Chapter Twelve:
The Avenger Tower loomed in front of them, jutting out into the sky, blocking out some sunlight. Hazel had wandered by this building many times back when it hadn't been destroyed, but she never payed it any attention. Now, as she snuck through it with Steve, she had a hard time not focusing on the expensive finishes.
"You need to be careful." He pulled her aside before they entered, "This building is swarming with people of Hydra, and most of them are wearing S.H.I.E.L.D badges."
"So?"
His eyes squinted, "Did Tony not to tell you?"
"Clearly, he did not."
Steve shook his head, "Apparently you met Tony over the fact that people were after you? Well, they were apart of Hydra, the same people who experiment and tortured Bucky."
"I know what Hydra is, Steve. They're in all of the stories you tell." She watched him focus into the building from the window. "I just didn't know they apparently involved me."
"You remember those?" He chuckled.
"Of course! Your stories were awesome, I mean, they sucked for you but I remember everything you told me."
"Down." He mumbled grabbing ahold of her arm and yanking her onto the sidewalk, they both fell silent while he continued to peek into the building.
"Gotta hustle, Cap." Tony's voice filled their ear pieces. Hazel jumped at the sudden loud voice, earning a glare from Steve. "Things look like they're just about wrapped up here."
"Got it, we're heading to the elevator now."
"Um, no we're not." She whispered.
He huffed taking another look inside before jumped up, motioning for Hazel to follow, and head into the building.
"Walk with confidence. Act like you're meant to be here."
"Noted." She said straightening her back, she raised her head and copied some of Steve's subtle actions.
Tony's voice filtered through the piece, and then what sounded like a muffled snort. "Ugh, Mr Rogers. I almost forgot that that suit did nothing for your ass."
Hazel had to bite her tongue as a laugh threatened to escape her lips, but she coughed quietly to disguise it.
"No one asked you to look, Tony." Steve huffed. He looked to Hazel, glaring. "What happened to maturing with adulthood?"
"I'm 21, and with adulthood comes a great sense of humour."
"I think you look great, Cap." Scott's voice joined the group, not hearing Steve's remark to Hazel. "As far as I'm concerned, that's America's ass!"
That comment made her snort, she was grinning as they slipped into the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time. After minutes of silence, Steve turned and glared at her. "Don't encourage them."
She shrugged, "But he's not wrong. That is totally America's ass."
"All right, Cap. I got our sceptre in the elevator just passing the 80th floor." Tony's voice warned.
They approached a exit and they rushed through, finding the elevator and clicking the single button.
"You wait here, alright. After five minutes go back down onto the main level and meet everyone at the alley around the back." He told her, "And if any sketchy people attack you, whisper hail hydra."
"Hail what now?"
He shrugged, not saying anything else. She crossed her arms, "What was the point of me coming if I'm not really doing anything?"
The elevator doors chimed and Steve never got to answer as he pushed her from view and recomposed himself as it opened to a group of men.
"Captain." A voice said, confusion laced in it. "I thought you were coordinating search and rescue?"
"Change of plans." Steve said just as the doors closed, trapping him in a metal box of death. Hazel huffed looking around, she had ten minutes before they had to meet back at the alleyway. She was given no real mission, and had no idea what to do. Her feet carried her in the opposite direction, peeking into rooms and poking at various objects.
She poked at one, and then the air seemed to crackle. She jumped, spinning around to see a man dressed in green, holding a blue glowing square in his hands. Her eyes widened, brain processing what he held.
"The plan hadn't gone as hoped." Hazel mumbled walking over to him, ignoring the mask on his mouth and chains on his arms and legs. He stared at her with angry eyes, and she tapped at the mouth piece a bunch of times when she was close enough, eventually somehow it came clattering to the ground.
"Mortal." He glared.
"Assbutt." She replied. "You have something I need."
He laughed, "Do you realize what I can do you to you, child?"
His appearance and accent clicked within her mind, this was Thor's brother, the one Thanos murdered.
"You're Loki."
"The one and only."
She rolled her eyes, "Thor always talks about you. He misses you, you know."
His brows scrunched, "Well, clearly this is not where I intended to be and you seem to have no interest in stopping me so I shall be on my way."
Hazel smacked her lips, reaching for the square only to be picked up and thrown into the wall. She yelped landing on the ground, Loki stood across from her with a wicked grin on his face. The chains were gone, and now the square was gone from his hands and replaced with two knives.
"Did my dear brother ever tell you that I am the God of Mischief?"
Hazel pulled herself off the ground, "It's a shame you die in the future."
She lunged at him, slipping a blade from her thigh pocket of her suit and swung it at him, using the breeze from an open window to help guide it. He ducked, and she used the opportunity to burst a water pipe right next to him, dosing him with liquid. She shrieked as he turned on her awfully quick, a hand wrapping around her throat. Another pipe broke, dousing them both with water now.
"Stupid, stupid, child." He seethed, "Thinking that you could defeat me."
Hazel whacked at his arm, feeling her body burning. She first felt a flicker of flames lick at her fingertips, and the more his hand tightened around her throat the more powerful she felt. The flicker burst into a roaring flame, racing up her arm and engulfing her in raging flames. Loki's hand fell away and she summersaulted by him, jumping up and grabbing ahold of his arm. He seemed to be taken of guard because she was able to swing him over her body and he landed on the ground with a thud. She was still in flames while she pinned him to the floor, "Where is it?"
"Where is what?"
"Don't play stupid."
"Hazel? Do you copy?" Tony's voice asked.
"Are you a new addition to the team?" A smile formed on the man's face, "I've never seen you before."
"Hazel! Do you copy?" This time it was Steve.
"Give it to me. Look, the person you're working for is lying to you. He kills you, in space after you and your people lose Asgard. Thor told us everything."
The mask lifted just for an instant, but then the annoying grin was back.
"You know nothing."
Hazel clicked her tongue, "I know Thanos chokes the life out of you in front of your brother, and I know you sacrifice yourself for him. Only for Thor to weep over your dead body, and all the others who were lost—"
"Pathetic." He bellowed, flipping her off of him. They switched positions, now he was pinning her on the wet floor. He leaned close to her ear and clicked the small button, "You all are pathetic."
So clearly he knew she was in contact with everyone else, and he seemed more knowledgeable then she'd anticipated.
"Loki?" It was Tony talking, "I swear to god if you lay a hand on her I am—"
He chuckled, "She's a fighter."
He picked himself up off the ground, stared down at her as the flames quickly died down.
"Don't you dare to anything to her! Get away from her. Hazel, I'm coming—"
She raised a hand to her ear, "no, no," she sighed, "I got this."
She picked herself up off the floor and marched up to him, "You're right." She simply said staring up at him. "I am a fighter."
He opened his mouth but she cut him off with her fist connecting with his face, she turned the quickly swept a leg under him and he went flying.
"Thor would be very disappointed in you." She called as she walked down the hallway, pausing only at the end to turn around, and see that he was gone. She huffed taking a deep breath, her head was pounding and when she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror she saw her soaking wet figure with dirt smudged around her face. Hazel shrugged, continuing on. When she finally got to the main floor and found the back exit, she stumbled into someone.
Tony was there, pulling her into a hug. "You're alright."
"I'm fine." She said shoving him away, sharing a look with Steve. "Loki appeared down the hall, he was holding the blue square thing."
"The Tesseract." Steve nodded.
"I tried getting it from him." She frowned, "I didn't. But I did kick his ass. Well, sort of."
Tony shook his head, "You're lucky that guy didn't kill you, Barnes."
She looked up at him with sad eyes, "I lost my knives."
Tony chuckled and clapped her on the back, "I'm not hugging you again, you're wet and gross. But, I'll get you some new knives."
"Hazel." Steve cut in, "Tony's right, he could've seriously hurt you."
She shrugged, "Um, well, whatcha gonna do?"
They all stared at her, it even seemed Scott had nothing to say. She wiped at her wet hair, moving it out of her face.
"Aren't we on a schedule?" She asked finally, they all slowly nodded. Hazel huffed, "Well then let's go! Time Heist part two!"
"No. No part two." Scott disagreed, "Just Time Heist."
Tony only groaned, "I need a vacation."