The Witch and the Sorcerer

“It is quite late, my King,” Heimdall spoke, “Almost a new day. You should use this time for rest.”

Loki strode into the Observatory and stood in from of his gate keeper, his feet casually apart and his hands clasped behind his back.

“Rest can wait. I need you to locate a few people for me,” he spoke.

Heimdall nodded.

“I can see a trillion souls at once. Who would you like me to pinpoint, sire?” he asked.

“The men who laid hands on Avery. Every single one of them,” Loki replied.

Heimdall cast a casual glance at that cosmos beyond.

“There are three, my King,” he said.

“Are they living?” Loki asked.

“I am saddened to say that they are indeed alive,” Heimdall replied.

“Where is their location?”

“The place known as Los Angeles, California,” Heimdall replied.

Loki nodded. They had not moved from their location.

“Are they imprisoned?” Loki asked.

He would need to create a special strategy to break into the prison, or prisons, to do his deeds.

“Unfortunately, they are not, my King,” Heimdall spoke.

Loki snapped his head up to the gate keeper, horrified.

“What?” he snapped.

“They roam free,” Heimdall said.

Loki let out an animalistic snarl.

“How is it they are not locked up for their deeds?” he asked.

A fleeting thought cross his mind. He, too, should be wasting away in the Asgardian prisons. However, he had never so much as touched a woman the way these men had, much less any human. As he recalled, they attacked him first. They did not realize what the Chitauri had done to warp his mind. The spells. The threats.

“They seemed to have persuaded Midgardian law otherwise,” Heimdall spoke.

Loki’s own misdeeds aside, these men who had hurt his Avery had to be punished.

“Where might I find them?” he asked.

“They reside in the top floor of an abandoned meat packaging facility in the center of the city,” Heimdall replied.

Loki nodded and walked over in front of the opening.

“Send me there, Heimdall,” he ordered.

“I suggest you move in the shadows, my King. Out of the eyes of the mortals and their protectors,” Heimdall warned him.

Loki nodded and adjusted his hand armor.

“If you get on their radar,” Heimdall went on, “They will surely kill you.”

Loki smirked.

“I know what I’m doing,” he said, then looked over his shoulder, “Trust me.”

Heimdall did not express his amusement as he opened the gate and watched his King drown in cosmic glow and shoot to Earth. He secretly wanted vengeance for Avery as well.
Loki landed atop of a warehouse next door to the meat packaging plant. He landed crouched, but quickly stood and swiped magic across the roof, making the ornate stamp the Bifrost had made disappear. When it was successfully erased, Loki grinned. So far, so good.
Below his building, sirens rang and horns from cars honked. Thinking he had been seen, Loki ducked and ran to the front, hiding behind a rooftop air conditioner to see. Down in the street, a cop had a man pulled over and was handcuffing him while another officer checked the vehicle for weapons, drugs, and other illegal items. Cars drove by. Shady looking people walked the streets, begging for trouble. This was one of the worst sorts of neighbors. In Loki’s opinion, the best place for the trash that had harmed his love. No one had seemed to notice his arrival, but that did not mean he had gone completely unnoticed.

“Thor, if you can hear me,” Loki spoke lowly, “Keep S.H.I.E.L.D. distracted for me.”

With that, Loki moved over to the side of the building, overlooking the alleyway. Down near a dumpster, he heard a woman’s muffled scream and the voice of a man. He could see their silhouettes, and his voice loud and clear.

“Somebody-“ she tried to cry, but the man slapped her to the ground.

Loki could have cared less who the woman was, and knew she was most likely a prostitute or some disease infested or drugged up streetwalker, but he knew this was one of the men that had scarred Avery, and he felt sick as the image of her in that position crossed his mind. With that, Loki yanked a dagger out of its holster and jumped, flying down with more elegance than any human who decided to jump from a seven story building.

“Oh, fuck yeah!” the man moaned.

Loki could have vomited. He aimed himself and smacked right into the guy, accidentally knocking the poor woman to the ground and sending the short, lump of a man rolling away. The woman whimpered and crawled away, trying her best to cover herself. Loki strolled over to the man, his dagger shining blue from the streetlights seeping through the thick darkness of the alleyway.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” the man shouted at Loki.

Loki grinned wickedly.

“I am someone you should never have crossed,” he said.

The man laughed.

“Bah! I’ve never seen your face in my life!” he spat.

Loki snorted.

“Now, I don’t believe that,” he said smoothly.

Loki seemingly flew down to the man, pinning him done with god-like strength. The man spluttered in shock.

“What is your name, you pathetic sack of shit?” Loki growled.

Such foul language was beneath him, but for this situation, there were no other words.

“Who wants to know?” the man asked.

Loki took the man’s thick throat in his hand. The man choked and held his hands up in surrender.

“Charlie! Charlie!” he said quickly.

Loki leaned down to Charlie’s face, putting more pressure on his throat.

“You think it’s okay to go around locking women up and raping them for your own sick pleasure?” Loki asked venomously.

Charlie snorted.

“Hey, man! A fuck’s a fuck!” he said.

Loki snarled. He withdrew his dagger. Charlie only had a split second to set his eyes upon it before Loki slashed his throat, slowly, letting him know that he was dead. Charlie gurgled and spluttered. Blood spewed on Loki, but he paid no mind. He watched as the light faded from the man’s eyes.

“You will never hurt another again,” Loki whispered dangerously.

Charlie grunted, and Loki felt him die. He then stood and kicked the man in the face, breaking his jaw.
Loki magicked away the blood and turned to see the woman shaking in fear. He calmly walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. He had no idea what was making him do this. A need for redemption? His wishing that he could have saved Avery from this? Maybe. Whatever it was, he felt compelled to do it.
The woman screamed as he came face to face with her.

“Loki,” she gasped.

Loki’s shoulders dropped. She recognized him.

“I mean you no harm. Please,” he said, holding up a hand.

Tears spilled down the woman’s face. She was young, maybe Thor’s mortal’s age. Loki knew just by her matted hair and the smell of cigarettes on her breath that she was not running with a good crowd. In a bad place or not, she did not deserved to be raped in the back alleys of Los Angeles.
Loki held out his hand, producing a $20 bill.

“We’ve both most likely have committed wrongs. Take this and do a right,” he said.

The woman looked like she had never seen anything more than a dollar in her life. She took it like a starved dog takes a piece of meat.

“Thank-you,” she breathed out.

She gathered herself and ran back to the street. Loki watched until she disappeared. High above him, he could hear voices through the broken windows.

“Lester! Where ya goin’?”

“Chill! I’m gonna see what that noise was!”

Loki replaced his dagger and ran for the side of the building, stealthily entering. He slunk through the building to the staircase. The staircase was made of metal grates that one could see through, and the large building made noises echo off it’s walls. He could see the man called Lester coming down. Outside, sirens blared. The windows illuminated with red and blue lights. He didn’t have much time to finish these men off.
With a flick of his wrist, every screw in the staircase came loose, thousands of them falling, then the stairs. Lester screamed and fell, crashing with a sickening thud. Loki’s sensitive ears could hear his bones breaking. Lester moaned and tried to move. Loki walked over to him and looked down on him. He was a scrawny man, with sores on his face from drugs, yellow and black teeth, and eyes pink.

“Who the hell are you?” he squeaked out, his words slurred from drunkenness, missing teeth, and Loki was sure, brain damage.

Loki loomed over him.

“I am Loki,” he growled, “of Asgard.”

Lester’s eyes widened and he burst out laughing.

“Loki, eh? Man, Vince used to have this bitch we was fuckin’ and she’d scream that name all night. We about had to beat her senseless just to get her to shut up.”

Loki’s rage boiled to its peak. He let out a cry and drove a dagger into the man’s guts. The man stared at nothing in complete shock. Loki twisted the dagger, scrambled the man’s internal organs. The man laid there, quickly becoming pale. Loki violenty twisted the man’s head, breaking his neck and instantly killing him.

“Two down,” he said.

“Hey, you!” a voice called from the darkness.

Loki heard the distinct click of a gun being cocked.

“Stand,” the man said.

Loki removed his dagger from the body and slowly stood, magicking his dagger back into his pockets as he stood with his hands up.

“You the police or something?”

Loki could see a figure in the dark, slowly approach with a cigarette in his mouth and a gun pointed at Loki. He was a tall, dark-skinned man, heavily muscled like a body builder and tattooed from head to toe.

“Far from it,” Loki replied.

“Your name sounded familiar,” he said.

Loki began to walk towards the man. He wasn’t afraid of him or his gun. He was a god, after all.

“It should,” he said.

The man kept his gun pointed at Loki as he drew closer and began to circle around him.

“What gang you from? I know I’ve seen you somewhere. You must be from 241. Or MayhemCo,” he said.

Loki looked genuinely confused.

“I am not from a gang,” Loki said, “I’m here for vengeance.”

The man curled his lip.

“Give me five good reasons why I shouldn't shoot your faggot ass down right here!” he snapped.

Loki smirked.

“Three years ago, you took something of mine. A woman. You kept her captive for a year,” he said.

“Your girl?” he asked.

Loki calmly strolled the man, completely ignoring the gun.

“Her name is Avery,” he said.

The man laughed.

“Ah yeah! That girl. Man, it must burn your ass to know what I did to that bitch,” he said.

Loki slowly and gave the man a deadly look.

“What a fine cunt she was,” he said, taking a long, deep drag from his cigarette.

Loki lost it and screamed as he lurched for the man. The man shot at Loki, but either missed, or the bullets bounced off of his armor. Loki magicked the gun from his hands and punched him in the stomach, ducked a swing, and socked the man in the jaw. The guy stumbled back, but quickly recovered. He swung at Loki, hitting him in the stomach. Loki didn’t feel it. He grabbed the man’s massive arm and yanked it backwards. The man howled as Loki tore connective tissue and broke his elbow backwards. While in sheer agony, he knocked the man to the ground and summoned the gun. He drove a dagger into the man’s chest, then pinned him to the ground with the gun at the man’s head.

“What is your name, scum?” Loki growled.

The man smiled.

“Vince,” he replied.

Loki put his finger on the trigger.

“Vince, have fun in hell,” he snarled.

Loki pulled the trigger, blasting Vince’s brains all over the floor. He took a deep breath and tossed the gun aside. He did it. Vengeance was his. Never would these men walk the Earth again.
Loki took his dagger and fled to the alley just as the cops burst in. He leapt up fire escapes and back to the roof he landed on.

“Bring me home, Heimdall,” he said out loud.

The sky opened up, and Loki soon found himself back on Asgard. Heimdall bowed to him.

“Lady Avery would be proud of you and what you did for that lost woman,” Heimdall said, “I am glad you had a chance to stop them.”

Loki smirked.

“The pleasure was all mine,” he said smoothly, “Is Avery sleeping?”

“Indeed she is. That is where you should be as well, my King,” he said.

“What are you? My father?” Loki snapped, not necessarily mad, but slightly annoyed.

“I fear that more than a skirmish between yourself and Midgardian low-lives is imminent,” Heimdall said.

Loki groaned.

“Can you see something?” he asked.

“Nothing yet, my Lord,” Heimdall replied.

Loki sighed in relief.

“Then I must rest. Goodnight, Heimdall,” he said.

“Goodnight,” Heimdall said.

They bowed, then Loki vanished to his chambers to recuperate.

***

I awoke the next morning, feeling warm, yet still slightly tired. My sheets were warm, as was the lighting in my room. The walls were tannish-yellow, mixed in with decor with an oil-rubbed finish. I felt like I was in Italy. The room, as well as the rest of the royal chambers, was absolutely stunning. The best part? It was officially my home. I had real place to call home that I was not ashamed of, friends at my fingertips, and the man I loved just right down the hall. I was officially part of the most beautiful city in all of the Nine Realms. As I looked up at the ceiling, I could still barely believe it.
I looked to my bed side to a clock. It was midmorning. I had slept in, sure I had missed breakfast. Loki would never had woke me. Let me sleep and come find me later. I’m sure he was busy at the throne, anyway.
I rolled over to see a face facing me. I shoved an elbow underneath myself and propped myself up, ready to kill whatever the hell it was in my bed. However, when I recognized the face as Loki’s, I sighed in relief and laid back down, my head falling into the ultra plush pillows. I rubbed my face as I tried to calm my rapid heart rate. I wasn’t sure what I initially thought was sharing the bed with me, but I shouldn’t have been surprised.
I looked to my side to see him tightly curled up under the covers, his expression lacking that peace it had the morning before. I reached over and took a piece of his air between my fingers. Oddly, it was slightly damp, as if he had just washed it some time ago. What time had he gone to bed?
I looked down to see him wearing a black shirt. The rest of him was covering in my black blankets. However, a new blanket had been added. A massive, plush comforter made of satin and as green as Loki’s armor. His comforter from his room. I sat up and moved over closer to him. I curled an arm around him and touched my forehead to his. Something was bothering him. Something most likely terrible. Had it been a night terror? General worry? His thoughts getting the best of him? News from Thor? I had a feeling that was it.
Loki breathed in deeply and opened his eyes slowly, as if his eyelids were made of lead. He didn’t look at me at first, but after he yawned, his blue eyes met mine. He smiled softly and pulled his arms out of the covers and wound them around me.

“Good morning, darling,” he said warmly.

I smiled and kissed his cheek.

“Good morning. You’re a lovely sight to wake up to,” I replied.

And boom! There goes his ego. The vain little shit.

Loki grinned, his eyes lit up like the world at Christmas.

“Oh, you don’t say?” he asked.

I just laughed at him. Loki took my cheek in his palm and kissed me tenderly.

“You’re even more love, my sweet Avery,” he purred.

Loki took my mouth again. I smiled and held his jaw as his lips moved against mine.

“Decided this was a more comfortable bed?” I asked teasingly.

Loki smiled.

“I was going to come wake you up for breakfast, but when I saw how comfortable you were, I couldn’t bare to wake you,” he said, stroking my cheek.

“How gentlemanly,” I popped off.

Loki smirked.

“Can I not be a gentleman?” he asked, mockingly offense to my comment.

“For your own personal gain, yes,” I replied.

Loki snorted and gazed down at me with this smoldering stare.

“Okay, yes, I wanted to get a few hours of sleep, but can I not spend some quality time with you, love?”

I smiled and lightly stroked his jawline with my fingers.

“So you brought your comforter?” I asked.

Loki smiled meekly.

“I was wearing it when I came in,” he replied.

I burst out laughing. The image of Loki walking down the corridors in his sleepwear with his comforter wrapped around him like a coat was too much.

“What?” he exclaimed, “I was tired. I wanted to be with you. I was cold.”

I snorted and shook my head.

“I could care less if anyone saw me. I was in foul mood,” he ranted.

I smiled and stroked his head, pulling him to me.

“Sounds like you’re seeking attention,” I said accusingly.

Loki was quiet for a moment.

“Well, yes,” he said in that “Duh, you idiot!” tone.

I laughed and kissed the top of his head.

“Your hair is still damp, sweetheart. When did you go to bed?” I asked.

Loki groaned.

“I was hoping it’d be dry,” he grumbled.

I moved down to look at him.

“You were up all night, weren’t you?” I asked.

Loki narrowed his eyes at me.

“My dear Avery, why would I do such a thing?” he asked sarcastically.

“Don’t lie to me. I know you far too well. I found you countless times pacing the halls when we were younger,” I said.

Loki glanced up at me and smiled.

“And why, pray tell, were you prowling the palace corridors late at night?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes.

“I like the night. And maybe I was up to a bit of mischief,” I said.

Loki gave me a crooked smile and kissed me deeply. When he pulled back, we were both nearly breathless.

“I had things to do. That’s all,” Loki said, answering my question.

I took his chin in my fingertips.

“You are going to make yourself so weary before you even make it to Odin’s age,” I said.

I wonder how old Odin really is?

“Don’t fret, darling,” he said.

Loki sat up and flipped his covers off of him. He was wearing a black, short-sleeved top and olive green pants. Not so different from my worn gray top and black sweats I was in.

“Would you like to have breakfast here, or meet me on the balcony?” he asked.

I smirked.

“It’s a nice day,” he said, his eyes glancing to the window.

“Well—“

I was interrupted by a knocking at my chamber doors. Loki growled.

“The hell?” I asked.

“It’s a guard. Excuse me,” he said.

Loki froze as he projected himself outside my door.

“Do you have no respect?” I heard him snap.

“My Lord, I was informed you were in these chambers,” the guard said.

There was a clinking of armor, indicating a bow.

“You do not knock on these doors unless you are expected. Is that clear?” Loki spat.

“Of course, my King, but your presence is requested by Lady Sif and the Warrior’s Three. They say it cannot wait.”

Loki groaned.

“Tell them to be in the Throne room. I will arrive shortly,” he said.

There was silence again. Loki flashed green and looked down at me.

“They never come to me for anything,” he said.

“What do you think it is?” I asked.

Loki shook his head.

“I know not. Ave, get dressed. We’ll take our breakfast on the go.”

I nodded and scrambled out of bed, summoning my clothes and quickly rejoining Loki before rushing out the door.

***

Fandral, Volstagg, and Lady Sif strode into the throne room. Two guards were standing by, but the grand room was void of servants, much less the King. When they walked in, they looked around in awe. The three had been in battle for weeks, and their last memories of the throne room had been that of disrepair. Now, as they walked in, they were speechless.

“What is this?” Volstagg asked in wonder.

Fandral laughed.

“I thought this place would be a sample of Jotunheim when Loki was done with it. Look at this!” he exclaimed.

Sif stared at the fully restored room with wide eyes.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed out.

“I must say, Loki did an amazing job,” Fandral said.

“Nevermind the room,” Volstagg spoke up, “We need to focus on the problem at hand.”

“What problem?”

***

I followed behind Loki, a drink in one hand and a bagel-like confection in the other. Loki had a cheek full of some sort of breakfast biscuit that he had just polished off as I followed him into the throne room. I could hear Volstagg and Fandral’s voices echo off of the walls.

“What problem?” Loki asked.

We walked up to the throne. Sif, Fandral, and Volstagg were admiring Loki’s handiwork with the room when they saw us. All three of them lined up and bowed. It really was a weird sight. Fandral and Volstagg had always picked on Loki, and now this? It was a little surreal.

“My King,” Sif said, “We have found something in Vanaheim that needs to be brought to your attention.”

Loki walked down to them, I following behind like a puppy. When Volstagg and Fandral saw me, they snuck a smile and a friendly wink. I just smiled at them as Sif spoke to Loki.

“Oh?” Loki inquired, an air of mischief about him.

“Yes. And,” Sif looked around at the guards, “It’s not something that should be public news.”

Her indirect request for privacy did not process with Loki. He just stared at her for moment in silence.

“What did you find?” Loki asked calmly.

Sif made a face of discomfort.

“Fire Giants,” she whispered.

Loki looked confused.

“Waging battle in Vanaheim?” he asked.

“They did not seem to have a purpose for being there,” she replied.

Now I was confused.

“They just…appeared,” Volstagg said.

I squinted and stared thoughtfully at the ground.

“We fended them off as best as we could, but just as we thought we were finished, another appeared,” Fandral spoke.

My eyes widened. Fire Giants don’t just randomly appear without a purpose.

“They don’t seem to be there to fight, but villagers think they are, and that’s what started this mess,” Sif said.

Loki remained deep in thought.

“Fire Giants randomly appearing in Vanaheim?” he questioned.

“They did seem a little lost,” Volstagg said.

“Unless,” I spoke up.

Sif, Fandral, and Volstagg looked at me.

“Loki, you don’t think…” I trailed off.

Loki looked down at me. When it hit him, his eyes widened. He spun around to face the guards.

“All of you are relieved of your duties here for the hour. You may take a break, but be back in this room promptly within the hour,” Loki ordered.

The guards nodded and marched out of the throne room. Loki then turned back to us.

“All of you, follow me,” he ordered.

We nodded and closely followed behind Loki through the corridors of the palace. I was so focused on watching where I was going, I nearly jumped when an arm was casually tossed over my shoulders.

“I say, Avery, it is nice to see to see you walking these corridors again. Very good to see you well,” Fandral said.

“Have care where you touch her,” Loki said dangerously.

“Loki,” I scolded.

Fandral just laughed.

“Don’t mind him, Avery. He means well. I see you have not been fitted for Asgardian wear,” he said.

“No, but maybe later, as I am officially a resident of Asgard,” I said.

Fandral smiled widely.

“I do believe this has been a long time coming. Welcome to Asgard, officially,” he said.

I smiled.

“Thank-you, Fandral.”

“Maybe when Thor returns, we can all get caught up on old times,” Volstagg said happily.

“We will not have time,” Loki said.

We all looked up at him.

“Not if I’m right,” he finished.

Loki led us down to a secluded door and with flourish of his hand, unlocked it. He then opened it for us and let us in. We thanked him as we entered. The room was nothing more than a storage room, loaded with buckets, cleaning clothes, tools, brooms, and bottles. An Asgardian janitor’s closet, if you will.
Loki locked the door and cast an enchantment to hide it so no servants would come knocking.

“Why have you brought us here?” Sif asked.

Loki walked back over to us.

“This isn’t news I want heard yet,” he said, “Did you find where the Fire Giants were entering Vanaheim from?”

The three of them shook their heads.

“We searched Vanaheim over. There is no evidence of a pathway,” Sif replied.

Loki clenched his jaw.

“Unless, of course, we overlooked it,” Fandral added.

Loki looked down at me.

“This is sounding more and more like what happened to me,” I said quietly.

He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded.

“Forgive me, but you know what I’m thinking?” Fandral asked.

We all looked up at the blonde-headed man. Fandral made a circle with his hands.

“Portal,” he said with wide excited eyes.

Loki straightened.

“Are you certain?” he asked.

“That is the only logical explanation,” Sif spoke, “They aren’t traveling by the Bifrost.”

Loki let out a slow exhale as he closed his eyes.

“That is not the only portal we’ve found recently,” I said.

The warriors looked confused. I nervously glanced up at Loki before continuing.

“There’s another on Midgard. Right outside my old home. That’s how Loki found me.”

The three held expressions of confusion and fear.

“Where does it lead? Asgard?” Sif asked.

“Jotunheim,” Loki replied darkly.

“Jotunheim?” Volstagg exclaimed.

“I was there retrieving a crystal for means of repairing the throne room when I found her,” Loki explained.

“Did you see it?” Fandral asked Loki, “The portal?”

“I failed to noticed one in Jotunheim. However, I marked the spot where the other is. It is invisible to the eye,” he replied.

“That must have been like the one in Vanaheim,” Fandral thought out loud.

“Do you think they’re the same? Same kind of portal?” I asked Loki.

Loki reluctantly nodded.

“It sounds like someone is trying to build a gate between Realms,” Fandral said.

“They’re not doing a very good job, I’d say,” Volstagg commented.

“Indeed. Where might Hogun be?” Loki asked.

“Back in Vanaheim protecting his people,” Sif replied.

Loki nodded.

“I want this news kept between us. Is that clear?” he asked.

We all nodded.

“Should we prepare for war?” Sif asked.

Loki smirked.

“Always so eager to kill,” he said.

Sif glared at him.

“For the sake of Asgard…and my king, yes,” she said.

Loki smiled.

“Prepare for battle, that much I can tell you. Ave, we need to relay this news to Thor as soon as possible,” he said.

I nodded.

“You are dismissed,” Loki said to the three warriors.

They filed out of the room. I grabbed Loki’s sleeve.

“Loki, what are we going to do?” I asked.

He looked troubled as he shook his head.

“We wait. That’s all we can do,” he said.

I sighed and let my head fall back.

“Loki, I don’t like this,” I said.

“Neither do I. We’re just going to have to wait until Thor’s return,” he said.

I still was not convinced. If someone was building bridges between realms, they needed to be stopped. What was more, was that innocent beings were falling into the traps.
Loki reached up and cupped my jaw. I glanced up at him. A small smile appeared on his lips.

“Whatever happens, whether this is mild or not, I will keep you safe. I promise,” he said.

I frowned.

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” I said.

Loki smiled.

“You needn’t worry about me,” he said.

I took his hand and led him out of the storage room.

“That’s what you always say.”

***

“Nat, don’t let it touch you!”
“I’m fine! Just help me drag this thing in.”

Agent Clint Barton, also known as “Hawkeye” to S.H.I.E.L.D., aided his fellow agent Natasha Romanoff in pulling a makeshift body bag out of the bed of a Jeep.
Natasha kicked the bag out, a sickening crunch of bones sounding from the ground. Clint curled his lip as the bag fell to his feet.

“Yeah. I’m sure this is how the coroners do it,” he said.

Natasha groaned.

“Just call Fury. He needs to see this immediately,” she said.

Clint nodded and placed his finger in his ear, activating his earpiece.

“Director Fury, Agent Romanoff and I have something you need to see,” he said.

A few seconds later, Fury responded.

“How important?” Fury replied.

Clint looked down at the body bag.

“Sir, you’re not going to believe it when you see it,” he said.

“Bring it in,” Fury replied.

Clint nodded to Natasha and helped her pick up the body bag. They had recently returned from a mission in Edinburgh, Scotland, helping hunt down a criminal whose arrest had been long overdue. While in the middle of pursuit, they were asked by an old farmer who they were. They could not divulge such information, but the farmer asked if they were with any government organization that could help him with his alien problem.
He had discovered them in town, questioning a young man who was copping an attitude with Clint. Both agents were dressed in their uniforms, Natasha in her all black catsuit, and Clint in a black shirt and jacket, with black cargo pants and boots. The man stopped them are their way from speaking to the young man and told them about his issue.

“They keep eating my sheep!” the man exclaimed.

It was obvious he was devastated.

“Are you sure it’s not some sort of predator? Wolves or something?” Clint asked.

“Not what I saw, young man,” the farmer said, “Wolves don’t walk on two legs, and they certainly are not transparent and kill by mere touch!”

That was all he had to say to convince the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to check out his property.

Natasha and Clint heaved the body bag onto a gurney in an examining room at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. The room was cold, gray, and dark, with the only light source being the light above the gurney. Director Nick Fury strode into the room, two scientists alongside him.

“Did you bring me back a body?” he asked.

Natasha rushed over to a metal cabinet and fished out a pair of thick rubber gloves.

“Not just any body, sir,” she replied.

Clint looked over at the scientists.

“If you guys are preparing to touch it, I suggest heavy gloves. One touch of this thing and you’re gone,” he said.

The scientists nodded.

“What the hell is it?” Fury asked.

Natasha pulled back the bag, dumping the contents out onto the gurney. The scientists gasped, but Fury did not reveal his reaction. On the gurney lay a skeleton-like creature, with a massive head and large, canine teeth. It had no skin to speak of, only a hollow, twisted version of the human skeleton. It’s bones were narrow, elongated, and had different knots and sharp places, like it was made out of wood. The bones were a dark, blackish blue color.

“A farmer outside of Edinburgh approached us, saying he had a problem with aliens eating his sheep,” Clint said.

Fury put his hands on his hips.

“Alien indeed,” he said.

“This was the only one we found. We searched for more, and even a place it may have been living, but there were no discernible traces of alien life living near the farm,” Natasha said.

Fury walked closer.

“What is all of this dust?” he asked.

A fine powder, the same color as the bones of the skeleton, littered the gurney.

“That was its heart, sir,” Natasha replied, “Originally, it was a glowing orange organ. You can see it from a fair distance.”

Clint approached with his arms crossed over his chest.

“The eyes, too,” he said.

Fury nodded.

“And you say it kills by touch, Agent Romanoff?” he asked.

Natasha nodded.

“After I shot it down, a dog ran up to it and took one of its arms,” she said.

“He didn’t make it too far,” Clint added.

Fury took a deep breath.

“Well, we all know that one lonely alien doesn’t just appear on Earth. There will be others. Whether they landed here on purpose or not, they will terrorize this planet within a week’s time,” he said.

“So what form of action should we take, sir?” Clint asked.

“I will send some of my men to Edinburgh. See what information we can dig up. In the mean time…we’ll have to call in some one who knows aliens better than we do,” he said.

Natasha and Clint were momentarily confused.

“Someone who knows the Realms,” he said.

Clint and Natasha exchanged surprised glances. Fury turned away.

“Good work, agents. You may retire for the night,” he said.

Clint and Natasha nodded and marched out of the room without another word.

“Sir? What would you like us to do with this body?” a scientist asked.

“Freeze it. Lock it up. We will need it later,” Fury replied.

The scientists nodded and set to work. Fury began to leave, a heavy feeling in his chest. He had just gotten rid of a bunch of damn aliens!

“Director!” a woman called from down the hall.

Fury turned to see his second in command, Agent Maria Hill, run up to him with a laptop in her hands.

“Sir, you have to see this,” she said.

She handed Fury the laptop.

“What is this?” he asked.

“An atmospheric disturbance. We were able to pinpoint it in central Los Angeles,” she said.

“When was this?” Fury asked.

“Two o’ clock this morning, sir. Western time,” she replied.

Fury growled. He wished he had been informed of this sooner.

“These look like the same readings that we had Stark go after,” he said.

“They do. And what’s more, right where the disturbance was located, three men were reported murdered. I brought up their files. One was a man named Charlie Winkler. Found with his throat slit in a alley. Another was Lester Fields, stab wound and broken neck, among other broken bones. Third was Vince Asher. Stab wound and gun wound to the head with his own gun. All convicted felons, sir.”

Fury took a deep angry breath.

“Shit. Agent Hill, I want a full investigation on that area,” he ordered.

“Right, sir,” she replied.

“I have a feeling a certain man of mischief has return for more. If so, I intend to kill him myself.”