Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or the MCU. All properties therein are those of their creators.
Note: Thank you to the fans for informing me of misspelling Storm's real name. Somehow it slipped through the cracks of my editing, but it will not happen again if I can help it.
Note: Some people are undoubtedly going to wonder how Harry doesn't just magic himself out of every situation. To that I will say, the kid is eleven. He's too young to have all the answers.
Note: Several people have commented over how dumb the president's decision to allow the attack is. They are right to do so. That's the problem with politicians and powerful people in the marvel universe. They can't conceive of a world where they aren't at the top of the food chain, and it inevitably leads to questionable decisions and outcomes.
Note: Asgard's reaction is going to be very familiar to those of you that watched Disney's What If…..
Note: In my mind the mirror of Erised is actually terrifying as hell, and I depicted it that way here.
Note: No, Ice Man is not appearing in this story or world. He annoys the hell out of me, and Harry can pretty much do what he does already.
Note: I was a huge fan of the portrayal of Laura (X-23) in Logan. As such I'm modeling her character more after her than the comics.
Note: I apologize if some of the foreign language elements aren't accented or all spelled correctly. Spellcheck only goes so far when different languages are involved after all and I am doing my best.
Part Four - An Escalation
Hogwarts
A turbaned Professor Quirrel was staring at his reflection in the mirror of Erised with a mixed expression of rage and despair. He'd suffered through an entire year of teaching dung headed children, all for this moment. He'd bid his time, waited for Dumbledore to have an excuse to leave the school, traipsed his path through all of the measly traps his fellow professors had laid (and weren't those just suspiciously easy), and finally found himself facing this 'mirror' of all things.
His current expression came about from one simple fact. He could see the stone! The reflection of his pale hand was holding it up and tossing the precious object lightly from palm to palm as if he were juggling; and all the while he sneered at his true self, as if he knew something he didn't. It was maddening. But wait…
The image was changing. Gone was the stone, along with his malicious clone. Instead, Quirrel saw something he'd only dared dream of. He was sat resplendent on a throne of carved ivory. Mountains of gold lay behind him, and a gaggle of barely clad women were bound at his feet. Power. He saw himself as he'd always hoped to be, powerful. The image was so real… as if he could just reach out and touch it….
"Quirrel!" a harsh voice called from behind him, "Stop, you idiot! It's a trap!"
But the man was too entrenched in the image now. Too lost to sanity and reason to stop even if he wanted to, and he didn't. What person could, when confronted with their greatest desire. His fingers brushed against his face in the glass, and his body fell limp as yet another soul was claimed by the mirror.
Without the host's active life force to sustain him, the shade of Voldemort was left with no choice but to flee from the corpse of his follower. His black, smoke-like form rose from the rapidly cooling remains and sifted through the minutest cracks in the ceiling to escape. He'd need to find a new host, make a new plan, and somehow get a true body again. The life he found himself in was not sustainable, or worthy of a dark lord of his renown!
In a camouflaged alcove behind the mirror, Minerva and Filius stared at the scene that had been left before them. They'd been suspicious of what was down here from the moment Albus asked them to make their obstacles. That suspicion had turned to scorn and curiosity when he'd forbidden them from actually making their challenges to protect the mystery object life threatening.
So they'd watched and waited, eventually taking note of Quirrel's strange behavior and Albus's unusually keen eyes on him. The man had somehow managed to stay on at Hogwarts, but that didn't mean his deputy and charms teacher were going to just let him do what he wanted! So when Albus had disappeared on some 'school emergency' that McGonnagal had no knowledge of, she and her impromptu partner hightailed it down to the mirror chamber and waited with wands raised in case something went wrong.
It was a lucky thing that Filius had seen the limiting charms Albus had placed on the artifact and removed them before Quirrel had entered, otherwise disaster could have struck. The old goat had spelled the mirror up to be non-lethal! Who did that!
As the two nudged the corpse with their boots, Albus strolled into the chamber as if he'd run a great distance. Minerva suspected he'd been close by and this was just for dramatic effect. He opened his mouth to speak, saw the body, and let out a sound somewhere between a keen and a wail.
"What happened?" He whispered after getting a hold of himself.
In answer Flitwick pointed at the artifact. "He touched the mirror."
Albus gasped and looked between said mirror and Quirrel's body. "That can't be. I removed that effect!"
"No, you muted it. I however returned it to full functionality."
"Why would you do that!"
Filius stared at the older man with nothing but contempt on his face. A look that was equally matched by Minerva. "Because you don't make defenses non-lethal when a dark wizard is active in your school! A fact that I can't help but notice you didn't seem fit to notify anyone of by the way."
Dumbledore gave the half-goblin his most effective grandfatherly smile that implied he was the most reasonable man in the world. "Professor Quirrel was merely a confused young man caught up in the machinations and legend of Voldemort. He could have been redeemed if given the chance." He turned a sad gaze upon the crumpled form of his defense teacher, "He didn't deserve to die like this."
He was brought up short by a terribly Scottish 'Harumph!' from his deputy. "You forget, Albus, that he was possessed by what appears to have been Voldemort. Which again, you failed to notify anyone of. Possession requires express permission from the host. Quirrel knew exactly what he was doing, and he got what he deserved."
"You can't mean that, Minerva." Albus pleaded, "You can't have fallen so far."
Contrary to his pleas, both his subordinates looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "You know what, Albus?" Minerva finally asked, "That's always been your greatest flaw. You think every witch or wizard is redeemable, even after they commit the worst of atrocities. To the point that you forced those of us in the Order of the Phoenix to refrain from fighting with any curses that had the potential to be lethal during the war. By god, Albus, every time we hit a death eater with stunners they just got right back up after being revived by their cronies. More often than not they ended up killing our friends after. If you hadn't been so blind to the truth of their natures during the war then we might have actually won."
Dumbledore was confused by that statement. "We did win, Minerva."
"Did we?" She shot back. "What exactly did we win? Are the purebloods no longer in power? Has blood discrimination been eliminated from our society, government, and schools? Were all the death eaters either imprisoned or killed? Has their influence or money been taken away and given to those that would use it better? I ask you again, what did we win? The truth, Albus, is that we lost the war. The loss was simply never declared."
Albus, his face gone completely white, said, "You can't seriously believe that?"
Tired with the conversation, Minerva marched past her superior to the stairs, Filius right on her heels. Over her shoulder she called, "You just have to look at the world we're living in now to see that I am right."
Then they were gone, and Dumbledore was alone with thoughts that he did not want to be thinking.
Xavier's Institute
"You promise you'll be safe?" her son asked for the twelfth time, causing Peggy to groan as she finished packing up her suit in her travel bag. He'd been asking since the call had come from Fury during breakfast.
"Harry, who is the super hero here?" She asked pointedly.
"You are." he responded. Earning an overly 'English' nod from his mother.
"That's right. And out of the two of us, who has actively participated in a war?"
"You."
"Right again." She put down her bag, walked across her room, lightly gripped her son's chin and made him look up at her. "I won't lie and say this mission will not be dangerous, but I'll be with Tony, Bruce, and the others. We'll keep each other safe."
"Fine." Harry's voice was soft as he spoke. "I just… you're my mom."
"I know, honey. It's okay to worry about me, just as long as you also trust in my ability to get the job done."
"I do." For a moment he remained sullen, but then his eyes brightened right back up, "Did Tony really make a sentient robot intent on world domination?"
Peggy gave her boy the side-eye as she retrieved her bag from the floor and strapped it tight across her shoulders and chest. "You don't need to sound so excited about it, but yes, he did."
"I'm not excited mom. But come on! Robots are cool!"
The older woman groaned at how similar Harry was acting to Tony when he explained what exactly he'd done. "You sound just like Iron Man. Please dial it back."
Knowing exactly how tiresome his mother tended to find Tony's antics, Harry immediately scaled down his enthusiasm. "Do you know when you'll get back?"
"It could be anywhere from a couple days to a few weeks. Fury made this sound like one hell of a problem. But I'll have my phone on me, so we can talk every night." She leaned down and kissed his forehead, trying to convey just how much she was going to miss him. "Be good for the professors while I'm gone, and study hard. I'll be asking Jean how much time you spent on homework when I get back, mister."
"Hey, she's the lazy one you know!" He argued.
"Sure she is." She hugged him tight, said "I love you, Harry." and spun to make her way out of the room. She left a very proud son behind.
Meanwhile
A scruffy man in a leather jacket, carrying a rucksack, stomped through the front doors of the institute and made his way toward Xavier's office. He'd just returned from a failed trip down memory lane, and Logan was itching for any other lead he could gain to his past. He was hoping to find either the professor, or Frigga in the office, so he was rather surprised to find both present.
They were just… sipping tea and staring into each other's eyes. A quick cough from his cigar-holding lips brought them back to reality. Charles glared at his smoking deathstick, while Frigga merely chuckled.
"Apologies, noble Logan." her musical voice spoke. "We were merely testing each other's mental defenses." She nodded to the professor, "I have to say, Charles, you have improved much in the short time we've worked together. Even if you have yet to reach the level of my grandson."
He gave a gracious nod in return. "That is high praise indeed from one as skilled as yourself. Although, it does sting my pride a bit to be behind an eleven year old."
She waved him off with a lazy hand after rising to her feet. "Don't be silly, Charles. Harry only has you beat in defense of the mind and he has the benefits of magic and genetics on his side. In all other aspects you truly are my best student, and you don't even need to use magic!"
The bald professor bowed slightly in his chair in acceptance of the compliment. To the side, Logan was too interested in what was being said to interrupt.
Charles seemed to recognize that, and said, "So you are leaving for Asgard now then?"
Frigga nodded happily. "Yes, though I love spending time with my grandson, I have the duties of a queen as well. Loki has been tasked to bring several human dignitaries to our realm to dine, and as a ruler I must be present for the festivities." The stony glare she shot between Logan and Charles was so out of place with her previously upbeat nature that both men couldn't help but audibly gulp. "I trust my grandson will be looked after while I am gone." It was not a question she gave, but a statement, before gliding out of the room and shutting the door behind her.
Logan shuddered for a moment and sat down in the seat the woman had just vacated. "Made of adamantium or not, that woman scares the hell out of me. Shame she's leaving though. I wanted to ask her to look inside my head again."
The wheelchair bound man quirked an eyebrow at that. "Your lead didn't pan out?"
Wolverine sniffed, "In a manner of speaking. There was clearly a base there at one time, but the people that worked there are long gone. It's run down and abandoned now. I know we haven't had any luck poking in my head, but Frigga gave me my first real clue in months."
Charles smiled, wheeled to the door, and opened it. "Don't worry, Logan, she'll be back in a few days and you can ask your questions then." he beckoned to his guest and together they started out into the mansion proper.
The jacket clad traveler was surprised to hear that. "So soon? Doesn't she want to spend more time in her realm?"
For once an annoyed look came over the older looking man's face, "In her words, "She doesn't trust a prince of Asgard in a foreign land without protection. Assuring her of our top notch security system has not assuaged her." The smile his face suddenly morphed into was downright predatory for the aged Englishman, "On that note, would you mind watching over the students for the night? I am heading off to visit Erik for our monthly chess match, and Scott and Ororo insist on accompanying me."
Logan growled low at the mention of the metal manipulator. "I don't see why you insist on consistently visiting your enemy, Charles. It makes no sense."
"He's my friend, Logan. Not my enemy. We just… have different visions for the future and how to reach it. In the end we both want mutant kind to thrive, but I still believe humanity has a place beside us as we do. Erik, does not. He's seen too much discrimination in his life to believe peace is viable."
"You ever gonna explain that statement, Teach?"
Xavier wheeled down the halls in silence for several moments before nodding. "Erik… was a jew, in Nazi controlled Europe."
"Fuck." Logan grunted. A lot of things Magneto had said in the past falling into place.
"Yes, he's seen one group singled out and persecuted before and he is desperate to keep our kind from suffering the same fate as his family and friends in the camps. He's not evil, Logan. Just… extreme. Do you understand now why I still go to see him?"
Wolverine nodded, "You're trying to remind him he isn't alone in the fight. That there are other options, and other people he can rely on besides himself."
Charles smiled, "Exactly. Now, will you watch over the children for me?"
"Can't Carter do it?"
"Sadly no. She's been called in, along with the other Avengers, to deal with some rampaging sentient robot named Ultron. To hear her tell it she could be busy for a while.
"Fine." Logan groused as he rubbed his sideburns, "But you owe me a decent bottle of whiskey when you get back."
"Done." The crippled man smirked, believing he got the better end of the deal.
Over twenty miles away, Colonel Striker removed the headset from his ears and waved his hand in the air to notify his captains, who immediately started hollering at their men, to get ready. Finally, the chance they'd been waiting for had arrived. The majority of defenders, including the goddess and super soldier, were leaving the school! At midnight their raid would begin.
That Night
Logan, freshly woken by a new nightmare he didn't understand, had walked into the kitchen intent on finding a beer or something similar to drink. What he had not intended was to find Harry, Jean, Luna, and Kurt all sitting around the kitchen counter digging into massive bowls of ice cream. The five of them stared each other down for a full ten seconds. The kids looking guilty, the adult not caring in the least. Finally he turned toward the fridge, intent on continuing his search.
"There's no beer in the school Mr. Logan." Harry piped up in what sounded like a helpful tone.
The older man gave him a look. "What makes you think I'm looking for beer?"
"My mom says you're always looking for beer."
He grumbled and closed the fridge door. "Damn but that woman knows me well. Is there any soda?" The blue kid pointed to one of the cabinets and Wolverine promptly opened it to find a set of glass bottled diet pepsi's. He flipped off the cap and was all set to take a long drink when Jean's rapid waving caught his eye. When he turned, she pointed over at the free hand of her best friend. Logan got the picture right quick, handed the bottle over, and the kid promptly chilled it with his breath before giving it back.
"Neat trick, kid."
"Thanks." Harry beamed.
The adult gestured to their sugary treat filled bowls. "Are you supposed to be eating that this late? Or in that quantity?"
"Harry couldn't sleep." Luna piped up helpfully.
"And ve vanted to be vith him." Kurt agreed.
"Friends don't let friends worry." Jean nodded her own agreement.
For his part, Harry just looked embarrassed.
Wolverine chuckled at the sight. These kids were just adorable. "You worried about your mom?" Harry didn't say anything, but the way his shoulders drooped meant he didn't have to. "Let me tell you something kid, Peggy is gonna be fine. You want to know how I know? I'm pretty much indestructible and I'm downright terrified of her. That woman is a force of nature and anyone that gets on her bad side is asking for a world of pain. That tin can she's fighting is in for a world of hurt once she gets on the field."
A small smile lit up the kid's face at his words, and he said, "Yeah, that's right. Thanks Mr. Logan."
"It's just Logan, kid. Mr. makes me feel old."
"But you are old."
"Don't press your luck. We don't really know my exact age yet-" He cut off suddenly as his sensitive ears picked up something in the air, a thrum repeating over and over. He'd heard that sound before. "I have to check on something. Stay here." He set his bottle down and started toward the door.
"Logan, what-?" Before Harry could finish his question the mutton chopped man had already left the kitchen.
"Did zat seem veird to any of you?" Kurt asked before slurping up the rest of his bowl.
"He heard something, but I don't know what." Luna agreed.
"Yeah, that was weird…" Harry only had a split second of warning. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a man in black raising something to his shoulder, and his lessons from his mother let him know it was some kind of rifle. It was aimed at Luna! Utilizing his frost giant power, the boy launched himself over the table and knocked the blond girl to the ground, using his body as a shield. The pings he felt bouncing off his back showed that he'd been just in time to prevent whatever this stranger was planning for his friend.
An instant later Logan returned with a roar, and a quick look over his shoulder showed the boy that he had impaled their attacker on his claws before dropping him to the floor in a heap.
"Are you all right?" The man asked, breathing deeply through his nose.
"Yeah." Harry handed a shaking Luna over to Kurt before picking up one of the small objects that had bounced off of him. It looked like a dart of some kind. The needle was bent at an odd angle after impacting his skin. He showed it to Logan, who sniffed it and growled.
"This is a sedative. Go, wake the others and get to the tunnels. I'll hold these fuckers off."
"Logan-"
"Don't argue kid. I can hear more coming by air and there are already some in the halls. This stuff won't work on me, but it will with the rest of the kids here. This guy wasn't shooting to kill, but capture. Protect the others, I'll protect you." Logan knew he should probably stay with these kids, but if the other intruders were as well equipped as the man he'd just taken down he'd be of more use going on the hunt.
"Alright." The blue boy turned to his only other male friend, "Kurt, you need to see where you're going to teleport right?"
"Yes. The last time I tried to poof by memory… it didn't go vell."
"Alright. I know where some of the escape tunnels are. I'll show you, and then we can all work on getting everyone out."
He turned to Jean and slowly removed his hand from hers. "Jean. I want you to get really loud. Push the alert into every mind in this mansion. Can you do it?"
To her credit, the girl nodded, even though she looked nervous as hell about what was currently happening. "I can." She closed her eyes, concentrated, and then everyone present was treated to the psychic voice of Jean Grey screaming, "Wake Up! Run! The mansion is under attack!"
All over the mansion, sleeping children and invaders alike shot up, clutching their heads as the message came out. The children, having run drills before, acted immediately and ran to the escape tunnels. The invaders… picked up their pace.
Harry winced and pulled Jean into a hug after she finished. "Good job, Jean. Short but sweet, I'm sure it got the message across."
"Are you good to get to the tunnels yourself?" Logan grunted.
Harry released his friend and reached back to the counter to grab his walking stick. Doing as Frigga had instructed, he twitched the handle and the stick seemed to unravel into bound links that swayed in the air. Seeing everyone's surprised looks he said, "Grandmother didn't want me to ever be unarmed." He twitched his wrist again and his cane whip contracted into a thin bladed sword. "Asgardian weapons are pretty versatile. We'll be fine, Logan."
Everyone went their separate ways.
It had been ten minutes. Logan sniffed the air again, and tracked his latest quarry to the end of the hall. There were a few of them walking his way. As he crouched down with his claws ready, the Wolverine couldn't help but wonder about this situation. What idiot would invade a school full of kids? The first man was approaching, and just as his foot crossed in front of him, the mutant struck.
Logan slammed his claws up into the invader's chest and used him as a shield to absorb the incoming darts as he charged. It took them all of two seconds to realize they weren't working and switch to live ammo, but by then he was among them. One strike of claws cleaved a man's rifle in two before his second took his head. The second managed to get a couple shots into his chest, and on a regular man that would have been enough, but he just powered through and shoved his claws through the balaclava'd man's throat.
A fresh sniff made him turn the next corner and start running. These fuckers were gathering at the front door!
Meanwhile
Jean and Luna were guarding the entrance to one of the tunnels when Kurt poofed back with yet another tranquilized child. The girl was about their age but none of them could remember her name.
"Zese are the last of them in zhe east wing. Mr. Logan took out the ones taking her." He said simply. "Vhere is Harry?"
Jean answered, "He went off with Piotr. The darts don't penetrate either of their skin." As she spoke, the big Russian came loping up to them with Kitty in his arms and a trail of smaller kids following. Jean looked but Harry wasn't with them.
Seeing her questioning look, the big man said, "These are the last of ze vest wing. There vas a group of men taking six others to the front of the mansion, Harry vent after them before I could stop him. Do not vorry little one, he is very good vith zat vhip." As he spoke the last of the kids made it through the opening, and he laid the unconscious kitty against the wall on the inside. "I go help him now." He turned to do just that, but at that very moment an explosion went off, and he spun around as his metal skin slid into place to protect the children and escape tunnel entrance. When the dust finally cleared the hallway entrance was gone. Replaced with a pile of rubble.
Piotr cursed, Jean started to cry, and Kurt simply felt useless. The path to help their friend was gone.
Across the mansion, that same blue friend was crying over the corpse of a black clad man in a balaclava. His tranquilizer rifle was tossed a distance away while his broken knife still lay in his slackened hand.
"I'm sorry." Harry whimpered. "I'm so, so, sorry. But-But you wouldn't stop. Why wouldn't you stop?" The corpse gave him no answer.
He'd tried to be a hero, like his mom. Pushing away his fear and helping his friends and fellow students get to the tunnels with Piotr. When he saw this man and his partners carrying a bunch of them in their arms to the front door, he'd rushed after them without thinking. Catching up to them in the front atrium.
In the back of his mind he thought that his grandmother would be proud. He'd not hesitated as she warned was common. Instead he'd barreled into the group, knocking their victims free to topple to the ground and sending the attackers flying. Harry didn't know a whole lot about what his body was capable of. Frigga had told him that as a half-blood frost giant, he could have all, some, or even none, of his race's strength at his disposal. Considering his skin was apparently impervious to the guns and darts that had been used against him tonight, he could manipulate ice, and he had the strength to push all of these men… he was thinking he'd gained most of it.
He quickly set about trying to pick up the fallen students to run for safety, but the mystery men all got up and drew their weapons, then they started firing at him. Now those darts couldn't hurt Harry, but he worried they might hit the others by accident, and who knew what an overdoes of those sedatives could do!
He readied his blade whip and charged through the storm of needles, slashing at barrels, sweeping legs, and shoving bodies into walls where he could. At the rate he was moving it only took a few seconds, but by the end he'd managed to incapacitate eight men. As he took a moment to catch his breath, a man who had been hiding around the corner launched himself at his back with a knife drawn, at an angle ready to sever his spinal cord if he'd been human.
Harry saw him coming out of the corner of his eye just before impact, and his mind didn't register the complete lack of threat. All it had time to do was react with the precision of hours spent training with his grandmother. He spun, gripped the knife hand by the wrist and without conscious thought drove his sword cane point first into his attacker's chest.
The light left his eyes in seconds, but it was long enough for the boy to realize what he'd done, and lower the body to the floor. He'd been unable to look away since. Overcome with the horror of taking his first life. That was how Logan found him, weeping over a dead man with six other children just starting to stir.
"Damn kid, you alright?" He asked, only realizing how dumb that question sounded as a fresh explosion blew both the front doors off their hinges, and the mutants to different corners of the room. Harry ended up on one side, while Logan's body ended up ironically enough protecting the unconscious children on the other. Neither were injured in the blast, and as they regained their footing, the newly created breach revealed a whole complement of masked invaders, led by an older man in fatigues with a salt and pepper beard.
He took one look around and a cruel smirk came over his lips. "Well, well, well, Wolverine. Now this is certainly the last place I expected to find you." He glanced over at the blue skinned boy on the other side of the entryway, "and with one of my targets as well. This is really turning into a fortuitous night. How long has it been? Fifteen years? You haven't changed one bit."
Logan, confused by how familiar this man sounded, said, "You know me?"
Meanwhile, Harry was standing in frustrating stillness. He was too far away to run for the students without those men opening fire on them. What could he do?
"Oh we go way back, Wolverine." As the mystery man was speaking Harry could see those behind him drawing sidearms. Those were the real deal, he realized, not tranquilizers. He couldn't let them fire in the direction of his friends!
The blue child slammed his hands on the ground and with an exertion of will he made a wall of ice thicker than any he'd attempted before whisk into existence between the other mutants and this strange man. Immediately the others started firing at him, but as before the bullets only bounced off of his hardened skin. With a roar the boy charged, his cane ready, and all doubt gone at one realization. These men were going to risk killing children! He couldn't afford to go easy on them.
He was only a few feet away when a strange thought occurred to him. Why were they all wearing gas masks? With the light coming in behind them before he hadn't been able to see it until now. He got his answer as the room literally erupted in fowl smelling smoke. It slipped into his nostrils, throat, and pores, stopping him short, and driving him to his knees as all thought, reason, and consciousness began to slip away.
His last conscious memory was the taunting voice of the bearded man. "It's a good thing my men notified us of your tough skin over the radio. That gas you just breathed is strong enough to knock out ten elephants. Good thing too because it seems to be just enough." Harry heard no more before succumbing to the drugs now cycling through his system.
On the other side of the ice, Wolverine was furiously slashing at the incredibly thick obstruction, trying to force his way through, but it was no use. He wasn't even making a dent. The kid must have used magic to strengthen it. But if he couldn't get through… the lights, only slightly visible through the murky barrier, winked out, and Logan's keen ears picked up on the end of the mystery man's statement about the gas. The gruff amnesiac sadly retracted his claws. There was only one choice left. "I'm sorry, Harry." As he gripped the other kids by their shirts and ran for the nearest tunnel entrance, Wolverine had one thought on his mind, 'I'm gonna find you kid, and when I do I'm bringing the fucking cavalry.'
An hour later and Logan was on the road in a massive school bus. Apparently Charles had stashed it and two others in a hidden garage for just such an eventuality as this. Between him, Piotr, and Kitty they'd managed to get the entirety of the school on the road. Their vehicles were following closely on his heels. The only casualty of the attack had been Harry. It was one too many.
As he brooded, a communicator fixed into the dashboard started beeping. Curious, the mutton chopped man took it out and pressed the receiving key before pressing it to his ear. "Yeah?"
"Logan." Piotr's Russian accent came through clearly. "Vhere are ve going?"
"To get the fucking cavalry, kid."
"Vhat does that mean?"
Logan took the next exit letting him know he was forty miles from the Asgardian Embassy. "The assholes that attacked us have just made the biggest mistake of their lives. They've given a god a reason to rampage."
He ended the call, then decided to try something else. "Call Professor Xavier." Considering all the futuristic shit he'd seen in the mansion over the last couple years he figured it was a safe bet that voice commands would work. He wasn't disappointed.
The surprisingly strained voice of the aged telepath answered after the first ring. "Logan?"
"Professor? You alright?"
"Not really." The man coughed for a few seconds over the line before returning, "There was an attempt to kidnap me while I was visiting Erik. Scott and Ororo managed to drive off the principle attacker, but I inhaled a rather nasty bit of sedatives. Logan, they were interrogating Erik for information about the mansion. We got him out of there, but there's a chance the students could be in danger!"
"Yeah, you're a little late there, Charles. The school was attacked tonight by an armed force."
The line was silent for several seconds before a clearly upset telepath asked, "How many did we lose?"
"Just one. You trained these kids well. They protected each other and got to the escape tunnels as soon as they could."
"Who was taken?"
"Harry. Charles, the man leading the attack, I remember him. His name is Stryker. He took the kid out with gas, like you, and he said that he was one of the main targets tonight. Something big is happening here and Harry is right in the middle of it."
"Where are you now?"
"On the road with the others. I'm heading to the Asgardian embassy. I figure someone there will be able to get a message to Loki, and he can bring the metaphorical, magical, and literal hammer down all at once."
"That's a good plan, Logan. While you are there, please request asylum for the students as well. Until we know who exactly is behind this they are not safe."
"Fair enough. What are you going to do?"
"Latest updates from SHIELD place Peggy in Sokovia. We'll assist her there and let her know that her son is missing. She has a right to know."
"Good luck."
"Thank you, I have a feeling I'll need it."
Black Site
Harry awoke slowly, as if from a dream. His head was pounding, and his mouth felt he'd been chewing cotton swobs. Above him, the ceiling glowed in fluorescent lights that were downright blinding in his current state. He had just enough time to wonder what was going on before an arrogant cough brought his attention to the man behind the wall across from him. The glass wall. The 'circular' glass wall. Why did that seem familiar?
"Welcome back. I'm sure your current surroundings seem familiar. I built them to model the specs SHIELD used to build your father's cage after all. With a few improvements."
Now that he had a frame of reference, Harry understood. He was in a circular glass cage exactly like what he'd seen on the helicarrier all those years ago.
"I can see from your face that you understand you won't be able to escape. But to drive the message home…" The bearded man pressed a button on the outside of the cage while his assistant stood by impassively. Suddenly, Harry got light headed, and then it became harder to breath. As he started gasping the man said, "There's a certain minimum level that humans can breath while staying conscious. Seeing as you aren't human I've set the level to just below that. We wouldn't want you focusing on spells or mutant abilities now would we?"
He was right. All of Harry's focus was simply on trying not to asphyxiate.
"My name is Colonel William Stryker, and you are under my control. I have questions, and you will answer them, Asgardian."
Harry really hated bullies, and this Stryker guy seemed like a prime example. Channeling as much of his mother's attitude as he could, he gasped, "Go to hell."
Against the glass, the colonel gave a truly hideous smile, "I was hoping you'd say that." He pressed another button and the oxygen returned to normal… for four seconds. Then it dropped down even lower than before. Over and over it happened. Harry would have a few seconds to breathe normally before dozens more where his throat would constrict to get the most minimal flow of air allowed into his system. He couldn't fight it, he couldn't run. He couldn't think. The pain was unbearable.
He tried, he really did. To be strong like his mom. But the more he was hurt, the more he remembered being that little boy in the cupboard, and the more his resolve weakened until finally…
"What do you want?" He sobbed.
"Now we're getting somewhere." Stryker lowered the pressure so the kid could breathe enough to answer him. "What is your name?"
"Harry Steve Carter."
"Is your father Loki? The ambassador to Asgard?"
"Yes." The boy groaned and curled in on himself.
"Good, so you're Asgardian as well. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are Odin's plans for America?"
The boy gave him a blank stare. "I'm not Asgardian."
Stryker frowned, "Of course you are. Loki is Asgardian which means you are too as his offspring."
"No, he's a frost giant. He was adopted into the Asgardian royal family. And I've never even met Odin."
"Ragh!" Stryker screamed and slammed the button again, reverting the air in the cage to the lowest survivable level before turning away. "Watch him!" He commanded Yuriko before stomping out of the cell and back into the main complex of Alkali Lake. This was a disaster! He'd cashed in all of his political capitol to make this mission happen. All so he could study the X-gene, eliminate it, and interrogate an Asgardian. When the mutants had all escaped him, he'd convinced himself to brush it off as long as he got his secondary and more important objective completed, but now that was a bust as well. His captive knew nothing of use. Even going against orders and dissecting the bastard wouldn't serve his purposes because he wouldn't get any active information on Asgardian physiology! More importantly, since his capture of Xavier hadn't panned out he wouldn't be able to use his advanced telepathy to destroy the mutant race with Cerebro, or use Harry as a conduit to wipe out Asgard as well. Every one of his plans were in the gutter. The only option left was blackmail. Yes, perhaps the boy could be used to blackmail his father… He needed to think about this.
Meanwhile
Harry was having a panic attack. His lungs were caving in, his mind was screaming, and his limbs wouldn't stop twitching. He needed to get away, he needed to escape the pain. But there was no way out. His eyes spun across the reinforced glass of his cage and settled on the stoic form of a woman, watching him with dead eyes, and his mind latched on to a memory from his past. Forming a bridge into the mind of his friend. He didn't hurt then, he didn't really feel anything. He was just… somewhere else.
Not stopping to consider the consequences of entering a complete stranger's mind, Harry's eyes latched onto hers and he willed with every fiber of focus he could muster for a bridge to build between them. For his mind to enter her own.
A second later he knew it had worked because not only had the pain disappeared, not only could he breathe, but he was looking out onto an open field absolutely covered in crevices pulsing with red light. Figuring he had nothing better to do, Harry decided to try filling them. They looked creepy, being all jagged and rough in the midst of all that greenery.
He walked over to the nearest one, and reached down to touch it when it happened.
"What are you doing?" The voice was smooth, elegant, and accented in a strange way that reminded the boy of those samurai movies Mr. Logan liked watching at the mansion. He turned, and saw the speaker was the same woman that had been watching him. He guessed that made sense. Why wouldn't she be present in her own mind? She was dressed in the same suit as in the real world, but her demeanor was totally different.
"I'm fixing these holes."
The woman glanced at the damage inside her mind-scape and said, "It's no use trying. I've been trapped in here for years and I've never managed to do it."
'So maybe her presence is more literal than I thought.' The boy mused before saying, "Well it hasn't been tried by me yet, and my grandmother says I'm pretty good at this kind of stuff." Without another word he dove his hand into the red light. It felt… cruel. Evil. Inhuman. These rends in the woman's mind were not of her creation, but had been placed here. Luckily Frigga had warned him what to do if he ever saw such a thing in his own mind, and he figured the lessons would transfer over to this task readily enough.
'Mind over matter' he recalled. 'Believe something exists and it will. Believe that something doesn't and it won't. Your will must be stronger than the one challenging you.'
Luckily the 'challenger' that had caused this damage wasn't here to stop him. He pictured only the regular light of day, the crevice filled and replaced with bright flowers. He willed them into being the same way he'd willed himself into this strange place. When he opened his eyes, it was done, and the strange woman was staring at him with wonder and hope.
"Who are you?" She breathed.
"I'm Harry. Don't you know that? I mean, you are watching me right now." He gestured behind him, "In the real world I mean."
She sighed and sat down on the grass. "I have only received glimpses of what my body has been made to do during my entrapment here. Though they were horrible enough, I have not seen you. I do hope I have not hurt you."
"Nope. But your boss did." He moved over and filled another hole as he spoke. "All you've done so far is watch me."
"Then I am glad. My name is Yuriko Oyama." She continued to watch him with interest as he worked for the next few (mental) hours. Filling crevice after crevice and adding flowers all the way until eventually her mental glenn was turned into a colorful paradise.
As he stood and dusted his hands, the boy found himself pulled into a crushing hug. The wet feel of fresh tears started falling over his brow.
"I'm free!" She sobbed. "I can feel everything, see everything. I can see you, alone, gasping for air! I'm so, so, sorry!"
"It's not your fault, Yuriko, and as long as I'm in here I can't feel what is happening out there, so we're good." He pulled back and frowned, "Though I don't really know how I'm going to get out of here. Can you get me out?"
She thought about it for a moment, accessing the memories her body had accumulated without her knowledge. "Not alone. This base is heavily defended after all and even I can be overwhelmed by superior numbers. But now that I can actually think about it, there is someone else in the next cell over that could be useful. If you were to reach out to her as you did me, then she might be willing to help."
"Great!"
"There are two problems, however. She only speaks Spanish, and she is quite feral. If I could speak to her then perhaps an accord could be reached, but if I leave your side in the real world the cameras would notice."
Harry blinked slowly at the asian woman as an idea took form in his head. "You speak Spanish?"
"Yes. I was a translator before Stryker captured me. I speak English of course, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Russian, and French."
"Then you can teach me, and then I can see this girl myself. What was her name anyway?"
Yuriko gave the boy a sad look. "Laura. She is called, Laura, or Project X-23. Your plan will not work though. To be able to effectively communicate with her you would need several months of language lessons. We don't have that kind of time."
"Yes we do." Harry gestured all around them, "You've just seen me spend hours fixing your mind. How long do you think has actually passed in the real world?"
The only other person in the vast plain took on a look of concentration and her eyes widened. "Only a few seconds! Your body is barely moving." A confused look took over, "How can I see the real world and be here at the same time? This is very strange."
The boy ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. "Yeah I asked my grandmother about that a few times, and she just said the mind is a weird place and you shouldn't question it. It would be easy to drive yourself insane. Anyway, the world of the mind is entirely under our mental control. We can make time move as fast or as slow as we want. So if we need several months to teach me a language, then we have it."
An eager grin spread across the woman's face. "Mental control you say?" her face once more scrunched up in concentration and an ornate, yet comfortable looking, couch sprang into existence next to them. She sat down and gestured for him to sit next to her which he promptly did. An illustrated book came into existence on her lap and opened to display a multitude of strange words and pictures. "The first step is building up your vocabulary. Once that is done we can work on proper grammar and conversation. Are you sure you're ready to learn?"
"There isn't much else to do here. Plus it might be fun!"
"That's the spirit." She smiled at the exuberant youth and began to teach. "Now, the word for library is biblioteca. Say it back for me."
Asgard
Loki absolutely loathed formal dinners, so when one of his aides urgently waved him over, the prince happily excused himself from the great table and made his way over. Instead of speaking the reason for his interruption, the aid waved for him to follow and led his superior to a separate room three doors down where of all people, Heimdall was waiting. Beside him was a much shorter man with the wary stance of a warrior and the mutton chops of a frontiersman. This promised to be an interesting story.
"Heimdall? Why are you here? Who is this stranger?" He asked, getting right to the point.
The still armored watcher of the gate removed his helm to look the prince in the eye as he spoke. "Not five minutes ago I received a summons from the acting head of your Midgard embassy. Three large carriages worth of children were begging for asylum and this man was demanding to speak to you immediately. He said it was about Prince Harry. I thought it best he address you directly."
The easy look Loki had been carrying immediately left his face, and eyes cold as the winds of Jotunheim fell upon the stranger. "What exactly do you have to tell me about my son?"
To his credit, though the man appeared crestfallen, there was no fear present on his face. "My name is Logan. I was watching over the children at Professor Xavier's school. There was an attack." He met Loki's eyes, "Harry was taken."
Not even a second later Logan found himself slammed against the wall of the room, held three feet off the ground by his neck. The visage of a furious god snarled into his face, "Tell me everything!"
So he did. Wolverine imparted all the knowledge he held about the series of events that led up to his arrival. Including the heroics Harry had shown, the first life he'd taken, the organization of the attack, and the name of its commander. Stryker.
At the end, Loki stood still. Just… absorbing everything and coming to conclusions. Finally he lowered the messenger and stood tall. His visible rage screamed in direct confrontation with his royal bearing, yet when he spoke his words were clear and sharp as ice. "Heimdall, I want you in position on the Bifrost. Find my son for me and be ready to move our armies at a moment's notice."
The big man slammed a fist to his chest and marched out of the room. He had never liked his prince's mischief in the past, but the man, no the father, he had turned himself into was finally becoming one he thought he could respect.
"You," Loki's gaze latched onto Logan, "follow me." Without another word he spun on his heel and marched back through the hall to burst into the dining chamber he had just exited, not even bothering to check if the stranger had followed his order.
Disregarding the looks of surprise on the faces of the guests and human dignitaries, Loki marched up to his father and, swallowing his pride, knelt before him. To the side, Frigga gasped at the display. Before Odin could question this unusual action, Loki began to speak.
"Father… I know, that I have not been the best of sons. We have quarreled, fought, and disagreed, but to date I have never asked anything of you. I must break that habit now." He bowed his head low, "My son has been kidnapped by an armed force. Please, father, I beg of you, lend me the armies of Asgard that I might retrieve him."
Silence reigned for five whole seconds before the king shot to his feet and started barking orders. "Guards, take our guests to their rooms and stand guard until this is resolved!" He looked to a scruffy faced Asgardian that had been chugging ale until the horrible plea had been made, "Volstagg, gather the Warriors Three and rouse the army. We march as soon as we have the location of my grandson!" He turned back to his kneeling child and his gaze softened, "Loki, come with me to the armory and tell me everything."
The younger god gave his father a look of pure gratitude and the two practically ran out of the room with Frigga hot on their heels.
She caught up to them as they reached the aforementioned room and together the three began to don armor and weapons as her son relayed what he had been told. When he had finished the tale she grabbed a massive war hammer and folded it in two before grabbing a sword and sliding it into a sheathe at her waist. "When we find the ones responsible for hurting our little Harry their spines are going to look exactly like that."
Loki smiled, "Indeed. Thank you for your support, mother." The god slid a pair of knives into sheaths on his wrists as his eyes found Wolverine, who was standing awkwardly outside the door. "Do you require arms or armor for the fight ahead?"
The man raised his closed fists and claws of metal burst out of his knuckles. "I came prepared."
"So I can see." He turned back to Odin, and the years worth of strain between them came through as awkwardness in his voice, "Father… I thank you for your aid."
The one-eyed man placed a heavy hand on his son's shoulder. "You need never thank me, nor be afraid to ask anything of me. "I have failed you as a father, Loki. These last few years have shown me that quite effectively. I will not do so again. Especially not when Asgard's heir is imperiled."
The god of mischief's eyes went huge, "What!"
Odin looked to Frigga, who was doing her best to look natural polishing an axe blade. "You did not tell him?"
"I thought it best the news came from you." She replied in the most 'innocent' voice any man present had ever heard from a woman.
The king sighed at the continued antics of the woman he'd loved for centuries. It was no wonder his youngest had become a troublemaker. "As a full-blood frost giant you don't have the right by law to take my throne. I am sorry that I didn't tell you that when you were younger. It be another of my many mistakes. But as half his blood is human, and he was born to a member of our family, even adopted, little Harry has the right of succession. It is technically a grey area in the law, but it is certainly one we are alright with exploiting. Thor has already made it clear to me that he does not covet or desire my throne, so that leaves your son. Someday, your boy will be a king."
The allfather was expecting many reactions from his son, and none of them were being wrapped in a tight embrace.
"The moment I became a father, all I desired was a better life for my son than the one I've lived." He said with all the feeling he could muster. "Thank you."
Before any more feelings could be bared, Heimdall came rushing into the room. He knelt before his king and said, "My liege, our forces are ready and I have located our prince. Additionally, I have also found the Lady Carter. She is with Prince Thor and a messenger has been dispatched. They should both meet us on site."
"Excellent. Let us be off!" As one the group marched out of the armory, war and slaughter consuming their minds.
Sokovia
"Die you robot Fucks!" Peggy screeched as she barreled into the attacking hoard. Behind her, Tony and the rest of the Avengers could only stare in awe and more than a bit of worry. Thor and the newly risen, Vision, had already dealt with Ultron's mind, leaving only his drones as all that remained of the threat to humanity.
Had that been the only problem the team was facing things could have been handled cleanly and rationally. Unfortunately, midway through the battle an unknown jet carrying four mutants that Jarvis identified as Xavier, a stranger, and two of his staff had arrived. When they'd informed Peggy of the attack on his mansion and her son's abduction, the woman had gone justifiably berserk. The robot hoard didn't stand a chance.
At this point, the other Avengers were holding back and letting the woman fight alone because they were honestly terrified of the prospect of what the hero would do when she had nothing else to pound into the dirt.
The stranger, now identified as Magneto, was making short work of the rest and keeping the hoard contained.
The question would never need to be answered however. Just as the last robot's severed skull fell to the dirt, a bifrost bridge opened up in the town square. When the light faded, a harried looking messenger ran up to Thor, had a rapid conversation, and the god of thunder then ran over to his steaming companion.
"Lady Carter, I have had word from my brother. The forces of Asgard march and Heimdall has located Harry. We have been asked to join the main force for the assault."
"Good." Peggy slammed her shield into its holder on her back before sliding her sword back into its sheathe and shouting, "Heimdall! Bring me the fuck to wherever the hell my son is being held!"
Immediately a fresh blast of the bifrost consumed Peggy, Thor, and the messenger, leaving only burned runes on the ground where they'd been standing.
In the silence that followed, Tony turned to Xavier and said, "I'm really glad she spends most of her time at your place. That woman is damned terrifying."
Alkali Lake - Black Site
"Como te sientes acerca de tu español?" Yuriko asked.
Her student leaned happily into her side and replied, "Me siento genial! Eres un maestro increible!"
"Perfect, Harry, perfect." the Japanese woman chuckled as she ruffled his hair affectionately. They'd spent a cozy eight months together inside the confines of her mind, and she was now properly fond of the boy. He was like the adorable little brother she'd never had. And he was always so eager to learn from her. It honestly saddened her that their time together was at an end. Harry had been a voracious learner, soaking up her lessons like a sponge, and he was practically fluent in Spanish by now.
Her mood dimming the woman said, "So I guess its about time for you to go meet Laura. How is that going to work anyway? You've not said."
"Well, that's the tricky part. You see I think I need to be able to see her to form a mind bridge. Like I did with you and my friend Jean. So I'll need you to go to her cell and watch her so I can cross over from your mind to hers."
Yuriko eyed her young friend warily, "The cameras will see me leave and disobeying orders. The guards will be on us within seconds."
"I'll only need seconds in the real world. Oh, but I need you to carry my body with you when you go so I can get back into it once I've convinced this 'Laura' to help us."
"I wish you luck, Harry. A lot of my memories are still vague, but what I recall of the girl is not exactly promising. I only suggested her because there are no other options."
"Do you trust me, Yuriko?"
She nodded immediately, "With my life."
"Then trust me to get the job done." He hopped to his feet and the cozy reading room they'd created disappeared around them.
The older woman nodded, understanding that the time for preparations was at an end. "Then sit tight, little friend, and I'll get us moving." The woman concentrated and the world around her sped back up as she found her horror filled eyes staring at the tortured gasps of her student in his cage.
Immediately she slammed her hand on the mechanism release that opened the door before rushing inside and throwing his body over her shoulder. A second later and her powerful legs had carried her to the door and out into the hall where she slammed her finger claws into the neighboring cell's control panel.
As the door opened and she looked inside, the world beyond her perception slowed and Harry willed his mental self across the distance to the form of a little girl around his age, chained tight to the far wall.
If Yuriko's mind was a crevice filled pasture, Laura's was a barren wasteland. In the vast expanse of desert visible she had the same signs of mental damage that his friend did, but her crevices had been filled in somehow, leaving only the outlines to show they'd been there. Almost as if the land was covered in healed scars.
He only had a second to recognize this fact before a screeching banshee of claws and hate shot out at him from the shadows.
Relying on the training of Frigga, and his own practice in Yuriko's mind, Harry willed himself into a different section of the desert every second, constantly shouting, "Espere!" But the crazed girl did not wait, she did not stop, she just kept coming after him, swinging her claws with the clear intent to kill.
It was with a weary sigh that Harry decided the only way to have an actual conversation with his target was to let her do it. He braced himself, prepared the mental orders, and stopped moving.
With a fresh roar Laura charged him and drove her claws up into his stomach. The pain only lasted a second before Harry exerted his will into the belief that he was invincible here, but all the same it was a terrifying experience. Once he had a moment to think he realized two things. First, though Laura only had two claws on each hand they were remarkably similar to Mr. Logan's. Second, his plan seemed to have worked. Instead of continuing to tear him into bits, the tan skinned girl was looking at him with open curiosity, and sniffing at him rapidly. She was clearly confused that someone she'd just stabbed hadn't died a horrible death, but she was interested for the same reason.
Harry stared into her eyes, and what he saw almost moved him to tears. This girl… was just like him. Or rather, what he had been becoming before he'd been saved. Just like him she'd been brutalized, abused, and made to believe she was less than dirt. She'd just been experiencing it long enough to move past fear to anger.
Acting on pure instinct, the boy lunged forward, and wrapped the girl in the warmest hug he possibly could. She screamed again, and her claws slammed up into him over, and over, and over. Each time he had to remind himself he was invincible, and each time there was still the momentary rents of pain before the effect took hold. It was a miserable experience, but one he would experience again if he could but save this one person as he had been.
Eventually the blows slowed down, and then they ceased altogether as the girl in his arms fell to her knees weeping as the warmth of his hold started to have its desired effect. This was probably the first time in her life someone had put there hands on her without the intention of causing harm. He held her through it all, weathering the storm of her emotions as she worked herself up into exhaustion. When she finally went limp, he imaged them both reclined on a comfortable chair and smiled at the look of wonder that lit up her eyes.
"Quien es usted?" She asked. (who are you.)
"Soy amigo." He replied. (I am a friend.)
She frowned, "No tengo amigos." (I have no friends.)
In response he hugged her closer, ignoring the way she tensed up before hesitantly leaning into him, as if seeking more of his warmth, "Ahora hazlo tu. Tenemos algo de tiempo. Dejanos hablar." he smiled. (Now you do. We have some time. Let us talk.)
Months passed and the two prisoners shared. They told each other of their lives, their horrors, and their dreams. They spoke of freedom and what it would take to get it. Eventually, at Laura's insistence, Harry even started to teach her English. After a while, the truest of friendships began to form. That of two people that had suffered the same pain and hate, but managed to come out the other side stronger for it. The first time Laura had actively hugged him of her own prerogative was perhaps one of the greatest of his life.
"Harry?" Laura was doing what she usually did as he went about the desert on his morning walks, clinging to his back with her arms around his shoulders and her legs wrapped around his waist. It was different from her hugs. Those were about showing she cared. This… was because she was terrified he'd leave her alone again. She'd been doing it since the first day. It had been six months and now she simply did it because she said it felt right. He didn't complain because he rather liked the company.
"Yes, Laura?"
"I think I am ready. Can we, how you say… escapar?"
"Escape."
"Gracias. Can we 'escape' now?"
He stopped walking and craned his neck to look up at her. "Are you ready?"
She nodded. "You explained the plan already." A blush dusted her cheeks, "And you are my friend. Mi familia. We will help each other. Si?"
"Yes." He leaned his head back so she could rest her chin on it. "It's going to be rough once we start. Are you sure you're ready?"
"Si." A look of hesitation crossed her features for a moment, "You will not leave me after. Will you? I don't want to be alone again."
Harry reached a slow hand up to her head and ran it lightly through her hair, the way he remembered his mother doing for him. "I'll stay with you as long as you want me to. I'll never leave you alone again, Laura."
"Gracias, Harry." Having said her piece, Laura, or X-23, hopped off his back and stood beside him. "Let's go."
A moment later and the world they'd built fell away, and the screaming wail of sirens and strobe lights lit the air. Harry had a moment to look through Laura's eyes before he forced his mind back into his own body, and Yuriko sliced her claws through the girl's restraints.
A moment later Laura's claws came out, Harry hopped to his feet, and the three turned to face the cadre of armed guards that had suddenly filled the previously empty doorway. Sadly… Harry had planned for them. Fourteen months is a long time to come to terms with killing someone. And spending it with unrepentant killers went a long way toward loosening one's moral compass.
The young frost giant eyed the group and said, "You have my apologies for what is about to happen, but we will not be restrained again." His eyes flashed with power and the attackers bodies were suddenly covered in a shelf of ice that both Yuriko and Laura sliced through as if it were butter. "Let's go."
As one they enacted a plan that was several months in the making. They ran, killed, and followed the floor plan that the eldest of their group had managed to recall and pass on, all the while making their way toward the vehicle bay exit. As they ran, the walls started shaking and they could swear they heard the sounds of battle taking place, but they didn't care. All they desired was the freedom of the open air.
Alkali Lake - Outside
The defenders manning the gates of Stryker's black site were expecting many things. Cold, discomfort, the occasional random inspection of their readiness. What they were definitely not expecting was a flash of light and several thousand pissed off looking aliens staring into their faces. As their horror mounted two figures stepped forward. One wore a horned helm and the other carried a round shield. Before any more features could be recognized, the woman screamed, "Charge" and all hell broke loose!
The army surged over the walls before any of the guns could fire. Every man and woman on duty was slaughtered, and the doors to the facility were caved in after the first blow.
"Heimdall, where's Harry?" Peggy asked she followed the Asgardian hoard through the entrance.
"Five levels down. Follow me!"
Alkali Lake - Control Room
Stryker stared at his monitors with ever growing horror as the men and women around him panicked. He'd been in his office drawing up potential demands for the safe return of the brat when the alarms had begun blaring. He'd immediately ran to the control room to check the security feeds and had been confronted with both the betrayal of his brainwashed assistant, and the freeing of one of his most volatile weapons. Seconds later the front gates had broken down to admit an army of what looked like male and female supermodels in chain mail!
Stryker gave orders, he deployed barricades and defensive formations, he activated the wall mounted turrets. Nothing worked. Before his eyes Thor walked through a hail of bullets, Captain Carter disabled turrets with a thrown shield, and a massive one-eyed man with a spear reduced his barricades to ash with a flick of his wrist.
It was time to face facts. His mission had failed and the base that had served his off the books uses for the last two decades was lost. That being said he didn't have to go down with it. "You, you, and you," He pointed to three random staffers, "follow me. The rest of you continue organizing the defensive. I will return presently."
The four quickly moved back to his office and he immediately started filling their arms with files and boxes full of unmarked bills. Once he'd removed everything else of value he smashed his computer monitor and pocketed the hard drive. "Time to go."
"Where to sir?"
"Safety, son. To survive in this world you need to know when to cut your losses."
Meanwhile
"How much farther?" Harry called to Yuriko who was in the lead.
"The vehicle bay should be just through this door!" She replied as she sliced through the final steel barrier to their freedom. Behind them lay halls upon halls of frozen, shattered, human remains. Harry vowed that he'd let himself feel bad about them later.
As the two adamantium clawed ladies finally succeeded in cutting through the doorway, the first rays of sunlight finally flowed over their groups collective skin. To Harry, it felt like freedom incarnate.
"Vamos!" Laura took his hand and pulled him with her after Yuriko who had immediately took off for a helicopter near the vast opening. None of them had noticed before but this chamber actually looked to be a cave.
It was as the three were strapping themselves in and the rotors were beginning to turn that Laura saw four others running in through the other entrance. She was all set to ignore them, but her well trained eyes managed to pick out Stryker's face over the distance. Immediately her mind was assaulted with years worth of pain and her vision turned red.
Harry heard her roar, and when he turned to look beside him his friend's seat was empty. Her restraints having been clawed through. He frantically unstrapped himself, told Yuriko to wait, and looked around, only to find Laura by the screams rending the air and blood flying against the side of a parked humvee across the bay.
He ran as fast as he could, but was too late to stop anything, even if he'd wanted to after finding the victims. Laura was standing over three strangers, and the man that had subjected him to near asphyxiation. Her shoulder's were shaking and fresh tears were falling from her eyes as she kicked at their corpses. "Demonio!" She gasped out. Over and over, "Demonio!"
Harry gave her a hug to settle her down, and it was with a start that he looked down and saw Stryker staring up at him and gurgling fresh blood from the lips of his sliced up face. The bastard was still alive! He could have important information!
Without taking his arms from the sniffling girl before him, the young frost giant locked eyes with his dying attacker and charged into his mind like a battering ram. What he saw sickened him. In one second he witnessed years of crimes against humanity, deceit, and government corruption. It was enough to scar him for life but he carried on until he found something that truly filled him with rage.
Harry was a child, but his mother had thought it important that he understand, as an american citizen, how his home's government functioned. He knew who and what the president was. So he also knew how insane it was that that man had apparently authorized not only his specific capture, but the attempted kidnapping of an entire school's worth of kids.
With a grunt of utter disgust, the boy pulled himself out of Stryker's mind and continued to hold his gaze as he died. Harry had never considered himself a cold person, but the time he'd spent in captivity, in the minds of his new friends, and finally in the memories of this colonel had warped something inside him, and now he only wanted to watch this monster fall.
So he was rather shocked when his gaze was broken by the heavy hand of Yuriko falling on his shoulder. "Is everything alright here?" She asked.
The children took a moment to look at each other before nodding and saying, "Yes." simultaneously.
"Good, then let's-" She was interrupted as the section of cave ceiling over their helicopter fell through, burying the mode of their escape in a small mountain of rubble. Out of the new hole charged a group of men and women in chainmail, causing the fleeing captives to ready themselves for their next fight. Yuriko and Laura crouched with claws extended and Harry's breath froze in the air as he readied his power for an ice surge, only for everything to stop as a powerful pair of voices screamed, "Halt!"
Out of the dust marched two figures. One wore a large horned helm and the other carried a sword and circular shield. Harry only needed a couple seconds to recognize the visages of his parents, and the smile that alit on his face was downright luminous. He placed two calming hands on the still tensed up females beside him and said, "It's alright. Those are my parents."
"Tu padre y mama?" Laura asked for clarification.
"Si."
There was not time to say anything else as a second later the two figures started running toward them, and Harry did the same. By the time the three of them crashed together in a group hug every one of them was laughing and crying at the same time. For five minutes this continued as each of them blubbered out explanations for what had happened while they were apart, and their respective groups stared on in confusion and more than a little bit of discomfort.
Finally, Harry pulled away and dragged Peggy and Loki over to his fellow jail breakers. "Mom, dad, this is Laura and Yuriko. They're really good friends of mine."
The four of them exchanged pleasantries and Harry asked, "Where's Logan?"
Loki answered, "He said something about going down memory lane when we passed a room full of liquid metal. Rather strange that."
"Yeah…" Harry couldn't really think of a response for that statement. So instead he pointed to Stryker's body and said, "I got a look at his memories before the end. I know how all of this happened. You aren't going to believe it."
As he spoke, a tall man with one eye and Frigga approached their small group. The army meanwhile had long since gone on to secure the rest of the facility. "Verily you should try my belief, grandson. I would be very interested to know who thought they had the right to harm the royal family of Asgard."
The Next Day
The White House
When the leader of the free world woke up he was expecting his regular routine to take place. He'd jog in the indoor track, eat a light breakfast while he read some reports, and then he'd settle into his office with a cup of coffee for his morning meetings.
Initially, things began that way. He exercised and ate as usual, but the problem came when he walked into the oval office. There, sitting in his chair, behind his desk, was the pissed off visage of the Asgardian ambassador. The president started to bring forth a righteous tirade about a foreign element sitting in the literal highest seat of government, when the angry god snapped his fingers.
All around the grounds outside his window, the light of day seemed to shift as it rolled off the now visible forms of thousands of armed soldiers, chariots, and what looked to be some kinds of flying warships. That wasn't even the most terrifying sight for the greatest elected official in the nation however, no that belonged to what was revealed inside his own office.
"Allow me to introduce my guests." Loki sneered as he rose from the seat and gestured to the figures standing behind him. "My brother, Thor. My father, Odin, king of Asgard and my mother, queen Frigga." Next to them stood a scowling woman with a broadsword already pulled out of its sheathe. "I believe you are already aware of the good Captain Carter."
Finally he gestured to the grinning boy sitting on the edge of his desk. Strangely enough a dark haired girl about his age seemed to be holding on to his back and a Japanese woman had a hand on his shoulder, "And I know for a fact you're aware of my son, Harry."
The president gulped, "Ambassador Loki, clearly a mistake has been made-"
"You mean like authorizing the abduction of my son and the crown prince of my nation?"
President McKenna gaped at all those present before him. How could they possibly know about that? And how was he to know just how important the kid was. He was at a loss for what to say, so he fell back onto the tried and true practice of the presidency when backed against a wall. He decided to deal, without outright admitting to any wrongdoing.
"Clearly something unfortunate has happened that you feel my government is responsible for. Rather than prolong this argument that could potentially lead to war, let us instead talk about what we can do to put this all behind us."
Loki grinned as his father rounded the desk to stare McKenna in the eye. As the one eyed man spoke, his gaze never wavered from his target. "As far as I am concerned we are already at war. We have witness from my grandson that you agreed to his kidnapping and the attack of innocents at his home. This cannot go unanswered. That being said, war would only lead to your complete annihilation."
Once more the president's throat went dry. "I hardly think the words of a child can be believed without further proof, but all the same what do you suggest."
Odin's stare intensified, "Your total surrender and servitude to Asgard as a vassal state. You may still rule yourselves independently but when one of my family gives an order it will be followed. You of course will resign your office at once."
McKenna could only stare, "You can't possibly expect me to agree to that. The American people will not just allow themselves to be conquered!"
"You are not your people. I imagine they just want to keep living their lives peacefully, and I will let them. They have not wronged me or mine, but you and your government have. This demand is also being delivered to your congress, senate, and media stations by recommendation of my son. I would recommend asking our SHIELD contact, Phil son of Coul, about your current chances of defeating our weaponry in combat. You will have twenty-four hours to decide. If you refuse, I will level your lands." He leaned in close enough for his lips to brush McKenna's ear as he whispered, "You made this necessary. I'd had my fill of conquest and was content to live in peace, but you made me take up the spear again. Now you will deal with the consequences."
He leaned back, Loki snapped his fingers once more, and the President fell to his knees, shaking, as he found himself alone once more in his office.