#40
"The pocket dimension might be veiling the signature," Bruce was informing Tony, his gaze focused on a computer program that Thor had not understood six years ago and certainly could not hope to begin to understand in his heightened state of panicked restlessness now. "This is an optimized program specifically designed to trace the gamma radiation emitted by the Tesseract or, rather, the Space Stone and, according to the program, the stone is currently not on Earth."
"I mean, it could be," said Shuri. "But as long as it resides in the dimensions created by Loki, it is …"
"His magic cloaks it," Wong finished for her.
"But Loki could also have taken himself—and the stones—to God knows where, right?" asked Steve.
Bruce's shoulders sagged, his gaze flitting to Thor. "Yeah, that too."
"Which is probably what he did," noted Okoye, who had not left Shuri's side since Thor had set foot on Wakandan soil. He suppressed a scream when the fierce warrior woman scrunched up her nose and continued with, "Traitors will be traitors. I don't understand why you would still have faith in him."
"Because he helped us before?" Tony asked pointedly, making it clear that the Avengers remained divided into two opposing camps. Wong had opened a sparking orange portal to Wakanda to them all after Tony had called Bruce with the suggestion to track the Infinity Stones but, even though Shuri had reluctantly granted Thor permission to enter her home, half of the Avengers were still looking at him as if they would love to see his body go up in flames. Thor was painfully aware that they were only suffering his presence because he had once been one of them, because he knew his way around Niflheim and because he might be able to give them information about Hela. "You weren't there," Tony continued. "He helped us kill Thanos and retrieve the stones, and then he healed us. All of us."
"I know it is hard to understand," Steve said solemnly, "but sometimes people do change."
"Of course they do," Natasha agreed. "I am the first person to admit that. But I just don't understand why Thor isn't out there looking for him," she went on with a suspicious glance at the Stormbreaker by the Thundergod's side.
Because even if I wanted to, thought Thor, his heart heavy with shame, I could not hope to muster the mental energy to summon the Rainbow Bridge in my current state. He could not admit to that, of course, and so his friends replied for him.
"Because he doesn't know where to start looking," Rocket grumbled just as Tony said, "Because he'll come back."
"If you really believe that, you're a fool!" Pepper yelled at Tony, who startled at her desperate hostility but said nothing.
"I know most of you don't believe me," Thor said through clenched teeth, "but he will. Just you wait."
The others punished him with chastising glares and disparaging snorts, which caused the Thundergod's skin to crawl, and then turned their attention towards the second mission that was underway in Shuri's laboratory. Upon their arrival, the young Wakandan scientist had presented her idea to recreate six vibranium copies of the stones based on the molecular structure that they had earlier used to replicate the Mind Stone and then disguise them as the six Infinity Stones with the help of Wong's magical abilities to generate holographic illusions by conjuring Eldritch Magic formations. The general idea was they would use the fake stones to renegotiate the bargain and buy the Avengers' freedom at least while Thor's and Loki's souls would still go to Hela because "Being gods and all, you will have way more chances than we do to get out of this mess alive." Driven by his guilty conscience, Thor had agreed to this plan at once—and so had Valkyrie—but even that had not been enough to earn the forgiveness of some of them.
And how could it, really? Even if the Avengers managed to save themselves that way, it would not undo his betrayal. Apart from that, Thor knew that their chances of success to win against Hela with that plan were slim to none because, apparently, the process of producing building vibranium replicas of the stones took an awful lot of time. Thor had presumed they would be able to do it quicker this time after already having managed to do it once but it turned out that Shuri had initiated the process an hour before they had arrived and the first stone was still not even remotely finished. Yet, even if they against all odds managed to complete all six stones in time, Thor also knew that Hela was far too smart to fall for a deception as basic as this and would probably claim their souls anyway. But he neither had the heart to destroy their hopes nor did he wish to spark more ill among them, which was why he was keeping his doubts to himself.
Shuri's laboratory remained tensely silent as the mortal machines whirred with their respective attempts to recreate the stones and locate the Space Stone, everyone seemingly afraid that they could miss a vital improvement once they opened their mouth.
Another hour ticked by and the Avengers grew increasingly restless, urging Thor once more to search for Loki with the help of the Bifrost, to which he argued that if he did that, they would relinquish all control and did they really want that? It turned out that none of them did, and Nat and Bruce even rewarded his token to stay with them to take the blame even though he had no real reason to endure their hostility with silent—albeit reluctant—appreciation. Two more hours ticked by and Thor's belief that his brother was truly going to come back began to crumble, sending his whole body into a state of panic for the millionth time. Three more hours ticked by and the anger of Clint and the others completely evaporated into a soul-crushing apathy. Four more hours ticked by and Rocket fell into screaming fit, which sent all of them into a frenzy. They tried to calm each other with words but those attempts failed miserably and erupted into screams of despair, catching them all in a sticky web of mutual recrimination.
"Wait, we have a signature!" Bruce suddenly exclaimed into the cacophony of accusations filling the room. "The signal comes from Norway."
All eyes darted to Thor. "Seriously? You couldn't figure that one out?" Tony asked with a wary glance at him. "How dense are you?"
Before Thor could answer, Bruce gasped. "It is no longer … What the hell? We lost the signature again. How is that even—"
Before the scientist could finish his sentence, the air began to hum with an invisible current of magic and everyone tensed with uneasy appreciation. After a few heartbeats, the air started shimmering in a bright kingfisher blue and then a portal opened right in front of them. They all held their breaths until Loki walked through the magical gateway in black pants and a dark green shirt, his arms outstretched and his hair tied into a messy bun. "I would say 'Your savior is here'," he jested, his eyes sparkling like two gleaming emeralds, "but I hate to use the same line twice."
Valkyrie half-sighed with exasperation and half-laughed with relief while Bruce and the others merely stared at the change in Loki's attire and demeanor. Nobody made a move except for Okoye, who had not yet overcome her suspiciousness of him and raised her spear, pointing it right at Loki's chest.
"Oh, please," Loki scoffed and, with a snap of his fingers, her weapon disintegrated into a million tiny grains of sand, which trickled to the floor. "We do not have time for such idiocies." Okoye merely gasped in astonishment as Loki walked up to Valkyrie and thrust the Space Stone into her hands. "Here, take it for safe-keeping. As a sign of my good will."
"I told you!" Thor exclaimed and then turned towards Loki. "I am so sorry, brother. I swear I never meant to—"
"Well, I suppose it is not entirely your fault that you have been born without the ability to use what scarce intellectual resources you possess in times of pressure," Loki replied nonchalantly and despite his brother's insult, Thor felt a weight lifting off his chest.
"Where have you been?" asked Tony before his brother had a chance to address them.
"Seeking counsel," Loki replied curtly, a sleek grin stealing onto his lips. "And after that, well, I helped myself to a decent meal."
"You helped yourself to a decent meal?" Shuri echoed. "While we have been trying to figure this out?"
"Do not make the mistake to assume that I did not also try to 'figure this out'," Loki replied. "But it just so happens that I have been starving for days and can only run on empty for so long. Besides, I can hardly hear myself think in your company. You are very much like a bunch of chickens that have just been beheaded."
"Maybe that's because we're gonna die in less than sixteen hours!" Rocktet snarled at him.
"And so am I, in case you have forgotten that tiny little detail," Loki retorted, casting a punitive side-glance at Thor. "Through my brother's mindless doings, our fates are for once inextricably intertwined, which is why I would suggest you suppress your disapproval of my colorful personality long enough to listen to me."
Tony's forehead twisted into a frown. "Are you on drugs?" Thor could not blame him for the question. Loki could go from descending into an emotional breakdown to narcissistically celebrating his shrewd cleverness to swaying near the existential abyss again within less than five minutes and if Thor had not figured out how this was possible after a millennium, how could he ever expect his friends to do so?
"I might as well be," Loki quipped before he focused Steve and held out his hand. "Shall we try this again, Captain?"
Steve hesitated for the fraction of a second but then he took Loki's hand and shook it firmly. "What is your plan?"
"Hold on," said Okoye with a glare at Loki. "Why should we listen to you?"
Loki rolled his eyes. "Ah, I see. A new face has emerged, which, I suppose, makes it absolutely necessary to bring up my past crimes again. Let me do it for you, Miss. Yes, I attacked New York with an army of aliens. Yes, I was a very bad boy and I am sure I will pay for it—again—when I die permanently but today is not going to be that day. Today is the day you are going to join forces with me. Why? Because you are desperate. Because you are running out of time. Because you could never be sure that whatever it is you are trying is actually going to work." A smirk lit up his entire face. "Now, I cannot know how you handle things in your world, but according to my vast life experience, people usually listen to the person who has power, knowledge and a plan. And just in case there is still any doubt as to who that person is," Loki concluded, pointing his thumbs towards his chest, "this would be me."
Thor felt his lips break into a proud smile as his brother's words finally released his heart from the grip of anxiety.
"Hallelujah," said Clint but there was not a trace of anger or even hostility left in his voice. His resentment towards Loki had been entirely absorbed by misery and fear.
"Avengers Assemble," Rocket cried out sarcastically and threw his fisted paw into the air. "Yay!"
"We listen," Shuri decided with a wary glance at her machinery and Okoye did not contradict her Queen. Wong and Pepper nodded their silent agreement. Natasha exchanged a quick glance with Clint and Bruce, and then nodded as well. "Consider us assembled."
"Have you found someone to replace you?" asked Nebula.
"Replace me?" Loki echoed, his eyebrows crawling up his brow. "What are you talking about?"
"Valkyrie suggested that we might be able to renegotiate the terms of the bargain by offering Hela a soul she would want more than yours," Steve explained.
Loki surveyed Valkyrie with a glimmer of appreciation in his brilliant green eyes. "This idea is not even that foolish."
"Do you have anyone in mind?" Tony asked. Loki's lips curled into grin, which he tried and failed to suppress, a chuckle escaping his mouth.
"What?" Thor asked with a feeling of unease creeping up on him.
"Nothing," Loki replied, forcing the grin on his lips to disappear. "While this is a good plan in theory, I am afraid we do not have the time to put it into practice."
"What is your plan, then?" Bruce wanted to know, impatience creeping into his voice.
"It is multilayered, for it involves three stages," Loki began and then waited until he had everyone's attention. "First, we must outsmart Hela," he continued, counting the stages off his fingers. "Second, we must reclaim the seventh stone because—and I know this a rare occurrence indeed—Thor has been right when he said that we need to free Nemesis."
"Who told you that?" asked Steve.
"The wisest person in all of Asgard," Loki answered softly and Thor's stomach gave a violent lurch when he realized that there was only one person whom his brother would refer to as such.
"I thought Asgard was gone," Pepper interjected.
"Our spirits are never truly gone," Loki told her. "Otherwise you would hardly be able to save your friends. Which brings me to the third stage: You wish to undo the Snap. As it turns out, all three of those are connected."
"How?" asked Shuri.
"As we have established earlier, none of us will be able to snap without dire consequences. Not to mention that we do not have enough time left to forge a weapon that could absorb the power of all six stones. And even though we have the Soul Stone, we could never hope to wield enough power over it to release all the people you have lost. Forcing it to release even one spirit takes tremendous effort and I cannot even begin to fathom how many beings have lost their lives during the Snap." Loki glanced around. "Can you?"
They all shook their heads as Thor's mind desperately latched onto what his brother had said about the power that it took to release even one spirit. Had he really …? Was it possible that he had …?
"We need the seventh stone if we wish to command the Soul to release those who lost their lives," Loki continued, oblivious of Thor's mental gymnastics. "We also need the seventh stone if we want to trick Hela out of her bargain, for as long as she is in its possession, she will be able to reverse the magic of the others."
"How would we trick her out of her bargain?" Natasha asked.
"By changing the fabric of reality," Loki replied. "By actually fulfilling the bargain."
"I don't understand," mumbled Bruce.
"Thor is going to fulfill the bargain. He is going to kill me. At least, that's how it will look like to her once we can avail ourselves to the Reality Stone's power in her presence."
"She is never going to fall for an illusion of me killing you," Thor protested.
"Not an illusion," Loki corrected him. "You are actually going to kill me in a reality created by the Reality Stone. Which is why we must coerce Hela into offering us the seventh stone first or else she is indeed going to see right through everything we might try."
"Can you still wield that Aether thing though?" Rocket asked warily. "Isn't it gonna try to, you know, take possession of you or whatever?"
"I have regained my strength," Loki said by way of an answer.
"How would we convince her to offer the seventh stone to us?" Nebula asked.
"By using her greatest weakness against her, of course," Loki answered triumphantly, turning towards Thor. "Tell them what Hela's greatest weakness is, brother."
"Her insatiable hunger for destruction?" Thor guessed. "Her bloodlust?"
Loki looked sorely disappointed when he shook his head. "No. Her greatest weakness is the same as ours."
Thor was at a loss for a moment but Valkyrie snorted, her face darkening. "Odin," she concluded. "And the insatiable hunger for his approval."
Loki smiled mirthlessly. "We have a winner."
The Avengers shot each other looks of confusion and agitated murmurs erupted around the room. "Hold on!" Tony exclaimed at last. "What you're saying is that we're gonna try to actually beat the fucking Goddess of Death by using her daddy issues against her? That is the most ridiculous thing I've—"
"The mind is a fragile thing, Stark," Loki interrupted. "Believe me when I say that it takes only the slightest of taps to tip it in the wrong direction. All you need to know is where to tap it."
"What makes you so sure that you know where that is?" Shuri asked.
Loki gestured towards Thor. "Because we have all been there. Our father banished her, he banished him and he would have banished me if I had not jumped first. And all of the actions that have led to our respective punishments were born out of the desire to rise in his estimation."
"He really was a dick," Valkyrie concurred.
"And despite everything, you still try to please him," Nebula whispered, almost to herself. "Even when you know he is dead."
"I get that," Tony assured them. "It's actually scary how much I get that but after everything Bruce told us, Hela's a cold-blooded force of evil. What if she is less of a crybaby than you two and doesn't give a shit about what Odin thinks of her?"
"Everyone born of Asgard gives a shit about that," Valkyrie replied.
"How you can be so sure of that?" asked Steve.
"Because we are Asgardians?" Thor offered as he suppressed the desperate giggle that was building up inside his throat in response to the ridiculousness of the entire situation.
Loki gave a nod. "I could not have said it better myself."
"I just hate how those old myths turn out to be true again and again and again," Pepper mumbled. Apparently, her words had not been meant for everyone but now that they were all looking in her direction, she continued in a small voice. "We thought those tales were nothing but tales but even if the stories themselves are made up, what constitutes your characters obviously isn't." She looked at Loki. "You are the God of Mischief. You are the one who brings chaos and then makes it right again."
"I will try," Loki said with a shrug. "If you let me."
The others nodded in varying stages of conviction.
"So, what are we gonna do? And what about the stones?" asked Rocket with a side-glance at Shuri's work place.
"What stones?" asked Loki and the others filled him in on Shuri's plan. Loki listened to their words and remained silent for a few moments after they had finished, pretending to think the idea over with what Thor could tell was a mock frown. "I am sorry to say this," Loki finally said, voicing the doubts that Thor had been unable to voice earlier, "but Hela is never going to fall for that."
"But she is going to fall for whatever you have cooked up?" Natasha asked.
Loki flashed her an encouraging smile. "I am fairly certain that she is, yes."
"What are you going to say to her?" asked Tony.
"I cannot tell you that," Loki said and the look in his eyes was almost apologetic. "If I did, I would jinx it."
"So, we're just gonna follow you to Niflheim and let you do all the talking?" Rocket asked, his gaze searching for the eyes of the others. "Am I the only one who thinks that's a liiiittle risky?"
Thor thought of all the enemies Loki had lured into surrender with his magic and his silver tongue over the years and felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I dare say that if we can't hope to win through fighting prowess, intellectual prowess is all we have left."
"And if the mythology is actually right, intellectual prowess is Loki's sharpest weapon," Pepper mumbled.
"Who would have guessed that those absurd stories have a merit after all?" Loki smiled. "But just to be clear, you cannot go to Niflheim. It is no place for mortals. The cold would rip your lungs apart if you as much as tried to draw a breath. No living being is supposed to enter the Realm of the Dead."
This statement rekindled the distrustfulness of the others and a torrent of questions regarding whether the Asgardians really believed that the Avengers would let the Gods do this all by themselves poured down on Loki. "Rogers might be fine, I suppose," he conceded. "His body is far more resilient than any of yours." He focused Bruce. "The Hulk would be fine as well but I believe the Beast is still unavailable?"
A look of disappointment washed over the scientist's face. "Yes."
"I thought so," Loki replied, then turned towards Tony. "Depending on the heating capacity of your battle suits, you might also survive. But it is risky."
Pepper opened her mouth to protest even before the answer had left the engineer's lips. "We're gonna take that risk."
"We are," Steve agreed.
"And what are we supposed to do?" Natasha yelled. "Just sit here and twiddle our thumbs while we wait for you to save our lives?"
"Unless you want to die from exposure to the freezing cold of the dead," Loki replied, "that is what you will have to do." The room erupted with shouts of protest, which Loki silenced with a wave of his hand. "Just take a few moments to talk it over while I will have a word with my brother."
Loki motioned Thor to follow him and then left the room without another word. Thor gulped and shrugged his broad shoulders in apology at his former allies before he did as requested under the watchful eyes of Valkyrie, a thousand apologies and just as many questions clattering through his head.
Author's Note:
~ First of all, credit where credit is due: The line about the mind being a fragile thing is taken from the X-Men Dark Phoenix trailer where Xavier says, "The mind is a fragile thing. Takes only the slightest tap to tip it in the wrong direction."
~ Secondly, the main reason I enjoy writing Loki so much has actually been voiced by Thor in this chapter when he thought about how rapidly Loki can go from emotional breakdown to super sassy and back in 0.5 seconds because his mind is all over the goddamn place.
~ Thirdly, brownie points go to everyone who figures out whose soul Loki was thinking of (which is not that hard, I guess).
~ And last but not least, I hope Loki's comeback did not disappoint you, Akira :) Plus, you were right. We are getting closer. Stay tuned everyone! xxx