Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).
AN: Here it is; the chapter/scene that many people are dreading (thanks to the stupid script writers of the movie): the Phil vs. Loki scene. Just so I don't give anything away, I ask that people read this chapter and not skip it. Thanks, and please don't forget to review!
Chapter 10: Looking Evil in the Eye:
I was scared stupid. Actually, I was stupid, period, for wanting to do this in the first place –being scared was just an added bonus.
Seriously, what did I know about fighting evil aliens? Or fighting in general? The answer to both these questions was: absolutely nothing. Worse, I was probably putting Phil in danger just by being with him, because I was an easy target.
'Me and my bright ideas,' I silently moaned inside my head.
But he needed help. I mean, seriously, who went to check on a dangerous prisoner without any backup? And with the other agents onboard occupied with The Hulk running loose (and fighting Thor), not to mention the probable fact that enemies had breached the ship, I was all Phil had.
Keeping close to Phil's side, I felt the stun gun in my hand grow heavier and heavier as my dread got the better of me. The fear, panic and anxiety inside me was almost nauseating, but I knew that I had to suck it up and do what needed to be done –after all, Cap wouldn't back down from a fight, and with the fate of the world literally at stake, I couldn't afford to be a coward.
But the closer we got to the prison level, the more frightened and nervous I got. The sound of running footsteps above and around us gave me the impression that serious stuff was going on all over the ship, and that just made me want to run back to my room to hide. But even with the chaos going on, Phil looked as cool and calm as can be, so I tried to mimic him in keeping myself together. The fact that Phil had a huge weapon in his hands probably helped boost his confidence, though.
We took one of the side corridors near where Loki was being held, but before we went even close to the entry door to that room, Phil stopped. "I'm going to head in first," he whispered. "I want you to stay behind a little ways, so that no one sees you. That way, if I need help, you'll be able to take people by surprise. Got it?"
Swallowing hard, I silently nodded. Phil gave me a gentle pat on the shoulder, hefted up the huge weapon he was holding, and went inside. I don't know what he encountered, but I heard him say, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
As soon as Phil left me standing there, tucked just inside an open door and out of sight from those in the room, I felt my curiosity get the better of me. Oh, I was definitely still afraid, but I also wanted to know what was going on so that I could help Phil as soon as I could. It was stupid, and risky, but I had to be sure that, when the time came, I didn't act too late.
Creeping closer to the door, I heard Phil talking to someone, who I guessed was Loki. Since I wasn't sure, I began looking around, and spotted a shiny panel on the wall that, from its odd angle, gave me a limited and somewhat distorted view of the room, so I was able to see a bit of what was happening. I didn't think that anyone could see me, but I could certainly see Phil facing off with Loki, who stood still as a weapon was pointed at him.
"You like this?" Phil asked. "It's something we put together after you sent the Destroyer to Earth." I had no idea what a Destroyer was, but I guessed it destroyed things. "Even I don't know what it does. But I'm eager to find out."
I gathered my courage and cautiously peeked into the room, though not around the corner, which would cause me to be seen. From my vantage point, I saw that Loki was not longer where he was supposed to be: inside the prison cell. Instead, it was poor Thor who was confined, and he did not look happy about it.
Looking up and around the doorway, I found a few strategically placed mirrors, probably so the guards and jailors could keep a discreet eye on the prisoner. It was a good thing I found those, because a copy of Loki was creeping up right behind his back!
Without thinking, I stepped into the room, calling out, "Phil, behind you!" That quickly got everyone's attention, and after that, it all went to hell.
Phil whirled around, his weapon ready to fire, just as one of the two Lokis made to stab him in the back. Since the second Loki had been trying so hard to not be seen, it had to be the real one. With that in mind, I raised my weapon and aimed it at him, even as he made to strike down Phil. Without hesitation, I fired, my weapon aimed squarely at Loki's chest.
Now, even though I was no expert marksman, I knew that my aim was sound. The problem was that Loki was standing directly behind Phil, and as I fired, he moved out of the way, lightning-fast, at just the right moment, causing the blast to hit poor Phil instead. Thank goodness it was only a stun gun, or else my poor friend would have been toast!
On the down side, the only other professional and armed person in the room was out of commission. Thor was locked up, and with Phil unconscious (or at least, on the floor and partially paralyzed), I was completely alone with Loki…and all I had was a lousy stun gun.
I was totally screwed.
Loki could hardly believe his luck! Thor was locked within a prison, easy to dispose of; the only other person to fully challenge him lay incapacitated on the cold ground; and the fascinating young woman he so badly wanted to examine was here, helpless and alone. It was as though the universe was working for him instead of against him!
Focusing his attention on her, Loki used a touch of his mind gifts on her. It wasn't all that difficult to cause her to drop her sad little weapon and immobilize her where she stood –he merely had to draw upon her fear and turn it against her.
Once the weapon had fallen from her hands, Loki allowed a smug grin to form. "Now, stay where you are," he mockingly told her. "I have business with my brother to attend to."
Facing Thor, Loki grinned even wider. "You know, the humans believe us to be immortal," he said, going to the control panel that stood close by. "Shall we test that theory?"
At Thor's roar of rage, Loki flipped the necessary switch, sending his rival hurtling towards earth.
Much to his surprise, he heard an anguished cry of "No!" come from someone it shouldn't. Turning, he was shocked to see his charming female captive race for the where the prison cell had been.
'It's not possible,' he thought. 'She should not be able to break my hold on her unless I allow it!'
Almost against his will, Loki found himself becoming more interested in her. He'd had much time to think about her, this girl who so easily drew others and caused them to grow fond of her. The odd light that he saw inside her drew him like a moth to a flame: it had caught his attention, and now he wanted to possess it, to hold it in the palm of his hand and never release it from his grasp.
Inside his prison, he'd had much time to himself, giving him the opportunity to think very carefully about how things would change for this world once it was under his firm rule. In his determined resolve to keep this girl, this Adena Philips, as a form of amusement, Loki had decided that she could be of a much better use to him.
Once the primitive people of this world were on their knees before him, from the leaders down to the lowest wretch, Loki would not only need to affirm his hold on it, he would have to ensure that the people remained under heel.
To achieve everything in one swoop, he would take a Queen from amongst them.
All great kings needed to produce heirs, of only to ensure a strong ruling line, and that required a feminine presence in his plans. If his bride were human, and he were to seduce (or even force) her to his cause, it would give him a greater hold over the mortals: she would be able to tell him how humans thought and behaved, and even what he could expect, should the humans attempt to rebel against him. Some humans might even accept him as their king, thinking that if their Queen were human, there might be more sympathy towards them.
And he knew exactly who to choose to sit beside his throne.
It was perfect: Adena had knowledge of humanity, and her special gift of gaining the affections of anyone she wished to. With her at his side, Earth had no chance.
Watching her fear take over, Loki grinned. He relished the thought of her belonging to him for many millennia, of having her, and the light that flickered warmly with her, at his beck-and-call. With her intelligence and wit, she would amuse him for a very long time. Perhaps, if she was obedient and proved herself loyal to him, he would grant her a few powers of her own –though none would be greater than his.
Eying her closely, he saw that she was ready to flee for safety. Well, he couldn't have that, now, could he?
Watching Thor slip through the floor of the ship knocked the stuff right out of me. I couldn't believe that Loki had done such a horrible thing to someone who obviously still cared about him. But given that he was trying to take over Earth, killing whoever was in his way, it shouldn't have surprised me.
It took a few seconds for my brain to scramble together a coherent thought, and when it did, I remembered that, with Thor gone and Phil down, I was alone and rather defenseless against the freed demigod.
Looking over at him, I immediately saw the satisfied look on his face, as well as a gleam of some insane idea that I probably would not like. My instincts instantly kicked in, telling me to run for it, now, before it was too late.
I wasn't fast enough. In fact, I had barely taken a step backwards from the railing before Loki was on me, like a cat atop its prey. His large hand found its way around my throat, gripping me hard enough to bruise, but loose enough for me to breathe without too much difficulty.
"There, now," he whispered harshly, "I thought I told you not to move."
His words sent a surge of anger through me. What right did he have telling me what to do? And how dare he think that he could take over the world without mankind fighting back?
I dared to look up, channeling my anger and defiance through the glare I gave him. For a second, he seemed surprised, as though he'd expected me to become a subdued little sheep now that he literally had my life in his hands. If his strength was even half of Thor's, all Loki had to do was tighten his grip, and I was dead. That didn't stop my anger from overpowering my fear, though.
His surprise quickly melted to an intense interest that sent chills down my spine. "You fascinate me, Adena," he whispered, leaning close. "I do not know why, but I desire very much to find out." I swallowed hard and tried not to think about how his face was scant inches from my own as he continued. "I do not know how you managed to break free of the hold my power had on you, but that, too, is something I am eager to discover."
The thumb of his gripping hand began to slide upwards a little, easing the pressure slightly, but also shifting his hold so that, if he chose to, he could choke me more effectively. "I know that you defy me," Loki murmured, lifting his scepter so that the blade hovered a fraction of an inch from my cheek. "Your eyes scream that you would fight me. With my scepter in my hands, I could make you happily submit and obey me."
The coldness in his blue eyes sent a blade of ice through my heart, but I didn't dare let my fear show –predators like him fed on fear.
"However, I do not think I will use it on you –at least, not yet," he whispered with a lop-sided smirk. "I rather like the fire you have, and to extinguish it so soon would be foolish."
I felt his grip tighten, the pressure cutting off the blood flow to my head and blocking the air to my lungs. "But there are other ways to subdue a person."
As the world began to darken, a loud blast followed by the sound of crunching metal and crumbling materials reached my ears. The pressure at my throat was gone, and my head grew light as the flow of blood resumed, my lungs hastily drawing breath as I fell back against the wall. Loki was no longer in front of me, and there was a huge hole in the wall to my left –I could guess where he'd gone.
"Huh, so that's what it does," Phil muttered, a small smirk on his face. "You okay, Adena?"
Since I was still catching my breath, I gave him a thumbs-up sign with one hand while the other rubbed my neck. There would probably be a bruise there later, but at least I'd be alive to have one.
As I struggled to my feet, the sound of heavy footsteps reached my ears. Turning, I saw Loki step back into the room, a furious look on his face. Hefting his scepter, I saw him make for Phil, the thirst to kill gleaming in his eyes.
Panicked, I hurriedly threw myself between the two, pushing Loki's arm aside as he leveled it in Phil's direction. I fully expected to be knocked aside, or even killed for getting in between a killer and his intended victim, but instead, I found myself once again the center of Loki's scrutiny.
"Do you honestly think I wouldn't hesitate to kill you?" he asked in wonder as he stepped closer to me. "Even now you are no match for me. Why put yourself in harm's way, when you have no powers of your own and know you stand no chance?"
I lifted my chin so that I could glare directly in the eye. "Because he is my friend," I croaked through my bruised throat. "Even if you kill me, I'll die knowing that I did what little I could to help him."
He seemed to think for a moment, though what he was thinking about was beyond me. Even as he stood there, I could hear the sound of footsteps in the hallway –help was coming, but whether it was for Loki or for Phil was the question.
Also hearing the footsteps, Loki appeared to make his mind up about something. "I'm afraid I can't risk being captured again, dear Adena. And as I have time to do one last thing before making my escape, I think I will do this instead."
I didn't even know what hit me.
It was a trifle to use the scepter and incapacitate both Adena and the annoying agent. Oh, he did not kill them, though when the agent woke, he would wish he was dead –there would be a lingering headache that would make the agent feel as though his skull were going to burst.
Adena would fare better. Though he had no healing skills, Loki would have one of his minions treat her while she slept –females could not tolerate pain very well, and it would be inconvenient for her to be suffering too much while he questioned and studied her.
Although he had longed to kill the agent and take Adena, Loki knew that he didn't have the time for both. His forces were limited here, and it was only a matter of time before real agents appeared and tried to take him prisoner again. He decided to take the easier route: kidnap the girl.
"Sir, we need to go," said a voice behind him. It was one of his soldiers, with a few of his comrades, to escort Loki to safety.
Moving quickly, Loki nodded at Adena. "Take her," he ordered. "Make sure you carry her securely, but gently. If any harm comes to her, you die."
His wish was obeyed immediately. A soldier scooped Adena up and carefully tossed her over his shoulder, one arm securing her in place as they hastily made for their escape ship. As expected, they met with little interference, and made it to the ship without too many inconvenient battles.
Once onboard the smaller aircraft, Loki reached out for his prisoner. "Give her to me, gently."
It seconds, she was in his lap, her head leaning against his shoulder. That's how he wanted her: helpless and quiet. Once she woke, she would fight him and cause all sorts of trouble, but by then, Earth would be his. Then, the real fun would begin for him.
AN: Sorry, another short chapter, but given how things are going to flow in this story, it's kind of how it goes. And just so everyone knows: I refuse to let Loki kill Coulson in my universe. Why? Because I like the guy, and even if he is actually dead in the movie universe, I plan on keeping Phil around for my stories, so there. Agent Phil Coulson remains alive and well in this story verse.
Also, word of warning: this story is almost over. But don't worry; there will be a sequel, so keep an eye out for that! Meanwhile, thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review!