Amaliya slowly opened her eyes they were stuck together and the rough sand irritated them as she fully opened her eyes. She shut them immediately after rubbing them for a few long moments. She opened her eyes once more seeing spots in her vision but they soon cleared. Liya moved her feet to push herself up to a sitting position but hit another body. The princess turned her gaze to see Loki sitting at the foot of her bed. Liya pushed herself up looking at him. He was staring at the wall and his face was stone except for his mouth that was moving slightly like he was muttering.
"Loki," she ventured in a small voice moving closer to him it was then she saw the glow of the gem in the scepter. It captured her gaze almost hypnotizing her, the princess got closer reaching out to touch the stone. Her fingertips were barely grazing the smooth glowing gem when Loki was released from his trance.
"Amaliya," he said shaking his head from his daze. His voice came out louder than he anticipated nearly shouting at her.
Liya jumped startled at his loud exclamation moving away from the Prince. She took a breath, "Where were you," she asked quietly.
Loki sighed, "The Other called to me from the Stone," he explained, "he threatened you once more. I assured him that we would be triumphant and to ready their army. How are you fairing?"
Amaliya shook her head, "I'm exhausted, holding the Chitauri in my mind it's such a burden," she told him frankly and his face dropped. "However," she continued, "I am prepared to do what is needed so that we can go home," she grabbed his hand.
The Asgardian met her gaze, "Let us get this over with then," he pulled her up wrapping his arms around her holding the girl close to him. "Come I need to see to the construction."
Loki led her out into the bunker leading her down a long hallway to a room where Barton and the scientist were. The older man was working on some sort of device; she assumed it would be somewhat like what was in the base they first arrived in, a machine that tapped into the power of the Tesseract.
As Loki led her down the hallway to Barton and the scientist she could feel all the eyes of the soldiers on her, roaming over her very exposed body. She sidled up to the prince as close as she could holding his hand tightly. He turned to her pulling her underneath his arm.
"Yeah. Iridium. It's found in meteorites it forms anti-protons. It's very hard to get hold of," the scientist told Barton.
"Especially if SHIELD knows you need it," the agent told the older man.
Liya studied the scientist's appearance and it seemed to be more disheveled than when she first saw him. His hair was in every which way; his plaid shirt was untucked on one side and his buttons were crooked but he seemed blissfully happy.
"Well, I didn't know," he said before seeing Loki. "Hey!" he greeted the Asgardian cheerfully, "This is wonderful. The Tesseract has shown me so much. It's…it's more than knowledge, it's truth," he told the Prince.
Loki grinned pulling Amaliya in front of him. "I know," he answered, "it," Loki paused for a moment running his hands over Liya's arms, "It touches everyone differently. What did it show you Agent Barton?"
Barton pulled out an object, "My next target," he said succinctly.
The older man snickered lightly, "Stick in the mud. He's got no soul. No wonder you chose this, this tomb to work in."
Barton turned to the scientist once more, "Well, the Radisson doesn't have three levels of lead lined flooring between SHIELD and that Cube."
Liya shuddered in Loki's grip; she could feel the Tesseract but not see it. It was probably better than way, knowing how everything was going it could be a disaster for her to be in the same room as the Cube. Loki absentmindedly rubbed her arms when she met the unnatural blue eyes of the older man.
The left side of his face pulled into an almost sloppy smile. He moved out from behind the clear curtain he was working behind to move closer to the princess. "You're not Asgardian," he observed.
Liya shook her head slightly, "No," she said softly, "I am from Vanaheim."
"Erik Slevig," he introduced himself.
"Amaliya," she returned.
He nodded and moved back to what he was working on. It was an odd but pleasant exchange. Loki was speaking with Barton not paying attention to it and she wasn't listening to their conversation until Loki spoke again.
"Are they a threat," he asked and she felt his hands grip her arms tighter.
"To each other more than likely, but if Fury can get 'em on track, and he might, they could throw some noise our way," Barton told him, his eyes now fixed on Amaliya.
"You admire Fury," Loki observed.
Barton nodded, "He's got a clear line of sight." There was a pause, "She will most definitely be used against you," he nodded in the Princess' direction. "It might be best if she was left here under the care of some of the men."
"No," Loki said firmly, "she stays by my side," as he pulled Liya into his chest. There was another pause, "Is that why you failed to kill Fury?"
"It might be," his eyes still on Amaliya, "I was disoriented and I'm not the best with a gun," he admitted.
"I want to know everything about this team of his. I would," he thought for a moment before a smile crossed the Trickster's face, "test their mettle." Barton nodded as Loki continued, "I am weary of scuttling in shadow. I mean to rule this world, not burrow in it."
"That's a risk," Barton warned.
Loki nodded, "Oh yes," he said, "one we are more prepared than you know to take."
Agent Barton looked at Loki then back at Liya unsure of how this waif of a girl could contend with soldiers and whatever Fury has cooking. "I'm guessing she's a lot stronger than she looks?"
"If you would Amaliya," Loki prodded her.
Liya looked in the direction of a nameless soldier and within moments he fell to his knees grabbing his head in agony then without warning he stopped. The man was breathing heavily and tears fell from his now bloodshot eyes. "I wasn't even trying with him," Liya remarked offhandedly surprised at her own strength.
Barton gave a slight smile impressed with her, "If you're set on making yourself known. I could be useful."
"Tell me what you need."
Barton held the object in his hand out moving his arm in quick motion and the object unfolded into a bow with a whipping sound, "I need a distraction. And an eyeball."
Loki nodded, "We can be more than accommodating in a distraction," he smiled.
Barton smiled again, "The guy that has the iridium is hosting a black tie event at a museum in Stuttgart," he informed the Asgardian, "I need his eye to get past the security to get the stuff he needs," he nodded to Selvig. He put down his bow to pick a small device; it was silver, slender but rounded out to a half circle at the bottom with three points that shot out from the end. Barton handed it to Loki, "This will help getting past the retinal scan, and I assume you know what to do with it?"
Loki nodded, "Now this team Fury will be putting together, tell me about them."
"We should do this somewhere less busy," Barton told him.
The prince nodded, leading the agent to Liya's room. The princess followed them; she needed to be all in during this. She was indeed afraid but was desperate to not show it to Loki, it would shake his confidence and that could snowball into disaster.
Barton had a tablet of some kind in his hand. He tapped on the screen a few times before a picture pulled up on the screen. This man had a very strong face and he was blonde. The name read Steven Rogers aka Captain America.
"Steve Rogers," Barton started, "was a soldier, he was enhanced with a serum that gave him extraordinary strength, speed, endurance, and extended his life. He was lost for 70 years until he was found by SHIELD a few years ago." Barton swiped his finger across the screen pulling another picture of a man; this one was older than Rogers with dark hair and a goatee. His name was Tony Stark aka Iron Man. "Tony Stark, not someone that Fury wants to use but he will in a pinch. Stark is a genius, built a suit of armor that flies and houses weapons like small propelled rockets and what he calls repulsor beams. Stark is also arrogant and selfish, this could play in our favor if the advantage is used properly." Barton swiped again this time a woman appeared on the screen, the name read Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow. There was a pause from the agent looking at her face, "This is Nat…" he shook his head, "Natasha, a Russian spy and expert in several martial arts. Don't be fooled, she is deadly," he smiled slightly, "almost like her," he nodded to Liya.
"Is there anyone else Agent Barton," Loki asked.
"One more," he swiped the screen again showing a picture of another man. The name read Bruce Banner aka The Hulk. This man looked timid and afraid; his hair was dark brown with a slight curl. Loki scrutinized the picture before looking at Barton to question him but the agent swiped again showing a moving image of a great hulking green beast destroying a city.
"Are you saying that man turns into that beast," Liya asked as she marveled at the destruction.
Barton nodded, "Banner was transformed into the Hulk after being hit with gamma radiation. There is no cure for his condition and he has been in hiding for years. However Fury always has a contingency plan, SHIELD has kept tabs on Dr. Banner for years and will be going to collect him," he informed the princess.
She turned to the Asgardian with a concerned look etched onto her face; she didn't want to contend with that Hulk, he looked so monstrous and incredibly strong, surely there was no way that either of them could contend with such a beast.
Loki pulled the princess into him, "Thank you Agent Barton. Make the arrangements and we will be ready."
Barton nodded handing him the tablet. It had dossiers of everyone that he showed the couple. Loki handed the tablet to Amaliya; she swiped it back to Captain America reading his profile. His picture looked so stern but his eyes were kind, she hoped but knew it was a slim chance that they wouldn't meet up with any of these characters. She looked to Loki and his Asgardian garb had shimmered away into a Midgardian suit, it was reminiscent of the suit that he wore after returning from Midgard that seemed a lifetime ago. It fit him well, hugging his lithe body and if it were possible he looked more statuesque than in his traditional Asgardian attire.
He grinned at her extending his hand to her. Liya put the tablet down taking Loki's hand; he spun her around and replaced her clothing with a deep green ball gown. The strapless gown was corseted at the waist and felt of elegant satin trimmed with iridescent gold. The color matched the green in Loki's scarf which hung smartly around his neck. The dress billowed at her hips into a full skirt that hit the floor, it had several layers of fabric which Liya pulled up and saw she was wearing green slippers that had a slender high heel. She tried walking in the shoes but stumbled slightly. Loki caught her holding her close.
"You look exquisite Dove," he whispered into her lips before kissing her.
"And you look incredible my King," she said softly.
The suit he was wearing fit his lithe body so well almost like he was poured into the rich black fabric. Amaliya eyed the prince and smiled, she liked this look better than his Asgardian wardrobe it suited him better. She looked at his scarf it was stunning gold thread interlaced with black making an interesting pattern.
Loki looked hungrily at the Princess. Even during all this he would still stop everything to make love to her. She made his blood boil with just a slight graze of her bare flesh. Liya saw Loki flush and his pupils dilate. She loosened the grip he had on her waist, "We should probably," she cleared her throat quietly; "study what we're up against."
"My apologies Dove," he said quietly, "you are right," he escorted her to the small bed.
The couple went over the files studying all they could about their potential opponents before meeting them. Liya brushed her long hair then tightly wound it in a bun while going over who their potential opponents would be. It wouldn't be too much longer before Barton came to get the couple.