Beneath A Moonless Sky: A Thor Fanfic

The Machine Pt. II

Tony was pacing back and forth when Anne dragged Loki and Lanie before him, and he turned slightly hurt eyes toward his intern. He wasn't sure how he should start, or who he was angrier with. He chewed the inside of his lip for a moment before flashing a bitter smile at Lanie.

"So, let me get this straight. I open my business to very few people, Ms. Fenton. Stark Industries is interested in only the best technology and advancements to science in the world, so when I hire a paid intern, it means that they have accomplished outstanding work in their perspective fields. You're a bright girl, you are. You graduated from S.T.A.R. Early College High School in Brooklyn at the age of 19, and you're about to graduate at 21 from Berkeley with a pre-med degree. If I didn't see potential in the work you're doing in the advancement of medical science, you wouldn't be here. And yet, here you are, throwing all of that back in my face. For what? Good old Reindeer Games?"

Lanie didn't know what to say, she felt tiny next to her boss and her throat felt dry, like it was closing in on her. She couldn't speak. Her large brown eyes were shining with unshed tears, and Loki knew he had to think of something fast. She had frozen. Loki gestured grandly with his hands, putting on an award-winning smile as he took a step toward Tony. "Anthony--"

"Tony." He corrected icily, causing Loki to put his hands up in surrender.

"Tony. Don't be angry with her, this is on me. Alaine was only concerned for her employer, otherwise she would have never helped me get in here."

Tony narrowed his eyes at Loki, as if trying to figure out what he was playing at, before slowly shifting his gaze toward Lanie. He could see the fear and anxiety written on her features and the severity of his tone softened slightly. "Concerned for me? Why? I'm giving you thirty seconds."

Loki fought the urge to roll his eyes; Tony and Anne sounded just alike...no wonder they were married. Loki had asked Lanie not to tell Tony about the blueprints...but the more he thought about it, the more he second guessed that decision. Stark hadn't seemed like he'd known that no one remembered New York, and yet, the machines schematics were in his library, written and signed by his hand. Loki could twist that to work in their favor, and he reached around to lay a reassuring hand on the small of Lanie's back. "There is something you should see. We came here to prove something to you...to warn you."

Loki pulled the prints from his armor and Lanie's eyes widened, staring at him awestricken for several seconds. Was he doing this for her? As Tony's eyes scanned the document, Loki winked at Lanie, his hand rubbing soothing circles on the small of her back. Everything was going to be okay, he had this.

"What the hell is this?" Tony asked, glancing over at his wife before handing the documents off to her. Her brow creased, shaking her head repeatedly as she read over the document.

"When did you sign this? You told me you didn't know anything about the mind erasing."

"Baby, I don't, I don't know what this is."

Loki couldn't help the smirk that curled at the corner of his lips, and his dark blue eyes stared thoughtfully at Tony. He had the man of iron right where he wanted him. Clint had told him all he needed to know about all the Avengers when he'd attempted his take on Earth all those months ago, he knew how infuriated this would make someone like Stark. Someone who needed to be in control. Someone like him. "There is a reason you don't know, and if you want to find out, you're going to have to help me."

Tony sneered at the god, he was more than tired of Asgardians coming to his planet and making demands. As far as he was concerned, they didn't belong here, no matter what his opinion of Thor was. Everything had been better on Earth before they'd arrived, and that was a fact. "If you think using my intern to get to me is going to work, you're sorely mistaken. You might have her fooled, but she doesn't know what you and I know. Have you told her, Loki? Do you think she'd remain as blindly loyal to you if she knew what you'd done?"