Out Of Time

forty-six

"Is there anything we know for certain?"

"The Tesseract is misbehaving."

"Is that supposed to be funny?"

"No, it's not funny at all. The Tesseract is not only active, she's... misbehaving."

"How soon until you pull the plug?"

"She's an energy source, Fury," Y/N stated as the men neared her. "If we turn off the power, she turns it back on."

"If she reaches peak level-" Selvig began.

"We've prepared for this doctor," Fury said. "Harnessing energy from space."

"We don't have the harness. Our calculations are far from complete. Now she's throwing off interference, radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation."

"That can be harmful. Where's Barton?"

"The Hawk?"

"Up in his nest," Y/N answered, "as usual." The three of them looked up at Barton, who had not stopped looking at the cube.

"Agent Barton, report," Fury ordered. Barton rappelled down from where he was to where Fury, Y/N, and Coulson were. "I gave yo this detail so you could keep a close eye on things."

"Well, I see better from a distance," Clint answered.

"Are you seeing anything that might set this thing off?"

Y/N suddenly felt another change in the cube as a NASA scientist said, "Doctor, it's spiking again."

"No one's come or gone," Clint stated. "Its oven is clean. No contacts, no IM's. If there was any tampering, sir, it wasn't at this end."

"At this end?" Fury questioned.

"The cube is a portal," Y/N said, staring at the object. "Or so we think... A door way of sorts. And don't doors open from both sides?"

Suddenly, Y/N can feel a shift in the Tesseract's energy. The cube thunders and shakes the whole facility as Y/N slowly moved towards it. The cube slowly bagged to glow brighter and emitted a ring of light before building a beam. The power hit the edge of the platform, forming a vortex which quickly became a portal. Y/N looks through the portal to see space, similar looking to what she saw with Red Skull. A gust of blue energy knocks everyone but Y/N back. Y/N watched, terrified, as a man stepped through the open portal. He was pale, wearing mostly green. His sneak black hair was greased back and his eyes were an unnatural shade of blue.

A buzz began to start in Y/N's head. She focused on the spear in the man's hand, specifically the yellow stone in it. She immediately knew that it was one of the 6 Stones she had seen. Y/N knew it was the Mind Stone.

The portal vanished behind the grinning man. Slowly, his grin turned into a frown as he sees everyone looking at him, pointing weapons in his direction.

"Sir," Fury called out, "please put down the spear."

The man raised his spear and emitted a blast of blue energy from it, aiming towards Fury. Y/N followed the blast to watch Clint narrowly tackle Fury out of the way. The other SHIELD agents around began firing at Loki, but the bullets deflected off of him. Y/N couldn't move to fight him, the buzz in her head growing louder and because of how terrified she was. The man quickly took down everyone that was shooting at him, easily. Y/N watched at Clint attempted to also attack the man, but was quickly disarmed.

"You have heart," the man told Clint. The man placed the tip of the spear against Clint's chest.

"No!" Y/N shouts, running towards them. But it was too late.

Her friend's eyes went a strange shade of blue and he stopped resisting. Before the man could notice, Fury grabbed Y/N by her arm and dragged her towards the Tesseract. Fury placed it in a briefcase and began to lead Y/N out of there.

"Please don't," the man said. "I still need that." Fury and Y/N turned to face the man.

"This doesn't have to get any messier," Fury said.

"Of course it does. I've come too far for anything else. I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose."

"Loki?" Selvig questioned from behind Fury and Y/N. "Brother of Thor?"

"We have no quarrel with your people," Fury stated.

"An ant has no quarrel with a boot," Loki responded.

"You planning to step on us?"

"I come with glad tidings, of a world made free."

"Free from what?" Y/N shakily asked, unable to take her eyes off of the spear in the man's hand.

"Freedom," Loki replied, "Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart..." Loki spun around to face Selvig, who was now behind him, and placed the spear against his heart. Causing Selvig's eyes to glow blue. "You will know peace."

"Yeah, you say peace," Fury started, "I kind of think you mean the other thing."

"Sir," Clint called to Loki, "Director Fury and Agent Rogers are stalling. This place is about to blow. Drop a hundred feet of rock on us. They mean to bury us."

"Like the Pharaoh's of old."

"He's right," Selvig said. "The portal is collapsing in on itself. You got maybe two minutes before this goes critical."

"Well then," Loki smirked.

Loki looked at Clint, who, without hesitation, shot at Fury. Fury fell to the ground. Clint ran over, gun held towards Y/N, and grabbed the briefcase.

"Clint, please," Y/N pleaded. "Don't do this."

"Shoot her," Loki ordered.

"I don't think that's a good idea, sir," Clint responded.

"Why do you think that?"

"She's special. She has some sort of connection with the cube."

"Really?" Loki circled around Y/N, studying her. "This mere mortal as a connection with an Infinity Stone?"

"It would seem that way, sir."

"Interesting. You might be of great use to the cause then." Y/N flinched as Loki put the spear to her chest. Nothing happened. "Impossible." Loki tried again, with the same result. "What makes you so special?"

"Nothing," Y/N responded. "Or, maybe us mortals are stronger than you give us credit for?"

Y/N kicked Loki's legs out from underneath him, causing him to fall over. She quickly dodged a bullet from Clint as she ran towards him, knowing she needed to get the briefcase. Y/n kicked Clint in the chest, knocking him to the ground and the briefcase out of his hand. Going for the briefcase, Y/N was stopped by Clint grabbing her ankle. She fell to the floor, hard, causing her head to throb. Loki stalked over, flipping Y/N onto her back.

"We need to go, sir," Clint warned, briefcase in hand.

Loki brushed some of Y/N's hair out of her face. "I have a feeling we'll see each other soon," he whispered. "Until then, you need to rest."

Then he hit her with the spear, causing Y/N to black out.