The Princess

T W E L E V E

"We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. Alicia is gone, I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming."

I glance over to Natasha and Steve, I try to stop my heart from going through my chest. She knew what would happen, she warned us and we didn't listen. Now she has to pay the price for it.

"Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes."

I get up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. Alicia and the Agent are collateral damage. She tried to kiss me, I was going to let her. I'm with Pepper but I still wanted her to kiss me, why didn't I protect her.
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Natasha's POV
Barton is strapped down. I watch over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control.

"Clint, you're gonna be alright."

"You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out."

"We don't have that long, it's gonna take time."

"I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?

"You know that I do."

"Why am I back? How did you get him out?

"Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head."

"Thanks."

I unfastens the restraints, he looks at me.

"Tasha, how many agents?"

"Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for."

"Loki, he got away?"

NATASHA: Yeah. He has Alicia and he's going to use her to power the tesseract and scepter.
I don't suppose you know where?"

"I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today."

"We gotta stop him."

"Yeah? Who's we?"

"I don't know. Whoever's left."

"Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose."

"Now you sound like you."

I sit down beside him, he looks at me.

"But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you?"

"He didn't, I just..."

"Natasha."

"I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out."