Chapter Thirty-Five: Capturing Loki

Natasha piloted the combat transport, carrying Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and the captured Loki on their return journey.

Steve Rogers glanced at Loki, who sat meekly in the aircraft, and said, "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Why? Because he surrendered so easily?" Tony Stark replied.

"I wouldn’t say it was easy. This guy’s pretty strong," Steve answered.

"Either way, for a man your age, your skills are decent. How do you keep fit? Pilates?" Tony asked.

"What’s Pilates?" Steve was puzzled.

"It’s like aerobics. You probably missed out on a lot, considering how long you were Captain America on ice," Tony said, his tone laced with provocation.

Suddenly, blinding lightning streaked across the sky, thunder rumbling behind it.

"Where’s that lightning coming from?" Natasha sensed something was off.

Loki’s face showed surprise at the lightning, and Steve noticed. He asked, "What, are you afraid of lightning?"

"I just dislike whoever follows the lightning," Loki replied.

At that moment, a heavy thud sounded, as if something landed on top of the plane.

Steve and Tony exchanged a glance. Tony donned his helmet and opened the aircraft hatch. Steve called out, asking what he was planning to do.

But as soon as the hatch opened, someone entered from outside—it was Thor. With a swing of his hammer, Thor knocked Tony aside, grabbed Loki by the throat, and dragged him toward the ground below.

"Great, another one to stir things up," Tony muttered.

"Is he an Asgardian?" Natasha asked.

"You know him? Is he friendly?" Steve inquired.

"It doesn’t matter. Whether he kills Loki or lets him go, we still can’t recover the Tesseract," Tony said.

"We need a plan," Steve insisted.

"My plan is… attack!" With that, Tony flew toward the direction Thor had gone.

Steve was left exasperated. He strapped on a parachute, picked up his shield.

"I’d advise against going after them. They’re legendary figures—gods!" Natasha warned.

"There’s only one God, ma’am, and I doubt he dresses like that…" Steve replied, then jumped out of the plane.

Thor brought Loki to the ground and demanded, "Where is the Tesseract?"

"You should thank me. Without the Rainbow Bridge, you wouldn’t be able to visit your beloved Earth," Loki said.

"I thought you were dead!"

"Did you mourn me?"

"I mourned you! And our father!"

"He’s your father! Didn’t he tell you what I am? I’ve always lived in your shadow! All I remember is you pushing me into the abyss! I should have been king!" Loki grew more agitated with each word.

"So you think I belittle you? You want revenge by destroying the world I love? I will protect Earth," Thor declared.

"Hahaha! You protect it so well. Humans slaughter each other while you stand by and watch. What’s wrong with me ruling them?" Loki retorted.

"You think you’re superior? You misunderstand the meaning of rule! Brother, come back!" Thor pleaded sincerely.

Just then, a flash of red light shot by—Tony, flying in, struck Thor, sending him tumbling.

"This isn’t your fight!" Thor got up, and his hammer flew out, knocking Tony’s armored form aside.

The hammer returned to Thor’s hand. Iron Man, sprawled on the ground, raised his right hand and fired an intense blast that sent Thor crashing into a tree. Tony followed up, kicking Thor and breaking the tree.

Thor raised his hammer, summoning lightning that struck Tony relentlessly. But Tony noticed his suit’s energy level had reached four hundred percent! What was happening—could it recharge?

Tony focused the energy, unleashing a massive blast from his hands and chest, flooring Thor.

Thor steadied himself and flew at Tony; Tony flew to meet him. The two grappled in midair.

They fought from the sky to the ground, trees falling as their battle raged. Just as their struggle reached a stalemate, Steve Rogers arrived.

"Enough! Stop! What are you trying to do?" Steve demanded of Thor.

"I’m here to end Loki’s scheme," Thor replied.

"Then prove it with your actions. Put down the hammer," Steve said.

"You want me to put down the hammer?" Thor was clearly provoked by the request. Tony tried to warn Steve not to mention the hammer, but it was too late.

Thor leaped up, raising his hammer to strike Steve.

Steve lifted his shield. Thor’s hammer crashed down with tremendous force, rebounding off the shield and sending Thor flying. Within a ten-meter radius, every tree was felled by the shockwave.

The three stood up once more.

"Are we done here?" Steve asked.

Thor finally agreed to join them in searching for the Tesseract. The trio returned to Loki, who surprisingly remained where he was, not attempting to escape.

They brought Loki back to the helicarrier, locking him in a cylindrical bulletproof glass cell.

This cell was built for Bruce Banner. Nick Fury activated a switch, opening a round hatch beneath the cell.

Fury warned Loki that if he so much as touched the glass, the entire cell would drop from thousands of meters above the ground.

"This cell is impressive, but I doubt it was made for me," Loki remarked.

"It was built for a far more terrifying beast than you," Fury replied.

This exchange was overheard by Dr. Bruce Banner and the others watching the monitors.

"You declared war on our world! You stole power that wasn’t yours! You claim peace, but revel in slaughter! You’ve driven me to despair, and you’ll regret it!" Fury said.

"Angry at losing what you had? You want the Tesseract’s power—what for? To show mankind its true strength?" Loki retorted, his words echoing in the minds of Tony and the others.

"Thor, what is Loki really planning?" Steve asked.

"He has a Chitauri army. They’re not Asgardians, but come from other worlds. Loki intends to lead them in an assault on Earth," Thor replied.

"An army? And an alien one!" Steve’s voice was tinged with worry.

"He needs to build a portal. That’s why he took Dr. Erik Selvig," Banner analyzed.

"Erik? He’s my friend," Thor said.

"Loki enchanted him, controlled him, and also one of our teammates," Natasha added.

"Isn’t it strange Loki surrendered so easily?" Steve asked the group.

"Isn’t it normal? Loki’s clearly not right in the head—he’s a madman," Banner said.

"Watch your words! Even if Loki has lost his mind, he’s still an Asgardian. He’s my brother," Thor declared righteously.

"He killed eighty people in two days," Natasha interjected.

"Uh, he’s adopted…" Thor replied awkwardly.

"So why does he need iridium?" Banner asked.

"Iridium is a stabilizer. It prevents the portal from collapsing," Tony walked over and explained.

"It lets Loki make the portal as big and as long-lasting as he wants," Tony continued.

"He needs to heat the Tesseract to one hundred and twenty million degrees to break the Coulomb barrier," Banner added.

"Finally, someone who understands," Tony said, shaking Banner’s hand.

The others were baffled, unable to follow their technical exchange.

Banner and Tony started tracking gamma signatures from Loki’s scepter to locate the Tesseract. The two worked well together; Tony enjoyed Banner’s company, even inviting him to his lab. Banner mentioned that last time he was in New York, he wrecked several city blocks.

Banner continued pondering Loki’s words—what did S.H.I.E.L.D. want the Tesseract for? Tony shared the same suspicion.

"Let me investigate. Once I break S.H.I.E.L.D.’s encrypted files, we’ll know," Tony said.

"I just think Loki is trying to agitate us, make us lose judgment. When we get orders, we obey!" Steve insisted.

"Obeying orders isn’t my style," Tony replied.

"You only care about your style, right?" Steve challenged.

"You’re the only one in the room wearing flashy, useless clothing," Tony mocked.

"Steve, don’t you find anything strange?" Banner asked.

"…Finding the Tesseract is all that matters."

Steve walked out, but he too was curious about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s intentions for the Tesseract. After a moment’s thought, he turned and headed for the helicarrier’s secure vault.