Chapter 77: Thor Is Furious

Loki didn't like the look on Luke's face. The kid was smirking again. And that smirk, he knew it too well, just like his own... and it never meant anything good. A terrible premonition twisted in his chest. He darted to the edge of his transparent cell, peering down through the reinforced glass floor, and froze. The hatch beneath the cell was open. Wind howled from the gap like a living beast. Far, far below, only mist and an endless abyss waited. Loki's pupils shrank. "No... no no no." He remembered the cell introduction from Fury's earlier tour. It wasn't built just to contain him. It was originally designed for the Hulk, and its most terrifying feature was the ability to eject the entire pod mid-air. A fall from this altitude, nine kilometers up, would reduce even a god like him to broken pieces. Loki's face went pale. He hadn't said anything that outrageous. He hadn't attacked anyone. Plus Luke didn't even touch a switch! So... why was the floor opening? And why was that smug mortal waving goodbye like they were boarding separate flights? FWOOOSH~! In an instant, the cell dropped, vanishing from Luke's line of sight. Luke leaned forward, hands in pockets, watching the dot that was Loki grow smaller by the second. He even squinted to catch a glimpse of the panicked expression on the god's face as he plummeted. 'System... you've outdone yourself,' Luke thought with a grin. ... Back in the helicarrier's lab, the Avengers' argument was cut short by a panicked voice in Nick Fury's earpiece. "Director! Emergency! Loki's cell has just been ejected!" Fury's eyes widened. "What?!" Without another word, he turned and sprinted toward the containment bay. Thor, who'd overheard everything, went stiff with dread. He didn't wait. In a blur of movement, he shoved past the others, stormed down the corridor, and took off running, immediately surpassing Fury. ... Despite all their recent friction, and even the truth of their bloodlines, Loki was still his brother. Thor still remembered him as the mischievous boy who grew up at his side, not the god of mischief who'd betrayed Asgard. And right now, that brother was falling to his death. The wind's roar became deafening as he neared the chamber. And when he entered, he saw the hole in the floor wide open, wind still howling. Luke stood nearby, gazing down casually as if watching someone fly a kite. Thor's eyes blazed. "You," he growled. But there was no time to argue. He gripped Mjölnir and swiftly dived after the falling cell. ... A few seconds later, Nick Fury arrived, out of breath. When he saw Luke standing alone in the room, realization dawned. He froze. Then exhaled with a sigh of dread. "Yale... did you throw Loki down there?" His voice was tense, but careful, very careful. There was no one else in the room. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. Luke shrugged, pointing lazily at the untouched switch. "Who, me? Nah. Your machine must've glitched. Maybe a short circuit? Happens." The safety cover wasn't even flipped open. Fury stared at it. Then at Luke. Then sighed again. "Right. Glitched. Of course." He didn't believe a word of it. But what could he do? Arguing with Luke wouldn't get him anywhere. At best, Luke would keep playing innocent. At worst? Fury didn't even want to picture it. "Control," he snapped into the comm. "Run a full diagnostic on the containment system. Now!" He knew he would need to provide an answer to an angry god of thunder soon. ... Meanwhile, outside the helicarrier... A quinjet streaked through the clouds. Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, was at the controls, scanning the sky. His sharp eyes locked onto a glass pod plummeting through the air. Inside it: Loki, looking full of panic. Barton's instincts kicked in. No time for hesitation. He toggled the weapons system and fired two precision rounds, both hitting the glass cell at perfect weak points, without touching Loki. "Come on, you slippery bastard... fall right into our hands," Barton muttered. Seconds later, the cell shattered against the ground, scattering glass across the terrain. But Loki was already gone. ... By the time Thor landed on the ground, Mjölnir at the ready, there was nothing left but glass shards. No body. No signs of Loki. Only cold wind and empty grass. "He's gone," Thor muttered in relief, trusting his brother's ability to survive, but his grip still tightened around the hammer. He looked skyward, jaw clenched. The only thing he was sure of now was this: Someone would have to pay. This could even be considered a declaration of war to Asgard. ... Moments later, thunder cracked across the sky. Back on the helicarrier's deck, without knocking or waiting, Thor smashed the entrance open with his hammer. The heavy doors crumbled under the blow. Lightning danced across his armor as he stormed through. "LUKE!" he bellowed. "COME OUT AND ANSWER FOR YOUR ACTIONS!" His voice echoed through the halls, shaking the entire airship. Inside the control room, everyone froze. Even the agents stopped typing. Nick Fury's soul momentarily left his body. 'Motherfucker' he cursed internally, then turned slowly to Luke. "You, uh... you're not gonna take that personally, are you?" Luke didn't answer. He was already rising from his seat. Fury broke into a cold sweat. His mind was already picturing the worst: Thor and Luke in a standoff, right in the middle of the deck. Thor's hammer surging with lightning. Luke's robot and dog arriving behind him. Fire, destruction, a three-headed monster. And the helicarrier reduced to scrap metal raining over half the Atlantic. "Gods damn it," Fury thought, rubbing his temple. "When gods fight... mortals pay the price." ...