The Weight of Immortality - CH - 77

Even though Loki and his agents had failed to do any real damage to the helicarrier, the battle had still taken its toll. The fight had been brief but intense, with SHIELD ultimately emerging victorious. The facility remained intact, the crucial systems were still operational, and casualties had been minimal. However, despite their best efforts, something had gone terribly wrong.

Loki had escaped.

Not only had he managed to break free from his high-security prison, but he had also taken the Tesseract—the cube that held immeasurable power—with him. His escape wasn’t flashy, nor had he left a path of destruction in his wake. It had been a calculated, precise maneuver—one that Hela had been too preoccupied to stop.

The helicarrier had suffered significant engine damage during the skirmish, and Hela had been too focused on ensuring it didn’t plummet from the sky. By the time she realized Loki was gone, it was too late.

And now, there was another pressing issue at hand—Agent Barton.

Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, had been captured during the battle. But he wasn’t just any prisoner—he was still under Loki’s control. His mind belonged to the Trickster God, his free will completely stripped away. Now, bound and held in SHIELD’s high-security containment, he sat in eerie silence, his usual sharp and perceptive gaze replaced by a vacant, unyielding stare.

Hela stood outside his cell, her arms crossed, her jaw tense. The rest of the team had gathered as well—Tony, Steve, Natasha, and Fury—each of them wearing varying degrees of frustration and exhaustion.

Natasha was the first to break the silence. "He's still in there," she said, her voice steady but laced with concern. "I’ve seen this before. He can fight it."

Fury, standing with his hands behind his back, didn't look convinced. "Not while Loki’s still holding his leash." His good eye narrowed. "We need to find that bastard before he decides to pull the trigger on Barton’s mind."

Tony, arms crossed, let out a scoff. "Yeah, I hate to be the one to say it, but we don’t exactly have a playbook for ‘mind-controlled assassins’ here." He glanced toward Hela. "Unless your magic tricks have something for this?"

Hela remained silent for a long moment before exhaling sharply. “I can break his control,” she admitted. “But not here. Not in this state.” She motioned toward Barton. “Loki’s spell is deeply ingrained. It’s not just a simple enchantment—it’s a complete rewrite of his mind. Undoing it won’t be easy.”

Steve, arms at his sides, took a step forward. “Then what do we do?”

Hela turned to Fury. “Let me take him.”

Fury’s eye twitched slightly. “Not happening.”

Hela’s expression hardened. “Director, we don’t have time to argue. You want Barton back? Then you have to let me take him somewhere secure, somewhere I can work without interference. SHIELD’s cells aren’t designed for undoing this level of magic. If we keep him here, we risk Loki reinforcing his control the moment he finds out we’ve captured him.”

Natasha clenched her jaw, clearly torn. She wanted to trust SHIELD to handle this, but deep down, she knew Hela was right. If Loki could reclaim Barton’s mind, then imprisoning him here meant nothing.

Fury sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. But I want updates. Constant ones.”

Hela gave him a curt nod. “I’ll need transport.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Something tells me you’ve got a teleporting firebird that can do the job.”

Hela smirked slightly. “Something like that.”

She turned toward Barton’s cell, stepping forward until she stood just beyond the protective barrier. He didn’t react. He just sat there, staring blankly, his expression devoid of emotion.

Hela knew better than to mistake that emptiness for weakness. She would have to tread carefully. Breaking Loki’s control wouldn’t just be a matter of magic—it would be a battle of will.

And if there was one thing she knew about Hawkeye, it was that he never missed his mark.

Even now, buried beneath Loki’s influence, she was sure that somewhere deep inside, Clint Barton was still fighting.

And she would make sure he won.

Hela had underestimated the depths of Loki’s control.

She had thought that with her knowledge of the Mystic Arts, she could break the mind control by delving into Agent Barton’s subconscious. She had expected to find a thread, a weakness, something she could unravel. But even after sifting through countless memories—clandestine missions, assassinations, covert operations—she had found nothing.

Loki’s hold on Barton was absolute.

Every time she tried to pull at the edges of the control, it resisted, like an iron wall shielding his mind. The deeper she went, the more she realized just how meticulous Loki had been in his enchantment. He hadn’t just taken control of Barton’s will; he had buried his influence so deeply that removing it without causing damage was nearly impossible.

Frustrated, Hela stepped back, running a hand through her dark hair. There was only one person she knew who could undo something like this quickly—Harry.

With that decision made, she left Barton restrained in the containment cell and immediately sought out Director Fury, Captain America, and the others.

“I need to take him to my apartment,” she announced, her tone firm. “I need more time to work on breaking Loki’s control.”

Fury, arms crossed, gave her a long, unreadable look before shaking his head. “Not happening.”

Hela clenched her jaw. “Director, we don’t have the luxury of time. I’ve tried everything I know, and I still can’t break the control. If we want fast results, we need outside help.”

Fury’s expression darkened. “And who exactly is this ‘outside help’?”

Hela didn’t answer.

Fury’s eye narrowed. “That’s what I thought.” He let out a sigh, shaking his head. “Barton stays here. We’re not taking unnecessary risks.”

Hela didn’t argue further, but she had already made her decision.

She was taking Barton with or without Fury’s permission.

She met Tony and Thor later that evening, and after explaining her plan, both were on board without hesitation. Tony was especially enthusiastic, seeing as he had little regard for Fury’s orders when it didn’t align with what he considered the ‘right’ course of action.

“Yeah, screw Fury,” Tony said with a smirk. “Besides, it’s not like this is the first time I’ve stolen government property.”

Thor, ever loyal, simply nodded. “If this will save the warrior Barton, then I shall aid you.”

Natasha, who had been listening from the shadows, stepped forward. “I’m coming too,” she said without hesitation. “Barton is my friend.”

Hela nodded in understanding. “Then we move now.”

Without wasting another second, Hela summoned her Mystic Arts, drawing sigils into the air with precision and focus. A glowing portal formed before them, the swirling energy creating a direct path from the Helicarrier to her apartment.

With a final glance toward Barton, she reached out, grabbed his restrained form, and pulled him through the portal. Thor, Tony, and Natasha followed right behind her, stepping into the swirling magic before it collapsed.

Hela’s Apartment

The moment they arrived, the familiar scent of old parchment and burning incense filled the air. Hela’s apartment was not a normal living space—it was a sanctuary of knowledge, an archive of ancient magic, artifacts, and relics that had been collected over centuries.

And seated at one of the long tables, completely engrossed in a massive tome, was Bruce Banner.

His hair was disheveled, his sleeves rolled up, and the table in front of him was buried under a mountain of ancient books. He didn’t even look up as they entered.

Tony blinked. “Uh… did you sleep at all?”

Bruce absently turned a page, muttering, “Nope.”

Natasha crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. “Have you eaten?”

Bruce hesitated before answering. “…Maybe?”

Hela sighed. “Banner, have you moved from that spot since you got here?”

Finally, Bruce looked up, his eyes slightly bloodshot but bright with curiosity. “You have so many books on ancient magic,” he said, as if that explained everything.

Tony chuckled. “Nerd.”

Bruce just shrugged, rubbing his temples before finally noticing Barton’s restrained form being carried by Thor. His expression sobered instantly. “That bad, huh?”

“Worse,” Natasha muttered.

Bruce stood, stretching out his stiff muscles. “So, what’s the plan?”

Hela exhaled slowly, glancing down at Barton. “We take him to Harry.”

Bruce frowned but nodded. He had never met this ‘Harry’ but trusted Hela’s judgment. If she believed Harry could break Loki’s control, then that was their best option.

“Then let’s not waste time,” he said.

Hela nodded, already preparing for the next step. Loki had made a mistake in underestimating them. Now, it was time to turn the tables.

It was Tony who took it upon himself to retrieve Harry.

Given that Harry was currently working at the restaurant, it took a bit of persuasion on Tony’s part to get him to step away. But Harry wasn’t the type to refuse when he knew someone needed his help. And since they were already at the restaurant, they took the opportunity to bring back food for everyone.

By the time they returned to the apartment, arms full of takeout bags, they found a tense atmosphere hanging over the room. Hela had just finished a heated phone call with Nick Fury.

Fury was furious.

“I can’t believe you kidnapped Barton off my ship,” Fury had snapped through the phone.

Hela had merely sighed, her patience thinning. “We didn’t kidnap him. We saved him. And unless you have someone else on your payroll who can remove Loki’s influence, you should be thanking me instead of throwing a tantrum.”

Fury gritted his teeth. “You better hope this works, Hela.”

“It will work,” Hela said firmly. “And if you call me again before we’re done, I will block your number.”

Then she hung up.

Tony, walking in just in time, smirked at her. “Let me guess, Fury called?”

Hela exhaled sharply. “He’s predictable.”

“Yeah, well, good news—I brought food,” Tony announced, setting the bags down on the table.

Harry followed behind, his sharp green eyes scanning the room until they landed on Barton. The agent was still bound securely, his body tense, his struggle evident in the way he pulled at the restraints. His blue eyes—unnaturally blue—were filled with a strange, flickering resistance.

Harry took a step closer, studying him. Then, without hesitation, he reached out and placed his fingers on Barton’s temples.

“Legilimens.”

The word was barely a whisper, but it carried a force that sent a ripple through the air.

Just like that, Harry was inside Barton’s mind.

The world around him was disorienting—a chaotic swirl of fragmented memories, locked doors, and an overwhelming sense of something foreign controlling everything. Harry pushed forward, forcing his way deeper into the layers of Barton’s consciousness.

He had expected to find traces of Loki’s magic. But what he discovered was something far worse.

It wasn’t Loki’s power that was keeping Barton under control. It was something infinitely more powerful—something vast, cosmic, and ancient.

Harry’s breath caught as he recognized the distinct signature of the force at work here.

The power of an Infinity Stone.

His mind reeled. The unnatural glow in Barton’s eyes, the unwavering control—this was no simple spell. It was the Mind Stone’s will shaping Barton’s thoughts, subjugating him completely.

But Harry wasn’t deterred.

With determination, he reached out, weaving his magic through the fabric of Barton’s consciousness. If the Mind Stone was the enemy here, then he had to fight it at its own game. He strengthened Barton’s mental barriers, repairing the fractures, reforging the agent’s sense of self, pushing against the influence that had consumed him.

It was a grueling process.

Though only ten minutes passed in the real world, for Harry, it was far longer.

Within Barton’s mind, he battled for over a month, navigating through layers of resistance, fighting to break the connection between the agent and the Mind Stone’s grip. He reinforced Barton’s memories, shielding him from the whispers that tried to lure him back into submission. He rebuilt what the Mind Stone had torn apart.

Finally, with one final push, Harry severed the connection.

A sharp gasp broke the silence.

Both Harry and Barton jolted back into reality at the same time.

Barton’s blue eyes faded, returning to their natural hazel. He blinked rapidly, his body tensing as he processed his surroundings.

Harry, breathless but steady, pulled his hands away.

For the first time in days, Clint Barton was free.

The room was silent for a moment, everyone watching, waiting. Then Barton exhaled sharply and muttered, “That was not fun.”

Natasha stepped forward first, her eyes scanning him carefully. “Clint?”

He turned to her, offering a tired but genuine smirk. “Hey, Nat.”

That was all the confirmation she needed. Without hesitation, she cut his restraints, and Barton stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders.

“You back to normal?” Tony asked, eyeing him.

Barton nodded. “As normal as I’ll ever be.” His gaze shifted to Harry, his expression one of quiet gratitude. “I don’t know how you did it, but… thanks.”

Harry merely nodded, though his exhaustion was evident. “Don’t mention it.”

Hela crossed her arms, studying him. “Tired?”

Harry gave a slow nod. “Yeah. Loki was just the user—the Mind Stone was the real controller.”

Thor’s expression darkened. “That means Loki’s influence extends beyond simple tricks. He wields true power.”

“And now,” Barton said, flexing his fingers, “we stop him.”

The team exchanged glances, understanding settling between them.

The fight wasn’t over.

If anything, it had only just begun.