Chapter 9
Hellfire
I bit my lip as I walked towards Odin and the queen. "Yes sir?"
"You are formal. That is most unusual compared to the Midgardians I have met." I looked at him.
"Perhaps it is because as an Agent I was trained to treat superiors with as much respect and formality as possible. Unless it's director Fury. Him we enjoy having fun with." He looked at me.
"Fury? He must lose his temper easily." I nodded. "Is that what you get your fun from?"
"Well. Yeah. Technically it is. But we only do it because he never smiles and he almost gets us killed on a daily basis."
"Us? Tell me. Who is us?" I smiled slightly.
"The Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Iron Man, Captain America and myself. We are the Avengers Initiative. We protect the Earth and all of her inhabitants."
"Much like our Valkyrie." At that I noticed Shade stand and bow before sitting back down.
"I've met her. She seems strong and willing to ive her life for the safety of her family and friends." I turned back to Odin and he nodded.
"She nearly did just that." I raised an eyebrow. "She was willing to give her life to save Loki. He was her closest friend."
"I didn't know that." I turned back to look at Shade. She didn't seem to sit as tall as she had when I first met her. "That explains why she wasn't the same the second time I met her."
"To change the discussion away from such a saddening topic I have a question." I turned to look at Frigga. "Would you tell me a bit more about the Avengers Initiative?"
"I would love to. But that would take a while." She gestured for me to sit.
"Please. I wish to learn a bit more. I have not visited Midgard in such a long time. I wish to know how it has changed." I smiled and sat across from her.
"Well. For starters. The fourth recruit was me. I'm what humans call a shape shifter. I was injured in a chemical spill and S.H.I.E.L.D. took me in. They changed me to where I could choose my form at will. Only flaw is my temperature is way hotter than normal.
"Then there's the Hulk. Recruit number three. He's normal until he gets angry. Then he turns into a giant green brute." I stopped for a second.
"Was his ability caused by events similar to yours?"
"No. He did it to himself. He tried to recreate the super soldier serum that turned Captain America into what he is today."
"Go on." I noticed most everybody was listening now. I raised my voice just the slightest bit.
"Recruit number one. Captain America had been encased in ice for the last seventy years. He recently thawed and was brought into the Avengers where I met him and was helping him adjust to the twenty-first century.
"Black Widow is helping a bit too. She was added because Hawkeye was ordered to kill her. But he chose differently. She used to be the worlds most wanted their. Now she's one of the good guys.
"Iron Man was a normal man. His name is the only one who I could tell you. Because the entire world knows it. He's Tony Stark. Weapons manufacturer and philanthropist. He's such a nut case.
"And finally, there's Hawkeye. He's a good marksman with a bow. He was second after the Captain. He's also my closest friend. Add Director Fury and Agent Coulson and you have the Avengers."
"Interesting." Odin was thoughtful.
"I only tell you this because I hope that perhaps one day Asgard and Midgard could align forces and protect each others realms." I saw a slight twist of a smile on Odins face.
"Clever idea really. Perhaps this would be a good thing for both of our realms. Very well. I offer an alliance between our people. I do believe that my son and his friend Shade would be good additions to you team, If you accept."
"I think that Fury will agree to that. And in turn I offer not only my services and the Avengers if possible, but any information you may wish to know about Midgard."
"Agreed. I wish to speak with your director Fury if I may." I stood and bowed.
"I shall get Shade to bring him in the same manner he did with me. Along with the other Avengers if you wish." He nodded and I walked back to Shade. "Hey. I need your help." She stood.
"What may I help you with Hellfire?" I bit my lip.
"I need you to bring the Avengers and Fury here. All of them." She smiled and bowed.
"As you wish." Stepping back and whispering in Asgardian she vanished.
Shade
"Man of Fury. Coulson. Odin wishes to speak with you and the rest of your group." Fury watched me as I stepped out from the shadows and picked up a small piece of black metal. Coulson watched my closely.
"What for?" I shrugged.
"Hellfire did not tell me that. But I think that she made an alliance between our two peoples." He rubbed the bridge of his nose and brought the metal to his mouth.
"Avengers assemble immediately!" I sat in a chair and within a few moments the Avengers enters, all of them suited and prepared for a fight. "Evidentially we are needed in Asgard. Shade will take us there."
I stood and held my hand out. "Everyone needs to stand together. Shoulder to shoulder." They moved accordingly and I placed my hands on Fury and Iron Mans shoulders. Once again I recited the words and felt my strength drain near entirely. I opened my eyes and sat down at the table. Luckily it was now nearly empty.
"Here they are sir. The Avengers. And Fury." I looked to Hellfire and she smiled a bit. "Thank you Shade." I stood and bowed.
"Anything for the alliance of our two realms to commence." Fury stepped up and I sat beside Thor. He was tense and ready in case any of them stepped out of line. Sif was watching Stark mainly. But she caught sight of Bruce and watched him closely.
Bruce seemed to notice she was staring and he bowed politely. "Hello there. I'm Bruce banner. And you are?"
"Lady Sif." She smiled and he sat beside me, watching her. They began to speak as I stood and walked towards Odin and the Avengers. Frigga sat beside her husband and I bowed to them.
"Lady Hellfire here has already told us much about you and your group." Stark stepped forwards and raised the front of his helmet.
"Really? I wanted to introduce myself. Tony Stark. Weapons manufacturer and philanthropist." Hellfire began to laugh. "Please be quiet Hellfire."
She covered her mouth and leaned with her back against the table. I sat beside her and watched the humans. "Just what did you need to speak with us about sir?" Fury stood with his hands behind his back and watched the All-father.
"We wished to speak further about an alliance between our people. We have offered that Shade and Thor be part of your Avengers and in return the Avengers would help us if we needed it. And Hellfire would help us learn more about Midgard."
I stood and their gazes turned to me. "With all due respect sir. Thor has already made an agreement to help Midgard in return that the agent Coulson returned the equipment of Jane Foster. Friend to Darcy Lewis, who will be coming here shortly to begin her training as a Valkyrie."
"A new Valkyrie?" I nodded.
"I wish I could have mentioned this earlier. But it slipped my mind." He nodded and turned his attention back to Fury.
"Very well then. Whenever Shade is not training Lady Darcy then she shall assist you." Fury nodded and I knelt pressing my fist to my chest and then standing to signify that I was leaving.
"I must get some rest. When the Avengers are ready to leave I will be in my room." He nodded and I left the area, heading straight for my room. I entered and shut the door, locking it and curling up on my bed. Before I closed my eyes I thought of Loki as he fell and allowed a few tears to escape and roll down my cheek and onto the bedspreads. Pulling the blankets close I fell asleep with only kind thoughts of my lost friend running through my head.
I woke up to a knock on the door and sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. It was early in the morning and the light filtered through my windows where the curtains were partially opened. Unlocking the door I heard laughter outside. I groaned and opened it. Tony and Hellfire were outside the door, Tony was drunk beyond belief and still in his suit.
"Hello Shay." I raised an eyebrow and hellfire laughed. "That is your new nickname!" He fell forwards and hit me in the chest, knocking my to the ground and pinning me down. I let out my breath in a gust and winced.
"Damn he's heavy in this suit." I heard snoring and tried to move him but found my strength still drained. "Thor! A little help please!" I heard drunken footsteps and groaned, allowing my head to drop onto the floor.
"Hello Lady Shay!" I heard a drunken slur and looked at Thor.
"Move him please. And try not to fall on me." He nodded and grabbed Tony, lifting him and then falling backwards as Tony laughed and hiccupped. I growled and lowered my head, resting my hand to my face with a soft smack.
"Hehe. You can facepalm too." I looked up and saw a slightly drunken look on Hellfires face.
"Does Fury know how drunk you two are?" She thought then shook her head. I heard steady footsteps this time and looked up to see Fury walking towards me. "On any other day you would find me there with them. But for now. I am tired and my strength has yet to return. So if you do not mind I wish to get some rest before I have to go and speak with Lady Darcy about her training."
"Alright. I'll take care of these three. Along with Clint, Natasha and those four Asgardian warriors." I growled and walked out.
"Where are Sif and the Warriors Three?"
"Coulson and Steve are actually watching them. Since he can't get drunk. Oh and here's something you'll get a kick out of." I raised an eyebrow. "Sif, I think is her name, tried to kiss Bruce." I began to laugh and shook my head.
"She has never done that before." He looked at the three on the floor and shook his head. He grabbed underneath Tonys arms and dragged him off of Thor. I crouched down and barely managed to heave Thor up enough to where I could get him to stand. After he regained a bit of his balance he and I walked down to his room. He kept mumbling something about wanting to just stop and smell a rose.
"I was told to!" I jumped at this sudden outburst and realized we were outside the door to his room. I slowly turned the knob and led him to his bed. He fell onto it and I left, closing the door and locking it with a simple magik spell. If he woke up before he was sober he couldn't harm anyone. I walked down the hall a little ways and noticed a slightly open door. Turning I saw the familiar emerald green of Lokis room. I turned away and practically ran back to my room, sitting and investigating the armor I had for something else to think about it.
The gold caught the light and I stood, walking over and grabbing the helmet and turning it in my hands. Similar to Thors with the wings or even Loki's with the horns...more bad memories. I shrugged them off and focused. The helmet had catlike ears on it. My reflection caught my eye, the coloration making it look like there was snow and fire around me.
The pit of fire beside me. My helmet lying on the ground and reflecting the falling snow. Loki's reflection in the shining gold as he turned and hit the creature in the chest. The creature fell backwards and into the ground by my feet. I coughed and held the gash in my back and side. His head turned and I saw his face, half-shadowed as he walked over and turned me onto my back. My eyes fell closed and I suddenly felt the deep cut in my back.
"Come on Shade! Open your eyes!" I managed to open them slightly and raised my head a fraction of an inch. Suddenly his hand was behind my head, raising it up to where I was looking at him.
"Hey there. Miss me?" He chuckled.
"Yeah. But mostly because you're one of the only sane ones here." A small smile reached my face and he stood, carefully adjusting me so I wouldn't fall.
"You and I are the only sane ones." He laughed and walked towards the Bifrost site, carefully grabbing my helmet and resting it on me. I looked at it and studied the ears. "I would like to get that changed one day. Something more like yours. Only a little shorter on the horns."
"And why would you want that?" I laughed.
"Because ears don't exactly suit me. And horns signify one of a mischievous sort."
"Which is why I have them." I looked up and smiled.
"Exactly. And cats are a mischievous breed." He laughed and I smiled.
"You are delirious right now aren't you?" Laughing I sat up a little, causing him to readjust his hold on me.
"Even if I wasn't I would probably say the same things." He smiled and I put my helmet on, slipping from his grip and standing on the ground, my eyes loosing focus for a moment before I nearly fell again. He caught me and laughed before lifting me again, pressing my wings to my back to slow the bleeding there.
"I don't think you would. Most prefer Thor over me as a friend."
"Not true. I don't like Thor. He's to hard-headed." To this I was granted a laugh. "I would chouse you over Thor any day." He smiled and we reached Thor and the others.
"Is she alright?!" Sif ran to my side and I rolled my head back, closing my eyes.
"No. I think I'm dead." She laughed.
"She's fine." I groaned and felt the Bifrost pull us back.
"Shade?" I looked up through my tear filled eyes and opened the door from where I sat. Captain America walked in and looked at me. "Are you alright?" I nodded.
"It is just the venom that runs through my veins." He seemed to see right through my lie.
"After spending so many centuries with Loki, god of Lies, you can't lie to well." At the mentioning of his name I turned my head away and wiped away the tears that were forming.
"Do not say his name please." I lowered my head and felt a hand on my shoulder.
"It'll be alright. He may have lived through that fall. Hell it could have taken him to another world for all we know." The though of him alive and in a different realm was enough for me to turn towards the Captain.
"Do you really think so?" He nodded. "Oh I do hope you are right." I set the helmet down and stood, using a simple spell to remove the weary and tearful look in my face.
"Anyways. About the nature of my visit today." I raised a quizzical eyebrow and then began to laugh.
"It's about Thors door isn't it?" He nodded. "Is he yet sober enough to wander the halls?" The Captain began to laugh.
"Yes. And he's pissed off that nothing, not even Mjolnir, can open the door." I shook my head both at Thors temper and that the Captain pronounced the J in the hammers name. I walked towards the door with him following and noticed the Avengers, Sif and the Warriors Three all trying to open Thors door. I flicked my wrist and the door opened, causing everyone to fall in a heap on the floor.
The Captain and I laughed as everyone stood, complaining about headaches and not feeling to good. "Hey Shay." I rolled my eyes.
"Good morning Mister Stark." He laughed at me and fell back. It appeared as if he had taken his armor off and had a suit underneath. One would think the loose fabric would be caught in such a tight fitting suit. "Are you and the rest of your team ready to depart for Midgard?" They all glanced between each other.
"Actually we've been asked to stay for a while." Hellfire stood and brushed herself off. "I mean. After all we are going to be protecting Asgard if they need us to." I nodded.
"Very well than. I must be off to go and get Lady Darcy so that she may begin her training." I turned away and sat on my bed for a few moments before transporting myself to Midgard. I opened my eyes and a human flying machine, right beside Darcy, Jane and Eric.
"Hello Shade." I turned to Eric.
"Good morning sir." I then turned to look at Darcy. "Are you ready to begin your training?" She hesitated.
"Well. We were just getting moved to D.C. But I think these two can do without me." She stood. "See you guys." I placed my hand on my shoulder and she looked at me. Her eyes widened as her surroundings changed and I fell back onto my bed.
"I have used a bit much of my strength over these past few days." Sitting up I clutched at my heart, the pain radiating through it.
"Hey are you alright?" I nodded. "Good. Because I have no idea what to do if you like collapse right here." I laughed a bit.
"You mortals talk so odd. No I shall be fine. It is just an injury I suffered years ago. Centuries in fact. The venom still runs thick through my veins." She sat beside me and glanced to me.
"So how am I supposed to train if I can't even access my powers? I tried what you did and nothing happened." I turned towards her and held out the small book of Midgardian language.
"You should be able to translate the human language into that of the Asgardians." She took the book and stood, walking towards the door.
"So this should make things easy? If I memorize these?" I shook my head and stood, walking to her and placing my hands on the book.
"No. In no way will it be easy. It will take much patience and determination. As well as finding out what the trigger to your gift is. Mine was anger. Now I can use it upon a single thought. I want you to focus and practice. With joy, love hatred, anger and even jealousy. Whichever one works. Do you understand me?"
"Yes Shade. I understand fully." I brought my hands back to my side and she walked out.
Two Months Later
"Very good Lady Darcy. Very good indeed." I looked at the fully woven dagger she held in her outstretched palm. She smiled and wrapped her lavender colored wings around her. They had appeared a week after her arrival upon Asgard. Along with her tail. Once she found out that her trigger was joy her wings began to grow. Now they and her wolf-like tail are full length.
"Thank you Shade." She looked as if she wanted to continue with something. As she pondered her next question I rubbed my next. The wound from my last visit to Midgard would hurt for a while. One of the local authorities had grabbed a gun, thinking I was going to harm him, and shot at me. The bullet had skimmed past my neck and bounced off Thors armor. I turned back to Darcy.
"I can see you thinking. What do you wish to know today?" Every day she asked at least one question about what we were.
"Why do we have tails? It's a stupid question I know but-" I held up a hand, silencing her.
"No question is a stupid question. Simply unreasonable or unanswerable. And that, in fact, was a good question." She smiled and I grabbed my tail, bringing it forwards and smoothing out the fur. "We have tails to help us maintain the balance that we have within flight. Similar to the feathers of a birds tail. Our tails help keep us balanced and when moved right they can also help us to turn."
"That is certainly most interesting." I jumped to my feet, the cat at my side in an instance. Darcy's own wolf puppy was at her side and growling. I gently placed a hand on the head of the lioness and shaking my head.
"Hello Thor." He held his hands up in an innocent manner.
"I simply came to say the Avengers have Loki in custody." I nodded slightly.
"Good. Maybe now I can knock some sence into him. Perhaps with a metal 'based ball bat'." Darcy began to laugh.
"It's called a baseball bat Lady Shade. Not a based ball bat." She brushed the dust off of her pants and lifted the puppy from the ground, getting a small paw-print on her armor. I turned back.
"We are ready to depart. You shall take Lady Darcy and I shall be with you shortly." He nodded and carefully grabbed Darcy around her shoulders. Her puppy vanished and she closed her eyes tightly. I saw the quick flash of lightning and then stared into the empty space where they had been.
I began to whisper and envision Hellfires face and her surroundings soon appeared. I finished reciting the spell and found myself in the middle of a storm, nowhere near Hellfire. I growled and flew to the right, hitting something that sat in front of me. I carefully reached out and felt the surface of the Avengers air ship.
Flying straight up I passed between two near invisible blades and landed on the visible surface of the carrier. I saw Thor and Darcy walking towards the doorway and ran forwards, soon catching up with them.
"Do you think he'll listen to you?" I shrugged.
"I certainly hope so."
A/N: I believe the is credit due to someone else for the inspiration on how Hellfires gift works. keeblerelf6's story: Fire and Ice is where the inspiration came from. She also owns Jadef. I would highly suggest reading it. So credit has been given where credit is due. And I would also like to say that due to the fact that it was nearly 1:00 A.M. when I first saw the Avengers, I do not remember too much. But please bear with me and if I have any mistakes please feel free to correct me in a kind manner. Flames just get absorbed and ignored. If I find anything useful or constructively criticizing within them, though, I will use it to adjust the story. So sit back and enjoy. ~ Shade 3 & Kitteh 01
