Chapter Three

Even though he had broken his leg, Steve still thought Clint should get his feet off the table. With SHIELD's technology, the bone was probably already healed; there was no need to keep it elevated anymore. Now, it was just plain rude.

But, hey, that was Clint.

The other Avengers were already starting to get better, too. Thor, who'd been the worst of them, looked like a shampoo model once again, Carter's bruise was nearly gone, Natasha still looked perfect, and Bruce's chest was all bandaged up.

Steve heard a sniffle, and turned in his chair to see Lily McIntyre (or was it 'Lokiswife'... or 'Odinson'... 'Lauefeyson'?) wiping at her nose with a tissue. Her face was blotchy, her eyes were red, and she couldn't have looked more nervous if she was a passenger on the Titanic. Steve's heart went out to her; her husband and her son were missing. Tears welling up in her eyes, she choked out a sob and buried her face in Coulson's suit. The agent looked down in disgust, trying to pry her off of him to no avail. With a sigh, Coulson folded his arms over his chest and gave up.

When Nick Fury cleared his throat, everyone in the room turned to face him. Steve felt his heart start to pound - whatever Fury had to say, it wasn't good. His hands shook, but he tried to steady them. As captain and leader of their team, he had to always been in control.

Fury's brows drew closer together, and he scanned the room, clearly looking for something. Coming up short, he let out a growl and rubbed his temple. "Where the hell is Stark?"

"Behind me," Logan growled as he pushed through the door and into the conference room. He gave them all a glare before plopping down in a seat next to Steve. Hard as he might try, the captain just couldn't keep his eyes off the mutant's knuckle; they were covered in blood.

Tony bounded into the room, grinning widely. "Hey, hey, guys! Sorry we're late, we had to drop Pepper and Allie off in Coulson's office!" He spread his arms out dramatically, clearly waiting for them to have a reaction. "You know, Allison. My daughter. My new daughter. As in I'm a father now?"

Crickets. Tony's face fell and his shoulders slumped. "Fine. Fine then. Be that way. You know what, Logan's gonna be godfather at this rate."

"Sit down and shut up, Stark," Fury snapped with a roll of his eyes.

Mumbling under his breath, Tony found a seat. After a moment, he looked around at them all hopefully. When they all gave him blank stares, he let out a huff and leaned back in his seat.

"Thank you for finally joining us, Mr. Stark." Fury fixed Tony with a glare, then went back to glowering at the whole room. "Thor. Would you like to explain what's happened?"

Thor nodded, face growing very, very serious. When he stood up, Steve felt everyone in the room draw in a breath; when he wanted to, Thor could command anyone's attention. One day, he'd be a great king. "My friends, I need your help. Asgard needs your help.

"An army seeks to bring my kingdom and all the other realms to their knees. They have taken my brother hostage and will use his magic against us. They hold Roan over his head, threatening to do him harm should Loki refuse to go along with their plan."

At that, Lily burst into tears, clutching Coulson tightly.

"Asgard is in terrible danger," Thor announced, looking at them all very intensely. "Should Doom win, he will burn our kingdom to the ground, and no one will be able to stop him."

It took a moment for that to set it. But once it did, everyone was talking at once.

"Doom? That bastard lied to us!"

"What do mean, 'bring the other realms to their knees'?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"This is bad."

"We can stop him," Steve said quietly. All eyes turned on him, and he felt his face grow red again. He knew it was polite to look at the person who was speaking, but was it necessary? Clearing his throat, he continued with as much confidence as he could manage, "We're the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. If anyone can defeat Doom, it's us. And we have to try. We have to help Thor and his people."

"Damn straight!" Tony, who seemed to have forgotten his sulking, banged his fist on the table. "Let's use that rainbow bridge and get ourselves to Asgard to kick Doom's metal ass!"

Clint just raised an eyebrow. "Rainbow bridge? What are we talkin', glass? X? Weed?"

"Oh my - " Natasha ended her thought with a loud sigh and a punch to Clint's arm. "The Bifrost, you idiot. We're literally going to use a rainbow bridge - not drugs!"

"Oh." Clint looked offended. "Well, someone should have mentioned that!" He crossed his arms like an child who's ego had just been hurt.

Fury coughed loudly again, and every clamped their mouths shut tight. "You will be transported to the New Mexico Bifrost this evening. Once in Asgard, you will do everything in your power - " he looked pointedly at Bruce " - to stop Doom. Everything. The fate of the entire universe rests on your shoulders." Fury clasped both hands behind his back and began to pace. "Meanwhile, a back up team of heroes will be assembled by Agent Coulson. Coulson, you are to gather anyone and everyone SHIELD has been keeping tabs on. Rhodes, Parker, and the one attached to your chest are definite members."

Coulson glanced down awkwardly as Lily wiped her nose on the collar of his suit. "Which Parker, sir?"

"Both," Fury replied, a small smile playing at his lips. "Avengers - you are dismissed."

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

Bravery, Uncle Thor always said, was the most important quality a warrior could have. A true warrior was one that did not fear his enemies, one that was not afraid of a challenge. Fighters had backbone. They never shook in their boots.

Even though he wanted desperately to be a good warrior, Roan was not at all ashamed to admit that he was terrified. That man, the one with the demented red face, was something out of the boy's worst nightmare. Creatures who came from the depths of Hel, the ones who deserved to burn and had beenburned, those were the ones that scared him the most.

It didn't help that this one was particularly ugly. The tall... thing leaned in and sneered at him. On instinct, Roan leaned closer into his father, grabbing at his leg and wrapping his cloak around him in a weak attempt to get protection. The monster let out a laugh.

"Ah, vat a cute little boy. He looks very much like you, Loki." The skeletal creature fixed Roan's father with his deep yellow eyes. Roan couldn't help be admire his dad's bravery when he did not flinch. "Very interesting. But you did not bring him here to show him to me, Doom. Vhy are they here really? And vhy are you here?"

Victor von Doom smiled underneath his metal mask, and Roan sunk further into his father. "Very to the point, Herr Schmidt. I like that." Doom seemed to pause and consider something for a moment. "Mr. Lauefeyson is here to ensure that our transportation runs smoothly. And his son is here to make sure he cooperates. I am here to see if you would be willing to join me in my quest to bring Asgard to it's knees."

"Ah, yes," Schmidt hissed, eye's lighting up. He rubbed his hands together maliciously, giving off an almost silly air. "Ze realm of ze gods, conquered by men. I like zat plan, Doom. And in return. Vhat do I get if I help?"

"What is you want?" Doom replied in a smooth voice.

"Pover. Pover and knowledge. I vant to know everyting. Anyting and everyting. I vant to be a god."

Doom nodded, letting out a light laugh. "And you will. With the help of you an your army, Asgard will fall easily."

"Asgard will never bow to your will!" Roan said suddenly, a previously unknown anger rising up in him. "My family is stronger than you are - and they will not let you win!"

In a flash, Doom's metal mask was right in his face. Roan immediately regretted his boldness, and cowered back, gasping slightly as Doom got even closer. From here, he could very clearly see Doom's thin lips through the mouth hole in his mask. They curled upwards.

"Oh, but your family already has bowed to my will," Doom said. "Isn't that right, Mr. Lauefeyson?"

Above Roan, his father drew in a sharp breath. "Yes," he hissed through clamped teeth. "Your wish is my command."

"Well put." Dom straightened so that he could look the other man in the eyes. "Now, Mr. Lauefeyson. I wish to go to Johtunhiem."