An evil wait for an evil cliffanger. I am so sorry guys.
As a sign of appreciation to you wonderful readers - and also perhaps as an apology X3 - you're getting not one, but two chapters right now! Yay! Chapter 12 is already written and loaded and will be posted directly after this one. :3
Anyhoo, enjoy!
Tony couldn't believe his luck. He was already about to drop dead from exhaustion, had almost dropped dead anyway because of a hairy man-beast, and had been saved by his arch nemesis, all within the span of ten minutes. That would have been more than enough for one day. But now, to top it all off, the freaking Dark Lord himself decided to show up. Could the day get any better?
But maybe fate was feeling bad for the Avengers, for the arrival of Moldy actually helped – for the first few seconds, anyway. The blonde family all cringed at the sight of their supposed master; their lapse in concentration was more than enough for the Avengers and co. to overpower them. And Bellatrix seemed overwhelmed by his very presence – in the two seconds where she stared with demented longing at the creepy black-cloaked figure, Steve ripped the wand from her hand and pressed his gun against her throat. He tossed the wand to Ron, who caught it and held it out and ready alongside his own. The rest of the Avengers, including Tony, formed a rough circle around the bald, death-pale man.
And then things got dicey.
This villain was efficient – he wasted no time with typical supervillain monologues. Before Tony could even raise his gauntlets, two green lasers shot from his wand. A copious amount of smoke and sparks erupted, right in front of where Natasha and Clint had been standing. He heard the man's maniacal laugh.
Tony's wordless shout accompanied both Steve's and Thor's, overlapping each other as they all cried out in shock and horror. Bellatrix tried to use Steve's distraction to escape, but he wasn't falling for that a second time. He held her fast, using her as a shield to protect himself from Voldemort. Thor just barely escaped death/coma as a laser shot over his head, then narrowly missed two more. He couldn't make any advances, even with his lightning.
No, Tony thought desperately as he shot repulsor blast after repulsor blast, not caring of the consequences. Natasha and Clint couldn't have gone out that easily. They couldn't be gone.
But Tony knew what the green light could do. His gut clenched as he realized he couldn't even ask JARVIS to scan for vital signs. Without his HUD, he couldn't see any communications JARVIS might have for him. But even if he'd had his headset, common sense told him that it would do no good… that they were already gone.
His repulsors came arcing back to him, accompanied by a few green lasers to match. Tony hit the floor just in time, rolling clumsily out of the way. He looked up, ready for the next attack, and was surprised to see Loki stride out from the smoke.
The god looked impressive – even in their dire situation, Tony could appreciate that. Confident and full of power.
But that meant nothing. These were two big villains meeting here – whatever scrap of goodness Loki was operating on currently, he had a nasty feeling this Voldy character could easily sway him back to the dark side.
And if that happened, they were dead. No question about that.
Voldemort hissed like a snake and raised his wand, now pointing towards Loki. Loki raised his scepter threateningly. "Not so fast," He said, his voice amused, a definite smirk on his face. "You are not the only sorcerer here."
Voldemort did not lower his wand, but neither did he shoot.
"Why should I let you – a mere mortal – enjoy the revenge I've so longed for?" Loki said calmly, striding towards Voldemort as if he had not a care in the world. Voldy studied his new adversary, and in so doing, Tony got a good look at him for the first time.
The man did not make a good first impression. He was bald, pale as a fish, with slitted red eyes and absolutely no nose. His teeth were bared in a feral grin, and his expression was so wild and insane that Loki looked positively lovable in comparison – and that was really something.
Loki's comment seemed to insult Voldy somehow. "Mortal, you say?" he said with a spine-chilling laugh. "I possess ancient powers you have never dreamed of, my friend. I have no mortal weakness."
Loki responded with an equally unsettling laugh. "You know not of what you speak. A hundred years, perhaps – you may reach two hundred, if you are lucky." Loki's expression clearly said he doubted he'd last that long. "A trifle, no more. Such a brief time matters little to a god."
A jet of light shot from Voldemort's wand. Loki deflected it with his scepter – there was more smoke and sparks, obscuring his figure. Tony kept his gauntlets up, in case he decided to attack everyone else again – but Voldy was intent upon Loki.
"You think light from a stick of wood could kill me?" Loki said derisively, waving his scepter – the smoke cleared, and Tony swallowed his reaction as he saw both Natasha and Clint, standing and alive. Loki must have deflected the blasts away from them, too – but as to why, Tony had no idea.
"A god indeed," Voldemort said, sounding pensive. Casually, he flicked his wand and sent a jet of light towards Tony this time – before Tony could even think about ducking, Loki had deflected it away.
This was getting weird. Loki was pretending nonchalance, but when the smoke hid him from Voldemort's eye, Tony saw the god lean over and pant, his face taut and strained. Tony had learned enough about the god to know that his magic came from within – it depleted as he used it. It wasn't an unlimited source. When he was weak, he had no magic. The opposite was true for the wizards – their power seemed to have no bounds. Regardless of their physical state, if they could form the words and point their wands, the spell worked.
Loki was not so lucky.
"I was told you had no allegiances," Voldemort said, and Tony could hear the crazy seeping back into his voice. "Why, then, are you wasting your time saving these – wretches?" Three more blasts from his wand, three more deaths Loki had to deflect. Amid the smoke he created – to cover his recovery time, Tony thought – Loki took seconds here and there to try to regain what little energy he could.
Amid all the magical hustle and bustle, Tony thought he heard a sharp crack, coming from directly behind him. He whirled just in time to see the blonde boy and the blonde woman turn on the spot and vanish – they disappeared with a crack identical to the one he'd just heard. So the blonde man must have scarpered first, leaving the other two to trail behind. Tony snorted derisively and turned his attention back to the battle. What a family of cowards – but Tony didn't mind. Three less people to worry about.
Another jet of light flared from Voldy's wand – again, Loki batted it away with his scepter. Tony cursed under his breath and reviewed his weapons arsenal, but documenting his various guns did nothing to help him think his way out of the situation. He hated the position he was in – he was a sitting duck. His weapons were completely uneffective, useful only in deflecting blasts – but Voldemort was so fast, he could hardly register the wand moving, much less shoot anything to save himself. He could run and hide, of course, but then he'd probably just get shot in the back. So he was left with standing there, watching everything play out. Not the greatest situation to be in.
Voldemort was playing with Loki now, sending jets of light flying everywhere. Loki was a brilliant actor, there was no doubt about that – no weakness showed on his face as he faced down the sorcerer. But behind the smoky clouds, he was a different god. He looked drained and weak. He hardly looked capable of standing, much less fending off a dangerous sorcerer. This was not going well. Sooner or later, Loki was going to break, and then someone was going to die.
Tony considered his options again, but they were no different than the ones available to him five minutes ago.
Amid the smoke and Voldy's crazy laugh, Tony thought he saw movement. Without thinking, he reacted – and deflected a jet of green light, aimed for Loki's unprotected back.
He'd just saved Loki. Huh. Tony hadn't thought he'd repay that debt so fast.
Loki's head snapped up at the sound of Tony's repulsor. With a grin that was more like a grimace, he said, "I'd hardly call us even yet, Stark." Before Tony could reply, Loki was gone, back through the smoke and back to annoying the noseless man.
Stuck with guard duty now, Tony risked a glance around the room. Harry was still crouched behind the sofa, his hand clutched to his head, several wands held limply in his other hand. Ron was hovering protectively before Hermione and… Bruce?
So he hadn't run off after all. Bruce was kneeling by Hermione, a little bloody but otherwise okay. Tony thought Hermione was still unconscious, until she raised her hand weakly and waved her wand… and Bruce disappeared.
Well, that was something. Tony could not analyze it, however, for Loki's would-be calm voice echoed around the silent room. "These wretches were responsible for the destruction of my army," Loki said – he looked angry now, but Tony thought the expression was suspiciously close to pain. "I say again – why should you, a primitive sorcerer, claim the revenge that is rightfully mine?"
Voldemort lowered his wand.
"Then they are yours," He said, with a gracious sweep of his hand. "Kill them as you see fit. However," He hissed, his snake eyes wide, "When you are finished… I may have use of you. A wizard who does not carry a wand is a valuable addition to our ranks. You would make a fine Death Eater."
Wow. Voldemort was actually handing out an invitation on a silver platter.
A sourceless thud echoed throughout the room before Loki could answer. Loki smacked his scepter to the ground a second after the sound, causing a second, stronger tremor. Tony saw the god wince.
And Tony put it all together.
Holy s**t. Loki – the god of lies – was stalling. Keeping Voldy occupied while the Hulk blundered about, getting used to being invisible. He was stalling until Bruce could finish him off. He'd just covered the Hulk's thud with one of his own.
Damn. The Avengers were pretty deep in Loki debt right about now.
"Take your revenge, god," Voldemort repeated, studying Loki carefully. Tony raised his gauntlets and took a slow step backwards, unsure of what to do next. Any shots at Voldy were useless, and he had no idea whose side Loki was on. What the hell was he supposed to do?
Loki whirled toward Natasha and Clint, his scepter raised. Tony was a second away from blasting the god when two shots rang out, followed by the twang of a bowstring. A scream came – but it was not Loki that cried out in pain.
It was Clint. He staggered backwards, his own arrow imbedded deeply in his shoulder.
Natasha snarled – there was no other word for it – and emptied her entire clip at Loki's head. There was a brief flash of smoke, and Loki tauntingly raised his hand, showing a handful of bullets.
So Tony was wrong. Loki wasn't playing for time, but was just playing with them – evil, as he always had been and always would be. Any 'goodness' on his part was just to make the eventual ending all the more bitter and painful.
How could Tony have been so stupid?
And then something happened, something that Tony could not remember ever having happened before – he was proved wrong again. Something big and green and very, very angry materialized behind Voldemort.
Voldy had just enough time to shriek as the Hulk picked him up by his ankles. Tony couldn't help laughing as Voldemort was thrown about like a rag doll, sending chunks of flooring flying everywhere, along with droplets of blood. Tony dodged out of the way of those – he didn't want any Voldy on him.
Tony would have approached Clint then, but the Hulk was being so wild in his antics he didn't want to try. As he looked toward the archer, he noticed Loki, kneeling with his palms pressed to the ground. It took Tony a second to realize there was blood on Loki, too – and it wasn't Voldemort's. Blood was running down his hands, pooling around his palms in little puddles on the floor.
Voldy had been toying with Loki – there was no question of that. The mad sorcerer held a far greater power than what he showed – though he was currently being thrown around like a sack of flour, his strength with magic outclassed Loki's. Tony could see that clearly. And now Tony realized how strange it was that Loki never attacked, only defended. Tony assumed he was just being a little prick, mocking just because he could, but what if his magic was as ineffective against Voldemort as Tony's repulsor blasts were? He hid his weakness in banter. More talking, less spellcasting. How clever.
But now was injured – injured when Voldemort hadn't even meant to. Voldy had been testing him, seeing his magical prowess, whether he was worth his time – because there was no question Voldemort was a giant ego-head. And though Loki had lied and acted his part, he'd failed the test. Some of the spells had gotten through, and Loki was paying the price of his weaker magic as his blood continued to spill.
He was jerked from his reverie by a shout from Steve. The Captain was holding his bloody hand, clutching what looked like teeth marks. The mad witch Bellatrix streaked toward where Hulk had just thrown Voldy into the wall – before the Hulk could retrieve his toy, Bellatrix grabbed Voldemort, spun on the spot, and vanished.
Steve looked abashed. "She bit me," He said shamefacedly. "I wasn't expecting it."
"Don't blame you there, pal," Tony said, clapping him on the shoulder. They both then ran to Clint, where Natasha and Thor were already kneeling by the archer – but their faces were fairly calm. "The arrow hit his shoulder. It's not life-threatening," Natasha said bluntly. Despite her bond with Hawkeye, she was the only one who didn't wince as Clint writhed and thrashed. "He used a barbed arrow – it's best to let a medic tend to it. He won't die from the wound now, in any case." Her voice was as calm and cold as ever, but there was a flash of concern in her eyes. Tony had a feeling she wouldn't be nearly so calm if Clint's life was truly in danger.
"You infernal creature!" A voice rasped. They all turned round to see Loki approaching the Hulk. Tony wondered whether bloodloss had addled Loki's common sense. "What could possibly have taken you so –" He trailed off as Hulk leaned down with a feral grin.
"Puny god have problem with Hulk?" Hulk questioned, his huge face inches from Loki's. Loki flinched involuntarily, but did not move away. Tony imagined he was trying to unbend his pride enough to avoid another Hulk-smashing – but, considering the size of his ego, Tony guessed the pain of either would be roughly the same.
Loki let out a low grunt that was suspiciously like a whimper, and turned away. The Hulk's laughter could be felt shaking the foundations of the house. Loki ignored everyone within the room and headed to the door.
"Not so fast."
The words were accompanied by the cocking of a gun. Loki stopped walking to the door – a wise move, considering Steve had his gun trained on the back of his head.
Tony couldn't see his face, but he heard the menace in Loki's voice as he said, "You would shoot me?"
"You shot Clint," Natasha said, standing and raising her own gun as well. "Fair's fair."
Tony expected Thor to throw himself in between the guns and Loki as usual, but he did not. He stood to the side with his arms crossed. "Why did you shoot Barton, Brother?" He asked, his voice deep with sadness.
Loki shouted something at Thor in a foreign tongue – it sounded like a curse in some really weird, fierce language. Tony could see the god shaking, but he doubted it was with pain this time. He'd just ripped himself up to save all their hides, and his thanks was a bunch of guns pointed at his head.
This was Loki. Even injured and kinda-sorta on the good side, he was still crazy. Deep-end crazy, driven so by Thor, Odin, the Abyss, and some space weirdo Loki would only refer to as The Dark God. From what Tony had gathered from their workshop chats, they'd seriously screwed with his head. Tony had originally thought mentions of them were just a ploy for pity or some other positive emotion, but if he'd been telling the truth, or even half of the truth… he had more than enough reason to be crazy.
And that meant that even though he'd saved the Avengers, he'd easily try to kill them in insane fury. And it looked like he was getting pretty close to doing that.
So now it was up to Tony to bail the god out. Not a job he wanted, really, but…
Tony went and stood in front of Steve's gun.
"You can put that down now," He said pointedly to Steve. Captain America looked bewildered, but he put his gun away.
"Thank you. Now then," He said, turning to the group at large, "Please tell me you all didn't believe the crap Loki was spouting at Moldy."
The silence that greeted him was not encouraging.
"Brains before brawn, people. Try to remember that. Hulk excluded, of course," He said, watching the big green guy perusing the manor, looking for other live 'toys' to play with.
Tony took a deep breath and let it out. He'd bought into the god's story, too, not that anyone needed to ever know that. But Loki's frequent glances to Hermione, along with the whole 'let me slam my scepter down whenever the Hulk runs into something' – he'd been stalling nearly the whole time.
And if he was stalling, that meant he knew from the get-go that his magic wasn't up to Voldy's snuff.
And that reinforced the only idea Tony could think of, why Loki was keeping them alive – put simply, he needed them. They'd been outclassed today, yes. Seriously outclassed. But Steve had his shield that repelled even the green laser of death, Thor had his lightning, Tony had his technology… all that put together had to count for something. Together with Harry, they might stand a chance at bringing the bad boy down.
But Loki alone? He would be screwed, and he knew it.
Tony knew he was making a lot of assumptions, but he didn't much care. He was hungry, tired, and seriously sore. Anything that sped their return to the mansion was okay by him. Stating his assumptions as facts and really hoping they weren't wrong, Tony said, "Loki was lying to Voldy. Remember, guys, god of lies – that's what he does best. Drawing it out. Trying to buy time until the big guy could come and do his job."
"Then why shoot Clint?"
That was Natasha. She hadn't lowered her gun.
Tony opened his mouth to answer, but Loki beat him to it. "Because, you foolish girl," Loki said, spitting blood as he spoke, "I had to act. You think me standing and complaining about your crimes would convince him? Would placate him? Fools," He spat again. "He was playing, did you not see that? He has no fear of magic. It is with the same attitude he is treating the Tesseract. At any moment, the Earth could be lost, my kingdom destroyed, obliterated because of his careless, playful magic!" The words sliced through the quiet manor, accented by beads of blood that flew from his mouth as he spoke. "You all are worse than useless to me. I don't know why I bothered." Turning his back on them all, he turned resolutely toward the door. He was followed closely by little drops of blood, dripping from both his hands as he walked away.
Steve kept his gun in his holster, and Natasha did not shoot. "Widow, get Fury on the line and let him know what happened," The Captain said to Natasha, then without another glance at Loki, he went over to help Harry, who was looking bleary and trying to sit up.
Tony turned his back on all of them and followed the god of lies out the door.
Wow the Avengers are stubborn. And Voldy got hulk-smashed, heh. He survived, though, sorry everyone. Also - Harry got Draco's wand, just so y'all know. :3
Hope you all enjoyed, Chapter 12 will be up in about two minutes!
