CHAPTER NINE
' I DIDN'T MEAN TO . '

"Alright, listen up." Rogers turned to face them. "Until we can close that portal up there, we're gonna use containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back, or you turn it to ash."

Stark grabbed Barton, who held his bow and arrow tightly in his grip. "Alright, better clench up, Legolas." Before the archer could reply, the ironman suit shot upwards.

Rogers looked at Ash, whose gaze had moved from the group and followed the Chitauri as they destroyed New York. A flinch shot through her body as a specifically large explosion caused a piece of building to tumble to the ground. "Ash." She turned at the sound of Rogers' voice. "Can you do something to keep these things from getting too far out?"

Her eyes flickered away momentarily, lip pulling between her teeth before she nodded. "Yeah-yeah, I can do that."

Rogers moved over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You can still walk away. Fury's not here to claim your debt. None of us will blame you."

Ash looked up at him. "No." She shook her head, pulling away from his grip as the black mist formed in her palms. "No, I need to do this." Her head turned back to him for a moment. "I need to use this for good." As she lifted her hands, the magic grew into balls, and she threw them down, propelling herself into the air.

The wind whipped around her, the ends of her hair striking her face and causing ripples of stinging to patter her cheeks. She didn't look down as she soared, eyes only focused on trying to find a building high enough. But before she could try to look, something collided with her and sent her spiralling onto a rooftop. The rough gravel scratched her exposed skin as she rolled with the excess momentum. She managed to stop herself by pushing herself onto one of her knees, relying on friction to slow her movements and a puff of dust emitted from her body when she finally halted.

Ash took in a breath as Noah appeared before her. A small smile formed on her face as he gave her a nod, his eyes earnest. The Chitauri's screams filled her ears, and her eyes shifted from him to the growing swarm, which filtered around the rooftop.

"Ready?" Noah asked, wiggling his fingers as a scythe formed in his hand.

Ash shrugged as she straightened, black ribbons forming in her palms and wrapping around her forearms. "We helped create them... so how hard can it be?" She dropped to the ground as they started to shoot, many falling to their comrades when they missed their intended target.

Noah lifted his weapon and leapt forward, bringing it down onto the ground. A wave of black energy erupted from it and spasmed forward. He recovered, swiping the blade and decapitating the few Chitauri soldiers that stood in a line.

Ash swiped her hand to the side, causing a Chitauri to fall, and she smashed it in the head with her magic. She pushed her other hand out and catapulted a group off the building. Waiting until one moved, it charged towards her, and Ash ducked under its arm, kicking it forward. The finishing blow followed as she lifted both hands and threw a ball of energy into its back.

Noah vaulted forward, grabbing a Chitauri's head and pulling it from its torso. He tossed it over his shoulder as he flicked his hair from his face. He lifted his hand, the stone and rumble fluttering until they rose. They shot forward and began to pelt the metal soldiers.

As Ash discarded a body, she used another to jump up and land on one's neck. She twisted her leg around it and summoned her power, slamming her hand onto its head. The force caused the extra energy to hit the other two in the chest. She slumped to the ground with the Chitauri, heaving for breath as she supported herself with her hands.

Slow, sarcastic clapping brought her attention back. She leapt to her feet, black mist reappearing in her palms as she turned and looked up to see Loki. He was taller than she expected but also lankier. The gritty screen on which she watched his interrogation didn't serve him justice.

"That was quite the show," he bestowed mockingly. "I must admit, I thought your little pet was dead. But-" He pursed his lips, gesturing to the destruction "-it seems he's laying down his life for you, once again."

Ash glanced at where Noah stood, but he was no longer there. Her heart tugged, and she pushed it away, shaking her head to focus. "Shouldn't you be squabbling with your brother?" A scowl replaced Loki's smirk, and the sides of Ash's lips lifted. "I mean, jealousy is a great motive."

"You know nothing-"

"-The Asgardian Royal Family gossip is literally everywhere, dumbass!" Ash replied exasperatedly. "Trying to kill your adopted father's son is a great way to gain his favour." He started to stalk towards her, and she stared at him in defiance, gaze never leaving his eyes.

"You know, he told me not to harm you. It is taking all my willpower to not slaughter you where you stand."

"Still, your arrogance remains." Ash turned to follow him as he began to circle her, his gaze on the floor. "You relied on my destruction to escape, and now you think I will let you lay a hand on me?"

Loki stopped, eyes flickering up to hers and the corners of his lips pulled into a smirk. "And who do you think set that path of destruction in process, hm?" He began to walk towards her again, each step highlighting a sentence. "Of course, I may not wield the power to initiate your little killing spree, but you and I know of someone who does. We both know of someone who would easily watch his daughter-"

"-He's not my father-"

"-Suffer for the greater good." Loki ignored her, head tilting as he watched her breathing pick up. He let out a huff of laughter. "I can relate to you in some way. My own father traded my happiness for the greater good."

Disgust washed over Ash's features, the black mist swirling. "We are nothing alike." She launched one of her hands forward, magic spurting, but it passed straight through Loki and a furrow formed on her face.

Something wrenched her back and knocked the air out of her chest. She found her hands bound behind her back and a dagger next to her neck. "Oh, but we're more alike than you think, Astrid." Loki's voice was a hiss in her ear, breath stinging against the side of her neck. She wriggled in his grip, but he had an arm around her waist, trapping her back against his chest.

"Let her go!" Noah appeared with his roar, pointing his scythe at Loki with his eyes ablaze. Ash's gaze found his, desperation swimming in her irises, and she tried to tug away from Loki.

"He's threatening me, isn't he?" he murmured into her ear. "His eyes are raging with fire, but you know they look too dead to be alive. You know deep down that he isn't real. He died all those years ago and-" his voice shifted a sing as a taunt "-it's all your fault. Why do you trick yourself into seeing him, talking with him? You were too scared to face what was in front of you. So you ran, and you killed. I know the real you," he continued, and his voice rose. "What you've done, what you have to do, but here you are, on the wrong side, fighting what's in front of you..."

"Don't listen to him, Astra." Her eyes found Noah's again, tears beginning to swell, and her breathing hitched. "You know I don't blame you. I never have."

"You're just hearing what you want to hear. How sick are you to use him even more?"

Ash inhaled deeply, a sob lining it as she dropped her head forward in defeat.

Loki pointed the dagger tip against her neck, denting her skin. "None of this would've ever happened if you'd have just stayed where you belonged," Loki tutted quietly.

"I didn't mean to-" she whispered. "I didn't..." The energy escaped her body, her knees buckling, and she sagged against Loki's body.

"I know," he replied in a calmer voice as he let her drop to the floor. "No one would ever mean to kill someone they love, but these things happen, and you have to accept them. You shouldn't dwell on what could have been, Astrid, only what you will do because of it."

Ash shifted to kneel before Loki, hair covering her face as she kept her head low.

She could hear the smirk in his voice as he spoke, "Look at you. Finally accepting your fate." He lowered to a crouch before her, voice becoming a sharp whisper. "This is where you belong."

A sneer grew on her face, and her eyes flickered black. She was on her feet before Loki could process what was happening, putting all her energy into a kick delivered to his face. The force catapulted Loki backwards and sent him skidding across the floor.

"Thank you, Loki." Her voice stood its ground, no proof that a sob had once laid in it. "You reminded me of something I promised myself the day Noah died. I did decide what I was going to do because of it. I decided that it should be me to govern where I belong. Not Thanos, not fate, not the stone, and most certainly, not you. I am one of the most feared entities in this universe. I was lost for a while, I'll admit, but you have found it again. Your mind tricks won't work on me, Loki; I speak many languages, including manipulation, so I'm afraid we'll have to battle with something else."

Loki catapulted forward, and Ash ducked under his arm, kicking him again. Her back bent backwards as her head nearly touched the floor, ducking a swipe of his knife. She vaulted back to her feet and elbowed Loki in the nose. He stumbled backwards and in one rapid movement of fury, launched his dagger at Ash.

The blade whistled through the air, and her magic shot out just a moment too late, the black ribbon sliding through the air milliseconds after the knife. It sliced across her face, and she let out a cry of agony, dropping to the floor. A spiral of black dust spewed out of her like a tornado. It destroyed the grouping of Chitauri soldiers that hovered like vultures and beelined for Loki, the power striking him directly in the chest as it threw him from the building.

Her heavy breathing brought her back to reality, and as she composed herself, she opened her eyes slowly. She covered her uninjured eye and saw nothing but darkness. Ringing encircled her ears, and black spots filled what vision she had left. Ash placed a hand on the gravel to steady herself, blowing out gentle breaths to try and combat the pain scolding her face.

"Ash, what's going on? Whatever you're doing isn't working." Rogers' voice broke through her meditation and unleashed the agony in waves. A short gasp escaped her, and her hand squeezed a stone in its grip.

"Sorry-" She took a sharp breath, fighting the numbness on the injured side of her face. The movement caused blood to spurt out and drip down her throat. "I'd like this to be on record: Thor, your brother is a complete dickhead."

"What do you mean? You okay, Ash?" Stark's voice filtered through her earpiece this time.

"Fine," she replied. "I'm on the shields now." Her voice showed her finality, and Ash composed herself. She shifted to cross her legs and lay her hands on her knees. Black mist formed in her palms as she blew a breath, and below, force fields began to weave a perimeter inside New York. After the foundations built themselves, the black wall shot upwards and continued until the top couldn't be seen from the ground.

"Woah!" Barton marvelled through her earpiece. "Where is Fury picking up these people?"