Targets Are Acquired
Plan B
May 6, 2013
While flying home from the White House, Robert found himself staring out the window at the night sky. He could feel a mighty headache starting.‘How the fuck am I going to convince the entire world that Loki is a good guy?’ he thought with a strong sense of despair, before he felt a soft, warm hand on top of his hand . As he turned he saw the warm eyes and soft lips.
“Earth to Robert. You okay? You seem very distant," Maria noted him with deep concern. She was trusting, but he was always afraid that he’ll let her down or would be overwhelmed.
Robert just smiled. “Yeah. I’m just remembering a time when my life was a little simpler. Now, I seem to be of the habit of putting myself in impossible situations.” He smiled more sincerely as he admired how she smiled back at him. They simply enjoyed those few moments of just looking at each other.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure with everyone’s help, you will figure it out. If it goes south, Fury will be there to yell at you-just blame Stark.” she joked lightheartedly. He looked up and saw Tony sit down across from them with a drink in hand.
Tony spoke with a slight slur, “So, lover boy, how the hell did you hook up with Oprah? She has a wait list of six months, and that’s just to beconsidered. She won’t even talk to me because she doesn’t consider me interesting enough for some messed up reason.”
Robert rolled his eyes. “No, Tony. She told me she wouldn’t talk to you because at that time, you were an alcoholic, selfish, and very childish. She had enough of those idiots already to interview, you had nothing to offer at that moment.”
“Whatever. Her loss. I’m over it,” he said with a lazy shrug as he stood up and sat besides Bruce and Betty instead.
Maria let out a small sigh. “Yeah, Tony is over it like the Eagles are over losing the Super Bowl in 2004,” she commented with a smirk. They both knew that would annoy him.
“Geez, thanks for reminding me," Robert sarcastically answered , giving her a joking glare.
Maria turned to look Robert in the eye with her soft lips curling upwards teasingly. “Oops, I forgot that you liked them for some strange reason.” She gave him an innocent look with a twinkle in her eye.
Robert shook his head. “Bullshit." He leaned over, his hands on each side of her face to pull her closer so that he could kiss the top of her head. Maria moved a little closer to snuggle, and her head coming to rest on his shoulder. He didn’t bother to hide the smile on his face, which only grew when she planted a small kiss on his neck.
The rest of the flight home was quiet and peaceful. How were they supposed to know that their peaceful times would be shattered so soon?
May 7th,2013
The next day, Robert, Thor, and Loki were sitting at table discussing what items Asgard would want from Earth, or vice versa. Robert was starting to regret the decision of allowing Thor to participate in the conversation as he felt his blood pressure rising.
“Thor, I’m pretty sure that not everyone on Asgard would want Pop-Tarts as much as you. I don’t want the universe to see the Earth as a bunch of junk food losers.” Robert sighed, running a hand over his face as he explained once again, the type of things they should be taking. “I’m trying to be reasonable here. What about clothes, machines, medicine, or a million other things that we could trade with your people? I don’t think we need to send anymore food.”
Thor’s face lit up. He had an idea. “Hmm, you have made a valid point. Can we also add in Midgard's weapons? With the Terminator Movies too?”
Loki just let his head flop on the table and then he did it again, making a moaning sound.
“Why did we allow him in this conversation again, Loki?” Robert frustratedly stated as he leaned back his chair.
“I don’t know. If you remember, please remind me,” Loki replied back, while shaking his head.
“Okay. Thor, we have no idea how food is going to be transferred and how much weight the Bifrost can handle.” Robert was trying to get the conversation back on track Two princes looked at each other with puzzled faces. Robert immediately knew the answer. “I’m going to take a wild guess that you both don’t know. I mean, this is important. Are we talking a few hundred pounds or several tons? How often can it be used?”
“Nobody knows for sure. I remember the one time, it handled by Odin, Loki, Lady Sif, Warriors Three and I, and Odin was on Sleipnir,” Thor answered, obviously reminiscing from the look in his eyes.
“Okay, well, that sounds like close to three tons. I guess it will be a process to see what happens. Anyways, Loki, you come with me. We have to meet Steve and Pepper about your interview.”
“I don't understand this matter; Why do we have to do this? I’m known as silver tongue anyway. I know how to handle this,” he replied cockily, dismissing Robert.
“The last thing I need is for you to say something and piss everybody off more. What’s your reaction if she asks about your children?" Immediately, his face turned hard and he had a death glare, but Loki’s eyes flickered to his, Robert made the ‘I told you so’ face.
“Fine, let’s go," Loki mumbled, giving in. “Why is Steve there?” He questioned as his shoulders dropped down.
“Because he will be nice, supportive, and will be able to give a different opinion than the rest of us. Plus, he’s not a jackass - like Tony- so he can add moral insight.”
“Fair enough,” Loki replied, seeming to accept the answer.
Four hours later, Tony turned up and everything turned chaotic; Tony started to crack jokes and Loki lost his temper slightly, throwing a soda can at him. Tony ducked to avoid getting hit, but it accidently hit Bruce, who was walking by with Betty; He nearly hulked out. Thankfully, Betty was able to calm Bruce down.
Pepper and Betty then both made death threats to Tony, who immediately left.
It was two hours later that they had all finally calmed down completely and felt comfortable with each other. “Why does this have to be live? I’ve seen plenty of interviews that are taped." Loki questioned as they leaving the room to go to dinner.
“Okay, that’s a fair question.” Robert admitted before thinking of the possible reasons why being live would be better. “This needs to appear truthful and not edited. You’re really sorry that you killed hundreds of lives. You are sorry, right?”
“Yes, I do feel bad; I wish I hadn’t caused so much damage or any as a matter of fact, while under Thanos’ control,” Loki answered.
“Alright, then. Hopefully this works, because the entire planet will be watching. I’m sure it will be rebroadcasted all over the world again and again.” Robert commented, crossing his fingers discretely.
“Agent Hall?” Loki stopped and turned around to face the agent.
“Yes, Loki?” Robert asked as he came to a stop, wondering what will come out of his mouth next. “Do you honestly think this will work?”
Robert felt that the words were the most genuine and honest that Loki had been during the whole discussion. “Are you going to change everyone? No! Of course not. Maybe you can convince a billion or so, and we can only go up from there.”
_____________________________________________________________________
Later that night, Robert was working on his computer when he heard his phone go off. He checked it and saw it was Maria calling, a smile formed on his lips as he answered the call. “Hey, Maria, to what do I owe this pleasure?” He felt his heart beat a little faster, and a warm feeling built up inside him.
“Unfortunately, I wish, I was calling with better news.”
He felt all that positivity come crashing down. “Uh-oh. What’s wrong?” He asked, not bothering to keep the concern from his voice.
“The council’s not happy. They found out about the United Nation and the North American government’s plans. They don’t like these things happening without their consent.”
“So? Fuck them. Tell them to pull the stick out of their asses and go die in a hole. I swear to God, Maria.” Robert felt his temper getting ahold of him, but he knew it wasn’t Maria’s fault.
“I wish it was that easy. Also, they believe Barton and Loki are a threat.”
“A threat? Bullshit!” Robert exclaimed. “The real threat is going to be when Natasha and Darcy hear about this; they’re going to go ballistic.”
“I know. That’s why I am telling you this now.”
Suddenly, there was a pounding at the door. ”Hall, I know your ass is in there!”
Robert heard a woman scream outside the door.
“Wow, news spreads quickly. Thanks for the warning.” Robert was honestly grateful for the advanced notice.
“Good luck." Click. And just like that, Maria was gone.
Robert looked at his phone as he shook his head and thought, ‘Geez, love you too .’ He walked over to the door and opened it, and there was Darcy, with major a pissed-off look.
“I’m going to take a wild guess at what you’re pissed off about. I just found out myself”
The raging woman just looked at Robert, and her face softened. “Can you help him?”
Robert motioned for Darcy to come in, and as the door closed, you could see Robert giving her a hug.
“So, how did you find out?” As he let her go, she looked up to him.
“I was doing my usual hacking and just came across it. Natasha is going to be furious. Loki’s pissed; he was talking about not doing the interview.” Darcy felt her eyes get misty.
“That might be the understatement of the century. Look, go to him, comfort him. You know damn well that I’m going to keep everyone safe. He needs to do that interview. Otherwise, I don’t know what to do." His brown eyes just showed how much he cared.
“I know that, Robert. Thank you. It’s just, Loki and Clint, I just care about them,” she said sadly as a tear fell down her cheek.
“I understand. I really do. I need to start making phone calls." He wiped away the tear and gave her another hug before she walked out of the room. He was going to do everything he could to fix this.
_____________________________________________________________________
"Stupid fucking idiots!" Robert yelled out in his apartment, just finishing a forty-five minute phone conversation about Agent Barton. He flopped in his recliner, rubbing his head and placing his feet on the table. Suddenly, in a moment of rage, he kicked the table over; it flipped over and landed on one of the legs, which caused it to snap in half. "Fuck!" Robert was pissed off. “Goddamn World Council; I will find a way to end you.”
"Sorry," came a faint whisper from the air vent in the ceiling.
"Barton, get your ass out here." Barton came out of the vents with a sheepish look on his face. "How long, and how much?" Robert felt his face flushed with anger.
"Um, since the beginning of the conversation," Clint admitted to the stern-faced agent.
"Damn it, Barton, you weren't supposed to be involved. I’m trying my hardest to get people away from you. I hate to say it, but it’s much easier to help Banner out than you."
"I know," Clint sighed, leaning up against the wall as he ran a hand through his hair. "I think quitting the team will make everything easier. I know Natasha and Steve have taken some flack because of me."
"One; no, don't you ever talk like that again. I refuse to let Bruce quit, so what makes you think I'll let you up and leave? Two; If Romanoff and Rogers knew you were even considering it, they'd beat your head in. They're old enough to handle themselves. Three, nothing is going to happen to you."
"How long do you think that's even going to last, huh? Those fuckers still think I'm a liability, and Fury can only do so much. The council is in charge of him, and they can go over his head, just like they did in New York." Barton was frustrated; even after six months, there was so much doubt about his character. "They act like I'm worthless to the team, and I'm starting to regret ever joining."
"Cut the crap, Barton, because it's you who's pissing me off. You know you're good for this team; without you, the team would have gone to shambles months ago. You are needed on this team just like everyone else. You watch everybody's backs and inform them when they're in danger. Plus, who the hell else can shoot an arrow a half a mile and hit a robot frog in the eye? Only the best damn shot in the world, which just so happens to be you."
"I’m sorry, Barton. This is my fault, too." Loki suddenly appeared in the room, looking downtrodden. "In all honesty, if I could reverse the events, I would. You shouldn't be forced to suffer for what I did.”
“Don’t you start, either.” Robert ordered, sternly. “Now look, both of you. You had no control in what you were doing. I know it sucks, but I’m asking for both of you to trust me.”
“What are you going to do?” Loki asked the agent.
“Simple. We go to Plan B."
“What is plan B?” Clint questioned.
With a big smile, Robert looked at the two Avengers. “Hiroshima. Ring a bell?”
A little while later on, Robert had just gotten off the phone with Fury. When Jarvis spoke, “Agent Hall, Agent Romanoff is headed to your door, and she is in a mood.”
“A Mood?, What kind of mood?”
“I believe the best description is ‘Scary’.”
“Oh, fucking great. Open the door, and have the others on standby.”
“Of course, Agent Hall, and good luck.”
Romanoff slammed the door open and got up into Robert’s face within seconds, “What the hell is going on? Why is the council after Barton? He is majorly depressed right now! Is Fury going to let him get taken? Why haven’t you done anything? You better start talking Hall.”
“Okay, I was on the phone with Fury and the moron council for an hour defending Barton. You know damn well I am doing my best to protect him.” Robert replied firmly, not appreciating the amount of questions and accusations thrown at him. “Yes, Fury is trying to protect him as well, but his hands are tied. I am trying to come up with a plan B, to help him. So get off my back.”
Natasha’s face soften only slightly, most would miss it. “I apologise. He made the call- he saved me- I owe him my life. I don’t have many friends; He’s helped me in so many ways; I feel helpless on this.” She admitted looking away from him.
“I know, I am trying my hardest.”
As she looked back at him, he noticed her face had changed in a way he never thought was possible with her; Her eyes said everything, she loved him as a sister and would die for him. He was her world, and god help anyone that threatened her love. Hers lips quivered slightly with everything that was going on, she looked at a loss of what to do.
Natasha’s POV.
She is the Black Widow. She was not allowed feel this. But this is Clint, her Clint. How dare they pass judgement. Wait what is Hall doing? Why is he raising his arms? What does he think he’s doing? Is he actually hugging me? How dare he hug me! “Is he going to be okay?” The words escape her mouth, before she could catch them, but she did not return the hug, just scooted away from him.
“Believe me, Moy dragotsennyy krasnyy pauk, (My precious red spider), when I say. I will kill to keep him safe, if I have to.”
As Natasha looked back into Robert’s brown eyes, she could have sworn they got a little darker. She felt her heart actually believe he would .
______________________________________________________________________
May 8, 2013
The next day during breakfast, Robert told the team what was going on. Naturally, it was an uproar. After a while, everyone calmed down, and discussed ways to solve the problem, skipping all assassination options. It was actually Jane that gave Robert an idea. “The World Council is stupid. I mean, we have a Security Council at the U.N. What gives them the right to launch a nuclear missile into a country?”
“Holy shit, Jane, that is it!” Robert yelled out with joy. “I bet the rest of the world doesn’t know about the World Council and that they would be pissed off if they knew that this group of people could just launch a missile into their country with no explanation or accountability.”
“I would be pissed," Tony added. “Jarvis, start searching for any paperwork or anything about this matter.”
“Yes, Sir, I will let you know what I find out. Sir, just to let you know, the TV Promo for Loki is about to air.”
“Cool, Jarvis . Put it on the screen, please.”
The giant screen turned on with the volume up and the lights dimmed.
‘Oprah Winfrey has been hailed as one of the greatest reporters of our time. She is known for heart, caring, and compassionate feelings; but she is also tough. She helped uncover the abuse scandal of Nike shoes; the corruption of Hammer Industries; the embezzlement of the Charities for the Battle of New York; and now, she is going to sit down with the man who has become the face of evil in our time. He is compared with Stalin, Hitler, Hussein, Satan: Loki, God of Lies and Chaos.
Or is he?! Is he a victim, a person that was not able to make that choice? Was he a victim of abuse and neglect? Oprah Winfrey wants to know. She wants to give him the chance to sit down in front of our world and explain what really happened. She wants to answer the rumors. Does he live on Earth? Is it true that he is an actual member of the same people that defeated him? Is he truly sorry?’
Oprah with a stern face appeared on the screen. “I will give Loki the chance that he deserves to explain the truth, because as we all know the truth is the only answer that Earth deserves.”
‘Next Friday at 8pm EST, on all news channels, YouTube, and SONY Network.’
The TV turned off, and the lights came back on. Loki just stared at Robert. “Who came up with that ad?" he growled.
“Actually, Jarvis, Pepper, Jane, Darcy, me, Tony and the P.R. Department of Stark Industries. Look, Loki, we trie….” Loki stood up and walked over to Darcy.
You could tell she was scared that he was going to snap. Suddenly, he picked her up out of the chair. “I have only thing to say to you,” he said in a dark voice.
“What?” Everyone was ready to jump to save her, when he pulled her close and hugged her.
“Thank you. It is perfect. You guys really do care.”
“You jackass, you scared me. I thought you were going to go psycho on me!” With that, they kissed each other.
Everyone just took a deep breath and relaxed.
While flying home from the White House, Robert found himself staring out the window at the night sky. He could feel a mighty headache starting.‘How the fuck am I going to convince the entire world that Loki is a good guy?’ he thought with a strong sense of despair, before he felt a soft, warm hand on top of his hand . As he turned he saw the warm eyes and soft lips.
“Earth to Robert. You okay? You seem very distant," Maria noted him with deep concern. She was trusting, but he was always afraid that he’ll let her down or would be overwhelmed.
Robert just smiled. “Yeah. I’m just remembering a time when my life was a little simpler. Now, I seem to be of the habit of putting myself in impossible situations.” He smiled more sincerely as he admired how she smiled back at him. They simply enjoyed those few moments of just looking at each other.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure with everyone’s help, you will figure it out. If it goes south, Fury will be there to yell at you-just blame Stark.” she joked lightheartedly. He looked up and saw Tony sit down across from them with a drink in hand.
Tony spoke with a slight slur, “So, lover boy, how the hell did you hook up with Oprah? She has a wait list of six months, and that’s just to beconsidered. She won’t even talk to me because she doesn’t consider me interesting enough for some messed up reason.”
Robert rolled his eyes. “No, Tony. She told me she wouldn’t talk to you because at that time, you were an alcoholic, selfish, and very childish. She had enough of those idiots already to interview, you had nothing to offer at that moment.”
“Whatever. Her loss. I’m over it,” he said with a lazy shrug as he stood up and sat besides Bruce and Betty instead.
Maria let out a small sigh. “Yeah, Tony is over it like the Eagles are over losing the Super Bowl in 2004,” she commented with a smirk. They both knew that would annoy him.
“Geez, thanks for reminding me," Robert sarcastically answered , giving her a joking glare.
Maria turned to look Robert in the eye with her soft lips curling upwards teasingly. “Oops, I forgot that you liked them for some strange reason.” She gave him an innocent look with a twinkle in her eye.
Robert shook his head. “Bullshit." He leaned over, his hands on each side of her face to pull her closer so that he could kiss the top of her head. Maria moved a little closer to snuggle, and her head coming to rest on his shoulder. He didn’t bother to hide the smile on his face, which only grew when she planted a small kiss on his neck.
The rest of the flight home was quiet and peaceful. How were they supposed to know that their peaceful times would be shattered so soon?
May 7th,2013
The next day, Robert, Thor, and Loki were sitting at table discussing what items Asgard would want from Earth, or vice versa. Robert was starting to regret the decision of allowing Thor to participate in the conversation as he felt his blood pressure rising.
“Thor, I’m pretty sure that not everyone on Asgard would want Pop-Tarts as much as you. I don’t want the universe to see the Earth as a bunch of junk food losers.” Robert sighed, running a hand over his face as he explained once again, the type of things they should be taking. “I’m trying to be reasonable here. What about clothes, machines, medicine, or a million other things that we could trade with your people? I don’t think we need to send anymore food.”
Thor’s face lit up. He had an idea. “Hmm, you have made a valid point. Can we also add in Midgard's weapons? With the Terminator Movies too?”
Loki just let his head flop on the table and then he did it again, making a moaning sound.
“Why did we allow him in this conversation again, Loki?” Robert frustratedly stated as he leaned back his chair.
“I don’t know. If you remember, please remind me,” Loki replied back, while shaking his head.
“Okay. Thor, we have no idea how food is going to be transferred and how much weight the Bifrost can handle.” Robert was trying to get the conversation back on track Two princes looked at each other with puzzled faces. Robert immediately knew the answer. “I’m going to take a wild guess that you both don’t know. I mean, this is important. Are we talking a few hundred pounds or several tons? How often can it be used?”
“Nobody knows for sure. I remember the one time, it handled by Odin, Loki, Lady Sif, Warriors Three and I, and Odin was on Sleipnir,” Thor answered, obviously reminiscing from the look in his eyes.
“Okay, well, that sounds like close to three tons. I guess it will be a process to see what happens. Anyways, Loki, you come with me. We have to meet Steve and Pepper about your interview.”
“I don't understand this matter; Why do we have to do this? I’m known as silver tongue anyway. I know how to handle this,” he replied cockily, dismissing Robert.
“The last thing I need is for you to say something and piss everybody off more. What’s your reaction if she asks about your children?" Immediately, his face turned hard and he had a death glare, but Loki’s eyes flickered to his, Robert made the ‘I told you so’ face.
“Fine, let’s go," Loki mumbled, giving in. “Why is Steve there?” He questioned as his shoulders dropped down.
“Because he will be nice, supportive, and will be able to give a different opinion than the rest of us. Plus, he’s not a jackass - like Tony- so he can add moral insight.”
“Fair enough,” Loki replied, seeming to accept the answer.
Four hours later, Tony turned up and everything turned chaotic; Tony started to crack jokes and Loki lost his temper slightly, throwing a soda can at him. Tony ducked to avoid getting hit, but it accidently hit Bruce, who was walking by with Betty; He nearly hulked out. Thankfully, Betty was able to calm Bruce down.
Pepper and Betty then both made death threats to Tony, who immediately left.
It was two hours later that they had all finally calmed down completely and felt comfortable with each other. “Why does this have to be live? I’ve seen plenty of interviews that are taped." Loki questioned as they leaving the room to go to dinner.
“Okay, that’s a fair question.” Robert admitted before thinking of the possible reasons why being live would be better. “This needs to appear truthful and not edited. You’re really sorry that you killed hundreds of lives. You are sorry, right?”
“Yes, I do feel bad; I wish I hadn’t caused so much damage or any as a matter of fact, while under Thanos’ control,” Loki answered.
“Alright, then. Hopefully this works, because the entire planet will be watching. I’m sure it will be rebroadcasted all over the world again and again.” Robert commented, crossing his fingers discretely.
“Agent Hall?” Loki stopped and turned around to face the agent.
“Yes, Loki?” Robert asked as he came to a stop, wondering what will come out of his mouth next. “Do you honestly think this will work?”
Robert felt that the words were the most genuine and honest that Loki had been during the whole discussion. “Are you going to change everyone? No! Of course not. Maybe you can convince a billion or so, and we can only go up from there.”
_____________________________________________________________________
Later that night, Robert was working on his computer when he heard his phone go off. He checked it and saw it was Maria calling, a smile formed on his lips as he answered the call. “Hey, Maria, to what do I owe this pleasure?” He felt his heart beat a little faster, and a warm feeling built up inside him.
“Unfortunately, I wish, I was calling with better news.”
He felt all that positivity come crashing down. “Uh-oh. What’s wrong?” He asked, not bothering to keep the concern from his voice.
“The council’s not happy. They found out about the United Nation and the North American government’s plans. They don’t like these things happening without their consent.”
“So? Fuck them. Tell them to pull the stick out of their asses and go die in a hole. I swear to God, Maria.” Robert felt his temper getting ahold of him, but he knew it wasn’t Maria’s fault.
“I wish it was that easy. Also, they believe Barton and Loki are a threat.”
“A threat? Bullshit!” Robert exclaimed. “The real threat is going to be when Natasha and Darcy hear about this; they’re going to go ballistic.”
“I know. That’s why I am telling you this now.”
Suddenly, there was a pounding at the door. ”Hall, I know your ass is in there!”
Robert heard a woman scream outside the door.
“Wow, news spreads quickly. Thanks for the warning.” Robert was honestly grateful for the advanced notice.
“Good luck." Click. And just like that, Maria was gone.
Robert looked at his phone as he shook his head and thought, ‘Geez, love you too .’ He walked over to the door and opened it, and there was Darcy, with major a pissed-off look.
“I’m going to take a wild guess at what you’re pissed off about. I just found out myself”
The raging woman just looked at Robert, and her face softened. “Can you help him?”
Robert motioned for Darcy to come in, and as the door closed, you could see Robert giving her a hug.
“So, how did you find out?” As he let her go, she looked up to him.
“I was doing my usual hacking and just came across it. Natasha is going to be furious. Loki’s pissed; he was talking about not doing the interview.” Darcy felt her eyes get misty.
“That might be the understatement of the century. Look, go to him, comfort him. You know damn well that I’m going to keep everyone safe. He needs to do that interview. Otherwise, I don’t know what to do." His brown eyes just showed how much he cared.
“I know that, Robert. Thank you. It’s just, Loki and Clint, I just care about them,” she said sadly as a tear fell down her cheek.
“I understand. I really do. I need to start making phone calls." He wiped away the tear and gave her another hug before she walked out of the room. He was going to do everything he could to fix this.
_____________________________________________________________________
"Stupid fucking idiots!" Robert yelled out in his apartment, just finishing a forty-five minute phone conversation about Agent Barton. He flopped in his recliner, rubbing his head and placing his feet on the table. Suddenly, in a moment of rage, he kicked the table over; it flipped over and landed on one of the legs, which caused it to snap in half. "Fuck!" Robert was pissed off. “Goddamn World Council; I will find a way to end you.”
"Sorry," came a faint whisper from the air vent in the ceiling.
"Barton, get your ass out here." Barton came out of the vents with a sheepish look on his face. "How long, and how much?" Robert felt his face flushed with anger.
"Um, since the beginning of the conversation," Clint admitted to the stern-faced agent.
"Damn it, Barton, you weren't supposed to be involved. I’m trying my hardest to get people away from you. I hate to say it, but it’s much easier to help Banner out than you."
"I know," Clint sighed, leaning up against the wall as he ran a hand through his hair. "I think quitting the team will make everything easier. I know Natasha and Steve have taken some flack because of me."
"One; no, don't you ever talk like that again. I refuse to let Bruce quit, so what makes you think I'll let you up and leave? Two; If Romanoff and Rogers knew you were even considering it, they'd beat your head in. They're old enough to handle themselves. Three, nothing is going to happen to you."
"How long do you think that's even going to last, huh? Those fuckers still think I'm a liability, and Fury can only do so much. The council is in charge of him, and they can go over his head, just like they did in New York." Barton was frustrated; even after six months, there was so much doubt about his character. "They act like I'm worthless to the team, and I'm starting to regret ever joining."
"Cut the crap, Barton, because it's you who's pissing me off. You know you're good for this team; without you, the team would have gone to shambles months ago. You are needed on this team just like everyone else. You watch everybody's backs and inform them when they're in danger. Plus, who the hell else can shoot an arrow a half a mile and hit a robot frog in the eye? Only the best damn shot in the world, which just so happens to be you."
"I’m sorry, Barton. This is my fault, too." Loki suddenly appeared in the room, looking downtrodden. "In all honesty, if I could reverse the events, I would. You shouldn't be forced to suffer for what I did.”
“Don’t you start, either.” Robert ordered, sternly. “Now look, both of you. You had no control in what you were doing. I know it sucks, but I’m asking for both of you to trust me.”
“What are you going to do?” Loki asked the agent.
“Simple. We go to Plan B."
“What is plan B?” Clint questioned.
With a big smile, Robert looked at the two Avengers. “Hiroshima. Ring a bell?”
A little while later on, Robert had just gotten off the phone with Fury. When Jarvis spoke, “Agent Hall, Agent Romanoff is headed to your door, and she is in a mood.”
“A Mood?, What kind of mood?”
“I believe the best description is ‘Scary’.”
“Oh, fucking great. Open the door, and have the others on standby.”
“Of course, Agent Hall, and good luck.”
Romanoff slammed the door open and got up into Robert’s face within seconds, “What the hell is going on? Why is the council after Barton? He is majorly depressed right now! Is Fury going to let him get taken? Why haven’t you done anything? You better start talking Hall.”
“Okay, I was on the phone with Fury and the moron council for an hour defending Barton. You know damn well I am doing my best to protect him.” Robert replied firmly, not appreciating the amount of questions and accusations thrown at him. “Yes, Fury is trying to protect him as well, but his hands are tied. I am trying to come up with a plan B, to help him. So get off my back.”
Natasha’s face soften only slightly, most would miss it. “I apologise. He made the call- he saved me- I owe him my life. I don’t have many friends; He’s helped me in so many ways; I feel helpless on this.” She admitted looking away from him.
“I know, I am trying my hardest.”
As she looked back at him, he noticed her face had changed in a way he never thought was possible with her; Her eyes said everything, she loved him as a sister and would die for him. He was her world, and god help anyone that threatened her love. Hers lips quivered slightly with everything that was going on, she looked at a loss of what to do.
Natasha’s POV.
She is the Black Widow. She was not allowed feel this. But this is Clint, her Clint. How dare they pass judgement. Wait what is Hall doing? Why is he raising his arms? What does he think he’s doing? Is he actually hugging me? How dare he hug me! “Is he going to be okay?” The words escape her mouth, before she could catch them, but she did not return the hug, just scooted away from him.
“Believe me, Moy dragotsennyy krasnyy pauk, (My precious red spider), when I say. I will kill to keep him safe, if I have to.”
As Natasha looked back into Robert’s brown eyes, she could have sworn they got a little darker. She felt her heart actually believe he would .
______________________________________________________________________
May 8, 2013
The next day during breakfast, Robert told the team what was going on. Naturally, it was an uproar. After a while, everyone calmed down, and discussed ways to solve the problem, skipping all assassination options. It was actually Jane that gave Robert an idea. “The World Council is stupid. I mean, we have a Security Council at the U.N. What gives them the right to launch a nuclear missile into a country?”
“Holy shit, Jane, that is it!” Robert yelled out with joy. “I bet the rest of the world doesn’t know about the World Council and that they would be pissed off if they knew that this group of people could just launch a missile into their country with no explanation or accountability.”
“I would be pissed," Tony added. “Jarvis, start searching for any paperwork or anything about this matter.”
“Yes, Sir, I will let you know what I find out. Sir, just to let you know, the TV Promo for Loki is about to air.”
“Cool, Jarvis . Put it on the screen, please.”
The giant screen turned on with the volume up and the lights dimmed.
‘Oprah Winfrey has been hailed as one of the greatest reporters of our time. She is known for heart, caring, and compassionate feelings; but she is also tough. She helped uncover the abuse scandal of Nike shoes; the corruption of Hammer Industries; the embezzlement of the Charities for the Battle of New York; and now, she is going to sit down with the man who has become the face of evil in our time. He is compared with Stalin, Hitler, Hussein, Satan: Loki, God of Lies and Chaos.
Or is he?! Is he a victim, a person that was not able to make that choice? Was he a victim of abuse and neglect? Oprah Winfrey wants to know. She wants to give him the chance to sit down in front of our world and explain what really happened. She wants to answer the rumors. Does he live on Earth? Is it true that he is an actual member of the same people that defeated him? Is he truly sorry?’
Oprah with a stern face appeared on the screen. “I will give Loki the chance that he deserves to explain the truth, because as we all know the truth is the only answer that Earth deserves.”
‘Next Friday at 8pm EST, on all news channels, YouTube, and SONY Network.’
The TV turned off, and the lights came back on. Loki just stared at Robert. “Who came up with that ad?" he growled.
“Actually, Jarvis, Pepper, Jane, Darcy, me, Tony and the P.R. Department of Stark Industries. Look, Loki, we trie….” Loki stood up and walked over to Darcy.
You could tell she was scared that he was going to snap. Suddenly, he picked her up out of the chair. “I have only thing to say to you,” he said in a dark voice.
“What?” Everyone was ready to jump to save her, when he pulled her close and hugged her.
“Thank you. It is perfect. You guys really do care.”
“You jackass, you scared me. I thought you were going to go psycho on me!” With that, they kissed each other.
Everyone just took a deep breath and relaxed.
