Don't own anything except original characters. All material (c) to respective owners. I write these for fun and make no profit. They're just random plot bunnies that live within my strange mind
A/N:I don't honestly know how well this turned out. I went with my instinct and the characters took over from there. It isn't my usual fandom to write for and I'm trying it on for size. I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.
Chapter 1: Crashed
Chaos, the one word that best described my job at present and I wasn't sure it was all I had hoped it would be. I loved comic books. This job working in the only comic store in town had been dreams come true. We sold all the action toy goodies, special editions and comics galore. I loved it until the day the store decided to close down. Here I see my world spinning out of control. I play the good employee working for my last paycheck-which by the way will be in about a week. I see the last of those wonders find new homes, watch the storeroom grow empty with no resupply and wonder how I got here.
Two weeks ago it was business as usual, the latest comic movies creating a big bang in sales and in walks the manager. It was gather around, guess what? In three weeks you will be in need of a new job and we will no longer exist.
The great dreaded wham, bam, thank you ma'am, the end of a comfy job and my happy place. I would have to go back to waitressing at the hotel restaurant across the street and be tired of late night drunks and overdone hotel parties. I pick up the last of the Avengers action figure special editions and eye the character over. Detailed down to the slightest facial detail of the great actor that played the all bad ass villain Loki in the movie. I don't usually root for the villains, in his case I certainly didn't but at this point I wonder what he would do to my boss and the images comfort me.
"Aspen!" I look up from the figure in my hand realizing my finger was distractedly tracing the images from the movie. "Please tell me not all the Avengers things are gone." I roll my eyes focusing my attention on the comic obsessed regular that I had become good friends with.
Short with frizzy dark hair and wide green eyes, so wide it reminds one of an animal caught in a trap. She wears far too much eye shadow and more often than not her clothing choice screams dark and dramatic. I size her up today seeing she's wearing a black dress that stops at her knees with a ripped wispy style that reminds me of Morticia Addams dress from the show. Complete with the long flowing sleeves and a far too large black spider necklace clasped at her throat.
"Alicia who dressed you today?" I ask lifting the last Loki figure up to her nose seeing her wide eyes cross in astonishment before her thin dark lips lift in a pleased sort of grin. "Morticia Addams or Lilly Munster?" I know the references are not lost on her judging by the narrowed eyes and faded smile.
"I was inspired by Elvira today…you should admire their fashion sense. I get a lot of attention." I somehow didn't think that a good thing. "Loki? Is he it? I have him already; I was hoping you might have Ironman left."
Naturally the odd one would want the only Avengers figure that was not left in the entire store. I smile sweetly, that is enough to elicit a groan of defeat from her and I watch her plaster her forehead on the glass counter before me in defeat. Glancing around I notice all the shelves, comic racks and the like are nearly empty. The whole comic store is a skeleton of the colorful assortment it used to be. Green walls, sickly colored worn brown carpet and mismatched paneling trim that blocks off the offices and store room behind the counter. I almost want to cry when I see the last of the posters come down with a simple flick of a wrist.
"I liked that Doctor Who poster too." Reluctantly I check out the customer seeing that soon it won't be worth my time to even come to the store. "Allie…I feel trounced by progress and the lack of action figures." Slowly the head of dark wild tangles lifts revealing a pale overly dramatic looking girl staring back at me.
Looking around Alicia nods in agreement. "Empty, hollow…a shell and utter ghost of the wonderful world of adventure that used to be housed her. The delicate fingers of die-hard fans coming for miles just to view the magic of comics and to gain that one unobtainable action figure to make them feel complete." I stare at her my mouth parted in disbelief, sometimes I wondered if she even had the slightest grasp on reality.
"Overly theatrical as always." I tap my fingers lightly on the glass catching sight of the deep emerald green nail police with the smoky hints of black sparkles and again find myself reminded of the avengers figure neglected at my side.
"This blows." I see Alicia frown at my less melodramatic approach to the situation.
"Aspen," I look up seeing the back of the manager as always, before he slips something on the glass counter and goes back to his office. "Have a great day." Are his last words before I openly mock him.
Since the shutdown I wasn't in a good mood or did I feel at all kind toward the man. I lift the white envelope in my hand and skim it suspiciously before delicately slitting the paper and pulling out what I knew was coming. My last paycheck indicating today was it. Alicia stares her mouth open in silent protest while I stare at it and then eye the figure beside me. If I'm to leave this place I plan to take Loki with me. I drop money in the cash register and pack him under my arm before starting for the door. I ignore Alicia scrambling after me and pause outside getting hit with a blast of cold stormy weather.
My boots click along the cracked walkway that I take to my car parked on the side of the street. Alicia pauses behind me directing her gaze over the dark green jeep with distaste at the splash of black flames across it. She swore that I chose to root for the bad guys, just because I favored Loki's colors did not mean I liked the world being torn apart in his name or over driven ego. He was psychological mess and had it in his head it was his brother's fault. Typical case that even a psychiatrist wouldn't want to go through.
"The Loki mobile." I sigh sliding the action figure into the passenger side and slam the door in fury. I liked my job and the only thing that twit cared about was money.
"Allie for the millionth time…I'm not a Loki follower." She lifts a brow in disbelief before pointing from my toes to my head.
I scan my choice of outfit distracted by her accusing black painted fingernail. I am wearing black heeled boots jeans and an oversized dark green sweater that falls off one shoulder with a black t-shirt underneath. So it would seem that I may have a thing for his colors, however I wore them before I met her and will do so with or without her accusation of adoring Loki. Shaking my head I indicate her dress mocking her assortment of favored horror movie looks.
"Just admit that you like Loki, doesn't mean you have to root for him."
"I like Loki. Although I like the Avengers winning and the fact that Bruce can turn into a big bad beating machine. I laughed at 'Puny god' if you recall." She crossed her arms pouting slightly her gaze lowered to the ground grudgingly. "Allie, I love you as a friend and adore all your quirks but I'm not a pleasant person to be around right now. Can I go sulk please?"
Alicia looks up staring me down before smiling just slightly and nodding.
"Yeah, go pretend that the boss is a villain and kick the crap out of him at the gym." I smile moving around to the driver's side of my jeep and climb in.
I flip on the radio putting my player on random and stare at the store one last time. I pull out into traffic and am on my way. I take the long way to the gym hoping to calm down as I drive. I groan hearing the avenger's music kick on and find my love of movie soundtracks at this point daunting. Shaking my head in defeat I turn on the wipers and squint out seeing the sky darkening and the fog settle in. It's getting worse and hard to see other cars as they pass, lightning and thunder that feels as if it's rattling my jeep startle me. I pull over waiting for the torrents of rain to let up and start again. Flashes of eyes greet me before I slam on the breaks just missing deer running in front of me and sigh carefully starting forward again.
The sound of heavy water is very thick around me, before I realize what is going on and gain control of the car again I cry out. The car is sliding down the embankment toward the lake below and a lot of trees are in the way. I had taken the dirt roads to get to the gym and had forgotten the torrential rain weather we had been getting for nearly two weeks.
A sharp thud causes me to hit my head before I realize I'm caught between two trees and well away from the water. My head aches terribly before I slowly close my eyes seeing bright lights and an assortment of flashes.
I hear the ripping sound of metal glancing up feeling like someone had a jackhammer going off in my head. The steady sound of ripping metal gets worse before I feel a rush of cool air and hear voices. I assume their emergency services and am grateful before closing my eyes groaning in pain. I absently wonder if this is what it felt like for someone who hit their head one too many times.
"She must be associated with him." Snaps familiar voices drawing me from the warm feeling of blankets and the odd buzzing in my head.
"Because she's wearing green and black? Or is it because there is nothing to identify her inside that mangled vehicle that was part of Thor's last battle with Loki? If she's his ally why did he leave her behind in that mangled mess?" more familiar voices and names that made her wonder if she had fallen into a bad play made up by fan freaks.
"Wait for the girl to heal already; she has a concussion and several other injuries." This voice made me open my eyes very aware of the familiarity and alarming me. "We learned to work together and let's keep it that way please."
"I'm wacko." In conclusion I slowly glance around finding only gray shadows and a small room. Reminded of a cubicle at best I study the room finding that I'm on a simple cot and the rest of the room is barren for the most part. A single what appears to be metal doors is off to my right with a small slat that I assume is a window. I keep the blanket close seeking comfort reaching around the back of my head and find that it's gauzed up pretty good and that it hurt to even rub it.
"Why is it the only one that ever makes sense is Bruce?" Questioned a sarcastic voice that she found had hints of entertainment in it. "It is safe to assume that she was a hostage at the moment. I have Jarvis aiding in a print search."
"Let Natasha in there. She could get something out of her."
"We all need to calm down. We will know more once she wakes up." Staring at the door now convinced I had lost my mind completely I stood weaving in place and found myself back on the bed.
I spent a good what I figures was an hour before hearing the sound of the door opening and sliding into the corner of my room. Staring up I tilt my head examining the lone figure that had braved the unknown to come see me. I had expected this to all be some joke; I even expected that if it wasn't that he would be the last one allowed into the room to see me. Especially if I wasn't crazy and this was really happening.
"How is your head?" I stared watching another figure poke his head into the doorway before the first indirectly lifted a hand and pushed him out effectively shutting the door behind him.
"Sounds like a bunch of wasps loose in my brain." I answer trying to grasp at my sanity thinking all hope on that was already gone. "Who are you?"
I knew that answer-my brain said I did, I however didn't believe it and preferred denial.
"Dr. Banner." He hesitates watching me curl tighter into the wall. "I believe you were caught in the crossfire of a battle between our friend and his brother." He made no move to come closer which aided me in processing what he was saying.
"Bruce Banner. They think I was in the middle of a fight between Thor and Loki? My car ran off the road and then I hit trees and woke up…here." I don't feel threatened, I should but I don't and look up seeing him come closer though he looks convinced that I may be a threat.
"Do you know who you are?" he asks steadying his dark gaze on my head.
"Aspen Wren." I can't help but stare, he's identical to the movie and that in itself is strange.
His hair is in disarray clearly due to the argument I had overhead. He's wearing brown slacks, tan shirt and a white lab coat. Its' pretty clear he's been in the lab opposed to chasing around searching for Loki and Thor. She had a feeling that not all of them had been involved into whatever tiff had been happening.
"Do you remember what happened?"
"My car crashing into trees during a storm." He smiled at that, clearly he assumed that Thor was the cause for the storm. "Not to sound like a crazy person but this is not my world." Here he paused the flashlight lowering from my gaze.
"Not your world?" He looks unconvinced, not that I'm shocked and I know for a fact that it won't occur to them that I'm telling the truth until I come up as not existing in their universe. "You must have hit your head much harder, perhaps during Loki's attempt at using you as a shield." He sounded so sure that I didn't bother to argue watching him slowly unwind the bandages around my head.
I look up watching the door open again seeing a distinctly feminine figure enter the room. I already know she's Black Widow, I would be an idiot to assume any different and can only guess why she's entered the room. I must be in the middle of the hellicarrier and I can only imagine how high we are off in the sky right now. I suddenly find myself feeling queasy and lower my head familiar with the symptoms of concussion.
"She's had one before." Natasha observes stepping into the gloomy light provided by what I assume are dark lights for the safety of my head injury.
"Yes I have…twice. Once from kickboxing and the second time when I fell down a flight of stairs getting things out of the wine cellar at work." The reason she wished to not go back to hotels.
Natasha tensed up at the mention of defense clashes; she was worried more for herself than their prisoner. Bruce didn't need to be pissed off into the big green Hulk. Slowly I glance up seeing the rigidly in her stance and internal groan. If I say don't worry I won't make him green and scary that automatically implies I'm an associate of Loki's. Dark tight body suit, curly red hair that bobs around her shoulders and hard blue eyes set on me in a warning of non-violence for my benefit.
I find the challenge entertaining but make no move to actually make her mad. I wasn't an idiot and was fairly sure that Black Widow could kick my ass around the block twice before I got my hand lifted for an offensive or defensive move. Bruce stares his lips parted seeming astonished before Natasha carefully moves into the room and guardedly watches what he's worried over.
"Self-healing?" I blink at that, now that is a joke there is no way I can self-heal spontaneously.
That would be too convenient for this world and I was pretty sure it was done before. Bruce shook his head indicating something with hand movement before she seemed to be alert to the method and exited the room.
"It would appear that Thor believing you was involved involuntary during the battle that he brought something from Asgard to heal you with." I had to roll that over in my mind and wait before I processed the only way to do that would be his mother or father, I leaned heavily toward Frigga his mother.
"I'm not from this world; you won't find me in any data base. What I can tell you is I have no desire to help Loki and am really sick of that being an assumption. I think I was caught in some dimensional crossfire with Thor coming to your world." Looking unconvinced Bruce excused himself and once again I found myself in the room alone and wondering my fate.