Chapter 12 – Forerunners
DISCLAIMER: We do not own Marvel... unfortunately... xD
Author's Note: In which Loki gets some unexpected news as a certain enemy makes a reappearance. ;)
~ Amina Gila
"Your presence is required for an emergency meeting," JARVIS tells Loki not even two hours after Thor has left. Loki resists the urge to groan, because really? What could have gone wrong in the past two hours? A lot, apparently, if everyone in the Tower has been summoned. With a flick of his fingers, he teleports himself down to the common room, almost tempted to use his seidr to don his armor at the same time.
Unlike Thor, Loki has a firm preference for Asgardian clothing – or at least formal attire – whenever possible, so he's wearing his usual green and black as he appears. Stark and Rogers are there as would be expected – Banner is away as he has been since yesterday – but Loki's surprised to see Romanoff standing there too. All of them look uneasy, and he automatically checks to ensure he didn't do anything – pranks or otherwise – which could have gotten him in trouble, an automatic reflex triggered by all the mischief he's pulled throughout his life.
"Loki, we have a report of a small group of Chitauri in Washington D.C.," Rogers informs him seriously. "We don't know why they're there or what they're after, but we're going in. As of now, the four of us are the only Avengers able to investigate. We're leaving now."
The captain isn't even done talking before Loki's mind is racing through possibilities, donning his armor in preparation of a fight absentmindedly. "When Thor hears about this, he's going to very unhappy," Loki comments, smirking briefly as he follows the three outside to where a quinjet is waiting for them.
"I wish I could do that," Stark whispers too loudly to Romanoff, eyeing Loki's newly assembled armor, as they board the contraption.
Loki doesn't deign to respond as he seats himself inside, Rogers sitting next to him. Romanoff fires up the engine and flies the quinjet away towards their destination. He hasn't been to the nation's capital for a while, not that it matters. What matters is figuring out why the Chitauri are there. Honestly, Loki already has an idea or two.
"As the only one who knows something about the Chitauri, why do you think they're here?" Rogers asks as they fly. The engines hum irritatingly loudly, in Loki's opinion, but he tries not to let it bother him too much. It's harder than it sounds, especially since he's very much on edge right now.
"They could be searching for the Infinity Stones on Midgard," Loki says finally. "I do not know which ones are here other than the Mind Stone." He gives Rogers a look. "Would you happen to know where the scepter is?"
"Fury hasn't told us anything about it," Stark replies, frowning. "SHIELD was planning to study it, and I don't know where they took it. I told them it would be safest in a secure location, away from people, or in the Tower, but I don't think they actually listened. Maybe you should have been there to express the importance of protecting it." He shrugs slightly, and Loki can't help but feel gratified at the acknowledgement that he has a special way with words.
"Well, they could also be scouting for an invasion," Loki adds flatly. "It's not impossible that Thanos sent a fleet from where he was to Midgard. We only closed the portal on them. We never actually destroyed the millions of Chitauri at his disposal."
"Millions," Stark echoes, a note of horror entering his tone. "We were being overwhelmed when they were coming by the thousands."
Loki gives him a look. "Yes, and hence why I tried to work a failsafe into the portal. I had no intentions of conquering your realm. I did what I had to do to follow Thanos' plan; I couldn't fight him off, but I could plan." The expression on his face is probably nothing short of triumphant as he silently revels in his own craftiness at defying and outwitting the mad Titan who tortured and tried to break him.
"If they were trying to invade, where would they choose?" Rogers queries, a look of apprehension on his face.
Loki lets his mind drift to everything which he knows about Thanos, not that it's necessary, but he needs to be as accurate as possible. "A populated city," he answers at last, expression grave. "They want to strike fear, to make you kneel." His lips twist into a bitter smile as he remembers some of what he said and did before Thor stopped him. Much as he tries not to think about it, it's difficult. His actions might not have been his own, but they still torment him.
"Sick," mutters Stark shaking his head. "Well," he claps his hands lightly, "If they are planning an invasion, how can we stop them?"
"We'd have to destroy their control ship," Loki explains, "And since, last I checked, you don't have any spacecraft here in Midgard, you'd better hope for a miracle." He can wield the power of the Tesseract if he must, but he can't teleport blindly either. An invasion now, when the Bifrost is broken, could be catastrophic.
"Okay, let's worry about that if – when the time comes," Rogers decides firmly. "For now, we need to keep our eyes open and figure out what they're doing. I doubt they're stragglers from New York because no one saw anything until now."
"Which means they've recently arrived," Stark deduces. "Wonderful. Maybe we can find their craft and use it, or at least take it and keep it somewhere in case it comes in useful later."
Loki can't help but raise an eyebrow at the man's idea. It's not bad, per se, but it's still interesting to see a mortal with an intelligence above average. Which is not to say that Midgardians are stupid, because they aren't. It's simply uncommon to see individuals who are capable of thinking outside the box and are unfazed by the greater universe as it intrudes upon them. Stark has a good plan, but there's only one problem with it.
"If the Chitauri are scouts, they would have been dropped off here before the craft returned to space. They are not intelligent enough to man their own transports in such a manner."
Stark seems rather put out at the news, but Loki's mind is already whirling with the realization that one or more of Thanos' children must be there. They would have left their scouts on the ground before returning to space to wait for the reports. Marvelous. Not. They have to move quickly now, taking out the scouts and determining what they're after before reinforcements are sent to the surface.
In the remainder of the flight, they go over the locations of the sightings and where they should start searching. "We should split up," Stark suggests, tapping his fingers on his thigh. "Reindeer Games and I can start in the center and work our way outwards, while Capsicle and Natasha can start a few blocks away from the sightings and work inwards."
Rogers gives Stark a look at the nickname but nods anyways. "That sounds like a good plan. Loki, can you keep yourself and Tony invisible? It would probably be best if no one knows where we are."
And Loki can completely agree with that. He wouldn't put it past Thanos to have sent members of the Black Order to assist, and if they're here, he'd much rather not be spotted first. "Of course, I can," he answers, and that settles it.
The quinjet lands on a runway around a mile or two from the location they need to scout, and Romanoff gets a vehicle for them to drive the rest of the way. It'll be easier to look around that way, anyways, Loki supposes. "I can fly ahead," Stark offers, shifting from one foot to the other.
"I thought you were going to be invisible?" Romanoff questions, giving him a look.
Loki waves the question aside. "I can mimic flying well enough. I'll go with him."
"Keep in touch then," nods Rogers.
Loki double checks the communicator in his ear, while Stark gives the Captain a two-fingered salute. "As you say, Cap. Ready, Lokester?"
Loki rolls his eyes, and snaps his fingers, wrapping his seidr around both of them to keep them invisible. "Let's go," he says, ignoring Rogers' barely concealed surprise. Loki learned how to fly using his seidr centuries ago. It's not flight – not like Thor's – as much as it is levitation, but it functions much the same way. His palms glow green as he lifts in the air, directing himself towards their destination, Stark following right behind him.
"So, how do you do that?" the man asks curiously.
"Later," Loki answers tersely.
"We don't have time for your discussions right now, Tony," Romanoff chides through the communicator. "Save the chit-chat for later, okay?"
Stark ignores her. "I imagine you're channeling energy through your hands… kind of like my repulsors, but different because you're doing it yourself instead of through a machine, but I bet the concept is the same. Just imagine what I could do if I could harness that power." He's been working diligently, but he's still been unable to produce a device which can contain Loki's seidr for long before being destroyed. Finding something which will be effective seems to have become his primary obsession, much to Loki's amusement.
"I'd really rather not imagine it," Loki replies dryly. "You might blow up your Tower if you do."
"You're no fun." Stark actually sounds like he's pouting, and Loki holds back a scathing comeback. He won't let himself be distracted any further. They land on the sidewalk, far enough away from passersby that they won't be run into. "You go right, and I'll go left."
Loki opens his mouth to agree, when he feels an all too familiar seidr wash over him, hitting him with the force of a bilgesnip – and he knows what that feels like, thank you very much, Thor. The feeling of that magic ripping past his mental shields, the ones he'd painstakingly constructed and strengthen over centuries… It's haunted his sleep. He can't close his eyes without feeling it, seeing it.
"It hurts more, the more you fight, little King," hisses the Titan, eyes narrowed in an almost threatening manner. "Stop fighting. Stop resisting. You will fail. You need not suffer. Take this scepter and join me willingly."
Even though he can barely breathe through the pain wracking his body – and mind – Loki still manages to rasp out a slew of curses. "Go. To. Helheim!" he hisses, holding back a cry as the Mind Stone pulses, ripping his shields aside as though they're naught but a nuisance.
"– ki. Loki!"
Loki blinks, the world refocusing in front of him. He's on his knees, though he can't remember falling, breath coming in harsh gasps.
Stark, his helmet raised, is peering at him, brown eyes full of concern. "Loki, are you with me now?"
A rush of embarrassment floods through him, and he turns away. "Y-yes," he answers, shaking his head and resolutely ignoring how much his voice shakes. The invisibility spell is still, thankfully, in place. It's been a while since he's zoned out that badly, and it's never been in front of anyone other than Thor. With an effort, he pulls himself back together. The past will remain in the past. He can't undo what was done to him, but he can move on.
"What was that?" queries Stark, clearly unwilling to let it go.
Loki purses his lips, opting to ignore the question. "I know why the Chitauri are here," he reports to everyone. "The scepter is nearby, and they have come for it." He knows it with a certainty which lies within every fiber of his being.
"Here?" Stark exclaims incredulously. "SHIELD was supposed to keep it in a remote location, far away from people so it wouldn't pose a threat."
"Well, clearly, they did not." Loki's voice is low, and the other man would be a fool to not notice the fury lacing the words. He's not mad at SHIELD, per se, but he is upset that he had to encounter the scepter again this soon. He wasn't ready; he probably never would have been, but it should have been longer. And he's also irritated that his warnings about the danger the scepter poses were ignored.
"Then, let's go get it," declares Stark with far more cheer than is warranted.
"Be careful," cautions Rogers, finally interjecting. "We can handle whatever we find out here, and if we can't, we'll let you know. After you've secured the scepter, we'll have to take it to a more secure location ourselves."
"We can keep it at the Tower," Stark suggests easily. "If we're all there to protect it, the attack will come to us instead of going elsewhere. Otherwise, we can all bunk down in some remote location to set up a trap. When they come for it, we'll be waiting."
Loki nearly blanches at the possibility of being in close proximity with the Mind Stone, but he understands the logic. Worse, he can't even fault it. Keep it they will. "It's in that building," he says finally, directing the topic back to the subject matter at hand. "We need to get in and out without being seen. And Stark?"
"Yeah?"
"Have your AI hack the computer system if you can," Loki adds as an almost afterthought. "It will be good to see who got ahold of it and why it's being kept here. I don't trust SHIELD." The lack of protests, not only by Stark, but by Rogers and Romanoff, tell him that they share the sentiment. Even better. They'll have to move quickly.