Retrospect『 avengers au 』

Chapter XII: Test Bump

"I don't think you ever outgrow your love for things that are bigger than life and more colorful than the average life. And somehow I feel that these comic book stories are like fairy tales for older people, because they have the same qualities." - Stan Lee

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Chapter XII: Test Bump

There were many times in Peter's life where he needed to fight someone he called a friend, and he found that to be just one of the downsides of being a hero. He thought it was avoidable, or at least that it wouldn't happen as often as it did. But there was no way around it. Right now, the only way to get to Ariel was to fight with her and he hated that. But it was the only option. He knew that. And Clint Barton knew that.

The man and the boy exchanged a look before they each dodged a vicious blow from Ariel and split up, taking cover. There wasn't much Clint could do with his bow and arrow, seeing as they didn't want to hurt Ariel, so he and Peter devised a plan for him to approach from behind her while Peter distracted her. The plan seemed simple enough to them, seeing as they had used this technique in many scenarios before. But they had never fought Ariel before, and they seemed to be underestimating her.

Ariel's first move against Peter was using her telekinesis to throw him back against the wall, and he noticed this tended to be the first thing she did in a fight. It reminded him of something he learned about the behavior of sharks in his Marine Biology class. When hunting, the bull shark sometimes gives a test bump to its victim's body to determine whether the prey will be an easy kill, or if it will fight back. If it doesn't retaliate, the shark goes in for the kill. Peter was determined to show he was not easy prey for Ariel.

"Oh my gosh, Ariel, I just thought of the funniest analogy just now. You're a bull shark and you're test bumping me," Peter laughed as he stumbled back to his feet, groaning slightly in pain. "It's funny becau- well, you know what, you're brainwashed. I'll just tell you later."

Peter's rambling caught Ariel slightly off guard and he used this to his advantage and sent a large web in her direction, which encased her entire body. She grunted loudly in frustration as she tumbled to the floor and attempted to rip free of the strong silk. Clint shot an arrow from behind her and the tip of the sharp object pinned her to the wall by the silk wrapped around her. Ariel's anger from defeat devoured her and she ripped through the silk to grab the arrow and threw it in Clint's direction. Though shocked, he was prepared and caught the arrow in one hand, positioning it back into his bow defensively.

Ariel tore free completely and stood perpendicular to each man on either side of her, using all of her power and might to throw them back to the ground, the ground and walls shaking from the impact.

"Ariel!" Angeline's voice pierced through the air and Ariel's head moved in the other woman's direction. "Help me. I'll get you out of here."

The young woman tore the agent from her restraints, and once they were out of range from the two other superhumans, they fled down the opposite hallway. She had no idea where they were going but she could feel her mind flickering between good and bad, fight and flee. Her memory was growing fuzzy again and all she knew to do at the moment was let her legs carry her far away from destruction, following the very person who brought her to this terrifying place.

As quickly as she sent Peter and Clint to the ground, she was gone. It was as if she were a mirage. Something Peter wanted to see but just as he reached it, he found it may have not even been there in the first place. But the proof of her presence was all around him.

Peter rounded the hallway they had just resided in to find the female enemy agent was gone as well, his webs torn apart by Ariel's mental power, and he was astonished at her strength. Near to nothing could escape Peter's webs.