Redemption
Pairings: Tony&Bruce, Natasha&Clint, Loki&Thor, Steve&OC
Summary: Loki has endured Asgardian punishment for the past four years. Meanwhile, the Chitauri race has revived and is searching for Loki. They inform the Avengers that if Loki is not presented to them, they will return to destroy the Earth.
Author's Note: First Avengers fanfiction. First time I've done any writing for years and years. So please be nice. Romances will most likely develop slowly.
Chapter One
Huff. Huff. Huff.
Loki could only hear the sound of his labored breathing. He knew that the guards were still in his cell, but he could not recognize their faces. Over the past few days, his eyesight had deteriorated, and all objects in his field of vision were consistently blurry.
Loki didn't move – not even to flinch – as one of the guards approached him to continue the physical torture – his punishment for the human deaths he'd caused four years ago. He was suddenly aware of the blood dripping down his forehead; the guard had grabbed a fistful of his hair, and in doing so, dug his fingernails into Loki's scalp. Loki could feel his knees scraping against the cold floor, which was made from jagged stone, as the guard dragged him across the cell to the metal restraints attached to the cell wall.
Loki endured another half-hour of sharp, painful blows of the guard's whip. Asgardian whips were much more advanced than those of humans', as Asgard weapon-makers embedded Bilgesnipe scales into the material to maximize effectiveness of torture.
Finally, the guards exited, leaving Loki to recover as best he could.
During his imprisonment, Loki had spent many lonely hours reflecting on the events leading up to this fate. He'd never been close to success, he realized. Even with the Chitauri army behind him, he was unable to exterminate even one of the Avengers. During the first several months in Asgard prison, he'd hoped to escape and try again; as time went on, he realized that not only was escape impossible due to Odin's specific anti-magic precautions, but that fighting the Avengers again by himself would be futile.
At times, during especially intense punishment sessions with the guards, he even regretted his earlier decision to attack Earth.
Loki let out a low groan as he slipped into unconsciousness – the last defense against pain that Loki could muster.
Tony Stark adjusted his tie in the mirror. "How do I look, Jarvis?"
"Sophisticated as usual, sir," his intelligent computer replied.
Tony turned toward the door and proceeded into his grandiose living room, which contained over fifty of his favorite acquaintances. Among the crowd were his close friends, better known on Earth – and on other planets – as the Avengers.
"Oh, good, there you all are. I was wondering if you'd ever show up," Tony said to his friends, who had only arrived minutes earlier. "I was beginning to think you didn't like me anymore."
"What is this party for, Tony?" Natasha Romanoff asked, her arms crossed. Although she looked forward to the high-quality alcohol that Tony was notorious for serving at his parties, she had other places to be. She'd turned down a high-profile job offer to be there.
"It's been four years," Tony reminded her. He meant it was the fourth anniversary of the Avengers' victory over Loki's invasion. Since then, the planet had not experienced any other conflict with alien life forces. Of course, there had been need for the Avengers during the past several years, as threats of nuclear war put the world into panic. But compared to their battle against the Chitauri, solving nuclear war threats was a piece of cake.
There was a moment of silence among the Avengers, although the room was still filled with the lively chatter of other guests. Each of the Avengers reflected on their most difficult battle, reliving the intense emotions they felt while defending their planet. Although proud that they saved Earth, they were glad that they had never had to fight against another alien species since then.
Tony was first to break the silence. "Well, how about drinks? Scotch?" He picked up a couple glasses from the bar and handed them to Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner. Steve immediately handed his glass over to Clint Barton. Tony always seemed to forget that alcohol did not provide the same level of enjoyment to Steve as it did to most other humans.
"Cheers," Tony said as the group clinked their glasses together. However, before the glasses could reach their lips, the group heard an explosion just outside Tony Stark's tower.
"It seems you have a few people trying to crash your party," Bruce stated, walking calmly toward the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, as the rest of the group rushed over after him.
What stood – or rather, hovered – before them sent a jolt of dread through each of their bodies. The creatures were unmistakable. Somehow, the Chitauri were back.
Tony's guests began to scream and panic. They too remembered the battle against the Chitauri; the whole world had seen the army on the news, and many of the guests in Stark's tower were residents of New York. They had experienced the terror firsthand.
Tony looked down to his wrists, double-checking that his wristbands were on, in case he needed to activate his fighting apparel. Steve inched closer to the side of the room, where he'd left his shield in a closet. Clint and Natasha were already armed – they tended not to go anywhere unprepared.
One member of the Chitauri group in front of them came closer to the window. He reached forward and broke the glass. Internally, Tony began to whine about the time and money it would take to have the window repaired.
His thoughts were cut short when the Chitauri group's leader began to speak. "Give us Loki, and we will leave your planet peacefully." His low, raspy voice sent shudders down Natasha's spine. She turned to Clint to read his expression. His furrowed brows and slightly down-turned lips showed only that he was not happy with the situation – the exact same sentiments felt by the rest of the Avengers.
"We don't have him," Natalia responded, stepping forward with her right hand on her gun.
"Our sources say that Loki is here. Do not lie to us. You thought you destroyed us with your nuclear device, but we survived. The Chitauri always survive. We have raised an army – this time stronger. If you do not give Loki to us, we will destroy you," the creature hissed, pointing his weapon at the Avengers.
"I can assure you that Loki is not here. He returned to Asgard," Bruce stated. His voice contained a hint of anger, but his face did not waver from his calm expression.
"If he were in Asgard, we would be able to sense him. We, the Chitauri, have a keen sense of magic, and we know for certain that there is a strong presence of magic here," the leader snarled. He raised his left appendage, and one of the group members destroyed a nearby building with a weapon resembling a laser.
Steve grabbed his shield and Tony raised his arms in position so that his suit could properly form around him. However, before Tony could give the command, the Chitauri leader spoke again.
"You have three days, measured by Midgard's rotations, to present Loki to us. We will bring our new, stronger army, and if you do not give him to us, we will kill every human on this worthless planet."
Tony signaled to Jarvis, and his suit came flying at him. Clint began to fire arrows at the group of Chitauri, while Natalia shot at them with her gun. Once Tony's suit was fully formed, he flew at them, sending destructive beams from his hands at the Chitauri.
But the Chitauri suddenly disappeared before their eyes. The Avengers had failed to kill even one of the creatures.
The team turned toward the destroyed building. Tony sped toward the crumbling wall, hoping to catch the debris before it could hit anyone on the ground. Steve rushed down the stairs and across the street. He began to pick up pieces of the building, freeing those trapped beneath it.
Natasha and Clint made a phone call to headquarters. Nick Fury would definitely be expecting their report.
Fury insisted that the team go to New Mexico. Thus, the team found itself on one of Tony's private planes. At first, nobody seemed to have anything to say, and they all sat in silence – except for the flirty stewardess Tony had hired, who offered them all water and snacks. But nobody was in the mood for eating.
Steve was the first to voice his thoughts. "I think we need to talk to Thor."
"That doesn't seem possible, since he's on a completely different planet right now," replied Natasha.
"Well, the Chitauri are back, and I bet they are trying to help free Loki," Steve said, his hands clenching into fists. "Maybe they want his help getting the Tesseract again."
"Why would they do that? I'm sure they know the Tesseract is in Asgard," Natasha mused. "If they wanted the Tesseract, they would only need to try to invade Asgard – not Earth."
"But they think Loki is here. They said they sensed magic here. I'm not sure what they meant by that," Bruce added to the conversation. He didn't say all his thoughts aloud. He was puzzled by the Chitauri's statement – how could they sense magic on Earth, but not on Asgard, where Loki was truly located?
Fury greeted the team when the plane landed in New Mexico. "Glad you could make it. We need to hurry, if the two of you gave accurate reports." He glanced over at Natasha and Clint. "Jane Foster is waiting, and I believe you will find that she will be quite useful to us."
"How do you mean, sir?" Steve asked, adjusting the belt on his uniform. Fury had requested that the team arrive ready for action.
"She has found a way to take you to Asgard," Fury responded, gesturing for the team to quickly enter the vehicle he had arrived in. The black vehicle with tinted windows provided immediate relief from the heat. None of the team were used to New Mexico's desert climate. It took another hour for them to reach Jane's lab.
When they arrived, they saw a green aura around the lab. The hue intensified as they got nearer and nearer.
"Your favorite color, Dr. Banner," Tony stated smartly. Bruce replied with a chuckle, but his eyes showed that he was not amused.
As the group exited the vehicle, Jane came running up to them. "You need to hurry. I haven't really perfected this yet, so-"
"You haven't perfected it? And you want us to use this?" Tony asked incredulously.
"It will work. Just not for long," Jane retorted, glaring back at Tony. It had taken years for her to create a portal that could connect different worlds. This portal could only bring travelers to Asgard; she wasn't sure if it would bring them back as well. She could only hope that Thor could transport them back. She strongly wished to tell them this crucial information, but Fury had directed her not to – he was worried that one of the team members might back out.
"Let's go then," Steve said bravely, jogging toward the machine. The rest of the team followed.
They stepped into the beam of light. Jane told them to close their eyes. As they did so, they felt a tingling sensation in their scalps. For a split second, they all felt like they were choking. And then their eyes were flooded with light.