Down below the elevator opened and I sprinted into the garage. I whistled low at the array of cars and bikes that were scattered around. I saw corvettes, lambos, mustangs. They ranged from a 1932 Ford Roadster to a 2015 Tesla Roadster, I practically fainted at a sharp looking lime green 60s Barracuda. I made my way however beyond his extensive collection towards a familiar looking bike, realizing it was Cap's 1942 Harley parked next to a newer Harley. I turned down a second aisle and stifled a laugh.
Sitting in a 2012 Camaro, suspended about three feet above the ground was Thor. He was in the driver seat, fingering with the controls and wheel as the car gave out repeated whinings and choked. He looked completely lost at the numerous buttons on the dashboard and the bright LED screen that had even more options.
He looked up at me and gave a huge smile.
"Hello Kay!" He cried, "How are you feeling this morning?"
"I'm great!" I smiled as he finally found the off button for the advanced muscle car.
"Tony allows me to come down here to practice driving," He explained, "It is very confusing though."
"Can't you fly?" I asked, amazed that a god would want to drive a car.
"I can, but I would like to fetch some of that delicious coffee without people rushing me like bilgesnipes!"
I laughed. The absurdity of Thor flying through Starbucks with his hammer and flowing cape was too crazy of a sight not to imagine. Of course, he must have grown accustomed to some of Earth I realized. He jumped down from the car dressed in black jeans and a very tight blue T shirt. His hair was pulled back again in a pony tail and I saw no remains of a mythical Asgardian warrior god.
Of course all I saw were rippling powerful arms, arms that could probably face off against the Hulk.
I blushed and waved at him.
"Well if you want to drive and not fly, ride in style. Ride in simplicity. Stark may like his state of the art toys, but you? You're old fashioned, you're not gonna ride a brand new Camaro, you're gonna want something older, rougher."
"He will not let me drive his classics," He shoo his head.
"That's the first smart thing he's done," I snickered, "Come with me and I'll show you a good car."
"Your old car?" Thor asked, "I know that you were angry with Tony, but he did not change as much as you think."
"I'll be the judge of that," I rolled my eyes, "Lead me to my baby."
"Why do you carry such affection for it?" He asked, leading me down a third aisle.
Jeez, how many cars did a billionaire need?
"It's not the just the car itself," I explained, "It's everything that I've put into her. Not just money, but memories. My dad and I built her ground up. We spent every weekend out in the driveway, fixing the rear end, putting in carpet. That kind of effort can't just be bought. Not the energy that you yourself put into it."
"The way you speak of your father reminds me of me and my own," He remarked, "We are close as well, though it seems he has grown distant."
"Why aren't you on Asgard?" I asked, "That s where you're from right?"
"Because I chose to protect Earth," He sighed, "I wanted to stay with someone special that could not live on Asgard."
"Oh?" I asked disappointed, "You have a girlfriend?"
"I am courting her yes," he nodded, "Though she is angry with me right now."
"I'm sorry," I looked up at him, "She's missing out for sure."
He laughed boldly and gestured in front of us.
"I may not be able to have a beauty such as Jane, but you may certainly have your baby as you call her."
"Oh!" I gasped in wonder.
True to his word, Tony Stark had repaired my car. The Vega sat separate from a pair of Dodges, gleaming cherry red under the florescent lights. It's silver chrome bumpers were straight and it's peaked hood was sharp, The round headlights were polished so clean I could see the bulb behind the glass. The window that had been so recently smashed was repaired and clean. The gradual slope of it's back end was as graceful as I remembered and I realized that even the individual spokes of the wheel had been polished.
Suddenly I felt at piece, the constant hum that had surrounded my ears dulled to practically nothing and the power that radiated off Thor became non existent. No matter what had happened the past 4 months, no matter if I had powers, no matter that I had met and currently living with the Avengers themselves, I had my car and that was all I needed.
"Kay?" Thor snapped his fingers and I blinked, drawn back to his powerful presence.
"Oh sorry," I blushed, "I just feel right when I'm with my car. You know? It's the feeling that everything is going to be ok."
"Is it the same feeling when you pinned down by your enemies? That when you strike them with a lightning blow and they fall that you feel exhilaration that is unmatched?"
"Uh," I gave a shrug, "Sure?"
"Wonderful!" The thunder god grinned.
I laughed and practically jumped over the car, examining every inch. Thor had been telling the truth so far. Nothing had been upgraded as far as I could see, just repaired. The paint had been redone, but in the same shade a before. Under the wheel well t seemed he had finished scrapping off the lingering rust and replaced the metal. I popped the hood an inhaled the oily scent of grease and fluids.
"It seems marvelous," Thor remarked as I ran my fingers over the fan, belts and distributor.
"It is," I smiled, "Time to check fluids,"
With quick practiced moves, I pulled out the dipstick, wiping it clean and checking it on my shirt. The oil had been changed apparently and full. I popped off the radiator cap, satisfied that the diluted green fluid was topped off. I tightened the cap and grinned at the gleaming chrome of the engine. Stark, as much of an extreme futurist, knew how to respect the old girl.
"Everything alright?" Thor asked.
"Better then fine," I grinned, "He didn't touch the engine one bit! I was worried that he'd take my custom 307 and change it over to a 409 or worse the original 140."
"I do not know what these numbers are," He scratched his head, I rolled my eyes as I closed the hood with a satisfying whump.
"It's the motor sizes. Original motor sizes were small, but nowadays people like small size car big size engine. My dad is a mechanic. He built this engine, custom for me."
"So you changed the size of the engine?" He asked me, clearly still confused.
"Well when we got the car, it had no engine. Luckily, my dad has a crate engine, that means a basic engine with nothing on it and added to it. When he was finished, it was a customized 307. Now take a drive me oh Son of Odin and let me show you how a Daughter of Joseph drives!"
I opened the door and sighed, the interior had been vacuumed and cleaned as well as the outside. I sat down, adjusting the seat and grabbing hold of my Six Flags Magic Mountain keychain. The silver key was already in place and I cranked it to the right.
With a satisfying whine and pop, the engine sprang to life, rumbling and roaring as loud as I remembered. I laughed in joy at the warm embrace of my car. The heat of the engine forcing it's way up and into the car, the rhythmic rumbling of the frame and the thick scent of gas running free. I looked to my left and giggled.
Thor had opened the door, but when the car erupted into her snarl, he had jumped back, he now stood watching the shaking car warily.
I laughed again and waved him in.
"C'mon! She won't bite!" I yelled over the roar, snickering to myself, "Much."
He got in and I helped him find the old seat belt. He reached for the shoulder and I shook my head.
"Lap belt only. They didn't have the 3 point belt, the shoulder part, until the late 70s."
"Ah, this is safe? It seems unsteady." He asked as I shifted into drive.
"Perfectly safe. Good ol American steel here. The car has better protection then any Honda."
"So why does it shake as if it will crumble?"
"That's not shaking apart, That's the rumble of a beast. I got 250 horsepower in this little animal. Not a lot by supercar standards, but I drive it everyday so I gotta keep her a little tame," I explained as I drove, following exit signs.
"I see, Oh Tony!" Thor exclaimed as Tony's voice came over my old speakers.
"Kay!" He called, "Kay don't go out on the town just yet! We still don't know the extent of your abilities!"
"It's why I've got the Mighty Avenger," I joked.
"I'm serious Kay, don't go outside."
"I'm sorry," I giggled, "I can't hear you over the roar of my engine!"
"Kay don't leave!" Tony ordered, "Thor talk some sense into her!"
"She will be ok," Thor promised, "She can drive around the block and come back."
"Around the block?" I scoffed, "You wish!"
I turned the dial down on my older radio and laughed as double doors were opening. I saw a black SUV driving in and I hit the throttle.
My tires squealed, the metal ground and my car launched.
I waved cheerfully at the SUV, not caring who was in it. Thor whopped in the excitement and my red and silver back end just scraped the opening as the doors closed.
I turned the dial up again as I heard Tony's furious yelling.
"...Inconsiderate women! I'm trying to help her and she drives off! Takes Thor of all people! Kay! Kay do you hear me! I can tell your volume is back on!"
"Hi Tony!" I said gleefully, "Sorry about that, you know cars and the echos of a concrete garage. Just so hard to hear people."
I looked to Thor, stifling laughter as Tony ranted on.
"Look Kay! You need to get back here! Director Coulson of SHIELD is going to be here any minute and he has information on people in the same situation as you," Tony explained.
"You mean he's going to take me away and prod me with needles too?"
"No! He doesn't have to! There's a whole group of people that he's discovered that know what you can do. Maybe. And can help you! No more needles," He continued, "Please come back."
"So you're saying the 5 hours yesterday of you poking and prodding me were unnecessary due to the fact SHIELD knows what I can do?" I snapped.
The speakers were silent as Tony took a moment to speak.
"It turns out that no, no I didn't have to do that."
"Oh I'm sorry!" I growled, angry now, "It seems that I'm losing the signal!"
I turned the dial down quick and angrily. Ignoring Thor's confused look, I sped, in short bursts, through the annoyance of New York traffic and finally onto a freeway. I didn't even bother to read a sign, instead finding the fastest and emptiest lane.
I breathed in deeply, allowing my anger to simmer through my arms into my hands. I clenched the wheel hard and slammed the gas, launching my car forward through midday traffic. I rolled down my window, letting the wind rush by me at 75 miles an hour.
As fast as the wind rushed and as soothing the rumble of the engine, I was too hyped up, too keyed in back to that annoying hum in my ears. I felt a strange heat that wasn't from my car building around me, suffocating and pressing around me. I began to panic.
Swerving wildly, I threaded expertly between cars, taking an off ramp towards Queens. Once I was off the main roads, I found a park and hurried out of the car. I didn't bother to turn off the engine, only throwing the shifter into neutral and I ignored the calls of Thor.
I fell to the grass, clenching and unclenching my fists. I could feel something radiating inside of me. I blinked numerous times, seeing the normal view of skyscrapers in the distance and small brick buildings closer by, I could see trees and walkways, the rads and people. But when I blinked again, I saw flashes and colors, strings and patterns everywhere. It made no sense!
The sensation of prickling needles and thorns all over my skin soon became to much as the flashes of colors and patterns became more and more frequent. The humming buzz around my head erupted into a frenzy and I lost it.
I screamed, letting everything I was holding in erupt outwards.
A large and explosive wave of gold white light erupted from me. Not just from my finger tip like before, but as if it poured from my very skin and open cry.
As soon as I let it out however, everything just dropped. The strange vision reverted to normal, the humming dropped to barely there and my skin felt smooth and normal. I looked around, expecting a disaster, but nothing had caught fire, no one was hurt, but they stared in shock.
I looked closer to me ad gasped, a huge swath of grass around me had been burned and blackened by my cry. I looked to Thor as he stared shell shocked at the sudden turn of events.
"Hey kid," Pietro zoomed onto the scene, "Let's get back to the Tower alright?"
Speechless and terrified I nodded.
He picked me up and in an instant I was back in the Tower lab. Only the bite of a cold wind the reminder of my trip.
"Aah!" Tony yelped, knocking over his coffee and some tools at my sudden appearance.
"Something... something..." I murmured, still in shock, "Something happened."
"I know what happened," Wanda said quietly, coming into the messy lab, "You can sense things can't you? And manipulate them?"
"What?" I asked, breathing heavily and shaking. Only five minutes ago I was speeding the highway, free and happy.
"Energy," Wanda explained calmly as Tony made his way to other side of the room, "You're feeling it right now right? The buzz in your ear? The needles on your skin?"
"Ya," I shook my head as Tony and another man appeared in my eyesight.
"It's ok. I can sense it too," She smiled softly.
I looked down at her cherry red nails and saw that they shimmered. Blinking twice I saw that small strings of red were actually wrapped around her fingers like rings or bracelets, but alive and moving.
"What's wrong with me?" I asked, panicked.
"Nothing," Wanda shook her head, "You can just see more now."
"Hello Kay," The second man spoke, arriving on Wanda's left with Tony. "I'm Director Phil Coulson of SHIELD. I'm here to help."
"Help?" I raised an eyebrow, "Don't tell me you're the Avengers media team. SHIELD got destroyed."
"There's still a lot we haven't told you," Tony said, "SHIELD is alive. Sorta. There's a lot of people you need to meet and most importantly we think we know how you got your abilities. And it has nothing to do with Ultron."
"What?" I asked, staring at the two Avengers and SHIELD Director