Real Plan

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With Loki secured, the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet took off, heading back to the helicarrier. However, back at Tony's villa, a new problem arose.

Kai had teleported the group directly from Germany to the villa. When Coulson and the others saw Loki being escorted in, they quickly gathered around, eager to get a close look at the so-called legendary Asgardian.

Kai handed Loki over to Yinsen, preparing to have him use magic to restrain him. The others studied Loki carefully, expecting something extraordinary. But after a while, they saw no real difference between him and an ordinary human, and their curiosity faded.

At that moment, just as Kai handed Loki to Yinsen, the sky darkened. Thunder rumbled, and lightning crackled in the distance.

Loki tensed immediately, his eyes darting to the storm clouds. Fear flickered across his face.

Tony noticed and smirked. "What's the matter? Planning to conquer Earth, but still afraid of a little thunder?"

Loki gave him an exasperated look. "I'm not afraid of thunder. I fear the man who comes *with* the thunder."

No sooner had he spoken than a figure descended from the storm, landing heavily on the grass. The gust from his arrival flattened the nearby vegetation.

The sudden entrance put everyone on edge, weapons raised instinctively—until Kai spoke.

"This is Thor. He's on our side. Stand down."

At his words, the tension eased, and everyone lowered their weapons.

Thor strode forward, his eyes scanning the group before settling on Kai. A wide grin broke across his face.

"Ah, Kai! My friend, it's good to see you again!" Without hesitation, Thor pulled Kai into a crushing hug. "You still remember me and consider me an ally—I heard everything just now. No need for explanations!"

Not satisfied with just the hug, Thor clapped Kai on the back with enough force to make a normal person stagger. Luckily, Kai's enhanced physique absorbed the impact, though he still took a step back, quickly extricating himself from Thor's grip.

Tony, sensing an opportunity, stepped in. "Thor, welcome back to Earth. What's the occasion this time?"

Thor turned toward him, recognition lighting up his face. Before he could say anything, he moved to embrace Tony as well.

Tony, seeing the incoming hug, immediately backed up. "Whoa, whoa—yeah, no thanks. I'd rather not get crushed. Just tell me why you're here."

Loki, still restrained by Yinsen, watched the exchange in disbelief. Was this really Thor? The so-called mighty God of Thunder, laughing and joking with mortals as if they were old friends?

Thor finally turned his attention to Loki, his jovial demeanor fading. "I came for him."

In a blur, Thor lunged, seizing Loki by the throat. Before anyone could react, he took off, flying high into the air—only to come crashing down, slamming Loki into the ground.

Hovering just above Loki, he demanded, "Where is the Tesseract?"

Everyone froze, startled by the sudden violence. Only Tony, ever the opportunist, leaned toward Kai and muttered loud enough for all to hear:

"So… is this how Asgardian brothers show affection?"

The question immediately piqued everyone's interest. Weapons were lowered, and ears perked up.

Kai sighed, shaking his head. Seeing that no juicy gossip was forthcoming, the others reluctantly turned their attention back to Thor and Loki.

Thor still loomed over Loki, demanding an answer.

But Loki, rather than looking intimidated, smirked. "I missed you too."

Thor scowled. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Loki sat up, smoothing his clothes. "You should be grateful. The Bifrost was destroyed—do you know how much dark energy the Allfather had to summon just to send you to your precious Earth?"

Thor's anger faltered for a moment. Then, in a rare show of emotion, he dropped Mjolnir, grabbed Loki's face with both hands, and said, "I thought you *died* when you fell from the Bifrost!"

Loki's smirk vanished. "Did you mourn me, then?"

Thor hesitated. "We all mourned. Even our father—"

Loki cut him off, his expression cold. "Your father."

Shrugging off Thor's hands, he stood and walked a few steps away. "Did he tell you the truth about my origins?"

Thor, unwilling to give up, tried a different approach. "We grew up together. We played, fought, lived side by side. Don't you remember?"

Loki turned to face him, eyes filled with something unreadable. "I remember being a shadow. Your shadow. Your strength, your glory—it cast over me like an eclipse. I remember being thrown into the abyss. I *was*—I *should have been*—a king."

Thor's expression hardened. "And for that, you would destroy this world? A world I care for?"

Loki smirked. "I'll bring them something greater than freedom."

Their argument had captivated the audience. Everyone had expected a straightforward interrogation—but instead, they were witnessing a deeply personal confrontation.

Tony, nudging Steve, muttered, "This is 'way' better than reality TV."

Unfortunately, Loki and Thor noticed their audience. Realizing they had an audience, both turned to see multiple sets of eager eyes locked onto them.

Loki huffed in annoyance. Thor sighed. "We will continue this later."

With that, Thor dragged Loki back and handed him over to Kai. "Find a place to keep him secure."

Kai nodded, passing Loki back to Yinsen, who selected a room and used his magic to bind Loki. He then layered a mirror dimension over the space, ensuring that even if Loki found a way to slip his physical bonds, he wouldn't escape so easily.

As Loki was being sealed away, he muttered something that made Steve frown.

Once everyone settled down, Steve spoke first. "Loki's stalling. What's his real plan?"

Thor exhaled heavily. "He has an army. The Chitauri. No one knows exactly where they come from, but they will help him conquer Earth. In return, I suspect he intends to hand over the Tesseract to his mysterious benefactor."

The room fell silent as the weight of those words settled over them.

Tony broke the silence first. "Great. An alien army. 'Just' what I wanted."

Kai folded his arms, eyes narrowing. "Then we need to be ready."