"Unlock the second door on the left, Jay," Tony said under his breath. He came to a sliding stop and grabbed the knob, but it wouldn't open. "Jarvis?"
"I'm trying, sir, but there's a complication."
Loki stepped around Tony, grabbed the handle and pushed the door inside, along with the frame.
"That works, I suppose," Tony said as he dove inside. Loki was getting the hang of the suit operation pretty damn quickly.
It was a lab, because, duh, laboratory level. The lights were off here, but there was another, similar room just behind a glass division that was brightly lit. He fell into a crouch and stayed under the line of the metal islands in the middle of the room.
"There, the doorway at the back," he whispered when Loki joined him. The Asgardian nodded in agreement.
A woman ran through the other lab and went straight for the door to the hallway, almost hitting her face against it when it did not respond to her pulling on the handle. "Thanks, Jarvis."
"The least I could do, sir."
The woman turned around and yelled something towards the backroom. It wasn't in English, nor Sokovian, more like some Scandinavian language. Swedish or Danish. Norwegian possibly. Multicultural endeavor, the bunch.
"She is saying to call for backup. I'll try to block the call if I can trace it."
"Can we snuff the comms on this level? Hell, cut off the entire base? We're kind of past the pretenses at this point."
"They're running through seven different servers in three different subsystems and the defensive measures have just been launched. I can't disable all of them at once without giving up my position."
"Okay, just focus on opening the way." That was paramount, the rest they could deal with. "And keep me posted."
Jarvis stated a confirmation and tuned out. Tony stopped, considering his options. He couldn't lead them back into the corridor, because – first, they needed to get to the stairwell, going for the elevators would leave them too exposed if someone pinpointed their location, which was a given at this point. Targets on a shooting range, not fun. Second – it would be swarming with guards soon enough.
They had to cross the backroom and get into the service hallway beyond. "We still need to go through there, there's no other way."
Loki gave him the "yes" sign and moved forth. The wrapped chain wasn't entirely silent, but it was a lot better, especially when Loki was moving slowly, like now. It looked a bit less offensive to Tony's sense of decorum, too. Slightly, but it was still an improvement. Tony should've thought about that, but just looking at it made his stomach churn and he subconsciously gave it as little deliberation as humanly possible. And, again, having to keep quiet was some spy-level shit he wasn't at all used to.
But it looked like Loki was a natural. Or just had a lot of practice.
The drugs they had him under had to be wearing off too, because he seemed more and more coordinated and aware of his surroundings. Which meant better chances for their continual survival, but also made Tony a bit jittery. Jarvis' resources were spread thinly, and one slip could mean Tony's demise if the god flipped his shit and the AI was not fast enough to stop him. So far it seemed Loki was far more interested in surviving and getting out in one piece than in picking up where they left off in New York though.
Loki moved closer to the glass division, lifted the visor and peeked over the edge of the window and into the backroom. He was up for just a split second and the thumbnail view from the suit's main camera Tony had on in the corner of HUD showed just a quick blur of motion.
Loki's hands moved. "Four lab workers, no soldiers, no visible weapons," Jarvis provided, before the recognition software finished processing the feed. All right, Loki's brain was definitely up and running.
Tony enabled the comm link. "Okay. Here's what we're going to…"
Loki shot up from where he was crouching next to the partition. His gauntleted fist shattered the glass and he promptly vaulted over the barrier, with an amount of grace pretty unexpected for someone who just minutes ago couldn't even hold his own head up.
"Sir?" Jarvis prompted.
"No, let him. We have to deal with them anyway," Tony whispered.
The woman by the door screamed and started yanking on the knob again, but the door wouldn't budge. Loki grabbed some heavy piece of lab equipment from one of the tables – it might have been a stand or a burner, Tony wasn't sure – and hurled it her way. It smashed on the wall just an inch off her head. She fell to her knees and tried scuttling away into a corner. Another makeshift projectile crashed on the wall behind her and she froze, her hands over her head, half as protection, half in a gesture of surrender.
Tony pulled out the pistol and released the cocking lever, but kept it aimed at the floor still, staying hidden. Loki would have gotten her with the first throw if he wanted to.
The science lady looked up and her lips parted in shock. Then the eyes went wide. "You…" she rasped. "How did you…" Loki crooked his head, raised his hand – very slowly – and put a finger against the muzzle. Tony couldn't see his expression from this angle, but whatever it was, it cut her words short and turned them into a fearful whimper.
The back door flung open and two men in lab coats came in running. One was wielding some sort of baton, black, an inch thick and a good foot and a half long. The other held a metal chair in front of him, legs first, like a shield. Or a battering ram.
Loki whipped around to face them. The men slowed down but didn't stop moving. Loki widened his stance, took one decisive step forward and locked his narrowed eyes on the baton guy. The chair guy started circling him on the left, slowly raising his weapon of choice above his head and his intentions wouldn't be any clearer even if he were carrying a banner. Loki ignored him, still focused on his colleague. The man noticed, set his shoulders, and squeezed his hand on the hilt of his club. Its end buzzed with electricity. Some kind of a taser then.
Tony came upon a realization that he was supposed to be a more active participant and not just an observer, but he wasn't exactly sure which side required his assistance more. On one hand, he did not come here to let Loki loose and enable him to murder everyone he lays his eyes upon. On the other, this bunch obviously knew who Loki was, and, in the context, it could mean basically one thing and one thing only. And Tony knew better than to stand between a man and the revenge he is taking upon people who tortured him. Loki was showing restraint, all things considered, and Tony couldn't really muster much compassion for people who voluntarily worked in a place like this.
Loki took another step, getting within the chair guy's range. Two things happened at the same time: the chair guy swung his piece of furniture at Loki and the baton guy lunged. Loki's left arm flew up, knocking the chair away before it connected with his head. The momentum of the parry staggered the attacker and allowed Loki to wrap an armored hand around his throat. All this time he didn't even deign the guy worthy of a single glance, his gaze still fixed firmly on the taser. Its wielder brought it up, aiming at Loki's chin, the small opening between where the neck guard ended, and the muzzle began. Loki grabbed his wrist, stopping the baton an inch from his face. The ex-chair guy wriggled in the tight grasp, trying to get away, his hands clawing at the vambrace. Loki brought his arm down, smashing the guy's head on a metal table. The not-so-much-chair-anymore-man went slack and crumbled to the ground.
Loki's eyes never lost focus, but the small distraction was still enough for the taser guy to breach the last inch dividing the buzzing end from its target. It connected with Loki's chin, the baton fizzed and released its charge and the god's face contorted. Just the sound alone made Tony suspect that the voltage was high enough to bring down a horse.
Loki's head jerked back, his face frozen in a grimace of pain, but he did not go down or release the grip on man's hand. After what seemed like an excruciatingly long while he managed to school his expression into something that couldn't be anything but a derisive sneer. It wasn't as impressive as Tony remembered with the best part of it hidden behind the muzzle.
Metal-clad fingers curled up tighter, the man yelped in pain and his knees started to buckle. Loki twisted the wrist away from his body. It bent at a very unnatural angle, the bones giving way, and man's fingers lost the grip on the baton. Loki grabbed the stick before it hit the floor, flipped it in the air, pressed it onto the guy's throat and fired. The man screamed, his spine arched, and he slid down to the ground, unconscious. Or dead, Tony had a hard time telling.
Loki stood there, staring at the weapon in his hand. Just as Tony opened his mouth to tell him to hold on to it, his expression changed from mockery to revulsion and he tossed the baton away. It clattered on the tiles and rolled under one of the tables. He turned to look at Tony. There was blood dripping down from his nose.
Okay then. Tony indicated the backroom with his chin, the god nodded curtly and started to move.
"Stop!" came a yell and they both turned. The science lady was holding a small revolver, one of those advertised as you-can-carry-it-in-your-purse golden trinkets. Definitely not a standard-issue weapon. Tony didn't even notice her retrieving it. Or getting up. "There's no place for monsters like you among the living!" she howled, her voice rough and thick with accent. "I could have killed you a hundred times if they only allowed me! Now I'm going to…"
Tony shot her.
He was aiming for the shoulder but the layer of glass and the unfamiliarity with the pistol – Tony never fired one of those before and it's been a while since he used a conventional weapon without aim assist – affected the trajectory and the bullet got her straight through the throat. Her eyes rolled backward, and she slid down the wall, leaving a bloody trail behind. "Oops."
Loki raised an eyebrow.
"What? She was about to shoot you," Tony said and came over to the opening in the glass barrier. He knocked out a couple of sharp shards still sticking out of the bottom of the frame with the grip of the pistol, then leapt to the other side. "Besides, why should I settle for the knock-off villain banter if I'm going to have the genuine article at home soon?"
Loki's expression made it abundantly clear that he was not amused.
Tony grinned and aimed his steps towards the back, grabbing onto the raised pistol with both hands, for better stability.
He crossed the threshold and had to dodge immediately as a tire iron – or something equally heavy and metal – got swung in his direction. It missed his head and hit the doorframe instead, raining pieces of sheetrock and dust into his eyes. Another piece of lab equipment whooshed above and Tony looked up just in time to see it connect with the remaining lab worker's forehead, knocking him down.
"If a hot plate throw ever becomes an Olympic event, you're going to be a serious contender," he said and peeked into the backroom, pistol first, "Anyone else wants to try to stop us?"
A quiet whimper came as an answer from behind a row of shelves.
"Come out, or I'll just shoot in your general direction and hope for the best."
"I can't!" the voice cried out, wavery and desperate.
Tony pushed further into the backroom. In the middle, there was a well-lit operating table. Medical equipment was strewn across multiple rolling tables around it and the covers were disturbed, like it was recently in use, but it was empty and the metal manacles on the sides hung open.
Past the line of shelves that was obstructing his view before stood a cage. Three of the walls, made of thick metal bars, were bolted into the floor and ceiling and the frame was pushed against the concrete wall of the room, creating a small pen, maybe five steps across.
There was a man huddled inside. He curled closer to the ground at the first sight of Tony. He had a similar prison uniform to what Loki was wearing on, although his was in a lot more usable condition. Also, something that looked suspiciously like a shock collar. The shirt of the uniform was unbuttoned, and his arms were bound behind his back. Tony swore and lowered the gun.
"Hey," Tony said, "we are not going to hurt you, do you understand? I'm here just to get a friend out. You can come too if you want."
The man… no, a kid, for he couldn't be more than fifteen and small for his age, raised his shaved head and trained big, brown eyes on Tony in silent supplication. Then Loki entered the scene, the kid's gaze shifted, and his eyes immediately went wide with panic. He scrambled onto his feet unsteadily and scurried away, until the back wall stopped him. "Please, don't kill me," he pleaded. "I didn't want to do that to you. They forced me, they... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
"Seriously, is there anyone in the entire facility who you have no reason to hold a grudge against?" Tony asked, turning to the god. "A janitor maybe?"
Loki ignored him and glared at the kid, then touched his forehead twice. Jarvis translated. "He knows that," Tony relayed. "Just for the sake of transparency, you're not here willingly, are you?"
The kid shook his head fervently, which, well, wasn't much of a surprise.
"Do the honors, your highness," Tony said, and pointed at the bars. They looked like regular steel and with the aid of the suit Loki should deal with them in no time.
Loki stood his ground and his hands moved again. "He asks if you can undo… uhm, the spell?" Tony repeated Jarvis' transcription, not entirely sure what to make of it. Mmm, sneaking and magic, the night couldn't get any better, could it?
The kid pushed further into the corner. "I… I don't know," he said, apparently understanding what Loki meant. He cowered like he expected a blow, his narrow shoulders straining against the bonds. "Not with the collar. It suppresses my powers," he admitted quietly, then looked up, his eyes jutting between Loki and Tony. "But I can try if you remove it!"
There was a sound of heavy footsteps, coming from the inner hub. A whole lot of them.
"Yeah, well, let's worry about that later, shall we? Loki?!"
The god complied then, ripping the gate cleanly off the hinges and tossing it to the side like it was made of cardboard. He stepped inside the cell and grabbed the kid by his shoulder, unceremoniously forcing him to face the wall, then torn one of the cuffs on his wrists apart. They were the standard, flimsy handcuffs, not some heavy-duty manacles like the ones locked on Loki, so they came apart effortlessly, freeing boy's hands. So, the kid had magic, but physically wasn't stronger than an average human, Tony noted.
"Thank you," the kid whispered.
"Yeah, great, now let's go!" Tony ordered and hit into a run towards the far end of the room. He almost reached the door to the service hallway before he heard crashing in the outside lab, an unmistakable sound of a door being kicked in. "Jarvis?"
The keypad by the service corridor entry was still blinking red. Tony stepped aside and Loki charged. The impact tore a hole in the frame where the lock's latches sat, and the door swung open with such a force it bounced off the wall and closed again. Tony pushed on it and held it open to let Loki and the kid through.
Just as the boy passed, the other door flung ajar and the shelves came crashing down. Then came the shouts, although Tony wasn't too interested on what the guards had to say. Then they started shooting. Tony ducked and retreated into the hallway.
"This way!" he yelled and ran to the right. "Jay, don't fail me now, we need the door to close behind us to buy some time," he breathed.
They turned a few corners and got to the homestretch just as a light at the far end of the corridor flashed green. They might not be dead in the water yet then.
There were footsteps following closely behind and Tony had to dodge again before they reached the staircase and – when they finally did and the heavy door closed behind them and secured with a reassuring beep – he stopped to catch his breath, pressing his back to the opposite wall. All this running and avoiding being fired at was a lot more stressful without the protection of the armor. Tiring, too.
There were more shots on the other side. Apparently, the guards did not bother with security overrides and went straight for the old, trusted way of blowing the lock. The doors were made of two thick layers of metal and should hold on for a while, so they still had a moment to…
There was a buzz and a laser beam cut through the metal and scorched the wall, a couple of inches from Tony's hand. Loki grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the way and up the stairs.
"Yep, good idea," Tony breathed.
Loki let go of him when they reached the next landing but gestured him on when he slowed down. "I get it, you want to get the fuck out of here ASAP. Makes the two of us. Or three," he said and pointed his chin up the stairway, where the kid has already disappeared. "But I'm not actually a machine, in case you didn't notice."
Loki stopped then, a few stairs ahead. [You want the armor back.]
"You're good to go on without it?" Tony asked.
The god hesitated before answering. [No.]
"Then why would you even ask?"
Loki's face was unreadable, but the intensity of his stare nonetheless managed to send a shiver down Tony's spine. He then turned and continued up the stairs without saying anything more.
They cleared three stories before they heard the screeching of metal giving way and the guards poured into the stairway.
"There are two units about to enter the staircase from above," Jarvis warned.
"Hey, kid! Come back! They are…" The rest of the sentence got drowned in the sound of an explosive. The support squad had just about as much patience as their colleagues.
They met the kid on level six as he was running back down. "They're coming!"
"Yes, I know. In here," Tony shoved the door open.
The level was darker than the corridor, with only a couple of emergency lights on. Most of the division walls were torn down, there were building materials scattered everywhere and the floor was covered with rubble.
They reached the main hub area and Tony stopped to catch a breath. "Jay? How's the main staircase?"
"My access has been cut in that area. It would be the safest to presume it's not clear."
Tony minced a curse.
[What now?] Loki asked.
"Let me think," Tony breathed. "There's basically one route out left, through the hangar, but that's going to be guarded as…"
"I can help," the kid interjected.
Both Tony and Loki turned. "How?"
"I can teleport us out of here," he said and prodded his collar, "if you remove this."
Tony crooked his head and studied the kid for a moment and, when his assessment turned out inconclusive, he looked up to Loki. After all, he was the closest thing to an expert when it came to magic one could get. "Does it sound like something that could work?"
Loki frowned and his eyes dashed between Tony and the kid. [Yes,] he said and hesitated in the middle of the following gesture.
"C'mon, spill it, we don't have all day."
[I can't have magic used on me. It either won't work at all or I will…]
"You will what?" Tony prompted, quickly running out of patience.
Loki shook his head. [We can try. If it doesn't work, you can go with the boy and I'll try making my way out on my own.]
Tony stared at him. "You tell me to leave you behind?"
[You have all the power as long as I'm locked inside the armor. I know I cannot run from you.]
This was not at all what Tony meant, but it wasn't the right place or time to have such discussions. "Okay, if you think we should try, we will. Kid?"
"My name's Billy," he said, moving closer and crooking his neck so Tony could take a look at the collar.
Tony didn't reciprocate the introduction, focusing on the examination instead. The thin band was made of plastic and didn't look very sturdy. "Can you give me a hand here, princess? Literally. There's a scanner built into the gauntlet. If you could…"
Loki ran his fingers over the collar then stopped on the lock. Tony traced the data on his HUD. There was a power cell, some electrodes on the side touching the skin and a sensor circuit, then a simple mag-lock. It was such a straightforward construction it felt almost offensive.
"Place your index finger here." Loki did. "Jarvis, give me some spark. Twelve volts should do."
A small electric arc jumped from Loki's finger to the collar and Billy jerked away with a surprised yelp. The voltage wasn't enough to hurt, but it might have stung a bit.
"Take it off," Tony said and Loki tore the lock off and slipped the collar off the kid's neck.
"Woah, that was quick," Billy exclaimed.
"Well, you're looking at a genius," Tony said with a smile. Telling the kid the collar wasn't actually blocking anything would be pointless.
"Should I… try to remove the charm from the shackles first?" Billy asked hesitantly, looking at Loki. "Would that help?"
Loki shook his head.
There was a bang and the door flung open. Billy's hands moved and tendrils of blue energy appeared around his forearms and snaked down to his fingers. He reached for Tony's hand but Tony shook his head and nudged his chin at Loki. They needed to see if it would work first. Billy turned, but instead of grabbing Loki's wrist like he tried with Tony, he raised his hand towards god's face. Loki must've understood the reason (skin on skin contact, Tony guessed), because he leaned closer, allowing Billy to touch his temple.
The moment Billy's fingers brushed against Loki's skin, god's knees gave way, his eyes rolled back into his skull and a suppressed cry tore from his throat. Then Loki doubled over and fell to all fours.
The kid stared with horror in his wide eyes.
"Go!" Tony called. The footsteps were coming closer.
"But…" Billy protested and extended his hand to Tony.
"I told you to go!"
"I'm sorry," the kid mouthed then the tendrils were back and the air shimmered around him. And then, just like that, he was gone.
"Some assistance, Jay!" Tony yelled, and grabbed Loki's arm.
He hauled the god a few feet away, behind a cover of a stack of cement bags, crashed right next to him and pulled a sheet of tarp down, just as the guards turned the corner. The group stopped by the elevator shaft and exchanged some commands in what Tony assumed was Sokovian. Then their boots shuffled on the grit and they trudged down the hallway to the left.
Tony let out the breath he was holding. "Fuck me, that's stressful," he breathed. He turned to Loki. In the faint light Tony's spare propulsor gave off he looked even paler than before, if that was even possible. His eyes were half-closed and there were fresh streaks of blood running down his chin and neck.
"So, that was the other alternative you failed to disclose, huh?"
Loki nodded faintly without looking at Tony.
"Can you move, or do you need another minute?"
Loki took a deep breath and started to scramble to his feet. He fought it valiantly, but the pained wince still made its way to his face.
"Another minute was one of the options, you know."
Loki collapsed back down and closed his eyes. [I can't offer you anything that would make it worth your effort. You came here for nothing. Leave me and save your own life. And, if it's the revenge you crave, spare me your mercy and carry it out right now.]
Tony sighed and didn't reply. It was obvious Loki barely kept it together. Some rest and seeing a friendly face should help, at least a bit. Then they would figure the rest out.
They sat like this for a couple of minutes, in the darkened, dusty room in the middle of enemy territory and Tony didn't find the silence awkward, for reasons he couldn't truly name.
"Come on, we should go," he said in the end and got up. "We still have six floors to go."
The way to the hangar silo was surprisingly clear, but their luck ran out as soon as they entered. There were guards swarming inside. Tony hoped they might steal some machine here and use it to escape, but the hangar was empty. And then there was that other issue: they were being shot at.
"Okay, I'm going to enable the weapons system. I'd appreciate if you didn't shoot me in the face," Tony breathed, just as Loki dragged him behind some crates, out of the way of a bullet.
Loki nodded.
It might be the most idiotic thing I've done in my life, Tony thought cheerfully and instructed Jarvis to unlock the full functions of the armor.
Five seconds passed and his face still didn't get blasted off his skull. So far, so good. "Use the shoulder flap launcher, it has auto aim. And watch out for the power level, it's on fifteen percent," he advised. "On three?"
Loki nodded again. The helmet closed.
Tony had only nine bullets left in his pistol. He should've taken the spare ammo clip. He started counting.
On his count, Loki got up, took in the room, then launched the full batch of rockets, all within maybe three seconds. Tony used the opportunity to shot at the sniper that was sneaking his way through the rafters above them. The first shot missed, the second one got the man in the shoulder.
There was a moment of silence. Then a voice sounded through the speaker system. "Stand down and give up your weapons. You're surrounded."
"That's funny! It looked like we just killed like twenty of your goons!" Tony shouted back. "Are you sure you're in the position to dictate terms?!"
"You have nowhere to run. Give up our property and you'll be allowed to live," the voice said.
Loki's hands curled into fists so hard the plates shifted under his fingers. Yeah, Tony got the feeling that being called a "property" wasn't the nicest thing one can hear.
Tony was trying to think of something witty enough to shout back, when the door behind them, the same they came through, opened and a squad of guards poured in. Unlike their colleagues, those took time to prepare, wearing heavy combat gear and carrying rifles that looked like serious business. They weren't aiming at Loki. They were aiming at Tony.
Well, fuck.
Soldiers stepped aside, making a way for their leader. He lowered his faceguard and removed his helmet and Tony almost chuckled. The dreadlocks looked ridiculous with the rest of his getup.
Loki removed the helmet as well and aimed the propulsor at the leader.
"You know you can't win, bjir," the man said, not paying Tony any attention, his eyes firmly on Loki. God's jaw twitched at what Tony assumed was an insult. "You know that you'll always be ours, whatever you do. No matter how far you run or how well you hide, we will find you and we will make you regret you even tried. So give up now, take it nice and easy and I may consider this little blunder forgotten."
Loki's nostrils flared, his eyes dashing to Tony for a moment. He kept his hand up, his other curled into a fist. He knew exactly who the leader was, Tony was sure. It was personal.
"Your human can't help you. You might think he can, but he can't." The leader inclined his head and all his men decocked the safety levers on their rifles, almost in unison. Loki's eyes narrowed to slits. "Lower your weapon, take off the armor and come with us and we will let him live."
Loki's thumb touched the release button.
I'm dead, Tony thought numbly.
Loki fired, jerkily changing his aim the last possible moment from the leader's face to the stack of crates. A billow of splinters and a cloud of fine dust rose in the air and Loki ducked, grabbed Tony's waist, and launched up.
"Jarvis, open the blast door!" Tony yelled and the huge gate above their heads ground and started to part.
The lights went out and the servos moving the gate whined and stopped.
Gunshots followed them, the flashes brightening the darkness, and Loki dodged. Tony wrapped his arm around Loki's shoulder to stop himself from slipping down. So this it how it feels, no wonder people hate it.
They slipped through the crack in the bulkhead, just wide enough for them to fly through.
The Quinjet hung right above, the cargo hatch opened invitingly.
Loki flew in and hovered inside for a split second. The suit ran out of charge. The boosters went out all at once and the armor crashed onto the metal floor, freezing in the default position, now hardly anything more than a pile of scrap metal. Released of the clutches of the suit, Tony landed on the floor with a thud. The gunshots were still sounding, banging against the hull of the jet. He rolled onto his back and laid there, panting.
"Thanks, Jarvis," he wheezed.
"As much as I'm programmed to enjoy being given credit," Jarvis said, "it wasn't me, sir."