Twisted [Degenerate Series, Book 1][Blackfrost] ✔️

Chapter 2

Clint's voice rang through the speaker that rested on the table on my right. I flinched, having just woken up.

"Natasha, get down here quick. He's back, hurry." His voice sounded slightly panicky, but mostly full of amusement and excitement. I stretched, shaking the sleep from my body before I grabbed my speaker radio and moved down the stairs to the main floor in SHIELD headquarters.

I found Clint Barton with a huge smile on his face. "He's back! We got him again. He's in the same cell and we're going to drop him."

"Who?" I yawned, still exhausted. Not even two days ago, I had been fighting alongside the Avengers against an army of aliens. The Avengers hadn't even bothered to go home after the battle. We decided to stay on the Helicarrier with Nick Fury and SHIELD for a while, until the news going around about superheroes in New York settled down.

"Loki!" He laughed, "Stark and Rogers are arguing with each other because Stark wants to drop him but Steve wants to find out why he is here. I think we're going to drop him, you know, out of the cell he was in last time."

I remembered reinstalling the cell after Loki had almost killed Thor by dropping it 30,000 feet out of the air. SHIELD headquarters had been destroyed due to the Tesseract, and we now resided in the Helicarrier in the air, but I knew the living situation would not last long as Tony had recently announced that the construction of new headquarters was close to being complete.

My smile faded as soon as Clint mentioned Loki, remembering the last conversation I had had with him. I wasn't exactly anxious to see the God of Mischief again.

"He's back?" I asked nervously. "And you want to...drop him?"

"Yeah, like, you know." Clint's smile vanished with mine. "You okay?"

I nodded, "but shouldn't we find out what he's up to? I mean, last time he had an army. What's to say he doesn't have another one? His death wouldn't put a stop to them." Even as I said the words, I wondered if I even believed them. I pictured Loki with a manic look on his face, his fist pressed against the glass of his cell, threatening my life and Clint's. I then thought about all of the hundreds of people who died because he attacked a heavily populated city. Didn't he deserve to die?

"That's exactly what Steve has been saying." Clint said, frowning, "I thought you would be excited. Come on, let's go."

When downstairs, I follow Clint's rapid pace to the glass trap where Loki resided only a few days ago. He was there again, knocked out cold in his cell. He was curled in a ball on the floor, looking paler and weaker than I had ever seen him look. His head was bleeding and he had several more cuts on his face, arms, and legs. I also noticed that his blood appeared to be especially dark...almost black.

Tony and Steve were arguing, and I noticed that even Thor was here. The last I had seen of him, he was taking the Tesseract and Loki back to Asgard. I wondered if he had returned to Earth just because Loki had.

Bruce stood off to the side, talking to Fury.

Fury spotted us and shouted, "enough! Everyone is here. You two, silence." He indicated Steve and Tony, and they both quieted with looks of rage.

"We must discuss what we're going to do!" Yelled Tony angrily, "this man here destroyed lives and New York just two days ago. Several of us almost died in the process of stopping him. He's dangerous, in and out of his cell. We need to put a end to him now! We have the chance...why don't we just get rid of him?"

"Stark, enough." Steve said, holding up a hand. "We've already talked about this. He might have an army. We must find out what he's up to. How did he get his injures? What happened when he got back to Asgard? Thor?" Steve looked at Thor for backup.

"Rogers is right. We need Loki alive, to find out his plans and what he is doing back here. I know my father banished him from Asgard and stripped him of his immortality and powers, but we must find out where he got his injuries. Right now, though, I think a doctor should see to him. He has a deep wound in his abdomen."

Everyone stared at Loki, bleeding and weak inside of his cell. From where I stood, I could see his blood staining his armor. It didn't look as though whatever he had been attacked with had pierced his armor, but he had been stabbed either way.

"I still say we get rid of him," growled Tony.

"Me too." Said Clint, pitching in the conversation, "mortal or not, he's dangerous."

I walked a little closer to Loki's cell to observe him. As I moved, I saw his eyes open, only to be closed tightly again. Loki groaned through his teeth, clutching the wound on his chest as shifted into a sitting position.

His gaze flickered around, quickly taking in his surroundings. He looked at the other Avengers before his eyes locked with mine. 

"Me too," added Bruce Banner, stepping away from Fury to walk over to Tony and Clint.

"Guys," I whispered not breaking eye contact with Loki. "Guys!" I yelled. Everyone looked at me. "He's awake."

Now everyone looked at Loki. Loki didn't say anything. His gaze broke away from mine to look at the other Avengers again.

Feeling uncomfortable, the avengers continued to argue over Loki's fate as he sat, gathering information. I said nothing, just continued to stare at the god of Mischief. After a second, Loki's flickering gaze met mine and again he didn't look away. Neither did I.

"Nat, what do you say?" Clint asked, forcing me to break Loki's gaze first this time. I could tell Clint was unsure whether or not I would support his case.

I remembered the conversation I had had with Loki, shuddering at the memory. "He's a monster," I whispered, "I say we get rid of him."

I glanced over at Loki and had the driving urge to smirk. Loki looked away from me and turned his head to look at Thor. I watched Thor, too. Thor looked sad as he looked between all of the Avengers and his brother. 

I watched as Loki pressed his hand against the glass next to him to help himself to his feet. With a grunt on pain and frustration, he bent to one knee. He then sat back down, and I felt a pang of sympathy.

"Thank you." Said Tony, gesturing to me. "This man is a monster who tore families apart in a matter of days. Are we just going to let him get away with it?"

"He is stuck in a cage for eternity, living out a mortal life sentence in prison. He is surrounded by people that hate him and on a planet he despises. He is equal to those he resents. He has no way of getting revenge on my father. How is that 'getting away with it?'" Asked Thor.

"You know what?" Tony began. "I think this is stupid. I believe we have a consensus here. Let's just get rid of him."

Tony strolled over to the control panel and started it. He raised his hand to bring it down onto the button.

Thor's eyes flashed as he summoned Mjolnir into his hand. "Don't you dare, Stark," he warned.

"He's a murderer!" Tony exclaimed. "Do you all not remember? Just two days ago! Buildings destroyed, families ripped apart, people dead."

No one said anything, so Tony just rolled his eyes and pressed the button.

"Loki!" Thor shouted as the prison cell suddenly dropped.

I just stood there open mouthed, watching as Loki turned extremely pale as he realized what happened, and his eyes widened before he and the cell disappeared from sight.

Thor began to charge at Tony before I stopped him. "Thor, no! Just go after him!" Thor glanced at his hammer in realization and dived down the hole, following the cell's fast descend toward Earth.