I slowly approached the door, but before I could reach it, a man walked in. He had black hair slicked back, green and yellow robes, and a weird scepter thing. I looked at him in pure fear. I had just been kidnapped and beaten by this man, what was I supposed to do? I knew who he was, and why he wanted me, but I was still scared. What are the odds that a twenty one year old could defeat a god?
"It took me a long time to find you, Hailey James," Loki said. I winced when he said my name. It felt like ice travelled through my spine.
"That's kind of why I went into hiding," I said, trying to act like I didn't feel like cracking, but he saw right through me. "Well, you found me. What now?"
He slowly approached me with his scepter, with an evil grin that almost made me scream. I kicked him where it counted when he got close enough. He fell to his knees, swearing under his breath. I sat there stunned. I had just kicked a god in the crotch.
He picked up his scepter. "I see you have a death wish. Let me make that come true, hm?" Loki said. Right before he could impale me, the door thrust open. A man I had never seen before walked in. He wore a star-spangled uniform, a winged hat, and carried a shield with a star in the dead center.
"Excuse me," he said confidently, "I believe you have someone that doesn't belong to you." He stood tall, and Loki just looked at him like "oh crap, you".
"She doesn't belong to me? I thought it was finders' keepers?" Loki said. Loki grabbed my wrist. I felt his cold fingers tighten every second, and they continued to freeze. My wrist felt like it was stuck in a freezer. "And I found her first, so tell Fury that he lost this one." Lost this one?
"What am I? A prize you win or lose?" I said angrily. The man looked at me like I had just killed five people. "Would you let go of me?" I asked. His grip only tightened. Then something I hadn't felt in five years came back. Oh crap, I thought, just keep it hidden, too many people know, I thought.
"Let her go Loki," the man said.
"The super soldier coming for the damsel in distress, how nice. However, letting you take her from me would be a mistake," Loki said.
"Damsel in distress?" I said. I stepped on his foot, which caused him to let go of me. The man looked at me stunned, so I took his shield and wacked Loki upside the head with it.
"Hey!" he exclaimed. Then I pointed to unconscious Loki, and the man looked at me as if he were impressed with me hitting a man over the head with a giant shield. "My name is Captain Steve Rogers, member of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Hailey James," I said. "Here's your shield back, sorry I just needed something to hit him with." The Captain just laughed.
"It wasn't heavy for you? I mean you're pretty small," he said. "Not that that's a bad thing," he stuttered. "I know plenty of strong small women, trust me, um…" I just laughed.
"No it was pretty heavy, but I've lifted heavier," I replied. He smiled with relief.
"Well Miss James, I am quite impressed," Captain Rogers said.
"Thank you Captain Rogers," I replied. As I walked over to the door, I remember that I did something to my ankle. How I forgot about that earlier? I have no idea, considering how much it hurt right now. I took another step and fell on my face. As Rogers helped me back up, Loki woke up and was infuriated. The last thing I remember before blacking out was Loki yelling "HOT HOT HOT!"
I had a splitting head ache when I woke up. I looked around me and I was in a cell, and at my right sat Captain Rogers. He looked relieved when I muttered "what the hell happened…"
"Glad to see you're ok," he said as he poured me a glass of water. He handed it to me and my hand was shaking. He took it from me when I spilled some on the blanket.
"Where am I? What happened back there?" I asked.
"You're on an airplane thing, and well, after you blacked out, Loki dropped his scepter and looked at his burning hands. I hit him over the head again, took you and ran out of there. I don't know how a Frost Giant's hands could be burning, but his were," Captain Rogers said.
"Burning?" I asked. He nodded. I attempted to get up, but my knees where shaking so bad that I couldn't stand. "This isn't good, not at all."
"What?" he asked.
"Let's just say Loki figured something I've hidden pretty well throughout my life, and it isn't good." I felt a hand touch mine.
"It's ok," Rogers said. He seemed calm about the whole thing, which put me at ease a little, but I still felt uneasy. "Your hands are freezing," he said. I felt my hands against my face, and he was right, they were.
"Can you hand me that glass of water?" I asked. He gave it to me, and I stared at it.
"Are you waiting for something to happen to it or something?" he asked confused.
"Hold on… here it comes…" I said. In a matter of seconds, the water began bubbling, and Rogers looked like he was going to have a heart attack. When I gave him the water, the bubbles stopped, and he quickly put it on the table.
"How did you do that?" he asked. "Y-You did that to Loki?" I nodded. "H-How?"
"Well, I was kind of born with this tendency to light up on fire," I said. I stuck out my shaking hands and flames danced across my palms. He freaked out again. "Yeah, because seeing a man in a star-spangled uniform carrying a giant heavy shield coming to save you isn't weird at all, and then the guy who kidnapped you calls him a 'super soldier' is totally normal."
He sat quietly.
"Sorry," I said.
"Are you a hot head?" he said laughing. I hit him with a pillow. He just laughed even harder. "It was a joke, relax." I hit him again with the pillow. "Why are you on Loki's radar?" he asked in all seriousness now.
"None of your concern," I said. How could I be so stupid to let Loki find out my biggest secret?
"Maybe not any of mine, personally, but it is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s concern. Loki is kind of our main priority, so any other contact with him we try to get our hands on," Captain Rogers said.
"Well," I said swallowing my pride, "Loki has kept his eye on me for the past five years, because he knew I could be a threat to him. You know, fire and ice don't exactly mix well. So I've been in hiding, and last night he finally found me on accident. He beat me, and brought me wherever we were. Right before he killed me, you came in." Captain Rogers took it all in, not missing a single word. I looked at him directly, and noticed that I hadn't actually seen his face until now. "So why are you a 'super soldier'?"
"I'm surprised you haven't heard of Captain America," he said laughing.
"Who?" I asked. He looked at me in disbelief.
"Are you serious? You have never heard of Captain America?" he asked.
"Not once," I responded.
"Well, he's me," he explained. I turned bright red once I realized that I had just said I had never heard of him. "I was a tiny little thing who didn't know how to talk to a girl—"
"You still don't know how to talk to a girl," I interjected.
"Who is telling this story?" he said. "And then this scientist saw me, and told me about a project about making a soldier into a super soldier, someone with incredible strength, and great love of his country. So they chose me, and I was a success. Before the scientist could make more of his serum, he was shot," it looked like it pained him to recall that memory, "and it was lost. So I became a super soldier."
"Wouldn't this be on the news or something?" I asked.
"Well, maybe during World War Two," he said as more memories came back to him. "I was flying this plane that was going to blow up New York, and I had to crash it in the ice. I was well 'asleep' for seventy years until they found my body and found out I was still alive," he said.
"Wow…" I said. He nodded. Before I could say anything, a man with an eye patch walked in. The super soldier left the room which made me nervous. He was kind of the only person I could trust so I was kind of not trying to freak out.
"You gave us quite a scare Mrs. James," the man said.
"It's actually Miss James now," I said as the memories came rushing back.
"Ok then Miss James," he said as if he were irritated. "How do you know Loki?"
"From a long time ago. Probably after I graduated high school. He ran into me when I was moving into my first apartment," I explained.
"Do you not plan on going to college?" he asked me.
"Well, I was going to do the necessary classes at a community college then go to school for other classes," I said. Why does he care if I go to college or not?
"Why aren't you in school now? Why were you hiding, Miss James?" he said, his voice getting more serious with every word.
"What does it matter to you?" I said shortly. What is it to him?
"Just answer the question. Avoiding Loki?" he said.
"I got married to a man named Andy James, and that's all I am legally allowed to talk about," I said.
"Did you not just explain some of this to Rogers?" he asked.
"I did, but this is an interrogation, that was a conversation. Also, I only went into small detail. If you carefully searched me, which I'm assuming you did, you probably know about my…talent, and that's all I said. So I technically have been staying within the legal requirements," I said. He glared at me.
"Why did you not switch back to your maiden name?" he asked. I shook my head. A red head poked her head in, and asked him to step out. "Don't move," he said and left.
I got up and paced around. I was so screwed. I knew I should have gotten out Europe when I had the chance, gone to India or something. They wouldn't have found me there. Soon they would find out everything. My family, my relationship with Loki, and the lies I said. Everything. It was now like a ticking time bomb before they figured me out. I had to get out of here.
"Hey, you wanna give the new girl a scare?" I heard a familiar voice say.
"That would not be wise. I hear she has a fiery temper," a new one said. Funny I thought.
"Oh come on, what's the harm? It's all in good humor," the first voice said. I looked around, there were no windows, no air ducts to crawl through, nothing. This bomb was about to explode.
"Alright," the other said. They ran through the door yelling "FRESH MEET!" Then I saw Tony's jaw drop.
"Hey Tony…" I said turning red.
"Who is this fair maiden?" the man wearing a cape said. He stared at me, and it was freaking me out.
"THAT'S MY SISTER YOU'RE STARING AT." Tony said, horrified at what he saw.
"Um, long time no see. How've you been?" I said pacing around the room.
Then the man with the eye patch came running back in the room. Tony looked like he had seen a ghost. I heard him mutter something about how he thought I was the good child, so I was pretty much freaking out. I tried to bolt, but he grabbed my arm,
"Stark, what's going on?" he ask.
"Fury, this is my little sister, Hailey Stark. What the hell do you need with my little sister?" Tony said. Fury looked at me like I had just committed a felony.
"I can explain," I said. "Tony explain."
"You were supposed to be the good one and now you're being hunted by Loki!" he exclaimed.
"Thanks for the backup bro," I said.
"Fury, can you give us a second?" he asked. Fury left the room, unhappy as ever. He was infuriated it seemed.
"How the hell did you get yourself in a mess like this? You were so responsible, and actually graduated without being looked up to as a god!" he exclaimed.
"Oh please, you love the attention," I said. He glared at me. "I'm not legally allowed to talk about it," I said.
"OH THIS IS JUST GREAT! YOU'RE IN LEGAL TROUBLE TOO!" he yelled.
"Yeah. But it wasn't my fault. It was Andy's!"
"You sound like you're back in high school, blaming your boyfriends for the breakup. When are you going to take some responsibility Hailey!"
"Responsibility?" I said, "You're going to talk to me about responsibility? I saved your ass pretty much every night because you were off somewhere getting drunk, and you are talking to me about responsibility? You cheated on every girlfriend you ever had, the only reason you graduated is because you are freaking brilliant, and you always act like you are the super hero of the century!" I looked at him with cold eyes. He looked at the ground.
"Well if you look at it objectively, I never made you do any of that stuff," he said. "Do you have any food in here?" I slapped him. Before I could say anything else, the red head walked in.
"Stark, Fury wants you in the next room," she said calmly. He left, rubbing his cheek. I sat down on the bed and looked at the ground. I felt like I was back in high school. "Legal trouble?" she asked.
"Yeah. I should technically be turned over to the FBI but I'm guessing that won't happen," I explained. She just nodded.
"If you tell us what happened, we can help you avoid this," she explained.
"Maybe the FBI but Loki is a different issue," I said. She looked at me confused. "I lied to Rogers when I told him. I wasn't ready to explain what happened with a random stranger. He does find me as a threat, but a threat he wants to control. He knows that using his scepter won't work for what he wants, so he needs to find a new way, a way that will last until the day I die. He doesn't want to kill me, he wants to use me." The ginger just nodded.
"He needs to try numerous things on you until you crack and give him what he wants," she reasoned. I nodded. Tears filled my eyes, but I wasn't ready to break down crying, that would show I was weak.
"That's all I'm legally allowed to say," I said.
"I understand," she said. "Natasha Romanov, by the way."
"Hailey James," I said.
"It's a pleasure having you on board Miss James," Natasha said. She left the room, so there I was left alone with my thoughts.
The bomb had exploded, and a new one had replaced it. Now it was a time bomb until they figured out the rest of my life. It would take more time than this bomb did, but it is sure to explode, and leave burns everywhere.