You know you love me! You know you want to forget my dastardly deed in which I left you guys hanging after an epic battle!
JapanRules555: Wow, you…notice a lot of details there. If I'm correct, though, I think that Anakin meets General Grievous several times in the Clone Wars series, which yes, I have watched. Most of it, anyway. I'm still catching up. And no, I'm going to have a Marvel Movie Night with my roommate, so I haven't watched Iron Man 2 yet.
Irish-Brigid: I know right! I think the invasions might be a bit of a push factor for New-Yorkers…
Guest: You shall wait no longer! Here it is!
Pergjithshme: Why? Because some things are, some things are not, and some things should never be. XD Sorry, inside joke amongst my sibs and me. Anywho, because I am the nice person that I am, I updated as soon as I possibly could, considering the state I left our heroes in in the last chapter.
Raychaelle Dionzeros: Glad you like it!
Guest2: Yeah, I gotcha. I've heard that a lot from my teachers. I guess I'm usually a little shaky at the beginning and kind of get into the flow of things as I continue on.
Tiger of the Storm: I alternate between my laptop and iPod usually. Haha yeah, Grievous. One of those things you love to hate. Don't shoot! Here's the update! *throws hands up*
AaylaKit: I was waiting for your review. :) I LOVE that deleted scene, but I hate that people had to ruin it by shipping Loki and Thor. Don't worry, you'll see Loki's fate soon, and…No, I won't ruin it for you. You'll have to read for yourself. And YES I'm so happy that the Guest thing is gone! I guess too many people complained about it and Fanfiction finally decided that it was a silly idea. Tell Ayy to review Invasion! Each review compels me to update faster, as I said before.
Loki opened his eyes, but he could hardly see. Everything hurt. He ached all over and hadn't the slightest clue where he was or how he got there. It took a moment for memory to return to his mind. There was a battle. The Avengers were involved. Someone had taken him against his will, and…he had resorted to calling Thor brother.
The battle! Loki tried to jump to his feet, but something held him down. Stop and think, he told himself. Before springing into anything, he had to get an idea of the situation at hand. Jumping without thinking was a very Thor-like trait. Shifting around a bit, Loki managed to get into a sitting position. He soon realized that his hands were cuffed behind his back. Am I alone? He looked around, his gaze taking in a small cell that seemed to be made of an energy shield of sorts. Judging by the power he felt coming off of it, he would probably fry if he touched it. It was probably wisest to stay where he was for the time being. He bowed his head and stared at the ground, unsure of what else to do.
"Brother?" Thor's familiar voice asked faintly.
Loki's head whipped up and his gaze scanned the area. The hope that filled his chest was replaced by dread. What was Thor doing here? He should be far away, defending the city or protecting himself at the very least. In fact, he should have used the Tesseract to return to Asgard so that it would be safe from the grasp of the Chitauri. Why didn't he think of that? "Thor." His throat was sore and he could hardly get the words out. "You were foolish to let yourself get caught. You should have taken the Tesseract home."
"I know, but…" Loki could hear Thor sigh. He finally found the god of thunder, slumped inside another force field similar to his own. His blond hair was matted with blood and dirt and his whole figure radiated exhaustion and defeat. "I didn't want to leave my brother behind," he admitted.
"You were always too soft since your first return from Midgard," Loki scowled, despite his tired state. "You would have been wiser to go back. The whole universe will be doomed once the Chitauri seize the Tesseract."
"They don't have it yet, I don't think," Thor said.
"What happened after I was taken?" Loki prompted. "Do you remember?"
Thor shuddered. "I do, very clearly," he replied. "To put it simply, the armies were too much for us. Stark was blasted to the ground. We were surprised that he did not die from the ordeal."
"I'm fine," Tony's voice said, interrupting them.
"Wait—how many were captured?" Loki demanded, focusing on scanning the room. His bleary vision was finally starting to clear up.
"All of us," Steve said wearily.
Loki took in the scene before him. Everyone was there. Banner was dressed in strange clothing that Loki did not recognize as Midgardian. Perhaps Dooku or the Other had clothed him in whatever they could find. Tony was still in his suit, though several parts were missing, as if they had been torn off of him. Barton and Natasha had sustained severe injuries, but they still managed to glare daggers at Loki, as if this whole thing was his fault. Steve was dressed as Captain America, though he did not have the mask over his head. His face was covered in dirt and his hair was extremely messy. Looking at the Avengers, Loki wondered how disheveled he looked by comparison.
"We should never have let him join us," Barton said angrily. Everyone knew who he was referring to. "The Chitauri wanted revenge on him, and they got it. By taking all of us and storming New York."
"They never would have tried it if Dooku wasn't there," Steve pointed out.
"Yes, but they never would have allied with Dooku if it wasn't for Loki!" Natasha argued.
Loki was growing tired of those two. Though their hatred was a trivial matter to him, it was still annoying nevertheless. "Can we please get back to the matter at hand? Where are the Jedi?"
No one seemed to know. "We were all knocked out before we woke up here," Tony said. "They might be in a separate room."
"I wonder where we are," Natasha said, finally taking her focus off of Loki.
"You are on my ship," Dooku said, stepping into the room. "Meet the Other. I'm sure Loki here is very well acquainted with him."
The Other stood by Dooku's side and faced Loki as if he was the only one in the room. "You were warned," he said in a sinister voice.
"Remember what we talked about," Dooku said patiently. "We came to talk rationally, not inflict injuries. There may be a time for vengeance later. Right now, Loki might be of use to us in this state."
"What do you mean?" Loki asked warily.
"You are an Avenger, correct?" Dooku asked when the Other said nothing.
Loki glanced at the assassins. "I would call myself an ally, yes," he responded carefully.
"You also used the Tesseract to travel here, am I right?" the Sith Lord continued.
"I'm sure you are smart enough to answer that yourself," Loki said, his eyes narrowed. "Might I ask where this conversation is going?"
Dooku and the Other exchanged glances. Finally, the Other said, "You were given the task of delivering the Tesseract to the Chitauri in exchange for an army of our warriors. You were warned," he repeated, "that if you failed, you would be tracked down and subjected to severe, unimaginable punishment."
"Tell me something I don't know," Loki said evenly, his gaze unflinchingly fixed upon his two enemies.
"All right," Dooku said. "Here is our proposition. You promised the Tesseract. We are willing to give you the chance to redeem yourself and fulfill the task you were given." He paused to allow this to sink in. "Yes, Loki. We are asking you to take us to the location and hand it to us personally so we do not have to undergo a search ourselves. If you do this, you will be granted amnesty by the Chitauri and you will be free to go."
Loki's eyes widened as he considered this. The fear that had haunted him since the day he had failed could be eliminated right now if he agreed. The cruel punishment would never take place. Loki was smart enough to know that they would get the Tesseract whether he helped them or not. It was only a matter of when they would get it.
Loki's pause was long enough to unnerve the Avengers. "Loki, no!" Thor begged, leaning forward and gazing intently into his brother's contemplating green gaze. Though they were several feet apart, Loki could see that every muscle in the blond god's body was tensed up. "Brother, please. Don't do it."
Loki's gaze hardened. "I'm not your brother," he said. "I never was, nor will I ever be. You must realize that they have won. Whether I offer my help or not will determine my fate, not the fate of the universe." He turned to face the two, who were gazing at him expectantly. "I will help you."
Loki was placed under medical care so that he could heal to a point where he could travel. He knew exactly where the Tesseract was, so this task would be simple.
It was difficult to get the image of his brother—no, Thor—out of his mind. His electric blue eyes were filled with pain and betrayal. The other Avengers weren't pretty to look at either. The agents were furious, of course. Their expressions had I told you so! written all over them. Banner seemed ashamed that his deciding vote had ended like this and Stark was downright shocked. Steve just shook his head, extremely upset but too strong to show the extent of his disappointment.
Loki knew he had made the right decision. The Avengers didn't understand what it felt like to fear imminent doom. They just couldn't grasp his logic. He didn't expect them to agree with him, of course. He just wished he had been smart enough to look away when making the decision so that it would be easier to betray the ones that had forgiven him.
He closed his eyes and rested for a little while longer. He could feel himself healing at an accelerated rate and knew that he would be on his way soon. It was not long before he could stand and walk around, ready to take the Other to the Tesseract.
Two distinct voices spoke from outside the door. Curious, Loki focused on hearing what they were saying.
"Remember our agreement," Dooku said. "Once you get the Tesseract, Earth will belong to the Confederacy of Independent Systems."
"Of course," the Other said. "I would never go back on my word."
"Let's see if Loki is ready to lead us, then." Dooku opened the door and walked in, his expression pleasant. "How do you feel?"
"Fine," Loki responded.
"Good. You will find that I am a much more agreeable man when you cooperate with me," Dooku said. "Without further ado, take us to the location, if you would."
"Gladly. Take us to Stark Tower and I will lead you to it."
Once they arrived, Loki led them to a secret area. "It is here," he told them. He opened the door and used his magic to unlock a chest. There, lo and behold, was the Tesseract.
"You were wise to bring us to it," the Other said, "yet foolish."
"No," Loki said. "You are the foolish one." In one swift motion, he grabbed the Tesseract, which was still encased in the same device that he and Thor had used to transport between Asgard and Midgard. He closed his eyes and willed it to do his bidding. He felt the power of the cube encase him and the last things he saw were two very bewildered and angry expressions.
"Loki Laufeyson." The deep voice of Heimdall the Gatekeeper was the first thing Loki heard when he appeared at his destination: Asgard.
"Heimdall," he said breathlessly. "I have the Tesseract. I—"
"I see that," the Gatekeeper said, his eyes flickering from the device in Loki's hand to the god's green gaze.
"You must have seen what happened! The battle—the Avengers—the Chitauri—they want this so they can take over the universe! You must place it under Asgardian protection. I know the All-Father would want—"
"The All-Father is right behind you," Odin's voice said.
Loki turned around. His initial shock quickly melted into pleas. "You must protect this at all costs. And, if you can, send help to Midgard. Their planet has been overtaken. Surely Heimdall has revealed this to you."
"He has kept me updated, yes," Odin said, his expression impossible to read. "For your first request, it is my duty as King to keep this under protection." He promptly took it from Loki. "It must be secured from criminals like yourself. As for your second request, I fear that I cannot do anything at this point in time." When Loki opened his mouth to argue, Odin silenced him with a glare. "We have no means of transporting an army to Midgard. Though I would give my own life to save Thor's, there is no way to get there without using the Tesseract, which must be kept as far away from that realm as possible."
"I…understand," Loki said, bowing his head. "What is to become of the Avengers, then?"
"Why? Do you actually care for them, Loki?" Odin asked skeptically. Before Loki could reply, he said brusquely, "Heimdall will keep an eye on them. We will know their fates as things progress. You will have plenty of time to contemplate this once you are returned to your rightful place."
"Surely you don't mean…?"
"Yes, I do." He turned to two guards that were posted behind him. "Take him away."
They each placed their fists over their hearts. "Right away, my King," one said, grabbing Loki's arm.
Loki turned hurt eyes on his adoptive father. "Don't you have other things to worry about?" he asked, pained. "Surely you don't intend to imprison me again?"
"I never intended for your imprisonment to end," Odin said. "You have already been stripped of your rights as an Asgardian and you are no longer any son of mine, regardless of what Thor says. You did the right thing, bringing the Tesseract to me. However, I do not trust you enough to grant you amnesty. There is nothing you can do or say that will change what you have done in the past. I'm sorry, Loki, but the decision has been made for the good of my realm."
Loki opened his mouth to protest, then thought better of it. "Very well, then," he said submissively. "I see there is no changing your mind, so I will go without a struggle."
Odin nodded. "Take him back to the cell," he ordered.
"Right away, All-Father," a guard said, dragging Loki along.
As they walked, Loki thought about the Chitauri and what the Other must be thinking. It saddened him to know that the Avengers were probably cursing his name at the moment. He didn't blame them, but he had to make it convincing. He was certain at the time that saying those things to Thor would initiate a reaction that would satisfy Dooku and the Other. He never imagined that it would hurt him to see the god of thunder so anguished.
"So, the prodigal son has returned," a stiff female voice said.
"Hello, Lady Sif," Loki said wearily.
"What have you done with Thor?" she demanded. "Where is he?"
"He's on Midgard."
There was a pause. "Care to contemplate?" Sif asked drily when Loki said nothing more.
Loki found himself spilling everything that happened from the moment Thor took him from his cell to the encounter with Odin and Heimdall minutes earlier. "And that is where Thor is," he finished.
Sif narrowed her eyes. "I don't trust you. I don't believe for one second that you joined with the Avengers. I think you're making it all up to make me feel sorry for you. You deserved to lose your rights and you deserve to be locked up for the rest of your life."
Loki shrugged. "I didn't ask you to believe me or even sympathize. You asked me where Thor was, and I told you. If you do not believe me, then ask Heimdall. When his details match mine exactly, you might want to reconsider what you said."
Sif mulled this over, then nodded. "Very well. I'll take you up on that. If you're lying…"
"Why would I lie at this point? What do I have to gain?"
"You lie for the fun of it, and you know it." She turned to the guards. "What is to become of him?"
They shrugged. "He will resume his punishment," one said, "in silence."
Loki knew what that meant. The muzzle. Wasn't it on Midgard? They'd probably make a new one easily with magic or something. On Asgard, anything is possible.
Sif frowned deeply. "Move along, then." She gave no indication that she intended to see Loki again, though he felt the satisfaction of seeing her head in Heimdall's direction.
When they arrived at the cell, the guards fastened a new muzzle to Loki and tossed him unceremoniously inside. He stood up, silenced once more, and thought sadly of Thor and the rest of the Avengers. He sincerely hoped that the clone army would arrive in time to save them.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned in the chapter or the rest of the fic.
AN: Well, what do you think? I'll bet I worried some of you with Loki's "betrayal." I like this chapter a lot because it focuses on Loki himself. I swear I was caught in my own little world and felt a strange sensation when the chapter was over. Like, I was thrust out it or something. I honestly started this chapter without a clue as to where the story would go, but then…it just came to me! Reviews are appreciated and make me update faster, so take a few moments to give me feedback.