Can't Be Ignored, 4/6. R.
Title: Can't Be Ignored
Series: #12 in Ready For The Siege
(#1 - Look Over Your Shoulder, #2 - Armed Up To The Teeth, #3 - Misery Inspires, #4 - Broken Underneath, #5 - Change Is Coming Soon, #6 - Lick Your Wounds, #7 - Bitter Sparks, #8 - Father's Will, #9 - To Feel Safe Again, #10 - Hit Your Prime, #11 - Open Your Eyes)
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: R
Pairing: Loki/Natasha
Disclaimer: Not mine! Some comic backstory is incorporated into characterizations, but this is still primarily movieverse.
Spoilers/Warnings: Post-movie. Read the other stories before this one, because it does refer back to events in them. Additional warning for misogyny (internalized and society-driven) and references to torture.
Title and series title from "The Royal We" by Silversun Pickups
Special thanks to phoenixrising06/
romanovasledger for plotting and characterization discussion. :)
Summary: Rather than wait for a full scale attack to reach Asgard, they decide to make the first strike themselves.
Prior chapters:
One - Fall From Grace
Two - What The Dead Know
Three - Portals
Four - Ready For Battle
Natasha knew exactly when Loki fell into step beside her and Clint as they walked through the palace hallways. Both humans were utterly exhausted and had given up on trying to work on battle strategy in what Clint had dubbed the War Room. Steve, Thor, Sif, Volstagg and Fandral were there to draft a plan to present to Odin. Tony, Bruce and Jane were working on tracking the precise signature that would lead them to the Chitauri. Clint had decided that there was no point in their staying, and had started feeling restless. The two of them were still covered in grime and sweat, battered and bruised with scabbed cuts and sour exhaustion clinging to their clothes. Most of her cuts had healed over already, her bruises faded to greens and yellows. Clint's were still vivid purple-blue of fresh bruises, and he would be aching and sore for another day or two. He couldn't sit still, anxiety burning beneath his skin. Natasha knew the perfect place to walk and talk without too many eyes or ears prying.
Somewhere along the way, Clint began talking about how strange it had been to have a female Loki in Avengers Tower while she was away. Steve had taken it upon himself to try drawing her out of her self-imposed exile and self-abuse, and Clint had felt uncomfortable seeing it. On one level, he liked knowing Loki wasn't all powerful. But he also hated himself for gloating at another's misery. "How am I any different from Barney or my old man, then?"
When Natasha made her noncommittal supportive noise, Clint started alluding to his old nightmares returning. In them, the sky was pitch black and streaked with violets and electric blues, no clouds or stars in sight. Natasha was standing on the edge of a cliff in sleek black clothes, her hair hanging in vivid red coils that dripped blood. It created a river down her back, flowing between her legs and then off of the cliff in a waterfall. She stared off into the inky night sky, her expression a mystery. All he knew was that he couldn't approach her, couldn't help her, couldn't save her or anyone else. He was all but invisible, knowing what was about to happen next, but unable to prevent it. She stepped forward from her aggressive stance, arms spread to hasten her fall off the edge.
He woke in a cold sweat, nearly screaming. Every. Single. Time.
Aware that Loki was listening, Natasha didn't want to betray Clint's confidence. She grasped his hand in hers, fingers linked tightly together in silent support. There was no point in saying something trite, no need for false hope.
"I dream of fire," Natasha said quietly. "It all blends together, the fires that change the direction my life will take. It could be the fire when I was the child about to be thrown from the window, or the child about to set one to cover my tracks. Or I'm older, and it's comfort against the cold in a safe house. Or after that, when I burn the Red Room to the ground." She squeezed Clint's hand a little. "But in the end, all that's left is me. I'm always alone, too."
"You'll always have me."
She smiled at him, soft and sweet, infinite kindness of the kind that few knew could exist in her heart. "I know. And that means more to me than words can ever say."
"Yeah, well, people like us aren't good at words anyway."
Natasha nodded. "You're family, Clint," she said softly. "That's why it's a nightmare if I'm alone at the end of it." She could almost feel Loki's sharp intake of breath beside her, still invisible. Clint needed to hear the words, but it gave Loki more information than she had initially wanted him to have. Then again, Loki had known from the start that Clint was important to her.
Clint just laughed a little. "Flatterer," he said. He eventually led them to a bench in the garden and sat heavily on its stone top. "Thanks, though."
"It's not going to be easy to get rid of the Chitauri," Natasha murmured.
"We're still not soldiers."
"There isn't anyone else." She sat down beside him, shoulder to shoulder. Loki settled down on her other side, his hand ghosting over her thigh almost hesitantly before settling on her knee. It made her sigh, eyes falling shut. "They aren't aware of the dangers here, almost willfully so. I found out how widespread the danger actually was here, and no one wanted to believe me until I showed the Chitauri staff that was found. Not to mention the rumors among the warriors and lesser jarls that they can't silence anymore. They believe in their own hype, and it's going to destroy them all."
"I'm sure they didn't take that pronouncement well," Clint told her dryly.
Natasha opened her eyes and tilted her head to look at him with a wry smile. "What do you think?" she asked in answer.
He laughed again, this time a little more genuine. "I think you probably made more waves than you planned to make." Bumping her shoulder in a friendly manner, Clint grinned. "Some spy you make here."
"I was sent here as an Ambassador, thank you very much," she huffed, a thread of amusement in her tone. "It's not my fault they're petty, misogynistic and socially backward even as they have such advanced tech it might as well really be magic."
Clint fell silent for a moment. "Let's say we stop them," he began slowly. "What then? They keep you on here as an Ambassador? When do you get to return to Earth? To the rest of us?"
"I'm sure I could arrange something," Natasha said, looking off in the distance. "Heimdall will be able to help, and the royals probably don't want me around all the time."
"You could blend in anywhere..."
"Doesn't mean I want to," Natasha said quietly. "They don't want to hear what I really have to say, and there are only so many things I can do to distract myself here. I'd rather be working. I'd rather do something useful."
"So if they have you stay..." Clint began.
"I'm sure there will be something Fury needs me called back for." She smiled at Clint. "I'm still the best he's got, no matter what some of the other agents may say."
Clint smiled at her. "They like to think they're as good as you."
"That's the thing that people always seem to forget... It's not just test scores that make or break an agent. It's how you use the knowledge in the field, how you're able to get in and out without being seen..." Natasha shrugged. "Most can't translate scores from the lab to the field."
"But the Chitauri don't care about that," Clint replied when she fell silent. "What are we going to do about that threat?"
"Considering how much damage we did on their refueling outposts? I'm sure they'll track us down sooner or later. The biggest issue will be taking them down and keeping them there."
"It'll be the Battle of New York, but on a larger scale."
"Isn't everything on Asgard?" she asked, eyebrow raised. He grinned at her, and they fell into a companionable silence for a while.
"What are you going to do about Loki?" Clint asked finally.
Natasha could feel the invisible trickster stiffen beside her. "What about him?"
"Is there anything you have to do there?"
"He can't stay on Asgard if he wants to live. SHIELD will work with him if that's what he wants to do," Natasha replied, shrugging. "That has nothing to do with me."
"Tash," Clint chided. "That has everything to do with you."
She looked away from him and refused to look in Loki's direction. Dammit, she hadn't wanted to ever have to define that thing between her and Loki. "I don't force him to consult."
"Now you're splitting hairs. He got those rings and amulet because you thought it might help with a case you were working on. You were both tortured. And you didn't see him-her, while you were away." Natasha thought of Tony coming to her with his detection app, his concern with how Loki circled New York City because of her. "He loves you, you know."
"Love is for children," she replied automatically.
"Yeah. He still loves you."
Natasha looked off into the distance, not wanting to look in either direction. Clint knew her far too well and Loki was waiting with bated breath for her response. "I'm not capable of such things," she said finally, knowing both men wanted a response. She also knew it for the vicious lie that it was.
Clint made a disappointed clucking noise but didn't contradict her outright. "They didn't destroy everything good about you, you know."
"They didn't have to," Natasha sighed. "I helped them do it. I did it to myself."
"Things wouldn't hurt so much if you didn't have the capacity to care."
She could sling back You're the expert at that, aren't you? but that would be cruel, and she was never intentionally cruel to Clint if she could help it. He had his own demons, just as she did, and they respected each others' boundaries and silences. Natasha looked down at her lap, feeling but not seeing Loki's hand on her knee, seeing Clint's hands on the bench beside her but not feeling his touch.
"Capacity doesn't matter," Natasha murmured after a moment. "I can't. I won't open myself up to something like that again."
Unsurprised, Clint merely nodded. "And if you're constantly working, you don't have to."
"Someone's got to do it. And I have my ledger to balance."
He turned his head and kissed her cheek tenderly. "But don't lose what's left of yourself in the balance, Tasha. Being everything for everyone else won't win you any prizes in the end. It only leaves you alone and empty."
"Not if I've got you."
"And Steve," he reminded her. "And Bruce, and believe it or not, Tony and Pepper. Thor and his friends love you, too."
"Strange little family we've got, don't we?" she asked him with a warm smile.
"Somehow, it works." Clint bumped shoulders with her playfully. "Think we got enough of a breather?" When Natasha nodded, he stood and held a hand out to help her up. "All right. Let's go see what those hot shots have planned for us. I'm sure there's plenty more Chitauri out there waiting for us. Not what I had in mind when you wanted us to come up and visit Asgard, but hey. Seeing other dimensions is still kind of wild."
That made Natasha laugh, which she thought perhaps was his ultimate goal. "Never thought it would be part of the job description, hm?"
"I'm just the guy with the bow."
"That's only one of your many talents."
Now it was Clint's turn to laugh, and he made a sweeping bow back in the general direction they had come from. "Maybe, but directions are yours. I'll need you to lead me back."
No longer feeling as though the strategic planning meeting would be so dreadful, they headed back toward the War Room, an invisible Loki in their wake.
***
Spells laced into the portal locations on the asteroid were meant to trigger alarms on Asgard if new ones were opened or Chitauri arrived to repair the damaged generators. They didn't go off simultaneously, at least, but two of the larger planets soon had Chitauri arriving. The alarms were triggered, sending Asgardian warriors into a frenzy of action. Palace guards and lesser jarls were all tapped to be the army selected to drive back the Chitauri from invading. Once again, there was talk of forcibly conscripting karls to fight back the alien intruders. As squads of warriors and palace guards were sent directly to the Chitauri-controlled planets via Heimdall's portals in the Observatory, karls began to protest in earnest. Farmers broke tools, ovens were left to cool, livestock were turned loose.
Odin issued decrees at the behest of his economic advisors, the greater jarls Einarr, Hrodvaldr and Sigsteinn. Karl movements and access to potential weapons were strictly limited, and all of Asgard was placed on lockdown. "We are at war with a race that glorifies death. They will not hesitate to slaughter every once of our people," he announced to the populace at large. "So we will slaughter them first and keep ours safe."
"Oh, like that's going to go well," Tony grumbled when he heard the pronouncement. They were all in Thor's quarters, an invisible Loki working to enhance their weapons before facing the Chitauri in combat on the two planets. He had tried to do the same to the swords and shields of the palace guard, but too many weapons from the armory had already been removed.
Clint knew it was going to be a bloodbath, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Tony continued despite Thor's thunderous look. "Why ask economic advisors? If they were really good at the economy, they'd be in business for themselves and generating something more than interest off of trust fund money."
Thor's glower deepened. "Hold, Stark. That is my father you speak ill of."
"If you heard that from anyone else, do you think it would keep the population from rioting?" he asked in reply. He didn't even bother to look up from the sensor array that he was working on with Bruce and Jane. "Do you really think they'll lay down ancestral swords and give them up to the palace when the Chitauri could materialize any moment?"
"They don't know the Chitauri can do that," Bruce reminded him in mild tones.
Jane poked Tony with a pencil and sharply shook her head. "Too many turns on that one. It's going to crack in the field. Trust me, transporting these things are a pain in the ass, you need to keep it a little looser. We don't have replacements here to burn through."
He sighed and loosened the sensor a few turns. "Look. I know he's your father. I know you're loyal to a fault. But your people are going to die if the Chitauri land here."
Though he looked away, Thor's tightening jaw was proof positive enough that he heard and understood what Tony was trying to say. Clint hadn't wanted to get in the middle of anything, but no good could come of upsetting their group before joining the fight against the Chitauri. "Think of it like this: We're obeying the spirit of the decree, if not the letter. Kind of like how you're keeping silent about Loki helping us. If you were following the letter of the law, he'd be dead right now and not sending us alarms."
Turning back toward Clint, Thor nodded slowly. "But in this, I am still a traitor to my father's wishes, even if I believe it to be for the good of Asgard."
"We'll be offworld real soon," Clint offered. "And you know, he'd have to catch us at it."
That didn't help Thor's mood any. "I dislike my part in this. It is a callow trick I play on my father, and he is a good man. He does not deserve a disloyal son."
"This isn't a question of deserve," Clint replied with a shake of his head, which covered Loki's snort of derision. Clint doubted that Thor was making a backhanded comment at Loki, he simply wasn't that type. Looking down at the arrow in his hands, he put down the whetstone he had been using to file down the edge of one arrowhead. It was odd that the quiver seemed so full, but he hadn't remarked upon it. He thought perhaps Fandral or Volstagg supplied him with some from the Asgard armory. They seemed the type to help a fellow out. "You're fighting for Asgard, just as you've always done. For Odin and Frigga, for the jarls and karls and even the livestock on this world. Because you've seen what the Chitauri will do if they win, and that's the last thing you want to happen to your homeland."
"You speak words of wisdom," he replied with a heavy nod. "But it still pains me."
"Better to ask forgiveness than seek permission," Tony quipped, handing off the sensor array to Jane with a smile. "That you can trust me on. When it works, he'll be more likely to forgive you a lie here and there. Are we all set, Horns?"
Loki's derisive snort was louder this time. "If I do not put shielding spells upon your metallic shell, then yes, we are indeed finished."
"How much longer?" Natasha asked, voice calm. If she was nervous at all, she didn't appear to be. She was in her nanomesh armor, hair braided and coiled in Asgardian style out of her face, a few pins here and there. Clint had no doubt that they would be lethal or tipped with poison of some kind. That was a very Natasha kind of move. She had her usual throwing knives strapped to her arms, her Glocks in thigh holsters as well as several extra magazines, her wristlets and an ornate scabbard at her side holding onto the twin swords she had gotten from Loki. Sif sat beside her, limbs appearing relaxed, though her fingers never strayed far from her sword. Her shield lay at her feet, and her armor was polished to a mirrored shine.
All of the fighters in the room wore Loki's amulets, though it would only protect them from physical harm. With the spells protecting their gear from getting damaged or nicked, it would help them combat more of the Chitauri. That was the theory, anyway.
A flash of light greeted her words, and then Fandral's sword floated in the air toward him. "The rest of you may begin, if you wish. Another hour, perhaps. There are more pieces to ward on the armor, especially if I am to ensure they do not interfere with the sensors or its function."
Thor nodded. "So be it. We attack on two fronts. We can split our forces into Asgardian on one and Midgardian on the other-"
"Blend them," Natasha suggested, interrupting him.
"We've got more ranged fighters," Clint remarked, holding up his bow. "You're all melee fighters like the guards that were sent on ahead. If we mix it up a bit, we could open up a few holes to get more melee fighters in."
Pondering that for a moment, Thor nodded again. "Very well, that can be done. Clint and Natasha, you may join me and Fandral on Lutain." He turned toward Sif and Volstagg. "Please, wait for the armor to be completely refashioned. Then join Bruce, Tony and Steve on Danheil."
"And me?" came Loki's disembodied voice. It was rather creepy to hear.
"Jane remains here to coordinate information. You can protect her."
"It would be best if I did not tarry on Asgard for too long," Loki said dryly.
"Then determine where best you were needed," Thor replied, a thread of exasperation in his tone.
Clint figured in an hour or so, he'd join Natasha, whether he was needed there or not.
In a flurry of motion, the Lutain group arrived via the Bifrost. Heimdall had deposited them in the thick of the action, Chitauri viciously attacking Asgardians however they could. Asgardian military forces tended to have limited use for ranged weapons or overhead attacks, as that wasn't their usual battle style. Clint immediately lost himself in the draw and pull of his bow, reacting instantly to incoming chariots or overhand attacks from Chitauri foot soldiers. It was a mindless exercise if he pushed aside the thought that Chitauri were living, breathing, moving creatures and not just a simulation for practice. Dimly he recalled the Battle of New York, the gray skin and sharp teeth behind lips drawn back in a snarl. He remembered the way the metallic armor seemed almost woven into the creatures, the way some of them had been physically bonded to the chariots or chained into place. This was all they knew, all they hoped to do. They didn't hope or want more out of life.
The battle here was just as intense as it was in New York. There was the constant reach behind him for an arrow, sometimes an explosive or net one, sometimes just a straight metal edge to pierce through armor or soft flesh that was exposed. Natasha swung her swords once she was out of ammunition, though it seemed to take longer than usual.
Come to think of it, his quiver should have been empty by now, yet it was as full as ever, as if any missed arrows simply returned to it or a replacement immediately appeared. That was beyond Fandral's or Volstagg's ability. Though Clint hadn't wanted Loki touching his bow, perhaps the trickster had helped him anyway.
Thor with Mjolnir decimated as many Chitauri as he could, concussive blasts of force knocking many of them down around him in concentric circles. Rushing forward to what had to be a Chitauri officer, Thur swung Mjolnir and knocked the fanciful headdress off of its head. The warrior bellowed, spittle flying, and tried to swing its staff at Thor. Mjolnir connected with the energy staff, triggering a blast that destroyed the energy staff. Pieces of it impaled not only the supposed general, but three Chitauri behind him. A steady crackle of energy that was discharged from the staff also arced away from them, making two Chitauri foot soldiers on either side gyrate with large, frightened eyes as they were electrocuted.
The problem was, no other Chitauri collapsed with that move.
"The creature was not the anchor for the link!" Thor shouted at his compatriots. "Continue searching for it!"
"Jane? You copy that?" Clint called out, hoping that his earpiece was still connected through space and portals.
"Got it," he heard through the comm unit. "I'm scanning the area for a likely source and comparing it to the other planet."
"Steve and company over there yet?"
"Just sent through, I think," Jane replied, sounding a bit distracted. "Lots of different readings to coordinate here. I'm gonna have one hell of a paper to write on this if SHIELD doesn't confiscate my data again."
Clint wanted to laugh as he let an explosive arrow fly. "Let's live through this first. Tell us whenever something looks like the host for the neural link."
"Will do."
Before long, Loki appeared, fully visible and in his usual braided leather and gold armor. He carried a glaive and disdainful expression on his face, but fell into the fighting as if it was second nature. Clint had to remember that he had been trained to fight before, and used to fight alongside Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three. Though he often resorted to trickery and magic, Loki was fully capable of physical violence.
Natasha didn't react to his presence in any visible way, though it was obvious he circled her on the battlefield and helped watch her back. Clint wanted to be annoyed by this, but if Loki had her six, then he didn't have to. Also, he was close enough in Natasha's proximity that Loki was also guarding him as well.
To Clint's horror, the world seemed to shimmer around them. "The fuck?" he called out, letting another exploding arrow fly. "Don't tell me those flying monsters are coming through again! It was a bitch to down that thing."
Loki impaled a Chitauri foot soldier with the glaive and then spun around to look in the direction Clint was staring at. His mouth actually fell open, which didn't help ease Clint's mind at all. "No. It's a massive portal being opened."
Massive was rather an understatement. It was larger than the one that had appeared over New York City, easily ten times larger than the portal that they had opened to this planet from the asteroid not too long ago. On the other side of the portal was another planet full of fighting Chitauri, and Clint could see Tony fly past, blasting foot soldiers out of the way.
The worst part of it was, Chitauri foot soldiers were now moving between Lutain and Danheil, the battle fronts merging into one massive attack.
"I think I found the link," Steve said, the sound of battle carrying over the comm frequency. "I also see someone that might be a caster. Hang on a sec."
Unable to see Steve from his current vantage point, Clint could imagine him slinging his shield at foot soldiers or the potential caster. Since he began training with Clint and Natasha, his fighting style had incorporated a lot more acrobatic and physical moves than it used to. He could hear grunts and the sound of fists hitting flesh before there was a final grunt. "The portal's still wide open, so it must be anchored."
"I can try blasting the link location," Tony said, and Clint could see Tony flying in a different direction through the portal.
Bringing his attention back to his current horde of Chitauri, Clint tuned out the sounds of fighting and background chatter as Steve directed the Hulk and Volstagg as well as one or two of the Asgardian commanders. Neither he nor Natasha had tried to direct the Asgardians; Thor did that readily enough, and it was only by his command that Loki wasn't immediately cut down the moment he materialized.
"It's not going down!" Tony shouted, and Clint winced. He suppressed the urge to rip the earpiece out, knowing he would need to hear what came next. "There's shielding of some kind, and the blasts can't get past the frequency."
"Let me see what I can do," Jane reported via the comm unit.
"Try boom," Hulk said, moments before there was the sound of an explosion.
Clint blinked and was almost gutted by a foot soldier for his hesitation. Chaos continued to erupt all around them, Chitauri not even responding when comrades were killed or when they mortally wounded Asgardian warriors. It was brutal, far more than he would have expected given the prior battle and after New York; the scope of this was something he previously had only seen in medieval movies. Or Lord of the Rings, which Tony still would make quips about.
Speaking of which...
"That would be a big nope," Tony called over the comm link. "Thanks for trying, though."
"We're taking massive casualties on both sides," Clint said as he kicked a foot soldier away from him. He shot him in the chest and then rapid-fired the sharp arrows at a row of incoming foot soldiers. "How can we shut down that link?"
"I'm working on it," Jane called over the comm. "I have the data from that blast. It's some kind of dynamic shielding, so it can withstand a direct attack or explosion outside of its housing." Clint could almost hear the worry in her pause. "Disrupting this link killed the Chitauri before, didn't it? Isn't this something like genocide?"
"They have more goons where these came from," Clint said, letting an explosive arrow fly toward a chariot overhead.
"I understand your hesitation," Natasha said as she decapitated a foot soldier with her sword. "This isn't genocide, Jane. It's protecting Asgard and all of those people who can't fight for themselves. They're innocent. We can't let the Chitauri past us."
Jane audibly gulped. "Okay. Okay. I... I think I have an idea."
Her end of the comm shut off and was silent for almost ten minutes. It seemed to pass in the blink of an eye; adrenaline tended to do that. He was too busy knocking chariots out of the sky and stabbing some with arrows if they got too close. Clint was aware of Asgardian warriors giving as good as they got, though a number of them were still dying because of new chariots flying in and foot soldiers falling into the field from Leviathans overhead. "You know, Tash," Clint called out at one point when he caught his breath, "I think I prefer espionage."
"Me, too," she replied with a laugh, spinning around and slicing the arm off a foot soldier. She was covered in their blood and had several slices in her nanomesh armor that the amulet's spells must not have been able to ward off. The skin in those exposed areas were too covered in blood and grime to be able to see if any damage was present. Clint hoped that her healing ability or the amulet's spells kicked in. If she died...
Nope. Not going to go there. That simply wouldn't happen.
"Okay. I think I got it," Jane called out over the comm, sounding breathless. "And I was able to cobble together a bomb that should help. I've got the coordinates and the algorthythm in place, and Heimdall can get a small bridge through the shielding just in case it doesn't work."
"Sounds good," Tony replied. Clint could hear the rakish grin he no doubt had. "We're all clear of that neural link housing, so whenever you're ready, you're good to go."
"Five... Four... Three... Two... One."
Clint heard nothing for a second, and wondered if this plan failed, too. But it was a tiny Bifrost that she was using, pinpointing a bridge inside the neural link housing as its force field was deactivated with her algorhythm. It probably didn't take very long to shove a bomb into place as the shielding was disrupted.
Another two seconds, and then Clint could distinctly hear a muffled explosion coming from the other side of the portal. The bomb had detonated as the shielding slammed back into place, limiting the fallout of the bomb sent in. The Chitauri seemed to all freeze at once, then fell in droves where they stood. The chariots careened into each other or into the ground, and Leviathans soaring overhead seemed to be in a frenzy of uncontrolled activity that reminded Clint of creatures being electrocuted.
Out of curiosity, Clint bent down to examine one of the fallen Chitauri nearby. He didn't know if they had carotid arteries in the same place, but removing bits of their armor allowed him to see movement in the chest. "Hey, Jane. It worked. They're still alive, just unconscious." And possibly with their brains fried, but he wouldn't say such a thing aloud to her. Jane had been horrified by possible genocide and the ferocity of fighting, after all.
Thor chortled and raised his hammer high in the air. Lightning crackled, and the Asgardian warriors cheered. "We have defeated the enemy!"
Loki approached him, shaking his head and looking almost frightened. "Thor. It's not over." He pointed off in the distance, where the panicking Leviathans were being corralled by drivers that were now visible against the stark sky.
A sky that didn't look like that of Lutain any longer.
Clint realized he was looking at another massive portal, one that eclipsed the one that had linked Danheil to Lutain. Even worse, on the other side of it was Asgard.
"Jane... Tell Heimdall you've got incoming," Clint murmured, reaching behind him for a detonating arrow. He could possibly hit the last Leviathan, but some were already crossing the threshold of the portal. "Six Leviathans from Lutain, at least."
"Shit. Looks like eleven from Danheil," Tony reported.
"Smash flying worm," Hulk roared, leaping forward from where he had been standing.
"The big guy's got a point," Steve said, beginning to break out into a run. Volstagg and three Asgardian generals were hot on his heels.
Fandral hooted and lifted his sword, a rakish grin splitting his weary face. "For Asgard!"
All of the Asgardian warriors lifted their swords and rallied to his cry. Sif picked up her shield from where she had thrown it, Steve Rogers style, before the Chitauri had fallen. She checked on the generals around her, then nodded sharply. "Forward, men. Defend our homes and people!"
Thor was spinning Mjolnir, and threw himself forward, toward the portal leading to Asgard with a determined look on his face.
Clint glanced at Natasha. "Ready?"
She squared her shoulders and gave him a ghost of a smile. "No, but it's time to go anyway."
Loki looked between the two of them and miles to run until they reached the portal. "I'll make a short cut for you."
What was one more portal on this blasted, ruined planet, after all?
Back to Asgard, once more into the breach.
***
***center>
To chapter Five - For Asgard
Series: #12 in Ready For The Siege
(#1 - Look Over Your Shoulder, #2 - Armed Up To The Teeth, #3 - Misery Inspires, #4 - Broken Underneath, #5 - Change Is Coming Soon, #6 - Lick Your Wounds, #7 - Bitter Sparks, #8 - Father's Will, #9 - To Feel Safe Again, #10 - Hit Your Prime, #11 - Open Your Eyes)
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: R
Pairing: Loki/Natasha
Disclaimer: Not mine! Some comic backstory is incorporated into characterizations, but this is still primarily movieverse.
Spoilers/Warnings: Post-movie. Read the other stories before this one, because it does refer back to events in them. Additional warning for misogyny (internalized and society-driven) and references to torture.
Title and series title from "The Royal We" by Silversun Pickups
Special thanks to phoenixrising06/
romanovasledger for plotting and characterization discussion. :)
Summary: Rather than wait for a full scale attack to reach Asgard, they decide to make the first strike themselves.
Prior chapters:
One - Fall From Grace
Two - What The Dead Know
Three - Portals
Four - Ready For Battle
Natasha knew exactly when Loki fell into step beside her and Clint as they walked through the palace hallways. Both humans were utterly exhausted and had given up on trying to work on battle strategy in what Clint had dubbed the War Room. Steve, Thor, Sif, Volstagg and Fandral were there to draft a plan to present to Odin. Tony, Bruce and Jane were working on tracking the precise signature that would lead them to the Chitauri. Clint had decided that there was no point in their staying, and had started feeling restless. The two of them were still covered in grime and sweat, battered and bruised with scabbed cuts and sour exhaustion clinging to their clothes. Most of her cuts had healed over already, her bruises faded to greens and yellows. Clint's were still vivid purple-blue of fresh bruises, and he would be aching and sore for another day or two. He couldn't sit still, anxiety burning beneath his skin. Natasha knew the perfect place to walk and talk without too many eyes or ears prying.
Somewhere along the way, Clint began talking about how strange it had been to have a female Loki in Avengers Tower while she was away. Steve had taken it upon himself to try drawing her out of her self-imposed exile and self-abuse, and Clint had felt uncomfortable seeing it. On one level, he liked knowing Loki wasn't all powerful. But he also hated himself for gloating at another's misery. "How am I any different from Barney or my old man, then?"
When Natasha made her noncommittal supportive noise, Clint started alluding to his old nightmares returning. In them, the sky was pitch black and streaked with violets and electric blues, no clouds or stars in sight. Natasha was standing on the edge of a cliff in sleek black clothes, her hair hanging in vivid red coils that dripped blood. It created a river down her back, flowing between her legs and then off of the cliff in a waterfall. She stared off into the inky night sky, her expression a mystery. All he knew was that he couldn't approach her, couldn't help her, couldn't save her or anyone else. He was all but invisible, knowing what was about to happen next, but unable to prevent it. She stepped forward from her aggressive stance, arms spread to hasten her fall off the edge.
He woke in a cold sweat, nearly screaming. Every. Single. Time.
Aware that Loki was listening, Natasha didn't want to betray Clint's confidence. She grasped his hand in hers, fingers linked tightly together in silent support. There was no point in saying something trite, no need for false hope.
"I dream of fire," Natasha said quietly. "It all blends together, the fires that change the direction my life will take. It could be the fire when I was the child about to be thrown from the window, or the child about to set one to cover my tracks. Or I'm older, and it's comfort against the cold in a safe house. Or after that, when I burn the Red Room to the ground." She squeezed Clint's hand a little. "But in the end, all that's left is me. I'm always alone, too."
"You'll always have me."
She smiled at him, soft and sweet, infinite kindness of the kind that few knew could exist in her heart. "I know. And that means more to me than words can ever say."
"Yeah, well, people like us aren't good at words anyway."
Natasha nodded. "You're family, Clint," she said softly. "That's why it's a nightmare if I'm alone at the end of it." She could almost feel Loki's sharp intake of breath beside her, still invisible. Clint needed to hear the words, but it gave Loki more information than she had initially wanted him to have. Then again, Loki had known from the start that Clint was important to her.
Clint just laughed a little. "Flatterer," he said. He eventually led them to a bench in the garden and sat heavily on its stone top. "Thanks, though."
"It's not going to be easy to get rid of the Chitauri," Natasha murmured.
"We're still not soldiers."
"There isn't anyone else." She sat down beside him, shoulder to shoulder. Loki settled down on her other side, his hand ghosting over her thigh almost hesitantly before settling on her knee. It made her sigh, eyes falling shut. "They aren't aware of the dangers here, almost willfully so. I found out how widespread the danger actually was here, and no one wanted to believe me until I showed the Chitauri staff that was found. Not to mention the rumors among the warriors and lesser jarls that they can't silence anymore. They believe in their own hype, and it's going to destroy them all."
"I'm sure they didn't take that pronouncement well," Clint told her dryly.
Natasha opened her eyes and tilted her head to look at him with a wry smile. "What do you think?" she asked in answer.
He laughed again, this time a little more genuine. "I think you probably made more waves than you planned to make." Bumping her shoulder in a friendly manner, Clint grinned. "Some spy you make here."
"I was sent here as an Ambassador, thank you very much," she huffed, a thread of amusement in her tone. "It's not my fault they're petty, misogynistic and socially backward even as they have such advanced tech it might as well really be magic."
Clint fell silent for a moment. "Let's say we stop them," he began slowly. "What then? They keep you on here as an Ambassador? When do you get to return to Earth? To the rest of us?"
"I'm sure I could arrange something," Natasha said, looking off in the distance. "Heimdall will be able to help, and the royals probably don't want me around all the time."
"You could blend in anywhere..."
"Doesn't mean I want to," Natasha said quietly. "They don't want to hear what I really have to say, and there are only so many things I can do to distract myself here. I'd rather be working. I'd rather do something useful."
"So if they have you stay..." Clint began.
"I'm sure there will be something Fury needs me called back for." She smiled at Clint. "I'm still the best he's got, no matter what some of the other agents may say."
Clint smiled at her. "They like to think they're as good as you."
"That's the thing that people always seem to forget... It's not just test scores that make or break an agent. It's how you use the knowledge in the field, how you're able to get in and out without being seen..." Natasha shrugged. "Most can't translate scores from the lab to the field."
"But the Chitauri don't care about that," Clint replied when she fell silent. "What are we going to do about that threat?"
"Considering how much damage we did on their refueling outposts? I'm sure they'll track us down sooner or later. The biggest issue will be taking them down and keeping them there."
"It'll be the Battle of New York, but on a larger scale."
"Isn't everything on Asgard?" she asked, eyebrow raised. He grinned at her, and they fell into a companionable silence for a while.
"What are you going to do about Loki?" Clint asked finally.
Natasha could feel the invisible trickster stiffen beside her. "What about him?"
"Is there anything you have to do there?"
"He can't stay on Asgard if he wants to live. SHIELD will work with him if that's what he wants to do," Natasha replied, shrugging. "That has nothing to do with me."
"Tash," Clint chided. "That has everything to do with you."
She looked away from him and refused to look in Loki's direction. Dammit, she hadn't wanted to ever have to define that thing between her and Loki. "I don't force him to consult."
"Now you're splitting hairs. He got those rings and amulet because you thought it might help with a case you were working on. You were both tortured. And you didn't see him-her, while you were away." Natasha thought of Tony coming to her with his detection app, his concern with how Loki circled New York City because of her. "He loves you, you know."
"Love is for children," she replied automatically.
"Yeah. He still loves you."
Natasha looked off into the distance, not wanting to look in either direction. Clint knew her far too well and Loki was waiting with bated breath for her response. "I'm not capable of such things," she said finally, knowing both men wanted a response. She also knew it for the vicious lie that it was.
Clint made a disappointed clucking noise but didn't contradict her outright. "They didn't destroy everything good about you, you know."
"They didn't have to," Natasha sighed. "I helped them do it. I did it to myself."
"Things wouldn't hurt so much if you didn't have the capacity to care."
She could sling back You're the expert at that, aren't you? but that would be cruel, and she was never intentionally cruel to Clint if she could help it. He had his own demons, just as she did, and they respected each others' boundaries and silences. Natasha looked down at her lap, feeling but not seeing Loki's hand on her knee, seeing Clint's hands on the bench beside her but not feeling his touch.
"Capacity doesn't matter," Natasha murmured after a moment. "I can't. I won't open myself up to something like that again."
Unsurprised, Clint merely nodded. "And if you're constantly working, you don't have to."
"Someone's got to do it. And I have my ledger to balance."
He turned his head and kissed her cheek tenderly. "But don't lose what's left of yourself in the balance, Tasha. Being everything for everyone else won't win you any prizes in the end. It only leaves you alone and empty."
"Not if I've got you."
"And Steve," he reminded her. "And Bruce, and believe it or not, Tony and Pepper. Thor and his friends love you, too."
"Strange little family we've got, don't we?" she asked him with a warm smile.
"Somehow, it works." Clint bumped shoulders with her playfully. "Think we got enough of a breather?" When Natasha nodded, he stood and held a hand out to help her up. "All right. Let's go see what those hot shots have planned for us. I'm sure there's plenty more Chitauri out there waiting for us. Not what I had in mind when you wanted us to come up and visit Asgard, but hey. Seeing other dimensions is still kind of wild."
That made Natasha laugh, which she thought perhaps was his ultimate goal. "Never thought it would be part of the job description, hm?"
"I'm just the guy with the bow."
"That's only one of your many talents."
Now it was Clint's turn to laugh, and he made a sweeping bow back in the general direction they had come from. "Maybe, but directions are yours. I'll need you to lead me back."
No longer feeling as though the strategic planning meeting would be so dreadful, they headed back toward the War Room, an invisible Loki in their wake.
***
Spells laced into the portal locations on the asteroid were meant to trigger alarms on Asgard if new ones were opened or Chitauri arrived to repair the damaged generators. They didn't go off simultaneously, at least, but two of the larger planets soon had Chitauri arriving. The alarms were triggered, sending Asgardian warriors into a frenzy of action. Palace guards and lesser jarls were all tapped to be the army selected to drive back the Chitauri from invading. Once again, there was talk of forcibly conscripting karls to fight back the alien intruders. As squads of warriors and palace guards were sent directly to the Chitauri-controlled planets via Heimdall's portals in the Observatory, karls began to protest in earnest. Farmers broke tools, ovens were left to cool, livestock were turned loose.
Odin issued decrees at the behest of his economic advisors, the greater jarls Einarr, Hrodvaldr and Sigsteinn. Karl movements and access to potential weapons were strictly limited, and all of Asgard was placed on lockdown. "We are at war with a race that glorifies death. They will not hesitate to slaughter every once of our people," he announced to the populace at large. "So we will slaughter them first and keep ours safe."
"Oh, like that's going to go well," Tony grumbled when he heard the pronouncement. They were all in Thor's quarters, an invisible Loki working to enhance their weapons before facing the Chitauri in combat on the two planets. He had tried to do the same to the swords and shields of the palace guard, but too many weapons from the armory had already been removed.
Clint knew it was going to be a bloodbath, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Tony continued despite Thor's thunderous look. "Why ask economic advisors? If they were really good at the economy, they'd be in business for themselves and generating something more than interest off of trust fund money."
Thor's glower deepened. "Hold, Stark. That is my father you speak ill of."
"If you heard that from anyone else, do you think it would keep the population from rioting?" he asked in reply. He didn't even bother to look up from the sensor array that he was working on with Bruce and Jane. "Do you really think they'll lay down ancestral swords and give them up to the palace when the Chitauri could materialize any moment?"
"They don't know the Chitauri can do that," Bruce reminded him in mild tones.
Jane poked Tony with a pencil and sharply shook her head. "Too many turns on that one. It's going to crack in the field. Trust me, transporting these things are a pain in the ass, you need to keep it a little looser. We don't have replacements here to burn through."
He sighed and loosened the sensor a few turns. "Look. I know he's your father. I know you're loyal to a fault. But your people are going to die if the Chitauri land here."
Though he looked away, Thor's tightening jaw was proof positive enough that he heard and understood what Tony was trying to say. Clint hadn't wanted to get in the middle of anything, but no good could come of upsetting their group before joining the fight against the Chitauri. "Think of it like this: We're obeying the spirit of the decree, if not the letter. Kind of like how you're keeping silent about Loki helping us. If you were following the letter of the law, he'd be dead right now and not sending us alarms."
Turning back toward Clint, Thor nodded slowly. "But in this, I am still a traitor to my father's wishes, even if I believe it to be for the good of Asgard."
"We'll be offworld real soon," Clint offered. "And you know, he'd have to catch us at it."
That didn't help Thor's mood any. "I dislike my part in this. It is a callow trick I play on my father, and he is a good man. He does not deserve a disloyal son."
"This isn't a question of deserve," Clint replied with a shake of his head, which covered Loki's snort of derision. Clint doubted that Thor was making a backhanded comment at Loki, he simply wasn't that type. Looking down at the arrow in his hands, he put down the whetstone he had been using to file down the edge of one arrowhead. It was odd that the quiver seemed so full, but he hadn't remarked upon it. He thought perhaps Fandral or Volstagg supplied him with some from the Asgard armory. They seemed the type to help a fellow out. "You're fighting for Asgard, just as you've always done. For Odin and Frigga, for the jarls and karls and even the livestock on this world. Because you've seen what the Chitauri will do if they win, and that's the last thing you want to happen to your homeland."
"You speak words of wisdom," he replied with a heavy nod. "But it still pains me."
"Better to ask forgiveness than seek permission," Tony quipped, handing off the sensor array to Jane with a smile. "That you can trust me on. When it works, he'll be more likely to forgive you a lie here and there. Are we all set, Horns?"
Loki's derisive snort was louder this time. "If I do not put shielding spells upon your metallic shell, then yes, we are indeed finished."
"How much longer?" Natasha asked, voice calm. If she was nervous at all, she didn't appear to be. She was in her nanomesh armor, hair braided and coiled in Asgardian style out of her face, a few pins here and there. Clint had no doubt that they would be lethal or tipped with poison of some kind. That was a very Natasha kind of move. She had her usual throwing knives strapped to her arms, her Glocks in thigh holsters as well as several extra magazines, her wristlets and an ornate scabbard at her side holding onto the twin swords she had gotten from Loki. Sif sat beside her, limbs appearing relaxed, though her fingers never strayed far from her sword. Her shield lay at her feet, and her armor was polished to a mirrored shine.
All of the fighters in the room wore Loki's amulets, though it would only protect them from physical harm. With the spells protecting their gear from getting damaged or nicked, it would help them combat more of the Chitauri. That was the theory, anyway.
A flash of light greeted her words, and then Fandral's sword floated in the air toward him. "The rest of you may begin, if you wish. Another hour, perhaps. There are more pieces to ward on the armor, especially if I am to ensure they do not interfere with the sensors or its function."
Thor nodded. "So be it. We attack on two fronts. We can split our forces into Asgardian on one and Midgardian on the other-"
"Blend them," Natasha suggested, interrupting him.
"We've got more ranged fighters," Clint remarked, holding up his bow. "You're all melee fighters like the guards that were sent on ahead. If we mix it up a bit, we could open up a few holes to get more melee fighters in."
Pondering that for a moment, Thor nodded again. "Very well, that can be done. Clint and Natasha, you may join me and Fandral on Lutain." He turned toward Sif and Volstagg. "Please, wait for the armor to be completely refashioned. Then join Bruce, Tony and Steve on Danheil."
"And me?" came Loki's disembodied voice. It was rather creepy to hear.
"Jane remains here to coordinate information. You can protect her."
"It would be best if I did not tarry on Asgard for too long," Loki said dryly.
"Then determine where best you were needed," Thor replied, a thread of exasperation in his tone.
Clint figured in an hour or so, he'd join Natasha, whether he was needed there or not.
In a flurry of motion, the Lutain group arrived via the Bifrost. Heimdall had deposited them in the thick of the action, Chitauri viciously attacking Asgardians however they could. Asgardian military forces tended to have limited use for ranged weapons or overhead attacks, as that wasn't their usual battle style. Clint immediately lost himself in the draw and pull of his bow, reacting instantly to incoming chariots or overhand attacks from Chitauri foot soldiers. It was a mindless exercise if he pushed aside the thought that Chitauri were living, breathing, moving creatures and not just a simulation for practice. Dimly he recalled the Battle of New York, the gray skin and sharp teeth behind lips drawn back in a snarl. He remembered the way the metallic armor seemed almost woven into the creatures, the way some of them had been physically bonded to the chariots or chained into place. This was all they knew, all they hoped to do. They didn't hope or want more out of life.
The battle here was just as intense as it was in New York. There was the constant reach behind him for an arrow, sometimes an explosive or net one, sometimes just a straight metal edge to pierce through armor or soft flesh that was exposed. Natasha swung her swords once she was out of ammunition, though it seemed to take longer than usual.
Come to think of it, his quiver should have been empty by now, yet it was as full as ever, as if any missed arrows simply returned to it or a replacement immediately appeared. That was beyond Fandral's or Volstagg's ability. Though Clint hadn't wanted Loki touching his bow, perhaps the trickster had helped him anyway.
Thor with Mjolnir decimated as many Chitauri as he could, concussive blasts of force knocking many of them down around him in concentric circles. Rushing forward to what had to be a Chitauri officer, Thur swung Mjolnir and knocked the fanciful headdress off of its head. The warrior bellowed, spittle flying, and tried to swing its staff at Thor. Mjolnir connected with the energy staff, triggering a blast that destroyed the energy staff. Pieces of it impaled not only the supposed general, but three Chitauri behind him. A steady crackle of energy that was discharged from the staff also arced away from them, making two Chitauri foot soldiers on either side gyrate with large, frightened eyes as they were electrocuted.
The problem was, no other Chitauri collapsed with that move.
"The creature was not the anchor for the link!" Thor shouted at his compatriots. "Continue searching for it!"
"Jane? You copy that?" Clint called out, hoping that his earpiece was still connected through space and portals.
"Got it," he heard through the comm unit. "I'm scanning the area for a likely source and comparing it to the other planet."
"Steve and company over there yet?"
"Just sent through, I think," Jane replied, sounding a bit distracted. "Lots of different readings to coordinate here. I'm gonna have one hell of a paper to write on this if SHIELD doesn't confiscate my data again."
Clint wanted to laugh as he let an explosive arrow fly. "Let's live through this first. Tell us whenever something looks like the host for the neural link."
"Will do."
Before long, Loki appeared, fully visible and in his usual braided leather and gold armor. He carried a glaive and disdainful expression on his face, but fell into the fighting as if it was second nature. Clint had to remember that he had been trained to fight before, and used to fight alongside Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three. Though he often resorted to trickery and magic, Loki was fully capable of physical violence.
Natasha didn't react to his presence in any visible way, though it was obvious he circled her on the battlefield and helped watch her back. Clint wanted to be annoyed by this, but if Loki had her six, then he didn't have to. Also, he was close enough in Natasha's proximity that Loki was also guarding him as well.
To Clint's horror, the world seemed to shimmer around them. "The fuck?" he called out, letting another exploding arrow fly. "Don't tell me those flying monsters are coming through again! It was a bitch to down that thing."
Loki impaled a Chitauri foot soldier with the glaive and then spun around to look in the direction Clint was staring at. His mouth actually fell open, which didn't help ease Clint's mind at all. "No. It's a massive portal being opened."
Massive was rather an understatement. It was larger than the one that had appeared over New York City, easily ten times larger than the portal that they had opened to this planet from the asteroid not too long ago. On the other side of the portal was another planet full of fighting Chitauri, and Clint could see Tony fly past, blasting foot soldiers out of the way.
The worst part of it was, Chitauri foot soldiers were now moving between Lutain and Danheil, the battle fronts merging into one massive attack.
"I think I found the link," Steve said, the sound of battle carrying over the comm frequency. "I also see someone that might be a caster. Hang on a sec."
Unable to see Steve from his current vantage point, Clint could imagine him slinging his shield at foot soldiers or the potential caster. Since he began training with Clint and Natasha, his fighting style had incorporated a lot more acrobatic and physical moves than it used to. He could hear grunts and the sound of fists hitting flesh before there was a final grunt. "The portal's still wide open, so it must be anchored."
"I can try blasting the link location," Tony said, and Clint could see Tony flying in a different direction through the portal.
Bringing his attention back to his current horde of Chitauri, Clint tuned out the sounds of fighting and background chatter as Steve directed the Hulk and Volstagg as well as one or two of the Asgardian commanders. Neither he nor Natasha had tried to direct the Asgardians; Thor did that readily enough, and it was only by his command that Loki wasn't immediately cut down the moment he materialized.
"It's not going down!" Tony shouted, and Clint winced. He suppressed the urge to rip the earpiece out, knowing he would need to hear what came next. "There's shielding of some kind, and the blasts can't get past the frequency."
"Let me see what I can do," Jane reported via the comm unit.
"Try boom," Hulk said, moments before there was the sound of an explosion.
Clint blinked and was almost gutted by a foot soldier for his hesitation. Chaos continued to erupt all around them, Chitauri not even responding when comrades were killed or when they mortally wounded Asgardian warriors. It was brutal, far more than he would have expected given the prior battle and after New York; the scope of this was something he previously had only seen in medieval movies. Or Lord of the Rings, which Tony still would make quips about.
Speaking of which...
"That would be a big nope," Tony called over the comm link. "Thanks for trying, though."
"We're taking massive casualties on both sides," Clint said as he kicked a foot soldier away from him. He shot him in the chest and then rapid-fired the sharp arrows at a row of incoming foot soldiers. "How can we shut down that link?"
"I'm working on it," Jane called over the comm. "I have the data from that blast. It's some kind of dynamic shielding, so it can withstand a direct attack or explosion outside of its housing." Clint could almost hear the worry in her pause. "Disrupting this link killed the Chitauri before, didn't it? Isn't this something like genocide?"
"They have more goons where these came from," Clint said, letting an explosive arrow fly toward a chariot overhead.
"I understand your hesitation," Natasha said as she decapitated a foot soldier with her sword. "This isn't genocide, Jane. It's protecting Asgard and all of those people who can't fight for themselves. They're innocent. We can't let the Chitauri past us."
Jane audibly gulped. "Okay. Okay. I... I think I have an idea."
Her end of the comm shut off and was silent for almost ten minutes. It seemed to pass in the blink of an eye; adrenaline tended to do that. He was too busy knocking chariots out of the sky and stabbing some with arrows if they got too close. Clint was aware of Asgardian warriors giving as good as they got, though a number of them were still dying because of new chariots flying in and foot soldiers falling into the field from Leviathans overhead. "You know, Tash," Clint called out at one point when he caught his breath, "I think I prefer espionage."
"Me, too," she replied with a laugh, spinning around and slicing the arm off a foot soldier. She was covered in their blood and had several slices in her nanomesh armor that the amulet's spells must not have been able to ward off. The skin in those exposed areas were too covered in blood and grime to be able to see if any damage was present. Clint hoped that her healing ability or the amulet's spells kicked in. If she died...
Nope. Not going to go there. That simply wouldn't happen.
"Okay. I think I got it," Jane called out over the comm, sounding breathless. "And I was able to cobble together a bomb that should help. I've got the coordinates and the algorthythm in place, and Heimdall can get a small bridge through the shielding just in case it doesn't work."
"Sounds good," Tony replied. Clint could hear the rakish grin he no doubt had. "We're all clear of that neural link housing, so whenever you're ready, you're good to go."
"Five... Four... Three... Two... One."
Clint heard nothing for a second, and wondered if this plan failed, too. But it was a tiny Bifrost that she was using, pinpointing a bridge inside the neural link housing as its force field was deactivated with her algorhythm. It probably didn't take very long to shove a bomb into place as the shielding was disrupted.
Another two seconds, and then Clint could distinctly hear a muffled explosion coming from the other side of the portal. The bomb had detonated as the shielding slammed back into place, limiting the fallout of the bomb sent in. The Chitauri seemed to all freeze at once, then fell in droves where they stood. The chariots careened into each other or into the ground, and Leviathans soaring overhead seemed to be in a frenzy of uncontrolled activity that reminded Clint of creatures being electrocuted.
Out of curiosity, Clint bent down to examine one of the fallen Chitauri nearby. He didn't know if they had carotid arteries in the same place, but removing bits of their armor allowed him to see movement in the chest. "Hey, Jane. It worked. They're still alive, just unconscious." And possibly with their brains fried, but he wouldn't say such a thing aloud to her. Jane had been horrified by possible genocide and the ferocity of fighting, after all.
Thor chortled and raised his hammer high in the air. Lightning crackled, and the Asgardian warriors cheered. "We have defeated the enemy!"
Loki approached him, shaking his head and looking almost frightened. "Thor. It's not over." He pointed off in the distance, where the panicking Leviathans were being corralled by drivers that were now visible against the stark sky.
A sky that didn't look like that of Lutain any longer.
Clint realized he was looking at another massive portal, one that eclipsed the one that had linked Danheil to Lutain. Even worse, on the other side of it was Asgard.
"Jane... Tell Heimdall you've got incoming," Clint murmured, reaching behind him for a detonating arrow. He could possibly hit the last Leviathan, but some were already crossing the threshold of the portal. "Six Leviathans from Lutain, at least."
"Shit. Looks like eleven from Danheil," Tony reported.
"Smash flying worm," Hulk roared, leaping forward from where he had been standing.
"The big guy's got a point," Steve said, beginning to break out into a run. Volstagg and three Asgardian generals were hot on his heels.
Fandral hooted and lifted his sword, a rakish grin splitting his weary face. "For Asgard!"
All of the Asgardian warriors lifted their swords and rallied to his cry. Sif picked up her shield from where she had thrown it, Steve Rogers style, before the Chitauri had fallen. She checked on the generals around her, then nodded sharply. "Forward, men. Defend our homes and people!"
Thor was spinning Mjolnir, and threw himself forward, toward the portal leading to Asgard with a determined look on his face.
Clint glanced at Natasha. "Ready?"
She squared her shoulders and gave him a ghost of a smile. "No, but it's time to go anyway."
Loki looked between the two of them and miles to run until they reached the portal. "I'll make a short cut for you."
What was one more portal on this blasted, ruined planet, after all?
Back to Asgard, once more into the breach.
***
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To chapter Five - For Asgard