Throughout the rest of the next couple days, all that anyone has been talking about was the Battle of New York. News stations have been grabbing people off the streets of Manhattan, begging them to retell their stories of what they saw during the battle.
One woman in particular has had every station on her back since she was saved by Captain America from the bank. People keep asking her if she thinks the Avengers should be responsible for the damage done to the island. The girl always responds with, "What, that this is somehow their fault? Captain America saved my life. Wherever he is, wherever any of them are, I just want to say thank you."
"Superheroes in New York? Give me a break." One old man said to a news reporter. At the end of the week, the excitement only died down a singe. Construction workers started rebuilding Manhattan, officials in Germany are giving the Avengers a pass for intruding, things like that.
The Avengers themselves have been welcomed into what is now Avengers Tower for the rest of the week. Even though the top twenty floors are under renovation, there was plenty of room.The day of departure, everyone headed out to meet some agents who were keeping the Tesseract and Loki safe.
"You better come back. I want to show you the country I grew up in as well. There's so much you didn't get to see on Earth." Lauren says as she walks with Adrena to where the other Avengers are waiting.
"Of course I will!" Adrena elbows Lauren's side playfully. "But, you don't have to bribe me with a tour. I'll come back just to hang out with you."
Lauren becomes speechless at what Adrena said, but she doesn't need to say anything else because they make it to the group.
Everyone says their goodbyes and gives last second hugs. Adrena and Thor are about to say their goodbyes, but Thor catches the other alien by surprise. "There will be a victory celebration on Asgard. You're more than welcome to attend, Lady Adrena."
"Thor, I told you to just call me Adrena." The pink skinned alien sighs and thinks about the offer.
Before she can say that she doesn't want to intrude, Tony waves over to them and says, "Good luck traveling, you two! Hope the space highways aren't clogged!"
Adrena doesn't want to be apart from her team. Instead of pushing them away, she needs to hang around them. "Yes, that'd be amazing, Thor. I'd love to see your home."
Some agents hand Thor the case that houses the Tesseract. Loki comes waltzing out of the jet, his hands tied in front of him and his mouth gagged. Thor grabs one end of the case and Loki reluctantly grabs the other. Everyone stands around in a circle and watches. Natasha whispers something to Hawkeye whose mouth twists up into a smile. Wendy, Steve, Bruce, and Lauren wave goodbye one last time. Adrena takes Thor's hand and the god of thunder twists the handle. The three aliens are surrounded in a blue light before they shoot off into the sky.
The rest of the Avengers pack up their stuff. Clint hops into Natasha's S.H.I.E.L.D. car, Tony gives Bruce a ride in his convertible, Steve lets Lauren drive his Harley to the airport while he rides behind her, and Wendy takes her bag and drives home in her own car Tony lent her.
Nick Fury wasn't able to say goodbye to everyone because he was in a meeting with the Council. "Where are the Avengers?"
Nick was fully prepared for that question and responds, "I am not currently tracking their whereabouts. I'd say they've earned a leave of absence."
"And the Tesseract?" The second Council member asks.
"The Tesseract is where it belongs: out of our reach." Nick believes that was the wisest thing to do, even if it wasn't the first choice he thought of.
"That's not your call." The Council, at this point, is just trying to think of things to get mad at Nick with.
"I didn't make it." Nick raises his eyebrows. The statement makes most of the Council members shocked. "I just didn't argue with the god that did."
"So, you let him take it and the war criminal, Loki, who should be answering for his crimes?" The first Council member says just to clarify.
"Oh, I think he will be." Nick smirks and glances out the window of the helicarrier, seeing the tiny specks of the Avengers talking to one another.
"I don't think you understand what you've started. Letting the Avengers loose on this world." The main Council member is not impressed by Nick's actions. "They're dangerous."
Nick sees Adrena, Thor, and Loki teleport away with the Tesseract. "They surely are. And, the whole world knows it. Every world knows it."
"Was that the point of all this?" Finally the main Council member seems to be shocked. "A statement?"
"A promise." Nick turns off the connection to the Council and walks over to the outlook section of the helicarrier. He stands right behind the big window, looking out at the sky just as the Avengers drive off in their separate vehicles.
Agent Hill walks up next to him and stares out the window as well. "Sir, how does it work now? They've gone their separate ways, some extremely far. If we get into a situation like this again, what happens then?"
"They'll come back." Nick Fury says with all the confidence in the world.
"You really sure about that?" Maria asks, still not feeling the same level of hope as Nick is.
"I am."
"Why?"
Nick glances at Maria and smiles. He knows that if he was able to get them together once, he will be able to do it again. "Because we'll need them to."
Tony had dropped off Bruce pretty quickly and is now back in the tower, making a new design for the outerior. One thing he will not change is the single hanging letter 'A' where the word 'Stark' used to be. Because this is now Avengers Tower.
Even disassembled, they are united. Such different people coming together to save the world. No one would dare mess with them now, right?
Marvel's The Avengers
"The humans were not the feeble, worthless grains of rubble we were promised." The Other kneels down, but lifts his head slightly. "To challenge them is to court... Death."
A Titan, feared throughout the cosmos, stands up from his throne and turns his head just so the Other can see his wicked, powerful smile.
~~~
Lunch after the battle was awkward. No one talked because they were all wiped out and beat up from the fight. The waitress sweeps up the dust from the rubble in the background. Thor, Steve, Adrena, Tony, Bruce, Natasha, Lauren, Clint, and Wendy eat with tired faces and broken limbs. What can they say? They deserve a lunch break.
The End
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ΣΙΓΜΑ and Avengers Phase I
ActionSIGMA: If a man in an iron suit and a green rage monster wasn't weird enough, then now it just might be. Lauren was just a normal eight year old girl living in France when her mother dies of a disease. Now it's just her and her dad until the year 20...
