Vanessa Brooks tried to live a normal life, for the longest time. She wasn't normal, she knew it. Her mother had been killed by a crime boss, and that's when she decided she had to do something about it. She decided that she would use her gifts to help with that. She had created an alter ego, Ravenna. She would troll the streets late at night, and clean them up. She got on the wrong type of radars. One was called S.H.I.E.L.D., but she managed to slip by them, and got away. She'd been in hiding for the longest time. Everytime they got close, she would run. So far, she hadn't had a run in with them in about five years. She didn't get lax though, she was looking over her shoulder everywhere she went. It was kind of hard to make friends that way, but she didn't mind, she liked having her privacy.
One day, she got a house call, and she was not happy about it.
X*X
Vanessa had just gotten home from being at work all day. She turned the TV on, grabbed a beer, and sat down on the couch, to relax. There was a knock on the door. She drank some of her beer, set it on the coffee table, and then went to answer the door. She opened it, and her heart skipped a beat. A man in a suit was standing there, with a thick file folder in his hands. He gave her a smile.
"Miss Brooks, Vanessa Brooks?" The man asked.
She narrowed her eyebrows at him.
"Who wants to know?" She asked.
"My name is Phil Coleson. May I come in, I have some things that I would like to discuss with you." He told her.
She couldn't decide whether to trust him, or not.
"Why?" She asked.
His smile widened.
"I'd rather talk inside, you never know who might be listening." He told her.
She was even more suspicious now. However, she might as well give him the benefit of the doubt, if he tried anything, she could very easily take care of him. She opened the door wider so he could enter.
"Thank you Miss Brooks." He said.
She shut the door behind him, and turned to face him.
"I let you in, so tell me what you want. Do not try to lie to me, I will know. I have ways of knowing." She told him.
"I am well aware of what you can do. I am an agent with S.H.I.E.L.D. and I would like to talk to you about your help." He told her.
She was on her guard now. They had found her.
"How did you find me?" She asked.
He gave a laugh.
"We never lost you. We have kept other groups of people at bay, so you could try to live a normal life." He told her.
"So what do you want from me?" She asked.
"We have formed a response team that we would like you to be a part of. We have name it, Avengers Initiative. We know of your talents, and could use someone with your abilities." He told her.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"You want me to join a group?" She asked.
"Yes." He said.
This was the last thing that she expected to hear from him.
"You've got to be kidding me." She said.
"Not in the least. Something was stolen from us, and the team is being assembled to retrieve it and stop the person that took it." He said.
"And you want me to work with others to get it back to you?" She asked.
"Yes." He said.
She studied him. She suddenly saw images. A man with some sort of spear, like a scepter or something, shot blue energy from it at a group of government agents. She saw a cube of bright, swirling, blue light being put in a briefcase. She saw the destruction of a facility. She heard the name Loki.
She blinked several times, to clear her mind.
"Who is Loki?" She asked.
Agent Coleson looked slightly uncomfortable. She smirked.
"Loki was the one that stole from us. He is the one that we would like the team to get into custody." He said.
"And what is that blue cube thing?" She asked.
"That is what was taken. It's called the Tesseract. Its pure energy." He told her.
She gave a nod.
"Right. You are crazy, I'm sorry, but find someone else to do it." She told him.
"Director Fury wouldn't have had me come here, if he thought that you wouldn't be an asset to the team. You would be helping to save the world from someone that wants to take it over. If he succeeds he will make all of us slaves. There will be death and destruction. You can help stop that from happening." He told her.
She had to admit, this man knew how to talk. He knew just what to say, and how to say it, to make you want to do what he asked.
"You don't want to lock me up?" She asked.
He shook his head.
"We want...need your help." He told her.
Oh, he was good!
"What's in the folder?" She asked.
He held the folder out to her. She raised her hand to take it, but paused. She was too damn curious not to know. She took the folder from Coleson's hand. She went to sit down on her couch. She moved her beer out of the way, and set the folder on the coffee table. She opened it, and information about the Tesseract stared up at her. She skimmed over the info, then flipped the page. It was information on Tony Stark. He was Iron man. It told about his capture in the middle east, and how he became Iron Man. The next page had info on Steve Rogers, Captain America, and how he became the Captain. The next page had info on Bruce Banner, the Hulk. The next page was all about Thor, the God of Thunder, Loki's brother, and future Asguardian King. The next page had info on an assassin, the Black Widow, Natasha Romanov.
She looked over at Coleson.
"You guys want me to join with them? I don't work well with others." She said.
Coleson smiled at her.
"Neither do any of the others, but together, Director Fury, as well as I do, thinks that the Avenger's can stop Loki, and save the world." He told her.
She exhaled loudly, and ran her hand through her hair.
"I need to think about it." He told her.
He gave her a nod.
"Come to these coordinates if you decide to help." He told her, handing her his card, with coordinates on the back of it.
"Great." She said.
"Thank you for your time Miss Brooks. I hope to see you soon." He told her.
He made his way to her door.
"What about your folder?" She asked.
"Keep it. Read through it. Just don't let any civilians get their hands on it, that is classified information." He told her.
"Right." She said.
Coleson gave a nod, and then left, shutting the door behind him. She sat back against the couch, and looked up at the ceiling. What the hell was she thinking? She couldn't help them! She could get herself killed! She couldn't let Loki take the world over, and make everyone slaves either. She groaned in frustration. She sat back up, and looked through the papers again. She found Loki's information sheet, but it was sparse, as if they didn't know that much on the guy. That was probably because he wasn't from this world.
Coleson's words kept rattling around inside her mind. She exhaled loudly. Damn it all to Hell! She got up from the couch, and went into her bedroom. She found Ravenna's outfit, and looked at it for a moment. She sighed, and then set the outfit on the bed. She went to take a shower.
When she finished, she got into the outfit, did her hair, then attached the mask to her face. It covered her eyes. She slid her boots on. She then put the gloves on her hands. Her outfit was Royal Purple, almost black looking. It was full body spandex. The boots, and gloves were black, as was the mask. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She gave a small smile, then put the coordinates in her phone's GPS system, and it showed her where S.H.I.E.L.D. was located. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. They were somewhere in the ocean. Interesting.
She went out to the back yard. She put her phone in her bra, so it was safe, and she wouldn't lose it on the way. She took a deep breath, bent her knees, and then flew up into the sky. She flew towards the last place on earth she ever thought she'd willingly go to.
X*X*X
She got to the coordinates, but didn't see anything, or anyone. She reached out telepathically to get a lock on where they were. She looked to the clouds.
"A helicarrier? Really?" She said in surprise.
She flew to where it was. She managed to find it, and board it. An agent was waiting for her. They were expecting her then? What if she hadn't decided to do it? She shook her head, and followed the Agent inside. The Agent led her to the room that ran everything. There were agents dressed in blue outfits. She saw a bald black man that had an eye patch over his left eye. She saw Coleson talking to a man that she recognised as Captain America, Steve Rogers.
The black man turned and looked at her. He gave a smile, and walked over to her. He held his hand out for her to shake.
"Vanessa, it's great to have you with us. My name is Nick Fury. I would like you to meet Steve Rogers, Captain America, and I believe that you already know Agent Coleson." Fury told her, leading her over to the two men.
She nodded.
"Please, call me Ravenna while I'm in my suit." She told them.
"As you wish." Fury said.
She held her hand out to Steve.
"It's nice to meet you Mr. Rogers." She said.
He shook her hand.
"Call me Steve, or Captain." He told her.
She nodded.
There was a beeping sound coming from a computer that was to the left of Coleson. They had found a match to Loki. Apparently, he was in Germany.
"Captain, suit up, you and Ravenna are up." Fury said.
Ravenna looked over at Steve, and gave a nod. He hurried out of the room, and Ravenna followed him. She waited at his door as he changed into his Captain America suit. It took him less time than what she thought it would. He returned fairly quickly, and she looked at him from head to toe.
"Impressive outfit Captain." She said.
He gave a nod.
"Thank you. Let's go, I need to pick up my shield, then we need to get to the jet." He told her.
"I'll follow you." She said.
He led her to the jet, and they boarded. A woman with red hair, wearing a black spandex suit, with a gun strapped to her thigh. She walked over to Ravenna.
"I'm Natasha, you are going to need this. You will be able to hear us, and I will be able to hear you." Natasha said.
Ravenna nodded and stuck the piece in her ear. It fit snug in her ear canal. Natasha went to the front, and got into one of the seats in the cockpit. Ravenna took a seat next to Steve, and they headed for Stuttgard Germany.
X*X*X
Darkness had fallen by the time that they had gotten to their destination. Natasha got low enough so that Steve could jump from the jet, without needing a parachute. Steve jumped. Ravenna waited for a few moments, then swan dived out of the jet. She free falled for a moment, then she flew after Steve.
She saw a group of people kneeling before Loki. She saw an old man stand, and say something to Loki. Loki responded, then pointed his scepter at the man. Just as Loki shot energy at the man, Steve dropped in front of the man, and shielded him from the blast. It had rebounded off of Steve's shield. She flew faster as Steve stood, facing Loki. She landed next to Steve as Natasha flew as close as she could get, and focused all of the jet's weapons at Loki. Loki looked at them. Loki shot energy at Natasha, but Natasha moved the jet as quickly as she could.
Ravenna mentally pushed Loki, with her telekenesis, as Steve ran at Loki.
"Go! Everyone get out of here!" Ravenna yelled.
There was a stampede as everyone tried getting away as soon as they could. Loki and Steve began fighting, hand to hand. Ravenna ran to help Steve out. She started fighting also. Loki managed to throw Steve away from them with a burst of energy. Steve flew away from them and hit a marble pillar. Loki turned to Ravenna.
"Isn't this interesting? I was never told about you. Who are you?" Loki asked her.
She frowned.
"I'm one of the people that will be taking you back to S.H.I.E.L.D., we can either do this the easy way, or the hard way, it's your choice." She told him.
He laughed.
"Do you really think that you can beat me?" He asked her.
She smirked.
"Yes, I do. I have a few tricks up my sleeve." She told him.
His eyes were shining with mischief.
"I would really like to see that." He told her.
"So the hard way then?" She said.
He laughed again.
"Yes, the hard way." He said.
"Okay, but don't say that I didn't warn you." She told him.
She gathered up her energy, and pushed her palm of her hand at him. Loki flew through the air, and hit a wall. He got to his feet, and walked back over to her.
"Impressive." He said.
That's not all I can do, Loki. I can get in your head, I can hear your thoughts, I see your memories. Give up now, make it easier on yourself.
He laughed.
"You are amazing. I like you, but it's now my turn." He told her.
He pointed his scepter at her. Just as he shot the energy beam at her, Steve jumped in front of her, and shielded her.
"Thanks, but I could have managed." She said.
Loki was suddenly hit with something, and he flew backwards, into marble steps. Iron Man flew down to them, pointing his arms at Loki.
"Make a move Reindeer Games." Tony Stark said.
Loki sat up, with his hands in the air, and shifts out of his armor.
"Good move." Stark said.
"Stark." Steve said.
"Cap. Well, who is this new face? Hello, I am Tony Stark, Iron Man. Who are you?" Stark asked.
Ravenna rolled her eyes.
"You can call me Ravenna." She told him.
He gave a nod.
"Let's get Loki, and head back." Steve said.
Steve went over to Loki, grabbed his arm, and stood Loki up. Ravenna took Loki's other arm, and they walked him onto the jet, with Tony following them. They buckle Loki in, and cuff his hands together. Natasha lifted off, and they headed back to the helicarrier. Tony, Steve, and Ravenna were standing together, talking, shooting glances back to Loki every so often.
Steve voiced his concerns about how easily they captured Loki. Stark started making comments about Steve's age. Ravenna rolled her eyes. Steve told Stark that he hadn't realised that Fury called him in. Ravenna wasn't paying attention to Stark's response, she had noticed that lightning had come out of nowhere. She nudged Steve and brought their attention to it. Steve noticed that Loki was acting...peculiar. Ravenna looked at Loki as Loki spoke.
"I'm not overly fond of what follows." Loki said.
Ravenna wasn't too sure she liked that. It gave a foreboding feeling, deep in her bones.
A moment later, they felt and heard something land on the roof of the jet. They all looked up, to the roof. Tony put his helmet on his face, and opened the hanger doors. Steve put his cowl on. Ravenna was on high alert.
Suddenly Thor was in the jet. He knocked Iron Man in the chest with his hammer, and Tony flew backwards, into Steve and Ravenna. She watched as Thor grabbed Loki, and flew away with him.
"Now there's that guy." Tony said, getting to his feet.
"Another Asguardian?" Natasha asked.
"That guy is a friendly?" Steve asked.
Steve helped Ravenna to her feet.
"It doesn't matter. If he frees, or kills Loki, the Tesseract is lost." Tony said.
"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve yelled.
"I have a plan, attack." Tony told him.
Tony went over to the doors. Ravenna smiled.
"I'm game." She said.
Tony flew out of the jet. She looked at Steve, and shrugged. She ran, and jumped out of the jet. She could see Iron Man's trail, so she flew after him.
"Ravenna, I will take the guy in the red cape out, you stay with Loki, and make sure that he doesn't go anywhere, we need him." Tony told her.
"Got it." She said.
She watched as Iron Man flew down, and speared Thor away from Loki. Ravenna flew faster, and landed moments later right in front of Loki, who had taken a seat. When he saw her, he smiled up at her.
"I wouldn't try anything, if I were you." She told him.
He laughed.
"Why? I wouldn't mind going another round with you, to see what you've got." He told her.
"Sorry, but that won't be happening, so just sit there, don't speak, and look pretty." She said.
She looked over towards where Iron Man and Thor were fighting. She suddenly saw Tony spear Thor, and fly off with him. Great, where were they going? She put a finger to the ear piece.
"Stark, what's going on? Do you need back up?" Ravenna asked.
"I've got it covered, just stay with Loki, don't let him get away." Stark ordered.
"Fine, just let me know if you need me." She told him.
She looked back down at Loki, who smiled back up at her. It made her a little uneasy.
"Sitting on the sidelines for this one?" Loki asked.
"Shut up." She told him.
He laughed.
"I'll take that as a yes." He said.
She rolled her eyes, and chose to ignore him. He continued.
"I don't know why they would. You seem capable enough to take my brother on. However, it is Thor, so it might be a good thing that you sit this one out." He said.
He was trying to push her buttons.
"I'm new. I just started today. I know that it's nothing personal. Now, be quiet." She told him.
"You just started today, and they sent you out to get me? You must be very powerful. If you are that powerful, why would they stick you with watching me? You should be out there, helping. Maybe they don't trust you to get the job done correctly." He said silkily.
She rolled her eyes again. He was good, but she really could care less if anyone thought she was capable enough to get the job done, or not. She knew what she could do, and she was only just doing was she was sent out to do. Someone needed to make sure that Loki wouldn't escape custody, and Captain America wasn't around, Tony was taking care of Thor, so, she was the only one that could do it, and she wasn't about to leave him alone so she could wrestle with Thor.
"Think whatever you want, I could care less. I was told to keep an eye on you, and that's what I will be doing. I won't be the one to lose you from custody just to get into a fight." She told him.
He studied her for a minute.
"You don't care what they think, do you?" He asked.
"No, why should I?" She asked.
"You are capable of so much, but yet, you choose to stay out of the fight." He said.
She exhaled loudly.
"Do you have a point, or do you just enjoy hearing your own voice?" She asked him.
He laughed again.
"Your potential is unlimited. You would be of great use to me." He said.
This time, she laughed.
"Yeah, that's not going to happen, you can wake up now buddy." She said.
He looked confused.
"You're dreaming, if you really think that I would ever join you." She told him.
"What a loss. The offer stands, if you ever change your mind." He said.
She shook her head.
"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you." She said.
"We'll see." He said.
There was a sudden loud noise that sounded like an explosion, and she saw a bunch of trees fall. What the hell were they doing, taking out a forest? She put her finger to the ear piece again.
"What the hell is going on Stark? Are you okay?" She asked.
"I'm fine, Cap just arrived. We are on our way to you. Do you still have Loki in your custody?" Tony asked.
"Of course. What did you guys do down there?" She asked.
"Thor and Cap decided to do a little redecorating the forest." Tony said.
Ravenna rolled her eyes.
"Stark." Steve warned.
She heard Tony laugh.
Thor was the first to get to her and Loki.
"Who are you?" Thor asked.
"Ravenna. I'm with S.H.I.E.L.D." She said.
"She just started, today." Loki said.
She rolled her eyes, as Thor told Loki to shut up.
"I am Thor, of Asguard." He told her.
She gave a nod.
"I read about all of the Avengers. It's nice to meet you." She said, shaking his hand.
Thor nodded.
"It's nice to meet you too Ravenna." Thor said.
Ravenna put her finger to her ear again.
"Are you guys coming? Thor is here already, where are you two?" She asked.
"We are on our way." Steve said.
"Impatient much newbie?" Tony said.
She rolled her eyes.
"No, but I was under the impression that you were Iron Man. I figured that you would have been here by now." She said.
"I think once we get back to the helicarrier, we should sit down and have a nice long chat about that." Tony said.
She heard Steve laughing in the back ground.
"Whatever." She said.
She turned to look at Thor and Loki. Both were smiling at her.
"I like you." Thor said.
"That's exactly what I told her." Loki said.
"Is there any way we can get tape, or glue, to keep his mouth shut?" She asked Thor.
Thor laughed.
"I haven't found anything that will stick yet." Thor said.
"Very funny." Loki said sarcastically.
Moments later, Tony and Steve made their way to them. Moments after that, they were boarding the jet to head to the helicarrier.
X*X*X
She had her hand holding Loki's arm as they walked. They were surrounded by agents armed with guns. She led him to his holding cell. As they passed Bruce, Loki looked at him, and smiled. Ravenna jerked him.
"Keep walking." She told him.
When she got to his holding cell, he looked at her.
"I'll be seeing you soon Ravenna." He said silkily.
"Oh joy, I can't wait." She said sarcastically.
She let him go and he walked into the cell. She turned and walked over to Fury.
"Thank you Ravenna, you can leave." Fury said.
She gave a nod, and left the room. She headed back up to central hub. She got there, and saw everyone but Tony watching Loki as he talked to Fury. She walked over and sat down next to Steve, and watched too.
Loki was talking with meanings behind everything he said.
"Then there's your newest recruit. I heard that you just aquired her today. That must have been very lucky for you. How did you get her to join you? What did you bribe her with to have her come and work for you?" Loki asked.
Loki looked directly into the camera, as if he was looking right at her.
Ravenna's eyebrows knitted in confusion. She felt eyes on her, but she didn't take her eyes off the screen. Loki turned his attention back to Fury.
"She is none of your concern." Fury said.
Fury turned and walked out of view. He was heading for them. The monitors shut off.
"He really grows on you doesn't he?" Bruce said.
"Loki is going to drag this out, so, Thor, what's his play?" Steve asked.
"He has an army, calld the Chitauri. They are not of Asguard, or of any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In turn, I expect, for the Tesseract." Thor said.
"He has an army, from outter space?" Steve said.
"So, he's building a portal. That's what he needs Eric Selvig for." Bruce said.
"Selvig?" Thor asked.
"He's an astrophysisist." Bruce said.
"He's a friend." Thor said.
"He's got him under some sort of spell, along with one of ours." Natasha said.
"I want to know why Loki let us take him? He's not leading an army from here." Steve said.
"I don't think that we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. I can smell crazy on him." Bruce said.
"Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asguard, and he is my brother." Thor said.
"He killed 80 people in two days." Natasha informed him.
"He is adopted." Thor said.
Ravenna put a hand to her mouth to cover the smile that made it's way on her face. This was no time for laughing. Bruce started talking, but Ravenna didn't pay attention, she noticed Stark had finally made it. Coleson was leading him to them. She studied him out of his Iron Man get up, then got lost in her own thoughts about Loki. Why was he so interested in her? What did he have planned? The cogs in her brain were starting to turn. She watched as Tony made his way past Thor, over to where Fury usually stood. Ravenna noticed him take his hand out of his pocket, and touch under one of the computers. What did he do? Did he just plant something on one of Fury's computers? Maybe when they had their long talk, she could ask him about it. Then Tony started talking all scientific with Bruce, and no one but those two understood what they were talking about.
Fury entered the room, and told Stark that Bruce was only there to help find the cube. Then he wanted to know how Loki turned two of the sharpest men he knew into trained flying monkeys. Thor didn't understand the reference, but Steve got very excited, and said that he got it. Ravenna looked at Steve and smiled. He was so excited to realise that he finally understood a reference that someone had said, instead of being the only one not to get it. Tony and Bruce went to Bruce's lab.
Steve waited a few minutes, then headed after them. Ravenna brought up the video of Loki in his holding cell, trying to figure what Loki wanted with her. As if he knew she was watching him, he looked straight in the camera, and smiled. She frowned. What was he playing at? Maybe she should go see. She ran her hand through her hair. She noticed that Thor and Coleson were talking. She wasn't ever told that she couldn't go back to talk to Loki, so maybe she should just go and make him tell her why he's so interested with her. It was annoying her.
"You will drive yourself crazy, if you keep watching that."
Ravenna looked up. It was Natasha. Ravenna nodded.
"Yeah, but it's driving me crazy not knowing what he wants with me." Ravenna said.
Natasha nodded.
"Try going for a walk. Maybe you can help Banner and Stark." Natasha said.
Ravenna frowned.
"I don't understand what they say when they get talking about science stuff. However, it might take my mind off of Loki." Ravenna said.
Natasha nodded again.
Ravenna stood up.
"Agent Romanov, go and see what you can find out from Loki." Fury said.
"Yes sir." Natasha said.
Natasha headed for the holding cell, while Ravenna headed for the lab. Bruce and Tony were working on Loki's staff when she walked in. They both looked up at her when she entered. She smiled at them.
"I was wondering when you find your way here, we need to have a long talk." Tony told her.
She rolled her eyes.
"Speaking of talks, what did you attach to Fury's computer when you first boarded? You're slick, but I caught you." She said.
He raised his eyebrows.
"You were the only one. No one else caught that. You're very observant." Tony told her.
"Really, and the Avengers are suppposed to be Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and no one noticed that you put something on the computer? What was it anyways?" She asked.
"I had Jarvis hack into all of the computers, I want as much information as I can get if I'm going to be working here. I don't want any surprises." Tony told her.
She nodded.
"Smart, you really are a genius, aren't you?" She asked.
Bruce laughed. Tony just looked at Bruce, and Bruce stifled his laughter as quickly as he could. Bruce cleared his throat.
"I'm Bruce Banner." He told her, holding his hand out to her.
She shook it.
"Ravenna, it's nice to meet you." She said.
Bruce nodded.
"You too." Bruce said.
"So, getting back to our talk. You are a newbie, how dare you complain that I am taking too long to get somewhere?" Tony asked.
She shrugged her shoulders.
"I was just making an observation. I thought that since you were the infamous Iron Man, you would be able to make it back quicker than others. That's all, I wasn't complaining." She said.
He narrowed his eyes at her.
"She's got you there." Bruce said.
"Nothing from the peanut gallery, thank you." Tony said.
Ravenna smiled.
"Sorry." Bruce said.
"So, was there something that you needed, or did you just come here to bug us?" Tony asked.
Ravenna exhaled loudly.
"I'm trying to figure out what Loki wants with me. I don't understand it. We've never met until today, and he's already asking me to join him. You didn't see the way that he was looking at me when you went after Thor. It was creepy and unsettling, and that man doesn't know how to shut up." Ravenna said.
"Maybe he likes you." Bruce said.
She looked at Bruce as if he had suddenly grown a second head.
"Seriously? Yeah right." She said.
She shook her head.
"You don't think so?" Tony asked.
"Of course not! How could anyone think that? Bruce said it, Loki has crazy coming off of him in waves. He is psychotic. People like that don't have the capacity to feel things like that. He doesn't have the capacity to love someone other than himself, let alone someone like me, someone that wants to lock him up." She said.
Bruce and Tony looked at each other, then back at her.
"What?" She asked.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Tony said.
"The only time that he did sound sane was when he was talking about you. He is intrigued with you for whatever reason." Bruce said.
She couldn't believe these two.
"That's easy to figure out." Tony said.
Both her and Bruce looked at Tony.
"What? She's hot! Loki is a man, is he not? He has a crush on her." Tony said.
"I think both of you are crazy." Ravenna said.
"We are not, we are geniuses!" Tony said.
"There is a thin line between genius and crazy Stark, so that argument is pretty thin." She told him.
Bruce laughed again.
"Listen, I saw the way he looked, when he talked about you. He likes you, trust me." Tony told her.
She rolled her eyes.
Before she could resond, Fury walked in.
"Maybe we could use that to our advantage." Fury said.
She spun to face him.
"Sir, Loki doesn't like me, he's just trying to throw us off track, so he can complete his plan while we run around like chickens with our heads cut off." She said.
Fury thought for a moment, studying her.
"I think Stark is right, Ravenna, why don't you go and see what information you can get out of him too." Fury said.
Her mouth dropped open, in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me! Loki won't tell me anything!" She said.
"You are dismissed Ravenna." Fury said.
She glared at Tony and he just smiled at her. She exhaled loudly, spun around, and left the lab. She passed Natasha and Thor on her way.
"Where are you going?" Natasha asked.
"Stark seems to think that Loki likes me, and Fury agrees, so he sent me to use that to find out information." Ravenna said.
"It's actually true, I've never seen Loki act like that with anyone before." Thor said.
Ravenna rolled her eyes.
"You might know Loki the best, but there is no way that he likes me, not like that." She said.
"Why not?" Thor asked.
She shook her head.
"Loki is...Loki. It's just not possible." Ravenna said.
"I don't know." Natasha said.
Ravenna sighed.
"Whatever, I need to go and try to get any information out of him that I can." Ravenna said.
She headed for Loki's holding cell. This was definately going to be interesting. How could they all think that Loki could actually liked her? It wasn't possible. Ravenna got to the enterance, took a deep breath, and then entered. Loki looked up at her, and smiled. He stood, and walked over to the glass, to get a closer look at her.
"So Fury sent you to keep an eye on me? After Natasha, I figured that he would start the torture." Loki said.
"I think that he did." Ravenna said.
Loki tilted his head to the side.
"For me." She muttered.
She crossed her arms in front of her and walked closer to the cell.
"What do you mean?" Loki asked.
She rolled her eyes.
"Nothing. So, why don't we make this as painless as possible? Why don't you just tell me what you have planned?" She asked.
His smile got wider.
"Oh no, I've already given too much away with Natasha." Loki said.
"She is a master spy, she knows how to get information out of people." She said.
"What about you?" Loki asked.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Do you know how to get information out of people?" Loki asked.
"Fury suggested something, but I don't think that it will work on you. That's just my opinion though. The others all seem to think that it will work on you. I think that you're too smart for it to work." She said.
"And what would that be?" He asked.
She shook her head.
"I can't let all of my secrets out. So, what is about me that caught your attention? I don't get it. You meet me once, and want me to join you. I was bringing you into custody, didn't you think that I would turn you in?" She asked.
"The thought did cross my mind. You wouldn't though, I would have set you free." He told her.
She rolled her eyes.
"Oh yes, I've heard about your version of setting people free. You make them into your own personal stooge. They don't think for themselves, you control them. No thank you. I prefer to think for myself." She said.
"I wouldn't have used it on you. You would be able to use your gifts whenever you wanted to, without being worried about someone coming after you, and locking you up. You would be able to do whatever you wanted, if you join me. You wouldn't be oppressed with me, like you are here. You would be in the forefront of the battle, with me, not on the side lines, like you are with S.H.I.E.L.D., you would be a queen by my side." He told her.
"Your queen?" She said.
"Yes. Every King needs a Queen to rule by his side. You would be mine." Loki told her.
She raised her eyebrows in shock and surprise. Okay, maybe Stark was right, a little. This was not what she had been expecting, at all. She wanted to rub it in Stark's face that he was wrong. Now, he would probably act smug. Just perfect. Just what she needed.
Suddenly, there was an explosion, and the whole place shook. She was thrown off of her feet, and into the glass of Loki's cell. She grunted, and pushed herself up.
"What the hell was that?" She asked.
Loki took a seat.
"Maybe there's company." Loki said.
She didn't like the sound of that. She put her finger to the ear piece.
"Director Fury, what just happened." She asked.
"Ravenna, stay where you are! Do not let Loki out of your sights. Take out anyone that tries to release him." Fury said.
"Yes sir." She said.
"Were you sidelined again?" Loki asked.
"My orders are to make sure that you don't get away." She said.
They suddenly heard a loud roar. Loki grinned. The Hulk had made his appearance. This was worse than what she had imagined. The door opened, and a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent walked in. Something didn't seem right with him. Loki walked over to the cell's door. The agent walked over to the door release panel.
"What are you doing? Stop!" Ravenna said.
The agent didn't listen. She got to her feet. She was about to send him flying, but before she could, the man opened the door. She held her hand out, and he soared into a wall, getting knocked out cold.
She turned to Loki, and he was smiling at her. She frowned.
"Loki, return to the cell, now." She told him.
He laughed.
"I don't think so. I do wish that you would join me, Ravenna." Loki said.
"That's not going to happen." She told him.
"That is a shame." Loki said.
She shook her head. She held her hands up, getting ready to blast him, when she was hit from behind. She dropped to the floor, her vision becoming blurry. She knew that she was about to pass out. Right before she passed out, she saw Thor run towards the cell.
Her vision went black.
X*X*X
She woke up to find Coleson dead, Thor gone, Hulk gone, and Natasha had cured Agent Barton from Loki's spell. She was getting checked out by medics, but she felt fine.
Moments later, Steve walked in after him. She tried reading their minds, but there was too much rattling around in there, and she couldn't sort through everything. She quietly followed them, but stayed in the shadows. They discussed Coleson. Stark seemed to know Coleson pretty well. Stark thought that Coleson was stupid, for going after Loki alone. Steve said that Ravenna was there too. Stark gave a laugh, and said that she was new, that she had been knocked out. Then the conversation turned to Loki.
"He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants monuments in the skies, with his name plastered...son of a bitch." Tony said.
Something clicked.
Stark Tower!
The words were shouted in her brain. Ravenna flinched, and put a hand to her head. Tony had figured out where Loki was going. She stepped out of the shadows, and followed Stark. Steve went to get Natasha. Stark went to fix Iron Man's helmet. Ravenna bit her lip. She should wait for the rest of them to go with her, but she was the one that didn't stop Loki from escaping, she needed to fix her mess. She needed to make a choice, either wait for Iron Man, or try to get to Loki first, to try to bring him back in. If she brought Loki in, maybe, just maybe, Fury wouldn't throw her in prison. She would die before she went to prison. She would do anything to stay out of prison. She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and groaned.
"What the hell?!" She said.
She ran to the edge of the carrier, and swan dived off of it. She free fell for a moment, then put her arms in front of her. She flew through the air like a bullet, heading towards Stark Tower. It took her ten minutes to reach the tower. She slowed until she was hovering feet above the platform that Tony used to remove his armor when he arrived. She saw Dr. Selvig trying to get the Tesseract to activate. She looked over at the building. She saw Loki, watching her from inside the building. She saw him smile at her. She frowned, and landed on the platform. She started walking towards the doors that would lead her inside. Not once did she take her eyes off of his. She opened the door, and walked in. She walked around Tony's bar, and walked over to Loki. He was smiling smugly at her.
"I knew you'd come." He told her.
"I didn't come to join you. I came to bring you back." She said.
He raised his eyebrows.
"This feels familiar to me. Don't you think so?" He asked her.
She rolled her eyes.
"I wouldn't mind going up against you one on one again." He said.
She kept her face expressionless.
"It doesn't matter if we go against each other, the end result will be the same, me taking you back into custody." She told him.
He gave a chuckle.
"You sound so sure of yourself. What happens if you can't?" He asked.
"Can't what?" She asked.
"Take me back into custody. What will you do if you fail?" He asked.
"I won't fail. You might as well accept that now, before the rest of the Avengers get here, and kick your ass. I'm offering you the easier solution, you might want to take it." She told him.
His eyes were sparkling with mischief once again. He stepped closer to her. She figured that he was trying to intimidate her, but she wouldn't let him. She stood her ground. She was alert, if he tried anything. Her body was buzzing with pent up energy. He started circling her.
"Let's just say, somehow, I do outsmart you, and you do fail. What are you prepared to do then?" He asked.
She frowned.
"Just because you are considered a God, doesn't mean that you can't be defeated. Everyone has a weakness, even you. Apparently, I am yours, so, I say again, I will be taking you back." She said.
He laughed.
"You? My weakness?" He said, in disbelief.
"Everyone seems to think that you like me, and you pretty much confirmed it when you told me that you wanted me to join you, and you wanted me to be your Queen." She said.
"The offer still stands. You would be worshiped as a Goddess, and would never fear being thrown in prison for being who you are. You would have power. It's what you deserve." He told her silkily.
He seemed to be reading her mind. She blinked in quick succession. She needed to clear the fog from her head. She couldn't let him manipulate her against the Avengers. There would be no telling what would happen then. Maybe this had been the wrong choice. Maybe she should have waited for back up. What had she been thinking?
She suddenly felt his breath on her ear. He laughed. She needed to ignore him.
Loki Laufison! Stop this right now and come with me peacefully, and be shown mercy, or else it will not end well for you!
He stepped directly in front of her, and leaned in close to her. His face was inches from hers. His eyes were locked on hers.
My dear, you are absolutely amazing for a Midguardian. You would make a wonderful Queen. You should really reconsider, I could give you more than what you could ever dream of. We would be unstoppable together.
Do you really think that I would betray my own country, own world? Would you ever do that? Turn on Asguard? Turn on Thor? On your father?
Odin is not my father.
He is the one that raised you, family doesn't end with blood. How could you ask me to do something that you would never do?
She shook her head.
I will be bringing you back with me.
He smiled, but shook his head.
"I will conquer this planet, and rule over it. Join me, and rule over it." He whispered to her.
"The Avengers will not let that happen." She said.
"The Avengers can't save themselves, how do you expect them to save the world?" He asked her.
"You would be surprised at how quickly they come together when you threaten slavery, and the loss of free will. They will pull together, and defeat you. I've seen what they are capable of on their own, I can only imagine how powerful they could be as a group. I've been inside all of their heads, and after everything that you've done, they want to rip you to shreds. There is no good ending for you. If I were you, I would reconsider." She told him.
"I can see your point, but will they pull together in time? My army is just moments away. I've won Ravenna. You should be at my side." He said.
"I think I'll pass." She said.
Before he cold respond, she held her palms up, facing him, and pushed him away from her. He flew across the room, and hit the wall. He landed one the floor. She watched him. He looked up at her, and gave a small smile.
"I know you like me too Ravenna, or else you would not be here right now. You would have waited for the others to figure it out, and come for me. You came here because you feel the same about me. Give into those feelings, and join me." He told her, getting to his feet.
Her head was starting to feel foggy once again. She needed to do something to keep him out of her head. She went into his, and what she saw, overwhelmed her slightly. She saw exactly what he was planning to do. She was with him in every scene. Her helping him take down the Avengers, her at his side, looking over a burning world.
She pulled out of his mind as quickly as she could. It made her stumble, and fall to her knees. She was gasping for air. She put a hand over her heart. It almost felt like a premonition, but she'd never had that power before, it had to be just what he wanted. It was nothing more than a very vivid wish. Nothing more.
She looked up to see Loki standing over her. He held his hand out to her. He wanted to help her to her feet. She thrust both hands out at him, and he spiraled through the air. He hit the wall again.
"Did you see it?" He asked.
"It will never happen. I won't let it. I will do whatever I can to take you down." She told him.
"It's the future. It will happen, and you will be by my side. We will rule this world, and no one, or nothing, will be able to stop us." He told her.
"I will never turn on my world. It's not happening, you need to accept that." She told him.
"That's too bad." He said.
He got to his feet, as did she. They faced each other, staring at each other.
"When I conquer this planet, I shall have you anyways, so it doesn't matter if you join me, or not." He said.
"I would kill myself first." She told him coldly.
He started walking towards her. She put her right hand up, and he slid backwards, up against the wall. She pinned him there. She would not let him escape.
He laughed.
"You are strong. I can make you so much stronger." He told her.
She walked over to him, and put her hand around his throat. She squeezed.
"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm never joining you, so stop trying to change my mind. It won't work." She said.
He smiled. It unnerved her. Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind. She tried struggling to get away, but whoever had grabbed her, was stronger than she was. She watched Loki suddenly disappear from where she had him pinned against the wall.
"Thor falls for that all the time too. Don't feel bad."
Loki had grabbed her. He turned her around, and pressed her up against the wall, where he had just been. He smiled at her.
"They will stop you. I failed, but they won't." She told them.
He laughed softly.
"They can't." He said.
He suddenly did something that she had never expected, not from him, at least. He leaned in and kissed her. She was stunned. She was trying to push him off of her, but he wasn't budging. She needed to do something to get him off of her. She started kissing him back.
"I knew that you would give in to me." He said.
She frowned.
"I didn't. I just did that so you would stop, and it worked. Don't do that again." She told him.
He frowned this time.
"You can't lie to me Vanessa. I've been inside of your head, I know everything about you. You are special, powerful, and you don't know powerful you can become. I can help you achieve that." He told her.
"I don't need your help." She said.
"Yes you do, I'm the only one that can help you." He said.
"No. You want to turn me into a time bomb that only you can difuse. You want to use me to do your bidding, to conquer, and I won't let you." She told him.
He shook his head.
"You really can't see it, can you?" He asked.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She said.
"That's the whole problem, now isn't it?" He said.
She was very confused.
"Stop with the cryptics, and just tell me." She told him.
"You might believe it more if I just showed you." He whispered.
He touched her cheek with his hand.
She suddenly saw him and her kissing, then it turned to much more intimate vision. There was so much emotion that she could feel. She doubted anyone could fake this amount of emotion. It almost took her breath away. She saw them get married, and how he looked at her. Love. Love was pouring off of him in waves.
She pulled out of his mind. She opened her eyes, and locked onto to his. She could see it in his eyes, how he felt about her. Her heart skipped a beat. He had been right she did have some feelings for him, but could she really turn her back on her planet for him?
"Loki...I can't do what you want me to do. You have to stop all of this, now. If what I saw was real, at all, then stop this. I won't be with you if you conquer this world. If you stop, I will be with you." She told him.
He took a step back, shaking his head.
"I can't everything has been set in motion. I've made promises that can not be broken. I must continue." He said.
"Then my answer is still no." She whispered.
"I'm sorry about this, but you will help me." He said.
Before she could do anything, he put the scepter to her chest. She felt a cold, darkness go through her. It felt freeing, but like prison at the same time. She looked up at Loki. He was smiling at her.
"Now, doesn't that feel better my dear?" He asked.
She smiled at him.
"Much. Thank you." She said.
He caressed her face with his hand.
"So beautiful." He whispered to her.
They suddenly heard a loud bang from outside. Loki took her hand and they walked outside. Iron Man had tried, and failed, to stop the Tesseract from opening a portal to space. Loki smiled at her, as Tony went over to the higher platform, and something came up, manually taking the suit off of him.
"The others will be here shortly, if Tony is here." She told him.
"I want you to get to the Tesseract, and make sure that no one tries shutting it down." He told her.
She watched Loki go back into the apartment, as Tony walked in too. She flew over to the Tesseract. She saw Dr. Selvig laying a few yards away, out cold. She circled the contraption, studying it.
Moments later, she heard breaking glass, and she turned to look. She watched as Tony was thrown from the window, and now was free falling, to his death. Something shot out after him. She looked over at Loki, but he wasn't paying attention to her. He was looking down at Tony. Tony was now in his Iron Man suit, hovering just infront of Loki. Loki raised his scepter, but Iron Man shot beams from his hand, hitting Loki, before Loki could hit him. Loki was blown off of his feet. The Tesseract became active. A bright blue energy shot out of it, straight into the sky. The portal was open. Tony flew towards the opening of the portal, as the Chitauri came flying out of it.
She turned to look at the building once more. Loki was standing on the spot that took Tony's suit off of him. She smiled at him, and he smiled back at her. She saw Thor fly onto the lower platform. Thor spoke to Loki, then Loki jumped down to where Thor was standing. They began fighting. She would have gone down to help Loki, but he had given her orders.
Do you want me to join you fighting Thor off?
No, stay and protect the Tesseract.
She had her orders. She watched them fight each other. Moments later, the jet arrived. It started shooting at Loki. Loki shot at it, and hit it. Ravenna held her hand up to the jet and telekentically pushed it. It went down, and she smiled. She turned just in time to see Thor pick Loki up, above his head, and throw him down to the floor. Loki rolled off the edge, and right onto one of the Chitauri's flying vehicles. Thor looked up at her, swung his hammer, then flew to her.
"Ravenna, help me stop this." He said to her.
She frowned.
"Why would I do that? When Loki takes over, I will be at his side, as his Queen, to rule." She told him.
"Think about it Ravenna. Why do you want to rule with him? You didn't believe me when I told you that he liked you, what changed your mind? How did he do it?" Thor asked.
She stopped, and tried to think. Her head was spinning, and Thor was just confusing her even more. She shook her head, trying to clear it.
"Loki loves me, and I love him." She said.
He shook his head.
"What makes you think that he's telling the truth, he's controlling you." Thor told her.
She put her hands on her head, and shook it.
"No! I don't believe you!" She yelled.
"Ravenna! Please!" He told her.
"Shut up!" She yelled.
She held her hands out towards him, and threw him away from her. She sent him over the edge of the platform. She watched as he flew up, gave her a look, and flew away. She watched as the Chitauri destroyed the city.
"We need to close the portal."
Ravenna turned to find Dr. Selvig awake.
"What for? Loki has almost won. It won't be long now." She said.
"He's controlling you too?" Dr. Selvig said, worried.
"Shut up! I am not being controlled!" She yelled.
Suddenly, there was an explosion. She spun around, and saw Loki get thrown from one of the Chitauri's flyers. He landed on the lowest platform, then got speared into the apartment. She flew over to him. She landed on the platform. The hulk went to run at Loki.
"Enough!"
The hulk stopped in his tracks.
"You are, all of you, beneath me! I am a God, you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by..." He was cut off.
Hulk grabbed Loki, and used him like a rag doll, hitting Loki on the floor multiple times. Hulk finally stopped, and started walking away from Loki.
"Puny God."
Ravenna walked in front of the massive creature.
"That was the wrong thing to do Banner. Now you must pay." She said.
She put her hands up, and pushed. He barely swayed on the spot. He smiled at her. he took a couple more steps closer to her. She used more concentration, and power. He slid back a couple steps, and she used more energy. She could feel her nose start bleeding. That had never happened before, she'd never pushed herself like this. Hulk was now right in front of her.
"Sorry."
He raised his hand, and hit her. She flew into the wall, hitting her head, hard. She blacked out.
X*X*X
Ravenna groaned and rubbed her head. It was killing her. She sat up, and blinked several times. She couldn't believe what she had done. She was going to kick the crap out of Loki when she got her hands on him. She gingerly got to her feet, and looked around. Stark's apartment was thoroughly trashed. She found Loki laying down, embedded in the floor, from Hulk.
She walked over to him, and put her hands on her hips.
"Nice try, but like I told you, you lost." She said.
"It's not too late for you to join me, and for us to get out of here." He told her.
"Not even in your dreams." She told him.
"It was worth a try." Loki said.
The Avengers started piling in. They were ready, if Loki tried pulling something. Loki pulled himself up, to a sitting position. He looked up at the Avengers.
"If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now." Loki said.
Ravenna frowned.
X*X*X
Vanessa was dressed in her street clothes, with her hair up in a bun. She was standing at the place that Thor would take Loki and the Tesseract back to Asguard. Loki had a muzzle on so that he wouldn't make any trouble for them. His eyes caught hers.
I do love you Vanessa. Nothing will change that. I will see you again sometime. I promise you.
She flinched.
I've already told you, I will never be with you if you try to conquer my world.
I'll be back for you Vanessa, I swear to you.
I doubt that.
She shook her head.
Thor looked at her and gave a nod. She gave a nod right back.
Good bye Loki.
Thor used the Tesseract, and a moment later, both he and Loki were gone. Vanessa exhaled loudly. It was finally over.
The Avengers went their seperate ways. Vanessa returned to her house. She was packing up, and getting the hell out of dodge. She would relocate, and live her life. She'd pick some obscure town and live quietly.
THE END.