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Chapter Twenty-One: Mass Destruction

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Natasha made for the door as she talked into her earpiece, not bothering to wait for me, or even tell me where she was going. It stung, until I remembered what Loki had said to me. About befriending someone as awful as he is. She probably thought my opinion of her had plummeted.

She stopped at the door. "Thank you," she said to Loki politely, "For your cooperation."

I turned my gaze slowly to Loki as she left, a venomous glare plastered across my face which seemed only to delight him.

"Ooh, I do hope I haven't tarnished your new friendship," Loki winced.

I took a couple steps closer. When I'd summoned the fire a few moments ago, I'd seen something flash in his eyes. Fear. The moment I'd registered it, it was gone. But it was enough. Knowing he was afraid of what I could do was enough. I was still afraid of him, but I wouldn't let that fear stop me from facing him.

"What happened to you, Loki?" I asked, folding my arms.

"I told you, all that time ago. I told you I was not the man you wanted me to be," he said, his smirk never leaving his face.

"But you were never this," I said, giving him a once over. His whole demeanor had changed. He walked with pride, but he walked like there was a weight on his shoulders. He walked like he would cut down anyone in his way to lift that weight. And I was putting myself directly in his way.

"This, pet, is what I have always been," he said, as he pressed a hand against the glass, "It only took Thor's ascension to the throne, and the discovery of my true parentage to become what I am now. What I always should have been."

"A villain?"

"A king."

"I knew you, Loki," I said, shaking my head. "I don't care what you tell yourself, but I did know you. I don't anymore."

"You'll soon find out who I am," he laughed, "But I know you, Alivia. I know you very well. And however you may have pieced yourself together on the surface, I know your powers will spiral again, as they always have."

"You don't know me," I said, turning for the way Natasha had gone, "You never did."

I retraced my steps to the lab, and wasn't surprised to find Natasha, Bruce, Tony, Thor, and Steve gathered there. But I frowned when I saw Fury. And when I caught a piece of their heated discussion.

"I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction," Bruce said as I entered, pointing to a screen that displayed some in-depth blueprint for a weapon.

I blinked, folding my arms and glaring pointedly at Nick. "I'm sorry, what now?"

"Little Al, just in time," Stark said, putting his arm on my back and leading me toward the screen, "The three of us have uncovered a secret plot. Riveting stuff."

"We're building weapons because of him," Fury said, pointing to Thor.

"Me?" Thor looked taken aback.

"Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned," Fury said.

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor defended.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled."