Chapter 14: I'm Sorry

It only really took Kat a few minutes to get back to the bridge, but to her it felt like hours. She was tempted to use her powers, which would cut down on time, but it wasn't worth it. She always felt drained after using that ability, and she would need that if she were to confront Loki.

Still, the halls were unnerving, despite the fact that she knew the helicarrier like the back of her hand. Half of them were chaos, filled with smoke or steam with other agents running around blindly, and the other half were completely deserted with the haunting sound of screams ahead of her and the roaring from behind her. It was no surprise to her when her body started to feel slightly off, but she couldn't tell if it was that she still hadn't recovered from her episode earlier, or it was the fear and commotion that surrounded her, weighing her down making it harder to run. Maybe it was all of the above.

Finally, she had made it to the bridge, running in to see Fury at his position by the controls as Hill was darting around the room, trying to be everywhere at once.

"We need a full evac on the lower hangar bed." Fury told Hill as she approached him, nodding, and instructing other agents.

"Sir! What happened?" Kat asked, walking up next to him, but he didn't get to answer as a small device is thrown in their direction, bouncing off the floor a few times.

"GRENADE!" Hill screams, taking cover and bringing a fellow agent with her.

Kat's eyes widened, different wisps of color seeping into her irises and her entire body electrified. Without hesitation, she darted towards the grenade, sliding up next to it, and curled around it with her small frame, a larger force-field forming around her, locking it in. The shield closed just in time for the explosive device to go off.

The energy it gave off pushed against the sides of the shield. It was impossible to see inside, but as quickly as it went off, it was gone.

When Kat was visible again, her entire body glowing in different wisps of colors as the energy was drawn towards her, absorbed into her skin. All that was left were the slight scorch marks and burns on her skin, but they rapidly vanished aside from the ash that dusted her pale face.

Suddenly, the shield dissipated, and she twisted onto her back before flipping onto her feet. Her eyes and veins glowed brightly as sudden movement caught her attention. Multiple soldiers in dark SHIELD uniforms and automatic rifles stampeded into the room. Fury knocked one of them out, shooting another as bullets flew through the air.

The young mutant raced towards two other enemy soldiers, sweeping the first's legs out from under him, causing him to crash to the floor. She then used her momentum to get back to her feet before running straight for the second. Grabbing his outstretched arm as he aimed his gun at her, she swung her legs up, wrapping them around his neck and letting her body use her opponent's movement against him. Her upper body and head swiveled toward the ground and the grip on his neck finally bringing him to the floor, knocking him out cold.

By the time the second had fallen, the other had gotten unsteadily to his feet and approached her from behind, but even without her ability to sense who or what was around her, she still heard his heavy boots coming.

Before he could even touch her, she spun around, kicking him in the face and knocking him out as well. And after everything, her gun still remained clipped into its holster, completely untouched. She never liked using it, it always felt so heavy in her hands, weighing her down. Her powers, on the other hand, were light as a feather. It just felt more natural.

Once all of the intruders were subdued, Kat looked over to Fury, both of them out of breath, as she noticed one person missing. "Where's Coulson?"

"Making sure our guest doesn't escape." Fury responds plainly, nodding towards the door, knowing what she wanted to do. "Go."

She nodded and dashed out the door, making her way through the maze of a ship once again towards the cell room.

As Kat sprinted through the halls knowing that it wouldn't be a far trip, a bad feeling settled in her stomach as the carrier shook violently, tossing her into the walls. It tilted at a dangerous angle, and she slid, slamming her head on something metal, which was pretty easy seeing as it was an almost entirely metal ship. The more it happened the more frustrated she became. Low growls emanated from her lips, her legs pumping as hard as they could to get to the cell, but the commotion didn't help the travel time.

Kat let out a sigh of relief when she finally saw the hatch that led to the cell. The problem was that there was an electronic lock, and she had no clue what the code was, at least, she couldn't recall in that moment. Her hands shook as she attempted to punch in a code, any code that possibly could've been it. Still, even if one of the sequences was correct, her fingers were so unsteady that none of the numbers she could think of were actually the ones being pressed.

Through the small glass window in the door, she could see Thor inside of the cell that Loki was supposed to be trapped in. Yet, Loki was the one on the outside looking in.

"The humans think us immortal." Loki sneered, his hand poised above the button to release the cell and let it fall to the Earth miles below. "Shall we test that?"

"Move away, please." A new voice interrupted.

She knew that voice from anywhere, even if it was muffled.

Phil Coulson.

"Do you like this?" He asked, gesturing to the ginormous gun in his hands, "We started working on the prototype after you set the Destroyer. Even if I don't know what it does. Do you want to find out?" Coulson finished, powering the weapon on.

Suddenly, Loki disappeared for a split second and Katrina's heart sunk into her stomach.

Then, out of the blue, the god reappeared behind Coulson and thrust his scepter through the agent's chest. A small bloom of scarlet blood beginning to spread on his shirt.

"NO!" Thor and Kat screamed. It all felt like slow-motion as Kat watched her father-figure slump against the wall, his eyes slightly distant. Loki sauntered back over the panel and pushed the button letting the cell fall, taking Thor with it.

Eyes flashing, she raised her glowing hand up and threw it to the side, the hatch sliding harshly, completely bypassing the lock itself. Her entire being surged, veins glowing with the same intensity, her fury fueling the fire as she let out a fierce cry.

Leaping up in the air, she threw the hardest punch she could directly into the side of his face, making the god stumble back, the smallest drop of blood falling off his cheekbone.

Chuckling, he wiped away the bit of blood with his fingertip, "Oh, how cute? Have you come to try and save the day, child? You failed the first time. Let's see, will this time be any different?"

It was like Stuttgart all over again, both of them throwing and blocking blows. Kat's injuries, such as a possible concussion, sent her head swimming at times, her stomach churning more and more. Her body wished it could just stop and curl into a ball, but Kat wasn't going to let him get away with this.

"Anger is a wonderful motivation, isn't it? Are you angry, Agent Hart?" He taunted, dodging the rest of her attempts as they grew more and more aggressive and powerful, yet Loki still played them off as nothing. "Tell me, do you wish to kill me like you promised? I've taken so much, haven't I?"

His taunting only made her stronger. Everything within the room began to flicker from the amount of energy she was drawing, even the technology in the surrounding hallways were struggling to stay alive.

With each strike, her movements became more and more aggressive, even pushing Loki back at one point, to his surprise. Though, that didn't last long.

Seeing an opportunity, Loki wrapped his fingers around her neck, squeezing tightly and slamming her head into the railing and pushed her back against the wall with her legs dangling helplessly below her. The fear was clear in her eyes as she gulped for air, scratching at his hand and arm, kicking at him to no avail.

"There is much power in you, and yet you don't let it out. You let emotions—your love—get in the way...You could've been useful, now you're just a bothersome brat who has a fascination with getting in my way." Loki growled, letting his scepter form in his free hand, and quickly jabbed it towards her stomach to impale her. Though before it could break the surface of her suit, her hand shot out, her abilities forcing it away from her with all the strength she had left. "...It's a shame to see it all go to waste." He whispered, just barely able to be heard over her breathless cries and whimpers as she struggled to defend herself. Just like in Stuttgart, the blade was only mere inches away from doing damage, but this time she was determined to break free.

"You're going to lose." Coulson spoke, his voice steady despite everything.

Loki released his hold on Katrina's neck, letting her crash to the ground. A new string of cries left her lips when she fell onto her stomach, the little breath she had leaving her lungs. "Am I?" The God asked.

"It's in your nature."

Loki scoffed, "Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?"

The girl immediately scrambled to lift herself off of the ground, but the god simply swept her arms out from under her, causing her to face plant into the metal grate floor. He then kicked Katrina's grasping hands away from his feet as she made a feeble attempt to grab him.

"You lack conviction." Coulson blurted out in a simple matter-of-fact tone.

"I don't think I—" Loki started but was unable to finish as a blast from Coulson's gun set sent him crashing through the wall.

"So, that's what it does." Coulson weakly chuckled. "Did you see that, Kat? That was pretty cool, right?"

Gathering all of her strength, Kat was finally able to pull herself onto her feet, heavily leaning on the railing and wall, slipping slightly from the blood on her hands that had dripped down from the gash on her hairline and from her nose. She stumbled over to the man, falling to her knees in front of him.

"Coulson, please look at me. Just hold on, okay? Stay with me." She slurred, her own bloody hands slipping on the buttons of his shirt as she pulled it apart to see the wound. She could barely see the wound underneath the blood, but nevertheless let her hand hover over his chest, willing her powers to divert from her own healing process to heal him. She knew there was a slim chance that it would work, but she didn't want to think about that.

She could heal wounds on other people, but at this point there was a limit to it, especially since her body was under as much stress as it was. She could barely keep her eyes open. Pressing the call button on her comms, she frantically called for backup.

"Coulson is down, stab wound to the chest. Requesting immediate medical attention in the cell block."

Unlike the usual, the small lights never appeared around her hands. There was no glow or colored strings stitching the wound. She couldn't even feel herself healing. She was too weak, and she knew it. Too much of her own blood dripped from her hairline and her nose, and through the grates on the floor, so she resorted to just putting pressure on the wound.

"It's okay, Kat. I'm okay."

"No, you're not!" She insisted, her strength failing fast and the pressure getting lighter as she muttered. "Oh, god, there's so much blood."

"I'm sorry..." Coulson trailed off; his eyes still slightly distant as they switched from staring off to looking her in the eye. He knew he probably wasn't going to get out of this one, and he wanted to look at her one last time. The man had always been single and didn't have any relatives, so she was the closest thing he had to family. It didn't matter that they weren't blood, she was his daughter.

It seemed like yesterday that he had met her, seeing the scared little girl, only four years old, having no control over her powers. She had clung to Natasha and Clint's hands like they were her lifeline when they brought her in. Given that Nick Fury was not the friendliest looking man, little Katrina was not interested in interacting with anyone else, though on a day where the two assassins were called out on a mission, he had volunteered to take care of her. It did take a bit of time for her to warm up to him, but after that they were inseparable.

He could just remember carrying her around with him on his daily tasks when she wasn't training. He had even smuggled in little treats and toys for her as a toddler. Phil Coulson was the main reason she even had anything close to a childhood and it was his absolute pleasure to give it to her. In his eyes, she deserved the world. And she deserved to know the truth as much as it terrified him.

"What?" Kat asked, confused.

"I'm sorry that I didn't say that I trusted you." He sighed, placing a hand on her cheek as a drop of blood slipped down his lips to his chin. Subconsciously, she leaned into his touch. "I trust you, Kat. I do."

"You don't have to be sorry. Pl-please just stop talking like that, you're going to be fine."

"I am though, Kat. I do trust you." He went on, "I should've said it earlier...I was just scared. But you are so strong...so smart...and such a good agent. And I am so proud of you. I want you to know that."

"Stop talking like that, you're going to be fine." Kat whispered sternly, her voice cracking and betraying her, tears streaming down her cheeks as the fear set into her chest like a knife.

"I'll always be with you, okay? I'll be watching over you." Coulson muttered with a gentle smile on his face as he stared with admiration at the girl in front of him. It was true, he couldn't be prouder of her, even if she didn't believe him.

"Goodnight, Kit-Kat. I love you, kiddo. " He said to her, bringing her head down to kiss her on the forehead as the medical team came in with Fury. The nickname sent her spiraling. She hadn't heard that name in years. The same candy had been her weakness after he had brought it in for her one day. The fact that it just happened to fit with her name just made it perfect, though she absolutely abhorred the nickname and refused to let him call her that as she got older.

The Director knelt down next to the two as Coulson looked to him, "I'm sorry, boss. The god rabbited."

"Just stay awake. Eyes on me." Fury urged.

Coulson slightly shook his head, "Oh, I'm clocking out here."

"Not an option."

"It's okay, boss. This was never going to work...if they didn't have something...to..." He trailed off, his last breath leaving his lungs. Overwhelming pain erupted in Katrina's chest and spread to every bone in her body. Despite her line of work, she hadn't experienced much heartbreak in her short amount of time on the Earth, but she had a feeling this wasn't just that.

"Coulson?" Kat whispered, her voice cracking. "Coulson!"

In a split second, her composure dissipated. "No...no, no, no, no! Coulson, please, no!" She screamed, pressing her hands to his wound, willing her powers to do something. Anything. "Come on, come on, come on! Why won't it work?!"

A hand pressed on her shoulder. She didn't need to look to know who it was, his energy was one she could always distinguish from others. Nick Fury.

Her head fell in complete and utter defeat, sobs wracking her body. Weakly, she shrugged Fury's hand off of her and sniffled, sucking up her tears and gathering up any composure she had left. The medical team was never able to examine any of her wounds before she pushed past them and fled down the hall.

"Agent Coulson is down." Fury sighed in a defeated tone into his earpiece, watching the girl go.

"A medical team is on its way to your location." Another voice said, but Fury was quick to respond.

"They're here...They called it."

A female voice crackled through, "Does anyone have a location on Hart?"

Natasha.

"She's on the move. And she's not doing too hot."