(A/N): Oh my god. I'm so tired. I went and saw Knives Out again tonight and I am so tired. Such a good movie though. I LOVE that movie.
Shoutouts to toomanyfandoms98, .7, Alyxia, Lost O'Fallon Girl, Sora Loves Rain, Westcoast222, JannaKalderash, Pterodactyl1993, peachx89, Najada, Catzandbookz8, alexaguamenti, and Guests for reviewing! I love and appreciate each and every one of you. I don't think this is the chapter you were expecting and I'm both excited and scared to hear your thoughts.
This was one of my fav chapters to write. It's just such a pivotal moment in Hermione's story and I hope I captured it in the way I was aiming to. And I hope that you all can kind of understand why it turned out this way.
This chapter is unbetaed so any mistakes are on me because I'm super tired and probably missed things when I was rereading this because of that. Mea culpa.
Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!
Carol heard the alarms blaring as she crashed through Asgard's defenses, but she could not have given less of shit in that moment. She needed to find Loki and she needed to find now.
How could they have let this happen?
That question kept circling round and round in her mind.
How could they have let this happen? How could they have not noticed the signs for so long? How could they have been so blind- so foolish?
Bursting through multiple walls in her quest, Carol felt several weapons bounce off her suit without even leaving a scratch. So much for their superior weapons.
Coming to a stop in the throne room, Carol was relieved to see that Thor was already there- hammer in hand, of course- along with multiple warriors and two older individuals by a golden throne that she assumed were Frigga and Odin.
When Thor saw that the person attacking them was actually Carol, he lowered his weapon and stared at her in confusion. "Lady Danvers?"
Dropping down to the floor, Carol made sure to keep her powers tucked just below the surface so that she still had a faint, ominous glow about her. "Where is Loki?" she demanded.
"You dare-" the man on the throne started to below but Thor interrupted him.
"Loki is where he belongs. If you wanted to see him, then you should not have come here in the manner you did."
"Mia is in danger," Carol interrupted him. "She's in danger and we need Loki- now."
"What need have you for my son?" the woman by the throne asked calmly.
Carol didn't take her eyes off of Thor. "At this moment, a Kree warship has descended into Earth's atmosphere." Thor's eyes widened in horror. "They are coming for Mia, Thor. They are there for the express purpose of capturing her and destroying Earth before taking her back to Hala and torturing her."
Thor's eyes almost seemed to glow with anger. "Then we must go to Midgard at once."
"Not without Loki," Carol snapped. "We need him- Loki is the best at strategic planning. Knowing him, he's considered that something like this might happen and already has some idea of what to do."
Seemingly torn, Thor glanced over at his parents.
"She's his daughter," hissed Carol, enraged by his hesitation. "She's his daughter and she's in danger- are you really that terrible of a brother that you would keep him from her? Is your family really that fucked up?"
Even as Odin opened his mouth to protest, Frigga spoke. "Thor, go to the dungeons and release your brother. Heimdall will use the Bifrost to transport you to Midgard."
Jumping into action, Thor hurried off with Carol at his heels. They could hear Odin's rage echoing down the hall, but it was Frigga's rebuke that was clearly heard. "That is our granddaughter in danger and I will not allow your pride and ignorance to damage this family any more than it already has! I was the one to teach Loki how to wield his magic and should you choose to challenge me on this matter, I will show you why I am a far more fearsome adversary than he is!"
When Mia opened her eyes, she was confused by the dark, metal ceiling above her. Her bedroom had a white ceiling... the helicarrier's ceilings were metal though... Hogwart's ceilings were made of-
She wasn't at Hogwarts. She wasn't with S.H.I.E.L.D. More importantly, this wasn't her bedroom.
It all came trickling back to her- Tony, the unknown ship, the Kree, her mom...
"You're awake," came a vaguely amused voice to her left.
Slowly- achingly slowly- Mia turned to see who was standing next to her. When her vision finally focused enough to make out the features on the hazy outline next to her, Hermione flinched back reflexively.
It was Albus Dumbledore. The Albus Dumbledore from the photos in Skeeter's book. The Dumbledore who once stood shoulder to shoulder with Grindlewald.
"You," Hermione started, voice as serious as she could make it. "You are not Dumbledore."
Raising an eyebrow, the man stepped forward. "I'm not."
"That's good. Dumbledore was an awful, awful, human. Just terrible really."
Seemingly uninterested in her topic of conversation, he started slowly walking around the table she was laying on. "My name is Yon-Ragg- I'm a... friend of your mother's." She knew that name. She knew he was lying. "How old are you?" he asked abruptly.
For some reason, Mia found that question far more amusing than she should. "That is a tricky question and one I really should be asked more. After all, how could one as young as I have eyes so old?"
Yon-Ragg wasn't deterred. "Since you seem to have inherited Vers' abilities, you can't be older than 18 or so," he persisted. "And there's only a limited amount of time after she left the Kree that could account for your birth."
"Look at you," Hermione slurred, head lulling. "Why are you asking me questions that you seem to already have the answers to when I do not?"
He sighed. "It seems the drugs are having a different effect on you than originally intended. Which, I suppose, is understandable since they weren't meant for you."
Ah. Drugs. That made sense- it explained why Mia felt so odd. Her head felt so… light.
Her head was empty.
She couldn't feel her parents.
That was a sobering thought. She needed to find a way to get the drugs out of her system and reconnect with her parents before getting out of there and-
Mia was so tired. Her exhaustion covered her like a thick blanket weighing her down too much to move.
And she suddenly realized that she wasn't wearing her suit anymore- just the shorts and tank top that she'd had on underneath it.
"They were meant for your mother," Yon-Ragg continued, unaware of her spiraling thoughts. "It was made specially for her. Took us years to get the formula right; we needed to find the right chemicals that would keep Vers down long enough for us to get her prepped to move and then find a way to turn it into a gas."
Slowly doing the math in her head, Mia asked, "It took you 18 years to create this drug? Just how stupid are your scientists?"
Yon-Ragg shook his head and sighed. "It appears you also inherited Vers' penchant for flippant remarks."
"Her name is Carol," came tumbling out of Mia's mouth. "My mother's name is Carol. She's not Vers- she never was. She was never really one of you."
"Is that what she told you?" he questioned, amused. "Did she tell you that she was always our enemy? That she always stood separate from us?"
She had to be careful with this- subtle enough to go unnoticed but with enough force to actually make a difference.
"She didn't need to tell me anything. I'm quite capable of deducing things on my own."
It was working, she was sure of it. Just a little bit more…
"A truly intelligent being doesn't need to brag about it."
"Perhaps, but a truly confident one has nothing to hide."
MIA!
Her breath left her in a rush. Dad?
What happened? Loki pressed. The connection was clear enough that she could hear him without any issues but not strong enough that Mia was able to see either him or his surroundings. Where are you?
Ran into one of Mom's archnemesis'. I'm on the ship. They used some kind of drug and now I feel all… floaty.
Loki was silent for a moment. Which archnemesis? Your mother has more than a few; I'm going to need a name.
Yon-Ragg.
Ah. That archnemesis.
Yeah. I still haven't found Brett Johnson yet.
Who?
That disgusting prig who made the comment to Mom about cockpits.
Kid, that was so long ago. I could not care less about that anymore. Let it go. The connection to Carol had finally reformed and, though Mia could tell her mother was trying to sound calm and unconcerned, she could feel the toxic mixture of fear and rage whirling through her.
Mia suddenly realized that Yon-Ragg wasn't talking anymore.
"Did you finally grow tired of the sound of your own voice?" she wondered.
"Who is your father?" Yon-Ragg demanded without preamble. Or perhaps there had been a preamble but Mia just hadn't heard it.
"Why do you want to know?" Mia demanded cheerfully. These were quality drugs- she'd give them that.
Yon-Ragg moved so that he was back in her sightline. "Did your mother never mention our… relationship?"
It took longer than Mia would like to comprehend just what he was insinuating. "Oh, you must be joking," she groaned. "Really? My mother had a relationship with you? You, who is essentially another Dumbledore except instead of being magical you're… you're just…" her mind struggled to come up with an appropriate term. Then, her memory conjured up a term she had once heard Tony use and found oddly amusing. "You're just some space fucker!" she announced proudly.
The way Yon-Ragg's eyes tightened told Mia that she was severely trying his nerves. "I will ask you one last time," he warned softly. "Who is your father?"
What should I do? she asked her parents.
Tell him that he is your father, Loki promptly responded.
What? Carol demanded. No. Absolutely not!
Well, don't explicitly state it, of course, her father corrected. Subtle implications only.
That's not what my objection is about, snapped Carol. She can't tell him that he's her father. You're her father.
And we all know that, retorted Loki, also seeming annoyed. But she needs to buy herself time. If Mia plays on his sentiments, then it will cause him to hesitate.
The Kree don't do sentiments.
He did with you.
I would have thought that your arguments would have been switched, Mia admitted abruptly. That Mom would be arguing to tell him that he's my father and you would have been arguing the opposite.
It's only logical, Loki insisted.
And since when do you do logic? her mother grumbled.
Yon-Ragg taking a step towards her snapped Mia back to attention. "I don't know," she told him abruptly, pulling her face into a frown. "I don't know who my father is."
He stopped. "Your mother never told you?"
Mia sighed. "She told me that he died- that he was a brave, strong, and intelligent warrior who died saving the lives of others. She told me that he was a hero, but she never told me what his name was and, to be honest, I never asked."
"You weren't curious?" he asked suspiciously.
"Mom didn't want to talk about it," she answered simply.
Studying her intently for a long moment, Yon-Ragg didn't reply. Mia wondered what he was seeing. She knew she looked far more like her mother than her father- was he trying to spot the differences and then compare them to his own features?
Just a little more- just a few more moments and then she would be able to make her move.
"You're the one who destroyed the army that attacked this world?" Yon-Ragg questioned, stepping closer.
"Yes, because I'm amazing," she sang. "Not that it was a very difficult task though. Pathetically easy really."
Seemingly amused again, Yon-Ragg agreed, "No, I suppose the Chitauri army wouldn't prove much of a challenge for you. It does explain why you so brazenly attacked us- if you've only ever fought weaklings like the Chitauri, you wouldn't have expected the might of the Kree."
"The might of the Kree," Mia snorted. "From what I've heard, your people grow either weaker with every day that passes because of the Nova Empire or become as twisted and insane as Ronan. I'm curious though: are you weak or are you Ronan?"
Before Yon-Ragg could answer, the ship shook violently.
The light of the Bifrost still glowed around them even as Carol and Loki raced forward towards where the warship was hovering overhead. For once, Loki didn't feel the need to discuss strategy before engaging in a battle- he was prepared to rip the Kree ship apart with his bare hands if that was what it took.
Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three were right behind them. "Can your powers break through the ship?" Thor called to Carol, the strap of his hammer wrapped tight around his wrist. If she could break through, then he could follow after her and help find Mia.
"Mia did that and that's how they managed to capture her," Carol responded, voice tight. "There's some sort of gas they released inside the ship that we're susceptible to. Mia's found a way to deal with it, but I doubt I'll be able to if I go in there."
"Then what is the plan?" asked Hogan. He still wasn't sure if it had been wise to come- anything having to do with Loki never ended well- but Thor was insistent on joining in the fight and he wouldn't let his shield brother go alone.
"It's simple really," Loki answered, finally coming to a stop. "Thor will destroy their communications system so that they can neither request help nor inform any of what they've discovered. Mia will make her escape, and that will be our moment to attack." Turning to look back at his brother and his companions, Loki warned, "No one on that ship can be left alive."
Simply nodding, Thor spun his hammer and took off. These beings had attacked his family- had stolen his niece with plans to harm her. Death would be too swift a kindness for them but unfortunately, this was neither the time nor the place for a lengthy battle. Rising high into the air, Thor located where the outer hub of their communications system was located and swiftly brought multiple strikes of lightning down onto it.
As Yon-Ragg began shouting to whoever was on the other side of his communicator, Mia slowly sat up and swung her legs off the table. When he turned to see her standing, Yon-Ragg's eyes widened in surprise.
"Did it not occur to you," Mia started to ask casually, "that the fact that the drugs weren't working properly on me meant that they also weren't going to be as effective? All I had to do was increase my core temperature enough to sweat out enough of the toxin so that I could regain control of my powers."
Yon-Ragg's eyes flashed with anger and then reluctant amusement. "How clever of you."
"I try," Mia shrugged, preparing to blow the ship sky high.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Yon-Ragg warned her, mimicking her casual tone. "You may be right that it didn't occur to me that you might still be able to access your powers even while drugged, but are you really so arrogant to believe that the drugs were our only plan? After all, I've known Vers for years- I know how good she is at finding a way to escape at the last minute. It's a real gift for her. A gift you seem to have inherited."
"I'm about a hundred miles out," Tony informed Steve.
"We're right behind you," Steve responded, hovering behind Natasha. Despite their well-known dislike of one another, when Natasha had heard that Hermione had been captured, she had immediately taken control of the jet. "We just got word that what looks like the Bifrost appeared not far from the ship."
"So, the Asgardians finally managed to fix that- great," the other man grumbled. "Any sign of Carol?"
"Not that I've heard." He was positive that Carol would be making an appearance any minute though. Steve knew there was no chance that she hadn't heard what was going on and was racing towards Earth as they spoke.
"Don't suppose you know of any weakness that these Kree have?" Brock Rumlow questioned from behind Steve, pulling on his tactical gear.
"Not really," Natasha answered. "They're more advanced than us but not as advanced as Thor claims his people are. We do know they're not bulletproof like Loki was, but their armor probably is."
"Hear that?" Brock called back to the rest of the STRIKE team. "Aim for any exposed skin."
"Got eyes on the ship and on the Asgardians," Tony announced abruptly. "Looks like Thor is down there with a few of his buddies and-"
"Tony?"
"Carol's down there and she brought Loki to the party."
"And what is this amazing back-up plan that is supposed to have me shaking in my boots?" Mia asked dryly, folding her arms over her chest. "If I were wearing any, of course."
Yon-Ragg smirked at her. "After we captured you, we filled the ship a rather flammable substance. Should you use your powers, several of the surrounding rooms will instantly be engulfed in fire."
Mia's mind raced. It would be much easier to connect the dots to all of this if her mind wasn't still so sluggish. The drugs weren't completely out of her system yet- it was unlikely that they would be for at least another day or so- so she was having trouble processing everything.
Why was he telling her this? What was the point? If she used her power, parts of the ship would go up in flames.
"You think I care if members of your crew die?" Mia finally asked, keeping her expression bored. "Is your assumption that I wouldn't risk the lives of your people in order to save myself and my home? Because that's a rather ignorant idea and utterly wrong."
"Actually, I'm assuming that you wouldn't risk the lives of innocent people in order to save your own skin," he corrected. "You see, all of the rooms filled with gas contain the holding cells for a group of refugees that were captured."
Well, that made much more sense then, didn't it?
Quickly muting the mental link on their end so that Mia couldn't hear them, Loki turned to Carol. "There are no hostages on that ship."
"What are you talking about?" demanded Fandral, confused as to where the need for such a comment had come from.
Carol stared up at Loki, expression uncharacteristically unsure. "A group of Argoran refugees went missing about a week ago," she told him quietly. "There's been no trace or sign of what happened to them."
Thor inhaled sharply. He knew of the connection his brother and Lady Danvers had with their daughter and inferred that they were able to witness what was occurring on the ship. A ship that may happen to have a large number of innocents on board- making attacking it a much more costly venture.
"Listen to me," Loki hissed, grabbing Carol's shoulders. "There are no refugees on that ship. There are no innocents on that ship. The only people on that ship right now is our daughter and a large number of Kree warriors. Do you understand?"
Mia's fear was reverberating down their connection. She couldn't last much longer.
When Carol didn't say anything, Loki swore. "Damn you. That is our child up there, terrified and alone. Have we not already failed her once? We cannot fail her again. We cannot lose her again."
Even Volstagg felt a small amount of sympathy at the pain in Loki's voice. He may have no love or respect for the man, but it appeared as though the Trickster did care for his child and worried for her.
Spine straightening, Carol stared up at Loki with hard eyes.
"Clever," Mia allowed, fingers digging into her arms. "Of course, it also goes to show just what a disgusting waste of a creature you actually are."
Yon-Ragg was unbothered by her comments. "Vers would never risk the lives of innocent- no matter the cost to herself. And as her daughter, I imagine that you are just like her in that regard."
He's lying, Mia, her mother told her, abruptly reestablishing their connection.
Mia had felt when she and her father and pulled away though- knew that they were discussing something that they hadn't wanted her to hear. Even her somewhat addled mind could piece together what that meant. She knew that they were trying to protect her from making an impossible choice.
It was too late though. Mia already knew what she had to do.
"What's going on up there?" Steve demanded.
Tony stared at the ship from where he hovered several hundred feet away. Every cell in his body felt like it was on fire. It felt like it was literally killing him to be so far away, to not be up close and in the action when someone he loved was on the line. Mia was his sister- he should be helping her.
But he couldn't. Tony couldn't be the one to save Mia, to protect her.
"You need to stay back, Stark." Carol had ordered when they'd touched down, somehow syncing with his system. "We're going to get Mia out and once we do, there will be an opening to attack the ship. Your suit isn't going to be strong enough to get through their defenses right now though. You need to fall back."
"Tony?" Steve asked.
Suddenly, every window on the ship seemed to light up from the inside and a split second later, a sonic boom came bursting out as the ship literally exploded. Tony was thrown back, his armor vibrating as it tried to distribute the invisible waves rocking against it.
"MIA!"
"Too bad for you though that I am not my mother."
They could hear Loki shouting long before they saw him. Speeding ahead of Thor, Carol hurtled down the stairs and past multiple cells until she came to stop in front of Loki's. He was leaning against the wall closest to a guard and shouting at him. The guard, who had previously been ignoring Loki with a small sneer on his face, startled at the sudden appearance of Carol and then Thor.
"What is going on here?" Thor boomed.
"What are you doing here?" Loki demanded of Carol, ignoring his brother. "You shouldn't be here- you should be helping Mia!"
"I am," she retorted. "But I was too far away when I realized what was happening- the only way I'm getting to Earth in time to help is by catching a ride on the Bifrost."
Loki scowled. "This fool of a guard ignored my requests to speak with either Thor or Frigga. I had thought to inform them so that they might be able to send warriors to Midgard."
Thor glared at the now fearful guard. "Is that true?"
"We- we were given orders by the king," the guard stammered. "Loki is known for his silver tongue- we were told to be on our guards at all time."
"I don't know how it is here," Carol snapped, "but where I come from, there's a fucking difference between 'being on guard' and 'ignoring'." Then, without preamble, she lifted her glowing hand and slammed it against the shimmering wall of Loki's prison. Wardstones may be enough to keep Loki locked in the cage, but Carol had been taught by the man in question that, if you flung enough raw power around, it was easy to overload them.
As soon as the walls fell, Loki leapt down beside Carol and took off back towards the exit out of the dungeons.
"Loki," Thor protested, racing after his brother and moving to stop him. "We need to come up with a plan."
"Why?" Loki snarled. "You never listened to my plans anyway. All you have ever done is charge recklessly into situations and leave others to clean up your messes. So, rather that waste time and breath informing you of a plan you won't even be able to remember after a few minutes go by, I will just tell you what to do as needed." Spotting the Warrior's Three and Sif standing a ways ahead of them, Loki finally came to a stop and looked at Thor. "But mark my words, Thor: if you try to act on your own- if you do anything to endanger the life of my daughter- I will destroy you so completely that not even the strongest of magics will be able to piece you back together. I have had many a chance to kill you that I did not take. Do not make me regret it."
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