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"You came to the wrong neighborhood, Reindeer Games."
Agent Barton had warned Loki that most of Midgard was the territory of this Iron Man, but he hadn't anticipated running into the mortal so soon. Now, as the gaudy red and gold suit paced around him in a wide circle, the god had the too-late thought that he should have taken the archer's cautions a little more seriously. Not that this would be a problem. He would handle it.
"How did you find this base? I was assured it was nigh undetectable."
"Key word there is 'nigh'. You're on the grid, even if it's barely. If you're on the grid, there's no where you can hide from me."
The man slowed to a stop in front of the god and Loki could feel his gaze even past the metal helmet. He lifted his chin infinitesimally. Let this mortal try to judge him. He was nothing.
"Are you here to play the hero, then?" Loki mocked, eyebrow raised. "Do you think your people will revere you if you happen to save their puny lives? They will never see you as anything but a monster."
The man in the suit barked out a laugh.
"Yeah, no. I'm no hero. I don't really play well with others, if you know what I mean. No…I'm here because I don't like it when upstart aliens who think they're gods try to touch my things. Earth is mine. It and all its people belong to me."
"That doesn't seem to be how SHIELD sees it."
"There are a lot of things SHIELD doesn't see."
It was hard to tell through the metallic filters, but Loki thought that sounded just a little bit bitter. He grinned triumphantly. A single foothold was all he needed to worm his way into another's mind. This was just the opportunity he needed. It was too early in his plans for him to be brought down, he at least needed the portal open before that happened, but turning this mortal against him would serve to make his defeat all the more believable.
"I agree with you on that point, at least. They are like the rest of your pathetic species, unable to find the way on their own. They must be guided to the light."
"And you think that you're the guy to do it."
It would have been hard for the mortal's voice to sound any more skeptical. Good. Let him continue to talk. Barton was already on the way and they would soon be headed to Germany. Loki's only regret about teleporting was that he wouldn't be around to see the mortal's reaction to his sudden disappearance. Such a waste.
"Well, I am a god. Your people have quite the history for falling into line under the guidance of deities."
Iron Man made a noise that might have been a snort, or possibly some sort of mechanical failure. Loki couldn't really tell.
"Um, yeah. We also fight about which ones are real on a daily basis. Don't think for a second that proclaiming yourself a 'god' is going to make your path any smoother. Piece of advice? It's only going to make them more upset."
A faint whirring sound came from across the room and they both turned to see that Agent Barton had arrived. His bow was drawn and pointed threateningly at the man in the suit of armor. Loki grinned at his appearance and turned back to his enemy.
"I do believe you have met my assistant here, yes?"
He could almost hear the frown in Iron Man's voice.
"Barton, yeah. What'd you do to him?"
The tin man's gaze never left the agent, just as Barton's glowing blue gaze never wavered away from him. Loki frowned, feeling oddly disappointed at the loss of Iron Man's complete attention. He strode to stand beside the archer, a purely tactical move he told himself.
"He has proved himself quite useful while in my service, an excellent source of information and an even more loyal dog." Loki turned his head slightly and stroked along the side of Barton's face, one eye on the red and gold villain to watch his reaction. "Perhaps when I no longer have use for him, I will bid him a painless death."
Even beneath the metal, Loki could see Iron Man stiffen. Interesting…Since the moment he had entered the room, the other villain seemed much more concerned for the archer than he was for himself. It certainly wasn't typical 'evil' behavior. The contradictions presented to him were certainly proving to be entertaining.
His fingers tightened their grip on his spear. The whispering voice in the back of his mind told him to just claim the mortal already, he would be useful in making sure the Chitauri came through the portal. He tamped down on the desire, though, knowing the mortal could also make the difference in stopping them once they did come through.
The thoughts were interrupted as the warrior took a threatening step forward. Light glinted menacingly off of the golden faceplate and for the first time, Loki felt a shiver of apprehension run up his spine. This was the man who had so thoroughly entrenched himself as a threat to his enemies on this planet. This was the man who held the top rank on SHIELD's Most Wanted list. Iron Man had finally gotten serious.
"Enough games, Rock of Ages. As fun as our little dance has been, I'm afraid this is where it ends. I'd offer you a drink, but I'm really just not that much of a gentleman."
Then he had his hands up, firing a repulsor beam at Loki and, very carefully, not at Barton. The shot was placed to drive the two further apart and Loki grimaced at the fact that it worked. Between himself and his brother, he had always been the better tactician. He didn't like being driven away from his asset, but there just wasn't much he could do when his options had been so limited.
Barton immediately responded to the attack by firing off a few arrows of his own. Iron Man dived to the side, using his thrusters to get out of the way in time. The arrows struck the opposite wall and let out small bursts of what Loki had been told was 'EMP'. Apparently it was something that would stop Iron Man's suit, if only for a very limited time.
Iron Man himself cursed colorfully and switched directions to fly towards the archer. For a moment, Loki thought that he'd misjudged the mortal, that he was going to kill Barton just to get him out of the way. But then Iron Man was wrapping his arms around the agent, knocking his bow aside and pinning him against the glow of the reactor. Barton kicked and struggled furiously, but there was only so much he could do under the circumstances.
The other villain backed away, putting space between himself and the god, keeping his back to the doorway so he could make a quick escape. He was clever, this one, and Loki had to admire that. The god's lips twitched upwards in a bit of a smirk. Maybe, when all of this was over and he did not have Thanos breathing down his neck, he would seek out this mortal again. He would no doubt be an excellent source of entertainment.
For now, though, he needed to proceed very carefully. It would not be catastrophic to lose Barton at this stage of the game, but it would certainly make things more difficult. On the other hand, if Iron Man was to approach SHIELD with the return of one their own it would make it a bit easier for the two factions to work together. (And Loki had been informed already that Iron Man had others who worked for him, The Winter Soldier, for example, and a rogue scientist named Maya Hansen.)
"You are not nearly so much a villain as you wish others to believe, are you?"
Loki's question was accompanied by a smirk, mirth and calculation dancing within his eyes.
"I do what I want. Sometimes that makes enemies. Most of the time, actually. Besides," the mortal crept backwards a little bit more, a little bit closer to the door. Loki made no move to stop him. "being a villain is so much easier than being the hero. When you're the hero, everyone wants you to be so good, to care. When you're the villain, the only person you have to answer to if yourself."
Loki wanted to agree with this, because he understood the logic, but he couldn't quite bring himself to. Right now he was the villain, and he wasn't exactly the only one in charge. Why was it that this mere mortal could rule over his own destiny when Loki, a god, was constantly forced to bow to the choices of others? First the All-Father had seen fit to decide his fate, then Thanos. Perhaps it was simply in the cards that Loki's path be ruled by those not himself.
He felt a sudden rush of anger and felt himself violently hating the very idea of the mortal before him. A part of him knew that the one he really hated was himself but it didn't stop the wave of loathing that crashed over him. Why had he ever considered not just killing the man? It would make life so much easier for him.
As if sensing the change in his demeanor, Iron Man edged even farther away. He looked ready to bolt at any second. Still, it seemed he could not get through life without opening his infuriating mouth for one last comment.
"For what it's worth, I'm not so sure you're the villain here, either. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that nothing is quite how it appears. I'll be watching, Reindeer Games."
And then he turned and fled, the Hawk wrapped up securely in his arms as his suit flew through Loki's base. As soon as he was gone, Loki's anger disappeared and the god cast a critical eye over the scepter in his grip. Yes…the mortal was certainly clever indeed…