Hello readers, whom I adore! I must apologize for the wait, but you can be certain I'll be working much faster after this chapter.

To address a question I neglected to answer, I'll leave the version of Peter Parker to reader's choice. Personally I prefer Andrew Garfield, though Toby Maguire had some very good performances.

Anyway, back to the plot! Where's Natasha? I don't know, do you? Let's find out.

The rest of the night was spent searching for any sign of Natasha, but by the time the morning sun broke over the eastern horizon, there was nothing to be found. Fury had all of his men out looking for signs of her presence, but it was as if she had vanished into thin air without a trace. So had the Chitauri for that matter. Needless to say, everyone was concerned. Clint was hit the hardest out of all of them, and after they'd spent hours searching with no results he finally planted himself on the nearest bench with his head in his hands.

As bad as it was that they'd found absolutely nothing by the way of evidence, it was even worse that no one really knew how to comfort Clint. His carefully guarded feelings for his fellow agent were no secret, but seldom did anyone talk about the two of them. They were trained assassins, hardened by years of experience in the field, but that didn't mean neither of them had emotions. They were only human, and they were very much attached to each other no matter how much they tried to make their relationship seem 'purely professional.'

Tony kept his distance while the others did the talking. He wasn't good at consoling anyone, and he was certain that he would just make things worse. How could he tell Clint that everything was going to be okay when that might not be true? Anything could have happened to Tasha. He crossed his arms over his chest and shivered, standing a good ten feet away while the others gathered in a somber cluster of support. He had taken his armor off (and praised his own ingenuity in making the armor mobile in the first place) but was now regretting that decision. It was cold. He had to figure out a way to make his best suit easier to put on in the field. Perhaps he'd revamp the 'suit'-case idea…

"Poor, pitiful creature." Loki murmured from somewhere behind him, yet again startling Tony. How could he keep forgetting the trickster was there?

"Mocking us isn't really helpful. Do you try to make things worse?"

Loki stepped forward to stand next to Tony, his expression nothing less than appalled. "I was being sincere! I do pity him, he cared for Romanoff deeply. I can only wonder how his small mortal feelings can cope with such a loss."

"Natasha's not lost. Not yet. As far as I'm concerned she could have decided to go out for coffee." Loki raised an eyebrow, not looking amused in the slightest. Tony continued. "How would you know anyway?"

"Barton told me everything." he said, as if such a comment was completely trivial.

"What? When was this? Last time I checked, you two weren't on speaking terms." Tony paused and narrowed his eyes. "Is there something you're not telling me? I thought we agreed not to keep secrets."

Loki stared at him for a moment, then looked back at the gathering as if Stark wasn't making a complete imbecile of himself. Ignoring Tony's antics was no easy task. "Barton disclosed a great deal of information while in my service. He enjoyed speaking of Agent Romanoff."

Tony gave a snort of mock-amusement. "So you think you know about the two of them just because you managed to get Birdman to spill a few details?"

"No. I didn't have to do any prompting to get Barton to talk about his personal life. It was rather annoying actually, once he started it was difficult to get him to stop." Loki sighed, making it sound like this was a normal aggravation in his life. For all Tony knew, it could be something the trickster had to deal with every day. Pesky mind-slaves and their chatter... At least Loki didn't have the Chitauri stick-of-doom this time around, so he wouldn't be doing any more forceful recruiting.

Loki looked back at Tony. "Why aren't you with your companions?"

"Uhh, well… I'm not sure that I'm the best person to… give a pep talk. I mean, it's just that… You know, we don't even know what happened and how can I tell Clint we'll find her if I don't know that we will? That's not exactly helpful. We should be searching now anyway, not… I don't know, standing around in a big group therapy session." Tony faltered as he ended his sentence, as if even he didn't believe his own words.

Was this truly mortal nature? No wonder this realm was always in turmoil, even their champions couldn't support each other. Well, some of them couldn't. Turning his gaze to the others again, Loki could see that no one was doing a very good job at raising Barton's spirits. He had every right to be saddened, but the rest of the team could have been doing a whole lot better.

"Who ever said you had to tell him the truth?" Loki asked, walking past Stark before he could object.

Tony knew, of all the people gathered, Loki was the last person Clint wanted to talk to. So what was Loki thinking? He spent a moment wondering if the trickster was actually insane enough to put himself in Clint's emotional (and physical) line of fire, then hurried to catch up before the reindeer got himself killed.

Loki didn't have to do much to gain Clint's attention; the archer raised his eyes as soon as he neared and scowled quite angrily.

"You… this is all your fault! We wouldn't have to deal with this if it wasn't for you!" Clint stood and drew his bow, reaching instinctively for an arrow. But before he could do anything else, Loki held his hands up and bowed his head. Puzzled, Clint paused in his tirade long enough to allow the trickster to speak.

"Agent Barton, I… apologize for what has happened here. Know that I will do all I can to aid you in finding Agent Romanoff."

Tony caught up with Loki just as everyone was staring at him. Thor was smiling like an overgrown child.

"Hang on, what did you just say?" Clint asked, lowering his weapon.

Loki's expression didn't waver from his carefully measured neutrality. He let his hands fall and looked at Clint. "I'm sorry, and I want to help. Is that clear enough?" His last words were somewhat biting, but he seemed to realize this and quickly added, "Sincerely, I do."

Clint looked as if he wasn't sure what to do, but for lack of a better option he nodded. No one else said anything, but this was enough to get Barton on his feet and heading toward the quinjet. "We'd better start looking then."

The rest of the team followed with Fury right on their tails, giving Loki a suspicious glance before disappearing into the jet's interior. Stark gave Loki a particularly curious look.

"What's that all about? Suddenly had a change of heart?" he asked, smirking slightly as he tried not to shiver against a gust of wind.

"Not at all." Loki murmured in response, starting after the others. Tony stepped in his way (which was irritating and rude) and gave him a skeptical gaze.

"Why help us?"

"I'm not doing anything for you. I'm doing this for me." With that, Loki sidestepped the momentarily perplexed engineer and joined the others on the quinjet. "Coming, Stark?"

Tony frowned and hurried to catch up. The trickster was being… tricky. No surprise there, but Tony was determined to get to the bottom of this very sudden generosity.

It was as if someone had flipped a switch. The Avengers, gathered yet again in Tony Stark's living room, were no longer a bickering jumble of misfits. The realization that they might actually be in serious trouble dawned on them as soon as Natasha had gone missing, and now they were working as a team. A perfect team, one that ran like a well-oiled machine. Even Stark was keeping his deprecating humor in check.

So it takes a threat this serious to get them to work together? Loki found this highly interesting, to say the least. He was beginning to understand how they had suddenly managed to unify themselves the last time they met. Could it have been Agent Coulson's death that pushed this team beyond their selfish natures and brought their world from the brink of defeat? He suppressed a scowl as he observed them speaking urgently to each other, drawing up maps and plans to find their missing ally while Fury coordinated a more widespread network of agents within the city. If that was true, if he, Loki, had been the cause of their unification…

That meant he could have won. There was a glimmer of hope for him and his army, but he himself had given the heroes the purpose they needed to rally themselves against insurmountable odds. Loki didn't want it to be true, but the more he thought about it the more he realized just how much of a mistake he'd made. If he hadn't killed Coulson, where would he be now? Probably better off. Certainly not here.

Or perhaps he was being absurdly optimistic. Perhaps the Avengers would have won the battle no matter what, as he had often thought during the little time he had to contemplate his fate after returning to Asgard. Loki had been so sure of himself, so sure of his army… And yet the mortals had ultimately won. He felt as if no matter what he did, something always went wrong. Why? Why had he failed this time? Loki's message wasn't altogether unreasonable, though the mortals seemed highly resistant to his logic. He had studied their history and it was clear that they would follow anyone with power, so why hadn't they followed him? They craved to be led, which, in his mind, was tantamount to subjugation. So what went so horribly wrong?

It was really no use figuring out now. All that mattered was that he had failed, despite his greatest efforts. Defeat was no less than maddening, but having to work with these mortals was worse. Had he truly forgotten that he was defeated at their hands? And now he, Loki, was their ally? Then again, he still had to worry about the Chitauri. The Avengers were a convenient shield as long as their focus wasn't on him. The Other promised retribution, and he still had to answer for this latest failure of his.

"…If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice, where he cannot find you…"

Loki had no choice. He had to work with the mortals. The Avengers. To have no other option, to be backed into a corner like this…

"…You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain."

It made him feel so very angry. An all too familiar fury threatened to blind him if he couldn't muster the will to stay calm, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to be calm anymore. He could feel the rage burn like fire through his veins, and the prickle of magic just waiting to be released at his fingertips. It felt like every time he'd stood in Thor's shadow, every time his not-father had turned a blind eye to Loki in favor of his perfect son, every time he was ignored while others stood in the light…

"Are you still with us, Loki?"

His attention snapped back to the group, his anger not diminished in the slightest. "What?"

They were looking at him as if they were worried. As they should be. Rogers spoke again. "We asked you if you know where the Chitauri might hide. If Natasha's disappearance had anything to do with our alien, we're likely to find them in the same place."

Loki stared. Comprehension had managed to escape him. "Where the Chitauri would hide?"

Banner nodded vigorously, while the rest of them continued looking on in mixed states of solemnity.

"I know not. If you will excuse me, I will be… elsewhere." He turned on his heels and headed for the stairs before any of them could speak. They could make rescue plans on their own, they didn't need him. The more logical side of his mind was telling him it wasn't in his best interest to take his anger out on them anyway. That might end badly, what with Heimdall watching and reporting to Odin… As satisfying as it would be to simply lose control, he wasn't so foolish as to forget the consequences he would face if he did. Loki Laufeyson, the king, did not lose control anyway.

Loki wasn't sure where he was going, but apparently his feet did. They made their own path, and before he knew it he was standing at the door of his own room. Perhaps he would finally have some solitude here. He didn't bother removing his boots before perching on the edge of his bed and staring out the window. The sun was still only rising, but it made the world look far warmer than it was. The golden sky could be considered pleasing, maybe even beautiful, but Loki was too preoccupied to recognize it.

Loki was also unaware of soft footsteps on the carpet behind him until Tony was practically standing in front of him. Stark had dragged a chair around and was presently sitting down, intrusively close.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" Loki asked, feeling more spiteful if possible.

"Yeah. I'm usually supposed to be working, but I almost always have better things to do. Right now I'd rather be asking you questions."

"Now is not the best time. Come back later."

Despite the fact that Loki's request had been nothing short of a command, Stark stayed put. Clearly he wasn't going anywhere.

Loki sighed. "Very well, if you're going to be this stubborn… Why so curious all of a sudden?"

Tony blinked and fidgeted in his seat. "I… wasn't expecting you to ask. Damnit Loki…"

"Oh. Thor put you up to this. Again." Not surprising in the slightest.

Stark rubbed the back of his neck and looked around, clearly uncomfortable. "Uhh… yes. He thought you looked upset. I mean, you kinda did, you were glaring at the coffee table like you wanted to murder it."

"Very observant of you." Loki wasn't at all surprised that Thor was worried. How brotherly of him. Amusingly, the warrior wasn't brave enough to come up here and talk to Loki himself. He was sending Stark in his stead.

"I still want to know why you're all interested in helping Clint now." Tony leaned in, as if looking for Loki's reaction. He'd have to be disappointed, because Loki was determined to keep his emotions from showing.

"Do you not understand? The Chitauri are my enemies now, and having you and your team between them and myself is extremely convenient."

Tony looked taken aback. Loki had even surprised himself; he wasn't usually so honest with someone he could barely trust. Actually, he wasn't usually honest with anyone.

"Right, so… you're using us. Got it." Stark looked away in silence, clearly not intending to ask any more.

After a minute of silence, Loki spoke. "Do you not care? Does this not bother you?"

"I think, if I was in your position and I had absolutely no friends to count on, I'd do the same thing. So no, it doesn't bother me. You said you're willing to help us, so I'll hold you to it. Hell, I'm impressed that you got Clint to stop moping."

"Stark…?"

"Hmm?"

Loki laced his fingers together and looked at the inventor. "Why didn't it work?"

"Why didn't what work?"

"Why could I not defeat you? I had all that I needed, and an army that shouldn't have been stopped. Why didn't it work?"

Tony cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brow. "As a general rule, the bad guy doesn't win."

Loki hissed through his teeth and stood, walking over to the window. "But how was I so wrong? The mortals of Midgard seek leadership, they want to be ruled… They are no better than sheep. Why did they not simply accept their fate?"

He saw Tony grin when he glanced over his shoulder. "For starters, it wasn't the entire human race that beat you. It was just us." He stood and joined Loki in front of the window, yet again far too close. "Everything you say about the human race is true, but you're wrong about the kind of men we like to follow. Sheep will only follow a shepherd."

"I sought only to rule them, what more could they ask for?" Loki paced away a few steps, keeping his back to the inventor.

"A shepherd is only there to protect his flock, not impose his will on it. You weren't the shepherd Loki, you were the wolf. The people needed protecting from you."

Loki turned and looked at him. For a moment, Stark had displayed utter intellect, and he saw a hint of the inventor's true genius. His words were so clear, and Loki couldn't help but wonder how he hadn't realized this himself. Such a wary people, these Midgardians… No wonder they feared him more than they respected him.

"Besides," Tony said, returning to his previous seat, "No one wants to follow a guy wearing horns on his head."

Well, the more interesting side of Tony Stark had been fun while it lasted. It seemed his renown was well earned, but seldom did anyone see his clever side. Stark would rather put his brain to use coming up with snarky remarks than carry out intellectual conversations.

"Thank you, that is… quite enlightening." Loki looked back to the rising sun, which was now a dazzling white glow above the horizon. The light bathed everything it touched, making the city look surreal. This certainly didn't feel like the same world he had tried to conquer. With this newfound understanding of his defeat, he felt as if some of his anger had ebbed.

"Jarvis, tell me when the boys are done chatting downstairs." Tony said to his general surroundings. Peculiarly, the computer didn't offer a response. After waiting an ample amount of time, they both looked around as if they might find some visual clue as to the source of the abnormality. "Jarvis?"

"That's odd. Your electronic friend is usually so prompt." Loki said, turning to Stark as curiosity got the best of him.

"Technically Jarvis is made up of very complicated source codes, but he does run on electricity, so I suppose you're not wrong." He stood and made his way to the door without offering an explanation.

"Where are you going?" Loki inquired, already on his way to follow.

"My workshop. Try to keep up."

Tony had never been embarrassed by the state of his workshop. It was a complete mess, but it wasn't as if that mattered. As long as Pepper didn't touch his things Tony knew exactly where everything was, so it really didn't need to be neat. Still, having Loki here felt… weird. The stately manner in which the so-called prince carried himself made Tony feel as if he should have at least cleared the paper and various writing utensils off the floor before bringing him here. Loki was completely out of place in this mess of a room.

"Welcome to where I live most of the time." he muttered, heading straight for his main computer screen and hoping the trickster wasn't judging him. Tony didn't know why it mattered in the first place. It was completely irrational and stupid to care what Loki thought.

"This isn't what I was expecting." Loki said, making Tony sigh as he began searching through strings of code on his screen.

"What were you expecting, fireworks?"

"Fireworks? I'm not sure what you mean… In any case, I thought perhaps your workspace would be more grandiose. This place of yours is surprisingly less excessive than I expected. If anything it seems practical."

Tony looked at Loki, who was inspecting some of his newer designs. A stab of worry reminded him that this was still supposed to be a dangerous individual and he probably shouldn't have brought him here in the first place, but he brushed his mental warning aside. What would Loki do with his designs anyway? The trickster seemed like he didn't need any Stark tech. "Thanks. I think."

With the trickster looking over his shoulder, Tony continued searching his codes. He didn't like that Jarvis was being glitchy, because honestly Jarvis had never had problems before now. Well, not counting the time Fury had broken in to tell him about the Avengers initiative.

After pages and pages of code he finally stopped looking. There was a sequence of seven numbers where it shouldn't have been. That was odd, yes, but what was even stranger was that the numbers were periodically changing. Tony stared at it for a moment, but he simply couldn't make sense of it. He'd never seen code like this. Ordinarily he would say these numbers weren't even a legitimate form of code, but somehow they had gotten there, and they were probably the source of Jarvis' malfunctions. When he tried to remove the numbers, however, they simply replaced themselves within seconds of being deleted.

"Well that's not normal." Tony crossed his arms and eyed the code up and down. He hated things he didn't understand.

"Where did it come from?" Loki asked, still observing with keen interest.

"Don't know. Let's find out, shall we?"

Tony pulled up the history of the work he'd done on the Jarvis system, but there was nothing there to explain the superfluous code. He checked his recent downloads, but there was nothing there either. Networks? Nothing out of the ordinary. Links? Besides his various uplinks to satellites there was... something else here. Something Tony didn't recognize as his own. Sure enough, something had gotten into his database and found a way to create a link there.

"There you are. Now, where are you coming from?" he said as he began tracing the anomalous link.

"Do you often speak to your screen like this?" Loki inquired.

"Yeah I do… But usually it talks back." He trailed off as he looked at the results of his analysis. This link, whatever it was, was coming from the subterranean level of Stark Tower. Effectively, there was something wrong in the basement. "That's just… different. Hey, you." He turned to Loki. "Want to come check this out with me? It'll be an adventure, you'll have fun."

Loki grinned. "Stark. I live for adventure."

Nothing ever goes wrong in basements. Obviously.

I guess you didn't get to find out what happened to poor Natasha… this time. You can expect developments soon.

~Nightlance