Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.
The air that caressed Natasha Romanoff's face as she drove her S.H.I.E.L.D. issued jeep through the deserted land of New Mexico was warm against her cheeks, and sent her fire-red hair whipping around her face.
She was returning to the newly erected headquarters in Nevada, one of the few states on the western coast that was secluded enough to host such an expansive facility, after completing a mission in Texas.
Since The Avengers had split after the event in New York City, she was the only one to return to active duty with S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately. Clint Barton was still on leave, and the others had returned to their own lives; Stark with his tower, Banner with his patients, Thor back in Asgard with his brother, and Rogers still working on catching up with the times.
Natasha prefered to stay on duty, to keep herself busy. If she didn't, she would think of Agent Coulson's death, the red on her ledger that would never be wiped clean...
She frowned at the thought. She'd always held in her mind that she could right her wrongs. It wasn't until her conversation with Loki on the helicarrier that she had doubts about the absolution of her crimes.
With the thought of Loki, she realized now that she was near the location of Thor's first appearance on Earth. He'd dropped from the eye of a storm and to the desert floor. And as her eyes questioningly sought out the spot she knew from his file, the flicker of light in the sky would be her answer.
The light fell from the sky, came crashing to the ground in a cloud of dirt and dust. Natasha swore in Russian, and swerved the van off of the road just in time to avoid a piece of debris that scattered in her path from the collision.
Another piece clipped the jeep, large enough to offset the wheels and cause her to lose control of the vehicle. As the jeep began to flip, she jumped out of the open window and rolled along the rugged desert floor, cursing loudly as she did, feeling the rocks and plants tear at her skin and her leather jumpsuit.
The jeep crashed and rolled a few times before coming to a stop on its side, the metal crying against the abuse. Natasha grunted as she forced herself up from the ground, and she began her advance on the site of the crash.
As she increased her speed she checked for her guns, pulling one from the holster on her thigh and raising it in preparation for a possible attack.
The debris was mostly settled by the time she made it to the site, and when she saw movement at the center of it she hid behind a boulder to observe before she advanced.
She watched as the figure stood, unfolded himself to his full stature. His back was to her, but she knew the broad shoulders, the lean body clad in green, black, and silver all too well.
And when he turned to face where she was hidden, his identity was confirmed. Her eyes scanned over the pale, sculped face, the raven-black hair slicked back from his face. He was sweating and breathing heavily, weakened perhaps from his travels, and though she knew this man to be feared, something much more frightening caught her attention.
Clasped in his hands, glowing strong and blue and powerful, was the Tesseract.
''I am not one to be snuck up on twice, Agent Romanoff,'' he breathed, his words heavy with exhaustion. ''What a fate of mine, that one of you wretches would be the first to happen upon me.''
Natasha rose from her spot behind the boulder, gun trained on Loki. ''A fate befitting someone such as yourself.''
''Someone such as myself?'' He inquired, an eyebrow raising only in the slightest, and his lip twinged in amusement. His body was weakening now, and he was fighting to stay on his feet.
''Someone doomed to fail,'' she stated.
Her words woke a rage in him that fueled him. His face drained of any amusement it had held before, and only a deadly seriousness remained. He adjusted himself back to his full height and he approached her slowly, each step a threat.
She backed up a step with each of his to keep the distance, but when she found herself backed into another disgarded boulder, she remained in place. She did not like being cornered, but she could not turn her back on him to escape.
''You may have defeated me once, but you will not defeat me again,'' he stated, still taking minor steps towards her.
''And what is your plan this time?'' she inquired, forcing her eyes to stay trained on him as her mind searched for a route of escape. ''We have no other monsters in our closets for you to manipulate, Banner-''
''Banner is not the only monster in your closet,'' Loki said, a slight smirk playing at his lips. ''Only the largest.''
He was face to face with the barrel of her gun now.
''The weakest of them all,'' Loki said, his eyes meeting hers over the barrel, ''You have nothing more to offer than your beautiful face and these pitiful weapons. Neither will win you a fight against a god.''
Natasha said nothing, but raised her chin slightly in defiance.
Loki raised his hand slowly, clasping his fingers around her wrist, and lowered the weapon to her waist without resistance. The slightest pressure and her hand released the gun, and it clattered noisily to the ground.
And there was her opening. With both of his hands taken, one by her wrist and the other by the Tesseract, she brought her one free hand up and struck the god across the face with a closed fist.
He pulled back in shock, and she drew her knee to her chest and kicked out, sending him flying back and giving herself momentum to flip up and over the boulder at her back.
Loki landed on his feet, skidding to a stop in the dirt. He advanced on the Black Widow, and though she expertly blocked most of his strikes, he landed one backhanded swing to the side of her face, and she collided harshly with the ground.
''Stay down, little spider,'' he spat. He brushed his fingers across his lip where her first blow had landed, and when he drew it back it was spotted with blood. His eyebrows raised in surprise, as he was weakened enough from his imprisonment and his travel by the Tesseract to be injured by a human woman.
She saw the blood, and their eyes met for only a split second before she went to draw another gun stashed at her waist. But he was too fast for her, and he kicked the gun from her hand and lifted her up roughly by her arm. She felt the pop of her shoulder from its appropriate socket, and with little effort he tossed her through the air. She rolled a few moments before her back and head struck a solid boulder, and the edges of her vision blurred.
She scrambled for her first discarded gun, and this time she was fast enough. She pulled the trigger just as he moved above her, and he recoiled back, his hand flying to his side. There was little blood, but a few droplets spilled down onto her leather jumpsuit.
She stumbled to her feet, and though she was unsteady, her hands did not waver as she kept the gun trained on Loki. He was doubled over, but his head was back and his eyes were on hers. A cold shiver ran through her then, and though she had the upper hand now, she knew his eyes promised that he would have his revenge.
''You have bested me weak, Agent Romanoff,'' he said, slowly drawing himself up again. But the way he walked towards her seemed off, and when she pulled the trigger again and the bullet passed through the projection, her heart lodged in her throat.
She felt the cold press of his hand to her neck from behind, felt his cold fingers wrap around her throat, and when his other hand coiled around her injured shoulder, her vision began to go dark.
''When we meet again, I will not be so,'' he breathed into her ear, and the cold sent violent shivers up her spine.
When he spoke again, it was a whisper. ''I will tear your little family apart, one by one, and I will make sure you see them all fall.''
He released her then, letting her cripple to the ground. When he was gone, Natasha pressed the button to the microphone in her ear, her direct communication with Director Fury. As she nursed her wounded arm, she explained the situation to Fury with her last few conscious breaths. Just as the edges of the black overcame her, she heard Fury ordering a medic to her location.
Author's Note: The first encounter is always the hardest to write, in any story. It sets the tone for the next one, and pretty much all of the ones after. Hopefully it was good. Thank you for reading, please review!
