Supernova

5

Loki studied Valerie as she stood before him. "Valerie," he said, using her name for the first time. She looked up at him. "You're going to get hurt."

"I know what I'm doing."

"You're nine."

"And smarter than you'll ever think to be."

"Children have no place on the battlefield, especially not stubborn little miscreants in bright pink tutus."

"If you did not mean to use me, why did you take me?"

The question stumped Loki. He knew he had a reason when he had put the sceptre's head to her back, but he couldn't quite remember why. There seemed, now ten minutes later, that there was only one reason why. "It was the only way to ensure your safety during the coming fight. You do as I say, and I'm telling you to stay off the battlefield."

"Then you've failed. Your magic is weak."

"You don't know any other kind of magic," Loki said, raising his eyebrows. He found her somewhat entertaining.

"Says you. I've used the power of the Tesseract and the power of your sceptre, both of which I've used much better than you."

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. "I've travelled greater distances than you with the Tesseract."

"Once," Valerie said, shrugging. "I used it twice."

"I built an army of mortal men with my sceptre."

"So? I reversed the effects on my Pops and myself."

"You did what?"

Valerie blinked. Loki stared at her as he realised her eyes didn't quite resemble those of his mind-controlled army. That crystal blue was all her.

"You thought you manipulated me," Valerie said with a smile. "My parents trained me better than that."

"You should not have been able to resist the power."

Valerie shrugged. "Weak magic. Papa could do better card tricks than that -- and he couldn't do a card trick at all."

Loki wanted to run her through the way he had done Phil, but the urge passed in seconds. It confused him -- why he allowed the mortal to insult and annoy him.

Valerie giggled as she wandered around Stark Tower, fiddling with some of Tony's things. "I told you," she said, hurling a vase at Loki that he didn't have a chance to dodge, "you'll love me. Looks like I was right again. Points for Valerie!"

"All right," Loki said, flicking water from his eyes. "Why are you still here, if you're not under my control?"

Valerie tossed a paperweight from one hand to the other. "I'm stalling, you mewling quim."

Loki's eyes widened as he realised she was adopting his behaviour. The smirks, the eye rolls, the high speech, everything. Down to the way she sauntered around the tower. In his shock, Loki missed the paperweight being thrown at him. He did his best not to show how much it had hurt. Valerie had a lot of strength for such a tiny child.

"I'm only keeping you here."

"For what?"

"Papa Stark's gonna kick your ass."

"The metal man . . . won't stand a chance when I use my sceptre on him."

Valerie shrugged and picked up one of Pepper's flatter shoes. "Pretty."

"If you throw that at me, I'll--"

"What? Throw me off the tower? You wouldn't be able to. You lack conviction." Valerie laughed, and just because he said not to, she threw the shoe.