"Phil Coulson." Soren muttered to himself, and before long, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent appeared, a familiar smile playing across his face.
"You called, Doctor?" Coulson asked as he walked into the room.
"Yes, I did."
"You know, Thor's a bit of a handful. But, you probably already know that." He flashed a brief smile.
"Of course, by the way, Loki has been caught." Coulson grinned as they processed his words.
"What? Loki's been caught?" Soren and Thor were both startled by the unexpected news.
Coulson's grin widened, though it held a trace of disbelief. "Yes. Apparently, he made his move, snatching some personal belongings from a doctor. Tony and Captain America took him down."
"He's already on his way back to the S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft carrier. If you want to see it, now's your chance."
Soren and Thor exchanged surprised glances.
The god of thunder, especially, was still processing the absurdity of it. Loki, who had been causing chaos across the realms, was now in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody?
It didn't add up.
"It cannot be this simple. Loki doesn't get caught stealing trinkets from Midgardian healers. Something isn't right."
Soren placing a hand on Thor's shoulder. "Let him go, Thor. Be patient."
But Thor was already lifting Mjolnir, the mighty hammer crackling with electricity. "I do not need to wait. I'm going to find Loki and take him back to Asgard for judgment."
Before Soren could speak another word, Thor was already soaring out of the room, his powerful form streaking across the sky.
"Well, that was fast."
"He's a little impulsive. But he'll find them."
Phil Coulson eyed the door Thor had left through and then turned back to Soren with a more serious expression. "Do you think Loki's capture was… too easy?"
Soren raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, there's still a lot we're not seeing." Coulson shifted on his feet, his hand absentmindedly running through his hair.
"Did you recover the Tesseract?"
"We… no. Actually, Barton's missing. He was last seen with Loki, probably still under mind control."
Soren's eyes narrowed, and a slight breeze rippled around him, as if the world itself responded to his unease.
"He gave himself up on purpose," Soren muttered. "A distraction. Loki wants to be inside S.H.I.E.L.D."
"You're saying this was all staged? He wanted to get caught?"
Soren didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he let Coulson's words sink in, before speaking softly. "Phil, Loki's no fool. If he allowed himself to be captured, it's likely part of a much more dangerous scheme."
Coulson's face was now void of humor, his usual calm replaced with sharp concern. "Then what should we do?"
"You should ask Fury what contingency plans he has in place." Soren said smoothly.
"I'm not your boss."
"Right. Right. But honestly? I'd rather take orders from you at this point."
With that, he rushed away, leaving Soren alone under the cloudy sky. Thunder rolled in the distance.
Somewhere in the Air
The fighter jet hummed as it sliced through the darkening skies, the air thick with tension. Natasha Romanoff glanced back at Loki, who was still eerily silent.
"No, he hasn't spoken a word since we left." Natasha said into the comms, eyes never leaving the god of mischief.
On the other end of the comms, Fury's voice rang out. "Keep him that way, Romanoff. Whatever Loki is planning, we need to keep him contained. And don't take any chances."
Natasha frowned, feeling a knot twist in her stomach. The situation was getting messier by the second.
Then, a flash of lightning split the darkened sky. The clouds rolled ominously, thickening like a storm about to burst.
Loki's face, which had been mostly blank, twisted into something resembling fear. His body stiffened as the bright flash of lightning illuminated the cockpit.
"What's wrong, Loki? Afraid of a little thunder?" Tony Stark's voice oozed with mockery as he cocked his head at the Asgardian god.
"It's not the lightning, Stark. It's what's in it."
Loki's eyes shifted toward the sky, and his lips curled into a tight, conspiratorial smile. "Trust me... He's not someone you want to deal with. He always arrives with lightning."
Before any of them could react, there was a sudden, violent shake. A heavy thud sounded from above, followed by the metallic screech of the fighter's hull being torn open.
Tony's hand shot to his chest as he started to power up his suit. "What the hell was that?!"
From the hole in the roof of the jet, a shadowy figure landed gracefully with a mighty clang.
Thor stood, towering, his cape billowing in the wind, Mjolnir crackling with energy.
"Brother." He boomed, his voice as thunderous as the storm around them. "It's time to face your reckoning!"
Loki turned, his grin never fading. "Hello, Thor. Long time no see."
Thor's brow furrowed, the anger in his chest bubbling up as he stormed forward. "You've betrayed Asgard, Loki. You will answer for your crimes."
Loki's face twisted in contempt. "Betrayed? No, brother. I opened the gates to a new world, one beyond your petty ideals and your 'honor.'"
Before Thor could respond, Captain America shouted, "Whoever you are, put down that weapon!"
Iron Man's eyes flashed as he powered up his suit, the palm lights glowing with energy. "Yeah, seriously, back off, buddy."
Thor, ignoring them, grabbed Mjolnir and swung it with a force that shook the entire fighter. Tony went flying across the cabin, slamming into the wall.
Steve blocked the swing with his shield, but even with the shield's resilience, the force pushed him back several feet.
In one swift motion, Thor grabbed Loki by the neck and shot through the fighter plane's hull, breaking through the roof and soaring into the sky, carrying Loki with him.
The jet's interior was silent for a heartbeat before Tony groaned and slowly pushed himself upright, brushing off the wreckage.
"Well... that was fun."
"I think 'fun' might be an overstatement." Natasha muttered, looking out the broken hole in the plane's side.
"He's not exactly giving off the friendly vibe."
"Loki's in big trouble." Tony grumbled, adjusting his suit as he prepared to pursue.
Without further hesitation, he activated his suit, flames igniting as he shot out of the fighter jet, chasing after Thor and Loki.
As Tony took off, a familiar voice crackled through the communication channel.
"Your team is about to welcome a new member, Thor. He's Loki's brother and an ally sent from Asgard to help us." Nick Fury's voice cut through the static.
Natasha Romanoff, who was listening in on the comms, couldn't resist rolling her eyes. "Boss, I think he's already here."
Despite the brief chaos that had ensued between Thor, Tony, and even the ever-grounded Captain America, the tension seemed to ease.
What started as a three-person melee on the ground, leaving a devastated forest in its wake, had finally settled down. Iron Man and Thor were now working together, albeit reluctantly, and Loki was in SHIELD's custody.
The team made their way back to the S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft carrier, where all of the Avengers had gathered: Thor, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers (Captain America), Bruce Banner (Hulk), and Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow).
Fury wasted no time in addressing the group.
"Loki has been securely imprisoned, but we still don't know where the Tesseract is. That's where you come in, Dr. Banner," Fury said, his voice grave and authoritative.
Bruce Banner, still in his human form, nodded solemnly, adjusting his glasses as he looked at Fury.
Before his transformation into the Hulk, Banner had been a brilliant scientist, one whose knowledge spanned far beyond just gamma radiation.
"I can connect with civil research institutions worldwide and monitor signals." Banner explained, his voice filled with quiet confidence.
"Once I start tapping into the global network, I'll find a gamma signature that aligns with the Tesseract's energy signature. It won't take long."
Fury nodded approvingly. "Good. Time is critical. Let's move quickly, people."
"We can't afford to let Loki, or anyone else, get their hands on the Tesseract."
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Dare you peek into my other tales? The opening three chapters of select stories are free to all.
PhantomDream