Disclaimer: This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended. Unbeta-ed so all mistakes are mine. And thanks as always go to wbss21 and Potkanka for their reviews: Sorry about the delay in this, I had to finish up "Stray," first... And now, on with the story...
CHAPTER EIGHT: POLITICS
Meanwhile,
On Midgard
Thor arrives the next day.
And Clint might have been imagining it, but the guy looks kinda… freaked.
He comes marching through the helicarrier, looking far more warrior than prince. A dark-haired, female Asgardian he identifies as Lady Sif at his elbow. The hammer Mjolnir hanging heavily at his side. SHIELD agents dart out of the way, eyes downcast as they take in his anger, his worry. His stride meaning that everyone save Steve has to hurry to keep up. But he just keeps going. Not looking up, not stopping. Barely giving Fury a glance before he tersely indicates that he requires a room in which to speak to his team and then taking off at a similarly fast clip. It's unnerving: The only thing that might halt his journey is a full-on collision with the Hulk, Clint thinks, and that's not really the kinda thing we should be hoping for-
Thor leads the assembled Avengers into the helicarrier's main conference room and turns to face them. "Forgive my abruptness, my friends," he says quietly, "But I come bearing very bad news."
And in that moment Clint somehow knows precisely what Thor is going to say.
"You lost him."
He hears his own voice say it without preamble, the tone utterly uninflected.
The rest of the room starts at his abruptness- Natasha excepted- but Thor merely gives one quick, sharp nod.
"Aye. At least, we believe that is what has happened." And for a moment the Asgardian's gaze darts down towards the surface of the conference table. His brows drawn together in a pinched, worried frown. But then he looks up, forcing himself, it seems to Clint, to meet the room's gaze.
Suddenly the archer can see what the weight of the news he's bringing is doing to the elder Odinsson.
"The craft carrying him to Nornheim was attacked within a stone's throw of the planet," Thor continues quietly after a moment. "The Norns will not tell us anything but I believe they do not know where my brother or his Valkyrie are."
A beat of silence of that, a group inhalation of breath. Hill looks so damn pissed Clint is surprised she isn't screaming questions and Tasha's grip on her sidearm has tightened painfully, her brows drawn together in an angry frown. But Thor meets their eyes without trying to look away, bearing the attention calmly.
Seems he's gotten used to apologising for Loki's actions long before now.
"So you're thinking jail-break?" Rogers says tensely, breaking the silence. Clint can't help but notice the terse way he says it, so different from Steve's normal, open tone. But then Cap has gone toe to toe with Loki; He knows the kind of punch the Asgardian packs.
"Yes, I believe it may be so," Thor says. He looks slightly relieved to be answering direct questions. "Though if it is, Loki has made history. Nobody has ever escaped a Valkyrie before; Their order are known for the doggedness of their pursuit-"
Tony snickers. "Well, the boy mullet's always been kinda special, hasn't he?"
Thor winces but does not correct him as he might once have done. "That he is. Always has been. And a gifted liar as well." He looks at Fury. "So now you understand why I had to come-"
"No, I don't." It's Tasha who speaks, snapping the words out. She's carefully avoiding looking at Clint and Clint can see the entire room tactfully trying not to notice. "Do you think Loki's coming back? To Earth?" she demands. "Is that why you've come here?"
Everyone can hear the question beneath her question though: Will the Avengers have to clean up Loki's mess yet again?
Will she have to clean up Loki's mess yet again?
The image of Anna Bacik's tear-stained face pops into his head and despite himself Clint feels something that might have once been classed as his heart give a tight, painful twist in his chest.
Nobody notices though. "I am not entirely certain," Thor answers softly. "I know that is not as helpful an answer as you might wish, but it is the truth." He sighs. "If you would know my heart, I think Loki will not return here; I suspect he has lost his stomach for troubling Midgard. And he has no army this time, the Chitauri have put a price on his head. He knows coming back would be suicide. But there are-" He stops, shaking his head to himself and muttering something quick and singsong to his dark-haired companion. Sif places one hand on his shoulder, gives it a squeeze before he speaks again. "There is more to his being taken by the Norns than I have told you," he continues quietly. "More than anyone knows except my father and the Norns themselves."
Clint doesn't realise it for a moment but he instinctively feels his hands tighten around the sidearm holstered at his hip. But it's Tony, being Tony, who says what everyone else is thinking.
"I believe I speak for the room when I say No Shit," the billionaire drawls.
For a moment Thor looks confused by the slang but the meaning must translate because he inclines his head. "Then I have not shocked you; That is well." He finally folds himself tiredly into the chair at his back, for the first time looking more mortal than Thunder God. The transformation is unnerving, especially when he sighs again and drags a hand through his long, blond hair. He looks tired. "What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room," he says eventually. "It cannot be passed to your governments, it cannot be passed on to any other branch of SHIELD. And if I find that you have repeated it I will see to it that there is- what is that phrase my Jane uses? Ah yes- Hell to pay." His blue eyes come to rest on Fury.
"Is that completely understood?"
The Avengers commander inclines his head slightly. "Crystal clear. Now what do you need to tell us?"
Clint can practically hear the cogs working inside Fury's head, promise not to share intel' be damned.
Maybe Thor can too because his expression is far from convinced. But nevertheless he inclines his own head to the spy and gestures to Lady Sif to sit. The room follows suit.
"As I have told you, Midgard- Earth- is known to all in the Nine Realms," he says. "It is considered somewhat sacred territory, and for that reason it is specifically under the protection of Asgard and of the Norns." Raised eyebrows at that, though Clint can't say he's surprised; He'd figured there must have been someone protecting the Earth from the scum of the universe or the Palo Antigua incident would have happened long before now.
"As you may have guessed, that means that travel here is strictly policed," Thor continues. "No Bifrost or similar transportation device will connect to this realm, except for the one on Asgard and one other on Nornheim. We mean- we have always meant- to keep you safe. Which is why the Chitauri invasion was so… Worrying."
"How so?" Steve raises his eyebrows.
Again Thor glances at his female companion and again he sighs. Again Clint thinks that the guy looks tired. "We believe the Chitauri wished to use Midgard as a beach-head," he says. "Of all the Nine Realms you are the most vulnerable: You have few practitioners of magic and your technology lags centuries behind ours." Tony pouts at this little piece of truth in advertising but wisely keeps his mouth shut.
The rest of the room looks vaguely relieved.
"But you're not telling us anything we don't know," Banner points out, his voice wary.
Thor inclines his head, allowing the truth of the man's remark. "Aye, I know I am not. But this you may not know." He lowers his voice. "There is conflict beyond your borders," he says softly. "Jotunheim is in the middle of a civil war, brought about by Loki's murder of Laufey; The main candidates for king are all united in their desire to escalate their armaments and enlarge their armies. Vanaheim has started building up their military resources, in case they are attacked next; Alfheim is doing the same but on an even greater scale. Nobody knows what Svartelfheim are planning, but the Dark Elves are unpredictable and should not be trifled with. The only people not attempting to increase their armies are the dwarves of Nidavellir, for they are too busy selling weapons to everyone else. And who knows what they may have kept back for themselves? Who knows what intelligence we have missed? Conflict is on its way, a war so massive it will eclipse all others." He frowns, looking at each Avenger in turn.
"And into this pit of trouble, I see Midgard thrown."
Steve's the soldier and Steve understands before anyone. It's his face draining of colour that gives it away. "You think one of them might invade us," he says. "As an pre-emptive strike. Get in here, make sure there's a strong force in place in case the Chitauri try again."
Thor nods. "Aye. And from here they might launch an attack on the other realms once the threat has passed, secure in the fact that their realm is now twice the size it once was. If that happens, the delicate balance of power which has kept the peace for centuries will crumble and fall. The death-toll would be catastrophic." He shakes his head. "As I have told you, in my youth I courted war. But I do not want this. My family does not want this. And you may rest assured the Norns do not wish it for Midgard either." He looks at his companions and again he sighs. "We had thought to stop this conflict before it begins using Loki," he mutters. "But if he has disappeared then it all might be for naught…"
"So he was bait." It's Natasha who speaks this time. Steve might be a soldier but it takes a spy to understand this. "You were going to lure the Chitauri using him," she says. "You were going to send him to Nornheim and hope the Chitauri turned up."
"Yes." Thor steeples his hands before his chest. He doesn't look proud of himself but Clint doubts he's lying. Again he thinks about how tired the supposed God looks. "That is precisely what we hoped," Thor is saying. "If the Chitauri were lured to Nornheim and attacked it, the other Realms would be treaty-bound to come to her aid. That is the nature of our fealty to the Norns. And if all the Realms stand together and defeat an enemy the tension might be broken; At the very least they would have no excuse for invading Midgard, for the Chitauri would be routed." A humourless smile flashes across his face. "At least, that is what we were hoping. Given this turn of events, such hope may have been in vain"
Tasha cocks an eyebrow, looking like she's impressed despite her better judgement. And Tasha isn't easy to impress, deception-wise. "So what do you need from us?" she says coolly.
Clint can see by the tension in her spine what it costs her to ask Thor that.
Apparently the Asgardian can too, because he stands. "I need some of you to come with me to Nornheim," he says. "The Norns themselves requested it, and I think it a wise idea."
"So this would be a diplomatic mission?" Steve asks.
Clint notices that everyone's trying pointedly not to look at Tony- Since diplomacy isn't exactly Iron Man's strength.
Thor appears to agree, though he's far to polite to say it out loud. Judging by his pout though, Tony knows what the group's thinking. "Aye, it would be partly about peace-making," Thor says. "But it would also be a chance to show the other realms Midgard's metal. Show them the manner of man-" He inclines his head politely to Natasha- "And woman this world breeds. If Loki is on the Norns' world then we must find him. If he is not, then we must ascertain whether he is dead or colluding with the enemy as he did before."
"And we have experience with this." Again it's Natasha who says it.
"You are the only people who have experience with this," Thor points out. "If we are to have a hope of stopping my brother then we will require your aid." Again he glances at Sif and then he says a word even Clint knows does not come easily to a King or a God.
"Please, my friends," he says softly. "Please, I need your help with this."
A beat passes as the room digests the sight of a God saying please.
The moment passes though and the Avengers look at one another, a question in each of their expressions. They've each lost much because of Loki and they've each given up much to maintain their lives outside the Avenger Initiative. But it's Clint who gives Thor his answer, and the archer knows he speaks for everybody.
"Thor," he says, "I believe it would be our genuine pleasure to kick your baby brother's ass. Again. In space."
Tony snickers. "In the cause of universal peace, of course."
Thor smiles, and for a moment he looks almost... boyish. "You have my thanks, my friends," he says. "You have the Nine Realms' thanks."
And with that Earth's Mightiest Heroes rise and begin to make their preparations, the look of relief on Thor's face almost epic. That twist of pain echoing through Clint's chest as he imagines facing his nemesis again something he tells himself he can use if it comes to a fight. The superheroes file out, already talking about weaponry and divvying up their task-load, Clint and Natasha carefully avoiding meeting each others' gazes, everyone else carefully pretending not to notice-
Leaving Nick Fury to mull over what he's heard about the universe and begin planning his own counter-attack.
A/N There now, the thick plottens. Don't worry, we're back to Loki and Sigyn next chapter but that one was necessary. Hope you enjoyed it and hobbits away, hey!
