Crimson (A Marvel Story)

Chapter 7: Cinderella at the Ball

I stared at the bag with my dress in it, praying that it wouldn't look horrible. I closed the door to the bathroom and slowly opened the bag. My mouth dropped as I gazed at it. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was black and then morphed into red. It reminded me of...fire.

I smiled as I quickly put it on. There were also shoes to go along with it in the bag. They were black heels. I rolled my eyes at the fact that I had to wear heels again, but like the dress, they were absolutely gorgeous. I zipped up the back of my dress and stared at myself in the mirror once I was done. I looked...pretty. I swallowed hard as I walked out of the bathroom. I smiled as I caught Rudy's eyes. He was wearing the suit I picked out for him. He looked more handsome than I thought he would. I chuckled as I smoothed out the wrinkles in his jacket. My eyes drew to the red pocket square he had picked out.

"You look handsome," I said. He smiled and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.
"And you look beautiful."
I bit my lip as I smiled and pulled my eyes down to the floor.
"You ready?" he asked. I took in a deep breath and nodded.

We made our way down to the building that the party was supposed to be in. I tossed my bookbag with my suit in the bushes. You never know when something might pop off. I took in a deep breath as we watched hundreds of people pour into the building. Rudy glanced down at me.
"Ready to find Pheonix?" he asked. I took in another deep breath and nodded. I curled my arm around his as we made our way to the entrance. I could hear the music blaring from inside the building. The man guarding the front door asked for our invitations. Rudy handed them to him. My heart banged against my ribcage as he examined the cards, glancing over every detail. My muscles relaxed as the man looked back up at us and smiled.
"Alright, you're good. Enjoy your evening!"
I smiled and nodded at the man. My mouth dropped as we walked into the building. Hundreds of people were gathered together, dancing, smiling, laughing. I wish I could've actually stayed and enjoyed the party, but I had to remind myself why I was here.
I leaned in closer to Rudy.
"Okay, keep your eyes out for Tony. We need to look for the stairs. I'm sure they'll have-."
"I looked at the blueprints of the building last night. There's a room full of computers on the fourth floor. I just need to get to one of those."
I nodded and glanced around the building, looking for a staircase. My eyes snapped away as a slow song started to play and as couples gathered together and started dancing. I quickly shook my head, my eyes scanning for a stairwell. My training rushed back into my head.
I quickly scanned every person's face around me, quickly estimating how dangerous they may be. My heart stopped as my eyes locked onto Tony's face. Pepper was standing right beside him. They were both talking to some man. The air was ripped from my lungs as they turned and started towards us. I grabbed onto Rudy's shoulders and shoved him in front of me.
"Put your arms around me!"
"What?!"
I grabbed his hand and placed it on my waist. He finally got the picture as we started to sway back and forth. I placed my head against Rudy's chest, praying that Tony and Pepper wouldn't recognize us as they passed. I held onto Rudy tight, praying that I wouldn't hear Pepper scream my name and Tony tap my shoulder.
"They're gone," Rudy whispered. I felt my muscles unclench as I took in a deep breath. I tried to moved away but Rudy pulled me closer. I glanced up into his ocean gaze.
"Can't we just have this one song?" he asked as we continued to sway back and forth. I chuckled as I pulled my eyes back down to his chest.
"That would be nice...but we have a job to do, remember?"
He let out a faint chuckle and nodded as he pulled away. I frowned as I stared into his disappointed face. He nodded to the back corner of the room.
"The stairs are this way."
I followed him up the stairs. The floor we were on was dark, quiet. I could still hear the music blaring from the floor under us. Rudy led me into the computer room. It reminded me of the way our computer class was set up. The only difference was the quality of the computers in the room. They were obviously more advanced than the ones at school.
"Alright, Smarty-pants...you're up," I said.
Rudy sat in the chair and started to type on the computer. I watched as he worked his magic. I watched as the computer flipped through thousands of screens. Rudy clicked through them so fast.
"I'm finding some insane stuff in here! Stuff that I probably would be thrown in jail for knowing."
I didn't know how Rudy could read it when it was going by so fast.
"What exactly are you doing?" I asked. "First I had to find information on Knox...then...you just dig a little deeper and eventually...you'll find some skelotons."
I chuckled.
"You and Tony would get along."
My heart started to beat faster as the time went on. The screen continued to move by fast as Rudy continued to type.
"Find anything?" I asked. Rudy hit the keyboard one last time and the computer froze on a page. He tilted his head as he read the screen that was filled with words. I watched as his eyes narrowed and his face hardened. "What? What is it?!"
My heart was banging against my rib cage. Did he find Pheonix?
"For his first solo mission...," Rudy read from the screen. "Pheonix will be dispatched to Washinton D.C..."
My muscles froze as Rudy slowly turned to me, his eyes glazed over with fear. "To assassinate Tony Stark."
My heart sank to my feet. My mind moved a million miles a second as I thought about where he could be. Where would Doctor send me to assassinate Stark? I thought and thought until finally, I realized. I'd post up on the roof and wait for him to walk outside and then.... I shook my head, trying to shove down the fear. I knew what I had to do. I slowly turned towards the door.
"Rudy...I need you to stay here."
He shoved himself out of the chair, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"No way! I'm not letting you go up there by yourslef!"
I slammed my hand into his chest and grabbed his tie. I yanked it off, wrapping it around his wrist and the leg of the table. He stared up at me, shocked that I was able to do that before he could even react. I yanked on it one last time, making sure it was tight. He pulled at it, unable to break free.
"Don't do this!" he yelled. I bit my lip and shook my head.
"You're not a fighter. I can't let you get hurt!"
I darted out of the room and rushed through the lobby to find my bag with my suit in it. I quickly changed into my suit as I rode the elevator to the top floor. My heart was banging against my ribcage as the door slowly opened. I swallowed hard as my eyes darted around the roof. The cool wind slammed against my face as I stepped out into the open. My muscles froze in place as my eyes set on the back of someone's head. He slowly turned his head. My blood ran cold as I looked into the helmet of a man holding a large sniper rifle. I didn't have to see his face to know who it was. I could feel him. He let out that faint chuckle that I missed so much.
My heart went absolutely numb as he reached up and slowly took off his helmet. I stared into his icy eyes as he dropped his helmet. Until now, I wasn't able to remember if his eyes were ocean or sapphire blue. Staring into them now, I knew that they were sapphire...but something about them held the appearance of ice. The warmth that used to be in them was gone...snuffed out. His hair was just a little bit longer but it was the same jet-black color. He was still so...good looking. Honestly, he was even better looking than I remembered.
A sly grin cracked at the corner of his mouth.
"It's been too long, hasn't it, Firebir-." He stopped himself and chuckled.
"It's Briella now, isn't it? Crimson?"
I clenched my jaw and refused to speak. I still stared into his eyes. I wanted to believe that this wasn't the Pheonix I knew, but who was I kidding? There was no way that Doctor let him keep his humanity. Not after what happened with me.
"So...you ran off with the Avengers?"
I still said nothing. Even if I wanted to, I didn't think I had the strength to open my mouth. "Hm?" he questioned again. His raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to answer. I clenched my fist, feeling the fire rush through my veins, begging me to let it out. The longer I held his gaze, the more I wanted the building to swallow me whole. I took in sharp breaths. His eyes drifted downwards and they traced over my body.
"They even gave you your own suit."
His face hardened as his eyes finally pulled back up to mine.
"I see you found a new family. I wonder how long it'll take before you stab this one in the back too."
He dropped the rifle and stood up straight. My heart sank as I stared at his herculean body. He had definitely grown since the last time I saw him. He opened his palm as blue fire engulfed his hand. I wanted to run but I knew this was something I couldn't run away from. Pheonix slowly circled me like a hungry shark. I circled with him. The fire sizzled underneath my palms. "Say something!" he hissed. I pried my heavy jaw open to finally speak.
"Ph-Pheonix...Doctor is feeding you lie-."
"Don't! I don't want to hear your pathetic lies! Just know that after I kill you...I'll kill your new family too...starting with Iron Man."
I took in another sharp breath and took stance, ready to fight.
He smirked again and let the flames twist around his fingers. I drew in one last sharp breath before charging at him, my fist raised, fire engulfing my fist. I got closer and closer until he spun around and kicked my foot right out from under me. I landed face-first onto the cold concrete.
He tisked and shook his head as I leaped up. I reached my hand out, shoving fire out of my palm. The flames swoshed around him, not even touching him. He smirked and twirled the blue flames around his fingers again.
"So sad...you were so powerful once." He swung his fist and I yanked my right shoulder back, dodging it. He swung again. I pulled my arm up, blocking his heavy blow. I quickly dropped to the floor, sliding right under his legs. I swung my arm back, sending a wave of fire through the air, but missing as he leaped over the flames.
"See, while you've been pretending to be normal, I've been training."
Before I could even move, he swung his arm back, the back of his hand slamming into my cheek. My nose slammed right into the hard concrete once again. I winced in pain as blood dripped from my nostrils. My eyes glazed over with tears. I could feel Pheonix rip my pistol from my holster. I quickly stood again, bracing myself for the bullet. My brows furrowed as he simply tossed the pistol to the side. He wanted my death to a long painful one.
"As you can see...I'm still the superior fighter."
I grunted as I swung my fist again. He flipped backwards, pulling off an amazing acrobatic dodge. He chuckled and waved his index finger at me. I charged towards him again and shot an inferno of fire his way. He leaped over me. I skidded to a stop and turned. He laughed as he let the fire dance across his limbs, taunting me. My center sprawled with heat. I shoved the fire down to my knuckles. I moved my arms in a circular motion, turning and turning as I created a tunnel of fire. I pushed it towards him and watched in awe as he extended his arms, pushing the fire away and making it extinguish in midair. I just gawked at him. He was untouchable. "This is too easy."
His palms ignited as he shoved a ball of blue fire my way. I slammed my palm against it, the flames so incredibly hot that the heat tore through my skin. I cried out in agony as the pain burned through my flesh. My eyes widened. My skin has always been resistant to fire but Pheonix's fire was so hot that even my skin couldn't handle the heat. The anger and fire morphed together as they coursed through my veins. I couldn't let him win. Too much was on the line. I charged towards him, raising my fist as if I was about to punch, but instead of swinging, I let the fire pool into my center. I extended my limps as the fire exploded out of me. He covered his eyes as my fire danced across his skin. I yanked my knife out of my holster and felt the tip of the blade slice into his forearm. He winched in pain and reached out. The air fled my lungs as his fingers curled around my throat. The knife slid out of my fingers. My airway slammed shut. My throat burned as I tried to force the fire out but the pain was too overwhelming for my body to function. I just sat there, unable to move as he crushed my airway. I glared into his eyes. They were cold...empty, devoid of light. His blue eyes were darker than any brown eyes I had ever seen. Reality hit me like a moving truck. The old Pheonix was gone. Too far gone. The Pheonix I once loved died the same night Doctor sent me to the Avengers. He died the same night Firebird did. Blue and red dots painted my vision. My eyes rolled into the back of my head. A loud gunshot filled the air. I sucked in the sweet air as his fingers unlatched from my throat.
"Let her go!" came Rudy's voice. Rudy! My mind screamed. Pheonix is gonna kill him. Let me out, the fire screamed.
"Rudy, go!" I screamed. I yanked my eyes open, sending the fire to every single portion of my body. I screamed as the fire burst out of my pores engulfing my entire body. I reached out towards Pheonix and watched as the fire exploded against him, sending him flying off the roof. I shoved myself up as he dissapeared into the night. I rushed to the edge of the building, looking down at the street below. My heart sank as he was nowhere to be found. Just like that, he had vanished. I yanked my head back towards Rudy. He held my pistol tight in his hands. I pointed at it.
"Put it down!" I ordered. He quickly tossed the gun to the side.
"I'm sorry," he quaked. My eyes scanned over every portion of his body, praying that he wouldn't have a scratch on him. I started towards him as he shook his head. "I had the shot. I should've killed him but-but I just couldn't!"
I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him in a tight hug, so relieved that he was alright.
"I told you to stay downstairs!"
He took in a deep breath.
"You're right, you know? I'm not a fighter, but I couldn't let you fight him alone!"
I squeezed my eyes shut and squeezed him tighter, pressing my face into his chest.