The Trickster: Ragnarok

by: Shadow Chaser

Disclaimer:

I do not own any characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. All characters belong to Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Comics, and Disney. I am not writing this story for profit, only for my own (twisted) amusement. I will try to return the characters unharmed, but some they might have a few scuff marks.

Story:

Chapter 18

Loki walked several levels down to where Sif had been placed in the medical wing. When he arrived at her room, he felt Jormungandr slither off of his arm and fall to the floor with a quiet plop. A second later, he heard him take a deep breath next to him, having reverted to his human form. "Speak," he commanded as he stared at Sif's unmoving, but breathing form from the observation window.

"There is...another way, Loki," Jormungandr sounded hesitant. Through the reflection of the observation window, he could see the young man with his head bowed, his fingers clasped in front of him whenever he was nervous or hesitant. "You don't have to use your geas, or the Infinity Stones- I can scry, Loki, I can scry...my mother's scales," his words devolved into a barely discernible murmur.

Loki was silent for a few seconds as he considered Jormungandr's words. "The sceptre," he stated as he saw the young Healer's reflection nod. "The only thing in the world that can hold the power of an Infinity Stone without killing it's wielder."

"...Yes..." Jormungandr whispered.

Loki studied his reflection for a long moment. He could see the minute quaking of his form, the shudders that the young mage tried hard to suppress. There was a very good reason why Jormungandr was utterly terrified of the prospect. He feared his mother more than his sire Thanos. For good reason; as Loki had only heard of the stories of Nidhogg, who was technically not a dragon as many had thought, but rather was lamia-like. Nidhogg was not a lamia per se, but she predated a lot of the myths and histories he had read in the library and for something, someone to have lived that long... Loki had a healthy respect for magick and the unknowns of the universe – until they crossed him like Thanos – but he also knew that it had been Fenrir who had rescued Jormungandr from Nidhogg. At least that was what either was willing to share and say no more of it. He had not actively listened in on the ravens' conversation with the rest of the Avengers, but he was peripherally aware that they knew next to nothing about Nidhogg. While it would have surprised him and given him a sense of twisted pleasure that not even the great and powerful supposed all-knowing Allfather had any knowledge of Nidhogg, it was not his primary concern at the moment.

"What are the consequences?" he asked Jormungandr who stiffened and blinked.

"None-"

"You lie," he cut him off and saw the younger man's reflection shake his head violently.

"I do not," he said before grimacing and looking away, "I...I don't...like the feel of it...that's all...nothing of consequence. Just...it..."

"You are not a child anymore," he gave him a hard stare that was clearly reflected off of the observation window.

"I-I know..." Jormungandr bowed his head a little, ashamed and Loki pressed his lips thinly together. He saw the former mage square his shoulders, mentally pulling himself together before opening his eyes once more, "I apologize, my King. It was of childish whim that had overtaken the fear inside me for a moment. It will not happen again."

Loki only stared at Jormungandr's reflection for a moment before pulling at the skeins of the spaces-in-between and drew out Gungnir from the shadowy folds. He could feel the sheer power and weave of magicks of the Nine that empowered Gungnir. This was the power of the Allfather, the ruler and conqueror of Asgard and the Nine Realms. There was no jewel on its crown, but he knew that in his capacity as King and regent of Asgard, he could easily utilize its power. It was not an Infinity Stone, but he had a feeling that like the Casket of Ancient Winters, Gungnir was forged by Infinity Stones – more than likely the Tesseract itself considering that it was one of two keys to power the Bifrost. Though he did not know for certain if Nidhogg's scales, vibranium, was involved in its creation, he did not readily discount it.

The only issue was that he had absolutely no idea what would happen if a magick force like scrying was applied to it. Gungnir was only wielded by those who ruled Asgard and those alone. No other was permitted to wield it unless given permission, mentally or verbally. It was a binding magick of sorts, akin to Thor's Mjolnir. Thor, for all of his idiocy had not even tried to understand what bound Mjolnir to him, but rather had just used it plainly – as if he had been taught the basics in an instruction book of sorts. The only thing that he had gotten – and even then Loki doubted Thor truly understood – was that Mjolnir was able to be lifted up by those who were worthy. He had never gotten a chance to understand what Mjolnir's inscriptions meant by 'worthy', Thor constantly keeping his hammer close to him like a security blanket of sorts.

Gungnir had the same principles, but Loki could clearly feel the thrum of a more deadly application if those who had not been given permission were holding it. He supposed it was a saving grace of sorts that Sif had not realized what she was actually holding when Odin had given her Gungnir to give to him; had not realized that she technically could have ruled Asgard and be none the wiser. Still, as he resumed his watch over her shallowly-breathing form, perhaps it was for the best. She had suffered gravely in the battle against Malekith's forces and he was content to leave her at peace for now. She did her duty to the House of Odin with the utmost regard and proved her loyalty to him instead of recklessly trying to find Thor again.

"Loki-"

Loki released Gungnir from his hands and stored it back into the spaces-in-between. There was another way. He turned his head slightly to face Jormungandr, "Find the metal-armed man that shadows the Captain and bring him here."

"I shall be discreet," he was pleased that Jormungandr understood his request as he bowed his head and hurried away.

Loki was not remiss in noticing that Jormungandr had heeded his request to not involve the Avengers as much as possible – hence the recently private conversation. It pleased him that Jormungandr had obeyed his requests instead of expecting him to be more Thor-like and involving the others. He knew that he could have easily asked for the Captain's shield, but he was aware of what the metal-armed man had done in the Avengers' training room and appreciated it. The metal-armed man had proven that he was far more adept at the shadows and masking his presence than if Jormungandr was to ask for the Captain's shield. Asking for Rogers' shield was only inviting the Avengers to stick their unwanted noses into his attempt to search for Baldr and Thor. Once he dealt with Baldr, he would be free to pursue his real goal without his idiotic brother hampering him by being under Baldr's control. The fact that Baldr was expending all of his mental efforts into controlling Thor bode well for Loki. He knew it would make it easier to deal with Baldr. At least Thor was putting his stubborn and one-track mind to good use in making Baldr's life a living hell of sorts.

Breathing out a quiet sigh, he stepped away from the window and entered Sif's room proper, the door hissing closed behind him as he took a moment to study her prone form. The room smelled of a faint sour odor, the same smell he recognized when he had been on the Helicarrier's medical ward after Fenrir had savaged his arm. He could feel the faint basic skeins of magick that permeated the air, but they were not the advance threads that he was used to on Asgard. The mortals had only begun to advance their sciences and understanding of healing magick and Loki grimaced. At this rate, it would take weeks for Sif to heal and even then, he could smell the beginnings of corruption in the air.

Healing magick was never his forte; leaving the intricacies of poison and healing to Jormungandr, but he did know a few simple spells – enough to at least take the threads of corruption away. He sent forth a burst of magick and could instantly see Sif's body respond to the greedy feel of healing magick as it unconsciously heaved a breath before settling once more. There was barely a change in the monitors that continued their steady incessant beeping, but Loki could feel a definitive change in the air. Sif would recover.

Satisfied with his work, Loki took a small step back and stared at her; unconsciously tracing her pale, sunken face. There was a slash that ran parallel across her jawline and he knew that a scar would form after she finished healing. Many of the female courtiers he knew would have been appalled at the fact of a potential scar on their face; preferring to have scars covered by clothing or uncovered in the intimacy of pillow talks. But he knew Sif would wear her's proudly. She was first and foremost a warrior, a lady of the Court a distant second. It was why he had long tolerated her, even in the company of Thor's other friends. She, like him, did not really care for the Court's whispers of non-conformity, and instead, defied it. The only difference was that the Court responded well to her warrior-oriented mind instead of his magick and spellcasting.

Still, she was one of the very few that he acknowledged knew him somewhat better. She did not know him the best, but the fact that she had been ordered by the Allfather to 'watch him' three years previous was not lost on him. He had figured out what the Allfather's orders to Thor, his mother, and the Warriors Three and Lady Sif had been since imprisoning Thanos in the Tesseract. The Allfather had been aware that any attempt on Thanos' part to manipulate and influence him would be instantly recognized as out of character for him by those who knew him the best. The problem was, most of Asgard did not know him, and thought every single one of his words, plans, schemes, gestures and so forth was out of character. It had been up to those who knew him well that had been 'bidden to watch him.'

And now...

"I am about to do something that if you had been 'bidden' to watch me, Sif, you would think it be typical, yet atypical of my manner and habits," he murmured quietly to her prone form. His eyes traced her for any sign or response that she had heard him, but did not discern anything.

"You would have called it reckless," he continued softly, "maybe...Thor-like...that stupid idiot brother of mine." He himself did not think it was reckless, but he was also aware that Sif always rolled their her eyes on some of their foolhardy plans back when they were young. There had always been more than one comment about who was a bad influence on the other. Loki liked to think that it was Thor who was the idiot and it was his plans that got them out of more than one scrape during their adventures; but that naivety and innocence had been quashed long ago.

"Sif..." Loki took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "you cannot stop me. Maybe once, maybe long ago. But not this time... If this succeeds and even if it does not, Thor will need you. After all, Asgard needs its King...not a conquering monster to rule in its stead."

He fell silent, staring at her pale form and the even breaths she took under the blanket covering her. Sif would be a fine Queen one day, a good match for Thor when his infatuation with Dr. Foster came to its inevitable conclusion in less than one-hundred years. She served Asgard well as a warrior and though she was blind to certain aspects of it, she also showed that she readily accepted things and truths after a certain amount of persuasion. He knew that she would never wholly recognize or respect magick, but she was at least tolerant of it – and it was the very least he could do after knowing her for so many years. There was nothing more that could be done. No more words to be said.

He stood up just as he felt a shift in the subtle tremor of magick that he had cast along with the minor healing spell. It was to prevent anymore ill will towards her while she recovered. And it was also his cue to leave. He turned away from her and headed out of her room, the door swishing close behind him, cutting off the smell of antiseptic and sour cleanliness that reminded him too much of the Helicarrier's medical ward. At the same time he saw both Jormungandr and the metal-armed man step from the shadows, both with grim expressions on their faces.

"Your arm is made out of the metal you call vibranium-"

"But is a metal from Nidhogg's scales that supposedly fell from the roots of Yggdrasil," the metal-armed man finished for him with the barest of emotion, "the ravens said as much."

Loki was a little taken aback at how frank the man sounded, but before he could get another word out, the metal-armed man spoke again, "Baldr must have given Dr. Zola some of the vibranium since he was running HYDRA from the shadows, otherwise, the only source I knew of was what made Steve's shield and that was acquired by Stark's father back during the war." He tilted his head, "The vibranium is important."

Loki knew that if it was any other mortal saying the words to him, he would have easily cut them down or even dismissed their remarks. But he was cognizant and aware of what the metal-armed man had done for him just mere hours ago; all on the pretense of letting him spar and collect his thoughts. He had not even judged him based on the rest of Midgard's shared history; all because he had 'no history.' It was something that Loki did not believe – after all everything was colored by first impressions and he remembered that the metal-armed man had thrown a knife at him when had first arrived on the balcony days ago. However, since that one time, he had not readily attacked him; and even had helped him during the brief skirmishes they had engaged in at the remnants of the Alps base and in Union Square.

"The only known element that is not spelled, that can contain an Infinity Stone is vibranium because of Nidhogg. Even then, it is only an element that can channel instead of full containment. Baldr was an idiot for not realizing what he had done when he had given this Dr. Zola vibranium to fit onto your arm. The power of the Tesseract that I can feel still leeching and tracing your mind is stored like a sieve in that arm. I speculate that was one of the elements of what helped you regain your memories, because contained and channeled its power. You have just the barest benign threads to the Tesseract and it serves you well."

"Programming, like Thor," the metal-armed man stared at him and Loki shook his head a negative.

"Whatever commands you had been given came after the Tesseract-based device ran through your mind," he said and saw the other man frown a little before nodding once, accepting his words.

"Solves at least one mystery," the other man muttered before lifting his arm up, "seems like you need it."

Loki's lips twitched up in a crooked smile before he gestured to Jormungandr, "I am in a state of conservation-" He saw Jormungandr's sudden twitch of alarm and the surprised look the younger man shot at him, but ignored it and shrugged, "whereas you must have read the report on what I had done to find Thanos' portals three years previous, this...this requires a finesse of a spell that I feel not inclined to cast."

"Loki-"

Loki shot Jormungandr a sharp look to which the other man quieted before staring down at his feet. Good, he was learning, he thought as he reached deep to his core and pulled out the necessary amount of raw magick he could spare, and contained it in a modular. He extended his hand out to Jormungandr who blinked and stared at the modular with some trembling awe before taking it.

Loki suppressed the sudden flare of pain that erupted on the palm of his hand as Jormungandr gingerly plucked the modular and willed himself to hold steady before the brief flash of pain passed and everything seemingly returned to normal. That had been close...a little too close for his own comfort. He flicked a look to the metal-armed man, wondering if he was going to say anything like the other Avengers were wont to do, but only received a surprisingly bland and neutral look. It refreshed him that the man would not question what had happened nor be incessantly nosy about it like Thor's other friends usually were. The small amount of respect he had for the metal-armed mortal grew just a little bit.

He saw Jormungandr take the magick into him, heaving several deep breaths before letting it out. It made him roll his eyes and huff an annoyed sigh before Jormungandr hastily composed himself and reached out to the metal-armed man's hand. Loki watched Jormungandr place his hand over the metal arm before closing his eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as beneath the lids, he saw the flash of gold as Jormungandr started his spellwork. There was a concentrated effort on his face that occasionally turned into a grimace, but then smoothed out into further concentration. After what felt like a few hours, but was only mere minutes, Jormungandr opened his eyes and released the metal-armed man's arm. He stepped back and took another deep breath and Loki thought for a second that Jormungandr would not meet his gaze. But that moment passed too quickly and he wondered if he had imagined it as the younger man faced him.

"May I?" he asked and Loki nodded his assent.

The younger man's spindly fingers reached towards his temple and it was only in the barest moment of contact that Loki only remembered to release the automatic spellwork he had over the area of skin and allow Jormungandr to touch his head. He immediately saw flashes of images, of a vast space visual to where he was versus locales on Midgard that he was familiar with. He could see what Jormungandr had scryed and just as suddenly, it was over and Loki found himself back in the dim hallway with Jormungandr and the metal-armed man.

"I am ready-"

"You will use the remaining magick given to heal Sif and finish the task given to you regarding the healing stones," he ordered and saw a frown appear on Jormungandr's face before he reluctantly nodded.

"As you wish," the younger man replied with barely any emotion before he brushed past him and entered Sif's room.

He glanced at the metal-armed man, wondering if he was going to make any idiotic remark about going alone or not facing Thor and Baldr alone, but to his surprise no remark came, and instead he only received a neutral look. "Truly, in your words, 'no history'?"

"I'd do the same for Steve," the metal-armed man replied and Loki made his decision.

He reached into the spaces-in-between and pulled out two objects, shooting a discreet look towards where Jormungandr was occupied with healing Sif's remaining injuries. Looking back at the metal-armed man he handed over one of the two objects. "The vibranium in your arm will mask it, but this," he held up the other object in his hand, "will ensure that it is hidden. This must not fall into Thanos hands, even if..." He swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat as he realized that it was truly the moment things were coming to a-head. He placed the second object on top of the first and cast the illusion spell. The tessellation would do its work on the object he had fitted on the metal-armed man's metallic hand. "Well..." Loki cleared his throat roughly, "I'm sure you will learn soon enough..."

"Why me?" the metal-armed man asked flexing his fingers a little. There was no visible difference and it had been his intention to make sure that there was little to no difference in visual and weight of what he had given to the metal-armed man.

"Isn't that the question," Loki only gave him a half smile before he drew apart the skeins and weaves to the shadows of Yggdrasil.

Thisisnotamistakethisisnotamistakethisisnotamistake

He saw Jormungandr look up from where he had been concentrating on healing Sif, a stricken surprised look on his face. He could see him scramble out of his chair and throw open the door-

But it was too late for Jormungandr.

IwillnotfailIwillnotfailIcannotfailIwillbringThorbackandhavemyrevenge

Loki stepped through, accepting the moment of blackness that had once consumed him and terrified him when he had been on the run from Thanos. No more, he thought viciously before he emerged out of the other side-

Into a field of volcanic black sand and barren lands.

"Welcome, Loki, King of Asgard," Baldr's booming voice echoed across the desolate field, "to Skeiðarár Sandur."

Bucky turned at the sound of a half-cry that fell from Jormungandr's lips as he stared at the spot where Loki had stood. He suppressed a shiver at the unnatural feel of something not right before it all but faded. At the same time he saw the thin blue line Loki had ripped into the air, much like Baldr had in the times that they had met, disappear.

"No...no, why. I needed to go with- Why didn't you stop him?!" Jormungandr whirled on him, eyes bright and angry and James only stared back. He could feel the acute weight of what Loki had given to him and wondered if the man who could easily turn into a serpent could see what was on his arm, but it seemed that he was not paying attention to it.

"Loki- He- He can't-" Jormungandr trailed off before glancing back to the room the Asgardian warrior named Sif was in. There was a torn expression on his face as he seemingly warred with whether or not to go back in and finish what he was doing versus apparently doing something else. A very small part of Bucky felt a little sorry for Jormungandr, having noticed his undying loyalty to Loki and how he had been treated. He had witnessed the conversation between him and Sleipnir, the talk of loyalty and bloodlines, and like Loki had not really formed any opinions regarding him. Though, unlike Loki, he was a little biased only because Jormungandr had apparently poisoned both Natalia and Steve, nearly killing them before the cure had been found and created by both Loki and Dr. Banner. Poison was not something that one could easily fight like any other opponent and so it colored his perception just a little bit.

He watched as the young man seemingly warred with himself before looking at him. "You've traveled Midgard, right?"

Bucky nodded once.

"Can I...can I show you what I showed Loki and you help me figure out where he went?" the request was so plaintive that James hesitated. Ever since Stark, Banner, and the others figured out that the device that had been wiping his mind was Tesseract-based, he wanted little to nothing to do with anything that could affect his mind. He was still dealing with the after effects of what he had now confirmed to be a separate issue – his Level 8 programming of killing Steve – and it had been a trying couple of weeks since their initial return from the Alps.

"What did you see?" he instead said and saw the younger man's face fall before he seemingly hunched into his brown leather jacket and red neckerchief.

"I...I saw..." Jormungandr swallowed, grimacing, "black fields, jagged ice like the spires of Jotunheim. Coal black, small pebbles and grains. There were lava flows like the pits of Muspelheim, but so many black fields. It was as if someone had turned it into ash and the ichorous putrid smell filled the air; like death had come and lingered."

"Baldr's near an active volcano or volcanic-created sand," Bucky replied and Jormungandr nodded, "ice fields suggest northern hemisphere or southern." He took a deep breath and looked up, "JARVIS-"

"Already running a search pattern, Sergeant Barnes," Stark's mechanized artificial intelligence replied and James smiled inwardly. He had guessed correctly after he had initially sought out Steve at the Avengers tower weeks ago. "Might I suggest this information be shared with the others?"

Bucky glanced at Jormungandr who looked like he did not expect to be consulted and mutely nodded before the two of them headed back upstairs to the common area. Bucky stuck to the shadows as he saw Jormungandr take a deep breath and square his shoulders before stepping out into the common area where the rest of the Avengers were gathered.

"...don't think Baldr can actually do anything," Steve was saying as he slowly shook his head, "I think Loki's right; Baldr's just barely controlling Thor and its taking all of his mind and effort to do so. He can't do anything else. Maybe that's why he's been trying to summon Sleipnir back with the geas – so that he can send him to do something."

"Then the question becomes, why hasn't Sleipnir done something here," Natasha spoke up.

"Because he already has," Jormungandr said and Bucky saw the others start a little at his entrance. They had been clearly engrossed in whatever the ravens were saying.

"How?! He got Sleipnir to-" Coulson stood up from his chair in alarm as did the others.

"No," Jormungandr shook his head before pointing to Steve's shield, "Loki had me scry my mother's scales. They are the only objects in the world that are able to contain the power of an Infinity Stone. The Infinity gauntlet, the sceptre, the Bifrost, all of it has an element of Nidhogg's scales that can channel the power of an Infinity Stone without destroying its user."

"Loki..." the younger man grimaced a little before seemingly squaring his shoulders, his expression resolute, "I am not beholden to his wishes nor am his familiar, so I give you this in good faith for my own reasons."

"I've compiled a search grid based on the parameters given," JARVIS' voice spoke up, seemingly all around them. Bucky suppressed the urge to smile a little in dark humor at the sight of the ravens jumping a little at the artificial intelligence's voice, their arms flapping a little as if they were still wings.

"Search grid, J? When did you get it-"

"Loki's gone, isn't he?" Natalia interrupted Stark with a shrewd look on her face before turning to the ravens, "you know where?"

One of the ravens, Huugin, if James' memory served correct as to which raven was which, shook his head. However, it was Muunin who spoke up, seemingly more at ease with them than his brother raven. "We cannot know where the King is unless he wields Gungnir or if Sleipnir bows to the summons of his master."

"The search parameters indicate that active volcanoes are located in the Alaskan-Russian islands, the southern tips of Argentina or Chile, small scatterings of Southern Ocean islands, Siberian Sea, Greenland, Iceland, or the chain of disputed islands between Japan and Russia," JARVIS spoke up displaying a sudden multitude of imagery including satellites and active volcanic feeds from the various geological agencies around the globe.

"JARVIS, cross search the radioactive decay files from three years ago that Loki allowed us to scan based on how he jumps from place to place," Dr. Banner spoke up, his gaze pensive as they stared at the display. Bucky noted that the others were mildly surprised before the doctor realized they were staring at him and had a slightly sheepish look on his face. "Loki said as much that he gave Thanos the knowledge to create portals or whatever he calls them to travel the...uh...shadows of Yggdrasil, and I'm guessing that he probably showed him how. I hypothesized that there's a personal signature of sorts in each 'portal' that's created, but probably share the same initial base.

"When I initially ran my check two weeks ago after Baldr left with Thor for the base, there were too many to accurately pinpoint. I think Baldr knew about it based on the leaked SHIELD files or he asked Thor. But he basically threw us off of that scent and made my calculations null and void. Since Loki's gone after Baldr, it should be easy to find his general location," Banner finished with a hesitant smile on his face.

"I've pinpointed several recent locations. There are trace amounts that seemed to have decayed in areas that indicated previous battles against Thanos' Chitauri forces and I have eliminated those from contention. Based on the search parameters given, there is only one location that matches," JARVIS replied before a world map popped into existence along side the video feeds that were being displayed.

"Iceland. Nice job, Doc," Director Coulson nodded in approval before reaching out and spread the world map wide. "JARVIS, are the other locales based on Baldr's recent travels?"

"Possibly, Director Coulson," JARVIS replied as the holographic map suddenly lit up with three dots, "I have indicated three other areas in which Loki's radiation signature is more recent. Karpov's base, New York, and Stuttgart. The others are more than likely Baldr's radiation signature."

Bucky saw the Director of SHIELD nod before looking at them, "I'll have my team head to the others to make sure that they're secure with no surprises waiting for us."

"I'll get Rhodey to check out the ones in Australia and the pacific islands. He's got some mission for the military out there," Stark started to walk away, tapping his ear.

The others took it as their cue to start heading out when just as suddenly both ravens seemingly froze stiff and glanced at each other. Bucky stared at them, a little alarmed before just as suddenly they turned from their human forms into ravens and not even a half-second later, popped out of existence. He realized that Loki must have drawn Gungnir or even summoned the ravens with it.

"Shit," Stark swore as he turned back around, "J, lightning overlay!"

"Indicative of a growing strong storm presence over Iceland-"

"Move out," the words were already out of Steve's mouth even before JARVIS finished.

Bucky smiled tightly to himself as he headed towards the ready room to grab his gear. He was the first one in and the first one out, a feeling of familiarity washing over him like a soothing balm at the sight of the others putting on their weaponry and equipment as he secured his sniper rifle across his back. It was almost an alien feeling had he not recognized it in a quick flash of memory of the same thing happening when the Commandos were deployed out on another mission. It was also the same feeling he got when he distinctly remembered doing the same as the Winter Soldier; and it actually made him feel at peace instead of the burning pain and panic he felt weeks earlier.

"Bucky," Steve's voice made him stop his ascent up the stairs to the rooftop where the quinjet was waiting for them. He turned, ignoring the stabbing dull pain in between his eyes, though he did not miss the grimace on Steve's face at his discomfort. He knew that there was more than likely a time long ago he would have said something to deflect his best friend's concern about his well-being, but Bucky felt that at this point, he was long past that. They both knew that the programming that had been seared into his mind would be there forever and it was only now about management restraint, and re-training instincts.

"Your arm functional?" Steve asked, gesturing with a gloved hand towards his metal arm.

The corner of his lips twitched up in a tiny smile at his friends words. He was glad that Steve did not ask the obvious question of whether or not he was all right, but rather indicated that he was aware that Loki had scryed his arm. After all, neither of them were oblivious to the fact that they both had vibranium and that Steve certainly had his shield with him the whole damn time.

"As much as it can be after punching a brick wall," he replied and saw the corner of Steve's lips twitch in an effort to suppress a smile and maintain a sense of decorum and leadership. "It'll function," he knew that he would have to have Stark look at it after everything was said and done. Stark had done a quick patch fix of sorts during their ride on the quinjet to Stuttgart after Loki's initial arrival, but Bucky knew that his arm was still not fully functional after everything that had happened. It would hold for now, he could feel it, but he also knew that it would have to hold because of what he had been given.

"...Can I-"

"No," Bucky shot down Steve's request to examine his arm rather bluntly before turning back around and continued to head up the stairs. "I'm fine Steve. Quit your mother hen routine. Ain't gonna fall to pieces here."

"The scrying spell is not invasive, Captain," Jormungandr's youthful voice might have startled Bucky if he had not heard the barest whisper of cloth against ground seconds before the young man spoke up. He suspected that Jormungandr had been in his serpent form before turning human again. "It only peers, reflective of where those like it are."

Bucky glanced back to see the young-looking man with a tentative expression on his face as Steve stopped to talk to him. He had been inwardly surprised at how well he was taking to the fact that Jormungandr and the ravens could change back and forth to their forms. But that surprise had been mitigated by a brief memory of him reading pulp novels and science fiction to Steve during lazy hot summers and cold chilly winters by the fire. He vaguely remember Steve's mother listening in on one of his readings. She had been frail then, blankets covering her coughing form.

"Captain, I was wondering...hoping I could... I know I do not have the right to ask this of you, especially given your history with me-" the young man swallowed heavily and trailed off.

Before Steve could even respond, Bucky said loudly, "I need a spotter."

Jormungandr turned and blinked up at him confusion etching across his features and he belatedly realized that the young man did not even know what the term meant. "Never mind, just follow," he shook his head a little and continued to head up the stairs. He heard Jormungandr's tentative footsteps follow him and could feel Steve's curious gaze on him, but ignored it. Heading out of the rooftop door, he saw that the quinjet's ramp was down and Stark was already sitting in the cockpit in his Iron Man suit, running through a series of preflight checks. Bucky advanced up the ramp and chose his seat, settling his rifle's pack against it as the sound of the rooftop door opening signaled the arrival of the rest of the team.

He stepped to the side as the others entered, suppressing his instinct to lash out to give himself a wide berth. This was his team now, Steve's friends and teammates, and it would be poor form to not afford them the due courtesy after what they had done. He could still feel the urge to eliminate everyone in the vicinity – not the killer instinct he had or the deep seeded programming, but the fact that he was the Winter Soldier, a ghost. Invisible to everyone.

And just as suddenly relaxed as he felt Natalia's fingers on the back of his elbow, asking silently with the barest of pressures – Are you all right? "Da," he replied quietly as he forced himself to take a deep calming breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Steve jog up to the ramp, glancing at him before heading towards the cockpit to which Natalia slid in next to Stark in the co-pilot's seat before Stark vacated the seat to let her finish the pre-flight checks.

"Where's Barton?" Steve asked and Bucky looked up to see that Barton had not arrived yet. He saw Dr. Banner settle himself in the seat opposite of his own, closest to the ramp, closing his eyes in what seemed to be apparent meditation. He supposed that it was the for the best since the green giant aptly named Hulk was more than likely a liability if he needed to immediately jump out of a quinjet instead of wrecking it.

The sound of the rooftop door slamming open made all of them look up to see Barton emerging with the female Asgardian warrior he had learned was named Sif. She still looked extremely wounded, her skin a stark pale color to the dark browns of her hair and eyes.

"She insisted," Barton huffed out, as he helped her walk towards the quinjet.

"Lady Sif-"

"I will not be left behind while Loki acts like the fool of a bligesnipe like his brother," Sif glared angrily at Steve who seemed a little taken aback at the forcefulness of her tone. However, Bucky could already see the stubbornness that was so familiar on his best friend's face starting to rear.

"I can heal her on the way so that she is in top fighting form, Captain," Jormungandr spoke up before Steve could say anything.

A second later, Barton and Sif entered and Bucky immediately vacated his seat to allow Barton to deposit her into it, the two of them looking a little more than relieved. Barton gave him a crooked smile of thanks before making his way to the cockpit. The door slid shut behind him and not even a second later, the ramp was being closed and the engines powered up. Bucky glanced at Steve who had his jaw set in a stubborn line as he stared at Sif who stared back, defiance clear in her brown eyes.

"Fine," Steve said as the quinjet lurched into the air before settling. He gave Jormungandr and Sif one last look before heading over to the cockpit door, more than likely to talk to Stark who had been watching the whole thing with an unreadable expression on his face. Bucky glanced at Jormungandr; he suspected that the young man had more than likely been trying to wake Sif while Loki had given him the two objects.

"May I heal you?" Jormungandr asked, staring at Sif who was giving him a dark look.

"The last time that happened, you and your brother attempted a coup of Asgard," Sif shot back and Jormungandr frowned, fidgeting a little before he sat down on the cold metal deck of the quinjet.

"I know..." he produced the familiar small bag of healing stones that Bucky had seen him work with a day earlier and fiddled with it. "But if you're looking for an apology, I can't give you one."

"And why not?" Sif hissed, grimacing against wounds that were more than likely not healed.

"You would never accept it," Jormungandr replied in a simple tone.

Sif only stared back for a long moment before nodding once, "You are correct."

"So for the sake of the selfishness you think I have and the stubborn pride I know you have, may I heal you?" he asked again.

Sif stayed silent for a long moment before nodding and Jormungandr smiled slightly before lifting the bag of healing stones up to him. "If you would be so kind, this will be needed in the upcoming battle. I cannot tell you when to use it, but know that you must use it in a critical juncture. It will protect you only so much from Baldr's abilities, but even I cannot predict what a magister may do. I only know from lore and from history and have created it to the best of my abilities."

"Why do this?" Sif asked as Bucky took the bag of healing stones and pulled one out. He could feel a warmth of sorts that bled through his gloved flesh-and-blood hand and it was a rather pleasant feeling.

"Because, the House of Odin cannot fall. And I will not see history repeat itself today. Because I love him and have adopted him as my father even if he will not adopt me as his son," Jormungandr replied, "because Loki always thinks he's alone, and I will prove that he is not, even if he will never acknowledge it. The only lesson I learned when we attempted our coup of Asgard, is that Loki will never abandon Thor. And I will never abandon Loki, even if I die protecting him."

Author's Notes:

Apologies for not updating in the last couple of months. A death in my family kind of killed the momentum and set me back for a while. I should be back to semi-regular updates until this fic is done. Thanks for your patience!