Chapter 4 Capturing Prey

With the new SHIELD location now fully functioning and the growing threats by HYDRA and an unknown force coming to the forefront, Director Fury returned from hiding. It was time to let the rest of SHIELD know he was still alive and kicking and lay into HYDRA that he would be leading his ace team again and would be hot on their heels to take them down - permanently. The Avengers had proved their worth during the alien attack on New York and periodically one or all of them would be called in to handle various threats utilizing their special skill sets despite the dismay of some SHIELD members. Even the Asgardian, Lady Sif, ventured down to Earth when an escapee named Lorelei caused issue. She sometimes wondered how it was this criminal gained her freedom for only the likes of Loki could have had a hand in getting her to Earth.

Nick Fury had called Phil Coulson the new director when he needed to lay low for a while after his "death"; Fury ran operations from behind the scenes until now. Phil and Nick had the utmost respect for each other and SHIELD's objectives. So, it was a partnership made in heaven. Much to HYDRA's disdain, having Fury show up alive was cause for concern and the agents who were originally given the task of taking Fury out were immediately executed. Failure was not an option when world domination was on the line.

The infiltration by sleeper agents within SHIELD had been alarming and some even asked if they shouldn't join forces with HYDRA. Were not both organizations working towards the same solution - world domination? Of course, one would have to realize that HYDRA's motives were world domination by way of enslaving the world - bending the world to its wants and desires. SHIELD, although some felt were trying to do the same, were on a mission to keep the world safe from hostile forces. And that meant judging people on what they would define 'hostile' to mean - rather subjective in the eyes of those now being born different or created to be different by scientific means.

SHIELD was finding favor over all. The fact that they were able to work hand in hand with the Avengers and with the Asgardians made Nick Fury feel as if a real team had come together for the well-being of all. And more were starting to turn against HYDRA. The chips were falling in place to stamp them out once and for all with a legion of heroes both human and alien alike.

Loki was incredibly astute to all happenings of Midgard. Having spent his own time in exile there, he learned a great deal of how many humans were ripe for his rule. He mistakenly wanted to rule Midgard as a benevolent god - or so he tried to persuade everyone of. He offered the charisma and intelligence most humans found likable in a commanding overseeing presence and would kneel down in utter respect and willingly. Loki had convinced himself that he could accomplish the task either way - if they accepted freely or if he took command by force - it made no difference to him. As long as he had control, he offered order from chaos - in essence, to be their savior. With utter surprise, his army was humiliated in defeat by a handful of humans. Even though The Other told his superior that humans were not to be trifled with, defeat was not an option. Courting death was a part of war and a necessary evil when one had cosmic domination on one's mind. And this was the idea Loki wrongly went in with and that a being named Thanos was now playing with.

With his identity constantly hidden, Loki came and went through his various secret portals and by faking his identity with Heimdall to use the Bifrost. Although his focus was on ruling Asgard as king, and ironically in Odin's guise he did a fair job at maintaining peace, he learned how Mankind functioned as a species. Sif found it odd that Odin had such deep interest in Midgard when Thor was supposed to be their overseer and protector. When asked about it, he simply would reply that he wanted to be sure his 'son' was alright. She didn't buy it at all, and Loki knew it.

Loki, being the snarky psychopathic megalomaniac as he now was, was missing a vital part of the puzzle that would make him a good king in his own right - he didn't have the respect of his would-be subjects on Midgard by thinking himself above all - superior. Chaotic thoughts ran rampant through his mind. He had a death sentence awaiting him once the Chitauri reorganized and he certainly would have a death sentence once his secret is revealed. He fought with a want of pleasing his dead mother. And he still hated Odin for keeping him in the dark on so many levels and yet was striving to prove the AllFather wrong about him - that he was the rightful heir to the throne. Loki knew what it took to be a king - he embraced brutality when necessary, he was intelligent, and yet was on the edge of chaos - his original ambitions met but the diva in him not in the spotlight.

He had ultimate power through ownership of the Tesseract and he had the throne of Asgard. Loki had gotten exactly what he wanted, had some fun getting it, and somehow his only current dissatisfaction was he had to do so while hiding his identity. He had to keep hidden under the guise of his adoptive father and the one big worry he had was keeping Sif busy by offering her jobs that took her to Earth so she stayed off his scent.

As Odin had said when he was a boy, a good king had to be prepared for war and not look for it. However, Loki had not only made the error of looking for war, he found trouble in ways he never expected. Now, he set his sites on gathering a new army starting with the very beings being targeted by both SHIELD and HYDRA. With so much turmoil in his mind to hold onto what he now had, under no circumstances would he allow anyone to take his crown from him. This was where he belonged and he wanted all the cosmos to know it - when the time was right. He knew when he did finally reveal himself, Thor would quickly be on his heels chasing him down no different than the aliens he betrayed.

Loki devised his plan deciding to side with HYDRA. He knew where Coulson's team was going to obtain their target. He knew the inner workings of both HYDRA and SHIELD, and he knew his ass would be handed to him in a big way if the Avengers or the Chitauri, or even his dim-witted brother got to him. Loki refused to go back to prison, or worse, face execution. He learned the location of the Chitauri scepter that was being studied and used for experimentation - particularly in creating "miracles" and that a big "miracle" was soon to come about in the future. However, he retrieved his scepter with great ease posing as a scientist with access to it. With his magical powers, he slid in and out unseen. He hooked up with HYDRA figuring their boldness to fight against SHIELD worked better with his ultimate plans for domination over Midgard to bring order as king. As Coulson and clan were preparing to intercept their target, Loki knew it would not take long before Coulson was made aware of the scepter being taken and that would quicken the pace to obtain the one called Hellcat.

Phil's cell rang. An agent on the other end worriedly commented that the scepter had been stolen. "Well, this isn't good," he replied. "Lock down the whole place! Interrogate everyone on campus! And find that scepter!"

"Folks, we have trouble! Stay on guard," he warned his team.

"What's happening?" Clint asked. "You look concerned."

"The scepter has been taken and right out from under our noses!" Coulson replied. "What the hell is going on?"

"Let's stay focused - we can deal with that later," Natasha said. "Isn't that the location of the target?"

"Yes. She should be exiting at any time."

Alesandra left work at her customary time. Her car was not far from the door but something caught her attention. Agent Coulson approached her along with Agent Romanova. Glancing up, she saw another agent - one with a bow and arrow trained on her - Agent Barton. Alex could only guess he had a tranquilizer dart on the end of that arrow he had cocked and ready to fire at her. Having three agents in black uniforms approach her sent fear through her entire body. This could not be good. She recognized Coulson from their previous meeting ten years ago but the other two she had not met.

On both sides approaching from the opposite direction, she saw several other men in black suits - obviously from SHIELD as well. Agent Coulson advanced towards her with a swiftness in his step. Alex turned in the other direction quickening her pace hoping to flee the scene even if she had to break out and run through the nearby woods. Coulson was calling to her but she ignored him. The last thing she wanted was to be taken in by SHIELD for the last time it was a complete nightmare.

"Please, Miss, we mean no harm. However, you are in grave danger and we ask you to come with us," Coulson begged. As he touched her upper arm, he attached a small GPS tracker as a precaution. She never felt it as it was so soft like a bug landing on her bare skin.

"I don't understand. Nobody has bothered me in ten years," she replied turning to face him.

"There are unidentified forces at work that even we haven't put a finger on just yet. Please, we haven't time to waste," he stated again while escorting her towards a black SUV. As they quickly walked towards the SUV, a blue light crashed into the vehicle exploding it into shards. Coulson and all the other agents quickly attempted to assess the situation to determine who or what was after then. With no success, they headed in the opposite direction to another SUV awaiting them.

With several more bolts of blue light causing explosions all around them, they were splintered apart. The bolts were carefully placed - deliberately breaking Alesandra from the pack like a predator would isolate one animal from a herd from which to chase down. Coulson instinctively knew there was only one man capable of wielding the power of that scepter but denied it because after all Thor said Loki was dead.

With her flight instincts in full force, she broke out into a full run until she unexpectedly slammed into a man and both took a tumble to the ground. Both immediately raced to their feet and their eyes met. He smiled deviously at her - almost evil and with a hint of complete satisfaction in his emerald eyes. At first, she didn't recognize him until he made the bold mistake of changing form. Instantly she remembered seeing him before. He was Loki and he was after her!

His mind was a tangled mess of chaotic thoughts. Hearing the Chitauri, hearing the Other, hearing Thor telling him the 'throne would suit him ill', and hearing Odin say his 'birthright was to die on a frozen rock' caused him not to think straight. He wanted to prove everyone wrong. The master of lies and tricks was lost in madness.

With an ironclad grip, he wrapped his arms around her capturing her in a tight embrace of which she panicked and stamped down as hard as she could on his foot causing him to let her go. She bolted as quickly as possible moving as fast as she could to get away from him. No matter what direction she went, he was there seemingly surrounding her in all directions.

Alex was incredibly smart and attuned to most stimuli unlike the vast majority of humans but didn't know of the Master of Mischief's ability to create illusions. She only remembered being present seeing him flying around on an alien craft as she avoided being killed like many others that fateful day. Loki sensed her astuteness and she could only assume he had some evil plan in mind that included using her. The fact that several HYDRA soldiers were also on scene denoted his loyalties. How was she going to escape and meet back up with Agent Coulson without causing too much havoc on his part - or even hers? Alex felt her inner beast rising - her flight or fight instincts rising as he lowered his eyes peering at her like a snarling hunter ready to pounce.

Feeling surrounded, the animal within her began to panic. Her pulse raced to the point she could feel it in her ears. Alesandra felt cornered for every way she tried to go there was another of him blocking her or one of the HYDRA agents that had accompanied him. There was but one way to escape and that was to free the beast inside - to set forth a possible battle - something she preferred to avoid as it undoubtedly meant a horrible ending.

Heading into an open green, Hawk's arrow flew by her missing her shoulder. She was grateful for her speed and agility to dodge attacks as easily as she could. Her skills were unmatched, and she knew this had to be why she was to be made into another super soldier. But Alesandra swore she'd never serve any of them for what they did to create her as they had.

As she crossed the green, Loki appeared again - this time laughing at her as if taunting her. She slid to a quick stop and turned on her heel. He was there behind her. And to the side. And to the other side. What insanity was this? It was not possible for him to be in so many places at once. She decided it time to attack. It was the only way to break free of him. Looking at the various illusions of Loki, she keyed in on one that seemed different from the others and barreled forward as fast as she could roaring like a wild animal until she slammed into him. Loki hit the ground flat on his back with a muffled thud with her on top of him.

Loki laughed hard. "You really think you can outdo me? You are but a woman! A woman!" Together, they rose to their feet and he grabbed her arms pulling her close. As she stared deep into his eyes, he saw complete terror that changed to an unleashed rage. Instead of cowering to him, she retaliated and grabbed a lock of his long raven locks and refused to let go. Feeling the pain, he laughed at her boldness by taking a lock of hers in hand.

"You are a strong one. Am I too late? You are now one of the Avengers - another toy for me to play with?" he asked as they turned in a slow dance around each other.

"I am no toy - certainly not for you or anyone!" As she maneuvered on her heels trying to keep her footing as he was so much taller than she, Loki failed to pay attention to the low growl of warning that should have reminded him that she was not like any other human female and in fact was reminiscent of a certain green rage monster he was pummeled by before.

"Ah, but this is quite a bit of fun," he said enjoying the way she held firm.

Loki should also have realized that although he towered over her, she was far from weak. The mutual pain of hands yanking hair continued until she hooked her leg around his and caused him to hit the ground flat on his back. As Alex ran away, he was up and after her again - his long strides catching up so quickly. She felt a pair of arms like steel bands slide around her and gradually they constricted to squeeze the life from her.

He laughed at her inability to get away. Loki enjoyed tormenting her but was not perceptive enough to recognize her rising anger. Something inside of her soul snapped as the instinct to survive was so strong.

She pretended to go limp in his arms and he unwisely loosed his grip, giving her more than enough room to maneuver and kick him in a guy's most sensitive spot. Loki learned the meaning of the human phrase, 'she kicks like a mule' at that point and was in too much pain to keep her from escaping. Unfortunately for her, he was too crafty and smart to just let her go without a good chase.

Again he pounced and this time he thought he crushed her in his hast to gain control of the wench. He paced like a caged tiger waiting for her to awaken. Loki knew she was alive when he heard a very unwomanly groan followed by a cougar's scream of panic. She was terrified asking, "What do you hope to achieve with me, Loki? You realize there's no way in any culture's idea of hell I'd let take possession of me, right?"

"I do, puny human. You fascinate me. Innocent as a child, wild as a beast, and gentle as a dove according to your surroundings and mood. I need you - you are the key to my plan."

"I'd die before letting you bend me to your will," she said as she struggled to get free from him again.

Loki wasted no time gathering her up. His arm was looped around her neck as he held the blade end of the scepter at her side. She struggled against his tight hold as he said, "Quiet down wild beast. You're of no used to me dead."

Coulson and his team appeared on the opposite side taking note of the battle. When Phil realized who it was, shock overcame him. The Dark Asgardian Prince now King held her tightly against his body. When his eyes met Coulson's, both men gazed at each other with the same surprise as if they were both seeing ghosts as neither expected to see the other.

"I thought you were dead," Phil called out. "Why her? What do you want now?"

With a smug look crossing his face, Loki glared at Coulson and his team and shouted, "What I wanted before, Agent Coulson!" And with that, he disappeared in a glow of green light as it was not really him but an illusion he had magically cast.

Phil pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket as Hawkeye and Black Widow joined him after being separated. "We have a major problem," he said.

"Loki. I thought he was dead," Natasha said.

"We all did," Phil replied before his call was connected. "Mr. Stark, we have a situation. How fast can you and the rest of the Avengers arrive to my location?" He paused for a moment. "An old friend is here in town working with the other team, and he's taken possession of our target. You remember Hellcat. Yes, I think we might need all of you again - especially Dr. Banner - and Thor. Our visitor is from New York."

After hanging up, Coulson looked to his colleagues. "The only good thing right now - we'll find where HYDRA is camping out."

"You managed to get the tracker on her?" Barton asked.

"Yup. Let's just pray Loki doesn't find it. We should go. Fury's gonna be pissed."