Sokovia… The last place HYDRA had seemed to retrieve to. Their final great bunker and base of operations.
It was highly guarded from all fronts, it had tanks, a minor army of soldiers and god knows what else trying to protect it.
That is why they had decided to wait for Thor until they started operation, they wished to be in their full numbers.
The avengers were ready to make their move on the ground, Loki and Pepper was back in New york observing several monitors which had now become routine for them.
Pepper in particular seemed very happy about being actually involved in any avengers business, and Loki really liked this arrangement to.
He still wasn't allowed to harm any humans, if he had been on the ground, surely he would have to, this really worked out best in everyone best interest.
"There are a group of heat signatures 73 meters west, your own right." Loki informed holding his ear piece. "Must be people, most likely patrolling soldiers."
"Thanks, we'll stay clear." Roger nodded and they headed the other way.
"The area you are entering is more and more densely packed." Loki informed. "Stay aware, you want the element of surprise."
"Oh no." Pepper gasped. "The soldiers have turned, they are heading your way!" she pointed.
Lokis eyes flickered over the screen. "You must have walked into an alarm of sorts, ready yourself, they are coming."
"Well." Clint sighed. "So much for surprise."
"STAY SHARP!" Steve demanded.
"Be safe." Pepper asked and soon the battle erupted.
The data that Pepper and Loki had was from Tony's visuals and scanners, as well as an overhead radar.
"Oh boy, you got company from north east." Loki informed.
"More soldiers?" Tony asked.
"Nope. Tanks." Loki informed.
"NO NEED TO BE SO CASUAL ABOUT IT!" Tony shouted and Loki smirked as he picked up his mug to take a sip of his coffee.
Indeed in Sokovia it was a big spectacle on ground, Steve on his motorcycle, HULK running forward grabbing and slamming soldiers, Clint ready with all arrows, Thor swinging his hammer to his hearts content, Tony flying in from above and of course Natasha ready with guns in hand.
"I really hope this is worth it." Natasha sighed.
"Considering the great security around here, they must be hiding something huge." Clint commented.
"Natasha, Clint, stay close to HULK go south." Steve ordered. "Thor and I will go north, try to spread them out and distract them while Tony."
"Got it." Tony replied. "Go for the prize that's me, lets do this and then get the fuck out of here."
"Ahem Tony, Language." Steve stated as he ran over three soldiers with his motor cycle and leaped in the air, then threw it at another group.
"Excuse me, you just said language?" Tony asked. "Seriously?"
"I know." Steve groaned. "Could you just ignore that?"
"Yeah, no." Tony stated.
"Tony, may I suggest less talking more getting to your target?" Loki asked. "And Captain, I really thought better of you than to be such a potty mouth."
And Steve groaned. "Oh man, this is not going to go away any time soon is it?"
"No." Both Loki and Tony replied.
"Nat, Clint, HULK." Pepper spoke into another microphone. "How are you holding up?" she asked.
"Good, good." Clint stated. "It's just tanks, you know… No biggie." he informed very sarcastically.
"HULK! STRONGEST THERE IS!" A roar sounded, and he actually sounded, pretty happy. "HULK SMASH!"
Loki blinked, then shrugged. "Have fun big guy." he simply stated.
The numbers of soldiers and tanks were indeed overwhelming how-ever, the avengers seemed unstoppable and were winning ground. Loki could not deny their team work here was essential.
One avenger alone were indeed mighty, but it was their combined teamwork that allowed them to keep the upper hand even in such small numbers. It was… incredible honestly, they seemed to be winning.
Just then though, a weird energy came, a zip line almost and Loki blinked… What in the?
Then a big shout sounded. "CLINT!" Pepper shouted. "What happened?!"
"I… I don't know." Clint hissed. "Something hit me."
"This looks bad, Clint you're bleeding!" Natasha exclaimed.
"What the hell was that?" Clint asked.
Lokis eyes flickered at the screen. "Something moving..." he breathed. "At… Nearly 2000 km pr hour."
"Erh Robert." Clint blinked. "That doesn't sound right."
"You're telling me!" Loki exclaimed. "For reference, you break the sound barrier at 1125 km pr hour!" Loki exclaimed. "What-ever that is, it is moving faster than sound!"
Clint froze. "You got… any good news?" he asked.
"Well… It is not moving faster than light." Loki replied.
"Geeh thanks." Clint snorted just as the force came back.
"Stay close to the HULK." Loki instructed.
"You think that is going to help?" Natasha asked.
"Object at break neck speed meets un-removeable wall." Loki painted the picture for them. "HULK."
"HULK understand." The HULK informed. "HULK STRONGEST!"
"That you are my friend, that you are. Protect them." Loki instructed.
"Tony is inside." Pepper breathed. "Tony!"
"I found a secret passage, secret underground lair seems pretty right doesn't it?" Tony asked. "And here we go… Holy.." he gaped.
"What is it?" Loki asked.
"Well… This is what I call jackpot." Tony breathed and then visuals were giving to Loki as Tony had lifted his left arm where he was wearing a simple bracelet that had scanner and camera allowing Loki as well as Jarvis access.
And what Loki saw… Chitauri armor and left overs, dead bodies, many of them cut open, chitauri insides laying on these operating tables for examination, the big war whales. Spoils of the battle four years ago.
It did remind Loki if what Adrian Toomes had been doing, but this somehow seemed far more sinister. Adrian Toomes had at least just kept it at taking the technology apart.
These guys… Had been taking the aliens themselves apart bit for bit…. He was sincerely glad he had not elected to infiltrate himself into HYDRA. If those guys had figured out he wasn't from earth… That would probably be him laying on that table... Most likely with his heart on another table and his liver somewhere else entirely. Not to mention his brain would likely be in one of those jars but cut right through in the middle for observation... Just like that Chitauri brain right over there to Tony's left.
"That's… Really creepy." Pepper breathed.
"You're telling me." Tony gasped.
"Focus Tony, the staff." Loki instructed. himself trying to ignore all the gory sights.
"Yeah, sure. Gives you the chills though huh Rob?" Tony asked.
"It is hard to disagree with that." Loki admitted. "The quicker you find the damn staff though, the quicker you can just get the hell out of there!"
"Greatest motivational speech I ever heard." Tony stated as he walked forward.
As Tony kept moving forward, Pepper moved her attention to the outside battle, most worrying was of course Clint, Natasha and HULK dealing at what-ever it was moving at such a massive speed then Tony halted. "Jackpot."
Loki sighed deeply. "You got it thank..." then he halted. "Tony."
"What? I got it." Tony stated.
"Tony… Tony there's something. BEHIND YOU!" Loki exclaimed as he stood up, then there was silence, desperately Loki looked at the visuals but all he got was a dark room and the blue glow of the staff. "Tony?" he asked. "TONY!" he shouted. "Tony, can you hear me?! TONY!"
"What's wrong?" Pepper asked.
"SHIT!" Loki exclaimed. "Someone is in there in the room with him! And that someone… TONY SNAP OUT OF IT!" he shouted then his eyes widened. "And the thing moving quicker than sound is heading his way to."
"TONY!" Pepper shouted.
"THOR!" Loki called into the head piece. "You need to aid Tony know!"
"How do I..." Thor asked.
"GO THROUGH THE WALL IF YOU HAVE TO! YOU'RE GOOD AT THAT!" Loki shouted.
"What's wrong?" Steve asked now concerned.
Loki struggled, what he was going to say was going to sound so weird to anyone else than Thor, yet he had to. "I… I'm afraid there's a person using the art of sorcery, or something very similar to sorcery in the room with Tony, this person did something. Tony's heart rate is ecstatic and he is not responding! Oh great! Now the speedster is in there to!"
"There was a small gamma burst." Pepper tried. "It seemed to hit Tony's head it.."
"What's going on?" Tony's groggy voice sounded.
"TONY!?" Multiple people shouted.
"Tony!" Loki exclaimed. "BEHIND YOU!"
How-ever before Tony could even turn around, the speedster seemed to have grabbed the sorcery user and they were gone. "Rob… Dunno how to tell you this, but there's no one there."
Loki groaned as he sat back. "You can have a look at the recordings yourself when you get into the jet." he stated. "I am not going to discuss this right now. The staff ought to be right in front of you, just… Let's get this over with."
"Couldn't agree more." Tony sighed deeply.
"Thor, you can slow down. Tony is alone now." Loki added as he looked at the signature still going towards the place at a high speed and he slowed down.
"Nat, Clint, HULK." Steve called. "Status."
"Clint needs medical attention, stat." Natasha informed. "HULK and I are good."
"I got the damn staff." Tony seethed. "Let's get the hell out of here! This place is seriously giving me the worst kind of creeps! Do you know what the inside of a Chitauri looks like? I didn't either before right now! And let me tell you something! That shit is nasty!"
"Careful with that staff, do not let it touch your skin, put it in the container." Loki instructed.
"Got it, got it, you only told me this a million times before we even got on the dumb jet." Tony muttered. "Also, person who use sorcery? This is not really a good time for joking."
"Shut up Tony." Loki groaned as he sat back rubbing his face.
"Tony, you fought a Norse god." Pepper pointed out. "And another one is on your team, he controls the weather. So be nice, there really was something. We need to check your head. seriously, that was scary."
Tony was silent for a while.
"Tony?" Pepper asked.
"Ahem, yeah… I.. I'll see you soon." Tony breathed. "Gonna take a breather, see ya." and he cut them off.
Loki and Pepper looked at each other.
"What do you think that was?" Pepper asked.
"I don't know." Loki admitted. "What-ever it was..." he halted. "Let's just hope it wont bother us further, they escaped the battle field. So, perhaps they weren't that interested in confrontation." he frowned… yeah right. That was a pathetic assumption.
How the hell though, would earth get access to that kind of power? Then he looked up… human experimentation.
They… They actually did it! … Shit.