Evermore

Chapter 6

She watched as the man ran up to the cage and addressed her sister, "Are you alright?"

Natasha quickly looked at Yelena, who provided no answer but looked like she had seen a ghost.

When the redhead glanced back at him, the man had closed his eyes and bowed his head, shaking it like he was clearing his thoughts.

 She had a slightly better view of his side profile in the dimly lit hallway. He had messy curly black hair and wore a long-sleeved, grey shirt and dark pants.

"Listen, I don't know or care who you are, but let her out," Natasha said in a firm voice, glaring at him even though he wasn't looking at her.

The man turned his head to the entrance and yelled, "Tony!"

Another man, presumably Tony, ran in and raised his hands in surrender, "I was going to let her out."

"You told me no one got hurt."

"She's not hurt! Just shaken up."

"Not funny."

"Bruce, I promise she is fine," he said in a more serious tone.

"Will someone please let my sister out," Natasha asked, getting tired of being ignored.

"I'm sorry," the man called Tony said to the redhead. He walked toward the cell while he reached into his pocket and fished out the keys. He looked down at Fanny and acknowledged her in a high-pitched voice, "Hi, puppy. Remember me?"

He had a bit of a beard. His hair was dark and styled to stick up a bit. He was wearing a dark grey long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

"Sorry about all of this," he told Yelena as he opened the door.

Natasha hugged the girl as soon as she was free.

"What happened," she asked when she broke the hug.

"Big, green monster, then back into a man."

Natasha wanted to ask what that meant, but her sister was too scared to talk. The last time she saw Yelena like this is when they were six and ten.

She took off her backpack, gave Yelena the leash, then started towards the man called Bruce. Her blood began to boil, and her fight response kicked in.

The other guy, Tony, blocked her, and she quickly flipped him on his back. Then an arrow flew past her face.

The woman looked up and saw a man with a bow and arrow in the shadows. He was on the other side of the hallway, standing on a wide ledge close to the ceiling. She realized he must have entered a little after the other two.

Natasha grabbed the knife from her belt and threw it at him, hitting the man in the leg. He yelled as Natasha turned back toward her target, who was walking away. Before she could take a step, she saw something fly straight toward her.

"Yelena, duck," she yelled as she dived to the ground.

She heard the thing make contact with something. Then she looked back up and saw a tall, blond-haired man make his way into the hall. He was wearing a blue shirt and jeans and holding a red, white, and blue shield.

Yelena kept Tony pinned to his back as he called, "Steve, Clint's hit. Get Thor!"

"Thor, we need you," the blond man called out to the hallway while Natasha got up and headed for Bruce again.

The man called Steve grabbed her by the arm as she passed, and the two began fighting. She had the upper hand until she was nearly knocked off of her feet when he kicked her in the stomach. She saw Yelena run and put the man in a headlock using her legs.

Natasha saw that Bruce had rounded the corner and was heading toward the stairs. She ran after him and eventually caught up and grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt to spin him around. She intended to punch him, but what she saw halted her action.

His green eyes looked like they were glowing.