ONLY FOR YOU | Loki

CHAPTER 80: A GRAYSCALE MEMORY

     "HEADS UP," TONY CALLS INTO HIS MIC, BLOWING HIS WAY INTO THE HYDRA OUTPOST. A wave of concrete powder bursts out from the place where a chunk of wall used to be, and large pieces of said concrete downs a few HYDRA agents. He comes in guns blazing.

     "Got you covered," Clint agrees, "get clear." He aims his bow at the most flammable thing he can see. The resulting explosion shakes the ground, and one of the walls collapses. That isn't Tony's problem, though, because he booked it out of there the second he heard Clint's voice crackle through his comms.

     Olivia digs her heels into the soft earth on the other side, taking advantage of the momentary distraction to take out everyone who stumbled. Mjolnir comes flying behind her, knocking out a soldier that was trying to sneak up behind her.

     "You know," Thor proposes, "you should come to Asgard with me sometime. I'll introduce you to Lady Sif— you'll get along very well." Olivia snorts, vanishing, only to reappear a little closer to the main facility.

     "You sure you want us trading secrets? I'm already talking shop with Natasha." she challenges. His grin falls.

     "Uh— well," he clears his throat, "now that I think about it, my father may not be so keen on another Midgardian in his palace. A shame." She laughs outright.

     "Be glad we're on your team," Natasha's voice crackles through comms. She knocks a lackey out with a well-aimed elbow to the temple, shoving him off the stairwell before she proceeds. She opens the door to the control room, just as Steve comes in via crashing through the window.

     "Every day," Steve agrees lightheartedly, a small grin on his face. Natasha pulls the flash drive out, plugging it into one of the computers.

     "Alright; ten minutes," she reports. "Keep the perimeter." The bar on the screen flashes green, and she yanks out the flash drive, stashing it away.

     "Copy that," Tony agrees, retreating to the edge areas. "Katniss, keep an eye out."

     "Flash mob, 3:00," Clint replies. "I've got the big guy on your left."

     "Thor, take that side," Olivia instructs him, gesturing with a tilt of her head. "I've got this one covered."

     "If you have need of me, I will hear," he promises with a noble nod, flying away with Mjolnir. Olivia's face scrunches up, and she shoots his retreating form a sideways look.

     "Yeah," she agrees dryly, unimpressed. "That's kind of what the comms are for."

     "This is charming and all," Natasha interjects over the line as she exits the building, "but we're down to five minutes."

     "Thor, Olivia," Steve commands, "you two are too close. Pull it back a little. We'll cover the empty space on either side."

     "Anybody seen the Hulk?" Clint wonders, scanning the horizon for anything loud and green.

     "Bruce clocked out a half-hour ago," Olivia reports, "he's waiting with evac. Happened while your comm was off— meant to tell you, but we were all a little busy with the Nazis."

     "Everything changes except the one thing I wanted to," Steve comments with distaste.

      "Actually, are they still Nazis, or have they branched off into their own thing now?" Tony wonders.

      "Does it matter?" Olivia manages, slipping her pocket knife out and stabbing the man who disarmed her while she was reloading.

     "You okay over there?" Natasha asks, glancing in the direction she knows the other woman to be. Olivia rolls her shoulders, stepping over the man's corpse with a scrunched nose.