Fiction Traveler: Into The MCU

8 - We Have a Hulk

I looked around at my environment, trying to find an escape route. I saw a vent in the corner of the room and grinned. Time to get out of here. The bed bench was directly underneath the bench so I stood on top and unbuckled the belt around my waist. I could use part of the buckle to unscrew it.

I, not-so-carefully lift the door off and throw it on the ground, gripping onto the edges and hoisting myself up and lifting my torso inside the metal tunnel.

I didn't have to go too far before I reached the roof vent of the corridor and used all my strength to hit the door down. To my extreme luck, the door came loose and with a few more hits, it fell to the ground with a clatter. I climb through and tumble down, landing on my hands and feet, receiving a handful of ground shock.

At the sound of a huge explosion, the entire helicarrier shook and fire blew through the vents, expelling out and dissipating into the air. If I had a second too slow, I would be cooked. Literally.

With a swaying balance, I did my best to make my way back to Loki's prison. Stuff my job to save the timeline. I wasn't staying on a ship that was falling from the sky with a bunch of people who doubted my every word.

I was halfway there when I heard deep grunting. I stopped running and turned into an engine room to see Nat stuck under a pipe with Bruce nearby, rapidly turning into the Hulk. I had to make a quick decision, with an annoyed sigh, I ran inside, as quietly as I could, and stopped next to Nat, using all my strength to lift the pipe enough for Nat to slide out. She runs to the stairs but I know that would be a mistake so I head back out to the door through the electrical wiring cabinets, and continue to head to the prison cell.

I heard the screaming and growling of the Hulk, gradually getting louder in volume. I turn behind me to see a very familiar walkway between computers. Oh shit. Nat sprints in a limp down the gap, sees me and eyes widen in panic.

"Run!" She calls out. The Hulk appears behind her, smashing everything to get to her. I turn around, almost beginning to cry in desperation that I'm about to die. He catches up and swipes Nat out of the way, hitting me in the other direction. I hit a pipeline and fell to the ground, knocking the wind from my lungs. I was running out of time. If I didn't act quick, I would either be dead, or Loki would leave and I wouldn't see it. I just happened to forget the part where Thor flies into the rescue, pushing the Hulk away from us and through a wall.

"You okay?" Nat looks at me and I nod, standing up and wincing in pain. I felt a dribble of blood run down my forehead but ignored it in an attempt to reach the prison block to find Loki.

The ground became uneven and I slid towards the wall. Shit. Another setback. Engine 2 must be down and the entire carrier would now fall uncontrollably back to earth. Agents around me slid around. The engine malfunction was a setback, not a wall. So I straightened up, found my balance, walking closer to Loki. I didn't remember it being this far from when the guard lugged me away.

But finally, I got there. Loki was still in his cage where he had been left. No one had reached him yet. But Thor would be on his way. He looked up and saw me, a mixed expression creating a frown on his face.

"How is your stay in our universe going?" He said with a grin.

"Just fine." I sarcastically responded, walking over to the control panel.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" He thought I was going to make him fall to his death. Tempting, but I pressed the button for the door and it slid open. He eyed me suspiciously, cautiously stepping out and breathing in the fresh air. "Why?"

"Because I have a mission to complete, and your brother is about to come through that door. A brother that refuses to leave a slither of opportunity to consider that maybe I'm not a liar. So far you have been the one to believe me, so that's where my loyalty lies."

"What about your precious Avengers? The ones you so desperately want to feel important too?"

"You're forgetting," I say with a smile. "You are my favorite character." He smiles and walks forward, holding out his hand. I look at him with confusion but take it nonetheless. He looks at me in concentration. "What are you doing?"

"We are invisible." The door opens and Loki casts an illusion of himself escaping.

"No!" Thor cries, diving to stop him, falling through and crashing onto the floor." Loki reveals us and Thor glares at the both of us after the door slides shut.

"Are you ever not going to fall for that?"

"We trusted you." Thor calls to me.

"No, actually none of you ever trusted me. I was constantly being watched and never actually believed by any of you." Thor swings his hammer at the glass and it cracks, half releasing the hooks that prevent it from falling out.

"The humans think us immortal, shall we test that?" Loki moves to release the cage but before he does, I hear footsteps behind me and turn around before Coulson smacks me in the head with a massive gun. My vision went fuzzy but I swear Loki looked concerned for me. I couldn't hear their voices clearly but Coulson started up the gun before Loki teleported behind him and plunged his staff into his chest.

Loki drops Thor into the sky before kneeling down to help me up. "Are you alright my dear." I nod weakly and he drapes my arm over his shoulder to help me walk away. With the Hulk, falling out of vents, and getting hit with a huge gun, I was lucky to still be conscious.

"You're going to lose." Loki turns to face Phil.

"Am I?"

"It's in your nature." Phil didn't know how right he was. Scenes from the Loki series slipped into my mind about how Loki wasn't supposed to be anything other than a villain, but I pushed them away, in case Loki still had access to my thoughts.

"Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky, where is my disadvantage?"

"You lack conviction." This seemed to offend or annoy Loki. Or both.

"I don't think I'm the-" Before he could continue, Loki and I were blown back from the force of the gun in Coulson's arms. And my head couldn't take any more. So when my skull smacked against the wall, I allowed the darkness to swallow me to escape anymore pain, and allowed the bliss of sleep to overtake my senses.

When I came to, Loki was carrying me in his arms towards a ship. I could only catch glimpses of my surroundings, but all I can remember is him setting me down on the floor, brushing hair from my face, before the light slowly diminished again.

***

I heard my name being said in the midst of the fog I was swimming in. Again and again, calling me back to consciousness.

"Wake up my dear, we have work to do." A jolt from the jet brought my eyes to open fully and I saw Loki bent over me, but something was wrong. I saw it in his eyes. Thanos was back in his head.

Loki sighed, obviously knowing my thoughts. "Listen, I need your help. I believe that there is a part where I can see clearly and that part wants you." I looked up in shock at his words and he coughed. "Um, your help that is."

"Loki-"

"I know I can't control you like I can others, which is why it's so frustrating that your help is the one I want." He stood up and walked a step away. "There's something about you that's so... intoxicating. I can't place my finger on it and it's killing me." I sit up and look at him, unsure what to say.

"Sir, we are arriving at Stark tower." Loki walks off without another word to the front of the plane. I struggle to stand and follow him to the front.

"Drop me off on the landing." I look closely and see Dr. Selvig's contraption on top of the building. The jet staggers as it slows and I nearly fall but a firm arm grabs my elbow, keeping me upright. When I look up, Loki neither looks nor acknowledges me, but keeps me supported. Hovering overtop, Loki pulls me to the back of the plane as the door lowers. "Ready? We're going to jump."

"What!" I looked at him in shock, but before I could get an inch of argument out, he pulled me forward and onto the rough concrete below. Somewhere along the eight meter tumble, Loki's hand disconnected with me and I freely hit the ground, allowing my legs to absorb most of the shock as they bent to avoid breaking. The rest of my body rolled along the ground, grazing my skin. Ouch. I shakily rose to my feet, glad that the movie was nearly finished so that I could go home.