A Snake With Two Tongues

10 days later...

Isabella had called Serena in to talk to her about their next mission. It was to be a two-pronged attack because once they hit the first Hydra lab the second would then go into full alert if it didnt suddenly ‘disappear’ altogether. Thus, they had to split up their efforts. The plan, as plans went was simple. Infiltrate and destroy. They knew Hydra had the formula and it was their job to stop them from completing it. This involved, unfortunately, killing several key members of Hydra. Namely their top scientists working on the formula. Steve ofcourse wanted nothing to do with killing but the liklihood of capture was low and so he eventually relented when Kate said she would do it.

The two teams were going to be Tony, Isabella, Logan and Peter and then Serena, Natalya, Steve, Kate and Pharaoh. Isabella knew Serena was not going to like Peter and herself on seperate teams so she wanted to be the first to talk to her about it. It appeared that Serena and Peter had taken up where she and Gambit had left off. They were sleeping together and Peter was practically living there with her. Again she wasn’t certain if she approved of that but she did like Peter and so she would not comment on that.

She closed the door behind Serena then paused to look her over. Serena had continued to grow her hair out and she was blossoming into a very beautiful woman. She was quite proud of her daughter and could not help but beam a smile toward her. “So, everything with you and Peter is...going well?” She asked and noticed Serena’s blush immediately.

Peter appeared to want to make up for lost time. He was much less ‘skilled’ as Gambit was in bed but Serena was bringing him up to speed very quickly and Peter was a fast learner and very eager to please her. Now that he was making the Avengers wages he was able to pay off his aunt May’s house with it and take Serena out on actual dates like they always wanted but he was unable to afford. Serena had tried to tell him it was alright if she paid but he would not allow it and so they didn’t go out as much as they would have liked. That certainly changed now though.

Serena was blissfully happy with Peter. Technically, Peter had a room that was his own for whenever he chose to spend the night at the Tower, however he didn’t use it. He slept with Serena in her room and they spent most nights together. They were having sex again, but this time they were a little older and each slightly more skilled, although Serena did teach Peter a few things that she had learned from Gambit. They went on real dates and stayed up late talking and catching up. Aunt May was thrilled to learn they were back together and she had Serena over for dinner one night. Serena loved Aunt May and was happy to be able to spend time with her again.

The team were starting to prepare for a new mission and Serena and Peter had been training together again. She and Peter had just finished a training session when her mother asked to speak to her. She parted with Peter and walked into her mother’s office. She took a seat, unsure what she wanted to talk to her about. She blushed a little when her mother asked about Peter.

“Yes, everything is going really well. It’s great having my best friend back. He’s changed some, but in good ways.”

“What about you, have ‘you’ changed at all since Gambit’s departure?” Isabella asked. She had not approved of Gambit and still did not approve of Serena sleeping with her boyfriends. Peter was an exception to a degree. She really liked Peter. Any man that took such good care of his Aunt like he did was difficult not to like.

Serena considered her mother’s question for a moment before nodding. “I think I have. I hated hurting Gambit. I should not have strung him along like I did when Peter came back, but I was so confused by my feelings. Not anymore though. Peter is who I am supposed to be with. I feel it down to the marrow in my bones. The love I feel for him is so real. I feel like myself again now that he is back. Is that silly to say?”

Isabella nodded as if Serena had given her a suitable answer. “Well, what I wanted to talk to you about is that we’re splitting up teams for this one and you and Peter will not be on the same team this time. We will be spread thin and we need people who can move stealthy. The best at that is Peter and Natalya. Also, yours and my suits have stealth modes so we need to provide support from the air and not be targetable by conventional radar. Its going to be dangerous Serena. Because there are only 5 of you, each person will need to do their best. Your team is Yourself, Natalya, Steve, Kate and Pharaoh. We have the rest and Peter will be a crucial part of our team,” she said.

“Steve will be your team leader but your going to be their eyes. Feed them intel and use your suits abilities to get them intel as fast as possible,” she said.

Serena listened carefully to her mother as she explained how the team would be broken up on this mission. She was upset that she and Peter would not be on a team together but she wasn’t going to whine or complain about it. She and Peter wouldn’t always be on teams together and she needed to understand that. This mission was dangerous and they had lost Gambit.

“How does Logan feel about being separated from Natalya?” she asked with a little smirk.

Isabella grinned and nearly chuckled. “Well He didn’t take it as well as you did,” She said. But they all knew Logan. He was extremely protective of Natalya and everyone but Logan knew it. “Muster and sitrep in the morning, I suggest you get some sleep,” she said.

Later that night Serena was with Peter in her room. She was getting ready for bed and was in her closet putting something away when she suddenly spotted it. Peter would be able to see that it was a fancy dress. It had a plunging v neckline with intricate beading on the top and a champagne colored chiffon skirt with a high slit on the right side. When she saw the questioning look on his face and sighed a little.

“This is the prom dress I bought to wear to the prom with you. I know I bought it really early but I saw it and loved it and thought you would like it. It’s been sitting in my closet ever since.”

Peter moved up so he could touch the dress. He allowed his fingers to trace along the beadwork. “Its beautiful,” he said. “I...didn’t go. I had spidey things going on,” he said. “I wanted to go…” he said but he had wanted to go with her and they weren’t talking then. As he looked at the dress he knew he had to remedy this. And he had an idea of how he could do this,’ He thought. For them both.

Serena glanced at Peter. "Harry asked me to go with him, but I turned him down. And a few other guys as well. I just stayed home and watched a movie." She put the dress back and then stepped out of her closet. She walked over to her vanity and grabbed a hair-tie and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

"We're going to be on separate teams tomorrow."

Peter looked up at what she said. “Wha...why? Serena...I dont like that. I dont want to be on seperate teams. Not now, not ever. Didn’t we talk about this? We said we’d be one team, you and me,” he said.

Serena sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed and looked at him. "Trust me. I don't like it either, but it wasn't my choice. The groups were decided based on skills and what was needed. I'm going to be providing air support for Steve's team and you will be with my parents, and Logan. They split up Natalya and Logan too. It wasn't just us."

Peter sighed and sat beside her on the bed. He leaned is head so that it rested on her shoulder. “Well if its the way it needs to be then its the way it needs to be,” He said. “At least you’ll be in the air,” he said then sifted to look at her. “I suppose then we should get some sleep,” he said but he kissed her neck anyway.

Serena closed her eyes and moaned softly when Peter began to kiss her neck. They did end up going to sleep, but not until awhile later. The following morning they rose and had breakfast with the others before going to get ready. While waiting for the others arrive, Serena looked over and saw Logan and Natalya standing off to one side. They were talking quietly to one another in a rather soft, loving manner.

Logan had never been really sentimental or particularly loving and gentle...until he met Natalya. Their heads were close, very close and he whispered into her ear.

“Now your going to be careful yes? I expect to see you back here when we’re done,” he said softly and he squeezed her shoulder. “No unnecessary chances,” he said.

Natalya and Logan were standing close together with their heads almost touching. She looked into his eyes and smiled softly at what he said. "I'm going to expect the same thing from you. No unnecessary risks." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him before pulling back and looking into his eyes again. "I love you Logan."

Meanwhile, Steve and Kate and shared their private moment in their room. This was their first mission as a married couple and even though they were going to be on the same team there were always risks. They shared one final kiss before going to join the others.

They had to use Tony’s smaller Jet and the avengers jet. As the smaller one drew out of sight Tony began the sitrep.

“Ok, Isabella will be in stealth mode. I’ll remain behind for backup. Peter, you’re out infiltration. Your suit is equipped with a stealth mode as well so you’ll use it to get inside,” he said then handed him a balt of small, yellow cubes. “These are incendiary devices. Plant them around the lab. Once we’re out we’ll activate them and they’ll burn everything to the ground,” he said. “Logan, you’ll go with Peter. If he needs support you’ll give it and we cant afford to worry about hurting them. We are in and out, any questions/” he asked then everyone began at once with their questions.

“Ok, the plan is for a quick in and out. Serena, you’ll be in stealth mode and provide our eyes and ears. Natalya, you’ll be infiltration. These yellow cubes are incendiary devices. Once you plant them you are to get out. Once you’re clear, I’ll decided when to detonate them. If I’m not able to, Natalya, you’ll have to do it. The code to detonate is Omega 3749 Detonate,” he said. “And then boom,” he said. “Any questions?”

Because both Natalya and Kate were on the other jet Isabella was piloting the jet they were on. She hated splitting up the team, but they had no other option. They had to hit both buildings at the same time and destroy it all.

Serena sat on the other jet and pulled out her phone. She sent Peter a text. "I'm missing you already. I wish I could be there to see you in action."

Natalya took the incendiary devices and tucked them into her suit. She listened closely to Steve and nodded in confirmation that she understood. Kate piloted the jet towards their destination. She had two pistols on her that were fully loaded and extra ammunition in her suit. She knew Steve wanted to avoid killing people, but she wasn't sure that was going to be an option and she had come prepared.

‘I miss you too! A dip in the pool later? Or maybe...the hot tub?’ ;-P’ Peter texted.

They landed their jets in secluded areas away from the mission sites. Both teams synchronized their times and Serena and Isabella were in constant contact. As the two teams got close the mansion team knew they’d have to deal with exterior guards. For this mission Natalya had an extra bit of headgear on. It around her head at her temples and a yellow piece of glass flipped down over her right eye. Serena began to feed her laser targeting data and it would come up on the eyepiece for her. Pharaoh distracted the first two guards with a small puppy. It came toward them then stopped and wagged its little tail. It looked like a yellow lab and the guards smiled and tried to walk up to it. This left their backs to Natalya.

------------------

The lab in New York was not very large, about the size of a warehouse. There were guards and cameras but Isabella activated her stealth mode and all the cameras ceased to produce an image after that. That and her armor began to take on the colors and shapes around her. Logan was looking up right at her and besides a flicker or shimmer here and there, she was not easy to pick out and he knew where she was. Peter waited for two guards to look the other way and then he bounded over the fence and into the courtyard. His suit did something similar as Isabella’s did and as long as he didn’t move it looked like he wasn’t there at all. Kate and Logan waited and when Peter was on the roof they began to take out the guards. For this Kate used tranq darts and Logan waited near her incase she was attacked. It wasn’t difficult and before long, 5 guards were down which left the entire west side open. Logan rushed forward and sliced open the fence then held it for her to go through.

Serena grinned when she saw Peter's text and then put her phone away since they were getting close to the mission site. For their team they were handling the mansion. Kate piloted the jet, which was in full stealth mode, and found a secluded landing site. Once the jet was down they filed out. Serena fully activated her suit, including the stealth mode and took to the air. She waited for Natalya to get in place and then began to feed her information that would appear on the eyepiece of her headgear. Natalya waited for Pharaoh to create a distraction for the guards and was then able to carefully slip past them and inside.

---------------------------

Although the lab wasn't very big, Kate knew that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous. They needed to keep their guards up at all times. She was able to find a safe landing spot for the jet and left it in full stealth mode. Isabella had activated the stealth mode on her suit and could not be seen in the air. She and Tony had developed this technology together and it was far more advanced than anything the government had. Kate waited with Tony and had her tranq gun ready. She had two real pistols on her as well that were fully loaded, but she kept those in their holsters for the moment. As soon as Peter was on the roof she began to fire and tranquilized each guard. She fired quickly and very accurately because she didn't want one to alert the others. Once the guards were down Logan sliced through the fence and held it back for her to go through. They moved through the opening in the fence and towards the warehouse.

The mansion grounds were somewhat familiar but they all knew that that...armored walker was here and also Ophelia and the sniper that shot Logan. The lab was underground and Serena took a scan of the area to see if there was an alternate entrance. She found two but one was closest to where they entered into the grounds. There was that large shed where the walker came out of but she didn’t see it inside but she did see a door and a shaft, likely for an elevator that went deep into the ground. She fed the telemitry to Natalya and Natalya motioned Steve and Pharaoh to move up so they could assault the shed. Serena saw 2 men in there.

-----------------------

Isabella’s scans could not penetrate the basement. A telltale sign that likely what was important was there. Peter peeked in through the skylight. It was a lab but most of the equipment appeared to be mundane as if the lab tested vehicle parts like tires, car crashes and the like. There were several test dummies, pieces of vehicles and the like. Isabella saw two elevator shafts. A large, freight elevator and a smaller one for people. She could not suggest which one for him to take but she suggested that herself, Kate and Logan go with him. Tony flew in and Tony used his laser torch and cut the skylight free from its brackets. Peter removed it and set it aside as Tony shot several tranq gas grenades into the warehouse lab. Men began to run in all directions. Red laser sights flashing all over until none were visible any longer.

“Put your masks on,” Tony said. “And I’ll wait here and cover your retreat,” he said.

When the elevator reached the bottom Isabella noticed that a silent alarm had been tripped. Peter’s danger sense went wild suddenly as they stepped out of the elevator. “Move!” He shouted and they all just managed to jump into the adjoining hallway as a missile exploded inside the elevator that had been shot from the end of the hall. “Run!” Peter said and as Isabella tried to scan the area more missiles were shot at them. She saw three men who were chasing them and one of them had a large heatsource which likely was the launcher. A third missile passed by them and it exploded as it rained down rubble, concrete and metal onto them. They managed to get out from under it but Isabella would know they were not going to do what they came for unless they stopped those men chasing them. That or they’d drop the whole ceiling down on their heads. They had already destroyed several rooms and labs. Was one of them the one they needed to find? They couldn’t be certain but clearly repelling intruders superseded their work.

Serena continued to hover in the air. She scanned the area to see if she could find an entrance to the lab that was underground. The closest entrance she could see was in the shed where the walker vehicle had come out of last time they were here. However, she could see an elevator that appeared to go deep underground and she assumed it led to the lab. She fed this information to Natalya who began to lead Steve and Pharaoh that way. However, Serena then spotted something else.

"There are two guards in the shed."

Natalya pulled out her tranq gun and Steve and Pharaoh each stood on opposite sides of the shed and threw open the doors. Natalya fired and hit each guard, who dropped immediately. Natalya kept her gun up and ready as she carefully examined the area, but didn't find any other guards.

"It's clear."

----------------------------------------

Kate and Logan moved up to join Peter and Isabella joined them as well. With Tony covering them they took one of the elevators down to the bottom, but too late Isabella realized that a silent alarm had been tripped. They manged to get out of the elevator just in time before a missile was shot into the elevator where they had just been standing. They began to run down the hallway as they were shot at by more missiles. A third missile went past them and exploded in front of them, sending rubble, concrete, and metal flying at them. They needed to take care of these men if they were going to do what they needed to do. Isabella glanced at Kate and Kate nodded. Kate switched her guns to her non-tranq pistols and using the rubble as some cover she aimed and began to fire at the men. While not as good a shot as Natalya, Kate was still very good and she managed to hit all three men.

"They're down," she told the others. "But we can't be certain that more won't come, we need to move quickly."

As they moved down the hall more of the ceiling that had now become unstable began to fall. Isabella spotted that a large area ahead and to the right did not seem to be affected by the explosions. Peter hurried forward and came up to a large, metal double door with a very high tech looking keypad and retinal scanner. Isabella thought she could cut through the door but as she began the door suddenly opened. A scientist in a labcoat stepped out and was surprised when he saw them. Before he could duck back in Peter webbed his feet to the floor. Logan surged past him and slashed at the door controls with his claws, disabling them. The lab was completely different then the rest of the place. It was new and several scientists in lab coats and hazmat suits looked up at them. After a moment they began to scatter like quail. “Shit,” logan growled and ran toward them. Peter jumped past and began to web those that he could catch. There were guards as well and as they focused on Peter and Logan, it gave Kate and Isabella easy targets.

----------------------

The elevator went pretty far down but eventually stopped. Only then did Jarvis speak to her. “Serena, you’ve triggered a silent alarm,” he said into her helmet. Even as he spoke though the large walker was just down the hall from them. Steve jumped in front of them just as it began to fire its mini-cannon. Bullets by the hundreds shot out at them but they all bounced off of Steve’s shield. From the side corridor though two guards came around the corner and pointed their weapons at them.

Kate and Isabella began to fire at the guards while Peter and Logan handled the scientists. Kate knew they needed to plant the devices and retreat. “Peter! How quickly can you put down those incendiary devices?”

————————-

“Shit,” Serena said under her breath. She tried to warn the others but it was too late. Natalya and Pharoah ducked behind Steve’s shield for protection. Natalya then spotted the two guards and she pulled out her gun and fired at them.

The first two guards went down easy but more filed in behind them as they fell. Two quickly became 4. Then 6, then 9. As Natalya’s pistols upper receivers locked forward do to her being out of ammunition she noticed that she had killed 9 men and they lay there in a pile of bodies. Flashbacks struck her. Missions where she had been sent to kill a doctor. She was in a restaurant and she opened fire on everyone indiscriminately. She used her hands, her feet, her body and even his bodyguard’s weapons against them. She counted 16 dead and many others wounded. Bodies strewn about. Mostly innocent bystanders and her not caring at all.

Serena saw her suddenly freeze as more flashbacks struck her. And as she looked down at her hands they were covered in blood. “Natalya!” Pharaoh shouted and the blood suddenly was gone. She ejected her magazines and pressed her pistols into two more then clicked the receiver latches and bullets loaded into her barrels once more. Steve was taking a beating but he managed to take a few steps forward. The walls, floor and ceiling around him was riddled with bullets. He needed help and he needed it now.

-----------------------------

“In a Jiffy Mrs. Rogers...uhh, Kate,” he said as he jumped and began holding cubes then shooting webs at them and the webs stuck the cubes on various surfaces. The walls, ceilings, equipment and especially the gas chamber. “Holy hell, they were CLOSE!” Peter exclaimed worriedly. The gas chamber was nearly an exact duplicate of osborn’s old design. After a minute Peter had dispensed the cubes and Kate had planted viruses in all of the computers and in their network uplink.

“Alright, time to go!” Logan growled. As they went toward the larger freight elevator. Their only way out now the ceiling that way as well had begun to crumble. They had to navigate over it all and the ceiling groaned as they passed by it down yet another corridor. As they did Isabella heard something. As the others continued she stopped completely and retracted her face mask as she listened.

The soft sound of crying was off and to the left. Inside one of the rooms that the ceiling had half collapsed in. “Isabella, what are you doing!?” Logan asked angrily.