A/N: It has been WAY TOO LONG! I am going back to my roots, literally. I have the privilege of once again writing with the one that started me down this fanfiction road. A little over two years after we wrote A Journey With Hell, ImmaSlytherOut and I have finally teamed up once again to write The Sky As Red As Blood. Why is it called that? Read on True Believers to find out.

Chapter 1: Christian Red

Red Quill lets out a sharp grunt as she slices her blade down the middle of her enemies face. The blood splatters onto her pale skin and she lets out a small groan of disgust, using her free (and cleanest) hand to wipe it away before wiping it on her red suit, rolling her eyes. She always hated fighting against humans; they were weak and easily succumbed to the sharp lade of her weapons, making her kills less fun. She wished that another alien invasion would happen soon because she was starting to get bored, and when she got bored, she got reckless. Red Quill looks around the rather large collection of bodies scattered around her, their eyes staring off into nothingness with a slight milky gaze over their normally bright colors. She steps over the nearest body as a phone begins to ring on her hip, reaching for it and swiping it open to answer the call.

"They're dead, I promise."

She says without looking at the caller ID. A shocked choke of breath met her statement and Red Quill couldn't help but smile; she always did love messing with her favorite super hero. "Cassanda, head back to HQ. We're gonna send you out on a mission soon with a new guy, so head on back so we can fill you in."

"Sure, but someone will have to come and clean up the bodies. And ooh, a new guy on a new mission? Can Black Widow at least come with me? I'd love to have someone to play with while I "play" with him."

Cassanda responded, licking her lips gently at the thought of the Black Widow. She closed her eyes as her imagination began to take over, but the fantasy was soon cut short when Captain America cleared his throat.

"We'll discuss more when you get here. And I'll send someone over to deal with your... problem."

"Sounds good Captain Spangle, I'm on my way."

X.x.x

New York city, the city that never sleeps, and Markus Christian knew that everyday. He had basically been sleepless since he basically made himself a vigilante in the eyes of everyone, including his own family! Looking out over the lit streets of Manhattan at night was an amazing feeling for him. He took a breath before putting on his black mask to keep his ID secret. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a rectangular shapes object that shaped itself into a glider, before he jumped and began sailing through the New York City skies.

X.x.x

After flying for an hour with no action, his phone rang. He brought himself down on a rooftop, and checked the I'D.

"Unknown?" He shrugged and answered. "Mark Christian."

"Finally, it took me long enough to find you." The voice responded.

"I'm sorry, but who is this?"

"For now, that doesn't matter, but what does is that we need you to come in and save the world."

"I'm sorry, but, "we"?"

"An escort should be landing shortly, you'll be briefed on your way here." The call dropped, and Markus looked up to see a helicopter hovering just above him. He hesitated, and finally turned his gadget into a rope, allowing himself to taken away.

Cassanda let out a small sigh as she tucks her phone back into her pocket. The helicopter buzzed beneath her feet, and she looked out the window as they flew across New York. She felt bad for the new guy hanging from the bottom of the helicopter, only because it was cold on the ground and even colder in the air. Why she had to accompany them to pick up the new guy when that's Phil's job, she would never know; she was only slightly salty about it because this meant she had less time to flirt with Black Widow before she had to go to and save the wretched world for...

Well, she wasn't entirely sure how many times this was. She guessed that she lost count when almost every other week they had to go and save everyone.

Cassanda took this small moment to wonder about how they were going to land with someone attached to the bottom half of the helicopter. While she doesn't like working with new people, she wouldn't wish death for those she would potentially save in the nearby mission. That seemed to happen a lot, her saving people. It was the big reason why she liked to work alone.

She didn't want to have someone's death on her hands if she couldn't save them.

Cassanda looked up as she felt the helicopter begin to lower onto the Avenger Tower and smiled to herself as she looked out the window. Black Widow was standing at the door, Her arms crossed over her chest and her red hair ruffling behind her from the wind of the helicopter.

Markus detatched himself from the chopper a few feet above the landing pad, clipping his gadget to his belt as he greeted Black Widow with a slight smile.

"Mark." She nodded to him.

"Romanova." He nodded back, as they waited for the helicopter to land.

They waited as Cassanda exited the chopper.

"I thought you were a dead man flying." She said with a laugh.

"Well, do I look dead?"

"Is that how you greet all the ladies?"

"No, this is a first. The name's Chris." He says holding his hand out.

"Charming, but no. Red Quill." She says keeping her hand to her side. "It has been a while, hasn't it Widow?"

"Yeah, it has." The two looked really awkward.

"You know, you all probably have a lot of catching up to do, and I, kind of, want a drink, so... See you all inside." Markus turned and entered the tower, leaving Black Widow and Red Quill alone.

"Who was that?" Red Quill asked, her eyes still on the door that the man just walked in. She was screaming internally at herself for thinking about someone else when BLACK WIDOW was right there in front of her, but she couldn't help it; curiosity just got the best of her, even when she wished that it wouldn't.

"New recruit."

Black Widow said plainly, drawing Cassanda's attention back to her. She reached out and took Cassanda's arm, pulling her closer. "Who cares about him when I'm right here in front of you?" Cassanda swallowed harshly, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. "Am I dreaming?" Cassanda squeaked as Natasha run her fingers up Cassanda's arm gently, her skin leaving goosebumps in its wake. Natasha leaned in closer, her lips hovering just away from Cassanda.

"Of course you are."

Natasha pulled away, laughing gently. Cassanda felt her face blow up in flames but managed to laugh as well. Natasha was always pulling jokes like that, but she would definitely still obsess over every detail with her best friend Peter. "Come on Natasha, lets go meet everyone." Cassanda laughed, throwing her arm over Natasha's shoulder.

A/N: Just the tip of the iceberg, as we plan on continuing this! I cannot wait to get deeper into it, and once again, it is a privilege to once again write with Slytherout. We will see you all next time!

-Foxxer1999