Ch. 11 — Divas
Toni Stark meets Loki for the first time in the middle of her penthouse, still pinned to the floor with a half-ton of heavy machinery hanging over her. The room goes quiet as he enters, in full regalia (sans antlers, disappointingly), boots clicking on her marble floors. His expression is infuriatingly smug, arrogance radiating out so thickly it almost colors the air around him. Toni would scowl, she would buzz with anger at the audacity of this stranger sweeping into her tower—if it were real.
Loki can look as smug as he wants. It's all posturing before the big show.
He doesn't have the scepter.
Toni tsked like an old butler. "At least wipe your feet on the mat. Don't go tracking mud into my home," she ends with a generous dose of bitterness, looking up at the tall alien. "My home, Loki. Honestly. Who told you this was a good idea?"
He only tilts his head to the side, brilliant green eyes burning into hers. "Agent Barton had a lot to say about you, my lady."
Barton, who is standing at attention at Loki's side even though he looks half dead. Something in her screams and claws at the sight until whatever's left of Toni's sanity snaps.
Her expression goes flat. "I'm sure anyone would, I'm all over the gossip rags these days," Toni dismisses Loki in a heartbeat. He senses the change in her demeanor but does not back down. Toni doesn't expect him to. "All you had to do was a google search for 'big power plant, world domination' and I'm sure my name would be the first result," she points out offhandedly before meeting his eyes again. "You made all these plans to give SHIELD the run-around—but did you really think you could outsmart me? Outclass me? You're not the biggest diva on this planet, darling, and I don't share my stage."
Loki turns away from her shark-like grin, giving Selvig an expectant look. "She locked down the tower before we could get to it," the scientist confirms. "We could still try the device with the miniaturized reactor, but there's a 56% chance of failure."
Toni gives a low whistle at those odds. "Those are some terrible stats, Lokester. Why don't you quit while you're ahead? I've got some good scotch tucked away in this place, surrender now and we'll swap stories over a few drinks before they lock you up."
His eyes narrow, and he leans over her imperiously. "Why would I quit when I have my solution right here?"
Toni arches an eyebrow at him. "Who, me?" She laughs, loud and callously. "Listen, Loki, if you had any idea of how to get me to help you, we could've taken over the world before Memorial Day." It's sheer dumb luck he didn't go after her with that magic wand.
Loki tilts his head to the side, the corner of his lips curling up. "I do not doubt it, Ms. Stark. However I was not referring to you, but you and Agent Romanoff," he replies and stands to his full height.
"Romanoff," Toni repeats, careful not to let her curiosity get the better of her. Did that mean she had the scepter? Horror creeps up her throat. The cube is already here, and now that bitch brought the scepter to her city too?
Barton shifts to attention and Loki speaks. "The Widow claims she wants to cut a deal. If anyone interferes, you will activate the portal."
This is all wrong. What the hell happened on the Helicarrier after she left? Where the fuck was the rest of her supposed team?
Romanoff is her only hope. She's doomed.
Stark poses a problem. Unsurprisingly. Natasha watches the penthouse from thirty floors below, in one of several security rooms of Stark Tower. There is no audio, and Stark's AI is down, but she isn't a spy for nothing. The rules of this game are clear. Either Natasha hands over the scepter and Loki controls them both, or she keeps the scepter, and Stark dies.
She's won with worse odds.
One moment, he is standing by the elegant Midgardian bar in Stark Tower, and the next, his sight fades and crumbles and reforms until he is suspended on a piece of rock in the vastness of space, the void stretching forever beyond him.
"The Chitauri grow restless."
"Let them gird themselves," he answers callously, watching as his form solidifies before the Other. In his illusion he still wears his ceremonial armor, still carries the scepter. "I will lead them into glorious battle." He walks casually, does not look out into the cold depths of space.
The Other scurries around, half-hidden by the rocks. "Battle? Against the meager might of Earth?"
"Glorious," he repeats flatly, "Not lengthy—if your force is as formidable as you claim."
She watches Loki silently. His back is to her, and he faces the bar, but she can see his reflection in the chrome cabinets. His eyes are shut, and his head moves every once in a while, as though in conversation.
"Weirdo," Toni mumbles to herself.
Then Loki straightens up, pulled out of his trance. He inspects the work of his mind-controlled minions and then glances at Toni speculatively. "I do wonder," he drawls, "What it would be like with you under my command."
"Not much fun," Toni says honestly, and then she winks. "I prefer to be on top."
He crouches down to her, grinning too wide for it to be genuine, eyes glimmering. "If you insist on being lewd, then I must object—you look your best as you are now: laying on your back, at my mercy," he whispers, leaning close enough for her to feel a puff of cool air on her cheek before he stands again.
A shiver runs down her body. Toni curses her libido and Loki's pretty face and keeps talking like an idiot. "You haven't seen me at my best, sweetheart. You'll know when you do."
Loki raises an eyebrow and his mouth curls into a faint smile. Before he can reply, though, the elevator dings, and the doors slide open.
Toni hears the click of heeled boots, but can't quite see the elevators. She watches Loki instead, and he rises to his full height again to address the newcomer.
"Not a step closer, Widow," Loki commands, eyeing her with suspicion. "Where is it?"
"Hidden," Natasha Romanoff replies breezily. "Safe. Give me Stark and I'll give you the location."
"You were foolish to come here without it," Loki sneers.
"It's the logical precaution to take," Natasha counters. "How else could I be assured you won't attack me as soon as it's in your hands?"
"Are you frightened of me, Agent Romanoff?" he leers, flashing an unpleasant grin.
"No, I just know what you're the god of. Give me Stark and I'll give you a location."
Loki is quiet. "Hm. Might I provide a counteroffer?"
"I'm not interested."
"I'll give you Agent Barton instead."
Toni stares at Loki, her heart in her throat. His eyes are fixed on Natasha, and she can't read him.
"He's still under your control."
"Only just. He fights it every moment. To be perfectly honest, he's quite useless to me at this point. If you don't want him, perhaps I'll just get rid of him right now—"
"Deal!"
Thor shifts agitatedly from the truck bed. "These infernal carriages are hindering our journey!" He exclaims, peering at the blue sedan crawling next to them in bumper-to-bumper traffic. A young boy wearing glasses and clutching an Iron Man figure stares back, utterly gobsmacked. Thor waves.
"I think this is Toni's doing," Bruce comments, drumming his hands on the wheel. "Or her AI. They're trying to evacuate parts of the city, there might even be a roadblock ahead."
Steve cranes his head out the window, searching the tall building ahead. He almost expects to see her fly across the city like she does normally, patrolling the skies. "It looks like she's kept him from activating the portal so far."
"Let us hope—" Thor sticks his head through the small window to address them, but all they can see is a curtain of golden hair, "—that she can keep my brother at bay. It is good that the Widow has contained the scepter. If there is truly an army coming, Loki will not unleash it until he has his power back."
"Where is she?" Bruce muses, glancing at Steve quickly. "You said you passed the scepter off to Natasha. Does she know how important it is?"
"Of course she does," Steve says instantly. "Agent Romanoff is a professional, I trust her."
"I do not know the Widow," Thor rumbles. "But she would not risk it falling back into an adversary's hands, right?"
"Right," Steve confirms, but doubt stirs in his gut. Romanoff is good, but she tends to measure things the same way Fury does. "But that doesn't mean Toni doesn't need help right now. Thor," Steve unbuckles himself. "Mind giving me another lift?"
Toni licks her lips and meets Loki's eyes. "Deal," she repeats. "Let Barton and Romanoff go and I'll fix up your portal, no scepter required."
"Stark—" Romanoff snaps.
"The scepter's probably in this building," Toni rushes on. "I have secure containment units on multiple levels, easy enough for the Widow to break into them. Let her and Barton leave and I'll show you."
Loki looks painfully delighted. "That would be splendid. But how could I possibly trust you?"
"This is between you and me, Loki," Romanoff tries.
"Yeah, but I've got the best offer, don't I?" Toni interrupts. She can almost feel the anger rolling off of the agent. She casts a charming smile at Loki. "Hurt either of them and I'll fight. Let them go and I'll help. I'm a simple woman, Loki."
"That's not enough, Antonia," Loki purrs, stepping closer to her side. "I need a guarantee."
She stares up at him. "You already have it. I have a damn good reason for keeping my promises. If I'm wrong, all you have to do is pull that switch and fry me."
For a long moment, there is silence. Toni feels as though she's tearing apart at the seams, crumbling to dust under the alien's gaze.
But then—
He dismisses Barton with a wave of his hand.
Romanoff leaves with Clint.
One of Loki's agents brings up the security footage, and Toni watches a pair of master assassins walk out of her tower unharmed.
Loki sits back in one of her favorite armchairs. If it survives this shitshow, she'll burn it. "Now, my lady. Are you going to behave?"
The drawling accent of his voice, the way his eyes flicker over the curve of her breast—"You can drop the act now, Lokester, I don't feel like playing anymore," Toni answers flatly, and privately curses her libido again.
"Hm," Loki hums but says nothing more. She's tempted to check the expression on his face but resists.
Toni tries to take a deep breath, but the machinery above her is pressed too closely for that. She shuts her eyes instead and flexes the fingers of her left hand in a sequence.
A monitor flickers to life. Toni calls out a few commands, and lo and behold, there's a nice scepter tucked away on the 64th floor of her building. "There's your glow stick." He sends a crony to fetch it.
"And the portal?" Loki presses, rolling the scepter in his hands. "Or do you need more persuasion?"
"No," Toni rolls her eyes.
The portal has a chance of working with her reactor. A much smaller chance, with a much greater risk of death. If she dies now, they'll never be able to unlock the tower to use its generator. She's given Romanoff ample time to round up what's left of SHIELD and the team. Clint is safe. She can end this right now, right here.
"Your calculations are off, Erik," Toni confesses, feeling hollow inside. "I'm insulted. Didn't you do your homework on me? My reactors are impeccable, and this one right here's top of the line. Hit the switch, sweetpea, your army must be getting antsy."
A/N: do you know what comes next? i sure don't. fasten you seatbelts, kids.