Guardian

Chapter 28

1969.

HYDRA soon realized that the easiest way to control Livy was to convince her that her powers were out of control and that they held the only serum that would allow her to regain that control. She began to view herself as more of a ticking time bomb, able to kill innocents without a second thought.

So she did as they asked, going after targets and serving the organization faithfully so that she could continue getting the treatments. She knew of course that it was their tampering with her powers that had led to the uncontrollable surges that overtook her, but if the only way to get the treatments was to kill a handful of people then she would do so in order to protect the masses.

They had dressed her in black, covering her bright blonde hair with a hood and allowed her to furnish herself with her sword, but made sure that she had a gun on her person as well in case the sword would not cut it. Her white wings were too distracting for stealth missions so she was ordered to keep them hidden unless she absolutely needed to use them.

Livy pushed her target in the the wall, causing his back to slam into it. He looked up at her with wide, pleading eyes, tears slipping from them and down his bloodied cheek.

"Please, you don't need to do this. You can have all of my research, just spare my life," the scientist pled, desperate to appeal to Livy's heart.

"I'm sorry, but I need to do this." Her voice was almost a whisper and she fought to hide how much it pained her. But she took a deep breath and plunged the blade into him, making sure that the death was quick.

As the blade pierced into his skin, the words fell from her lips, "hail HYDRA."

-

(Olivia's POV):
I watched Loki leave the bedroom, his posture reading defeat. It hurt me to know that I had inflicted pain on him. How I had added to the number of people who had told him that he was not worth it. I wanted to take him in my arms and assure him that I cared about him and would protect him from pain. But it was too dangerous. That was what I had been telling myself for weeks, but it was easier to believe I was doing the right thing when I was not facing the man my actions were hurting.

But I would have all of breakfast to deliberate on the morality of what I was doing, I did not have to make my decision all at once. I groaned as I moved my sore body, the pain a less pleasant reminder of the amazing night Loki and I had shared. I supposed I could use that as a reason to leave, I doubted I would be able to keep up with him if we were to start dating.

I stumbled out of the bed, trying to stretch out my stiff limbs while adjusting to how little my body wanted to move. Loki and I really needed to have a serious conversation about controlling himself enough so I could walk the morning after. I picked up my scattered clothes, not having anything else to wear, but a wicked smile spread across my lips as I threw my shirt under the bed so that I could pretend I couldn't find it. It was not completely unplausible with the state the bedroom was in, plus it allowed me to throw on one of Loki's shirts from his closet. I was tempted to take one of his tunics, but I figured I would be able to blend in more in just an oversized shirt if I needed to return to my apartment in it. I knew I shouldn't grow attached or enjoy Loki's lingering scent on his clothing, but if it was to be my last time in his company, I supposed that I should take full advantage of it.

After throwing on my undergarments and choosing one of his button-downs, I picked up my fallen pants and carried them out to where Loki was finishing up some food. As I walked, I tried to mask my discomfort but was unable to hide the wince as I sat down at his table. From the small smirk on Loki's face, I knew that he saw the lingering effects of his ravaging, but I supposed it could have also been a reaction to my wardrobe choice.