A/N: Thanks to all of you who have encouraged me to write this story. It means a lot to me.

The book was a runaway best seller. Written by a first-time author, it took a few weeks to reach the #1 position on the New York Times Best Sellers List, but once there, it stayed at the top. The only time that it wavered was when the publisher, caught by surprise, ran out of copies to sell. Kindle sales soared, but The Utopia Program was already at the top of that list, so its rating could not improve.

The author of the book, and of the software that it described, was a programmer from Manhattan. Dr. Guardian was a very tall thin man, with green eyes and raven-black hair that curled up at the ends. His almost unnaturally pale skin was evidence that he spent too much time indoors in front of his computer. He started promoting his book on National Public Radio, but by the following month he was a guest on Saturday Night Live and every late-night show on the air. He gave very good interviews, and the camera loved him.

Steve Rogers frowned as he watched the screen. "That's Loki, or I'm a monkey's uncle."

Natasha spoke for them all. "Why isn't he in some Asgardian labor camp?"

Clint Barton was pacing restlessly. "And why haven't we arrested him?" he asked, in a somewhat louder voice than was, strictly speaking, polite.

"You can't arrest the man for writing a book." Fury's tone suggested that this was an inexcusable oversight on someone's part. "And we haven't been able to connect Dr. Guardian with Loki."

"What's to connect?" asked Tony. "They're the same person. Am I missing something here? What am I missing?"

Fury looked at Tony. "How can you prove it?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about fingerprints? You have Loki's fingerprints, I take it. Please, tell me you didn't capture the guy and then forget to take his fingerprints."

Fury's voice dripped long-suffering patience. "We have Loki's fingerprints on record, Mr. Stark. They don't match Dr. Guardian's."

It was the way he said it that caused Natasha to ask, "Do Loki's fingerprints match somebody else?"

"Yes," sighed Fury. "Queen Elizabeth II."

The idea behind the software was very simple. Feed in the budget for an organization, and the program would identify all instances of waste and inefficiency, as well as the people responsible. The Utopia software would expose all financial corruption, and deliver the highest return on investment possible. Apple ordered it, and was soon the 17th largest economy in the world.

The public clamored for the United States to adopt Utopia, but the administration balked at the huge potential fallout among donors, and cited the disruption that it would cause. Meanwhile, numerous parties begged Dr. Guardian to be their candidate in the next election. Not wanting to be saddled with party baggage, he ran on his own platform, representing the new Utopia Party.

Bruce was cleaning his glasses again, and shaking his head. "You have to be American-born to be president."

"If he's American-born, I'm a bald eagle," muttered Clint.

Fury was somber. "We have his birth certificate, school transcripts, income tax records..."

Tony scoffed. "But it's all woo woo, and you know it. He's got his mojo working. None of it's real."

Fury had been here before. "Prove it."

Clint walked toward the door. "I need some air."

Tony gave him a half-hearted wave. "Don't stay out too late, baldy. It's a school night."

The outpouring of support took Washington by surprise. The Utopia Party went from nonexistent to unstoppable overnight. Dr. Guardian was the only third-party candidate invited to participate in the Presidential debates. After each one, his sound bites popped up on YouTube.

The pundits howled about Dr. Guardian's complete and utter lack of political experience. He had never even run for class president. People started wearing t-shirts with the words 'Vote for less political experience than Pedro' printed in red.

He swept the popular vote, and the Electoral College just phoned it in. On a bright but extremely cold January morning, Dr. Luke Theas Guardian was sworn in as President of the United States of America.

One of the first people that President Guardian asked to see was, surprisingly, an obscure Federal agent named Phil Coulson. Mr. Coulson did not spend much time with the president, but when he left he was smiling, and wearing an emerald tie pin that no one remembered seeing him wear before.

President Guardian farmed out the massive work of inputting data to Political Science departments at universities around the country. Students and professors eagerly embraced the project. In every branch of government, very powerful people resigned. Some went to jail. Honest and idealistic underlings took over the reins of power.

During the first year of Dr. Guardian's presidency, he paid off over half of the national debt. During the second year, he delivered a surplus and universal health care. During the third year, he abolished the personal income tax and offered billions of dollars to states that would use his software. They all took him up on it.

During the fourth year of his presidency, Dr. Guardian subsidized universal higher education and announced that he would not seek a second term. The United Nations was starting the Utopia Earth Project, and he was leaving to head it.

Representatives from the European Union as well as from numerous Eastern Bloc nations showed up on the day that the UEP opened its doors. They balked at adopting American money, but Dr. Guardian proposed a world currency. Discussions continued far into the night.

A few days later, Director Fury heard from the Council. They wanted to meet with him, very late that night, to discuss the UEP. But when the time for the meeting came, Fury was the only one present. No explanation was forthcoming, and he didn't hear from them again.

Loki was in a dark, rocky place. All around was black sky. The eyes facing him held no love for him. "If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us-" In his apartment on East 72nd, Dr. Guardian woke with a gasp. He was drenched in a cold sweat. He shuddered, and pulled the sheet to his chest.

Thanos was near. Well, it had to happen sooner or later. He closed off his mind to the intruder, but he knew that it was a losing battle. With trembling hands, he grabbed his phone and called his assistant, waking her up.

"No calls. Rebook my appointments." His voice was hoarse and raspy from sleep.

"Dr. Guardian, what's wr-"

"I just need a day. Sorry." He hung up. Then, he started the coffee maker.

A quick shower later, he was feeling more composed. He dressed, and had a cup of coffee. Then he sat in his favorite chair, pulling it up so that the coffee table was right in front of him. With a few deep breaths, he entered a deep magical trance. For some minutes, he sat quietly. Then, he moved his hands together and apart, and the Casket of Ancient Winters was in his hands.

There were some modifications to the Casket. Things stuck out of it that had once been parts of the Tesseract. Loki placed the Casket on the coffee table in front of him, projected his mind into the Casket, and waited.

When Thanos opened the portal and landed in the human world, he was frankly astonished to see the utter devastation that greeted him. Ice covered the ground. Sharp winds blew through the jagged remains of the once-great city. Nothing grew, and there was nobody left alive. Except. The misbegotten Jotunn came crawling out of some basement hole on his hands and knees. His clothes were nothing but rags, and he seemed barely alive. Still on his knees, Loki raised his hands and cried out in a feeble voice.

"Thanos! It's gone! I can't! Take me... Anything is better..." He was sobbing.

Thanos grabbed Loki by the head, and projected his will to devour the frail body and mind from within. He strangled, ruptured, and burned one tiny piece at a time. Loki screamed. And screamed. Thanos would save Loki's consciousness for last. Death would be a long time coming. But then, the best was worth waiting for.

Loki flipped the switch that started the time loop, and locked it in place. Thanos would stay in this happy little moment forever. A quick movement of his hands, and the Casket was gone as though it had never been there. Loki breathed deeply, and rubbed his face with his hands. He needed another cup of coffee. Or maybe something stronger. And... another shower. Yes, definitely another shower. Afterwards, he fell into a deep sleep, undisturbed by dreams.

When he finally got to work the next day, he learned that the sub-Saharan nations weren't sure that they could afford the software, given AIDS, famine, wars, and the endless other problems that plagued the unfortunate continent. Dr. Guardian called an AIDS Summit at the United Nations. During his keynote address, he dropped numerous carefully worded hints that sent the giddy researchers back to their labs with renewed hope. A team from Toronto's 'Pill Hill' was the first to develop a cure, and they gave it away as a gift to the world.

Meanwhile, teams of engineers were swarming all over the continent, designing the rail, irrigation, and communications systems that would allow Africa to become the breadbasket of the world.

The hard-line Islamic nations were among the last to take an official interest in Utopia Earth. Some eventually bowed to public pressure, but a 'change in government' was required in a few places.

Then one day, the entire world was Utopia Earth, and Dr. Guardian was its head. He called a Defense Summit at the United Nations. It was time that people stopped going to war with each other. It was time for world peace.

Dr. Guardian spent most of his time traveling around the world, acting as a consultant. But the Defense Summit was one of the most vital undertakings so far for the UEP, and he headed back to New York a month before, to personally oversee the details. He had never been able to come to terms with delegating.

A UEP driver picked him up at JFK, and took him home. It was well over a year since Dr. Guardian had been in his own apartment. As they drove through Midtown, Dr. Guardian looked up at the Avengers Tower, which had once been Stark Tower. He smiled as he imagined the Avengers watching the news, night after night, trying to find a reason to come after him. He wondered if they still bothered.

But the Avengers Tower looked positively shabby when compared with the new Stark Green Tower up the street. Tony Stark had made the jump from weapons to clean energy at the perfect moment, and he was richer than ever. Stark Green Tower was, ironically, a shiny green and gold building two blocks from where Loki had once been thrown to the floor, or rather into it, hurt and beaten.

But the most fashionable address in Manhattan was farther uptown, past Dr. Guardian's apartment, near the Guggenheim. Potts Plaza had a waiting list that was second to none. And it was not the only building in town graced with the name of the lovely Ms. Potts. The only thing that kept Pepper from spending more time giving away money was Tony Stark's infinite capacity for getting into trouble. And she was under increasing pressure to run for mayor.

The car came to a stop, and the driver got out to help Dr. Guardian with his bags. Dr. Guardian was glad to be home, but first there was someone he wanted to see. Handing his keys to the driver, he walked off toward Central Park.

The dark angel was still there, blessing the water that kept the great city going.

"Hello, Angel. Remember me?" He spoke in a soft whisper. He had changed so much since that day. He wasn't hurt now, or famished, or in chains. Now, he ran the world. He. ran. the. world. And he did it better than anyone else ever could. Every day some disease, some lack, some ancient enemy of humanity fell to Loki's might. He was strong. He felt... proud. He leaned on the balustrade, and smiled.

"Thought you'd show up here."

Loki continued to watch the fountain. "Director Fury, long time."

"Every time Washington announces 'streamlining,' I think S.H.I.E.L.D is finished. But you haven't touched us. Why?"

Loki turned then, looking at his former nemesis as though the question made no sense. "You protect the Earth from external dangers. That need won't go away."

"You mean you still need us to fight Thanos for you."

"Not him. He's history." Something very much like an evil laugh escaped Loki's lips. "Literally."

Director Fury considered asking for details, but upon reflection decided he'd rather leave the conversation boasting the same level of sanity he'd come in with.

"I thought you were going to free us from freedom," he said instead.

"And haven't I? My software defines your cage. You live as I would have you live, and there's nothing you can do about it." Which was true. His software could protect itself. Very well.

"Hm. What happened to the Council?"

"They are otherwise engaged, and not currently taking calls. Don't worry, they'll be back."

"How did you even know they were there?"

"The bomb surprised me." Loki shook his head, and shuddered. He really hadn't seen that coming.

"The nuke they launched against New York? That's what brought them down?" Nick Fury threw his head back, and pumped his fist in the air. "Yes, sweet justice!"

Loki snorted, which was unusual for him. "Any more questions I can answer for you?"

"Yes. Why didn't Thor come after you? With the Tesseract-"

"It's not on Asgard."

"You-"

"It's holding Thanos. No one can use it. Without the Bifrost, we're cut off." Well, except for the hidden ways between the realms that only Loki knew. But, there wasn't any reason to bring that up. Loki gave Fury a cheerful wink. Then he vanished.

"Wait! Loki! Loki! Come back!" Fury sputtered as passersby turned to look at him yelling at empty air.

Loki walked down the stairs, and sat on the edge of the fountain, stretching his long legs out in front of him. He never could have foreseen how his plan would evolve. The software was supposed to change, gradually. Eventually, it would turn the humans into Loki's private army. Then, he would use them and the hidden ways to attack Asgard.

But, with each success he'd enjoyed on Midgard, on Earth, attacking Asgard had become less important. Finally, he'd turned that feature off. Instead, he was now giving the humans the 'peace on Earth' that they prayed for every winter before going back to slaughtering each other in droves. How they needed him!

The director made his way back to his car at the edge of the park. As he pulled out his keys, Fury found a green Post-it in his pocket. It read: 'Welcome to your cage. (signed) your benevolent dictator, Loki'

Loki heard the deep-throated laughter in the distance. He grinned, looking up at the angel and the clear blue sky. Somewhere beyond that sky-

No. He no longer cared. It was a beautiful day in Central Park. He was doing what he wanted. And it was good, unexpectedly and strangely good, finally, to be home.