Marvel - The Blood God

Dr. Shavig asked in astonishment, "Are you Thor's brother, Loki?"

Loki glanced at him and replied, "I've seen you before. You helped Thor."

Dr. Shavig gave an awkward smile. "Didn't do much good, honestly. By the way, what happened after Thor returned to Asgard?"

Everyone turned to Loki, curiosity evident. Loki's smirk faded as he recalled the events.

At that time, Loki had led Laufey to Odin's chambers, only to betray him with a dagger. The Frost Giant king, Asgard's enemy for millennia, fell at the hands of his own son. But before Loki could bask in his victory, Thor returned and exposed his actions to their mother.

Faced with her shock and confusion, Loki didn't explain. Instead, he fled to the Rainbow Bridge, intending to destroy Jotunheim with a massive energy blast, proving he was the rightful heir to Asgard's throne. Yet Thor, who had once loathed the Frost Giants, fought desperately to stop him. In the struggle, the Rainbow Bridge shattered. The explosion hurled Loki into the void. Thor, in a desperate attempt to save him, leapt after his brother and caught his hand.

As the two dangled over the abyss, Odin appeared, clutching Thor's leg just in time. But as Loki looked into his father's eyes, he realized the truth—his actions would never earn Odin's approval. In despair, Loki let go, plunging into the endless expanse of space.

He survived only because a powerful entity saved him, not out of mercy, but to enlist his aid in conquering Earth.

Loki shook his head, banishing the memories. With a flourish, he raised his arms and declared, "Since you know I am a god, why do you not kneel and surrender?"

"Seriously?" someone scoffed. "What year do you think this is? Kneel? Not for you. Not for your brother. Heck, not even for your father."

Loki's face flushed with anger. He was about to lash out when Coulson's voice cut through the tension. "Quick question, though… can gods go bald?"

Loki blinked. "What?"

"Your hairline… it's receding pretty aggressively. If I'm being honest, you're headed for baldness."

Coulson ran a hand through his own hair. "I remember watching Thor, thinking your actor just had a bad hairline. Turns out, it's all you. Even gods, it seems, can't escape cosmic-level issues like baldness."

The room fell silent, except for a few poorly stifled snickers. Even Fury touched his own head, making a mental note to dock Coulson's salary.

Loki, flustered, snapped, "Impossible! The Odinsons don't go bald! Have you seen Odin? Full head of hair!"

But then, a horrifying thought struck him: Frost Giants don't have hair. If his true heritage caught up with him… the most beautiful man in the Nine Realms might one day be bald.

Loki's despair was palpable.

"I'll kill you!" he roared, aiming his scepter at a guard. A blast of energy knocked the guard back, leaving him motionless on the ground.

"Fire!" Fury shouted. Bullets rained down, but Loki's barrier held firm. With a wave of his scepter, he sent guards flying one by one.

Hawkeye took aim, but Loki fired a wave of energy, disintegrating the bullet mid-air and forcing Clint to dive for cover. Loki advanced, pressing the scepter's tip to Hawkeye's chest. Clint's eyes turned an icy blue as he stood and began firing on his own allies.

The guards fell quickly under Loki and Hawkeye's combined assault. Fury, seeing the situation collapse, grabbed the Tesseract and tried to flee. Loki's voice stopped him cold.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that."

Fury turned to find Coulson and Shavig under Loki's control. He glared. "Do you really want to start a war between Earth and Asgard?"

"Asgard?" Loki sneered. "I have no ties to Asgard."

He touched the scepter to Coulson's chest. Coulson's eyes glowed blue, but he retained his trademark sarcasm. "Is this about the hair thing? Look, I've got great tips for preventing hair loss—"

"Enough!" Loki barked. "Hawkeye, kill him and take the Tesseract!"

Clint didn't hesitate. He fired, hitting Fury square in the chest. Fury dropped, and Loki, Hawkeye, and Shavig made their escape with the Tesseract.

Fury groaned, clutching his chest. Beneath his jacket, a bulletproof vest had stopped the worst of the damage. He activated his comm. "Hill, they've got the Tesseract. Loki's controlling Hawkeye and Coulson. Stop them!"

Hill led a counterattack, but it was too late. Moments later, a massive explosion reduced the base to rubble. S.H.I.E.L.D. suffered heavy losses.

Standing amidst the ruins, Fury scowled. He activated his comm again. "This is a Level Seven event. Assemble the Avengers."

---

Meanwhile, Tony Stark was busy installing the Arc Reactor in Stark Tower, an emblem of clean energy self-sufficiency.

Elsewhere, Maverick Cassain was in his office, working late to meet two visitors. As Reed Richards and Ben Grimm entered, Maverick rose to greet them.

"Dr. Richards, Mr. Grimm, welcome."

"Mr. Cassain, thank you for seeing us," Reed said, clearly honored. He hadn't expected the chairman of the Council of Blood to meet with them personally.

Reed's mind raced with optimism. If Maverick Cassain himself was this interested, perhaps he'd finally secure the funding he needed.

Maverick gestured toward the bar. "Drink?"

"Just a little," Reed said as they took their seats. Once they were settled, Maverick asked, "Dr. Richards, do you believe in fate?"

Reed smiled politely. "Fate? I'm a scientist, Mr. Cassain."

"I thought so," Maverick said. "Still, there's a certain type of person whose career is perpetually cursed. Every project they touch fails. Every investor loses their shirt. Know anyone like that?"

Reed chuckled nervously. "Sounds unlucky."

Ben sighed and gave Reed a pointed look. "He's talking about you."

"What?" Reed sputtered.

"Think about it," Ben said. "Your projects fail, you're about to go bankrupt, and last year you invested in Lehman Brothers—right before they collapsed."

"That was a fluke!" Reed protested. "I recently invested in Stark Industries."

Maverick's eyes twinkled. "Then it's time to sell. Tony's on a spending spree again, and when he waves his wand, accidents happen."

Reed frowned. "Mr. Cassain, are you suggesting I leave the business world altogether?"

"Not at all," Maverick said. "I admire you. That's why I wanted to share some insight: NASA rejected your project because Victor von Doom's been pulling strings."

Reed and Ben exchanged stunned glances. Victor, a former classmate of Reed's, was now a powerful and ruthless industrialist.

"Why would he do that?" Reed asked.

"To take your project for himself," Maverick said. "What you do with this information is up to you."

Reed thanked Maverick, though disappointment lingered. As he and Ben left, he sighed. "Why does advancing humanity have to be so difficult?"

Maverick watched them go, deep in thought. "Victor von Doom… this will be interesting."

---

In a safe house, Loki outlined his plans. Dr. Selvig nodded. "I can build a large portal, but I'll need manpower, materials, and iridium."

Loki turned to Hawkeye. "Can you handle it?"

Hawkeye replied, "Consider it done."

Coulson, now under Loki's control, interjected, "Your plan won't work."

Loki raised a brow. "I have the Tesseract. What could stop me?"

Coulson smirked. "Plenty. Like the Council of Blood's Maverick Cassain or the Abomination of War. Earth isn't as weak as you think."

Loki's confidence wavered. "What do you suggest?"

"Divide and conquer," Coulson said. "Turn the Council against S.H.I.E.L.D., lure their strongest assets away, and take out the Avengers one by one."

Loki's lip curled. "How long will that take?"

"A month or two."

"Unacceptable," Loki snapped. "I have seven days. The portal must open in New York."

Dr. Selvig added, "I'll need the Arc Reactor in Stark Tower to power it."

Coulson considered this. "Then we distract Maverick and the Abomination, isolate S.H.I.E.L.D., and take the tower."

Loki's arrogance returned. "Once the portal opens, Earth will be mine. I was born to rule."

Coulson glanced at Loki's hairline. "Born to rule? Sure. But destined to go bald?"

[TL Note - Confusing time skip...