Steve opened his eyes. Smoke, flashing, darkness. Everything was ringing, and Steve took a moment to visually locate everyone in the room.
Darren was in the hallway, uninjured and already stirring. Romanov and Banner had been thrown through the glass wall behind the desk. Eleanore had hit the solid portion of that wall, and was standing from behind the console with Jet sniffing her singed clothing, hackles raised. Fury was on the opposite side of the room, struggling to stand, and Thor had been thrown into the hallway through the other door.
"Put on the suit," Steve told Stark, getting up.
"Yep," Stark replied, looking from Darren to Steve in panic.
"I'm going to go help out the medics," Eleanore ran past them, followed closely by Jet. Darren pressed a button on his wristwatch, and seconds later a backpack flew by, unfolding as it went, into the familiar gray and violet colors of her suit.
"Here," Tony handed Steve a small white ear piece that fit tightly to his head. As he adjusted it he heard communication flowing through.
"… gotta get outside and patch that engine." Hill's voice came through.
"Stark, you copy that?" Fury asked.
"On it," Tony said, looking to Darren and heading down the hall. Steve followed them, figuring that he could at least provide backup if they got attacked.
"We'll meet you there," Darren told Steve, following his father to a large container. It opened to reveal their suits, and Steve nodded and left.
He made his way to the engine, following the trail of smoke and the people running away from it. There was a door that was held shut by a metal fixture that had come undone from the ceiling. Steve moved it, and heard shouting on the other side. The door opened, and three men stood there in oxygen masks, one severely injured. Behind them was the edge of the carrier, dripping debris and sparks from the aftermath of the explosion.
"Stark!" Steve yelled into his ear piece, holding a hand up to see if there was a button that needed pressing. He didn't really care which Stark answered, only that they heard him. "Stark, I'm here!"
"Good," Tony's voice was calmer now, as he and Darren flew to the outer edge of the engine.
"Fried, most of it," Darren muttered, surveying the casing of the engine.
"If we can rewire it even a bit, we can get it running." Tony rebutted. "I'll look inside, you stay out here and take care of the power."
"Got it." Darren looked around, hovering in midair as Steve looked on. "We've got to get the superconducting cooling system back online before you move that debris."
"Okay, I'll work on it from in here," Tony replied.
"Steve," Darren looked at him for the first time. It was a little disconcerting to have the younger Stark speaking face to face from that distance and having his voice come from Steve's ear. "Can you get to that control panel and look at it for me? I'll tell you what I need." He pointed to an area a fair distance away, a small alcove that used to be a hallway.
"Yeah," Steve said, and mapped his jump in his mind. He reached for a sturdy bar and used it to swing himself up to the alcove, lurching into the space by grabbing the edge. There was a handle in the wall, and Steve pulled it out to reveal an orange electronic board.
"Okay, Steve, what does it look like in there?" Darren asked, his voice distorted by the wind in Steve's ear.
Steve had no idea what to tell him. "It seems to run on some form of electricity."
"Well, you're not wrong," Tony told him, sounding focused.
"There's flashing, isn't there?" Darren asked, and Steve thanked God for the younger, helpful Stark.
"Yeah, quite a bit" he told them.
"What we need you to do is just unplug each relay ending. They should look like round… cords. Plugs. Damn it, Elle was right." Darren laughed. "Don't tell her. I'll come up there."
"No, you're doing fine," Steve assured him, inwardly grinning. "I think I see what you mean. I'm unplugging them." He did, and no sparks issued from the ports, which he took as a good sign.
"Okay, now plug each one back into their same port."
Steve did. "Now what?"
"Is the flashing still happening?"
"Less now."
"What part of the panel is flashing?" Darren grunted suddenly, and Steve heard metal screeching.
"The… front, facing the outside, right. The front right side."
"Oh, that's easy." Darren sounded relieved. "Just hit the switch on the bottom of the whole panel, then switch it back on again."
"OK," Steve found the switch and the whole panel went dark. When it started back up again, there was no flashing. Steve checked both sides to be sure. "I think it's good."
"No flashing?"
"None."
"Is everything lit up that has lights?"
"Yeah," Steve checked again.
"Okay, slide that panel back in." More metal shrieked from the outside as Steve complied.
"What's our next move?" he asked, surveying the stalled engine from the outside.
"I'm going to remove the debris," Tony spoke up. "But this thing won't reengage without a jump. I'll have to get in there and push."
"Um, Dad," Steve could hear doubt in Darren's voice, and this time he knew why.
"If that thing gets up to speed, you'll be shredded." He almost felt proud of himself for pointing out a flaw in the older Stark's plan.
"That stater control unit can reverse the polarity long enough to disengage mag-lev—"
"Speak English," Steve interrupted him.
Tony sighed. "See that red lever?"
Steve looked around and spotted one not far away.
"It will slow the roters down long enough for me to get out. Stand by it and wait for my word."
"I've still got a few things to weld out here," Darren warned. "It's not going to turn on yet."
"I'll move the debris, then start rotating so it engages when you get it," Tony replied.
Steve heard the engine start whirring, and jumped across to the lever so he'd be ready to do his part. He saw some metal fall from the bottom of the engine, and then more followed. He turned back and caught sight of a couple of men in oxygen masks holding guns and moving quickly to the edge of the platform. Steve straightened for a closer look. One held a grenade and prepared to throw it, which would undo all the work the Starks had put into fixing the engine. Neither of them noticed him standing above their heads.
Steve leapt across the open space just as the man threw the grenade, and knocked it down and away. It exploded harmlessly below the plane. Then he swung down and took out the guy and his partner before they could throw more. The one throwing the grenade fell, presumably to his death, and the other was almost too easy to knock out.
A man started shooting from the hallway, and Steve wished for his shield. He threw a piece of metal, hoping he wasn't damaging engine parts, and picked up a gun to fight back. He backed up to the lever, prepared to guard it with his life.
His suit was bulletproof, so Steve only had to worry about his head. Things were going pretty well, he thought, until the plane started tilting.
"Stark, we're losing altitude," Fury's voice came through the communicator in Steve's ear.
"Yeah, noticed."
"It's ready," Darren informed them.
"Get in here and help me push," Tony ordered him. "We have to get this thing going yesterday."
Steve exchanged fire once again with the man below him, and saw his eyes were not blue. A mercenary, then. The man jumped out suddenly, and began a steady stream of bullets that had Steve dodging back. A few shots bounced off his suit, but it held.
Then his foot slipped and his stomach jumped into his throat as he plummeted over the edge into open air. A stray wire brushed his hand, and he grabbed it, clinging desperately as it brought his fall to an abrupt halt. He dangled there like a spider on a web, hoping the wind was whipping him around too much for the mercenary to get in a good, life ending shot.
"Hrrrauuugh!" Tony yelled through the ear piece, and Steve felt the aircraft stabilize somewhat.
"We're about up to speed," Darren shouted over the background whirring. Steve knew that the statement was meant for him, but he was busy holding onto the wire. He didn't know how the ear piece picked up his voice in the first place, so he wondered if responding would even be worth the effort.
"Cap, hit the lever," Tony sounded urgent.
Steve decided to try speaking. "I need a minute here!" Shouting over the wind took more work than placing his hands one over the other did as he crawled back up.
"It's Barton," Fury's voice broke through. "He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?"
"This is Agent Romanov. I copy."
"Steve," Darren was sounding nervous. Steve redoubled his climbing, straining more because of the wind than anything else.
"Lever, now!" Tony urged.
Steve reached the grated floor and hauled himself onto it, keeping his head down to present less of a target. The mercenary started shooting at him again, but there wasn't much Steve could do except keep climbing. He heard the clanking of metal against metal from the engine, so he put in a last burst of effort and reached the lever, pulled it down.
The clanking stopped, but the shooting continued until a whooshing noise accompanied by a red and gold suit that dove through the tunnel below, knocking the shooter flat. Steve took a moment to catch his breath, as Darren landed beside him looking decidedly worse for wear. The mask folded back, so they were speaking without the aid of technology.
"Let's go get my dad," the young man suggested once Steve looked up at him. "I think he's getting too old for this crap."
"I heard that," Tony yelled, still using the ear piece. "You and that woman of yours need to start respecting your elders!"
Steve stood and accompanied Darren to the lower level, where Tony lay on his back, the eyes of his suit dark.
"Power up, Dad," Darren seemed unimpressed. The eyes lit back up and Tony rolled his neck and stood, folding his mask up as well.
"Agent Coulson is down," Fury's voice came through suddenly, and they all stood still to listen.
"A medical team is on its way to your location," some unknown dispatcher answered him.
"They're here," Fury's voice was flat, emotionless. "They called it."
Steve's heart sank, thinking of the enthusiastic man who'd been the first to truly welcome him aboard, who had assured him he was the man for this job. He hadn't gotten to sign his trading cards yet. Tony Stark's face seemed frozen, and Darren bowed his head in grief. Steve remembered the offer of lunch in Malibu. Stark must have known him pretty well.
Steve let the silence continue for a moment, before he clapped Darren's metal shoulder. "Come on, we better see how the rest of the team did."
They walked in silence, the Starks making a quick pit stop to remove their damaged suits. Tony waved him away as the metal folded away from his body, and Steve left them alone to deal with their loss. He changed out of his suit, ready to just be himself again. He left the boots on, though, because they were comfortable.
The conference table was deserted when he got there, but Eleanore was across the room tending to the injured man Steve had seen at the engine. Jet was sitting near the table, his eyes on the door, as if to ward off any other attackers.
Eleanore finished her work and walked up the table, seating herself beside Steve with a sigh. She looked exhausted again, but still functional.
"Did you hear?" she asked him quietly, and he nodded. She blinked back tears, and Steve was almost startled. It was the first time he'd seen her cry.
"Did you know him?" he asked, not knowing what else to say.
"Yeah, for a long time. He and my mom worked together for some things. He had dinner with us sometimes. He taught me hand-to-hand." She wiped her eyes and sniffed. "But how are you? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Steve assured her, and it was true. He was sad about losing Coulson, but he hadn't known him that well. And the bruises from getting shot were already fading, so he decided not to tell her about them.
"You and Tony getting along better?" she inquired. Steve could tell she was trying to distract herself, so he made himself talk to her.
"We seem to be. Darren helps. We fixed the engine, although they did most of the work."
"I heard through the coms," Eleanore tapped her ear. Steve made a mental note to remember that title.
"Did you hear Thor got trapped in the cell by Loki, and then dropped out of the plane?"
"No," Steve
"Hey," Darren said, walking in with Tony beside him. Eleanore stood and hugged him, and he held her close for a moment before choosing the seat next to hers. Tony sat next to Darren, but turned his chair so that his back was to the table.
Fury strode in without his usual energy. He carried a small stack of paper, and came to rest at the head of the table.
He held up one of the pieces of paper, "These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them." He tossed the cards across the table, and blood spattered where they hit. Steve picked one of them up and saw himself saluting a long time ago. Eleanore leaned to look over his shoulder, glanced at him sympathetically, and wrapped her hand around Darren's arm. The young man's face was blank, and he stared straight ahead. Steve recognized the international sign for holding back tears.
"We're dead in the air up here," Fury sighed. "Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I've got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye." He shook his head, "Maybe I had that coming."
Fury looked up at them each in turn. Steve didn't bother to meet his eyes.
"Yes," he continued, "we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract." He began walking around, pausing to rest his hand on the back of an empty chair. "I never put all my chips on that number, though, because I was playing something even riskier."
Steve looked over, the thoughts already clicking in his mind.
"There was an idea," Fury started walking again, moving behind Steve. "Stark knows this." Tony didn't respond. "Called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people and see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could." Eleanore fidgeted next to Steve, and Tony glanced back.
"Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea," Fury directed those words to Tony, who looked away, staring straight ahead. Eleanore moved again, pursing her lips in a thin line. She glanced at Steve, and he raised his eyebrows to ask What? She mouthed Never mind, and looked away.
"In heroes," Fury finished, and Tony Stark stood suddenly from his chair. He left the room without looking back.
"Well," Fury said softly, looking after him. "It's an old-fashioned notion." Steve felt those words, meant for him, as the memory of Coulson's faith in his abilities surfaced. People might just need a little old-fashioned.
Fury left them there, sitting at the table in silence, walking away to direct repairs to the ship.
"Sneaky," Eleanore muttered, and Steve knew what she meant. Fury's words had been directed, and his actions planned.
"Still true though," he whispered, rising from his seat. Just because the speech was meant to evoke emotion didn't make it wrong. Steve didn't like being manipulated, but he knew that, at least for the most part, Fury had spoken the truth. Coulson had believed in him, and everyone else SHIELD had brought in. He'd known most of them personally, and they had counted on him in many ways. To have the faith of a dependable person was one of the highest honors anyone could achieve. It brought out the best in people, made them try. And now that their dependable person was gone, the entire team would want to fulfill his beliefs even more.
"You two should get some rest," Steve suggested, mostly meaning Eleanore. If there was a battle coming, they'd need her to pick up the pieces at the very least.
"So should you," she rebutted, purely stubborn, but she and Darren stood and made their way out of the room. "Call us if anything happens," she demanded, looking back with a small grin.
"I will," Steve promised. He watched the couple and the dragon leave, deciding on his next course of action. Most of the team was still around, just going by numbers, but most of their muscle was also gone. Hulk, if he had been in a better mood, might have helped fight the army that was now fast approaching. Thor knew Loki, and knew how he planned. He was also effective at close range and at a distance, thanks to his lightning.
Steve focused on who he had left. Tony and Darren Stark, Romanov, Jet, and Eleanore. Six people against an army of whatever Chitauri were. He didn't like the odds, but he was damned if he was going to give up without a fight, and he doubted they would either. Better to work together and possibly fail, because they would all die for sure if they worked alone.
"Agent Hill," he called, walking to the edge of the platform. "Can you locate Tony Stark for me?"
"He's down in the Hulk Containment Area." Hill didn't look up from the tablet she was working on.
"Thanks," Steve walked out of the room and took the stairs down several levels until he reached the floor he'd brought Eleanore to earlier. He was glad she'd pointed out the door, because they all looked the same. He easily remembered which one it was, and opened it silently, walking into the dark room that had been emptied of its cell.
Tony Stark was standing at the edge of one of the platforms that had been an observation point for the container. Steve chose to lean against the one nearest the door to give him some space. He thought about what he wanted to ask, trying to sift through his limited knowledge of Stark so he wouldn't set him off.
"Was he married?" was the first question Steve had always been asked whenever he had lost one of his men. It always made him glad he hadn't left behind a wife to worry about receiving a condolence letter. After Bucky died, there was no one left who would need one.
"No," Stark replied, sounding calm. "There was a— ah, cellist. I think." Steve wasn't fooled. Stark remembered everything. He was just trying to distance himself.
"I'm sorry," Steve still reverted to his war experience. "He seemed like a good man."
Stark let out a huff and nodded, "He was an idiot."
"Why?" Steve asked, not offended. This was how some people dealt with grief. One of his men had lost a brother to shelling and had bought a round of drinks the next day, declaring his idiot brother was at least safe from his own stupidity. "For believing?" If he drew enough information out of Stark, he would reveal his true thoughts. Or at least that's how it was supposed to work.
"For taking on Loki alone," Stark corrected him, stepping back form the edge. He looked at Steve with a challenging expression. He wanted to be proven wrong.
"He was doing his job," Steve protested flatly.
"He was out of his league," Tony scoffed. "He should have waited. He should have…" he trailed off, looking at the ground.
Now they were getting somewhere. "Sometimes there isn't a way out," Steve explained, recalling Stark's comment about cutting the wire.
"Right," Stark rasped. "I've heard that before." He walked past Steve, heading for the door.
Steve knew that he didn't have much time to reach Tony, so he went for the root of the problem. "Is this the first time you lost a soldier?"
"We are not soldiers," Stark rounded on him, furious. He caught himself, looking surprised at his emotions. "My son and I aren't marching to Fury's fife."
Steve was impressed with how hard the older man was trying not to pick a fight. "Neither am I," he cautioned. "Fury's got the same blood on his hands that Loki does. But right now we've got to put that behind us and get this done." Stark looked away, but Steve kept talking, seeing a way to plan. "Now, Loki needs a power source. If we can make a list—"
"He made it personal," Stark met his eyes, and Steve noted the blood stain on the wall for the first time.
"That's not the point," he responded gently, trying to keep them on track. This guy was worse than Eleanore at keeping his attention focused.
"That is the point," Tony insisted. "That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"
"To tear us apart," Steve answered the obvious. Didn't we cover this already?
"Yeah, divide and conquer is great, but he knows he has to take us out to win right? That's what he wants." Stark was getting excited, his train of thought running faster than his mouth. "He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it… He wants an audience."
"Right. I caught his act in Stuttgart," Steve agreed. Loki was a showboat, no doubt about it. But an army of aliens was going to attract attention no matter where they struck.
"Yeah. But that's just previews. This is opening night." Stark walked back up the stairs, pacing his energy out. "And Loki, he's a full-tilt diva." Steve didn't get it, but he let Stark keep talking, thinking the man was also describing himself. Maybe they'd figure something out. "He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plaster—" Stark froze, and Steve saw such a building in his mind.
"Son of a bitch," Tony muttered, and began moving. Steve followed him to the door, and they planned on the way down the hall.
"I'll head out first," Stark told him, and for once Steve agreed.
"Just scope it out, try not to get involved."
"Right, and you gather the rest of them and get them on a quinjet," Stark was enthusiastic, clearly happy to have something to do.
"Wait, get Darren to go with you."
"No." Tony said forcefully. "We both know I'm going to mouth off to Loki. I don't want him there to face the consequences."
"You need backup," Steve protested, privately agreeing that the man's son needed a break from his snark, and some protection from the anger he caused. He still wondered how the kid had grown up so quiet. He'd ask Eleanore later.
"Then hurry up and get everyone assembled," Tony retorted, turning down a different hallway. "I have to stop at the tower and pick up a new suit anyway."
"Stay alive 'til we get there." Steve gave up trying to order the man around, deciding to pick his battles.
"I'll write you, Ma," Tony called over his shoulder, and Steve shook his head.
He went back to his room and put his suit on again, picking up his shield with a sigh. He could, he reminded himself, call the team together using the 'coms'. His was in his pocket, and when he put it on, it remained silent. Steve decided to find them and talk to them in person, starting with the ones whose location he knew.
"Eleanore," he knocked on her door quietly, hoping she'd at least been able to drink some water. There might have been time for a short nap, but if so, he was probably waking her up.
"What, Steve?" she stuck her head out of Darren's door, hair disheveled, suit gone. She looked like she'd been sleeping. Or something. Considering the recent sadness, Steve went with sleeping.
"Suit up," he said, walking to the door. Darren was standing right behind her, and Jet sat on the floor near the window. So much for protecting them from real combat for a while, he thought, with a hint of sadness.
"Okay," Eleanore agreed. She looked much better than before, and she held a bottle of water in her hand.
"Did you find Loki?" Darren asked, punching a couple of buttons on his wristwatch again.
"Yeah, we think so. Your dad's going to the tower to stop him."
"That tower. That makes sense," Darren narrowed his eyes. "Any signs of that army?"
"Is there going to be a big battle?" Eleanore asked before Steve got a chance to answer.
"I think so," Steve watched their eyes, expecting apprehension at least. Instead, he saw calculation from her, and resignation from Darren.
"We should meet somewhere. I'm going to pick up a medic bag before I join you," Eleanore patted her hair and shrugged. "And I'm going to eat a protein bar."
"And I have to get my suit," Darren added. "Even if it's banged up, I can still get another one at the tower. I'll fly beside whatever plane you take."
"Good. Meet in the hangar, but don't look too interested in the planes," Steve decided. "And do you know where Romanov is?"
"Probably in medical with Barton. Up a level on the front right side of the carrier." Elle pulled a couple of bars from her small cupboard and handed one to Steve, and one to Darren.
"OK, see you at the hangar in ten," Steve started jogging down the hall back to the stairs, putting the bar in one of his pockets. He took the steps three at a time and walked quickly into the medical bay, noting Romanov's location by the red light outside the door. The rest were green and yellow. He walked up to the entrance and it opened automatically.
"Time to go," he said as Romanov turned and met his eyes.
"Go where?" she asked, impassive.
"I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets?"
"I can," Barton opened to bathroom door, drying his hands. He looked shaken, but sturdy. Steve had never met the man before, and he didn't know if he was ready for active duty so soon after Loki's mind control.
Steve looked at Romanov for answers, and she gave him a small nod. Good enough.
"You got a suit?" Barton nodded. "Then suit up."
A/N: Things are heating up! I'm loving writing from the movie, but I can't wait to get past it and onto the next story line in my mind. Spoiler alert: things are very different from movieverse cannon.
KnowInsight: Thank you, I'm glad you liked that scene. I wanted to add a little depth and understanding coming from Steve, because in this movie Loki is more of a crazy bad guy, at least from his perspective. I agree that Loki got stiffed on Asgard, and I'm still trying to figure out if Odin was altogether an awful parent, or if he just had a bad day. Let me know what you think about that, if you'd like.
Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing!
~PettyWhiteRose