Brother Avengers

Brother Avengers Chapter 14

For the third section, I listened to the Thor soundtrack "Letting Go."

Chapter 14

"There is a destiny that makes us brothers."
-Edwin Markham

Thunder rolled and rumbled out near the rooftops of the city. But beneath the earth, deep inside the SHIELD compound, all was quiet. The hum of the computers and lights and machinery had been silenced. Darkness hung in every chamber, thick as black ink.

The only light emanated from Stark's reactor.

So, like ships drawn inexorably to a beacon in a storm, the other men gradually abandoned their solitary vigils in the corners of the compound, and felt their way along through the void toward that light.

Stark stood, arms folded, leaning back against the end of the war board. The first to emerge from the blackness and into the cold blue glow was Steve. Blood still coated one side of his face—his frame hollow, his eyes bleak. He stood at Stark's right shoulder, and said nothing. He glanced at the floor. Stark only briefly lifted his eyes to him, then settled back into his thoughts.

Logan appeared a few moments later, his forehead tight, his burly arms crossed. He halted next to Steve.

Several minutes later, Thor and Loki, wet to the bone, dragged into the room. Thor's boots thudded and squeaked against the tiles—water dripped to the floor. The brothers stepped near, Thor to Logan's right, and Loki to Tony's left.

They stood in a tight circle. All their shoulders touched. The soft reactor light did not reach below their waists, nor did it stretch past their heads. It illuminated their faces, chests and arms in its glow, caught the shine of the water running down the princes' hair, faces and shoulders, and turned all of their features and clothes into a contrast of pale blue and impenetrable shadow.

Long moments of deep quiet passed. They breathed in and out—it took effort. They closed their eyes, and concentrated on staying standing. Steve leaned against Tony's shoulder—Tony let him, and didn't say anything. Loki's absent gaze stared somewhere into middle space, his eyes made brilliant by the strange light, along with the tears that still listlessly trailed down with the raindrops. No one said anything about it.

Finally, Steve Rogers spoke.

"Something's got to be done."

They all blinked. They lifted their faces, turned and met his eyes. His jaw tightened.

"I'm gonna do what they want," he said. "I'll give myself up."

For a long minute, they all just watched him. Then, Tony frowned at the floor.

"You know what they'll do to you," he murmured.

Steve nodded, and took a breath.

"Yeah. I do."

"You're not serious—" Logan protested.

"This is my fault," Steve cut him off, looking at him. "I'm the one Schmidt is after. I'm the one who ruined all his plans during the war. He wants me." Steve closed his fist. "He wants revenge."

"You would sacrifice yourself," Thor raised his eyebrows at him. "You would bow to the wishes of these murderers, on the chance they will do as they promised."

"Yeah," Steve said again, more firmly. "It's the right thing to do."

"You forget Doom."

Loki's voice was so quiet—yet it hushed the air and pulled all their heads around. He glanced fleetingly at all of them, then met Steve's gaze.