Survivor's Guilt ~ A Marvel Story

~20~

I quickly pulled on my armor, shedding the silk dress. I felt comfortable in my armor. It was a true piece of myself.

The white chest plate with golden streaks down the sides. Protection runes were written on the back and the sheer golden cape flowed down my back. I threw my thick hair into a tight braid. Just as I finished the last strand, Thor walked into my room.

Anger was written all over his face. "Thor-" I went to calm him.

"They lied to me. To us. They're keeping things, weapons, from us." I nodded, understanding where he was coming from. "Follow me."

I wasn't in a place to argue so I hurried after his long strides.

He barged into the office where the group was meeting. Everyone else was in normal clothes but I wasn't uncomfortable being in the armor I walked around the castle in most days.

Shouts toward my brother rang out as he approached Tony and grabbed him by the neck.

"Come on, use your words, buddy," I heard Tony gasp out, his hands clasped on Thor's wrists.

"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark."

"Thor," Steve scolds. "The Legionnaire?" 

Thor dropped Tony but didn't let his eyes leave him. "The trail went cold about 100 miles out, but it's headed North. And it has the scepter."

Loki's scepter. Fear settled in me. I knew what that scepter was capable of. Where that scepter came from. My thoughts went back to Thanos. I wondered what he was doing now without the Tesseract or the scepter. 

"Now we have to retrieve it, again," Thor spat.

"Genie's out of that bottle," Natasha said. "Clear and present is Ultron."

The group began to argue and I stood silently in the corner, my arms crossed over my armor, leaning into my hip. Most of the argument was perpetrated towards Tony.

"Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?" He says fervently, trying to get some heat off his back. "Saved New York?" Sarcastic "no's" scattered through the group and I stiffened. "Recall that? A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. Created by her, might I add-"

He pointed a finger toward me and Thor stepped between us. "This does not concern my sister. She just saved your ass, might I add," He mocked in his Asgardian accent and a smile spread across my lips.

Stark rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We're standing 300 feet below it." Nobody spoke, wondering where he was going. "We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the livelong day but that up there... that's... that's the endgame." His gaze shot towards Thor. "How were you guys planning on beating that?"

"Together," Steve said firmly and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

"We'll lose," Tony said.

"Then we'll do that together too." They stared at each other for a long second before Steve spoke again. "Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller."

--

The group shuffled through paper files on a man named Strucker a day later. Ultron had murdered him and painted his blood on a wall. Peace. 

I laughed at the irony, so similar to my own in New York. It was strange looking back at that girl. Three years had passed but it felt so soon. So much had happened through those years and I was a shell of the girl I once was. Weak. Especially without my ring. Tiredness has begun to creep over me after using all that power at the party.