Chapter Eight

Alli's mouth literally dropped all the way to the metal floor of the Helicarrier. Agent Phil Coulson died? When did Phil die and who killed him? Her mind was swarming with so many questions. Tony elbows her roughly in the side and she glares at him, losing her train of thought.

"Your mouth was as wide open as the Grand Canyon there, Alli," he whispers to her. He seemed shock too. Maybe Phil and him were good friends also, or maybe he was just surprised to see Fury bring Agent Coulson back.

Alli couldn't help the flashback that was coming back. The mentioning of Coulson's name triggered it and she absolutely hated flashbacks, but this one wasn't so bad.

2008, Cairo, Egypt

Twelve-year old Alli smiled at the tan Egyptians that walked by her. They wore light clothes all the time. She remembered when she went to Russia a few weeks ago. It was very different. She was searching for her current target. Phil Coulson. He supposedly had been trying to snoop around and steal some of Luka's files in Italy but Coulson was apprehended and he fled the scene before Alli's brothers and sisters could stop him. Now Luka had sent her on a journey to murder this man. She almost felt guilty for doing it. What if he had a family? Or what if he was framed? She shook her head to get the thought out and continued strolling through the town.

After a couple of days in the scorching town of Egypt, she spotted him for the first time since she landed in Egypt. He blended in with the crowds easily. He wore the exact same clothing as a commoner and looked almost like a peasant. He was leafing through some fruits on a stand trying to look normal, but Alli could tell when someone was trying to hide something and when they weren't. Alli walked up beside him and bought an orange. Phil had looked down at her and smiled as if he were a father praising a child. She felt a terrible pang of guilt. This man seemed so innocent.

Then terrorists opened gunfire and a bullet pierced one of Phil's vital organs. She ducked behind the fruit stand, using the boxes as cover, and dragged him with her. He wouldn't stop bleeding so she began tugging him to her alleyway where she slept and ate. It wasn't exactly a fancy place to sleep and eat, but it suited her needs. He was groaning the whole time, blood pouring from his bullet wound. She stared down at him as he bled. She could let him die, kill him, or save him. It was her decision.

He didn't seem like a bad guy, so she quickly bandaged his wound and gave him anti-biotics and painkillers. When he woke the next day, Alli was re-bandaging his injury. She was forced to take his shirt off since she couldn't heal the wound while he still had his top on. He thanked her and offered her a large amount of money but she declined it politely. He then told her his name and she told him hers. The two struck up a conversation and she spent the next week nursing Phil back to health. Once he left Egypt, she was extremely sad and lied to Luka, saying she killed him and burnt the body so there would be no evidence.

Present, Helicarrer

Tony was jabbing her side with a pen consistently and she snatches it away from him. She stares at him and her eyes were raging with fire. He had been poking her for awhile and she could tell from all the tiny red dots on the shirt she wore. Everyone was looking at her. Tony holds his hands up as a sign of peace and looked away.

"Where's Coulson, Fury?" he demands, swiveling his chair to eye the Director who was standing four feet away.

Director Fury presses a button and after a couple of seconds, a door slides open and Coulson walks into the room in a suit. An expensive one too. Clint got up first, staring at Phil in amazement. Everyone either looked shocked, happy or emotionless. Natasha was the only one not giving away her feelings and of course she would act like that since she was a super-spy. Agent Coulson smiles at everyone weakly and his eyes land on Alli. He looks a bit surprised but quickly hides it before anyone majorly notices it. Tony opens his mouth to say something but Fury cuts him off with a wave of his hand.

"Agent Coulson only went into a deep coma. He woke up a couple of weeks ago, but only recently has he been allowed to be up and about," Fury says, and the Avengers nod slowly, soaking in the information.

"Alli," Phil says, smiling at her. Clint looks at her questioningly.

"Hey Phil," she replies evenly, smiling some.

He slowly starts walking closer to everyone and that's when the Helicarrier jerks to the side. He's slammed into a section of equipment and the agents begin running around crazily. She feels the Helicarrier jerk to the other side and Thor catches her before Alli fell over onto the floor.

"Sir! We're going down! Only one engine is working!" a random agent shouts. Alli felt a wave of panic wash over her.

Tony, who was already in his suit, busts through one of the windows as hundreds of chitauri fly inside. Alli hears the guns go off all around her and she sees Bruce Banner being flung into a one of the metal walls. That was not good. Natasha and Clint also see this and Clint picks up the unconscious Agent Coulson while Natasha is making everyone move out so they wouldn't deal with Dr. Banner's wrath. Thor stays in the main room and so does Alli as the Hulk slowly forms. He was growling, roaring and making other feral noises.

There's a roar and something knocks Alli to the side but it's not Hulk, it's Loki. Bruce lands right where she was standing, ripping apart the chitauri angrily. Pieces of them fly everywhere. Loki gets back up and proceeds to destroy the chitauri like many other agents in the room.

Alli unsheathed her swords, twirling them expertly, and slashes the nearest robot coming at her. It falls to the ground with it's head missing, if that was it's head. She jabs another one through the chest with her right sword and slams her left sword into it's face. It stumbles backwards. It wouldn't take long for the Helicarrier to be overwhelmed by the chitauri but everyone continued fighting. They would fight until death.

Alli hacks away at another chitauri and kicks it to the side. One jumps onto her and she's pinned to the ground. There's a flash of red, white and blue as Steve bashes his shield into the the chitauri, making it skid across the floor. She thanks him quickly but as soon as she looks around, they're surrounded by the robots who were pointing their spears and swords at her. Alli looked around the wrecked room and saw everyone else was in the same situation as her. She began to feel very angry. A figure steps into the room quietly and gracefully. He wore a mask and weird armor.

"I am Thanos," he declares and Alli recognizes his voice. He was in her nightmare from yesterday.

"Yeah, we kinda get that. Now can you-" Tony begins but he's poked in the side with a spear and he shuts his mouth.

"I suppose this is like saying.. That you surrender?" Thanos laughs and then pauses mysteriously. "Give me the girl. I believe her name is.. Allison Stark.. And I will leave you petty mortals alone."

Tony tenses and Loki mischievous green eyes were filled with rage. Clint and Steve also looked the same, growling lowly. Director Fury looks to Alli and then back to Thanos.

"No deal. She's not for sale. Sorry," he says tauntingly.

"I will take her forcefully then," Thanos waves his hand and a few chitauri grab Alli by the arms and legs and carry her over to Thanos.

Alli was kicking and thrashing as much as she could before the robots slammed her down into the ground. She looked up into the face of Thanos. He was really ugly. That's when she felt a wave of anger wash over her again and then what happened next.. Surprised everyone.

Please review.. They make me happy and want to continue writing/typing this story. So what do you think will happen next? And why do you think Thanos wants her? Please tell me if this is horrible, average, good, great, or wonderful.

-Blade