Chapter 8.
The hall of the Stark Industries' building was as spacious as a palace. It wasn't only a show of economic prowess, for the ample space and the luminosity helped create a place which could improve workers' performance. Sharply dressed employees went to and fro, while small groups of visitors were herded around by their guides, so that the building, despite the apparent coldness of its modern design of crystal and steel, felt like a busy hub where people gathered to learn and improve. Or so the mottos in the multitude of screens along the walls said.
Loki was oblivious to the bustling atmosphere around him as one of the security guards guided him to a waiting room outside Miss Potts' office. He tried keeping himself focused on the matter at hand, but the descriptions Thor and his friends had given him about the invaders filed him with unease. Living beings made of flesh and metal, flying behemoths, which could swallow a whole building… The only silver lining was the fact that, with the Frost Giants spawning after he had been banished, all suspicions about him being involved in the coronation day's incidents would disappear.
"Mr. Norwood?" the voice of Miss Potts' secretary took him out from his reverie.
"Miss Potts will receive you in a moment, please follow me."
He got up from the armchair and let the young woman guide him inside the office. Miss Potts' was already waiting for him beside her desk.
"Mr. Norwood," she said, extending her hand with a warm smile. "Pleased to meet you. Please, sit down."
Virginia Potts was exactly how he had expected; she was both intelligent and wise which, though instilled his admiration, wasn't very favorable to his designs. However, once he tested the waters, the conversation steered to his side, with him proposing Stark's expansion to Europe now that they had a project for a clean energy source. Even though she was a guarded woman, his speech seemed to convince her of how profitable such venture could be for both them and all those citizens who could benefit from it.
However, when he was sure of having gained her trust, the door flew open, startling both of them.
"Pepper, darling!" a dark haired man in casual clothes strolled into the room with a wide smile. Tony Stark, in the flesh. "I have the plans you asked for, shall we go over them now or- oh, you have visit?"
Loki had stood up as soon as he had seen him, as well as Miss Potts (why Stark gave her such a nickname was beyond his understanding). All the friendliness had vanished from her countenance, replaced by a coldness that gave her thin features the appearance of an ice statue. Without a word she took Stark by an arm and dragged him to the door. Loki made a mental note to investigate if she had Norse ascendants.
"What are you doing?" he heard her murmuring. "I'm in the middle of a very important reunion."
"Yeah, saw that, with the handsome Brit. I heard the female staff gossiping. Look-"
"Tony, no."
"But it's very important! We agreed to look over the plans for the Tower-"
"You KNEW I had an appointment!" she hissed. "Tony, you can't-"
"Watch me," Stark said, strutting towards Loki. "Robert Norwood, isn't it?"
Since he didn't offer his hand, Loki made no movement, though he answered in the same cordial tone.
"Tony Stark, I suppose," he said.
"Mr. Norwood is a potential investor," Potts spoke up, maybe to avoid anything uncalled-for from Stark.
"Yeah," Stark eyed him dubiously. It was clear that he didn't trust him, and money had nothing to do with it. "Well, Norwood, 'twas nice meeting you, we'll call you later," he said, accompanying him to the door.
"Our legal department will contact you," Potts assured. "As soon as we can sort this out."
And the door closed behind him.
Anthony Stark was also what he expected: arrogant and crass. He would find a way to deal with him once he could get his hands on his company. Getting rid of him wouldn't do, since he was the main intellect behind Stark Industries and akin to a husband to Miss Potts. There had to be a way to keep him busy and contented, it was only a matter of time until he could discover it.
He stepped outside the building, into the Californian sun.
Looking at his cell, he saw he had many lost calls from Jane in the last half an hour, and that she was calling again.
"Yes?" he answered.
"Robert!" she was hardly keeping her voice from trembling. "Robert, you have to come here, quick!"
"Calm down," he said, exiting the building. "What is happening?"
"It's SHIELD. They were also studying the Bifrost. They know Thor and the others are here and want to take them away!"
"What?"
"I tried to reason with them, but they wouldn't listen! They said they had to question them but we all know what they will do to them!"
"Jane, Jane!" he tried to calm her. "Did any of them do anything?"
"They have surrounded the building and evacuated the town."
"No, not SHIELD! Thor and the others!"
"Nothing," her words made him sigh deeply. "They haven't stepped outside since you went away."
"Is Coulson out there?"
"Well, I think he is, but- "
The cell's battery decided to die at that moment.
Desperation welled up inside him. It would take him too many hours to get to New Mexico for the situation to be solved in time. He cursed himself for having silenced Thor when he did. Had he stood idle nothing like this would have happened and he would still have powers to defend Asgard.
"You should have charged your cell last night," a voice said behind him.
It was Stark again, with a smug smile on his face. Loki should have noticed his armor standing by the garden.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," Loki said coldly. "But I have pressing matters to attend to. If you, please- "
"With SHIELD, perhaps?"
Loki narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.
"Were you eavesdropping?"
"No. Well, I wasn't exactly doing that, but I heard SHIELD and the name of an agent I happen to know."
"Are you involved with them?"
Stark snorted.
"SHIELD sticks its nose in everything, which is not the same thing. By the way," he took out from his pocket a small device with looked as a framed crystal. It was his personal cell phone and computer, as Loki deduced when Stark started typing and reading what appeared on the screen. "It wasn't your battery! You cell has been hacked. Typical from them. Lemme just…"
He tapped some commands and then smiled.
"Done," he beamed. "You are free from them."
"Why have you done this?"
"I hate people spying on me," he shrugged. "Could you believe they planted a mole in my company to keep tabs on me?"
"They tried to assign me a secretary," Loki confessed, remembering a certain Miss Robinson which he would rather forget. "But I saw through her disguise."
"Mm, that's something," Stark conceded, his dark eyes glinting calculatingly. "Say, it's common knowledge why I interest SHIELD but, what about you?"
"It's anyone's guessing, Mr. Stark, but I ought to reach New Mexico as soon as possible, if you woul-"
"I could take you there."
"But?"
"What?"
"There must be a condition," he stole a glance towards the Stark building, and towards Miss Potts's window. "Or maybe the prospect of having me far from here is more urgent than any matter you might have to attend to."
Stark clapped his hands once.
"You are a brilliant one, kid," he laughed, his voice dripping sarcasm. "Yeah, there is a small restriction: I get to choose the route and the transport."
"Fair enough," even though he didn't like the glint on Stark's eyes, he had no other choice. "How much will it take for us to get there?"
"Oh well," Stark brought his hand to his ear. He seemed to be speaking with someone else. "JARVIS, bring the experimental autopilot and suppress the codifying."
"Wait, what!?"
"Only a fighter plane could fly as fast," Stark said. "But, fortunately, we have something better."
It was a matter of seconds before Loki could see in the sky something approaching at a very high speed: A second suit of armor similar to the one Stark wore. The experimental part was what unnerved him.
The armor flew lower and lower, straight to where they stood but, instead of slowing down and landing as Loki had seen Iron Man doing in the news, it crashed loudly on the ground and stumbled until it smashed against a wall, leaving a big hole in it and ruining a small bed of flowers in the process.
"Ah, those where Pepper's favorites," Stark murmured, oblivious to Loki's horrified expression. "JARVIS, next time correct the entry angle three degrees and lower the thrust capacity to one percent."
However, the armor rose and dusted itself as if nothing had happened, to then walk confidently until it stood in front of Loki.
"All yours," Stark invited.
"Um- "
"C'mon! Don't tell me you are scared!"
"I'm not too fond of being tossed around like a ragdoll," Loki said.
"Oh you won't, and the armor is quite durable," he then snorted. "The beatings I went through thanks to these babies!"
Loki still made no movement.
"You want to invest on our company but refuse to try our products? Tsk, tsk, tsk."
"This is not one of your products!"
"This is one of the few genuine Stark products 'cause I made it with my own hands. You are lucky that I let you play with my toys, kid."
Had Loki never seen footage of Iron Man in action he would have never gotten into that armor, but Stark had a valid point.
As soon as the metal closed at his back, he was faced with a luminous display of numbers and diagrams.
"Good evening, sir," an electronic voice welcomed him.
Another voice, this one more familiar, joined in, as a small frame appeared on the display with Stark's face on it. He instructed Loki to remain as relaxed as he could to reduce the chance of injuries, since the armor would move on its own accord. The coordinates were given and they took off immediately.
Flying in that armor wasn't as uncomfortable as he had expected for such a primitive device. In spite of it, he preferred flying with his own wings, like when he sneaked into Freyja's chambers and borrowed her feather cape.
During the trip Stark insisted on Loki trying several of the armor's features, like trying to call Jane, which he couldn't, most likely due to her cell having undergone the same procedure as Loki's. But instead of hacking her cell, JARVIS secured a videoconference at Stark's insistence.
The first thing he saw on the display was Darcy's face, who quickly called for Jane. Thor hovered behind her, but was pulled aside by Darcy.
"Are those your friends?" Stark asked.
"Jane, are you all right?" Loki said, ignoring him.
"They think Darcy and I are hostages," Jane sighed in exasperation. "And we can't convince them of anything else."
"Typical of them," Stark meddled. "They aren't bad guys, though."
"Who's that?" Jane asked.
"Mm, it's the first time such a pretty girl has asked me who I am," his smug voice was starting to get into Loki's nerves more than ever. "I'm Tony Stark, my dear, Iron Man for the press. We could get to know each other better when we arrive there."
Jane frowned at those words, to Loki's delight, but he decided to cut her retort.
"It will take roughly an hour to get there," he told her. "Will you hold up until then?"
"I think so but-"
"I could call Coulson," Stark interrupted again.
"What?" Loki and Jane said.
"Couldn't you have done that before taking off?" Loki protested.
"Yeah but I didn't know if he would pay any attention to me. You know, agents tend to ignore you until you throw a party at your home and cause some havoc. Oh, by the way, I'll have to cut the videoconference."
"Very well," Loki sighed. "Take care, Jane."
"Yeah," her voice sounded calm, but Loki could see that she was trying her earnest not to look as worried as she surely felt. "You too, okay?"
Her face vanished from the display.
"Cute girlfriend you have there," Stark commented. "JARVIS, call Coulson."
"She's not my girlfriend."
"More like an affair, then?"
"Mr. Stark, I'm not a rich playboy, I have better-"
"She jilted you, uh?"
"This man is hopeless," he thought in frustration, grinding his teeth. "If it wasn't for his brains…"
Thankfully, Coulson picked up the phone. The agent was as bewildered as Jane had been.
"Coulson, buddy!" Stark greeted him cheerfully. "How's that going?"
"Mr. Stark! This is a secured line!"
"Yeah, well, I was flying over the neighborhood and thought about dropping by."
"Mr. Stark, please keep out from here. We are trying to solve a very dangerous situation."
"Good, then you'll need reinforcements! Promise me you won't start the party without us, okay? Stark out!"
"Do you think he will listen to you?"
"Let's hope so, but pray that your friends do nothing. Hey, wanna check out the sound system?"
"I don't think so. Test that feature when there's no one inside, please."
Stark insisted, giving some suggestion for music tracks, but Loki, who would have preferred knocking him out, declined as politely as he could.
The rest of the flight went without any incident worth mentioning, except for some taunts from Tony that Loki returned, mentioning Miss Potts' availability in case he wanted to invite her to diner, which made Stark shut up at once.
As they were approaching the small village, Loki closed his eyes, remembering the armor's disastrous lading an hour before. Fortunately, JARVIS had calibrated correctly the parameters and they took land on the building's roof without any incident. As soon as the metal plates opened he darted to the stairs, leaving Stark behind.
Jane and the others had taken refuge with the wounded Hogun behind some overturned desks. The two mortal girls were visibly worried, despite making their best effort at keeping a brave face. The rest fumed silently.
"Loki!" Jane got up as soon as he entered and ran to him, a reckless gesture that she quickly corrected crouching and dragging Loki with her. "You have to talk to them!"
"It seems someone got ahead of me," he commented, watching through the windows how Stark had gotten down from the roof and was now chatting with Coulson.
"They brought an armored warrior!" Sif hissed, clutching her sword, ready to spring.
"He brought me here," Loki clarified. "Mr. Stark is a very influential man here on Midgard and he is on our side, or at least not on SHIELD's side."
"You brought Iron Man?" Darcy exclaimed in amazement, for she hadn't taken a glance over the table yet. "That's crazy!"
By that time they were all peering out from their hideout.
"What might be so special about that warrior?" Fandral murmured to Volstagg, seemingly annoyed by Darcy's reaction.
"I wish I knew," the larger man answered, pulling his beard pensively. "Maybe he's a legendary one, though with that helmet it must be hard to breathe."
"Do you think he's as fit as he looks? And, where is his weapon?" Fandral continued. Loki chose to ignore the rest of their conversation.
"I wanted to secure the technology from Stark Industries so we could build a Bifrost from here," Loki explained to the rest.
"You can't bend the laws of the Universe," Hogun said from her bed.
"We won't be defying any laws," Loki said. "Miss Foster has been studying how the Bifrost can be reproduced with Midgardian technology. We only need to put that knowledge to work."
"What's that?" Fandral's voice interrupted them.
Outside the building, the agents weren't aiming with their firearms to them anymore; their gazes were fixed upon the storm clouds gathering just outside the village and the whirlwind which was already forming from them.
"That's the Bifrost!" Thor bellowed. "Heimdall must be sending someone for us!"
But Loki had an ominous feeling in the fraction of a second which took the Bifrost to leave the travelers on Midgard. They were close enough to distinguish their shapes, and Loki knew that they were far bigger than any Asgardian.
"Frost Giants," he said, his voice devoid of any emotion.
He was conscious of the movement around him, but his mind went numb for some moments. While Thor and the others rushed outside, a white-blue glare made everyone shield their eyes as the Giants froze the very ground they treaded on and marched towards the village. The clouds, far from dispersing after the Bifrost being gone, covered the sky to where the eye could see; they were so thick that no daylight reached the ground, and only the street lighting saved them from being enshrouded in total darkness.
Coulson ordered his men to disperse and take positions behind and over the buildings. Iron Man flew towards the Giants but seemed to limit himself to survey them until Thor and his friends plunged into the battlefield, their voices carrying a single war cry, their hands intend on bringing death upon any enemy who dared to oppose them. Stark joined the battle from the air, and it was then when a beam of blizzard came from the very center of the Frost Giants' group, nearly hitting Iron Man, who kept flying in a chaotic, disconcerting pattern to attract the attention of whoever was wielding that power.
A cold sweat broke all over Loki's body when he realized that it was Laufey the one leading the march, and that they had broken into the Vault to retrieve the Casket of Ancient Winters. But, for some reason, Laufey couldn't summon its powers to their full potential; and that was a good thing, for the Casket was said to freeze entire countries with one blast.
That was, at least, what Odin used to tell them as children.
They were reaching the village's borders and Coulson, who didn't stop giving instructions to his men, ordered them to separate and flank the enemy.
Loki saw that as a signal and hurried outside, but someone held his arm.
"Where are you going?" Jane yelled over the riot the windows made as the wind and the snow hit them. "They are going to kill you!"
"You are not safe here!" he told her. "Take Hogun with you and drive as far and fast as you can!"
"What about you?" Darcy shouted.
She was helping Hogun to his feet; the Vanir was deadly pale and could barely walk on his own, but no complain would ever escape from his lips. Their eyes met and Loki, for a brief moment, thought he saw something different in the warrior's eyes when he looked at him.
What Loki had in mind was a suicide, no matter the result, but they would be all dead if he didn't do something and fast. Laufey had come with a good number of his soldiers, even when the thick of his army would probably be busy plundering Asgard. Nonetheless, he would be confident on the Casket's power, and the key to his success would also be his downfall.
"We are not leaving you!" Jane protested.
"Jane, listen to me," he said hurriedly, taking both her shaking hands on his own. "I'll buy you enough time to escape, but you have to make haste. I will be fine but you must not look back, do you understand?"
She nodded, biting her lip. As soon as he released her she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed hard for a brief moment, to then dart away and help Darcy and Hogun.
The battle wasn't going well: Even though the Asgardians kept their ground, the Frost Giants had surrounded them, and more and more of the creatures joined in. He heard Thor shouting his summoning several times, but no lightning from those accursed clouds came to his aid.
Something fell from the sky: Stark had been hit by the blizzard, and his armor made a sickening sound when it hit the ground. Loki could see how Thor, with a last effort, could summon a shockwave which shook the ground and knocked over the Giants around him.
Loki lost no time and started running towards the Giants. Someone shouted from his side and an agent tried to catch him, but Loki outran the man with ease.
Free from Stark's interference, at last Laufey could concentrate on the warriors in front of him. Loki saw how a blast of blizzard caught Volstagg and Fandral first, then Sif's enraged shout was cut short when she, too, was encased in ice as Laufey swept her. And the last one was Thor, who had launched Mjolnir towards the king, but the hammer never reached its destination.
Laufey's thin lips curled into a smile. One of his warriors prepared to crush the iced figures, but a voice interrupted him.
"STOP!" Loki yelled.
He was well aware that he didn't make a very intimidating impression of himself: He was sweating, flustered, out of breath, his teeth chattering due to the coldness that was already numbing his nose and fingers, and dressed in flimsy Midgardian clothes.
The Giants looked at him derisively and, for a moment, Loki feared that Laufey would order them to squash him right on the spot, like he was seemingly about to do with Stark, who already was under his foot.
"Odin's second son," Laufey said with slow mockery. Apparently he had committed to mind the faces of the entire group during their brief visit to Jotunheim. "We didn't see you in Asgard when we took advantage of your brother's absence. Where you hiding here like the graceful damsel you seem to be?"
They all roared with laughter, which was harsh and cold as their homeland, all except Laufey, whose temperament matched that of his Realm; but Loki didn't move a muscle, praying that the girls could run away in time.
"They said you had a silver tongue," Laufey continued. "You once nearly convinced your brother of not shedding blood at our Realm. Why won't you speak now?"
"Midgardians have evolved in a thousand years," he said at last, when he had stilled his breath. "They are no longer the cowering peasants you once tried to conquer."
"Do you think that will deter me?" Laufey chuckled.
"I'm just offering you an advice," the other advised with a friendly smile. "They have mastered the use of fire. You won't last very long in this Realm, not even with the Casket's powers."
Laufey scowled, the Casket glowed, and a strong blizzard hit Loki with full force.
Acting on instinct, he crossed his arms protectively before his face. The sudden coldness took all the air out of his lungs, and a deep pain pierced his being until his whole body felt numb. For a moment which felt like an eternity he felt nothing, not even fear. He should be dead, he knew it, but something was keeping him alive. His senses had been dimmed and there was only darkness around him, but inside that darkness he felt warmth, faint at first, then growing stronger with each heartbeat and extending from his chest to his limbs.
He felt his chest swelling ever so slightly on his ice cage. He could breathe. He tried moving his arms, his fingers and with each movement the space inside the ice expanded.
Then it touched him: It wasn't a gentle tingling on his fingertips, but jolts of energy running along his body: his magic had returned. Shouting in triumph, he expanded his arms, cracking the ice encasing him and, with a gasp for air, he relished on the feeling of his leather armor protecting him again.
The Frost Giants laughed no longer.
"Ah, the bastard son," Laufey said in disgust after a moment of shock. "I see that Odin bore no distinction about what he took with him."
"Perhaps you shouldn't have discarded me," Loki ventured. Even if it had taken all his power to keep a straight face at Laufey's reaction, he would try to lure him into a trap.
"I should have slit your throat like I did to your mother as soon as she farrowed," Laufey spat. "But you didn't deserve to die by the blade, as a warrior would; thus I left you to starve as the mongrel that you are. Look at yourself, pathetic creature! Neither a Jotun nor an Asgardian. Tell me, what place is there in the Universe for a monster like you?"
"Whichever I carve for myself," Loki answered, feeling such coldness inside his hear it could have frozen Jotunheim itself.
A gunshot thundered in the distance and one Giant fell to the ground; instantly, without their king having to order it, a small group summoned their ice armors and dashed towards the buildings where the agents had taken cover. However, it was a cracking sound under his feet which startled Laufey, who saw with surprise how Stark had freed himself and was flying out of his reach. The split second the king took his eyes from him, Loki moved his hands and a dense mist rolled out from his feet, engulfing everything in a moment like a tidal wave.
Confusion reigned between the Frost Giants, but they didn't dare to move from where they stood. Loki could hear the echoes of the agents firing rounds inside the village, and Stark's armor plummeting to the ground, to then ascend more slowly, probably as he was lifting the huge ice blocks that were the Asgardians. More room for him to move.
The heavy breathing of the Frost Giants gave away their every position and movement to him. Conjuring illusions to split them into small groups was an easy task, knowing that it was only him on the battlefield to deal with them.
During all his life he had been trained to harness a power that seldom anyone possessed, let alone understand, at least in Asgard. He was also versed on hand-to-hand combat, but he would always choose magic to kill his enemies. He took a special pride on being able to wield sword and shield, or even fighting barehanded should he chose to, and also exploiting a force that only he could use.
But at that moment he felt neither a warrior nor a sorcerer, but a hunter.
It was a matter of time before the Giants panicked and started slashing blindly at the air in front of them. Many of them were killed by their own companions, and the survivors suffered a similar fate at the hands of Loki, who knocked them down shooting daggers to their ankles or knees, to then stab them and slash their throats. There was a time when he would not feel anything during battles, save for the relief of having one enemy less to worry about. But while killing Frost Giants he savored each death, making sure each Giant saw him as he delivered the final blow, and relishing on the fear and rage of their ruby eyes as life escaped from their bodies.
Laufey had surrounded himself with a handful of soldiers which formed a tight circle around their king. One by one Loki shot at their throats; the fortunate ones, for their deaths were the only swift ones.
The king himself cursed Loki aloud, calling him a coward and a trickster who didn't dare to show his face. He released the Casket's powers time and time again, in a desperate attempt to trap him in ice a second time. Loki felt a wicked delight as he dodged the Casket's blizzards and Laufey's panic peaked.
"It seems like I am no longer as weak as you thought me to be," he taunted the Giant from his vantage point.
At a gesture of his hand the fog turned into a mist thin enough for Laufey to see his surroundings, but not where Loki was hidden. The Giant's face fell at seeing his butchered soldiers around him.
"SHOW YOURSELF!" he roared, but only got a chuckle as a response.
He roared a second time, this time in pain and rage as the Casket fell and rolled away from him; a dagger had pierced his right hand.
Loki swiftly took the Casket and hid it, spreading another wave of fog to conceal himself. Then he cleared it enough for Laufey to see above his knees, and the Giant frantically tried to grope his way to his priced artifact, only to find the corpses of his soldiers. He screamed and got up to keep his wound away from the fog, for he didn't see recently killed bodies, but carcasses made only of skin and bone.
"The walking leech from Svartalfheim," Loki said mockingly, seeing how Laufey stomped on the ground, trying to kill the parasites that soon would be about to attack him. "They are known for their swiftness at devouring dead bodies, as well as for entering into living creatures through open wounds and eating them alive if hungry enough. Capturing them was tedious, but not as much as keeping them starving until they lost what little mind they had."
Laufey jumped and howled when he felt the vermin crawling up his calfs, all while keeping his right hand above his head and bating at his legs, in a sort of macabre dance that lasted until the Giant had barely any strength to stay on his feet.
With a single gesture from Loki's hand, the fog lifted, the empty carcasses turned back into fresh corpses and nothing crawled up Laufey's legs, who fell on all fours. But Loki was at his side and kicked him hard across the face, forcing him to the ground, to then step between his shoulder blades.
The game was over. Loki clasped the dagger which threatened to slip from his blood-dripping fingers, feeling the delight of having the King of the Frost Giants under his boot, the enemy which Odin had spared and Thor and his all-powerful friends couldn't stand against.
He kneeled over Laufey's back, pinning his head firmly to the ground, and lowered himself so his words could reach him.
"Know that your death came with the son of Odin," he whispered, and Laufey's snarl stilled in his throat when Loki sunk the blade to the hilt below his ear.