Chapter 7

Confrontations


"Cmon! He's an alien threat! He should be in Plumber's custody!", Ben argued.

"This is a SHIELD matter, clearly it has to be dealt with BY SHIELD", Natasha countered.

With Loki apprehended, the group set about transporting him to the Helicarrier. Ben had immediately objected, insisting that the Plumbers could, and should hold Loki, due to their experience with alien criminals. Needless to say, Natasha was strongly against that idea.

"Well clearly from recent events, SHIELD sucks at keeping things safe!", Ben sarcastically remarked. Cap and Iron Man merely stood on the sidelines, with the latter being amused and the former concerned. Natasha placed her fingers on her temple, clearly perplexed and mentally counting to ten. She stopped at two.

"Wow...he's the only guy I've ever seen get on Romanov's nerves this much, and live", Stark commented. The billionaire watched with mild amusement at the exchange. Clearly this kid, whoever he was, had a lotta balls for his age. Getting on the redhead's bad side was always a bad proposition; for the unlucky victim.

"Is it always like this?", Steve asked. "Nah, usually she pulls a femme fatale and completely blind sides you. Doesn't hurt as much as your pride will...", Tony remarked, before turning to the Supersoldier,"...and that's on her good days", the armored man shifted slightly, recollecting his first meeting with " Natalie Rushman" at the sparring ring.

"I don't like this...something's not right", the Supersoldier stated, looking at the restrained Loki, watching the exchange with quite a bit of mirth in his gaze. Steve had been pushed physically many a time in his warfaring days, but never to this level. He'd admit that if it weren't for the Tennyson kid in his...unusual form, he would've been laid out relatively early.

"What, Rock of Ages giving up so early? Which reminds me, you're rather spry for an old guy. You do some yoga? Jiu-jitsu? Pilates?"

"Pilates?", came Steve's confused reply.

"It's a lot like calisthenics", Tony explained, "you missed out on a lot, y'know, with the whole serving time as a Capsicle thing".

Steve gave a pointed look, "Fury didn't tell me you were coming"

"Yeah, Fury doesn't tell you a lot of things. Take the kid, for example", Stark pointed out the hooded teen, whose argument with Nat had become more animated.

Benjamin Tennyson was indeed an anomaly. He had the body of a teen and yet possessed the mentality of a veteran who'd seen more than his fair share of warfare. His transformations added an entirely unfathomable dimension to him, making him seem almost..otherworldly. However, Steve could see some similarities between himself and the teen: an earnest disposition, unwavering attitude in the face of adversity and an altruistic spirit, ready to help those in need.

The teen had activated his Device's communicator, and was currently addressing his grandfather on the issue.

"It's a sensitive matter, Ben. Plumbers don't normally interfere with SHIELD activity", Max's hologram calmly pointed out.

"But isn't this different? Besides, I'm pretty sure we have better alien cells for perps like Hornhead over here! ", Ben argued.

"Magister Tennyson, we're running out of time. SHIELD still has to pinpoint the location of the missing artefact AND the SHIELD personnel with them. Lives are on the line here", Natasha spoke up.

"Hey! Quit butting in!", Ben complained, drawing the redhead's ire.

"It's alright, Ben", Maxwell Tennyson placed a hand under his chin before continuing , "You'll just to go along with this for now. We're trying to work with SHIELD, not against them. Seems the Plumbers have to play nice, Ben. As a show of good faith, we'll have to keep our hands out of this matter. Besides, the Plumbers have always been on neutral grounds in regards to the Asgardians. But in any case, you'll be there as our liason"

"Wait, the Plumbers know about the Asgardians?"

"It's a long story, Ben. One for another time. Right now, we need to keep this situation under wraps, delicate as it is. The Plumbers are swamped right now, and SHIELD's the second best place for Loki. Just make sure to never let him out of your sight", the old man stated grimly.

"Fine, but I get to say I told you so if this whole plan goes sideways", Ben muttered.

"Keep me posted, Agent Romanov"

"Understood", the redhead responded. The communication ended, with Ben miffed and Natasha unable to hide the smug, satisfied grin gracing her lips as turned towards the Quinjet .

"Hey, you two lovebirds done yet?" Tony called out, drawing annoyed glances from the two "Sorry to interrupt your little nest squabble, but we're burning daylight, or should I say, nightlight here!".

Ben wasn't sure if he was red with annoyance or something else.


The SHIELD Jet cruised through the cloudy night sky, its quarry in tow. One sociopathic Asgardian, a 90 year old fighting machine, a man in a literal machine and a very animated teen with an attitude. Of course, the Quinjet was piloted by a redhead superspy working for Nick Fury, who was currently on radio with the redhead.

"Has he said anything?", Nick's voice could be heard on the radio.

"Not a word ", Natasha looked back warily at the captured Asgardian seated in the carrier portion of the Jet. Her years of honed instincts told her something was off about Loki, but she was still trying to place her finger on it. A brief glance at Cap suggested he shared the same concerns, unfortunately the supersoldier was occupied mediating a colorful conversation between her two personal headaches: Stark and Tennyson.

"Lucky we were able to get the Plumbers off his ass, for now. Just get him back here, we're running low on time", Fury's response was brief and tense. The Director had been partially dreading getting the Plumbers involved, relations between the two had only recently been upgraded from Cold War to Mildly Mediated, and navigating beaurocracy could be a bitch sometimes. Especially in uncharted waters like relations with certain alien agencies. This situation was too close to home, and he didn't enjoy involving too many outside hands, current situation notwithstanding.

The communication ended, Nat focused on piloting the jet. Her gaze briefly flicked towards Tennyson, silently observing the teen being passively interrogated/prodded by everyone's favorite billionaire playboy in the world's most expensive suit.

"So how'd you do it?" Tony asked. "Do what?", Ben replied.

"The whole human torch shtick, Teen Wolf", the billionaire inquired, getting a raise eyebrow from the teen. "Lemme guess...SHIELD experiment?"

"Nope?"

"Gamma Radiation?"

"Nope?"

"You a mutant?"

"Not even close"

"An android ?"

"Yup"

"Wait, Seriously?"

"Nope"

Ben, on the other hand, wasn't enjoying being on the end of a magnifying glass. Especially when that magnifying glass was an egotistical genius with an ego to match.

Oh great, it's Azmuth all over again. Ben thought

"So I'm guessing it does have something to do with that fancy not-a-wristwatch you're wearing?", Tony surmised, pointing down at the device on the teen's wrist.

Ben's hand instinctively went to the Omnitrix. "Yeah, thought so", Tony said smugly, "I mean it wasn't screaming designer label or fashion choice anyways. I would know, I've dated way too many models in my time. Probably not the best thing to do in your youth, mind you. Tends to leave a mark, and not the good kind. More like a psychological scar from trying to fill a wanton need in your soul, and it doesn't age well. Hey, mind if I touch that? "

The billionaire's hand inched towards the alien device, only for Ben to snatch his wrist away, the device out of Tony's grasp. Cap shook his head, glaring at Tony.

"Yeesh, touchy! Did you make it? Probably not. So how does it work, exactly? Bio-inhibitor? Nanotech? Molecular Refraction? Magic? The last one was a joke by the way. Your generation's definition of humour's pretty weird. Ever hear of Reddit? Absolute nightmare, can't even begin to understand. The language alone's probably gonna give ole' stars and stripes over here an aneurysm", Tony quipped as he gestured towards Captain America, now currently observing the exteriors near the windows with a cautious glance at their quarry.

"It's Advanced Alien tech", Ben stated flatly. Tony was already reaching Dr Animo levels of "creepy scientist curiosity". Both Captain America and Tony were equally dumbstruck.

Tony blinked. "Seriously?",

Ben nodded, arms folded as he leaned on the walls of the cockpit.

"Alien? As in E.T.? UFOs? Please don't tell me Fury Almighty's been nuttier than I think he is...".

Ben merely raised the device in question, "It's called the Omnitrix, and it basically turns me into aliens".

"Wait, as in aliens? There's more? We're talking intelligent life other planets?"

The teen hero gave a smug grin.

"Uh-huh..."for the second time that day, Tony was stunned. He'd seen reports of alien like creatures all over the news, not to mention the "classified" footage Coulson presented to him when he broke into his Tower (typical SHIELD agent) and dumped a fat pile of boring work files on his lap, completely ruining date night for him and the lovely Miss Pepper Potts.

Needless to say, Tony had to see it to believe it. Footage of all sorts of unnatural creatures (he would know, he's seen the Hulk), all wearing the same symbol, taking down criminals or saving people from burning buildings. And the fact that all that could be traced to a 19 year old was indeed, mind-blowing.

"You seem rather surprised, Stark", Loki's voice piped up, the man not even glancing in their direction.

"Don't recall anyone talking to you, Ruldoph...", Tony retorted.

"Does it frighten you? It always does, to lesser creatures, the idea of their world being bigger than their feeble minds can comprehend. You are but a worm, that crawled from the earth and now seeks to comprehend the sun", the Asgardian monologued.

"Okay, anyone else getting ominous vibes?", Ben asked.

As if on cue, a torrent of lightning bolts cut through the dark clouds, causing the plane to jerk abruptly , the atmosphere becoming unnaturally turbulent. A loud rattling in the interior coupled with a loud whine as the engines fought to stabilize the plane drew everyone's attention.

"Where's this coming from?", Natasha asked out loud. Nothing in the radio briefing services, broadcasts, pilot reports, satellite and weather radar imagery had indicated the arrival of a storm.

Even Loki appeared concerned as he leaned forward, his eyes cast towards the roof of the carrier, as if awaiting something. "What's the matter, afraid of a little lightning?", Steve asked.

"Let's just say I'm not often fond of what follows", the Asgardian shrugged, his attitude strangely laid back given the circumstances.

The turbulence only became worse, before some unseen force impacted the SHIELD jet's roof with uncanny speed, causing everyone standing in the cockpit to wobble before scrambling to find their balance. Sharing a wary look, Stark and Captain immediately put on their respective helmets, while Ben readied the Omnitrix, sparing a glance at Loki, who sported a knowing grin.

"What are you doing?", Steve shouted, as Stark activated the hatch, immediately greeted with a blast of wind from the storm-filled air. A blond, caped figure appeared, the same that had landed on the jet. Wielding a hammer in his right hand, he brushed past Ben easily, knocked over an approaching Iron Man into Steve before grabbing Loki and taking off, the duo flying out of the jet.

"And then there's that guy", Stark grunted, picking himself up, while Ben peered out the hatch. "Is that who I think it is?", the teen shapeshifter asked.

"I don't think he's a friendly.." Cap was also recovering from getting a 425 pound metal suit Tony dropped on him.

"Another Asgardian?", Natasha deduced from the pilot's seat, as she attempted to keep the plane's flight path in the storm.

"Lightning bolts, fancy cape, has some kind of beef with horn-head, I'd wager that's Thor!", Ben said as he began fiddling with the dial of the Omnitrix, his silhouette illuminated by its familiar green hue. "Wait, kid, what are you doing?", Tony called out, watching Ben step dangerously close to the edge of the open hatch, clearly without a parachute.

"Gonna have a little chat with a god. Wouldn't be the first time!", Ben shouted back, before diving off the edge.

"Woah!! Kid overboard!"

Stark peered out the hatch's entrance, following the teen disappearing into the clouds below. He fired his suit's jets before in preparation to chase after the teen, the low whine of his suits internal mechanisms getting louder.

"Stark! We still need a plan of attack!" Steve cautioned. "I have a plan-Attack!", Iron Man called back before boosting himself out with his propulsion jets.

Steve quickly grabbed a parachute before heading out. "I'd sit this one out Cap!", Natasha warned from the cockpit.

"Don't see how I can", Steve replied, buckling the straps of his parachute.

"Tennyson's not as careless as he seems. Plus, those guys are the stuff of legend, they're basically gods!"

"There's only one God ma'am", Steve stated, marching briskly towards the open hatch, "And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that!", the super soldier finally grabbed his shield, and promptly dove out through the entrance.

Meanwhile, a brilliant green flash illuminated the night clouds.


Thor Odinson had a famously bad temperament, hence storms were often attributed to his rage. And nothing stocked said rage than seeing his supposedly-dead snake of a brother, alive and well, up to no good in the mortal realm no less.

Upon crashing (violently) into the earth with Loki in tow, his attempts to interrogate his half-sibling were merely deflected with mock pleasantries, much to his annoyance.

"Where's the Tessaract?", Thor bellowed, standing over Loki. "Hehe, I missed you too, brother mine! And your lack of manners!", Loki chuckled breathlessly, before picking his self up, dusting the dirt off his tunic. "You should be thanking me! With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the All father draw to bring you here? To your precious earth?".

Thor frowned, before grasping Loki's neck in a vice grip "I thought you were dead! We all did!"

"Did you mourn?", sneered Loki, breaking out of Thor's grip. He always had ways of escaping from every predicament he found himself in (most of which, self-afflicted), damning the consequences thereof.

Even now, the two would bicker continuously, as they were kids. Thor continuously tired of Loki's shenanigans, Loki tired of being under Thor's shadow. Their argument reached a fevered pitch, to the point where neither could reign in each other's emotions.

" I've seen worlds beyond ours!", ranted the younger Loki, his eyes mad with a monstrous hunger."Worlds beyond your comprehension, Odinson! I've seen the true power of the Tessaract the old one-eyed fool kept from us! And when I wield it.."

"Who showed you this power? Tell me, who controls the would-be king!!!" Thor retorted, his voice rising a furious octave.

"I AM A KING!!!" Loki practically screamed, his frustration reaching a boiling point. He'd already planned everything out, the invasion, the diversion, and here was his bloody oaf of a brother about to ruin everything.

"Not from where I'm standing, you're not", an unseen voice rasped, alerting the two brothers. Thor guarded his brother on instinct, his pose battle ready. Loki scanned his immediate surroundings surreptitiously, his senses picking up a distinct but familiar presence.

"Show yourself, intruder!", Thor challenged, hammer raised. He paused, noticing his exhalations becoming an icy vapor. Loki gave a dry chuckle as he felt the flakes of ice appear almost out of thin air, his secret Frost Giant nature easily attuned to the change in temperature.

The duo were immediately surrounded in a fog of snow, the soft crunch of rapidly forming ice beneath their boots as they stood back-to-back, cautiously peering into the din, waiting for the unseen assailant to show himself.

A soft beat of wings parted the snow in front of them as the visitor revealed himself, materializing into view as if from almost nothing. A humanoid with a black body, blue-rimmed patches on his arms, shoulders, legs, resembling ice chunks. Large, moth-like wings slowly folded into a makeshift hood-and-cloak, his green-speckled eyes glowed in the moonless night giving him the appearance of a phantom.

"Everybody freeze", the mothman joked, "haha, I've always wanted to say that"

Thor, ever quick to action, brashly confronted the transformed Ben with his hammer pointed, "I have no quarrel with you, wraith. But stand in my way, and you will face the wrath of the mighty THOR!"

The Necrofriggian simply stretched his clawed hand forward, as if to touch the Enchanted hammer. Instead his clawed hand became intangible, phasing through both the hammer and Thor's outstretched arm, immediately encapsulating both in a chunk of frigid ice.

"Chill, dude", Ben rasped, a twinge of annoyance in his frost-laden words.

Momentarily stunned, Thor looked from Ben to his frozen hammer. He flexed his arm, breaking it and Mjolnir from the prison of ice, before holding the hammer above his head. Using the leather strap attached to the handle, the blond Asgardian began spinning it horizontally, creating a wind vortex that dissipated the ice.

Thor levelled his hammer before the teen, the weapon hissing with energy. Big Chill's wings unfurled, assuming a defensive stance in preparation for avoiding the upcoming attack.

Before the Thunder God could rear up a strike, Ben unleashed an arctic blast from his mouth, sending Thor sliding backwards, his heels digging into the ground for some kind of traction.

"I'm not here for you, Sparky", Ben said, "I'm here for your no-good-pain-in-the-ass brother"

"You'll have to get through me first!", Thor yelled, sending a blast of lightning at the transformed teen,who simply turned intangible and let the attack phase through him.

"Yeah, you're not hitting me anytime soon, buddy. Seriously, I'm not here to fight", Ben said as he folded his arms.

"Good job defending my honor, dearest brother!", Loki called out.

"I do not defend what does not exist, Loki! Now stand back and shut up!", Thor glared at his brother before looking back at the mothman. He fixed his gaze on the supposed "wraith" before coming to a different conclusion when a familiar crest caught his eye. Lowering his arm, he slowly matched towards the wary teen.

"That symbol..."Thor spoke, pointing Mjolnir at the Omnitrix on Big Chill's belt, "I recognize the crest. Possessed by the race from beyond the stars, the ones called Galvan."

"Wait, you know the Galvan?", Big Chill's wings collapsed back into a makeshift cloak and hood, as he sported a quizzical look, .

"Aye, quite tiny but their intellect and craftsmanship are said to be unmatched, even by Asgardian Dwarves. Annoying little creatures when they want to be. And seems you're no wraith. Did they send you here?", Thor asked.

"Well, not really...kinda. Look, I'm Ben Tennyson, I'm sure you've heard about me..."

CRASH!!!!

Unfortunately, Ben's introduction was cut short as a certain Armored Billionaire literally dropped in, slamming into Thor at jet speed. The both of them were sent a good distance into the nearby woods, leaving Ben and Loki alone, sharing an awkward glance

"What the..!! Dammit, Stark!", yelled Ben. The Necrofriggian took flight before turning back to Loki, using his frost breath to entrap him in ice, leaving his neck and head free. "Do me a favor, stay here...and stay frosty!"

He definitely couldn't resist making that one.


So much for having a little chat, Ben thought as he flew past a trail of broken trees and rocks, following the destructive path of the Armored billionaire and the bullheaded Thunder god. All it took was 5 seconds of Tony's egotistical ass butting in to ruin what was supposed to be a parlay with a temperamental blond with a hammer that controlled freaking storms.

"Why do I always get the short end of eccentric billionaires in fancy suits", groaned the transformed teen, "what was that Gwen always said: use your head?! For a genius, Stark sure doesn't know how to use his!!"

Ben caught up to the two, watching Tony's exchange with the blond Asgardian.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with, metal man", Thor growled.

"Uh, Shakespeare in the park? Doth mother knowest thou wearest her drapes?", Iron Man mocked.

Ben facepalmed mid-flight. Seriously?

"Loki will face Asgardian Justice", Thor warned. "Until he gives up the cube, he's all yours. Until then, stay out of the way", Tony responded, closing up his mechanical helmet.

Unfortunately that was all Stark needed to set off the Thunderer. A loud clang sent the billionaire flying, the blow struck by the hammer Thor sent his way.

Stark responded with a full on repulsor blast, knocking back the Thunder god.

Okay, that's it, Ben thought, time to end this stupid grudge match.

FWOOOSH!!!

Drawing a long breath, Ben unleashed a frosty gale, halting both parties in their tracks, albeit momentarily. Iron man was the first to recover, surprisingly, using his suit's anti-freezing circuits to free himself, before slamming straight into Thor, sending both flying.

"Dammit Stark, I was handling this!", Ben yelled.

"Stay outta this kid! The grown-ups are talking!", Stark yelled back, before attempting to land a haymaker on Thor, who responded with a counter and an uppercut, clearing the more combat experienced of the two.

"By smacking into each other???!!!", Ben used his frost breath to create a wall of ice, hoping to separate the two. Unfortunately, both parties were equally stubborn, with Thor leaping in the air before drawing a lighting bolt from the air, sending it down at Tony.

" Exactly ", Tony retorted, his suit absorbing the energy, before getting an alert from his suit's AI, Jarvis.

"Energy levels at 400%", Jarvis announced. "Well how about that?" Tony mused, before redirecting the energy into a powerful repulsor beam, shattering the ice wall and sending Thor crashing into the forest.

Ben flew in front of the Armored billionaire and spread his wings, blocking his path. "Uh, what are you doing?", Stark questioned.

"Stopping this before it gets out of hand"

"You're out of your league, E.T.", Tony tried to get past, only for Big Chill to reach out, grab his suit and use his freezing touch to blossom a deluge of ice, encasing Iron Man in a massive iceberg chunk, reinforced by the moth man's cryokinesis, enough to give the Mark 32's circuits some trouble defrosting.

"Right back at ya, Tin Man", the teen retorted, before turning towards a charging Thor and shot a barrage of ice spikes using his Arctic breath. The assault slowed down Thor's charge, allowing Ben to stop him in his tracks with an ice-mace coating his fist. The ice shattered, knocking back the Asgardian prince.

"Out of my way, frost creature!", Thor yelled, reaching out to summon his fallen hammer.

CLANG!!!

Cap's shield ricocheted off Thor, before sailing back into the supersoldier's hand. Ben had turned intangible at the last second, narrowly avoiding the projectile's path.

"Hey! All of you!! That's enough!!", Cap barked from his vantage point

"Cap! Finally! Boy am I glad to see you!", Big Chill's wings folded back into a hooded cloak as he spoke. The supersoldier jumped down before addressing Thor.

"I don't know what you plan on doing here..."

"I'm here to end Loki's schemes!", Thor snapped.

"Then prove it", Cap offered. "Put the hammer down"

"You attack first, threaten me, and now, you demand I put my HAMMER DOWN??!!"

Give me a break!.. , Ben lamented.

"Bad choice of words, Cap! He loves his hammer", Tony spoke up, still trying to thaw his way out of Big Chill's icy prison.

"Wait, Thor!!!...", Ben called out

Thor was already in motion, a giant leap with his hammer above his head, poised to strike. Captain America raised his shield in response.

BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!

Ben was engulfed in a bright surge of green, while Thor's hammer glowed with lightning. The hammer came down in a surge of lightning, whilst Cap braced for impact.

The energy dissipated, the impact against his shield never came. When Cap looked up, he wasn't even holding his shield. And neither was Thor holding his hammer.

Floating in their middle, was apparently another one of Ben's transformations. A magnetic humanoid with a metallic head levitating in an arch between his shoulders, a brownish-black body with crab-like claws, both of which were manipulating a large electromagnetic field surrounding the being.

ZZZZZTTTTTTTTTT

Also suspended along with him were Cap's Shield and Thor's Mjolnir.

Ben had transformed and flown in between the two, projected an electromagnetic field around his metallic body, cancelling out Thor's momentum and stopping Mjolnir in its tracks, the hammer's lightning charge safely redirected, leaving the Thunder god stunned, looking at his weapon floating above him.

"Whew! I should've done this sooner!" came Ben's robotic voice, "sooo, are we done here?...",

"By Odin's beard.." Thor muttered in disbelief.

"Yeah, what he said", Tony marched up, having finally melted his way out of the icy trap.

The trio stood almost in a circle, observing the teen floating above them like an astral witness.

"Yeah,...we're done here".


Dr Bruce Banner was always more at home in a lab, surrounded by his equipment, and silence. His childhood was always a blur of bad memories, relationships and misery, but the one thing he always had going for him was his love for science.

The sanitized white of the Helicarrier's labs were like a haven, allowing him to clear his mind and focus on studying the strange device in front of him, the one Agent Romanov had dubbed the R.A.D.D. Supposedly it was a classified piece of tech that they could use to track down the Tessaract, but he was enraptured by its sophisticated technological nature, almost otherworldly in design. In all his years, he'd never seen such a compact yet unprecedented energy field spectrometer. If only Betty could see this, he thought.

Bruce's musings were cut short by the mechanical hiss of a door opening, along with a procession of armed SHIELD personnel escorting their new prisoner along the corridor to a specially prepared holding cell. Three guesses as to who that cell was originally meant for.

However, his attention was drawn to their prisoner, who stared back at Bruce before breaking into a sinister grin. Loki's eyes never left Bruce's as he was marched down the hallways, observing the scientist behind the reinforced glass walls of the labs.

The scientist paused to massage his brow, visibly perplexed. Suffice it to say, Bruce Banner was no longer comfortable in his haven.


Loki stepped into the chamber, before the doors closed behind him. The compartment pressurized with a loud hiss, the electromagnetic locks clicking into place simultaneously. Loki turned around, facing his "captor", Nick Fury.

"In case it's unclear, if you try to escape - if you so much as scratch that glass...", the director tapped several keys on the nearby console. The platform supporting the base of the cell opened with a mechanical whirr, letting in a whoosh of air.

"...its 30,000 feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?", Nick finished, before closing the platform's hatch, "Ant, boot. It's not the Null Void, but for me, it'll do".

Loki chuckled, pacing around the steel and glass confinement , "Quite an impressive cage. Though I suspect, 'twas not built for me".

"Built for something a lot stronger than you"

"But of course. Wouldn't want all that effort going to waste now, would we? Tell me, is it the mindless beast still playing as a man, or the boy shapeshifter you secretly plot against? How desperate are you, to call on such lost and unpredictable creatures to your defense? ", jeered Loki.

"How desperate am I?", Fury's gaze was steel, "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace, yet you mindlessly kill for fun. You've made me very desperate. And you might not be glad that you did."

Loki appeared amused, "Ooh, it burns you to have come so close, doesn't it? To have the Tessarract, to have power, unlimited power, power greater than anything humanly possible. And for what? A warm light for humanity, for you miserable creatures to share?"

Observing from the monitors on the bridge, Agent Hill's hands shivered at her sides

"And then to always be reminded what real power is", Loki concluded, his features set and his gaze hardened.

The two held a stare for a while before Fury broke his gaze and turned around "Well, let me know if real power wants a magazine or something", the Director commented as he left the room.


"He really grows on you, doesn't he?", Bruce commented, folding his arms. The team had gathered at a Meeting Table under the bridge, having watched the exchange between Nick and Loki.

"Like a nasty fungus on my old gym socks", Ben commented, drawing looks of mild disgust from the others, especially Nat, who sat beside him. "It's a long story..", the teen added with a shrug.

"Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?", Cap looked up at Thor, who paced lightly in front of the meeting table.

"He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not known of Asgard or any world known" Thor mentioned.

"Not even the Plumbers. By all accounts, they recently just popped up on the radar, making some noise", Romanov added.

"Plumbers?", Steve raised an eyebrow. "Uhh...Basically, they're intergalactic police", Ben offered.

"Loki means to lead the Chitauri against your people. They will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tessaract"

"Intergalactic police? Armies from outer space?", Steve was incredulous.

"Hey, you've seen me turn into aliens, Cap", Ben leaned back on his chair, "Not that much of a stretch when you think about it".

"So he's building another portal. That's why he snagged Doctor Selvig", Banner deduced.

"Selvig?", Thor asked. "He's an astrophysicist", stated Banner.

"He's a friend", Thor interjected.

"Loki has him under a some kind of spell...along with one of our own", Natasha bristled, folding her arms on the table, drawing Ben's attention. He'd never seen her look so...anxious.

"I wanna know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here", Cap continued.

"Maybe it's not just Loki", Ben theorized. "What, you're saying someone else's involved in this?", asked Natasha.

"Loki did say someone showed him the power of the Tessaract", the teen hero continued, looking at Thor. "Maybe he's just the bait, and someone else's pulling the fishing line. Then again, maybe he's just as cooky as they come.."

"Have care how you speak, shapeshifter", Thor warned, "Loki is beyond reason but he is still of Asgard. And he is my brother"

"He killed 80 people in two days", Romanov was quick to remind him.

"He's adopted"

Ben snickered.

"I think it's about the mechanics", Bruce put his own theory forward "Iridium, what do they need iridium for?"

"It's a stabilizing agent", Tony announced his presence, walking into the room with Agent Coulson in tow. "It means it won't collapse, like it did at SHIELD". Coulson excused himself, heading to the Personnel Quarters.

"No hard feelings, Point Break, you pack a mean swing", the billionaire said as he lightly tapped Thor's bicep, much to the Asgardian's chagrin.

"You on the other hand", Tony abruptly pointed at Ben. "We've a score to settle, E.T, for turning me into a Starkcicle. I'm gonna need you at Stark Tower, RD , doing a little community service, specifically serving the scientific studies community..."

"Not gonna happen, Tony", Ben folded his arms. "Yet", Stark continued, "Also, that means that the portal can open as wide and stay open as long, as Loki wants. Uh, raise the mizzenmast, jib the topsail..."

The SHIELD agents were, understandably, confused. "That man is playing Galaga! Thought we didn't notice but we did", Stark surveyed Fury's command platform, covering one eye. "How does Fury even see these?"

"He turns", Maria stated dryly. The last thing she needed right now was to babysit a pompous man-child who's intellect was eclipsed solely by his ego.

"Sounds exhausting", Tony commented, tapping on the console, "However...the rest of the materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily, the only major thing he needs is a power source of high-energy density. Something to kickstart the Cube"

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?", Mariah queried, hands folded in derision.

"Last night", Stark said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction theory papers...Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"To be fair I wasn't given a handout", piqued Ben, raising a hand in protest.

"Does Loki need any particular power source?", Steve asked. "He'd have to heat the cube to over 120 million Kelvin just to break the Coulomb barrier", answered Bruce.

Should've paid more attention to Gwen's nerd rants, Ben sighed inwardly.

Stark spread out his arms "Unless Selvig figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunnelling effect".

"Well if he could do that he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet"

"Finally someone who speaks English", Tony pointed, leaving Cap still confused. "If it helps, I don't get what they're saying either", Ben reassured the Supersoldier.

Tony finally greeted the other scientist in the room. "It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner", he said while shaking the man's hand, "your work on antielectron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm also a fan of how you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster". Bruce looked uncomfortable.

"Dr Banner's only here to track the Cube", Fury interrupted, having just walked in, "I was hoping you might join him, Stark"

"We can start with that staff of his. It may look magical, but it looks an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon", Steve advised.

"I thought HYDRA got disbanded, along with the Forever Knights", Ben added. "Last I checked they had some kind of falling out"

"Forever Knights? They're still around?", Steve asked. He'd encountered them during his days fighting HYDRA cells scattered around Germany.

The Knights had some...interest in Hydra's early technology based on the Cuve, and were attempting to buy it from HYDRA. When that failed, they resorted to taking it, by force. Needless to say, neither party got their hands on the tech, thanks in part to their infighting and Steve's team making a timely entrance.

"Nah, I sent 'em packing", Ben stated, a little pride in his words, "but I think the staff's probably alien tech. Maybe a level 4"

"I dunno about that, however the staff seems to be powered by the Cube. What I would like to know is how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his own personal flying monkeys"

Thor didn't catch that last part, "Flying monkeys? I do not understand".

"Oohh-ooh, I got it!", Ben hollered, "Wizard of Oz! I always knew Fury was a closet geek!". The Director frowned at that.

"I saw it once", Cap pointed, earning a grin from Ben. Everyone else rolled their eyes at the teen.

"Moving on", Tony turned to Bruce, "shall we, Doctor?". Together, they found their way back to the Labs, the billionaire genius taking the lead with the timid genius in tow.

"Ignore him if he tries any weird stuff with you! Or asks you any weird questions! ", Ben called out to Banner.

Tony gave the teen an incredulous look.

"I'll be back for you, E.T! Don't worry!"


"Shapeshifter!", Thor bellowed, walking up to Ben's side at the table,"it seems I may have misjudged you"

The teen looked up, "Uhh, thanks...I guess?",

"You're no wraith, yes, but your true form is but a mere mortal boy. Tiny, weak, scrawny, posing no threat to the Mighty God of Thunder", the Asgardian added.

Ben deflated, while Nat chuckled lightly. Thor left to converse with Coulson, from the look of things he was inquiring about the whereabouts of a certain Jane Foster. Seemingly more than just a professional interest, Ben noted.

"So, is there anything else you can do?", Natasha called his attention, snapping him out of his ruminations. "Huh?", he asked.

"A living fireball, an ice ghost, a humanoid magnet. And that's just today. Not to mention you somehow convinced a literal god to join our side. You're full of surprises, it seems"

"Well, I guess the question is what can't I do?", Ben leaned back, his sneakers folded on the table.

"How about you help figure out Loki's play? Can you do that? ", Nick Fury butted into the conversation, causing Ben to almost fall of his seat in surprise.

"Hey, why do I have to play Interrogator?"

The Director continued, "You're not playing, and you have the most experience with alien matters and alien relations. Plus whatever's in that watch can probably get him to talk".

"What about his brother?", Ben queried, gesturing at the Blond Asgardian.

"I need every resource I got on this".

"Is that what I am? A resource?", Ben folded his arms. Nick responded by placing both hands on the table, leaning forward, staring the teen in the...eye.

"You're currently still my biggest headache, Tennyson. A loose cannon and an even wilder card than Banner or Stark or even the Thunder god. I need you take this seriously"

"You're forgetting this isn't my first rodeo, Fury. I do take matters seriously, I just don't need to act all serious about it. Besides, I'm working with you, not for you, so I definitely don't take orders from you. I'm a hero, not a damn lapdog", Ben stared back, his teen features hardened.

The Director stood upright, hands at his sides, "Have it your way, hero", before walking away. Seemed like this matter was far from over.

Natasha was the first to break the ice, "Seems like you've gotten under his skin, again"

Ben leaned back on his chair, hands tucked behind his head "He'll be fine. Knowing him he's already working on Plan B. And C and D. Possibly all the way to Z. Frankly, I don't care, kinda expected it when I got talked into all this".

"Loki wasn't lying when he called Fury desperate. His methods can be...questionable, but remember it's not just about trust, Ben", she said, placing a hand on his. The teen stared at her before managing a small smirk. "So I definitely can't trust you?", the teen cocked his head at her.

The redhead merely hummed, though in approval or disapproval Ben couldn't tell. The teen shapeshifter decided to switch gears, putting Nat in the spotlight.

"So, I hear a friend of yours got taken by Loki?", he asked.

"Where'd you get that idea?", Nat raised an eyebrow, a play at a smile on her lips.

"You looked pretty concerned when you mentioned one of ours got taken by Loki", Ben pointed out easily.

Nat snorted. "What, don't tell me you're jealous.."

"Not jealous, just happy for you", Ben answered, breaking into a grin, "you've actually got friends!!!"

It took all of Agent Romanov's training and willpower not to break into a full-throated guffaw in front of over 20 high-level SHIELD agents and Director Nick Fury.


Ben had excused himself to the "little boys room", as expected he got double takes from everyone he walked by on the way to the SHIELD restrooms. Unfortunately not for his supposedly good looks, but most likely because to them he was basically a hooded kid on one of the most advanced military facilities on the planet.

"Advanced military facilities my ass", Ben thought, "Baby Galvan would have a field day playing with this tech before getting bored"

Turning towards one of the corridors, the teen managed to find a less concentrated spot on the Hellicarrier. Good, less people to report to Fury. A quick tap on the Omnitrix's plumber badge showed him the numerous bugs within the restrooms. Paranoid much?

Ben dialed up the Omnitrix, the 3D holographic display popping up with a flash. Green light flooded the stalls as he transformed.

Ben's new form, a techno-humanoid with a black exterior and green stripes resembling circuitry all over his black side. A prominent green circle situated on his head served as his eye.

"UPGRADE!".

A quick burst of energy from Upgrade's nanite cells let him unleash a low frequency pulse into the area, effectively blinding all nearby electronics in the area. Temporarily.

The lights flickered and the hand dryers short circuited, causing Ben to flinch a little. Whoops, should've gone for a little less

Faulty toilet machinery aside, the Galvanic Mechamorph merged with the surrounding machinery embedded in the ship's walls, moving like a sentient gelatinous blob. In this form, he was able to hack any and all computers available in his immediate vicinity.

Fury and Romanov. What were they planning? Plotting? Too many variables, too many questions, not a whole lot of answers. His years of experience taught him that having more questions than answers always led to a rabbit hole one could find themselves trapped in.

Too bad for them, I've also got an Ectonurite who gets out of anything.

Time to do some digging himself.


...TO BE CONTINUED...


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A/N: And, scene.

Gotta say, this probably felt like my best chapter yet. But what do you guys think?

Edit: Tony calling Ben "Teen Wolf" is a little fun Easter egg.

Ryan Kelley, the actor that plays Ben in Alien Swarm also plays a character in the Teen Wolf series.

Responding to Reviews

WOW, there's a lot of you guys recently. Thanks for all your reviews! I may not answer each one personally, but I appreciate all reviews.

Excelsior!!

...

Sakra95: Asgardians aren't too invested in Midgard. Odin knows of Ben's reputation as a hero, but he doesn't interfere. That's part of the reason he doesn't want Thor in Midgard. He doesn't want Asgardians interfering with Earth matters.

reader2020italia: Thanks. I have an idea for how Ben can fit inside Ragnarock.

thewittywhy: Don't worry, Waybig's intro is gonna be epic.

poketrap08: Atomix is definitely still on the table

Guest: I'm not touching the reboot aliens, but I might consider the non-canon aliens, provided they're unique enough

rvalla11: Thanks a lot

Amit Bharabi: Loki making a transparent building sounds cool, but also kinda pointless.

-Ben did hold his own in the fight. Loki technically has more combat experience than him, plus he also knows how Ben's aliens fight.

-Jotunn in the MCU don't really have ice powers, last I checked.

Guest: Sorry if Astrodactyl was your favorite. Honestly, it's probably just my bias. I never really liked him since the moment he was introduced. All I could think was "We've done this before. This is literally Jetray but with less abilities"

Guest: Natasha was about 23 when she met Ben.

UltraPhantom: Sorry about that, the Mark 32 for me was iconic. I might rectify this later, or I could just come up with a reason why Tony has more advanced armors.

Guest: Ben having a perfect Omnitrix equals busted Ben. Besides, the Omnitrix tends to reflect Ben's growth as a person, so he can't start off perfect

Omnihallows:

-I'm not cutting ALL Omniverse aliens

-Ben was 19 when OV began (Edit: Just found out he wasn't, sorry!)

-Undertown will feature later in the series.

Guest: Pretty outlandish to have Yelena be Ben's love interest, but she's not on the table unfortunately.

ArashiNokitsune:

-Pretty good points all round, will consider some OV aliens.

-XLR8 has more controllable speed than FastTrack. He uses his ball-pad feet to manipulate friction.

-Upchuck does what Ballweevil does better. He's better control over his explosions and can use energy projectiles. Plus he doesn't have any natural predators unlike Ballweevil

-Chamalien kinda sucks for stealth. He can be detected by motion sensors, thermal scans and he even has a shadow. Big chill and Ghostfreak have no such problems and can phase through walls

Guest

-I don't think age was that much of a problem in the MCU. 90 year old Cap made out with Sharon Carter after all

-Rath is too much of a fan favorite to exclude. Personally I think he's pointless because he doesn't do much in terms of unique powers, he just has physical abilities, which Fourarms and Diamondhead already have.

love10Ben: Thanks, I'll consider it

Thanks again everyone, I'll see you all next week!!

EXCELSIOR!!!