The tension in the air was palpable as Steve apprehensively looked down from the aircraft hovering over New York. True, he had done this before, parachuting from a plane, and in much worse conditions with the enemy trying desperately to shoot him down while he was armed with only a thin wooden shield, but he was still nervous.
"You're sure that I'm directly above the walkway?" Steve asked the pilot as he peered down at Stark Tower.
"Yes," replied the pilot with an exasperated sigh.
"Are you posit-" Steve started, only to be shoved out the hatch by an impatient red-headed assassin.
She watched as he landed gracefully on the balcony, the parachute momentarily billowing in the wind before collapsing.
Steve quickly unclipped the parachute, shooting an angry glare towards the rapidly disappearing quinjet before brushing himself off. He looked up, turning to see Loki staring at him from the opposite balcony, a bemused smile on his face.
Simultaneously, they both began walking towards the lounge, sizing each other up as they went. Steve looked away as he entered the lounge area, quelling the small panic that was bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He was unarmed in a room with a sociopathic and psychotic god bent on world domination. Fun times.
"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity," scoffed Loki as Steve stepped behind the bar.
"Actually, I'm going to threaten you."
"You? Threaten me? Without so much as your shield?" sneered the god.
"Eh, it's seen a bit of mileage and you've got the 'glowstick of destiny,'" replied Steve nonchalantly. Loki smiled slightly at this, glancing down at his scepter.
"You want a drink?" asked Steve, offering one of Tony's many bottles of spirits as if he were talking to an old friend rather than a villain he was scheduled to fight. Loki just stared at him, the corners of his mouth tilted slightly upwards.
"No? Well, I'm not too into alcohol either," continued the Captain, walking over to one of Tony's ultra-plush couches that probably sold for more than he would.
Loki stepped up to the panoramic window, gazing out over Manhattan.
"Stalling me with your mindless banter won't change anything," Loki said softly. "The Chitauri are coming. What have I to fear?"
"The Avengers."
Loki turned to look at Steve, who was sprawled out on the sofa, in confusion.
"It's what we call ourselves," explained the super soldier. "Sort of like a team. 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' type thing."
"I've met them," the 'god' replied in a tone that conveyed amused condescension.
Catching the loaded look, the Captain frowned slightly. "Takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one; but, let's do a headcount here: your brother, the demigod, the genius with the iron suit, basically a living legend who kinda lives up to legend, a man with breathtaking anger management issues, a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella. You've managed to piss off every single one of them."
Loki grinned. "That was the plan."
"Not a great plan," replied Steve. "When they come for you, and they will," he said, eyes narrowing slightly, "they'll come for you."
Loki's amused expression morphed into an irritated, threatening one. "I have an army."
"We have a Hulk," retorted the Captain.
Loki feigned surprise. "I thought the beast had wandered off..."
Steve cut Loki off.
"You're missing the point. There's no throne, no way for you to come out on top. Look, maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the earth, you can be damn sure we'll avenge it," finished Steve confidently.
For a moment the room was deathly quiet, then Loki's voice filled the room.
"Is that so? You're going to avenge the earth?" he asked, chuckling. "How do you plan on doing that if you're all dead or enslaved, hmm? I suppose you'll use your super strength to break free from whatever is used to restrain you, even Death's own arms. Or, perhaps you plan on bringing out that innate 'goodness' in everyone," he said, his face darkening although his voice kept that amused tone.
Loki began taking slow steps towards Steve.
"What you seem to forget, my dear Captain, is that not only is there an innate goodness, but an equal measure of darkness, of forbidden desires and secrets, of evil. That is how the universe functions, is it not? Light versus dark, constantly at war with one another. That is also the darkest truth of humanity, that one is always dancing along that fine edge between good and bad, temptation ever present. I understand moreso than most, being the very God of Chaos."
Steve found himself beginning to get uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken and silently removed his earpiece, shutting it off, as Loki continued on.
"For you, Captain, it is an even thinner edge. 'The serum amplifies everything that is inside; so good becomes great, bad becomes worse.' Is that not what your dear Dr. Erskine said? That darkness inside of you grew as well as the good."
How the hell does he know what Erskine said? thought the Captain. His second thought: finally, someone who realizes the painfully obvious.
"You play the hero, the very pinnacle of goodness, of innocence. But you want to know what it's like to be on the other side. To have absolute power over someone, to have them kneeling before you, not out of respect, but out of fear. You crave freedom. The freedom to make the wrong decision. The freedom to avoid judgement. The freedom to take power. I can give you that power, Captain. Unlimited power, over the entire world. All you have to do is say so."
Steve's thoughts were in chaos, conflicting emotions battling for dominance. "But my team..."
"Your team?" sneered the god. "Let's see here. An arrogant, ungrateful, selfish genius, who sees you as only a lab experiment. A mindless beast who doesn't even want to be there. An archer who couldn't care less about anyone other than his precious redhead. An assassin, who'd be willing to kill you if ordered without a second thought and who abandoned you here alone with me. And let's not forget the blonde-headed demigod, who tried to pummel you with his hammer for trying to protect said genius."
"My job with SHIELD..."
"SHIELD? The organization who lied to your face many times, who were secretly building weapons of mass destruction, who are composed completely of liars and killers, of spies and mercenaries? The organization that specializes in subterfuge, interrogation, and elimination? Yes, I can see why you'd want to work with them," scoffed Loki.
"You're the god of lies. How can I trust you?"
Loki barked out a laugh. "You can't. But, think about this: you know for a fact that you can't trust your 'teammates' of your precious SHIELD either. And I can offer so much more than they can! They offer a mere feeling of satisfaction for doing what they think is 'right'. I offer you the satisfaction of ruling an entire realm alongside me, the ability to have the world at your feet to do what you wish with it without risk of being judged, of disappointing someone. You can have anything and everything. Just say the word."
A dark smile broke out on Steve's face, a genuine smile.
"I accept."
