I could feel dad's eyes hone straight in on me as he climbed back on board the jet but I kept my eyes trained on the front of the jet. I could also feel another pair of eyes on me but I refused to even look in his direction. I didn't want to admit it, but Loki scared the shit out of me and just knowing he was gazing in my direction sent butterflies off in my stomach, but not the good 'first date' kind of butterflies. It was more like 'a homicidal alien who can mind control people is staring at me' kind of butterflies.
"Hey, what are you staring at?" Dad barked. I glanced over my shoulder to see him stalking towards Loki. With a smirk upon his face, Loki finally broke his gaze away from me to look up at dad.
"You have a beautiful daughter," he said in a disturbing tone.
Dad advanced upon him, his top lip snarled up in anger, before Captain America stepped in front of him. "Stop, he's just trying to get a rise out of you." Captain America kept his hands on Dad's chest while he stared Loki down. After a moment he shrugged Captain America's hands off of him and made his way back to the front of the jet. I quickly spun around in my chair, pretending to have not witnessed the scene. Loki chuckled. I refused to let Loki, or Dad, see my fear.
Natasha, who was also pretending to have not seen or heard a thing, got the jet up in the air and heading back towards the helicarrier within seconds. I sent a message off to Fury notifying him that we had Loki in custody. But no Tesseract, Barton, or Selvig. I began wondering just what the hell we were going to do with Loki when he got back to the helicarrier. There was a prison system on the ship capable of holding him but then what? He didn't seem like the kind of person who would tell us his plan and give up the location of the Tesseract just because he was captured. No, he seemed like the kind of man who would have multiple plans in motion, and no doubt one of those plans accounted for him being captured. So what did he have planned next?
After a few moments Dad seemed to settle down but kept a close eye on Loki from the front of the jet.
"I don't like it," Captain America suddenly said as he stood beside dad.
"What? Rock of Ages giving up so easily?"
"I don't remember it being that easy. This guy packs a wallop." He threw worried glances back at Loki, who had taken up staring at the wall but was no doubt listening to every work being spoken.
"Still, you are pretty spry for an older fellow. What's your thing, pilates?"
"What?" I think Captain America was more confused by how Dad could go from concerned father to making jokes in a matter of seconds rather than the actual question.
"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple of things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle."
I could feel the tension radiating off the pair of them. I knew it was only a matter of time before things erupted between the two of them. Captain America had no personal issues with Iron Man, but dad certainly had an issue with him. It would be hard to be in the presence of the man you personally felt was responsible for your fractured relationship with your father and not do anything about it. I had only been hoping dad would be able to remain civil throughout this mission. I was beginning to realise that hope was futile.
"You know-" Captain America began, only to be interrupted by the deafening sounds of a thunderstorm forming around the jet. Lightning lit up the otherwise pitch black sky while raindrops pelleted the windshield.
"Where is this coming from?" Natasha muttered. She corrected the jet's movements as the rough wind whipped us around. More lightning cracked through the sky, coming dangerously close to the jet.
"What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?" Captain America asked as he noticed the somewhat apprehensive features on Loki's face.
"I'm not overly fond of what follows," was his reply.
I was pondering just what the hell he meant when something large and hard landed on the roof. The impact shook the jet and had everyone reaching for something to steady themselves. The lightning seemed to be enveloping us.
Wind suddenly swept through the jet. I spun around to see Iron Man lowering the jet's ramp. "What are you doing?" I called out over the wind.
As if having fallen out of the sky, a man unexpectedly landed on the ramp. He rose up to his full height and as I took in his shoulder length blonde hair, extremely large muscles and the hammer gripped tightly in his hand, I registered his identity as being Thor, the God of Thunder. He was dressed in similarly odd robes as his brother, with a metal chest plate and long red cape billowing out behind him.
Dad raised his hand to attack but a hammer to the chest sent him tumbling to the ground in a heap. Thor ripped Loki from his seat and disappeared into the dark night sky with him.
"Now there's that guy," Iron Man said with a groan as he rose from the floor.
"Another Asgardian?" Natasha asked. She had been too busy trying to control the rocking jet to get a good look at who had just arrived.
"Yep," I called out. "Thor."
"That guy's a friendly?" Captain America asked.
"It doesn't matter," Iron Man responded. "If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract is lost."
"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" He said.
"I have a plan. Attack." And with that he jumped out of the jet. Captain America sighed in frustration. He grabbed a parachute and began strapping it to his body.
"I'd sit this one out Cap," Natasha warned. "These guys come from legends. They're basically Gods."
"There's only one God ma'am," he retaliated. "And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." He grabbed his shield and without a seconds hesitation had leapt from the back of the jet.
"Fantastic," I mumbled to myself. I knew I should stay in the jet. I knew Iron Man and Captain America would be able to get Loki back from Thor. But I honestly didn't know if I trusted dad's actions right now, especially with Captain America around.
I undid my straps and grabbed the small silver briefcase located under my chair.
"What are you doing?" Natasha asked.
"Well we got one secret out tonight. May as well get them all out." I unlocked the case and activated my suit. As I lifted up the chest piece, the rest began to form around my body. I listened to the clinking of the metal as it enveloped my body. Every piece slid into place perfectly, conforming around my body like a cocoon. After only a few seconds I was standing in the jet in my own black and silver 'Iron Man' suit.
"Go get 'em," Natasha said as I flipped my face plate shut. I walked to the back of the jet, took a deep breath, and launched myself out. No matter how many times I used my suit, I would never get over the feeling of soaring through the air. It was indescribable. The rush, the adrenaline, the feeling of being free. It was amazing. I loved having my own 'Iron' suit but I knew the fury dad had felt when he discovered I was a S.H.I.E.L.D agent was only going to grow when he found out I also had designed and built my own suit without telling him.
My Heads Up Display was scanning the forest floor below and quickly located Iron Man who was engaging in a battle with Thor. They were leaving a path of destruction in their wake but it was only the pair of them fighting it out. Loki was nowhere to be seen.
"Jarvis, please scan the surrounding area for Loki." Finding Loki again was more important than stopping the ass beating Iron Man was currently getting.
"Loki is 2 miles South of your current position," The AI quickly answered. I had copied the code dad had used to create Jarvis in our home and his suit so I had the familiar AI voice in my own suit.
My scanner picked him up sitting on a rock on the edge of a cliff face, watching the fight playing out below him. I flew to his position and landed down behind him. He looked over his shoulder but did not show any signs of being surprised at my presence or my suit.
"Do you want to do this the easy way?" I asked, my voice coming out distorted through the suit as dad's did.
"As much as I would like to see your hard way, I would prefer you taking me back rather than your father or my brother," he replied. "Besides, they seem quite preoccupied."
I had been expecting a fight and a struggle but as I pulled out a pair of handcuffs, Loki merely extended his hands and allowed me to put them on. I was relieved at having no resistance but something was definitely going on. He had his chance to escape but he stayed put, instead choosing to watch his brother pummel one of his captors.
"I remember you," he said as I tightened the cuffs around his wrists. I ignored his comment but we both knew he was getting under my skin. I don't know why. Since working for S.H.I.E.L.D I'd dealt with traitors, murderers and rapists on missions. I'd proven I could stand up to them and handle myself, taking them down with ease, yet something about Loki was different. Deep down we both knew he scared me and I hated it.
The idea of being so close to him repulsed me but I needed to get him back on the jet. I knew he couldn't put me under his control without his sceptre, which was locked away on the jet, but I still hesitated as I stepped close to him. I grabbed him around his waist and shot off into the sky. His surprisingly blue eyes stared into the lights of the suits eyes and didn't break away as we flew. I reasoned that he was purposely trying to make me uncomfortable and fearful. I was the youngest and smallest on the team, of course he was trying his tricks on me and not Iron Man or Captain America. I was determined not to let him get to me.
I tracked the jets position and was grateful when I landed inside and could let go of Loki.
"Good job!" Natasha yelled.
"Now I have to go deal with the children," I replied.
I forced Loki down into his seat again and strapped him back in. "Next time, let's do it the hard way," he said.
I was grateful to get away from him as I jumped back off the jet. It wasn't hard to locate where Iron Man and Thor were. Between the two of them they had managed to destroy almost every tree in their immediate vicinity, creating a clear landing site. As I flew above them they both stopped their attacks to watch me descend. With Iron Man's helmet obscuring his face, I could only imagine what his expression was but I was guessing it was a mixture of surprise, shock and anger.
"Had enough?" I asked as I landed. I flipped my face plate open and confirmed dad's suspicion about who was in the suit. He followed suit and I could finally see the shock upon his face. But there was something there I hadn't expected to see; betrayal.
"Please tell me blondie here knocked me out and I'm currently hallucinating, otherwise you are in so much trouble." His tone was laced with rage.
I rolled my eyes as I stalked towards him. "And you wonder why I don't tell you about these things when you still talk to me like I'm 7 years old!" He looked up and down at my suit, registering every inch of it.
"You're a woman," Thor said in his rough, husky voice. He was glancing between my sleek silver and black suit and dad's red and gold one.
"Keen observation there," I shot back.
"What are you doing in a suit? Why do you have a suit?"
"Can we please talk about this later. I will explain everything, I promise. But right now we need to get back to the helicarrier."
"You are not taking Loki anywhere," Thor interjected.
"Yes, we are," I retaliated.
"Enough!" A voice suddenly cried out. Captain America flipped through the air and landed beside me. "Now, I don't know what you plan on doing here."
"I've come to put an end to Loki's schemes," Thor claimed.
"Then prove it. Put that hammer down."
"Oh yeah…no. Bad call," Dad began. "He loves his hamme-" Thor silenced him by throwing his hammer straight into Iron Man's chest. He was sent flying across the clearing before crumpling to a heap on the ground.
"You want me to put the hammer down?" Thor yelled. He launched himself into the air, sailing towards Captain America, who readied himself with his shield. I had just enough time to flip my face plate shut before Thor brought his hammer down upon the shield. The collision of the two objects sent out a deafening sound and the force of the impact levelled everything within a two mile radius.
As the dust settled, I struggled to my feet and saw even Thor had been knocked down by his own attack. We all surveyed the destruction around us with astonishment.
"Are we done here?" Captain America asked