Thank you so much for reading more story! Feel free to leave me a review so I know how I'm doing :)
Nik1804: I'm glad you liked it! And I am sooooo excited to write more about Bruce. There's going to be a lot more of him in the future.
Dorie shut the restaurant door behind her. "We're all locked up," she announced.
Saniya was doubtful and had good reason to be "Did you follow the list this time?" She knew Dorie didn't because the list was perfectly folded between the candy bar and phone in her purse, but she was the kind of person to ask questions she knew the answers to.
"I don't need a dumb list to lock up correctly," Dorie scoffed. She took off down the street so Saniya had no other choice but to walk with her.
"You always forget stuff, though," she reminded her gently.
Suddenly her co-worker looked uncomfortable. "I don't forget anything. I just get distracted."
They walked in silence. Both women were too stubborn to tell the other what was bothering them, instead preferring a companionable silence which accurately described their entire relationship. Keeping quiet was much easier than talking. It was less difficult to stew in their own misery than explain it to someone else.
Dorie glanced over her shoulder. She had been doing that a lot. Saniya watched as her face slowly turned the same color as her white undershirt. Dorie ran a trembling hand through her hair. "Oh god, they're back."
Saniya turned her head. Down at the edge of the street were two men in dark clothing. The one on the left had sharp jaw lines visible from all the way at the end of the dark sidewalk. The other man had a babyface, or at least she guessed so based on the small detail she could make out in the dim streetlamps. But one physical attribute was clear: they were huge. Like, Thor huge.
"Back? Do you know those men?" she questioned.
Dorie shook her head. "No... well, yes. I mean, all I know is that they used to follow me home at night. They stopped ever since I started walking with you, but now they're back."
Saniya didn't want to push aside Dorie's worries, but she couldn't help but be a little skeptical. "Are you sure they are following us? Maybe they live in the same apartment complex as you."
Dorie picked up her pace. The two men began to walk faster as well. Saniya's heart jumped in her chest.
"I'm absolutely sure they're following us," she whimpered. "Sometimes they sit right under my window, just looking inside. They've even stood right in front of my door." Dorie clenched her fists. "They know where I live, Saniya!"
Now that was creepy. Her heart ached for Dorie. The woman was petrified. Saniya would be too if strange men followed her home at night. It was even more terrifying that they knew where she lived. Dorie was alone, just like Saniya, so the looming threat of the men was taken seriously.
Saniya took out her phone from her purse. "I'm calling the police."
Dorie nodded in a defeated sort of way.
She contemplated whether to dial 9-1-1 or the non-emergency line. While they weren't exactly in immediate danger —the men were not attacking or trying to confront them— she feared what would happen if help didn't come fast. Saniya called 9-1-1. It was better safe than sorry.
A second later, her phone buzzed as the call refused to go through. She viciously shook the piece of plastic then dialed a second time. The call failed again. Saniya could've sworn it worked that afternoon.
Plan B was to take out the pepper spray hidden underneath crumpled tissues and receipts.
She snuck a glance at Dorie. Her hands were trembling, but her jaw was set with fake confidence.
"Don't look back," Saniya advised. "Just keep walking until we get to your apartment. We need to stay calm."
Dorie gulped but nodded.
All the bravery Saniya had dissolved when the men yelled 'Hey!'. She and Dorie broke out into a sprint, resembling spooked horses during a thunderstorm. Something in her registered that the men were not chasing after them, but her brain was locked in panic mode. In a matter of seconds, they were dashing up the stairs of the apartment building. Dorie unlocked her door in record time. Saniya slammed the door shut, deadlocked it, then leaned against it for good measure.
So much for keeping calm.
She placed a steadying hand on her chest. "Do you want to come live with me for a little bit?"
"Yes, I really do," Dorie gasped out.
Both women jumped when someone knocked on the door. Saniya braved a peek through the peephole. On the other side of the door was a red-haired man wearing nothing but pajama pants and slippers. It had to be one of the neighbors. They weren't exactly quiet during their panic episode and it was almost midnight.
She figured it was safe enough to open the door for him.
Dorie stepped into the doorway. The light in her apartment hollowed out her cheeks and her frazzled hair gave her the appearance of a ghost. "Christopher?"
He gave her a heart-melting smile, but neither Saniya or Dorie noticed due to their blood still pumping at a million miles per hour. "Are you alright? Did something happen out here?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Everything's fine." Dorie moved to slam the door in his face, but his arm kept it open.
Christopher stared at Saniya. His green eyes narrowed slightly and his forehead creased in concentration. "Who are you?"
"Saniya. I work with Dorie."
Christopher held out his hand. Saniya shook it. "My name is Christopher O'Neill." He looked up and down the hallway. "You don't happen to live around here, right? I don't remember ever seeing you. But then again, I've only been here a couple weeks."
She shook her head. "Not in this building."
"Which one?"
Saniya faltered to answer a simple question. Christopher hadn't said anything wrong or super creepy, but all his words felt slimy. There was something off about him. There also were no facts to support the odd vibes, so she felt like she couldn't avoid answering him without feeling somewhat guilty.
"Just down the block a little ways," she answered. Saniya moved to close the door. "It was nice to meet you."
Christopher smiled. "You too. I hope I see you around, Saniya."
The door slammed shut without a response. Dorie quietly said something about setting up a place for her to sleep on the couch. Saniya made herself at home and brewed a new batch of coffee. After what just happened, neither of them were in the mood for sleep.
Paranoia was a virus and she just caught it from none other than Dorie Hughes. As she made the walk from Dorie's apartment back to hers for a clean uniform, she found herself looking over her shoulder and keeping one hand in her bag, ready to use the pepper spray at a moment's notice. With each step, she was on the look out for two large men.
Saniya was not proud to admit how freaked out she was. When she was passing over a small bridge, a cat ran past and her instincts kicked in. It wasn't until she was halfway to the water that she realized that there wasn't any danger. The cat passed her a second time, and it still startled her as much as the first.
And the funny thing was that the men weren't even stalking her. That alone should have calmed her nerves a little, but her mind went to dark places. The terrified child imprisoned in her cranium cried out that they memorized her face and they would stalk her because of her association with Dorie. The logical part of her brain didn't help when it agreed with the second suggestion. Stalkers did crazy things to get to their... object of obsession. Was it so far fetched to assume they would go after her too, especially after last night?
"Saniya!"
She jumped. Her eyes immediately looked for a nearby bridge.
"Saniya! It is me, Thor!"
The promise of seeing her giant friend had her turning around instead of looking for escape routes. Thor smiled and waved. So did Bruce a couple feet behind him. Saniya held back a scowl. Stupid Bruce coming to interrupt the only thing that held Thor and her's friendship together.
She plastered a smile on her lips. "What are you doing out this early? It's only eight in the morning."
Thor bounded up to her in three big steps. "My friend Bruce desired breakfast so I suggested we go to New York's Best." He casted a meaningful look towards Bruce. "It truly is the best food in all of New York. The sign tells no lies."
"I'll hold you to that," he commented. Bruce shifted on his feet. "Is this actually the way to go? I have a feeling Thor got us lost."
Saniya nodded. "It's sort of out of the way, but this is the right direction." She scratched her nose. "You know, there's a pancake house if you turn right and head straight. You might like it better there," she suggested in a vague way of keeping Thor and hers lunchtime to themselves. It was sacred, and Bruce was about to commit sacrilege.
Thor slapped her back and bellowed in laughter. She stumbled forward, almost tasting pavement. "You make me laugh! Why would we eat anywhere else when we already know the location of the best restaurant in all of New York? It would be foolish to dine anywhere else."
At least she tried.
They walked together to the restaurant. She felt much better by Thor's side. He could smash any attacker in a billion pieces by just yelling at them. Thor was the ideal bodyguard. Bruce also helped calm her nerves, just not in the same way as her blonde friend. Despite the fact that he had longer limbs than her, Saniya strongly felt that he was a slow runner. So in a worse case scenario, Bruce would be killed first and Saniya would be spared because of her superior cardiovascular strength. The perfect combination: protector and sacrifice (if needed).
"There it is!" Thor gasped. His eyes flickered from the restaurant to Bruce's face.
The building was not the cleanest or in the safest neighborhood, but she prayed that Bruce would tell Thor it looked magnificent. He would be crushed if his friend didn't approve of it.
When Bruce only stared at it with wide eyes, she slammed her heel on his foot. Thor, as usual, stayed blissfully ignorant. Bruce cleared his throat to cover up a yelp. "It looks as amazing as you described it," he complimented. His fingers moved up to his pulse point.
Thor beamed. He was practically skipping to the door. Saniya slipped in, avoiding Thor's large arms holding the door open. Dorie jerked up but relaxed when she saw Saniya. She pretended not to notice the baseball bat that sat on the counter.
"The usual?" she asked while walking backward to the kitchen.
Thor gave a cheery yes. He always ate the same thing every single day. She doubted he would mind if it was technically breakfast instead of lunch.
"And for you?" she asked Bruce.
He shook his head. "Surprise me."
Saniya purposefully ordered him the most expensive meal.
All the pent up distaste for the man disappeared within a minute of conversation. She wanted to hate him. She really did, but she found she couldn't. Bruce was too sweet. He was somewhat shy —not nearly as open as Thor— but he kept the conversation going. Something about him made her open up. Saniya loathed and loved that at the same time. Whatever reservations she had against Bruce were all in the past. In her mind, he had her blessing to join her and Thor for lunch/breakfast.
Well, maybe not to join them during their traditional meal, but any other time he was welcome.
Saniya snorted, much to her embarrassment. Her drink threatened to come out of her nose. "So, he actually saran wrapped you to your bed? I don't believe you. There's no way this Tony can do that without waking you up or running out of saran wrap. Impossible."
Bruce lightly chuckled. "It's true. I'm sure he has a picture of it somewhere if you need proof." He winced. "On second thought, I'm embarrassed enough telling that story. Showing a picture of it will be too much."
She rolled her eyes. "Come on, I showed you my senior prom picture and Thor told us about the time he was mowed over by a pig. The least you can do is prove your story really happened."
He looked up at her then back down to his empty plate. His eyes shifted as he made a split-second decision. Bruce stood up from the booth. "I'll try and see if I can find something," he groaned. "Thor, are you going to stay? I have to get back to the lab."
"Lab? You work in a lab?" she probed.
"Yes."
"So, you're a scientist. What kind?"
Bruce tilted his head. "I'm supposed to be a nuclear physicist."
Supposed to be?
Thor lounged back in the seat. "Please carry on without me. I will stay for another round of delicious waffles."
Saniya barely noticed Bruce leave as Thor instantly trapped her in a conversation about the complex process of growing strawberries. But when she did, she almost hoped he would meet them for a meal again.
Fury examined the report Agent Barton handed him. He flipped through the papers. The whole incident was tied up in a nice little bow. There were no clear loose ends, and it wasn't surprising that there were none. Agent Romanoff and Barton were thorough.
"And all this happened where in Austin?"
"The freak storm covered a distance of one block. Agent Barton already contacted an analyst to collect the names of witnesses and residents in the area. Several agents have disclosed statements to keep the press quiet," Agent Romanoff answered with her typical monotone, professional tone. "A sample of the blood is on its way to Dr. Banner for analyzing."
There was a reason why he sent two of his best agents: they always finished the job right. He leaned back in his chair. "What do you think happened, agents? Blood doesn't naturally rain from the sky, so what caused it?"
Natasha's face flickered. She spared a glance at her partner.
Clint straightened himself. "You're asking us if you think this was Loki, right?"
"That son of a bitch is locked up tight, but it wouldn't surprise me if this is his fault," Fury said. He stared at the two. "So, what do you think?"
Clint shook his head. "No, I don't think it was him. Making it rain blood for twenty minutes doesn't seem like his style."
Natasha nodded. "He enjoys causing chaos and the storm was severely anticlimactic. Something else did this." Her mouth stayed open like she had something else to add, but she remained silent.
Fury frowned. "Agent Romanoff, do you have anything else to add?"
"No, sir," she replied.
His frown morphed into a scowl. Natasha was an expert at lying, but he was a master at knowing when he was being lied to. "I do not pay you to lie to me."
Fury's harsh tone didn't even phase her. "It is just a theory, sir," she said.
Clint snorted. "It's a damn good theory, Nat." Agent Romanoff glared at her partner. Clint shrunk under the Black Widow's fury as any smart man should. "Come on, after everything we have seen, it's plausible."
Natasha sniffed. "Hardly. There are no facts to support it."
"I want to hear this theory," Fury commanded before Clint could retort. "We need something to work off of."
She sighed. "Director, you are familiar of the incidents in San Francisco and Salt Lake City, correct?"
His eyebrows furrowed from where his agent was heading. "I am," he drew out.
"I believe they are connected. The mammary glands on the male cows, the blood from the stones, and blood raining from the sky all connect to the Hindu interpretation of the end of time," she explained. "But as I said before, it is only a theory."
Clint nodded along. "It makes sense. Well, except that there are no other incidents like these anywhere else in the world. If it was the end of the world, you would think it would be happening everywhere."
Fury placed the papers into a neat pile. He pointed to Agent Romanoff. "Theory or not, I expect some experts on the Hindu faith here within the week. It won't hurt to look into this."
"That can be arranged."
The two agents left the room, leaving Fury to his thoughts. After everything he had learned about Asgard and gods, he should not have been surprised about Agent Romanoff's theory. After all, if there were Norse gods, how far of a stretch were Hindu deities?
But in all honesty, he hoped there weren't any more hidden gods. That would be too much paperwork.