Maria Hill didn't believe in angels.
It was probably one of the worst crime scenes she had to cover.
"Well… this poor guy sure did piss somebody off." She stated, helping place the victim, or what was left of him, in a body bag without complaint. She wondered if they would ever find any evidence to the killer, but soon the case grew cold. She hated those.
Life went on, and the agent had her snags. There were numerous time when she looked back at a mission and wonder how she survived without death or injury. Maybe it was good luck, but the more religious agents would say it was a guardian angel. She couldn't believe that.
She didn't hear the man until it was too late, and she turned to face the barrel of a gun. Maria expected blood, pain or something from him. The ground shook beneath them and the man lost his balance, giving Maria the chance to raise her own weapon and end the fight. When she left the scene, she could have sworn she saw a man in green. After a blink, he was gone. She blamed lack of sleep.
After the third time of spotting the flash of green, Maria had her eyes checked. She didn't believe in that guardian nonsense. There wasn't anything wrong, so she left for yet another mission.
Maria Hill stood in a crowded ballroom, bored out of her mind. She had spent the first ten minutes spotting her target, and the rest of the hour watching him play host to over two hundred people. The agent watched gleefully as he left the room, and she followed discretely. They ended up in a room with a chandelier, and the most beautiful stained glass windows she had ever seen. The agent pulled out her service weapon with a silencer and crashed the meeting, effectively finishing her mission with ease. She turned to leave when another man, twice her size, blocked the only exit. Maria was backed into a corner, and was pulling the hidden blade from her hair when it happened. The apparent faulty chandelier came crashing to the ground, crushing her opponent underneath. She ran from the room, hiding the blade again and walking back into the crowded ballroom. Maria glanced around for any followers, yet her eyes fell on a man in green. Something told her to leave while she had the chance, but instead she made eye contact and her steps led her to him. The man turned and walked around a corner, and when she followed, he was gone.
She still didn't believe in angels, but Maria Hill began to question her beliefs. The agent sat at home, nursing a glass of water when she got another call. It seemed she was doing quite a few missions these days.
The Shield uniform was torn in a few places, and she had a bloodied lip from a punch she didn't see coming, but other than that she was alright. Sure, the room she and the other two agents were holed up in was surrounded, but they had gotten out of worse. Being the leader, she insisted on going out first, and she did, taking out two of the enemy forces instantly. More came, and more fell beneath the feet of the three. She gave the order for the two to split from her, and they ran separate courses to clear the building.
Maria turned the corner to watch as the man in green raised a hand in the air, twisting it as the neck of the assailant cracked. She froze, gun mid-air.
"Please don't shoot me." He stated, voice calm. She thought she detected a bit of smugness as well.
"You.. I've seen you before. You've been following me." Her eyes trailed to the body on the floor. "Every time I've been in a bad place, you've been there."
"Yes. And you've left those places alive, if I may make the observation."
"Who are you?"
"I am Loki.. and I hated to break that chandelier."
"I don't understand. What are you?"
"I'm your angel. You could even say guardian angel." Loki took slow steps towards her, and with a twitch of his fingers, the gun she held turned into a glass of red wine.
She looked at the wine and almost dropped it, but instead grimaced at the loss of her gun.
"Your gun's can't harm me." The angel grabbed the glass from her, taking a sip with a smile of appreciation. "You don't believe in angels, do you?."
"If you were my angel, you would know that I don't."
Loki just smiled, and took a long step back. Maria watched as two black wings appeared behind him, and she took her own step back.
"Do not be afraid, Maria. Why would I harm you if I've spent the last few years continually saving your life? You have a penchant for danger, I think."
She shrugged and inspected the wings until they disappeared.
"I believe thanks are in order then. But why me?"
"I simply find you interesting."
Maria blinked, and the angel was gone again. Her gun was on the floor, and she smiled.
She ran her fingers through her hair and said her first prayer in a long time: thank you.
