It was the first naturally occurring thunderstorm of the year, seeing as all the ones Thor made didn't really count, but tonight wasn't peaceful by any means. Although the Thunderer did not bring this storm to fight injustice this night, there was another using it as cover for their battle against New York City's underbelly. Just like so many other nights over the past few weeks an unknown vigilante, a being described as shadow and death came out of the dark to exact revenge, but against who precisely was unclear. No villain or petty crook was safe from their wrath, although this individual seemed to target larger groups of criminals, being gangs for the most part. The Mode Blanks, Ghost Boys, Dogs of Hell, and Concrete Dragons, had already been dealt with, the majority of them either incarcerated, hospitalized, or dead, with many of the other gangs of New York laying low in the meantime, as this vigilante was no joke.
On the menu tonight for this vigilante was the gang known as Poison Memories, they had a hideout on the Lower East Side, in an old warehouse that used to manufacture fabric. These guys were cocky, Kimeiko Ashu, the gang's leader seemed unphased, as this so-called "Shadow Killer", one of several nicknames for this vigilante, was nothing against the might of his gang. Mr.Ashu was forced to eat those words as he watched every single member of his crew get cut down without mercy, the entire warehouse soon stained with their blood and his own. Well, watched was a strong word as he didn't actually see the vigilante, no one did, you'd only hear the screams of their victims and see the mess they left behind, that was of course until you became their next target. Not like seeing this vigilante would change anything, or lead them to be caught, as they had a disguise, well technically Loki used an entirely different form when he went out under the cover of darkness.
The God of Mischief was losing his mind, you had been missing for weeks and all the leads they had only hit dead ends, as far as anyone could tell, you were really gone. Loki couldn't accept it, nor would he, he'd keep searching until he found you, even if he had to scour every last inch of Midgard in order to find you. The hold you had over him was suffocating, Loki could barely breathe or function knowing you were in the arms of a monster, a monster who could be doing unspeakable things to you. There was no way to get rid of these feelings, the only relief he found was when he went out every once in a while to lay waste to the scum of the Earth, not destroying them by casting spells but by using weaponry to cut all those filthy mortals down. His blades had not feasted like this, not in centuries, nor had he ever gone so savage before, fighting and duelling was always a dance in which he enjoyed but now, there was no joy, only suffering.
The Avengers and other heroes still helped from time to time, chasing down new leads as they came, if they came at all but even they started to doubt the likelihood of finding you. Not that they wanted to give up but after weeks of getting nowhere, they lost hope, sinking down into depression from losing a friend, so they tried to focus on other things. Even Thor was starting to waver, not doubting his brother's intentions by any means, but he worried for him, as the Thunderer knew what losing you was doing to Loki, what it could turn him into if he kept going down this path. Loki began to feel like everyone was turning against him, or that they were only pretending to care, not even his own father would help, forebaying Heimdall from using his sight to locate you. Thor protested to this of course, but Odin was firm on the subject, with Loki even declaring that if you died he would never forgive him and would lay waste to Asgard. Thor didn't exactly agree with destroying Asgard, as they weren't at fault for their father's decisions but he stood by Loki, declaring that if you were indeed lost, he would never forgive Odin, forfeiting his claim to the throne and place as the crown prince of Asgard.
Loki didn't expect Thor to react like that, well at least he still had his brother, there was no one else though, except maybe a certain snake he'd sometimes spend time with. Actually, Loki went to see Lily almost every day, teleporting to the island Shield had put her on, as they couldn't have a giant snake in New York, not only was it against the law but it seemed cruel to keep her in such a small space. It was actually something you brought up on more than one occasion with Loki, your worry as Lily didn't stop growing you wouldn't be able to keep her, although you would be fine living in a tiny house, you doubted she would. Loki knew you would hate it if Lily was put in a Zoo or ended up in a lab, so after some initial tests to determine what species she was, discovering that she was in fact, a lab experiment to bring back Titianoboa and weaponize them. It was an experiment Shield put an end to a couple of years ago, or so they thought, clearly several specimens survived and although Shield debated putting her down, the Shield Academy, as well as several Avengers, stood in their way. So Fury ended up turning Sandman's old prison island into a place for Lily, but without you, your snakey baby was still very sad, barely leaving her new bed, unless Thor or Loki stopped by.
It was Prom Night now, the only reason Loki knew this was because Ms.Watson told him, even inviting him and Thor to the festivities, as other Shield instructors would be attending. The Prom at Midtown High was cancelled due to the incident but the Shield Academy decided to throw one on the night it was supposed to happen, Thor and Captain America were set to go. The Thunderer implored his brother to come along, as it would be fun and all the young heroes were looking forward to seeing him, but the God of Mischief had other plans that night. Thor didn't know his brother was this "Shadow Killer" character but he knew something was up, finding that Loki was gone most nights, beyond worried that he was planning something, something one couldn't come back from. Loki still wasn't interested in going, telling his brother as much, it was a stupid Midgardian adolescent event, the festivities would be loud and immature, and the young heroes even more so.
"Oh, come on brother, I believe this is what you need... a break, how many nights have you gone out there, doing who knows what," Thor said as he came over into Loki's room, trying to convince him once again to come along with him to the party. "I'm still not interested Thor, no matter how many times you ask, there is nothing you could say to change my mind", Loki said, still obviously very annoyed by his brother, but it didn't reflect as such in his voice, sounding more tired than anything else. Of course, Loki was tired, he was exhausted, and a fucking mess, to say the least, he was losing it, assuming he wasn't already gone, but there was one thing keeping him from completely falling apart. The God of Mischief knew that you were still out there, somewhere, and until he was proven wrong, he would hold on, he would keep going, for you and only you.
Thor wouldn't let up though and it turned into an argument, with Loki about to reach his breaking point, so ready to just stab his brother in the abdomen and call it a day. That was until the Black Widow came bursting into the room, first catching her breath as it appeared she ran as fast as she could to alert the Asgardians of something. Thor quickly went to her, asking what the situation was, concerned it was very bad as Natasha seemed nervous, and she was never nervous about anything, like the world could be literally ending and Agent Romanoff would be as cool as a cucumber. "It's Gracie, she's alive... she just called..." Natasha breathed, still catching her breath, but she didn't have time to say anything else before both Loki and Thor were out the door. Loki was overwhelmed, elated that you were alive but also extremely irate, wanting very badly to know where you were so he could teleport there to save you and destroy Cody Reich.
It was less than 5 minutes ago, Hawkeye was the one on Emergency Avengers Hotline Duty that evening, not that he was complaining, as hardly anyone would ever call. The majority of the other Avengers were going out that evening for parties, dates, and the like, but that made sense, seeing as it was Saturday and a warm one at that. Clint was looking forward to a quiet night in, he already had a movie picked out and a boatload of snacks all ready to go, but the second his butt made contact with the couch the phone rang. Hawkeye let out an exasperated groan as he got up to grab the phone, not mad about it exactly, as someone could be hurt but he was annoyed that someone needed their help when it was his turn to man the Hotline. Clint hoped it was just a person who dialled the wrong number or something like that but when he heard who was on the other end, he kind of went into shock for a moment, as it was your voice he heard.
Tony and Natasha were about to head out but not together as their idea of a "good time" was very different from each other, they just happened to be leaving at the same time. Hawkeye caught them just as they were heading onto the elevator, nearly falling over in the process, but he caught himself, quickly straightening up saying it was you on the phone. Their eyes go wide and they ask if Clint was certain it was you on the line which he was, and they look at each other for a moment before Tony and Clint head to the lab to track the phone number while Natasha ran off to alert the Asgardians. Tony picks up the phone and says hi, relieved to hear your sweet and polite greeting before he tells you to remain calm, everything would be alright, they'd find you. Hawkeye and Iron Man ran into Captain America on the way and drag him off to the lab with them, so they could come up with a plan of extraction while they find your location.
You sound like you're about to cry so as Tony starts to trace your call he places you on speakerphone so you could talk to Clint and Steve, who just start up a normal conversation with you. But within less than 30 seconds Loki and Thor arrive and quickly take over the phone call, and they can hear you as you let out a sigh of relief before whispering hello. "Love, are you alright?" Loki asked while trying to keep his voice steady and calm as he was very tempted to shout as he was that emotional, but you said you were fine while trying but not succeeding to hold back your tears. "Don't cry Love, it will be alright, I'll come and take you home" Loki whispered, as he hushed you, repeating his words to you, and he felt a little better as you seemed to calm down. You then asked how Lily was, if she was eating and all that and Loki hesitated, knowing how you'd probably react, but he responded the second you call his name again, "she's fine darling, missing you of course but you'll see her soon, I promise". You were seemingly about to say something else but you let out a gasp, whispering that he figured it out, and Loki began calling out your name, asking repeatedly what you meant and what was happening as you weren't responding. The next thing they heard was several loud crashing noises, then what sounded like someone shouting, and then a deafening roar before they heard you let out a scream, then nothing. The call then went dead, and Loki's eyes went wide, too shocked to do anything for a moment before turning to Stark demanding to know where the call came from.
Even though the call cut out they could still trace the number, with Iron Man shortly informing them that the call came from the Rocky Mountains in Canada, specifically on Mount Cartier, near the small town of Revelstoke, British Columbia. "Even at top speed the Quinjet will take about an hour to get there," Natasha said, before Steve responded as he headed for the door, "then what are we waiting for, suit up!". They all head off with Tony ordering Friday to start up the Quinjet before quickly throwing on his armour, heading straight for the balcony, which confused the others for a moment. "I'll meet you there" the billionaire shouted back before zooming off into the sky as he could get there in about half the time, as his Iron Man's suit could easily reach Mach 5. While Thor and Loki didn't waste any time summoning their hammer and sceptre respectively, with the Thunderer taking hold of his brother's shoulder, knowing he wouldn't waste time and teleport directly there.
The Asgardians arrived on the side of Mount Cartier, midway up the mountain, in and among dense trees, watching the sun dip down below the Horizon. At least Loki and Thor would have had a clear view of the sunset if they weren't in the middle of a snowstorm, something Stark failed to warn them about. They didn't have time to complain about it though, you were in danger, and Loki didn't even want to think about what Cody could be doing to you for calling them, as it was obviously something he didn't want to happen. Thor went up into the sky to slow down the storm, spotting lights in the distance, and as the Thunderer approached he could see that it was a cabin, most likely the one you were being held at. They head towards the house, although mini-mansion might be a better description, considering how big and fancy the place was, as it was even partly built into the side of the mountain.
Thor wasted no time busting down the front door with his hammer, it was huge, metal and heavy, at least for a regular Midgardian but it broke open like any other door, with Mjölnir leaving a sizeable dent in the door. What the Asgardians didn't expect was the alarm that went off the second the door was opened, and they stayed on their guard as they searched the house, fully aware that they lost the element of surprise. The God of Mischief found the alarm more than a little irritating but not knowing how to shut it off he merely closed the door, and thankfully that turned it off. Thor and Loki then decided to split up, as they could cover more ground that way, with the God of Mischief searching the downstairs floor and the Thunderer going upstairs.
Loki kept calling out your name, in the hopes you'd call out to him but no luck, no one seemed to be there, not you nor Cody, and the God of Mischief checked every room. Eventually though, Loki found a staircase leading down into the part of the cabin that was actually in the mountain, and quickly headed finding something shocking, something that made his blood boil. The God of Mischief entered into a large room, it was mostly empty except for the cage in the very center and it wasn't hard for Loki to put it together, that Cody kept you in that cage. It looked like the kind of cage one might keep a tiger or small bear in for transport, but not a person, and he should know, as the God of Mischief had been locked up before. You couldn't even stand up in this thing, nor lay down completely, and it broke Loki's heart a little imagining you lock in that little cage, crying all alone in such a cold, dark room.
"Brother?" Thor repeats for like the twelfth time, the Thunderer had found something he was certain Loki would want to see except he couldn't find the God of Mischief anywhere. Thor eventually found the stairs leading down into the earth, and he was horrified, as Loki was, at spotting the cage, putting it all together but perhaps not as quickly as his brother. Thor found Loki crouched down, gazing at the floor of the cage, with one hand on the thick bars, and a look of hatred and sadness etched upon his face, his distress made quite plain. The Thunderer called out to his brother, but the God of Mischief did not respond and Thor could not tell if Loki was in shock or merely lost in thought, contemplating what to do to Cody Reich. Thor hurried over placing his hand upon Loki's shoulder to shake him back to reality, they still had to find you, there was no time to worry about such things, telling his brother they could get what the mortals call a "therapist" to talk to, but only after they locate you. "Brother... Loki, Listen! I have found a clue but time is of the essence, she will not last long against this beast", Thor said, two seconds away from slapping his brother back to reality.
Loki finally snapped out of it, about to apologize but Thor understood, there was no need for an apology, with the Thunderer simply placing his hand upon his brother's shoulder again. Thor gazed at his brother with a look that was meant to express this, that he understood and that he would be there for him, even giving Loki a little nod of the head, before finally speaking, saying that it would be alright. So together the Asgardians headed off to what Thor found, into a room with a thick, secured door, not as heavy as the main one but it was similar enough to take note of it. They opened the door, finding it very chilly, well Thor found it a little cold while Loki noticed the change in temperature but found that like usual, it didn't really affect him. There was a large hole in the upper portion of the outer wall, presumably where a window used to be and because of the snowstorm, the room itself was now as cold as ice and half-filled with snow.
Looking through the other door, they found a bathroom, and it was not filled with snow, but they did find the room destroyed, the mirror was shattered, the counter and toilet smashed to pieces and the walls all torn up with claw marks. Loki then took note of all the blood, little pools and puddles of the stuff all over the room as well as small bloody handprints and finger marks that would no doubt match yours. Loki then noticed that there was a bloody handprint on the wall with the giant hole, obscured a bit by the snow but it was there and they followed the blood trail. It led them outside through the hole, over to a group of nearby trees, with your last bloody handprint smudged on a large rock not too far away from the house, it was most likely that your wounds healed up and you couldn't mark up anything else. Not that it would be hard to track the two of you as Cody left behind a clear path of destruction, with the occasional smashed rock and dozens of trees in pieces.
Even in this giant storm, the path he took was clear, they just hoped that they could reach you in time when suddenly the Asgardians heard something coming from behind. They turned to see Iron Man land on the helipad of the house, before spotting Thor and Loki and joining them on the ground to compare notes, handing them each an earpiece as they always forgot their own. "Gracie wasn't in the house and neither was Cody... the trail led us here, but the blood is fresh, they couldn't have gone too far," Thor said before asking when the others would be arriving. "Natasha said they're about 20 minutes out and the helipad should be big enough for them to land on but it's going to be a hell of a lot harder in this storm", Tony said before suggesting Thor head up into the sky so he could focus on slowing down the storm while Loki and himself continue the search. So with a plan sort of in place, Loki and Iron Man followed the trail of destruction while Thor headed into the eye of the storm to slow it down, but considering how big it was it would take time.
Iron Man flew up just above the trees, tracking the weak Gamma signature Cody left behind, while Loki kept moving down the mountain on foot, continuously calling your name. "I got something and it's big," Iron Man called down to Loki, warning the God of Mischief that the creature on his radar was right up ahead and a bit down to the right. Loki wasted no time changing directions slightly, speeding up as he headed towards the creature, you felt so close and yet so far away to him, and the God of Mischief wasn't sure how to feel in that moment. Loki stepped into an open field with a layer of snow close to a meter deep in some parts and with the snowstorm subsiding the God of Mischief could see him clearly. Just as Iron Man flew in and landed next to him, the creature formally known as Cody Reich turned to face them, licking the blood from off his claws and forearms.
The creature was pushing nearly 9 feet now, eyes glowing neon green as were the many veins that bulged out from his body and seeing how dark it was they showed that much brighter. He looked even more monstrous than the Hulk, his skin appearing more scale-ish and stone-like than before, with sharper and more jagged teeth, he was no longer human. They observed that he appear to be wearing what remained of a suit, the jacket, vest, and dress shirt were torn up and missing their sleeves, not to mention covered in lots of blood. The blood on his trousers was less obvious, as they were darker than the top half of his outfit, but they were just as torn up, seemingly ripping from him growing and tearing at himself.
Although Loki wasn't interested at all in making a deal or whatever, Iron Man was determined to reason with Cody, as it was the safest way to get you back. But when Tony addressed him, slowly approaching, all the billionaire received in return were growls and grunts, realizing very quickly that Cody might be really gone. The more Tony interacted with Cody the more upset and angrier he got, with him getting louder and louder until finally, he snapped, letting out a mighty roar before charging at the heroes.