Chapter 31: Magic and Mind
Tony and Alex entered the infirmary. Loki was upon them in no time.
"Daddy! Natasha drove fast and then, Tony took me flying! And he said I have a magic lesson now."
"Alex, we need to help Steve. He is very ill and only you can help him." Loki scooped Alex up and brought him toward Steve.
"Steve's not okay?"
"No, he's not. I need you to focus, okay Alex. Focus on your magic and focus on Steve. Can you feel the magic in him?"
"Yes! I can feel it, daddy. But I don't like it. It's bad magic. It's making Steve hurt."
And then, again, Steve coded and the doctors came upon him. They once again restarted his heart.
Tony and Bruce were beside Loki, hoping they could fix the situation.
"Alex, I want you to feel the bad magic. Focus on it and wish it gone. You want that magic to disappear so it will stop hurting Steve."
Alex closed his eyes. He could feel the bad magic.
"Will Steve die if I don't do it?"
"You can do it, Alex. I know you can," said Loki.
He was holding his son close to Steve hoping, praying, pleading with the Norns that his son could.
Suddenly, a kind of red mist, a mix between liquid and smoke, got out from Steve, like it was evaporating. Loki smiled. He knew Alex was doing well. He rubbed circles in his son's back to encourage him. And then, all the red energy was gone.
"You did it, Alex. I'm so proud of you," said Loki.
"I did it? Steve is good now?"
Alex opened his eyes. Steve too, but slowly. The doctors were watching him like everyone else in the room.
"My head hurts. Why does it hurt? It has not hurt since my last hangover," said Steve.
Giving that his last hangover had been before the serum, it was a few decades ago.
Bruce explained the situation to Steve while Loki was taking care of Alex. A spell like that, even though it was very simple, was draining giving the amount of magic in Steve.
"Daddy, I'm tired," said Alex.
Giving they were in an infirmary, Loki laid Alex down on a gurney close by and the boy drifted off to sleep. Loki looked at Wanda and knew they had the same condition. Magical exhaustion was something known into the magic community. The spell Wanda had used was far from simple as the counter spell so it was normal she was sleeping it off for a while, but Loki knew neither her nor his son were in danger at the moment. So he went back closer to Steve.
"Hey Loki, you help me," said Steve.
"Actually, I was useless. Alex helped you."
"Where is he now?"
"Sleeping. He will be for a few hours. Don't worry. Actually, if you would want to get rid of your headache, you could order me."
"Okay, why not? Loki, I order you to stop my headache."
Loki sensed his magic and was happy. It was hard emotionally to be in the presence of magic and not be able to practice. It was like being so close to a temptation. It made him feel so useless and small. So, on order, he conjured his magic to heal Steve.
"Wow. It worked like a charm," said Steve.
Tony saw it too and got an idea.
"Loki, could you help Rhodey? He broke his spine. Do you think you could do something about it? Or else, Rhodey would never be able to walk again."
"Mister Rogers, can I be ordered to heal mister Rhodes, please?"
"Please Steve!"
"Sure. Loki, I order you to heal Rhodey."
Loki turned toward Rhodey and twisted his hand in one fluid motion. Green mist went inside Rhodey and med the broken spine.
"It will take maybe an hour for him to wake up, but he should be fine," said Loki.
Bruce then approached Loki.
"Can you heal anything? Like, what is your limit?"
"I cannot go against the order of life. I cannot bring someone back to life. Every sorcerer knows that. As for healing, I have never really studied that part of magic. I can repair bones and cure headaches. I can restart a heart and heal the most basic things, but my powers are not limitless. I cannot do more than the average healer in Asgard."
"I bet they still can do more than our average doctors," said Tony.
"Yes, they can," said Loki.
oOo
Steve was out of the infirmary in no time. Loki took Alex with him and let him sleep in their room. As for Rhodey, he had been kept for observation, but the doctors had assured he would be able to literally walk out in no time. Wanda needed time to rest, so she would get out when she would wake up.
"You did well today, Loki. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Who were you fighting," asked Tony. "Who did this to Rhodey?"
"It was the Winter Soldier," said Steve. "Bucky."
"You found him," said Bruce happily, then he turned sad, "well, I guess the reunion did not go well."
Everyone, save Alex, Storm, Rhodey and Wanda, were now in the dinning room.
"Not totally. Tony, remember when I told you about Hydra, about your parents," asked Steve.
"Yes. You said Hydra killed my parents," said Tony.
"Well, today, I found out they send Bucky. He's the one who killed your parents. I'm sorry Tony. I did not know before today."
Tony stayed silent. For a while, everyone was just looking at him. Since the whole revelation about Hydra existence, they knew the Starks had been killed by Hydra, but nothing had been found about who did it exactly.
"We found Bucky in an old Hydra facility we were investigated. We didn't know he would be there," said Steve. "Rhodey was the first to see him and Bucky attacked. He had been brainwashed by Hydra, he did not kill your parents because he wanted to, Tony."
"Buck grabbed Steve when he tried to help. And Wanda used her magic, probably to free Bucky from the brainwashing. But Steve got hurt and Bucky escaped," finished Sam.
They stayed silent for a moment, they all knew Tony would be the next to talk.
"Do you intend to find Bucky again," asked Tony.
"He's my friend. And right now, he is not in his right mind. I want to help him," said Steve.
"Next time you found him, make sure you saved him from the brainwashing. The Winter Soldier is a menace. Bucky might still have some good in him, but we'll know only once he is free from Hydra's control."
Loki, who was sitting at the table with the Avengers, had listened to the whole thing.
"If I may, Wanda is powerful and if nothing gets in her way, the spell will be able to break Bucky out of the control on his mind," said Loki.
"You seem to know a lot about mind control," observed Sam.
"Well, I am not that type of enchanter, I cannot manipulate the mind of people, but I could when I had the mind stone," said Loki.
"The what now," said Tony.
"The mind stone. Vision's stone. It was in my scepter," clarified Loki.
"Do you know what this is, Loki," asked Vision touching his forehead.
"Yes. It powered my scepter so I could control people with it. Mind control, that is. It was also used on me," said Loki. "It gave Wanda her powers and therefore, she can manipulate people's mind, but also so much more. It enlarged her mind as well. It is also what makes you animated, alive. The mind stone is not the soul stone, they are different, but the mind stone apparently can help you be alive."
"Mind stone, soul stone," repeated Steve. "What are those?"
"They are infinity stones," said Loki.
"Yeah, Thor mentioned those," said Tony. "The tesseract is one of them, right?"
"There is a stone inside the tesseract, yes. Six stones in total. Power, soul, mind, reality, space and time. Each one of them can bring more power to its holder that possible in the universe, but together, all six of them would be terrible."
"And you had two of them during your invasion," said Natasha. "And we beat you."
"I let you win," admitted Loki. "I was being controlled by... by the Mad Titan. His real name is Thanos. He used the scepter on me so I would bring him the tesseract in exchange for an army to conquer your planet. But I wanted the tesseract for myself."
"Okay, hold up a second," said Tony making a time-out sign, "time out. First, you were being controlled, and second, you had been living with Vision for a while now, and still had not tried to take the stone back."
"To answer your second question, I am sure you have plans to electrocute me if I even think of touching that stone or hurting any of you. But I just don't want the mind stone. I know of its power and I don't want to manipulate people's mind. I prefer to use words for that. I know how it feels to have someone play with one's mind, I do not wish that on anyone else."
"Well, we all know how that feels," said Tony. "Wanda used her power on nearly all of us here. Not fun."
"But you used the scepter on Clint," noted Natasha, "and others as well."
"Not by choice. It took me time to break for the control places upon my mind," said Loki. "When the Hulk used my body to remodel Stark Tower's floor, the link completely broke."
"Cognitive recalibration," said Natasha, "that's how Clint was taken away from you. I knocked him really hard on the head."
"And that's why I wanted the beast to come out," said Loki. "Sorry Doctor Banner, I just needed the other guy. It was not personal."
"So I help you by beating you," said Bruce.
"Yes."
"But why not say it sooner," said Tony. "Why not say it at your trial? Surely Odin would have seen you were innocent?"
"While I do not take all the blame, my actions are my own. On a mind as strong as mine, the stone only made me more subjective to suggestions. I wanted to be king, to rule, to show Thor and Odin I was more than they always took me for. Thanos saw it and gave me what I required. But as much as I wanted to be king, I did not want to give Thanos what he wanted."
"And what is that?"
"The stones. The scepter was not mine; I was supposed to give it back. And I was supposed to give him the tesseract. He would have possessed two infinity stones if I had succeeded. For the sake of the universe, it is important to ensure those stones are spaced."
"Thor talked about the reality stone. He said something about the Aether and his grandfather Bor," recalled Bruce. "They stopped a Dark Elf and get the stone back."
"Did he put the stone in the vault in Asgard," asked Loki a bit worried.
"No, he said he sends it somewhere else because of the tesseract," said Bruce.
"It is wise to never keep two infinity stones close together. If someone, namely Thanos, were to come for them, it will take him more time, therefore his enemies would have time to prepare and guard the remaining stones," said Loki.
"Should we be concerned by that Thanos guy," asked Tony.
"No. Not for the moment. The tesseract is in Asgard, the mind stone is on Vision, as for the others, I don't know. As long as there is only one on Earth, you should have time to prepare should Thanos eventually come."
"Loki, are you guilty or innocent concerning the attack on New York and the other crimes that led to your current sentence," asked Steve on a serious tone.
"Both. While I was being controlled, most of those crimes, I wanted to do them and I planned them. I was only pushed further and given motivation to accomplish what I was already dreaming of. My guilt is a little bit less than you might think it is, but I am guilty and still deserve my sentence."
"Let's go back to mind control," said Natasha. "What should we do for Bucky?"
"Break the mind control," said Sam. "What do you think?"
"It might be a while before we can find him again," said Steve a bit sad.
oOo
Loki had known Thanos had controlled him, but Thanos had only a part of the control, Loki still had his say. After he had fallen from the Bifrost, he had wanted to show Asgard he was worthy, and when Thanos found him, the scepter had only enhanced what was already there. However, Loki could not give Thanos the stones. He had done his best to remove the stones from Thanos's grasp. But Loki had wanted to win, to show he was a king. He was guilty, just not as much as they might think.
What he had done on Asgard, to stop Thor's coronation by inviting some frosty guests, he had done it for a good cause, because sometimes the end justifies the means. He had wanted to show Odin than Thor was not ready by manipulating Thor into taking all the wrong decisions. And then, Loki figured out the truth about his origin and Odin went to take a nap at the worst time possible. Loki had not wanted to be king, he had just wanted people to see he could have been, that he had qualities a good king has. Of course, Thor was a better figure to be king, but Loki could take better decisions. Thor was the face everyone adored, but Loki had the right mind. He would have loved to be a strategist or royal consultant. But he was just the second prince. He would have loved people to see the greatness he could achieve and have them sing his praises.
Then, knowing why Odin had always treated him like the second son, Loki wanted to prove that he was way better that they always thought. He was owned a throne, even though he just wanted to be Thor's equal. He had tried to destroyed Jotunheim to prove his loyalty to Asgard that, no matter his origin, his nationality was asgardian, at least through his adoption.
And at the last moment, when Thor used mjolnir against the bifrost, Loki realised he should stop. So he tried to strike Thor in order to get to the observatory to stop the bifrost, while keeping it intact so Thor could see the woman again. Jane.
But Odin had denied Loki. And Loki was desperate, so he just let go.
And fell.
And fell.
He preferred not to talk about his time with Thanos, but he hated to admit the scepter had influenced him. He did not want Midgard, but his need to be king of something Thor did not have led him to the invasion. At the time, he wanted the realm.
It was as if the scepter had split Loki's mind. On one side, the rational part, the real Loki, the one who just wanted to protect Midgard and the eight other realms from Thanos. On the other, the side corrupted by the scepter that wanted the throne for himself, to show he was the great Loki, that his glorious purpose was to rule Midgard.
Of course, Loki was sad that his plan failed. And it had been his plan. Thanos had only enhanced the idea at the base of it. Loki was mad that he had been bested by a group of mortals and, even though the mind control was not there, it took Loki time before he truly accepted his responsibility.
He had been right to invade Midgard, to lead his army there. He had been right to kill those people. At his trial, he had taken the full credit of the invasion and had received the full punishment for it.
But he had refused to admit defeat and guilt for two whole years of slave training. The pregnancy had changed his mind and he had realised his priority was not to escape punishment, because he had been sentenced wrongfully for giving true to the fact that he was born to be a king, but Alex was the priority now. It took the whole training for Loki to admit he had been wrong all along, that he should not have hijacked Thor's coronation that way, that he should not have tried to destroy Jotumheim, that he was to blame for the invasion of Midgard.
But, until today, he had never admitted he was not guilty for a small part of it. He had been slightly manipulated. For Loki with his mind so strong, it was hard to admit.
His actions had been his own, his decisions also, but the will to do those things had been enhanced by someone else.
oOo
Rhodey left the infirmary the next day. He was absolutely fine with not consequences.
"Hey Loki. I want to thank you. They told me I should not even be walking," said Rhodey. "So thanks mate."
Alex woke up that morning too. He was well rested and Loki was not concerned about the fact he had slept so much.
"Magical exhaustion is normal. And Alex is young. It's like using a muscle you never used before. It's draining but not dangerous. Training, experience and age will help him," had said Loki.
"How come you are not tired? During the battle of New-York and before, you used your magic and didn't seem tired either," said Tony.
"I was only tired at the end, after the Hulk smashed me," said Loki. "However, giving my age — over one thousand years — and my level of ability with my magic, I do get tired less often. But I slept well last night."
Finally, in the afternoon, Wanda woke up.
"How do you feel," asked Vision.
"Better. Did we get Bucky?"
And then, she remembered and was scared.
"I hit Steve! I aimed for Bucky, but I hit Steve. Where is he? Is he okay?"
Wanda looked around in the infirmary, but she was the only patient there and panicked more.
"Steve Rogers is fine. Calm down," asked Vision.
But the alarm had informed Bruce and the doctor came fast.
"Hey Wanda. I see you're awake."
"Where is Steve?"
"Steve is fine," said Bruce before telling her what had transpired recently.
"So I just slept because I was tired? I never got that consequences for using my magic," said Wanda. "I didn't know it was possible."
"Maybe the spell you tried on Bucky was just too far above what you usually do," suggested Bruce.
"Maybe..."
oOo
Later, Wanda ended up speaking to Loki about what had transpired.
"Hey, thank you for fixing my mistakes," said Wanda. "I'm really glad Steve is okay."
"Well, you're welcome, but Alex is the one who saved Steve," said Loki.
"I will thank him too."
"How did you do it? How did you know that specific spell might work on Bucky? I studied the effect on Steve a bit, and it is some very complex magic. It's beautiful, really, but very advanced," asked Loki.
"Oh, well, I just did it. I thought about what I wanted and I aimed at Bucky."
"Just like that? No spell book nor anything else?"
"You don't use a spell book either," said Wanda.
"No, because I know magic now. But it took me years of study. I brought the scepter on Earth like six years ago and it gave you your powers. How did you master that much in such a short time?"
"I don't know. I just do magic. It just happened," said Wanda. "It's natural."
"And your magic is red," said Loki. "You don't need spell nor incantation, which is normal, but depend on the magic you're using. I think you are the Scarlet Witch! It's a myth, a being capable of using magic like it's part of her."
"Okay," said Wanda uncertain. "What's a Scarlet Witch?"
"Someone really powerful. I don't think the scepter gave you your magic, you had it before. But the scepter enhanced it and unlock a part of you."
