Chapter 4 : 2011

Heimdall definitely wasn't wrong. The moment I landed, my stomach twisted violently, and I fought the overwhelming urge to vomit. Meredith's memories might have been useful for a lot of things, but they definitely didn't prepare me for the gut-wrenching sensation of traveling through the Bifrost. I forced myself to take deep breaths, trying to steady my trembling hands as I looked around, taking in my surroundings. The imposing SHIELD base loomed ahead, its cold, gray walls towering like sentinels. Almost immediately, armed men began sprinting towards me, their weapons trained on me with the kind of precision that made my heart race.

"State your purpose," one of them barked, his voice as sharp as the barrels of the rifles pointed at me.

Oh my god, this feels just like a scene out of a movie. But wait, this won't actually be in the real movie, right? Please don't let this be in the real movie!

"I'm Miranda, and I need to speak with Director Nick Fury!" I shouted back, lifting my hands high above my head in what I hoped was a reassuring gesture.

"And why is that?" A man stepped forward through the sea of armed agents, his presence authoritative yet calm.

My eyes widened as recognition struck me like a bolt of lightning. "Oh my god! Phil Coulson!" I couldn't help it—the excitement bubbled up uncontrollably. I practically skipped over to him, my hands still raised. "Oh my god, it's a pleasure to meet you! I'm sorry, I'm just—Sorry." I quickly extended my hand, trying to contain my fangirling. "I'm Miranda, and I need to speak with Fury. It's about the Avengers Initiative."

Phil raised an eyebrow, but his expression softened as he took my hand for a firm handshake. "Men, you can lower your weapons. It's nice to meet you, Miranda. I wasn't expecting an Asgardian to come down here and ask about a top-secret initiative."

"Yeah, I'll explain everything when I meet with Fury. You can join in too if you want—since I know you're trustworthy," I added with a smile, feeling the tension in the air ease slightly.

Phil returned the smile, one that radiated both warmth and quiet confidence. "Of course. But I'll need to take your weapons, just as a precaution." I handed him my sword without hesitation, feeling slightly naked without it. No way was I going to mention my magic—not unless I wanted to risk being slapped with some kind of power-dampening collar. I shuddered at the thought......

"So, what's this about?" Fury's voice cut through the silence of his office like a knife. He was sitting behind his desk, his single eye fixed on me with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

"Hello, I'm Miranda," I began, stepping forward with a polite smile, though I wasn't surprised when he didn't offer a handshake. That was Nick Fury for you—always on guard. "Let's cut to the chase. I know the future, and I need at least one person to know and help me navigate it. If too many people know, future events could spiral out of control, and then I won't be able to help."

Fury leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "And how do you expect me to believe this?"

Of course, Fury wasn't going to take me at my word. I needed to give him something solid. "Have you chosen who you want for the Avengers yet?" He nodded slightly, still watching me like a hawk. "You've got Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Thor Odinson, and, in case of world domination, you've got Carol Danvers—the woman you met around the time an alien cat scratched your eye."

For a moment, Fury's eye widened, and his mouth opened slightly in shock before he regained his composure. "I believe you. So, what do you expect me to do?" he asked, his tone more serious now, the weight of the situation sinking in.

"I want to be a top clearance agent for SHIELD, and I need you to trust that I'm not a threat. I know how cautious you are, and I'd rather not spend time proving myself. Everything I do is for the greater good, and I won't switch sides."

"I can arrange that," he agreed, nodding slowly. "But you'll need to tell me everything."

"Fury, I wish I could, but I'm trying to avoid creating a butterfly effect. I'll give you information as needed to save lives, but key events have to unfold as they're supposed to. The more people who know, the greater the risk of everything going sideways."

Without Loki the Avengers don't form. Without Loki Hydra doesn't get the Scepter and create the Maximoff twins, and then Vision isn't created. Not that we need Vision. To be honest I rather avoid Ultron all together. Maybe Wanda can fall in love with a real man and have real kids and not entrap a whole town. I can help her set up some dates.

"Fine. At least tell me what's going to happen next."

"In 2012, Thor's brother Loki will come to Earth, attempting to conquer it as a so-called benevolent god. But right now, as we speak, he's being tortured. A Titan—who will be a massive threat in the future—is going to send him here to retrieve something, and Loki will be mind-controlled because he's too mentally and physically weakened to resist."

"So... Loki, Thor's brother, will be mind-controlled to retrieve an item. And in the process, what?" Fury's voice was calm, but there was a hard edge to it—he was already thinking of contingencies.

"He'll cause a war to break out around Stark Tower." I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees as I met Fury's gaze. "When you hear that Loki is on Earth, you need to quietly evacuate the area around Stark Tower. I'm not sure if Loki will change his destination if there's no crowd for his grand entrance, but it's worth a shot."

"I can handle that. Is there anything else?" Fury asked, his tone all business, though I could tell his mind was working through every possible scenario.

"Yes. And it's crucial that you keep this a secret. If word gets out that I know the future, things could get very messy. Also," I added with a smile, trying to lighten the mood, "I was wondering if you could get me into Stark Tower. You know, give it a little nudge. It's fine if you can't, though."

"I'll see what I can do," he replied, already considering it.

"Oh! And just so you know, Phil is going to 'die'—" I made air quotes with my fingers—"when Loki stabs him. But his death will be what brings the Avengers together. He won't actually die because he'll be sent to Tahiti."

Fury's face went rigid for a moment, and I could see the muscles in his jaw tighten. "How do you know about..." It looked like he was about to explode, but then he exhaled slowly, regaining his control. "Never mind... So, Phil is the martyr that brings the group together."

"Yes. But your rude ass keeps his resurrection a secret for a very, very long time. So long that none of the Avengers ever find out, and it's just mentally abusive. I suggest you pretend to put him in cryo-sleep and slowly heal him or something. You can't keep him hidden like that. It's not like he needs to stay dead once the Avengers are up and running."

"I'll take it under advisement," Fury said, clearly not happy about it, but acknowledging the point. "Now, let's go meet Stark."

A grin spread across my face. I was about to meet Tony freaking Stark!.....

"What do you want, Fury?" Tony's voice came through the speaker, courtesy of JARVIS. It was as snarky as I'd imagined it would be.

"Get down here now, Mr. Stark," Fury growled, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Jeez, alright. Hold on," Tony grumbled back. A few minutes later, the man himself strolled into the penthouse, looking exactly like you'd expect—grease-streaked hands, hair a little mussed, but still every bit the billionaire genius playboy philanthropist. "If this is about the Aven—Who's the albino?" He pointed at me, his gaze appraising as he wiped his hands on a rag.

Albino? Oh, right, I forgot about being from Alfheim. My hair was white, but the Asgardian part of me gave my skin a healthy, albeit pale, glow.

"This is Miranda, and she'll be staying with you," Fury said with a tone that brooked no argument.

"If it's okay," I quickly added, trying not to sound too eager. "I promise I won't be a bother. I don't want to impose."

Tony eyed me skeptically, then shrugged. "Alright. I've got more spare rooms than I can count," he said before turning to head back where he came from.

"Can I join?!" I blurted out, taking a step forward. Tony turned around, eyebrow raised. "Sorry, it's just... I know a bit about mechanics, and I've wanted to work with you for a really long time."

Tony's lips quirked into a smile, the kind that lit up his eyes. "Sure, come on, kid."

Kid. He called me kid. I'm going to cry tears of joy."Awesome. Thanks, Fury. I'll call you—Wait, I don't have a phone. Well, if you need me, tell Tony, I guess."

"How can you not have a phone?" Tony asked, incredulous. "Whatever. I'll get you one and give you Fury's number."

"Thanks, Tony." I followed him, waving back towards Fury. " Bye, Fury. Make sure when I call, you put me as an emergency contact," I joked as the elevator doors closed, leaving Tony and me alone. My heart was pounding with excitement as I turned to him. "So, what are you working on?"

"Just my suit," he replied casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Of course, it was always about the suit. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd love for you to show me how it works. Technically, I've only worked with cars, but I've fiddled with other things mentally. I just never had access to the equipment or materials," I explained, trying to keep my enthusiasm in check.

"Yeah, no problem," Tony said with a nod as the elevator doors opened to reveal his workshop. I could hardly contain my excitement as I stepped into the room. There it was—his Iron Man suit, standing tall in its display case, with parts of another suit spread across the workbench like pieces of a puzzle.

"Let's get my dream to reality," I whispered to myself, trying not to squeak in excitement......

"You know, you're not too shabby," Tony said, glancing over at me as I worked on one of his suit's boots. "I'm surprised fixing cars led to this."

"Yeah, fast learner. I was going to go to engineering school or whatever, but money's kind of tight. And the scholarships weren't enough," I explained as I carefully reassembled the boot I had been working on.

"So, how did you learn mechanics?" Tony asked, clearly intrigued.

"My high school had a program called CTC—Career and Technology Center. It's like a mini job experience place. They had cosmetology, criminal justice, mechanics, stuff like that," I said, focusing on the intricate parts in my hands.

He hummed in approval. "Sounds like a good program. I haven't heard of it, though. Where did you go?" he asked, his tone curious.

I hummed, not sure if it would even be in this dimension. "You wouldn't know it, trust me. And since I know you, I know you'll try to search me up, but you won't find anything. So let's just leave my personal life talk at that."

Tony chuckled, shaking his head. "You're one strange kid."

"Yep, I know. It's what I strive for," I giggled as I finished reassembling the boot. I held it up, beaming with pride. "Done. See? Fast learner."

"Jesus, kid. I might have to tell everyone you're mine since you're so smart," Tony said with a smirk, patting me on the back.

I wish you could.Suddenly, a pang of longing hit me. What was Alex doing right now? Did she think I was dead? And what about my boss and Mat? My whole life was back there, and I had no idea what was happening.

"You okay?" Tony asked, noticing my sudden silence.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking," I replied, trying to push the thoughts away. Should I tell Tony that I wasn't from this world? No. I couldn't. The less people knew, the better. But then again, he'd probably understand. No. I couldn't risk it.

"What were you thinking about?" he asked, his voice gentle, almost concerned.

Just great, that question. "Just about home. I kind of disappeared on them. I left a note, sort of, so they know I didn't just vanish, but I have no idea how they're reacting."

"Want me to take you back?" Tony offered, his tone surprisingly sincere.

I laughed awkwardly, shaking my head. "No. It's fine. It's okay." I stood the boot up, placing it on the workbench. "You know what would make me the happiest?"

Tony hummed in curiosity. "What?"

"Flying in the suit," I said, my eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Oh no. No one touches my baby. You make your own," Tony said, grinning as he saw my reaction.

My eyes widened in shock. "What? REALLY? Like, really really? You would let me!?!?!" I was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "I've always wanted to make an Iron Woman suit!"

"Calm down, jeez," he laughed, clearly amused by my enthusiasm. "You can make one."

"Oh my god! I'm going to need thrusters, and—oh my god, can I use JARVIS?" I asked, barely able to contain myself. When he nodded, I couldn't help it—I jumped up and hugged him tightly.

"What's this?" A voice interrupted us, and I quickly pulled away, turning to see Pepper standing at the entrance of the lab.

"Pepper! Oh my god, how are you?" I rushed over to her, sticking out my hand. "I'm Miranda." We shook hands, and I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. "Sorry, I got really excited. Tony just told me I could make my own suit. It's going to be badass!"

Pepper smiled warmly, her eyes shining with kindness. "I'm glad you're happy."

Words: 2,444•=•=•=•=•=• 💛 •=•=•=•=•=•    Don't Forget To Vote    Feedback is Always Welcome