CHAPTER SIX —
( Still milking that, I see. )

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        The Jeep tore through the woods like a battering ram, branches scraping against the reinforced sides. Inside, the tension was electric. Natasha drove like the wheel was an extension of her will, barely flinching as gunfire rattled off the panels. Clint was in the back, bowstring taut, loosing arrows with perfect aim and deadly precision.

Evelyn sat in the passenger seat, armour gleaming a deep blue. Her dark hair was tied back, and twin katanas crossed behind her. Her usually calm expression was sharpened with focus.

She leaned out the side, raised her hand, and summoned ice. Shards burst from her palm like a shotgun blast—razor-sharp. The nearest guard tower exploded in a cascade of frost and rubble. A HYDRA Jeep spun out of control behind them, its wheels frozen solid.

"That never gets old," Clint muttered.

"Hang on!" Natasha shouted, swerving the vehicle to a sudden stop near a barricade.

Evelyn surged to her feet, balancing perfectly on the edge of the open door before leaping skyward—her figure framed against the smoky skyline.

The others landed around her just as she did—Thor, Tony, Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Bruce (now fully Hulked out). They moved as a unit, splitting off across the battlefield.

Evelyn cracked her neck and yanked both katanas free. She slammed the hilts together in one fluid motion—the blades locked with a click, extending into a single, larger sword.

An agent rushed toward her. Her sword whirled, slicing through his baton and armour with ease. Another came from behind. Evelyn ducked low, swept his legs out from under him, and drove her elbow into his throat as he hit the ground. She spun, used the broad side of her blade to knock another soldier off his feet, and then plunged the tip into the ground. A ring of ice erupted outward, tripping up a half-dozen more.

To her left, Thor threw Mjolnir. To her right, Steve hurled his shield. And in the middle of it all, Evelyn danced between them, striking like a force of nature.

She twisted, vaulted off one man's chest mid-run, flipped over him, and drove her blade into the dirt, impaling him. Using the momentum, she swung her sword and caught a second man across the torso, sending him flying into the side of a transport truck.

She ducked, twisted, and kicked off a nearby boulder—flipping into the air. While upside down, she brought her blade down like a guillotine. The strike hit the ground between two agents, sending a shockwave of ice cracking through the earth. Both went flying.

Tony flew overhead. "That was very dramatic. You been training with Thor again?"

"I was going for theatrical," Evelyn called back.

"Shit!" he suddenly yelled.

"Language," Steve snapped automatically.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., what's the view from upstairs?"

"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported. "Strucker's technology is well beyond any other HYDRA base we've taken."

Evelyn leapt atop a pile of rubble and hurled her sword through a turret. It spun midair, slicing clean through the gun mount. She jumped off a broken pillar and came down like a missile. The sheer force of her landing cracked the stone beneath her and knocked several soldiers flat. She retrieved her sword and sliced through them in a blur of steel and fury.

Thor touched down beside her. "Loki's sceptre must be here," he said.

"And who was the one who found it again?" Evelyn asked.

"Still milking that, I see," Eliza's voice came through the comms.

"You're damn right I am."

"Strucker couldn't mount this defence without the sceptre. At long last," Thor mumbled.

Evelyn landed in front of a group of HYDRA soldiers. She vaulted off a fallen log, landed atop one man's shoulders, and twisted—snapping his neck as she flipped off him. She kicked the next in the groin and flipped him over her back, hearing a second satisfying crack.

Natasha appeared beside her, casually reloading. "At long last is lasting a little long, boys."

"Yeah, I think we lost the element of surprise," Clint said grimly over the comms.

"Wait—no one else is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said 'language'?" Tony cut in.

Evelyn chuckled. "Good job, Steven. You've brought it onto this team now."

"I know. It just slipped out."

Evelyn turned to Natasha, grabbing her hand. "Ready?"

Natasha barely nodded before Evelyn hurled her like a human missile into a cluster of agents. She landed with brutal precision, taking them out one by one.

Then came the blur.

Evelyn barely caught the movement—only noticing the sudden shift in the air behind her. A white-haired figure raced toward her, fist cocked for a gut punch. She pivoted, eyes narrowing, and slammed her fist into the blur.

He skidded back across the ground and then looked at her with wide eyes. "You saw that coming?"

"I see everything coming," Evelyn said coolly.

"You're strong," he panted. Then, oddly: "You're... beautiful."

She gave a half-smile. "Thanks. But I'm engaged." And with that, he vanished in a streak of motion.

"Clint!" Natasha's voice cut through.

"We've got an Enhanced on the field," Steve said.

"Yeah, a speedster," Evelyn quipped. "He told me I was beautiful."

"Well, he's not wrong," Steve replied.

Evelyn grinned as she arrived beside Steve. "Don't worry; I told him I was taken."

"Clint's hit!" Natasha shouted. "Someone get that bunker!"

The Hulk responded with a ground-shaking roar and barreled into it.

Evelyn joined the charge with Steve, fighting through two HYDRA troops with the joint force of a vibranium shield and a sword.

"How is he?" Evelyn asked Natasha.

"He'll live," she replied.

"Stark, we need to get inside," Steve said.

"I'm closing in," Tony replied. "The drawbridge is down, people."

As they advanced toward the compound, Thor slammed down beside them.

"The Enhanced?" he asked.

"Silver hair, lean build, Sokovian, smug," Evelyn replied. "And watch your gut. He seems to target it so he can flip you over."

"All the new players we've faced, I've never seen this," Steve said.

"Clint's hit pretty bad, guys. We're gonna need evac," Natasha said.

"Bring him to the jet," Eliza told her.

"I'll take him," Thor offered. "The sooner we're gone, the better. You two and Stark—find the sceptre."

Evelyn nodded. "Roger that."

A rumble sounded as a tank approached, soldiers marching in formation behind it.

Evelyn snickered. "They're getting desperate."

"Looks like they're lining up," Thor said.

"Well, they're excited," Steve replied.

Evelyn clapped her hands over her ears as Thor brought Mjolnir down onto Steve's shield in a thunderous shockwave. It vaporised the tank and scattered the troops like leaves in the wind.

"Eight out of ten," Evelyn said. "Points off for form."

"Find the sceptre," Thor said, flying off.

"And for gosh sake—watch your language!" Tony added.

Evelyn gave Steve an amused look as he looked down, embarrassed.

"We're locked down out here," Natasha said.

"Then get to Banner," Steve said. "Time for a lullaby."

Inside the building, Steve and Evelyn moved fast. They found Baron Strucker waiting in a corridor—surrender already in his posture.

"Baron Strucker," Steve greeted flatly. "HYDRA's number one thug."

"Technically, I'm a thug for S.H.I.E.L.D.," Strucker replied, raising his hands.

"Then technically, you're unemployed," Evelyn said.

"Where's the sceptre?" Steve demanded.

"Don't worry, I know when I'm beat," Strucker said. "You'll mention how I cooperated, I hope."

"I'll put it right under 'illegal human experimentation,'" Steve replied. "How many are there?"

Strucker opened his mouth—but a sudden pulse of red energy filled the hall. Steve flew back, crashing down the stairwell.

Evelyn turned sharply.

A young woman stood there, hands raised, red energy pulsing between her fingers. Her breathing was fast—panicked. Her eyes widened the moment she fully saw Evelyn.

Evelyn was tall and muscular, like an Amazon warrior in her battle suit, sword still in hand. And she had a dangerous look in her eyes—a look that said she'd do anything to protect the people she loved, including kill. She stepped forward, slow and calm, footsteps echoing on the stone floor.

The girl backed up instinctively, fear flashing across her face. She raised a shaky hand, lips parting to speak—but no words came.

Evelyn said nothing. She raised her blade, her stance steady and unyielding, radiating calm menace. "Don't," she said quietly.

The girl's panic snapped.

A massive pulse of red magic exploded from her like a bomb. It slammed into Evelyn before she could block or dodge. The force lifted her clean off the floor, hurling her backward down the stairwell Steve had fallen from.

She hit the wall hard. Her body crumpled mid-air, then crashed to the bottom step with a spine-snapping thud.

The world spun. Pain roared through her back like wildfire. She tried to move—nothing. Her limbs trembled. She couldn't feel her legs properly. Her breaths came in short, shallow bursts.

"Steve!" she gasped, voice thick with pain.

Steve bolted back down the stairs. His eyes widened in horror at the sight of her twisted on the floor, blood smeared across the stone beneath her.

"I can't move," she whispered. "I—I think... I think I broke my back."

Steve knelt beside her instantly, hands gentle but urgent. He tried to straighten her limbs so that she didn't look like a crumpled corpse, but she let out a cry and breathed through the stabbing pain in her spine.

"What do I do? Tell me," he panicked.

Evelyn raised her arm to his shoulder. He understood. "Okay. Okay, I've got you." He moved carefully, slowly lifting her. Evelyn screamed involuntarily, clutching at his shoulder, face contorted in agony.

"Your healing—?"

"It'll kick in," she said through gritted teeth. "Hopefully soon."

"I'll get you to the jet." He pulled her close and lifted her into his arms, bridal style. Evelyn bit her hand to muffle a scream.

"Hold on. You're gonna be okay," he said, his grip firm and steady.

Evelyn didn't argue. She just nodded and leaned into the man she trusted more than anyone.