Okay, a couple things I want to clarify. When Loki casts a simulacrum, that's just an illusion. It can speak and move, but that's it. A projection, on the other hand, is when he sends part or all of his conscious mind on an errand outside of his physical body. They look the same as simulacra and are also incorporeal, but projections can perform spells and adapt to new situations. Projections require more effort and leave Loki's physical body more vulnerable, but they're super useful. I'm basing the idea of simulacra vs. projections off of canon, because at various times Loki's illusions (and Frigga's, for that matter) appear to be able to do different things.

Now, this chapter has a non-linear timeline. We'll be jumping back and forth between Thor and Loki getting debriefed by Fury and Pierce in the Triskelion and more of their adventures in Queens and Harlem. I've tagged each scene with the location, so hopefully it won't be too disorienting. I really liked this setup because it broke up the monotony of the debrief and made it a little more fun.

Triskelion

Pierce tossed onto the table a transparent bag containing two bloody Dwarf-forged daggers and a folder, from which numerous images spilled out. Most were of the Bifrost's mark beside Blonsky's corpse, but there were a few that showed the Bifrost itself, lightning striking the Stark Expo, and a laboratory containing nothing but a man whose head appeared to have exploded. "Well I can't say I'm not impressed, but is this really your idea of building an alliance?"

"We completed our mission," said Loki placidly. "I trust our work was satisfactory."

"Satisfactory?" said Fury, who was standing beside Pierce with his arms crossed. "Tony Stark and James Rhodes are lucky to be alive. Dr. Banner is still in the wind, Coulson found Samuel Sterns dead in his empty lab, and the whole internet is buzzing about that pillar of light in Kingsbridge and the monster that chased a guy all across Manhattan."

"In fairness to my brother," said Loki, "he was not briefed on the capabilities of these 'Iron Man' suits, as our original assignment focused on Dr. Banner. He knew only what Agent Barton was able to tell him en route to the Stark Expo."

"Stark and Rhodes are both unharmed," said Thor, "and Stark has even invited us to visit his home."

X

Queens

Thor would have preferred remaining in the enclosure to assist Stark and Rhodes with the enemy he'd passed on the way out, but he could understand if they wanted him elsewhere for the moment. His blunder may not have harmed them physically, but their pride was another matter. They did at least seem to appreciate that he had taken apart the drones unassisted, so perhaps he had not lost too much ground with them.

He flew thrice around the park. Without the attacking drones and with the guidance of Barton's colleagues and local authorities, the evacuation appeared to be going smoothly. However, Thor's attention was caught by a small boy sitting on the steps of a pavillion. He wore a mask that resembled Stark's, but had it pulled up away from his face, and he was rubbing tears away from his eyes with his fists. Thor landed and set Mjolnir down before approaching the child. He squatted down in front of him. "Are you alright?"

The lad looked up at him, his face the very picture of misery. "Wh-ho are you?" he asked, hiccupping.

"I am Thor Odinson. And you?"

"Pe-eter. Peter Parker."

"Why do you weep? Are you hurt?"

"No," he said. "I he-elped Iron Man fight those robots, but now I don't know where my aunt and uncle are."

"Well we must find them so you may tell them of your heroic acts!" said Thor. This earned him a shaky smile from Peter, which revealed at least three adult teeth that were only partially grown in. He reminded Thor of Leif Volstaggson, who was about two hundred—roughly the equivalent of this boy's age for an Aesir. "Here, climb up on my shoulders. Perhaps you only need more height to be able to see them, and I have plenty to spare."

"Were you fighting too? Against the robots?"

"I was."

"Then you're on Iron Man's side?"

"I am."

"Okay," said Peter. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, but if you fight on Iron Man's side, then I think I can trust you."

"You honor me, young warrior. I will not betray your trust."

Peter giggled. Thor turned around and crouched down, and the boy clambered up his cape and sat on his shoulders.

They walked thus for a few minutes, Peter chattering all the time about how cool Iron Man was and how he'd known he would stop the evil robots from the start. Evidently this had been some kind of festival celebrating science and technology before all the chaos erupted, and Peter had begged his aunt and uncle for weeks to bring him until they finally agreed. Suddenly, there was a cry of "Peter!" from behind them.

Thor turned around, and Peter exclaimed in delight. "Aunt May! Uncle Ben!" A man and woman were running towards them. They looked about Stark's age. The man's wavy brown hair was graying at the temples and he wore a pair of spectacles, and the woman had tied her hair in a knot at the top of her head. Both appeared unharmed. Thor bent down, and Peter leaped directly from his shoulders into their arms.

"Oh thank God!" said the woman between showering her nephew in kisses.

"We were so worried!" said the man, hugging them both. He looked up at Thor, at which point his mouth fell open.

"Aunt May, Uncle Ben, this is Mr. Odinson. He was fighting the robots with Iron Man, and then he helped me find you."

"We can't thank you enough," said May. "We were getting hotdogs when those things attacked, and when I turned around, Peter was gone." She looked at her nephew. "The next time there's danger, you stay close, okay?"

"Okay, Aunt May," he said, head drooping.

"Come on, we should've been out of here ten minutes ago," said Ben.

"Yes, and I should report back to Barton," said Thor. "Perhaps we will meet again one day." He stepped back a few paces, summoned Mjolnir to his hand, and suppressed a grin at their astonished faces as he spun it overhead and took to the air. No sooner had he done so than there was an explosion from the dome where he'd left Stark and Rhodes. He spun around in time to see glass and metal flying.

He hastily pressed his earpiece. "Stark! What happened?"

"Vanko's down," said Stark.

However, another voice in the background gave a feeble laugh and said, "You lose." Suddenly, the chest pieces of the wrecked drones on the ground began flashing red and beeping.

"All these drones are rigged to blow," said Rhodes. "We gotta get out of here, man."

"This might be a good time for some of that lightning," said Barton.

"Agreed," said Thor. From here, he could see three of the drones. He might not have been able to do this the first time around, but now it was easy. As the beeps and flashes increased in frequency, full-strength bolts of lightning struck, leaving blackened, inert husks behind. He moved on to find another pair of them and did the same. It was as far as he could get before the rest exploded, but only a few remained outside the dome. The worst damage was to the dome itself, which had already been empty.

"I was only able to deactivate five before they could explode," said Thor.

"You did good," said Barton. "From what I can see, no one was near the others. Ready to head back?"

"I would speak with Stark first."

"Uh, now might not be the best time for that."

Thor opened his mouth to ask why, but he had his answer as soon as he spotted Stark. He was standing in most of his suit on a rooftop not far from the one Barton was positioned on, and he and the lady Pepper were enjoying a tender embrace. Thor let out a chuckle that turned to a full laugh when he spotted Rhodes standing nearby on the same roof, looking nonplussed. To give them a moment, he did one more flyover of the park, which was now empty of civilians, before circling back to Stark's roof.

"You don't have to do that. I heard the whole thing," Rhodes was saying.

"You should get lost," said Stark.

"I was here first!" said Rhodes. "Get a roof!"

Thor touched down a bit to the side of them, trying to be unobtrusive, but he immediately drew all three pairs of eyes onto himself. He grinned and gave a sheepish wave. "Hello. We did not have the opportunity to properly meet in the midst of the battle."

"Yeah," said Stark. He stared at Thor. "You two definitely see him?"

"Yep," said Rhodes.

"Uh-huh," said Pepper, whose arms were still around Stark's shoulders.

"So what's your deal?" said Stark. "Get struck by lightning at a Renaissance festival, ended up with superpowers?"

Thor laughed again. "No, and I think you will find the truth far stranger. I am Thor, son of Odin, Crown Prince of Asgard and God of Thunder, and I have come to Earth with my brother Loki to make allies of those who protect this world."

"Hammer. Lightning. Ridiculous strength and durability. Flight," said Stark. "Checks out."

"Wait, you're an alien?" said Rhodes. "The Norse Gods are real, and they're aliens."

"What?" said Pepper. "Aliens are real now too?" She looked like she'd had just about all she could take in the last few days.

"Indeed, my good lady," said Thor, offering her a courteous bow. "We always have been."

She let out a hysterical-sounding laugh and leaned against Stark.

"I thought aliens were supposed to be little and green," said Rhodes.

"There are certainly many species with green skin," said Thor. "The Cotati, the A'askavarii, the Zen-Whoberi, the Makulans, the Skrulls—" He broke off when he noticed how wide Pepper's and Rhodes's eyes had gone. "However, we Aesir have the same range of skin and hair colors as the people of Earth."

"Represent," said Rhodes.

"Huh," said Stark. "How come you speak English but it's all formal and archaic? Did you miss the last few patches for your galactic translator?"

"I am not speaking English. I am using Allspeak, which is why I seem to you to be speaking your own tongue. I have been told by speakers of many languages across different worlds that the result sounds archaic. My brother understands the mechanics better. He could perhaps explain why that is."

There was a long pause, one of the more uncomfortable ones Thor had experienced on Earth—that didn't involve Darcy, anyway—and then Stark seemed to come to an abrupt decision. "Can't say I don't want to learn more about friendly space Vikings," he said. "How about you drop by sometime. I've been thinking about schematics for that auto-charge upgrade. Should be able to whip it up in a couple days. You could help me give it a test run."

"Yeah, and you totally came up with that before tonight," Rhodes muttered.

"Hey, you stole my suit," said Stark. "You don't get to complain."

"About that. My car got taken out in the explosion, so I'm gonna have to hang onto the suit for a minute, okay?"

X

Triskelion

"Romanoff's final report does indicate that the casualties would've been higher without your help," Fury admitted.

"But your actual assignment—," began Pierce, but Loki interrupted.

"—Has been completed," he said. "Our objectives were to keep Dr. Banner and the contents of the laboratory out of General Ross's hands, and, as a last-minute addition for which we were given no preparation, to prevent the transformed Captain Blonsky from killing any more civilians. All of this, we have done."

"You needn't be so modest, Brother," said Thor, clapping Loki on the back. "Your success this night was far greater than mine."

"The walls of that lab are coated in Sterns's brains!" said Pierce.

"Not by my hand," said Loki. "I noticed a recording device in the laboratory, similar to the ones here. Have you examined it?"

X

Harlem

"Clever plan, my prince."

"I thought so," said Loki.

"I would appreciate a warning the next time you intend to splatter my Observatory with blood and severed body parts."

"Duly noted." He felt very smug. It wasn't merely that he had succeeded in leading the monstrous Blonsky to his death; the chase itself had also provided an excellent distraction. He'd only truly run the first mile of it, leaving a projection and simulacra to do the rest while he cloaked his real body and located the laboratory of Samuel Sterns. Major Sparr would soon regain consciousness in a completely empty facility, and neither Hydra nor Ross would have an opportunity to lay hands on any of these materials, as they would all remain safely tucked away in Loki's dimensional pocket until he could find time to dispose of them.

"Now," he said, "if you could direct me to Dr. Banner?"

"You haven't quite finished where you are."

This cryptic remark and a quiet sound behind him were all the warning he got. His hand shot out and closed around a wrist, and there was a yelp of surprise. Loki turned and saw that his would-be attacker was a short man who would have been thoroughly unremarkable had it not been for his grotesquely distended skull. He was holding some kind of needle in the hand Loki had caught, and had clearly been trying to stab it into his neck. "Drop it or I crush the wrist," he said.

The fingers immediately opened and the needle clattered to the floor.

"Dr. Sterns, I presume," said Loki. "If you wanted me to return your materials, you chose the wrong approach."

Sterns's eyes were suddenly alight with a maniacal gleam. "You—you're not human," he said. Loki had the distinct impression that he was imagining cutting him open to see what his non-human innards were like. If he were not so utterly unthreatening, Loki might have found that unsettling. As it was, he merely felt disdain. And perhaps revulsion.

"Indeed not. But while I have never been, it would appear that you have only recently abandoned the designation." The man's head visibly pulsated, and he cringed and pressed his hands to it. "What have you done to yourself?"

"I've expanded my mind," said Sterns, recovering from whatever pain he'd just experienced and cackling at his own dreadful wit. "I understand so much more than I did. I was like a child before."

Loki watched him, his expression flat. A vein over Sterns's enlarged forehead was throbbing in a rather diseased fashion. "It doesn't look terribly stable."

"This was the result of accidental contamination. I need—" He winced again. "—my materials to finish it. I know how to make it work now."

"How unfortunate," said Loki, folding his arms. "Because I will certainly not be giving any of those back to the one who tried to attack me and turned Blonsky into what he became."

"Blonsky." Sterns's face split in a grin. "He's magnificent, isn't he?"

"How would you define magnificent? A rampaging beast who slaughters any innocents in its path?"

"They don't matter," said Sterns. "He's above them now, just like we are. Just like Dr. Banner could be if he would just accept—" He broke off with a groan and fell to his knees, the pain in his head plainly becoming too much to bear.

"Superiority without compassion begets tyranny," said Loki. It was something Odin had told his sons many times in their youth. "And in any case, Blonsky is dead."

"What? How?" he panted. "What...did you do?"

"I used a carefully controlled spatial rift to cut him in two." He walked towards the exit, unconcerned by the moans of pain and dismay behind him. "Enjoy the fruits of your hubris, Dr. Sterns. Perhaps, in your final moments, your enhanced intellect will enable you to discern precisely how you brought this upon yourself."

X

Triskelion

"How can we trust what that footage shows when we now know you can make yourself invisible and send copies of yourself anywhere you want?" said Pierce.

"Examine the remains," said Loki. "They will tell the same tale I have. If I am guilty of anything, it is allowing the man's own actions to take their course. I chose not to restore his equipment to him. After cleaning up the consequences of his other experiment, I did not trust him to use it merely to save his own life."

"Alright, but what about Banner?" said Fury. "According to Barton, there wasn't a hint of green on him in the end, but you let him slip through your fingers."

Thor and Loki glanced at each other, silently debating what they should say. Predictably, it was Thor who ultimately decided on the truth.

Pretty much the only reason to include the stuff with Peter, Ben, and May was that it was going to be adorable. Thankfully, this is fanfiction, and I don't have to justify keeping pointless adorableness to an editor. I'm putting Peter at something like nine years old at this point.

I am really not a fan of Sam Sterns and his super brain, so I decided I was going to have it blow up on its own just to simplify matters. The only story involving a big-brained super-genius that I have ever enjoyed was that one episode of Jimmy Neutron in which it happens to Sheen. (Yes, this includes Megamind. That one kinda fell flat for me. Not sure why.) It's the stuff of weird, hokey '60s sci-fi. Not my thing.

Next up, how things went with Bruce. (How did I think this entire mission was going to fit into a single chapter? It's turned into three. So far.)