Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 92

When Thor comes back to Earth, he expects his time to be filled with YouTube videos and phone calls with Jane and watching television with his brother just to make fun of the characters' strange Midgardian mannerisms.

Instead, he's seated in Steve Roger's room as he explains that SHIELD is no more.

"There wasn't any way around it," Steve tells him. "HYDRA had infiltrated every crack, every crevice of SHIELD. We couldn't stop one without tearing apart the other from the ground up."

"If you truly believe that, I trust your judgment," Thor tells him. Steve's a smart man, and, more importantly, he's a good one. He wouldn't hesitate to do what was right. "Does Loki know?"

"Of course he does," Steve says, as though that's a completely unreasonable question. "He lent us a hand with it. He was probably the only person we know who couldn't be working with HYDRA, so..."

"That's understandable," Thor says. It's a rather unorthodox solution to the problem, but he understands it to some extent. He asked for Loki's help, too, just a couple of months ago. He's hardly one to judge. "And what of his scepter?"

Steve furrows his brows. "What do you mean?"

"His scepter," Thor repeats. "Loki came to this planet with a scepter. When I brought the Tesseract home to Asgard, I left the scepter in SHIELD's care. Where is the scepter now if SHIELD no longer exists?"

Steve just sits there for a few moments, silent, until his eyes go wide. "HYDRA."

"What?"

"HYDRA has to have it," Steve says. "I don't know where else it would be."

"Then we must get it back," Thor says. "Where would they have it?"

Steve shakes his head helplessly. "I don't know."

Thor narrows his eyes. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I don't know," Steve repeats. "We can talk to Fury, but I don't think..."

"You don't think he'll know," Thor says slowly.

Steve shakes his head. "No, I don't. I'm sorry."

Thor pushes himself to his feet. "I need to talk to Director Fury. We cannot leave this weapon in the hands of the enemy."

"Yeah, no, I got it," Steve says quickly. He stands up as well. "Look, let's go talk to the others first. We'll see if Nat or Clint knows, and if they don't, we'll ask Fury where to start looking."

"Good," Thor says. "And do not tell Loki."

Steve pauses. "What?"

"Do not tell Loki about the scepter," Thor says. "If he asks, tell him it is safe. If he doesn't, do not mention it at all. We cannot allow him to know it's been lost."

Steve furrows his brows. "What...?"

"Do you remember how he acted about the Aether?" Thor asks. "The way he demanded to know of its fate?" He shakes his head. "He asked me about the scepter on the same day he asked of the Tesseract and the Aether. I love my brother, but I do not trust him for a moment. Not with this."

"Thor, there's nothing he could—"

"There is always something he can do," Thor says darkly. "I know my brother far better than anyone else. He is cunning and resourceful and more determined than anyone I know. I love him dearly, but he's already proven to be too invested in this."

"I really don't think that's—"

"He could not control himself at the mention of the Aether," Thor says firmly. "He could not control himself with the scepter in his hand or the Tesseract at his feet. My brother is a good person, but that does not make him trustworthy. Not when such powerful weapons are involved. We tell him nothing."

Steve hesitates, then sighs. "I don't like keeping things from him."

"Nor do I," Thor says. "But just the mention of the Aether renewed a rage in him that I hadn't seen in a long time." If he was willing to hurt Jane over the mention of a power he'd never even seen, how would he react to hearing that his own weapon is lost, resting in the hands of the enemy?

"I know," Steve says. "I get it. And if you really don't want to tell him, we won't, but if he asks and we have to lie to him..." He shakes his head. "He won't be happy."

"I know," Thor says. "But when the alternative is what it is, this is a risk we have to take."