Ch.41

While Shadow did it's thing, Shield got a hit on Loki and the scepter he was holding. I stayed back while they went off to play hero while I told Fury. "It is not wise for me to battle the god of mischief in a crowded place so there's no point in going. Although an argument could be made for needing help, I suspect he wants to be captured in this case."

Fury raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Sighing I told him. "Loki is a mystic, a magic user like the order of mystics I spoke of before. If he didn't want to be caught, you'd never know he was there. Illusions, transformations and spells to make one invisible are all apart of his arsenal and well within the realm of his capabilities. No, this is a distraction or else he wishes to be here, where he can watch us scramble to find the tesseract in time before he uses it for something. He wants to be here to watch us for his own amusement. He'll only put up a show at best before giving in to being captured."

Black Widow asked me. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Go on. I'll be but a thought away if I'm wrong and you need me. For now I need to meditate. I should warn you all. The mind stone has a will of it's own but others like myself can bend that will to our uses. For all this though, I suspect Loki isn't capable of doing so. As even he cannot hold the stone for long. "

"No, it would take someone far more powerful to do this. It's far more likely he's being made a puppet and scapegoat through the mind stone's enslavement and influence so that whomever is behind this doesn't get found out to quickly for making an attempt on all the stones."

That gave them each a chill and they all firmed their resolves and nodded before leaving. Agent Hill asked from the side. "Are you sure he's being manipulated with it?"

I shrugged. "I said it's highly likely. He's a god of mischief and while a pain in the ass, he's not generally evil. Playing deadly pranks is well within his capabilities, but messing with the stones of power is a whole other issue. I've no idea what's happened to him, but I'll say this. If he is compromised, then whomever is in control is really patient."

"Asgardian minds, particularly mystics, are well protected and hard to break through. It would've been slow and agonizing to have broken him down like this and it would've taken time and patience as well as a great deal of effort to force Loki into doing this. Asgardian's as a rule are as stubborn as Dwarfs. I don't envy Loki one bit, to be trapped within your own mind, unable to truly do anything but react to another's will."

They both shuddered and Fury asked. "How would we be able to find this out?"

I sighed. "Separate him from the staff that's housing the stone and put me in a room with him. I'll know once I see what's inside his mind. If he can defend against me then he's doing this himself, but if not then he's been broken in the cruelest sense of the word."

Fury nodded. "You'll get your chance to find out. What do you suggest we do in the meantime, other than lock his ass up?"

I waved a hand a formed a pair of cuffs. "This will suppress his magic and prevent any tricks. As for the stone, only time will tell. There is little I can do that won't alert others to it's location. That's probably how he and whoever's providing him help at least, found the portal to open to the tesseract. From your own experiments tampering with it's casing and the energy it give's off."

Fury grimaced and took the cuffs before telling Agent Hill to have Loki cuffed with them as soon as he's on board the carrier. A few hours and a wooded fight later, the team plus Stark and Thor had arrived.

As soon as he saw my coated black figure he spoke up. "Did someone die? Why is the grim reaper here already?"

I paid him no mind and turned my gaze to Loki. He looked at me confused and weary but I turned to Black Widow and she spoke. "He gave up just like you said he might."

I nodded and turned to Fury who nodded to Hill. She cuffed Loki and he growled, having his magic suppressed. "How did you come by these? They're not from you or your people."

I spoke coldly. "I made them off the designs I saw while I was learning Asgardian magic from Odin himself before you and your brother were born. Be careful that I don't give you the mouth restraints as well."

He growled. "Who are you fool? Odin doesn't teach anyone!"

I snorted. "Be careful how you address me boy. I was taught by both your father and mother. Frigga herself taught you, I can tell from the feel of your magic's, but she and even Odin are not nearly as proficient in magic as I. Careful that I do not make you a female for the insult you offered me!"

Everyone's eyes shot up and Tony asked. "Can he do that? Can you do that?"

I continued to ignore him and turned to Fury. "Get him away from the staff and I'll see if he's being controlled or not."

Loki struggled and raged in vain and Thor asked. "Controlled? There's nothing that can control an Asgardian's mind!"

I sighed. "Arrogance is still your weakness god of thunder. The mind stone lays inside his staff, are you still sure of your words knowing this?"

He frowned before shaking his head. "The stones of power are an exception to every rule."

I shook my head. "Hardly. They're just an exception to the rules you know about."

He looked me over and asked. "Do you really know my father?"

I nodded. "And Heimdall and most of the mystics or Seidr users as they were called during my time there. Your father allowed me to learn from your people because my mother is Nött."

His eyes went wide before saying. "That makes us family doesn't it?"

I sighed. "Hardly, but it was enough for your father to allow me to learn what I wished on Asgard."

He frowned. "Why did he agree to teach you though? Loki was right on that, my father doesn't teach Seidr ways to others."

I shrugged. "You'd have to ask him. Suffice it to say we'd struck a deal. I did him a favor and he taught me what he knew of magic. If you want to know more, you really will have to ask him yourself."

He nodded before saying. "Either way I'm glad you're on our side my friend."

I nodded and Fury said. "We have Loki secure. Natasha can show you the way. Once you let us know if he's been compromised we'll know how to proceed with him."

I nodded and followed Natasha to what appeared to be the Hulk's containment jar. I tilted my head at it and Natasha answered my unasked question. "It was made to contain the big guy in case he went on a rampage."

I shook my head. "It wouldn't last more than two blows from an enraged Hulk and it wouldn't hold me at all."

She raised an eyebrow and I floated to the cell door where Loki looked at me with dread. I pushed my amusement aside and tried to enter his mind. It was easy for the most part. This served a greater purpose as it showed me this reality had truly been modified especially if the stones could do this to a Primal god, even if it's just his avatar.

I could see everything, even how the stone was suppressing his connection to his real body, forcing him to it's bidding through the will of another. I could see he knew something about it as well when I dug into it. Ahh, there it is. The stones had indeed been modified.

They were individually as power as a peak primal god artifact and together they were peak strength Godking artifacts. That explained why Odin didn't care for them, they were only a power booster to Primal gods who could use them as a catalyst to enter mid Godking a best or peak Godkings who could use them in Ascended god realm.

Odin was already a mid level Godking and had the resources by whom he served to grow stronger and he wanted his children to do so on their own. If they managed to get the stones by themselves, he wouldn't interfere, but if they couldn't, then they weren't ready for them in his eyes.

A truly honorable man no doubt. I withdrew from Loki's mind and I could tell because of the mind stone's influence, he hadn't realized what I'd done. I sighed. "I can get in, although the thoughts are to complex to break down, I can tell he's been compromised and thoroughly at that. They must've broke him down over the span of at least several months to a year or more with the mind stone. Whomever did so has a thorough understanding of the mind stone's capabilities."

Natasha nodded and looked at Loki in a flicker of pity and understanding. We left there and headed to where the soon to be dubbed avengers, had gathered. They were now with the staff. I waved a cloak covered hand and a shield popped up around it, preventing any from touching it.

Fury, who'd been reaching for it, pulled his hand back as the shield zapped him a bit. "Motherfucker!"

I shook my head. "I wouldn't do that. Someone is still in control of it and can influence anyone touching or getting near it. They are connected to it through the mind. The shield I put in place should prevent us from accidentally touching it and shock us away fro it's influence."

Fury waved his hand a bit before nodding. "I heard it calling to me."

I nodded. "Clear proof someone is in control of it. I'll keep the shield up for as long as I can but it's an infinity stone and has a mind of it's own. Once it understands the magical barrier, it can tell the owner and through it they can break it very easily."

Tony asked. "Wait, it's intelligent?"

I nodded. "It is the mental energy that fed all life in this universe intelligence. From it you can understand anything thoroughly, so long as you have complete control over it. Unfortunately Stark, you are human and as such you would be destroyed if you touched it directly. Human physiology isn't advanced enough to do so yet. Well, not pure human physiology and only with Captain America here as the exception. If it were the power stone though, even he would burst into dust from holding it."

Thor spoke up. "None of that matters now. Can you not see? Loki is innocent! Whomever is behind this will face Asgardian justice. The tesseract and mind stone must go back to Asgard. There my father will know what to do with them."

Fury shut that shit down quick. "Now hold on, both stones are on earth and as such, should be turned over to us to safe guard."

I cleared my throat after a while when they broke out into arguments. "Enough!"

I waved a hand, separating them. "Now isn't the time or place to argue. Strife invites weakness in the mind and allows the stone and through it, it's master, to influence you all."

They settled down and I released them from their telekinetic corners. "We can discuss this another time, perhaps after we have the tesseract in custody."

Thor nodded. "Hiemdall says the one behind Loki has an army of Chitauri warriors. They're not from any known world and they intend to use the tesseract to open a portal to earth for invasion. This is what I mean when I say the infinity stones signify to all the worlds that earth is ready for a higher form of war. They plan to invade earth and win Loki and through him, his capture, the world."

I shook my head. "No, they are after the stones. This is strategy. Whomever is doing this is betting one stone for a chance to have the now three that are here."

They each became grim faced by my words. I sighed. "In any case, Thor is right, we need to focus on finding the tesseract, not whatever squabble this is."

I waved a hand to them and noticed Banner wasn't amongst them. Looking around, I felt a sense of dread and turned to see a puffing Bruce, holding the scepter with the mind stone in it and his hand appeared to be untouched.

I told him. "Banner, put the scepter down slowly and-"

An explosion rocked the carrier and Steve told Tony. "Put on the suit-"

Another explosion sent Natasha and Banner who dropped the scepter, over the rails and through the glass window, down into the cargo bay area. I grunted and sent out pulses of magic as I used a great deal of magic and constant power as my form glowed, to keep the carrier from falling out of the sky.

I grunted. "Get the ship fixed, I'll try to keep it in the air for long enough. My power isn't infinite so hurry!"

Captain America and Iron Man as it were, went to suit up. Natasha and Thor were left to deal with the Hulk and that left Fury, going with me to the bridge. I was no longer floating now as a great deal of my mind and magic were left with the burden to deal with the helicarrier falling issue.

For now it was in a stable hover but I was both fighting the navigation system that said it should move forwards and the one fourth of the ship needing to be held up so it didn't fall into an uncontrolled descent. I ignored the bullets that bounced off me while I focused on the ship.

Fury and the rest dealt with the attackers. That is until someone started shooting arrows and tried to shut the ship down with one. The program they used failed thanks to Shadow's upgrades to their systems. After it failed, I waved a hand, yanking Clint Barton sideways and slamming his head into the wall.

I grunted and Fury asked. "Why couldn't you have led with that?"

I groaned and the ship started falling. "That's why. I'm drained to much because the ship is fighting me. It's trying to move forwards and I'm trying to hold it up. I can't keep it in place and hold it up while fighting. Tell it to stop and I can do the other two easy enough."

The ship shuddered and the analyst said. "Thor, Hulk and Black Widow are on level three now."

I sighed. "They're going to tear this ship apart."

Fury shook his head. "Not today. Tell them to engage the Hulk and take the shot. Get him off this aircraft now! And will somebody tell the ship to stop moving forwards?"

I sighed as I too the weight once more and the ship stopped fighting me. I spared a though and knocked out all the people shooting at us still but Coulson was already off to stop them from breaking out Loki. I told Fury. "You may want to try and secure the scepter before Loki and his people get it back."

He went off and I sat in meditation until Fury sounded the coms saying Agent Coulson was down and Natasha was injured. Thor was gone and so was the containment cell. Banner was off the ship and Steve and Tony were fine. I felt a bit bad but staid for the meeting and healed Natasha who'd been wounded by the scepter like Coulson.

She hadn't been healing quick enough because it had been an infinity stone that had done the job. My swords were self repairing and had enough materials inside them to repair themselves with a thought so she was fine and safe for now.

I'd come to Coulson's side but he was already dead when I tried to heal him whitelighter style. I could've tried to bring him back but I was to physically exhausted to do so fully. My body could only handle so much stress from using so much magic at once and was my current biggest flaw.

I stood up and left him there, heading to the meeting room. When I sat down, I rested and put my suit away, leaving only my regular armor and my symbiote body cloak. It wrapped around me and I rested. None could see any details about myself even now.

Natasha came up to me and asked. "Are you alright?"

I nodded. "Holding this ship up with magic was a dumb idea. I should've repaired it while Stark and Rogers dealt with the Hulk. You and Thor as well as Drake and Blonsky could've beaten Loki and his friends down."

She frowned but nodded. "Why didn't you summon them?"

I sighed. "Because Drake is as likely to kill everyone else as he is to kill Loki and Blonsky and the Hulk have issues that would destroy this ship. I'd rather not risk it if I don't have to."

Steve spoke up. "Then you made the right call. Thor and Black Widow here still went head to head with Loki and lost, if the other two are as volatile as you say you'd only be throwing more gas to the fiery wreck that we are now."

I grunted. "True, but at least there's a chance Loki would've been stopped and our enemies would be burned as well."

He grimaced. "Sacrificing your allies to defeat your enemies isn't the way to win a war."

I sighed. "Perhaps, but then, no one in their right mind would want to go to war with someone who does so."

He shook his head. "You made the right call. It was us who underestimated Loki and the one controlling him."

I sighed. "How's Barton?"

Natasha stilled before sighing. "He's in recovery with the rest you knocked out. They should be fine, barring the guilt they carry."

I nodded. "If they're strong, they'll perceiver and get passed the guilt. No one but those that played with their minds are at fault on that front. Their paths lay before them, as clear as ever."

She nodded and Steve said. "That sounds oddly familiar. I used to know a guy that spoke like that about life. He said our paths were a journey through life, it was up to us to walk them. Sometimes with others and sometimes alone. If we were truly blessed we'd cross paths with many we'd call friends repeatedly on our paths before the end, of it ever ended."

I sighed. "Sounds like a wise man. There's an order of monks in the Himalayas that speak of the great path as a journey to find one's true self and if you were lucky, it would have no end, for your true self changes every moment you walk the great path."

Tony spoke up as he came over. "Sounds like a load of BS to me."

I shrugged. "Perhaps, but to find meaning in life is the hope that keeps mortals from killing themselves and immortals from going crazy."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment as Natasha went off to check on Clint and Fury gave his speech about Coulson dying, believing in heroes and that was what the Avengers initiative was meant for.

When he tossed Coulson's bloody cards on the table, Tony left and I stood up and headed to Clint's room and waited for them to come out. I could hear her asking what he was going to do next and chuckled when he mentioned putting an arrow in Loki's eyeball.

She told him how Loki was being played with like he was, used, on a far deeper and thorough level. He almost felt bad for the guy and guilty for saying that then. I could hear it in his voice as he asked. "Are you sure?"

I walked in. "We are. Sorry for the head trauma but I had to initiate a cognitive reset or you'd still be under the staff's control."

He grunted. "And you are?"

Natasha stood between us as she said. "Clint, this is Dark."

Barton stilled before nodding. "Natasha's secret mystery god."

I chuckled lightly. "It's good to meet the infamous Hawkeye. If I may?"

He raised an eyebrow and I raised a hand, touching his forehead. I cleaned out all the remnants of the control in his mind before sending chi and lifeforce into him, healing him up and doing more. His body seemed to de-age to the point where he lost a decade and his youthful strength and stamina returned.

I released him saying. "A gift for being there for Natalia when she needed it most. You've really helped her."

He asked as I released him. "What did you do to me?"

I shrugged. "Find a mirror."

I turned to Natasha and sighed. "Tony thinks he's got something. Let's go."

She nodded and told Barton. "Suit up."

He nodded while looking at himself in the mirror and muttering. "Son of a bitch."

We left and met up with Tony and Steve. There they told us what they figured out and we left in secret. I portaled Natasha, Clint, Captain America and I to the city below Stark tower. Stark caught up a few minutes later and shit went down. When I saw what was going to happen, I portaled all the people in the area back twenty blocks.

I sent a telepathic compulsion to the cops to make a perimeter and sagged a bit. Natasha asked me. "Are you ok?"

I grunted. "Using that much magic at once so soon takes it's toll. The humans are safe. We have twenty blocks and the portal is opening."

She nodded and Captain America asked. "You up for this fight?"

I nodded slowly. "I will be."

I summoned Blonsky and Drake in their suits of armor and weapons. Blonsky chose two giant cleavers this time and I told them. "Your targets are the aliens. Do whatever you need to do to end them but do not fight the team. Blonsky, Banner is in route, if I see you loose it I'll send you back inside."

He grunted. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm in complete control. Just make sure he doesn't attack me."

I nodded and Drake sighed. "Whatever, this should be entertaining at least."

He shifted and wings sprouted from his back to the surprise of the rest. He grabbed his dragon bone handled sword and prepared himself while Blonsky suited up and I separated from my symbiote, ceating a double of me to their surprise.

It levitated as I used my telepathic powers through it and my mutant powers with my regular body. I looked up and shot continuous beams of red force from my eyes, through the portal saying. "I'll weed them down a bit. Drake, Blonsky, kill any alien that gets sighing three blocks of me-"

A giant whale like creature cage through the portal as it's armor deflected my beams onto the smaller creatures. It roared and I heard Banner pull up. "Well this looks horrible."

I snorted as I turned my beams off. "Funny you should say that. You and Blonsky are needed now. Take that thing down as quick as you can. Black Widow, you help Iron Man keep the skies clear. Hawkeye, get a up on the roof and call the plays. Captain, you're on Loki duty. Find him and knock his ass out. Drake, change of plans, you watch Hawkeye's back and kill anything that climbs the buildings. Thor, you help me bottleneck the portal, use your lightning."

Like a smooth well oiled machine we got to work. I used my eye beams and telekinetic blasts to bottle up the portal as best I could while my symbiote basically went into sentry mode and ate, killed and crushed anything that got near me.

After Hulk and abomination killed the first whale beast, two more came through followed by another that Thor managed to stop. Using mutant powers unfortunately cost physical stamina so I was definitely feeling the strain. Fortunately telekinesis was a mind power and I could use it with near impunity and great proficiency.

I'd crushed, blasted and squashed hundreds of Chitauri creatures and more blown up besides with my eyes included. Unfortunately the army seemed to be neigh infinite in it's persistency. The property damage alone was going to cost billions as the battle raged on.

I finally felt my eyes getting sore and stopped before nodding to my symbiote and we both shifted into dragons, flying to the tops of the buildings and wrapping around them while we began to breathe a near infinite amount of fire at the portal.

With both my bodies and Thor working together, we managed to minimize the amount coming through until I heard Natasha over the coms still in my ear. "I can shut down the portal!"

I shifted back while my symbiote continued to wipe out Chitauri. "Do it!"

Stark spoke through the coms. "Wait! I've got a nuke inbound and I know just where to put it."

Hawkeye spoke quickly. "Well you'd better do it fast. I'm out of arrows and Drake's not looking so good fighting thirty gliders at once, protecting my ass."

I sent my symbiote's dragon to them to help deal with the problem and grunted. "My body's at it's limits. I'll need to rest soon or risk the power inside me exploding out and that would be a bad thing FYI."

More Chitauri landed near me and I had to take them out with martial arts and physical speed while blocking their blasts with a telekinetic shield. Stark got his hero moment and sent the nuke through, when Black Widow closed the portal, I caught him and summoned my Dark One suit around me as I flew us to the ground.

Hulk and the rest gathered around and Thor pulled off his smoking mask as the wires in it were fried. Hulk and Abomination roared, scaring Stark awake and I sighed. "It's over."

Captain America spoke up. "Not yet."

He told us what Hulk had done to Loki and we went to Stark tower. We found him barely able to move and he groaned. "I think I'll take that drink now."

I entered his mind and found him still as broken as ever though not under direct control anymore. "His mind is still broken but he's no longer being controlled, at least not fully. He needs Asgard mind healing. I'm to tired to fix him at the moment."

I backed away and warned Thor. "Don't trust him until your parents clear him. He could end up killing you and not meaning to."

Loki snorted. "Oh, trust me, if I were to kill him, I would definitely mean it."

I grunted and ignored them as I turned to the tesseract and the staff. I picked them both up and wiped the taint of Thanos's control off the mind stone before putting them both in my inner galaxy saying. "When we've rested and you all have decided what to do with them, I'll give them back. Until then I'll keep them out of everyone's hands."

I waved a hand, sending Drake and Blonsky into their worlds along with half the dead Chitauri army and two of the giant whale creatures. I morphed into my persona to Stark and Steve's surprise. "You!"

I nodded. "Me. You both deserved to know."

Tony sighed. "What next, is Shadow some kind of AI super spy?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Well actually-"

His eyes went wide. "You made a real AI?!!"

I shook my head. "No, I made two. Shadow and Grim. Grim associates and Grim industries are both subsidiaries of Frosthaven industries. As are all the subsidiaries under them."

Steve asked. "What are you?"

I sighed. "The simplest answer is that I'm an alien from another galaxy that came here ten billion years ago. I sort of killed a lot of dinosaurs when I crashed here and after that I may or may not have kept them on the endangered species list."

Tony choked. "What's next, are my parents alive as well?"

I shook my head. "Sorry but no. I was a bit wrapped up in creating myself a more human body when they were killed in the early nineties. I was using the super soldier serum as well as various off shoots and other people's DNA, including Banner's-"

I waved to the Hulk. "As a template for my own body. His DNA had a specific gene that absorbed radiation and ate it to make itself more pronounced. That's how he became the hulk through gamma radiation and why I was able to do the same upon contact with his gamma radiation in the fight."

My news was like a bomb dropping and if it weren't for the shield agents arriving to take Loki and tried to find the tesseract as well as the staff. They took the wormhole stabilizer and I sighed after effectively telling them to piss off.

Turning to Tony I told him. "We need to pool our resources for a cleanup effort. Billions of dollars in structural damage and that's not including cars, windows and all the basic crap they've destroyed."

He nodded. "That can be for later. You all feel life shawarma? I'm starving."

I shrugged. "I could eat a pantheon of gods and still be hungry right now. Though you'll have to do the fighting in that case, I'm beat."

Thor asked curiously. "You eat gods?"

I shrugged. "Gods, demons, evil humans. I'm not picky. I'm one of the last of the Klyntar race after all."

Thor looked at me in shock and a bit of horror that didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the group. I walked ahead and heard him tell them. "The Klyntar race are a group of beings made by an elder god named Knull. He is called The Abyss, Black King, Cosmic Satan, Exolon God, The First God of the Abyss, God Butcher, God of the Dark, God of the Everblack, God of the Forge, God of a Forgotten Idea, God-Host, Lord of the Abyss, God of the Symbiotes, King in Black, The Void, Lord of the Anti-Light, The Abyss Made Flesh, Destroyer of Stars. All these names he earned over eons of slaughter and death of worlds and gods. He is the story parents tell their children so they'll behave on Asgard."

Tony commented. "Sounds like he gets around."

Thor shook his head. "You don't understand. The gods, celestials and higher beings all worked together to strike him down eons before Asgard was ever made and yet his name still makes the bravest of beings soil themselves for good reason. Upon his defeat, he was badly wounded and retreated into the heart of his territory after swearing revenge on all life. If what he says is true then that means a being that made the most powerful beings in the cosmos seek out the infinity stones last time for aid against him, still may live."

I grunted and turned around. "He's dead. You've no need to fear him any more."

Thor frowned. "How can you bed sure?"

I snorted. "He was the first god I've ever killed. He made me to be the final death of all gods and forgot he himself was a god. I ate him as my first meal and took his blade as my own."

I waved a hand and pointed to Natasha's armor. "It's there, in symbiote form, under my complete control."

I smelled fear and terror coming off Thor in waves until his bravery and resolve caught up and he nodded. "Then it's good that you've chosen to fight on the side of justice."

I chuckled. "I do what I want. No god, demon, celestial or otherwise will tell me what to do and survive the experience. It doesn't mean I don't still crave god flesh though-"

He shivered but I shrugged. "I just learned to manage my appetite and save leftovers. I still have a few dead gods left over from the Olympian pantheon I killed that will help to tied me over until I find more gods to kill."

He swallowed. "But not asgardians?"

I shook my head. "No. You're barely a meal. Out of the lot of you only Odin, your mother, Heimdall and perhaps one other is worth even eating. The rest of you are barely considered gods. You don't even know where your power lays."

I chuckled as if it were a joke and continued walking. Thor grumbled a bit before we arrived at the Shawarma shop that was now open. Apparently some kid had snuck back into the city and recorded the whole fight and now we were all over the news. We didn't even have to pay. Though it was a bit awkward when I told the chef to bring us as much food as they could make.

I sat down next to Natasha and Thor finally asked. "Where does my power lay if not in my hammer?"

I raised an eyebrow and picked up the hammer to his shock before saying. "Electrocute me. Go ahead."

He reached for his hammer and I shook my head. "No, do it without your toy."

He growled. "My hammer is not a toy! It is a weapon of war!"

I snorted. "It is a toy and a crutch. It's only use is to teach you to control the power within you. So, are you Thor, god of hammers?"

He frowned before raising his hand and a bolt of lightning hit me from his hand as more crackled all over it. I nodded and wiped off the smoking charmed shirt I wore now. "Good, you're learning. Perhaps one day you might even be a worthy opponent worth eating."

I set the hammer in front of him on the table now. "Some free advise. From now on when you use your power, don't channel it into your hammer. It's a crutch, a toy and a tool. A weapon if used right, but still just that. The real power comes from inside you. It's a concept your entire people fail to grasp and the reason you're not worth eating. Precious few of you have grasped that concept to make it worth my time to bother with any of you. It's also why the rest of the powers out there leave Asgard alone. You're degrading into common mortals as you've relied on your technology far too much over time."

Stark spoke up. "Hey, how is technology a bad thing?"

I sighed. "It isn't, not at first. But to truly reach your full potential, all beings must look within, not rely on crutches to get by. That's how the truly powerful rise and how men become heroes, and heroes become gods. It's how Knull did it, how Buri and Bor did it and how Odin does it. The rest of them for the most part are just slightly more fit and longer lived humans. Albeit their psychology is different but you get the picture."

Thor closed his eyes and opened them. They were blue now and crackling with power. I nodded. "Congratulations, now put it away, the food's here."

While he did so and we ate, Stark asked. "So, what's the human potential if we're so much the same? Don't tell me Cap's the limit."

I shook my head. "I'm fact he's just the beginning. If life were a game then he's physically at level one. The starting point just between human and superhuman. No offense Steve."

He shook his head while taking a drink before saying. "None taken. So what's the next step then?"

I smiled and held up a vial. "This. It's the secondary booster I made and gave to Natasha here. It allows you to break passed that wall you feel when you've hit your limit. It's what can allow you to physically get stronger with nearly no limits except you need to meditate and expand your mind. If you're at level one physically, then Tony is at level one mentally."

I turned back to Tony now and he smiled a bit. "So I'm the peak of human intelligence?"

I shrugged. "You're the peak in potential mortal human intelligence. In the end you still haven't actually achieved your potential yet. For that you'd need to set aside your ego and take up self reflecting through meditation. Find the balance between EQ and IQ as well and you'll get there."

He frowned. "I care-"

I waved him off. "I'm aware you care Tony. But you care about material things like building bots and computers too much. Though it's a good thing as well. If you, either of you, achieve your full potential and step across the boundary, that line in the sand, you'll end up dying or else mutating uncontrollably. What you need Tony, is this-"

I held up another vial and this time Steve gaped. "Where did you get that?"

I smirked. "I have my ways."

Tony asked. "What is it?"

I smiled. "It's the super soldier serum. The original, no pollutant or additive, serum. This particular one I made myself. Now. Here's the thing, I don't want you telling anyone I have it or the formula."

I turned to Hawkeye and he gulped. "Understood."

I nodded and set both vials down on the table before pulling out three books. One Banner knew as it was one he'd had to read before on building his own mind scape to merge with his fractured half. The others were only known to Natasha. "These books are the way to not only expand your mind but also prevent others from doing what happened to Clint so easily. A side effect of them is photographic and eidetic memory's."

I moved the two books off the top to reveal the third. "Finally. Once you've mastered mind and body, this one will show you the way to Ascend to beyond your limits safely and become more than you were. Mutants are naturally gifted and while it would make their gifts stronger from practicing, that's all it would do. These are all I'm willing to share with you all and eventually all of earth should Tony feel like mass producing the serums."

He grabbed them hastily. "You bet your ass I will. Who needs a suit of armor around the world when you can have a world full of Captain America's."

I chuckled. "You'll need your father's vita ray machine. I have some spare Nitramene

if you want to use it. As for the chamber, I sort of destroyed my upon my rebirth. Test it out yourself and do what you want, just don't sell it for profit to the military."

He nodded and took them happily before promising to stop by the house later for the Nitramene as well as the specs for the vita ray chamber. I turned to them and spoke evenly. "You can tell the world and anyone you wish that I'm a mutant. I've no fear for those in power and I'm fairly certain the video of us fighting is proof enough that I'm not normal. They don't need to know about me as I've no more interest in fighting humans than Tony here has I'm returning to his playboy lifestyle."

He grunted and we continued eating. Damned if the shawarma didn't hit the spot. when I was done eating, I sent some of the food to Blonsky as he'd been surviving on deer meat and water. It would be a pleasant change I'm sure.