"Your insolence is abominable." Odin's voice cracked like a rip of thunder across the huge throne room. "You show no remorse, not even the slightest penitence at the gravity of your crimes. Why?"
Loki's cool blue gaze remained locked on the floor, as fixed as the iron binders around his wrists. Yet a soft smile tipped his mouth.
"'Why,'" he repeated. "You raised me, Allfather. You ought to know better than to ask such things."
Odin's heavy brows knit together above his bronze eye patch, and his gray head bowed deep with shadow.
"You're right," he murmured, and if he'd been looking he would've seen Loki's eyes snap up in surprise. But his voice rumbled on, pained and rough. "After all these years, any other father would have expected this from the one who's shamed him and spited him at every turn. I should find no shock at these actions, and I should certainly not look ahead to the future with any hope for his recovery. Yet I was foolish enough to believe in you, my son."
Loki's lips curled back over his teeth. "I'm not your son."
"I know."
Odin's soft words echoed in the great hall for a moment, and silence fell over the room. Then the old man lifted his fingers, signaling to the guards holding Loki's chains.
"Release him."
Neither soldier moved. "Sir?"
"Do as I say."
Loki remained stock-still, no emotion registering on his pale face as the guard stepped forward and unlocked his manacles. The chains fell away with a ringing clatter.
"Loki Laufeyson," Odin proclaimed, his voice cold as the young Frost Giant's glittering blue eyes before him. "I hereby strip you of your title of prince under my name. You are unworthy of this realm, and undeserving of the power at your fingertips."
The room seemed to darken, and the Allfather rose to his feet with grim purpose. Loki stiffened.
"In the name of my father, and his father before," Odin rumbled. "I take from you your sorcery, your magic, and the power you have so abused.
Odin raised his hand. All at once, every particle of Loki's being screamed in agony. He staggered back, a hoarse cry tearing from him as the darkness enveloped him. Splinters of glass and fire tore at his cells; his magic, the very core of his person ripped away from his body. He dropped to one knee, his vision blurring.
"You are banished, son of Laufey, to the realm you hate the most. And your punishment shall be the greatest and most impossible task: you are to rebuild what you have destroyed. You will cut free the lives you have entangled, and you will reassemble the walls of the broken. And until this Prince of Ice takes his dying breath, you will never be king."
Loki felt the marble floor beneath him crumpling. Odin's last words were ringing in his ears.
"I, Allfather and Protector of the Realms, cast you out."
"Romanoff, report to the Briefing Room. Check in immediately."
Natasha's caller buzzed on her bedside table, glowing brilliant blue. With a low groan, she reached across her bunk over and slapped the little metal device.
"The Avengers' Initiative is over, Fury," she grumbled into her pillow. Her brilliant red hair fanned out in loose, flaming curls all around her face. Her team had almost busted themselves to save New York less than 48 hours ago, and already she was on call again. "Can't a girl get a few days' break?"
A few seconds of silence ticked by. The aches and pains from the invasion's battle made her whole body feel like deadweight. She wanted to sink down into the mattress, and let the pillows bury her until she disappeared from the world.
The pager buzzed again, relentless and insistent.
With a low growl, Natasha braced herself and rose from the bed. She slipped into her smooth black cat suit and zipped it up three-quarters to her collarbone. Old habits die hard, she'd learned since coming to Shield. An inch of shadowy cleavage meant an inch of leverage over the male enemy. Pinning her unruly hair back, she slid on her combat boots and retrieved the gun under her pillow. Then she walked out the door.
The Briefing Room was chaos. Natasha blinked in the toxic mix of blinding fluorescent lights, dozens of agents milling about and a cacophony of noise.
Tony Stark stamped about the room in fitful pacing, the thud of his iron boots echoing like a tamping beat. Captain Rogers sat with his hands folded into fists at the table, his jaw locking and unlocking. Clint stood toe to toe with Thor, and as nose-to-nose as the difference in height would allow, both red-faced in a heated yelling match. Agent Maria Hill had one hand on Bruce Banner's arm as if trying to calm him down. Banner had his eyes shut and took slow, deep breaths in through his nose, but his hands were shaking.
In fact, the only figure who didn't look distressed was the young man sitting at the head of the conference table. Natasha felt the breath drop out of her.
Loki's cold blue eyes met hers, shrewd and mocking as they had been on the day he'd attacked her in the cage. He hadn't even had to step past his glass boundary to rattle her more deeply than anyone had rattled her in her life. Pulling out details from her past, drawing her in with that cruel silver tongue and then lashing her with breathtaking hatred. Those same ice blue eyes, searing clean through her like a knife.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded, for one moment ignoring all others in the room. A violent fury splintered in her veins. It took all her energy not to rush forward and jam the cold barrel of her gun against his jaw.
Loki smiled, his eyes bright as if he could read her mind. "I'm sure your glad to see me, bint."
Natasha didn't know what infuriated her more, the insult or the carefree lilt of his smile. She stood an impulsive step forward, the fury in her veins taking over years of training.
"All of you, shut up and back down."
Fury's deep voice drew her back from the edge. Natasha narrowed her eyes at Loki, whose smile only broadened in return, and moved her attention to the Director. Fury entered the room with two black-clad agents behind him. His one eye roved the room, bulging with intensity.
"Officers, flank the prisoner during this meeting," he ordered.
Loki chuckled. "I'm flattered you mortals find my unmagical self still so intimidating as to employ a guard."
"You will be guarded until I say so," Fury snarled. "And if you had half the wit they say you do you'll keep your godly little mouth shut unless you want us to put you out of the sky for good this time."
Loki smiled at him, and Clint growled from across the room.
"He's got no magic, Director; I say we finish the job the gods couldn't."
"You dare to slander the name of Asgard?" Thor bellowed.
"He slandered it himself by coming here and wreaking havoc on our world!"
"Hold your peace, Barton," Fury snapped. "I'll address this." He swiveled his one eye over to Thor, his eyebrow mashing down in a scowl. "I thought your plan was to bring this war criminal back to your planet to pay for his crimes."
"This is his payment," Thor returned. "The AllFather has stripped him of his power and banished him to the one world he's least welcome in."
"Darn right he's least welcome!" Cap spat. "He killed eighty civilians and wiped out half of New York. We're not about to throw our arms open for his happy return."
"If he's in exile, the Asgardians have no claim over him," Banner said. "So that leaves him in our hands."
"I say we chop of the loon's head and have done with it," Stark crowed.
"You'll attempt no such thing," Thor rumbled. "Any one who lays a hand on him will answer to me."
"You're defending him?" Clint cried.
"He is my brother, and he is of Asgard!"
"He's banished," Stark cut in. "That's kind of like an ex-citizenship."
"Quiet," Fury ordered. He pointed at Thor. "You. So you brought him here?"
"I did not. He appeared by the AllFather's command."
"So your Daddy can just command his kid into a different realm?" Tony narrowed his eyes. "Any chance of getting him to send Loki somewhere else… like hell?"
Loki snorted at that. Natasha glared at him. The god didn't look fazed one bit sitting in the midst of a debate about his future. In fact, he looked to be rather enjoying himself, smirking at the rage displayed on every face.
"Then you're saying this alien terrorist is stuck on our planet until further notice?" Fury demanded.
Thor met the Director's scowl with a steady gaze. "There's nothing any of us can do about it. It is the way of the AllFather. Loki is to live out the rest of his days rebuilding the damage he's done in this world."
A beat of silence dropped around the room.
Then Tony snorted. "Reindeer Games? Rebuilding New York?" His face split between a laugh and a sob. "This Al-Papa guy's got a perverted funny bone."
"If we're not allowed to kill him, what are we supposed to do?" the Captain demanded. "Send him about among the public? Even without magic, he's a danger to society."
"Not to mention setting a bag of cats loose on the streets of New York was never a good idea," Banner interjected.
"Thank you for the compliment," Loki snarked.
"I've got an idea," said a voice who hadn't spoken for the duration of the meeting. "Why don't we make him work for us."
All eyes turned to Agent Hill, incredulity on their faces. Natasha blinked at the other woman. Maria's clear green eyes held Fury's with quiet confidence. Nick took a slow step back, his frown deepening.
"And what, Agent Hill, would you suggest we do with him? Make him an agent? Turn him loose aboard the helicarrier?"
"Have him make scrambled eggs in the morning," Tony quipped.
"I'd pay to see that," Banner said.
"Loki is a god, right?" Hill went on, unfazed. "Or whatever. That makes him several hundred years old where he's from. Maybe older."
"What are you playing at, Miss Maria?" Steve asked.
"I'm saying if he's got no magic, then he's no major threat. But he has one thing that could be of use to use: knowledge of the realms. More than Thor can offer us, even. No offense." Maria glanced at the big Asgardian.
"None taken," Thor replied. "She is right. My brother's black magic permeates the wormholes between realms, and he knows secrets I have never had the foresight to discover."
Loki shifted uncomfortably at his brother's words, and Natasha's sharp eyes didn't miss it.
Maria continued, "SHIELD is all about learning that we're not alone in the universe, Director. Maybe the next time some freaky space invasion blasts us out of the blue, we'll be ready to counter them with some knowledge of our own."
Everyone around the table stared at her. Fury rubbed his chin with one gloved hand. Loki frowned at Agent Hill, and Natasha thought she saw a flicker of alarm in his eyes at the direction the conversation had turned.
"What makes you think he'll tell us anything?" Clint demanded. "He's still our enemy. He wouldn't help us if we tortured him."
"Which you shall not," Thor rumbled.
"Agent Hill's proposal strikes merit," Fury mused. "But as of right now we're not making any decisions. Until further notice Loki will remain under custody." Fury nodded to the two guards behind the god of mischief. "Take him to the holding cell. Now the rest of you clear out. I want to speak with Agent Romanoff alone."
Natasha blinked. One by one, the other Avengers filed out of the room. Clint came last, just before the prisoner and his escorts, and her friend caught her eye. Something in his blue gaze told her they needed to talk, once Fury released her. She nodded and turned away, only to encounter Loki's cold gaze.
"Abnormally quiet throughout the whole ordeal, little Widow." The corner of his lips turned upward in a soft leer that didn't touch his eyes. "I hope you're not still brooding from our last little talk."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she muttered, standing her ground. Loki's eyes crinkled up at the corners, a frightening expression of genuine amusement that set her off balance.
"You're in my way, dearest."
Natasha grit her teeth. She held his impudent gaze for one second longer, then took one stiff step to the side. Loki walked forward, flanked by his two guards, and gave her a sardonic bow.
"Thank you," he said. Before she could retort, the door slid closed behind him.
"Sit down, Romanoff," Fury said.
Natasha turned. Fury stood with his arms folded across his chest, one foot tapping in a nervous fashion. Her senses picked up.
"What is it?"
"Sit."
She kept one wary eye fixed on him as she settled into an empty chair.
"Our guys found Loki early this morning, lying flat and out cold in the middle of our terminal."
"What?" Natasha's brow knit into a frown. "How did he get in? Our systems would've picked him up before he could get that far."
"Our systems picked up nothing. The surveillance footage shows an empty space one millisecond, and a passed-out god the next."
"You're saying he just appeared?"
"Wouldn't be the strangest thing happening over these last few days."
Natasha's frown deepened. She traced the metal surface of the table with one well-trimmed fingernail.
"I don't see what this has to do with me," she said.
Fury reached into his vest and pulled out a manila envelope. He tossed it down with a soft phwat onto the table before her.
"This was lying next to his person."
Natasha eyed the envelope. An irregular bulge raised the paper on one side. She glanced up at Fury, then slowly reached across and unclasped the metal seal.
"We confiscated it before he woke up," Fury added.
Natasha slipped her fingers inside the package, and her hand closed around something cold and linked. She pulled it out.
The long bronze chain glittered in the fluorescent lights, faded and heavy. A circular medallion at its end spun in slow circles, attached at a rotating pin. Engraved runes in a foreign language lay etched around a detailed image. Natasha squinted, trying to make out the features. It was the face of a woman, with wide dark eyes, full lips, and a cap of long, curly hair…
Natasha dropped the medallion to the table with a clatter.
"What is this?" she demanded, her voice rising to abnormal pitch.
"We're not entirely sure. The markings around the face haven't come up in any of our linguistic records. The metal itself isn't even of this world. The only image recognizable—perhaps too recognizable—was the sketch bearing striking resemblance to yourself."
Natasha stared at the crumpled chain. "So you're saying that Loki dropped out of the sky, banished from his home, and wearing a chain with a picture of my face."
Fury's face remained impassive. Natasha's head swirled.
"What does this mean, Director," she asked, striving for calm.
"I don't know." For the first time, Fury hesitated. "I just thought you should know. If we find any new leads, we'll inform you."
"Oh, I'll inform myself," Natasha growled under her breath. With a curt nod at the Director, she pushed back her chair and marched from the table toward the door.
It was time she and the dear god Loki had another heart-to-heart. Only this time she wouldn't be thanking him for his cooperation.
She'd be strangling him.
Author's Note:
This is my first Avengers fanfic. And let me start off by saying, I am in love with Loki. I have been from the beginning, always will be. And no one could play him better than Tom Hiddleston. 3 That out of the way, I've got to let you know that I've done my absolute best to keep every person true to their character, and all the interplay between them is as real and lifelike as possible.
I really hope you enjoy! Leave comments, please, so I can write this story so it sets you on fire with excitement to flip the next chapter! The enjoyment of you lovely people is my number one goal :)
Disclaimer: Loki, the Avengers, every other fantabulous character in this story belongs to Marvel. Now let me bawl my eyes out.