Chapter 48

*Loki's POV*

I felt the air around us lift and my thoughts felt free once more. I knew that whatever was blocking me from connecting to others was gone. I first tried to contact with Alex but she still wasn't responding.

"Brother?" I asked as I connected to Thor.

"I hear you, brother." He happily responded.

"Where are you?" I questioned as Peter led is down a hallway. This was was smaller than the others, short and skinny. We had to duck a little to enter.

"We appear to be in a small hallway. Almost too small for me to fit." He chuckled.

"We are currently in the same situation. I still cannot connect with Alex." I replied.

"It opens up into a big room." Peter said as he ducked under the exit doorway and walked into a room. I followed and my brother and Tiny Tony walked out of another doorway a few moments later. The room was quite large and completely empty apart from one giant throne at the top of a few stairs. It looked too big for even a Thor.

"Clearly a throne room." My brother nodded as he put his hands on his hips and looked around.

"But where is the throne bearer?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"And where is Alex." I added.

"We should keep looking around the base for more clues. Maybe T went down another hall or something." Tiny Tony suggested. He seemed more calm now and I could not help but find that strange. Before we entered he was a mess of emotions, mostly fear and distrust, but now he is not. 

"I agree. Let's go Loki, we'll head down that way." Peter said as he pointed to another doorway opposite the room.

"And we will take that way." My brother said while nodding to the 4th doorway.

"And meet back here in 10 minutes." He added.

"Got it." Peter nodded before jogging away. I looked back at my brother and Tiny Tony one last time before turning and following Peter down the small hallway. I had a feeling something was off.

*Alex's POV*

"Yeah!" I happily shouted as rocks came crashing down to the ground in front of me. The Elder and I worked together to bust a hole above us and make an exit to the outside world. The dust settled and I exhaled hard as I put my hands on my hips and looked up through the hole. I could see the same ceiling and walls that i saw when we first entered the base.

"Alright, I'll head up first, then Thor, then you guys and The Elder." I said as I looked over at the group. The Elder extended a branch to me and I climbed up on it. He lifted me up to the hole and I peeked my head put first to check for any guards. Once seeing it was clear, I pulled myself up and out of the hole. I looked back down it and The Elder was gently lifting Thor up to the opening.

"Sorry." I sincerely said as I pulled his heavy body up with The Elder pushing him. He weakly groaned as I rolled him over on his back on the floor. The Elder pushed the others up and then climbed out by himself. He was almost too big to fit in the large hallway.

"Which way?" Beraoin asked as he looked around.

"Um.." I softly hummed as I looked around at the doorway in front and behind us. I couldn't tell where we were but I had to make a decision. 

"Let's go forward." I nodded. The Elder lifted Thor with one hand and held the God against his chest as he extended his other hand to me. I raised a brow as I stepped up on it and he swiftly brought me around and to his shoulder. I sat down and nodded as I smirked down at him. With the others behind us, we marched on.

*Meanwhile, with our Thor. Third Person POV*

The God and other Tony came to a dead end and sighed as they turned back. Thor couldn't understand why, but he didn't trust this Tony. He thought it was maybe because this Tony was so mean to the other Thor, but he wasn't sure if that was really it.

"I still cannot believe a Thor is responsible for this." The God sighed as he ducked down the other hallway.

"Well, believe it." The Tony shrugged. Thor thought this Tony seemed too calm about the situation, all of his battle training told him that this Tony was hiding something. His gut was telling him that this Tony was involved in the kidnapping. The pair walked back into the throne room and Thor crossed his arms as he watched the Tony. He noted that Tony seemed too comfortable in this room.

"It just does not seem like something a Thor would do. We are warriors, Gods. A Thor would not do something this....childish." Thor shrugged. The Tony noticeably tensed at the word but shook it off in an attempt to look innocent.

"I don't see how this is childish. He managed to kidnap the last Alex and trap us here." He casually argued.

"How do you know we are trapped?" Thor asked as he looked over at the small man. The man quickly looked away and shrugged as he walked around Thor.

"Just feels that way." He replied. Silence fell between them and Thor thought back to when his Tony made comments about this Tony's height and how this Tony got so upset. He smiled a little and then looked over at the man.

"That throne is something else, is it not?" He chuckled. The Tony clenched his jaw but relaxed almost as soon as he did and raised a brow as he looked over at Thor.

"What do you mean?" He asked him.

"It is just so big! Too big. It is almost as if T if trying to compensate for something." Thor shrugged as he watched Tony circle him again.

"That is why I do not believe it is a Thor. While we are from different universes, I guarantee we are all the same size, if you understand what I am saying." He chuckled. This Tony had enough of Thor's comments and gripped his fists as he glared at the man. He pulled something out of his pocket and harshly stabbed into Thor's back. The God groaned, mostly in annoyance, and swung his arm behind him, hitting the small man away from him.

"You think a small wound such as that will stop me?" Thor laughed as he pulled out the knife and tossed it to the side.

"No." The man exhaled hard as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

"But the special poison that's now flowing through your bloodstream will." He chuckled. Thor began to feel uneasy and the world around him began to spin as his balance began to fade. He held himself up against the wall as the Tony stood up from the floor. He grabbed the knife and stabbed Thor again, this time in the stomach. Thor tried to fight him off but the poison was making him too weak.

"Why?" Thor asked, his breathing had quickened.

"Because I can." Tony harshly replied. Thor threw his head forward and smashed it into Tony's face. The small man fell to the ground and screamed out in pain as he held his bloody  and broken nose. Thor fell to his knees and threw the best punch he could muster up at the man's face. Tony fell to his stomach and Thor let out a half laugh as he relaxed, sitting on his knees. The spinning began to speed up and Thor felt sick from how dizzy he was getting. Tony suddenly sprung up and stabbed Thor right in his face, taking one of his eyes in the process. Thor yelled as Tony pulled the knife, and Thor's eye, our of his head. The God called for his hammer but before he could finish his thought, Tony stuck a thick black band around his neck, stopping his powers. Thor yelled in rage and then everything went black.

*Alex's POV*

We continued down a few more hallways before coming to a dead end. Beraoin sighed and crossed his arms as he looked up at me.

"Now what?" He asked. I inhaled and thought about our next move but suddenly The Elders asked me if I heard the faint and muffled talking coming from the other side of the wall. 

"I am Groot. I am Groot?" 

" No. Can you hear it clearly?" I asked as I looked over at the Groot.

"I am Groot." 

"I can." The Elder responded with a nod.

"I am Groot? I am Groot?" 

"What are they saying? How many of them are there?" I asked. He leaned in closer to the wall, turning his ear towards it. He nodded as he looked up at me.

"I am Groot."

"Two men." He answered.

"I am Groot."

"It's been 10 minutes already, plus we've hit a dead end." He repeated exactly what he had heard.

"I am Groot."

"Right. We should head back to my brother and that annoying downsized Tony." He continued. I knew only one person that would say something like that.

"Loki!" I gasped with excitement. I began to bang on the thick metal wall and yelled out for my boyfriend. The noise fell on deaf ears because the wall was too thick.

"Fuck. We have to break through." I said as I looked down at the other two. They took a step back, telling me they wouldn't be any help. I rolled my eyes and quickly translated to The Elder what needed to be done. He nodded in agreement and gently set the barely alive Thor on the floor behind us and then turned back to face the wall. I lifted both hands up and the one he held Thor in also lifted. Together we pulled back and slammed his tight fist into the metal. It dented the wall and shook the hallway.

"I am Groot!"

"Again!" I yelled out. He took a few steps back and we repeated the process, slamming his fist into the wall with as much force as we could. The thick metal dented more and more with each punch and I felt a hopeful laugh building up inside of me.

"I am Groot?"

"Are you okay?" I asked him as we pulled back once more.

"I am Groot!"

"I have never felt so alive!" He replied, a determined smile forming on his face. We threw his fist one final time and it completely went through the wall, leaving a Hulk sized hole in front of us. We pulled his arm back to us and I let my laugh out when I saw Loki and Peter staring at the hole, wide eyed and caught off guard.

"Alex?!" Loki yelled out as he rushed towards the broken wall. 

"Hey boys." I laughed. The Elder gently picked me up and set me down as Loki ran through the hole. He grabbed me up and spun me in the air as he held me tightly. I inhaled his sent and closed my eyes as I hugged him back.

"What happened? Are you alright? Is the baby alright?" Loki frantically asked as he put me down and examined my body for injuries. I held his hands to stop him and smiled wildly.

"I'm okay. We're okay." I softly replied. Loki's eyes studied mine for a few seconds and then he suddenly crashed his lips into mine as he put one hand on the back of my head, holding me close. Peter loudly cleared his throat and Loki let out a small growl as I pulled away from him. I moved away and gave Peter a quick hug before walking back over to Loki and taking his hand in mine.

"Alright, you've been found. Now we need to stop...." Peter's words trailed off as he looked behind us and to Second Thor, who was barely breathing.

"The other Thor?" He asked as he raised a brow.

"You stopped him too?" Peter asked as I pulled Loki over to Second Thor.

"No. He isn't T. It's-"

"Tiny Tony." Loki sighed as he closed his eyes.

"Yeah." I nodded in agreement. Loki opened his eyes and tisked as he put his hands on Second Thor's chest. Loki furrowed his brows and clenched his jaw as he pushed his hands more into the God's chest. Lok inhaled hard through his nose and his whole body began to tense up as he healed the God. 

"What's wrong?" I asked as I looked at Loki with worried eyes. He's never struggled to heal someone before.

"I... whatever is in his blood is....strong. I do not think I can fully heal him." Loki admitted as he shook his head.

"But you can heal him, right? Enough to get him out and to S.H.I.E.L.D's base?" I asked him.

"I can." Loki nodded. He closed his eyes and inhaled hard and his body began to shake. His veins in his hands began to pop out more and one in his forehead did as well. He was straining himself.

"Loki, stop." I cautiously said.

"Almost..." Loki softly groaned as he tightly shut his eyes. He let out a loud exhale and his body relaxed into mine as he dropped his hands from the other God's chest. Second Thor coughed and opened his eyes, staring up at Loki and I with cautious eyes.

"Morning sleepy head." I joked as we backed away from him. He slowly stood up with the help of Peter and then checked his body, touching the barely healed injuries. He looked over at Loki and licked his lips as he stared at the God.

"Thank you." He nodded. Loki nodded back and I clapped my hands as I walked back over to The Elder. He helped me climb back up to his shoulder and I sat down as I looked over at the others.

"Where's T at now?" I asked them.

"He was with our Thor, we were supposed to meet them back in the throne room 5 minutes ago." Peter replied as he nodded back towards the hole and hallway they were in.

"Alright, let's go." I nodded. Peter led the way while Loki floated in the air next to me, his legs crossed and his hand in mine. Thor walked with Peter and I could see how angry he was because of what happened and knee Tiny Tony was in for it.

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We made it back to the throne room and I inhaled hard when I spotted my Thor face down on the floor and covered in blood. Loki teleported the both of us to his brother and I helped him roll the God over to his back. My eyes went wide when I saw the damage to his face. He opened his one working eye and looked over at Loki, who was equally shocked by this.

"You're late." Thor said before coughing up some blood.

"And you're are missing an eye." Loki casually responded as he put his hands on his brother's chest. He strained himself again as he healed Thor as best as he could. We helped Thor to his feet and he called for his hammer but nothing happened. Second Thor called for his as well, but again, nothing.

"It is this damned collar he placed on me." My Thor harshly said as he yanked at the collar around his neck. I recognized it as the same one Evil Loki used on myself and the Guardians on Oskar.

"I don't have a collar on me." Second Thor pointed out as he showed his bare neck. Loki even tried calling for the hammers but was met with nothing, like the others.

"He must be holding the hammers somewhere." My Thor sighed.

"What could stop Thor's hammer from coming back to him?" I asked as I crossed my arms. As if on cue, the wall behind the giant throne opened up to reveal a secret passage way and Tiny Tony exited it. He was holding a chain and at the other end of said chair was a Bucky, and his hands held both hammers.

"Someone who is worthy."  Both Thors sighed.

"A Bucky?" I asked as I raised a brow.

"How?" 

"He isn't a real Bucky you idiot!" Tiny Tony yelled.

"Rude." I replied as I uncrossed my arms.

"If he isn't a Bucky, who is he?" I asked as Tiny Tony walked down the stairs, pulling the not a real Bucky Bucky with him. Before Tiny Tony could reply, it hit me who he was.

"He's from the universe where we don't really exist. He plays Bucky." I answered my own question.

"Correct. His name is Sebastian and as it turns out, he's worthy enough to wield the hammers." Tony nodded as he stopped and pulled the man closer to him.

"Loki was holding him captive, he had plans for him later on but now that Loki is dead, I get to use him." He smirked.

"Sebastian, attack them!" The Tony yelled as he pointed at us. Loki, the Thors, Peter and I all tensed up as we prepared for the worst, but nothing happened. Sebastian stayed still as he stared at Tony with furrowed brows.

"No." He replied.

"You do as I say!" Tony screamed at him.

"I'm not hurting these people." Sebastian argued.

"I'll kill you if you don't." Tony threatened. Sebastian looked over at us and then looked back to his capture as he gripped the handles on the hammers.

"I'm pretty sure my best bet for survival is not attacking the 8 heroes trying to take you down." He shrugged. Tiny Tony let out an annoyed grunt and lifted his hand that held the chain in it. But before he could pull on it, Peter shot a web at Tony and knocked the chain from his hand. Loki appeared next to him and crossed his arms as he glared down at the man.

"You kidnapped my Alex." He harshly said. Both Thors completed the circle of Gods around the man, all of them ready to kill him. 

"Guards!" Tony yelled out as he pressed a small button with his other hand. My Thor grabbed it and smashed the button but the room quickly filled with guards holding guns and wearing black suits.

"Kill them!" Tiny Tony yelled. I rolled my eyes as I let out an annoyed exhale and gripped my fists as the guards advanced on us. I spun on my heel and threw my leg around, kicking one of the guards in the stomach. The Elder sent small branches through the room, grabbing different guards and pulling them to the ground. He hit them off the walls until they stopped moving. Sebastian quickly backed up but held both hammers out and readied them to fight if he needed to. Peter jumped up and held himself up on the ceiling as he dodged bullets and the Thors just plowed through the men while Loki's illusions confused them.

I grabbed a gun from the ground and began shooting enemies as I made my way towards Sebastian while Lithitam and Beraoin stayed out of the fight. I killed a man attempting to get to Sebastian and he thanked me as I put my back to him, shooting more men.

"You handle that gun like I was trained to for Bucky." He joked as I fell on my one knee and shot a guard in his leg. I put another bullet in his head before standing up and turning to face Sebastian.

"Makes sense. My Bucky is the one who taught me." I shrugged as I examined him for serious injuries. My eyes landed on his and he let out a small, amazed scoff as he stared at me.

"You really do look just like her." He said in almost a whisper.

"I assume you're referring to your Alex, so, yeah I do. Because I am her." I nodded.

"N-No, um, I didn't have an Alex in my...universe." He replied. Loki appeared next to us and crossed his arms.

"How unfortunate for you." He bluntly said. Loki snapped his fingers and the chain and collar around Sebastian fell off and he smiled as he looked down at himself.

"I'll take those." Loki said as he grabbed the hammers from Sebastian and nodded. He kissed me on the cheek before disappearing again.

"I...have so many questions." Sebastian said as he stared at his empty hands with wide eyes. I laughed as the man and handed him my gun before leaving him to help the others. The Elder was being over run by men cutting off his branches, so I stopped there first. I kicked one man in the back of his knee and he fell forward into The Elder. He quickly spun around and attempted to slash me with his knife, but I backed away and avoided it just in time. I kicked the knife from his hand and knocked him out before picking it up for myself.

I ran to another man who was stabbing The Elder in the side and shoved my knife into his side before he could notice me. I pulled it out and shoved it into his back as he screamed. I yanked him back from The Elder and tossed him to the side. I threw my bloody hand out and used The Elder's arm to swipe another group of men away from him. He helped me climb up on him and I stood with one foot on each shoulder. I held the knife like Loki taught me to hold a dagger and aimed it at the man closing in on Lithitam and Beraoin. I put the tip of my tongue against the upper corner of my lip and aimed for the back of his neck. I inhaled and threw it like Loki taught me and it landed right where I wanted it to. The man fell dead. 

One of the hammers came flying past us and my eyes followed it to Loki. He slammed it into the head of one guard, sending brains and blood all over him. He threw it to Second Thor, who then used it himself. The other hammer flew past Second Thor and back to Loki as all three Gods traded hammers to attack the guards. More guards flooded the room and Sebastian was now with Lithitam and Beraoin, protecting them the best he could. There were so many soldiers it was like they were being cloned right outside of the doors. The two Thors were beginning to slow down with their attacks and I knew it was because of whatever was in their blood. We needed to take the guards out fast and end this.

"I am Groot?" 

"Ready?" I asked The Elder as I looked down at him.

"I am Groot."

"Hell yes." He nodded. I threw both hands up and his did the same. I spread my fingers out and small branches left The Elder's hands and snaked around the guards. I closed my hand into a tight fits and the branches pierced the chests of the guards near them, sending poison into their bodies. More than half of the guards dropped dead at the same time.

"Jesus." Sebastian gasped as he looked over at me.

"Where's the Tony??" I asked the group. My Thor smashed his hammer down on a guards back and shattered his spine before tossing it to his brother.

"I have not seen him since the fight started." He replied. Loki caught the hammer and he and Second Thor both slammed their hammers down at the same time, causing the metal floor to ripple under us and knocking most of the remaining guards down. The Elder and I stabbed and killed them an the others quickly retreated in a panic.

"Loki." I called out. 

"Already on it, my love." He replied as his illusions disappeared from the room. He sent them after the guards and chased them back to the throne room. Once inside, Peter blocked off the exits with thick webbing and then The Elder and I killed the guards. Once the last body hit the metal floor, the room fell silent.

"How is there still so many Loki followers?" Second Thor asked as The Elder set me on the ground again.

"Always will be. Our jobs now are to watch and take them out." Peter said as he landed next to me.

"And what of Tiny Tony?" Loki asked after appearing next to me.

"There he is." Sebastian said as he nodded over to the throne. Tiny Tony was peeking out from behind it.

"Have...have you been hiding there this whole time?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"That is pathetic." Loki tisked as he also crossed his arms.

"So pathetic." Second Thor nodded.

"Not very logical either. You could have left the room during the fighting but you stayed and hid in an obvious spot." Beraoin added.

"What kind of villain hides during the big fight? Like, I know this is new to me but is that normal?" Sebastian asked as he looked over at us with a raised brow.

"Not at all." My Thor replied as he shook his head.

"I kinda feel bad now. This is just...sad." Peter cringed a little as we watched Tiny Tony partially walk out from behind the throne.

"What do we do now?" Lithitam asked as she looked over at us.

"Ummm... I guess we arrest him." I shrugged.

"That is most likely what Fury would want us to do." Loki nodded in agreement. 

"So, T, why'd you so it?" I asked as I walked over to the man. He clenched his jaw and looked down as I walked up the steps.

"Loki had killed the others and offered me a position by his side. He told me I wouldn't be looked down on anymore, he said I'd be feared and it's better to be feared than to he loved." Tiny Tony harshly replied.

"That's a bad reason, man." Sebastian said as he shook his head.

"Shut up! You don't know what it's like being me! Always having people look down on you." Tiny Tony snapped. Loki opened his mouth to say something, something snarky no doubt, but Tiny Tony looked over at him and cut him off.

"Don't you dare make a short joke you asshole. On my Earth I was considered tall." He harshly said. Loki tightly shut his lips and tried to hide his amused smile as he nodded.

"Tony Stark is super popular though. How did you have people looking down on you?" Second Thor asked as he crossed his arms. Tiny Tony scoffed and laughed as he shook his head and looked down again.

"Not this one. My science, my inventions were considered dangerous. I didn't build Iron Man to save myself like the others. I built Iron Man to protect those fighting in the war but it was seen as terrorism! They called me a murderer. I was too smart for my government so they put me down. They forced me to sell my company and I lost everything! The Avengers formed without me! I was hunted down by them!!" He screamed at us.

"But why attack and kill us? Why not just seek revenge on those in your own universe? On your own Earth?" Loki asked as he raised a brow.

"Because I know you're all the same! All Alexs, all Buckys, all Peters and Thors! You would have all looked down on me just like the ones from my universe!" He yelled out as he swung his arm towards me. I had no time to react to him or his knife and he managed to stab me in the stomach. I gasped and grabbed the area around the knife as I began to bleed out. Loki appeared next to me and grabbed the man by his throat. He spun him around so that Tony's back was facing me and threw him to the ground in front of my feet. He gripped the man's throat until his face swelled up and his eyes began to bulge in his head.

"L-Loki." I could hear how shaky my voice was. Peter was already with me and helping me stay on my feet. Loki looked up at me, the blood on his face dried, his black hair in a mess, his breathing rapid, and his bright green eyes... dull. Dull like Evil Loki's were. Dull like they were before he joined the Avengers. Dull like they were when he was considered Evil.

I wasn't sure if the knife hit the baby or not but I was terrified it did. I was in so much emotional and physical pain I couldn't think straight. Loki looked down to the man and released his throat, letting Tony gasp for air. The God formed a magical dagger in his hand and swiftly swung it across Tiny Tony's throat. It was hard enough for the blood splatter to hit me in the face. I tensed up and watched as Tiny Tony choked on his own blood, Loki's dull eyes burning into him.

I tried to move over to Loki to comfort him but I lost my balance as soon as I did. I stumbled forward and Peter grabbed me back, causing me to stumble again. The knife moved around because of that and I cried out in pain. I felt light headed and fell back into Peter's arms before everything went black.

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