Hello, everyone! I am so sorry that it has been so long since I updated this story. I am also going to apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but it would have been too long if I continued into the next part, so I just stopped it there.

I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen

The Plan Uncovered

Loki paced in his cell, turning his conversation with Diana over and over in his mind. She didn't make any sense. Calling him Iantson was so wrong, yet it felt like it should be right.

He paused in his pacing as he sensed someone standing outside his cell. He hadn't sensed them earlier, which meant that it could only be one person. "There's not many people who can sneak up on me," he said. He turned and saw the red-haired Natasha Romanov standing right where he figured she would be.

"But you figured I'd come," she said it as a statement, not a question.

"After. After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, as a balm. And I would cooperate."

She cut right to the chase, "I want to know what you've done to Agent Barton."

"I'd say I've expanded his mind."

She cocked her head a little and walked forward, crossing her arms as she approached the glass. "And once you've won. Once you're king of the mountain. What happens to his mind?"

"Is this love, Agent Romanov?" Loki asked. He knew better. He knew that the two of them would never get together, but he also knew how to get what he wanted.

"Love is for children, I owe him a debt." She said it with aboslutely no emotion on her face.

"Tell me," he invited. He walked backward until he could sit on the slab of bed against the wall.

She seemed to consider his words, then she turned a bit and sat on the chair on her side of the glass. "Before I worked for SHIELD, well, I made a name for myself. I have a very specific skill set. I didn't care who I used it for... or on. I got on SHIELD's radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me. He made a different call."

Loki nodded, turning the information over in his mind. "And what will you do if I vow to spare him?"

"Not let you out," she replied, a tiny smile on her face.

"No, but I like this!" he quickly countered, grinning himself. "Your world in the balance and you bargain for one man?"

"Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian. Or I was."

"What are you now?"

She stood and crossed her arms again. "It's really not that complicated: I've got red in my ledger; I'd like to wipe it out."

"Can you?" he asked, standing as well and approaching the glass. He had her right where he wanted her. "Can you wipe out that much red? Dreykov's daughter, Sao Paulo, the hospital fire." Her mask had finally slipped. He could see the shock as he named some of the worst things she had done. "Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping. It's gushing red and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child, a prayer. Pathetic! You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code. Something that makes up for the horrors. But they are part of you. And they will never go away." He slammed his fist against the glass, making her jump back. "I won't touch Barton. Not 'till I make him kill you. Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear. Then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work. And when he screams, I'll split his skull!" she turned away from him quickly, her eyes brimming with tears. "This is my bargain, you mewling quim."

She sobbed quietly once, and he grinned in satisfaction. "You're a monster," she almost whispered.

"Oh, no," he replied. "You brought the monster."

Suddenly, her quiet sobbs stopped. She lifted her head, and turned to face him. Her makeup was a little streaked, showing that tears really had fallen, but Loki suddenly had the feeling that she had just been faking. "So, Banner. That's your play."

"What?" She was walking away from him now, her hand to her ear, speaking into her commlink. He didn't pay attention to what she was saying though. He had thought he was playing her, but really, he was the one being played. But that was okay. His plan would still work. He would get out, and they would tear each other apart. His mind turned back to the girl, Diana. Somehow, he had the feeling that she could make things turn against him. He would have to take care of her somehow. He resumed his pacing, thinking of ways to get Diana out of the way.

Okay, I know some Clintasha fans will not be happy with me for the comment of Loki's at the beginning. Before you all start throwing things at me, let me just say something in my defense. I like the Clintasha pairing, however, if you have read my Christmas story from a couple years ago, you know that I like the Stasha pairing more. That's why I tucked that comment in there.

On another note, for those of you who have read that story, and have read the author's notes that I included in there. I had mentioned that this was going to be a trilogy. Well, it might end up a four-story series instead. Ever since I saw Iron Man 3, I loved it so much that I just knew that I needed to use it for a story. So, after this book is over, I will be going through Iron Man 3, and then get to the super cool third book that I have been looking forward to for a while. I hope you all will continue to read and follow me through the rest of these stories.

Okay, I'm done now. Please review!