Frostbite

Four

A few moments later, both Loki and Rogers joined us. With everyone on board and Loki cuffed into a seat, we began the return to the helicarrier. I took a seat across from our prisoner, relaxing my head on the wall behind me and closing my eyes. There was a loud rumble of thunder that caused me to sit back up straight.

It hadn't looked like it was going to storm before. I glanced over at Tony and Rogers, who seemed to be arguing in hushed tones. They had known each other for what? Ten minutes?

"Men," I muttered to myself, rolling my eyes. The jet shook violently as lightning struck closer to our position.

"Where's this coming from?" Natasha called back, confused. Another rumble of thunder caused Loki to stare intently out the window. I wasn't the only one who had noticed his discomfort.

"What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?" Rogers threw at him. I snorted.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," Loki stated while peering back out the window.

A blinding, white light unexpectedly hit the jet, causing it to jolt forcefully. I jumped up and took a few steps closer to Tony and Rogers. There was a deafening screech of metal as the ramp was torn from the jet. A man dressed in similar clothing to Loki flew into the jet, looking extremely pissed. He was tall and muscular with long, blonde hair. Thor. Freaking Thor.

He swatted his red cape out of the way and advanced toward Loki. Tony raised his arm to fire but was knocked into Rogers by the hammer he was carrying. I ducked down as they both went sailing to the front of the jet, crumpling on top of each other. I placed myself in his path, causing him to hesitate for only a moment, before he laughed, dismissing me as a threat.

I raised my hand, shooting shards of ice at his unsuspecting, smug face. He quickly swung his hammer, smashing them to pieces. Determined, I stomped the floor, causing a thick sheet of ice to emerge, hoping it would give me an advantage. He was just as determined. He charged at me using the ice to slide forward and latch onto my arm.

Panicking, I exhaled a breath of frost into his face. He cursed, temporarily blinded from it being in his eyes and clinging to his beard. He jerked my arm and tossed me out of the way. Hitting the floor, I started to slide toward the gaping hole at the back of the jet. As my feet fell out from under me into the dark sky, I was able to use one of my hands to grasp onto the edge.

I held on fiercely, my feet dangling hundreds of feet from the ground. I attempted to reach up with my other arm, hoping to pull myself back up, but Thor flew out of the jet with Loki in tow. Startling me, I lost my grip and started to free fall to what could only be my imminent death.

"Tony!" was all I could shriek in my desperate panic. The air whipped around me as I fell, hurtling and flipping me. I squeezed my eyes shut in terror, not wanting to watch myself splat on the ground.

By the slightest hand of luck, I fell into a cluster of trees. This slowed my fall, and I instinctively reached out and managed to grab ahold of one of its branches. I opened my eyes and saw that my feet were dangling approximately thirty or so feet from the ground. I let go.

I rolled once my feet hit the ground to prevent hurting myself. I stared up at the sky, not wanting to move now that the adrenaline was leaving my system. I couldn't believe I had survived that. There were multiple cuts on my face and legs that stung as the breeze brushed against them.

"Well- this sucks," I complained to myself. I was exhausted. Why on earth had I believed that I'd be able to keep up with these people? I didn't know how long I was there before an explosion of bright light, maybe two or three miles to the North, caught my attention.

Gathering myself, I slowly headed in that direction. I had only covered about a mile when I spotted a figure in the distance. It was Rogers. An exhale of relief escaped my lips; I really hadn't wanted to walk all the way back to civilization.

"Melanie, are you okay? We weren't sure if you'd survive the... Tony's looking for you too," he finished awkwardly. When he finally reached me, he placed his hand on my arm, gazing at me in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I only have a few cuts and bruises. I'm lucky there were plenty of trees to catch me," I smirked. He shook his head, dropping his arm, and we started walking back the way he came.

"Do you always take near death experiences so lightly?" he mused, peering down at me from the corner of his eye.

"Usually," I jested at first, but grew serious, "After losing so much... it's just how I cope." He kept quiet, mulling over my words.

Finally, he asked, "You never found anything on your situation, did you?" I shook my head and climbed over a fallen tree.

"No. Tony and I tried but got nowhere. I decided to put it on a back-burner until something comes up. I'm sure Tony's still searching and just not telling me," I chuckled fondly. Tony was a better man than people gave him credit for.

We walked the rest of the way in silence. I glanced up at Rogers a few times, but he seemed preoccupied in his own thoughts. The quinjet was up ahead in a clearing where all the trees had been obliterated. I didn't even bother to ask.

"Melanie?" Rogers called hesitantly when we were a few yards from the jet. I turned back to see that he had stopped and looked almost... timid. I took a few steps back to him.

"Yes?" I inquired curiously when he said nothing.

"When this is all over... I'd like to offer my help. To find the people responsible. Maybe you need a fresh mind. I hope I'm not overstepping... I wouldn't want to impose on your personal life," he tacked on quickly.

I cocked my head slightly to the side, staring at him with intrigue. Why would he offer to help? He seemed genuine. I realized I was openly staring, again, and ducked my face.

"That would be a great," I blurted out and turned back to the jet. I walked as fast as I could while still trying to appear calm, but there was nothing to be done about my racing heart. Why did he have such an effect on me?