Of all the foolish things I had done, this one probably made the least sense.
Trudging through the trees just North of Riverside, I had walked about five miles with a sharp pain in my side, stopping now and then to catch my breath.
Loki's voice echoed a warning in my head, "Don't move around too much." I dismissed it and walked on. It wasn't like I had any idea what I was doing. A part of me just really wanted to catch a glimpse of him before he was gone for good. Another part of me wanted to hurl a stone at his head. But mostly, I just wanted to make sure he was alright. The knot in my stomach was growing tighter, telling me that all was not as it should be. After a long walk I heard the thrumming of alien turbines and sure enough, a few hundred yards in front of me, was the clearing I had been in earlier that night. A speck in the distance was my truck, looking shameful in comparison to the Chitauri's massive ride. I noticed that it was quite well hidden using some sort of reflector technology and only when you got up close, certain of what you were looking for, could you see the lights a-glimmer around its massive girth. It was genius, and anyone driving down the interstate would have seen distant lights in the sky, but they'd never suspect anything sat on the good old earth, just a few miles from them.
The night was buzzing with chatter in a strange language - the Chitauri had gathered at the edge of the clearing, clicking and flexing their fingers over curiously fashioned spears. I sank down to the ground, leaning against a felled trunk, scanning the figures for Loki. The chattering maintained a steady level, sounding more like raucous laughter than anything else.
"Where are you?" I breathed.
Soldiers. Spears. Chattering. A rhythmic thumping sound. I couldn't make anything else out. Squinting through the darkness I began to grow worried. He had come here, hadn't he? Where else would he go? He could not have doubled back and gone home. That was highly unlikely.
And then I thought I spotted him. He was bent over, on the ground, hair dishevelled, mumbling something weakly. I saw a Chitauri swoop down on him and clasp a giant claw around his throat.
"Please," I heard. "I've done all you asked."
Bile rose in my throat.
The Chitauri had formed a tight circle around him.
"We had an agreement," Loki reminded them and the chattering grew louder and more menacing.
I only wished I had followed my gut feeling earlier. It was so obvious I was surprised it hadn't crossed my mind or his. They weren't about to relinquish an entire army to a fallen prince. They were after the tesseract. And I could see why. With that kind of power you were pretty much invincible. They could've destroyed nine planets and a sun just because it was a Friday.
"No," Loki cried, "I will not tell you where it is until you give me what was promised."
He had hidden the tesseract. Loki may have made deals with the devil, but at least he was smart about it. But where was it after all?
Here in the forest? At home?
What was more pressing was why he wasn't fighting back. He was a god. But where was his sceptre? Scanning the columns of gnarled hyde-like legs, I saw it lying in the dirt, the blue core glowing faintly.
I change my mind. Of all the foolish things I had done, this topped the list. I tore through the trees, making for the truck on the other side. The Chitauri were too occupied with trying to maim Loki to even notice me falling down on the bramble and swearing.
The driver's door was already open and I leapt in without shutting it, starting the engine. I drove the truck out with my heart in my mouth aiming for the tight circle of Chitauri. This is literally the stupidest thing I have ever done in my life. Trundling into a bunch of highly dangerous space aliens with nothing but flimsy metal to keep me safe against their protom beams or whatever. I half expected Loki to groan in anguish about how I was always ruining his plans but in the jumping headlights, he looked like a lost and frightened deer, unable to quite understand how he it had all come to this one moment.
I felt some of the soldiers smashing against the exterior of my truck and a claw reached for me through the open door. Letting go of the wheel I slammed the door shut on the claw and a piercing shriek rent the night.
"Eat that, you alien piece of shit!" I called, grabbing the wheel just in time, narrowly missing Loki who was frozen on his hands and knees looking at the truck in bewilderment. I was barely out of the car when I felt something lunging at me.
"Stupid idiot," I screamed, not sure if I meant me or the Chitauri soldier. He had knocked me right against Loki's sceptre and I gripped it in my palms, slashing wildly against the mass that threatened to squash me. A blast of cold blue light shot out from the core and the Chitauri, armour and all, was obliterated. With a yelp of triumph I scrambled to my knees and shrieked, "Stay back or I'll have you! The lot of you."
"PATON WHAT ARE YOU-"
"Saving your life again you ingrate," I screamed at him, gripping him by his arm and pushing him towards the truck, "Now shut up and get in!"
"You're supposed to be-"
"Here," I barked. "I'm supposed to be here, now get in!"
Clambering in with me, he slammed the door shut and we shot off into the forest with an entire army gaining on us.
"This is literally the stupidest thing you have ever done!" He yelled, his eyes wide in panic.
"I know right!" I shot him a wild grin.
He stared at me shock and then, though I might have imagined it, he cracked a small smile.
"PATON LOOK OUT!"
I swerved quickly past a tree.
"WATCH OUT CAN YOU."
"Sorry, won't happen ag-" I swerved past another tree. "From now, it won't happen."
"You're stark raving mad," he said, traces of panic still in his voice. "What did you think you were doing, coming here?"
"I had a feeling."
He looked at me dumbstruck, "You had a feeling?"
"Yes," I nodded vigorously. "A feeling. You know? From the gut."
"You jest."
"Some people believe in that stuff you know," I shot back. "Sometimes you live with somebody long enough you start sensing their-their-"
"What?"
"Their well-being, you know?" I scrambled for words becoming irritable. "And when it's in danger."
"You believe this?"
"I said some people do! I didn't say I- Listen here don't cross-question me, where's my thanks?"
Something large thudded down on the roof and the metal creaked in protest and then something burst through the top.
"MY TRUCK!" I screeched but a claw was reaching down, grabbing me painfully by the shoulder.
Loki scrambled for his scepter and thrust it up at the Chitauri soldier who was blown into nothingness. He twisted around in his seat and said, "Stop, stop the truck."
"But they're right behind us!"
"In case you've forgotten, we have something they don't."
"We do?" I asked, and he leaned forward to pull something out from under the seat. It was a titanium case.
He kicked open the door and threw it down on the forest floor as the Chitauri closed the distance between us.
Pointing the sceptre at it, he inhaled sharply - they were ten yards away - the case blew open to reveal the cube - five yards - he quickly reached for it, holding it by the edges and held it out from his chest - a blast of light - blinding white, I had to look away - the entire front ranks were gone and the remaining Chitauri skidded to a hault. I crawled out of the driver's seat and Loki threw his sceptre at me.
"Keep it aimed," he ordered and I held it out at the Chitauri feeling rather foolish, but less vulnerable than before. Their leader, who was somewhat larger and bulkier, surveyed us with a cruel glint in his beady eye. Loki clambered up on the bonnet and the the roof with the tesseract in full view.
"I should have warned you not to cross me," he spat, addressing the Chitauri. "Stand down."
Nobody moved a muscle.
"Order your soldiers to stand down, NOW."
The leader made a malicious grunt but the soldiers did not lower their weapon arms.
"So be it," Loki snarled and the tesseract glowed before another beam of light shot through the forest, scattering the soldiers. Those who were too slow, well, they didn't make it.
One of the Chitauri had staggered too close to me and let the sceptre off, staring in shock as nothing but a steaming and charred patch remained on the forest floor. I had an urge to fling away the sceptre. It's power was too great for me, but it was the only thing I had to protect myself with so I held on for dear life.
The tesseract beam chased them into a corner and did the deed, but even after there was a scraggly group of soldiers, surrounding the leader in a turtle-shell like formation, their broad forearms held up above them. When I looked around wildly, I realized that shots had been fired at us too. There was a burning hole where the back of my truck should have been. I gasped in anger. The trees around us were sooty and the ground looked dug up. But, miraculously, I was unharmed.
"I would spare you an emissary to send back to Skrull," Loki said, "only I'm not feeling as generous as I was a few hours ago."
And with that the tesseract hummed to life and a strange scream lingered in the air as the last few Chitauri were disappeared forever. It was over. He had won. We had won. And it was all finally over.