A/N: Hi. i'm sorry for the delay. I've had end-of-year examsso they had to get priority, but they're all over and done with so I can keep going with this fic again. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things easily enough.
Enjoy.

Working Visa

Loki couldn't move his body as the tall creature approached him, with, what could only be called a toothed 'beak', pulled into a sharp grin. The black suit which it had worn in its human form now hung from the reptilian shape, several inches too short in the sleaves but heightening the surrealism that gripped the heart of the fallen god.

He managed to open his mouth, although the drug didn't allow him to feel his lips part, but he managed a strangled choked noise in the back of his throat.

His instincts were telling him to summon Kay. That Kay would know what to do, and know how to protect him.

It was only his second thought that Thor was closer.

Loki realized, briefly, that he should lash out and try to make noise against the sink or something, but when he attempted the action his body refused to respond to him. He was completely helpless, unable to move or speak. He hoped that it at least meant his face couldn't show the fear that was pulling him down.

From the satisfied look on the other alien's face, Loki suspected that fear would be devoured as encouragement.

The creature pulled a remote from its pants' pockets and fiddled for a moment, trying to manipulate it with the too long, inhuman looking fingers.

As an alarm rang through the MiB building, a small bubble of hope rose in the base of Loki's stomach, which solidified when his gaze came back to the creature opposite him. The long grin was back on the odd face.

"Security breach," came a metallic voice, "emergency evacuation sequence activated. Prepare to flush."

Loki felt his eyes widen before the liquid rushed in from the corners of the roof.

The water was artificially blue, tainted by a sedating chemical that was aimed to halt any invaders who weren't trained to know what 'flushing' meant. He tried to suck in some extra air to keep himself going, but whatever the drug had done to disable him meant he could not consciously expand his lungs, leaving him vulnerable to more than just his captor.

Squeezing his eyes shut a moment too late, Loki felt them sting as the liquid overflowed his senses, filling his nose and throat.

A rough hand grasped the back of Loki's neck, not lifting him above the water but simply holding him secure, to ensure they two of them moved through the same tubes to the concealed exits. His head throbbed and his chest seized as it begged for oxygen, and even though his Jotunn physiology could survive without air for significant periods of time it wasn't ideal, and the sedatives were already doing their thing as Loki felt his grip on consciousness start to slip.

Somehow, even underwater, the swimming creature managed to crow a low laugh.

Kay had sprung from his desk as soon as the alarm had started to ring. He was fully aware of how long he had between the alarm sounding and the room flooding with watered down chemicals, and he started counting down the seconds as he dashed across the floor. Although he was getting on in years he could still move, just not fast enough to make it up the stairs and to the Asgardian pair in the twelve seconds that had been supplied.

"Loki!" He called out as loud as he could while sprinting. He reached the bottom of the stairs before a cascade poured down and knocked him back, his arm flinging out to grasp the railings.

He pulled in a breath and held his chest as relaxed as possible, trying not to stress his lungs more than they needed to be. He closed his eyes against the aqua and tried to keep a hold as the water pulsing down tried to force his grip loose.

The senior agent had, at least, the sense of mind to shift himself to the side to avoid a collision with anyone who got swept down the stairs. Agents were trained to get as far away as possible from staircases at the warning alarm, but, as the purpose of the evacuation was to catch intruders off guard, it was more than possible someone could have come flying down from the second floor.

He tried to remember how long the flush went in the main halls, not worrying too much about his own ability to hold his breath but dismayed at the wait to find out if Loki are Thor were okay.

As he gathered patience, a strong arm wrapped around his waist and Kay was pulled back away from the banister and through the water. Whoever had grabbed him moved and dragged the both of them around.

The pressure around his middle made Kay's lungs protest and he tried to push away, but he didn't want to subject his eyes to chemicals and there was only so much progress one can make without seeing ones assailant.

They breached the surface of the water, something which was highly improbable given the chaos of the room, and Kay knew that he would never survive the current if he broke free of his captor.

A deep rumble in the chest behind him stopped his struggle.

"Stay calm, my friend." Thor's voice effortlessly rose above the chaos of water, "My brother has been swept away from my grasp, but be assured that I can pull you to safety and we shall find him together."

With the Avengers having been only recently splashed across the news, everyone was on edge about them being recognized and their secret meeting ending before it started. It was one of the reasons why Tony had been talked out of coming. He was too high-profile.

Anonymity was one of the few things that Bruce could thank The Other Guy for; anyone and everyone could recognize a hulking green anger monster, but no one looks twice, if at all, at the quiet man reading a magazine in the corner. It was a blessing hidden behind the curse.

The Avengers had split up into two groups, just to make sure they didn't look too conspicuous as a large group in a tiny diner. But from the looks of the other patrons they probably needn't have bothered. There was someone a few seats away in a trench-coat, face obscured by a large sunhat, who had managed to eat a raw steak through a straw. It'd been quite impressive, but spurred Bruce's suspicion about the Men-in-Black-Approved meeting place.

He glanced at his watch again: 8:21. And he'd already finished his science journal.

"Maybe something's gone wrong." He muttered, more to himself than anything.

Clint, who was sitting opposite him in the booth, nodded. "Yeah maybe... So, we should start ordering, then."

Bruce blinked and pushed his glasses up his face, which earned him a one-armed shrug.

"Look, there're lots of things that can delay a meeting. They're probably just sweating us, making sure we know they're the boss. It's a fairly standard technique." He looked away for a moment and signalled the waitress. "If we're eating when they come it'll shift the power-play."

Bruce looked over his shoulder to the booths where the others were sitting. It seemed as if Natasha'd had the same idea as Clint, as a waitress stood next to her and Steve's seats as she listed things on a small notepad, occasionally looking up to gesture with her pencil. Bruce looked back down at the table and frowned, wringing his hands slightly.

Although the MiB dealt exclusively with aliens, and so Bruce had little reason to fear them as he did S.H.I.E.L.D, it was a detestable power game and he didn't like that kind of arrogance from an organization. It just seemed unnecessary.

He ordered a salad, while Clint went for a burger and onion rings.

"Are you sure it's a power thing?" Bruce asked, hesitantly. While he'd made his peace with Natasha, he was still unsure about Agent Barton and he didn't want to appear insubordinate since interdepartmental politics really wasn't his field of expertise. "It doesn't really seem like the right time for a display of dominance, not when they're asking for our help."

As he fiddled with the salt shaker, turning it around in his fingers, Clint sighed. "I know. But we've got no way of communicating with them; their business cards are very boring." He shrugged, "And I'm getting hungry."

Bruce tapped his fingers lightly on the table, looking around for any signs of the secret agency and feeling awkward as he no longer had any reading material to busy himself with.

"S-So, can I ask you something?" Bruce started, his voice stuttering slightly with uncertainty.

"Go ahead, Doc."

"Why are you so supportive of this? I mean, you'd know Loki better than all of us, except maybe for Thor, so I don't want to question you, but why back Agent Jay. The Men in Black seem... untrustworthy. And Agent Jay is going behind their back it, just, it's making me nervous."

Clint frowned. "Yeah, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's a bad guy. 'Tash and I have gone behind Fury's back loads of times." He glanced at the table behind Bruce's head and back. "But the 'Mib'," he made the air-quotes, "gave Loki the benefit of the doubt, took him in and gave him a second chance." His eyes slipped back to the other table.

Bruce turned and saw that while Steve was returning from the bathroom, Natasha was still sitting at the booth and watching the street outside with a critical eye.

"Like you did with Agent Romanoff." The scientist finished.

"Yeah," Clint breathed. "S.H.I.E.L.D didn't want me to, but I did. If the Men in Black, as an organization, made the decision to embrace Loki, then that's... Odd... but it says something good thing about them."

He grinned at Bruce and glanced out of the window. The smile almost instantly fell from his face, but was replaced by and almost evilly amused glint in his eyes.

Thor was standing outside the window watching them, head tilted and eyes urgent. Bruce removed his glasses, just to make sure the glass hadn't been tinted when he hadn't been looking. Thor was dripping a bright blue liquid on the ground, which Bruce could only assume was either the colouring put in toilets or Gatorade. The thunder god's hair was also a sickly green, like he had swum in chlorine after getting it bleached.

It'd probably stain green.

Bruce smiled and waved.

He felt someone pull him along the ground by the collar of his shirt, the material ripping.

Still not able to move, Loki simply closed his eyes and tried to force calm through his bones.

No matter how hopeless the situation was Kay and Jay would find him.

They just needed to get a few more things in a row before they could take what they wanted.

So close.

He hissed and stretched; glad to be out of human form.

The problem with being a shifter was that it was easy to lose your identity and you had to focus on a goal to keep your mind while someone else's was swirling within you.

Klyzer was focused on his task. Focused on what he needed to do and he could tell that he partner was too. He got a wave of satisfaction from his partner and a small nudge to move their plan ahead, which he returned with an affirmative.

The failed Asgardian was on the way to the meeting point and the MiB-Rutelalian access code rang through his head.

Delivering the liar god to Thanos would give the Chitauri freedom from his vice-like grip. They didn't care what the death worshipper wanted with the failed Asgardian, they felt nothing for him, but Thanos would not appreciate them exacting revenge for their fallen brothers without some form of compensation to him.

Loki was only a distraction; a payment and means to an end.

Kkyzer, crouched on the couch's end-table, watched the inner doorknob turn as his... as DanielHill's wife returned home.

His face pulled up in excitement.