A/N: Sorry the update was a little late today. I got a late start. BUT, I've updated my storyboard and today I'll be writing a part I've been looking forward to for a while now. I expect to make some good progress, so tomorrow's update should be a little longer than today's!
The ally Nina found herself hiding in was cold and dark. The clamor of battle and the cries of desperation from still dying people were muffled by the short distance. If she looked at the right angle, she could see the Tower. She probably could have made it back if she tried, but she was more inclined at that point to run the other direction. No matter her inclination, she couldn't move.
After several hours, the din died down and the sky began to lighten. Nina had been crying on and off. Her body never did stop shaking. Her muscles were so tense her stomach was starting to hurt. She was starting to think everyone was dead and she was waiting for no one. That was until Thor found her.
"Nina, there you are," He ran to her and dropped to a crouch. "Are you hurt?" He wiped dirt and tears from her face, eyes traveling down her crumpled body. As covered in blood as she was it was hard to tell if any of it was hers.
Nina grabbed hold of his arms, her grip so tight he could feel her nails biting through his shirt. Her world was spinning, or rather spiraling. Thor was the only thing keeping her grounded so she clung to him as tightly as she could.
"I'm taking you back to the Tower," Thor picked her up and her body responded immediately. She threw her arms around him, buried her face in his neck, and locked her legs around his middle so tightly he probably could have let go and she wouldn't have fallen.
Literally taking flight probably would have been a mind blowing event for Nina if she were in any other state. In this case, she didn't even seem to notice. While Thor was on his way to take her back to their room, he was intercepted by Olivia. She and Katerina had been forbidden from participating and, had Nina not been elsewhere at the time of the initial attack, she would have been locked up in the Tower too.
"Is she okay?" Olivia kept close to Thor's side as he walked into the bathroom.
"I believe so," He sat Nina down on the counter and went to remove her blood stained shirt.
"Hey, hey," Olivia threw her hand out to stop him. "I've got it," She insisted as she nudged him out of the way.
"Are you certain?" Olivia had never struck Thor as the caring type.
"Yes. It's not like I have anything better to do," Naturally, she was pretty bitter at being left behind. Given how long everyone had been gone and the state Nina had been returned in, she assumed she would have been useful at some point.
Thor left Olivia and Nina alone, returning to the scene to help everyone else wrap things up. Olivia undressed Nina, talking to her while she did. She realized pretty quickly it was more to comfort herself than to help Nina. The girl spent the entire time staring past her, tears occasionally falling down her dirty face.
"You're not hurt are you? Of course not. You can heal yourself," Olivia said to herself as she ran a hot bath. "How did you even end up out there anyway? Steve said he couldn't find you," She stopped to look her friend in the eyes, hoping she would come back to her. It was useless.
"Alright, come on," Olivia helped Nina down from the counter and guided her to the bath. Nina stepped in and immediately sunk to a crouch, wrapping her arms tightly around her legs.
"You gonna help me out, or am I on my own?" Nina didn't answer. Olivia was starting to think she was in shock.
Olivia bathed Nina with very little assistance. It was difficult to admit, but she was starting to get scared. She'd never seen someone in such a state. She was absolutely catatonic. Whatever had happened out there must have been bad. What had she seen?
Olivia was getting Nina into one of Thor's shirts when he popped up in the doorway.
"Is she alright?" He asked, his voice full of concern.
"No, I'm pretty sure she's not. What the hell happened?" Olivia asked not so kindly.
"I don't know. I didn't even know she was there until Barnes sent me to retrieve her," Olivia narrowed her eyes.