Chapter Thirty Two

The world felt as if it was spinning around her. Blurry lights and loud sounds echoed in the back of her head. Her whole body throbbed with pain as Thor clung onto her for dear life while they tumbled down through the sky. Ada wondered with a start if this was what it felt like to die. The intense pain from her stab wound where Loki had plunged his scepter was enough to make her wish it would end, already. Anything was better than living with a fatal wound.

Her thoughts drifted back to how Loki had stabbed her, in the first place. She remembered watching as Coulson tried firing the Destroyer weapon. He'd planned on firing it at Loki while he was distracted. Yet, instinct had kicked in, and she had pushed him out of the way, just before Loki could hurt him. She couldn't let that happen to him. Coulson had been a good agent; someone who was willing to fight for what he believed in. She knew that he of all people deserved a second chance, just like he'd given everyone he recruited into the agency.

Ada swallowed hard, knowing that things could have turned out a lot worse. At least if she died, it was for a good cause. She winced when Thor's grip around her tightened. One apologetic look was all it took for her to realize too late what he was about to do. She couldn't even brace herself the moment she knew what Thor was going to do.

"Forgive me," he said before suddenly throwing himself into the glass window.

Each impact sent another shockwave of pain through her. She had to bite her tongue to keep herself from crying out. At that point, she would have taken death over this. They were already being thrown around like rag dolls, and it took everything she had not to scream in pain.

She knew that in reality, the fall had only lasted a few seconds. Thor finally twisted around and tried breaking the glass with Mjölnir. The sudden motion was enough for her to cry out in pain. One worried look from Thor was all it took for her to nod in encouragement. As much as she hated to admit it, they needed to get out of that prison before it crashed.

Finally, the glass shattered once more when he twisted around and slammed into the glass one last time. Ada flinched when the glass suddenly sliced past her arms. By the time he broke through, the pain from the glass was nothing compared to her stab wound. Thor landed so that he hit the ground first, breaking the fall to keep her injuries from getting any worse.

Neither of them were able to move for a while, after that. Ada collapsed on the ground beside Thor, struggling to breathe. Her heart was pounding in her chest from the adrenaline of the fall, and her wound. Her hand rested on her stomach as she tried to keep herself from blacking out. When she finally managed to look in Thor's direction, she was both surprised and annoyed to find he had sustained little injuries.

"Ada, you require medical attention, immediately," Thor said once he was able to regather his senses.

He held onto her as gently as he could, watching with pity as she struggled back to her feet. She winced at his jerky movements. As much as Ada tried to ignore the pain burning through her, she knew that it was pointless. Such an injury wouldn't likely recover from whatever medical treatment was offered. She was lucky that Loki hadn't stabbed her in the heart, but the stomach was equally as fragile. She was already losing precious blood, and she knew she wouldn't last much longer at the rate she was losing it.

"No, the team needs your help," she replied, her voice shaken and hoarse. Thor only offered a sympathetic smile when he realized what she was willing to give up. "Just leave me and kick Loki's sorry ass."

"I will not leave you, Ada. Not in this condition," Thor reminded her. She nearly rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. A small part of her was grateful, though. She hated to imagine what it would have been like to die, alone. After everything that had happened, having a friend by her side was better than nothing. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ada simply offered a small smile at Thor's question. It seemed like such an odd question to hear from someone who wasn't even from this world. Then again, there was still a lot she didn't know about Asgardians or even their culture. They had their own version of doctors, healers and other medical remedies that were probably twice as strong as that of humans. She almost wished that they would share that kind of knowledge with the people of Earth. There was so much they could learn from one another if their worlds weren't so closed off.

She was ready to say something when he shifted with unease, eyes widening in surprise. Ada narrowed her eyes, wondering what he was staring at when she noticed a faint golden light surrounding her wounds.

It only took a few seconds for her to register that her injuries had been healed. Ada blinked in disbelief, until remembering how her older injuries had healed without warning. The fact that she could heal her own injuries left her mind spinning with unease. There were too many questions revolving around her gifts, questions she knew would likely be left unanswered. She was still trying to figure out the extent of her abilities, and having the ability to heal only added to the laundry list of questions.

"Your wounds have healed themselves," Thor remarked as he eyed her in amazement.

She glanced at Thor warily, aware that he was just as stunned as she felt. She carefully stood up on shaky legs, still feeling sore from where Loki had stabbed her. The wounds may have been healed, but that didn't mean she couldn't feel the after-effect. The pain from her injuries remained, leaving a fresh reminder of what had happened. She tried to ignore the pain that bolted through her. After getting stabbed in the stomach by Loki's scepter, she was hardly surprised that she did feel the after-effect.

"I suppose I can," she finally murmured, wishing that she understood the full extent of her powers.

"Your powers are truly impressive," he told her with another charming smile, "It is a shame that you are not Asgardian. My people would welcome you with open arms."

Ada swallowed hard, doubting that they would ever allow someone like her in their midst. Especially if they knew anything about her people. As far as she was aware, they would treat her like an outcast like some people from Earth did.

"We need to head to New York," she said once she cleared her thoughts.

She knew that if Loki was looking for a new power source to open a portal, he would go for the biggest source of power in the city. The Arch Reactor was the most sustainable energy within miles. It also meant that was where the others would be headed, if her hunch was right.

"Why New York?" Thor's question led to an explanation of her theory, and his eyes soon lit up with understanding. She frowned when she noticed the solemn look written across his face at the mention of Loki. "My brother, Loki, is responsible for all of the pain he has caused," he sighed.

He's blaming himself for what happened, she realized. She didn't know much of how Thor and Loki's relationship had changed so drastically. The only thing she did know was that Loki had been responsible for the destruction aboard the Hellicarrier. Between that and everything else, Ada knew that he would have to answer for his crimes, eventually.

"You know, none of what Loki did was your fault," she pointed out.

Thor simply looked at her in surprise.

"You speak as if I have nothing to do with this battle," he said. "I still love my brother even now, but what he has done is unforgivable. Fighting him will be difficult."

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip thoughtfully. She couldn't imagine what it would have felt like to battle her own sibling. She was suddenly thankful that she was an only child. Even if Pepper and Tony decided to take things to the next step, she would at least be old enough to live on her own, and away from the worries of sibling rivalry.

"Yeah, the fight's going to be difficult," she nodded in agreement. "But, it won't be impossible. Not with all of us working together, as a team."

Thor simply gave her a look that said it all, "Then, to the fight we shall go!" he suddenly declared.

She couldn't hide the sheepish smile that followed when he raised Mjölnir into the air. His confidence was something she wished she had.

He wound his arm around her waist once more, careful not to hurt her as he prepared to take off with Mjölnir. Ada could still remember the way Jane had looked when Thor took off. All she could do was cling on for dear life and pray that Thor knew what he was doing.

Thor kept asking for directions to Manhattan, where the Tower itself was located. With his voice shouting above the roaring wind, Ada felt another headache beginning to form. She hated the feeling of the wind rushing past her, and she suddenly wished she had taken a quinjet, instead. At least they were somewhat safer, and her hair wouldn't look like a wild mess by the time Thor reached their destination.

Relief swept through her when he finally reached the Tower. Thor landed on the balcony just minutes upon arriving in the city, and Ada finally let go while struggling to stand on shaky legs. Her whole body was trembling from the efforts it took to cling on for dear life.

Ada looked over the balcony they landed on. She realized with a start that it was the same balcony that led up to her room. All of the designated rooms on the top floor had balconies that overlooked the city. Though, she wasn't all that thrilled to be back when she noticed that they weren't alone.

Just as she had suspected, Loki was also there, looking down at them in disbelief. Ada rolled her eyes when she noticed the face he made. His helmet really did make him look like an insect. She remembered Tony making the comment that he looked like a cockroach ready to be squished.

"Loki!" Thor shouted. "Turn off the Tesseract now or I will destroy it!"

Because that worked so well, before, Ada thought, frowning as she tried recalling whether Selvig's notes held any information on turning the Tesseract off. From what she had gathered, it was raw, unstable energy that couldn't be contained or controlled. Even SHIELD, with all the latest technology it had at its disposal, couldn't control the cube. Ada doubted Fury would try that trick again, if he was offered the chance.

"You can't! There is no stopping it!" he retorted. Ada stiffened when she felt his cold gaze boring through her, "And, you, mortal, are supposed to be dead. I watched you die when I stabbed you with my scepter!"

Her fists clenched with fury when she realized what Loki was implying. After the hell she went through to get at that point, she wasn't about to let the bastard get away with what he did. Thor glanced at Ada in surprise when he noticed too late what she was about to do.

A ball of fire formed in the palm of her hand, and Ada looked between the dancing flame to Loki. If he knew her intention, he gave no indication. The smug look never left until she suddenly flung the fireball directly at his face. She watched in grim amusement as he stumbled back in surprise from the force of the impact.

"That's for what you did, you bastard!" she shouted before firing another ball of fire. "And that's for everything else!"

"You should be grateful, mortal, that I did not deliver you a greater wound," Loki sneered as his face twisted in an ugly scowl.

Despite her attacks, he didn't even look as if he'd received a scratch.

Thor suddenly used Loki's distraction to launch an attack, flying from the balcony to where the other demigod stood. Once Loki was distracted, Ada used it as a chance to slip away before things could escalate to something worse. She needed to set up the security perimeter before Loki could get through the Tower's defenses.

"Jarvis, over-ride code 3178," she ordered once she started running down the hall.

She was heading for the penthouse, knowing that was the most likely place where Loki would show up if he decided to attack, again. Tony's latest invention was hidden in the living room; it happened to be a pet project he had been working on for the last couple of months now. She just hoped that Tony had left it there, otherwise they were in trouble.

"Your father has over-ridden the over-ride code," Jarvis replied.

Ada bit back a sigh of frustration when she realized what that meant. Of course, Tony had overridden the security code. She knew he was still annoyed with her for lying to him about joining SHIELD. He'd likely placed it there after she agreed to go with Coulson and Pepper.

"Jarvis, we have two angry demigods who are about to destroy the Tower because they can't seem to resolve whatever issues are bothering them," she snapped while typing in a series of codes after reaching the bar, "Tell me you have suggestions in stopping them?"

"You could always throw them off the roof with your powers," Jarvis offered.

She almost laughed at that, "J, I don't think now's the time to use my powers like that, as tempting as it sounds," she retorted.

Her response was met with silence. Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as she heard the sound of a body hitting the rooftop. She could only guess that was Thor trying to reprimand his brother for his attacks. Though, given the fact that Loki was clearly capable of fighting back, it could have been anyone's guess. The only thing she did know was that they were going to destroy the Tower if something wasn't done about it.

"Ada!" She looked up, eyes widening in surprise and relief when she saw Tony standing there. The Iron Man suit looked pretty beaten up, but he was otherwise okay. "You're alive!"

She wasn't given a chance to respond when he rushed over, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. Ada let out a choking cough at the sudden pain that followed; she knew that Tony meant well, but he was still in his Iron Man suit, and it hurt like hell when he hugged her in them.

"Dad, I can't breathe!" she gasped when he finally released her.

"Do you have any idea what sort of hell you put me through, back there?" he demanded once she caught her breath.

"Enough to guess that you aren't happy with me," she muttered after shaking off the stiffness in her shoulders and arms. "I had to do it… I couldn't let Coulson die."

Tony's face fell, and for a moment, Ada felt her heart sink lower than ever as she wondered what had happened while she was gone. Instead of explaining, he tossed her an earpiece. Ada wasted no time in putting it in, relieved to hear from the others.

"Glad to hear you're awake," Clint was the first to speak up through the earpiece, "From what I heard, you took one hell of a stab-wound."

"Is it weird for me to say that I'm relieved to hear your voice?" she asked, trying not to laugh as she imagined the face he was now making.

If she didn't know any better, she would have thought she heard Natasha laughing in the background. She knew Natasha must have had to hit his head pretty hard to make things right again. Even so, it really was a relief to hear a familiar voice through the com.

"Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Ada?" the archer retorted.

"Guys, would you please try and focus on what's in front of us?" Tony cut in before they could continue their banter. "By the way, you're staying here until this is over."

Ada just rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time, "Yeah, not gonna happen," she snapped.

Instead of arguing, Tony just moved to put the device on his wrists that she had been looking for. It was technically supposed to be used to call the Iron Man suit from any place, kind of like Bluetooth. He'd likely used Thor's arguing with Loki as a distraction to reach the penthouse. Ada knew for a fact that Loki was likely watching their every move, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Once Tony had adjusted the new device on his wrists, Ada walked over to the balcony, glancing up as she spotted Thor and Loki still duking it out. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she noticed that more and more alien-like creatures were pouring through the portal that had opened in the sky.

Creatures that were clad in some thick armor that looked difficult to penetrate flew on what looked like strange, circular saucers. Ada's fists clenched as she noticed they were firing at any unsuspecting civilian caught in the crossfire. Those who hadn't noticed the portal were now running for whatever cover they could find.

Though, that wasn't the worst thing to come out of the portal. A huge, worm-like creature suddenly emerged from the portal, opening and closing a massive jaw as it moved about, slowly and ominously. Buildings that stood in its path were destroyed within seconds, glass and debris falling everywhere.

"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve asked, his question likely directed to Tony.

Ada looked up in time to see the quinjet hovering not far from the Tower. The quinjet had located the creature in question, though it was hard to miss. Ada realized with a start that all one would have to do was look up to see the giant brute.

"I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

Her brows furrowed in confusion at the mention of Banner. Since he wasn't with the rest of the team, she could only assume that he had been separated from the Hellicarrier during Loki's attack. She was surprised Natasha had convinced him to join them at all, given how uneasy he had been before all of this madness.

"Dad, why would we need to keep an eye out for Bruce?" she asked curiously.

"Just keep me posted," he replied before flying out of the tower.

"Look at this! Look around you!" Ada's attention was cut short by the sound of Thor's shouting. She glanced up in time to see that he and Loki were at the edge of the roof, with Thor holding Loki by the collar of his outfit, "You think this madness will end with you?"

"It's too late," Loki insisted, and for once, Ada thought she heard guilt and regret in his voice. Though, she was also fully aware that he had been known as the Trickster in Norse mythology. Some small part of her knew he was only trying to buy time, and trick Thor, "It's too late to stop it."

"No. We can, together," Thor insisted, his tone hopeful.

Pity swelled within Ada's heart when she realized Thor was buying it. Try as he might, he wasn't going to change Loki's mind on the battle. The demigod was too interested in war and bloodshed to have his mind swayed.

She grimaced when she saw Loki pull a knife from nowhere, stabbing Thor in the stomach when he dropped his guard. She grimaced at the sight, remembering all too quickly what had happened on the Hellicarrier. That was beginning to feel like years ago, when in reality, it was only a couple of hours ago.

"Sentiment!" Loki sneered before pushing Thor off the roof. Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat when he suddenly jumped down, reaching the landing pad where she had been watching. Faster than she could react, he suddenly grabbed her by the collar of her suit, offering a cruel smirk in the process, "Let us see if you survive a fall from this height, shall we?"

She wasn't given a chance to respond as he suddenly threw her off the balcony. Wind rushed past her as she realized too late that a fall from this height was going to kill her. And, the only thing she could hear in the background was his laughter as he jumped onto a Chitauri ship, flying off to God only knew where.

AN: So, I only just realized after writing this how different it is from the original movie... hopefully that doesn't deter readers from the story. But, I figured adding a new character would change things around a bit, so, I can always use that excuse ^^ Either way, thanks to everyone who added this story to their favorites, and to those who followed it :) And, a big thank you to Mary Weasley Malfoy for reviewing!

Mary Weasley Malfoy - Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much :)