Disclaimer: I own nothing owned by someone else.
AN: Thanks for reading and I hope you have a good time…
"Are you certain you want to accompany me?" Thor asked.
This question frustrated Natasha because she could very well decide not to go, but at the same time she felt obligated to, "Just take me with you, before I change my mind. I'll be more help than anything else." Natasha said, just wanting to get it over with. Oh, she was really gonna regret this and when she got back, if she did, Bruce would be on her back and SHIELD would be asking her so many questions, but she had to do this anyway. She owed it to Thor. He was her teammate and she betrayed him. She should have never made that promise to Barton in the first place.
"So be it…" Thor said.
Suddenly, before she knew what was going on around her, streams of colors and a vibrating sound surrounded her. She felt somehow out of body and yet twisted into her flesh and she was queasy and then… She was there. The room was rounded and shined golden, it was magnificent to behold. A man, with golden armor from head to foot, stood still and postured in the middle of the room, a sword in his hands like the sword king Arthur pulled out of the stone. His elegant demeanor was something grand to see. But his eyes, oh, his eyes! They were a beautiful fiery amber that showed much wisdom and age within their depths. Natasha could not keep her sights away from those amazing eyes.
"Welcome, my prince." The man said, calmly, looking at Thor with respect and calmness in every aspect of his stance.
"Heimdall, you must take us to Alfheim, immediately!" Thor said, urgency in his voice.
"Yes, my prince." Heimdall said without question as though he already knew what was happening and understood. He then gave Thor a strange knowing look but only for a split second could Natasha see it. Probably her imagination.
"Alfheim?" Natasha interjected. "I thought we were going to Asgard. Why are we going to Alfheim?" Natasha knew what 'Alfheim' was. After the discovery of Thor, she had read a lot about Norse mythology.
"Natasha… Loki's cure is located in Alfheim." Thor said, before turning back to Heimdall, "Take us to Alfheim." He said, commandingly.
"Tho—" But before she could even finish his name, she was enveloped into the swirling confusion again, travelling this time to 'Alfheim'.
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Tony and Steve came crashing into the room like a rapid hurricane, if Bruce was not going to turn into the big guy by the end of that day he would still have a heart attack anyway. It was a good thing he was a calm person and could endure these situations pretty well.
"What's the situation, Brucey?" Tony said.
"He won't stop heating up…" Bruce said, "His temperatures going up as we speak and he's human."
"Yeah, so why is Loki human exactly? When did that happen? Why did that happen?" Tony asked, curiosity in his voice.
"We don't have time to ask those questions right now, Tony, Loki's going to die unless Thor gets here on time. All we can do to help is prolong his time."
"Alright." Tony said, "Here's a suggestion, let's put him in a bath filled with icy water."
"Are you sure that's safe?" Steve asked, concerned.
"Steve, once upon a time I was challenged to take an ice bath when I was twelve. I accepted the challenge, beat the obstacles, and won a candy bar I could have bought instead of going through all that hassle. It won't kill Loki. He'll be fine." Tony said. "Also, it won't actually be an 'ice bath', we'll be using a mechanical machine that produces cold air inside it. He'll just be laying in really cold water and air. No ice."
Steve nodded, "Alright, then… Let's get started with this. Bruce, you need to stay and make sure Loki's vitals are stable. Tony, you're coming with me to get the 'ice tub'." Steve said, going into full on Steve mode as he always had a habit of doing during a crisis.
"Bossy much? Geez, Steve." Tony said, as he led Steve out the room.
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A light shined stingingly in her eyes, a buzzing noise echoing in her ears. She blinked twice, before the area was clear enough to see a little.
Her ears were still buzzing as her eyes widened at what she saw: a gorgeous forest unlike any she had ever seen, not really a jungle, yet so colorful regardless. The light of the sun shined brightly over the beautiful trees. She blinked again. The sun was a light purple, making the land seem even more harmonious.
She could hardly believe what she saw before her. She felt like one of the children on 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' upon first entering into the candy land of wonder. She wasn't on earth, she was in an entirely different world! It felt extraordinary! A curiosity and enthusiasm she hadn't felt since she was only a small child crept over her, making her spine tingle with wonder and her heart pound with excitement.
"Natasha." She jumped at the sound of her name, she had forgotten Thor was even there, too mesmerized by the new beauty all around her. It was so thrilling!
"Come. We must now retrieve the elixir that shall work as a cure for Loki." He said, matter-of-factly.
She felt her face harden immediately and she would have cursed herself out loud for getting distracted so easily if it wasn't for Thor's presence. She had a mission to fulfill and that was all; no admiring the sceneries, no matter how picturesque they may be; no distractions.
Thor turned and began walking a determined sort of walk, "So… how long will this take, exactly?" she asked, as she followed him, slowing down when she got by his side.
"Well over four hours, but with my special set of skills it will take no more than one or two. You see I have been taught since a very young age how to hunt and it in turn helped me understand my surroundings and how to move faster in them. I am well equipped at finding my way around, even in the densest of forests." Thor replied, as they trudged on in the fantastical place.
"I, see." She said, briefly, as they walked on. She hoped Thor didn't realize that she was the one who told Clint. Thor could be an incredible oaf sometimes but he wasn't actually a complete idiot. He was smarter than one might assume on a first meeting with him and it wouldn't really be too difficult for him to figure it out. She looked down at her feet awkwardly as they walked before looking up again. After this was over and Loki was hopefully safe she would have to tell him.
Animal noises could be heard from all directions like beautiful melodies that never once became tiresome or a nuisance to her ears, unlike some of the many melodies of earth. There were calming and lovely sounds all around them.
The ground was wet with water that seemed to dry when it came into contact with her boots, she could feel an almost electrical tingle go up her feet every time she stepped in these strange puddles and for small moments she even thought she saw a tiny green electrical spark in the water where she stepped, every once in a while.
"This place is incredible." She finally couldn't stop herself from saying. She supposed she was only being honest, it was an incredible place, but she also didn't want to embarrass herself or have Thor think she didn't take the mission seriously.
She fancied imagining what SHIELD's reaction would be to see such a place as this one.
"Yes, it's quite a magnificent place." Thor said, his face seemed dark and far away. She couldn't blame him. His brother was in great danger of dying and it was half his fault… as well as her own. She began to walk faster. As much as she hated the bastard, Loki, she wouldn't let someone unjustly die because of her when she had sworn a hundred times to never let that happen again and yes she thought this was not justified. Clint wasn't out for justice, he was out for revenge and there is a huge difference between the two.
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They smiled brightly at him, their faces gleaming in the small lit room so that he could only see the wrinkles of their terrifying shadows, lurking about.
One in particular held something in his deformed hands. The light flickered on for a moment and a sharp rusted knife was briefly visible before the lights went out again, leaving him in the dark.
He tried to crouch low, away from the ever watching eyes of the monsters he was exposed to and unable to escape from, but he found he couldn't move because he was tied up. A panic filled his chest and lungs and he tried to control it. He tried so hard to control it! His eyes were watering with fear, he would have begged for mercy if it were not for the fact that he already knew well that would have made things worse.
Scuttles were heard echoing from all parts of the room, as the light flickered on again, for a moment, he saw the knife and the eerily terrifying creature holding it. The most mutant and grotesque out of all the Chitauri. It never made a noise, it never did anything but smile at him until then… then it was acting and he could not predict when it would strike at him or where and he could not move to save himself!
His heart began banging in his chest like a drum going faster and faster, waiting for something horrific to occur at every moment.
He heard a singeing noise, the pitch black room lit up again, this time a darker light shown over the room. He looked up with caution and there he saw the creature looking down on him with the knife glowing red from an unknown heat source, the creatures lips curled in a huge and malevolent smile. His heart was pounding.
Before he had time to do anything it grabbed his lower arm with its harsh cold hands poked the fiery knife into his hand, letting it slowly sink in. He was instantly met with a searing pain in his hand and he immediately screamed in agony as he tried not to thrash about and make the pain worse. His hand was dripping with sticky blood as it hung still attached to the knife. His whole body shook violently with pain. The creature ripped the rusty knife off unexpectedly and Loki grabbed his hand, with a small whimper. He could hear the intense sound of the other Chitauri cackling loud, reverberating around the room, getting louder and louder, and making his head bang with pain and confusion.
They were coming nearer and nearer. The lights flickered for a moment and he saw them all around him. One kicked him. Another went so far as to untie him and then through him the other side of the room and they came by his side again, one squeezing his bloody hand as he screamed in agony.
They wouldn't stop. Please make them stop! Please! Please! Plea-
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"That's all we can do until Thor gets back…" Bruce said in his most frustrated voice.
Tony wondered if they could possibly just find another way to save Odin other than Loki's help, though he wouldn't share that opinion with anyone; Captain Underpants and Zeus Almighty might pull a hissy fit on him and he honestly didn't feel like arguing with them at the moment. Steve and Thor could be really exasperating sometimes.
"When do you think Thor will get back?" Steve asked, looking at the machine Loki lay inside, with an uncomfortable and serious expression on his face.
"I have no idea…" Bruce said, solemnly.
"Well, in the meantime I guess we can always play cops and robbers." Tony said. Someone had to lighten the mood with some humor, that room was cramming and crushing them it was so tense. He needed a big vacation after all this was over. "I need a drink. Anyone want anything?" he said, sighing loudly.
"I'll have a Pepsi." Steve said.
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They had been walking for at least forty-five minutes and it had begun to be quite treacherous, but the place was just too amazing for Natasha to really mind all that much, even if it had begun to get rocky and bumpy and her shoes were getting wet and staying that way.
"How much further?" Natasha asked.
"Look in front of you, Natasha." Thor said, suddenly as he stopped.
There, right in front of her without her even noticing, was a great… city! It was a beautiful place. Archaic yet futuristic at the same time. There were towers far up in the sky, reaching the clouds and short buildings reaching as low as fifteen feet in height. But what the shorter towers lacked in regality they gained in quaintness and peacefulness. The air smelled of honey and the exotic trees were filled with beautiful birds. The sun hit the city like a splash of paint that perfected everything.
Natasha could only say. "Wow…" as she beheld the beautiful place. "Just, wow…"
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Clint was in his rented apartment, going through his thoughts.
He hadn't packed yet to go back to his home… He just didn't want to go back for some reason. He felt like his business in the big city had just begun and he didn't know why… He couldn't really tell if it was anger or shame he felt as he sat on the bed staring out at the window, with thoughts racing by like cars on a highway.
He felt on edge. He was getting a feeling that he shouldn't have shot Loki like that… But Loki deserved it, right? But he did what Loki would have done in his place…, no, Loki made him hurt innocent lives and that was enough reason. Besides, it's not like he actually killed the bastard. He just… He tortured him. Thor would never forgive him for this, so he certainly lost him as a friend. But no, it's not torture, it's not revenge, it is justice, plain and simple and that was that and Thor will understand, he's sure, when he comes around. But then again this wasn't a very plain and simple situation, was it? And Thor loved his brother… Would he be willing to forgive Clint?
Clint sighed in deep frustration. He just didn't know what to do. He was stuck wanting to stay because he felt guilty and because he felt angry. It was like he didn't want to accept closure. Would anything ever be over for him?
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"Alright, then." Thor said, determination in his voice. "Let us go."
Thank you all so much for reading and until next time,
P.H.