Chapter 19
"I suppose I shouldn't be the only one who can come back from the dead, but really Agent, I am impressed." The ditsy smile became a more menacing grin.
Coulson remained unmoving. "Tony? Bruce?"
"You might want to have a seat…" Tony said edgily.
"WHO IS SHE?!"
"Oh honey, don't shout so loud!" Loki took a step towards Coulson.
BANG!
From an outsider's perspective it would have looked as though someone had simply pushed the pause button on the scene in the kitchen. Then the black haired girl looked down at place in her chest where a bullet hole was disturbingly absent and the grin already on her face grew wider still.
"Well that was fun-"
BANG!
"I don't think he likes me…"
BANG!
"…Really?"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Yes by all means keep wasting your bullets! I mean with the Tin Man's suit being all electronic and probably not working right now, and the big green guy being rather keen to come out and play today we definitely don't really need the only type of weapon that might actually work were there to be some kind of attack imminent!"
Everyone was quiet for a moment as this sunk in. Tony muttered a quiet shit under his breath and Bruce breathed out uneasily. Coulson didn't lower his gun.
"May as well lower that sir, I know you're out of bullets." Loki drawled.
Coulson held the gun steady, but from the look on his face, it was more to keep himself steady. "I know who you are." He spoke quietly, voice flat and emotionless.
No one spoke.
"You should be dead."
"As should you. What gave me away?" Loki's voice was mocking, he hadn't exactly been trying to hide his identity.
Coulson turned to the others. "Why is he here?"
Tony huffed agitatedly. "He turned up here and he doesn't know how. Bruce thinks something big's coming and we will need his help."
"And you didn't think maybe it was a trap?" Coulson's voice was carefully calm.
"Of course I think it's a trap! But I don't really have a lot of power to do anything here in case you hadn't noticed! And for the 45 minutes we've been standing in this kitchen, Bruce has been about ready to kill us all for about 30 of them so I didn't argue!"
"So this is who you are without your suit and your AI? A coward who lets compromised people push him around and make potentially devastating decisions on his behalf?!" Coulson turned to face the man, his face a mask of pure disgust.
"Jarvis is the closest thing I have to family." Tony's voice was low and steady, but his eyes held a warning light. "Forgive me if I'm a little preoccupied!" he spat.
"THIS PLAYBOY BUNNY IN YOUR KITCHEN SINGLE-HANDEDLY DESTROYED HALF OF NEW YORK!" Coulson yelled. "Or had you forgotten that in the alcoholic haze you're always in?!"
"NEW YORK WOULDN'T EVEN EXIST ANY MORE IF IT WASN'T FOR ME!" Tony yelled back now, hands clenched into fists. "I can never escape the memories of that day! Not even in my dreams!"
"What would you know of that?!" Coulson all but spat.
Bruce made a noise somewhere between a growl and a whimper and dropped to his knees.
"Bruce!" Tony whirled, concern in his eyes.
"Doctor Banner?" Coulson stepped around the counter to get Bruce back in view.
He knelt there breathing heavily, clenching and unclenching his fists. His skin colour was not quite right, a sheen of sweat covering its surface.
"Shit, Jarv-" He stopped himself and bit his lip. Then he gathered himself and walked forward slowly, deliberately to Bruce and knelt beside him.
"Bruce."
"Tony!" He gasped out, voice sounding distorted. "What are you doing? Get back! ... nng…"
"Bruce, not now. Please not now. I can't do anything… God I'm so helpless…" Tony ran a hand through his hair desperately thinking. "C'mon Bruce, I need your help on this. I can't figure out this interference by myself. I need you."
"Ngggghh…. Tony…." The voice was deeper, a rumbling in his chest. He started breathing faster, basically panting now.
"Um, guys…" The female voice spoke from the kitchen.
"Not now Loki." Tony said flatly.
"No, really." His voice was no longer female and sounded strained.
"Not a good time." Coulson's voice was carefully even.
"Something's coming."
Tony and Coulson both looked up at Loki who was back in his own form. He looked back at them, eyes wide.
"Something big."
