Chapter Text
Fury caught him in the hallway. “With me,” he growled, stalking back toward the labs.
Merlin spun around and followed without hesitation. Although, he did wonder what had Fury so worked up.
They entered the room Merlin had left a few minutes prior, Fury’s coat billowing in the nonexistent wind as he demanded, “What are you doing, Mr. Stark?”
Stark was perched on one of the tables, unconcerned with Fury’s dramatic entrance. “Uh... kind of been wondering the same thing about you.”
“You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract,” Fury told him.
“We are,” Bruce said. “The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile.” He gestured to a monitor behind Fury.
“Yeah, then you get your cube back, no muss, no fuss,” Stark assured. Then his monitor started beeping and shuffling data. He looked at it and asked, “What is Phase Two?”
Then Steve walked in and thunked a heavy gun down onto another table. “Phase Two is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the cube to make weapons. Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me.”
Merlin stiffened. “You’re what?”
Fury stepped toward Steve and the gun, “Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're making…”
“I’m sorry, Nick,” Stark interrupted, turning his screen around. “What were you lying?”
Steve was glaring now. “I was wrong, director. The world hasn't changed a bit.”
Merlin noticed Thor and agent Romanoff walk in out of the corner of his eye just as Bruce did.
“Did you know about this?” Bruce asked, gesturing to the information about Phase Two on the screen.
Romanoff didn’t answer the question though, instead asking, “You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?”
Bruce laughed, “I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed.”
“Loki's manipulating you,” the agent said, stepping forward.
Bruce’s reply was dry and sarcastic, “And you've been doing what exactly?”
“You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you,” Romanoff told him.
“That’s enough,” Merlin tried, but nobody was paying any attention to him.
“Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy,” he shot back. “I’d like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction.” Bruce pointed at some schematics on the screen, staring Fury in the eye.
Fury stared back before raising his arm and saying, “Because of him,” pointing directly at Thor.
Thor blinked. “Me?”
Fury stepped toward Bruce as he elaborated, “Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned.”
“My people want nothing but peace with your planet,” Thor insisted.
“But you're not the only people out there, are you?” Fury shot back. “And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled.”
“Like you controlled the cube?” Steve asked pointedly.
“There are some things that humanity was not meant to control,” Merlin told them, glaring at Fury.
“Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies,” Thor thundered. “It is the signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war.”
“A higher form?” Steve echoed.
“You forced our hand,” Fury defended. “We had to come up with something.”
“A nuclear deterrent,” Stark said. “Cause that always calms everything right down.”
Fury turned to face him, “Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark.”
Steve stepped forward, “I’m sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep…”
“Wait! Wait! Hold on! How is this now about me?” Stark demanded.
“I’m sorry, isn't everything?” Steve snapped back.
“That’s not the point right now!” Merlin exclaimed.
“I thought humans were more evolved than this,” Thor said.
“Excuse me-“ Fury said, “-did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?”
“You treat your champions with such mistrust,” was Thor’s explanation.
Romanoff cut in saying, “Are you boys really that naive? S.H.I.E.L.D monitors potential threats.”
“Captain America is on the threat watch?” Bruce asked skeptically.
“We all are,” Romanoff told him.
“Wait, you're on that list?” Stark asked Steve. “Are you above or below angry bees?”
Merlin blinked dazedly. “Does anyone else hear that?” He murmured, but nobody was paying him any attention.
Someone was saying, “Stark, so help me God, if you make one more wisecrack…”
“Threat! Verbal threat. I feel threatened.”
Their voices were all blending together into one cacophony of noise, and over it all was a humming just on the edge of hearing. He felt something at the edges of his perception, tendrils of something otherworldly poking and prodding at all of them. His eyes drifted to the scepter on the table. Was it whispering to him? Yes… He thought he could hear a voice… It was so familiar… If only he could remember-
-his head hurt-
-why did he feel so angry-
-who was talking-
-friends-
-where did-
-a r t h u r-
-where did he go-
-why did he leave-
-alone-
-just wanted-
-he-
There were… people talking… a man… not- not him but…
“-know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?”
“Mister Bird, put down the scepter.”
Oh, that was a pretty color.
“Mister Bird!”
Merlin jumped at Fury’s sudden volume, dropping the scepter to the ground. He looked up, bewildered, “Wha-“
A high pitched beeping interrupted him.
“Got it,” Stark said.
Bruce stalked away toward the computer, “Sorry, kids. You don't get to see my little party trick after all.”
“You located the Tesseract?” Thor asked.
“I can get there fastest,” Stark said.
Steve did not like that. “Look, all of us-“
“The Tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it,” Thor announced.
Steve grabbed Stark’s arm, “You're not going alone!”
“You gonna stop me?” Stark demanded, swatting his hand away.
“Put on the suit, let's find out,” Steve challenged.
“I’m not afraid to hit an old man,” Stark scoffed.
“Put on the suit,” Steve repeated.
“Oh, my God,” Bruce murmured, staring horrified at his computer screen.
Then all hell broke loose.
There was an explosion that knocked everyone off their feet.
“Put on the suit!” Steve ordered.
“Yep!” Stark agreed.
Then they stumbled upright and ran out of the room.
Fury pushed himself to his feet as well, swaying a bit as he called into his earpiece, “Hill!?”
“External detention,” the agent responded, “Number Three engine is down!” There was a moment of quiet on the line as Merlin tried to help Fury walk, then, “Somebody's got to get outside and patch that engine.”
“Stark! You copy that?!” Fury asked.
“I’m on it!” Stark responded.
“Coulson!” Fury continued, “Initiate defensive lockdown in the detention section then get to the armory! Romanoff?
The agent’s voice was strained when she responded, “We’re okay!”
“Directer,” Merlin said, standing up, “I’m going to make sure Loki stays put.”
“And how do you think you’re gonna do that?” Fury demanded.
Merlin flashed him a grin as he stepped out the door and did jazz hands, “Magic.”
As he ducked away, he caught a glimpse of Fury’s whole face puckering into a scowl that would probably have lead to an objection if Merlin had stuck around to hear it.
He rushed through the corridors of the ship, weaving past S.H.I.E.L.D. personal and listening to the updates on the intercom. At some point the ship started tilting even more and he stumbled but charged ahead. There was one unfortunate run in with a rookie who didn’t want to let him through, but after a few moments of arguing, Merlin put him to sleep. He’d deal with the consequences later.
He stepped into the detention room just in time to hear Loki tell Thor, who was now trapped in Loki’s place, “The humans think us immortal. Shall we test that?”
As Loki went to mess with the computer, Merlin stepped up behind one of the bewitched S.H.I.E.L.D. grunts and whispered, “Swefe nu,” eyes flashing gold as the man collapsed to the ground. He looked up at Loki then and said, “I wouldn’t do that if I was you.”
Loki smiled charmingly, stepping away from the control panel. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the little pet sorcerer. Tell me, how does it feel, having your powers be squandered by those too weak to comprehend it?”
Merlin shrugged. “It’s the way things are. I would rather serve at the side of greatness than fall into evil, personally, but that’s just a personal preference.”
Loki’s smile turned manic. “Is that so?” He asked.
Then, Merlin felt the world shift around him.
He twisted to the side just as the Loki in front of him disappeared, and the tip of the scepter sliced through the air where he had been standing moments before. He brought his hand up, eyes glowing as he shoved Loki back, but the god changed places again, forcing him to dodge a second time. He took several steps back, eyes searching to try and see where Loki could have gone, but there was nothing. Then he heard it, the swoosh of the tunnel opening.
“NO!” Merlin shouted, rushing toward the console, but Loki had anticipated that. There was a sickening squelch as Loki drove the blade of his scepter through Merlin’s chest. Merlin tried to gasp, but the air had all been driven out of him.
“NO!” That- that was Thor, now. He sounded pained. Silly. He wasn’t the one getting stabbed, now was he?
Loki yanked the spear out, letting Merlin fall to the ground. He was lying on his stomach, face tilted away from where Thor was trapped. He watched Loki’s boots step back to the control panel, and heard the cables on the cage snap the moment he pressed the button.
Merlin panted, feeling his blood oozing out onto the floor. He had to… stop Loki… it was important…
Loki started to walk away, seeming pleased with himself.
“You…” Merlin inhaled shakily, pushing himself up on his elbows. “You’re gonna lose…”
Loki paused, looking back. “Am I?”
Merlin nodded, stars dancing across his eyeballs. “I won’t let you have this world. It belongs to Arthur.”
“Hmm,” Loki stepped forward to squat in front of Merlin. “And… how will you stop me? You’re bleeding out, your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?”
Merlin smirked up at him through bloodied teeth. “You’re a cocky, arrogant, arshole.”
Just as Loki opened his mouth to retort, Merlin raised his arm, and sent Loki flying through the reinforced metal wall.
Merlin collapsed back to the ground, arm still outstretched and the ghost of a smile still playing at his lips, “Told you. Cocky.”
He must have passed out for a moment, because the next time he opened his eyes there were hands shaking him awake, “Mister Wren! Wake up!”
“Wzhaa?” Merlin asked, blinking in confusion.
“What happened?” Coulson asked, hands on Merlin’s shoulders. Oh, look at that, he must have propped him up against the wall. How nice. “Mister Wren!”
“Hmm?” Oh right, he asked a question. “Oh. Loki stabbed me and got away. Fucking asshole.” He looked down. “HOOO! That’s a lot of blood!”
“Mister Wren,” Coulson repeated.
“’Snot my name,” Merlin told him.
“I didn’t think it was,” Coulson assured him.
“’S just. Draws less attention this way. Don’t wanna draw attention. Gotta wait. ‘Cause he’ll come back one day, you know? A dragon told me.”
“That’s very nice.”
“An’ I mean, sometimes it’s hard to believe, but the dragon always told me the truth, ‘bout ‘Gana, ’n’ Mordred, ’n’ ev’n tha whole thing wi’ Lance ’n’ Gwen… So why shouldn’t Arthur come back? Right?”
“Arthur?”
“Yeah…” Merlin sighed. “I just… want to see him… one more time…”
“You will. I promise, you’ll see Arthur again. You’ve just gotta hang in there, okay?”
“Mmm…”
“Hey, no, don’t go to sleep!”
“Phil?”
“Yeah?”
“I think Arthur woulda liked you.”
“I… thanks.”
“And, Phil? Promise me-“ He started coughing up blood, his vision going dark. “Promise you won’t let Loki win.”
“I promise.”
“Good.”
And he breathed out.
And the world.
Went.
Still.