Nancy sighed softly, her breath creating a momentary mist on the glass. Nothing had happened yet. Iron Man had arrived and was talking with Loki, but nothing had happened yet. No, this was the calm before the storm. The time when clouds and trees stood reverent. When the leaves refused to move, lest they quake with fear. This was the calm before the storm.
Children ran and giggled as they played in Central Park. Mothers held their infants to their breasts, loving them. Adoring them. Elderly couples strolled down the paved pathways, hand in hand. Young lovers kissed beneath the maple trees. Older ones argued on cellphones as they passed, tearing their last few moments to shreds. No, don't argue. You can argue in the morning. Argue when the sun rises and a new day dawns. Love her today. Tell her how much she means to you. Forgive him for his faults. Adore every breath he breathes. For today, you may never see each other again.
Suddenly, a crash sounded below. Glass shattered outwards as Tony Stark was thrown out his own tower window. Nancy screamed, watching him tumble down towards the pavement. No, it couldn't end like this. He was a hero. One of the Avengers! No! Just in time, Stark's suit formed around him and he launched back into the air. Phew. That was a close one.
And then all hell broke loose.
A sudden blue light engulfed the sky and ripped open the heavens, revealing a crystal clear starred sky. But, out of that glorious beauty poured hundreds of new alien threats. It was an invasion. A takeover.
"Don't you care?!" Nancy roared to the nearest agent. In an instant, she turned and flashed a vicious gaze to the mob behind her. "Don't any of you care?! There are women and children down there! Innocents! Those you've sworn to protect! Don't you tell me you've forgotten about S.H.I.E.L.D.! Don't any of you tell me! I don't care what sort of magic he used on your mind, I know you still have a heart and a mind of your own! So don't any of you tell me this is for our own good! Because it isn't! Loki lied to you! That's what he does! Look at this! Look at this! Look!"
One of the agents looked a bit perplexed at her outburst, but many of them just stood and stared. None could fathom why she had reacted so violently.
Nancy sank to her knees and covered her face with her hands. Sobs wracked her body as the sounds of chaos penetrated through the thick glass wall. Loud, mechanical roars and the crunching of metal signaled the collapse of a nearby building. Screaming and sirens told of the lives that would be lost. Nancy wailed through her hands, matching the agonized cries of the citizens below. She was an agent. A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. And she was safe behind these walls. While the rest of the world crumbled to ash and rubble, she was safe behind these walls. No. She was an agent. And her job was to help those who couldn't help themselves. To protect the weak. To guard the innocents. She was an agent.
With a shaky breath, Nancy stood to her feet again. She glanced out at the destruction one last time, and watched as Loki rode by. That pompous, arrogant, self-centered tyrant! Parading his narcissism from the back of an alien hovercraft! If only someone would shoot him out of the sky. Oh, wait. What's that? An arrow! Barton's arrow!
Loki must have seen it coming. He snatched it right out of the sky. But, moments later, it exploded in his face. Ha! That wonderful Barton! She could've kissed him! He used an exploding arrow on Loki! Like Icarus himself, down Loki fell, back to the pavement of the tower.
Now was her chance. Now she could escape. There was no way Loki could have survived a fall like that.
Nancy glanced sideways at the guard next to her. He stood with his hands folded behind him, still on guard but at ease. She looked to his gun, scheming a plan of escape. All she had to do was disorient him for a moment and she'd have his gun. Sure, he could fight her to get his gun back, but that would put her at serious risk. And, if Loki had survived the fall, any man who dared harm his "plaything" would be killed on sight. At least, Nancy hoped so. She only had one shot at this, so she had to make it count.
In an instant, Nancy's elbow made contact with the agent's face, successfully disorienting him. As she lowered her arm again, she swiftly removed his gun from its holster, taking the safety off and pointing it at him, all in one swift motion.
Every agent in the room pulled their own gun and aimed them at her, in a wide circle around her. They barely blinked, bending slightly into combative stances. Ready for anything she might try.
"You're going to let me through," she announced with a smirk, glancing around to each gun and face among the herd, "And none of you are going to follow. If one of you shoots, your master will have your head. If all of you shoot… well, he did just fine on his own without you. I don't think he'll have much need for a group of disloyal guards. Now stand down!"
They didn't move an inch. Not one of them. However, none of them lowered their weapons, either. They kept them trained on Nancy, waiting for her next move.
Noting their hesitation, Nancy slowly moved towards the stairs, watching the agents carefully. Her heart pounded in her chest and rose into her throat, quickening her breathing, but still the agents did not move.
As one entity, they turned with her. Mimicking her motions, following her trail. Watching with the same careful precision.
With a slight glance behind her, Nancy began to slowly back down the stairs.
"The first man that follows," she threatened, "Gets a bullet through his skull."
She turned and began to run down the stairs, taking them as quickly and carefully as she possibly could. No one followed. Halfway down the stairs, she stopped, put the safety back on her gun, and tucked it into the belt of her pants. Guns were always handy when battling super-villains.
As Nancy stepped out onto the floor of the front room, she saw The Hulk and Loki staring each other down. Loki not only survived an explosion to the face, but a fall from a great height. What resilience! Perhaps he was a god after all.
But, then again, he wasn't a very wise one, was he? Thinking he could battle against The Hulk. Oh, no. This was going to end poorly.
Fearing for her own safety, Nancy slipped behind a nearby corner, peaking out only enough to see the action.
"I am a god, you dull creature!" Loki shouted at the large green monster in front of him, "And I refuse to be bullied by a-"
In less than a moment, Loki was picked up by his feet and slammed into the ground, over and over again. As Nancy looked on in horror, she could only compare the sight to an animal smacking a fish against a rock. She winced every time Loki's body made impact with the ground. The poor dear was being killed right in front of her, and there was nothing she could do.
"Puny god." The Hulk laughed as he headed for the window, leaving Loki where he lay in the pile of rubble created by his own vicious and repetitive impact into the tile. Without another word, The Hulk jumped from the window.
Nancy swallowed hard as she stared at Loki's still form. He had to be dead after that. No creature, god or no, could have survived that. But, as she continued to stare, she heard him making strange whimpering noises, as if he was struggling to breathe.
"Loki?" she asked, hesitantly stepping out from the corner. He didn't respond, but didn't attack either. He simply laid there, whimpering and motionless. Noting that the danger was over for the time being, Nancy immediately ran to Loki and dropped to his side. She looked him over, trying to evaluate the damage. He must have been in serious pain after that attack.
Loki let out a long whimper, not moving in the trench that had been beaten into the floor using his own body. He slid his eyes closed and tried to focus on healing. If he just rested, perhaps he would heal before Earth's heroes came for him. And come they would, he knew that. If any of them had the same persistence as his adoptive brother, they would be there minutes after the fight ended. And, without him as their leader, he knew the Chitauri would lose. Sooner or later.
Nancy's heart sank. In that moment, he seemed so fragile. So hurt and alone. She instantly regretting wishing for him to be shot from the sky. No matter what he had done, he didn't deserve this. This torment and pain. "Shh." she whispered, gently taking his hand in her own, "You're gonna be fine."
What was wrong with the woman? Could she not see that he was resting already? Could she not cease her chatter for one moment? He would have chastised her, but his pain was too great. So instead, he laid still and tried his best to ignore her. That turned out to be harder than he ever would have thought. Especially with her gripping his hand as she was. What was this? Sentiment? Affection? He didn't know, so he laid still and allowed it.
Nancy glanced up at his hairline and noticed a few pieces of white tile flaking the thick, dark strands. She timidly reached up and brushed them from his hair, still trying to comfort him in the only way she knew how. His hair was damp from his sweat, but was still soft beneath her fingers.
"Just close your eyes and rest." She cooed encouragingly, "You're immortal. You'll heal."
That's when realization hit. What if an Avenger suddenly showed up and saw her like this? What would they say about her? What would S.H.I.E.L.D. do? She nervously glanced out the window, watching for any sign of the heroes. Currently, they were rather busy corralling a mob of rampaging mechanical fish. Good. At least she would be left in piece for the time being.
Yes, he knew all that. He was not some weak babe that she needed to remind him of his own capabilities. And he was already closing his eyes and healing. He had been since she decided to break free from her security detail. Her constant bantering was taking away from the feel of her hand on his hair. He would rather she just be quiet and let him have a moment.
Loki groaned. Now that he had begun to heal, he finally found his voice and spoke the one thing he had wanted to tell her since she started in on this. "Shut up, mortal."
Nancy gave a soft laugh at his powerless threat and continued stroking his hair. He seemed so human when he was like this. So mortal. Yet, he was still so powerful. So refined. But where were his followers now? Who remained when he was bruised and broken? Who bowed to his power and might when he was left alone to die? She stroked his hair once more. She'd stay with him, even if no one else would.
"You shouldn't have angered him." she chuckled softly, smiling down at him, "We all know not to do that." She glanced to the window again, still making sure the heroes were busy. She desperately needed them to remain preoccupied with the chaos outside. "…I shouldn't be here."
"Then leave." Please, let her leave. All he wanted was a moment of silence. Could she not see that? A moment of silence to mourn his failed plan and his imminent demise. Loki coughed and groaned again. Speaking, even those few words, still caused some pain, but it was lessening. That was a good sign. He took a deep breath.
"No. I'm not leaving you." She'd made up her mind. She didn't care what the others thought. What they'd do if they found her. She wasn't leaving him alone to suffer and die. She held his hand a little tighter. "No one deserves to face their pain alone."
Of course she would stay. It was neither safe nor wise. So of course it was the one thing she insisted upon doing. Much as he wanted to yell at her, Loki could only groan again. He tried to move an arm, but flinched and settled it back down. Moving wasn't advisable yet.
"Don't move." Nancy whispered, "Not until you're better." She glanced around at the damaged room, trying to look for a first-aid kit. Maybe she could find something to bind his broken ribs with. Or at least an aspirin to give the poor man. She didn't see anything. "I could try to find you something for the pain." She offered.
"I believe I told you to shut up." 'Believe' was not a strong enough word. He knew he had told her to shut up, and he expected it to be done when he said it. Such disobedience!
Nancy blinked at him. How could he be so cruel to her when she was only trying to help? Didn't he realize she was his only friend in the universe? Well, maybe friend was too strong a word. But that's how she felt. They were alone here, in this moment in time together, and all she wanted to do was comfort him and help. She glanced to the window again, trying to hide the hurt behind her eyes.
"I was only trying to be nice." she whispered, barely audible.
"I do not require niceties, I require..." his gaze settled on the bar. Stark had offered him a drink, and the Metal Man hadn't been off course. Liquor. The best pain killer in the universe. Loki grasped his abdomen with a firm arm and turned to his side. If he could crawl his way there, he could perhaps dull his pain.
"You shouldn't move." Nancy protested, laying a hand softly on his arm. She felt his strong muscles move beneath her hand and pulled back. That's when she heard it. Silence. The fighting had stopped. Just… stopped. They must have closed the portal. The Avengers would return at any moment, seeking to punish those responsible for this. If they found her here like this… they'd kill her.
"I need to leave." she continued, glancing back down at Loki, "The war is over. They're gonna come back for you, and I can't be here when they find you." She made sure to make eye contact with him, gaining his full attention. She could still see the pain behind his soft green eyes. "Please don't think I'm a coward. I'm not. But my job means more to me than anything else. It's my whole life. I'm an agent."
Nancy timidly moved her hand to caress his cheek. She desperately needed him to understand. She didn't want to leave him, but she had to. She wanted to stay there with him. To protect him when they came for him. To plea for the heroes to show him mercy. But she had to leave. He was her enemy. And no matter how much she cared for him in that moment, he was still her enemy.
"If what I'm about to do offends you, I hope you can forgive me." Nancy leaned over him and softly pressed her lips to his. It was the only way she could show how much she'd learned to care for him. In that moment, he wasn't evil. He wasn't cruel or heartless. He was broken and lonely and in pain. Nancy's heart beat with a new compassion for him as she felt his lips against hers. But then… it was over. The heroes were coming. She slowly pulled away and gazed down into his eyes.
"Goodbye, Loki. I'm so sorry."
In an instant, Nancy was on her feet running for the stairs. She took one look back at Loki.
He had resumed his struggle to try and get up.
Knowing the Avengers would arrive at any moment, Nancy dashed up the stairs and made it safely back into the herd. As she closed the door behind her, a sob escaped her lips.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Loki had managed to worm his way closer to the bar, using his arm and one leg to propel him up the steps. He had also managed to remove the thoughts of her timid kiss from his mind. He didn't need that distraction, though the kiss had been surprising and one of the nicest gestures he had received since coming to Midgard. Usually, the ones who were about to be overtaken did not react so well to the tyrant. Perhaps she was a keeper after all. One day.
But all his hopes and fears were in vain. As he righted himself, turning over to face the windows, he looked up into the faces of all the heroes, including his brother. Joy. This was just what he needed while trying to heal. He groaned and then sighed.
"If it's all the same to you, I think I'll have that drink now."
