Disclaimer: I do now own any of the Marvel characters. The Avengers was written by Joss Whedon, movie transcript taken from the website Scribd. If you know it, I do now own it. "Star Trekkn'" written by John O'Connor, Grahame Lister, and Rory Kehoe
Battle Born
The lunatic is in my head / You raise the blade / You make the change / You rearrange me
-Pink Floyd, "Brain Damage"
"Where did they go?" the boss asked curiously, turning to look at Clint as he rushed forward to grab the metal case with the Tesseract that had slid away from the Fury and the other guy.
"I dunno. Data doesn't know much about this place, other than what he saw in the movie," the girl explained, lowering the gun. She grinned. "Lo is really like Data— curious and harmless. You're really like Lore— insane."
"What is wrong with you?" Loki inquired again, stepping closer to the girl. "Your eyes are blue, but not the same as the others."
"We need to move," Barton announced, returning to Loki.
"Yes, yes," Loki said, sounding disinterested.
Loki's knees suddenly buckled. Clint lurched forward and caught his boss with his free arm. The girl moved to the other side and helped.
"You need to eat," she chided Loki. "Let's blow this joint."
"Were you this annoying always?" Loki ground out, struggling to stand on his own.
"Move out!" Clint shouted.
The various scientists and guards Loki had shown the way to followed.
"I don't think I'm annoying. I'm not sure though," she admitted. She gave a wide smile to Loki and said, "It's life, Jim. But not as we know it."
"You are odd," Loki stated, grabbing Clint's arm in a death grip. For a frail looking man, he was sure strong. Must be the god aspect.
Wait, where had that idea come from? Had Loki told them he was a god?
"And there's Klingons on the starboard bow. Scrape 'em off."
And she shot a few more rounds at some random agents with the gun in her right hand.
"Gather weapons as we go," Loki ordered the personnel behind as the girl and Clint attempted to frog march Loki down the corridor. "You, we need vehicles."
"I know. On our way, boss," Clint said, all but dragging the man down the hallway.
"We come in peace!" Jess shouted, shooting more SHEILD personnel. "Shoot to kill, shoot to kill."
Clint noticed she wasn't shooting to kill, just injure.
"I will kill you if you continue to annoy me," Loki hissed through clenched teeth.
"Of course you will," the girl agreed, but did not seem very bothered. She continued to move people out of their way with the gun till she ran out of bullets shortly before they reached the exit tunnel. She tossed the gun over her shoulder, managing to hit a SHEILD agent on the head, knocking him out.
The group arrived in the exit tunnel to find a few trucks were available to take. The only SHEILD agent present was Maria Hill. The girl let go of Loki as they neared the trucks and slipped off. Since Loki wasn't bothered, neither was Clint. He kept an eye on Hill, who was eyeing Clint and his boss. She looked mildly confused as Clint loaded Loki into the back of the truck.
Granted, she was against everything Clint believed in now, so it made sense she wouldn't simply glance and let him go on his merry way.
"Who's that?" she demanded, pointing at Loki with her walkie-talkie. "What are you doing? Who is she?"
"You don't need to know," the girl said, randomly popping up like a prairie dog next to Hill.
"She didn't tell me," Clint said, eyeing the girl and closing the back of the truck once he was sure Loki was comfortable. He turned to the girl, who was eyeing the truck. She pulled out a gun from somewhere and flicked the safety off. "What are you…"
"Boldly going forward," was all the girl said, suddenly grinning in a sinister manner.
Hill opened her mouth, but slammed it shut when Fury's voice issued out of her walkie. Clint sent the girl a look and she grinned larger. She honestly looked deranged.
"Hill, do you copy!" Fury shouted.
"I think I do like you," Loki said quietly from over Clint's shoulder. Clint glanced behind him to find Loki leaning froward, hands resting on his spear and watching the girl with what appeared to be fondness. "Continue. You. Let's go."
"Copy," Clint turned around and headed for the driver's side door as he heard gunfire and tires deflating.
"Barton is…" comes out a crackling voice.
"Allons-y!" the girl shouted loudly and Clint heard her jump into the back of the truck as he swung the door open.
Hill whirled around but failed to draw her side arm.
It was missing.
Clint finished getting into the truck while Hill scrambled to try to stop him and the others from leaving.
She failed of course.
Clint started the truck up, noting Selvig was communing with the Tesseract and both Loki and the girl were in defensive positions in the back. As he drove off, the girl shot out a few more tires— thus preventing anyone from getting out the way they were exiting.
You keep your wishes / I'll keep my feelings / There goes another one that kept me breathing
-Limp Bizkit, "Hold On"
"He's got the Tesseract! Track it down!" Fury shouted, getting to his feet. He was speaking into something that was not a cell phone, but a bit more primitive.
"I can't! They shot the ties out on the trucks!" crackled a female voice out of the tiny speaker.
"Is everyone out?" Fury demanded.
"Pretty much."
"Get out! Get out of there, now! Helicopter on the roof, Hill!"
"Copy that."
Fury paced back and forth, letting out a noise of frustration. He tighten his grip on the black two-way radio in his hand. Loki, meanwhile, slowly got to his feet and wondered what his next move ought to be. He brushed the dirt and dust off his dark jeans.
Reindeer Games— the insane version of himself— had Jess. It was likely Jess who'd shot the tires out, knowing full well Hill got into a truck and followed.
"Okay, you," Fury said, shoving a gun in Loki's face. Loki steeled himself and managed not to flinch or stumble backwards. "You're gonna tell me what the fuck is going on."
Loki held up his hands. He stared down the barrel.
"I am Loki Laufey-Odinson. About eight months ago, I fell from the Bifrost after Thor destroyed it in order to prevent the destruction of another planet. I fell into the abyss and through a crack, a hole, a tear in space and time. I came out in an alternative reality, one where I did not belong. There was still a crack open, so I used…my own magic and some Earth technology to open a door back here. I…well, I used the fact I belong here, in this reality, to draw me back through the power of the Tesseract. HOWEVER, I do not know where Rein— Loki of Asgard came from! There should be only one of me, but there seems to be two."
Fury glared at him as the ground suddenly violently jolted, causing both of them to fall to the ground. In the distance gunshots sounded. Explosions accompanied the gunshots. Loki looked up and noticed a truck barreling at them. Grabbing Fury, he rolled them out of the way just in time not to be flattened. Loki picked his head up to see Reindeer Games staring at him, an evil looking smile on his face as Jess pointed a gun and shot.
Multiple times.
Loki threw up his hand, creating a shield and blocking the bullets.
"Director? Director Fury, do you copy?" came a voice out of a contraption still in Fury's hand.
The truck vanished into the desert. Loki let the shield fall, panting a little. He rolled away from Furry and lay flat on his back on the ground. He stared blankly into the night sky, stars twinkling in the clear night sky.
"The Tesseract is with the hostile force," Fury stated. He got to his feet then held out his free hand to Loki. "Hill, do you copy?"
Loki took the man's hand and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet. He straightened out his shirt, flattened the collar of his leather jacket and dusted off his jeans again.
He felt like a truck had hit him, even though it had not.
"A lot of men still under. Don't know how many survivors," came Hill's voice along with the noise of something else.
"Sound the general call. I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that briefcase."
"Roger that."
"Coulson, get back to base. This is a LEVEL SEVEN," Fury ordered. "As of right now, we're at war."
Fury stared at Loki with his one eye. Loki felt the weight of the gaze and met it steadily.
"What do we do?" Coulson asked.
Fury continued to eye Loki. He lowered the black box object and asked, "Well, what do we do?"
Loki jerked a little, allowing his confusion to show on his face.
"I'm not an idiot," Fury said. "I know you know something. You were not surprised about your local when you appeared. You were surprised to see…Asgard, and yet you knew what he was going to do before he did it. Did you read his mind?"
"No, I cannot read minds," Loki replied. "It was in the other reality. They had…these movies?"
Fury nodded, but looked skeptical on Loki's sanity.
"They made movies about…my brother's fall to Midgard. Thor?" Fury nodded again. "Well, there are other movies that relate to…the Avengers?"
Fury appeared to be gobsmacked for a split second before returning to his unbelieving expression.
"What are you saying, kid?"
Loki scowled at being called a kid. He was older than Fury.
"The movies were true— well, the one about my brother's fall to Midgard was true," Loki said. "I do not know about the other movies, but if Thor was truth, it is likely in the reality I'm from— this one— the events of the other movies in the Avenger universe are also true. And the future ones…"
"What were the other movies about?"
"Captain America, the Hulk, and Iron Man," Loki said. Fury's face showed he knew who each of those people were. Loki pressed on, "Knowing from the movies where the Tesseract happened to be, I connected to it and used it to pull us here knowing we'd end up in your custody."
"And you thought we'd just let you go?"
Loki leveled the darker man a look. Fury read it correctly. He turned away from Loki and paced back and forth a moment.
"Do we win?"
"Of course. You are the heros. No one makes a movie where the villain wins," Loki pointed out. "Jessica was not in any of the movies, so her addition will vastly alter what the other Loki does from here on out. She knows all I know, if not more. She knows the flaws in the plan of his inside and out. I do not know if all her theories about him during this stage of his life are correct, but her thoughts and theories on Thor were very close to home."
"So, the girl understands the homicidal maniac?"
"To a point," Loki allowed.
"So, we do not have the clear advantage," Fury sighed, turning around and staring at the sky.
"There is something wrong with her," Loki offered. "The mind control Reindeer Games did—"
"Reindeer Games?" Fury interrupted.
"You will come to understand the name," Loki offered before continuing, "The mind did not work correctly on Jessica. She is not a mindless drone as the others seem to be. She is much too cheery."
"I noticed," Fury commented. "But, she is controlled."
"Correct. I have no doubt she will do everything RG asks."
"Only with a smile and something cracky to say," Fury noted wirily.
"Her eyes are different from the others. They match RG's eyes. Everyone else has cloudy blue eyes," Loki said, raising his fingers to his lips. He tapped his lips for a moment before continuing. "They both have clear blue eyes, but neither has natural blue eyes."
Fury turned, eyeing Loki in confusion. "What are you saying? The homicidal maniac controlling my men is being controlled by another psycho?"
"That was Jessica's theory. If it is correct— that I do not know," Loki admitted. "I do know their eyes should be the same color as mine."
Fury stuck his face into Loki's, clearly studying the color of his eyes. Fury grunted and backed away.
"Should we not move to this base you instructed Coulson to go to?"
Fury regarded Loki for a moment before asking, "How did you get us out of there?"
"Teleportation. I am able to perform magic, as is RG…though, his magic is tainted by the specter he carries and whatever is poisoning his mind," Loki explained.
Fury scowled. "Just what we need."
"Do not fret. His— our brother will come. I am sure you know him," Loki said. "Also, to break the hold on the mind, all one needs is a good whack on the head. I am sure RG will get hit his head at some point, as will the rest of your men."
Fury started walking towards the base— that was mostly a hole in the ground. Loki followed at a distance.
"So, all I need to do is give everyone baseball bats and let them smack anyone with cloudy blue eyes. Great," Fury muttered.
"Correct."
Fury growled, then raised the two-way radio. "Coulson, get the Avengers together. Call Romanov, find Stark. I'll talk to Rogers. I think I know who to send to get Banner."
"Roger that."
Fury lowered the radio.
"I take it I am to get Doctor Banner," Loki said quietly from behind.
"If you are who you claim, I think you're the best man for the job," Fury threw over his shoulder. "Best send the god after the green rage monster."
Loki winced at the use of monster.
"I see," Loki quietly said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Sweet bitter words unlike nothing I have heard / Sing along, mockingbird / You don't affect me / That's right, deliver to my heart
-Korn, "Coming Undone"
Clint pulled into a gas station. He dropped down to the ground and rounded to the tank. Peaking into the trunk, he found Loki was fast asleep. He blinked in surprise at the sight Loki made asleep. He looked younger somehow, but still troubled by something.
"We gonna be here for a few?"
Clint jerked, forgetting the girl had been back there with the boss. She looked…perky.
"I think. We should grab supplies. I don't know where we're going," Clint said.
For some reason, this did not bother him. It should bother him. He'd just basically left the only solid "home" he'd had in a long time, turned his back on people he used to trust, and now had no idea where he was going. Or who he was going with— other than Selvig and Clint had decided earlier that day Selvig was mentally unbalanced to the point Clint ran out of words to describe his kind of crazy.
None of it bothered Clint (other than the lack of words for crazy). Clint didn't need to know where he was going or who he was going with. He just had to go where Loki wanted. Loki had the answers, the will, the way.
"Sure," the girl agreed, jerking Clint back into the present. She landed with a stumble, taking three awkward overly large steps. She laughed as she righted herself with some sort of alien grace. She turned and noticed Clint and bowed. "And that, sir, is why I failed at ballet. And gymnastics."
"Where'd you learn to shoot?"
"The range," she replied breezily. "Uncle's back forty. My dad was in the Army and my brother was in the Air Force. Not that they carry guns. The Air Force. It'd be kind of dumb if the Army lacked guns."
She laughed.
"So, you're not a trained soldier?" Clint asked, feeling mildly confused by her behavior earlier. She had moved as if she'd been trained for battle. And had some form of grace, where he was sure she had completely lacked it before.
"Nope," she said making the word pop out our her mouth. "So, any thoughts on what y'all want?"
"Food," Clint said, studying Loki. He could go on TV as one of those starving kids. "I got a credit card. I doubt they've had time to freeze my accounts."
"True. We left a super tiny mess for them to deal before they make your ass broke," she reminded Clint, looking untroubled. "I doubt my card works here, thought I do have cash. Does your cash look like this?"
She dug around in the purple bag slung across her body. She dug pretty deep in the bag for its size. Clint watched in wonder as she pulled a few things out that shouldn't have fit in the bag till she yanked out a huge baggie filled with cash. She brandished it at him till he nodded, agreeing that was what cash looked like.
The girl was getting odder and odder. Something told Clint he ought to be weary of someone who had over ten thousand dollars in a plastic bag.
"Where are you from? You from Asgard like Loki?" Clint asked, eyeing the bag as she took out a handful of bills.
"No. Alternate reality where your name is Jeremy Renner," she said, putting the larger bag back into the purse. "And you're an actor, not an archer-slash-assassin. Or whatever you are. I was never clear on the concept. Well, if he's like Lo, er, I mean Data— I gotta keep them straight in my head. Lo will be Data, Loki will be Lore. Anyways, if he's like Data, he'll like all things sweet. I'll get him a doughnut. Wanna coffee?"
"Sure. I'll take a doughnut too," Clint said, his stomach rumbling. "Might as well get some for everyone. Gotta feed the minions."
"I'm a minion!" the girl happily cried, clapping. "Oh, the joy! I love minions."
She scampered across the blacktop towards the twenty-four hour convenance store. Clint continued to eye the numbers roll on the gas pump while watching the others fill their trucks. He only turned when he heard someone groan behind him. Loki was awake and rubbing his head causing his long, black hair to become messy. He blinked a few times, looking alarmed.
"Hey, Boss," Clint greeted.
Loki slowly looked to Clint. "Where are we?"
"No clue. We needed gas and food. Cheery is getting doughnuts and coffee. We figured you needed to eat."
"I am fine."
"People who say they are fine never are," Cheery said, appearing at the back of the truck with two huge pink boxes. "They just came out with the fresh morning batch."
"Yum," Clint said, feeling his mouth water.
She nodded at the door to the truck bed and Clint opened it for her. She set the boxes down on the door and threw the top off. She held one out to Loki.
"Why do you believe I want that?" he spit out.
"Cause you're hungry?" she inquired, appearing honestly confused.
Clint wanted to tell the guy he needed a hundred doughnuts, but kept his silence.
"You will like it."
"Will not."
"God, you're stubborn."
"I am a god," Loki roared.
Clint took a step backwards.
"Yeah, you're a god and I'm not. I got ninety-nine problems but hunger ain't one," the girl joked, laughing at herself.
She popped a bit of doughnut into her mouth. Clint noted that even though he tried really hard not to pay attention, Loki was eyeing the doughnut. He glared icily and opened his mouth to snap at the girl, but she shoved the rest of the doughnut into his mouth.
"Now, you've got ninety-nine problems, but hunger ain't one."
She gave him a cheeky grin, vaulted out of the truckbed before Loki could react and vanished from sight.
"How did she do that?" Clint wondered out loud.
"Kill her."
"Okay."
Clint pulled the gun out of the holster he was wearing and headed in the direction she'd gone without question. He'd rather kill her with his bow, but he seemed to have left it behind.
Oops.
"Wait."
Clint stopped, turning around. Loki was holding a doughnut in front of his face, studying it as if were the answer to life itself.
"You don't know who the doppelganger was, do you?"
"Sorry, boss. Can't say I really do," Clint admitted. "He arrived with her just before you did. She told me they were from an alternative reality."
Loki sat up straighter. "Curious. Leave her."
Loki tore off a bit of doughnut and stuck it in his mouth. He appeared to be trying really hard not to enjoy the doughnut.
"Uh, boss?"
Loki cut him a look that clearly told him to state his purpose quickly.
"Where are we going?"
Loki honestly looked surprised at this question. He stared at Clint for a long time before frowning deeply.
"Somewhere we can work," Loki snapped. "Leave me."
"Yes, sir," Clint instantly said, putting his gun away. He quickly got into the truck and started it back up.
"Hi!" the girl greeted.
"How'd you…"
"You'll wanna take a left," she said. "Going left is always the best."
Not having any better option, Clint turned left out of the gas station.
Ran to ground for awhile there / But, I came off pretty well / You, the only sense the world has ever made
-Elbow, "Switching Off"