Of Expos, Spiderlings and Magical Comas
Sometime in 2009
“Lokiiii! Come oooon!”
Ava pouted at the god, who was following behind her. He chuckled indulgently and she glared, before grabbing his arm and pulling him forward.
“We have all night, vennen, we’re not exactly in a hurry.”
He ruffled her hair, grinning when she ducked away, hissing.
She turned around to face him, walking backwards through the crowd. Loki had been teaching her peripheral spells, as he classed them, and she could sense everyone as they approached, and weaved around as to avoid being hit.
He spun her neatly back around.
“No magic in public,” he scolded.
She stuck her tongue out at him. He stuck his out back.
Hours later, they’d managed to tour most of the exhibits, and had just ducked into line at a hotdog stand. Ava was hungry and wanted to eat before Iron Man’s grand entrance.
They stood in line behind a couple, who had a boy with them, wearing an iron man mask.
He regarded Ava carefully, before saying,
“I like your necklace.”
She beamed, moving towards him. She loved her necklace, and complementing it was a surefire way to make friends.
“Thank you,” she said, “I like your mask. Mr Stark’s really cool, isn’t he.”
He moved towards her as well, tugging his mask off to reveal a mop of brown curls, and chocolatey eyes.
He smiled, “Yeah, he’s my favourite. I’m Peter, what’s your name?”
“I’m Octavia, but everyone calls me Ava.”
Ava stuck her hand towards him, much like she’d seen Uncle Phil do to visiting dignitaries. He shook her hand back, both of them looking very formal.
“Made a friend, Pete?” asked the man accompanying Peter.
Peter nodded, smiling shyly.
“Hiya poppet, don’t mind Pete, he’s shy with new people. I’m his uncle, Ben Parker, and this is my wife, May.”
"Hello Mr Parker,” she smiled, “I’m Ava, and this is Luka.”
Loki finger-waved, watching the newcomers carefully. He was Such a mother-hen.
“Baby-sitter?”
“Brother,” cut in Loki smoothly.
Ben squinted, “You don’t look much alike, do ya.”
May elbowed him, “Ben!” she scolded.
Loki just laughed, “We’re step-siblings. I live abroad, I’m visiting for the holidays.”
“England?”
Loki nodded, “The accent gives me away, doesn’t it.”
“Well, you're not a local for sure.”
The grown-ups laughed, Loki slipping into his ‘I’m responsible enough to talk to you and definitely not a 17’ mode. Ava knew that he’d cultivated it from literal centuries of court, but it was still impressive.
She rolled her eyes at Peter, grinning, before grabbing his arm.
“Want to get out of here?”
“Uh, shouldn’t we wait for the others?”
Ava shrugged it off, “Nah, the queue will take a while. Let's have some fun!”
Without waiting for a reply, she darted off, dragging the boy with them.
As they disappeared into the crowd, giggling manically, she felt a burst of panic spear through her necklace. Loki had noticed they were gone.
She sent Loki back the mental equivalent of a smiley face, before blocking off their connection. She wanted to explore, and Loki would find her easily if she kept it on.
Peter seemed slightly shocked that they’d escaped, looking back through the crowd, anxiety creeping in on his face.
She smirked at him. “Scared?”
“No!” he protested indignantly.
“Then come on! Iron man will be arriving any minute!”
At the name of his idol, Peter seemed to strengthen a bit, slipping his mask back on.
The pair wormed their way through the crowd, until they were at the edge of the main arena. A line of girls in red and gold were dancing, wiggling in tiny skirts and tops. Ava thought that they must be very cold.
Finding a little plinth, Ava dragged Peter up the side, both of them perching together on the top. They had a full view of the stage from here and would have the best view when Tony Stark appeared.
Peter was looking worried again, scanning the crowd below.
“Ava… my Aunt and Uncle are gonna be worried,” he said, chewing his lower lip.
Ava scoffed, “Loki’s with them,” she said, “He knows that I’ll keep you safe.”
Peter’s nose scrunched, “ I thought his name was Luka.”
Damn it, thought Ava, she was usually better than that.
“Uh, that’s what he usually goes by. His real name is Loki, but it’s a bit too weird for everyday use. Cause of the, uh, myths and stuff, you know.”
“Did his parents like mythology, then?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Which one of his parents is your step parent, then?”
Ava was lost, she didn’t usually have to explain her connection to Loki - most people bought the sibling-thing, and the few that noticed how dissimilar the two looked were satisfied with the step-sibling explanation.
She was saved from having to explain further by a sudden cheer from the crowd - peering over their heads she caught a sight of a familiar red and gold suit. Iron man had arrived.
As Peter watched, transfixed, Ava couldn’t help but be a bit bored. She had come for the science part, to see the amazing things mankind could make, not to watch some billionaire prance about with half-naked women.
Over the last year she’d heard a lot about Stark, mainly from eavesdropping on Grandpa Nick’s conversations. She’d overheard a lot about various projects over the years, but two in particular had stood out to her. The first was only in vague references, heavily coded, which very few seemed to hear about. Ava had tried and failed to break into Project Pegasaus, but the IT department had wizened up to her tricks and had built a firewall of the kind she had rarely had to deal with before. It was annoying, to say the least. The other project, however, she had been able to get more information on.
The Avengers Initiative, as it had been branded, was all the rage in the upper levels of SHIELD. The idea was simple - a team of extraordinary people to protect the earth. Tony Stark had been a name thrown around in discussion a lot, with varying responses, from interest and curiosity to flat out refusals. Aunt Nat, Uncle Clint, mom and Loki had been mentioned in a lot of documents, which she definitely shouldn’t’ve seen. As far as her logic went,however, if an 8 year old could hack the files, they deserved what was coming to them.
She was vaguely aware of her necklace pulsing, Loki still trying to contact her through it. She ignored him, although guilt started to pool in the depths of her belly. He seemed really worried.
Peter shifted against her, rubbing his arms, eyes still glued to the stage. She noticed for the first time that he didn’t have a jumper on, and the night's air was chilly. In one fluid movement, she pulled her hoody over her head, hesitating for just a moment, before handing it to the other boy. He looked over at her and smiled gratefully, pulling it over his head.
Her belly constricted with brief regret. It had been one of Loki’s that she’d stolen, and she would miss it. But it was her fault that she’d dragged Peter out here, and she didn’t really want him to get hypothermia and die.
She was still looking at Peter when the first explosion happened.
The shockwave hit them both, knocking them off the plinth. She instinctively grabbed Peter, her necklace pulsing out and catching them both. Ava caught a flash of panicked brown eyes before Peter was swept away in the screaming crowd.
Ava spun, completely lost, panic overwhelming her.
LOKI! She cried out mentally, reopening the magical pathways in her brain.
In the same instant, a familiar form rippled the air, landing softly on the ground. She clung to the god, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing tight as they disappeared from the chaos surrounding them.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered in the sudden quiet, the little girl's tears soaking his neck.
She suddenly tensed, eyes going wide.
“Peter!” she cried, “I, I, I left him there. We have to go back. We - “
Loki nodded, sighing. In seconds they were back at the expo, scanning the crowd where she’d lost the boy.
Ava could see now what had caused the panic - Justin Hammer’s robots had gone crazy, and were apparently trying to kill Tony Stark.
“Don’t let go.” ordered Loki as he put her down, grabbing her wrist.
Suddenly Ava caught a glimpse of a familiar mask.
Her heart went cold.
Peter, doll-like in comparison to the behemoth before him, raising his palm against one of the bots. Ava thrust a burst of magic towards them, but even as she did, she knew she would be too late.
Tony Stark, however, was not.
As the billionaire flew away again, Ben and May darted through the crowd, grabbing onto Peter and pulling him away towards safety.
As soon as Peter was safe, Loki grabbed her again, and they disappeared.
Reappearing against a brick wall in an alleyway, Ava began to cry. Shock and fear piling on top of her.
Loki held her in his arms, gently rocking her back and forth, smoothing her hair until the tears stopped.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I’m really sorry.”
Loki didn’t say anything, continuing to rock her where they sat.
“Loki?” she said, craning her head round to look at him.
He gazed back, stony-faced.
“How angry are you?” she said in a small voice, tears replaced by guilt.
“Ava,” he said softly, “I am so beyond angry I don’t think you have a word for it.”
“Loki, I know it was bad, but - “
“No buts. You took a risk with your life tonight, and not only with yours, but with Peter’s as well. You were reckless, and irresponsible, and I am so angry it hurts. But more than that. I was scared, Ava.” his voice dropped to a pained whisper, “ I could’ve lost you tonight, do you understand that? And it would’ve been my fault.”
Ava was on the verge of tears again, “It was My fault Loki.” she whispered, “ I shut you out, and I took Peter. It was my fault..”
“I'm the adult here, not you. I’m meant to be responsible for you, not you for me. And if something had happened to you…”
“But it didn’t. I’m fine. And so is Peter. And I’ve got the necklace and my magic anyway.”
“Which you’re not meant to use in public.”
“But -”
He cut her off. “ No, we’re not rehashing this conversation. I’m still mad at you, and we’re going home now.”
“Are you gonna tell mom?”
He regarded her cooly, “Yes.”
Oh Gods, Ava was SO dead.
“As well as Natasha.”
Double dead.
“And in addition to that, your magic lessons will be stopped for the foreseeable future.”
“No!” protested Ava, “You can’t!”
“I can, and I will. And before I forget, I’m doing this as well.”
He skimmed a hand over her necklace and it pulsed gently.
“What did you do?” she scowled.
“I added a safeguard. It stops you blocking me out again. No matter what.”
He stood up suddenly, Ava almost sprawling to the floor before he caught her, holding her arm until she found her balance.
“Ow!” she protested, out of habit rather than actual pain.
He regarded her impassively, eyes still cold.
Ava headbutted him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Slowly he returned the gesture, before lifting her up and into his arms.
She looked deep into his eyes. Pine meeting ocean blue and emerald. He sighed, and a tiny smile tugged the corner of his lips.
“I’m sorry.” she whispered again.
“I know,” he whispered back, “Don’t do that again, okay?”
She nodded, and buried her face into his neck again.
Loki hailed a taxi from the road, having already caused enough of a disturbance that night. Ava dropped quickly into sleep in the darkness and gentle rocking of the cab, and he stroked her hair, looking out into the city lights.
And it wasn’t until he’d carried her sleeping form up the stairs, and into her bed that he realised what had been off about her appearance. The hoody she’d been wearing earlier was gone. But that was a mystery for another day.
------------------------------------------
12th December 2011
“Miss Kingsley?”
Ava bolted upright from her desk, snapping out of her thoughts.
“Yes Miss?”
“The answer?”
“Would you mind, uh, repeating the question please?”
Mrs Knight sighed, customary frown imprinted on her face.
“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” she said, “ Would you possibly mind solving the calculation of the board.”. Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Uh, 45,” said Ava, mentally calculating it.
“I said solve it, not guess,” scolded the teacher. Poor thing. She was new to the school and had yet to get used to Ava. More fool her.
“I did. Mentally. ”
The woman scowled, checking her answer sheet.
“Lucky guess,” she scoffed, before moving onto her next target.
Ava slumped back into her seat, closing her eyes again. She’d been uneasy for days now. Strange emotions attacking her at any given moment. Fear, pain, rejection.
She was getting seriously worried about Loki.
It took a strong emotion indeed to break through without conscious direction, and if the echoes she was receiving were this strong, she couldn’t imagine what Loki was going through.
It had gotten to the point where she was seriously debating whether or not to just turn up on Asgard and sucker-punch whoever was hurting her friend.
Yet despite this, the pain still came as a shock.
She couldn’t breathe. A great weight was pressing on her chest, pinning her down. She cried out, falling to the floor. Next came the rejection, the tearing of a damaged heart. She was vaguely aware of Miss Knight crouching beside her, of the stares of her classmates.
Images flickered behind her eyes. She was hanging off the edge of deepest space. An old man - Odin - stood above her. Her hand on a staff, slowly slipping down.
She tried to cry out, to tell him to pull her up, but she was frozen. Trapped.
Odin’s mouth moved, but her ears were filled with cotton.
She watched her fingers, pale and long and intimately familiar, and yet not, uncurl. Air whipped by her, dropping in an endless freefall. Pain, sharp and demanding shot through her. And her world went black.
-------------------------------------------
December
“Merry Christmas Sweetie.”
The world was muffled, the air heavy against her.
“It’s not the same without you at home. Far too quiet. Cooper’s coming down tomorrow, with Lila and Laura. He misses you, you know. We all do. I’ve saved your presents. They’re all in your room. You can open them when you come home. But you’ve got to wake up first, baby.”
Tears dripped onto Ava’s hand. She tried to wiggle them, but they were too heavy.
A whisper now, “Just come back.”
------------------------------------------
“Come on, guys, You’ve got to be quiet.”
“Why dad? I thought we wanted Tavvy to wake up.”
“Well, yes but we don’t want everyone else in the hospital to wake up too.”
Her bed dipped, and a familiar weight rested against it.
“Hey Tav. You missed Christmas, you know. But it's okay, your mom kept the presents. Dad got me a new bow this year, you know. When you wake up I can show you. Lila wants to use it, but I’ll let you use it first. The nurse said you might be able to hear me, so dad said I could record stuff, and send it to you, so when you wake up you won’t have missed anything. We’ve got to go now - mom’s cooking dinner, but I’ll be back to see you soon.”
A gentle kiss landed clumsily on her cheek, and the weight slid off the bed.
“Bye kiddo,” whispered a second voice, patting her hair “wake up soon.”
------------------------------------------
January
“Hey you. Still lazing around then? Cooper sent his first tape, I’ll hook it up later. I’m being reassigned back to Stark again, so it’ll be a while till I can come back. We’re trying to keep your existence quiet for a bit, SHIELD has too many enemies to risk them learning about you. I think Sharon wanted to come visit you soon, she’s the voted representative of the office, mainly because otherwise you’d have half the lot in here. Stay strong малыш.” ((Little one)).
------------------------------------------
February
A soft weight purring on her chest.
“There’s nothing to do?”
“Both Lena and I have tried healing her. She’s either in perfect health, or it's something Loki didn’t teach us.”
“Is she in pain?”
“Sometimes. She’s woken up a couple of times, but it's never lasted more than a few minutes.”
“Did she say anything?”
“From what we’ve gathered, she feels like she’s falling. Eternally.”
“...Loki?”
The voices faded out, getting further away.
“I can’t think what else - “
Time passed.
“Come on Goose, if the nurse sees you she’ll have a goddamn heart attack. She already doesn’t like me.”
The warmth left.
------------------------------------------
March
“Her heart rate is spiking.”
“She’s on the verge of cardiac arrest.”
“WE’VE FLATLINED. DEFIBRILLATOR.”
“CLEAR!”
“Heart’s restarted. Keep it going.”
…
“SHE’S GONE AGAIN.”
“CLEAR”
….
“She’s stable. Stand back.”
“What the hell happened?”
“We were topping up her IV, when she bolted upright. She kinda sat there for a moment, eyes open, completely silent.. And then… she started screaming. I’ve been here for over 25 years, with 18 of those spent in ER, and I’ve never heard anything like it. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she was being murdered before my eyes. It was… horrific.”
“I’ve called the mom, she’ll be here soon. Do you want to take her or shall I?”
“I was meant to be off shift an hour ago. You do it.”
------------------------------------------
April
A dark figure. Cloaked in the night.
A titan, purple eyes boring into her.
Pain. Numb, Dark. Pain.
Two merged into one. Two consciences in one mind.
Whoever said a trouble shared is a trouble halved lied.
It doubles.
------------------------------------------
May
Make it stop. Make it stop.
------------------------------------------
June
------------------------------------------
July
------------------------------------------
August
------------------------------------------
September
Snatches of conversation, drifting on the wind.
“Happy Birthday, beautiful girl - “
“Avengers - “
“Pegasus… underway”
More pain. It seeped into her bones, pinned her down under its weight. The only release was oblivion. And into oblivion she sunk.
--------------------------------------------
October
“Hiya Tavvy. It’s been a while, I’m sorry for not visiting, it’s been busy. I’m applying to a school here in New York next year! I want to go to Midtown. It's a really good school, all about STEM and stuff. When you wake up, Aunt Elena said you can apply too!. We can go together when you’re well again. You’ll like it.”
--------------------------------------------
November
“No. You’re wrong.”
“I’m sorry Ms Kingsley, but there’s nothing we can do to stop it. I understand how devastating it is to lose a child, but I would recommend contacting family and friends to say goodbye.”
“She’s a fighter, she’s strong. There has to be something else we can do.”
A sigh.
“Ms Kingsley, you’ve seen yourself that Octavia is in perfect physical health. There’s nothing more we can do, it’s up to her now. And she’s losing the fight.”
“Then do better! Stark is developing mental technology already, he’s creating medical machinery of the kind we’ve never seen before. I can contact him, see if -”
“I’m afraid we’ve already contacted Mr Stark. He’s donated a lot of equipment to our wards, with astounding effects, but this is still beyond even his reach. You cannot force someone to live if they don’t want to.”
“No.” Not a protest. A plea.
Footsteps moving away.
“If you would like, I have a grief counsellor on standby. Dr Getter’s very good at what he does.”
A broken whisper. “Okay.”
--------------------------------------------
December
She’d been hurting for a long time. Pain that began as unbearable was now a dull ache, pounding in the back of her mind, oblivion her only escape, but the dreams would follow her even there.
Everything was slowing down now. Her mind was foggy, her body numb. The world felt thick around her, air swirling like syrup. The end was near. Either she’d break free, or she’d disappear into the fog forever.
Electric blue streaked behind her eyelids, delving into her mind. Little tendrils wriggled through her consciousness, taking and never giving back. She struggled faintly, in a body that was not her own, that was beaten and bruised and broken, and tired. Tired of everything.
The titan approached once more with his sceptre, the light scalded their eyes.
The tip tilted down, pressing against their chest. They couldn’t fight it anymore. The stone pulsed bright, the glow of a dying star. And the world went blue.
And in the coma ward of NYU Langone Hospital, Octavia Kinglsey woke up with a jolt.