Hena
Hena woke with a start, eyes blinking open quickly. She sat completely still, holding her breath. Several seconds passed until she heard it again.
Hena
The voice came almost like a whisper, as if they knew she would be asleep. But it was very distinct.
She shuffled to get to her feet, allowing light into the room.
"Loki?" she spoke both aloud and in her mind. Her hopeful voice would have stirred everyone anyway, but that particular name alerted them. Their eyes had to adjust to her light, so it took a moment for them to look right at her.
"Hena?" Thor asked, walking to her "What has happened? Is Loki speaking to you?"
"Yes." Hena stared at the ground as she listened.
Wake the others
"What? What is he saying?" Captain America asked. Every eye was on her, waiting for a response. Hawkeye moved past the others to get closest to her. She shook her head slowly, as if hearing something she couldn't quite understand.
They waited impatiently, although they did keep quiet.
Are they awake?
Yes, they are. Loki, what is going on? What are you doing?
Hena, right now I need you to listen closely and pass on what I say
Hena nodded out of habit, not caring that this would be confusing to everyone watching. They were on their toes in anticipation.
"He says that Thanos and Red Skull have sent many of their mercenaries to another realm for the next few days. There will be less guards to patrol. We need to be ready to leave." she opened her eyes to look at them.
Several of them pulled back their chins in confusion. Thor tilted his head to the side, scowling ever so slightly.
"What?" Hawkeye was the first one to speak, sounding both angry and puzzled. He didn't share the pure relief and excitement that was on Hena's face.
"He's going to get us out of here." she said breathlessly.
"Now?" Tony asked with a multiple blinks as if he misheard "Wait, now?"
"Yes." Hena repeated, still listening intently, eyes flicking side to side.
Thor and the Warriors shared a look, entirely unsure what to make of this. Could that even be true? Volstagg shook his head slightly, not wanting Thor to entertain the thought.
"How do we know this is Loki?" Fandral asked honestly "There are plenty of others out there that would like nothing more than a motive to have us killed."
"Loki is one of those people, I thought." Black Widow said dryly. The Asgardian glanced at her.
"No, this is him." Hena said, stressing the last word vehemently "No one else but him would have the ability to speak to my mind in this manner. I would be able to sense a change. This is Loki." she looked at them, worried that this could possibly be a ruse, but more worried that they wouldn't believe it.
"This is the Loki we know." she said with quiet firmness, before looking back down in concentration.
And that did seem to make them pause and ruminate. It felt incredibly stupid and dangerous to put faith in the God of Mischief again, but not if it truly was the Loki they had begun to trust.
"Two guards are going to come to this cell." Hena said "They will listen to what we tell them and they will lead us out of here."
"We can just walk out, huh?" Tony asked sarcastically.
"They will help us to avoid patrols and areas that are more monitored." Hena went on and Tony nodded and shrugged at the same time, as if that made sense.
"And what about Laura and my kids?" Hawkeye asked with more force.
Hena acknowledged his words with a quick look in his direction, but she didn't want to miss what Loki was telling her. After a few moments of silence, she spoke again.
"Banner is on the other side of the compound in an isolated area. Loki says it would be best to get him and bring him with us. The guards will take us there on our way out."
Hawkeye's eyebrows went up, expecting her to address his family. Hena scowled in concern momentarily, as if hesitant to repeat whatever she'd been told.
"We need to leave Laura and the children here for now."
"No." Hawkeye said flatly.
"He says to leave them here and he will keep them safe. They are unharmed." Hena replied anxiously "Hawkeye..."
"No. Absolutely not." he said with the same amount of defiance "How does that make sense? Get everyone out except the most innocent ones? No."
"Loki has spoken to Laura already." Hena said, taking a deep breath as she relayed what the God of Mischief told her "She agreed to it and she says it is okay. She said that she loves you and tells you to be safe."
"Even if I believed she and Loki made an agreement, I wouldn't leave them behind." Hawkeye replied angrily.
"She's just the messenger." Tony reminded him, implying he shouldn't take his frustration out on Hena.
"Then tell Loki no." Hawkeye said adamantly.
"I have told him how you feel." Hena replied "And he wants me to tell you that they are not in danger and he will keep it that way. But only if we leave them here."
"How in the hell does that make sense?" Hawkeye repeated "Has he seen this place? Women and children die everyday. What makes them different?" he waited for half a second before answering his own question "Nothing. I don't trust the bastard. Not now and not ever again."
"Ask him why they won't be safer with us." Captain America told her, gaze steady. They looked over at the woman, but Hena shook her head, exhaling quickly.
"I cannot. He can't speak anymore. He had to leave."
"That's convenient." Black Widow said.
"He said from the beginning that I needed to listen because he only had time to explain once." Hena replied.
They fell into a confused silence, sharing glances. Tony shrugged over at Hawkeye, who obviously wasn't accepting the proposed offer.
"I believe he means what he says." Hena said gently.
"Why? Why should we?" Hawkeye asked "He gave up my kids, remember? He let Thanos take them here to die."
"No, Hawkeye, he saved them." Hena said, eyes almost teary as she realized the same "If he had not told Thanos they could be useful, they would have been killed right then and there. All of them. If his servants had gone into the house and found Laura waiting, they would have assumed she was a threat. Loki made them known and made them seem important so Thanos would bring them with us." she looked over at Thor in distress "This has been his plan all along."
Thor stared back with an apprehensive expression, wanting it to be true.
"If that's true then the guards will be coming soon." Captain America said, taking a step back to look at the door "We need to be ready."
"Very ready." Tony replied.
"We haven't anything to fight with." Volstagg pointed out.
"It doesn't sound like he expects us to need that." Thor replied quietly, finally voicing his thoughts.
"Thor, do you think we should trust him?" Captain America asked, gazing at him evenly. He didn't appear to lean one way or another.
"I do not think we should ignore an opportunity to leave." Thor replied simply. But his eyes flicked down to the floor.
Hena blinked at him sympathetically.
"Thor, whatever words Loki spoke to you, I'm sorry. But you have to take into account who was present when he said them."
"Loki has said those things many times when we were alone." Thor replied without hesitating "I've forgiven him too many times. He told Thanos he would be happy to kill me and I take that as the truth. Loki took everything that I did in my youth as reality. Why should I not do the same?"
"Do you truly think Thanos and him have even the smallest amount of honesty between them right now?" Hena asked "Loki has chosen us. Not him."
"Then he could have let me in on it." Thor replied angrily.
"Loki did this to deceive Thanos. He knew he would not come off as a hero to us." Hena told him with a hint of reprimand "He needed his betrayal to be authentic so that no one would suspect. He needed us to believe it. Don't give up on him now. Not now when he is returning to us."
"I'm not leaving my family here. I don't care why he thinks I should. I'm not." Hawkeye said firmly.
"We aren't." Captain America corrected him "The guards can take us there and then to Banner.
Hena hesitated at that, but she did not object. She still had words to say to Thor, but at that moment there was a quiet rummaging sound from outside the door. Everyone froze, unsure whether to prepare for a fight or a greeting.
The entrance slid open and they all squinted into the light for a moment.
Two of the Chitari stood there silently, not moving an inch. For a moment, it stayed that way until Hena slowly stepped forward.
"Take us out of here." she said, sounding unsure if she was actually supposed to order them to do what they needed to.
So, the creatures turned with several weird sounds under their breath.
"Show us where my family is." Hawkeye ordered, taking for granted that they would understand what that meant. After all, they may not even know who he was.
As soon as they stepped from their places, images of each of them appeared, just as they had on Earth. Hena looked at them, hiding a smile. Every tactic used for Thanos was now going to be used against him. And that was utterly satisfying.
Thor and Captain America walked out first, following the guards down the hall. Hawkeye soon took the lead, wanting to get to his wife and children more than anything. He looked swiftly down every corridor when they passed it, but the Chitari were quite vigilant themselves.
The door of their cell closing made each of them jump, heads snapping back to look. Thor had to calm his breathing. It sounded so unusually loud in the silence. He was fighting the hope that Loki really was going to help them out and he was prepared for the absolute worst. His compassion had been thrown back in his face enough for him to want to withhold it forever. But, it wouldn't go away. No matter what he did.
The Chitari really did act as though they wanted to help them. They halted the group when anything seemed out of place and backed them up if they needed to avoid being seen. Everyone kept silent to help that along.
After many minutes of blindly following their guides, they came into a large spacious room that appeared to be the very center of the base. Each of the fours walls had doors and hallways lined up, showing that this place was a lot bigger than one would have assumed from being in their cell. The ceiling was far above their heads, meaning there were other levels to the compound. As well as allowing beings as large as Thanos to be inside.
However, they were not being led to the opposite side where Loki had said Banner was held. They didn't know where the children were, but it seemed suspicious. For the moment, they stayed in an uneasy silence before Captain America called them out.
"Stop." he said and the Chitari did, turning to him. Their beady eyes bored into him.
"Where are you taking us?" he asked, suddenly feeling very wary.
"Maybe this is where my family is." Hawkeye said.
The Chitari almost seemed to bare their teeth at them, but they couldn't communicate. One of them pointed back in the direction they'd been walking. Then, they turned to continue that way.
"This is wrong." Captain America stayed where he was, taking a step back even.
"Loki may have ordered them to take us somewhere else." Hena said.
"That's exactly what I'm worried about." he replied.
"We need to follow them." Hena said with a hint of desperation. But everyone remained where they were.
The creatures stopped by a large metal generator and parted ways. They took about ten steps away from each other and then stood at attention. Captain America looked around quickly, wondering who they were taking orders from.
Between the two guards, there was a faint green shimmer and several items appeared on the ground. Again, the group paused before leaning to see. Eyebrows flying up, Captain America quickly went over, followed by the others.
Laying on the ground was his shield, Hawkeye's bow and arrow, Black Widow's guns, and every other weapon that had been taken from them. Even Tony's communicative wrist band.
"Son of a bitch." the billionaire said under his breath.
Their hesistant faith having been restored, they each grabbed their individual pieces and seemed to examine them briefly before looking at the others.
The Chitari turned in synchronization again, coming back together to lead the way.
"Take us to Laura Barton and the kids that are with her." Hawkeye said, putting his quiver around his shoulder.
So, the guards changed course, leading them to the set of doors perpendicular to where they'd come from instead of across the way.
"We need to be careful." Hena said quietly "This is not where we are meant to go."
"We'll be quick. In and out." Captain America replied. He felt much better with all of them armed. All except for Thor and technically Tony.
The God of Thunder hadn't said anything when they'd taken back their weapons. He'd never realized that the fact that only he could pick up Mjolnir could be a disadvantage to him. But it could and right now, he wished more than anything that Loki was able to hold the hammer.
They went down another hall similar to the one that held their cell. Except this one was lined with many more doors.
Their footsteps, despite being quiet, made them sweat in anticipation. Each shuffle, each small tap seemed as if it could bring a whole army upon them.
"These rooms are not magically protected." Hena told them, gazing around her.
"Then must keep a lot of nonthreatening people here." Captain America replied.
"And that exactly describes who I'm looking for." Hawkeye said determinedly.
The Chitari walked along silently, in no rush to get where they needed to go. But eventually, they stopped in front of one of the many doors they were passing.
"Open it." Hawkeye said earnestly, facing the wall. One of the creatures leaned forward and reached out a hand. The lock on the door clicked and the mortal was able to push it the rest of the way open.
The cell was dark, must like theirs should have been. But, four figures stood inside, shielding their faces from the light. There was a quiet whimper of 'mommy' from one of them.
"Laura?" Hawkeye asked, stepping in quickly.
"Clint." the voice was very surprised.
"Dad!" Nathaniel was the first to run over to him. His father picked him up immediately, giving him a tight hug, but also hushing him. Then he walked over to the others.
"Clint, what are you doing here?" Laura asked in astonishment as he embraced her. When he let go, she stared at him.
"Loki told us you had to leave first." she said in confusion.
"I wasn't going to leave you guys here." Hawkeye replied firmly.
"Everyone is leaving today." Captain America said. He beckoned them all urgently.
"But, that wasn't what he said." Laura replied, shaking her head. She almost took a step back.
"Loki isn't in charge here. We are. And we need to go today." Hawkeye said, taking her hand.
"Clint, the kids won't stay quiet." Laura said under her breath tensely. Her eyes flicked over to the two boys nervously.
"I can be quiet." Cooper replied indignantly, hearing her "Just like Loki told us to be." But he appeared just a bit too eager to get out. Lila held onto her mother. Nathaniel was still in his father's arms, clutching him as if he never wanted to let go.
"We're going now." Hawkeye decided for them "Come on."
Laura paused for a moment more before accepting that. The worry in her eyes didn't change, but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she was relieved to leave the dark confines behind.
"I don't want to walk." Nathaniel said, eyes scared.
"You don't have to right now." Hawkeye replied, holding a finger to his mouth.
The little boy nodded, laying his head down on his father's shoulder.
Fandral was the only one to look at his friends in concern.
"Take us to Bruce Banner." Captain America told the guards and they turned to return down the hall.
As they were walking, Thor suddenly realized that getting out of this place wasn't their only concern. Getting out the realm was the actual task. He had no idea what Loki could have meant for them to do once they were out. Perhaps, like the weapons, the Chitari were going to take them somewhere. Maybe there was a plan. But, if not, Thor wasn't sure what they were supposed to do. Hena was thinking along the same lines, but from his sudden spark of anxiety, she looked into his thoughts.
"Let me try and talk to Loki." she said, just loud enough for everyone to hear.
Captain America turned, the question rising to his lips. But, then he realized that might not be bad idea. She waited briefly for an objection. There was none.
Loki, can you hear me? What are we meant to do once we leave. We will be out soon enough
She waited for a response, but after many seconds, there was still silence.
"He's not-"
Keep moving
Hena took in a startled breath, realizing how glad she was to hear his voice each time.
"He wants us to keep going." she said quickly "I assume he has a plan in place."
Thor nodded, hoping that was true.
"I want to walk." Nathaniel said to his father, a direct contradiction to what he'd wished earlier.
"Not right now." Hawkeye replied "Let me hold you until we're out of here."
"No, now." Nathaniel said, sounding more frustrated.
Laura pointed at the ground, lips pressed together. So, with a deep breath, Hawkeye slowly put Nathaniel back on the ground. It was easier than trying to calm him.
"Where are we going?" Cooper asked.
"Back home." Laura hushed him immediately. Black Widow held out one hand to him and he walked over to take it. Fortunately, that seemed to make him content for the time being. Lila just stayed by her mother, looking around anxiously.
The guards led them down the long hallway until they reached the same spacious room that gave them passage to the rest of the areas. It was still quiet in there. Weirdly quiet.
Nathaniel tiptoed up to Cooper, despite Hawkeye whispering fiercely for the boy to stay by him.
They had to cross the open area again to get where Banner was being kept. He was likely to be sedated when they found him, which was a bit of a concern.
They were taken into one of the passages on the wall that ran parallel to the side they'd been on. Presumably heading for Banner.
As was dreaded and slightly expected, Cooper and Nathaniel began to pester each other. Their angry whispers got far too loud far too fast, causing Hawkeye to grab the younger boy. Everyone had the child in the corner of their gaze, wary that they were going to be found out because of him.
The Chitari in front of them stopped abruptly, shifting their attention from the kid to whatever had alerted their guides. At a faint clicking noise up ahead, the Warriors immediately readied themselves for a fight. Thor edged past the Chitari, who were looking at each other now, to quietly peer around the corner.
Four of the same creatures that had attacked them at the SHIELD compound were prowling along the ground around the corner. They were on all four legs, low guttural sounds coming from their throats as they walked down the hall. Their teeth were bared at the ground and they shook their heads vigorously every few seconds. Not something one wanted to get into a skirmish with if it could be avoided.
So, the God of Thunder slowly backed up to inform the others. And his friends lowered their prepared weapons.
Captain America let out a breath. It was shaky as he tried to control the volume. He glanced at Tony and Thor for a moment. Tony leaned his head towards the Chitari, eyebrows up, and then shifted them to the other creatures several yards away. He waved his hands in a clawing motion. Captain America shook his head, leaning to see how close they were now. He immediately moved back, pressing against the wall with wide eyes.
"Keep them asleep. Thanos will wake them up when he's ready for them." Red Skull said, stepping out of a room along the hallway.
The others recoiled at the sound of his voice. The mutant was walking down the hall in their direction.
Hawkeye held Nathaniel close to his chest, hand pressing his head down to keep him quiet. The creatures down the hall turned to the red-faced man as he passed them. But, he slowed his pace and turned the hallway before theirs. Everyone held their breath for a moment, waiting to see if he would come back. Their hearts pounding were loud enough to alert Thanos' whole army.
After several agonizing minutes went by, they allowed a bit of tenseness to leave their shoulders. The animals were rounding the same corner as Red Skull. The path was clear.
Hawkeye so very slowly lowered Nathaniel to the ground, but he kept one hand gripped on his arm. Lila stared down the hall, holding tightly to her mother's shirt. Her eyes showed the fear that everyone felt and she didn't even know how dangerous the situation really was for them.
They were ready to move now, but the Chitari refused to do so. They stood quite still and Thor took that to mean the group should do the same.
Then, without warning, the two guards turned around, teeth bared. Lila let out a scream, which was almost instantaneously cut off as Loki appeared out of nowhere, clamping one hand over her mouth and twisting to bring her closer to the wall.
Hawkeye had an arrow drawn and ready before he recognized who it was. But then he lowered it, eyes wide.
"Loki." Thor said in a sharp whisper.
The Chitari suddenly let out loud screeches, making him jerk back. However, Loki didn't look alarmed. He was still gazing down the hall where the other creatures had left. The guards were calling to try and cover up the scream Lila had made. They copied her pitch and short duration. Their voice was an acceptable sound to the patrolling animals, unlike anyone's in the group.
Loki looked over at them with narrowed eyes before very carefully taking his hand from Lila's mouth. His other hand held the scepter.
The expressions returned to him were a mixture of anger and relief, some leaning more one way or another.
He stepped back, with his jaw pressed together.
"I thought I told you to leave them where they were." he said, voice quivering with hostility.
"And I said no." Hawkeye replied, flipping his arrow back into the quiver. Laura brought Lila back to her, watching them begin the debate over what she already told Hawkeye.
"Loki." Hena said worriedly, stepping towards him.
"Hena, reunion later." Loki responded, cutting her off. She stared at him as if looking at a complete stranger. Except, she knew him, which only made it worse.
His eyes were so dark around the edges. They had noticeably morphed into a different color. Blue. Not green.
"You...are...not...going to make it out of here with them." he said, still in a whisper.
"I'd rather risk it than leave them here with the rest of your pampered prisoners." Hawkeye spat quietly. The others looked uneasy, as if uncertain which side to take.
Loki leaned forward, his voice even lower so that only a select few could hear it.
"Fine." he said, the now indifferent tone making their hair rise "But when you're caught and they're tortured and killed, that blood is on your hands. Not mine." he brought himself back, glaring "Now get out. They send guards to check the cells every hour. Leave Banner. You don't have time now. He's far too deeply sealed. And they'll be missing the others."
He referred to Laura and the children, which was something no one had thought of unfortunately. Loki's plan unfortunately provided very little room for error.
"Can't you do the same for them as you did in our cell?" Volstagg ventured.
"No. They're more than illusions. They act the same as the person they duplicate for a while. And that requires more. I am already hindering their surveillance. So take them, leave Banner, and go."
Upon saying that, he expected another objection, but there was none.
"You'll protect him." Captain America checked, gazing at him intently.
"We are far past any of you giving orders to me." Loki growled "I told you to get him first. You've made your choice."
"Loki." Hena said, her voice always so much more soothing.
"They are going to Anaheim first." Loki told them, eyes on her only "Then Midgard, then Jotunheim. The rest of the nine realms will follow until they have enough to have them stand against Asgard. You will need to get to your father and tell him to prepare. Asgard can come to Anaheim before Thanos arrives."
"I can't speak to my father." Hena replied with quick shake of her head.
"Try again once you are out of here." Loki said "I couldn't have you bring him here when you were in your cell. Now, go." he stepped back again.
"You have to come with us." Hena demanded with a faint shrillness to her voice. So, that was how he intended for them to leave. Valder was supposed to come and get them.
"No, not now." Loki said, still remaining fully reserved.
"Loki, what are they doing to you?" she said in distress "You know you can't stay here."
"I cannot leave now." he repeated.
"If you stay, the first person they will suspect is you." Hena said.
"They wouldn't suspect anything until you were safe in Anaheim if you'd done as you were instructed. In fact, much longer than that." Loki replied in frustration. He turned away "So, get out."
"Loki-"
"No, don't, Hena. Leave."
"Loki Odinson, you listen to me right now!" Hena hissed, her voice much louder than before. He immediately looked at her, eyes wide. The others shrunk down and heads turned in different directions, expecting alarms to start ringing.
"You are not this cold! Especially to me!" Hena continued sharply. She reached one hand for the scepter angrily "Put it down."
Loki waved it away from her reach, chin raised.
"I'm honestly not sure if you're possessive of it or if it's possessive of you." Hena said fiercely "There is a reason you will not let me touch it. You know what it does. It is the same reason you took away Mazi's memory." she squinted "You cannot keep holding it. The only reason it has not taken a stronger grip is because you are fighting the dark emotions it intensifies in order to help us."
Loki held her gaze, his own eyes narrowed before he slowly raised his arm and allowed the scepter to fade.
"That only helps. It won't solve the problem and you know this." Hena said, the anger less apparent now.
Thor examined his brother warily. He couldn't see auras, but he now believed what Valder had said when he'd first come to see them. Loki was deeply affected by the things that happened in this dark realm.
"You have to come with us now." Hena went on.
"I can't." though less harsh, the answer was the same.
"Yes, you can and you must. I won't leave unless you are coming."
"It will make things worse if I come now." Loki replied.
"You cannot predict what Thanos will do to you when he finds out." Hena said, shaking her head fearfully.
"I will join you, but not yet. I will meet you in the battle on Anaheim." he responded. He nodded back down the hall "You must leave now."
Hena reached to take his hand with both of hers.
"Please." she murmured, suddenly seeming to be asking for something other than for him to come.
Loki stood in silence for a moment. Then he blinked with a small resigned exhalation. Her magic suddenly passed from her hands to his with a golden glow.
Almost instantly, the ghastly marks around his eyes withdrew a bit. Hena let out a deep relieved breath and released him.
Then, the growl they'd heard many minutes before came again, causing Loki to put a finger to his lips. The creatures were making their rounds again.
"Go." he said under his breath, waving them on. The Chitari, who'd stood in complete silence, turned to lead them back out at his word.
"Thank you." Thor told him briefly. Loki didn't respond, but the two of them held gazes for a few seconds. The younger brother looked away first.
Hawkeye took Nathaniel back up in his arms to leave. Even though they all generally had a good sense of direction, it was very difficult to try and weave their way through this compound. Their guides, however, obviously had no such problem, and immediately started down a different path than they'd come in.
When they were several yards away, the God of Mischief spoke again, still in a hushed tone.
"Hena."
She looked back expectantly as everyone paused.
"I fell to Anaheim first. Not here." Loki said, head tilted forward slightly. Then he turned and faded from sight.
Hena paused for a moment, but couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face before she continued on her way with the others.
Red Skull surveyed the rooms down the corridor that were being opened and shut. The people inside had adjusted their eyes to the dark rooms. So, upon opening, they would always shy away, losing the chance for a look outside. The lack of light usually mellowed their prisoners quite well. If left long enough, they tended to be driven to insanity. At that point, the scepter wasn't necessary to take control of them anymore. Most of Thanos' followers weren't made up of coerced beings. Generally, they were quite willing, but it never hurt to have some extra expendable soldiers.
The Chitari were able to count the number in the cell nearly instantaneously while also making sure that they were the ones meant to be inside. This made it so that the doors were hardly open at all. Unless the prisoners knew exactly when the guards were coming, they wouldn't be able to prepare an attack.
However, this was only for the ordinary cells. The ones that were magically sealed were left shut and the occupants were counted by a magical trace on the outside. Soon, Red Skull would move on to those. After these ones were secured, he was more than ready to stop in front of one in particular. The man that had ruined his first attempt to take Earth was in there and that vengeance was still sweet. Even though him being sent to Thanos was far better, Red Skull never forgot those with whom he lost a war.
Th Chitari warrior stopped outside of the door and he watched with a small curve of his mouth. They moved on without hesitation, obviously showing that there was no problem with the impressive Avengers team inside. Red Skull nodded to himself in satisfaction before raising his eyes to supervise the rest of the cells.
Thor wished that they were able to communicate with the Chitari leading them out. They had no way of knowing how much farther it was until they were free. Hena was constantly trying to contact her father, despite Loki telling her it wouldn't work in here. She did not know exactly what he had meant by that, so she decided it was better to continue trying.
Leaving Banner behind was nagging at all of them, especially since it felt like they had traded him for Hawkeye's family. But, even though Loki had reacted angrily when Captain America asked him to protect their friend, they somehow believed he still would.
They'd had to pass several of the same creatures they'd met while going to get Banner. Each time, the Chitari would stop and allow the creatures to move on. No one was aware that the ones they had to avoid had no eyes and relied solely on sound to lead their way. They were less sentient than the Chitari, following only the orders given to them. They did not think for themselves. The only thing they sought was blood and it made them the perfect sentries.
Cooper still walked by Black Widow, being very obedient, much to the relief and gratitude of his parents. He kept quiet and was even looking around him from time to time.
"Hena?" Fandral asked under his breath, getting up next to her. She glanced over, pausing her attempts to reach her father.
"Can you read their mind?" he asked, pointing up at the Chitari.
Everyone brightened a little bit, but Hena shook her head in regret.
"They are more machine than living being. They do have individual thoughts, but it's like trying to break through the barrier of their basic design. They have an underlying purpose at all time and that overshadows anything else they have to process."
Fandral sighed breathily in disappointment.
"But I think I can sense the connection with my father becoming stronger." Hena went on "That may just be wishful thinking, but I believe I can."
"And that's all we need." Thor replied softly "If you can get your father to come here, then we'll be able to take it from there."
They came into a room that looked similar to the very first one they'd been brought to. It had the cages on every wall, which they now knew were just to hold prisoners until they were sorted. Cooper looked up and around, no longer paying attention to how close he got to his brother until he stepped on the back of his shoes.
"Cooper! Don't!" Nathaniel complained indignantly, making them all freeze. He turned part way to face his brother before Hawkeye whirled him back around with wide eyes. His father gripped the boy tightly, even though he squirmed indignantly.
There was an alarmed screech from one of the halls behind them and they all took several steps back.
"We need to run." Captain America said, one hand unconsciously on Hena's upper arm to pull her along.
"Where?" Sif asked, sounding angry instead of scared.
"The way we were heading." Tony replied, pointing down the hall, even though most of them were already moving in that direction.
But, within seconds, the horrible yellow and black creatures appeared, scraping around the corner. This time, all three of the children screamed.
The first one leapt right at Captain America and he flung it away with his shield. Hawkeye sent an arrow into the next one before dragging Nathaniel back away from the fight. He pulled him back to Laura, who had her other two children held close.
With all of their weapons, they would have been able to hold off the aliens with ease, but they also needed to make it out of this place at the same time. And, the room was far too small for them to try and maneuver in.
The Warriors lined up in their usual positions to fight. Without coordination, they all surrounded Laura and the children.
The Chitari had moved back out of the way. Apparently, their instructions had not included defending anyone and the creatures did not target them.
The way back deeper into the compound was completely open. No enemies came from there, but everyone was reluctant to run back in. However, once it became clear there were too many for them to keep away from the children, Black Widow fired several shot into the creatures and pulled Cooper and Lila back with her. Hawkeye followed with Laura by his side and Nathaniel in his arms.
"Guys, fall back, or we'll all be killed." he yelled.
Thor ordered something at his friends, but nobody stopped fighting until the wild-looking animals began to try and run around them to follow Hawkeye down the hall. Then they all backed up and took a mad dash.
Sprinting about as hard as he could ever remember, Thor flipped around to face the threat when they made it to the main area. Claws ripped at the ground as the creatures skidded to a halt.
"What are they doing?" Hawkeye gasped at them as he tried to get air back into his lungs from running so hard.
"We have escapees." came a voice and they whirled to face it. Then, almost instantaneously their arms were tightened down to their bodies and they lost all ability to move.
"Lost your tongue have we?" Red Skull asked, harshly "I think not. Speak up."
The ugly beings that held the physical control over them came forward to stand by the former mortal, hands extended towards them. All of them had come from the same sector that Laura and the kids had been.
And finally, Thanos himself stepped from the hallway. He was not wearing any armor this time, but that did not make him look less massive than he had when he first came to Earth.
"We wondered where our child friends had run off to." he said, his voice low as he surveyed them. His eyes landed on Laura and then Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel "I expected they'd be dead, from the sound of that fight. What I didn't expect was to find a whole group of our guests ready to leave with them." he looked at Red Skull "Who helped them?"
"Two of the Chitari apparently. They're being brought now."
"You might want to reevaluate the intellect of your soldiers." Hena said mockingly, hiding her fear. For a moment, Thor was surprised that she could actually speak before realizing that he could as well. Her words were both mocking and a way to try and shift some of the blame that could potentially fall to Loki.
"Ah, Hena, I'm glad to finally meet you." Thanos said, peering at her. His tone was almost kind and fatherly like.
"Finally?" Hena asked, narrowing her eyes with a disgusted look.
"Yes. Loki told us a little about you when he left Anaheim. Although, your family was already well known to me." Thanos replied "He was under extreme duress at the time, so you can't be too angry with him."
Thor barely restrained himself from calling out an angry insult to the Titan. It was a very subtle hint that Loki had in fact been tormented when he'd come to this realm the first time. Just as Thor suspected. But he didn't want to give away that he was now on good terms with his brother again.
"Speaking of him, Red Skull, send guards to go and find Loki." Thanos said, looking down at his right hand man "He'll likely have been alerted to this, but I want him here. Perhaps he can shake some sense into our ally Hena."
"I wouldn't be too sure." Red Skull warned, although he was turned to call men to him. He grinned wickedly over at Hena, who glared back "She said some pretty unkind things not long ago. Don't count on their friendship to play in your favor."
"Friendship?" Hena spat the term as if nothing made her sicker than to think of that.
Thanos didn't say anything in response because the Chitari that had been taking them out were now following one of the Almighty's personal servants into the room. Red Skull walked over to meet them, letting the darkness infused being return to his spot by the others.
Nathaniel had his face pressed into his mother's side, glancing out at a few of the sounds. None of the children had lost their ability to move and it didn't look like Laura had either. She was protectively positioned in front of the kids.
"Well?" Thanos asked.
"These appear...to be...Nebula's...former guards." Red Skull replied, slowly turning back to his master.
"Nebula." Thanos echoed.
"Yes. It isn't possible for her to have come back, is it?"
"Only if it was to kill me." Thanos replied and it was unnerving to hear that he didn't sound even the slightest bit concerned.
"She would want to sabotage our plans too." Red Skull pointed out.
"But she would not have known they were here." Thanos said, talking slowly as he began to think "Unless..." he turned his head to look at Hena. Then he surveyed all of them, eyes narrowing. Thor and the Warriors were grouped closer together and all of them looked just as angry as Hena.
"He's clever, I'll give him that." he said lowly.
Red Skull's brow furrowed.
"Where is Loki?" Thanos asked, his tone cold.
"Preparing the Chitari to be able to infiltrate Asgard." the mutate responded carefully, as if not sure this was correct any longer.
Thanos smiled ever so slightly "He's here. He's watching. Watching his deceitful plan fall apart." he looked at Hena "Isn't that right?"
"Trust me, I wished for days that this was a trick and he was still our friend. But, after what he did." she paused, her voice quivering in anger "Loki gave us up to you." she sounded as if she meant every hateful word "The bastard is here. Just with you."
"And the Chitari came so conveniently to your cell and then to the children's cell?" Thanos asked, humoring them "No, they're not considerate enough to get the family too. Just your group alone would have suggested an unfamiliar being let you loose. But, taking the children suggests that your ally has a bond with at least one member among you."
Laura stared up at him, trying to control her breathing.
"Loki?" Thanos spoke now to the whole room "Show yourself. I know you would follow along with them. You're here."
Red Skull peered around warily, but he looked somewhat exhilarated. Thor could only see Hena's expression from the corner of his eye, but she was forcing herself to look subtly smug and condescending. To trick their enemies into believing that she wanted them to think it was Loki.
"Come out." Thanos said, taking a step forward to the group.
The room remained still and it was not hard to believe that those they could see were the only ones in the room. And they might have been. Loki was smart enough to stay away when Thanos expected him to be close.
The Almighty reached forward and grabbed Hena by the arm. She yelled angrily as he yanked her to the ground towards him. Then he pulled her to her knees.
"Shall we test your friendship, Loki?" he asked, forcing Hena's head back. She struggled against his grasp on her arms, but he had her in a secure hold.
"Will you let me kill her before you surrender?" Thanos asked. Red Skull put the tip of a knife to her throat, very aware of her quickened breathing.
"He's not here, dammit!" she said, letting out a cry as Thanos pulled her head farther back.
"Let her go!" Thor snarled at them.
"Let her bleed then, Loki." Thanos growled. Red Skull let the blade slip into her skin just a bit. Hena winced, face tightening as a drop of red liquid rolled down her neck. She tried to jerk away, but only ended up making it press in deeper. At her sound of pain, Thor's protests were echoed from everyone.
"If he was here, he would have come!" Volstagg said, his voice most discernible among them.
Tears trailed down the sides of Hena's face, as the knife continued to bite into her flesh. Her neck was completely exposed from the way they were holding her and the dark blood was clearly visible running down her skin. Thanos peered around, trying to see every angle of the room.
Hena cried sharply. Her eyes squeezed as Red Skull roughly pulled the dagger back. He hit her across the face, hard enough to knock her to the ground. Thanos let her fall, staring down at her in disdain as she heaved in breaths.
"He's smart enough to know we won't kill her." he said.
Hena pushed herself to her elbows and then drew one hand close to her throat to put pressure on the cut. She breathed hard, sweat from her face mingling with the blood.
"Bring me the girl." Thanos said coldly.
"No!" Hawkeye demanded fiercely.
Without hesitation, Red Skull walked forward and pushed past the group of Avengers. Some of the Chitari in the room followed him.
"No, don't touch her!" Laura pleaded desperately "Leave her alone, she's innocent. Please!"
The Chitari took ahold of her, allowing Red Skull to rip Lila away from her mother. The girl screamed, both in fear and pain as the mutant pulled her along by the hair.
"Stop!" Hawkeye nearly screamed at them.
"She's nothing, Loki." Thanos looked around with narrowed eyes "She's a mortal. Pathetic and useless. But, nevertheless, she is still a child."
Red Skull handed Lila over to the Titan. Thanos took her by the hair as well, forcing her to her knees.
"Should she die? Shall Mazi lose her friend?" he asked. He placed his hand to Lila's temple and the girl began to scream.
"Don't, please!" Laura cried, struggling against the Chitari holding her "Let her go!"
"How far gone is Loki Odinson?" Thanos snarled over the screaming child.
"STOP!" Hawkeye shouted again, his voice barely loud enough to be heard over the commotion.
"Use your magic, Loki!" Red Skull mocked, ignoring the despairing parents.
At those words, Thanos' eyes suddenly opened wide, as if realizing something. He released Lila just as Loki appeared a few feet away. With teeth clenched, the God of Mischief jammed his dagger into one of the tall spindly beings controlling his friends standing opposite to Thanos. He immediately spun and cut the throat of another, making it crumple to the floor as well.
Captain America nearly stumbled forward as the magic grip on him failed. He recovered almost instantly and flung his shield over at Red Skull, jaw clenched. The mutant was hit straight on, sending him flying back.
Hawkeye, Black Widow, Tony, Fandral, and Hogun were also free to move now. Hena scrambled to her feet, pulling out her knives to join the fight.
But, within moments, the two remaining servants of dark magic frantically reorganized who they were controlling. There were far too many Avengers and Asgardians for only two of them to hold. Of the mortals, Captain America was halted first and then Tony.
The black and yellow creatures came running from the hall that they'd almost escaped from. Hawkeye and Black Widow defended Laura, while Fandral, Hena and Hogun struggled to fend off the rest of them.
Loki had been apprehended by several Chitari and based on how easily they took him, he was also being manipulated with magic.
Red Skull got back to his feet and ran over. He tackled Hawkeye to the ground, his blade hitting the floor right next to his head in an attempt to either kill or maim the quick moving operative. Black Widow turned to help, but was snatched black by several Chitari beings. Within moments, the remaining three-Fandral, Hena, and Hogun-were also subdued. There were simply too many for them to defeat every one.
The two darkness-infused beings were straining to hold both of the Odinsons, two Warriors, Hena, Captain America, and Tony. Generally, they only restricted about two people at once, so their power had less control over each person. All of the rest were being held down by Thanos' servants.
Loki in particular was gripped by every limb to keep him still. It looked like that was needed too.
Lila was on the floor in front of the Almighty, crying in pain.
Thor stared at his brother, eyebrows creased anxiously. Thanos did the same, but his gaze was murderous. Loki had stopped moving, wanting to look him right in the face.
"I don't imagine those servants will be easy to replace." he said.
Hena let out a trembling breath as Thanos lowered his chin and glared.
"You...will...pay dearly...for that."
"Tell me when." Loki maintained his hateful smugness.
The Titan looked over at the dead bodies of his slaves and then at the whole scene around him. Hawkeye wasn't relenting. He jerked back and forth against Red Skull, face furious.
"Poor Loki." Thanos said, his voice now soft "Given so many chances, but he just never quite fits in. Can't trust Odin, can't be friends with Midgard, Asgard sees him as a frost giant, but here," he paused, taking a step forward "You were a king. Loved and appreciated. I gave you a second chance and you turned it away. In the worst way you could have. Unfortunately for you, we are also the worst ones you could have betrayed."
"Bad habit?" Loki asked, tilting his head to the side insolently. Hena whimpered as she tried to break free. The last thing she wanted was the God's silver tongue to get him into deeper trouble.
Thanos stopped, staring at him thoughtfully.
"Like Odin, I plan on you having a long life, Loki Laufeyson. You will beg for Asgard's law soon enough. How mild that would have been. For once, you're going to wish you were a mortal. You will regret what you did this day."
"Well, I would like to see you try and force me to." Loki leaned at him against the guards, gaze cold "Because you will never make me regret this."
"Loki." Hena said desperately.
"We will see." Thanos replied, his tone still soft "And try I will." he turned his back on the God of Mischief, eyes flicking down to the child who'd fallen unconscious at his feet.
"Take them back to their cell. We'll deal with them later."
Two Chitari had taken Hawkeye from Red Skull, giving the mutant a chance to stand up.
"What of the children?" he asked "Where should I take them?" he narrowed his eyes at the frost giant "I'll gladly kill them here."
"Maybe in time." Thanos said before the parents had a chance to protest. He was also looking back at Loki "I think we'll divert our forces to our friend here before we move onto the others."
"No." Hawkeye said sharply, eyes darting between the Almighty and Loki wildly.
"Get them out of here." Thanos said, his voice in an angry whisper.
Hena cried out as she was pulled back by two of the guards. Thor stumbled back, his legs only given half the power they needed to walk.
"Loki, no!" Hena struggled desperately "Let him go!"
"You touch him and all of Asgard will fall upon you!" Thor yelled, trembling with rage.
But Loki never looked away from Thanos, expression cold and defiant.
Thor was shoved to the floor of the cell as they filed the prisoners back in. They just pushed the last Warrior in and sealed the room as he got to his feet and ran at the door. He slammed his fists into it angrily, sliding them down the wall when it shook from the force. But there was no dent. No evidence that he'd attacked. It was too well protected.
He leaned his forehead against the wall, breathing angrily. Hena stood by him, one hand brought to her forehead anxiously.
Laura and Hawkeye were down on their knees by Lila. Her mother cradled the little girl in her arms as he checked over her for whatever damage Thanos inflicted. She was awake, but only just. Laura talked to her softly, but that was the only sound to come from the room.
Thor turned, surveying the expressions in the room. They were almost all staring at the floor, defeated and frustrated.
Hena swallowed, eyes wide as her mind raced to find another way to get out of the cell. But the action brought a sting of pain and she moved her hand to her neck.
"Are you alright?" Thor asked, his face still tortured. He was only partially concerned for her right now, distracted by other thoughts.
"It's fine." Hena struggled to keep in control of her voice. It came out rather hoarse because her throat was so tight. She closed her eyes, several tears falling right to the floor.
"He has him, Thor." she whispered.
The God of Thunder blinked, lips pressed together.
"And I couldn't ever reach my father." Hena continued, lowering her face into her hands. She finally let out a gentle sob, shaking her head side to side. She walked over to Thor, embracing him as she cried. He put one arm around her.
Hawkeye watched them, his hand rubbing Lila's arm as she slowly became more and more aware of herself. His two boys were sitting by him, both scared and subdued.
"I shouldn't have to hope for death." Hena murmured, shaking her head.
For a moment, she felt Thor's strong grip falter. Her words brought utter despair to his mind at the fact that she had to hope Loki would be killed rather than remain alive.
They'd been so close to getting away. To allowing the plan to work and being able to warn Asgard and Anaheim of what was coming.
"It's my fault." Hawkeye said to Laura quietly during their conversation several hours later. Their sense of time had been reset for now. It was unlikely any of the adults would really be able to sleep right now.
The three children, however, had fallen asleep, absolutely exhausted from the horrible past week. Nathaniel's head rested on Black Widow's legs, chest rising and falling calmly.
Laura lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him, eyebrows creased.
"What? Why would you think that?" she whispered in dismay.
"Because I wouldn't follow the plan." Hawkeye said, eyes unfocused "He said he would take care of you if we left you and I didn't believe him."
"Clint." Laura said sadly "You were trying to protect us. Loki being captured is not your fault. He knew what risk he was taking when he helped us."
"But it wouldn't have been a risk if I had listened. I just don't think I could have left you here." Hawkeye replied, shaking his head "That's not what I promised to do when I fell in love with you."
"Clint." Laura said softly, rubbing his shoulder affectionately "No matter what, Loki helping us was for the cause. He cared more about getting you guys out and stopping Thanos than he did about himself. Otherwise, he wouldn't have done it."
"I'm sure this wasn't the preferred outcome though." Hawkeye muttered.
Laura just hugged him from behind, arms curling up to his chest as she laid against his back. She rocked carefully from side to side. It was so similar to their evenings at home, once the children were all in bed.
Hena sat with her back to the wall, thinking deeply. She had sought comfort from Thor, but he still wasn't her family. Her thumb running over each of her fingernails in turn was the only thing that revealed the horrible turmoil she felt inside. Right now, the only thing she could hope was that Loki could somehow manage to remove the spell that prevented her from communicating with her parents. He'd told her to get out of this horrible compound first, but maybe there was someway he could change that. There had to be.
The Warriors were in a circle, although they were not talking but more than a few words. Sif, the one who had been such a harsh judge when it came to Loki, had a great deal of remorse coming from her. However, Hena didn't feel the slightest bit of satisfaction. It was the elephant in the room between all of them. No one quite wanted to speak of the events, but they all knew what each other was thinking about. The hardest part of all was the fact that it kept on replaying in Hena's mind. If it wasn't in hers, she could see it in someone else's.
Captain America and Thor spoke near the door very quietly. They weren't looking at each other, but kept their eyes rather low. Hena clenched her toes, taking in a deep breath. She wasn't going to try and keep everyone's emotions in check right now. Somethings needed to be felt. Loki had done everything he could to get them out and was now going to pay the price they should have paid.
After a moment of tentative thought, she decided to try and reach out to him. Her telepathic powers had been so blurred before that the sudden severe impression she received was startling. She gasped, jerking forward and putting a hand to her chest.
Thor immediately turned and went over to her, scowling in concern. The others did the same, all shocked at her abrupt outburst.
"Hena, what's wrong?" the God of Thunder asked, getting down by her "What's happened?"
Hena shook her head, suddenly crying so hard no sound was able to escape her mouth. Thor reached and touched her back, eyes distressed.
"Hena?" he demanded.
"He's in pain." Hena sobbed, facing the ground on her hands and knees. Thor pulled his hand back, face falling.
The others shared glances, each realizing what she meant within moments.
"Is he talking to you?" Thor whispered, his voice failing to come as he stared in pure anguish.
The woman shook her head again, bringing her arms to her stomach as she heaved in a loud, uncontrolled breath.
"I can sense it. Thor, he's in so much pain." she whimpered and rolled forward into a protective position, as if feeling some of it herself "Oh God, Loki what are they doing to you?"
:)
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