Broken - (Loki x OC)

[Strangled Hope]

The Next Day

Tony's POV:

               Steve and I descend towards Loki's cell, the weight of uncertainty heavy in our steps.

               "Are you still certain that you want to take Loki with us? I don't see how he is going to help us; if anything, he'll probably slow us down," Steve's voice is laced with skepticism as we approach Loki's cell door.

               "He seemed pretty dead set on helping us. As much as I hate to say it, I know him and Liz have been getting closer. If I'm being completely honest, I think that Loki might be one of her best friends, and hopefully nothing more than that," I mumbled. "But once we find her, and if for some reason she's resistant to coming back with us, he might be able to convince her. Let's just hope that's not the case."

               Unlocking the cell door, Steve and I step inside. Loki stands with his back turned towards us, facing the wall.

               "Ready?" I address both Loki and Steve. Steve nods, moving to secure Loki's wrists in the cuffs. "Let's go find my daughter."

Elizabeth's POV:

               I awaken on the cold, unyielding concrete floor, my right wrist bound to the chain. A pulsing ache reverberates through my head, and my vision swims hazily, as though I'm trapped in a surreal dream. But this is no dream; I wish it were, though. I long to find myself nestled in the safety of my comfortable bed at Stark Tower.

               As I survey the dimly lit room, a faint red light catches my eye from a corner, casting eerie shadows. I rub my eyes with my free hand, attempting to dispel the fog that clouds my senses, but it stubbornly persists.

               A strange voice whispers in the recesses of my mind. "Kill...them...all." Its sudden intrusion startles me. Why is this thought invading my consciousness? Who am I supposed to kill?

               "Kill...them," the voice persists, accompanied by a mental image of the Avengers. Confusion and fear grip me as I grapple with the sinister urging. Is this my own mind betraying me, urging me to harm my friends?

               "Kill...kill...kill...kill...them...kill...them," the insidious chant repeats, growing louder and more insistent with each repetition.

               "No, no, stop," I plead with the voice, closing my eyes tightly in a futile attempt to block it out.

               "Kill...them...all," it roars, drowning out my desperate protests.

               "No, stop it, no, please stop. I don't want to!" I cry out, striking my head with my hands in a futile attempt to silence the relentless command.

               But the voice only grows stronger, reverberating through my skull like a deafening drumbeat.  "KILL THEM...KILL THEM ALL...KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL...THEM. KILL THEM ALL KILL THEM ALL KILL THEM ALL KILL THEM ALL KILL THEM ALL!"

               "NO STOP! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! MAKE IT STOP! GET OUT!" I scream, the relentless onslaught driving me to the brink of madness. In a desperate bid to escape the torment, I slam my head against the unforgiving wall, the world fading into darkness as consciousness slips away.

Tony's POV:

               Steve, Loki, and I stride into the meeting room, our footsteps echoing in the solemn space. The Avengers, along with Pepper, are gathered around the table, their murmured conversations falling silent as they turn to face us.