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Almost a century later, Loki has all but forgotten the brilliant mortal that had once captured his interest and ultimately held his heart.

It has been more than a hundred years since Loki has spent this much time on Midgard, and by now he has become a master of not thinking of why he had come the last time, instead focusing on his present circumstances.

This time he is not here by choice, he is trapped in this world which is now meaningless to him by a shattered interdimensional bridge and the fact he knows he will never again be welcome on Asgard, but the pain of that reality is somehow dull in comparison to another pain in his life, repressed but always gnawing at him beneath the surface….. but rather than dwell on that, he plans his revenge, he plans to make his not-family hate him for good reason since he is sure they never have loved him, and subjugating this miserable world seems like a good start.

Complications to his plans come in the form of the Avengers, a ragtag team consisting of Thor – of course, who better to always rain on his parade, or should he say perhaps thunder on it– and an eclectic group of mortals who have enough differences between them that it amazes Loki how they can fight together when they hardly agree on anything.

Still, for all their efforts – equal parts valor and senseless idiocy placing themselves at risk for a world of lesser beings – Loki only sees them as a small hitch in his plans. Each of them has a fatal weakness he has learned from simply observing them in a few skirmishes thus far: Hawkeye and Black Widow are simply mortal – skilled but useless without their comrades.

Captain America is the peak of human physical perfection, but too hampered by his own outdated morals and too out of touch with the present to be able to choose necessary evils when he must to win.

The Hulk is strong, bone crushingly so, but barely able to think in his battle-form, and for that reason, not a threat.

Ironman is perhaps the most interesting of them all, for all that he has never seen the mortal's face outside of a photograph, the mortal is several decades ahead of his time's technology. Brave to the point of recklessness in combat, the armored mortal's fatal weakness is his unending sense of responsibility to protect all those weaker than himself, even while his unpredictability in other ways has kept him alive thus far. Most importantly his value to the team lies beyond his combat abilities as he supplies most of their needed technological innovations, making him the first Loki has decided he will kill.

Ironic really that that position had once been held by Thor when Loki had first fallen to this realm, for one thing of all the foes Loki would find, Thor's intimate knowledge of him made him Loki's greatest threat – but this plan is better, because Thor's greatest weakness, perhaps even his fatal one is his devotion to those he holds dear, and nothing can hurt him more than to have to watch his comrades – his friends - be killed before his eyes.

Yes, Loki smiles to himself – a bitter twisted expression that borders on the edges of insanity – one by one he will pick them off, Ironman first and Thor last….. it is a truly perfect plan.

He laughs as he recollects that in previous battles Thor always has looked out for the armored Avenger with just a little more concern than the rest – a sure sign that their friendship is a very strong one, even though the two are absolutely nothing alike – and this first death will devastate the Thunderer.

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