Author's Note: I don't own Avengers or its characters. I only own Riley Stark and other OCs that appear in the story.
Take on the World
Chapter 8: Helicarrier Havoc
Black and white smoke poured out of the detonation site whilst fire exploded in a raging ball of destruction.
Inside the lab, a tongue of fire licked its way into the workroom.
Steve and Tony were blasted back toward one of the doorways whilst Director Fury and Thor were thrown in the opposite direction.
Natasha and Bruce were shot down through one of the glass windows, onto a lower level, each one hitting the ground hard trying to shield their faces.
Hitting her forehead on the corner of a counter Riley groaned in pain while on her right hand held the sceptre.
Disoriented, the brunette rolled over, trying to establish her surroundings as the world began to tip dangerously.
"Rye-Rye!"Tony shouted.
Tony looked through the smoke, failing to see his daughter behind the fallen equipment.
He stood up from his position beside a fallen Steve, rushing to see if she was okay.
With a little help from Tony, Riley sat up still holding the magical staff.
"I'm fine, dad."Riley assured."Just a little shaken."
Her ears were still ringing from the sudden attack that hit the Helicarrier.
"Miss Stark."Director Fury spoke up."Keep an eye on that sceptre."
The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. gestured toward the glowing wand in Riley's hand.
"I have a feeling someone's going to come for it."Director Fury warned."And keep the program locked on the Tesseract. We can't lose it again."
"Roger that, sir."Riley answered.
Looking to Tony, who was still concernedly checking her out, Riley gave a small yet confident smile.
"Go, dad. I'll be fine."Riley assured."I'll just be staying here in the lab."
Tony looked at Riley, seeing she was serious before planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Be careful, kiddo."Tony instructed sternly.
With a last look, Tony left his daughter.
Going over to Steve, the billionaire helped the other man up.
"Put on the suit!"Steve repeated urgently.
"Yep!"Tony agreed.
Both of the two men turned to rush out the door followed shortly by Director Fury and Thor.
Smoke wafted through out the room as loud bangs were heard from another part of the Helicarrier.
Now the only person left in the damaged lab, Riley set about doing her assigned task.
Seeing that the computer in the corner of the room was still working correctly, the brunette looked back toward the glowing sceptre she had placed on the dusty counter top.
The icy blue gem on Loki's sceptre seemed to be glowing, but had no clear why.
Riley carefully made her way to the magical wand to get a better view of it.
The jewel appeared to be a protective housing for something inside, something powerful.
"From the dawn of the universe, there was nothing. Then...boom. The Big Bang sent six elemental crystals, hurtling across the virgin universe. These Infinity Stones each control an essential aspect of existence."
Riley immediately snapped out of her thoughts upon the sudden voice she heard and carefully picked up the sceptre.
Suddenly, the brunette carefully went to hide underneath the table when an brain washed agent arrived into the damaged lab.
Thinking quick, Riley went behind the brainwashed agent and whacked him on the back of the head by using the sceptre, knocking him out cold.
Despite having told her father she would stay in the lab, Riley decided to leave since the brainwashed agents would come looking for the sceptre.
The brunette started making her way to the Shuttle levels and opened the door only to hear an inhuman roar echo from the area; something monstrous, massive. Incredible.
Riley froze in her tracks when she suddenly heard the roar that echoed throughout the Helicarrier.
The roar meant only one thing.
The Hulk had been unleashed.
Riley immediately closed the door.
"Better find another place to hide."Riley murmured.
The brunette spun around, making more twists and turns as she attempted to get to the Detention Level.
She went around a hallway, to find some men in S.H.I.E.L.D. gear heading her way.
But upon seeing the icy blue shade in the agents' eyes, the brunette immediately could tell they were Loki's goons.
Riley immediately made a run for it as the agents aimed their guns and fired at her.
"This is going great!"Riley scowled sarcastically.
Riley quickly made her way to the right side of the hallway and hide behind a bunch of crates.
Her father wouldn't take her out of the world again, if she got a single scratch.
Riley then saw another door which caught her attention.
She quietly bit her lip.
She could unlock the door, but it would take time and there would be those men and a psychotic God waiting for her on the other side by the time she did it.
She looked down and only to smile when she caught sight of a vent cover.
Fantastic.
This is what she needed.
As quickly and quietly as she could, Riley removed the vent cover on an air duct and slid inside with the sceptre in her hand.
The brunette got into position behind the vent as she heard the footsteps of the brainwashed agents rush past her.
Riley let out a soft sigh of relief.
That was close.
Riley slowly started moving around the air duct as quietly as she could.
Loki could not get the hands of his sceptre.
If he did, the world was doomed to get an alien invasion and innocent civilians were to be caught in the crossfire.
However, as Riley attempted to head to the top part of the air duct, she ended up crawling over a loose vent cover causing her to fall down and hit the ground with the sceptre following in tow.
"Ouch!"Riley muttered in pain.
She was so not doing that again.
As Riley opened her eyes and stood up, she paled when she notice she arrived at the Detention Cell which was where Loki was prisoned.
Though the only difference was the dangerous criminal was not inside the cage.
"You would be wise to hand me that, child."
Riley kept the sceptre tightly in her grip as she turned around to her right and glared at Loki.
"This was your plan all along, wasn't it?!"Riley scowled angrily."Splitting the team apart, so that the Hulk can get loose?!"
Loki gives Riley an unfazed look at her outburst.
"You shouldn't ask questions that you already have answers to, my dear."Loki informed blankly."It's not polite."
"You know what you're planning to do is not going to end up going well for you, Horn Head."Riley warned."You've just ticked off the most powerful people on the planet."
Loki easily ripped the sceptre from Riley's grasp.
"Your warnings mean nothing to a God."Loki retorted.
"Oh really, Reindeer Games?"Riley questioned with a hint of sarcasm."If you think you're going to win this little war you attend to cause, you are so wrong."
Loki looked down at Riley.
The young brunette, however, just stared up at him, refusing to cower in front of him.
Suddenly, a smirk appeared on Loki's face.
"So that's who you are."Loki commented."You are the Man of Iron's daughter."
"Yes. I am Riley Stark."Riley replied slightly, surprisingly not looking scared that Loki figured out her identity."Do you want an autograph now?"
Despite hearing Riley's annoying sarcastic behaviour, Loki continued smirking at Riley.
"Would you quit looking at me like that."Riley scowled."You're creeping me out."
"Since Barton told me about your father's grand tower, it will be wise for you to show me the way inside it."Loki insisted.
A scoff escaped from Riley's mouth.
"You want me to invite you into my house?"Riley retorted in disbelief."As if I'll ever do that."
Riley froze in shock when she felt a brainwashed agent aim his gun behind her head.
"I'm sure you will, Miss Stark."Loki sneered."After all, I have a Realm to take over. Now be a good little girl that keeps her mouth shut and no harm will come to you."
Riley gives Loki an annoyed look before the brainwashed agent grabbed her by the shoulder to lead her out of the Detention Level and take her to a Quinjet.
"Agent Coulson is down."
"A medical team is on their way to your location."
"They're here. They called it."
"Sir, we've also stopped by the lab. Miss Stark is gone as well."
Tony was utterly silent upon hearing the latest reports he got after the havoc within the Helicarrier ended.
The only ones that were left of the Avengers Initiative were himself, Steve, Natasha and a recovered Clint Barton.
Bruce had transformed into the Hulk and caused some damage in the Helicarrier while Thor gotten trapped in the very cage that Loki was previously inside.
However, the billionaire's heart sank when he heard that Riley was taken into one of the many Quinjets that Loki and his brainwashed agents made their escape in.
He hated to admit it, but Steve was right.
He shouldn't have brought her along.
Now his little girl was taken by that psychotic maniac that had made a mockery out of them and was planning to take over the world.
After an hour passed, Tony was now out of his armour and sat with Steve and Director Fury at the conference table in the main room.
"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket."Director Fury exclaimed while holding up vintage Captain America trading cards."Guess he did never get you to sign them. We're dead in the air up here. Our communications. Location of the cube. Banner, Thor, Riley…"
Director Fury looked to see Steve lifting up one of the trading cards to examine it.
"I got nothing for you. I lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming."Director Fury declared."Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, and Stark knows this, called the Avengers Inititive. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they could become something more, to see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could."
Director Fury walked around the table as he continued to speak.
"Phil Coulson died, still believing in that idea in heroes."Director Fury admitted.
Tony then stood up from his seat and then walked out of the room while Steve and Director Fury silently watched him.
"Well, it's an old fashioned notion."Director Fury complemented.
Director Fury then left, leaving Steve alone.
Steve, now by himself, was beginning to become lost in his thoughts.
He was telling himself that it was his fault Riley was gone, he should've put her somewhere safer.
He knew Tony was upset as well as he was.
The super soldier stood up and followed Tony's steps which led them right back into the same room Loki was in.
Tony stood by himself while staring down where Loki's cell use to be in deep thought.
"Was he married?"Steve asked.
"No."Tony answered, not looking back at Steve."There was a, uh, cellist. I think."
"I'm sorry."Steve apologised."He seemed like a good man."
Tony glanced at Steve.
"He was an idiot."Tony admitted.
Steve crossed his arms.
"Why?"Steve asked."For believing?"
"For taking on Loki alone."Tony answered.
"For doing his job?"Steve assumed.
"He was out of his league. He should have waited."Tony straightened up and walked over towards the steps, where he could pass Steve."He should've…"
The billionaire knew Riley was going to be deeply hurt that one of her favourite uncle figures was gone now.
But he couldn't bring himself to lie to his daughter.
Whether the truth ended up hurting her or not.
Steve took a step closer towards Tony.
"Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony."Steve admitted.
"Right."Tony retorted sarcastically."I've heard that before."
Just as Tony passed Steve to leave, the super soldier spoke again.
"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?"Steve assumed.
"We are not soldiers!"Tony scowled."Not Coulson and not Riley!"
Steve was quiet for a moment before responding to the son of his late friend.
"I'm sorry about Riley."Steve apologised.
Tony nodded at Steve.
"Sure. I know you. I know you want me to say 'You were right'."Tony declared and frowned."I should have kept her safe. At home or at least make her go off with Pepper."
"I don't want you to say anything."Steve complemented."I don't know you or her well enough to say those words that I said. I'm sorry."
It was quiet before either one of them spoke again.
"I'm not marching to Fury's fife."Tony said quietly.
"Neither am I."Steve added."He's got the same blood on his hands that Loki does. But right now, we need to put that behind us and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source. If we put together a list-"
Tony's eyes immediately widen at Steve's respond.
"He made it personal."Tony interrupted.
"That's not the point."Steve replied.
"That is the point! That's Loki's point!"Tony declared."He hit us all right where we live, why?"
"To tear us apart."Steve responded.
"Yes, divide and conquer. Great, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right?"Tony complemented and started walking around Steve."That what he wants. He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."
"Right."Steve agreed."I caught his act in Stuggart."
"That's just previews, this is opening night. Loki, he's a full diva."Tony answered as the pieces started to fit in his mind."He wants flowers. He want parades. A monument built to the sky with his name plastered over it-"
Steve smirked at Tony, knowing the billionaire figured out what Loki needed Riley for.
"Son of a bitch."Tony mumbled.
Tony then left the damaged Detention Cell to prepare his armour for the upcoming battle while Steve went to tell Clint and Natasha to suit up.
If Loki wanted a war, the diva queen was going to get it.
Though the billionaire hoped his daughter was holding on alright despite being at the madman's grasp.