Perfect Storm I Loki

Eighteen

The jet was supposed to bring her to D.C. Washington.

That was what she was told. But Tony had told her to go back to the compound, to call Steve. So, going to the capital would not be it.

"Change our course," she said calmly from her seat when they crossed the Atlantic.

The agent standing next to the pilot turned to her with a confused look. "Those were not out orders,"

"Look," she breathed out and gave out a wicked smile, "I do not care about your orders. We can do this one of two ways. The easy way, in which you bring me where I tell you to. Second, I become the threat you think I am,"

She had been forced to the edge in every way imaginable that she was seconds away from breaking apart.

The agent gulped and shared a quick glance with the pilot. "I hardly think any of you care about protocol when the fate of the universe is at hand," she continued, slowly getting up from her seat. Ross had told her to get on the jet but never specified where she needed to go.

To her surprise, weapons weren't aimed at her. "Where to?" the pilot asked.

"Avengers Compound," she replied.

It felt weird to call the building that, no one called it by that name in a long time. It was simply referred to as the Compound in the last years. But Tony told her to call Steve and that changed things.

When the jet landed, Rhodey had rushed out. "Wilson, what are you doing here?"

"We don't have time, I need to get into Tony's office,"

"What? Wait, something else--"

"Rhodey, didn't you hear me telling you we don't have the time right now?" she asked as they got inside and were hurrying.

They stepped inside the main room and Layla came to a halt. "Tony called and I-"

She blinked for a couple of times, trying to register whether she was hallucinating or not. Bruce Banner was standing in the middle of the room. "Bruce?"

"Hey," he said, clearly distraught.

She swallowed by force. "You... you're here," she managed to say out loud.

He nodded. "Yeah, I, I just got here,"

"Alone?" she asked, afraid to hear the answer. They had left days ago, there had been no communication between them in those days. And Banner was here now, as Banner, and alone.

Banner lowered his gaze. "No," she whispered. He didn't need to say it out loud, she knew what had happened. Thor was dead.

"What, uh, what happened?" she asked.

Banner looked at her again. "We can talk about that, later. We need to call Steve, Tony told me he had a phone here somewhere,"

"You saw him?" Layla asked.

"Okay, can one of you explain to me why Tony told you to call him? What am I missing here?" Rhodey questioned.

Layla licked her lips. "Uh, I, I'll go call him and you explain," she said to Banner. He nodded. She then turned to Rhodey. "Can you give me the clearance to get to Tony's office?"

Rhodey let out a long breath and then grabbed a tablet. He pressed a few things. He looked up at her when he was done. "All clear," he murmured.

She nodded her head at him and started walking. She heard Banner explaining Thanos and everything that was happening, that was coming to Earth, that had already come to their doorstep.