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Chapter Text

Thea woke up to her AI, JARVIS, quietly informing her that someone had actually broken into her home. She was in shock. Somebody. Broke. Into. Her. Home?! That should not be possible! Stark tower was one of the most secure homes in the US. Thea had the best security -- and the best AI in the world! You can probably get why she was so confused... JARVIS should've booted whomever it was the second they put their tiptoe anywhere near the house. Instead, they were in her kitchen?! It was barely 5am, Athena was basically naked and her Iron suits were currently down in her workshop... so, she's walking through her home, confronting her intruder, with a glock, in only her underwear, half asleep. Right now, she looked like something out of those cheesy 90s horror movies -- or a porno. Unfortunately, it was unlikely that this was going to end like a fun movie.

She was speechless when she saw who her intruder was -- a tall, ethereal woman, wearing an extraordinary golden dress. A gorgeous woman with blonde hair, which was styled very intricately, and blue eyes. The unknown woman took zero notice of Thea, standing at the kettle, and making a pot of hot tea, like it was her home.

Thea pointed her gun, trying to not panic. "Who the hell are you?!" Thea demanded, angrily, cocking her gun so that this lady knew she meant business.

The woman looked up and smiled.

She freaking smiled?!

The woman didn't say anything, she eyed the gun and she had the audacity to look amused. Her dazzling eyes then dragged over Thea, very slowly. "Your cloak, Arne, this is not a conversation where one may remain naked." The woman spoke calmly, keeping her eyes on Thea, who jumped in surprise as another person appeared.

Arne. A large man with dark skin, wearing actual armour, like a Knight. He even had a sword! He started to walk toward Thea, so Thea aimed her gun at him. He did not look very phased. Arne, carefully, took off his golden cape and carefully wrapped it round Thea's shoulders, he'd ignored her gun entirely. Thes didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This hasnt happened before. Arne didn't speak a word, slowly backing away from Thea, returning to his place next to the unknown woman, and bowed his head to her. Athena watched in awe, she couldn't believe what she was seeing right now?! Were these people serious?! It was actually starting to annoy her. She did, however, take the gold cloak, and pull it tighter around her shoulders.

Thea huffed in frustration. "Hello!? I have a gun!" She huffed in annoyance, waving the gun about. The woman smiled again.

"An impressive weapon, I am sure."

"Who are you?" Thea asked again, getting angrier by the second. Where the hell was JARVIS with her Iron suit?! It should have already burst through and smacked the shit out of these two random strangers!? They were moving as if they owned this place; like nothing Thea could do, would ever harm them. It was frightening.

"Please, sit, I made tea." An immaculately manicured hand gestured to Thea's table. But this just pissed her off even more.

"I don't want your fucking tea?!" She rose her voice in anger, taking a step forwards with her gun aimed at the woman's face. Athena was going to shoot the lady, and her mute friend. It's ridiculous, who in the hell does this woman think she is?! Who breaks into a home to offer them tea?! It was insane -- and Thea has seen a lot of weird shit the past few years. The woman let her scream, she just stood there and took it; instructing Arne to do nothing as Athena yelled at her. "I wanna know who the hell you are before I blow your damn brains out, and cover my walls with your brain matter! So, start talking lady!"

The woman had the gall to take a sip of tea, before explaining who she was. "My name is Frigga. The Queen of Asgard."

Thea pursed her lips. "Never heard of it."

Frigga let out a little giggle, now smirking at Thea and she explained. "Ah, well, that is because Asgard isn't of your world. An alien, if you will. Over a millennia ago, the humans worshipped my people as Gods." Thea's jaw dropped in disbelief. This lady was clearly on drugs. An alien, seriously? That's what this Frigga was going with?! She has heard some crazy excuses from people before, but this was definitely the strangest she has ever heard.

She couldn't help but laugh at Frigga. "An alien, really?!" She asked, still laughing at the beautiful woman. "Are you on crack?"

Frigga hummed, tilting her head, and she challenged Thea. "I have to admit, I am a little disappointed that the only daughter of Howard Stark does not believe in life outside of Earth." Why did Frigga bring up her father?! Her parents were a sensitive subject for Thea. She doesn't like talking about them -- the loss of her parents was still raw. Even now, some ten years later, she was still struggling to come to terms with the accident that took a Mama and Papa from a sixteen-year-old. So, having her Papa's name thrown into her face for some kind of gotcha moment, it hurt.

She clenched her jaw, flaring her nostrils and without thinking, she shot her gun.

... Not at Frigga -- but at Arne.

The loud BANG of the gun made them all jump in shock, and Frigga gasped. Thea's eyes were cold, scowling at the Queen of Asgard. Luckily, Arne wasn't harmed. The bullet didn't penetrate whatever metal his armour was made from. And Arne wasn't happy with her. Unfortunately, he was not actually allowed to retaliate. Thea wasn't to be harmed, for some reason. There's a moment of silence, Thea aimed her gun back at the slightly frazzled Goddess and threatened Frigga, in a low tone of voice. "The next time this gun goes off, it will be between your pretty blue eyes. So, I'd be careful with what you say to me. What do you want?!" She demanded, purposefully speaking slowly, as if the Queen was not smart enough to understand her. Barely noticeable, the Queen had a tiny twitch in her left eye, wanting to scold Athena how she would scold her sons whenever they were too naughty.

Frigga explained, somewhat vague. "The Cosmos is in danger and you have been recruited to save it. The realms need you, Thea." That told Athena nothing. Though, she had noted Frigga did not mention the Iron Man suit, which was what everybody usually wanted to see and use.

"Huh?" She stared at Frigga, dumbly. Was she being punked?! This felt like a prank. Frigga sighed, frustrated, there was not much she could explain as Heimdall had not explained it himself. She didn't know what to tell Thea. Thankfully, Arne chose to step in and help his Queen, and he told Thea, in a voice so deep that it'd actually shocked her. "Your presence is required on Asgard. As soon as possible."

Thea's brows shot up.

Uh, what?!

They're really committing to the bit, huh.

She let out a little laugh. "Pass."

"Pass?" Frigga repeated, dumbfounded, not knowing what to make of her answer. Going to Asgard was not a request!

Thea hummed sweetly, then she nodded at Frigga. "I've got things to do; parties to plan and men to emasculate, eleven year olds to care for. You know, typical twenty something daily chores." Thea sassed.

That actually made Frigga chuckle. Thea was rather funny. The smile fell from her lips quickly, Frigga remembered why she was here; what her objective was. Whilst she didn't know what Heimdall had seen, Frigga knew it was vital for Athena Stark to come to Asgard -- Heimdall made that very clear! It was actually quite startling how stern the Gatekeeper had been with her as he was usually a very gentle man. He hardly ever raised his voice to anyone or commanded others to do his bidding, especially their Queen. So Frigga was not going to leave this planet without Thea! Frigga has not failed a quest in the eight thousand years she has been alive and she was not going to start now! She just hoped Thea came with her peacefully, as Frigga wasn't comfortable using her gifts to manipulate unsuspecting people into getting whatever she wanted.

"I'm afraid you're not seeing the severity of the situation." Frigga said, exhaling as she grounded herself to remain calm.

Thea pursed her lips, and argued with the woman, scoffing in anger, getting angrier with Frigga and Arne. "You break into my home, drink my tea and have the nerve to tell me you're an alien and wanna abduct me?! So, tell me, Frida, would you be so willing to go with the delusional intruders who broke their way into your home?"

"Frigga." The woman replied.

Thea frowned. "What?"

"My name is Frigga, I'm not Frida." Frigga corrected her, she did not sound insulted by the mistake, just a little annoyed. Thea didn't care. Frigga kept her smile and she reintroduced herself to Thea. "My name is Frigga. AllMother and Queen of Asgard and the Goddess of motherhood." Frigga sounded very proud of these huge titles, it's a shame that Thea didn't really care.

Thea shrugged, unbothered, and she told Frigga. "I'm sure that's super impressive but I'm an American citizen, and we don't have Kings or Queens here... So, you will need to do a lot more than flash your old school titles at me, to get me to do what you want. Seriously... It's like you've done no research on me, before you broke into my house and tried to beam me up." She noted, actually laughing at the Asgardian Queen. Frigga was taken aback by her.

Arne huffed, leaning closer towards his Queen and whispered in a language that Thea didn't understand, but from the way he was staring at her, she knew it was not anything good. "Your majesty, please allow me to knock the mortal out, and we can be on our way." He begged Frigga.

Frigga gave him a pointed glare, and she actually spoke in English. "I would prefer to do this without violence, thank you."

Thea frowned. "Dude, what the hell?!"

Arne shrugged. What a dick.

"Ignore him." Frigga told Thea, the Knight in gold armour then took a step back. He and Thea were eyeing each other up with suspicion. Thea then narrowed her eyes, glaring at the man while he was smirking at her. Oh, that cocky little shit! Frigga let out a sigh, rolling her eyes as they stared at each other in some strange contest of intimidation. "Arne." Frigga warned.

The Asgardian soldier looked away from Thea, that made the human grin. "HAHA! I win!" She exclaimed like an enthusiastic child winning at something. Momentarily forgetting that the duo were her intruders and she barely has any clothes on under Arne's golden cloak. Were all humans as adorable as her?! She smiled at Thea, and chuckled, then Thea suddenly demanded from the duo. "Now get out of my house." And Frigga's smile instantly dropped.

Frigga stood up, her hands joining as she began to fidget and Frigga did something so unQueenly; she begged Thea. "Please, Dr. Stark, I wouldn't be here if this wasn't serious. You are not the only human we have spoken with and requested they go to Asgard with us. They have all said yes, including your beloved James Rhodes."

That caught Thea's attention. Her Rhodey agreed to go to space? She really couldn't believe it. It was truly unbelievable.

She frowned. "You have my honey-bear?"

The Queen hummed and she nodded her head, then confessed. "We've also found Steve Rogers. He is currently recovering on Asgard, catching up on the past years that he has missed."

Thea's jaw dropped at that statement.

When another voice spoke. "Mommy?"

"Pete." Thea replied, wide eyed.

'Pete' was Peter Benjamin Parker, Thea's Godson. She adopted him when he was four years old, after his parents died in a plane crash. It has been five years now. Peter started calling her mom after Thea was kidnapped in Afghanistan, in '08. As you can imagine, it was terrifying for him -- Peter was so scared that he was going to lose yet another parent... thankfully, he didn't. He's nine now. They've just moved to Manhattan. Thea thought the change of scenery would be good for him, they're closer to May and Ben Parker, and there's plenty of great schools and kids his own age here... they were somewhat isolated in Malibu but, given the current situation, Thea was really missing the isolation. He was the most important person in Thea's life, she could not lose him. She wouldn't survive losing him.

"I heard a bang." Peter said, yawning, as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Peter was in his pyjamas, clutching his Bucky Bear. He frowned in confusion, spotting Frigga and Arne. "Who-- who are they?!"

Thea walked toward him, hiding her gun, and she smiled at Peter. "Uhm, the bang was just DUM-E, you know what he's like -- always knocking things over."

Peter nodded, DUM-E was a very clumsy robot. He eyed Frigga and Arne, then he questioned his mom again. "But who are they? It's too early to have guests." Peter stated, tightly squeezing his bear.

"They're special guests."

His face screwed up. "Gross."

"Not like that." Thea laughed at his reply, lightheartedly rolling her eyes. "They just needed some help, that's all, nothing for you to worry about." She promised.

Peter pouted at the pair, confused still. "They look weird... they look like Vikings."

"We try our best, young sir." Queen Frigga chuckled, smiling at Peter. He's adorable. When Frigga spoke to him, he looked up at her with wide eyes. Peter suddenly felt shy, his cheeks burning bright red and he buried himself in Thea's side. Thea was quick to pick him up, and Peter buried his head into the crook of her neck, hiding, and Frigga cooed ag the. Thea held Peter tightly, protective, turning to face Frigga.

"You see why I can't go?" She gestured to Peter, who was still hiding. "You're gonna have to find some other genius to take to space. I have responsibilities here."

Peter gasped, jumping up. "SPACE?!" He exclaimed, suddenly confident and wide awake. "ARE YOU GOING UP TO SPACE?! HOLY MOLY! ARE YOU TWO ALIENS?!"

Arne deadpanned. "Yes."

"That is the hope." Frigga smiled.

Thea gave her a look, huffing. "Seriously, Lady?! Why would you say that to a nine years old? Now he's gonna want to go to space?!" They cannot go to space.

"What?! NO! Mommy, we have to go!" He cried out, groaning. "PLEASE! PLEASE!" Peter continued to repeat this phrase. As much as Thea loved him, Peter could be very annoying. "I WANNA GO TO SPACE WITH THE ALIEN VIKINGS!" Peter wasn't going to stop, and Thea did want to know why Rhodey was on an alien planet, with Steve freaking Rogers?! They were going to space. Thea sighed, nodding her head.

Chapter Text

Frigga offered Thea a comforting smile. "It might tickle, but it shouldn't harm you. You've my word, Athena. You and your boy are safe." She promised Thea.

Peter beamed. "It looks so cool!"

Frigga smiled at him. "Might I say, young master Peter, your suit is quite dashing. I believe you'll give even Sir Fandral a run for his money." She complimented Peter, which absolutely made his year.

"Thank you! I picked it out myself!"

"You look very handsome."

Toni nodded, a little preoccupied with her concerns for their lives. Should she really believe the woman who claimed to be a Goddess and break into her home?! Thea then questioned; "And my Arc Reactor?"

The Arc Reactor was the device in Thea's chest, which was keeping her alive. It's a miniature version of the generator which was powering Stark Tower. Thea liked to call it a "high tech pace maker". She was kidnapped nearly a year ago, and held in a cave for three months, where she was tortured and forced to build weapons for terrorists... She was sold out by Obadiah Stane, whom she truly believed was her friend; a second father! His betrayal was crushing. As angry as she was, Thea was mourning him. During the initial attack, a bomb went off and Thea was lying close to it, and almost died, but a man named Yo Yinsen performed open heart surgery on her, in a cave, without any medication. It was as agonising as you'd think it was. If not for that Arc Reactor, Thea would be dead. Obadiah removed it once, and she went into cardiac arrest. If not for Pepper keeping her old Reactor, she would have died and Obie would've gotten everything Thea owned. That was Stane's motive; to have Stark Industries for himself.

Out of everything, that's what frightened Thea the most -- aside from Peter's life, of course -- breaking her Arc Reactor, dying because she wasn't smart enough to create something revolutionary.

Frigga's eyes darted down toward Thea's Reactor; it was large, and it was emitting a faint blue hue. You could not miss it. It's impressive technology for a Midgardian. As patronising as it sounded, it was true. Earth was eons behind several planets in the entire Cosmos. They weren't seen by others as a memorable realm; Earthlings didn't have a good reputation throughout space. Hence the All-Mother's confusion as to why Heimdall was so adamant that the Humans needed to be involved.

Frigga smiled, she was so motherly and loving. Thea's really missed that feeling. "Asgard is one of the ancient realms. Our technology is more advanced than most. So, if anything was to happen, you would be okay; your Arc Reactor would be okay. My sister in law, Lady Eir, happens to be a Goddess of healing and medicine. You're probably the safest you have ever been."

And Athena believed her.

Thea swallowed the massive lump in her throat, and she narrowed her eyes into a glare. She threatened them, again. "Well, if anything happens to me or Peter, I am gonna shoot Arne, right in the dick, with my Arc blaster." Arne frowned at that. He didn't even do anything to Thea?! He was just standing there, protecting his Queen. Peter started giggling, laughing at Thea's rather childish threats of violence.

Arne rolled his eyes, and questioned his Queen, purposefully speaking English so that Thea could understand what he was saying. "Are you sure that we need her?"

Frigga snickered. "We do."

He grumbled, Thea stuck her tongue out. Peter grinned at Arne, rather amused by him. "You are so grumpy. Like Happy."

Arne frowned. "That does not make any sense." Arne looked at Thea and sassed her. "Is the little one not educated?"

"Yes it does!" Peter huffed at Arne, like he was stupid, and he replied. "Happy is very grumpy. Like you." Arne was confused.

"I-- I do not understand this realm..."

Ignoring them, Thea looked at Frigga and she demanded. "So, what happens now?"

Frigga grinned at Thea, that was slightly worrying. Without saying anything, Frigga reached out and took Thea's hand, before looking up to the sky. "Heimdall, open the bridge." She spoke calmly. She looked at them awkwardly, what was that supposed to do? She turned to look at Arne, he was also grinning at her, but in a way that she really did not like. He looked so freaking smug! Who was this guy anyway? In every movie and tv show she's ever watched, the bodyguard wasn't so friendly with the Queen, unless they were having a secret love affair... She can't imagine a Goddess of marriage and motherhood would take lovers outside of her marriage

... Unless they're into that?

"Don't let go of me, okay." She whispered to Peter. He nodded his head, looking up.

Thea's eyes widened in horror, winds very frantically darkened and circled in the air, the sky parted and the darkness of space was revealed. Thea could actually see the stars! It was utterly beautiful. Wow. Then, a humongous golden beam shot down to Earth and consumed the three of them.

Thea gasped in shock as she felt herself being sucked into the air, moving rapidly. They're inside the Star Trek teleportation beam. It didn't hurt, but she could feel it. She felt prickles of electricity throughout her entire body. It tickled. Weirdly, it's like pop rocks when they hit your tongue.

It was over before very quickly.

Thea almost fell when she touched solid ground, but Arne caught the scruff of her shirt, helping Athena -- and keeping Peter from falling with her. Nausea overcame her, now that they were not moving, Thea felt disgusting, then she hurriedly placed Peter onto the ground, not wanting to get vomit on him. It's like coming off a roller coaster. Frigga gently took Peter's hands, guiding him away while Thea took some time to collect herself. Once Athena was sure of herself, she stood up straight and began to actually look at where she was.

She groaned, uncomfortable, disgusted, and she commented. "Oh, you bitch, you never said anything about vomiting."

"Mommy, that's a bad word."

Athena exhaled, trying to stay calm, then she replied. "I apologise for saying a bad word." And she gave Peter a dollar. This piqued Arne's interest, she gave her child money whenever she cursed?!

"Are you okay?" Peter worried, handing a tissue to his mother -- he always carried tissues. He really doesn't like mess.

She smiled at him. "Thanks kiddo."

They were stood in an observatory. It's a large golden dome, attached to a bridge which was multicoloured, like a rainbow. The observatory was at the very edge of Asgard. It kinda looked like a peer at the beach, except instead of ocean water, it was the emptiness of space... Holy crap, the Stark's were stood on another planet!? There was a singular platform inside the observatory, where a large man with dark skin and golden eyes was stood, holding a massive sword. The sword was actually bigger than Thea?! The man -- Heimdall -- was shrouded in golden armour, bowing at Frigga, very respectfully. Then the man in gold turned to look at Thea and smiled at her. He was bemused by her awe.

"Welcome to Asgard." He spoke in a deep voice. It was possibly the most attractive voice Thea had probably ever heard.

Thea gaped at him. "Damn, you're hot."

"Gross." Peter grimaced, again.

Frigga laughed at Thea's shameless lust for the Gatekeeper whilst Arne rolled his eyes and huffed. Frigga then questioned Heimdall. "Old friend, is everybody here?"

He nodded his head. "They are."

Peter was finally getting to see that alien ship! Kind of. A Viking longship appeared next to the entrance of the observatory, on the rainbow bridge. This was how the people of Asgard travelled?! It was cool. Peter did not hesitate, he'd giddily hurried towards the longship and rushed inside, ignoring Frigga's laughter and Thea's cry for him to be careful. The kid could be a handful! The second they were inside the viking ship, Peter ran to find the pilot and instantly bombarded the Asgardian's with questions. They were all shocked at his knowledge; taken aback with how much he seemed to know, especially given how young he was. And Thea chose to stand behind Peter, scowling at them all; daring them to say anything mean, or disregard Peter's curiosity. Athena made sure they answered every single question.

She, also, was fascinated. The long ships weren't too dissimilar to her cars -- Thea was raised fixing cars with her papa. She was obsessed. It's not just weapons that Stark Industries manufactured! SHIELD'S vehicles were all mostly Stark made. She designed the latest Helicarriers, their jets and hover bikes. She also made jetpacks and other such fun tech for the military.

The journey through the city, towards the palace, was a loud one. Peter was rather excited, hhe talked and talked and talked. Arne was one more comment away from a breakdown. Why do the humans talk to much? Frigga thought that it was bloody hilarious. She found Peter to be adorable and endearing, and she was reminded of a time when her two boys were younger. She was more than happy to indulge his every whim, giving him random facts and snacks, and Asgardian toys. Frigga has always wanted grandchildren.

They made it to their palace, Valaskjalf, in a few hours. It was stunning. It sat in the centre of the realm, which was about the same size as Earth, but it was flat. It was massive, golden with lavish gardens, and and halls. They felt like they stepped into a Disney movie. They couldn't believe the people actually lived in this palace; grew up in this palace! It was just so gorgeous. When the ship landed, there were people to greet them; several servants to tend to their needs, and some more guards sent to protect their Queen. Arne must've been talking. Then she saw a familiar face; her Rhodey, and Thea let out the biggest sigh of relief. He was here, and he was safe.

Rhodey's arms were wrapped around her moments after she stepped off the ship, he held her very protectively. She was so happy to see Rhodey, and she was more than happy to have the life squeezed out of her in a hug. "I'm okay." Thea promised him, knowing how protective he got over her. Rhodey was her elder brother, not by blood but everything that really mattered.

They met at MIT, Toni was thirteen years old, at a party, and drunk. She puked over Rhodey's jeans and shoes... it was gross. Nobody but Rhodey seemed to care that a teenage girl was at a frat party, drinking heavily and near blacking out. So Rhodey took her home, and he cared for her. She hasn't left him ever since. When they met, Rhodey was in his last year of MIT whilst she was in her first year. Rhodey was the first person to treat her like a person, and not just the Stark Heiress; genius orphan who built weapons for a living. He made her feel human, and she was so thankful to have him in her life -- to have the entire Rhodes family in her life! They practically adopted her. She's never felt love like it.

"UNCLE RHODEY!" Peter cheered, finally letting go of Frigga's hand and he ran at Rhodey, carelessly jumping into his arms.

Rhodey was surprised. "Peter?! What are you doing here, oh my God?!" He looked at Thea, stunned. Why the hell would they let a nine year old come to space?!

Peter grinned at him. "For aliens, duh!"

"For the aliens." Rhodey repeated, with a shocked laugh. He was dumbfounded.

"Now I'm in space, isn't that cool?!"

"So cool." His voice cracked, looking over to Thea. She shrugged at him, helplessly. Rhodey added. "I should have gone with her, to get you." He chastised himself for not being there for her... God knows how she felt when two aliens showed up?!

Arne butted in, huffing. "You should have, then perhaps she wouldn't have shot me in the chest." Rhodey's jaw dropped.

Thea smiled sweetly, shrugging. "I have no idea what he is talking about. I was as good as gold." Rhodey didn't believe that.

"T, you shot at him?!" Rhodey gasped.

"They broke into my house!"

"Is that what that loud bang was?!" Peter asked, confused, then gasped. "Mommy! How could you blame DUM-E like that?!"

Poor sweet DUM-E.

"T, you shot the General of their armies?!" Rhodey told her. Their eyes widened and they turned to Arne in shock. He was the army General?! She thought he was just a guard. Oops. Arne titled his head slightly, smirking again. Smug bastard. Honestly, she didn't see why she was the bad guy?! THEY BROKE INTO HER HOUSE! If they'd knocked like normal people, and asked to be let in, she probably wouldn't have shot him. So, in a way, it's their own fault.

"How was I supposed to know that?" She huffed, shrugging and repeated an earlier statement. "I'm an American citizen, it is my right to react when I believe my life is in danger. Second amendment, bitch."

"That's another swear." Peter gave Thea a pointed stare, and Thea and Rhodey both gave him a dollar each. He beamed.

Rhodey failed to suppress his smile, then begged Thea. "Please, T, I really need you to be on your best behaviour." She smiled at him -- he didn't like that particular grin on her face -- and nodded her head while she crossed a finger over her chest.

"Cross my Reactor, hope to die."

Rhodey knew Thea better than she knew herself. This was going to be a disaster...

"Uncle Rhodey! Do you like my suit?"

Rhodey looked down at him, realising the nine year old was in a three piece Dolce, and he nodded his head. "Of course, you look dapper." He complimented him.

"Oh!" Peter gasped suddenly and he took something out of his pocket. Sunglasses. Rhodey couldn't help but laugh as Peter slipped then into his face, beaming with pride and he said. "Now I look dapper."

Chapter Text

It wasn't entirely unpleasant. He enjoyed T'Challa's company the most. He was an impressive person; kind, intelligent, witty. Watching him grimacing at the servants treating him like royalty was so funny. He has never known a royal who disliked the titles they were given before.

Then, some time later, he saw the Bifrost being activated; his mama was home and everyone moved towards the family room. Normally no one was allowed in here, yet Odin just gave their guests access to this very private room. And, finally, Loki began to question their papa. Why were they all here?! What's so special about this group that they're allowed to invade their private family space?! When were they leaving the realm?! Unfortunately, Odin didn't have an answer for his sons... They must wait for Heimdall to return, and then explain.

They all heard the newcomers before they saw them... Whomever this woman was, that his mama went to retrieve, was very loud. They could hear her from down the corridor -- and it was a long corridor! He looked towards the other humans, some of them recognised the voice and Thor's got some very mixed reviews. They either liked this woman, or they loathed her.

Thor was most definitely intrigued. Then, he saw quite possibly the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen.

Dr. Athena Ana Carbonell Stark.

She was just perfect, as though the Lady Aphrodite created her, herself. Thor was speechless. Athena was stunning.

He suddenly felt someone's hand on his chin, pushing his mouth closed. Loki was staring at Thor, with a very judgy look on his face. Lady Sif and The Warriors Three started laughing at Thor when Loki made a comment. "Don't be embarrassing." And Thor lightly shoved his younger brother.

Frigga gave the men a stern look, quietly telling them to behave themselves. They smiled innocently and Queen then smiled brightly, wrapping an arm through Thea's, and introduced Thea to their large group. "Everyone, this is Athena Stark -- Or Thea. And this adorable boy is Peter Parker, her son. They are the last to join. So, we may begin, if Heimdall is ready." She told them all, then turned to Heimdall. He'd nodded at her in thanks and requested everybody to get comfortable around their rounded table, in the centre of the room. The little boy gave everyone a shy wave, before he quickly hid behind his mothers leg.

Cooper, Clint and Laura's boy, went over to young Peter without hesitation and he offered him a smile. "Hi, I'm Cooper."

"Peter." He mumbled, barely audible.

Cooper didn't seem to mind. "You wanna come share my new toys and snacks? Its all alien-- oh... I mean Asgardian. It's very good." He offered. He looked up at Thea, she smiled at Peter with encouragement and she nodded her head at him.

Peter looked at Cooper. "Okay."

He and Cooper weren't sat the table, but they're close enough to see and hear it. Everyone sat down, Thor was sat directly in front of Thea. He suddenly felt shy as her eyes slowly dragged across his entire body and smirked. Arne snorted a laugh, walking to his own seat, he patted Thor's shoulder and said. "She will crush you."

Honestly, Thor really wouldn't mind that.

Thea knew nearly all of the humans here. She saw Danvers and nearly choked. She stared at Carol in shock. "YOU CUNT!"

Carol smiled at her, calmly. "Hey, Thea."

"Don't repeat that word." Rhodey quickly told Peter, who's jaw had dropped, while his Rhodey gave him twenty dollars.

"That was a really big swear." Peter said, giggling, then gave ten dollars to Cooper, who looked very happy to receive it.

"Don't you hey Thea me, you psychopath! YOU'RE ALIVE?!" Thea gasped in surprise and confusion, turning to look at Rhodey, who nodded his head. It's no wonder he'd agreed to come to Asgard without much of an issue -- they must've used Carol to get him here! Carol tried to explain that it was a long, complicated story but Thea's not having it. Thea was feeling too many feelings to listen. It was messing with her head. She scoffed, getting angry at Carol and she declared. "You owe me $12,000!" She paid for her funeral, that was clearly not needed! What a bitch!

"It nice to see that you haven't changed." Carol commented, her eyes darted down to Peter. "Would've thought motherhood would have made you soft?"

"Nope, I have changed." Thea argued with the Captain. "Ive been through some shit, so I am a lot less friendly now."

Carol and Rhodey used to be a couple. It's how Thea knew her. They went through a military bootcamp together, and got very close. Carol was the first person Rhodey ever really loved, romantically. He wanted to propose to her. Thea idolised them as a couple. They were perfect together. He thought they would be together forever. Happy, and in love. But, Carol was given a mission, with the Air Force, and suddenly she was gone... they said Carol died and, of course, they believed the Miliatry. Why would they lie about that? But, of course, they did lie. Carol was obviously still alive and she was living it up in space. Carol's 'death' absolutely devastated Rhodey. He was shattered. Thea did her best to offer him comfort, but the next few years were so difficult for them. So, finding out Carol was still alive, galavanting across space, it really pissed Thea off!

Yondu suddenly cackled with laughter, and boldly commented. "I think I took the wrong Terran." Peter Q. gave him a look.

"Dude, seriously?" Peter Q. huffed.

Took. The word hung in the air. "Holy shit, were you actually abducted by aliens?!" Agent Barton questioned Peter, sounding excited with that reality. Peter Quill was abducted by aliens -- by Yondu -- when he was about ten or eleven years old.

Peter Q. sighed, nodding his head. "Yes."

That was so freaking awesome!

"Awesome." Peter P. gasped in awe.

Gamora rolled her eyes when they began to bicker. She did not want to be here. She looked at the Asgardian's and demanded. "Can we just get on with it!? I have better things to do, than wasting my day on this God forsaken realm!" She was very angry.

Suddenly, Mantis let out a whine, quickly covering her ears, uncomfortable. Mantis was an empath and the emotions in this room were currently high... Leaving Steve for the first time, Lady Eir rushed to help Mantis, not wanting the young Empath to struggle for however long they would be here. Eir, too, was an Empath. Thankfully, Eir was able to sooth Mantis. She smiled and thanked Lady Eir, moving to sit with her and Steve. It was definitely a lot more comfortable with the Goddess of healing besides you. Heimdall smiled lovingly as he watched his beautiful wife essentially adopt the two of them as her own.

"If you're all settled, we can begin." Said Heimdall, taking his place at the head of the table, something which he'd usually never do as that particular spot was the one reserved for Odin, as he was a King, but things were different right now.

"You're finally going to tell us why you're allowing all the riff-raff in?!" Loki sassed.

"Loki." Frigga sighed, chastising him.

Ignoring Loki's comment, Heimdall gave them an explanation, finally. Although, it's definitely not what they're all expecting to hear. Heimdall was a Seer. He saw the past, present, and the future. He can see everything! From Asgard, to the darkest corners of the Cosmos. There was really nothing you could keep hidden/a secret from Heimdall. Heimdall, the Gatekeeper, was THE all knowing, all powerful being! So, if he said something was happening, you should believe him. You'd be a fool not too. And when Heimdall was scared, you should feel terrified. His word was to be taken as gospel! To ignore Heimdall, was to endanger yourself and those you love. Ignore Heimdall, you may die.

Heimdall saw a future of dust and blood, of death and destruction. He saw Asgard falling to Ragnarok, and planets all over the galaxy falling apart. This terrified him. He had never seen anything like it before. Heimdall normally would not interfere, or purposefully change things, but he could not, in good conscious, let this happen.

He explained this to the guests which he summoned to Asgard, telling them of the horrors he saw, hoping they would want to help, and change things for the better. Still, they were confused why Heimdall's chosen them to save their universe from destruction. Sam asked. "Why us?" They weren't big heroes... most of the people in this room were literally criminals!? So, it made no sense. Surely, there were a lot more qualified and worthy heroes.

"I can't be anyone else." Heimdall replied, a matter of factly. Then focused on Thea, making her sit up straight, anxious as to why the Gatekeeper was staring at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?!"

Heimdall explained to her, his voice was heavy with importance. They can't ignore this detail. "In every future that I saw, you are the constant... I've seen you, Athena, in the centre of the final fight, holding the the universe in your hands. The outcome of our future is determined by you."

... You could hear a pin drop in the family room. Thea doesn't know what to say to him, or do right now. Talk about pressure! Should he really be believed? Was she as important as he was claiming her to be? Thea didn't feel it, not really... Sure, she's talked a big game but she was a regular person, she has issues -- plenty of issues -- and while Athena put out this confident persona, she was actually self-conscious and has so much anxiety... its all a show! That care free, party girl which they saw in papers and on TV, that person was not the real her! So, to be told that she was responsible for why the universe falls or thrives, was the scariest thing that Thea has ever heard. She didn't want to believe it... Knowing her luck, their universe was going to collapse and that's going to be her fault! Was it too late to go back down to Earth?! Thea suddenly didn't want to be here. It's just too much.

Peter, on the other hand, looked proud of his mother. "So, my mom is gonna save the whole universe?! Not Iron Man -- my mom?! Really?! Wow. That's so cool!"

"Yes." Heimdall nodded, very confidently.

"My daddy saves the world." Said Cooper, smiling at Peter. "He's called Hawkeye."

Peter grinned. "Awesome."

"I-I think your crystal ball is broken." Thea told Heimdall, unsure of what else to say to him. Thea defaulted to her humour and sarcasm whenever she felt scared.

He argued with her. "My vision is clear."

Nick Fury looked offended to even think the way he was thinking right now. Fury raised an eyebrow, looking between this Gatekeeper and Thea, and he questioned Heimdall, with a scoff. "You're telling us, this entire goddamn Cosmos really does revolve around Thea Stark?! You're being serious?" He has seen a lot over the years as a SHIELD agent, and now their Director, but this was most definitely the craziest.

"Well, that's a little reductive, but yes."

Fury cussed. "Motherfucker!"

"That's ten dollars." Peter told Fury as he held out his hand. And Fury actually gave the nine year old boy ten dollars. He was going to have soo much money by the end of this! He was so excited to be here. He shared his ten dollars with Cooper, again.

A large man, in fur, starting laughing. He wiped his eye. "This one? This tiny thing? She -- no, the Jabari won't follow her."

T'Challa sighed. "M'baku, please."

"Mh, I am not wrong." M'baku shrugged. She was comically short, and so skinny, with heart problems... how could she ever lead their armies into a glorious victory?!

Thea let out an inhuman noise, pressing her lips together, and she said. "I'll pass."

They all stared at her. "What?"

Was Thea being serious right now?!

"Pass." Thea repeated, shaking her head. She would rather not be the chosen one, thank you so much. It didn't work out for Percy Jackson, so she would very much like to pass this onto someone else. Like, Steve Rogers. Captain America was THE superhero. He's perfect for it. He loves all that hope, trust and justice bullshit. Thea doesn't even feel bad about saying no to them all... The Asgardian's can't just dump this on her and expect her to instantly say yes. That's insane! This was not some YA fantasy series where a reluctant chosen one rises to the occasion and leads their rebellion -- this was her life! She had zero desires to be involved in this. "No thanks, pick someone else. I'm not a soldier. 'Kay I'm ready to go back to Earth now. Lovely meeting you all, let's never do this again." She started rambling, standing up.

Peter worried, lips quivering. "Mommy?"

"You don't exactly get a say--"

"--I do not consent!!" Thea interrupted the Gatekeeper. She rose her voice, starting to panic. "I wanna go home now, please!"

Rhodey shot up, realising the on coming panic attack. He quickly guided her away from the long table, and he'd blocked her from everyone's view, whispering quietly. "Take a breath, you're okay, I'm here with you. You know I would never let anything happen to you. Okay. Deep breaths. Hey, remember, Pete is here. The kid's gonna freak if you freak." He warned her and the two of them looked back at the table. He was watching them, terrified for his mom right now. He didn't like seeing her panic.

"This is insane!" She hissed. "T-they think I-- they think I'm some sort of messiah?! I thought this trip would be fun, maybe get an alien booty call, steal some alien tech and then go home! Make friends with the ET's, not lead a god-damn space war!"

"We'll deal with it together."

"But I don't want to deal with it at all." She whined. "I have got Peter to think about!"

He smirked at her, which she really didn't appreciate, but she let him say his peace. "Hey, I've spent some with these people. There ain't no way they are gonna let one human -- one inexperienced human -- be in control of their armies. You won't have to do anything. Trust me, T. You're good." He promised her, and she looked over his shoulder, eyeing the strange grouping of people. They're all soldiers and warriors, and they were much older than her. They would be idiots to let her lead the charge, despite what Heimdall was saying.

She sighed, and walked back over to her seat and she warned everybody. "Fine, I'll stay and hear you all out, but I'm making it everybody else's problem. I can be very vexing, fyi." And she will shoot anybody in this room should she feel it necessary.

Chapter Text

They were not sure what to expect when Heimdall claimed he was going to show them what their future held -- it definitely wasn't this...

I n the vast New Mexico desert, a remote research facility was in a state of disarray and chaos. The air vibrated with tension as a helicopter swooped down, it's rotors whipping sand into the air. Men in suits ran frantically, shouting orders, gathering their belongings, while soldiers leapt onto Humvees, engines roaring to life as they sped away. A booming voice echoed from loudspeakers, heightening the panic. And, a few yards from their landing pad, a man in a sharp suit and dark shades watched the helicopter descend with unwavering focus. This was Phil Coulson, a seasoned SHIELD agent. The copter's doors opened, and Agent Maria Hill stepped out. Behind her was SHIELD Director Nicholas J. Fury, he'd scanned the scene, then approached Coulson. "How bad is it?" Fury demanded from him, his tone low and urgent.

Athena scoffed. "And people say i like a dramatic entrance?!" She commented, looking to Fury, incredulously. She lazily gestured to future Fury. "You look like a male bird during mating season."

Fury pursed his lips. "I look good."

Carol snickered a laugh, lightheartedly rolling her eyes. He hasn't changed much since their last conversation.

"That's the problem, sir." Coulson replied, sounding confused. "We don't know." Phil admitted, leading the agents through the radiation sector; hundreds of technicians moved rapidly, while evacuating only the essentials, Coulson explained to Fury. "Dr. Selvig detected an energy surge from the Tesseract four hours ago."

Fury frowned, angry, and he snapped at the agent. "NASA didn't authorize Selvig to run tests." Coulson nodded.

Coulson warned Fury. "He wasn't testing it. Sir, Selvig wasn't even in the room. It's spontaneous." And the trio stopped for a moment, staring at Coulson in disbelief.

Hill frowned. "It just turned itself on?"

"E nergy levels are climbing," Coulson said grimly, nodding. "When Dr. Selvig couldn't shut it down, we ordered the evacuation. "

" How long until everyone's out? "

" Campus should be clear in the next thirty minutes. " Coulson reassured the Director .

Still, Fury was not happy with that answer and all but barked at Coulson. "Do better."

T hey descended further into the radiation chamber. "Sir, evacuation may be futile. " Agent Hill commented, sounding scared.

Fury's expression did not change. "We should tell them to go back to sleep? "

Maria swallowed a lump in her throat , and she warned Fury. " Sir, if we cannot control the Tesseract's energy, there may not be a safe distance ." That's a good point.

The Tesseract !

SHIELD WERE EXPERIMENTING ON THE TESSERACT?! Steve was absolutely livid! How could they do something so stupid? He died because of that thing! Schmidt disappeared, before his very eyes, due to messing about with this thing. Hundreds of men were captured and killed because of it! Howard almost blew up a SSR base because Steve gave him of a sliver of it. During the war, it'd caused only pain and suffering... the Nazi's would have 100% won the war if he hadn't managed to get it away from Johann and kick it into the ocean.

And Steve wasn't the only one upset by seeing it. Carol was angry, turning to the Director in shock, after everything they went through together, because of that cube... Fury was still using it?!

Carol scoffed. "Are you insane?! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!" She snapped at Fury, accusatory. But, he didn't seem to want to listen to her...

"I'm doing what's best for Earth."

The Asgardian's seemed to disagree with him. Arne spoke. "The Tesseract's one of the ancient powers. By experimenting on it, you have brought only danger to Earth. Villains you can't even imagine will come to you, wanting the Tesseract, and you're going to be powerless to stop them."

"Like father." Nebula mumbled, but loud enough for them to hear. Thanos will find out where the cube was, and he will get it back. Thanos would destroy their planet, like he destroyed Luphom, for that cube. Gamora reached out, and squeezed her younger sister's hand, trying to bring her some comfort. It didn't do much...

"I think I'll take our chances." He replied.

What an idiot.

M'Baku rolled his eyes. "Americans."

Fury gave a curt nod. "Then make sure the Phase 2 prototypes are secured and shipped out immediately. "

" Sir, is that really a priority right now? !"

Fury snapped back. " Until the world ends, we act like it intends to spin. Clear out the tech. Every piece on a truck, and gone. "

They were staring at Fury in disgust. To their surprise, it was Yondu who spoke. "Your people are in danger, their lives are at stake and you are more concerned for the illegal weapons you have made?!" He scoffed, shaking his head. "And everyone says its the Ravagers who are scum?!"

"What are Ravagers?" Asked Steve.

Peter Q. grinned. "We're space pirates."

"Cool." Princess Shuri gasped.

"The Ravagers are thieves, charlatans, and bounty hunters." Thor corrected him. Shuri still thought they were awesome -- then again, she's only 11 years old.

M'Baku looked scarily excited, politely raising his hand. "I would like to meet these space pirates." He beamed.

Ramonda gave him a look. "No."

"Mama." M'Baku sighed. She continued to stare at him with a pointed glare. The large man sighed. "Maybe next time."

Shuri laughed at him.

Hill nodded, then signaled to the standing agents. They moved into the NASA space radiation facility. The Tesseract was now inside a muon solenoid coil chamber, and it was glowing ominously... Dr. Erik Selvig emerged from behind the machine, worry etched on his face. Fury called out to him, eyeing him . "Selvig, how we looking ?!"

" Director." Selvig said, voice trembling. "The Tesseract... it's misbehaving. "

Fury's eyes narrowed, he walked closer. "How soon until you can shut it down? "

" It's an energy source." Dr. Selvig admitted to Fury, whilst shrugging his shoulder. "If we turn off the power, it turns back on. If it reaches peak level -- "

"-- We've prepared." He interrupted Selvig, impatiently. " Harnessing space energy."

S elvig shook his head. "We don't have the harness. The calculations are incomplete. Now it's emitting radiation; low levels , but they can be harmful ." Selvig explained .

" Where's Barton? " Fury demanded

"Up in his nest, as usual," Selvig scoffed .

Cooper gasped. "DAD! ITS YOU!" He was so proud of his dad! While he might not understand his dad's job, he knew that it was very important. He was a superhero; he protected Earth from the bad guys.

"It is, buddy." Clint smiled at him, though he was screaming on the inside. Cooper and Lila were about to see what he really did for work... Laura and Clint had done their best to keep their kids away from it all; wanting them to live normal lives.

He was scared of what they might think if they knew the truth. Scared that Lila and Cooper would not want him in their lives anymore... Clint has seen it happen before, with other SHIELD agents. And it absolutely terrified him.

"Maybe you kids should be here for this part?" Clint suggested, hoping they will just listen and leave. Of course, nobody listened to him. Their kids were staying.

And, from their high catwalk, Clint Barton, dressed in a tactical black, was observing the facility below. Director Fury called him over through his earpiece. Barton repelled down, Barton joined Fury and the others. He have Fury a detailed report; Nobody's entered or left the facility... No tampering here. The cube was a doorway, and it was open on both sides. If anything triggered this, it wasn't on their end. This only made Fury more upset , concerned for what the hell was going on. Dr. Selvig's fingers flew over the key, his worst fears materializing on the monitors... suddenly, the Tesseract thundered, shaking their facility violently. It's glowing rings flared, shooting energy, forming a beam akin to the Bifrost Bridge. The beam struck the platform wired up to the CMS device, and erupted into a vortex which tore open a portal... There was only blackness, with slightly twinkling stars. It poured into the chamber, accompanied by a blinding gust of blue energy. They fell eerily silent. Then came heavy breathing. From the platform, a figure emerge, it was kneeling, smoke rising from the ground. It was Loki. His mischievous smile faded as he locked eyes with Fury, Clint and Selvig, rising to his full height with his sceptre .

The gasps were very loud, from the royal family of Asgard. Loki nearly stumbled off theur seat when they saw themself. What in the Hel was going on?! They looked terrible! They were so pale, their hair was greasy, there were big dark circles under their eyes -- which were a shade of pale blue, for some reason!?

Loki's eyes were green!

"Oh, my child." Frigga mumbled, getting a little emotional. She knew her Loki -- this was not them. It was overwhelming. She looked to Heimdall. "What is this?" Frigga demanded from the Gatekeeper, wanting to know why her sweet young Loki was suddenly so sinister looking; why they're on Midgard, of all the places?! None of it made sense to her. It has been nearly one thousand years since any Asgardian set foot on Midgard. It was not a realm they frequented.

Frustratingly, Heimdall didn't give them a very good answer. He just looked at Odin and Frigga, and mumbled. "Secrets will unfold and truth will be told." Regardless of how annoyingly vague that was, they seemed go understand.

Frigga and Odin looked very worried.

Thor and Loki shared a look.

"DADDY?!" Cooper cried out, his lip was quivering and he looked panicked. Clint was very quick to move and pull him into his arms. Cooper wrapped his arms and legs around his dad, squeezing him very tightly. Laura had already got hold of Lila. The young children panicked for Clint.

"I'm okay." Clint whispered to Cooper, his eyes darted towards Loki, and he began to scowl at the younger Asgardian. Clint wanted to fight, but knew it was stupid -- they're on Asgard, and only knew half of the story... so  it wasn't worth the risk.

Still, they were angry.

Thor and Arne moved closer to Loki, and that prompted the Warriors Three to do the same. Thor warned them. "My sibling isn't to blame here! We do not know why this is happening... So, choose your next moves widely." He threatened them. His eyes flickered with lightning.

"Peace, please." The Allfather told Thor. "We're not here to fight one another. We are here to prevent this future. We are allies." The Allfather reminded everyone, and the hall seemed to simmer down.

"They threaten Loki." Thor pointed out.

Odin nodded. "Emotions are high. This is confusing for all of us, but we must not forget why we are here." Odin reminded his son. They were here for the safety of the entire Cosmos, not just themselves... they shouldn't threaten that by fighting amongst themselves. It was foolish.

Thor grumbled. Loki was smiling at Thor, relieved to see their brother on their side.

Everyone watched him, cautiously. Fury called. " Sir, please put down the spear! "

Loki's gaze lingered on the weapon, then he raised it, firing a blue beam straight at Fury and Clint. Clint tackled Director Fury, narrowly avoiding the harsh blast. Chaos erupted instantly... Bullets ricocheted off Loki as he leapt into action, knives and energy blasts tearing through the facility. Clint tried to regroup but Loki moved with lethal precision, seizing control of Clint's mind through the scepter. Many SHIELD personnel fell under Loki's control. Fury seized the Tesseract, and tried to retreat, but Loki's deep voice stopped him. "Oh, I would not do that. I still need that."

"T his doesn't have to get messy ."

" Of course it does." Loki replied, his voice echoing with ominous certainty. "I'm Loki of Asgard, and I'm burdened with glorious purpose. " He introduced himself.

Selvig's eyes widened, revealing himself and he replied. "Loki? Brother of Thor? " Erik asked him, Loki groaned, resentful.

That was odd... the hatred in Loki's eyes when Selvig mentioned Thor was rather shocking. Thor was taken aback by that reaction. He has always assumed they were closer than your average siblings. Thor thought the world of Loki, yet Loki clearly did not feel the same way.

It hurt.

Loki looked at Thor, desperate. "Brother, I-- I do not know what to say." Loki shyly admitted, just as clueless and surprised as the rest of the Asgardians in the hall.

Thor gave them a weak smile. "It is okay, Loki. We'll change this. We will be better. I will be better, for you. I swear it to you." He promised, touching the back of Loki's neck. Loki shyly nodded their head.

This was actually really cute.

"We have no quarrel with your people."

" An ant has no quarrel with a boot," Loki sneered at Fury. Fury raised an eyebrow .

"You planning to step on us."

Loki smiled. It's rather haunting. "I come with glad tidings, a world made free. "

"Free from what?"

"Freedom." Loki replied. " Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept it in your heart, everything changes." He stated. He knew this better than anyone. He turned rapidly, pressing his spear against Selvig's chest. Selvig's eyes flared black with unnatural energy. "You will know peace," Loki added to Director Fury, his voice cold and final.

"Heimdall, who is responsible for this?!" Frigga demanded again, knowing these were not Loki's words. Frigga refused to believe it. Her Loki wouldn't do this.

Heimdall said one word. "Thanos."

The Earthlings did not know who Thanos was, everybody else did. Their reactions were startling. They were angry, hateful. Gamora and Nebula were mournful. They hated their father. Drax had clenched his fists so tightly that they worried he may go through their table. Thanos murdered his wife and daughter... and destroyed his planet, almost entirely. The Avengers did not need to hear anything else to know how evil Thanos was. He wasn't a good guy. He was an enemy; their enemy. The big bad villain who they're going to have to fight at some point after leaving here.

"Who?" Asked Sam, rather bluntly. He was in no mood for the Asgardian seer answers. It was incredibly irritating.

"A Mad Titan." Said Peter Q. "Genocidal maniac, who looks like a nutsack, who wants to control the entire universe by slaughtering everyone." Peter shrugged.

"Oh." Sam mumbled.

So, your classic psychotic villain.

Nick Fury narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, you say peace, but I think you mean the other thing." Above them, the Tesseract energy swirled violently, forming a dense cloud that threatened to implode.

Clint's voice cut through the tension, and he warned Loki. "Director Fury is stalling. This place is about to blow. He wants to bury us alive." And Fury clenched his jaw.

Selvig's face mirrored the fear across the room. "He's right. The portal is collapsing. We've two minutes before it goes critical." He confirmed. Loki glanced at Clint, who didn't hesitate. In a swift motion, he fired. Fury went down, clutching his side, when Clint grabbed the Tesseract. Then he fled, dragging Loki, Erik, and the other agents controlled by Loki out with him.

Clint's jaw dropped. He shot Nick Fury.

He just shot his boss.

Cooper gasped, shocked, and pointed out. "Daddy, you just shot Mister Fury."

Clint was speechless. "I did."

Lila mumbled. "Damn."

Laura gaped, laughing. "Lila!"

"We've all wanted to shoot Fury one time or another." Said Carol, with a shrug. That earned her a few looks. "Am I wrong?"

She was not wrong .

By the time they reached the parking lot, chaos had erupted. They quickly gathered weapons, loading them into trucks. Agent Maria Hill, standing at the edge, watched in confusion. " Who's that?" She asked the archer, pointing toward the group.

"He didn't tell me." He replied. Suspicious, agent Hill watched as their trucks roared off, leaving the facility behind, then Fury's voice crackled over her walkie, trying to warn her about what just happened... Loki and Barton froze mid-motion, their heads snapping towards the sound. Back at the lab, Fury groaned in pain while he pulled a bullet from his side, gasping for air. Fury managed to warn her, but it's too late . Hill jumped into a Jeep and pursued speeding truck while Loki's convoy tore through the tunnels. Energy blasts erupted from Loki's scepter, sending SHIELD. vehicles flipping as the controlled agents under his sway fought with precision. Agent Hill weaved through the chaos, she narrowly avoided flying debris and gunfire... the Tesseract's energy began to pulse ominously, building toward an unthinkable crescendo.

Inside the collapsing facility, Fury raced down corridors, dodging falling pipes and rubble. Elsewhere, Coulson and several agents were tumbling down some stairs, silver cases of vital information clattering to the ground. "No! Leave it!" He'd yelled, and they fled as the building trembled like an earthquake in motion.

Back on the desert road, Clint's SVU truck pushed onward. Hill spun her Jeep into a perfect 360-degree turn, to face the large group of attackers in reverse, and bullets shattered her windshield. Maria returned fire with deadly accuracy.

Fury was on the roof, he was running to a helicopter while the helipad was literally crumbling beneath him. The chopper had barely lifted off the ground, flames licking its underbelly when the ground collapsed into the growing energy cloud -- F ury had to actually jump and dive for the chopper, panting breathlessly as he collapsed onto the chopper floor, barely making it in time -- but he made it!! Th e Tesseract erupted into a blinding blue light. The facility and surrounding desert were consumed in its energy, instantly collapsing in on itself in a terrifying implosion, and the shockwave tore through the tunnel. It nearly crushed Hill's Jeep under the rock and debris, yet somehow she survived.

Clint's truck roared into the open desert. Fury's helicopter swooped overhead, gun trained on Loki. Loki's rage erupted as he unleashed a bolt of blue energy from his scepter, engulfing the chopper in flames. Fury leapt out the falling chopper, landing hard on the desert sand, and fired back at Loki, but it was too late. Loki looked back, a cruel smile etched across his face. The Director's walkie crackled alive, its Agent Coulson. "Director Fury, do you copy? "

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Peter (Parker) yelled, jumping up from joy, watching Grandpa Fury move like a badass. Peter started making sound affects with his mouth and mimicking Fury's actions as he yelled. "YOU WERE LIKE BATMAN! LOKI WAS ALL LIKE PEW PEW AND YOU WERE LIKE BAM THEN-- AND THEN--"

"--Pete, breathe." Athena interrupted him, she gathered him into her arms, worried he might work himself up into an asthma attack. He blushed, taking deep breaths.

Lady Eir watched in fascination as Peter quickly used his inhaler. She'd never seen anything like it before. Mortal medicines were quite strange. Steve's shocked face mimicked Lady Eir's -- That's an inhaler?! It looked so different than what he used to use; smaller and more efficient. Steve was impressed, but also a little sad... it's just another reminder of how much has changed since he fell into the ice. Steve missed so much. It was overwhelming.

Steve was very hesitant to ask, actually speaking to Thea. "Is he alright?" Steve knew how painful asthma could be.

She smiled at Steve. "He's fine."

Then, as if on cue, Peter groaned and he leaned back against Thea. "I need a nap." He announced, rather dramatically.

He had them cooing and aweing. He was adorable. Peter blushed at the attention, especially from the Asgardian's in the hall. They treasured children, especially one as young as Peter. Thor smiled at Peter and, without saying anything, he took off his cloak and he moved, carefully placing it over Peter, who was in Thea's lap. Thor and Thea locked eyes for a moment, and smiled then Thor looked back at Peter. "Here, may this keep you safe and warm while you rest." He ruffled his hair.

"Whoa, thanks Mister."

Rhodey watched Thor and Thea, his lips curled up in disgust, gross. He didn't like watching his little sister flirting. Rhodey bluntly told Thor. "Go sit down." And Thea slapped the back of Rhodey's head, while Thor chuckled, and he raised his hands in surrender as he walked back to his seat.

Loki deadpanned. "Smooth."

"I think so." Thot grinned, smugly.

' The Tesseract is with the hostile force," Fury replied, steadying himself, panting . "I've got several men down... Hill? !"

Maria climbed from her Jeep, shaken but still alive. "A lot of men still under... but, I don't know how many survived. "

Fury's eyes scanned across the scorched desert, the implosion still smoldering. He exhaled . "Sound the general call -- Every living soul not on rescue duty, you find that briefcase. Coulson, get back to base. This is a Level Seven. As of now, we are at war. " Fury announced, seriously, and he then looked up at the darkening sky.

The Asgardian hall was speechless, they were all just staring at the magic. They've got not idea what to say or do after the things they've just witnessed.

Was Earth going to war with Asgard?!

"I--" Loki started, but the words got stuck in their throat. They liked mischief and causing trouble, but this?! This wasn't the kind of person they was... They didn't like violence. They did not like war, or death. They would not harm another person so cruelly. There had to be a real explanation as to why this was happening. Because it wasn't something Loki would ever do!

On t he outskirts of Russia, by a railroad, a man named Georgi Luchkov, whom was a big imposing general with his thugs , were interrogating someone. The tall thug was in the middle of a brutal beating, his fists landing on Natasha Romanoff's face. He'd backhands. Pain shot through her, but she doesn't break. Luchkov smiled coldly, and he walked towards her . " This wasn't how I wanted the evening to go. "

" I know how you wanted this evening to go. Believe me, this is better. " Natasha quipped back, in perfect, fluent Russian.

That got a few laughs, and heads turned to Natasha. Clint was frowning. "You are being tortured and you're sassing them? Tash, really?!" Clint asked, worried they'll do something even worse to her.

Natasha shrugged. "I can take it."

"I know." He mumbled.

That's what Clint was afraid of... Nat and Clint were close, like siblings. They'd met when Nat was 19 years old and SHIELD sent Clint to 'take her out'. Clint chose to do something else -- he recruited her. He helped her escape The Red Room, and the KGB, and helped her get into SHIELD, and an American citizenship. Clint gave her a second chance; a real home, a real family. A real life. And it was probably the best decision he'd ever made. Together, they took down 'The Red Room', rescued over over five hundred young women and girls, including Nat's sister Yelena. They were now living better lives; normal lives. Clint couldn't imagine his life without her by his side. And he was one of the most important people in Nat's life.

Lady Sif looked intrigued, watching the future Natasha take those hits without an issue. "You are a warrior?"

Nat shrugged. "I'm a spy."

That made Sif smile, excitedly. Lady Sif then offered. "Mayhaps you would like to join my sisters, The Valkyrie, in training?" She wondered, Nat perked up. Of course she wanted to join the Valkyrie in training! That would be the coolest thing ever!

Natasha nodded, cool. "Sure."

"I would like to come." Laura said, raising her hand. Laura was also a SHIELD spy.

Sif's smile widened, nodding her head as she promised them. "All girls and women are welcome." Sif looked to Gamora and Nebula, then to Mantis, Okoye, Thea, Lila Shuri, Carol and Ramonda. The Valkyrie's welcomed all women and girls. They're a sisterhood; an army of women warriors! A safe haven for all women, regardless of which realm or planet they hail from.

Lila gasped excitedly, looking up to her parents. "CAN I?!" Lila exclaimed. Laura and Clint shared a look, they conversed silently, before nodding at Lila. "YES!"

Thor sighed, devastatedly. He wanted to he a Valkyrie so badly. CURSE HIS PENIS! How annoying it was that he can't shape shift like Loki, and become a woman.

"I would like to know why they sent you to carry out a carrier, a stained glass, and other random items." Luchkov said while the tall thug rocked Natasha's chair back, balancing her perilously near the edge of an open floor. And, for the first time, fear flickered in her eyes, but she hid it well.

She taunted. " I thought General Soholob was in charge of the export business ?"

"S oholob?" Luchkov scoffed, laughing at her. "Your reputation is a progression. The famous Black Widow. Nothing but a pretty face. " He told her, sneering.

" You really think I'm pretty? "

So pretty. Arne found himself thinking. It wasn't appropriate, so he didn't say it out loud. Natasha Romanoff was a badass.

Luchkov strolled over to a table cluttered with tools and picked up a pair of pliers, and the tall thug opened Natasha's mouth forcefully. " We do not need the Lermontov to transfer the tanks. " Suddenly, a weasel cell phone rang out, and everyone turned to the weasel as be actually answered the phone. He gave it to Luchkov. So Luchkov snatches the phone, clearly irritated.

" You are at 114 Solenski Plaza, 3rd floor. We have an F22 exactly eight miles out. Put the woman on the phone, or I'll blow up the block before you can reach the lobby. " It was Agent Phil Coulson, he was dangerously calm . Luchkov looked over to Natasha, he pressed the phone against Natasha's ear, seeing her tied to a chair with her hands behind her back. Coulson spoke to her. " We need you to come in. "

" Are you kidding? I'm working! "

" This takes precedence. "

" I'm in the middle of an interrogation, and this moron is giving me everything. " Nat signed, causing Luchkov to frown at her . Natasha shot him a sharp look, then she told Coulson, getting more annoyed with him. " Look, you can't pull me out of this right now.

" Natasha. Barton's been compromised. "

There was pause , Natasha's face became stone. " Let me put you on hold. " Natasha nodded at Luchkov, who moved to take the phone, and in a sudden blur of motion, Natasha kicked him and headbutted him. She springs to her feet and she launched herself at the tall thug, landing a series of precise kickboxing strikes to his face. It's a shock. Still tied to the chair, she rolled over the weaselly thug, tripping him in the process. She stomped onto the tall thug's foot with a chair leg, and knocked him out with her head. All this while, Coulson was still on the line. Natasha then flipped over and fell hard onto the weaselly thug which broke the chair. Seeing the taller thug rise up, she ran at him, drop-kicking him, then flipped back up, wrapping her legs around his neck and knocking him out cold. With an efficiency, Natasha grabbed Luchkov, wrapped his leg around a hanging chain, and she dropped him down the open floor, dangling. She calmly picked up the phone and her heels. " Where's Barton now? "

Wow. Just -- wow. Natasha Romanoff was freaking awesome! Nobody could fight like the Black Widow.

It left everyone in awe.

She shuffled uncomfortably, she did not like all the eyes on her. Mantis was the first to comment. "You are so fierce." She stated, through a breathy gasp. Mantis beamed at the ex-assassin, excited to be in her presence. Mantis felt such power from her, it made her feel so strong. She was so used to Ego's emotions, this was a fantastic change of pace. She loved it.

Lady Sif was practically giddy with joy. "I should like to spar with you!" She stated, she could not wait to fight with Nat.

Arne was definitely in love right now.

"Since when were the Midgardians able to move like that?" Fandral whispered to his friends, watching Natasha in action. It's amazing. To impress the Asgardian's was definitely an achievement, they were practically immortal, so they've seen so much. It took a lot to get a reaction from them, and Nat had them flabbergasted.

" We don't know. " Coulson replied.

Natasha pressed on. " But he's alive ?"

" We think so. I'll brief you on everything when you get back. But first, we need you to talk to the big guy. " Coulson told her .

Natasha snorted a laugh. " Coulson, you know Stark trusts me about as far as she can throw me. " She warned Coulson.

" No, I've got Stark. You get the big guy. " Agent Coulson corrected Natasha, with an amused smirk across his lips.

" Bozhe moi. " Natasha swore.

"Awe, Natashalie, that hurts. Of course I trust you." Said Thea, condescendingly. Natasha raised an eyebrow at her. Thea snorted. "Nah, you're right... I don't trust you... maybe to kill a guy, yeah?" Athena told Natasha, making her roll her eyes.

That left everyone wondering, who the hell was the big guy?!

Chapter Text

A little girl, maybe eight, darted through the crowded streets of the Indian slums, desperately forcing her way past people and between buildings; her small frame allowed her to slip through gaps, but fear drove her faster than anything else. She reached a small shack and scrambled up the steps, but before she could enter, an attending woman blocked her way with a sharp yell, demanding that she get out of here but the girl ignored her. Crying. "I've got to see the doctor! It's my father!" And from inside, the calm voice spoke. Bruce Banner, the local doctor everyone quietly depended on, stepped forwards, trying to calm her down . "It is my father." The little girl stammered. Her eyes flicked towards the people lying close, their bodies weak and sickly. Banner seemed to understand her and she held out a few crumpled bills and she pleaded with him. "Please."

Lady Eir sat straighter, frowning at these sickly patients. She could feel their pain, and ailments. She didn't like it. She hasn't felt pain like this since the dark ages -- and Bruce Banner was doing his best to deal with all by himself, without proper equipment or the proper help. The young ladies at his side were family members and friends of the patients. It was brave. Courageous. And Eir knew, she and Dr. Bruce Banner would be friends.

Athena looked shocked, openly staring at the magic. "This is where you have been since you went on the run?"

Bruce shooked his head. "No, I don't stay in one place longer than one year, it's too dangerous." Thea wanted to hug him.

"Why?" Asked Thor, intrigued.

Bruce looked at him. "Because-- Because of what i-- turn into... it ends badly." Bruce said, frowning mournfully. He missed his old life. He missed working in a real lab. He missed going out. He missed having friends. He missed Betty. Bruce missed being able to live -- doing things that got his heart rate up; having fun, the horror movies. The sex... it wasn't just that. He missed being able to be close to people, experiencing intimacy; kissing, hugging, shaking someone's hand. He can't even have a high five because it could set off Hulk. He was so isolated, and he hated it.

Frigga reached across the table, holding his hand, smiling. "You and -- your friend are welcome here. The madness within can't harm you here. We have technology and magic, our scholars can help you."

He smiled, self-deprecating. "Nobody can help me." Bruce mumbled, it broke damn near everybody's heart. Poor Bruce.

Bruce sighed, but followed her. Together, they hurried through the slums until they reached the edge of town. The girl rushed ahead, but Banner froze when he spotted a government vehicle nearby. He quickly turned, hiding himself from view, then he followed her to her home.

Inside, he barely had time to look around before the little girl slipped out through a window, vanishing into the night. Banner stood there, realizing he'd been tricked. It didn't happen often , muttering to himself. " Should’ve gotten paid up front, Banner ."

Then , from behind a large curtain, a voice spoke up. It was Natasha Romanoff. “You know, for a man who's supposed to avoid stress... you've chosen a hell of a place to settle.” Dr. Banner turned sharply.

" Avoiding stress isn’t the secret ."

"T hen what is it? Yoga?" She asked him, her tone almost playful , and flirtatious.

Thea squeaked, laughing a little, and she commented. "AH! Look at the two of you, gettin' your flirt on in the desert."

Bruce turned a shade of red.

While Natasha just rolled her eyes. This was a job. If she was really flirting, they would all feel it too... they would all take their kids and leave the room. Anyways, Dr. Banner wasn't really her type. She liked a taller man, confident and unapologetic, and even a little cocky, powerful... Arne.

" You brought me to the edge of the city." Bruce stated, eyeing Natasha carefully. "I assume the whole place is surrounded? "

"J ust you and me." Nat replied smoothly.

" And your little actress friend... was she a spy too? Do they start that young? " Bruce asked her, understandably a little bitter.

"I did." She replied, without hesitation.

"What does that mean?" Asked Arne, the Einherjar soldier looked very concerned.

It meant that Natasha was kidnapped as a baby and then trafficked, with hundreds of other young girls, and given to an evil man named Dreykov. He forced her to train, to kill and seduce. Mind-controlled her, very literally, and he forced her to help kidnap and traffic other little girls and babies. Yelena was only six when she went to the red room but she, unknowingly, had been under cover for years before that. Dreykov even turned his own daughter into one of them.... but Natasha didn't say that.

" Who are you?" Bruce asked.

So, Nat told him. " Natasha Romanoff. "

Bruce pursed his lips, eyeing Nat, then he questioned her. " Are you here to kill me, Miss Romanoff? Because that's not going to work out for everyone. " He warned.

"No." S he said quickly. "Of course not. I'm here on behalf of SHIELD. " She explained, and Bruce's expression hardened .

" SHIELD. How did they find me? "

" We never lost you, Doctor. We kept our distance -- and even helped keep some... other interested parties off your scent. "

That was a little weird, but not surprising. SHIELD liked to keep tabs people whom they would describe as 'assets'. SHIELD like control. They liked knowing where everyone was -- they had a programme for this exact reason. To spy, to collect data, and then use said data whenever they want to. They didn't care who you were; how old you were; how powerful you are... if SHIELD think you are of use to them, they will capture you. It's one of the reasons as to why Nat being a SHIELD agent rubbed Athena the wrong way...

Bruce frowned at her. “Why?”

" Nick Fury trusts you. And now I need you to come in. " Natasha told him, not giving him the choice of no. It was not a request.

" And if I say no? " He asked, amused .

“I’ll persuade you.”

" And if the other guy says no? !"

Natasha hummed. " You have been over a year without an incident. I don’t think you want to break that streak. " She noted.

" I don’t always get what I want ."

Nat's voice grew more urgent. “Doctor, we are facing a potential global catastrophe. " She pulled out her phone and showed him a photograph and explained fo him. "This is the Tesseract... It has enough energy to wipe out the entire planet. "

Bruce studied the image, unimpressed by it, then he actually sassed Natasha. "What does Fury want me to do? Swallow it? "

" He wants you to find it." Natasha replied , ignoring his joke. "It has been taken. The cube emits a gamma signature too weak for us to track, and no one knows gamma radiation like you do. " This shocked him.

" So Fury isn’t after the monster? "

" Not that he’s told me. "

" And he tells you everything? "

“Talk to Fury. He needs you on this.”

“He needs me in a cage?”

“No one’s going to put you in a—”

' Stop lying to me!" Bruce snapped, and his sudden thunderous roar filled the shack. Natasha instinctively drew her weapon, hands steady but her eyes were alert. The air itself seemed to thicken. Then Banner straightened, smiling almost playful. "I'm sorry, that was mean. I just wanted to see what you would do... Why don’t we make this easy, hm!? You don't use that and the other guy doesn’t make a mess. Okay?”

Nat hesitated, still gripping her weapon. Slowly, she lowered it and spoke into her earpiece. " Stand down. We're good here. "

Outside, dozens of SHIELD agents stood poised around the shack. Bruce arched an eyebrow at Natasha, flashing a sly smile. "Just you and me? " She shifted uneasily, realizing he had caught her bluff.

"That was unreasonably attractive." Thea said, shamelessly, ignoring the horrified look on Bruce's face. His shock made her laugh. "What?! Brucie, you are a hottie."

Bruce covered his face, bashful, making an embarrassed noise. "Please don't." He begged her, which only made her want to do it even more. She liked seeing people squirm. She's a bit sadistic like that.

Loki pursed their lips. "She's not wrong." And Bruce's cheeks turned a darker red. Loki was going to have fun with this one. The Asgardian's snickered at the look on Bruce's face, and the smile on Loki's.

"Run while you still can." Arne advised.

Loki pouted at Arne. "You make it sound like I'm a predator and he is my pray?"

Fandral laughed. "Isn't he?"

Bruce looked scared , all of a sudden.

Late at night, the SHIELD analytical room glowed with the light from large monitors. Director Nick Fury stood at the center, his eye fixed on the screens as the faces of the World Security Council stared back at him. They were not happy . " This is out of line, Director!" One council members said sharply. "You are dealing with forces you cannot control. "

Fury leaned forwards. "You ever been in a war, Councilman? Ever been caught in a firefight? Did you feel an overabundance of control then? " He asked, angrily.

The councilman frowned. "Are you saying Asgard has declared war on our planet? "

" Not Asgard." Fury corrected. "Loki. "

Another council member interjected and said. "Well he can't be working alone with this. What about his brother? Thor?!"

“Our intelligence indicates that Thor isn't a hostile." Fury replied, confidently. “But he’s a world away, and we can't depend on him. This is up to us. " Fury insisted .

"W hich is why you should be focusing on Phase two." The first councilman pressed. "It was designed for situations like this --"

"-- Phase Two isn’t ready." Fury was quick to cut him off. "But our enemy is, what we need is a response team. " He told them.

"Th e Avengers Initiative was shut down." The councilman reminded him , bitter. He absolutely hated the Avengers idea.

"You named a team after me?" Asked Carol, delightfully surprised. It actually made her a little emotional. Touched.

Fury shrugged, nonchalantly. "Maybe."

"Awe, I knew you loved me." She grinned, Fury rolled his eyes, and she teased him. Natasha, Laura and Clint watched, they'd never seen Fury act like that with anyone who wasn't Maria Hill or Phil Coulson.

" This isn’t about the Avengers ."

The Councilman's voice hardened. "We run the world's greatest covert security network, and you expect us to entrust the fate of humanity to a handful of freaks? "

"I' m not leaving anything to anyone,” Fury shot back. "We do need a response team. They might be isolated, unbalanced and even unstable.... But with the right push, they can become exactly what we need.”

The second council member narrowed their eyes. "And you truly believe that?”

"Wars are not won by sentiment, Director." The first councilman added coldly.

Fury’s jaw tightened, now pissed off and absolutely going to disobey direct orders. “No. It's won by soldiers. " He walked off.

The silence was broken when, nine years old Peter suddenly sat up, still covered in Thor's cloak, in his mother's lap, and said, in a dramatised tone. "Sashay away!"

Everyone who got the reference laughed while Thea looked at her son, confused, and looked at Rhodey, who was currently avoiding her eyes. "Is this what you two are doing during your boys nights? You're watching RuPaul?" She couldn't help but laugh and Peter nodded, unbothered.

"It's a funny show." Rhodey shrugged.

"Wait--" Thea started laughing again, and asked. "Is this why I keep getting emails about being a guest judge?" Her laughter became more uncontrolled, and Rhodey pursed his lips, awkward, trying to mask the sudden embarrassment he felt.

Peter turned serious, and Thea stopped laughing as he grabbed her cheeks. "You have to say yes. I wanna meet Michelle."

Athena didn't know what to say to that...

They were then shown an old boxing gym in Brooklyn, the sound of fists slamming against canvas echoed through the night. Steven Rogers -- Captain America -- was pounding a punching bag with relentless fury. Each strike was not just muscle and rage; it was memory... Ghosts he couldn’t bury. Images from the past haunted him.
Through smoke and fire in a forest, he once ran -- mortars bursting around him, HYDRA soldiers firing energy weapons powered by the Tesseract. His own voice echoed back to him ; 'T here’s not enough time. I have to put her in the water '. The bag swung harder with every punch. He closed his eyes, striking faster, as though the act could beat back the memories. He saw Red Skull’s massive aircraft, he had placed his compass beside him, knowing what was coming. His fate had already been decided. He heard Peggy; saw the Red Skull reaching for the Tesseract, saw the light consume him. He heard Bucky's voice calling to him; his laughter.

B ack in the gym, Steve’s fury snapped the chain -- The bag tore open, spilling sand across the floor. He stood there, chest heaving, seventy years of grief and loss hanging in the air. Breathing very heavily, he dragged another punching bag across the floor. It wasn’t the first time tonight -- there was a whole line of replacements waiting for him. Steve strung the bag up and he started all over again.

Damn. Heads turned to Steve, he wasn't happy. He squirmed in his seat, frowning at the concerned eyes on him. Lady Eir and Mantis took his hands, offering the super soldier comfort. The ladies helped to ground him but, right now, it was not working. Everyone was seeing the weak side of him; the soldier struggling with the 21st century. The shell shock he so clearly had -- or whatever the hell they all called it now, in the 21st century. Steve hated it. All of it. The pressure of having to be perfect all the time, unemotional, cold. Seeing those flashbacks, hearing all those voices -- seeing Bucky. It's just made everything so much worse.

Then he felt Mantis, and his lip began to quiver. "Please don't use your powers on me." Steve whispered to her, softly.

She pulled her hands away. "I am sorry... you-- you are just so sad." She teared up.

He smiled, sadly. "I'll be okay."

"You don't have to be." Said Thea, which surprised even herself. They locked eyes. Steve tensed, listening to whatever Thea had to say. She was fiercely passionate. "Nobody expects you to be okay after all the shit you've been through. Steve, you are allowed to cry and scream and punch things! Seriously. After I was kidnapped, I built a weapon of mass destruction then I used it to blow up watermelons. Drunk off my ass, and fought with Rhodey."

Rhodey nodded. "I won."

"Again; I was drunk off my ass." Athena repeated, and she gave Peter her purse.

Thor coughed, and spoke up. "One time, I was hit with battle fatigue so terribly that I almost started another war." He told the Captain, a little embarrassed to admit it.

Lady Sif smirked, and happily told them all. "He is still not allowed in Nowhere."

Peter Quill laughed at that, amazed by Thor, and said. "Dude, you got banned from Nowhere?! Isn't that impossible?!"

Hogun laughed. "Yet, he did it."

All while Drax was thinking about how he could very easily take Steven in a fight.

The gym door creaked open. Nick Fury stepped inside. “Trouble sleeping?"

Steve didn’t pause. "I slept for seventy years, sir... I think I’ve had my fill. "

" Then you should be out celebrating. Seeing the world. " Fury told him

Steve slowed, peeling the tape from his hands. And he sat on the bench, his face shadowed with weariness. "I went under, the world was at war. I wake up, and they tell me we won. They didn’t say what we lost. "

Fury’s expression tightened. “We’ve made some mistakes. Some very recently.”

“You here with a mission, sir?”

“I am.”

“Trying to get me back in the world?”

“Trying to save it.”

Fury handed him a thick file -- reports on HYDRA, and on the Tesseract. Steve’s jaw tightened. "Hydra’s secret weapon. "

“Howard Stark pulled it from the ocean, looking for you,” Fury explained to Steve. “He believed that the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy. Something the world desperately needs. "

Athena rolled her eyes, her father was a right idiot sometimes. Messing with the cube, after all the warnings he was given. It was ridiculous. Unfortunately, she has inherited her dad's need for information. In truth, she probably would've done the same thing -- but got further, since she's smarter than him. Higher IQ.

Steve looked up. “Who took it from you?”

Fury replied . “His name’s Loki... He’s not from around here. And if you’re in, there’s a lot we’ll need to bring you up to speed on. The world’s gotten even stranger than you know.”

“At this point,” Steve said quietly, “I doubt anything would surprise me.”

Fury smirked. “Ten bucks says you’re wrong. There’s a debriefing packet waiting for you at your apartment.”

Steve grabbed another punching bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he walked toward the exit.

Fury called after him. "Anything you can tell us about the Tesseract we should know right now?”

Steve stopped. Without turning, he said flatly . " You should’ve left it in the ocean !"

Well... that wasn't very encouraging .

M'Baku barked out a laugh. "When do the Americans ever leave anything alone?!"

"It's apart of our charm."

M'Baku grinned at Thea. "Yes, yes it is."

Out in the Atlantic Ocean, Thea, encased in her Iron Woman armour, sliced through an underwater pipeline with a hot beam of light from her gauntlet and she secured a Stark Energy Reactor into place, and as it hummed to life, the dark sea around her glowed. Then with a surge of power, Thea blasted out of the water and into the night sky, streaking back towards Stark Tower. " You are good on this end." Thea said, her voice steady. "The rest is up to you. "

Thea beamed. "FINALLY! some of me!" That comment earned several eye rolls.

"So modest."

Thea grinned, mischievously. "Modest is an ugly word in my house. We Stark's do the most, all the time! Why be anything less than great?" That actually made the Captain (Steve) smile, he's heard Howard say that plenty of times. Usually, it was a little annoying and offensive, but Steven has actually missed hearing those words from a Stark. He was a little reminiscent.

Back at Stark Tower, Peter Parker -- only eleven years old, his sneakers untied and a science book tucked under one arm -- stood by the control panels, eyes wide as the power meters climbed. " You've really shut everything off the grid, Mom?" Peter asked, tapping nervously on the console.

" Completely." Thea replied as she soared through the clouds. "Stark Tower’s about to run on clean, endless energy. No one else has done this, kiddo. " Peter's mouth dropped as the giant STARK sign on the tower flickered on. Lights blazed across the skyscraper, reflecting off the city.

“IT LOOKS AMAZING!” Peter shouted at her, spinning around to face the windows. "Liike Christmas, but cooler! You actually did it! " And Thea landed gracefully on the penthouse balcony and stepped into her automated gantry. The armour unfolded from her piece by piece until Athena was standing in her work clothes, brushing her hair back.

Thea's jaw was in the floor. "Look at my Peter!" She squealed, in a high pitched tone of voice. She looked like a regular parent when seeing their child growing up. It was somewhat endearing.

Peter laughed, nervously. "That's me."

"You look like your father..." Said Athena, her voice softening and Peter looked up at her in shock, with a puppy expression.

"You think so?" He asked, shocked.

"Of course." She nodded her head. Peter hugged Thea. "You are Richard's double." Thea proclaimed, and Rhodey nodded in confirmation. Peter was so much like his father, it was a little eerie sometimes.

“Told you it would." She said, smirking. “When have I ever been wrong?”

Peter smirked. "Want me to make a list? " Thea gave him a playful glare. He grinned at her, and excitedly rambled at her. "You should tell people about this, though. Not just the superhero stuff. Everyone should know you are helping the world, not just punching terrorists and showing up naked in the newspapers. " He sassed , laughing.

Thea leaned against the counter. “Since when did you become my PR manager?”

“Since forever,” Peter shot back at her. “I’m just saying, sometimes people need to see the good stuff to believe it. "

She sighed, softening. “You're right.”

So, nothing had changes between them in the next two years. Except the height differences... Athena let out a sigh of relief, being able to see her parent Peter. She wasn't as terrible as she thought. Peter looked happy and healthy. He was still very skinny, asthmatic and needed glasses, but he was doing well.

And b efore she could say more, JARVIS interrupted. “Ma'am, Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD is requesting your attention.” Thea groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. JARVIS hesitated. “He insists.” At that exact moment, the elevator doors opened, and Coulson stepped out, file in hand.

“Security breach,” Thea muttered. Thea shot a look at Peter. “And that one’s on me -- w ho invited you into my home?!"

“Hi, Agent Coulson,” Peter said politely, trying to look grown-up. Coulson smiled.

“Peter,” Coulson greeted warmly, before turning to Thea. “Ms. Stark, we need you to look this over. It’s urgent.”

Thea waved a hand dismissively, shaking her head. "Don’t like being handed things.”

Coulson extended the file anyway. “You’ll want this one.” Athena frowned but finally accepted it, and swiped the data into her system. Massive holograms immediately projected into the air -- Captain America in action, the Hulk roaring, Thor wielding his hammer against the Destroyer, and finally Loki, holding the Tesseract with a wicked grin. The glow filled the room.

Peter's eyes went massive. “WHOA! Mom, that's the Hulk! And Thor! And-- holy shit, is that Captain America?! Dude , I thought he died, like , 70 years ago. Are you going to be working with all of them?! ' And Thea didn’t answer right away. She was staring at the Tesseract’s energy, her arms folded tightly. "Mom?!" Peter huffed , impatiently.

Thea laughed, tickling her son and said, smugly. "Now you owe me one dollar."

He laughed. "Alright!"

They're such a beautiful family.

She finally glanced at him. "Firstly, watch your language ... Secondly, don't you have things to do?! Like, say, I dunno, finishing that science project before Monday.”

Peter groaned, throwing his arms up. "Oh, come on! Mom! That's so not fair. You get to save the world, and I have homework ?"

Athena brushed Peter's messy hair back. “Saving the world isn’t as fun as it looks, trust me. Do your homework. The world will need that brain of yours someday. " Peter smiled a little, and Thea kissed the top of his head before standing and when she turned back to the big hologram, her smile faded. Her eyes lingered on it, filled with unease. For the first time in years, Athena Stark actually looked worried.

"Is that it?" Asked Sam, frowning. "These are the only heroes they're gonna call? I-- I mean; I am right here!" Sam complained and gestured to himself. He was Falcon! He could so help them with this.

Carol agreed, looking at Fury, somewhat annoyed he hasn't clicked the device she gave him. An alien invasion was literally the whole reason why she gave it to him -- so she could help save the planet!

Chapter Text

Steve Rogers was sat in the Quinjet, eyes glued to the small tablet in his hands. The screen was replaying the chaos at Culver University: Hulk tearing through the Army, a level of destruction that left the Captain uneasy. Their pilot’s calm voice broke the tense silence , they would be landing very soon. When Agent Phil Coulson rose from his seat and he walked over. Steve didn't look up immediately, still absorbed in the footage. He noticed Steve staring at the old footage of Dr. Banner . Steve looked a little taken aback . So, Coulson explained. "Doctor Banner was trying to replicate the serum used on you... a lot of people were. Captain, you were the first superhero, and Dr. Banner thought that gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula. " A roar echoed from the screen as the Hulk slammed a jeep apart, and Steve's jaw tightened.

" Didn't really go his way, did it?" He asked , still staring at the footage of The Hulk.

" Not exactly." Couslon replied with a small shrug, then smiled. "But, when he’s not... that thing, he is brilliant -- like a Stephen Hawking. " Steve blinked, confused by the references. Coulson blushed a little, and clarified. " He's a really smart person... so, uhm, I have to say, it’s an honour to meet you. Officially, I mean. " He stammered.

Steve allowed himself a faint smile.

"I sort of met you before." Agent Coulson continued, awkwardly, and Steve's eyes widened at that. He corrected himself. “I mean, I watched over you while you were sleeping. " Coulson blushed.

Everybody burst out laughing. It was too funny. Poor Steve. Poor Coulson. Steve's face mimicked his future self, shocked. His cheeks were burning, even Lady Eir was giggling. Steve really hoped that in the 21st century, everyone got over him being Captain America -- but they hadn't... and Steve suddenly felt like he was back on the USO tour. It was embarrassing.

Fury closed his eyes, exhaling. Rethinking Coulson's position as his number three... although, he did know how much of a fan boy Coulson was for Captain America.

"Dude, that is so unfair." Athena whined, much to their confusion. She scoffed as she ranted. "The first time Coulson and I spoke properly, he grounded me in my own home, and then threatened to taser me and watch Super Nanny while I was convulsing beneath him!"

Wow.

Rhodey questioned her. "Was this before or after you blew something up that you shouldn't have?" Thea got very quiet.

Steve looked down, the memory of the ice and years lost weighing on him. Coulson stepped closer, as Steve closed the tablet and tucked it aside. " I was… present while you were unconscious." Coulson admitted while stumbling over his words, flustered. "It's an honour to have you on board. "

" I hope I’m the man for the job. "

“You are. Absolutely,” Coulson said with conviction, then beamed and he informed Steve, sounding so proud. “We've made a few modifications to your uniform. I even had a little design input. "

" The uniform?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow. "Aren’t the stars and stripes a little... old-fashioned? "

Coulson smiled softly, shrugging at the blonde, and pointed out. “With everything that’s happening -- and everything about to come to light -- people might just need a little old-fashioned. " And Steve took a moment, letting Coulson's words sink in .

Steve sighed. Steve hated the uniform he was forced to wear. The tights were not comfortable, the giant star was just a big target. And it wasn't exactly subtle... the Howling Commandos constantly teased him for having to wear it; Bucky too -- his jokes were more... private. Still, he could not bring himself to like the uniform... He felt like a dancing monkey when it wore it. Steve really hoped Coulson's design was better than the last one.

"Oh! Can i do it?!" Thea asked, giddily. It was the most excited she sounded when speaking to Steve. He looked at her with surprise. "Please! I wanna do it!"

"You want to make a uniform for me?"

"Thea does it for everyone." Said Rhodey. Thea designed the War Machine armour; the Falcon flight quite; she had about ten personal iron man suits, and she has even made a miniature one for Peter to wear -- she designed most of SHIELD vehicles, including the Helicarrier, and some of their specialised uniforms.

You should say it was her love language.

"Why not." He smiled. "Just no tights."

The scene changed; the soldiers hurried through the underground lab, preparing to execute whatever scheme Loki devised... Loki was sat quietly, eyes fixed on Selvig as the scientist manipulated the complex CMS device. The faint hum of machinery filled the room when Loki closed his eyes, meditating, waiting for the right moment. Then, in a sudden shimmer of energy, the world around him shifted. He materialized in the grand throne room of the creature; the Other. They were fully armoured and horned helmet gleaming underneath dim lights. The Other emerged from the steps, imposing and unyielding. "T he Chitauri grow restless." The Other said, his voice was echoing through the chamber.

" Let them fight among themselves,” Loki replied coolly. “I'll lead them into glorious battle. " They had promised The Other.

“Battle?” The Other’s voice was laced with incredulity. “Against the meager might of Earth?”

“Glorious, not lengthy,” Loki countered, a faint smile curling his lips. “If your force is as formidable as you claim.”

Rocket howled with laughter, tears in his eyes. "Th-the Chitauri?! YOU EXPECT TO TAKE OVER WITH THE CHITAURI?!" The mutated Raccoon continued to laugh, he grabbed his stomach and almost fell off his chair, Groot had to steady him.

"What is the Chitauri?" Asked T'Challa.

Rocket wiped tears from his eyes. "Only the suckiest army in the entire galaxy, in all of history! Seriously, they are pathetic. Super easy to kill, take out their mother ship and they will all die at once."

"I am Groot." Said Groot.

Rocket scoffed at him. "What?! No I'm not being insensitive! It's true! This great army sucks ass! Terra's gonna be fine."

Terra was Midgard, or Earth.

Groot repeated, very judgy. "I am Groot."

Again, Rocket rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, if the Terrans can't beat the Chitauri, then there is no hope for their future. Thanos will kick all of their asses." He argued.

M'Baku narrowed his eyes, scowling at Rocket, offended by his comment. "I bet I could rip one of these Chitauri with my bare hands." He proclaimed, and Rocket looked him up and down.

"You probably could." He said, then his eyes turned towards the other humans. "They probably couldn't." He said.

M'Baku grinned. "I am superior."

"You are a moron." Okoye rolled her eyes.

The Other’s eyes narrowed. “You question us? You question him? He who placed the scepter in your hand, who granted you ancient knowledge and purpose when you were cast out, defeated?”

“I was a king!” Loki’s voice rang with anger and pride. “The rightful king of Asgard! Betrayed!”

“Your ambition is small,” the Other replied coldly, “born of childish need. We look beyond Earth, to greater worlds that the Tesseract will reveal.”

“You do not yet possess the Tesseract,” Loki said, his scepter raised. The Other lunged at him, a wave of power surging forward, but froze as Loki’s calm hand held the weapon steady. “I don't threaten,” Loki said softly, scared. "But until I open the doors, until your forces are mine to command, you are nothing but words.”

The Other’s expression darkened, then a chilling promise filled the room. “You will have your war, Asgardian. But if you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no hidden crevice where he can't find you. You think you know pain? He will make you crave it, and yet it will taste sweet compared to what is to come. " With a violent gesture, the Other placed his hand on Loki’s head, and in an instant, they were transported back to Earth and he landed silently .

Without saying anything, Loki stood and they walked out of the hall. He could not watch anymore. They couldn't see their future anymore -- not if it was just going to be like this... he couldn't take it.

"Loki!" Thor called out, standing too.

Frigga stopped Thor from going, tears in her eyes, threatening to fall and she told Thor. "No, let them go... Loki needs time." This was a lot for anyone to process.

"He shouldn't be alone." Said Thor.

Frigga pressed her lips together, tilting her head, barely containing the aching of heartbreak her chest. "He needs time to process this without us interfering. Loki mourns privately, you know this. They'll return when he is ready." Frigga told Thor and Thor, reluctantly, sat back down. As Frigga sat in her own seat, Odin took her hand and lovingly squeezed it. They're to deal with this as a family. Together. Odin will not allow any of his family to suffer.

Their images changed again; t he Quinjet touched down smoothly on the massive Helicarrier, its engines humming against the open sky. Steve Rogers stepped off the ramp, his boots clanging against the metal deck, and found Agent Phil Coulson waiting alongside Agent Romanoff. Agent Coulson smiled. " Agent Romanoff, meet Steve Rogers . Steve, this is Natasha."

Steve nodded. “Ma’am?”

“Hi,” Nat said with a small smile. Then, she turned to Coulson, she added, “They need you on the bridge. FaceTime.”

“See you there,” Coulson replied, and he walked off, leaving Steve and Natasha alone. Steve drifted toward the railing, taking in the immensity of the ship.

“There was quite a buzz around here when they found you in the ice,” Natasha teased, leaning casually against the railing. “I thought Coulson was going to swoon. Has he asked you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?”

“Trading cards?” Steve raised a brow.

“They’re vintage. He’s very proud." She said with a smirk , clearly amused by it.

"I really want to laugh at Coulson but I can't..." Said Athena, pouting her lips.

"And why not?" Asked Carol, smirking.

Thea frowned. Carol knew why.

Athena huffed, and mumbled under her breath, nobody could hear properly. She confessed. "'Cause I have them too..."

Peter grinned widely. "They're on my wall, in my bedroom. Grandpa wrapped them in plastic." He happily told everyone. His grandpa Howard was a huge fan of Steve and he collected everything! Growing up, Athena's room was covered in Captain America paraphernalia. Posters, movies, comic books, colouring books, pyjamas, bedding, teddies and toys. ALL OF IT. She was a super fan because of Howard -- and then Athena past it all on to Peter. So, he was no a Captain America super fan.

Bucky Barnes was his favourite though.

Meanwhile, Bruce Banner moved through slowly, nervous and distracted, barely noticing the people bustling around him. Steve approached him. “Dr. Banner,” Steve said with a smile, and extended a hand. Bruce looked up, startled and gave Steve a small hello, shaking his head . " The word is you can find the cube,” Steve said while leaning in slightly , still smiling at him.

“Is that the only word on me? "

" Only word I care about." Steve replied .

Bruce studied him for a moment, taking in the sincerity of the statement. "This must be strange for you?" He asked, quietly.

Steve shook his head, smiling. "Actually, it feels kind of familiar. " He told Banner.

Natasha’s voice cut through the moment. “Gentlemen, you might want to step inside. It’s going to get hard to breathe.”

The Helicarrier suddenly shuddered, a low rumble vibrating through the deck. Steve froze. “Is this… a submarine?”

“Really? They wanted me in a submerged, pressurized metal container?” Bruce muttered, moving closer to the edge with Steve. And f our enormous lift fans on the sides of the ship began to spin, lifting the Helicarrier in the air. Steve’s jaw dropped as he watched the sheer scale of it. Bruce Banner's eyes widened, and a smile crept across his face. "Oh no." He said, shaking his head in disbelief. "This is worse."

Athena made a comment, grinning. "This Helicarrier made me sooo much money."

Fury groaned. "Don't remind me."

"You're so welcome." She said, making a little heart between her thumb and index fingers, and Fury rolled his eyes. Athena Stark -- Stark Industries as a whole -- has taken an incredible amount of money off SHIELD... Thea also owed a portion of it, thanks to her father, Howard, whom was one of their original founders. That was, until, they got her to sell her shares -- and she got even more money from them.

"You created that?" Asked Arne, shocked.

Thea nodded. "I did. Surprised?"

"A little." He admitted, the Helicarrier was quite different to the suits and guns she has created. He didn't think someone like Athena Stark would have the patience for creating something as vast as SHIELD's sky fortress. Athena narrowed his eyes at him. He was such a prick!

The doors parted, revealing the bridge of the Helicarrier; a hive of activity. Dozens of agents were sat at their consoles, eyes glued to glowing screens, fingers flying over keyboards. Agent Maria Hill’s voice cut through the hum of machinery, sharp and commanding. " We’re at lock, sir!" She reported, turning to Nick Fury, who sat in the command chair .

“Good, let’s vanish." Fury said simply , and the Helicarrier lifted majestically into the sky. Within moments, its entire surface shimmered with reflective panels, which caught the sunlight, blending seamlessly into the clouds above, rendering it nearly invisible. On the bridge, Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner stepped through, and awe flickering across Steve’s face as he took in the technology around him. Dr. Banner moved directly to their science consoles, already assessing their instruments and displays. “Gentlemen,” Fury greeted.

"This is Terran technology?" Asked Yondu, sounding very surprised. This shock echoed between every other extraterrestrial in the hall.

The humans frowned, getting offended.

"Exactly how primitive does the universe see earth?" Rhodey wondered, crossing his arms over his chest, giving them all a disappointed dad look.

"We're the lowest of the low." Said Peter Quill, a matter of factly, shrugging. "They don't see us as smart, or strong, or nice, or desirable... the universe hates us. We are basically children to them."

"Little harsh." Clint murmured.

"They've clearly never been to Wakanda, we are amazing." Said Shuri, confidently.

Frigga tried to calm the situation down, hoping to prevent a fight. "Midgard is still quite young, compared to other realms. You have not made first contact, so you do not have access to shared resources. I am certain, after this, that will change." She has seen what they were capable of with her own eyes. They had potential to be one of the most powerful realms in the known Cosmos. Especially with how intelligent their people were; Thea and Shuri, alone, could rule the Nine Realms. Intelligence like that wasn't easy to find. And they're still very young, just getting started with their careers. They're going to make Midgard very memorable.

Steve reached into his pocket and handed Fury ten dollars, a reference to an earlier statement about never being shocked by anything again and Fury merely arched an eyebrow, before turning his attention to Banner. “Doc, thank you for coming ."

“Thank you for asking nicely,” Banner replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “So... how long am I staying?”

That was SHIELD asking nicely?!

“Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you’re in the clear,” Fury assured him.

“Where are you with that?” Banner asked while scanning the bridge. Fury gestured toward Agent Coulson, who immediately began to explain the plan, while Natasha's eyes were locked onto a computer screen displaying an image of Clint Barton.

Agent Coulson explained to him. “We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet; phones, laptops, anything connected to a satellite. It’s eyes and ears for us. " He sounded proud.

Nat shook her head. "That still won’t find them in time. " She murmured, worried for her brother . Clint needed to be safe!

Cooper tightened his grip on his dad, and he sniffled. "They're gonna find you, aren't they, daddy?" Clint kissed his cheek.

"Course they are, you know Aunt Nat; she never gives up." He tried to reassure him, turning to look towards Natasha.

Cooper looked at her.

She snorted, it was fake. "Course I am." Cooper smiled at her, in relief. "Your dad is going to be fine, I promise." She was never going to let anything happen to him.

Cooper hummed. "And help Mr. Loki?"

Awe.

"And Mr. Loki." Nat repeated, nodding.

Banner leaned closer, thinking aloud. “You have to narrow the field. How many spectrometers do you have access to?”

“How many are there?” Fury asked.

Bruce replied quickly, slipping easily into the role of scientist . “Call every lab you know. Put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I’ll rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work? " H e questioned Fury.

“Agent Romanoff, would you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please?” Fury asked.

Natasha gave a small nod and led Banner down the hall. "You're gonna love it, Doc." She told him, with a grin. "We have all the toys." Dr. Banner allowed himself a small smile, anticipating the work ahead.

"Woo! I do love me an intelligent man!" Said Thea, playfully winking at Bruce.

He laughed at her. "Stop it."

Thor subtly nudged Fandral, making the blonde huff. Fandral coughed and told Thea. "You know, Asgard produce some of the smartest men in the cosmos." He said, making Thea raise an eyebrow at him. She smiled, amused, looking up to Thor, who was smiling innocently.

Peter whispered to his mom. "I think he is using his friends to flirt with you."

She grinned, whispering too. "I think so."

"It's a little sad for him."

Thea laughed.

Volstagg's laughter literally shooked the hall. "The mighty God of Thunder, bullied by a mere Midgardian infant!"

In the underground vacuum chamber, Dr . Selvig and several new scientists worked meticulously around the CMS device. The room buzzed with activity, as instruments whirring and monitors were blinking with streams of data. Clint Barton walked into the room, holding up a tablet. “Put it over there!” Selvig barked out, and gestured to a nearby console. Then, he turned to Clint and questioned him, surprised by all their help. "Where d'you find these people? "

“SHIELD has no shortage of enemies, Doctor,” Clint replied with a wry smile. He swiped his tablet, bringing up information on iridium. “Is this the stuff you need?"

"Ir idium,” Selvig said, taking the screen in his hands. “It’s found in meteorites, forms anti-protons. It's very hard to get hold of.”

" Especially if SHIELD knows you need it ."

“Well, I didn’t know!” Selvig muttered, but then his attention shifted when he caught sight of Loki entering the lab. “Hey!” he exclaimed. “The Tesseract is showing me so much. It’s more than just knowledge... it’s... truth. " Selvig said, gushing almost .

“I know,” Loki said smoothly. His eyes scanned the room, briefly on Barton. “What did it show you, Agent Barton?”

“My next target,” Clint replied, flatly .

Loki’s expression remained unreadable, then they said. "Tell me what you need. "

Clint reached for his bow, loading an arrow with precision. “I’ll need a distraction… and an eyeball.”

Clint grimaced, recoiling away from the magical images. He needed an eyeball... he didn't like seeing and hearing himself like this, even though he knew that he's not to blame, it's still him.

He has worked so hard to be good. Clint didn't have a good childhood; an abusive dad, sick mom, a brother... Clint suffered so much at the hands of his father that he actually went deaf! And when he was eight, he and his big brother, Barney, ran away -- they joined the Circus. Of course, it wasn't just any old Circus, they were a crime ring. They would steal, lie, threaten and even kill when they had too. Barney seemed okay with this; becoming one of their best! Clint wasn't okay with it. But he did it anyway, because he had no choice. The Circus was about just as terrible as his father was... Clint was trained by the famed criminal Trickshot; he taught him everything Clint knew. And when a heist got too much, he ranway from the circus -- and Barney. And he met Peggy Carter, who was still at SHIELD, at the time. She gave him a second chance at life, helped him get his GED, and a proper career. He met Laura, fell in love and married. Clint's life has been relatively peaceful since. He was actually looking at his retirement.

Laura moved hair from his face and she kissed his cheek. "I love you." Laura said, offering her husband a small smile. "You are a good man, Clint." She whispered.

Right now, Clint really didn't feel like it.

Night fell over the Helicarrier. Steve and Agent Coulson stood side by side, waiting as the team worked to locate Loki using satellite facial recognition. “I mean, if it’s not too much trouble,” Coulson began, glancing at Steve.

“No, no. It’s fine,” Steve replied politely.

Coulson’s eyes lit up with the enthusiasm of a true collector. “It’s a vintage set, took me a couple of years to collect them all. Near mint slight foxing around the edges , but--" Before Coulson could go on, Agent Jasper Sitwell interrupted. They've found Loki. Coulson straightened. “Location?”

“Stuttgart, Germany. 28, Konigstrasse. He’s not exactly hiding." Sitwell reported.

Fury's gaze shifted over to Steve and he said. “Captain, you're up.” Steve gave a firm nod, then he turned toward the exit, determination set in his jaw.

This was what they've been waiting for! The first, real confrontation between Loki and SHIELD. They're on the edge of their seats, watching anxiously, and waiting.

Frigga didn't want to watch, yet she could not look away. She exhaled deeply, trying to prepare herself for what they're going to see. She couldn't handle seeing Loki in pain, and causing other people pain.

"The future is not fix, sister, we will stop this from happening. Your family will be happy and whole once again." Said Lady Eir, offering their Queen some support, love and comfort. And those sat around her were rather quick to join in.

Frigga sniffled. "I worry for Loki."

Lady Sif nodded her head, then she said. "Loki is strong. They will not allow this to break them. He'll walk through the dark. A little scraped, yes, but alive and strong."

Outside the Stuttgart Museum, Loki stood in front of the building, dressed in 21st century attire. His scepter, disguised as a cane, gleamed under the lights whilst he approached the entrance to the gala. And, i nside the museum, the gala was lavish, the orchestra playing. The Head Doctor stepped up to the microphone, preparing to speak to the guests. Outside, German guards took their positions around the museum. One was stationed on the roof, he scoped the area when a sharp thwack sounded. He looked down to see a guard struck by an arrow. Raising his gun, he was immediately shot and fell from the rooftop. Barton and his crew arrived at the doors of the locked science building. Barton examined the retinal scanner and pulled out a SHIELD eye-scanning device to bypass it.

Inside, Loki descended, moving towards the Head Doctor. With a quick flick of his cane, he struck a guard who was about to intervene, and chaos erupted and guests began fleeing. Loki violently grabbed the doctor, slamming him onto a marble table depicting mythological creatures from Bilchsnipe. Pulling out an optical torture device, he plunged it into the doctor’s eye, causing the man to twist in agony.

Lila, Cooper, Peter and Shuri screamed, simultaneously, horrified by the gore on the Soul Forge; having not expected to see Loki torturing and stealing a man's eyeball. Even the adults couldn't contain their disgust, gagging and recoiling.

"Dude!? Heimdall! Children!" Thea hissed at the Gatekeeper, covering Peter's entire face with Thor's cloak. Safely, of course.

"I-- I apologise." Heimdall cringed. "I shall use my magic to shield the young minds from the violence." He promised them.

The children could stay with their parents and watch them save the world, without having to see the constant slaughter. He knew it was the only way, knowing they would never allow a nanny or governess to come in and care for their children -- they did not trust Asgard enough to do that, just yet. Perhaps later?

Outside, Barton’s instrument projected a holographic eye of the Doctor, unlocking the facility doors. He entered and found a glass thermos in a cabinet, containing a cylinder of iridium. Back at the gala, Loki emerged, now fully armored in gold. The police arrived, but Loki unleashed blasts that flipped cars repeatedly.

“Kneel before me!" Loki demanded. The crowd ignored him. More copies of Loki appeared, each blocking the escape routes and grinning as they raised their spears, encircling the crowd. Then Loki roared loudly. “I SAID KNEEL!”

"Oh, kinky."

"Thea!"

The crowd obeyed. Arms outstretched, Loki smiled. “Is this not simpler? Is this not your natural state? The unspoken truth of humanity is that you crave subjugation. Freedom only diminishes your joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.”

One elder German man refused to bow, standing tall. “Not to men like you ."

“There are no men like me,” Loki replied.

“There are always men like you ."

Loki raised his scepter, the tip glowing blue, ready to execute him. Just as the energy beam shot forth, Captain America dove in, blocking it with his shield and he knocked Loki onto his ass. " You know," He said, catching his breath. "The last time I was in Germany and saw a man above everyone else, we ended up disagreeing.”

There was some laughter, and awe. Steve was a powerful man, brave and good... but his uniform was ridiculous.

He looks so silly in that outfit.

"Steve, I say this with love, you look like a condom." Thea told the Captain, making his eyes widened. She was so blunt and open -- he hasn't known many women like her before he went into the ice.

Agent Coulson definitely did him dirty!

"Stark! Children!" Clint hissed.

Thea raised an eyebrow. "You kids don't know what condoms are?" There was a little judgement her voice.

"No!"

She has already given Peter that talk. But not by choice... he found some articles about her and had questions, so Athena answered them as best she could. While yes, he was young, she didn't see any issue with him learning about the human body; consent and safety. Thea grew up with parents, who were raised between the 30s and 60s... it was awkward. They raved about how wrong it was; a taboo. Her parents frightened her into thinking her body was dirty, which spiralled over time -- and the newspaper started writing stories about her. Thea didn't want Peter to have that same mindset. Of course, its age appropriate and they have a family therapist. Professionals who have helped Thea with these conversations. Obviously, he doesn't know the ins and outs, and all the smutty details as he is nine, but he is educated. Thea educated Peter the ways she wished she was educated.

“The soldier. A man out of time,” Loki said, rising.

“I’m not the one who’s out of time,” Cap replied.

Above, the Quinjet arrived, a machine gun aimed at Loki. “Loki, drop the weapon and stand down,” Natasha commanded.

Like lightning, Loki fired a blast at the Quinjet. Natasha maneuvered just in time, giving Cap the opportunity to throw his shield at Loki. The fight erupted; Loki flung Cap to the ground. Cap threw his shield, but Loki swatted it away. Cap was knocked down repeatedly as Loki stood over him, pointing the scepter’s tip at his helmet. " Kneel." Loki ordered.

“Not today!” Cap ground his teeth, then he flipped and he knocked Loki out with a kick. Loki grabbed him and flipped him.

Inside the Quinjet, Natasha reported, “The guy’s all over the place. " She's shocked. It was a little overwhelming dealing with the younger prince of Asgard...

Suddenly, AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill” blared over the speakers. Thea Stark, in her Iron Man suit, suddenly appeared up in the air. "Natashalie , have you missed me?!" Thea called, flying overhead. Both Cap and Loki looked up as she blasted Loki back to the ground, she landed then activated her full arsenal, and she warned Loki. “Make your move, Reindeer Games ." Loki raised their hands and surrendered, then their armour materialized away. " Good move. "

Steve approached them. "Dr. Stark."

"Captain." Athena replied.

"Now who looks like the male bird during mating season?!" Fury huffed, very petty.

Thea laughed. "Me, bitch!"