Miss Star was in a haze of emotional pain. Loki, after getting nailed by Coulson's Tesseract gun, had reclaimed her and hastily fled the scene of murder. Being gently escorted through the Helicarrier hallways, with Loki's long arm wrapped around her waist, she suddenly realized something was missing; her diamond shard. Coming out of her teary fugue enough to cast her senses out to track down her errant talisman she felt two places. A larger one, converging on the tinier one: Fury and Coulson. The tinier pulse of star energy was back where Loki and she had just been. Her diamond shard was with Coulson? Was it possible…?
Suddenly they were outside, the wind tearing over her face and through her hair, stripping her slow train of thought. Nobody was around on the deck; no Iron Man, no Captain America, no Thor, no thrice-cursed Fury – there to stop Loki from escaping. A single quin-jet stood on the runway, its back open and inviting for Loki's get-away. The Mischief God moved her along as he made his way towards that jet. He bodily guided her in first, as the jet began taking off, and Loki stepped in after her, as the back hatch closed itself.
Her tear-drained eyes watched his pale face contort into fury as he looked at the blood-stained staff tip. Loki then looked at her and his eyes softened, apologetically. She didn't care; whatever feelings she had for the god were killed; sliced away like Loki had stabbed Coulson. She glared hatefully at him.
XXXX
Helicarrier Detention deck:
Fury nearly stopped in horror as he took in the sight waiting for him in the detention center; after all the ruckus that had happened since the first explosion, then hostiles trying to bull-rush the bridge, then dealing with a rampant Hulk, to a compromised Barton's successful effort in shutting S.H.I.E.L.D. computers down via arrow-delivered virus – this image of agent Phillip Coulson was sagged against the metal wall, looking half-dead was the worst.
"Sorry, boss." Coulson rasped out as Fury rushed to his best agent's side, removing the heavy-tech gun from Phil's lap, making a brief medical check over the man. "The god rabbited, taking Miss Star captive."
"Don't talk. Just stay awake." Fury advised, concerned. "Eyes on me."
"No…I can't do that boss." Coulson said, feeling his body slide into the pain; it shook twice. "I'm clocking out."
"Not an option." Fury barked out, placing a hand on Coulson's shoulder.
"It's okay, boss…" Coulson coughed. "I tried to…j-just tell Miss Star…They wouldn't pull together withou-" Phil's head lulled onto his shoulder, his eyes closing. Fury lowered his head, his brain racing in anger and shock. The S.H.I.E.L.D. director launched himself back as Helicarrier medical staff rushed to the inert body and began applying medical aide.
"Agent Coulson is down. A medical team is on their way. They're here…they called it."
Seconds later, one of the white-clad aides looked back and shook his head. Fury sighed in aggravation and bowed his head. What happened next made the personnel launch into a flurry of activity, making Fury's last statement a complete lie.
XXXX
"Agent Coulson is down. A medical team is on their way. They're here…they called it." Fury's voice echoed through the radios. Having just finished clearing out the last of the hostile men who were trying their best to blow more of the Helicarrier up, Captain America and Iron Man stood in the exposed, ruin part of the fourth explosion-wrought engine turbine; their heads bowed in sorrow. Tony's mind was red with rage.
"What about Miss Star?" Captain's voice barely registered in Tony's mind.
"Her location is unknown." Hill's voice stated simply, speaking for Fury.
Minutes later, when Stark had finally removed his banged-up suit and trudged his way towards the bridge; he found his brain working again. The red-rage which had blinded him had subsided some and allowed his synapses to start, to focus on the next twenty steps. There was nothing he could do until Loki – damn the bastard – was located again. The billionaire knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. had removed his Stark-Tech tracker from her body - so much for working together on that account. Tony would kill Barton if the traitorous agent ever showed his face again.
Finally trudging onto the bridge and taking the seat his Supernova had sat in last night, the billionaire barely registered it was late morning. Where was Banner? Didn't care jack-sh*t about Black Widow, nor the blonde-headed Neanderthal Thunder god – Tony still needed to punch the man's face in for Supernova's sake. Why? Tony couldn't remember why.
Not looking up at Fury's entrance, the genius flinched as a broken Stark-Tech phone was thrown, clattering across the rounded table until it slid to a stop in front of Tony.
"This was found below the science lab, with five dead men." Fury's haggard voice was directed at the only two who managed to drag their asses to the bridge: him and Rogers. Tony felt his eyes lower to the mangled phone and stared at it. "Miss Star was able to speak for a few minutes before communication was lost."
"What happened, Sir?" Captain America spoke up from Tony's right side.
"We believe some of Loki's agents got to her." Fury was a damned nasty liar, Stark thought. Nobody should have had access to Superstar's personal digital wave Tony had programmed into the phone. It would have come directly to him, through J.A.R.V.I.S.
"Also, these were in Coulson's jacket." Fury broke the silence again, holding blood-stained 'Captain America' trading cards. "I guess he never got you to sign them…" He threw the cards in Steve Rogers's direction; he stared sadly at them.
"We're dead in the air." Fury continued. "Our communications, the location of the cube, Banner, Thor, Miss Star…I got nothing! I lost my one good eye… maybe, I had that coming. Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract." The one-eyed man continued, and removed the package containing the diamond fragment from his coat and slid it up next to the busted Stark-tech phone in front of Tony. "Yes, Project Z.E.N. had to do a lot with Miss Star and her powers, but I've never put all my chips on those two ideas though, because I was betting in something a lot riskier; the Avengers Initiative. Both she and Stark were aware of that plan."
Stark simply stared at the glittering piece of rock. "The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them." Every word was like a stab in Stark's heart. "To fight the battles that we never could. Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes."
That was the last straw. Stark grabbed the starburst diamond, rose from his seat and silently left. The billionaire playboy genius philanthropist was angry at Fury, angry at Loki, but most of all, angry at himself for not protecting his charismatic Superstar.
XXXX
Captain America watched with lost, haunted eyes as Stark left the bridge without a damned sound. The man was as pissed off as Rogers had ever seen him. Their petty arguments last night were all dust compared to how angry was Stark was.
"Director Fury, sir?" Rogers spoke, after picking up one of the bloody vintage trading cards Coulson had spoken about.
"Yes, Capt?"
"Just who is Miss Star? How big of an impact does she have on Stark?"
"Big. She and Miss Virginia Potts are very important to Stark." Fury answered, his voice sounding so very tired. "Miss Star also had an interest in one of our agents, and Banner."
Rogers didn't answer, but paid attention to his train of thought and connected the dots. The agent Fury probably spoke of was Coulson. Phil did mention the young lady just as much as his fascination with Captain America.
"Agent Coulson was the first to offer a hand in friendship to Miss Star." Fury threw out off-handedly. "Stark had her awhile before we could get to her, but Phil managed to be her first true friend. Tony didn't exactly shower her with attention her first month - something she sorely needed."
"Pardon me? First month?" Steve looked up from gazing at the bloody cards.
"Yes, Miss Star isn't from around here. She's not even from where Thor and Loki are from."
"She's what?" Captain America blinked, confoundedly confused.
"She's lost, Capt; more lost than you were when you first woke up." Fury finally sat down next to Rogers. "She's what we call a dimensional walker…and yes there are other dimensions out there other than ours and she's very well lost."
"I'll be damned…" the super soldier exhaled through his nose and stood up. He was so out of his comfort zone and didn't see it coming back anytime soon.
Stalking through the half-empty Helicarrier halls in search for Stark, Rogers felt he understood more of the young woman's situation. From what he could remember from her files, the Man of Iron had rescued her from a freezing death and for that, she most likely fell in love. As for Coulson; like Fury had mentioned, Miss Star needed a tried and true friend in a world she didn't belong to and Coulson had filled that. Rogers now saw that her reactions to Doctor Banner were most likely those of a young woman craving a more intimate relationship – something Stark hadn't or wouldn't fill. For an innocent looking young woman, her emotions reached out to make connections in a situation completely beyond her control, in a place she was a stranger in. Steve finally felt some warmth towards the seemingly random young woman.
XXXX
Helicarrier Detention Center:
Tony rushed off the bridge; hoping to leave behind the pain, the anger and the sense of helplessness. When his mind once again overwhelmed the rage, the genius found himself in the cell where the glass and steel cage had once been – where Coulson had faced Loki and died trying to save…save what…or whom? Stark had yet to figure out just what had happened to the young woman he saved in the Arctic. The explosion had tossed her into the insides of the Helicarrier – thank god she flew backwards and not forwards; it was a damned long way down.
Supernova had said she broke her wrist and possibly had more minor injuries of which five or so of medical-treating men were treating when what? Barton, Loki's little dark boy, had killed the men protecting her and…- he refused to think of the darker scenarios the S.H.I.E.L.D. archer could enact. Somehow, after restraining his Superstar, somebody gave her to Loki. Barton couldn't…the bastard was assaulting the bridge to take down the communications or whatever.
When Loki got free, he most likely…Coulson most likely tried his best to save Superstar from Loki's grasp, and ended up dead for his efforts. Now his cheerful Superstar was gone; taken as a trophy by a bat-sh*t insane madman proclaiming himself god and ruler of Earth.
He suddenly came to a startling realization: Tony Stark was nothing without Jiru and Pepper. Thank God Pepper was safe somewhere, out of the way. He couldn't function if something had happened to Pepper too. Tony should have sent Superstar with the red-headed woman; none of this would have happened…Coulson would still be alive and she would be safe.
"Was he married?" Steve Rogers asked, snapping Stark out of his dark thoughts.
"Uh, no." the billionaire turned his eyes off the empty cell space. "No…, but Coulson had feelings for Superstar."
"I'm sorry…" Steve murmured. "He seemed to be a good man."
"They were idiots!" Tony snarled out, turning to face Steve. "Facing Loki alone… What were they thinking…what was Coulson thinking?"
"He was doing his job." Steve Rogers defended. "If Miss Star was in trouble…"
"He was out of his damned league!" Stark insisted. "He should have waited for back up. He should have called…she would…he should…"
"Sometimes there isn't a way out, Stark…"
"There's always a way out!"
"First time you lost people in the field?" the Captain said sadly.
"We are NOT soldiers!" Stark snapped back. "Superstar is NOT a soldier. I'm not marching to Fury's little fife and neither is she."
"Me neither." Steve Rogers said. "He has the same blood on his hands that Loki does. But right now we need to put this behind us and get this done!"
"He made it personal." Stark's eyes wandered towards the blood stain on the wall, wincing at the thought of telling the dimensional walker Coulson was dead. She would take it very hard…so would Pepper.
"That's not the point…"
"It is. It's Loki's point." Stark explained. "He hit us right at home! Why?"
"To tear us apart."
"Exactly. But he knows that he needs to take us out to really win. He wants to beat us in public. He wants an audience, a stage. Loki's a diva, a prima donna. He wants statues, spotlights, headlines. He wants a huge monument built to the skies with his name plastered on the—" Stark stopped ranting and finally connected the dots. He knew exactly were Loki was taking both the Tesseract and his Supernova.
"SON OF A BITCH!"
XXXX
Solitary Holding Cell:
Natasha pulled a chair and sat a little ways from Clint's bed. He was still unconscious. The Black Widow sighed as everything within the past couple hours sank in. The team was scattered. Coulson was dead. Loki had escaped, taking the young woman with him. Natasha gazed up at the ceiling; playing back the thoughts in her head about Doctor Banner – of how she ran, giving into her fear of the Hulk. Clint suddenly moved, straining against the padded restraints.
"What?" Barton growled out, shaking his head. Romanov watched as his arms flexed as he tried to pull loose. The archer was still slightly disoriented.
"Clint?" The red-headed spy moved to the edge of her chair. "Clint, it's going to be all right." The archer grunted in pain and shook his head. "You're going to be all right." Her partner turned and screwed up his eyes as if to make out who she was.
"Tasha?" Clint shook his head again. The ice blue in his eyes faded to his original gray.
"Clint, it's ok." She crooned, reaching out towards Barton. He shrunk back away from her hand, pulling at his restraints. His fiercely throbbing head screamed at him, telling Barton exactly what he had done.
"You know that?" He asked hoarsely, spitting the words out. "Is that what you know?" Natasha winced and sat back in her chair.
"I got…I gotta go in though." Barton took a deep, shaking breath. "I gotta flush him out."
"We don't have that long." Natasha urged him. She walked over to the bedside table and poured a large glass of water. "It's going to take more time than we can allow. Loki's escaped."
"Loki…I gave her to Loki, Tasha." Barton's voice oozed with shame and regret. "She trusted me and I gave her to Loki."
"It's not your fault, Barton." Romanov knew just who Barton was talking about.
"Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?" The archer asked, as he sat in the restraining bed. Black Widow looked over her shoulder at him. Her partner was staring listlessly against the metallic wall, refusing to look anywhere else. "Loki fed me lies about her, 'Tash, and I believed them. I hated her."
Romanov rejoined Barton and placed a hand on his face, drawing his sight away from the wall. She looked down at the padded restraints and then back at Clint. He frowned in confusion.
"Why am I back?" Clint asked quickly, aching to forget his mistake. "How did you get him out?"
"Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head." The Black Widow smiled again and began to unbuckle the restraints on Clint's wrists.
"Tasha, how many agents?"
"Barton." She stopped and looked at him seriously. "Don't do that to yourself. It wasn't you. It was Loki and things that we weren't trained for."
The archer sat up, rubbing his wrists. Romanov handed him the tall glass of water. "Loki, did he get away?"
Natasha walked towards the windowed door and nodded. "Don't suppose you know where?" Clint shook his head, bringing his elbows up to rub his eyes.
"I didn't need to know." Barton said. "I didn't ask." He took a long drink of the water before answering. "He is going to make his play soon. Possibly today. He was waiting until he got Chir…her."
Barton's partner turned to face him. "Then we've got to stop him before he hurts Agent Chirpie."
"Yeah? Who's we?" Barton snarled, swinging his legs over the ledge of the bed.
"I don't know who's going to stop Loki. Anyone we have left, I guess." The female assassin replied.
Clint was silent and looked down at his hands. The archer wanted to cut them off; to rid himself of the appendages that hurt the young woman who trusted him so much. Loki had filled his head with so many lies about the alien woman, and now Clint found it impossible to dislodge that kernel of doubt. She had been with Loki before; and came to Earth to open the Tesseract portal – how she did that while Barton had made sure she never went near the damned cube was beyond him. The insane god told Barton everything about her, including her intimacy with him. Barton didn't understand how a woman like her could hold such a condemning lie like that back. Clint sighed and made up his mind; she was innocent of Loki's schemes…she had to be, if Clint was ever going to forgive himself for betraying her. Thinking back before the whole thing started, Clint knew he had taken enough of Chirpie's measure to believe in her innocence.
"Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eye socket, I'd sleep better, I suppose." Hawkeye stated slowly as Natasha sat quietly on the edge of the bed. "I don't believe Chirpie is in with Loki. We have to go after her."
"Now you sound like you." The Russian spy murmured softly, placing a hand on Barton's knee. Clint glanced at her and turned to look at his partner's face. There was something wrong.
"But you don't." Clint said; his voice was concerned. "What happened? What did Loki do to you?"
"He didn't do anything to me." Romanov answered, looking away.
"Tasha…" Barton questioned again.
"I've been compromised…"
XXXX
Abandoned Warehouse:
Banner lost it when he heard the young woman's wrist snap. He felt it give under his own hand, and that, unlike the previous minute where the world exploded, made him angry. It only got worse when she cried out, trying to tug her broken wrist free. After that, his vision went green, then red. Bruce vaguely remembered flashes of red hair and the heavy slamming annoyance of a blunt weapon. He could not remember much of anything else.
"You okay, fella? You fell out of the sky." A voice interrupted Bruce's muggy train of thought.
Banner slowly opened his eyes, taking in just where the Hul-Other Guy had left him. He found himself in a Hulk-sized crater, in the floor of an empty, dilapidated warehouse. He also realized that he was naked; which would have killed him with embarrassment if a certain young woman was there.
"Uh…n-no, I'm okay." Banner managed to stutter out, finally bringing his sight up and behind him. "D-did…did I hurt anybody?"
"Oh, no…" the old feller on top of the debris pile in which Banner was at the bottom of spoke. "There's nobody around to hurt. Scared the hell out of some pigeons, though."
Banner simply nodded, slowly bringing his hands up to rub his face. The old man, looking to be stick skinny and way too old to be guarding such a place reached down behind the jutting broken concrete.
"I got you some clothes, fella, waited until you shrunk down some before they fitted."
"Thanks…" Banner caught the thrown strange clothes and blushed at his naked situation. He most likely would have lost it again and turned into the big guy had the dimensional walker been there. Hastily shoving his legs into the dusty pants, Bruce cast his senses out. Nothing threatening came to show; it was just him, the creaky old man and the busted empty warehouse.
"Are you an alien?" the old guard broke the silence as Banner stuffed on the purple sweater.
"Excuse me?" his eyes went to the old man.
"Are you an alien, son?"
"No, I'm not."
"Well then, you've got quite a condition…"
The physicist chuckled to himself, imagining Jiru laughing at the joke.
"Something wrong, son?" The guard asked as Banner followed him out of the warehouse.
"No, it's just…" Banner tried to explain, looking across the horizon. He found himself very close to Manhattan. The place where he had fallen was just across the oceanic river from the city. If he squinted, Bruce thought he could make out the gleaming white spike of Stark Tower. "There's somewhere I should go, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea…"
"Why?"
"My friends may need me." Banner answered. "But, while I can help, I can also make things worse."
"Well, then you're no different than anybody else." The man retorts. "Honestly, I think you've already made up your mind."
"Indeed." Banner smiled and plotted out his next plan of action.