Author's Note: A big thank you to my reviewers as usual. In answer to your review AlbertaxRose Thor was trying to remain calm; he is furious with Loki but he's prioritising getting him back over being too angry at the moment. He's relying on Odin to make Loki feel bad too once he gets him back home to Asgard. However I have pondered putting another Thor/Loki scene into the story once Loki is in the cage, a few times already and writing the brothers is fun so I've decided to include it in this chapter. Oh and fair warning I'll be putting a bit of a gap of time between the Loki / Natasha conversation and the scene where everything goes to hell on that ship. Enjoy!

Lost Souls

Chapter Twenty Five

Loki had been in S.H.I.E.L.D's custody for over 24 hours now and there was no denying he was bored even if he was here with a purpose. Being the God of Mischief, Loki always liked to be doing something. He wasn't the sit still for long type of person so he took to just wandering his cell, losing himself in thoughts of his plans with the Chitauri and the oncoming battle. He needed some time to let the Avengers get riled up by his ridiculously calm presence. Once discord began to spread, he knew how to make his escape.

He was in the middle of crossing the space in his cell when he heard the door open loudly and heavy footsteps cross the metal floor towards the cage. Loki looked up to see Thor stood there, arms folded and not looking happy. But then when it comes to me, when does he ever? Loki told himself with amusement and pride. He slowly turned to face his "brother" and grinned slightly.

"They've sent you to interrogate me? Let me guess; they want to try the softly-softly family approach where you coax me into confessing all my darkest plans?" Loki said with a slight sneer.

"Listen well, brother," Thor said stepping forward.

"I'm still listening," Loki retorted in amusement.

"You think this is a game?" growled Thor. "After what I told you about Catherine and your child, you can still joke like nothing's happened?"

Loki's face fell a bit. "I'm trying not to think about how your neglect of her pushed her off that bridge, to be perfectly honest. It makes me feel murderous towards you. But that's not allowed in this brotherly chat is it? Murderous feelings and all."

Thor's face contorted with rage and he raised his hammer, only to resist the urge to throw it against the cage. He stepped back, calming himself. Loki raised his eyebrows. "Still easily angered I see," he mused. "The Allfather must be proud."

"Shut up!" Thor bellowed. "Just tell me where the Tessaract is or who has it? You're not leaving here to go ahead with your plans and as soon we find them out; you're coming home with me."

"Asgard is not my ho-"

"You grew up there! You learnt your craft there! You can't turn your back on all that just because our father did you a favour!"

It was Loki's turn to redden slightly with rage. He slammed his fist against the cage wall, his eyes alive with violent aggression. "A favour? He did me a favour? Bringing me to Asgard only to grow up in your shadow; no friends save Catherine, no respect and no chance to be your equal!" Loki snarled vehemently. "No, Thor, I think not that your father did me a favour. He saw an opportunity and took it; nothing more and nothing less."

"How can you be so cold?" Thor said in disbelief. "You used to be happy, warm… my brother."

Loki sneered at Thor. "That was before I discovered the truth; my life was a lie."

"Not all of it!" Thor bellowed. "Anyway as you pointed out, you had Catherine. Was she not enough?" he asked. "Not enough to stay for, not enough for love?"

Loki's mouth pursed. "I could never have stayed in Asgard. I'm sure she would have understood."

Thor scoffed. "You really are blind to everyone's feelings for you. It was her love for you that destroyed her; like a poison seeping into her blood. Your actions have cost more than one innocent life back home. If you hadn't left, that baby would never-"

Loki's eyes widened slightly in cold fury. "What? Lived? You're blaming me for my own child's death. You think I would have wanted that to happen!" he snarled. "You know not of what you speak."

Thor shook his head. "You may not have wanted it but you caused it."

"No, you caused it;" Loki snarled. "You and Odin caused my baby's death with all your pestering for Catherine to get rid of it!" He said, the words falling from his mouth before he could take them back. "The Allfather wanted that baby dead; Catherine wouldn't abort my child so he pestered her until she became so stressed the baby died inside her." Loki hissed. "So don't you dare have the gall to blame me for Tyr's death!"

Thor stared in disbelief. "Who told you that father and I didn't want the child?" he asked quietly.

Loki could have kicked himself. He'd just given Catherine away. He tried to think of a way he could take it back but Thor was looking at him suspiciously now. He hoped the slower god wouldn't piece it all together; that was the last thing they needed, a manhunt for Catherine.

Thor advanced closer to the cage. "Who told you that? The only person who could have told you about father's insistence was Catherine herself and she's…" Thor paused as the truth began to dawn on him. He closed his eyes. "She's not dead is she? She's here isn't she?" he whispered. Loki said nothing, his eyes glaring at Thor. Thor straightened up with a growing smile on his face. "Catherine's alive and on Midgard right now," he said out loud.

Loki watched as Thor began to realise something else. "She's already told you everything; that's why you haven't reacted to me telling you," he said. "You're an exceptional liar, brother."

"Oh I think you're picking up a few tricks," Loki scorned. "You were the one trying to pass the blame of Tyr's death to me."

Thor looked up at Loki. "Your actions led to Catherine's stillbirth. I stand by what I said, if you hadn't disappeared then Odin would not have disapproved of the pregnancy quite so much."

Loki laughed sourly. "Oh so it is still my fault. So you find me, tell me my baby's dead and then proceed to blame me for it. Great brotherly actions, Thor."

Thor growled and stared into the cage angrily. "You're the one in the wrong, Loki. Don't try and pin this on me."

"I don't have to. Catherine has already made it clear that you and Odin caused the stillbirth." Loki shrugged. "Therefore I'm holding you responsible for my son's death."

"Did she not tell you how I changed my mind?" Thor said uneasily.

"Oh she told me but as far as I'm concerned you didn't help matters and you didn't exactly talk Odin down did you?" Loki shrugged. "So you both have blood on your hands." He watched as Thor punched the side of the cage in frustration. "There's no use in throwing a hissy fit now, brother." Loki spoke the brother with such a sneer that Thor glared at him. "So, now you know Catherine's alive; what are you going to do?"

Thor began to smirk. "I'll tell you if you tell me where the Tessaract is."

Loki laughed. "Nice try but without the whereabouts of the Tessaract you cannot hope to find Catherine so why should I tell you?"

"So Catherine is with the Tessaract?" Thor questioned.

Loki looked amused. "Maybe, maybe not. I am the God of Lies after all."

XMARVELX

A few hours later, Loki was sat in his cage running fingers through his hair. That had been careless letting Thor know where Catherine was; though he suspected that letting Thor know had been the lesser of some evils. Thor was soft enough to not harm Catherine whereas Loki couldn't be so sure when it came to the others. Speaking of the others, Loki heard the door open again and he looked up to see Captain America enter the room.

"Oh, another visitor? Wonderful," he sneered as he got to his feet and approached the cage door.

"Stop playing games, Loki," said Steve Rogers. "We need to find the Tessaract. You have no idea the trouble it will cause even for you. You think it will help you get your army but it will call out to other races to invade the Earth. You will be at constant war."

Loki laughed. "How little you know, puny human. I can control the Tessaract. I have powers, you humans can only dream of."

Steve shook his head. "Your arrogance is blinding you. You might think you can rule the Earth without any repercussions but you're wrong."

"Is that supposed to sound tough?" Loki asked. "Am I supposed to be intimidated by your fighting talk? Rebel all you want, the Earth will be mine regardless of anything you do."

"Am I supposed to be impressed by your confidence?" Steve retorted. "Your arrogance will bring you down. With you locked up in here, how exactly do you plan to carry out your plans?" He folded his arms. "I'm sure your little buddies could set things up but at the end of the day you're the one who's needed so how exactly are you going to be taking over the world from inside this cage?"

Loki didn't say anything but his smirk widened in the silence that fell between them. He could see it was making Rogers uneasy and it amused him greatly. He just stood there, arms behind his back watching Rogers stare right back at him. It was a silent staring contest and one that Loki knew he would win. Rogers would give up long before he would. He was proved right several minutes later.

Captain America turned around and muttering under his breath, left the room and an amused Loki.

XMARVELX

"So you're the famous, Loki," Tony Stark mused as he entered the room. "How are you liking the cage? It's quite snazzy even though it's not one of my creations."

Loki just gave him a sneer. "What have you come for, Iron Man?" he said darkly. "Are you going to try and threaten me into submission? I assure you, you're wasting your time."

"Oh I know," said Stark. "That's why I'm not wasting my energy on you," he said. "I've decided to focus on your little girlfriend instead. I'm sure if we can get hold of her, she'll be much more useful to us if she thinks something's happened to you," he said with a smirk.

Loki's sneer dropped and an angry look crossed his face. "You stay the hell away from her," he said. "If you so much as touch her, I'll snap your neck."

"How are you going to do that from your cosy little cage?" smirked Stark. "I never said I'd harm her. She might even welcome a real man's advances anyway. I've heard you're a real Frost Giant in bed anyway," he chuckled.

Loki's wrists hit the cage as he slammed them again the glass. "Don't push me, Stark. I'll melt your precious armour down whilst you're still wearing it!"

"Oooh, that's a scary thought coming from someone in a cage," Stark shrugged.

Loki straightened up and lowered his arms. "You won't find her. You don't even know what she looks like," he said with a smirk. "You can threaten all you like but you will never find her."

Tonk walked up to the cage. "Oh I wouldn't count us out just yet. We know exactly how to get her here," he said with a smile. "Hey maybe we'll bring her along to say hello, keep your spirits up," he grinned. He laughed as Loki launched himself against the cage. "Or you could spare her the hassle and just tell us where the Tessaract is, we'll hand you over to Thor and you can go home," he said.

Loki glared at him. "I'll tell you nothing."

Tony let out a sigh of regret. "Shame. Oh well, plan B it is then. Or rather Plan C for Catherine," he said and turned round, heading out of the room with a loud laugh.

XMARVELX

Loki was in the middle of pacing his cell when he sensed a presence behind him; impressive, he told himself, he hadn't heard her come into the room. He slowly began to turn around. "There's not many people who can sneak up on me," he said to Agent Romanoff who was stood just outside the cage, arms folded and watching him intently.

"But you figured I'd come," she said.

"After," Loki admitted. "After whatever tortures Fury can concoct," he said with amusement. "You'd appear as a friend, a balm and I would cooperate."

"I want to know what you've done to Agent Barton," said Natasha.

"I'd say I've expanded his mind," Loki replied raising his eyebrows.

Natasha just stared at him. "And once you've won; once you're king of the mountain; what happens to his mind?" she asked.

Loki chuckled. "Is this love Agent Romanoff?"

Natasha scoffed quietly. "Love is for children; I owe him a debt," she said simply.

Loki ignored the annoyance in his brain at her dig about love. She was clearly lying; she loved Barton. He stepped backwards, watching her carefully. "Tell me," he said before sitting down, watching as she did the same across the room.

"Before I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D, I, ah, well, I made a name for myself," Natasha began. "I have a very specific skill set; I didn't care who I used it for, or on," she explained. "I got on S.H.I.E.L.D's radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me. He made a different call."

"What will you do if I vow to spare him?" Loki asked out of curiosity.

"Not let you out," Natasha bit back.

"Oh, no but I like this," Loki grinned at her. "Your world in the balance and you bargain for one man?" he asked raising his eyebrows.

"Regimes fall every day," said Natasha. "I tend not to weep over that; I'm Russian. Or at least I was."

"And what are you now?" Loki asked, watching her intently.

Natasha slowly stood up. "It's really not that complicated. I got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out." She spoke calmly and simply.

"Can you?" Loki asked. "Can you wipe out that much red? Drakof's daughter? Sao Paolo? The hospital fire?" he said slowly getting to his feet. "Barton told me everything," he explained seeing some surprise on Romanoff's face. "Your ledge is dripping," he said menacingly as he got to his feet and began walking over to her. "It's gushing red and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything. This is the basest sentimentality; this is a child of prayer, pathetic!" Loki hissed. "You lie and kill, in the services of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code; something that makes up for the horrors. But they are part of you and they will never go away," he said aggressively. He slammed his wrist against the cage glass and he delighted in the fact that Natasha jumped at the moment. "I won't touch Barton, not until I make him kill you, slowly, intimately in every way he knows you fear and then he'll wake long enough to see his good work and when he screams, I'll split his skull! This is my bargain you mewling quim!" he snarled.

Natasha turned away from him in horror, sniffling as though she were crying. "You're a monster…"

Loki laughed. "Oh no, you brought the monster."

Natasha looked up and turned around, perfectly fine. "So, Banner, that's your play?"

Loki frowned. "What?"

Natasha turned away, tapping her earpiece as she headed for the exit. "Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way. Send Thor as well." She turned to Loki who had followed her movements in his cage. "Thank you for your cooperation," she said with a slight smirk before leaving the room and an annoyed Loki.

Loki turned back to the seat in his cage and sat down. Dammit that was two strikes, he'd put Catherine on S.H.I.E.L.D's radar and now he'd let slip his intentions. Things were not going well. He'd just have to hope that his plan would still work and even if it didn't he'd be out of this ship soon. He doubted they'd be able to track Catherine either.

XMARVELX

It was late evening when Loki received yet another visitor. He turned to the door and raised his eyebrows when he saw Dr Banner stood there. He got to his feet and approached the door with a smirk. "Well, well, doctor, aren't we brave for stepping into the same room as the prisoner?" he drawled with amusement.

Banner just smiled a little and wandered further into the room. "Oh I could take you on in a second. Or rather, the other guy could. I'm not particularly violent," he said smiling a bit more. "I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about."

Loki watched him intently. "What do you make of me so far?"

"So far, I'm not particularly impressed," Banner shrugged. "You're just a guy with a dictatorship complex to me, with a fancy sphere. Or rather not, seeing as we have it."

Loki smirked. "You're confident for a guy who could transform and put everyone on the ship at risk in seconds."

"Only when I'm stressed," said Banner. "You, small fry, aren't worth the worry."

Loki shook his head. "Now I don't believe that. Did you know I'm the God of Lies too?" he asked.

Dr Banner just smiled pleasantly. "That's nice. Now I know for sure not to trust a word that comes out of your mouth," he said observing Loki. After a moment he looked him up and down before smiling even more. "Perhaps your girlfriend will be more earnest."

Loki's face tightened with rage. "You won't find her."

Banner laughed. "And you talk about making me angry? Thanks for the talk, Loki. I needed a good laugh," he said before heading for the exit. "It was… interesting talking to you."

As Banner too left, Loki was left alone, a feeling of horrible anticipation creeping into his heart.