CHAPTER 2: YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE END OF THE WORLD
Russia
The sound of a train going by could be heard from the other side of the warehouse wall, its siren sounding loudly. The warehouse shook slightly from the rumble of the locomotive, along with the old crates and boxes that lined the small building as well as the large metal shelves, chandeliers, and the chair she was sitting on.
Natasha Romanoff flinched back as the goon slapped her, grunting in pain. She breathed in deep for a second or two and then moved her head back and faced her enemy once more.
Georgi Luchkov, Colonel General of the Russian Armed Forces and known weapons dealer. Former soldier in the Soviet Armed Forces where he had earned more than his fair share of medals for what was no doubt considered today, and probably then as well, war crimes.
"This is not how I wanted this evening to go," he said in Russian.
"I know how you wanted this evening to go," she replied in the same tongue. She was still wearing the short, black dress that revealed much of her upper chest, the kind of dress when placed on girls caused old men like Luchkov to drool. "Believe me, this is better."
"Who are you working for?" Luchkov asked. "Lermentov, yes?"
As he talked, the same goon walked forward again and grabbed her chair, leaning it back over the edge of the pit behind her. Natasha started breathing in faster, giving off the air of panic, as her feet left the ground and she felt the large drop at her back.
"Does he think we have to go through him to move our cargo?" Luchkov continued, watching her squirm with a small smile.
Natasha looked up at with a confused expression painted on her face. "I thought General Solohob is in charge of the export business." As she said it, the goon let her back down, his threat over for now.
"Solohob?" Luchkov chuckled. "A bagman, a front. Your outdated information betrays you." He leaned in closer to her. "The famous Black Widow. And she turns out to be simply another pretty face." His goons smiled stupidly as he said it.
"You really think I'm pretty?" Natasha asked, raising her eyebrows.
Luchkov made a gesture to his goon and then turned around as the man grabbed and opened Natasha's mouth painfully. "Tell Lermentov we don't need him to move the tanks. Tell him he is out. Well…" he trailed off slightly as he picked up a large pair of pliers from a nearby table. "…you may have to write it down," he told her in English.
Natasha grunted in the man's grip, slightly twisting her jaw. This was getting just a mite complicated now.
And then a cellphone went off.
Natasha looked over at the second good in confusion. He also looked just as confused, taking the phone from his pocket and holding it up to his ear. "Da?" he said into it and then listened. A few seconds later, he turned to Luchkov. "It's for her," he said, gesturing at Natasha who groaned inwardly. Whoever was on that line, and she had a pretty good idea who, they were going to mess everything up.
Luchkov dropped the pliers in annoyance and took the phone. "You listen carefully-"
"You are at 114 Silensky Plaza, 3rd floor," a man on the other end said calmly. "We have an F-22 exactly 8 miles out." Luchkov looked up at the ceiling nervous, as if trying to see through it to the jet. "Put the woman on the phone or I will blow up the block before you can make the lobby."
Luchkov stared at Natasha fearfully, hesitating for a second, and then walked over, roughly shoving the phone into the crook of her neck.
"We need you to come in," Coulson told her.
"Are you kidding? I'm working," Natasha replied angrily. The man was bungling days of hard undercover work right now. She was already thinking of strategies to recover from this so the interrogation could get back on track.
"This takes precedence."
Natasha eyed Luchkov. "I'm in the middle of an interrogation. This moron is giving me everything."
Luchkov looked back and forth between her and his goon, surprised. "I don't give everything," he said a little uncertainly.
Natasha gave him a look and raised her eyebrows again before focusing back on Coulson. "Look you can't pull me out of this right now."
"Natasha," Coulson said softly. He seemed to hesitate for a second before saying, "Barton's been compromised.
Natasha froze, a rush of emotions filling her. Fear, worry, concern, confusion, dread, and then deadly calm. He was right. This did take precedence. "Let me put you on hold."
She flicked her eyes up at Luchkov and nodded slightly. He moved to take the phone back when she acted, kicking him right in his crotch. He cried out and kneeled over just as Natasha slammed her head into his, smacking it painfully and knocking him to the floor.
The two goons reacted fast, charging right at her, but she leapt up, still tied to the chair, and met them. She kicked the first one back, giving her some breathing room, and ducked under the second one's fist. She twisted around quickly, knocking him down with her chair.
She saw the first goon reaching for his gun and rolled across the floor to him, coming up with him behind her. She shoved him back, forcing him to drop the gun, and then dropped the chair's back legs down painfully onto the goon's feet before rearing her head back into his face. He stumbled back, hands clutching his nose. She whirled around and the chair leg tripped him up, laying him flat on the ground. Then she faced the second goon again who was charging at her.
Still on the line, Coulson waited patiently as he heard the goons continuously grunting in pain.
Using a goon as a springboard, she jumped through the air and performed a somersault, landing chair first on the other goon's back, breaking the chair to pieces and knocking the man out cold.
Natasha rolled back onto her feet only for the first goon to wrap his arms around her throat from behind. Or at least, he tried to. But before he could get there, Natasha grabbed his hand and twisted it around, causing him to scream in pain, before beating him back with a broken chair leg until it flew from her hand.
Without missing a beat, she jumped again, throwing her legs out first and kicking him square in the chest, knocking the air from his lungs. She landed on her hands and shoved them out, pushing herself back onto her feet. She ran right at the goon and leapt up, locking her legs tightly around his neck, and forcing him to the ground where he landed with another cry of pain. Natasha barely spared him a glance then. He was done with the fight.
She heard another grunt of pain and looked over to see Luchkov getting to his feet. Grabbing a chain dangling from the ceiling, she banged the man's head onto a railing and then tied the chain tightly to his leg. Before he could react, she pushed him over the edge of the pit. He fell a few yards before the chain caught him, yanking him back and forcing another cry of pain from his lips.
Natasha walked over and picked up the fallen phone and her shoes, which the goons had removed earlier, walking calmly to the exit. "Where's Barton now?" she asked.
"We don't know."
"But he's alive?" Natasha checked.
On the other line, Coulson watched old archive footage of the Black Widow and Hawkeye fighting side-by-side in Budapest, one of their most dangerous combat assignments. Since then, they had become as close as siblings. Closer, even. "We think so," he said. "I'll brief you on everything when you get back. But first, we need you to talk to the big guy."
Natasha smirked. That wasn't going to work. "Coulson, you know Stark trusts me about as far as he can throw me."
"Oh, I've got Stark," Coulson replied, surprising her. "You get the big guy."
Natasha stopped, realization hitting her. "Боже мой!" she muttered.
Kolkata, India
The little girl ran through the crowded streets, passing by many bikes and people walking, through a market, eyes scanning the row of houses and apartments. This was it. She turned left and saw the open doorway, running through it and up the stairs inside to the railing.
As soon as her head popped up, she spotted an older woman who locked eyes with her. "Who are you?" the woman exclaimed in Hindi. "Get out! There is sickness here!"
Just behind the woman, the girl saw the man, the one she'd been looking for. An American, early 40s, graying hair, and almost gaunt-like face with a lot of stubble around his chin. "You're a doctor?" she said in English before continuing in Hindi, "my father's not waking up." The man looked at her and started walking over. "He has a fever and he's moaning but his eyes won't open."
"Slow down," the man said in the same language, holding his hand up, placating.
The girl paused. "My father…" she began before looking at the other end of the room.
The man followed her gaze. "Like them?" he pointed at the two young children lying on the bed, coughing and sweating, their father wiping their foreheads with a cloth.
"Please," the girl whispered, holding up a few notes, tears in her eyes.
Twenty minutes later, Bruce Banner found himself on the edge of the city, following the girl to a ramshackle old house. As they got close, Banner noticed a jeep coming towards them with soldiers inside. He instantly held the girl back, and ducked his head to avoid detection, letting the jeep pass them by. Once he was sure they were leaving, he let go and the girl ran to the house. Banner saw a couple old men and a young boy crouched nearby around a small television set. Just a small family, enjoying each other's company. Something Banner couldn't afford to have again.
Instead, he was forced to move around, always under the radar. He lived in crappy motels or even on the streets. He made money by helping people where he could. But he was always moving, looking over his shoulder for the tell-tale signs of danger. Always watching his heartbeat so that it didn't go overboard, that he stayed in control. His life was practically a living nightmare, one he couldn't escape. All he could do was help where he could and make sure the other guy never saw the light of day again.
He followed the girl into the house, pushing past some raggedy curtains, watching the girl move towards the back of the house. As he walked in, he started getting suspicious, not hearing sounds of any other person in the place. He slowed, watching the girl carefully as she ran over to the bedroom, climbed up the bed and then hopped out the window, disappearing from sight.
He sighed and smirked, realizing he'd been conned. "Should've got paid up front, Banner," he scolded himself.
"You know," a voice said, causing him to turn around, "for a man who's supposed to be avoiding stress, you picked a hell of a place to settle." It was a young woman with bright red and curly hair, a shawl draped around her shoulders.
Banner placed his bag down carefully. "Avoiding stress isn't the secret," he told her. She knew who he was. Or more accurately, who the other guy was. This was undoubtedly going to get messy.
"Then what is it? Yoga?" the woman joked.
Banner took another look around, rubbing his hands together. "You brought me to the edge of the city. Smart." He took a look outside the window but didn't see anything. Of course, that meant nothing. "I assume the whole place is surrounded."
"Just you and me," the woman said, dropping the shawl.
"And your actress buddy?" he asked, pointing at the window the little girl had crawled through. "Is she a spy too? They start that young?"
"I did," the woman replied, a hint of sadness in her gaze.
"Who are you?"
"Natasha Romanoff."
Banner looked down, clasping his fingers together, trying to keep his heartbeat down. Keep himself in control. No matter what happened, how well he hid, they found him and the nightmare started over again. "Are you here to kill me, Ms. Romanoff? Because that's not going to work out, for everyone."
"No, no, of course not," Romanoff shook her head. "I'm here on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Banner nodded to himself. "S.H.I.E.L.D.," he muttered. So that's who it was this time. Always someone. He had wondered how long it would take them to find him. He looked closely at Romanoff. "How'd they find me?"
"We never lost you, doctor," she replied promptly, causing Banner to glance up in surprise. "We've kept our distance. Even helped keep some other interest parties off your scent."
"Why?" he asked, looking at the wall. A government agency helping him out instead of hunting him. That was new and different.
Romanoff almost shrugged. "Nick Fury seems to trust you. But now we need you to come in." The way she said it made it clear she wouldn't be taking no for an answer.
Banner pursed his lips and shifted his feet. "What if I say no?" he asked.
Romanoff smiled. "I'll persuade you."
Banner nodded and looked down, expecting that. "And what if the other guy says no?" He looked back up right into the agent's eyes.
"You've been more than a year without an incident. I don't think you want to break that streak," she replied smoothly. If she was scared of him, or the other guy, she was hiding it really well. She started walking to the other end of the room.
Banner sighed softly, looking down at a small baby carriage left behind in the house. He patted it softly. A reminder of life gone now. "Well, I don't every time get what I want," he said, rocking the carriage back and forth.
"Doctor, we're facing a potential global catastrophe," Romanoff told him, taking out a phone, all pretext gone.
Banner looked up and chuckled dryly. "Well those I actively try to avoid."
"This," Romanoff said, holding up the phone and then placing it on the table where she took a seat as well, "is the Tesseract. It has the potential energy to wipe out the planet."
Banner walked over, taking out his glasses and putting them on. He picked up the phone and looked closely at the image on the screen, a blue, glowing cube. Didn't look like much. Then again, neither did he. "What does Fury want me to do, swallow it?"
"He wants you to find it," Romanoff amended, leaning forward. "It's been taken." Banner looked up at that, a wry smile on his face. "It emits a gamma signature that's too weak for us to trace," she explained. "There's no one that knows gamma radiation like you do. If there was," she held up her hand, "that's where I'd be." She leaned back in her chair again.
Banner removed his glasses. "So, Fury isn't after the monster?"
"Not that he's told me."
"And he tells you everything?" Fury may not have told her, but he undoubtedly wanted the monster as well. Everybody wanted the monster for one reason or another.
Romanoff paused for a second. "Talk to Fury," she said. "He needs you on this."
Banner didn't like that pause. "He needs me in a cage?"
"No one's going to put you in a-"
"STOP LYING TO ME!" Banner suddenly shouted, slamming his hands on the table.
Instantly, Romanoff was standing up, a gun in her hand, cocked and aimed right at his face.
Banner froze and then leaned back. "I'm sorry," he said. "That was mean. I just wanted to see what you'd do." He looked at her closer and now he saw the fear in her eyes. The fear of the other guy. The one that gun wouldn't stand a chance against. He also could tell that she was telling the truth. They really didn't want the other guy. Just Banner.
He held up his hands in surrender. "Why don't we do this the easy way, where you don't use that," he pointed at the gun, "and the other guy doesn't make a mess." He pointed at himself before lowering both hands. "Okay?"
Romanoff didn't respond, gun still pointed right at him, although it was trembling slightly.
"Natasha?" he said as calmly as he could. If she didn't listen to him, they were all screwed.
A few seconds later, Romanoff lowered the gun and then placed a hand over her ear. "Stand down," she said and round the perimeter, dozens of armed agents lowered their weapons, clicking them over to safety, and taking a few steps back. "We're good here."
"Just you and me," Banner repeated jokingly. Romanoff stared at him hard, all pretenses gone.
Helicarrier, Atlantic Ocean
"This is out of line, Director," Councilman Malick said. "You're dealing with forces you can't control."
Nick Fury stared back at the wall of screens facing him, each one displaying a different member of the World Security Council, with growing frustration. "You ever been in a war, Councilman? In a firefight? Did you feel an overabundance of control?"
"You're saying that this Asgard is declaring war on our planet?" Malick asked.
"Not Asgard," Fury shook his head. "Loki."
"He can't be working alone," Councilwoman Hawley commented. "What about the other one? His brother?"
"Our intelligence says Thor's not a hostile," Fury responded. "But he's worlds away. We can't depend on him to help either. It's up to us."
"Which is why you should be focusing on Phase 2," Malick argued. "It was designed for exactly this-"
"Phase 2 isn't ready. Our enemy is," Fury countered. "We need a response team."
In other words, an option that doesn't promise massive amounts of property damage and civilian deaths, he mentally added.
"The Avengers Initiative was shut down," Malick reminded him.
"This isn't about the Avengers," he replied.
"We've seen the list," Councilman Singh said, his tone stating he was unimpressed.
"You're running the world's greatest covert security network and you're going to leave the fate of the human race to a handful of freaks?" Malick questioned. Judging from his expression, it wasn't just that decision he was questioning.
"I'm not leaving anything to anyone," Fury told him. "We need a response team." He hated dealing with the Council. They were all so small-minded, never seeing the big picture. Of course, they hadn't seen what Fury had. They didn't truly understand how important this Initiative was. "These people may be isolated, unbalanced even," he admitted. "But I believe with the right push, they can be exactly what we need."
"You believe?" Hawley scoffed.
"War isn't won by sentiment, Director," Malick told him.
Fury looked back at him, dead in the eye. "No," he agreed. "It's won by soldiers."
New York City, New York
The punching bag rocked back against his fists, swinging away with each blow and then coming back for more punishment. He hopped back and forth in a fighting stance, imagining different enemies on the other end of his fists. His hair was matted with sweat, his heart beating wildly, but he kept going. Left hook. Right hook. Upper cut. He went through the motions, over and over, in an effort to hold it all back. But of course, it didn't work. No matter how hard he hit, how much he hit, nothing helped.
He could still hear the bombs going off, the guns firing. He gritted his teeth, his mind flashing back to him running through a German forest, shield raised, the Howling Commandos charging in beside him, firing their weapons into enemy lines, explosions sounding off around them.
He saw himself deflecting a Hydra weapon and slamming his opponent in the face with his shield. He punched the bag harder, trying to hold it all back, but the memories kept slipping through.
'There's not enough time,' he said, pushing the plane down towards the ice. 'I got to put her in the water.'
He pounded his fists, pain wracking across his knuckles, but he was beyond caring.
The Valkyrie, going down. The Tesseract, in Red Skull's hands.
He clenched his teeth and punched harder. He didn't want these memories, these reminders. But they refused to leave him alone.
'You won't be alone,' she said. She had been holding his hand, comforting him at his worst moment, promising to be there for him. Those were the last words ringing through his brain as he brought the plane down and slammed into the ice before all consciousness left him.
The bag was now rocking madly against his punches, swinging farther and farther, but he barely noticed.
'Oh my god!' he heard a voice say. It was distant, like through a thick wall. But he could still make it out. 'This guy's still alive!'
Still alive…still alive…still alive!
He gave one last punch and the chain holding the bag snapped, the whole thing flying from his blow and landing against the wall, sand spilling out. He stood there, panting, barely feeling anything.
Yes, Steve Rogers was alive. But anyone that might have mattered to him was gone. He had no one. Nothing. Was that really living?
He wiped his hair and walked over to the line of punching bags on the floor. He didn't want to dwell on these things. Didn't want to think. He just wanted to punch. He grabbed another bag by its chain and hooked it up, ready to go again. But he only got in a few punches when he heard, "trouble sleeping?"
He stopped and turned to see Nick Fury standing at the entrance of the gym. He sighed and turned back to the bag. "I slept for seventy years, sir," he said, continuing to throw punches. "I think I've had my fill." He slammed his fist into the bag even harder on the last word, the sound echoing.
"Then you should be out, celebrating, seeing the world," Fury told him, walking over.
Steve stopped and looked at him more closely, seeing the hands clasped behind his back. Realizing he wasn't going to get any more work out here, he walked away, unraveling the gauze from his hands. "When I went under, the world was at war," he said as he walked. "I wake up, they say we won. They didn't say what we lost." He had lost everything. He wondered what the country had in that same time.
"We've made some mistakes along the way," Fury admitted. "Some, very recently."
Steve looked up and saw the file in the man's hands. "Are you here with a mission, sir?" he asked, unraveling the gauze on his other hand.
"I am."
"Trying to get me back in the world?" A living super-soldier, found alive after all these years. There was no way the government wasn't going to use him.
Fury took a second to answer. "Trying to save it," he said, opening up the file and showing it.
Steve looked over and felt his blood go cold at the image. He took the file for a closer look, but he didn't really need it. He recognized the blue, shining cube instantly. And even if he didn't, the name Tesseract was written in bold letters on the page. "Hydra's secret weapon."
"Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you," Fury explained, causing Steve to look up at him for a moment. "He thought what we think. The Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy. That's something the world sorely needs."
Steve closed the file and handed it back. "Who took it from you?" It was just a guess but from the way Fury was going on about its importance and the fact that he was here, it was the most logical reason.
"He's called Loki," Fury replied. "He's…not from around here. There's a lot we'll need to bring you up to speed on if you're in." He shook his head slightly. "The world has gotten even stranger than you already know."
Steve highly doubted that. He'd been frozen for seventy years in the Arctic and somehow survived. "At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me."
"Ten bucks says you're wrong." Steve chose not to respond to that. He picked up his pack and walked over to one of the punching bags, easily lifting it up onto his shoulder. If he wasn't going to work out here, he might as well do it at home.
"There's a debriefing packet waiting for you back at your apartment," Fury told him as he started walking away. "Is there anything you can tell us about the Tesseract that we ought to know now?"
"You should have left it in the ocean," he replied without looking back.
New Rome, San Francisco
Percy rolled onto his side, groaning as the sun hit his face. "Alright, I'm up, I'm up," he muttered to no one in particular. He yawned and stretched, standing up from his bed. He walked to the window and fully opened the curtains, letting the sun shine on in. A beautiful day in New Rome. He couldn't help but smile. After years of pain and heartache, he had done it. He had finally gotten his happy ending. He got to spend every day with the girl he loved with no fear of wondering what the next monster attack was going to be, what the next quest was going to be, what the next threat was going to be. He could just relax and enjoy the simplicity of a normal life. Or, somewhat normal life. He was still a demigod after all.
"Hey, you're up."
Percy looked up and smiled as Annabeth peeked in through the bedroom door. "Annabeth! What are you doing here this early?"
"Just wanted to see you before I head off," she told him.
"Oh, right," Percy nodded. She was heading to some extra-curricular architecture courses for the day and wouldn't be back until the evening. He grinned at her and pulled her close but before he could make a move, she held up a hand. "Brush your teeth first," she told him. "And take a shower too. Then, we'll see." She gave him a knowing look.
He smiled back at her. "Yes, ma'am." He then went and showered and got changed, pulling on a purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt. He had to say, he preferred the orange of Camp Half-Blood, but the purple was growing on him.
He stepped into the main room of their apartment and saw Annabeth pouring over some of her notes. He walked up and, before she could react, kissed her firmly on the mouth. She stiffened in surprise at first and then leaned into it. He held that pose for a little while before pulling away, leaving her gaping somewhat.
"What?" he asked as she gave him a look. "Wanted to act before you could stop me again."
"Why would I ever try to stop you?" she asked him, shaking her head.
"Good point."
She laughed and then turned back to her notes. "You made tonight's reservation?" she checked.
"Yep." Percy had set up a nice dinner in town for the two of them. It felt good, to plan things like that. Normal things, like a date with a beautiful girl.
"So, what are you doing today?" she asked him.
Percy shrugged. "Probably nothing. Maybe go down and take a walk through the city or swim in the Little Tiber."
"Or you start studying for your exams," she told him.
Percy shook his head, scrunching his nose in disgust. "Nah. I think I'll stick with my plan."
Annabeth shook her head in amazement. "And when do you plan to start studying?"
"Soon-ish," he replied. "Don't worry. I'll get it done."
Annabeth sighed. "Translation: I'll be the one making you study when I should be studying for my own exams."
"Your words, not mine," Percy held up his hands in defense.
She gave him another look and then checked her watch. "Oh, crap, I've got to go." She packed up all her notes and papers into her bag, slinging it over her shoulder.
"Here," Percy pulled her in for a quick kiss. "Go get 'em, Wise Girl."
"Always, Seaweed Brain," she said. "See you tonight." They kissed again and then she was out the door.
Percy sighed like he always did when she was gone. After everything they'd been through, it was weird for them to be apart, even for a little while. He didn't like it. Like something was going to happen.
He shook those thoughts away. He had to stop that. He was here, living in New Rome, going to university, and enjoying the pleasures of a somewhat normal life. Nothing was going to go wrong.
And then his phone rang.
For a split second, he was confused. Whose phone was that? Cause he didn't have a phone and it sounded nothing like Annabeth's.
Then it hit him like a lightning bolt. He did have a phone, one he had shoved deep into his drawers, hoping it would never see the light of day. The phone Fury had given him almost a year ago, the one he'd said he'd call him on if he ever needed Percy's help. It had been so long since their last interaction, that Percy had all but forgotten about it.
Hands shaking, Percy opened the drawer and dug around inside, pulling out the burner phone. He flipped it open and hit the accept button, holding it up to his ear. "This is Percy," he said.
"I'm going to need you to meet me at the Oakland Airport in one hour." He recognized Hill's voice.
"Any chance this is just another training exercise you need me to do?" he asked.
There was a long pause, and then, "I'm sorry, but no. One hour. Does that work for you?"
Percy sighed. "Yeah, yeah I can be there." So much for his plans. "What are we up against?"
There was another pause. "It's better to explain in person."
Percy nodded. "Alright, fine. See you in an hour." The call ended and he put the phone down. Then he kicked his bed as hard as he could. It didn't help, it only made his foot hurt.
Why him? Why couldn't he have a normal life? Why was he always being dragged into this?
Because you want to be, a little voice inside him said.
He pushed that thought away and sighed. Well, it didn't matter now. He had a job to do. Fury said he'd only call him in if the world was threatened. And if it was, Percy wanted to be there to help make sure it stayed safe. So enough sulking. Time to get to work.
He quickly went around the small apartment, grabbing anything he might need. Ambrosia and nectar, obviously. His toothbrush and toothpaste, since he didn't know how long this would be. Some energy bars, just in case. He checked to see that Riptide as still in his pocket, same as always. He changed again, this time in more traveling clothes. And under that, he pulled on the suit. Back when this all started, he thought it might be cool to have a super-suit as well, just to go along with it all. So he and Annabeth had made one. Ok, Annabeth had made one, but he'd advised. He stared in the mirror and the sea-green mesh weave with wave patterns all around it, capable of causing most weapons to be deflected. Fire-proof, thanks to some help from Calypso. And snug. A symbol of a Trident stood in the center, right on his chest, glowing a slight greenish-blue, just like the one above his head all those years ago when he'd been claimed. Despite the fact that he was undertaking another dangerous quest/mission, he couldn't help but grin at himself in the mirror. He really did look like a superhero.
He had some regular clothes over it and then moved towards the door. He had thought about calling Annabeth but ultimately decided against it. He didn't want her involved in this until it was necessary. It had been his decision to get involved with S.H.I.E.L.D., not hers. But he had a few drachma and a squirt gun in case he needed to Iris-message her. And he left her a message, explaining the situation.
He stared at his apartment and smiled sadly. "I'll be back," he promised. "I will come back."
Then he stepped out the door.
New York City, New York
The water bubbled around him as he burned a line right through the metal pipe, opening it up to the cables within, his suit's over-the-shoulder lamps lighting it all up clearly for him. Reaching behind him, he took the component and placed it perfectly over the cables where it expanded and then lit up a glowing light green in the water. His work finished, Iron Man looked up to the surface and activated the repulsors, launching himself upwards.
Within seconds, he broke the surface of the New York harbor and into the sky right next to a ferry. Tony Stark paused in midair to collect his bearings before taking off once more for the city, heading deep into the jungle of skyscrapers.
"Good to go on this end," he said over the intercom. "The rest is up to you."
"You disconnected the transmission lines?" Pepper checked. He could see her face on the heads-up display in the suit and noted her dubious expression. "Are we off the grid?"
"Stark Tower is about to become a beacon of self-sustaining clean energy," Tony told her.
"Well, assuming the arc reactor takes over and it actually works."
Always doubting him. And yet, he always surprised her. It was just how they worked. "I assume," he said, and she rolled her eyes and smiled. "Light her up."
He turned the corner just in time to see his tower lighting up floor by floor until it reached the top, the extra-large neon letters spelling out STARK in big capital letters shining for the whole city to see.
"How does it look?" Pepper asked, smiling.
"Like Christmas, but with more…me," Tony replied, taking it all in. He saw Pepper roll her eyes and laugh again.
"We've got to go wider on the public awareness campaign," she told him. "You need to do some press. I'm in DC tomorrow, I'm working on the zoning for the next three buildings."
"Pepper," Tony stopped her as he flew up to the landing zone, "you're killing me. The moment, remember? Enjoy the moment."
"Get in here and I will," she told him in a seductive tone.
He smiled as he landed, wondering how on earth he had ever gotten so lucky to end up with a woman like her. As his suit's metal feet hit the landing spot, the whole thing came to life, whirring around him, the gears moving towards him. He ignored it and started walking along the path to the main room.
"Sir," JARVIS, his artificially intelligent system, suddenly said in his ear, "Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. is on the line."
Tony was barely even listening. "I'm not in," he said, just as the disassembly machine removed his helmet. "I'm actually out."
As he walked, his suit came apart segment by segment and taken down beneath the sky bridge where it would transported to the main room and reassembled there.
"Sir, I'm afraid he's insisting," JARVIS told him.
"Grow a spine, JARVIS," Tony replied. "I've got a date." He didn't know what Coulson wanted and he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was getting inside and spending a quiet evening with the girl of his dreams.
He walked inside just as the last component of his suit was removed and stored away, perfectly timed. Damn, he was good.
He saw Pepper watching a holographic display of the tower and the arc reactor powering it. "Levels are holding steady," she told him, "I think."
"Of course they are," he assured her. "I was directly involved. Which brings me to my next question. How does it feel to be a genius?"
She smiled at him. "Well, ha, I really wouldn't know, now would I?" she said, giving him a look.
"What do you mean?" Tony asked. "All of this," he waved his finger around the room and then pointed at her, "came from you."
She shook her head in response. "No, all this came from that." She touched Tony's miniature arc reactor in the middle of his chest.
"Give yourself some credit," Tony told her. "Please. Stark Tower is your baby. Give yourself 12% of the credit."
Pepper raised her eyebrows. "12%?"
"An argument could be made for 15," Tony added, but she was already walking away.
"12% of my baby?" she asked incredulously.
"Well, I did do all the heavy lifting," he defended but she just responded with an 'ugh!' "Literally, I lifted the heavy things. And, sorry, but the security snafu? That was on you," he pointed out.
"Oh…" Pepper drawled out as she took a bottle of champagne out of its cooler alongside a glass.
"My private elevator…" Tony continued.
"You mean our elevator?" Pepper corrected.
"Yeah, it was teeming," he went on, as if he hadn't heard her, "with sweaty workmen." She just about rolled her eyes again at him as he sat down next to her. "I'm going to pay for that comment about percentages in some subtle way later, aren't I?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
Pepper seemed to think about it for a second. "Not going to be that subtle," she told him, shaking her head slightly.
Tony smiled. This was why he loved her. She wasn't afraid to fight back. In fact, she actively did, keeping him on his toes around her. It was like every day, he had to earn her affection, her trust, her love. And just like with his work, it was a challenge he took to with relish. "I'll tell you what," he said, accepting a glass of champagne from her. "The next building is going to say Potts on the tower."
"On the lease," she replied, grinning.
Tony gave a faux-grimace. "Call your mom, can you bunk over?" She just laughed in response.
Just then, a small alarm was triggered. "Sir, the telephone," JARVIS told him, causing Tony and Pepper to look up. "I'm afraid my protocols are being overridden."
"Mr. Stark, we need to talk," Coulson's voice came over the phone.
"Uh," Tony muttered, grabbing the phone. He just wanted one night. That was it. With his work as both the main manufacturer for Stark Industries as well as his job as Iron man and Pepper running the whole company, they rarely got a night like this. Once in blue moon, in fact. So, of course, something had to happen.
He let off a deep sigh and then help up the phone, looking Coulson in the eye. "You have reached the Life-Model Decoy of Tony Stark," he said, Pepper smirking as he did. "Please leave a message."
"This is urgent," Coulson replied.
"Then leave it urgently," Tony countered.
And then the elevator doors opened, revealing Phil Coulson on the phone, staring right at him.
"Security breach!" Tony exclaimed, holding out his hands in disbelief. He then looked at Pepper. "It's on you."
"Mr. Stark," Coulson greeted.
"Phil!" Pepper welcomed with a wide smile. "Come in."
"Phil?" Tony questioned, confused.
"I can't stay," Coulson told her.
"Uh, his first name is Agent," Tony said, pointing at the man as he and Pepper got up.
"Come on in," Pepper said, ignoring Tony. "We're celebrating."
"Which is why he can't stay," Tony added, plastering a smile on his face. He didn't care what Coulson wanted, it would just have to wait. He was not going to have this one night ruined if he could help it. And he could. He was Tony Stark after all.
"We need you to look this over, as soon as possible," Coulson told him, handing over a file packet.
Tony took one look at it and was already shaking his head. "I don't like being handed things…" he began but Pepper was already one step ahead.
"That's fine, because I love to be handed things," she said. "So, let's trade." She gave her glass to Coulson and took the packet from him. She then deftly turned to Tony, snatching his glass from him and giving him the packet as he raised his hands in protest. "Thank you," she said, taking a sip from his glass.
He turned back to Coulson, realizing what this was about. "Official consulting hours are between 8 and 5 every other Thursday," he said, making it up on the spot.
"This isn't a consultation," Coulson responded.
"Is this about the Avengers?" Pepper asked. When Coulson looked at her, she added, "which I know nothing about."
Tony snorted, already removing the packet and finding it was a pair of holographic projection screens. He instantly began putting it together as he talked. "The Avengers Initiative was scrapped, I thought. And I didn't even qualify," he added on, looking back at Coulson in insult.
"I didn't know that either," Pepper said as well.
"Yeah, apparently I'm volatile, self-obsessed, don't play well with others."
Pepper nodded her head. "That I did know."
"This isn't about personality profiles anymore," Coulson explained.
"Whatever." Tony took a look at the screens. "Ms. Potts, got a second?"
Pepper looked back at Coulson with a small grimace. "Half a mo," she told him and then walked over to Tony, glass still in hand.
Tony entered his password into the screen, unlocking the information. "You know," he said as Pepper walked up, "I thought we were having a moment."
"I was having 12% of the moment," she responded with a look. Tony glanced at her and then at the wall. Yeah, he was already regretting those percentages. "This seems serious," she said, looking back at Coulson. "Phil's pretty shaken."
"How would you know if it's…why is he 'Phil?'" Tony interrupted himself, to look at her almost accusingly and then at Phil.
"What is all this?" Pepper ignored him again, focusing on the data on the screens.
Tony looked back at the screen and placed his fingers on the four images of people on it, highlighting them. "This is, um…" he started and then just decided to show her, flinging his fingers out and activating the hologram. The screens reacted instantly, and the holograms came to life around them, showing four separate personnel files each with their own videos attached. "This," he finished.
On the left-hand side, there was a video of a giant green monster roaring in rage and taking apart a tank as soldiers shot at it. Next to it was a black-and-white film of a man in a star-spangled uniform fighting German soldiers with a shield, an image of the same person covered in ice right next to it. Next to that was a reel showing a giant armored figure blasting at S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and vehicles with some sort of laser beam from its face. The final screen on the right revealed a training video of a young adult moving water around him like some water-bender and a news clipping showing the same kid, only younger, attacking a much older man on a beach with a rifle. At least, that's what it looked like.
Tony and Pepper stared at it all in surprise, taking in each one. Tony knew S.H.I.E.L.D. had been recruiting for the Initiative before the project got scrapped, but he hadn't realized by how much. Then again, he did actively avoid all S.H.I.E.L.D. calls as much as possible. Still…he took another look at the four figures.
"I'm going to take the jet to DC tonight," Pepper suddenly announced.
"Tomorrow," Tony argued.
"You have homework. You have a lot of homework," she told him, still taking it all in.
"Well, what if I didn't?" he protested a little weakly. He knew now he was being a little petty. Clearly something big was going on, something to activate the Initiative. But he was still clinging to the hope that he could just spend this one night with Pepper.
"If you didn't?" Pepper asked, eyebrow raised.
"Yeah."
"You mean when you've finished?" He nodded. "Well, um, then…" she leaned forward and started whispering something in his ear, causing him to open his mouth in shock and smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Phil shift uncomfortably, looking down and then at the wall.
"Square deal. Fly safe," Tony said as Pepper stepped back. She smiled and leaned forward again and he did the same, their lips meeting. He felt the same buzz he always did when they kissed, that giddy feeling that made him feel more alive than he thought possible. He tried to make it last as long as he could, to salvage something from this night.
But, eventually, Pepper pulled away with a sad smile and said, "work hard," before walking away. Tony sighed and followed her as she walked to the exit. "So, any chance you're driving by LaGuardia?" she asked Phil.
Tony raised his hand to point out that he could drive her or fly her or transport her any other way, but then Phil said, "I can drop you," and she replied, "fantastic," and his last hope for spending the night with her vanished and he dropped his hand weakly, turning back to his homework. He looked at the screen regarding Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. and saw a glowing cube right in the middle, drawing his attention. He picked it up, looking at it carefully.
"Oh, I want to hear about the, uh…Cellist. Is that still a thing?" he heard Pepper say in the background.
"She moved back to Portland."
"What? Boo!"
Tony stared at the cube, regarding its energy readings and data files and looked up, his mind already at work.
First Nome, Egypt
Amos sat there quietly as Sadie finished her report. She had just gotten there fifteen minutes ago and was now really starting to feel the lack of sleep affect her. She just wanted to curl up on the floor right there and fall asleep. But, since they were in the throne room, that probably wouldn't be very respectful. Then again, since Carter was technically Pharaoh, maybe she could do it. Before she could think on this further, Amos looked up.
"And Is- Aset didn't say anything else?" he asked.
Sadie shook her head. "No, sorry. Just that the stuff I saw wasn't magic but spatial and mental energy and that their type of power was unrivaled."
Amos sighed heavily. "You always try to plan for the worst and yet somehow the universe throws something that we never expected," he almost said to himself.
Sadie shifted her foot. She hadn't seen Amos this down in years, not since Apophis. It couldn't be that bad could it? Apophis was the Chaos Serpent, an ancient and primordial deity determined to send the world crumbling into nothingness for all eternity. What could possibly top that?
But, whatever it was, Izzie was scared. She hadn't even been that scared with Apophis, but facing this? Sadie shuddered. She just wished she knew what it was. For once, she wished she was more like Carter and could find some books or parchment or something on this…whatever it was. But this was something even the gods had limited knowledge of, apparently.
"And you said it was a portal, right?" Amos checked.
Sadie nodded. "That's what Izzie said. Someone created a portal but couldn't stabilize it, and so…" she trailed off, picturing the mound of collapsed earth. It was like Geb, the earth god, had swallowed it whole.
"I've never heard of a power like that before," Amos muttered. "And this mental energy. It's a very obscure branch of magic. Not many can master it." He shook his head and started to pace, rubbing his chin anxiously.
Sadie started falling before she realized and managed to catch herself in time, blinking. Amos looked at her worriedly. "You should get some sleep," he realized. "I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner. It has been a bit of a night, hasn't it?"
Sadie chuckled. "You can say that again, Uncle."
He pointed her towards the bedrooms. Since it was early morning in Egypt, most of the initiates here were already gone so Sadie had the room all to herself. She found a clean bunk and plopped right into it, almost instantly falling asleep.
Unfortunately, she had dreams.
It was the curse of anyone of the blood of the pharaohs. One's soul, or ba, didn't like keeping still and so occasionally sent its host on a journey through the mystical and magical to show it things it thought was important. And it usually was. It was just also incredibly dangerous and annoying. Normally, Sadie wore a headrest to prevent this from happening. But she had been so tired last night that she had forgotten. And now, her soul was being tugged along towards terrifying visions of past, present, or future.
This time, however, things were less clear. It was like watching TV but the connection kept getting interrupted. She could only catch glimpses. She saw a shining blue cube, pulsating with power. She saw a man in green and gold, glaring coldly down at a squad of soldiers. She saw a flash of rainbow light, a flying hammer, an army in the shadows that looked like green demons. And at the end, she heard a laugh. A chilling laugh that sent shivers down her spine. And then she could just make out the image of something gold. It was blurry, so she couldn't make out what it was, but it almost looked like a g-
And then she felt a blinding light and woke up with a start, burning in cold sweat. She mopped her forehead and breathed in and out until she stopped shivering. She didn't know what any of that meant. It was like her soul had wanted to tell her something but all it could get were flashes, images. Nothing more. What she did know was that it had something to do with what happened in Nevada.
She sighed and got up, just as she heard a voice in her mind whisper, 'Sadie.'
"Jesus!" she exclaimed, grabbing the side of her bed in support. "Izzie!"
'We must talk, now,' Izzie said, unconcerned with startling Sadie so bad. 'I have information.'
"Ok, ok," Sadie said, her heartbeat calming down again. "Hit me with it."
'No, not here,' Izzie replied. 'If you perform the correct incantation with your amulet, I can physically appear there, if only briefly.'
Sadie's eyebrows went way up. In person? That was new. "Ok, sure."
'Also, we must inform your uncle,' she added with distaste. 'As much as I detest working with such a man, his involvement will become necessary.'
Sadie just rolled her eyes. Izzie's distaste with Amos came from him channeling the power of Set, the god of evil who had cut up and killed Izzie's husband Osiris eons ago. Despite them working together years ago to defeat Apophis, Izzie still held a grudge against him and his followers. Which made things a little touchy sometimes.
Sadie walked back into the throne room. She wished she had brought a change of clothes with her since these ones were starting to smell. Plus, she could use a shower. And breakfast. Breakfast would be nice.
Amos looked up as she came in, rolling up a piece of parchment he was reading. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Rested," she replied. "I have news. Or, Izzie has news."
Amos was immediately interested. "Tell me."
Sadie hesitated. "Izzie kind of wants to do it in person. Could we go somewhere a little more private?"
"Right, of course. In here." Amos led them into a small room with a desk, several bookshelves, and a statue of Thoth, the god of knowledge, in the corner. There was also a saxophone on a stand to the side. Sadie smiled at that. She had forgotten her uncle liked to play.
"Ok. Izzie, give me the spell." It instantly came to her and she started muttering in Ancient Egyptian, calling on the power of the goddess of magic. Her amulet began to shine and twitch before it seemed to give off a small click and a glowing figure appeared.
Izzie was dressed in a beautiful white gown that shimmered in the light, her dark hair braided down her side with diamonds. Gorgeous wings sprouted from her back, glowing like the Northern Lights.
"Sadie," she greeted warmly. She turned to Amos and her expression soured. "Chief Lecter."
"Lady Aset," he said back with a small bow. "To what do we owe this pleasure."
Izzie turned back to Sadie. "The information I have is…limited. But I hope you can make something with it."
Sadie was a little disappointed but didn't let that show, nodding instead.
"Any information is better than none," Amos said. "Please tell us what you know."
Izzie regarded them closely. "As you probably know right now, the mystical realms do not only belong to our kind."
"Your kind?" Sadie questioned. "Oh, you mean Egyptians, right? Yeah, we know there are other kinds of gods. Greek, for one." Amos nodded as well.
"Yes." Izzie sniffed. "The Greek and Roman deities are one such realm. The only other one we have had interactions with is farther to the north."
Sadie frowned. The North. What mythologies came from the north?
"The Norse." Sadie looked up to see Amos had already answered. "That is who you are referring to, right? The Norse Gods."
"Indeed," Izzie said. Her wings ruffled slightly. Clearly she was uncomfortable with this conversation. "The Aesir and Vanir of their World Tree. It is there that lies the source of our newfound troubles."
Sadie frowned. "Wait, you're saying that a Norse god is behind all of this?"
"Yes and no."
"Oh that clears it up, thanks."
Izzie sighed. "It is not a god that causes this mess, and yet he acts and holds himself like a god. And he does have power to rival us. And he bears the name of one of the…Norsemen." She said this with a sneer. "And yet, his appearance is different from them. His very presence is other to us. He is not a true deity. Whatever he is, he does not belong here."
"I'm not sure I fully understand," Sadie said. "But I'm gonna take a guess. This guy, whoever he is, is walking around with powers, pretending he's a god, and causing mayhem. But he's not from here?"
Izzie nodded. "There were rumblings, millennia ago, of a disturbance to the north. Of foreign people interloping. We did not look into these matters as they did not concern us nor did they interest us." She sniffed regally.
"Bet you're wishing you had now," Sadie muttered under her breath. Then out loud, "alright, so you said that portal that collapsed the government base had unrivalled power, right? Well, I'm just going to take a guess here and say that fake-god used it to transport himself here from…wherever and is now causing havoc."
"Most likely," Amos agreed. Izzie nodded as well.
"Ok. So we just find him, track him down, and send him packing."
"It is not that simple," Izzie told her.
"It never is," Sadie sighed, rubbing her head.
"It's the power he has," Amos guessed. "The spatial and mental energies you told Sadie about."
"Yes, Chief Lecter," Izzie told him thinly. "We do not know his exact plans, but we know it revolves around those items."
"What are they?" Sadie asked.
Izzie hesitated. "They…are of an ancient power. We have only ever seen one other of their like before, and its power was…terrible to behold. Fortunately, it was used to benefit the earth, not threaten it."
"So wait, there are three?" Sadie asked. "Oh, great!"
"Nay, Sadie Kane. This power is safe in the hands of powerful magicians. Ones that practice a power different to us. The Chief Lecter is aware of them." She nodded at Amos, whose face went pale.
"Oh," he nodded. "Them. Very well."
"Who?" Sadie asked, getting more and more confused.
"They are not important," Izzie told her sharply. "It is the other two powers and the one who wields them that are."
"But you still haven't told us what these powers are," Sadie argued. "Just that they're unrivalled. Well, where did they come from? What are they exactly? You're not telling us anything."
Izzie glared at her, her eyes flashing dangerously. "I am telling you all I can. We gods do not know much about them. We have had very little interactions with them."
"But where are they from?" Sadie cried. "I mean, they didn't spring from nowhere."
"We do not know where they came from," Izzie told her.
Sadie stared at her, agape. "W-what? What do you mean? You're a goddess!"
"The gods did not exist forever. There was a time before us, and time before that. These powers belong at the beginning. They were forged in the birth of this universe, ancient beyond belief, energy beyond compare."
Sadie stood still for a whole minute, a new record for her. "Oh," she finally said, her voice softer. "That's…something." She didn't know what to think of that. Something older than the gods, older than anything. Jeez, no wonder Izzie seemed so scared. Because she was scared. This power could probably destroy her. "Ok, so this fake-god got his hands on two and is using them now. Alright, well we got to stop him and confiscate them. How do we find him?"
Izzie sighed. "To do that, you must understand him and his kind."
Amos frowned. "Lady Aset, I thought you said you didn't know what he was."
"I do not," Izzie agreed. "We do not mix with the other realms. But…there was one who did."
Sadie nodded. "Alright, a rebellious type. That's cool. What was this god's name?"
"He was not a god," Izzie corrected. "Just a man. A magician, one of the most powerful of his time. And the most dangerous. He sought to usurp the power of the gods and sought out many powerful branches of magic to accomplish his goal. Fortunately, he was killed before he succeeded."
"A ghost then," Amos said, pursing his lips. "If he hasn't lost his soul to Ammit."
"He has not."
"Huh, ok. So we just track down this rogue magician's ghost and…" Sadie trailed off, this story sounding mighty familiar. She looked over at Amos and saw he had recognized it as well. "No," she said in horror, looking at Izzie with disbelief.
"I am afraid so," Izzie told them. "The only one who could answer your questions is Setne."
There was a pause, and then, "oh, bollocks!"
And that's chapter 2 done. Hope you enjoy it. As you can see, Sadie's role is going to be expanding more and more. Her story is going to go into how there are two versions of Norse gods in this world. I'm pretty excited to share it. Especially Setne. Man, am I glad I thought of him cause he's going to be so much fun to write. Hope you enjoyed that little twist at the end. I also liked showing Percy in a domestic setting, only to throw him back into heroics. Writing the Avengers was a little more difficult, probably because I've gone into the thoughts of Sadie and Percy from the books. In the future, I'll try and go deeper into the Avengers. Still, I did enjoy it a lot and am excited to write their interactions with each other. Speaking of which…
Next chapter: Percy meets the Avengers. Wahoo! I'm so excited. Unfortunately, it might take some time since I need to do some school work and then prepare to travel back home. Hope you guys are all staying safe and healthy. Thanks again for following my story and hope you enjoy all the stuff coming up. Please leave a comment if you can.