Loki turned to the next page on his book, fingers hovering above the middle of the page. He was standing outside as Thor and the other Avengers had a rather serious conversation. Even though Thor tried to deny the privacy of it, Loki and the other warriors were never included in them. Not that really mattered to them, but Volstagg was certainly getting a bit peeved.
"I think you're just used to being Thor's confidant." Fandral said in amusement. He was cleaning his sword rather obsessively at the moment as if he wanted to be able to see his face at any given moment. He glanced at his friend with a small smile "Don't worry, I'm sure once this passes he'll return to Asgard for the next little while. You can have conversations with him then."
"Fandral, keep quiet, or you're going to have to clean that sword of your blood." Volstagg replied, pointedly.
"I don't think even blood could stain it now." Sif said.
"Precisely." Fandral responded with a cheeky smile "Volstagg, if you want to know the truth of it, I don't think that the Captain." He blinked and then rolled his eyes slightly "Or whatever they call him, really likes the idea of waiting."
"Well, they don't need to talk about that. Odin ordered them to and that's the end of it." Volstagg responded. He had been filled in from the talks on Asgard so he was well aware of what they were meant to do.
"He's not their king." Fandral replied "Although I must admit, they spoke rather openly to him." he pointed a finger up "That was a bit worrisome at points."
Inside, their muffled voices could be heard by the group all gathered in the living room. Tony was in a chair, slouching to a comfortable position.
"Personally, I think waiting is a fabulous idea." he said, echoing Volstagg's thoughts "Then we'll die and we don't have to do any work before hand."
"No one needs die, we're just waiting until we have more information." Thor said "Asgard does not have the power to send us to an unknown realm."
"So then what does your father plan on doing about Thanos?" Captain America asked.
"You mean the God of Death?" Tony asked with raised eyebrows. He pulled out a clear pad, about the size of a cell phone and swiped his fingers across it a few times.
"He and Heimdall will work to find out if Heimdall is simply blind to those areas that Loki mentioned. If not, then we will gain a great advantage over them." Thor replied.
"Alright, but these portals are still opening." Captain America said.
"We will control whatever happens." Thor replied.
"I think we need to go after Red Skull." Captain America said "He disappeared once and I assumed he was no longer a threat."
"And you don't want to make that mistake again, we get it, but we have no idea if he's still on Earth." Hawkeye pointed out.
"Yes, we do." Tony said, standing up. He looked at Thor, eyes concerned "Get them in here, we all need to see this."
Thor scowled for a moment in confusion. He walked over and spoke something out to the others.
Tony walked over to his bigger screen just as they all started to come in the door. Loki slowly shut his book, remaining closer to the door than the others.
Tony flipped the pad at the board, as if flinging the words straight from the mini screen. A live news report appeared.
"...suffering from the devastating effects of what seem to be a terrorist attack." the female reporter said "Four New York citizens are dead after an explained explosion went off in a residential area. Eyewitnesses report seeing a blue light before an apartment building was partially collapsed. Several others were injured in the attack and are being treated at the local hospital. First responders say that a tall man with red face paint was seen leaving the site afterwards, but he has yet to be identified. More reports to come, please stay tuned-"
Tony waved it off and turned to the others, his face finally in a grim frown.
"Call it a hunch, but I think it's safe to say he's still on Earth." he said.
"Thor?" Captain America asked, looking at him. There was a question in his tone.
The God of Thunder glanced at him quickly, face deep in thought.
"If he's here, that means Heimdall cannot see him. This should not be possible because Heimdall can see everything that is happening on Earth."
"Perhaps his attention is diverted elsewhere." Volstagg said, but there was no conviction behind it.
"We need to get out there." Captain America said, walking over to the kitchen. He picked up his shield just as Thor spoke again.
"Loki." he was looking at his younger brother. Loki glanced up at him.
"When you let frost giants onto Asgard, how did they escape Heimdall's watch?" Thor asked. He shook his head slightly "And I'm not asking to start an argument, I'm asking because Red Skull seems to be doing the same thing."
Loki stared back at his anxious adopted brother in silence.
"It's a shrouding enchantment. Forgive me if I don't reveal the details of my methods." he responded coldly.
"But Red Skull doesn't have magic." Captain America said.
Loki scowled slightly "As far as you know. However, there are likely many dark talsmins that can cloak people. And if you haven't deduced it already, Heimdall can't any see portals or pathways so he won't be able to help you there."
"Well, that's not true." Volstagg rebuked instantly "Heimdall controls the Bifrost. Do you think we're ignorant?"
Loki stared at him as if he were just barely hanging on to an insult. Then after a controlled blink he said:
"The Bifrost is not a pathway. Pathways are unknown breaks in the realm borders." he tilted his head "So, yes, you are indeed ignorant."
Volstagg's brow furrowed, but he didn't pursue it to regain his pride.
"You realize, if we go there to find him, we will be announcing the problem to the world." Hawkeye said, glancing at him.
"It looks like he already has." Captain America said.
"I agree with him on this one, we don't have a choice." Tony said, pointing a thumb at Captain America.
"So are you calling in the local authorities or what?" Banner asked, waving an arm slightly "I mean, chances are he's not still there. We'll need some help finding him."
"Based on that." Caltain America said, pointing at the screen "We should be able to find him wherever he goes."
"Of course." Volstagg said, nodding at Thor "We will stay and protect the home." he glanced over towards the front door "Are you taking Loki?"
Thor gave a nod in return "Loki is to remain with me. I suspect he will be useful going against this creature. They obviously have no love for each other. He will sense if and when Red Skull should appear."
"If it's not a ruse." Sif reminded him.
"Loki is under close guard." Thor replied. Although his face didn't show it, his voice was vaguely frustrated.
"Have you told Odin what you are planning to do?" Fandral asked.
"I will leave that up to Heimdall." Thor replied "I will report to my father later. He told us to protect Earth and that is what we will do."
"Very well." Volstagg said "Good luck."
"To you as well, my friends." Thor responded "I hope this won't be difficult."
He turned away from them, Mjolnir grasped firmly in his hand, and walked over to his brother.
Tony flicked open a pair of sunglasses and put them on. He looked at Thor with a thoughtful scowl.
"Hey guys, we're planning on heading in under the radar, right?" he asked.
"I didn't realize you were capable of doing that." Black Widow responded with a cheeky smile.
"I think he's saying you two might stand out. A little." Hawkeye said, speaking to Thor and Loki. He didn't even bother to look up from his arrows he was sorting.
"Yeah, you might want to try just a little bit more... humanly clothing." Tony added casually.
Thor blinked and didn't do anything for a moment. Then he glanced at Loki and back again.
The God of Mischief's eyes narrowed back at his older brother.
"Don't just look at me." he said, his voice disgusted "You can figure that out yourself. It's not as if I can use the hammer, so you don't get to use me. You go make yourself look like a mortal."
Thor turned to face him, expression neutral. He held out his hammer with a small smile.
"Here. You can have it."
That earned a dark glare from Loki and Thor lowered it back down. He looked ahead again for a moment.
"You know, you never made a fuss about it when we were younger. I never heard you ask father for one. You could have."
Loki tilted his head "Um. He's not my father and no I couldn't have. It was always for the worthy son, remember? Even as children."
"You were worthy. You took the throne when father wasn't able." Thor replied. He was remaining in surprisingly good humor despite Loki's attempts to provoke him.
"And yet, the moment you returned home it would have gone straight back to you." Loki said scathingly "Isn't it funny how that works?"
"Mother started teaching you magic long before I got this." Thor responded "Besides, the moment father presented it to me, all I received were lectures from that point on. The very first one being that I had to use it to protect you."
"Oh well thank you, I'm forever in your debt." Loki responded sarcastically. Clearly, Odin had been right when he said Loki didn't enjoy being protected.
When the God of Mischief didn't say anything else, Thor just looked forward calmly.
"Please."
Loki rolled his eyes in pure disgust. However, after a moment, a green light moved over both of them, leaving two very different men moved his chin back slightly, eyebrows up.
The Asgardians long hair had vanished into short, neat cuts and they were both wearing casual, yet attractive clothing.
It was surprising to see Loki was actually just as tall as Thor. With all of their armor on it always made the first born son seem bigger. Thor briefly glanced down at himself, as if having a flashback.
"Alright. Looks like we're ready to go." Black Widow said, still staring at them.
Construction workers were sweeping away the debris still strewn across the street. The cars were backed up even more than usual as they all tried to make it through the one lane. The partially collapsed building was black on one side, wires and metal rods sticking out from it.
"That look like HYDRA weapon damage to you?" Tony asked. The group was standing across the street a ways down from it. People were continually walking around them and occasionally through them.
"It had to have been him." Captain America said, staring at the damage.
Thor's hands rested on his hips, eyes in a thoughtful scowl. There were reporters standing next to people asking them questions about the events.
"Do you really think he would hang around here? After this?" Hawkeye asked, gesturing up at the building.
"He'll probably want to admire his work." Tony replied.
"Maybe we can ask someone that lived there." Thor said.
"The chances of finding them are close to zero." Hawkeye replied "They'll be with their insurance adjuster."
"Unless they're hanging around." Tony pointed out, gesturing over to a coffee shop near the wreckage. The street was blocked off with barricades and men, but several people were sitting at the coffee shop tables a ways away, watching the clean up. They were pointing ocassionally. A few of them were right at the barricade. Apparently, the government also realized this was more than a terrorist attack.
Thor glanced over at Loki as if to seek his advice, still surprised by how different he looked as a mortal. The God of Mischief didn't acknowledge his look; he was staring right ahead with his arms folded.
"Well, we can always head back there until another news report shows where he is." Tony said, gesturing at the Avengers tower, which was plainly visible even from a few miles.
"Or where he was." Hawkeye added, moving forward out of the way of someone walking past them.
"Again with the depressing attitude." Tony said, flicking a hand at him "We get it. He might not still be here."
Suddenly there was a loud commotion as police officers rushed over to a pair of of women taking photos of the damage. The cameramen for the reporters flipped around to get the conflict on film. They'd just finished interviewing these women only moments earlier.
"Doesn't look like it's just police department." Captain America said, watching the intervention.
"Department of Homeland Security gets jurisdiction over terrorist cases." Hawkeye replied, without looking at any of them "It would be best if we didn't attract their attention."
Two officers spoke to the women for a few minutes as another man shoed away the reporter. Fortunately, the women just backed off, rather speedily actually. The men watched them leave for a few seconds before turning back to their work.
The ladies walked towards the group of low-profile Avengers, obviously rather stunned.
"That was a little weird." the one who had taken the pictures said, sounding disgruntled. She had short blonde hair with dark brown streaks in it and her eyeliner could be seen a block away. Her friend just shrugged, apparently more freaked out by the police encounter than she was. The two of them continued over to a bakery and sat down outside at a round table as if trying to act like nothing had happened.
Tony glanced at Hawkeye and then at the others.
"So they could be eyewitnesses, that doesn't mean they remember what they saw." Black Widow said. She turned around slowly and walked over to one of numerous tables. Taking a seat, she looked up at them and crossed her legs.
"We should ask them anyway." Captain America said, staring at Black Widow with a little bit of annoyance.
She smiled "Sure. I'm just sitting in case this takes a while."
"I would go and talk to her myself, but on the off chance that she knows who I am, it might not help." Tony said. There wasn't any sarcasm in his voice, although it was definitely inferred.
"Yeah, that's the same for any of us." Hawkeye said. Then he glanced at Thor "Except."
The others look over at him one at a time.
"You want to talk to her?" Tony asked, pointing at him. Captain America rolled his eyes.
"If you think that would be the best solution." Thor said.
"If she was there when it happened she might have seen Red Skull." Captain America explained.
"That's a long shot." Hawkeye said "But it's possible."
"What exactly are you gonna say?" Banner asked with a small exasperated laugh "Hey, did you happen to see the red-faced man that blew up this building? Yeah, he's a criminal, do you know where he went?"
"You can just strike up a conversation and swing it around to that." Tony replied "I mean, not all of us are relationship inept."
"I'm just saying you might scare her off." Banner replied, completely ignoring his jibe.
"This guy?" Tony asked, patting Thor on the shoulder "No, he's a teddy bear. Especially without his hammer."
"I will talk to her. Otherwise we're just giving him another chance to get away." Thor replied.
"And we should probably move before we start looking conspicuous." Hawkeye pointed out. He was the first one to move and Tony followed him after a moment.
Thor started walking towards the bakery as Captain America and Banner took a seat beside Black Widow. Loki watched his brother silently, but he was definitely watching him.
The God of Thunder took heavy, determined steps, not uncommon for most Asgardians. He approached them with complete confidence, although his face could have used a smile.
He stopped in front of them and said in a rather abrupt manner:
"Greetings."
Loki gave a sharp intake of breath and the others glanced at him momentarily before looking back at Thor, mouths open similarly to Loki's.
The women with blonde hair jumped about four feet in the air, looking at Thor with wide eyes.
Loki slowly raised a hand to put over his mouth, obviously trying to contain any laughter that should come as Thor continued to speak. Clearly even he had not been expecting that. After a moment, he took his hand off with a steadying breath and leaned towards the others ever so slighty.
"I'm afraid we have chosen the wrong brother." he said evenly, without looking at them.
Hawkeye scratched his neck slightly, lips pressed together and eyes on the ground. The rest of them shared looks between themselves before returning their eyes to Thor.
Both of the girls were smiling at him, but they had a nervous aspect about them. It was obvious he failing miserably. After a moment, the blonde line just shook her head at him. She glanced at her friend pointedly before getting up. Then she looked back at Thor and said something with obvious politeness. Her friend stood up and the two of them walked over into the bakery shop.
Loki's lips were pressed together. When Thor glanced over at them, Loki shook his head slightly. Tony gestured subtly for him to come back.
As the God of Thunder walked over, Loki rose a hand to his mouth, staring at his brother with the first hint of amusement they'd seen in him so far.
"Well done." he said.
Thor just scowled at him in return.
"What, were you hoping to charm them right off?" Loki asked scathingly "This isn't Asgard, Thor, this is Midgard and they have no idea who you are."
"It was successful in the past." Thor replied in irritation "Unlike your unexistant attempts."
"Then you met a very peculiar mortal woman." Loki said, ignoring the insult "You might not want to introduce yourself with the word 'greetings' here."
"Really? Go ahead then, clever brother." Thor replied, holding out a hand towards the bakery in contempt.
Loki gave a triumphant smirk and then he immediately started walking over to the scene of failed flirting. Thor watched him with a furrowed brow as if he hadn't expected Loki to take him up on it.
The rest of the group watched in a awkward concerned silence. Part of them wondered if they should allow Loki to walk away in the middle of New York City. The other part didn't know what to say to the God Avenger standing a foot away from them.
Loki seemed to become one with the crowd for a moment, steps light compared to Thor. He made his way to the round tables and took a seat. He kept his eyes over on the workers cleaning up the rubble.
Thor watched with folded arms, looking more Asgardian than ever, despite his wardrobe.
It took a good five minutes before both of the women came out of the shop with coffee. They were both laughing as if one had just shared a very funny joke, but one could guess what they were really laughing about.
Loki paid them no heed at first, but as they started to walk past him, he did a double take, as if surprised. Then, he stood up.
"I am so sorry to interrupt ladies." he said and they both looked at him warily.
"Weren't you both on the news this morning?" Loki asked, with just the right amount of surprise.
"Oh. Uh, yeah." the blonde one said, her voice echoing his.
"So you were here when that happened?" Loki asked, gesturing vaguely at the scene a ways down.
"Yeah, we both were." the other girl responded, staring at him for just a bit too long. Then she glanced away, blinking several times.
"That's crazy. Wait, wait you weren't in the building were you?" Loki asked, eyes widening slightly.
"Oh no. No way." the blonde one said "If I'd been in there, I'd be dead. My apartment was on the side that collasped."
"That was your building?" Loki asked, the shock sounding completely genuine.
"Yes, I only moved in like a month ago." she replied "But I had a lot of stuff in there that I haven't been able to get to since these people arrived."
"It's just lucky you weren't in there." Loki responded with an obvious smile.
"It really was. Her and I go jogging every day." the blonde said, gesturing at her friend "We were just heading out when it happened. I don't even know if my neighbors are dead or what because they haven't released the names."
"Yeah, that really was terrible wasn't it?" Loki replied with a small shake of his head.
Several yards away, Tony was nodding slowly, eyebrows raised.
"Twenty bucks says he comes out with a date." he said, holding out a hand to Captain America.
Captain America didn't respond to him except for a simple glance at his hand and after a moment, Tony withdrew it.
It wasn't long before Loki walked back in their direction, parting ways with the women. Thor was still scowling at him slightly as he approached. Surprisingly, the God of Mischief's expression was completely stoic now, quite the contrast from a few minutes earlier.
Instead of speaking to them as he walked by, he indicated that they should keep on moving towards the building wreckage. Thor turned after him, his face a mixture of curiosity and annoyance.
"What is it?" he asked, falling into place with Loki.
"They saw him leave this direction. Unfortunately as mortals they were rather vague, but they mentioned they think someone else reported seeing him." Loki's eyes briefly over to the other humans who followed Thor "If one of you want to confirm that."
Tony looked briefly surprised as Loki rarely addressed them, but he was the first one to put out his device.
"He made a scene because he wants us to go after him. He's daring us to find him." Captain America said grimly.
"We'll he's considerate, I'll give him that." Hawkeye replied, glancing back at the wreckage.
Thor didn't said anything yet. In fact, he was still pondering over what Loki had said a few moments before. It was similar, if much more cold, to how they had worked together when they were younger. Loki would get past someone with his sly tongue and then they could charge into battle together.
Unfortunately, his younger brother was already turned away from him. It wasn't like him not to be smug about his success where Thor had failed.
"Yes, just a little ways away from here." Tony said. He glanced up "So what are we doing? Walking? Flying?"
"Just moving, people are going to start noticing." Captain America replied, turning around.
"Uh, wrong way." Tony said, flicking a finger in the other direction.
"How far is it?" Hawkeye asked.
"A few miles. But you can bet he won't be there now. Best be off." Tony replied.
The spot they were headed to was much less busy than most of New York. Although it was a relief not to have so many citizens around, it definitely made them question why Red Skull had chosen to go there. Ordinary terrorists went for mass casualties.
"Maybe he's making himself at home?" Tony asked, gesturing at one of the abandoned buildings on their right.
Thor kept his eye on Loki, but not to make sure he wasn't escaping for once. The God of Mischief looked far less mortal now that he was scanning the area cautiously.
"Have there been any other reports?" Captain America asked. Tony shook his head.
"You don't suppose that he came out here just to throw us off, do you?" Hawkeye asked, walking up the steps to a building. He had to speak over the cars passing by them.
Captain America glanced at Loki without thinking, a terrible thought entering his mind. He glanced away rather quickly, and luckily, the God was not looking his way.
"Hey, Jarvis, scan the area. See if this bastard is anywhere near." Tony said.
"I'm sure he won't appreciate that." Hawkeye said.
"He doesn't have to." Tony replied "Doesn't take appreciation to find-"
An explosion suddenly sent him flying a few feet away. Rubble from the building landed around him as he winced in pain. Hawkeye and Captain America were both flat on their backs as well.
Thor pushed himself to his feet as Loki rolled to the side to stand up. The human form illusion disappeared, revealing the two Asgardians in all their glory, standing side by side.
"You're doing well to follow the trail." Red Skull spoke, although they could not see him.
Hawkeye grimaced as got to his feet, staring at the smoke enfolding the building.
"Jarvis. Bring the suit." Tony said, breathing hard as he stood up. In a few moments, they all lined up next to each other, staring into the fog.
"Don't go after him." Thor growled at Loki quietly "We'll do it together."
The hidden Jotun gave him a rather cold look, but Thor stared him down for a moment.
A second later, there was a whoosh of air behind them as Tony's suit shot through the air. Then, with a few clanks it opened and closed around the man.
"Here we go." he said, eyes flicking over the screen "Guys, we've got some thermal radiation, he's in the building. "
"Move in." Captain America replied, taking a few steps forward. He didn't get far before a blue blast careened into his shield, sending him flying backwards.
Tony took off into the air, palms flat as the suit propelled him up in the air.
"Cap, you alright?" he asked over the earpiece.
"Fine." Captain America said, rolling up with a grunt "Just don't let him get away."
"Someone's got to grab his weapon." Hawkeye said, pulling an arrow back and aiming it on the building.
"Come on." Thor said to Loki, walking forward. Out of anyone, including Captain America, they were the least likely to get hurt.
Loki didn't look at his older brother, but he followed him slowly.
"You Gods have yet to realize you're not invinsible." Red Skull said.
"Guys, get out of dodge!" Tony said urgently, taking a sudden dive. About a second later, another shot flew at them. It hit the ground in front of them and sent shards of concrete showering.
Ironman blocked a fair majority of the rather large pieces with a blast from his own suit and Loki waved away the rest with an enhanced wind current.
Meanwhile, Hawkeye and Black Widow were making their way around the to the side of the building.
"Wish you had that scepter now, don't you? You'd best find it before we do." Red Skull said, walking forward out of the shadow finally. He was smiling over at Loki.
Captain America immediately ran at him, taking a flying leap and preparing to slam down on the man with his shield. Red Skull took one step back and disappeared into thin air, so the soldier took a roll instead. Popping back up, he looked around angrily.
"Where is h-" a sharp hit to the back pushed him forward, knocking the wind out of him.
Red Skull only had a second to gloat before Thor was upon him. The mutant turned just in time to catch the God's arm in mid swing. To his credit, Red Skull seemed to be holding him off for a moment, but Thor ultimately overpowered him. Seeing his weakness, Red Skull let himself be enveloped into a portal again and Thor stumbled forward. He growled, looking up.
"They can control them." he said angrily.
"Get that thing away from him and he won't be nearly as good." Loki responded with nod at where the man had disappeared "It's giving him too much power."
"Really Loki?" Red Skull said as if chastising him. He was now walking from the opposite side, away from Black Widow and Hawkeye "You might not want to divulge further details. For your sake."
Ironman flew down, hovering a few yards above him "And for your sake, I suggest you surrender."
"We already know enough, Red Skull." Thor said with defiance "And you can tell Thanos he won't be invading any worlds unopposed."
Red Skull's eyes widened and he looked at Loki, stunned.
"You...you told them." he said, jaw clenching. For the first time, he finally looked stricken. His eyes blazed.
"Traitor!" he snarled.
"So I've been told." Loki responded.
"This goes beyond betraying Asgard." Red Skull said "We may not be friends, but I never thought you would do this. You're going to wish Asgard had held to their law and killed you. At least that would have been quick." he narrowed his eyes, shaking his head slightly "When I tell him..."
"Yes, when you do, make you sure you include the part where I kill you." Loki replied.
"We will see." Red Skull said.
"Yeah good luck with that." Tony said. A bright beam shot from his palm, heading right for the man.
Red Skull immediately fired back and the blast from his weapon completely dissipated the other. In fact, it continued after and Ironman flew upward to avoid it.
Then, a long black arrow punctured the red mutant's hand and he snarled as he jerked it back down. However, he kept ahold of the weapon. Hawkeye lowered his weapon in frustration as the others began to move in. Then he looked down the street behind them. He could hear sirens, a lot of them heading their way already.
Red Skull tore out the arrow angrily and threw it toward Thor with surprising force. Loki was upon him in a second. It was obvious that the two of them had fought before; they knew precisely how to block each other. The God of Michief went for the weapon immediately, but Red Skull caught his arm and twisted it. As Loki slowly began to gain the upperhand in the battle, the once mortal man used his other hand to slash something across Loki's neck. Surprisingly, the God recoiled with a hiss of pain. His hand immediately rose to the spot where a dark blue mark had appeared, his face angry, but there was a hint of foreboding in there as well.
"Frost giant." Red Skull sneered "If you don't use that to your advantage, then it's going to be used against you."
Thor let out an angry growl and flung Mjolnir at him. Red Skull was too slow to react and it hit him squarely in the chest. Ironman fired at him as well, just for good measure. Red Skull flew backwards and smashed into the building debris behind him. The HYDRA weapon fractured and a small wave of energy was released.
Thor looked over at Loki, who still appeared to be a bit unsettled. His eyes were blank as if he were remembering something unpleasant. Then he looked up, blinked, and started walking towards the settling dust. Thor and Captain America followed him.
"Guys we've got police headed this way." Hawkeye said, arrow still drawn and pointed towards the building "We need to get out of here."
"He's not dead." Loki said bluntly.
There was a grunt from Red Skull and he slowly got to his feet. The HYDRA weapon was glowing more brilliantly than before. In fact, it was pulsing like the tesseract had before it destroyed the SHIELD laboratory.
Red Skull glared at them, eyes hateful before he took a few steps back and disappeared into a shimmering wall.
Loki watched him with unmoving eyes, waiting to see if he was coming back. The mark on his neck was still very dark blue, but some blood had begun to seep out around the edge. It had yet to revert back to Asgardian skin color.
"Is he still here?" Thor asked him. The sirens were definitely getting closer. Not that it mattered; multiple people had seen them and undoubtedly taken footage.
"A portal has not reopened, if that's what you mean." Loki responded, his voice slightly cold.
"Then we need to leave." Captain America said, moving the shield to his other hand.
Tony watched the news with one hand on the side of his head. The woman on the screen stood in front of the partially collasped building they had just fought with Red Skull. Paramedics were there helping the few that had been injured.
"And here, not quite three miles from the original terrorist attack lies another attack. This one, unfortunately, seems to take a different turn."
The screen flashed to Captain America throwing his shield and then to Ironman shooting into the air.
Tony rubbed his eyes with a deep sigh.
"As you can see, the recently famed Avengers were there during the explosion. But were they the ones causing the trouble, or were they defending us yet again? Stay tuned as we gather more details on this second terrorist in New York City today."
Tony waved a hand to make the screen go away and turned away from it. Thor looked over from his conversation with Lady Sif and The Warriors Three as it got quieter, but they resumed after a moment.
It was obvious that Hawkeye must have come home with various injuries before because Laura seemed unfazed by treating the ones they had. None of his children were remotely surprised either.
The news of the fight with Red Skull had spread rapidly, as shown by the news report. They were expecting, but not hoping for, a call from SHIELD and perhaps Director Fury.
"On the bright side, it looks like Loki was right about his scepter." Tony said. Captain America glanced over at him solemnly.
"What do you mean?" Hawkeye asked from his seat at the dining room table.
Tony glanced towards the window. The God of Mischief was outside so he wasn't going to overhear anything.
"Red Skull mentioned it. How Loki should probably find it before they did." he went on.
Thor walked over, leaving his conversation with his friends.
"And you think that means what?" Captain America asked.
"That Loki was right, I just said it." Tony replied. He glanced at the others "Didn't I?"
"These types of objects have always drawn darkness." Thor said "First the tesseract, and now the sceptor."
"Which your dad did kind of point out was left here temptingly." Hawkeye replied.
"They will return for it." Thor said "And more people will suffer needlessly."
"Is it the signal itself the scepter gives off that allows them easier access?" Tony asked with genuine curiosity "Becauee if so, let's just destroy the damn thing?"
"Loki might know that, but it's not a guarantee." Thor replied "Besides, we couldn't do anything about that. Destroying objects like that is extremely difficult. Not to mention dangerous."
"What if we could though?" Tony asked "Not destroy it, but stop the signal."
"We're listening." Captain America said with just a hint of sarcasm.
"What if we had the sceptor?" Tony asked. His eyebrows went up questioningly. The group stared at him rather gravely.
"It's more than locked away." Hawkeye replied finally after a few seconds "We have no idea where it is."
"But could we find it?" Tony asked "I'm sure we could, what with all of our talents. Is it possible?" He turned to Thor "Is it possible to block the signal, or whatever it gives off, from reaching Thanos?"
"We can't steal the scepter." Hawkeye replied. He sounded a lot more frustrated as Tony had just basically ignored him.
"Umm...we might not have a choice." Tony said "There's no way in hell Fury would ever agree to give it to us."
"Fury wouldn't even be the problem." Black Widow responded "You'd have dozens of other people to go through."
"Good, that means I don't have to lose him as a friend." Tony said.
"The rest of SHIELD wouldn't thank you for breaking in and stealing something when we're kind of supposed to be the good guys." Banner responded.
"No, but the world might. Remember how they were the ones that tried to nuke New York City?" Tony asked.
"And how they were trying to stop that man?" Captain America asked, pointing out the window "You're telling me you want to give that sceptor back to him?"
"We don't have to give it him." Tony said with a tad bit of innocence "But I'd rather it was in Loki's hands than some God of Death."
"Kind of like better the devil you know then the devil you don't?" Black Widow asked dryly.
"He does make a fair point." Banner said, glancing at her "I mean if it's that simple, then we could stop this while thing from happening right now."
"So can he block the signal?" Tony asked, again directing his attention to Thor.
The God of Thunder's eyes flicked between them for a moment.
"I mean obviously that's a loaded question." Tony went on, waving a hand "You don't have to give me an answer right now."
Loki winced a tiny bit before withdrawing his hand from the mark on his neck. He lifted his book back up to continue reading, but the injury was rather inflamed right now, distracting him. It wasn't even slightly healed over. In fact, blood still gently seeped at the edges of it.
"We should return to Asgard."
Loki looked up and then behind him at Thor. His older brother walked toward him from the house.
"What?" he asked.
"You need a healer." Thor replied, nodding at his neck.
"No. I don't." Loki responded. He looked back down at his book as if he hoped that would be the end of the conversation.
"What did he do?" Thor asked.
"What do you think he did, Thor?" Loki asked scathingly.
"I would guess, but I think you already know." Thor replied.
"He has something that burns frost giants." Loki responded bluntly "I think that's fairly obvious."
Thor just stared back at those cold green eyes.
"But it's something you don't have to deal with so it doesn't matter." Loki went on.
"It doesn't look like it's healing." Thor said with the same amount of steadiness to his voice "So we should return to Asgard for a little while."
"I'm quite sure no healer wants to treat a former prince of Asgard, let alone a frost giant, so that's not an option." Loki replied, narrowing his eyes. He looked away with a breath "They heal on their own after a while."
Thor stared at him, his expression sober.
"Torturing or being tortured?" he asked.
Loki looked at him with a deep confused scowl "What?"
Thor let out a deep breath "You said that if Father decided to torture you for information that it wouldn't matter because you were already well versed in it." he paused, gazing at Loki "Torturing others or being tortured yourself?"
Loki half glared at him, but it was obvious he was a bit surprised by the question.
"Just go with the one you find more believable." he replied "I expect it would be the first."
"Believe it or not, it isn't." Thor said with a bit of spark in his voice.
Loki looked at him coldly "Thor. I told you what you needed to know. You don't need to know anything else. After this were all going to be dead or I'm going to be back in prison. So leave my past alone." he turned away from his brother and began walking away.
"Loki." Thor said, eyes on the ground. The God of Mischief continued walking, but when Thor didn't go on, he stopped and looked back at his older brother.
"We are going to find the scepter." Thor said.
Loki narrowed his eyes at him.
"Why?"
The question took Thor a little bit by surprise, but he didn't hesitate in responding.
"If it's attracting Thanos and his followers then it shouldn't be under mortal protection."
Even though he had known about the God of Death far longer than Thor, Loki didn't use the name lightly. He actually avoided it when possible, so hearing it said that bluntly was a bit jarring.
"What, are you planning on taking it to Asgard?" Loki asked "Odin might not approve, seeing how it's attracting so much terror to this realm."
"Odin knows that Asgard is better equipped to defend itself than Earth." Thor responded "But, no, that was not my intention. One of the others was wondering if whatever signal that sceptor gives off is actually the source of the weakening between realms."
Loki's eyes flicked away for a moment before returning to Thor.
"I doubt it, but it's possible. It's really just given them more incentive." he said.
"Do you know where the scepter is?" Thor asked.
Loki tilted his head at him "No. I think that of anybody you should ask, it shouldn't be me." he nodded behind him at the house "Ask them."
"They are not aware of its location." Thor replied "Very few are. Would you be able to find it?"
"Are you asking to ensure that it's safe or asking if I could help you find it?" Loki asked scathingly.
"Will you let down your guard?" Thor responded in irritation "I have no hidden motives. Is it possible that you would be able to help us find it so that we can figure out a way to perhaps stop the signal from reaching them?"
"They already know it's here." Loki replied with the same annoyed tone.
"But that's what is allowing them access then it's imperative that we get it first. Red Skull said they were going after it." Thor said "Can you find it?"
"You're going to steal it?" Loki asked with a hint of cold amusement "That doesn't sound like you at all."
"Nick Fury or any other member of SHIELD would not understand." Thor replied "It's our only choice. Can you sense the scepter?"
Loki fell silent for a few minutes, as if he were contemplating something. He stared down at the ground for several seconds. Another prompt rose to Thor's mouth when the God of Mischief spoke.
"No. Not well enough to find it." he said "But I'm sure if you asked Heimdall he would be able to give you somewhere to start."
Thor sighed silently. He would rather that he didn't go through Heimdall for this. Odin may not approve of their plan. But he decided not argue that.
"And is there a way for you to block the signal?" he asked.
"You're thinking about this in very simplistic terms." Loki replied without looking at him. He raised his hands to accentuate his words "There isn't just a constant 'signal' being eminated into space. It holds power and they can sense that power. And they ready knew it was here."
"If they already knew it was here then they would have been here the moment I took you back to Asgard." Thor responded "It has to be giving them the power to open these portals and we have to stop that."
"Then go speak to Heimdall." Loki said shortly.
:) Please review guys!
Also, in a few chapters, I am going to do something that a lot of people try, but fail miserably at. I have been dreaming of writing this for a long time so I really hope people enjoy it and continue to read the story. I am going to do my best to make it realistic!
But either way, please review!
It's a long chapter hahaha, Merry Christmas!