I'm Listening

Chapter 5 - One Choice Left

Author's Note: I'm so, so, so sorry for leaving y'all waiting for such a long time. I never meant that to happen, I swear! I'm not going to make excuses, because I doubt you want to hear them. Have fun reading this chapter, and I hope you enjoy it! I ending up getting back to this fic, because a number of people were asking, and I started feeling guilty. Lol.

I'm not going to promise to give you frequent updates, but I will try to update monthly. We'll see how that goes. :P Thank you all so much for the support you've shown. It makes me happy that you love this story so much! :D

~ Amina Gila

Loki has many reservations about the situation, but none which he'll let his brother see. The situation is far worse than he's letting on. He doesn't want them to lose hope that victory is at hand. If he can't speak to the Tesseract to power it down, then – if he's still alive – there's one more thing which he can do, even though he loathes the thought. He can submit himself to the Mind Stone, and hopefully convince Thanos to accept him along with the Space and Mind Stones as a suitable exchange for Midgard. Thor will be furious, of course, which is why Loki has no intention of telling him.

It's not that he has any twisted notions about being a hero, about sacrificing himself for everyone else. Certainly not. He's not that self-sacrificing. But he doesn't really want half of the universe to be destroyed, because chances as likely as not that he won't be around to continue enjoying life. And, of course, Thor or his mother could be taken in the Snap. He doesn't want that to happen for many reasons which are far too complicated for him to explain, even to himself. If he doesn't offer himself up, Thor – who is an idiot, because he never knows when to stop fighting – will get himself killed before they can stop Thanos.

So, no. Loki is only seeking a very logical means to avert the inevitable and get revenge all in one shot. It's a brilliant plan, so why isn't he feeling more confident about it? He already knows how to fool Thanos into thinking that his mind is being controlled even if it's not, and if he bides his time just right, he'll be able to strike when the opportunity presents itself.

Keeping his face mostly blank, emotions locked behind a wall, he crouches next to Barton, resting his fingers on the man's forehead as he checks that the sticky webs of mind control have been cleared away. They have. "Wake," Loki murmurs, sending a tendril of seidr into the man's mind to pull him back to consciousness. He'll need time for his mind to heal, time which they don't have right now. It will have to wait.

Barton jerks, and Loki steps back as his eyes flicker open, falling almost immediately on Loki. His entire body stiffens as he rolls away, obviously preparing for an attack of some sort. Loki holds up his hands. "I'm not going to attack you," he promises. "Thor and I are trying to stop the invasion."

"I have no reason to believe a thing you say," spits the Hawk. "You meddled with my mind to make me do your bidding."

"I know," Loki answers, scrutinizing Barton, "But you also know – or probably suspect – that I was not doing it of my own free will either." He pauses, gauging the mortal's reaction. He seems indignant, ready to protect, but Loki won't give him that liberty. "I will make this quick," he states flatly, flicking a hand in the direction of the battle raging behind them. Thor is fending off Chitauri while Loki talks reason into Barton. "Tell me, did you not feel him digging through your mind, causing needless pain as he used you like a puppet?"

Barton glares, finally jerking his head in a nod. "I didn't do that to you," Loki points out bluntly, "And I shielded your mind so he wouldn't learn of your family. None of that will mean anything if we don't stop this."

The Hawk stands picking up his bow where it lies on the rooftop. "What do you want me to do?"

"Thor will be out there protecting the city," Loki answers, "While I focus on trying to shut down the Tesseract. I need you to defend me. If I'm killed, nothing will be able to stop the portal until it explodes in approximately a day, leveling the entire city. The army which will have entered by that point will be more than enough to conquer your realm."