Summary: In the first Avengers movie, Loki implied that he could wield the Tesseract. I say we give him the opportunity. An Infinity War AU for those who wanted to see Loki play a larger role. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am in no competition with Marvel or Disney for ownership. If I owned these characters, I clearly would have done things differently.

Author's Note: So I'm sure plenty of others have ideas similar to the one presented in this chapter, but it works well within the story, so I'm going to roll with it anyway. Ugh, I truly dislike writing strategy/battle/action content, yet it must be done if I'm ever to reach all that happens afterward. Thanks for reading!

Space and Time

Chapter 7

Doctor Strange's portal returned the two sorcerers to Wakanda, inside the massive energy shield. Although constructed by mortals, the technology of this country was impressively advanced and could only help the Avengers in their cause.

Natasha Romanoff was first to greet them.

"How is it going with Stark and Rogers?" Strange asked when he saw her.

"Like trying to mix oil and water. Still, they are communicating – with Stark using the rest of us like carrier pigeons to deliver his messages. At least they're admittedly on the same side." She squinted, taking a closer look at Loki. "What happened to your eyes? They're darker all of a sudden."

Ah, damn. If she could discern the difference, then certain others were bound to as well.

"It's nothing you need worry yourself over," he dismissed flippantly. "Rest assured, I did this for your own good."

"I hope you don't seriously expect me to believe that. You looking for someone?" she added, no doubt observing the way Loki's eyes scanned the people coming and going behind her.

In truth, he was watching for Thor; but rather than admit as much, he improvised, "I was just wondering if Agent Barton might have shown up here since our departure. It's almost distressing not to find him at your side."

Natasha's mouth set in a hard line that warned him not to wade any deeper into those waters. "Clint's with his family," she declared with finality. "They're his foremost priority right now."

"As well they should be. Tell me, did he and Laura ever have the third child they had been wanting?"

That threw her off, as expected, although her face betrayed it only for an instant. Then she smiled. "Yes, actually, they did. They named him Nathaniel after me."

Loki's own grin broadened. This woman was one of the best verbal sparring partners he'd encountered in a long, long time. "How quaint! Did no one suggest that I should be child's namesake?"

Her pretty eyes narrowed dangerously, yet she never had a chance to retaliate because –

"There you are, Brother!"

Thor.

Loki steeled himself for the inevitable and glanced to ensure Strange was still close at hand. He would need the man's support here, much as he hated to admit it.

"How fared your efforts with the Reality Stone?" Thor approached them wearing a jovial smile; it disappeared the moment he saw Loki's face, and his blue eye widened in horror. "Loki, what did you do?" he demanded, although it was clear he already knew.

Loki held up his hands to placate. "Thor, Brother, please listen. I know it's a lot to ask, but you must trust me on this. It was the only way we could make use of the Stone, and you know we're going to need it."

"But you know what it means, letting that thing inside you! How could you do this without consulting me first?"

He had to harden his heart against the fresh shock and betrayal in Thor's voice. "Because you would have fought against it, and we don't have time for that now."

"We won't be able to remove it; not even Father could have done that. The Aether will kill you, Brother!"

Now Strange chose to intervene. "Not necessarily, Thor. When this is all over, I'll use the Time Stone to reverse the Reality Stone out of Loki's body and back into its containment vessel."

Thor's angry glower softened somewhat. "You are sure about this?"

"Absolutely. I looked into the future myself and saw that it could be done."

The mortal stated that half-truth with such conviction it made Loki's heart proud! It also seemed to appease his brother.

"You could have told me as much from the beginning," Thor chastised his sibling in relief, completely oblivious to the uneasy look the other two shared behind his back.

Within that same hour, T'Challa assembled all of them to take counsel before Thanos' imminent attack. The king had already made preparations with Wakanda's armies and her allies, but now it was time to address the biggest question of all: how did they stop the Mad Titan with three Infinity Stones in his possession?

Stark and Rogers were both miraculously present, albeit seated on opposite ends of the long conference table. They never made eye contact, not that Loki could see; yet every so often, one of them would steal a glance at the other with traces of regret or longing heavy in their eyes. Loki knew that look well; he had worn it himself more than once while gazing at Thor. If the two of them could find reconciliation (more or less), then surely there was hope for Iron Man and Captain America. They just needed to remember how they complimented and completed one another in a way no one else could.

In regards to strategy, the Guardians were quick to suggest using Mantis' empathic powers to sedate or immobilize their enemy; but if Thanos now wielded the combined might of the Soul and Mind Stones, it gave reason to doubt if her abilities would be sufficient for the task. It was difficult to say, of course; however, if they guessed wrong, it would quickly get her killed and leave them with no backup plan.

Banner spoke next, the first time he had done so since their congregating. "I've been thinking," he began slowly. "When we fought those two Children of Thanos in New York, Wong sent one of them through a portal, and when he closed it, it cut off the guy's arm. Is there any reason we couldn't do the same thing to Thanos?"

"I think you're on to something there, Big Green!" Tony interjected excitedly. "If we can separate Thanos from the Stones, killing him suddenly becomes a whole lot easier. I mean, wouldn't that work?"

He then turned to Strange, who frowned pensively.

"I don't see why not; but if we're going to amputate, we'll need to be surgically precise from start to finish."

"Quite so," Thor rumbled in agreement. "That Gauntlet was made by the finest craftsmen in the universe, and it will be well-nigh indestructible, even against one of the wizard's portals. Thanos' arm must be severed above the Gauntlet. Once that's done, I will strike him down with the Storm-breaker axe and avenge my people whom he slaughtered."

A ripple of awe and appreciation passed through the room at his brother's bold words, and Loki couldn't ignore a twinge of pride. The God of Thunder had grown exponentially in leadership and character since his banishment to Midgard long ago.

Strange continued, quickly recapturing everyone's attention. "The timing will be the most difficult aspect, and we'll only get one shot at it, once Thanos figures out what we're trying to do. He'll need to be stationary and distracted, with his arm outstretched for at least a couple of seconds to give me the opportunity."

"I think I could arrange that, if I can get close enough," Loki volunteered suddenly. "Even now, I know I'm not powerful enough to destroy Thanos directly – but he may believe me foolish enough to try. Our…history together, plus two Infinity Stones makes me irresistible bait; I imagine he would happily stretch out his arm if it meant a chance to strangle me. All must be done in the name of distraction, to give Thor and Stephen their chance."

Thor's expression said he clearly wasn't happy with that idea; then again, he was less than pleased with much of his brother's recent activity.

"And what if Thanos just kills you as soon as he gets his hands on you? Remember, we're talking about the same guy who beat the crap out of the Hulk." Bruce sounded genuinely concerned – a touching sentiment, even if his anxiety no doubt focused on their plan as a whole rather than on Loki's wellbeing.

He acknowledged, "That is an undeniable risk; however, I can ask for no better defense mechanism than the one currently dwelling inside me. I believe the Reality Stone will keep me, its host, alive long enough to provide us with the opportune moment."

"Then Thor can deliver the killing blow, but only after Thanos has been separated from the Gauntlet," Strange concluded. "You will need to hold back until that exact moment, Thor, otherwise all your power won't be enough."

"I understand, and I will not fail."

"And the rest of us?" Rogers questioned. "What should we do?"

Surprisingly, Nebula had the answer. "Thanos won't come here alone. He'll have the rest of my siblings with him, as well as a large army."

"The Chitauri again?"

"Possibly. If not them, something even worse. Believe me, there will be plenty to keep you occupied."

"My army will be ready to meet his," T'Challa stated firmly. "No matter what he sends against us, the Wakandan spirit will not break."

The meeting concluded with finishing touches to their plan, and then the Captain encouraged everyone to get as much sleep as possible. For night had fallen, and the universal, unspoken premonition was that Thanos would arrive at dawn.

Instead of resting, however, Loki stole away into the jungle by himself. He had made sure Thor was snoring contentedly first, but he needed this time alone to better acquaint himself with the Reality Stone. His senses seemed sharper now, highly attuned to every buzz and rustle in the darkness.

When he came to a suitable spot, he began his experiments, attempting to change the state, shape, and even composition of whatever was in reach. The power at his command now was immense, thrilling! Was this how Thor felt all the time, with his lightning? Like a colossal maelstrom barely contained behind walls of flesh?

His venture soon proved a frustrating experience, unfortunately, with far more failure than success. Of course, the Aether was more inclined to blast things into oblivion and simply erase their reality (as its last host had intended), and Mother Nature paid the price for Loki's repeated failures.

Still, hours later he had managed a few successes – warping and then straightening tree limbs, or crumbling a couple of boulders into gravel before building them back up again. The Jotun focused his efforts on a nearby python as well, although he did return the creature to its normal state at the end; he liked snakes too much to leave it as a tree root permanently.

He also thought it wise to practice a bit with the Tesseract again, just to make sure he could still use it with the Aether inside him. Though he found he couldn't operate both Stones simultaneously, the Cube still responded when he gave it his undivided attention. Loki opened a portal, not caring to where exactly, and temptation at once whispered in his ear like a seductive mistress.

How easy it would be, to simply step through and disappear. To take the two Stones at his disposal and flee as far and as fast as possible. He could run and hide for a very long time, with the Tesseract.

Indeed, he was tempted in light of what was to come…yet he could not he bring himself to actually go. How could he desert Thor now? Not to mention he would lose any chance of being saved from the Aether if he left. Truly, no choice remained but to see this through.

Strange stood waiting for him when he came back inside the city's shield – as though he knew what Loki had been doing and didn't expect the Trickster to return.

"How did it go out there?"

Loki shrugged casually. "The Reality Stone and I don't exactly see eye to eye, yet we did make some progress together. I can also still use the Tesseract if need be, although not both at the same time."

"So all three of you are ready, then?"

"As ready as we'll ever be."