Loki, Unraveled|| NovaVerse 2

Prologue

Dead leaves and twigs crackle beneath Nova's boots as she walks through the forest. The air stings her lungs with every breath she takes-weather it's from the icy cold air or the fact that it is mildly toxic and the months she has spent breathing it in has finally caught up to her- she isn't sure.

Sweat is dripping down her forehead, sliding down her cheeks, the droplets collecting before falling off the tip of her chin. Only once before has she ever felt this exhausted- when she overexerted her power only a few months ago, nearly killing her.

She pushes up her sleeve to examine what today's battle scars are. Nothing but a few cuts and bruises, luckily, but she feels like that man attacked her so aggressively that there is no way in hell that she could've come out without a few broken bones. But that's okay. It's all a part of the job, right? And she blasted the shit out of him anyways. There was no way he was about to go around attacking people and not expect to face karma. That's what the public call her, Karma. And no one has ever escaped the philosophical karma, so they sure as hell aren't going to escape from her.

The small wooden cabin came into view just a moment later. Her cabin. It used to be abandoned; parts of the roof were caved in, windows were broken, floorboards were ripped out, and the couch was moldy. She was able to fix it all up and throw away the broken things in about a week. The only thing that stayed were the overgrown vines, which covered nearly the entire front of the cabin. It was home. But judging from the lights, it looks like someone beat her home. The issue? She lives alone.

Nova lifts her arms as golden energy swirls around her arms, preparing to fire. She's right next to her front door.

Ugh, I can't believe I have to kick in my own front door.

But there was no choice. Unless she wanted her power to melt the doorknob if she grabbed it, kicking it in was her best option- even if it would be a pain in the ass later to rehinge it.

It went down with a large boom at the same time thunder did.

"Whoever is here better get the hell out," she yelled, turning in circles to see where the trespasser could be.

Her eyes fixed on a man sitting on her sofa with a gun. He was bald and wore a black trench coat and an eyepatch.

"You're a hard person to find, Ms. Karma. That's what they call you, right?" He says, getting up from his chair and taking a few steps towards Nova slowly, gun raised.

"Who the hell are you, and why are you in my house?" She growled as she took a few steps back, arms still raised. "And put the gun down right now before I decide I'm sick enough of seeing your face and I burn it off."

His eyes glanced between the girl and the golden power wrapping around her arms. "I'm Nick Fury, from SHEILD. I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers initiative, and I'm not putting the gun down unless you put down your arms." His voice could have echoed if the cabin's architecture allowed it, but it made every bone in Nova's body feel like it vibrated with each loud word he spoke.

She obliged.

Fury lowered the gun, not taking his eyes off her once. He has to watch her carefully; the only information he had on her was her street name and a few videos of her beating the shit out of your everyday mugger. Fury always believed knowledge was power, and he didn't have much of it when it came to her.

He opened his mouth to talk, but-

"Since you broke into my house, I think it's only fair if I am the one who gets to ask the questions," she interrupted, heart pounding. At any given moment, this Nick Fury could pull the trigger. It would be over in less than a second.

"Ask away."

Nova cleared her throat, and concentrated on the very next word that would come out of her mouth. She tended to have a tiny stutter in stressful situations.

Don't make yourself look weak in front of the intruder.

"How did you find me?" She asked.

"It wasn't easy, considering that there appears to be nothing we could use to identify you with other than those low-quality YouTube videos of you fighting crime- not a passport, birth certificate, nothing. But you seem to be forgetting that no one can hide from me. So, I suppose it's my turn to ask a question, and I want to know who the hell you are before I invite you to my Super team."

"Why me? I'm sure there are others out there who could be far better at protecting your home," she asked, keeping eye contact. She would not back down. She would not show fear.

"Because," Fury said, taking a slow step forward, "I see you have the potential to be someone extraordinary. With a bit of practice, I could see you being one of the most powerful people. And I sure as hell know I'm not going to let an opportunity to have a person like you on my team pass."

She stared at the mustard-yellow curtains, blocking the view that the window offered. The beige carpet, the oak counter in her kitchen, the cream-colored cabinets and the couch with patches sewn on. This is her home. If she goes with him, she could lose it. But if she went, she could make a difference in this world. She wouldn't be just a person who caught low level thieves, but someone who made a long-lasting impact. She could protect it until her last breath.

"My name is Nova, and I have lived in this universe for eight months now. I would be honored if you let me help you protect it."

A smirk appeared on Fury's face. "So, the multiversal traveler joins teams to protect people without knowing she's protecting them from. I like the ambition." Nova tilts her head in confusion. "More and more super-powered people are popping up from outer space, and we need to make sure none of them are a threat. And if they are... we'll deal with them. You don't need to be dealt with, do you?" He asked, looking at the golden power which started swirling around her arms once more.

Nova's power dissipated as she let out a silent yet shaky breath.

"No," she said.

"You still want to do this?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," she said.

"Welcome to the Avengers, Nova."

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