battle zone. Bucky seems to realize this too and shakes himself out his stunned and uneasy silence. Bucky glances my way and Mom tenses up again.

"Vanya's got a point. Steve, we've got a lot to talk about, but we'll save that for later. Right now," he pulls out two handguns, one in his human hand and the other in the metal prosthetic. "We've got work to do."

Mom nods her head, handing me a gun of my own as the sound of pounding on the metal doors of the room get louder and louder with every passing minutes. Mom ans Steve pass a look between one another before filling Bucky and me in.

"We had to barricade the door to keep the mass of HYDRA agents out," Steve said, holding his shield a bit tighter in his grasp. "Otherwise, we'd never have found the two of you."

"Unfortunately, that door isn't going to hold for long," Mom finishes, and just as she does, the door blasts inward. Flying into the room and skidding across the metal floor of the room. HYDRA agents barrel in, all dressed in black uniforms with bullet proof vests. So we're shooting to kill, I note silently to myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a shadow running along the pathway around the large windows above. Someone's escaping, and I think I know who.

Damn... There's nothing I can do about it now, not with all these HYDRA agents that are here to kill us. I'll just have to deal with the coward later, and believe me, when I get my hands on him... It'll be gruesome.

The room comes alive with gunfire as the agents of HYDRA shoot wild and blindly, they know they're in over their heads but no one ever said that the people in HYDRA were smart now, did they? I lunge out of the way of gunfire, as does everyone else. Soon we're all spread across the battlefield. Mom is on the opposite side of the room from me, a crowd of HYDRA agents surrounding her.

Bucky stands on the railing above us, firing rounds down at HYDRA agents while dodging shots aimed up at him. Steve is deflecting bullets and knocking out agents with that Vibranium shield of his. I don't want to use all the bullets in the gun Mom gave me right now, I may need it later and pathetic HYDRA soldiers aren't much of a threat to me.

I'm surrounded on every side by enemies and as I glance around, an idea comes to me. I launch forward at the HYDRA agents in front of me, all the others take aim at me, I swerve at the last minute, using my speed to propel myself up into the air at the last second. Their guns fire just as I land just outside their circle. Everyone falls in a heap. They accidentally killed each other because of their shifting movements to follow me.

Swiping the guns from the dead HYDRA agents, I notch them in the many holsters I've got. Taking one gun in each hand, I start to tread down the rooms center, firing at every HYDRA agents in my way. Plowing down their numbers as they crumble dead, their crimson blood oozing out across the floor. Keeping my eyes diverted from the blood, I keep firing.

Bodies of dead HYDRA agents are everywhere and I can feel the familiar sting of guilt and remorse swelling in the pit of my stomach, I want to throw up, but I push the feeling back down and press on. Mom's taken out her circle and joins me in mowing down the enemies as Bucky aids up from up above, firing at the agents I can't see or those behind me.

It seems lie it takes forever, but in reality it only about five minutes for three former assassins and a super-soldier to decimate the nearly filled to the brim room of HYDRA agents. That puts a sinking feeling in my stomach. My mind feels like it's drowning when Bucky jumps down from the walkway above and lands beside Mom, Steve, and me.

My arms are shaking, I can feel it's from my nerves. Hiding my arms out of sight, none seem to notice my lack of control over my feelings and response to the situation that we were just in. Cold laughter fills the room as we look across the room to one of the HYDRA soldiers. He's battered, bleeding, and bloody with a bullet hole in his chest. He just laughs, something about him unsettles me.

"It's so pathetic," he spits out a clot of blood. "You actually think you've won this? Ha! We were only the distractions, to keep you four idiots busy while the grand supreme of HYDRA made his getaway, he will be the victor. You all shall fall and will tremble beneath his might. Ha, ha, hah! Project Blood War is far from over child, yes you may have been a part of it Vanya, but you stole the last piece needed, but Ruark knows what he's missing now, you loose—! AGH!"

Gunshot. Mom glared at the HYDRA soldier, fury in her normally emotionless green eyes. Her gun raised and still smoking from pulling the trigger. The man's eyes went wide and wild. Blood squirted out from his heart, every pump shooting more blood on his clothes. His body shook and convulsed in what seemed to be absolute agony, then he went completely limp.

I watched as the life left his already cold eyes.

Lowering her gun, Mom turned away and started down the hallway with Steve hot on her heels. I watched the body for a minute longer, until I felt Bucky's metal hand on my back, nudging me forward. I complied and eased out the door. Glancing over at Bucky, I could tell he was feelings just as on edge and confused as I am. Neither of us is sure of what awaits us back at Avengers Tower, but we do know that it's not going to be a peaceful vacation.

All I know for sure is that we have to stopped Ruark from completing his mission. It's not going to be good if he succeeds, even if I'm not sure what he was planning or what I hid from him, I know that I must have done it for one hell of a good reason and nothing's going to stop me from keeping the world safe from a madman like Ruark Schmidt and that's all there is to it.