Bruce x Reader Chapter 24

Natasha had just finished preparing her room; a full sweep for any potential bugs, a small hand gun placed under the sink, a gun under the draw and an inspection of the room window and the area outside of it. The hotel was right next to the train station and their rooms were all level with the roof which caused Natasha to feel slightly reluctant to stay in the room supplied but she knew that there wasn't much that could be done, plus for a five star hotel the window didn't really open up that much -due to the roof of Queen Street Station being level with the room, she thought.

Her phone buzzed causing her to turn and look at it as it sat on the bedside table. She pulled the curtains closed before crossing over to it and seeing that there was a message from Tony on it. She frowned as she opened the message only to see the words [Attached file] written in blue making her wonder what Tony was up to. Shrugging her shoulders she opened the file and read it over.

'(F/N) (L/N)
Born in Stirling on (dd/mm) 1675
Father, (Father's name) (L/N)
Mother, (Mother's name) (L/N).’

She sighed before exiting the attachment to message Tony back, only with bad news. It wasn't enough proof for them to go after you. As soon as she finished sending him the message there was a knock on her door causing her to look at it.

"Who is it?" She called.

"It's me." Steve called back from the other side causing Natasha to relax and cross over to the door and let him in, "Hey, have you seen what JARVIS found on that search that Tony had him run?"

"What? The one about (F/N) (L/N) being born in 1675?" She asked causing Steve to nod, "Why? What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that if that information is right, this woman's older than me." He said.

"Thor and his friends are much older than what this woman would be if she were still alive today." Natasha said before looking down at her phone again as it buzzed in her hand while Steve nodded. Another message from Tony.

"I know but she's human-"

"No she's not." Natasha cut him off, "She's a witch, there's a difference between humans and..." She looked away from her phone in order to think of the right word to use. "Beings of magic, there always has been a difference." She returned to her phone and read the message.

'Not enough? Okay, read this; [Attached file]'

"I know." Steve said while Natasha opened up the file before looking up at him as he continued, "But is there really a difference, between humans and magical beings such as witches and wizards?" She looked at him quizzically before thinking of an answer.

"Ever heard of Koshchey the Deathless?" She asked only to see Steve shake his head, "In Russian Koshchey is known as "Koshchey Bessmertny" which means deathless or immortal and in Russian folklore Koshchey is an evil sorcerer of terrifying appearance who gallops naked around the wild Caucus mountain range on his magic steed. He's also a shape-shifter who takes the form of a whirlwind or a storm wind as he is a nature spirit representing the destructive powers of nature.

"Like his female counterpart Baba Yaga, he also has powers over the elements as dark clouds suddenly appearing along with thunder and lightning when he appears. As a shape-shifter, Kotschey usually takes the form of a whirlwind and makes off with his victims in this form -his victims mainly being beautiful women, often the bride of the hero. He also can come under cover of a mist or fog and can fly through the air.

"Koschey is called the deathless or immortal because his soul, spirit, life force or his 'death' as he calls it is hidden in a remote, inaccessible place, separate from his body. His 'death' is often hidden in a duck's egg, inside a hare, which in turn is inside a chest buried under the roots of a mighty oak tree, on an island in the middle of the ocean. Sometimes his 'death' may be hidden in the point of a needle inside the duck's egg.  Although called deathless or immortal, Kotschey may die if the hero finds out where the egg that contains his 'death' is hidden and if the egg is broken its goodnight for Kotschey. Anyone possessing this egg has Koshchey in their power and he begins to weaken, becomes sick and immediately loses all his magic powers. In one story the egg is thrown at his forehead and he drops down dead.

"Imprisoned in the palace of the warrior princess Maria Morevna for ten years, Koshchey is freed by the unwitting hero. In this story the egg with his 'death' in it is not mentioned at all. Instead, he receives a kick in the head from one of Baba Yaga's magical steeds which kills him. After the horse kills him the hero, Ivan, cuts Koshchey's head off, burns it and scatters the ashes to the four winds -presumably just to be on the safe side."

Natasha smiled inwardly as she turned to look at Steve as he stood spell bound to her every word of the folklore that she grew up hearing but she had to get her point across to Steve clearly at some point which would break this spell over the war hero.

"My point is Steve that I believed in these stories, at one point or another." She said, "But witches and magic, no matter if it is good or evil, is never good news. It causes fear, natural fear, in humans because we know nothing good comes from it and that it isn't human. Look at Koshchey the Deathless; he had removed his soul from his body, which is inhuman and -from my understanding- removing your soul from your body is a very dark and evil thing to do. Beings such as witches have never given us a reason to trust them."

"But we never gave them a chance." Steve said, "It's just like Mutants, just like when-" He stopped and Natasha  knew what he was going to say next but he just couldn't seem to do it. "No-one ever gave her a chance, Natasha. No-one except Banner gave her a chance and that day when-" He had to stop again. "People don't give any of the Mutants a chance and prosecute them at every turn because people fear them, isn't that the same thing that happened with witches? People feared the 'black magic' that they were supposedly using."

"I know Steve." Natasha said, "But Mutants are the next step and we know that some of them can be trusted, just like we trusted her."

"Then don't witches and wizards, anyone else like them, deserve the same chance?" He asked causing doubt to fill Natasha.

"I don't know." She whispered before feeling her phone buzz again causing her to look down at it. Once again; another message from Tony.

'Well!? Are you shocked? Is it enough for us to go after her?'

"Tony's getting impatient." She said.

"He's set on showing us that (F/N) and Chaos are the same person." Steve said as Natasha opened the file Tony had sent her.

"He may have just done it." She said while looking up at Steve who frowned before Natasha handed him her phone.

*

"Welcome Madam." A soft female voice said from the pitch black that had filled up the gap between the heavy doors while the sound of heels clicking off of a stone floor echoed out from within the Hall of Prophecies. You and Bruce stood watching the pitch black as a figure slowly appeared in it. It was just a mass at first but then a tall and thin woman dressed in a greyish blue long sleeved stola -a long, pleated dress fastened by clasps at the shoulder and had two belts, the first worn just below the breasts and the second and wider belt worn around the waist- while a Palla of matching colour was draped over her shoulders, around her torso and over her head. "My name is Patience and the Oracle has been expecting you." Bruce had to do a double take.

"(Y/N)," He whispered, "Is she-?"

"Try not to stare." You whispered back as you too realised that Patience's eyes had what looked like silvery burn scares around her milky white eyes which clearly told the both of you that Patience was, in fact, blind.

"Please," She said suddenly causing you both to look at her as she gestured to the open doors behind her, "Follow me." She turned and headed back into the darkness of the Hall while you and Bruce followed her tentatively inside. Once the three of you had passed through the doorway and past the doors themselves, Patience stopped and turned sharply on her heels to be facing both the doors and you and Bruce.

"Obfirmo." She said while swiping her right hand from right to left and then back again causing the doors to slowly close over before the sound of the locks could be heard thudding back into place. The torches on the walls and the candles in the chandlers flickered to life causing a hazy light to fill the dark hall allowing you and Bruce to look around the enormous hall you had both just been locked in.

The room you were in was vast and looked like the inside of a large cathedral with its high ceiling, rounded pillars and dusty pews all facing towards the other end of the room where a set of grey stone stairs lead up to a set of stone doors covered with carvings, while what looked like a stone altar stood at the bottom of the stairs. There was only one source of natural light -or at least that was what Bruce thought it was- for the entire room and that singular beam of white light came down from somewhere high above in the dark ceiling and fell gently onto the altar giving Bruce the impression that the room that you were in was once used frequently for some sort of service.

"This place is still collecting dust?" You asked as you and Bruce followed Patience down the aisle -a sort of light grey mist swirled around your ankles as you went, "I would have thought that as time went by the seers would have returned to this place. It was their main place of worship long ago."

"The newer Temple District has still been deemed more suitable for them, Madam." Patience replied while holding her hands together in front of her, "There are now so many people coming and going from the University above that it was easier to use Arch Mage Tybalt’s Temple District, as he had decreed nearly 9 centuries ago when the Hall was being fitted with newer vaults."

"So nothing has changed." You said with a sigh, "Good to know that all the prophecies are all being kept, even if it has been centuries since they were given."

"The human race must reflect on their actions, or how else will you grow?" Patience said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her pale lips.

"Are they all kept in vaults, the prophecies I mean?" Bruce asked, "Or is there somewhere that the newer ones are kept?

"I archive them all in the lower levels, where the vaults are." Patience replied, "The Oracle does not speak as much as people may think but when he does I am there to take his every word." Bruce frowned at her words -it couldn't be possible for her to be able to write while being blind unless she wrote in brail.

'Could it?' He thought as Patience went on.

"We have many reading room here where people can view the prophecies, both old and new." She said, "If you require a look at any of them, you need but ask and I shall bring it to you. But, be warned human; those without the ability to look upon the scriptures that are the prophecies have either lost their sight or lost their mind." This caused Bruce to look at you to confirm this piece of information, and you did with a solemn nod.

"How long have you been doing this, taking care of this place?" You asked before adding, "You have surely been down here a long time to have gone blind."

"I have been down here since long before you were even thought of Madam. Long before your mother, her mother and her mother before. I was the one that heard the prediction of the Devil's Stone." This caused your eyes to widen in shock while Bruce took over the questioning.

"You heard that prophecy?" He asked causing Patience to nod, "So you know what exactly was said in that prophecy."

"For all a grave time draws near." Patience quoted, "He whom apposes God shall create a stone as red as the blood of the humans who shall be slain and suffer from its power. His mark engraved in black within the stone shall tell all who its true master is and he who holds it in his hand shall be His servant and be bound to Him for evermore. Born of human blood a brother of magic will rise and seek this stone for himself and create Chaos in order to find it. Night and Day shall battle and humans shall throw all into hiding, less a noose be around thy neck."

"To be hung until dead." You said with disgust.

"Seven shall follow in his wake and be his followers yet, one will turn from him, another shall flee and the rest be imprisoned until he casts for their return." Patience said before falling silent and not saying another word.

"Seems you were right." You said to Bruce.

"Nearly." Bruce said, "One turned against him and another fled. Have you heard this before?" This caused you to think back to a long time. The answer was no, you hadn't heard that one of the Seven had fled. You, like everyone else, had just thought that the remaining six still followed his command, had been imprisoned in the Soul Gems and had recently been summoned back to life but never had you thought one would have fled.

"(Y/N)?" The sound of your name brought you back from your thoughts.

"Sorry?" You asked while looking back to Bruce.

"I asked if you knew which one had fled," Bruce said, "But I can see that you never even knew one had."

"No-one did." You said quietly, "No-one except the Oracle and Patience knew."

"The Devil's Servant did not know either." Patience said, "In fact only one had inquired into the matter but that was of more recent times."

"Who?" You asked while stopping causing Patience to stop only a few steps away from the alter before turning her head as if to look over her shoulder to you while Bruce stopped a few steps away from you, "How long ago did they inquire into the matter?"

"I believe it was an old friend of yours, Madam, which inquired into the matter." She said, your eyes widening slightly in shock, "The same old friend that sent you that note which rests in your pocket." Your hand immediately dived into your left pocket without a second thought and pulled out the piece of paper. "Please, enter through here." Patience gestured up to a set of doors at the top of a set if stairs while Bruce watched her. "Ignore the quill and parchment. They have a job to do and they shall complete it, just like myself." She turned sharply on her heels before walking off down one of the rows of dusty pews. You were looking down at the note where a family cress was drawn in the middle of the piece of paper, one that you recognised now that you really thought about it. You couldn't believe that you had only given it a glance and not your full, undivided attention.

"I guess we're going in ourselves." Bruce said causing you to look at him, "(Y/N), what's wrong?"

"Nothing." You lied, your fear seeping into your own voice and when he didn't reply you felt like he could see it, "Last time I was here, at the University, I didn't get what I was looking for but something much worse."

"We're only here to check what the Oracle had originally said about Úna." He said.

"Are you feeling something towards her?" You asked causing Bruce to look at you with a look of both shock and confusion, "You seem intent on finding out more about her. You even use the name that she was given by those who put her upon the Blackened Cross."

It took Bruce a moment to really think about his answer while you stood and watched him carefully.  Something in you was waiting with baited breath for his answer, something you had buried in the hope of forgetting.

"I don't know," He said finally, "I think that I want to know more about her, meet her and find out that this very person is alive and that I'm not chasing a ghost, but a real person." The something inside you turned into a small knowing smirk upon your face.

"You might just be chasing something out of reach, Doctor Banner." You said, "But this isn't a ghost hunt, its deep water made up of a dark past that you've dived into, are you sure you can swim against its currents?"

"I'm willing to try." He said.

*

"Okay, JARVIS said to come here." Clint said as he looked about him, Steve, Natasha and Tony who was holding his phone looking down at it with Natasha as they all stood in the Buchanan Galleries outside the entrance to the car park, "Why here, Tony?"

"Hold on!" Tony growled before saying, "Well I'll be damned, look who it is."

"Who?" Steve asked while moving towards the two.

"It's Bruce." Natasha said, "But he's not alone."

"What?" Clint asked while moved to Natasha's side to try and get a look, "How's he looking?"

"Healthy." Natasha said, "Who's that with him though?"

"That's Markus, Rona's brother." Tony said before pointing at the video on the phone after pausing it, "And that's (F/N) (L/N) with them both. I told you that she's the witch, Chaos."

"She's not blue, Tony." Clint said.

"So?" Tony snapped.

"So that means that she might be working with Chaos." Steve said, "It doesn't say that she is Chaos."

"Oh yeah?" Tony asked, "Well I bet my entire suit collection that she's Chaos and I'll prove it, mark my words. No-one can be a ghost in this day and age."

"Hey Tony," Clint said, hesitantly, after a moment of where Steve just frowned at the back of Tony's head, "If you lose, can I have the Hulk Buster?"

"Hulk Buster?" Natasha and Steve asked confused while Tony shouted at Clint.

"How did you know about that?" He demanded, "Have you been going through the air-con again? And it’s not called ‘Hulk Buster’! The program is called Veronica!"

"Maybe..." Clint said sheepishly while Natasha rolled her eyes and played the video on and watching your movements, “Though, Hulk Buster sounds cooler than Veronica.”

"You don't understand the meaning behind it." Tony said while Steve just watched him and Clint confused, "Plus, she's not even finished yet!"

"Rona met them here." Natasha said as she seen the flash of Rona's ginger hair and a mint green top before she collided with you on the CCTV video. This caused the three others to look at Tony's phone and watch what the security camera's had witnessed before seeing you, Bruce, Markus and Rona all leave the view of the camera. "JARVIS, can you find where they went?"

"Of course!" JARVIS' voice said before the footage from another camera popped up on screen showing you all walking about the Galleries.

"Bruce seems to be acting of his own will." Steve said causing Tony to make a noise of disbelief.

"He's been with her since the explosion so he'll have Stockholm or she'll have put a spell on him to make him more compliant." He said, disgust filling his voice as he mentioned you.

"He looks alright to me." Clint said, "He doesn't look like he's being controlled. He's calm and relaxed not an emotionless being who seems out of place."

"Of course you'd think of him being controlled." Tony said, "I think she's given him something or done something to make him compliant, subjective to suggestion." This caused Natasha, Clint and Steve to frown and blink before looking up at Tony. "What?"

"Are you drunk right now?" Natasha asked sounding angry, "Are you high? Have you been taking something?"

"No!" He snapped, "I'm not high, I've not been taking anything and I've been completely sober since Bruce was taken! I'm just concerned for my best friend! I'm worried that he's been brainwashed or has Stockholm Syndrome! There are methods of brainwashing people and you can't say that he couldn't have developed Stockholm."

"He is right." Steve said, "They use to do all sorts of things in the Prisoner of War Camps, brainwashing was just one of them and it's been nearly four weeks since Doctor Banner was taken." Tony turned and blinked at Steve.

"Thanks, Cap." Tony said, stunned.

"Sir," JARVIS said causing the conversation to end as the four turned to look back at Tony's phone, "They went to the closest Starbucks and they appear to have met someone else there." The four watched as a tall, skinny woman with short spiky brown hair and pure white skin dressed in a shell pink pendant necklace trim long line shell top blue acid wash high waited denim shorts and a pair of denim coloured trainers held her hand out to you on the video.

"Damn she's got a hell of a figure." Tony said.

"Shame she's in with (F/N)." Clint said.

"Yeah..." Tony said before remembering something Rona had said to him.

"Plus you're not my type." She had said when the Avengers had all met her. She was talking to Tony who had his arms around her slim shoulders.

"And what is your type?" He had asked.

"Tall and skinny with brown hair, brown eyes and not male." She had said causing him to remove his arm hastily from around her and apologise.

"That's Rona's girlfriend." He told the others, "That woman fits her type."

"Are you sure?" Steve asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Oh I'm sure!" Tony said, "It was when she told me off for putting my arm around her while trying to hit on her."

"I'm sure that happens on a regular basis." Natasha said, in a monotone voice, causing Tony to glare at her.

"Less often than you'd think." He said lowly before looking back at his phone, "But that's Rona's type and I bet if we ask JARVIS to do a search of the footage for earlier in the day the two of them would have been together the entire day... There might even be girl on girl action."

"Stark!" Steve snapped, "Doctor Banner is still missing and all you can think about now is... Is Rona kissing… Kissing…"

"Is Rona kissing another woman?" Natasha and Clint asked together while raising an eyebrow each while Steve turned a furious shade of embarrassed red and moved uncomfortably.

"Where did they go next?" He asked causing the footage to speed up.

"Mr MacDonald left them and returned to his car before leaving the city." JARVIS said before the image changed to the doors on the main street, "And Miss (L/N), Doctor Banner, Miss MacDonald and the unknown woman all left the building onto Buchanan Street."

"That's busy at rush hour." Natasha said, "We might not find them on CCTV while they're on the street."

"JARVIS, search all the CCTV on the streets connecting to Buchanan Street." Tony said, "The street doesn’t go on for forever, they would have come off of it somewhere."

"Yes Sir." JARVIS replied.

"Anyone want a coffee?" Clint asked causing the others to give him 'You can't be serious' faces "What? We might be able to find someone who seen them at Starbucks."

"Do you know what the odds of that are of happened?" Tony asked.

"Maybe one of the workers saw them." Clint said, "I doubt that anyone is going to forget a couple of hot chicks like Rona and her 'girlfriend'."

"He has a point." Natasha said while looking at Tony, "It's up to you though. We can either stand here or we can try to see if anyone can remember them. We might get a name out of it." Tony stood and thought for a moment before looking down at his phone again. The search that JARVIS was doing would need time; there are a lot of streets connecting to Glasgow's Buchanan Street.

"Alright, we can try it but if JARVIS finds anything on the way then we go straight after his lead." He said.

"Okay." Steve said, "Now, to find this Starbucks."

"It's on this floor, just follow the shops to your left and Starbucks will then be on your right." JARVIS said, "If you come to a new set of escalators then you have gone too far."

"Thanks JARVIS." Tony said before quickly locking his phone and shoving it in his pocket. It took them no time at all to find the Starbucks, and there was no time for arguing about who would go into the coffee shop as Clint dived into the shop.

"I need a coffee!" He said.

"Get me a Nitro Coffee!" Tony snapped causing Clint to stop.

"A what?" He asked while looking back at Tony in confusion.

"A Nitro Coffee." Tony said, "Red Bull instead of water, a dash of pure caffeine power with syrup, milk and antacid." Steve stared at the back of Tony's head in both shock and confusion while Natasha frowned at him.

"Are you serious!?" Clint snapped.

"Get him a double expresso!" Natasha snapped, "And a black coffee for me."

"Cap?" Clint asked while Tony rounded on Natasha.

"I'm alright." Steve said, allowing Clint to continue with going into the store to get any information that the staff might have while he, Captain America, had to stop Tony and Natasha from killing each other. What had caused them both to get so short tempered with each other, all of a suddenly, puzzled him.

*

Your body suddenly felt like lead as you reached the doors. You knew what was behind them. You knew who was there, waiting for you. It felt like you were breathing in icy water, a stabbing pain in your lungs as you breathed. You were scared, terrified to your very core. You knew this, you felt it throughout your enter being, and Bruce could see it clear as day upon your features. You had been so calm and collected up until now; at least that was what he had seen. Yet, you had worried about him, his safety and his wellbeing more than you had cared about your own.

He knew you were hiding something and you had been hiding it for so long behind those stone walls of your castle on the isolated Isle and now the two of you were stood so close to something that had brought you out from behind those stone walls. It was only a matter of time until what you hid from him, from everyone, came to light as the walls and defences you had created came crumbling down. You knew that, he knew that and it scared you. The Oracle threatened to bring that secret to light right there and then. The thought of that, in his mind, must have been terrifying for you.

"Are you ready, (F/N)?" He asked you causing you to look at him.

"In all my life I've never been ready for this." You said, "I've never come this close to here ever before and I wish that I would never be standing at the brink, but there's no point in delaying it anymore otherwise I'll never make the jump, the leap of faith that I need to make now in order to continue with this journey." He nodded and gave you a small encouraging smile before taking your hand and placing it on the crack between the doors.

"You're not alone in this, (F/N)." He said causing you to smile before you both put your free hands on the doors, "On the count of three. One."

"Two."

"Three!" You both pushed the doors with all you had and even though the doors were heavy you both managed to open the doors together.

"You've finally arrived, Madam. After all these years, you have come to see me at last." The voice stopped you in your tracks as you looked over the vast cavern and found its owner in the centre of the room -a large sphere of light blue light pulsing with energy while wisps of white floated elegantly around it.

*

"Our newest Mystery Woman's name is Charlie, though I'm guessing that it's a nickname for Charlotte or something like that." Clint said while jogging out of the sitting area of the store with three coffee cups in hand, "Guy working the check-out remembers her really well, says she had a great sense of humour with a hint flirtatiousness."

"So a charismatic young woman with a figure to die for." Natasha said while taking her cup from Clint as he passed them out.

"Yeah, about sums it up..." Clint said, sounding a bit disheartened.

"Anything else?" Steve asked.

"Yeah!" Clint said, "The guy said that she mentioned something about awkward situations and meeting the future in-law. He didn't have a clue what she was on about and even watched her join the others, though I'm guessing it wasn't out of curiosity of who she was with if you get what I mean." Steve frowned while Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Did he say anything else?" Tony asked.

"He said that she sat down with a group made up of a hot red head, an average woman about 25, a good looking young guy about the age of 21 and Bruce -who he described as some good looking older guy." Clint said after taking a drink, "He also mentioned that the younger guy, who I'm guessing is Rona's brother, left not long after she sat down and they left not long after him."

"That fits with what JARVIS told us." Steve said, "Markus left first through the car park and they all left by going onto the high street."

"Yeah, but here's the weird part," Clint said, "A girl who was cleaning the tables yesterday overheard them all talking about fairies and elders." Natasha and Steve both raised an eye-brow at Clint while Tony frowned.

"We'll need to talk to Mr MacDonald when we get Bruce back to HQ." He said before reaching into his pocket as his phone sounded.

"Sir, I found them." JARVIS said after Tony had unlocked his phone, "They left via Bath Street which incidentally leads onto Cathedral Street where both St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art and The Necropolis can be found on Castle Street." The group all looked at each other wide eyed.

"The Necropolis was where we lost Rona's signal." Natasha said.

"And one of the places the energy we were looking at in the beginning visited." Steve said.

"So that's where we're off to next!" Tony declared before heading off towards the nearest exist -the same exit that you, Bruce, Charlie and Rona had all taken. He heard Natasha calling after him but he knew where he was going and he wanted to get there as soon as he could, not wanting the other three with him to slow him down. He stormed up the street, pushing past people in the crowded high street when he needed to, saying nothing to anyone and not even stopping for photos or autographs.

"Stark!" Clint shouted while Steve said apologised to everyone who looked disgruntled at Tony's actions. Natasha just pushed on, trying to catch up with Tony -even she knew nothing was going to stop him in this state so she had given up on trying. "Tony!"

"Give it up, Clint." She said, "He's not listening. Nothing's going to stop him until we get to the Necropolis, then we'll have the problem of finding where they went after that."

"Isn't that why JARVIS has the exact co-ordinates of where Rona's phone was last picked up?"

*

"Oracle," You breathed causing Bruce to raise his eyebrows in surprise at you before looking around at the sphere that was the Oracle that you had told him about. The sphere of light blue light hung in the air about six feet above the ground, or so it appeared until Bruce noticed a wall surrounding the Oracle that came to his waist. He thought that it was there to hold the Oracle up but upon closer inspection, as he got closer to the being and the wall, he discovered there was a black pit behind it above which the Oracle hung. The thought of how deep the pit could be made Bruce feel slight vertigo while an icy gust of wind came up from the pit, surprising him as he half expected it to be hot.

"Ah! A new inquisitive mind comes to seek answers with her." The Oracle exclaimed, "Interesting company she keeps, so very interesting." Bruce looked up at the Oracle in confusion as the being began to spiral into a ramble about keeping company.

"Was he talking about me?" He asked as you moved to stand next to him.

"I don't know." You said before hearing a deep chuckle from above.

"Oh the Titan, she and the Monster, they shall lay together and venerate in each other's embrace." The Oracle said, "But before the embodiment is birthed a child of engineering with the name of the flower most vengeful shall raise and create a battle, a battle in which the Coven shall be born. Ah! The blood of humans, it holds so many secrets and how they strive to discover them all. Most fascinating, that which they do to themselves."

"Who is he on about?" You asked yourself as you listened with Bruce.

"Are all his predictions like this?" Bruce asked.

"Today is a good day..?" You said, guessing more than anything else that this was the best you were going to hear from the being above you. It was a clearly spoken prediction yet it confused you, being unsure as to what was passing through this being's mind -if he had one.

"Úna," The sudden saying of the name plunged the cavern into an icy silence, "Her return draws near, how many have spoken of her and dreaded her return. My children, in the Temple do not fear them, stay far from them for they are ready for war!"

"This isn't good." You said while running around the wall of the pit to the other side of the cavern to where an old writing station sat with a long piece of parchment that flowed over the top of the desk, creating a pile behind the desk.

"What is it?" Bruce asked, looking underneath the Oracle in order to see you as you moved the quill that was scratching away on the ever growing piece of parchment. Your eyes scanned the parchment quickly;

'An old friend who had been moralised, now forgotten. See him now, different and estranged from his former self. Nothing more than a shell used as a puppet for men who seek power. The Illuminati? No, this is not the work of influential men but of the beast! Cut it off! Cut it off and burn the wound shut!'

'The hound! The hound, its time beckons. The sealed doors, two centuries they have held steadfast. How foolish, humans thought that they could find it. Ha! They created a story around it, made fun of the Child of the Oak but its chains are soon to break! Yes, yes they are.'

'They come, all sides come. Us, Them, the Humans and Her, they all come to meet for battle in a city which has not known attack since it sunk. Ah! Age is such an odd thing. Acting through time, it weakens all. Will the walls stand? Will they hold against the battle? I do not know myself. Such a curious thing.'

'Oh the Titan, she and the Monster, they shall lay together and venerate in each other's embrace. But before the embodiment is birthed a child of engineering with the name of the flower most vengeful shall raise and create a battle, a battle in which the Coven shall be born. Ah! The blood of humans, it holds so many secrets and how they strive to discover them all. Most fascinating, that which they do to themselves.'

"(F/N), who is ready for war?" Bruce's voice called as you found the last one on the parchment;

'Úna, her return draws near, how many have spoken of her and dreaded her return. My children, in the Temple do not fear them, stay far from them for they are ready for war!'

"I don't know! I know that the Seers are referred to as his children but that's all I know!" You called back before your eyes widened as it suddenly struck you, "Oh god!" It slipped from between your lips. Panic filling not just your voice but your whole demeanour causing Bruce to run over to you. "This is it? This is the collision point, the City?"

"The point where all meet and sides are chosen." The Oracle said before turning a fiery red and shouting harshly causing echoes, "The place where they first crossed paths that fateful day, the very day he sealed their fate! Here, there stand many sides but the leaders of them all, the fateful leaders have been chosen for three centuries! The Blackened Cross and the Devil's Stone shall finally fight for all or nothing! Will the world be plunged into Darkness or be saved by she who burned in the fires of repentance? Oh the creature he created and the devil she put upon a pedestal. They will fight, fight to the death!

"This is it! This is the time! The truth must come out, for your past beckons you home! It forces itself upon you! Human, man of science, you must trust no man or woman! Believe in none of them, no amount of time shall define them! All can weld the knife that is Betrayal! There is no friend in this battle when the Night consumes all! No, place your trust in that which lies within yourself! Do not fear that which is your power! Let it free and find yourself greater than any man who ever walked this Earth!

"Face your demon as she faces hers! Show her you are not afraid! She will follow you into Oblivion if you were to go! You are the light that was needed to bring her forth! Find her; find Úna for all you are worth! Bring her back and be told her story! She holds something much deeper that must be released. Chaos must be the one to win, she must destroy her own creation, he who created her. Oh, oh!"

The Oracle gave weakening moans as his fiery red state was washed out by waves of light blue and the room seemed to slowly return to normal. You, on the other hand, were rooted to the spot -terror at the sight you had just witnessed had filled you. Even Patience's enchanted quill hung dead still in the air, not having scratched a single word through the entire episode. It was Bruce who seemed unfazed by it.

"What if I can't trust in Him?" He shouted, a sort of venom filling his voice, "What am I to do then?"

"She shall show you..." The Oracle said airily, "She shall show... That it can be trusted... It can be tame... As well as... Wild..."

"Bruce?" You asked hesitantly before the both of you jumped as the doors to the room swung wildly open and hit the wall with such force that you were sure the stone would have at least cracked. The resulting boom echoed around you as you both turned to look at the doorway before angry shouts could be heard from outside the chamber. It sounded like Patience was having a fight with another out in the hall

"How dare you enter!" She nearly screamed this time, "You have desecrated this sacred hall!"

"Oh shut up you inbred angel!" A new voice bellowed from the Hall causing you and Bruce to look at each other. The new voice was a gruff male voice, one that familiarity clung to for you -though, you could not place the voice with a name nor a face.

"I AM A PRINCEDOM, YOU FILTHY HEATHEN!" Patience shrieked before adding, in a greatly strained voice, "I may have lost my eyes, but the power that I possess far surpasses your own. Now, leave this house of God at once!"

"God does not have a house down here, in this cursed place full of pagans!" The man called back and as the words echoed around the chamber, Bruce seen you tense. You had stopped breathing and the panic from earlier returned before you moved to stand in front of him, looking right into his eyes.

"If this escalates, anymore you have to do exactly what I say." You whispered while reaching under your hair and undoing the clasp of your necklace. A wave of gold came from your hands and went across the necklace and the cross that sat upon it. "Promise?"

"Promise." He whispered back, while watching your form return to looking human. You nodded, your eyes wide and fearful before removing the necklace from around your neck completely and holding it out.

"Put this on." You said causing him to look at you in confusion, "Please, Bruce!" He took it off of you and quickly put the necklace on before you tucked it underneath his shirt. "Do not say a word or touch anything. Do not even interact with me until I tell you it is safe to do so." He frowned at you confused before you turned to look at the doors as the fight continued on beyond them -rubbing your arms trying to get warmth back into your body.

"Oh really?" Patience snapped, "So who brought you back to this world, Pagan! Who freed your heathen behind from that eternal prison?"

"The Brotherhood!"

"The Angelic Brotherhood!" Patience's words hung in the air, long after they had echoed all around you. There was an eerie silence in which nothing seemed to move -not even to take a breath. The air became heavy in the silence, making it hard for you to take a breath -it felt like you were trying to breathe water.

*

Thor watched the clouds drift lazily through the sky as he sat upon a mound of earth and grass outside of one of the many mausoleums within the Necropolis, his thoughts focused on the writings in Loki's personal journals from when he had ventured in the past upon Midgard. Though Sif told him not to read them, he did and discovered a fascination that Loki had for what he called 'Night Walkers' in his journals claiming them to be beings of varying abilities that seemed to look different from anyone else on the planet. Loki had written that Night Walkers were a dark form of Witches and Wizards who had been lost to 'the Darkness', something Loki had intended to learn more about but could never get close to a Night Walker who wouldn't attack him or find a witch or wizard who would give him an unbiased view of the Darkness; he claimed many turned him away for wanting to know more about the Darkness, some even chased him away. He also discovered that the Witches and Wizards upon Midgard had many places where they would be safe within their communities made up of their own people -many having been carefully hidden from humans and other races which could be a threat.

One such place was known as the Undercity, a large city created by ancient beings that had sunk underground in order to protect not only the city but also the beings within its walls. Loki had found out the Undercity could be found in Skotland, or Scotland as Thor was told it was known today, and even though Loki searched the land from shore to shore and from top to bottom he never found the city -he had even tried many of the islands that surrounded the land but to no avail. No-one in the magical community that Loki had spoken to would tell him anything about the city and its placement after questioning them on the Darkness, believing him to be a danger to the city -even though many of the Night Walkers had attended the school of magic within the city.

In the end Loki said that in order to find the city he would have to resort to asking Heimdall or his mother -hoping one of them would know, yet neither knew where this city was or the placement of any others upon Midgard. Heimdall had told Loki that the city could not be seen by him because of a power shielding the city from his eyes, a power older and more powerful than himself, but left Loki with a possible placement of the city; "Under a pile of rocks" were his parting words on the subject. The statement had made Thor laugh knowing Loki wouldn't have been happy at the it and that Heimdall would have been stating the obvious at the time but upon asking Heimdall about Loki's questions the man held nothing back;

"Loki did come here to find the city." Heimdall said, "He came here many times to try and find out its location, but I told him all that I knew about the location. I still cannot see the city to this day, the being within its walls protects it from my eyes."

"But surely there must be something you know." Thor pushed, "Something that could help me in the search for Doctor Banner and this mysterious woman who is with him." Heimdall chuckled. "What?"

"The city has not moved," The keeper said, "But the ground above it has changed."

"How so?" Thor asked.

"No longer does a pile of rocks lay above the underground city," Heimdall said, "But now a new, smaller settlement within another larger one."

"How can that be?" Thor inquired.

"Midgardians, back when the settlement above the ground was growing, did not burn their dead. Instead they memorialized them in shrines created from their own wealth."

"So the Undercity is hidden under a settlement Hela would be proud of?"

"A city of the dead? Yes, that is where the entrance to the city can be found."

So now Thor sat there, waiting for the other Avengers while Lady Sif and the Warriors Three walked around the Necropolis grounds -though all for different reasons. Lady Sif was walking around, looking out for possible people who could be a threat to them entering the Undercity, or something else that might try to stop them. Hogan walked around looking for clues as to where exactly the entrance could have been hidden, with Fandral close behind him double checking for any sign of the entrance that Hogan missed. Though both missing the fact that Volstagg was only pacing at the gates and was meant to be watching out for the Avengers to arrive -which they did, eventually.

They had arrived with Tony talking away to JARVIS through his phone, demanding that JARVIS cross reference his GSP coordinates with those of Rona's last know location. Natasha, Clint and Steve appeared a short moment later behind Tony causing Volstagg to question them on what Tony was doing talking into a thin black item, while Hogan and Fandral returned to Thor's side as the God of Thunder finally came out of his dazed state.

"Ah! Brothers, and lady, there you are!" Thor exclaimed happily while standing up. This caused Sif to turn and look at the group of humans before moving to join them as Tony walked past Thor without acknowledging him at all.

"Come on, JARVIS." Tony said, "Give me those coordinates."

"I must admit, I did expect you here sooner." Thor said while frowning at Tony as he continued to walk away from the group, while Natasha, Clint and Steve stopped to stand next to Thor.

"We were retracing Bruce's steps." Clint said.

"Good idea." Fandral said, "Then we have an idea of the group's number."

"Speaking of which, how many do we know of?" Sif asked, finally joining the group.

"Three females." Natasha told her, "But they still have the upper hand as we don't know their abilities."

"Then let us assume that these three women are all witches." Sif said, "At least one of them have been trained by your... Shield..?"

"Rona has had basic combat and weapons training." Steve said, "She also knows this place better than we do, they have better odds than we do in this situation."

"This place that you speak of is known as the Undercity." Thor said, "There is a power within this city keeping it from Heimdall's sight and when Loki tried to find it in the past, he could not. We have no idea what defences that we may have to face in order to enter this world of magical beings we do not know what beings lie beyond the entrance to the city, so we must tread carefully."

"Tell that to Stark." All three humans said together before Steve started to walk after Tony.

"Come on, time to get going." He said, "We don't want to lose Stark." This statement would have normally caused a laugh or two but the situation proved to be too serious. Tony wasn't that far ahead, even though he was charging on ahead trying to find where Rona had disappeared. JARVIS had shown the location on a map by marking Tony's as a red dot and Rona's as a blue one, and Tony could see that he was getting closer to it -causing him to look around for the grave in question. Just up the path, a bit higher up the hill sat the light coloured stoned mausoleum with two vase type urns on pedestals that was the Buchanan Sisters Mausoleum. Tony came to a stop just past its large blue gate as he had been looking around the area, rather than looking at his phone.

"Here!" He shouted as he moved back a few steps to stand directly in front of the gate, "Thanks JARVIS."

"Any time Sir." JARVIS' voice said as Tony locked his phone and then went to put it away in his pocket as the others joined him.

"This is the last place Rona's signal registered before she disappeared." Tony told them while looking right at the mausoleum. Natasha looked around them for any sign of where else that Rona, yourself, Bruce and Charlie could have went but couldn't see any.

"They must have went inside." She voiced.

"Then this must be the entrance." Hogan said while pointing to the mausoleum.

"If so, then we have found it where Loki could not." Volstagg chuckled.

"Even this is the entrance or the place where it lies," Sif said sharply, "We do not know what lies behind the gate."

"Only one way to find out." Tony said before quickly making it up to the gate, pushed it open and made his way inside to a chorus of 'Stark' from the others. He no longer cared, he had found the place where his friend had been taken and was now closer to finding him than he had been in about a month; he was ready for anything that awaited him on the other side of the gates.

"Damn it, Stark!" Steve growled while quickly following him into the mausoleum, quickly followed by the others -Natasha made up the rear as she pulled out the small tracking beacon, activated it and placed it next to the base of one of the stone urns before entering. The group squeezed together inside the mausoleum due to the smaller interior of the building and Natasha just managed to weasel her way past Volstagg before he had knocked the gate closed with his shoulder plugging the room into complete darkness.

"Hey!" Tony snapped, "That was my foot!"

"My apologies." Hogan replied before giving an annoyed sigh after which he shoved the person stood too close for comfort to him.

"Whoa!" Fandral said loudly while falling forward only to hit someone who voiced their pain, "Oh! Sorry my lady."

"Fandral!" Sif complained as the torches came bursting into life, "You may be dashing but I do believe that you have enough wives and lovers to satisfy you for the remainder of your life time."

"Once again, my lady," Fandral said while moving back as much as he could from Sif -keeping his distance from Hogan as well, "I am deeply sorry."

"Oh, you will be!" A new voice said with a loud growl, "A second group of visiting outsiders with humans in two days! This may be becoming a problem." The group all turned to look at the speaker to find them lying on top of the table in the room. "Well, well, what a big group we have -five Asgardians and four humans. I take it you are looking for the Monster who accompanies the Madam, am I correct?"

"Who are you and what do you mean Monster?" Thor demanded while pushing his way to the front of the group, his hammer held tightly in his hand. The speaker laughed.

"I am Margaret Buchanan of Bellfield, the Sphinx that guards the Undercity's gates." She said, "And the Monster I speak of was a human male who passed through the very gates that you seek, only yesterday. He passed through the gates with the Madam, another witch and a fae."

"A fae?" Tony asked.

"A fairy." Margaret groaned, "Honestly, I would have though the Humans that accompanies Thor, son of Odin, would know their folklore or at least have a slight understanding of it."

"I know enough to know of its dangers." Natasha said, causing Margaret's eyes to move to her. A wide grin spread over her face as she looked her up and down.

"Then you know that, in order to get pass me and into the city, you must answer my riddle." She said before turning her eyes to Thor, "Though you, son of Odin, may pass along with your Asgardian companions -being a being of the supernatural world by being a god. Though being politically correct, you are just an alien just like the rest of the so called 'gods' of this world -minus the odd one or two."

"You may be a guardian but you must still be mortal." Sif said, pushing forward through the group and standing in front of the Sphinx causing her to stand up.

"Why don't we find out?" She growled.

"My lady, this is not the time nor the place." Thor said.

"Pity." Margaret growled before sitting down and turning her eyes to Tony, Steve and Natasha who were stood together, "Who shall answer my riddle first? I only need one of you to answer it correctly for you four to pass. Though, get it wrong and do not run from this place fast enough, then you are my breakfast. I may even get-"

"I'll do it!" Tony snapped, before she could even finish causing her eyes to fixate completely on him.

"Stark, we need to talk about this." Clint said.

"No we don't." Tony replied, "I have more of a chance of getting it right than the rest of you. Now, Sphinx, give me your riddle." A grin, even bigger than before split Margaret's face.

"Certainly, but know that you can leave if you cannot answer." She said, "Get this wrong, I shall chase you out. Get it right and you may pass through the gates. Now, what is it that you do not have but must keep after giving it to someone else?"

*

"Out of my way!" The male voice finally shouted causing Patience to shriek -almost like a banshee- before a figure appeared at the doors. You slowly walked away from Bruce while standing tall, watching the figure stood in the doorway carefully. "Could it be?" They said it so quietly that you almost missed it, "Is it really you?"

"Who are you?" You asked, holding yourself high, "I do not seem to know you."

"Surely you have not forgotten me?" The man said, walking over to you, "It could not have been that long ago."

"I do not know who you are." You said, taking in the man's appearance; he must have been about 5 foot 9 inches max, his hair was shoulder length and dirty blond, he seemed well built and couldn't be any older than 20 at the very least. Though you said that you could not remember him, something told you that you did in fact know him but just couldn't place him -not yet anyway. He chuckled.

"Try picturing me in black armour and not these." He said, gesturing to his attire which was made up of a baggy shirt and a pair of black trousers. He had what looked like old trainers on his feet and an old dark brown jacket in his hand. It seemed like he had just thrown his outfit together at the last minute or even just visited a charity shop and bought the only items that could fit him. You did attempt what he asked while he came closer to you and your eyes widened as suddenly your memory jolted you into the past your tried to forget.

"Do NOT come closer!" You demanded, holding up your hands where a blue light filled your curled hands with sparks of lighting shooting around the balls that it made. Bruce could only watch as you became incredibly closed off and defensive.

"Calm down." The man said, raising his hands in surrender, "I sent you the note and I don't want to fight."

"That was not your family crest." You growled, the image you remembered still burning in your mind and fuelling your anger, "I know your family crest, or have you forgotten?"

"I know, I know." He said, "But would you have come if I had sent you mine?"

You remained silent, unsure of your own answer.

"I didn't think so." He said, "Anyway, I have a message I am to tell you, to make you trust me."

"Then speak!" You spat.

"Redemptio profanum in denigrata crux." Your eyes widened with shock at the message made up of words that only you and one other had exchanged in the past -a being you had spoken to a long time ago but the words still haunted you.

*

"What I do not have but must keep after giving it to someone else," Tony said finally, "Is my word."

Margaret tilted her head to the side, her grin slipping slightly.

*

"Andrew," You whispered, "H-How?"

"I could ask you the same question, (F/N)." He said, smiling as you lowered your hands.