Loki Laufeyson - One Person
Loki Laufeyson - One Person
I sat at the kitchen worktop quietly, staring at nothing in particular. Everyone but Amelie was in the tower this evening.
Thor and Barton were bickering lightheartedly on the sofas, while Ms Romanov and Bucky observed them without intervening. The two of them chatted in between sips of their beers, giggling quietly.
Stark and Dr Banner were nearby me in the kitchen, discussing Bruce's recent experiments. I simply listened, content to observe from the sidelines. Tony was by far the most fascinating person here; he was brash, bold, and energetic in everything he did; his enthusiasm for scientific exploration infectious. His conversations with Bruce always sounded complex and deeply inquisitive, and it seemed that every minute the two of them spent together yielded some new discovery or insight into whatever they were working on. Were they on Asgard, I was certain they'd be capable of keeping pace with even our most brilliant scholars.
"...Don't you think Loki?"
My head snapped to Tony as his question broke through my thoughts. "Sorry?"
He smirked. "Checked out, huh? Well Banner it seems Loki nodded off during your riveting theories. Who could blame him?”
Bruce smiled at me softly. "You okay?"
"Course he is, he's in Stark tower." Tony moved around the island, a glass of whiskey in his hand. "Alright Christmas Tree, what's eatin' you?"
I'd been so consumed in my thoughts that I hadn't realised how tense I'd gotten. "Nothing, I'm fine."
"You don't look it." Tony said knowingly.
"Well, I was just thinking about how much I would like to hear your thoughts on Bruce's theories." I joked.
Stark grinned. "Oh, so now you're asking me to flaunt my genius. That's fair. Everyone knows I'm the smartest guy in the room."
I smirked. "I've heard that before."
"And you don't believe it?"
I shrugged. "I think I'd have to see it for myself first."
"Well, that's alright. Got enough proof round here, you know. Iron Man suits, the arc reactor, Friday, etcetera etcetera." He finished off the rest of his whiskey and set the glass on the counter before making his way out, a mischievous grin on his face. "Hold that thought Rock of Ages."
The others spilled into the kitchen as Tony left, looking at each other knowingly. Thor wore a rather bemused expression. "What's going on?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It appears Tony is going to give Loki a demonstration of his genius." Bruce replied with a wry smile.
Bucky snorted, bringing his beer to his lips. "Humble that one."
"You only just noticed?" Clint laughed.
Before anyone had time to respond, Steve charged into the room with a wild urgency. His eyes were ablaze and his face was contorted in determination. "Suit up guys." He said, his voice calm but commanding.
A wave of unease struck the room as the jovial atmosphere shattered like a pane of glass. Everyone stood up abruptly, exchanging fearful glances between each other. Natasha's demeanour changed in an instant, her voice sharp and demanding as she addressed Steve. "What's happening?"
Tony thundered back into the room, radiating a seething anger. His face was twisted with rage and I recoiled as he passed, stunned by the fury emanating from his body. He marched to the kitchen and snatched up his Colantotte Bracelets with a grip so tight his knuckles turned white. A chill crept up my spine as I looked to him in fear, unable to comprehend what had caused this ferocity to descend upon Tony Stark.
An urgent voice sliced through my consciousness like a razor, warning me that only one thing in this world could be powerful enough to cause such an upheaval in him. There was only one person who's potential loss would tear his world apart, obliterating all else in his need to protect her. That one soul whose absence would rip apart the fabric of his life, driving out any logic or reason in an all-consuming desire to keep her safe from harm.
My heart pounded furiously in my chest as I felt icy claws squeeze the air from my throat. Bucky took a menacing step towards Stark, his body becoming cold and rigid like the Winter Soldier of old, his face now an unmovable sculpture of fury and determination. His voice emerged, a deep rumble like thunder. "Where." He demanded, seemingly having realised the same thing I had.
"Somebody talk to me, what is happening?!" Clint asked, his eyes snapping between Bucky and Stark.
Tony didn't even turn around, his jaw set with determination as he snapped the bracelets onto his wrists. In an instant, a shimmering wall of armour enveloped his body, each scale interlocking until he was completely encased. His face remained visible but it had transformed into something unrecognisable, his expression hardened with a steely resolve. "They took Amelie."
My veins ran cold. I was catatonic, petrified to the spot as my eyes were glued to the empty landing pad that Tony had just left from. It would take only a minute for the Avengers to suit-up, but each second felt like an eternity as every muscle in my body tensed with anticipation. Bucky was a living testament of red-hot fury beside me, his anger so palpable it could have seared through steel.
Stark had left immediately, leaving Steve to fill us in. The group from Phoenix had ambushed Lauren and Amelie in the city, taking Amelie hostage. Lauren had run back to the tower, arriving just as Tony had left the lounge for his lab.
Thankfully, Amelie's phone had a tracking device, but the signal was weak.
Steve and Clint came into the room, Barton speaking urgently into an earpiece, with Thor and Banner close behind them. The stillness on the ground was deafening as we watched Natasha bring a jet to the landing pad. I felt my world shifting and becoming surreal - colours, sounds and shapes crystallising into a hyperreal mutation. We scrambled onto the plane with panicked energy and took off in a wild hail of engines and wind like a speeding bullet. The sun rose over us, gradually staining the sky with reds and oranges until we were cloaked in a blanket of clouds. I felt like I was in a trance, a dream-like state where reality and fantasy morphed together into something beyond comprehension.
Bruce ran diagnostics on Amelie's phone, his voice growing increasingly concerned. "Her signal is weak." He said, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "She's likely underground."
Tony's coordinates and Bruce's diagnostics took us to an abandoned building in Phoenix. The jet slowed as we descended, and I peered out the window at the decrepit structure below. It seemed to be in a state of disrepair, its windows boarded up and the walls covered in graffiti. There was no sign of anyone inside - no sound, no movement - just an eerie peace that made my skin crawl.
We entered cautiously, all senses on high alert. It was dark and dank with only a few pieces of furniture scattered about; it felt like the air had been sucked out of the place long ago. A thick layer of dust covered everything in sight while cobwebs hung from every corner like a veil between our world and one from another time.
Thor's voice broke the silence. "Where is Tony?"
The Avengers split up to investigate different parts of the building, while Steve and Bucky remained at the entrance. They checked each room diligently, but there was no sign of Amelie or Tony.
Suddenly, something shiny caught my eye. Lying on the ground in the corner was a pair of Tony's bracers, their metallic surface still warm from his skin. I gasped and Steve rushed over, picking them up carefully and handing them to Banner. "He was here." He said quietly, examining them intently with his eyebrows knitted in concentration. After a few moments he spoke up. "These are coded to Tony's location, I think they might be able to provide us with a lead."
We followed Bruce further into the building. One room contained an old claw-foot bathtub that was filled with leaves and gunk, another held a half-full box of sandbags that had likely been used to plug up holes in the roof during winter storms. Finally we came to a small desolate kitchen. There was no refrigerator or stove, just a sink and several broken units, the countertops stained yellow with cigarette burns.
In the corner there was a small pantry cupboard with the door half of it's hinges. "It looks like someone forced the door open." Steve murmured, crouching down to inspect it closer.
The rest of us exchanged puzzled glances, but Bucky strode forward and kicked it open, revealing a passage leading down into the darkness; a set of winding stone stairs that seemed to go on forever.
Bucky turned to face us, his voice dripping with blunt sarcasm. "Shall we?"
One by one, we all descended the stairs, eventually emerging into a large corridor. The walls were dark and a strong smell of disinfectant hung in the air. "Where are we?" Clint asked, his voice echoing in the quiet.
We crept along the dimly lit corridor, each large window showing darkened rooms. The eerie fluorescent lighting illuminated countless metallic surfaces, hinting at large laboratories with test tubes and beakers full of mysterious substances. Inside, monitors flashed with incomprehensible data, the walls lined with complicated machinery and computers, each one whirring softly.
The air was thick and oppressive, and I could barely stand the anticipation as Bucky gently pushed the last door ajar. Before we knew it, the loud humming noise of a weapon charging filled every inch of the room, causing us to raise ours in defence.
We came face to face with Tony Stark, his repulsors aimed at us unsteadily. He was kneeling on the ground, thick smoke puffing from scorched patches of his heavily-armoured suit and his signature mask absent from his face. Banner instantly dropped to his knees beside him and we quickly lowered our weapons.
"Stark!?" Clint's voice was incredulous. "What happened?"
"Just taking a nap." Tony winced as Bruce helped him to his feet. "Felt like a good time for a breather. Honestly, I thought I could squeeze in some rest before getting obliterated.”
I scanned the room with trepidation, not daring to take another step. Everywhere I looked, there was evidence of combat; charred walls, strewn weapons, and splatters of blood on the ground that glimmered in the low light. A chill ran through me as my gaze lingered on the macabre scene.
I looked back to Tony, my heart pounding as I saw the intensity of his anger. His face was set like stone with an expression, etched deep into his features, so filled with rage that it seemed as if it had been carved out by hatred itself. He met my eyes, his anger burning into my skin like a scorching iron. "They're using her as a bargaining chip." He spat. "Her life, for their serum."