Wow a big thank you to everyone who fallowed or reviewed this, shout outs to AvengerMuse4512241012, Avalongirl55, Theta-McBride and MushroomKing98 for the reviews on the last chapter. This is the last real chapter, there's an epilogue but yeah this is it. Sad times, however I have a second story planned, kinda... I mean I'm toying with two ideas, we'll see which wins. Enjoy this chapter!
I must have fallen asleep because I woke when the quin-jet landed with a thud. I opened my eyes and found that I was laid on the bench curled up. Loki strode over to me, towering over me.
"You need to get up now Robyn." Loki said watching me as I slowly sat up. I felt so empty inside. So defeated. I never felt defeated, even when I was in a pinch, I always had a smart arse comment or a plan. But this time was different. My heart ached and I just wanted Loki to kill me. I pulled myself onto my feet and pulled my hair down. "Good now fallow me." Loki said walking out of the jet. I fallowed him and found that I was in the middle of a desert somewhere. I looked around but I couldn't see anything for miles. "Where are we?" I asked softly as the sand went on for as far as I could see. Loki ignored my question walking a few feet away from me and waved his hand over the sand. It shifted and formed a very gaelic looking design. I would have been impressed if it wasn't Loki and I hadn't just been kidnapped, and well if he hadn't just blew up The Avengers including Hawkeye. Clint, Robyn, his name was Clint Barton. I reminded myself of his name and that hit me in the guts like a ton of bricks. My mind went to a dark place imaging him burn alive and I felt sick. I ran to the side of the jet and threw up. The acids burning my throat on the way up as tears sprang into my eyes. I spat out the last of the sick as Loki walked round to see what I was doing.
"Why are you throwing up?" Loki asked slightly amused with my infliction for some reason.
"Because of you." I said spitting out the last and turning to him, wiping my mouth. "Because you killed innocent people. Again." I said firmly feeling the rage bubble in my now empty stomach.
"And?" Loki asked smugly. I marched over to him, the rage working it's way through my body.
"You killed The Avengers! You're own brother! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!" I cried out balling my hands into fists. Loki shrugged with an unreadable face.
"He is only my half brother," Loki stated thinking aloud more than actually answering me. "I very much doubt a little fire would kill him. The others though..." Loki let his sentence die and I glared at him hard.
"I'm going to find a way to kill you." I said threw grit teeth.
"Keep that spirit, I like it." Loki joked before turning and walking back onto the jet. I fallowed him and grabbed a bottle of water downing it in seconds. I tossed the bottle around my hands weighing up if it would be worth it just to throw it at Loki's head. I decided it would be worth it. I tossed the empty bottle and it landed on target, bouncing off the back of his head.
"Ten points." I joked as I sat on the edge of the bench. Loki slowly turned to me looking clearly unimpressed with my trick shot.
"Don't do that." He said dryly before turning away from me.
"Why? Find it annoying?" I asked getting up and walking back over to the bottle.
"I told you to stop." He replied with his back still to me. I picked up the bottle and made my way back to the bench. I lined up my shot, this time using my left arm. Twenty points for the head, bonus forty if I get a rise out of him.
"Easy." I muttered under my breath.
"I know all about you Robyn Flynn. I know about North Africa." Loki said and I froze. My mind flashed back to the beatings, the times I was tied up and put on show as a warning. The ropes burning my wrists. The things I did to escape. I shivered dropping the bottle onto the floor with a soft thud.
"You know nothing." I said in a monotone, wishing I had something more than a bottle and the tesseract energy in that moment.
"I know everything. I know about the seven broken ribs, the two fractures to your left arm and collar bone. The scar on your leg, where the fire ants were put. I know exactly what happened to you." Loki said still with his back to me. I felt like a lost child in that moment, the memory of it all hitting me hard.
"You really don't want to go down this path Loki." I said in the same monotone. I was trying my best to keep up the tough as nails act, I was just praying it was working.
"You can pretend all you want Robyn, but we both know it still haunts your nights." Loki said as I sat there in total shock. North Africa had been a bad mission before it went wrong. I had seen the shrinks, talked about it until I was blue in the face, pretended to move on, but the truth was. The real truth was that until the attack of the Hulk, I never forgot and never moved on from it.
We sat in silence for hours as my mind replayed North Africa mixed with Clint burning to death. My mind was truly a horrible place. I was sat on the bench, one leg brought up, my chin resting on it as I zoned out.
"SWORD think that they can take away our weapons?!" The African leader we knew as Tuck yelled waving around a prototype Stark based gun. "They think they can send a woman in to stop MEN?!" He yelled pushing me so that I swayed. My wrists were tied above my head, my bare feet scraping the floor. I had been captured when bad Intel and a back up squad turned on us. My partner Dimitri Leonidas had some how managed to get away. I prayed he was alive, but the shape he was in last time I saw him... I wasn't optimistic.
"Well Tucky, I think I did ok." I coughed out. My lungs were on fire, I knew I had broken ribs I just had to pray they weren't going into my lungs. Tuck punched me in the face making me spit out blood.
"Look how weak she is! If this is the best SWORD can challenge us with we will win!" Tuck yelled out to the crowd of boys and men. He held my face in one hand, the blood running off my lip. The crowd began to cheer and chant Tuck's name.
"Weak? I kicked twenty of your guys before you beat me down." I coughed out, spitting out the blood as Tuck let go of me. It was the truth twenty boys and men, taken down by me. The only reason I was tied up and not with Dimitri was the fact I was running as a distraction and one of them used a Stark based gun on me, knocking me to the floor as an explosion went off just feet before me. Luckily they were terrible shots.
"We'll see how tough you are!" Tuck said pulling a machete from his belt. He walked over to me and I began to thrash around. There was no way in hell I was going to get killed like this. No way. Someone grabbed hold of me from behind and held me still as Tuck picked up my leg and sliced deeply just below my left knee. I bit my lip clapping my eyes shut as I breathed through the pain. I wasn't going to let them hear me scream. Not if I could help it. I opened my eyes and saw the blood dribble down my leg forming a pool by my foot.
"Well that smarts." I hissed out as Tuck walked away and opened a box. I saw what it was instantly and began to thrash around again.
"These will make you scream." Tuck smirked as he tipped the box over onto the floor. An explosion of ants crawled in every direction before they headed towards my blood, towards my leg, climbing up and into the wound, biting everything on they way up.
I jumped looking at my leg, I could still feel the ants biting at my flesh. I brushed my knee, reassuring myself that nothing was on there. I turned and Loki was sat perfectly still with his back to me. I thought about making a move but I was surrounded by desert, I had no idea which way to run. I sighed resting back on my knee and wondering if the Avengers put a tracking device into the jets. I wondered if any of them had made it out of the explosion alive. If they were ok.
"We will make it out of here alive. I promise." Clint promised as his forehead rested on mine. His perfect grey green eyes locked on my own. His breath softly brushing against my skin as the taste of his lips on mine sunk in. He was a hard guy to get a read on sometime. He kept a lot of himself guarded. I could understand that. But his eyes. His perfect storm grey green eyes. They showed me the real Clint Barton. Not the agent, not the marksman, not Hawkeye and not the avenger. Just Clint the man. The man I had fallen for and hoped he felt the same way about me.
The tears started to fall again as I realised that he was dead. I pulled my second leg up and rested my head on my knees sobbing silently to myself. I knew Loki knew I was crying, it would be hard not to tell from my shaking body. But I didn't want him to hear. It wasn't the SWORD thing to do. You never show weakness if you can help it. But he knows your weaknesses... he knows everything. My brain counted as I hugged my legs hard, half praying it was all another nightmare I would wake up from any minute.
It was dark when Loki finally took a deep breath looking around to find me curled up on the bench, hugging my knees zoning out slightly. Loki stood up and walked over to me, a puzzled look on his face.
"I didn't think you would still be here." Loki said studying me. I shrugged looking up to meet his eyes. I knew my own were red from crying but I didn't care any more.
"The jet is in the middle of the desert. I can't run. You're in the pilots seat, can't fly it without you noticing." I shrugged softly, my voice horse from sobbing silently.
"You seem upset." Loki stated, frowning at me slightly.
"You killed The Avengers. I'm more than upset Loki." I said firmly, trying my best to glare at him.
"What are you then? Angry? Vengeful?" Loki smirked walking away from me. I got to my feet and felt the bubble of anger and loss build in me.
"Damn straight!" I growled fallowing him as he walked off the jet and to the sand picture he made. He stopped quickly and I nearly walked into him.
"Excellent!" He called out tapping my head. Nothing happened, well I was a tad more annoyed, but nothing else happened. Loki looked confused, tapping me again.
"You're pissing me off too!" I snapped balling my hands into fists, I could feel the tesseract energy about to break out.
"What are you?" Loki asked confused. I smirked knowing exactly what he meant.
"Human with a hint of genetic engineering." I said smugly.
"What happened to you?" Loki asked watching me like I was a wild animal.
"The docs enhanced my healing ability with a cast off from the Super Solider experiments. Every SWORD agent is given it." I said feeling the tesseract energy build up my arms. Loki looked down at my arms and smirked. The energy was a darker blue than ever before swirling around my arms like nothing I had ever seen before. The power was so great that I could feel every fibre of myself go behind the tesseract energy.
"It explains why I can't control you like the monkey you should be." Loki said smugly as I raised my arms and fired the two massive bolts of energy straight at Loki. We were so close that it was impossible to miss. I dropped onto a knee panting, the energy had taken all the rage, the guilt, the pain away in one shot. It was the strongest blast I had ever done. I looked up and Loki held the tesseract energy in his hands, a damn wide creepy smile on his lips.
"How?!" I asked pushing myself onto my feet again. I wobbled, but managed to keep vertical. Loki smirked as he sent the energy high into the sky.
"I needed you to do that." Loki smirked as I watched the energy form a deep dark cloud in the sky.
"What have you done?!" I cried out looking at Loki. My mind flashing back to the cloud from the attack in Manhattan.
"We've opened the door. In ten minutes Chitauri will flood through, taking this world. There will be no one to stop this!" Loki laughed as the cloud rumbled above us. My mind went blank, a pure fear controlling me for a few seconds as we both stood watching the cloud form and raw into life.
"We will." Ironman said flying down, quickly fallowed by Thor, Cap and the Hulk landing on the ground with a thud. Natasha was above in a quin-jet. I instantly realised Clint wasn't with them. He must be dead.. My heart ached at that thought. In a blink Loki was behind me, his hand wrapped tightly around my neck. His hand was so damn cold, like ice wrapped around my neck.
"Take one more step and I'll break her neck!" Loki hissed, squeezing my throat for good measure.
"Brother please-" Thor begged. The frown on his face as he met his brothers eyes.
"You are not my brother! You sent me away!" Loki cried out as the thunder roared above us. Hulk screamed at Loki making him jump slightly. Loki was genuinely scared of Hulk. It was one of those things that made me wanna chuckle, and I probably would have, if it wasn't for Loki's death grip on my throat.
"Loki, let the girl go." Cap said as Ironman trained his weapons on us.
"You pathetic beings! You think you can tell me what to do?" Loki asked picking me up off the ground in one hand. I gasped at his hand, trying to pry his fingers off my crushing wind pipe. The pain wasn't the worst I had felt and in that moment a part of me wanted him to kill me. I was the reason the door had opened, I had got Clint killed and I had got the Tower blown up. The tesseract energy felt more like a curse than a gift.
"Loki!" Thor yelled swinging his hammer around in his hand. I looked over at the faces of my friends. Ok Ironman and Hulk were hard to read, but they were still my friends. Each of them were unique, there was no way they would have been friends without having the common call. The call to stand up for the weak, protecting those who can't protect themselves. They would give theirs, just like Clint. I had to fight, I couldn't let Loki end the world, I had to fight. I had to keep trying, just like the Avengers would.
"You will all bow to me! All of you!" Loki cried out as spots started to form in front of my eyes. I can beat the night, I'm not afraid of thunder, I am full of light, I am full of wonder. I'm not going to fall under. I can beat the night, I'm not afraid of thunder, I am full of light, I am full of wonder. I'm not going to fall under. I chanted again and again in my head as I felt my hands begin to tingle. The shouts back and forth between the Avengers and Loki faded into the background as I focused on the words.
"I can beat the night, I'm not afraid of thunder, I am full of light, I am full of wonder. I'm not going to fall under." I wheezed out as I felt my hands glow with the tesseract energy. No one was taking notice of me as I moved my hands away from my throat and towards Loki. I placed my hands on his face. I gasped as a lifetime of memories and thoughts crashed into my mind. Images of him as a child with baby Thor, to his being shun for his older brother. To the anger and resentment he felt towards his whole family. To being cast away, and needing revenge. Finally images flashed of the things he made people do under his control, even Agent Barton. A rage built in me, half the rage Loki felt towards his family and the other half, the rage I felt about what Loki made people do. The blue ora spiralled around my hands as I pushed a thought into Loki's mind. You will put me down. Now.
"What-" Loki's word stop dead as he lowered me to the ground, letting go of my throat. I coughed stepping back as I noticed the tesseract blue energy in his eyes. I didn't feel a second of regret, not a tiny bit guilty, the rage pushed all that away. It was the least he deserved. The connection was weird, one I didn't want to keep too long at all. But at the same time, there was so much to explore in his mind, so much more I could see, feel. I didn't want to break it. I stood looking deep into Loki's eyes as he stood perfectly still and looked back into my eyes.
"Wonder! You ok?!" Cap asked rushing to my side. I held my hand out to stop him from touching me. I wasn't sure how long I could hold the control over Loki if someone touched me, I was new to this and I wasn't sure how far I could push it.
"Not yet." I coughed out as I stood up straight. The cloud was still forming and rumbling. I looked at Loki and he was stood perfectly still looking me in the eyes. Close the portal. Loki looked up at the portal and raised his hand, the energy returning to the ground and kicking up a bunch of sand as it disappeared into the ground. Everyone covered their eyes as the dust blew past us.
"You're controlling his mind." Ironman said as he and Thor walked over to us. Thor was frowning at me, he didn't approve but I didn't care. Loki was stood perfectly still waiting to be told what to do.
"He's mind... it's...so furious." I said still looking into Loki's eyes.
"Flynn, you need to break the connection." Cap said as Ironman and Thor reached close to me.
"He wants so much revenge, it's eating him up." I said as Cap and Ironman walked closer to me.
"Smurfette, you wanna stop yoda-ering him?" Ironman asked as I blinked and saw every person he controlled and every single thing he made them do, along with the people he killed, just because he could.
"He... controlled so many people... He made people kill. Killed innocent people." I said as a balled my fists and the blue tesseract energy flared around my arms.
"Do not hurt him!" Thor boomed marching up to me. I turned to him, my fists shaking with the anger I felt. Loki needed to pay and I was the one who would make it happen.
"Why not? Why shouldn't I just let him kill himself in the most cruel way he can imagine? Why shouldn't I trap him in his own mind, full of all his deepest fears?" I growled. Thor stopped dead, a grim look crossing his face as he glanced at his friends. Ironman and Cap traded a look.
"Look, Smurf-" Ironman said approaching me.
"No!" I yelled, my voice sounding a mixture of my own and Loki's as I fired off some of the tesseract energy, knocking Ironman back into Hulks arms. "He must pay!" I growled as Hulk caught Ironman and put him back on his feet. Thor began to swing his hammer around and Captain American walked towards me, holding his hands out.
"Flynn, you know he will pay." Cap said softly. "But this, this isn't you talking. You're thoughts, they're all jumbled with Loki's. You need to break the connection."
"I don't... I can't he needs to pay." I said shaking my head a little. My mind was a muddle of Loki and my own thoughts, competing to be heard.
"And he will. But first you need to break the connection." Cap said softly as he reached my side.
"She is not relinquishing her control." Thor boomed and Cap instantly turned to face him.
"Give me a minute." Cap groaned before turning back to me. "Come on Wonder, do the right thing... let him go."
"I just... it so much... his mind is so dark." I said shaking my head as I tried to distance myself from his thoughts. I locked my eyes on Loki and pushed one last thought into his mind. You will obey the Avengers. You will listen and fallow what they say to you. I drew the tesseract energy back inside me, breaking the connection and I stumbled backwards, it had taken so much out of me. My own head felt like it was about to explode. Cap caught me and wrapped an arm around me as Loki stood watching us all emotionless.
"Release my brother from this magic at once!" Thor boomed at me and I shook my head. I grasped at my head, covering my ears as his voice made my head hurt more. Like having a migraine and standing in a church tower on the hour. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to try and calm my head.
"He's too dangerous." I coughed out, my voice sore and raw. "He wants revenge too badly to let him walk free."
"He is my brother!" Thor argued booming at me again. He stormed up to me, closing the little gap between us. He was a big guy, but I could see him as a child in my mind, and baby Thor not so scary.
"And he killed. He'll listen and fallow anything you tell him to do. Make sure he never escapes again." I coughed out, my throat was killing me. My head was so damn fuzzy, my own memories fighting to stay in focus while Loki's faded away.
"Let's just get back, ok?" Cap said, his arm safely wrapped around my waist.
The flight back to Stark Towers was a blur Tony told me they all knew about SWORD and who I really was. They had discovered it moments before Loki had appeared. I didn't say much, just answering the questions I had to. I sat in the back of the jet zoning out, my mind wondering to Agent Barton, no one talk about him, but in they eyes I saw the truth. I just wanted a hot shower, a change a clothes and somewhere I could drink myself into oblivion. When we reached the tower Steve walked me to my room. Thor and Tony made arrangements to have Loki shipped home. Natasha disappeared and Hulk changed back to Bruce, needing to change his clothes. Honestly everyone wanted time alone, and I knew why.
"Hey Wonder, you did the right thing out there." Steve said, putting his arm around my shoulders and rubbing them.
"You mean with his mind?" I asked softly, my throat still hurt, but I didn't need to get it checked out.
"Yeah, you stopped him." Steve said as we reached my room. I knew he was trying to go for a pep talk but I just wanted to be alone. I stopped outside my door and shrugged, pushing some hair off my face. "Are you going to be ok?" Steve asked looking worried.
"I just need some sleep, as soon as Fury contacts SWORD they'll probably be coming to pick me up." I half lied looking to the floor. I knew SWORD would want me back as fast as SHIELD would like me to leave.
"I'm only down the hall if you need anything Wonder." Steve said putting his hand on my shoulder. He gave me a sad smile, his large hand rubbing my shoulder slightly.
"Robyn." I said looking up and meeting his baby blues for the first time since landing.
"Robyn?" He asked slightly confused.
"My names Robyn Flynn, Agent Robyn Flynn." I explained with a small sad smile.
"You'll always be Wonder to me kid." Steve said with a bigger smile.
"I hope so Cap." I said before sighing. "I'll catch you tomorrow." I said before making my way into my room. I peeled off my clothes, dumping them on the floor. I was so exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally, all I wanted to do was sleep. I didn't even shower, I crawled into bed and felt the sting of tears take over as I cried. My throat burned as I tried to keep the noise down, but I was so wrecked that everything was breaking down. The tears flowed in steady streams as I curled into a ball. The exhaustion took over quickly sending me into a deep sleep.
I woke on my side, an arm dangling out of the bed, scrapping the floor. I felt something warm laid across my waist. I blinked away the bright sun light as I slowly moved and saw a rather muscular arm laid there. I'm pretty sure I didn't go drinking last night...Although I am in just my underwear. I took a steady breath when the person behind me moved the hair off my face.
"I was wondering when you were going to wake up." The voice said and my heart jumped into my throat. I couldn't speak for a few seconds and I thought I was dreaming. I felt the bed move and the hand rest on my shoulder. "I can see your eyes. I know you're awake." He whispered, his breath sending tingles down my spine. I closed my eyes as tears silently rolled down. "Hey, come on, why are you crying?" He asked brushing a few away. I shook my head, I couldn't find my voice. I was praying it was a beautiful dream I could stay in forever. "Will you look at me?" He asked sighing softly, a hint of chuckle behind his words.
"No." I mustered up. My voice so weak, so broken, just like I felt. I sounded like a petulant five year old, not a master spy.
"Why not?" He asked chuckling at me now.
"Because, because if I see you I might wake up and you'll be gone again." I whispered out into the pillow. The bed moved again, the weight behind me leaving in a swift breeze. I let out a breath realising I must have been dreaming when suddenly I was met by the stormy grey green eyes.
"You dream about me?" Clint asked bobbing down to my eye level, a smirk plastered across his face. He had stitches above his right eye, it looked a nasty cut. But other than that, he looked perfect. He looked like Clint.
"How did... I heard the explosion." I said sitting up, pulling the bed sheet up to cover my chest. Clint smiled, sitting on the bed next to me, taking my hand in his, rubbing it softly.
"Let's say, Stark can fly as fast as his mouth can work." Clint smiled then lost it as he looked at me. "Did Loki hurt you?" He asked a darkened expression crossing his face.
"I think I hurt him more." I admitted pulling my hand back. I pulled my legs up and wrapped my arms around my chest. "I... I controlled his mind. I saw... I saw everything he ever saw, he ever thought, he ever did. I saw what he made you do through his own eyes." I whispered out to my feet. Clint didn't say anything at first, he just looked at me.
"You did what you had to stop him. We're trained to do that as Agents." Clint said rubbing my arm. I looked up and met his eyes. We both looked into each others eyes, not saying a word but he understood. He knew how conflicted I felt.
"I... I thought-" I started to say when Clint shushed me.
"I'm alive. A little banged up, but alive. I promise." Clint said pulling me into a kiss, our lips crashing in one of those perfect, cheesy movie kisses that makes the world fade away.
Ok so yeah an epilogue and then that's it for this story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
