The woman from the sky
Steve Rogers is fighting. His whole life has been an endless fight. First against illness, then against bullies. Against his shy personality and weak body. Against the nazis, Hydra, Schmidt, and death. But across all that, he always had his friends.
The fight numbs his senses, and while he's throwing punches left and right, the faces of Victoria and Bucky come to his mind. Steve remembers Victoria's fierce determination and Bucky's hearty cheerfulness. Something that he's in desperate need of. But quickly, reality strikes; he has had to watch them both fall to their deaths.
Bucky and Victoria knew, protected, and comforted him; they fought alongside him. Now they're gone. Now he's fighting alone.
Well, that's not entirely true. Captain America, not Steve, has a new team now. The Howling Commandos was Steve's team, a brotherhood of friends that shared everything. A ragged-up group of misfits bonded in the hardships of war that he was proud of. But this new team is just a group of people thrown together by a man Steve can't get himself to trust. But here he is, trying to save the world again from a delusional quote/unquote god and his alien army.
Among the thousand issues he's been trying to wrap his head around since he came back, aliens are one of the hardest. The idea of life, let alone intelligent life outside the earth, makes him question everything. But alas, he's fighting aliens alongside this guy who Steve always thought was a Viking deity; and he's also an alien. Although, Steve has seen his fair share of weirdness in his time. But this is an entirely new level.
As he brings another creature down with his shield, a female voice announces, "I can shut the portal down." Steve immediately replies, "Do it!" He hopes this will be over soon. "No, wait," a man's voice sounds, "Stark, these things will keep coming." How can he not see that? "A nuclear device is coming at us. I know where to put it." Steve was merely starting to smell the end of this. Now another threat jumps out of nowhere. "Guys, something else is coming out of the portal." Romanoff's voice sounds frightened. Steve turns his eyes to the portal; a massive ball of light is descending over the tower.
Natasha Romanoff's eyes are wide open, watching a ball of blue light floating mid-air above her. She can't speak or move a muscle while the ball slowly descends on the roof. "Romanoff, do you copy? What is that? A new threat?" Roger's voice is booming in her ears, and before she can answer, a woman walks out of the light. Her deep dark hair contrasts her pale skin. The woman's eyes glow the same shade of blue as the ball. "Who are you?" She spits, trying to decide between closing the portal for good or dropping the staff and shooting at her. "I'm a friend. I'm here to help." The woman's voice is reassuring, but it won't fool her. Natasha can't bring herself to trust someone coming out of that hole.
"Romanoff, status?" Roger's voice sounds urgent, "I don't know." Natasha doesn't know what else to say. "How do you not know?" Impatience fills his voice. "She says she's here to help." "Who?"
"The woman that came from the sky." The words resonate in Steve's ears. Who could it be? "Romanoff, don't engage. We'll be there soon." Steve retrieves his shield from the floor and calls Thor. "Romanoff needs us up there." The blond god nods at him, and both sprint toward the tower.
"I'm here to help. Please set my sister aside." The woman slowly approaches the device, but Natasha can't figure out her intentions yet. The sound of dragged feet makes Natasha look away from the woman. Loki is coming at her, looking ragged and beaten up. But with a murderous look in his eyes nonetheless. Natasha feels trapped between them when Loki comes charging at her. She jumps and rolls to the side on the gravel. Staff in hand, she sets herself in a fighting stance, determined not to sell her life short.
Surprisingly none of them pays much attention to her. Loki keeps charging at the woman until she lifts a hand and stops the god a few inches away from reaching her. "Loki Odinson, God of Mischief. Who did this to you?" The woman's tone is sad. She looks at Natasha disapprovingly, "Dear sister, please release him." Romanoff opens her mouth to speak when the staff begins to glow. Loki's eyes spark blue, and then he collapses on the floor. Natasha can't force her eyes out of the limp body lying on the floor like a rag doll.
"I'll put that away if I were you. My sister usually does as bid, but she can have a mind of her own." Natasha's head snaps up at the woman's words. She's smiling sweetly at her while pointing at the staff. "Who are you?" The woman rolls her eyes at her, "Who do you mean? Me? Or her?" The woman points at herself. "Quit the riddles. Who the hell are you?" Natasha removes her gun from the holster and aims at her. The woman laughs dismissively and starts walking towards the machine. The sound of two gunshots pierces the air, but the bullets never reach their target. Just like Loki did, they stopped mid-air before they hit her. "I don't want to hurt you. So don't make me." A frown appears on the woman's forehead.
"I got the package. In coming in 2." Stark's words remind Natasha of the nuclear device coming their way. "Wait! There's a bomb coming! Tony will throw it on the portal before it destroys the city." The woman stops and looks at Natasha. An inner battle is brewing inside her. "Well, it looks like we can't let that happen." The woman walks decidedly to the machine, grabs the cube, and points her hand to the sky. Her body starts to glow blue. A beam similar to the one of the machine flows from her hand onto the portal. She frees the cube from the machine stopping the primary beam, and the portal shrinks.
"Natasha, what's going on? I'm almost there." Romanoff hears, "Tony is almost here. You have to keep it open." The woman's eyes flash even brighter, "What do you think I'm doing, child?" She answers with a grunt and smashes the cube on the ground. She searches among the pieces, lifts something that glows fiery blue, and brings it to her chest. A strong wind gushes around the woman and lifts her hair. Her body is shining blue now, and when she lifts the other arm, the piece she's been holding falls to the floor colorless.
A red object crosses the air above Natasha and enters the portal. Tony's words reach her. "You can shut it now." She turns to the woman and yells, "Close it!" She nods, lowers her arms, and the portal begins to shut. "Come out, Tony. Come on." Natasha's silent prayer finds an answer when, a few seconds later, Tony's limp body plummets from the closing hole. She's watching as he falls helplessly. But the body slowly halts in the air and is gently deposited on the roof, and Natasha looks at the exhausted woman falling to her knees with a smile.
Steve can't believe what he just witnessed. He was behind the woman at all times, but somehow she looked familiar. Steve rushes to help Tony while Thor is squatting next to his brother. He reaches Tony along with Natasha, and they remove the face plate of his suit. She smacks Iron Man hard, and he opens his eyes. "Is it over?" Tony asks, still confused. "Yes, it's over, Tony." Steve smiles at him and puts an arm over Natasha's shoulder, nodding slowly.
Thor walks past them and bows at the woman with a knee on the ground. "My Lady, it's an honor to meet you." She stands and nods politely, "Thor Odinson, Prince of Asgard and God of Thunder. Is good to meet you." Steve turns to look at her, and his head starts to spin. Among all the impossible things, not even in his wildest dreams, he hoped to see her ever again.
But there she is, standing in front of him, smiling. Steve feels his tongue stuck to the palate. He can't move, feet glued to the floor. His breath is short. "I know you. My father had a picture of you on his desk." Tony's words break Steve's spell. He looks at him with a frown. Is it possible? After all these years? Did Howard never forget her? Steve's mind races a thousand miles per hour. "Victoria." Her name slips through his lips without his notice. "Is it you?" The question is stupid; he knows that, but he has to ask.
"No, I'm not her." Steve's demeanor deflates, "At least not right now. We have become one, and I will retreat into her mind. You'll never speak with me again." A flash of hope glints in Steve's eyes; maybe he can get his friend back. The woman looks at Thor, "Odinson, take care of your brother. He's not to blame for this." Thor nods, "Who then?" he asks. "You'll know in due time." Then, her gaze sets on Steve again, her eyes blazing with blue fire, and she collapses on the floor.