Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever owned the rights to Marvel Comics or its characters. It all belongs to Marvel, Disney, Stan Lee, and whoever else has the rights. I am not making any kind of profit off of this work, it is all just for fun and freedom of expression.
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Warning: Graphic descriptions of violence and sexual content.
Author's note: Apologies if anyone seems out of character.
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Chapter 4
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" It's really coming down." Tony said as he watched the windshield wipers move back and forth furiously against the onslaught of rain drops that were pelting everything around them.
He and Steve were currently sitting inside one of Tony's less flashier cars, a nondescript black Aqura MDX with Tony driving. The pair were currently making their way through the busted up and rain splattered streets of the city, following the route Jarvis had entered into the car's GPS software. It was for that shawarma place Tony had seen earlier, during the battle when the relief of victory had been fresh and wonderful.
It had been a little while after they had left Thor with Loki in Tony's guest room in the penthouse, the rest of them congregating in the kitchen area when several stomachs had started growling, making the need for sustenance known. Tony had sprung into action, declaring that he was gonna get them all that shawarma after all. They had all agreed to that, and to also getting everything vegetarian. None of them really wanted to ingest any kind of meat, especially Bruce, Clint, Tony, and Steve, who had been involved with Loki's grisly autopsy.
Jarvis had done a search of the local restaurants and found the exact eatery Tony had seen, calling ahead to confirm that the place was still open and operating despite having suffered some damage during the chaotic battle that had taken place earlier in the day. Jarvis had placed a large enough order of the best veggie dishes the place could make. The owners of the Shawarma place had assured Jarvis that for the Avengers, they would cook up nothing but the best.
" Yeah, it really is." Steve said sadly, knowing full well that this storm was the physical manifestation of Thor's tremendous grief.
The guy could summon lightening, so why not the other elements of a storm?
" We gotta try and get him to eat something. He might be the God of Thunder but even he has to eat at some point, keep up his strength." Tony said with determination.
" What about you, how are you doing?" Steve asked instantly as he turned concerned clear blue eyes to Tony.
Tony just snorted and shook his head.
" I'm okay Cap, more pissed off than anything really. Bunch of ugly ass alien jerks tried to take over our town, they used Thor's kid brother like a puppet and you don't even know the half of what they did to him, and our own government tried to nuke New York with all of us in it to "minimize" the damage." Tony gritted out, his dark eyes blazing in reflection of his mood.
" You flew that nuke into the portal, you saved us all and nearly died. I am just really glad we didn't lose you too." Steve said sincerely, feeling that tell-tale ache for Loki that was perpetually plaguing him now.
" Don't get all sappy on me Cappy." Tony snarked, trying to hide how much Steve's words actually meant to him.
Steve smiled crookedly back at Tony. The two drove the rest of the way to the shawarma place in a comfortable silence. Once they reached the restaurant, Tony parked the car right in front of it without fear of getting a ticket. It was understandable that parking rules had been suspended today, and probably would stay suspended for a while if the debris and dead Chitauri all over the place was any indication. Tony and Steve climbed out of the car and trotted into the restaurant to get out of the rain. The moment the owner and his employees saw the pair of tired and hungry Avengers, they all dropped what they were doing and came to greet them enthusiastically.
The place was a wreak but the grill was still working. The owner quickly ordered his chefs to finish up what they had been grilling, saying something rapidly in Turkish. Tony and Steve didn't mind as they mingled with some of the grateful citizens they had saved today. It warmed them that no one asked for selfies or autographs, just handshakes and hugs.
When the owner and his employees presented Tony and Steve with several large bags of fresh, piping hot food, Tony insisted that they all take at least one picture together for the owner to hang on his wall once the place was fixed up. When Tony tried to pay for everything, the owner wasn't having any of it. As far as he was concerned, the Avengers could eat here for free for the rest of their lives. Tony made a not to have his people come in and fix the place up asap, regardless of the owner's Once they had all done that with tired but genuine smiles, Tony and Steve had taken their leave of the wonderful bunch of people, promising to come back with the rest of the team once things settled down and got repaired.
Tony and Steve scrambled back to the car, putting everything in the trunk before hurrying into the car themselves. Sharing a smile, Tony and Steve headed back to the tower with the sweet torment of the absolutely delicious aroma of the fresh shawarma quickly filling the car. They drove back to the tower where Tony expertly turned the car into the underground garage that had a built in freight elevator large enough to transport the Acura back to the floor where Tony kept some of his rides.
About ten minutes later found the Avengers, save for Thor, all gathered at Tony's kitchen table, where Steve and Tony had set up the meal. Everyone had yet to take a seat though, their gazes going down the hallway to where Tony's guest room was, knowing Thor was in there mourning his brother.
" Hey maybe one of us can go see if Thor would like to have something, or convince him he should join us out here?" Bruce asked quietly.
The rest of the team all looked to each other before Natasha nodded.
" I'll go." She said simply before she headed off, now wearing a black Stark Industries hoodie over her Black Widow battle suit.
Once she reached the door to the guest room, Natasha spoke to Jarvis.
" Jarvis, could you please ask Thor if I can come in?" She asked quietly.
" Of course Agent Romanov." Jarvis replied dutifully.
Natasha waited to see if Jarvis would tell her to stay out, or tell her to go ahead inside. A few moments later her ears caught the soft click of the guest room door's lock opening.
" Thank you Jarvis." Natasha said quietly before she let herself into the room.
Her green eyes immediately went to the chair Steve had placed by the bed, Thor sitting in it with his blond head bowed and his hands clasping Loki's over the latter's still chest. Natasha slowly made her way over to Thor, till she was standing beside the despondent Thunderer.
" Tony and Steve brought food, would you like to come and eat with us?" She asked softly.
At first Thor didn't respond at all, his blond hair, now dry and falling in waves around his head partially obscuring his face. Natasha could clearly see the tear tracks though as Thor kept his eyes firmly on Loki. Then with a deep, shuddering breath, Thor looked up at Natasha. Natasha had to steel herself against the broken-hearted agony that was radiating in Thor's crystal blue eyes.
" I don't want to leave him my lady, but at the same time I... I am hungry." Thor said quietly.
Natasha would have suggested that she could bring him some food but she thought better of it. It would not do to have her devastated teammate having to eat next to his brother's dead body. It was then that Jarvis spoke up.
" Pardon me if I am speaking out of turn, but please Mr. Odinson, go and eat with everyone. You are long past due for sustenance and I can watch over Mr. Odinson the younger. You have my utmost assurance that I will have this room securely locked until your return sir." The AI promised.
" My thanks to you Ceiling Spirit." Thor said as he looked up at the ceiling with tired, red eyes and a crooked, exhausted smile.
" Think nothing of it sir." Jarvis replied firmly.
Natasha sent a warm look up at the ceiling too before she waited for Thor. The Thunderer slowly rose from the chair and then leaned over to kiss Loki's forehead again.
" I will return to you brother." He said softly, knowing Loki was too far away to hear him, but needing to say it anyway.
Natasha held back her own emotions at the gesture, feeling like she was intruding. Thor reluctantly drew away from Loki and turned to face the red haired woman who had come to ask him to eat. Without a word, Natasha held out her hand to the man who dwarfed her by several feet, not inches. Letting out a tired little sigh and sending Natasha a warm, grateful look, Thor reached out and took her hand. Mjolnir hummed softly from where Thor had placed the magical hammer on the bedside table next to Loki, as if she were promising to keep him safe too. Thor sent his faithful weapon a grateful look before he let Natasha lead him out of the room.
A few minutes later the rest of the team looked up from where they were mingling in the kitchen when Natasha and Thor arrived.
Everyone immediately perked up a little at seeing Thor, but not by much. The Asgardian looked completely wrecked and the others knew they all probably didn't look any better. They gathered at the table, Tony playing the proper host and ushering Thor into a chair, the others following suit. Steve set a plate for Thor but staved off at filling it for him. Despite his grief, Thor was still functioning somehow.
" Friend Tony, is this the food you mentioned once you regained your senses after closing the portal?" Thor asked quietly, his voice hoarse and nothing like the booming baritone it usually was.
" Yeah buddy, the place is still open and running. They were happy to hook us up." Tony said with a lackluster version of his usual smirk.
Thor sent Tony his own tired smile before he looked to the rest of the team sitting around the table.
" Come friends, let us eat. It is long overdue." He said tiredly.
Together, the Avengers finally started to eat, enjoying their first taste of shawarma as best they could given the circumstances. Thor was mildly surprised that he didn't mind that everything was vegetarian, but when he thought of how a majority of his teammates had dealt with Loki's torn and bruised body for several hours, he couldn't begrudge them avoiding meat. It was delicious, and helped chase away some of the fatigue, but Thor didn't eat with nearly as much gusto as he normally did. Every bite just reminded him that his brother laying down the hallway would never get to taste anything ever again. Thor quickly quashed down this irrational guilt and focused on eating his pita bread filled liberally with perfectly grilled and seasoned vegetables.
Bruce took a liking to the falafel while Clint nearly inhaled his fries. Natasha munched on a veggie burger, while Tony poured liberal amounts of ketchup and mustard on his pita. Steve sat with his head against his hand, quietly picking at his food rather than eating it. They all were finally feeling the full weight of the days events. They had all earn scraps and bruises and the ache from them was settling in.
Before he could stop it, Steve's mind unhelpfully conjured up the image of his spectacular view of Loki's cleaved open skull and brain matter as he had pulled the fragment out. Steve had to screw his eyes shut and breath a moment.
" Hey Steve, you alright?" Bruce asked in concern, everyone else's eyes turning to the super soldier.
Steve snapped his eyes open and jerked a little, coming back to the present. Feeling his face heat up a little, Steve looked to his teammates and gave them a nod.
" I am okay. Just needed a second." He explained simply before he picked up the falafel stuffed pita he had chosen for himself, bringing it to his mouth and taking a bite he really didn't feel like taking.
The rich flavor of the vegetables cooked with spices like coriander, cumin, and cinnamon and topped off with a rich tahini sauce pulled Steve's mind away from his dark thoughts. It was delicious, and a welcome distraction. When they saw Steve start to eat tiredly, but earnestly, the rest of the team went back to their own meals as well. Outside, the rain storm calmed down a bit. It didn't become a soft drizzle by any means, but it did lessen enough to make it easier for the denizens of the city to deal with.
While Thor ate with his teammates and even partook in some quiet conversation, back in the guest room Jarvis kept constant vigil over Loki, taking scans of the younger Odinson's body every few minutes and keeping the room cool. It didn't appear like Loki was at risk of rapid decomposition despite however long he had been deceased. For all of Jarvis' advanced technology, there were still things that were beyond his capabilities to pick up.
Mainly a minuscule spark of green magic going off within Loki's brain, where the largest fragment of the weapon that had murdered him had been embedded. That tiny spark set off a chain reaction as first one long dormant cell slowly started to come back to life, followed by another, and another. It was happening at a snail's pace, but it was happening.
Back in the kitchen area, by the end of the communal meal there was hardly anything left to put in the fridge.
Thor obviously made his way back to Loki's side in the guest room while Steve took charge of cleaning the table and putting away the leftovers. Tony, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha headed into the living room area, all of them carrying cleaning supplies. Tony could have easily called in a cleaning crew, and repair crews would definitely have to come in and fix the busted windows and the giant crater in the floor later, but he wasn't above doing things himself despite opinions to the contrary. It was how he ended up becoming Ironman.
Tony had suggested the rest of them just hang out and rest while he swept the place, but the moment the words were out of his mouth, his teammates were all asking where the cleaning supplies were. Once Steve was done in the kitchen he quickly joined Tony and the others in the living room, going to the crater in the floor and helping Clint pick up the broken bits of concrete and putting them in a large trash bag.
Natasha, Bruce, and Tony worked together to sweep up the copious amounts of broken glass strewn all over the place. They all stayed busy with cleanup, their eyes sporadically going to the grater The Hulk had made with Loki's body. Within the depths of Bruce's mind, the green rage monster grumbled in unhappiness, not likely how things had turned out regarding Loki.
It was at the tail-end of this impromptu clean up that Jarvis' voice sounding, alerting them to an inevitable arrival.
" Sir, please be advised that Director Fury is here and currently waiting on the ground floor. He is demanding entrance to the penthouse, says that his patience had run out." Jarvis reported.
Tony sighed and nodded, the other Avengers staying silent. A collective worry coursed through the team, all of them wondering what the hardened director of SHIELD would do once he got up to the penthouse, and how Thor might react to his presence.
" Alright Jarvis, let him up." Tony said tiredly.
They had been putting it off for the whole day, and the sun was actually setting outside, though with the storm clouds still showering the city with rain, it wasn't really visible.
A tense few minutes later the elevator doors were sliding open and a tall figured dressed head to toe in black stepped out with a tall, statuesque brunette beside him.
Fury looked annoyed, and Maria Hill looked grim with the cuts on her temple bandaged.
" Answers, now." Fury growled, his tone holding now room for argument as he pinned the Avengers with a severe look. Rain drops still clung to the shoulders of his leather trench coat.
About ten minutes later found the Avengers, sans Thor understandably, and Fury and Hill all congregated in one of the conference rooms.
From where he stood in the corner of the conference room scratching at his bearded jaw, Tony was about to ask Jarvis to pull up the footage of the Penthouse after the Chitauri had collapsed when the door to the conference room suddenly opened. Everyone turned to it and were stunned to see a pale-faced Thor shuffle into the room, a quietly devastated but determined look on his face.
" Thor, what are you doing here man?" Clint said as he stepped forward in concern.
Thor looked around the room, his eyes coming to settle on Fury. He gazed at the one-eyed man unflinchingly as he spoke.
" You are here to get the full details of what my brother was put through by the Chitauri, are you not Fury?" He asked hoarsely.
Fury stayed silent and just gazed back at the Asgardian, knowing better than to say anything to a Norse God who's emotional state was volatile at this point to say the least. Thor then looked to his teammates situated throughout the room, a momentary warmth spreading across his face as he spoke.
" The rest of you sought to spare me the full horror of what happened to Loki, but my friends I cannot turn away from my failure as a brother. I must know." Thor said thinly as he took a seat at the conference table and tried to be stoic.
Clint and Bruce looked like they wanted to protest, vehemently so, but Steve shook his head and sent them a helpless look. He wanted nothing more than to drag Thor out of here and take him back to Loki, but Thor was a grown man and a Nose God, and it looked like he had made his mind up to take on the trauma of knowing what Hell his little brother was put through. Feeling apprehensive in every sense of the word, the other Avengers all took their seats at the conference table.
Taking a deep breath, and hoping his tower would still be standing by the end of everything Jarvis was about to show them, Tony spoke.
" Okay Jarvis, give us the full report." He said wearily.
" Understood sir." Jarvis said before he addressed everyone else in the room.
" I must advise all of you who were not present for Mr. Odinson's full autopsy to prepare yourselves. What was done to the man is unspeakable." The AI warned.
Fury glanced around the room before settling on Thor's worn and tear reddened gaze. The two shared a look and then Fury nodded with his jaw lightly clenched. Thor nodded in turn and took a deep breath before he spoke.
" Please show us Ceiling Spirit." Thor said quietly.
In lieu of a verbal response, Jarvis wordlessly activated the holographic projector that was imbedded in the ceiling above the conference table.
With a yawning pit opening up in his stomach, Thor began to watch the evidence of what had happened to Loki.
The video started from when the Hulk had smashed Loki into the floor of Tony's penthouse and the revelation that he was under alien control before he collapsed dead on the penthouse floor and ended with Loki's distressing autopsy, with Jarvis listing everything from the appalling number of injuries and sexual violations done to the second Prince of Asgard, the mutilation done to his hands, feet, and genitals, to showing the kinds of metals that had been imbedded into Loki's flesh and bones while he had still been alive.
Steve sat pale and shaky, and as he looked around the room, the others were fairing no better. Fury's eye was wide in disbelief, all semblance of annoyance and stoicism gone, while Maria Hill looked like she was one breath away from actually being sick, especially when the state of Loki's back, and the word that had been carved into it had been displayed. Natasha sat with her eyes betraying her horror and her hand tightly gripping Hawkeye's, the archer himself barely keeping it together. Tony just had his eyes glued to the able top, not wanting to see it all again, while Bruce was breathing deep with his eyes closed, no doubt trying to keep the Hulk at bay.
When the moment in the video came where Bruce was moving to start extracting the fragments out of Loki's brain, the projection abruptly went blank. All eyes immediate turned to Thor, who sat with fresh tears trailing down his otherwise worryingly blank face.
" Why did you stop Spirit there was more left to be seen." Thor said mechanically, with absolutely no emotion.
The sight of Thor and the sound of his voice in such a state had the unease in the room increasing tenfold as Jarvis spoke.
" I cannot in good conscience show you this footage Mr. Odinson. I believe that it is too much for even you to handle. I shall instead describe what happened at this point in time during you brother's autopsy and show you the fooage of the immediate aftermath." Jarvis explained firmly.
" Speak then Ceiling Spirit." Thor said with empty voice and ice cold eyes.
" At this point in time Dr. Banner began extraction of the fragments of the weapon that had been left in the fatal wound to Mr. Odinson's head. There were five fragments in total. Four of the fragments came out with relative ease, but it was the last and largest piece that proved to be inexplicably difficult. Dr. Banner tried to pull out the fragment with increasing amounts of force but it would not be dislodged. It made no sense because the fragment was lodge in soft brain tissue, not drilled or otherwise imbedded into bone such as nearly all of the other metal that had been extracted from Mr. Odinson's body." Jarvis explained.
Steve saw Maria give a barely perceptible flinch out the corner of his eye at the mention of the metal that had been imbedded in Loki's bones, while Fury blinked and clenched his jaw. The super soldier could see that despite their usual fortitude, even the Director of SHIELD and one of his highest ranking officers could not remain unaffected by the disturbing development regarding Loki going from number one villain, to first victim of the Chitauri.
" What happened next?" Thor asked, his tone still holding that awful, apathetic quality.
" Next Dr. Banner tried to pull the fragment out with assistance from Sir. When their combined efforts proved fruitless, Agent Barton added his assistance, but again the fragment remained imbedded even with three capable men pulling on it. It was then that Captain Rogers was called in to assist." Jarvis explained.
Thor finally turned his gaze to Steve, some of the glacial coldness leaving those clear blue depths. Steve for his part had to avert his gaze as Fury and Maria looked to him too. Jarvis continued to explain.
" Initially Captain Rogers could not pull out the metal fragment either, but then as he increased the amount of force he used, the fragment finally came loose and he started to pull it out of Mr. Odinson's head wound. However when Captain Rogers was about halfway to getting it out, the fragment seemingly cemented itself in Mr. Odinson's brain matter once more."
There was a horrified silence throughout the whole room, Thor gazing at Steve with terrifying blankness while Natasha, Fury, and Hill all looked visibly concerned. Steve felt like his skin was crawling with a billion ants, the memories of how he had needed to hold onto Loki's face as he had pulled out the fragment arising yet again to torment him without fail.
" Captain Rogers needed to hold on to Mr. Odinson and exert nearly all of his inordinate strength, but he finally pulled the fragment out of Mr. Odinson's head wound. Please observe that there was a very odd development concerning the fragment." Jarvis explained.
All eyes once again turned to the holographic projection where the video of the immediate aftermath of Steve pulling the fragment free started playing.
They all watched as a shellshocked looking Steve held the gleaming tongs with the fragment held between them, the symbol on the jagged piece of metal glowing an eerie alien blue. Thor, Natasha, Fury, and Hill were all riveted by the sight, while Steve, Tony, Bruce, and Clint just felt an echo of that crushing disappointment once more as they all watched the glowing symbol promptly flicker and the fade away completely with nothing happening to Loki.
The video them kept playing, showing Bruce take the fragment from Steve's unresisting hold while the super soldier himself kept his eyes riveted to Loki. In the present, Steve felt mortified as he watched himself pull off his protective gear and then reach from the strands of Loki's hair that had been stuck to the fallen god's jaw, tucking them behind Loki's ear while looking like he was about to collapse himself. He shifted his gaze to Thor, wondering if he was about to get murdered by the Thunderer for daring to touch his little brother. When their eyes met, Thor's eyes actually lost some of their earlier frigidness as he sent Steve a look of pure gratitude that made the super soldier want to hurl himself out the nearest window.
As they watched Steve take his leave, Jarvis spoke.
" At this point in time, Captain Rogers took his leave and asked to be directed towards the showers, where he then proceeded to try and boil himself alive. Dr. Banner, Sir, and Agent Barton then began the conclusion of Mr. Odinson's autopsy by stitching and bandaging his innumerable injuries." Jarvis explained.
The video then proceeded to show how Bruce, Tony, and Clint had all worked together to stitch up Loki's craved up back before covering the word with large bandages. At the very end of the video, they all watched as Bruce and Tony worked together to lift a fully dressed Loki onto the gurney while Clint covered him up with a white sheet. The last shot of the video was their somber procession out of the exam room with Loki.
A deathly silence fell over the entire conference room. No one moved, no once spoke, no one seemed even to breath. Then the overly loud sound of a chair scraping across the floor had all eyes turned to Thor, was slowly rose to his feet with fresh tears streaming down his face, a face that had yet again become terrifyingly devoid of emotion.
Without saying a word the God of Thunder turned and walked out of the conference room without a backwards glance.
Tony felt every instinct in him warning him of imminent calamity, that Thor was been took calm and composed after seeing the stark evidence of all that had been done to his kid brother.
" Guys, should we go after him?" Clint asked quietly as he looked around the room.
" He's a Norse God who just saw the full, HD presentation of the many different ways his little brother was brutalized and used by an alien force. It might be best to give him his space." Fury said, looking worn but stoic.
" His back." Maria said softly before shaking her head, sharing a look with Natasha who pursed her lips and held the other woman's gaze.
The people in the room all either stood or sat at a stalemate, not knowing how to proceed. Finally, Tony spoke, addressing Jarvis.
" Where's Point Break now Jarvis?" Tony asked.
Before the AI could report, there was an almighty crash from somewhere upstairs that startled everyone, even Fury.
" Jarvis?" Tony asked again.
" Yes Sir, I am here, and I must inform you all that Mr. Odinson had just taken his leave of the tower... by retrieving mjolnir from the penthouse guest room and then promptly flying through a section of the storm shutters I had lowered earlier since nearly all of the penthouse windows were destroyed at various points during today's battle with the Chitauri."
" Shit." Tony said eloquently.
" Do you have any idea where he went?" Steve asked, trying to be objective by also deeply worried about the Thunderer.
" I have just accessed the tower's surveillance cameras. It appears that Mr. Odinson has not gone far. He barreled off to the West towards an area of the city that sustained heavy damage due to one of the ginormous Chitauri Leviathans falling onto it when it expired thanks to Sir's actions." Jarvis explained.
" Let's go!" Steve shouted before he himself barreled out of the room with the rest of the team, plus Fury and Hill following.
Thankfully since the conference room was just one floor below the Penthouse, it only took a quick scramble up one of the stair cases to get to the penthouse. They were greeted by the damage the moment they entered the living room, a howling wind sweeping into the room along with a spray of rain from the storm that was raging outside thanks to a man-sized hole punched clean through one of the heavy metal shutters.
The distant roar of thunder had all of their eyes going to the hole and the storm that seemed to have intensified outside it.
" Grab your gear and let's find him." Steve ordered as he hurried over to the sofa where he had left his signature shield. Clint grabbed up his bow and quiver were he had left them over the top of Tony's bar while the inventor himself made a B-line for the door that led out onto the patio where he walked the ramp where several mechanical arms emerged and assembled a fresh Ironman suit around his rain drenched form. From where he stood next to Natasha who checked her electrified gauntlets, Bruce again tried to remain calm, assuring The Hulk that he would get to come out if they needed him to handle Thor. They just had to get to the Norse God and see what state he was in first. In all regards, it was not going to be pleasant.
Everyone's communicators immediately went online as Tony spoke.
" Guys, I'll fly ahead and find Thor, let you know where he's at and if it's too dangerous to go near him. And don't worry, I'll have Jarvis lock down the entire tower, nobody comes in or out or gets anywhere near Loki." Tony said as with a signature whistle of his thrusters he took off from the landing pad of the tower.
" Thanks Tony, you just be careful out there." Steve said, sending a lingering look at the locked door to the guest room before he and the rest of the team, along with Fury and Hill all piled into the elevator.
Outside, Tony cruised through the air, scanning everything in sight.
" Talk to me Jarvis, anything?" He asked his trusted AI through the HUD.
" So far I can't find any visual on Mr. Odinson. There also appears to be high amounts of electrical interference in the air that is causing disruptions throughout the entire city sir." Jarvis explained.
" Damn, Point Break's losing it bad." Tony said with some strain as he flew against a sudden, harsh wind that buffeted him on all sides.
Then Tony suddenly remembered what Jarvis had said earlier, that Thor had gone careening towards a part of the city where one of those giant ugly flying whale lizards had dropped dead.
" Jarvis, where's that leviathan corpse you mentioned earlier?" He asked the AI urgently.
Before Jarvis could tell him anything, there was suddenly this Earth shaking boom and a gigantic column of lightening, the biggest that Tony had ever seen in all his life suddenly shot down from the stormy night sky and crashed down onto the city about a just a football field's length away. The force of it nearly knocked Tony clean out of the sky. With a gasp and getting as much of a hold on his bearings as he could, he turned his gaze in the direction the lightening had touched down on and saw a giant leviathan corse that law charred, but thankfully not on fire.
" Never mind Jarvis." Tony said lightly before he shot off in the direction of the leviathan and no doubt, their wayward Thunderer.
As he hurried to the scene, Tony raised Steve and the others on the com-links.
" Guys I found him, he's at the leviathan that fell on West 31st Street. I am on my way now." Tony said with a grunt against the winds getting even more strong the closer he got to the leviathan.
" Understood Tony, wait for us, do not engage him." Steve said over the line from where he sat in the lead SHIELD vehicle in an entourage of four that was careening through the New York streets with sirens blaring and lights flashing.
" Hey Fury, you got any way to bring down an enraged Norse God?" Bruce asked with a green tint to his skin and gritted teeth.
From where he was driving like a maniac, Fury kept his eye on the road as he replied.
" We have something that can bring down an entire heard of elephants, that should be enough to calm him down. Not making any promises though." He said with a fleeting smirk.
From where they sat next to Bruce, Clint and Natasha shared a look and hoped it wouldn't have to come to that.
By the time Tony arrived at the leviathan corpse, the entire place looked more like that famous picture of Nikola Tesla reading next to one of his coils, bolts of lightening going everywhere. Thankfully the area had been cordoned off earlier, so no one was close by. The sight itself was no less terrifying as Tony landed on the the protective visor of his HUD Tony finally caught sight of Thor, and what he saw had his heart freezing inside his chest.
There standing amidst the lightening bolts that sizzled and crackled on top of the head of the dead leviathan was Thor, his long hair whipping in the wind and his face contorted in fury as he brought mjolnir down over the leviathan's charred and mangled head over and over again, roaring louder even then the thunder from high above. The hoodie he had been wearing was now charred and shredded, barely hanging on to Thor's muscular frame that somehow seemed even bigger now in his unbridled rage. The legs of his pants were in a similar state, while the shoes he had been wearing had completely disintegrated from his feet.
" Oh Buddy no." Tony whispered as he watched Thor mutilate the Chitauri creature with his hammer.
" Sir the others have arrived." Jarvis said, breaking Tony out of his stupor.
He turned to see a whole bunch of SHIELD cars pull up amidst the chaos, Steve being the first to shoot out of the lead vehicle with Fury, a green looking Bruce, Clint, and Natasha following after. Hill and several teams of heavily armed SHIELD agents came out of the other cars. The rest of the Avengers and Fury all joined Tony, staring at Thor in his seething rage with varying degrees of awe written across their faces.
This was the God of Thunder, the Berserker straight from mythology.
" We gotta calm him down before he electrocutes the entire city." Fury said loudly over the roaring din.
" Jesus." Clint swore, everyone turning to see that Thor had started kicking and tearing at the leviathan's eyeballs and teeth, yanking away huge chunks and getting acrid dark blue blood all over himself as he screamed out his rage.
" We need to come up with a plan." Natasha said as she turned to the others.
By now they were all soaked through and desperately wondering how to go about it. Taking a deep breath, Steve turned to Bruce.
" Bruce, we're gonna need the Hulk, but not just yet." He began before he turned to the others.
" Hulk has a good shot at holding Thor down, so the rest of us should try and distract Thor." Steve explained.
" Yeah, then Hulk can sneak up on him from behind and grab him or something." Clint said with a nod.
At an animalistic roar from Thor, everyone turned and were stunned as they watched Thor, with his eyes actually glowing with lightening, full on rip the leviathan's lower jaw clean off and then send the entire thing flying over their heads. Maria and the other SHIELD agents all scrambled out of the way as the thing barely missed landing on a couple of the SHIELD vehicles.
" Holy shit." Fury said under his breath.
They had come up with a plan, but naturally the plan went straight to Hell as with a roar to rival Thor's, Bruce finally lost all control of his other half.
" Aww Bruce no!" Tony yelled as he and the others hurriedly got out of the way.
They watched as Bruce transformed into the green rage monster, his clothes ripping and tearing until he thankfully had only his stretched out pants covering him. With another loud roar and his massive muscles rippling the Hulk started stalking towards Thor. The Thunderer was so focused on further mangling the leviathan's corse, he didn't actually notice the green behemoth's approach. Movement out the corner of his eyes finally had him looking away with a snarl. When he saw the Hulk walking towards him, Thor let out a loud, inane snarl as his lightening flared around him in warning.
The Hulk just growled and kept making his way towards Thor, the rest of the team and SHIELD standing by, waiting for the inevitable knock down, drag out brawl that would ensue with these two. So it rather took everyone, including Thor by surprise when instead of leaping at Thor, The Hulk made his way over to the roasted snout of the leviathan and started punching it with his massive fists with all his might.
Thor stared at the Hulk, his face unreadable until the green rage monster looked up at him with a snarl. The two reluctant teammates shared a look before with a shared snarl they started pounding at the dead alien creature with renewed vigor.
" Well, didn't expect that." Tony quipped.
He was about to turn to Steve and ask him what the plan was now but his words died in his throat as said super soldier hurled his signature vibranium shield at the dead leviathan. It made a sizable dent in the armor above the creature eye before it bounced back to Steve. With a look of muted anger of his own, the super soldier stepped across the distance to his two enraged teammates who were going to town on the monster's corpse.
Thor and Hulk both looked up from their smashing when they heard the grunts that mingled with their own, seeing Captain America himself with his hoodie and sweatpants completely drenched, using his shield and fist to strike at the leviathan over and over again. Then the whistle of a familiar repulsor charging up had all eyes turning skyward to see Ironman swoop in and start blasting at the leviathans armor covered back. Arrows started to whiz past and bury themselves into one of the giant monsters front fins, courtesy of Hawkeye. Natasha rounded out the group with some fierce punches and kicks of her own next to Steve.
From where he stood and watched the Avengers join Thor in violently venting his rage, Fury ordered everyone else to stand down, nodding his head in understanding. Behind him Maria Hill ducked her head and needed to swallow a few times against the tightness in her throat.
This seemed to go on forever, Thor pounding away and the Avengers not letting up until finally, Hulk and Ironman shared and look. Tony landed in front of a blue blood covered, drenched and disheveled Thor and held up his hands in a wordless, placating gesture. Thor snarled in warning, conveying that Tony should stay well back. With his focus on Tony, Thor didn't notice the large green hand that was reaching for him low and behind.
" Do not dare to placate me Man of Iron, I will reduce this thing to ash and all of its ilk with it! You wi- ACK" The rest of Thor's roaring tirade was abruptly cut off as one of his bare ankles was seized and he was promptly yanked down from the leviathan's head.
It was almost like a repeat of how The Hulk had taken out "Loki" while he had been angrily monologuing in Tony's penthouse, but instead of smashing Thor into the cold hard New York Street, he pulled the grief stricken Norse god to him and restrained him against his chest, his larger arms going around Thor and holding like the tightest vice so that Thor's feet were actually dangling off the ground.
" GET OFF ME!" Thor screamed, his eyes flaring white with power and lightening blots cracked down from the sky, striking dangerously close to everyone.
" No, Thor smash enough, Thor get hug now." Hulk rumbled as he tightened his hold on Thor.
The words seemed to make Thor pause a moment, and it was enough for Tony to float down from leviathan and land before Thor and Hulk. The billionaire genius flipped up the face plate on his helmet, looking somber and tired as he stepped forward with a metallic clank and reached out towards Thor. Without fear of being completely fried by the taller Norse god, he took Thor's head into his armor covered hands. Thor snarled and his eyes flared as he tried to yank himself out of both Hulk and Tony's grips, but neither teammate was budging.
To his own chagrin, Thor felt his mindless anger starting to ebb away, the despair and absolute desolation behind it seeping into its place.
" LET ME GO! LET ME GO RIGHT NOW! I SWEAR I'LL TEAR YOU BOTH APART!" Thor roared.
" Not gonna happen, none of us are going anywhere." Tony declared, as Steve, Natasha, and Clint all joined them, forming a circle around a struggling Thor.
The storm that had been raging above them all slowly but surely began to die down as Thor's breathing began to get more labored and his struggling less wild. Thor's roars of rage slowly started to turn into low, heart breaking groans. Then with an incomprehensible sound Thor finally crumbled.
Tony didn't let go, clenching his own jaw tight enough to hurt as he watched Thor finally break down. With one of his armored hands he lightly stroked at Thor's drenched blond lock. The white glow faded from Thor's eyes, leaving them a dull blue in the night light, with fresh tears gushing out and mixing with the rain that now pelted them all lightly instead of like the great deluge it had been at the very apex of Thor's berserk rage.
The leviathan carcass lay smoking and nearly unrecognizable, but no one gave an absolute damn. There were plenty more specimens strewn throughout the city, those scientists at SHIELD could shove it.
Steve didn't bother to hide his own emotions, tears flowing from his eyes and mixing with the rain. His heart went out to his friend as he remembered his own pseudo-brother he had lost all those years ago, watching Bucky fall from that train in the mountains. From where he stood, Clint crossed his arms and bowed his head, the tear-tracks clear on his cheeks. He just hated how this all turned out, hated this was the aftermath after they had won the battle for Earth. Natasha stood next to him, stoic for the most part. If a single tear track carved its way down her cheek, she quickly tilted her head up and let the rain wash over her face to hide it with a sigh. She was who she was after all.
Now instead of those earth shaking roars, Thor just hung his head with silent sobs wracking his entire body. The Hulk could feel them against his chest. With an unhappy rumble he leaned down and actually pressed his large cheek to the back of Thor's head. Thor blindly reached up and wrapped one arm around Hulk's wrist, while his other hand went and desperately gripped one of Tony's forearms, actually causing dents in the metal panel.
The rest of the team just shuffled closer and surrounded the broken Asgardian. Drenched in both rain and blue alien blood, there really wasn't much else they could do.
The raging storm may have ceased, but it looked like the rain would be unending.