Hide and Seek
Chapter 30: Hide and Seek
“Seriously? Right in the middle of the compound?!” Bruce yelled from his window seat. Natasha and Clint were in the cockpit, and she was lowering the jet just outside the fence.
“We’re outside, dummy,” Natasha replied through the microphone attached to her headphones. Bruce looked out the window and saw the fence of the compound. “The invisibility cloak can’t guarantee our safety while we’re out here. We don’t have any intel on their technology. There’s a possibility that they could be using advanced tech to detect us.”
“Or they just have good ears.” Tony pointed outside the window. Everyone looked outside and all-terrain vehicles were running at full-speed at them. “We’re seen.”
“Why aren’t they firing?” Bruce asked.
Then, behind them, was an explosion. The jet shook as it landed. Everyone stood up and grabbed their respective weapons.
“Called it, buddy.” Tony clasped Bruce’s shoulder.
Natasha and Clint ripped the headphones off their heads and ran to the end of the jet. Steve tailed them. The jet shook as the enemy sent another missile from the back.
“It’s free for all now!” Natasha yelled. She hopped on the motorcycle that was parked in the cargo. Clint joined her in the motorcycle. Steve rode the other motorcycle next to them. “We’ll see you at the rendezvous point!”
The cargo door of the jet opened and they were welcomed by a rocket dashing to the door. “That’s my cue!” Tony zoomed past the three and blasted the rocket, along with the 3 vehicles in front of him. “Bye, bye!” He flew away from the jet, sending the vehicles blasting.
Bruce climbed on Steve’s motorcycle and locked the helmet strap under his chin. “Sorry, took a while,” he mumbled.
“Hang on, Bruce.” Steve kicked the locks of the motorcycle and he and Natasha got out of the jet at full speed. Thor and Sam followed their tails.
More armored vehicles were coming at them when they got out. It was an all-out war for everyone. Tony, Sam, and Thor were taking the skies while the others were speeding up to the main compound, giving everyone an opening to the buildings.
“Not now, buddy. Not now!” Bruce gritted his teeth, his neck was already turning green. He roared, his face turning green. “No! Not yet!” Bruce replied. Inside his head, the Hulk was already screaming smash! Smash! Smash!
“Ugh.” Bruce groaned, then he roared again, this time half of Hulk’s face showed up. “No!”
“We’re almost there, Bruce!” Steve yelled over his shoulder.
“No…HULK!” It was already the Hulk who was screaming behind Steve.
Steve sighed. “Alright! Go crazy, green guy!”
The moment Steve gave the green light, Bruce unleashed the Hulk and he jumped from the motorcycle and dashed to the incoming armored vehicle. “That made my motorcycle lighter,” Steve commented under his breath and pulled his shield from his back. He swung his arm and it went straight to the tire of an incoming vehicle to his right. The tire exploded and the car turned turtle. Steve extended his arm to catch the shield. When he drove past the smoke, he could already see Natasha and Clint from the corner of his eye. “Almost there!” His voice went through their comms.
Then bullets rained down on them coming from the upper levels of the building. Clint was about to pull an arrow when Tony said “I got this!” through their earpieces and shot multiple fire blasts at the source. A part of the wall exploded and when the smoke cleared, everyone could see the inside of the building.
“That’s on me. I overdid it,” Tony quipped.
“No, no. It’s perfect.” Natasha sped up and they entered the cloud of smoke. Explosions and gunshots were still happening around them, and they didn’t have any idea where it was coming from and when it would hit them. Clint opened the leather bag that was hanging from the back of the motorcycle and pulled out an item as big as a hand. He tossed it and it inhaled the smoke around them. Clint tossed more of it around them and the building’s layout became more visible.
They also became visible to the enemy. The marksmen already had their scope locked on them. More bullets were barraging them. Thor swooped in and slammed his hammer on the concrete wall, electrocuting everyone behind the wall. He landed on the ground with a thud.
Everyone convened at the center of the building, which they discovered was a warehouse full of cargo trucks. They didn’t have any choice but to blow everything inside. More armed individuals were coming in, so what they did was to move as a group slowly while attacking.
“I don’t think all of their militia were sent to us. Surely, there are some on Stella and Loki’s side,” Sam suggested.
“I believe the demigod units were sent to deal with them,” Thor replied.
“Thor’s right,” Tony said while sending blasts at the enemy. “All we’re deling right here are people like us. They won’t waste their inhuman forces on us. They have two OP demigods to deal with.”
“We should get to them as fast as we can!” Clint yelled over the mayhem.
The sound of explosions reached the floor where Stella, Loki, Elyse, Mayer, and his team were. Lights flickered above them as the walls shook. Mayer took a deep breath and smiled as he exhaled. “Looks like your backup won’t last long.”
Backup? Stella and Loki exchanged glances.
“Oh, you don’t know? FYI, the Avengers have arrived.” Mayer tapped his ear.
Shit. Stella clenched her jaw. She didn’t expect them to show up. She didn’t want them to follow since she wanted to finish this on her own - and Loki. Stella took a few steps forward. “Let’s end this, Mayer,” she said.
Mayer chuckled and removed his black glove from his right hand. “If you insist.” He raised his ungloved hand and purplish-black smoke appeared on his hand.
“Hades,” Stella uttered. “Son of Hades.”
“Thaaaat’s right.”
This was bad news. Stella knew she was no match against the children of Hades. One touch from any of them and she’s dead. She wasn’t sure if Loki knew their deal. She quietly hoped Loki knew how to deal with Hades, at least. There was no choice, she had to give him to Loki.
The purplish-black smoke from Mayer slithered to the corpses’ orifices. The fingers of the corpses twitched upon contact, and the corpses around Loki, Stella, and Elyse started to rise. More of the corpses behind them stood up and grabbed Elyse’s two companions.
“Lance! Hannah!” Elyse yelled as she was yanked away from them. Lance and Hannah started shooting at the corpses, who just reattached their limbs and continued to attack them.
“Loki, this is your fight now!”
Stella cleared the way for him, slashing the corpse around her with her glowing sword. She imbued her sword with her magic since her magic was the only one that could stop the corpses from ressurecting. Though she couldn’t send a blast throughout the corridor or else it would kill everyone and fatally injure Loki. Loki slashed the corpses with his sword as he moved forward.
Mayer was still standing on his spot. “Ah, I was expecting to kill the guardian this time. You being here is such a buzzkill,” he said disappointingly.
“Then you have to get through me,” Loki snarled. Loki lunged, his sword raised above his head and ready to slash Mayer. Mayer didn’t move, but the troops lined up on his sides raised their rifles and rained shots on Loki. The energy blasts stopped midway as Loki’s energy shield isolated them from Mayer’s team. Some of the resurrected corpses rushed to Loki with their hands curled into claws and arms reaching out to him. There were a lot of them, and Loki only had one sword. It wasn’t enough.
Loki pushed back and flicked his left arm, sending shards of ice imbued with his magic to the moving corpses. The shards pierced themselves at the center of the corpses’ head, making them fall on their backs. Loki threw more ice shards to the corpses, just like how Mayer’s men were barraging energy-filled shots on his now thinning energy shield.
“Stella!” Loki called out to her. Stella looked up to him after slashing another corpse. “My energy shield won’t hold any longer. We need to lose him!”
Stella gave him a quick nod and called out to Elyse. “Everyone! Hang on! I’m breaking the floor!” The tips of her fingers glowed and the floor cracked. An energy-charged bullet whizzed close to Stella’s ear. Too close for comfort. That only meant one thing: the bullets have now broken through Loki’s shield.
“Stella!” Loki yelled.
“Almost there!” Chunks of cement started to fall to the lower floor, and the weight of the corpses broke the floor completely. Loki, Stella, Elyse, Lance, and Hannah fell with the dead and live corpses to the lower ground as the bullets destroyed Loki’s energy shield. Without missing a beat, they fled the scene with some of the corpses running after them.
Mayer raised his hand and his men stopped pressing on the triggers. “Well. That was anti-climatic.” He chewed his inner cheek and when he peeked through the gap, they were gone along with the remaining resurrected corpses. Mayer hopped off the floor and landed flawlessly, leaving his troops behind.
One of the men peeked from the floor above. “Sir? What’s our next move?”
“I’m going after the guardian and the Asgardian.” That really didn’t answer the man’s question. “Go ahead and join the party in the main foyer.” He casually waved his hand over his shoulder. “Wherever the Avengers are.” The footsteps of his troops rumbled above him, fading as they left the floor. Mayer wandered the floor, stepping and kicking aside the immobile corpses. He chuckled. It was a bizarre thing. Killing someone, then ressurecting them using his power, then killing them again. Bizarre and amusing at the same time. As he stepped forward, he began wondering if the corpses could feel anything while they were connected to his power.
Mayer crouched over a decapitated corpse and fed it his smoke. The tendrils of his power entered the corpse’s orifices but his power did not work. The corpse was one of the victims of Stella and Loki’s power-induced attacks. “So it’s true. The guardian’s powers are as powerful as any demigod existed.”
As for Stella and Loki, they have eliminated the remaining resurrected corpses that came with them when the floor collapsed. Elyse and her men followed them wherever they went until they sought temporary respite in an empty office room on the ground floor. Stella locked the door behind her and stayed there, her senses on high alert.
“Is it true?” Elyse said in between her panting. “Is it true that the Avengers have arrived?”
On their way to the room, they haven’t seen the Avengers, but they did hear explosions not far from them.
“They’re probably here. The front building wouldn’t explode if they weren’t,” Hannah replied.
“Whether they’re here or not, we’ll move on to our objective,” Stella stated. “Their arrival is our distraction. Let’s make use of that opportunity.” Her companions nodded.
“There’s an elevator at the end of this hall. We could use that since this hallway’s deserted,” Lance suggested.
Stella glanced over her shoulder and peeked through the small glass window of the door. The hallway was still empty, and since they got in the room, she didn’t hear the rush of footsteps. “Very well. Let’s go.”
Everyone filed near the door and quietly sneaked out. Stella let Elyse lead the way. Lance and Hannah were tailing them. Loki was quiet behind Stella.
“Stella,” he addressed her for the first time since they got out of the plane.
“Yeah?”
“Do you have a plan once we’ve finally faced Ares?” Stella didn’t reply, so Loki continued. “We both know he’s not an easy opponent to defeat.”
“That’s why we’re doing this together,” she replied without as much as a glance to him. “That’s why your father agreed to work with us.”
Loki pursed his lips before saying, “he’s not my father.” Stella let it slip. When they entered the elevator, Loki noticed Stella’s expression. There was a hint of annoyance in her pensive face. He stood beside her. “Are you still -”
“I’d like you to focus on this mission, Loki,” Stella cut him off rather tersely. “Save other things for later.” She clenched her jaw as she tightened her grip on her sword. A piercing feeling began to swell in her chest. She let out a long exhale, forcing that kind of pain to disappear.
Loki sighed. Stella was annoyed. While the numbers on the elevator panel changed, Loki feared for their relationship. He began to fear for Stella. Then he began thinking of the possibility of her indefinitely cutting off their connection after this.
His thoughts were interrupted when the elevator doors opened to an empty hallway. They stood still, listening. The hallway was silent, save for the muffled explosions and gunshots from below.
“Why does this feel like a trap?” Stella quietly asked.
She was right. The hallway was too quiet, too still. From their point of view, even if they were looking at a metal wall, there was no damage to the wall in front of them. The peace was too good to be true.
Stella took a step forward but Loki caught her hand. He held her in place and stepped forward in her stead.
“Loki.”
“I’ll go in first.”
Loki let go of her hand and got out of the elevator.
Then a flash of bright light illuminated the hallway.
“LOKI!” Stella screamed and extended her hand out of the elevator. The tips of her fingers brushed Loki’s garments. Elyse and Lance pulled her in. “LOOOOKIII!” She screamed for him again.
An energy ball was bringing Loki away from the elevator. Luckily, Loki activated his energy shield the moment he left the elevator. He felt someone was waiting for them in the corridor. He was right. When the elevator doors opened, when they were welcomed by silence, he felt Stella’s guard slowly going down. That’s why he stepped in.
He didn’t get the chance to see who it was they’re about to face because the moment his body became visible to the enemy, the blast covered them. Loki’s body glowed green. His magic was fighting against the energy thrown at him. They were going so fast that he couldn’t shift his position. He groaned as he felt the searing heat tearing through his shield. He had to detach himself from this ball of fire.
Loki’s back hit something that broke apart. From the sound he concluded that it was glass. He looked over his shoulder and realized that he was now hovering over the open space of the building. Below him the fight still went on. It was a perfect opportunity to separate himself from the ball.
The ball of energy passed through Loki’s body, then it exploded on the other side of the building. Loki’s body disintegrated mid-air.
On the other hand, the real Loki stood on the destroyed glass wall. He turned back and faced the source of the blast.
“Hey, Rock of Ages!”
Loki rolled his eyes. His attacker was about to enter the elevator. Sparks flew from the inside of the elevator. That was Stella counter-attacking.
“What’s happening in there?” Tony asked him.
“Can’t you see we’re busy here?!” Loki retorted and ran towards the elevator. Tony finally assessed what was happening and he raised his left arm. A fire blast shot from his gauntlet and sent it flying to the attacker. The blast threw them away from the door, but it did not finish them off. “That won’t do!” Loki flicked his right arm, sending ice shards to them and his shards homed on their vital points, fatality finishing them.
Stella and the others rushed out of the elevator. “Are there others?!” She asked.
“None so far. Though someone else’s here.” Loki jutted his thumb to Tony’s direction.
Stella rushed to the broken glass. Tony saw her and said “hey, Lords! Long time no see!”
“Why are you here?!”
“That was one reaction I did not expect to receive. I thought you were going to be happy we’re here.”
Stella looked over what was happening below. The fighting on the ground floor had lessened. It seems that it has moved on to a different part of the building. “It’s dangerous for you to be here!” She exclaimed.
“Yeah. I figured it out when we saw people who just can’t die.”
“We’re the only ones who can kill Hades’ corpses,” Loki told him.
Tony flew closer to them. “Hades’ what now?!”
Elyse, Lance, and Hannah’s hands glowed blue and their swords and shields manifested while Stella was explaining things to Tony. “There’s a son of Hades among the people fighting here, and he’s after us. Look, you can’t be caught between our fights. It’s fatal.”
“Not my first rodeo, kid,” he arrogantly retorted.
“I mean, not even your suit could match against demigod magic.”
“Ouch.” Tony feigned hurt in his voice.
“We’re serious,” Loki added.
“Right. So, what do we need to do?”
“Keep everyone below us,” Stella said.
“That’s very elitist but okay.”
“Coming from you,” Stella grumbled.
“Uh, so. Is that the guy you were refering to?” Tony pointed at something behind them.
The four of them turned to face several resurrected corpses staggering to them. The weapons of the demigods with them glowed again.
Tony finally noticed their existence. “Oh, I guess you’re good here. I’ll see you later!” He gave them a small salute and went back to find the others.
Upon further inspection, they realized that the crowd Mayer brought was a mix of the alive and the unalive. The normal humans were bringing in weapons created by Ares, as indicated by the light blue glow on the barrels.
“Let’s split up,” Stella started while they were slowly advancing. “Elyse, where to Ares?”
“To our left. You and Loki head to him. Leave this to us.” Stella gave her a concerned look. “Let us create a path for the guardian to take on,” she sincerely said.
“Very well.” Stella placed her hand on Elyse’s shoulder and gave her an encouraging squeeze. “Thank you, sister.” The corners of her lips curled upward. Elyse patted Stella’s hand. “Now go. Leave this to us.”
Stella nodded. As for Loki, he was unsure of leaving the three demigods behind. The enemy was formidable. But seeing how Stella trusted Elyse’s word gave him inner peace, even just for a little while. Stella faced Loki and he nodded, silently telling her that he’s ready.
“May Athena guide you in battle.”
“Likewise.”
Loki and Stella fled the scene after their last exchange. A colored, intricately-designed ball appeared on Hannah’s hand and she tossed it to the incoming militiamen. The men on the front row weren’t sure what to make of it, so they continued walking, until the ball exploded in front of them and obliterated 5 rows of them. Though it didn’t take long before the dead resurrected, thanks to Mayer.
The explosion from Hannah’s ball was strong enough to shake the walls of the floor they were in. Loki looked over his shoulder to find out that no one was following them. “They’re doing a great job holding out Mayer’s men.”
“Mayer’s not there.”
Loki snapped to Stella. “How did you know?”
They slowed down near a corner before entering a new corridor. “I had a feeling. Hades’ children are one of the strongest demigods. He could be guarding Ares.”
The path that they were treading was quiet and empty. Loki aired his suspicions to Stella, to which she also echoed. They were starting to think that they would be ambushed. Nothing happened until they reached the large, heavy, metal doors leading to the main laboratory where they think the teserract was in. They stopped outside the door and stood there silently, eyes scanning the door, though seeing nothing for a while.
The battle happening at the other end of the floor and below them felt distant. All they could hear right now were distant, muffled bangs and booms. The thick silence accompanying them felt weirdly comforting.
Loki felt a hand on his. He peeled his sight from the door and looked at his left hand then to Stella. She held his hand, but her eyes were still on the door. He swallowed the warm feeling in his chest.
She turned to him, a small smile on her face. “Stay alive,” she said. “Whatever happens, stay alive.”
It was the first time she was like this to him ever since he tried to sever their ties.
“Stella -”
Her eyes returned to the door. “We don’t have much time.” She squeezed his hand before letting go.
Loki grabbed her hand again and pulled her to him. He then wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his nose on her hair. She now smelled like the battlefield: gunpowder, dust, with a hint of blood. There was no hint of Stella in there. Her distinct scent was gone, and it made him feel nervous.
Stella’s eyes widened when he pulled her to him. Her cheek was pressed on his armored chest. For the first time in a long time, she felt his warmth once again. She gulped and held her breath. She didn’t want to break down right there and then, but it was already there. It only needed one soft nudge for the tears to fall. She reluctantly wrapped her arms around his body, then closed in.
“Stay alive, Stella,” Loki whispered.
She was silent for a moment, then she replied, “I’ll try.”
She pulled away from him, avoiding his gaze. She already knew how he would look: lips pressed together in a thin line, brows knitted together, framing his solemn eyes. It was the same look that would always pull her in for an embrace or a kiss.
There’s no time for it now.
“We don’t have much time in our hands,” she voiced out. She faced the door. “They’re waiting for us on the other side.”
Loki recollected himself and returned his focus on the upcoming battle. He nodded. “I’m ready.”
Stella stepped forward. She raised her sword, ready to slash the control panel sitting at the middle of the door.
“Did I miss something?”
Loki and Stella quickly turned on their heels. Mayer was standing at the end of the corridor they were in, a smug look on his face. His hands were in his pockets. Loki and Stella didn’t like the casual vibe he was bringing.
Stella turned to face him. “Where are your dolls?”
Mayer pulled out his hands from his pockets as he slowly advanced. Dark, purplish smoke billowed around his right hand. “I don’t need them here. All I need to do is to hand you to Ares alive.”
She tilted her head. “Huh. A while ago you said you wanted me dead. Now you want me alive?” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t understand men.”
Mayer’s shoulders dropped. “There was a change in plans. Ares wanted you alive. I was against it.”
Stella and Loki exchanged looks. Both were unsure of what to make of Mayer’s stance now. He wasn’t there to help them out. He was there to capture her, or them.
“Is Ares in this room?” Stella casually asked him.
Mayer laughed, then replied. “Why don’t you fuck around and find out?” Without missing a beat, he launched himself to them, black smoke flowing from his hands. Loki placed himself between Stella and Mayer. With a wave of his hand, he sent ice shards in Mayer's direction. Mayer deflected some of the ice shards. Some had made its way through his smoke shield and grazed his cheek.
Given the opening, Stella ran to the door and threw a dagger to the security panel. The panel sparked once the dagger pierced the screen. Mayer screamed “you can’t open that!” and Stella ignored him. She pulled the dagger and, after imbuing the dagger with her magic, stabbed the panel. Her magic coursed through the wires and the panel went off. Clicks and churns were heard from the door and it opened.
“Say what?!” Stella smirked and pushed the door open, but it was heavy. She put all her strength on it and it only creaked. Seeing the conundrum, Loki waited for Mayer to blast him and used that to throw himself to the door. The blast Mayer sent to Loki was strong enough to swing the door open. Stella sent an energy ball to Mayer and it exploded upon impact. While he was distracted, Stella slipped through the opening.
Loki was laying on rows of fallen shelves. There were more rows of shelves in the room. Stella ran to Loki and pulled him up. “Let’s go!” They ran deep into the dimly-lit room.
Meanwhile, Mayer wiped his face. Stella’s energy ball wasn’t that strong but it was enough to throw him back and give him a concussion. He blinked multiple times as he waited for his sight to clear up. He pushed himself up and felt the floor wobble underneath his feet. He swayed and reached out for something. His hands settled on his knees and he faced forward. The door was already open. Mayer sighed.
“Right.” Loki exhaled and they slowed down when they felt that Mayer was not chasing them. “Where could Ares be? And, is this an archive room?” He scanned the shelves, finger gliding on the boxes.
Stella snapped and a small ball of blue fire hovered between them. She studied the boxes on the shelves. “There are no labels, and they look like document boxes to me. Like those boxes in the police HQ.”
Loki pulled one box and opened it on the floor. The box was filled with papers, stained brown with time. Stella crouched over him, reading the pages over his shoulders. “Scientific reports?” She wondered.
Loki shuffled the pages. “I believe so.” Then, a crashing sound boomed from the front of the room. Like the shelves were toppled down. Loki and Stella turned to the source of the sound. “Mayer had caught up.” Loki tossed the pages back to the box and stood up.
“Let’s go!” Stella slapped his hand, coaxing him to follow. Loki tailed her. They ran further inside. Stella slowed down when they thought they had already put some distance from Mayer. “Where are we going?” She turned on her heel. It felt like the room didn’t have walls.
“This room feels endless,” Loki added. He tried to listen to what’s happening outside but all he got was silence.
Stella peeked on one of the paths. “There must be an end to this, right?”
“Death is the only end here,” a disembodied voice boomed overhead, making Stella and Loki jump. They began looking for the owner of the voice. It wasn’t Mayer, and he wasn’t nearby. No one else was nearby. “You cannot find me in this labyrinth,” the voice spoke near Stella’s right ear, and she jumped away from the voice.
Then it clicked.
“It’s Ares,” she told Loki. “Ares! Show yourself!” She shouted.
The voice snickered evily. “It’s not that easy, guardian. You can’t just command me to show up. No.”
Stella gritted her teeth. It was a difficult task, given that they don’t know the room’s layout. They were also cut-off from the others, they couldn’t ask for help. All she wished for now is some kind of miracle.
Loki saw movement from the corner of his left eye. He conjured his sword and faced the direction. From the end of the shelf, Mayer was faltering to where they were. “Stella.” Stella glanced at Loki and saw Mayer. “I’ll take care of him. You look for Ares.”
Mayer grinned. “You’ll never find me.” The voice was coming from him. Stella’s eyes locked on Mayer. His eyes had a violet glow, and they looked dead despite the grin on his face. Mayer laughed, the voice was ringing straight to Stella and Loki’s ears. “What a stupid plan, sending the guardian to find me. You’ll never succeed.” Mayer raised his hand and tendrils of black smoke slithered to them.
Stella threw smaller energy balls that dispersed the smoke tendrils. “What a mediocre attack.” Mayer closed his hand into a fist and more tendrils shot from his hand. The tendrils moved like angry snakes, dashing to Loki and Stella. Loki grabbed Stella and they teleported behind Mayer. Once they landed, Stella lurched forward and slashed Mayer’s back. The cut was not deep, but it was enough to cut through his clothes and his skin. But before Stella could push herself away from him, the tendrils wrapped around her wrist and leg and yanked her to him.
“Stella!” Loki reached out but he was a second too late.
Mayer pulled Stella’s left arm and folded it behind her, making her yelp in pain. The tendrils wrapped around her, making her immobile. The tendrils even covered Stella’s mouth. Loki dashed forward but was pulled away by a tendril that came from behind. The tendril wrapped around Loki’s ankle and pulled him upside down, up in the air.
“Tsk, not again!” Loki sneered. He watched in horror as Mayer conjured a sword and placed it on Stella’s neck. “Hey! I thought Ares wanted her alive?!”
Mayer’s eyes darted to Loki. Then his skin disintegrated like paper under fire. Little by little a new skin appeared from underneath. Little by little, the man holding Stella became familiar. Loki’s eyes widened as he remembered that night that he was attacked in his room. The night he first saw Stella in Asgard.
Mayer’s head was replaced by a bald head with a row of hair at the center of the head. Mayer’s face was replaced by a sinister-looking one with a lateral scar on the left eyebrow. It was the same face from that night.
It was Ares. Up close and personal.