Toss Up (Danny Rand)

The Change

                                                                      

                                                                        ****Ava's Point Of View****

One of the most important things we've been trained at SHIELD to do is to be silent and stealthy. Sometimes our missions acquire a . . . lighter touch. Having the powers of a tiger helps with that.

Unfortunately, some of my other teammates can't really grasp that concept. Which is why Iron Fist and I are the ones to infiltrate IVY while the other three begin the second part of the operation. Ari's watch was finally giving out a faint signal we managed to trace here.

It was hard on every one since she disappeared and it wasn't hard to see that it affected our resident Kung-Fu master. We could all tell Ari and he had something between them—only neither of the two ever made a move. I wasn't sure if after this anything was going to stay the same, but knowing Ari even for a little bit, made me sure that she was going to pull through.

"Any luck on the signal location?" he asks me as I look down at the scanner Maggie gave me. The red dot on the screen was supposed to be Ari but it was extremely faint . . .

"It's not as strong as we thought it was going to be," I say with a slight sigh. "She also appears to be . . . moving?" he smiles slightly, his jawline relaxing at the news.

"That's a good sign then."

"It is but . . . something seems off. Why aren't there any people here? I know this is a blind spot but this is ridiculous. It's almost too easy."

"I agree, I'm not sure if we should take this as a blessing or a disaster waiting to happen." He stops suddenly, holding a hand up to gesture me to stop. "Tiger, wait . . . do you hear that?"

I strain my ears, not picking anything up until I hear a strange sound. It sounded like . . . the wind? "Yeah but . . . there aren't any windows in this part of the facility let alone a hole. A sudden wind rushes down the hall we're facing, almost as if something exploded without a sound. "What the—?!"

"Well, well, well . . . What do we have here?" a deep voice chuckled as a cloud of smoke licked at the floors. Iron Fist and I immediately go into a fighting position, bracing ourselves as heavy footsteps made their way towards us.

"Who are you?!" I call out readying my claws as a guy emerges from the smoke. His hair is a deep red, almost like blood and his white smile contrasted against his tanned skin. Pale blue eyes look back at us with an almost manic glint in them as he flicks a cigarette pinched between his fingers to tap the ash away.

"That's a good question kitty-cat! It's been too long since I used my real name so just call me by what the coats do. Smoker's the name, and even though I know you're here to save your little friend, I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop ya here!" he says, his Irish accent giving his threat a slight lilt.

Oh, he did not just call me 'Kitty-Cat'. "Hate to break it to you that we're not letting you stop us!" I growl, that smug grin on his face already grinding my nerves.

"Ooh, such spirit! That Tiger side of you must be itching to fight!"

"How did you . . ."

"Tiger suit, amulet shaped like a tiger? Not too hard to connect the dots, love. Although Green man here is another story." He says eying Iron Fist.

"Let us pass, Smoker. We do not wish to fight, if not necessary." Iron Fist says calmly, which reminded me of why we're here.

Damn it, I can't let this guy rile me up. I have to keep in control . . .