LIFE WAS BETTER OFF THE GRID || 1

Agent Blue Renegade

"Iridium, what did they need the Iridium for?" Banner asks. Yay! It's time for my dramatic entrance. "It's a stabilizing agent." I say walking in with Coulson. I turn to him. "I'll fly you there. Keep the love alive. Tell her that Nova said hi." I turn my attention back to Natasha, Banner, Steve, Thor, and Tony Stark. "Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD." I now turn to Thor. "How you doin Agent Hammer." I return my attention to the matter at large. "Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants. Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship the top sails. That man is playing GALAGA! Thought we wouldn't notice. But we did. God, I've missed this."

"The rest of the raw materials, Agent Pigeonfart can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube." I say. "When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Maria asks surprised. "Last night." I answer. "I'm sorry, who are you?" Stark asks. I smile. "I'm glad you asked. I am Agent Avianne Romanova aka The Blue Renegade. A level ten S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who went off the grid for five years after Miss Romanoff over there out a bullet in my head. And Pigeonfart is Francis." I turn to Maria. "That about sums it up."

"You died." Natasha growled. "Ugh." I roll my eyes. "I told you this would happen, Coulson. Look, Natalia." I start. "Don't call me that." She snaps. "Fine, Natasha. We both went to Red Room. We both know how to listen. If you wanna act like Francis, read my lips. I. Didn't. Die. See simple. Now let's continue."

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Speaks up after a moment. "He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." Banner says. "Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect." Tony adds. "Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor in the world."

"Finally, someone who speaks English!" Tony exclaims. Tony and Banner shake hands. A glimmer in their eyes shines as the mutual respect for each other shows. "It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster." Tony says and I mentally face palm. Peggy would get a kick out of this. "Thanks."

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him. And, Agent Romanova, did you get the dramatic effect you wanted?" Fury asks me. "Yes I did." I say with a smirk. "Let's start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon." Steve comments. "I Don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn my best friend and the sharpest person I know into his personal flying monkeys." I state.

"Monkeys? I do not understand." Thor says confused. "I do! I understood that reference." Tony rolls his eyes, while Cap looks proud of himself. "Shall we play, doctor?" Tony says. "Let's play some." Banner and Stark exit the room. "Agent Romanova, Agent Romanoff, I'm gonna let you guys talk." Coulson says and motions his hand to the corridor to an empty lab. I roll my eyes. "Just make sure she doesn't shoot me. I'm not going back to Tahiti." He nods and I storm to the lab, Natasha following after sending Coulson a glare.

"Who the hell are you? An actress? A spy?" She asks once we're alone. "Like I said, Natalia. I'm Avianne. I know I look different from a decade ago. I was fifteen then. I changed my hair and I got colored contacts. And we both know damn well that I could fit either of those descriptions." I say trying to keep my cool. "And like I said. Don't call me Natalia." She replies through gritted teeth.

"Yes, but who else knows your real, full name? Other than your twin?" I ask. "Red Room." She answers. "That's true. They know that your true name is Natalia Alianovna Romanova and that mine is Avianne Lovanovna Romanova. They know who our father is. But there are things Red Room didn't know. Things that I only told you, and things that you only told me." She rolled her eyes. "Like what?"

"Like that I know you didn't mean to shoot me." I say. She tenses. "You thought Red Room sent me, a look alike to kill you. You thought they were messing with your brain. That you saw me die in the bomb in Europe. But I didn't die. Not in Sokovia. Not in Budapest. I made the call to not kill you, not Clint. Because from what told him about my past. About us. He knew how much you meant to me. So when you shot me, he didn't shoot you. You wanna know the last thing that I said to him was?" No answer. "I said, 'trust her.' But God didn't end it for me there. So here I am."

"I never told anyone that." Her voice almost cracks. Her features soften, then they harden again. "Does Clint know? That you're alive?" She questions. "No." I said simply. "I helped deliver his kid, got his wife off the grid, and taught him to do basic Russian Sign Language." I say. "But no, he doesn't know I'm alive."

"Then we need to go get him back." She says. I give her a smile and leave the lab. I had an interrogation to get to.

~

"There's not many people that can sneak up on me." Loki says turning around. "But you figured I'd come." I say. Well, he looks surprised. "After. After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, as a balm. And I would cooperate. The girl from the dead." He replies. "I wanna know what you've done to Agent Barton."

"I'd say I've expanded his mind." He says smoothly. "And once you've won. Once you're king of the mountain. What happens to his mind?" I ask. "Is this love, Agent Romanova?" Is he really going there? " Love is for children. I owe him a debt." He sits down. "Tell me." I pull up a chair. "Before I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. I uh... I made a name for myself. I have a very specific skill set. I didn't care what I used it for, or on. I got on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar in a bad way. Two counts of assassination." I let out a small smile. "Agent Barton was sent by a higher up to kill me. A not so defenseless teenager. But he made a different call and brought me here." He purses his lips. "Just as your sister." I let out a snort. "Ah, no. Natalia was my call."

"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?" He asks. "Not let you out." I reply. Loki laughs. "Ah, no. But I like this. Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man?" "Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian... or was." I correct myself. "What is it you want?" He asks. "It's really not that complicated. I've got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out." I answer.

"Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Drakov's daughter?" I take in a sharp breath. "São Paulo? The Hospital Fire? The bomb? Budapest? Sokovia? Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, it's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything?" He stand angry. "This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer... pathetic! You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away!" He slams his fist on the glass making me flinch.

" I won't touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you! Slowly. Intimately. In every way he knows you fear! And when he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I'll split his skull! This is my bargain, you mewling quim!" I turn around, walking away from Loki, trying to catch my breath. "You're a monster." I say barely above a whisper. "No, you brought the monster."

I turn around poised. "So, Banner... that's your play." Loki is confused. "What?" I start to walk away. "Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab. I'm on my way. Send Thor and Romanoff." I turn around. "Thank you for your cooperation. And Loki, no matter what your golden stick of destiny did, Agent Pigeonfart would never kill me." I walk out leaving Loki frozen.