All the Colors of Earth (Natasha Romanoff)

2.5

Marzda

July 1, 2014

The ground shakes as the giant ship hovers over my house.

I stare up at the familiar design that was etched into my memory. The Daxomites kept their ships simple, no need for flare when you're there to exterminate a planet.

I'm surprised it took them this long to find me considering the small earthquake I caused at the clinic. I'm also surprised it was the Daxomites and not SHIELD.

As I watch, ten Daxomites drop from the ship and come towards my house. Moving from the window, I go to the bedroom and put on my jacket, slinging my go bag over my shoulders. "All right bean," I whisper, "let's do this."

Heading towards the front door, I pause at the living room window and watch as another wave of the lizard bastards drop from the ship, followed by another and another.

Shit.

Ten I could take, maybe even twenty. But not the fifty that I was currently looking at. Not without a quake, and I couldn't risk it, not with bean.

"Good thing they want me alive huh?" I mutter as I watch them through the window. They weren't making any move towards the house, they were just standing their like puppets waiting for orders. "I could really use your mom right about now."

Part of me was glad that Natasha wasn't here right now. The Daxomites wanted me alive, not Natasha. Still, it would have been nice to have another person with me.

One of the Daxomites steps forward, "come out," he rasps, his voice like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together.

"What is it with people's obsession with my sexuality?" I joke to myself, trying to calm my nerves. Sliding the window open slightly, I call out, "why don't you come in one by one in an a straight line and we can talk about this?"

"Come out," he orders again. "The supreme leader wants you alive but he didn't say in what condition."

"Well that's comforting," I mutter. "Give me a minute!" I yell out the window. "Just got to powder my nose."

Going across the room, I open the metal panel that's hidden behind a picture. A timer gleams up at me, big red numbers glowing brightly.

Hitting some buttons I ask, "what do you think bean? Five minutes?" There's a rumbling from outside and I quickly hit more buttons, "no you're right, better make it two."

Hitting start, I close the panel and go to the front door, throwing it open quickly and stepping outside. Closing the door behind me, I turn to lock it and then step off the porch, walking slowly to the waiting Daxomites. Keeping a mental count of the seconds ticking by, I take my time.

The one who had spoken walks towards me, handcuffs gripped in his claws. "Do you surrender?" He growls.

I cross my arms as I stop walking, "sure but I do have some conditions."

He growls angrily as he keeps coming towards me, "conditions?"

I nod, "yeah conditions. If you want me to surrender peacefully, I need to know two things. First, will you leave earth if I go with you?"

"Yes," he hisses.

"Good to know. Second, and this really is the more important one, do you have two ply toilet paper on that ship?" I ask him seriously. "Because I've been having some tummy issues lately and my assho-"

"Enough!" He yells angrily. "You will surrender now!"

"Right now?" I ask him, a small smile forming on my lips.

"Yes!"

I hold my hands out in front of me, "come and get me." He strides towards me quickly, and when he gets in front of me I ask, "just one more question. Are you fireproof?"

His confused look would have been humorous in another circumstance. I duck around him just as the house behind me explodes, along with several landmines I scattered in the yard. My Daxomite shield burns up rapidly and I make a low sound, creating a shield around me until the fire dies down.

Once the explosions stop, I look around and I'm surprised to find that most of the Daxomites seemed to have been torn apart. Wiping the grime from my jacket I say to myself, "that wasn't so hard." A loud rumbling makes me look up. "Shit." I'd forgotten about the ship. The plasma canons all point at me and I put my hands up, "let's talk about this!" I yell at them. The canons start to power up and I yell, "hey! Bad Daxomites! Step away from the button!"

I start to back up as the canons glow brighter, before turning and running as fast as I can around the burning rubble that used to be my house. The ship starts firing and I duck and weave like my life depends on it, because, well, I did.

And I was going pretty good until weave when I should have ducked. The blast hits the ground by my feet, sending me flying and crashing to the ground where I roll until I hit a tree with my back.

I lay on the ground struggling to get my breath back as I watch the ship slowly fly closer to me, it's canons pointed at me and ready to fire. And I'll admit it, I was terrified. I couldn't do anything but watch the ship get closer. I couldn't make myself move, I couldn't get a full breath. Hell, if someone had asked me my name right then, I don't think I could have told them.

The plasma canons start to glow brighter and I close my eyes. "I'm sorry Natasha," I whisper as the world around me explodes.