Kaleidoscope. (Tony Stark Fanfic)

Chapter 10

*Success is a series of small wins*

*Leah's Pov*

Barton was strapped down, as me and Natasha watched over him before going to the briefing room. Barton wakes up, squinting from the pain in his head. He was shaking off Loki's mind control. Poor Clint, he has been like my brother since I've started at Shield years ago; so seeing him like this, kills me.

"Clint, you're gonna be alright," Nat said, comfortingly.
"You know what? Is that what you know? I got....I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out," Clint stuttered, panic covering his face.
"We don't have that long, it's going to take time," Natasha continued. Clint looked at me as I nodded, agreeing to what Natasha was saying.

"I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?" Clint argued.
"You know that I do," I stated sternly. Clint looked at me, a wash of guilt and sympathy flowing across him.
"Why am I back? How did you get him out?" Clint asked.
"Cognitive recalibration," you stated. Clint looks at you, his eyebrows furrowed.
"I hit you really hard in the head," Natasha rephrased what I said, smirking at me.

"Thanks," Clint said, I walked over to where he was lying down and unfastened the restraints.
Clint looked up at me and smiled weekly,"L', how many agents?" He asked. I looked down at him sympathetically.
"Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were trained for," I reassured. Clint smiled at me gratefully.
"Loki, he got away?"

(L' is Leah's nickname, pronounced as 'el')

"Yeah, I suppose you know where?" Nat asked. I sat down, facing the floor. If I never believed that was the real Loki, I probably could of got Loki, got thor out of the cage, and even better, saved Coulson. Guilt washing over me. I felt ill, thinking about the alternative outcomes that could of happened.

"I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. Also, Leah...I'd maybe sit this one out..." I looked up at him, confused on why he would suggest that.

"W- what? Why?" I asked. He looked at me with worry in his eyes, I knew he was being serious.
"Leah, he wants you because of your powers," Clint answered, a soft voice being heard. I just looked at him, speechless and trying to search for something to say. But nothing came to mind.
"I'm not just going to sit out, and watch you guys fight, when I can help. He killed Coulson, where I was unconscious. If I was smart enough, and didn't get knocked out, I could of saved Coulson," I blamed and reasoned.

"L', don't blame yourself," Nat said.
"Either way, I'm fighting,"

You walk out and leave them watching you.

* * *

I gathered in the briefing room with Tony, Steve and Fury. They all had a look as if inna daze. We all had a look of numb shock shown on our devastated faces.

"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sighn them," Fury said. He threw Coulson's Captain America trafing cards on the table towards Steve. They were stained with bright red, fresh blood. I looked at them, guilt covering my expressions. I let out a shaky breath and looked away from them, as Tony gave me a sympathetic look and Steve picked them up and looked at the cards.

"We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. We nearly even lost you Agent Harper. Twice." Tony and Steve looked at Fury with confused looks and then at me, as I was looking at my hands, fiddling, and they looked back at Fury.

"I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. Yes, we were going to build arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Leah knows this, called 'The Avengers Initiative'. The idea to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes," Fury continued.

I couldn't take it, I nearly died twice. Coulson died on my mistake of falling. People don't blame me, but I blame myself. I cringed at what Fury said, because it scared me. I get up and walk off, not wanting to hear it anymore.

Word Count: 799
Kiwi ~🥝