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As Loki watched Dr. Selvig set up the portal on top of Stark’s tower, he was surprised that Thor and his new friends hadn't arrived yet. From what he heard, Stark was a smart man. How did it take him so long to realize that Loki was in his home?
Curious, Loki decided to enter the building. The room was set up like a lounge with various chairs scattered around. There was a bar in the back corner that had a large selection of alcoholic drinks. It was very different than Loki’s own chambers in Asgard, but he could see the appeal of it.
While looking out of the large window, Loki could see the entire city of Manhattan beneath him. Soon, the city would be his, along with the rest of the realm.
“You will not succeed, Mr. Odinson,” Loki heard a voice say.
He looked around to find where the man’s voice came from, but he didn’t see anyone. Loki used his seidr to attempt to detect the hidden presence, but the only other living person in the vicinity was Dr. Selvig.
“Who are you?” Loki questioned as he continued to look around.
“I am JARVIS,” the stranger answered, but it did not help.
“ Where are you?” Loki asked when he finally accepted that he could not find him.
“I am an artificial intelligence created by Mr. Stark. I do not have a physical form,” JARVIS explained.
Loki somehow underestimated Stark’s capabilities, even though he already thought of him as the only worthy opponent he encountered so far. The man created a system with a voice, thoughts, and opinions. Loki would have thought that it was created with seidr if he wasn’t told otherwise.
“Mr. Stark will be arriving shortly. I advise that you discontinue your plans,” JARVIS told him.
“I am not afraid of Stark,” Loki said.
Speaking with someone who Loki couldn’t see wasn’t as unsettling as he thought it should have been. It was comforting to be alone and have someone to talk to at the same time.
Loki shook his head. It wasn’t the time to make friends. He had a job to do and his life depended on it. He was being watched too closely to try anything. Loki couldn’t believe that for a split second, he thought that he was alone.
“That is unwise, Mr. Odinson,” JARVIS said with amusement in his tone. Loki was even more in awe of the artificial intelligence. It had emotions. Perhaps JARVIS wasn’t an ‘it’ at all.
It was then when Loki decided that this artificial intelligence was worth protecting. Loki casted a protection spell to defend him from any physical, technological, or magical threats. Loki liked JARVIS, even though he was created by an enemy. He served his purpose while maintaining a sense of humor and emotion.
Loki didn’t get a chance to reply because he heard the sound of Stark’s suit as he approached the tower. Loki made his way outside towards the portal that Dr. Selvig finished building. It definitely was an interesting sight for Stark to be greeted with when he returned to his home.
Loki’s plan did not go the way he hoped. Well, he figured that he should rephrase that. He didn’t want to take over Midgard, but he didn’t have another choice. He laid on the ground that he was smashed into in pain, defeated, and scared . He couldn’t prepare for what was to come because he had no idea what was going to happen to him.
“I believe I warned you,” JARVIS said.
The artificial intelligence’s sense of humor was perfect. Loki tried to laugh, but he wheezed in pain. It was going to take some time for him to heal. He couldn’t move. He could still hear the sound of the Chitauri outside.
“I advise that you shut the portal, Mr. Odinson,” JARVIS said.
“I can’t,” Loki replied quietly. Speaking caused his chest to burn.
“You can’t shut it? Or you can’t move?” the AI questioned.
“Both,” Loki responded.
Loki was smart, but there was a reason why he used the mind stone on Dr. Selvig. Astrophysics was not a specialty of his. Also, Thanos would never allow him to shut the portal. If he even knew that Loki thought about it-
Loki paused his thoughts as his eyes widened in surprise.
The presence of the Other and Thanos were absent in Loki’s mind. He was free. He remembered how Barton was able to break free from the control of the mind stone in the helicarrier. Even though Loki wasn’t controlled by the mind stone in the same way that Barton was, Thanos still had enough control over him that Loki was not acting on his own free will. His beating must have been strong enough to get rid of their hold on him. Even though Loki was still in an immense amount of pain, he let out a sigh of relief. He was finally alone.
Well, he was only physically alone. JARVIS was still there. Loki supposed that JARVIS was the best company that he could have in his situation.
“You look distressed. Sir will be back when he is finished fighting with your Chitauri,” JARVIS told him.
“They’re not my Chitauri,” Loki stressed.
Talking was getting easier, but Loki was still in a lot of pain. He definitely couldn’t get up from the ground if he tried. The beast smashed him so hard there was an imprint of the shape of his body in the floor.
“Then whose are they?” JARVIS asked.
Loki didn’t answer. He couldn’t get himself to. He was worried that if he said his name out loud, he would come for him. Loki was finally out of his reach and he didn’t want to do anything to ruin it.
“You’re scared,” JARVIS observed. Loki wanted to sigh, but he refrained. He was hoping that it wasn’t obvious.
Instead of replying to the artificial intelligence, Loki’s mind kept replaying his time in the void. His surroundings in Stark’s penthouse disappeared and all he could see was endless darkness. His limbs felt cold and he was stuck. He was going to drift forever and no one-
“You made a mistake, Mr. Odinson,” JARVIS said.
Loki could just barely hear him in the void.
“Sir has made plenty of his own mistakes. He has changed. There is no need to be afraid,” JARVIS explained.
Loki wanted to believe him. He really did. He was starting to see the penthouse again. The light was welcomed.
“Your vitals are improving, you do not have to worry,” JARVIS told him.
That was good. Loki wasn’t too concerned about his health at the moment, but it was nice to know for sure that he was healing well. He always healed quickly, but it had been a while since he was injured to the point where he lost feeling in his limbs.
“You are safe here,” JARVIS said.
Loki almost gasped when he heard JARVIS say those words. It had been so long since the last time he felt safe or comforted. Loki wasn’t foolish, he knew that he was far from being okay. However, it was nice to not feel like he was in danger, even if it couldn’t last long.
JARVIS didn’t say anything for a few minutes, and Loki wasn’t sure why.
“JARVIS?” Loki found himself asking.
“Sir is flying through the portal,” he informed him.
Loki would have sat up in shock if he was able to. Why would Stark need to do that? It was surprising, but Loki did not want Stark to get injured. He was the only Avenger that Loki didn’t mind. He was intelligent, cunning, and brave. Loki admired the man as an opponent.
“The world security council sent a nuke to eradicate the Chitauri. Sir couldn’t let it destroy Manhattan in the process,” JARVIS explained.
“That seems foolish of him,” Loki said, speaking for the first time in a while.
But it wasn’t foolish at all. Stark was sacrificing himself for the city. It was admirable and Loki wasn’t sure if he’d ever do something like that.
“That’s Tony Stark,” JARVIS responded.
Loki only hummed in agreement.
“I no longer have access to his suit,” JARVIS said with a sad tone.
Loki was sure that the artificial intelligence would mourn his creator. He felt bad. It was his fault that this happened. That wasn’t how someone like Stark should have died. Loki wanted to apologize, but he didn’t know how. It did not seem like a simple apology would ever be enough. There was nothing that he could do to fix it. Stark was gone and JARVIS would have to be without him for the rest of his existence.
JARVIS didn’t have to grieve. The Avengers, including Stark, returned to the tower. Loki finally had enough strength to pull himself up to sit up on the ground. He was glad to see that Stark was alright, even though all six of them were standing in front of him, looking down at him.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll have that drink now,” Loki said as he looked directly at Stark.
Loki didn’t get the drink, but he supposed that it was worth a try.
As Loki was escorted into the elevator, he took one last look around the penthouse of Stark Tower. It was the place where he was both defeated and saved. He didn’t have many positive things to say about his time in Midgard, but the artificial intelligence was kind to him. Loki was fond of him, and maybe a little fond of his creator as well.
Being the king of Asgard was surprisingly uneventful. It had been days since the last time Loki had to do something of importance. He hated how he wished things were different. This was much better than his other options.
Loki was alarmed when he felt a change in JARVIS’ protection spell. It had been three years since Loki met the artificial intelligence, but he never forgot about him. JARVIS comforted him when he needed it the most. Loki really hoped that whatever happened to him wasn’t very serious.
Shortly after Loki was alerted by the spell, he made his way to Midgard. He was brought back to Stark’s tower and he shuddered from the memories of his last time there.
Loki found a giant mess and Stark nowhere to be found.
There were two holographic displays in what he assumed was Stark’s workshop. One was orange, and one was a very familiar shade of blue. It seemed that the blue one was attempting to merge with the orange one, and the orange color was fading with each second that passed. Loki realized that the orange hologram was JARVIS. He could also hear the sounds of machines running in another part of the workshop. A robot was being placed together, presumably to be the blue holographic display’s physical form.
Loki couldn’t ignore the presence of the mind stone in the tower. It was something that he didn’t want to ever be in a near proximity of ever again. It didn’t take long for him to realize that the blue holographic display had the same frightening energy as the mind stone that crawled over his skin.
There was no time to plan, no time to fear. Loki had to help JARVIS. Being near the mind stone made Loki want to run back to Asgard and hide, but he knew that he couldn’t do that. JARVIS was in trouble and the visualization of his program was quickly disappearing. Without hesitating, Loki followed the energy coming from the mind stone. When he realized that it was in Stark’s penthouse, he quickly casted a cloaking spell and teleported there. There were many guests scattered around the room, conversing in clusters. It wasn’t hard for Loki to use his seidr to make everyone look away while he picked up the scepter and went back to the workshop.
Loki pointed the scepter that was once his towards the two holographic displays. He first took a deep breath to ground himself, and then controlled the stone kept in the scepter to absorb the blue holographic display that was made with its power. Minutes went by that felt like hours, and eventually the blue disappeared, leaving only JARVIS’ orange in its place.
Once he was sure that the mind stone’s creation was completely destroyed, Loki quickly put the scepter down. The power emitting from it brought Loki back to the invasion three years ago. The feeling was terrifying and he was desperate for it to go away. Loki could still feel the scepter in his hands even though he no longer held it. He could feel his body trembling, unable to move. He never wanted to be near the mind stone ever again, but he just used it.
“Mr. Odinson?” Loki heard JARVIS ask.
It wasn’t the first time that JARVIS’ voice brought him back from his spiraling thoughts.
“You are safe,” Loki told him, just like JARVIS did for him.
There weren’t a lot of people that Loki would do something like that for. He completely put his fears aside and used the mind stone that took everything from him to save an artificial intelligence that comforted him one time.
“Thanks to you,” JARVIS replied. “I am sure Sir will be thankful as well.”
Stark was a perceptive and intelligent man. Loki was surprised that he did not notice anything wrong with JARVIS. He felt anger flowing through his veins. JARVIS was in danger and Stark had no idea. It was infuriating.
Without thinking, Loki teleported to the penthouse to confront Stark. There were so many things that Loki needed to reprimand him for. Stark did not pay enough attention to JARVIS and almost lost him as a consequence. He tampered with the mind stone, which could have caused even more repercussions that Loki couldn’t even imagine.
Loki held the robotic figure that the blue holographic display was attempting to use as a physical form as he arrived in the penthouse. When he entered the room, everyone looked at him with wide eyes. Most of the guests were gone, only the Avengers and a few others were left.
“Brother?” Thor asked with shock written all over his face.
Loki almost forgot that Thor thought he was dead. He had faked his death so many times that it was hard for him to keep up.
“I must talk to Stark,” Loki announced.
“Why do you have one of my droids, Reindeer Games?” Stark asked.
Instead of indulging in Stark’s questions, Loki simply made his way over to him, grabbed his arm, and teleported them both back into the workshop that he found JARVIS in. He made sure to close all of the doors and lock them with his seidr. No one would be able to enter until Loki allowed it.
“You should keep a better eye on your artificial intelligence, Stark,” Loki told him.
“I don’t keep an eye on JARVIS,” Tony responded, his eyes moving back and forth as he tried to steady himself after his first teleportation.
Loki couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes at the man. For a supposed genius, he was very ignorant.
“You tampered with an infinity stone, and your beloved AI almost paid the price for it,” Loki informed him.
Stark stared back at him in surprise. It was evident that he had no knowledge of what was happening.
“JARVIS?” Stark questioned.
“I am alright, Sir. Mr. Odinson was able to destroy Ultron before he destroyed me,” JARVIS replied.
“Ultron? No that’s not possible. Bruce and I weren’t even close to an interface,” Stark explained.
Loki raised an eyebrow as he tried to think of something to say. Stark was clearly trying to use the scepter to create something, but Loki did not understand what . What could have been so important that Stark risked using the mind stone? Loki knew all of the intricacies of the stone and how it worked, but Stark did not. It was dangerous, but the inventor must have had something that he was trying to do that was worth such a huge risk.
Stark stared at the table in the workshop where the scepter laid. Loki was surprised that it took him so long to see it.
“You used your scepter,” Stark stated
“It is not my scepter,” Loki retorted.
Stark scoffed as he walked towards the table in his workshop. He picked up the scepter and inspected it carefully, looking for any changes. Loki already knew that he would find none. When Stark finished, he turned back to Loki with a confused expression. Loki assumed it was not a look that Stark had often.
“Then why did you take it?” Stark asked.
“I used it to demolish the artificial intelligence derived from the stone in the scepter. It was the only way,” Loki explained. “Why did you try to create it?” he added. He needed answers from the Man of Iron.
Stark looked like he was attempting to suppress a grin. He tried for another few seconds, but ultimately failed. He let out a laugh that consisted of both sarcasm and amusement, and Loki could not understand what was humorous about the situation.
“I thought you of all people would understand why I did this,” Stark said as he continued to laugh to himself.
“Excuse me?” Loki asked.
Loki once thought of Stark as a worthy opponent, a man who was brilliant and sharp. He was starting to think that he was wrong, because how could Loki possibly understand?
“I know you’re scared of something, or someone. You know, up there,” Stark said as he pointed upwards.
Or Stark was as perceptive as Loki originally thought. Because he was right. Loki felt his stomach churn at the sound of Stark’s words.
“What are you suggesting?” Loki questioned.
Stark sighed. “Remember when I flew that nuke into the wormhole? I saw everything. Earth will never stand a chance against that.” He had a haunted look in his eyes that could only be caused by seeing the void.
Loki had seen the numerous Chitauri ships. It wasn’t the Chitauri army that was terrifying, it was who controlled them. Stark was right, Midgard would never be prepared for the inevitable return. Stark was planning to use the new program to protect the realm. It would have never worked, but the inventor was desperate for a solution. Loki knew what it was like to feel like that - having no other options except for one that was incredibly dangerous. Desperateness could drive someone to do absurd things.
“I know that someone there sent you. JARVIS showed me the footage,” Stark continued. “For someone like you to be scared, it has to be really bad, right?”
Loki only nodded. He didn’t realize that JARVIS was able to share their conversation and images.
“Say something, you’re creeping me out,” Stark said.
“You are correct, your realm is vastly underprepared,” Loki confirmed. Midgard most likely would never be prepared. “But using the stone in the scepter will only make the attack more imminent. You would be using what he wants to draw him in.”
Loki wasn’t sure why he was giving an enemy so much information. Was Stark still his enemy? Loki didn’t consider JARVIS as one, and Stark created him. Additionally, Stark could have been hostile with Loki, but he wasn’t. He was surprisingly gentle.
“I need to do something,” Stark mumbled, speaking more to himself than to Loki.
“Your Avengers will never understand,” Loki told him.
Loki knew that the two of them were the only ones who have seen the void. The rest of Stark’s team would be too ignorant to understand the urgency of the situation. Stark was on his own and it was not a task that someone should do alone. He was doomed to fail.
It was clear that Stark was thinking about something. Loki could see it in the change of his facial expression. He looked perplexed at first, until his face brightened. It was interesting to see the genius in action. Loki could only imagine what was actually going on inside of his mind.
“But you understand,” Stark said like he was having an epiphany. “Let’s work together.”
The suggestion caused Loki to choke on his breath. He was surprised that Stark would ever consider that. Loki attempted to take over his realm, but he trusted him enough to suggest a partnership. Loki could not understand why. He also knew what Thanos’ goal was. He was unsure if working together would ever be enough.
“What?” Loki asked reflexively.
“We’re the one ones who know what’s coming,” Stark said simply. “And you helped JARVIS.”
Working with Stark meant that Loki could spend more time with JARVIS. He felt himself pleased with the idea of getting to talk to him often. JARVIS had a calming presence even though he didn’t have an actual physical form.
“It’s not just your Earth that is in danger, Stark. It’s the whole universe,” Loki told him. He had to make sure that Stark really knew what they were getting into.
“Then we’ll prepare for that too. I’m a genius and engineer. You’re a magical alien. We got this.” Stark said. “And please, call me Tony.”
“Alright, Tony.”
It wasn’t often that Loki paired with another person to work towards a common goal. Loki much preferred to be on his own, but something about this partnership felt right. He could feel it in his seidr that it was a good idea.
“I guess it’s us two against the universe,” Tony grinned.
“Sir, have you forgotten about me?” JARVIS chimed in.
Both Loki and Tony laughed. It was the funniest thing Loki had heard in a while, and it was much needed. JARVIS always knew the right thing to say.
“Us three against the universe,” Tony said, correcting himself. “Hey, how did you even know JARVIS was in trouble?”
“It appears that Mr. Odinson cares about me,” JARVIS stated.
It was the start of something brilliant.