- Chapter 8 -

Lightning & Iron

Tony was thinking that perhaps he shouldn't have been so quick to approach the mystery man because he was scary. Howling like a wolf, his messy hair hiding his two fever-crazed eyes, Tony was almost certain he was dealing with a lunatic instead of what he had assumed to be a science genius. The man looked like something out of History channel, particularly that segment about Norse mythology. Actually, screw that. He looked like something straight from National Geographic Wild.

The hulking figure was holding his hammer in what was decidedly a very aggressive posture. His red cape flapped around him like a banner or a flag, unfurling across the lightning stricken sky, making him look even larger than he already was. Two keen blue eyes was staring at the approaching figure of Tony Stark. AKA Iron Man. He pulled to a stop just before the mystery man, hovering in the air by the strength of his repulsers.

'Not exactly the best way to introduce myself, but I -'

'Where is my brother?'

Tony's eyes blinked inside his suit. There's another one? He mentally suppressed a groan. One monster was all they could deal with now, because it is obvious that the guy was totally out of control, wasn't it? Any hope Tony had of engaging the man in an intellectual discussion over science and technology was silently banished to the back of his mind. Could he have made a mistake? Maybe this guy was not who they were searching for...but let's not jump to conclusions here. Most scientific geniuses were deranged after all. Just look at Bruce Banner.

'What does he look like? Cause I'm pretty sure if you get down from the roof of my building, we can head to the nearest police station to file a missing persons report.'

Thor uttered a guttural sound and Tony winced. It was pretty obvious to the both of them that he had said the wrong thing.

'No one should speak of my brother like that. No one.' Thor growled, clearly emphasizing on the last phrase. 'This is your building?'

'Yeah. Kindly step down from there, good sir, so that we might have a chat?'

'I'm not sure I like the tone in your voice, bronze man.'

That did it now. Tone aside, but bronze? Seriously? He was insulting Tony's newest invention and baby, the hundreds of Nano-Machines that could be called upon to turn into any type of structure upon his skin and facilitated his fast transformation into Iron Man. Metal was nothing compared to this intricate technology. Besides, was the man color-blind? His suit was all bright reds and golds. Bronze was so, I don't know, last millennium?

Tony gritted his teeth as he told himself to keep his cool. Didn't they always tell you to be loving and patient with mental nutcases and the intellectually challenged alike? Silently, he congratulated himself for putting up with this bear man. Also, he had long written off the man as a prime example of the former case.

'Why did you do what you did in Central Park?'

'What did I do? I do not understand your accusation, Midgardian.'

'You know, the bunch of ice sculptures and land leveling stunt? I didn't know that Central Park was undergoing a major landscaping.'

Loki's heart stopped in his chest. So the Midgardian had come after him after discovering his deed in the park. And he had wrongly thought it was Thor. He should have known there would be repercussions. He peered more closely at the man in the suit. So this was the Midgardian peacekeeping forces?

'What landscaping? I know not that of which you speak of.'

Tony silently cursed. This conversation was not going as he had planned in his mind while coming here. They were supposed to be discussing about the finer intricacies of his machine and how he had managed to create ice, at the end of which Tony would offer him a once in a lifetime opportunity to work for Stark Industries as his assistant. Why was the guy trying so hard to deny it?

'Let me assure you that I would not arrest you in lieu of your impending confession.' Tony held up both hands in a conciliatory gesture. 'And would you mind swapping your Shakespearean dictionary for a more concise, updated Merriam-Webster one?' Seeing no reaction save a flicker of anger in blue eyes, Tony finally snapped. 'Ok, stop playing dumb big boy!'

'Do not push too far, mortal. Mother has left me with precise instructions that I was not to harm the Midgardians in any way while I am on this quest of searching for my brother. But "dumb" is not a word I'm willing to accept.' Thor's eyes were a frightening electric blue.

'Oh, what the fuck.'

Without warning, Tony fired a blast of repulser ray at the man who instantly lifted his hammer to tank the energy ray. He watched, jaw dropped, as the piece of medieval weapon took the hit. The beam was almost 2 gigawatt, hitting the man with the output of a fully functional dam. It was impossible for the man not to be knocked out. But there he was, standing his ground by his magic electrical conductor, looking madder than ever.

Thor growled and launched himself at Iron Man.

From the shadows of the building, Loki watched in mild interest at the scuffle that was going on. The Midgardians did have such interesting inventions, or "Science" as they called it. That flying man machine was the ultimate proof of its success, as well as it limitations. Loki tuttered. He could have struck that thing down with a well placed thunderbolt, which he had no doubt that was what Thor was attempting to do. Such a pity. Hours and years of research led the man, no doubt inside the suit, to reach where he was today, but Thor could easily swat it out of his way as though it were an annoying fly. Perhaps there would be a few remains scattered on the ground when Thor was finished, and maybe Loki could extract a few for research and study. After scraping the blood and guts carefully off those metal plates of course.

The voice that was pouring out of the suit was muffled and somehow, indistinctly, it sounded familiar to Loki. He frowned as he racked his memories, trying to match it to its owner, but gave up soon enough. There was still the fate of the mortal to observe.

Thor meanwhile had managed to swing Mjolnir straight at the faceplate of the mystery Midgardian and a resounding crack sounded. Static poured out of the speakers in Tony's suit and he could feel his vision wobble as the screens flickered into focus once more. That hunk of beef had hit hard, and now, landing onto the suit, he was pulling the both of them down, the pavement spiraling closer and closer, and Tony had no doubt that his suit wouldn't survive the fall. And he wouldn't as well.

'Activate the missiles Jarvis, I got to get Mr Knucklehead here off me before he takes me to pieces with him.'

Dozens of tiny missiles, each carrying the firepower of a rocket launcher round, hit Thor and threw him off his grip on Iron Man's suit. There was a roar of pain as he hit the office building opposite. That bought Tony just enough time to kick his systems into full gear again and propelled himself higher just in case he really did hit the pavement.

Thor was lying slumped among the broken windows and desks. He had landed, not so neatly, on the carpeted flooring on the 53rd floor of the building, instantly demolishing the desk of an unfortunate office worker. Around him, hundreds of workers were screaming their heads off and heading towards the nearest evacuation stairwell they could find.

'System override. Transfer all remaining power sources to the Unibeam.'

Just then, Steve's voice came over the intercom.

'What's going on, Iron Man? I repeat, Tony pick up the intercom now! Do you copy?' His voice sounded distant and far in a flurry of static and broken comm lines.

'Roger. Everything under control, captain. Uh, just in case though, you might want to remind the undertakers to scrap the remains off the street because that will be all that's left of me when I'm done. Remember, I want to look as handsome as I always was in real life. That means, no bow ties, Steve.' Tony said in a mock serious tone.

'Tony, what -'

But he never did find out what exactly, as the Override took the intercom system with it too. Tony watched as the single solitary indicator still visible on his HUD counted down to the charging of his Unibeam. 350% now and still, it was steadily climbing.

When it reached 500%, Tony fired.

Thor raised Mjolnir once again. This time, the sheer intensity of the beam sent them both man and hammer spiraling backwards. He continued to resist, both feet digging deep in the carpeted floor, tearing holes in the maroon polyester until he could take it no more. Hitting the other end of the office floor, he broke through the cement and glass and continued his way down fifty three floors of building.

Loki mused silently and wondered how long the force would knock him out for. It was impressive, Loki never knew the human had it in him (or that he ever stood a chance from the beginning) but the beam was nowhere near enough to kill Thor. The human must have known that too, because he was making his way towards the rapidly free falling figure. Iron Man evidently still had enough fuel in him to fly.

Tony accelerated, hoping to catch their mystery man before he hit the ground. A dead man can't talk, as the saying goes. And he was still plenty interested in the workings of the finer points of his technology.

As he lifted a hand towards the medieval warrior, Tony's eyes widened in shock when Thor raised his hammer high in the air and brought it down on the air in front of his face. Instantly, a huge lightning bolt crackled from the sky, striking Tony straight on the mark.

The electricity fried his wirings and it took whatever energy still left in the suit for Tony to land safely on the ground. Thor, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He had hit the pavement chest first, and before Tony slipped into unconsciousness, he heard the distinctly sick crackle of a ribcage shattering.


Well. That went better than I expected, thought Loki as he slipped quietly off into the shadows. It would be a while before he recovered his full magic and until then it was a danger to be around anyone, even the usually harmless Midgardians. Silently, he reappeared again and walked off towards the bright green exit sign on the roof.


'Tony?'

A weak but annoying pounding throbbed painfully in his head. When he opened his eyes, the figures of his friends appeared ghostly, drifting in and out of consciousness and the light was simply...too bright. The experience was making him nauseous and the last thing he remembered was the retching feeling in the back of his throat as he puked all over the captain.


The next time Tony woke up, he was alone in the Avengers' mansion's maximum security recuperation facility. The lights have been dimmed and there was not a sound around except for the soft humming of the air conditioner. A moan escaped his lips as he tried to prop himself up on his back. The connoction of drugs had made him feel groggy and wasted, so the first thing he did was to rip of the various tubes and needles stuck into the crook of his arm. Spying the sharp tips of the needles, some of them bearing blood, he forced himself not to retch as he threw them onto the floor. Ever since he was a kid, Tony had been afraid of needles.

Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he attempted to balance on his feet and was surprised to find how weak they were. Finally, he managed to remain standing and turned foggily towards the door. He had to find his friends, had to know what happened to their mystery man. Vaguely, memories of a slumped, heavily armored beefy guy on the pavement came back to him but that was all. And Tony Stark was a man who needed answers and required them fast.

As soon as the doors slid open in front of his figure, Tony was surprised to find a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent waiting outside for him.

'Director Fury said I was to escort you to the meeting room as soon as you were awake. He also told me that nothing could have prevented you from joining them as soon as you woke up, being the impatient, hot-tempered, son of a bitch you are. Would you reconsider sir? In light of your much needed rest and recuperation?'

Tony blinked in surprise. Fury had been gossiping to junior level staff about him? This was not the kind of reputation he was hoping to get around here.

'Er, I think I'll pass.'

Jarvis' voice sounded, loud and clear, from the ceiling.

'May I remind you, sir, that the recommended recuperating hours for a man who has sustained injuries such as yourself, is a minimum of three days? To date, you have only utilized a mere five hours of sleep.'

'Jarvis, you are not my mother. So stop sounding like one.' then added almost as an afterthought, 'What exactly are my injuries anyway?'

Before Jarvis could reply, the junior officer began to reply. 'Allow me to enlighten you on that one, sir.'

'I do not think that would be necessary, considering how Mr Stark has such a reliable personal assistant as myself to aid him in understanding the various aspects of his life.'

Tony's eyebrows shot up at Jarvis' comeback. Mr Stark? He couldn't remember for the life of him when was the last time he had used it. Then he remembered. Never.

Leaving the both of them to their bickering (the agent looking very stupid indeed, arguing passionately with the ceiling), Tony quietly ambled off in the direction of the meeting room.


Five pairs of eyes turned to look at Tony as he entered the room.

'What? Never seen a handsomely injured dude before?'

Fury's eyes narrowed suspiciously. 'Where's Johnson?'

'The agent you sent? Arguing with Jarvis,' Tony gave a nonchalant shrug in response to the curious looks he was getting from everyone, then gave a start as he realized the presence of the extra man. 'Woah woah woah guys! What's he doing out of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s maximum security cell?' he exclaimed at the sight of Thor, who still hadn't changed out of his armor yet. 'I didn't sacrifice half my ribcages just so you guys could release him for fun,' Eyes narrowed, Tony slowly backed towards the door.

'Calm down, Tony Stark, I come in peace. I mean you no harm.'

'That's a fancy thing to say after hitting me with a lightning bolt! Alright, who here told this beefcake my name?'

'Chill the fuck down, Tony. And sit down.' Fury motioned to a standard swivel office chair and gave him a look that said if you don't sit your ass down right this minute.

Wary of Thor's intimidating presence, Tony sank himself down into the chair. What was going on? He looked to Steve for answers, but the latter was too busy paying attention to Fury, so Tony supposed he might as well. He turned the chair around on its wheels to better face Fury and tried not to fall asleep. The drugs were strong enough to produce lingering effects it seemed.

'What Tony needs now is explanations, and I suspect he won't rest till he gets them.'

'Damn right you are,'

'As I was saying, before Stark so kindly interrupted me,' and here he gave Tony a pointed look, 'This here is our friend, Thor. Thor has just told us a very fascinating story indeed. For the benefit of our Iron Man here, could you do us a favor and repeat it again?'

'Certaintly, Director Fury.' Thor looked very happy indeed to be in the centre of attention. Tony snorted. The man was annoying him already. Wasn't it obvious to everyone else what a big buffaloon he was?

Seated on his right, Bruce whispered into Tony's ear. 'Let me warn you first though, you might have some difficulties believing him. I know I did. But nothing he says can be disproved and the evidence is certainly in his favor, so I suggest broadening your mind and giving the sod a chance.'

'What do you mean -'

Bruce nudged him and said simply, 'Just listen.'

'My brother and I, we are both Asgardians. We are not of your realm, as they say, but exists somewhere outside of your time.'

'Wow, you mean like fairies and pixies? I mean, come on guys,' Tony said when the rest of the room turned around to glare at him. 'You don't actually believe this shit right?'

'I don't know Bruce, how else can you explain the weird happenings in Central Park?' Natasha challenged.

'With a little science and logic? Hello guys, am I the only scientist in here who believes in the existence of some superior, undiscovered technology?' It was a direct hit to Bruce but he appeared not to care.

'He's not going to believe without proof. Show him Thor.' Fury waved a hand.

Thor lifted Mjolnir and aimed it at the glass windows of the meeting room. A burst of lightning shot out and shattered the glass into a million tiny pieces.

Tony appeared unconvinced. 'It could be a plasma gun.'

'Thor has a logical explanation for Central Park, don't you, big boy?' It was Clint this time and his friendliness with Thor irritated Tony. What's everyone playing so nice for? Dogface, or whatever his name was, could be a fraud for all they know. Tony snorted. For an assassin, Clint could be so trusting and infuriatingly naive.

'Indeed Clint Barton, my man.' Thor's face took on a look of gravity. The furrows between his thick blonde eyebrows deepened and his lips were pursed in a tight line. 'My brother, he has not been quite...stable. Something happened back home which upset him greatly. And so he left Asgard. He arrived here not more than two weeks ago.'

'Wait wait wait. Hold up there, cowboy. How did you say your brother came down here again?' Tony interrupted.

'That is not my secret to tell. We Asgardians possess such technology as the Midgardians do not even dream of.'

Tony looked mildly interested for the first time since this conversation started. Already, the cogs were whirring in his mind. It was up to him, Tony Stark to find out and discover this secret technology. Part of him believed that Thor did not elaborate because he didn't know the finer aspects of how to work the system more than selfishness. A multi-dimensional teleportation system? The impacts it would bring on current technology...he didn't even dare think.

'I have been sent by my father, the glorious Odin, to this place where you call "Earth", to find my brother and bring him back to let the council decide on his fate. Alas, I was too late. It seems as if Loki had already brought destruction in its wake.'

Loki? Funny how common that name was, because there was a guy he met in Japan who had the same name. But unlike Thor's brother, Tony was pretty sure his Loki did not possess any magical powers. Although he did have quite a magical body...

This time it was Steve Rogers who spoke up. 'So you're absolutely certain that it was your brother, Loki, who caused the events in Central Park?'

'I'm sure of it. It is his distinctive energy patterns. I have seen as much of the destruction from the photos that Director Fury showed me, and it is Loki, no doubt.' Suddenly, Thor pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. He bowed. 'Please accept my sincerest apologies for my brother's misdeeds.'

There was a flurry of activity all around. Steve stood up and implored him to sit down, whilst Bruce started chuckling. Fury was a mask of emotionless, Natasha looked taken aback while Clint had spat out the coffee he had been drinking. Only Tony remained where he was.

'Awwww, you break my heart. No need for formality, Thor.'

Not surprisingly, he was treated to a host of poisonous looks all around. Fury cleared his throat.

'In light of the discovery of Thor and the fact that we have much to learn from the Asgardians, I have decided that we would form a beneficial partnership with Thor while he is on the search for his brother. That means, Thor is officially part of the Avengers, albeit temporarily.

'You have decided? You can't decide anything without asking the team first!' But one look was enough to tell him that he was the only one who disagreed. 'I'm part of the team. No doubt, it looks like a one man show from now on, but I'm still part of the Avengers and I have a say in who gets to join and I'm putting my iron foot down on this one, because no way in hell is he joining.'

'Tony, do be reasonable -'

'Steve, do you expect me to just believe an axe wielding maniac who goes around claiming that he's from magic land or something and his brother is the perpetuator behind all that ice? I don't know what you take me for, but a fool's not one of them.'

Standing up, he pushed his chair backwards and strode out of the door towards his room.


'Can't you see reason, Tony? Fury wanted Thor to join because this way, we can keep an eye on his activities.'

Tony kept silent and continued tinkering with his spare parts. He had no fucking idea what he was making, but at least it made him look occupied. Steve sighed and sensing no visible signal that he was to stop, continued.

'Granted, he told us that he was on our side, but that's all there is to it right? We only have his word, and tonight, we already saw what Asgardians were capable of.'

'Assuming, of course, that Asgard exists, dear Captain?'

'Yes, of course,' Steve replied absentmindedly. There could be no doubt that Steve completely believed Thor's tale. 'Even if it didn't, you have to agree that Thor is a dangerous man. He almost crushed you to death in your suit. The metal's completely pulverized.' he added quietly.

'Hence, its really important that he stays with us so that we can act as his nanny and make sure he doesn't do anything too impulsive or destructive right?' Tony finished Steve's sentence and sighed. 'That's cool and all, but I really don't like the idea of someone else coming in. I mean, we are a family and all. You guys are all I have.' The last bit came out in something akin to a choked self-realization.

'I don't like him much either,' said Steve, lying through his teeth because he liked everybody, including Bruce in PMS mode. 'But it's for the greater good, isn't it?'

'Jarvis, clear the workbench.' Tony turned around to face Steve. 'Look, I'll cooperate if he just tells me the specs of his transportation system. Also, he should start calling his "magic" by its proper name, Science. Is that too much to ask, you reckon?'

'Not at all, not at all.' Relief flooded Steve's face because it had been mother fucking hard trying to get Tony's support in this matter. This was actually the third day after Thor had been first invited to join the Avengers, and one by one, the members have taken turns to persuade Tony. They had saved Steve for last ("Because you're our trump card, Captain." Clint had said with a knowing smile) and finally, after three grueling days, the negotiation looks set to be going some way.

'See you around, Tony.' Steve's bright smile hurt Tony's insides and made him weak.

'Yeah, you too, Capt.'


Thor, of course, refused to reveal anything more about the portal except its name ("My people call it the Bifrost, and it links your world with ours.") which more or less confirmed Tony's suspicions that Thor did not know anything about it at all. To Thor's credit though, he had stopped using the word "magic" whenever Tony was in the room but neither did he call it science. To be honest, Tony was quite fine with the arrangement as long as it meant that he would have as little to do with Thor as possible.

In other news, the Green Goblin was being peskier than usual. Perhaps he had sensed the new blood among the Avengers, but whatever it was, he had taken to appearing in the streets in broad daylight to challenge the Avengers' authority. Not without a few meat shields of course. They all had no doubts as to his intention - luring the Avengers into an all out fight to size up their newest addition.

'Green Goblin sighted on Madison street, holding, oh fuck, the mayor as hostage.' Clint's voice came out loud and clear over the speakers during their latest mission after the Thor escapade. 'I've got a clear shot, over, do I take it?'

'Roger that. Hawkeye, stand your ground, do you hear me?'

But Clint was obviously not listening. He fired am arrow straight at Green Goblin's heart and watched, satisfyingly as it zoomed neatly towards him. All of a sudden, the arrow stopped it flight mid-air, hampered by something unseen.

'Jarvis?'

'A force field, sir.'

'As I suspected. Captain, there's a energy shield surrounding him so we can't get too close before we are repelled.'

'Do you copy, team? No one gets close to Goblin, or the mayor's life is in danger. That means no solo action, Hawkeye.'

'Sorry Capt, just testing.'


'Lay down your weapons, Avengers, or I shall take his life!' The mayor, a short, pot-bellied middle aged man was simpering in his grasp. His expression mad it clear that he no longer considered the job of mayor to be a prime one.

It was obvious to all that Green Goblin was just playing around.

'Alternatively, you let him go or I blow out your brains.' Tony stood just out of range of the Green Goblin, one repulser ray aimed at his head. Behind him, Steve and Natasha was slowly encircling him. Clint was taking aim from a rooftop. Thor, meanwhile, was given air duty. Bruce was of course, not ever in action unless the need arose.

'Iron Man, how delightful. Now, you won't say no to a pleasant rooftop race, would you?' In a flash, Norman Osborn had gripped the mayor around his waist, leaped onto the Goblin Glider and was gone. So was Tony, a streak of red and gold hot on his tail.

Norman skidded around a particularly tricker corner, nearly hitting the glass windows of a buildings, all the while laughing.

'Catch me if you can, tin man!'

'Give me higher thrust power, Jarvis.'

As both men sped across the cityscape of New York, their distorted reflections appeared as a continuous stream in the glass windows passing by. Look at us, two man in costumes, chasing each other.

'And the poor tin man lamented, "I just wanted a heart!"' Chuckling deviously and without a backwards glance, Norman flung the mayor over his shoulder towards Tony. Immediately, the mayor rocketed towards the ground. Tony swore, then changed course mid-air to hurtle towards the mayor. He had to be fast.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Thor, suddenly leaping from the rooftop of a nearby building, pouncing onto Norman like a lion. Tony had no doubt what his favorite move was. He winced as he heard the sickening crackle of electricity which meant that Thor had hit the electromagnetic force field and was flung backwards. Well, he had no time to think of much any longer and still faster Iron Man flew, until finally he slipped his arms around the falling figure of the mayor and lifted him up towards a roof.

Undeterred, Thor managed to break his fall in mid-air, then careened rapidly towards the escaping figure of Norman Osbourne. This time though, he lifted Mjolnir in a striking position. Tony was already on his way towards them when suddenly a burst of electricity crackled and his eyes widened in surprise as Mjolnir broke through the force field. By the looks of it, Norman was caught off guard too as Thor brought the hammer down with a satisfying crack onto his helmet.

Just as Thor was about to apprehend the target, there was a "bam" and suddenly everywhere was engulfed in thick, black smoke which caused Thor to cough. By the time he recovered, Green Goblin was gone.

Tony pulled up to where Thor was, clapped him on the back and said, 'Do you think I can borrow your hammer for a while, buddy?'


There could be no doubt that his brother was working with the Avengers (he had learnt their name from an agitated passerby), what Loki had taken to be Midgard's equivalent of a peacekeeping force. Thor's senses weren't as attuned as Loki's was, and this meant that he could not sense Loki's presence but the latter was able to do so just fine. And he could sense his brother whizzing in the air above him, trying to stop a costumed criminal flying about on his hoverboard. Seriously, Midgardian criminals lack sophistication.

During the past few days, Loki had decided that he would not stay in hiding any longer. There was simply no point. If he escaped to a different country it might buy him more time but sooner or later Thor would realize and then he would give chase, ceaselessly and tirelessly. Loki had no doubt of that. He longed for a more...permanent solution. He would stand and fight.

Grimly, Loki looked up from the ice cream cone he was eating. Thor was in conversation with the metal man from the building. He licked the strawberry ice cream that had melted onto his fingers away. Loki had almost recovered his powers. All he needed was another day before they were fully charged.

And then he would take them all down, Thor or no Thor. The friend of his enemy was his enemy as well.