THE GOD OF MISCHIEF ensued chaos at the venue and struck fear into the hearts of the partygoers. He held his glowing scepter and conjured his armor as he kept them from running off.
"I said kneel!" He shouted, causing everybody to do so.
"Is not this simpler?" Loki continued. "Is this not your natural state? It's your unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled." Loki gave a menacing smile. "In the end, you will always kneel."
Suddenly, one old man got up and faced the god. Loki's brows furrowed as he wondered what the elder would do.
"Not to men like you." He told Loki.
Loki chuckled. "There are no men like me."
The man was quick to rebuttal. "There are always men like you."
Loki brandished his scepter. "Look to your elder, people. Let him be an example."
The man's eyes widened and expected to be hit by the scepter's beam, but Captain America dropped in and deflected the blast with his shield. The projectile ricocheted and hit Loki, flinging him backwards.
Steve looked directly at Loki. "You know, the last time I was in Germany, and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing."
Loki stood back up and faced the Captain. "The soldier. The man out of time."
"I'm not the only one who's out of time."
The jet piloted by Natasha flew to the scene. Y/N stood in between her and the co-pilot as she activated the guns.
"Loki, drop the weapon and stand down." Her voice echoed through the PA.
Loki immediately shot a blast at the jet, but the agent was quick to maneuver the aircraft away from it. Below, Steve threw his shield at Loki and engaged him in combat.
"He's not playing nice." Y/N remarked and pat Natasha's shoulder. "Don't die while I'm down there."
She glanced back as Y/N opened the side doors and looked down towards the venue. She knew he was about to jump.
"Do you know how high up we are?"
"I wasn't thinking about it until you told me. Thanks."
He leaped out of the jet but quickly deployed one of his billy-clubs that wrapped onto a nearby balcony. He swung down and let go once he was close to ground.
Loki had pushed Steve away, but was then met by a hit to the face by a baton. It retreated back into Y/N's hand, but Loki deflected his second toss. He glared at the agent, but also gave smirk.
"The Freedom Fighter. Barton's friend."
Y/N glared back at the mention of his friend. "What did you do to him?"
The god didn't reply and simply aimed his scepter and shot a blast at Y/N. Steve quickly threw his shield towards them, which deflected the projectile before it can hit his colleague.
He ran at Loki and engaged him again, punching him and dodging a swing from his scepter. Y/N joined the Captain, the two exchanging hits with the Asgardian who was proving to be a formidable opponent.
Loki hit Steve across the face and kicked him aside, leaving Y/N to face the god by himself for a moment.
He evaded swings from his scepter, each dodge becoming easier to replicate after reading Loki's movements.
He roundhouse kicked Loki across the face, causing him to stumble back. Y/N then ran up and tried to grab the scepter, but Loki held on as they wrestled for it.
Y/N let out a grunt as he tried to pull away the scepter from Loki's grasp, but the Asgardian smirked as he brought the tip of it near Y/N's shoulder amidst the struggle. It touched him, and Y/N immediately relived a memory he saw back in Nevada.
This time, he saw the same brunette with red lipstick wearing white. He closed his eyes as he stumbled back, and for a moment he wondered who that woman could be. Why was she so important?
Loki took this distraction as a chance to hit Y/N across the face with his scepter. He fell to the floor, and Loki charged up his scepter to shoot him but Steve ran up and started to fight him again.
Steve bent backwards and evaded his swing then punched Loki in the side. The god grimaced a bit but quickly recovered and hit Steve square in the face with the butt of his staff. He then swiped him away and went up to the Captain as he was getting up.
"Kneel." Loki commanded as he held the staff to Steve's head.
"Not today!" Steve quickly sprang back up and roundhouse kicked Loki across the jaw.
He continued fighting him until Loki ultimately grabbed him and threw him aside again.
Captain America and Freedom Fighter laid on the ground and were preparing to get back up and engage the Asgardian again. Suddenly, AC/DC's Shoot To Thrill played from the jet's PA system. Y/N looked up in confusion, he never knew Natasha liked that kind of music.
His questions were answered soon after as the person who played that track flew in and blasted Loki back towards the steps. Iron Man landed near the two soldiers and held his arms towards the god as his weapons activated.
"Make your move, Reindeer Games." Tony Stark threatened Loki, who in turn used his magic to dissipate his armor. He held his hands up in defeat.
"Good move." Tony said as he deactivated is weapons. Steve and Y/N stood beside the billionaire and looked at Loki.
"Mr. Stark." Steve greeted.
"Captain." He greeted back, then looked at Y/N. "Lieutenant."
Y/N simply nodded back. He was one of the first to mention his rank back in the army since he's awaken.
• • •
BACK IN THE JET, the heroes and agents were on their way back to base. Fury spoke to Natasha through the radio.
"Is he saying anything?" He asked regarding Loki.
"Not a word." She replied.
"Just get him here. We're low on time."
Natasha signed off and continued flying the jet. Nearby, Y/N had his helmet off and sat in silence as he looked down. The memories that's been resurfacing were causing him to question a lot of things.
Steve and Tony were conversing about Loki, and after remarking about Steve's age and time in the ice he noticed the young man in his thoughts.
"What's with Good Morning Vietnam?" Tony then shook his head. "No, that's not a good nickname...I'll think of something."
Steve also wondered what was wrong, but before he can question his colleague, thunder rumbled outside of the jet.
"Where's this coming from?" Natasha questioned.
Steve turned back to see Loki, a worried look on the man's face. "What's the matter? Are you scared of a little lighting?"
"I'm not overly fond of what follows." He responded.
There was a heavy thud from the top of the jet that shook the aircraft. Tony quickly grabbed his helmet and put it on, then opened the airstair to let in whatever caused the commotion.
A tall, broad-shouldered man with blonde hair wearing armor and a cape flew in and faced them. Thor held his hammer and started walking towards Tony.
Before he can shoot him with his repulsors, Thor hit him in the chest with Mjölnir and sent him back, then quickly grabbed Loki by the throat and flew out of the jet.
"Uh...what?" Y/N tried to process the whole situation.
"And now there's that guy." Tony huffed as he got to his feet.
"Another Asgardian?" Natasha asked from the cockpit.
"That guy's a friendly?" Steve also questioned.
"Doesn't matter." Tony replied. "If he frees Loki, or kills him, the Tesseract's lost."
"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve shouted.
"I have a plan. Attack." Tony flew out of the jet afterwards, garnering an eye roll by Steve. He went over to grab the last chute available.
"I'd sit this one out, Cap." Natasha remarked.
"I don't see how I can."
"These guys are literally myths. They're basically gods." Y/N chimed in, knowing their legend in Norse mythology.
"There's only one God, son. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." Steve replied and grabbed his shield. He ran out of the jet and plummeted down towards the Earth.
Y/N stood up and started looking around. Natasha glanced back and took notice.
"You better sit your ass down. That was the last chute."
"Maybe I don't need a chute." He replied as he looked through the crate.
"I'll kill you before you get yourself killed." She said, which garnered a chuckle from the young soldier. He sat back down and decided to sit this out because of the lack of chutes.
"Black widows tend to do that, after they mate of course." Y/N remarked. "Are you inferring..."
"Wouldn't you like to know?" She simply replied, eyes fixated on the clouds ahead.
Y/N breathed out a small laugh, and leaned back on his seat as the jet continued flying to base.
A/N: As I wrote this I'm just imagining the co-pilot like "..."🧍♂️
• • •
LOKI WAS APPREHENDED once again after a small skirmish between Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. They were back on the hellicarrier, with Loki in containment and the team in the main area.
Nick Fury spoke with Loki as they watched and heard what he had to tell the director. Most of it was the mention of Banner and of the Tesseract's power. Fury left the room as their feed cut off.
"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner remarked as he looked at his sitting colleagues. Thor stood beside the table while Natasha, Y/N, and Steve were seated.
"Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?" Steve asked.
"He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard, nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."
"So we gotta deal with Harry Houdini from outer space." Y/N continued processing the information. "And he also has an army...from outer space."
Bruce took off his glasses and held it. "So, he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."
"Selvig?" Thor asked.
"He's an astrophysicist."
"He's a friend."
"Loki has him under some kind of spell along with one of ours." Natasha spoke, also mentioning Clint.
"I want to know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here." Steve said.
"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You could smell the crazy on him." Banner replied.
Thor faced Banner. "Have care of how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother."
"He has killed eighty people in two days." Natasha shot back in an annoyed manner.
Thor paused. "He's adopted."
"I think it's about mechanics. Iridium...what do they need the iridium for?" Bruce asked.
Tony walked into the room with Agent Phil Coulson. He overheard Bruce's question.
"It's a stabilizing agent. It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D."
Coulson walked off as Tony went to the front of the table near Thor. "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing."
Tony tapped Thor's bicep, leaving the god in confusion. Tony continued.
"Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants."
Tony started ordering the agents below to open the windows, and spotted one playing at his console.
"That man is playing Galaga! He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did."
Steve glanced at Y/N, spotting the same confusion on his face as they didn't understand what Tony was getting at. Stark finally explained that all Loki needs is a power source of high-energy density to kick start the Tesseract. Something he suspects Loki already had Barton get for him.
"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Maria asked, who had just walked up from the ground floor.
Tony shrugged. "Last night."
"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Y/N asked.
"He'd have to heat the Cube to 120-million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." Bruce answered.
"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect." Tony added.
"Well if he could do that he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet." Bruce also said.
Tony looks at the scientist. "Finally, someone who speaks English."
"Is that what just happened?" Steve cut in.
Tony greeted Banner, mentioning how he's a fan of his work and how he turns into a green monster. Y/N stifled a laugh, then looked up to see Natasha staring at him. He cleared his throat. At least he wasn't alone in mentioning Banner's alter-ego.
Nick Fury walked as Tony spoke to Bruce. "Dr. Banner is only here to help us find the cube. I was hoping you might join him."
"I'd start with that stick of his. It may be magical but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon." Steve remarked.
"That staff is something." Y/N chimed in as he recalls his experience being affected by it. "We gotta check what's up with that."
"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the Cube. And I would like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys." Fury replied.
"Monkeys? I do not understand." Thor questioned.
Steve immediately pointed. "I do!"
Tony rolled his eyes as Steve continued.
"I understood that reference."
Tony looked back at Bruce and motioned him to lead him to the lab. Y/N leaned back on his chair and recalled Fury's reference.
"I don't understand..."
Steve looked at Y/N as if he just he just cursed his mother. Natasha leaned over and whispered into his ear that it was from The Wizard of Oz.
Y/N whispered back. "I never watched it."
• • •
IT WAS EARLY in the morning and almost nobody slept. Every agent was hard at work trying to track down the Tesseract and their mind-controlled colleagues.
Thor spoke with Coulson about how his arrival to Earth brought Loki's rage to them, which he regretted. Fury and Y/N asked Thor if he can get Loki to tell them where the Cube was, but said that Loki's mind was too far gone to listen to him. Fury then questioned why Loki was so willing to be captured and imprisoned, which was something Thor also wondered.
Y/N offered to question Loki himself along with Natasha, who he knew was a natural at getting answers from a target. But Thor gave a warning before he went off.
"Be wary, my brother is full of tricks."
Natasha and Y/N went to Loki's containment cell and stood by the glass. He was pacing around before turning back and facing them with a smirk.
"There's not many people who can sneak up on me." He remarked.
"I assume you knew we'd come." Natasha replied.
"Oh, yes. Especially your colleague." Loki looked at Y/N, who gave back a glare.
"I want to know what you've done to Barton." He spoke.
"I've expanded his mind. I could say the same for you."
Y/N had his arms crossed as he walked closer to the glass. "What do you mean?"
Natasha contemplated holding him back but let him go forward.
"What have you seen, Lieutenant L/N? In that head of yours?"
Y/N didn't answer, but Loki continued. "I've seen what's in it. And not in the flashes you've experienced, I've seen more."
"You're lying."
Loki smiled, "Your past is a mystery and you crave the knowledge...I can sense it."
"It's not something I crave." He rebutted.
Loki nodded, but didn't believe it. "You sure you don't want to know? The protocol?"
He walked up to the glass.
"Your mother?"
"I already know about my mother." Y/N was quick to shoot back, ignoring the first thing he listed.
Loki looked directly at Y/N.
"Your real mother?"
Y/N's breathing hitched upon hearing the Asgardian's words. What did he mean? Was this a trick? Like Thor warned?
Either way, the mention of that angered him. He slammed his fist against the glass, his enhanced strength shaking the containment chamber he was in.
"You're lying!"
Loki grinned at the sight of his anger. This time Natasha actually went up to her colleague and held him back.
"I'm the key to you knowing your past. I can show you." Loki kept prodding, and Natasha successfully pulled Y/N away from the glass. He kept glaring at Loki as he panted.
Loki was right. Y/N lied, as he actually did want to know about the life he had before. He craved the knowledge as he said. He wanted to know what those resurfaced memories meant.
Echoes of the past.
And his mother? His real one? Then who were his parents? What did it all mean?
"Y/N. Y/N, look at me." Natasha held his shoulders and shook him out of his thoughts. He looked into her eyes and he calmed himself. He felt bad about compromising their interrogation.
"Nat, I—"
"It's okay. I'll handle this. Go." She said softly, and Y/N gave a nod back. He darted his eyes back at Loki, who was looking back at him with a smug smile.
Y/N turned away and walked out of the room, leaving Natasha to question the Asgardian herself. Surely she had the tricks to get something out of him.