Chapter Thirty Seven
Loki glared at the group with hatred burning in his eyes from his spot on the roof,
"Send the rest" He ordered the alien with him. With an unseen signal, aliens en mass began to pour out of the portal. Natasha noticed them first,
"Guys?" she asked, pointing up. All the avengers followed her gaze and looks of disbelief appeared on every single of their faces as they looked on at the ever growing number of aliens approaching them. 'Today is not a good day' Natasha thought tiredly.
"Call it Captain" Stark said from where he was hovering in the air above them. Steve nodded determinedly,
"Right. Listen up. Until we can close that portal we'll use containment. Hawkeye, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or your turn it to ash." He ordered. Stark nodded. Barton turned to Stark,
"Give me a lift?" he asked.
"Sure thing Legolas" Stark responded. Barton rolled his eyes at the nickname,
"I'm not an elf" he muttered,
"True, you're not pretty enough" Stark quipped before taking hold of the back of Barton's uniform, "Better clench up Archer boy" Barton didn't have time to respond before he was lifted up in the air. The other avengers had just watched in various levels of amusement. Steve turned to Thor,
"Thor, you need to bottle neck that portal. Slow them down. You've got the lightening; light the bastards up" Thor didn't say anything; he just nodded and flew into the air. Steve then turned to Natasha, who was watching with an emotionless face,
"You and me will stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here." He said. Natasha nodded before reloading her guns and beginning to fire without another second wasted. Steve turned to the last member of their team,
"And Hulk?" he waited until the Hulk looked at him, "Smash!" he instructed pointing a finger at the large green creature. Hulk grinned widely before launching himself into the air, smashing one of the air carriers into pieces before flying from building to building. With the orders all given out, Steve joined Natasha taking out the aliens on the ground. A few minutes later they saw large bolts of lightning lighting up the portal, killing several dozen of the aliens as they flew out of it.
"Stark, you've got a lot of strays on your tail" Hawkeye commented as he shot arrow after arrow at the aliens.
"Just trying to keep them off the streets" Stark answered as he did his best to try and destroy them.
"Well they can't bank worth a damn. Find a tight corner" Hawkeye told him.
"I will roger that" Stark said as he did what Hawkeye told him to do. Every single alien on his tail died.
"Nice call. What else have you got?" Stark asked curiously.
"Well Thor's taking on a squadron down on sixth"
"And he didn't invite me?" Stark pouted before banking right and landing next to Thor.
Natasha grabbed another energy rifle and began to fire shot after shot; doing some rather impressive gymnastics whilst she was at it. Steve appeared behind her and once more almost got shot by her. He raised an eyebrow at her chosen weapon but didn't comment,
"Captain, none of this is gonna mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal" she said as soon as they had a lull in attacks. Captain looked at her,
"Our biggest guns couldn't touch it"
"Well maybe it's not about guns" she retorted as she glanced at the small air chariots. Steve followed her eyesight before looking at her like she was crazy,
"If you want to get up there, you're gonna need a ride" he said. Natasha snorted and tossed the energy rifle to the side before backing up, calculating the distance and force she would need to use.
"I've got a ride" she told him disdainfully. Before Steve could say anything she was already running. Natasha jumped up onto an upturned car before using her super strength to launch herself up into the air where she grabbed hold of a conveniently flying chariot. Steve laughed in disbelief before starting to fight again.
After taking control of the chariot she was on, Natasha flew towards Stark's building. She was half way there when an energy beam hit the back of the chariot. She looked behind her, slightly confused as to who would be shooting at her. She noticed Loki on a chariot close behind her,
"Oh. You" she muttered under her breath in annoyance. She began to weave in and out of his shots whilst still making her way to her destination.
"Nat, what are you doing?" Hawkeye asked in astonishment as he followed her movements with his eyes,
"Er... a little help" she asked as she was almost hit again. Hawkeye drew one of his arrows and notched it on his string before aiming it at Loki,
"I've got him" he said smirking before releasing his arrow. The arrow flew true and would have struck Loki in the eye if the trickster God hadn't plucked it from the air. Loki gave Hawkeye a patronizing smile before the arrow blew up in his face, forcing him backwards into a building. Natasha looked behind her at the explosion and grinned,
"Thank you" she said as she continued her journey.
"Welcome Nat" Hawkeye replied as he continued to shoot his arrows.
"Sir we have a bird in motion!" Agent Hill stated alarmed from where she stood at her monitors.
"Shut it down!" Fury ordered.
"Anyone on deck, we have a rogue bird in motion. I repeat that bird is not authorized" she ordered. Fury suddenly appeared with a rocket launcher and he fired it at that back of bird, preventing it from taking off. He lowered his aim, believing the threat to be over before he saw another bird take off, further down the deck. He tried to shoot it down with his revolver but it flew off.
"Hill, get me Stark!" He ordered in his com as he made his way back to the bridge.
Natasha launched herself off the chariot as she reached her destination, landing on the roof with a roll before landing on her feet. The chariot crashed into a neighbouring building and she winced at the damage. She began to inspect the shielding before she heard a groan behind her. Natasha spun round in a crouch with her gun drawn and aimed at the threat. She put it down when she saw it was Doctor Selvig.
"Doctor?" she asked cautiously as she approached him warily.
"You can't fight it. Loki's sceptre might. The Tesseract can't fight against itself" he mumbled as he held his head in his hand. Natasha sucked in a breath as she realized what he was talking about.
"Loki's sceptre can close the portal" she whispered.
"I think so. And I'm looking at it" Selvig agreed as he looked over the edge of the roof. Natasha strode over to the edge and saw the Sceptre lying innocently on a balcony several meters below her. She smirked,
"I've got it" she told him before launching off the roof and landing easily next to the sceptre below. Quickly Natasha made her way back to the roof and stood near the Tesseract. Leveling the sceptre at the force field, Natasha began to force it through. She let out a huff of relief when she realized she could close it.
"I can close the portal. Can anyone copy? I can close it" she broadcasted through her com.
"Close it" Steve answered.
"No wait!" Stark hurriedly refuted
"Stark, those aliens will keep on coming" Steve argued.
"I've intercepted a nuclear warhead heading straight for New York. And I know exactly where to put it." Stark stated.
They all watched as Stark flew up into the portal with the warhead. Everyone on the helicarrier began to cheer and even Hill closed her eyes in relief. The avengers on the ground waited for Stark to reappear but he never did.
"Close it." Steve ordered after a few minutes. Without hesitation Natasha shoved the Tesseract with the tip of the sceptre before pulling it out, shutting down the portal, once and for all. They all watched as the portal began to close. At the last second Stark's Iron man suit was seen falling through the small open gap before it closed.
"Son of a gun" Steve muttered in disbelief as he saw Stark reappear. Hawkeye's sharp eyes realised something before the others,
"He's not slowing down" he warned them. Thor began to swing his hammer in preparation of rescuing their fallen team mate however he was beaten to it by the Hulk launching himself off the building he was clinging to and grabbing Stark before landing on the ground. Thor and Steve hurried over to the pair as the only ones on the ground. Thor ripped off the mask and they saw that Stark wasn't breathing. They both close their eyes, believing he was dead before Hulk roars very loudly, Stark startled into consciousness with a gasp. Steve chuckled in disbelief whilst Stark starts rambling,
"What the hell just happened? Did someone kiss me? Please tell me no one kissed me." He pleaded. Thor joined in with Steve's chuckling and even Hulk let out a sound that sounded like laughter.
"We won" Steve stated.
"Yay" Stark cheered as he let his head fall back onto the ground, "Great job guys. Let's not go into work tomorrow. Let's just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint two blocks from here. I don't know what it is but I want to try it." The others looked slightly amused at him before Thor shook his head,
"We're not done yet" he said, looking at Stark tower where he knew Loki was.
"Fine. But Shawarma after" Stark stated as he got to his feet.
Hawkeye met them on the way to the tower whilst Natasha met them at the door, Loki's sceptre in hand. She nodded to them all before turning round and stalking back into what was the living room where she had seen Loki smashed into the ground. The other avengers followed her.
When Loki stirred and looked round, he found himself face to face with six grim faced avengers.
"If it's all the same to you." He started, "I'll have that drink now" The Hulk growled whilst Natasha and Steve came forward and hauled him to his feet. Loki let out a groan as his muscles protested the rough treatment but he didn't say anything. Natasha traded places with Thor and she stepped away from the group,
"I'll update Fury" she volunteered. The other avengers looked grateful at that.
Natasha produced a phone from her belt. The others didn't understand how it was still working but decided against asking. She pressed number two on speed dial. On the first ring it was picked up.
"Romanoff?" Fury's voice came through.
"Yes Sir. Portals closed. Loki and the Tesseract are in custody." She reported.
"Excellent. Clean up teams are en route as well as Agent Hill and I" he informed her. Natasha nodded,
"Understood Sir. We'll all remain at Stark tower until further orders" she told him.
"Good. Be there shortly" he hung up.
Natasha turned back to her waiting teammates.
"Director Fury and cleanup crews are en route. We're to remain here until Loki can be taken into custody." There was nodding all around except from Stark who of course complained,
"You mean we're not allowed to leave? What about Shawarma?" he asked with a pout. They all ignored him.
"Clint, mind searching for some clothes?" Natasha asked, gesturing to the Hulk, "I'm presuming Doctor Banner will be coming back soon" Barton nodded and took off.
"You could've asked me. This is my house after all" Stark told her. Natasha ignored him and went over to the only still standing couch and sank down to wait for her boss. Steve took a seat next to her whilst Thor secured his brother by knocking him unconscious before taking a seat next to him. Stark decided to raid his own bar.
Director Fury turned up with his envoy of agents two hours later. Natasha, Clint and Steve stood up when he came in. Fury nodded at them,
"Good Job" he told them. Stark decided to be snarky,
"What? Did I hear right? Did Fury actually complement us?" he asked as he clutched his chest. They all rolled their eyes at his dramatics.
"Thor, if you would like to help escort your brother back to headquarters. We'll take your statement at a later time" Fury stated. Thor nodded and threw his brother over his shoulder before following three of the agents that had come with Fury out of the room.
"Make sure you're back for Shawarma!" Stark shouted after him. Thor waved his hand in acknowledgment.
"Right. I need to know what happened. So. Stark, Barton and Banner you're with me. Romanoff, Rodgers you're with Hill. You are to tell the sequence of events from your point of view. Understand?" he ordered. He got crisp responses from his agents and Steve whilst mumbles from Banner and Stark. Natasha and Steve walked with Hill into another room.
"It's good to see you alive" Hill stated as they sat down in the kitchen.
"Thank you Ma'am" Steve answered with a smile.
"Agent Hill" Natasha greeted respectfully, inclining her head to her superior. Steve raised an eyebrow at her tone of voice. He had noticed that other than Fury and Barton, Natasha really didn't speak positively with other people. Hill smiled at her former student.
"Right. Rodgers, I think we'll start with you" she said, taking out her recorder. "Tell me everything that happened from when you left the helicarrier" she ordered. Steve took a deep breath and began. Natasha remained silent throughout the entire debrief. Steve looked at her several times whilst he spoke and couldn't figure out for the life of him why she looked so familiar to him.
Hill finally turned off the recorder thirty minutes later.
"Thank you Captain Rodgers. You may leave." She told him. Steve opened his mouth to object as he wanted to support his teammate but then realized that he was probably just going to here a repeat of what he had just said. He nodded and stood up and left. Once he was gone Hill smirked at Natasha,
"Has he figured out who you are yet?" she asked. Natasha shook her head,
"No. And I don't want him to" she answered. Hill sighed,
"Fine." She hit the record button again, "Your turn" she said. Natasha nodded and straightened her back before giving her report in succinct but detailed sentences. Twenty five minutes later and she was finished. Hill turned her recorder off.
"You were fantastic" She told her agent quietly. Natasha granted her a small smile.
"Thank you." She responded before sighing, "I never wanted to be an Avenger. I'll do it if ordered but" she hesitated. Hill placed her hand on her agent's shoulder and squeezed gently in encouragement. Natasha looked at her superior's face and finished her thought,
"I'm a spy. An assassin. I'm not a hero" she whispered before bowing her head. Hill gazed sympathetically at the woman opposite.
"You are not like how you were when we first found you Natasha. You are so much better and have done so much good. What you did today was incredible and the world owes you and the rest of the avengers a debt" Hill deliberately brought up the debt that was owed to her; knowing that Natasha understood that kind of talk. Natasha smiled at her but it didn't reach her eyes,
"Thank you Agent Hill." She stood up, "Permission to leave?" she asked respectfully. Hill smiled,
"Permission granted. Fury wants to talk to you as well" Hill told her. Natasha nodded,
"Yes Ma'am" she responded before making her way out of the room. Hill waited a few minutes before following.
Fury was waiting for her when she reached him.
"You wanted to talk to me sir?" she asked. Fury looked at the woman opposite him before nodding towards the door,
"Walk with me Romanoff" he ordered and together they walked off. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Fury came to a stop in an abandoned underground station.
"How you holding up Romanoff?" he asked her.
"I'm fine Sir. A little tired and bruised but nothing that will not heal in a few hours" Natasha answered. Fury looked at her.
"I'm proud of you Natasha" He told her bluntly. Natasha blinked shocked,
"Thank you sir" she answered a little hesitantly. Fury gave her a small smile,
"What you did today was so far out of your comfort zone and yet you did it anyway. You went far above and beyond my orders and you helped save the lives of millions of people" he told her gruffly. Natasha looked down at her boots in embarrassment,
"I just did what I believed you would have asked me to do Sir" she said. Fury placed his hand on her shoulder,
"You did more than I would ever ask of you Natasha." He told her quietly. "Come on, let's go. I believe you will be trying Shawarma with the rest of the team"
"Do I have to?" Natasha asked as she fell into step with her boss as they walked back to Stark Tower. Fury chuckled,
"Yes you do. It's called socializing Romanoff." Natasha huffed,
"Shawarma is not even good Director. And I socialize enough sir" She argued.
"Don't make me order you to go Romanoff" Fury warned her. Natasha sighed but remained silent. They got to the tower in good time.
"Do try and have fun Romanoff. And do not kill Stark; no matter how tempting it may be." He told her.
"Yes Sir" she answered, before bowing her head slightly at him and walking into the building. Fury shook his head before meeting his second at their car.
"She alright?" Hill asked concerned.
"She says she is" Fury answered.
"And do you believe her?"
"Yes. Yes I do" Fury answered after a moment of contemplation, "Let's go, we have a mountain of work to do"
"Yes Sir" Hill stated before they both got into the car and drove off.
"So Shawarma then?" Stark asked as soon as Natasha entered the room. Everyone sighed but didn't say no. Stark grinned. "Great let's go. You're gonna love it" he said as he led them all back out and to the shawarma joint he had pointed out before.
"You're gonna hate it" Natasha mumbled from the back of the group. Barton grinned from next to her. Thor and Steve looked at her,
"You've tried it before?" Steve asked curiously. Natasha nodded,
"It's not nice" she told him.
"Oh come on. Surely it's not that bad?" Stark complained from the front.
Two hours later Stark could be heard vomiting in a toilet. Steve looked like he was seconds away from following. Thor looked decidedly green. Banner was passed out on the floor. And the assassins sat at Stark's bar toasting each other before tossing back shots of vodka as they watched their teammates in amusement.
"They should have listened to me" Natasha told him. Barton grinned at her.
"Everyone learns that eventually" he agreed before toasting her again.
A/N: Right that's the end of the Avenger's film arc. Next chapter will be scenes that happened to Natasha right at the start of her journey at SHIELD.
Stay tuned