Plot Holes
America swiftly shifts forwards, to stand in front of the team with her fists ready to fight, and glares at Loki. He's sitting calmly over Noh-Varr's spaceship, smirking at them mischievously, delighted that his plan worked out. How dare he come back now, after two months being gone? How dare he lie to get us together again? How dare he sit there, smiling as if he'd already won?
Alright, so they were never friends. Never even liked each other at all. He'd get on her nerves and she'd push him around, inwardly knowing he was up to no good. Yet she'd eventually trusted him. After endless missions across the Multiverse, trying their best to stay alive and keep everyone —specially Billy— safe, she'd ended up accepting he was on their side. As much as she didn't understand his motives, she knew they had each other's back. There were secrets known only to them both and a silent cooperation to save the world while keeping their business to their selves.
And then, just after taking a shot to save his ass, he comes clean in the middle of a fight. He'd been playing them all along. Playing her who had been set not to let him fool her. At the end, she'd more furious than she allowed anyone to know. She feels personally betrayed by him... and mad at herself for falling in his stupid little game. It was all his plan from the beginning and she hates having been used. She'll not allow it to happen ever again.
He jumps off the spaceship and before he can even begin approaching them America flies towards him.
"No wait!" he pleads as she grabs him by the fur coat. "Listen to me."
"You've lost that privilege," she grunts pulling her fist back, ready to break his face.
"America, wait!" it's Billy who calls her to a halt. Had it been anyone else, she wouldn't have even blinked, but it's Billy, and there's always something inside her pulling her to listen to him, even when she knows he's not always right.
"Yeah. Lets listen what he has to say," Kate offers. "And then you can hit him."
"Hey!" Loki glances at her looking offended before looking back at America's fist.
She doesn't let go.
"America..." Billy insists, almost pleading.
She puts her hand down.
"Good, good, America," Loki smirks at her. "Listen to Kaplan."
She glares and shoves him back with a grunt, making him trip and fall on his ass. America stands above him, arms crossed and ready to kick his ass. It's and oddly familiar scene. The silence between them stretches as they glare to each other.
"What do you want, Loki?" Kate's the first one to speak after the tension escalates too much for anyones liking.
"I merely wish to speak to you. No tricks, I promise," he says standing up.
"And your way of showing that is lying to get us here?" David points out arching an eyebrow.
"Would you have come otherwise?" Loki shrugs with a laugh, though his face looks grim.
"No," Billy answers, "and with good reasons."
"I know, I know. I lied to you before, manipulated you, tricked you. It's what I do, remember?"
For all answers, he gets glared at by every single member of the team.
"Okay, sorry. That came out wrong," he says quickly putting his palms up. "I swear, I've just came here to warn you."
"Let me guess, about another threat to the world," Teddy arches an eyebrow unimpressed.
"Yes, indeed," Loki snorts. "A big threat like none you've ever faced and/or heard of before."
"Been there, done that," America crosses her arms.
"You don't understand..."
"Whatever it is, I'm sure the Avengers can handle it," Billy says
"I tried to tell them too," Loki said running his fingers through his hair. "They wouldn't listen."
"And what makes you think we will?" David asks.
Loki looks at them, as if doubting what to say next. He finally sights.
"Because, despite what you may think, I consider you my friends and I know you are a capable team. This threat is one not to be taken lightly. Believe me, I could've just stayed away and be safe from your judgement, but I am here given the magnitude of the emergency. Would you please just listen to me?"
America doesn't turn around, but she can hear the team shift behind her. They're considering it. She can't believe it.
"No," she declares before anyone else gets the chance to speak.
"No?"
"No," she repeats turning around to walk away from Loki. "You're not worth my time. I have better things to do than stay here and listen to your lies."
"Am..." Kate mumbles softly but she ignores her.
"But the world's in danger," Loki calls after her and she begins to wonder what the hell does he care if she comes or goes. He should probably want her to leave. Less eyes on him.
"It always is," she grunts walking away.
"No, you don't understand!" he almost pleads before lowering his voice. "The whole Multiverse, is peril," she keeps walking. "Realities are shaking, magic's acting up. America, there are holes in existence."
She freezes. She only realizes she's visibly shaken when she sees the way the rest of the team are looking at her.
"America?" Noh-Varr's talks for the first time with a deep frown. She ignores him.
"What did you just say?" she asks turning around to look at the godling.
"There are holes in existence," he repeats grimly.
"Chico, I swear if you're lying to me I'll kill you," she says walking towards him.
"I know, I know," he puts his hands up again.
"No. You don't. Talk."
"It started a few weeks ago," he quickly starts after a deep breath that lets her know he's about to go on one of his long speeches. "I had just gotten back to Asgard when I found one in the Palace. I did not know what it was, but I could feel reality breaking around it, being sucked into it like blood by a leach. I immediately went to The All Mother but, Alas!, by the time we arrived, the hole was gone. I think she did believe me, though. She was probably the only one. Then, a few weeks back, I was on another dimension in a... erm... mission from Asgard when I saw two more holes, this time bigger and more dangerous. I tried to talk to my brother and his merry band of costumed idiots, but they wouldn't listen. It was when I encountered them for the third time, this time in Midgard, that I called for your help. The ones I found here were even worse. This is Earth-Earth, after all. Whatever's happening seems to be converging in this reality. I do not know what it is, yet, but it is bad. Can't you feel it, Mater Kaplan?"
"I... I've been trying not to push my magic lately," Billy frowns. "I'm not ready to pull a Demiurge number again, Loki. I can't just turn it on whenever I want to feel time and space around me."
Loki turns his eyes to America next and frowns. She closes her eyes for a second and focuses. She can feel realities around her, taking an almost material form like walls of glass. An then... there it is, like piercing wounds in the skin of reality, holes that lead no where. The small realities are shaking already while the one they're in seems on the verge of being teared apart. She's only felt something like this once before.
She openes her eyes and immediately turns to look at Billy grimly. He looks at her worriedly for a moment before his face goes serious, like combat ready. She's silently proud of how much he's grown up... and still he's not ready. He honestly has no idea what this means. She turns back to Loki.
"So you got us all here. You warned us. Now what?"
"Now, we wait," he shrugs. "I wanted you to be warned, so you would come when I call you. I don't know when this will happen again or how to stop it, but we have to be ready. When it does blows up, I need you to trust me."
"That's not going to happen."
"What?"
"Believe you? Maybe. Trust you? Never," she says squinting her eyes at him.
"Alright. Fair enough."
"So now we just wait?" David asks crossing his arms over his chest.
"Until we do not know what the menace is, we can not face it," Loki says.
"Fine... so we keep an eye out for... holes?" Billy asks.
"Yes," Loki and America answer at the same time. They glare at each other immediately.
"Uh, alright," Kate says arching an eyebrow at them. "And what could happen if we can't get the situation under control?"
"It's impossible to know," Loki shrugs.
"We all die."
"How do you—"
"Doesn't matter," she cuts Teddy off.
There's silence for about two seconds in which she's inwardly relieved that she got them to drop the subject. And, then...
"Wait a minute," Tommy blurts out. "So that's it? You say it doesn't matter and we don't make any more questions? You obviously know more about this than you're telling us," he says pointing at America. "Is it always like this?" He turns asking to the rest of his friends. "They know about the problem but simply won't tell the rest of you? And you just accept that? No way. If there's a big threat to the universe we're gonna be facing, I wanna know exactly what's going on."
America glares at him, clenching her fists. He's Billy's brother. He's Billy's brother. He's Billy's brother, she reminds herself. God, she wants to punch him. She's not used to dealing with him.
"You'll have to trust me," she mutters clenching her jaw.
"And why should we?" he asks defiantly.
Because I spent weeks jumping across the Multiverse looking for you, you little shit.
Her glare deepens as she crosses her arms.
"Why should we trust you, if you don't trust us?" he insists.
Her frown softens as she looks past him, at the rest of the team. Billy, Kate, Teddy, David, Noh-Varr... they know her and deep down she knows they might feel the same way but there is a reason why they are not asking this questions. A reason that, she hopes, goes beyond fear of being punched.
"Because I've never given you a reason not to," she deadpans.
They all stare at her. Tommy's face doesn't change but she can see everyone else shift awkwardly. They know it's true.
"Alright. So what do we do?" Billy finally asks looking at her.
For a moment, she freaks out behind the mask. Why are they looking at her? Why do they expect her to know what to do? She doesn't know. Let's pretend.
"We stay ready. In contact. Keep our eyes open and are ready whenever it happens again."
"Well, most of us live in New York, so that shouldn't be a problem," Teddy shrugs.
All eyes dart between Noh, America and Loki.
"I'm working to repair my station," Noh-Varr says calmly. "I will be in orbit."
America won't say it, but she's silently thankful to know Noh's not planning on leaving Earth soon. She's still kinda mad with him about how things ended with Kate, but it's not really her business. She likes Noh. He's a good teammate and doesn't feel the need to talk all the time to break awkwardness. He feels steady, much like her.
"I have some Asgardian business that require me to stay in Midgard for now," Loki's next to talk calmly with that smug way of shrugging that irritates her so much. "So I'll be able to keep guard and/or come if I am needed."
America rolls her eyes because they wouldn't need him. Shouldn't need him. But he's the only one who seems to have any idea of what's going on... other than her. Why do they always end up like this?
All eyes on her.
"I'll be around," she shrugs. "You call me. I'll come."
That's all she can promise. Staying stuck in 616's New York is something she'd rather avoid.
Everyone nods in agreement and after a few more minutes they begin dissipating. Noh-Varr's quick to get back into his ship and make a quick get-away. Can't blame him. If looks could kill, he'd been murdered by Kate several minutes ago. Billy and Teddy walk away hand in hand. Kate grabs Tommy's hand and they leave along with David talking about going out for a movie. Loki and America, as if in a silent agreement, stay until everyone else's gone. They can still see their shapes in the distance when she talks.
"Why my number?" she asks without looking away from them.
"I told you," Loki sights as if he was talking to a child. "They wouldn't have come otherwise."
"You know that's not what I meant," she frowns lightly, still without turning. "Why my number?"
It's a simple question but it feels incredibly important. Why her? She's barely a member of the team. Just the muscle. The 'Guardian Angel' when they get in trouble. She's not the kind of friend everyone rushes to help, because she doesn't need any help. It worries her that, like everything Loki does, he chose her number for ulterior motives. Does he know what this means to her? He seems to, for the grim tone in his voice when talking to her. How much does he know about her secret? That's been the question all along. She knows he knows, just not at what extent.
"You were the obvious choice, Chavez."
"That's stupid," she states matter-of-factly. "Why did you think they would come?"
"Well," he side glances at her with a smirk. "They did come, didn't they?"
He walks away befor she can answer and disappear a few steps away in a flash of green. She wants to kick him for being a smart-ass. For that smug smirk and for the way he treats her as if she was an oblivious little girl. And he totally just walked away for the dramatic value just to disappear once his little 'walking away' moment was gone. Ugh.
Then another idea forms in her head and it takes the annoyance to replace it with worry. She was just used to set up a trap for her team. And they all fell right into it.
And then another idea pops into her mind and makes her forget about that first worry.
There are holes in existence. Again. And she's got the gut feeling that history's about to repeat itself.