Chapter one: I'm just not good at meeting new people.
It was extremely sunny outside for March. I was drowning in my sweat and I wasn't even half down the block. I loved living in New York, but it was too much. Especially with all the pollution and concrete. I was happy to go to work today. I worked in at Stark Industries, for Mr. Tony Stark. It was an honor and a privilege. It was also an underling type of job. I was a measly intern, that's all. But I was utterly fascinated by S.H.I.E.L.D. It was an organization that had composed the Earth's heroes known as the Avengers. And in case you didn't know, Tony Stark was Iron Man. I had only started working with Mr. Stark because his wife, Pepper Stark Potts, was on maternity leave. She was having twins. That was only a part of it.
Noise polluted the quiet vastness of my mind and distracted me away from my thoughts. I walked towards the upper part of Manhattan. A loud honking noise made me stop short and I turned sharply. A taxi had just stopped in front of me and kept honking. I ran away, out of its reach. I was gasping for air by the time I was inside the Stark tower. Missy, the secretary, met my eyes when I entered the grandiose building. She gave me rather nasty look. I simply ignored her. When I turned away, I could almost feel her piercing gaze on my back. I tried walking towards the elevator as graceful as possible, but for me, I felt like I was walking like a gazelle. I held up my head and stopped in front of the elevator. Just as I was about to press the last button, it pinged and opened. Mr. Stark stepped out. I was taken aback. He was about 6'1" with dark brown hair that was neatly styled and a professional looking beard. He had a rueful smile on his face and I stared at him more for several seconds. He wore a grey shirt and black dress pants. I wasn't the type to stare at one's boss, but Mr. Stark had such a carefree personality, consider all things and he was about to be a father. He had gotten married recently, and still acted like the playboy that he solemnly had been for years. Around me, he acted like an older brother or protector. It was because he was twenty-threes my senior. It felt comforting having him there, since I had left my family back in Virginia.
"Ah, Miss Blackwell. So glad you made it. What, did you stop and get your hair done before work?" he teased. I laughed.
"No, Mr. Stark. I had just set my alarm at little late. I knew that I didn't have to start work until eight." I glanced down at my Rolex, making sure I was right. Yup. Fifteen minutes till my shift. I shifted and let out my sigh of relief. Mr. Stark looked me up and down. He tsk tsked at me.
"Geez, Miss Blackwell. You're, what, nineteen? And you dress like my grandmother!" He shook his head but kept smiling. I curled my lip back and furrowed my brow. "Ok, don't give me a hissy fit about my wardrobe, Mr. Stark. I have work in like ten minutes now. So, where are you heading to, Sir?"
He glanced up as if he was considering whether he ought to tell me or not. I wasn't being nosy or anything. This was our daily routine. I added quickly, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Sir. Is it a Code Six?" Code Six stood for, Avengers, Assemble! He nodded and turned on his heels. Missy stepped from behind her desk and wordlessly handed Mr. Stark a silver briefcase. It was his armor. Lightweight and inconspicuous. It wasn't that weird around here. Especially since it was New York. I stepped into the elevator after it opened and gave the finger to Missy just before it closed. Her reaction was something that reminded me of a dog, when it didn't get its bone for lunch. I laughed all the way up to the top floor. My job in Stark Industries was simply: Do paperwork, stay out of peoples' ways that were much higher than you and go home in one piece. After all, I was working along with S.H.I.E.L.D. I was like a carrier pigeon for Mr. Stark. Or that's how Steven Rogers had nicknamed me. I didn't like him. He thought that was all mighty and knew just about everything. So what if he was the ever first Avenger? There really wasn't any need for him to get his knickers up so high. The only people I liked were Bruce Banner, or the hulk, because he was like a big teddy bear, believe it or not. Once he had taken me to Calcutta, where he had spent several months meditating and trying to contain his anger before he had been recruited for the Avengers. I also liked Natasha Romanoff. She was nice enough to teach me how to shoot a gun and have some knowledge of self-defense. She was also nice enough to teach me how to stay not pudgy. Being the Black Widow came naturally to her, without doubt. And there was of course, my boss Tony Stark. He was the big brother type. He had hired me on the spot when our high school was being attacked by Loki and his army of aliens. The school had completely crumbed to the ground and Tony Stark had stretched his iron hand to me and asked me if I was interested in a job working for him. I said yes right away and to this day, I don't really regret it.
The stupid elevator took forever to climb up the concrete box where it was installed in. I pushed the button again, hoping it would go faster. And then, there was Thor. I remember that I had had the most stupid of all stupidity can offer crushes on him. I was over him; don't think that I was still chasing him like a dumbass. He had a mortal girlfriend and I was alone. Unrequited love hurt like a bitch. I was so hurt by the news that I had called in sick to Mr. Stark and lied that I had a stomach bug. I still feel guilty about that.
Now, I was better. I had friends, I knew the Avengers and I was useful to them and I had even started seeing a cute guy that was friends with Mr. Stark. The elevator stopped and opened. Finally! I walked out of the cold elevator. Warm humid air hit me. The sun shone through the tall glass windows in the corridor. The long hall lead to several small offices and at the end of the long hall, Tony Stark had his enormous office. I shuffled forward. People passed me along the way. Several waved or just stared. I still felt out of place. I was the youngest worker there right before Missy and two others. I felt uncomfortable and sometimes unwanted. I wasn't smart or pretty and I didn't have my talent to fall back on. I was only hired because, according to Mr. Stark, I had "spunk and an attitude that could roll over the entire city of New York. Which was semi-true. I could stand my ground against anybody. Except my boss. I could even stand up against Bruce Banner when he went all big boulder on people. I pressed my lips into a thin line and walked up to the small table where Stark Industries was kind enough to leave fresh coffee, every morning and some yummy looking pastries. I picked up a vanilla doughnut. After grabbing a napkin to wipe off the stickiness from my fingers, I poured some coffee into a paper cup and added some cinnamon creamer. Mmmm. A queen's breakfast. I munched on my goodies along the way, thinking about today's day. It was going to be similar to every other day. Nothing weird to deal with, except organizing papers that so often cluttered Mr. Stark's big desk and maybe cleaning up after Hulk, when he walked in with the rest of the Avengers after today's mission. I stopped in front of Mr. Stark's office. I fished in my pocket for the keys and quickly opened the door. I had to yank the door open, since it was heavy. I stepped in and smelled paper and a light hint of wood polisher. Mr. Stark liked to have his desk shined every day before he started the day. I walked up to his desk but stopped. I sensed somebody in there with me. Time slowed down. Mr. Stark's chair was occupied. My eyes widened when it turned over. The cup slipped from my hand and made a sloshing sound as it hit the cold marble floor beneath my feet.
Cold, piercing eyes looked back at me. They were two endless pools of black murky waters. His long hair was black like his eyes and it was tousled all over the place. His expression was almost wild, haughty. He didn't smile. I knew him anywhere. It was Loki, the god of Mischief. Thor's evil brother and the person that had tried to destroy earth two years ago. He was right in front of me and I was speechless. I was frozen with fear. I didn't know what to do. My entire body shook. Coldness shot through my veins. My legs had gone numb and they had rooted themselves to the floor.
Loki stood up from Mr. Stark's leather chair. Oh, how Mr. Stark loved that chair. Loki sauntered over to me. He was way taller than me. He had to be at least 6 feet and five inches. Very quietly, he leaned down over me and eyed me. My vision started to blur. I was too focused on him. I hadn't given it much thought as to what he would try to do. Maybe he would kill me quickly and get it over with. Maybe, he would make me suffer and made sure that I would remember until I just gave up on breathing and living. I finally found my voice. It came out hoarse, like I had just sang an opera number.
"What are you doing here, Loki?" I sneered at him. Loki tilted his head up and walked away from me. "I thought that Thor had imprisoned you for your crime!" I yelled at him. He seemed indifferent. He seemed to take in a deep breath and getting ready to talk.
"Look, child." His voice surprised me. It was strangely calm and collected. I thought that Loki had some of temper, according to Thor's stories of their younger days in Asgard. I paid more attention to Loki. He was gorgeous. He was really attractive, I had to admit. His skin was flawless and he had sharp features that made him seem even more beautiful. Loki was different than his brother. His brother was more rugged. Loki looked delicate and fragile. He had an angel-like aura. I shook my head. Was I feeling pity for him? Hell no. He almost destroyed Earth. I went back to my bitchy persona.
"I said, what are you-…" Before I could continue, Loki spoke to me again. He was getting impatient and angry. I feared that he would start to hurt me or worse. I swallowed air but it got stuck in my throat. Swallowing just air felt painful from how terrified I was.
"I am here for the Tesseract. Tell me where I can acquire it." He narrowed his eyes at me, most likely thinking that he looked menacing. I started giggling because he was doing the opposite of scaring me. It was really funny. I stopped laughing when I saw Loki's jaw clench and unclench. Loki was leaning against Mr. Stark's desk now, holding his powerful weapon: A staff that seemed to glow with every movement that he made. I hadn't even noticed it before.
"Where is the Tesseract?!" He boomed. His voice echoed through the room. I looked out the windows, hoping that Mr. Stark would come flying through the windows, and save me from certain doom. Nothing. Just the windows rattling from the voice. I shook violently. He walked over to me and grabbed my arm. I yelped in pain and he squeezed my forearm even harder. I gritted my teeth to prevent myself from screaming for help. Several veins in his neck popped out. I was amazed. His muscles were visible through his strange armor. He wasn't wearing his horned helmet at least. He shook me. My teeth chattered. I started to yell at him, to get his attention, so that he would stop.
"I don't know where the stupid Tesseract is, Loki." I spat at him. "And even if I did know, I would never tell you. You're the scum of the universe, Loki. What exactly are you up to, h'mm, Loki?" I grinned without humor. He grew even more infuriated and I knew I was pushing my luck. He gave my arm one last squeeze. Suddenly, I was arm born. He had flung me across the room as if I was a rag doll. I hit the window panes hard. The windows shattered behind me. Glass flew on my hair and stuck to my shirt. The pieces jetted through the air. My long hair covered my vision like a curtain and I started falling. I didn't know how much time it would take a nineteen year old girl who only weighed one hundred and forty pounds to fall to the center of the Earth. I simply closed my eyes. It is true that your whole life flashed before you when you're dying. I greeted darkness, peacefully.