Attack on Earth Part 3

Plot: The group seek extra help to defeat the fire demons.

Tone: Serious

The group was dashing through the streets, steering clear of the street where the giant fire demon was destroying everything. Loki and Bucky were running side by side. Peter swung through the city while Pepper and Rhodey flew overhead.

"Valkyrie! Sif!" Loki called, looking around.

"I still think we should deal with the giant beast of death wrecking Brooklyn!" Sam grunted, struggling to keep up with the others, who were flying or running way faster.

"The nine of us can't fight that thing on our own!" Loki spat back, rolling his eyes. "We need the others!" Loki glanced at his bracelet, tapping it a few times to light it up. Then it lit up without his touch.

"Mantis! Mantis!"

"Loki!" Loki skidded to a halt. He turned one of the corners, spotting some blurry shapes standing down the street.

"Mantis!"

"Loki!"

The two dashed toward each other. Once they were close enough, Loki practically threw himself at Mantis, pulling her into a hug. Mantis immediately hugged back.

"Oh my gosh, you're okay!" Loki sighed in relief, stroking Mantis's hair as his heart pounded out of his chest.

"I was so worried," Mantis admitted, nuzzling closer. Loki rested his chin on her head.

"Guess the rest of us are rocks on the street," Quill remarked from behind Mantis. Loki glanced at his friend with a smile, backing out of his hug with Mantis.

"He missed his girlfriend the most, Quill," Rocket replied, rolling his eyes. "Don't take it personally."

Loki glared at him. "Rocket, don't make me pet you."

Rocket staggered back, letting out a yelp.

"Oh yeah, that would be torture," Gamora cut in, smirking. Nebula nodded to her.

"Hey, good to see you again," Valkyrie greeted, walking toward Loki. The Asgardian warriors stood behind her. "Sorry about the split up…" Valkyrie looked away, her eyes going dark.

"We lost some of our warriors," Sif sighed, stepping to stand beside Valkyrie. "We couldn't even recover their bodies to bury them."

Loki's heart sunk. "I'm sorry to hear that. We lost someone as well: Steve." There were a few sobs from the Avengers, including Bucky and Sam.

"My condolences," Valkyrie replied, dipping her head. There was a moment of silence for Steve.

"Alright, so we found everyone," Bruce broke the silence as he lumbered toward Loki and Valkyrie. "What now?"

"We need more help," Valkyrie informed. "The fire demons outnumber us greatly."

"We've beaten these guys before," Mantis added, dipping her head. "But that time we were with…" She perked up, letting out a gasp. "The jotuns!"

"Wait, that's it!" Loki gasped, turning to Valkyrie. "The jotuns! Valkyrie, we need to contact Farbauti and Randolf. Do you know how we can do that?"

Valkyrie shrugged. "I can send them a letter…"

Sif glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "Is it really a good idea to bring frost giants to earth?" Loki and Valkyrie cringed, along with a few of the warriors.

"Oh, that's…" Loki bit his lip. "That's a derogatory name."

"Sorry… but my question still stands."

"Why would it be a problem?" Mantis exclaimed. "The jotuns are different now!"

"They're not going to attack Earth again, not with us here," Quill added, his gaze fierce.

"That's not what I meant," Sif insisted, stepping forward. "You guys saw how the New Yorkers reacted to Loki coming back." Loki looked away as Sif gestured to him. "How are they gonna react to the jotuns, who they don't know have changed?"

"I thought midgardians now believed the gods were myths," one of the Asgardians replied, tilting their head to the side.

"They did," Loki grunted, looking away. "But that all changed with Thor… then me. I think they've realized that it's all real."

"And even if they haven't, they might still think the jotuns are a threat," Quill pointed out.

"I don't think we have any other choice," Valkyrie sighed, her head hung low. "We could lose more people if we don't seek their help." The group fell silent for a moment.

"Come on, let's get back to the tower," Clint insisted, gesturing to them. "You can contact your… frost dudes there."

The group nodded and dashed down the street, making their way toward the tower. Bucky cast a glance at Loki.

"So what are jotuns exactly?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"They're these humanoid creatures, much taller than humans, that freeze everything they touch," Loki informed, hoping he didn't sound crazy.

"Do they have powers like yours?" Bruce cut in, gesturing to Loki.

"The ice powers?" Loki held up his hand and with a flick, some snowflakes appeared. "Yes, they do. A jotun's touch can be deadly to humans so take caution!" he added, raising his voice.

"Wait, they have the same powers…" Bucky's eyes widened with realization. "Are you one of them?" Loki swiftly changed to his jotun form and nodded.

"Then why don't you kill people when you touch them?" Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Who's to say I don't?" Loki chuckled at his own joke. Sam, Clint, and Wanda glared at him.

"Kidding," he told them, smiling. They looked away, mumbling to themselves. Loki looked back at Bucky.

"As for your question, let's just say I didn't know for most of my life because my father enchanted me to be more Asgardian." Loki bowed his head, changing back to his Asgardian form.

"That's, uh… neat," Bucky replied, smiling.

"No, change back to the hot form!" Quill exclaimed, swooning over dramatically as he ran. Loki raised an eyebrow. "What? I'm sure someone finds it hot."

"That someone is me!" Mantis called, raising her hand.

Loki cast a glance at her, smiling. "I know."

"Is that your girlfriend?" Bucky asked, smirking a bit.

"Uh… well, it's… um…" He cast another glance at Mantis, who didn't notice as she ran onward. "It's complicated," he sighed, looking away.

The group pushed the doors of the tower open and slowed to a walk as they split up, some going to the elevator and some taking the stairs. Loki did the latter option, trailing after Bucky.

"Are you gonna follow me around forever now?" Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not forever," Loki answered with a shrug. He lowered his voice and added, "Besides, you just attempted to kill yourself. Of course, I'm keeping an eye on you."

Bucky let out a sigh. When they made it to the top of the stairs, Loki spotted Valkyrie at the kitchen table, with a piece of paper in front of her. Sif and a few other warriors sat in the other chairs.

"Oh, Loki, do you have a quill?" she asked, meeting his gaze.

Rocket wheezed with laughter. "A quill, how old are these people?!"

Loki summoned a quill, handing it to Valkyrie. She nodded her thanks. Loki watched Valkyrie write the letter.

To King Randolf, and his regent, Farbuati,

Midgard is in peril. The fire demons have been ravaging the planet and overpowered the combined forces of Midgard and Asgard. We request troops, as many as you are able to spare, to aid us in protecting the realm.

Signed, the queen of Asgard

Valkyrie held up the letter. A green aura appeared and the letter disappeared with a flick of her hands.

"And now we wait," Sif grunted, resting her head on the table. Loki looked around. A few people had settled down on the couches, including Mantis, Quill, Bucky, Peter, Clint, Nebula, and Gamora. Loki sat at the edge of one couch, near Bucky.

"How long 'til they arrive?" Bucky sighed, his head hung low.

"Well, hopefully not too long," Loki grunted, looking away. "I really hate being here: this city… because of what I did."

"You were being controlled, it wasn't your fault… but, I get it." Loki glanced at Bucky, his eyes wide. "I was controlled by Hydra for eighty years. All those innocent people… I-I wasn't in control when I…" Bucky put his hands over his face. I… but I still hate myself."

"You shouldn't," Loki replied, tapping Bucky's shoulder. "Guilt is one thing but hating yourself is pointless." Bucky met Loki's gaze.

"You're pretty wise for a younger guy," he informed, his lip twitching up.

Loki snorted with laughter. "Younger? You're kidding right?"

"Nope." Bucky leaned back on the couch. "I'm nearly a hundred years old, kid."

"I'm over a thousand years old." Bucky jerked up, his eyes wide. "Kid," Loki added with a smirk.

"Oh!" Bucky looked away. "Damn."

"Wow, you guys are literally senior citizens!" Peter exclaimed, giggling to himself. "How's retirement going?"

Loki chuckled again. "The only thing I've retired from is being a villain."

"Same!" Bucky held up his fist. Loki accepted the fist bump, not taking his eyes off Peter.

"Do they have a program for that?" Clint asked, not taking his eyes off his bow.

"Yeah, it's called the Guardians of the Galaxy," Quill answered, pointing at Clint. Everyone laughed at that.

"You guys are criminals?" Peter asked, his eyes wide as he glanced at Loki, Quill, and Mantis.

Quill scoffed at that. "I'm a criminal on eight different planets," he replied, leaning his head back.

"Same!" Rocket called as he walked by.

Clint smirked. "And I thought eight countries was bad."

"Try ten different systems," Nebula replied, rolling her eyes. Gamora nodded. Everyone fell silent for a moment.

"Jeez, what are your stories?" Clint asked, gesturing to the two sisters.

"We once served Thanos," Nebula replied, glaring at Clint. "Then we realized he was a prick and left."

"You had to realize that?" Peter asked, his eyes wide.

Gamora smiled. "Hey, in our defense, we were only with him to begin with because Thanos didn't know the difference between adoption and abduction."

Loki couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"Or the difference between daughters and pets," Nebula added, sharing a fist bump with Gamora.

"Oh no!" Peter gasped his hands on his face. "Thanos did surprise adoption!"

"Among other things," Loki added dryly. There were a few chuckles.

"So, are all the guardians former criminals?" Bucky asked, glancing at Loki.

"I'm not!" Mantis replied, raising her hand.

Yes, you are. You've helped us steal before. Loki didn't say that out loud.

Quill gestured to her. "Apart from her and Groot junior, yes."

Clint cast a glance at Loki. "Yeah, these guys seem perfect for you," he remarked dryly.

"They are," Loki replied, leaning back on the couch. "Though, considering that you admitted that you now have a similar body count, I believe you'd fit right in as well."

Clint's jaw dropped. A few people started giggling, including Mantis. Loki glanced at her. For a moment, his gaze shifted toward her lips. Eyes wide, Loki looked away. There was a knock on the door leading to the stairs.

"I've got it!" Valkyrie called, dashing toward the door. She pulled it open, revealing two tall blue figures.

"We came as soon as we could!" Farbauti exclaimed. "How many war-" She let out a gasp when she saw Loki. "Loki?!"

"Um…" Loki waved. "Hi."

"I…" Farbauti looked away. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Randolf cleared his throat. "Anyways, Queen," he dipped his head to Valkyrie. "How many warriors do you need?"

"How many have you got?" Valkyrie asked, dryly.

"There's a giant fire demon wrecking Brooklyn," Sif added, strutting toward Valkyrie.

"Bigger than the one we dealt with on Jotunheim," Valkyrie replied, dipping her head.

Randolf and Farbauti's eyes were huge.

"Well, our realm is still recovering so…" Randolf cast a glance at Farbauti. "Twenty warriors?"

"We can spare a few more than that," Farbauti replied, dipping her head. "We can spare thirty, including ourselves, and leave Helga in charge of the planet."

"Okay," Randolf replied, nodding. He turned to the others. "We'll be back with thirty warriors. Meet you outside?" he asked, holding up the casket.

"Sure," Valkyrie answered, smiling.

"Great, see you then." Randolf and Farbauti gripped the casket and they were enveloped in rainbow light before disappearing.

"Alright, everyone let's go!" Sif called, gesturing to everyone in the living room. "Valkyrie, go with them outside. I'll go find the others."

Valkyrie nodded to her. Loki stood up. Everyone got up off the couch, making their way out of the room and down the stairs. Loki cast a glance at Bucky. He was slowly following the others, his head hung low.

"Bucky wait!" Loki dashed toward him, grabbing Bucky's wrist. He glanced at Loki, raising an eyebrow. "Are… are you sure you can fight?"

"Of course, why couldn't I?" Bucky asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Well…" Loki bit his lip. "You just lost your friend and-"

Bucky's eyes were ablaze. "Those monsters killed Steve! I'm going to murder every single one of them!" He shoved Loki aside, marching toward the door. Loki grabbed his wrist again.

"This is what I mean!" He snapped, stepping in front of him. "You're acting too rash! I won't allow you to do something foolish!"

"All battles are foolish. Why do you have to step in over this?!"

"Because if I haven't stepped in, you'd be dead!"

The room fell silent, the only sound being Loki's heart pounding out of his chest. Bucky took a step back, looking away.

"Bucky, I'm…" Loki reached tentatively toward him, breathing harshly. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry."

Bucky met his gaze, his eyes full of concern. "Loki, are you-"

"No, this isn't about me. I'm worried about you." Loki rested his hands on Bucky's shoulders. ��You shouldn't be alone right now."

"You can't stay with me, Loki. They need you out there."

"But you need someone too."

"Loki…" Loki stiffened at the sound of a new voice. Mantis was standing in the doorway, entering the otherwise empty room.

"Mantis? I thought you left?"

"I was waiting for you," she explained, making her way toward him and Bucky. "When you didn't come, I came back to check on you. I didn't realize any of this was happening." She cast a glance at Bucky.

"It's alright," Loki insisted, turning to her and taking her hands. "It's not your fault."

"Do you guys need a minute?" Bucky asked, taking a step back.

"Yes, but I'll be back to you in a moment," Loki insisted, nodding to Bucky. He glanced back at Mantis, the two walking toward the kitchen.

"So, what are you going to do?" Mantis asked, lowering her voice.

"I don't know," Loki admitted, casting a glance at Bucky every now and then. "I have to help the others fight but I would feel irresponsible leaving Bucky alone right now."

"I'll stay with him."

Loki's heart skipped a beat. "Mantis, I can't ask you to do that-"

"You don't have to." Mantis pressed her lips against Loki's cheek. Loki blinked a few times in surprise.

"Why are you-"

"This is important to me too," Mantis replied, smiling. "Now get out there and save the earth."

Loki nodded. "I love you."

Mantis's eyes widened. Loki just smiled, staring at her in silence for a moment. What possessed him to say that? It didn't matter. All he knew was that it was true. Finally, he nodded to Mantis and walked toward the door, looking back at Bucky.

"Bucky, stay in the tower with Mantis," he ordered his voice stern, but not angry. Then he made his way down the stairs and out of the tower.

He charged down the sidewalk toward Brooklyn, having spotted the lumbering demon of death from miles away. Summoning his daggers, Loki joined in the fight. Randolf had control of the casket, freezing entire rows of fire demons at a time while Bruce, Nebula, Valkyrie, and the other Asgardian warriors split the frozen forms into pieces. The other jotuns stood in front of the giant, firing icy blasts at it. Holes formed in the giant's form, though they quickly healed and the demon continued to march on.

Loki lunged at the smaller fire demons. He sliced some to pieces with his daggers, while impaling others with ice or dousing them with water.

"Shut the heck up!" a voice called. Loki looked up at one of the buildings to see a man poking his head out the window.

"I don't know how you expect us to 'shut the heck up' when we're fighting for our lives!" Loki snapped, slicing a fire demon's throat. The man glared at him and shut his window.

"We need to freeze the big one!" Randolf called, holding out the casket. Loki dashed toward him. He and Farbauti were at his sides immediately, each placing a hand on the casket.

"Loki, there you are!" Farbauti gasped, glancing at him.

"I fell behind handling something else," Loki informed, watching as more jotuns gathered around the casket.

"Well, we're glad you're here now!" Randolf cut in, aiming the casket at the giant fire demon as more jotuns took hold of the casket.

They all glared at the fire demon, and a huge blast shot from the casket. The demon staggered back. Ice began to form around it, starting at its chest and slowly encasing its entire body. More jotuns joined Randolf. The giant thrashed wildly as its arms were frozen in place and the ice had fully encased it. However, the jotuns continued to shoot the ice.

"What now?" Embla called, her red eyes wide.

"We can't hold this forever!" Ingrid added.

"Just blow it up again!" Rocket called, dashing toward the jotuns.

"We can't," Rhodey cut in, landing beside him. "It'll damage the city!"

"I'm getting too old for this," Fabrauti grunted, glancing down at the ground. "I wanted to retire."

"Sorry," Loki replied with a shrug. He grunted, returning his energy to the blast. "But you were the only person I trusted as Randfol's regent."

Faruabti's eyes widened. "Really? Me?" Loki nodded.

There was a cracking sound. A roar pierced the air as the giant shook free of its icy prison, taking off the top of a skyscraper with a thrash of its arm. Randolf dropped the casket. The blast disappeared, even when Randolf grabbed it again and took a step back.

"Well, dammit," he muttered, clutching the casket.

"What now?!" Peter asked, swinging down to join the others.

Quill let out a grunt, stomping in frustration. "This would be so much easier if it didn't tower over us!"

"Then we need it to fall over," Loki replied, gazing up at the giant.

"How?"

"Dropping something on its head…?" Peter suggested, glancing at the giant. "Somehow…"

"Or we could trip it!" Valkyrie suggested, her gaze bright.

"Trip it with what?!" Sam demanded, gesturing to the giant. "It would just step on us!"

"Leave that to me."

Wanda dashed past the group. Her hands glowed red along with all of the rubble in the street. She levitated the pieces of the street and buildings into a line between herself and the demon with various motions of her hands.

"Spiderman!" she called, gesturing to the debris with her head.

"Oh!"

Peter lunged past the debris, shooting a line of webbing as he went. He continued to place more and more webbing until the debris could stand on it. Once it was done, everyone ran in the opposite direction.

There was a giant growl behind them and once they were barely out of the way, the ground them a few feet into the air. Loki landed on his feet, stumbling as he regained his balance. The others fell flat on their faces, jumping to their feet and turning to the giant. It laid on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Jotuns!" Randolf called, holding out the casket. Loki, along with the other jotuns were at his sides, freezing the giant's head. However, its arms began to move behind it.

"Someone do something while it's down!" Bruce exclaimed, looking around wildly.

Loki glanced at the giant. Raising his free hand, he summoned the first thing he could think of: a giant boulder. It landed on the giant's back. Loki struggled to lift it with one hand and keep hold of the casket with the other. Wanda dashed forward again. Jumping up, she levitated the boulder far above the giants back and moments later, it slammed onto the giant's frozen head.

There was an explosion of movement. Loki let go of the casket, ducking and forming a wall of ice to shield himself and the other jotuns. After a few moments, it quieted down. Loki looked up to see that the giant had disappeared, the place where its head had been was replaced by the boulder and a few pieces of ice. Many smaller demons now littered the street.

Loki shattered the wall of ice with his daggers, marching toward the crowd of fire demons. The others marched beside him, weapons raised. However, the fire demons turned and ran down the street, disappearing in a flash of rainbow light. Loki lowered his knives.

"We… we won…" Peter's voice was breathless. The group broke into a loud cheer.

"Those bastards won't dare show their faces in this realm again!" Valkyrie yowled, pointing at the boulder.

"Thanks for the help," Loki called, walking up to Wanda. She glanced at him. Loki raised his hand, and the two shared a high five.

"You and the other jotuns were quite the help as well," she replied, gesturing to Farbauti and Randolf, who stood nearby.

"What are you blue things doing in the street?!"

Loki knew that sound: The sound of an angry, terrified New Yorker. Farbauti glanced at Loki.

"That's our cue to run!" she called, taking off in a sprint.

The others followed her down the street, some of them laughing to themselves.