VanillaSnowdrops: I know, I love Tony and his sass, it's so... there are no words to describe it's awesomeness. I have so much fun writing him :D well, he's going to do quite a bit of pushing now, just because he can. I KNOW -_- Ugh. Damn Alex. He's a downright bastard, but all will be well... in the end. To quote Shakespeare: "All's well that ends well." I hope you enjoy this one :)
DaHybridQueen: Fear not, Milady, all your questions shall be answered in this chapter - hopefully to your satisfaction. Well, now that you have asked, I shall give it to you later, once everything calms down. You shall have your Loki with a cell phone :D
Katherine Winchester: I'm sorry, but it was necessary. The chapter would have been too long if I allowed it to join with this one, and so I had to cut it off. Besides, it probably would have been too crunched otherwise. I'm glad you liked it though, that always makes me happy :D
BleachLover: Well, I hope this is to your expectations, as I tried hard to make it all work out well. If not, then let me know and I shall remedy it as best as I can. :D
ladymoonscar: Don't worry, he shall... although she won't really be doing any running. Hope you like it :)
Hannahuff: Haha, I'm glad you liked it :D I know, I just get ideas in my head and run with them, even though I may - or may not - have planned them in advance. Everyone says that I twist my stories so much, I'm really surprised. But I'm glad it worked out 'beautifully' to quote you. I have to say, I am honored by your statement. :) thank you so much. I hope you enjoy this one.
Kittysayzmeow: A thousand pardons I beseech thee, but I promise that the next chapter will have their little conversation. I suppose I just wasn't ready for it yet, and so I just went with this lovely little idea. I'm glad you liked it though, despite the fact it wasn't what you were expecting. I hope I finish it well enough in this chapter, and - as I said - the next will have their more emotional thing. :D
Spottedivy: I swear it was necessary to end it where I did, and nobody will die... not yet, and no one important - except Alex, of course. All your answers shall be revealed in this chapter, and I am crossing my fingers that it is acceptable in apology :)
Samse: Thank you so much :D I certainly try to bring everyone that I love in, as I think that if they are in the same universe they should be at least mentioned. More X-Men shall come in on the next chapter, and hopefully all will be well :) Again, thanks.
heroherondaletotherescue: The Clint on the phone was the real one. The rest you shall know in this chapter. NO problem, I understand :D I work from my phone the majority of the time, and internet is always a hit or miss. I hope you like this. :)
Ryuno Chu: Haha, well sorry for gluing your eyes to the screen, believe me it was not my intent... well... maybe a little :)
LunashiranaRavyn: Thank you so much, I try to keep him and every else in character as much as possible. If I ever do get OOC I hope I'll find out. Again thank you :D
booklover: Well I hope you enjoy this update, I worked hard on it :)
skullchildforever: Hahahaha XD Your review made me laugh. I apologize for cutting it off so abruptly, but I hope this chapter justifies my actions. I"m glad you like the story, if you didn't I'd have to question what was wrong. Enjoy :)
Well here's the next one, I have my fingers crossed that it's good. Action is not my forte, as I am a little inexperienced in it. Let me know what you all think :D Enjoy.
Loki moved quietly through the apartment, his anxiety increasing with each moment in which he didn't find Elizabeth. Where could she be? Surely she didn't leave the apartments when she knew that Shaw was out there possibly with her death in mind! He paused, listening intently to footsteps that grew ever-closer. Pushing his back against the wall, he waited with pounding heart for the person to round the corner. As soon as their head popped into view, Loki went into action, quickly grabbing the man and spinning him so his back was against the wall.
The suddenness of the movement caught the other man off guard, and his head hit the wall with a resounding 'thud' before Loki realized who it was. "Barton?"
"No, I'm Robin-fucking-Hood. Yes, Barton!" Clint replied, completely and utterly upset that he had been taken so easily off guard. "Care to take your pointy knife away from my throat?"
Loki nodded, stepping away. "Jarvis isn't working, and I can't find Elizabeth. I think someone got into the building." he stated, scanning the hallway.
"No shit Sherlock, someone's in the building." Clint snapped, trying to clear his head. "If I spend any more time around you I'm going to need a helmet."
"I can do without the sarcasm, Barton. Do you know what's going on?" Loki hissed, the more time he didn't know where Elizabeth was the more he worried.
Clint nodded, his face turning somber. "Tony called a few minutes ago, he said that somebody had Pepper. He also informed me that he couldn't get ahold of Tasha or Lizzie."
"Did he know who it was?" Loki asked.
"No." Clint replied. "He didn't tell me male or female even. But he's on the way, and so is Steve, along with Bruce, Thor and his friends – presumably that is."
"You don't know for sure?" Loki inquired.
"Considering Tony said Steve would probably send Thor to protect the others, I'm not completely sure that we're getting everyone here." Clint answered before they both heard a scream from down the hall. In unison, both men raced toward the sound, finding themselves in front of Tony's workshop.
"We work together, Barton." Loki stated turning to the archer. "Remember, we have the same goal."
"We do?" Clint asked, searching Loki's eyes for any deception. Finding none, he nodded once. "We do."
Clint did the honors of breaking down the locked door, finding Pepper strapped to one of Tony's work tables, a strange-looking man hovering over her with a gun in his hand. There were 3 more men in the room, who seemed to be transfixed by her skin glowing bright red, hands lighting up with flames as the other man grew closer. Clint moved first, taking his own gun and firing on the man on top of Pepper. The man crumbled, his body suddenly shifting to that of his original Chitauri form as Loki and Clint moved around the room. Each person who originally looked human wound up dying as Chitauri, proving everything that Lizzie had said about the alleyway. As Loki fought the last one, Clint moved toward Pepper to free her.
"Alex Shaw." she said quickly as he undid the handcuffs which held her to the table. "He came in as Kato."
"I never did like that guy." Clint replied, looking over at Loki taking a slice at the last Chitauri's neck, turning to face the pair of them. "Shaw is the one who brought them. Came in as the cook." Clint relayed to the Asgardian Prince.
Loki's jaw clenched. "Do you know where Elizabeth is?" He asked Pepper. The redhead stood up, her skin still glowing-hot.
"Alex said something about the training room before he morphed into Clint and took off." she said, looking carefully at Clint. Loki followed her gaze, his dagger turning over in his hands as he looked the man over.
"Don't worry, I'm the real deal." Clint assured, not liking how either one of his companions were looking at him.
"Prove it." Loki stepped forward, a threatening glare growing in his green eyes.
Frowning slightly, Clint walked over to where Tony was making him a new bow, taking one of the arrows he notched it. "See that mirror over there?" He asked, pointing to a small stress ball which stood on top of Tony's desk a good twenty feet away. Loki nodded as the ball was suddenly hit by the arrow and went flying into the wall. "Now you don't."
Pepper chuckled. "Alright, you're Clint." she said. "Do we know where Natasha is?"
Clint groaned. "She went to see Lizzie." he answered, grumbling in another language as he gathered his new arrows and bow.
"Is there a way to get Jarvis up and running again?" Loki asked.
"Not that I know of." Pepper replied sadly. "Only Tony can do it, I think. He's so secure that no one else can mess with his stuff, or fix his stuff in this case."
"Well we don't have time to lose." Loki replied, looking over at Pepper. "I assume that you've got a mutation of sorts?"
"Of sorts." Pepper said. "I'm practically indestructible, and my touch burns people."
"Sounds good to me." Clint replied heading toward the door. "Tony's probably arrived by now. We should get back to looking for Tasha and Lizzie."
Loki nodded, following Clint, with Pepper behind him. "Barton." Loki called to the man in front, pulling him aside. "No matter what happens, Shaw is mine."
Clint's eyebrow went up, surprise passing over his face before he finally answered. "If he hurt Natasha, he's ours."
"Very well, but only when I'm done with him." Loki replied as his ring suddenly began glowing. His eyes narrowed, and Clint could see fear within their emerald depths. Without any warning, Loki gasped, a golden glow shimmering around him for a few seconds before it was gone.
"Loki?" Pepper asked, fighting the urge to touch him in an effort to get him to respond.
The Asgardian didn't answer as he marched down the hall, leaving Clint and Pepper to simply follow, unsure of where he was going.
Lizzie awoke with a headache, her eyes adjusting to the bright lights which surrounded her. She tested her wrists, and panicked as she deduced she was tied to a chair, the white of the room around her causing for it to be brighter than normal. Turning her head away from the light, she saw Natasha tied up in a chair by her side, her red hair covering her face. She heard a light chuckle on the other side of her, and gingerly she turned to see Alex standing a few feet off.
"Hello, love." he greeted, coming closer to her with a chair to sit in front of her. His blue eyes landed on her neck, his fingertips ghosting over the skin in a familiar way. "I see that Chitauri's marks have finally faded, it was horrible they treated you so badly."
"Cut the crap, Alex, I'm not fooled by your little 'good guy' act." Lizzie snapped. "Why are you here?"
"So rude nowadays." Alex chastised. "I'm actually not here to cause many issues, but figured this would be the only way I could get you away from your little protection group for as long as I needed."
"You could have dropped me a phone call, I'm sure you have my number by now." Lizzie retorted. "Or are you getting forgetful in your old age?"
Alex laughed. "Always so snarky. Forgive me for my earlier statement, you haven't changed a bit." he exclaimed. Natasha groaned lightly and Lizzie turned to see her. "Don't worry, I haven't hurt her...much."
"I doubt those were waves of ecstasy which had her falling to the ground." Lizzie said. "You never were known to play nicely with that ability of yours."
"Neither were you." Alex replied lightly. "Though you must admit, I've gotten better at blocking that power of yours."
"My congratulations, I will miss the days of dropping you like a sack of potatoes when you pissed me off." Lizzie pouted sardonically.
"Well, I hear you've been dropping someone else like a – as you say – 'sack of potatoes'." Alex replied, running a hand through his hair. "It's amazing what kind of company you attract."
"You're so right. I'm a psycho magnet aren't I? Just look at you." Lizzie said with a smile. "Tell me, are you still trying to wipe normal humans off the face of the earth?"
Alex shook his head. "No." he replied, tutting. "Well, maybe a little bit."
"Too bad. You are aware what kind of guy Thanos is, right?" Lizzie asked. "You know how he betrays his allies."
"The Mad Titan will leave me be to do as I will as long as I give him what he wants." Alex said.
"And what is it that he wants?" Lizzie inquired, hoping that she'd be able to give some kind of information to the Avengers.
Alex waggled his finger in her face, standing up. "Ah, ah, ah. Curiosity killed the cat, Elizabeth – don't go playing with fire." he said, moving over to Natasha. "I wonder what I should do with her?" he mused aloud. "Do you think she'd make a powerful mutant?"
Lizzie's hackles went up, but she played along. "In a way, she already is. I doubt that my going back stopped the Russian's experiments on superhumans, and how to create them. I remember the KGB was working on it once upon a time, and I know she worked for them for a time – I think anyway." she said. "But Alex, I doubt that you're here just to threaten Natasha."
"True, I'm not." Alex replied happily, moving Natasha's hair out of her face. "Did you know that there was a hole in the universes?"
"I was informed of that, yes." Lizzie replied. "Apparently you sent someone with my old file to give to Fury."
"I did, but it turns out that another wormhole in the universes was opened up, and something miraculous happened." Shaw replied, moving toward her. "A little girl toddled through."
Lizzie's eyebrow rose. "So?" she asked, trying to wiggle around to get to the knot near her wrist.
Alex smirked. "She's about two years old, and looks incredibly like you." he said, reaching into his coat pocket and withdrawing his phone. "You want to see her?" He asked, flipping through the screens before he finally settled and faced the phone toward Lizzie. "See?"
She looked, hiding her shock as best as she could. The little girl's eyes looked just like her own, the blackish hair thinly sprouting out of her head. "Who is she?" she asked, looking up at Alex.
"She came through with a little teddy bear, the bear's neck having a little tag saying 'This bear belongs to Saoirse'." he replied, moving away from Lizzie. "Does that name mean anything to you?"
"Why should it?" Lizzie replied. "Other than it being an Irish name, that is."
"I know about your daughter, Elizabeth." Alex replied, turning to face her. "I know that you gave birth to a daughter which – if you add up both the time you were in that timeline, and the amount of time that she has been here – would be the same age. I also know that you gave birth at the University Hospital in Dresden, around the same time I sent you on a long-term mission to flush out Erik Lehnsherr. According to those records, a girl by the name of Liesl Eisenhardt gave birth to a girl named Sasha. Eisenhardt was Erik Lehnsherr's original name, Liesl is the German version of Elizabeth, and Sasha could easily be exchanged for Saoirse when one returned to Ireland."
Lizzie swallowed. "It's impossible for those records to exist here, as I never gave birth in this universe." she said softly.
"Correct, I found these things out around the same time I killed that idiotic empath that dared to lay a hand on what was mine. Why do you think I killed him, darling?" Alex asked, bringing his hand to Lizzie's neck, stroking the skin there. "What I didn't know was that someone exchanged Saoirse for another baby, meaning yours lived."
She was speechless, unable to form any kind of answer. Her daughter lived? How? She was sure that the baby who had been handed her in Dresden was her own... who could have exchanged her. "What is it you want, Alex? Why are you telling me this?"
"I'm going to give you an offer you can't refuse – in the words of the Godfather." Alex said, moving closer to Natasha. "You can, of course, take it or leave it."
"Oh that's just so detailed, I don't know if I can remember all of that." Lizzie retorted hotly, finding a tendril of her ability which Alex seemed to have ignored.
"Patience, darling." he replied, pulling Natasha's head back by her hair. "You'll hear soon enough..."
The elevator dinged, Loki, Clint, and Pepper stepping off. "Where are we?" Clint asked.
"R&D" Pepper answered. "He took them to R&D... bastard. What the hell does he want here?"
"He wants to put Lizzie back into her past by returning her to a laboratory." Loki answered from in front of them. "Now, don't be alarmed with what I'm about to do." he said, suddenly disappearing from in front of their eyes.
"What the—" Clint began to say. "Where the hell are you?"
"I'm right here, Barton." Loki replied, coming back into their vision before creating a double.
"Hey, I thought your powers were locked up or something!" Clint whispered harshly.
"They are, but in order to keep Elizabeth safe, I am allowed use of them until she is no longer in danger. It is temporary, Barton, I won't be off killing people if that's what you're worried about." Loki replied tersely, looking in the windows of the double doors. "Alright, I want you two to wait five minutes to go in there, when you do make a distraction. I'll sneak up on Shaw and try to get him away from Elizabeth."
Clint and Pepper nodded. "How are we going to know when Tony gets back?" Pepper inquired.
"As soon as we get those two away from him, we can go find out if he's here." Loki answered. "Otherwise, stay in this room. Alex is not to leave it, do you understand?"
"Perfectly." Clint replied, looking in as well. Natasha's hair is what he saw first, a larger man standing over her. "Remember, Loki, he's ours."
"I'll try." Loki stated, going invisible again before teleporting himself to the other side of the doors.
"Do you take my offer?" Alex was saying.
"What makes you think I'd do anything for you at this point?" Lizzie asked rhetorically. "You've threatened everyone I love, you killed my ex-lover. I don't think I want to trust you... not that you ever believed in trust. Besides, you should know be better than that... I never betray those who I have sworn fealty to. You're the traitor here."
Loki smirked, trying to focus on the task at hand as Lizzie defended herself with words. He had almost missed her quick-witted insults.
"Look, it's quite simple. Either you do as I say, or I'll kill your precious little freedom." Alex replied tauntingly.
"How do I even know you're telling the truth?" she asked in return, a condescending tone which Loki had never heard from her before emitting from her mouth. This must have been Anesthesia talking, the killer of hundreds under the orders of this real monster. He fought his instinct which told him to simply kill Shaw now and ensure Elizabeth's safety, remembering that the mutant might be harder to defeat than that. She had told him that his father had the natural ability to simply absorb attacks, and he wasn't sure if powers were passed down or not.
"You don't." Alex said. "But still, the facts are pretty hard to ignore."
"Oh, please. You always were a clever liar, but you forget that I lived in your presence for – what was it? Eight years or so?" she said with a smirk.
"And you always were a good card player. But you see, you forget that I taught you." He moved away from Natasha and toward Lizzie giving Loki an opportunity to place himself behind the ex-assassin, reaching into her mind to find out where she was mentally – or rather, how trapped she was. It seemed that Alex had more cards to play. He somehow had trapped Natasha's conscience in her mind, forcing the young woman to be completely unresponsive in the physical realm. Carefully, Loki attempted to bring Natasha back into her conscious thought.
"Well then, you should know that eventually the student overpowers the master." Lizzie retorted, although tied up, Loki was impressed with just how much she seemed to be able to keep herself together. No doubt, due to years of torture.
"Not this master." Alex said, moving back over to Natasha just as Loki finally reached her, building up shields around her mind so as to keep Alex from getting back in. She groaned, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it as she finally woke up. "What the—?"
However, it wasn't Natasha who finally took their chance, but Clint who – after seeing Natasha awake, and keeping careful watch of the time – rushed in, guns blazing. His job was a distraction, and a distraction he would make, anything to get Shaw away from Natasha. Alex tried using his powers of the mind on the archer, but failed as Loki shielded the Midgardian from any attacks. Out of nowhere, Pepper rushed in, kicking Alex in the chest and sending him flying into a nearby desk. The mutant stood up, incensed, and attacked back with a stronger force than before.
"Natasha?" Lizzie called to her friend, hating the fact that she was still bound. Suddenly, Loki knelt before her, his head down as he focused on undoing the ropes which tied her via magic. "Loki?" she gasped.
"Yes." he replied as she came free, hurtling herself toward him in a hug. He held her, elated that she was safe in his arms, wanting to hold her forever, yet knowing they didn't have the time for such behavior. He could feel her shaking, and held on tighter. "You'll be alright. He's not going to hurt you." Loki whispered, wanting to release Natasha, but the uncomfortable fact that she would fall if he did made him hesitate. "Elizabeth, Elizabeth..." he said, pulling the girl's arms from around him. "Look," he motioned toward where Shaw was. "We need him paralyzed."
"I can't." she replied with a sigh. "He disabled it. He's my neutralizer of sorts. When he wants to, he can disable them... I have a small tendril of it left, but if I use it I'm not sure how stable it's going to be."
Loki reached into her mind, finding a different kind of shield already in place... something which prohibited the use of her powers. She yelped as he tried to move it out of the way and failed. "Try to use that tendril." he said. Her eyes widened, seeming to contemplate it before she gave a slow nod. "Now I'm going to try to attack him, see if you can slow him down somewhat."
"Be careful." she whispered to him before he disappeared from her sight, reappearing behind Alex, and sending a blast of magic toward him. The blast caused Alex to wobble slightly, he then turned to Loki, using Loki's previous blast back toward him, sending him flying. Loki landed with a crash into a dozen beakers of liquid which made him wonder what was in them. Knowing now for sure that magic would do nothing to the mutant, he allowed his body to turn to it's natural Jotun form.
Alex's eyebrow rose as he watched the transformation, unsure of how to prepare himself for whatever Loki had in mind. Loki sent an icicle in his direction, causing the object to graze Alex's cheek, catching the mutant's attention to what it was. "You really shouldn't have done that." Alex said as the liquid around Loki burst into flames, catching his long coat on fire. Alex smirked as Loki threw his coat off, but soon the flames died as Lizzie managed to kill his ability in his mind. Slowly, he turned toward her, unaware that he had missed something.
Using the diversion to his use, Clint managed to shoot Alex in the shoulder, causing the mutant to howl in pain before turning to him with fire in his eyes. "CLINT RUN!" He heard Lizzie yell from his side, but seemed transfixed. Something collided with his body, sending him to the ground. It was Loki. Alex let out a growl of sorts, catching a nearby desk on fire as well. Both men moved out of the way, Loki's dagger in his hand as he disappeared, popping back up behind Alex and stabbing him. The mutant yelled, trying to stop the blood flow. His eyes caught Loki again, his mind trying to break past the Asgardian's shields of defense. Loki fought back mentally, grateful for Thanos' rather invasive maneuvers as they had taught him how to retaliate.
Without warning, one of the windows blasted through, sending glass hurtling toward all in the room. Loki, not even thinking, teleported himself to Elizabeth and put up a shield to protect them all before personally shielding her with his body. When they all looked toward the broken window, Ironman hovered in the space, his arm outstretched toward Alex.
"Tony." Pepper breathed in relief, a smile on her face at the sight.
"Party's over, Mata Hari." Tony said, sending a blast of energy from his repulsor into Alex, throwing him into the nearby wall. He then landed on the floor, walking toward Pepper as Clint ran to Natasha, undoing her ropes. The face shield flipped up, Tony's eyes already focused on Pepper. "We are never hiring another cook again, unless somebody does a polygraph."
"That's what I said." Pepper sing-songed, her skin returning to its regular shade. She looked toward where Alex had been thrown to, seeing the man get up. Tony followed her gaze, his own eyes hardening.
"Wait, Loki and I agreed we'll take care of him." Clint interrupted him, holding Natasha up on her feet, her body heavily leaning on him.
Tony's head tilted to one side. "So you're saying you call dibs?"
"In a way, yes." Clint replied, looking over at Loki, who still had Lizzie in his arms. It was funny, a few days ago he would have felt jealousy at the sight, complete anger at Loki holding her... but now he could see why she preferred the Asgardian. He could see why she trusted him when no one else did, noting the way that Loki held her, as if worry that he would lose her and absolute affection mingled.
"Too bad." Tony replied easily, his faceshield coming down as his voice became robotized. "I call first shots. He hurt Pepper, and while I can see why the pair of you decided that he was yours, I want to play as well."
Loki nodded, looking at Clint. "Fair enough." he said, pulling Elizabeth out of the line of fire from Tony's repulsor.
Whirring could be heard as Tony raised his arm toward the mutant, the repulsor lighting up before a blast knocked everyone back a few feet – in Tony's case, clean out the window.
"I. Will. Not. Be so easily defeated." Alex growled, his eyes lighting up in a strange glow, and focusing on Lizzie. "I want an answer from you within the next week, after which you can assume that she is on one of our tables, being subjected to the same treatments—" he stopped talking, his throat disabled by her ability and the glow leaving his eyes. Loki watched as she stepped toward Alex and whispered something in a language he didn't understand before she stepped back, reaching for Loki.
Alex scowled at whatever it was she said, a snarl coming out of his mouth, his eyes glowing again, causing Lizzie to slump over before he simply disappeared.
"Elizabeth!" Loki exclaimed, catching her before she fell. "Elizabeth!" In that moment, his ring stopped glowing, a shudder going through him. "No..." he moaned, gasping in pain as his powers left him once more. How could the ring believe she was no longer in danger? Did it not sense that she was unconscious, and that he had no answers of 'Why'? "Elizabeth?" He checked her pulse, still feeling her heart beating against his fingertips. She was alive, that much was clear, but obviously needed to get to her bed.
"I think we should get out of this room, head for the living room and regroup until Steve arrives." Clint offered, helping Natasha get to the elevator as Loki picked Lizzie's unconscious form up.
"Hey, is she still alive?" Natasha asked groggily, looking over at Lizzie.
Loki nodded, unable to form any words on the matter. She may be alive, but he had no way of telling if she would regain consciousness, and that scared him. Silently, they got in the elevator, Tony taking Pepper via his suit out the window. Once the doors dinged open, Loki stepped out, finding Tony's couch to lay Lizzie on. He didn't like this, not knowing what was going to happen to her, and wished that somehow he could change what happened to them only a few hours previous.
"Yo, looks like someone took a blowtorch to my alcohol." Tony whined.
"It's called Alex chasing me." Pepper replied. "Not that you need the stuff anyway." Tony shrugged.
Carefully, Clint helped Natasha to a seat of her own, looking her over for any physical injuries. "I'm fine, Clint." she snapped. "Stop treating me as if I'm made of glass."
"Shut up." Clint said sternly, earning a confused look from the redhead. "Sorry, Tasha, but seriously I'm just making sure you're okay."
Natasha nodded mutely, unsure of how to process this seeming change in Clint's behavior to her. It was almost like the old Clint, the one before he met Lizzie Donovan...
"Is she responding yet?" Pepper asked Loki.
He shook his head, trying to figure out how to wake her. However, he didn't have to do much as she groaned lightly, her face screwing into a grimace. Loki sighed, relaxing slightly as he watched her stir. "That bastard." she muttered, touching her forehead. "That is the worst headache I have had in years. I feel like my head is about to explode."
"It won't." Loki replied simply, leaning back on his heels. "Your power is getting better with recognizing me. I carried you from R&D and didn't fall over once." he whispered in her ear.
"My power is currently recharging after that bastard had the gall to disable it for a time, and then allow it back full force." she groaned in response. "That's what knocked me out."
Loki chuckled. "She'll be alright." he assured Clint and Natasha's anxious faces. He looked Natasha over, her focus already beginning to return to her.
"I'll be fine, thanks for asking." Natasha said, her voice hoarse. "And thank you for getting me out of that damn mind prison thing that he got me in. If I ever see him again—"
"You're going to sit back while I kill him." Clint finished, looking over at Loki. "You probably want to take her to bed. She's becoming a risk, getting targeted all the time."
Loki agreed heartily, and picked Lizzie up without even asking. "Hardly." Lizzie retorted, already wiggling out of Loki's grasp.
"What are you doing, Elizabeth?" Loki asked, holding onto her even tighter despite her wiggling.
"I am not some damn damsel in distress, and I don't need to be carried." she responded. "I am still in complete confusion about you, and I'm not interested in being beholden." Loki fought the pain in his chest at her words, knowing that he had somehow brought it on himself. He finally let her go, setting her feet back on the floor despite himself, watching her sway with every step. "Do not interfere. I have dealt with worse." Lizzie said. "Though Clint's right, I think I will go to bed. Sleep will help me out here."
"Loki, go with her." Natasha told him. "I have a feeling she won't make it. He played with her mind as well while she was unconscious the first time."
"We'll be here if you need us. And uh, if you see Stars and Stripes when you pass the elevator, then tell him where we're at, and that we're all in one piece." Tony muttered, his arms still tightly around Pepper, who simply nodded.
Loki nodded, moving along with the wobbling Lizzie as they moved down the hall which led to their rooms in complete silence.
The sun was settling, sending large shadows around the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal. In these shadows, a woman could be seen looking at one of the container ships, a navy blue hoodie casting darkness over her face as she leaned against one of the streetlamps. Most assumed she was simply some kind of hobo, who for some reason liked hanging out with the ships, but for some of the men, they knew just what she was doing there.
A black car drove up, its headlights shining around the boats as it turned the corner, parking next to the ship which she seemed to be watching. The engine turned off, and Alex climbed out, still bleeding from his time with the Avengers. He kept muttering to himself, cursing them all in German as he looked around the pier to make sure no one watched him walk up the ramp.
His eyes caught the woman simply staring at him from her spot, unmoving. He squinted, trying to focus his eyes on her figure, sensing that he knew her from somewhere. Wanting to know who she was precisely, he teleported himself behind her, noticing she didn't move. He reached a hand out, grabbing her by her shoulder and spinning her around while taking off her hood. His eyes widened as he caught sight of her face.
"Veronica?" He breathed out in disbelief. She smiled, disappearing from his grasp in an instant, leaving him in a state of stunned confusion and fear.
Well? I hope that was sufficient for you all after that rather abrupt cliffy. Let me know in the box below :)