Chapter 21: They Deserve Better
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never mine.
Secondary Warning: This was hard guys. I avoided it for as long as possible, but it had to be written eventually. Also sorry for disappearing, life got really crazy and I had a mental breakdown so… yeah.
Oh and to the guest that left a rather disgruntled review, I'm extra sorry. I've been right where you are and it sucks I'll try to be better about updating.
"You're gonna lose," Phil manages to get out in a weak voice as Loki turns away from the control panel. I readjust my grip on the railing as Loki oh so predictably turns back to Phil. Really what is it with baddies and not being able to resist such obvious bait? Why is monologuing so important to them? Oh right, they're all narcissists. I'd laugh if my chest didn't feel like it was on fire.
I look down and try to get a read on just how bad the wound is before I look back up realizing that that's a stupid idea. Of course the wound is bad Eve! A scepter fricking went THROUGH your chest cavity. I'm just lucky Loki missed my heart or I'd be dead right now. Though he probably missed on purpose so I'd suffer before death for annoying the crap out of him earlier. I send a glare his way, but he isn't looking at me so I stick my tongue out at him for good measure.
"Am I?" inquires Loki as faces Phil again while totally ignoring my existence. It hurts almost as much as my stab wound. NOT! THERE IS A HOLE IN MY CHEST FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!
"It's in your nature," explains Phil like it's obvious which looks to have successfully pissed Loki off.
"Your heroes are scattered., if not dying. Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?" Loki argues with a pointed glance at me at the dying part. To which I respond with a rather crude gesture that I think Steve would forgive me for considering the circumstances. Loki once again flashes his cruel smile at me before turning back to Phil. On day, I'm going to smack him so hard that damned smirk will fall off his face forever. For now, I take advantage of his lack of focus on me to use the railing to slowly pull myself back onto my feet. The fire in my chest has faded enough that I don't give myself away with any noises of pain as I manage to stand up fully behind Loki. I should be able to feel my feet, though, right? Meh, I'll worry about that later.
"You lack conviction," Phil reveals never breaking eye contact with Loki.
"I don't think I…," Loki begins, but I find myself unable to keep myself from interrupting him.
"Oh, just hush up, Loki," I interject causing Loki to immediately spin around nearly comically if it weren't for the scepter now being pressed against my throat. "Seriously, dude, you need to chill," I scold him as I smack the scepter away with the full force of my strength.
Loki manages to keep hold of the weapon, but the unexpected movement does forced him back a couple steps. I use the now available space to step between him and Phil. My knees are quaking and my breath is already coming fast. I feel nauseous. While my chest has stopped burning, the rest of me now feels cold and clammy. I can't let Loki know that however.
"Loki, stop this right now," I demand of him while moving as subtly as possible into a less painful defensive position. My ribs feel like splinters in my chest.
"How…," he mutters with his scepter still down by his side.
"What?"
"How," he repeats more firmly as he readjusts his grip.
How, what, Broki?" I try to annoy him. I need to distract him for a bit longer.
"How are you still alive?" he demands bring his weapon back up to point it at me threateningly.
"Really?" I ask with a motion to the blood stained scepter. "If it didn't work the first time why would it work the second? And I'm the fool."
"Answer me, girl," Loki , look, he's annoyed again. Much better. He's easier to handle like this, in my opinion.
"Oh, what? Didn't Clint tell you everything about me? Then again, if he had told you literally everything then you'd have a brain full of me, and as great as that is I can assure you, I'm relatively sure you'd hate it. Then you'd be haunted by that one time in eighth grade when I completely embarrassed myself in front of the entire school because I told Clint that once when mildly intoxicated. You'd also know that it takes soooo much alcohol to get me even that drunk because of my boosted metabolism. But even still," I manage to pull myself back onto the right train, "to not include my advanced healing factor is a strange choice on Clint's part since you'd think it'd be one of the things you'd want to know about, hmm?"
"Advanced healing factor? You're bluffing. Look at you!" he sneers.
"Oh, you really think so, huh?" I challenge him.
"Prove me wrong then, girl."
I reach down and yank the hem of my shirt up to where his scepter had previously been stabbed into my abdomen not far below my sternum and a little to the left.
Loki's eyes nearly bug out of their sockets.
Spoiler alert, there is hardly even a wound anymore. Not longer is a giant gash. Now it's more of just a rather deep cut, no where near life threatening.
"I may be a rip off of the original, but that's not to say my guys didn't try to make me just as good. I may not be as perfect as Steve is and I may have gotten a heap of unfortunate side effects, but the one thing they got right was the healing factor," I explain. "Now, fix Phil because I can't. Please, Loki, your family would forgive you if you just stopped this madness and I'll forgive you right now if you just help Phil. Please, Loki, just please."
I keep eye contact with Loki even when my voice breaks. I'm still weak from blood loss and my body using up most of it's energy to heal my wound, but even still I don't think I imagine the confliction written across Loki's face.
"Eve…," Phil mutters weakly behind me.
"Please, Loki, he's dying. I need him," I downright beg as I can practically feel Phil's strength fading away as we speak. I nearly sob when I see the old arrogance and cruelty resettle themselves over Loki's facial features.
"Dammit, Loki, don't you dare…," I start to threaten before he levels the tip of the scepter with my chest again. I attempt to stumble back a step, but it's too late. My mind goes fuzzy. All my own thoughts fade away and begin to be replaced with something foreign pulling my mind to it's own conclusions.
"You might actually be useful, girl," he says right before he's sent flying backwards by a blast directly to his chest so powerful that it sends him through a wall.
"So that's what it does," Phil observes with his usual mild demeanor.
Meanwhile, the fuzzy half my brain is screaming to go after Loki while the other half is wailing for me to take care of Phil. My body takes a step towards where Loki was thrown while my head turns back to where Phil is slumped against the wall.
"Eve," Phil calls to me softly as our eyes meet.
I blink a pair of bright blue eyes.
Then I run to him.
