Chapter Text
The large buildings were located upon a mountain in the western hemisphere, countless satellites blinking red lights up at the sky, lined behind.
'Joint Dark Energy Mission'
Was what the operation was called.
Or 'Project Pegasus', which was way cooler.
It was a partnership between S.H.I.E.L.D. and NASA to create advanced weapons in hopes of protecting the world against extraterrestrial threats.
After the whole 'Thor Thing', Fury had gotten more paranoid than you originally heard and assumed. But you couldn't blame him. The thought of something unknown invading the Earth and possibly not having anything to defend yourself and your planet with was terrifying.
However, the mission base going into overdrive at the incoming destruction didn't fill you with an innate sense of calm either.
Overhead, an agent could be heard speaking through the PA, notifying the surrounding area, " All personnel, the evacuation order has been confirmed. Proceed to the- "
You stood beside Coulson as the man continued the instructions for everyone around you. Leaving you and your superior one of the only ones not running for the hills like normal people.
No. Instead, you watched on as a matte, dark grey helicopter gained closer before landing directly in front of you.
Agent Hill and Director Fury stepped out with purpose and walked straight to you and the man. Who was wearing sunglasses... at night.
Fury's black leather overcoat billowed in the chopper-made breeze as he asked, "How bad is it?" yelling over the noise of the wind.
"That's the problem, sir," Phill said, removing his sunglasses, "We don't know."
"Pretty fucking bad, though, I'm guessing." You gestured to the base and everything going on around you.
Soon enough, you were led into an elevator, riding it down to the very bottom floor of the top-secret operation. Where the cube you helped pluck from the ice stayed.
"Dr Selving read an energy surge from the Tesseract four hours ago."
"NASA didn't authorize Selvig to go to test phase," Fury pointed out after Coulson spoke.
"He wasn't testing it," the man clarified for the Director, "He wasn't even in the room. Spontaneous event."
"It just turned itself on?" Hill asked from where she walked beside you.
"Like a fuckin' Furby."
"What are the energy levels now?"
"Climbing. When Selvig couldn't shut it down, we ordered evac."
"How long to get everyone out?" Fury asked.
"Campus should be clear in the next half-hour."
"Do better," the Director ordered the man. Who gave him a single nod before turning and walking away to get everyone out faster, "Y/L/N, with me."
"Yes, sir."
It was when you were travelling down the gigantic mass of large spiral that Agent Hill voiced her opinion.
"Sir, evacuation may be futile."
"But we've still got to try," you countered, Fury following suit.
"We should tell them to go back to sleep?"
"If we can't control the Tesseract's energy, there may not be a minimum save distance."
"And there might be. You gotta try, right?" Otherwise, you're just signing their death certificates before they've even kicked it."
"Agent Y/L/N is right." Fury spoke, nodding to you, then peered over his shoulder at the woman, "I need you to make sure the Phase 2 prototypes are shipped out."
"Sir, is that really a priority right now?"
"Well, you didn't seem to think evacuation was," you sassed, stopping with Fury at the base of the stairs.
"Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on." The man turned to walk away. "Clear out the tech below. Every piece of Phase 2 on a truck and gone ."
"Yes, Sir," she replied, walking past, clearly disagreeing with the Director's decision. Ordering the two S.H.I.E.L.D. guards to follow her. As you followed Fury once more.
Entering the lad where the Tessaract was rigged up, multiple computer systems recorded the data as technicians continued their futile efforts in shutting the thing down. Along with-
"Talk to me, Doctor."
Selvig popped up from the metal, ringed contraption The Cube resided in.
"Director," the scientist rushed forward, "Y/N."
"Is there anything we know for certain?"
"The Tesseract is misbehaving."
Your mouth was parted in pure curiosity, leaning to the side upon the tips of your toes, watching as another scientist moved to poke the glowing cube with a long metal rod hooked up to his ears, looking as if a stethoscope tried to be a torture device.
"Is that supposed to be funny?"
The man pulled the rod back with a gasp when blue sparks flew from the tesseract.
"No, it's not funny at all." Selvig was now walking beside the Director, with you- Still in your curious state- following along, eyes connected with what the scientist was doing the entire time. "The Tesseract is not only active, she's... behaving. "
"I assume you pulled the plug."
"She's an energy source," Selvig reasoned, "We turn off the power. She turns it back on."
"That might explain my grandma then," you joked, confusing the men as they turned to regard you.
" What? " the scientist asked.
"Oh, it's a long story- A long, weird story." You knew this wasn't the time nor place for this. But you also knew that you were far too deep not to explain now. So, you went with the bullet point version. "She was dying. On her deathbed. Family decided to pull the plug. Woke up a minute later. She's still here seven years later." A shrug. "My family's weird."
Selvig regarded you for a few short moments before quickly shaking his head and continued on with what he was saying before your interruption, leading you to the Tesseract.
"If she reached peak level-"
The man couldn't go on for long, as the Director cut him off before he could finish his sentence.
"We prepared for this, Doctor. Harnessing energy from space."
"But we don't have the harness. My calculations are far from complete," he pointed out, "And she's throwing off interference, radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation."
"That can be harmful."
At Fury's words, you pulled your S.H.I.E.L.D. issued suit to cover your nose and mouth, watching the glowing cube with glaring, wary eyes.
"Where's Agent Barton?"
With a scoff, Selvig asked, "The hawk?"
"Pigeon more like," you joked in a mumble, dropping your suit now in favour of crossing your arms over your chest.
"He's up in his nest, as usual." The man pointed, with his thumb, over his shoulder to the high yellow rafters.
"Agent Barton, report," Fury spoke into his radio, asking for his presence.
You, on the other hand, decided to use a different approach.
Cupping your hands around your mouth, you yelled up to the man, "Get your butt down here, boy!" Nodding once in assurance to Fury. "Done."
"I gave you this detail so you could keep a close eye on things."
"Well, I see better from a distance," Clint reasoned as you flanked your Director.
Peering over to him, with a mischievous smile upon your face, you spoke, "You may want to get that checked out by the opticians, buddy."
"Y/L/N."
"Yes, boss?"
"Shut up."
Your jaw dropped at Fury's words, taking it playfully, "Hey, come on, now. You've gotta keep things light in the dawn of destruction."
Ignoring your words, he carried on to ask Barton.
"Have you seen anything that might set this thing off?"
"Doctor, it's spiking again," a scientist called out for Eric, causing the man to rush over to peer at the data upon her computer screen as Clint rattled off his findings.
"No one's come or gone. And Selvig's clean. No contacts. No IMs. If there was any tampering, sir, it wasn't at this end."
" "At this end"? " Fury pressed, wanting clarification for the dirty blonde's words.
"Yeah." he nodded. "The Bube is a doorway to the other end of space, right?"
"Isn't space infinite?" you questioned in a whisper.
"Doors open from both sides." Clint shrugged.
You slapped the man's shoulder as the machine the Tesseract was being held by started to whir to life.
"Hey, look at that. You're not all dumb. Only most."
"Shut up, Y/N." He smiled with a playful roll of his eyes.
The zapping sound came from the glowing cube, a bright flash of blue light spiking from the thing, causing you and the men to startle back. The room -and especially the platform you stood upon- shook as the thing just in front of you indicated that it was about to be turned on.
"Oh. That doesn't look good."
Sometimes you had a talent for speaking the obvious.
More crackling came from the Tesseract. Rays of blue light that reminded you of lightning protruding from its aura. Making the whole building rumble with the power it was exuding.
Swirling blue light quickly circled The Cube in a swirl, soon blasting a bright beam out in the opposite direction, right at the platform where the usual tests were carried out. Only for an electric blue portal to be created within that space. The inside of the ring a deep, dark blue, speckled with lights. Instantly, you recognised it as space. The night sky you used to look up at when you visited your family's rural homes.
The portal grew and grew, almost amounting to the size of the room. And then it disappeared. Collapsing in on itself, sending a blast of blue air out.
Raising your arm, you blocked the wind from connecting with your face.
Blue flames now sat upon the platform, engulfing the back of the room. Filling the cylindrical area, raising up to collect at its ceiling in a floating mass of blue fire.
You pulled your gun out, pointing it at the figure kneeling in the fire as the dust settled and the flames died down. Multiple agents slowly surrounded the intruder as you held back to better protect your boss and friend.
The being dressed in dark green slowly began rising to their full form, a spear with a glowing gem at the very top, surrounded by the gold blade in hand.
When he rose his head to face you, you saw his unhinged eyes and menacing smile.
You had to stop yourself from jolting back at the sight. "God, he's fucking creepy."
His smile fell, and eyes grew with purpose as everyone looked on in shock.
"Sir, please put down the spear," Fury called over to the stranger.
The man pulled the weapon up to his line of sight, peering down at it before he cocked his head up to your Director.
No words were spoken as he thrust the thing out, a whining electric sound emitting from it, then a blast shot out directly at Fury.
You, along with Clint, rushed to dive on the man and pull him down to the metal grate below before the blue blast of light could hit him.
You landed with a soft groan right beside the two. Quickly, pulled yourself up and dove behind the nearest cover, in the form of some metal crates, as the long-haired stranger took down many of the guards.
Shooting a bullet off at the man as he went for Clint, he shot off a smaller blast towards you. Hitting the crates you were hidden behind but still sending you flying back a few feet from the sheer power of it.
"You have heart," the man told Clint, just as you rose to your feet, giving you a perfect view of how he thrust the bloody spear out to his chest. The tip lightly pressed just above his heart, the blue from the gem seeped along the blade, right into the blonde.
Taking this as your chance, you rushed to be back beside Fury, gun still out, weakly pointed towards the spear-wielding man. Just looking for the indication to shoot and not have Clint possibly be in any danger. Only for a shiver to travel up your spine when the blonde's eyes turned entirely black, only for his irises to be replaced with an inhumanly glowing bright blue behind the normal whites of his eyes.
The man you had grown to call your friend over the years straightened his posture and holstered his gun. Shocking both you and Fury with his seeming betrayal.
Sneakily, as the stranger jabbed at more people, what you had concluded as taking them over, Fury pulled the Tesseract from its base. The cold energy sent shivers up his arm, even through his leather glove, as he placed it into the fortified case, snapping it shut.
You didn't know what you expected to happen as Fury turned to exit the large room. But you sure as hell didn't think that either of you would go unnoticed by the man.
"Please don't," came his voice, stopping your Director in place, "I still need that."
"This doesn't have to get any messier," Fury spoke over his shoulder.
"Of course, it does. I've come too far for anything else." The Director turned to face the man, interested in what he had to say. "I am Loki, of Asgard , and I am burdened with glorious purpose."
"And I am burdened with Pepto Bismol," you snarked, rubbing your stomach, "Don't have the chicken parmesan from the cafeteria, I'm tellin' ya'."
"Loki." Eric gaped, rising to his feet from where he was checking on a woman Loki had blasted with his weapon. "Brother of Thor."
Loki didn't like that. Shown by the way he glared over at the scientist, jaw hard and breathing heavily through his cracked mouth.
"We have no quarrel with your people," Fury tried to defuse the situation with a raised hand, briefcase still held tightly in the other.
"An ant has no quarrel with a boot."
"Are you planning to step on us?"
Your gun was pointed towards the ground now, sensing Fury's intentions of keeping the man talking, as the once light blue flames at the back of the room turned into a volatile-looking ball of static, dark matter floating around it, slowly ebbing into the bubble.
"I come with glad tidings-"
"'Of great joy'?" you questioned humorously, "I expected Santa to look a little different. Did you bring me the bike I always wanted?"
"I bring you a world made free," Loki said.
Fury took the initiative to speak up for you as your brows furrowed in a confused reaction to his words.
"Free from what?"
"Freedom," Loki stated.
You gave a few sarcastic laughs, leaning in to mutter towards the Director's ear, "I think he's on crack."
With the way he looked, the dark bags under his eyes, his skin in shades of pale greys and yellows tinged with glistening sweat, you would definitely say that he was on a good amount of illicit drugs.
"Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart ." He turned to jab Eric with his powered spear, taking control of his mind. "You will know peace," he finished in a whisper to the scientist.
"Yeah, you say "peace"," Fury remarked, the orb of blue energy growing by each moment behind you, Clint nothing it too, "I kind of think you mean the other thing."
"Yeah, magic dictator, jog on."
"Sir, Director Fury and Agent Y/L/N are stalling," Clint informed, strutting right up to his new "boss", "this place is about to blow and drop a hundred feet of rock on us." A glance up to the thrashing orb. "They mean to bury us."
"Like the Pharaohs of old." Fury cocked his head.
"We promise it'll only be a little bit like that movie where the guy gets buried alive," you added sarcastically, holding up your hand to show your thumb and forefinger in a pinch motion, only separated by a centimetre.
"He's right," Selvig called over from one of the computers, "The portal is collapsing in on itself. We've got maybe two minutes before this goes critical."
"Well then," Lokin spoke to Clint, who instantly took that as his queue.
You didn't even have time to react when Fury was shot in his chest. Unable to even shout out for the man, raise your gun, or run, before you were also shot in your chest. Landing in a heap on the metal ground.
You were too busy gasping up at the ceiling to stop the men from exiting, swiping the case as they went.
They were well out of the room when you had finally regained your breath from its sudden exit from your lungs. Wiping the spit from your face while manoeuvring to your feet, making to follow the men, as Fury pulled the bullet from his own hidden bulletproof vest, speaking to Hill through the crackling radio.
"Hill, do you copy? Barton has turned."
You could hear the echoing of gunshots as you sprinted towards the commotion. Entering the garage just in time to see them screech out of there, firing off a few shots at the moving vehicles as they did, along with the other agents.
" They have the Tesseract! " You heard Fury yell through Hill's radio. " Shut them down! "
"Y/L/N, you with me?" she asked, rushing to jump into the open Jeep.
Your only answer as you followed her was, "The bastard shot me!" hopping into the passenger side of the car, speeding after the group.
"Get me close to them, Hill," you said as she drove down the concealed road. Raising yourself so that your arms rested above the windscreen.
"Those tires won't shoot out."
"You kiddin'? I'm aiming for that green-wearing bastard's head."
"Just make sure he doesn't hit you before you get the chance."
"Okay, mom ."
Jumping out of the shortcut, Hill swerved the car so that it faced the once Clint was driving, with Loki crouched in the back, giving you the perfect line of fire to shoot the dirty blonde.
"Oh, I can't shoot Barton," you groaned out to Hill.
"Fire the fucking gun!" she screamed.
With a resigned sigh, you knew that you couldn't.
So, what did you do?
The next best thing you thought of.
Well... the next thing you thought of, in general.
With great clangs of metal under your boots, you jumped out of your seat, taking long strides over both hoods and roof, to dive upon Loki in the back of the armoured truck. All the while with Hill screaming after you, raising her own gun to shoot at the car.
You didn't have the best wrap when it came to that woman. And this would only make it worse.
Loki swiftly knocked the gun from your hand. Realising how stupid your decision was, you spent the whole time fighting with the Norse God, trying to avoid being taken over by his powered spear. Before he hit you off the truck with the back of his arm, only for you to land harshly on your back on the roof of Hill's car.
"Jesus!"
"You and me both, Hill," you replied after scrambling from the hood of the car, and back into the passenger seat. Just as a blast sounded from behind you, indicating that the blue orb had finally self-imploded. The tunnel behind you collapsed rapidly.
"Drive faster, Hill!"
"What do you think I'm doing?!"
"Put your fucking foot down!" you yelled, crouching down, into your seat as rubble began falling overhead. The woman swerved to avoid the rock piles as they fell before the car was suddenly covered by the falling rocks.
And just at the point where the radius stopped.
"Well, that was fun." you quipped, gaining a 'really?' look from the woman.
" -I have men down. Hill? "
You were busy helping the dark-haired woman out of the covered car as she spoke into the walkie-talkie to Fury.
"A lot of men still under. I don't know how many survivors.
" Sound a general call. I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that briefcase. "
"Roger that-"
" Y/L/N there with you? "
She didn't answer, instead handed the radio over to you, where you were panting, holding onto your knees.
Raising it up, you pressed the 'talk' button and asked, in full Y/N manner, "Would you like fries with that Happy Meal?"
" Good to hear you made it out, Y/L/N, " you could hear the slight smile on his face.
"Likewise."
" Coulson, get back to base. This is a Level Seven. Y/N, try to get Stark on our side- "
"Yeah, 'cause that's gonna be easy," you sassed the man to yourself.
" -As of right now, we are at war. "
Raising your arms above your head, waiving them sarcastically, you fauxly cheered, " Yaaay! "
" What do we do? " Coulson asked.
"I don't know about you guys," you spoke into the radio, "But I'm getting pizza."