Welcome to chapter 17! Thank you for sticking with me this long! Enjoy!
I don't own anything but Lucia.
Chapter Seventeen- Battlestations.
The helecarrier was transitioning to battle stations, agents taking more notice of what and who was around them. All agents, no matter what department they worked for, had to pass a basic level of training at the academy, it was only after that that agents went into their speciality. Everyone from scientists to admin staff had the skills to be able to defend themselves against an attack. Still, there weren't as many combat specialists onboard as Lucie would have liked. Basic combat training wouldn't get them very far against the army of a Norse god.
The Andraste was familiar to her, she had walked the corridors many times, even helped design parts, but still, she checked every corner with her side arm raised with a curved knife carefully resting against her wrist in case of any hand to hand combat. A handgun was not her weapon of choice, but rather one of necessity, it drew too much attention. The knife she carried wasn't intentional, she hadn't even considered that Clint had been the one that gifted it to her. A graduation present for finishing her first stint undercover he had said. It wasn't designed for throwing, the blade too thin, the handle too elaborate and heavy. She could throw it with a basic level of accuracy, nothing near degree that Clint had drilled into her, her aim was almost as good as his. Almost. In another time, Clint would have been the first person she would have gone to, instead she was on the lookout for mercenaries that no doubt had the benefit of Clint's experience.
"Coulson, what's your ETA?" she whispered, carefully following stairs down to the base level of the helecarrier. She was careful not to let her footsteps thud against the metal steps for fear of giving away her position.
"Two minutes."
She replied with "copy" and made her way down another level.
Lucie was surrounded by the inner workings of the Andraste, pipes that transported water and gas to various places around the helecarrier but the vast majority was wires and cabling supplying everything from the electricity to the internet, some even allowed for old school methods of communication like Morse code.
"Lucia? You okay?" Lucie frowned slightly, the voice of her father drawing her focus away from the task at hand.
"Working," was all she said and it must have satisfied Tony's curiosity because he didn't speak to her again.
"Stark, I'm here!" Steve said over her comms.
She could only assume that they were at engine three, repairing what damage they could to prevent the Andraste from dropping out of the sky.
"Good. Let's see what we got," Tony replied.
Lucie ran her finger behind her ear from top to bottom, turning the volume down on her ear piece enough that she concentrate and quickly pulled a knife from by her thigh. Which particular knife had been a careful decision since she carried a variety. The majority were meant to be thrown but they all served a slightly different purpose. A curved blade resting carefully between her thumb and pointer finger to then cover her knuckles of her left hand. It was designed more for hand to hand combat, an ancient style blade that would have looked at home in the palace of a Sultan. The knife in her right hand couldn't have been more different, it was sleek, matte black and perfectly balanced. There was no fancy grip or decoration of any kind, the only thing that mattered was that it was sharp. The cool metal feeling comfortable against her skin. Clint wouldn't be alone and she only had so many bullets. Having a knife in both hands made things easier.
By the time she was on sub level three, she was intercepted by half a dozen soldiers dressed in SHIELD tactical uniforms that were no doubt on their way to the detention centre. After that, she didn't hear any of the others on comms, instead she was fighting for her life.
The first soldier made a grab for her by the throat and knocked her momentarily off her feet. He was easily 150 pounds bigger than she was but he hit the ground quickly when she used her curved blade to slice through strap on his bullet proof vest and through to skin underneath. It came away far easier than she anticipated and she had been through her fair share of gear to know what was cheap. The soldier was the first to end up face to the ground when Lucie slammed the heavy base of her knife against the sweet spot behind his ear with enough force to make him lose consciousness. Cheap gear and a clumsy attack plan. These men weren't professionals. They were bystanders caught in Loki's under tow.
She slowed herself, determined to limit the damage she did rather than just do anything to complete the mission. She had signed up for this, they hadn't.
Learning from their comrade's mistake, four rushed her at once and for a split second they were winning, their brute strength giving them the upper hand. Still, she was far more skilled than they were. One grabbed her by the wrist and slammed her side arm from her hand with the base if his hand and then attempting to push it up so that she was immobilised. He was using enough pressure to easily snap her wrist but she didn't give in. She let her knife go and the sharp point immediately pricked against the mercenary's skin, not enough to injure but enough to shock him enough to get her hand free and to be able to use her knife properly.
It would be a lie to say that she wasn't enjoying herself, even as the other men tried to wrestle her to the ground and use her own weapons against her. Instinct took over and rather than panicking or being overcome with dear, she was calm. A new form of clarity formed as Lucie transitioned into Lucifer.
With one hand free, she launched a knife at the soldier furthest from her, hitting him just above the knee, it wouldn't cause any life limiting damage but it would subdue him for long enough to get free from the three remaining threats.
The fourth soldier was dispatched quickly with a swift kick to the forehead that sent him to the ground like a sack of potatoes. He crumbled at her feet and Lucie added it to her tally. The other two would have been on the floor in seconds if a voice didn't override her ear piece, drawing away her concentration.
"It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's heading for the detention level. Does anybody copy?"
She was about to reply when someone beat her to it.
"This is Agent Romanoff. I copy." Her voice was tight and controlled.
Lucie held herself completely still for a moment, allowing one of them to land a punch. He hit her square in the abdomen and she winced for a second, allowing herself to fold at the waist as if she had suddenly become submissive to their attack. She hadn't so much as worked up a sweat but when fighting a girl apparently then men holding her weren't expecting much.
They slackened their grip just enough for her to be able to duck and slam the men into each other, butting heads and knocking themselves unconscious. It was comical, she hadn't had a takedown that simple in years. Under normal circumstances she would have laughed and felt proud of herself, instead she felt guilty, these were just ordinary men.
"Romanoff, this is James. On my way."
With Loki's puppets taken care of, Lucie sprinted the rest of the way to the detention centre. The main door was still secure when she arrived so she quickly placed her hand on the scanner and punched in her code.
There was an audible sigh of relief when Lucie saw that Loki was still in his cell and she quickly looked around for Natasha or Coulson. There was nobody except the agent and the god. The latter still seemed to be revelling in the carnage that he had caused.
"You must be Agent James," he smirked with more confidence than a man in his position should have.
She ran to the computer panel and scanned the latest readings as well as the screen that showed the security cameras outside the room.
"You must be the dick who took my friend hostage," she countered.
"Tell me, has your father discovered your true identity yet? Does he know that Daddy's little girl is a cold blooded killer."
His game was obvious, she had seen him try and play with Natasha as if she was a doll that would easily bend to his will. Still, he knew that Lucie and Natasha were not the same. He had no doubt been told exactly how to push Lucie's buttons, exactly how to entice a reaction and to fan the sparks into uncontrollable rage.
"At least my dad stuck around."
It was the lowest of low blows but it was the only comeback she had.
"How brave you are when there are bars between us," Loki taunted, clearly she had struck a nerve.
"Believe it or not, I'm the nice one."
"My darling, there is no such thing as a nice assassin."
"Who says that I'm an assassin?" she asked, not looking up from the computer.
"Agent Barton told me all about your time in Ashgabat," he tried, this time much softer, as if sympathetic.
Lucie had no doubt that Loki knew all about it, he would have used Clint completely to his advantage, gathering as much information on her as he had done Natasha. He wanted to break them apart but she was damn sure that he wasn't going to.
She tried to ignore him, pretending that he hadn't spoken and focusing on her work.
"Coulson, Romanoff, what's your ETA?" she asked, tapping here ear piece only to instead poke the inside of her ear.
"A pity, he saw such promise in you," whispered a voice instead, far too close for liking.
Lucie flinched, turning quickly to back up against the console and pulling a knife from her belt. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't scared.
"Now, now Agent, let us be friends. We want the same thing; you want Agent Barton back and I want to release him to you. All I ask is one small favour."
He edged closer to her until they were almost touching and even though she had her knife in her hand, she didn't use it. Instead, she allowed the god to pluck it from her hand, frozen as he examined it. He turned the blade back and forth, admiring the decoration that had been etched into the blade, including her initials. L.A.M.S.
"Of all the weapons at your disposal, you choose this piece of art. My, my, Agent Stark."
Lucie had been on the receiving end of a man flirting with her more than once and every single time she used it to her advantage, however, she was out of her depth. This wasn't something her training covered.
"You won't stop me. The Chitauri will claim this world in my name and I will rule supreme. Stand at my side and I will let Agent Barton go."
"An exchange?" Lucie asked, finally finding her voice.
Loki smiled, running the point of her knife along her jaw, just enough that she could feel it but not enough to leave a mark on her skin, an exercise of incredible gentleness given how sharp the blade was.
"Think on it."
She didn't know when it happened but there was suddenly pressure against her wrist. It was a move she had used herself dozens of times and now the tables have turned. She pulled and against the handcuffs and wasn't surprised that she was secured to the control panel.
"No!"
"Kindly stay where you are for now Agent Stark."
The main door opened, bringing Thor into view. He looked at the open door but instead of seeing Lucie, he only saw Loki stood in front of his open cell. Without thinking, he rushed forward as if to tackle his brother back into captivity.
"Thor, stop!" Lucie shouted but it fell on deaf ears, she was part of the illusion that Loki had built, he couldn't see her until it was too late.
Thor fell to his knees in the cell as the door closed behind him, momentarily confused by the lack of impact. It was then he saw Lucie handcuffed to the computer.
"Are you ever not going to fall for that?"
Thor smashed his hammer against the glass, cracking the glass but not smashing it enough to break through. The cell shook, threatening to fall through the sky. The Hulk fail safe that apparently useless.
"The humans think us immortal, should we test that?" Loki taunted, moving towards the computer that Lucie was restrained to.
Coulson appeared as if from nowhere carrying a prototype that Lucie had seen only in plans. It was heavy and clumsy, yet to be refined into something that could be used by field agents. In an attempt to buy him so more time, Lucie waited until Loki was close enough and then snapped her leg straight with as much force as she could, expecting to knock the god completely off his feet so that so that he was lying on the floor beside her; instead, her foot went right through him. Another trick.
"You like this?" Coulson asked. "We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Wanna find out?" Coulson asked, powering up the weapon so that an orange glow surrounded the barrel.
"Coulson, behind you!" Lucie warned a double of Loki appeared behind the agent.
He didn't have time to react. It was already too late as the real Loki shoved a knife through his body with enough force that Lucie was able to see that it was her knife.
"No!" Thor and Lucie screamed in unison, unable to do anything but watch as Agent Coulson crumbled to the floor.
Loki sauntered towards her and when Lucie made an attempt to attack him, he kicked her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her completely and breaking a couple of ribs in the process. She winced, cradling her aching ribs with her free hand as if the pressure would make the pain go away. It bought enough for Loki to push the button that released the cell and sent it plummeting towards the ground.
"The offer still stands Agent Stark," he whispered, bending down so that he was closer.
Coulson had managed to pull himself to the side of the room, despite his pain he pulled himself into a sitting position, the prototype rested on his lap.
"You're going to lose," Coulson said as blood slowly started to spill from the corner of his mouth.
"Am I?" Loki smirked.
"It's in your nature."
"Your heroes are scattered. Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?" he was beyond smug, blinded by his victory and unable to see past his own ego to be able to see the massive flaw right in front of his face.
"You lack conviction."
"I don't think I-." Anything Loki was planning to say was irrelevant as Coulson blasted him
"So that's what it does," Coulson mused, happy to have a small amount of his curiosity satisfied.
"Coulson, you need to radio for medical. Loki took my comms," Lucie pleaded.
Coulson just smiled, each breath now a labour.
"It's too late."
"I can't get to you. You need to stay awake."
"It's okay Lucie."
"You're not dying on me. You're not supposed to die on us, Phil, that wasn't the deal."
"Tell Barton and Romanoff. You were all…a pain in the ass but you were mine and…I'm proud of you all."
It was then that Fury ran into the room, first seeing that the cell wasn't there and second seeing Coulson propped up against the wall. His usual pristine white shirt sodden with blood.
"Sorry, boss. They got rabbited," Coulson half smiled, ever the professional.
"Just stay awake. Eyes on me!" Fury ordered.
"I'm clocked out here," he contradicted. He knew what was coming and he had accepted it, relieved that he no longer felt any pain.
"Not an option."
"It's okay boss. This was never going to work… if they didn't have something…to…" Coulson's eyes dimmed and he sighed his last breath just as the medical team arrived. It was too late. He was already gone.
Still, Lucie wasn't prepared for the Director's broadcast.
"Agent Coulson is down."
It broke my heart when Coulson died in the movie.
So Loki is free and Thor and Bruce are in the wind, Clint's back where he is supposed to be and we have the calm before the storm. Soon it's the Battle of New York where there will be a couple of references to Endgame.