"Urgh-!"
As the pink glow slowly faded behind her, Jessica Jones landed and took a huge gulp of air before she could even strike a cool superhero pose.
A second later, her face turned green, and she braced herself against the Clinic's peeling wall, dry-heaving violently.
"Cough, cough, cough! Boss! You call this a place full of friendly, honest folks?!" Jessica was nearly choking on her tears as she pointed at the gray sky outside and cursed.
"The air's full of fermented sewage, gunpowder, and rotten eggs from chemical leaks! The landfills in Hell's Kitchen smell a hundred times fresher than this!"
Yang Ming tossed Ivan Vanko, whom he had been carrying, onto the floor like a dead dog, then calmly adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.
"Don't be so dramatic." Yang Ming stepped over Ivan's body and went to the water dispenser to fill a cup. "This is a Gotham specialty. Breathe enough of it, and it'll prevent cancer. Take a few more breaths. Think of it as deep chemical disinfection for your lungs."
"Like hell I believe you! Even the sunlight in this dump is gray!" Jessica pinched her nose in disgust.
"I think this place is rather nice."
A cold, arrogant voice drifted over from beside them.
Still wearing her rumpled couture evening gown, Loki didn't dry-heave like Jessica. Instead, she closed her eyes in obvious enjoyment and took a deep breath.
An odd light flickered in her green eyes, and a sickly sneer curled her lips.
"Pure malice, fertile soil for despair, and fear permeating the air... This place is far more pleasing than those hypocritical mortals in New York. It's practically a breeding ground for chaos."
"You're nuts." Jessica rolled her eyes, not bothering to engage with the alien princess and her terminal case of delusions of