"Loki? Are you all right kid?" Bruce asked Loki one morning while both were seated at the breakfast table. Loki was absent-mindedly picking at his eggs. He had not eaten a bite though everyone else had already come, eaten, and gone that morning. Bruce was the only one to notice. He sat across from the kid while drinking tea and occasionally looking up from his paper to observe Loki. The kid did not look well. It had been a week since Loki had helped defeat the Midgard Serpent. Loki had been happy after that, as were the rest of the Avengers. But his mood had slowly decayed as the days went by. Each morning he woke up looking more tiered and even more troubled. Bruce could not ignore the dark circles under the child's eyes. He now realized that the kid was not eating. He passed most of his days by staring off in the distance. Weather it was from lack of sleep or complicated internal thoughts, Bruce knew not. One thing was for sure. Loki had been having nightmares.
It took a while for Loki to register the question. Finally he took a quick glance at the doctor then immediately looked back down at his untouched breakfast. "Oh, yeah… I'm fine," Loki said rather unconvincingly. "I just haven't been getting enough sleep is all."
"Do you want to talk about it?" inquired Bruce.
Loki continued to stare down at the table. "No," he said before getting up and locking himself in his room. Loki face planted onto his bed and groaned into his pillow. He knew Bruce was just trying to help, but Loki did not want it. He probably needed help, but he just didn't want it. His nightmares were indeed getting worse. The old ones he used to have about his elder self and all the past crimes he had committed were coming back. But this time, there was a certain cruelty to them. He felt the emotions of the old Loki clearer than he had thought possible. It was as if the dreams were purposely shoving it in his face, taunting him. This is what you did, they seemed to say, you will never escape yourself. Slowly, Loki's exhaustion got the better of him and he drifted off into sleep.
A black and white bird flew through a sky darkened by storm clouds. The bird, a magpie, began to descend upon an outcropping of jagged stones. Before the magpie reached the ground, a bright green light burst from its center. The feathers dissolved into a man. The man's eyes were glowing with magic, highlighting the green irises. He wore a maddening expression and a golden helm topped with large protruding horns rested like a crown above his brow. "I warned you not to trust me," he said mockingly. He then laughed mischievously in an all to familiar way.
Loki awoke with a start. The dream had not been a memory. It was a message. Of that he was sure. He got out of bed and headed for the living room. Loki did not know why he brought himself there. He just had a feeling that things would start to reveal themselves all to soon. He found the Avengers sprawled out on the couch watching the large television mounted on the wall. They were all engrossed in the latest Shark Week exclusive. "Loki," Thor greeted, "You have arrived in time to witness these vicious Midgardian sea monsters terrorizing a few mortals."
Loki was about to respond when a breaking news update flashed across the screen, cutting off the action of Shark Week and producing groans of frustration from its viewers. A blond lady with a pixy haircut appeared on the screen. "We interrupt your regularly scheduled programs to bring you breaking news that is currently unfolding in Times Square. The Asgardian menace known as Loki is once more terrorizing the city of New York. We bring you live footage from the scene." The picture cut to Times Square where none other than the adult figure of Loki in his full getup had multiplied and, using his copies, herded citizens into the center of the square. Emergency vehicles were being blasted into the air and several people could be seen panicking. The copies of Loki were stabbing any person trying to escape or fight back. Atop a pile of cars sat the Loki who must have been the original. The cars were bent by magic to form a throne on which he sat, looking please at the chaos in front of him.
The kid Loki watching back at the Avengers Tower was petrified where he stood. He barely noticed the looks of absolute shock on the faces of the Avengers. They looked at the Loki on the TV then at the kid Loki and back again.
"This is impossible," said Natasha.
"No, its not," said Loki in a quiet voice. The Avengers all stared at him questioningly.
"Then who is that on TV?" asked Clint. The adult Loki could be seen herding in people like animals, ready for the slaughter.
"That is me," Loki confirmed. "It's Ikol," he stated, body stiff with shock.
"We have to help these people," said Steve. "Avengers A—"
"No!" Loki cut in. "He wants me. He's doing all this to bate me." Loki closed his eyes and clinched his fists, fighting back fear. He then opened his eyes once more revealing them ablaze with determination. "I'll give him what he wants."
The Avengers protests were cut off from Loki's hearing as he teleported himself into the Chaos of Times Square. Though it was only a few blocks, Loki was not used to teleporting himself that far in one burst. But he could not let the Avengers hold him back. He had to put an end to this. Loki would face his older self one last time.
From atop his throne of wreckage, the adult Loki saw the child Loki appear amongst the panicking people. "Silence!" he commanded the citizens. Most turned quiet but one rather unintelligent woman let out a shrill shriek then was silenced by the sinister blade of a Loki copy. "Well, well, well," the adult Loki rubbed his hands together maniacally. "If it isn't the very person I was hoping to meet." He continued to walk forward, the crowd parting for him. "Myself." He stopped in front of kid Loki.
Both Lokis knew cameras from every news station were broadcasting this live for the world to see. The famous jumbotron within the square showed the two standing across from one another. There were mummers amongst the vast crowd as they recognized the similarities between the boy and the man. Atop that, kid Loki also wore his Asgardian cloths of green, gold, and black to match the color scheme of the Adult Loki. Adult Loki looked just as he had during he Chitauri invasion. Though something in his physical appearance was off. Kid Loki noticed a certain aura surrounding the man, making his outline look a bit blurred. He's not all here, thought kid Loki, he still needs a body… my body.
"Please tell me you want to fight. That would make it so much more fun," jabbed older Loki, looking down upon his shorter child figure.
"Leave these people alone," demanded kid Loki with as much authority as he could muster. "I'll do as you say, just leave them be."
Adult Loki let out a hysterical laugh. "My, aren't I a cute lad." His face turned serious. "You have no leverage in order to make demands," he shot back at his younger self. "Besides, where's you sense of fun!" Adult Loki grabbed kid Loki by the throat with one hand and lifted him off the ground. Kid Loki gasped for breath. "I'll take your body, believe me I will. But I'm going to make you beg. You are going to beg for me to take control of yourself." Adult Loki slammed the kid onto the ground. Kid Loki fell on his back and started to gasp for air. "I will not make this pleasant for you." Adult Loki pressed the soul of his boot atop kid Loki's chest, making him gasp once more. "But it shall be very pleasant for me. Funny how things can work out when dealing with yourself."
"If you're done playing with yourself, we'll take the kid," said the metallic voice of Tony Stark. Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers arrived on the scene. There was some cheering from the crowd. Captain America gave orders to protect the civilians. Hawkeye and Black widow began hunting down the Loki clones and escorting the civilians off the premises. The Hulk roared at adult Loki and Iron man aimed a repulse blast at the villain's face.
"Get out of here," kid Loki called to the Avengers under the weight of Adult Loki's boot.
"Silence!" shouted Adult Loki as he wacked kid Loki in the face all to hard. Kid Loki turned his head in pain. He had split a lip that was now beading.
"Loki," said Thor, addressing the adult version. Kid Loki would have found the fact that his brother was addressing someone else with his name weird if he were not in so much pain. "Brother, stop this madness. I know there is good within you," Thor pleaded.
"You're right," said the adult Loki with a ferocious look on his face. "I had good in me. However, that part of my soul remains within this whelp. It is a weakness that I shall extinguish." Adult Loki took his boot off of kid Loki and pointed the speared tip of his scepter at kid Loki's chest.
Captain America's shield came flying and hit adult Loki in the back of his head. Adult Loki stumbled, his jab at kid Loki thrown off so that the spear, instead of impaling him, made a long gash across the top layer of kid Loki's cloths and skin. Kid Loki cried out and hunched over in pain.
"Oh, I've been waiting for this rematch," adult Loki said in a deadly voice. The Avengers were all over him in no time. Adult Loki cleverly evaded the attacks with sidesteps and teleportation. He made copies of himself that dissolved when hit by Iron Man. He was out of reach of the Hulk with quick agility. He spared with Natasha who was about to kick him in the face when adult Loki caught her boot in mid-swing and tossed her aside with seemingly no effort. Thor threw his hammer at adult Loki. Adult Loki stopped its acceleration in midair and Mjolnir simply fell to the ground. Adult Loki grew tiered of this.
"Enough," he declared, raising a hand. The Avengers fell to their knees with their arms fixed at their sides. A field of energy surrounded them, trapping the great heroes in a holding spell. They struggled to no anvil in order to break free. "It is nice to see you on your knees," adult Loki said with a smirk.
Then, a blast of green energy hit adult Loki in the back, causing him to stumble and drop his scepter. Kid Loki had gotten up and was prepared to fight. He grabbed hold of the fallen scepter and pointed it strait at his elder-self.
"Finally," said Adult Loki, a mixture of a grin and a grimace on his evil face. "We'll do this the fun way, shall we?"
Kid Loki knew this was a fight he could not win. But he would fight nonetheless. "You've been a bad birdie, Ikol," kid Loki said through gritted teeth. Not knowing how the scepter's magic worked, kid Loki simply used it as a spear and trust it at his adult self. Adult Loki dodged the stab and grabbed the other end of the scepter on the staff-part and pulled kid Loki, still gripping the other end, closer towards him. Adult Loki kicked his younger self in the chest, causing him to release the scepter. Kid Loki stumbled back then immediately dodged spear thrusts directed towards him. He was not quick enough with one and ended up with a scratch behind the eye that ran down the cheekbone. Adult Loki smacked kid Loki on the side of the head with the blunt end of the scepter and kicked him again once he had fallen to the ground. It was clear that adult Loki was simply prolonging the fight just to be cruel. He allowed kid Loki a chance to get up. Once kid Loki was on his feet again he decided to use magic. He shot his adult self with green flames. Adult Loki waved the flames to the side, unaffected. Kid Loki then tried shooting razor-sharp icicles at him, which adult Loki simply swatted out of the air like flies.
"You're magic is juvenile boy," said his elder-self laughing. Adult Loki thrust a field of energy at kid Loki that worked as a battering ram, knocking him off his feet. Kid Loki groaned with overwhelming pain and stayed down this time. The avengers watched the scene unfold with horror, unable to do anything while the spell held them in place. "You a are weak boy. It becomes boring after a while when fighting a lame pup."
With both his physical and magical abilities beaten, Loki had one other weapon: his tongue. He would not lie this time. His elder-self would be able to see through it. Instead he would tell himself something he did not want to hear: the truth. "You do know that you lost, right?" kid Loki said.
Adult Loki looked amused. "Is that so?" he asked mockingly.
"Aye, It is. You need my body. That's what this is about. You need my body so that you can be the same. You allowed yourself to die so that you would not have to change. That's the whole reason I am here, to play as a piece in your game. I played and won. I changed. I won and you lost. You may take my body, but never forget it. I win and you lose." A smile spread across kid Loki's beaten and bloody face.
Adult Loki's face twisted into rage. "Then I hope you enjoy your victory," he snapped back. At that moment, in unison, both Loki's shot beams of magic at one another. The spells met halfway. Adult Loki had cast a spell that would put his nonphysical form into kid Loki's body. It appeared that kid Loki had cast a similar spell, one to overcome his adult-self's spirit just as his adult-self was trying to do to him. Adult Loki knew that his magic was stronger. He would win. However, his end of the spell started to retreat, overcome with the magic of the child. Adult Loki pushed his magic even further, empowered by his hatred. That only seemed to make kid Loki's spell advance on him even further. Kid Loki's spell grew all the more stronger until it reached his adult self and finally overcame him. There was a blinding flash of green magic that dissolved the spiritual form of Adult Loki. He went out with a scream so hideous it would forever echo in the ears of those present. Unfortunately, adult Loki was not the only one affected. Kid Loki was sent flying back several feet in a backlash of magic. In defeating himself he had just destroyed himself.
Adult Loki's holding spell wore off on the Avengers once he had vanished. They rushed to the remaining Loki's side. Thor looked upon the fallen figure and began to sob. "Loki!" he shouted to the unresponsive body. He took hold of his brother's body as storm clouds began to gather overhead. Thunder boomed all around them. "Brother, No," he cried.
Captain America was next on the scene. He put his finger to Loki's wrist and felt no pulse. "We need a medic!" he called off to the distant emergence vehicles.
"Stand back!" shouted Iron man. Cap pulled Thor off of Loki's body with a struggle. Iron man delivered electrical shocks through the hands of his armor to Loki's body. "Cap, help me with this," he called.
Realizing what Tony was doing, Cap rushed to Stark's side. Hulk took over in restraining the hysteric thunder god. Steve began to administer CPR. He alternated between tying to pump Loki's heart and breathing into his lungs. Iron Man administered another electric shock that acted as a defibrillator. Cap did another round of CPR before a sudden jerk in Loki's chest brought about a large gasp followed by shallow breaths. Cap could feel a pulse once more and thanked God for their turn of fate. "He's alive." Cap looked up a Thor. "Thor, he's alive." Thor quit struggling and looked upon his brother. There was a steady rise and fall of his chest.
The Avengers took Loki to the med bay back at the Avengers Tower. They hooked him up to the machines that displayed his heart rate. Dr. Banner, no longer the Hulk, treated him. Bruce couldn't get the IV plug into Loki though. Jarvis's scans showed that Loki's biometrics were now one hundred percent like Thor's. Loki had become completely Asgardian. He also appeared to be emitting some form of radiation that Tony and Bruce could only identify as magic. Bruce cleaned Loki's wounds and battered body. He put the kid in some fresh cloths once he was done. Nobody knew when Loki would wake, but Thor refused to leave his side. Thor spent the night in a chair next to Loki's bedside. It was a wonder that the god of thunder's snoring did not wake the kid up.
Tony and Steve walked into the medical room around noon the next day to find Thor gazing at the still sleeping Loki. "Thor, buddy, you need some rest… and food… and a shower," said Tony.
Thor continued to stare at Loki without acknowledging the presence of the other two.
"Don't worry big guy," Steve reassured Thor. "He'll wake up here soon."
Thor turned his gaze on both Steve and Tony. "I never thanked you two for saving him. You have my thanks for saving my brother," Thor then stared off at a wall. "You have done what I could not. I could not protect him. I promised to protect him."
Tony decided to lighten the mood a bit. "Let's just hope it's still him," he said jokingly. "I mean we could be dealing with an egotistical maniac bent on ruling mankind with a stylish flare."
"Are you referring to me or yourself?" asked a groggy voice. Everyone turned to see Loki with his eyes half open and the hint of a smile playing across his face.
"Loki!" Thor exclaimed happily. He pulled Loki into a hug. "Brother," he said with tears in his eyes. Loki let out a groan of pain at the sudden embrace. Thor let go of Loki with an apologetic smile.
Dr. Banner came running into the room to check on Loki. He started checking his vitals. After a series of medical questions he determined Loki was fine but in need of rest in order to recuperate.
"But I feel fine," protested Loki, who winced at the pain caused by talking.
"That is the worst lie you have ever told," declared Banner.
"So kid tell me," said Tony, mimicking a doctor-like tone. "Are you experiencing any thoughts of genocide, homicide, or world domination?" he asked jokingly.
"Tony," scolded Steve. "He's not the other Loki."
"Actually," Loki spoke up. Everyone turned to him once more. "To say I'm not the other Loki would be a lie. I am Loki through and through. I did do everything the old me has done in the past. I will not deny it. There will always be that part of me."
"But," said Steve, "You're not like the other Loki at all. I mean you're not…evil. You beat him."
Loki sighed and then winced at the pain. "That's because I found his weakness. I changed whereas he was incapable of change. I beat myself because I stopped being myself. I am still Loki, but I won't ever do the horrible things that my older-self has done. I changed. That was my winning move. I beat myself at my own game. I won."
The Avengers just stared at the kid. His words seemed incredibly wise for one so young. Loki was a smart kid. He had always been smart. He was also cleaver, mischievous, liked to play tricks, and prone to lies. That was all Loki. But he was not evil, not anymore. "You're a good kid," Steve remarked with a smile. Loki's smiled back even more.