"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of beauty is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, but indifference between life and death. "
- Ellie Wiesel
„I am asking you, what are you prepared to do?" Rumbled Director Fury into Thor's face. Thor straightened, looking away, eyes unfocused.
What was he prepared to do? He had rather clear idea of what Nick Fury meant. Torture. He meant for Thor to march into the suspicious glass cell, and beat the information out of Loki. Thor had fought his brother before; he had no choice in that matter, but Loki had been armed and more than capable of fighting back. Blows had been exchanged, everything had gone by in a blur. Thor hadn't thought about anything else than stopping the madness of the opened Bifrost.
So what was so different now? There is a madness that has to be stopped just as there had been before. Loki might not be holding any sort of spear or knife, but he was far from powerless. Quite the contrary, he would probably continue his game of poking and prodding at every single one of these humans, just to tear them apart.
„Natasha, get in there, and try to get something out of him," said Fury, clearly losing patience with Thor's silence.
„No!" Thor yelled at Fury sharply. „Let me talk to him."
„You got ten minutes. After that, either get out of there, or go in and tickle him up a bit with that hammer."
Thor nodded, hiding his disgust and headed for the cell. „Turn off the sound of those... devices you have. This will be between my brother and me."
„Thor," smiled Loki as soon as he heard Thor's heavy footsteps approaching. „Are you coming to have another sentimental talk with me? Appeal to our brotherhood?"
„No," answered Thor simply. „Firstly, I want you to know that this conversation will be private. The devices are off."
Loki didn't react to that statement with anything other than a disbelieving scoff.
„It's true."
„Oh don't worry, I'm actually quite sure you believe that it is."
Thor was silent for a moment, then spoke again: „I think you lied when you said that all you remembered was a shadow. A shadow of my greatness."
„Who's the liar now? You claimed to have no interest in all this brotherly talk." Loki leaned a bit forward, hands clasped behind his back, eyes squinting in mock disapproval.
„I am not interested in it. I do not wish you to remember you are my brother. I wish you to remember the times when you craved not being my brother."
„What's that supposed to mean?" frowned Loki, this time truly confused.
„Was it not... " Thor paused and turned away from Loki a bit. „Was that not something that would ease your mind immensely?"
„Thor," warned Loki, a hint of fear in his voice.
„Did you not feel so very out of your mind? Did you not create fantasies where you and I were just two men? Unrelated? Free.. well, more free to do as we wished?"
Loki was silent for a long while, staring at Thor with unreadable face.
„Is this how you wish to break me?" he spoke at last. „Humiliate me into giving out the position of the Tessaract?"
„I do not wish to break you," Thor raised his voice. „I'm just asking you to remember who you are."
Upon hearing that, Loki turned away angrily, facing away from Thor. There were little other words that could agitate him as such.
Did he know who he was? He didn't lie about living in a shadow of Thor. It was the fact that it was not always unpleasant that he failed to mention to his brother. To Thor. Everything in life has always been about Thor. He rotated him like a moon would a planet. And for a very long time, he was more than happy to.
"What I am, is a Frost Giant. I have been lied to my whole life. I have always been put second. I was a king and I was betrayed and casted out. Now I've come to collect. That's who I am, Thor."
For a moment, it didn't seem that Thor had an answer to Loki's viciously spat words.
"No. "
"No?" mocked Loki, his eyebrow raised, a wide, slightly crazy smile, spreading his lips. "Then enlighten me, please."
"I have always loved you. I have always depended on you. I wanted you by my side, whether in battle or facing foreign diplomats. I never thought I could be a king without your support. I thought you knew this."
"So what exactly are you saying? That I should be content with being allowed to serve you? What an honor for the adopted son, for the monster to be tolerated in the presence of the most gracious Thor," hissed Loki, his fist curled up on the thick glass.
"You are not even trying to understand! You twist everything I say!" yelled Thor.
"Then perhaps it is time for you to understand that nothing you say matters to me," concluded Loki in a low voice.
Thor composed himself with a deep breath.
"Very well."
He walked over to the control panel, but before he could admit his ignorance as to its working, Agent Coulson walked into the room.
"Are you trying to get inside? We saw you looking at the control, but couldn't hear anything, in case you were saying something to us."
"Yes. Open it for me. It seems that there is nothing else my brother and I have to say."
Agent Coulson didn't look fully convinced, but quickly tapped at the panel several times.
"Go stand at the entrance," he gestured to Thor, then waited until he has done so. Only then he tapped at the panel one last time and repeated the motion nervously as soon as Thor stepped inside.
"Welcome to my humble dwelling," smirked Loki, seemingly unafraid of Thor's or Mjölnir presence.
"Tell me where the Tessarect is," simply ordered Thor, while inwardly steeling himself.
Loki laughed spreading his arms. "What will you do if I don't?"
Thor raised Mjölnir. "This is your last chance."
When Loki gave no answer but more laughter, Thor striked hard, intending to bring Mjölnir down on Loki. He realized too late the tell-tale vacancy of Loki's unsubstantial double's eyes and couldn't stop the hard blow. Mjölnir rattled ominously on the glass. For a split second, Thor could hear Loki's snickers behind him, Coulson's warning shout and then they started falling.
Scream escaped Thor's mouth. He was being thrown to all sides, deep noise filling his ears. Loki bounced off of him several times, his mirth forgotten in the acute danger of being smashed to pieces. Thor finally managed to get a hold of him and then put all his energy and wits into trying to break the glass with Mjölnir and fly them both to safety, but each short second brought them closer and closer to the ground.
Then, unexpectedly, Thor felt the well-known pull of transplanetal travel and, gripping Loki tightly, he wasn't in the deadly cage anymore, he was out of space and time and finally he hit the ground, crushing his brother beneath him.
They were back in Asgard.
A/N Thank you for reading. I'll be thrilled to receive any critique. Next chapter will be up tomorrow.
Many thanks to my beta UKSarah