She tapped her radio earpiece, "ETA?"
"Five minutes to the LZ," Loki answered her, "large ground forces are expected once we get there, and we'll probably have to ditch it in the Hudson."
"The Hudson's so thick you could use it as a runway anyway," Bella replied, "out."
She grabbed one of the duffel bags by the cockpit door and pulled a strange looking gun out of it, a G-36 assault rifle, but this was no regular G-36. This was her G-36, brimming with many different devices, a grenade shooter, a laser sight and a holster for a bayonet. There were also several SHIELD add-ons that she would not even identify if she didn't work for the idiots. She loaded a magazine into the rifle and locked it, taking too more magazines and stuffing them underneath her belt. Sif watched her more intently than the others.
"What is that?"
"A gun," she held it up, "I believe Loki would describe it as a 'primitive chemical-ballistic weapon', but I could be wrong," she dropped the gun next to Sif and sat down, "this," she poked Sif's sword, "is a weapon of intimidation," she patted her gun, "this is a weapon for killing."
"I do not understand," Fandral narrowed his eyes.
"And that is not only because you know nothing," Sif muttered under her breath.
Midtown again, it was swarming with men. Utgarda had built himself an army in the five hundred year exile he had forced upon himself. But Loki could see no flashes of red other than that of what Bella would call a 'great honking space gun'. They did not have ships that he could see, but he knew that SHIELD would probably take care of them. That made him think. Where were the Avengers?
"Unidentified aircraft," they were being hailed, in English with American accents, "respond."
Loki picked up the radio, "greetings SHIELD," he called happily, "before you think of firing upon this aircraft, know that I have two of your precious Avengers held captive on board this aircraft."
"Land immediately," the voice said.
"You see, I am in no need to land this aircraft. I have a third of your so-called response team as my prisoners, and while I am in the air, I hold all the cards, so to speak," he shook his head, "I may consider acquiescing to your demands if you allow me to talk to your supreme commander, Nicolas Fury."
Thor watched his brother, "are you insane?"
Loki smiled, "and here I was thinking that you may have been getting to know me. I'm buying us time so you can get off this aircraft."
The radio buzzed into life, "Loki," this time it was Fury, "Land this plane."
"And miss a perfectly good opportunity for us to get to know each other," Loki said calmly and was only met with hash for a long time.
"You have two of my men prisoner," Fury bit at him, "let Stark and Thor go."
Loki grinned, "Technically, neither are your men. Thor's first loyalty is built of childish need and pure bassist sentimentality to Asgard, and Anthony Stark, I do believe that he is merely a consultant," he said, "I would suggest you select your words more carefully next time."
"Why are you doing this?"
"I'm so sorry, Nicholas. If I tell you that, I shall have to kill you."
"I'll authorize your aircraft to be destroyed."
"Of course you will," Loki rolled his eyes, and then proceeded to rip the receiver out of the rest of the radio. At least he could not hear that annoying git anymore.
He turned to look directly at Thor, "get ready to fly."
Unfortunately, being simply a Marine, she had no access to parachutes, and that was bad. That meant that they had to be fifty feet off the water or less to survive the jump. That meant cutting it really close with Nick Fury and the Leatherettes on their tail. The Cessna was running on a homemade autopilot that Tony had whipped up. It could only go in a straight line, straight for the Hudson River. Hopefully the burning wreckage of the plane would break their fall.
"Ready to go?" Bella asked them.
Thor ripped the emergency door from its hinges and Bella clung to the seat to avoid being sucked out while the pressure equalized. The jump-jets were on their tail. They had to ditch now.
"Aim for the water," Bella yelled, "Bail out kids!"
Bella was the first to jump, so it was only assumed that she would also be the first to hit the water. Simple laws of physics dictated that. The Hudson was as thick and murky as ever, she wasn't worried about what diseases she could catch, she was worried about what might catch her if she stuck around too long.
After one lung bursting minute, she came up for air only to see Tony hovering over her in his super suit, "need a hand, B?"
She wheezed as she watched the Cessna sink to the bottom of the river, "I hate you, Iron Dork."