A/N: Profuse apologies to everyone for taking so long with this update! I actually forgot I had stopped on a cliffhanger last chapter (thought I'd gotten this bit out, actually). So again, sorry for that. However, it also means that I have several more chapters to go than I previously thought - I figured I had one or two chapters left, turns out it'll probably be more like three or four, not sure yet.

Thank you to everyone who's still keeping up with this fic and reviewing. I know my updates are sporadic, at best, so thanks for sticking around! ^^


The Unopened Door - Chapter 9

His three pursuers stumbled over each other trying to get to him and it gave Loki the time he needed to make it down a corridor and into a room. Whatever this place is, it has lots of rooms and hallways at every turn. It also appeared to be unfinished.

He heard the three pass by the room he was hiding in but didn't dare venture out until he heard their footsteps disappear. Slowly, carefully, he peeked out.

No one.

Not even daring to sigh, Loki left the room and tried a different route from the one he had taken. Although hiding in one spot and waiting it out seemed appealing, he knew staying still would ultimately be disastrous; the three were very determined and this place was unfamiliar to him.

He darted down another corridor and tried several doors, wondering if one might lead to the outside. But was there an outside? So far he hadn't seen any windows, what was this place? Occasionally he would see yellow marks painted on the walls, although they appeared to serve no purpose.

Voices drifted toward him and the god all but jumped into a room to his right, closing the door lightly and leaning against the wall beside it.

"This could take forever," said a female voice, muffled by the door.

A male voice responded but he sounded further away so Loki couldn't understand him. Doors were being opened and closed, although based on the number and placement of the sounds Loki guessed they weren't trying every door. He desperately hoped they would skip over this room.


"This isn't getting us anywhere," sighed a tired-sounding Banner. He ran a hand through his mussed hair as he tapped at a computer console.

Thor was getting restless. He knew that Stark and Barton both were clever, but surely their comrades could figure out where they might have gone? Or perhaps SHIELD? It had been far too long already, Loki could have been... He pushed the thoughts out of his head as he approached the scientist.

"Banner," said Thor.

"Hm?" said Bruce absently as he slowly looked up at Thor, obviously still preoccupied with whatever he was doing to try and find Loki.

"Is there something I can do?" he asked, even knowing there probably wasn't.

The scientist sighed. "I don't know, Thor. Stark disabled JARVIS-" he paused at Thor's confused expression. "Uh, he's an artificial, uh...personality, that Stark created to... Look, never mind, he could have helped us find them...maybe." He squinted at the screen and started tapping at it. "I'm not exactly a computer genius so I'm letting SHIELD handle JARVIS; still, there might be something in Stark's files that might help. I don't know..." he trailed off and looked up at Thor. "Sorry," he finished, smiling sympathetically at the thunder god. "We'll keep trying."

Thor nodded. He was grateful that they were trying so hard to find his brother - even SHIELD, although he suspected it was for different reasons on their part - but he himself felt so useless.

Squaring his shoulders he quickly decided that the only real help they could find would have to come from the one person that was the closest to their enemy, at the moment.

X - X

The Black Widow sat nonchalantly against her chair, as if she wasn't tied to it at all. As Thor walked in he felt like he was interrupting something - could Rogers be making progress with her? Thor had seen how the agent had handled Loki, of all people, thus he doubted the captain would be able to garner the Widow's help - at least without some sort of concession on their part, which, given the only thing she wanted, would be impossible to accede.

Rogers didn't seem to notice Thor entering.

"It's very simple, Steve," said the woman, "I help you find Loki - and the others - and all I ask is a little time alone with him-"

"'Simple'," interrupted the soldier, incredulous. "You do realize that Thor would never allow that-"

"Thor- of course not." She seemed to be purposefully avoiding looking at Thor. "But maybe a certain trickster god would be grateful if I helped rescue him-"

"Rescue? Are you hearing yourself right now? Rescue him from what, the same thing you're trying to do to him? This is insane-" He finally noticed Thor standing by the door. "Oh. Uh..." He walked over to Thor, whispering, "She's not really making any sense." Thor leaned in to listen. "She's also determined to get to him; every attempt at negotiation ends with her saying she just wants..." he trailed off. "Well, you know."

Thor nodded and whispered back, eyeing the agent for a moment. "Can we agree to her request and simply..." he tilted his head, uncomfortable at the thought, "...not follow through with it at the end." He winced at his own words; this was something Loki would come up with - how strangely appropriate, then.

Rogers stared at him.

"What?" asked Thor, frowning. "Can we not do that?"

"Uh, no, it-it's not that, it's just...I'm not sure any of us could successfully lie to her. I hate to speak for you but you don't exactly seem like the type of guy that could pull that off."

The thunderer scratched his beard for a moment. He's right... "No, you are correct, of course. Still..."

He approached the Black Widow, hand gripping his hammer tightly.

"Lady Romanoff," he began, "your terms are acceptable. If you aid us in finding my brother-"

She started laughing, a harsh coughing sound, showing her exasperation. "I wouldn't in a million years believe that."

"And yet you asked."

"I was just assuming you guys weren't stupid. That you knew there was just one thing on my mind and that everything I said would be a lie if it didn't lead toward that goal."

The captain stepped up. "Then why even say anything? Why the song and dance if you knew we'd never agree?"

She shrugged, looking around boredly. "If I can't have him then no one can. I'd rather have you guys get to him than let them have him."

Rogers gave a small annoyed sound, walking away from her. Thor followed, again leaning in, their backs to her. "See what I mean?" whispered Steve. "She doesn't make sense. On the one hand she wants to help us get to him but on the other she doesn't care as long he's not with them- it's making my head spin."

"Perhaps that is her purpose."

"To what, confuse us? But what does it get her? She's almost- it's like she knows that we know and we all know everything so there's no reason to lie to us so she's just..." he gritted his teeth in frustration. "I don't know," he nearly hissed.

Turning around, the two men froze. She was gone.


Loki dashed for what looked to be a stairwell at the end of the corridor. Hill and...whoever it was had left barely seconds earlier and he was afraid they might come back, search the rest of the rooms.

To his dismay the stairs only led up, but still, at least it might put more distance between him and them.

He gripped the railing tightly and gritted his teeth against the pain, determination pushing him. The stairs led up many floors and Loki wondered on which level an exit might be. There was no way to know. The floors weren't numbered.

Reaching the fourth level up he was stopped by a pile of equipment and debris, his path further up closed off. Well of course. It couldn't be that easy, now could it? Still, he was a little further away from them, or so he hoped.

This floor was much the same as the others: equipment, some sort of white dust, a clear flimsy substance that covered some parts, and rooms that were mostly empty. Unfortunately, many of the rooms here also didn't have doors yet.

His eyes darted about, trying to come up with something...a plan, something more than just this running about in half-made rooms and hallways, waiting for someone to jump out and attack him.

The sound of a door opening and closing echoed up the stairwell behind him. Panic gripping him, he ran down the hallway, turning left and right mindlessly, afraid someone was on their way to his location. He quickly hid inside a darkened room - which unfortunately also didn't have a door - just as he heard footsteps following. He tried his best to control his breathing but his chest ached, along with everything else, making it difficult.

Whoever it was they were light-footed; probably Barton, being an archer, or Hill, being a woman. Stark wasn't exactly a lumbering muscle-bound oaf, either, though. And what did it matter, anyway?

"I can hear you breathing..." teased the voice. Hill, then.

There wasn't much point in hiding anymore. Loki stood up slowly from behind a large crate, eyes casting about in case there were more of them. It appeared to be only Hill, however. For now.

"There you are," she said, then stepped toward him.

Loki backed away slowly as she approached, back hitting the wall, but before she reached him he put up a hand, "Wait, wait," he began, heart pounding furiously in his chest.

Her eyes narrowed. "If you think I'll fall for your silver-tongue you have another thing coming." She continued forward but stopped a step away as Loki lifted both hands in surrender.

"Just...wait!" he hissed, trying to keep his composure- or what was left of it, if any.

"I'm not sure why I should-"

"I...just..." he stumbled for words but they came anyway, "I-I'll go with you." She studied him, eyes narrowing further. He swallowed as she, very slowly, walked toward him. The wall against his back wasn't helping anything. "If you protect me from the others," he managed finally, "I'll go with you. I'm sure you can imagine, out of the three of you, which of you would be the least unpleasant..."

She stopped only when her face was nearly touching his; he could feel the heat radiating from her body. "Why should I trust you?" she asked, quietly.

He shook his head lightly. "I told you-"

"And it certainly is the most logical plan for you, but I still don't trust you." She closed the distance, still very slowly, and pushed her body against his.

Loki froze, trying not to squirm away or push her down - even if he couldn't. Her uniform felt both soft and rough against his skin, he wanted to scratch at it, rub the sensation away. "I-If the others find me - us - then this plan will be for nothing." She smelled his neck but did little else; it still unnerved him. "We sh-should leave. The others won't be far behind, I'm certain."

What was this plan, anyway? Did he truly mean to leave this place with her? He didn't need to look very deep to hear a clear, resounding no answer back. Even so, if he could turn at least one of them to his side, if only for the moment, he might be able to escape from them later.

"Then let them come," she whispered to him, then all but bit his neck with a low growl as Loki shrunk back at the sudden aggression. She didn't stop him but she didn't back up any. "If you really want me to have you instead of them, then prove it."

Loki's eyes widened for a split second but he quickly covered it up with a curiously raised eyebrow. "But..." he looked around, worry growing. "W-we don't have time for that - we should leave. Now."

Her self-control seemed to be slipping as she roughly pushed up against him, pinning him against the wall with her hands on his shoulders. She inhaled deeply then wrapped her arms around his neck, hands running through his hair and softly pulling. Loki couldn't help but think how animalistic the entire thing seemed, that perhaps if he didn't move too much she wouldn't strike.

Possible options and ways out ran through his mind; if he did commit to this course of action, how far would he have to go? What if one or both of the others found them, what would they do? And if he decided not to follow her suggestion of proving it, then what could he do? He couldn't get away from her now, wouldn't it be better to at least feign compliance, if only to protect what might be left of his shattered dignity?

There really wasn't a choice, was there...

And as if to prove that point, Loki was suddenly pushed to the ground on his back, so quickly he wondered how he had gotten there. His left elbow hit the floor and he yelped in surprise.

She straddled him but did nothing else but sit, her silhouette all he could see in the dark.

"So?" she said in a low voice. "Are you going to prove it or not?"

Prove it... prove it? He didn't know if he would be able to. He was too nervous and the whole situation was so strange, he could barely even get his mind around what was happening.

She leaned over him, hands flanking his head. "Or should I...help you along?"

And suddenly it was Loki's memories assaulting him, memories of earlier that day - has it been so short a time? - when another had held him down. Was it truly happening again?

The next moment he lost control of his limbs as he desperately tried to throw her off, lost in his own thoughts. No! It can't happen again! He knew it was useless, but he couldn't stop himself. To his dismay, a loud noise of protest escaped him and he wondered if any of the others might hear.

Hill didn't seem taken aback, she quickly grabbed his flailing arms and pinned them down above his head.

Loki hissed, momentarily angry, although a small whimper escaped next. "Please don't do this..." he started. Then rethought his words. "Just...not right now." He tried to control his breathing, not lash out again. "I..." What can I say? What am I to do? "We have to leave. I'll go with you, I swear. Just...I can't...not right now. Please."

So pathetic. There was too much danger here, more than just the mortal holding him down at the moment. He just wanted to get out. Get away, he didn't care where or with whom.

"I'll go with you, I'll go with you," he said again, desperation rough in his voice. "I swear, please, please."

She smiled. Even in the dark he could see it. The long pause, the breaths exchanged between them, made him want to cringe. Then, finally, she said, "I really, really wish I could believe you..." Her smile was gone the next moment, her body tense. "Shit..." she mumbled. Somebody else had entered the room.


Steve Rogers and Thor both ran from floor to floor, trying to find the Black Widow. But, as Thor feared, she was gone. How could she have slipped away so easily? So quickly? He didn't know and he doubted Rogers did either.

The captain ran up to him. "Well," he huffed, hands on hips, "she's gone. I can't believe this." He shook his head and looked apologetically at Thor. "I'm sorry, Thor-"

"Do not apologize," Thor interjected. "You are not at fault-"

"We both are," said the mortal. "We should have been watching her, we knew she's a spy and we still..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "We don't have time for this."

"You are right. We should-"

"Guys!" Bruce Banner suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor, running toward them.

Rogers scratched his head. "We lost her-"

"I know," said the scientist.

"What? How?"

Banner smiled. "JARVIS. He's up and running. SHIELD came through for us."

Both captain and thunderer's eyes lit up. "And how does this...Jarvis help us?" asked Thor, eagerness crawling up his legs.

"He's already told me where Agent Romanoff is - she's close to ground level. She's been making her way down using the elevator shaft. JARVIS?" he asked to the open air.

"Agent Romanoff has disappeared from my sensors," said a voice from the ceiling.

"What?!" hissed Bruce Banner.

Thor frowned. Although he wondered where the voice was coming from, he didn't have the time to ponder on it. "What does it mean? Can he not find Lady Romanoff?"

"I don't know. JARVIS, where was she last seen?"

"I am afraid my sensors have been partially sabotaged. Everything below level two is dark."

Bruce frowned. "Who sabotaged-" Then he grit his teeth and nodded. "Stark..."

"So it would appear. I am afraid I cannot override his protocols without his permission."

"Yeah," said Banner, disappointed. "I know." He turned to them with a resigned air that Thor didn't like. "Sorry, guys, I really...I thought this would help. Looks like we'll have to rely on SHIELD to find her."

Rogers stepped up. "That won't do any good. She slipped out without us even noticing; she's good. We have to be better if we want to find her." He looked at Thor. "She's our only lead to the others right now..."

Banner nodded. "I know. I don't know what to do."

The three men stood in silence for a moment, the quiet and unmoving atmosphere grating on Thor's nerves. They shouldn't just be standing around, he had to find Loki! But what was he to do? The others could be anywhere...

I will find you, brother. I will, I swear it. Just hold on.


A/N: These people got problems. Let's all hold our breaths for me to update the next chapter soon! - or not. Because we could all die.

(On a different note: it turns out that possible Thorki PWP might turn into a straight-up omegaverse fic not related to this story, instead. Still would be Thorki, I think, I'm not sure. Ideas are brewing...)