Chapter 24

Should I have said that? What if I was wrong to say those things? Maybe Stark is right, I shouldn't have said that.

My anxiety spikes as the silence goes for a few more moments, but relief floods over me as someone's phone starts ringing. For a moment, it doesn't register in my mind that it's my phone ringing. Pulling out Mr. Pouch, I open it and grab out my phone, and check the caller. The screen reads, "Unknown caller".

"Hello?" I say, unsure what to expect.

"Good, this is the correct number." The voice says, and I take a couple steps away from the table and pick up the chair, while trying to figure out who the hell is on the other end.

"Yeah, uhm. Who is this?"

"Dr. Strange, sorry. Slightly pre-occupied right now."

"So war meetings are the perfect time for phone calls? Gotcha." Snarks Rhody, and I roll my eyes.

"Right, sorry. Let Tony know I will be there for the battle." Then a click follows his words and I take the phone from my ear and see he's hung up on me. I set my phone down onto the table.

"That was Strange, wanting to let you know he will be here to fight." I say, not meeting his eyes. This is so out of my comfort zone, I can't find a way to calm down.

"Wonderful, it's a party." Stark says.

Mr. Pouch jumps out of my pocket once again, and this time what he spits out a roll of blue cloth and black leather.

"It seems the battle draws near." Mutters Loki, and as he says that, a small chiming alarm goes off. I look to the screen showing the short-cut, and I watch as giant after giant comes marching, wielding large swords and spears.

"They're here." I say under my breath, and Tony pushes a few buttons.

"The suits are ready, suit up." He says quickly as everyone in the room leaps to their feet. Thor quickly looks to the ceiling.

"Now, Hiemdell!" He says, and a flash of rainbow light out on the lawn suddenly appears, and out steps line after line of Asgardian troops.

Nat drags me through the door and shows me to a small room I can change in. I throw on the clothes quickly, and find it to be comfortable. My chest is overlaid with black leather, and it wraps around to my back. My shoulders are protected by the same leather, and my boots are made of the same material. I decide against keeping the cape on the armor, because as a wise woman once said, "No capes!".

I rush back out the door and retrace my steps to the garage, but on the way, I pass a room with heavily secured doors. It has a handpad on the side, as well as a voice scanner.

What could be so important that it would need this kind of security?

Focusing, I attempt to shift my appearance. I had never attempted it before because it had seemed to take a large amount of energy, but my abilities have grown, so I trust in myself. I blink and instead of seeing my reflection in the door, I see Tony's. I grin, and place my hand on the scanner.

"Password." Says a computerized voice, and I hesitate. What would be something he would say?

"Fort Knox," I say in his voice, praying I had gotten it right. A nerve-wracking moment passes before the door clicks and the voice welcomes me back. As the doors open, I feel my eyes widen at all the guns in the room.

I rush in, quickly skimming the names of each case. Going against frost giants, I may need something larger than a pistol. Skidding to a halt, I backpedal to a case filled with little disks the size of silver dollars. A sticky note on the case reads, "small package big boom". I open Mr. Pouch and stuff him full of the disks, and turns out he can hold many. I square away the entire pile, along with a small metal tube about the size and length of my pinky before I book it back out the door.

Running around the side of the building to the crowd of troops, I see that in front of them stands the giant wolf, and beyond him is the wall of giants and some of the smaller, thinner, humanoid people.

"Where is he?" A rumble comes from the wall of the monsters, and the front line of them separates in half, allowing a taller giant to step through.

"Uh, sorry, haven't seen your boyfriend around," Stark says, and the giant doesn't look amused.

I invisible myself and sneak to the front lines and stand behind Nat. Peter stands beside her, in front of them is Thor and Loki, and beside them is Bruce. On the front is Stark, doing his best to make things worse with words.

"Do not play with me, shiny Midgardian! We demand the child. Give him to us, and you and your army will go unscathed."

He? Who is he looking for? So I'm not the one that they came for?

"Yeah, sorry, we have no idea who you're speaking about, and even if we did, we're not giving you anything. Turn around and go back into the invisible butthole of a portal you stepped out of, and we'll pretend this never happened." Stark's armor on his back rolls slightly, and I start feeling excited because I may get to see him explode things with his back cannons.

"I will ask one last time," the giant growls, "Give us the son, the child of Loki, and we will bring no harm to your army."

Now I definitely know they aren't looking for me.

Tony looks confusedly to Thor, and he laughs. "The giant speaks of the prophecy, where Loki's child will carry one side to victory over the nine realms, either the good or bad. The prophecy didn't truly specify what gender the child would be, but everyone has always assumed it to be a boy."

There goes my certainty.

I rush between the two armies, still invisible, and pull out Mr. Pouch. He spits out a couple of the explosive disks, and I toss them between the cornrows of giants while they are distracted with the argument of who they came for. I manage to plant them all before the lead giant has had enough.

"I tire of your stupidity." His army raises their weapons and ready to attack, and I panic and drop my invisibility in front of the lead giant.

"Hey asshat! Is it me you're looking for?" I shout, holding the small tube in my fist, out of his view. He sneers.

"You are the one we have been searching for? The prophecy promised us a threat."

I laugh, and sweep into a low, mocking bow. "Prophesies are often vague, but it just so happens I'm a threat to my own well-being."

"Kid, what the hell are you doing?" Stark says from behind me, but I ignore him.

"Well, sorry to disappoint, it's just something I'm so good at." I straighten myself, trying to look brave when underneath I'm terrified at what I'm about to do. "Do you swear that if I hand myself over, you will leave? You will turn around and never return to this realm?" I ask, and he looks down at me with his horrible red eyes.

"You won't!" Loki hisses behind me, and I turn to him.

"It's my life to give, and if I save hundreds of lives by giving my own, then so be it." I turn back to the giants and walk forward. The leader looks down at me, and for a moment, I breathe in the summer air being mixed with the cold wafting off of the giants. For a moment, I remember my friends, my real parents. I remember my life before, and all the kindness I have been shown.

He steps forward and snatches me by the throat, lifting me high in the air. I try to breathe, but my windpipe is crushed, and I flail like a caught chicken. a sound of loud, thumping drums blast in my ears, and it takes me a moment to register that it is the sound of my own panicked heart.

He holds me higher. "Behold, the prophesied child! You, protectors, were defending an enemy! Watch as her skin fades blue, watch as her magic fades with her life!" He booms, "We never came here to take her prisoner, only to eliminate your key player in our winning battle." His fist tightens, and I take that moment to flip the cap of the tube, and hesitating, I choke out as best I can,

"Abra-ka-fuck-you." and I press the little red button in the tube. He looks confused for a moment, but then my vision is filled with red and my body is hit with searing heat.