Chapter 23

"Hey, let me go!" I yell, but he hoists me up by my arms and sets me in the open bed of the vehicle.

"You could leave, but the only way to get the cuffs off is my handprint, so you will not be successful in removing them." He says as he climbs in next to me, and I huff as Loki climbs in and we speed off to the compound.

We reach the compound after a couple minutes of tense silence, and when we reach the garage, Tony is there waiting on us. As we unload, Tony speaks.

"That whole 'faking your death' thing was pretty convincing. You had even me fooled. How did you do it? Some kind of drug to slow your heart?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. Faking my death and getting my leg blown off in the process was definitely on the to-do list." I snark, and he hums.

"Careful, kid. You're not exactly on Santa's good list." He turns and leads us down a hallway, all the while Thor keeps hold of my arm.

"How long have you had your power?" Tony tries to make conversation.

"Since last September."

"Where you from?"

"Kansas." I say sarcastically. "Are you interviewing me so you can write an article in the newspaper? If so, I would definitely be more willing to talk if these cuffs were off, as well as a glass of your strongest bourbon." I try, but know it would fall flat.

He laughs. "Yeah, sorry Dorothy, not gonna happen. Good try, though." We enter into a large, high-ceilinged room, equip with a long table and several chairs.

"You see," He pulls out a chair and I reluctantly sit, "You're needed here, to help us prepare for battle."

Prepare for battle. My mind spins as I try to process. I fiddle with the cuffs under the table as Tony sits down across from me and fiddles with something on the table screen. Thor and his brother sit beside me. As if I could get far with these damn cuffs. Do they think I'm going to try to run or maybe the giants will come again?

Or perhaps to protect the others from me. My mind taunts, and I silently tell myself to shut up.

The room is awkwardly quiet, and I try to wriggle my hands out of the cuffs but they only tighten.

Nat enters the room and sits at the foot of the table, then crosses her arms over her chest.

"Welcome back." Her tone is not very welcoming.

"Thanks." I mutter as the room begins to fill with people. Hawkeye sits in a corner, Wanda sits beside Nat. Sam sits one chair over from Loki, and he snorts.

"Not to worry, I shan't bite." He says, and Sam looks him up and down.

"Yeah, not taking your word for it." He says back.

While the exchange has been going on, I've been attempting to summon the blue back to my hands in an attempt to freeze and break the metal. I begin to feel the metal becoming colder, and I concentrate a little harder as Tony stands and the windows black out, leaving the table to be the main source of light.

He swipes at the table and images float in the air, showing what appears to be drone footage of a small encampment of thin humanoid creatures, huddled around a small fire. Nearby, a few frost giants stand in a small clearing, and when one walks three steps forward, he disappears.

"Is that a short cut between Jotunheim and our world? A tear?" I ask, but then feel my face go red when Stark looks at me.

"Yes, it is, and it was noticed the day I helped you with your car." So, it's once again my fault. Great. An even better reason to freeze off these cuffs and book it out of here.

Running has gotten you only so far, hasn't it? A voice in my head says, and I recognize it to be other me. Every time you've run, blood has spilled and people have been put in danger.

I hate that she's right.

The metal around my wrists feels as though it's made of ice, and perhaps it is, though I don't dare glancing down to check. Instead, I focus harder and harder, until I feel my nose about to run. I sniff, trying to prevent the blood from running.

"The area has been under heavy monitoring, although the frost people have destroyed all surveillance and guard bots I had there. There is no way to get close, short of blowing them up, although we don't know if that will also widen the hole." Stark says. Slowly I try to break my restraints, and they very slowly begin to crack.

"Their touch to bare flesh is horrible for Asgardians, but for Midgardians, I fear it may cost one a limb," Loki says, pausing for dramatic effect, "Or a life." He finishes, and Wanda shifts in her seat.

"Is there armor that would protect us from that?" She says, and Tony swipes the air, opening a file revealing blueprints of a black full-body suit.

"Already ahead of you." Stark says with a smirk.

"How soon will they be ready?" Clint says, startling me because I had forgotten he was there. He seems to notice my jumpiness, but doesn't comment on it.

"I have them being made as we speak. Now, as far as the attack goes, what do you think?" He asks the room, and I keep sniffing. "Can someone get her a tissue?" He asks slightly annoyed, and I take the opportunity of his voice to give one last tug on the cuffs, and they successfully separate, leaving two thick metal bracelets on my wrists.

"I have created nanobots that will detonate at my command, and depending on how many troops Thor brings, it may bring us out on top." Tony says, and Rhody chimes in. "I and the sentential suits will be behind the lines, ready to attack from behind."

Thor takes a drink from a large glass of water. "Our troops will be here to back all of our efforts up, and from our sources, the giants have recruited a few other armies. Numbers will be useful for the upcoming battle."

They continue talking battle strategy as I attempt to regain my head. I find it hard to stay awake during their debate, and I begin nodding off.

"That's where you come in." I snap back to consciousness and look around confused.

"Huh? Yea, sorry." I say dumbly, and Stark rolls his eyes.

"Welcome back, Dorothy, thanks for joining us. As I was saying, you come in as a means to heal the injured."

"Hold up, I'm just going to hang back and let everyone get hurt?" I ask, incredulous. "That's the dumbest thing I've heard! From the information I have gathered, they are here because of me, and it isn't fair for others to fight a battle caused by me." I speak quickly, but Tony interrupts.

"Uh, first off, you have no battle experience."

"And yet I've mostly held my own in multiple attacks."

"You could have a case if you wouldn't pass out and die so often." Nat says, and I know she is right.

"You know what? Yeah, I do. But that's because," I pause, trying to think about the many books I had read, and a small tidbit floats into my head, "Because I strain myself to my own limits. I push myself to try to prevent others from pain."

God, someone get me some nails and a couple two-by-fours.

"I have brought on this impending battle, and -" I try to continue.

"You will not be in this battle. I will not allow-" Loki begins, shocking me.

"You won't allow what?" I stand, the chair tipping back and clattering to the floor. "You won't allow me to clean up my own mess? You all want me to sit around, watching people put their lives on the line, all the while I'm sitting safe and sound away from the battle? Chilling on a couch, stuffing my face with chips and watching shitty rom-coms? You're not my dad, you have no authority over me," I look to him, and something crosses his face that I can't quite identify.

"None of you hold authority over me, and therefore I take your words as suggestion." I look to Tony, then the others. They watch in silence, and I continue my rant. "I appreciate you wanting to keep me safe, whatever your reason is, and I acknowledge that sticking behind as a healer is an important job, but there are others with far better power, far more experienced in their practices than I." I take a breath and curl my hands into fists to cover my shakiness.

"You want to keep me from my fight? No. It is mine to fight, and mine to finish. This invasion, the death and destruction of the past and future since I've gotten here, it's on me. People are in the hospital because of me, my parents are dead for the same reason. As far as I'm concerned, I will be on the front lines on the day of the invasion." I lapse into silence, and for the first time in my life, I feel proud of myself for standing up for myself.