Author's Note: Wow, I am churning out chapters left and right now! Hot damn! Okay, so I'm pretty sure there are only maybe one or two chapters and an epilogue left so let me know what you all think. This has been immense fun and if anyone has any ideas they would like to see me write, let me know (although why I have no idea, you should write about your own ideas and let me wallow in my writers block). Enjoy!

Chapter 24

"Whatever happens," Loki warned before the first explosive SHIELD had placed along Doom's walled fortress went off. "Doom is mine."

The debris from the explosion made good cover for the brothers as they led SHIELD's army through the freshly made gap. Though taken by surprise, Doom's army didn't need much to assess the situation and respond. Hundreds came pouring out into the courtyard, humans and metal creations alike.

"Save one of those," Tony called as he flew past Hawkeye who was making a sizable dent with his new arrows Bruce and Tony had made for him after their last visit. "I wanna take it apart back at the lab. Doom may be crazy but he can build a good robot."

All of the rag tag team of Avengers were doing well and making their own progress apart from the rest of SHIELD's army, but it was nothing compared to the two enraged brothers. They were carving a straight line through the masses towards the front entrance. Soon they were far ahead of the others and nearing the door. The humans in Dooms army were no problem for them. It was the robots that slowed them down a bit but only just a bit. But being overwhelmed was a problem even they could not ignore.

They reached the wall next to the door but were trapped there by three dozen men and robots. The fight the duo put up was impressive but slowly they were being worn down by the sheer number of men throwing themselves heedlessly at the pair. No order, no real plan, just numbers, overwhelming, delaying, and tiring them. That is until the faint echo of Niki's screams of pain reached their supernaturally enhanced ears.

Much of whatever happened next passed Loki by in a red haze punctuated by the splintering of wood, the tearing of iron and steel, and the final bang as the dungeon lab's door was forced open. The sights inside made the haze vanish however. Niki was chained to a metal table with the last bits of a bluish liquid disappearing down a tube stuck into her wrist. Once the liquid finally emptied into her veins, her screams ceased but to his horror the young humans body began to twitch and seize as much as her restraints allowed. The panicked vampire rushed over and began tearing away the metal cuffs binding her to the table when the cold voice rang out once again and Doom emerged from the shadows on the other side of the room.

"Doom wondered if you would find your way down here. It appears you have lost you mongrel brother along the way. Pity, it would have been easier for Doom to finish you both off here." Slowly the masked man walked around the table and removed the tube from Niki's arm, right in front of the fuming vampire. "Do not worry; if she survives the serum Doom will give you both a chance to say goodbye before Doom kills you both."

Growling Loki made to move towards Doom, intent on ripping his head off but was stopped when the mad man held a knife to the bound woman's throat. "Ah, Doom does not think so. Doom would like to see the experiment through to the end but if you wish her die before it's over, Doom will oblige."

"No I really don't think you will," Loki said regaining his wits. "You need her to find out the results of your serum and if you kill her before it's over all of this would have been wasted. But you know you cannot take on the likes of me on your own and so you stall, waiting for your so called army to finish with the invaders at the door and come down to your rescue. But you don't know that your army is losing. How could you, down here with your little experiment instead of overseeing your minions. How can you know that even now SHIELD is breaking past the last remnant of your guard and coming into your beloved fortress?"

"You lie," Doom hissed pressing his knife more firmly against Niki's neck. "Doom will not be intimidated by you, leech."

"Oh but how can you tell?" Loki grinned viciously as he continued to spin his web. Slowly he edged his way around the table, Doom scooting away with every step but not nearly enough for the distance was closing. "Down here you cannot hear even the loudest roars of battle. Yes, you have prepared for SHIELD to finally come knocking but you didn't plan on one thing. The thing that most likely seemed only a benefit to you, a parting shot at the would-be invaders. You took a girl, a young woman for your experiment. But that has proved to be a much more risky gambit than you first thought. See, since you took this woman, SHIELD's most powerful and effective team has not only became enraged, but strengthened by the two men who care about her the most. Now you must realize the mistake you made. It is too late to change a thing; all that you can do now is surrender with dignity, or fight like the pathetic insect you are."

"Doom will not be intimidated or belittled by the likes of you," the mad man howled again before discharging an electric bolt from his gloved hand. Unaware of the technology the man possessed Loki took the blow straight to his chest. While it wasn't a mortal blow to an immortal vampire, it did hurt. He staggered back giving Doom enough time to rush at him, the knife held aloft. As it turned out Doom did possess more fighting skill than the vampire was willing to give in his initial assessment of the human. But he had found Niki and no crazed human was going to stand in the way. Narrowly avoiding slashes and jabs from the knife, the immortal caught ahold of Doom's wrist and, wrenching it to the side, forced him to drop the blade but Doom was far from finished. Pulling down he brought the taller man down and dealt him a kick to the jaw that caused the vampire to release his wrist. Doom hurtled past and pulled a silver sword from a set displayed on the wall. Just in time Loki spun out of the way as Doom thrust at him. He reeled back and would have met the pathetic mortal head on but an explosion from the door halted the fight as both combatants turned to see the last of Doom's robot guards falling in a tangled heap of metal and the Avengers come pouring into the room led by a snarling Thor. The blonde wolf bounded across the room and pinned the mad man to the ground, a claw to his throat.

"What was he doing to her," Clint asked once he saw Niki curled up on the table with her wrist held out and dripping blood onto the floor.

"Some kind of serum," Loki huffed, catching his breath and trying to calm down. Once he felt more in control of himself he dashed over to the table and Niki, pulling away the last cuff on her ankle. Leaning down to whisper in her ear the anxious vampire tried to coax her out of the tight ball she was curled in but she wouldn't budge. "Stark!"

Tony and the slowly shrinking Bruce ran over, Tony going to the lab equipment and Bruce to Niki.

"What was he trying to do," Bruce yelled to no one in particular.

"A serum," Tony answered gravely looking over formulas on sheets of paper. "Similar to Steve's, like what we've been trying to make but Doom was much closer. Actually," he hesitated and looked up over the paper to Bruce. "He may have found it."

"What?"

"I think he may have found it. Or is really close at least. We won't know until…." He trailed off, gazing at Niki. With Bruce's help Loki had finally managed to pull her out of her curled position but her expression was pinched with pain and so pale she was almost grey.

Doom's laughter rang through the room. "She will not last the night."

Thor growled and pushed harder on the man's chest.

"Don't kill him," Fury yelled coming in through the door. "We have questions he needs to answer."

"You think Doom will aid you?" Again his laughter rang out, taunting them. "You are all fools."

With a sudden flick of his wrist he swiped his blade across Thor's chest, not deep but enough to get the werewolf to jump back. The would-be conqueror bolted up and before the others could catch him, disappeared into a hidden door that slid shut behind him and locked, preventing any from following him.

"No," Loki yelled and started to follow but a sudden grip on his hand pulled him up short. Looking down he caught Niki's gaze as she stared up at him, her grip strong and her eyes clear.