Chapter six: mortal
Loki walked through the familiar hallways. He was brought to the control center. When they opened the doors he saw an oval table in front of him. On the left site were Banner, Romanoff and Hawkeye. Steve was on the right, together with Coulson and Fury. The annoying Stark wasn't there. Thank god for that, Loki thought.
He was settled down at the head of the table, his hands cuffed behind the chair. Two men remained behind him. He looked around the table, into their irritated faces.
That made him smile. 'Well how great we meet again.'
They were all disgusted by him. Fury stood up. 'Not really. We hoped we would have seen the last of you.'
Loki lifted himself a little in the chair, causing Romanoff and Banner to move too. 'Well that is good news! I really hoped I had seen the last of you too! Why don't you just let me go, and I will head right back to Asgard.'
It was Coulson that talked now. 'Why did you come back to Earth then?'
Loki wanted to answer, but remembered something. He lifted one eyebrow in confusion. 'Didn't I kill you?'
Coulson didn't move, neither did any of the others. Loki sighed. 'Okay not my business. I came here to release my rage for a moment, that is all. I was planning on going back right after. I just…needed to get away from there.'
Steve leaned in on that. 'Something in your home that was annoying you, alien?' He grinned.
Loki gave an angry glare. 'Something like that.'
'Nevertheless it does not mean earth is your playground to let your rage go! You already killed two people, and it could easily be a lot more! You have no right at all to enter this planet anymore,' Fury said angrily.
Loki chuckled. 'Really, I think you are not the one to judge about that.' It was the first time he didn't feel angry when he thought of her. He saw the humor in her power.
The doors at his right flew open and Loki's grin disappeared. He groaned under his breath. Stark.
'Well the nurses took a good look at her but they can't say anything about her condition,' he said while walking up to the table. Banner looked up at him. 'How can they not know?'
Stark dropped his shoulders. 'Because they never had someone treated like her. These creatures are completely different.'
Banner was quiet, understanding it was a stupid question. 'Nevertheless,' Stark continued, 'She did wake.'
Then two nurses came in, carrying a woman that was looking very weak. Loki looked at her with wonder, not thinking she would find him so easily. And she even succeeded in this state.
'Of all the people in the universe you seem to find the one person I was running from! Stupid mortals!' He shouted angrily.
The woman was put in the chair next to Loki. She breathed heavily. Her eyes were completely black, with dark circles under them. Her hair hung limp around her face, not showing the grace they did earlier. Her body wasn't glowing and if she had worn a dress of herself it would have faded. Luckily she still wore Frigga's dress.
She still grew a small smile on her lips when she watched at Loki. 'No matter my condition, I will always succeed.'
Loki didn't show any emotion in his eyes. He was truly wondered by her. She never gave up. She took her duty very serious. But he also felt pity for her. She looked so fragile, like he could snap her in two.
'What have you done to us,' Loki whispered to Fury.
'It is a new strategy we used against people like you Loki. We found a way of making you weak. We stripped you of your powers as long as you stay in it,' he explained, clearly proud of his work.
'You mean,' Loki started. Fury nodded. 'Yes. You two are mortal now.'
Faheiya tried to gasp for air. 'H-how?'
'We let a gas spread over the city. It is a protection, so people like you can't bring more damage.'
Faheiya's eyes dropped halfway. 'Well you didn't succeed.'
Fury looked down for a second to return his good eye on her. She tried to raise herself in her chair. 'This is the stupidest idea you ever had. You need to retrieve it. It does not only effect on Loki, but also Thor, what I thought was a friend. And it affects me even more.'
'Why? What makes you more special then Loki?' Stark said in a disrespectful tone.
It clearly annoyed Faheiya. Loki smiled, for he had made the same mistake. 'I am Faheiya, the protector of the nine realms. I am above everyone, including the gods of Asgard.' She leaned over the arm of her chair to get her face closer to Tony. 'My undoing will also mean yours.'
He swallowed loudly and everyone grew silent. They nearly destroyed themselves.
'See? You are truly not that intimidating,' Loki joked. Faheiya turned around, a little faster. 'I thought I got a little respect from you now. Why did you go to Midgard?'
Loki looked away. 'You made me feel like I was locked up in my chambers. I wanted freedom. Away from you.'
She laughed with all her remaining strength. 'Freedom of me? That is a lie! No one is ever free of me in this universe! I thought of all people, you would know that freedom is a lie.'
Loki blushed a little. She was right, again.
'You can't run from me,' she stated. He rolled his eyes.
Banner chuckled at that. 'You know, you guys sound like a married couple.'
There was no response from Loki, but Faheiya did not looking away from Loki. 'Married to a simple god like him? He wished.'
Loki ignored it. She was feeling to have complete control over him. But he would fight it. 'Why can't you leave me alone woman?'
'I am not finished. Not until you let your stupid idea of becoming king go. I don't want a family drama to be the undoing of one of my realms!'
'This has nothing to do with my family.'
'Of course it does. If you want the throne, you need to kill your father first!'
'He is not my father,' Loki hissed back.
'I never understood that. Odin isn't your father, but Frigga was your mother in your eyes.'
'She treated me like a son! Not a relic!' he shouted back, spitting in her face.
'If you really loved your mother you would have done something to save her! How can she be proud if nothing changed in you? As if it didn't matter?'
Loki couldn't possibly get more angry at that moment. 'I WAS IN PRISON! SHE DIED BECAUSE I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING FROM THERE! THOR WAS WEAK AND LET HER DIE! THAT WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED IF I WAS THERE!'
Faheiya was quiet. She felt the pain of Loki wash over her. She had gone too far.
'Take me to my cell,' Loki ordered to the men behind him. They watched Fury nod before they took him. He gave no glance at Faheiya.
It grew quiet. Faheiya fell back in her chair, exhausted. 'What can we do to help you?' Romanoff asked.
'Take me away from this city. This poison you filled the air with, how far does it reach?'
Coulson answered. 'It grows bigger every day. Now it would probably reach to the far sides of New York.'
'Then bring me behind the edge. I can regrow my powers and take Loki back to Asgard.'
Coulson nodded and walked to comment the people behind the computers.
'One more thing,' she said, almost out of breath. Steve hung over his chair to reach out for her hand. 'What is it?' he asked gently.
'Bring me there within 24 hours or I will die.'
