A/N: Thanks for all the well-wishes on the job hunt. I did find one as care-giver for the elderly and I am looking forward to it! Wish me luck! I will do my best to keep the updates coming too :)

Steve flung his shield at Loki using all his strength. A decapitation was unlikely since the target was stronger and faster than an average human. In fact, Loki avoided his attack easily with a laugh and a taunt, but that had been the aim: to distract him. Hermione's attack came a beat after his own to bind him in ropes which sprung from the tip of her wand, coiling around him like snakes, but before Steve had time to rejoice, Loki turned them into real snakes. They slid down his body and were sent right back at them. The hostages began to scramble and scream, before they fled, preferring the wrath of a madman over the bite of the snakes. Loki did seem a bit put out by that and he vanished his now useless doubles. Hermione didn't waste another second though and sent a volley of coloured spells at him. His spear blocked them with ease however and Steve was beginning to wonder if fighting magic with magic was really the answer. Loki was advancing on her too, like an unstoppable wave, while she continued casting more frantically at him, seeming bewildered than nothing ever hit. Steve ran right at Loki to tackle him so Hermione could regroup, but he went right through him.

"A double!" he warned Hermione, just in time for her to shoot up in the sky with her levitation.

It had to be a trap. They scanned their surroundings. Steve was quite frankly pissed he had been fooled by such a childish trick, but he also knew the Asgardian had to still be around here for his magic to work if it had any similarity to Hermione's. A blue bolt of energy shot out of the shadows, heading straight for her, an easy target in the night sky. She must have expected it and summoned a shield because the energy dissolved around an invisible dome. Next thing Steve knew, Loki was being yanked out of the shadows like a rag doll and thrust his way. Steve smirked and got ready, planting his feet on the cobblestones as he pulled his fist back. The punch, when it connected, made a sickening sound and sent Loki's helmet flying, before he too fell, rolling several times on the street before coming to a stop.

Steve approached the seemingly unconscious body with caution. He wouldn't underestimate the Asgardian this time. He was as devious as they came. Loki stirred, his spear coming up between them, keeping him just out of arm's reach as he picked himself up. But it was two against one and Steve used the second he glanced at Hermione to attack again. He kept him in close enough combat that his spear was mostly useless. If it wasn't so important they stop Loki, he would admit it was kind of fun being able to fight someone by giving it his all, not pulling his punches less he shatter all his opponent's bones. And this Loki was a master at dodging too, and fast to boot.

But Steve doubted he could subdue him on his own, so, catching a glance of his girl about ready to do her worst, Steve flipped Loki over his shoulder so he was mid-air and hopefully a bit disoriented when the spell hit.

It wasn't flashy like the others and maybe that's why Loki couldn't counter it. Steve only knew he had been hit because his limbs locked up tight as if he had been turned to stone, dropping with a thud at his feet. Steve nudged him with him boot, but Loki didn't wince, didn't grunt, his chest didn't even seem to be moving, but that was hard to ascertain because of all the armor and drapes he was wearing. Hermione approached cautiously, wand at the ready.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" Steve asked.

"Don't tempt me. No, I just petrified him. The spell usually lasts an hour, but I don't trust it to last that long on him since he's not human."

"Better tie him up then."

"Rope or handcuffs?"

"Uhm, kinky," said a loud voice sounding like it was emitted through speakers.

Steve looked around, shield ready to protect Hermione in case Loki had some back up. Now that he thought about it, it was strange he hadn't. Where were all his minions? For now, all he could see was a flying robot, and he didn't know yet whether he was friend or foe. It landed in front of them, its face tilted towards their petrified opponent.

"Looks like I'm late to the party. Guess he wasn't the bogeyman Fury made him out to be."

"Fury sent you?"

"Nobody sends me." Despite the distortion of the voice through speakers, Steve couldn't miss the note of derision it held. "But he did send her," he added, pointing a finger at an incoming Quinjet.

It was good to have another ally, albeit quite a strange one. Steve wondered if there was someone in the robot, or just piloting it from afar. The future was still a bit confusing.

"Rushman!" the robot greeted the redhead who walked out of the Quinjet. "I must admit, the catsuit is a good look on you. On you too, Lady Liberty, of course. All women should wear catsuits. Wait, that was a bit sexist, wasn't it? I take it back. We should all wear catsuits. I bet I'd look fantastic in one."

"I'll take him," the woman he called Rushman said, ignoring the robot's chatter completely. "Captain, Sergeant, if you wouldn't mind accompanying me to keep an eye on the prisoner?"

Steve nodded his agreement, but the robot protested.

"Wait! What about me? Aren't I invited?"

"I thought you liked to fly solo?" Rushman said pointedly. Those two evidently had a history.

"Yeah… But this looks more fun."

"Suit yourself," Rushman agreed dryly before heading back to the Quinjet.

Hermione shrugged and levitated Loki as she followed her while he made a detour to pick up both the spear and the ugliest helmet he'd had the misfortune to see. What was up with those impractical horns? The thing was heavy too.

"Here, you might need these."

Steve looked at the robot walking beside him with a constant mechanical whir. In his perfectly articulate fingers was a pair of large handcuffs that even he would have difficulties breaking out of.

"Thanks," Steve said, appreciating the weight of the cuffs. "So do you work for SHIELD? Fury didn't mention we would have backup."

"You don't know who I am, do you?"

"Erm, no," Steve admitted with a sheepish smile before the robot's faceplate flipped up and Tony Stark's face was there smirking at him.

He must have been enjoying whatever expression he was making because he chuckled and clapped him on the back as if they were old buddies.

"I feel I should be offended, but it's actually nice to surprise someone for once. Not that I'm predictable, but everyone knows literally everything about me."

"Really? That sounds awful. Hey, Hermione! " he called to catch her attention before he tossed her the handcuffs after she had deposited her burden. When she was done securing the prisoner, he waved her over, pointing at Stark. "Guess who the robot is?"

Her mouth shaped into an O of surprise and she hurried over.

"Mister Stark! I never would have guessed. Your suit of armour is amazing! It's so flexible," she said as she took his hand to bend his fingers. "How is it powered? Does it have guns? Or lasers? How fast can you fly? How did you get in it? How do you get out? How do you breath in it?"

"Hermione," Steve chuckled. "Maybe let him answer first?"

"Oh, sure, sorry. It's just that I haven't seen something this amazing since the Stark Expo. You should have seen the displays after we saw the flying car. Some of the things in there were fantastic and Bucky said…"

She trailed off, her animated expression falling so fast it gave him backlash. They hadn't spoken his name since finding each other again, yet he was always there like a ghost between them. Hermione's slip up meant that for the briefest moment she had forgotten he wasn't really there, that he was gone forever. Steve took her hand and squeezed it.

"Did you build it?" he asked, hoping to cover the awkward silence because he knew she didn't like making a spectacle of herself.

"Sure did. I'd like to say it's unique and priceless but that'd be a lie. This is the Mark 7 and I blow them up on a semi-regular basis, so…"

"That sounds familiar. Did Howard have one of these too?"

"No," Stark snorted, looking somber all of a sudden. "Probably would have found the whole Ironman stint stupid."

"Really? The Howard I knew would have sold his mother and soul to get his hands on something like this."

"Yeah, well. I guess the old man changed when you went down under fishing for mermaids."

Ah. Father-son issues then. Pretty common, even in his time. He'd better walk on eggshells if he mentioned Howard around his son again. He glanced at Hermione but she still had a blank look about her. He had had several weeks to mourn Bucky, his friends and the past. He'd even mourned her. But Hermione was still fresh out of the war and would need time. He nudged her towards a seat and belted her in. She looked in shock and wasn't quite sure how to help her through it right now.

"She alright?" Stark asked with a frown when he turned around to keep an eye on the prisoner.

Steve waited until they were in the back of the plane and he'd made sure Loki was still harmless to answer.

"Battle fatigue. You call it something else today… PTSD?" Stark nodded. "She was in 1945 yesterday. She hasn't had time to adjust yet. Hasn't had time to mourn either."

"Yesterday? Well… Fuck. Maybe letting her join SHIELD was not such a great idea, then, genius."

"Letting her?" Steve repeated with a raised brow.

"I thought women were meeker in the forties?"

"You'd be surprised."

Movement caught his eyes and he watched warily as Loki began twitching, then moving again as he pushed himself upward into a sitting position, cracking his jaw and neck. Steve checked the time. The spell had only lasted twenty five minutes and he made a note to tell Hermione about it later.

"That… was not something I care to repeat," Loki told them conversationally.

"Good. Keep your nose down and we won't have to resort to it," Steve said.

"We?" Loki chuckled. "And where is your little sorceress? It's no good making threats if you don't have the means. No offense, but I won't be stopped by the likes of you and this… tin-man."

Stark's gloved hand shot up inches from Loki's face, its center shining a bright blue as it whirred menacingly. Steve gently pushed it down and took Stark aside for a talk.

"I don't like it."

"Neither do I. If you're tossing him out of the plane, I won't tattle."

Steve bit back on a sigh of annoyance. He would just have to get used to Stark's special brand of humour. If he had gotten used to Dum Dum's loud and crass jokes as well as Monty's more insidious humour, it was only a matter of time before the non-stop Stark-snark didn't even register.

"Tempting," Steve said drily. "But I meant something doesn't feel right. Loki has an army of drones at his beck and call, probably more than we know of since he went off grid, so where were they when we captured him? It was too-

"Don't say easy," Stark warned.

"-easy," Steve finished.

Stark ran a hand down his face.

"You had to say that, didn't you? Next you'll be saying you'll be right back and that it can't get any worse."

"I'm not sure I follow."

The turbulences that had been shaking the plane for a few minutes got worse and thunder rattled his very bones as it streaked by so close, it lit the whole cockpit with blinding white light. Steve observed Loki with suspicion, but even the Asgardian God looked worried.

"There it is," Stark muttered. "You jinxed us."

Steve ignored Stark's rambling, finding it a bit ironic that a man of science was so superstitious. Once upon a time, he would even have dismissed the very idea of jinxes, but he was dating a witch so he knew better now. Yet, he could feel the air around them was heavy with impending danger, his own hair standing on end. He wandered the cabin, checked on Hermione, made sure the spear was still locked safely away, then inspected their prisoner's handcuffs, but as far as he could tell, Loki had nothing to do with the ever growing storm.

"Scared of a little thunder?" Steve asked when he caught Loki wincing again at the celestial crack rocking the plane.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows."

Before Steve could puzzle over that riddle, two dull thuds echoed overhead, as if someone had jumped on the Quinjet's roof.

Impossible.

But the back hatch was ripped off its hinges. Steve was too dumbstruck to react that a giant muscular blond appeared through the gaping hole, on a plane in flight thousands of feet up in the air. He swiped Stark aside but barely spared him a look before his large hand wrapped around Loki's throat and he made off with their prisoner. Bewildered, Steve looked at Stark across the cabin.

"Told you," he said, his faceplate flipping down before he jumped after them.

"Seriously?" Steve muttered to himself.

And couldn't Stark just wait a minute before jumping head first into battle without even waiting for backup? He was seriously worse than any of his Howling Commando and he thought they had been the most unruly bunch he would ever meet.

Steve would have taken Hermione, but she was scared of heights and jumping from a plane during a storm was tricky, not to mention he didn't have the time to spare… Cursing under his breath, because she was going to give him hell for it, Steve grabbed a parachute, notified agent Rushman and jumped after his hot-headed ally. They weren't difficult to find. Or at least, Stark and the blond giant weren't, because they were fighting all out, causing maximum damage to the landscape. Stark's lasers and propulers lit up the night like a firework show too. On the other hand, he couldn't spot Loki anywhere nearby. Just great.

First order of business: break up the fight between these two knucklehead. But by the time he made it there, the giant got the upper hand over Stark, hammer ready to strike, and Steve didn't need to think twice about it before jumping between the two, holding his shield up over Stark to use it as it was intended for once, to protect. The hammer hit him with incredible force, but the shield sent the shock wave outward, back at the attacker. When Steve stood and gave a hand up to Stark, they stood in silence in the center of a leveled forest for a mile around them.

"Wow. That was… Thanks. I mean, the armor could have taken the hit, I think, but man…"

The closest trees had been shredded to the size of toothpicks.

"What the hell is that hammer made of?" Steve wondered aloud before spotting a bright red piece of cloth peeking out from under debris of bark and leaves. "He's over there. Do you know where Loki is?"

Stark answered by the negative while Steve offered the giant a hand up. Thor, as he introduced himself once he shook off half a forest from his person, pointed at the top of a mountainside where he had left Loki before he was set upon. Stark offered to fetch him since Loki was still spearless and handcuffed. Not much of a threat in short, or so he said, but Steve worried nonetheless as he watched him fly off. Loki was a sneaky one. He hoped Stark was too.

The Quinjet landed in the leveled area, capturing his attention, especially when it's two occupants walked out. Hermione looked furious, and with good reason, if he had to be honest. He would be too in her stead, so he let her scold him, doing his best not to show he found her absolutely adorable when she did. Not to mention relieved she has shaken herself out of her stupor. He did explain there had been no time to do any other way. She was still cross with him, but since it was out of concern and worry for him, he couldn't very well hold it against her. Bucky had been just the same since they were kids, so it's not like he wasn't used to it.

It was only a couple of minutes before Stark returned, dangling Loki as if he was a misbehaving kitten and handing him to his care before he landed gracefully in their midst. His suit of armor was truly a masterpiece.

Introductions were made all around and Steve was a bit wary to learn Thor was Loki's brother, even if their goal was the same: to stop him. Thankfully, the rest of the journey back to the Helicarrier went without a hitch, but Steve didn't let his guard down until their prisoner was under lock and key in a cell, even if said cell was seemingly made of glass.

Steve tried to convince Hermione to rest a little while they could, but Fury was about to interrogate Loki and she didn't want to miss it, so they headed to the control room instead. Agent Rushman was already there, talking in a low voice to a dishevelled man who froze upon seeing them.

"Captain, Sergeant, this is Dr Banner. He's an expert on gamma radiation, which could help us find the Tesseract."

"The Tesseract emits this radiation? How rare a signature is it?"

"Very… Sorry if I seem rude, but aren't you Lady Liberty?"

"Costume gave it away? Please call me Hermione." She offered her hand, which he shook hesitantly before looking up at him.

"So that means, when she said Captain…"

"Steve Rogers. Nice to meet you."

The doctor's handshake was actually stronger than it looked and Steve had the feeling he was hiding something, but agent Hill strolled in with Thor in tow and turned a screen on towards them, showing Loki in his cell. For a prisoner, he sure looked completely at ease, reinforcing his gut feeling they had overlooked something and it was going to come bite them back in the ass anytime soon.

"In case it's unclear. You try to escape. You so much as scratch that glass…" Fury said flatly and pressed a button.

The bottom shutter of the glass cell opened, revealing the sky, clouds and rushing wind at Loki's feet. Hermione paled but once more, their prisoner was completely unimpressed. It was kind of infuriating.

"Ant, boot," Fury concluded for emphasis before closing the shutter once more.

Honestly, the interrogation was not going well. A lot of nonsense was being said by both sides, a few insults tossed for their benefit and the way Loki sometimes looked at the camera as if he could see them gave him the creeps. Hermione shrugged when he gave her a quizzical look. She didn't look to have a better idea of what was going on.

"He kind of grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner said with a nervous, almost hysterical giggle.

"Yeah, like Herpes," Hermione muttered. "What's his game?"

"Looks like he's playing for time," Rushman said and Steve agreed with a nod. They'd seen it enough time with their Hydra prisoners. "Thor? You must know something or you wouldn't be here."

"I would have preferred to settle this dispute in Asgard but if he has implicated humans, his plan is still in motion, even if he is not. Loki has an army." Mutters went round the table at that announcement, as if they didn't have enough problems already. "They are called the Chitauri but I know nought of them as they are not from any of our realms. They will win Midgard in exchange for the Tesseract I wager."

"The Tesseract your people hid on Earth?" Hermione accused with a finger pointed at him.

Thor hesitated, but nodded.

"You know the legends."

"Bloody well read it off a Viking's coffin. Worst kept secret ever. Can't your people deal with this mess? Because from where I'm standing, you're entirely responsible."

"My father will not. I have disobeyed him by returning here looking for Loki already."

"What are you, twelve?" she snorted then sat with her arms crossed over her chest.

Steve recognized that look, a mix of exhaustion and patience running thin. He hoped this useless meeting wouldn't last too long so he could tuck her in bed before she did something she would regret later. It had happened a couple of times in the field. Both time to Morita so he didn't blame her entirely either.

"A whole army," Banner muttered to himself before his head snapped up to stare at Thor. "He's building a portal! That's why he needed the Tesseract. That's why he abducted Selvig!"

"Selvig?" Thor echoed. "Loki has him under his spell?"

"Along with one of our own," Rushman said with the first touch of emotion Steve had ever heard from her. He'd been half wondering if she was a robot herself.

"Clint," Steve agreed. "We'll get him back."

Rushman met his eyes and nodded, but she still seemed defeated.

"I think I can undo the spell he's under, him and the others, " Hermione said. "But we have to catch them first."

"We will, but I still don't understand why they weren't there with Loki. It makes no sense. He can't lead his army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on him. The guy is a bag full of crazy. He won't give us anything."

"A diversion?" Rushman offered.

"From what?"

"The iridium. They must have stolen it for a reason, but what?"

"It's a stabilising agent," Stark said as he strolled in with Coulson.

From there on out, Steve had no idea what they were talking about, if it was even English. Hermione listened in interest though, so maybe she could dumb it down for him later, but in short, it looked like Loki had opened a way for his army. They had to prepare for war. Again.