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MONDAY: 02:05
Thor loves his brother, hasn't stopped loving him despite everything he has said and done. All the sharp, spiteful words, yes, they cut deep, but they also remind him how fragile Loki is, and how desperate the defences he has built up around himself. They remind him of a blind man, slashing wildly about himself in the darkness, fighting imaginary monsters.
He loves Loki, but he has never dared to hope that his friends could feel the same way. And yet here they are, risking their reputations, their very lives, to save him. Barton, who has every reason in the world to hate him; Romanoff, who never seemed to truly care for anyone but Barton; Captain Rogers, to whom deceit and lies are anathema; Banner, the pawn in Loki's former masterplan. What wonders have transpired since Thor's last visit to turn their minds so? And as for Stark, the man seems utterly consumed by his anxiety for the lost young god. Thor is touched and yet baffled - there is much here he does not yet understand.
And as the voices of the others grow more heated, he finds himself even more confused. What are these events they are speaking of? This plan of Director Fury's makes very little sense to him, and it doesn't seem to be gaining much popularity with the others either. Tony has been pacing the aircraft restlessly since they took off, but now he stops in front of Clint, rage warring with disbelief in his voice as he says, 'You're going to give them what??'
'Not 'going to', I've already done it. I'm sorry, Tony, but...'
If Tony had been wearing his suit, there would most likely be a Clint-shaped dent in the side of the Quinjet as he slams the archer up against the wall of the aircraft. Everyone starts forward at once, and Natasha casts an anxious look over her shoulder from the controls, but Barton gestures to them all to stay back. Two Avengers is more than enough for any fight. They all know that Tony is no match for Clint without his armor, but the man is volatile at the best of times, and over the last few hours he's gone from unstable to dangerously explosive. Nobody knows what he might do next.
'Tony...' Bruce is speaking as softly as possible. 'Listen to him, it does actually make sense. It'll buy Loki some time at the very least.'
Tony spins round, abruptly letting go of Clint, and Bruce takes a step back in alarm. Is this how people feel as they watch him change? The rage in Stark's eyes is an inferno, seemingly too violent to be contained within a human form, and Bruce has to consciously remind himself which of them has the more pressing anger management issues. He backs down at once, knowing how to spot when someone isn't yet ready to listen to reason.
Meanwhile, Steve is looking from one to the other, his frown deepening, until finally he bursts out, 'Can someone just fill me in here? What are you guys even talking about?'
Thor claps him on the shoulder and Steve staggers forward, wincing. 'At last!' booms the god. 'I believed I was the only one befuddled by all this talk. What is this serum of which you speak, and what has it to do with my brother?'
Tony casts one last glowering look at Barton, before stalking away to a seat at the back of the plane. Clint watches him go, then turns back to Steve and Thor with an uncomfortable expression. 'Loki was the one who brought it to us in the first place. It's a poison, developed by Hydra to kill anyone who is...' He hesitates, his sharp eyes resting on Thor, '...more than ordinary.'
This time it's Thor who lunges toward him, but Clint ducks out of the way - he can take Tony on without incurring too much damage, but a punch from the Asgardian would be a whole different matter. 'And you put it into the hands of those who would murder him??' roars the god, and Clint has to speak quickly as he dodges another swing from an arm like a tree branch.
'Loki's immune! He inoculated himself - isn't that right, Tony?'
'Don't ask for my help,' comes the surly voice from the rear. 'I'm kind of enjoying the in-flight entertainment.'
'It is true,' Bruce cuts in, 'Fury had me working on the stuff at one point and I read up on Loki's notes. His body should be able to tolerate it now.'
'Should?.' Tony is on his feet again. 'Should?? Vaccinations wear off with time, you know that, and we have no idea how quickly Loki's metabolism works. They're gambling with his life and you seriously think this is ok??'
Thor is shaking his head slowly, his long mane whipping from side to side. 'But I do not yet understand, Barton. Even if Loki is immune to this poison, why would you do this?'
Clint is still eyeing him warily. 'Think about it - the Council aren't the villains here, they're just scared, and they want Loki out of the way as quickly and quietly as possible. So I gave them the means for a lethal injection.' He looks down at the floor, unable to hold anyone's gaze. 'Well it had to be me, didn't it? They believe I want him dead as much as they do.'
'And don't you?' The bitterness in Tony's voice sends small prickles down Clint's spine but this time he looks up to face his friend and accuser. 'No,' he says firmly. 'No, I don't. You really think I've been playing along all this time, waiting for my chance for revenge? You were quick enough to believe that Loki could have a change of heart, why can't you believe it about me too?' There's a moment of silence before he continues, softly, willing them to understand. 'It was Fury's plan. Officially his hands are tied, he can't be seen to do anything. But I agreed to it because it's the only plan we have.' He makes a helpless gesture. 'What do you think the alternative would have been? At least Loki stands a chance of surviving this, and with any luck we'll get to him before they try again with something more permanent.'
Nobody can help envisaging the possibilities, and they all move a slight distance apart, lost in dark thoughts. Clint moves to the front of the jet and stands silently behind Natasha, staring through the darkness ahead. She doesn't turn around, but sensing his mood, she says quietly, 'We don't do guilt, remember? We just try and do the right thing.'
'Did I, though?' he asks glumly, and for a long while she doesn't answer. Clint slouches down next to her in the co-pilot's seat and as he begins to run a final check of his equipment, he hears her say softly. 'Let's find out. We're here.'
*****
MONDAY: 02:36
According to their instruments, all personnel are centred around the military base itself, and the surrounding countryside is relatively unguarded. They land the jet far enough away that it won't be noticed, and approach the base on foot. It's dark and still, and the grass is damp underfoot as they near the edge of the woodland area surrounding the installation.
Of course Steve is the one to stop and remind everyone that this is a rescue mission and they're not there to kill anyone. 'These are just soldiers doing their job, and this is not wartime.' Somebody grumbles a bit, but Steve doesn't even bother checking to see who it is - he knows he can trust them all. 'And Bruce, if you could stay...not angry, until we need you. Let's keep under the radar for as long as possible.'
Natasha's contacts have given them good intel (they always do - crossing her would be tantamount to suicide by superspy) and they've located a way in via an old disused service tunnel. It's been sealed off at both ends, but if someone could burrow down to it using, say, a repulsor beam...
Tony readies the beam, motioning the others back and adding, 'I'll keep it as quiet as possible, but if anyone feels like creating a diversion, go for it.'
'I think we might be about to get one,' Clint says in a low voice, nodding toward a tree about 50 yards away. No-one else can see anything, until a moment later a lithe figure steps out from behind the tree and stands facing them, motionless. His posture indicates neither aggression nor surrender, he simply stands there, observing them. Dark-suited, with tangled brown hair, his face is obscured by shadow, but Steve finds himself staring, drawn by something tantalisingly familiar in the man's outline and stance. He takes an involuntary step forward, and feels small steely fingers close around his forearm. 'Careful, Steve,' Natasha whispers urgently. 'I'm getting a weird vibe off this guy.'
But Steve is barely listening, and as the dark figure turns and disappears silently into the trees again, he whispers urgently to the others, 'We can't risk him sounding the alarm! You guys go on ahead - save Loki, I'll catch up with you.' And with that he disappears after the shadowy stranger.
A shout would lead to discovery, and Natasha hisses after him, 'Wait, he isn't military. I think he might be Hydra!' But it's too late, and the Captain is gone.
One man down before they've even begun, the others shake off their surprise and regroup. Tony shrugs, too intent on the mission to be easily diverted, and within moments, he has blasted a hole through the earth into the tunnel, large enough for a man, woman, or muscle-bound Norse god to squeeze through. The others keep watch, but they don't seem to have attracted any unwanted attention, so one by one, they drop down into the darkness.
*
The tunnel is narrow, so narrow that Tony's suit and Thor's hammer keep clinking against the sides as they move forward. In contrast, the two assassins slink along the passage without a sound, and Natasha turns to roll her eyes briefly at Clint. Meanwhile, Bruce hurries along in the rear - if anyone's following them, they're not getting past him. After a few hundred yards, they reach a hatch, securely welded shut, and Natasha consults her plan of the base. 'This is the entry point. Thor, would you mind?'
The god steps forward, his hammer already blurring around his hand. Then he swings it fluidly upward, and the hatch pops open like a champagne cork. Clint and Natasha spring up through the entrance, and the muffled pop of silencer shots interspersed with the thud of falling bodies reaches the others below. Before they can even poke their heads up, the fight is over and Natasha appears at the hatch, beckoning them through. Thor emerges, and as he surveys the apparent carnage around him, a look of absolute horror comes over his features, but Clint only raises an eyebrow at him. 'Relax, never used a tranquilizer gun before?'
Tony follows Thor through the hatch, commenting wryly, 'The fact that you'd even ask that means you've been doing this too long, my friend.'
Thor anxiously inspects the heap of uniformed limbs. 'These people are merely asleep then? You are certain?'
Natasha shoves one soldier with her boot, and as he rolls over with a snort she turns back to Thor. 'Happy now?'
'Not until we find Loki,' the god mutters, striding toward the door just as a red and gold armored blur knocks him bodily to the ground. Behind them, Clint and Natasha have already found cover, and Bruce is crouching behind the metal hatch door doing deep breathing exercises as bullets ricochet around the room. 'Can't anyone see we're busy?' Tony asks through gritted teeth as he and Thor roll out of the line of fire.
The two spies are holding their positions, but they're held down by heavy fire, and Natasha shouts to the others to 'Go, save Loki, we've got this!' They hesitate for a moment, but Clint adds his voice to hers, 'Get out of here! We'll cover you.' And Thor grabs Bruce by his shirtfront and hauls him after Tony through a side door.
Three down, three to go. Luckily one of those three is Bruce Banner, and even Thor feels the odd mixture of anxiety and reassurance that the presence of the doctor inspires in his friends. Tony, on the other hand, is past feeling anything except the desire to get to Loki before it's too late, and the others have to hurry to keep up with him as he negotiates the maze of corridors. The Mark XLII is also equipped with a modified Electrosthetic Conductor, and a targeted pulse of energy makes short work of anyone they meet on the way, leaving them slumped and senseless in Tony's wake. The installation is vast, and although Thor manages to keep pace, Bruce soon finds himself lagging further and further behind.
At last they reach the spot indicated by their intel, and Thor and Tony stop short as they round a corner and find themselves face to face with an entire squadron of soldiers, armed with the kind of military hardware that would have made a young Tony Stark's mouth water. Behind the soldiers is a massive steel door, presumably from when the place was briefly used as a nuclear bunker.
'Drop your weapons or I will give the order to fire,' calls out the squad leader, and Tony mutters to Thor out of the corner of his mouth, 'It's just possible that they were expecting us.'
No, thinks Thor, they weren't. They were expecting him, and possibly an attack by SHIELD, even by Nick Fury himself, but they couldn't possibly have been expecting a rescue attempt by the Avengers en masse. Because who in their right mind would expect the team to mount a rescue for a man they had just barely defeated a couple of years earlier, and at the cost of one of their own? He, himself, is still struggling to process the Avengers' newfound acceptance of Loki. They have made this mission intensely personal, and at this instant he finds himself almost moved to tears, despite the imminent danger.
And then suddenly the danger isn't just in front of them, it's behind them too, and Thor pulls Tony roughly out of the path of the charging green giant, as he roars past them. The soldiers just barely have time to scatter as the Hulk hurls himself at the door, smashing it with his anvil-sized fists. The door has been built to withstand bomb blasts, but it buckles like aluminum foil under the onslaught of the good doctor's righteous rage. 'I doubt very much that they were expecting that,' Thor remarks, as he knocks the guns from the hands of a pair of startled soldiers, smashing the weapons into scrap metal with his hammer. Tony is also taking advantage of the huge green diversion to knock out the rest of the guards, but neither of them is quick enough to prevent one young soldier from firing a rocket launcher at the Hulk, knocking him off his feet and clean through the far wall. With an angry growl, Thor seizes the launcher and snaps it in two like a breadstick, while Tony drops the soldier with an electrosthetic pulse. Thor moves toward the massive hole in the wall with a worried expression. 'Should we...?' But Tony merely shakes his head. 'Bruce'll be fine, don't worry. It must have caught him off balance or he wouldn't even have felt it.' And he pulls the god after him through a rip in the blast door.
MONDAY: 03:21
Whether or not they were expected before, they are definitely expected now. But there are no soldiers here to ward them off, just a group of terrified-looking scientists and a few well-dressed officials, including Council member Hawley. Thor and Tony emerge into a brightly-lit room set up as a temporary laboratory, with a row of seats at the front facing a viewing window into the next room. Having come so far, neither of them can bring themselves to look through the window just yet, and instead they turn to face Hawley. Thor is a boiling mass of protective rage, and Tony is pale with anger as she addresses him in a calm clear voice.
'You and your mob of assassins can kill us all, Stark, but it won't change anything. You're too late, we administered the lethal dose half an hour ago. At least the Earth has one less monster to fear.'
Tony might have admired her courage if he hadn't been so disgusted by the whole thing, and too worried to notice anyway.
'We're not what you think we are. And neither is he,' he tells her coldly, pushing her into a nearby storage room along with the rest of the staff and sealing the door. Only then do he and Thor turn to the locked viewing room. Exchanging a tense, frightened look with his companion and shield brother, Thor hefts his hammer and smashes the door in with a single blow.
*
Loki is strapped to a chair in the centre of the room, with his hands now cuffed behind him. His head is hanging limply forward, his dark hair covering his face, and he isn't moving. Knowing how powerfully they affect Loki, Tony kneels down to unlock the handcuffs before doing anything else, while Thor lifts his brother's head in large, gentle hands. He runs his thumbs over pale skin, still bruised and bloody from the one-sided fight in the interrogation room, and his heart thumps with joy as he feels Loki stir. Heavy lids begin to open, and Thor swears a horrified oath as he sees the white sightless eyes staring blankly up at him.
'No no no, he'll be ok, I've seen this before, it's just a reaction to the drug, he'll be fine, you'll see.' Tony is babbling a bit, and Thor lets him, as he gently strokes back the damp hair from Loki's face. 'Can you hear me, Loki? It is your brother, come to find you.'
As the cuffs fall to the floor, Tony pushes Thor aside, flinging up the visor of his helmet. 'Here, let me just...' As before, Loki is running a high fever, and Tony strips off one metal glove in order to feel his forehead. 'God, you're too hot.'
Loki smiles sweetly up at him, head lolling back as he slurs, 'The feeling is mutual, but your timing could be better, my love.'
After the initial flood of intense relief, Thor gives the pair of them a very strange look and Tony tries to cover up the awkwardness.
'Yeah, the drug again - he's tripping balls. But at least he can hear us this time. Come on Loki, snap out of it, please.'
Loki laughs throatily, but the laugh turns into a coughing fit, and Tony just holds him until he is able to draw breath again. Afterward, Loki leans his head against Tony's in exhaustion and murmurs, 'So here we are again. Just like our first date, do you recall?'
'You think of the safe house as our first date? You're kind of odd, you know that? How do you feel right now?' Tony asks.
Loki's mouth unexpectedly finds his, and a few seconds later the god draws back with a self-satisfied hum, his eyes dreamily closed. 'Better.'
Tony stands up, turning to Thor with a sigh of resignation.
'OK, fine, I really didn't want to do this now, but there's never a good time with us, is there? I'm in love with your brother. Like, a lot. Is that going to be a problem?'
The irony of Thor looking thunderstruck doesn't pass him by. The god gapes at him, and then at Loki, and then back at him again, before a broad grin spreads over his handsome face. For a moment, Tony is worried that Thor is about to say something crass or inappropriate, but in fact the Thunderer has tears in his eyes as he moves to embrace his startled friend, saying, 'It is all clear to me now. Just as Jane Foster changed me, so have you changed my brother. The people of Midgard have a powerful magic within their hearts.'
'But very little oxygen within their lungs - ease up a bit, will you, Abs of Steel?'
Tony's only joking - he is still wearing the suit after all, but Thor releases him all the same, grinning sheepishly. Well, that could have gone a lot worse. Meanwhile, behind him, Loki is struggling to stand up but soon sinks back down into the chair, drained and shaking. 'I cannot...'
'It's ok, babe, I've got you.' Tony is about to help Loki up when Thor pushes him gently out of the way and reaches down. 'No, let me, brother'. Loki struggles against him ineffectually, pushing at Thor's broad chest with his fists. 'Thor, don't. The poison, it might be contagious.'
Thor isn't taking no for an answer. Nor is he taking 'Get away from me, you obstinate oaf,' for an answer, and he tries again to get an arm around his protesting sibling. But then he in turn is shoved out of the way by a huge green arm, and the Hulk picks Loki up as if he weighed nothing at all. Thor and Tony exchange a worried look, but the Hulk cradles the god carefully against his chest like a child. 'Puny god,' he says fondly, stroking the dark hair with one giant finger, as Loki's head falls back against his massive chest. Tony approaches with caution, hoping to check on Loki, but the Hulk grunts possessively and heads for the exit with his now-unconscious burden. Tony casts a quick nervous look at Thor. 'I'm sure they're fine,' he shrugs helplessly, and together they follow the retreating green giant toward freedom.
*
Clint and Natasha are the first to find them, and Nat looks visibly relieved to see Loki alive, if dead to the world. As for Clint, his relief is less visible, but more profound. Now he is at least partially vindicated for his part in the plan, although it's certain he hasn't heard the last of it from Tony. As he looks at the bedraggled figure, one arm hanging limply down, dark hair in disarray, but definitely still breathing, he is finally able to believe that he made the right decision. Loki would in all likelihood be dead right now if he hadn't followed Fury's orders, and there's no longer any part of him which feels that that would be a good thing.
They are still far from the exit when the sound of footsteps echos down the hallway. A lone being is approaching, and they all share a look. It can only be Steve - who else would be coming into the base alone, when it's so obviously under attack? Still, just in case, the two spies step out in front, weapons at the ready, while Tony and Thor stand protectively either side of the Hulk and his vulnerable burden. Fortunately their instincts were right, and the Captain almost runs into them. The relief doesn't last long though - Steve looks positively haunted, his face grey, his hair a ruffled mess. As Tony has been heard to comment, Steve could go through the fast cycle in a spin dryer and still come out with a neat side parting. Something has happened to him, but before anyone can ask, he blurts out, his voice shaking, 'We need to get out of here, now! Hydra are about to bomb this place, with all of us in it.'
'How do you...?' Natasha begins, but he cuts her off.
'He told me. I'll explain later, but I believe him. They know that Plan A failed and this is Plan B. All the Avengers wiped out in one fell swoop.'
And because when Loki's involved, one problem never seems to be enough, the god chooses that moment to cry out as a burst of bright light pulses from within his chest. The Hulk yelps, and drops Loki, who twists catlike and falls onto his hands and knees, shuddering and gasping.
'What is this? The serum?' asks Thor, but Tony shakes his head in panic. 'No, this never happened before! Clint??'
The archer is staring, speechless, at Loki, as coils of light snake around the god's limbs. Loki throws his head back and light streams from his eyes and mouth as he opens them in a silent scream.
The air is alive with static and a high-pitched whine, and above it Natasha is shouting, 'Somebody bring him, we need to go, now!'
Steve stops her, his face anguished. 'But there are innocent people in here, we can't just leave them!'
Tony flips his visor down. 'Look after him, Thor. Maybe I can divert the missiles somehow...'
But before he can move, he feels the radiance surrounding Loki begin to permeate his own brain, and he hears, no, he feels Loki speak to him.
Not this time. You have already saved me more times than I can count. Now it is my turn.
And then there's a flash of bluish light, and Tony doesn't even have time to think 'what the fuck' before he finds himself standing on the grass next to the Quinjet, surrounded by the other Avengers, a group of bewildered scientists and Council members, and heap of unconscious soldiers. A second later, everyone is thrown to the ground by the shock of an explosion, from the direction of the military base. Picking himself up off the ground, Steve looks around him. 'Everyone accounted for. Except, no, where's...'
He looks up and the words trail off into silence. Thor is on his feet and staring at a tall figure some distance away. Swaying slightly, it stands on the edge of the clearing, both hands held out in front of it, sparks of energy playing around the outstretched fingers. The light emanating from it is so intense that it hurts the eyes, but Thor squints through it, his voice hesitant and awestruck as he asks the question,
'Brother? Is that you?'