The Valiant (The Seventh Avenger)

Chapter 3

"Are you okay?" Steve stands in front of me, the ship just landed on the landing pad and we are now waiting for the hatch to open. I close my notebook and put my Spanish notes away before looking up at Steve.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I get up and grab my backpack before slinging a strap over my shoulder. He looks me in the eyes and raises his eyebrows before gesturing to Loki who is only staring at me.

"I mean," bile rises in my throat stopping me from continuing and telling him what Loki had done to me. My gaze goes past Steve and finds Loki's lips moving, he smirks but continues to whisper those words. Steve lets out a firm, "Grace," bringing my attention back to him. "He was sassy and a bit rude but that's about it."

My lips spread to form a smile but I don't feel it reach my eyes. Steve just sighs before getting off the ship, a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents walk up and escort Loki out who doesn't stop staring at me until he's out of sight. I sigh before walking out of the ship, a soft breeze blows my hair and I smile at the coolness of the night.

"Hey, Grace," I look over to find Coulson smiling at me. I stride over and embrace him in a hug, it has been almost a year since I've seen him but it felt much longer than that. We both pull apart and Coulson looks proudly at me.

"What?" I ask and he just shakes his head with a smile on his face. My gaze lands on a cloud passing by us and flowing in front of the moon. The stars twinkle down at us and I release a breath at how relaxing this could have been if the situation was different, but it all changes when I'm reminded of the man in the chair. My body tenses and I cover it as a shiver.

"Come on," Coulson says, "Fury made you a new suit."

"Why? The one Ms. Romanoff made for me is fine." The suit is in my backpack, I never went anywhere without it. Despite the fact that nothing really happened in Germany to the extent where I needed to put on my uniform. In Germany, I was known to be the 'indefinite hero' to the public. I did stop a few robberies and stopped a few criminals for the police but that is about it. S.H.I.E.L.D. was not happy about me doing these things since I wanted to remain conspicuous and since I did not have full control over my abilities.

"We may have created a new material that would not burn off from your abilities," Coulson explains as we make our way into the ship. We turn down a hallway and stop in front of a door. "Fury wants you to get dressed, rumor has it that he wants to officially announce the Avengers soon. The uniform still has the same design as Ms. Romanoff's but with a few tweaks."

I nod my head and enter the room. The doors close and I toss my backpack to the side as I stare at the suit. The purple, green, and yellow stripes create a design on the front side of the uniform. The purple rises from the bottom of the shirt and wraps around the neck while the yellow curves to the sleeveless shoulders and wrap around the cuff. The two green stripes curve on the sides and cover my back. The three colors weave their way around each other down the pant legs and stop at the cuff.

I slip into it and admire how it fits in the mirror. Padding protects my whole body, but it is not too hot nor is it too cold. I throw on a pair of combat boots and find a pair of fingerless gloves that go well with the outfit. I grab a mask and a communicator to place in my right ear.

As I walk out of the room, I shove the mask in my pocket and look for Coulson who is nowhere to be seen. I make my way down the hallways and find the control room. Steve, Ms. Romanoff, and another man surround a table as they look down at screens. Thor stands off and stares at a screen hanging from the ceiling, he makes his way over to me with a broad smile on his face.

"Ah, Lady Agerathea. You look well," He says and chuckles at how tall I have gotten in the past two years. I barely reach his bicep and if he leans on my small figure he would crush me.