The Jotun's Daughter

Chapter 5

As we neared the sight of the smoke, I shushed Fitz and Simmons, and motioned for them to move silently. We may have been a team of three-but only one of us was a fighter. Fitz and Simmons would defend their lives if they needed to, but neither would go willingly into combat. They were British scientist, not field agents; it wasn't really their job, and I understood, to some extent. I slowly rounded a tree and peered into another small clearing, taking in the scene in front of me.

There were brief cases scattered on the ground in front of the plane, of which had its ramp down. One of them was still sparking-whatever was in it had created the smoke, as evidence by the charred and curling black plastic. Several items were still loaded into the plane itself. Coulson, May, and Mack were tied securely to a tree-the rope wrapped around them several times. Duct tape covered their mouths, May had a gash in her head that needed medical attention, Coulson's nose and lip were bleeding, and Mack was unconscious. Just then, Simmons caught sight of their predicament, and seeing no reason to stop, cried, "Coulson!" and rushed into the clearing. I didn't try to stop her, it would give away my position, but I winced. That woman needs some field experience. She's going to get us killed. Just as Fitz was about to run after her, five males immerged from the trees, surrounding her. 

        "Well look here..." One sneered. He had a nasty scar right down the middle of his face. It looped off his nose and under his right eye, dying off at his right earlobe. 

        "No!" Simmons cried. She shakily raised her gun, pointing it first at one man and then another. But she was surrounded, and clearly had never fired a weapon at another human being, and her indecisiveness was her biggest detriment. 

        "So pretty...you think the boss would let us keep this one?" Another man snickered. 

        "It's not like in New York, Shetlander, You can't just have every woman you see," Scar face spat. Anger flared inside of me, and I hissed at Fitz, "Get Simmons away when you get the chance!" Before stepping out from the tree line. At first my presence went unnoticed, and I remained silent, my blades carefully hidden in the sleeves of my coat. Then Scar-face glanced up, and a horrible smile crossed his face. 

        "So then!" He roared, stepping away from Simmons. "You show yourself! Ready to give up yet?" I didn't respond. I hoped Fitz was ready. Three of the men broke apart from the group, heading towards me. The other two stayed behind, trapping Simmons, but wanting to watch the show. 

        "Don't forget your gloves!" Shetlander snapped. 

        "You think I'm an idiot?" The third man responded. It was then I noticed that each of the men wore heavy, thick-coated gloves. I had never seen the material that they were made of before. I frowned.

        "Now, now, don't turn to ice on us," Scar-face coaxed. Don't turn to ice on us?

        "No illusions...ok girlie?" Shetlander hissed. Then he stopped short. "Wait," He said flatly. "What if this is an illusion?" I blinked. That's the second time they've spoke of Holograms. 

        "I guess we'll find out," The third man responded. They started to spread out, dropping into a slight crouch as they enclosed me. I just looked Shetlander in the eyes; my face was blank, my body relaxed. They wouldn't have any satisfaction of seeing the emotions running through me. Then, just before they reached me, I ran. My blades slid into my hands as I dove beneath the third man, slicing his thighs. Not very deep, but effective. He cried out in pain, clutching his legs. 

 They had been expecting a fight, not flight, but I knew that I could take them if I got each of them alone. Thankfully, Simmons wouldn't have the same problem. At that moment, the ropes fell around Coulson, the Agent, and May's feet, and Fitz stepped back from around the tree where he had been sawing at them. The other two men were momentarily distracted from me as Agent May cracked her neck and grinned. 

        "You're going to wish you hadn't hit me," She said calmly. There was dried blood on the side of her face, her arms, and her leg, and I was pretty sure that she had at least broken something in her left wrist. A wave of deja-vu bit at my subconscious as I remembered a very similar scene wherein my mother had said that exact phrase. Maybe she had known these people.

        Coulson merely walked up to a man and kicked him in the crouch. While he was doubled over, he smacked him in the side of the head with one of the brief cases that were lying on the ground. Simmons turned her gun on the other man guarding her, and he set his jaw, ready to take her on. Fitz had dragged the other agent a good few feet away from the fight, and had picked up another gun that had been tossed off to the side. 

         "Please don't make me do this," He pointed the gun at the man in front of Simmons. But just then the man froze, and fell on his face, revealing Coulson standing behind him with a large wrench in his hand. 

  I face off with Scar-face. 

        "You can't win," he spat. I stood up straight and looked him in the eyes. Suddenly he dogged to the side, throwing open a brief case, and removing something I had never seen before. He pointed it first at me, and then the other agents, who had frozen at the sight of it. 

        "That's right," he said, grinning. "You're aren't going to move, because if you do..." He raised the golden scepter and pointed it at Simmons.

        "She goes ka-boom."

"Where did you get that?" Simmons breathed. She didn't even seem worried, her and Fitz were just staring at the scepter in awe. It was short, maybe four feet in length, and golden, the top splitting in two with both pieces curving up and around towards each other to an inward point. I had seen it before-but I couldn't place where.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Coulson said, and I glanced at him. He was genuinely worried.

"For once, I agree," A man appeared at the top of the ramp. "M" looked down at the mess before him.

"Well," he said, "You managed to take out most of my team." He didn't even looked surprised. He motioned to Scar-face. "Put that down."

"But boss-"

"That was an order." But Scar-face just looked at him for a moment, and raised the weapon, pointing it at his bosses chest.

"No." he said stubbornly. M sighed. 

"Please, you don't even know how to use it."

"I can to!" Scar face swung the scepter around in a circle, pointing it at us one by one.

"No with those gloves you can't," M scolded. Scar-face's eye widened in realization as he realized that the thick gloves he had been wearing were still on his fingers.

He set the scepter under his arm and pulled off his gloves hurriedly. The minute that he touched the scepter with his bare hands, however, he screamed as his entire body spasmed and his head flung back. A light in the middle of the two inward-curving points glowed a soft blue color, and then faded. I was so distracted by the light that I was startled when the man abruptly threw the scepter in the air and collapsed onto the ground. Silence filled the clearing-whether from shock or disdain, I wasn't sure-as we all watched his body smoke. A gunshot broke the void and I raised my eyes to see M looking down at the bullet hole in his stomach. He almost looked amused before he crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.

I turned my attention back to the scepter. Coulson was shouting orders, telling the agents to leave the bodies and get M medical attention, but I was focused on the alien technology laying on the ground before me. Simmons mentioned May and Coulson were tracing something my mother was after. I hesitated, and then reached out and grabbed the scepter, shifted the cool metal in my palm. 

I heard the sound of footsteps running towards me, but they were faint, distant-as if I was waking from a dream that I couldn't remember. Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered Coulson shouting at me, panic filling his voice.

"Put it down! Don't touch it!"

But the blue light was growing brighter and brighter.  A doorway opened up in my mind, allowing me to understand...the scepter is going to show me something. My true-