It had been a dull cloudy day, the kind of day when your mood reflects the weather and you don't know if it is coincidence or if it's the weather causing the mood. Steve was on another uneventful tedious shift of guarding the tesseract, for something so powerful absolutely nothing interesting was happening. He had assumed it was because those who knew of the real power it held were either long gone or currently indisposed, you would also have to be some kind of mad to go through one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. He looked to his watch impatiently, practically begging the shift to end before he was relieved by a few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents; a small smile crossed his lips at the thought of him being able to do the job of a few men. The gaze returned to his watch trying to will time forward with his mind. At least they were actually letting him do something instead of trying to integrate him into the 'new world', he hated to be bitter but he could not stand the way they mollycoddled him, treating him like he didn't know anything. He was a soldier, he was strong and adaptable and they were treating him like a child.

Everything had been none too eventful for him since he was 'revived' considering who he was, not to play the whole 'do you know who I am' card; however, Steve preferred uneventful to having to save the world from the power hungry HYDRA although he did miss the fighting. Hopefully his thinking, however pensive, had passed sometime with another check of his watch he noted he was nearly due to leave which improved his mood somewhat.

The weather on the other had had taken a considerable turn for the worse as he heard a soft roll of thunder muffled by the thick reinforced walls of the building. Not a moment later there was an almighty crack of thunder that practically shook the walls, Steve stood up abruptly, there was something very wrong. That should not have been that loud from down here and he literally felt the floor shake, he mentally prepared himself for action facing the door assuming a defensive pose. There was a split second of silence before the doors to large room were thrown open with a resounding crash; the frame of the large doorway was filled with one of the biggest men Steve had ever seen. His large frame making Steve look small in comparison which was impressive in itself, even more impressive was the fact the air around him seemed to crackle with electricity and a faint smell of ozone saturated the atmosphere. His voice seemed deep as the thunder itself as he spoke,

"You would do best to get out of my way." Ever the proud soldier of course Captain America would stand his ground.

"I'm sorry but if you want the tesseract you will have to come and get it."

"Do not test me." Steve smiled, at least something exciting was now happening and apparently he was letting the adrenaline go to his head as he would never normally provoke someone but it had happened before he could think about it.

"Why, do you think you're not going to pass?" In the blink of an eye Thor was in front of him, inches away from his face, a large hand wrapped none too gently around his neck.

"This is your last chance to stand down."

"I'm sorry but no."

"Your pride will be your undoing soldier."

He sent him flying across the room with a well-placed punch to the abdomen knocking the wind out of him and rendering him temporarily immobile. He simply walked into the room and collected the case containing the tesseract, as if he were simply picking up mail, before leaving immediately the way he came leaving a crackle of thunder and a surprised Steve in his wake. Only a few minutes later and Nick Fury marched into the room as Steve was finally able to stand up using the wall for support.

"Well he was big." Fury merely stared at Rogers for his weak attempt to lighten the mood.

"Listen, not so long ago we had a visitor from another planet whose visitation ended up in the destruction of a small town in New Mexico. That was him, we don't know what he wants but we know he is strong and dangerous and now he has the tesseract. I would be on your guard Mr Rogers in case the bastard comes back." He turned and walked swiftly out of the room, leaving Steve to fathom what actually just happened.

Thor immediately left the base and using Mjölnir flew to the nearest open space before finding himself back on Asgard thanks to Heimdall who turned to him, eyeing the case in his hands.

"The Allfather has been informed."

"Thank you Heimdall, are the forces ready?"

Yes. I have also located the place you seek, a space between the realms. You would do well to tread carefully Thor, do not be deceived." Thor was indifferent to his warning as he waited impatiently for the Asgardian forces to arrive at the new Bifrost, anxious to go and save his brother. Once the small force had gathered and prepared they found themselves on a large rocky landscape. The place was barren, the only scenery being that of rocks that looked threateningly sharp and foreboding, boulders that looked perched to crush those beneath them in a moment. The sky was dark, too dark, stars hardly visible through a thick blanket of almost black cloud. Thor moved forward clutching the case tightly in one hand, Mjölnir ready in the other, and spotted Loki standing a few feet in front of him. The air felt thick and heavy, a chill creeping up Thor's spine as he took in the image of Loki, he did not look like he needed help at all. He was standing with his shoulders thrown back as if he were proud to be there, his head tilted down slightly as bright green eyes took in the sight of his brother as a smirk spread across his thin pink lips.

"Did you bring it brother?" He practically spat the words at Thor. "Did you bring it to save me? Did you mourn me brother, did you think me dead? And poor mother and father, did they miss me Thor?" The look on Thor's face made him grin; he looked like a puppy that had been kicked by its favourite master.

"Loki, what is this?"

"This? THIS! This is beyond revenge brother." The Asgardians behind him started to group together, weapons in hand as Chitauri that seemingly appeared from nowhere started to surround them slowly.

"This, Thor, is for the lies and the shame. This is for the hatred, for being alone, It's to show who is better, who is superior." Flecks of spittle started throwing themselves from Loki's lips as he spoke with a rage directed at Thor who was too taken aback to do anything but listen to him.

"This is about who really deserves to be sitting on a throne, a throne I deserve! And you better believe that my throne will be made from the decaying corpses and cowering pathetic figures of your precious humans! I want you to watch as your earth BURNS AT MY FEET!"

A look of shock and hurt were on Thor's face but overshadowed by the resolve and hope he still foolishly held for Loki.

"Brother, please. Do not do this."

"ENOUGH!"

Loki practically roared at him before a flash of light and a blinding pain found Thor in the middle of some kind of park, heaving himself to his feet breathing through the aftermath of pain that was still racking his body he looked to see where he was. He was definitely in a park of sorts, a park that happened to be on Midgard, without the tesseract.

Loki laughed as he tried to imagine the look on Thor's face as the idiotic Asgardian figured out where he was, never had a person been so easy to trick than his always ready to forgive 'brother'. Tesseract in hand he strode past the Chitauri carelessly stepping over the bodies of the people Thor had brought with him, he had plans to make.