The Soldier and His Girl. (Steve Rogers Love Story)

Chapter Five: Loki

"Are you sure about this?" Steve asked, his voice steady yet tinged with concern as we both looked down at the empty night sky below, the cool wind whipping around us. We stood at the open hatch of the Quinjet, the city lights twinkling beneath us like scattered stars. Loki was down there, somewhere, likely stirring up chaos.

"Oh, for sure," I replied sarcastically, peering into the dark void. "So, your plan is to just..." I mimicked jumping out, raising an eyebrow at him.

Steve clutched his red, white, and blue shield closer, his expression a mix of confusion and determination. "That's the plan. Agent Romanoff will lower us a bit closer first," he confirmed with a resolute nod.

I folded my arms, giving him a playful smile. "Yeah, no, I got this." I turned back to the night, feeling the anticipation building.

Steve made his way to the front of the Quinjet, conversing with Agent Romanoff as they coordinated our descent. Moments later, the Quinjet hovered over a mass of people below, all kneeling before four Lokis. In the midst of the crowd stood a lone elderly man, defiantly refusing to bow to Loki's madness.

"Look to your elder, people. Let him be an example," Loki declared, raising his scepter menacingly.

I glanced at Steve, our eyes locking. "Now?" I asked, positioning my hands to create an ice path down to the ground.

"Now," Steve commanded, leaping out first, his shield leading the way.

I jumped after him, the wind roaring in my ears. With a swift motion, I created an ice path beneath me, gliding down gracefully. I watched as Loki aimed his scepter at the elderly man, a blast of energy hurtling towards him. Steve blocked it just in time, landing on a car with a thud and deflecting the blast with his shield. The crowd gasped, their whispers filling the air as I descended.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing," Steve said, straightening up and stepping down from the car, moving towards me.

Loki's glare was as cold as ice, directed at Steve and me. "Ahh, the woman with the frozen heart," he sneered at me before turning to Steve. "The soldier. A man out of time."

Steve's grip tightened on his shield. "I'm not the one who's out of time," he retorted, his voice steely.

"Give it up, Loki. This ends now," I said firmly, my fists at my sides, cold mist swirling around them. "This is over."

Loki glanced at the Quinjet above, its machine gun aimed at him. "Loki, drop the weapon and stand down," Agent Romanoff's voice commanded over the speaker.

Without hesitation, Loki shot a blast of blue energy at the Quinjet. I watched in shock as the blast surged towards the aircraft, then turned my focus back to Loki. I released a stream of ice from my hands, hitting him square in the chest and sending him flying. Steve threw his shield, knocking Loki down again as he tried to rise.

Steve charged at Loki, but the trickster was quick, using his scepter to flip Steve. I searched for an opening, any chance to strike without harming Steve. Loki disarmed Steve, pressing the scepter to his helmet.

"Kneel!" Loki screamed.

I skated across the ice path I created, circling around Loki. "Not today!" I shouted, blasting him with ice and giving Steve a moment to recover his shield. Steve retaliated, but Loki countered with a powerful blow, sending Steve flying and aiming at me. I summoned an ice shield, blocking the blast just in time.

With a yell, I saw Steve pinned to the ground by Loki's staff. I lunged forward, my hands erupting with cold energy. The ice shards flew from my fingertips, hitting Loki and sending him sprawling. Steve rolled away, meeting my eyes with a determined look.