"Puny god," Loki heard the Hulk mutter as he walked away from the scene, Loki now lying in the ground where he had been repeatedly smashed into the floor like a ragdoll.
Oh by Valhalla, I can't feel my entire body he thought as a groan escaped his lips. He didn't want to move. Or breathe, or blink, or anything. Though he tried to get up, and he instantly regretted it.
Ah, well then. I did not want to get up anyways, so I shall just lie here…
He let out another groan and closed his eyes.
So this is how it all ends, hm? A leader, beaten and broken by a foul beast; left crippled and in pain on the floor whilst the war rages on. How poetic.
At this point, it was still impossible he couldn't win. The portal was open, no one could stop it, and his forces were slowly overtaking the city.
He had nothing to worry about. Or so he thought. He had no idea how long he had been lying there when he suddenly heard not only gunfire, but also everything else going absolutely still. There were no sounds of the Chitauri romping around seizing the city. He heard no whizzing of flying chariots or screams of his army or the citizens as his Chitauri claimed their next victims.
All was silent. All was still.
"Wake up!" Orthani heard an angry growl above her head as she came back into consciousness, she also being violently shaken by something.
She sat up quickly and focused her vision to see Natasha glaring over her, gun drawn and pointed directly at her head.
Orthani sighed. "Let me guess. You've been sent to kill me?" she spat, the taste of blood stinging her tongue.
"How else would it end? Hm?" Natasha said in a calmer voice. "Nick says you've betrayed us all. I want to know why."
Orthani scooted herself up against the wall she had been cornered against. She had nowhere to run.
"I haven't betrayed anyone," she growled. She turned her head to the side and spat out a mix of blood and saliva. When she looked forward, she felt the barrel of Natasha's gun being pressed into her forehead. "I've played the middle ground. I wasn't on either side-"
"Then tell me why you weren't being bombarded! Tell me why you and Loki were having an adorable smooch fest while the rest of the Avengers and I took on the first real big threat! Tell me why you weren't down there with us, fighting your ass off like the rest of us!" Natasha snarled, pressing the gun into Orthani's forehead even more.
"That's the perk of being the middle player. Sometimes you get special benefits from being on both sides," Orthani smirked. "Besides, both you and I know you're bluffing," she chuckled as she hoisted her torso off the ground. "Seriously, you expect me to believe you carry enough cartridges to keep that thing loaded even after an alien attack? Please."
Natasha pointed her gun away from her and fired off two rounds one right after the other without so much as blinking. She then put the gun back to Orthani's head. "Convince me why I should disobey Nick's orders to kill you. Maybe I'll play nice today."
Orthani smirked. "You guys won. Why should another life be lost?"
"Because god knows what you'll do once I let you walk out the door." She cocked the gun and again pressed the barrel to Orthani's head.
Orthani only chuckled. She won't do it.
"You just want to kick Loki while he's down. This isn't about following orders; this is about revenge. I saw how he treated you earlier today," she spoke, realizing exactly what was happening. "He ripped your mind apart, he abused the knowledge he gained when Barton was under his command. To everyone else, you can hide your face and your true identity. Yet he walked in and saw right through every lie you spat. You took him to be a fool and you got burned for it." She shook her head and chuckled. "Is this payback? Is it? He took your precious Clint and now he must be punished long after he's lost the war he started?" she raised her voice.
"I've got red in my ledger."
"Don't we all? Killing me in spite for Loki's misdeeds to you isn't going to change that! You've won Natasha! It's over!"
"That doesn't change the fact that you broke your contract!"
Orthani held up her hands in defeat. "Oh, well then pardon me for allowing Loki to protect me from you sniveling, power hungry agency. I wasn't even conscious when I left the place; Loki was the one who made the decision to save the girl bleeding to death on the floor of Hulk's cage!" she spat.
Natasha shoved the barrel to her head, causing Orthani to have to crane her neck at the pressure. "See, this is why Nick wants you dead. You aided a killer, you've stood by his side-"
"Because I love him!" Orthani screeched, cutting her off before she finished her statement. "I knew him before he became the monster he is now! I knew him when he had an ounce of compassion left for humanity! Sure, he wanted to take over the world, but at that point he still had a heart!"
"How am I supposed to believe a man like that once had heart?" Natasha yelled at her.
Orthani paused, breathing heavy in frustration. "If you go inside and look on the coffee table, then you'll see a whiskey glass with blood on it. If you look in there, you'll see a barbed arrowhead that was once lodged in my leg." Her voice was gradually getting louder. "The scarf that hangs by my side was given to me by him so he could make sure I wouldn't get my head ripped off by his army. I was lying on the floor, bleeding to death after Coulson thought it was a good idea to yank my feet out from under me when the escape happened, and Loki saw fit to sedate me to stop the pain, had the decency to stop the bleeding, move me to Stark Tower and then spent god knows how long trying to fish the damn thing from my leg before healing the wound. He has heart. It's just been abused since he was able to talk. You really want to punish him like this?"
A smirk curled on Natasha's lips. "He sure as hell deserves it."
"Then do it. Kill me," Orthani spat. Not an ounce of fear was in her veins. "Though know this; If you want to watch him snap, if you want to break the final string and send him into absolute insanity, be my guest. You won't be able to stop him then. I dare you to watch what you've done to him. I dare you to watch his soul break right in front of you as you kill the only person who ever truly bothered to care; watch as his heart shatters into nonexistence, what little he has left. And when you see the last flicker of hope leave his eyes, I hope you feel the same pain and suffering you've caused him and you realize what horrors you've just done," she threatened with a sneer curling across her lips.
"I have no empathy for men like Loki," Natasha said coldly.
"You will when you see that last spark of humanity in him," Orthani retorted softly. "If you don't have a single pang of guilt take over you when you see you've brought a god to his knees, then you are the monster, Natasha. I dare you to watch as his world collapses in front of his eyes."
"That was the plan."
"And how will Barton react to your betrayal?" Orthani said as she raised an eyebrow. "What will he say when he realizes what you've done?"
"He'll get over it," Natasha gave a half shrug. "As will Loki."
"You honestly believe that?" Orthani let out a laugh. "After all the trouble Loki went through to keep me alive up to this point, you think he will forget the heart of someone he deeply cared about?"
"Loki isn't capable of loving, Agent Mynx," she said distastefully. "Everything he says will always be a pack of lies."
"If you honestly believed that, then you wouldn't be here. You're going to break down when you see his reaction to my death, as much as you think you won't."
Natasha snarled. "Do you know who you're talking to?"
Orthani chuckled. "Of course. That's why I said it. Though before you go and kill me execution style, let me say this. This is the exact same scenario Clint was in years ago. He considered your life, did he not? You were completely rogue, yet he found the decency to let you live. Have some compassion. You already know what he would do in this situation; do you honestly believe you should have died that day? Pull that trigger and you condemn your own life. Pull that trigger, and you prove that you should've been killed that day all those years ago! So tell me, Natasha Romanoff!" She brought her voice to a yell. "Shall you die, or do you deserve to live?" she challenged her boldly.
Black. That's all that happened. Just suddenly, nothing. She didn't even hear the gun go off; that's just how quickly her life was ended.
Natasha watched her body slump to the ground lifeless. She had put a bullet right in the kill zone: dead center, directly in between her eyes just below the line of her brows.
"Even I still think I deserve to die," she muttered, staring at the dead body in front of her. She took a moment to breathe before she grabbed the scarf from Orthani's belt, retrieved the daggers she had thrown to the side to leave Ghost unarmed, and then turned to get Loki's scepter lying on the ground. She secured the two daggers behind her back on her belt, and then secured the scarf behind her back as well.
She saw Tony, the Hulk, Clint, Captain, and Thor all converging on the building from all directions and she knew what was happening. She took Loki's scepter in hand and joined them inside, each one of them surrounding Loki, who was still lying on the ground.
Loki hoisted himself to sit up and then slowly turned around to see the group of angry superheroes. It slowly dawned on him that he actually lost.
"If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now," he half groaned as he pulled himself out of the imprint he had made on the floor. Barton drew his bow and aimed it directly at Loki's forehead.
"Is that surrender?" Hawkeye said, refusing to lower his weapon until Loki completely surrendered.
"I doubt I have any other choice, do I?" he mouthed off in a mocking tone.
Hawkeye lowered his bow and withdrew the arrow.
"Do not kill him," Thor spoke broadly as the team started shuffling about. "He is to be taken back to Asgard for his justice."
Where is she? The thought was the only thing on Loki's mind at that moment. Why is she not here? She was with the Hawk last I saw of her, so where has she gone… As everyone backed down from their attack stance, he glanced over all of their faces. His eyes snapped to Agent Romanoff's, the look on her face disguising a world of lies and deceit.
"Feeling bitter, Agent Romanoff?" he taunted as Thor approached Loki with a set of Asgardian shackles.
She gave a chuckle without a smile even gracing her lips. "If the shoe fits," she said coldly. "You look anxious. Something wrong?" she asked sharply as if she was trying to lash out at him.
"I'm being forced to accept defeat, Agent. If I wasn't anxious, then you should be worried," he reflected effortlessly as the shackles were snapped around his wrists.
"Will you two stop bickering like an old married couple please?" Tony snarked into the conversation.
Loki chuckled with a grin. "Might I suggest getting a muzzle for the lady if that is the case; she never did learn to hold her tongue," he quipped meanly.
Natasha crossed her arms over her chest, taking the verbal blow and brushing it off like it was nothing. "You remember what you told me earlier? How you were going to have Barton kill me while he was your pet monkey?"
Loki's grin turned dark and menacing. "How on earth could I forget such a magnificent speech, Agent Romanoff," he said coyly as Thor tried to help him to his feet. He shook his head, telling him without words he still needed a minute or two to complete his regeneration of his injuries before he could stand completely again.
Natasha tossed Loki's scepter to the side and walked over to where she was glowering over his still aching body lying partially on the floor. "Well you'll never guess who I ran into," she said, her demeanor portraying this to be a game to her. Such a serious face and unrelenting piercing eyes stared down at Loki. The entire room suddenly grew silent as all watched what was happening.
He chuckled. "Ah, I do apologize for my beloved pet's behavior in whatever it is she's managed to do to you," he said fluidly. He was taunting her, no doubt. "She can get a little…ah, out of hand at times. There is no use threatening me for her misdeeds. We can both handle ourselves on our own."
Natasha smirked. "Oh no. That's not what I meant."
Loki hummed a high pitch laugh at her attempts to weave her way into his mind. It was amusing to him, really, how she thought she could get him to talk to her in any other such way. "Then do tell me what you mean, Agent," he scoffed lightly.
Natasha gave him a dark look. "Let's just say I killed her." She unfolded her arms and reached behind her back to grab a dagger. "Quickly," she said as she tossed the dagger on the floor at Loki's feet. "Intimately," she threw the other one down to join the first one. "And in every way I know you fear." She threw the scarf down last and then crossed her arms over her chest once again. She had used his words against him, yet spun them to her liking. "Next time? Don't go messing with our S.H.I.E.L.D agents. Maybe then you won't get burned."
Loki's heart stopped once the scarf hit the floor.
The quim is bluffing he told himself. He couldn't stop his menacing, mischievous attitude from vanishing all together in that moment.
"Do you think I am but a fool?" he spoke darkly. He wasn't joking anymore. "I will not stand for such childish games, Agent Romanoff-"
"You want to see if I'm playing games? She's up on the roof if you don't believe me."
The room fell into a deadly silence as everyone shifted gazes to each other around the room before landing back on Natasha. Barton was the first to actually move. He looked at Natasha in disbelief, turned his head to make eye contact with Loki for a brief second, and then briskly rushed out the broken glass window out to the balcony and then rushed up the stairs leading to the roof. There wasn't any other expression but alarm written on his face.
The room seemed to stand perfectly still in anticipation. No one wanted to move. The Avengers knew Natasha was more than likely being dead serious about this. It was like they were waiting and watching as a ticking time bomb slowly clicked its way down to zero.
Everyone's eyes turned as they heard Hawkeye's footsteps rushing back down the stairs to the balcony. He put his hands on the frames that once held the windows and simply looked inside, his brows creased together.
"Tasha, how could you?" he said barely above a whisper.
The clock hit zero, and the time bomb erupted.
Loki snarled in anger as he swiftly pulled himself to his feet. Thor jumped into action, thinking that Loki was about to attack her and he ran to hold him back.
"Unhand me, brother!" Loki growled as he fought against Thor's grip.
"You will not hurt her!" Thor roared back at him, turning Loki so that he was facing him.
"I do not have time for foolish children who seek revenge by destroying the innocent among them. Does it look like I plan on wasting my energy on a woman so ignorant and naïve she can hardly contain her destructive nature; with a mind as one dimensional as a line drawn on paper?" he roared back, practically spitting in Thor's face. "Such blatant stupidity isn't even worth looking at, let alone expending energy on it," he swirled around and gave Natasha a look that sent fear running through her veins.
The smirk fell from her lips almost instantly and it was replaced with a look of terror.
"You are pathetic. You cower away from the real threat and instead go to kill the last uncorrupt sliver of his soul. You will always be utterly useless and without a doubt, beyond incompetent," Loki lashed out verbally, and angry and menacing snarl on his lips. "Next time, play the game fair," he spat in a dangerously low voice as he crowded into her personal space, getting right up in her face. "Next time you seek revenge against me, come and kill me instead of retreating to a coward's call and killing someone else," he growled.
He pulled himself out of Thor's grip and walked towards the balcony, walking straight into Natasha with his shoulder and making her stumble out of his way.
"Loki!" Thor called out as his brother reached the balcony.
"Silence, brother!" Loki hissed dangerously as he turned around swiftly to face him. "If you fear me fleeing from your custody, then do imagine what this would be like if you had your precious Jane lying supposedly dead above you. If Orthani is as you so claim, then I have nothing left to fight for; there is nothing worth risking a worse punishment that would be given if I did so when my only trustworthy companion lies dead before my eyes," he snapped before turning back and walking through the broken window and out onto the balcony.
He swiftly climbed up the stairs, his heart pounding in his chest so much he thought it might burst. The anger had left his face completely and was replaced with a stony emotionless one.
Let her still live, even if it is almost death. I can bring her back with even the slightest sign of life; by the gods let her be barely so, I beg of you.
He stepped onto the rooftop where Selvig had set up the Tesseract and froze. His heart stopped. Everything stopped.
"No," he barely managed to exhale, darting to Orthani's side. He fell to his knees and put a hand around her throat in search of a pulse.
Nothing.
"By the gods, give me something," he pleaded as he opened one of her eyes to see the lifeless blue orbs staring into nothingness. He brushed the hair away from her eyes to see the bullet hole directly in the center of her forehead, a single trail of now dried blood running from that hole down the bridge of her nose, into the corner of her eye, and then down the side of her cheek.
Every ounce of anger he had drained from his body as the blood drained from his face. He frantically but gently picked her up from the corner she was curled up in, her body completely limp in his arms, and carried her down the stairs and back into the pent house. He brushed past Barton and then ignored the entire team as he carried her to the very same couch she had been lying on before the war had even started and once again fell to his knees beside her.
"Orthani, don't…" he barely whispered desperately as he put a hand on her cheek, his darting eyes studying her face as he moved strands of her hair away from her closed eyes. The chains connecting the shackles together clinked softly, but since it was the only other noise in the room, everyone was able to hear them.
The room had gone into a deadly silence once more. Every eye was on him, watching his every move, his every word, his every look as if it was shocking to them how he was reacting.
"No," he managed to exhale. " Please, no, don't let this be happening," he squeezed his eyes shut and rested his forehead against hers, a look of desperation and hurt taking over his expression. His fingers raked into her chestnut brown locks. "You cannot do this to me; come back to me!" he softly cried out under his breath. "Please…have mercy, don't do this to me…" He opened his eyes and pulled himself away from her to once again study her face. He just stared at her in disbelief like he couldn't come to terms with what was lying in front of him. He brought his other hand up to lift her chin slightly and then he froze as if he was waiting for something to happen. Anything.
Nothing ever did.
Before his eyes even began to water, he buried his face into the crook of his arm and rested it on the seat of the couch right beside her head.
It was like something in the air broke. There was no anger or conflict hanging there as it was before. There was no triumphant aura amongst the Avengers for winning a well fought war; there was no spite or hatred. Only heartache, not only from Loki, but from Clint's silent mourning as well.
Thor had to look away from his brother, the sight of it too much for him. He knew he had lost more than just a friend or an ally. He had lost someone who had stuck with him all the way until the end, regardless of what their morals or standards were. She had fought by his side since he landed on this place the first time, and been there up until the very end. While he didn't blame Natasha for what she did, for he did something similar the moment he saw Orthani when he arrived, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. He had seen the look in her eyes; the turmoil and tribulation raging in her mind at what she should do while she laid helpless in that bed, restrained by her boss. He hadn't seen the same dedication in Loki's eyes, though he had to admit, he was never really able to tell what was going on with his brother through his eyes in the first place. He knew his brother, though. He knew he wouldn't act as he was unless something truly got to him.
He hadn't ever really seen Loki like this before, at least not in a long time; so broken, vulnerable and hurt. He had not yet seen the look in his eyes, but he was sure he'd find a look similar to the one he had the day the bifrost was destroyed and he let him fall into the abyss.
Mjolnir slipped from his grasps and it hit the floor with a loud thunk. No one even so much as flinched at the noise, they all mostly engrossed in the emotion and the scene before their very eyes. A monster, one who had destroyed half of New York with an alien invasion, was mourning over one small human's death? It was outrageous to them, yet humbling and depressing at the same time.
Steve was the first to move from the otherwise frozen crew. He dropped down on one knee, rested the arm his shield was fastened to across his leg and bowed his head as the true soldier he was in a sign of respect. The Hulk, who watched Captain as he knelt, let out a few gruff breaths that were supposed to be whimpers before he let out a loud roar. It had worked with Tony, so he might as well try, right? When it didn't get the same result, he just gruffly exhaled in short spurts as if he was confused and then hung his head as he slowly started to shrink back into Bruce Banner. Natasha brought the gun she had used from its holster and threw it to her left, it sliding across the floor as she stormed out to the balcony, the sun now slowly sinking towards the horizon and casting a bright orange glow on the gathering. She claimed she wouldn't have any sympathy towards this man, but when she had caught sight of the whiskey glass sitting on the coffee table with one of Hawkeye's arrowheads caked in blood at the bottom, she snapped. Maybe she had been telling the truth, Orthani. She pushed past Barton, who was now leaning against the window frame with his back, his arms crossed over his chest, and an emotionless face set on his features while his eyes stared off into the distance.
"Why…?" Loki suddenly brought his head up, revealing the otherwise silent tears glistening underneath his green eyes. "Why must this happen? She has done nothing to deserve this…" he asked rhetorically under his breath, his voice sounding somewhat flustered.
"You killed over a hundred people, Loki," Tony barely spoke up, his eyes looking at the floor. It was a soft reply, but it was loud enough for Loki to hear and cause him to turn his head to look at the Iron Man over his shoulder.
"Then why am I the one who was spared?" he shook his head, taking his eyes away from Tony only when he spoke. "I should be the one lying dead before you if this was punishment, not her…" he turned his gaze back to her. "I understand the idea of paying for your crimes and punishment for one's actions, but killing a, a..a loved one of the criminal in question is hardly a proper punishment," he stuttered, trying to find the words. He looked at Tony once more. "I would much rather be the one dead than to have her-…" he couldn't even finish his own sentence. He closed his eyes as a single drop of water from his eyes ran down his cheek so swiftly that Tony barely even caught sight of it.
That one stray tear he saw was enough to make Tony force himself to look away as he felt one of his own slide down his cheek. The emotions hanging in the air were too much. It was practically choking out any sort of uplifting emotion that could be present and replacing it with the worst feeling of dread and sorrow imaginable, which made the air heavy and hard to breathe.
"Thor. Release me," Loki's voice gave a slight quiver.
"Brother, I-"
"There are magic-binding restraints, am I correct?" Loki swiftly cut him off. "So let me go so I can try and bring her back," he said firmly but quietly and as collectively as he could.
"Loki, it is impossible," Thor said softly, his back now turned to his brother.
"Let. Me. Try," Loki hummed dangerously before looking over his shoulder at Thor. "I cannot leave this realm without trying everything in my power to bring her back. I will not rest easy shall I leave here without attempting to revive her."
"Loki, there are consequences-"
"Of which I can most certainly reverse should something go wrong."
"The council will not see it that way. They will see it as your own selfish impulses. She isn't Asgardian, we cannot just experiment on her. Should her soul become a parasite to yours, it cannot be reversed should you manage to defy all odds. Loki, the risks outweigh the benefits," Thor said, turning around to face his brother once more.
"Thor, if this was Jane, you would be begging, pleading, demanding me to try everything possible regardless of the fact the chances of succeeding are almost none," Loki pointed out, having trouble forming the words on his tongue. "Brother I cannot live…I do not wish to…without trying to breathe life back into her. If I succeed, I shall face the consequences in Asgard with the knowledge I kept the promise I made almost two years ago to this woman. At least it would be worth the suffering and torture. Otherwise, what have I to lose?"
"Since when do promises matter to you?" Thor furrowed his brow. "You have never been one to keep a promise since we were but children. Why does this one matter so greatly that you have to hopelessly attempt to save a life which is already gone?" Thor said, slightly yelling at him.
Loki just stared back at his brother. This time, he didn't yell back as he normally would. "She was the first who actually kept the promises the made with me," he said softly. "Look at what she's done. She managed to fight from both sides of a war until the end, where she was so tragically executed by her own people. She could have avoided her fate had she not kept her word with me. Do not chastise me as if this shouldn't be of great importance to me; you know just as well as I that everyone I talk to manages to go back against words spoken in empty promises. She is different. Therefore, I must treat her as such," he said softly.
Everyone seemed to wait for Thor's decision with bated breath. He looked away from his brother, something gnawing away at his stomach with dread.
"As much as it might seem impossible to believe, I did care for her, and I always shall. I gave her my word I wouldn't let this happened, yet I have so foolishly let my guard down and let her down in the process," Loki said to bring Thor's attention back to him. "I have broken my promise, and a rather important one at that. Must you deny me the chance to redeem myself?"
Natasha clutched her arms to her chest as she watched the sun slowly set over the horizon of the city. She didn't quite understand; every fiber in her being had told her that Loki was an unstoppable monster, that he had no heart, that he had no capability of caring for anyone but himself. She expected him to remain as stone-faced as he made himself out to be, to keep his poker face regardless of how much this woman might've meant to him, to remain as emotionless as possible; that would have meant victory for her. Not this. Not anymore.
"Agent Romanoff, this is Director Fury, do you copy?"
The voice that suddenly relayed in her ear made her jump and snap from her thoughts. She collected herself before she spoke.
"I copy."
"I need a report, Agent."
She bit her lip, wiped a single lone tear off her cheek and decided to make a stand for a change. "Come and get it yourself," she growled. She snatched the earpiece from her ear and threw it on the ground. She stomped on it with her heel, causing it to break into bits and pieces.
"Tasha," Clint's voice came from behind her. She didn't turn around to face him. She didn't want to. "Will you talk to me? Or are you just going to silently destroy yourself in a corner."
Natasha exhaled. "I screwed up, Clint. I made the wrong call. What else can I say?" she said lowly before heading up the stairs to her left up to the roof.
"You know, it's not that simple, really," Clint followed her up, standing a good few feet away from her.
"Yes it is. Fury told me to kill her; I obliged. I didn't think such a monster had any sense of compassion, nor did I think the two of them were actually telling the truth when they said she was playing both sides. I made the wrong call. What can I say?" she said flatly and without emotion.
"And the fact that I refused to even consider Fury's orders didn't send off an alarm in your mind?" Clint retorted, waving his arm as he spoke.
"I know you and her were like siblings, Clint. It came off to me like it was clouding your judgment, not actually knowing anything that was going on. You weren't there when she just about blew the Stuttgart mission!" she shot over her shoulder. "You shot her, that's just about it, but you weren't there as the entire thing went down. You didn't show up until she was gone. I saw it as you had no idea what was going on, and I did," she said, turning around to face him as a breeze gently rushed by.
Clint didn't say a word. He just gave her a look that could just about break hearts.
"Don't give me that, Clint-"
"Why? I can't be sad for the death of my partner?" he gave a reluctant shrug.
"No, that look like I've just destroyed a country and you're disappointed in me. I was just carrying out orders," she folded her arms across her chest.
"And you had to go and rub it in everyone's face? Why not just let him go back to wherever he came from thinking she's still alive and running around saving the world, not lying dead on the rooftop of Tony Stark's skyscraper," he said somberly.
She bit her lip, not having an answer for him.
"Look, Tasha, I know how you are, but this is way beyond you," he spoke again since she wasn't. "That's something the past you would do, not the current one. At least tell me that he got to you; pissed you off to where you had to seek this one out. Don't tell me you've just acted on old impulses…"
She exhaled and her eyes dropped to the ground below his feet. "Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't. Either way, it's done. We can't fix it."
"And you've just killed one of ours-"
"Do you have to keep throwing it in my face?"
"I'm not talking about S.H.I.E.L.D, Nat," Clint talked over her. "I'm talking about our class. Master Assassins. She might be new to the job, but she was a hell of a fighter. One that we could've used here. We can't just go around killing our own every time someone looks a little shady."
Natasha nodded. "I made a mistake. I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"Well then you'd better start acting like it," Clint finalized, turning back to head down the stairs and down to the penthouse balcony, leaving Natasha to her own up on the roof.
A/N: Uuuuuh...
Haha, no seriously, please don't kill me. IT WILL ALL MAKE SENSE IN TIME, PROMISE. It does make for an amazing plotline in the sequel, I will tell you that much. Just hang in with me here. This shall be EPIC. And don't go and post spoilers in the reviews if you think you know whats gonna happen, just bear with me. x) I'll have another chapter posted a bit later today, and then I'll probably be posting the first chapter of the sequel either tomorrow or the day after.
Azalia Fox Knightling: -looks around innocently- Eh hehe. Funny story...
Guest: Oh my god, I just about laughed my ass off at that, hoooooly shit. xD "I want to punch her really hard in the tit." Best. Anon. Review. EVER. xD
Lime Toaster Cat: I must not read that review right then. xD Or I looked at the wrong chapter or something. Either way.
Fluff gets to your head? Dare I ask why? xD
TheMagentaColor: Yes, RIP old laptop. Once I get all my files transfers, I shall throw it off the roof and watch it shatter into a million pieces...
Or wipe the drive and use it as a mass storage device. Whatever works.
LuluCalliope: All my reviewers will get shoutouts! The more reviewers I get, the better I am at writing really good chapters, so I must reply to every one because they all mean a lot!
And thank you. I shall definitely keep up the good work. =)
Captain Cynthia: Haha, nope, no rainbow sparkles and no puzzle solving. Maybe one puzzle, but other than that, -wait, shit, I can't say that, never mind. x.x-
-The rest of this comment has been edited due to spoilers. Sorreh.-
Though seriously. It's good to know I have someone to call me out if my characters turn Mary Sue. Thank you god.