I do not own Marvel, The Avengers or any of its characters. I only own my original character Arabella and anything else that seems out of place.
So here is the next installment in the Fallen Angel series. I really hope you enjoy it. I want to say thank you in advance to anyone who chooses to favorite, follow and review this story.
On the deck of the Helicarrier, the transport with Loki has just arrived. The band of heroes are walking ahead of the guards surrounding Loki. Just as they enter the airlock chamber, a commotion breaks out behind them.
Loki has managed to break loose from his bonds, he takes out the dozen guards easily and then steps to the edge of the Helicarrier. With a smirk at his brother and the other heroes, he lets himself fall backwards. The entire flight deck runs towards the edge, but before they get more than a few steps, a flurry of air hits them. They watch stunned as Loki is lifted above them surrounded by a cyclone of air, and within seconds is slammed to the deck with a force that makes the ground shake.
No one moves, still trying to process how Loki went from plummeting 30,000 feet to the ground, to lying on the deck gasping for air. However they receive their answer, as a beautiful red-head shoots from below the carrier, into the air above them and slams down, her boot pinning Loki's neck to the deck. The God stares up at the woman a look of embarrassment on his face, but he quickly replaces it with a look of defiance. As the wind dies down she glares at Loki, unshed tears in her eyes, her voice wavering, an unspoken rift between them. "Try that again and no amount of pain will compare to what I will do to you, Loki."
She kicks Loki over onto his stomach, drops a few seeds onto the deck next to him, and waves her hand over them. The seeds become vines, wrapping tightly around Loki's wrists. She turns to the SHIELD guards, "He's all yours."
She steps back as they pick Loki up and escort him inside. Fury walks over to her side, smiling, "Nice timing." He turns to the other Avengers, "Gentlemen, meet Arabella, the Fallen Angel."
Inside the Helicarrier dozens of SHIELD Police escort Loki, who is still bound, smiling. As they pass the lab, Banner stops working on the Chitauri scepter and looks up. Loki eyes him as he walks, nodding and smiling. Banner rubs his head.
In the Briefing Room the Avengers are getting acquainted. Arabella walks in nodding her head at the tall, blonde God, "Hello Thor." The God smiles back taking her into his muscle bound arms and hugging her tightly. "Hello, Bella."
The woman is released, she then turns to the other red-head, smiling. "Natasha."
"Arabella." She smiles back. "It's so good to see you again."
"As it is you." Arabella tells her, she glances around curiously before looking back to the SHIELD Agent, "Where's Hawkeye?"
Natasha says nothing, just looks to the floor. Arabella takes that as a very bad sign. She turns to Cap, holding out her hand, "You must be the famous Captain America. I am Arabella."
He takes her hand, smiling, "Steve. Pleasure, ma'am."
"Uh, I'm Dr. Banner." He says stuttering slightly, "Impressive the way you handled Loki."
A sadness passes over her face as she shakes his hand, "Thank you Doctor."
"Uh, can I ask, what skills you possess to help us. I mean, how did you do that with Loki?" Banner asks, looking at her curiously, hoping he didn't offend her.
"Of course, I believe it's only fair since I know everything about you all. To answer your question about what skills I possess, you need to know what I am." She looks longingly at the sky, "Or was."
"Which is?" Steve asks.
"An Angel."
Steve and Banner look at her skeptically, before Banner shakes his head, "Wait. You're telling us, that you're an Angel. Like from heaven. With God."
"You call him God. I call him father." She sees their disbelieving looks. "You do not believe me. That's good. You are not supposed too. If everyone actually believed in us, it would make it harder to be us." She backed away from the table making sure she had enough room. "I suppose a demonstration is in order."
She rolls her shoulders, feeling her wings break free from her skin. The awestruck looks on their faces made her smile, as she stretched her wings to their full 12 foot wingspan.
Dr. Banner stepped forward, reaching his hand it hesitantly, "May I?"
Arabella nodded, it was a common question from people she allowed to see her like this, they always wanted to know what they felt like.
Banner touched his fingertips to her right wing, the feathers were soft as silk. He stroked them once with his hand before he pulled back, a smile on his face.
"Do all Angels have black wings?" He asks.
Arabella shakes her head, "No. Only his Army and children have black wings. Humans who die receive white wings."
Steve steps forward, "So how did you end up on Earth?"
Arabella closes her eyes, her wings folding up against her back. "I was his only daughter. His advisor of sorts. Along with my four brothers; Raphael, Uriel, Gabriel and Michael."
"The four Archangels?" Steve asks, his eyes wide.
"Yes. Michael was the General of our father's Army, he and I were father's favorites." Arabella sighed, tears rimming her eyes. "7 years ago, God lost faith in mankind. He sent Michael to Earth, his mission was to kill a woman, carrying a baby, a boy. That boy was the key to mankind's survival. Michael did not believe that all of mankind needed to be wiped out, he believed that things could get better. He cut off his wings, gave up his position as General, cast himself out of heaven.
I was closer to Michael than any of my brothers, so I stood by his side. Our father said that since I cared so much about the mortals, that I should die with them. My wings were then cut, and I was cast out of heaven. I helped Michael save the human race. Our father realized that Michael was right all along. We were accepted back, Michael's rank and wings were restored.
I however wasn't as fortunate as Michael to simply fall back into routine. I was restless, and father could see it. I had spent a week living among the mortals, and I came to realize that there was so much I wanted to see, to experience.
So after several weeks of not being myself, father decided it was time for me to go. He made me what he calls the Guardian of the Mortals, I was put in charge of protecting all of humanity. To help me blend in he made me so I could hide my wings if necessary. He also gave me a gift, to help me protect the Earth. I have control of the four elements. As you saw on the deck, I can control the wind and earth, as well as fire and water."
She looked around as the two men digested her story. "Any other questions?"
"Why are the bottom of your wings red?" Steve asks cautiously.
"To remind me of the lives I've failed to save."
No more questions are asked after that, nor does anyone speak.
Loki is lead into the Detention section, he is now free from his cuffs and is contained in a large glass cell held by hydraulic rigs. Fury walks up to the control panel of the cell.
"In case it's unclear. You try to escape. You so much as scratch that glass."
He hits a button on the console in front of him, which opens up a hatch underneath Loki's cell. Loki peers down, as much as he can from the glass. Without seeing, the sounds of gusting wind would make a man terrified. Not a God, though.
"Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?!"
Fury closes the hatch, and points at Loki. "Ant." Then he points at the button that would release the steel trap, "Boot."
Loki smirks, "It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me."
"Built for something a lot stronger than you."
"Oh, I've heard." Loki says looking up into the camera aimed at his cell.
The others watch on the monitor, Loki being interrogated. Banner looks at the monitor, intently.
"A mindless beast. Makes play he's still a man. How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"
"How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace, and you kill cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."
"Ooh. It burns you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share. And then to be reminded what real power is."
Fury smiles as he walks towards the door, "Well, let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something."
"Define something." Loki smirks stepping towards the side of the cell.
Fury stops midstride, he hadn't expected Loki to request anything. "Anything to keep you from misbehaving on my ship."
Loki smirked, he was hoping Fury would say something like that. He leans against the glass, "Arabella."
"No," Fury relied quickly, "I need you alive, and right now I don't think Arabella could spend five minutes with you before slitting your throat."
Fury walks off leaving Loki in his glass cell. Loki looks back at the camera, smiling.
They stand quietly, watching Loki until the monitor goes black. Thor, who didn't even look during Loki's interrogation, just listened, stands there, torn apart. They all just stand there, in stunned silence. Finally—
"He really grows on you doesn't he?" Banner says.
Fury walks in to the room where the Avengers are assembled, some sitting down but several standing. He leans down placing his hands on the table top, he glances to Arabella, "What do you think?"
She eyes Thor who nods to her, "He's hiding something."
"Do you two know each other?" Steve asks motioning between Arabella and Thor.
Thor comes too, he glances to Arabella before speaking, "We have— history. The three of us."
The group glances around understanding now why Arabella is here, she knows the two Gods personally. Steve nods, "Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?"
"He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."
Steve raises his eyebrow, "An army? From outer space?"
"So, he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for." Banner says catching on.
"Selvig?" Arabella hears the tone of Thor's voice, she being the only one who knows why.
Banner nods, "He's an astrophysicist."
"He's a friend." Thor tells them.
"Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours." Natasha confesses, sharing a worried look with Arabella.
"I want to know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here." Steve wonders out loud.
"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You could smell crazy on him."
Arabella steps quickly between Banner and Thor, her hand on the God's chest, as he stares down the Doctor. "Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he's my brother."
"He killed eighty people in two days." Natasha tells Thor.
Thor shrugs, admitting, "He's adopted."
Arabella and Thor share a small smile before she backs up from him, standing at his side.
Banner meanwhile is thinking out loud, "I think it's about the mechanics. Iridium… What do they need the Iridium for?"
"It's a stabilizing agent." Arabella rolls her eyes at the new voice, of course they'd call him in. She hears him talking to Agent Coulson, "I'm just saying, take a weekend. I'll fly you to Portland. Keep love alive." He then turns back to the rest of the group. "It means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD."
Tony stops next to Thor, "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing." He pats Thor on the arm before winking at Arabella. "Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants."
He steps up to Fury's control panel, "Uh, raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails. That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn't notice. But we did." He looks to the two separate control panels one on each side of him, he covers one eye, looking side to side. "How does Fury even see these?"
Agent Hill stands behind him, "He turns."
"Sounds exhausting." Tony does some work on each of the monitors. "The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density." Tony looks around the monitors and places a button size hacking implant on the side of Fury's computers, without anyone noticing. Except for Arabella, who watches him carefully, she knows Tony is always up to something. "Something to kick-start the Cube."
"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Agent Hill asks.
"Last night. The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"
"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve asks.
"He'd have to heat the Cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." Banner tells them.
"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect." Tony says.
"Well, if he could do that he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet."
"Finally, someone who speaks English." Tony says smiling.
Steve says glancing at Arabella, "Is that what just happened?" She smiles at him, as Tony and Banner shake hands. A glimmer in their eyes shines as the mutual respect for each other shows.
"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. You're work on antielectron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage-monster."
Banner casts his eyes to the floor, "Thanks."
Fury walks in addressing Stark, "Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him."
"I would start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon." Steve offers.
Fury nods his head, "I don't know about that, but it is powered by the Cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."
"Monkeys? I do not understand." Thor says confused.
"I do!" Cap yells out, causing everyone to look at him. "I understood that reference."
Tony rolls his eyes, while Cap looks proud of himself. Tony looks to Banner, "Shall we play, doctor?"
"Let's play some."
As Banner and Stark walk out, the Galaga player turns ever so discreetly, watches as everyone else disperses and goes back to playing.
Inside Banner's lab, he continuously scans with a gamma ray detection scanner on the scepter for radiation. Tony looks at his monitors, shifting and solving as many algorithms and equations as he can.
"The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports of the Tesseract. But it's gonna take weeks to process." Banner tells Stark.
"If we bypass their mainframe and direct route to the Homer cluster, we can clock this at around six hundred teraflops."
"All I packed was a toothbrush."
Tony smiles, "You know, you should come by STARK TOWER sometime. Top ten floors, all R&D. You'd love it. It's candy land."
"Thanks, but the last time I was in New York, I kind of broke… Harlem."
"Well, I promise a stress-free environment. No tension, no surprises."
Suddenly, Tony pokes Banner with a miniature electrical prod. Steve walks in on them at that exact moment, pissed at Tony.
"Ow!" Banner yells clutching himself.
Tony looks at Banner closely, "Nothing?"
"Hey!" Steve looks to Tony, "Are you nuts?"
"Oh, please let me answer that," Arabella says walking in behind Steve, rolling her eyes as Tony winks at her saying, "Jury's out. You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed?"
"Is everything a joke to you?" Steve asks eyeing Tony.
"Funny things are."
"Grow up Tony." Arabella says earning a cocky smirk from the playboy.
"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny. No offense, Doc." Cap tells him.
"No, it's alright. I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things."
"You're tip-toeing, big man. You need to strut." Tony says cockily to Banner.
"And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark." Cap tells him sternly.
Tony locks stares with Cap, "You think I'm not? Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables."
"You think Fury's hiding something?" Arabella states.
"He's a spy. Captain, he's "the" spy. His secrets have secrets." Tony points to Banner, "It's bugging him too, isn't it?"
Banner stutters, bobbling his words. "Uh… I just wanna finish my work here and…"
"Doctor?" Arabella asks, noticing his attention is diverted.
"A warm light for all mankind. Loki's jab at Fury about the cube."
"I heard it." Cap says.
Banner points at Tony, "Well, I think that was meant for you. Even if Barton didn't tell Loki about the tower, it was still all over the news."
"The Stark Tower? That big, ugly—" Tony gives Cap a look, "—building in New York?"
Banner nods, "It's powered by an arc reactor, a self-sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for, what, a year?"
"It's just the prototype. I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now. That's what he's getting at."
"So, why didn't SHIELD bring him in on the Tesseract project?" Banner says referring to Tony. "I mean, what are they doing in the energy business in the first place?"
Tony nods agreeing, "I should probably look into that once my decryption programmer finishes breaking into all of SHIELD's secure files."
Cap looks taken by Tony's comment, "I'm sorry, did you say…?"
"I knew you were up to something on the bridge Stark." Arabella tells him.
He smiles back at her, "Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours we'll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide." He holds out a bag of blueberries, "Blueberry?"
"Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around?" Cap asks him.
"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome."
"I think Loki's trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war, and if we don't stay focused, he'll succeed. We have orders. We should follow them." Cap tells them all.
"Following's not really my style."
Steve smiles, "And you're all about style, aren't you?"
A nerve is struck in Tony, "Of the people in this room, which one is; A, wearing a spangly outfit, and, B, not of use?"
Banner turns to Cap, "Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you?"
Steve takes in the possibility, but as an obedient soldier, shakes it off. "Just find the Cube."
Steve smiles at Arabella before he walks out of the lab. Still torn apart by the possibility, he walks away, towards the hull of the ship.
Back in the lab, Tony and Banner are focusing on the monitors. "That's the guy my dad never shut up about? I'm wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice."
"The guy's not wrong about Loki. He does have the jump on us." Arabella says thinking hard to herself, watching the two men speak.
"What he's got is an Acme dynamite kit. It's gonna blow up in his face, and I'm gonna be there when it does." Tony says smirking.
"And I'll read all about it." Banner tells the two.
"Uh-huh. Or you'll be suiting up with the rest of us." Tony reminds him.
Banner chuckles, "Ah, you see. I don't get a suit of armor. I'm exposed, like a nerve. It's a nightmare."
"You know, I've got a cluster of shrapnel, trying every second to crawl its way into my heart." He points at the mini Arc Reactor in his chest. "This stops it. This little circle of light, it's part of me now. Not just armor. It's a… terrible privilege."
"But you can control it."
"Because I learned how."
"It's different."
Banner tries to read the computer screen, but Tony slides the data aside with his finger so the two can see face-to-face.
"Hey, I've read all about your accident. That much gamma exposure should have killed you."
"So you're saying that the Hulk… the other guy… saved my life? That's nice. It's a nice sentiment. Saved it for what?"
"I guess we'll find out."
Banner and Stark get back to work at their respective computers, Arabella leaves them to their work.
"You may not enjoy that." Banner says.
"And you just might." Tony retorts.
Down in the hull hanger, secure storage 10-C. Steve, with al his might, slides the heavy iron door and stealthily walks in. Secure storage 10-C is a large warehouse, filled with metal crates stacked. Steve looks up, seeing another level. He leaps up high and holds onto the catwalk railing. Steve continues to move forward.
Inside the back of a large van, Selvig and a few other soldiers are driving inside a long tunnel. With the CMS device inside, Selvig carefully picks up the small cylinder shaped Iridium with metal prongs and lightly places it in a slot inside the CMS. The CMS accepts it. Selvig looks at it, smiling devilishly.
Back inside the briefing room, on a SHIELD monitor is a photo and record of Jane Foster. Thor looks at her, remembering. With him is Agent Coulson and Arabella.
"As soon as Loki took the doctor we moved Jane Foster. They've got an excellent observatory in Tromso. She was asked to consult there very suddenly yesterday. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe."
The God smiles at Coulson, "Thank you. It's no accident Loki taking Erik Selvig. I dread what he plans for him once he's done. Erik is a good man."
"He talks about you a lot. You changed his life. You changed everything around here."
"They were better as they were. We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced, but we… we come here battling like bilge snipe."
Coulson raises an eyebrow, "Like what?"
"Bilge snipe? You know, huge, scaly, big antlers. You don't have those?"
"Don't think so."
"Well, they are repulsive. And they trample everything in their path."
Thor walks over to the side of the ship, next to Arabella, and looks out the window, both lamenting about what has happened and what may come.
"When I first came to Earth, Loki's rage followed me here, and your people paid the price. And now, again. In my youth, I courted war."
"War hasn't started yet." Fury says walking into the room, he looks to Arabella. "You think you can make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?"
"I do not know. Loki's mind is far afield. It's not just power he craves, it's vengeance upon Thor. There's no pain would pries his need from him."
"A lot of guys think that, until the pain starts." Fury tells them.
Thor turns to him, "What are you asking me to do?"
"I'm asking, what are you prepared to do?"
"Loki is a prisoner."
"Then why do I feel like he's the only person on this boat that wants to be here?"
Thor doesn't answer, and Arabella takes her leave, it's time for a talk.
Loki walks back and forth inside his glass cell. Suddenly, he stops. "You always were able to sneak up on me."
He turns to find Arabella standing outside of the cell, her arms crossed over her chest. He takes in her outfit, quite different from what she had worn on Asgard. Black leather pants, green long sleeved peasant blouse that hung off her shoulders, and showed off her delectable skin. Black leather corset that hugged from below her breasts to her hips and flat soled Gypsy boots that laced up both sides, the excess laces hanging down giving her a very outdoors look.
She only stared as he looked her up and down as he had many times before. "But you were not expecting me, I think, but perhaps Agent Romanoff?"
"After. After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, she would appear as a friend, as a balm. And I would cooperate."
"You expected her to negotiate for Barton."
"Perhaps. Is that what you are here to do, Bella?"
She winced as his nickname for her rolled off his tongue as though it was meant to be there. "What have you done to Clint?"
"I'd say I've expanded his mind."
Arabella approaches the glass, "And once you've won. Once you're King of the mountain. What happens to his mind, Loki?"
The God smirks, "Is this love, Arabella? I once thought you held those feelings for me."
"Love is for children, he is my friend. You and I, are not of consequence at this moment Loki."
Loki backs up several steps and sits down on the bench across the room from her. "I sense that this visit has nothing to do with Barton at all."
Arabella pulls up a chair, sitting down her elbows resting on her knees as she leans forward. Her eyes find his. "I missed you."
Loki's gaze falters, his smirk dying on his lips. He does not speak, simply watches as her eyes roam over him.
"What did they do to you Loki?"
"Who?"
"The Chitauri." A blank stare is her response. "Do not pretend you don't know what I am speaking of Loki. I can see what others cannot."
"I do not know what you speak of Bella. Even if I did I would not discuss it with you."
"Why not? We used to share everything with one another. Does our history mean nothing to you?"
He does not answer, merely looks away from her.
"So be it, Loki." She stated with a heavy heart. "Why did you let yourself be captured?"
Loki chuckles, "What makes you think I let myself be captured? I was outmanned and unarmed, bested by your Man of Iron and Captain America."
Arabella narrowed her eyes at her former friend. "You cannot lie to me Loki, so why do you try?" Again no answer, she sighs. "Let Barton go."
"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?"
She smiles, "Not let you out."
Loki laughs, "Ah, no. But I like this. Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man."
"I am bargaining for a friend, who would do the same for me. You and I both know regimes fall every day. What do I care? I'm neutral… or I was."
"And what are you now?"
"Is it really that complicated? I had to see you. I have done things I am not proud of, just as you have. There is just as much blood on my hands as yours. Nothing says you cannot go back."
"Can you? Can that much blood be forgotten? Barton told me everything you have done. I must say I'm impressed, I didn't think you like me, a killer. Your ledger is dripping Bella, like your wings. It's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything?"
Loki stands, now angry, "This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer… PATHETIC!"
Tony and Banner continuously work at their monitors.
"You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers."
Agent Hill checks every view screen in the bridge. Fury oversees.
"You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are part of you. And they will never go away!"
Steve opens a steel crate. Angry, he looks behind him and looks back into the crate. The crate is filled with an array of Hydra weapons.
Loki slams his cell, making Arabella flinch. "I won't touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you! Slowly. Intimately. In every way he knows you fear! And then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I'll split his skull! This is my bargain, you mewling quim!"
Arabella turns around and walks away from Loki, disgusted. She speaks quietly, distraught. "You would do that to me? After everything you know I have went through… After what you witnessed…" She turns back to face him, "What has happened to you? Where did the man I cared for go? You're a monster."
Loki laughs, "Oh, no. You brought the monster."
Arabella frown curves into a grin, she stands poised. "So, Banner. That is your play."
Loki is staggered at her sudden change, from nearly crying to calm in an instant. "What?"
Arabella touches her right ear, "Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I am on my way. Send Thor as well." She looks to Loki, smiling, "Thank you, for your cooperation, My Lord." She walks out leaving Loki frozen.