Chapter 9: Just Like Old Times
*****On Top of Stark Tower New York*****
Thor stared at the night sky. He was trying to calm himself but he was still surrounded by thunderclouds. He couldn't deny that he was worried. He didn't want to loose his throne, even if it was to his sister. He wouldn't loose it to Loki so why would he give it to Lin. Especially since her affinity was so…destructive.
He cringed every time he thought of her powers. She was unstable because of them. She was also incredibly dangerous. He knew he couldn't tell the other Avengers about her powers. If he did, they would give up and submit to Loki's demands. He had to make them think they had a chance.
He also knew that their only chance was to find Lin before Loki did and convince her to join them. It was much more challenging than it sounded but it must be done if they wanted to save Earth and Asgard. It would be much easier to kill her than it would be to persuade her to join their side but killing her wasn't an option. If they did, the aftershock would be catastrophic and that's not considering the damage she would do beforehand.
He couldn't help but remember the day he discovered her powers. Thor thought his were cool and unstoppable but hers were important and impossible to destroy. He wondered how she could possibly handle the responsibility she'd been handed. With the addition of her duty as heir to the throne, she had the weight of many worlds on her shoulders.
He had walked into the castle's garden. Usually, he'd see the placid place and hang out for a bit. Sometimes he would just lie in the tranquil silence but other times, he would practice using his powers without worrying about harming someone since no one was ever there. This time the garden wasn't empty, though. He saw his sister, Lin, on her knees, doubled over, and clutching her head.
At this point in time, they were arguing every time they saw each other. It was also a couple months before she left. He was hesitant at first to be there but seeing her in so much pain, he had to know what happened. Even though they were arguing, they were still siblings and he cared about her wellbeing.
He walked over to her and as he got closer, he saw all of the dead plants surrounding her in a perfect circle. Tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were shut in pain. She was shaking and barely able to keep herself together.
He automatically knew what was going on. He saw this happen to a few Asgardians before when they pent up their powers for too long. He knew first hand that if he didn't regularly use his powers, they would overpower him and cause horrible thunderstorms to plague the area he was in. He had never seen her use her powers so he had no clue what they were.
He knew he would find out soon. She was barely holding on. Thor walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder, hoping to calm her down. She opened her eyes and looked up to see him. She smiled weakly but then cringed as another wave of pain overcame her.
"Run" she whispered hoarsely.
"Not while you're in this state" Thor replied stubbornly as he picked her up and put her on the bench in the center of the garden.
She was trembling and fading in and out of consciousness at this point. Like a good brother, he stayed at her side. He had no idea how stupid he was to do this until a few minutes later when the trembling suddenly stopped. It was when the shaking and pain escaped her that he had no clue what he was going to face.
When he blinked, he knew what her powers were because when he blinked, he found himself in a hedge twenty feet away. All of the plants in between him and Lin were flattened like a pancake and winds raged around her. She was suspended into the air by the winds but as they stopped, she fell to the ground, still unconscious.
Thor couldn't believe what he had just witnessed but now he understood why she kept her abilities a secret. She wasn't just an Asgardian, she was an extremely dangerous one that could potentially destroy a city with the blink of an eye. She was the goddess of tornadoes.
She was a very dangerous person indeed. Thor knew he had to find a way to stop her because she could destroy Earth much more easily than he or Loki could. He was lucky she'd remained in the shadows up until now but he also knew how unfortunate he was that she had decided to leave the shadows.
All he could hope for was that she'd see things through his eyes and join the Avengers.
*****In the Lobby of Stark Tower, New York*****
Tony stalked inside with Natasha and Steve at his heels. The rest of the trip had been spent in silence, no one was willing to break it in fear that someone would get hurt. Now that they were in the tower, Tony took up his usually cocky demeanor and Steve reclaimed his usual leader-like attitude.
In the lobby, excited to greet them once again, was Clint and Bruce. Clint automatically ran and embraced Natasha while Bruce began telling Tony about a new theorem he discovered. Steve stood awkwardly in the midst of all of the happy chattering. Already impatient with it, he took the stairs to Tony's lab. He was hoping to find his shield, which he loathed departing with.
When he left the Avengers, he knew he could no longer be Captain America. So, in order to resist the temptation, he left his famous shield under a floorboard in Tony's basement. Tony never knew about it, no one but him did, which was why he was personally going to go retrieve it. He knew that he would need it for the oncoming battles.
When he opened the door to the basement, he was surprised to see someone else down there. She was surprised to see him as well. When he entered she'd been pulling on a metallic glove. It was smooth and appeared to be flexible and thin. It was also obviously not one of Tony's Iron Man hands.
Hearing the door creak, she turned and jumped in surprise. The surprise did not last long though. She quickly got into a fighting stance, both black gloves on her hands. He put his hands up in surrender.
"At ease soldier, I come here in peace" Steve stated as he slowly approached her.
She lowered her lowered her hands and sighed in relief. "You'd better not tell anyone that I've been down here. They'll kill me" the girl replied.
Steve nodded as he knelt down and pried up the floorboard. Inside the compartment was his shield, which was covered in a thick layer of dust. He pulled it out and brushed the dust away. He looked up at her and noticed she was putting the pieces together and realizing who he was.
"As long as you don't tell Tony about my hiding spot, your secret is safe with me" Steve stated as he replaced the floorboard.
"You must be Steve. I'm Darcy. I believe we met over the phone" the girl stated as he turned to leave.
Now that she mentioned it, he noticed how similar she looked to Nick Fury. Then he looked at the gloves on her hands, there were thin blue lines on it as if it was half computer. It didn't take much to notice that Darcy wasn't a tactician like the elder Fury. She was obviously an inventor of some sort. He knew she had created the gloves herself, they didn't look like something Tony would create, they were too feminine. They were also too technologically advanced for any company to create.
As she noticed him observing the gloves, she put them behind her back. She glared at him and her eyes suggested that if he told anyone about them, he'd find out what they do the hard way. He looked away and they searched his brain for something to break the hostile silence. Luckily for him, his lack in social skills didn't matter because she was a naturally bubbly person.
"You'll find out about these another time. Anyway, we should head upstairs before anyone notices we're gone" Darcy said in her usual voice, which was cheerful and a bit mischievous.
*****In a Military Base Just Outside New York City*****
Nick Fury looked at the Helicarrier, the actual Helicarrier. The one he was on a few days ago was a smaller model. This was the real one, the original one, the huge one. He knew it was time that they boarded it once again. They needed the mobility and privacy it gave.
If they were to catch Loki and the Aliens, they needed to be in two places at once, which was impossible. The closest they could get was with the Helicarrier. The only problem was convincing Bruce to get on it, which he figured wouldn't be that hard compared to the other things he has done.
The only thing he was worried was repairing the rift between him and his daughter. He was always extremely nervous around her, which was weird considering that even Loki didn't faze him. He loved her, she was his only child and she was a very accomplished girl. He'd seen her report cards, she'd never gotten below an A in any of her classes, even the challenging ones.
He was proud to call himself her father but he didn't think she knew that. He'd never been good at communicating with kids, which may have ruined his relationship with her. It had been getting worse ever since they first met, despite his enthusiasm. He'd never been able to express positive emotions very well, something that he's prided himself on every time except when he was around his family.
"It's ready to take off" one of the agents stated from somewhere behind him on his left.
He nodded and temporarily forced himself out of his reverie in order to handle the rest of the arrangements.
Authors Note:
/*So a lot less happened in the chapter than usual. Nevertheless, what did occur is really important. First, we now know who Lin really is, an out of control deity who can control tornadoes. Do you think she's still out of control or that she can handle her powers pretty well now? The answer is pretty obvious…I think. The real question for her is whether she is on Thor or Loki's side.
Anyways, the next thing that happened was that Captain met Darcy. They start off a bit suspicious of each other (after all, they did find each other breaking into Tony's lab) but luckily they won't be arguing too much in the future. And now Steve has his shield! He's now officially Captain America again. Woohoo! He may not agree with my excitement but as a superhero, he knows how important his job is and he won't neglect his duties.
The last thing that happens is the real Helicarrier is prepared to take off. Now the Avengers don't have to hang out at Stark Towers and they can go anywhere. I realize I didn't mention Linda in this chapter, that's because she's still walking through the sewer. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be very interesting to read about. Anyways...until next time*/
