Chapter One
A spurt of plasma whips past my head.
"Nat! They're closing in!" I don't know if she heard me but if she didn't, I'm as good as dead. The Chitauri have been pouring out of the portal for at least fifteen minutes and it doesn't look like they're going to stop anytime soon. Stark is trying to find time between fighting to figure out how to shut the Tesseract off; I hope he can find a way before the Chitauri break past the Avengers.
I duck around the corner of a building, just barely managing to avoid one of the alien vessels. I think I can see Nat a few blocks away. With awe, I watch as she jumps on the back of an alien and manages to take control of its ride. I've been in the Avengers for two years now and I'm nowhere near as good as her.
Focus.
Rushing out from behind the building, I flick my pointer finger up and relish the smooth movements of my gloves. After Fury took me to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters the night I started the fire, Stark figured out that electricity greatly increased my power. He'd made me gloves that connected to metal implants in my hands, which enabled the gloves to send electricity through my body. Nobody knows where my powers come from yet.
The orange tip on my pointer finger comes ablaze, signaling that the energy has begun to flow and I feel the heat coming down my shoulders. I've been trained to associate each finger with a power; pointer means fire, thumb means invisibility. Stark thinks there's another one. Flicking my thumb, I watch as the Chitauri become confused from fire spurting out of nowhere. The heat runs over me as I call upon it; I haven't pushed it down since the day the fire started and I've felt all the better for it.
After at least an hour of fighting, I can feel my limits closing in. Even in training, we always stopped after forty-five minutes of continuous action. I'm going to have to ramp up my exercise regimen. I thank the Lord when Nat speaking over the intercom gives me an excuse to rest.
"Stark! I got the portal. We have to close it."
I allow my invisibility to protect me as I gaze up at the Avengers tower. Somehow Nat has made it up to the roof and I smile when I see the smoking remains of the vessel she stole. She's holding something in her hands and I realize with relief that it's pierced the energy field around the Tesseract.
"You can't. Someone in S.H.I.E.L.D. fired a missile and it's headed straight for the center of Manhattan. I'm gonna try to get it through the portal."
Something that I assume is Stark zooms above my head and my invisibility flickers.
"Shit!"
The Chitauri have begun firing at me and I flick both fingers again, whirling around as I toss flames at the aliens. Unfortunately my aim hasn't improved much since I lit a chair on fire instead of Gavin. It takes several tries before I can take down all the ones near me.
"Jemma, you still with us?" Came the Captain's voice.
I lift my wrist and speak into the communicator, compliments of Nat. She has the same one.
"I say wait for the missile. A few more aliens is nothing compared to the damage it'll cause."
I look around for Stark. The red and gold of his suit isn't too hard to find against the silver (albeit damaged) buildings and blue sky. When I see the missile on his back, I gasp. It's huge. I have a bad feeling about it; S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't send a missile against an entire city.
Sneaking around the corner of the building again, I survey the amount of Chitauri near me. I push past my exhaustion and rush at the nearest one, flicking flames at it. They miss by only a couple inches this time, singing the back of its neck. I'd learned the weak spot was the area right near the hairline on the neck where the chains connecting it to the vehicle protruded.
I know I have to get closer but taking out their javelins looks to be a challenge. I flick the invisibility on and creep closer. Knowing that using fire when I'm so close to them is a bad idea, I silently slide a knife out of my belt and hope that Stark's new design is effective.
The Chitauri yells out in a garbled voice, turning around and trying to reach me as I jump onto its back and slice at the neck. To my relief the blade cuts right through, severing whatever it is that keeps them alive. As the life ebbs out of it, the Chitauri flings me off of it in one final act of violence. I land on my side, rolling over a bit to get to a standing position. I look up and see the rest of the Chitauri closing in. I have just managed to flick my thumb and run when an incredibly loud boom comes from above me.
Dear god, I hope that's not the missile…
I dash into a building and lock the door, feeling safe enough to abandon my cautiousness and look out the window. A bright light is emanating from the portal in the sky and I know Stark got the missile through. There are triumphant cheers through the intercom.
"Stark, get out of there! I need to close the portal now!"
There is no answer. My stomach drops and I watch as the Chitauri all drop to the ground. Sliding to the floor, I hope something hasn't happened. My worst fears are confirmed when Nat speaks again.
"Cap, he hasn't answered. I have to close it."
"No..." I whisper. Nobody hears my desperate plea as I saw Nat push the scepter into the portal. Half expecting something to explode, I shut my eyes and wait for the aftershock. I have no idea if connecting the Tesseract with Loki's scepter will have catastrophic results or not.
Nothing happens. Then, after a couple seconds, there's silence. I hadn't realized it, but there had been an omnipresent bass tone of the machine since it opened. The silence is almost deafening but comforting.
"Shit!"
Steve sounds almost frantic.
"He's falling! He must have made it through the portal but it doesn't look like his suit is functional. Thor, can you get him?"
I'd thought we'd left the sound of cracking glass and crumbling buildings behind but suddenly the wall I'm leaning against shakes and something hits it from above. As I scream and jump away from the window, I'm certain something else had come through the portal, but it's only the Hulk catching Stark. He lands right outside the window and I tentatively step out of the building, not sure of how to approach him. Steve runs from the street where he had been keeping the Chitauri to a perimeter and kneels next to Stark.
There's no reaction, no sudden intake of breath or dramatic opening of the eyes. He doesn't seem to be breathing, but that could just be the suit covering it up. I've almost given up hope but then the Hulk roars, whether out of rage or desperation, I don't know. This seems to scare Stark awake and he's suddenly gasping for air, eyes searching for potential enemies.
Steve looks up, relieved and anxious. "We've still got to deal with Loki."
Suddenly the intercom buzzes to life and I stand up, wondering if there's danger somewhere.
"You guys got Stark, right?"
I look at Steve, who nods. "You do the honors."
Smiling, I bring my wrist to my mouth and press the "Broadcast to All" button. This means everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. will be able to hear what I say and I don't want to mess up my first broadcast.
"All clear." I say triumphantly.
I'm sure the agents back on the helicarrier are cheering at our success. It took a lot out of us and I'm surprised we're all managing to stay standing.
"Okay Nat, stay at the tower. Loki's in the main reception room and we've got to get him under control." Steve says.
"Got it. Barton's with me too and we're taking care of Selvig."
As Steve helps Stark up, I wander in the general direction of the Avengers Tower. I wonder if we'll still be staying there like we do every night after a mission. Sure, the rest of the team has their own housing, but I live there, thanks to Stark. I'm not exactly going to go back to the state home.
We make our way to the tower, Thor preferring to fly up there. Stark's suit is so badly damaged he has to walk with us and I take the opportunity to test my new line of pranks.
I've been perfecting my ability to walk silently, all the better to help with my invisibility. It only takes a few quick taps to get Banner's attention and he quickly becomes agitated, having come back from the Hulk only minutes before. I recognize the sign and stop before he becomes uncontrollable.
The others are more fun to prank. Stark is so astonished when his helmet suddenly flips back down over his face and I break my disguise laughing while he trips.
I pull completely out of the invisibility and stand over Stark as he struggles to get up with his not-quite-functioning suit. The look on his face hardens into one of mock anger and as soon as he manages to stand he rushed at me. I laugh and halfheartedly run away until he picks me up by the waist and swings me, catapulting me down the street. Even without the mechanical strength of the suit he can still throw me pretty far.
As I land delicately on my feet, I look back at him and smirk.
"Is that the best you got, Iron Boy?"
I turn and run all the way to the Avengers Tower with the rest of them chasing after.
By the time I've reached the front door of the lobby, I'm hunched over and slightly out of breath. I'm pushing my body too much by running that far after such a battle, but I relish the speed of running. Walking is too slow. From the base of the tower I can look around and see a lot of the damage from the battle. The line of crushed windows extends far in both directions and I'm just glad I don't have to deal with that.
Stark claims his suit is functioning and JARVIS is back up again. He tries to get me to fly up the side of the tower with him straight to the entrance porch, but the gashes in his armor showing open wires doesn't convince me I won't accidentally use my power. I take my chances with the elevator.
Once we're up in the reception lobby, Natasha runs from where she was standing next to Thor and hugs me tight.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for that last part! Are you hurt? Are you o-"
"She was amazing," Steve cuts her off. "Her accuracy is getting better and better."
Nat looks at Steve pointedly.
"But is she okay?"
"I'm fine," I say, only a little bit exasperated. "Just a little bruised. Maybe a sprained ankle. Nothing big. I think the person we should be worrying about is Stark. He fell pretty hard."
By now he's working on disassembling his armor and I can tell it's hard for him to stand straight. He walks over to the bar with a limp and I subtly move over to the wall, using a panel to tell JARVIS not to let him leave the tower without getting patched up.
The soft blanket on my bed is cool to the touch as I slide into bed. Before turning the light out, I gaze at my room. Thankfully I'm able to stay here while Stark works on getting thinks fixed. Two years ago, or very nearly, this room had been sparsely decorated, with only a bed and a bedside table. Thanks to me, it now has a queen sized bed with a memory foam mattress, bright green patterned sheets and comforter, blue carpeting, and green polka dot walls. It doesn't quite match the rest of the tower, but everything within these walls is something I can finally call mine.
I muse over the idea of reading one of my many books before bed but instead decide to just lay down and reflect upon the day. The battle had taken a lot out of us and it was hard to perform our usual traditions. We ate pizza tiredly and almost everyone fell asleep at some point during the movie. It was my pick so we watched White House Down. Stark said he'd love to blow up the White House.
Because the light switch is right next to my bed, which is pushed against one of the back corners, it doesn't take too much effort to turn out the lights. I smile when I see the glow-in-the-dark stars I'd put on the ceiling. Ever since Selena had snuck me out of the state home to go stargazing, I'd dreamed of having stars in my room.
The sheets are all tangled up with my comforter so it takes me a little while to find my stuffed leopard. Toys weren't very common for me and I always feel better with something to hang onto at night.
Silence envelopes me when I finally get comfortable. It reminds me of the silence after the portal closed and for the first time I wish it wasn't so quiet at night. But, if it hadn't been quiet, I might not have heard the sounds outside my window. That could very well have saved me.
I sit up, trying to determine whether it was a noise of the city or something else. I have no porch and the windowsill on the outside of the building isn't very large so it can't be a person. When I hear the noise again, I get out of bed and silently cross to the window. The darkness in my room makes it easier for the city lights to illuminate the world around me. I can't see much, just the roofs of a bunch of buildings because the Avengers Tower is so high. I almost turn to go back to bed until I see someone on a roof about three buildings away. The roof places the person either at the same height or a floor below me and it looks like he's holding...
A gun oh shit it's a gun what do I
CRACK
I barely manage to duck before the window shatters. "STARK!" I scream. For good measure I crawl to my door and pound the emergency button. That should get him awake.
I hunch down it the place least vulnerable from the window and try to keep myself from hyperventilating. As I look around I see a bullet lodged in the wall directly behind the window.
Oh my god he shot at me why would he want to shoot at me
It's mere minutes before Stark comes barging into my room.
"There's a gun! Get down!" I cry out.
He drops to the floor, just barely avoiding another bullet that comes through the shattered window.
"What's going on?"
"I- I don't know. There's a man on a roof with a gun. Can you get th-the suit functional?" I stutter, panic taking hold of me.
He nods and leaves. "Try to get somewhere without any windows."
The bathroom.
In the few minutes it takes me to get to the bathroom I have heard nothing from Stark. Of course, that may be because I left my com in my room. After locking the door I sit against the wall, my knees to my chest. I hear nothing from outside.
Hey guys! Thanks for the follows, I hope you're enjoying so far. I'm not sure how long this story will be, but I hope to actually complete it. Please don't forget to review as I'm still a beginner and would love the help! Thanks!