Heather's POV

We came so close.

All that was left was taking the elevator down to the underground parking, hopping into the white already-moving van and done!

But no.

He just had to see us.

And just like always, wherever we ran, whichever floor we went to, he was there. That brute, walking leisurely towards us in all his dark glory.

My partner, Natasha, and I knew that only one of us would make it back to the HQ safely, and only if we played smart; his style.

Luckily, I had a plan.

*****

Our plan relied on a lot of things - he had to be in a good mood, he had to be willing to play, he had to be focused...yes, it was a risk, but that's just how it's done.

From what the HQ told us for the original plan, he had one of our guys hostage. Now the plan was to sneak in, take the guy and get out of here, but, well, things changed.

So we came up with a new plan. Based on what the HQ told me individually, he had his eyes set on me. This gave us a chance to use his weakness against him - his undivided attention on his prey.

With me distracting him, Natasha would be able to sneak behind him and take him by surprise, and then we both escape using her power of flight.

Foolproof, right?

Ha.

Remember the part about there being a lot of risks? One thing we had forgotten about was his backup, and that's where our plan collapsed.

The next time he teleported outside our elevator, only I was there.

Or at least that's what he thought.

Natasha was right next to me, but he couldn't see her because I shielded her by...well, it's complicated, but I sort of bent the air around her to camouflage her.

Getting back to the point, instead of pressing myself against the side of the elevator and closing the doors, I walked out of it.

10 feet.

Instead of being confused, he grinned wider and opened his arms wide, as if to hug me.

"So you have decided to bargain and stop running away like a fool?"

I gritted my teeth and simply held his stare. No point in acting scared, he knew me too well for that. I walked closer to him.

8 feet. No room for mistakes.

"Don't be afraid, come closer. I won't hurt you," he taunted.

6 feet. Any time now...

Suddenly, I heard muffled yelling.

My blood froze.

His bodyguards.

*****

I closed my eyes for a second, and suddenly I understood what was to happen.

A bargain.

One goes free.

Natasha can fly.

Making brief eye-contact with her, she seemed to realise what would happen, and started struggling even more.

Testing the limits of my powers, I turned the lobby into a beach. Imagining the breeze against my face so wilfully that I could actually feel it, I looked back at him to see that he was shocked, though he tried to hide it.

"Well well, I see you have grown up! And now you realise what you must do...a life for a life."

My vision started to go fuzzy, probably from the strain of holding together the image of the beach. I could still sense Natasha in the room, but the guards on the beach were not holding her. That was good.

Ben appeared next to the guards, looking dazed but otherwise fine. How I missed him...

"Benjamin goes free, while you come with me. Do you agree?"

This was all but a game to him. He did not see life the way living beings did...then was the moment I vowed to make him understand what being mortal was like.

"I agree."

The last thing I saw before I collapsed was Natasha flying out with Ben, behind his and the guards' grinning faces. 

A/N: Uh-oh!