[Homeplot 2009] Secret Invasion

[forhawkeye]

Have you ever have a dream that was so vivid, so extraordinarily detailed that, despite the fact it was also so utterly absurd, it somehow didn't make it seem any less real? That's what Tabula Rasa was for me. Months of memories and experiences...all of it the result of a knock to the head.

I never left the invasion.

All around me is chaos. Skrulls and heroes and villains alike, all fighting for control of the planet, and the sound -- oh my God, the sound -- is deafening. I wince as I pull myself up from the ground, absently noting that I'm in full uniform. And why shouldn't I be? I never left the invasion. And so all those people I knew...they were all figments of my imagination. Nate, Serena, Alice, Mikal, Yorick, Remy... I always assumed Felix wasn't real, anyway, so he doesn't come as much of a surprise, but it makes perfect sense, now, how there could possibly be a Tony Stark who hadn't betrayed everyo--

"HAWKEYE, LOOK OUT!" yells Patriot -- Eli -- and he's already running towards me before I have a chance to react. In what feels like slow motion, I turn to see what I'm supposed to be looking out for, but I don't register what it is until after he's shoved me out of the way, and the ground behind us is engulfed in fire, courtesy of a Skrull Human Torch. "What the hell's wrong with you?!" he asks, though the edge of panic in his voice is all too clear, and he grabs me by the shoulders. "Now's not the time to get PTSD -- we haven't even gotten to the 'post' part yet!"

I nod mutely. A few seconds pass before I find my voice again. "I'm fine."

"You don't look it," he says.

A Skrull falls dead beside us. We both turn to see who's responsible, and we're greeted with a loud whoop as a grinning Bullseye pumps his fist in the air and dives back into the fray. I feel like I'm going to be sick. Instead I clear my throat and stand up straight, shoulders back. "I'm fine."

The corners of his mouth quirk upwards in a smile, and he nods approvingly. Well, at least one of us is convinced. I guess that's better than nothing, right? Giving my shoulders one last squeeze, he then takes a step back and nods towards the fight. "Let's get to work."

"Yeah," I say, reaching into my quiver to draw an arrow. "Let's."

Comments

[forhawkeye]

I have to laugh when he says I probably shouldn't be here, because the same holds a lot more true for him than it does me. But I don't have time to argue with him right now -- that can definitely be saved for much, much later.

"You see that car over there?" I yell, ducking down beside him, and I point to a Honda that's been turned on its side, half-blocking the entrance to a nearby alley. It's not the perfect hiding spot, but it sure as hell beats waiting to get killed in the middle of the street. "On the count of three, we're going to run over there, okay?"

[oscaroscaroscar.livejournal.com]

Felix nodded, head snapping over to the spot she was pointing at. "What is going on here?" he asked, eyes wide as another one of those green things with bad skin went careening past them. At least most of those people in strange costumes looked human. "What are those things? They look like aliens! Didn't you mention something once about encounters with extraterrestrials? This probably isn't a coincidence, then!" he exclaimed all in a rush, proud of his sudden epiphany. He was fully ready to make a dash for it on her count, but she hadn't told him he had to be quiet in the interim, after all.

[forhawkeye]

"They're Skrulls," I say, and I grab him roughly by the arm in preparation to move. There's no time to say anything else other than, "One...two...three!"

[oscaroscaroscar.livejournal.com]

"GOOOOOOOOOOO!" Felix yelled as he ran, hoping it would help with his forward momentum some. Somehow, the fracas only seemed to increase in intensity and volume all around them as they headed for the car, but he was driven, he was determined, he was focused on arriving intact. Miraculously, he even did (Kate may have had something to do with this), diving into a dramatic forward roll without getting so much as a smudge of dirt on his pants.

Once he was somewhat tucked away and back on his feet, he took a moment to regard his new surroundings. "My, automobiles certainly look different around here," he noted, catching his breath.

[forhawkeye]

"Welcome to the year 2008," I tell him with a roll of my eyes, because even in the middle of a war zone, Felix Unger has to comment on modern technology. "I'll find you a microwave oven if you survive this." I set my bow on the ground, since it's too awkward to hold onto it this low to the ground and sort through my arrows at the same time.

"There it is," I mutter under my breath, drawing out the arrow I was looking for. With both hands, I hold it out for Felix to see. "This is an electro arrow," I say, making sure I'm speaking loud enough for him to hear me over the fighting. "It generates a 21,000 volt charge upon impact."

[oscaroscaroscar.livejournal.com]

Well, that seemed dangerous. He'd nearly electrocuted himself on a blender once, and the included literature said that it only went up to 220 volts. Still, given how out of his element he was, he pretty much had to defer to Kate's experience on matters, no matter how wary that made him. Besides, now he had the wonders of the future to look forward to, once he got past its wars.

"What are you going to do with it?" he asked, eyes wide.

[forhawkeye]

"I'm going to give it to you." I let that hang in the air for a second before I explain, "Look, Felix. If you're here, chances are there are others. Much as I'd like to stay here until I can get you out of this place, that's not how this is going to work."

[oscaroscaroscar.livejournal.com]

"You're going to abandon me?" Felix gaped at her, gaze flicking rapidly from Kate, to the arrow, to the battle being waged just a few feet away. Well, there went his window to experience on all this.

"Alright, I understand," he said, nodding his head vigorously as if to affirm himself of that fact. "I'm an Unger, we're hearty, we're survivors! This isn't my first war, you'll have nothing to worry about!" He nodded once more, straightening his back and counting himself lucky that he hadn't thrown it out doing that roll.

"Er... how does it work, exactly?"

[forhawkeye]

"If one of those big ugly green guys come towards you, stab it with this and then run the %$#! away," I say, all the while feeling around my belt until I find the compartment holding my tracers. I take one out and reach towards Felix to plant it on the inside of his collar. "I just put a tracer on you. It'll let me find you if you end up needing to leave this place, okay? So whatever you do, don't lose it."

[oscaroscaroscar.livejournal.com]

"Language," Felix chastised, looking up from where he was examining the arrow. It seemed straightforward enough, at least. "Alright, I think I can handle all that," he said, poking the tiny device at his collar and taking a deep breath to steady himself. It looked like it was time for Felix 'the Rock' Unger to make his comeback. Skrulls bad, everyone else good, he could do this!

"Good luck, Kate. Stay safe," he said, deathly serious all of a sudden.

[forhawkeye]

He tells me good luck, and I wish I was closer to my father. I'm the first to admit I grew up too fast, but the fact remains that I'm still a Young Avenger. I'm just a kid. A kid with Olympic-caliber training, mind you, but still a kid.

My mom would have cared that her daughter was in the middle of a war. She's dead. My dad -- who's very much alive -- is too busy running his company to even notice.

So Felix -- this absolutely insane guy who I'm convinced isn't even real half the time -- tells me good luck, and I know it's more support than my own father would give me. I press my lips together in an effort to keep it together -- more for his sake than for mine -- and I'm suddenly really grateful for my sunglasses. Then, making sure I'm not about to get stabbed with my own arrow, I lean in to give him a hug.

"I will," I promise, pulling away, and I nod. "I still have that microwave oven to show you, remember?"

[oscaroscaroscar.livejournal.com]

Slightly taken aback, Felix gave her a few firm pats on the back as she hugged him, willing himself not to well up. Being in some semblance of New York had him missing his family more than ever, and he was just as worried about Kate as he was for himself (perhaps unwisely), and his full nickname back in the Army may have technically been 'the Rock with a Heart,' but there was a time and a place for these things. Now was the time for action! Or avoiding it as much as physically possible.

"Right," he nodded, giving her a determined smile as he promised, "I'll be holding you to that, too. I'll make some of my famous chicken cardarelli, you'll love it!"

[forhawkeye]

"I'm sure I will," I say, managing a smile, hesitating one last second before I finally turn away. "Stay safe," I call out, and then it's back into the fray.

I need to see if there are any others, and then I need to find Wiccan.