| 6 |
| . I ' M . . |
Nearly thirty-thousand feet of open air had awaited her before she even leaped out of the Helicarrier, but she had taken that into consideration moments before she had jumped. It was a fall she could easily survive, especially in Carmen's body, but only because there was water beneath her. It was one of the bays just outside of Manhattan, though even from this distance, she couldn't tell which side of the bridge she would land on, or if she could even land on the bridge itself. She prayed not, for her current size would leave a rather large hole in the asphalt and steel rebar that made up the bridge. Not to mention it would probably claim more than a few lives, something she didn't want to live with.
Falling through that much air was strange. There was nothing to hold onto. At first, there was a major rush, but after the first ten-thousand feet, it became rather dull and monotonous. All she could feel was the rushing wind in her face that was flattening her fur –probably more than a steamroller could—and the anxiety in her belly to hit the water already. Her element was fire and water could put it out easily, but she had tactics where she could shut down the fire for a time. It would leave her enough room to swim to shore or hop upon a boat and ask for assistance in getting to shore, which would no doubt scare a few people.
Phil's death had enraged Aimee, and she was seeing more than red. That man had never deserved to die. He had never done anything wrong against his country or against his friends and family. If anything, he was the most innocent of all of them. What had he done to earn a hole in his chest? For a long while, she had only regarded him as another one of Nick's flying monkeys, which was a term she used to describe Phil and Maria, but even now she realized what he was. He was more like the glue; the one everyone liked and could get along with. Essentially, Phil Coulson was the one that had kept them together.
Occupied with her thoughts, the mass of blue (slowly turning an ugly shade of green) water had gotten much closer. She was only about a thousand or so feet from it and even from there she could see the confused and somewhat interested points of civilians and tourists. She would be the least of their worries, as far as she could see it, especially that Loki would probably succeed in summoning the Chitauri here. He had planned his attack rather perfectly, at the moment when all of their tensions were on high. She assumed he came straight to the tower as soon as he had finished escaping. It irritated her that they had fell prey to such an attack.
Aimee opened her muzzle wide and sucked in a deep breath, inhaling in oxygen until her lungs stretched and ached slightly. She then closed her jaws tightly, plugging her ears and nose the best she could since she didn't have the use of hands. The water came quickly and it was cold. She plunged deep into its depths, the light from above all but completely disappearing from her sight as the filthy liquid managed to slow her rate of descent. It felt grimy in her fur and even though she knew it was only algae, basically harmless plant life, it still disgusted her. She had never particularly cared for open bodies of water –pools she could handle—and at least she knew why.
As soon as she stopped sinking, she began to float and she kicked her massive paws harshly to reach the surface. Since she was not so accustomed to swimming in this form, it took some time, but she eventually broke the surface, spraying water and spooking the daylights out of a couple fishermen a few feet from her. They practically dropped their poles in the water and stared at her. She stared back, but she was not looking at them. Instead, she was far more interested in their boat. It was a small speedboat, but would be able to hold her weight. It could get her to shore with ease, probably dry her off along the way, but she wondered if the men would be up for it.
"Hey, excuse me!" She spluttered as she paddled to the edge of their boat. "I need to reach the shore. I have to make it somewhere, and fast. Can you get me there?"
"They may be too stunned at your form to answer."
Ignoring Carmen, she waited for an answer, but the men were silent. It took a few minutes and her patience paid off. A short, balding man answered her, "Are you…going to eat us?"
"Ew, no. I'm not a cannibal." Aimee's mutter seemed to surprise them. "I'm an agent working for the government division known as S.H.I.E.L.D. There is a man in Manhattan who is threatening the security not just of the US, but of the entire planet. Please, I have to get to shore and keep him at bay until my comrades show up. Do you know Iron Man and Captain America?"
The other guy nodded. "Yeah, I respect 'em for what they've done."
"They're friends of mine, and I'm on their side. Will you give me a lift?"
The pair of them exchanged a doubtful glance and she could understand their worry. After all, it wasn't every day a giant wolf fell out of the sky and scared the day's catch away. It was a moment or two before they agreed to it and she clambered into the boat. At least her size had shrunk a ways and she wasn't twice the size of a thoroughbred anymore. It would give the engine some relief. She sat down thankfully and slipped a bit as the boat went towards shore at full speed, her claws unable to keep any substantial grip on the hard floor. The wind easily dried her fur, but tendrils of the ends were left wet, which kept her cool.
When the men parked the boat close to the docks, she wasted no time in thanking them and bounding onto the wooden planks. Nodding once, she took off and ran along the docks, which were as close to the Stark Tower as they could have gotten her. It wasn't long before she made it out of the marina and into the streets. Her appearance received shrieks and even screams from some of the people in those streets, which didn't surprise her, but she had to ignore it in order to reach her destination. Glancing about, she increased her size so she could increase her speed, and then she bolted down the asphalt.
Aimee bounded in between cars, easily dodging the damageable steel frames, and came closer to the Stark Tower. When it was in sight, she couldn't help but increase her speed to the fullest it could go. She exploded through the doors and went right for the stairs. The people were already terrified, which only indicated to her that Loki was already there, but they seemed to relax a bit when they saw her. She stopped and surveyed the damage. There were a few things broken, but there didn't seem to be any scents within the first floor that were missing. Every scent she found still had an owner. The fear-scent was overpowering.
She looked to one of the secretaries. "What floor is he on?"
The woman scrambled for words, "I-I—He's on th-the t-top floor…in Mr. S-Stark's personal area. Th-That m-man, L—"
"Loki." Aimee finished it for her calmly. "He's waiting for me?" When the petrified woman, who had to be no more than twenty-five years old, only nodded, it made her sigh. "Listen to me: get underground. Evacuate the building and hide in the subway and make way out of the city. This man is extremely dangerous and while you may not understand everything yet, you will. I can almost assure you it'll be all over the news. I will take care of Loki. Don't worry about me; just go! Tell people to use the stairs, not the elevator."
She barked the last order harshly and the people had no problem hustling to their feet. The woman who she had spoken to called the orders out over the intercoms. Aimee left her with that and went to the elevator. It opened for her and she shifted back into her human form, stepping in and hitting the button for the top floor she had visited so many times. As the sleek silver doors closed, she did everything in her power to calm her breathing. She had leaped out of the Helicarrier, been transported to the marina, and ran all the way to the tower. Not to mention she had basically fought the Hulk and removed a massive piece of metal from a turbine engine on the ship.
She was beyond exhausted.
Aimee didn't know why she had come, least of all without telling anyone where she had gone. It would probably piss them off. Perhaps her curiosity, something she had always firmly believed to be for cats, had truly gotten the better of her this time. Maybe it would kill her, as ironic as that was. She had many questions, all of which she desperately wanted answered. Why had Loki told her where he was going to be? What did he want to tell her? What did he want with her at all? She didn't understand anything and a number of answers came to her mind, but she didn't know which could be true. There was something else, though. There was a fiery need to vengeance in her chest. She wanted to maul Loki for killing Phil.
She wanted more than to maul him, really. There were so many torturous things she could put him through that she couldn't keep track of them at this point. She was just so angry, so blinded by her rage and her pain. She was sad, too, because Phil had been a close friend among Steve and Tony. She always seemed to make better friends with men than with women, but she didn't care. She had known Phil well and it was rather lucky that no one but his friends had to suffer for this loss. There had been no love interest and no immediate family. To her knowledge, his parents were long dead and he had no siblings, but S.H.I.E.L.D. had lied to her before, so what did she really know?
Her heart was in her throat as she neared the top floor. A part of her wanted to join Loki's side, though, and it was threatening to tear her in two. She hardly understood her feelings, but could only assume that she held affections for the man, something she had never wanted in the first place. She had been told many years ago, however, that such feelings can develop whether it's wanted or not. Even though she hadn't wanted it, it had happened and now she was conflicted in whether to kill him or to join his side. The latter was a lot less likely to happen. She couldn't kill him, because she felt for him. Was it love? She didn't know, but that's kind of what it felt like, the awkward bubbling in her chest and stomach.
The bell dinged and the doors opened. She stepped into the flat, which she cared not to look around. Loki was standing outside on the rather large balcony that surrounded part of the upper area of the building. The wind tugged at his hair and at his trench coat, but horns were absent, which meant he wasn't quite ready to fight yet. The breeze carried his scent to her through the open door and she waited in the center of the room, breathing it in. It was a comforting and almost intoxicating scent, dragging several primal instincts to the surface that she pushed away. She wanted answers and she would make sure she got them before the others showed up. It was only a matter of time until they figured it out.
Loki paced back inside upon seeing her, halting a few feet away. "You came."
"And you're a fucking bastard." Aimee spat furiously. "Phil didn't deserve to die."
"Who?"
"The man you struck down in the cage room, dumbass."
He raised an eyebrow. "That imbecile? Did you care for him?"
"He was a friend, and he was a good man. You didn't have to kill him." Somehow, she felt there was a different meaning to his question; that he had wondered if she cared for Phil as more than a friend. Tears pressed at the edges of her eyes as she thought of the numerous deaths this man had already caused. She despised violence, but was not above such things when it came to something like this. She was much like a mother wolf, poised most of the time, but coiled to spring upon any attacker that threatened her pups and prepared to kill them without mercy.
"I believe I did. I was trying to make it personal."
"Yes, well, you succeeded."
Loki paced over to her, standing dangerously close. Dangerous for him or dangerous for her, she couldn't be so sure. She didn't want to attack him nor did she want to join him. She was a mess of emotions right now and she supposed that was the point. She was supposed to feel full of turmoil because he had intended to do so to everyone. It made her wonder, though, if the feelings of care she seemed to have for him were real or fake. It almost angered her to think that he had toyed with her emotions to make her feel that way. She was irritated because she wanted those feelings to be genuine, whether it was for him or for someone else. Bri had always warned her to stay away from a fake relationship.
"You are conflicted about your feelings, and you have many questions." He was standing inches from her now and she felt her heart want to explode from her chest, but she could hear his heart as well, and found it about the same speed as her own.
"I think many could be an understatement." Aimee brought the question she found most important to the forefront of her mind. "Are…are these feelings genuine? You're not toying with these feelings?"
He set his scepter aside, carefully cupping her cheeks in his hands. "Why would I toy with such delicate and powerful things? It only breeds doom for the one tampering. Better yet, why would that be the first question you ask of all the others in your head?"
For a minute, she couldn't answer, not wanting to believe what she was saying, "Because I want it to be real. I shouldn't, but I do. You're the villain. I'm the heroin…ish person. It's not supposed to work like this."
"Yet sometimes it does. The feelings are real…and they are mutual." He murmured, pulling his hands from her face and holding her shoulders securely. "But I suppose you will still refuse to join me even because of those feelings?"
Aimee gave a melancholic smile, shrugging his hands away and taking a simple step backwards. "Sadly, it's not in my place to change sides. Once loyal, always loyal. You can still stop, though, can't you? It's a mess we could easily avoid."
"No, it isn't. It must happen." His tone and mood had soured. "There is only the war."
She furrowed her brow, frustrated. "If that was your answer all along, without any hope of me changing your mind, why did you ask me to be here before the others?"
He seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well, I was hoping you would change your allegiance, but since I knew that was a very small chance…I suppose I brought you here for no reason in particular."
The fire began to bubble inside of her and she couldn't help but want the transformation to proceed. However, she knew she needed to wait for Tony to show up, because she knew he had figured it out by now. Instead, she stepped back and paced over to the bar the man had set up in the room. Stalking behind it, she pulled out three glasses, then a few different types of alcohol. She mixed them in one of the glasses and tasted it every few moments. Eventually it became a decent mix and she put it into only one of the other glasses. Then, she waited, for it was the only thing she needed to do until Tony arrived. She smiled when she smelled him on the wind, allowing his machine thing to pull the armor off of him.
"I am here to threaten you." Tony stated simply to the God as he walked behind the bar next to Aimee.
"Well, you should have left your armor on for that."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "It's seen a bit of mileage, and you've got the Glowstick of Destiny…" He gestured to the glasses. "Care for a drink?"
Loki tilted his head slightly. "Stalling me won't change anything."
"Not stalling," Aimee corrected, breaking from her glass a moment, "threatening."
Loki, slightly irritated, turned towards the window, then turned back, "What have I to fear?"
"The Avengers." Aimee stated, pouring more of the mix into another glass for Tony.
Tony looked at him and made a face, "It's what we call ourselves. Sort of like a team. Earth's mightiest heroes, type-thing."
He smirked. "Yes, I've met them."
"Yeah," Tony chuckled, "takes us awhile to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But, let's do a headcount here."
She started while mixing herself another glass; the alcohol would have little effect, it just tasted good. "Your brother, the demigod, the Super Soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend, a crazy cat lady, whose daughter's life you inadvertently threaten."
Tony was fixing small bracelet-like objects upon his wrists, which were used for the Mark 7. "A man with breathtaking anger management issues, a couple master assassins, a girl with an inner demon that has it out for you, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."
Loki smiled. "That was the plan."
"Not a great plan." Tony muttered after a swig of the elixir. "When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."
"I have an army."
"We have a Hulk." His blatant statement made Aimee smile, giving a small chortle.
"Well, I thought the beast had wandered off," Loki made a movement with his staff to the city, signaling that the Hulk was somewhere out there, far off perhaps.
"Yeah, you're missing the point," Tony's tone was rising, "There's no throne, there is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."
Loki glanced to Aimee for confirmation of this and she only gave him a solemn and serious expression in return. Angered by the fact that this was true, he seized Tony by the throat and dragged him closer to the window. Tony dropped the glass and gargled, "Anytime now JARVIS."
"You will all fall before me." Loki growled.
"Deploy! DEPLOY!" Tony shouted as he was chucked through the glass.
A small capsule of ruby red shot from a display on the opposite side of the room, barreling past Loki and knocking him on his side. The glass shattered into dozens of tiny pieces as the capsule shot through it and downwards, intending to open and catch Tony before he became the next pancake on the sidewalk. Aimee didn't worry, knowing that even though the Mark 7 was not supposed to be ready for use, Tony would risk using it anyways. It was the only way he could ever get his suits to work in the first place. Most of it had worked, obviously, but even at this point in time, there was little room for mistakes. If he had not deployed the machine, he would have died.
Loki turned to find Aimee still there, not having leaped out of the window in desperation to save her friend. Tony flew back up, "And there's one more person you've pissed off. His name is Phil."
With a snarl, Aimee's body shifted and the girth of the black wolf hurled herself over the counter. Iron Man disappeared from sight and judging from the not-so-far-off sounds, the army had finally come through the portal. Her fury practically shone through every emotion mixing in her eyes as she snapped her jaws viciously at Loki, her teeth colliding with a metallic clang. She was barely missing his skin, his limbs, and even his hair. She wasn't intending to bite down on him, though, because if she did, then she wouldn't let go. She was angered for his actions against S.H.I.E.L.D. and against Phil. She wasn't intending on letting it go so easily.
Her paws thundered against the tile, crushing it into many pieces and leaving a distorted footprint in their wake. The shards threatened to cut the pads upon her feet, but she was too occupied to care. Loki was careful in dodging her every strike as she basically turned in circles around the room. At one point, she tackled into him and smashed him through the nice glass coffee table. While she was sure Tony wouldn't appreciate her breaking his expensive flat decorations, she was sure he could afford more. The couch was ripped apart by her claws, the paintings and vases swiped to the ground by her tail, and the walls dented as she rammed into them.
There was a dull groaning from far off, but it was not in the Earth's atmosphere yet. It alarmed her, though, because whatever it was, it was big and very dangerous. Loki smirked at her triumphantly and she growled, lashing out at him only to have her shoulder hit with his staff. There was a large gash there, fur singed and smoking as though it had been burn. It stung. Tony called for her in the earpiece she still had, asking her to join the others on the ground. Her face twisted with disgust, not yet finished with Loki, but she supposed she could wait. Saving Manhattan was far more important, as well as the world. Everyone else would have to get in line.
With a snort, she bounded through the glass of the windows and onto the balcony, springing off of it with ease. She was hurled towards the ground and landed on the asphalt carefully, damaging the concrete and a few parked cars. Most of the civilians seemed to be out of the way, underground and out of the line of fire. Chitauri crawled towards her, and she blinked, summoning a sleek black crystal to pierce each of their necks. They fell over, lifeless. Their far off comrades squealed with displeasure. Shifting back into her human form, she panted heavily and walked along the main road. She could see the others from where she was standing. As she was about to approach them, there was the groan again, but louder this time.
Aimee turned around and craned her neck to look up. A giant creature swam from the portal and into the atmosphere. It was a strange thing, like a cross between a turtle and a snake, but a lot more dangerous and armed. She gaped at it, her expression incredulous. She felt like she did when she first discovered she held Carmen within her. Though the wolf was much larger than the one descending from the sky, there was no doubt this would pose a challenge to them. She regained herself and paced backwards, ripping her gaze from the sky and backpedaling to where the team was. They all looked to her as she approached them, and Bri walked briskly up to where she was.
The brunette braced herself to be slapped again, but instead found herself enveloped in a warm hug, the arms holding her tightly and lovingly. They seemed to never want to let go, to hold on a little longer, praying that they would both make it through this. She could hear the small sniffles coming out of the ginger, the tears dripping onto her bared shoulder, stinging the open wound. While it ached horridly, she did not move, because she felt that Bri was healing it. Her tears had that ability, but she could also heal in other ways. Even when the wound was healed, she clung to her, and Aimee clung back, unsure of what else to do.
Bri released her and dropped her arms, pointing to her friend's shoulder, which was now only matted with dry blood, the cut no longer existent. "Did Loki do that?"
"Yes," She answered slowly, carefully, "but what was the hug for?"
"I forgive you."
"…What? Did you hit your head or something?"
She let out a laugh. "I suppose you could say that some sense was knocked into me. My forgiveness is long overdue, and you deserve it more than anyone else in the world. I'm sorry, Aim, that I treated you like that for so long… I just didn't want to let go."
"I know the feeling." Aimee smiled, joy flooding her chest, swelling inside of her heart. "We have a war to win, so let's get to it."
The pair of them paced over to the others, whom were trying to hide the triumphant grins on their faces. Even Natasha gave a small smile, glad the pair of them would be able to work together again. While fire and water could combat each other for ages, they worked best when they worked together. Fire would leave a searing trail and water would be there to remove the burns, but cause just as much damage. It was how they had been long before the accident with Lucas and it was how they had left a trail of devastation in their wake long before they joined S.H.I.E.L.D. They were better off this way, together as friends, fighting for the better side, and saving the world.
Tony buzzed in their ears, "Tell Banner to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you."
As though on cue, Iron Man curved around the corner of a building. A split second later, the same creature as before that had swam out of the sky pursued him with an angry gleam in its ugly eyes. Its fins took out part of the building's walls as it came, growling and rumbling hungrily. Somehow, she assumed Tony had pissed it off. She had known the man long enough to know that anyone or anything that came after him like that had a grudge for a reason. Tony could be a very unlikeable person, especially if you didn't understand his mannerisms and twisted sense of humor. She was surprised he didn't get death threats more often.
"I don't see how that's a party…" Natasha muttered to herself.
Aimee grinned at her, "We have to give you a lesson in sarcasm after this."
As the beast approached, Bruce stepped closer to it, but Steve interrupted him, "Dr. Banner, now might be a good time to get angry."
Bruce glanced back at them, smiling, "That's my secret, Cap. I'm always angry."
His form shifted, the clothes around his body shredding as the green skin forced them to give way and burst through. The creature was one step closer and Hulk pulled his arm back, lashing it at the beast's face with incredible speed and power. Its tail went up and over, head remaining in place. The metal armor around it snapped and groaned with the unnatural pressure being put on it. The skin tore open, revealing the soft and fleshy insides. The thing already reeked and now it did even more so than before. Tony blasted a missile into the skin and everyone braced. Steve grabbed Aimee's arm and hid them both behind the shield, avoiding any debris that came their way.
"I suggest you and Gabriella suit up." Tony murmured towards them.
Aimee heard Bri snort as she shifted forms; she always hated being called her first name, especially when her brother did it, because he did it on purpose. The brunette stepped away from Steve and changed her form as well, parting her jaws in a vicious roar. She was responding to the pained cries of the Chitauri and the Hulk followed suit, as well as Bri. The three voices rose in a minor chord, contradicting each other so much that it was noticed perfectly. Their faces were twisted with anger and determination, also a sense of confidence and slight madness. After all, no creature like them could be remotely useful if they weren't even a little crazy.
Their calls ended when the same groaning of the first creature came back, but with more oomph. Aimee flattened her ears and snarled with disgust, her red eyes turned to the sky to find more of the turtle/snake-like animals descending upon the city. There was a sudden doubt in her thoughts. What if they couldn't do this? There were so many of them already, but how many more could there be just beyond that portal? There was no way they could physically touch the portal. There was no doubt a barrier of energy around it and Erik was still under Loki's control, as far as she knew. The odds were stacked hilariously against them.
'In what sense can we even win?' She questioned herself.
"You must have faith, Aimee. It is the only way you can win. You will win and Loki will lose. That is how these things work." Carmen was chiding her. "But you MUST have faith and trust in your comrades. If you doubt ANYTHING, then you will fail."
The wolf was right. If she doubted herself and her comrades, then they would surely fail to defeat the army. No matter how big and bad they thought they were, the Chitauri were merely ants to them. Fighting them would be like winning against a playground bully. It was as Tony had said: "There's no throne, there is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it." They would try to protect the earth. If they failed, they would avenge it. They would personally escort the God of Lies to the gates of Hell.
Steve took over. "All right, listen up: until we can close that portal, our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you've got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash."
Clint looked at Tony. "Wanna give me a lift?"
"Right. Better clench up, Legolas." With that, Tony grasped the back of Clint's shirt and went off into the sky, dropping Hawkeye on the roof as commanded.
"Thor," Steve went on, "you've gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow 'em down. You've got the lightning; light the bastards up."
Thor didn't say a word, spun his hammer and flew off towards one of the taller buildings.
He looked to Natasha, "You and me: we stay here on the ground. We keep the fighting here. Bri, get up on the rooftops with Barton. You've got eyes better than his, so get rid of them before they get near civilians."
Bri hissed and bounded to the rooftops easily, getting to work.
"And, Hulk." Hulk growled and turned to him. "Smash." He grinned and jumped away.
Steve turned to Aimee and laughed, apparently in the mood for some mild humor, "Ready, Aim? Fire."
Aimee shook her muzzle and bared her teeth, making a half-grin and half-grimace at the poor joke. "Really?"
"I couldn't help myself. Seriously, though, burn them to the ground."
She grinned and the antsy tingling in her paws was finally relieved. Her lips curled over her gums, showing off her gleaming white fangs. Her size grew, making her about three times the size of a fully grown Clydesdale horse. She struck the ground with her mighty foot and kicked up some asphalt. She was challenging the Chitauri that stalked closer to her, hesitating because of what she was. Every creature in the universe seemed to know about the Fire Pet of Odin, about her power and prowess in battle. Not to mention the temper she had, and how easily she could take something down. However, the person in control was not Carmen.
Aimee was far angrier than Carmen right now, and she would be a better one of the two to battle the aliens. She would be relentless. In her mind, they weren't people. She wouldn't regret hurting them later. It wouldn't matter if she took pleasure in sinking her large teeth into their throats, ripping them limb from limb as she attempted to save Manhattan, and the world that followed. There was something much larger at stake here. It wasn't her pride, her sanity, or even her good name, at least what was left of it. The only thing at that point she could fathom in doing was slaughtering the enemy.
She hated violence, but, this time, she would make an exception.