Loki was disgruntled.
No, agitated.
It had been nearly a day since he last saw Jamie and he was getting worried. He had tried countless times to access her thoughts using their telepathic link, but something (or someone) was blocking it. The presence that prevented him from reading his wife's thoughts wasn't menacing, but it was enough to send Loki into an emotional overdrive.
But even though he was frazzled, it never showed on his face. The only indication of his unease was the way his jaw was set and how most of the unused papers in the control room were shredded by the end of the day. Also, many SHIELD many agents had had to deal with the illusions cast by the God of Mischief to take his mind off the thought that Jamie had been abducted.
Loki didn't know what to think or do. Even Thor and Jane were missing, and nobody had seen the two since last night.
It was enough to drive him mad.
Now Loki stalked down the hallway, barely aware that Bruce, who had come out from one of the laboratories, was showing signs of changing. Although Bruce was usually in control of the "other guy," today was different. He'd been feeling signs of the transformation even when he woke up next to Betty that morning.
Now Bruce found it harder to control the "other guy": his muscles bulged and his skin turned green. He growled a warning at the tall, dark-haired man walking before him, but Loki was deep in thought.
Bruce slammed his fist against the wall, leaving a huge dent. Only then did Loki turn around and see Bruce.
"Gods," Loki muttered, his expression darkening. "Not again."
Seconds later the Hulk stood before Loki, who was slowly backing away. Loki's eyes were fixed on the green beast, while he summoned an ice disc on his one hand.
The Hulk roared and Loki flinched. The Hulk gave a low chuckle at the god's reaction and continued to advance. The Hulk's footsteps thudded as he walked, and it didn't take long for the others to notice that the Hulk was in the base. Fury, Agent Hill, and the rest of the Avengers, who had been in the control room monitoring the satellites in search for MODOK, filed out into the hallway.
"Restrain him!" Fury called, while Agent Hill hurried to prepare the containment chamber.
"Bruce!" Betty tried to rush towards the front of the crowd, but was held back by several agents. "Don't!"
Loki's eyes flicked from the Hulk to the other Avengers, who were standing cautiously behind the Hulk. None of them were too eager to piss the beast off, because they knew the consequences.
The Hulk swiveled his head around, noticing the crowd that had formed. He roared again, drowning out the sound of Betty's voice as she called his name. Several snipers, who were holding guns that had tranquilizer bullets, stood behind the Hulk and aimed carefully.
A split second before the Hulk could seize Loki by the ankle and pummel the god senseless, they fired. At first the Hulk bellowed his rage, but the tranquilizers did their work quickly and the Hulk felt woozy. He staggered around, finally pitching forward and slamming against the floor.
Loki barely dodged out of the way; the Hulk's hand clipped Loki's ankle as he took several hurried steps back, causing the god to stumble.
Once the Hulk had been subdued, Betty broke free from the agents' hold on her and approached. The Hulk was breathing heavily and she ran her fingers through the tuft of black hair, murmuring softly. Her black hair covered her face and Loki was instantly reminded of Jamie.
"He nearly got you there, didn't he?" Steve commented as he stepped around the Hulk. "Seems like he enjoyed beating you up."
Loki shrugged and ignored how Clint and Natasha were whispering between themselves, no doubt discussing how moronic Loki looked while he was facing the Hulk. Steve didn't say anything more after that; usually it was Jamie who talked to the oversized patriot.
Loki slipped into the crowd and was again lost in his own thoughts. The encounter with the Hulk had shocked him back to reality, but now that the threat had passed, he went back to thinking about Jamie.
Loki repeatedly accessed the telepathic bond between him and his wife, but again he was blocked by the mysterious presence. Finally he decided to ask help from the one person who he had an ounce of respect for: Pepper Potts.
The god knew that Pepper was the only person – besides Tony – that Jamie was very close to. It was very possible that Jamie told the older woman where she was going, and Loki intended to find out.
Pepper was in the cafeteria, preparing breakfast. Tony was still unconscious, but his vitals were becoming steadier. It was a good sign, according to Doctor Franks, and Pepper looked relatively relieved that morning.
"Pepper." Loki came to a stop a few feet from the blonde and she turned slowly.
She smiled when she saw him and asked if he wanted a cup of black coffee. Loki shook his head. "I just want to know where my family is."
Pepper's face fell slightly and Loki, with all his knowledge of lies and betrayal (he was good at keeping his true feelings a secret, after all), found it easy to see that Pepper was hiding a secret from him.
"I haven't seen her since last night," Pepper answered after some time. "I'm worried about her too, you know."
Loki tilted his head and clicked his tongue. "No, I think you've seen her recently. Pepper, I know you're lying to me."
"No I'm not," Pepper argued, her voice rising. Loki could see she was fighting not to let her anxiety show, which only made it easier for him to read her body language. And right now she was sending him all the classic signals of someone lying. "I would never-"
"Jamie told you not to tell me, didn't she?" Loki whispered. "Pepper, you know I wouldn't dream of hurting her. She's my wife."
Pepper remained silent for a moment, while Loki silently counted the seconds. Finally…
"She's fine," Pepper finally said, sighing and resting her hand on the nearby table. "She told me she needed to do something important, that's all."
Loki raised an eyebrow. "And did she say when she'd be back?"
"No. She just visited Tony before leaving and then told me…she told me not to tell you, because she knew you'd be worried."
"Well that's a little too late for that," Loki snapped. "Sometimes she's…"
"Impulsive?" Pepper suggested, which made Loki smirk. "Just like her brother."
"Yes, impulsive. She shouldn't be going out with her pregnancy and not telling me where she's going."
Pepper sat down and gestured for Loki to do the same. He did so hesitantly.
"I'm sorry if this sounds too forward, but do you even trust her?" Pepper asked him, studying the god over the rim of her coffee mug.
Loki looked taken aback by the question, but he nodded.
"Then you shouldn't worry," Pepper said, as if that settled the matter. "I've known Jamie since she was a baby, Loki. She promised me she'd be back, and she will. Plus I know she's crazy about you, so she would never think of leaving you."
Despite himself, Loki smiled at those words. Pepper smiled knowingly but said nothing. The two sat in relative silence, broken only by the soft chatter of the other agents who were having their breakfast.
"How is her brother?" Loki asked after some time.
"Getting better." Pepper gripped the sides of the mug and looked down at the table. "Right now I'm just…I'm just glad he's okay. But a part of me wants to ask him why he's so damn bull-headed."
"Like you said earlier, he's impulsive. They both are."
"Yeah. Yeah, they're Starks. It's in their genes."
It was then when Loki asked Pepper something he had been curious about, but never got the chance to ask.
"Pepper, do you know what Jamie's parents were like?"
The mind is a vast reservoir, filled with neurons that carry millions of memories and data. Some of these data would never be used; locked away simply because the mind could accommodate them. And there were others that the mind would use repeatedly, simply because the mind considered them useful.
In Tony Stark's mind, all these neurons fired millions of memories at him, some of these faces of people whom he'd met briefly, others of information about Stark Industries, and still others of memories he had with his family.
As he lay helpless inside the infirmary of the underground base, something nagged at the back of Tony's mind. Two people needed him now, but his body was broken. Broken, but on the mend.
Even as he lay there, his mind told him that danger was approaching.
And he was helpless to stop it.
Perhaps it was the sudden ringing of the alarm that told him that danger was imminent, or the way goosebumps suddenly formed on his skin, Tony didn't know. What he did know was that he needed to wake the fuck up so that he could put on his suit and kick the shit out of whatever was making that alarm blare in his ears like that.
Come on, move, Tony thought irritably. Move!
Despite his best efforts, his body knew when it was defeated. It just lay there, while his mind fired curses at it.
Tony could hear people shouting, gunfire blaring in the hallways, and explosions rocking the base.
Jesus Christ, are they bringing this entire structure down on us? Tony thought wildly.
"Secure Stark!" Tony heard someone shout from outside his door. Minutes later he smelled Pepper's familiar perfume and felt her hair brush his face.
"Tony, everything's going to be okay," she whispered, kissing him on the forehead.
"Pepper, stay out of sight."
Loki was in the room as well, but Tony heard the god's heavy footfalls as he left the door. Pepper clung to Tony, who couldn't see her grip the gun awkwardly on her right hand or the way her eyes were wide with apprehension.
Another explosion rocked the base, and Pepper cried out in surprise. Tony wanted to assure her he wouldn't let anything happen, but how could he? He couldn't even move his damn fingers!
Just when Tony thought that the situation had been handled, he heard the door to his room fly off its hinges and hit the wall. Pepper shrieked and fired the gun, but the bullets bounced off the circular organism that floated menacingly into the room.
MODOK.
Author's Note: Still busy with work, so I apologize for this rather "short" chapter. Again, I don't know when I'll be able to update this (schedule's going to be hectic the next few days), so thank you for bearing with me. :) Also if any of you have Tumblr accounts, you might want to visit the blog I created for my Loki fan fictions. It's not completely functional yet (haven't had a lot of time to work on it, ugh), but I have posted photos of face claims and the fan fiction covers. Once I get back in the groove, I'll be posting teasers and whatnot there. Just tell me if you want the URL. Peace out. ^_^
