black_widow:

Well it wasn't Avengers Mansion, or any other place nice, but it would serve for their purposes. The old underground SHIELD base hadn't been used in a decade or two and it would be the new home of the Secret Avengers. The underground facility had everything a team could need. It had a kitchen and dining area, conference room complete with communications equipment, sleeping quarters, motor pool area and even a medical bay. The only thing it didn't have was windows, but they weren't a necessity, only a liability.

It had been cleaned out and the equipment upgraded before it was time to move in.

Natasha sat in the conference room looking at satellite feeds over the area they had gone to on their first mission. A steaming cup of black coffee sat on the table. She had arrived two days ago and was expecting the "team" to start arriving to check out their new base any time now.

black_widow:

Natasha sank down into the hot water of the bath until it came up to her chin. Her head fell back onto the bath pillow and she closed her eyes. A long content sigh came from her as she started to relax. The hot water felt heavenly and the oils and salts in the water helped to relax her along with the heat. The glass of wine she had before the bath and the one she has for the bath didn't hurt either.

Natasha let her mind wander as she soaked.

legends_misc:

The modified QuinJet landed in a small clearing outside of a small complex in the countryside not far from Moscow. The light of the full moon made it easier for the Avengers to see, but it also made them easier to see by the guards patrolling the outside of the complex.

the_ruskies:

The call comes in about 4:20 am EST.

A man in crimson armor climbs out of a harbor in Manhattan, barely able to stand. He collapses, water-logged and battered, upon the ground. He lit up American airspace alerts two or three miles out, but he moved too quickly for anyone to mount an adequate response.

Two hours later, Crimson Dynamo sits in an interrogation room on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, awaiting someone, anyone who will hear him out. It galls him to ask the Americans for help, but he has no choice.

He is betraying his country to save it from a monster.

black_widow:

Natasha had a list of names of possible Secret Avengers, as the team was going to unofficially be called, that she and Steve had put together. Now it was time to go and talk to each of them to see if they would be interested.

She went to the first name on the list.

russianwinter:

Bucky (it was still really hard to think of himself by that name) walked down the streets of New York toward the next loft on his list, which was only a block or two away. Every few steps he corrects his movements so that he doesn't bump someone or only brushes against them, years of training allowing him to slide through the crowd with ease. The movements are so ingrained that they're second-nature. He could do this on the streets of New York, Tokyo or Moscow, in his sleep. 

His "baby-sitter" could as well.

He knows why Fury sent Natalia with him and he's annoyed; not at her, but at the situation. They still don't know if he's completely deprogrammed, but if he isn't then Natalia is the best person to deal with him. She could make the tough choice, if necessary.

"You know...you /really/ don't have to do this." James says to Natalia, for the third time as they enter the building on 4th and Baker. He rings the bell and the door opens upon a small, older woman who smiles at him.

"Hello, Mr. Barnes. My office told me you'd be stopping in today. The loft is ready for you to view." she says, looking between the two of them.
 

shield_topdog:

Nick Fury knew where all of his troublemakers were almost all of the time. This way he knew when a headache was coming. There was one individual, not necessarily one of the troublemakers, he always kept tabs on was one Steve Rogers, aka Captain America.

Rogers was currently enjoying a cup of coffee and scrambled eggs at Rosie's Diner. Nick walked into the diner carrying a manila envelope. He slid into the booth and smiled at the waitress that appeared at the table. "Cup o' yer best, honey," he said favoring her with one of his best smiles.

"Coming right up," she said and went to get the coffee.

He looked at Steve and slid the envelope across the table.. "Got somethin' ya might be interested in."

legends_holiday:


I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.
I arise from dreams of thee,
And a spirit in my feet
Hath led me -- who knows how?
To thy chamber window, Sweet!

The wandering airs they faint
On the dark, the silent stream--
And the Champak's odours
Like sweet thoughts in a dream;
The nightingale's complaint,
It dies upon her heart,
As I must on thine,
O belovèd as thou art!

O lift me from the grass!
I die! I faint! I fail!
Let thy love in kisses rain
On my lips and eyelids pale.
My cheek is cold and white, alas!
My heart beats loud and fast:
O press it to thine own again,
Where it will break at last!

Percy Bysshe Shelley

legends_holiday:

There's a piece of paper and a pen attached to a bulletin board. Across the top is written:

New Year's Resolutions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
+

Anonymous entries accepted.

black_widow:

Natasha sat at a table in the dive bar with a bottle of vodka and a shot glass. Matthew weighed heavily on her mind and she was trying to drink him and the thoughts of him away. The man did nothing but complicate her life. One would think Natasha would have learned by now, but even the greatest hero could be a consummate idiot when it came to affairs of the heart and she was no exception.

She filled the shot glass and then downed the vodka.

Something pricked her in the neck. Then again. Her hand went up to her neck and she pulled out a tranquilizer dart. She looked at it for a moment before the world went black and she slumped over the table.

A man across the bar grinned. So much for the Black Widow. Now to gather the body and go after the Greek.

black_widow:

"And in a startling turnaround of events today there was a mistrial declared in the case of Carter Deems, alleged killer of Milla Donovan, wife of lawyer Matt Murdock. The judge cited that Deems wasn't apprehended properly and has taken a stand against vigilante justice in wake of recent severe activity by Daredevil."

Natasha hadn't really been listening to the news until she heard Deems' name. That it got her full attention. She listened intently and when the report was over a put formed in her stomach. Matthew. Natasha knew Matt and she knew how he was going to take this. Badly.

Natasha slipped on her uniform, attached her Widow's Bite and headed out into the concrete jungle that was New York. She had to find Matt before he did something stupid.

black_widow:

Natasha and Tony were tasked with talking to Sersi while Hank and Jan went to talk to Hercules. According to Tony Sersi had no memory of who she was and that she had been an Avenger at one point. They needed to talk to her to find out what the hell happened and if it could be reversed. Sersi was vital to finding out what was going on in Asgard and finding Thor.

Natasha smiled to Pepper and then walked into Tony's office.

lady_sif:

Sif stumbled up the sidewalk. The gates of the Avengers' Mansion loomed over her and she held on to the smallest piece of hope. The Avengers would be able to help her and help save Asgard. Something was definitely not right in the Golden Realm and Sif was determined to get to the bottom of it.

That determination helped her endure a long period in a dark cell with little food or water. It kept her going in the dark and gave her the strength to over power the guard and make her way out of Svartalfheim, the land of the dark elves. They had magic users and were fierce warriors, causing Sif to be very careful and very slow in making her way out of their realm. Not only did she have to avoid the dark elves, but the realm was home to many dangerous monsters and animals. Sif had been attacked a few times, but a crude staff made from a branch had served her well. She didn't come out of it unscathed. Her body was sporting various bruises and cuts, some deep.

The journey to Asgard had been long and treacherous, but she had made it. She didn't go into the city, instead she skirted around it. The last thing she wanted was to be tossed back into the cell. She would rather die than go back in there. Eventually she came to Bifrost and Heimdall. Getting over the bridge could have proved to be difficult, but Heimdall was her brother. Despite being loyal to throne of Asgard, Sif was his sister and he looked away long enough for her to run across the bridge to Midgard.

Sif arrived on Migard outside the Museum of Natural History. She knew the Avengers weren't far away. Heedless of people and traffic she made her way across the park to the Avengers' Mansion.

She looked at the gate and then collapsed into a heap.

black_widow:

Natasha had spent the few days digging up as much information as she could on Matt's wife and her murder. She used her SHIELD credentials to get in to see Meeks. The man was still in the hospital after the beating Matt gave him, but he could talk. Talk he did. Natasha got a confession out of him and more information on who hired Meeks.

She wasn't sure if she should take this information to Matt, but she promised she would help him. The Widow always kept her word.

Natasha sighed and knocked on Matt's door.

legends_citizen:

"Come on, Bruce," Betty Banner said to her husband as she climbed out of the car. They were parked outside a warehouse in Jersey City, New Jersey.

"Where are we going, Betty?" he asked as he climbed out of the passenger side.

"It's a surprise," she said with a smile. "I've been waiting to show you this for some time."

Bruce looked at the warehouse and then at his wife. "What's inside?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you. Come on." She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "You'll love this."

"Okay," Bruce resigned and followed his wife inside the building.

black_widow:

Natasha took a deep breath and stepped through the open gate of the Avengers' Mansion. It was difficult coming back here, but she told Tony she would stop and see everyone and the Widow always kept her word. They were her friends, her family, and she needed to see them. They were a reminder that she was still human and hadn't been consumed by the darkness that she worked in.

Slowly she walked up the walkway to the front door.

guardian_devil:

Matt Murdock's hands roam of the cold, rigid features of the woman on the table beneath him, and he doesn't need sight to know who this is. He can feel it in scar on her left cheek from a childhood accident involving a fall from a tree. He can smell it in the Lavender perfume she always wore, the only perfume that he liked as much as Rose Oil. He can almost taste the scent of the citrus lotion she used, can feel the softness of her hair.

The call from Ben Urich hit him like a sucker punch to the gut. He and Urich were friends, but they'd been out of touch for a long time. When Ben called him, Matt had expected a tip-off on an arms deal, or information on a slave ring, or something like that. But the words out of Ben's mouth, he couldn't have imagined hearing in a million years.

Milla Donovan is dead, Matt. She's been murdered.

After confirming the identity of his ex-wife, Matt left the Coroner's Office and started walking. He was so numb, so cold, that he hadn't found time to cry yet. He would cry now; it was too soon. He remembered the the same thing happening with his father; the tears didn't come until much later. For now, Matt had to concentrate on the only thing that mattered until then.

Justice.

( Read more... )

black_widow:

It was always good to come home. New York was Natasha's favorite city and it wasn't any wonder why she called it home. Six months was long enough to be out on a mission. Sure she had had longer missions, but this one seemed longer than most. She was tired in body and soul. It was time to catch up on some sleep and to catch up with old friends.

If she felt up to it, she may even do some work with the Avengers.

But for right now, it was time for some urban gymnastics. She dove off the balcony of her penthouse and fired her widow's line.