Here is a new chapter. I'm really sorry it took so long.

Anyway, check out this fanart I got for my birthday. Isn't
it simply cute? :D
bahelen . deviantart art / Happy - Birthday - Human - 441045848
(Search that on Google!)

Don't forget to check out my friend's other artworks!

If you have any wishes concerning interactions or actions in this story
feel free to write them in a review or send me a PM. Though I have a
rough plan for this story's ongoing I am open to ideas :-).

And now enjoy ^.^

Chapter 11

"All civilians, clear the area, now!"

They panicked. Of course they did. Steve cursed under his breath. There certainly were better ways of evacuating people, but he had had no time to think one up. All he knew was that he had to save those people from… Well from what exactly? A laser shooting terrorist?

"Captain! There are still people in that building over there!"

He jerked around. Natasha was standing behind him pointing at one of the skyscrapers.

"Why are they still in there? I thought the fire department set off all the fire alarms!"

"I thought so too," Black Widow answered. The soldier frowned.

It was a large glass tower, probably owned by some company. He didn't really like those modern buildings, they were too big and too shiny for his taste, but right now there were more important things than his taste. For example the unnaturally green light emitting from one of the higher floors of the tower.

He put one hand to his earpiece.

"Stark, I thought you wanted to deal with the maniac!"

It took Ironman some time to answer.

"Yeah, well Cap, the thing is, he wasn't alone," he answered finally and Steve was secretly shocked by how serious the billionaire sounded. "There are green glowing guys all over the city. Actually I could need some help dealing with them."

That was all Steve needed. He rushed to the entrance. Though it was a revolving door normally run on electricity, it wasn't moving. Electricity was probably down. Steve sighed. Then he shattered the glass with his Vibranium shield.

The foyer was big and shiny, just like the whole building. The floor was made of what looked like marble and the chairs that stood on carpets in one of the corners were of black leather. He spotted three elevators on the opposite wall, but as electricity was still down he didn't bother to consider using them.

Instead he made his way to an inconspicuous stairway next to the counter. It wasn't nearly as clean as the foyer but Steve didn't care. He started sprinting up the stairs, taking three at a time. His only thought was the people that were still inside the building alongside a laser shooting delinquent.

It was on the thirteenth floor that he finally saw green light glowing under the threshold of a door. He flung it open and followed the intense glow. Did he only imagine it or was the light really more intense then the light emitting from that maniac earlier that day?

He found them in a conference room with glass walls. Civilians, probably workers of the company, were standing with their backs to the windows while a green glowing woman in her early twenties blocked the only door. Oh, fantastic.

He approached the door, putting one finger across his mouth to keep the people who spotted him from calling the terrorist's attention to him.

Then he used his shield to shatter glass for a second time that evening.

Clint frowned. He didn't like those laser shooters one bit. By the time Tony had told him via earpiece that there were more of them than just one he had already noticed it. The green glows all over the city were hard to ignore.

He had asked Thor to take him to a more central position on a higher rooftop and had tried to hit some of them with his arrows. This proved futile. If not hit by a laser, the arrows seemed to change their flight path just before hitting the terrorist as if invisible hands were diverting them.

Thor, who had positioned himself on the top of the Empire State Building didn't seem to have much luck either. Hawkeye tried to stifle laughter, but seeing the mighty God of Thunder standing on the pointy building just like King Kong in the movie disregarding the fact that the latter's well aimed strokes of lightning didn't bother the green glowing terrorists in the least.

Clint already wanted to propose a change of plans when Steve's voice reached him.

"Guys, I think I know how to stop them!"

"All ears, Captain." Clint replied relieved. Maybe there was still hope.

The green glowing woman had attacked Steve the moment he crashed through the glass pane. The super soldier was once more thankful for the speed that had come with the serum otherwise he would have been unable to avoid the first beam that aimed for him.

He sped around the terrorist as her hand began to glow green and positioned himself between her and the hostages. The beam hit one of the glass walls and left big hole in it. Steve had barely time to be relieved that he hadn't been hit by that laser when the green glowing finger was directed towards him once more.

He knew that he couldn't avoid it if he didn't want it to hit the people behind him so he decided quickly to rely on his shield once more by cowering behind it, praying that it would be enough to protect him against the beams.

He was lucky. The shield worked well: it threw the beam back on the woman. And even better: it distracted the terrorist for a short while, though it didn't do any harm visible to the naked eye.

This brought Steve to change his strategy. He started to approach the woman, still ducked behind his shield. Then, in one swift movement he tackled her with it, knocking her over and quickly pinning her arms down with his knees.

She growled indignantly, just like a wild animal would, and tried to get rid of Steve, but the soldier noticed relieved that she was not strong enough to do so. Then he frowned. That woman didn't seem to be trained; her attempts of shaking him off were based on pure strength. But what kind of terrorist was not trained?

He examined her more closely. She didn't look like a terrorist, but which criminal actually looked like one? Her hair was brown and short, her face heart-shaped and rather delicate and… there was a small bump right above her collar-bone.

Steve's frown deepened as he gently touched that bump with his free hand. There was a small fresh cut on its side. The woman hissed in pain as he touched it and Steve was certain that she wouldn't like what he was going to do but he was positive that later she would thank him for it.

He slipped one finger through the cut, trying hard to ignore the woman's scream of agony some blood flowed out of it, and took a small green glowing chip out of the wound. Bingo.

As soon as the chip left the woman's body, she lost consciousness. The green glow disappeared and her eyes slipped close.

The soldier sat back, sighing in relief.

"Guys, I think I know how to stop them!" he then said through his earpiece.

"All ears, Captain."

"They are controlled by a little black chip inserted into their bodies, if you take it out they will stop fighting. I found it right above the collar-bone but I can't promise that it is the same spot on everyone. You will recognize it when you see it and it's rather easy to take out. They are not acting out of their own free will, so go easy on them!"

"Roger that, Cap." Clint answered.

"Thanks for the info, Cap!" Tony said. "Though I already killed one, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you didn't know. But remember for now, Stark."

With that got offline and took another deep breath. Then he turned towards the hostages.

"I suggest you leave this building as soon as possible," he said calmly. "But do not panic and take care of each other."

The people just nodded and started to make their way to the stairway. They all seemed exhausted and slightly dazed from all what had happened. Steve slipped his hands under the woman's body and started carrying her outside. There was still a lot to do.

Loki was afraid. Not like he would ever admit it in front of the others, but the sad truth was that he indeed felt panic rising inside of him as he noticed the Avengers assemble in the living room. Without him.

He tried to keep himself from thinking about it too much. Stark had given him books. "In case you get bored by thinking up evil plans or something."

Loki loved books. He had always loved them. They didn't judge him, they didn't laugh at him and they offered him a chance to escape from reality, from Thor always being their father's favourite son and from the depreciative looks people gave him in the streets.

Books were simply made, you only needed some paper, wood, leather, glue and ink, and still they were more precious to him than some living beings.

So when he realised that he was going to have a panic attack, he decided to take a book and read a little. He chose a very thick one, The Oxford Shakespeare – The Complete Works, sat down his side against the large window that covered one side of his room and started to read.

It didn't help much.

Outside the window he saw the heroes fight a few human that were glowing green. Green like his own magic. The magic he currently was unable to summon.

Thanos drained me of my magic, maybe he found me, he's coming to get me, he wants revenge…

He couldn't suppress a slight shiver, feeling all the colour drain from his face. Quickly he looked back into the book, trying hard to concentrate on the dialogues of a play called The Second Part of Henry the Fourth. Did he already read the first part?

There were two princes who reminded him strongly of him and Thor. The heir to the throne, Prince Harry, was a ruffian, but charismatic and well liked by the people. His brother John on the other hand seemed to be constantly standing in his brother's shadow. Assigned to end a rebellion the latter tricked the responsible men by acting as if offering them a peace treaty only to kill them after they had signed it.

What Loki didn't understand was that the two brothers seemed to get along well although their father clearly preferred his less obedient eldest son over his devoted younger son. And still, the younger brother seemed to honestly care about his reckless older brother – and vice versa.

It is literature after all, Loki thought sadly. Fantasies that do not connect with the real world.

Suddenly he felt disgusted by the lies that these letters held and put the book aside. He looked out of the window only to see Ironman pass by, chasing one of the green glowers. He could feel his stomach drop in anguish. Why did this green have to look so painfully familiar to him?

Maybe there was still someone in the tower; he hadn't seen the doctor's monster outside. The doctor was no bad company and the Trickster felt that he would go insane if he stayed alone with his fear of the Titan. Sighing he got up and left the room, praying for the battle not to be about him.

Bruce frowned as he examined Spider-man's wounds. The cuts from the glass were superficial, not very deep. They would heal quickly. What had him more worried was the leg wound. The edges were not burned; rather, they were melted as if someone had spilled acid over the teen.

And though the wound didn't seem to be serious, it seemed to affect the young vigilante more than it should. He was very pale and, at most, half conscious although he had not lost a lot of blood and his breaths were getting quicker and quicker. Something was wrong with the wound, but what?

Bruce could have spent the rest of the night wondering about that when Loki entered the living room. He noticed immediately that the trickster god was tired and somehow tense, meanwhile his posture remained upright and proud.

"Doctor." Loki greeted him, keeping his voice controlled. Then the trickster's gaze fell upon the red and blue vigilante.

"Who is that?"

"That is a young vigilante called Spider-man. He was the one who brought you here the other day."

Loki's eyes narrowed slightly.

"So it was him who saved my life?"

"I suppose."

"What is wrong with him?" Bruce wasn't sure if he just imagined the slightly concerned tone in the god's voice.

"He got hit by what seemed to be a laser beam, but somehow he's affected more severely by it than he should be…" Bruce voice trailed off thinking that he was probably boring the trickster.

But to his big surprise, Loki came over to take a closer look at the young spider. He knelt down beside the now completely unconscious man and took hold of one of his hands only to frown.

"He has been poisoned."

Bruce looked at him in bewilderment.

"How can you tell? What kind of poison?"

Loki smiled darkly.

"It is a magic spell I myself used a few times on enemies. It has to be integrated in some object… Now is not the time for that. I can help him, but I must do it quickly."

Bruce frowned. He had noticed that the trickster had been a little nicer around them, but why would he agree to help so suddenly?

Loki seemed to have guessed his thoughts.

"He saved my life, I'll save his. I owe him," he stated simply. "Now, can you help me get him to that white chamber where you took care of me?"

Bruce nodded and scooped the young vigilante intp his arms. For the sake of that kid he would trust Loki. Completely.