A/N: Sorry for any continuing confusion you might have even after this chapter. :P This chapter was so hard to write for some reason. Ugh.

Thank you all for continuing to read and review my story! You guys really keep me going. ^u^

Hollow Skies - Chapter 20

He didn't need this - Tony really didn't need this right now. And why the hell was it so dark suddenly? The air was stale, cold, like a cave that hadn't seen the light of day in over a millenium.

Well. At least he'd found his breath, even if the air wasn't really worth breathing.

A sudden spike of panic shot straight to his stomach when he heard something shuffling about in the dark, and then...was that a whimper?

"What the hell," Tony said out loud, somehow not caring about quieting his voice. He suddenly couldn't care about that, about anything, because I'm fucking tired of all this shit that keeps happening... Why was it always him that it kept happening to?

His words apparently stirred whatever was in there with him because the shuffling continued, followed by more whimpers - sounding more desperate, this time.

"Who's there?" he asked again.

"No, no, no, no..." someone whispered with frantic voice.

Tony tried to squint in the dark. Stupid. There wasn't a single light in here except...there was a light, on the ceiling. A small one, red and too dim to illuminate anything in the seemingly tiny room.

While his instincts told him to be scared, he simply couldn't conjure that emotion when whoever else was in there seemed far more frightened of him. Or maybe there was something else to be afraid of in here?

"Who are you?" tried Tony again. "And I really don't want to repeat myself-"

"Please, I'm sorry. I don't- I didn't-" The man - it was obviously a man - trailed off in a hoarse whisper. But the voice was familiar. Could it be..? Of course it couldn't. Can't be...

"Um. Are you Loki?" Tony asked lamely. Another whimper followed, along with some more shuffling, which was now joined by the sound of clanking chains.

Tony wondered if he should try finding Loki - if it was Loki - by feeling around the room, but... No, that would be a bad idea. He still remembered the last time he had tried to touch the god. Bad idea. Really bad idea. Still, what the hell was going on? He needed answers, at least.

"So, uh..." the billionaire began, "Are you okay?" Lame, lame, but his mind felt sluggish, like he'd just woken up and hadn't yet had his coffee. Coffee was essential in functioning properly, after all.

He next said the first thing that popped into his head; because weren't those the most important things? - "Where's Thor?" Tony asked. An outburst of frantic movement followed, of Loki scrambling across the floor - so probably not. "Hey, hey! Calm down," Tony tried in a soothing tone, but Loki continued to shuffle along the floor as he made noises of distress. Tony sighed. This again, he thought, and after all the progress we made. Well, not that much progress, but hadn't Loki been attempting to defend him when big brother was trying to rip off Tony's head?

Then, with trembling, desperate voice, Loki begged, "P-please...please let me out. I didn't mean to- I don't know what happened. I...I don't understand what- please don't leave me in here again. I-I was confused, I had...I had a dream, but it wasn't..." Loki's breath hitched as he whimpered softly, "...but it wasn't real, wasn't true. He wasn't..." He trailed off again, and for a long moment, nothing was said. Then, in barely a whisper, he added, "None of it was real."

For some reason, Tony thought his heart my beat straight out of his ribcage. He didn't really understand what Loki was saying, except that, for whatever reason, Tony suddenly wanted to cry his eyes out. Loki sounded so resigned, like he'd died and there was nothing else left to do.

Well fuck that.

"You think I'm him," Tony stated with a flat voice. "You think I'm him, the other me. Right?" He took a step closer to where he thought Loki was, he didn't know why it mattered. "Well, you're wrong. I'm not him and I'll be damned if you mistake me for him again. So shut up about all this not real crap; we're real - I'm real, so stop moping and tell me what the hell is going on!" He heard Loki's breath hitch, followed by a faint whimper. He felt bad for yelling almost instantly, but he really did want - no, need answers right now.

Again, there was a prolonged silence. Only Tony's harsh breathing filled the darkness and suddenly an irrational thought that they might run out of air crossed his mind. He stamped it out as quickly as possible. Stay focused, it's just dark in here. Nothing else. There's nothing else. Just me and the mischief god, hangin' out. No problem. We're fine.

Too bad he didn't believe it.

Then finally, Loki spoke up. "You..." he began, voice a little louder, "you're different again."

"Yeah, baby brother, I'm different again. I'm me not that asshole sick fuck that apparently keeps messing with you. Now, where the hell are we?"

A short pause past before Loki answered, his voice slightly steadier. "In...in your basement. In my cell."

The hell? "Uh, what?"

"You...he put me in here. I-I don't understand; how are you here? C-can you let me- us out?" It was small, barely above notice, but the hope in Loki's voice made Tony somehow feel worse.

"No. I don't think... I don't even understand what the hell is going on. I was with the Avengers-"

"Th-The Avengers?"

"Yeah. We were looking for you - for you and your brother."

The sudden sound of metal grating on metal reverberated through the walls, and Tony couldn't help but back himself into a nearby corner when a bright light filtered through a slowly opening door. Tony's heart nearly stopped altogether when he saw who it was.

X - X

"What. the. fuck?"

A bright light blinked on overhead and Tony had to shield his eyes, although he absolutely refused to take his eyes off the man standing in the open doorway.

It was him. Him. Himself. Tony-fucking-Stark. Genius, billionaire, playboy, fucking evil psychopath - because who else would it be but the one who'd scared Loki so much? Yeah. That was him. And...he looked at Tony, suddenly, and Tony felt the blood drain from his head. It was Tony Stark - but it wasn't. How was this even possible?

Loki tried to scramble away, the chain of his leash clanging about, but he was already so far into his own corner, it was pointless. He just kept whispering the word 'No', over and over and over and suddenly Tony couldn't take it anymore. He glared at the other Stark. I'm gonna gut this motherfucker.

But that was impossible, because he was chained up. Chained, oh so suddenly and conveniently, to the wall, the metal links wrapped over his body. "What the hell?" he whispered, looking down.

Other Stark smiled at him. "Comfortable?" he asked in a friendly tone.

Tony smiled back with teeth. "I'd say: go to hell, but I get the feeling we're already there."

"True enough," the other responded as he walked casually over to the cowering god.

"No, no, no-" Loki continued to whisper.

"Shut up," other Stark ordered quietly. The trickster clamped his teeth shut and didn't make a sound.

Tony rolled his eyes at the other. "You know if you tell me to shut up I'll just...ignore you." He almost said: I'll just tell you to go fuck yourself, but that just...sounded too weird to say right now.

"Then I won't tell you to shut up," Stark answered easily.

"Cute," mumbled Tony.

Other Stark slowly crouched next to Loki, eyes steady and staring.

What a creep, thought Tony. "You know..." Tony drawled, "I am so better looking than you. Like, by a long shot." Come on, you fucking psycho, look at me. Look at me. He didn't want whatever that thing was anywhere near Loki right now. He didn't know why. Except he did. He didn't want it to go there - couldn't let it go there. Loki was already too damaged. This was enough. This was where it had to end.

Look at me.

"You know I love what you've done with the place," Tony continued. "Looks a little like my basement in my tower." The other ignored him as he continued staring at Loki. "So did you forget how to talk or are you abandoning the 'genius' part of copying me? Nothing at all?" Tony quietly tried to test the chains surrounding his upper body but nothing would budge. Don't panic. Everything's fine. "What, are words too hard now? Hey, you hear me, you sick fuck?" Shit. He's not listening.

Then, slowly, way too slowly, the other Stark turned his smiling face toward Tony. His teeth seemed too wide, too white, even, and Tony couldn't help but cringe because it suddenly didn't look like him anymore - it was something else. He felt a shiver run through him.

The thing opened its mouth for a moment, then said, "Shall we play again?"

Tony didn't have time to even form words in his mind, much less speak, because the thing was attacking Loki, pulling him away from his refuge against the wall and dragging him to the center of the room, the god kicking and screaming with everything in him even across the short distance.

"No! NO!" Loki screamed with feral abandon as the false-Stark wrestled him to the ground with an eerily nonchalant expression. It was strange, with the way Loki was fighting, if the other Stark had been human, he'd have easily been dead by now. But Loki's attempts were doing nothing, his normally bone-breaking strikes against the other only serving to show how ineffectual the god's attempts were. At another time, Tony might have contemplated how Loki was even trying to fight back now, because that was different.

Tony tried to speak but he could barely breathe and his mind was a scrambled mess and- just do something! His mind screamed at him, at Loki, at somebody, anybody to do something.

Loki tried to kick at the other's chest, get him away somehow, but, against all logic - and the laws of the universe as Tony knew them - Stark remained, as if he were a wall, unmovable against all efforts. What the fuck is happening? It was impossible. Even Thor himself had to obey the laws of physics; he might not be hurt by simple kinetic force, but he at least moved when somebody - especially of Loki's strength - kicked at him. Something wasn't right.

"Hey!" Tony suddenly found his voice, but what was he to say?

Seeming to not hear him, the thing wearing Tony's face continued to bear down on the god. Then, in a very bad move, Loki turned over to try to run out the still-open door. The other stopped him, hands easily gripping his legs.

"No! Let me go!" Loki screeched as he was pushed face-first against the concrete.

"Shit- fuck," Tony murmured unconsciously. Was this...was this really happening? It suddenly seemed too unreal, too outrageous. He knew what Loki had endured, of course, but it still seemed fake somehow, like a horrible fairy tale - someone's idea of a sick joke that just had to feature Tony as the bad guy. But this... This couldn't happen, this couldn't be real.

"H-hey." Tony's voice pitched higher as he began to feel light-headed. Oh fuck, this can't be happening. No no. "Hey, leave him alone." His voice sounded feeble and downright stupid right now.

The other Stark ignored him and pushed Loki down with an arm across his back as the god gasped and struggled. It was as if Thor's hammer were suddenly weighing down the trickster god.

A strange sound filtered through the corridor outside the still-open doorway. Then, in a most spectacular display of ridiculous dramatics, Mjolnir flew into the room and struck the other Stark across the head. He yelled and stumbled off of Loki, then hissed as he staggered to his feet.

"You again?!" Doppelganger-Stark hissed as he turned to the door.

Thor and his overly-animate cape came rushing through the door with hammer in hand.

"Holy fuck," stammered Tony. "Oh thank God..." He sighed and lowered his head, relief flooding through him. "Shut up, not talking about you," he breathed when the god's eyes roved the room. Thor always did have impeccable timing.

"Loki!" The thunder god rushed to his brother but took the time to throw his hammer at the false-Stark. Unfortunately, the imposter had somehow disappeared and the hammer flew straight through him and embedded itself into the concrete wall, cracking it.

"What the..." Tony blinked furiously, wondering if he had suddenly developed an odd blind spot. Wouldn't be surprising; there should be only one Tony Stark in the universe. It was practically sacrilege to have two. Maybe he was just insane. No. Then why did they see the other Stark, too? Maybe it was like folie à trois or something?

"Brother," Loki whimpered as his elder brother knelt next to him.

"Are...are you hurt? Did he..."

They both knew what he was asking. Loki, even as distressed as he was, shook his head adamantly. Thor visibly sagged, then grabbed his brother in a - probably bruising - bear hug.

"I should have come sooner," Thor murmured into Loki's hair. "But I could not find you. I panicked. I knew that thing would try to hurt you again - but I found you, I sensed you." He kissed his little brother's hair and pulled back to look into his face. "Are you alright?"

A long moment past and Loki didn't answer, his eyes darting back and forth between Thor's blue orbs. What else was Thor expecting? The thunder god pulled the other closer to him, apparently understanding.

"Um." Well, nice of you two to forget about me, Tony mused. "Any time now, Hammer Time. The chains? Hello..?"

But it wasn't necessary because suddenly he was free, and it was so bright, too bright to see. Then everything went dark. The air had changed, everything had changed. He could tell.

Tony sighed. So what the hell is it now...

"...Need a sense of continuity, in order to feel safe in these difficult times."

Loki stopped, blinked frantically, then realized it had been himself speaking. He was suddenly and inexplicably standing and he felt disoriented for it; he nearly stumbled. And what had he been saying? He looked around. And where was he? He looked to his hand: Gungnir. The golden spear of Odin All-father rested in a tight grip in his hand, and... He looked around a second time. The throne room? Loki blinked furiously again, wondering if his eyes deceived him. Everything was so bright.

"Loki?"

Loki's eyes jumped forward, then fell on Sif, who was standing at the base of the throne along with the Warriors Three. What the Hel was happening? How did he get to the throne room - how did he get to Asgard? And...why was he walking down from the throne, and when had he donned his armor? He strained to look down at himself. The gold around his ribs suddenly felt so constricting, especially with his breath quickening by the second. The helmet on his head felt as though it would crush him any moment.

"My king?" A guard to his right had approached, his eyes confused but with a hint of concern.

The prince - or king? - blinked at the man, not comprehending anything that was happening. So, Loki asked directly: "What is happening?" He didn't bother hiding his bewilderment and distress.

"Your Majesty?" The guard asked, clearly not understanding.

Sif took a step closer as she scrutinized him. "Loki, what is going on?" she asked, her tone confused but slightly accusatory, as if Loki was acting in some fashion.

"Sif?" Loki stared at her with wide eyes. The first words that came to mind were: "Where...where is Thor?"

"Thor?" the shield-maiden narrowed her eyes, bemused. "He is on Midgard, still banished, of course. We came to request that you end his banishment and-"

"Banishment..." Loki murmured under his breath. Banishment. But that was years ago.

"Yes. We ask that you end Thor's banishment and-"

"How did I get here, Sif?" Loki interrupted with quiet desperation. He might have cared that he looked equal parts mad and terrified, but he couldn't even begin to care. Nothing was making sense.

"Are you alright, lad?" Volstagg took a step forward, as did the other two Warriors.

"You don't look so well," said Sif with some concern.

Abruptly, Loki found Gungnir's cold metal in his hand too much to bear because he remembered, he remembered when this was, that this had already happened, except it was so different last time, wasn't it? Sif and the Warriors Three had said different things, he had said different things. He'd dismissed their request and sent them on their way, and they... They had betrayed him, committed treason. But...that was a long time ago, or at least it seemed so now.

Loki looked around, frantic. Was this a dream?

"Your Majesty!" The same guard rushed toward him as his gaze jumped to the fallen spear, then to the trickster. "Is anything the matter?" A second guard approached from Loki's other side; he too looked on with concern, but also curiosity.

"How did I get here?!" Loki yelled with mounting fear and frustration. Hadn't he been with... "Stark," Loki whispered. The guards and the Warriors frowned.

"What?" asked Sif.

"Stark!" Loki rushed down the steps to the four, a desperate plea ready on his tongue. "Where is Stark- where is my brother?!" He looked at them each in turn but they didn't understand.

"Stark? Who is Stark?" asked Fandral.

Loki suddenly gripped his head tightly. How did I get here?! "Where are they? Why am I here?!" he hissed under his breath.

"He's gone mad," he heard someone murmur in front of him. He didn't care. He was wondering the same thing.

"What should we do?" asked someone else.

The trickster continued to grip his head, suddenly unable to look up or around him, afraid he would see something... He didn't know what, just that it would probably be horrible.

"I don't know," spoke another - behind him, this time. "Perhaps his brother's banishment weighs more heavily on him than it first appeared."

"Perhaps, but what should we do about it?"

Breathing harshly but steadily, in and out, Loki slowly lifted his head, even as he feared to. Sif and the Warriors Three stood before him, suddenly too close for comfort, eyes wide and staring.

"W-what are you doing?" Loki asked in a timid voice. He wanted to shrink back but he couldn't.

The war goddess tilted her head. "You're not well, are you, Loki?" It was more a statement than anything else.

Volstagg nodded. "Aye, not well at all. You should lie down." Loki shook his head, desperate suddenly to not do as they said.

"You truly should lie down," said Fandral, voice patronizing. "It's been such a long day. Wouldn't you like to lie down?" Hogun nodded beside him, his face as grim as ever but somehow so much more sinister.

And suddenly they weren't in the throne room anymore, they were in the dungeons. They were in a room Loki had only heard tales about in his youth, they'd all heard tales about it, and his big brother had been the one to tell him first - a room Asgard had once used to punish prisoners and traitors, a room reserved only for the worst. But...it was only a tale. Not real. Thor had said so, finally, when Loki had begun having nightmares and Mother had scolded the young thunder god, forcing him to apologize to his younger brother for the falsehoods he'd planted in his gullible mind. Loki had learned not to believe others so readily after that.

This isn't real, it isn't real, Loki reminded himself. He hugged himself and realized he was no longer in his armor, but instead in threadbare clothing barely fit for a cur. His helmet, too, had disappeared, and he was barefoot. He looked to the four standing around him.

"This is where you belong," Hogun murmured, staring at him.

"Oh yes," sung Fandral. "Don't you remember, Loki? Don't you remember this place?"

"No," Loki whispered. "No...no, I've never been here before. Why have you brought me here?" His voice shook terribly as he looked pleadingly to the others. "Please. Please, I'm sorry. I'll bring Thor back, I promise. I didn't mean-"

"You didn't mean," Fandral interrupted in a drawl.

"You've been a naughty boy," Sif tisked. "And isn't this where naughty boys are brought?"

Loki looked around. There was a wooden table nearby, bloodied and filled with splinters. Chains hung from every wall and the ceiling, along with several gibbets with rotting corpses still hanging in them. A rack in one corner, a wheel and also an iron maiden, he didn't even want to identify the rest. The floor was sticky under his toes and he couldn't bring himself to even look down, fearful as he was.

"No, please," Loki pleaded, tears welling in his eyes. "I didn't- I wasn't trying to-"

"Wasn't trying to what?" Volstagg stepped forward, as did the other three. "You killed Thor."

"No!" Loki cried out. "H-he's not dead, I saw him come back. He came back. Please tell me he came back, please..."

The others stared at him, so close now, too close. Loki wanted to shrink into himself; disappear. "No," they said in unison. "Thor is dead." Sif stepped closer until she was nearly touching him. "You killed him."

Shaking his head wildly, Loki burst into tears as he hid his face in his hands. He knew it wasn't true, it couldn't be. He remembered what had happened that day on Midgard, Thor had lived. He had come back and then-

Suddenly there was a bright light, so blinding Loki continued to hide his face, but he couldn't move, his entire being was frozen as if paralyzed.

"...I will not fight you, brother!" Thor shouted.

"I'm not your brother. I never-" Loki stopped himself. What was he saying?

He was stood in Heimdall's Observatory, the arcs of energy above were frozen with the power of the Casket of Ancient Winters, and...and Thor was in front of him. He looked...angry. But also alive.

Loki had the urge to run to him, to embrace him and see for himself that he was alright, that he was whole and hale and here, with him. See? he wanted to say. See? He hadn't killed him. But Sif and the others had disappeared and Loki was inexplicably armored again, and Gungnir was once again in his hand.

What in all the Nine Realms is happening?

A/N: We're all wondering the same thing, Loki, we're all wondering the same thing. We'll likely see what's going on with this insanity next chapter (or the one after if the next chapter gets long).