Hey guys ^^ I'm motivated, fangirling and back, so I guess it's time I continue writing some lovely Dark!Loki scenes :D (If you don't remember what Hiddleston's voice sounds like when he acts Loki, rewatch some scenes on YT and then read this chapter, having his voice inside your head while reading his part makes it a lot better :D) Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews, every time I get another (and right now Thor's unforgettable "Another!" jumps to my mind xD) I'm inwardly dancing, I already have ideas for further chapters, so thank you very much and keep them coming ^^
Kathy still couldn't believe it. Tony Stark! The real one, the inventor, billionaire, Iron Man! Ever since his first appearance she had dreamt of meeting him, talking to him, understanding him, and today, finally, her dream had come true.
Taking his brain apart was so much fun.
When the mercenaries had brought him in he just stared, taking in his surroundings, cold and predicting, answering to none of their questions and without doubt working on an escape plan that would take effect shortly after and have him running back to that girl he had left a message for in no time. Now that Kathy thought about it, Stark would most likely go and get the Avengers first, then run back to his girlfriend, but it didn't really matter. She was prepared for that possibility. There had been many before them, they had all underestimated Tony Stark and they had all failed. But not them, they would be the first to overwhelm him and succeed. Not underestimating him was actually pretty easy, as soon as he sat down (or was forced to sit down, whatever) Kathy and her partner Louis sedated him with a drug Kathy had developed herself that ensured he wouldn't wake up all that early. It made her wonder how all his other enemies had ever managed to get a hold of him if they weren't even clever enough to simply neutralize his unparalleled mind.
Their orders were clear: Get as much information out of Tony Stark as you can. Kathy liked jobs like these best because they left a lot freedom for creativity. She hated clients who were all overly dramatic and used lines like "but make sure he doesn't die", seriously, how were you supposed to get dependable information when the patient was in too much pain for him to handle or a dead body? Of course she wouldn't kill him… not right away at least. She was ambitious, she wanted to fulfill the order to its very limits and find out everything there was to find out about Tony Stark before she let him die.
Also, why shouldn't she be? It was her field of science, she had made it to what it was now, completely on her own, left alone in a world she was years, if not decades, ahead of. Louis was the first one to realize her potential, but he wasn't too smart, just right for her. He did anything she said and never spoke up to her because he knew who should be in charge of their business, and she appreciated the additional pair of hands that came in… well, handy, at certain occasions. Kathy chuckled to herself as she attached the last three electrodes she had left out in the first round which initiated round two. The system of using two steps was an act of caution to get the body used to the method, as she called it. That way, the body wasn't pressured too much and could handle it easier – therefore it lasted longer. Louis had already disinfected all the small spaces of skin on the man's head while she prepared the electronic parts, again she was glad she had gotten herself this assistant.
In the few hours she had spent with Stark so far, her admiration for the man had only grown. Even when in an artificial sleep, his brain activity never ceased to amaze her, carrying small bits of information right toward the small devices put inside his head. Of course they hadn't gotten anything important yet, just things that came to his mind more often, like blue prints, alcohol and surprisingly the image of the alien he had fought off with the Avengers some time ago, their first big thing as a group, maybe a psychological thing, something he couldn't get over? She wasn't sure yet, but no need to hurry, everything had its time. These were the words Kathy recited inside her head all the time she worked on him, like a mantra. This time it would be different, she promised herself. This time, the patient's brain wouldn't collapse before she said so.
She stopped at a sound that wasn't supposed to be heard here. Clapping. Somebody clapped his hands. Slowly she turned around, not knowing how to react yet, and saw the most bizarre thing she had ever encountered in her life. Right in front of her stood the man whose image had flashed over the screen next to her patient a few minutes ago, but his clothing was different, less leather and more metal and he was wearing a horned helmet. She wasn't sure why, but it was disturbing, like a fear she had had when she was younger and then forgotten. Then the clapping man started to talk and she knew she was lost.
"Wonderful, wonderful indeed. Your way of thinking, your lies, oh dear, it has been a long time since I allowed myself to take in an amount this high." He sighed, but his smile was wide and bright. "Your kind is rare nowadays, you know that? So many of you puny little beings are trying to be good and caring, to change the world for a better, that people like you are a delicacy of a kind to me. Thank you very much for that." Kathy noticed that he only talked to her and her alone. What about Louis? She thought, not sure whether she should dare to turn around to him. It was then that she noticed the smell of something burning, and her panic made her turn around. If the monitors…!
"!"
It was the only sound she was capable of at the sight of what it was that smelled of fire. In front of the bed where Tony Stark lay there was small pile of burning textile, leftovers of what looked like Louis' attire, courting black-gray ashes. Something dawned in the back of her mind.
"Oh, you noticed?" The man – the alien, she reminded herself – asked, seeming a little dissatisfied. "No need to tell me, it's a sloppy piece of work, I know, but it had to be fast and silent. I didn't want you to notice too soon so that you wouldn't get your hopes up, but well… now I guess I'll have to explain the situation, that is what mortals usually do, right?" Kathy felt herself nod, without actually willing her head to do so. Her body had gone completely still in every other way, too, her eyes focused on what was left of the first person she had trusted in a long time. And she felt something rising in her, something she was unfamiliar with. Fear.
"Yes, I thought so. Understanding your simple ways of thinking gets easier with every minute I spent in this realm… I'm guessing you know who I am, at least to a certain extent, and that, exactly that, is the mistake that you made, my dear." The being held up his finger as if to lecture a small child, a pitying expression on his face. "If you knew more about me, even a little, you'd know that you hurt someone very precious to me, and that doing so will result in your life ending in multiple unpleasant ways at the same time." He bent forward, bringing his mouth very close to her ear, and the small few words he whispered increased her heart rate by a hundred and made her whole mind scream to run and hide as fast as she could, but she couldn't even do as much as shiver.
"I am Loki. Of Asgard. And I will make it happen that you suffer more than any human in this pitiful realm has ever suffered." With that threat presented, Loki turned around – and stared right into the barrel of a gun that was aimed at his face.
"And I'm Natasha Romanov 'of' Russia and will shoot you here and now if you don't back off, got it?" The Black Widow held her gun only a few inches from his face, standing right in front of him, but it was enough to see her emotionless expression.
"Agent Romanov. As always, the only person I have met in a long time that is able to sneak up on me. I'm impressed. But don't you think we should decide who the guilty one is at another time…" He said while reaching out to the fabric of her black suit to lower her arm.
"How about you don't touch her even the slightest and we decide it now before I pierce that weird helmet of yours with an explosive arrow?" Somebody asked from behind him, and Loki could hear the drawing of a bow. Of course, he thought, Natasha never worked alone.
"Barton. Are the others coming, too? Because if they are, make sure to tell Mr. Banner to brace himself, because that person over there" He pointed towards the bed "Is Tony." The two assassins sharply sucked in their breaths, Natasha's expression showing shock for a mere second, before it went cold again. Naturally, they hadn't recognized their teammate under all these wires, with the blood all over his face and the pain flooding out of every pore on his body… He had to stop. He had had himself in control all the time, and right now his wrath would not help him.
"What did you do?" Loki's eyes fixated on Natasha's while she asked, the unsaid to him lingering in the air between them. How absurd, Loki thought. But then, of course. It was nothing but logical, from her point of view.
"It wasn't me. You know my methods, or at least your partner knows them," He allowed himself a little smirk at Barton, both of them remembering the time Loki had the agent's mind under his control "and anyways, why would I do that? And why would I take the time to march in here and kill every person I see if it was my idea? Think, agents, and let me go. I don't want to kill you."
"Why do you not want to kill us?" That question was asked by Barton, but he did not sound as determined as he did a few seconds ago.
"You know why. I never kept the reason from you, you just heard it, didn't you, Natasha? I love Tony." He tried to let his sincerity shine through, and the way he felt now that Tony was in that kind of state. He almost pleaded.
Seconds passed, and finally, Natasha and Clint lowered their weapons. Loki exhaled the breath he didn't know he had held. He had never come that close to killing an ally.
Here you are, my patient readers ;) I almost hate myself a little for ending the story just here, but don't worry, the next chapter is in progress :D As I already said above, please leave me a review. I'm serious here, without you, I would have never had the motivation to write this chapter, but after reading all your lovely reviews at once, I was so fired up and see what happened :D Thank you so much, bye and 'til next chapter ;)