章 14: The Elf's Grace
"Then we'll need to move faster."
Surveying the room, Steve quickly formulated a plan.
"Tony, locate the signal transmitter and cut all power to this place. Natasha and I will stay on the ground and take out anything that comes out of those pods. Lirael, get to high ground and monitor the entire basement. Report anything unusual immediately."
"Got it," Tony and Natasha responded in unison.
Caught slightly off guard, Lirael hesitated for a moment but quickly mimicked their focus.
Scanning the upper platforms, he selected an elevated position with excellent visibility.
Without needing any additional tools, the elf leapt onto nearby pods and support beams, moving with fluid grace.
He vaulted effortlessly across the basement, his nimble steps making no noise as he landed on the high perch.
The display of agility left Steve, who had been about to offer assistance, momentarily stunned.
"Captain, behind you. Something's coming out," Lirael's voice came over the comms just as he steadied himself on the platform.
Steve barely had time to react before the first creature emerged—but it wasn't his shield that struck first.
Natasha's bullet hit its mark before the orc could take another step.
The creature crumpled lifelessly to the ground as Steve, shield raised, spun around, looking frustrated—almost as if he'd only just realized what had happened.
What's going on with the Captain?
Lirael blinked in confusion, glancing at Natasha, who was smiling serenely.
He mouthed the words, What's going on?
Natasha responded with a playful air kiss and mouthed back, He's mesmerized by your beauty.
Lirael: …
Am I supposed to say thank you for that?
"Hey, guys, I found it!"
Just as the elf cleared his throat and prepared to feign ignorance, Tony's voice came through the comms, breaking the awkward silence between the three of them.
With their attention immediately redirected to the task at hand, Steve and Natasha quickly ran to join Tony at the smooth wall he was examining.
Lirael, still stationed on the high ground, kept his vigilant watch, but his attention was inevitably drawn to what was unfolding below.
Tony pressed something on the wall, and within seconds, the seemingly seamless surface parted in the middle, revealing a narrower yet sufficiently spacious hidden chamber.
Silently marveling at the ingenuity of 21st-century human technology, Lirael peered into the room alongside the Avengers.
His elven eyesight quickly registered the rectangular grid patterns on the floor, a dizzying array of control panels at the far end, and a web of bright red lines crisscrossing the air.
…Wait. Red lines?
"That must be the control panel we're looking for." Standing at the room's entrance without taking a step inside, Tony gestured toward Steve with a tilt of his chin. "So now the question is, how do we get to it?"
"Just walk over?" Steve suggested.
"If we do that, this whole building might come crashing down on us," Tony quipped, shrugging. "See those red laser grids covering the room? And the tiles on the floor? If we so much as step through that doorway or try to fly over, we'll trigger the alarm system. Who knows what might happen after that."
"Infrared motion detectors and gravity-sensing anti-theft devices," Natasha noted after a closer look, rattling off the technical terms with ease.
She nodded in understanding.
"Is there any way to disable the alarms?" Steve asked, his brow furrowed.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.?"
"I'm working on it, sir," the AI responded, sounding somewhat strained. "However, decrypting the system password will take approximately one hour."
An hour was far too long. Even if J.A.R.V.I.S. managed to bypass the encryption, they couldn't risk waiting that long—not in the heart of the orc stronghold.
Who knew how many more creatures would wake up in that time, or how many might slip past their defenses and into the streets?
Steve knew they had to find another way.
Was there no alternative?
While Steve pondered deeply, and the others waited for him to decide, a melodious voice suddenly broke through the Avengers' shared comms channel. "Let me handle this."
Gripping his bow, Lirael leapt gracefully down from his vantage point and joined the others.
With a faint smile, he said, "I can give it a try."
He then turned his gaze to Natasha, who froze momentarily before nodding lightly, as if remembering something.
"Let him go. He can do it," Natasha said confidently, addressing the skeptical looks from both Tony and Steve.
"But—" Tony lifted his faceplate, shaking his head in disagreement. "Even putting aside the lasers, those gravity sensors will trigger with just a third of an adult human's weight. No normal person can even set foot in that room."
Steve frowned in agreement, his expression equally doubtful.
"I'm aware," Natasha sighed, glancing between the two. "But… who told you he's a normal human?"
Tony: …Huh?!
Steve: …Wait, what?!
As if to confirm her words, Lirael surveyed the room with his keen eyes.
After a moment, he cautiously placed one foot on the nearest tile.
When no alarm sounded, he confidently set down his other foot and began moving.
With precise agility, he weaved through the maze of lasers and pressure-sensitive tiles, his movements as fluid and silent as a cat's.
It took only a few blinks for him to reach the control panel at the far end of the room.
"—He's an elf," Natasha explained, her voice tinged with fondness as she watched him from the doorway. "Elves are practically weightless."
Her tone carried a teasing warmth as she added, "Now, would you two kindly pick your jaws up off the floor?"
A brief, awkward silence followed.
"Barton."
Tony, ever the scientist, couldn't resist the allure of the extraordinary.
After a beat of quiet, he coolly tapped into Clint's private channel, his voice resolute and calm.
"Listen to me. Maybe it is time for you to go home and cuddle your kids, okay?"
Clint: …Seriously? Go to hell.
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