The Adventures of Kid Loki

Infiltration

Loki input a code into the pad of his Nano suit. Once it was done, he took his Eskrima stick and put it to his back. He checked his gun and the knives. Loki glanced up at his reflection in the mirror and nodded his head. Pulling a hood up, he stole out of his room and down the hallway. As his shadow trailed after him, another door opened and Steve stuck his head out. Seeing Loki's retreating figure, he took his shield, and followed him. Another door opened a little ways down, and Clint came out, his bow in hand. Natasha slinked out of the darkness of a corner as Loki went by. The three Avengers met each other and exchanged looks. Steve signaled for them to follow and they nodded. Quietly coming up on Loki, they saw him leaving the palace. When he started to turn around, they quickly hid from his sight. Loki's green eyes darted about as he surveyed from where he had just come. His lips pursed together as he admired a cat as it lazily strolled down the hallway towards him. He crouched down, held out his hand, and clicked his tongue. The animal came up to him and rubbed its head against his fingers. Loki stroked it behind its ears, before he picked it up. Looking into its green eyes, he whispered, "Tell your mistress that I shall return. And when I do, I won't be empty handed." Loki kissed the cat between its eyes and let it go. It walked away like a model going down the runway. Clint raised his eyebrow as the feline creature went by. It noticed him, turned its head, and hissed. Clint stiffened, and they all thought Loki would notice their presence. Instead, he kept on his way like nothing was going on. Steve, Clint, and Natasha continued to follow him until he reached a stone circle around a flat, bare area of earth. He glanced around again, and they all hid behind the stones, crouching down so he would not see them.

"Stone henge?" Natasha asked.

"If you're asking me, it's an area of teleportion or inter-realm travel," Steve responded.

"Whatever it is, we can't let him get away!" Clint hissed and that was when they started to see a cold blue light coming from the middle of the circle. Clint leapt up first, followed by Steve, and Natasha. They jumped in just as Loki was disappearing from sight.

Tony, Bruce, and Thor came running into the dining hall where Hela was sitting, feeding the very same cat Loki had given the message to. "Where are our friends?!" Thor shouted, his voice filling the hall. Hela glared up at him, obviously angry that he was disturbing her digestion so early in the morning. She brushed the cat with one hand before taking a bite of blueberry bread from a plate in front of her.

"Where are your manners Thor? Out on a holiday? You should be nice and ask them to return," Hela commented before she took a drink from her cup. The cat meowed and sat down next to her, its tail wrapped around its body. "Wherever my dad decides to go, is his business. If your friends decide to join him, that's their business. Why is everyone so nosy?" Hela queried as she leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs at the knee.

"Because we don't know where they are!" Tony snapped. "Their Avengers cards should work, but they are not responding to my summons!" Hela waved her hand and his voice was silenced.

"When I want to hear you speak again, I'll release you from the spell. Until that time, keep a civil tongue in your head. As for the rest of you, you must all tread lightly. While my father was here, you had somebody who spoke on your behalf. Without him, my patience will wear thin," Hela warned them. The Avengers were starting to retreat, until they heard Hela tell them that Loki had been speaking for them. Their heads snapped up.

"Wait! What do you mean Loki's been speaking for us?" Bruce queried. Hela covered her ears at his outburst of surprise and she frowned.

"Yes. He's been telling me about your individual gifts and talents. Says some are people of science, others are death dealers. He even said Thor has his uses," Hela remarked with a smirk. "My point is, Dad has been urging me to keep you with me to ensure my safety and that you are not out of his line of sight, of course. But my point is, I would have kicked you all out a long time ago, if he had not so eloquently pleaded your case. I would speak about him with much more respect," Hela warned. She waggled her finger before turning her attention back to the cat. Stroking its head, its ears flapped back and it purred. The Avengers looked at each other and realized that Loki had saved them from being sent back home.

"But where is he?" Thor asked, in a politer voice. Hela glanced up and her lip twisted.

"As I said, their business. But, it wouldn't surprise me in the least, to discover that they are in my father's company," Hela answered. The Avengers looked at each other and they all made faces.

"I honestly don't know if that's a good thing, or a bad thing," Thor said.

"Good for some, bad for others, I'll wager," Bruce responded and they all shook their heads.

Steve, Clint, and Natasha rubbed the back of their heads and sat up. When they looked around and saw the hell hole they had been dragged to, they gasped. The rocks were black and hot to the touch. Molten rivers of red lava flowed freely, and there was even a waterfall. When they glanced around, they saw Loki, standing with his back to them, overlooking the terrain. The sky was filled with dark clouds and red lightning streaked across the sky. "Muspelheim. A dark realm, filled with demons and run by the greatest devil of them all: Surtur. Now, he shelters two enemies of mine: Karnilla and Amora. I am here to infiltrate their 'sanctuary.' And since you three had the stomach to follow me, you're going to help me," Loki said as he turned to face them. He smirked as he removed his Eskrima stick from his back and leveled it at them. "So, come now, shall we be the spies?"