"Captain, Night Wolf, we are landing now..." Agent Coulson spoke up, motioning towards the front window. Serena and Steve both stood up, before walking towards the window to take a look at the view.
"Night wolf, huh?" he asked her, but still continued to stare at the approaching ship. "Yeah... Fury came up with it. It probably said somewhere on my profile that my favorite animal is a wolf, which it is...and the night part...I don't know. These people come up with weird stuff. They may have tracked me down eating Chipolte or a Cheesesteak at night," Serena stated with a slight smile.
She turned to see Steve giving her a confused look. She closed her eyes and sighed to herself, realizing that he probably didn't know what either of those were.
"Well once this is all over, I can take you to get a Cheesesteak. Its probably not what you think it is," Serena stated, with a small laugh at his confused face.
"Hopefully this is a date that I actually make. Last time I tried planning one out, I wound up crashing into a pile of ice. Woke up 70 years later," Steve said, turning to face her.
Serena raised an eyebrow at him slightly, a date?
Once they landed, they stepped out to see Natasha standing there, a slight smile on her face. She informed Coulson that Director Fury needed to see him and Serena let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he must have survived the Loki attack.
"Cap, Night Wolf..." Natasha stated.
How do all these people know my new name already? Serena questioned
"It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice," Natasha stated, looking at Steve. Steve smiled slightly, knowing he was going to be getting alot of this but decided to just go along with it anyway.
"I thought Coulson was going to swoon, I'm surprised he hasn't asked you to sign his trading cards yet," Natasha stated.
"Trading cards?" Steve questioned and Serena held back a chuckle.
"They're vintage, he's very proud..." Natasha added with a shrug.
At that moment they saw a man with disheveled black hair turning around at every sound that the flight deck people were making.
"Doctor Banner," Steve spoke up, walking towards the man. Serena seized the moment and grabbed Natasha's arm. "Natasha, uh..." she began. Natasha turned and gave her a confused look, raising her eyebrow in question.
"Look this is awkward for me..and I can't really tell if you're a fan of mine or not but I have this...thing that I need to discuss with someone about Loki...and..Thor," she stated.
Natasha smiled slightly at her. "I often find myself shielding my true emotions from others, its one of the downfalls of being...what I am. Not to worry, Night Wolf, I have no issue with yourself. What seems to be troubling you?" she asked.
"Well, Loki...when we saw him made it seem like we've known each other for years. I keep having these...dreams. I've seen both him and Thor in my dreams but I have no idea why. Prior to my calling to join this team, I had no idea as to who these people were. It's as if...I have a past with them," Serena stated.
Natasha opened her mouth as if to speak, before her eyes fell to the floor. "Maybe with that mind of yours you can have premonitions? Or maybe your mind is connecting to one of those from Asgard and you are seeing their memories?" Natasha questioned.
Serena paused. It was a possible theory, but she could tell that there was something Natasha was not telling her. Before she had the chance to slip into her mind, she heard Steve calling her name.
"Serena," Steve stated.
Serena turned to see Dr. Banner approaching her, "Doctor Banner, this is Serena," Steve stated.
Dr. Banner smiled slightly and shook her hand. "Yes... I've read about you, Ms. McKenzie. I find your control of the elements of water and wind to be fascinating," he stated.
Serena smiled slightly. "Thank you," she stated.
xx.
She walked through the village just on the outskirts of the castle, her eyes grazing over all of the gardens. It was then that she heard footsteps approaching behind her, and she turned to see a man with long golden curls behind her, standing in his battle armor.
"Thor!" she exclaimed with a smile, before running and hugging him tightly. He picked her up, laughing as he did so. "So you think I would not return? he questioned, his hands sitting at her waist.
"Well to be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure. Battles are ugly affairs, and I know you wish I was by your side for this one. Sif probably beat you in the counting game this time," she said, playfully punching him in the shoulder.
Thor laughed, before stepping back from her slightly, "Yes..but you still hold the record to this day, my lady..." he stated, the wide smile still on his face. It was then that she folded her arms, triumphantly. "I know," she stated, grinning.
It was then that Loki emerged from the shadows, walking towards the pair with his hands behind his back. She turned to face him, the smile still on her face, "Loki! Your brother has returned!" she said, her eyes shining with happiness.
Loki smirked slightly. "Yes I can see that,"
"I was just going to ask if I could escort her to the celebration banquet. Sif and the others are waiting for you there as well. They would be delighted to see you," Thor stated, his eyes lingering on her face.
"That sounds amazing, Thor.." she stated, lacing her arm through his. Thor joined in with her laughter.
"Actually, she has promised me that we would work on her magic again today...given she has just gotten out of the hospital from her last battle," Loki cut in. Thor watched as her smile fell slightly, and she took her arm out from his.
"He's right, I did promise him that..." She stated. Thor nodded in acknowledgement. "Well perhaps you can join us once your..lessons are over," he stated, sounding slightly disappointed. "Oh you can count on it, I will get done this as soon as I can," she said, the smirk on her face again.
She curtseyed farewell to Thor, before walking past Loki and heading towards the practice arena. It was then that Loki turned to his brother, showing him a cold, hard stare. Jealousy was clearly in his eyes. Thor furrowed his brow, confused as Loki turned and followed her out the archway.
X.
"Serena," Steve's voice rang through her head. Serena snapped out of her stare spell, turning to face him. "What?" she questioned, looking around, confused. Steve followed her gaze to see an agent about the age of 50 standing there.
"I see your fancy," he played, a small smile on his face.
"What? No that's not my fancy!" she protested, playfully hitting him on the shoulder.
"We've got him! 67% match...wait...cross match 79%" an agent spoke up from behind his computer.
"He's not exactly hiding," a second one spoke up.
Dr. Banner had given orders on how to properly track down Loki, and his plan had worked to perfection.
Director Fury turned to face Serena and Steve, who were standing with Agent Coulson. After hearing Coulson ramble for about 10 minutes about his Captain America card collection, Steve both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Night Wolf, Captain... you're up. Night Wolf.. your uniform is in your quarters," Fury stated. They both nodded, as Natasha led Serena to where her room was. Once they entered the room, which was simple, Serena saw a black leather outfit laying on the twin bed, sitting next to a small black mask to cover only around her eyes. She chucked slightly.
"I did not think this would escalate to me dressing up to go and save the world," she muttered, picking up the leather outfit. Once she had fully finished dressing, she looked at herself in the full length mirror. The leather fit her body perfectly, which was kind of weird for her thinking about how Fury knew exactly how to size her up.
There was a knock on her door and she opened it to see Steve standing there, his shield in his hand. She inhaled slightly at the sight of him in his Captain America uniform.
"Steve.." she began, not knowing where to take the conversation next. He smiled politely back at her. "Serena," he stated, matter of factly. She struggled to find words as Steve raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you nervous?" he questioned, his face showing concern.
"Well, to be honest, a little. My last meeting with Loki didn't quite go as well as we were hoping. I'm not quite a fan of getting stabbed," she said, with a nervous laugh.
"Well, that is the past. Right now we have to focus on accomplishing this mission. Do not fret, ma'am. I'll be in there with you this time," he said, extending the fold of his arm to her as if to escort her.
She looked up to see his warming smile, which she returned. "Thank you," she whispered, before putting his arm through his.
X.
"This is your stop," Natasha called back to them, pressing a few buttons on the roof of the jet. The back hatch opened, and Serena felt her stomach drop. "Do you think you can use the wind to support us both?" Steve questioned, his face showing no fear. It was as if he was completely used to just randomly jumping from 5,000 feet everyday.
"Yeah, this will be fun.." she said, nervously. It was then that she felt Steve's chest press against her back, his free arm holding her waist in the front. She turned back slightly to see Natasha showing her the same small smile that Serena herself had.
"Alright, Cap..waiting on you.." Serena stated. It was then that she felt Steve's legs bend to take a leap, before they were falling in the air, his shielded arm extended in front of them, guiding the way.
Serena focused hard on using the wind that was fighting against them to guide them safely to the ground. "Night..." Captain America stated, his voice sounding a little nervous. It was then that Serena furrowed her forehead even harder that she went the wind pressing upward against them to slow their descent.
She heard a chuckle from Captain behind her as she opened her eyes to see them slowly descending towards a street. She veered them to head down a small alleyway, so not to raise attention to them in the street.
Once they landed, she turned her head back to look at him as he looked down at her. "I didn't know you could fly," he said, releasing her. "I can't. I just manipulate the wind to make myself do so. That had to be the first time I've helped another person since Airborne School," she said, with a shrug.
She saw Steve's eyes dancing with playful challenge behind his cowl. "Thanks," he muttered.
It was then that a bunch of screaming was heard, along with the sound of a car crashing. Steve and Serena both turned their heads sharply in the direction of the noise and took off in a sprint.
As she turned the corner, she saw Loki, dressed in his full armor. His Asgardian helmet reflected the moonlight, and he bore the scepter in his hands.
"Is this not simpler? Is this not your natural state? Its the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation? You were made...to be ruled. In the end you will always kneel," Loki spoke.
Serena looked confused, seeing the multiple duplicates of Loki all around the crowd. "Serena... they're copies," Steve spoke up, placing a hand on her shoulder, pushing her down so that they were hidden among the kneeling crowd. No one paid notice to this as they were too busy avoiding being overthrown by Loki.
Serena scanned each of the bodies, until she settled on the one directly infront of the building. She could feel anger, vengeance, pity and even a slight bit of loss. "The one in the middle," she whispered back.
They watched as an older gentleman stood up, turning to face Loki.
"Not to men like you," he stated.
Loki grinned with a foolish laugh, raising his scepter slightly so it was parallel to the ground. "There are no men like me,"
"There are always men like you," the older man spoke up again.
"Look to your elder, people. Let him be an example..." Loki spoke up, turning so his scepter pointed at the older man.
"I'm going in," Steve yelled, before leaping through the crowd. Serena watched as Steve was just in time to stop the blast from hitting the elder man, bouncing off of his shield into the night.
It was then that Serena stood up, using the wind to carry her slightly over a short distance where Captain stood. She watched as Loki threw his head up in challenge, his eyes glaring towards them both.
"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing over everyone else...we wound up disagreeing," Captain spoke up, taking strides to get closer to Loki. Serena followed by his side, noticing how Loki's eyes shifted to hers.
"The soldier.. a man out of time," Loki said, a smirk coming to his face as he slowly stood up.
Serena stepped in front of Captain, making her presence obviously known. "He's not the one who is out of time," she hissed, her forest green eyes glaring at him.
It was then that Natasha turned off the reflective panels, revealing their jet.
"Loki, drop the weapon and stand down," Natasha's voice echoed through the open air. It was then that Loki smirked, before taking a shot at the jet. Luckily enough, Natasha veered it out of the way.
Captain reacted by throwing the shield directly at Loki. It struck him, causing him to stagger back. It was then that the crowd broke into chaos, taking off in every which way they could to escape. Serena watched as Loki and Captain America began to fight each other in close combat. Serena turned, looking around for something to use. It was then that she set her eyes on a fire hydrant, and began to concentrate.
Being a former volunteer firefighter herself, she knew exactly how pressurized those hydrants were, regardless of what country they were in. She focused, imagining the water building up as it did.
She turned to see Loki forcing Captain America to the ground, and at that moment, she heard the hydrant 'pop', sending a blast straight for Loki. He wasn't able to stop it in time, sending him backwards and onto the ground. Serena saw Captain America starting to stand up, nodding to her in thanks.
The hydrant continued to spout water, as Loki stood up, now out of its stream. He lowered his gaze to stare her down, knowing full well that she was going to attempt to enter his mind.
He slowly took steps towards her, and for a moment, Serena found herself entranced as he stepped closer to her. "I thought you dead, from our last meeting Serenity. But then again, we all on Asgard were told that you had been taken from us as well," Loki stated. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Captain America rushing towards her, but Loki turned and fired his stick, sending him to the ground wincing slightly. As he struggled to stand, Loki stood in front of Serena, a few feet from her.
Serena knew she had to separate the space between them, so Natasha could get a clear shot, but she wanted to know more about how he knew so much about her.
"My name is Serena," she stated, firmly.
"Perhaps here on Earth, yes. But where you on Asgard, you bore the name Serenity," Loki stated, further closing the gap between them. Serena began to step backward with each step he took forward.
"I've never been to Asgard," she protested, now throwing a right hook across his face. Loki staggered back stunned, before blocking her next hook. They tossed around a bit with hand to hand, before Serena captured his one fist with her gloved hand.
She then stared him down hard, debating whether or not to bring him to his knees with the power of her mind. Loki seized her moment of hesitation, dropping the scepter so he could grab her neck with his free hand and lifted her up slightly, before slamming her down on the ground on her back.
Serena saw Captain America finally standing up, but then collapsing again as if Loki's blast had caused both his legs to go numb for a minute.
"Still the same, Serenity. Too innocent. Funny how you will hesitate to kill or torture me, but you had no problem breaking my heart back on Asgard..." Loki hissed, his voice full of vengeance.
Before she could respond, the area blared with AC/DC "Shoot to Thrill" and Serena turned her head upwards to see a surfe of white light blast Loki off of her.
She began to stand up, with the assistance of Captain America who must have finally regained his strength. "Night Wolf, are you okay?" he questioned.
When she didn't respond, her gaze focused on Loki and now Iron Man, he spoke to her again. "Serena," he whispered.
She nodded sharply, standing up. "I am fine," she stated.
"Make your move, reindeer games," Iron Man spoke up, showing Loki his hand missiles, ready to fire. It was then that Loki raised his hands in surrender, his Asgardian armor disappearing.
"Good move," Iron Man stated, satisfied.
She and Captain America both walked over to Iron Man, and she nodded in thanks. "Mr. Stark," she said.
He turned to face her, the iron mask glowing. "Night Wolf, Captain," he stated, nodding to each of them in acknowledgement.
The three of them turned to look at Loki, who was for some reason smiling. Serena tapped her ear piece, not taking her gaze off of him. "Natasha, beam us up..." she stated.
I know this one wasn't as good :( Have to get the 'boring' parts out of the way before I get to the best parts :)