Birthright

Betrayal

They were sitting facing each other, her knees trapped by his, when Thor came into the room.

By his demeanour, they knew things had not gone well. He walked over, picked up the jug of beer they'd been sharing, and drained the lot in one long draught.

Slamming it down on the wooden table, he looked around. "Another. I need another." His eyes were dark, his face troubled.  Without speaking, Loki refreshed the flaggon.  Thor picked it up with a nod and sank that one, too.

This time, he didn't put the jug down.  With a roar, he threw it against the wall, smashing it to smithereens.  The remains of the beer running down the  previously perfect paintwork.

"Brother?" Loki stood, extending a hand to rest on Thor's arm. "Tell me. What ails you?"  Thor walked to the window and leaned on the sill.  He didn't turn. He just hung his head.

Asa stood and started to clear up the debris as Loki walked over to join him.

Thor turned and looked at him. "I'm so sorry, brother. Im so very sorry." His face, still troubled, now had an edge of sorrow.  Something was very, VERY wrong.

"Thor? What IS it. Tell me?" Loki said quietly, sounding more calm than he felt. Thor seemed unable to form the words.  It was driving Loki mad. "TELL ME!" He shouted. Asa rushed over and inserted herself between them.

"Both of you..." she looked from one to another. "Both of you sit down. You..." she pointed to Thor "you there." The nearest end of the long table.  "You," now she addressed Loki," you over there." A seat by the window.  She remained standing, ready to intervene.

Thor sighed and shook his head. "I promise you, brother, I had NOTHING to do with this. But..." 

Asa felt her stomach plummet into her boots. This sounded like something none of them wanted to hear. Loki narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" He said scarily quietly.

Thor took a deep breath. "It was a setup. From the word go. By SHIELD. Well, some sections of SHIELD." He looked at Loki, who had leapt to his feet in fury. "Brother... no... wait..." Thor realised what might be about to happen. He looked over at Asa, who grabbed Loki's arm.

He rounded on her, seeming lost in his anger. "DO NOT TOUCH ME... TRAITOR!" He roared. "I SHOUKD HAVE KNOWN BETTER. I SHOULDN'T HAVE BELIEVED YOU COULD CARE. I SHOULD KILL YOU - ALL OF YOU!" His eyes were a mixture of furious anger and devastating betrayal.  He lashed out and threw her to the ground, "BE GLAD I HAD FEELINGS FOR YOU VALKYRIE OR YOU WOULD BE FIRST!"

He stalked off, cloak swaying, gilded battle armour re-appearing as he went. Thor jumped up and ran after him, calling to Asa as he did. "It's ok, wait here. I'll get him. It'll be ok, Asa, I promise."

Asa sat on the floor as she watched them disappear out the door. All she could hear was the appalling betrayal he'd accused her of. The feeling, ripping out her heart and crushing it on the floor.  His last words, echoing in her head. "I HAD feelings" not HAVE but HAD.

In a very un-Valkyrie like gesture, she covered her face and burst into scalding tears of frustration and disappointment.

Thor dashed along the corridor, thankful that Loki was too caught up in his rage to think of teleporting. 

"Loki! Wait! LOKI  - WILL YOU WAIT!" he roared and sent Mjolnir forward to  smash into a wall in front of him, making Loki pull up short. He turned, a snarl curling his lip, a fearful stare in his eyes.

"Brother, stay out of this. I know YOU have not betrayed me, but...." By now, Thor had caught up.

"Neither any of us, ESPECIALLY not Asa." Was all he said in a calm tone. "She loves you. She would never betray you."

Loki sneered. "Does she? Did she ever? Was it just a charade to lure me back to their clutches?" He raised a finger and wagged it in front of Thor's face. "UNTIL I FIND OUT THE TRUTH, NONE OF THEM ARE SAFE. NONE."

Thor sighed. There was no reasoning with his little brother when he went into such a rage.  He'd spent his life trying to make up for Loki's trust issues. Now? He wasn't entirely sure he could do it this time.  He would try.

Loki burst into the room where Fury and the rest were currently sitting reeling from the information they'd just gleaned from a crowing Klaue.  The security council had used him - and therefore all of them - to try and flush Loki out. Klaue had the reputation that meant he was one of the few likely to be able to kill or capture the God they saw as a war criminal.

Fury stood as Loki approached, daggers drawn. "You. YOU TRAITOR!" Loki roared and brought the daggers down to kill him.  Fury wasn't about to stand about and be skewered. Kicking Loki in the stomach, he gained a little room and put a desk between them.

Loki reeled back, momentarily winded. It gave Fury the chance he needed.

"Stop! Loki! It's not what you think. I was - we were ALL - used. Think, man! THINK!" He raised both hands, his left containing the pistol he'd pulled from its holster but not used. Now he held it flat, pointed up to the ceiling in a gesture of peace.

Tony, once again in full Ironman mode, walked over, generating a shield for the others to shelter behind. "Listen, Reindeer Games, do you REALLY think we'd all get involved in a situation that could kill us?" He made his helmet lift, so Loki could see his face. "We may not have seen eye to eye, "

"You can say that again!" Banner murmured to the side.  Tony glared, and Bruce shrugged.

"We may never be bosom buddies, but betrayal? Not our style. I prefer a straight fight any day of the week.  You of all people should know that. Remember our conversation in the tower? Right before you decided to see if I could fly?" He smirked, and as he did, Loki seemed to calm. There was something about Tony's voice. The calm reasoning. The recalling of events. Taking him away from the moment, away from his rage.

Loki looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. He didn't go as far as to smile, that would have been a step too far, but he did nod.

"I remember. You threatened me to my face." He said, lowering the daggers.

"Yes. To. Your. Face." Tony emphasised  the words. "No pretence." He smiled and held out his arms. "Come on, what else would you expect?"

Loki let out a big sigh. "You're right, Stark." There was a stunned silence. "I'm sorry.  All of you. I just... well, I'm not used to this... teamwork? It's all new to me." The rest of the group let out the collective breath they were holding. "So, given we've essentially mutinied again SHIELD, what do we do now?"

T'Challa now spoke up. "Well, we are safe here. We can put up our cloaking shields, and NOONE will be able to get in, that I guarantee. We can plan our next move in peace."

Everyone nodded and murmured their thanks and approval.

"Well... before we do ANYTHING, i think you need to apologise." Thor looked at Loki, and he scrunched up his nose.

"I know you can be a bit dense sometimes, Thor..." he paused, and there was a collective snigger - even from Thor - "but I thought I just did?"

"Not to me, you idiot!" Thor rolled his eyes, and Loki scowled.  Seconds later, though, his face was the picture of panic.

"Oh, Norns. Asa."

Before anyone could agree with him, he took to his heels and was gone back the way he'd come....