Steve awoke to Jarvis's voice the next morning.
"Pardon me Mr. Rogers, but Mr. Fury is calling an assembly in the conference room" He said in his usual british tone.
Steve sighed, and heaved himself out of bed. After brushing his teeth, because his mother had always told him to always brush twice a day, he put on a blue t-shirt and some slacks. Grabbing the key card, he tried to be as quiet as possibly. Going up the elevator, Steve yawned and yesterday's events came flooding back into his mind. However, before he could even start to ruminate over that, he had made his way to the floor. When he exited the elevator he was met with the team of Avengers waiting outside the conference room.
"Can you believe this guy?" Tony asked, "he's late to his own meeting, and the door's locked. JARVIS, for the last time, please open the door"
"I'm sorry sir, Mr. Fury gave me specific instructions to withhold the team from entering until he arrives."
Tony began muttering curses under his breath, "Son of a bitch….stealing JARVIS… I created him"
The mood was considerably lighter and the team had seemed to fallen back to their normal state. They waited in silence for a few moments when they heard footsteps coming from the long corridor. Six sets of eyes snapped to the person making the noise. It was Fury. He avoided eye contact and went straight to the door. JARVIS immediately unlocked the door and with a gesture, Fury beckoned them in. They made their way around the table and sat quietly.
"Now you may want to know why I called you here this morning"
"Way too goddamn early if you ask me" Tony muttered, earning a sharp glare from Fury and a kick under the table from Natasha.
"SHIELD has received word at 2 am this morning from the air force of an unidentified aircraft coming toward Phoenix. The air force has already tried to subdue it and they have been shot down. Tony, I want you and Thor to try to fly over and lure them to just outside the city, the rest of you better suit your asses up and get a move on it if you want to get these things shut down before lunch"
The team simultaneously got up and walked to the weaponry room, which was where they had stored their suits. Their way up in the elevator, Tony was again, the only person talking.
"Guys this is gonna be a piece of cake, I mean, it's probably just some Iranians. We'll have this done way before lunch, and then maybe get some Thai. Shawarma was good but I'm in a mood for Thai, there's this great place near Stark Tower actually too." It was as if he had a sudden jolt of energy. Natasha rolled her eyes while Bruce and Steve exchanged a look that read 'You have got to be joking.'
After suiting up, Tony and Thor went to go track the aircrafts as the rest of the team took the SHIELD car to the designated meeting place. It was quiet and fresh, away from the city smog. Steve closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. It was quiet and still, as if time had stopped. Clint yawned, breaking Steve out of his daze. They waited without talking, but doing their own thing. Natasha loaded and reloaded all her guns and sharpened every knife. Clint counted his arrows and tightened his bow string. Bruce stood awkwardly away from the group, as a way to distance himself from the group when he became the Hulk. From his earpiece, Steve, as well of the rest of the team, suddenly heard Tony's voice, panicked and out of breath.
"Guys, you gotta get ready, this thing.. Whatever it is.. Does serious damage." He spoke between breaths, panting. "Thor's hurt, I'm taking him back to shield and leaving these guys with you."
The team tensed, whatever this thing was, it had hurt Thor, and Thor was one of the tougher, stronger members. Clint drew an arrow as he saw Tony in his red and gold suit, holding and unconscious Thor by the collar. He narrowed his eyes and aimed for the thing behind it. It wasn't a plane. It was some sort of spherical orb covered in a shiny layer of something Clint did not know. He released the arrow, and it went right into the underside. The arrow was slowly pulled inside of the orb, which was still moving toward the team at an increased speed now. Clint swore and shot again, this time with one of his bombing arrows. Once again it sunk into the stomach. An ear splitting shriek was heard and then the orb exploded.
Steve looked up and gasped. Falling from the sky were small orbs. Once hitting the ground they grew from a sphere into things with guns. And they were ready for attack. Natasha grabbed a gun and started to shoot. The bullets went through them. Then the alien she had aimed for shot her and knocked her back. Clint ran to help her and the aliens turned to Steve. As they fired, he held up his shield, backing up to shield Clint and Natasha. "What are we going to do?" he asked Clint. Clint started to answer before they were interrupted by a large roar. It was the Hulk. The aliens all aimed at the Hulk as he ran through them, picking them up and squeezing them like they were play dough. Even that was no luck. Steve swung his shield through them to stall, but they had kept on reforming. Just as it seemed they were outnumbered, all the aliens stopped and started to soar through the air, attaching to a giant sphere in the sky.
"Just you wait, you pathetic humans" a voice was heard from the ship, echoing throughout the field. "We'll be back in mass numbers. And take over this planet like the many others we have already gained control of."
A blinding light flashed and the ship was gone. Steve looked back to Clint and Natasha, Natasha had a deep cut on her right side and was biting her lip as not to scream from the pain. "We need to get back now."
At Stark Tower, Steve was waiting outside the ward with Clint and Bruce. Tony, Natasha, and Thor had been hit by the creatures and were undergoing a series of treatments to not only stop infection, but to also try to figure out what it was that hit them to cause such damage. Clint had his head in his hands, rocking back and forth. Bruce sat motionlessly, staring at the wall until a doctor called him in to have him look at the injuries and try to determine what had happened. Steve got up and went down to the basement. He needed to see Loki.
Steve found Loki laying on his bed reading "A Streetcar Named Desire" it touched Steve to know Loki was actually reading it, but he needed to talk to Loki. "Excuse me? Loki?" He said, walking over to Loki's bed.
Loki looked up and smiled, "Ah, Steve, I must admit, you are right, this book is quite-" He stopped, Steve was solemn and unsmiling. "What happened?" Loki asked.
"I need to know something" Steve said, his voice shaking slightly.
"Of course" Loki said, his voice quiet.
There's a new force. They come in spherical ships, and these…these things, they appear as blobs, but turn into aliens, and they've hurt half our team, including your brother and they're immune to guns and weapons of that sort. They say they're coming back with more. But Loki, I need to know, and you must tell me the truth." Steve looked straight into Loki's eyes. "Do they have anything to do with you?" His voice raising a little at the last part.
Loki's eyes widened, and then turned to a cold glare. "No Captain, though you all may suspect me of wanting to escape and rule over Midgard, I have lost that desire. I'm surprised you think so lowly of me." He took the book and thrust it into Steve's chest. "Here, take it. I don't want to read it anymore." He started to get up and walk away before Loki felt a hand grab onto his collar.
"No… Please don't leave. I'm sorry. I'm just so angry with myself, I couldn't do anything to stop them. They just kept hurting the people around me and I couldn't stop them." Steve's voice was quavering, and when Loki turned back, he could see tears in the super soldier's eyes.
"I am sorry too. I should not have been so quick to snap. In answer to your question, I have no relation, but I have heard of them. They are the Njut clan from the outer galaxy." He softened again, sitting back down, gesturing to Steve to join him.
Steve sat, and sighed. Letting his tears run loose. "I just felt so defenseless again. Like back then, where I couldn't do anything to help anyone."
"It's okay Steve, there's always a time in your life where you cannot do anything to help the others around you, and instead, watch them suffer." Loki's voice was soothing, and Steve went to lean against him but instead, fell onto the bed. He looked up to see Loki who had moved off the bed. "I'm sorry," Loki said, holding up his hands, "But I cannot touch you."
Steve nodded, "Sorry, I have no idea what happened, I just…Needed a hug I guess. Have you ever had that feeling?"
"Unfortunately, I have, but I have never been able to receive it at the time needed or any time… So I tend not to rely on others anymore."
Steve got up, wiping his tears. "I understand." He went to the bathroom to clean his face. "I have to get back up there, but don't worry, I'll be back." He flashed a quick smile and tossed Loki back the book.