As we moved toward the control room, I tried reviewing all that I wanted to happen in the next couple hours. My thoughts often ran away from me, but I was able to realize I didn't want to enter the control room if the heroes were inside, especially while laying on the stretcher.
"Agent Coulson, I would not like to enter the control room until the group has been given their mission." He looked a little wearily at me.
"Why, Miss Rachel?"
"Because I've been involved in too many things so far. They'll become very suspicious." After a moment, he nodded.
"We probably don't want that stretcher in there anyway." A few terse commands later, I was mercifully in a wheelchair which was more suited to the extent of my injuries, though my head was now hurting more since it was in the upright position. Coulson then wheeled me next to the entry way were I could hear but not be seen.
"Stark, will you direct the nuke through the portal?"
"Only because it would hit my tower otherwise." I had to chuckle at Tony's derision against authority.
"Remember, containment. You are all dismissed."
"Are only the heroes going, or will there be back up?"
"Director Fury will be sending several quinjets as well." Good. Even if the fight was hopefully going to be really short, knowing it wasn't just three men against an entire army was comforting. I hoped Doctor Banner would join them, but without Loki to attack, Clint and...
"Where is Loki?" Did he escape or not? He was going to be pretty irritable if he hadn't.
"In his cell where he belongs." Alright. So like I was thinking, without the personal grudge, Natasha and Clint probably wouldn't be fighting. Exploding arrows sounded really good for the fight though.
Once Tony had passed us on the way to his suit and the others had exited out a different door, Coulson pushed me into the control room. I was happy to see it was still the same as it had been earlier instead of all beat up from fighting like in the movie. My happiness changed to unease as Director Fury's eyes watched me enter the room. After a moment though, he silently declared I was unworthy of his attention by turning back to the screens in front of him.
"Someone is taking the staff to Stark Tower, correct?" Coulson nodded at me.
Twitching nervously, I tried to wait patiently since I knew it would take a while before anyone would arrive at Stark Tower or the portal would open. I tried to still my tapping fingers and vibrating leg. If I was this twitchy, I couldn't imagine what they were going through, waiting for the fight like this.
Coulson got a personal missive on his com, and then reached in his pocket. Pulling out a earpiece, he helped me put it on explaining, "This will allow you to hear what those out in the field are saying." He then moved to exit the control room, but I grabbed his arm.
"Loki?" I was not having him go off and get himself killed. Once he shook his head, I quickly released him feeling a little embarrassed. I was a lowly civilian with no security clearance at all. He probably shouldn't have even told me that much. Now I was waiting anxiously alone.
Trying to distract myself, I thought about how the different members of the team may interact differently due to differences of events. Tony and Captain would have to argue eventually, Tony and Banner would still be science bros, Thor would still kind of be the outsider, Natasha was still aloof, and Clint was still completely unknown to most of the rest of the team. So really, no difference at all. Maybe seeing them fight would give Tony reason to grudgingly show them a little respect, but who knew?
I sort of felt like a mother bird who had to push her nestlings out of the nest a little early because of oncoming danger and hoping they could learn to fly. Which was ridiculous because I had literally met them all in the last day and a half. Or so. Time was funny. Speaking of time, I had no idea how long he had been gone, but Coulson was now back at my side. Anyway, I felt like telling them, 'fly my birdies fly!' Which sounds remarkably like 'fly my pretties fly!' Wait, that was Loki's line, wasn't it? Oooo. Loki and Elphaba! That was sketch worthy.
"Iron Man has arrived at the scene," called out one of the SHIELD lackeys.
I watched as video from the surrounding buildings showed Tony flying in. Not long after, a quinjet arrived as well.
"What? Did you stop for take out?"
"Too bad he can't eat anything while in the suit," I told Coulson. No one else dignified Tony with a reply. Four more quinjets appeared moments later.
"I have located the source of the portal." No Tony, no!
Hoping Jarvis was still monitoring the helicarrier, I asked the air around me, "Sir Jarvis?"
Through my earpiece I heard the reply, "Yes, Miss Rachel?"
"Would you warn Mr Stark that the portal is surrounded by a pure energy barrier?"
"Most certainly, Miss Rachel."
"Thank you, Sir Jarvis." Despite racking my brain, I had no more advice for the avengers. This battle was their own and I just hoped no one would get hurt.
"Portal has been activated, Director."
"Noted," came the gruff reply. "Is the nuke in place?"
"Affirmative, Director. Detonation in T minus thirty seconds from your mark." The helicarrier was silent as we watched the sky above Stark Tower fill with stars and then alien warriors.
The battle began with Thor sending the lighting he had been building up arching through as many of the enemy as possible. With those aliens in view mostly stunned, the heroes were able to get a good view of what they were going to be fighting.
"Aim for the drivers!" came the command from the captain.
Soon the air was full of bullets, bombs, lasers, and, suddenly, a large green figure. Hulk! I'm pretty sure everyone else paled just a little, but there was a huge goofy grin on my own face. Banner had overcome his fear, and Hulk was a huge asset in a battle.
My grin faded away though, as I watched as one of the quinjets gracefully land and hoped it wasn't damaged. Thankfully, it was just Captain and another figure jumping out to deal with any aliens on the ground that weren't dead. Lithe movement and red hair forced me to realize it was Natasha with Captain. But...Clint said in the movie she was no soldier. And this time, Loki hadn't called her a mewling quim, so...My happy grin snapped back into place. Natasha must want to avenge Clint enough to attack the aliens. A whiplash of panic filled me as I fully comprehended my thought. She must never, ever find out I sent Clint into Loki's clutches, or I was so dead in a excruciatingly painful way. My horror was abated a little as I noted the staff was strapped to her back. Maybe Director Fury simply wanted her there to close the portal. I liked this theory a little better.
The battle raged on for several minutes. Tony made a lot of jokes and remained relatively undamaged. Thor was probably enjoying the battle a little too much, assured of victory. Hulk smashed as many aliens as he could get. Captain and Natasha took out all the stragglers on the ground, mostly the gun-aliens still attached to the hover boards. Fury kept his eye on the portal, and as soon as the flood began to decrease slightly, he spoke into the com.
"Romanov, you got the staff ready?"
"A little busy sir!" Some of the aliens had gotten free from the chains, and others never had chains, and they had surrounded Captain and Natasha. Suddenly, three rapid explosions happened around them, blasting most of the aliens.
"Knew you kept me around for something, Natasha." Clint?! The quinjet he was currently standing in lowered until Captain could boost Natasha up to it.
"Nice timing," she admitted to Clint.
"I do try."
"You alright?" Her tone was neutral, but the question in and of itself belied any casualness.
"I will be once I take down a couple of these aliens." True to his word, he shot down several alien chariots as the quinjet made it to the top of Stark Tower. By that point, no more aliens were coming through the portal.
"Almost in position, sir," Natasha told the Director.
"Launch the nuke. Stark, incoming." Shouldn't Fury check if Tony is ready?
"Right, right. Just assume I can be everywhere at once." Thankfully, Tony was able to exit the fray and guide the nuke with relative ease. Being not nearly as battered as he had in the movie, the trip was less eventful. Tony flew right back out without a problem, the aliens dropped dead in great piles on and around Stark Tower, and I collapsed with relief. I had survived the Avengers.