[This short story was inspired by Marvel HQ's 10-part animated series "Marvel's Avengers Mech Strike: Monster Hunters" currently available on YouTube. Although it takes place in another multiverse, I decided to bring elements of it into mine.]
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"We're bringing him home."

I had never been so overjoyed to hear those words.

Or so I thought.

A week ago, Loki had gone missing during an assignment with the Initiative. Although being vetted by SHIELD, I understood some missions were still classified.

Whatever the mission was, frankly I couldn't have cared less.

All I wanted was for them to find my friend - alive and well if possible.

Currently, Loki wore a wrist tracker, which was in part for a special probation he had with SHIELD. How he despised that device. I also found it distasteful, but the reasons he was made to wear it we both understood.

I thought it would make things easier to locate him.

However, on the day of his disappearance, there was no signal coming from his tracker. Knowing that Loki was more than aware of the consequences if he dismantled or removed it, I suspected there was something else going on.

Foul play.

And I had never felt so helpless and worried.

Agent Coulson requested me to come and stay at the facility for my safety while they got this situation sorted and would keep me apprised.

He also assured me they wouldn't rest until they found Loki.

When he spoke those words, I couldn't help but feel there was another meaning behind them. Perhaps it wasn't from Coulson himself since he and Loki had gotten on better these days, but I suspected it was SHIELD's default to go on high alert when a potential threat to Earth - despite them seeking redemption - went off the grid.

But Loki going missing wasn't the only problem.

A few days later a real threat presented itself.

The Green Goblin.

While I didn't exactly know who the Green Goblin was short of seeing an article here and there in the newspaper and on TV, Coulson requested my presence to attend a briefing about the situation. Although this wasn't about Loki, there wasn't much else I could do for now except bide my time.

I decided to attend.

Meeting up with my friends from the Initiative and seeing some agents with which I was familiar, Coulson got the briefing started.

"I'm going to show you a clip from cameras installed in the new mech suits Tony Stark created for the Avengers," Coulson said. "This team was on assignment in an area of New York when unexpectedly they ran into the Green Goblin. Then the situation escalated. Take a look."

Coulson pressed a button on a clicker he had been holding in his hand. The lights in the room went out and the video began to play on a big screen on the wall in front of us.

Wearing their mech suits, the Avengers who were assigned to the area grappled with the Green Goblin, who was to them, a familiar supervillain. However, they noticed, almost immediately, that his appearance had drastically changed. From what I remembered, the Green Goblin, usually a scary sight to behold, now looked downright ghoulish!

He even called himself "Monster Green Goblin."

And, his powers seemed to have become much stronger in his new form.

Doctor Strange, who was also assigned to this Avengers team, attempted to even the playing field by using an item called a 'Mystical Eye' to add a 'monster layer' to their mech suits.

With these upgrades they almost had Green Goblin defeated.

Or so they thought.

While Doctor Strange was in the process of upgrading his mech suit, he was struck down -

By Doctor Doom!

I didn't know who Doctor Doom was, but one of the Avengers said the name - along with a few others in the room, and they spoke it with a gasp!

Doom revealed he had the other 'Mystical Eye' and bragged that it was he behind the transformation of the Green Goblin!

Then, just as he appeared, he was gone with Green Goblin -

And Doctor Strange!

But all was not lost.

Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, also a part of this Avengers team, had surreptitiously retrieved Strange's Mystical Eye before Doom had disappeared.

And the mech suits had homing devices.

These Avengers now knew where to locate Doctor Strange.

Latveria.

The video ended there.

Hearing another click, the lights soon came up.

"That's all we know right now," Coulson said. "This team is heading to Latveria and when they arrive they will be connecting us to their camera feed so we can see firsthand what they may be up against in rescuing Doctor Strange."

"Do we know anything about these... Mystical Eyes?" one of the agents asked.

"Honestly, we don't know," Coulson shrugged. "We aren't kept in the loop about such things. All we do know is what we've seen on the playback - items with supernatural abilities to transform mech and bodies."

"What role are we to play in this?" Minerva from the Initiative asked.

"For now, we're just sitting on the bench," Coulson replied. "It was simply a courtesy that Stark reached out to us since there are many Avengers to deal with what happens. But when it comes to situations regarding the supernatural, you never know if we'll be called into the game. I'll send you all a dossier to look over so you're informed, just in case. If there are no other questions, you can all return to what you were doing."

Standing from my chair, I was about to leave the briefing room but my friends from the Initiative stopped me.

"How are you holding up?" Sasha asked me.

"Considering the circumstances, the best I can, at this point," I replied. "It's comforting staying in Loki's quarters, but..."

"Don't worry," Minerva said. "Loki will turn up, I know he will. Come on, how could he stay away from you?" She winked at me and gave me an encouraging smile. "Our top people are working on this. Thor would also be part of the search, but right now he's working with the Avengers to deal with this Doctor Doom thing."

"Princess," Blitz said, his nickname for me that I still was trying to get used to, "let's all go get a cup of coffee and see if we can take your mind off of this for a while."

"I'd... like that," I slowly smiled, not wanting to be alone right now.
****

I was grateful to spend some time in the company of Minerva, Sasha, Blitz and Jamal. Showing me kindness and listening to me vent alleviated my mindset. It was also gratifying to learn how much they missed Loki. Once that was established, somehow I was able to talk about other subjects.

It reminded me of a line from a movie that I found as a guilty pleasure: "I don't have friends, I got family."

Although Coulson had stated the Initiative would most likely be left on the proverbial 'bench' regarding the Doctor Doom affair, we decided to go through the dossier sent to keep ourselves informed.

And, well, it was something else for me to pass the time.

Reading up on Doctor Doom was insightful, but also sobering. I couldn't help but notice some contrasts between him and Loki. But in comparison, I was relieved to learn that Loki had never taken the paths Doom had. However, knowing Doom had kidnapped Doctor Strange...

How I wished Loki had been around to help with his rescue.

A few hours later we were all summoned back into the briefing room.

The Avengers team had reached Latveria.

Again with the clicker, Coulson darkened the room and then we watched the video feed, now in real-time...

Latveria was a country located in the Banat region where Doctor Doom had a castle. 

[Latveria from Invincible Iron Man Vol 3] 

The Avengers flew with their mech suits like drones to do some recon.

But soon the situation got complicated.

The team was met with an army of familiar supervillains! Who they were, I had no idea, but people I was amongst in the room were calling out their names.

It appeared Doom had used his Mystical Eye to change their bodies and, in effect, 'monsterized' them.

And then, to my horror...

I saw one of them was Loki.
****

I was aghast as these events were unfolding before my eyes.

"I knew he'd turn up somewhere," Sasha said, looking at me.

"He... always knows how to make an entrance," I said, in a shaky voice. I was glad to know he was alive but had not expected to see him like this.

What Doctor Doom had done to Loki was horrifying at first sight and it made me somewhat nauseous. It took me several minutes to catch my breath.

The Mystical Eye had 'monsterized' Loki into a kind of weird blue and green insect. Horns akin to the ones I was familiar from his helmet, seemed to have grown out of his forehead. He sported wings giving him the ability to fly and two lengthy insect-like limbs that sprouted from his back.

While I didn't have a phobia of bugs and insects, I had, like most people, an underlying fear of them. It made seeing my friend like this difficult to process and accept.

Some part of me wondered why this Mystical Eye had changed him into that - did it perhaps consider the trickster a pest?

But that wasn't important right now. All I could do was wait and see how this all played out.

To make matters worse, the video cut to Thor with another teammate called Wasp, both of them wearing their monster mech suits - and they were battling Loki!

Both shot energy blasts at my friend and he returned volleys of his own.

I didn't know how much longer I could stand being in this room, but I was compelled to stay for the sake of my friend. And it didn't matter to me if anyone saw the tears that were now running down my cheeks.

"Easy, Beverlee," Minerva whispered to me. "It looks like Thor is trying to bring him down with the least force possible."

"I hope so," I said, with worry.

Minerva was proved right. As Loki was soon defeated - and to my relief, with only minor injuries, he flew away.

The rest of the mission didn't take much longer.

Calling for backup, the Avengers put a plan together and made short work of Doom's monsterized army (which Loki had rejoined after his skirmish with Thor and Wasp). Doctor Strange was liberated, although he didn't quite need saving - he had been working on another plan which was flawlessly executed to take down Doctor Doom. On top of all that, to make sure none of this ever happened again...

The two Mystical Eyes were destroyed.

Doctor Doom not only had been defeated, but they even found a way to change the monsterized army back to their 'regular' supervillain selves - including Loki. All it took was a strong impact on the heart.

I had been through a major catharsis watching all of this and felt like a mess. It made me jump when the room cheered upon seeing the Avengers succeed.

The lights came up.

"Wow, that was intense, wasn't it?" Coulson said. "We will be sending this as an update to your dossiers. And we suggest you view it a few times. While the situation was caused by supernatural objects, there are still things we can learn from this. We will be compiling a report. If you have something to ask or add, contact us. You are dismissed."

Despite how awful I was feeling, so many questions came to mind.

How had Doctor Doom captured and transformed them into an army with the Mystical Eye? But more importantly to me, how had he gotten to Loki? This item also had the power to transform from afar. Was that how it was done or had Doom sent some of his monsterized army to find him and kidnap him?

In any case, it was clear Doom transformed these individuals against their will.

This also explained why Loki's wrist tracker data wasn't being received. Whatever materials Doctor Doom's castle was made of (or certain parts of the interior), the walls that had been housing his army had been blocking the signal.

"Beverlee, are you all right?" Minerva asked me.

"Honestly? Not at all..." I said in a quiet tone.

Suddenly I noticed the room had cleared out, short of the four Initiative members and Coulson.

"Well this might make you feel better," Coulson said, giving me a look of sympathy. "They located Loki with the tracker. We're bringing him home."

****

When Thor finally returned to the auxiliary SHIELD facility with Loki, I was not allowed to see him right away.

Doctor Lowenstein informed me that a full examination and tests needed to be done, including some time for him to be under observation. After that, if all was well, Loki would then have a debriefing and then could return to his quarters.

For several days, I had been going out of my mind with concern for my dear friend. Being told I would have to wait to see him left me deeply frustrated and I could only imagine what he would be feeling.

But the knowledge that Loki was alive, brought safely back to the facility and would be given the best care, well, I couldn't have been more grateful, and it granted me solace to be patient.

At least for a while.

During this time, Thor and Agent Coulson scheduled a briefing with me. After signing a non-disclosure agreement, I was told more of what had happened.

The answers to my questions were more or less what I had suspected. But there was one more I posed:

"Why did Doctor Doom go after Loki? How does he even know about him?"

"We don't have those answers right now," Coulson said. "We're looking into it, but at this point, it's almost like Doom picked his army on a whim, without any rhyme or reason."

I was aware Doctor Strange kept a watchlist of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to Earth. Loki was on that list. Could Doom have somehow seen it? But what about the others who were from this realm that were recruited?

Like Coulson said, when it came to the supernatural, who knows?

Once Thor learned I had witnessed the battle he and Wasp had with Loki, the contrite look of an errant schoolboy crossed his features. However, Thor assured me they made every attempt to take him down with the least amount of harm.

"Thor, it's okay," I said, returning the assurance. "You were in a difficult position and had little choice in the matter. While I don't like seeing Loki get hurt, I'm glad it had been you and this Wasp. Other Avengers may not have been so... 'considerate.'"

"But there's something I need to tell you, Beverlee," Thor said. "When we found Loki, he was in a bad way. He was reluctant to return to the facility, he even tried to fight us to stay where he was."

"Sounds to me like he was in shock," I suggested, now feeling even more concerned.

"We thought so too," Thor nodded. "For us to take him back, Doctor Strange had to... cast a sleep spell on him. But not to worry, the spell was for a dreamless sleep."

"Poor Loki," I sighed, looking down at the table. "I sure hope the familiar face of Doctor Lowenstein will make him feel less stressed after all he's been through."

"Before I left," Coulson said, "Loki seemed to be responding well to Tom when Strange woke him." He smiled at me, "You didn't hear this from me, but Lowenstein believes there are no lasting effects from being transformed by that Mystical Eye. He'll need more time to make sure, but once he's satisfied, Loki will have his debriefing and then you'll be able to see him after that."

"This debriefing," I said, thinking out loud. "Will I be able to attend?"

Coulson's expression turned sombre.

"I'm sorry, but no. Due to the nature of the situation, it will be a closed session."

A debriefing was standard procedure. But after what Thor told me, it seemed this was a more intense situation than others Loki had experienced.

"Coulson, I'm his advocate. I should be there for him," I stated emphatically.

"You will be," Coulson said, with a sympathetic smile. "After... the debriefing."

My patience was now at an end, "you can't do this to him, after all he's been through! Are you sure some of that Mystical Eye didn't rub off on you?"

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger, Beverlee! This isn't my choice. We have to follow standard protocols, that's all."

Taking a deep breath, I took a moment to think.

According to what Loki had told me from previous debriefings, Doctor Lowenstein would be kind and the session would be mutually beneficial. Nonetheless, these procedures still made me feel extra protective of him since he'd have to open up and be vulnerable - all for the sake of research.

I then felt Thor's hand on my shoulder, which made me turn to look at him.

"It will be alright, Beverlee," Thor said, giving me a gentle smile. "As you know, Loki has suffered worse things."

Don't I know it, I said to myself and nodded in acknowledgement.

Now I was the one with a contrite expression.

"I'm sorry Coulson, I... didn't mean to say what I did," I spoke in a quiet tone. "But sometimes I feel..."

"I know," Coulson said. "I understand your frustration. But trust me, all this will be over before you know it."

Begrudgingly, I accepted that Coulson was right.
****

It had been almost three days and I had heard nothing from Dr. Lowenstein or Agent Coulson. I attempted to text Lowenstein to find out what the status of things was, but his response was vague:

"Things are going well, but please try to find something to do in the meantime."

Not knowing how long Lowenstein would take with his procedures, I seriously considered going back home. At least there would be chores I could do to pass the time.

But then I might miss Loki's return to his quarters.

For reasons of security and otherwise, Lowenstein and Coulson agreed that he not be told that I was even here. But now that I knew he was going to be alright, I felt the surprise of seeing me (whenever he got here) would be a good thing. A proverbial light after going through a very dark tunnel.

But what to do to pass the time?

At least my friends from the Initiative kept in touch, texting me here and there to see how I was doing, and I met up with them for lunch each day in the cafeteria. During one of those days, Chef Barber dropped by our table. He asked how I was and told me whenever Loki was released to let him know - he would deliver a very large broccoli and mushroom pizza to his quarters.

Hearing him say that, warmed my heart - and left me grinning from ear to ear.

I also started a routine to keep busy. In Loki's quarters, amongst other activities, I would practice my self-defence training, dance to some tunes on Loki's playlist, take a shower, and then read a book from his bookshelf.

With these exertions, it would lead me to take an afternoon nap. Laying on Loki's bed, I would take a moment to think about the joy he had brought into my life. Before closing my eyes, I would end with a silent prayer:

Come home soon, Loki.
****
Awaking from my nap, I sat up and stretched. I decided to get something to drink from the mini-fridge and continue reading the book I started.

Upon leaving the bedroom, I soon noticed something. At first, I wasn't sure if I was seeing things, but as I got closer, what I saw was indeed there.

Loki was sleeping on the couch!

What?!

Walking over to the couch, I knelt beside it and looked at him. There was such a peaceful expression on his face. Although I didn't want to disturb him, to find him on the couch when he most likely had to have seen me on the bed AND could have joined me left me perplexed.

You've been through so much, my friend.
When will you learn you don't have to hide from me?

Leaning in close, I gently kissed his forehead.

His sleepy eyes slowly opened.

"Hi," he said, his voice quiet.

"Hi," I said back. "What are you doing over here?"

"Seeing you stretched out on the bed and softly sighing my name... It was such a sweet sight... I didn't want to disturb you."

"That's never stopped you before," I said, keeping my voice gentle.

Loki swallowed uncomfortably, "Coulson said you saw me as a, as a..."

"Yes... I saw what Doctor Doom did to you," I finished for him.

There was no way I was going to say the 'M-word.'

"I was surprised to find you in my quarters and... was very much eager to join you," Loki began. "But upon stepping closer, I became afraid. During my debriefing, when I saw what I had become... you Midgardians have a phrase, I couldn't 'unsee' that? It had a profound effect on me, so I could only imagine how it affected you. Would you become frightened? Would you think I would cause you harm?"

"It was... affecting," I admitted. "And yes, it was more than a shock to see you... transformed. But, Loki, what frightened me most... was the possibility... of losing you."

"Transformed as I was, you... had such thoughts?"

"I did," I replied, and touched his cheek. "And it was scarier... than any horror movie I've ever seen."

Loki looked at me for a moment. His eyes were now glistening with moisture. He sat up and patted the side of the couch for me to join him - which I did.

He wrapped his arms around me and mine did the same with him.

"It's been a very, very, very trying past few days," Loki whispered. "If only the protocols weren't so strict, having you visit me in the Med Centre would have been a balm to help me through all... 'this.'"

"Well I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere." I clutched him tighter, "Come on, let me take you to bed."

Loki gave a soft chuckle, "So forward." He released the hug a bit to look at me, "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here a little longer... so we can talk about what happened."

"Of course," I replied. "Should I make us some tea?"

"I have all I need right here," Loki smiled.

Releasing the hug, I took Loki's hand and smiled back at him, "I'm listening."

"To use your terms, the experience was like a horror movie. Being transformed was painful and what you saw was me... but wasn't me at the same time. I was being controlled to do things while another part of me was... begging for it to stop."

"How horrible! Was it like how the mind stone affected you when you had that sceptre?"

"It was more intense than the mind stone, this was more like being... enslaved." Loki's eyes were downcast, "When I was released from the power of Mystical Eye, it left me quite bewildered. The memories were still fresh in my mind of what happened and what I did was overwhelming. When Thor found me it was bittersweet. I greatly feared facing SHIELD... thinking they would blame me for my actions. State I was breaking the rules of my probation..."

Loki was trembling and his eyes were moist - and it wasn't the usual glistening moisture. A tear ran down his cheek.

Loki still had difficulty trusting 'the system.' But I couldn't blame him after how he had been treated on Asgard. Sometimes it can be difficult to change your way of thinking - especially when it's been ingrained in you, for say a thousand years, give or take.

Although I suspected this would continue to be a long road for him to adjust, I was grateful that SHIELD, well, more specifically Coulson and Lowenstein, were there to guide and treat him fairly.

Clearly, this debriefing proved that, yet again. However, as I had suspected, it still had taken its toll.

But with that over - it was now our time.

Sure, there would be more for Loki to deal with before he could fully return to duty with the Initiative, but those would be our usual twists and turns.

Our specialty.

I pulled him into my arms. His arms encircled me in kind.

"I thought I'd never see my clever girl again," he continued, his breathing laboured. "It was hard to bear. With my mindset as it was, I attempted to flee but Doctor Strange stopped me with  a sleep spell."

Holding Loki closer, I stroked his back, "Easy now. I don't hold you responsible for what you did - that's all on Doctor Doom. As Tony Stark said, he doesn't abide by any laws, not even the laws of nature. What he did to you was appalling and I understand this is not something you will get over easily, but you can take comfort in the fact that I'm here and will do whatever it takes to help you get through it." I felt Loki's trembling increase, "It's okay, let it out. I've got you and I'm not letting go."

Releasing his fears, Loki sobbed quietly in my arms while I continued to stroke his back.

I wanted to be strong for Loki, but the empathy I felt for his situation made me shed more than a few tears as well.

After several minutes, I said, "Loki, just to be clear, you know you're not a, not a...."

"A monster?" Loki finished for me. "No, I'm not. Monsters don't have someone like you waiting for them in their quarters."

I released the hug a little to look at him and touched his cheek, "That's the Loki I know."

"Beverlee, I think I'm ready for you to take me to bed," Loki said with a shy smile.

"I know we'll talk more about this after you get some rest, but it must have been pretty cool to fly with those wings?"

"To some degree, yes... but they were nothing compared to... the wings you gave me to be where I am now."

Kissing his cheek, we stood from the couch and walked to the bedroom.

As he climbed onto the bed, he sighed with content as his head rested upon the pillow. His eyelids closed sleepily as I pulled the covers around him.

Thank you for bringing him home...

Not feeling very tired after taking that nap, I was about to leave him in peace. But just as I was about to, he said in a sleepy voice, "Please stay, I...need you near."

He didn't have to ask twice.

Climbing onto the bed I snuggled beside him. Closing my eyes, I thought about how thrilled he would be when a large broccoli and mushroom pizza would be delivered for supper tonight.

________________
"My cold, dark tower seems so bright, I swear it must be Heaven's light."
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Roll credits!

https://youtu.be/pvI9PuGorwI