Siren Song

Shawarma

I stood with strangers at the top of Stark tower in search of Loki. All of us seemed to have unfinished business with him. We stood watching Loki crawl to a small set of stairs until he finally realized he had an audience. He propped himself on his elbows and turned his bruised and bloodied face to us. He seemed surprised yet impressed that I was among them. He gave a defeated sigh.
"If it's all the same to you. I'll have that drink now." He raised one eyebrow turning on all his charm in an effort to ease the situation. The horrible thing was, I was ready to forgive him.
At the restaurant
     The restaurant was filled with dust and debris. None of us thought the two workers even had what they needed to make food anymore. But they all agreed once they saw Stark. He was apparently rich and famous enough to convince a restaurant to reopen immediately after an alien invasion. They cleaned as much as they could before preparing our food. I had no idea what the hell shawarma was. I had only been fed powdery food in brown packets. We all sat down at a round table leaving Loki in a corner. He had on cuffs and a mouth guard, leaving his eyes free to stare daggers through me. I'm guessing he blames me for his plan falling apart. I was the one who tricked his right hand man into closing the portal.
     "So," Stark began. I looked up to see everyone's eyes glued on me. "Not that I'm not grateful for your help, but who the hell are you?" It seemed everyone had the same question. What was I going to tell them? If I told them anything about my past would they try to send me back to wherever I came from? I looked at Thor. He gave an encouraging nod. I cleared my throat.
     "Hi, uhm. I'm Echo. I don't know if you'll remember, but I was in the same cell as Loki." Thor pressed his lips tight. Associating myself with Loki was probably not the best move.
     "And where were you before you were in the cell with Loki?" A red headed woman pressed. That wasn't something I was ready to reveal yet.
     "Nowhere important." No one seemed satisfied with my answer. I could feel them growing suspicious by the second. There was only man who seemed to have the courage to break the ice.
     "I'm Steve Rogers. When I'm in the suit, they call me Captain America." Steve stuck out his hand without a second thought. I flinched back and covered my face. My cheeks grew hot as everyone looked concerned. I hated when people looked at me like that. They're pitying me. I moved my hand away from my face and met his across the table.
     "I think I've heard about you! Weren't you found frozen in ice?" I shot out the awkward question to try and turn the attention back on him. He smiled awkwardly and shook my hand once before letting go. He had a firm grip. So this was Captain America. He's another hero my father wanted me to surpass. I wonder how many other life long goals of my father's I'll bump into today. Everyone else followed Steve's example and introduced themselves one by one. The man with the bow and arrows was called Hawkeye. I don't remember hearing about him or his red headed partner, Black Widow. They both had quick handshakes, like they were ready to be done with it the second it started. The man I recognized from the lab earlier in the day introduced himself as Doctor Banner or the "other guy" when he was "suited up." His uncomfortable wording of his introduction told me everything I needed to know about him. He had issues.
Stark was much more enthusiastic and showy about his introduction than the others. It was clear he was eager to know everything about me.
"And of course we have already met," Thor said as he shook my hand anyway. We gave each other a warm smile, like we had been friends for years.
"You know her?" Natasha was eager to pry. I ground my teeth. Maybe once Thor explained his side of things they would trust me more. One of the workers came by with a tray full of delicious looking food. My attention was held by a plate full of carefully wrapped meats. There were grill marks on the side of the light meat accompanied by an assortment of vegetables. It smelled heavenly. So this is what food is like on the outside. It looks so colorful. How do I eat it? I was always left to eat with my hands and nothing else, but everyone else picked up silver utensils. It seemed I had a lot to learn about living out here. I didn't want to make a fool of myself by trying to eat these things and it seemed I wasn't the only one not touching their plate.
Natasha still stared at Thor expecting an answer. Thor sighed while everyone else ate and watched where the conversation would lead.
"After Loki dropped the cell with us inside, we landed together in a meadow. We were going to go our separate ways when I made a deal with them." As Thor said this, everyone's attention was caught. Even Loki sat a bit straighter.
"A deal?" Hawkeye joined in the conversation.
"Yes. One I intend to uphold." Relief flooded me as Thor said this. So he meant what he said. If there was any doubt I had about him before, it was gone. Natasha leaned closer to Thor across the table, her red locks hiding her face from my view.
"And what exactly was this deal?" Thor set down his food.
"I proclaimed that if she helped us win this war, which she did, then I would promise her freedom." Steve's face grew hard.
"Thor, that promise wasn't yours to give. Fury wants her in a cell." My heart sank again as they argued over my freedom. Was what I did really not enough? Why was I even locked up anyway? I didn't commit any crime. Though I suppose I would want a monster like me off the streets as well.
"I believe she has proven herself trustworthy enough. She was the one who shut down the portal and she fought as hard as any of us out there." Thor's voice was getting louder with each statement. "And if I have to disobey Fury to guarantee her freedom then so be it." I didn't want Thor to suffer because of me. All I wanted was to live freely! Was that so much to ask?
"Wait," I pleaded. They all turned to me. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble. If Director Fury wants to take me in then that's fine."
"But-" Thor began to protest. I raised a hand and he fell silent again.
"But once I am proven to be an ally then he'll have to let me go." There. That seemed reasonable enough.
"If he can keep everyone quiet about you," Stark interjected. My heart picked up the pace.
"What do you mean?" Who is everyone?
"Kid, you're all over the News. Didn't you see the cameras everywhere? I swear these people are more concerned with a good story than saving their own ass-" I stood up suddenly and turned to the TV hanging on the wall behind me. I rushed over and hit the power button and saw my own face reflected in the screen.
"And while we have not been able to reach this mystery hero for questioning, we can confirm that they were working alongside the Avengers in an effort to save the city." The woman speaking was sitting at a white desk white wearing a sharp blazer. She had obviously not been here reporting live which means she got the information from someone in the city. And I bet that this wasn't the only station talking about me. If my father were to see this he would know exactly where to find me. I had to get out of here. I had to run.
"See, kid? Told ya you were famous," Stark laughed in between bites. I turned back to the table. They all looked either concerned or suspicious. How long did I have until my father found me and put another collar on me? Natasha stood from her seat and jerked her head at the other side of the restaurant.
"I think we need to have a discussion." She obviously meant mostly with Thor and his outrageous promise to me. I tried to follow too, but Thor stopped me.
"Will you please keep an eye on Loki?" I nodded as he smiled and joined the rest of the Avengers. I didn't have much time. I should be running now. I grabbed my untouched plate of food and set it in front of Loki. I pressed the latch on the side of his mouth guard and it feel to my hand, having transformed into an octagonal piece of metal.
"Here, you can have my food." I said this without looking at him. He didn't move or speak. I looked at him now and he seemed wary of the food, as if it would explode.
"Go on, I can't eat it anyway." I pushed the plate closer to him. He seemed a different person. Maybe not an entirely different person, but I sensed he wasn't going to try anything funny. He picked up the wrap and took a hearty bite. I laughed quietly. "I guess trying to take over the world really works up an appetite?" My attempt at light hearted banter didn't land as he said nothing. I looked over at the Avengers and they were still in a tight huddle. I drowned out their whispering voices as much as possible. I didn't want to hear what they had to say about me.
"I'm going to leave soon." Loki put down his unfinished wrap and looked at me without expression. Those green eyes stared into my soul and made my heart skip a beat. Green? Weren't they blue? I shook the thought from my head as I looked away quickly. His stare was making it hard to breathe. "And don't ask me why I'm telling you this because I don't know myself."
"Why must you run?" He asked in a deep tone. His voice sent chills through me. I'm definitely going to miss that voice.
"My Father is after me. And if he catches me, I'll be tortured." He turned his face at an angle that accentuated his sharp features.
"He sounds like a great role model."
"From what I understand, Odin was hardly the best father figure," I quipped. He gave a sinister chuckle. I wanted to say more, but there was a high possibility he would tell the others. At least he can pass on enough information so that Thor would know I wasn't abandoning him.
I heard the Avengers break their huddle and make their way towards me.
"Okay, kid. I think there's a way for you to walk away from this that'll work in everyone's favor," Steve began to say. It seemed like everyone else was prepared to let him speak on behalf of the group. "I'm sure Fury will be grateful once he understands just how much you helped us today. He'll see you as an ally, as an Avenger." Natasha's face gave away nothing. If she was against this whole idea, I wouldn't know.
"An Avenger?" A part of the team? "How is Fury ever going to be okay with that?" Stark, Thor, Banner, and Natasha all gave a slight smile.
"Well, not all of us started out as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s allies," Banner said fiddling with his shirt collar.
"And you'd be willing to vouch for me?" They all looked at each other.
"When I was an enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D., I met someone who was willing to make a different call and trust me. I'm just paying the favor forward," Natasha said. My heart ached to say yes. Here I was being offered a chance at a team, friends, and maybe even a family of sorts. A real, loving family. The kind that looked out for each other. But I knew I couldn't do it. I had to run. I couldn't expect them to fight for me as soon as they met me.
"So, what do you say?" Thor looked beyond happy about the turn of events.
"Absolutely," I said with the most genuine smile I could manage. Hawkeye smirked slightly. As if he had wanted me on the team all along.
"First of all, you're gonna have to try to be a bit stricter with the enemies," said Steve, eyeing the empty plate of food in front of Loki. I blushed lightly.
"Sorry about that, he just looked so hungry." Hawkeye shook his head in disbelief. He probably thought I was crazy. Loki watched me intently, saying nothing.
Thor clapped his massive hands together. "Well, we should be on our way. I suspect Fury will be eager to meet you." I sighed. That was my cue.
"Hold on, I need to use the bathroom first." Without another word, I jogged to the bathroom and quickly shut the door behind me. Grateful for the working lock, I took a second to inspect the gruesome scar that stretched across my entire neck. It was a grim reminder of why I had to run. I splashed my dirty face with water and started to shimmy my way out of the small bathroom window. I landed on my feet with a thud. The window was high enough off the ground to make my feet sting. Without another glance back, I ran away from any chance I had at happiness.