Chapter 34 – Brothers (5)

(Black Forest – Germany – Midnight - May 3rd, 2012)

Kal released his formerly deceased brother mid-landing causing Loki to crash and skid across the earth, whilst he merely landed softly and walked to where the other god had stopped. Kal kept his eyes on his mischievous brother even as he heard Thor land behind him and the sound of Mjölnir returning to idleness in his brother's hand. As he strode forward, a grim and determined look on his face, he heard a sound that he had not thought to hear again.

Loki was chuckling, almost laughing like he was privy to the most amusing joke in all the realms. Whilst his two brothers loomed over him, looking out at the large forest they could see from the ridge the trio was occupying.

"Loki, where are they?" Kal's voice sounded out cutting through Loki's chuckling, as the god of mischief just spread himself on the ground as if he was in his own bed.

"ENOUGH!" Thor's anger was palpable as the sky flashed with thunder, as he strode past Kal and lifted Loki off the ground, shoving him into a large stone that stood next to them. "Tell me where the Tesseract is!"

"Oh, I have missed you too" Loki merely smirked at Thor's anger, whilst a very large grin formed on his face, a chuckle also escaping from his lips as a dark glint shone in his eyes.

"DO I LOOK TO BE IN A GAMING MOOD?!" Thor's grip on his wayward brother tightened as he pushed Loki further into the rock behind him. Kal suddenly saw large cracks forming in the ground that started running upwards and downwards threatening to split the cliff they were on in half.

"Thor. Calm, brother," Kal stated quietly. His voice was soft as he placed a hand on Thor's shoulder, in a vain attempt to calm his hot-headed sibling.

However, to Kal's surprise, Thor did not shrug him off or lash out as he had always done in the past, nor did he even tell Kal to mind his place. Instead, his eldest brother simply stared at Loki for a few moments before he released his grip on their errant brother causing him to fall to the ground in a slump. Thor did nevertheless release a snarl at Loki as tried to release a calming breath and gave Kal a grateful nod, which Kal returned.

"Oh great," Loki said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. "I forgot about the whole 'new' Thor. By the Norns, you were dull before, but you two are going to be insufferable."

"Loki," Kal said his brother's name with the same stern resolve that their mother did, that it caused Loki to look up as he dusted himself off. "Enough, please, you know how this will end, tell us where the Tesseract is."

"You should be thanking me," Loki stated with a smirk as he cracked his neck and rotated his shoulders recovering from Thor's anger. "With the Bifrost gone, how much dark magic did the Allfather have to muster to conjure you here, to protect your precious 'earth'? Or did he just send you for the Tesseract? Norns know Odin cares little for trinkets once they start to think for themselves."

Loki's last remark was directed with a gesture towards himself and Kal as he looked directly at Thor, a dark glint in his eye as if he was challenging the one true son of Odin to defend his father just so he could play the victim. Kal moved to answer Loki knowing that Thor would take the bait as he always did with his brother and fall into a trap. Before he could move, however, Thor had dropped Mjolnir and seemingly lunged with Kal fearing that Thor's rage had already gotten the better of him.

However, Kal again found himself surprised as did Loki, both men had clearly taken their elder brother's move to be a sign of aggression. Instead, what they found was Thor was all but hugging Loki, a pained and regretful look on his face as he looked at his recently returned brother. Thor then released a heavy breath and spoke in a voice that neither Kal nor Loki had ever heard from him before.

"I thought you were dead." Thor's voice was truly mournful and mixed with relief as he looked at Loki. "So, you can say what you wish, try your tricks and your barbs but know that I am just happy you are alive."

"So, you mourned?" Loki's voice attempted to sound dismissive and condescending but the malevolent glint in his eye was now gone and he sounded hesitant.

"Of course I did, we all did, mother was shattered, broken, and our father-" Thor spoke with genuine emotion in his voice as he recounted the briefest glimpse of grief that Asgard had suffered before Loki cut him off.

"Your father," Loki stated with a raised finger in Thor's face as he then pushed himself out of the blond's grip and moved towards a boulder to sit, stepping past Kal as he did so. "He did tell you my true parentage did he not?"

"We were raised together. We played together, we fought together." Thor stated as he quickly followed Loki his voice itself almost pleading with the man to listen. "Do you remember none of that?"

"I remember a shadow," Loki stated softly as he turned around his voice steeped in bitterness and anger. "I remember me and Kal living in the shade of your greatness, whilst you pranced about being loved, I remember being cast aside and looked over FOR YOU EVERY TIME… I remember you tossing me into an abyss. I, who was and should be KING!"

Thor moved forward with his mouth open and arms raised to defend his position, to argue with Loki against imagined slights and to tell him that Midgard was no prize to be won. However, before he could do so Kal's voice sounded out from behind him cutting him off before he could start. Kal merely raised his head towards Loki and spoke softly, his eyes meeting his brother's.

"So, I am not your brother either?" Kal spoke as he moved towards Loki, causing Thor to step to one side. "You said we were equals, that you wished me to rule by your side, but what I remember is a dagger in my back, poison in my lungs and YOU casting me into an abyss, bloodied and injured. So don't you dare play the victim here."

Loki went uncharacteristically quiet at Kal's statement, not even moving to open his mouth; he merely glanced away from Kal as if looking at him was painful and slumped down on the boulder where he was standing before. He merely cast a glance at Thor and Kal before releasing a sigh and a shake of his head as he sat quietly before his two captors. Thor moved forward to stand next to Kal showing a united front which produced a nod of the head from Kal.

"Just tell us where the Tesseract and your base are, we will then retrieve the Tesseract, free our friends and then we can go home." Kal pressed gently hoping that this was a signal from Loki that he was abandoning his path.

However, a soft chuckle escaped from Loki's lips which immediately caused both Kal and Thor to frown as Loki looked at them with a snide smirk.

"As if I would make it that easy, and you are forgetting the little issue of another one like you," Loki started speaking in his slow condescending tone as he looked at Kal ignoring Thor for the moment. "If you release me, I can take you to him, the only other living member of your people. How's that for a deal?"

"No deals Loki, Midgard and its people are under my protection as well as Thor's," Kal stated bluntly, his hand forming into a fist in irritation as he knew when Loki was merely playing games.

"... and what a marvellous job you two have done," Loki stated as he gave both his brothers a low slow clap. "The humans still slaughter each other in droves, whilst one idly frets and the other wastes their time on frivolous matters to impress them. Your followers, Kal, are mocked and ridiculed wherever they go, they care not for the path you show them. I mean to rule them, to show them a true way to greatness, and why should I not?"

"You think yourself above them?" Thor asked as his voice low as he shook his head at Loki in disappointment.

"Well, yes," Loki stated with a shrug and a look of contempt as if the answer was obvious. "We are gods after all."

"Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother. A throne would suit you ill." Kal stated releasing a sigh as he moved forward and placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. "We may be gods to them, but strength and power do not make a great ruler, one must listen -."

Loki cut off Kal's speech about rulership by shrugging out of his brother's grip and making his way over to the cliff's edge looking over the darkened forest before them.

"I've seen worlds you've never known about. I have grown, Odinson, in my exile. I have seen the true power of the Tesseract. And when I wield it-" Loki stated grandly, voice filling with pride as he looked out upon the forest, as if he could see his future right before him.

"Power? What power have you been shown?" Kal's eyes went wide at Loki's speech, cutting him off as a worrying thought entered his mind. "Who showed you this power? Was it Zod? What did he promise you, to make you a king?"

"I am the king!" Loki screamed as he rounded on Kal, his own hands now turning into fists as he saw the future he had been envisioning snatched away from him by his brother's words.

"Loki, tell me now or I swear I will put Gram down your -" Kal's hand moved to his sword that started glowing in response to its master's rising anger.

"It does not matter!" Thor's voice suddenly broke out causing both Loki and Kal to stare at him in confusion, as Thor pushed forward and gripped Loki's arms. "Loki, just tell me, do you know where the Tesseract is and can you take us there."

"I don't have it, nor do I know its location." Loki stated with a sly smile causing Thor to growl slightly and tighten his grip. "I swear. You need the cube to bring me home, but I've sent it off. I know not where."

Thor was quiet for a few moments causing Loki's smirk of confidence to falter as he suddenly looked questioningly at the pensive and deep thoughtful look that had appeared on Thor's face. Loki was not the only one, for Kal too was confused by Thor's sudden outburst and silent nature, an ominous feeling spreading over him. Thor then suddenly lifted his hand causing Mjolnir to return to him lightning cracking over it as it reached its owner, the sky responding as well as the cloud began circulating above them.

"It's not the only way," Thor whispered, his voice so soft and quiet that it was almost lost to the wind that was starting to rage around them. "I made a promise, and I am bringing you both home. MOTHER, NOW!"

Thor lifted Mjolnir into the air as he did, so the entire sky cracked with lightning and thunder streaking across it. However, that was not what caught Kal's attention, no, what caught his attention was the sharp coldness and lack of light that suddenly fell over them. As he turned his voice to look around his brothers, he saw the air beginning to crack like a mirror shattering, as he also heard a dark dreadful version of his mother's voice sounding out around them.

'Dark magic' Kal knew the feeling well, it was not something one forgot easily, as he felt the icy cold grip him, he caught a glimpse of its conjurer. It was his mother Frigga, but unlike anything he had ever seen her before, dark purple and blackness swirled around her, her eyes were completely black, and her skin was cracking with sickly purplish lines. As she looked up she saw him and a smile graced her face, however, it brought Kal no comfort as her mouth was dripping with blackness and there was a desperation in her eyes that she was trying to hide.

"THOR! WHAT IS THIS?!" Kal roared in concern, mostly to be heard above the storm that was starting to rage and combine with the Dark magic that was seeping out. This was making the effects of the storm worse, whilst Loki was laughing madly next to him as if this was all a great joke only he got.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER, WE ARE GOING HOME!" Thor yelled back over the sound of Mjolnir forcing the storm to become even stronger to empower his mother's spell from this side.

"What of Midgard?" Kal asked the question his voice barely above a whisper as he looked at Thor, his question should have been lost to the wind but Thor still heard him.

Thor's face was a grimace and he remained silent as he merely looked away from Kal as he tried to push more power into the spell. His silence gave Kal all the answers he needed and knew what was happening in an instant. There was to be no saving of Midgard, Thor and his mother would doom this world just to have them back.

Kal cast his sight once more to his mother as he felt the final stages of the dark magic starting to overtake him and pull him fully across the galaxy to Asgard. He gave his mother a loving smile and whispered softly on the wind hoping it would carry across the veil.

"I love you, forgive me," Kal whispered as he then suddenly pulled Gram from its scabbard illuminating the area and disrupting his mother's spell.

"KAL, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Thor yelled as he felt his grip on the channel of magic slip.

"What justice demands," Kal stated firmly as he twisted Gram in the air and with two hands slammed its point into the earth.

The effect was immediate, the power and magic of both Kal and Gram shattered the pull of the darkness as golden rays of light blasted away both phantom spectre of their mother and the storm raging above. Kal closed his eyes as he heard the faint scream of his mother begging him to stop as the portal collapsed, silencing her pleas, and only opened them once more when he felt the last vestiges of darkness depart. Kal fell to one knee feeling the last vestiges of the power he had just channelled leave his body, letting out several laboured breaths as he tried to regain his strength. Channelling the direct power of star and light magic was no easy feat.

As he opened his eyes and returned to his feet unsteadily he saw that both Loki and Thor had been knocked down, Thor was still gripping Mjolnir whilst Loki was just laughing madly. Loki started to clap still laying with his back on the floor as pained laughter escaped his lungs whilst he also tried to dismiss the temporary blindness Kal's counterspell had caused.

"Well done Kal, well done indeed." Loki congratulated Kal as he clapped and laughed from his position on the floor, the act earning him a growl in response.

"SILENCE." Kal snapped at Loki as he took several breaths into his body while he slowly moved over to Thor who was starting to get up. "Thor, now you listen to -"

Kal was cut off as he was suddenly blindsided by a metalic red and gold blur that struck him, pushing him off the cliff altogether and away from his brothers.

"KAL! I – AHHHH!" Thor suddenly sprang up lifting his hammer to go after his sucker-punched brother when he too was struck by a red-golden blur, although this one was glowing.

Loki suddenly lifted his head from his laying position on the floor and raised his eyebrows, his laughing subsiding into a light chortle as he observed that he was now alone.

"Well, I'm listening."

(Black Forest – Germany – Midnight - May 3rd, 2012)

The force of the unexpected blow caused Kal to lose his grip on Gram which flew from his hand, however, as it always did, instead of flying off it immediately sank to the ground like a stone in water. A soft slicing noise reached Kal's ears indicating that his sword was safe as he skidded to a halt once his metal attacker released him. As he looked up he immediately shifted to the side and caught Thor who too had been cast to the ground by his own assailant, both of whom Kal recognised.

Kal's was the so-called 'Iron Man' with whom he had conversed and had a brief altercation with a few months ago, however it was Thor's which caused Kal to pause. Carol was still the picture of power and beauty she had been when he had seen her last, which was when he had departed known space for answers that he had not found. As their eyes met Kal nor Carol could prevent a soft smile from appearing on their lips, however as both made to speak, they were interrupted by their companions.

"DO NOT TOUCH ME AGAIN!" Thor roared as he straightened himself after pushing out of the grip that Kal had caught him in, his grip on Mjolnir was causing the leather grip to creak.

'Guess he still needs to work on his temper' Kal sighed at Thor's blunt statement. Despite his brother's newfound sense of mortality and calmness, it appeared that Thor was still sensitive about being touched.

"Then don't take my stuff." Tony's Iron Man voice sounded out across the clearing; he had not lifted his visor and his arms were still raised and pointed directly at Thor.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with," Thor stated bluntly, taking a single massive stride forward that was equal to about twelve of Tony's if he attempted the confident act.

"Now wait, we can surely discuss this." Kal moved forward coming between Thor and Tony placing a hand on his brother and raising the other to Tony.

"No-can-do Kal, Loki's ours until he gives up the Tesseract and, sorry to say it, but you are too close to this one," Tony stated, lowering his arms and cycling down the power he had been storing up for a blast. "We can't risk that you'll free Loki or that you're working with him. The best you can do is stand down and let us handle this."

"This is beyond you, metal man," Thor replied before Kal could, moving to his brother's side so that Tony could see him clearly. "Loki will face Asgardian justice, we will not leave him in the hands of mortals."

"Thor, enough, let me handle this," Kal whispered to his brother as he half turned away from Tony and placed his hand again on Thor's chest to prevent his brother from doing something stupid. "Lady Carol, perhaps we can come to some agreement, Thor and I can solve all of this if you just give us some time."

Carol sighed as she floated herself closer to Kal stopping just a few feet away from him, a regretful look on her face.

"Kal, I can't, your brother has killed a lot of people, and everything is a hair's breadth from blowing up," Carol stated, obviously hating that she had to deny him but needing to so that everyone could keep doing their jobs. "You need to let us handle this, if you stand down and come in, I promise we can get this all sorted."

"You expect the Sons of Odin to just let ourselves be taken prisoner?" Thor scoffed at her, an amused yet incensed look on his face as he stared at her. "Just try it, woman."

"THOR! Not helping." Kal rounded on his brother with irritation in his voice both at the insult towards Carol and that Thor was escalating tensions.

"WELL, this has been fun, but we have to go reclaim our jailbird now. So, for the last time stay out of our way." Tony stated loudly, finally having lost his patience with what he saw as a distraction caused by interlopers. "Tourists"

Thor had no idea what the word meant to Midgardians, but he knew an insult when he heard one and knew it was directed at him and his brother. Kal heard Thor's actions before he saw them, there was a low guttural roar and the sound of Mjolnir flying through the air as his eyes caught up with the sound of it. Mjolnir struck Tony dead in the chest as he had turned around sensing the incoming attack before being launched through several trees that came crashing down.

"THOR!" Kal roared as he turned to try and restrain his brother, incensed that Thor had yet again let his anger cloud his judgement.

However, before he could react a bright beam of light struck Thor and sent him likewise through several trees and crashing off into the distance. Kal turned and saw that Thor's attacker was Carol who had reacted on instinct as Thor had just attacked her team member. As Kal's eyes met Carol she gave him a quick look of apology as she moved to stand down, like him wanting to deescalate the crisis.

"Okay everyone just-" Kal's attempt was cut off as Tony came rocketing back in unleashing a powerful blast at Kal which knocked him backwards.

"Tony what are you -" Carol moved towards Stark but her effort was cut off by Mjolnir suddenly flying through the branches of the broken trees to crash right into her face.

What followed next was pure mayhem as the small forest clearing exploded into a complex two-sided yet four-way battle. With Thor and Kal on one side facing Tony and Carol on the other, with each side holding nothing back. Yet at the same time, Kal and Carol were attempting to stop the fight by preventing their partners from fighting.

Kal moved first heading straight toward Tony wanting to subdue the man quickly to end the fight, as he had done last time. However, his recent channelling of magic and breaking of his mother's spell had left him drained and this time Tony was in full control of his suit. Tony slipped under Kal's first punch and rocketed backwards unleashing a pair of powerful beams into the god's face, causing his opponent to stagger backwards.

Carol had moved to intercede but had been blocked by Thor thinking that she was trying to aid Tony not break up the fight. Despite his size Thor was faster, much faster, his blows coming too quick and too coordinated for her to block them all. When the first one slipped through her defences and dodging, it broke her ability to stop more causing her to suddenly become a human punching bag. She was forced to take several strides back before an upswing from Mjolnir launched her backwards, which she was grateful for, as it allowed her to retaliate.

Kal's vision was momentarily blinded by both the blast to his face and then the massive amount of light that suddenly illuminated one half of the clearing. If Kal had to guess Thor had just ticked off Carol and she was moving to end the fight. However, Kal had his own worries as several more blasts struck him along with small missiles as Tony circled around him in the air. A sudden blast to the back of his legs and an armoured punch caused Kal to become laid flat on the ground looking up at Tony standing over him.

"Had enough yet?" Tony stated between laboured breaths a hint of pride in his voice that his new suit was working so well and that he had managed to get the upper hand against an alien god.

"No." Kal's single word was accompanied by his fist launching itself upwards and knocking Tony into the air.

Kal was still capable of superhuman feats and more than capable of dealing with Tony. Before the billionaire could register what was happening Kal had flown up, grabbed his leg, and slammed him back into the earth. Tony had a brief reprieve before Kal landed on top of him feet first driving him further into the crater he had made. He expected Kal to unleash a series of blows but all he saw was one hand extended to the side before a blur flew into it.

Kal twirled his mighty weapon in his hand and felt his aching body and waning strength from the spell halt as the rush of Gram's solar power poured back into him. Kal lifted the blade up, ready to cut the suit off of Tony only for Thor's body to crash into him as Carol punched his brother through a large rock that had been between the two fights. Kal managed to turn in the air and skid to a halt along with Thor who had a broad grin on his face evidently loving the fight they were in.

Thor raised his hammer to the sky causing a bolt of lightning to come crashing down electrifying Mjolnir, which he then blasted at Iron Man as he was the only target currently before them. It was just then that Carol came flying back into view. She had to halt herself and raise one hand to her face to stop herself from being blinded by Thor's attack which hadn't work as intended, as instead of melting Tony's armour or sending the man back, the Iron Man suit suddenly glowed with pent up power, which Tony then unleashed on Kal and Thor.

Thor flew backwards as the beams struck him however Kal managed to cut his beam in half using his enhanced reflexes. The solar sword of Kal caused Tony's attack to splinter on contact, most of it forming into two beams that blasted past, however several smaller ones reflected off of the Uru surface like light off of a prism. These lesser beams quickly made contact with the few remaining trees, igniting them and setting their surroundings on fire.

As Tony's attack ended Thor immediately flew back to his brother's side his face no longer amused but one of irritation. Thor raised Mjolnir to continue the fight, but a sudden whistling sounded to stop him as a blur suddenly struck Tony. The blur moved quickly and expertly ricocheted off each member of the fight before flying upwards and returning to its owner.

Captain America was standing overlooking the fight that he had just arrived at and although a part of him was telling him that he may be out of his depth he didn't show it. He stood tall and tensed his muscles ready to move at a moment's notice as he looked down at what he could only describe as a battlefield. The surrounding area was on fire, filled with craters and blast marks along with dozens of humanoid sized holes through both treelines and the large boulders of the area.

"I think that is quite enough," Steve stated in a loud booming voice, trying to sound as commanding as possible as he jumped down into the clearing. "Unless you all want to destroy more of the local landscape."

Thor made to respond with a grimace on his face but Kal's hand planted itself on his chest preventing his brother from moving towards the newcomer.

"WE do not," Kal stated as he cast his gaze around the area, more than a little ashamed that he had let the brief fight get so out of hand.

He gave Thor a brief look as he then nodded to the flames around them that were threatening to blaze out of control at any moment. Catching his meaning Thor quickly raised his hammer and a heavy but quick downpour drenched the surrounding treeline, quenching the fires before they could spread further.

"Good. Are you gentlemen here to free Loki, or not?" Steve asked calmly to the two very large and armed men before him.

"We've come here to put an end to Loki's scheming," Thor stated forcefully, however Kal gave him a critical glance that caused him to become more subdued.

"Are you?" Steve asked while noticing the gaze that Kal had just given his brother, causing Steve to tense his shield arm preparing for a fight.

"It appears we are," Kal stated, his eyes still lingering on Thor before he turned back to Steve showing him complete honesty. "All we want is to protect your world from our wayward brother's machinations. Let us take him and we can resolve this."

"Sorry gentlemen, I just can't do that," Steve stated firmly, looking Kal directly in the eye not flinching before the incredibly tall man. "He has a lot to answer for and you must understand that we can't just let you take him."

"We are not -" Thor started to respond but was cut off by his brother.

"We do." Kal's response caused Thor's eyes to go wide and made a move to argue with Kal, but his brother raised one hand and pressed on. "What about a compromise?"

"Such as?" Steve asked. He had a feeling he knew what Kal was going to offer.

"You take him, BUT we come as well, and he'll be your prisoner until we get this all sorted out. That way you can keep an eye on us, and we can make sure our brother is being treated justly." Kal offered as he extended his right hand out towards Steve to seal their proposed bargain.

"Very well," Steve took Kal's hand and tried to suppress a wince at how strong of a grip the other man had. Once he got his hand back, he lifted one hand to his ear and addressed their transport. "Agent Romanoff, bring in the Quinjet to my position and tell the boys to make room. We have two extra passengers, non-hostiles."

As everyone moved back towards Loki with Steve and Thor leading the way, both men keeping an eye on each other, Kal suppressed a chuckle as he felt Carol glide in next to him.

"You were pulling your punches." Carol quipped at Kal with a friendly smirk on her face as he glided beside him.

"You were too, my brother doesn't appear to be a pile of ash." Kal quipped back falling into a friendly banter that he had missed more than he realised as he pushed off the ground to fly alongside Carol.

"Well, I still owed you for that time on D'Rill." Carol quickly quipped back a soft smile on her face as he looked at Kal. "Besides, if I ever meet the rest of your family it would be a poor impression if I had roasted your elder brother alive."

"Yes, I cannot say the Allfather would appreciate that." Kal chuckled at Carol's joke before going silent for a few moments, staring outwards into nothing as his mind raced.

Memories of their last time together played through his head. He and Carol had been unstoppable together; they had righted wrongs, saved millions of lives and grown closer than he had ever intended. Not that was a bad thing, it was just that he had left Carol on a fool's quest for answers, he had stated it was because he thought he could find the answers better alone in places beyond the known realms. In truth, however, Kal had just run. That time of his life had been so confusing, he had wanted to do everything alone and the thought of someone being that close to him had scared him at the time.

"…...I've missed this, I should never have left," Kal whispered, not realising that he was starting to gain altitude in his flight until he felt Carol's hand on his shoulder.

"That's true." Carol joked with a grin before she released a sigh, as a seriousness overcame her. "We can deal with all that later but for now another world needs saving."

"Indeed." Kal nodded his head and made a move to return to the ground but was stopped by Carol who had a playful grin on her face.

"I'll race you." Carol offered with a confident glint in her eye that he had grown to both admire and love.

"You'll lose," Kal responded with an equally confident bravado.

"We'll see," Carol stated in a whisper before she turned her head and addressed the group that had yet to reach Loki or become aware of the duo's conversation. "Hey Cap I'm going to take Kal back know, keep an eye on him and free up room in the Quinjet."

Steve turned around and saw the two of them floating behind the group almost a dozen feet off the ground, something that he was still getting used to. He met Carol's eyes and gave her a questioning look that she just returned with a confident and honest nod of her head. Steve sighed. He wasn't completely happy with it; he felt that he could trust Carol and Kal, but he also felt that this was an easy way for him to gain their trust.

"We will see you back at HQ and I'll brief Fury," Carol replied to Steve before she turned back to Kal with a smile. "Come on Rocketman, loser buys drinks."

(Shield Helicarrier – Somewhere off the East Coast – May 4th, 2012)

Kal was standing at a large circular table that had been placed just behind the command deck of the mortal vessel as he watched the live footage of Fury trying to interrogate his brother. Kal could feel the occasional glance being thrown his way by not only members of the team Fury had assembled but also the crew of the vessel. However, he ignored all of them and focused his attention on the image of Loki looking for any subtle hint into his brother's twisting and deceiving mind.

"It is an impressive cage, although not built for me I think." Loki declared as he outstretched his arms gesturing to the very impressive cell that was built to drop from the Helicarrier at the first sign of danger. Loki was acting as if he was on stage performing for an audience which was causing Kal to frown in concern, his brother was playing games which was never good.

"Built for something a lot stronger than you." Fury stated back placing his one remaining hand behind his back as he stared Loki down, the god of mischief just smirked at his attempt.

"Ah yes, I have heard," Loki stated as his smirk grew wider and he turned to look directly at the camera overhead . "A mindless beast. That makes merry and plays that he is still a man. How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"

"Are your brothers included in that mix?" Fury asked, raising an eyebrow, his question almost caught Loki off guard as the god's mischievous grin faltered for a second. "Are they lost creatures?"

Loki let out a low chuckle and clapped his hands at Fury's play, finding it engaging and amusing that he finally had someone to match words with.

"Well Thor is certainly a lost creature, the blind stumbling oaf playing at prince, trying to pretend he is anything more than a killer in a suit of armour given to him by an old lying fool." Loki's words were sickening as they seemed to dance through the air causing Thor to shift uncomfortably upon hearing them.

"And Kal?" Fury pressed, noticing that Loki had mentioned only one of his brothers.

"What about him?" Loki asked, narrowing his eyes at Fury and tilting his head to one side.

"Well, you had to know he was here, and he is your brother, so what was the plan to deal with him?" Fury asked his voice calm and neutral in hopes that it would irritate Loki and provoke him into doing something stupid. "Even if he wasn't, I understand that your brother has an impressive reputation, so I ask what your plan was to deal with him?"

Loki stared blankly at Fury for a few moments before he started to chuckle and to the surprise of everyone started to laugh. It was no slight sly laughter or mere giggle but full-throated cackling that caused him to throw his head back. Fury's reaction was to stay neutral, not even raising an eyebrow in surprise at the outburst.

"Mind telling me what's so funny?" Fury asked as Loki's mirth started to die down.

"Oh, you. You are what is amusing my small pathetic mortal." Loki explained looking at Fury like one looked at a lost puppy or small child trying to understand something beyond them. "You think Kal is your ally, perhaps he is for now, but I have something to offer him that you cannot hope to compete with."

"Which is?" Fury pressed as he took a step forward to the containment cell Loki was in, causing the god of mischief to likewise move forward and lean close to the glass as if to whisper a secret to Fury.

"Truth…" Loki murmured before he stood up straight again giving the man across from him a condescending smile "... and a glorious purpose. It must burn you to be so close to greatness, to have had a similar purpose within your hand. To possess the Tesseract, to have such power, unlimited power."

Loki's words caused Fury to frown and tighten his remaining hand into a fist behind his back trying to remain calm in the face of such taunting. Loki then turned to face the camera again, a sly grin on his face as he spoke to his unseen observers.

"And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share. A pitiful excuse for a purpose." Loki mocked before turning back to Fury, his demeanour changing, the mischief left his eyes and was replaced by a frosty glare. "Only for you to be reminded what real power is."

Fury only gave Loki his own smirk as he turned to leave, not even bothering to look back as he spoke over his shoulder. "Well, just let us know if 'real power' wants a sandwich or a magazine."

As the image of the containment cell faded off of the screen Kal was surprised to see the smallest and least warriorlike of those present speak first.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Bruce joked with a small chuckle as he readjusted his glasses to look at the other occupants of the room.

"Loki is going to drag this out for as long as he can," Steve stated, regaining the focus of the group to the task at hand, he then turned to where Thor and Kal were standing. "So you two are his brothers, what's his play?"

"He has an army called the Chitauri. They are not of Asgard or any known world." Thor replied, his voice grave and solemn as he turned to face the group. "He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"So, an army from outer space," Steve stated slowly, still getting to grips with his new reality where all this was the norm. "What about the other one? The guy in black. According to SHIELD's reports, he can do everything you can."

Steve's question was directed at Kal who sighed at the entirely fair comment. He'd been ready for the question, but that made it no less hard.

"I believe the man in the black armour is called Dru-Zod, if Loki is summoning an army to conquer the Earth then Zod will be its General," Kal explained with a pensive look on his face as he tried to sort out everything he knew in his head. "Zod was the military leader of my birth race, the Kryptonians, I suspect he has made a bargain like Loki and is here to ensure that the Tesseract is secured."

"Could you talk to him?" The question came from someone who had slipped in behind the group and was observing around, Kal was greeted by a bald man in an expensive suit with critical green eyes. "If this Zod is a member of your species, could you persuade him to give up the Tesseract?"

"I could try but I suspect the effort would be futile," Kal responded as he looked at the mortal that seemed oddly at ease, not even the veteran SHIELD agents were as calm as him.

"Why?" The man pressed, eyes narrowed at Kal as if he was trying to decipher a hidden puzzle in the god's expression.

"All Kryptonians apart from me were created to fulfil a predetermined role in society, they were engineered even before birth to fulfil it. Zod was… is, a soldier, the greatest soldier of Krypton. He was not created to compromise but to conquer, and he will do everything in his power to complete his mission, including killing everyone on this planet." Kal explained his voice leaving no room for interpretation or argument he also released a small breath before adding quietly. "…he also murdered my biological father."

"Jesus Kal, are you alright?" The question caught everyone's attention as Carol moved off of the wall she had been leaning on to try to comfort her friend.

Kal however just raised a hand signalling she didn't need to come any closer. "I am fine Carol. The focus must be on retrieving the Tesseract and preventing the creation of a portal."

"Um, sorry, portal?" Steve stepped back into the conversation raising his hand to get Kal's attention like he was in school. "What portal?"

"Of course. That's why he needs the Tesseract." Bruce stated loud enough that everyone turned to face him, as he smacked himself on the forehead. "He's trying to open an Einstein–Rosen bridge, the portal, to bring this army to Earth right?"

"That is what we believe he is trying to do, yes," Kal answered the scientist's question whilst Thor also nodded in confirmation.

"Well, that explains what he needs Selvig for. If anyone can open a wormhole with an alien cube it's him." Bruce sighed as he figured out the connecting pieces as to why Loki had taken one of his old colleagues.

"Selvig?" Thor was surprised to hear the name of one of his few mortal friends.

"Yes, Doctor Erik Selvig. He's an astrophysicist." Bruce began to explain thinking the alien was confused by what the word Selvig had meant.

"He's a friend." Thor looked disturbed at that piece of information, and he turned to face his brother. "Kal, you did not tell me that Loki had taken Selvig?"

"I was going to, but I was somewhat busy preventing us from being pulled into a dark magic portal," Kal stated bluntly, giving his brother a hard stare that caused Thor to become uncomfortable.

"Okay, we are getting off-topic here." Nat suddenly stepped into the conversation from her seated position at the table. "Loki has taken Selvig as well as… one of our own. What for, is it all just to open this portal?"

"What I want to know is why Loki let us take him?" Steve asked with a look of concern on his face. His tactical thinking was screaming to him that something was wrong. "He's not leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of -" Bruce started to dismiss Loki as the lesser concern before Kal's voice cut him off.

"Wolf's Jaw," Kal stated simply causing everyone to turn to face him, a look of confusion on their faces except for Thor who had one of realisation.

"Wolf's Jaw?" Nat asked leaning forward wanting to understand what Kal was saying.

"Wolf's Jaw, it's an Asgardian strategy," Kal explained, his voice slow and careful to ensure understanding. "In simple terms, it's giving your enemy a prize, something they will carry back to their fortress. They allow it in, the prize distracts and misdirects your enemy, then only when it's too late do they realise that the prize is no trophy, but bait, allowing the wolves to pounce."

"So, you think Loki let himself get captured just to, what? Distract us?" Steve asked unsure as the tactic seemed way too simple to be a truly effective tool of war. "Surely there are easier ways?"

"I am not certain if it is, Loki although he may not look it, he is a master of warfare, especially subterfuge," Kal replied with conviction in his voice. "So I am certain of one thing if Loki is here it is because he wants to be."

"So how would he open a portal?" The question came from the deputy director of SHIELD, Maria Hill who had just walked over to the table. "You said he needs to open a portal for his army he has, how would he do that?"

"With the Iridium!" Tony's voice called out as everyone turned to see him enter the conference room they were in now that he was out of his suit. "It's a stabilising agent. He needs it to keep the portal open so that it won't collapse in on itself like it did at SHIELD."

"It also means the portal can open as wide and for as long as Loki wishes it to. If Doctor Selvig gets the calculations right." The bald man's voice sounded causing Tony's suave walk to halt as he looked at the man. "You are not the only one that read the briefing on the Tesseract. Tony."

"Lex, surprised to see you here, sorry the first-class cabins are full, you'll have to rough it in steerage," Tony stated with clearly fake concern as a look of scorn threatened his face.

"My accommodations are downright pleasant, Tony. I'd be surprised if yours had room for a footlocker, given how much machinery it must have taken to peel that armour off after it encountered a few sparks." Lex's voice was the same neutral tone it always was which irritated Tony not being able to get a rise out of the man.

Tony scoffed at the barb towards his workmanship. "But Lex is …'right'. About the Iridium, Loki can use it to open the portal how he wants. The rest of the raw materials are easy to get a hold of for someone like Agent Barton. The only major component he would need is a power source of high-energy-density. Something to kick-start the cube."

Tony finished his explanation next to one of the control panels at the edge of the conference area leaning against it briefly earning a glare from Deputy Director Hill that caused him to sigh and push off of it. However, as he did so Kal saw that the man had placed a small metallic disk in the control console that seemed to be interacting with the device.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve asked although he was starting to lose understanding due to all the science stuff, he could still follow that much.

His comment earned him a snort from Lex who had moved to sit at the table next to Natasha which caused her to slide away from him slightly.

"He would have to heat the cube to 120-million Kelvin. Just to break through the Coulomb-" Bruce explained to Steve whilst responding to Tony's statement.

"121.2-million Kelvin to be precise." Lex's voice sounded out, correcting Bruce's statement with a smirk.

"121.236-million Kelvin actually." The voice that corrected Lex surprised everyone, which caused all heads in the room to turn and look at Kal. "Although that is not an issue for them, as with the knowledge Loki possesses, Selvig should be able to overcome the quantum tunnelling effect. Meaning that if my calculations are correct, they would be able to achieve heavy-ion fusion at any nuclear reactor on this planet, or a device of similar power."

The room fell silent for a few moments as the three geniuses just blinked at the musclebound alien who had just explained incredibly advanced physics as if he was talking about the weather. What also made them fall silent was the expression on Kal's face, it was clear he had only just worked it out in the last few minutes.

"Er, yes, that is correct," Lex stated, shaking his head to try and snap himself out of the daze he had just fallen into before a grin appeared on his face looking directly at Kal with slight admiration. "Remarkable, very remarkable indeed."

"Well, I am glad that you are suitably impressed, but we have matters to attend to." Fury's loud commanding voice sounded out, causing everyone to look to where the Director had just returned. "Doctor Banner, Mr Stark with that information would you be able to – AUGH!"

Fury was cut off when he suddenly found himself lifted off the ground by his throat, his feet dangling in the air, staring down into a pair of glowing red eyes. Kal in the blink of an eye had moved across the room and was now threatening the Director of SHIELD, a frown fixed on his face as if it had been carved from stone. The entire room went quiet, as everyone was stunned into silence by the sudden act.

"Drop him now!" Maria Hill's voice broke the silence that had fallen over the room, she had withdrawn her sidearm and was pointing it directly at Kal.

"Kal what the HELL?! Drop him." Carol's voice sounded out, as she sprung into a hesitant fighting stance not sure what was happening, an action mirrored by Steve and Nat.

"Brother…?" Thor asked he too had moved but to place himself between his sibling and the swarm of agents that had gathered at the edge of the conference area, a worried tone in his voice.

"Fury" Kal despite the scowl on his face and the high tension in the area sounded eerily calm as he looked at the spymaster. "My dear friend, we need to talk about the Tesseract."