What If... HYDRA Got Hold of Loki?

now the world is spinning while i'm just trying to fill in the gaps

He had to do something.

His people think he's weak. They always have. Thor's always been the strong one; the brave one; the trustful one. Thor's always been the king Asgard wanted.

But Thor is dead.

The Midgardians killed him.

And now, Loki is going to kill them, too.

He's not delusional enough to think that world domination is going to bring his brother back. He's not even delusional enough to think it will make Thor's death hurt any less, though he wishes it would. They already caught – and killed – Hank Pym, the man responsible, and it didn't do a damn thing to make him feel better.

But, though he may pretend otherwise, this isn't about Thor. Not anymore. This is about him and his decision to fight for his people, his honor, his homeland. He wants to prove to Asgard that he is willing to fight for them, and if that means tearing apart this whole miserable realm, then for the good of Asgard, it's a sacrifice Midgard has to make.

Of course, Fury and his people don't like that, but he'd expected that. Fury has that spark in him that says he won't go down without a fight, and Loki is more than happy to give it to him. He'll fight Director Fury. He'll fight Captain America. He'll fight Captain Marvel. He'll fight anyone and everyone he needs to to earn Asgard's respect.

And right now, he has Fury right where he wants him.

The scepter is pressed against his chest, and he's mere seconds from using it. He's going to hear every dirty little secret SHIELD is keeping from him, and he's going to use Fury's expertise and his connections to conquer this world.

And then he feels a boot to his helmet, sending him flying through the air. He finds himself on the ground, body scratching against the rough concrete of the ground. He tries to catch himself with his hand, and pain shoots through his wrist, his forearm, his elbow. That was a mistake. That was a really, really bad mistake. Did he break something? He hopes not.

He tries to lift his hand, but the movement only hurts more, so instead, he uses it to leverage himself up, propping his upper body up on his forearms for a better look at who it was that attacked him.

It's...

The Widow.

She stands over him, his scepter in her hand, and he feels a flicker of fear from within him – unwarranted, he's sure; she's only human, after all. But as she sticks that scepter in his face, its tip hovering only inches above his armor, he feels scared.

"I was told you were dead." It's such a stupid thing to say, and even as he says it, he knows that, but what else is there to say? She's supposed to be dead. How is she not dead?

Natasha just smirks. "Same."

The scepter touches him.

And the whole world goes black.

It only lasts a few moments, just long enough for the fear within him to increase tenfold, but then his surroundings start to fade back into view. They're blurry; nonsensical blobs he can't quite make out. The colors all bleed into each other, swirling around in front of him, and he can't help but feel the world is tinted somewhat blue – though perhaps it's just the sky. Is the sky blue? He can't even tell.

He tries to move, to look around, to make some sense of what's happening, but his body is frozen in place. His limbs feel heavy, as though some force is holding them down. He can't move. He can't think. He can't...

He can't.

There's a voice. A man's voice. A familiar man's voice? It could be Fury. He doesn't know. He doesn't know anything. The world is spinning, and he's just trying to fill in the gaps; to figure out what's happening to him and how to...