Forest soon gave way to the fence, the guards straightening as a rugged black Jeep crunched onto the gravel drive, signaling unexpected visitors. The two passengers looked entirely unconcerned as black muzzles and loud shouts raised to block their way.
The driver, a lean blonde man with a jagged scar cutting through his short-cropped beard, glanced lazily at the gun in his face as he obliged to the loud commands to stop the vehicle at the gate.
He rolled the window down slowly, reveling in taking his time to taunt the foot soldiers. A captain appeared at the door, saying through a thick accent, "There is no access here. You must go back; ya?"
The stranger smirked before replying in perfect Russian, "I am precisely where I need to be. I have an appointment to see your….merchandise. Alaric Blakesleigh, Earl of Alfinshire."
The short, dark man gave him a long evaluating look before turning to his radio to confirm the information. After a few seconds of unintelligible squawking back and forth, the captain nodded towards the gate, allowing it to open and admit the pair.
"So far, so good," murmured the lithe woman in the passenger seat. Her almond shaped eyes glanced back and forth, evaluating the risks surrounding them.
Her companion spared a glance her way before replying just as quietly, "All will be well love."
She gave a small, shy smile in return. The SUV soon made its way to an area set aside for parking, where the guards swiftly escorted them to the central warehouse. Standing in the shadows given off by the late afternoon, underneath a large awning, a squat, rotund figure waited. The man was short and round, with a broad face and long jowls that gave him the unfortunate appearance of an unhappy toad.
As they approached, he clumsily picked himself up from his lounged position, striding forward to alternate before bobbing up and down in a ridiculous bow and shaking the taller man's hand vigorously.
"Lord Blakesleigh, I had no idea you were coming so soon. There was hardly any time at all to prepare a proper demonstration." The short man fawned over him, pumping his hand up and down as Blakesleigh did his best to extract it. "Malic, my lord, at your service."
Despite his discomfort, the earl answered with a charming smile made slightly devious by the vicious scar running down his face. " Ah yes, well my schedule moved up suddenly Malic, and I am no longer in this area as long as planned." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Trouble back in Wales, of course. Cannot keep those peasants in line one day without me there." His crisp British accent only added to the charisma surrounding him in a heady cloud, almost as thick as cologne.
"Of course, of course. If you and your...companion could come with me." He allowed himself a glance at the woman next to the earl, acknowledging her for the first time.
"Ah yes, this is my assistant, Nadia. Say hello, dear." She flashed a brief smile towards the squat man, glaring at her companion as soon as he turned away.
Malic walked forward towards the door. "After an initial screening, we can enter and begin the demonstration." Puzzlement crossed Blakeleigh's face as Nadia bristled at his side.
"Screening? Whatever for? I have worked with Hydra for years and have never required any screening."
He received another nervous smile and hasty bow. "Nothing serious my lord, simply to make sure no weapons or communication devices come into the testing room. You must understand our increased caution since Hydra was revealed a while back."
"Ah, in that case, lead on! Things to do today." Another bob followed. This man was eager to please, no doubt looking for a promotion of sort with the good fortune of a good sale.
They quickly left the afternoon sun behind, entering into artificial lights and crisp shadows. The darkness made it impossible to determine just how large the room was, or who might be there with them. Nadia instinctively stepped closer to her companion, tensing subconsciously in response to the unknown.
There escort humored her with an amused smile. " I assure you, my dear, there is nothing at all to be afraid of. Our weapons are under total control at all times." He obviously thought her frightened, and seeking protection. Fool. She did not fear any man here.
A sharp squeeze from Blakesleigh quieted her tongue, halting a terse reply that would have been out of character. Instead, she forced a blush, looking down to hide the anger in her eyes at his blatant condescension.
"I'm sure, sir... I just don't like the dark."
He smiled again before continuing, "Before we go any further, all weapons must stay here. You may have them back at the end of our tour."
The earl scowled slightly before divulging two guns hidden under his coat along with several knives. His companion, however, gave up only one blade. The two guards flanking them stared blankly before combing her. Nadia shrugged in feigned innocence once they realized she did only have the one knife.
Blakesleigh clapped his hands sharply in anticipation, causing the Toad to jump slightly. "Alright then, let us begin. I have a busy, busy schedule to keep this evening. What is this amazing new weapon Hydra is developing?"
Malic smiled in gruesome anticipation, brown and broken teeth showing through his fat lips. "Oh, it's wonderful my lord, what they are doing here. Just wonderful." He gestured through to the next room. "If you would follow me."
The group passed through a heavily fortified door into what appeared to be a walk-in freezer. The temperature drop was instant, hair standing on edge to brace against the frigid assault. Their breath puffed out in front of them in a white mist, silvery in the artificial light.
"Now here is where we store our serums. To keep the product stable, it must remain at a frosty -5 degrees Celsius."
Blakesleigh's crystal blue eyes widened in anticipation as he stifled an excited gasp. "Serum? Have you managed to recreate super soldiers finally?"
Their guide showed his gruesome grin once more, slowly revealing a disturbingly dark look into his inner workings and soul. "Better. This serum has not only enhanced the human being, giving them faster reflexes, hardened constitution, and incredible strength; it also contains a mind control unit. Not only are our soldiers super, but they are also completely under control."
A blonde eyebrow rose in intrigue. "That is truly amazing. How did you finally manage it?" Blakesleigh murmured.
Malic gave another conspiratorial grin before replying, "Secret ingredient, of course, can't have any competition, but I will tell you this. It's rumored there's some sort of magic rock involved."
Both eyebrows rose to meet his hairline. "A magic rock? There's no such thing as magic. I didn't come here for children's tales." The earl turned to leave, yet was hindered by a grubby hand grasping the hem of his pristine suit jacket.
"No! It's no tale! You remember the troubles of New York, with the god who invaded with the aliens? The power comes from his scepter!"
The woman jerked infinitesimally before forcing a shiver to cover her action. Her companion's mouth went slack before he recovered himself as well, murmuring, "Extraordinary. Alien technology, and magic? Amazing…"
His mind appeared to go elsewhere for a moment before he recovered, shaking his head and turning his attention back to the Toad, who continued oblivious in his self-importance. "...and the serum takes several weeks to develop, which increases the price of our product, of course."
Blakesleigh smiled indulgently. "Of course."
The Avengers were bored. It never suited when only a few went in at a time, and Loki and Emory left hours ago. Bruce sat reading a book, unaffected by the wait. He would stay behind regardless.
Clint pulled a pack of cards from one of many pockets, and several joined in on a rousing game of poker. Thor sat with his eyes closed, leaning back against the paneling while Steve and Tony murmured together in a corner.
Suddenly, a figure stood in their midst, appearing out of nowhere. In the blink of an eye, a mass of weapons raised against the man, who stood amused and relaxed.
Loki grinned, obviously enjoying catching them all by surprise. Smug, he began. "We got in with no problems, using an alias I have developed over the years. He's fairly deep in the crime syndicate and is well known to Hydra."
Tony looked up sharply. "Wait, you have aliases? How often are you on Earth?"
"More importantly, who is your alias?" Natasha's arms crossed in front of her. She was not pleased with this news one bit.
Loki smiled once again, following her train of thought, before morphing into his alias form. "Alaric Blakesleigh, Earl of Alfinshire, at your service, my lady."
Her jaw dropped in surprise. "I have been chasing Alfinshire for years! That's you?!" She threw a blade at him in frustration, but of course, it only passed through the illusion. "You shot me once!"
Loki's smile widened.
Steve stepped in before things got out of hand. "Anyways, back to business."
"Ah, yes. So, we got in no problems, and are currently on tour of the facility. I would have waited, but the news is important. And bad."
Looking up from his book, Bruce finally entered the conversation. "How bad? Like, bad morning because the creamer turned, or end of the world bad?"
The god of mischief considered for a moment before deciding. "Somewhere closer to the end of the world. They have the scepter, and they are using it to create a super serum."
Steve turned sharply from gazing out the back. "Super serum? You're sure?"
The god grimaced before answering. "It's worse. They are using the properties of the scepter to build in mind control, so now they have soldiers and complete control. That's why it's pretty bad and not just bad."
Natasha snorted, arms crossed against her chest as she stared him down, thinking the problem over. "That might be a bit of an understatement Trix," using the nickname she had given Loki shortly after his arrival on Earth. He hated it, and Natasha knew that. She continued, "We need to shut this down now before they mobilize. The whole plant needs to blow, we need hands on the scepter, all research on the serum needs to burn, and all the experiments as well."
Steve looked pained as she finished. "Are you talking about the people they've transformed? They're just innocent people!" What went unsaid but still heard was, They're just like me.
A sigh came from behind him, Loki smiling sadly. "You cannot save everyone Captain. I agree with Agent Romanoff. We need to terminate everything, and everyone, involved, so this can never happen again." Steve was unable to face the hard truth, not when he wanted to be a hero. "I am sorry."
The soldier hung his head, awash with guilt and more than a little upset. Tony came up behind him to clap a comforting hand on his shoulder. "So what's the plan Cap? We have to move soon."
New resolve glittered in his eyes as Steve looked back at his teammates.
As Loki came back to his prime body, he took in a very bored Emory trying to appear as though she were hanging on to every word their small, toady guide said. She looked over sharply from the corner of her eye as she noticed his return, while continue to gush girlishly at the creature before her. "That's so interesting!" It was a wonder the man did not hear the falseness in her voice. "Do they scream much?"
Loki quickly flashed the gist of their plan into her mind. We need to get into the room where they keep their weapons.
She smiled simperingly. "Do you think I could make them scream?" She said it softly, enough that he had to lean forward to hear her, giving him a lovely view of her breasts.
He stared for a moment, drawn in by her charms, before sputtering out, "Oh, abs- absolutely! We can go right now!" With that he hopped towards the door, quite like the Toad he resembled, grabbing her by the hand as he went.
A look of disgust flashed across Emory's face as he punched in a code and laid his hand on a reader, before quickly being replaced by an overly excited, slightly ditzy smile. Before long, they were in the experimentation room; all five cryogenesis tubes lit up. Screens next to each showed vitals and a description of powers. Unfortunately, each lay frozen in a moment of horror and panic, faces twisted in silent screams.
Once the doors closed behind them, cutting Malic off from his guards, a look of firm resolve crossed her face as she snapped Toad's neck when he glanced away. She conjured a poison, floating purple and pulsing above her in the air, that she then dispensed into the tubes. "At least it's quick," she commented as their vitals plummeted and then flatlined. Once the five were dead, the pair set fire to the room and turned away. The guards in the next room were little trouble.
"We need to get the barrier down now, while attention is on the fire." Loki checked around a corner, making sure the way was clear before hurrying forward.
Emory grinned mischievously in reply. "No need. The cats are taking care of it."
Loki gave out a groan. "That is a frightening thought. Those two….they cause so much trouble."
An elegant eyebrow raised was the only response he received for his comment. Then again, the irony that he, God of Mischief, worried about someone causing too much trouble tickled her wicked sense of humor.
As she grinned at him in delight, a thunderous boom shook the compound. "Barrier's down," she said sweetly. He glowered down at her in reply. "We should be ready to go now."
Both conjured comms from the quinjet and checked in with the team. "Loki and Emory here, kicking ass and leading cats," Emory quipped before Loki had a chance to speak.
He sighed dramatically, loud enough for everyone to hear and appreciate. "The lab is burning, and the barrier is down. We have eliminated the targets. You are clear to enter the compound and attack."
"Finally! I was starting to get bored. Let's fuck some shit up!"
"Come on Tony, do you have to be quite so vulgar?"
"Sorry Granny, didn't mean to offend. Go on back to church. We can take care of things here."
"I'm into the computer system, deleting all files and information on the serum. I'm also compiling a flash drive of pertinent intel they have on the server." Nat's voice cut in. "Maybe you two children can continue this later." Her put-down silenced the channel, putting them all to work.
The two shapeshifters reverted to their natural form, both in full Asgardian battle regalia. Loki looked at her from the corner of his eye. " Have I told you how much I appreciate you in robes such as these?" He stepped closer, pressing her against the wall. "So majestic, so regal. Almost as if you were made for a crown."
A deep warmth rushed up through Emory's body, settling in the pit of her stomach and her face, painting her cheeks pink. "Loki. We are in the middle of a battle!"
He smirked down at her, pressing closer. "Hmmm. I'm sure they can manage without us. They have before, a few minutes alone will not harm anything. But for us…" He cupped her jaw with his hand, pulling her eyes up to gaze down at her, a strange fire shifting across the green of those orbs. He leaned in, their breath mingling as he dropped his voice, "But for us, a few minutes alone could mean everything."
As she looked up at him, her breath hitched in her lungs. What was this? Where had all of this intensity and passion come from? Loki had always been so cold, so aloof. When he did turn to his wife for gratification, it was matter of fact, almost robotic. This...this was different. Who are you?
It wasn't until he replied that she realized she had asked out loud. "I am Loki," he replied simply, pushing even closer. "I am your husband, and...I am a fool." He closed his eyes then, cutting her off from that intense burning, and put his forehead down against hers. "Emory, I am a fool, have been a fool. I was so caught up in what I thought were the injustices to my station, to my rights as a Prince of Asgard, that I did not understand the gift the Allfather gave me when he ordered our marriage. I imagine…" Loki smiled softly, thinking back. "I imagine that he knew what we did not. He knew that together, we are a force to be reckoned with, and uniquely suited to each other."
He took her face in both of his hands, pulling Emory forward until they were almost touching. "I was angry, and I took that anger and focused it all on you. I treated you so very poorly, and you did not deserve that. I am so sorry," he whispered.
She studied him through thick lashes, searching for the inevitable lie. Surely he did not mean all of this; surely he was not repentant. Search as she might, however, there was nothing in his face but pure regret and love. This is enough. I can accept this.
With that idea spurring her on, she closed the gap between them, pushing herself fully into his arms, opening her thoughts to him completely, so that the mental link they usually ignored flooded forward.
Loki gave a start at this connection, relishing the emotions floating towards him, all of her thoughts flitting back and forth. This connection told him that she too wanted him back. His arms tightened around her as he buried his face into the curve of her neck. They stayed like that for a long minute, just allowing the mental link to strengthen and stabilize.
Then the wall exploded inward.