𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬

༻ ❁ ༺

          "AGENT COULSON IS DOWN," Fury's voice transmitted through everyone's earpiece.

Hill's minor wound was being treated on the bridge when Fury's voice came over the intercom. She moved the medic's hand away and raised her fingers to lightly tap on the gadget, her brows furrowed as she concentrated on the report.

"A medical team is on its way to your location," an agent replied. Natasha listened in with a detached stare as two agents seized Clint's arms and pulled his limp body away from her.

"They're here – they called it."

In their suits, cowls and helmets off, Steve and Tony remained motionless behind the third engine, diverting their gazes from the response's granting of the flooring. Tony inhaled deeply, his shoulders sagging and his lips twisted in a scowl. He was saddened by Phil's death, but he didn't know how to inform Charlotte about it. 

Realization suddenly hit him.

"Where's Charlie?" His voice quickly grew more panicked, his entire body tense. "Does anyone has eyes on Charlie?!"

They all replied with a negative.

The Captain had removed the top half of his uniform, gloves, and belt, leaving him in a blue, long-sleeved, cotton shirt over his uniform's pants and boots, while Tony had stepped out of his suit to slouch in his chair in a Black Sabbath shirt and dark slacks.

"Tony, I'm sorry." Maria Hill spoke over the intercoms system. Her own voice had a grave and concerned tone to it. "I'm seeing security footage of Charlotte being escorted to a Quinjet."

"Who escorted her?" Tony interrupted. "Who was she with?"

"It was you, Stark." A heavy silence followed Agent Hill's revelation; Steve turned to Tony and saw a dark haze of anger and rage cast over his eyes. "We can only presume that Loki impersonated you during his escape. She was unharmed but–"

Tony exclaimed angrily, and everything came to a halt. "But what?!" Even Steve was startled by the genius when he tossed his own earpiece across the room.

"Sta–"

"Can it, Rogers. Just don't, I really don't need to hear a lecture from you right now!" he yelled furiously with eyes widened manically. He then pulled at his own hair and stared at his own reflection in the glass. Loki had taken her, he had taken his daughter. This was his fault, he brought Charlotte here. "Oh G-God," Pepper was going to murder him. What was he supposed to tell her? "Shit, shit, shit..."

Steve eyed him warily, "I'm sorry..." was all he said before the two fell into a tense silence, where Steve would pretend not to hear the genius's ragged breathing.

After a few moments of stillness, Director Fury stood across from them in his official leather suit, concentrating on shuffling through a number of little items in his hands.

"Stark. I'm sorry he took your daughter," Maria Hill was furious as she stood next to him Fury with her hands behind her back, her gaze fixed on the floor before glancing up at him in response to his remark.

"You're...sorry...?" Tony wasn't being logical, he just wanted to blame someone.

"Loki is a trickster. He exploited your daughter's trust and vulnerability." Nick stated firmly.

Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that Fury was correct. Loki was using Charlotte for something, and he had taken the life of Phil Coulson in the process.

"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket," Fury remarked when he saw that Tony had calmed down, "I guess he never did get you to sign them, I hope you sign Charlotte's when you see her again." He slapped the trade cards down on the table, some of the fresh blood splattering into the glass from where it had spread over the glossy surfaces.

Steve sighed as he stretched forward, ashamed that he had never signed them, and now that he realised Charlotte could have wanted Steve to sign her own cards as well – just as he remembered how awful he had been in front of her – he felt even more ashamed.

"We're dead in the air here," Fury explained as he pinched a corner of one of the cards and flipped it up to face him, "Our communications, the location of the Cube, Charlotte's whereabouts–" Tony gave him a dark look, "–Banner, Thor I've got nothing for you."

"Lost my one good eye," Fury said, bracing his palms on the table top as he shook his head, "Maybe I had that coming." Tony's eyes remained downcast until they moved upward to look into the distance.

He shifted his concentration back to the two people in front of him, Steve replacing the card on the glass, "We were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract," Fury confessed as he began to round the table. "I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier," Tony cast his eyes down to his lap as Steve's head tilted towards Fury with attention.

"There was an idea – Stark knows this," the Director started as he resumed walking, Steve turning his head slightly to note Tony's seat as the billionaire lifted his head minutely, "called the Avenger Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they could become something more," Steve's brow furrowed, averting his contemplative stare as Fury continued, "To see if they could work together when we needed them to – to fight the battles that we never could."

Tony moved his head to look at Fury in the distance while turning his thumbs over in his lap, intensely concerned for Charlotte's safety while also attempting to pay attention.

"Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes," that was enough for Tony, he stood from his chair. Before stepping off the bridge, he turned his focus from the horizon and his thoughts to his surroundings.

"Well," Fury mused as he watched Tony's exit, folding his hands behind his back, "It's an old-fashioned notion." 

༻ ❁ ༺

Tony gazed into the middle distance as he stood on the edge with his phone at his ear, the floor paneling fitting together over the hole through which the glass cell had fallen "Yes, I know. I know–Pep, I'll get her back. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry Tony, just bring our baby back safely!" Pepper cried on the other line, she was fully sobbing at this point. "We have babysitters, Tony! This is why we hired them!"

"I know! But we had to leave in a rush! Pep – I gotta go, I have to think."

Footsteps echoed around the room as Steve arrived, Tony sighed deeply and glanced about the carnage with anxious eyes. The soldier had actually overheard the talk but chose to allow the genius some solitude before making himself known.

Steve cleared his throat, fully announcing his presence.  "Was Coulson married?"

"No," Tony answered, his tone calmer, "There was a-a cellist, I think," he added after an afterthought.

"I'm sorry, he seemed like a good man," Steve said, sounding genuinely sad.

Tony huffed in aborted, mocking laughter, turning to him, "He was an idiot," the genius stated.

"Why? For believing?" the blonde asked with a frustrated brow.

"For taking on Loki alone," he reasoned, allowing his arm to fall to his sides as he stepped back from the slight drop.

"He was doing his job–"

Tony scoffed as he moved down the stairs, "He was out of his league – he should have waited. He should have."

"Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony," Steve consoled, having lowered his arms and walked down the steps as well.

"Right, I've heard that before," he responded as his mouth twisted in a sour smirk as he moved past the Captain.

"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?" Steve asked.

"We are not soldiers!" Tony insisted as he whirled around to face him, eyes slightly widened, "I lost my daughter, not a soldier! She was ten years old, for gods sake!" he yelled.

Steve sighed at the argument, "You didn't lose her, we'll get her back," he stated firmly as he watched the other man's gaze drift past him.

"I'm not marching to Fury's fife," the billionaire declared.

"Neither am I – he's got the same blood on his hands that Loki does," the Captain said, "But right now, we've got to put that behind us and get this done," he watched as Tony turned and noted the blood stain on the concrete wall where Coulson had passed away, "Now, Loki needs a power source. If we can put together a list–"

"He made it personal," Tony suddenly proclaimed.

"That's not the point–"

"That is the point. That's Loki's point," the genius asserted, "He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart," Steve speculated.

"Yeah, divide and conquer is great," he agreed with one arm propping up the elbow of the other and his finger worrying his mouth in thought, "but he knows he had to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants," Tony concluded, "He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it – he wants an audience," he stepped around Steve in vigor, staring determinedly at his deductions.

"Right," the blonde drawled, "I caught his act in Stuttgart."

"And this is just the previews," Tony surmised with a point as he continued, "This is this is opening night and Loki, he's a full-tilt diva," the genius turned to the blonde on the raised steps and gesticulated, "He wants flowers, he wants parades. He wants a-a monument built to the skies with his name plastered–"

Tony halted in his description, arms outstretched, immobile, as Steve raised his eyebrows at the character, and location, depicted.

"Son of a bitch," Tony cursed as he trotted down the stairs.

༻ ❁ ༺

Charlotte remained silent and put while she sat on the low-chairs on the balcony of Stark Tower.

She felt defeated because she allowed herself to be easily duped by Loki. She wanted to scream and scream, but she bit her tongue and remained silent as she watched Loki take in the beauty of the city.

"For a child, you are extremely lethargic," Charlotte jumped a little at the sound of his voice. His voice was smooth, almost gentle type. But she knew better than to trust it, her parents always taught her not to trust strangers easily – especially when they kidnap you.

"You haven't tried to escape, or screamed, or even pathetically called out for help from your new friends or father," Loki turned to her, and a smile crossed his lips, "Well, if I had a father like yours, I probably would not want him to find me either."

Charlotte frowned, "What do you mean?" it was the first time she addressed him. She didn't do anything except look at the floor with a terrified expression on her face, shaking like a leaf, during the journey here. She had calmed down a little when Loki showed no signs of wanting to hurt her, but she was still remaining alert.

Loki smirked, "He is a terrible father, is he not?"

The ten-year-old shook her head, "He's not."

Tilting his head, Loki began to approach her. Charlotte was told to sit and remain still, but all she wanted to do at the time was get as far away from him as possible. Something about him, something about his unnatural, glassy blue eyes, made her fearful.

Loki hummed, pretending to think as he eyed his scepter like a prized possession, "What kind of father would knowingly expose his child to a world of dangerous beasts, assassins and Gods. Then he proceeds to leave his child by herself, leaving me easily to take you–"

"You pretended to be him!" she cut him in, frustrated.

"Because you're naive!" he suddenly yelled angrily at her, mostly because she interrupted him. The girl quickly recoiled fearfully, flinching harshly.

Loki took a deep breath as the gem inside his scepter began to shine brightly, "As I was saying – he let me take you. Because he's a terrible father, and I know you agree with me. You might be a silly little girl, but I've been watching you, Charlotte Stark. You're intelligent - incredibly so."

Charlotte lowered her arms, her scared expression shifting into a neutral one as she heard his jabs, "Calling me silly and then intelligent doesn't make any sense."

Her father would constantly toss quips at the bad people, even when he was worried, and she wondered if it was a method of him not letting them know how worried he was of them-so she decided to put that theory to the test. Although she had to agree that Loki's exhausted expression was entertaining, she was still fearful of him.

Loki sighed, wishing he could just take control of her thoughts and use her against Stark, but that would be far too convenient. He only had to remind himself that he was dealing with a child, and that he would respond in a juvenile manner.

Charlotte reasoned that Loki's emotions would flip from rage to curiosity in a matter of seconds as he was silently studying her. Was it because she was a child that he hadn't done anything horrible to her yet?

"Why do you want me to think my dad is bad?" she asked, trying to distract him.

Loki's glassy eyes squinted slightly at her question, "I don't want you to think, Charlotte dear, I want you to realize it," he stated with a soft tone. He didn't know why he was being patient with her, Odinson was the one that had a soft spot for children – Loki despised them. They were loud, not obedient and reckless. Just like Thor was.

The ten-year-old scowled at him, feeling bolder now that he appeared calmer; the desire she had within to defend her father every time someone called him a self-centered narcissist grew stronger with each passing day – because they were all wrong.

They didn't know Tony Stark as she did, her dad wasn't just a genius, billionaire, philanthropist. He wasn't just Iron Man. He was her father, a man who had changed significantly over the years, and all for her, for his new role as a father. He had changed, yet he was not perfect and Charlotte knew that.

But then again, who is?

"He's learning how to be better," she stated firmly and continued to voice her inner thoughts. Charlotte avoided Loki's gaze, and stared down at her lap, tears threatening to fall from the corner of her eyes. "Everyone is wrong about my dad, including you." she looked up and gave him a smug smirk, "You're going to lose."

Loki snarled at her, the gemstone on his scepter pulsing with rage. "You insolent child, how dare you–" he started to say, but was cut off as they heard supersonic jet exhaust come up to the tower.

Charlotte smiled when she noticed a flare of crimson on Loki's shoulders as he turned around to face the windows. After a few seconds, the two heard an explosion from above, which shook the building somewhat.

However, she soon lost her smile while Loki gained his.

Then Iron Man appeared, dropping to the building's curved catwalk and landing with a thud on the platform as he turned off his thrusters. As he began to stride along the pathway Charlotte couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief, her dad was here just like she believed he would. 

She instantly began to consider how she might make it easier for her father to confront Loki; she knew he had a plan – even if he was removing his armour – so that things could get nasty and she wouldn't be injured; the ten-year-old was already feeling useless about being easily deceived and kidnapped.

So as Loki paid more attention to her dad, she slowly started sliding to the farthest side, towards the edge of the seat.

Loki turned to round the far side of the balcony, into the suite of the tower adjacent for a meeting, and made a tiny nod at Tony's unspoken offer, hinting by his disarming before him. Their gazes were fixed on each other as they moved, expressions cautious, but determined on Tony's face and interested of Loki's.

"Dad!" Charlotte yelled. 

Loki's demeanor remained unaffected as he snatched her arm and dragged her inside with him, but Tony's neutral look changed to a dark one at the sight of him manhandling her in such a way.

Charlotte tried not to react, but Loki's strong grip was beginning to hurt her. Worst of all, he was powerful enough to drag her along with him, leaving her helpless. Finally, Loki simply threw her into one of the low-chairs. It didn't hurt but she definitely gave him a nasty glare.

Tony averted his eyes as he entered into the area, an incredulous huff escaping at Loki's audacity. The aforementioned God sauntered across the tiled floor with his scepter in hand, gem gleaming, humoring the genius with amusing in his tone as Charlotte watched them, behind Loki's back, "Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity."

Charlotte was under Loki's guard, and she was afraid that if she tried to flee to her father, something horrible might happen to her. As a result, she stayed seated in her chair, worriedly watching the discussion.

"Actually, I'm planning to threaten you. The moment you took my kid, your second chances all but disappeared," Tony replied with his hands behind his back as he changed to proceed down the stairwell to the same level as Loki and Charlotte. He tried his hardest not to attack him straight away, and the fact that his daughter was unhurt was enough to keep him at bay.

"You should have left your armor on for that," Loki chuckled.

"Yeah," her dad granted, before justifying, "It's seen a bit of mileage, and you've got the Glow Stick of Destiny." That comment made the God smile admiringly as he cast his eyes onto the weapon in hand.

"Would you like a drink?" Tony offered, glancing quickly at Charlotte suddenly. She felt like he was trying to tell her something with his eyes, but she didn't get it.

"Stalling me won't change anything," Loki laughed, grinning assuredly as he handed the scepter into the grip of his left hand.

"No, no, no – threatening," the genius protested nonchalantly as he circled behind the bar, pointing at the selection of liquor behind the counter, "No drink – you sure? I'm having one," he then looked at his daughter, "Charlie, you want some apple juice? There's some here."

Charlotte was about to respond when Loki swung his scepter at her, terrifying her.

"HEY!" Tony yelled sharply, "You're talking to me, leave her alone!"

Charlotte's breathing was brisk as she gazed at the sharp tip of the scepter aimed at her; she could feel the energy emanating from it, and she frightened it.

Loki turned away from Charlotte with bared teeth after a tense minute to gaze at the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows that comprised the wall beside him. Charlotte felt her entire body weaken out on her as Tony sighed with relief.

Loki's breathing hardened as he stated, "The Chitauri are coming – nothing can change that," he spun back with an impassive face and lifted his chin, "What have I to fear?" he declared.

"The Avengers," Tony stated simply.

He removed the stopper from the glass vial of scotch in hand, pausing as he glanced across the bar to see Loki's brows furrow. Tony raised a brow and rolled eyes as he explained while pouring the whiskey into a tumbler, "It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. Earth's Mightiest Heroes-type thing."

"Yes," Loki said with a mocking smile, "I've met them."

"Yeah," Tony laughed, "it takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one – but, let's do a head count here: your brother, the demigod–"

Charlotte stood there watching Loki growl and turn away, his hold on the scepter tightening. She understood at that point that bringing up Thor was a sensitive topic.

Tony watched carefully as well as the other's turned back as he continued while reaching under the ridge of the bar counter, "–a super-soldier, a living legend – who kind of lives up to the legend–"

Charlotte noticed him close the slender metal bracelet he had twisted around his wrist from behind the bar. Cringing at the sound it produced, she looked warily at Loki, afraid he'd heard it. But if he did he didn't show it.

"–a man with breath-taking anger management issues–" her dad continued as Loki looked over his shoulder to smirk at the list and "intimidation", turning to pace back towards the bar, "–a couple of master assassins" her dad said as he snapped the other bracelet on, pointing to add, "And you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

"That was the plan," Loki stated.

Tony allowed himself a sip of his drink, retorting, "Not a great plan," with a patronizing twist of his lips, "When they come, and they will – they'll come for you."

"I have an army."

"We have a Hulk."

"Oh, he would kick your ass," Charlotte giggled, shaking her head at the god's increasingly pathetic display. She quickly stopped her teasing when he saw her dad shot her a quick and stern glance; it immediately silenced her.

"Oh? I thought the beast had wandered off?" Loki questioned with a gesticulation of his scepter.

"You're missing the point," her dad snapped as he moved closer, "There is no throne, there is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes, and maybe it's too much for us – but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."

"Dad..." Charlotte whispered as Tony took the liberty of drinking a portion of his scotch again.

Loki turned to Charlotte and grinned wickedly, "I wonder what would happen to your daughter in the middle of this?" he drawled his question and Tony's expression froze into an angry one as his jaw clenched, "You claim you'd avenge Earth, but how would you avenge your daughter's death if it was your fault?"

Charlotte shrieked as Loki leapt at her, attempting to grasp her arm, but she outran him by leaping from her chair and sprinting away as fast as she could. Loki growled angrily, but his scepter remained directed at Tony, who was watching his daughter with concern.

"Hide!" he told her urgently.

Loki glared at Charlotte as she nodded and circled around them. But then, when the ten-year-old approached the bar where her father had previously stood, a charming smile covered his lips, and she warily eyed the mischievous God.

"Ah, children. They're all so disobedient, aren't they?" he mockingly asked Tony, who glared at him fiercely, "I don't need anything from your daughter. As a matter of fact," Loki prowled over the few steps separating them, "How will your daughter react when her own daddy hurts her? How will your friends have time for me," he growled, "when they're busy fighting you?" 

The whir of the scepter's power sounded in the room as Tony's eyes widened, the gem shining bright azure as its energy flowed over the tip of the blade.

Then it touched the center of her dad's chest.

"No!" Charlotte yelled, immediately fearful of what was to come.

The gem's strength faded with the weak ring of metal, and the three were left looking at the scepter's end.

Loki breathed through his confusion with parted lips, having lowered the weapon and raising it again to Tony's held breath, and the same cling sounded. Relief crossed her face as she saw that the scepter was uselessly tapping against her dad's arc reactor.

"This usually works," Loki said in mystification.

Of course, as always, her dad started throwing quips instead of running, "Well, performance issues, you know," Tony replied with a mock-sympathetic expression, "It's not uncommon – one out of five, I'm told–" 

When Charlotte cried in terror as Loki snatched him by the throat, his quip was cut short. As he was thrown to the ground, Tony's eyes widened with alarm.

"JARVIS, anytime now," he uttered as he climbed to his feet.

"Charlie, down!" he managed to yell.

Charlotte panicked as Loki came quickly to his side and grabbed him by the jaw. She grabbed one of her father's expensive whiskey cups and hurled it at Loki, missing him entirely but making a good attempt. He drew him nearer to his face and Tony clutched the arm holding him.

"You will all. Fall. Before me," the god pronounced furiously.

"Deploy!" Charlotte heard her dad choke out. Then she noticed that JARVIS had slid open a paneled section of the wall on the other side of the room.

"Deploy!" she whipped her head to her dad again, eyes widened as he chocked the word while being lifted from the floor and hurled bodily through a window.

Charlotte let off a loud cry of horror as the glass pane broke upon impact, "DAD!" she began rushing after him, but Loki turned around and launched a beam at the floor in front of her, purposefully missing but sending her a warning.

"Now, I'm sure you won't give me performance issues," Loki declared manically, but before he could approach her, he turned around at the sound of a mechanical spin and was confronted with the ejection of a gleaming metal capsule from its concealed place on the wall.

Charlotte was afraid, but she couldn't help but be awestruck, especially as the machine slammed into his side as it flew by, breaking through a window to follow her father's plummet.

"Please make it, please make it," Charlotte repeated to herself like a mantra.

Loki looked down and Charlotte watched him give a close-mouthed sneer when Iron Man rose to hover before him, "And there's one other person you pissed off," he announced heatedly, 

"His name was Phil."