-4-

"He's not going to show," Nebula hissed as she eyed the sharpened edge of her weapon. Inwardly, she was contemplating whether or not she should hone it further; as is, it would likely not be able to relieve Loki of his head in one stroke, but that was quickly becoming the less appealing option.

"He'll come," Maelstrom assured her. He sat with a much more relaxed posture, although his eyes flitted nervously to the window and his gaze scanned over the horizon every few moments, facts that a keen observer like Nebula was unlikely to miss.

Their small group was huddled inside of an abandoned starship hangar, a small structure once used for light-duty surface craft, that was located just inside of the planet's atmospheric dome. Since it was no longer actively used, there was no electrical access, and so there was little to do other than huddle together in the semi-darkness and wait impatiently for the one who had invited them here.

And he was currently long overdue.

There were three other figures lingering in the mostly empty space, and none of them looked as if they would be very interesting conversationalists. The first was a sleek, black Symbiote with numerous elongated teeth who crouched low to the ground and rocked restlessly on his heels. He had not spoken since he had arrived. The second was an enormous mutated human who stood nearly twice the height of an average member of his race, his immeasurable biceps left bare as they were presumably too large to be contained by most commercially-available clothing. This behemoth had also been mute during their wait. The third, however, had spoken, and it was a sound that none of those present would willfully endure again, as the reverberation had filled the cavernous warehouse so completely that it seemed to remove some of the breathable air from the room. The sound caused even the enormous man to shudder slightly with aversion. The Symbiote, however, remained contained in its own world, whispering softly in unintelligible clicks and hums.

Finally, this loose gathering of unlikely allies heard the sounds of a distant skirmish, complete with the blast of repulsors and localized explosions. Nebula hastily crossed over to the window on the side of the disturbance, and Maelstrom trailed leisurely after her. The female surveyed the scene for several minutes while reflections of distant bursts of fire echoed eerily across her liquid-like eyes.

"What does this mean?" she asked the Inhuman with just a hint of rough desperation in her voice. "Are Titan's forces already under attack?"

Maelstrom shrugged lazily. "I cannot begin to presume," he informed her. "I have been told so little about my purpose in this plot that I must have been delirious to agree to be here in the first place." Although his demeanor portrayed that he was unconcerned, he kept his gaze fixed tightly upon the battle that was occurring not more than a hundred yards away. "So, why are you here, exactly?" he challenged her playfully. "Were you hoping to impress our mutual friend with your unquestioning obedience?"

This line of inquiry seemed to enrage Nebula, and her eyes narrowed in warning. "I am here to settle a debt," she seethed, her hand resting threateningly on her bladed weapon.

"Indeed," Maelstrom needled her with a knowing smirk. "And what precisely have you lost to the lovely Loki that you need to regain, hmmm?"

That question hit dangerously close to its mark, as was evidenced by the pain and humiliation that crossed her smooth, blue features. "It is not his debt," she spat back, although her resolve had somewhat weakened. "I have come for what I am owed from my . . . my father." She choked harshly on this last word.

"Thanos?" the Inhuman wheezed in honest surprise. "You intend to ask him for recompense?"

"No," she smiled. "I intend to take it from him by force."

"Then you are a bigger fool than I!" the man laughed, teetering on his heels with the force of his glee. He then shook his head as if disbelieving the ludicrous nature of both of their predicaments. "I merely came here to kill him," he finished with a wry twist of his mouth.

"Then our aims are not at odds," she confessed without emotion. This admission appeared to have been fatal to her ego, because she turned her eyes from him and out over the horizon to survey the combat once more. Her face went blank, and Maelstrom inferred that her attitude was less hostile toward him than it had previously been. When a few minutes had passed, her countenance suddenly twisted again into a mask of aggression. "Avengers!" she barked, her machine-like voice hoarse with enmity. "What are they doing here?"

Maelstrom looked closer at the haze of the distant fighting: sure enough, he could pick out the fleeting form of Thor, swiftly propelling himself among different areas in order to fight the Badoons who fell away almost as soon as they approached him. He could also discern the blur of Stark's Iron Man suit blasting between rows of combatants, leaving small explosions in his wake. Closer to the surface, Captain America could be seen flinging his vibranium shield and scattering bodies with hasty blows. Maelstrom shook his head in disbelief. "Do you think they followed him here?" There was no need to clarify to whom he was referring, as there was only one of their number who had any connection to the team of heroes.

The Symbiote began to scratch suddenly at the ground beneath him, his motions almost frantic in their urgency. He sniffed loudly several times in succession and then extended his long, pointed tongue to the air as if he were tasting it. Eventually, a long line of spittle drained from the edge of his maw of grisly teeth, and he produced several low, trilling sounds not unlike the coos of Terran birds - unmistakable noises of satisfaction. This disturbance was followed to everyone's chagrin by the rolling grumble of the creature who had been lingering by the door as if keeping a protective eye over his wards. "He approaches," the watching giant said deliberately, his arms crossed before him as if to dare any of the others to deny it.

"Kaaaaal..." the Symbiote rasped as he continued to scrabble along the floor beneath himself raucously. The sound of this being's husky voice was nearly as abhorrent as the larger mutant's, Maelstrom surmised.

The Asgardian entered the room with immediate grace, his long strides carrying him to the center of their gathering in little time. "My apologies for the delay," he spoke in a manner that betrayed he was slightly out of breath from exertion. "I was detained." He offered no other explanation for his tardiness; rather, he stood elegantly in the middle of the room, absently straightening the lapels of his leather overcoat.

Nebula noticed several unusual details almost immediately: the sorcerer's

face was leaner and his complexion more dusky than it had been when last she had seen him, and he was wearing several thin but strong layers of metal closely around his throat - a collar, which was conceivably a tool to control him. This object was almost certainly the companion piece to the manacles he had quite recently shed, as evidenced by the reddened flesh above his hands that he absently stroked as he prepared to speak. The knowledge that he had been recently restrained, along with the symbol of control that encircled his neck made her wary of her erstwhile ally.

"First, some introductions," Loki announced, playing the gracious host. He pointed a thin, nimble finger at the enormous, bulky mutant with the naked biceps. "Cain Marko, a Terran mutant also known as 'Juggernaut'." The tall, slender man crossed over to where the woman and her Inhuman companion were standing. "Nebula, Daughter of Thanos," he proclaimed, and she balked at the description. "And Maelstrom, an Inhuman in the employ of the aforenamed Titan." Another few steps brought him to the Symbiote who sniffed the mage's extended hand as if it were a lapdog. "And Venom, a Klytnar aberrant, rejected by his own race." The Klytnar were a race of symbiotes who dominated and eventually destroyed the hosts whom they assimilated. The others had suspected as much, and therefore had kept Venom at a suitable distance during their vigil. "And, finally . . ." their leader revealed as he approached the enormous mutant with the disturbing voice, "En Sabah Nur, or, as you probably know him, 'Apocalypse:' a master of many abilities and an ancient harbinger of death in many Terran cultures." He clapped an unusually brazen hand on the shoulder of the gigantic being, although he had to nearly perch on the toes of his boots in order to do so. "I am grateful beyond measure that you have heeded my invitation to be here today," he finished with a deepening of his mellifluous timbre.

"Since you have opened that line of questioning," Nebula said flatly, "why exactly are we here?"

"Oh, and while we are on the subject," Maelstrom chimed in, "why are the Avengers here, as well?"

The Asgardian smiled - a full, warm grin that did nothing to gain the trust of his interrogators since it seemed so sincere, a fact that was at odds with what they knew of his usual intentions. "The Avengers are merely a minor complication," he informed them. "They managed to hold me in their custody for a time, and I was forced to improvise. However, I am here now, and the remainder of our mutual conspiracy can go brilliantly to plan."

"Our conspiracy?" Maelstrom disputed, although the challenge was halfhearted at best; he was as far in to this little scheme as he could possibly get, he supposed. "I fail to recall being consulted about any part of this 'fiendish plot.'" (His air quotes were melodramatic in their sarcasm). ". . . whatever it may actually be," he concluded in an effort to punctuate that the he was aware the others were all as uninformed as he was.

Loki's smile did not alter the slightest bit as he leaned against the far wall, his hands tucked into his folded arms and his legs crossed lithely at the ankle. "You wound me, my friend," he said playfully. "It seems you have lost faith in what I am capable of." He clicked his tongue in order to scoff at the notion.

"You have brought the enemy with you!" Nebula snapped. She pointed behind her emphatically as she advanced on him, her boots resounding loudly in the nearly empty space. "And while you claim to no longer be their prisoner, you come to us still wearing their restraint!" She extended her weapon with a forceful flick of her wrist, bringing the delicate tip of the blade to balance just beneath the metallic band that he still wore. "Forgive our sudden mistrust," she snarled as she pushed up just slightly on the ring around his neck. It did not give way, which meant that it was somehow embedded into his skin.

The sorcerer locked eyes with her, meeting her unspoken challenge head on. He brushed away the blade at his throat almost absently, unintimidated. "I am not holding you here," he murmured, his words sharpening with menace. "You may leave whenever you like. However," he said more loudly, now addressing the entire gathering, "if you choose to remain, then I vow to you that the Mad Titan's reign will end by the next Terran sunrise." Nebula and Maelstrom each silently did the math - that was less than three hours away.

Impossible.

"You seem certain that this scheme of yours will be successful," Juggernaut spoke. Until that moment, the others had nearly forgotten that he was even present. One meaty hand stroked his chin thoughtfully before he continued. "Yet I don't see my friends here, as I was promised. Why should I believe anything else that you say?"

"Ah, but your companions are here," Loki assured him. "You simply cannot see them from where you stand."

"I did not come here for riddles, Asgardian!" the behemoth roared, and his fists tightened as if he might be considering an attack. This action caused Apocalypse to move forward several steps, preparing himself to come between the two of them if the situation required it. The still-grinning sorcerer held up a single hand to instruct the ancient being to stand down, which he did . . . albeit warily.

"It is not my intention to deceive you, Mr. Marko," Loki appeased him. "I travelled alongside your companions to Titan, and they remain with my would-be captors, the Avengers."

"Ah, yes . . . yet another unforeseen dilemma," Maelstrom chided. "If you keep this up, I will be forced to doubt you." The sentiment was light, but the tone was severe.

"Indeed, but look at this from another viewpoint: if you grow restless, you can always amuse yourself with them. They are more than outnumbered by their enemies here. You could always take advantage." His voice grew soothing as he said this, and the attempt to guide them towards this plan of action was more than obvious.

"What do you mean, 'if we grow restless?'" There were no air quotes from the Inhuman this time, only a scathing hint of mockery. "Are you intending to leave us here again while you go skulking around behind our backs?"

Loki chuckled so heartily that his full set of teeth were on display. "I do not feel the need to 'skulk' at this time," he revealed. "However, I do require your patience for just a while longer. You see, I have another task I must complete before I require your collective assistance."

"So, you are leaving?" Nebula exclaimed in a tone that caused it to fly from her lips like a curse. Her jaw was clenched so tightly that one of the veins in her neck stood out prominently against her deep blue skin.

"Regretfully so," he teased with a quick bow of his head.

"And we - what? Just wait here while you are off weaving your little deceptions?" Maelstrom interjected loudly enough that the sorcerer ceased in turning away from them.

Loki's blue-green eyes darkened, and the lids narrowed in a clear gesture of warning. He folded his arms crisply at his chest, and one long, thin finger tapped impatiently against the crook of his elbow. Maelstrom - wisely, for once - did not comment further, although the Asgardian did not leave his previous inquiry unanswered. "I do not care how you bide your time while I am otherwise engaged, my friend," he stated in a soft but venomous manner. He leaned toward the Inhuman with a perilous glint playing in his eyes; the effect was likely meant to be threatening, but it only caused his opponent to shiver with a savage delight. When the sorcerer continued, it was unclear to all of them whether he was trying to intimidate Maelstrom or spur him on. "When I return, you will have all that you desire, and then you will never have to look upon this face again." He let this threat/promise linger heavily in the ether while his long strides carried him proudly to the exit. As he passed the terrifying frame of the mutant that stood watch at the door, a cognizant look passed between them - a nuance which only Maelstrom seemed to detect - before the leviathan known as 'Apocalypse' followed the raven-haired magician out of the bunker.

'Thank the gods!' the Inhuman thought to himself. 'He still has at least one unrevealed trick left to disclose before all of this reaches fruition.' There was yet a faint hope that his retribution may still come to pass. And surely that was the reason why the flow of blood was humming in his veins. No other reason whatsoever.

Maelstrom absently licked the swell of his bottom lip.

***.**.***

"How long until you divulge the truth to these conspirators?" Apocalypse growled. Even in what must be considered his whispering tone, the syllables reverberated along Loki's dominant muscle groups like faint electricity. He swallowed coarsely as he tried to endure the onslaught of this disturbance, his confident air weakening somewhat with the effort.

"I am not certain what you mean, Nur," he replied, purposely not turning to face the mutant again. "You see, I have no intention of telling them."

The sorcerer could feel the judgmental weight of those piercing red eyes upon him, and it caused him to pause in spite of himself. Yet he still did not turn back. Apocalypse had refrained from following him, but Loki knew without hesitation that the massive being was standing just steps behind him, his arms forming an iron line across his chest and those cobalt-encased lips gnarled into a hateful glower.

"You will not?" Nur asked. Although no louder than his previous words, the sound of this utterance was destructive, and Loki felt a moment's crushing pressure around the sinews of his already weakening heart. It was the result of his disapproval, the gravity of his wrath made manifest, and it travelled with his words like a living thing, roosting at its cause and seeking repayment. The myriad sum of this terrible being's powers were a constant cause of fascination for the Asgardian; however, it also made him infinitely more difficult to govern. In the end, he must surrender to a devastating reality: there was no deceiving this one. He could only be led and then appealed to at the proper time.

As much as it pained him, Loki met the judgmental gaze of the Ancient One.

"I will not have need to," he sighed, exhausted with playing the relentless role of the Piper. "When the proper time comes, you will tell them," he revealed almost dismissively as his image faded into the lingering mists of the moon's surface.

**.***.**

When the Asgardian re-appeared, it was at the elbow of one of the most despised but undeniably practical creatures in all the universe. The demon was sipping from a highball glass full of something which clearly smoked and faintly sizzled, when he turned and nearly collided with the sorcerer who suddenly blocked his path. "Unholy Hell, Loki!" he spat from behind his perfect, pointed teeth. "Would it hurt you to warn a guy?"

"I am short on time, Mephisto. I did not have the time to plan my appearance properly."

"Well, a 'hello' would have been nice, at least," the ruddy-skinned being teased with a toothy grin.

"Hello," the sorcerer said flatly, his face portraying a lack of enthusiasm.

"Excellent!" the devil replied heartily. "Now, how would you like a little something to take the edge off of all this?" He began to reach for the nearby decanter of whatever he was sipping but then decided against it. Instead he selected a libation that was so dark reddish in color that it was nearly black, and it clung thickly to the crystal flask as he began to pour. "Arimathean wine . . ." he began to explain as the goblet began to fill.

Loki waved off the offer with a weary hand. "I thought I was clear, you imbecile! I do not have time to linger here."

Mephisto's look was slightly hurt but still mainly undaunted. "Are you certain I can't tempt you? This particular vintage was distilled from the Blood of the Innocents, which I wrung from that whole unfortunate business that landed me in front of the Living Tribunal. It's been oak-aged since you were a toddler." He extended a sinewed arm with the filled cup at the end of it, his eyes pleading with the Asgardian to accept the gesture.

"You never could take 'no' for an answer, could you?" Loki sighed.

The demon bared his teeth and shook his head with a chuckle.

"Well learn," the raven-haired man spat as he brushed the offering aside forcefully. "I am not nearly stupid enough to accept anything that you will ever offer me."

Mephisto shrugged and downed the cerise-colored liquid in one satisfied swallow.

"Is he ready for me?" the Asgardian asked as he traced his fingers uneasily along the engraved markings of his left vambrace. It was not nervous fiddling. It absolutely was not.

The sleek, double doors behind them opened suddenly, causing a rush of algid air to waft throughout the foyer that they were standing in. "I suppose that is my answer," Loki breathed, and he tamped down the waver in his voice before it was detectable.

"Good luck," the demon said, elevating his original beverage as if in posthumous tribute.

"Thank you," the sorcerer answered testily. He then walked with as much pride and energy as he could still summon, up the rocky steps and down the dark, lengthy path to the foot of the Titan's throne. He then waited nearly two excruciating minutes before the deep, resonating sound of Thanos' voice crashed over him like a forceful wave.

"Tell me that you have succeeded or surrender to the bearers of my justice."

The last syllable hung in the air for numerous heartbeats before it faded into the vast expanse of outer space that was visible behind his stone perch. Almost instantly, Loki could feel the presence of three to five shadow-like entities that drifted just beyond the reaches of his sight, their constant motion making it difficult to determine their true number. The flash of a metal blade was visible at intervals if he watched particularly closely, borne aloft by the incorporeal shapes of whatever life-form that danced just outside the limits of his sight, their limbs elongated and wreathed in a smoky darkness. In fact, if one traced the movement of these wisp-like wraiths with a keen eye, each one most likely carried several bladed weapons that intermittently reflected the meager light, and which fleetingly threatened a brutal and painful death before folding back into the core of the blackness that wielded it. Internally, the Asgardian shuddered at the thought of being set upon by this legion of unknown entities; outwardly, however, he was the perfect reflection of serenity.

Thank the gods that he had chosen not to appear here in his solid form.

(In fact, his true body was currently hunkered along the exterior wall of the Avengers' new base of operations, and he was filtering out the most useful parts of the conversations therein, which he processed quickly alongside the images and dialogue that he was evaluating from inside the Titan's throneroom. The effort was stressing his depleted energy reserves, but he was trying - and very nearly failing at several turns - not to tap into the power of the faintly pulsating cube that lingered just within the limit of his senses. The one that would carve another sliver off of his slowly waning life.)

"Do you have something for me?" Thanos asked with a hint of mockery. He folded his thick, violet fingers beneath his chin and stared expectantly at the image of Loki, which was now approaching him brazenly.

"I do, indeed," the Asgardian hummed, his steps gaining conviction as he grew near to where the Titan was hovering in his place of authority.

"I'm pleased," Thanos replied. "However, I would be more pleased if you were here with it now."

Oh. So he did know that he was just an illusion.

"However, I will be greatly displeased if you do not have it to me by the time of the Assembly," he continued, his mouth contorting into a threatening scowl. "And, as I am sure that you are aware, that will occur in just a few moments' time."

Loki('s image) was unfazed. "I am - and ergo, it is - quite near, I assure you. It is all coming together, just as I had foreseen." His eyes sparkled with the satisfaction of his own accomplishments. "They are all here, just as you requested." Or rather demanded, but that was semantics.

"All of them?" The Titan's demeanor turned quickly from scolding to cautiously impressed, and he sat forward on his throne then, his large hands gripping the arms of his chair with hopeful tension.

"All who might realistically oppose your forces on Midgard along with those who might have reason to oppose you from inside your own operations." Loki's wheedling smirk was large enough to allow the dimple on his right cheek to appear briefly. "Along with some others that I would just as soon be rid of - for personal reasons. I am as efficient as I am clever."

The Mad Titan's laughter echoed off of the rock formations around him with a rare zeal. "You never fail to impress me, my Prince!" he cackled, slapping an armrest to emphasize his delight. "And they know nothing of your true allegiance?"

"You have my word," the Asgardian gloated. "Plus, if you wait a few moments longer, the two groups will likely be engaging one another in battle. Afterwords, they will be quite easy to apprehend."

This revelation caused the Titan's mirth to increase, and he allowed his hearty chuckling to continue for several moments before he wiped away his joyful tears. "And then, after we deal with the Assembly, there will be none who can oppose me. The universe will be mine to rule!" His fist slammed along the edge of his stone perch with determination.

"And then I will have my payment?" Loki asked from between clenched teeth.

"All of Asgard at your command and your idiotic brother to lord it over? Oh, absolutely! You have more than earned your compensation." Thanos then curled one fist up under his angular chin as if considering a new piece of information. "Although . . . " he said, "you do realize that Thor is with the other Avengers? He risks being destroyed himself, and I cannot guarantee his safety."

"Naturally, I have considered that," the sorcerer replied. "And I have a strategy with which to separate him from the others, though it will take some additional time."

"So you must return to them?"

Loki nodded somberly.

"Then be quick about it, Asgardian! The Assembly of our would-be allies has already begun, and you owe them a demonstration of the Tesseract in mere minutes."

"I shall not fail you, my Lord," Loki promised with a solemn bow. "Without you, I would never have seen the truth that suffering can offer. I have been given the opportunity to have my vengeance upon my erstwhile father and my undeserving brother. All that I have, I owe to you."

With this oath upon his lips, the form of the sorcerer dissolved into the air.

He quickly shaded himself from view and crept into his chosen corner within the outpost, where the Avengers had regrouped. He listened briefly to the ridiculous chatter of his former captors as they laid their strategy out to him beautifully as he gazed unseen over their shoulders, even admirably managing to hold his tongue when Blackout had insulted him. The flash of pain across Thor's face when the Lilin slandered him had then led to a marvelous chance to taunt his poor fool of a brother with a troublesome memory, which segued nicely into his reappearance and declaration of intent.

"I mean to finish this," Loki had stated, and he had laid a pledge at Thor's feet like the warriors of old. "Treasonous miscreant reporting for duty," he said.

And, for once, he told the absolute truth.