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Maya crouched on the rafters of the Hulk’s containment room. She sat stock-still as she listened to Loki and Nick talk. Trusting her mottled gray cloak to hide her she thought of how she was going to pull this off. The others didn’t know she was there but she knew they would sit and talk and try to make a plan. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Maya watched as Nick walked away, watched as Loki paced the cell, surveying his surroundings. She took it as her cue.
Dropping down the billow of her cloak and the dull thud of her boots hitting the metal was the only thing that alerted Loki of her presence. He slowly turned, taking in the sight of her. As he studied her cloak, sash, cowl, and assortment of weapons, Maya also studied him. His dull green, gold, and black ensemble. She also noted his pale and sunken skin. Throwing back her cowl which previously hid her face Maya stood tense. Letting Loki think he made her uncomfortable.
He smiled, more baring his teeth than anything, and asked, “And who are you?”
Maya made sure to keep her voice flat as she answered, “I’m sure you could figure it out.”
Amusement danced across his face. He obviously didn’t expect someone to talk with him, at least not like this. He backed up a pace and spread his arms to gesture to the cell he was in.
“Well, what brings you to my little cage?” He looked up from where Maya had dropped. “I don’t suppose people know you are here.”
Maya liked him. To be fair Maya had a little soft spot for most villains considering she used to be one herself. She smirked a little. “I’ve come to talk.”
“Ah.”
He backed over to the little bed that was in the cell and sat on the edge of the bed. Gesturing in front of him he said, “Then talk.”
Maya swallowed and noticed how Loki watched the movement. “What do you plan to do with Barton.”
“Do you like him? Stranger.”
“I like him as any would like their own family.”
He nodded. Maya was sure that Clint’s relationship with the rest of the team wasn’t a secret to Loki but she was still careful how she worded things.
“Tell me.”
He wanted her story. Maya knew that he wasn’t going to give what he was planning outright so she had to trick it out of him. She crossed her arms and started talking as if she was speaking to an old friend,
“Before I came here, I, well, I did a lot of bad things. Awful things. I made a name for myself.” Loki just sat, looking at her through his brows. “I got on SHIELD’s radar. Not in a good way either, so, they sent some assassins to kill me. Barton made a different call.”
“And what will you do if I vow to spare him.”
“Not let you out.”
“Oh no, but I like this.” Loki leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, smiling. “Your whole world in the balance and you ask about one man.”
“Empires fall every day. I tend not to weep over them.”
“Why do you care?” Loki asked with a tilt of his head.
Maya sighed, “It’s really simple actually. I have red in my ledger, I’d like it gone.”
“Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? I’ve no doubt that your ledger is gushing, dripping red.” He slowly stood up, voice getting ruffer. “But you think saving a man no more virtuous than you will change anything, this is the basest sentimentality. This is a child of Prayer. Pathetic.”
Maya saw her reflection in the glass of his cell. He walked closer to her and she sent him a glare that would have sent any weaker man running. Instead, Loki walked closer to the glass separating them, venom dripping off of every word.
“You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code. Something that makes up for the horrors. But they are part of you, and they will never go away.” He slammed his fist into the glass and Maya had to tense her body to keep from flinching at the sudden movement and sound. “I won’t touch Barton. Not until I make him kill all of you, slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear. And then he’ll wake just long enough to see his good work and when he screams I’ll split his skull!”
Maya swallowed around the lump that formed in her throat as Loki kept talking. He smiled now, more deranged than before, “You think I’m a monster, but you already have one.”
Realization dawned on Maya. He was going to use Bruce. Maya now just needed a way to get out of this. An idea popped into her head. She let a little smile twist her mouth. She dropped her arms to her sides and let her gaze wander Loki’s body as she stepped forward. She could see his confusion about her reaction. Maya let another flirty smile slip on her face as she stopped in front of the glass, millimeters away. She looked into Loki’s eyes as she pressed her hands to the glass where his abdomen would be if they were actually standing in front of each other. Calling on the sultry look and voice that she hasn’t used in a while and never failed to fluster people she said, “Say it again it sounded good.”
He stepped back, confusion coloring his face as his fist slipped off the glass. “What?”
Maya smirked again before turning and walking off. She pulled her cowl back over her face at the whining of the doors locking shut. Maya caught Natasha in the hallway. Seemed the team sent her to get Loki to talk. Maya explained what she had gathered already and both women strode off, back the way Natasha came. They had work to do.
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