Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel-characters!
AN: I decided to update this chapter quickly, because I know it's never fun to wait long for a new chapter after the previous one ended with a cliffhanger. I love getting all of your feedback! It's fun to read about your ideas and thoughts. I won't comment on them, because I don't want to give away any spoilers. Enjoy chapter 4!
~ Shadows and Regrets ~
Chapter 4
"What do you mean 'they're here for me'?" Thor moved to the window and gazed up. The sky was dotted with white clouds, but other than that, it all looked peaceful. The people walking underneath it had no idea what danger was approaching. Last time the Chitauri (under Loki's command) had attacked, they had destroyed one of the biggest cities of this world and killed over hundreds of people. Thor did not want that to happen again.
"I promised them a world, Thor," Loki said, his voice rasping, "but I failed because of your new allies; because of the Avengers. I promised them new land, but you've defeated me and their army."
Thor was desperately trying to make sense out of this. Thinking was difficult with that damned alarm sounded over their heads. "So they are going to try again?"
"No," Loki was clearly annoyed that Thor didn't understand, "they are aware that they could never take this world. Not without help anyway. No, they have come for me. They want me to face penalty according to their laws and they are not a kind race, Thor, they want me dead. Then there is…" Loki stopped talking at that point.
Thor began to pace the floor, never letting his gaze leave his brother's eye. "Then there is what?"
Loki closed his eye and inhaled deeply. If Thor hadn't known any better, he would have guessed that Loki looked frightened. When his brother opened his one eye again, however, he simply looked determined. He hoisted himself from the floor and dropped down on his bed again. The sudden movements caused him to cough violently, but he waved Thor's help away.
"Then there is what?" Thor asked again.
"It's too big of a coincidence," Loki answered. He dropped his head onto his pillow and Thor noticed how weak and tired he looked. One touch might just break him in half. "It isn't the first time they've come for me."
Thor didn't want to grow angry with his brother, not while he was wounded like this, but he could not help but feel incredibly annoyed. Apparently, Loki was much more informed of the situation than Thor was and he hated it. "How is that possible?" Thor asked. "How can they have come for you before?"
Loki said nothing.
"Where have you been these past few days?" Thor stepped towards Loki and laid a hand on his shoulder. He was aware that he might be squeezing a bit hard, but Loki didn't seem to notice. "What has happened to you?"
"I have been where I was supposed to be."
"Asgard?" Thor withdrew his hand when he noticed Loki's pained expression. "Last time I saw you, I left you in father's care. You were to be imprisoned for your war crimes against Midgard. But now you claim the Chitauri have come for you before. This makes no sense!"
"Unless," Loki said carefully," …think about it, Thor."
"Unless…" Thor swallowed heavily, not liking the idea that had just struck him, "the Chitauri came for you while you were in prison in Asgard."
"Congratulations," Loki mocked, "you've won the first price. The leader of the Chitauri came to Asgard while I was there. They spoke with the Allfather."
"And what did father say?"
"Your father didn't really keep me posted on his business as King. I only knew the Chitauri were there because the guards loved rubbing it in my face."
Thor could hear the bitterness in Loki's voice when he spoke of Odin (and of the guards), but he chose to ignore it. Right now was the time to get into family-issues. Not for as long as the Chitauri were coming.
"They won't attack; they won't cause destruction," Loki then said, "not yet anyway. They'll contact earth, ask for its leader and they'll make the same demands they've made to Asgard. I assume Fury will be spokesman for this planet? We both know what that man will choose when it comes to protecting me or protecting the planet."
Thor tried to think rapidly, but he couldn't find any quick solution for the situation. One thing was certain, he wasn't going to hand Loki over to those primitives and he wasn't going to let Fury do that either.
"Then we have no other choice," he said after a short silence, "you're not safe on earth and earth isn't safe with you here. I'll have to take you some place I can protect you." He turned to look into the pale green eye of his brother. He wished he had a better idea, but he had to think quickly and it appeared this was the only solution.
"No," Loki protested, immediately understand what Thor was thinking, "no, I won't go there."
"The Chitauri can make their demands to Asgard, but Asgard can also protect itself. If I take you home, it would be better for us all."
"I refuse!" Loki said, panic in his voice. His one green eye stood wild. "I won't go to Asgard again. Don't take me there, please."
Thor had never heard his brother like this before. He had never heard Loki…beg. It almost made him change his mind, but then he remembered that this was the only way to protect his brother. "I'm sorry."
~ o ~
"What is happening?" Steve asked to no one in particular when he entered the main control room. He went to stand with Fury and Tony and let his eyes examine the different computer screens. He wasn't good with all the technological stuff of this century, but he was able to read. The warning signs only showed a spaceship, however, and Steve had no idea what else was going on.
"Right now," Tony answered, his arms crossed over his chest, "not much."
At that point, the alarm was switched of and Steve sighed thankfully. He was beginning to think that the high pitched alarm would drive him mad and deaf. "I don't understand," he said.
"The spaceship is there in the sky, but it's sort of…waiting," Tony explained without taking his eyes from the computer screens. "It's carrying a new kind of missiles – ones I have never seen before - but they aren't powered up. Right now, they don't seem to be preparing an attack."
"We don't know who they are?"
Fury – who had been previously occupied with Maria Hill – joined the conversation. "No, but I suggest you prepare yourself for a fight anyway."
"Sir, they seem to be opening lines of communications," said Maria Hill. She was busy typing away on the touch screens and Steve tried to see what she was doing. It was pointless, however. "Actually," she added, "it's just a recorded message."
"Play it," Fury ordered.
After a moment, a deep, gruff voice echoed through the room. "We are the Chitauri. We have been on this planet before, but we do not come for another war. We want the trickster Loki Laufeyson to be handed over to us. You have thirty minutes to do so. If this does not happen, we will fight for what is rightfully ours. We are the Chitauri. We have been-"
Maria Hill switched off the message. There was a long silence and Steve tried to understand what the message meant exactly.
"Are they trying to save Loki?" Maria asked.
"No," Tony shook his head, frowning slightly, "they didn't sound friendly. 'We want the trickster Loki Laufeyson to be handed over to us'. That sounds like they are very cross with him and they want to punish him."
Steve sighed. Whenever Loki showed up, more trouble followed. This shouldn't really surprise him, but somehow he felt like an idiot for thinking that the next few days might have been easy. "You know, I have been thinking." He had Tony's attention at that point. "You said Loki has been running and that he turned to Thor because he was his last hope."
"Ah yes," Tony said, "it would make sense; Loki has been running from the Chitauri."
"They want him," Fury said, resting his hands in his sides, "to punish him. I can't imagine that the Chitauri were pleased that Loki's plans failed, that the wormhole closed before its time and that the Tesseract was kept from them."
"There is something else," Steve said, "it takes a strong sorcerer to erase someone's memories. I say it takes one hell of a powerful sorcerer to erase the memories of five men and delete the files of an artificial intelligence."
"Are you saying you think Loki erased our memories?" Tony asked.
"Yes," Steve replied, "but the question remains why. If Loki has been running from the Chitauri and if he came to Thor for help, then why did he erase everyone's memories? Did he erase his own? It makes no sense!"
Fury nodded. "So something else is going on as well."
"When it comes to Loki," Steve sighed, wishing he had all of the answers, "there is always more to it than meets the eye."
"But what do we do now?" Maria asked. She pointed at the screen which showed the spaceship. "If we don't give them Loki, they will attack and right now, we can't fight off another army like the last time they were in town."
"Uhm, sir?" One of the SHIELD agents hesitantly asked for Fury's attention. "You might want to look at this." The agent pulled up a video and placed it on a big screen. It showed Loki and Thor walking across a patch of green grass.
Fury's one eye grew wide with anger and he reached for his gun. "What the hell are they doing?"
"Are they…leaving?" Tony asked while stepping closer to the screen.
Without another word, the director of SHIELD stormed from the room, a gun in his hand. Steve and Tony followed, not knowing what Thor was doing. One thing was clear, however, they could not let him take Loki away from them. Handing the trickster over to the Chitauri might be the only one way to prevent another devastating battle.
AN: Thoughts?