THE NEXT FEW DAYS went by faster than expected. Every agent at S.H.I.E.L.D was working hard on monitoring any looming threats. The main plan was to comb every square meter on the planet for the Gamma Radiations that could help them locate the Tesseract... but judging by how often Nick Fury could be heard throwing a fit, it was clear the search was stagnating.
Meanwhile, Tony and Bruce were spending hours on end locked in the lab. They made some interesting findings by studying the Scepter and the Mind Stone but Angrboda quickly gave up trying to understand their obscure scientific gibberish.
Instead, she had taken to familiarizing herself with the advanced weaponry of S.H.I.E.L.D and spent most of her time training intensely. The Helicarrier had many soundproof rooms with consolidated walls meant for that very purpose and that's where she would spend most of her days. She had a habit of being absolutely ruthless with her body but for the past few days, the physical pain reached her like a small pinch, drowned out by her craving for revenge.
The truth was, she didn't really know what she was preparing for. All she knew was that Loki gathered an army of Chitauri who were known to be ferocious creatures. Although Fury and the others were trying their best to prevent the opening of the portal that would get them to Earth, Angrboda knew the battle against the Chitauri was inevitable. Nevertheless, no one on this side of the universe had ever seen a Chitauri. It was awfully unsettling to prepare for a battle knowing virtually nothing against your enemy.
Regardless, she trained relentlessly, only stopping to eat, sleep and occasionally spend time with her fellow Avengers. Unsurprisingly, she was still having a hard time working with them, with the exception, perhaps, of Thor and Tony. As it turned out, they were all quite the personalities and putting them in the same room usually ended in chaos.
There was one person, who had turned out a surprising ally to her in this strange world: Agent Phil Coulson, Fury's right hand. He was a beloved figure at S.H.I.E.L.D and a truly passionate man. As it happened, Angrboda always thought passionate people were a step above everyone else.
Somehow, Phil had been a great help in erasing the doubts that still lingered about joining the Avengers. If Fury was a somewhat crude person, Coulson was considerate without making a fuss. Most importantly, he had been the friend she needed. It made the settling on this new planet feel a little less brutal.
⁂
By the end of the afternoon, that day, Angrboda had been punching into a boxing bag of the fitness room for hours. She panted, wiping the sweat off her face with a nearby towel and noticed that her mitt gloves were torn at the knuckles.
S.H.I.E.L.D was kind enough to provide her with a considerable supply of clothes but the fabrics they used on Earth were not nearly as resistant as the ones on Jötunheim. Sadly, her old clothes – the ones she had come to Earth in – hadn't taken well to all the ruffling around of the other night. She couldn't bring herself to throw them away, though.
Angrboda had never been one for melodrama but this was different. The destruction of her planet left her completely broken down and she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to move past it.
She was the Harpy of Jötunheim for crying out loud; she was normally so ruthless and calculating, she was fierce and unyielding... but right now, all she could process was how bleak the world seemed.
Seeing herself in Earthling clothes always came with a twinge. It wasn't the clothes themselves, of course, they were just black and plain. But in those clothes she looked like just another human. To make it worse, the shapeshifting process was well on its way, making it harder to cling to the last vestige of her life as a Jötnar... it was all terribly, pathetically bleak.
⁂
On her way back to her quarters, Angrboda passed in front of the shooting range, a vast area behind a soundproof glass with guns and targets. She had never really set a foot in that room, being unfamiliar and, mostly, uninterested with the concept. Natasha, however, seemed to spend most of her time in there.
If there was one person around here who looked more on edge than herself, it would have to be the Black Widow. Natasha was working hard to locate Clint Barton, the Agent hypnotized by Loki. Barton had shown no signs of life so far and, naturally, Loki wouldn't spill a word on his whereabouts.
Although, Angrboda didn't really understand the appeal of firearms, she definitely understood Natasha's need to blow off some steam. That day too, she was able to catch a glimpse of her fiery red hair behind the glass and decided to enter, out of sheer curiosity.
She walked in and sat on an elevated bench. The Black Widow wore a set of sound-blocking ear muffs and was too focused on her target to take notice of her. It was better this way, Angrboda was not interested in starting a conversation.
She watched her fire about a dozen shots, never missing a single target. The cartridge must've run out of bullets because she soon set the gun down and took off the ear muffs.
"Are you going to get down here or were you planning on watching me the whole time?"
She threw the question in the air, not even bothering to turn around, but it was clear she was talking to Angrboda.
The Harpy didn't like being caught off guard but there was no way she'd stay hiding up on that bench now that Natasha had noticed her presence.
She cleared her throat and walked down the steps hesitantly. Natasha finally deigned to make eye contact once Angrboda got to her level. She watched her pull out another gun, a much bigger one. It had a larger muzzle, an airgun scope and was embedded with metal. It looked more like an assault rifle than an actual pistol.
"Ever fired one of these, Angie?" Natasha showed her the gun like a mother would show off their child.
"I'm more into... hands-on weapons," she answered hoping the hesitation in her voice wouldn't be obvious.
Natasha laughed "I don't know about that but I know this baby could knock out any Chitauri with a single shot."
As some sort of demonstration, Natasha aimed at the target set a few meter away and pulled the trigger. Angrboda's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. She hadn't just hit the target, she had utterly destroyed it. There was barely a chunk of burned wood left where the blast had hit. As she'd expected, the weapon didn't fire bullets, it fired some sort of particle beam, very similar to what came out of Tony's hand blasters.
Angrboda cleared her throat, trying to seem less impressed than she actually was "How do you know this would be enough?" her eyes narrowed "Even I have never seen a Chitauri in the flesh."
She smiled "You got me there, but they're the best weapons we have around here."
Angrboda heaved a long sigh "At least you're the only one anticipating the Chitauri attack. Everyone else is too busy trying to prevent it, but no one has figured out what to do when it happens."
This made Natasha furrow her brows "When or if?"
A grave look was painted on Angrboda's face "Don't be mistaken Natasha, the Chitauri are coming."
"You really think Loki will succeed in opening the portal, don't you?"
"Trust me, I know Loki through and through. He is up to something; I can almost smell it."
"There's no way he could escape though; we've put him in one of the most secured cells on the planet."
"But there is still something going on in that deranged mind of his."
Natasha went quiet for a few seconds. A graver expression melted on her face as thoughts ran through her mind at full speed.
"Okay," she dropped decisively before putting the gun back on the rack "Let's assume you're right. What do you suggest we do?"
This was the million-dollar question Angrboda was dreading, mostly because she had absolutely no idea what the next step should be "We figure out what is it he's scheming... and we stop it."
Natasha snorted slightly "Well that's kind of obvious."
She watched Angrboda's frown deepen. There was something else staining her expression, a certain insecurity you didn't normally see on her face.
And that's when Natasha clicked.
For someone who prided herself on her ability to read people, it had taken her a while to understand what was on Angrboda's mind. But it was evident: after the bomb Loki had dropped the other day, Angrboda must shudder at the thought of going anywhere near him... She wanted her to do it.
But of course, she would never ask upright. The Harpy had too much pride for that.
"Fury has been interrogating him almost every day, we still haven't learned anything new," Natasha said pensively.
"He's dragging it out," Angrboda shrugged "I expected nothing less."
She leaned against the firing stand with a small smirk "Lucky for us, I am a much better interrogator than Fury."
⁂
Angrboda bolted down the entire length of the Helicarrier as fast as her legs could carry her. She reached the tech lab at the other end of the aircraft and flung the door open. Tony, Bruce and Steve stared at her wide eyed, clearly taken by surprise. Angrboda knew she must've looked insane barging in, breathing heavily and cheeks flushed but it was the least of her worries at this point.
"What's going on?" Tony asked.
"Good. You're all here," she let out, catching her breath "Where are Thor and Fury?"
"Thor's in his quarters and Fury is in the computer room," Bruce said "What's the matter?"
"Natasha and I... we did something. I thought I should let you know."
"Great, more surprises," Steve rolled his eyes.
She ignored him promptly "Natasha's interrogating Loki as we speak. We think he's planning something big."
"Like what?" Bruce asked with a frown.
"Our best guess is that he's going to use the agents he hypnotized to free him. That includes Agent Barton. But we won't know for sure until she's done with him."
"Does Fury know about this?" Steve asked.
"No, and you better keep it that way until we get something worthwhile."
"Fury's going to flip when he learns you went behind his back," Tony smirked "But Romanov practically invented intimidation. I'm all for it."
"Well I'm not," Steve protested "If everyone starts doing whatever the hell they feel like without reporting to their superior it wi—"
"Wait," Angrboda almost choked "Did you just say superior?"
"Fury is the one who put this team together. You agreed to be a part of it," he spat.
"Okay time out," Tony intervened before turning to Steve "Sorry Cap but I gotta agree with Angie on this one; Fury is no superior of mine."
"Why am I not surprised," Steve hissed.
All three of them turned to Bruce who had stayed silent. He was caught slightly off guard by their expecting glares.
"Don't look at me," he shook his head with a shrug "I just want to finish my work here..."
Angrboda watched all three of them carefully. She had walked into the lab so abruptly that they were still practically frozen in their spots. Steve and Tony were standing face to face like she caught them in the middle of a staring contest. Bruce was a bit more withdrawn but despite pretending to be solely focused on his work, it was clear he had involved in whatever they were discussing before she came in.
"Was I interrupting something?" she finally asked after a long moment of silence.
"What?"
"You were arguing about something before I came in, weren't you?"
"We were just done," Steve chided but the dark look he sent Tony did not escape her.
Angrboda was having none of it "I have very little patience for that kind of bullshit, Captain. Tell me what you were about to say before I walked in."
"Nothing of importance," Bruce tried to brush away.
Angrboda sighed and glanced at the third man in the room "Tony...?"
Tony knew full well she'd never let it go. There was no reason to keep it a secret from her anyway.
"We think Fury's hiding something," he dropped before glancing back at Steve "Well, Banner and I think so, at least."
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So sorry it took me ages to post this, hope you all enjoyed it. Don't forget to like and comment + constructive criticism is always appreciated ❤️
-L