Cut from the same vine?

Norman was taken aback by Loki. He had pushed the master of trickery, a god among mortals, and the boy was retaliating. Norman had forgotten that despite his new appearance, Loki was just as fearsome as any other god Norman had encountered. He may have had the stature of a boy, but he could be every bit as fearsome as Ares by using words alone. He didn't want to break their alliance - Loki was Norman's only friend. He took a step back, listening to the boy as he challenged Norman's accusations. Norman could feel his forehead start to perspire as his mind searched for his next move, rooting through words, actions, weighing the possible outcomes of anything he could do.

"Norman, you're a fool. You're soft. You would grovel at this boy's feet? You think he holds sway over us??" The Goblin snarled in Norman's head, trying to get the man roused. "This boy may be an Asgardian, but that doesn't matter now - he's stuck here, same as us. In a world where we have all the power and all the resources. He is a BOY!" The Goblin danced on Norman's brain. "You came here to make sure he was loyal to us and he is turning the tables around. THE BOY HAS A SILVER TONGUE AND WE NEED TO CUT. IT. OUT! HAHAHAHA!!!" The Goblin cackled, screeching in Norman's head. The man wiped his brow, focusing his mind and shushing the voice. But he knew the Goblin was right - Loki was gaining the upper hand by sleight of words alone. He came here to ensure their alliance was airtight, and he needed to stay on that path.

Norman adjusted his tie and cleared his throat, returning Loki's gaze. He stood up straight, now looking up at the boy that was standing on the steps. "Loki, I don't mean to accuse you. But you're the only trump card we have, and I'm worried we are going to lose that advantage the longer we wait. I understand it's not easy infiltrating the Avengers' plans, but the window will just get smaller and smaller as more of them flood in." Norman calmly explained. His tone with soft with a hard edge to it, letting Loki know he wasn't going to waiver. The madness that existed in Norman's head was an unbalancing force, but he was glad it gave him the focus he needed in times like this. It felt good letting the Goblin back into his life. "I don't mean to cast doubt on your position." Norman crossed his arms and cocked his head, looking coolly at the man-turned-boy. "But if your stance is as you say it is, perhaps you wouldn't mind a demonstration? It won't take long, I assure you. Just a simple way for you to prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that you are the same Loki I once knew. You can't blame me - after all, you are the lord of mischief and deceit, and hold that title high above anyone else." Norman looked around smoothly, making sure they hadn't drawn a crowd. Luckily, there was a large tour group on their way out, so that would clear up some of the clutter.

"It's a simple offer, Loki. You do this one thing and you won't have me doubting you ever again." Norman gazed back up at the boy with a smile.

"The boy mocks us. We need to kill him - why do you fumble around with this brat? We owe him nothing!" The Green Goblin yelled in Norman's head at Loki's defiance. There was no insane laughter to follow it, just pure anger and annoyance. Norman didn't know if that was true or not. Loki had been with him during his time running HAMMER - he was a good ally. While everyone else was busy watching their back around  Norman, Loki has happy to indulge in idle conversation and vast ploys, no matter how much of a long shot they seemed. Loki was his right hand man, advising him on matters that felt out of control, telling him what to do and say when he was under the microscope. 

But it had been Loki's idea to seize Asgard, hadn't it? Did he know it would end in defeat? Was he toying with Norman the whole time, making him dance like a marionette? Norman knew he would never get that answer, so he shelved the topic and instead met Loki's fiery gaze with a glare of his own. "Loki, you don't scare me." Norman spoke, surprised at the steeled will in his voice. "You want me to believe you truly haven't lost any of your magnitude? Then show me - if you have the guts to try and destroy me, if you're that stupid, then I implore you to act on those impulses. The fact of the matter is that you're stuck here with me." Norman waved an arm toward the city of New York. "With all of them! You kill me or even lay a super-powered finger on me and your name will be plastered everywhere. The heroes will come. They'll fight you. And with no getaway scheme to retreat to Asgard, you'll be out of luck. And you. Will. Fall." Norman emphasized the last words harshly. He had many people threaten him before, but noone as powerful as Loki. Still, the playing field was unchanged - the power of the people was a very real thing, and even Loki had limits to what he could do to Norman without getting jumped on by every hero around.

Norman stood up straighter, his confidence growing. He knew that he couldn't let Loki bully him around. The boy may have been the mastery of trickery, but in this world, Norman held control. He had the public on his side, and Loki didn't have anywhere else to go. They would have to meet in the middle to get anywhere, and he needed solid evidence that Loki wasn't going to spin around and lay a dagger in Norman's back - literally or metaphorically.

"I'm not asking for anything extraordinary, Loki. But if we are truly going to work together, I need to make sure I can trust you. I need to make sure you're the same man I have worked with before. A lot has changed since then - you've changed since then." Norman crossed his arms but still keep his steady gaze. "You're a trickster Loki, using and abusing people comes with the territory. I just have to make sure I'm not your latest victim. I know that in my place, you would have the same request."

Loki was stalling and trying to talk his way out of things. He was wasting time by presenting more arguments for Norman to sift through, more threats for him to wade in, and more rationale for him to navigate. It was becoming exhausting, but a part of Norman enjoyed the mental foreplay that was occurring, before either one of them got what they really wanted. There wasn't much compromise to be had - either Norman would get what he wanted or he wouldn't - though he was confident things were in his favor. Loki, for all his cool words, confrontational demeanor, and intricate scheming, was on the back foot - at least Norman perceived it that way. He couldn't be sure if that was actually true or if the Goblin formula was fueling his confidence to insane heights. 

He didn't really care.

"You're right Loki. We must unite as a team. But in times like these we need to trust each other unconditionally." Norman put his hands out in an open gesture. "You and I have both manipulated numerous people, numerous pawns in our schemes. And from that, you and I both have felt the sting of a betrayal, seen mountains of meticulous planning crumble due to one person's backstabbing." Norman brought his arms back in and folded them, tilting his head upright to look at the child, his cold eyes fixated on the boy. "This is one situation where we cannot afford that to happen, no matter what. I cannot take any risks with all these heroes about. You may be insulted that I need this of you, but I am only covering all my bases. And if you really are playing the long game, you know that I need your trust to go along with it."

Norman's disposition was calm, but only due to the Goblin formula coursing through his veins. He found that many of his challenges seemed meager since he had become exposed to it. He was sure that his unraveled lunacy had something to do with it, but he had enough willpower to make sure he didn't come completely undone. At least not since The Gathering of Five. He had control over the formula's influence upon him and had become one with the Goblin. They were working together instead of in opposition, and it made him that much more powerful. The Goblin grinned devilishly in his mind in acknowledgement.

"So Loki, if you truly want to work towards a great evil together, I need you to do one simple thing for me." Norman spoke again. "There is a homeless man I found on the streets that was making a lot of racket, specifically about you. He claimed to have seen Loki, the evil god, on Earth, and even pinpointed that you are disguised in the form of a boy. Worse, he also has been yelling to whoever will listen that you and I talked - he saw us at the zoo!" Norman laughed with a scrutinizing tone. "Of course, noone has believed him yet, but I went through the efforts of tying him up and bringing him here so that you could have the pleasure of torturing him yourself. I'll let you do whatever you want - play cruel tricks, turn him into a frog, make him go insane....you can even kill him, if you like. I just want to know you're the same Loki I once knew without a doubt. If you want, I'm equally happy to do something for you afterwards. And I won't even complain." Norman flashed a sly, teasing smirk. The old Loki he knew would jump at the chance of getting to torture a human, especially one that thought they knew about Loki's presence. This would be a true test to make sure the boy was the same as the man Norman remembered.

Norman smiled a devilish grin at hearing Loki's response. He adjusted his suit jacket and looked at the boy hopefully, a grin still on his face. "Then follow me." Norman gestured for Loki to follow, taking out a phone from his pocket and typing '1' to activate the Speed Dial. Norman held the phone to his ear and glanced back to see if Loki was following before continuing on, walking towards one of the private pier areas.

"Ready?" The deep voice on the other end of the phone spoke as soon as the dialtone ended. It was one of Norman's Scriers, a mysterious cult that have been around for centuries. Under Norman's leadership, their group became more formidable and worked with Norman to increase their global agenda, worshiping Norman for his abilities and powers after he defied his own death. They had long worked in the background to help Norman's schemes and plans, and they were his only real source of trust in this brave new world.

"Yes." Norman spoke quickly, exiting the call and putting the phone in his pocket once more. Two guards stood at the beginning of the pier, eyeing Norman stoically as he approached them. At the end of the dock was a large white houseboat tied to the pier. It was a well-designed ship, though not exactly top of the line, and sported some wear and tear on the sides. Norman reached into his jacket and pulled out two folded up sheets of paper, giving them to one of the guards who nodded at Norman in acknowledgement. They were docking permits Norman had acquired from the city. With most of the public on his side now, he was seen as somewhat of a philanthropist, and getting the papers to have a ship docked was not all that difficult. People were less inclined to care that a boat was parked at a tourist attraction when there were no tourists, after all.

"Thank you." Norman spoke to the guard with a warm smile and continued on, nodding back at Loki. He pressed on, advancing to the houseboat and stepping onto it carefully, causing it to rock slightly with the waves. The door in front of him unlocked with a loud CLACK and slid open, revealing a tall man in a hooded jacket, his face almost completely obscured in the shadow of the houseboat's upper deck. He nodded slightly and stepped aside for Norman's entry. The Scrier's hardly ever talked, if at all, and that worked out fine for Norman. He found it was easier to have underlings when they didn't say anything. "Right through here, Loki." Norman smiled and walked into the room, a dimly lit area with no windows.

The houseboat was not one on the inside, having been gutted and renovated to be nothing more than a torture chamber. The walls were reinforced metal and a rack of tools was present on one wall, some with bloodstains still on them. Chains and hooks lined the opposite wall, along with ropes and other assorted equipment. Two dim lightbulbs hung from the ceiling as the only light source, but the real attraction was in the back corner of the room, where a scruffy man in ragged clothes was tied to a metal chair bolted to the floor. He was unconscious, his head tilted forward in a passive position, but had no visible injuries. Norman wasn't one to get his hands dirty all the time, but sometimes his plans required a hands on approach, or his pawns needed places like this get their jobs don. Either way, the houseboat had served its purpose time and time again, and was one of Norman's longest lasting hideouts.

As soon as Norman and Loki entered the chamber, the Scrier left the room, heading to the exterior of the houseboat to undock the vessel. Norman slid the large metal door closed afterward, slamming down the metal bar into place and twisting the reinforced bolt lock. Norman gazed down at Loki with a smile. He was pleased at this turn of events - he finally had Loki right he wanted him. The boy would show his true colors, his true loyalties, and there would be no doubts in Norman's mind ever again. He would have a partner to work with, an ally he could trust without any second thoughts.

"You don't have to worry Loki, this place is a veritable fortress. No one is going to get in or out of here without my say so - no one will ever find out about this. These walls are reinforced so that even the strongest electronic signals can't pierce them, so I can assure you no one is spying on us, either." Norman leaned against the back wall opposite of the victim in the chair, feeling the cold metal even through his layered clothes. "Alright, it's showtime." Norman spoke, gesturing outwards with his arms.