Young Avengers : Assembled

Chapter 9: Hawkeye

Kate was so glad to have a new friend. She had issues meeting people as she was quite weird. But she really hit it off with Cassie who was Scott Lang's freaking daughter. They actually bonded over their shared experience as new heroes. In addition, they both had a connection with an Avenger.
Of course, Kate was still very upset since her little trip to the hospital. She knew it had been a few months since she last suited up but she never imagined her reflexes would diminish this much.
She was also really intrigued by the new heroes she had seen getting beaten up. They kind of looked like an Avengers team but they certainly were not as good. She was so excited to investigate them. She really wanted to know whether they were linked to the Avengers. And, as it turned out she soon would as Cassie and her were heading towards the Avengers HQ.

"So, how are we going to get in?" Kate asked.
"Ok, so, my father could access the building. Apparently, there's some sort of DNA test at the entrance as well as a vocal code to enter. If the building is not in lockdown, we should be able to get in without ringing any alarms." Cassie explained.
"Wow, you really thought about everything. But, if you don't mind me asking, why are we in Brooklyn? I thought the Avengers HQ was downtown."
"Well, I obviously haven't got all my equipment so we need to go by my apartment. But it should be quick. We're here!"

They entered the building and climbed what seemed like an infinite number of stairs. They finally stopped and Cassy opened a locked door.
Kate discovered a quaint little apartment, with a lot of light coming through the windows. She entered the living room which contained a convertible couch that currently occupied the room as a bed. She turned right and saw a tiny kitchen. She walked towards the bedroom and opened the door. Cassie was gathering some stuff in a little room that was really messy. Kate saw tables with lots of science equipment, and bookcases.
Cassie turned around and saw Kate.
"Oh, I see you've discovered my secret lair"
"Wow, that's really cool. What do you even do in here?" Kate asked
"Mostly science experiments, I try to understand the infinitely small and how to harness its powers."
"Ok, you lost me at science"
"Well, I'm all set, so we should go" Cassie said while grabbing a backpack.

The girls left the building and half an hour later, they stopped in front of a plain building. It was already night.
"We're here!" Cassie proclaimed
"What do you mean? That does not look Avengers worthy."
"Well, their HQ is mostly underground but there is an old secret entrance down that alleyway."
Cassie led Kate down the alleyway and Kate saw her looking around.
"There!" she said pointing the wall to the right.
"Is this it?" Kate asked in a surprised voice.
"Yes, that's where the entrance is"
Cassie kneeled down in front of the wall and opened her backpack. She took out some of her equipment and in a few seconds a part of the wall detached itself from the rest and pivoted. They entered a very dark room and the wall closed behind them. Kate used her phone's flashlight to light the room. It was some sort of corridor that led to a heavy metal door.

Cassie went to it and examined it. She moved a few feet to the left and opened the control panel.
"Ok, so I think we need DNA clearance as well as a vocal test from one of the Avengers. Luckily, I have all that"
She took out a glove and put it on her right hand. In her left hand she held her phone.
She placed her hand on the control panel.
"Scott Lang, Ant-man identified. Please proceed to vocal test"
Cassie then raised her phone in the direction of the panel and played a recording.
A man's voice said "I am Scott Lang, also known as Ant-Man. Code: 5739574"
"My dad had a terrible memory and wrote down every code he had to remember in a tiny notebook. I just had to recreate his voice with a software"
"Vocal test completed. Please insert your key to unlock the door"
"What? What key? Damn, I didn't know about that part. Well, we probably have to leave now, otherwise the Avengers will be alerted. I'm sorry but we won't be able to investigate with their resources". Cassie apologized
Kate was really disappointed. Cassie had come so far only to be stopped by a key! A key...
"It might be a stretch but I kind of have a key that fits the description of what we need" Kate remembered.
Kate had almost forgotten but Clint had given her a key on the day she left. It was a very small metallic key that she was now wearing as a necklace. Clint had told her:" This could be more useful to you than me. If you ever want to join the Avengers, show them this key."
Kate inserted the key into a small hole in the metallic door and turned it.
"Door unlocked"
The door opened in front of them.
They discovered stairs on the other side and started going down. The door closed behind them.
A few minutes later, after going down and back up, they saw another door that they opened without difficulty. They were in some sort of control room. As they entered the dark room, they heard an alarm: "Initiating lockdown. Initiating lockdown"

Kate saw a warning message pop up on one of the computers: Cell number 3 disabled

They moved towards the only window and saw a living room through it. Thanks to the numerous lights, Kate spotted 4 people standing up, including the new Captain America, War Machine, the Sorcerer Supreme and a random girl. There was also a big monster with them that Kate instantly recognized: it was the monster that she had fought a few hours ago.
Suddenly a portal opened and it had the shape of a star. Captain America went through it, the monster and the two other heroes followed. The girl seemed like she was ready to do the same but she collapsed before doing anything. The portal instantly closed. Kate and Cassie exited the room they were in and raced towards the girl who was on the ground. She was holding her head in her arms and was moving a lot.
She stopped after a few seconds.
"Are you okay?" Cassie asked.
The girl got up quickly and looked at them in shock.
"Wow, slow down, you need to sit down" Kate ordered
The stranger ignored them and turned around. She punched something invisible but nothing happened.
"Who are you?" Cassie asked.
"I'm..." she started without finishing her sentence.
"You seriously need to sit down" Kate ordered.
"Ok" she responded
She started limping towards the couch.

Suddenly, Kate heard an explosion. She got down on the floor trying to protect herself from the debris. She quickly got up and looked around herself. The lights had gone out and the main window that offered a magnificent point of view on the city was broken.
Kate heard a sound and ducked behind the couch. She raised her head slightly and froze. A man had entered the room coming from the window. He was levitating and a metallic suit covered his entire body.
"Alert, intruder! Alert, intruder! Initiate defense!"
Kate looked up and saw the wall opposite the stranger open. A giant canon appeared and shot a giant beam of energy. The intruder raised his right arm and a red energy shield was created around him. He then raised his left arm and shot what looked like a thin bright red projectile that completely destroyed the cannon. Kate was tempted to intervene and try to fight the intruder. But she could notice how powerful he looked and decided not to engage. Perhaps, she was becoming wiser. The stranger flew towards a tunnel to the left of the room and disappeared.
She stood up and walked towards the unknown girl.
"Who is he?
"I don't know, but he's going in the direction of the cells. There are people locked up in there that we need to save."
"Ok, but we need to be careful. He seems very dangerous. Who are the prisoners?"
"Those new heroes that defeated the monster that had attacked the police."
"Then, they're in a lot of trouble." Kate sighed.