-WARNING! WARNING!-

This chapter contains spoilers! Don't flame and say I didn't warn you!

Leather from my suit swooshes slightly as I maneuver my way through the wrecked Helicarrier. I am idiotically unarmed, but still I press on, eager to find Natasha alive and well. The small 'beep' from the card reader introduces me to a familiar room. In the center, a large glass tank sits, the occupant of the prison leering at my form with unmatched glee. I ignore Loki, and walk to another entrance.

"The true monster has been unleashed."

His cool words tickle my spine unpleasantly. The door opens, so I enter without giving a response.

Utter silence ensues, for the most part, in the new space, but is quickly replaced by metallic clangs of footsteps in a fast pace. Natasha runs past me completely, calling out a demand. "Run!" I shoot off, not focusing on my destination, just trying to escape certain death.

I eventually am forced to rest by a similar entrance to the previous. Shit, now I'm lost. My body turns mindlessly in circles, trying to comprehend the maze. I proceed to make a dumb-ass decision.

"Nat?"

A bone shattering cry of rage answers, the nearby walkway being shredded by a big green monster. The beast approaches at an alarming rate, fists galloping like an ape. I back into the door, and he stops to check me out, allowing me to do the same. His biceps appear to be the sizes of buses, making his head rather small. We make eye contact, I notice the soft brown gaze, almost tearful for a millisecond.

"Bruce….." This angers Hulk, so he lunges his fist. My head narrowly escapes the punch, and I high tail it in the other direction, the monster following at close range. He screams once more, rattling my teeth with its force. Hard to believe this is what the meek Doctor became.

Fatigue slowly rears its ugly head, pinning me against a large metallic pipe. The emerald monstrosity puts his face close to my own. The Hulk roars, almost sending me into total epileptic shock.

So. This is how I die. Beaten to a bloody pulp. I prepare myself, but an equally loud bang pries my eyes open again. Thor stands in a regal battle pose, his hammer ready for the beast. I scurry away before their fight begins.

My quest for safety leads me outside, to the busted engine. I walk with caution, and silently crack the necks of a few soldiers before assuring my total safety. The noise is unbearable, so I scour for a door back inside. My eyes instead find Captain America fending off some stray men as well. He sees me and begins to step in my direction. We are stopped from joining by the Helicarrier dipping completely to the side. I grip the arch, but Steve falls back, only suspending now from a wire.

"Steve!" I move slowly to get to him, but his shakes of the head stop me.

"No, don't come out here Arina." His neck turns, and he speaks to the bug in his ear.

"What?-Yeah she's here- OH!" He screams to me, "Pull that red lever!" I do, and the Helicarrier steadies. He tells me to go inside.

I enter a slim hallway, leading to Loki's chamber. Once in it, I first notice the lack of a holding unit (thus leaving a mischievous god missing), and second, the crumpled heap on the floor.

As I press onward, however, the mass becomes more and more familiar…..

"Coulson!" Sobs begin to overwhelm me as I drop to him, removing the large 'Destroyer' issued blaster. God, his face was practically alien to me. Gone was the warm gaze, the permanent smile, the man I knew and loved was fading right before my very eyes. Here lay merely a shell of the spectacular being.

"Hey, kiddo….." His voice is labored, I almost feel every sharp intake that follows each word. My hands flurry to his wound, only successfully coating them in his blood. Tears cloud over, robbing my capability to see, so I am forced to fumble for his earpiece. His hands grip my collar desperately, color is diminishing fast from the man's face.

Fury! Coulson is down! I repeat, Agent Coulson is down!

My fingers unlatch from around the device, and drop to hold his remaining palm.

"Please don't leave me…"The voice that escapes my lips is weak, but all I can muster.

"R-Ria….." His hand enters the pocket of his bloodied coat, retrieving three of his vintage cards.

"G-Give these to Steve, would yah….?"

A strong , serious tone answers him. "No. You'll give them to him, Coulson. You're gonna be okay…." I fumble apart, breaking back into a sad hysteria.

His face attempts to look serious, but only manages a painful grimace, fueling my tears further.

"I-I'm gone….a lost cause…..You'll be fine without me. I-I'm proud of you, Arina.. So. Proud." He gives one last squeeze, then releases, for eternity, lips parting and eyes closing slowly.

"No…"

My mind builds up barriers, a defense mechanism I learned from my past.

The next few minutes tick by like years, Fury comes in, along with other agents. He instructs them to leave.

"Zangari?" That comment smacks me into a wall of depression, sending whimpers tremouring into the melancholy air. He hoists me up, turns my shoulders towards him, and hugs me, the first time I had ever seen him show any emotion.

Nick fury doesn't speak as I force out the last of my able tears onto his trench coat

When I pull myself to a presentable state, I am warmed by the scene at the conference table. Natasha sits, arms on her knees, facing none other than our beloved Clint Barton. She laughs, showing a genuine smile for what seems like decades. Now it's your turn to frown.

They eventually take notice to me, and stand.

"I missed you, Rina."

I force a small smile and hug him, happy to have my 'brother' back.

He pulls away, looking puzzled and concerned. "Something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing." Sparing his feelings for the time being seems to be the logical way to approach him, Fury would announce it soon.

The rest of the group only consists of Steve, and the two in front of me.

"Where are the others…?"

"Tony left to Stark Tower, Thor was encased in Loki's old prison, and Banner seemingly ran off." The Cap seems off by my attitude, and silently questions me. Fury then enters, his face displaying sadness for the first time.

"Agent Coulson is lost." The other three look up at his words, but I choose to remain with my head bowed. Romanoff and Barton exit, leaving me and Steve alone once again. Tears pour in trickles down my cheeks, slowly leaking at the memory of the life leaving his body.

"Arina?" Our eyes meet, and I whisper.

"I could really use that ice cream sundae now." He nods, and leads me away to the kitchen.

Hello Again! This go round was really emotional, my first death scene! Please, if it brought tears, or emotions at all, drop me a line in the reviews and tell! Thank you for an amazing run so far!