Hello my wonderful readers! So I've hit a milestone today! I;m up to fifty followers on this story! I know compared to a lot of fics, that's not a lot, but also….I can't tell you how excited I am to see that number! You guys are all so awesome and I love you! I'm assuming you all know what's about to go down! LOOKKIIII! Here he comes to shake everything up in that wonderfully awful way of his! I'm so excited for the coming chapters and I know you'll love them too! Here's that quick disclaimer that I hold no ownership or rights over Marvel and with that being said, let's go! Xoxo-NickyLynn
The trip to Germany went quicker than expected. They were loaded up and flying over the country within a couple hours. As they flew closer to the museum that Loki had shown himself at, Tessa leaned over the seat Natasha sat on as she controlled the jet. Her eyes swept the area as they enclosed upon the perimeter. There was a mass of people running around the area, fleeing from what she assumed was their target. "Do you have eyes on him?" Tessa asked Natasha as her gazed moved over the crowd.
Suddenly a blue blast drew their attention and they watched as a police car was flipped through the air and landed several feet away on its roof. "Found him." Natasha deadpanneed, having traced the blue blast back to where it came from. They watched as a man strode down the steps of the museum, stalking towards the mass of people, a long cape billowing out behind him and set of golden horns protruding from the helmet on his head.
He yelled over the crowd as several more copies of himself appeared around the hoard of people, herding them into one area. The group dropped down to the ground on their knees, and as Loki trained his scepter on one elderly man who refused to obey his commands, Tessa had seen enough. She transported herself out of the jet and planted herself on the ground in front of the man, just as a blast tore out from the end of the glowing staff in Loki's hand. Using her powers, she created a shield and used it to send the blast back at him. It hit him and he dropped to the ground with a grunt.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Tessa yelled over to him, as he struggled back up to his hands and knees. Steve dropped down to the ground next to Tessa, before striding forward.
"You know the last time I was in Germany, I saw a man standing above everybody else and we ended up disagreeing." Steve said coming to a stop a few feet in front of Loki.
"The soldier and the witch." Loki bit out, having recognized them from the information Clint had given him. He let out a dark laugh as he used his staff to help push himself back up onto his feet. "The siblings out of time."
"We're not the ones out of time." Steve shot back to him.
Natasha chose that moment to drop the cloaking device of the jet and swooped down over the crowd. The large barrel of the machine gun dropped down and was aimed right at Loki. "Loki, drop the weapon and stand down." Came Natasha's stern voice over the loud P.A. system.
Loki shot a blast up at the jet and Natasha had to careen to the side to avoid the hit as the crowd around them began to take off in a screaming stampede. Steve used Loki's temporary distraction to throw his shield at him, but it just bounced right off his armor and landed back into Steve's hand. He ran up to him, throwing a hit against his face, only for it not to phase Loki in the slightest. Loki grinned over to him and met Steve's blows with strikes of his own. Steve's shield and Loki's scepter clashed against each other, sending off sparks as the metal collided into metal. Loki thrust the end of his staff into Steve's gut, sending him flying through the air, and rolling on the cement.
Tessa transported herself through the space that separated her and Loki, dropping herself a few feet in front of him. Without giving him time to respond, she sent out a blast that hit him on the chest and sent him tumbling through the air. He landed on the ground in a crouched position, using his hand to keep him balanced. He let out a growl, baring his teeth at her as he quickly pushed himself up and sent his own blast out at her, using his staff. Tessa transported herself out of the way and brought herself down on top of him.
Somehow Loki had sensed her above him and before she could wrap her arms around him, he spun around and directed another blast at her. Tessa didn't have time to react this time. The blast hit her in the chest and sent her flying back as she landed painfully, several feet away. Her head hit the cement with a loud crack that made her see stars. She let out a groan as she tried pushing herself back her, hearing Steve engage with the Asgardian once again.
She pushed herself back up on her elbows and watched as Loki pressed the end of his staff down onto Steve's head, trying to force him into submission. Tessa pressed herself back up, pushing past the dizziness, and was about to transport herself back over to the fight when a familiar voice came through her earpiece. "Hey there glow worm, you miss me?" she heard Tony ask, followed by the sound of Shoot to Thrill coming through the P.A. system of the jet. Tessa let out a breath of disbelief as she watched a red streak shoot through the sky, heading straight for them.
Tony fired out a blast from his hand that threw Loki back through the air, landing closer to Tessa. Tony, in his Iron Man suit, landed on the ground with a metallic clank as the music faded away. Nearly every weapon that was built into the suit slid out and locked onto Loki as he pushed himself back up. "Make your move, Reindeer Games." Tony told him as Tessa transported herself behind Loki.
Tessa had her hand held up at the back of his head, a glowing ball of blue emanating from it as she prepared to send him one hell of a blast. Loki swung his eyes from the two men standing off before him, to the woman behind him. His helmet and his armor slowly vanished from view as he raised his hands up in surrender, knowing he was outmatched.
"Good move." Came Tony's altered voice as the weapons in his suit all slid back into their inactivated position.
The glow around Tessa slowly faded away as she pulled back on the intensity of her powers. She used them to take hold of his hands and pulled them behind his back harshly as she dug into one of her pockets and pulled out a set of handcuffs. "Loki Odinson, you are hereby under arrest for transgressions made against the human race, including but not limited to the apprehension of government property and the murder of nearly eighty people." Tessa told him steeping forward and snapping the cuffs around his wrists.
When Tessa made contact with his flesh, however, she was hit by a barrage of images and sounds. Golden light…a meadow…laughter…screaming….falling….darkness. The images came and went so fast that Tessa was left blinking rapidly, looking around trying to figure out what had just happened. She finished snapping the cuffs into place as she shook the strange images from her mind, knowing she needed to stay focused on the man she was apprehending.
Natasha was bringing the jet down on the lawn as Tessa took a step away from Loki, not wanting to touch the Asgardian again. She locked eyes with him as she stepped up to his side. "Cooperate or I will break every bone in your legs and force you to." She threatened.
"I'd like to see you try." Came his reply, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.
Tessa gave him a strong shove with her powers, sending him stumbling forward. "Move." She told him, keeping her powers pressed into his back as they made their way over to the bay door of the jet. Tessa guided him inside, forcing him down in the middle seat on the left side of the craft. "Try anything funny and I will transport your Asgardian ass out of this plane and drop you from sixty thousand feet." She told him, sending a rush of power up to her eyes, letting them flash dangerously at him.
Loki smirked up at her, leaning to the side to address Steve who had just reboarded the plane, followed by Tony. "Oh, I like her." He said in amusment.
"The feeling's not mutual, trust me." She said, dropping down in the seat across from him, not taking her eyes off of him for a moment.
Once the others were set, Natasha shut the bay door again and lifted them back into the air and guided them back towards the hellicarrier. Tessa's eyes were locked in on Loki, watching every twitch of his muscles. After a few minutes of him sitting as still as a marble statue, Tessa's mind began drifting back to the flashes she had got when she had touched his skin. There were all jumbled together and confusing, most of them she couldn't even make out anymore…just the feeling that came with them. The happiness….and the fear. Images of pure, unforgiving darkness filled her, and she nearly let out a shudder. She brushed the thoughts into the back of her mind, knowing she had other things more important in that moment…like making sure Loki behaved himself.
Tessa looked back up to his face and found him staring down at something on her lap, a strange look upon his face. Tessa's own eyes dropped to her lap, trying to figure out what he could have been staring at. Her eyes caught the glint of the golden bracelet she, to this day, refused to take off. She moved her other hand over it, blocking it from his view only to have him break contact with it and lock back onto her eyes. Only this time, they burned into her in a way she couldn't think to describe. It was like he was boring into her soul, and it left her feeling anxious.
"You, okay?" she heard Steve ask from behind her, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Tessa opened her mouth to reply, but then stopped as lightening began lighting up the sky around them. Tessa looked around in confusion as the thunder rumbled outside the walls of the jet. Her eyes locked back onto Loki and he seemed….afraid.
"What's the matter, you scared of a little lightning?" Steve asked him as he, too, noticed his fear.
"I'm not overly fond of what follows." He replied, his eyes casting around nervously.
Tessa's eyebrows pinched together before realization dawned on her. "Nat! Do you have anything on the radar?" she called up to her.
"No, why?" Natasha called back before a loud thud sounded from the roof of the jet.
Tessa brought her eyes back down onto Loki as the jet began shaking, Natasha doing her best to even it out. Tony moved back to the hatch and Tessa yelled out at him in warning. "Wait! Tony, it's his brother!" she shouted, coming to a stand. It was too late though, the hatch was lowered and in walked the large, blonde Asgardian.
Thor reared back and struck Tony in the chest, sending him flying back into Tessa. They both fell to the floor, Tessa letting out a painful groan as Tony's heavy suit dropped down on top of her. "Ugh! Get off!" she ground out, giving him a hard shove. She managed to push Tony off her and she sat up in time to watch Thor take hold of Loki. "Wait!" she called, but it was no use. Thor jumped out of the hatch and disappeared into the dark sky below with their captive. "Son of a bitch!" she groaned, coming to a stand and rushing back to open door, seeing nothing but clouds and empty sky below.
"And now there's this guy." Tony complained.
"It's Thor." Tessa told him.
"Another Asgardian?" Natasha asked from her pilot's chair.
"That guy's a friendly?" Steve asked, confused.
"It doesn't matter." Tony said. "If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost." He said, coming to stand next to Tessa as well.
"Get me down there?" she asked, looking over at Tony with a raised brow.
"I can do that." Tony said.
"Wait! We need a plan!" Steve told them.
"Right. You work on that, and I'll go take care of this." She told him, casting a thumb out the door before letting herself fall out of it, being swept away into the cold air as the jet continued on without her. She maneuvered her body into position as she seen Tony fly out of the jet behind her. She reached out her hand and held her breath in expectation before she felt the metal of Tony's hands latch onto her extended wrists, pulling her along with him as he tore through the air.
They moved quickly through the sky, Tony locking onto the two Asgardians below, standing on a clearing of a cliff, facing each other. "Let go!" Tessa yelled up to Tony as they drew in closer. She felt his hands retract from her flesh and she transported herself down onto the clearing, landing a few feet away from the men as Tony slammed into Thor, taking him along with him as he kept flying through the air, away from Tessa and Loki.
Loki swiveled around to face Tessa, a smile on his face. "Don't even think about it." She warned him. Tessa pressed the communication button on her earpiece. "Nat, I've got Loki." She said into the device.
"Heading to you now." Natasha responded.
Tessa's attention was pulled back to Loki as he stepped closer to her. "I have to admit that your powers are quite impressive." He told her.
"Try anything and you'll find out just how impressive they can be." She warned, as she watched him begin to circle around her.
A smirk pulled up his lip as he watched her, like a predator sizing up its prey. "You're quite powerful for a Midgardian, surprisingly so. Are you sure you're from around here?" he asked her, and a jolt ran up Tessa's spine. She watched him as he came to a stop, quietly observing her. Tessa didn't say anything. The truth was she couldn't say anything. There were so many thoughts running through her head that she just stood there staring at him, as he stared at her. She was brought out of her thoughts as a strike of lightning stuck the ground in the distance.
She let out a sigh as she knew Tony was the worst possible choice when it came to pacifying the enemy. She heard the jet pull down above them and Steve dropped down beside Tessa. "How do you want to play this?" He asked, looking over at her.
Tessa pried her eyes off of the man standing silently before her and looked up at her brother. "You stay with him." She responded, tilting her head in Loki's direction before disappearing from the clearing.
Tessa made her way down to where Tony had Thor locked in a fight. She had to make a few jumps, as Tony ended up taking Thor quite a bit of distance away. When she appeared in the woods where Tony and Thor were fighting, she had to think fast as Thor was bringing his hammer down with a strong bolt of lighting right on top of Tony. She transported herself in between the two men bringing down the walls on her powers, sending out a powerful blast that lit up the area. Thor was sent flying backwards and she ended up toppling over the trees surrounding them, as well.
As the light faded away, Tessa stood in the center of the circle of the damage she had created, staring over at Thor who was struggling back onto his feet. "I had that completely under control." Tony said from behind her, standing back up from the crouch he had been in.
Tessa rolled her eyes as she stepped away from Tony and strode closer to Thor. "Thor Odinson, my name is Tessa-I'm an agent with S.H.I.E.L.D." she told him, speaking loud enough that her voice traveled all the way over to him. "I'm sure you remember S.H.I.E.L.D. from your time in New Mexico." She said, coming to a stop as he, too stepped closer to her, hammer still in his hand but no longer raised up in defense.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" he asked. "Why didn't you just say?" he asked her, more cordial than he had been a moment prior with Tony. Tessa turned back around to give Tony a raised brow and pointed look. "That's because some people would rather talk with their fists." She said before turning back around. "Perhaps you would give me a few minutes of your time. I think you'll find that we all share a common interest here." She told him.
Thor looked her over before giving her a nod. Tessa pressed down on her earpiece again. "Hey Nat, you might want to send another transport back for me. I'm going to talk this over with our new friend here. You get Loki back to the ship and I'll meet you there." She said into the speaker before dropping her hand and turning back to Tony. "You go make sure Loki gets to the helicarrier, I've got it from here." She told him. Tony didn't argue, he brought his feet together and took off into the sky, without saying a word.
Tessa turned back around and stepped closer to Thor. "Why is S.H.I.E.L.D. interested in Loki?" he asked her, crossing his arms, making the already large muscles of them look larger.
"He's taken something from them….the Tesseract, it's a cube of-" she began before he cut her off.
"Yes, I know of the Tesseract. It's not of this realm. Why would S.H.I.E.L.D. have it?" he asked her.
Tessa let out a breath, as she realized she had been right all along. That cube never belonged here on Earth. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you that." She told him with a frown.
"Do not play games with me Lady Tessa, you will tell me what you know of the Tesseract-" he told her, taking a threatening step towards her.
"I'm not the one playing games!" she told him, not liking him tying to intimidate her. "I can't tell you because I don't know. Before yesterday I didn't even know S.H.I.E.L.D. had the Tesseract. It was supposed to be lost in the ocean. Whatever the reason, they don't have it anymore. Your brother does. He's taken it and killed a lot of people in the process." She told him.
"You mean to bring him to justice?" he asked her.
"We mean to pry the location of the Tesseract from him." She corrected. "Among other things."
"Loki will face trial in Asgard." Thor insisted.
"I don't see why that wouldn't be a problem." She told him with a shrug. "As long as he's locked up somewhere and far away from Earth, I'm not sure S.H.I.E.L.D. would put up a fight on that front." She said. "But we need to know where the Tesseract is first. He stays with us until we get what we need from him, then we'll hand him over and we can all go our merry ways."
"Do I have your word?" he asked her, watching her closely for signs of deception. She gave him none.
"You have my word." She told him with a nod.
The jet that was meant for them picked them up shortly after they finished hashing out their differences. Tessa led him on board of the craft, and it took off into the air. As they made their way towards the hellicarrier, Thor looked over at Tessa with a tilted head. "That was an impressive display, in the woods. You're a fearsome warrior." He told her.
Tessa went rigid as his words reminded her of the very similar words his brother had said to her. She chose to ignore the compliment, instead taking the chance to question him about Loki's motives. "So, what's your brother's deal?" she asked him. "What's his end goal here?" she asked him.
"In truth, I'm not sure. We thought Loki lost to us until he reappeared here on Midgard. He feels slighted by our father and in his anger, he seeks to place upon himself a crown which he has been denied." Thor said honestly. Tessa quietly listened as she processed his words. "But I fear he is not alone in this, someone has placed him on this path of destruction, but I know not who."
"So, he's not working alone?" she asked.
"I don't believe Loki found this power on his own, no." Thor said, shaking his head.
Tessa drew in a breath, sitting back against the side of craft as she thought over everything that had happened. "Well, whatever he's up to, he's done a bang-up job of pissing off the wrong people." She mused out loud.