A/N: Oh my gosh, we're finally here! :D Sorry I'm late posting today, it's been a weird week, but we've finally made it to this auspicious moment. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Nineteen
When Mr. Stark's animal rescue team arrived, Klara put herself to work with the everyone else, gathering the enhanced primates together for transport. It turned out to not be much of a challenge once Mr. Stark managed to decrypt the data he had salvaged from the complex computers. The agents experimenting on the poor creatures had trained them to come when summoned by a certain ear-piercing sound that could be played over the speaker system. Once that was discovered, it was a relatively simple matter to gather the creatures together and deactivate the laser-equipped portions of their anatomy (limbs and tails).
That wasn't the only useful information recovered from the Treehouse mission. The computers were full of intelligence concerning the movements and whereabouts of certain factions within Hydra, including plans to move the stages of tech-enhancement from primates to human test subjects. This had apparently already been tested in an isolated case many years earlier: a project coded with the moniker "Deathlok", which in turn had been built on the bones of another, even earlier, project titled merely "Soldat". But the monkeys had been the first stage in a plan to mass produce the augmentation, using advanced Chitauri technology.
Klara didn't understand most of the details, but she was able to grasp enough to be as horrified by the prospect as everyone else.
"It isn't a painless process," Captain Rogers confided in her one evening, under the dim lights of the gymnasium, "I mean, what I went through, the Super-Soldier program, it was highly regulated, meant to produce the best results with the least amount of trauma. And let me tell you, it hurt. It hurt like hell. I just..." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I know its Hydra. But I can't imagine what...those people must have gone through."
It took a few days more for Tony Stark to decrypt all the data, another few days to organize it, and it still didn't make a great deal of sense when it was done. There was a bit of outdated information regarding the fall of SHIELD which Captain Rogers took to investigate on his own, and a few small bases to be dispatched, only one of which required an assembling of the entire team. Nothing on the current location of the Chitauri scepter, though the research being done at the Treehouse clearly referenced the scepter on several occasions as a source material.
"How is it possible that such a powerful relic could remain hidden for so long?" Lord Thor grumbled in undertones to Klara after the completion of their mission in Sudan, "I had thought it would have revealed itself before now."
"I imagine anything with your brother's mark upon it would be wily," Klara said, allowing a small smile to touch her lips, "Have patience, my lord. We will find it."
Despite her own advice, Klara found that she herself was becoming more and more anxious as evidence of the scepter continued to stack up, with no sign of the actual item in question. Perhaps it was no longer on Midgard? But that did not seem likely. Midgardians were still relatively sheltered from the wider universe; travel between realms was nearly unheard of. Unless someone had come to claim it...whoever had given the scepter to Loki in the first place...
Monsters in the shadows...feeding on the dark void...on the screams of the lost...
"Hey."
Klara jerked and nearly dropped her mug of tea on the balcony floor. Clint Barton had his head through the door and was scowling at her as if this were the last place in the universe he wished to be.
"Maria's got new intel."
And just like that, he was gone again. Klara hurried in after him, but he had already gotten into an elevator, the doors sliding shut behind him. Klara poured her tea down the drain and rinsed her mug before she got in her own elevator and punched the call button.
"Yes, Mistress Klara, how can I be of help?" intoned the ever-polite voice of Tony's assistant AI.
"JARVIS, where are the other members of our team located currently?"
"Conference Room B on Level 48," he responded, "Would you like me to inform them of your imminent arrival?"
"Yes, please," Klara said, clasping her hands behind her.
When she stepped into the conference room the rest of the team were already seated and they all turned toward her arrival.
"Forgive my lateness," she said, dipping a small curtsy, "I was taking some air on the balcony, I must have missed the call."
"It's okay," Captain Rogers assured her, rising and pulling out the chair next to his, "We're just getting started."
Klara returned his smile tentatively and took the offered seat, folding her hands in her lap and pointedly not looking at Clint Barton, seated backward in a chair in the opposite corner.
"My sources have uncovered some interesting information concerning Hydra movement of classified SHIELD items," Miss Hill said, flicking at the tablet in her hand to project a readout onto the screen at the front of the room.
"Do these sources have anything to do with that base in the Arctic that mysteriously exploded a few days ago?" Mr. Stark asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know anything about that," Miss Hill said, without missing a beat, "But my source is completely reliable, I can assure you."
Mr. Stark smirked but chose not to comment any further. Miss Hill highlighted a line on the screen and expanded the item, labeled "Das Werkzeug des Unfuges".
The Tool of Mischief.
Klara stiffened, and she sensed Captain Rogers' gaze flit to her. She clutched her hands in her lap and forced herself to stillness.
"We believe this to be the current location of Loki's scepter," Miss Hill said, pulling up a topographical map, "It's an abandoned fortress on the outskirts of Novi Grad in Sokovia. Wolfgang Von Strucker had a research facility constructed underneath it while he was still working under SHIELD, off-record so we had no intel on it until now."
"Until your 'source' blew up the Arctic?" Stark said, making quotation gestures with his fingers.
Miss Hill gave him a blank look but did not deign to answer, directing her next statement to Captain Rogers instead.
"If we strike now, before Strucker gets word that we have this information, we may be able to take him by surprise," she said, "If he knows we're coming, it's possible he could just disappear."
"Taking the scepter with him."
Captain Rogers set aside his tablet and looked around the room. Klara might have imagined it, but his eyes seemed to linger on her for a second or two longer. She dropped her gaze to her hands.
"Okay," he said, "Everybody suit up. We'll meet in the hangar half an hour from now."
The team scattered, and Klara made to follow Lord Thor down to their rooms, but she was stopped by the sound of her name.
"Klara." Captain Rogers approached her and, when he continued on his way, Klara fell into step beside him. "You okay? You went a little pale."
She clasped her hands behind her and let her shoulders settle firmly, eyes fixed forward.
"Yes, Captain. I am prepared to fulfill my duties to the best of my abilities."
"That's...not really what I meant."
She gave him a questioning look, but he just shook his head and gestured toward the open elevator door. She stepped inside and he followed, pressing the buttons for both his floor and hers.
"Never mind. Listen, conditions are gonna be kind of chilly, so be sure to dress warm. I don't think we'll need Code Green if we take Strucker by surprise, but just in case I don't want you getting frostbite from a lullaby."
"Yes, sir," she responded, and he glanced down at her, frowning.
"You sure you're okay?"
Klara looked into his eyes and reassurances died on her lips. He was so...sincere. She could not, in good conscience, do any less than reciprocate.
"It is a piece of him," she admitted, "A remnant of his past that I have never understood. It makes me feel..."
She trailed off and realized with a start that she was touching the pendant that hung at her collarbone. She dropped her hand and saw that Captain Rogers had followed the motion with his eyes. She straightened.
"...like he is present somehow. But I assure you, Captain Rogers, I am prepared to complete any task that is necessary to keep such a thing out of hands that would abuse its power."
To her surprise, the captain smiled at her.
"I know, Klara," he said, as the chime sounded and the elevator door opened on his floor, "You don't have to convince me. I know."
She was so shocked by this response that she could not form words to reply. His smile only widened and he reached out to squeeze her shoulder before he exited, calling out as the doors shut.
"Remember, dress warm."
And then Klara was alone, blinking at her own bewildered reflection in the shiny metal, unsure what the tightness in her chest might mean.
Alice didn't mind being the getaway driver. Really. But she had to admit, sometimes it was a little difficult to just sit and wait, with exclamations and commands streaming in her ear completely out of context.
"Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it. At long last."
An explosion. Static.
"At long last is lasting a little long, boys."
"Yeah. I think we lost the element of surprise."
"Wait a second. No one else is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said 'language'?"
"I know." Cap's regretful tone made Alice smile. "It just slipped out."
There were a few crashes, more static. Alice thought she heard a roar in the background that made her heart leap, and then JARVIS cut in on the comm.
"Sir, the city is taking fire."
"Well, we know Strucker's not going to worry about civilian casualties," Tony said. Alice sat up and put her hands on the jet controls.
"Want me to cut 'em off?"
"Stay in the nest, Baby Bird, we got this." Alice rolled her eyes and slumped back in her seat again. "JARVIS send in the Iron Legion."
"Iron Legion?" Klara asked.
Alice turned her seat around, realizing there was no point in sitting at attention like they were going to actually need her.
"Something Tony's been working on, kind of a peace-keeping force. Automated suits that JARVIS can use to corral the public when we're out fighting the bad guys."
"Oh," Klara said, her head tilted curiously, "Do the people obey them?"
"I guess we're about to find out."
There was a loud zap and a cry of pain in the comm that cut her off.
"Clint!" That was Nat's voice.
"Son of a bitch." Alice was up out of her seat, pushing past Klara to the back of the quinjet for her medkit. "Nat, talk to me."
"We have enhanced in the field." That was Steve's voice, not Nat's, which was entirely unhelpful.
"Enhanced?" Klara asked, turning toward the back ramp of the quinjet as if she might see what he meant, "Like the monkeys?"
"God, I hope not," Alice muttered, opening her medkit and trying to get control of the comm again, "Nat, you gotta give me something!"
"Clint's hit!" she said, then said something sharp under her breath in Russian, "Somebody wanna deal with that bunker?"
There was a roar and a crash in the background.
"Thank you."
"Hit where? How bad?" Alice asked, pulling out the stretcher from beneath the flight seat compartment. Clint wasn't talking, which meant it was probably bad. She tried not to think about how bad.
"Side wound, laser burns, looks like it might have gotten all the way down to the muscle."
Alice swore again under her breath and got out one the IV bags and a syringe of painkiller, antibiotics, stitching kit. The comm was still full of chatter, but she caught Thor's voice out of the rest.
"I can get Barton to the jet. The sooner we're gone the better. You and Stark secure the scepter."
"I'll be set up by the time you get here," Alice said into the comm, just so they knew she wasn't sitting around like a lump.
"Copy that," Steve acknowledged.
There was a bit of static and a loud boom that reverberated through the jet.
"Find the scepter," Thor said again.
"And for gosh sakes, watch your language!"
Steve sighed into the comm. "That's not going away anytime soon."
"Klara, get the ramp, would you?" Alice said, as she lifted the stretcher to waist height and set up the IV bag on its stand.
The back ramp came down just as a burst of wind and a flurry of snow announced the arrival of Thor, carrying Clint in his arms. The archer was conscious, but clearly in pain, clutching at his bleeding side.
"In here!" Alice directed, and Thor set Clint on the stretcher, "Help me get this off."
Clint cried out as they peeled away his coat and undershirt. The wound was deep and bleeding freely despite the puckered edges of burned skin. No luck with cauterization then. Damn. Clint moaned and writhed on the cot, and Alice picked up a syringe, uncapping it with her teeth.
"Sorry, Bird-Boy," she muttered to him and, without any further warning, stuck him right in the side with it. He cried out and then relaxed a little, taking gulps of air and finally opening his eyes wide.
"Damn, this sucks," he gasped.
"I'll have you patched up in a jiff," Alice said with a smile. She felt a lot better knowing that Clint could still quip, even a little bit. "Let's get this IV in you so you'll stop squirming."
Klara watched with fascination as Alice worked to treat Clint Barton's wound. She knew Alice and the archer were close friends, yet never once did the girl show even an ounce of panic, instead working with the quick efficiency of someone with years of experience that she did not yet possess. She had just inserted a needle into his arm and started a drip of liquid when the voice of Natasha Romanov came clear over the earpiece.
"We're locked down out here."
"Alright, time for a lullaby," Captain Rogers answered, "Klara, you copy?"
"I'm here," she acknowledged, picking up her thick white coat from the flight seat and wrapping it around her against the wind and snow, "On my way out."
Before she gained the ramp a hand took her arm, and she looked back into the concerned eyes of Lord Thor.
"Be careful, Klara."
She ducked her head respectfully to him and (though he still seemed reluctant) he released her. She pulled up her hood, tucked her chin into her collar, and made her way out into the snow.
The trees were barren columns, creating a maze of dark and light that Klara wove through with as much stealth as she could muster. She knew it was possible there might still be rogue forces hiding in the trees, but she also trusted that if Natasha Romanov said it was clear, then she had done her best to guarantee the truth of that assessment. There was a crash and a familiar roar, and Klara turned to follow it, slipping slightly on the wet snow as she crested a ridge and finally found him.
"Hello, my friend."
He turned toward her voice and snorted, brandishing some crumpled bit of metal in his hand. Klara pushed back her hood and crouched down, pressing her hand to the cold earth. She discovered that she was actually at a level with his eyes for the first time. She took a moment to observe the dark depths before she continued.
"You've done very well," she said, her voice falling easily into the soothing tone that he seemed to like best, "You have defended our friends and this world with courage and strength."
She reached out her hand to him and he snorted, shaking his head and taking a step away. Klara smiled and kept her hand extended.
"For never-resting time leads summer on
To hideous winter, and confounds him there;"
He turned back to her. He looked her right in the eye and held her gaze for several long seconds. It was still awe-inspiring to be in his presence, to know the power he possessed and to defy the fear that power instilled.
"Sap checked with frost, and lusty leaves quite gone,
Beauty o'er-snowed and bareness every where:"
He snorted once more, but this time he took a step toward her and reached out his hand to hers. Their skin touched and Klara felt the magic ripple away.
"Then were not summer's distillation left," she murmured as she traced the lines of his hand, up and around his arm, never breaking contact with his eyes, now wide and trusting, "A liquid prisoner pent in walls of glass."
He moaned and jerked, breaking contact, but it was already done. He stumbled back, shrinking and groaning until he fell writhing into the snow. Klara quickly stood and made her way down to him, pulling an old, worn sweater out of an inner pocket of her coat. She knelt at his side and smiled down at his small, shivering form.
"Welcome back, Dr. Banner."
He smiled grimly and took the sweater she offered, putting it on without a word. Klara helped him to his feet and together they trudged back through the snow toward the quinjet.
The rest of the team had already arrived, and Tony Stark had them in the air two minutes later, headed back to the Tower. Clint Barton was stable but unconscious, and Alice spent the majority of her time fussing over either the archer or Dr. Banner.
"Hey Banner, Dr. Cho's on her way in from Seoul, is it okay if she sets up in your lab?" Stark asked, turning in the pilot's chair.
"Helen's coming?" Alice asked, looking up from the bandage on Clint Barton's side, "We haven't seen her in over a year!"
"Yep, she's bringing you some new toys to play with," Stark said, "Simulcrum tech, we're gonna fix Barton up right."
"Cool," Alice mused, adjusting the drip on the bag of liquid nearby.
"Tell her she's welcome to the lab, I'm sure she remembers her way around," Dr. Banner said, sounding slightly groggy, but coherent.
Stark turned back to the quinjet controls to relay the information. Klara got up and made her way around the stretcher, watching as Alice minutely adjusted Clint Barton's bandaging for the tenth time.
"He'll be alright," Klara said, in what she hoped was a comforting tone, "You did a fine job."
Alice nodded, acted as if she might adjust the bandage again, but then thought better of it and dropped her hands.
"Yeah," she said, "It was just...bad, you know?"
Klara smiled and touched the girl's shoulder. Alice smiled, but it was tense and Klara left her to her work, instead turning her attention to the only other real point of interest, the thing she had been actively trying to avoid since returning to the jet.
The scepter looked both beautiful and dangerous, gold glimmering in the cold light of the gem.
When I close my eyes I see the stars...beautiful in the same way a newly forged dagger is beautiful...
She approached on soft feet, but Lord Thor turned as if he had heard her approach and offered a hand to her, drawing her closer. Klara accepted the arm around her shoulders. She felt very much in need of comfort.
"Feels good, yeah?" Tony Stark said, approaching them and leaning casually against the table containing this precious piece of one she'd lost, "I mean, we've been after this thing since SHIELD collapsed. Not that I haven't enjoyed our little raiding parties, but-"
"No, but this..." Thor hesitated and tightened his grip around Klara, "This brings it to a close."
"As soon as we find out what else this has been used for," Captain Rogers amended, gazing with a furrowed brow at the scepter, "I don't just mean weapons. Since when is Strucker capable of human enhancement?"
"What is that exactly?" Klara asked, looking curiously at the three men in turn, "In the field, you said 'enhanced'. What does that mean?"
"It's like Stars and Stripes over here," Stark said, slapping Captain Rogers on the shoulder, which earned him an eye roll, "They used something to enhance their genetic material, gives 'em a little extra boost. It's the same way they were able to work around the compatibility issues with the monkeys and their tech enhancements. Don't worry, Banner and I will give it the once over before you all troop back to Asgard."
Klara stiffened and her breath caught in her chest. Back to Asgard... He'd said... She hadn't thought...
"I mean if that's cool with you?" Stark asked Lord Thor, completely unaware of the twisting havoc he had unleashed, "Just a few days until the farewell party. You're staying, right?"
"Yes, of course." She felt Lord Thor's eyes flit to her, and she worked hard to relax her shoulders. "A victory should be honored with revels."
"Yeah, who doesn't love revels?" Stark agreed, grinning, "Captain?"
Captain Rogers blinked and Klara realized that he had been watching her too. Had her distress been so obvious? He had read her so easily earlier when Loki had been on her mind...
"Well," he said, directing his attention back to Stark, "Hopefully this puts an end to the Chitauri and HYDRA, so...yes, revels."
His eyes flitted to her again, and Klara dropped her gaze. There would be a few days then. A few days left before... She glanced around the quinjet, saw Alice curled up in the seat beside Dr. Banner, her head on his shoulder as he slept. Natasha Romanov, standing at Clint Barton's unconscious side trying not to look concerned. And Klara felt a great, gaping emptiness at the thought of leaving them all behind.