The Destroyer

A confused Nevaeh watched Loki stride down the same dungeon where the Casket was held, but he halted in his steps before he even reached it. Loki dramatically stomped Gungnir on the floor at once, making a loud thud. Nevaeh thought that Loki was just showing off because he knew she was watching. A towering, metal robot emerged from the wall with chilly smoke rising behind the Casket.

'Ensure my brother does not return. DESTROY EVERYTHING!'

Nevaeh watched with horrified eyes as the huge figure started moving heavily while Loki lingered behind. 'What does this have to do with Thor's return?' Nevaeh muttered to herself.

'You will see,' Loki said. 'They will all see.'

'Oh my god! You can hear me?' asked a relieved Nevaeh. Loki did not dignify that redundant question with a response.

As soon as the destroyer went beyond Loki's gaze, Nevaeh's screen quickly bifurcated into two, and she saw the shiny robot wait there, unmoving, as the other screen displayed Loki, who had approached the Casket.

Loki vanished the Casket into thin air. She wondered what its use could be for him at such a time, even after having such a big robot. Soon, the robot was reunited with Loki, and they departed the weapon's vault. Nevaeh was gaping at the screen as she watched Loki march on the huge bridge of the vault, his cape fluttering heavily behind him. Loki walked out of the palace and started striding towards the bi-frost, with the destroyer walking invisibly behind him. Nevaeh's stomach curled as she watched Heimdall, standing right outside the golden dome as though he were waiting for Loki to arrive.

'Tell me, Loki. How did you get the Jotuns into Asgard?' she heard Heimdall speak as soon as Loki reached near him. Nevaeh's insides rumbled as she wondered if she had unknowingly spilled something while talking to Heimdall which led him to asking such a firm question to the kid-king himself.

Nevaeh rolled her eyes lightly, hearing Loki subtly boast to Heimdall that he doesn't need the bi-frost to enter or exit Asgard, and complain about Heimdall's allegedly poor services. She was annoyed when Loki fired Heimdall and then even more so when he excommunicated him from Asgard. Nevaeh wondered if excommunication was the punishment Loki had in his mind for everybody, then how he could've banished her from Asgard as a punishment for committing treason, when she wasn't even a citizen of Asgard. She watched distractedly, trying to pull herself out of her thoughts when she heard Heimdall say—

'Then I need no longer obey you.' He sharply drew up his sword to attack Loki. Nevaeh watched through horrified eyes when a calm Loki merely placed his Gungnir aside and whipped out the blue Casket out of thin air by a quick, semi-circular hand gesture.

Ice covered Heimdall's very body, enveloping him in a thick layer of frost, his eyes turning horrified as he watched a blue Loki through the frost. Nevaeh muffled her shriek by clapping a hand over her mouth when a blue Loki reversed his gesture and made the Casket disappear.

Nevaeh was lost for words; Loki had just murdered Heimdall. Tears started flowing down her cheeks as she saw Loki walk into the bi-frost and send the destroyer away, as though he had merely tackled a security guard in a shopping mall.

'You – you—'Nevaeh sobbed heavily, unable to finish her sentence.

Loki pulled out Gungnir from inside the bi-frost precisely when the destroyer disappeared and he departed the dome. Loki heard Nevaeh stutter and stammer like a little cry baby. He walked past a frozen Heimdall, smirking to himself and marched towards the palace.

'Loki – you – you son – of a –'

'Before you finish that sentence and instantly regret it, let me clarify that dear Heimdall is not dead, so stop mourning him. It's disrespectful to mourn the living,' Loki said, completely enjoying this.

'What do you mean—'

'He is just frozen, girl! I could thaw him later. If I feel like it! Now, will you stop that unnecessary tear-shed so that I can focus on my work for a minute?' whispered Loki as he entered the palace.

Half the screen turned to show a barren stretch of land where the destroyer had landed. Nevaeh noticed many men in black suites standing there, asking the robot to identify itself. The destroyer sent blasts of fire plummeting repeatedly towards them, destroying everything in sight.

'Is that New Mexico?' Nevaeh said. Loki slowed his pace as soon as he entered the throne hall. 'Those warriors went there to bring back your brother, didn't they? And you sent that thing on Earth! Are you kidding me?' yelled Nevaeh, now uncertain whether Loki was even listening to what she was saying.

The destroyer was shooting everything in its sight, setting fire to cars as they burst aflame, shattering the glass all about. The warriors were scrambling away from it and Nevaeh suddenly noticed Thor, who was wearing human clothing, and was looking alarmingly scared at Loki's rage.

'Loki, there are people out there! You cannot hurt them just because you want to punish your friends and your brother for nothing!' bellowed Nevaeh fumingly, watching the screen with horror in her eyes as Thor and his companions tried to get people back to safety.

'THEY COMMITTED TREASON!' bellowed Loki, making one of the guards to nervously glance back at him, unable to understand his highness's sudden out-burst.

The destroyer sent yet another flaming blast into a department store which was swallowed in fire and the screams of people were as loud as though she were present there. A shot hit squarely on a gas station, when quite immediately the surroundings were engulfed in flames with the destroyer emerging from within it, ready to attack yet again. She couldn't take her eyes off of all the destruction that Loki's temper was wreaking. 'You cannot hurt civilians, Loki! Especially not on my planet! If you don't stop this right now I—'

She glanced at the other screen showing Loki, but there was something very different about his appearance. Nevaeh had diverted her gaze from the destroyer and was now staring unblinkingly at him who had taken a seat on his magnificent throne, holding Gungnir, but there was only one accessory in his entire outfit that caught her eye, and not in a good way.

Loki frowned, waiting for Nevaeh's annoyingly never-ending statements to end inside his mind, but she had paused in mid-sentence.

Nevaeh stood up, staring at the screen through horrified eyes, watching Loki's sudden, new, and astonishingly familiar helmet with huge, gold, bendy horns over it. Her hand shook violently and she pointed a trembling finger towards the screen, gaping at it. She was lost for words.

'Too – too much. This is – too much – I – can't,' mumbled Nevaeh, her eyes squinting and she collapsed on the floor, fainting on the spot.

Loki frowned as he heard Nevaeh mumble something indistinctively and was about to inquire, but his mind turned alert as he watched Thor. The warriors and the Midgardians halted to watch Thor as he marched towards the destroyer, with a pleading expression on his face. 'What is he thinking? He doesn't even have his powers! I could kill him in a single blast!' thought Loki, his eyes widening in confusion and fear as his brother halted in front of the destroyer.

'Brother, whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am truly sorry. But these people are innocent. Taking their lives will gain you nothing. So take mine,' Thor said, stopping in his tracks a mere inches away from the destroyer which was ready to shoot fire any second.

Loki smiled lightly as he watched the begging expression shining on Thor's face. He never intended to take his life, but he did deserve a little slap for meddling with his plans. The destroyer's arm smacked a mortal Thor, who went flying into the air and collapsed heavily on the ground. Loki watched amusedly as an extremely ordinary, mortal woman came running his way, and kneeled next to him.

Loki quickly pondered over the fact that Nevaeh had not uttered a single sound since she had mumbled something to herself. She hadn't made a single comment, or even said a single word after all the recent, shocking events that took place. He didn't even hear applause when he'd spared his brother's life and Loki's heart skipped a beat as he wondered the cause behind her sudden, unwelcomed silence.

He decided to check up on her while watching Thor lie there, with his mortal crying unnecessarily over him; he was a god. A little slap won't kill him! Mortals were so foolish. He was about to turn back and head onwards, the destroyer turning around to walk away from them on Earth, as well.

Loki whipped around in horrified surprise when he heard a familiar thundering boom echoing in his mind. Lightening appeared in the sky, engulfing Thor who was suddenly holding Mjolnir tightly in his hands. Loki's eyes widened in shock when Thor's appearance started changing itself back to his armour and red cape. He never intended on this to happen either. Loki knew that the destroyer will soon be destroyed by the hands of his furious brother. He needed to act quickly.

Loki vanished in thin air and appeared directly into his bedchambers, where yet another horrifying surprise was awaiting his return. He gasped as soon as he watched an unconscious, green Nevaeh, lying on his carpet. Loki hastily bent down.

'Nevaeh, Look at me! Hey, wake up! NEVAEH!' bellowed Loki. Her eyes opened lightly. He helped her sit up straight. She blinked rapidly through unfocused eyes, looked at Loki and gasped heavily, as though she had just encountered a talking frog.

'What? What is it? What happened to you?' Loki asked.

Nevaeh slowly pointed towards his helmet, unable to find her voice. Her mouth was wide open and she touched her trembling finger-tip on one of his horns. Loki was quizzically looking at her, unable to understand her mute reaction for his beloved accessory.

'My helmet? I know it's fabulous and shiny, but I can't give it to you! Not right now! Come here' Loki helped her up, closing his eyes for a mere moment to keep up with Thor's pace on Earth. Nevaeh was again glancing distractedly at Loki's helmet, which was making him feel very uncomfortable. He made it vanish in thin air, standing her up on her feet.

'What happened?' Nevaeh asked quietly, touching her head which felt as though it was carrying 50 tons in it.

'Umm – I have forgiven Thor and allowed him to come back'

'Oh, Loki! That is so good! I can't wait to meet him–'

'Yes, yes. But I need to take care of something before he returns, and you, little one, need to leave,' Loki said.

'Leave?'

'Yes, quite immediately,' Loki said, clicking his fingers. A gleaming door opened to reveal her room.

'I don't understand, minutes ago you wanted me to stay here, indefinitely, and—'

'And you wanted nothing more than to get out of here!' he snapped.

Loki sighed as he watched a green, twinkling Nevaeh blink in innocent confusion. Nevaeh wondered what she did to make him show her out so suddenly, while Loki fought back an urge to embrace her, being pretty sure that he would receive a smack across his face, especially if he did so while allegedly shoving her out of his palace.

'I just need to take care of a few things, but you need to leave this instant! We will meet shortly,' Loki said firmly.

Nevaeh wanted to ask him so many questions; what is your plan? Why the rigid persistence on Thor's absence during the commencement of your plan? Why are you suddenly kicking me out? What about my glittering, green skin and partially burned wrist? But most importantly, how long would you be gone? And would you really come back to me?

But the urgency, mixed with cold firmness inside Loki's voice made her swallow all her questions and move her feet to get to the doorway, towards her home. Loki grabbed her arm when she was one step away from the portal and whipped her around, her long hair smacking his face.

'I know you have many questions screaming in your mind, and I promise I would answer all of them when we meet again. I shall return after I fix a few things and have a word with my brother—'Loki was saying when Nevaeh sharply looked at him.

'Your brother doesn't know about your parentage yet, does he?' she whispered.

Loki's jaw clenched. He coldly smiled at her before releasing his grip a bit too roughly, making her tumble inside her bedroom. She halted fumingly and whipped around to stare wildly at an angry Loki.

'When I said I knew you had many questions in your mind, then I actually, for once, knew! Yet, you chose to ask a question which wasn't even remotely related to the ones swarming in your mind! We had a few seconds before your departure, and you –you chose to ask that petty question? I may be a killer, but you – you are a moment-killer!' Loki spat.

'Please don't kill anyone,' she said weakly.

Loki sighed, his anger vanishing in a split second. 'I have changed, Nevaeh! And I have already promised you that no drop of Asgardian blood shall be spilled!' Loki said reassuringly.

Nevaeh nodded, smiling a little, as the doorway shut down in a glowing spark, leaving her staring towards her bedroom wall with a considerably blank expression on her face.