Disclaimer: I own nothing owned by another.
AN: Hello, kind readers! I was just so tempted to write an early chapter that I did! And I hope you guys enjoy it!
The sound of Thor's hammer… Hammer… Hmm… Meow-meow? Was heard as Thor's magnificent figure appeared overhead.
He landed gracefully on his feet and walked hastily over to Tony and Steve, a serious expression on his face. He stopped when he was at least four feet away.
"What's up, Buffy?" Tony asked.
"My name is not 'Buffy' and as for what's up… Is that a metaphor for something or perhaps a rhetorical question?" Thor asked Tony, his face was hardened into seriousness. It was strange because he was usually a rather jolly, jubilant person—erm… god… immortal being… alien.
"What's going on, Thor?" Steve asked in his serious voice. Everyone was pretty serious today.
"Guys… Guys, don't worry. I can totally get you both prescriptions for chill-pills in less than half an hour with one of my AI's."
"Anthony, I appreciate your concern for our health but I have come in urgent desperation." Thor said.
"Okay. Okie-Dokie—"
"Stark, this is clearly serious." Steve said.
"You've clearly got an ant infestation in your crotch area."
Steve gave Tony his 'I'm an old man from the 1940's and I am shocked at your lack of etiquette' face.
"We must gather all the 'Avengers'." Thor said, "This is of extreme urgency."
"What's up, Thor?" Steve asked.
"I've already made it clear that I don't know what you mean by that." Thor said, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Vision, Banner, Romanoff and Scarlet Witch are in entirely different countries. New York's not the only place that needs help, so we can't call on everyone—"
"This is not about New York, Stark." Thor said, tensing up even more, "This is about Asgard."
"Asgard?" Steve said. "What's going on in Asgard?"
"You have every right to decline, but I'm afraid I need your help." Thor said, "Odin, All-Father is missing.
"Maybe he went out on a stroll." Tony suggested.
"I highly doubt that." Thor said.
Tony and Steve shuffled a bit uncomfortably. Was Thor asking them to go all the way to Asgard for this? Tony had always wanted to go there someday… But he'd hoped for a vacation, not an epic battle with the gods or whatever they would be in for by following Thor.
"Stark, Captain." Thor said, "I have gone to Midgard many times for the sake of aiding you and have always been there to assist you with your oddly troublesome realm. I only ask now that you return the favor and help me with mine."
"Guys, I don't want to bash good ol' Mother Earth, but isn't Asgard a bit more… strengthened and sufficient in safety?" Tony asked.
"No." Thor said. "Many of the soldiers of Asgard are too prone to panic at the thought of their almighty king disappearing—"
"Aren't you guys supposed to be badasses?"
"Stark." Steve said.
"You see, I need to be as careful as possible. Not even Heimdall was able to tell where Odin was. This mission requires quietness and subtlety. No one, not even my soldiers can know. This mission must be taken into action completely between me, you two and all the available Avengers possible." Thor said.
"What's happened?" asked a female voice, behind them.
The three Avengers turned around to see no other than Pepper Pots approaching them, a look of concern on her face.
"Thor, I saw you on the News. What's going on?" Pepper asked.
"Thor, you really should travel more low-key." Tony said.
"How dare you mention my brother?" Thor looked at Tony aggressively.
"Seriously, Pikachu? Pick up a cliché/metaphor dictionary book already." Tony said. "It's not my fault you don't take the time to read about the place your in love with."
"Why are you constantly speaking irrelevancies during serious situations?" Thor asked.
"I'm just an awesome guy. Can't help it."
Steve glared at Tony, disapprovingly.
"What's going on?!" Pepper asked again, looking at them incredulously. "If you guys are the Avengers then we are most certainly doomed."
"Let me explain to Ms. Pots." Thor said, turning to Pepper. "You see, Ms. Pots, something terrible has befallen Asgard— the great All-Father has gone missing. Vanished. But you must keep this a secret."
"I still think he went out on a stroll."
"Tony!" Pepper and Steve yelled at the same time.
Tony rolled his eyes.
"I'm gonna go suit up, you should too." Steve said before he left.
Tony sighed, "Well, can't refuse a friend, can I? So, I'll just go… Suit up, I guess. And contact Nat and Brucey. They'll probably be available."
"What of Barton?" Thor asked.
Clint had left the Avengers to live a peaceful life at his farm with his wife and kids, after helping the Avengers for the last time —and he said the LAST time— after the defeat of Ultron.
"Nope." Tony said, "Can't bother the guy, but we can still bother the redhead and my science-bro, so we've got that going for us…"
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
Loki knew what he had to do. He didn't know how Thor would react but he could certainly guess and he hoped his assumptions were for naught. He hoped Thor would be a little understanding and calm and wouldn't break his arms.
Knock! Knock! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Loki awoke from his daydream and scrambled off the bed. Someone was knocking on the door.
"Hey!" Loki heard his landlord yell. "Open the door!"
Loki opened the door, as quickly as was possible. He was literally worried that it would brake if the landlord banged on it one more time.
"Is water running in here?" The Landlord asked, gruffly.
"Uh…" Loki paused, looking around the room. He saw water running under the bathroom door, trickling into the bedroom. "No." he said, innocently.
"People downstairs are complaining about water dripping from their ceiling. Your bathroom is above their ceiling." The landlord said, suspiciously. His mustache whiskers twitching. He was clearly angered from being bothered when he'd already been rather cranky and obviously knew Loki was lying.
"Yes… Well…" Loki stuttered, awkwardly.
The landlord barged in and looked around.
Loki blocked him, "Excuse me? I am a god of Asgard and you will most certainly not— I mean… Go ahead, do what must be done…" Loki said, chuckling nervously afterwards.
The landlord gave him a glaring look as if to say what is wrong with you? And went over to the bathroom, glancing down at the floor.
He opened the door and a small slush of water washed over his shoes and a bit of his pants.
"This is Aberkromby!" He yelped, stepping away from the stream of water.
Loki wasn't sure what Aberkromby meant, but the landlord was furious. His face was as red as a tomato and he was shaking slightly.
"Well," Loki said pausing a moment, as he looked at the puddle of water slowly, depressingly, finding its way to his own shoes, and gulped, "That is quite the debacle."
"Get out." The landlord said, seething.
Loki grabbed his bag, the only thing he had besides the clothes he wore, that was actually empty, found in the dumpster and being used as a prop, to make the idea of him having money believable to the now irrelevant landlord.
He walked out the door, leaving the fuming man; stepped down the stairs and ran out into the streets.
"Don't come back!" he heard the landlord yell at him as he hastened away. The landlord was clearly overreacting, nevertheless he knew he wouldn't be staying the night there again.
The weather was freezing cold and he shivered in his long sleeved button-up and jeans. He'd never shivered before in his life because he'd always been a frost giant, regardless of his knowing it, but now that he was human he was shivering a lot and he didn't really appreciate the experience much.
Looking out the display window of a clothes shop, he could see some coats.
He opened the door of the shop and heard the sound of a bell clang pleasantly as, even more pleasantly, he was enveloped by the artificial warmth of the shop.
"Welcome to 'Hemsworth's Clothes Wear'." A bored looking woman, looking to be in at least her middle forties, sighed in a monotone voice.
Loki searched around and realized he knew nothing about any of the strange apparel. He didn't want to ask the lady's opinion when he was thieving from her; so he grabbed a black overcoat and a green scarf, allowing his color preferences to choose for him.
He wasn't going to pay; he couldn't. He had no money and he was sure the lady would spare some clothes rather than let him freeze until he was too numb to feel his own face, so, holding tight onto the clothes, he walked passed her, in a hurry.
"Hey? Where do think you're going?! You haven't payed!" the woman yelled as he walked out the door, "That's Abercrombie!"
Loki rushed back outside, the cold rushing over him immediately. He pulled on the coat and scarf and held his arms into each other for warmth.
And he walked hastily away from the shop.
Now he had nowhere to sleep for the night and he didn't know what he was going to do about that, but he did know one thing and that was that he needed to find Thor, who would surely be on 'Avengers Tower' by now, consulting his companions. Thor had often discussed to Loki the happenings on the newly named tower while Loki was imprisoned on Asgard.
The oaf always believed Loki would find remorse; but Loki had always been remorseful, even if he was too cowardly to act on it, he had always felt guilt. He could feel the pain of all who had suffered at his hands, at every millisecond of every day of the week, he felt guilt and it made his chest hurt and his head ache and his thoughts would constantly revert to graphic images of the battle in Manhattan.
Desperate cries and screams of the people: "MOMMY! HELP! HELP, MOMMY! HELP ME, MOMMY!" "HELP!" "HELP!" "HELP!" No one had helped them. At that moment Loki had turned away and squeezed his eyes shut, in an attempt to ignore it, but he could still here them and he could still hear them then, in the freezing cold.
Loki doubted Thor would forgive him, and he doubted he could forgive Odin, who had treated him so poorly; but he could not be biased when Asgard depended on him, he couldn't be what he was before, he had to be brave.
Loki walked into the direction of 'Avengers Tower', in the hopes of aiding the Avengers and saving his home.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
R-r-r-r-r-ring! R-r-r-r-r-ring!
A ringing sound swept over the room. Who could this be? This late? What time is it? Bruce thought, exasperated.
Bruce scrambled in the covers and slapped his hands on the, loudly ringing, phone and picked it up.
Tony was contacting him.
He sighed irritated and tiredly flipped the phone open, holding it to his ear,
"Ban, my man!" He heard Tony's voice say in the phone, cheerfully.
"It's two in the morning, Tony." Bruce groaned, rubbing at his tired eyes.
"No, it's not. It's four-thirty, in the afternoon, Bruce." Tony said, cheekily.
"Not in India." Bruce said, calmly.
"Touché." He heard Tony say through the phone. "I've got my private jet parked up for you and Nat. You'll be sure to spot it. We're in desperate need of you crazy kids." The phone hung up. Bruce groaned again, as he crawled out of the comforts of his bed.
He dialed Natasha's number. For a while it made its buzzing noise and didn't answer and then "Yeah?" he heard Natasha's muffled voice, "What's going on, Bruce? I'm kind of in the middle of something." He heard shooting in the background.
"Tony needs us in New York. He's got us a jet to travel in." Bruce said.
"Shield could've given us a jet… Did you ask him why?" Natasha asked after Bruce heard a bang that sounded a lot like an explosion.
"No. Are you alright?" Bruce asked.
"I'm fine—" BANG! "—I'll meet up with you when I'm done."
"Okay." Bruce shut the phone. Now that they were dating he felt nervous about her doing anything dangerous but he hadn't said anything yet. After all, it's what happens and what one has to deal with when you decide to date a SHIELD agent whose constantly working in the field.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
Natasha shut the phone and shot at another grunt with her gun, before dodging a thrown knife.
She sprinted behind the wall, the grunts still shooting at her direction.
She wiped sweat off her brow and sighed before, showing herself for a split second, from behind the wall and managing to shoot two more.
She was out of ammunition, but there was only one more in the hall now and there'd just be more if she waited.
She ran out from behind the wall and hastily ran towards him, dodging every bullet skillfully, kicking the gun out of the man's hands and knocking him out with the back of his own weapon.
She was holding onto a knapsack which carried inside an ancient alien artifact that needed to be brought back to SHIELD headquarters.
She was currently in the headquarters of a fairly new regime that had become rapidly populated around the world and was becoming a pain in SHIELDs ass: WWAR. No one knew what the initials meant yet, but their goal was to make superweapons, with the help of Alien technology and SHIELDs job in regards to that was to stop them from reaching their full potential.
She had to move fast before more grunts appeared so she ran as fast as she could, stopping to knock out several men once in a while.
She stole a grunts suit and posed as them before running into the yard and getting a quick getaway in the Van, driving off at a normal speed, not wanting to gather any attention to herself and have herself be caught.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
Loki had walked until his legs were too stiff and cold for him to move any longer and he stumbled to the ground in a heap, lying on the side of a building.
He could barely keep his eyes open and he was shivering madly but he was so close… to the… tower…
Loki fell into an uncomfortable sleep.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
Bruce stepped out and saw a jet before him, stylized in the same way as the Iron-Man suit.
"Well, so much for being low-key…"
Thank you all for reviewing, following and claiming favoritism and thank you all so much for taking the time to read yet a second chapter of 'Blankly Blue'! I really appreciate it and the next chapter will come up next week, give or take a few days.