Warning for slight description of torture.


The pain was unlike anything she had ever experienced in her life. She had been under so many different fiends and subjected to such a variation of torture that she thought there would never be anything that could break her. But she was so very wrong. It didn't even stem from anywhere specifically, the machine seemed to be broadcasting agony directly into her head.

Screaming was inevitable, no matter how long she had tried to withstand the urge to cry out. People were talking to her but there was simply no way for her to be able to comprehend their words as her body writhed an seized, strapped down across her arms and legs. Her back arched and her head thrashed to the side but there was no escape and there was no way to fight it.

Her mind could only take so much, it had been so strong in the past and she had been through so much but it had reached a point where it could no longer cope and everything imploded. Her body stilled in an instant, no longer straining to be free of the bonds. The two men in white coats looked at each other for a moment and nodded, one of them hit a button on the side of the metal chair and it lowered away from the metal ring that was surrounding Natasha's head.

Natasha's heart was racing as she opened her eyes, glancing up at the two men with fear and confusion.

"Can you hear me?" One of them asked, speaking with a thick accent and Natasha simply nodded before looking down to her arms and giving a gentle tug against the thick restraints.

"Wh-wh-wh-" She looked back up, swallowing thickly, unsure of what she even wanted to ask.

"Can you tell me where you are?" The other man asked, leaning closer to look at her dilated pupils, scribbling a note down on the clipboard he was holding. Natasha frowned and winced, the effort of trying to figure out where she was had sent a sharp spike of pain through her head. She shook her head, beginning to shake slightly.

"What about your name?" The first one asked and she didn't even have to think about it before answering.

"Natasha." She said quickly, feeling a slight pride as though it hadn't been the simplest of questions.

The men exchanged a look and one of them sighed, hitting the button to raise the chair again, the other brought the metal ring back around her head. "It didn't work, move it up to speed three and we'll try for longer this time."

Natasha didn't understand why, but the metal ring meant pain to her and she was suddenly terrified of being anywhere near it.

"No!" She shouted and viciously started to twist her body, managing to loosen the buckle around her right ankle. As the men rushed to secure it, she whipped her leg up and kicked one in the face, knocking him out instantly. She cringed as she yanked at her left wrist and was able to free it even though it hurt badly to do so. She heard the crack of her bone protesting and whimpered, gritting her teeth as she hurriedly freed her right.

With an agile roll she threw herself to the side but landed heavily on the floor, tangling in the plain medical gown she was dressed in, quickly scrambling to her feet and away from the other man who was attending his partner.

"Hey!" He yelled as she made a break for the door. He tackled her around her waist and they both sprawled across the floor. He tried to grab at her arms but she squirmed out from under him and crawled forward, kicking back with her leg. She felt her heel connect harshly with his head and he slumped, whether dead or unconscious she didn't care.

She struggled shakily to her feet and stumbled forward, falling against the wall and taking a moment to catch her breath. She didn't know who the men were or how she even came to be in the white room, but she had absolutely no intention of staying. The door would not open, no matter how hard she shook it and she saw a small electronic device beside the frame.

One of the men had a flat tag around his neck and she seized it, ripping it away from him and sliding it through the thin slot to unlock the door with a quiet beep. She found herself in a long hallway that was just as white and clean as the room she had awoken in, but just as unfamiliar. She ran as fast as her legs would allow, terror showing on her face as she repeated the only thing that she knew of herself.

"My name is Natasha. My name is Natasha. My name is Natasha."


Loki absolutely hated Midgard with a passion. It was a dark and dreary world that boasted nothing but miscreants and primitive beings. He could not believe he had ever wanted to rule it. But more embarrassing than that – he had been defeated by the humans. All of them seemed to believe that he was capable of some redemption, even after himself protesting against such a fact. For nearly two years he had been under their watch and though he had not played up. Much.

He would never stop with his mischief, even though each mild act set the world more and more against his favour and the view of him was deemed more negative. He had only played nice for the first year so that Odin would lift the curse that suppressed his powers and once those had returned his fun had begun again. But it was mostly all in secret, a lot of his 'pranks' were done in a way that drastically inconvenienced a lot of people, but he was never discovered as the source.

It wasn't about needing recognition for his acts, he was happy with the knowledge that people were going crazy with frustration.

He was not permitted to leave the military base that he was kept on, Thor was constantly his personal guard though he seemed to enjoy the task and hardly ever stopped his incessant babbling. No matter how strong Loki's hints were, Thor would stay by Loki's side as he aimlessly wandered around the base and pretended not to notice the apprehensive looks by the other agents that milled around.

Nobody had any idea that he could leave the base, a copy was always left behind and Thor was never wise to the act, never understanding that sometimes Loki could be away for an entire day. He never went anywhere specific, just wandered around among the humans and observed things, needing to get away from the military side of things.

He didn't usually stay out at night but it was the one time he considered breaking his self imposed curfew that he saw a strange sight indeed.

He recognized Natasha instantly, even while the darkness was setting in, his night vision far surpassed any of the people around him and she was wearing a hospital gown of some sort, creating a white sheen under the streetlight. Loki paused in his steps as he watched her from quite a distance away, stumbled across the road and seeming confused and disorientated.

She was casting fearful looks over her shoulder but to from what Loki could tell, she wasn't being followed by anybody. He was intrigued, it was not often that the stoic and fearless Black Widow was often seen in such a state.

He teleported to her and was surprised as she yelled in shock and backed away from him, casting him a look of terror before turning and trying to run the opposite way. He watched her with confusion, though he would never say they were on the best of terms, animosity had certainly dulled since the first time they had met. He doubted he would ever earn her forgiveness, but he had never expected her to be scared of him.

He teleported in front of her again and this time she seemed to react by reflex, slamming her fist toward the bridge of his nose. He caught it with ease, while being faster than a normal human, she was still lacking that extreme speed that he knew she possessed. She gasped and pulled back, but she was no match for him physically and they both knew it. Or at least she should have known it, but she tried to yank her arm from his grip, her eyes wide and darting between her hand and his face.

"Agent Romanoff." Loki growled, not entirely sure what was going on. "Must you continue this pointless struggling."

"My name is Natasha!" She stopped her movements and stood tall, her shoulders back and anger replacing the fear on her face. "Natasha!"

Loki blinked, his confusion heightening enough to shock him into releasing his grip on her wrist. He didn't know why she was acting in such a way, he knew her skills for deceit were legendary but there would be no point in such a strange charade.

"You always insist that I call you 'Agent Romanoff'." Loki said quietly, his green eyes watching her intently as she draped her arms around herself. But his comment sparked something in her and she took a sudden step forward, earnestly gazing up at him.

"Do you know me?" She asked, a slight pleading in her voice as though desperate for him to say yes.

"I do." He said simply, tilting his head to the side as he studied her. What reason could she have for playing such a strange game?

"Are we friends?" She asked and it took all of Loki's will to deny the chuckle wanting to come to his lips. Friends was the very last way to describe the relationship he had with the little assassin, they had only recently stopped being enemies and he was certain she had dreams of plunging a knife through his skull. Her next question stumped him and it was not often that something could shock Loki.

"Will you help me?" There was a desperation emitting from her and Loki was stunned. She was not a woman to ever ask for help and especially not from him. She didn't even recognize him, she was completely vulnerable and in need of his assistance. Thoughts of revenge flooded his mind as he watched her, all these delicious plans that would teach her the consequences of ever thinking she was above him. He could do anything to her, physically, emotionally, she was utterly at his mercy. But, perhaps he was experiencing a moment of uncharacteristic softness, for he could not bring himself to act on any of the torturous thoughts infecting his mind.

"Yes." He said quietly. "I will help you."

Her body almost sagged with relief, her eyes shining with so much gratitude that she couldn't speak for a moment, seeming to take a second to collect herself.

"What is your name?" She asked, genuinely interested.

"Loki." He watched her carefully, needing to see if there was any form of recognition in her eyes but there was nothing to suggest that she knew who he was.

"Thank you Loki." She whispered, glancing around her in fear as she heard people yelling randomly across the street.

"You will be safe with me." Loki said calmly. The comment amused him, considering he was known as the God of Lies, it seemed that he could in fact utter the truth once in a while.