By the time everyone had gotten to the meeting, I was seriously pissed off. How dare Steve tell me that I couldn't come with the team. Was I not a valuable asset even in the condition I was in?
I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed, watching Fury talk but not really taking anything in. I already knew the plan. I had helped design it with Stark. Not that that mattered anymore. Everyone but Stark had been all for me staying here while they went out.
Fury looked up to see a rather disgruntled-looking Coulson coming through the door. It occurred to me that I hadn't seen Coulson since the evac from Avenger's Tower.
"Sorry it took me so long to get back, Sir," he mumbled in that same, monotonous murmur he used all the time. "We had a run-in with some sort of…"
"Demon Fairy Hybrid Thing?" Stark suggested absently.
Coulson looked at him strangely, blinking once. "Well. Yes. I guess you could call it a demon fairy hybrid… thing." I noticed the shoulders and sleeves of Coulson's normally pristine suit were singed in certain places. "More like tiny fire-spitting mosquitoes," I heard him mumble as he took a seat in the back of the room. I laughed to think of a bunch of SHIELD agents being bombarded by tiny fire-spitting faeries.
Fury continued to talk about the plan. Basically, the guys were going to infiltrate the subway system west of New York. That had been my idea… And so had the idea to bring Loki along… now he was going and I was staying here. Just last year the team had been fighting against him.
Fury finished the meeting, wishing the team luck and dismissing us. They were supposed to leave the following day early in the morning with a squad of specialized SHIELD agents. All would be in disguise until Avenger's tower was infiltrated, then they would alert Oberon to their presence by blasting a whole right in his defense without him seeing it coming.
And I would be here, waiting desperately to see who would return… and who wouldn't be so lucky.
Late that night, I paced back and forth in the meeting room, trying to work out my nerves. I started walking around the mahogany table that ran down the center of the room, trailing the tips of my fingers along the backs of the chairs. The dim lighting made it easier to attempt to shut out the unhappy images my imagination kept conjuring up.
I nearly jumped sky high when I heard paper rustling behind me. Tony had come in to get something from the table. He looked up at me, hiding his right hand behind his back. "Hey, Sunshine," he said with a grin on his face.
"What are you up to?" I said, forcing a small smile.
Without a word, he slung what was hidden behind his back onto the table between us. I looked down at it, recognizing it as one of the uniforms of the specialized SHIELD agents that were accompanying them tomorrow.
I stared at it, bringing my gaze back up to Tony's. "I'm gonna need you to press that for me," he said. I didn't miss the wink he shot me before I reached down to pick it up.
I gave him a genuine grin, deciding to play along. "One of these days I'm going to teach you how to press your own damn clothes. Honestly, I don't know how Pepper deals with you."
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Sunshine." Then, lowering his voice. "Just go get 'em"
~Loki~
Loki was standing in his old chambers in Asgard. He stood in front of the large window he had grown so fond of, looking out at the rainbow bridge that led to the other realms.
"Father!" he heard a young child cry out to him, and he automatically turned around to see a little girl running to him, arms outstretched. She looked exactly like a younger Veronica, save for the jet black hair tied up in a long braid stretching down her back.
He reached for the strange girl, picking her up and tossing her into the air. She let out a joyous shriek. He brought her back down to his eye level, smiling. He only noticed her crystal blue eyes briefly before they began to turn bright red and her skin tinged halfway between blue and normal skin tones.
Loki sat up swiftly in bed, wiping sweat from his brow. He looked over to where Veronica lay, peacefully sleeping. He rubbed his face in his hands, trying to clear the image from his head.
The clock on the bedside table read three a.m.
He lay back in bed, reaching for Veronica. She turned over to him, no doubt his icy hand had woken her up.
"Wha… What's wrong, Loki?" she mumbled. She was still half asleep.
"Nothing," he said. "I just needed to make sure you were still here."
She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Where else would I be?" She gave him a small smile and opened her mouth to say something which he silenced with a kiss.
Five a.m. arrived much sooner than Loki had expected it to. He got up, dressed in the designated attire, and left, kissing Veronica on the forehead. He didn't wake her because he did not want her worrying. The longer she was asleep, the better.
He boarded the transportation that would take him and the others to the designated 'subway' station, praying to Valhalla that everything would go according to plan.
~Veronica~
I was awake before Loki even stirred. I lay in bed, my mind racing with what I was about to do.
I was about to directly disobey my superior's orders and go into battle under false identity. Yup. Nothing wrong or career-threatening in that picture.
I waited for Loki to rise, dress and leave. I knew he wouldn't try to wake me. He was probably trying to get out without an argument. I allowed him to fall into a false sense of security as he practically ran out the door.
The minute the door closed, my eyes snapped open and I reached down under the bed for the uniform Stark had given me last night. It was perfect, really. Like the previous disguise, the helmet hid my facial features. The only difference was the fact that my original Avenger uniform would fit under it.
I ripped open my wardrobe, grabbing the leather number I had grown so used to. After coming here, Tony had had new knives made for me and I had been given a new set of pistols. After dressing and strategically placing knives in various nooks and crannies, I slipped the jumpsuit-like disguise over my original uniform. The dark blue canvas was bulky enough to hide the fact that I was a girl too.
Oh, SHIELD, you make this too easy.
With one last look in the mirror, I hastily added the signature trademark of black eyeliner that I wore. Now I was BlackLite. This was going to be fun.
I pulled the helmet on, inspecting myself in the mirror. Nothing betrayed my identity.
I left the bedroom, looking to my left, then right before proceeding down the hall. I grabbed a standard issue M16 from the weaponry and all but ran to the meeting room, slipping into the ranks of SHEILD agents being briefed. I was able to make out the top of Loki's head at the front of the room and Steve and Thor were obviously able to be seen too.
Fury was telling the same plan to the troops as he had told the Avengers last night. My heart raced with the anticipation of an upcoming battle.
As we filed onto the transport, I gathered my wits and prepared for what was coming next.
The doors slid shut, finalizing everything. I was in it til the end now.
Ok. Short, I know. But just wait... :)
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