Mischief on Midgard

Return to earth

Loki had a hard time deciding what he felt as they neared Earth's solar system. It was strange. A small, niggling sensation in the back of his mind. Like a stone in his boot. Or a lump in his mattress. Or even cat hair that you just can't seem to remove from your suit. It was annoying. So very annoying. Such a small yet persistent ache in his heart. A sensation that was all but driving him up the walls.

He hated it. Oh, how he hated it. It didn't help that whenever Loki tried to get some rest, the image of Strucker's dead body filled his dreams, followed by Ultron's voice. Only, the robot wasn't talking in near-perfect mimicry of Tony's voice. Instead, it was a high, mocking voice singing a child's song. The nightmare always worsened from there. Each of the Avengers were slain by either Ultron or his minions. The Sorceress even took control of the Hulk, forcing the gentle brute to hurt so many people. Something that would break Bruce if such a thing happened.

Loki would wake from those nightmares with his thoughts racing. Were the others dead or alive? Were they safe? Did they win, only to lose some of their team? A pyrrhic victory? Blast it all, why did Ebony Maw have to catch Loki when he did? This... this not knowing was sheer torture! If Loki knew who had survived the mess, then he could move on. The anxiety caused by the unknown fate of his... comrades in arms... was the absolute worst!

Loki continued to play games with Nebula as a way to distract himself. It worked quite nicely, and, as it turned out, she was a great opponent to face in their little game of 'Catch the Cheat.' She was indeed able to catch him several times. However, Loki was always able to catch her red-handed whenever she tried to cheat herself. Sadly, she still ended up having the upper-hand against him. She could win without cheating, and, well, it was actually rather hard for him to not cheat to win.

Nebula made a point of mentioning that said habit made him predictable. That it was his 'flaw.' As such, she could always count on him cheating to win. All she needed to do was figure out how he was cheating. It was, surprisingly, good training. For both of them. Well, as much as you could call it 'training' what with them both stuck on the dingy spaceship with nothing to do.

The last few days of their trip found Loki too antsy to play. Nebula grew more and more annoyed with him and nearly broken his wrist in frustration. Though she'd said it was to give him something else to focus on. Not that he appreciated such a kindly gesture. Still, they arrived without further injury, all wounds healed and parts returned. They looked around the ship and found some worn-out clothing that would conceal their faces. Nebula had grabbed a loose pair of jeans, a dark hoodie, and a pair of dark gloves, pulling the hoodie up to hide her face and the unusual coloring. Loki had grabbed an equally casual set of clothing along with a separate hoodie to help blend in. It helped that the weather was overcast and would keep that damnable disk hidden. Mind, his hair was still long enough to hide the little disk, but it was still there.

I need to get this bloody thing off my neck! Loki thought to himself in frustration as they walked toward their destination.

Well, it was less walking and more Loki pulling Nebula with him through the winding streets of New York City. Nebula let out grumbles of annoyance, but, given how crowded the streets were on a quiet day, she didn't try to pull free. Getting separated right now would have been bad for both of them. Finally, though, they reached the Avengers Tower. Loki halted at the sight of it and almost, almost smiled before suddenly frowning.

What in the...? Loki thought in confusion as he stared up at the building. Where once a proud 'A' had been, was now the words 'Potts Industries.'

Potts? As in Pepper Potts? Okay, sure, Loki supposed that she could have been considered the boss of the Avengers in many, many ways. Especially when one considered Tony's Man-Child ways. But this? A cold chill zinged down Loki's back. Could this... could this possibly mean that Tony was, dare he think it, dead? If... if Tony was gone... Well, the man was smart. Without any kids, he would probably leave things to Pepper in his Will. She'd be able to...