Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, their universe, or anything associated with it. This is for pure entertainment.
Chapter Three
Hours seemed to pass as Steve roamed around the corridors of the Helicarrier. He had asked several Agents directions to find his way around. Getting his bearings straight, he counted the numbers on the doors as he searched out the galley. Ducking into an open room, he found the tight quarters of his destination.
Finding that he wasn't alone, he watched as Maddie poured herself a large cup of coffee distracted in her own world. He picked up a mug, setting it down on the stainless-steel counter. She barely acknowledged him as she poured the coffee into his mug. She fiddled with a platinum chain in her left hand as she continued searching for the additional add-ons.
"You should be on the bridge," her words broke through the silence.
"I doubt they are in need of another soldier just standing around waiting for some type of command," Steve watched her as she continued to huntthrough the items, pulling bottles out to inspect. "I would only be in the way until they ordered me to do something."
She continued pulled out another bottled opening the cap, "You don't give yourself enough credit."
She smelled the liquid before pouring it into her mug. She offered it up, but he declined, taking his cup and smelling the brew. She stirred the creamer before taking a sip.
"Perks of the Director's Galley," She smirked up at him.
He chucked, taking a sip from his own mug, "And you? Shouldn't you be on the bridge as well?"
Maddie rolled her eyes, leaning against the cabinets on the far wall, "And have Fury glare at me another minute? No, I'll pass. This isn't my gig anymore. The only reason I was temporarily reinstated was to assist with stopping Agent Barton - something Romanoff could have done all on her own."
"You are not an active agent anymore?" He asked as she continued to roll the chain between her fingers. The bow and arrow pendant becoming clear.
"No," Maddie paused. She looked at the Captain, confusion written all over his face. "I resigned a little over six months ago...due to a personal conflict in the field."
"Barton?"
Maddie didn't answer.
Steve sighed, her silence speaking volumes. "Sometimes a disaster is what brings everyone back together."
"And sometimes it drives a wedge through you," Maddie slid past him, making her way to the door. "I hope that it never happens to you Captain."
She walked out of the galley, pocketing her chain as she passed him. Taking Agent Blackwood's place at the far end, he continued sipping his coffee further. He stayed silent until another agent came to collect him. Standing straight up, the mug forgotten on the counter next to him, Steve made his way to the Bridge with the agent.
xxXXxx
The agent directed Steve to Coulson on the bridge. The senior agent was leaning against the rail, processing the images coming through for the face traces. One screen had the compromised Agent Barton while the other was working on finding Loki. Taking a spot next to Coulson, Steve tried to process all the advanced technology surrounding him.
"I know it's an odd request, but could you sign my Captain America trading cards? I mean, if it's not too much trouble." Coulson glanced over at the Captain.
"No - No. It's fine." Steve stuttered, still not use to any of the recognition or praise.
"It's a vintage set. Took me a couple of years to collect them all. Near mint, slight foxing around the edge but -"
The agent in charge of scanning the facial trace cut Coulson off. "We got a hit. Sixty-seven percent match. Wait - cross match, seventy-nine percent."
"Location?" Coulson stepped down to read the data over the agent's shoulder.
"Stuttgart, Germany. Twenty-eight, Konigstrabe. He's not exactly hiding." The agent adjusted the screen for Coulson to see better. Loki passed the camera of an ATM, clear as day.
Coulson turned back to Steve. "Captain, you're up."
Steve nodded and made his way through the corridors to where his suit was being held. While he only got lost once, he finally made it to the designated room. Swiftly, he walked through the door and paused as he came into view of the suit. It was behind a glass case - per Coulson's request. The red, white, and blue as he had remembered - the flag prominent in the design. Quickly he suited up, storing his clothes in one of the lockers next to the glass case as he grabbed his shield on the way to the flight deck.
He found Natasha and Maddie boarding the Quinjet just as he made his way into the hanger. He made his way on board through the back hatch as they took their place in the cockpit. Both wore matching suits as they started their pre-flight check. Peering over her shoulder, Natasha found the captain standing behind them as they closed the hatch, cleared for takeoff.
"Ready Captain?" Natasha called through the microphone.
"As I'll ever be," He spoke through the com. "Anything I should know before we get there?"
"Hold on for the ride," Maddie answered as they took off the runway.
xxXXxx
The Asgardian Prince was doing nothing to hide as he roared at the crowd in front of him. His commands at the crowd to kneel ignored. Swooping in, the Natasha lowered the ramp for Steve to jumped out. He landed in front of a crouching man, using his shield to block the beam being emitted from Loki's scepter. The deflected beam bounced back, hitting the Asgardian. The force driving him back against the steps.
"You know the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing." Steve called out as he took a protective stance.
"The soldier," Loki rose to his feet. "The man out of time."
"I'm not the one who's out of time," Steve lifted his shield as the Quinjet came in behind the Captain.
The gun unfolded from underside of the plane.
"Loki drop the weapon and stand down," Natasha's voice sounded through the speaker.
Loki growled, firing at the jet. Banking hard to her left, Maddie swung the Quinjet around. Steve charged at the Asgardian, whipping his shield at him. Barely missing the attack on him, Loki swung his scepter at him. Quickly dodging the blow, Steve blocked the scepter again. Shifting his body around, Loki swung his scepter down, knocking it against the shield.
Steve let out a grunt as the power of the scepter forced him down.
"Kneel!" Loki sneered as he pushed the Captain fully down.
"Not today," Steve jumped back up, drop kicking the Asgardian. He blocked another punch from the madman.
Above, Maddie recalibrated the Quinjet as Natasha tried to figure out how to take a shot without injuring anyone in the crowd.
"Guy's all over the place," Natasha mumbled as she turned to Maddie.
Before the former agent could respond, their coms were playing the opening strings of the rock song "Shoot to Thrill". Tony jetted by them, the song now blasting through the PA system, the crowd looking around as to why the music was suddenly playing.
"Agent Romanoff, Jezebel, you miss me?" Tony's voice beeped in through their coms.
Natasha grinned as Maddie just shook her head.
"He always knew how to make an entrance." Maddie grumbled as she watched as Tony circled around, flying closer to the ground now and shooting off a repulsor blast - knocking the Loki onto his ass.
"Make a move Reindeer Games," Tony landed in front of the Asgardian as his robes faded away and he was left in his regular attire, raising his hands in defeat. "Good move."
Steve walked over to Iron Man as the Quinjet landed behind the crowd. "Mister Stark."
"Captain," Tony acknowledged.
xxXXxx
The Quinjet sped away from the city, gaining altitude as they soared higher into the sky. The cloudy sky did nothing to distract Natasha as she took over as pilot. Fury's voice had called in through the radio. Maddie took the lead, informing the Director of SHIELD of their current situation.
"He saying anything?" Fury questioned, the irritation in his voice coming over loud and clear through the radio.
Maddie studied the Asgardian from over her shoulder. He had been silent since the moment his hands were cuffed and scepter locked away. "Not a word."
"Just get him back here. We're low on time." Fury cut the line.
Maddie yanked the headset off, tossing it onto the controls in front of her. The lack of anything coming from their buddy in the back was unnerving. He wasn't going to give anything up unless he wanted to. She hated games and he was acting as he was the ultimate champion. She closed her eyes as they flew past a string a mountains - their peaks the only visible thing through the clouds.
Steve and Tony stood towards the back. They had tried their hands at questioning the Asgardian further but their attempts futile.
"I don't like it," Steve glanced over at Loki. He had taken his mask off after they had boarded the jet, discarding it on one of the ledges.
"What? Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" Tony questioned, his own mask discarded.
"I don't remember it being that easy. This guy packs a wallop." Steve gripped the overhead bar to steady himself.
"Still, you were pretty spry, for an older fellow. What's your thing? Pilates?" Tony questioned as he looked the Captain over.
Steve turned to the other man. "What?"
"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple things, y'know, doing time as a Cap-sicle." Tony quipped.
Steve shook his head, "Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in."
"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you." Tony muttered.
Lightning flashed through the sky as thunder followed right behind it. Natasha scanned the computer, adjusting the gages as the sky continued to light up. "Where's this coming from?"
Loki leaned forward, dread spreading across his face as he looked around the cabin.
Steve moved to address the Asgardian, "What the matter? Scared of a little lightning?"
"I'm not overly fond of what follows," Loki stated looking up towards the sky.
Maddie cringed as something crashed onto the roof, jolting Steve, Tony, and Natasha. The sky continued to darken as more lightning crash blasted through the night sky. Pressing some buttons, the agent put her headphones back on again.
Natasha took a cue from the woman next to her and sped the jet up. They needed to shake whatever was on top. Steve grabbed his cowl and Tony his helmet, attaching it to his suit. He moved to the control panel in the back, pushing a button to open the ramp.
"What are you doing?" Steve called out over the wind.
Before Tony could answer, a man dropped down onto the ramp. The intruder swung at Tony, flinging him to fall back on Steve. Before either could react, the mysterious man grabbed their captive by the neck. A silent conversation fell between the other worldly men before the new addition pushed himself and the Asgardian prisoner out of the jet.
"Now there's that guy," Tony scrambled off the Captain.
"Another Asgardian?" Maddie questioned.
"That guy's a friendly," Steve stated as Maddie swerved the jet around.
Natasha scanned the night sky through the clouds. "Doesn't matter. If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost."
Tony walked to the open ramp in the back. Pressing a button on his arm.
"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve called out, trying to stop him.
"I have a plan." He looked over shoulder. "Attack."
He flew out of the jet following the two Asgardians to the ground. Steve grabbed a parachute.
"I'd sit this one out, Cap." Natasha called back to him, maneuvering the jet to follow Tony and the two Asgardians.
"I don't see how I can," Steve adjusted the pack on his back.
"These guys come from Legend, they're basically gods." Natasha reasoned with the Captain.
"There's only one God ma'am, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." He grabbed his shield, running and jumping off the ramp, head first.
"Son of a Bitch," Maddie staled the jet, flying it down to follow the others to the ground. "Why do men always have to prove their suit is better than the other?"
Natasha held back a laugh. The woman next to her huffing at the sight of the battle below them. It never failed that Maddie would get into a pissing contest with the men around her, telling them off for bragging or fighting about who did it better. The woman could cut them down with a one liner before they could draw their own weapons.
"I'm landing - we'll wait for the macho man show to end and then drag their asses back to Fury." Maddie said over the radio.
"Chew them out later Maddie," Natasha laughed a little while glancing over to scene below her. Her sleep deprived body was wearing on her, but she had to hold out. They needed Loki to tell them where the Tesseract was and Barton - though she doubted he would give up the last bit of information to them.
"Nat, I'm opening up the hatch. I'm pretty sure the ultimate gun show is over." Maddie pressed a button opening the back.
It was only minutes later that they were back in the air flying off to the helicarrier.
xxXXxx
Maddie sat at the oval conference table in the middle of the bridge. Her arms were crossed and eyes resting. The black latex one piece suit she had worn for their confrontation clung tight to her body. She had unzipped it slightly, her cleavage peeking out through the cut. SHIELD never did get with the program when it came to female uniforms. Her tablet lay in front of her, prickling with movement as she listened as Loki was escorted into his glass cell. It had previously been meant for Doctor Banner - had he had an episode. Though she would be the last to admit that to the kind doctor.
Doctor Banner had stood off to the side, watching the others as he looked on to the screen before him. He was quiet. Not saying a word as Fury and the guards were locking the God of Mischief away.
Natasha sat to her left, wearing the same uniform as her female comrade. She was watching the screen with the same intensity as the others that surrounded the table. Steve sat next to her, his own screen in hand. His determined look mirrored that of the others.
Thor, the God of Thunder, had refused to sit down. Passing in front of the table - anticipating what they would be done to his brother. His mumblings were silenced when Fury took the stage.
"In case it's unclear, you try to escape - you so much as scratch that glass-" Fury had moved over to the control panel, pressing a button to release the floor beneath the glass cell. "Thirty thousand feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?"
He pushed another button, sealing the floor closed. He extended his hand to point at the Asgardian. "Ant." then gestured to the panel. "Boot."
"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me." Loki pressed.
"Built for something a lot stronger than you." Fury countered.
"Oh, I've heard." Loki turned to the camera watching over him in the cell. "A mindless beast - makes play he's still a man. How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"
Banner glanced over to Natasha as Loki spoke about the cage. Smirking, he stuffed his hands into his pockets as Thor crossed his arms at his brother's words.
"How desperate am I?" Fury questioned, moving slowly over to the cage. "You threaten my world with war, you steal a force you can't hope to control, you talk about peace and you kill cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."
"Oh, it burns you to have come so close, to have the Tesseract, to have power - unlimited power, and for what?" Loki grinned, facing the camera again. "A warm light for all mankind to share?" Loki moved back to face Fury. "And then to be remind what real power is."
Fury smirked and started to walk away. "Well, let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something."
The screens flicked off, surveillance of the prisoner only permitted to those monitoring him. Steve looked up at the rest of the group. They were silent until Banner spoke.
"He really grows on you doesn't he?"
Clasping his hands in front of him, Steve leaned forward to look at the rest of their mismatched group. "Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?" He turned to the God of Thunder.
"He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract." Thor supplied.
"An army, from outer space?" Steve questioned.
"So, he's building another portal." Banner turned to Natasha and Maddie. "That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."
"Selvig?" Thor spoke confused.
"He's an astrophysicist." Banner supplied.
"He's a friend." Thor nodded.
Natasha continued, "Loki has them under some kind of spell - along with one of our own." She glanced over at Maddie, her face blank.
"I wanna know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here." Steve pressed. He couldn't figure out why the God of Mischief would just allow himself to be captured so easily.
"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you can smell crazy from here." Banner shook his head, leaning against the back of one of the chairs.
Thor raised his hand threatening towards Banner. "Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he is my brother."
Maddie rolled her eyes, her voice flat. "He killed eighty people in two days."
"He's adopted." Thor shrugged.
"I think it's about the mechanics. Iridium, what do you they need the Iridium for?" Banner asked as Tony and Coulson walked in from the hall behind them.
Tony was quick to answer, "It's a stabilizing agent." He turned to Coulson quietly. "I'm saying, take a weekend. I'll fly you to Portland. Keep love alive."
Coulson smirked, peeling himself away from Tony, walking over to where Hill leaned against the rail of the bridge.
"Means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD." Tony continued, patting Thor on the shoulder as he passed by. "No hard feelings Point Break, you got a mean swing."
Thor raised his eyebrow as Tony walked over to the control panels.
"Also, means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants." Tony shifted towards the SHIELD personnel in front of him. "Ah, raise the mizzen mast, ship the topsails." He snapped his arm to the left, pointing to a lower ranked Agent. "That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did!"
He covered his one eye with his hand and looked over the control panels. "How does Fury even see these?"
"He turns," Hill growled, annoyed at the billionaire's antics.
"Sounds exhausting." He messed with the screens, slipping something onto the underside of the desk. "The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source of high energy density. Something to kick start the cube."
"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Hill questioned Tony.
"Last night. The packet, Selvig's notes the extraction theory papers - am I the only one who did the reading?" Tony waved his arms looking towards the group of people before him.
"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve turned to Banner.
"He'll have to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million kelvins just to break through the coulomb barrier."
"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect." Tony reasoned, walking towards Banner.
"Well, if he could do that he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet." Banner frowned.
Tony grinned. "Finally! Someone who speaks English!" Tony continued to walk around the table, flipping Maddie's hair as he passed her. She pawed his hand away, glaring at him.
Steve turned to the others. "Is that what just happened?"
Tony moved forward to Doctor Banner, shaking his hand. "It's good to meet you, Doctor Banner. Your work on anti-electronic collisions is unparalleled." Before Banner could thank Tony, the billionaire continued. "Plus, I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."
Banner swallowed his words. "...Thanks?"
Fury entered the room, cutting off any further conversation between the group. "Doctor Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him." He moved to Tony.
"I'd start with the stick of his. It might be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon." Steve supplied.
"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."
Maddie scoffed at Fury's play on words. Clint Barton was the sharpest shooter that SHIELD had - guns, arrows, whatever he could get his hands onto. She almost snickered at the look of confusion on Thor's face.
"Monkey's? I do not understand -"
"I do!" Steve grinned, slapping his hand against the table. The silent spy let out a small grin. He looked around at the silent group. "I … I understand the reference."
Tony turned to Banner. "Shall we play, Doctor?"
Banner cocked an eyebrow, slipping his glasses back into his shirt pocket. "This way, sir."
xxXXxx
Natasha walked into the gym, seriously needing to decompress. Her thoughts were all over the place and she couldn't seem to get thoughts of the marksman off her mind or the woman that walked away from him. Maddie had been stoic, barely speaking to anyone since arriving to the helicarrier. She had made no effort in any type of communication. Maybe this had been a waste of time - maybe she wasn't needed. The woman had barely flinched when she saw the image of Barton on the screen yesterday.
Maddie Blackwood did nothing without a reason though. Nat knew that. She knew that the woman wouldn't be here without some sort of motive. Maybe she had one last debt to pay or knew something that Nat couldn't grasp. Maybe she wanted to make sure that Barton stayed alive. Maybe, she could kick his ass into submission and bring him back to the rest of them. She knew his talents. She knew his ticks.
Natasha didn't have to wonder long. She found her former friend attacking a punching bag.
"Are you going to destroy that or will the rest of us get to use it once you're finished?" Nat stood off to the side, watching Maddie strike the bag. The woman didn't answer, throwing herself into hitting the bag harder. "We'll get him Maddie. You know we will."
"Barton can go shove off for all I care…" Maddie whipped around to face the redhead. "What the hell makes you think I am here for him?"
Natasha frowned, "What makes you think you aren't?"
"Seattle." Maddie punched the bag with her left hand. "Seattle - I should have never came. Seattle was the end call Nat and you know it."
"No, I don't know it." The Black Widow held onto the bag. "Why don't you tell me why you could watch him die from this when he would have jumped the first ship to save your ass!"
Maddie slammed the bag into the other woman. Ignoring the crowd that started to form around them. "The fuck he would!"
"You're fucking blind!" Nat shoved the bag out of the way. She stalked to where Maddie had backed up on the mat. "That man would die for you and you're acting like this is a fucking nuisance! What happened in Seattle that drove you away - from your friends, SHIELD, him?"
Maddie didn't answer, only swinging at the Russian assassin in front of her. Nat dodge the block, kicking her friend to the side. Maddie stumbled but rushed back, tackling the redhead to the ground. Nat blocked her punch to the right side of her face, flipping them over - holding down the shorter woman's arms.
"What happened that you could walk away from the man who would do ANYTHING FOR YOU?" Nat glared down at Maddie.
Maddie shoved the former agent off her. Her breath ragged. "You'll just have to ask him, now won't you." Standing she gripped her arm, watching Nat. "Because I'm done. First flight out of here, I'm done."
She started to walk away, Nat calling after her. "One last run right? Thought you were better than that Madeline! I thought protecting was your job - Civilians, Colleagues, the World?"
Maddie stopped at the door, gripping jam. "I stopped protecting everyone when they stopped protecting me." She was out the door before anything else could be said.
Author's Note: I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review, favorite, and follow this story. I am sorry for the long! Let me know what you think of the chapter and hopefully I can have the next chapter up sooner than later!
XOX
Josie
