Happy Wednesday, my lovely readers!
Big thank you to my new reviewers: Fandom Girl Writer and Crazy Devil Girl. In answer to your review: Crazy Devil Girl, Elizabeth/Lowri has a faster healing rate but she doesn't recover as such like Wolverine. She heals on the outside fast but the insides (muscles and that) take a little longer to heal. You'll that in the following chapter. I hope that cleared it up for you.
Also, big thank you to those who have followed and favourited my story too!
By the way, this chapter is in Steve's POV.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.
Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.
Recap
"Hey, I've got something of yours." Steve said slowly. He smiled as he reached into his pocket and he drew out something small and he held it in his closed hand. "Here, pass me your hand."
Lowri offered him her hand and he gently placed the item in her hand. She drew her hand back and she saw that it was the tarnished old necklace that she never took off.
"The star was made up of the spare key for my home in Brooklyn." Steve said, "The chain was made from the leftovers and the guy who made it said that the necklace was clearly going to a girl I loved, so he gave it to me for free. He knew it was for someone very special to me."
Lowri kept her eyes on the necklace, she knew that it had some sentimental value behind it but she never knew that she actually had a piece of him with her for all of this time.
"I was going to give it to you when I told you how I felt, but then I kissed that private and you were angry and upset and I just wanted to make you happy again, so I left it on your desk. I missed you, though. And I wanted you to have something of me while I was away. It was horrible being away from you for those months." Steve said hurriedly.
Lowri almost teared up, she clasped the necklace in her hands.
"I wasn't angry at you at the time. I was angry at myself for falling for you so quickly." She said quietly. Steve didn't have the chance to reply.
"We're here." Nat announced. The jet stopped flying in one direction and began its vertical descent onto the helicarrier.
Lowri looked down from Steve and then she slowly clasped the necklace around her neck. She felt happy at the familiar feeling of the star resting on her chest. Then, as the jet touched down on the deck and the engines died off, Lowri placed her hands on the cool metal floor and she tried to stand up.
As she got halfway, her knees still bent but shaking considerably, one hand pressed against the wall of the jet and the other on the bench beside, she felt a strong wave of dizziness rush over her and it literally took her breath away, with no protests from her, she passed out and fell.
Steve was still on his knees when Elizabeth had passed out and luckily, he had kept his eyes on her, his gut dropped when her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she went deathly pale. He quickly caught her as she fell and held onto her as he lowered her down to the floor.
He gazed down at her, concern raging through him and he knew that she needed to have urgent medical attention.
As the back of the jet dropped down, a large team of heavily armoured agents boarded the jet with a pair of thick handcuffs for Loki. Steve watched him. The look that Loki had on his face as he stood was not one of defeat, it was of triumph.
Thor left the jet soon after Loki had been taken off and Stark was not far behind him. Steve gathered Elizabeth up into his arms again, surprised at how light she felt as he got to his feet and straightened up.
"That hammer really took it out of her." Agent Romanoff remarked as she stepped out of the cockpit. "I'm guessing you're looking for the medic wing? I'll take you." As she headed for the back of the jet, she grabbed Steve's shield and held it for him.
They left the jet together, side by side, but then Agent Romanoff took the lead.
Agent Romanoff stopped a passing agent and told him that the fuel tank was running low and that it needed to be topped off.
She strode ahead of Steve, almost determined. Steve had so many thoughts rushing through his mind, it was hard to distinguish what he actually felt and thought.
"She said to me that she has a faster healing rate. Like me." Steve began, he tightened his hold on Elizabeth as he followed Agent Romanoff across the runways on the helicarrier. "Why isn't she healing?"
"Lowri told me that her body works in strange ways, but yes, she does have a fast healing rate. I've seen her get riddled with bullets and she still managed to complete the mission." Agent Romanoff said. She slowed down so she walked side by side with Steve. "Lowri is still a human being, she may be able to heal from bullets quickly, but being throttled by a God and then knocked out by a strange force, that probably took it out of her and her body needs to recover first. She's only human, but she just got bigger limits compared to the rest of us mortals."
Steve looked over the flight deck and saw Loki being escorted into the building through another door, surrounded by an army of agents, all geared up for the worst.
Agent Romanoff led Steve through the helicarrier and into the medic wing quickly and explained the situation to the medics as Steve lay Elizabeth on the pristine white bed in the medic wing and looked down at her wistfully, willing her to wake up and say that everything is perfectly fine.
"You are going to have to leave, both of you." The medic in charge said, she looked at Agent Romanoff first and then gave a scared look at Steve.
"Come on." Agent Romanoff said, she jerked her head towards the door and passed through. Steve followed unwillingly but he stood outside and look in through the glass.
Elizabeth looked as though she was merely asleep.
"Captain, we have got the best medics on board, and they all know that Lowri is like a superhuman, they'll stabilise her until she wakes up. She'll be fine." Agent Romanoff said gently. She looked away from Steve and for a short moment and then she looked back up at him. "We've got orders to report to the bridge for an emergency meeting."
Steve nodded his head and followed Nat from the medic wing, through endless corridors until they reached the bridge. Inside, the agents were still milling about the lower levels, monitoring the computers and monitors but, at the table there was Doctor Banner and Thor.
Agent Romanoff strode to a stern looking woman just stood to the side of the table, watching Doctor Banner and Thor closely.
"Where's Director Fury?" Agent Romanoff asked as she approached the woman.
"Welcoming the out of town nut job." The woman replied quickly. She gestured to the table in front of them all and screens illuminated on the glass surface. Agent Romanoff slid into a seat and Steve followed suit but Doctor Banner and Thor chose to remain standing.
The screen showed a live feed from a room holding a very large cage. Loki was pacing the large cage and Director Fury was stood at the control board just to the side, talking.
"In case it's unclear, if you try to escape, if you so much as scratch that glass," Director Fury began as he pressed a few buttons on the control board and the floor beneath the glass cage opened up and let in a hard breeze. "It's 30, 000 feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" Director Fury asked.
Loki looked down at the ground through the glass with a curious smile on his face. Director Fury pressed a few more buttons on the control panel and the floors closed up once more underneath the glass cage.
"Ant." Director Fury said, pointing to Loki and the glass cage. "Boot." Director Fury finished, pointing to the control board.
Loki let out a laugh and began to slowly pace the glass cage once more, he glanced at the camera in the corner and then he looked at Director Fury.
"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me." Loki said calmly, he looked right at Director Fury, letting his words hang in the air.
"Built for something a lot stronger than you." Director Fury replied, his words gave nothing away but Loki seemed to have turned the questioning on to Director Fury
"Oh, I've heard. A mindless beast. Makes play he's still a man. How desperate are you," Loki said, his eyes flickered to the camera again but he kept up his pacing around the cell. "that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?
"How desperate am I?" Director Fury asked.
At this point, one of the doors to the bridge opened and Steve looked up briefly. Elizabeth stepped through the door and scanned the room. Her eyes settled on the group at the table and she made her way towards them. She moved slowly, as if she was still in pain and she rubbed at her forehead as she neared.
Elizabeth looked exhausted, and as though she could do with a week's worth of sleep, she looked pale and grey, her eyes were dull and it was as if life had been drained from her. In all his days of knowing her, Elizabeth has never looked like this and it worried him.
She took a seat next to Steve and when she realised that the screens were displayed on the table, she placed her elbows on the table and leant forward to have a look.
Steve let his eyes skim down her, past her long hair that fell forward lazily, he saw that she was thin, pale and tired.
"You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill for fun. You have made me very desperate. And you might not be so glad that you did." Director Fury said.
"Oooh." Loki breathed out, he stopped pacing and turned to look at Director Fury. "It burns you to have come so close to the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what?" Loki asked, he resumed his pacing and he paused his words, studying Director Fury and his reactions. "A warm light for all mankind to share. And then to be reminded what real power is." Loki finished with a triumphant smile.
Director Fury nodded his head at Loki and turned from him, he stepped away from the control panel and clasped his hands behind his back. He stopped at the top step and turned to look at Loki again.
"Let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something." Director Fury remarked before jogging down the steps and he left the room.
The live feed running to the screens on the table close down and disappeared from the table and everyone looked up except for Elizabeth, her eyes remained trained on the table and she as anxiously chewing on her bottom lip.
Steve looked at her for what felt like a moment too long and he drew his eyes away before the speaking started.
"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Doctor Banner asked, he crossed his arms and faced the small group.
"Loki is gonna drag this out." Steve put in, he glanced around the group and they seemed to be locked in their own thoughts, Elizabeth was playing with the star on the necklace around her neck and her finger brushed one of her bruises and she winced slightly. He turned from her and looked at Thor, "So, Thor, what's his play?"
Thor pursed his lips before answering. "He has an army called the Chitauri. They are not of Asgard, nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. He believes they will win him the Earth, and in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract." Thor answered.
"An army." Steve said slowly, he glanced around again, "From outer space?" The disbelief in his voice was present and very clear.
"So, he's building another portal?" Doctor Banner asked, he stepped towards the table and he had a look of concentration on his face. "That's what he needs Erik Selvig for?"
"Selvig?" Thor asked sharply, he looked at Doctor Banner with an intense gaze and took a small step towards him.
"He's an astrophysicist." Doctor Banner answered.
"He's a friend." Thor replied quickly.
Elizabeth leant back in her chair and looked up at Thor.
"We brought Doctor Selvig in because we were going to study the Tesseract. We offered him protection. But we failed him." Elizabeth said. Thor looked away from Elizabeth, as if he was hurt on the inside.
"Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours." Agent Romanoff said, she had looked up at Thor when she began talking but as soon as she was finished, she looked away hastily again.
"He's got this… sceptre." Elizabeth began, she turned in her seat and then stood up slowly, wincing as she did so. "There's something inside that sceptre and it packs a punch." Thor looked at Elizabeth, taking in the burnt clothes and the bruises. "Loki pressed the tip of the sceptre against the chest of our guy, right over the heart and something took control of our guy. Loki tried it on me, but it didn't work."
As she spoke, Elizabeth stepped around the table until she was beside Thor and Doctor Banner.
"So, you think there's something in the sceptre that aids him?" Doctor Banner asked, directing his question at Elizabeth.
"Yes. I'm not too sure what but there is something in there that can control minds, unless Loki can control minds by himself?" Elizabeth asked, turning to Thor.
Thor shook his head and he looked down.
"I want to know why Loki let us take him." Steve said slowly, "He's not leading an army from here." Steve pointed out.
"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you can smell the crazy on him." Doctor Banner said with a smile, he almost laughed but he sobered up at the sight of Thor's angered look.
"Have care how you speak, Loki is beyond reason but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother." Thor said, almost proudly.
"He killed eighty people in two days." Agent Romanoff said without looking up from the table.
"He's adopted." Thor answered simply.
"I think it's about the mechanics." Doctor Banner began, he paced towards the back of the table. "Iridium. What do they need iridium for?"
The door on the far end of the room opened and Tony Stark strolled through with Agent Coulson beside him, talking in low tones.
"It's a stabilising agent." Stark said loudly as he walked closer, he turned back to Agent Coulson and muttered something to him before turning back to the group with a flourish. "It means the portal won't collapse in on itself, like it did at S. H. I. E. L. D." Stark continued.
Stark stepped closer to the table and walked around until he was by Thor.
"No hard feelings, point break. You've got a mean swing." Stark said. Thor looked at him with a strange look and Stark turned from, he spotted Elizabeth and closed the distance. "You alright now, Ri?"
Elizabeth nodded her head tiredly and shrugged her shoulders. Stark nodded his and turned from her.
"Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants." Stark said, walking to the circle of monitors and played about.
Elizabeth shifted her shoulders uncomfortably as the strong painkillers the medics gave her wore off. The soreness in her shoulders and back returned but thankfully the pain in her stomach was nothing that just a dull ache.
"Uh, raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails." Stark said, sprouting random words out of his mouth as he turned to look over the agents on the lower levels of the bridge. "That man is playing Galaga! He thought we wouldn't notice. But we did." Stark continued, he turned his attention to the circle of monitors. "How does Fury even see these?" He asked, placing a hand over one his eyes.
"He turns." The stern looking woman remarked.
"Sounds exhausting." Stark replied. He tapped the monitor screens randomly and ran his hands along the bottoms of the screens.
Steve began to recognise certain behaviours that Stark displayed, some of them came from his father.
"The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density. Something to kick start the Cube." Stark finished, he glanced around the group almost smugly.
"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" the stern looking woman asked sceptically.
"Last night." Stark answered. He smiled smugly at her and walked past her towards the table. "The packet? Selvig's notes? The extraction papers? Am I the only one who did the reading?" Stark asked, looking around the table.
"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve asked, he glanced around the table and his eyes settled on Doctor Banner.
"He would have to heat the Cube up to 120 million kelvins just to break through the coulomb barrier." Doctor Banner said.
"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilise the quantum tunnelling effect." Stark added. He headed around the table and went straight for Doctor Banner. They shook hands eagerly.
"Is that what just happened?" Steve asked a little sarcastically.
"Your work on antielectron collision is unparalleled and I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green-rage monster." Stark said, shaking Doctor Banner's hand.
"Thanks." Doctor Banner answered shortly.
"Doctor Banner is only here to track the Cube. I was hoping you might join him." Director Fury said as he entered the bridge and quickly strode towards the table.
"I would start with that stick of his. It may be magical but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon." Steve said.
"I don't know a lot about that but it is powered by the Cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys." Director Fury said.
"Monkeys? I do not understand." Thor said slowly, he looked at Director Fury with a confused look written in his eyes.
"I do!" Steve burst out. He looked around the group, happy that he understood one of the new references people always seemed to be making but he was met with serious looks. "I understood that reference."
There was a moment of almost painful silence before Stark turned to Doctor Banner.
"Shall we play, Doctor?" Stark asked.
"This way, sir." Doctor Banner replied with a nod of his head. Together, they left the bridge, murmuring in low tones together.
And there we have it! I'm not sure if I like writing in other character's POV. I have to admit, this chapter may not be the best of my work.
Anyway, thanks for reading!
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