The plane was silent as Natasha directed it to the landing site.
Thor shifted in his seat, obviously uneasy with the sudden quiet, "I find your custom of throwing those that are edging toward the cusp of manhood out of magical metal birds rather peculiar… Why, for my coming of age I was to fight the ferocious Jörmungand, a sea-serpent so large that its body circled the world; It was a mighty battle that lead on for many days and nights until, finally, I was able to—"
"It's not a custom, Thor," Steve growled out, "Even Iknow that that's not a normal thing for this time. Do you think he's okay?"
Bruce ran a shaky hand through his dark hair, "I don't think Tony would just hurl someone out of an airplane just for the fun of it."
"The boy is his intern after all," Clint finished, checking the tautness of his bow string.
Natasha scoffed from her pilot seat, "Pretty sure in Stark's eyes that gives him even more reason to."
"Intern? Danny is Tony's intern?" Bruce leaned forward in his seat.
"That's what Stark said when I asked why the kid was here in the first place," Natasha's smug voice called from the cockpit, "Didn't he tell you?"
The gamma-doctor cleared his throat, "Of course he did."
The sharp scraping of metal met the Avengers' ears, followed by a violent shudder throughout the Blackbird, throwing Bruce off balance and making him collapse against the padded seat. Thor and Steve stood on uneasy legs, weapons in hand, while Clint unbuckled himself, a hand hovering over his quivers, pressing himself against the wall to keep his balance.
"What in the world was that?" Steve cried, yanking his mask over his face.
Natasha's harried voice called back over the howling alarms from the dashboard, "Something's damaged the left wing; she's going down! I'll try to control her as much as possible, but make sure you're ready to jump!"
Bruce picked himself up off the seat as Steve tossed him a parachute, "Do you think it's alien?"
"I don't know and I don't really want to find out. One invading extra-terrestrial race is enough for me."
The Blackbird began to fall into a steep decline, Bruce glimpsed sparks flaring from the console as Natasha grasped the control stick, pulling back hard as they continued to tumble down.
"Clint! A little help, please!" She yelled at the archer.
Clint slipped through the cockpit into the co-pilot's chair, pressing expertly at buttons and switches.
Bruce pressed his hands against his face, concealing it from the other's sight as he attempted to focus. His heartbeat accelerating dangerously as he took deep shaking breaths.
"What is that?" Steve called out, breaking Bruce from his meditation.
Taking a shuddering breath, Bruce looked out the windscreen there was a humanoid creature flying in front of the Blackbird following their descent. Its shock of black hair stood stark against its blue skin as red eyes leered at them through the thick glass, before the being was swallowed by a thick cloud.
The lights on the dash died completely, Clint furiously flicking at a switch, before giving the control panel a swift stomp with his boot.
"Everyone out of the jet – let's go people!" he cried, grasping Natasha's wrist and wrenching her from her seat toward the opened hatch at the back of the plane, grabbing two parachutes along the way.
Bruce clipped the bags straps around himself, breathing heavily through his nose as he attempted to keep calm. Thor was heading towards the front of the plane, his hammer raised, when Steve pulled him back, shoving him in the direction of the lowered platform already wearing a parachute of his own.
With a grumble, Thor tossed himself out of the jet, hammer held in front of him, as he quickly disappeared into the afternoon sky. Natasha and Clint quickly following suit with their own parachutes.
"Come on, doctor, time to fly!" With a nod, Steve catapulted himself out of the plane, leaving a bewildered scientist behind.
"Oh boy." Bruce whimpered.
/ / /
Clint landed firmly on the ground outside the perimeter of Saint Peter's Square. He could see the Basilica in the distance a few miles away.
Expertly unclipping the emptied pack, Clint headed towards the Vatican' core, bow in hand. Thor was nowhere in sight, most likely having flown directly to the church with his hammer.
Clint didn't slow down as three pairs of feet pounded after him.
"What was that thing? An alien of some sort?" Bruce puffed out, trying to keep up with Clint's elongated strides, shedding his own empty pack.
"I'm thinking something more close to home. Transylvanian, perhaps." Clint grunted in response.
"Like Dracula, you mean?" Steve stated proudly, obviously pleased that he had understood.
Natasha rolled her eyes, "Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't friendly."
Clint scanned their surroundings. Abandoned vendors and cars lay strewn about the narrow road, the streets surprisingly empty.
"No one's here. Someone's cleared this place out," Steve concluded, raising his shield.
Bruce's voice was hollow behind Clint, "Or something."
"Oh, you're quite right about that," A deep chuckle called from above.
Whipping an arrow out of his quiver, Clint swung his bow around.
The tall, vampiric figure that had downed the Blackbird stood on top of the ancient tiles of a bookshop, a vicious grin spread across its face, sharp teeth a blinding white against its unnaturally coloured skin.
Natasha gave a smirk and leaned over to Bruce and said in a stage-whisper, "On the plus-side, I can confidently say that green is far more flattering than blue."
"Who are you?" Steve didn't lower his shield.
The figure responded with another snicker, leaping down from the building and brushing imaginary dirt of its pristine white-cloaked shoulder, "I am Vlad Plasmius, genius extraordinaire, and one of the most powerful ghosts in existence. I suppose your silly little organisation would refer to me as one of those mindless drones the Asgardians were so used to all those years ago," Vlad licked his incisors threateningly as his palms began to glow a violent pink, "It might interest you to know that we've evolved far beyond those barbaric times, and we're far more dangerous."
The Draugur flicked his wrist lazily, his dangerous teeth still bared at the group.
A cold, green hand slid through the cobblestones, clasping itself around the archer's ankle and yanking his foot out from under him. Clint collapsing on his back with a pained groan, the arrow he had notched came loose flying mere inches from Vlad's head, lodging itself deep into the stone wall of the bookshop.
Flipping onto his back, Clint swung his bow, smacking the glowing green fist sharply with its metal frame. The hand retracted back into the earth with a sharp squeal of pain.
He rolled back to his feet, whipping out another arrow and skipping back out of range, aiming at where the hand had appeared – before having to dive to the side as a beam of pink collided with where he had stood, leaving a small, smoking crater.
Gun shots reverberated through the streets, Natasha frustrated growls barely able to be heard over the noise as Vlad easily dodged her bullets.
"Bruce," Clint heard Steve call out, "You should probably sit this one out. The streets are too narrow and I'm pretty sure you'll do more damage to us than him in this case."
Bruce moaned in response, kneading his forehead with his eyes clenched shut as the noise grew ever louder.
"Now where's the fun in that? I would very much like to see this monstrosity out at play," Vlad cackled, sending another pink blast at Clint, who ducked within a hairs breath. He could feel the energy singe the stubble on his cheek as it grazed past, before colliding with a pillar behind him.
The building's third-story balcony swayed precariously as the column crumbled, loose chunks of rock shattering as it hit the earth.
Gritting his teeth, Clint selected an exploding arrow, setting it to 'armed' as he flipped it smoothly into his palm and notched it. Pulling the string taut, he let it fly. The arrowhead sped towards the blue-skinned ghost, its red light blipping.
The Draugur's head whipped up as it watched the arrow fly towards him. With a dark grin, he coolly stepped out of its path with a smirk, his cape fluttering behind him with his movements.
The arrow pierced itself deep through the cloth, slamming into the rock behind Vlad.
The ghost frowned, "That was my favourite cape," Vlad snarled, tugging furiously at the arrow, "You will pay for—!"
The arrow detonated; red and orange flames bursting out of its end. Clint twisted away from the blinding light, complimented himself as he turned to watch the flames slowly flicker and die. The wall had collapsed, encased in a cloud of dust and smoke. He smirked.
"Nice going, Barton!" Natasha called from the other side of the street.
Clint went to give her a cocky thumbs up when an angry yell echoed from in the dust; Vlad stalked out of the debris, his once impeccable clothes charred, his near luminescent skin black with soot, making his fang's seem even deadlier. The red eyes were manic as they glared out at the group.
The Draugur was beyond words. With a hiss, it charged up its palms, smacking them together as it shot pink energy at a surprised Bruce, sending his body tumbling into the unstable balcony with a shout of pain.
Clint watched Bruce fall to the ground, wheezing as he tried to catch his breath. The balcony swayed once more as terracotta tiles slid from their shingles, clattering about Bruce. And then the balcony tilted too far; support beams snapped as the tiles became too heavy for them, raining down on the doctor's body.
/ / /
"No!" Steve cried, racing towards the debris, ignoring the dust that threatened to settle in his lungs.
He flung large chunks of marble and rock out of the way, vainly attempted to dig the doctor out. Natasha and Clint stood nearby, hands held up to their ears as they relayed the situation back to the Helicarrier.
Piercing laughter met his ears, making Steve pause in his excavation, "What a shame. I so desperately wanted to meet this creature that SHIELD had so proudly boasted about. I guess Doctor Banner never did live up to his reputation. Well, I suppose you can't believe every rumour you hear," Vlad's voice took on a falsetto, "Ta-ta!"
Steve watched as a glowing green blob slipped through the ground next to Vlad, who waved cheerfully before vanishing.
Steve turned back to the rubble, ripping it apart with more fervour. There, underneath the remains of a decorative pot plant, he saw a glimpse of Bruce's button-down shirt brushing dirt off, Steve reached through to grab the shirt, shoving more rocks out of the way.
He paused when the shirt suddenly disappeared from sight. Muffled grunts came from under the balcony as debris slid off the pile of their own accord; rock shifted slowly. Steve carefully slid down the debris, ready to jump. Then, a hand pierced through, making the captain clamber back. Tendons strained against pink, scratched skin as the hand twitched frantically, a sickly green covering its fleshy surface as it grew in size, turning the texture of rhino-hide.
"Everyone back!" Steve ordered, shoving himself to his feet as he tumbled off the pile, "We have to get out of here now!"
Natasha and Clint didn't hesitate, racing down the street, they sharply took a corner out of sight. Steve chased after them, shield in hand.
A thunderous roar met Steve's ears as he raced toward the Basilica. Vlad had gotten what he wanted, and now no one was safe.
/ / /
Danny dodged another green beam aimed at his head, tucking himself into a roll and careening behind one of the large archways. If only he had though to bring his thermos with him when he went after Tony! His sister was always nagging him about taking it everywhere he went. Danny supposed this was his punishment for never listening.
"Incoming!" Danny heard Tony call. Peeking his head out from the stone portico, he retracted it just as quickly as he watched as an ectopus soar by, smashing into one of the statues of the thirty-nine saints. Stone crumbled at Danny's feet as he rushed back out onto the nave, the polished marble floors making him slip slightly in his reinforced boots. Finding his balance he dodged another ectoblast, kicking a foot out to trip an unrecognisable ghostly blob, which shrieked shrilly in retaliation and fled.
Wincing at the sound, Danny charged further into the Basilica, spotting Tony flying overhead as the Ironman sent another ghost face-first into the ground with a metal fist. He seemed to be almost having fun. Sending a weak ectoblast at an approaching ghost, Danny silently wished for the seventh time that he could transform into his ghostly self – the others were taking way too long to get here.
The quad-buttressed altar was fast approaching. The black and gold rods towered over Danny's head on their pale carved pedestals, Saint Peter's tomb laid sunk into the ground at its base, surrounded by ornate banisters. The candelabras that had been placed around the entrance had long since died, replaced with a curious green glow that emanated from inside the catacomb.
Frowning, Danny hefted himself up over the lip of a balustrade, ready to jump in.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a smooth voice echoed through the nave.
Glancing up, Danny found the black-haired god reclined carelessly in an embellished, stone throne at the end of the Basilica, a thin smile playing on his lips. A single stained window was mounted high above Loki's head, a white dove painted delicately in the centre as surrounding statues of angels and cherubs reached desperately for it. Danny scoffed.
Drama queen.
Stepping off the balustrade, he edged around the altar toward Loki. The long marble hallway was littered with craters, some still smoking as the beautiful architecture laid in ruin.
Danny stopped a few metres away lifting his chin defiantly. He had gone against (and beaten) ghosts much stronger than Loki. He wasn't going to act scared, no matter how manipulative and cunning the god was believed to be.
"I have a proposition for you," Loki stated cheerily as he looked down at Danny from Saint Peter's chair, "It appears that SHIELD has taken something that belongs to me. I would very much like you to get it back."
"What?" Danny retorted, "Your dignity? I'm afraid that's long gone, dude, the moment you put on that hat," he gestured toward the horned helmet.
Loki's laugh was hollow, "Plasmius warned me about your tasteless humour. I see that I will have to deal with you in a more… unique manner to the others," throwing his legs across one of the arms, Loki stroked the throne fondly, "I have to give it to you mortals, you've certainly done well for making me a proper palace. Not as good as Asgard, but I suppose it will suffice for now."
Danny frowned, hand clenched by his sides, "I'm not just going to let you destroy the earth and take over the universe!"
"Oh stop being so melodramatic, Daniel. Honestly I don't know how you come up with these things. Must be a trait from that imbecile of a father you have."
Whipping around, Danny was only able to catch a glimpse of blue before a heavy fist met his jaw, catapulting him into one of the many pews with a splintering of wood.
"Ow," he groaned, shaking slivers out of his hair. Luckily, his thick uniform had saved him from most of the damage.
"Another peculiarity you seem to have inherited from the dunderhead. Always expect the unexpected, my boy," Vlad's boots clicked smartly against the destroyed flooring as he headed over to the fallen Danny.
"Take your own advice, Dracula," A robotic voice called out as a flash of white-blue energy careened towards the older halfa.
Vlad barely had time to flinch when the shot hit him hard in the chest, sending him flying towards the base of Loki's throne.
Hairline fractures scattered through the stone as Loki glowered down at the ghost, "You had better fix that."
Tony swooped down beside the teenager, his mask flipping back off his face, "You okay?"
Danny sat up, rubbing his jaw, "Yeah, I'm fine. What happened to the ghosts?"
"Dunno," Tony shrugged, hauling Danny up to his feet, "They just suddenly disappeared the moment Monsieur Hypothermia popped up."
A crash of glass resounded throughout the nave. The large clear windows at the entrance were blown out as a large blond figure propelled itself through the raining glass to land on top of the embezzled altar.
"Loki," Thor rumbled, "Come and fight me like a true Asgardian – do not use petty tricks to hide behind others!"
Sitting upright, Loki rested his chin on his hand, "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, dear brother of mine. However, in father's eyes, I could never be a true Asgardian, could I?" Loki sneered at Thor as he stalked toward the throne.
Tony's feet clunked as he headed near the brothers, "You know, I really wish you two would get over your little 'daddy' issues. Because every time either of you two have a temper tantrum, we," Tony motioned to Danny and himself, "Have to face the consequences."
Both Loki and Thor ignored him.
"It does not matter to me the blood that runs through your veins, dear brother, only that your sense of honour remains intact."
Loki laughed long and hard, "Honour? You question me about honour, brother? The god who only thinks for himself? Striking out at those who you find beneath you without any proof or justice? You're so blinded by power you can't even see what has been hiding from you in plain sight!"
"I do not look down on the humans! I will never! They are my equal!" Thor snapped.
Loki's laughter died down to a simper, "Oh, I didn't say anything about humans. I was talking about something much higher on the food-chain."
Clapping his hands, Loki's grin widened. A thin wisp of cold air escaped from Danny's mouth, dissipating into the air. The ground began to shudder, making Danny give out a yell as he fell back into the pews again. A huge black monstrosity, nearly three stories high, dragged itself out of the earth, flanked either side with dozens of sickly green ghosts. The dragon stretched out its neck, blue flames escaping from its gaping maw.
Vlad leant against Saint Anthanasius' statue, arms crossed, "Is the machine operational?" he asked a nearby ghost. The spectre nodded, "Good. Let Aragon have some fun then – but keep the boy alive, we still need him."
Dark laughter filled the Basilica as the dragon loomed over the trio, its sharp incisors on full display.
"Flying alien whales I can handle, but dragons? Really?" Tony asked Danny.
"Hey, I didn't ask to be stuck in this mess, this is your fault!" Danny hissed back.
Tony's face was bare of its usual smirk, "Trust me, kid, with your luck it was inevitable," he replied coldly, before leaping at the dragon, fist charged.