Author's Notes: Thanks for all the excitement, reviews and eager anticipation. I hope I can continue to deliver! Welcome to all of the new readers and those who have recently followed and favorited. Both new and long time readers are greatly appreciated; I consider you all an amazing gift! Now…back to the story!

… …

"This is Director Fury, of S.H.I.E.L.D.," his elder son told him. "His organization sponsored the Avengers Initiative last cycle and helped us to recover Loki."

Odin read between the lines easily. This man had seen his son at his worst, but was now working with him, however reluctantly. He'd give him the benefit of the doubt. "Director," he said, understanding that the word was a title, not a name. "Have you any news?"

"Dr. Foster and Dr. Selvig have their equipment available to open a bridge, but they've yet to track the signal in the arc reactor worn by Colonel Rhodes in his Iron Patriot armor."

"It's similar to the Man of Iron's old armor, father. But the reactor is part of the armor, rather than the man. Colonel Rhodes is an honorable warrior and a good friend of Tony Stark."

"I much doubt your equipment can track it, Director," Odin told the man. It was odd, he decided, looking into a face much his opposite…down to a patch over the opposite eye socket. "While they may be in this galaxy, they would be at the outskirts of it."

The mortal woman who was fussing over the tables full of the mentioned equipment gasped then swallowed heavily when he frowned at her. "You're right, sir. If they're that far, we wouldn't pick up a signal for years after it began."

"As I suspected," the Grand Vizier, head of the Sorcerer's Guild, told them. "Can you show me what exactly you would search for were they within a distance your, ah, equipment could reach?"

"Do you understand our science like Loki does?" she countered.

"I taught that pup much of what he knows," he said dryly.

"Oh. Okay, here is the mathematical formula and," she said, hitting a button on in a series of them, causing a display to light up. "This is a visualization of the frequency."

Odin peered over the Sorcerer's shoulder as they studied the frequency. The older man, who had not used a personal name for over five thousand years, soon began wandering amongst the equipment, one hand hovering over the various items as he scried their use and working. Finally he stopped with an audible humph. "Set your equipment to searching. I shall merge my power with it to extend the range." The mortals all stared, some with mouths slightly open. "Well? Hop to it. Every moment they are gone brings them closer to death."

… …

"Where are my wife, my daughter and my warriors?" Odin asked him.

"On their way, sir. Kara and your three warriors are armoring. Your lady is staying close, she was concerned that Malekith might try to make a separate attack on Kara," Nick responded.

"He's not quite that much a fool. I'm certain the half-breed knows that she develops swiftly and would not hesitate to end him."

"I was told she couldn't work through magical shields."

"On Midgard, such shields as he uses are not so useful, particularly against one whose power was born on this world. I suspect she is angry enough to both try and succeed. Are your people holding Tolthe?" he asked.

"Yes. We weren't sure what kind of abilities he had, so we have him contained with magic dampening technology; it's been improved since we last used it. Prince Nyvorlas took a look at our security measures and felt they'd be more than sufficient."

"I'm not so certain; no disrespect intended to your people or to the prince, but I believe he has more allies and that some of them may be able to travel through the realms. I have a small company due to arrive in a moment, separate from my larger force. They will take him to the dungeons of Asgard and hold him there until this is over; or forever if we fail."

Nick stared. "The stakes are that high?"

"They are. Has your military been put on alert?"

"I'm not sure what they could do, but yes. They're awaiting orders." And they were. Every country with a connection to S.H.I.E.L.D. had issued the U.S. equivalent to DEFCON TWO, the second highest stage of readiness.

"One of your nuclear devices destroyed a Chitauri fleet."

"Yes, but it was delivered to them by Iron Man. Our military isn't going to be able to do that. We can't use those devices here without seriously endangering millions of innocent lives."

"If the Mad Titan comes here, and he will, billions of lives will be endangered."

"The plan is to open a bridge, get Loki and Colonel Rhodes back, and then close it again."

If there was one thing Nick hated, it was to be on the receiving end of a pitying look. Odin was very good at delivering such a look. "The Titan is furious and brimming with frustration at his recent failures. If he does not come through when we open the bridge, and it is closed before him, he will have a window of opportunity to force it back open. That will rip the fabric of space and time irreparably. If he is there at all, we must allow him to pass through and then close it behind him to keep the bulk of his fleets on the other side."

He swallowed and activated his com. "Hill, Sitwell. Raise the alert to DEFCON ONE and contact the President, the Governor and the Mayor. Begin an immediate evacuation of Manhattan and put the other boroughs on alert. We may have to evacuate them as well. Chairman," he continued, not mentioning Nassar by name. "Advise the regents."

… …

They'd had to take the Avengers' Quinjet to Central Park; all ground routes were being rerouted to send people out of the city. Jarvis played the announcement from the Mayor…total bullshit about a gas leak that could take out the entire island. I mean, really, who was going to believe that garbage? The people were dutifully fleeing, however, and not stopping to gather more than the bare minimum of personal items. The Mayor had also declared martial law and announced that any looters would be shot on sight. Pepper, claiming she was following Tony's instructions, had arranged for busses to stop by the popular hangouts for the homeless and pick up any of them willing to go before joining Darcy and Happy in the small helicopter that was taking them upstate. Beth had refused to evacuate; she insisted that she'd be able to watch out for herself and that they'd need her if anyone was hurt. Steve had approved it when they'd called him to talk some sense into her. There were no signs of panic on the streets yet…plenty of quiet fear, but not outright panic. Kara was willing to bet that most New Yorkers realized that what they were really preparing for was another invasion. She frowned as she trotted over to where the odd group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and off-realm visitors were gathered. "Getting fancy?" Tony asked her. She blushed as she fingered the dark green tunic with two front thigh slits that her mother-in-law had insisted she wear over her armor.

"Frigga thought that all that shiny gold was too tempting a target. Why she doesn't think Loki's green would make an equally good target, particularly for this battle, I don't understand."

"It won't catch the sun. Since you basically attack from cover, it will camouflage you a good bit."

"Only if I'm hiding in some freaking bushes," she grumbled.

Tony chuckled. "You could." His faceplate was off and he turned his attention back to the power grid he was monitoring. "The old geezer's juiced up our range. This thing is producing a search pattern about a thousand times its normal limit and it's increasing exponentially. I'm keeping an eye on it; we're a little worried it might fry the electronics."

"Lovely. Who…oh," she said with a frown as she spotted the Grand Vizier off to the side chanting softly. "You know, he can probably hear you."

"Ask me if I care."

"Tony, come on…" she broke off as he held up a hand. "Sorry, but it doesn't break the tension for me."

"Can't say I didn't try."

She reached up to pat his cheek. "You tried. Thank you. I'd better go talk to Odin."

"Give him hell, kid."

… …

"You and Freya will return to Asgard with Haakun," he informed his queen. "Once you've arrived, Haakun will take the gate; Heimdall will bring my elite guard here. Volstagg will help you hold the Valhöll; alert Brunnhilde, the Valkyries will be needed to guard the vault. If the Titan makes it into Asgard, you must take the gauntlet and flee while Brunnhilde calls forth the Einherjar to prevent him from following you."

"Will it really come to that?" his once mortal daughter asked as she joined them.

"We hope not," Frigga told the girl. "But if it does, we must be prepared."

"I guess I'm kind of surprised no one's running around using the 'R' word," Kara muttered.

"Ragnarök? That is heralded by a series of events before the great battle, and we have not had them. Though this could destroy many of us, it is not Ragnarök," Odin assured her.

"I just want Loki back."

"We all do, my girl," he said, laying a hand on her armored shoulder. "You wear his colors well."

She shrugged. "It was Frigga's idea. I was fine just in my armor."

He smiled. "I'm certain you were. This makes you look like a true Æsir; I am very proud to call you daughter."

"Thanks. We should have given him his magic back."

"If you had, I suspect Tolthe had a secondary potion to disable him. The result would have been the same for Loki and worse for us in that we would have undermined our support from the other Realms for not adhering to the spirit of his sentence."

The girl's bright eyes clouded with unshed tears. "I'm so frightened for him," she said in a tremulous voice.

She accepted his embrace reluctantly at first and then began to cry against his shoulder. "We all are, my dear; but he's very resourceful, our Loki. I firmly believe that we will win him back and that you shall have your vengeance."

"I'm not usually this…weepy," Kara muttered, scrubbing at her eyes with one bare hand. "It's embarrassing."

Odin laughed and squeezed her gently before setting her back on her feet. "You, my daughter, have had a trying day. It is good to get the emotion out of your system now, before the battle begins. Then you will have a clear head and will be able to do what needs be done."

"Is it true that this bastard is doing all of this because he worships some personification of death?"

"Loves it, her, somehow. Though a sick and twisted love it is."

"Then I vote we introduce them, up close and personal," she growled.

"That, dear child, is the plan."

… …

"This is creepy," Rhodey griped from where he crouched on hands and knees over him.

"I'm not comfortable either, you know," Loki informed the mortal. His muscles were strenuously protesting the fact that he'd curled up into as small a ball as he could manage. "But the intense combination of tech and living flesh on their sensing devices will not register much if any differently than some varieties of their own kind."

"Yeah, I got that." The man tensed as the Chitauri sled hovered nearby, the whine of its sensing devices grating on their ears. They waited silently for it to move on. Rhodey exhaled noisily when it did. "Seriously hating this."

He had to smirk. The no-nonsense USAF Lieutenant Colonel spoke concisely, unlike his good friend Stark. However, like Tony, he managed to put a wealth of emotion into his voice that was not apparent in his words or expressions. "They haven't gone far, though we can relax for the moment." Rhodey nodded and pushed himself upright. Loki slid back and lounged against the wall of the crevasse as he took a small sip of the water. "And no, the potion has not worn off as of yet."

"I figured you'd have said so if it had." Rhodey opened his own flask and took an experimental sip. He eyed the fluid with a frown. "It tastes weird."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "It has no taste whatsoever," he corrected. It was true; the water-like substance was made, like everything else the Chitauri had, for maximum efficiency. It had nothing to lend it any taste, no mineral residue…ah. "That is what is strange to you. There are no minerals or anything else in this water, not even traces."

"Huh. I guess it's what you're used to." The man frowned as Loki continued to stare at him. "What?"

"I-I suppose I'm perplexed."

"About what?"

"How infinitely diverse Midgardians are. Even amongst those of the same country and the same parent races, you are all as different as night and day. It's not that way on the other Realms."

Rhodey frowned thoughtfully. "You know, in the smaller countries on Earth, before globalization got into full swing; most people throughout that country were a lot more alike than the people in the larger countries. It's probably a combination of genetic inbreeding complicated by a homogenous culture."

Loki nodded. He'd been right, this mortal was quite intelligent. "I can see how that would be. The populations of the other Realms are rather small, and most are isolated, by tradition if not by intent. The most interaction occurs between the Æsir and the Vanir, and the lines between the two have blurred over the many centuries."

"Well, humans are pretty stubborn. In the U.S. we hold on to a lot of the traditions of our native cultures when we can. Even though the country is called a melting pot it's more an amalgam." They waited in silence for a good quarter hour. "Hey, I've got a question."

"Don't we all?" He chuckled at the mortal's glare. "Ask."

"What did they want with us? Uh, Earth, I mean. Why did they want to invade Earth?"

Loki let his head drop back against the rough stone behind him. "Nothing. It is simply a gateway to Asgard. They only wish your deaths to offer in tribute to the Mad Titan's beloved."

"Then why make you king of it?"

He smiled bitterly. "It was a bargain. Midgard was to be spared, on the whole, in exchange for my cooperation in giving the Titan access to Asgard and the artifact protected there. He assumed I hated Odin and his people enough to give them up for the prospect of being a king."

"Damn. You really did save our asses."

Straightening, he nodded. "I really did. I had to, you see."

"Why?"

"To prove I could do what Thor could not. Why else?"

… …

James stared at the god of Mischief and Lies. After dealing with Tony for years, he was pretty sensitive to bullshit and that last statement…well, it didn't exactly reek of it, but there was a good strong whiff. While he was sure that Loki's jealousy of Thor and proving he was better than the other god had something to do with it, there's no way that was the whole story. If it was, Tony wouldn't like the guy. "Did Tony fall for that load?"

"I'm certain I have no idea what you mean."

He was damn sure Loki knew exactly what he meant. "Right. Wait…" he broke off and shut the faceplate so he could focus better on the HUD. "They're coming back and there's something bigger following behind them."

Loki used the narrow sides of the crevasse to crab his way up to the lip and peered over. He dropped down heavily a split second later; his tux even more worse for the wear. "Leviathans," he reported. "Back in position. Hopefully they'll be fooled as well, but be prepared. I have a bad feeling about this."

James shivered as he crouched back over the ball Loki made of himself. "Any sign of that potion wearing off?" he asked, feeling like a kid asking if they were there yet.

"Sadly, no. Now, hush."

… …

"Well, well; if it isn't the anti-Claus," Tony quipped in his usual sarcastic tone.

Bruce frowned at him. "Okay, that one I didn't get."

"He knows who's been naughty and nice, but doesn't do anything about it."

He felt an uncharacteristic urge to roll his eyes but settled for a put-upon sigh. "That one was a stretch."

"I know. I can't pick on Loki anymore without risking retaliation, so I'm getting out of practice."

"You need a new hobby."

Tony glowered at him. "I tried going back to drinking, but for some reason I don't seem to be getting a buzz out of it anymore. You have any ideas on how that could be?"

Bruce knew exactly why; Loki had confided in Kara about Tony's liver issues and she'd unlocked his power long enough for him to zap the expensive booze in Tony's stash into something that tasted identical, but had zero alcohol content. "Maybe you're becoming immune?" he responded after frowning thoughtfully.

"Nice try." Bruce shrugged at his friend's frown. "I'll bet it's a prank. Yeah, that's it."

"Could be," he agreed. "Damn, how many of them did he bring? That's a bigger group than we took to Jötunheim."

"You weren't facing the MT there, I guess this many would have been overkill."

"True." A full fifty Asgardian warriors had come through the egress in groups of ten. A few he recognized from the Jötunheim trip; most were new to him. "They're expecting this to be serious."

Tony's usually flip expression melted away. "I've got to make a call," he said as he walked away.

… …

"Tony?" Pepper said after glancing at the display on her phone when no one responded to her automatic 'hello'. "Are you there?"

"Yeah. I, uh, wasn't able to get through the last time I was in battle…uh, so I thought I'd better not leave it to the last minute."

Her throat closed and she swallowed hard to clear it. "Is it starting?"

"Not yet, but Odin's preparing for the worst. Pep, I love you so damn much. I-I just wanted you to know that, you know, just in case."

Unwelcome tears welled up before she was even able to come up with a response. "Damn it, Tony. You'd better come out of this in one piece, or I'm really going to be pissed."

He chuckled, that was good to hear. "If I don't I won't be too happy about it myself. Look, I'm not going to take suicidal chances, but this is probably going to be worse than the last one. The good news is that we've got nearly a dozen tons of Asgardians fighting with us this time."

"Tons? Exaggerating much?"

"No, seriously; do you know how much one of these guys weighs? Even that skinny shit Loki weighs over five hundred pounds. Thor's a hell of a lot heavier. There's literally ten tons of Asgardians here before you add in Fandral, Hogun, Sif and Thor…oh, and Kara. Bruce says she's up to about two fifty already."

"But, she's gotten thinner, I swear. Aleixandre has to take in her gown from the original measurements."

"Yeah, as her conversion to Æsir progresses, her muscles and bones get denser and weigh more. But she hasn't been able to keep up with the metabolic changes. Haven't you noticed she's always munching?"

She had, but that… "Okay, whatever. Just…be careful, okay? I love you."

"I love you too, Virginia Potts. After this is handled, and we've had our wedding, I'm going to announce my retirement from the superhero business. I'll even consider letting S.H.I.E.L.D. find a recruit to fill the suit…but I've got final approval."

Pepper smiled. He'd never give it up; being Iron Man was even more addictive than the drinking. But it was nice he wanted to do it for their sake as a couple. "Just come back safe and we'll talk about it, okay?"

"Good deal, babe."

… …

"Perhaps Sif should accompany you back to the Valhöll," Prince Nyvorlas suggested in a diffident tone.

Frigga hid her smile. "She's one of our greatest warriors and is needed here."

"But that's exactly why she should go with you; the vault will need such a skilled protector."

"So, she's more than just a wager to you." She let her smile emerge as the Ljósálfar's eyes widened almost comically. "I'm quite well informed, you know."

His sharp features tightened in annoyance. "I do not know if she is more than a wager to me; what I do know is that I dearly wish to discover whether it is so."

"She stays, dear boy," Frigga told him gently. "Her sword is needed; she has already successfully fought the Chitauri and knows their ways. If you wish to make that discovery, then guard her back." Her smile faded as the disgruntled young man stalked off. "Nyvorlas," she called out. He hesitated then turned to glower at her. "Truly, I ask you to guard her back well."

His jaw dropped as her full meaning sunk in. "I will do my utmost, your majesty," he promised.

Nodding her satisfaction with his promise, she turned away. The Hawkeye and the Black Widow were overseeing the transfer of Tolthe to the guards who would be accompanying her back to Asgard. "Who else aided your treachery?" she asked him.

"I do not know Malekith's allies," he said sullenly. "Think you he trusted me?"

She did not. However, she was certain he'd been in contact with another of the half-breed's allies as Malekith was currently prevented from travelling to either Ljósálfheim or Asgard, even via the branches of Yggdrasil; and Tolthe had not travelled to any of the other Realms of late. "We will uncover your other allies, Tolthe. They will not be given the opportunity to save you from your fate."

… …

Jane dashed from monitor to monitor, occasionally eyeing Thor where he stood by his father and sister-in-law. The trio shared grim expressions. Kara's cheeks were streaked with tears and she'd donned the wraparound gold sunglasses to hide her swollen eyes as much as to block out the rising sun. But there she stood, jaw set, stance resolute. Jane knew that either she'd get Loki back or die trying…and she also knew that there was no way in hell she could have done the same for Thor. Cry, sure. Gear up to kick ass against impossible odds? No. Giving a last glance at the monitors she impulsively hurried over to the three and threw her arms around Kara's shoulders and hugged her close. "We've almost got it synced," she told her. "Give the bastards hell; we'll keep the bridge open for you." Thor nodded to her when she pulled back and looked at him. "You too, Thor; get your baby brother back so we've got someone to keep Stark in line."

He chuckled. "A very critical task indeed, Lady Jane. Thank you for your good wishes."

"No problem." She managed a half-nod, half-bow to Odin and retreated to her equipment. The frequencies were lining up more solidly now. They were oh-so-close. "Erik? I think we need to adjust by negative point three megahertz on this one," she suggested, nodding at the modulator.

"Point four," he corrected with narrowed eyes as he made the adjustment.

Jane glanced over at the absolutely ancient sorcerer who was boosting their ability to scan for the signal from the modified arc reactor with magic, of all things. Not sorcery, which she'd discovered from working with Loki, was just a different version of science, but pure magical power. Though sorcery was powered by magical power rather than the conventional sources they used, it was still science and had rules and methods. The Grand Vizier, as he had been introduced, looked slightly strained, but strong and serene. His chanting was a melodic undercurrent to the breeze that swirled through the park, sibilant, but non-threatening. A small rainbow tinted electrical arc connected his cupped hands and the central component of their system array. "It's a good thing we signed non-disclosures," she muttered to Erik. "Because we'd get tucked away in the loony bin if we tried to tell anyone about this."

Erik snorted soft agreement. "It's obvious why S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have a great deal of turnover in its scientific divisions. There's little we could put on a résumé."

"I think the freedom from budget woes makes up for it," she decided, giving their top of the line equipment a fond look.

"Very true."

... …

Rhodey cringed above him as yet another random energy blast rocked the surface. "Relax," he soothed. "They only think we're here and are trying to spook us out of hiding."

"They're doing a damn fine job of it," the mortal muttered.

Closing his eyes as the next strike hit close enough to shake gravel loose from the walls of the crevasse, Loki tucked his head further under the armored bulk of his companion. "Steady, you're doing quite well." His eyes flew open again as a distinctive voice cut through the chaos above. A voice he'd heard with his ears only infrequently during his stay with the enemy as the Mad Titan preferred to have The Other do his threatening for him. It had a far different timbre in the ears than it did in the mind. He did his best not to shudder lest his dread unnerve Stark's friend. "Silence," he warned. That voice cut through the noise once more making Loki's jaw clench in a combination of fear and frustration. Without his power there was nothing he could do in the vicinity of Thanos other than die. With his power, he would be able to cripple the bastard before he still very likely died. It wasn't something he'd care to risk with Kara's life also on the line.

"He is here, I feel him," that sonorous voice boomed. Loki couldn't hear the response of the Chitauri commander. "Find him and you may convince me that your life is worth more to me than your death!"

"Damn," Rhodey hissed once the sounds of the search had retreated. "He's jonesing for you real bad."

"I humiliated him, twice now: once by fooling him and then by escaping him when he thought me dead. He will not stop until one of us is no more."

"So how do we go about making him, uh, no more?"

"I know not."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"If I thought we could end him, we would not be cowering in this crevasse like frightened rodents."

"Okay, okay, don't get mad. I'm just trying to ratchet my terror down a notch here."

"I'm not angry; I-I'm also rather…" he gritted his teeth before forcing out the remaining word; "terrified."

"Oh." The mortal shrugged awkwardly in the armor. "Misery loves company, I guess."

… …

"You should have gone with Pepper and Darcy," he said before she could climb into the Quinjet for the trip back to Avengers' Tower.

"Forget it. All the hospitals are being evacuated too; Dr. Nassar and I are the only medical help you've got here." Beth shook her head as he frowned. "Steve, really; we'll be fine in the Tower. We've got Jarvis as back up. If we're not this close anybody injured will have to be medevac'd. It could take an hour for anyone to even get basic help and that's too long. We can save lives by being here."

"And you could die. What happens to the Regents if both the chairman and his successor die?"

"They'll manage; Steve, don't worry. Just be careful out there, okay?"

He sighed. "I'm going to worry, but I'll be as careful as I can. Damn it all." Her breath whooshed out of her as he crushed her to his chest and covered her mouth with his. The kiss was hard, desperate, and wonderful. He was slightly flushed as he pulled back. "I love you, Beth Anderson. We're both going to get out of this just fine, got it?"

She couldn't resist saluting as she stepped back. "Yes, sir, Captain America."

"Oh, geez. You…okay, tease me, go ahead."

"I love you, too, Steve Rogers. Go save the world; I'll be in the Tower safe and sound when you beat the bad guys."

… …

"Boss, this is a really bad idea," Happy said as he tried to keep up.

Pepper didn't bother to look back at him. "If it's safe enough for Beth and Dr. Nassar, it's safe enough for us."

"Aw, come on. Dr. Nassar is S.H.I.E.L.D.; that's different."

"I didn't ask for your opinion." Her lips twitched as he groaned. "Darcy, you have your taser?"

"Ha. I've got a pair of 'em. You want one?"

She unzipped a pocket on her bag to show the taser tucked inside. "Way ahead of you, hon. If these puppies can take down Thor, the bad guys don't stand a chance."

"Uh, Pepper? Thor was kind of mortal at the time. And to be fair, Jane had already hit him with the truck."

"Don't rain on my parade, Lewis."

Darcy snorted. "Fine, Potts."

Pepper grinned as she pushed open the door to the Medical Bay that Tony had refurbished after Loki's arrival two months ago and came to an abrupt halt only to be pushed forward when both Happy and Darcy crashed into her back. Raj Nassar and Beth Anderson had both taken very professional shooting stances, or so she judged from having watched Natasha do the same fairly often by now, and were pointing some kind of energy weapons at them. "Uh, don't shoot?"

"Miss Potts," Nassar said in a resigned tone as he pointed his weapon to the ceiling. Beth quickly followed suit. "What are you doing here?"

"You need backup. You don't have any assistants or anybody to watch your backs while you're working on patients."

"Director Fury is sending surgical techs from S.H.I.E.L.D. to handle both of those issues."

"Oh. Ah, well, we're here anyway?"

"Wonderful. Stark and Banner will find some way to blame this on me, I'm certain. Please don't get yourselves injured; I really don't want to have either of them angrier with me than they already are."

"Yes, that reminds me; why is that?" Both Beth and Nassar shot her uneasy looks and Pepper knew she was not going to like their response.

… …

"We've just about got it!" Jane Foster yelled from over by the equipment. "Get ready on the platform!"

Those going back to Asgard were gone. Forty of the Asgardian warriors had remained along with Heimdall, Hogun, Fandral, Sif, Odin, and Thor. Kara supposed she should count herself in with the Æsir at this point. Nyvorlas, Frey, Helblindi and Gymir had also stayed. All of her fellow Avengers were present and accounted for and S.H.I.E.L.D. was working on getting some team of Mutants to head their way in case they couldn't handle Thanos on their own. Well, on their own and with a full Marine Special Operations Battalion, and teams from the Joint Special Operations Command, including Delta Force, Seal Team Six and Seven Twenty-fourth Special Tactics Squadron. Oh, and S.H.I.E.L.D., of course. The Helicarrier was nearby and troops were also on the ground. They were going to look awfully foolish if nothing happened; though by the grim expression on the All-Father's face, there was small chance of that. Tony and Thor immediately climbed up on the platform and Kara moved to join them, Loki's scepter tucked under her arm. "Whoa," Tony told her, holding out a gauntleted hand. "Where do you think you're going, sis?"

"I'm going after my husband, Tony. Did you think I'd just sit here like a good little girl and wait for the big, strong men to fix things? I'm almost as strong as Steve by this point."

"Has nothing to do with you being a girl or your strength, kid. You're staying here."

"Agreed," Steve said as he hurried over. "You're staying here and that's an order, Avenger."

"I quit."

"Kara, be reasonable," Thor said quietly…for him.

"I am being reasonable, I've…"

"Daughter. As a princess of Asgard, and a member of the Æsir, I am your king. I also order you to remain here."

She turned to glare at Odin. "My life is on the line. My love is on the line. Where do you get off ordering me to…"

"God damn it, Kara, it's about the logistics, will you fucking well shut up for two minutes and listen to me?" Tony grated. Stopping in mid-rant she looked up at him. "Thor can fly under his own power. I can fly under the suit's power. That's why we're the only ones going. Have you learned to fly when I wasn't looking?"

She rolled her eyes behind the wraparound sunglasses. "You know I haven't."

"What happens if, God forbid, both Loki and Rhodey need to be carried back here? Who would we leave behind?"

Her jaw dropped. That hadn't even occurred to her. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh. Now step back and get ready to give that mad son of a bitch everything you've got when he follows us back through, okay?"

Taking a deep breath, Kara nodded. "Okay. You know, you could have explained that earlier."

Thor shook his head. "We did, my sister. You were too busy being fearful for Loki to listen." She bit her lip at his gentle tone. "Put aside your fear and harness your anger. You will have your love back soon enough, I swear it."

"Don't make promises, Thor. I don't want you to be, uh, forsworn if you can't keep them." She hopped up on the platform and gave him a quick hug. "But thanks." Leaning up, she threw an arm around the neck of Tony's suit and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Both of you, be careful. I've only got three brothers, and I want to keep all of them."

"Three?" Tony asked as energy started to crackle around him. She glanced over her shoulder as she felt a wave of cold behind her. Helblindi nodded at her honorary brother and her other brother by marriage. "Oh, yeah. Three. Hey, nice to have you in the family, your majesty," he said as he closed his face plate.

A blue wave of light engulfed them and they were gone.

… …

"Oh, shit!" Rhodey yelled as the walls of the crevasse suddenly tumbled in on them. Loki was glad for the mortal's armor and the strength of the servos as the man braced himself to prevent the weight of the broken rock from crushing them. "Do they…" he broke off as a weapon discharge hit their exposed hiding place. "Yeah, they know we're here. You ready to rumble?"

He licked lips suddenly gone dry. This was it. He had to survive or Kara would die. Should he turn himself in? "If I surrender, they will…"

"Bullshit. No retreat, no surrender, we're taking it to them. You with me or not?"

If he surrendered, they'd kill Rhodey and he'd have yet another mortal's death on his soul. Kara would prefer he go out fighting, he decided, even if it meant her death. She'd probably rather die than have him suffer again. "I'm with you."

The mortal nodded and snapped the face plate closed. Leaning to one side he gave a mighty heave and moved the crushing rock enough to turn and aim his repulsers at the rest. "Okay, I'm gonna do it." Loki pulled one of the energy weapons off of his back as the rocks exploded outwards. "Go!" Rhodey shot out of the remains of the crevasse, all weapons targeting and firing. Loki waited a beat and then leapt out behind him. As he expected, the armored figure had drawn all eyes and he was able to destroy a dozen Chitauri, down three sleds and commandeer a fourth before they even realized he'd entered the battle. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" Rhodey yelled to him, throwing an armored fist in the air as Loki buzzed by him.

They fought silently thereafter. Loki hadn't had one of the team's communication devices on him when he'd been abducted. Another mistake. He ducked as energy weapons were discharged at him and then banked swiftly to take out another sled. Glancing at the equipment on his he grinned as he discovered a tow line. Grabbing the hook end of it he loosened the winch and used his Æsir/Jötunn strength to hurl it and caught hold of one of the other sleds. Banking again, he dove under a leviathan and, pulling the other sled behind him, curved up and around the behemoth. He reached down and pulled the winch loose and threw it into the leviathan's maw as he crossed in front of it then sped away. The hooked sled tried to follow him but the chain now entangled inside the leviathan pulled it back to crash inside the half-flesh and half-tech creature. With an almost painful sounding mechanical groan it crashed to the ground taking out another four sleds of Chitauri unlucky enough to be in its path.

Rhodey was making good account of himself, Chitauri and their sleds now littered the ground. But where was Thanos? He took the time to look around and nearly ran into the net held by a pair of sleds that were trying to capture rather than kill him. Good to know; the Titan was foolish to give him such an advantage. He leapt up off the sled and allowed it to plow into the net and drag the pursuing sleds first away and then into each other. Running at full speed he ran up the body of the downed leviathan and then jumped onto a passing sled, throwing the gunner off and then shooting the pilot through the head. Its body soon followed its partner's. Dread crashed through him and his throat tightened as a new wave of Chitauri flanking a purple-skinned giant figure wearing gold armor came over a rise. The Mad Titan had returned.