Sorry this chapter is late! I have been having a little trouble finding motivation, but I am pressing on with this story none the less! A little warning that this chapter contains a bit of violence and swearing. The song to listen to for this chapter is: Tag, You're It by Melanie Martinez. As always: Read, Review, and Enjoy.
Chapter 3: Tag, Iris is it
The Avengers were already fighting off the HYDRA soldiers when Loki teleported back to join the fray. With both of his daggers drawn, he made quick work of a few soldiers heading toward Thor. The god of thunder threw one of the soldiers at the wall before turning his attention to Loki.
"Where is Lady Iris?" Thor asked as he punched on oncoming soldier.
"I teleported her to her dressing room and told her to stay until I came to get her." Loki explained to Thor as he kicked a soldier away.
It seemed that as soon as the fight had started, the soldiers were running out of the hole in the wall. The Avengers all looked curiously at the odd retreat.
"Well that was… easy." Tony stated as he let his iron man armor return to the disk on his chest.
"Too easy." Natasha quickly retorted as she picked a still conscious soldier up by his collar. "Why are they leaving?"
"Go…to hell." The soldier muttered before she punched him in the face. "We got what we wanted… Siren is ours once more."
"What is Siren?" Steve stepped forward, demanding an answer quickly.
The soldier merely chuckled. "Not what… but who. She's ours again."
Loki's eyes suddenly showed distress as he quickly teleported to Iris' dressing room. Emerald eyes scanned and confirmed his fears. Iris was gone. He bent down to pick up his dagger off the floor, a new form of anger rising in him. He teleported back to the Avengers. He took quick, long strides over to the soldier. It was his turn to get answers. He picked the man up by the neck and slammed him into the wall.
"I will only ask this once," The god of mischief warned as his eyes filled with anger, "If I don't get the answer I want then you will know the true meaning of suffering. Now…Where did they take her?"
The god tightened his grip on the man's throat when the answer wasn't immediate. "A… A facility… in Canada… but you're too late. Siren is already being reprogrammed."
Loki's eyes narrowed as he threw the man across the room. With a wave of green energy, he was dressed in his Asgardian clothing and walked toward the hole in the wall.
"Where are you going Loki?" Thor questioned as he pursued his brother.
"I'm going after Iris, the longer we wait the more damage they can do to her." His voice was cold and full of rage as he replied to Thor.
"Cool it Frosty… We need to come up with a plan." Tony stepped in front of the trickster to stop him. "We can't just go in there guns a blazin'."
"Out of my way Stark or I will move you." Loki threatened.
Tony stood his ground causing Loki to get even more angry and agitated. Thor rested a hand on Loki's shoulder, causing his attention to shift to the blonde. He knew that they were right. After letting out an aggravated sigh, he returned to his normal clothes and sheathed his daggers.
"Lady Iris is a strong woman." Thor tried to reassure Loki. "She will be fine until we arrive."
Iris groaned softly as she woke up, her eyes scanning over the pure white walls and floor of the room she was in. Her eyes went wide with panic as she soon understood where she was. After jumping out of the bed she was on, she ran to the door and banged on it. It was then she noticed two large metal devices around her wrists. Her hands trembled.
"It's no use Siren," A male voice spoke over an intercom, "Your powers are nullified by those lovely bracelets."
"I am not your Siren!" Iris screamed at the ceiling, circling the room. "Not anymore! I refuse to kill for HYDRA!"
"Such wasted talent." The male voice chastised her. "Then you will help us create more soldiers with your research."
The singer let out a dark chuckle. "My research is gone you fools… Not a trace of it is left."
"Except for what is in your head." Erik said as the doors to her room opened.
Iris backed away from him as he entered followed by two armed guards. He looked over at the terrified singer, grinning sinisterly.
"Hello again Iris." He greeted her coldly.
"I would rather die than give you monsters my research!" She trembled as she spat at him.
"You'll come around dear…" Erik reached to touch Iris' face.
She smacked his hand away before punching him in the face. One of the guards ran around and slapped Iris with his pistol, causing her to fall to the floor. Erik merely chuckled as he turned and left, the two guards following closely behind. The singer was left alone once more. She got up and walked back to her bed, curling up and burying her face into her knees. Her eyes were filled with tears. She had to escape…but how?
Loki paced back and forth in the briefing room as the team discussed a plan to rescue Iris. At the moment, Tony and Steve were arguing between whether the mission should be a stealth one or an all-out assault. The more the two men bicker the more irritated Loki got. Eventually, he snapped and punched a hole in the wall.
"IS THAT ALL YOU TWO CAN DO IS SQUABBLE LIKE CHILDREN?!" Loki yelled, snapping his head back to the others.
The room was now silent. The rest of the team just looked at him as he tried to calm himself.
"We need a plan that the only objective is saving Iris." Loki spoke in a calmer tone.
Just then Natasha and Clint came running into the room.
"We found the coordinates to the facility." Clint tossed some papers on the table.
"Perfect. Now we can go and formulate a plan on the way." The trickster began to exit.
"Not so fast lover boy, we still need to know the schematics of the place to see where they would be holding Iris." Tony tried to reason with Loki.
"You seem to forget that I am a shapeshifting god of mischief," Loki quickly retorted, "I can disguise myself as one of the soldiers and send you the schematics. Or better yet, I can find Iris myself and get her out myself."
"He's got a point Tony." Steve actually agreed with the trickster. "At this point, time is of the essence."
Tony sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"FRIDAY…. Prepare the quinjet." Tony instructed.
It didn't take long for the quinjet to land a mile away from the compound, Loki already walking out as soon as the hanger door opened. A green light encompassed him as he transformed into the soldier they had interrogated. He teleported to a spot close to the entrance, but not close enough to be seen. It was then he began his infiltration. He walked up to the door, setting his hand on the scanner next to it. The device made a positive beeping noise and the doors slowly opened.
"I'm in." Loki muttered.
The trickster made quick work of scanning the floor he was currently on. Other HYDRA soldiers nodded at him, acknowledging him. He finally arrived to an elevator, stepping in as soon at the cold steel doors opened. His green eyes scanned the buttons, trying to remember how all the other HYDRA bases he visited when he tried to conquer earth were set up. Cells were on the bottom floor. He pressed the bottom button. It was agonizingly slow ride down, but as soon as the elevator doors opened he was greeted by an unusual energy. The guards here looked to be panicking.
"No way in hell I'm going in there man!" One exclaimed to another. "You saw what that crazy bitch did to Frank. I'm not getting my arm broken."
Loki strolled over to the two quarreling guards.
"What seems to be the problem?" The trickster asked the two.
"Oh thank god you're here Colonel." The younger guard sighed in relief. "We've got to get the prisoner ready for interrogation, but she's impossible to get. We've already had to put six men in the infirmary because she's beaten them senseless."
"There's a reason she was the top assassin for HYDRA idiot!" The other guard quipped.
Loki rolled his eyes as he was already irritated with these two men. He pushed past them before heading straight forward to the only door in the hall. Peeking in the window, he saw Iris huddled into a tight ball on a plain white bed. He could tell she was singing to herself.*
Can anybody here me I'm hidden underground?
Can anybody hear me, am I talking to myself?
Saying "tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
He's saying "tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it."
It broke his heart to see her so terrified. He pushed the door opened, causing her to shoot her head in his direction.
"You really want to make it seven?" Iris threatened as she stood up.
Loki shut the door behind him before looking back at her slightly disheveled form. His emerald eyes scanned from the large bruise on her temple, down to her bruised arms, and finally landing on her hands, reddened from her defending herself. He wanted to slaughter every HYDRA agent in this facility… though that wouldn't look good on his new changed persona.
"I'm here to take you home Iris." He let his normal, velvety voice to slip from his disguise.
"Loki?" She mouthed the question as she approached him.
He merely nodded, grabbing her wrists gently as he pulled her close to him.
"Play along and struggle." The trickster instructed her as he was right beside her ear. "I'll get you a disguise once we are in the elevator. Ok darling?"
She just nodded before hitting his chest as hard as she could. He chuckled, as he pulled her close, gripping the tops of her arms. He guided her through the door as she thrashed in his arms. Opening the door, he pushed her out before seizing her wrist and dragging her down the hall to the elevator.
"Let me go! I already said I would rather die than tell you monsters anything!" Iris yelled as Loki tossed her in the elevator and pressed the top floor button.
Once the doors were closed, he helped her to stand up.
"I'm sorry I was rough on you." Loki apologized softly.
"We had to make it believable… which reminds me…" Iris began as she turned to him, hugging him tightly.
The god of mischief was caught off guard by the sudden embrace, but wrapped an arm around her waist. She was now safe in his arms, which put part of Loki's mind at ease. With a wave of his free hand, green magic ran down Iris as she was transformed into another male soldier. She jumped back as she examined her new form.
"This is so cool." She smiled before her smile faded. "I forgot about the things on my wrist. It blocks my…"
As she was about to finish, the doors to the elevator opened to reveal Erik. Iris stiffened as he entered the elevator.
"It's nice to see you made it back Colonel." Erik greeted Loki.
"It's good to be back sir." Loki nodded, mentally wanting to strangle Erik.
"I'm headed to get Siren for interrogation," Erik turned to Loki, "Would you like to accompany me?"
"I'm afraid I was called to another floor sir otherwise I would." Loki lied all too easily as the doors to the elevator opened to the top floor.
Both Loki and Iris exited as Erik just smirked as the doors closed. Just then, all the lights in the compound turned red as sirens blared. Loki dissolved their disguises.
"Run Iris!" Loki pushed her forward as soldiers began to rush at them from behind.
He had his daggers drawn, throwing them at the very first soldiers that dared to attack. Iris ran ahead, trying to get out of the compound. Loki was fending off the soldiers fairly easily… that was until he heard Iris' screams of pain. He pushed off the person he was fighting and ran to her. The singer was curled up in a ball on the floor as the devices on her wrists blinked.
"You thought we didn't have some safety measures in case you were rescued, Siren?" Erik darkly chuckled as he walked through the soldiers.
"Stop whatever you're doing to her now!" Loki yelled as he drew more daggers.
"Nope, I've always liked seeing her as writhing mess on the floor." He sneered as he turned pressed another button.
Iris screamed louder as the pain from the electricity coursing through the devices and into her body increased. She was panting as she tried to stand up, bracing herself against the wall. Her eyes glared at Erik, who just smirked.
"Y…you think that my powers stop with what my hands can do?" Iris breathlessly asked as she struggled to move forward. "Loki… cover your ears."
Loki just looked confused but followed her instructions. The next thing he knew, Iris let out a sonic scream that sent all of the soldiers and Erik flying back into the wall. After that, her knees gave out and her whole world went black. Loki looked at her in shock, though he had sensed it from their previous encounters. She was an enhanced. He carefully picked up her unconscious body, carrying her all the way back to the quinjet. As soon as the two were fully in the jet, Tony closed the hanger door and took off. Loki carefully set her down in a chair.
"Is Lady Iris ok, brother?" Thor asked as he sat across from them.
"She's fine." Loki replied.
He would keep her secret until she was ready to tell everyone else. The rest of the flight was silent, Loki just staring at Iris to see if she would wake up. When they landed back at Stark Tower, Iris was still unconscious. Loki picked her up once more, carrying her out first as he walked with quick strides to the infirmary. Bruce was already waiting for the trickster and the singer. Once there, Loki set her gently on the bed as Bruce moved in to check all of her vitals. The god of mischief stood back as Bruce continued to examine Iris. He bandaged the few wounds she had before turning to Loki.
"She just needs rest." Bruce told Loki.
"Thank you Bruce." Loki was never one to say 'thank you' but now was one of those rare moments.
Bruce left the room as Loki took a seat next to Iris' bed. He waved a hand and the devices on her wrists dissolved into ash. He gently took her hand as his thumb rubbed small circles on the top of it. Inside, he was angry with Erik for torturing her but also angry at himself because he couldn't protect her. He was so lost in thought he didn't notice Iris' eyes flutter open. Her own thumb brushed along his hand, causing him to shoot his eyes up to her.
"You know… we've got to stop meeting like this." Iris joked.
Loki let a smile form across his lips. He was at a loss for words, just pulling her hand to his lips and kissing her palm. She smiled happily as she sat up, wincing from a few bruises on her side.
"Did you tell the others?" Iris asked in a hushed voice, looking at his emerald eyes.
Loki shook his head. "I do not think it is my place to tell them your secret, Iris."
She smiled as she pulled her hand out of his only to wrap both arms around his neck as she hugged him. Loki chuckled softly as he hugged her back, his chin resting on the shoulder.
"Thank you." She leaned back enough to look at him. "I guess I do have a lot of explaining to do to you."
"Later." The god of mischief gently pushed her back onto the bed. "For now, you need to rest. I will not leave your side again."
He pulled the blanket over her before returning back to his seat. Iris giggled softly as she patted the free area of the bed.
"You know… the bed is big enough for two people and it's freezing in here." Iris chirped as she batted her eyes at him.
Loki smiled as he crawled in behind her on the bed, his arms snaking around her and holding her close to him. Soon she was asleep in his arms. The god of mischief soon followed her lead as his emerald eyes closed and surrendered to sleep. His slender arms held her tight and protectively.
The next morning, Loki woke before Iris did as the sun shone directly into his face through the windows. As his emerald eyes fluttered opened, they looked down at the still slumbering singer who was safely tucked away in his chest. His chin rested on top of her head as he stared out the window. The god of mischief muttered to himself, casting an undetectable protection spell on her one that would always alert him if she were ever in danger. Loki then slipped out from beside her, kissing her forehead as Iris still slept. He made his way to the kitchen, knowing Iris would probably want something to eat and drink. As he arrived at the kitchen, he was greeted by the entire team causing the raven haired god to raise an eyebrow.
"Is this a private meeting?" Loki asked, a hint of annoyance lacing his voice as he walked to get a coffee cup.
"How did you two get out last night?" Steve asked suddenly.
"We fought our way out." The god of mischief replied as he poured a cup of coffee. "Iris is an agent of SHIELD and quite capable."
"Frosty… we know." Tony spoke, causing Loki to snap his attention to him.
"What do you…" he began to speak.
"It's ok…" Iris interrupted softly from the doorway, her gaze low.
Loki rushed to her side as she leaned on the wall for support. She held her hand up to stop him from helping her.
"Iris, you should be in bed." Loki stated.
"They have the right to know how we got out." Iris walked to a chair that Natasha pulled to the table for her. She sat down, her gaze still low as she tried to formulate the best way to tell the team of heroes before her. "I…I'm an enhanced… gifted with the power to control sound waves with my hands and release a sonic scream. I was trained as an assassin… but Fury helped me. He got their programming out of my head and helped me get a job here."
"So that's why they wanted you." Tony muttered.
"Erik… he was there." Iris managed to squeak out. "He is a high ranking member of HYDRA."
Loki took a seat beside her, setting the cup of coffee in front of her. All of the Avengers were silent as the team slowly took in Iris' words.
"Are you going to lock me up now?" Iris half joked with a dark chuckle.
"I would like to see them try." Loki glared at the rest of the team as he held her hand tightly under the table.
"No one is getting locked up." Steve stated matter of fact. "Quite the opposite. How about joining the team?"
Both Iris and Loki look puzzled at the soldier before them. Loki could detect no lie from him, yet was hesitant to accept that that was all the team wanted from Iris.
"I'll do it." Iris accepted the offer. "I'll pack my apartment up and move into the tower. It's the only way to make sure that HYDRA doesn't try to kidnap me again."
"I mean… one of us could stay in your apartment with you to make sure that they didn't try anything." Tony suggested, making direct eye contact with Loki. "How about you Frosty? You seem to have gotten close to Iris here."
Loki's emerald eyes danced over to Iris before looking at the rest of the team. He wasn't opposed to the idea of being close to Iris, but it seemed… improper. Before he could voice his opinion, Iris has given his hand a squeeze and spoke up.
"Loki is the only one that I would want to stay with me." Iris spoke softly. "I don't know any of you that well to be honest and Loki did save me from HYDRA."
A chuckle escaped the trickster's thin lips as he stood up.
"Well since it's already decided." Loki smirked as he snapped his fingers, him and Iris transporting to his room.
Iris looked around in shock as she was now seated on his bed. Her eyes scanned the lavish room. It wasn't messy but it wasn't neat either. It was a sort of organized chaos. She laughed at the thought, thinking it was very like the god before her. Her fingers ran over the dark green silk sheets on his bed as her eyes scanned over the multiple piles of books scattered around the room. As Loki set a suitcase on the bed, Iris was snapped out of her observations. With a wave of his hand, the suitcase was filled with clothes and books.
"Wish packing was that easy for me." Iris though she commented only to herself.
"As long as I am with you, it will be." Loki smirked, seeing Iris' cheeks grow red with a blush.
"You really don't…" Iris began to say.
"I want to Iris." He interrupted her, turning to stare deeply into her hazel eyes. His hands came up to cup her cheeks. "I have already failed to protect you once… I will not fail again."
The singer was left speechless for once as she just stared up into his glimmering green eyes. Her cheeks heated up as his pale thumbs began to rub her cheeks. Leaning forward, Loki pressed a tender kiss to her forehead before smiling a genuine smile at her. Without another word being spoken, the pair was teleported to the garage, where Loki strolled over to the same car he drove Iris home in that fateful night they met. He opened the door for her, closing it once she was in her seat and threw his suitcase into the trunk.
