The Shadow // Natasha Romanoff x OC

Chapter 1 - A Temporarily Banished God

Azara's pov

"Come on daughter, it's your last day of uni so I'll give you a lift but only if you don't go back to sleep... again!" My dad calls up the stairs.

At the word 'lift', I'm up and throwing an outfit together which I think looks respectable.

"Hey dad!" I say, as I slide into my chair after grabbing some toast, spreading butter over the top.

"Hey kid, looking forward to summer?" He replies, looking worriedly down at his little Nokia Brick.

While some kids would probably complain about long car journeys to go visit their horrible extended family, summer is undoubtedly one of my favourite times of year. My dad and I head down to our cabin in the middle of the woods for nearly 10 weeks, just enjoying the place.

~~~~~~~~

"I'm ready when you're ready Azara, make sure to grab any work you've been given," My dad pokes his head around the door. "Yeah, just coming," I reply.

Within 5 minutes, we're on the road, already jamming to the hits of the '70s and '80s.

"DON'T STOP! BELIEVING! HOLD OF TO THAT FEEeeeEEEeeeeLING! STREET LIGHTS PEOPLE OHHHohhhhOhOHH-"

We flip over with an ear rattling scream of metal on tarmac. I fly. Or, more exactly, I'm thrown; straight through the windshield. As I regain awareness of my surroundings, I feel a shock wave of immense heat: the car was an inferno twenty meters down the street.

I stumble backwards as I attempt to get up and find my father. But once my vision clears, I'm on the street, but rather in a luxurious living space. My breath hitches as I hear deep voices.

"We've lost the Tesseract, Stark? My brother is attempting domination over Midgard and all you're worrying about is a cube that you dug out of the ice!" A deep, resonant voice insists.

"Just a cube! Get some perspective Thor! The Tesseract is the key to unlimited, clean energy; us humans can make up for our mistakes and save the planet!" A higher, yet still obviously manly voice, argues.

"Stark, I have no clue what it is, but I believe 'renewable energy' is barely a scratch on the surface of it's true potential-"

"So we must protect it; make sure it doesn't fall into the hands of someone who does know! Thor, this is bigger than your psychopathic, adopted, power-crazed brother!"

"DON'T TALK OF MY BROTHER IN THAT TONE, STARK! HE MAY BE OBSESSED WITH WORLD DOMINATION, BUT HE'S STILL A GOD OF ASGARD...well, a temporarily banished god... BUT A GOD NONE THE LESS!"

An arc of lightning bolts through the window and towards the voice. A smash - of what sounds like plaster board - rings through the otherwise quiet night.

"Thor, this is my building, my home, so only I plan redecoration projects. So - if your ego can fit through the door frame - respectfully, leave," after a moment of tension filled silence, a set of footsteps approaches in my direction and I pressed back against the wall, in a weak attempt to hide.

I fall, a cold brisk air nipping at my face: the street I had been thrown so violently from. The car- the CAR! It was gone! Not a single mark of a skidding tire, or an inch of melted tarmac.

In my confused daze, I head to the Metro station and back to the apartment. The conversation I'd unintentionally eaves dropped on cycles around in my bruised head.

Stark... Thor... Azgard...

It was Stark Tower!

But how? I've barely been near it: even the pavement outside it seems to feel too upperclass for me. As I open the front door, grabbing the key from behind a lose brick in the wall, I call out for my dad.

I'm met by a deathly silence. I sit down of the sofa, a tear threatening to spill.

Hiya, thanks for reading. While there were mentions of the Tesseract and Loki's impending attack on New York, I'm not rigidly sticking to the plots of the movies (though I will be using some of them to keep it relevant).

This was a mega short chapter (700 words) so dw: they will become a lot longer (like 5k+) I assure you.

Thanks again,

Much love, Shrimpward xx