Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 186

The doctor's already been here; they figure that much out pretty quickly.

The door's been busted into, but any footprints have been covered by the falling snow. He couldn't have been here more than a couple hours, but he certainly didn't get here recently, either. It's been long enough to wake the super soldiers, that much is for sure.

They're cautious as they walk, quiet. If the super soldiers have been awoken, they sure as hell don't want to draw their attention. It's not all that hard. Nobody particularly wants to talk, anyway; it's keeping their footsteps as quiet as possible that takes the most effort.

"I got heat signatures," Rhodey says quietly.

"How many?" Steve asks.

"Just one."

Steve shudders. He really hopes it's just the doctor. If there's only one soldier here, the other four must already be out there somewhere, and he really doesn't want to have to track them down.

And then the lights come on.

Tracking them down proved easier than he thought.

All the super soldiers are still here, resting in their tanks with a bullet through each of their heads. It was a clean shot; no mess left behind. They'd almost look peaceful if it wasn't for the slight trickle of blood frozen to their foreheads.

"What the..." Natasha whispers.

Steve glances at Bucky. He knew these people. He was one of these people. But he's expressionless as he looks at them, and when he meets Steve's gaze, there's a question in his eyes – the same question in his own: what the hell is going on?

"If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep."

Steve looks around. Who was that? Where are they? What is this – a trap? Why? There are too many questions running through his head, and not nearly enough answers to be found.

"Did you really think I wanted more of you?" the voice asks. "I'm grateful to them, though: they brought you here."

Another light.

There he is, right in front of them, right on the other side of that window – taunting them, almost.

Steve wastes no time. He whips his shield toward it.

It bounces right back to him, not so much as a crack in the window left behind.

"Please, Captain," he says. "The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets."

Tony's unimpressed. "I'm betting I could beat that."

"Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark," he says. "Given time. But then you'd never know why you came."

Loki rolls his eyes and steps forward, taking the lead. "You planted the bomb in Vienna," he says. "You killed all those innocent people, just to get them here."

The man smiles, a cold, unfeeling smile. "I've thought about nothing else for a year."

Loki turns around to look at them. "Rhodey, does your suit record video? Do you have documentation of this moment?"

"Uh... yes?"

"Good." Loki whips back around to face the man. He holds out a hand, then pulls it back toward himself, and the man's head moves with it, slamming against the window before it disappears from sight, nothing but the bloodied glass between them to show he was ever there at all.

"Holy shit," Clint whispers.

Loki turns back to them. "You will show that footage to the United Nations," he says. "You will prove to them that you provide an invaluable service, and that, if you'd listened to them, the man responsible for the attack on their people would still walk free. If that does not convince them to settle the issue of the Accords, I will find a more persuasive way to do so."

Bucky narrows his eyes. "Loki–"

"Who wants to kill him?" Loki asks, ignoring his interruption. "I would do it myself, but I imagine Asgard would not think kindly of that."

Needless to say, nobody jumps at the chance to kill the unconscious man they didn't really know existed until ninety seconds ago.

Loki points at T'Challa. "You. He killed your father; am I understanding this correctly?"

T'Challa cocks his head ever-so-slightly to the side. With his mask on, it's hard to tell what he's thinking.

"I am going to find out how he got back there," Loki continues, "and I am going to show you how you can do the same, and then you can do to him whatever it is you see fit."

And then he's gone.

It's quiet for a minute or so. What does one even say to that?

It's T'Challa who breaks the silence in the end. "So that is how you get things done."

"Is Loki okay?" Natasha asks. "That was really..."

"Terrifying?" Clint finishes for her, and she nods in silent agreement.

"Is he always like that?" Bucky asks.

"Not for a long time," Steve says cautiously. That was 2012-levels of violence. He thought they were passed that. He thought that was a fluke; the effects of the scepter, he'd told his mother. He's not so sure about that now.

"Are we actually going to kill this man?" Pietro asks. "Not that I think we should not, but the fact that Loki is so eager to do it does concern me."

Steve looks over at T'Challa. He's the one Loki designated that job to – and, more importantly, he doesn't expect that anyone here could stop him.

T'Challa's quiet for a few moments, thinking, hesitating. That answers the question even before he speaks.

"He will face proper justice," T'Challa says finally.

"Ross'll be happy about that," Natasha remarks. "Maybe it'll convince 'em to lay off the Accords."

"Oh, I doubt that," Clint says, "but if we show them the footage of Loki beating the shit out of him and then Loki threatens to beat the shit out of them..."

Rhodey shoots him a look. "We are not threatening the United Nations."

"No, we are not," Sam agrees. "Loki is."

Natasha shrugs. "If we pretend we don't want him to and he's acting of his own accord, what's the worst that will happen?"

Rhodey scoffs. "What is wrong with you people?"

"Hey," Clint says, "if you want to be the one to argue with Loki about this, you are more than welcome to. Personally, I'm gonna stay out of it."

Rhodey sighs, frustrated, but he doesn't argue. Steve suspects this isn't the last they'll hear about how threatening the United Nations committee is not a good idea, but they'll take the quiet where they can get it.

"We should head back to the Quinjet," Tony says. "Banner's gonna want to know what's going on."

There's a murmur of agreement amongst them. Loki can meet them there when he's ready, but standing in a room with five dead super soldiers and a blood-stained window opposite them has gotten very old, very fast. They've earned a rest.