EVEN BEFORE SHE GOT LOKI'D, Ana was having a rotten day.
She stared at the huge movie screen in front of her with Jamie from IT sitting on her left. They were watching a spy movie with bad editing and a lot of plot holes but the protagonist looked hot which made it mediocre at its best. That wasn't necessarily the rotten part.
Jamie was cute, but she couldn't figure out if he really thought watching a freaking spy movie on a first date was her idea of fun just because she was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. She sat up straighter and darted her eyes around, trying to stay awake.
A family of seven was in the seats in front of them, with the kids listening to music, playing games, or sleeping—completely ignoring the movie. On her right, a couple was missing the hand-to-hand combat playing in front of them but, at least, they were having a good time. She looked further at the back and thought she saw Clint standing by the entrance doors but he was gone the next second.
Jamie lightly touched her arm. "Ana, you okay?"
He wore dark blue pants, white sneakers, and a crisp white shirt under his green flannel. His medium-length blonde hair was messy and tousled, with little curls down the sides. He wore glasses with thick frames like he was trying not to draw attention to himself and hide those ocean blue eyes, but it didn't work. He was seriously handsome—not to mention astonishingly smart since he's from the IT department. Nat outdid her job this time in setting her up. If it wasn't for the spy movie, she would have already asked him for a second date. Or maybe she was giving off a workaholic vibe that men would think she does espionage in her free time, she thought.
Ana removed her arm from his grip. "Um, I don't—"
In front of them, the screen went dark and he gripped her arm again—only this time, he didn't do it lightly. All around them, everyone erupted into shouts, grunts, and boos.
After a long and excruciating twenty seconds, someone in front shouted, "All right, everyone, listen up! There is a total power outage across the whole block and we can't get the generators up."
Everything was too much of a coincidence which made Ana groan as she already knew she would be called in for a mission. She was already heading for the emergency doors with Jamie still clutching her arm with a death grip even before the personnel gave instructions for the emergency procedures.
The emergency doors led them directly out to the streets. A movement on her right caught her attention and she was now sure that she saw Clint.
A jolt went down her spine. She was certain something was completely wrong—the way he was standing all tense and the look he was giving her was ringing all the alarms in her head. She was about to call him out, demand to know what he was doing there and what he wanted from her. But he turned back and walked into an alley.
She looked back at Jamie whose hand was now holding hers instead of her arm. He was smiling sheepishly and he looked positively nervous in a cute way, which was why she regretted saying, "Jamie, can we continue this later? I just received an order from Fury and I need to report in for a mission."
He let go of her hand. "Oh." His voice was thick with sadness and disappointment. He was looking down when said with a nervous laugh, "Of course, I-I would never, in my life, defy Fury's orders. I am just sorry if tonight isn't as adventurous as you would have wanted."
"Hey." She walked towards him and took back his hand. "I actually prefer the mundane when on dates. So, next time, we skip the movie. Let's go to your place or something. Show me the new program you've been working on. Maybe I can even help you with the bugs in your code?"
Jamie looked up at her and his sheepish smile was back in an instant—and without the nerves, he still looked cute, she thought. "Yeah, that would be cool." He squeezed her hand before letting it go.
"See you later," Ana said with a wave and waited for Jamie to walk in the other direction before making her way to the alley.
When she rounded the corner to the alley and saw Clint, she snapped jokingly, "You better have a good reason for cutting my date short, Clint."
"Dr. Selvig needs you in the laboratory," he said without prelude.
Ana was confused but she didn't show it. The confusion came from the cold gaze he was giving her and his apathetic demeanor in general. Clint Barton may be one of the most serious S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but he's always had a soft spot for her. He was like a father figure to her ever since she started doing tactical training under his supervision.
"My shift doesn't start for another 8 hours. Is something wrong with the Tesseract?" she asked him, matching the coldness of his tone.
He didn't seem to notice the change in her attitude, which grew her suspicions even more. He answered, "The Tesseract was showing activity. Dr. Selvig needs your assistance."
Naturally, the fact that the Tesseract was showing activity after a year of it being dormant piqued her interest. However, curiosity about Clint's current state of mind takes precedence in her list of priorities. She tested the waters more and asked, "Why would Erik send you? He could have just called me."
Clint shrugged. "The Tesseract was transferred to a more secure location and I am to take you there to help Dr. Selvig."
"Yeah, you keep saying that ..." she frowned. "What is happening, Clint? Really?"
Clint was about to answer when her earpiece notified her of an incoming call from Fury. She motioned for him to hang on and reached for her in-ear to answer the call while looking directly at his eyes, "Director Fury."
"Agent Pierce, report to base immediately. This is a Level Seven. The Tesseract was taken by Loki, a god, and Thor's brother. The lab at NASA got destroyed. Selvig and Agent Barton were compromised." Fury said, not beating around the bush.
Ana, her head cocked on one side, watched Clint as she answered Fury, "Yeah, I can see that."
There was a long pause on the line before Fury asked, "Is it Agent Barton? What does he need from you?"
Clint glared at her, his beady little eyes glinting dangerously. He answered Fury for her, "Don't play games with me, kid. Come with me and no one gets hurt. Dr. Selvig needs you to assist him."
"I can't say the same. You know I hate kicking your butt, right?" Ana answered with a smirk.
"Activate your homing beacon, Pierce." she was able to activate the beacon from her jacket before Clint shot an arrow, which flew by her and missed by a mere inch.
He charged at her and she kicked him, used this as a boost to go up the railings at the side of a building—popping up on top of the first flight of stairs. He shot another arrow, which she dodged by jumping across to the next passage. He followed her.
"Pierce, what's your status?" she heard Fury ask from her in-ear.
Clint caught up to her and tried hitting her with the bow. She pulled on the string and answered Fury, "trying not to get killed, Sir. ETA?"
"4 minutes. Do you see Loki in the area?" Ana almost didn't hear Fury as she kicked the wall in front of her when Clint got her in a headlock. The kick made him lose balance as he fell back from the railings, taking her with him still gripping her head.
Ana paused and looked around before answering Fury, "he's alone."
On the other hand, Clint didn't waste time and charged again. He threw a punch but she was able to grab his arm and thrust it back. "Where is Loki?"
He threw his head and headbutted her. She fell to her knees, groaning, while he did the same thing she just pulled and thrust back her arm. "1 minute, Pierce," Fury called.
She had no strength to resist him yet as her vision was still spinning from the headbutt. So, she looked back at him over her shoulders and asked again, "Where is Loki?"
"I heard you were looking for me." She felt rather than heard Loki's appearance as a cold wind almost knocked her sideways.
Ana looked up and saw a tall man with long, black hair holding a scepter with a glowing blue core. His green and black cloak was billowing with the cold wind as he walked gracefully towards her.
"What do you want?" she asked, meeting Loki's eyes with a steady gaze.
"Kneeling suits you. And I didn't even have to use this," Loki said in a sweet voice as he waved his scepter. "But I don't have time to waste. So, as Barton said, come with me and you will not get hurt." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Not that you have any choice."
Loki touched the tip of the spear to Ana's chest and her eyes became ice blue. The last thing she saw was a helicopter flying towards them before everything went black.