For many, many days, Loki sat in solitude. He was allowed relief from the Chitauri's torture. His external wounds healed slowly. He poured fire through his own body, shifted into fire itself to destroy the disgusting things that crawled inside of him. It should have been excruciating; Siv did not let him feel any of it. She protected him from pain. She served him well. But one thing that might have bothered Loki was that she never shut up. She never let him sleep, never let him rest in his own mind.
'They wronged you. You were always the brilliant one, the creative one, the beautiful one. They hated you because you could take them down. They tried to stifle you because they feared you. They tried to punish you because you were powerful. They banished you because they didn't know your worth. Take Midgard. Take the humans and lead them. Subjugate them. Prove to Asgard that you can be king. You will be king. You shall be the ruler of the entire universe. You will be the most glorious king the nine realms have ever seen. They said you caused chaos and discord; you will remove all who oppose you and then there will be peace. Eternally yours. As will I. I will never leave you. Not like her. For centuries she abandoned you. She could never save you. She drove you to suicide so many times. She drove you mad with grief. She made a fool of your heart, and you can never trust again. She was never yours. I am. I am. Let me have you. Let me show you how to lead I can help you I can make you king I can give you power if you give me your heart give me your mind give me your attention they will worship you they will love you make them all suffer they deserve it they deserve to be destroyed they lied to you they tricked you burn murder ruin kill them all prove your worth destroy conquer let me feed on your heart– '
The Chitauri came to collect him. His period of rest was over. Scars littered his skin, pearly and stretched tight over his gaunt figure. He felt marvelous despite looking ill. He smiled at them. This was his army. They would follow him until the ends of time. The Other came down from his perch beside his master.
"Do you remember your mission?" he hissed.
Loki rolled his eyes. Even this incongruous beast questioned his authority. When Loki owned the universe, this creature would be the first to die. Of course he remembered the mission.
"Collect the Tesseract. Open the portal. Bring in my army and give you your toy."
The Other growled. Loki smirked.
Loki gave no warning – he ripped the shard from its staff, slicing open his hand. The Other tensed; Loki put it to his lips. "Take me to her," he whispered to the bloodied gem. The air ripped open and crackled around him. A great wave of energy crashed over them all, illuminated the whole wicked asteroid with the blue glow.
'Let me find her let me show you how she avoids you she won't come near you let me take you to her let me show you how she ruins time she is disgusted by you she hates you she doesn't deserve you place me back in the staff I'll show you what a wretch she is– '
An explosion interrupted her, shuttling Loki from one end of the universe to the other. He saw four hours fly by him in a mere second. He saw the mortal ants scrambling to collect their belongings, evacuate, retreat from their arriving king. He saw the hideously outdated technology the humans thought of as top-of-the-line.
He saw the Tesseract.
Pure energy licked at the high walls as they dissipated. Loki sat amidst what was left of the smoke, calculating the best option for collection and escape. Mortals came forth with their pitiful firearms. Loki would have been amused. Did they really think those bullets could hurt him? They could have been Aesir toys, they were so harmless. Offensively pathetic. No warrior would ever handle those. He stood.
"Sir," a man with one eye called out. "Please put down the spear."
'Touch me to their hearts and they will see the truth in your right to rule they will obey you they will follow you they will be yours to command– '
Loki blasted the one-eyed man with the weapon. It did not seem to work. The mortals opened fire. He stabbed one with the bladed edge, touched the gem to his heart like they did to Loki. The human was dead before the shard could take hold. Loki was admittedly annoyed. The bullets pelted his back like grains of rice. He silenced the Midgardians with his daggers to their throats. They tried to swarm him. Loki would have none of this from his future servants.
One dared get to his feet. Loki was upon him instantly. "You have heart." He touched the scepter gently to his chest. The man's eyes turned black, then cold blue as Siv whispered truths into his feeble human core. He holstered his gun. The marksman was Loki's to command.
As the man stood at attention, Loki went to others to collect their servitude. The one-eyed man regrettably still lived, and tried to secretly collect the Tesseract.
"Please don't," Loki murmured, eyeing the briefcase. "I still need that."
"This doesn't have to get any messier," the one-eyed man said calmly.
"Of course it does," Loki denied. "I've come too far for anything else."
The one-eyed man turned to face the intruder head on.
"I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose."
"Loki," Erik Selvig said, standing, "brother of Thor."
'You have been here for thirty seconds and they already liken you to him destroy the idea that Thor will save them he will never come he has his plaything and that is the only mortal he cares about take this man show him your worth he is yours not Thor's you were made to rule you are his king show him so– '
"We have no quarrel with your people," the one-eyed man assured.
"An ant has no quarrel with a boot," Loki replied.
The one-eyed man was not pleased to hear this. "Are you planning to step on us?"
"I come with glad tidings of a world made free."
"Free from what?"
"Freedom. Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart," – he took control of the old man – "you will know peace."
"Yeah, you say 'peace'. I kinda think you mean the other thing."
"Sir, Director Fury is stalling," the marksman warned. "This place is about to blow and drop a hundred feet of rock on us." He looked up at the swelling mass of energy that collected on the ceiling. "He means to bury us."
"Like the pharaohs of old," the one-eyed man agreed.
"He's right," Erik Selvig called from behind a computer screen. "The portal is collapsing in on itself. We've got maybe two minutes before this goes critical."
"Well, then." Loki nodded to his marksman. Without hesitation, the man shot his former director and collected the briefcase. As they left the room, Loki doubled over himself. His stomach felt like it broiled with dread, like all those hot coals he swallowed were suddenly a fire raging inside him. The official in the suit placed a hand on Loki's back to aid him, but the self-proclaimed King would have none of it. He straightened and collected himself. He would not be weak in front of these pathetic mortals. They exited the garage to the loading bay; Loki sat himself down in the back of their vehicle.
"Who is that?" a woman asked. Loki refused to look at her. The strange familiarity unnerved him.
"They didn't tell me," the marksman answered.
The woman turned; her radio buzzed. It alerted their escape. The marksman shot at her, but she was quick. Loki's escorts drove off in a hurry, chased by several unclaimed, unruly servants. Just when they were clear, that infernal woman came to stop them. Her attempt was futile. The building imploded, collapsing around her. Loki and his cargo were safe. That was, until a personal flyer shot at them from the sky. Loki was becoming irritated with this mess. His scepter, his ally was very distracting with her constant chattering, the Tesseract screeched at him, his marksman was a terrible driver – it all gave him a rather awful headache. He blasted the personal flyer with magic, sending it straight to the ground. Shots rang out as they drove away.
The silence after was a blessing.
"Where are we going, sir?" the marksman asked.
Loki snapped his head up. Had he fallen asleep? It was almost daybreak. No, no, he would never have fallen asleep; Siv would not let him. He cleared his throat. "I need a base where I can work. Underground. Many supplies."
The marksman was quiet for a moment. "I can hijack us a private plane to Italy. I know of an underground lab there. You can collect everything you need. And I can call up a few people who would be more than willing to help."
It required the most delicate precision, but the plane was taken. It was a small jet, elegantly furnished. Less primitive than the flying box from years ago, but still nothing like even the worst Asgardian flyers. Loki found himself amused with the cabin control panel, pressing buttons left and right. The lights dimmed, and a pole came down from the ceiling. Loki narrowed his eyes in disgust, knowing exactly what it was. This culture was still so basic to find this setting sensuous. He reset the configurations and roamed. There was only so much information to be found in this area. Loki learned it was owned by a man named Tony Stark. Basic personality profiling suggested this Stark was unbelievably egotistical, self-centered, and threw his wealth around like a spoiled prince. There was a large collection of liquors to be found on board, to which Loki helped himself. The bitter whiskey was a relief.
Six hours into the flight, Loki went to the front of the plane. Erik Selvig sat co-pilot with the Tesseract tucked safely in his arms. "Do we still have a while yet?" Loki inquired.
The marksman nodded. "Another four hours. This jet flies faster than commercial, but shaving off two hours isn't much of an improvement. A quinjet would have been faster, but they would have been on our tail in a heartbeat. Do you need me for anything, sir?"
Loki pondered for a moment. "Tell me everything. I want to know about you. About your allies. About the operation that was destroyed in my arrival. I need to know what I am up against."
"My name is Clinton Francis Barton. I'm an assassin for S.H.I.E.L.D. under the name Hawkeye. I specialize in archery, see better from a distance, and can take down 672 people without using the same move twice. My director was Nick Fury. Currently he should be calling up a handful of people to help him try to stop you. There's Natasha Romanoff, also known as the Black Widow. She's an assassin like me. I saved her life and brought her into S.H.I.E.L.D. There's Anthony Stark, Iron Man. He fights inside a metal suit and has impressive personality issues. He used to manufacture and sell weapons, until karma got him in the ass. Steve Rogers, Captain America. Found him inside a wrecked plane last year, frozen solid. He's a righteous guy, basically embodies all of the good-guy traits of the average American hero. And then there's Bruce Banner. They call him the Hulk. He had an accident with his science friends and it turns him into a giant green monster when he gets pissed off."
Loki nodded quietly. They could all be very useful, but it would be more fun to turn them on themselves.
"And there's one more on the call list, if you're curious."
Loki narrowed his eyes in thought.
"If Fury can get to him, your brother will be here as well."
The King snarled.
҉
"Well, what do you want me to do? I can't just sit here and do nothing. Literally all of that work we didn't rescue is destroyed."
Coulson shook his head, trying to find the right words as he blocked her from boarding the helicarrier. "I know. I know, and I'm sorry. But there's nothing for you to do here, either. All of the documents and equipment we could recover is being moved elsewhere. You're welcome to go to Culver and tag along with Fitz-Simmons and their team for a while. Just until we can get everything set up again."
Teagan curled her upper lip in disgust. "I'm coming with you."
Coulson's patience remained surprisingly untried. He was getting better at this. "When we get this guy, he's coming on board. It'll endanger everyone's lives, but yours especially. You're just a kid from the lab. You're not a trained agent like everyone else. If you come into contact, then you'll jeopardize every single person on this ship."
"Then I won't come into contact with him."
Coulson dropped his head, hiding his tired smile. "Fine. Fine, you can get on board. But if you spark any sudden debates or fistfights, I will not be there to help you. And you can sure as hell bet Fury will have your ass parked in an office faster than you can blink. Now get on before I change my mind."
Teagan chuckled a little. His voice was so soft, those coarse words seemed affectionate. "I knew you would see things my way," she said, adjusting her backpack on her shoulder.
"Sir, you're needed on the starboard side. Steve Rogers is boarding the helicarrier," Maria called, coming forward. Something about her expression made Teagan quirk an eyebrow. But Coulson's flare of excitement made her all the more curious.
"Hill, show Little Hill inside. I have a hero to meet." And with that, Coulson practically ran across the tarmac, avoiding collisions with the drill teams. The Hills looked at each other skeptically, turned, and headed inside the helicarrier.
"Us being in close proximity will drive everyone crazy," Maria noted.
Teagan donned her lab coat. "Let them be confused. It's not like we work on the same ground anyways. You're on the field, I'm behind the scenes. We're practically worlds away, as the saying goes."
"Oh no, it's Teacup," a voice called from down the hall.
The Hills turned in confusion.
"Oh, you again," Teagan grimaced. "And it's Teagan."
"Sorry I can't return your 'research' to you, I accidentally burned it all with a lighter before I could read. Clever, trying to get Pepper to sneak them onto me. Just for that, I came up with a whole dictionary of nicknames for you. Because I heard you love them." Stark drew near. Something told Teagan he knew she had his work. "Oh, what, there's two of you now? Humanity hated you so much that you had to clone yourself? Nice job though," Stark said, admiring Maria. "She does look exactly like you. A little taller, though, and less scowl-y. Maybe next time you could give her a personality, too."
"With all due respect, sir, shut up," Maria muttered, unamused.
"It talks!" he exclaimed.
Teagan could feel her blood pressure rising.
"Seriously though," Stark nodded, holding his hand out to Maria. "Tony Stark, Iron Man. You've probably heard of me, I'm kind of the leader of this whole dance party Fury's concocted."
Hill sighed. "Maria Hill, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."
"Yeah I can tell, you all have those smurf suits on. At least you're not in red shirts, though. Man, even you're decked out, Teabag? Wait, you guys aren't, like, sisters or anything, are you?"
"No," the Hills growled in unison.
"Are you sure? I could run a DNA check really quick just to put us all at ease. At least just put me at ease, this is freaky. I really can't tell you guys apart. If you take off your lab coat I won't be able to tell the difference. You even have matching frowns – what are you doing, Tequila?"
Teagan reached for the knife strapped to her leg, grabbed her ponytail, and sliced it off.
"There," she snarled. "Is it more convenient for you now? Can you tell the difference?"
She dropped the ponytail in his hands and stalked off to the lab rooms.
"I would recommend talking to Coulson," Maria suggested after a moment of silence.
"Yeah," Stark whispered.
"Immediately."
"Yes ma'am," Stark said, snapping to attention.
҉
Heimdall traversed the halls silently. With the Bifrost destroyed, he wandered aimlessly. There was no place for him around here. He could not be a gatekeeper if there was no gate. He kept most of his attention on Loki now. What moves he could see, Heimdall catalogued. This was a dangerous time for them all. If Loki succeeded in whatever it was he aimed to accomplish, there was no doubt in Heimdall's mind that it would end poorly. Maybe not for the prince, no, but for everyone else.
He could see, faintly. Loki observed a crowd of mortals. They worked diligently under him, some possessed, some clean. It was hard to make out exactly what they were doing. The place twitched and trembled like it was filled with smoke, or underwater. A blue glow pulsed from Loki's corner. It was hollow and sickly. Just seeing it made Heimdall feel nauseated. Loki's form flickered and the aura faded away. Heimdall hitched a ride on Loki's astral projection.
"The Chitauri grow restless," The Other hissed.
"Let them gird themselves," Loki replied. He appeared before the gross creature in full regalia. "I will lead them in the glorious battle."
"Battle?" The Other scoffed. "Against the meager might of Earth?"
"Glorious, not lengthy. If your force is as formidable as you claim," Loki jeered.
"You question us?" The Other snapped. "You question him? He who put the scepter in your hand? Who gave you ancient knowledge and new purpose when you were cast out, defeated?"
"I was a king!" Loki barked. "The rightful king of Asgard! Betrayed!"
The Other hissed. "Your ambition is little. Born of childish need. We look beyond the Earth to greater worlds the Tesseract will unveil."
"You don't have the Tesseract yet," Loki reminded him flatly. The Other was upon him instantly. "I don't threaten," Loki assured. "But until I open the doors, until your force is mine to command, you are but words."
The Other circled. "You will have your war, Asgardian. If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find you. You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain!"
And with that, both Loki and Heimdall were ejected from the astral projection.
Heimdall stumbled down the hall, clinging to a pillar. "My lord, are you not well?" a servant asked, rushing to help stand him up.
"I must speak with the king and queen," Heimdall rasped.
They soon entered the council room, Frigga, Odin, and Thor already gathered. The servant left quietly; Heimdall stood straight, though pale-faced.
"What news have you?" Frigga asked hopefully, trying not to take Heimdall's complexion as a sign. Odin and Thor were not so optimistic.
"Loki is alive, and sided with an unknown enemy. I found him on Midgard rallying scientists. They worked to put together a device not unlike the Bifrost. They want to use it to harness the Tesseract. He leads an army of Chitauri soldiers. They would wait for him to open a portal with the cube and then lay waste to Earth. Loki seeks to rule the planet. He intends to start a war. He's taking it as collateral from. . . previous events." Heimdall glanced up at Odin briefly.
"He must be stopped," the All-Father said coldly. "I will come down to Earth myself and destroy him if necessary."
"Husband!" Frigga said, startled by his sudden hostility.
"He is not himself," Heimdall warned. "The staff was found. Loki's allies have possessed him with the shard. Loki leads only because he is blinded."
But the King no longer heard his words. Heimdall looked on woefully as Odin stormed out of the council room.
"Is there any hope for Loki to recover?" Thor asked quietly.
Heimdall did not know the answer. "There is nothing else like this kind of possession. You can still talk and think and act, but there are actions ruled by something that is not of yourself. You cannot feel it. You cannot control it. They are your actions alone, and yet they are someone else's entirely. It is hard to punish for these crimes."
"But is there hope for Loki to recover?"
Heimdall was silent for a moment. "There have been accounts where a sharp blow to the head rendered the possessed normal again."
Thor left the council room silently.
Frigga remained with Heimdall. "Is this a war or is it the war?" she whispered.
Heimdall shook his head. "I'm sorry, my Queen. I still do not know. I lost everything with the observatory. Nothing is left for me to look back on with those events. I hope it is not so, but, things are too awry for me to be certain it is neither one nor the other. We must always have hope," he murmured.
"We must always have hope," Frigga repeated emptily.
Heimdall turned to leave the council room.
"You know, Heimdall," Frigga murmured. She gave a broken chuckle. "Ever since Baldur's death, I have known. You need not mask it anymore."
Heimdall lowered his head in defeat.
"We were always on this path, were we not? We were always set for ruin." Frigga stood. "We were always staring down the pit of Hel." She stepped around him. "There is one book Loki stole from you ages ago. You may find it to be the last place on the corner shelf of the library, or you may find it in his room. I grant you permission to search."
Heimdall spent the better part of the night hunting for the book. What book was it? She gave him no size, no cover, no title. But as soon as he saw it, Heimdall wished he had not. He pulled the dusty tome from the shelf, glaring at its cursed leather spine. This book had no name. It was the only one of its kind, a handwritten copy of everything Heimdall sought to bestow upon the humans of old and the Aesir of the future. It contained every story Heimdall allowed himself to see with his power of the All-Sight.
This meant that Loki knew everything.
Loki knew that Heimdall could already see everyone's deaths. Loki knew that there was never to be anything good in this life for him. Loki knew Baldur's death was foretold to be his fault. Loki knew he caused the Ragnarök. Loki knew he was the end all of Asgard.
But Loki knew there was nothing about the Tesseract in his timeline. Loki knew it was never prophesized that he would meet a human. Loki saw his life was not word-for-word.
Heimdall pored over his old scripts for hours, hunting for anything. Anything that would help bring back the raven haired prince Asgard once knew.
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