"Oh. Kaaay."
Jak cringed as she listened to her dance partner finish his appallingly racist tirade. She'd heard worse decades ago and it had been evil then. Now, in a time when people were expected to be better educated, she was doubly shocked and sickened. Despite her best efforts to placate her father's associates, she couldn't muster a single polite thing to say to the man and breathed a sigh of relief when the dance ended a moment later.
"You really are a beautiful dancer," the man told her with a bow, "I hope I get to see more of you soon. I'll talk to your father about setting up a date."
"I don't think that's necessary," she wrenched her hand out of his, leaving him with a surprised face and made her way back to her father. He smiled at her.
"What did you think?"
"Please, Father, do not make me pursue that one," she shivered at the thought.
"Whatever you wish, darling daughter," he chucked her chin, "You told me before that you were displeased with my previous selection of potential husbands. We shall find you one that you like. A treat for your obedience."
"Thank you," she whispered, knowing that he would, in the end, get the final say in any husband she "chose".
"This charming fellow is next," Uriah steered her toward an attractive boy with blonde curls. He had an aloof look about him, but Jak reminded herself that she only had to dance with him long enough to make it look like he stepped on her dress. She curtsied and he all but dragged her to the dance floor.
"I hear you've just finished with your schooling," he commented as a tango started. "I admire an educated woman."
Jak did her best not to recoil as he pulled her close to him and then slowly moved to the music. She hated the tango. Probably because she'd never had a partner who didn't try to touch her in an inappropriate manner before. As this man's hand slowly caressed her bare back instead of resting where it was supposed to, she added him to the mental list of disgusting men she'd danced with over the centuries.
"Yes, I studied history," she told him, "Have you been to school?"
"Oxford," he chuckled, "I studied Experimental Psychology. Great fun."
"How interesting."
"You aren't going to ask me to analyze you?" His fingers played piano on her spinal column, "Every girl who learns I studied psych wants me to analyze them."
"No, thank you-"
"You're scared," he decided, "I can feel how fast your heartbeat is with our chests together like this. And you're trying not to show how much you like it when I touch you. Don't worry, I won't tell your old man… it'll be our secret."
Jak sent a "save me" look to Bucky and he took a step toward them, but was waylaid by a blonde woman stepping in front of him. The convenient thing about the Winter Soldier, however, was that he did not have to conform to the rules of polite society and he simply pushed the woman away and continued toward Jak.
She discreetly shot a bolt of magic toward the hem of her dress and moved it under the Oxford boy's foot. He trod on it and tore it. He stopped dancing and backed up to examine the damage.
"Oh no," Jak tsked, "I need to take care of this, excuse me."
"You can't just ask Uriah to magic it up for you?" The young man protested, "We aren't finished with our dance yet."
"Sorry buddy," Bucky pushed the nuisance out of the way and offered his arm to Jak, "You're not on her dance card anymore. Move on or you'll be moved."
Confronted with the imposing figure of the feared Winter Soldier, the boy nodded and hurried off before he had a chance to find out what Bucky would do to move him.
"I'll be right back," Jak assured her father as she passed him, "I'll just take care of this and powder my nose and then be right back on the dance floor with the next charming young man. Please have him ready for me."
"Do hurry, Jessica, there seems to be quite a line forming," he father said in a tone that might sound teasing to anyone else, but sounded like a threat to her.
"Wait!" A voice roared over the crowd, "No one go anywhere just yet. I have an announcement to make."
All eyes turned to where a man stood on the refreshments table. He was the green eyed fellow who had been staring at her earlier and she stopped walking to look at him even as Bucky tried to pull her along.
"I don't know what this guy is on, but this is our only chance," he whispered, "We've got to keep going."
Jak nodded, but when they looked toward their escape route, it was barricaded with green magic. Her head began to pound as it tried to remember events that her father had taken away. She knew that magic. She knew the voice speaking. She knew the eyes of the man on the table, but the pressure in her head wouldn't let her place him.
"It has recently come to my attention that Hydra is loyal to Loki, God of Asgard, Rightful King of Jotunheim and Midgard. Is this true?"
There were quiet murmurs amongst the crowd and several men began making their way toward the table, probably looking to get this crazy man under control. Jak looked at her father and saw his jaw tick as he glared daggers.
"I asked you a question," the man on the table roared, "Is your loyalty to me?!"
A green shimmer passed over the man and suddenly he looked taller and more intimidating. He had intricate leather and gold armor and glossy black hair under a golden, horned helmet. A wave of magic emanated off of him and ruffled the formal wear of the people nearest him. Several members of the crowd fell to their knees or started cheering. Uriah's fists were on fire and the blaze licked up his jacket sleeves.
"I have decided to gauge your fidelity tonight, Hydra, by walking among you… I must say, I am not impressed," Loki sneered at them and Jak's mind felt like it was being rolled in shards of glass. Her eyes prickled and her nose began to drip blood, but the memories remained locked away.
"You come together tonight to pat yourselves on the back over some bird," Loki scoffed, "Knowing full well that the real bird among you is Uriah Fenice. And not even a bird of prey at that, no. Uriah Fenice is a chicken! A common barnyard fowl! A hen pecking at pebbles when the throne is ripe for the taking. For my taking."
"Shit, what the hell is he even doing?" Bucky muttered, "I thought he was working with the Avengers now."
"I don't know," Jak wrapped her arms around herself, "But I don't want to stick around to find out. Let me see if I can do anything to this barrier."
She began poking at it with her own magic, but could not find any weak points. Frantically trying again, she considered alternative options. They could go out the window, she supposed, but she wasn't sure that her magic could carry them safely to the ground. The elevator was not barricaded, but it was on the other side of the room. To get to it they would have to walk right past Loki and that did not seem like the best idea, all things considered.
She looked over her shoulder and saw her father approaching the table, still flaming. If Loki didn't calm things down, the whole building might go up in smoke along with everyone in it. Her father had always had a penchant for arson.
"Can we punch a hole through the wall?" She wondered to Bucky, "Bypass the door barrier?"
"I can try, but it'll be loud. Let's see what Uriah does and if it distracts Loki enough for him to release this barrier."
"Loki, God of Lies," Uriah called out, stepping onto the table to be at eye level with his opponent, "I thank you for gracing my little soiree with your presence tonight. Truly it is an honor to have the brother of an Avenger here tonight."
More murmurs went through the crowd, less approving than before.
"If you were hoping for Thor, I'm afraid he's quite incapacitated," Loki pouted apologetically, "Along with the rest of those fools he calls allies. You didn't really think I was 'reformed', did you?"
"What brings you here tonight?" Uriah persisted.
"I've come to raise up my army of valkyries," Loki gestured to the crowd.
"I fear I have trouble believing you," Uriah turned to his audience and pressed a hand to his heart, "Especially knowing that you may have machinations for my own daughter."
Whispers spread through the crowd like fire in dry grass. A few people looked at Jak and she flinched, doing her best to not draw attention. Bucky moved between her and Loki's line of sight. It didn't stop her from seeing his wicked grin.
"A god deserves a virginal sacrifice now and again, don't you think?"
She squeezed her eyes closed and pressed her hand to Bucky's back to assure herself that he was there.
"Are you a…?" He asked.
"That is so not important now," she snapped, but he had briefly stopped her fear with his stupid question. It was long enough to remind her that Loki and her father were not the only ones who could fight with magic. She could defend herself if the need arose.
"What do you want with my daughter?" Uriah asked.
"Tonight? A dance and nothing more," Loki replied magnanimously. "After that, you and I shall meet and discuss our plans for this realm. I will need you, Uriah, as one of my generals as we conquer earth!"
A cheer went up.
"He wants to dance with me?" Jak shook her head. "No. I've had enough egotistical dance partners tonight. Punch the wall."
Bucky slammed his metal fist into the drywall and made a hole big enough for them to fit through. A cry sounded at the loud noise, but no one was fast enough to stop them as they slipped through the crack and sprinted for the stairs. Jak used magic to change her clothes as she ran, ditching the purple evening gown for functional black cargo pants and a black shirt. She swapped her delicate heels for boots and enchanted her hair into a ponytail, letting it regain its natural pink color. She changed Bucky's outfit to something similar, basically copying what he wore as the Winter Soldier, but with less leather.
"Hey, crazy idea," he said as they hurried down flights of stairs, "How many stories down do you think we have to get before we can safely jump?"
"Uh…" she panted, "How many have you jumped down before?"
"Five."
"I don't think my bones will handle that very well."
"You're probably right," he looked down the middle of the staircase. It was not as tall as some of the buildings in New York, but it was quite a ways to go. However, when they got down to five stories up, he swept her into his arms and leapt over the railing.
"Shitshitshitshitshit!" Jak screamed as they fell. He hit the ground and rolled with her forward. It didn't hurt nearly as much as she thought it would, but she'd certainly have bruises in the morning.
"Hey, friends, let's take this nice and slow," a familiar voice said when they entered the building lobby.
Jak looked up to see a man in a ridiculous gold suit. He had his hands up like he was trying to tame wild animals. Not waiting to find out what he wanted, Jak used her magic to fling him across the room. He hit a potted plant with a groan. Jak ignored him, took Bucky's hand and ran for the exit.
They stopped at the valet's stand and Bucky shoved the valet to the ground before grabbing a set of keys at random. He pushed a button on the fob and then they ran for the car that's headlights flashed at them.
Glass shattered from behind them and when Jak looked back her father was flying from the ballroom. The flames on his hands had become fiery wings that stretched out twice his body length as he flapped.
"What the actual-"
"Buck!" A new voice called as a man with an unfortunate face hurried toward them. Green magic fizzled around his features and he became Captain America.
"The Avengers are here too?!" Jak yelped, "Maybe we should go with-"
"It could be a trick. We're not stopping until we're not being followed anymore. We can touch base with the Avengers after we're safe," Bucky replied, fear filling his face at seeing his best friend approaching them. Or maybe at the flaming man-bird descending out of the sky.
"Jessica!" Her father screeched, "Get back here this instant!"
"Get in the car," Bucky shoved her inside the nearest door, which happened to be the driver's seat. He pressed the keys into her hand and jumped in the back. "Drive. I'll cover our six."
He took a gun out of a holster on his back and smashed out the rear window with his metal hand. He began firing at Uriah as Jak hit the gas and sped out of the parking lot. She hadn't driven anything faster than a riding floor burnisher in a few years, but she'd been driving for a long time and had, on occasion, driven a getaway car. Her mother was involved with a crime ring in the 1980s and there had been a few bank robberies and drive-by shootings they'd been involved in.
"Did you hit him?" She asked, speeding around a corner.
"I think so, but he's still coming," Bucky fired again, "Don't stop until I say so."
"I wasn't planning on it," she ground out, "Since when can he fly?!"
"This is a new thing?"
"I've never seen him do it before!" Jak took another hasty turn and Bucky rolled across the backseat before straightening up and shooting Uriah again. When Jak looked in the rearview, she saw her father dip toward the ground, but he got back up again.
"Whatever Loki was doing made him really mad. Maybe if he gets mad he turns into a bird? Kinda like that big green doctor?"
"You think my dad hulks out and becomes Demon Big Bird?!"
"I mean, maybe! The world has always been weird, but it seems like this past decade has been above average amounts of crazy."
"What was Loki even doing?" Jak asked. The Asgardian had been haunting her damaged mind from the moment he'd revealed himself and she needed to know why someone so evil kept popping into her head with the words elskan mín attached to his voice.
"I don't know and at the moment I don't really care. At least he's not following us," Bucky fired again and missed. "How okay are you with me killing your dad?"
"I thought he was dead before, I don't care if he dies again," she ran a red light and narrowly avoided getting hit by a semi. Distantly, she heard sirens.
"Good. I'm going to try shooting him in the face, but I'm going to need you to keep us in a straight line and hold it steady, can you do that?"
"Give me a second to get on a better road," she peeled onto a long stretch of freeway. She slowed the vehicle slightly to allow her father to get closer to them and make Bucky's shot easier.
He fired.
There was a yelp.
The flames in the rearview extinguished.
Uriah fell to the ground and was hit by the car behind them. Jak sped up again and exited the freeway as soon as she could. After several more twists and turns to ensure they were hidden, Bucky began directing her to an abandoned SHIELD safehouse he remembered. Jak did her best to stop her hands from shaking, but couldn't manage it.
When they went inside, she collapsed into a ball on the ground and tucked her quivering hands under her arms and took deep breaths. Bucky dropped to the floor with her and pulled her to him, resting his chin on her head.
"Hey, we did it," his voice cracked slightly, "We're out of there."
"We're out of there," she repeated.
"We're free."
"Free."
"And your dad is roadkill. He won't come after us again, alright?"
"Alright," she nodded, but she didn't believe for a second that Uriah Fenice was dead. After all, she'd learned some Italian when they'd lived in Europe. She knew what her father's chosen last name meant, she just hadn't realized quite how literal he'd meant for it to be until she saw his wings.
A note from the author: Thank you so much to the four of you who reviewed! The reviews did go through, so that's good! It seems like FF is having a problem with my email address. I'm still working on getting that figured out, but it doesn't seem to be affecting the chapters getting published or the reader feedback. Anyway! Thank you for reading, I'm so glad to hear that folks are still enjoying this story. I was hoping to be more frequent with my updates, but life has gotten busy.
Hopefully it won't be too long until I post the next chapter, thanks for sticking with me this long!