Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel-characters!

AN: Thanks for the support, guys! I'm glad you're still interested in this story. To Lady Charity: I got the inspiration for the physic link from that. I thought it was a nice touch. :) To Hexalys: it's like you're in my mind! Though you don't have it completely right. I think you'll understand in a few chapters. :)

~ The Opposites ~

Chapter 7

Pepper stared at the doombot. It was it utterly creepy and scary, not did it move or even appear to be breathing. Did a doombot even breathe in the first place? Either way, it just stood there like a statue not carved out of stone, but out of metal. Slowly – and ever so cautious – she took a step towards it. She wasn't sure what she'd expected. Perhaps she thought it would have come to life suddenly to block her path?

When nothing happened, Pepper made a desperate run for the door. Reaching for the handle, she pulled it with all the strength she possessed, but nothing happened. The door simply would not budge. Breathlessly, she spun around and allowed herself to lean back against the wall. Her eyes became fixed on the doombot again since she knew she couldn't trust it.

"Tony?" She breathed into the phone. Her hands felt clammy and for a moment she feared she would drop the phone. Her grip tightened on the small device. "Tony, are you still there?"

"I'm here, Pepper," Tony assured her. She could hear by the noise in the background that Tony was currently Iron Man and that he was flying through the air. "I wouldn't dare to abandon you now."

Pepper glanced at the small screen of the phone. It was the only indication of time she had right now. "Tony, we've been on calling for over two minutes already. Time is running out."

"I know where you are, Pepper," Tony said, his voice strain, "I'll be there. I'll save you!"

Pepper swallowed heavily. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she angrily wiped them away. She had never been the kind of woman to break down like this. She had faced worse, hadn't she? Had she? Her mind came up empty, but then again, she was greatly confused and panicked right now.

She forced herself to take in a deep breath. It calmed her, but only a bit. "Tony?"

"Yes?"

"You know I love you, right?" She said the words ever so softly. She meant them and she wished she had said them more often.

"I love you, too," Tony said, "and I will tell you again tomorrow and every day that comes after it. You're going to be fine, alright? You have to believe me on this one."

Pepper nodded and then remembered that Tony could not actually see her. "I believe you."

The doombot suddenly turned towards her and Pepper felt her heart skip a beat. Her breathing quickened and her hands began to tremble violently. She lost grip on the damn phone, but as it hit the ground, she could see that it was not broken.

"Tony, it's moving," she yelled, knowing that Tony could still hear her, "the doombot is moving! It's coming towards me!"

"I'm almost there!"

She tried to make herself as small as possible. She wished she could disappear through the wall, but that was impossible. The doombot reached for her throat and she tried to push away the metallic hand. It was pointless. The doombot tightened his grip on her throat, cutting off her air supply. She tried to cry out for Tony, but not sound escaped her lips.

The doombot lifted her from the ground and knocked her against the wall several times.

Pepper lost consciousness just before Iron Man came blasting through the door.

~ o ~

Tony was absolutely furious and he knew that if he didn't control himself soon, he would bring down the entire abandoned warehouse with him and Pepper still inside. It was important that he got a grip on his anger, yet it all felt impossible. Perhaps it was better if he tapped into that anger. It was a source of power after all and that's what he needed right now.

He lifted his arm and fired a round of bullets at the lock. There was only a metal door separating him from Pepper right now and he dreaded the fact that he could not hear her anymore. With the lock broken, Iron Man easily kicked down the door and got inside. He found the doombot strangling Pepper to death. Her eyes were closed, her skin extremely pale and different lines of blood trickled down her face and neck. Tony felt his heart come to an absolute standstill.

"Pepper!" It was meant to be a shout, but it barely managed to come out his throat at all.

The doombot turned to look over his shoulder, but he did not let go of her. Tony didn't hesitate and shot a beam of energy directly into the doombot's back. The metallic arm finally released Pepper who fell to the floor like a ragged doll. The robot, growling as it moved, flung itself at Tony and tried to rip apart his suit.

It failed.

Tony fired a dozen small missiles directly at the doombot's face. As they exploded, the doombot stumbled back and lost his balance, but it did not fall down. Tony knew that this kind of robot was strong, but it had never gone up against Tony's best weapons. Tony watched how the doombot tried to find his balance again and he knew that this was his chance. With another blast of energy coming out of the palm of his hand, he knocked the doombot down. It whizzed and sputtered for a few seconds as it tried to save itself, but Tony took no chances and put a round of bullets in its chest.

It turned completely limb.

There was a moment where Tony was absolutely terrified. With careful steps, he walked towards Pepper and prayed for her to be breathing. He pushed back the piece of metal covering his face and leaned closer towards his favorite redhead in the universe. She looked terrible, but Tony found her chest rising and falling faintly.

She wasn't dead.

Carefully, he picked her up in his arms and walked out the room. It was frightening to find her so still. He had a better view on the back of her head now and it did not look pretty. Her skin was torn and there was even a small piece of her skull visible. She was in desperate need a hospital right now.

Tony pressed a soft kiss against her temple and whispered, "Don't you dare die on me, Pepper Pots."

~ o ~

Loki didn't care whether Pepper Pots lived or died. All he wanted was to see Iron Man struggling to handle the situation. The chances of her survival were slim and if she did in fact die, then Loki would have a field day watching the (in)famous Tony Stark break down emotionally. But the first part of this new phase had been set in motion and it was time for him to let it play out. He had to focus on the second part of this phase.

This part required a more delicate touch. However, Loki was ever so confident in his skills. It had been a while since he had transformed himself, but he had always been a master at it. He had even been able to fool the greatest sorcerers in Asgard.

Yet today, all that he needed to transform was his voice.

Luckily for him, Betty Ross had an easy voice. He had listened to her voicemail a few times and Loki knew how to mimic her perfectly. He dialed Bruce Banner's cellphone-number and waited patiently. He had already worked out what words to say and the way he wanted his new voice to sound. There was really very little that could go wrong here.

"Who is this?" Bruce answered the phone incredibly rude.

Loki couldn't help but roll his eyes. He wanted to scold the man for it, but he had to stay in character. He swallowed heavily – mostly for dramatic effect - and worked his best magic of the day. "Bruce, is that you?" It was strange to hear not his voice, but the voice of a woman. A woman crying and pleading. "Bruce, can you hear me? Please!"

"Betty?" Bruce breathed.

"Thank God!" Loki made sure he held the perfect tone. He figured Bruce was the kind of sentimental man that instantly knew when a voice was Betty's or not. "Bruce, there is a…a man here. He says… He says he will kill me if you don't do what he orders."

"Loki is with you?"

Loki grinned. This man was falling into his trap and it was absolutely fabulous. He paid attention to all the sounds he could hear and now he knew that Bruce was currently in a car. He was probably on his way towards Pepper Pots, but his course would soon deviate.

"Yes," Loki faked a sob, mimicking the one he had heard from Pepper earlier, "you must come quickly, Bruce. He says to meet you…near the main entrance-" another well placed sob, "of central park."

"What?"

"You'll find me there," Loki continued to sob, starting to feel bored with this all, "come quickly!"

Loki knew that he needed to add more drama. He needed Bruce running towards him with nothing else on his mind but the fading screams of the woman he loved. Loki inhaled deeply and began to shout and shriek. He screamed like he imagined this Betty-person would scream. Then he disconnected the call and laughed. Playing with the Avengers wasn't only fun, it was ridiculously easy.

He swirled around and gazed at ten gathered doombots. "Let's get to central park," he said, grinning, "we wouldn't want to miss our appointment with Bruce Banner."

~ o ~

Bruce threw the steering wheel to one side and the car dangerously drifted across the street. It cut off the road to at least four other cars. There was a deafening sound of car honks, screeching tires and angry shouts. The shouts mostly came from the back of the car where Clint and Natasha were holding on for dear life. At this moment, they wished they had gotten into the car with Steve, Thor and other Loki.

"Bruce!" Natasha shrieked. "I know you're upset, but please don't try to kill us right now!"

"That bastard Loki has Betty," Bruce said through gritted teeth, his fingers clenched around the steering wheel, "I guess it's my turn now."

Clint and Natasha had heard the entire conversation since it had been on speaker and they had instantly exchanged sorrowful glances. They all knew for a fact that Pepper's three minutes were up and they did not even know whether she lived or not. It seemed they were racing to save another woman's life right now. They could only hope Betty Ross was a strong woman.

The two master assassins had something else on their minds, however. They noticed how tense Bruce had become, how angry was. The last thing they wanted was the Hulk to come out and play while they were still inside the car.

"We'll find Betty, Bruce," Natasha said in her most calm voice. She was reminded of another time she had been stuck with the scientist in a small space. It hadn't ended well back then. "But you have to stay calm, okay? You're not much help to any of us if you change into the Hulk now."

"I know, I know," Bruce muttered. He made another dangerous turn and raced through the street at a speed way above the legal limit. It took them only a few minutes to reach the main entrance of central park and the three of them quickly jumped out of the car.

Without hesitating, they ran into the park. They glanced around, looking for Betty, but they found no one even faintly resembling her. In fact, everything looked strangely calm.

"I'm not sure she's here," Clint said doubtfully.

"I heard her voice," Bruce breathed frantically, "we all heard her! She said to come here or else Loki would kill her. Didn't you hear her scream?"

"I think Clint is right, Bruce," Natasha added, her hand resting on a side-arm connected to her belt, "Betty isn't here and by the looks of everyone taking a nice stroll through the park, they haven't seen anything disturbing."

"Do you know what this smells like?" Clint asked, his hand reaching for his bow. "Like a trap."

"But I heard her," Bruce pressed on, "I heard her."

A new voice sounded. "But did you really?"

The three Avengers spun around and stood face to face with Loki himself. The God of Mischief sighed contently. He appeared absolutely satisfied. Clint and Natasha slowly drew their weapons and aimed it at their archenemy. They were clearly waiting for a move by Loki.

Bruce only stumbled back. He realized Clint was right. They had walked into a trap and knowing Loki, they were in for some misery.

"I am glad you brought Clint and Natasha for me," Loki said with a sweet voice, "it makes my job a lot easier."

"What do you want?" Bruce asked, feeling like a complete idiot. He should have known something wasn't right from the beginning! "Where is Betty?"

Loki shrugged. "How should I know? I honestly did not have the time to track her down, let alone kidnap her. Besides, she's a General's daughter which means she is constantly being watched. Taking Pepper in broad daylight was challenging enough. The last thing I want is General Ross sending his army after me."

"Get back, Bruce," Clint said, taking a step to the right so that he shielded the scientist away from Loki's gaze.

"I have brought a few of my friends, Clint," Loki said, not intimidated by the three Avengers, "I'm sure you and your girlfriend here will have a lot of fun fighting them off."

Nine doombots entered the park. Many mortals began to understand that this was no longer a safe place and they were all trying to leave. Loki clearly did not want that and he closed off all the exits using a simple spell. Force fields separated central park from the rest of the world at this moment. The doombots all moved towards Clint and Natasha who had no other choice but to fight them off.

It gave Loki the perfect opportunity for some private time with Bruce. He twisted his hand and his scepter appeared out of nowhere. Within a few seconds, the God of Mischief stood before Bruce and pressed the tip of the scepter against his chest. At least he tried to.

Bruce kept stepping back, but it didn't seem to annoy Loki that much.

"I hear you're not a fan of gamma-radiation," Loki taunted, "it created the beast inside of you and I have an inkling that it also brings it out when you least want it. Unfortunately, seeing the Hulk is exactly what I want today." There was a moment of silence. "Are you going to transform into the Hulk willingly or not?"

"Why would I do that?" Bruce was strangely calm.

"Then I'll have to force your hand." Loki glanced back at the fight between Clint and Natasha with the doombots. It was fierce and loud, but Loki had no more attention for it. He merely wanted to know whether they were occupied or not. That was indeed the case so now he walked towards Bruce who backed away until he hit something hard.

The scientist spun around and found himself looking into the metal face of another doombot. It grabbed his arms and turned him around again. Loki stood only inches away from him, the tip of his scepter touching his chest up to the point it hurt. Bruce instantly felt a strange sensation flood his body. He gasped for breath and tried to understand what was happening.

He quickly realized that he was slowly losing control over his mind. This must have been what Clint had gone through months ago.

As much as he tried to resist, Bruce found that he was losing the battle. There was another guy inside of him, however, that did not like the manipulation. Bruce swallowed heavily as he felt the Hulk slowly fighting to take over. The beast would never fall under Loki's control, but then again, Bruce doubted that was Loki's intention.

"Come one," Loki whispered, encouraging Bruce to lose control, "I know you are in there, Hulky-boy."

"You really want to do this?" Bruce said through gritted teeth. "Last time you met him, it didn't end that well for you."

"Oh, I have faith it will be different this time."

At that moment, Bruce felt himself disappear.

He made room for his counterpart. The Hulk easily broke free of the doombot's grasp, but the influence of Loki's scepter still had its effects. The Hulk was fiercer, much angrier (and that was saying something). He snarled and roared and had no control whatsoever. He ripped the doombot's head off and threw it across central park. It probably landed somewhere in the East River.

People around them were screaming and shouting now. They all tried to get away, but the exits were still closed off and the Hulk had little control over himself. Loki quickly cast a spell so that the Hulk could no longer see him. He definitely didn't want to fall into the Hulk's hands again. The Hulk looked around for him, but when he found nothing, he moved on to other targets.

More innocent targets.

Loki was extremely satisfied by these results. He retreated towards the doombots fighting Clint and Natasha. He undid the invisibility-spell and smiled when he heard the Hulk tear out trees behind him. Next he heard him knocking aside mortals. The dull thuds of when these humans hit the ground was almost chilling, but Loki cared not.

His task was not done and he quickly refocused on the two assassins who were bravely fighting the doombots. They were doing a pretty good job and Loki disliked it.

"Capture them," he ordered the remaining seven doombots. Two already lay incapacitated on the ground, several arrows and knives sticking out of them. One also had a bullet-hole in his eye. To make it easier for his playthings, Loki sent a blast of pure energy towards Natasha. The power hit her in the stomach and she doubled over. The closest doombot seized the chance and knocked her out.

"No!" Clint shouted as he watched his partner fall down.

Loki hit him next, though Clint managed to keep himself standing up. As quick as a fox, the archer grabbed an arrow and shot it towards Loki. It whizzed past his left ear and Loki felt offended that he had been this close to getting shot by Clint's arrow. In his uncontrolled anger, Loki shot another beam of energy at him and this time, it sent the archer flying back a few yards.

Clint landed forcefully on his back and a doombot quickly made sure that he had been knocked out as well.

Somewhere in the distance, Loki could still hear the Hulk raging through the park. He could hear the breaking of trees and the cries of mortals as they desperately searched for shelter. He wished he could stay for a while and witness the destruction the Hulk was currently sowing. He had always marveled in chaos like this.

Sadly enough, there was no time. Loki couldn't risk a swarm of SHIELD-agents getting inside the park. The force fields blocking all exits were strong, but Loki knew they would never hold against a dozen machine-guns or against the power of Mjolnir.

"Bind these two!" He ordered. "And let's get out of here." He felt intensely pleased that he had captured the two assassins. He had something special planned for them. Something far crueler than both Tony's or Bruce's fates.

Oh, he was going to enjoy the next hour!