Aspects of Hope

// chapter thirteen //

"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." - Terry Pratchett from "A Hat Full of Sky"

Chapter 13

New York City, 2012

Charity

The wind whipped my hair around and engulfed me in its bitter embrace. I felt that odd feeling of my stomach dropping as I neared closer to the ground. With my fingers spread out wide, I did my absolute best to ease my drop, but I soon found that my attempts were useless as I continued to plummet to my death.

I thought about Loki as I stared up at the sky. Faintly, I could spot a small dot that leaned over the edge of Stark Tower. I could hear the screaming, but it was not my own. I was too afraid to scream. It was like the pavement couldn't come soon enough, but I never felt the impact, and the screaming stopped.

Instead of falling down now, I was being carried across the sky. I could feel the arms and muscle that was wrapped around me now. I could smell the faint scent of rubble and dirt, and saw the bright red that flowed behind.

"Thor!"

I was set down in an alleyway near a trash bin. As I caught my breath, Thor landed in front of me, staring at me as if I were insane. But I guess I kind of was.

"What are you doing?" he shouted at me, as if he were angry with me, but I knew it was nothing but concern.

"I was-" I stopped, not finding a reasonable way to explain my actions. "Never mind, Thor. Can you get me to Captain?"

Without another word and a nod, he wrapped his arm around me again and flew off.

When he dropped me, I stared at what seemed to be a large cloud of blackness that continued to grow in size. I could hear screams of anguish that sounded female, and it made me shudder. I wasn't entirely sure what it was, but I knew it was bad.

"Charity!" the voice of Steve pulled me away from the darkness, and I looked over to see him running towards me in a panic. "What are you doing? Your orders-"

"I know what my orders are, Rogers," I snapped, talking over the sounds of screaming and buildings falling apart. "But I don't care about them because I'm helping you. Don't you dare try to get me to leave because I won't."

He glared at me, but never put up a fight with me. Turning back to the dark cloud, he said, "Shay's in there. It's her."

"That cloud is her?" I asked him, receiving a nod. "But how?"

"It's a long story," he said, "but she can't stop it. That's going to spread."

It looked like it was the first time Steve didn't know what to do. At any other point in time, I would have laughed at this, considering that Steve always gives out commands and such. But right now, this is the moment I needed him most, because I was lost, and extremely scared.

Chitari flew by and into the dark cloud, but never came out. They didn't come out?!

What just happened?

Kennedy, who was as pale as a sheet of paper, ran up to us. Panting, she choked out, "Shay can't control this. Something else is inside her, and it won't stop until it gets what it wants."

"What does it want?"

"Shay dead."

Steve shut up completely the second the words slipped from Kennedy's lips. I thought hard. I didn't know my options, but I had to do something.