36 Chapter 36 (1/2)

anuary 18th, 2014

There's a Superman/Wonder Woman comic I read once, called Whom Gods Destroy. It was really weird, had Superman turn into a centaur at one point. But there's a line in it that I love that goes something like this.

'That's the nature of destiny. Some volunteer, others get drafted. Either way, they're all in the fight. And considering the stakes... it's a fight we have to win.'

Wakanda had it's draft notice, courtesy of me. Now it was up to them to accept or pretend they had bone spurs.

Might have lost the metaphor. Point was, the ball was in their court. In the meantime, I had a job to do.

”So then he taught me how to punch people for three hours while yelling at me about protocol,” I told Hawkeye as we walked on a rooftop the next day, telling him about how Steve had 'punished' me the day before for running off with Bruce.

Clint laughed.

The two of us were in the middle of Manhattan, listening to police bands and Foo Fighters. The Pretender was coming out of my Bubble Speaker, the device Jury Rigg had made for me weeks back.

”Well, he's right,” Clint said with a grin. ”You kinda went off without a plan, didn't you?”

I winced.

”Bet you didn't even know that would work.”

I winced again.

”How close was the Hulk to taking your head off before you transformed?”

I winced one last time, sighing. ”I made a guess. Killed two birds with one stone, you know?”

”Mahmoud,” Clint sighed. ”You need to think things through. You've got more power in that watch than anyone I've seen who wasn't named Thor. But you can't just go off for no reason, man. You've got a team to look after and to help look after you. You ain't patrolling alone anymore. As a super spy, I can personally attest to how important having backup is,” Clint said, putting emphasis on 'super'.

I sighed, nodding. I'd gotten used to being on a team the past few days, but I still tended to think of myself fighting on my own. But even Ben, with six years of experience fighting the likes of Vilgax, Animo, Kevin, Aggregor, and everything else in the universe had depended on Kevin, Gwen, Rook, and others to have his back.

As I was thinking about that, the police band on our comms flared.

”Fire on Eastern Parkway and Buffalo Avenue in Brownsville, the address is,” The woman on the radio rattled off the number over the radio as I activated the Omnitrix and Hawkeye turned on his armor.

The suit that came across him was very similar to Bobbi's, with a purple coloration to it. Interestingly, he'd chosen a helmet that looked a lot like the one from his 616 counterparts Ronin costume. A cloak came across his body as well, flowing around him to wind that didn't exist. ”This is Hawkeye and Dial of the Avengers, we're on it.”

”...Say again?” came the response from a likely very confused dispatcher.

Hawkeye leaped off the building as I pushed down the Omnitrix and went Astrodactyl. Hawkeye's cloak snapped out into a large glider, allowing him to float down until I got to him and grabbed his shoulders by my foot talons. In seconds we were shooting through the air towards Brooklyn, flying past office buildings under to the speed of sound so we didn't shatter windows with sonic booms.

Even with me modulating my speed, it didn't take long to reach the fire. Hawkeye, on seeing the flames, waved up at me, speaking over comms since the wind would have drowned him out otherwise. ”Go in the top floor and drop me over there!” Clint pointed at the top of a nearby building.

”Got it, squawk!”

I fired an energy blast at one of the windows and flew in, letting go of Hawkeye, who glided to land on the building he'd chosen on the way. As I flew inside, an arrow tipped with a bulbous canister flew past me. My feet hit the carpeted floor at the same time as the arrow hit. Hawkeye's arrow exploded outwards in a burst of foam that spread across the flame-filled room, covering me and everything else in the chilly white bubbles. The flames were instantly extinguished, and I tapped the Omnitrix.

”Fasttrack!”

I ran through the hallway with all of my speed, noting the arrow flying through windows and the various holes created by the fire, exploding into more foam, covering desks, bookshelves, and beds around us with the foam, all the arrows moving in slow motion to my enhanced speed. I slowed down slightly as Hawkeye spoke over comms, the light of the Omnitrix on chest flashing with each word.

”Got three people in a closet in the next room to the left. Older woman and two kids,” he told me. When the Avengers had chosen their new armor, Clint had gone for every audio and visual enhancement he could get. In moments like this, he'd be the eyes in the sky, while using his bow to snipe and aid.

I ran into the room he indicated and opened the closet, looking down at the elderly Asian women clutching tightly to a pair of young children, one girl slightly older looking than the other.

”Hi!” I said with a smile. ”Sorry I can't be more polite!”

Before they said anything, I picked three of them up and ran for the stairs, moving past the people already escaping, rushing the three out to the sidewalk and running back in.

”One guy, stumbling on the second floor.”

I picked that guy up, a young Hispanic man, and rushed him out as more arrows landed around me.

”I've got two on the top floor, trying to run to the roof.”

It was a white couple, young and panicking. I picked them up and rushed them out as well, the sidewalk getting full.

Over and over, as Hawkeye fired his fire suppression arrows and I picked people up, we emptied out the building. My fur was slightly singed but not much considering my natural toughness and speed and Clint firing suppression foam to keep the worst of the blaze contained until the fire department arrived. Finally, only one person was left.

”It's a kid,” Hawkeye said calmly. ”She's hiding under a bed, third floor, middle room on the right.”

”Got it!” I said, running into that room and bending down to look under the bed.

A young black girl stared at me, clutching a stuffed blue T-Rex to her chest in the shadows as flames roared behind me, illuminating her tearful face. ”Hey, sweetie,” I said softly, wondering where the hell her parents were. Had I taken them already? Worry later. She was crying, covering her eyes to avoid looking at me. ”Hey, it's okay. I'm an Avenger. You know them, right?”

Still crying, her eyes clenched tight, she nodded. ”D-Daddy doesn't like them.”

”Oh,” the hell do I do now? ”Well, I promise I won't hurt you. I'm just going to take you out of the fire, okay? Then you can be with your parents.”

She looked at me. I reached a hand out and smiled as reassuringly as a blue-furred alien can. Must have been enough because as hesitantly as she did it, she still slowly reached a hand out to hold mine. I helped out from under the bed, tucking the small child into my arms and turned to leave.

Of course, that was when the stairs collapsed. Yeesh, the building was seriously not up to code.

”Huh,” I blinked at that. ”Sweetie, hold tight. I think I'm going to make my own exit.”

She nodded, the tiny thing tucking her face into my fur and holding her stuffed T-Rex close. I smiled at that, then reached for the Omnitrix. I entertained the idea of turning into Four Arms before dismissing it. Better to keep him a secret for as long as possible. Plus, his strength and size might end up destroying the building due to how weak the building was. I'd go for strength without going overboard. I tapped the Omnitrix, transforming into something tough and strong enough to tear a hole in the building without hurting the child.

”Rath!”

The little girl seemed to find the sudden thicker fur of my new form comfortable. I gave her fond smile, then bent my legs, holding in my typical bombastic personality as Rath to keep from scaring her. With explosive force, I leaped upwards, crashing through the ceiling. The girl screamed, tiny right hand clutching at my fur and left hand holding her T-Rex close. I landed on the roof and jumped one more, landing on the sidewalk in front of the building, causing only minor cracks in the sidewalk, people leaping away from me and screaming in surprise at the giant tiger man coming out of the sky.

Firetrucks had shown up, staring at the foam covered building as they moved quickly to douse the remaining fire, water beginning to fall onto the crowd as they sprayed the building. I felt some water drip on me and held in a growl of annoyance. Rath didn't like water.

Hawkeye came gliding to join me as I looked around. I noticed the phones filming me, but ignored them. ”Listen up! Rath wants to know who's cub this is!?” I raised her high over my head to make sure everyone in the crowd saw her and she could look for her parents. The girl looked around, rubbing at the tears on her chubby cheeks.

”That's my daughter!” A black woman cried out, rushing away from EMT's to come over to me. She had tear tracks going through the soot on her cheeks as she rushed forward. She hesitated, for the barest moment, when she realized just what was holding her daughter.

”Mommy!” the little girl wiggled in my grip. I gently put her down, and she rushed for her mother, who hugged her, the two crying openly.

I smiled at that as Hawkeye came over to join me. It was heartwarming.

”G-Get down on the ground!” the heartwarming moment was shattered when someone yelled at me. I blinked, turning to look.

A cop was pointing his gun at me. For a moment, we all stared at the guy.

”... No?” I said, confused. ”Rath just helped everyone. Rath is starting to wonder if you're dumb, and that's saying something coming from Rath!” I finished bombastically.

People in the crowd giggled nervously. Hawkeye tapped his chest, his armor turning into his quiver. ”Officer, we're Avengers. Please, put your-”

”Hawkeye, Dial,” Maria said suddenly. ”We just got a message from a former SHIELD scientist by the name of Bill Foster! He's asking to be pulled in with an asset, and you two are the closest to him. I'm sending in a Quinjet.”

A Quinjet, one of the newer models, dropped out of the sky just a few moments after that message, hovering into the street and opening its back doors as people shouted and pointed. ”X tells us HYDRA is after them.”

Hawkeye and I shared a fast look then, turned and ran for the Quinjet.

”I said freeze!” the nervous cop yelled, shooting me in the back.

I ignored the bullet that bounced off me, leaping into the Quinjet and turning to look out. ”Rath is going to go fight HYDRA! STAY BEAUTIFUL NEW YORK!” I raised my fists in the air, the Quinjet closing as cameras stayed on me and a laughing Hawkeye.

”That building there,” the Quinjet pilot Maria had sent said. Apparently, he'd been on his way to the helicarrier and had been moved to pick Hawkeye and me up instead. He pointed at a warehouse next to the harbor, where another three Quinjets, HYDRA, were parked by the docks. Our Quinjet's cloaking was keeping us hidden for now. We were hundreds of feet above the building in question and still heading to it.

”Okay, swing over those Quinjets,” Hawkeye said, his bow shifting as he moved towards the back of the Quinjet, with me following quickly.

”You want me to lower down, sir?” The pilot called back at Clint.

”Nah, I'm good,” Clint lifted his purple bow and clenched his hand around the grip. When enough pressure was put on it, the bows catoms moved and flowed, more moving from the quiver on his back to add to it, making the overall bow thicker and longer, increasing its poundage. He picked an arrow tipped with a three-pronged hook from his quiver and pulled back on the bowstring as the Quinjets back door opened up, aiming for the enemy Quinjets' when we passed over them. ”So, you think you'll take up archery?”