Sorry it's been a super long while since I updated. I was planning on getting this out before my trip home, but I got distracted. So I'm taking some vacation time to give you guys a little something before fall semester starts and I disappear into a world of practicing and depression as studying begins.

Thanks to all of you wonderful people who leave me such positive reviews. It takes me a while to respond to them, but I get to it. You guys should know that you are such a huge motivation for me to finish! Also, thanks to those who wished me better health. It was a slow, but sure recovery and now I'm all better.

I have to admit, it's hard to make Thor less wordy than Loki. I enjoy writing Loki so, so much.

Okay, let's get to what you are all really here for. Enjoy!


Well-Rounded Soldier

Thor felt useless.

As a prince of Asgard and wielder of Mjolnir, this simply would not do. It was not often that the god of thunder felt ineffective.

But within the S.H.E.I.L.D. compound, there was little to do to be productive. Fury forbid Thor from taking action against Loki in the land called "Texas". The princely aspect of Thor wondered why he was still taking orders from a mortal over matters that needed to be resolved in Asgardian courts, but the more humble part…the part that Jane had unearthed, knew that lashing out in anger would solve nothing.

And so he waited with patience he did not know he contained.

All the while, a red anger gnawed at his nerves.

Loki had taken Jane. Ripped her from a safe place below the earth and hurt her. He had struck Jane. Thor had never seen Loki do such a thing to a woman. His brother had always been so gentle-especially with their mother-and Thor never imagined he'd see the day when Loki would house such open hostility for anyone of the fairer sex.

In fact, Thor never thought his brother could harbor hatred for anyone. Thor was supposed to the brash one, the one that struck out of pure emotion.

In the few days that followed the reveal of the security footage, the young god saw the scene behind his eyelids. He saw it wherever he went. He saw the arm pull back and the hand collide with Jane's tender, mortal flesh. The sound of her cry made him tremble.

It was like pouring salt in a wound that never healed. Thor bathed his mind in the outrage, the frustration of taking orders, the anxiety he felt for Jane's predicament. He was a soldier numbing himself to the once-beloved sight of his brother. He could not afford to risk Jane's safety in the blind hope of Loki's redemption.

The next time he saw Loki, he would feel no affection.

. . .

A knock came on Thor's door and forced him from the painful reverie. When there was no answer, the door opened and in walked Commander Fury, fully decked in his customary black leather. His face was already more weary than it had been twelve hours ago.

"We have an assignment for you-"

"You dare keep me locked inside this place and think that I will obey any orders you issue?" Thor was aching from inaction. He was burning from his treatment here. He would have no more. "I am a son of Odin, mortal! I am not your lackey! I'll not play the part of a messenger boy on the battlefield while my countrymen die around me."

"You are starting to sound like that brother of yours, Asgardian," Fury said simply, apparently uncaring of the god's mounted frustration.

Thor stopped, noticing that he had risen from his seated position.

Fury took two steps further into the room and the door shut. His one eye expertly observed the layout of the small quarters: regulation bed, closet, desk and chair. All various shades of steel and white. "You had no problem taking orders from me a week ago in Manhattan."

"Because it was a call to protect the people of Midgard from my brother's insanity. It lies within the responsibility of my realm to ensure he is stopped. But I will not have you test my patience within these walls!" The strength of his final word shook said walls. The immaculate cleanliness of the compound surrendered no disturbed dust, but Fury imagined that those in the outside world were quite shaken.

Fury nodded. "So you respond well when asked to fight but not to stand down. Seems like well-rounded soldier."

Thor pointed at the commander with a tense, muscular arm. "I am not one of your soldiers, Nick Fury."

The other man smiled. "I recall hearing that before. But we are getting distracted here, Thor. I understand that you are more upset with me because of Jane's capture-" Thor opened his mouth to speak, but Fury put up a hand, "So now I am giving you the opportunity to rescue her."

Thor's blood settled and he regarded Fury as a wary dog waits at the door to be released. "And I will bring Loki down."

Fury nodded again and said, "We're briefing in ten minutes. Follow me."

. . .

"Everything's bigger in Texas. Even the lizards," Tony Stark said as he blasted through another chitauri using a missile the size of his little finger.

"That is the twenty-ninth 'bigger in Texas' pun you've made since arrival, sir," Jarvis responded. "Perhaps you should put more thought into energy conservation rather than joke-making."

A group of four enemy aviation units rounded the corner of a rusty-red apartment building. Tony angled towards them and saw their target was a loose collection of uniformed army men. "Are we low again?"

"Reaching twelve percent on overall reserves."

"Tell me when we hit ten." He raised the fist of the suit and knocked off two of the flybys with sniper rounds.

The other two noticed his speedy arrival and switched the course of their aim. They split-one going left and the other right-to pin him between their flying machines. Tony waited until they were within his arm span and then snapped his hands down on the front edges of their vehicles. The back popped up and sent the riders careening through the air and smashing into each other. Tony watched them fall with deep satisfaction.

Then he spotted something he didn't like.

"Cap!"

"Roger," someone spoke in his helmet.

"How far away are you from…"

"Sinclair and South White Road, sir," Jarvis said.

"Yeah, that."

"Uh…a few blocks. Why?"

"Cause we got a force making a move on the ground here. Any way you can get a handful of men over here? I don't want to blast the area and hit civies."

"Civies?" Steve Roger's voice got that boyish confusion that Tony loved to pick on.

"Yeah," Tony answered with a roll of his eyes, "Those people that we sometimes save from total oblivion."

"Oh. Civilians. Roger that. Sending troops your way."

Tony observed from above until the promised men arrived and then powered south in the direction of base when Jarvis told him that he had reached ten percent on energy reserves.

Then he saw him.

Loki.

Strolling west without a care in the world, armor catching and throwing rays of light, magical glow stick of destiny absent from his hand. What was he up too...

"Fury, I've got Loki."

"What?" came the flabbergasted reply.

"Loki. You know, the big scary guy with the big scary army that we're fighting. Black hair, sassy attitude-"

"I'm aware, Stark. Give me his location."

Tony did so and then followed the black haired man without command. He looked like he was walking to a bar to meet friends, not heading to an underground base to plot and practice his evil laugh.

"Stark, go keep Thor company," Fury said, "Agents Barton and Romanoff will monitor the new situation."

Tony glanced over his shoulder to see fat clouds roll over airborne enemies, eating them up and spitting the devils out with electricity still glittering on their lifeless forms. Thor had a whole section of the south end of the city as his playpen.

"Looks like he's got it covered. Besides, I want to play spy. I have a new tracker installed-"

"Thor. Now." Fury was using his I'm-the-commander-you're-the-commandee voice and the man in the iron suit knew just how well that usually went.

"You only want me to babysit. I've got far more important things to do than keep Thor away from his baby brother."

"Just make sure he doesn't leave his position."

Tony rolled his eyes, but abandoned Loki. "He's going to find out that you're only placating him and you know how Thor reacts when stupid people give him orders..." Tony watched the god of thunder throw a bolt of lightning so hot that it disintegrated the chitauri whose chest it entered. Other enemies gripped their heads in pain as brain-shattering thunder pounded.

"Well he won't find out if you get your butt over there."

"Yes, sir, commander sir," Tony said through gritted teeth.

. . .

"What is he doing?" Natasha heard Clint ask through her earpiece. They had been trailing Loki for the past hour-she within earshot and he far above on rooftops. She credited their luck that he hadn't simply teleported somewhere else. Because he seemed capable of doing that. The sneaky bastard seemed capable of anything.

"Still heading for the center of the city. Take Lockhill Selma," she whispered, letting Loki get a little farther ahead so that he couldn't hear her.

"Shouldn't his base be closer to the fighting?" Clint's voice was still as level as if he were sitting in a rocking chair and drinking lemonade. Not that he would ever do that. Natasha shook her head.

"I'm not sure that he's headed to any base," she replied.

Loki had stopped and knelt down. She couldn't see what he was doing from this angle, but when he stood back up, he drew two fingers down the line of each arm. A gentle wind tugged at his clothing and it seemed to come off in quick wisps, like the metal and cloth were stolen out of existence. In their place was a normal-though expensive looking-gentleman's suit.

Natasha's eyes narrowed. What was he up to?

Loki continued alone for a good while longer. Natasha wondered why he didn't commandeer a member of his airborne fleet to escort him where he headed. His bowed head and slow footsteps told her observing eyes that he was not completely present, but lost in thought. Every so often he'd wipe his forehead with tired fingers.

She hoped that he regularly took walks to clean his head. It was a prime opportunity for surveillance.

"Ever been to Texas before?" Clint asked.

Natasha was too close to speak now. Within teen feet of Loki. So she made a sign behind her head from a silent code she and Clint had come up with at the beginning of their partnership. She knew that his sharp vision would catch it.

"Just once, eh? It's damn humid," he said with a grunt. Natasha saw his shadow leap between rooftops, cast by the pink glow of a sun starting to set.

Loki suddenly turned and she gracefully rolled behind a nearby trash can. After a moment, he continued on his way.

Natasha made the motion for "be careful".

"Always am," Clint replied easily.

Exactly two minutes later, Loki appeared to reach his destination. It was a simple, small building of light brick nestled in the middle of San Antonio. It bore the state seal of Texas on one wall, but other than that looked relatively boring. He stood in the parking lot, well away from the door, and waited.

The two agents didn't have to wait long to find out what for.

"Crap," Natasha mumbled. She passed a tense hand through flaming hair and settled against a wall bearing a massive mural of a rodeo.

"The governor," Clint stated from his unseen perch. "He's meeting with the governor." The man cursed for a few seconds and then said, "I thought Fury advised him not to dally with the enemy."

"Apparently Stark's not the only one who ignores Fury's orders."


I hope you guys enjoyed. Sorry it's not as intense-emotional-drama! as usual. Besides being distracted and on vacation, I've had a hard time writing this chapter for some reason. But I'm glad to bring the Avengers back onto the scene. Hopefully more Thor and some Hulk will be in the future.

Thank you so much for reading. If you leave a review, I will love you forever! Also, there may be a contest coming up soon...with prizes...so keep reading.

Good day, lovies.