E for Electrocution Part 2


So this second part will be way shorter, sorry, only about 2000 words - but it's just a wrap up!


"Loki." Steve's voice managed to remain unwavering. It was not a question, not even a statement. An acknowledgement, really.

Loki.

Loki was here.

"Yes, good show, Captain! You remembered your words." The dark haired silver tongue spoke with his trademark sharp wit and ever-present patronization.

Yup, this was Loki all right.

"You're supposed to be dead."

Loki just rolled his eyes melodramatically. "Yes, Captain I am supposed to be dead." He snapped his fingers and a plush, decorative armchair appeared behind him. He sat back in it, making himself comfortable. "But let us not fall into hypocrisies, my dear soldier. Everyone thought you were dead for quite some time as well."

Steve's eyes narrowed. "That was different."

"Oh, was it?" Loki sat forward, poised and wide eyed. "Was it really that different? Why? Because you didn't expect to live? You were kept alive by good fortune, therefore you're the real hero?" His voice was dripping with bitterness. "But, because I had to the good sense to ensure my own survival, I'm less of a saint and more of a sinner?" His eyes were beginning to flare now. "Tell, me good captain. Why is martyrdom a better trait for a hero than self-preservation?"

Steve stared at the madman…this is what he hated most about his kind. They had such an ability to twist words to make themselves appear ever-righteous. The worst part? It almost always worked. Their words tugged at shreds of guilt and self-doubt. But Steve wouldn't believe him - not now, not ever. He had fought this same breed of evil in the 40's, he would do it again now.

"Stop with the turn-a-phrase, Loki." Steve raised his chin. "If you want to kill me, get on with the fight. Don't be a coward."

Loki laughed quietly, shaking his head to himself as if sharing in a private joke. "No, no, Rogers. I have not come here to kill you. I have come here to kill no man." He stopped himself. "Well, actually now that you mention it." Loki absentmindedly raised his hand. A dagger appeared from thin air. Steve gasped and darted behind his shield as he heard the knife whistle through the room. It hit soft tissue with a dull thud, and Steve raised his head in shock.

Jim Snyder let out a wet moan and looked down at the blade protruding from his sternum, blood trickling out of his mouth. He gazed pleadingly back up at Loki with confusion, but his feverishly eyes never drained of their worshipping fervor.

Loki looked back at the weasel of a man and his eyes ran ice cold. "You are not worthy to serve my beasts, let alone me." His face was expressionless. "And you should be grateful that I killed you swiftly. For what you did to Lady Foster and my dear brother, I could have had you strung up and flayed." And with that, Loki's face broke out into a sick grin. He flicked his wrist, and the dagger embedded in Snyder twisted roughly, ending the man's suffering.

Steve was flabbergasted, his mouth hung open like a flytrap - as his mother would say.

"There, that's much better." Loki sunk back into his chair, obviously pleased with himself. "I have always believed that three is a bit of a crowd." Steve was shaking with rage.

"We needed him alive. We needed him to give us information. That man may have been a useless wasted of chemicals, but Tony risked his life so that SHIELD would have answers."

"No he didn't."

Steve was taken aback. "Excuse me?! You weren't there. You didn't see what happened! Tony Stark jumped right in fr-"

Loki raised his hand. "I was there, Captain. I have been here the whole time. I'm rather good at that, you know." He absentmindedly tugged at his cuff. "And yes, your dear Man of Iron jumped in front of my brother's most fatal form of attack – it is a move I have seen him make many times in battle, and every time, it has successfully killed the foe, regardless of their size or skill or shield. Tony Stark was thoroughly dead before he hit the floor."

"But he came back. The medics brought him back."

Loki managed to look amused and smug all at once. "That is incredibly quaint, Captain. Keep telling yourself that."

Steve clenched his fists. "Explain yourself."

Loki sighed melodramatically and raised himself from his chair with a huff. The seat disappeared immediately. "I shall repeat what I said earlier. Tony Stark did not throw himself into harm's way because of a ridiculous protocol. You must know that, good Captain. I only ever met the man for five minutes and even I can tell he is not one for following orders." The Asgardian smirked fondly. "No, I watched the scene play out with much intrigue. You see," Loki paced casually to and from the large warehouse windows. "My brother is the exact opposite of Stark. Thor Odenson has spent his whole life following orders. He has a very…" he paused searching for the words, "A very childlike interpretation of right and wrong – it's incredibly black and white to him. I've always envied that about my brother… how easy it must be to simply do what you're told and never question it." He shook his head sadly. Steve stayed silent, unmoving, ready at any moment to be on the defensive – but something told him that this time, Loki was being sincere. He was not a threat.

"You see, my brother wanted to kill that man. Rightly so, I'm afraid. He was a coward and a brute." Loki gestured to the corpse of the New Era Leader. "And frankly, I'm not flattered by his little club at all. I think they're morons." He returned to the window.

Steve followed his gaze to the outside lawn. The dark of night was being pushed away by floodlights and emergency vehicle flashers. it was hypnotizing.

"But you see, Rogers, Thor wanted to kill that man. Your Iron Warrior knew all too well that my brother was going to, regardless – and Stark also knew that if he went through with it, Thor would never forgive himself for disobeying such an order and violating a law of war. He would feel as though he had slain a man without trial for his crimes: a captive of war, mistreated. Not to mention the fact that Jane would have been witness to him taking a life. No, my brother has a rather pesky conscience, and those things would cause him much internal pain."

Loki paused, and his voice took on almost a gentle tone. "Your friend didn't spare the human's life - he does not care for protocol. Your friend - he spared my brother." Loki took a wistful breath. "And so I spared him."

Steve was wary, and his mind was abuzz with conflict. "You saved him? You brought back Tony?" He didn't know what to believe.

"Well, yes I brought him back - but only just. I had to make it look believable. I wasn't about to have Mr. Stark jump up and give us a waltz, now was I? Can't have my big brother suspecting an unfair advantage, he might come looking for me." There was an unsaid ending to that sentence, a sadness that hung in his words. The room was silent for a moment.

Finally, the Asgardian clapped his hands together in finality. "Well, I do believe the time has come to bid the other farewell. Oh, and Captain? I trust you'll not say a word of this to my dear brother." His eyes were calm yet there was a threat veiled within them.

Steve squared his shoulders."He mourns you. I don't think you realize how much so."

Loki's voice was fragile now. "Do not presume to know what I have realized."

"You should tell Thor you're alive, Loki. he's right outside. we should go down - together."

The Asgardian shook his head sadly, a bittersweet smile on his lips. "So, I suppose I cannot trust you to keep this between you and I. Very well, good captain."

Loki raised his hands slowly, sending Steve into full combat mode. The soldier braced himself for a magical attack.

None came.

Loki sighed. "I'm not going to kill you, Rogers. I'm simply cleaning up after myself."

The last thing Steve saw was Loki's face, and he found nothing there but loneliness.


Steve came up behind Natasha with a forced grin. "So it looks like Barton is gonna be fine, yah?

Tash nodded curtly. "Very minor shock. He finally got that stupid blanket." Sure enough, Barton was seated on the back of a jeep, swaddled neatly into an orange thermal blanket. He had a cup of coffee and was sipping on it the way a child sips hot chocolate. It was kind of cute, and Steve felt the urge to put SpongeBob on the TV for the poor guy.

"So, how did it…go upstairs? You've been up there for quite a while." She was trying to address it gently. Steve understood her hesitation. If he had had another minute with the guy before…it happened, Steve might have ended up being the one to kill him, instead.

"It…well, it ended very quickly." Nat waited for him to continue. Steve sighed. "I had him strung up by his lapels, and I was putting the fear of God into him. He wet himself, Tash." She turned up her nose.

"Well. That speaks volumes." Was her only comment.

"I'll say. Then, well," he paused, and came up to pinch the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "I dropped him to the ground, I spit at his feet, and he pulls a dagger out of an ankle strap and plunges it into his own chest, singing Loki's praises all the way to hell." The memory made Steve shiver; it had not been pleasant.

They both stood in silence, watching the containment crew finish loading the New Era followers into the armored vehicles.

"Any word from Stark? Has the medivac team had contact with SHIELD?"

Tash nodded. "They landed at medical three minutes ago. They took stark immediately into the cardiac ICU. They are treating his burns currently." She gave Steve a warm smile. He enjoyed the rare sight of it. "Also, it looks like his arrhythmia straightened out on the flight over there. The arc reactor is at full function, and so is our billionaire.

Steve felt like a thousand pounds had come off his chest. He let out a shaky laugh. "Oh Thank God. I swear Nat, I thought he was a goner. I didn't think there was any way in hell he could've made it out of that mess."

Nat only gave a huff in bewildered agreement. "I know, Rogers. I know. He's one lucky yϬлЮдok."

Steve cast a look down the way to the other medical until. Thor held Jane firmly in his lap while the doctors bandaged her scrapes. It put a warm feeling in his chest that chased away the night's chill.

"Someone's smiling down on us, that's for sure."


If you didn't guess it, Loki is my babe. T-Hiddles is an amazing beautiful person and I couldn't stop writing his dialogue because UGH can't you just hear his voice?! Oh, it does things to my brain.

ANYWAY PLEASE REVIEW, I hope you guys liked our little guest appearances by Jane and The god of Mischief. Honestly, don't bother telling me if you think I wrote Loki OOC, because I made him too nice or something, because I love him and you can never change that.

Oh shit…But I love you too….dammit, don't make me pick between my children!

PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE IT MAKES ME WANT TO WRITE YOU MORE.

NEXT UPLOAD WILL BE ON MONDAY LATE AT NIGHT BECAUSE I MOVE IN TO SCHOOL THIS SUNDAY AHHHH.

Fyi: Natasha said "He's a lucky Bastard" (insert Russian person telling me I didn't translate correctly in the reviews...I'm sorry, I tried, ok?)