"Would you mind if I hurt you?
Understand that I need to.
Wish that I had other choices than to harm the one I love.
What have you done now?

I know I'd better stop trying.
You know that there's no denying.
I won't show mercy on you now.
I know, should stop believing.
I know there's no retrieving.
It's over now. What have you done?"

-What Have You Done by Within Temptation

-o-o-o-

Sitting on the steps in an underground labyrinth, the bustle of operatives blurred into the background as Loki's mind was swept from his body and forsaken on Titan's hostile surface. Unbidden, the god's gaze drifted towards the throne towering above him, but before he laid eyes on the Avatar of Death, a sibilant voice crashed through his head, scouring his mind like knives. "Obey, godling, or you will find my master's mercy a fleeting gift."

Clutching the scepter tightly in his hands, Loki forced the pain from his expression as he turned towards the Other. The alien emerged from the gloom, mouth bared in a hiss, and at his approach, Loki insisted, "Nothing I have done goes against Thanos's orders."

"Lies," the Other accused, smacking his hand against the raised rock. "The Tesseract could have already been ours had you not hesitated! You think we do not see what you are doing? Do not hear your insurgent thoughts? Were you truly serving the master, you would have wrought destruction upon the humans."

Again Loki's eyes drifted up towards the Mad Titan, and this time he caught a glimpse of the powerful being sitting on his grotesque throne. What he did not expect was for those cold, blood-red eyes to meet his own, and a jolt of dread paralyzed the god. He did not fear the Other—did not believe the Chitauri capable of that which he threatened—but Thanos…

"I did what I had to," Loki insisted, not looking away from the massive figure. He tried to instill a sense of sincerity in his voice, and yet he could not stop his thoughts from pursuing a niggling of doubt and betraying him.

If his words were true, then why did he continue to pick plans that were doomed to fail? Time after time, the opportunity presented itself for him to acquire the Tesseract: he could have used to scepter to pry the information from Fury's mind. He could have turned Romanov to his side sooner and, after it became apparent that she did not have the information he sought, used what she did know the pinpoint where SHIELD had hidden the Infinity Gem. And if he did none of those things, then at the very least he could have killed them where they stood. So why didn't he? Why did he always stop or ruin his plans before they came to fruition? Why did he allow the Tesseract to remain in the hands of an inferior species? Why did he ever think they were worthy of his protection?

...When did he decide that they weren't?

...Why was he doing any of this?

Resistance began to stir in the depths of Loki's mind, climbing to the surface of the backs of unwanted questions—'I am Loki! I am a god! My mind will not be taken from me! I will not be controlled!'—but before the sensation could solidify, the Mad Titan's eyes narrowed, and a solid wall of agony shoved every thought from Loki's mind. It lasted only an instant, but it was more than enough to stop the stream of questions. However, Thanos was not finished, and his voice thundered through Loki's mind a hundred times louder than the Other's. "I know what it is you fear the most, runt. I have gazed into the Void from which you crawled, and I can easily throw you back in."

Memories crept insidiously into Loki's mind, untempered by time: endless darkness, suffocating emptiness, vile black . They clawed at him, and though Loki flinched away from the Mad Titan's gaze, severing their connection, the awaken images remained in the forefront of his mind. They weighed on him as Thanos spoke again, making a promise the god had no doubt that he would keep: "Bring the Tesseract to me, or I will ensure that you suffer in that infernal place for the rest of your miserable life."

Before Loki could speak again, his psyche was thrown brutally back into his body, and he jerked into awareness. It took him a moment to comprehend that he was still sitting in the abandoned station, scepter gripped tightly in stark white hands. The terror instilled in him by Thanos raced through his veins, but when he noticed the humans stopping and staring, he clamped down on such senseless emotions.

"You were not hired to gawk," he snapped, rising to his feet and staring down at them. Obediently, the SHIELD agents that Loki had coerced returned to their work, and after a moment, the criminals the god persuaded to his side followed their lead. There was only one person who wasn't so easily cowed; Romanov stood a few feet from Loki's side, one hand near her gun in case someone tried to take advantage of his momentary lapse. From the corner of her eye, she scrutinized him.

"Why are you not doing your job?" Loki asked as she turned to face him fully, vivid blue on blue. "I gave you orders. Obey them."

The agent was unfazed by the god's foul attitude. She stood her ground, asserting, "Each task you assigned me has already been completed, sir, and I assumed you would appreciate not being attacked by our allies. The Avengers are responsible for killing or capturing many of their comrades. I would not consider such actions beyond them."

"They pose no threat," the god said dismissively. "It is a matter of priority: killing us is not as sweet a victory as destroying SHIELD's prized citadel."

Though Romanov did not know where the Tesseract was—it seemed Fury's paranoia knew no bounds—she by no means lacked value. Aided by Loki's magic, she sought out the embittered remnants of Hydra. Now composed of nothing more than a handful of zealots displaced from their original ideals, the organization could never have hoped to attack SHIELD on their own. All it took was some dead agents and the promise of further revenge to lure them into the fold. To them, it did not matter that SHIELD was trying to keep Thanos from incinerating the world; they clung to a glory long since passed.

"You of all people should know better than to doubt the mettle of men with nothing else to lose," Romanov stated. Then her head snapped towards the scarred man strolling towards them, a red kraken emblem displayed prominently on his chest. When he drew closer, the Black Widow started to slide her gun from its halter while making sure the other soldier saw it.

Presumptuously ignoring the clear threat, the man walked right up to Loki and dared to address him as if they were equals. "Our ships have been prepared and my men armed," he said with a thick German accent. "All that is left is for you to hold up your end of the bargain."

Loki glared down at the impudent mortal. "You would do well to remember who you are speaking to," the god hissed, his magic itching to wipe the smirk off the man's face. But as long as he required Hydra's assistance, his words were nothing more than an idle warning. The man knew that, and he flaunted what he perceived as power.

"Ja, you're a coward and a fool. Were you Hydra, I would have you executed for treason." When Romanov tensed at the god's side and Loki grew angrier, the German's grin got wider. "However, there is use for your unique skill set, traitor or not. Hydra is prepared. We can depart on your order."

The last statement was enough for Loki to forgo his ire, and his chest thudded in anticipation. "Tell your men to get in position. The first squadron heads out in ten minutes."

After giving Loki a mocking salute, the criminal turned back to his soldiers, shouting commands at them. Once he was out of earshot, Romanov said, "I request to accompany the vanguard, sir. Hydra cannot be trusted."

"Joining the vanguard will amount to your death. There is more use for you than a suicide mission. You will accompany me to the Nevada complex."

Romanov raised an eyebrow. "I did not think you would fall for SHIELD's trap."

"It is not a trap if entered willingly. SHIELD is preoccupied with the idea of stopping me, and that will serve as their downfall."

"Forgive me for contradicting you, sir, but would it not be a better option to pursue Doctor Banner?" Romanov asked. "He knows where the Tesseract is located, and once SHIELD knows you are after him, their forces will be even more divided than they are now. It would accomplish both of your goals."

The agent's sound advice made Loki hesitate, and an echo of Thanos's voice whispered through his mind, commanding him to find the Tesseract. Taking down the Helicarrier was a secondary goal. He needed to acquire the Tesseract and return it to its rightful master. But there was something that Loki himself sought, something that called to him more than the Tesseract. It lured him with whispers of emotions—the same ones that the Mad Titan had sought to wipe from his mind—and flashes of red. The nature of that which he desired eluded his mind's grasp, but the call was nonetheless strong enough to delay his search for a while longer.

Indecision would only invite the Other back into his mind, so Loki forcefully repeated, "We will teleport to Nevada once Hydra is in the air."

Romanov bowed her head. "Yes, sir.

-o-o-o-

Time moved slowly for Tony until he was actually standing in the warehouse waiting for Loki. After the god brain nabbed Natasha and every agent with her, he completely dropped off the radar. SHIELD waited in tense anticipation as it seemed that the plan they devised—which took over half an hour of arguing to get approved—would never be utilized.

During that time, Fury got in contact with Agent Barton, who was busy securing defenses in the Middle East. Clint was upset by the news, to say the least. He had spent a solid minute cursing, and then another five shouting at the absent god. Only when his cover was nearly blown did he quiet, and then he swore to return to the Helicarrier as soon as his mission was complete. Were it not for the fact that other agents were relying on him, Tony thought that Barton would have come immediately.

Then they tried to get in contact with Thor, but that didn't work out as well. Since cross-realm phones didn't exist, some unlucky agent had to stand in the middle of a desert in New Mexico to try and catch Heimdall's attention. That method was deemed useless considering that they didn't even get a shimmer of lights for their effort. Either that, or Thor had revoked his offer of help. Tony didn't think the god would do that, especially not without some warning, but Thanos was three planets away, Loki was running amok, and Asgard sent no one.

Six exhausting, mind-wracking hours later, Loki finally showed himself by storming through one of the remaining five complexes to capture or kill every agent there. But it wasn't a complete loss; the god halted his assault when he noticed a screen left lying on a nearby desk, positioned as if someone had been reading it before he arrived. On it was the fake report they had concocted, redirecting Loki's attention to the lab where Tony now stood backed by a dozen SHIELD agents.

Just looking at their setup was enough to show how much faith everyone had in this 'talk it out' plan, Tony included. 'Only as a last resort.' What a joke. Each agent on the ground had a ballistics shield and shiny new gun; in the rafters above, half a dozen snipers laid hidden with their rifles pointed at the expanse of empty space. And Iron Man was no better; he wore the most deadly suit he owned, one designed for the very purpose of killing a god.

"Stark, Loki left the Detroit facility almost seventeen minutes ago. Following his previous pattern, he should arrive there in less than ten," Fury said through the com link. "Quinjets with reinforcements are a mile from your position. If he shows and the situation gets out of hand, I will send them in. Understood?"

"Right," Tony said, trying in vain to push down his growing unease and steel himself to the thought of fighting Loki.

"And Stark..." the director began. "Good luck. You're going to need it." Then the feed clicked close, leaving only the sound of Tony's heaving breathing to fill the helmet.

The next ten minutes ticked by agonizingly slow, and when there was still no sign of Loki, the man found himself hard pressed to remain in position. Was he wrong? Would Loki not actually take the bait? Anxiety, his all too familiar friend, chewed on his nerves and filled him with doubt. To keep sane, he ran their (farfetched and hopeless) plan through his mind: Get Loki to come. Talk to him. Convince him he's being a stupid homicidal maniac. Stop Thanos together. Live happily ever after.

By the time green lights danced across the ceiling like the aurora borealis, the sound of fingers tapping against metal paneling filled the otherwise quiet warehouse. Loki fell towards the ground, and the jittery tempo was replaced by the sound of safeties clicking off; guns aimed where Loki landed. But what they weren't expecting was for another person to land beside him and point a gun right back. Romanov rose out of a crouch to stand proudly by Loki's side. Her eyes darted around the room, and Tony noticed her picking out all but one of the snipers hidden in the rafters. She shifted sideways until she was guarding the god's back and said, "I told you that they would be waiting for us."

"It matters not," Loki replied as he too scanned the crowd with cool indifference. Then his gaze reached Tony, and for the slightest moment—so slight, in fact, Tony wasn't certain he actually saw it—Loki's smooth confidence faltered.

"Loki-" Tony started, but then the god's gaze passed over him, taking in the rest of the agents assembled to stop him. Seeing Romanov standing against them unnerved the SHIELD agents far more than the sight of Loki did; Loki was always distant from them, and the few times that they interacted with him was when he was fighting, furious, or both. It was nothing they couldn't distance themselves from. But Romanov was their ally, their friend, and they hadn't expected her to place herself between them and Loki.

Surreptitiously, Tony motioned for the agents to withhold fire. Black Widow noticed, and she made a gesture of her own to Loki. A wide grin spread across the god's lips. "You humans think you are so clandestine, but I have yet to find another species so predictable. Such a trite plan you have come up with."

"And yet you fell for it," Tony said, taking a step forwards; the god's eyes darted towards him, but just like before, they slid away after a second. "Hey, stop ignoring me!" He took another step forwards, but Romanov wasn't having it. She matched his step, pointing her gun at him while her fingers reached back for one of the small explosives on her belt.

Then, like a gnat buzzing in his helmet, Fury spoke up. "Stark, keep your distance. We can't afford to lose three Avengers at once."

Ignoring the pessimistic director, Tony proceeded to take another step, and this time, Loki tracked his movements from the corner of his eye. "Why did you come, Loki? You knew there was nothing here. What is Thanos making you do?"

At last Loki turned to face Tony, but the victory of the god's attention was undermined by the furious snarl his grin had contorted into. "You presume many things." The SHIELD agents hefted their guns higher in response to Loki's taut muscles. "Thanos makes me do nothing."

"Bullshit," Tony snapped, and Loki's eyes burned bright. Tony was aware that he was playing with fire and knew that he should be charging up a repulsor in case Loki lashed out, but some part of him just could not fathom that the god would harm him. He continued to speak brusquely, relying on a wish for protection. "You've used the staff—you know what it does. Or is the whole glowing eye thing just a fashion statement? Because babe, you looked a hell of a lot better without it."

Said glowing eyes narrowed, and Loki's hand flared acidic green. "I have been given the truth and power beyond your imagining," he hissed. "Do not think me as weak as you."

"Sir," the agent standing to Tony's left (Agent Derkhaunt, if he remembered correctly) started, keeping her aim locked onto Loki's eyes as pre-brainwashed Romanov had done. "Loki is becoming increasingly hostile. Do your orders still stand?"

In ordering the agents not to shoot, Tony understood that he was endangering their lives, and yet he was confident that if Loki attacked, he could protect them. He didn't need people firing just because Loki was making a threat display, especially with Romanov there. With Loki they had some leeway, but one stray bullet was enough to kill the Black Widow, regardless of how skilled she was.

"Hold your fire until I saw otherwise," Tony said, and while no one relaxed their guard, they nodded. Then Tony focused on Loki and Romanov; the latter was watching everything play out with otherworldly indifference while the former seemed ready to explode at any second. Fighting either of them was not what Tony had set out to do, but they didn't seem keen on listening. That didn't keep Tony from trying. "Loki, look at what you are doing! This isn't you! Thanos is controlling you—both of you!"

"I am not being controlled," the god replied, bristling, and Romanov said nothing, content to let Loki take the lead.

"Yes, you are," Tony said, and when that seemed to be making no headway, he changed his approach; raising his hands in peace and lowering his voice, he insisted, "Look, we aren't your enemy. I'm not your enemy. I know you must be confused right now, but let us help you."

"I do not need help, Stark." The magic concentrating on the god's skin continued to thicken, inching up his arms and seething under the fluorescent lights. "Especially not from you."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, princess." Tony kept his arms spread wide despite the god's increasing instability. "You don't need me, fine. That's up to you. But please, put the staff down. Put the staff down, and-"

That was the last straw for Loki's patience, and he flung his hands outwards, releasing the mass of roiling energy. But unlike what Tony expected, the attack was not aimed at him; it was aimed at the agents beside him. Iron Man had only a split second to throw himself in front of the blast, which collided with the center of his chest plate and forced a breathless groan from his lips. The impact sent him skidding backwards, boots shrieking loudly against the concrete, until his back brushed against the agents' ballistics shields.

Loki went rigid, his hands freezing mid-motion with another blast of magic gathering on them. It wasn't just Tony's interception itself that surprised him; the god's eyes were drawn to the runes etched into red paint, pulsing from the magic they had just absorbed. "You remember making this, don't you?" Tony asked as the lights dancing across the surface of the suit died down. "You did this to protect me, so why are you attacking me now? Huh? What do you think has changed?"

"I was weak before. But now you and your beloved planet are of no use to me."

Were it any other situation, hearing those words from Loki's mouth would have hurt. But now, Tony couldn't even begin to feel upset; everything Loki said was so obviously false—constructed by whatever magic was fucking around with his brain—that it meant nothing. The only thing Tony felt as Loki continued ranting—"Mortals are nothing more than ants under the heel of a boot. You shall be crushed, and your resistance meaningless. Midgard will fall."—was sorrow for the god himself, because the scepter had mangled Loki's perceptions so severely that he could no longer feel what he once had.

And with that sorrow came the fear that no matter what Tony did, he might not be able to restore Loki's heart. Those worries he pushed aside; right now, his goal was simply to make Loki stop. "But can't you see? That's what Thanos wants, and you're right: you don't serve him. So what do you want? What is this going to gain you, Loki?"

"I will gain power and a throne. I will have what was taken from me," the god sneered as he glared into Tony's eyes. His magic writhed like snakes. "And you will not stand in my way."

This time Tony reacted too slow; fangs of augmented ice lashed outwards, slamming into his side. He was thrown from the ground as if the suit weighed nothing and crashed into the shield of Agent Derkhaunt. They were both sent sprawling. Tony's head rang from smacking into the ground, but that didn't drown out the perturbed shouts of, "Don't move! Put your hands in the air!"

Tony groaned, clambering to his feet. Through the throng of agents that had rushed to cover them, he met Loki's vivid eyes. The god's mouth was pressed in a thin line and his muscles tensed as if he was about to flee, which may have been because the guns pointed at him were a breath away from being fired. But Tony didn't think Loki was holding back because he was afraid of SHIELD.

Either way, there was no follow up attack, and Tony tore his gaze away from the god to check on Derkhaunt; she was lying dazed on the ground behind him, both her gun and shield having slid from slack hands, but after a moment she met his gaze with a nod. "I'm okay." Another agent was making his way back towards them, gun still fixed firmly on Loki. He leaned down to offer his help. Derkhaunt gathered her weapons and got back on her feet, wiping the blood off her brow with the back of her hand.

"Stark, whatever you are doing, it isn't working," Fury said as Tony returned his attention to Loki, who had relaxed his stance and didn't seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere. By the god's side, Romanov brought her free hand up to her ear and tilted her head as she listened to unknown chatter.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," he retorted while the agents parted to let him through; this time, Tony's palms were glowing. "Don't you have something better to be doing? Like managing the Helicarrier?" In hindsight, Tony shouldn't have tempted fate like that; all he managed to do was take a few steps forwards, the god's name on his tongue, before shit hit the fan.

Out of nowhere, a high-pitched screech filled Iron Man's helmet and he flinched in surprise. Thinking that there was something wrong with Jarvis, Tony snapped, "Jarv, knock that off, man!" The sound didn't stop, and then Tony noticed that he wasn't the only one affected; agents were reaching up to grab at their headsets with a wince. It didn't take long for Tony to connect the dots.

"Fury, what the hell are you doing?" he shouted over the blare, but there was no reply. "Fury!" Then Tony's eyes fell on Loki. A multitude of expressions flittered across the god's face, moving so quickly that Tony could hardly identify them, but there were two that stood out: triumph and regret. Shifting the blame, Tony demanded, "Loki, what did you do?" just as the screech in his ears became deathly silent.

Face settling in cold satisfaction, Loki said, "I did what I had to do." He turned to Romanov and spoke loudly, inviting them to listen. "Is the raid progressing as planned?"

"The Helicarrier has been boarded and their servers shut down," Romanov confirmed while meeting the eyes of her old comrades, as if to say that even in knowing Loki's plans, they were powerless to stop him.

"Shit." Tony's heart hammered in his chest. "Fury, are you there? SHIELD, do you copy? Does anyone from the Helicarrier copy?" Just as before, there was no reply; the HUD flashed 'disconnected' back at him. Other agents were also attempting to reach Fury, but from the sound of it, they too failed. Loki seemed content to watch them scramble, like the cat that got the canary. Even when an agent finally got a line through, the god did not react besides letting a lazy grin spread across his lips.

"Mr. Stark, while the Helicarrier is still disconnected, we've reached the stationary troops. They have requested to move towards our position and apprehend Loki," one of the agents said, pitching her voice low as if the god wasn't hearing every word that came from both her mouth and headset. "What are your orders?"

Tony had a sinking feeling in his gut. "They can't help here. Send them to the Helicarrier."

His command was strengthened when Romanov turned to Loki and said, "Sir, the first wave has experienced more resistance than expected. SHIELD is recovering the Helicarrier."

Loki's triumphant grin slipped, and he growled, "All of them are useless. Utterly useless. If they can't do it, then I will." His hands began to glow as he reached out to touch Romanov, and Tony's stomach clenched. No. Not again. Not this time. He lunged forwards faster than he even thought possible, and just as the spell reached its peak, Tony's hand gripped Loki's shoulder. The world was wrenched away.

When Tony crashed back down into reality, his body slamming into unyielding metal, nausea churned in his gut and his muscles trembled. "Fuck," he gasped before rolling onto his elbows and dry heaving. Never before had teleporting felt like this—like his guts were ripped from his body and then thrown haphazardly back in.

He wasn't the only one suffering from errant magic, and as Tony regained his bearings, he lifted his head to see both Loki and Romanov sprawled on the floor. To his surprise, Loki was not the first to recover. In fact, the opposite seemed to be true; pale fingers twitched spasmodically on the scepter's ridged surface, alternating between letting go and clutching the metal like a lifeline. Loki's helmet had somehow gotten knocked loose, and long black hair fanned out in disarray. The sight recalled old memories of a broken god lying on the dented hood of a car, appearing to be nothing more than a skeleton dressed up and cast away.

Romanov shook her head and climbed to her knees. Then she made to stand up, but before she did, her attention was drawn to Loki's shuddering form. Frowning, she leaned towards him, and her expression darkened when her eyes followed the god's arm to the staff he now held in a death grip.

Just as the agent reached towards Loki, the god flinched as if struck by lightning. Romanov jerked back in surprise, and Loki twisted away from her, flying to his feet. His chest was heaving in what Tony thought was panic, but then the god turned towards him, and Tony realized that it was rage.

"You fool." Loki took a threatening step forwards; any thought that Tony had about the god being vulnerable disappeared. "Do you know what you have done?"

"Uhh... Hitched a ride on magic express?" Tony hastily got to his feet and backed away from the irate god. Keeping an eye on Loki, he turned his head to discern where they were; it was the Helicarrier, no doubt, but not anywhere he had been before. Massive crates stacked in long rows were interspersed with hanging walkways and massive pipelines. From above, the faint sounds of shouting and gunfire echoed.

"I would have left you alive had you remained where you were," the god snarled. "But now you have worn out my patience."

Tony was going to answer—try and placate the god before he brought the entire ship down around them—but he was distracted by Romanov; the agent had decided that Loki could look after himself and was slipping off towards the exit, presumably to join the battle upstairs. Afraid that if he did not stop her she'd do something stupid like get herself killed, Tony stepped forwards, but Loki grew incensed at his dismissal. The god forced him back with a bolt of magic. "You want to stop me? Thenfight me."

Ice protruded from the ground in a sweeping arc, and Tony had to rocket into the air to avoid being impaled; out of the corner of his eye, he saw Romanov escape from the hull. Then another wave of ice was sent towards him, and he didn't have time to worry about the assassin as one of the spikes caught his leg and sent him spinning into the ground. A second later, the floor just inches from his face was ripped asunder. Rising to his feet, Tony desperately shouted, "I don't want to fight you!"

"Why? Do you think me unworthy?" Loki stalked forwards; Tony backed farther into cavernous room. "Forever the weak little godling that fell into your mercy?"

"No! I'm not fighting you because you're my friend!"

"Sentiment," Loki scoffed. "We were never allies. Never friends ." This time the god's onslaught got alarmingly close to gouging out a chunk of Tony's thigh, and the man knew that this game of cat and mouse could not continue. Instead of winding down, Loki was working himself into a frenzy. "I used you. Nothing more."

"Do the past three years really mean nothing to you?" Tony ducked to avoid a split pipe that was swinging towards his head. Once metal stopped raining down on him, he continued, "This isn't you, Loki! If you'd just stop to think, you'd realize that Thanos is screwing with your brain!"

Just like before, Loki did not appreciate the insinuation that he wasn't in control; he lunged for Tony, and even without a shitload of metal encasing his limbs, the man was no match for the god's uncanny speed. He managed to deflect a punch, but a second later he careened into the crate behind him with a boot-shaped dent on his chest.

Gasping for air, Tony knew that he had passed the point of talking Loki down. The god was still advancing on him, void of the compassion he once had. Whatever had been done to his mind would not relinquish its hold so easily, and right now, Loki was intent on hurting—possibly even killing—Tony. If Iron Man did not fight back, he would not escape unscathed. But harming Loki when he was innocent was the last thing Tony wanted to do. Even as he flared his repulsors, he pleaded, "Don't make me fight you, Loki."

The god's response was to fling more ice at him, but before the the twisted spires hit, a repulsor blast shattered them and sent chunks sliding across the floor.

"Jarvis..." Tony started, hating the words that were about to be said. "Activate all systems to full power."

While Jarvis's 'yes, sir' was subdued, the AI pulled no stops in activating the suits defenses; the HUD came alive along with slumbering runes, and energy crackled through the wiring. At the sight of the vivified sigils, Loki at last halted his march. He eyed the armor warily, but Tony couldn't delude himself into thinking that the god had given up; once Loki devised a plan, he'd dismantle Iron Man piece by piece.

"I'm sorry," Tony said even though he knew it would not matter to this Loki. But when his Loki—witty, mischievous, brilliant Loki—came back, then maybe his apology would excuse what he was about to do; he raised his palm and fired straight at the god's heart.

For all that Loki preached that there was never a bond between the two of them, he certainly seemed shocked that Tony actually attacked him. The god barely leapt out of the way in time, but once he recovered himself, Loki sent a blast of magic in return. Tony spread his legs and raised his palm; the magic hit with a bang, jarring Tony's shoulder, but the suit held his limb in place as the energy sunk into the runes.

The energy that rocketed from the repulsor was twice the size of the one absorbed, and this time Loki had no room to dodge as it bore down on him. He was knocked to the ground, and Tony couldn't help but flinch. However, not even a second passed before Loki climbed to his feet, bristling with indignation. "Are you so weak that you must use one of my own creations to fight against me?"

"Hey now Edison, don't go taking credit for things you didn't do. This suit is eighty-percent my baby." Tony prepared himself for another shot. "And I think we both know you'd do the same. It's called being practical."

Overhead, the lights suddenly began to flicker. At first Tony thought that Loki was causing it, but then he heard the distant cries grow louder and more agitated; the ceiling shook and rained dust down upon their heads. Taking advantage of Tony's distraction, Loki hissed out a spell and traced his fingers through the air. Tony realized his mistake and fired at the god, but he was too late. Five Loki's scattered throughout the passageway, and Tony quickly lost track of which one was real. He took a random guess and fired at the clone keeping its distance, but that Loki grinned and dissolved into green shimmers.

Lightning streaked over Tony's head, and when he spun towards the source, he found two Loki's standing on a crate to his right. Iron Man focused on them, and the missile slots on his wrist popped open. The HUD locked onto each of the images and the suit fired. As the projectiles neared, one of the Loki's didn't even bother dodging and dissolved upon impact. The other teleported out of the way, reappearing on the other side of an overhanging walkway.

Convinced that he had found the real Loki, Tony erroneously disregarded the shades coming up behind him. He blasted his repulsor at the walkway just as Loki flung a blast of magic at him. A wave of green came over Tony as the walkway shuddered, but to his disbelief, the attack was just a farce; it glittered insubstantially into his armor. His eyes widened, and he jerked his gaze to where Loki had just been on the walkway. No one was there.

Had Tony reacted an instant later, Loki's scepter probably would have gouged out his eye. The god appeared directly behind him, swinging the bladed end of the spear at Iron Man's mask. Tony recoiled, but the blow still landed on the side of his visor. Runes smolder as they tried to mitigate the damage, but they were overcome. The metal dented inwards, slicing into Tony's cheek.

Loki's other hand followed the attack with twisting, screeching lightning. This time, Tony was able to intercept the god as he aimed for his heart. The bolt flew into the mass of wires overhead, causing the lights to explode. Glass and sparks fell down around them, and the room was cast into darkness. Both Loki and Tony stood out in the swathe of black—Iron Man glowed soft teal while Loki's eyes and staff emitted a piercing cerulean.

Utilizing the stark light, Tony grabbed for Loki's scepter while he kept his other hand wrapped around the god's wrist. Loki's eyes widened as the suit's hand locked around the golden rod, and he tried to tear the spear away. Tony refused to budge.

"Let go," the god hissed; his hands sparked belligerently.

"Why are you protecting it?" Tony demanded while twisting his wrist, trying to wrench the damn thing away. "It did this to you!"

"It's mine," Loki replied, sounding far too much like Gollum for Tony's comfort. Then the god sent another blast of lightning at Tony, and the electricity raced through the man's armor and sung through his veins. Tony flinched violently—he remembered searing anguish racing through every nerve and seizing his heart—and accidentally released his grip on Loki and the staff.

The god retreated a few feet and started to create even more lightning, and while Tony knew it was foolish—knew that this suit could not reach a fatal charge—he could not shake the panic that welled in his chest. Attempting to bury his fear beneath a confident facade, Tony goaded, "What do you expect to do with that, huh? We designed this armor to fight your brother, remember? Your little light show isn't going to cut it." Once the words left his mouth, however, he realized how stupid they were; why did he think it was a good idea to bring up Thor and then offer the enraged god advice on how to better kill him?

Loki snarled, and the electricity he was gathering doubled, arcing wildly across his skin and zapping nearby metal. Despite his assertion that the lightning could not harm him, Tony immediately lunged out of the way of the crackling bolt and followed its trajectory with wide eyes. When the lightning dispersed into faint arcs, Tony turned back to Loki in time to see the end of the god's transformation: pale flesh turned ebony, and bones warped. Then the massive hound ('hound' being a very loose description, seeing as how the last time Tony checked, dogs did not have six legs) rushed Iron Man.

Loki's fanged, slavering maw snapped close mere inches from Tony's head, and the man yelled as he staggered back. When the beast reared onto its hind legs, Tony raised both hands to its panting chest; the repulsor blast overturned Loki, and scything claws slashed at empty air in an attempt to regain balance. The floor shuddered as the god went down, and before the hound could get back up, Tony shot him again. Loki howled.

Hearing the agony in the god's voice made Tony hesitate. That too was a mistake. Rows of serrated teeth clamped down around his left arm and viciously yanked the limb upward. This time it was Tony who cried out as his shoulder was nearly dislocated and fangs crunched the suit. Then the protection spell triggered, and magic discharged into Loki's face. Lacerations across the god's muzzle gushed with blood, but Loki did not let go. He started to overpower the suits fortifications, and Tony grit his teeth as what started out as mere pinpricks of pain became daggers.

The unibeam seared Loki's chest, and the resulting shriek made Tony's head ring. Claws and teeth scraped against his armor, and the god was blasted loose to roll three times before coming to a stop. Tony hoped that this time it was enough, that they could stop fighting, but the massive form picked itself up off the ground and glared at the man with insane blue eyes. Loki slammed into the base of a storage crate when Tony fired the unibeam again, and it toppled over his back, obscuring the telltale blue glow from view. Tony waited for the god to reappear, but a minute passed and Loki still did not come around the corner of the crate.

Worried that he had gone too far, Tony used his repulsor as a flashlight and inched closer to where the hound had vanished. "Uhhh... Loki?" He crept around the edge of the mangled storage bin, half expecting a gaping maw to clamp down on his head, but when he pivoted around the corner with his hands outstretched, there was nothing but a puddle of blood on the floor.

Once again Loki caught Tony unaware; he leapt down from the shrouded walkway and wrapped his hand around Tony's throat as he fell. Iron Man was shoved to the ground and pinned by Loki's absurd weight. Right above his mask, the tip of the scepter glared down at him. "Fuck," was the most eloquent thing Tony could think to say. He craned his head away from the spear and lashed out with his arms, but Loki refused to relinquish him. The god removed his hand from Tony's throat to shove down one arm while his knee pinned the other.

"You're weak," Loki said, and as he spoke, the deep gashes across his face stretched grotesquely; fresh blood oozed slowly towards his chin. If Loki didn't look deranged before, he certainly did not. "You always were. I was a fool to think there was anything special about you."

In an effort to diffuse Loki's rage—or at the very least buy more time—Tony joked, "Aww, you thought I was special? That's-" He gasped as Loki shoved down on his chest. "Damn, princess, do you really have to straddle me like that? I mean, I know I'm hot, but you weigh a fucking ton."

His words did nothing. Within the scepter's blades, the blue gem began to collect energy. Tony's bravado started to slip away. His eyes darted towards the unibeam's loading bar, but he had used too much power; it was barely at thirty percent.

"Loki, let me go," Tony ordered while putting every bit of strength he had into escaping, but the god's hold was impervious. The blue got brighter, and Tony's heart thundered. Supposed immortality or not, he had no interest in seeing what would happen if half of his face was incinerated. Abandoning his pride—what good would it do him if he was dead?—he said, "Loki, please, don't do this. I know you are somewhere in there. Please." The staff was now almost too bright to look at, and Tony futilely jerked his limbs one last time. "Loki, stop ."

Not expecting his final plea to have any effect, Tony twisted his eyes closed and braced himself. But a second went by, then two, and his head was still in one piece. Tony cautiously peeked his eyes open, and then they widened when he took in the sight of Loki staring down at him. The staff was still in the god's hand, roiling and flaring with magic, but his entire body was rigid; beneath a creased brow, Loki's eyes alternated between bright blue and dull green.

"Loki?" Tony asked breathlessly as the flickering slowed, staying predominately green. "Loki, are you in there?"

Loki started to respond, but the words got caught in his throat as the blue started creeping back then faded.

"Come on, Loki," Tony encouraged. "Don't let them control you."

"I'm not..." Loki began haltingly, but his words no longer held confidence, and he trailed off. The god's hold started to loosen, and Tony thought the Loki had done it; he cast off the monsters controlling his mind.

But then Loki suddenly went rigid, his eyes roving towards empty space while his hand tightened around the staff. Pain and terror contorted his expression, and Tony shouted, "Loki!" His words came too late; the green seared bright blue again. Wrath overcame the hurt and confusion. The spear pulsed.

There was no time to think; the unibeam reached full charge, and Tony fired it point blank an instant before Loki's spear did the same. As the god flung backwards, seething magic bore into the ground mere feet from Tony's head. Layers of thick steel were torn apart, revealing light from outside, and the floor bucked. Tony faced away from the concussive blast, feeling it buffet his armor.

Over the sound of the eruption, Tony heard another bang, this time accentuated by the crack of bone. He pried his head from the ground in time to see Loki, his chest smoking, fall to the ground. The god landed in a heap, and the scepter rolled from his limp fingers.

"...Loki?" Tony asked nervously. The god didn't stir. Tony scrambled to his feet, ignoring how the armor aggravated his wounds. "Loki, come on dude! I didn't hit you that hard!"

Finally, to Tony's immense relief, Loki began to move. One of his hands lifted to clutch at the back of his head, and the faint whisper of a groan made its way to Tony. Concerned, the man immediately headed towards the god, but after a few steps he remembered that the last time he thought he hurt Loki, the god ambushed him. Slowing down, he called out, "Alright, princess, I'd really appreciated it if you didn't attack me again. Maybe we could talk this out, get a drink, and-"

Beneath Tony's feet, the Helicarrier shuddered violently. His words were drowned out by roaring metal, and the next thing he knew, the ground was no longer supporting him; everything slanted at a forty-five degree angle, and gravity dragged Iron Man down. His feet slid out from under him, and with a cry, he tumbled towards the edge of the room. The massive storage crates also began to move, and Tony's eyes widened as one careened towards him. He struggled to right himself, but the second he activated his boots, the ship tilted even farther, and he accidentally propelled himself into the crate behind him.

Just as a ton of steel was about to make an Iron Man pancake, a jet of green slammed into the side of the descending crate. The impact knocked it off course, and with a screech, the crate rolled into a nearby walkway support. But that was only the beginning, and as the Helicarrier continued to plunge and cant, Tony could hardly tell up from down. Chunks of loose metal pummeled the suit from all sides, and more than once the man found himself flung into a crate or wall.

Yet there was little he could do to aide himself. Even if he knew where the exit was, there was no way he could reach it. To make matters worse, he was not alone in the falling ship; countless agents were in the upper levels, and Loki's presence was punctuated by the occasional burst of magic that rippled through the air. Still brainwashed or not, Tony hoped that the god would flee; otherwise they would all be smashed into smithereens.

Then, mere moments before impact, the Helicarrier miraculously began to level out. Tony stopped flinging all over the place, and he clutched at the ground with sprawled limbs. He took a few deep breaths before all of the air was once again pummeled from his lungs; the Helicarrier groaned and lurched as it skidded to a stop.

Once the world finally stilled, no longer tilting and shuddering beneath him, Tony laid panting on the ground. Adrenaline trilled through his veins, and he could hardly believe that he was still alive. Everything had gone dark around him; the red exit lights had blinked out, and the gaping wound Loki had torn into the hull was engulfed in darkness. Only the faint light from his suit remained, and even that was fading.

Tony dragged himself to his feet with a wince, and the HUD began to fritz. When Jarvis spoke, his voice was garbled and distorted. "Sir, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm... I'm good. Somehow." Squinting into the darkness, Tony tried to activate the repulsor, but it flared for just an instant before dying with a crackle. "Jarvis, what's wrong with the suit?"

"The circuitry sustained damage in the fall, sir," the AI replied, his voice becoming more indistinct every time Tony shifted. "I would recommend removing the suit at your earliest convenience."

"That's just great," Tony muttered. Metal grated when he flexed his arm, digging the torn sheets into his skin, and he sighed. Jarvis was right; he couldn't keep the suit on for long.

Through cracked lenses, Tony surveyed the caliginous hull for any sign of Loki. When he saw nothing, he cautiously walked forwards, keeping his muscles tense in case the god decided to ambush him again. Though he tried to be quiet, he bumped into three crates and tripped in a puddle of water before he finally found what he was looking for; there was a faint blue glow on the other side of the room. But upon getting closer, Tony realized that the light was originating from under a mountain of twisted steel, and he picked up his pace. "Please tell me that isn't Loki…"

Then out of nowhere, a hand grabbed onto Tony's shoulder, yanking him to a halt. Shouting in surprise, the man barely heard a tired voice ask, "What isn't Loki?" as he reacted on instinct. Iron Man spun around, wrenched his arm free, and punched the person attacking him as hard as he could. There was a crunch and Loki 'oomf'-ed, staggering back a step while clutching at his nose. Tony was about to punch the god again when his brain finally caught up to his fist. He stopped and stared at Loki, who was shoving his broken nose back into position with a groan, with his mouth hanging open.

"Uhh..." Tony said ineloquently, arm still raised mid-punch. "Loki?" It was hard to make out the god in the gloom, but that only drew his attention to the most important detail: Loki's eyes weren't glowing. Admittedly he still looked pissed, but more of in the 'Tony Stark, you are an insufferable idiot' kind of way and not the 'I'm about to blast your head off' way.

"Who else would it be?" the god asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose before pulling his dripping hand away. "I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop hitting me in the head."

Despite his caution, a grin was starting to spread across Tony's face. Were it not for the fact that Loki might have killed him if he tried, he would have hugged the god. "Don't go grabbing people in the dark then. Fuck, I thought you were trying to kill me." He laughed for a moment, and then it dropped off awkwardly. "…You weren't trying to kill me, right?"

"I assure you, I am once again in my right mind," Loki said. Then his hands suddenly brightened, and Tony flinched, his mind immediately concluding that Loki was attacking him despite the god's words. But just as he started activating his repulsors, he realized that Loki hadn't moved; the god watched him with a guarded his expression while his magic pushed back the darkness.

Feeling ashamed of overacting to Loki's improvised flashlight, Tony automatically began to apologize. "Sorry, I..." He trailed off when he finally got a good glimpse of Loki's face: long gashes went across his cheeks, their exact location obscured by a mix of fresh and congealing blood, and the god's eyes were crinkled against the light. When said eyes met his, Tony could see the uneven dilation of his pupils, a clear sign of head injury. "Damn, princess, you look like shit."

"I am no worse off than you," Loki said while looking away. His gaze inevitably drifted towards the scepter's pulsating light, waxing and waning against the walls like a beckoning tide, and without another word, he veered towards it.

The sight of Loki walking single-mindedly towards the weapon, the moth to its flame, unnerved Tony. "Loki, what are you doing?" He rushed to catch up to the god. Loki didn't answer, and while Tony felt guilty for it, he couldn't stop the practical part of his mind from getting suspicious. "Are you sure you're not being controlled at all? I mean, I guess if you were still brainwashed, you could always lie about it, but..."

Loki finally responded, slowing down and glancing sideways at Tony. "I do not believe Thanos still has access to my mind, but beyond that, there is nothing I can say to ease your doubts. You just have to trust me."

The god made trust sound so easy, but Tony had noticed Loki's hesitance when he mentioned Thanos—saw the way he shuddered at merely speaking the name—and there was no ignoring the fact that he also hadn't stopped; Loki drew closer to the undulating light, picking his way around fallen metal and skirting around the deep pool of water that was rapidly filling the center of the hull.

Each step Loki took made Tony more anxious, and he considered forcing the god to stop. Yet step after step went by and he did nothing. It was cowardly of him, and he may regret it later, but Tony was loathe to start another fight. All he did was ask apprehensively, "Can't you just leave that where it is?" as they reached the mound under which the scepter slept.

Grabbing hold of the mangled walkway that had ensnared the spear, Loki replied, "I do not want to risk the Other getting a hold of it again." Then he shoved the twisted mass aside, and the blue light doubled its brilliance. Slowly, Loki reached down towards the unearthed scepter, which continued to brighten as he drew closer as if it was calling to him.

"Then destroy it. Loki, you shouldn't-" Tony began, stepping forwards with an arm extended, but the god had already wrapped his fingers around the gold rod. Loki lifted the weapon into the air, and any doubt Tony had to whether or not he was still under its control vanished; instead of gazing at the scepter with reverence, Loki held it far away from his body with a glint of fear in his eyes. The gem at the tip of the spear flickered, and the god flinched imperceptibly.

Coming to a decision, Loki shoved the scepter towards Tony. "Destroying it isn't an option. Take it."

More than happy to get the wicked thing away from the god, Tony didn't even complain about having something handed to him. He snatched the weapon from Loki's hands before he could reconsider, and the second it lost contact with the god's skin, the gem dimmed. Tony turned the scepter over in his hands, surprised that he couldn't feel any malevolence from it. After the way Loki was treating it, he thought it would do something... more. But for him, it was nothing more than an odd looking spear.

Loki broke Tony out of his reverie. "We should check what's happening upstairs," he said, and though Loki aimed for his words to be neutral, Tony knew him well enough to detect the regret in his voice.

Immediately he tried to curtail that doomed vein of thought. "It's not your fault. You weren't in control of your actions." But even as the words were leaving his mouth, Loki shook his head.

"It's not as simple as that," Loki said, which Tony thought was ridiculous; he had watched the god struggle against the scepter's control and knew that if Loki had a choice, he never would have let any of this happen. He intended to say as much, but Loki cut him off. "Regardless of where the blame lies, the damage is already done. All that's left now is to try and put things right."

With that being said, Loki spun on his heel and, after stumbling slightly, stalked towards the exit. Scepter in hand, Tony hurried to follow with a dozen declarations on his tongue. But looking at Loki—disheveled, exhausted, and haunted—he wasn't sure which ones would be suitable. Should he offer words of comfort and insist it wasn't his fault or make an optimistic comment and joke to ease the mood? Or should he listen to Loki and let it be?

It was true that what Loki did could never be undone, but not for a second did Tony blame him. Even when Loki was about to kill him, he never thought that it was the god's fault. But he wasn't the only one Loki wronged while under Thanos's control. Should he bring up the memories, remind Loki of all the people he did manage to kill and put words to the fact that he was used as a weapon to strike the Helicarrier from the sky?

In the end, Tony kept quiet. Clearly Loki wasn't in the mood to talk about it; the least Tony could do was give the god a few minutes to collect his thoughts before Fury scavenged his mind.