⤷ may 4, 2012
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When Irina opens her eyes, she doesn't expect to be in Stark Tower.
Sure, most definitely not in the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier while under Loki's influence, but why Stark Tower? Why New York? Did he want to see the Big Apple? Times Square? Coney Island?
She blinks a few times when coming to, shaken beyond belief, but she expertly forces her body to have no reaction that would compromise her.
Because she was right behind Loki.
It seemed he didn't know of her break from his hold as he strides over to the open view of Manhattan. She takes the chance to look around her, and spots Stark readying to pour a drink for himself by a bar. She suppresses an eye roll at his antics.
"The Chitauri are coming," says Loki. "Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?" He asks as he turns to Stark.
"The Avengers," he says. Irina blinks, eyebrows raising slightly in surprise. God, just what had she missed? How long has it been? Loki fixes Stark with a confused look, and he gives a shrug. "That's what we call ourselves. We're sort of like a team. "Earth's mightiest heroes"-type thing."
"Yes, I've met them," Loki says with a delighted grin.
Stark flashes him a smile that's gone in a second. "Yeah. It takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But let's do a head count, here," he says. "Your brother, the demigod, a super soldier — a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend — a man with breathtaking anger-management issues, a couple of master assassins, and you," he points to Loki, "big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."
Loki smiles. "That was the plan."
"Not a great plan," Stark shakes his head, taking the drink as he begins walking out of the bar. "When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."
"I have an army," says Loki.
"We have a Hulk," Stark retorts.
"I thought the beast had wandered off," Loki states innocently.
"You're missing the point. There is no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you," Stark says. He walks closer to Loki, and Irina watches carefully, waiting for a moment to strike. "Because if we can't protect the earth you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."
Loki chuckles lowly. "You are confident, Stark," he says. "But you forget I have one of you on my own side," he flourishes a hand, gesturing to Irina, who continues to stand still, watching the interaction with calculating eyes, feigning being under Loki's control. "I've been evaluating her from the start. The strength she possesses could change worlds, but she spends it wallowing in her sorrows. She was too weak to let out her full potential," he flashes a smile, "so I aided her."
Stark's eyes slid to her, and he glances back at Loki with a frown. "One more person to piss off, once she wakes up," he notes. "She's rather feisty, I find myself. Very touchy when it comes to referencing British movies."
Loki shakes his head, letting out a round of chuckles as he steps back from Stark, looking absolutely thrilled. "You don't even know, do you?" He asks.
Stark quirks a brow. "Know what?"
Loki grins, throwing his scepter from one hand to another. "You see, Stark," he begins, "I had a little contact underground. He didn't need my influence at all, not even a shred of my help. He just gave me a name and a face...and the entire story of your friend," he gestures to Irina again.
Stark's eyebrows begin to furrow in confusion, and he takes another swig of his drink, swallowing the contents inside and staring at him. "Oh, really now? You know, this threatening-slash-stalling thing is kind of going both ways right now —"
"Irina Stark."
Immediately, Stark freezes, his eyes growing wide in panic, and the hand holding his drink began to tremble.
Irina freezes, too.
Because she's never had a last name...
...right?
Loki gives a smirk. "A familiar name, is it not? You lost her when she was seven. Do you know what happened to her? Where she went? Who she...grew to be?" He asks innocently. "Did you care at all?"
Stark's expression turns bitter with regret and...something else. Grief? "My little sister died a long time ago, buddy," he says, forcing a calm voice, though it shook briefly. "Don't you try and mess me up."
Loki doesn't stop. "Did you try and look for her? Even a trace? You wouldn't have found one, I bet, because every trace of your little sister died the day she was taken in by the ones who carved her into who she is now," his lips curl into a cruel grin, "a murderer."
She snapped.
Curling her fingers, Irina pulls energy into her fingers, before throwing her hands out to Loki and wrapping her tendrils of energy around his body. Both men's eyes widen in shock, and Loki's dart to hers. She glares at him.
"It's time you shut up," she says. With a grunt, Irina throws the god out the windows. He flies out like a limp doll, but doesn't fall off the edge. Instead, he manages to land on the walkway out side, rolling to a harsh stop. "Fucker," she huffs, before standing straight and looking to Stark who, overall, was looking like he saw a ghost.
"You..." he murmurs, still reeling in shock, "you — holy shit, are you really — ?"
"Stark —" Irina began.
"Tony."
She blinks, staring perplexedly at Stark, who kept staring at her like she was now some — she didn't even know. "If you really are her, you call me Tony," he murmurs.
Slowly Irina frowns, giving a sigh as she glances at the ground. "...Tony," she says, "listen...I'm not —"
There's a roar from outside, and the two look out the windows to see multiple...aliens reigning fire on Manhattan?
Right. The alien army. She almost forgot.
They slowly look back at one another, and Stark gulps, gesturing weakly to the erupting chaos from outside. "Right. Since there is currently a...massive alien army from space attacking Manhattan right now...we talk about this later," he meets her eye. "Alright?"
She can't.
She really can't.
Because she doesn't remember whoever Irina Stark was.
But can she tell him that with a city under siege right now?
Irina gives a slow nod, submitting to Stark's — to Tony's, will. "Alright. But I need a ride. Riding down the elevator into battle doesn't sound too "Avengers" to me," she snarks.
Tony smirks, stepping away from her. "I'm seeing it more now," he notes. "Don't worry, I got you. JARVIS!" He calls. A part of the wall slides open behind him, and a suit deploys. Tony stretches his hands out, and Irina watches with raised eyebrows as the Iron Man suit develops around him, encasing Tony in a shell. The face to his helmet slides on, the eyes glowing white as the suit powers up.
She regards him with a dry look. "Show off," she mutters.
"It's all part of the image," retorts Tony. "Now huss up."
He leads the way onto the outside walkway, just a ways from Loki, who was now recovering from his throw with groans of pain. She raises an eyebrow at him, glancing at the Iron Man suit. "Should we deal with him?" She asks.
Tony snorts. "Nah. Leave him to get scolded by big brother, I say," he says. "Come on." He dips his hands under her armpits, shooting off from the tower and down below into the city. Irina lets out a shout.
"Oh god! Oh god!" She yells. "This is so much worse than Coney Island! So much worse!"
"I've always wanted to go there. Is it fun?"
A group of Chitauri soldiers began chasing after them as they flew through the buildings. Irina spares a glance behind her, before looking back straight with a frown. "We got company!"
Tony looks behind him, letting out a thoughtful hum. "Noted," he says.
"Stark, we're on your three, headed northeast," Romanoff's voice came in through the comms. Irina could barely hear it through the roaring winds as Tony evaded blasts of energy from the chariot-type vehicles the Chitauri were riding on.
"What? Did you stop for drive-through?" Tony snarks. "Swing up Park. I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. I also got a small gift to drop off."
Tony turns a corner sharply, and Irina lets another shout escape her. She glances over her shoulder once again, keeping an eye on the chasing aliens. They were growing closer.
They dart by an intersection, where she catches a glimpse of a S.H.I.E.L.D. jet, a machine gun ready under it. Right as they pass, she hears it rain fire upon the aliens and fly after them.
Tony flies up. "Romanoff, open up the hatch, would you? I've got a delivery. Pure city pizza. Pepperoni, do you mind?"
The rear hatch slides open, and Tony flies low. Sensing the sign, Irina slides one hand into his, the other letting go of her arm to stabilize their position. He swoops down, guiding Irina into the hatch. She lets go, rolling into it harshly, but landing nonetheless.
"Roberts?" Steve's surprised voice catches her attention. She looks up, meeting his wide blue eyes with a tired smile.
"What did I miss?" She asks.
"Fury said Loki had you under his control," says Steve as he offers a hand. She takes it, letting the man help her up. "How'd you get out?"
She gave a shrug. "It sort of just...happened. I woke up."
"I'm sorry, did I hear that correctly? You "woke up"?" A new voice came from the front of the plane. Irina and Steve look towards it, finding a dirty blond-haired man looking at her with a look of astonishment.
Irina gave another hopeless shrug. Steve eyes her warily. "And you're okay? Nothing lingering?" He checks in the voice of a soldier — no, a captain. Obviously.
She shakes her head. "Not one trace. I'm fit to fight, Captain," she gives a small grin. "Just give me the order."
Hesitantly, Steve smiles back, and the man in the front lets out a frustrated groan. "You gotta be shitting me. I have to get knocked clean out to be set right, but Wonder Woman over there just has to pinch herself?"
Irina sends the man a dry look. "Nice to meet you, too, Agent Barton," she greets.
Barton quickly looks back at her, and she sees Romanoff's lips flick upwards in amusement. The male agent eyes her warily. "The hell are you, and how do you know me?" He asks.
Irina smirks. "I'm good at remembering faces," she says, before turning back to Steve. "How long has it been since I went out? And what's the game plan?"
"Hey, you didn't answer my first question!"
"Only a few hours," says Steve, passing her a comm for her ear. Irina takes it, pressing it into her left one and turning it on with a push as he continues. "We focus on the city and capturing Loki. Detainment will be our top priority. Eliminate and defend. Take down any Chitauri you see."
Irina looks up at him, a shine of hope in her eyes. "...And Coulson?" She asks.
Steve frowns, regarding her with sadness, and it's enough to cause her shoulders to sag, her expression to break. "He didn't make it. I'm sorry..." Steve murmurs.
"It's..." Irina inhales slowly, "it's alright," she says, mostly trying to convince herself. "We focus on the city, got it."
The jet veers up Stark Tower. As it does, Irina opens up a case in the back of the jet, taking in the arrays of guns and knives with a gulp. She practically hears Romanoff glance back at her.
"You gonna be alright, Roberts?" She asks.
Irina gives a small, weak nod. "Should be," she says.
One last fight.
She shakily exhales, reaching in and taking out a pistol, the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo embedded in its handle.
Right, this wasn't HYDRA.
Hopefully she'll never return there again.
Irina sets the gun aside, instead taking out small, basic fighting knives and stocking them away along the utility belt hanging from her hips. She files away tiny daggers to medium-sized utility ones. Once she was full, she looks at the gun sitting there, near mocking her.
"Roberts?" Steve murmurs behind her, sounding worried.
Irina clears her throat, taking the gun and stashing it into the holster at her hip. She takes a pack of bullets from the case and clips it beside the weapon, before she shuts the case and clicks it shut. She stands, turning to the soldier with clenched fists.
She meets his eye with a grim smile. "I'll be fine," she assures one last time.
"Nat?" Barton says from the front. Hers and Steve's eyes dart up to them, where the two agent were looking to the left.
"I see him," Romanoff says.
The jet steadies, and Irina steps forward, able to peer down just enough to see Loki and Thor down below. Loki throws his brother away, directing the scepter at them, the gem inside shining in blue. "Look out —" she begins to warn the two agents, but is too late when a blast shoots out from the scepter, hitting them right in the left engine.
The jet begins to swerve and go down. Irina stumbles back, unable to hold onto anything. She feels her feet leave the floor for just a second, before a strong arm wraps around her waist, and she's pulled into Steve, who grits his teeth and holds on for dear life to the handle he had. Irina's arms reach out to him without her noticing, latching around his torso and squeezing as they go down.
When the jet jerks into a rough but controlled landing, the four inside hardly have a chance to breath before the rear hatch opens for her and Steve, and Romanoff and Barton unbuckle from the front.
Steve glances sparingly at her as he carefully sets them both on the ground. "You alright, Roberts?" He asks.
She gives a minuscule nod, detaching from him and checking on her belt, patting down every knife she had for her defence, and hesitantly noting the gun was still with her. "Yeah," she exhales, "thank you."
Steve nods at her, and they both depart out the open hatch door, jogging out into the chaos that was Manhattan, meeting up with Romanoff and Barton, who run with them. "We've got to get back up there!" He yells.
They abandon the jet, running up to the base of Stark Tower and peering up at it. Irina squints, noticing the movement of something...big, coming from above. A shadow hovering in deep space.
And it was big.
Really big.
𓆩*𓆪