Team Red

Chapter 16. Loki's Plan

A/N THIS IS IMPORTANT. Im sorry to say but I'm ending the book with 18 chapters. I have a summarized version planned out I just have to actually write the chapters. Anyways 17 and 18 are in the works and I want to thank everyone for reading this book and sticking through all of my uncalled for HIATUS's.

Thank you all for your support and than you for reading.

Natasha twiddled her thumbs lost in thought. Steve stood in a doorway with his arms crossed. Tony sat beside Peter, resting his head on his hand, silent- for once. Wade was on Peters other side. Clint was pacing back and forth.

T'challa, Wanda, Bruce and Pietro were in the next room over with Shuri as her doctor listed her injuries. Thor was flying all over the state, and nearby states, looking for Loki.

Next to Peter's hospital bed was Matt. Also in a hospital bed, only... Matt wasn't conscious. Wade was looking at Peter, who was looking at Matt. No one said anything... until...

"I think I've got it." Natasha spoke.

"Got what?" Steve questioned.

"Loki's plan." She responded. "At least I think I do. Last night, just before Loki attacked Matthew. He said 'I wanted him alive.' He was obviously referring to Peter."

"Obviously." Tony responded. His and Peter's glance turned to Natasha. "So what? Loki wants to kidnap Peter."

"I think it's deeper than that." She quickly glanced to Steve.

Steve spoke, "But that one night... Loki attacked Peter. Tried to kill him in fact. So why would he want Matthew to kidnap Peter? Why not just kill him? Why not have Matthew kill him?"

"That's exactly what I was wondering." Natasha pulled out a chart and tossed it to Tony. "Check this out."

Tony slowly started flipping through the pages. Steve walked over and glanced at them.

"Holy shit." Steve was shocked.

"Watch that language you dirty whore." Wade snapped. All heads turned to him. "Did I say that out loud?" Everyone ignored him and turned back to the chart.

"Peter." Tony was serious now. He's never serious. "Do you know what this means?"

Peter himself was in shock.

"I knew I was strong... just not that strong."

"Peter. You can lift 12.5 tons?" Steve was in awe.

"12.5?" Clint ran over. "No way, that's more than Thor and Cap combined."

"Not just stronger." Natasha stated. "Faster and more agile. He's more powerful than we realize. The only ones who could make a serious stand against him are Wanda and Thor... combined. Wanda doesn't seem to have grasped the full potential of her abilities. Neither has Thor. If they had, that might be different. But even if we all fought Peter at our best, I have no doubt that he would whoop our asses without breaking a sweat."

"Whoa whoa whoa." Tony interrupted. "Why would we ever have to fight Peter?"

"Because Loki doesn't want to kill Peter." Natasha continued. "He wants to kill us. More specifically he wants Peter to kill us."

Tony laughed it off like it was some joke. "Peter wouldn't do that. Therefore, we have no reason to fight him."

"I know Peter wouldn't kill us. Just like how Matt would never try to kill Peter." Natasha glanced over to Matt. "Yet here we are." Clint and Peter quickly jumped to Matt's defense.

"Hey whoa that's not fair."

"It's not like Matt chose to hurt me."

"Loki made him do that just like he made me in 2012."

"Matt wouldn't hurt a fly. How dare you say something like that-"

"Would you idiots calm down and let me finish?" Natasha paused before continuing. "Obviously Peter would never willingly hurt us, Loki would use the mind stone to make him do it. The other question that remains is why did Loki try to kill Peter that one night. Cause I don't think he did, I think he was trying to freak him out. It was a scare tactic. Then there was last night, why have Matthew attack Peter when he could've easily used Shuri to drug him? I think he knew Matt and Peter were close, he knew Peter wouldn't hurt him and that he wouldn't try to fight back. All those nights ago, and last night were all just to scare Peter. Scare him into making him not want to fight back the next time Loki attacks. Tonight he nearly killed Matthew, next time he might actually kill him. The point is, he wants to manipulate Peter to being so disoriented by fear he physically can't fight back. Allowing Loki to take total control of his mind and using Peter to take us out one by one and thus destroying the Avengers entirely. After that? Who the hell knows."

"Wanda could break him out of it though." Clint added. "She's tied to the mind stone. She should have equal or more power than Loki."

"I'm not ruling that out. I'm just saying that if Loki managed to take control of Peter's mind without us knowing... he could just have Peter kill off Wanda. She's durable but I don't think super strength is under her list of abilities." Natasha's glance returned to Matthew. "Besides, I don't know if the twins should come with us for this one."

"I'm excuse me? Pietro is still an important part of Matt's life." Clint stepped towards her. "Why the hell shouldn't they come with us they're some of the most powerful people we know."

"I don't think they're ready." Natasha switched her glance to Clint. "They've barley had any training since Sokovia. And after Wanda nearly blew up hundreds of people in that building just a few months ago, we can't risk anything else major happening. We can have them stay here. With Matthew. For protection, T'challa would want to stay with Shuri, and I'm sure Bruce would want to stay behind too. After all, we all know how much he hates mind crontol. It would be the original six, minus the Hulk, plus Spiderman and Deadpool against Loki."

" 'Against Loki'?" Peter was in shock. Still trying to process what exactly had been said the whole time. "What exactly do you want us to do?"

Natasha chuckled quietly. "You're not gonna like it."

"I probably won't." Said Peter. "But if I can get that psycho off my case I'll do it."

"We use you as bait. Draw Loki in and attack at once, catch him by surprise and hopefully do enough to either finally kill the bastard or take that scepter out of his hands... for good."

Peter laughed. "You're right, I don't like it. In fact I hate it. It seems like a terribly thought out plan and is mostly likely to go wrong. So naturally... let's do it."