(Y/n)'s P.O.V.

I came out of my room and saw Nat coming out of hers.

"Hey there.", I said walking up to her. She was startled at first but when she saw it was me, she relaxed a bit and gave me a ghost of a smile. I went to her and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"How is he?" When she understood whom I was talking about, the assassin again took up a distressed look on her face.

"I don't know. I think I was able to get Loki's grip on him off when I hit Clint and he fainted, but he has not woken up or shown any signs of improvement yet..." Natasha's voice had lost its once cheerful and carefree vibe but was replaced by an unusual one. A not Natasha One.

"(Y/n), I am so sorry about Bruce.", She said after a long pause between us. I nodded.

"I guess fate wanted us all to loose something or someone important today.", I replied. I saw the look on my friend's face.

"Come 'ere.", I said pulling her into a hug which she graciously accepted.

"Hang in there, okay?", I said attempting to comfort the red head in front of me. She nodded and kept a hand on my arm.

"You too.", She said.

With those words I was on my way to find the rest of the 'team'. In short Tony Stark and Steve Rogers.

I found Tony staring at the huge gap set in the middle of Loki's cell with a forlorn face. I walked up to him with Steve who had just arrived. He gave me a small smile which I returned and took his position leaning against the wall. I went and stood next to the billionaire.

"Did he have any family?", I inquired.

"No. But uh, there was a cellist, I think.", He informed looking at me.

"I am sorry. He seemed like a good man.", Steve commented from behind.
"He was an idiot.", Stark snapped back.

"Why? For believing?", The blonde snapped back.

"For taking on Loki alone."

"He was doing his job." I scoffed at this comment.

"Job... What a convenient word to use..." I looked up the boy with blue eyes in front of me.

"Steve a job means doing something which is among your capabilities and I can bet my last penny that taking on an intergalactic being was not one of them.", I argued.

"(Y/n) he had no choice!", Captain America debated back.

"There is always a choice Rogers!", Tony exclaimed.

"He should've waited. Called for back up. He was out of his league, like she mentioned.", He continued gesturing towards me. He went to say something else but Steve beat him to it.

"Sometimes there's no way out guys.", He stated.

"Right. I've heard that before.", The other stated on his way out.

"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?", He asked looking at the both of us.

I took that as an offense. So did Iron Man. I was a warrior, not a soldier.

"We are not soldiers!", Tony spat the words I wanted to say. There was silence for a moment which I decided to fill.

"Tony is right. We are not soldiers. We are warriors. Soldiers are people who how fight but warriors? Warriors are people with their personal gifts who know when to fight."

"All of us here have our personal gift. Tony and Bruce have their impeccable brains. Cap, you have your bravery. Natasha has her lethality. Clint has his determination. Thor is loyal to a fault. And I? Well let's just say that my leadership skills are legend and I say we don't let them go to waste and we fight now. Today. Show Loki that he decided to mess with the wrong kind of people. Tell him that the people of earth never have and never will kneel to anybody who plans to destroy them."

"Besides, it's not everyday that you get to flaunt your powers.", I said with a smirk which caused the two of my friends to laugh along with me. Then my eyes widened and I looked up. Tony too had the same expression.

"Are you thinking what I am thinking?", I asked.

"Yes.", He answered.

"What?", Steve asked out of bewilderment.

"Loki made this personal. That is his point.", Tony stated moving from his place.

"That's not the point.", Rogers tried.

"No Steve it is the point. That's Loki's point.", I said placing my hands on my hip and looking down to think. The super soldier didn't quite get it yet.

"He hit us right where we live. Why?", Tony pondered.

"To tear us apart.", Steve contributed.

"Correct. Divide and conquer is a great..." I stopped mid sentence. "But he knows that he needs to take us apart for him to win right? Unless..." I looked at my two best friends for an answer.

"That's what he wants! He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it! He needs an audience.", Tony announced.

"Right. We caught his act in Stuttgart.", Steve analysed.

"Yeah, that was just previews. This is opening night. And Loki, he is a full tilt diva right? He wants flowers, he wants parades---"

"Like you?", I interjected with cheeky smile on my face. The other looked at me with an annoyed face. As a reply I shrugged.

"Just asking.", I added innocently. Steve chuckled and used his hand to cover it or stifle it.

"Right. Coming back to the point", He said eyeing me. "He wants parades, he wants flowers, he wants a monument built to the sky with his name plastered...." Tony stopped mid sentence with pure horror embellished on his face while one of my eyebrows were raised. The description Stark just gave was of a building which was all over the news these days. The Stark tower. His tower.

"I think we solved the equation, boys. Stark, any words?", I commented.

"Son of a bitch.", Was all that came out of the billionaire's mouth.

"That about sums it up." Then I got my serious tone back. "This time we need a plan of attack. We can't just march in like we are going to Target for grocery shopping." My companions nodded in agreement.

After a moment or two of indefinite silence, Steve spoke up.

"What do you suggest we do ma'am?", He asked standing straight in front of me like a soldier waiting for his orders.

"I will take Stark here and go to the tower. Perhaps we can see what he is up to and maybe find out a way to nullify the tesseract, hence stopping Loki from opening a portal. You, Steve will assemble the team, whoever is left of it and meet us there. Agreed?", I instructed. When I didn't anyone opposing I took that for a yes.

"I will go and fix up my suit.", Tony informed awaiting my approval. I nodded, coming out of the room.

Queen (Y/m/n)'s P.O.V.

Once I got off the call with (Y/n), I put my nightgown on and headed straight to my husband's office. While I was on my way there I called up Padmini.

"Good Evening your highness.", She greeted answering her phone.

"Good Evening Padmini. If you don't mind I would require your assistance.", I said getting straight to the point instead of beating around the bushes.

"Anything my liege.", She replied.

"Call up Korea and ask if she is ready. And if she is, have a quin jet sent to her to bring her to New York. I will have the location sent to you in a moment. And ask Raghav and Sri to meet me in the conference room in ten minutes.", I ordered stopping in front of the door to my destination.

The soldiers who stood guard outside the door bowed their head and I nodded.

"Your wish is my command, your majesty. Have a pleasant night."

"You too." I entered (Y/f/n)'s office to find him going through some papers with a tired look on his face. He looked up to see me come inside.

"(Y/m/n)? I thought---"

"Our daughter and son are in danger.", I announced.

"What?!"

"What?!" I understood the first voice as my husband's but the second voice? I had no clue of till the time the person came in.

"What's wrong with my dearies?!", My mother in law asked, dressed in her night robe. I had half the mind to ask what was she doing at the dead of the night but I had my priorities.

"Bruce is missing and (Y/n)'s heli carrier was attacked. Actually that was the same reason Bruce went missing and as we speak..." I paused before continuing my sentence.

"And as we speak? What my love?", (Y/f/n) asked kindly yet in a hurried voice.

"As we speak she is marching in to battle with an intergalactic being and his army called as the Chitauri.", I concluded.

There was a horror stricken silence in the royal office. My husband and my mother looked appalled.

But again, we are royals, we don't panic nor fret. That's reserved for the Dukes and Duchesses. We on the other hand find solutions.

"I believe that you have done the basic preparations?", (Y/f/n) asked.

"Yes. I have asked Padmini to call Korea and ask if she is ready and if she is send her to New York. I had also asked her to call Sri and Raghav to meet us in the conference room in ten minutes.", I informed.

"What do you need me for?", My husband asked.

"How long has it been since you have hacked something, dearest?", I asked with a smirk. He very well understood what I meant and returned my smirk.

"I love the way you think.", He replied.
"Then will you please execute it (Y/f/n)?! Because both, my granddaughter and grandson are in danger and that's just unacceptable while you are wasting your time here! I think I raised you better than this, young man!", The queen mother of Pragjyotispur scolded her son.

I put my palm over my mouth to stifle my chuckled while Mom winked at me.

"Alright now, let's go and save our kids.", I urged opening the door of the office.

Tony's P.O.V.

Soon, all of us were armoured and according to the plan were on our way to the Stark Tower.

"Alright Stark. You will go in and distract mr. Horns while I figure out a way to shut the portal. Then when the ", (Y/n)'s voice commanded.

"Hold up a sec: why should I distract Reindeer Games?!", I whined.

She looked me dead in the eyes of my suit and with a poker face said, "Because I said so."

Now I ask you reader, how or what am I supposed to reply to that? So, I shut my mouth up and flew towards the landing pad of the tower.

Author's P.O.V.

"Shut it down, Dr. Selvig.", (Y/n) ordered but in vain.

"It's too late!", The genius replied. "She wants to show us something. A new universe." A scowl formed on the young entrepreneur's face. Half, out of irritation half, out of annoyance.

"Burah pagol hol... (Translation: The oldie has gone crackpot...)", She sighed before aiming a thunderbolt mixed with a fireball at the arc reactor. Only to be blasted away with great force.

Unlike Erik Selvig who was lying on the ground unconscious due to the impact, (Y/n) balanced herself mid air before she bumped into anything.

"Note to self: the barrier is fully enhanced with energy hence being impossible to penetrate it.", She said under her breath.

"So... You call yourself a genius huh?", Commented a certain playboy in a suit. The princess rolled her eyes.

"Yup. I call myself the same genius whom you have been trying to arrange a meeting with and if I remember correctly... Only to face rejection.", She quipped.

"Touché, Maleficent.", He replied from the other side. (Y/n) would have questioned him about the new christened nickname by Stark on her but she saw a rather intriguing site from her peripheral vision.

Loki, who was standing on the balcony sort of space in the tower was smirking arrogantly when both the billionaires had arrived but when he saw the hero clad in black get blasted away he had what seemed like a line of worry on his face which he quickly hid back with his smirk.

"Interesting...", (Y/n) commented.

In the mean time Iron Man had reached the landing pad and was in fact face to face with the god of Mischief who was walking inside the tower like he owned the place.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal for my humanity.", He said in his velvet replicating voice.

"Mmm... No.... I'm here to threaten you, actually.", The man with the goatee replied with his hands behind his back.

Loki let out a scoff.

"You should have left your armour on for that.", He replied.

"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage and you've got the glow sticks of destiny.", The other said coming down the staircase. "Would you like a drink?"

"Stalling me won't change anything.", Loki said chuckling.

"No, no, no, threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one.", He corrected.

The raven haired god turned to look out side the huge glass overlooking New York. Then he turned back.

"The Chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?", He asked rather arrogantly. Tony was prompt with his reply and also his drink.

"The Avengers.", He said pouring some what looked like whiskey (I might be wrong) into a glass. He then looked up at the confounded man in front of him.

"It's something that we like to call ourselves. Like a team. Earth's mightiest heroes kind of thing.", He explained.

"Yes. I've met them.", The younger Prince of Asgard said in an overconfident voice. Tony returned the favour with a smirk of the same manner.

"Yeah.", He started. "Takes us a while to get any traction, I will give you that one. But let's do a head count here. Your brother, a demigod."

At hearing his adoptive brother's name Loki scoffed and turned his back to the philanthropist in his presence which was a great mistake as Tony grabbed this opportunity with both hands and put on the device to deploy his suit.

"A crown princess, not to mention a genius and multi billionaire who is deadly yet gorgeous both, in the stock market and in real life, a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend, a man with breathtaking anger management issues, a couple of master assassins and you big fella have managed to piss off every single one of them.", Tony stated.

"That was the plan.", Loki said, still unknown to the destruction he had brought upon both, himself and the city.

"Not a great plan.", Tony said flatly, coming towards Loki. "When they come, and they will, they'll come for you.", He continued.

"I have an army.", The asgardian declared.

"We have a Hulk!", Tony debated.

"Oh I thought the beast had wandered off." (Y/n) who  was listening to the whole conversation all this while, also working on cooling the tesseract down with her ice and even smirked when Tony depicted her, clenched her fists at this comment.

The other billionaire too, shared the same emotion.

"No you're missing the point here! There is no throne! There is no version of this where you come out on top!", He snapped. Then he looked Loki right in the eye.

"And maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us but whatever it is, it's all on you." There was a long pause before he continued.

"Because if we can't save the earth you can be damn well sure we will avenge it." Loki seemed to be intimidated by this but regained his arrogance and foolishness, striding forward.

"How will they have time for  me... When they are so busy fighting you?", He said smirking darkly putting the edge of the sceptre to his chest so that he could contaminate his heart.

A very idiotic move, in simple terms.

He completely forgot that instead of a fully human heart, he had an arc reactor.

The tip of the sceptre contacted with his reactor with a klunk! Bewildered, he put his weapon on the device again.

"This usually works...", He thought out loud. Stark took this opportunity to quip him.

"Well performances issues, it's not uncommon. One out of five---" By the time he had finished, Loki had decided to go the old school way. He grabbed him by the neck and threw him on the floor.

Kaal who heard the impact and zoomed towards the room the men were in. The sight of the man she wouldn't really consider her best friend, but maybe someone she held (even though begrudgingly) respect, lying on the ground infuriated her to a new found anger level.

She broke the glass which seperated her from with her bare hands. Thankfully, Tony rolled over so the glass shards didn't fall on him.

"You come to my planet, insult my brother and now hurt my best friend?", She questioned in a sinister voice that even made the god of Mischief take a few steps back.

Kaal chuckled and for a while, she personified her superhero alias. Then she looked up again at the man clad in green.

"Not on my watch!", With that she used such a strong gust of wind against him that Loki got thrown away towards the wall with a thud. When he came charging at her with his scepter, (Y/n) heard another voice behind her.

"And there's another person you pissed off. His name was Phil." With that Iron Man blasted Loki away.

"Thanks for that.", She said not taking her eyes off of the unconscious asgardian prince.

"Hey, you protect me I protect you, Maleficent.", He said spreading his hands. The other chuckled.

"You know, you aren't as bad as they fable you to be, Tin Man. But again, what do paparazzi know about noblemen and women like us?", She replied.

"Couldn't have said it better, myself.", He said. Suddenly the sound of something surging into the sky was heard.

The owner of A²H placed her hand over her mouth, widening her eyes when she realised what the sound was about.

The tesseract had performed its purpose wonderfully.

"Shit.", She said when she saw the portal opening. Alien spaceships and forces were already charging our through it, ready to destroy anything that may stand in their way. Tony looked up and was spell bound for a moment.

"Right, army..."

A/n: What an ending huh? The author simply loves cliffhangers now doesn't she?

Sorry for updating earlier. School started and I have homework, online classes etc, etc but here you go! Comment tell me how it was and you might have a surprise waiting in the next chapter...
 
Till then be safe and patient my owls!

~Mahashree GD
😉