"He's dangerous! We shouldn't be helping him," Natasha yells, "And in case you've forgotten, he wanted to kill us!"

The six Avengers sit at a table outside the training room. Normally, this place is used for planning imaginary strategies; today they debate reality.

Thor tries to calm them. "Please, my friends, take this as a joke and nothing more. It is in his nature-"

"To be an asshole? Yeah, we've noticed," Tony finishes.

"To play tricks," Thor corrects, firmly.

Clint doesn't agree. He sits by Natasha, although she doesn't let him touch her. "It was a threat," he says, "clear as that. A threat."

"I will speak to him. This will not happen again."

"We gave him a chance, and clearly we were wrong," Steve argues, "But what can we do now?"

Bruce is quiet, thinking; it is all he can do to remain calm. He doesn't like the idea of abandoning Loki after they'd agreed to protect him, but he can't allow threats against his teammates. He lets debate go onwithout his input.

Tony is the one to offera solution: "Thor here can take him back to Fairyland."

Thor shakes his head. He decides not to take offense at the insulttohis home realm. "The Aesir will not accept his return so soon."
"Take him to another fucking planet, then!"
"Can you do that, Thor? It would be for the best," Bruce says, quietly, trying to calm the group. The others know he wishes for the most peaceful resolution possible. On some level they all hope for that. Even assassinstireof bloodshed.
"I cannot," Thor replies with a heavy sigh, "I know of no other realm that will accept him."

"So what do we do?" Steve repeats, voicing the question they all needanswered

~o~

"What?" the tech exclaims, confused, "Do you know what they mean? Sir," he adds quickly.

"I have an idea," Director Fury says slowly, "and I don't like it. Link me into the audio."

The tech turns back to his screen and types a few commands.

Fury's attention is centered totally on the displays. Around him, the flight deck has gone silent at the alien message, apart from the constant buzzing of technology and the muffled roar of the engines. Some of the new recruits stare, frozen, at the Director. Others, mostly those who experienced the last attack on the ship, pull them back to their work.

"The connection has been made, sir," A new window jumps up on Fury's screen: a direct line to the alien leaders. He taps the screen to activate the comm.

"Explain yourself," the Director demands. He is cautious, not wanting to anger the aliens. If they will leave without doing harm to the people or to the planet, that would be worth this tense exchange. Though, Earth's pride must be kept strong in this large universe, and a submissive agreement would not do to help that.

"We have no captive god on this planet," he continues, each word clear, keeping his good eye on the screen while he speaks.

The system crackles and the alien voice again sounds out across the room.

"Do not lie. We seek Loki the Trickster. He is here."

Fury is silent for a few moments. Then:

"Damn. I can't believe..." He switches off the comm and turns to an agent. "Get me Tony Stark."

~o~

"Sir, there is an urgent communication from Director Fury," JARVIS says, breaking into the fight. "He requires your immediate response." The Avengers sit up and look around at each other, wondering what could be so serious. Surely not another alien attack...

"That can't be good," Natasha comments as Tony approves the link to SHIELD. A panel leaps into glowing life as the Director begins speaking.

"I'm sure ol' Fury's just run into something small. Maybe another copycat hero," Tony laughs, disregarding the first words of the message.

"What? That's nothing to joke about!" Steve complains, alert.

"Stark! Rogers! You could at least pay attention!" Fury yells. Steve gives Tony a glare and looks at the computer. "We got a problem, sir?"

"I'm telling you we've got a problem! Those aliens are back, or at least their cronies are." The Avengers all jump up at this. Pulling over a blue pad, Tony starts typing out commands.

"I'm sending you the data now," the Director says.

"Already got it!" Tony calls, the flashing hologram spinning out from his screen. Fury makes a sound of annoyance but doesn't argue the matter. Stark getting into SHIELD files might not be the worst thing possible at the moment. Certainly not an issue to push during this crisis. He'll take up the issue with the tech department later...if there's any tech department left. Whoever these aliens are, he doesn't think they'd leave easily without doing harm.

"They say they want Loki," -a collective shiver goes around the table-"and will destroy nine cities if he is not found. Are you sheltering an enemy of the Earth?" The superheroes are silent a moment, staring in disbelief.

"I told you this would end badly" Natasha growls. Steve speaks up:

"Yes, sir. We are." His time in the military has made him honest to superiors.

"What are we running here, a supervillain babysitting service?" Fury bellows, "Get that bastard in sight of those spacecraft now, before they decide they don't want to wait around! We've got fifty-four million people at risk!"

"We don't have a choice. There's no way to take him anywhere else now," Clint states, looking to see if the rest of the team agrees.

"No! We must not! These creatures would bring horrors upon him." Thor is horrified, yelling, not wanting to believe this turn of events.

"It's the only way, big boy," Tony says casually, waving his hand in a gesture that hides his own stress. Thor's known him long enough to know that though the man does not show his emotions, he feels them strongly. Bruce and Steve nod in assent

"Fifty million of our people for one intergalactic criminal? You would make that choice?" Clint says, narrowing his eyes in disapproval.

"He is my brother!" Thor protests, slamming the table with a fist. He's losing ground. There's no way he can convince the Avengers to protect their greatest enemy any longer.

"Your world in the balance and you bargain for one man?" Natasha quotes. Loki's words for once ring true, more so now than when he spoke them. It would be suicide to protect the renegade further. Fury, Natasha, and Clint accept this fact easily; for the others, with their inconvenient compassion, it is more difficult.

Thor steps back, defeated, bowing his head in a futile attempt to hide the pain wrought on his features. He can't allow his friends' planet to be attacked, even for Loki's sake. Steve activates the comm.

"We're agreed, sir."

~o~

It is as Loki thought: of course these pitiful humans could never stand against a proper attack. And of course they would not shelter a killer and an enemy when offered the choice between him and their own; nobody would. He himself would have thrown the victim to the invading armies without a thought, or used the prisoner as bait in a wild chase across the Nine Realms. Entertainment, it would have been, in that long era before he fell into the aliens' world and became enmeshed in their plot.

There shall be no chase here. Only the exchange and then the endless torture he had attempted to flee. Delivered to the Chitauri warlords and their horrors by these mercenaries to whom the Avengers so willingly hand him.

So now, standing again on the balcony of Stark Tower, Loki has no other choice. The Avengers stare, watching him and waiting for the aliens to accept the bargain. They are wary, as if they expect him to be ready with a plan, with a trick, some sly game to escape his fate. No such luck.

The god turns back to them, and the fear in his eyes has been replaced by malice. Then, with a look at the pain clear on Thor's face, he smiles in a grin befitting a devil.

"So it seems I have at last struck against you," Loki declares, cold. He glances up a moment, watching as the alien craft descends from the clouds. "It is your weakness, God of Thunder, this sentiment," he spits the word, "and how you allow it to torment you."

A victory, one small victory to take with him into the depths of space. If he is allowed the dignity of thought. The spaceship comes closer; there is no doubt now of its intent. The roar of engines sounds above his head, and a machine like a snake fang on the edge of the ship glows with energy.

Then, with a shimmer like one of his own illusions, the trickster is gone.