Chapter 14

The ride back to Tony's place was quiet and uneventful. Since I'm not used to doing stuff like this, I got tired pretty quickly and began to drift of against Loki's shoulder. He didn't bother moving me but, since Steve managed to hit every bump on the way back, I was basically awake the whole time.

We got back to Tony's place and Loki teleported all of us to the top floor, where Tony was. He greeted us and motioned for us to follow him to his lab. There, he turned the console on and a video popped up in front of us. I rubbed my eyes as he pressed play. The video showed a group of people decked out in cybernetics attacking a small town. I knew the language they were speaking was Spanish but I wasn't sure what town we were seeing.

"A terrorist group in Tepoztlán attacked the citizens and raided the pyramid up on the hill above the town. They heard legends of a treasure being locked up there but found nothing. That pissed them off, so, they started killing towns people." Tony explained as he looked away from the video. I watched one man lift a woman off of the ground by her hair. He looked directly at the camera and threw his other hand out, a knife revealing itself from under his cybernetic parts. He slit the woman's throat in an instant and I tensed up as I looked down. The woman's gurgling etched itself into my brain. A sound I knew I would never forget.

"My God..." Bruce sighed as he looked away as well.

"What's with the parts?" Steve asked as he looked over at Tony.

"They kidnapped local robotics scientist Adriana Hernández. Forced her to deck them out in this gear and then killed her." Tony signed as the video stopped and an image of a woman in a white lab coat appeared on the screen. She looked like she had been tortured before her death. My stomach turned and I felt Loki gently put his hand on my back, trying to comfort me.

"Where is the group now?" Bruce asked as he pulled his glasses off and cleaned them.

"Still in Tepoztlán. This video was uploaded to a local girls Facebook 15 minutes ago." Tony said as he turned the console off.

"Suit up. We leave in 10." He said as he left the lab. Bruce and Steve quickly followed behind and I inhaled for a moment, trying to gather myself. I had never seen someone kill someone before. It was...a sight I'd never be able to forget.

"There are more horrors out there, Alex. Start getting used to it." Loki said as he dropped his hand from my back.

"I shouldn't have to get used to it." I harshly replied as I looked up at him. I couldn't believe he was so casual about that woman being killed.

"It's how the world is. Violence is everywhere. We just have to try our hardest to stop it." He shrugged a little before walking away from me. I looked back at the console, seeing that woman and the fear in her brown eyes. I clenched my jaw and exhaled as I turned and walked away from it. Loki was right. This world is full of evil but we have to be the strong ones. I have to be strong.

*30 minutes later*

The jet flew towards the small town and everyone inside was silent, mentally preparing for the fight. I was nervous as hell but Loki tried his best to comfort me. Tony walked over to the door of the jet and looked back at all of us as we stood up. I quickly pulled my messy hair into a tight bun on my head, making sure it wouldn't fall out during this mission.

"Alright. Alex and Loki I want you on civilian duty. Get everyone out of here." He ordered. We nodded and he looked over to Bruce and Steve.

"You two, with me. There's a total of 10 cybernetic terrorists, or CTs. You know the rules. Try to take them alive but if they die, they die." He shrugged a little before turning to the door. He nodded to Happy, who was driving, and Happy opened the door. Tony jumped out and flew off as the Jet continued forward. Bruce and Steve were next. Bruce transformed into Hulk on the way down and Steve held on to his shoulders as they dropped to the ground.

"Good luck, kid!" Happy yelled out. I nodded and inhaled and exhaled quickly a few times before running and jumping out of the jet. Loki appeared next to me and gave me a comforting smile as we flew to the ground. We landed in the center of the village and I almost threw up from the sight. Beheaded children lay in the streets. People were literally gutted, their organs trailing behind their dead bodies. Blood flooded the dirt road and screams filled the air.

"Check the houses first. If you see any CTs, shout for me." Loki said before he disappeared. I nodded to myself and turned to the left, seeing the first house. I opened the door and made sure to close it behind me. I frantically looked around for any signs of life in the house. I saw a trail of blood leading from the door towards a hallway. I slowly and cautiously followed it, listening for movement. I heard the sound of a baby crying, but it was being muffled.

"I-I'm here to help!" I called out as I turned the corner and walked into the hall. I spotted a door to my left and tried to push it open but was met by blockage. I knew people were hiding in there. I inhaled and focused on the elements in the door and blockade behind it. I stepped through it all and was greeted by a mother and her 4 children. One of them looked like they were barely 1 years old. The mother screamed and my heart broke for them. They were terrified. Hell, I was terrified.

"I-I'm not the enemy." I softly said as I held my hands up to show them I was normal and not like the attackers. I spotted blood on the floor and looked over to the right, sighing at the sight. A man, I assume the husband and father, laid on his back. His throat had been slit and it looked like they were trying to stop the bleeding with a rag.

"Mantente alejada de nosotras!" The woman shouted as she held her children close to her. I couldn't remember any of the Spanish I took in high school and desperately tried.

"U-Um, safe. Safe, fuck! What's the word for safe??" I harshly asked myself. We heard a loud bang on the door outside followed by the sound of glass shattering. They had broken through the window to get inside. I turned my back towards the family and stood my ground in front of them as the heavy footsteps made their way to the door. The sound stopped and I gripped my fists, my heart racing in my chest.

The door busted open and I threw my hand out, stopping the debris from hitting the family. I tossed the shattered wood and metal back at the attacker and charged him, trying to keep him away from the family. I tackled the man into the wall and his head hit the wall so hard it dented it. The man growled before throwing me aside like a rag doll. I rolled a few times and groaned as I sat up. The screams of the children grabbed my attention and I quickly got to my feet and ran towards the room. I ran through the wall and stopped in front of the man, who was surprised I had done that. I threw my hand up and he flew backwards, away from us. This time I used more force and he went completely through the wall.

"Por favor, Dios, protégenos." The woman silently cried behind me. I watched as the man slowly got up from the rubble and exhaled as I walked towards him. I was suddenly blindsided by another man and knocked to the ground. My head bounced off of the hard wood floor and a headache immediately took over. I groaned and threw my hand out, stopping the man from entering the room. The first man stormed over to us and I stopped him with my other hand. I held the two men in place and they began screaming at me in a language I didn't recognize.

I threw my hands to the side, sending both men flying away from the room. I got up, feeling a rush of dizziness when I did, and stumbled to the room. I used the doorframe to steady myself. I could feel the concussion coming on. I lifted my hand and motioned for the family to follow me. This time the mother rushed her kids to their feet, listening to me. I suddenly felt a piercing pain in my side and screamed as I fell to my knees. I reached my shaky hand over to my side and touched the blood that came rushing from my wound. One of them stabbed me. The men pushed me back and laughed as they walked into the room. I clenched my jaw and held my breath as I forced the item out of me. I grabbed my side to stop the bleeding and held the dagger in my palm. I used my powers to lift it up into the air.

"Por favor, por favor, no mis hijos, por favor!" The woman cried out. I thrusted the dagger through the air and into the back of the man who stabbed me. He screamed and turned around to face me. I gripped my fist closed and the dagger forced it's way through his body and out the other side. He dropped to the ground and the second man growled as he ran towards me. I removed my bloody hand from my side and gripped it shut, smashing the cybernetic implants in his eyes. He screamed and fell to his knees as blood trickled out of his face. I pushed him through the wall again and the screaming suddenly stopped. I wasn't sure what had happened, if he was alive or not, but I knew the family was safe.

"Safe. Segura." I barely got those words out as I lowered my shaking hands to my wound. I looked up to the ceiling and inhaled, mustering up what little strength I had left.

"Loki!!" I screamed out. The second his name left my lips the mother rushed over to my side. Loki appeared behind her and his eyes went wide as he examined the scene. The mother put pressure on my wound and I winced in pain.

"Déjame ayudar. Hazte a un lado." The God demanded. I couldn't figure out what he said but the woman quickly moved and gathered her children up as she watched Loki. He knelt down next to me and examined the wound with worried eyes.

"Alex." He softly sighed as he looked into my eyes. He placed his hands on my side and I winced again as I put my hands on his.

"You're like my personal healer." I joked. I laughed a little but the movement caused me more pain so that laugh turned into a groan. Loki smiled at me and the pain slowly disappeared from my body. My head began to feel better too. Loki moved his hands from my side and stood up, offering me his hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. I adjusted my top and than made sure my bun was still tight.

"Thank you." I said as I dropped my hands. Loki smiled and nodded before disappearing from sight. I extended my hand to the woman and her children. She was cautious but took it, keeping her children as close as she could. I walked them out of the house and towards the jet. Happy had landed after we jumped out. Tony said that was how they always did it because Happy takes forever to land the jet.

"None of them are injured as far as I can tell." I said as I helped them up the ramp. Happy nodded and smiled at the woman and her children as he guided them to the seats inside. I ran back out and into the town, looking for more civilians.

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