Nick Fury sighed, placing his large hands on the table and leaning forward, frustrated. This team meeting was not going as planned.
"Running back to my father for more help will do nothing," Thor argued, pointing an angry finger in Tony Stark's direction. "He refuses to tell us any more about the gems - and with good reason!"
"Without having at least one, and with your brother in possession of three, he is putting us at an extreme disadvantage. If he doesn't help us, he could get us all killed!" Tony snapped back.
"Let's calm down, guys," Bruce tried, looking a little green - in more ways than one. Natasha put an arm on his elbow with concern.
"Doctor," she said, "I think it's best you leave."
Bruce balked, but noticed his changing skin color. He felt his heart begin to beat faster with fear, and he tried his best to contain himself, but his insides churned and boiled. His shirt felt tight and uncomfortable. He stood from his seat, Natasha putting a hand quietly to the gun on her hip, but he waved her away and left the room, heading down the hall to the containment unit to be used in an emergency. Bruce felt like this was one. Once he had exited, Natasha removed her hand from her weapon, stood, and slammed her hands on the table with a loud bang!
"You're acting like foolish children!" she snapped. "You've compromised Bruce with your arguing and you're becoming a real burden to deal with. This decision is not just up to you two - deal with this mess like adults."
Tony and Thor muttered insincere apologies, but sat down and shut up.
"Good," continued Natasha. "Thor's right, Odin won't be willing to give us any gems."
Thor perked up with an arrogant smirk directed at Tony.
"But Tony is right, too - without any weapons comparable to their power, we are helpless, and the entire Earth is in danger."
Now Tony shot an arrogant look at the God of Thunder, who grasped the hilt of Mjolnir with a look of disdain.
"We need another course. We need to bargain with Amora - or find out what she knows. And something tells me she won't be up for bargaining."
Thor and Steve looked horrified - their moral compasses no doubt were spinning inside them. But Hawkeye nodded his assent, as did Fury.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Clint said. "It's not a tasteful option, but neither is the subjugation of Earth - and eventually, the Universe."
Everyone nodded their assent, some more reluctantly than others. Fury was just about to give the order when suddenly a lesser agent burst through the door, gun in his hand and a stern look on his face.
"Director Fury, sir, there's been an alarm raised at the edge of Perimeter 7."
"I didn't hear it," he said, but rose from his chair nonetheless.
"It was cut shortly after it was raised. We - we think it's Loki."
"You think?"
"The security camera was also cut out shortly after the alarm was raised."
"Damnit!" cried Fury, slamming his fist on the table. "Alright," he said, turning to the team. "We weren't prepared for this, and now thanks to you two," he yelled, gesturing to Tony and Thor, "We don't even have Banner. Make this work! Now!"
He turned on his heel and began running down the hall, grabbing guns from a secret armory hidden behind a bland-looking panel on the way. Natasha armed herself as well, keeping her usual gun on her hip but adding at least three more, as well as more ammunition. Clint grabbed exploding arrows - now was not the time to falter. Tony was going to grab his armor and jettison himself from an open window, collecting Steve on the way. There was nothing that could be done about Bruce at the moment. Thor waited impatiently for them all, already breathing heavily, the adrenaline before battle surging through his body. They launched themselves down the hallways and outside, joining several armed trucks and at least a hundred soldiers. Though unprepared for such an early attack, they had managed a formidable force. But Fury knew, as did the others, that even with a thousand soldiers at their disposal, they would be outgunned - inarguably, indefinitely, hopelessly so. They rode towards Perimeter 7.
Before Fury could even react, a sudden weightlessness had taken over his body, and he was vaguely aware of being tossed through the air. He hit the ground hard, winded and shocked, and it was several seconds before the vertigo dissipated enough for him to stand. The armored car he had been riding was tipped over onto its back, the soldiers pouring out of it, none of them seriously injured, by some miracle. He glanced around for the rest of the team and saw Natasha and Clint running away from the wreckage of their vehicle, which had been much more damaged and was currently a blaze of fire. Suddenly, the gas tank exploded, forcing the pair of agents and the following SHIELD guards to hit the ground, covering their heads. He heard a familiar shout and watched in awe as Thor slammed a burning SUV away from him and his team of agents, another explosion rocking the ground as it smashed into the earth far away from them. The entire team of soldiers and the three present Avengers started towards Fury, the rest of the armored trucks lifting into the air magically and slamming down, exploding like bombs on the rocky field, fire spreading around them quickly. A few agents went down to the ground, coughing from the smoke, but Thor helped them to their feet and dragged them to the last clear area near Fury.
"I'm getting too old for this crap," grumbled Fury, holding up his guns and keeping his back to SHIELD headquarters and the now-uncontrollable blaze in front of him. They heard a loud sound similar to a small jet engine cut through the air, and almost immediately, Tony and Steve dropped down beside them, in full armor.
"Miss me?" said Tony.
"Just a little," said a silky voice, emanating all around them.
The flames suddenly parted and a familiar silhouette appeared through the thick of it. The two tall, gilded horns on top of his head were unmistakable. Loki.
"Did you miss me?" he asked, his tone of voice mocking and soft. He stepped out completely from the flames, untouched, a dark-haired figure by his side…
"Lyanne!" shouted Steve, unwillingly. She looked over to him curiously but said nothing.
"What do you want, Loki?" spat Fury.
"Are you mortals always this stupid or are you just pretending so that I underestimate you? Well, in any case, you are a fool. You know what I've come for."
"We don't have them. Any of them. Or their locations."
"And why should I believe you?" he laughed.
"We don't want another war," Fury argued. "Just let it go. If you leave now, you'll remain unharmed."
Loki was infuriated.
"If you refuse to cooperate, I'll leave you no choice but to oblige me," he sneered. Lyanne looked at him curiously, concerned, but he waved her away. "You will not like my methods, I assure you."
"No one here will give you anything," Fury said evenly, "We've all been trained to deal with torture."
"Yes, but has she?" he hissed, suddenly grabbing Lyanne and forcing her in front of him. She instantly got a look of terror on her face, and confusion. She briefly tried struggling before he brought a small dagger to her throat.
"Loki," she squealed, "What the hell…"
"Shut up, dear, and be useful!" She began tearing up, bewildered and frightened. Whatever the two of them had planned, this was not it. Loki spoke to the team now. "Give me what I want or I will cut her throat. And this time, not even Odin will be able to save her."
She struggled wildly but he dug the blade against her and a small trickle of blood ran down between her breasts, staining her shirt. She began hyperventilating in panic, tears streaming down her face to mix with the blood, turning it pink against her paled flesh.
"Loki," tried Thor, walking forward slowly, shaking a little. "Loki, you don't have to hurt her - I'll help you."
Loki laughed maniacally.
"With what? Allfather told you nothing of the gems, and you don't have the security clearance to access even the basest of files at SHIELD. Do not take me for a fool," he threatened, grasping Lyanne tighter. "And don't even think of transforming - this blade is faster than you," he whispered in her ear, a sultry tone to his voice. Lyanne's frightened face turned in disgust.
They all remained silent, having reached a horrifying impasse.
"Give me what I want," he said quietly, "Or I will kill her."
"Loki, please!" she tried to cry, but he shushed her.
"Now, what is your choice?" he demanded.
"This," sneered Clint, launching an exploding arrow straight into Loki's exposed shoulder. He dropped Lyanne as pain ripped through him and he attempted to remove the shaft, but it suddenly exploded and threw him back against the ground. Lyanne rolled away, covering her face, and Tony stepped over her, guarding her with the others, lifting his hands and charging his weapons. Loki attempted to sit up, his shoulder burning and singed, the sweet and disgusting smell of burning flesh flowing through the air. Clint shot another arrow, and immediately the other agents began to open fire at the spot where Loki had just stood only a moment before. But a brilliant jet of purple light suddenly blinded them all, and in a second, Loki was gone. Lyanne, however, remained weeping at their feet.
Why, Loki? Why?