A Child of Mischief (Loki/Avengers story)

45. One Final Test

Loki and the others stand behind the recruits as they turn from hearing his devious laugh. The kids look back and forth at everyone that starts to surround them.

"How did all of you?" Cora asks, but then stops as she remembers the many secret passageways on Asgard that can transport anyone to another realm.

"Let's see who will be able to pass this test." Loki says as he takes his daggers out of his pockets and tosses them in the air, lets them flip once before catching them.

"We're outnumbered, four against seven. We're never gonna get the upper hand." Olivia says as the recruits tighten their circle.

"I wouldn't count us out just yet." Cora says as she keeps her eyes on Loki. As Cora focuses, she makes glimmers of herself and the other recruits around the group of warriors.

"Clever, but those won't hold for long." Loki says and throws a dagger at the glimmer of Andre, the glimmer catches the dagger and throws it right back at Loki, who teleports out of the way from nearly being hit by it.

"I've had plenty of time to practice casting extremely realistic glimmers. Ones that can fight and defend themselves just like the ones the glimmers are cast after." Cora says as she stands on the outside of Loki and Natasha. Natasha looks at her and her eyes go wide with amazement.

"You'll never know where the real ones are." Peter says still standing next to the group as they keep their circle tight.

Making the first move, Volstagg goes after Peter's glimmer which stands on the outside of him and Hogun. Peter's glimmer begins to do hand to hand combat with Volstagg, when the glimmer gets the upper hand, it blasts web at Volstagg and sends him to the ground unable to move.

All chaos breaks loose as all of the warriors begin to try and attack the recruits. They each breakaway from the circle and scatter into different directions. Loki begins to go after the Cora that was in the middle of the circle, but then quickly realizes that, that's the glimmer and not the real Cora. He looks around and see's the real Cora doing hand to hand combat with Lady Sif and watches as Lady Sif delivers a hit arcoss Cora's face, which is so hard it makes Cora stumble and almost fall backwards.

"Olivia, we are going to need some portals and quick." Cora says into her mic as she regains her balance and begins to fight off Lady Sif.

"On it!" Olivia says into her mic as she looks around at everyone and opens multiple portals behind all of the adults. They each scream or curse as they get sucked into a portal. While the recruits have the upper hand they all come together and get back into their tight defensive circle. The glimmers, surround the children and circle around them protectively.

"Olivia, drop them." Cora says as she watches the adults start to fall through one large portal in the sky. Olivia nods and closes the portal as Fandral is the last one to fall through the portal. The adults get their bearings back and each land on their feet as they are about to hit the ground.

"Well, that's one way to ensure you get the upper hand." Thor says and gives a crooked smile as he starts to swing Mjölnir around, causing a wind effect.

"You have to get the hammer away from him." Peter whispers to Cora, who looks at him and gives a smirk.

"Cover me, you guys." Cora says as she steps out from the safety of the groups defensive circle. Flittering her fingers, Cora begins to cast illusions into the minds of the adults as they try and advance on the recruits. All of the adults stop in their tracks and they begin to stumble around blindly.

Cora holds her hand out and focuses her energy on summoning Mjölnir from Thor. The sheer force of her concentrating, sends Thor to the ground as Mjölnir flies out of his hand and into Cora's. Cora's eyes go wide with shock and amazement as she looks from Mjölnir and to the other recruits.

Peter, Andre, and Olivia all smile triumphantly as they watch Cora twirl Mjölnir in the air and then point it to the sky, lightning travels down from the sky and gets absorbed into the hammer. Looking back at her fellow recruits Cora asks a silent question with her eyes as she looks from them and then to Thor. The three recruits nod. Quickly, Cora points Mjölnir at Thor and the lightning that had been absorbed shoots out and blasts Thor. Peter and the other two recruits cheer, and Cora looks at Thor with a smirk.

"That was for Drax and just so you could feel how it felt for me yesterday." Cora screams as she sets Mjölnir on the ground, Thor slowly gets up and he can hear snickering from behind him. He looks and see's Loki with his hands over his mouth trying to keep his laughter contained.

"Loki." Thor says and points at the recruits, he wickedly smiles and nods. The recruits all look back and forth at each other, just as they look at each other, the adults all teleport behind them and grab hold of them. Cora knocks Loki off and away from her.

"You'll never win this test. You don't have the strength to do what needs to be done in order to win." Loki says, just as he speaks, the blue white light from the Bifrost rains down on Vanaheim and engulfs everyone except for Cora and Loki.

"What the hell?" Cora asks as she watches the Bifrost light disappear, standing only a few yards away from her Loki smirks at her, then shakes his head.

"This was always to be your personal test." Loki says as he lunges at Cora, as Cora jumps out of the way Loki moves at the same time she does and tosses her to the ground.

Pushing and jumping to get herself back on her feet, Cora looks at Loki as he tries to attack her again. Quickly, Cora teleports out of the way and tries to think of a way to get the upper hand.

"Come on, come on, think. How can I win this?" Cora asks herself, just as she tries to think of a way, her communicator goes off.

"Cora, can you read me?" Olivia whispers and Cora slightly smirks.

"Whatcha got for me Olivia?" Cora asks as Loki rushes at her and they begin to do hand to hand combat.

"The only way to win is to take him down, like actually take him down." Olivia whispers, Cora's eyes go wide as she flips Loki on to his back.

"How do you know that?" Cora whispers into her mic. Loki gets to his feet and charges at Cora. Cora summons Mjölnir -which Thor had forgotten to grab before going back to Asgard- and slams it on the ground causing the ground to shake and rumble.

"I overheard the royals discussing it, just after we got back." Olivia whispers, Cora watches as Loki charges at her. Loki watches as Cora jumps behind a giant boulder.

"So, now you choose to hide. I knew you didn't have the strength needed to win this." Loki tauntingly says, and watches as Cora walks out from behind the boulder, with Mjölnir in her hands and a determined look on her face.

"I don't need this, to win a fight against you." Cora says as she sets Mjölnir on the ground, and waves Loki forward so he can make the next move.

Teleporting to her, Loki begins his attack once he is in front of her. As they each exchange blows with the other, Cora ends up kicking Loki in the chest and he flies back several feet. Getting to his feet, Loki rushes at Cora and knocks her into the boulder. Smirking at her, Loki rushes at her again, this time with his dagger in hand. Once he gets close enough, Loki throws his dagger at her. Cora gasps, and the dagger lands in her abdomen. She gasps as she looks at Loki, Loki walks to her and deviously smiles.

"I told you, you weren't strong enough to win this." Loki says, as he pulls his dagger out of her abdomen. Cora begins to laugh as she looks up from her now bloody side. Loki looks at her worriedly.

"What's so funny?" Loki asks, continuing to laugh, a gold light appears around Cora and she disappears. Loki's eyes go wide as he realizes the truth.

Cora emerges from her hiding place still holding Mjölnir and stands behind him, then plunges her own dagger into his back. He gasps and turns around with a shocked expression on his face and falls to his knees.

"Looks like we both know when to use our cloning ability, and how effective it can be in battles." Cora says, and the blue-white light of the Bifrost opens up and engulfs her. She lands in the Observatory not even a second later.