"Son of Odin, I've seen worlds you can't even imagine," Loki said, his voice low but steady.
"During my exile, I learned truths beyond the Nine Realms. I studied the power of the Tesseract. When I control it... I can reshape everything."
Just as Loki was about to explain his grand plan, Thor's expression darkened—he'd caught on to something else.
"Who told you how to use the Tesseract? Who do you serve now, Loki? Who's this so-called king you're following?" Thor demanded, grabbing Loki by the collar.
His voice was sharp—panic lacing every word. His brother, trickster or not, had fallen in with someone dangerous.
Loki's face twisted in rage. "I am king! I always was!"
"Not here!" Thor roared. "Give up the Tesseract. Let go of this madness and..."
His voice softened, emotion slipping through the cracks. "Come home, brother. Please."
For a split second, something flickered in Loki's eyes—regret, maybe. But just as quickly, it vanished. "The Tesseract isn't with me. I've already moved it."
Thor's grip tightened.
His heart sank. Loki had made his choice, and it wasn't family.
"Listen well, brother. I—"
Suddenly, a blur of red and gold slammed into Loki, sending him flying into the dirt.
Without a word, Iron Man pinned Loki to the ground, fists pounding into him with surprising force.
"What the hell, Stark!" Loki choked out, dazed. "Why me?! It was Thor who hit you back there!"
Tony didn't answer.
He reached into his suit and jabbed a high-voltage stun rod into Loki's side, making the god of mischief howl in pain.
Was this revenge for being hit with Cap's shield earlier?
Maybe.
But more than anything, Tony wasn't about to risk Loki getting away again.
Better to subdue him first—ask questions later.
Of course, Tony would never admit that part of him was still a little ticked off.
Thor, watching his brother get pummeled, lost it.
"You dare touch my brother?!" Thor shouted, eyes blazing. "You shocked him? Nobody gets to electrocute Loki except me!"
He launched forward, Mjolnir spinning, and slammed Tony off his brother.
The two rolled across the grass in a blur of sparks and fists.
Thor rose, breathing heavily, and pointed the hammer right at Tony's face. "One more move, and I'll crush that tin can you call armor. You have no idea who you're dealing with."
Tony, never one to back down, got to his feet and stared Thor down. "Am, is Shakespeare in the park with us? Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?" he said theatrically,
"I don't care if you're the God of Thunder or the King of Hair Products. Keep your hammer off my back. The Tesseract's not your property."
"My property?!" Thor barked.
His eyes drifted back to Loki, crumpled on the ground.
"And you want me to put down Mjolnir?!" His voice cracked with fury. "You're asking me to give up the two things I care about most. Do you even hear yourself?!"
I have to admit—Tony's talent for trash talk is off the charts. He only needed a few words to crank up the heat, and sure enough, the fight escalated in no time.
"Boom!" The clash launched them from the ground into the sky, only for them to come crashing back down in a mess of armor and thunder.
"That's enough, Tin can man! I'm Thor!" the God of Thunder shouted, lifting Mjolnir skyward. In a flash, the clouds roared with a furious storm.
As lightning cracked across the sky, Tony's smirk faded. He stared up, briefly wondering if his suit had any insulation settings.
"Boom!" A massive bolt struck him directly, sparks flying across his armor.
"Yup, definitely Thor. That lightning's no joke..." Tony winced—just as JARVIS reported, "Warning: energy surge at 400%."
Tony blinked. "Oh, now this I can work with."
Without hesitation, he fired all the excess energy, blasting Thor across the field in a wave of searing light.
"Ha! Not so invincible now, are you?" Tony grinned, already scheming up an Anti-Thor armor for next time.
While those two were still locking horns, Loki shakily got to his feet.
But just as he took a breath, a shadow dropped from the sky—
—and slammed a boot right into his face.
"Oh, come on! Again?!" Loki groaned, crashing to the ground.
Ethan had arrived.
Though he wasn't as flashy as Tony, his vector manipulation made for lightning-fast flight.
And step one on his list? Take Loki out of the picture.
Thor and Tony were too caught up bickering—if Loki slipped away again, they'd never hear the end of it. Ethan figured it was better to keep Loki grounded... literally.
Not that it was personal.
Definitely not because Loki had once zapped him across the New York with the Tesseract.
Ethan wasn't the vengeful type. Probably.
"Don't hit my brother!" Thor finally turned around, eyes wide with alarm.
"Then maybe you should stop playing and get serious," Ethan replied, stepping back.
"I'm not here to fight! I just want to stop Loki's madness!" Thor snapped.
"Then prove it. Drop the hammer," Ethan said, walking toward him. "Or should I take it from you?"
Thor froze.
If anyone else had said that, he would've charged without hesitation. But Ethan? The last time they clashed, Thor barely walked away with Mjolnir still in hand.
He clutched the hammer protectively. "I'm not putting it down. But... I can set it aside."
"Fine. As long as you keep it holstered and actually talk, that works. Now—"
Ethan didn't get to finish.
Loki, barely standing, had risen once again. Ethan had held back a little—Thor was his brother, after all, and Ethan wasn't trying to kill the guy.
But Loki barely had time to blink before another circular object smacked into his face.
"You've GOT to be kidding me!" was Loki's last coherent thought before he blacked out again.
Captain America finally arrived, stepping forward with his shield in hand and a straight face.
"You were all too careless. You can't have conversations with the prisoner just standing there. What if he escapes?"
He sighed to himself. Clearly, these were talented fighters... but tactical discipline? Still a work in progress.
And no, just to be clear, this wasn't payback for Loki turning his shield into a makeshift frisbee earlier.
Steve wasn't that petty. Probably.
When Loki was captured aboard the helicarrier, Fury locked him in a high-security containment cage—one that hadn't originally been built for him, but suited the task all the same.
"Let me be clear," Fury said, turning sharply toward Loki. "Don't even think about testing the glass. One touch, and you'll be dropped from 30,000 feet straight down in a steel trap. you get how that works?"
He didn't wait for a reply, just gave a tight smile.
He gestured towards Loki with the same bitter smile, "Ant."
And then gestured towards the apparatus, "Boot."
Fury couldn't help the satisfaction that welled up inside him.
Payback felt good.
After all, Loki had wrecked his base, stolen a world-ending power source, and made Fury look like a fool.
Now? Tables turned.
Loki, of course, remained unbothered.
He simply glanced around the cage, then at the nearest surveillance camera, knowing full well someone important was watching.
"It's an impressive cage," Loki mused with a half-smile. "But this wasn't built for me, was it?"
"It was built for something a lot stronger, than you," Fury replied,
His eyes flicked to the camera. "Oh, I've heard. You put your faith in monsters wearing human masks. How desperate are you? You call on such lost creatures defend you?"
The bitterness in his tone wasn't just performance.
He hadn't forgotten being shot three times during his capture.
If he had to play the prisoner, he'd do it with venom.
Fury didn't flinch. "How desperate am I?"
"You threaten my world with war, you steal a force you can't hope to control, you talk about peace, and you kill cuz it's fun. You have made me very desperate."
"Oh~ It burns you to have come so close, to have the Tesseract, to have power? Unlimited power, and for what...? A warm light for all mankind to share... and then to be reminded what real power is.
"Well, let me know if real power needs some magazine or something,"
Having said his piece, Fury turned on his heel and walked out without another word.
Back in the control room, the reactions were mixed.
"What a charming guy," Banner muttered, eyes glued to the screen. "If nobody wants him, I volunteer to strangle him myself."
Thor shifted uncomfortably, ready to defend Loki, but before he could speak, Tony's voice cut in as he strolled into the room beside Coulson.
"Relax, Doctor. I think it's kind of amazing when you turn into a giant green rage monster," Tony said, flashing his usual grin.
"And besides, you're not stupid. You've got seven doctorates. I thought I'd find some real scientific minds working on the Tesseract, but it's been a letdown. You're the only one here who speaks in full sentences."
Tony's gaze swept across the team before briefly landing on Steve, then immediately darting away.
The "Capsicle" still made him bristle.
"You guys call this conversation?" Thor asked, clearly confused by the banter.
"No," Ethan said from his seat, his feet propped on the table. "We call it showing off. Honestly, I vote you zap him."
Tony chuckled nervously. "Hey now, no hard feelings, big guy," he said quickly, raising his hands. "Didn't mean just you."
The tension spiked again for a second. Luckily, Banner stepped in, offering Tony a hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Stark."
"You too, Dr. Banner." Tony shook his hand, dropping the sarcasm for once. Even he had respect for fellow genius.
"I've always thought it's a bit unfair, calling you a mindless beast," Tony continued. "Even when you go green and smash things, at least make it something cool—like 'clothes-wearing beast' or something. Class it up a little."
Banner's polite smile faltered, clearly not amused.
Tony blinked. "Too soon?"