This takes place a few hours after the last one.
Differences in this chapter: Loki teams up with the Avengers to stop Wendigo, who takes the place of Loki in the invasion.
Everyone listened to what Loki said. None of it sounded good. With Wendigo having a hold on Loki's mind for this Thanos, Fury wanted Loki to stay in the cell, but Dalla refused.
"He can have the room next to mine," she said.
"Someone already has that room," said Maria Hill. "Steve. Where will he stay?"
"Then, I'll stay with Dalla," said Loki.
"Not happening," said Steve.
"He can bunk with me," said Thor. "I'll keep him under control."
"Not the best idea you've had, brother," Dalla said.
Arguing ensued. The biggest pair was Tony and Steve. Dalla tried to get everyone to see reason, that she could keep Loki in line as his sister and best friend, with Loki's help, but their voices were drowned out. They didn't notice the scepter starting to glow. Moments later, the helicarrier shook as an explosion took place. Loki steadied Dalla.
"The team that was meant to break me out is here," said Loki, looking at Natasha. "There is one named Barton in the group."
Dalla and Hill went to the computers. Though Dalla was behind the times, she still tried to help on the computers.
"Well, gravity still works," Dalla said.
"We have an engine down," Hill supplied.
Steve looked at Dalla. She seemed busy on the computer but Steve knew how fast that could change. He and Tony went to fix the engine. Loki ran back to the room with the cell and had illusions play. While hidden by Loki's magic, they waited for the corrupted agents to appear. However, they didn't expect Coulson to come in or for Wendigo to appear with the scepter and kill him.
Thor yelled out, but Wendigo was ready as the brothers charged him. With one kick, both men were in the cell and trapped. Thor hit the wall, causing the cell to shake when it cracked, and Loki gave him a look that said, "Don't do that again" but Thor didn't see it. The brothers watched Wendigo go up to the control panel. There was no warning for him sending them hurtling towards Earth.
"Oh, this is fantastic!" Loki said sarcastically as they tried to break out.
"Shut up, Loki!" Thor said, attempting to hit the walls.
Loki sat on a bench and held on. "I'll let you play this silly game while I relax, shall I?"
"Damn it, Loki! Help me before we hit the ground!"
"Hit the crack again, nitwit!"
Thor tried over and over to do it but kept failing, Loki rolled his eyes and grabbed Thor's ankle. Pushing off from the wall, he launched towards the crack just as Thor broke through, both gods flying free but landing hard.
"This is why I like Dalla more, you oaf," Loki groaned.
"Right now, I agree," Thor moaned.
Back on the helicarrier, Dalla had seen everything. She feared for her brothers and Steve… hell, everyone on the ship! She looked at Hill, who nodded. They couldn't let Wendigo leave with the scepter. Dalla ran after the horned freak, stopping him from leaving.
"Little Goddess," he taunted.
"Longhorn," she said in return.
"Let's see if you can survive now that you are outside the misfit's head."
She drew Eldr and began defending herself. She had to admit, he knew how to fight, but she would defeat him. She had to. She couldn't let him hurt any more people. She knew about Coulson from Thor and now, she had missed the chance to get to know him. Just as she was getting the upper hand, one of the corrupted agents came from behind and hit her, knocking her out.
The agent went to grab her, but Wendigo said, "Leave her. She isn't necessary for this plan. We will get her for Thanos later. For now, we need to leave."
He went up to her and touched the red mark, remembering how she had reacted in Loki's mind. She woke up, screaming in pain. Steve heard her and ran to Dalla.
"Your brother screamed as we tortured him," Wendigo said. "Begged us to stop burning him, beating him. But if a simple touch can get this reaction from you, I'll have to have you as my personal toy."
"Stop it," she gasped out.
His other hand trailed over her face and down her neck so that he had his hand wrapped around it gently, causing tears to form and more screams. "Imagine what he saw when your flame engulfed me. You made him relive that torture. But doesn't this feel nice? This pain?" He leaned down, frost covering her hair as he got near her ear to whisper. "This torture?"
"Get your hands off her!" Steve demanded.
"But her fear and pain are beautiful. I can almost see flecks of red among the ashy gray."
Steve threw his shield, knocking Wendigo off of her. Wendigo got up and left with the corrupted agent. Dalla held her arm, pain coursing through her. Steve knelt beside her, seeing the frostbitten arm. It reminded him about before and it worried him.
"Stop him," she said through clenched teeth. "He has the scepter."
He nodded but saw it was too late. He helped Dalla up and they made their way to the med bay. Thor brought Loki back. Hill informed them of what happened and they ran to the room. Loki took her hand, sitting on the other side of her from Steve and the doctor, watching them attempt to ease the pain.
"Loki?" Dalla asked. "Thor? How?"
"As usual, with my hammer," Thor joked from the doorway.
"He was an oaf, as usual," said Loki.
"I believe it," she said to both of them. "Loki… can you…?"
Loki nodded. He took her injured hand and used his healing ability on her. She hissed in pain from the healing, but it was nothing compared to when Wendigo had touched her. She nodded to Loki, telling him it was okay to keep going. After five minutes, her arm was normal again. She hugged him, shaking.
I'm so sorry, Loki, she cried. I… in your mind…
You didn't mean to, he said after replaying what Wendigo had said to her. You didn't know. I should have stayed with you instead of going with Thor.
She shook her head, tears falling. Remembering the small moment of pain she had suffered had her shaking, she couldn't imagine what Loki had suffered. She hugged him tighter.
"Fury wants everyone on the bridge," said Hill, her tone somber.
Dalla looked at Hill, both knowing what was going to be said. Thor and Loki shared the same look between each other.
Steve felt out of the loop but he wasn't for long. Dalla turned to him and told him what she had seen before going after Wendigo. They went to the bridge and Fury held something.
"These cards were in Phil Coulson's pocket," Fury informed them. "I guess he never did get you to sign them, Captain." He threw them onto the table, a bit of blood hitting the table. "Banner is missing. I've got nothing for you. I lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that one coming." Steve picked up one of his vintage cards, feeling sick. Dalla took his other hand. "Yes, we were building an arsenal with the Tessaract. I never put all my chips on that number, though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable individuals, to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles we never could." Fury looked at them all. "Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes." Tony got up and walked off. "Well, it's an old-fashioned notion."
Loki scoffed, earning a scowl from Thor. Dalla looked at Steve, who looked back at her. Everyone knew what they had to do. It was time to fulfill Phil Coulson's belief in the Avengers Initiative.