taken [loki laufeyson]

21: connection

The tall glass windows at Stark Towers overlook a beautiful spectacle: New York City at night. The pitch black sky melts into the buildings and streets, only broken up by tiny street lights scattered about like stars.

I take it all in and try to lose myself in the scenery, but it's hard. My mind is racing and I am anxious. I never get anxious.

This situation is so different from any other though. And for some reason, I feel myself personally involved with it. I have to save her.

"Steve?"

I snap back into reality. "Huh?"

Natasha's eyebrow is cocked as she gives me a look of uncertainty. "You good?"

I take a couple steps away from the window. "Yeah, just overwhelmed. I don't even know if this is going to work." I turn to face her, her striking crimson hair contrasting harshly against the dimly lit room.

She crosses her arms and I follow her gaze over to where Bruce sits: at a large desk seated in front of an even bigger screen. He furiously taps on the keyboard, working hard and fully concentrated. "It's worth a shot. And we don't exactly want to talk to him in person though, do we?"

"No, no."

Silence falls upon the room, until it is interrupted by a slight ping noise and the halt of tapping keys.

Bruce swivels around to face us in his chair. "We're in."

At his words, Tony strolls in, hair ruffled. "Long time no see everyone." He walks up to Natasha and I and pulls his shades off.

"Where have you been?"

"Doesn't matter," one corner of his mouth twists up into a smile. "I'm here now." He pops his knuckles and strides over to Bruce and the computer. "Right. The connection. Did it go through?"

"Yep— if by some chance he gets alerted of our call, then he can answer it and we'll see him on the screen."

As soon as he says that, the computer flashes dark. Static pops up on the screen for a moment, then disappears to reveal a Stark Towers logo. I glance at Natasha, feeling unsure, but she's focused on the screen.

The logo melts away to reveal the connector on the other end of the line. A dark, hardly distinguishable room appears. Everyone falls silent, waiting for something to happen.

Tony stands only a foot away from the screen. I walk up next to him, squinting slightly in an effort to see what's on the screen.

Everyone waits for a moment, searching the screen for a sign of life. Bruce clears his throat and stands.

"Guys, I don't think this is working. Maybe we should--"

Something shifts in the room. A shadowed figure appears in front of the screen, seemingly out of nowhere. I can see Bruce quietly sit down.

Tony crosses his arms, staring the figure dead in the eyes, looking determined and completely unbothered. "Loki."

Suddenly the screen brightens and the man is revealed once again in stunning picture quality, making it seem as if he sits in the room with us. Sharp jawline, slick black hair, and piercing eyes. His expression is taunting. It looks as though he is trying not to smile.

Seeing him again sparks a fear inside of me that I haven't felt in a long time. Years. I am not one to be easily frightened or intimidating. I never back down from a challenge, and I never run away in the face of danger. But this man embodies the deepest, darkest fears I never knew I had. I don't know if I am imagining it or if he has this effect on people, but when I look at him, I can feel the room shift, and visions of ungodly acts dance in the darkness when I blink.

Loki shifts his gaze from Tony to me. He sneers and laughs. "Feeling okay, Captain?"

Natasha approaches the screen as well, expression cold as ice. But I can see something else behind her eyes. I assume she's feeling what I'm feeling. Tony is the only one unaffected.

"Let's concentrate, Loki." Tony says. Loki looks back at him and I can see his green eyes flicker with hatred.

"Stark. You don't seem happy to see me." He laughs again, and it echoes throughout the room. "Why is that?" Loki's voice is smooth and intimidating.

Tony stares at the screen for a moment. "Maybe under different circumstances I'd be a little more pleased to see the man who launched an attack on my city and murdered hundreds." He pretends to think for a second. "Actually, I don't think I'll ever be happy to see you."

The God of Mischief, still sneering, is completely unaffected by anything Tony says. He just wants to get under his skin. Everybody is tense as the room falls silent.

"Let's cut the bullshit, Loki." Tony pushes through Loki's silver-tongued nonsense. "We're only talking right now because you couldn't keep yourself from meddling in Midgard."

Loki's smile disappears and is replaced with a haughty stare. "What's this about, Stark?"

"You know damn well what this is about!" Tony yells angrily. "The girl, Loki. What did you do with the girl?" His voice is cold.

Something in Loki changes. His mocking attitude disappears. It takes him several minutes to respond.

"What about her?" He doesn't seem like himself. But his tone is just as harsh.

"What are you planning? What did you do with her?" Natasha asks, stepping forward.

Loki doesn't rush to respond. His thinking is visible on his face. There's no way he's going to tell the truth.

"If you have to know," he clears his throat. "I needed a mortal for a little project I'm working on." Loki sits back and holds a hand up flat, palm up, and conjures a holographic image of a red stone. "Does the name 'Aether' ring any bells?"

Out of habit, I turn to Bruce, just in time to see his eyes widen out of fear. His voice is quiet and unsure. "The . . . Aether?" He puts his head in his hands, clearly distressed.

Tony glances at me with the same expression Bruce had— a dreaded recognition.

Loki laughs again at the sight of our obvious fear. "So you know what that means?" His mischievous demeanor has returned. "Looks like we're finished here, Stark."

And before anyone can protest, the connection is cut off, and the screen turns dark. The main lights in the room flicker to life.

Tony runs his hands through his hair, clearly stressed. "The only thing that did was confirm my suspicions about his return. But we still don't know what his plan involves, or if the girl is even alive."

Bruce stands up with the group. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll have to find a way to get to Asgard and figure out what's going on as soon as possible."

-

Ooofff!!! The avengers are going to asgard??? Dang. Shook tbh😳 what do you guys think?? Comment what you think loki is going to do with the aether and allissa, and what you think will happen when the avengers reach asgard. Will thor make an appearance? Is allissa still even alive??! Whewww. Ur gonna have to stay tuned for the next update to fjnd outttt :)

Also i want to apologize for the wacky posting schedule!! I'm trying to keep posting on sundays as best I can, but my anxiety and writers block have been making it difficult!! Thanks for understanding

And thanks so much for almost 12k reads and over 400 votes!! Keep it up!! I appreciate it!

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