Temptation

Convinced...

"You have to know how to speak to him, he's your goddamn brother!" Fury spun round and pointed at a helpless looking Thor.  He knew Loki would think he'd betrayed him and he needed to make it right.

"I'm sorry, but when he disappeared, I believe he went to Svartalfheim.  He is in the thrall of the Dark Elves.  The Gods only know what poison they are pouring into his ears as we speak.  Even if I COULD contact him, he wouldn't believe me. We just have to wait and hope we can get him face to face."  Thor shook his head, pacing the room. "He may be my brother, but sometimes I really have no idea what goes on in his head.  And where Eva is concerned..." 

"Ah yes, now there's a thing." Fury came and sat on the edge of the desk, crossing his arms in front of him. "I need to speak to you about her. There's something you should know.  Something that scares me more than that damned cat." he looked across the room where the innocuous ginger cat was currently licking himself.  Goose looked up and burped, having just consumed another hearty and literally ENORMOUS meal. Being a Flerkin wasn't without it's perks.

Thor frowned, puzzled, but decided to ignore it.  "Go on. This doesn't sound good."

"Oh believe me, it's about as far from great as it's possible to be." Tony Stark stood at the door, leaning on the doorpost, fiddling with the cuffs of his suit. "Have you told Pointbreak about our newest scientific advance?" he walked in with the air of a man playing a final ace when all four were already on the table.

"No.  He hasn't" Thor answered for him and turned to Fury.  "What poisonous plot is this?"

Fury glared at Stark, his one good eye every bit as laser like as other men's usual two. "I was just about to.  Now you're here, perhaps you'd like to do the honours?  He's in your lab after all...." the hostility between them obvious.

"Now hang on just a goddamn minute!" Stark stood, squaring up to the director. "I had NOTHING to do with this.  SHIELD commandeered my lab as you well know.  After the debacle with those Hydra weapons, I swore I would never help them develop anything again that I hadn't been in on the ground floor on.  THIS one?  I'm not even in the same building as The Mind Mangler...." he set his chin and glared at Fury.  there was silence for a minute, then Thor stood and put a hand on Tony's shoulder.

"It's ok Stark, I understand.  Please, someone needs to tell me though.  What in the Helheim is going on?"

"Emil Zola?  You know - small, fat, weasley, worked for Hydra?  Well he's one of us now - supposedly.  The World Security Council originally asked him to consult on a new way of breaking captured Hydra agents.  And people like Bucky and Yelena - you know, Widow's sister? Where they're brainwashed." he paused and Thor nodded, barely keeping up if he was honest, this was just about all too much to take in.

"Go on." he said quietly, twirling Mjolnir in his hand as he stood.

"Well, " Tony paused, "Well, it seems a by- product of unwinding the Hydra brainwashing is that he has developed a method of "persuading" people that he - we - can control. They're virtually undetectable, no trigger words, no signals, just good old fashioned embedded orders and information that plays out over time." There was a collective pause as minds took in this information. "Seems our Lords and Masters decided WE should be the ones doing the mind control."

Thor stared at Tony, then Fury then gripped Mjolnir tightly, lightning beginning to crackle in his fingers.  Tony looked at Fury, concern etched on his face. This was dangerous territory.

"So you're telling me that you brainwashed my little sister in order to lure my brother to his demise?" His eyes were dark with an anger that rivalled anything the Big Green Guy could unleash.

"Not demise... just incarceration on The Barge" Fury corrected and instantly wished he'd kept silent.

"SHUT. UP! I'M SPEAKING NOW!" Thor roared. "You will tell me every last detail of this plan of yours, timings, place, EVERYTHING. I will NOT condemn my brother to a life in a cell.  I will not condemn him for something he hasn't yet and won't ever do."

Tony rolled his eyes and winced a little "Well he's not exactly Snow White now is he?  I mean, look at New Mexico...." He trailed off as Thor growled at him.  Holding his hands up he nodded "Ok, I apologise. What CAN we do Fury?  This is WAAAAY above my pay grade and I'm guessing yours too."

Fury looked at the two of them, "Make sure we get to Loki before they do.  Make sure we let him know she's not a traitor to him, and we get them BOTH out."  

Tony let out a low whistle. "Not gonna be easy, boss.  You know Rock of Ages, not known for the 'listen first act second' approach." He looked at Thor, "Looks like you're up after all. Do you want to speak to Eva?  See for yourself?"

"Yes, I think I should." He really had NO desire to see her in this state, but what else could he do?

They walked into a small room, sparsely furnished with a bed, a chair, a table and a wardrobe.  The window was high and impossibly small.  With no chance of escape, therefore no need for bars, it let in a small amount of daylight.  As the door opened, Eva looked up.  Who was this?  She needed no visitors, she was quite happy here in her little room on Midgard.   Dr Zola said she would be safe here.  Safe from the impending attack. The one she and she alone could stop.  She just had to make sure Loki was captured quickly and securely.  The only place for people like him was The Barge, the only person that could be trusted to get him there?  Her.

"Director, Tony.... THOR!" she stood and rushed over to him, throwing her arms around him. "I'm so glad to see you.  We have SO much to talk about." she seemed her usual sunny self and for a moment Thor wondered if she was really under some control after all.  Her next statement however, convinced him and made his blood run cold all in one go. " Dr Zola has explained everything to me.  He's been so kind.  You really should meet him you know, such a lovely man. Come, sit with me. I have so much to tell you about how we're going to catch and deal with the coming threat - permanently."

"The threat?" Thor looked at her, gently guiding her to the table where she sat down with a smile.

"Why yes!  The war criminal... you know... Loki."