Ok, so I have a few questions to answer, apparently.
Is Loki pulling out the reactor? Preparing to, messing with it, but it is not out yet.
Why didn't Loki use magic to make himself invisible? Because A) It doesn't really matter to him whether or not the Avengers know he took Tony, it has no effect on the overall plan, B) he doesn't want to waste energy, and C) because he doesn't feel the need to.
Is he sure he was told the truth and that no one else had gotten this information before? Yes. He is the God of Lies, I'm pretty sure he'd be able to tell if someone was lying to him. And if someone had gotten this information out of the man before, the man would have either been dead or would have alerted the Allfather already to the breach in security.
How can you poison an apple so it is still juicy and tasty? Ask Snow White's stepmother. Loki's an expert sorcerer. I'm sure he could manage.
How can Loki take Mjolnir? Now, this is a good question, and it actually took me a while to figure this out myself. Here is my brilliant theory. Mjolnir is bound to Thor, true, but Odin could still take it away, right? Well, Loki is the best sorcerer in the Nine Realms apart from Odin and, perhaps, the Vanir. Now, taking this into account as well as the fact that Loki is backed by both the scepter and Thanos himself, I have decided that with their combined magic, they could probably keep Mjolnir from Thor for a limited amount of time. Restraining it would take a lot of energy, though, so it would only be for a very short amount of time.
Either way, it's a my fiction story. :P
I will try to update all of my stories by Monday, on another note, so stick with me, please!
Anyways, enjoy this chapter! Please, please review.
The team stared on in horror at the crying genius held tight in the hands of Loki. As if it wasn't bad enough that he was being tortured by him, they could only stand by and watch, which made it all the worse. They'd never felt so powerless.
Bruce spoke, voice shaking violently with the strain of keeping the Other Guy at bay.
"Loki, please, just let him go. We'll give you what you want, just please, let Tony go."
Loki bared his teeth in a feral grin, lips still colored crimson with Tony's blood.
"What if what I want is to force you to watch helplessly while I torture your teammate?"
"There has to be something else," blurted Steve. "Anything!"
Steve knew it was foolish and dangerous to be trying to bargain with a psychotic terrorist, but he couldn't-wouldn't-stand by and watch Tony fall apart because of Loki. There had to be something he wanted! And no matter what it was, the team would give it to him. Because they would have Tony back. And with Tony back, there was a chance they could defeat him again.
"Hmmmm. Anything, you say?"
"Anything," Steve affirmed, despite the uncertainty and revulsion coursing through him like a river of red-hot fire.
Loki adjusted his grip on the genius, thinking things over. Tony had stopped crying by now, and now his face was carefully blank. Emotionless. The only sign of his distress were the tracks running down his cheeks.
A grin broke out across his face and he turned to look at Dr. Banner.
"I want the Gem in Stark's lab."
Bruce blanched. "Wha-what?"
"The Gem, Dr. Banner. You know, that large blue one Stark has in his lab?"
"Done," said Steve. Bruce turned to glare at the soldier.
Loki smirked as he watched the two of them have a staring contest across the room.
"It all comes down to how much you care about Stark. The Gem, or Stark. Your choice."
Bruce closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
"Fine. I'll give you the Gem. Now let Tony go."
Loki smiled, looking around the room at the entire team before he twisted his wrist and pulled out the reactor with a flourish.
"As you wish."
Tony let out a gasp as the reactor was wrenched from his chest. The team started screaming at Loki as Tony's vision began to blur.
That fucking liar.
Suddenly, a cold hand was pressed to his chest as the one around his throat disappeared and there was a sudden rush of energy into his chest.
Tony took a deep, relieved breath as the world came back into focus, his newly-freed hand coming up to clasp his chest in a panic.
There was still a hole in the socket where the arc reactor was supposed to be, the device replaced by an iridescent bubble-type object.
How am I alive?
"What did you do?" he asked quietly, turning to look at the god.
"Kept you alive and made sure that your team will keep their end of the bargain. If they try to cross me, I can simply lift the spell and you will die."
Tony paled, a feat considering how white he already was from the harsh treatment of the last few days.
Loki waved his hands and the reactor disappeared from his hand, vanishing into some pocket dimension. A flick of his wrists, and the team was released from the invisible force pinning them to the wall.
Bruce, Steve and Thor immediately rushed over to Tony, the two blondes supporting him while Bruce gave him a quick look-over, his face gradually darkening as he saw the amount of damage caused by the raven-haired god.
The two assassins stood opposite Loki, glaring at him with such fury that even Lucifer himself would be put to shame.
Loki put his hand out in front of him, and Mjolnir, Steve's shield, a handful of guns and knives, and a bow and quiver appeared in his outstretched palm.
Immediately, it appeared as though a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders, the faint lines around his eyes and temples fading. It was probably hard to keep Mjolnir away from Thor.
The assassins stepped forwards to take the weapons, keeping their eyes fixed on the smirking god the whole time. Both entertained the oh-so-pleasing thought of simply killing the god now, but then they remembered the reactor and just grasped their weapons and slid them away, glaring at Loki and wishing desperately that looks alone could kill.
"I will be at Central Park at 2 AM this Sunday. Bring the Gem with you, and only send one of you or I will instantly remove the spell. Do not attempt any tricks if you value Stark's life. You have 5 days."
Loki let out one more chilling smile, and then the world around the team swirled from the dungeon that had held Tony for days into the familiar sight of Stark Tower's Avengers common room.
Tony instantly collapsed onto the floor in a horribly injured heap, blood staining the usually impeccably clean white floor.
Pepper, who was pacing restlessly in the next room rushed in at the commotion, her hand flying to her mouth as she saw Tony, choking back a terrified sob at the state of his body.
The team let out a simultaneous yell of panic, shouting to get him to the goddamn infirmary already! as Pepper rushed to his side, clasping his hand gently and brushing a stray piece of hair out of his face as horrified tears flowed down her cheeks, the water washing away the blood on Tony's chest in small lines where the tears fell.
Tony was lifted and carried to the new infirmary that had been installed in the tower, Bruce beginning to perform emergency procedures on the unconscious genius as the rest of the team and Pepper stood by silently, praying desperately that Tony would be okay.
But throughout all of this, Tony remained lost to the world. As good as dead.
