The Avengers quickly assembled in the briefing room. Thor, still on Asgard, was the only one not present. Everyone was geared up for battle except Stark and Banner. Stark suits up on the way out and Banner doesn't suit up until he's on site and then only if it's necessary. The screen in the room flared to life revealing Director Fury. He skipped the greeting and got straight to the point, to no one's surprise.
"I need you over in Edison. A small herd of cows broke containment at a genetics lab and is causing havoc in a residential area."
"Since when are the Avengers needed for a bunch of steaks in leather jackets?" Stark scoffed, crossing his arms. Fury just glared at him.
"Since steak grew eight feet tall and bullet proof." Everyone raised their eyebrows at Fury's reply.
"How many are we talking, Sir?" Rogers asked before Stark could come up with another smart ass comment.
"Reports say five, the lab says six. Contain them if you can, kill 'em if you can't. I don't care but do it quick. I want your asses in the air in two minutes. They're on a direct path with an elementary school and classes end in an hour. Get it done." Fury signed off without preamble and the screen went black.
The news that kids could be at risk kicked everyone into high gear and everyone was alert as Rogers turned to his team.
"Stark, suit up and head out. I want a threat assessment as soon as you get there. Try and turn them from their path if you can. JARVIS?"
"Pre-flight checks complete. The jet is ready, Sir." Stark's AI responded immediately and Rogers nodded.
"Thank you JARVIS. Alright let's move out."
It was only a short flight over to New Jersey. The jet was only a couple of minutes out when the comm came to life.
"Fury wasn't kidding, these things are huge. My repulsors knock 'em about but it doesn't have a lot of effect. I think we're gonna need mean and green. I can only see five though. Maybe the other one didn't make it out."
The battle was rough. Clint and Natasha's weapons had limited effect on the beasts so they were delegated to civilian evac while the rest tried to take them down. When the area was clear they switched to trying to keep them in one place. Just because a bullet or an arrow didn't pierce their skin didn't mean it didn't help corral them.
Hulk was having fun. These cows took a couple of hits from the big guy before going down. They had four down and they were working on getting the fifth one down when Clint saw it. He was standing on the roof of a house, keeping watch on the ones they'd already knocked out when he saw movement near Widow's position.
Out of the shadows between a couple of houses lumbered the six beast, this one a bull, moving closer to Natasha. Clint strung an arrow even as he called out a warning to his fellow assassin. He took aim at the eye, hoping it would prove a vulnerable spot and loosed.
He watched the path of the arrow and was shocked. Just before the arrow hit the bull tossed his head, causing the arrow to bounce of the thick hide between his eyes. The bull roared in rage and charged at the only other living thing in its view. Natasha tried to dodge but the animal was fast. He lowered his head and Natasha let out a cry as the horn pierced her side.
Clint's mind froze for a second and seemed to be trying to remember something only to hit a wall of blue energy. Energy that swirled to life and surged forth, filling his eyes and blanking his mind. Then instructions filled the blankness.
Conceal your eyes.
The afternoon was bright so he was already wearing sunglasses. With that realisation another command rose.
Complete your mission.
His mission? The blue energy blanking his mind parted slightly to allow him to retrieve the information needed and transformed it into a subset of commands. Avengers assembled. Huge cows. Kill or contain. Safe guard civilians and team mates. Report back.
This all happened at the speed of thought so when his attention once more turned outward the bull had only just tossed its head, flicking the injured woman off his horn to impact with the side of a house.
As she crumpled to the ground Clint drew another arrow taking aim at the beast before loosing. This time the arrow flew straight to its intended target, sinking into the soft tissue of its eye. The beast roared with rage just before the arrowhead opened shooting out shards of shrapnel and shredding its brain. The huge animal dropped. Clint activated his comm.
"Found the sixth. Widow is down. Target eliminated." As he spoke he looked over at the rest of the team and noted the cow they had been fighting was also down. He climbed down and rushed to his fallen team mate. She was conscious but heavily dazed and bleeding from the hole in her side. He put pressure on her wound.
The captain hurried over to help get her back to the jet, leaving Iron Man and Hulk to move the large animals onto a truck that rolled up as Clint took off, piloting the jet back to the tower and medical attention for his team mate.
A med team was waiting for them as they landed and as they hurried her off to the med wing Steve pulled the archer into a debrief with Fury, hoping to distract him from worrying about her. Clint was nowhere near distracted. His mind still blank and focused on his mission.
His tone was bland and all business as he reported on the battle, still wearing his sunglasses and in his combat gear. Neither man noticed anything odd, assuming he was just worried about Natasha. As soon as Fury dismissed him he stood with a nod and left the room. They both assumed he was heading to check up on her.
As Clint left the briefing room a thought echoed in his head. Mission Complete. Another command rose to the forefront of his mind.
Summon Loki.
Clint immediately headed for his room to retrieve the box. He left his bow and quiver in his room but didn't bother to change out of his tactical gear before leaving the tower with the box. Between the battle and the debrief it was dusk by the time he arrived at the spot he'd last seen the person he needed.
The instructions to summon the god of mischief rose in his mind and he didn't hesitate to set the crystals up exactly as he needed. He received a few strange looks from the last few stragglers leaving the park but he barely even registered their presence and they didn't linger, it was getting dark and he was obviously armed.
The summoning itself took about fifteen minutes as he stood in half of the circle of six crystals, the seventh lay in the center at his feet. Blue energy flowed between the crystals and grew in brightness slowly before it flared. The energy dissipated completely, leaving the crystals dull and powerless and revealing a tall form that hadn't been there a second ago.
"Barton." Loki greeted his mortal friend. Clint didn't reply. His mind was still blank and awaiting a command, not a greeting. Loki rose an eyebrow at the lack of response before he reached over and took the dark glasses from the other man's eyes. He immediately noted the blue energy of the sceptre swirling in them and he sighed. "You've been triggered."
It was a statement, not a question or command so Clint just blinked. Loki took a breath to say something else when he paused, tilting his head slightly. He could sense someone else nearby coming up behind him, someone he recognised.
"The Widow is here. Did you ask her to come?" Clint nodded once at the question. "Does she know about the invasion?"
"No." Loki sighed. This complicated matters a little.
Natasha was worried. Extremely worried.
She'd escaped the doctors relatively easily. They knew better than to try and keep her if they didn't really have to. They'd patched up her wound, thankfully it was only minor, and discovered only a broken rib and a minor concussion, not enough to keep her there so she'd left. She'd gone in search of Clint to make sure he was alright, knowing how much he hated it when she got hurt, and came across the Captain.
After she'd reassured him she was fine he told her he'd just finished the debrief with Fury. He told her he was sure Clint had gone to see her but Natasha had just rolled her eyes and told him he was probably showering or moping in his room and she'd set out to find him once more.
She'd spotted his bow and quiver immediately and then noted the open drawer. The open and empty drawer and her eyes widened. She left the tower, ignoring the fact that she was still in her mission gear. A blue flash of light caught her attention as she approached the area they'd seen Thor and Loki off from.
Cautious, she stuck to the shadows as she approached. She spotted Clint but her breath caught as she saw who was with him. She circled around quickly coming up behind the god as he took off Clint's sunglasses. Even from this distance she could see the unnatural blue in his eyes and she quietly drew her gun as she approached. Loki said something she wasn't quite close enough to catch and Clint nodded, another question from Loki she didn't hear but she managed to make out Clint's reply as she crept closer. She was close enough now to make out the next question.
"Do you have any pain in your head?" Loki's question threw Nat for a second. What the hell was going on? Clint shook his head and Loki gave him a nod before replying.
"Then we have some time. Pack up." Clint nodded and immediately reached down for one of the crystals at his feet. Loki's form seemed to dissolve and Natasha's eyes widened. That was the only warning she had before she was grabbed from behind. Before she could even react he had taken her weapon, placed it back in the holster at her waist and had her arms crossed over her chest. He held her up against him keeping her arms in place with one hand.
"Good evening Miss Romanoff." He greeted her amiably. She lifted a foot to kick back at him but before she could strike she felt his other hand on her neck and her entire body went limp. Every single muscle in her body relaxed, her head falling back against the trickster's shoulder. She couldn't move, couldn't speak and even found it difficult to draw in air. Her heart raced in panic. She could still see Clint in front of her calmly packing the crystals into the box he had shown her, not even reacting to her plight as her vision started to darken.
"Calm yourself. You can still breathe. Slow, deep breaths." Loki's voice in her ear was calm and oddly reassuring. She focused on slowing her heart rate and taking slow measured breaths. Her vision returned and her breathing got easier as she settled herself into steady rhythm. As she watched Clint close the box she assessed her situation.
Clint was under mind control again. Somehow Loki was back and he'd completely paralysed her. He held her up against his chest easily, her feet weren't even touching the ground anymore. He held her arms crossed over her chest in a firm, yet surprisingly gentle grip. She could tell he was only using one hand to hold her. It was as if she were nothing more than an infant held against a parent's shoulder.
Clint walked over to them holding the box containing the now spent crystals. He stopped in arms reach of the God of Mischief, proven by Loki when he raised a hand to grip his shoulder.
"This may feel odd." Was the only comment he made before the world dissolved there was the distressing sensation of exploding and imploding at the same time. Odd he said. Perhaps he was the god of understatements too. The world came back into focus to reveal a totally different location. Natasha didn't recognise it.
Clint obviously did though. He didn't falter as he laid the box down on the coffee table and moved to the light switch. With the room suitably lit he just stood there, looking at Loki and waiting for his command. Loki pointed to the coffee table.
"Place every weapon on your person on the table, then fetch every firearm you have here as well." Clint moved to obey without protest and Natasha felt Loki running his free hand over her. His touch wasn't lecherous, just searching. He tossed the pistol from her waist onto the table with Clint's growing pile of weaponry. Nat resigned herself to being disarmed and was surprised when his touch ghosted over her knives without removing them, there was no way he hadn't noticed them.
As Clint moved from room to room retrieving all manner of guns, Loki gently lowered her into an armchair and Natasha was once again reminded of a parent handling an infant. He searched her legs and removed her back up gun from her ankle holster as Clint returned, dropping a few more guns onto the table before standing still. Loki looked at the small arsenal littering the coffee table and nodded. He stood and turned to the archer waiting his command.
"Go shower then dress in something comfortable for sleeping. Come to me immediately if your head begins to trouble you." Clint nodded and turned to leave, stilling when Loki spoke once more. "Wait." The god placed his hand on Clint's chest. Green energy sprung from his hand to cover the archer before fading away. Loki pulled his hand back and nodded. Clint resumed his path out of the room.
Loki watched him go for a moment before turning his attention back to his captive with a sigh. With a negligent wave he made the weapons and box on the table disappear as he moved to kneel next to the chair. Still completely paralysed she couldn't move away from the glowing hand he rested on her head. She expected to be placed under control, like Clint, instead she felt her concussion induced headache fade.
"I expect you have questions." Loki's voice was calm and as he moved his hand from her head she felt the paralysis ease slightly. Not enough to move an arm or leg but enough that she could breathe easier and move her head a little. She watched as he placed his hand, still glowing green, on her side against the stab wound she received a couple of hours ago. The pain from the stab wound and her broken rib eased as she replied.
"Why should I trust anything you say?" While not openly hostile, she was in a vulnerable position after all, her tone was far from friendly. Loki rolled his eyes as he moved away from her and settled himself on the now empty coffee table.
"I lie a lot less than you might think."
"Said the god of lies." The corners of Loki's mouth twitched upwards at her snarky reply.
"I would be better described as the god of deceit. The vast majority of Asgard is incapable of comprehending the term 'Critical Thinking' much less applying it. I trust you to know better." He seemed to consider something before he spoke again.
"Barton once told me of a game you mortals play to get to know one another. Two truths and a lie. Three statements. See if you can find the lie." He counted off on his fingers as he spoke. "One, I am 1073 years old by Midgardian calendar. Two, I am the son of a king. Three, I am here now purely for Barton's wellbeing." Natasha scoffed.
"I have no way to confirm the first. Thor said you were adopted so I can't confirm the second either but there is no way that last one is true." Loki smiled.
"And yet it is. The first is the lie. Thor is 1073. I am 1048 by Midgardian years."
"Don't tell me you really believe that whole free from freedom crap you were peddling last time you were here. How is taking over his mind again good for him?" Natasha growled. Loki sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Truthfully I haven't taken over his mind again. The level of control he is under at present is dangerous to maintain for more than a few hours. Last time wasn't control, more like… influence, I switched his priorities, instilling a loyalty to me before SHIELD or even friends or family, but he was still in control. Even that wasn't for as long as you believe. This, now… I crafted this situation for his benefit." He dropped his hand and looked her in the eye.
"Tell me, Miss Romanoff, have you ever seen him miss a target?"
"Yes." Natasha said recalling dodging his shot during their fight before his cognitive recalibration. Loki smirked at her quick reply.
"Let me rephrase that. Have you ever seen him shoot an arrow and be truly surprised at where it hit?" Her eyes widened.
"You're saying he deliberately missed when we fought?"
"Of course. He wouldn't hurt you if he could help it and I'd withdrawn the majority of the sceptre's influence by that point so even if I did want you dead he wouldn't have done it then. I'd merely left enough to make it look like he was still being controlled. In truth he agreed with what I was trying to achieve."
"He agreed to a global takeover with an alien force?" She asked sceptically. Loki smiled knowingly.
"No. He agreed to ensure the formation of a defensive team with an aim of taking out an army under the control of a powerful intergalactic threat. It only took him just over a day to ask if I intended for the invasion to fail." Natasha's eyes widened.
"Even if I believed you about that. Why are you doing this now?" Loki sighed.
"I am only telling you this because he asked for you to be here, even if he didn't consciously know why he would want you to be." Natasha shot him a look that said 'Get on with it.'
"He has a suppressed memory. A very traumatic one. The act of missing a target, one he fully expected to hit, would trigger that memory. I saw the results last time I was here. I was able to lock it away again with the power of the sceptre and even added a bit of power between the trigger and the memory, the result of which is this." Loki waved a hand in the direction Barton had disappeared.
"Given that the trigger could, and most likely would occur during a battle I planted commands to ensure he could complete his mission and return to a place of safety before he had to face the memory."
"What memory?" Natasha wasn't completely convinced but she wasn't going to burn any bridges until she knew exactly what the truth was.
"His sister." Loki's solemn reply had her raising her eyebrows.
"He doesn't have a sister." Loki smiled sadly at her.
"No he doesn't now. He was barely a decade old when…" Loki stopped midsentence, seeming to focus inward for a moment before a look of alarm crossed his face and he stood, turning to the hallway the archer had disappeared into. "Barton!"
