The Kidnapping

Helicarrier – One Hour Before the Breach

The Helicarrier hummed under her boots, a constant, low vibration that most people tuned out. Y/N Stark didn't. She listened to it the way a musician hears tuning before a concert — the slight shift in tone, the hint of something just beneath the surface.

Something was wrong.

She was in the weapons bay running diagnostics on her wrist-mounted power cell — the upgraded gauntlet she'd been modifying behind her dad's back. The readout was clean. Stable. But the hum in the walls was off. Rhythmic. Thicker.

Then the lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then everything went dark for two seconds too long.

When they came back on, JARVIS's voice snapped into her earpiece.

"Miss Stark, we have a breach in sector C-12. Unidentified activity near Loki's cell."

Her stomach dropped.

"Lock it down."

"Already in progress. I suggest haste."

She ran.

Security Corridor D4

The Helicarrier was chaos. Sirens blared in tandem with flashing red lights. Agents scrambled past her with weapons drawn. But Y/N didn't stop. She was running at full speed, hair loose, boots slamming on the metal floor, gauntlet active.

She rounded a corner and stopped short as a wall slammed shut in front of her — an automatic lockdown. She cursed under her breath and scanned her bracelet.

"Override Stark alpha-six."

Access granted.

The door opened just enough to let her slip through — and then slammed closed again behind her.

She was breathing hard now.

Adrenaline sharp in her throat.

Then came the voice over comms.

"This is Hill. Loki's containment is breached. We don't know how. He's gone."

Y/N froze.

Gone.

"Tracking internal movement. He's heading toward Deck 17. Engineering bay."

She spun and ran, lungs burning.

If he was heading for the engine room... he wasn't escaping.

He was sabotaging.

Engineering Deck – Seven Minutes Later

The first thing she saw was smoke.

The second was a scorched ceiling panel torn open like a soda can.

And then she saw them — two agents on the floor, groaning. One was bleeding from the forehead. The other looked barely conscious.

She crouched by them, scanned vitals with her gauntlet.

Alive. Stable.

But it didn't matter.

She could feel him.

Even before he stepped into view.

A figure emerged from the smoke — tall, composed, unfazed by the destruction around him. His armor gleamed like it had just been polished. The emerald fabric of his tunic flowed behind him like smoke caught in wind.

Loki.

And just behind him: a shimmering, unstable shape. A portal, pulsing with blue light and wild energy.

Tesseract-powered.

"How—" she started.

He smiled, casually toying with her fried gauntlet in one hand. "You should consider encrypting your schematics better. The Tesseract is more versatile than your father gives it credit for."

She aimed her other arm at him. "I'll give you one shot. Step away from the portal."

"Oh, I've missed your voice," he said calmly.

Y/N's pulse spiked.

He wasn't running.

He wasn't hiding.

He was waiting.

The room twisted suddenly.

An illusion — a blur of Loki appeared behind her, whispering something she couldn't understand. She turned, fired instinctively — but it passed through him like smoke. Another illusion flickered by her left side. Then right.

He was everywhere and nowhere.

She fired wildly, but the system was lagging. Her gauntlet was glitching, flickering red from the smoke damage.

"I warned you not to rely on your toys," his voice echoed.

"Come out and fight me like a man."

"I'm not a man," he said, and he was suddenly in front of her — real, solid, grabbing her wrist mid-shot and twisting it just enough to make her stumble.

She tried to punch him with her free hand. He caught it easily, pulling her close.

"You fight like your father," he whispered. "All anger. No aim."

Y/N's breathing was ragged now. The air around the portal vibrated. Her ears popped.

"Let go," she hissed.

"Gladly."

Before she could react, he flung her toward the portal.

She hit the edge of the energy wave, and everything went white.

Unknown Location – Time Unknown

When she came to, her head was pounding.

The room was dim, lit by soft green candles that flickered with an unnatural glow. The walls were stone, the ceiling high. It looked ancient. Asgardian architecture. Gothic. Regal.

She was on the floor. Cold. Dizzy.

And her gauntlet was gone.

She sat up, groaning. Her shoulder throbbed where she'd hit the ground. The air smelled of magic and metal.

Then she heard footsteps.

Loki entered like he owned the place.

Because he did.

He tossed the damaged gauntlet to the floor near her feet.

"You'll find it doesn't work anymore," he said smoothly.

She didn't speak. She stood — slowly, carefully — and met his eyes.

"Where are we?"

"A location shielded by spells even Heimdall can't see through."

"You kidnapped me."

He tilted his head. "Such an ugly word. I prefer relocated with intent."

"Cut the theatrics. You want a hostage. Fine. But don't expect me to cooperate."

"Oh, I don't," he said. "You're far too stubborn. That's why I took you."

Y/N laughed, bitter. "You're not going to win. My dad—"

"Is already unraveling," Loki said, eyes flashing. "He's emotional. Irrational. Predictable. Like all humans."

"Keep talking. It makes it easier not to feel sorry for you."

That stopped him.

For a beat, he just stared at her.

Then: "Do you know what it's like to be the second-born? The mistake? The wrong blood in a golden throne room?"

Y/N's mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Because she did know.

In a different way.

She wasn't second-born, but she was second-priority. Always.

To the suit. To the mission. To the next emergency.

She saw the opening — just a flicker — in his expression.

A shadow of loneliness.

And she hated how familiar it looked.

She broke eye contact.

Loki smiled, sensing it.

"You're smarter than the others. But you're not immune."

She looked back at him.

"No," she said. "I'm just not afraid."

He stepped closer.

"Then you're already losing."

Back on the Helicarrier

Tony's hands were shaking.

He'd taken the armor off, but the reactor in his chest glowed like it was pissed off. The engineering bay was crawling with SHIELD agents. The damaged console sparked behind him.

"She's gone," Steve said gently.

Tony didn't respond.

"She's strong," Steve added. "She's smart. She won't break."

Tony stared at the floor.

"No," he said. "She won't."

But his voice cracked.

Natasha approached slowly, holding the damaged gauntlet Loki had dropped before vanishing through the portal.

She handed it to Tony without a word.

He took it — and something inside him went cold.

Burnt wires. Melted plating.

And one word carved into the inner wrist panel.

STARK.

He closed his hand around it.

And for the first time since Afghanistan, Tony Stark felt completely out of control.