Billionaire's Daughter #1 (The Avengers)

Chapter 9: Intentions of a Pychotic Asguardian

I didn’t want the Hellacarrier nurses to put me under. I wasn’t about to black out when Coulson had given his life trying to stop the one thing that was tearing us apart. I sat on the hospital bed wanting to be anywhere but here. The nurses had offered to take out the bullets. But to be honest, I wanted to be anywhere but here. So I took them out myself, but by the time I did take them out, I had lost half a pint of blood, and an hour had passed. As I pulled out the last bullet I watched it clink into the kidney dish. I heard the door of the room open, but I didn’t look up to see who it was.

He sat next to me and watched me over one of the bullet wounds with betadine.

‘Are you okay?’ Tony asked tenderly.

‘If you count excruciating pain, okay’ I said, dabbing the arm wound lightly. I bit my lip, it was like my forearm was being zapped with a thousand tiny white hot needles. But the pain raced through my entire body causing the wound in my shoulder to throb even more.

‘I’m just glad you’re not too badly hurt’ Tony said, with a small laugh.

‘Yeah, so am I’ I dipped the cotton ball into the betadine but my arm refused to lift any higher to get to my shoulder. I drew blood with the pressure of my teeth on my lip.

‘Here let me’ Tony took the cotton ball and started covering the area with the stuff.

‘Naveen’ Tony said delicately. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked. I was pretty surprised by this.

‘What do you mean?’ I inquired. He gave me a look like he knew I was smart enough to figure out what he was asking.

‘Well, with Loki and everything. It’s just such a huge change for you. You’ve never really had to face something this extreme before’ he stalled on “extreme” looking for a word.

‘Well to be honest. I don’t mind. I mean if I can handle an ex-boyfriend, I think I can do this. Besides it’ll be good not to be so bored all the time’

‘I wish I could say that’ Tony reached for the bandages.

‘Why would you? If I was Ironman, I would be out every day’ Tony just laughed. He started to wrap the wounds carefully.

‘Well, I’m not sure if joining the Avengers is going to stop you being bored’ I stood up and flexed my arm.

‘Well if it’s anything like this, I’m not worried’ He gave me a smile. I turned my head to the door as it opened again. It was Agent Hill.

‘Director Fury wants you present on the bridge’ Tony and I followed her out.

No sound was heard on the bridge, except for the tap of keys and the bip of buttons. Steve was already seated. Tony sat down and I stood up a little way away from Hill. Fury took something out of his jacket pocket.

‘These were in Phil Coulson’s jacket’ Steve wasn’t looking at anyone, only at the clear glass table.

‘Guess he never did get you to sign them’ Fury threw the Captain America cards infront of Steve. Blood splattered the glass. I closed my eyes, and let the few tears flow down my cheeks. Steve picked up the card but through it back again in despair.

‘We’re dead up in the air here. Our communications, location of the cube. Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming’ I let out a long breath.

‘Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tessaract. But I never put all my chips on that number because I was planning something even riskier’ I gave an attempt at a smile.

‘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 fight the battles that we never could’ Then Fury looked to Tony, who didn’t want to even look at me.

‘Phil Coulson died, still believing in that idea. In heroes’ Tony stood up very abruptly, and left in a huff.

‘Well it’s an old fashioned notion’

I followed my Dad to the hanger where Loki had escaped and where Coulson died. I looked at the air vent a stream of dry blood made it way to the floor. My jaw tightened, but I dare not cry, not here and not now. I heard more steps and saw Steve standing there.

‘Was he married?’ he asked solemnly.

‘No. There was a …uh, cellist I think’ Tony said in his usual tone.

‘Sorry he seemed like a good man’ Rogers said kindly. I smiled knowing that indeed he was.

‘He was an idiot’ Tony mocked.

‘Why? For believing?’ Steve snapped.

‘For taking on Loki alone’ Tony answered.

‘What else was he supposed to do?’ I said in his defence.

‘He was doing his job’ Steve confirmed.

‘He was out of his league. He should have waited’ Tony began to walk away. Never thought I’d say that. He is Mr. Punchline he can’t walk away from an argument without having his last say. But I suppose the situation at hand proved that theory wrong.

‘Sometimes there isn’t a way out Tony’ Steve said, forcing him to come back.

‘Right. I’ve heard that one before’

‘Is this is first time you’ve lost a soldier?’ Steve asked.

‘We are not soldiers!’ Tony turned. Both me and the Captain could tell Tony was very distressed.

‘I’m not marching in Fury’s fife’

‘No one is Dad’ I said quietly.

‘Neither am I. But he’s got the same blood on his hands that Loki does. But right now we’ve got to put that behind us and get this done.’ Steve started off.

‘Now Loki needs a power source. If he can make a list-‘

‘He made it personal’ Tony interrupted.

‘That’s not the point’ Steve interjected.

‘That’s the point. That’s Loki’s point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?’

‘To tear us apart’ Steve hurried. I looked at my Dad confused. Was he onto something?

‘Yeah divide and conquer is, great, but he know he has to take us out to do win right? That what he wants! He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience’ Tony continued. It was true Loki was someone who wanted the attention all on him, good or bad.

‘Right, like his act in Stuttgart’ Steve offered.

‘Yeah, but that just previous. This is opening night, and Loki he’s a full tailed diva’ I realised what he was saying. If he didn’t have people watching him, it was all for nought.

‘He wants flowers, he wants parades he wants a monument built to the sky’s with his name plastered-‘ Tony stopped, Steve dropped his jaw and I just let out a laugh.

‘Son of a bitch’