An Iron Will

Third Person POV

The dark had gathered there, thrumming the cold song of death and destruction. A being waited on a throne of black rock and glass. He was shaped like a man, but not at the same time. His skin was cracked and a deep purple, his eyes the color of the flames of Hell. A faint smile of dark amusement was plastered on his face when two more beings appeared before him, as if out of thin air. One was a human man-- dark hair and steely gray eyes cloaked in black and green cloth. The other was a woman, but so much more. She had bright gold locks and glimmering green eyes, her entire frame pulsed with a magic that had once been pure and sweet but was now warped into darkness.

"You're late." the purple demon observed smoothly. The man flinched at his words while the woman lavished her most salacious smile upon him.

"Our apologies, my Lord Thanos, but you see-" she began, almost purring her excuses. Thanos, as was the immortal's name, cut her off with a quiet, but forceful, rebuttal.

"You. Are. Late. No excuses, little sorceress. You, and your human plaything, have wasted my time." now, both the woman and man went deathly still. His voice was soft, but it fooled neither of his audience, it terrified them more than any of his shouting would have. "But, you have provided for me an...interesting gift."

The mortal cleared his throat, gray-blue eyes flashing with a poorly concealed greed "May I ask what exactly you are referring to? My Lord." The title was added as a hasty after thought, and it was not missed. Thanos' faux smile grew.

"No." was his simple response. Before the gilded sorceress could protest, however, he expounded his response " You need only know your parts. And, you failed me." a moment of silence threatened then, both people in front of the demon shook minutely "Yes, you failed me. But, you enlightened me to a wonderful jest the universe has played. My mistress will be thrilled to learn of it, so I thank you. But, I will tell you this only once, do not fail me again if you wish to stay in my service and not my mistress'. Her's is a much more.... permanent ending."

Gold woman and ash pale man bowed and were gone in a flash of silver and green light. Thanos smiled. He silently raised a hand and conjured a looking-glass in front of him, through which he could see whatever he choose.

The object of his attention, was clothed in all black and had no idea she was being watched. A real smile graced his features then, not the politician smile he wore to control his pawns. It was terrifying, full of hate and madness. Lacie Stark was lucky she could not see the ill will directed her way, though it didn't make her any safer.

LACIE'S POV

Pain cracked jaggedly down my side. Agent May was already three feet from me by the time I managed to get my eyes to focus again. Her face was hardened, it had been since Ward....well, since we all found out he was a Hydra sleeper. She never let it show that his betrayal hurt her, at least not that I had seen, but practice fights with her were becoming a real bitch.

Six months ago I walked onto this "Bus", joining Coulson's newly formed rag-tag team. Well, six months ago Loki and I walked on. This airship was a gift to Coulson for faking his own death, and then having to "stay" dead. I'm actually still surprised that none of the Avengers, especially Tony with all his equipment, had caught wind that Phil...Agent Coulson, was still alive. It seemed pretty suspicious to me, but I didn't question it. I was to busy fielding off questions from the resident scientists, Fitz and Simmons.

I liked those two, Leo Fitz was always trying to prove that I had to have gotten at least one of my fathers talent with mechanics. I proved him wrong time and time again, until finally, finally, I managed to blow a hole into Phil's office. That effectively shut down any and all experimenting I got to do. Jemma Simmons just liked the company so she could talk biology with someone who wouldn't shoot down all of her ideas.

"Had enough, Agent?" May asks smirkingly. I roll my eyes, fighting back the smart ass comment I really want to make. I learned quickly not to sass Melinda May, it never ended well for me or my face, or my stomach, or any part of my body really.

Sighing, I move to kneel on my knees, trying to regain the ability to breathe, "Yes. Thanks, May. My ass is sufficiently bruised. And my face. And my ribs." I stumble to my feet drunkenly, a deep, dull throb echos threw my body "Ow."

"Ow?" comes a neutral, yet somehow amused voice from the hall leading to the training room in our new base. "That's all May can get from you? Ow? Wow. Either you are getting really good at taking pain or May...well, you might be losing your touch Agent." Phil Coulson comes into sight then, leading a bored looking Norse god of mischief behind him. Loki and Phil formed an odd sort of camaraderie, one that I couldn't explain even if Fitzsimmons were to sit me down and trying programming the answer into my brain. That didn't mean that Phil trusted Loki, oh hell no. He just had some silent agreement with the guy that allowed them both to coexist without Phil trying to take revenge every ten minutes.

"No, Son of Coul, I think that the Lady Melinda was just taking it easy on the Stark child." Loki says, his face devoid of emotion. Melinda gave me a sharp grin before nodding to Coulson and leaving the training room for the locker room. I laughed humorlessly.

"Easy? Tell that to my bruises, Princess." I grumble, allowing Phil to herd me over to one of the steel benches to rest for a minute. Loki isn't even phased by the nickname, though after six months of them I don't suppose he would be. The throbbing is still there in my left foot as I try rubbing the life back into it. Phil, sitting next to me, gives a huff as he looks around again in disappointment and annoyance. He misses the Bus.

About a week ago, a while after Hydra had been revealed, our new base of operations was found. Skye, our resident hacker extraordinaire, was the one to realize that this hole was basically implottable. As in, Hydra wouldn't be able to trace us because of some wacky signal wavering in the air, not even with Ward's help. Ward. I missed the guy, honestly. He might be a dirty, lying, Hydra rat that I would shoot if I saw him again, but he was fun. In a round-about way. He was good for a disbelieving look or a surprisingly sharp retort. I'd still shoot him, though. Or, maybe, I'd just smack him was Loki's goddamn staff that he had FitzSimmons make for him. That could be fun.

"He's awake." Phil murmured after we sat there for at least ten minutes. His voice was grave and he sounded exhausted.

"Well. Shit." I said in response, having no way to intelligently answer when a shiver of something like fear crept up my spine. Loki snorted and I shot him a glare, telling him to keep out of it. Phil gave me a tired smile as he stood up.

"Yeah. I already set the TV to record Supernanny's new episode. This one is gonna take a while, I think."

"Probably. How are we handling it?"

"We're gonna put the drama queen back in his cell first," Loki made a noise of outrage that we both ignored, it was true so he had no reason to get upset. "Then, you and Skye are gonna hang around on the flip side of the interrogation room. Watch everything, take mental notes in case May or I miss anything."

We quickly strode out of the training room, Loki trailing behind unhappily because we weren't allowing him to witness the prisoner. I didn't feel badly about leaving him in his cell, I was sure Simmons would show up five minutes after we started the interrogation to ask him about his biology again, to try and convince him to show her his Jotun form. She hadn't managed it yet and I know that questions about his past that don't involve his family keep him rather happy, no matter how many protests he makes about it so he won't be bored.

"I take it that you and May are interrogating then?" I mutter. Phil just nods. I groan faintly. This boy we captured claims to be someone named Skurge, an immortal. Loki already looked into it. More specifically, he gave the kid one looked and started laughing. At least, he laughed until the guy grabbed him with one hand and tossed him across the room. Apparently he was human, but whatever was inside of him was not. He worried Loki, I could tell whenever his eyes would tighten and his face would flatten. An immortal, ice giant with a penchant for world conquering and misguided trickery was worried by a 4'10" ten year old. That couldn't be good.

What I wouldn't give for just one superhero.

But, I would need to be in contact with one to get any help here. And I wasn't in contact with them.

Not anymore.

"SKURGE'S" POV

Rumbling sound ripped at my ears. My lady was not happy with me. She needed me to deliver a message but this meat suit did not handle me well. I had slept for too long. And I hadn't killed the fake god when he laughed at me. Stupid. Stupid. Bad.

The light was wrong. Not right, not right at all. This human was weak, I do not want it. No. But, I have to wait. Must wait. Just a little longer. Then I may go home.

There! The humans who I must speak to....no. Not those humans!! No. No! But this body will not hold me much longer, they must do.

The male looks insignificant. The dark haired woman looks weak. They look even worse once I start speaking. Yes. Fear. Disgust. I know those thngs. The lady will be happy with me.

PHIL'S POV
I look at Melinda once, before we step in. Her dark eyes are hard, even harder to read than ever before but she nods at me once to let me know that she's ready to go. The door doesn't make a sound as I turn the handle and push it open. The room is bright, we tried to make it comfortable--his body at least belongs to a kid. Door shifting close behind us, the red light indicating a video recorder turning on behind the panel or mirrors flickers to life. Skye and LA are watching.

The kid's just sitting there. Staring at the table in front of him, the food we gave him splattered on the wall to his right. His eyes, when we first found him ripping into his mother's stomach with his bare hands and a blue, plastic shovel, were a light brown. They're black now.

"Hey, kid. We just have a few-" I don't even get out ten words before he's laughing. A high pitched laugh that should be innocent, but it's not. It's wrong. I feel May stiffen next to me, then both of us are stepping back when he starts to croon out something like a nursery rhyme. But it's not. Oh, god. It's not.

"Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
The prince lost his crown,
The soldier fell down,
And the monster lost his mind.
Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.
The bird killed the spider,
The dead man couldn't hide her,
And the machine's heart she could not find.
Splish. Splash. Splish. Splash.
The darkness has no master,
The blood is pooling faster.
Tick. Tock.
Tick. Tock."
The little boy giggle insanely, his eyes rolled back and his veins turned black under his skin.

And then he exploded.