So, as usual, I express regret over my untimely updates and other such laziness. All I can say is college.

Thank you to all my readers!

With the Bifrost destroyed, there was little reason for Heimdall to remain at his lonely outpost on the shimmering bridge. He stood now upon the tallest tower of the palace, gazing unchangingly over the Nine Realms, steadfast and silent and strong.

His sister still loved to visit him.

"Hello, my brother," Sif said softly as she reached the top of the winding stair that lead to the Gatekeeper's post. "How do you fare?"

"As well as ever," Heimdall replied. His lips lifted into a small smile as Sif came to stand next to him.

"Have you seen anything worth speaking of?"

"Nothing that I have not seen before."

Sif laughed. "When did you start sounding so wise and mysterious? I remember when you were just a little boy and liked to run around with a wooden sword. You almost beat me, a few times, when we sparred."

"I do not think it was 'almost,' sister."

"Oh, really?" Sif raised her eyebrows. "For an all-seeing one, your sight must be poor indeed."

"Perhaps."

"Oh, those were good days…" Sif frowned suddenly. "Have you seen anything of Loki? Has he caused any more trouble?"

Something glinted in the golden eyes. "It was once said that there are some things best seen by oneself."

"Brother?" Sif stared at him, surprised. "Of what do you speak?"

"I speak of nothing to which I have been bound to secrecy."

"Bound to secrecy?"

Heimdall said no more, but his hands tightened on his sword.

"I do not understand. Does this concern Loki?"

"I have not been given leave to answer that question."

"About Loki? Has something happened? Is there a secret the Allfather wishes you to keep?"

"There are many secrets in Asgard, some of which might be considered worthy of investigation."

"Are you telling me to go and see Loki?"

"I am not telling you anything."

Sif nodded, understanding. "I will inform Thor, and we will leave for Midgard on the morrow."

"No," Heimdall said firmly. "If you are to take a journey, it is best to depart now and alone."

"But surely Thor-"

"Heed my words, sister."

"Very well." Sif turned to face the city. "Do you know of any ways for me to travel to Midgard undetected?"

Heimdall laughed softly. "I know of many, most of which were brought to my knowledge through the exploits of Odin's second son. There is one in particular that has been spelled to transport the traveler to the destination in their mind; you will find it behind the green tapestry in the chambers of Thor's brother."

Sif nodded. "I will go at once."

"Thank you."

The operation was underway.

Tony had always known that, one day, he would be grateful for the terabytes of data he had stolen from S.H.I.E.L.D. over the years. Within the masses of information were hundreds upon thousands of little things (well, some of them weren't so little) that would give Fury one hell of a migraine if they were to be leaked to the general public. And, Tony being who he was, dumping a flood of nasty info on the world populace would not exactly be difficult.

Just to liven things up, he called all his favorite reporters - and some that weren't his favorites - and told them all to announce that he would be hosting a press conference the next day. Thursday.

S.H.I.E.L.D. would notice, he was sure.

That was the point.

After hanging up on the last reporter, Tony sat back in his chair, grinning from ear to ear.

"That should do it, Pep."

"You think Fury will call?"

"I know he will."

Obliging as ever, Fury's face appeared on Tony's computer screen moments later, demanding to know what was going on.

"Oh, it's just a little press conference," Tony said sweetly, giving a cute, sickly little grin. "You know how much I care about public relations, dear."

"Do not call me that. Stark, what the hell are you up to?"

Tony tapped his finger on his chin. "Oh, I think you know."

"Stark." The man's voice had reached danger level. Tony couldn't help but feel a little burst of glee; annoying Fury was very rewarding. "If you so much as breathe a word about Loki-"

"Loki? Loki who?"

Tony could practically see the eyepatch sizzling with anger. The intact eye looked like it was about to explode.

"This not a game, you moron. Informing the general public about Loki's presence could spark mass panic."

"More mass panic than informing the public of exactly how many soldiers you have? Or where all your secret bases are located? How you interrogate your prisoners? How many assassinations you're behind? How many world governments you have in your pocket?"

Tony almost laughed out loud at how Fury's face went almost instantly from dark with rage to completely pale. "You wouldn't dare-"

"Yes I would, actually. As generous and tolerant as I am, I do have limits, and you've more than crossed them. Now, of course, you could avoid all this if you sent Loki back. Alive and unharmed."

"That's not happening."

"Then S.H.I.E.L.D. won't be happening much longer after tomorrow. Did I mention I'm withdrawing all funding? Or withdrew it, as of five minutes ago. Say goodbye to your research budget." Tony grinned.

Fury pounded his fist into his desk. "Dammit, Stark! Get your head screwed on straight! I am not the enemy here!"

"You aren't? Let's see, who in tho situation arrested an unarmed and harmless individual and incarcerated them without probable cause, and is probably creatively interrogating him this very instant? Oh, I don't know, maybe you."

"Loki is not harmless, Stark."

"How would you know?"

"He attacked earth, you imbecile! Or are you so drunk you don't remember?"

"He attacked six years ago as the puppet of an alien lord who probably tortured him into submission. He showed up down here shortly afterward as an outcast with no powers, nowhere to go, and an unfortunate case of the blues that pretty much guaranteed he'd be starving and homeless. 'Harmless' seems pretty accurate right about now. Oh, and tell your agents not to bother busting into my tower. I have chloroform at the ready."

Fury was so livid with anger that he almost couldn't speak. "Harmless- my agents- what the hell, Stark? Who the hell uses chloroform? You think that's a threat?

Tony raised his eyebrows in mock offense. "When it's my personally engineered chloroform, it's a threat. Those gas masks won't do them much good, seeing as I designed them."

There was no immediate response. Tony could almost see the smoke rising from Fury's head; it was pretty funny to watch. He couldn't decide if the man look furious (pun intended), resigned, exasperated, frustrated, confused, or mix of them all.

"Stark," Fury began, voice low and threatening. "If you go through with that press conference, I will personally ensure that you and and your company never see the light of day-"

"Well that'll be easy when you're busy battling the armies of at least ten different countries who are a bit irritated with all the nasty secrets you've been keeping," Tony interrupted. "And they'll know exactly where all your weak points are, don't forget. Do you really want to do this, Fury? I've got everything you never wanted anyone to know stored here in the tower, freshly hacked from your systems. And no, don't even bother trying to erase it. I've played this game before. If you want your sneaky little organization to stay afloat, release Loki. You have until - when did I set that press conference for? Nine tomorrow morning."

There were a few moments of a burning one-eyed glare before Fury's face disappeared, leaving Tony's screen blank once more.

Tony and Pepper burst out laughing.

"This- isn't even- funny," Pepper managed, tears in her eyes. "You just threatened- Nick Fury- we're all dead—"

"No, sweetie, we're not," Tony said, grinning. "He knows I can put him in the crapper in thirty seconds if I want to. All it would take is a phone call and a few file transfers. I could have half the world on his tail before he could say 'pirate.'"

"You naughty boy." Pepper leaned down to kiss Tony, squeezing his shoulder.

"Naughty? Does that mean you have to spank me?" Tony wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh, hush."

Tony stood, stretching. "Is the tower secure, Jarvis?"

"Perfectly. I am maintaining surveillance on the surrounding S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as we speak. To my knowledge, they are still unaware."

"Good. Let's keep it that way." Tony threw an arm around Pepper's shoulders. "So, looks like we're dining in tonight. How does filet mignon sound?"

Perhaps it was luck that Steve happened to be on that particular road at that particular moment. Maybe it was just chance that his motorcycle was only feet away from where the woman streaked down to the earth with a crash that shook the ground like an earthquake.

It might have been a coincidence.

Steve Rogers, however, did not believe in those.

As soon as he felt the boom of the impact, he veered off of the highway, instinctively grabbing his shield and sprinting to where the lone female figure stood, brandishing a shield and a long sword.

"Ma'am!" Steve called, slowing down as he neared her. Even though she looked Asgardian, he couldn't be sure she was a friendly.

"The Captain of America," the woman said in a low, strong voice, lowering her weapons a little as Steve stopped several feet away. Her dark eyes flashed with challenge. "Thor has told me of you."

"Yeah, he- we fought together. Did he send you? Are you here because of Loki?"

"Where is he?" Sif demanded suddenly, jaw clenching. "I must see him at once!"

"He's with S.H.I.E.L.D.." Steve frowned. "Why? What happened?"

Sif's forehead creased. "I was told that something occurred here which required my presence."

Did she mean…? "Were you told about Loki?"

"What has he done? If he has harmed your people, I will apprehend him at once," Sif exclaimed, stepping forward. Steve wondered if all Asgardians were like this.

"Actually, he hasn't done anything. We didn't even know he was here until a few weeks ago. Well, Mr. Stark knew about him first, but he didn't tell anyone. I received orders from S.H.I.E.L.D. to arrest Loki earlier today; I was informed that he was a threat. He was arrested a little while ago."

"Arrested? What for?"

"I- nothing, actually. Stark - Iron Man - was taking care of him, and then he told Dr. Banner and I that Loki was here. I called in Fury because I thought there was a threat. I'm not so sure now."

Sif frowned. "You did not know of Loki's presence?"

"No. Should I have?"

"As far as I am aware, it was not intended to be a secret." Sif glanced around. "Has Loki not attempted to integrate himself into your society?"

Now it was Steve's turn to be confused. "In his Jotun form?"

"His Jotun form?"

It was becoming apparent that neither of them really knew what was happening.

"Why don't you tell me what you know," said Steve, lowering his shield, "and then I'll do the same. I think there's been a severe miscommunication here."

"Very well. To my knowledge, Loki was exiled to your realm shortly after arriving in Asgard. We have heard no reports of him since, which we have taken to mean that he has caused no trouble - at least, until now. However, you said that he is in his Jotun form?" Sif's eyebrows furrowed. "We were not aware of this. Are you sure?"

Steve laughed shortly. "I think the blue skin gives it away. You're saying you didn't know about this? What about Thor?"

"He did not know," Sif said assuredly. "He believed that Loki would use his time here to learn from his mistakes and understand your society."

"That's kind of hard to do when you're homeless and starving."

"Homeless?"

Steve raised his eyebrows. "I don't know if you've noticed, but as many colors as we humans are, blue isn't one of them. I think Loki knew perfectly well what would happen if anyone saw him in his… state."

"Loki has been alone, then? Since he arrived? He has been living as a vagrant?"

"I think so. At least, that's what Tony's saying. And, from what I've seen of Loki, I believe him. The guy isn't exactly at the pinnacle of health."

Sif looked almost uncomfortable. "Had Thor known, he would have intervened, I am sure. Where is Loki now?"

"He's still with S.H.I.E.L.D.."

"Why are you not there as well? You said you were the one to apprehend him."

Steve grimaced. "I think I made a bad call there. Director Fury and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye, and… He's not treating Loki humanely."

"Loki is being tortured?"

"They call it testing," Steve said uneasily. "Basically poisoning Loki just to see if it works. I was going to go to Stark and see if he could put a stop to it."

"Will you take me to your organization? I would have words with this Director Fury." Sif gripped her sword tighter. "I hold no love for Loki, but I will not see him harmed for a crime he did not commit. He is of Asgard, and was once my prince."

"All right," Steve said, nodding. He glanced at his motorcycle. "Ever ridden one of these?"

He could take it.

He could take it.

(Perhaps, if he repeated the thought enough, it would be true.)

He hadn't protested too much when they stripped away his clothing and strapped him down to the cool metal table. After all, there was nothing shameful about nakedness, at least not in front of these mortals.

(These mortals who were holding needles and strange devices that made Loki squirm with anxiety.)

He had nothing to fear. It was silly to be afraid of the humans. What harm could they do him? He was powerless, yes, but he could not be killed as easily as one of their fragile, sniveling kind. There was nothing to fear.

Loki was such a skilled liar, he thought, that he could almost fool himself.

Once, he would only have laughed at such a situation, before whispering a word that dissolved his restraints and asphyxiated the mortals who dared to prod at him with their little metal instruments. Once, it would have taken less than a breath to sweep them away and wreak havoc upon their little laboratory.

Now, however, weak and devoid of the smallest bit of magic, Loki was almost painfully aware of just how much he was at the mortals' mercy. With the gag, he had lost the one weapon he had left - not that it had been doing him much good, as the humans who swarmed around him were almost robotic, curiously devoid of empathy. It seemed to matter not to them whether Loki was a willing participant in their procedure, or whether he was in any degree of pain.

Loki did not want to acknowledge how truly frightened he was.

Tony could do nothing, of course. He could make threats, perhaps, but S.H.I.E.L.D. was very powerful, and there was no reason that Tony would risk so much just to save Loki from what was, if Loki was honest, something he deserved. It was enough, Loki thought, to know that Tony was unhappy with the turn of events, and that Tony would have continued in their friendship (did Loki dare call it that?). Really, it was more than Loki could have ever hoped for. It would make all of this easier, when S.H.I.E.L.D. killed Loki or subjected him to their tortures; Loki could bear it if he knew that there was someone who mourned him. Tony would move on, of course, as he was clearly not one to wallow in sadness - not that Loki could really mean that much to him anyway. Tony and Pepper both would be sad, and grieved, and perhaps they would miss Loki's company; this knowledge was enough to soothe a little of Loki's anxiety as he watched the white-coated men prod at his unclothed body.

He would not have to live out the rest of his days believing he was completely alone and unwanted.

He wondered, briefly, what his fate was to be. It would be better if S.H.I.E.L.D. decided him undeserving of life, and had him put down; as the most likely alternative was to become a laboratory subject for the rest of his years, Loki knew that death was far preferable.

But he could take it - whatever they decided to inflict upon him, he could take it.

At least, he hoped.

There were suddenly gloved hands grasping his jaw, holding his head inexorably in place. Something sharp and hard pressed against his neck; Loki recognized it as a syringe, similar to the ones used before, except-

This one was huge.

"Project X released in three, two, one…"

Loki screamed.

There was fire - blazing, burning, consuming fire - and he thrashed and cried out, the control of his body lost to the furious torment unleashed in his veins that burned white-hot trails through his mind and made his every nerve shriek with agony. It was too much, too much, he was going to die, it was overwhelming and he wanted to die - why was his body on fire-

There were more hands, gripping his arms and legs and stomach and holding him down, and then suddenly Loki was not upon a table but pinned to the snowy ground on a cold night, screaming in pain as he was used and violated - he couldn't move-

"You're beautiful, you know that?" the man whispered in his ear as Loki wailed, fisting his hands into the frozen grass. "So beautiful. Think'm falling in love with you."

Loki screamed again.