Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Snakes on the Plane

2012

Classified Location

S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier

A few Hours Later

 

(Loki POV)

I was escorted down the halls of a strange aircraft by a troop of armed guards, led by the boy they prop up as a Captain.

He and his men walk me past a window showing a hi-tech lab with a bunch of strange instruments, Inside the monster masking himself as a man was working.

"Keep moving," The boy captain orders, and one of his soldiers shoves me forward. I glance back at him but don't say anything.

Let these mortals feel like they're in control... for a little while at least.

A playful smirk comes to my face as I send one last glance through the window at the monstrous doctor who removes his glasses and stares back at me.

The boy captain leads me to a room with a cylindrical glass cage in the middle and locks me inside.

"Is this supposed to hold me?" I question but the mortal doesn't answer me as Fury walks through the door.

The boy gives him a salute but Fury just waves him off.

"Leave us." He orders and the boy leaves the room.

Fury walks over to a control panel in front of the cage and presses a button.

"In case it's unclear, If you try to escape or you so much as scratch that glass."

He presses another button on the panel and the floor beneath the cell retracts, revealing the open sky below.

"Thirty thousand feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" He threatens and presses the button to close the floor.

Fury points toward me. "Ant." He gestures to the control panel. "Boot."

He fixes me a glare but the playful smirk never leaves my face.

"It's an impressive cage. But not built for me, I think."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you." Fury responds.

At his words, my smirk grows to a large smile.

"Oh, I've heard. You have a mindless beast that makes play he's still a man. How desperate must you have become, that you call on such misplaced creatures to defend you?" I ask sportively.

At my words, a look of anger takes hold of Fury's face and he moves slowly toward my cage.

"How desperate? You threaten my world with war, you steal a power you can't hope to control, you strut around thinking yourself some kind of enlightened being but you kill 'cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. But you might not be happy that you did."

I just continue to smile as the man finishes his rant.

"Ooh. How it must burn you to have come so close, to have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power, and for what? A warm light for all you mortals to share?"

I chuckle, mockingly, in his face.

"No, I think not. I think you wanted to be the one to harness its power, but I came along to remind you what real power is." I state.

Fury just eyes me for a moment before an unnerving smile came to his weathered face.

"Well, let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something." He jokes before he turns around and exits the room.

Leaving me alone in this glass prison.

"Don't think I'll be here that long," I mutter behind the man.

***************

S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier

 

(Brock POV)

The avengers and I watched as the monitor on the large conference room table, which was showing the interrogation, shuts off, and Steve, in his Captain America suit but with no cowl, looks over our misfit group.

"Loki's gonna drag this out. We need to know what he's planning." He states and looks over to Thor. "So...Thor, what's his play?"

Thor didn't say anything at first, deciding whether or not to help us, but quickly made up his mind.

"He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard nor any world I've known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract." Thor explains.

Steve gives him a bewildered look.

"An army...from outer space?" He questions but Thor just nods.

"He'll need to build another portal then, like the one in New Mexico," I state.

"That's probably what he took Erik Selvig for." Natasha agrees.

Thor looks over toward the woman, a worried look on his face.

"Selvig?" He questions.

"He's an astrophysicist." Bruce chimes in.

"I know, he's a friend. Is he okay?" Thor asks.

"To our knowledge, yes. Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours." Natasha explains but Thor's look of worry doesn't lessen.

"I wanna know why Loki even let us take him. He's not gonna be leading an army from here." Steve says.

"Maybe he wanted to weaken his opposition before he calls his forces." I voice and Steve nods his head, agreeing with me.

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you can smell crazy on him," Bruce exclaims.

Thor shakes his head at his words.

"My brother may be beyond reason, but he is not crazy. When he does something abnormal, it is usually intentional." He says, regret for his brother's actions plain on his face

A look comes to Natasha's face and she moves over to an abandoned terminal. After typing for a minute, a smile appears on her face.

"Looking at the details from the gala in Germany, there were some Iridium that was stolen there. What would Loki need with that?" Natasha explains.

"It's a stabilizing agent. Probably used to stop the portal from collapsing in on itself-" Bruce starts but is interrupted as Tony and Coulson walk through the door.

"I'm saying, take a weekend. I'll even fly you to Portland myself. Keep love alive." Tony whispers to Coulson who just gives the billionaire a polite smirk and quickly separates from him.

Tony looks around at the people in the conference room and moves over toward Thor, giving the man a soft pat on the shoulder.

"No hard feelings point break, you got a mean swing."

Thor gives Tony a look as the cocky man walks over to one of the Helicarrier control panels.

Steve glares at Tony but doesn't say anything and motions for Bruce to continue.

"Um, It also means the portal can open as wide and as long as Loki wants-"

"Raise the mizzen mast, ship to topsails...That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." Tony exclaims jokingly, interrupting Bruce again, as everyone gives him a strange look.

Steve slams his hand down on the conference table, gaining everyone's attention, including Tony's

"Do you mind finding somewhere else to play? Some people are trying to actually work." Steve says and gives the billionaire an annoyed look.

Even I had to admit, the guy was kinda irritating to be around. Like a kid starving for attention.

At his outburst, Tony just gives him his best smile.

"Sounds exhausting." He states simply before turning back around and messing with the console's screens, as I watch him stick a device to the underside of the console.

"Loki will need a lot of the raw materials, which Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component that will be a problem to get is a power source of high energy density. Something to kick starts the Cube." Tony says, finishing Bruce's explanation.

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Bruce asks.

"Last night. The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction theory papers...am I the only one who did the reading?" Tony states cockily and sends a look from over his shoulder to Steve.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?"Steve asks begrudgingly, an annoyed look still on his face.

"He'll have to heat the Cube to a hundred and twenty million kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," Tony continues.

"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the Quantum Tunneling effect," Bruce adds and Tony turns around to face him.

"Well, if he could do that he could achieve heavy-ion fusion at any reactor on the planet," Tony says and moves over to Bruce, his hand extended. "Finally. Someone who can keep up."

The two shake hands.

"It's good to meet you, Doctor Banner. Your work on anti-electronic collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster." Tony exclaims.

"....Thanks," Bruce says while giving the man an apprehensive look.

The door to the conference room opens again as all S.H.I.E.l.D personnel stands and salutes Nick Fury as he walks into the room.

Fury waves them all off before shifting his one eye towards me.

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"Captain Rumlow, I want you and your men to run point on watch duty for our prisoner." He stated, dismissing me from the meeting.

I corked an eyebrow at Fury's words, annoyed at being dismissed, but still moved to follow his orders.

"Yes sir."

Natasha and Steve looked like they wanted to say something but Fury just continued the meeting as I walked out of the conference room doors.

*************

S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier

Two Hours Later

 

(Loki POV)

I paced around the glass cell. Wondering when these mortals were going to start the real interrogation.

Soft footsteps sound from behind me and I smirk knowingly.

"You know, there are not many people that can hope to sneak up on me," I call out and turn to face a beautiful redhead mortal.

"But you figured I'd come," Natasha responds, a cautious look on her face.

"After. After whatever tortures Fury could pathetically concoct, you or the boy captain would appear as a friend, as a balm. And I suddenly would cooperate." I say, still smirking at the woman.

"I wanna know what you've done to Agent Barton."

A chuckle escapes my lips at her words.

"I've only expanded his mind. Shown him his rightful place in this vast universe."

Anger came to her face and she unconsciously moves closer to my cage.

"As your slave?" Natasha questions.

"It's only natural," I state simply.

"And once you've won. Once you're king of the mountain. What happens to him then?"

My smirk grows to a full fledge smile.

"Is this love I'm detecting, Agent Romanoff?" I ask and the redhead snorts mockingly.

"Love is for children. I only owe him a debt." She responds.

"Want to talk about it?" I ask playfully.

"No. Least not with you."

At her words, another chuckle escapes my lips.

I like this mortal.

"What will you do if I vow to spare Barton?" I ask.

"I'm not letting you out." She states.

"Ah, of course not. But I like this. Your world is in the balance, and yet here you are bargaining for one man? Tsk tsk very cold, Agent Romanoff."

Her face goes stiff as she gives me an emotionless glare.

"Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian, or at least I was."

"So I've heard. Barton regaled me on your past adventures with the notorious 'Red Room'. So, if you're not that person anymore, what are you now?"

She takes a moment to think over my words before she answers.

"It's really not that complicated. I have a lot of blood on my hands to answer for. I just want to wipe them clean." She declares, her face showing traces of regret.

"Can you even wipe that much blood clean? Drakov's daughter? Sao Paulo? The hospital fire? Barton told me everything. Your hands are dripping with blood and you think saving one man, who is no more virtuous than yourself, will change anything?"

I move closer to the glass.

"You mortals love to dwell in your useless sentimentalities. But the reality is, you just traded one master for another. Pathetic. You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You can pretend all you want to be different, to have your own code that makes up for the horrors you've committed. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away."

"Shut up!" Natasha screams.

I notice tears threatening her eyes at my words, but I didn't stop. I move closer and slam my hand against the glass.

"I won't touch Barton! Not until I make him kill you. Slowly, intimately, in every way, he knows you fear."

I watch, gleefully, as fear and anxiousness fill the mortal woman's face.

"Then I'll make him wake up just long enough to see his fine work, and as he screams in agony I'll split his skull! This is my only bargain, you mewling quim!" I yell.

Natasha turns away from the glass cage in horror. Sounds of her sobbing come to my ears as she hangs her head low.

"You're a monster!" She exclaims.

I chuckle menacingly at her words.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. If you think I'm a monster, just wait till I turn your own pet against you!" I say, laughing madly at the woman's suffering.

At my words, Natasha lifts her head and turns to face me. My laughter dies as I see her face is completely dry.

"So, Banner? That's your play." She states as I stare at her confusedly.

"What?" I question.

Natasha turns and begins to walk out of the room as she touches something in her ear.

"Fury, Loki plans to unleash the Hulk on the ship. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way to him. Send Thor down to babysit his brother." Natasha explains.

As she reaches the door she turns back to face me and gives me a smug smile.

"Thank you, for your cooperation!" She says before skipping, happily, out the door. Leaving me alone standing, bewildered, in the glass cage.

Did this wench just play me?

ME. Loki, the GOD of mischief.

Anger at having been manipulated filled my mind as I threw away my helpless act and begin casting a spell.

My hands moved in complex gestures as a green portal, leading to the outside of the cage, formed in front of me.

"Pity, I hoped to buy more time," I mutter to myself as I walk through the portal, escaping easily from my prison.

I quickly move to the door and cast a minor concealing illusion on myself as I open it.

Three agents that were guarding the hallway, look back at the opening door, but my spell works quickly as they soon seem uninterested in the strange movement.

A smug smirk comes to my face as I prepare to make my way toward my target, but something stops me in my tracks.

A strange feeling nibbled at the back of my mind and I turned back to study the three mortals guarding the empty room.

Two of them seemed oblivious of my spell and continued their normal actions, but the third one gave off a strange feeling to me.

Moving closer, I saw that the third guard turned out to be the boy captain that Barton had warned me about.

Odd. What is this feeling?

I move even closer, becoming face to face with the young mortal, and study his eyes. They weren't focused on me but I still got a strange feeling, as if he could see me.

I reached out a hand to touch the mortal but was surprised as my hand was suddenly caught in a vice-like grip.

"Why couldn't you just keep walking?" The Captain mutters quietly as an unbelievable amount of force smashed down onto my hand, crushing the bone.

"Arrrragh!" I scream as the spell around me fades, revealing me to the outside world.

"W-what?!" One of the other guards exclaims confusedly at the sight of a man appearing out of thin air in front of them.

Moving swiftly, I placed my other hand on the young Captain's head and cast another spell.

As green and gold light flowed from my hand, the powerful grip holding me suddenly released and a sigh of relief escapes my lips.

"S-stop right there. Put your hands up!?" The other guards ordered, realizing the situation they suddenly found themselves in.

I don't even pay attention to them as my focus is completely on the young captain, who was standing stiffly like a statue in front of me.

Waving my good hand, I conjured two daggers in the air and sent them toward the two mortals. The blades easily pierced their heads and made them drop lifelessly to the floor.

As the blades that were embedded in their skulls disappeared, I cautiously moved closer to the frozen captain.

Green and Gold energy clouded around his head, showing my spell was working, but what worried me was the faint dark Crimson glow that emitted from the young mortal's hazel eyes.

"Now, what are you?" I mutter as an intrigued smile plays on my lips.

**************

A/n: Hey everyone, hope you are enjoying the story so far and as always thanks for reading!

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