A/N

1)Sincere thanks for reviews and encouragement goes to: Meow, Lexicon, bermellow, and GODdiggidydoodle. As usual, I'll respond via PM to anyone I can.

Also, thanks for all the faves, alerts, etc, it is most encouraging.

2) Thanks a million for the note, Lexicon! I had been referring to just WWI (as it would be the first conflict that would have happened after the timeframe of AGOS) though it probably does make more sense to cover both, so I am going back to fix it.

3) As I usually forget to mention, I own nothing!

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The unpredictable mortal becomes ridiculously predictable when noncombatants are in danger, and just as Loki has planned he knowingly walks into the trap Loki has set for him, bearing the brunt of a blast that would have killed thousands instantly.

Unfortunately for the man beneath the armor, even his highly advanced technology is not a match for the destructive force Asgardian technology is capable of, and the now inert red and gold metal shatters from the sheer force, crumbling ribs like matchsticks and ripping the vulnerable flesh beneath.

Loki has but a moment to savor his victory before the other Avengers are upon his with newfound fury – all except for Thor who is on his knees by his dying comrade, exactly as devastated as Loki hoped he would be.

Wanting to savor this while it lasts, Loki quickly drives back the attack, allowing his to focus his attention on Thor who is on the verge of tears telling the dying man beneath the armor that he should not have taken that hit, while in a futile effort to drag air into ruptured lungs, the fallen armored Avenger opens the faceplate of his armor, struggling to speak as he chokes on the blood that is streaming from his parted lips, and finally settles for the knowledge that he cannot, conveying his final emotions silently as he locks eyes with the stormy blue ones looking back at him – dark eyes already glazed with shock and pain showing clearly his calm acceptance of this necessary sacrifice, inevitable sorrow at his imminent death, as well as an apology for the pain he knows those dear to him will now have to bear, finally coupled with something reassuring despite the circumstances…and in one horrible moment it all connects for Loki – because he has seen that gaze before, and though in time his memories of the mortal he once had loved had been locked up, that final gaze was something that he could never forget.

Tony Stark's eyes close as he slips toward death, and something shatters within Loki as all he can think of is the fact that finally the brilliant man he had loved and lost had been reborn to this world – as another eccentric genius no less – and this time it was Loki who had dealt the fatal blow.

He does not see Mjolnir coming at him until it is too late, does not really register Thor's thundering rage as he roars: "What have you done!", and so great is the grief burning within him that he hardly feels the crushing impact, or the blows rained down upon him by the Avengers as they – perhaps fitting to their name – avenge their own.

Loki does not care that they might finally kill him after all, he does not care that he is in fact openly weeping – because who would care to notice anyway, but Thor does, because suddenly the assault stops, and Thor is kneeling by his side, telling him words that are as useless to ending his pain as always – but clarity returns when Thor despite his clear confusion at the situation tells Loki he still might be able to save the mortal, and though he is certain that by this time the mortal will have breathed his last, now that the words have been spoken, he cannot help but try.

This time it is Thor who stands over, protecting him from the other Avengers who clearly would love to incinerate him, while helping to remove the armor from a mortal who is still tenaciously hanging to life despite the severity of his injuries, finally backing away to stand guard as Loki places bare hands on the mortal's shattered body and begins to whisper healing spells he had thought he would never use again, finally collapsing in exhaustion before slipping into unconsciousness while clinging to the precious thought that while far from healed, Tony Stark has a fighting chance.

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