Adopted by the Avengers

Chapter 23 - The Plan of Attack

Walking into the meeting was pretty scary. I was trying my best not to do anything dumb or stupid because for all I know this meeting could turn in a ritual of 'sacrifice the stupid' at any time. I felt Endre's presence beside me and it was the only thing that was keeping my grounded in sanity. However, it did take a while for the meeting to start. Endre and I arrived exactly on time but they must wait for a minute or two for everyone to get there. Reading body language I could tell that everyone there was a little bit nervous. There were tall people and short people which made me wonder if there was any kids other than us.

A loud voice brought me back to reality.

"My faithful followers." The voice was incredibly loud and was very deep. "We have brought you here today to help you find your purpose. You have been hand chosen by our already standing members here, to fulfill your duty to this group." The man, I'm assuming gender because of the voice, stepped forward and walked around the room. He was dressed in the same robes as we were except for the fact that they were a lot more fashionable. "The world is changing. We no longer have any say in political matters. We aren't valued as human beings. This is the time to rely on each other and become brothers and sisters. Overthrowing the government is our priority right now and we won't stop until they recognize us and give us a say. Today... you are given the opportunity to join us. Whether you take us up on our offer is up to you but saying no could be the worst decision you ever make." As this man spoke he paced around the room. "The Avengers on Earth, and the elves from Svartalfheim now based in Asgard are our biggest threat. Joining us can mean safety."

Or it could mean a death sentence. I wasn't too good at memorizing or listening to people for long periods of time but each word this man said I held onto for the discussion I would most likely be having with Endre later. I also know in my mind that the Avengers are on their way here. Once they start fighting they will be practically unstoppable against the Phalanax so I wasn't too worried while listening.

"The choice is up to you. I will give you five minutes starting now to decide. If you decide against this opportunity please exit the room and there won't be an repercussions against you." The man now stood towards the exit of the room and he spoke with his arms out as if he wanted a hug. There was a big silence when he stopped speaking though and the man motioned to the door.

The five minutes seemed to pass extraordinarily slowly and I was surprised that everyone stayed. I guess it didn't take much to sway people lately. After what seemed like an eternity, the five minutes was up.

"Excellent." The cloaked man started to chuckle darkly. "Now come forth my followers and get the brand of loyalty." The man then pointed towards a door near the back that I hadn't noticed.

The brand of loyalty? What the heck? Actually I really shouldn't be surprised considering this is literally a cult. I'm just really hoping that whatever it is, it isn't painful... I looked around and my eyes landed on Endre. He seemed surprisingly calm despite the scary words. He wasn't fidgeting with his robes or anything and despite the fact that I couldn't see his face I could tell that he wasn't fearful.

As a big group everyone in the room started moving towards the door. On the other side was a narrow hallway and it opened into a science lab. I think this is the moment when my fear went through the roof. I didn't really have very good memories of science labs given the only other one I've been in was at the Avengers facility. The room was dimly lit and it was surprisingly big. There were other cloaked figures standing at individual tables. As we all filed into the room, the leader motioned for us to stand.

"I understand that some of you may hate pain." He chucked as he said this next part. "But it's too late to back out now." I looked on in fear as he locked the door.

Natasha Romanoff's POV:

It seems like forever ago since Y/N and Lyric left. There was definitely a difference in mood because since they have gone everyone is a lot more mellow. I think that worsened when Tony and Pepper found out that their son Lyric was captured by the Phalanx. Personally in my experience I haven't had many run-ins with the organization but I hear many nasty things and I think if we had known they were on Asgard we wouldn't have sent kids. Then again, there wasn't much choice in if we sent them or not because none of us adults would be able to sneak on Asgard in the first place. Fury has been extra uptight lately because he's worried about what might be happening on Asgard. Not to mention June has been really bad at checking in but I'm wondering if she sending messages and we just never got them or something... In the meantime, we have been trying to track Loki because he escaped and Fury also wants us to recruit some more people so we have the power to fight the Phalanax.

Even though things here seem bleak the good news is that Fury finally figured out a way we can reach Asgard. Apparently something was wrong with the Bifrost and it wouldn't let even Thor get to Asgard so Fury pulled some strings and hired a sorcerer to help. He goes by the name Stephan Strange and he can bring us right there. I just hope we aren't too late....

June POV:

Without going into too much detail because to be honest it isn't something I want to think back and relive, we were each branded with a hot brander thing. I'm not sure what it is called. It was incredibly painful but it was fast. The brand was in the shape of some kind of bird I couldn't really tell. It was placed on all of our chests right above our heart. After this operation we were allowed to walk free with one piece of information.

The Phalanax is planning it's attack on Julienne and the elves in three days time.

We, as SUCH faithful and loyal members, are expected to be present at the riot but I can already say that Endre and I are going to do no such thing. The only irritating thing though was that the attack was so close. I'm not sure how close Natasha and everyone else is to arriving on Asgard but they aren't coming soon enough that's for sure.

On the way back from the meeting Endre was acting pretty upset.

"Are you ok?" I tentatively asked.

"Yeah..." He was definitely not ok. He was shuffling his feet and when he looked up I could see his eyes watering.

"It doesn't seem that way... you know you can talk to me right?" I tried to comfort him but I really just don't have that skill to comfort people.

"Yeah, I know. I just.. I don't..." He took a deep breath. "I just hate that I had to actually get branded. I don't want to be their property even if it is for only a short time." Endre blurted this last part out. He seemed to be extremely angry and I wasn't sure how to handle the short outburst.

"Endre-"

"No! Please don't talk to me right now I'm pretty upset and I need it to be quiet." I granted his wish and we walked in silence for the rest of the way. Finally we reached the castle.

"Um.. We have to figure out how we are going to stop this mess so please... can you just cooperate with me? I won't force you to talk about it right now but I hope that maybe you can meet me near the kitchens tomorrow and we can figure out where to go from there." My plea was responded with a series of 'mmhms' from him. I could tell he was extremely upset but I didn't know what to do. "Okay... night" I gave his hand a small squeeze as I went into the servant's entrance and up to my room.

A/N: Thanks for reading <3