The Darkside Has Cookies

[starkingenuity]

It was supposed to be an easy fix. Sit back, let Loki do the work, clean up after. He didn’t understand how things could go so downhill, so fast. The Hulk was out and about, Thor was occupied, Black Widow-- She was a joke. The so-called X-Men were still trying to find their really terrible costumes and get to New York to help. Spider-man was cracking jokes somewhere—

Easy. It should have been so easy!

But nooooo. No, Loki had to take invasion a little too seriously and get in over his idiot head. Fury turned away from the console and glanced at the brooding blond to his left. “Suit up. Take the team. Help out with the Chitauri if you have to, but focus on the scepter. I’m not ready to welcome our alien overloads just yet, Rogers.”

Comments

[starkingenuity]

"I don't think I will," Loki grinned, looking less hollow and sunken in than he had been previously the first time SHIELD detected him. "I think I rather like the idea of strangling the life out of him."

Tony did not like that idea and he dug his nails into leather gauntlets. Little help that did.

[starspangledspandex]

The Soldier didn't particularly approve of this plan either. His orders were clear. He stood shifting slightly as he eyed Loki and his gaze flicked to Tony. Something needed to be done unfortunately it might hurt a little.

He charged, sliding a small metal disc from his belt and tossing it as he did. It would give Loki--and by extension, Tony--a nice zap. It should be enough to get the god to let him go.

[starkingenuity]

Hey, you know what Tony didn't like about this plan? Everything! What part of demigod didn't the Soldier get during the mission briefing? Or had he not been paying attention to Steve's side of things again? Fuck. Maybe he just liked messing with him. Honestly, Tony liked messing with the Soldier too, but not in a way that would leave him twitching on the ground, nearly pissing himself.

Loki, however, did let his quarry go. He muttered something and shook out his hand but took the shock far better than Tony. Tony wasn't going to be grateful though. Even if he kind of saw the benefit to the Soldier's decision now that the convulsions stopped.

Loki turned his attention to the Soldier. He was unarmed but still strong-- he just wasn't stronger than the Soldier. "You'll pay for that."

[starspangledspandex]

The Soldier was not as aware when Steve was in control as most people seemed to think. Sure he picked up buts and pieces but there were still things that were lost. Tony should know this by now. If the team was going to need the Soldier, it was better to orchestrate a meeting directly with him instead of Steve.

Still, it accomplished what he wanted to happen. Loki dropped Tony and the other man wouldn't be strangled to death. There really wasn't another way he could guarantee it.

The Soldier said nothing as Loki turned toward him, silent as ever. He had warned the god. He simply stood ready to see what Loki would do now.

[starkingenuity]

Tony was always going to think less of everyone that wasn't himself. He was always going to forget important details. Like his social security number for instance. And maybe he'd start forgetting his birthday to defy getting older because man, man it made falling and being shocked more miserable than it might have at twenty-five!

He had decided to try to pick himself up, not watching as Loki grabbed for the Soldier to toss him from the window. Likely bad move there but he did have a knife.

[starspangledspandex]

The Soldier didn't have personal vendettas. He didn't play tricks on people. He wasn't anything but a weapon. Another thing Tony should know and didn't, but it was unlikely to change anytime soon.

He wasn't an easy person to get ahold of either. The Soldier was fast but he was also strong, enough to be a match for the god and he used his bodyweight against him. He grabbed Loki in return and shoved off the ground, flipping them both in an aim to smash Loki into the floor of the tower.

[starkingenuity]

It was obvious that Loki wasn't ready for Steve. Why? He had gotten as much information as SHIELD supposedly had when he took over. Who had been holding back on him? The god hit the floor hard and Tony actually grinned as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Make sure he can't talk."

Were the tongues of gods as immortal as they were suppose to be?

[starspangledspandex]

The Soldier rolled back to his feet and gave Tony a silent questioning look. The order made enough sense but it wasn't logical either. Any vendetta against Loki really wasn't his concern. He was supposed to follow orders and he would if that was decided, but he was also an objective viewpoint.

"He may have information we need," the Soldier said as he crouched next to Loki. "I need a secondary confirmation."

[starkingenuity]

Sometimes he could really hate the Soldier. "He saw m-- J?"

The AI responded with an immediate 'yes sir,' before Tony told him to get him a secure line directly to Fury, Iron Man protocol 17-Alpha. It was important.

Loki was already starting to stir however. Tony pointed to the god in annoyance as he was patched in to Fury securely. "Yes Iron Man?"

"Target knows," he grunted. "He'll blow the cover. Soldier needs a second vocal confirmation to do something about that. My suggestion would be tongue removal. He can still write. Slowly."

[starspangledspandex]

No, what Tony really hated was the Soldier's training. It was strict, without much leeway for interpretation and it needed to be. He was the most dangerous assassin on the planet and basically superhuman besides. They didn't need that running amok blindly or being twisted by his handlers.

They could almost hear Fury frowning beyond the radio. They didn't intend to keep Loki as a prisoner of war and with Thor not around, well, accidents happen. "Leave it," Fury said finally. "Get what information you can and end him. As long as he's alive he's a liability."

Fury hated to lose that source of information but there was always a way to convey information and if he knew, he needed to go.

[starkingenuity]

"Get him to the vault," Tony commanded the Soldier. If it could hold Banner when he was having bad days, lined with vibranium, it could hold Loki. "We'll begin interrogation after we stop the invasion."

That shouldn't need a second vocal acknowledgement.

"I'm going to scurry down to the street now looking bruised and bloody and scared. You should put Thor on scepter duty. I'll join you in an hour or so. Get what you can from him."

The Iron Man armor was already running interference on the roof any way.

[starspangledspandex]

Loki might have been stirring but the Soldier smacked his head hard against the floor to put him out again and nodded, "Confirmed."

He threw the God over his shoulder without any difficulty and immediately stalked out to do just that. The rest of the orders were relayed to the team, clipped and firm. They needed to finish this. After he locked Loki away, he returned to the battlefield and scaled the building to find Thor at the top with the scepter.

"I can close it," he said, twisting toward the Soldier.

"Do it," he responded, eyes raising to the portal. There would still be cleanup to do but at least there wouldn't be anymore coming through it.

[starkingenuity]

Tony gave his appearance. He rushed around trying to help people from his building and eventually was taken in by the police to transport to safety. Tony let himself be taken across town and in the chaos of another Chitauri attack, one of the Leviathans swooping down over them, he broke away and headed recklessly back to the tower. He arrived just as Thor closed the portal and the Chitauri fell over dead. Good. The splattering sky monsters were going to end up making more of a mess. That would leave the Avengers busy while he and the Soldier interrogated Loki.

Tony arrived to the vault looking pretty worse for wear and waited for the Soldier to join him before stepping inside.

[starspangledspandex]

Hydra plants made excuses for the Soldier to steal away from the clean-up. Steve would have stayed and helped but he wouldn't do what they wanted to Loki. They needed the Soldier for that too so they would have to sacrifice some of the Captain's image. Press would be told he had minor injuries. It would be forgotten.

His eyes flicked over Tony as he approached and turned his attention on Loki, stepping through the door silently. The Soldier was dirty but uninjured. Tony was the one that suffered a major electrical shock. He likely should be seeing a doctor but well, that wasn't The Soldier's judgment to make. Where Steve would have argued he remained silent.

He assumed that Tony would be asking questions. So his eyes shifted back to him once he confirmed that Loki was both awake and aware of them, but also not immediately prepared to attack.

[starkingenuity]

That was the one thing he liked about his charge. The Soldier was quiet. He stayed in the back until he was needed. Tony appreciated that. He took the point here, looking absolutely like he should have let the medical team do more than put a butterfly bandage over the lower edge of his split lip. He grinned but it hurt.

"So why all this? Out of curiosity. Just a vendetta against your brother? Because that's mean. Take his ball and go home. Don't go doing wheelies in the neighbor's yard."

[starspangledspandex]

Loki only grins as he looks between them. He's aware of his situation here but he's useful to people in power. They've promised him things. In return, they need things only he can get his hands on. They'll come for him. It's only a matter of biding his time. At least he can amuse himself with these mortals in the meantime.

"Hardly," he replies with the same grin. His head is killing him but he'll survive. "It is simply convenient that this upsets Thor."

[starkingenuity]

"That would have been far too easy," Tony sighed. Far too easy. "Other than that cube. Powerful energy. We get it. Everyone wants infinite energy. Powers the universe. But why?"

They only had an hour. After that, if Loki didn't speak, they would have to figure it out on their own while Steve tried to figure out why his boots smelled like bleach from the cleaning process to get all the blood off of them.

[starspangledspandex]

Loki isn't the one that wants the cube. The one that promised him Earth wants it. He'll have it too. One way or another. Stopping the god just delays the inevitable. He's seen real power. The humans have no idea.

"If everyone wishes for it, you already have your answer," Loki responds, canting his head at Tony and ignoring the Soldier hovering in the background. "Why do you crave power?"

[starkingenuity]

"We stopped your army from coming through. This time. I'm going to guess that they're going to try again. Well. It won't be with you here."

Loki wasn't going to talk and Tony was running out of patience. He gestured for the Soldier to start working his magic. Let the Soldier start to break him. He might sing s little before they killed him. Tony was actually looking forward to that. Steve Rogers, when he was out of his mind, could be a thing of beauty.

[starspangledspandex]

Loki struggled, of course he did, and he was strong enough Steve was going to have bruises in places only the Soldier remembered. Compartmentalization was an interesting thing.

It was acrually Asgard that came for the fallen god. Weak and broken and barely breathing as the Soldier was bathed in light, then thrown against the glass wall of the room hard enough it shattered. It left him covered in blood and gashes even as he scrambled back to his feet.

Then Loki was gone.

There wasn't anything they could do about it on Earth. For the Soldier, this was a failure of his mission. Dutifully, he dropped to his knees in front of Tony, accepting any punishment that would fall his way.

[starkingenuity]

Tony himself hadn't actually been spared either, though only because the shock wave that took the Soldier also pushed him down too. It was sheer will that let him get to his feet, bruised and battered from Loki. "They could have done that at any time," Tony hissed, ignoring the prostrated blond for a moment before kicking him (ineffectually) until his foot hurt. He doubted the other man felt anything at all and Tony didn't feel better. "They could have stopped this the moment he got here. Jesus fucking Christ!"

He paced around the room before calling up Fury. The Director called the mission off because there was nothing else to do and told Tony not to worry.

Unfortunately, that was all he did do. His identity was exposed. If Loki told Thor-- Shit.

"All right Capsicle. Time for you to unfreeze. Go to sleep in the lobby and let Steve back out to play. I'm going to talk to the media."

[starspangledspandex]

They could have, yes, but perhaps the all-seeing Guardian at the gates had thought Loki deserved a harsher measure of punishment than Asgard would give him. It was impossible to say. All the Soldier knew was his target was gone and his punishment was deserved. Tony was right; it didn't hurt in the slightest. He was used to being pretty abused.

"Acknowledged," the Soldier replied and, still bloody and injured, he went to lay down in the lobby.

When he woke up, Steve was confused but then, he was always confused after the Soldier was brought out. There was always a small chunk of time missing. He didn't know what happened to bring him to the front lobby of Stark's building. He had clearly taken a beating. He had multiple gashes that probably actually needed some stitches.

He raised his hands to his comm, "Can anyone read me?"

[starkingenuity]

It was Clint that answered, sounding weary and in more pain than he would like to let on. "Yeah, Cap?" There was a groan. "You still at the Tower?" Barton unwittingly provided Steve with a reason not to question being there. Tony had already taken out his comm, he was not suppose to be Iron Man right now anyway, and was busy being helped into an ambulance.

Finally, something for his throat.

Funny that he and Steve would end up at the same hospital. They could thank Fury for that, likely. Steve was the only member of the Avengers that knew he was Iron Man so it didn't really matter to him. Besides, he was easy on the eyes. More pliant when he was the Soldier, but he couldn't exactly be picky right now.

"What happened to you?" Tony asked, feigning ignorance.

[starspangledspandex]

"Yeah," he replied, frowning because he remembered being dropped off on the balcony but nothing after that and he made a mental note to make sure they checked his head.

He found his way to a medical team that dragged him to the hospital. He didn't think anything of it when they set him up next to Tony and he winced his way through having them pull glass out of his wounds. Ow.

"I don't remember," he admitted, dutifully being subjected to a test for a concussion. "I think I went through your window. Or floor. Guess I didn't need that ride down from Iron Man after all."

[starkingenuity]

Careful. Tony gave Steve such a look. He had had enough of people even making jokes. He had never felt so completely insecure in his adult life as he did now. Steve was innocent of all of that, of course. Tony had to bite back any remarks.

"Someone said they saw you falling." It was on the news. Of course, that was out a different building before the Soldier came out to play but whatever. "After you saved us."

Sure. Give Rogers all the damned credit.

"I owe you pizza and a beer."