Loki's Plan (July 2000)

After their successful mission stopping Doom the Avengers had decided to take a short break. The mission had taken weeks and Tony and Isabella decided to spend some time on their Yacht with Serena and Sarah. They left Steve in charge and they brought their suits if they were needed. The mission had been particularly difficult. Steve had been hurt but he was healing. With the help of Doctor Strange they managed to keep a particularly evil book out of Doom's hands and a large piece of Forged Uru that he intended to mold into a mask. Tony took the Uru while Strange took the book. He put the Uru in his lab storage safe that only he and Steve knew the combination.

Kate and Steve had begun to get...closer. Kate had been doing research on baseball since Steve had mentioned how much he loved the game. He had done other things since the whole horse fiasco that endeared her to him but so far they had remained just friends, despite how difficult it was for him not to tell her how he really felt about her.

Loki had been spending time on Earth more and more these days and it had recently come to his attention that a piece of Uru was somewhere on the planet. How it got there or why didn't much matter to him. He only wanted to get his hands on it. He had plans that required it but it took more time than he wanted to locate it. The trick was, he didn't want anyone to know he had it. If his brother or father found out what he was doing, his long term plans would be ruined. Subtly was key for this. At first he thought about manipulating Steve Rogers directly but the man's sensibilities would make it too difficult to avoid detection. No he needed someone else and after observing him and this Kate Blackwell together, he decided on her.

Steve and Kate were in the main living area watching the Cardinals and the Yankees playing baseball. The new Projector was huge and it made watching the games fun for Steve. He had already taken her to a game once and they had a wonderful time. They were pretty close on the couch as they watched the game. Kate was leaned up against his arm but they hadn't gotten to the point that they were holding hands and making out. They hadn't even kissed yet though they both knew the other wanted to. There was an important discussion coming up about where their relationship was going but she knew Steve wasn't ready to have that yet. The game went into extra innings and it was very late when they finally made it to bed.

Kate was sleeping in her bed when she suddenly felt someone in her room. Loki was sitting in her recliner and he made it so no noise would go past the walls in her room. He was dressed in a fine, gray suit.

Kate's feelings for Steve were only deepening every day. They spent a vast majority of their time together. They got up early to train together and hung out together when they had free time. Kate had been worried about Steve after he had become injured on their last mission, but he was recovering quickly. 

Because baseball was so important to Steve, Kate had begun learning everything she could about it. She spent time researching the rules and even various player stats. Kate had enjoyed going to a game with him and it had served to further their growing connection. 

Kate's recovery was progressing and her nightmares were few and far between now. She was also in better control of her emotions and Dr. Munroe was pleased with the overall state of her mental health. Kate knew that a lot of that had to do with Steve and she didn't know how she would ever be able to repay him for all he had done for her. 

It was late when the game they had been watching was finally over. Sitting there with Steve there had been more than one moment when she thought he was going to kiss her. The tension between them had almost reached a breaking point. Kate decided that in the morning she and Steve needed to talk. She wasn't certain how much more of this she was going to be able to take. 

Kate had been sleeping for a while when she suddenly became aware of a presence in her room. She opened her eyes and sat up and saw a man dressed in green with black hair sitting in her recliner looking at her. She had no idea who he was or how he had gotten there.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

Loki grinned a knowing grin when he saw Kate stir and heard her question. He didn't like how these mortals demanded so much out of everything. And he certainly didn't like her tone now. "Is that any way to speak to your betters?" he said as he rose to his feet. He towered over her and he held a staff in his hand. "Your name is Kate Blackwell, rise and then kneel before me, for I am the god, Loki!" he said commandingly.

Kate suddenly felt an odd sensation come over her and she felt her will power suddenly vanish. If Kate could have cried she would have. She wanted to scream at him and throw things. It was as if she were locked away in a room in her body and nothing she could do would break down the door. She felt herself rising up and leaving the bed. She then felt herself kneeling before him and nothing she could do would stop herself.

"That's better..." Loki said as he took his ease back onto the chair. "I need the Uru locked in this Tony Stark's Vault. You will get it for me. Your mind tells me that this Steve Rogers knows the combination. You will get him to open it," Loki said. "Do what you have to get him to open it. Once it's open I will replace whats there with a fake," Loki said. "Yes, you are my obedient dog," he said as he patted her head. "You will begin tomorrow morning," He said. "And, I will be clear. He will die if you fail," He said. "Yes, a very good dog," he said and then disappeared. Kate would wake up suddenly on her knees.

Kate gasped for air as if her head had been held underwater for an extended period of time. She looked around and saw that Loki was gone. She did not sleep for the rest of the night and just paced back and forth in her room as the images of Steve dying replayed over and over again in her head. 

The next morning she got dressed and then headed out to the kitchen. Logan was still asleep and she saw Steve in the kitchen making some breakfast. She tried to cover up that anything was wrong and smiled at him. "Good morning."

Steve was expecting Kate. She always rose early like he did. He had a coffee ready for her, just the way she took it and slid it over toward her. "I was wondering if you were going to sleep in this morning. I don't know what I'd do without my bit of sunshine to start my day," he said sweetly. "And I...wanted to talk to you too," Steve said in that way he spoke which would let her know it was pretty serious talk.

Kate continued to force herself to smile as she took the coffee Steve had prepared for her. She didn't drink it though. She was too anxious about what she needed to do. As she looked at Steve images of him laying there dead at her feet with his eyes wide open and staring up at her flashed in her mind. She heard him say that he wanted to talk to her and she had a feeling she knew what it was he wanted to talk to her about. She couldn't have that conversation right now. 

"There's something I was wondering if we could do first," she said quickly before he could continue. "I...I had this dream that the Uru in the safe was taken and I know it's silly but I was wondering if we could go and check and make sure it's still there."

Steve's mouth hung open at the quick words that came from Kate. There were few times that she could honestly catch him off guard but this was definitely one of them. "Oh it's still there. It's not been opened since Tony put it in there. I know because I saw it and helped Tony lock it up," Steve said.

"I really 'need' to talk to you Kate," Steve said. "We've been friends now for quite some time," Steve began.

"Steve," she said as she interrupted him again, "I really think we should check on it." Steve would be able to sense that there was something off about Kate that morning. He would also know that at times when she wasn't mentally balanced that she could suffer from hallucinations and paranoia.

Steve put his coffee mug down and moved from the kitchen around to the table. He put his hands on her arms and looked into her eyes. "Kate, there is nothing wrong. We're safe, we're all safe here, together," He said and smiled. "Everything is where it should be. The Uru is locked away, safe and sound. And...I wanted to tell you something," he said in a lower tone just above a whisper.

Kate pulled back away from Steve, even though she desperately wanted to be in his arms. She seemed highly agitated and wasn't sure how she was going to do this. She hated every moment of this. "Steve, something very bad is going to happen if you don't open the safe."

When Kate said what she said Steve looked at her more closely. "What's going to happen? How do you know this? Why is opening the safe so important to you...should I call Dr. Monroe?" Steve asked. "Or Phil...is something wrong? You know you can tell me anything," Steve said.

Kate ran her hands through her hair in an agitated manner. "Steve! If you don't open that safe you're going to die!" she knew she sounded insane and she could see the worry in Steve's eyes. She also knew that she couldn't tell Steve the truth. If she told him Loki was behind all of this then he would die.

Steve's eyebrows shot up and he began to become suspicious. "Kate...are you yourself? Is someone...influencing you right now? Are they here? Can they hear us?" He asked. He was also on alert as well. His leg hurt like the dickens but he ignored that for now.

Kate began to think of how she could tell Steve what was going on without actually telling him. "No, no one is influencing me," she told him as she ran her hands through her hair again. This time though she crooked both of her index fingers back when she got to the top of her head so they looked like backwards facing horns. Steve might remember that Loki wore a helmet that had two backwards facing curved golden horns on top.

Steve knew Kate was trying to tell him something but her outbursts, the way she'd been acting, it was beginning to worry him. He could tell she was doing something. The look in her eyes, the way she held her hands. She was definitely onto something but his head wasn't syncing to what she was doing. "Ok, this is just all to weird Kate. I think maybe we should call your Doctor," Steve said and pulled out his phone.

"No!" she said sharply. "We don't need to call my doctor." She then thought of something. Steve knew Morse code. She could tap it out. She casually picked up a pencil and sat down at the table. "We really need to go to the safe Steve and you know the code," she told him. She emphasized the word "code" to get his attention and she could see his expression change. She then began to tap the pencil on the table. It anyone who didn't know Morse code it wouldn't sound like anything at all...perhaps a simple nervous habit...but he saw Steve concentrating on what she was taping out which was: "Loki wants the Uru. He will kill you."

Steve eyebrows rose again after he listened to the morse code she tapped out. He knew it well. He just looked at her a moment. He knew Loki was a trickster. Likely if he opened the safe, Loki would take the Uru. Steve could not let that happen.

"If he wants it that badly, then I...I can't open it Kate. You know I can't. I'm..sorry," Steve said. Loki had put an alarm on the safe. Once it was opened he would be there, invisible to switch out the Uru with the fake. He could care less how she got it open. Only that it was opened.

Kate looked at Steve as a few desperate tears came to her eyes. She felt like she was being torn apart from the inside out. She didn't want Loki to have the Uru, but she also didn't want Steve to die. "Please Steve. He'll kill you if he doesn't get what he wants."

"I was asked to keep it safe. Likely from this very thing. He doesn't belong here Kate. And he will not get the Uru. If I have to die for it, then I will. I promised Tony and Strange I'd keep it safe. And thats what I'm going to do," Steve said and then he stepped back and turned to leave her there.

Kate just stood there for a few long moments as her brain desperately tried to think of something she could do. However, it came up with nothing. She walked down to his room and stood in the open doorway and looked at him. "Ok, so what do we do now? There's got to be something."

Loki was behind her in the doorway. He had decided to drop in to see how far she had gotten and discovered that she had told him too much and that Steve was now going to be uncooperative. Killing him would not get him what he wanted but killing 'her' might.

Loki appeared back in his gray suit and he made his staff a dagger. Steve looked up just in time to see the glint of steel flash at her neck.

he stood up but Loki shifted so his face was just over Kate's shoulder. "I wouldn't do that...Captain America. You might make my hand slip," he said as he chewed on an apple that he held in his other hand. "Women, so many things to like but this one is just a mess. How can you like her?" Loki asked.

"You leave her alone Loki," Steve growled. Kate felt the cold steel of a very sharp blade at her throat. "She really botched things up for me. I should really punish her for this, maybe I will...after," Loki said.

"So, Steve...Captain...whatever, you're going to open the safe or I will kill Kate right here, right now," Loki said.

Kate sensed someone behind her, but before she could move she felt a dagger at her throat. She didn't move and she looked at Steve. Without Loki noticing, Kate pressed a button on her wrist comm that alerted Logan and Dr. Strange to the danger in the Tower. The dagger was pressed up against her neck, but Kate was prepared to die. She decided if she was going to die though she was going to go out fighting. Loki seemed distracted talking to Steve so she moved. She threw her right elbow back into his stomach. The blade cut against her neck slightly as he doubled over, but then as he lost the grip on it she was able to pull herself away. She grabbed his arm and then began to twist to get him to drop the dagger.

Loki dropped the dagger then he smiled as he looked up at her. The Loki she held disappeared and another one appeared nearby, dressed exactly the same. He clapped his hands for her. "So brave Kate. But you really can't win here. I'm a God or have you forgotten!" he said and his smile faded into a slight glare. When Kate looked back at the dagger she noticed it was now a black snake that slithered at her.

"This is a no win scenario for you Kate. So Steve..." he began then began to gargle as a pair of claws appeared from his back. "I'm really tired of hearin your voice bub!" Logan growled. Loki dissolved into a caustic smoke and then he reappeared behind Steve. He stabbed him through the side and Steve fell to his knees. "Loki removed his dagger from Steve's body. "I can do this all day," Loki said with a dark grin. "I doubt Steve can take alot more though," He said sarcastically as Steve fell forward onto his arm. "Oh, that is real blood by the way. Icky stuff," Loki said.