NESTLED DEEP IN THE AVENGER'S COMPOUND, were several people that were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Artemis Barton, Loki Laufeyson, and Martina Garcia.
Tony Stark was sitting in the metal room, tinkering with the computer in front of him while Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton chatted over how long it had been since they'd seen their niece.
As soon as Artemis had notified them that she and Loki were returning with an accomplished mission, they had all scrambled to interrogation room and prepared the cell for Martina's impending arrival.
Everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief when they heard the metal doors click open to reveal Artemis and Loki emerging through the threshold.
Artemis was standing on her own- save for Loki's arm slinked around her waist- but regardless of her seemingly put-together appearance, Clint couldn't help but notice several bandages wrapped around her shoulder peeking out underneath her shirt.
"Artemis!" Clint yelled, smiling as his niece slapped Loki's hands away from her waist so she could run to her uncle.
Artemis wrapped herself in her uncle's embrace and pulled back to kiss his cheek. "I've missed you so much!"
"Me too, kid. Me too. How is it up in Asgard?" he asked, throwing his arm over her shoulders as he walked her into the room. "How is Thor liking being a king?"
Artemis glanced back at Loki. She knew Thor's recent coronation was still a touchy subject for Loki so she pursed her lips at her uncle.
Despite the five years that had passed since Loki's invasion of New York, and all the good he had done along the way, her uncle was still not the biggest fan of the God of Mischief.
"He's fine," she said through gritted teeth. She leaned closer to whisper into his shoulder. "Don't be a dick."
Clint feigned offense as he clutched his chest. "Me? A dick? When have I ever?"
She nudged him playfully and looked back, waving Loki to follow her into the room- which he did with much annoyance.
"Can we go back to Asgard now?" he asked her, slinking his arm around her waist and purposefully brushing his fingers dangerously close to the underside of her breast, knowing full well that Clint was watching. "We have a lot to attend to and I'm bored."
Artemis slapped his hand away and pressed her finger against his chest. "You're not bored, you're pouting. You agreed to spend a few weeks here and I sure as hell am not leaving now. I want to make sure Martina is acclimated."
"The woman who tried to kill you? Don't take great offense if I'm not a fan."
"Fan or not, can you at least try to be nice?" she questioned, leaning up to kiss his neck. She grinned mischievously at him as she pulled back. "I promise I'll make it worth your while."
Loki's body stiffened immediately. "If you insist."
"Now, that's a good little prince." Artemis smiled as she flicked his nose. She excused herself from the disgruntled prince and made her way over to the others. "Stark! Have you gotten older?"
"I see you've brought Rock of Ages," Tony said, gesturing to the still angry Loki who was trying his best to ignore Clint's dangerous scowl. "Couldn't leave him in his cage?"
Artemis shook her head as she hugged him. "Do I have to remind everyone to play nice today? Jesus."
Tony rolled his eyes; he was not known for playing nice. "How's Asgard treating you?"
"It's great!" Artemis said, looking over his shoulder to smile at Loki. "The attitude on magic has gotten better and Loki is teaching sorcery to budding talents. Also, once I decided to make my move to Asgard permanent, Thor appointed me as the head trainer to his warriors. A lot of them were pissed, obviously, but they've learned to deal with it after I kicked a few of their asses."
"Don't you hate it when there's too much testosterone in the room?" Natasha joked, pushing past Tony who looked utterly offended, and stalking up to Artemis to envelop her in a hug. "It's been too long. When was the last time you were down here?"
"A couple of months ago I think. I was tracking the final HYDRA agent in the Middle East-"
However, Artemis was not allowed to finish her sentence when Natasha gasped. "What the hell is this, kid?"
She yanked Artemis' left hand off her hip and pressed it close to her face.
Artemis' brows were furrowed until she saw what her aunt was looking at. "Oh, this? I guess I haven't had the time to tell you since I came back."
Natasha was staring down at an audaciously large ring on her niece's left hand. It was a beautifully intricate silver band that looked like vines that wrapped around a multi-carat emerald at the top.
"You're engaged? To the Prince of Asgard? You didn't think to tell me sooner!" Natasha yelled, drawing the attention of all the men in the room.
"Wait, you're engaged?" Clint questioned, looking at Artemis before he turned regard Loki with a look that rivaled that of a ferocious lion.
"Congrats, Reindeer Games," Tony- however- didn't share the same dangerous sentiment and instead cheered, patting Loki roughly on the back.
Artemis rolled her eyes at brought her attention back to Natasha. "It's not like there are cellphones in Asgard. I was waiting until the next time I popped in to break the news and invite you to our wedding."
"This ring is huge," Natasha said with wide eyes, still admiring the work of art on Artemis' finger. "I take it wasn't your choice?"
Artemis shook her head. "No, I wanted one of those silicone rings they're making here on Earth but Loki insisted that the future Princess of Asgard needed something flashier."
"And the emerald?"
"Wasn't my idea either. I wanted something simpler but Loki also insisted on it. Personally, I think it's to inflate his own arrogant ego since it's the color of his eyes, but I've grown to love it," she confessed, smiling when Loki finally tore himself away from her furious uncle.
"Only the best for my huntress," Loki said, grinning at Artemis as he kissed the top of her head. "Can we take our leave now? I'm tired of the journey."
Artemis narrowed her eyes at him. "Liar." She looked around, and as if all of a sudden, she noticed the absence of a few Avengers. "Wait, where's Bruce?"
"He's on another soul searching journey in India. He's helping treat patients down there," Tony explained, resuming his position in front of his computer.
"And Steve? Bucky?"
Artemis had only met Bucky Barnes once, and briefly when she had come down to Earth to help him and Steve fight off a resurgence of HYDRA agents. Bucky had been nice to her, polite as any former military man would be, but ultimately quiet.
However, Artemis sensed that he had faced many nightmares before- had stared in the face of true evil- but had come out a stronger and kinder man. She admired him and had assured him that in the future if he ever needed her assistance, she would be there in a heartbeat.
"They're in Chicago helping T'Challa set up some more outreach centers," Natasha said, watching with amusement when Loki sat next to Tony and tried to touch some buttons, earning him a quick slap in the hand by Iron Man. "They should be heading back, though."
"Yeah, Capsicle is a sucker for lost causes," Tony muttered, earning a snicker from Loki.
"Lost causes? That explains why I'm friends with you."
Artemis let out a yelp, as she ran up to Steve Rogers and lunged herself at him, enveloping him in a brutal hug.
"Steve!" Artemis laughed, letting him go and beaming up at him. "I've missed you so much!"
Steve chuckled as a familiar blush crept up his neck.
It had been well established that Steve and Artemis were nothing more than friends- a point that was lost upon Loki who stared at them with disdain- and that Steve could never love anyone after Peggy Carter, but that didn't mean he wasn't still slightly bashful when it came to Artemis' affectionate gestures.
"Arty, I've missed you too," he said, looking over his shoulder and waving his best friend into the room. "Bucky, look, Artemis is back!"
Artemis stalked up to Bucky cautiously as she gave him a tamer version of the hug she had given Steve. "Long time no see, metal man."
Tony looked up from his position at the computer. "Hey! I trademarked that! Your infringing on copyright laws if you use any sort of metallic substance next to the word 'man'."
Artemis completely ignored Stark's idiotic comment as she continued to smile up at Bucky.
When she had first met James Buchanan Barnes, she immediately felt compelled to him. She could see that he was just the shell of the man he used to be in 1942. They had said that Shuri, with all her Wakandan technology, had managed to restore his memories and eliminate all traces of HYDRA's mind control, but that didn't mean that she had fixed Bucky Barnes.
He was kind enough. He never spoke unless spoken to first, clung to the shadows in the walls, always retired first during team bonding nights, and his eyes held an absent glaze that never went away.
Artemis knew that Bucky would be okay eventually, but he wasn't yet. She was never shy when it came to expressing friendly physical affection with him because she knew that underneath his flinching figure and his uncomfortable stare, that he needed it.
When she pulled back, she patted Bucky's cheek before speaking. "Have a nice time in Chicago?"
Bucky grunted in response before he pulled away from her completely and moved himself to the corner of the room.
"Bucky likes it," Steve whispered to her, so low she was convinced she was the only one who could hear. "He feels like he owes Shuri and T'challa so much. It's been good for him."
Artemis as about to reply but was cut short by Stark snapping his fingers at them.
"While this reunion has been lovely, we'll have time to catch up later."
Artemis rolled her eyes and fought very hard to control herself and not slap Iron Man on the back of his head as she walked over to the computer and leaned over his shoulder to see what he was looking that.
"Since you so rudely suggested that we get to business, want to share what you found with the class?"
Tony snickered as he raised his hand to the computer and, in a pinching movement, pulled the information from his computer and projected it in the center of the room.
"So," Tony began, standing up and running his fingers against the projection. "Martina Garcia. Age 23. Five-foot seven, chestnut hair, green eyes, and tan skin. Immigrated from Venezuela at the age five to live with her aunt after her parents' death. She is currently attending Dartmouth College as a graduate student and on a semester-long exchange program in Paris, France. She was working at a local cafe and a week ago someone tried to rob the shop. Apparently, she burned it down- along with the entire neighborhood it was in- to the ground."
Natasha furrowed her eyebrows. "How many casualties?"
"Too many."
"A number would be nice, Tony," Clint urged.
"Fine." Tony sighed as he touched the projection in the center of the room and switched screens. "Twenty were injured and forty-two were killed."
"What makes you think this is a case for us?" Steve questioned, looking at Martina's mugshot. "Couldn't she have just knocked over something flammable?"
"Highly unlikely," Tony replied. "When they tried to question her about it, the surviving officers said that she freaked down and burned down the station."
Artemis raised her eyebrows. "Surviving officers?"
"Yep, apparently the fire killed the ones that weren't able to get out of the building in time."
Artemis could feel the familiar tightening in her chest after Tony finished his briefing. The feeling that was coursing through her was something Artemis had experienced many times before.
An overwhelming empathy and will to protect those who needed protection.
"That poor girl," she sighed, shaking her head. "She has no idea what's happening to her. She must be so scared."
Loki frowned as he placed his hands on her shoulder. "There is that heart of yours again. I'm assuming we won't be leaving for Greece anytime soon?"
Artemis snorted. "Yeah, no way in hell."
Suddenly, a shrill ring erupted in the room and a familiar voice made itself known.
"Mr. Stark," F.R.I.D.A.Y said. "It seems that the subject is waking up."
"She's a person, F.R.I.D.A.Y," Artemis sneered.
"Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y," Tony said, walking back over to his computer and flipping a switch which brought down the metal barrier separating them from the room right beside them.
Through the military-grade glass, the Avengers watched as Martina Garcia shot out of the bed Artemis had placed her in and looked around in a panic.
Tony hadn't turned the intercom on, so they couldn't hear the noise emanating from the other room, much to Artemis' relief.
Martina slammed herself against the metal door of her cell as her mouth opened and closed.
When she realized it wouldn't budge, she pulled at the roots of her hair and opened her mouth in what Artemis could only consider nothing more than a scream of terror.
Martina sunk to the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees, shaking back and forth as little wisps of smoke emerged from her hands.
"Should we be worried?" Loki questioned wearily, tightening his grip on Artemis' arm.
"No," Tony assured him. "I've prepared this room for her arrival. I used Maximoff as a test subject and not even her powers could penetrate it."
Artemis continued to watch Martina, ignoring the rambling of scientific equations that Stark was spouting.
Her eyebrows were furrowed and she wrapped her arms around her stomach; her mouth was set in a deep frown that etched across her features.
Loki shook his head, pulling at her head gently and pressing a kiss on her forehead. His hand dropped to intertwine with hers as he mumbled into her hair. "That damn heart."
━
On the other side of the glass, Martina Garcia was having nothing less than a mental breakdown.
She could feel an overwhelming pain radiating from her hands and reaching all the way to her head, wrapping its fiery fingers around her brain and squeezing until she could do nothing but scream.
She screamed at the top of her lungs as she slammed her fists against the wall, knowing full well why she was trapped in this cage and why she deserved to be there.
She could remember it so vividly; the fires that had claimed so many lives.
Just after the fire, it all seemed like some distant nightmare. She could picture it, but it was all blurry. It wasn't until days after when it all cleared up for her. Time seemed to sharpen the edges of the memory.
She hadn't meant to do it, she really hadn't, but at that moment she was unable to do anything but watch the flames dance around her and engulf anything and everything in its path.
Her mind was reeling, going a mile a minute, as the pent up energy fueled the pain in her head which felt like it was splitting apart seam by seam.
"Woah there, calm down. It's okay sparky."
Martina growled ferociously as she looked around the cell to find the source of the voice. Her eyebrows were cemented in confusion as she slammed her hands against the wall once more.
"Hey, you're fine. Relax. The good guys brought you here."
"Then why am I in a fucking cage!" she bellowed, slamming her hands against the wall once more with so much rage behind her assault that she felt her knuckles crack under the pressure.
"We work for S.H.I.E.L.D," the voice explained. "You met my associates earlier today, the ones that brought you in. They weren't lying. We really are trying to help you. We know what you did, Martina."
Martina clutched her bloody knuckles against her chest as she rested her forehead against the white padded wall.
"I didn't mean to," she wailed, the tears flowing down and creating paths against her ash-covered cheeks. "I didn't mean to!"
All of a sudden, a rush of recollection enveloped her and she strained against the wall, trying to push the memory away, but to no avail.
Nothing could erase the truth.
Martina was adjusting the purple scarf headband that was doing a terrible job at holding back stray hairs that were currently tickling her neck.
She blew them away as she walked up to the last table for the night and politely smiled at the two men sitting in the booth.
"Je suis désolé, mais nous fermons maintenant." She explained that the cafe was now closed and the men cheerily handed her a few euros before leaving.
Martina smiled when she noticed that they had left her a tip, something that they didn't have to do, but something that they had done nonetheless.
She stuffed the euro into her pocket as she walked over to the register to deposit the remaining cash.
She turned around to empty out the cappuccino machine when she heard the shrill ding of the doorbell.
She rolled her eyes lightly as she looked up. "Je suis désolé-"
Her apology was cut short when she saw the barrel of a handgun aimed right in front of her face.
The man in front of her was wearing one of those ski masks she had only seen in movies and his left hand was trembling against the canvas bag he held.
"L'argent! Donnez-moi l'argent!" he barked, holding the canvas bag out in front of his as he pointed his gun at the register. "L'argent!"
Martina could feel tears brimming the corners of her eyes as she fumbled with the register. She had seen all those training videos they had shown her and knew that the best course of action was just to give the man what he wanted.
The cafe had insurance, right?
However, her fingers were trembling to the point where she found it very difficult to open the register. She looked up and saw that the twitchy man was getting even twitchier.
"Dépêchez-vous!"
He demanded her to hurry as he looked over his shoulder.
"Je suis désolé," she cried, her hands beginning to shake even more violently.
The man had enough. He leaned forward slightly and hit her across her cheek with his gun.
She gasped at the collision and fell to the floor. She was shaking and she could feel the tears cascading down her face and the overwhelmingly terrified sensation consumed her.
However, in an instant- a flip of a switch, a turn of a dial- her fear faded and something more sinister took its place.
Her eyes narrowed into slits as she touched the blood coming out of her bottom lip. Her hands were trembling again, not out of fear, but out of anger.
Her hands were tingling unusually and heavy pressure was building inside of her. Her hands felt as if they had disconnected from her body.
She lifted her hand and clamped it down on the bar as she lifted herself up.
"You shouldn't have done that," she seethed, not noticing that her arm began to glow with warm reddish-orange light, or that there was smoke pooling under her fingers.
The man's eyes widened as he made a dash for the door but it was too late.
With an animalistic roar, she lifted her hands up in the air and all hell broke loose.
"I'm sorry. Lo siento, lo siento," she repeated like a chant, clawing at the white walls as her agonizing wails enveloped the room. "I can still smell it, the way their skin melted off- Oh god!"
Martina had made it out of the cafe without a scratch and with very little recollection of what had occurred. It wasn't until she was in cuffs, sitting in a rotten jail cell, that it all came tumbling back.
The same rage she had felt when the robber smacked her across the face emerged when the inspectors called her a murderer.
She had burned them too.
She had ran; ran until her feet bled, and ran until all her oxygen was cut off.
"What have I done?!" she screeched, sinking back onto her knees as she pounded her fists against her aching head. "I didn't mean to!"
However, no matter how many times Martina repeated that to herself, she knew that something deep down inside of her had meant to.
On the other side of the glass, Artemis was curled into Loki's figure, Tony was turning off the intercom to block out Martina's cries, Clint and Natasha were sharing remorseful looks, and Steve looked he was at the point of tears.
Bucky, however, Bucky Barnes was a different story.
Bucky was becoming increasingly uncomfortable and he kept switching his weight from one leg to the other as his fingers twitched at his sides.
Looking at Martina, he recognized the look on her face. It was the look of a once-innocent person who was being torn in half by the magnitude of their sins. He, more than anyone else, understood that pain.
It was the pain of having your life turn on a switch.
It was the pain of not recognizing yourself.
It was the pain of coming to terms with the fact that you were a monster.
As the Winter Soldier, he had taken countless lives without remorse and without hesitation; however, that wasn't him.
He knew what Martina must have been feeling as she rocked her quivering body back and forth.
That even though she didn't mean to do it, she had.
He felt the same.
"Buck, are you alright?" Steve questioned, noticing that his best friend's hands had clenched into fists and recognizing what the nervous tick of his jaw meant.
Bucky released just a little of the tension when Steve clamped his hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just- I don't know Steve. I feel bad."
Steve nodded at him solemnly.
Bucky didn't need to say anything because he understood.
"I thought you said she was timid," Tony said, looking up at Artemis who still had her head buried in Loki's chest.
"Well, fuck me," she snapped, flicking Tony's ear. "She is but I can say that I didn't expect that sort of reaction, or her anger when you told her that we know what she did. I got to say though, I kind of like it. It's good that she's not catatonic. She needs to deal with this."
"Remember that her temper and zero lack of control on her emotions are what got her in trouble in the first place," Loki reminded her.
Steve looked at Stark before turning back to Martina's medical records. "Do you think she's another HYDRA experiment? Who else could have the kind of tech to give her those powers?"
"We'll never know," Natasha spoke up, pursing her red lips. "Artemis got rid of the last remaining members of HYDRA."
Steve turned to Artemis. "Could we question them?"
"Steve," Clint said, his voice laced with inappropriate humor. "She got rid of them; she didn't catch them."
Steve widened his eyes as he looked at his blonde friend. "Arty," he sighed with disappointment.
"Hey! Do not judge me! Fury was very clear with his directive, and honestly, if he hadn't been, I still would have done it. They put up a fight and I wasn't going to stand down and let them kill me first," she argued, becoming slightly annoyed with Steve's sense of self-righteousness.
Tony laughed. "Don't worry, she didn't skin them like the other animals she catches. Regardless, I'm sure I can find out. I think we should run some tests on her."
Artemis narrowed her eyes at him as her hands found their way to her cocked hip. "That's not a good idea."
"What?"
"I agree."
Everyone whipped their heads to the back of the room where Bucky stood with his arms crossed and his head down.
He wholeheartedly agreed with Artemis and not even his resilience to remain quiet could stop him from voicing it. He thought about if it were him in that situation, back when he could barely remember his best friend and wasn't even sure of his own name.
He remembered being strapped down to a chair by HYDRA members as he panicked and pleaded, although it did nothing to stop their endless cycle of torture and experimentation.
It was a horrible experience that he would not wish on anyone, and even though he was sure it would be a more pleasant experience under Tony's watchful eye, he was hesitant.
Artemis swallowed her surprise as she continued. "Look at her, Stark. Do you think she's gonna be easy to get blood from?"
"Well, since you're calling the shots then what do you suggests?" Tony asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Artemis didn't miss the snide comment but she kept her mouth shut; she got what she wanted, she didn't need to put up a fight. "I think that maybe we should give her some time to adjust to being here. We can't just test her against her will. She's not a criminal."
"I think killing people constitutes you a killer-Ow! Odin woman, stop hitting me!"
"Have you forgotten that so have you?" she seethed, shaking her head in disbelief at him as she soothed the spot on his head she had just smacked.
Loki kept quiet after that.
Bucky matched Artemis' icy stare. "Besides, she didn't mean to."
Bucky's words cemented something in Steve's mind.
He realized why Bucky had been acting so odd. Steve could see that Bucky saw a lot of himself in Martina. He could feel her pain and he could relate to it on a primal level. When Bucky looked at her, he saw the Winter Soldier reflected back at him.
The thought that there was a presence that could resurface his assassin-alter ego must have driven Bucky crazy.
"Let's just let her sleep," Artemis stated-not suggested- as she grabbed Loki's hand. "We'll try again tomorrow."
"Who do you suggest should go in there?" Steve asked, following them out of the room.
"Isn't it obvious? Me," Artemis snorted, narrowing her eyes when Loki's hand tightened around her. "She knows me."
Clint looked hesitant but nodded his head nonetheless. He knew that if anyone could calm a beast, it was Artemis.
They all quietly said their goodbyes as they parted ways and headed to their respective rooms.
Tony Stark was halfway to the elevator to return to Stark Tower until a nagging thought itched the corner of his mind.
He ran back to the control room without a second thought; night had fallen and his pesky- and mostly silent- conscience would not keep relent.
He lowered the lights in Martina's cell- just enough that she could still see, but also enough that she could sleep- before he turned on the intercom.
"You're safe kid, I promise. Try and get a good night's sleep."
But, Martina did not have a good night's sleep- she didn't sleep at all.
Her crying continued through the night and the early hours of the morning; her hands clamped over her ears to try and drown out the piercing screams of her nightmares.
No, she could not sleep tight.
―A/N―
Okay everyone! I hoped we all liked this chapter!
So, I have this ENTIRE story completed- all that's left is for me to edit each chapter before posting.
If this chapter didn't leave you satisfied, or you're not too intrigued- PLEASE STAY WITH ME.
I promise that you will really like it! We have action, angst, repressed emotions, sexy soldiers, and snarky humor!
Also, if you're here because of Loki and Artemis- there will be so much more of them!
Again, I want to thank everyone for giving this a chance and I hope you'll continue on this journey with me.
Remember that the posting schedule is Monday, Wednesday, Friday!
So, I'll see y'all Monday!
Until then & eternally grateful,
Bella.