Chapter Text
The air was bitterly cold, nipping her ankles as she trudged through the growing snow banks on the street. Elysia hadn’t gotten used to New York's sharp winters, despite it being her second year here. She had been lucky, her parents Will had left her enough money to get a far too reasonable apartment in Soho, though if she had known the city better she would have bought closer to Columbia University. On a good day, it was a 40 minute train ride, on a bad day it was an hour. And on a really bad day? It was a two hour walk through the snow.
Today was a really bad day.
The trains had been severely delayed by the sudden bad weather, and Elysia had lost her patience, opting to walk rather than be stuck standing on a freezing underground platform shivering through her coat. The world had changed after the blip and they were lucky to still have the Avengers - not that they could help with this weather. But it made the city seem safer, feel safer despite everything, so walking it was.
Trudging on, Elysia wrapped her arms around her waist opting to take the back alleys that a friend from university had shown her a few months earlier. Shaking her head, she realised it made her sound juvenile. As the youngest recipient of a PHD in astrophysics from Harvard, she wasn't exactly mucking around in her first year of college anymore. She was taking on her new role as a teaching assistant, learning to be a good professor. She was Doctor Elysia Valum now, as weird as it sounded in her head, and on her tongue as she muttered it into the darkened, snow lined alley she was kicking through.
Regardless, she still felt like a damn juvenile. Just today, a colleague had called her ‘sweetheart’ as she had presented her lesson plans for the new masters students. Not that he had acknowledged her until this point. Most of the other professors scorned her both for being young and being a woman. They didn't begin to consider the hard work she had put in to get her PHD and Masters concurrently at only 24. Blowing her dark hair from over her eyes, she attempted to push the thought out of her head, it would do no good to her if she froze to death getting lost in these back streets.
Nonetheless, it distracted her. She so badly wanted to be accepted by her new colleagues but everytime she put up an idea it was shot down, and then, inevitably, another colleague would bring it up days later as their own and be praised all the same.
Sighing, she realised she had reached a dead end. It had been a wrong turn and this particular alley had clearly led to a brick wall if she had been paying any attention. Suppressing a groan as she stared at the snow dusted brick, she thanked any god that was listening that she was only a 25 minute walk from home now that she was in Greenwich village.
Turning, she stuffed her hands into her coat pockets preparing herself for a walk she vowed would now be the main roads and the main roads only. Instead she was faced by two dark figures, merely a few metres in front of her. Her senses pricked, and this time her shiver was no longer from the cold.
“I’m very sorry, I must have taken a wrong turn” she offered, wondering if they lived in one of the adjacent buildings. She was met with silence. “Uhh… sorry if you don't mind i will be going” she motioned behind them. Still there was no movement.
“Elysia Valum” a male voice echoed.
“It’s Doctor Elysia Valum” she replied curtly, tensing as the two men took a pace toward her. They were dressed in all black but it wasn't simply hoodies and jeans, this was combat gear they were wearing.
“Apologies, doctor” the other responded, sarcasm lacing his voice.
“Forgiven. Can I help you?” she opted to not point out the sarcasm.
“Why yes i think you can”
Elysia tilted her head curiously. Was this some initiation prank she was unaware of? Sighing, she nodded “What can I do?”
The man smiled.
“Die”
A sharp whizzing cut through the air and Elysia ducked just in time. Whirling, her eyes landed on the knife that had clattered to the ground behind her head. She let out a gasp, shock radiating through her. It didn't last long as one of the men ran for her, tackling her back into the wall. She felt her back crack against it and fight or flight kick in, her hands raising to throw hits into his face. Suddenly, she felt grateful that her parents insisted all those martial arts classes would look good on a college application.
Kicking him in the ankle, she attempted to run only to be dragged back by the second man whom her mind had erased in adrenaline. He yanked her backwards against another wall, and just as she was managing to kick him off, the first man rose from the snow. An ominous click echoed and she was faced with a gun.
Gasping, she threw her hands up. “I - I haven't done anything I promise you.” she spoke between laboured breaths.
The man with the gun chuckled “Sure you haven’t Miss Valum. Not yet”
She shook her head. “I haven't! I won't! I promise you that”
His finger hardened on the trigger and she heard a distant pop, her hands raised in defence as she realised she was going to die in this god forsaken alley. But the impact never came. Squeezing her eyes open, there was a portal in front of her hands and as the man continued to fire, the rounds seemed to fall into it. Looking around desperately, she saw no one. And then she realised, these were coming from her own fingers.
A muted sound exited her mouth but it was short lived as the second man tackled her into the snow, the portal disappearing. Suddenly, the fight or flight kicked in as she distantly heard the other reloading.
She needed to get out, she couldn't get out.
Absently she felt her head crack back against the wall, the dizziness seeping in. Something else tazed at her body - a bolt of shock and then a pinprick that immediately seeped into her. No! She wouldn't pass out! She couldn't pass out! Elsyia could hear voices from the end of the alley, they were different, not those of her attackers. The Police! She thought desperately, but her time was running short as the two men advanced on her snow cladden figure. She didn't have enough time for the Police to reach her. A gun raised.
In a last ditch effort she threw her hands out, willing for something, for anything to help. There was a blast of energy. A crunch and then, silence.
Her head fell back into the snow and darkness began to seep into her vision. As her eyes began to shut, she could feel blood tracking down her face, over her lips and jaw and into the snow.
Those voices echoed in her head again, closer as if they were right there with her. Before she could think to speak, her vision closed in and she passed out.