Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to Marvel (and Norse mythology :D). I am very sad about this, but I have borrowed them to write my own story.
An: Tony had plenty of time to read up on people's history and when his search through S.H.I.E.L.D. files brought him little on Thor or Loki he decided to get Jarvis to do some background research. With his AI's help he found out that in Norse mythology Loki is not actually Odin's son and so calls him by his true father's name. Of course, when Jarvis gets him into Thor's files in S.H.I.E.L.D. he also finds out that neither name is the best to call the Asgardrian.
Quote for the day: (Yes we are back to Marvel.)
Sam Wilson: "41st floor! 41st!"
Nick Fury: "It's not like they put the floor numbers on the outside of the building."
Song for the day: 'Lips of an Angel' by Hinder.
LovesDragons: He is trying bless his soul, he really is. Yes that may probably be a better idea, but how do you truely know they aren't lulling you into a false sense of security.
Chapter Eight – Memories.
Loki barely had time to reassemble his masks when the large, leather-wearing, eye-patched male he had thought Clint had killed walked into the platform around the outside of his clear cell. Loki flinched as once again the image of the All-Father superimposed itself on the male. This one seemed to be everything Loki had feared as a child, Heimdall's all-seeing, and Odin's power rolled into one, with a streak of Thor's stubbornness thrown in for good measure. Seeing him alive made Loki also add his own sheer will to survive and slyness to the mix. He shuddered despite his masks the mortal was a rare one in the entirety of the realms let alone on Midgard, if it wasn't for years of practise and a memory of a threat Loki would have been tempted to give up there and then. It certainly would make his eyes easier.
The glass surrounding him allowed a small reflection and he found that focusing on the blue of his own eyes made the other male slightly less. He couldn't think of a word, but the lessness made him able to more focus on what he needed to do.
The human was the first to talk, giving him a small moment of control over the situation and Loki had to smile at the thought of someone knowing the rules of the game. Well at least until he heard the words falling from the mortal's lips.
"In case it's unclear," there was a pause and Loki watched the man walk to a control panel of some description. The human didn't even glance at him as he went on, "You try to escape." Loki found himself walking to the edge of the cell and the mortal pressed something, "You so much as scratch that glass."
Loki heard whirring and almost without his own consent he looked down and found himself staring into a wind tossed cloud bank. Mind blank with terror he kept staring even as the human started talking again. "Thirty thousand feet! Straight down in a steel trap." He vaguely made a note that the other male didn't need to shout to be heard over the wind, "You get how that works?"
Loki looked up in time to see the human press a different button and offered a small, silent prayer of relief as the wind cut off and the floor closed again. That may complicate things slightly, before he could dwell the human was talking again, "Ant…Boot." Loki growled as his own words were thrown back at him as the human gestured.
The mortal looked up and he forced himself to laugh lowly, stepping back from the glass and staring at his own reflection. "It is an impressive cage," he managed passed his terror closed throat, "but not built I think, for me." He hated how his voice still sounded breathless and so made a gesture to change the focus of attention until he could calm his heart rate.
The mortal inclined his head in agreement, "Built for something a lot stronger than you."
That gave Loki an opening, yet it was only due to his years of practice his voice now came out smooth, "Oh I have heard." He turned and stared at what he assumed was a watching device for the cell. "A mindless beast." He had no doubts that others were watching, hopefully even the doctor. "Makes play he is still a man." Loki swallowed, mentally beseeching the gods to let this work. "How desperate are you that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"
Loki spun back and faced the mortal, suddenly all fear of this human was gone washed away in his own disgust at such weakness.
The mortal's voice sounded low and loud around the cell. "How desperate am I?"
Loki didn't move, barely breathed even as he realised he may actually get some workable answers.
"You threaten my world with war," the human stepped forward and Loki fought with himself to stay still.
"You steal a force you cannot hope to control," Loki got the idea the mortal wasn't actually talking about the Tesseract and made a mental note that one of those under his control may yet have the power to break free.
"You talk about peace and you kill 'coz it is fun." Loki felt himself flinch slightly, mentally grumbling at the pain his back still gave him. He had never killed because it was fun. Never and that mortal dared judge him, dared hold him to his own pathetic standards. He raised his head to respond but still the human talked.
"You have made me very desperate," there was a tone Loki couldn't place in the human's voice before the male gathered his control and stared directly at him, "You might not be glad that you did."
Loki swallowed as he went through the motions, this human needed to be taken out and quickly if his plan were to succeed. He hummed, "Oh, it burns you to have come so close," he taunted.
The human was good he decided watching the barely visible twitch of muscle in the powerful jaw. He pushed further, "To have the tesseract, to have power."
That got a reaction and Loki stepped back with a smirk, "Unlimited power!"
He allowed his voice to deepen, "And for what?" If he mocked this human enough something had to give, "A warm light for all mankind to share."
He knew his voice was almost crooning now and to his surprise that tone struck the mortal more than the sarcasm or anger ever had, "And then to be reminded what real power is."
Even before he'd finished the words Loki knew he had miscalculated. The human stared at him for a few seconds before grunting in humour and allowing a smirk over his very serious face. Loki found himself entranced as the skin around the man's good eye wrinkled easily, indicating someone who had once laughed easily. He wondered just when that had changed for the human in front of him and sagged back as he realised he too had once laughed freely and frequently. When had that changed for him?
So enthralled in his own thoughts was he that Loki barely noticed the man's parting shot, "Well let me know if real power wants a magazine or something."
The words dragged him from his thoughts and Loki scowled at the glass for a few moments before remembering he was being watched. Schooling his face he crossed to the bare bench in the cell and lowered himself gracefully onto it. The indignation at the mocking had fled as rapidly as it had come and he found himself instead rummaging through the information he had gathered from Clint to figure out what this magazine was. A few blurry images told him it was a paper based artefact, probably something that contained information and that he could read. It was more brightly coloured than the books he had considered his most prized possessions in the past and for a few moments he was tempted to ask for one so he could explore this new contraption.
The memory of his mission caught up to him before he could and Loki settled back to run over what he had learnt since being captured. So far he had seen Doctor Banner, the man that could turn into a huge green monster, if the beast could be controlled then he may be tempted to risk escape early just to get the sceptre on him, but from the human Banner's reaction that would probably be a terrible mistake. Controlling the Hulk was out, so maybe he could control the metal golem.
Loki thought over the information he had gathered from Clint's mind about the creature, frowning when he realised there was very little there. The energy blasts he already knew about, as well as the fact the construct could fly and communicate. Its maker appeared to have some compassion if the thing pretending to give him a choice to return to the jet-thing was any indication, there was also the golem's ability to have some form of memory, hence he had been given ice on the jet. Although he doubted it could truly understand pain and the intricacies of actual flesh, he still remembered the bruises hitting the seat, hard. If he had had full control of his own power he may have been able to wrest control of a simple golem from its creator, but he doubted even his own power could wrest control of the construct with the sheer amount of life it had been given. His best course of action concerning the animated anthropomorph was to destroy it and hope the energy backlash rendered the controller unconscious (at worst) or dead (at best).
The golem dismissed Loki turned his thoughts onto the soldier. For a human he appeared durable, several of the blows Loki had landed should have shattered bones, possibly even killed him, but the blue clad mortal had staggered to his feet and proceeded to throw himself back into the fight with abandon. A human with such single mindedness should be easy to turn to his side, especially with the sceptre, but there was a disturbing morality and pure goodness behind the soft blue eyes that even if it meant his downfall Loki just couldn't and wouldn't bring himself to destroy. Besides the male was human and so should be easy enough to destroy outside of his blue armour, especially if one removed the shield from him. Despite himself Loki was impressed at the fact the male could use it as a weapon and defensive item, even more impressive was the fact it stood up to a strike from Thor's hammer.
Grinding his teeth softly Loki was starting to realise he didn't really have many options to manipulate on the flying vessel. He seemed to be down to the red haired female or the many grunts as his only alternatives. The one-eyed male was going to be avoided at all costs or as a last resort. Loki shuddered at the thought of what that mortal could do with power, he finally found a name for the human in his memory and decided that the male's parents had obviously been seers of some description. Fury fitted the man a little too well. Pushing his unease at that human to the back of his mind Loki dismissed the grunts also. They were just more of the same, too alike to the humans he had already collected.
Unaware he started to chew his lip as he thought about the female. She had some skills obviously, otherwise she would not have been flying the vehicle-jet- he had been taken on. The soldier obviously respected her and the golem deferred to her. He pondered a moment on that thought before dismissing her as the construct's creator or control. For one he had sensed no magic flowing back to her and second they had obviously not been expecting the metal being in Germany. She was an unknown to him, despite the memories he had gleaned from Clint. She was deadly enough in her own way, an assassin, a spy and a trained killer. She was possibly immune to any form of mind control, but her training was one of the few areas the archer hadn't had any information on. She was, he decided, someone he would try and recruit if he got a chance (mainly if she was unconscious and only then), but not someone he would pursue. He already had one in his midst that could break free of him mind control, he didn't need another unknown variable.
With that thought he tucked one booted foot under him as he mentally went through those he had under his control to see if he could pinpoint just who the Fury mortal had meant.
AN: Shorter than I wanted, but I am quite pleased with the outcome. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think.