Chapter re-edited as of 9/17/2020
PLEASE READ: As of September 2020 the first 12 or so chapters of this fic are being HEAVILY revised (Minor and major plot events and details will be unchanged just delved into more) I started writing this fic two years ago and my writing style has matured/developed and gotten astronomically better. I went through several months of writer's block and then re-read some of this story and realized part of my writer's block came from the fact that my writing style had developed so much that I was having trouble connecting with my style at the beginning of this fic. Please do not give up on this story if you are liking it and then the next chapter seems to be lacking, just wait a week or two and I will replace it with the edited chapter. Feel free to dm me if you want to know when the next revised chapter will be going up.
Hello! Thank you so much for checking out this story, I own nothing except Sofiya. This story takes place during Avengers 1, 2, 3, 4 (Spoilers - more characters live, and there is no (relative to this fic) main character death),
Also, I love reviews, guess about where the story will be going, and anything else (except hate, if you don't like then don't read)
Chapter warning(s) - violence, briefly graphic
Also, I love reviews, guess about where the story will be going, and anything else (except hate, if you don't like then don't read)
Future warning - Very strong sexual content, this is a slow burn fic though so it will not be straight off the bat. I am actually excited to incorporate two specific scenes that I have not seen in any other fanfics or novels.
Sofiya walked into her father's office at SHIELD headquarters and silently prepared her temper to be tested. She had seen the walls of this office more times than she would have liked, though she had seen the walls of his home office even more times. At least his headquarters office was not as opulent as the one he had at home.
The fiasco of designing his home office was something she did not want to ever relive. She thought back to the yelling that had taken place as her parents had argued over the quality of the imported Italian marble that they had painstakingly decided on for the walls and floor of his home office. They had refused a specific slab that had already been fitted into the wall, just because the black swirls were slightly more saturated than the other slabs.
Sofiya thought the rage that had ensued on her parents' behalf was uncalled for, hell, marble walls in general were uncalled for. But noooo, walking into the room had to leave an unforgettable impression on all that walked through the five-inch thick hand-carved office doors.
At least the walls she was surrounded by now were a more 'common' walnut wood paneling. The deep red staining of the hardwood floors, matured leather seats, and giant mahogany desk gave the room a depressing and claustrophobic air. Her father insisted that was not the case, the coloring of the room was, in his eyes, 'intimidating and regal.'
She took a moment to take in everyone that filled the office, the dark space and numerous warm bodies making the room too crowded for her liking. Three of the four bodyguards that were assigned to Sofiya had already been in the room when she arrived. The last of her detail walked in behind her.
Then there were her father's six bodyguards in the other corner of the room. They all wore the same matching black or blue pinstripe suits, their well muscled frames and broad shoulders taking up an impressive amount of space in the room for how many there were. Sofiya had always found it futile to have bodyguards on alert when they were in one of the most secure compounds in the world.
The bodyguards were usually stationed at the entrance to the room and anywhere else her father thought their presence would leave an impression on people. Even then it was rare for all six members of his personal detail to be in one place at once, even more odd that her entire security detail was here as well.
Sofiya did not miss the shadowing presence of his two personal assistants either. Though they did take up less space in the room as he had required the positions of his assistance to be filled by beautiful, slim-waisted, well-endowed women.
It was just like her father to use this situation as just another display of his unwavering authority. No doubt her father wanted to make an example out of Sofiya's defiance, showing that disobedience of any form would not be tolerated all while attempting to humiliate her.
Her eyes finally landed on the form of her father sitting behind his overly expensive custom made desk. Even though it was after six the man sitting in front of her held no hint of stubble. As usual he had taken the time to shave after his lunch appointments.
The blue paisley patterned tie stood out against the crisp white shirt that was stretched over his strong build, she had no doubt that he had changed into a new shirt after lunch. All this was just to make himself seem more imposing and put together than those around him.
Growing up Sofiya had found the amount of time and effort her parents put into making sure they looked assertive and as close to perfection as possible to be overkill.
As she observed her father, she could not help but recognize the same brown and almond-shaped eyes she saw when she looked in the mirror. From her father she had also inherited full brows, high cheekbones, and a set of full pouty lips.
The high cheekbones they shared only added to the domineering appearance of his face. Luckily she had not inherited his concave cheeks and strong jaw. She had read in feminine magazines that it was those features combined with his cheekbones and 'bedroom' eyes that apparently left those attracted to men weak at their knees. Her own jaw was softer than her fathers, but still strong enough to balance the pout of her lips.
Sofiya found it was both a gift and a curse that she shared such a resemblance to him. When she chose to go out in public she found herself the object of attention for any paparazzi that covered politics (and sometimes general paparazzi). Everyone wanted to catch her taking a wrong step so they could use it against her family's reputation, even some of her classmates had been used in ploys to gain access to her family.
In her opinion the curses of being a Marshal far outweighed the benefits. No one ever messed up her order, whether it be for food or online shopping. Sofiya had discovered over the years that it was far easier to do any shopping she needed to do online instead of having to deal with going out in public.
"I can not express to you just how disappointed I am in your actions tonight," the stentorian tone her father used made sure his words penetrated every space in the room, demanding any living beings' attention. Sofiya had to give her father credit, he had the role of alpha leader down pat.
It took a great deal of effort to configure her facial muscles to display an expression of guilty and shameful. All she wanted to do was laugh and roll her eyes, in her mind her father had long ago lost any intimidation.
"Yes, sir." It didn't even bother her that she was being chastised in a room full of people. Anyone with half a brain would see that his reasoning was idiotic. After all, she had only missed an arranged date.
Instead of wasting the time of a power-hungry suiter she had saved both parties the trouble. On paper the guy had looked perfect. Top of his classes at an ivy league university, volunteer work every weekend, yada, yada, yada. But Sofiya knew her parents would not pick any men of actual quality substance for her. They would only choose people for her to date that matched their political agenda and elevated their reputation or power.
She knew her father meant well enough in his own head, but she would not be subjected to having every step of her life planned out by her parents. Academically and career-wise she was fine with him 'controlling' her every move. But that was only because she had manipulated her way into getting exactly what she wanted.
Sofiya drew the line at him trying to control her personal life. It was not the 16th century. Sofiya could damn well choose who she wanted to date on her own.
"I simply lost track of time. I didn't mean to miss meeting up with Charlie." Sofiya's words could not be further from the truth, but hopefully, it would help him to get along with his lecture and she would be on her way back home faster.
"Then how would you explain ditching your bodyguards? Did you simply lose track of them as well?" Maybe she wouldn't be home as soon as she wanted to be after all.
Sofiya opened her mouth, an answer on the tip of her tongue when a deafening noise shook the room. Not simply an alarm but - The Alarm. She found it brilliant SHIELD had multiple alarm sounds, it was rather efficient. As the evacuation alarm blared, everyone in the room took action.
Sofiya found herself oddly calm, considering what could be going on unbeknownst to her. Knowing her behavior was most likely due to being raised in a family of politicians, she gritted her teeth for a second at the thought of actually having something to thank her father for. Sofiya had been raised - no, trained was a better word, to always act perfectly in case there was a camera or reporter around.
She hated that type of lifestyle, having to blindly stand behind her family even as they preached things she did not agree with. Every time she rebelled, her father would tighten his leash on her, but that didn't stop her. These so-called rebellious acts took many forms. Though most frequently she refused to go to the many charity events held by companies that pocketed donations.
"We will finish this conversation later," her father clarified as he approached the filing cabinets behind his desk. One of his assistants was already holding a duffle bag she had produced from god knows where and was just waiting for her father to enter the code before they both started filling the bag with files.
There was a tug on her elbow and she looked up to see Jason. The man that was currently looking down at her had been with her for the last ten years. He had been the one to pick her up from school when her parents were too busy to do so — the one to go with her instead of stopping her from sneaking out. Jason played the role of father better than her biological dad ever did. Then again, her mother and father's parenting skills were meager at best. The area where they really excelled at was maintaining a dictatorship of the household.
"Miss Marshal?" Jason asked and held his hand out for her to go ahead out the door, she gave him a grin. Once they were far enough away he raised an eyebrow and gave her a look, "Perfectly timed alarm. Seems quite the coincidence."
"I swear I had nothing to do with this one," she said and couldn't help but feel flattered. Once out of sight of her father, the fear finally started to stream through her thoughts. If SHIELD was evacuating, that was not an order to be taken lightly.
The compound had to be under some kind of grave threat to give the order to evacuate everyone. Knowing some of the things SHIELD dabbled in her imagination ran wild with scenarios involving monsters from other planets and even some monsters from her own. What if they had the Hulk on-premises and something had happened? She knew he was in hiding but could you really trust any information SHIELD was the source of?
"Expected arrival, ten minutes," Jason spoke into his wrist piece.
"Sooo?" She asked prying for any information he had heard from his earpiece as they rounded a corner.
"There is a possibility of an explosion. Evacuation is just a precaution," Sofiya knew Jason meant well, but his words only made her feel worse.
That was exactly the thing she suspected would be said to keep everyone calm in the face of a real emergency. Complete evacuation had not been just a precaution, it meant there was an almost hundred percent chance of an explosion.
"Brillant," she replied, trying to keep the quiver from her voice. Sofiya's efforts were unsuccessful.
A few minutes and flights of stairs later and Sofiya was out of breath. The group had almost made it back to the underground parking garage when footsteps could be heard echoing from behind them. A wave of unease washed over her as she felt the hairs on the nape of her neck bristle. She did not even have to turn around and look at the people that had fallen in line behind her party to realize something was wrong.
When she finally threw a look over her shoulder she knew her instincts had been right. Without spending too much time looking back she spied several figures. Even with her brief scan of the individuals, it was clear which one was leading the entourage. Not only did he tower above the others at his sides but his alpha presence had captured her attention.
He had to be at least half a foot over six feet judging from how he compared to the other men. His stride was filled with purpose, every step deliberate. Sofiya knew without a doubt that anyone that got in his way would be cast aside without any hesitation.
Sirens sounded in her head that had nothing to do with the sirens booming through the compound. It was an instinctual survival reflex that had to have been inherited in her DNA from her long-ago ancestors. Every cell of her body was now at attention, blood pumping to her legs just waiting for her to start running.
A thought entered the peripheral of her mind. The chances that the armour and cape he wore were from another planet were high. Though considering it looked like he had the physical characteristics of a human she had one guess as to what race he was. It was very well possible that he was from another race than the Asgardians but with her limited knowledge of alien life, that guess made the most sense.
Sofiya chanced another glimpse and their eyes caught for just a moment as he scanned over her group. Those eyes were cold and calculating, and she got the impression he thought her group inferior. Instincts told her she needed to run, but she was unable to command her limbs to do so.
Another glance back and this time she was able to break the hold he had on her attention and check out the rest of the people. Noticing Barton and Erik were part of the entourage, her thoughts drew a blank.
Even though she had only had a handful of interactions with the two men she thought she knew enough about their character. They were not the type to follow someone with ill intent and that was exactly what the type of energy the tall figure exuded.
Barton had his hand on his bow just as Erik had his hand on the handle of a briefcase. Something was wrong though, even from a distance she could see that the color of their eyes was off. She caught Barton's eyes before turning her head from the interesting group.
"She could be useful to you," Barton's voice carried through the hall. Standing up straighter Sofiya looked at her side to Jason. Her stride quickened as she saw the grim look shadowing his face. There was no doubt Barton was talking about her, the only female looking person in the area.
"How so?" The question echoed down the hall, she gulped. Sofiya didn't know for sure to whom the voice belonged, but she would bet on it belonging to the Asgardian. His voice gave an air of sovereignty more so than her fathers ever did. An exotic accent giving his words an elegant and sophisticated touch.
"She's the daughter of a World Security Councilman," Barton answered.
"Take her."
The order purred down the corridor and not a second later she felt Jason's hand on her back pushing her forward. Glancing up she locked eyes with Jason just as he placed something in her hand. Before she even looked down she knew by the chill of the metal against her palm what the item was.
The two guards walking in front of her fell behind and she could hear the click of their guns as they took up a defensive position. Sofiya jumped and covered her ears as a small explosion went off. But it was the unmistakable sound of limp bodies hitting the floor that echoed in her bones. It felt as if her heart would break through her chest. She tried desperately to quell the panic that was building in her stomach.
Her breath caught as Jason suddenly stilled beside her. The hand not holding the gun came to cover her mouth as she stared in shock at the arrow tip protruding from Jason's forehead. Sofiya's heart stopped in the moment it took for him to fall to the ground. It was too much for her mind to process so suddenly and she froze.
"No," she whispered feebly and used all her will to break through the panic coursing through her veins. Relying on the hours of self-defense training that had been pounded into her memory over the years, Sofiya methodically went through the motions of readying her gun, facing her target, taking position and firing.
The Asgardian did not even flinch as the bullet was deflected off his chest, she fired again with the same result. His stride did not falter, confidence still radiating with the impact of each step even as her second bullet was deflected off his shoulder.
"Stop your futile efforts human. I would kill you for even aiming your weapon at me, but I need you alive to be of use." His words were so nonchalant as if the men by his side had not taken out all four members of her security detail in a matter of seconds.
He casually waved his hand and her gun was pulled from her grasp by an invisible force before slamming into the wall to the left. Her jaw dropped and she froze like a deer caught in headlights as he got closer. He raised an eyebrow at her as he approached. Without faltering, leaned down, sliding an arm around her lower back, throwing Sofiya over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing.
Her mind had short-circuited, in fear or panic, she could not tell. She tried to fight her body to unfreeze but it wasn't working, she needed to relax. How the hell was she supposed to relax in this situation? Her defense training faltered as she took in her situation.
Sofiya's captor obviously had some type of magical abilities, not to mention he seemed immune to bullets. And if the ease at which he had picked her up was any indicator, he was stronger than any human she had ever encountered. Her mind worked in overdrive, but she could not come up with any plan using force to escape.
"Do not cause problems child," his sneer threatened to freeze her thoughts again, losing any headway she had made trying to gain control of her body.
Her mind still working, she opted not to reply and instead placed her effort into thinking of how best to get out of this situation. Just then a colossal rumble vibrated through the building. It was impossible for her to entirely evaluate the situation she was in, only the most pressing issue of her survival mattered.
Her captor was on his way out, given the genetics of his most likely race, being with him was probably the safest place to be if the building came down on top of them.
She watched the floor turn to asphalt and knew they had reached the parking garage. A moment later and she was thrown into the back of a truck. Yelping at the impact, Sofiya raised her head in time to see the Asgardian getting in the truck bed as well.
Sofiya scurred into a corner and grabbed on just as the truck jerked forward. One thing was clear, if she was going to get out of this situation, it would be with her mind and not by force. Without looking at her, he waved his hand, and she felt something latch onto her ankle.
Looking down she didn't see anything. Running her hands over her lower leg she tried to seek out the chain she felt against her skin, but her search was fruitless. She moved her foot and felt the weight of the chain, there went her plan of jumping out of the truck when no one was looking.
He paid her no attention as his eyes scanned everything around him. For the first time, Sofiya got a good look at the scepter he was holding. In any other situation, she would have rolled her eyes at the blatant display of power shown in the ornate gold design. From the little time she had spent in his presence, the piece seemed like a good fit for his personality.
A glowing orb was trapped at its apex. Narrowing her eyes, she was able to see that the cloudy decorations she at first glance had thought to be etched into the orb were actually moving.
Who was this guy? She took a moment to observe him again. Since Thor's visit to Earth, she (and probably millions of other people) had read about the myths and childhood stories revolving around the Asgardians. The pieces fell into place and the ice that had frozen her in panic shattered at her surprise in the realization of who sat not a meter in front of her.
"Loki," Sofiya breathed in disbelief just as the truck took a sharp turn and she held on as not to test if the invisible chain would keep her from being thrown out of the vehicle. Her hip struck something, and she suppressed a moan of pain. That was going to be a nasty bruise later.
Bright headlights stung her eyes just in time for her to brace herself for impact as another vehicle ran into theirs. Everything went to hell in the next instant. Holding on for dear life she saw Loki raise his scepter and the orb started to glow with a new intensity. He took aim, and the tunnel echoed as if a gun had just been fired. Her ears rang and the sounds in the tunnel distorted.
Sofiya fought the instinct to cover her ears and get her hands on the truck as she didn't want to risk being thrown out.
Sofiya was helplessly watching as some sort of energy blast soared from Loki's scepter and hit another car, causing it to flip and then skid through the tunnel knocking out several other cars as it went. She hoped everyone would survive, but the odds were grim. The pain in her ears spiked as she sucked in a breath of charred tasting air.
Sofiya whipped her head around to see a car swerve around and face the truck. The sounds of wheels trying to get a grip on the asphalt was soon overshadowed by the roar of the truck's engine. As the truck she was in ran over something she was jostled and now in the line of sight with the agent driving the vehicle in front of the truck.
Loki was distracted as he dealt with those pursuing from the rear of the truck. Sofiya watched as the agent's eyes were glued to what would have been Erik's lap. The briefcase, she thought, something of significant importance must be in it if that's what the agent was after. That must have been what Loki was after as well.
Before she could change her mind, Sofiya lept into action.
If he had come all this way just to get what was in that briefcase, her best chance was to use the contents as leverage to manipulate Loki into cutting the chain so she could jump. She hoped he would not harm her out of fear of damaging the item he had traveled the universe for when she made her bargain.
Maneuvering her way through the open window in the back of the truck she prayed Loki didn't notice her. The car suddenly jerked to the side, and she was thrust the rest of the way through the window. Her fall broken by the backseat, she worked at rightening herself into a sitting position.
Taking a moment to compose herself before she stuck her head between the front seats she tried to neutralize her expression before she looked at Erik.
"He wants the briefcase," she said, trying not to sound like she was at risk of freaking out. He nodded and handed it to her. That had been a lot easier than she had anticipated. For a moment she wondered what exactly Loki had done to them. An explosion reminded her she didn't have time to ponder those possibilities at the present time.
Looking out the window she noticed they were almost clear of the tunnel. The truck swerved, and she fell against the door, her head hitting the reinforced bulletproof glass hard. Closing her eyes, she waited for the dizziness to subside. At the same time, her fingers inspected the latches on the briefcase and by some miracle she managed to get it open.
She looked down to see a glowing blue cube that was much like the orb in Loki's scepter. Hesitantly grabbing it, Sofiya paused for a moment. At least it had not blown up or vaporized her hands she thought as she closed the now empty briefcase. Holding onto the cube as securely as she could she turned around in her seat coming face to face with Loki through the window.
Sofiya gulped as Loki glanced from her eyes to the object she was holding and back again. Only then did it occur to her how stupid of an idea it had been to think she could manipulate the god of mischief. But she had to have tried something, she was not just going to sit back and let this Asgardian do to her as he liked.
Something about his gaze threatened to shake Sofiya to her core. Those green eyes sent a message that she had never seen in another's gaze before. His gaze upon her was like that of a predator, and she was between him and his prey. She had never felt so small in her entire life.
Caught in Loki's eyes, she neglected to notice he was raising his scepter at her.
All plans of bargaining for her escape were lost in the wind as her eyes were finally drawn to the scepter pointed at her. The orb had grown brighter and her heart skipped a beat as she watched the clouds in the orb flurry with activity. All she could do was hold her hands up in front of her before a stream of energy was shot her way.
The next thing she knew the blue cube in her hands intercepted the strike aimed at her. Sofiya was thrown back into the back of the passenger seat as the air around her singed. Every muscle in her body tensed as pain like no other spread through her veins before it vanished a split second later. She was left exhausted and out of breath, had she just died?
It felt like a bucket of ice had been dropped over her brain, and then her vision was blinded by a dark void.
"No," Loki's voice echoed, but there was something off about it. It was … it was in her mind or his mind, but that was … "Impossible," he finished for her.
7/05/18 AN - I can not make any promises about when I will update. One of the reasons I started to write again is because I am in one of the worst depressive spells I have faced in the last 15 years and writing helps me in so many ways. So you may get 2 updates in a week and then no updates for the next two weeks. Just thought I would be honest with you guys.