AN: Sorry for the delay. Just graduated late April and I still have papers and clearances to handle but yeah… And to be honest, I've been lacking on the inspiration and interest department a bit but still, thank you for giving this fic a shot again.
Also, in case you were wondering why the chapter titles are sort of weird, they're actually passive abilities or attacks or buffs/debuffs from the Marvel: Avengers' Alliance game. This chapter's name comes from Thor's third move which is fitting for the chapter since Finn (Thor) will make a re-appearance and other stuff. You'll see later.
Post-Script: I do not own Glee (FOX owns it) nor Marvel (Disney owns it).
Post-Post-Script: Still unbeta-d. Forgive the typos and grammar errors. I intend to fix them soon.
Chapter 5: Inspiring Bravery
"How'bout now?" asked Blaine to no one in particular.
"Just a few more minutes, B. Just relax. You're hair would start untangling with all that worrying." Artie replied.
The Sparrow the group was riding was dashing towards their new target destination, Avengers Mansion, at the fastest cruising speed known to men and super-men alike but Blaine just couldn't still his nerves enough to be patient.
The moment they got all the information from Sebastian's laptop, Coach, pardon, Commander Sue briefed the group about a ruckus happening by the Avengers Mansion and told them that they should report there immediately.
"Now I don't really understand why we need to preserve the Avengers Mansion seeing as this idiotic game won't permit all of you to just reside and rot in there forever leaving me with a lesser medical bill from Sheila, my half-Irish, half- grizzly bear Otolaryngologist, for all the irreparable damage your wailing and boyfriend moaning has done to my sensitive eardrums. But I however, would rather we waste digital resources sending you there than leave the nineteen year old, flab sweat-smelling, fake teen teaching , army deserting, high school prom trashing , sectionals losing, special needs baby-hating, ridiculous armor wearing, Thor wannabe handling that mess. He can't even handle a stupid high school glee club as both a co-captain and a wrongly appointed director so I without a doubt believe that he has no capabilities in handling a full-on Alien giant invasion. He's probably smashing his blubbery head with his hammer or finding a special Jotun baby to pick on right now."
"How 'bout"
"God, Blaine! Stop!" Tina said, clearly exasperated. "It's bad enough that you sing a lot but now you're blabbering more than Rachel and that's a new level of annoyance!"
Blaine tried to open his mouth to retort but thought otherwise because of the look Tina was giving him. He just looked down, fiddled his thumbs and tried to look interested in the designs of the jet's carpet.
"Is she always that intense and angry?" Jake asked Mike who were seated in the opposite booth from Blaine, Artie and Tina. Originally, Mike was seated with the seniors but since he saw Jake alone on the other side and he felt guilty after he called him out for not being there for Ryder, he thought that joining him and keeping him company would be the best way to redeem himself.
"Nah, not really. She's just very emotional and she's become much more vocal nowadays."
"Really? Because all I see is a girl who's like always in her red days."
"I heard that Jacob Puckerman!" Tina shouted.
"See what I mean?"
"Anger and annoyance are emotions." Mike justified weakly.
Jake was about to reply when he saw a group of what appeared as big blue buildings on the horizon, except for the fact that they were clearly moving.
"Are those?"
"Jotuns? Yes." Artie supplied. "You're in luck B. Guess we'll have to deploy here and work our way towards the mansion."
The group of five began to fight their way through the streets of New York as waves and waves of Jotuns, the frost giants, crossed their paths. Upon game restrictions, Blaine could only rely on two of his peers at a time in each fight and he chose Iron Man and Black Widow to utilize the class advantage, switching Tina with Jake if ever there were too many scrapper Jotuns in the fight. That left Mike with the task of alerting the group of new waves of enemies.
The Jotuns, despite their large size, were easy to take down. Blaine and co. just targeted the knees since it's a well-known weak spot for biggest foes while Artie finished them off with his fire-based Missile Barrage, exploiting the Jotun's vulnerability to fire.
Thunder and lightning appeared everywhere they turn, as well as flecks of auroras signaling the connection from the Rainbow Bridge. Blaine saw from a distance what looked like a silhouette of Finn wearing Thor's armor.
"Okay. There are just too many of them here." Blaine said as he slashed another Jotun with his katana, knocking it down. His patience, as well as his health and stamina have immensely dwindled over the waves upon waves of attacks from the Jotuns.
"Tina, I think you should scout ahead to see if there are alleys we could past by to get to the main problem quicker."
"Sure thing. Jake, take my place and stop hitting the Bruiser Jotuns, you'll only enrage them."
"I'm trying. I've only been here for a few hours, you know." Jake said as he kicked another Jotun into submission.
Tina dashed ahead and after another wave of the frost giants, they received a signal from Tina that she found the stealth route they were looking for.
Once they arrived at the actual mansion, they saw Finn taking on the Destroyer with his mighty Mjolnir but it was clear that he needed some reinforcements. A shady figure was watching them from the balcony of the mansion. With the two curved horns from his helmet and the scepter he was holding, it wasn't easy to identify him as the trickster himself, Loki.
"Humble Midgardians, you have come to my aid and assistance!" Finn shouted in all his Thor glory.
"Finn, can you stop talking all high and god-like?" Blaine asked.
"Fin? Who is this Fin you address, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?I am Thor Odinson, mighty God of Thunder. I do not go by this alias of 'Fin' nor do I have those appendages. Try Namor."
"It is no use, agent." Loki said as he jumped out of the balcony to stand beside the Destroyer. "I have addled the mind of this simpleton to be as airheaded and brusque as my brother, not that I had to do much work for it."
"Silence, Deceiver!" Finn/Thor screamed. "Surrender now and go back through the gates, back to Asgard. And bring the Jotuns with you. They're innocent beings that you have no claim to manipulate."
"Surely not. The heavens have bestowed a gift on this planet and I intend to take it; after I take your head, of course."
And with that, Loki fires a Lightning Spire hurtling towards Finn. It was about to hit the target when a flash of red sailed through, Iron Man, and blocked the attack.
"Fool! You have activated my Tactical Maneuvers! And now, prepare for a feat worthy of my being called the Trickster!" Loki bragged as he used his scepter and his image duplicated all over the field.
"That's his Kaleidoscopic Illusion." Mike informed the group as more and more copies of Loki appeared in the grounds, laughing maniacally and egotistically.
Thor, confounded, just started smiting the nearest one in place.
"Artie, how did you do a Protect? Iron Man doesn't have Protect." Blaine asked as he supplied the armor clad boy with a first-aid kit.
"I don't actually know. I just did it and it allowed me, maybe a bug or a combat validation error? And Loki started the fight even if you haven't selected who to use against him."
"Why'd you launch yourself like that though? You could have gotten hurt. Plus, Loki's a Tactician and you're a Blaster!" Tina said through teary eyes. At this, Jake did see that Tina was able to express more emotions than anger or annoyance and that she gets too emotional too quickly.
"I had to. Finn's not himself right now and I can't let a scumbag like Loki just insult him like that." Artie said as he got up. "Finn was one of the few people that helped me out back in freshman year especially in that incident with the porta-potty. Now that I got my legs somehow, I intend to return the favor in every way I can. Blaine, c'mon. We're the one taking this dbag on!"
Blaine only nodded since there was no use arguing with Artie at this point. He remembered the time when he got slushied and Finn, Kurt and Rachel visited his house. They told him how angry Artie was with that incident and he wanted to hurt Sebastian for what he did to him. Blaine knows that this is Artie's over protectiveness kicking in again and he wanted Loki to pay.
They joined the fight and suddenly, Blaine and Artie felt invigorated. Like they now had the ability to lift the weight of the world on their shoulders or kick Loki's As—gardian self back to the portal.
"Friends, I have shared with you a boon to amplify our strength and bravery so we could take on my brother and his army of deception and destruction better." Thor said.
Blaine and Artie shared a look and knew that Thor just used his Inspiring Bravery on the team and they wasted no time in exploiting the added strength in their attacks.
Artie targeted the Destroyer first. Firing his Repulsor Rays followed-up with another as the Bruiser robot got blasted away. Blaine on the other hand fought with sword and gun against the Loki illusions alongside Thor. Tearing and shooting and smashing them down until the real Loki was revealed.
"Pesky insects! You're not going to claim victory that easily." He then shot another beam out of his scepter, hitting Artie square in the arc reactor and then quickly followed it up with a force field of his own.
"Artie, you okay?" Blaine shouted as he launched himself towards Loki. God, I hate force fields
"It's alright, B. It's his Wither attack. I have to recharge first. Finn!" Finn looked at Artie as if offended and annoyed. "I mean, Thor. Help out Blaine. You know how to destroy that Trickster Shield faster."
"Do you think they're alright?" Tina asked, fear etched in his words as he saw Artie fall down again after taking a blow.
The trio wanted to help out but they couldn't get another chance to bend the rules towards their direction the same way Artie did earlier. Mike just held Tina closer to comfort her.
"I'm sure they're fine Tina, especially Artie." Jake said, surprising the Asian duo. "My bro always said that Artie's the most badass in the club. Next to him, of course."
"That is no ordinary shield like the ones your tiny metals make in this planet, Agent." Thor said. "It not just leaves your damage to naught, it represses it as well."
"So what do you suggest?" Blaine asked, happy to see that Thor-ized Finn was finally becoming like the leader he was before.
"A dual strike might break it. On my mark, upon the gifting of my boon once more, we strike him on opposite sides."
Blaine nodded in agreement and the moment he felt the familiar surge of strength envelop him, he charged and slashed at Loki's shield on the side nearest him as Finn pounded away with Mjolnir on the other. The plan worked and the shield broke down leaving Loki startled. He was about to fire again but he was struck down by a beam and Blaine saw that it was Artie's Repulsor Ray going off.
Loki's figure flickered away just like the villains they have faced, to where they go, only the game makers know. A frag grenade appeared suddenly as the loot for the battle.
"Guess you're beginner's luck has faded now, B."
"Which sucks since we needed the command points now more than ever." Blaine said as he picked up the bomb and placed it in his pack. He was containing his anger and disappointment since he couldn't afford another outburst of rage.
"Well fought, Agent. There will be a seat in Valhalla for you, should you seek it."
"And there's a seat in our team for you too Thor. Why don't you join us?" Blaine asked, hoping the game has glitched enough to offer a free recruit.
"I cannot accept your generous offer, Agent, for I must patrol the boundaries of Midgard and Asgard to be certain that my brother or any of his comrades cannot cross and wreck travesty once again to this area. But do not fret for I will join your ranks one of these days once you have acquired enough blue metals."
Finn touched Blaine's shoulder and smiled at him and for a moment, Blaine thought that Loki's bind has gone loose but he was mistaken. With a farewell, Thor shot out into the sky to check the portal connecting Earth with Asgard.
"Well you tried, B. But don't worry, we'll keep farming and we'll get Finn soon. And hopefully, he'll be" Artie's reassurance was interrupted as he made an oomph sound as Tina tackle hugged her. "Damn, girl. Control yourself. Your ex-bf and my bff's just standing there ya know."
"I think you're forgetting that you're also my ex." Tina reminded.
"This doesn't bother you at all?" Jake asked Mike in hushed tones.
"Not really. Tina and I aren't even together so why would I be bothered? And besides, we're all tight. You, Ryder and Marley are just like that, right?"
"Yeah, guess so." Jake replied without much certainty. He pondered whether they were in the same situation as Mike, Artie and Tina. Sure, Ryder's his bro and he's got his back but he's not sure if it would share the same dynamic if one of them is or was dating Marley.
"Alright guys, guess we're heading home. We have some resting and training to do before we go farm for more command points." Blaine said to the group.
They called for Maria Hill to bring the jet to the mansion itself and it landed on the rooftop helipad. They made their way there and once fully boarded, they settled in a comfortable peace and silence only a tiring trip provides.
Once they got back to the Hellicarrier, Blaine told the rest of the team to hit the training room since all of them maxed out on experience during the latest mission except for Mike who resigned in doing some flight deck missions to earn more silver.
Blaine's solitude didn't last long as he found himself in the presence of one of the few people who seem to know a lot more about their situation than any of them combined, Miss Clearwater.
"Hi Miss Clear- err Maria."
"Just call me whatever you feel more comfortable with, Agent Anderson but Agent Hill is slightly preferred."
"Okay then, Agent Hill it is. So… can I ask some questions again about the game?" Blaine asked in a tone similar to a student afraid to consult with his teacher.
"Well, I'll try to answer them with the best of my capabilities, but you know there are restrictions to the information I know."
"Okay, that's question number one. What restricts you from being as self-aware as I am?"
"That's because the game centers around you. That's why you're the main agent. We're not as aware because only a fraction of our mind wanders in this place."
"What do you mean? Who has control over all this mind wandering and the game itself?"
"You have some control of it but most of it comes from the game makers."
"Game makers? You mean Playdom?"
"Oui et nom, Monsieur Anderson. " She said with a wink.
"What do you mean, yes and no? If I have some control over the game then I demand you to stop saying things in riddles!" Blaine knew his raising of his voice might have just blown his chance for more answers but his anger flared up again. He doesn't know why but his anger has really been more out of hand in this place; like he's having Bruce Banner moments.
"You'll just have to ponder over that on your own, Agent Anderson." Maria said. "The game makers have given me a directive right now and I guess I have to fulfill them for now. 'Til next time then." She added a smile before she left to show that the she didn't get mind or think badly of Blaine for raising his voice.
Mike got back from his flight deck missions after a couple of minutes, the same time Jake exited the main building to join them by the jet bay.
"Tina and Artie would take a while in training so they told me that we could farm in the earlier missions first to not waste time." Jake informed the duo.
Mike and Blaine agreed without hesitation as they climbed up the nearest mission and jet and made their way back to the Meatpacking District.
Blaine managed to level up in the mission he, Mike and Jake did so they went on for two more missions, this time with Tartie on board although Mike didn't join them in the last one as it was his turn to go into training.
They got a sort- of command point winning streak in those three re-do missions, earning three command points each on the first and third mission (they got a shawarma on the second one which Artie ,in all his Tony Stark infused brain, happily consumed, earning him the Well-Fed buff). These made their total CP count to thirteen command points when added to their initial seven CPs, still more than a hundred points away from their target goal.
They also noticed that Viper and Whiplash got stronger this time around so they took more of a beating than last time. That's why the team decided to rest up after the third re-do mission.
Blaine made his way to his quarters in the ship to rest up and hopefully to find something to wear besides his mission Kevlar suit but a different surprise waited for him in his cabin.
Atop his bed laid a package, around the size of a watch's box, neatly tied by an elegant bow, reminding Blaine of the promise ring he gave Kurt last Christmas. He opened the box and inside was ten command points, neatly placed like cookies on a packaged plastic tray and a small card.
The card read: 'We apologize for the errors are system experienced recently that has interrupted your gaming. As compensation, we're releasing ten command points for a limited time. – Playdom'
With the ten command points he just received, his command point pouch now totaled to twenty-three cps, enough to buy one of the heroes they need for the Special Operations, Colossus.
"I want to recruit Colossus." Blaine said aloud, willing the game to know he wants to make a recruitment transaction. He didn't know what should happen next since Mike was already standing in front of him when he recruited Hawkeye and Jake was just by the other room when he recruited Iron Fist. The command points he had vanished so he knew it worked. It's just now a game of finding out how and where he will meet Colossus.
He was just about to leave his cabin to go to the training room in case Colossus was waiting there when he heard knocking on his door.
"B, open up! You won't believe who's by the jet bay!" said Artie who was outside his door.
"It's Colossus, I know. I just recruited him." Blaine said as he opened the door for Artie.
"Yeah, we figured that out, explain where you got the extra cps later but that's just half the surprise. It's the guy that's Colossus that's more surprising."
"Why? Who's Colossus?" Blaine inquired, his mind wandering to various possibilities. "Puck? Unique? Oh dear Lord, don't tell me it's Hunter!"
"Actually, it's me." A hulking figure with organic steel skin now blocked the doorway, obviously the defensive Russian X-men, Colossus.
Karofksy?
AN: So Colossus has been revealed. Let's see what kind of insight he'll provide for our story. I especially liked this chapter since it diverted from Blaine a bit and talked about the other characters and their interactions more. It can't be all Blee~
Next chapter will feature some Blaine and Karofsky scenes and the start of Special Operations: Glee. Hope you still stay tune and reviews are very welcomed.
That's all for now. Percival Jones, logging off.