"Stop it," Bruce whispered, feeling completely disconcerted by the exact copy of himself.
"I know you're a bit short, but you aren't that bad looking," Loki shrugged.
"I said stop it!" Bruce hissed, taking a deep breath as he felt his emotions start to spike.
"But it's so easy. It took no effort at all to convince you I was your Captain. How easy will it be to convince the world that the scientist has always been the real threat?"
"No one will believe you," Bruce insisted. He'd just helped save the world. People wouldn't easily turn on him like that.
"It isn't about one grand event to show everyone who you truly are. Maybe an experiment gone wrong here, someone you failed to save there. By the time people see the video of you hurting your Captain, they won't even be surprised anymore."
"Steve? What did you do to him?" Bruce demanded. He hadn't even considered that the others had been caught up in this.
"Don't you mean what did you do to him?" Loki asked, with a grin.
"Tell me."
"You shouldn't worry about him. I'm sure the rest of your friends are dealing with that particular issue right now," Loki brushed off. "You'll be able to see exactly what happened when everyone else does. And by that time it won't even matter to you."
"I don't know what proof you think you have, but my team won't believe it. They'll know it wasn't me and back me up."
"But see, that's the best part. By the time the public sees it, they'll have already turned on you. They'll just see the rest of your friends lying for you and trying to cover things up, and they will be tarnished as well," Loki laughed, finally switching back into his own body with the snap of his fingers. "You may have a great mind in some areas, but I cannot be topped when it comes to planning and I will stop at nothing to get my way."
"But why me?" Bruce asked, feeling so defeated. "There are probably so many other people out there that would jump at the opportunity to join your side. What's so special about me?"
"The fact that you don't know just speaks to how inept your kind truly are," Loki sneered, lightly shoving one of the bassinets in annoyance. Bruce grit his teeth as the baby whimpered, but settled. "How are all wars won?"
"How?"
"People always fear brawn, but brains are the most powerful weapon. An intelligent mind is much more dangerous than brute strength," Loki said, slowly approaching him. Bruce forced himself to stay where he was, since there wasn't really anywhere for him to go. Taking a step back would only please Loki. "A bear is strong, but you've found a way to protect yourself from them, with cages and fences. A bomb causes devastation, but you have to know where to drop it to make the correct impact."
"Will you stop with all the monologuing and get to your point?" Bruce snapped, glaring up at him.
"I am both sides of that coin. I am the strength and I am the smarts. And if you stop fighting against your true potential, you can be the same!"
"You want me to figure out a way to have as much control over Hulk as I do myself?"
"Yes."
"And then take over the world with you?"
"To give them the ruler they need and the ruler they crave. To give them the compassion you say they covet, but still show them you have the potential to take it away."
"That's not what this is about, is it?" Bruce asked, feeling the last few puzzle pieces fall into place. This was so simple and he was mentally kicking himself for not figuring it out sooner.
"And what do you mean by that?"
"If this was really about someone people would be willing to listen to, you could find countless amounts of people. Hell, all the rest of the people on my team would be better at it than I am. This is about who you want on your side. Or rather, who you can't afford to have against you," Bruce challenged.
"You think you're so clever," Loki sighed, shaking his head in pity.
"You think I'm clever as well, but that's not why I'm here. You don't want me to help you, you want Hulk to help you. Because you can't afford to have Hulk out there as your enemy."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Loki growled, but Bruce did know what he was talking about. He'd seen the aftermath of the battle and heard what happened in the end before he shifted back into his normal body. Hulk had been the one to take Loki out of the fight.
"You're afraid of the Hulk."
"Where were they keeping Loki anyway?" Steve asked, keeping his head ducked as they walked around the ground floor of Stark Tower.
"I told Shield that they could use any of the rooms down here, but I don't know if they did," Tony replied, looking at him curiously. "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to keep a low profile. I don't have my cowl," Steve mumbled, turning away from a group of people walking by.
"But you're still walking with us. And you're literally still wearing your uniform. That kind of negates any attempts of going incognito," Tony snorted.
"That doesn't mean I want my photo ending up in some newspaper. I'm not ready to lose all my privacy yet," Steve murmured, tucking himself behind Thor's tall frame. Natasha sighed, plucking a baseball cap from someone's head without them even noticing.
"Here. Now you're completely unrecognizable," Natasha chuckled, sliding the hat onto his head. If anything, it called more attention to him, since it was so out of place, but Tony didn't say anything. They needed to focus on finding Loki.
"There are some Shield agents," Clint said, tipping his head toward where two men were standing in front of a door.
"Alright, off you go then. Let us know what you find out," Tony directed.
"Are you insane? I can't ask them. Not after today," Clint muttered.
"That wasn't you," Natasha reminded him.
"I don't think that really matters right now. It's still too fresh."
"I'll go," Thor volunteered.
"No, you'll just look like you're trying to bust him out," Tony scoffed.
"But there isn't anyone to bust out and those Shield agents are acting very casual about it," Steve pointed out. "I know you all are probably highly trained, but they don't look like they have a care in the world."
"Let me handle this," Natasha sighed, straightening her collar. She strode over with confidence, grabbing Tony's arm and pulling him along with her at the last second.
"Why am I coming?" Tony grumbled, glaring at her.
"Just in case they don't want to talk to me, you can throw your weight around about this being your tower," Natasha replied.
"I'm always being used," Tony moaned, switching to his confident swagger.
"Hey boys, you mind if we take a look at the prisoner real quick?" Natasha requested, stepping up to stand in front of one of the guards.
"Orders say no one goes in or out," agent one replied. Tony had to hold in his laugh. Obviously that rule hadn't stuck when it came to Loki.
"Come on, you're really going to deny the people who just saved the world?" Tony scoffed, throwing his hand over his heart in mock offense.
"What do you want with him?" agent two asked.
"Just a routine check. We just want eyes on him one last time before they head out for the night," Natasha shrugged. The agents looked at each other for a few moments, having a silent conversation with each other.
"The door to the room he's in stays closed," agent one relented, nodding his head in the direction of the room.
"You guys are good people. Fury made sure to send his best men for this assignment," Tony said seriously, buttering them up as they slid into the room. There was another door inside the room with a window, leading to a smaller room. There were two more agents standing there, also looking very calm.
"We're here to see the prisoner," Natasha said, frowning when they just waved her forward. She stepped forward and peeked in, taking a sharp breath before calling back to him. Tony was expecting an empty room, maybe even a few dead bodies, but he wasn't expecting Loki, tied up and glaring just like they'd left him.
"Looks to all be in order, thanks gentlemen," Tony muttered, pulling Natasha back toward the door. They couldn't let on that anything was amiss, because then there would be chaos. But how the hell was Loki here, after everything he'd pulled upstairs? And where the hell was Bruce?