Heat sparked, tripping over her skin and setting nerves alight with bright sensation-a warm fluttery feeling in her stomach that made her breath catch and her mind fuzzy before it settled into a slow burn through her center that pulsed in waves, cresting higher and higher towards something that flirted with the edge of unpleasant. Her breath came deep, shaking with the effort to take in the now too warm air, laying leaden in her lungs.
Suffocating, overwhelming, burning, too hot to move, to speak, to think. Her skin felt as if it might crack, peel away from her bones.
The sulfur scent of a struck match, the bitter earthy scent of cigarette smoke and stale beer. Her breath came faster, shallower, panic clawing, desperate to get out, scream. So intense she thought she heard screaming in the distance. She had, realizing the sound had torn its way from her own throat.
Oh no, please no. Please not here. Whatever gods could hear her please not here. She had gotten out, it wasn't fair. She didn't want to be here, remember this.
An inferno consumed her from within, intent on leaving her an ashen shell to crumble and scatter on the breeze.
Cool hands, unfamiliar but welcome, stroked down the sides of her face, her neck, down over shoulders and rib cage, soothing, chilling, chasing back the heat, leaving nerves prickling with the change of temperature.
A flash of green-gold in the corner of her eye, a glimpse of blue flesh. The sharp, crisp scent of winter and pine forest.
Mind fuzzy, body aching, she gladly embraced the cool, welcoming darkness….
Darcy woke gasping, skin both chilled and overheated.
Alarm blaring in the background, head pounding and sweat sliding down between her shoulders. She arched her back trying to stretch the fear tension from her muscles as the last vestiges of the nightmare slithered away in the early morning sunlight.
"Ugh" she scrubbed her face with trembling hands "so not the morning for this bullshittery" untangling herself from damp,knotted sheets and shuffling towards the bathroom and her gloriously roomy shower, she turned on the water hoping the warmth would ease her head and calm her nerves.
Oh shit, no! Not without the most important thing first.
Mid way through pulling her shirt off she turned sharply to dart across the hallway and set the timer on the shiny new coffeemaker on the counter of her small kitchenette, before haphazardly managing to toss the sweat soaked t shirt off and step into pleasantly warm water.
Sighing she felt the ache in her head lift a fraction, tension flowing out of her limbs and body, temperature stabilizing to something normal as the water ran down over her shoulders and back, pooling at her feet, before swirling down the drain, taking her anxiety with it.
Months these nightmares had eaten at her, since just after the whole Dark Elves fiasco in London. Lord of the Rings had apparently given her unrealistic expectations for elves, they certainly hadn't been nearly as lickable as Orlando Bloom. Then again prior to a few years ago she had never actually expected elves to actually exist.
And then New Mexico had happened, a man fell from the sky, she was nearly fried by a giant death robot from space, and her life was turned right the fuck upside down.
Clearly, if the nightmares were any indication, she was repressing some trauma. Well, more trauma. But it wouldn't be repressed trauma if she acknowledged it, now would it?
She washed her hair with a quickness and sped through the rest of her usual morning routine in half the time.
A year of completed SHIELD training(non optional, she had asked)after the organisation had swooped in, practically kidnapping her and Jane post London. (They were "safer" that way, SHIELD had said.) Today was her first day as Agent Darcy Lewis. Officially.
No it did not matter that they were getting paid. It was basically kidnapping. She knew implied threats when she heard them.
You get involved in just two major intergalactic incidents involving alien royalty and world ending sources of power SHIELD goes all nanny state on your ass.
The first three months after London, SHIELD Secret Squirreled her, Jane, Eric Selvig and Ian the Intern away to some remote facility in Norway, close to where they had been stashed at Thors request during the New York invasion (Jane had not been happy about that one.) Although at least then they had put them up in a nice cozy little apartment.
Didn't matter that she was also only an intern, still a Poli Sci undergrad who had taken the position because Jane had been the only one to respond back and she needed the credits-credits they had not so subtly held over her head when it looked like she was getting rowdy.
And rowdy she got. Darcy Lewis did not like being forced into shit.
Then Tony friggin' Stark had rolled up, all swagger and arrogance and expensive cars, and rescued them.
He claimed that, given Jane's relationship with Thor, God of Thunder and Abs: Worlds Saving Avenger, she and her team should be moved to Avengers HQ at Stark Tower in New York. More importantly he could fund Jane's research better than SHIELD.
Tony Stark could probably fund SHIELD better than SHIELD.
Darcy found out later that Thor had asked Stark to keep an eye on Jane before he left for Asgard again, and Stark, in turn, didn't trust SHIELD or what they might do with Jane's work. Not after their attempted "solution" to the invasion.
She couldn't help thinking it sounded like a thing some dumbass in a B action flick would suggest.
Darcy would, of course, remain under SHIELD employ and have to finish basic training. Tony had agreed, a few SHIELD employees were already a semi regular occurrence at the tower, (technically The Avengers Initiative was a SHIELD project, two members being long time SHIELD lackeys, but it was obvious the team itself didn't necessarily see it that way-especially Tony.) all the while giving her a look that said to watch her ass.
"Big no fucking duh, Roomba-man." You'd have to be an idiot to completely trust any secret organization.
Darcy knew that SHIELD had been attempting to make high powered weapons with the tesser-ass (found out over a long boring weekend-between trying to convince Jane to eat and sleep like a normal person instead of just inhaling pure science;she had almost been disappointed with how quickly she managed to bypass their network securities.) Power corrupts after all.
It wasn't likely to ever be a problem for her at any rate, ultimately she was still just a lab assistant (a lab assistant with a nice back yard and built in pool) just with a bit more Market Value behind her punches these days.
Jane was the one with the genius brain who got possessed by ancient power, dated space royalty and openly defied authority. She was way more likely to end up in trouble with SHIELD. Again.
Even if it ever did become a problem, well, Darcy was good at getting out of sticky situations.
Darcy and Jane had jumped at Stark's Get-out-of-jail-almost-free offer, willing to agree to almost anything at that point to escape their own personal oubliette. And the distance, (and being stationed in anything under Tony Stark's domain) would give her some breathing room. Seeing as she had been absorbed into a secretive, possibly morally questionable, generally distasteful, overbearing, uptight, badly dressed paramilitary organization. Yay.
Ian and Eric had decided they liked Norway just fine, it let them escape being smack dab in the insanity of apocalyptic level, alien politics driven,q all around sucktastic invasions.
Ok. Bathroom routine complete? Check. Giving in to the ultimate practicality of contacts?(After stabbing herself in the eye. Fuck.) Check.
Professional looking but comfortable clothing, something easy to flee for your life in. (Just in case); not quite check. She kept digging.
She settled on a black skirt and burgundy cardigan over a white button up and a pair of low heels. She looked like a librarian. A cute librarian, but unassuming and hopefully not worth the trouble.
After a year with SHIELD, it was safe to say she could handle her own in a fight but that does not a super spy make. She was no Natasha Romanoff and wasn't keen on getting herself offed the first day on the job. Or any day on the job, thank you.
Running a brush through her hair she took a quick peak in the mirror, scrunched her nose at her reflection, and turned back to the kitchen to pour herself a mug of the liquid heaven waiting for her.
"So much better than Norway" she said aloud, doctoring her coffee with a moderate amount of milk and sugar before taking a tentative sip.
And immediately burning her tongue.
"Ow shit,shit, fuck!" She blew on the coffee, wincing, "Already starting off best foot forward, huh?"
She glanced at the clock, at least she wasn't late, she had plenty of time for her coffee to cool, enjoy said coffee properly, and make it to start her first assignment. If, and a big if, she choose to actually take the assignment.
Normally, she wouldn't be given much of a choice, still being this fresh out of training, but given the...delicate (dangerous) nature of the situation an exception was made.
Not that she should even be given this kind of assignment in the first place. It was way above her pay grade. Like worlds above her pay grade. Star systems above her pay grade. Galaxies, nebulas, whole other universes above her pay grade.
Nick Fury, The Head Eyepatch Himself, had told her she had 'come highly recommended.'
Darcy was sure, while that may in part be true, it was mostly because she was expendable. If things went totally FUBAR they wouldn't lose anyone important. A no name assistant from podunk Appalachia with no living family and a whole three friends.
She knew, had heard in the employee cafeteria on breaks, that in just the few weeks since The Assignment had come in, several agents (much more experienced than her with more extensive training) had walked out, refusing to continue on until they were reassigned to something less dangerous to their health.
"Yeah like infiltrating hostile foreign governments." Darcy took a swig of her coffee,finally cool enough, sinking into one of the two chairs at her small table, the last traces of her headache soothed away as she took fortifying sips from her mug.
"Its cool, I got this. I can do this," she drained her coffee and stood to put the empty mug in the sink, "Im Darcy Lewis, Taser of gods, badass bitch. I helped save the mother fucking world, I am….so totally not going to panic."
There, that was convincing. She had convinced herself. She wouldn't just crawl back into bed and tell SHIELD they could shove this job right up their-
Her thoughts full out spiraling into an anxiety attack were interrupted by two loud, forceful knocks on her door.
"Well shit, too late now." Grabbing her official SHIELD ID, phone, and her bag with the case file and her trusty taser off the counter she pulled the door open.
"Good morning Lady Darcy! How fare you?" Thors booming voice cut through her apartment, far too cheerful and ready to take on the day for this time of morning, in full princely splendor. Really, this should be illegal.
"Hey, big guy, whats up? Come to see me off to my inevitable demise?" She quipped lightly, downplaying the high likelihood of that actually happening.
Thor, resembling a big sad golden retriever, frowned at her. "Now Lady Darcy, there is no such thing to worry about, precautions have been taken, but in the event there is…" he paused, looking hesitant, "An incident, I will be there to keep you safe." He raised MyuhMyuh in a salute, grinning at her.
She gave him her best, Can Do smile, trying desperately not to make scathing commentary. "I appreciate it, dude, really" and she did, of course she did. She was just a wee little bit salty with him for being the one to suggest her for sacrificial slaughter in the first place.
She was beginning to understand all those stories where humans caught the eye of (or basically interacted with in any way, shape or form) the gods and later had some kind of cosmic weight or ordeal dropped on their shoulders.
You taze a guy once, jeeze.
But really. Totally. It was fine.
Sighing again she squared her shoulders and made for the door "Alright, let's get this over with."
The elevator ride down to the maximum security level of the tower was tense. Not that Thor noticed of course, being the embodiment of blissful ignorance most days.
Ok, maybe that was a bit mean. Definitely still salty.
She was so sure she'd get to go back to being Janes lab goffer, just with an actual salary, before this got dumped on her. The one time in all of history getting a glowing job recommendation sucked ass.
Especially after Thor had disappeared right after New Mexico, driving Jane to throw herself into her work harder than usual and Darcy to try and keep the pieces together, only to show up 2 years (he had not stopped for a visit after the invasion) later with major disaster hot on his heels. A disaster that nearly got them all toasted.
Oh, and of course breaking his lunatic brother out of prison.
Ugh, Loki. He who had almost crispy fried her with his giant robot and then tried to take over her planet. Granted there seemed to be some extenuating circumstances around that incident, something something mind control something something coercion. As far as she knew, though he had been plenty in his right mind for the Death Robot shit.
And alright, he had protected and saved Jane from the evil space elves, and had apparently nearly died saving Thor (and probably would have if the big sap hadn't refused to leave his brother behind, alive or not. So she'd give him that one.) But as far as she was concerned he was still a jackass.
Even bleeding out in his brother's arms, looking like a rat that met the wrong side of an 18 wheeler while Thor brought Jane back to earth, he had had enough energy to make asshole commentary.
She had threatened then and there to finish the job the elves had started if he didn't shut it.
Thor hadn't appreciated that one. She supposed she understood, very nearly losing your mother and only sibling in one day had to suck.
Not her problem though, and both Loki and Queen Frigga had survived and recovered. Not that she had known that before a few weeks ago, since Thor had then disappeared for a whole 'nother year to sort shit out on Asgard. It wasn't like he could shoot them an email from space.
Then, BAM! Portal in the sky opens up and there's Thor again, all golden charm and big dopey smiles. With his brother in tow.
Apparently, despite the prison break, Papa Odin had given his Problem Child a lightened sentence. Instead of eternity in a cell beneath the palace, he'd been given community service.
On Earth.
And since Thor was officially a full time Avenger, he couldn't pull double duty babysitting his batshit younger sibling. (And no chance in Hell any of them were letting Loki tag along on world saving duty.) So, Loki-God of Mischief and Lies-was tasked with helping SHIELD and The Avengers beef up their fortifications for any more hypothetical interstellar threats against the planet, and doubling as a One Man Magical Bomb Squad if they came across anymore weird woo woo MacGuffins. (She had learned this all retroactively from Jane, who had apparently laid into Thor pretty hard after he got back. Darcy had been proud.)
Unfortunately he needed someone to keep an eye on him while he was working with SHIELD, just in case he got any bright ideas.
That someone, it seemed, was her. Thanks Thor.
Well, hypothetically her. She could still back out, she was going to meet the guy as a formality since Thor had put so much faith in her. But she really had no intention of sticking this horrorshow out. Loki's magic had been bound while on Earth, leaving him with only his most basic abilities. But he could still lift a car and toss it through a building on his natural strength alone, easy-peasy,no magic needed, so did it really matter?
No she didn't think so. But she was just a squishy mortal with a bare minimum of combat training so what would she know?
Her stomach twisted in knots and she drummed her fingers anxiously against the cool metal wall of the elevator.
Enough to know that SHIELD was clearly taking advantage of Thor's naivety to put an expendable agent on the job. If something happened to her, well, it was Loki. Nothing they could have done. And besides, at least they hadn't lost any valuable resources. And Darcy knew Thor would blame himself.
It was perfect.
SHIELD would be blameless. Their hands clean, with a viable excuse to send Loki packing back to Asgard, or to lock him up permanently in the basement and exploit his knowledge, probably for nefarious purposes.
It didn't help the guy had already been difficult enough to work with to send multiple seasoned agents running.
The elevator dinged, coming to a stop, the doors opening on a sleek metal corridor, blocked about a dozen feet ahead by a large gate and a bored looking security agent. One of SHIELDs or one of Starks she wasn't entirely sure.
Thor lead the way down the hall towards the gate, purposeful strides eating up the short distance. She wished he would slow down, she wasn't exactly keen on getting there too quickly.
They stopped in front of the gate, the guard lifting an eyebrow as she reached for her ID badge and presented it to him. He took his time scrutinizing it, she wondered if he was going to make her answer a riddle next to get through.
Finally the guard handed her back the badge and unlocked the gate mechanism to let them through.
Thor, of course, didn't need a badge.
They walked along another hundred feet or so before stopping in front of a thick, locked metal door. Thor stood before it and reached out to type some kind of code into the security mechanism on the side.
The door hissed open, like something off the set of Star Trek, and they stepped into what looked like a police interrogation room.
"Well this is reassuring." She muttered under her breath.
Thor put one large hand on her shoulder, "Worry not Lady Darcy, all will be well."
"Oh Thor, you can't be serious."
Darcy's head whipped up towards the sound of the voice, peeking around Thor's broad back to see a metal table in the center of the room, with one chair sat before it.
The chair was occupied by a man, all long lean legs encased in black leather with the odd, asymmetrical ornamentation in greens and golds, matching the tunic style shirt and long over coat. He sat leaned back, arms crossed over his chest and one long leg gracefully crossed over the knee of the other. Casual. Relaxed.
She hated him instantly.
" Loki," Thor began in an admonishing tone, "This is the Lady Darcy, she is a friend. Be polite." The look he gave his brother was a warning. Be polite or there would be consequences. Probably hammer related consequences.
Vivid forest green eyes shifted to her, flicking up and down her form, assessing, before turning back to Thor. Clearly a dismissal.
Angry heat sparked in her chest, and burned in her cheeks, who exactly did he think he fucking was?
A god duh.
Well, not today that was fucking sure. Not with her.
"Thor, you can't expect me to work with someone who is practically still a child, and a barely trained one at that." He ran one hand through dark, shoulder length hair. "This is insulting."
"Loki-" Thor started, but Darcy cut him off before he could finish.
"Yeah hi," she said stepping forward towards the table, "I'm right here and I'd appreciate it if you-both of you," She shot a glance at Thor out of the corner of her eye, he had the grace to look sheepish, "wouldn't talk about me like I'm not in the room."
She stuck her arm over the table, offering her hand and giving her best disarming smile. "I'm Darcy Lewis."
His eyes flicked down to her hand and then back up with a look that said he couldn't believe she expected him to sully his precious princely self by touching her.
Ok then. Dick.
"So very pleased to meet you." The sarcasm was heavy and she felt the muscles in her jaw tick as she ground her teeth and instinctively palmed the side pocket of her bag where her taser was stashed.
Keep it cool Darce, she thought to herself, trying to push down the rising anger in her chest, just because his face is so punchable doesn't mean you should punch it.
"We've sorta of met before actually." She managed with a semblance of politeness.
He raised one dark eyebrow, "Oh, forgive me I don't seem to remember." His tone was not apologetic, and in fact implied he wouldn't have taken note of her to remember either way.
There was that damn urge to slam her fist in his face again. "Yupp," she said in mock cheeriness "You almost deep fried me with that robot in New Mexico and then insulted my fashion sense while bleeding out all over the place in London."
He furrowed his eyebrows for a moment in thought, before she saw them light in recognition. "Ah, Doctor Fosters assistant, yes she mentioned you," his lips quirked up into a smirk that made her stomach flutter nervously. "I admit I was impressed with the story of how you first met my brother during his banishment."
She heard Thor huff in mild exasperation behind her.
Loki's eyes narrowed again "However that does not change the fact that you are clearly underqualified for this assignment. It makes me wonder that SHIELD would toss you so readily to the wolves." He looked at his brother then, a calculating look in those deep green eyes of his.
She pursed her lips, he had come to the same conclusion she had earlier. Well fuck.
"Loki, please-" Thor began again, and once again Darcy cut him off.
"Look pal, no one here is happy about this situation, especially me, so how about we just try and make this work until SHEILDs satisfied enough to finally kick your ass off this planet for good." She crossed her own arms and arched an eyebrow, inviting him to respond.
His eyes narrowed into an impressive glare of his own, he sure knew how to work all that vivid green and for a moment she was caught in them. "You're a fool if you think, that now SHIELD has me, they'll let me go so easily." Was his simple reply, again echoing her earlier thoughts. Like an asshole.
She cocked her head to the side "Maybe next time you have a hissy fit because daddy didn't hug you enough you can just repress it and develop a drinking problem like normal people."
"Loki, Lady Darcy, please-"
"Shut up Thor." Loki and Darcy snapped in unison.
"You owe me a soda." she said tersely, having the satisfaction of seeing his head tilt, face scrunch - perplexed for a split second - before he clearly chose to move past it, eyes narrowed back into angry slivers, lips pressed together tightly in an almost snarl.
"Listen here you presumptuous little girl, you have no idea who you're talking to or what you're prattling about." Loki ground out through clenched teeth, tendon popping along the sharp curve of his jaw.
She narrowed her eyes and leaned further over the table, planting her hands on the cool metal. "Oh, I think I do, Magic Man, and from where I'm standing all I see is a scared little boy lashing out at the world around him, crying for mommy."
She had seen it before. Human, alien, god, didn't matter. She knew his type. It was always the same.
His eyes flashed vivid green in rage and he stood abruptly, the chair he was seated on clattering across the concrete floor, body shifting towards her across the table, long fingers reaching for her wrist.
"Loki!-" Thor didn't have time to get the rest out.
Darcy, not taking time to think thoroughly, reacting mostly on instinct, yanked her taser out of her bag, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
The metal prongs shot out and embedded themselves neatly into the v of pale flesh exposed at his collar, delivering a hefty voltage of electricity directly into him. After the Thor incident, Darcy had modified the taser to output a higher voltage. Just in case.
Loki's body jerked-once-twice-and he dropped. The sound his body made hitting the floor was deeply satisfying.
Darcy walked around the table and bent low over Loki's still twitching form, yanking the metal prongs and wrapping them up before stowing the taser back in its appropriate pocket. She leaned back down again, so her face was close enough to his to see the green of his eyes nearly burning out of their sockets in unexpressed rage.
Good. Lesson learned hopefully.
"Now, how about we play nice for now and not upset whatever stupid little game SHIELD is playing with us just yet." She stood, and turned to where Thor was still standing in the corner, looking at a complete loss for what to do.
"Ok, that settles it. I'm in, I'll take the job." This might be fun after all.
She didn't bother waiting for a response as she stalked out of the room, putting a little extra swing in her hip for effectiveness. Tossing a look over her shoulder she called back "See you on monday, new partner."
All she caught was a flash of enraged green as she left the room.
Darcy continued on till she was past the gate and back in the elevator, her heels echoing sharply through the corridor. She didn't let her knees sag or let out the shaky breath she'd been holding until the elevator was well on its way back up.
"Oh man, this is bad. What the fuck did I just do to myself?" She thunked her head back against the cool metal at her back. "He's right, you are so not qualified for this! Stupid!" She had let her anger and her pride (and her mouth) get away from her. Again.
So much for unassuming and not worth the trouble. Sure she had laid him out flat, but now she had put herself in a situation where she had to deal with him on a regular basis. Awkward. "Yeah, right Lewis, understatement of the year."
The elevator pinged and the doors opened onto her floor. She booked it to her apartment, yanking open the door and slinging her bag on the oversized purple arm chair in the living room. She yanked off the skirt and cardigan and nice white blouse. She had the rest of the day off and she wasn't going to waste it inside, way too keyed up now.
Changing into a comfortable pair of black tights, ankle boots and her favorite worn band tee, Darcy grabbed her bag again, setting the taser aside for the moment now that it was no longer needed, and locked her apartment back up. She was going to go to her favorite coffee shop, order the biggest brownie she could and one of those sugary coffee drinks filled with whip cream and try to relax.
She'd earned that.
After the biggest, girliest, most frou-four sugar filled coffee concoction she could buy and an extra large double chocolate chip brownie she finally felt calm enough to return to the tower. She was just unlocking her apartment door when she heard the apartment door across the way open. Jane poked her head out of her apartment, smiling as she saw Darcy.
"Darce! Hey you're back. How'd it go this morning?" She walked across the short hallway to Darcy, holding up a bottle. "However it went I figured I'd go ahead and get something to either celebrate or drown your frustrations."
Darcy laughed and pulled Jane into a quick hug. She really loved this woman.
"How about a bit of both?" Darcy supplied pushing her door open,depositing her bag on the counter and moving into the kitchen, grabbing wine glasses for her and Jane. She heard the apartment door click shut as Jane walked in, setting the bottle of wine down on the counter and gracefully perching herself on the bar stool.
"It went that well, huh?" Jane opened the bottle and poured out into the glasses Darcy had set down in front of her.
"Ugh, Jane, dude I have no idea how you put up with him during that whole Dark Elf thing, it was a struggle trying to keep myself from punching him square in his smug face the moment he opened his mouth."
Jane grinned "I did punch him, remember?" she took a long sip of her wine "it also helped I was unconscious for part of it."
Darcy giggled, she had been so proud of Jane when she had told her about that.
She smirked, "Well he's 2 and 0 now, I tased his ass. Dropped him like a rock."
"Oh my god Darcy! Tell me everything, right now."
Darcy laughed again, "Ok, Ok boss lady, don't get too excited it wasn't that big of a thing."
Darcy filled Jane in on the details over two more refills of wine and a phone call to the closest pizza delivery place. Jane had cheered and high fived her when she got to the tasing Loki part. An hour later they were deep into a hawaiian pizza with extra bacon and a rewatch of Labyrinth when someone knocked out the first half of 'Shave and a Haircut' on her door.
"Miss Lewis, Sir is here to see you." Darcy jumped nearly dropping her pizza on the floor. She still wasn't used to JARVIS and the AIs random interludes.
"Thanks J man." She dropped her slice back into the box and made for the door. What on Earth could Tony Stark want with her at this time of night?
She pulled open the door to find Tony standing there in the hallway, decked out in jeans and an old band shirt, randomly splotched in grease, or motor oil or whatever he had been working with.
"Hey Lewis," he said way too cheerily, breezing past her into her apartment. "Hey, whats up Doc." He shot at Jane before plopping himself onto the bar stool at the counter Jane had occupied earlier.
"Yeah sure come right on in." She muttered to herself, closing the door. "Whats up Stark, its like eleven o'clock shouldn't you be holed up in your lair at this time of night trying to figure out time travel or whatever?" She wiggled her fingers for effect.
"Funny Lewis, and I was in my lair working on something. Here." He held out two, simple, almost delicate, looking silver wrist cuffs.
Darcy cocked her eyebrow, "What are they?"
"Call them a gift for your big new promotion. Here, take them and put them on." He shook them at her impatiently.
She took the slim metal bands and slipped them onto her wrists. By that point Jane had come over to watch, attracted by the scent of science. There was a faint, high pitched whir as some kind of miniscule machinery hidden in the bands contracted so they fit snugly, but comfortably, around her wrists.
"Ok now," Tony said, holding his hands out "Flick your wrists like this." He demonstrated, flicking his wrist quickly outward.
She repeated the motion and watched in shock and delight as the metal of the bands slid up her arms and over the backs of her hands,encasing her fingers, stopping just below her elbow.
A pair of full gauntlets in silver and violet accents. Bitchin'
"Ok, now here's the really fun part," Tony said, smiling wide, "Flex your fingers open."
Again she did as he said.
The grin that split her face was almost painful. The center of her palm, covered by the gauntlet, sparked and crackled with concentrated electricity.
Not just gauntlets. Taser gauntlets.
Jane whistled "Wow, those are amazing Tony, did you just rework the mechanisms from your suit?"
"Yupp, and they can shoot concentrated projectile electricity too, for long range use." Tony answered.
"Like ball lightning?" Darcy looked up, excited at the prospect of shooting balls of electricity from her hands.
"Yeah, sort of like ball lightning, though I wouldn't recommend trying that specific feature out right now." He smirked at her, teasing, clearly able to see how stoked she was to try it out.
"We can schedule you some time in one of the training rooms over the weekend to try them out more in depth."
"Hell yeah! I can't wait to test these babies out!" Thor eat your heart out. "But, uhhh, how do I turn them off?." The electricity continued to crackle and spark in her palms, and as cool as it was she wasn't keen on accidentally electrocuting herself.
"Relax your fingers and lower your hands. Good now flick your wrists in the opposite direction you did to activate them."
She did so and watched as the metal shrunk back down her arms, reforming into the plain silver bands.
"Thanks Roomba dude, this is possibly the best gift I've ever gotten, how on Earth did you make these so damn quick?"
"First of all," Tony said, taking on a distinct air of superiority, " its Roomba Man, secondly I'm a genius." He stroked his goatee in an overly pretentious manner.
"Thirdly I actually started working on them as soon as Thor suggested you take up the position of Official Reindeer Games Babysitter, but I put the finishing touches on them this afternoon after seeing the security tape of your little meeting." He grinned, taking on the air of an impressed older brother whose sibling had successfully owned someone. "Possibly the most satisfying thing I've seen in a while, right up there with him getting Hulk Smashed into the penthouse floor."
Darcy smiled, tilting her head up proudly, the wine and the compliments making her feel all warm and fuzzy. "Well, ya know, I do what I can."
He chuckled and stood from the bar stool, "Ok you two, don't stay up too late celebrating, I gotta get back to the lab." He made for the door turning back once to say "Lewis I'll have JARVIS schedule you some time in the training room with those bad boys."
"Scheduling now Sir. Is Saturday evening alright for you Miss Lewis?"
"Yeah J, sounds good to me. Thanks Tony, g'night."
"Night Tony." Jane answered, topping off their wine, emptying the bottle of its contents and going back to her place on the couch.
Darcy was a bit slow to follow, turning the wrists this way and that, watching the light reflect on the cuffs.
"Ok Darce, you can marvel over your new toys later, David Bowie is now." Jane said impatiently and just a bit slurred.
Darcy plopped herself down on the other end of the couch and took up her forgotten slice of pizza "How are you more bossy after a bottle of wine?"
Jane giggled and sipped from her glass "Come on, we're almost at my favorite part."
"Ahh yes, the ballroom scene." She faux swooned against the back of the couch, pressing the back of her hand against her forehead dramatically. "Man, what's it take for a girl to get some of that?"
Jane sighed "Right?"
"Jane you are literally banging a god." Darcy said between bites of pineapple and chicken.
Jane huffed "They aren't really gods Darce, just really advanced aliens."
"To-ma-to Tah-mah-to Jane." She unpaused and drank from her glass, the beginning notes of the music box drifting into the room to images of dancers, swirling and twirling inside iridescent bubbles.
She felt warm, and relaxed, and content. She'd relish it while it lasted. Come the end of the weekend those feelings were likely going to be a lot less frequent.
Mondays really were the fucking worst.