Adira ran as fast as she could trying to escape the agent and reach Loki in time. Running through the corridors and making unnecessary turns to shake him off her tail, she struggled through the crowd shoving those in her way. She had to dodge technicians and mechanics who were running to fix whatever was damaged from the explosion and medics who raced to find agents that were in need of medical attention. Out of breath, she reached the entrance to Loki's cell.
Adira ran in to see Loki still sitting in his cell, he lifted his head up to see her.
"Adira," he sat up and walked towards the cell door, a sense of relief rushed over him.
"I know how to get you out of there, hold on." She rushed to the control panel.
"Adira look out!" Loki yelled. She ducked and spun around in time to see her assailant from earlier.
"Sorry Loki, your escape is going to have to wait," Adira remarked.
"He won't be doing any escaping," Macklin retorted. He lunged forward to strike her head but missed. Adira squatted and punched his stomach then sideswiped him on her way back up. He rolled back and jumped up into the fighting position. She quickly moved forward, dodging his kick she grabbed his head and forced him to kneel so that she could knee him in the face. Now heavily bleeding, Macklin seized her arms and flipped her over his head.
Taking advantage of her split second of weakness Macklin went for a "knockout." Seconds before he could Adira rolled over to her right avoiding his strike. In the heat of the moment, she jumped up and grasped his head and forced it to collide with the wall. She only had to do it once before he fell unconscious. Lying helplessly on the floor Adira dragged him across the room where he would be out of the way.
She then trudged over to the control panel and pushed the button, the door slide across its glass wall as Loki strolled out.
"What now?" Adira asked weakly. She straightened herself up and took a sharp exhale. "Fury will no doubt send someone over here." Hulk thunderous rawr echoed throughout the helicarrier almost drowned out by the sound of gunfire.
"I believe the beast will provide us more time," he said with a grin.
"Sir!" A man dressed in all black ran towards them with Loki's scepter in hand.
Loki grabbed his scepter. "We will stay here until my idiot brother bursts in."
"What about the agent that may or may not be on their way?" Adira asked.
"Leave that to me," Loki said with a devilish smile. He cloned himself twice, opened the cell door then had the first clone walk in and the other one stand by the panel while the real Loki closed it. "You must stand by the control panel and open it when that oaf ambles in," Loki said to the man in black.
"And me?" Adira asked.
"You," Loki turned to look at her. He saw the pain that swarm through her eyes. When was her last rest? "Have done enough," he said with the same gentle yet stern tone Fury used on her when she was little. He wielded the scepter before her and little by little her body became transparent, hidden in plain sight.
As they waited Adira could hear the commotion that was transpiring within the helicarrier. Gunshots and yelling were the majority of it. She realized it might be awhile before anything happened so she squatted down and sat with her legs criss-crossed. She listened closely to the thunderous rawr of the mighty Hulk slowly begin to fade. Shortly afterward the helicarrier began fall and lean heavily towards the right then balance itself out.
Moments later Thor ran in looking for his brother but only seeing his clone because the real Loki camouflaged himself like he did to Adira while he pushed the button allowing the enclosed clone Loki to leave the cell. Thor ran towards clone Loki expecting to stop him but was fooled and trapped inside the cell instead. Adira stood up unsure of what to do next, but she knew there was a possibility she might need to make a hasty escape.
"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" Clone Loki said now standing away from the panel.
Thor stared at his illusion brother, with great anger he smashed Mjolnir against the glass which caused it to fracture and shake.
Clone Loki laughed at him as he walked back to the panel. "The humans think us immortal. Shall we test that?" But Clone Loki lost sight of what he was about to do when the man in black he told to guard the hallway was knocked over. Agent Coulson walked into view with Phase Two weaponry.
"Move away please," Coulson instructed.
Clone Loki slowing backed away from the panel as he glared a Coulson.
"You like this?" Coulson patronized as he walked towards the clone Loki. "We started working on a prototype after you sent the destroyer, even I don't know what it does." The weapon began to hum as the barrel opened to reveal a luminous orange glow. "Want to find out?"
The real Loki then decided to reveal himself as he pierced the scepter through Coulson's chest. Thor once again hit the glass wall, he's scream echoed through the room. Loki slyly walked over to the panel without saying a word. He opened the below hatch, the wind swirled around the room. Loki hovered his hand over the release button for a few seconds staring at Thor without a hint of remorse on his face. Loki pushed the button and took a few seconds to stare at the empty space before closing the hatch.
Loki started to walk towards Adira but stopped when he heard Coulson. "You're going to lose," he said weakly.
"Am I?" Loki said, mocking Coulson in his last moments.
"It's in your nature," he glared unforgivingly at Loki.
"Your heroes are scattered," Loki said, walking slowly towards Coulson. "Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?" He spoke arrogantly.
"You lack conviction."
"I don't think I-" Loki was abruptly cut off when Coulson pull the trigger. A powerful blast sent him flying through the wall. His concentration was cut thus uncloaking Adira who rushed to Loki's side. She heaved him up on his feet while he re-cloaked them both to make a hasty breakout.
"What about Barton and the others?" Adira whispered.
"Their usefulness has run its course," Loki said.
Even though they were transparent they maneuvered mindfully through the hallways, careful not to touch anyone, worried they might cause suspicion.
When they made it on the deck and Adira found the closest operational Quinjet. Uncloaking them both, Loki sat down to recover from the blow while Adira moved her way to the cockpit.
"Where to sir?" She said sitting down preparing to fly.
"Stark Tower."
Turning it on the Quinjet began to hover she then leaned the wheel forward then switched on the cloaking system as they flew to their next destination.
"Since there aren't any landing pads near Stark Tower, I'm going to have to land it on an empty car garage. So that means more walking." Adira said. Loki gave out a sigh.
"Wonderful," he mumbled.
Adira found the closest car garage and landed the Quinjet. They both stepped out, looking around Stark Tower was only a few blocks away. Loki transformed the clothes to look more civilian.
The sidewalks buzzed with people, laughing and talking, unaware to what was to happen to them in the next hour. Parents with the children giggling at the man playing violin, teenagers with the friends whispering secrets, and lovers with their significant others holding hands or leaning on the other with their head rested on the others shoulder.
"All these people, they're clueless. Ambling around with knowledge of warrior on their way to invade this land," Adira narrated.
"The human race is a very unintuitive species," he plainly said. "While their government withheld everything speculated to be dangerous is from them." She nodded her head in agreement.
When they reached Stark Tower it wasn't very difficult to get in, Selvig had previously knocked out the security giving them quick access to the elevator.
When the reached the top level Loki transformed themselves back to what they were wearing earlier. Loki told Adira to stay where she was, that he was going to talk to Selvig who was on top of the building making some last minute adjustments which didn't take long because he was back down in a few minutes.
"What am I to do now?" Adira asked. Loki slowly approached, he slipped his hand in his pocket, then gently pulled out a black and white rock attached to a dainty chain. She stared at him confused.
"Remove your simulated pendant," he asked. She hesitantly unhook the clasp and gently place the necklace in his right hand where it immediately evaporated. He then handed her the real one.
"What do you want me to do with this?" She inquired.
"Wear it."