The Avengers: Finding Young Loki

The Trap

Loki sat down at the table, a cold sweat collecting at his hairline.  Thor’s strong and steady hand on his shoulder made him look up.  “We’re not giving up that easily.  We got your helmet once.  We can get it again,” Thor told him.

“Hopefully the little Dark Elf bastard doesn’t know I planted a tracker on the inside of the helmet,” Tony said as he typed into a computer.  The Avengers surrounded him, waiting for the news on its location.  Tony typed furiously, manipulating a few of the toggles, till finally, a beeping red dot appeared on a screen.  “Got him!  He’s still in New York City!” Tony said.

“Then where is he exactly?” Bruce asked, removing his glasses.

“He’s in the sewers,” Tony said and several people groaned.  Loki made a move to leave, but Steve stopped him.

“Maybe you shouldn’t come.  Since he has it, if he sees you, he might be tempted to use the helmet, and we wouldn’t want to have to hurt you,” Steve said.

“My helmet, my life,” Loki told him, and there was no way he was going to back down.

“Everybody come back safe from this,” Erik said.  Jane gave Thor a kiss and then stopped Loki.

“Thanks for saving me.  You be careful too,” she told him.  Loki nodded, then joined the Avengers as they ran to the landing bay where their Quinn Jet was.  Loki strapped himself into his seat, then looked up as Clint leaned over.

“I must admit, I’ve rather looked forward to seeing you come on a mission with us,” he said, extending his hand.  Loki smirked as he took it and then watched as Tony and Natasha piloted the bad boy.

“Who wants to volunteer to go into the sewers?” Tony asked.  Thor raised his hand, but everyone was against it.

“If you’re his main target, then you going down there will only give him the opportunity to take his revenge,” Steve warned.  Thor sat down next to Loki, slumping in his chair, his arms folded across his chest.

“You always had such an adorable pout Thor,” Loki told him.  Thor glanced at Loki and smiled a little. 

As the jet got closer and closer to its target, Loki felt his insides quake.  For six years, he had faced many bad guys, men who hurt others.  But they were mortals.  Loki knew he could handle them.  On other missions, that he would not divulge to his friends, Loki had faced real problems, but he was usually in and out without anybody noticing he was there.  Facing Dokkalfar, and trying to get his helmet back, his life source, Loki was scared. 

“We have arrived,” Tony said, doing a perfect imitation of Jarvis, as they landed outside a harbor.  They disembarked and stared at a drain that spewed its contents into the water.  “Rock, paper, scissors to decide who does go in,” Tony decided.  He, Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Bruce all did rock, paper, scissors.  Tony lost to Steve, so Steve when up against Natasha, and he lost.  Natasha played Clint, and won, then she and Bruce did it for two minutes, literally getting the same things. 

“Fine!  You two go in.  Clint, you’ll go with them,” Steve said, giving the archer a push.

“Aw!  I thought I had skated out of sewer search,” Clint said as he followed Natasha and Bruce into the underworld.  Loki watched as the smoke enveloped them, and they waited for their first report.

“We’re getting closer, but Clint needs to be more quiet,” Natasha said through their comms.

“I’m as quiet as a mouse,” Clint responded.

“Yeah, a mouse that goes ‘eww’ to everything we come across.  It’s a sewer!  Not a luxury penthouse!” Bruce hissed.

“Children,” Loki said, and physically being the youngest, everyone listened to him.

“We’re here.  We’ll put our comms on audio receive, so you guys can hear what’s going on,” Natasha said.  They heard them round a corner, and then Natasha gasped.  “His helmet’s just sitting right there on a pedestal,” Natasha said.  Loki then closed his eyes, and accessed Clint’s mind.  He saw through his eyes and got the layout of the room.

“Get out of there now!” Loki exclaimed, already redirecting Clint.  The archer had started to turn, when some kind of knock out gas was released into the room.  Tony heard it, let his visor fall, and flew in.  He disappeared, while Steve and Thor remained with Loki.  Loki tried to access Clint’s mind again, but it is impossible for a telepath to enter a mind that has been forced into a dream state.  Loki’s head snapped back as he tried to make his way in, but something kept him out.  Thor saw that Loki was starting to convulse and he grabbed him.

“Loki!  Whatever you’re doing, stop it now!” Thor ordered.  Loki’s subconscious heard him, and he stopped trying to get into Clint’s mind.  He sagged in Thor’s arms then looked up at his brother.

“They’re gone,” Loki said and Thor glanced up at Steve.  The Captain looked at Thor and was about to go into the tunnels after Tony, but Iron Man returned a second later.

“They’re not there!  They’re just gone!” Tony said.  Loki stood up and winced a little as Ikol suddenly started talking.

What did I say about feelings and people you love?  Note that I never had those problems, he said.

“Yeah you did!  You got all soft and mushy when Mother died!” Loki snapped as he walked away from Thor, Steve, and Tony.  Tony made a face and Steve mouthed, ‘Ikol’ and Tony nodded his head slowly. 

“Did Dokkalfar take them?” Thor asked, his one hand gripping Mjolnir tightly.  Loki was about to answer when he felt Dokkalfar’s presence in his mind.

Yes!  I have your three friends!  Tell Thor that if he wants them to leave, he must meet me in that central park and trade himself in for them.  He has one hour!  As soon as Dokkalfar left his mind, Loki turned to his friends.

“Dokkalfar entered my mind again.  He said that if we want to see them again, Thor must meet him in Central Park and trade himself in.  Thor, he said you have one hour,” Loki told them.

“Or else?” Tony asked, mostly because he was scared.

“Or he will kill them,” Loki said, already knowing what Dokkalfar’s evil purpose was.