Spirit - Steve Rogers Story

- 5 -

Rei stepped off the elevator into a thriving party. People surrounded her, mingling and dancing amongst themselves. She saw people playing pool and downing drinks. It was dim lit and music was bouncing off the walls. Rei could see Bruce avoiding lamps and people. She noticed veterans mingling with a few of the Avengers, and even the woman who was across from her room when she first arrived. Rei almost lost herself amongst the crowd, unsure where to go.  She quickly reprimanded herself, wanting to find some Avenger to speak to that might listen to her. 

Rei found Clint first. Clint was lounging on the couch, a drink in his hand. Rei walked right up to him, but spoke up before her.

"Hey! Look who wandered in!" Clint said cheerfully, patting the empty seat beside her. Rei sat down, immediately smelling the alcohol off him. She turned her head away from him, trying to hide her scrunched up face. 

"Clint are you drunk already?"

"Nope! I feel pretty sober." He slurred.

Rei was unsure if Clint was the right person to speak to, but continued anyways. "Clint I think something bad is happening and we need to go fix it before it gets worse." She rushed out.

Clint stared at Rei, the gears in his head turning. A small amount of hope surged within Rei, hoping they may be able to stop whatever was coming. It was quickly crushed when Clint busted out laughing.

"Oh my god you must be more drunk than I am!" Clint leaned back in his seat before whispering to her, "Can you get me whatever your drinking?"

Rei scoffed, standing and rushing away. She found herself at the bar, desperately wanting water. She glanced to the right, noticing Tony and Thor talking to each other. A man who she came to learn was Rhodey and a woman named Maria Hill walked away laughing at whatever was just said.  

"But Jane's better." Was the snippet of conversation she heard before walking up to the two. Thor had a red jacket on while Tony had a black one on. Rei smiled at the two, attempting to calm her nerves.

"Lady Rei! You look stunning, your radiance never dulls," Thor boomed. Rei stared up at him, surprised. 

"Thank you," Rei replied softly.

"Damn my money was well spent," Tony replied, eyeing her up and down. 

She shook her head, not wanting to focus on herself.

"Listen, this is going to sound absurd. But something bad is going to happen soon and we need to solve it before it gets worse." Rei rushed out, looking at the floor. 

She glanced up, watching the two's reactions.

Thor laughed out loud, "You remind me so much of my brother Lady Rei." He became lost in his thoughts, remembering the strange pranks Loki pulled on him. Turning himself into a snake to scare Thor was the first thing that came to mind. It made him chuckle. 

Tony was laughing as well, "Did you and Rhodey plan this? Some type of prank?" He looked around, watching where Rhodey was. Tony couldn't find him, maybe hiding in some corner. 

Rei stared at the two, "No- no! This isn't a prank! This is serious!"

The two continued to laugh more, angering Rei. She quickly rushed off, attempting to control her emotions. Her anger could make bad things happen, and she didn't need any more problems.

After weaving through the party goers, Rei found Natasha and Bruce speaking. Nat seemed to be flirting with him, and Rei couldn't tell if Bruce was noticing or not. She felt terrible, knowing she was about to ruin their moment, but walked to them anyways, standing next to Bruce.