Chapter 29: The War
Hate and anxiety were all Tony knew as he paced the detention area. His body was hot and yet his hands were cold. Steve Rogers approached him. "Anything I can help you with, Stark?"
"Well, unless you have Loki's head in a box, then no," Tony said curtly.
"Loki is keeping your daughter alive. He's using her," Steve told him.
Tony chuckled as if he had lost his mind. "I warned her about coming with me. She didn't listen. Now I lost her. And Coulson. They're both so stubborn."
"You couldn't have known," Steve comforted him. "We still have a job to do."
"I'm not marching to Fury's fife," Tony said determined
"Me neither. He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki," Steve agreed. "I caught Loki's act in Stuttgart."
"Right, right," Tony said, pacing excitedly. "That was previews, this is opening night. He wants to be seen beating us, he's taken a prize he wants monuments in the sky…"
Tony stopped short realizing Loki's plan. "Son of a bitch!"
That same afternoon, Selvig had arrived and was setting up the portal. Loki approached the scientist. "How is our progress, doctor?"
"The Tesseract is impenetrable," Selvig replied.
"Good. See to it stays that way," Loki commanded him.
Loki then entered the hall of Stark Tower and approached Brigid. "Your father will be here soon. Are you sure you can betray him?"
"For you? Without question," Brigid replied resolutely, kissing Loki to prove her love.
"Perfect. We'll need to put on another performance," Loki told her, impressed.
"Well, let's not disappoint," Brigid replied with a smirk.
Loki waved his hand, and Brigid was bound, head to toe. "Kinky," Brigid chuckled. "Why don't we do this more often?"
Just then, they heard the whoosh! of an engine.
"He's here," Loki said.
"Don't be too harsh with him," Brigid said with a wink.
Loki stood on the platform of Stark Tower and watched Tony as he landed, smiling at him.
"I expect you're going to appeal to my humanity, beg for your daughter's life?" Loki taunted.
Tony glared at Loki and then found Brigid sitting at his feet, bound tightly and gagged as Loki held the Tesseract at her throat.
"Actually, I'm planning to threaten you," Tony replied as he jumped behind the bar.
"You should have left your armor on for that," Loki laughed.
"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage and you got the glow stick of destiny," Tony shrugged. "Care for a drink? I'm having one."
"Stalling me won't change anything," Loki taunted.
"No, threatening," Tony corrected.
"The Chiaturi are coming, and I have your daughter as a prize. What have I to fear?" Loki questioned.
"The Avengers," Tony replied. "Its what we call ourselves. Earth's mightiest heroes."
"I've met them," Loki said with a confident smile.
"Yeah, but let's do a headcount here. Your brother, a god, two trained assassins, a super soldier, and a man with breathtaking anger management issues, and you, big fella! You've managed to piss off every single one of them ."
"That was the plan," Loki said with a grin.
Tony sipped his drink casually and winced. "Not a great plan."
"I have an army," Loki said.
"We have a Hulk," Tony countered. "There's no throne, there's no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but you can be damn sure we'll avenge the Earth."
Loki approached Tony, scepter drawn. "And how will your friends have time for me, when they're so busy fighting you?"
Loki tapped the scepter to Tony's chest, only to hear nothing but a clang. "This usually works."
"Oh, performance issues, not uncommon," Tony shrugged.
Loki grabbed Tony by the throat. "You will all fall before me!"
Loki tossed Tony out the window. Just then, he was knocked off his feet. Tony then appeared, clad in his new armor. "And there's one other person you pissed off. His name was Phil."
Tony fired a blast at Loki, knocking him off his feet. He then entered the main hall and tried to untie Brigid. Before he could touch her, Brigid disappeared.
"Did you really think so little of me, Father?"
Tony froze as he found Brigid standing behind him, clad in silver and green armor, a sword in her hand.
Tony was overpowered with shock as his daughter threatened him. "Brigid, you're bewitched. Loki is using you."
Brigid chuckled as she shook her head in disapproval. "You really think of me still as the little girl you adopted?"
Tony's heart stilled as Brigid spoke. She was not the victim and it was clear to him where her loyalties lay. "Why?"
"You don't know me, anymore. You stopped the day I was taken," Brigid replied.
"I don't want to hurt you," Tony replied, the wind knocked out of him.
"Smart," Brigid commented before taking Tony's hand to her stomach. "Then call off the attack for the sake of your grandchild."
Tony drew away, horrified. "You don't know me."
"Surrender," Brigid urged him.
"Hell no!" Tony shouted before turning to a smirking Loki. "You bastard!"
Before Tony could round on Loki, he was levitated.
"Sorry, Dad, the birds have flown," Brigid taunted before she blasted Tony out of the window in a flash of green light.
Loki watched from the platform on Stark Tower as the portal opened, releasing thousands of Chiatauri warriors to the Earth.
Thor landed before him, hammer drawn. "Loki, turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it!"
"You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war!" Loki declared.
With a fierce cry he jumped from the platform and fired a blast from the scepter. He and Thor engaged in a vicious duel, sending sparks everywhere and the lettering of the tower crashing down below. Loki caught sight of the quinjet and blasted it out of the sky. With Loki distracted, Thor seized his chance and pummeled his brother, pinning him in a corner.
"Look at this!" Thor shouted, pointing to the Chiaturi soldiers burning and killing as they attacked. "You think this madness will end with your rule?"
"It's too late," Loki said sadly. "Its too late to stop it."
"We can together," Thor pleaded.
Suddenly, Thor was stabbed from behind. He turned to find Brigid holding a dagger, smirking. "I waited a long time to do that, you son of a bitch!"
Brigid disappeared as Thor rounded on Loki, beating him and throwing him to the ground. Loki jumped from the Tower as he oversaw the Chiatauri. He watched as Hulk appeared and routed his army. He caught sight of Natasha on a Chiaturi speeder and sped after her, firing blasts at her. Before he could corner her, he caught an arrow out of the corner of his eye. In the next second the arrow exploded, sending him crashing to the platform of Stark Tower. Before Loki could recover, Hulk roared as he smashed through the building, sending Loki crashing into the wall.
"Enough! You are, all of you, beneath me!" Loki shouted. "I am a god, you dull creature! And I will not be bullied by…"
Before Loki could finish, Hulk snatched him by one leg and thrashed him about like a ragdoll. Loki lay breathless in a hole in the ground. As he struggled to his feet, he could tell he was being watched. He turned to find the Avengers surrounding him, infuriated.
"If its all the same to you, I'll have that drink now," Loki said, knowing he was defeated.
"Get him on his feet," Tony said, staring icily at Loki.
Loki watched in horror as SHIELD agents brought Brigid down in handcuffs. "If you don't mind, taking your hands off my wife."
"No can do," Barton replied. "We'll make sure you two get a honeymoon cell."
Loki pleaded with Tony. "Stark, she's your daughter. She's carrying your grandchild."
Tony stared at him coldly. "That's right. My daughter. Get him out of here. Leave Brigid to me."
Loki was hauled out of the Tower, cursing Stark all the way. Brigid stood in silence before her father. "So what now? A heart to heart chat?"
Tony glowered at her. "Why did you do this? I raised you, I love you. Just tell me why."
Brigid shrugged. "We grew apart. Loki understood that. He nurtured my spirit, he didn't stifle me or treat me like a glass doll."
"I made a promise to protect you, damn it!" Tony snapped. "And even now, I will. I won't let him steal you from me. I can cut a deal so you and your baby can stay here, and you can see your baby any time you want instead of an Asgardian dungeon."
Brigid could not help but chortle. "Still see me as a victim, Father? You can't protect me and you never could."
"Do you really think Odin will be so merciful? He will have your head for this and I won't let that happen!" Tony begged, shaking Brigid's shoulders. "Don't ask me to await the news of my daughter's execution. Please, just do this for me."
Brigid shook her head. "I wish things could be like they were, Father. I really do. But I will not abandon my husband."
"Brigid, you belong here. This is your home!" Tony argued.
"No, I belong with Loki," Brigid countered.
Tony was breathless. "There's nothing I can do, is there? You won't save yourself."
Brigid shook her head. "I just want you to know that I did what I had to. I hope you understand someday."
Tony nodded sadly. "I hope I do too."
Tony escorted Brigid and Loki in chains to the center of Central Park where a free Eric Selvig presented Thor with the Tesseract in a special container. Thor, Loki and Brigid each took hold of the Tesseract, and in a flash of blue light, they were whisked away to Asgard.
Once at the Asgardian palace, they were greeted by guards.
"What, no kiss goodbye, brother?" Loki taunted as Thor glared at him.
"Take my brother to the dungeon. See to it Brigid is taken to the healing room and have the healers see to her child before you escort her to the dungeon," Thor commanded.
Brigid and Loki were dragged away to the dungeon and healers. Later that night, Loki paced around his elegantly furnished cell for news of Brigid. Under heavy guard, Brigid was locked in the cell with him.
"My love, how is the child?" Loki inquired.
"Very strong," Brigid replied.
"I am so sorry, my love. I didn't mean to bring you here," Loki said sadly.
"I don't regret anything, my love," Brigid said firmly. "I cannot see so far, but I know we will not be here for long."
"I am always amazed by your loyalty, my love," Loki praised, kissing her head.
Loki and Brigid held each other close as they awaited their trial by Odin. None of them would admit it, but they feared the dawn and what it would bring.