AN: Okay, so I was really excited to write this part so I couldn't wait. I reaaaaally hope you like it and it doesn't sound stupid. I don't know when I'll have time to update again. School's started back up so... we'll see. Um... I guess we're getting to the end of the movie soon. I'm not sure how I want to end this story or if there'll be a sequel or anything. We'll see. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.
I own nothing.
Chapter Eleven:
Waverly knew the plan. Fury was sending Natasha down to use her manipulative spy magic on Loki. She was going to interrogate him and pry his plan from his mind without the evil freak show knowing. Waverly wasn't a spy. She couldn't manipulate people. But she intended to have words with Loki. When she went to Fury and requested an audience with their prisoner, Fury objected. But Waverly was determined to talk to Loki; whether Fury liked it or not.
She waited until she heard Natasha's voice come over her ear piece. Waverly was too jumpy to pay attention to the words. All she knew was that Natasha was done with Loki and was heading to the lab. That meant it was clear for Waverly to head down to the detention level for her chat. A few SHIELD agents gave her weird looks as Waverly made her way to the lowest level of the helicarrier. It wasn't often that Fury's secretary was the one ordered to the detention level. Still, no one questioned her.
Waverly entered the massive room that was meant as a means to control the Hulk if necessary. She walked across the metal catwalk, her boots clanking and breaking the thick silence in the room. Loki turned in his glass and steel cell to look at her. He smiled wickedly.
Waverly held back a shudder. This dude was seriously creepy. His eyes were an eerie blue-green that seemed to bore into her, looking into her soul.
"I've been expecting you."
Swallowing her fear, Waverly approached the glass. "Have you now?"
"Oh yes." Loki's drawl was even more arrogant than Tony's, if that was possible. "Agent Waverly Barton. Clint's sister." Loki said the word with a sneer that made Waverly uncomfortable. "You're dear Director Fury's secretary, aren't you?"
Waverly didn't answer. Loki was trying to worm his way into her mind and mess with her. "What did you do to my brother?"
Loki laughed. "I see. Straight to the point."
"Answer me."
Loki arched a dark eyebrow. "Or you'll what? Shoot me?" Loki laughed again. "You are no agent. You are a child. Weak, scared, useless."
Waverly clenched her fists and felt her nails dig into the palms of her hands. "What did you do to my brother?"
"I haven't done anything to your brother."
Waverly was quickly losing her patience. "Clint. What. Did. You. Do. To. Him?"
Loki's lips curled up his face in an evil grin. "You call him your brother. Tell me, girl, has he ever mentioned your parents?"
Waverly's mind was losing its focus. She unclenched her fists. Her breathing was rapidly increasing. Clint hardly ever mentioned their parents. All Waverly knew was that they had died and Clint was left to raise her. But something had always bothered Waverly. Something didn't make sense. Clint was just a few years older than her. Supposedly, their parents had died when Waverly was very little, which was why she had no memories of them. How, then, did a child not much older than her raise her? Waverly swallowed before she answered Loki. She couldn't keep the waver out of her voice. "Hardly."
"That's because his parent are not you parents."
Waverly's eyes widened.
Loki laughed again. "He told me everything. He found you, wandering the streets when you were thirteen. Brought you to SHIELD."
Waverly's head spun. She tried to tell herself Loki was just saying this to wind her up and unravel her. He was just trying to get under her skin and distract her before the war started. But, a tiny voice in the back of her head told her Loki might be telling the truth.
"No one knows who," Loki sneered, "or what you are. SHEILD gave you some drugs, altered your memory. Then Clint fed you the story of how you're his sister."
Waverly attempted to process this information, but her mind couldn't handle it at the moment. She was on the brink of hyperventilating. Before she, or Loki, could say anything else, what sounded like a massive explosion rocked the helicarrier. Waverly was knocked to the ground. Loki just managed to keep his balance. He smiled from behind the glass, his eyes dark and cold.
"Ah, it appears your brother is here at last."
Climbing back to her feet, Waverly didn't really know what to do. The more she tried to convince herself Loki was lying, the more his story made sense. It confirmed all the doubts she had about her past. Now, Loki was telling her Clint was attacking the ship. Waverly took a cautious step backward. She was close to tears now, confused more than ever.
Loki sneered at her. "You'd better hurry. Wouldn't want to miss your brother before Fury kills him."
Waverly turned and ran before the tears could spill from her eyes. She sprinted all the way back up to the bridge. The helicarrier was in complete chaos. Agents were running around, trying to regain control of the ship. Waverly could hear the sounds of combat coming from the bridge. In her earpiece, she heard Hill explaining that an engine had been blown. Alarms were blaring through the halls and the ship was listing horribly to the right. Waverly kept running, she wasn't quite sure where she was going or what she was planning to do. She just felt that the farther away she got from Loki, the better she'd feel. And if Clint was the one attacking the helicarrier, maybe she could find him and get him back on their side.
Sprinting around a corner, Waverly slammed right into Steve, who was back in full uniform. Waverly toppled to the floor, but Steve was unfazed.
"Waverly! Where were you?" Steve grabbed Waverly by the shoulders and pulled her back up into a standing position.
"Doesn't matter," Waverly said, her voice shaking. Waverly shook herself a few times before she could get back into the situation. For the moment, she'd have to forget what Loki said, true or not. Right now, they were all in some serious trouble. "What's going on?"
"Something blew an engine. We gotta get out and fix it."
Waverly's eyes widened. "What do you mean we?"
"You, Stark, and I."
The hyperventilation was coming back. "Me? G-go out there? What am I supposed to do?"
Steve gripped Waverly more tightly by the shoulders. "I don't understand how all this stuff works. Stark is going to clear the rotors but I have to check the electronics. I need some help."
Waverly swallowed a huge knot of anxiety that had crawled from her stomach to her throat. "O-okay," she stammered. "But I'm… I'm not a real agent. I can't… fight."
"You won't have to. We just have to get the engine running again. Come on." Steve released Waverly's shoulders and grabbed her hand. The soldier took off at a run, dragging Waverly behind him.
Despite the chaos that surrounded them, Steve felt very much in control. He worked best under pressure. This was his element. Stark was busy getting into his metal contraption and Steve needed to meet him outside, thirty-thousand feet in the air, to help him repair an engine Steve knew nothing about. Okay, so maybe this wasn't exactly Steve's element. But there was no more science talk. That was a step forward. Now was a time for action. Steve was good at action.
The soldier ran through the helicarrier, Waverly trailing behind him. For someone who claimed to not be good at combat and athletics, Waverly was keeping up with Steve's pace. In no time at all, the two of them reached the hatch that led out to the engine's control panel; on a catwalk, high in the air while they were traveling at an alarming speed.
The winds whipped around them and Steve and Waverly had to yell to hear each other, though they were only feet apart.
"Where's Stark?" Waverly asked. Steve noticed she hadn't let go of his hand. She was gripping it so tightly, Steve was losing circulation in his fingers. Waverly's other hand gripped the railing of the catwalk as if it was her life. Which it was. Steve didn't want to think about what would happen if either of them lost their balance and fell.
Steve looked out into the sky around them. Smoke trailed up from the damaged engine and clouds were ripped apart as the helicarrier slashed through the sky. "Stark!" Steve yelled. "We're here."
"Good. Let's see what we got." Iron Man flew into view, hovering above the broken engine. He scanned the damage, muttered something, then addressed Steve and Waverly. "Get to the control panel and tell me which relays are in the overload position." Iron Man pointed to the control panel.
"Oh lord," Waverly muttered.
Steve barely heard her. He saw their problem. The control panel was on the other side of a huge gap created by the explosion. Steve could easily jump to a railing a few feet away and swing to a ledge near the control panel, but how would Waverly get there? Steve needed her help. Already he was confused. He had no clue what overload position on the relays would look like. Turning to her, Steve took a breath to calm the nerves that were twisting in his gut. Steve hardly ever got nervous during a situation. What was happening to him?
"Hold on tight. And don't look down." Steve bent his knees so Waverly could reach up and lace her arms around his neck. With the woman's chest pressed against his back, Steve could feel her rapid heartbeat. This was definitely not Waverly's line of work. Just before Steve jumped, he heard her choke out a desperate prayer.
"Ooooh God."
Steve landed on the ledge, but just barely. He wasn't used to carrying excess weight. Still, he steadying himself and allowed Waverly to slide down his back. Her knees were shaking and her face was white.
"Oh jeeze. Oh jeeze."
Steve steadied her and gently pushed her to the control panel. He slid the panel open and looked at the mess of technology before him. He was looking at some kind of high tech fuse box. This was way beyond his scope of intelligence.
Steve heard Stark's voice in his ear. "What's it look like in there?"
"It seems to run on some form or electricity." Steve said lamely.
Stark sighed. "Get Waverly to look at it."
Waverly looked as if she was about to vomit. She squeezed her eyes shut, gripping Steve and the railing for dear life.
"Waverly, which relays are in overload position?" Steve yelled against the wind.
Waverly opened her eyes and took a shaky step towards the control panel. Without saying anything, she indicated what was overloaded. Steve knew enough to flip them back into their proper position and to press a few buttons to get the engine's electronic motor back up and running.
"Okay," Steve yelled, "the relays are intact. What's our next move?" Steve slid the control panel closed. He left Waverly clinging to the railing. He walked to the edge of the ledge and saw Iron Man above them, smashing pieces of debris from the rotors.
Tony answered him. "Even if I clear the rotors, this thing won't reengage without a jump. I'm gonna have to get in there and push."
Though he disliked Stark, Steve knew if he jump started the rotors, he'd become Iron Man confetti. "Well if that thing gets up to speed, you'll be shredded."
What Stark said next made absolutely no sense. Before he could finish, Steve interrupted him. "Speak English."
Stark sighed with irritation, but simplified it for the captain. "See that red lever? It'll slow the rotors down long enough for me to get out. Stand by it. Wait for my word."
Steve saw the lever Stark was talking about. It was back on the first ledge he and Waverly had been on. The soldier turned to Waverly. "Stay here," he called. "I'll come get you when this is finished. Just hold on tight."
Waverly didn't argue. She had no desire to go flying through the air on Steve's back again. She wrapped her arms around the metal railing and gave Steve a nod.
With a running leap, Steve jumped back to the other ledge. He stood by the red lever, waiting for Stark's word. Then, because things could never be simple, Steve saw out of the corner of his eyes, several of Loki's little minions. One pulled the pin from a grenade and tossed it up towards Steve. Steve leapt over the gap separating him and Waverly and knocked the grenade down. It exploded feet below the helicarrier, causing no damage. Steve heard Waverly scream but he didn't have time to reassure her. He jumped down to where the turned agents were. He punched one in the face, knocking him down, then kicked the other in the chest. The first agent had gotten to his feet and attacked Steve from behind. Steve twisted and threw him from the ship. The soldier didn't really think about what he had just done. Death was an unavoidable part of war.
Loki's other minion began firing at Steve. Steve ducked and grabbed an abandoned rifle before he jumped back up to the ledge with the red lever. He stood at the lever and quickly figured out the workings of the gun. He exchanged gun fire with the agent below him.
Meanwhile, Waverly had found her voice again. She watched from her perch as Steve fought. She was overwhelmingly scared but she wished she could do something to help Steve. She didn't get to dwell on that thought for long. With a lurch, the helicarrier tilted dangerously in the air. They had lost another engine. Below her, Steve lost his footing and slipped from his ledge.
"Steve!" Waverly screamed. She felt her stomach flip over.
Steve managed to grab onto a severed cable dangling from the helicarrier. He grabbed on just in time. Steve couldn't remember a more terrifying situation. He was dangling thirty thousand feet in the air from a massive war ship that was rapidly losing altitude. Meanwhile, he was being shot at and Waverly, who was completely out of her mind, was screaming back on her ledge. Somewhere above them, Stark was pushing the rotors, expecting Steve to pull the red lever any second now.
The G forces pulling on Steve's body were something no normal human would have been able to withstand. The ship was falling, dragging him down, but the wind was slamming against him, pushing him back up into the air. Steve was glad for his super strength, otherwise he wouldn't be able to hang on to the cable.
Steve heard Stark's voice in his ear. "Captain, the lever."
Steve was surprised how calm his voice was when he answered. "I need a minute here."
"Lever. Now." Tony sounded desperate.
Steve grit his teeth and pulled himself up along the cable. It took longer than it should have but he finally reached the catwalk again. Jamming his fingers through the metal, he used the floor as a sort of ladder and pulled himself back onto the helicarrier. Immediately, he was fired upon. He felt the helicarrier steadying and they stopped losing altitude.
Whoever was shooting at him had terrible aim. Or, it might be the fact they he was trying to aim on an aircraft that was barely under control at the moment. Whatever the reason, Steve was thankful. The shots missed him and he managed to reach up and grab the lever. He pulled it down, hoping he had gotten there soon enough.
He must have because a second later, he saw Iron Man zip by and attack Loki's remaining minion. With their current situation under control, Steve dropped to his knees and hung his head. He was dripping with sweat and covered in grime. The soldier was exhausted. But he wasn't done yet. He had to go back and get Waverly.
Waverly was on her ledge, holding onto the railing with a death grip. She was crying and screaming and all sorts of hysterical. Steve knew why she was just a secretary. He managed one more leap through the air. Standing at Waverly's side, he offered a hand to her. Steve had to pry her from the railing before he could jump back down to where Stark was. Once the three of them were on stable ground, Waverly buried her face in Steve's chest and sobbed.
"I can't do this! I can't do this!"
Steve pulled her away from him. "You did fine. You did great. It's all right now."
Waverly opened her mouth to say something else but Fury's voice in all their ears silenced the conversation.
"Agent Coulson is down."
Tony closed his eyes and sighed. Steve dropped his head. Waverly couldn't hold it in. This on top of everything else was just too much. Her sobs returned and she fell back into Steve's chest. The soldier put his arm around her. Nothing he could say would fix this.
Once everyone was safely back inside, they met on the bridge. It was then Steve realized that not everyone was safely back inside. Dr. Banner and Thor weren't present. Coulson was dead. Fury and Hill were both banged up and bruised. Natasha wasn't present either. He and Tony were both sore and exhausted. Waverly had managed to pull herself together but she was still clearly shaken up. Fury was talking but Steve hardly heard him. The soldier was too busy looking at the blood soaked Captain America trading cards on the table before him. He hadn't known Coulson long but Steve was severely sorry that the agent was dead.
Fury said something that must have made Stark angry because the billionaire suddenly got up and left the room. Waverly took a shaky breath before leaving as well. Steve flipped a card around his fingers. Coulson's blood was still warm. It made Steve sick. Steve wasn't sure what Fury was planning to do next, but the soldier was sure about one thing. Loki would pay for Coulson's death. Steve planned to avenge their fallen comrade.
Waverly was in her room. She felt numb. Her brain wouldn't allow her to process all that had happened in the recent past. If she thought about it, surely she'd lose it again. So, instead, she sat on her bed, staring down at her feet. She had a few little cuts and bruises from all the sky high acrobatics she had done clinging to Steve's back, but she was relatively unscathed compared to the others. Clint had been on the ship. Someone, Natasha most likely, had gone to intercept him. Waverly didn't know what happened to him but she didn't think she could handle hearing about it right now. She was so lost in shock and numbness, Waverly didn't hear Steve enter her room.
"We're going to New York." The captain said.
Waverly jumped at the sound of his voice.
"Clint requested you as copilot."
Waverly wasn't quite sure if her ears were working properly. "Clint? He's all right?"
Steve nodded. "Just woke up. Natasha hit him really hard in the head. He's back."
Relief washed over Waverly. "Oh thank God."
"I didn't know you could fly a jet," Steve continued. He walked further into Waverly's room and sat beside her on the bed.
"That's about the only useful thing I can do."
"Well," Steve said with a sigh, "we're going to New York to stop Loki. Are you with us?"
"Steve, I… I can't do this." Waverly tried not to cry, but her eyes welled up with tears again. "I'm not a soldier. I can't fight."
Steve didn't say anything. He just nodded and looked down. "I understand. You'll be safer up here anyway."
Waverly felt the blue eyed gaze of the soldier on her. He was still looking down at his feet, but out of the corner of his eye he was watching Waverly. He looked nervous, but Waverly wasn't sure why. War was what he was good at. Why would he be nervous?
Beside Waverly, Steve took a breath. He had never been good around women, ever. Peggy was the closest thing he had to a girlfriend. Still, after all that had happened today, he couldn't ignore the feeling wriggling around in his stomach. He had put Waverly in a very dangerous situation that the two of them barely got out of. Now, Steve was about to dive back into battle with Clint, Natasha, and Tony to defeat Loki. Before he lost his courage, Steve straightened up. He reached around Waverly and cupped his hand behind her neck. Steve leaned in gently and kissed her. She felt warm. At first, she tried to draw away, but then she leaned in and kissed Steve back. When Steve released her, she looked surprised, but in a good way.
"Wh-what was that for?"
Steve took a breath. "In case I don't come back." The soldier stood, turned, and made to leave Waverly's room. Before he vanished out the doorway, Waverly called to him.
"Steve, wait. I'll go."
