Ira gasped and sat up, clutching the sheets to her chest as a large clap of thunder echoed through her bedroom. She got out of bed and peeked out the window, just as a bolt of lightening burst through the sky. She gasped, and sat back down on the bed, shivering with fear.

Ira's astraphobia had developed as a child. She was outside playing when she was eight, and had gotten stuck in the middle of a severe storm. It was so dark, she couldn't find her way back. There was lightning bolt after lighting bolt hitting the ground beside her.

Her mother had found her curled up in a ditch, sobbing. They had taken her home, and ever since then she had been afraid. Now, Pietro would usually be there to comfort her, but he, Wanda, and Clint were on a mission.

Not wanting to be alone, she grabbed a blanket from her bed, and wrapped it around herself. She walked through the hallways until she reached the living room. There she found Steve, sitting on the couch in his running gear.

"You're up early," She said, and he turned to face her.

"Yeah. I was going to go running, but..." he gestured outside to the storm. "Why are you up?"

"I can't sleep." She said. "I'm afraid of storms." She sat down on the couch next to him.

"Do... do you want to talk about it?" Steve asked hesitantly.

She shrugged. "It would be nice to tell someone." She sighed, and took a deep breath.

"When I was eight, I was outside playing. It started to rain. I wasn't worried, but then it started to storm. It got really dark, and I remember lightening flashing everywhere. I couldn't see anything, and I managed to fall into a ditch. That's where my mom found me. I was shaking, curled up in a ball." Ira smiled weakly.

"And it continued. Sokovia had a lot of storms, and our house wasn't built on a sturdy foundation, so every time it stormed, the house would shake, and it would feel like the world was ending. And when my mom died, it was even worse, because they weren't there to comfort me." She paused, and started again. "When I volunteered for Strucker's experiments, I was so scared. I knew I had to help Sokovia, so I volunteered. But I wasn't ready for the experiments."

Steve wanted to ask her about the experimentation, but he knew she probably wasn't ready to talk about it just yet.

"I remember the first night it stormed, I was sobbing in the cell. The guard got so annoyed that he sent Pietro in to comfort me. He sat by me all night, helping me through the storm. I think that's when I first started liking him." Ira concluded her story with a smile. "It feels good to talk to someone about this."

Steve smiled. "I'm glad you trust me."

They spent the rest of the morning watching TV and talking with each other. Soon, before the others woke up, Ira heard the sounds of a Quinjet above. She smiled, and raced outside. It was still pouring rain, so she was soaked by the time she got to the Quinjet. The doors opened, and Pietro, Wanda and Clint walked out.

Ira threw her arms around him. He was surprised, but wrapped his arms around her. "Hello, dragoste." He whispered.

"Thanks for saying hi to me, too." Clint complained. "I really appreciate it." Ira rolled her eyes at his antics.

"Hi." She said dryly to him. She smiled at Wanda, and the four of them walked back towards the facility.
...............................................................................................................................................
"Ira, come to the meeting room," Natasha called from the doorway to the training room. Ira unwrapped her hands, and walked towards the door, her blonde ponytail swishing with each step.

"We have an emergency mission." Natasha told her as they walked towards the meeting room.

"That sounds ominous." Ira observed. They arrived at the meeting room, and sat down. Steve got up, and stood at the head of the room.

"We have a new mission." He told them. "Two hours ago, a high school was taken hostage by armed men. The police are negotiating with the hostage takers, but they can't fulfill their demands. So, we have to go in." He pointed to a blue print of the school tacked onto the board.

"This is the main entrance. It has been barricaded by the hostage takers, along with the side and back entrances. We will go in teams. Wanda, Ira, and Clint will go in through this window," here he pointed on the blue print, "That leads into a janitor closet. Nat, Tony, and I will go in through this entrance. We know that the hostage takers don't know about it. Sam, Pietro, and Vision will go break in through this window, leading to a storage room. There are twelve hostage takers, each controlling one classroom. There's one leader. We have intel that he's negotiating from the principal's office. Each team will eliminate four hostage takers. Then, we'll take down the leader."

He looked at them seriously. "It is very important that you don't let the hostage takers signal their leaders, or anyone else, or they will shoot some of the kids. We can't have that."

Steve handed out files to each of the groups. Ira opened theirs. Inside was a blue print of the school, with the window they would break in through circled. Also circled were the four classrooms they would infiltrate.

"Go get ready." Steve told them. "We have ten minutes."

Ira walked back to her room, and changed into a black shirt and her shawl. She had kept it since the first mission, as a reminder of Sokovia. She quickly combed through her hair, gently combing through the knots and tangles. She grabbed a pair of shoes, and walked to the Quinjet, where Wanda was sitting.

She was wearing her long, corseted red jacket, with a black shirt and knee-high brown boots. Together they walked inside the Quinjet. Ira clutched the blue prints in one hand, and she and Wanda studied them while waiting for the others to arrive. When they did, Clint took off, and they flew towards the school.

It was located in New York, so it only took them a few minutes to get there. They landed a mile away from it, and Steve stood up. "Alright. You know your teams, you know your missions. Get in and out."

They exited the Quinjet, and Ira, Wanda, and Clint ran towards the school. It was a large brick building surrounded by police cars. They located the window, and crept towards it. Clint gently fired an arrow, shattering the window quietly.

Ira hauled herself up and over, landing lightly on her feet in the small janitor closet. The closet was a small space filled with brooms and cleaning supplies, and Ira cautiously opened the door as Wanda and Clint climbed through.

She peeked into the hall, and saw no one. She located the first classroom, and gestured to Clint and Wanda. They walked to the first classroom, and looked into the window in the door. An armed man in a black hoodie with his face covered was standing in front of a group of high schoolers sitting on the floor with their hands duct taped.

Ira jiggled the handle, But it was locked. Clint picked the lock, and silently pushed the door open. Ira rushed in, and before the gunman could react, she lifted him into the air with her powers, and slammed him down. The gun fell from his hands as he was knocked out, and Clint picked it up. Wanda tied up the gunman and took his walkie-talkie, while Ira and Clint cut the the children loose.

"You have to stay here." Clint told them, "And stay quiet." They nodded, and Clint, Ira, and Wanda walked out of the room. They found the next classroom, and Clint picked the lock, and opened the door. He fired an arrow at the gunman, and when it hit, the arrow tip sprang open and a rope wrapped itself around the man. He fell, and Wanda grabbed his gun while the others cut the teenagers loose.

Clint told them the same thing, and they made their way to the third classroom. Ira broke the handle, and the door creaked open. The gunman turned towards them, and Wanda quickly twisted his hands with her powers, causing him to drop his gun. Ira grabbed his gun and handed it to Clint, and they cut the high schoolers loose. "Stay here, and stay quiet." Ira warned them, and they made their way to the fourth and final classroom.

Clint picked the lock, and they entered the classroom. The gunman, surprised, fired his gun at one of the students. It hit him in the arm, and he fell to the ground in pain. Wanda quickly disabled the gunman while Ira rushed to the student. She crouched beside him, and flicked her hand at him, and blue sparks flew off her fingers, and onto the boy's arm.

The bullet was pushed out as the flesh slowly sealed up, and his arm was healed. Ira stood up, and turned to Clint and Wanda, who had tied up the gunman and cut the students loose. "Thank you." The boy said to Ira, and she nodded.

Wanda pressed her fingers to her ear. "Our classrooms are clear," she said into comms.

"Copy." Steve said back. "The school's clear. We're letting the students go." Clint helped the students out, and Ora and Wanda did the same to the other students in the other classrooms. They flooded outside, where anxious parents and police officers were waiting.

The team met up in the Quinjet, and they returned to the Avengers facility.