› CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO ‹
After a few days of being holed up in Loki's living quarters, Raleigh was beginning to feel like he was losing his bearings. He couldn't stand sitting around and doing nothing, especially when that nothing was within a building he knew nothing about, that was in a planet he knew just as little about. It didn't help that Loki continuously left him on his own, while he went to parties or events the Grandmaster held.
So around midday, he left the apartment and explored the huge building he was being held captive in. There were dozens upon dozens of other alien-people-creatures roaming around the halls dressed in unusual outfits. He wanted to walk out of the entrance of the building, but he was worried he'd get lost and then be forced back into the same situation he was in when he first landed on Sakaar.
So a few hours after starting his exploration, he decided to head back to their shared apartment. Yet, as he rounded the corner to the hallway the apartment was placed, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Guards that resembled giant lego men marched in a group of three through the hallway, stopping as they found the apartment Loki was given. Raleigh stepped back behind the wall, only keeping his head out to observe the Grandmaster's guards. One of them broke down the door after not receiving an answer from the knock. Two of them marched inside, while the other remained outside to keep watch and discourage outsiders' attention.
One of them yelled out something in a different language from inside the apartment and when no reply sounded, shattering and busting could be heard loudly from inside the room and into the hallway. After a while of breaking things, the same person who spoke early talked to their colleagues and the two left the room and met into the hallway once more. The three left, fortunately leaving in the opposite direction of where he was hiding.
Raleigh stepped back and leaned his back against the wall. Why were the guards looking for Loki? Or were they searching for him? Passerbys glimpsed at the teenager, but everyone's attention adverted towards the window as a deafening alarm echoed through the streets of Sakaar.
Following everyone, Raleigh glanced out of the window, only to see the giant hologram of the Grandmaster.
"Sakaar, hear ye. Attention, please. I have some bad news." He started. "My beloved exalted champion has turned up missing. Take to the streets. Celebrate my champion."
Raleigh blinked, realizing that Thor must have had something to do with Hulk's disappearance. It still didn't make sense why the guards would be looking for Loki or him, though, unless they thought one or both of them had a hand in Thor escaping with Hulk. He hadn't seen Loki, meaning he probably had already been found, but he was still roaming free and that made him suspicious. He sure as hell wasn't going to hand himself into the Grandmaster, though. He needed to find Thor.
Backing away from everyone, he pulled up the hood of his jacket and headed towards the exit.
Many of the Sakaarians in the apartment pushed through the thin boy, holding signs and dressed in Hulk related outfits and masks. They cheered in joy as they joined the growing parade outside. Raleigh swallowed nervously noting how the streets were rapidly becoming filled and hectic. It was going to not only make it difficult to locate Thor but also make it harder for Thor to hide the giant creature the citizens were celebrating. It was without any doubt the reason why the insane ruler was doing this.
"It seems that the criminally seductive, Lord of Thunder, has stolen him away." The Grandmaster continued and eventually, Raleigh got lost within the crowd of people. He tried to look around the thickening area, but he quickly realized how disoriented everything was.
People were rushing around, heaving giant wooden heads of the Hulk and throwing around green powder. Everyone was screaming, yelling their love for their visitor, and talking over one another. No one took much notice to Raleigh as he was shoved aside, eventually causing him to lose his sense of direction.
Knowing he didn't have much time, he forcefully drove through people, calling out for the blond Asgardian.
"Thor?!" He yelled over everyone, though his voice drifted away with the others. "Odinson?!"
He stubbornly continued exclaiming for the male, shoving his way through the abundance of people, despite the difficult since they were moving in the opposite direction of him. He wasn't even sure if the God would be here, but something was telling him that Thor would also get caught up in the festival. So, even though the logical side of him was signaling him to search elsewhere, he continued following his instincts.
A sharp shoulder suddenly nailed Raleigh into the side of his arm and the boy was shoved to the side. The man, who had obviously done the act, didn't stop to apologize as they continued moving forward, thrusting their sign in the air. A stampede of people rushed through and Raleigh remained pinned next to the wall. He stood on his toes and peered over the crowd, while continuously crying out for the hero. He froze when he discerned a familiar buff figure. They had a scarf wrapped around the top of their head, but their face was exposed and Raleigh recognized him with ease.
"Thor?!" He yelled desperately and resumed trying to push towards the blond. Thor was also looking around for someone while calling out their name and hadn't heard Raleigh. "Thor?!"
Thor snapped his attention in his direction and as the two pairs of blue eyes met, Thor's widened in recognition.
"Raleigh?" Thor whispered to himself. He hurried through to the boy who was nearly being swallowed by the festive people and grabbed his reaching hand. He pulled the small body to him and led them both towards the wall. A sense of relief covered both of them. "You're safe—" He breathed out and Raleigh nodded. "What happened?"
"I had to leave. Some guards broke into my room when I wasn't there and they weren't exactly happy when they found that out." Raleigh fixed the hood on his head. "Actually, I don't think they're happy with you stealing Hulk." He glanced around the busy alleyway. "What are you doing? Where is Hulk?"
"I'll explain later." Thor noticed something just behind Raleigh and before the boy could figure it out, Thor grabbed his wrist and gently kept him by his side as they ran down a staircase. He squinted at Thor and then at where the man's attention was and realized why they were hurrying.
Just ahead of them was Bruce Banner—not Hulk—and he was cowering as a giant bug-like alien towered over him.
"Banner?" He dropped Raleigh's wrist and moved Bruce behind him. Raleigh hurried to them and stepped beside the famous scientist and doctor.
The alien growled at the three of them, hot spit flying across their faces. He remained hiding behind Thor but kept a readied stance in the case he needed his assistance. Fortunately, he wasn't needed because not a second later the creature cried and fell the ground in convulsions. Electricity sparked on his body from the small round obedience disk on his neck. Behind the downed creature was the same woman who kidnapped both of them.
Her annoyed expression watched Thor closely.
"I-I was gonna do that," Thor told her.
She stared down at the creature. "Yeah, well, I did it first."
"That's good," Thor said, switching his weight on his other foot so his body blocked Bruce from her. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" She asked though Raleigh didn't think she really cared. "I thought you were leaving."
Thor glanced at Bruce and Raleigh. "I got sidetracked."
"What's with the...?" She pointed at the scarf covering the top of Thor's head.
"It's my disguise." When she went on to point out that she could see his face, he pulled a part of it to cover everything but his eyes. "Not when I do this, you can't." He dropped it and awkwardly shuffled on his feet. "Your hair looks nice. I like what you did with it. Change it? Washed it maybe?"
Amused, she smiled and shook her head. She twisted around and gestured for the three of them to follow her. Raleigh wasn't sure whether to trust the woman who had kidnapped them, but when Thor trailed behind her without a second thought, he followed him hesitantly. He was a little concerned though and kept his sight on the Scrappers back.
He bound up to Thor's side after the man handed Bruce his disguise-scarf so the doctor could wipe the green powder that the Sakaarians were throwing around off his face. He ignored the doctor for the time being and tilted his head to look up at the taller man.
"Why do we trust her now?"
"She is from Asgard." Thor turned to him. "Many years ago she protected my home as a warrior."
The Scrapper grinned and pointed to Bruce. "I feel like I know you."
Bruce nodded and dropped the scarf. "I feel like I know you, too."
Again, confused, Raleigh looked to Thor, but the blond wasn't bothered by the interaction and instead hurried to join the Scrappers side. He and Bruce trailed behind and the teenager awkwardly rubbed his hands together. He was trying to think of a way to introduce himself to Bruce Banner; meanwhile, Bruce was glancing at him and back to the other male with confusion.
Finally, the famous Earthling stepped near Thor. "Who is he?"
Even though his voice was low, Raleigh heard and stared at Bruce, something the man noticed. He flushed with embarrassment.
"He's from Earth," Thor told him. He went quiet and Raleigh saw his eyes squint in thought before they moved back to Bruce. "My, uh, nephew."
"Nephew?" Bruce echoed with confusion.
Before Raleigh could speak to Bruce, hopefully letting the man know he wasn't just Loki's son, the Scavenger twisted around. "Look, I've spent years in a haze, trying to forget my past. Sakaar seemed like the best place to drink and forget, and to die one day."
Thor stuttered on his words. "Well, I was thinking that you drink too much, and that was gonna kill you."
"I don't plan to stop drinking." The Scavenger deadpanned. "But I don't wanna forget. I can't turn away anymore..." She cracked her neck. "...so if I'm gonna die... well, it may as well be driving my sword through the heart of that murderous hag."
It was quiet for a moment so Raleigh awkwardly fist-bumped the air. "That's the spirit."
Thor agreed and Bruce uncomfortably hummed.
"So, I'm saying that I wanna be on the team." She told them. "Has it got a name?"
Again faltering on his words, Thor looked to Raleigh and Bruce. "Yeah, it's called the—the R-Revengers."
Raleigh tilted his head and raised his brows. The team name sounded almost exactly like the Avengers. His lips curved into an amused smile. "You're not very good at coming up with names, are you?"
"Well, it's because I'm getting revenge," Thor said, switching to the Scavenger. "You're getting revenge." He shifted to Raleigh and Bruce. "Do either of you want revenge?"
"I guess," Raleigh shrugged. While he knew Loki was the one at fault for putting him in this situation, he felt like a big part of the blame goes on Hela since she had been the reason Loki felt the reason to cower away and beckon the Bifrost. So even if he'd like to stop Hela, he didn't want to kill her or anyone for that matter, he only wanted to ruin her plans and help the surely suffering Asgardians.
Bruce wasn't sure, though, as he stammers on his sentence. "I—I'm undecided."
The Scavenger gestures to the door beside her. "Also, I've got a peace offering."
She unlocked the motioned door and the two Asgardians face it. Raleigh moved past Bruce and peered over the Scavengers shoulder. As the door slid open he caught sight of Loki. The man was sitting on a small chair with chains wrapped tightly around his upper body and ankles.
Without any emotion, he stares at the four. "Surprise."
They walked in and Thor grabs an aluminum bottle off the side table by the door, stopping Bruce and Raleigh, and throws it at Loki. The bottle hits the top of his head with a satisfying plonk and bouncing onto the floor.
Frowning, Loki narrows his eyes on his brother. "Ow."
"Just had to be sure."
Thor kept a skeptical glare on his brother while also moving towards the Scavenger to speak with her. Meanwhile, Bruce walked past Raleigh and neared the God of Mischief and Lies. He hadn't seen Loki since he invaded Earth four years and at that time he never got a good look at him, only ever seeing him through a screen or through the Hulk. He was never vulnerable, except when Hulk defeated him, so witnessing him chained up and unable to do anything was almost hard for him to believe.
He uncomfortably pulled at his tight pants, which Raleigh noticed resembled something Tony Stark would wear. He stopped behind the other Earthling.
"Hello, Bruce." Loki smiled unenthusiastically and cocked his head towards the teenager. "Raleigh."
He smirked at the long-haired male, while Bruce glanced between the two. It was obvious that Bruce had put together what Thor's nephew meant, but he didn't appear overly bothered by it but Raleigh couldn't tell. Instead of saying anything about the two, he scratched his head. "So, uh, last time I saw you, you were trying to kill everybody. Where are you at these days?"
Loki blinked. "It varies from moment to moment."
Raleigh narrowed his eyes on him and Bruce took a fearful step back. He kept his hands linked behind him as he leaned towards the God. "And what would you say about this moment?"
He glared at Raleigh and the boy cheekily grinned at him before bouncing back to a standing position. Bruce had already walked away with a dumbfounded expression and was scuffling through different Sakaarian food that made Raleigh's stomach churn. Turning away from the doctor and his biological father, he sidestepped closer to Thor.
"So, Sakaar and Asgard are about as far apart as any two known systems." The Scavenger continued whatever she was saying to Thor. "Our best bet is a wormhole just outside of city limits. Refuel on Xandar, and we can be back in Asgard in..." She hummed in thought. "...eighteen-months."
Raleigh's eyes widen. No matter how time passes between wherever he was and Earth, he was almost certain that would be a lot of time missed from home. Before he could panic more about the time frame from Sakaar to Asgard, Thor moves towards the giant window.
"Nope." He pointed with a steel sword to the large strange cloud vortex in the middle of the planet. "We are going through the big one."
"The Devil's Anus?" The Scrapper said in disbelief.
Raleigh's face scrunches into disgust. "Ew."
"Anus?" Bruce questions through a mouthful of food. "Wait, wait, wait. Whose anus?"
Thor looks between Banner and Raleigh. "For the record, I didn't know it was called that when I picked it."
Bruce joins sides with the two. "That looks like a collapsing neutron star inside of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge."
Raleigh's lips tilt into an amused simper. "You could just say a black hole in a wormhole." He turned to Thor. "Is that one supposed to bring us to Asgard quicker?"
He nodded and the Scavenger met them by the window with a bottle of liquor. "We need another ship. That will tear mine to pieces."
"She's right. We need one that can withstand the geodetic strain from the singularity." Thor stated.
Bruce waved his finger at the God. "And has an offline power steering system that could also function without the onboard computer."
"And we need one with cup holders," the Scavenger lifted her nearly empty bottle, "because we're gonna die. So, drinks!"
Raleigh faced Thor with wide eyes and the male turned to the youngest in the room with a gaped mouth. Uncertainly, he shook his head, mouthing we won't die. Yet, Raleigh was clever enough to understand that entering something that was—from what he was understanding—a wormhole would be risky, but he trusted Thor enough to keep them safe. He had to trust him.
"What do you say?" Thor asked the two advanced earthlings. "Uncharted metagalactic travel through a volatile cosmic gateway. Talk about an adventure."
Raleigh, again, didn't like the idea of the cosmic gateway being dangerous, but he knew the only way out of this madcap planet was to take the risk. Of course, that brought the next priority, which would undoubtedly be just as treacherous as going through the large wormhole.
"Don't forget about the ship," Raleigh pointed out as they moved where the Scavenger stood.
The woman took another swig of her drink. "There are one or two ships. Absolute top of the line—"
"I don't mean to impose—" The Scavenger chucked the bottle at the wall beside Loki, stopping him mid-sentence. Raleigh jumped at the sudden action and watched as Loki closed his eyes and let out a calming breath. "—but the Grandmaster has a great many ships. I may even have stolen the access codes to his security system."
Raleigh scoffed as an unamused laugh escaped his lips. He couldn't tell if he was lying or not, but it wouldn't matter since the man was a natural at it. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "That's convenient."
The woman agreed. "And suddenly you're overcome with an urge to do the right thing."
"Heavens, no," Loki stated bluntly. "I've run out of favor with the Grandmaster and in exchange for codes and access to a ship. I'm asking for safe passage... through the Anus."
Again Raleigh's grimace contorts into disgust, but then abruptly slips into light chuckles, which he hides behind his hand. They all ignore him and Thor takes control of the situation.
"You're telling us that you can get us access into the garage without setting off any alarms?"
Loki nodded. "Yes, brother. I can."
"Okay, can I just..." Bruce walks forward, tripping on his words. "A quick FYI. I was just talking to him just a couple minutes ago and he was totally ready to kill any of us."
The Scavenger hummed. "He did try to kill me."
"Yes, me too. On many, many occasions." Thor glanced at his younger brother. "There was one time when we were children, he transformed himself into a snake, and he knows that I love snakes. So, I went to pick up the snake to admire it and he transformed back into himself and he was like, "Yeah, it's me!" And he stabbed me. We were eight at the time."
Raleigh made a face towards the end of that story. He didn't know whether to be surprised or not with it. Loki was the God of Mischief, after all. Bruce, too, was making a face, though he was disturbed in comparison to Raleigh who was just annoyed. Apparently, Loki was just as much of a nuisance then, as he is now.
When he looked over at the accused male, he only spotted him smiling as if he was recalling a fond memory.
"If we're boosting a ship we're gonna need to draw some guards away from the place." The Scavenger explained, waiting for one of the other adults to make a plan.
Loki smirked. "Why not set the beast loose?"
"Shut up." Thor snapped to him and wagged his finger at the male.
The Scavenger grinned excitingly. "You guys have a beast?"
"No, there's no beast. He's just being stupid." Thor gave his brother a serious expression, but Raleigh didn't understand why he was hiding the fact that Bruce Banner was also the Hulk. Either way, he didn't make the same mistake as Loki and waited for Thor to make up with a plan.
"We're going to start a revolution."