There was chaos at the base.

Loki grinned. Chaos was his preferred playground. Order made everything boring. It was a fun challenge after being trapped in the prison for so long. But the plan was so easy and simple he was surprised he hadn't come up with it sooner.

All he had to do was cast an invisibility spell and an illusion clone of himself, and wait. The waiting was hard, but eventually some baboons from SHIELD showed up and opened the door, perhaps to fetch him for 'questioning.' Slipping through the door gap was hard. After all, he couldn't touch the door, or else the guard would notice.

Five seconds after he was free, the alarm sounded. It was difficult to move unnoticed with the amount of footsoldiers moving towards the cell. The closed exits and increased security on the Tesseract and the scepter wouldn't help Loki, but it would be nice for bragging rights.

If he pulled it off. Loki had no doubt that his plan to remain invisible required lots of luck. He never liked relying on luck, but there was no choice.

…

Fury was furious.

He had liked Loki, and he wasn't happy that the magic-using Avenger had killed so many of his men. Fury was eager to know why he turned, and not just because it was his duty.

But now the innocent boy who clung to his brother six months ago in the rain was gone. What took his place was a psychopath who smiled at killing and held no regret to what he had done. Death had truly made Loki into a sociopath.

However, it did not dull his wits. Loki might not have been the smartest in the group when it came to science (that would be Tony and Bruce), but he was the cleverest, and he had damned magic.

Per the agreement with Wanda, three hours a day was set aside for studying her magic, but SHIELD hadn't even chipped of the tip of the iceberg. Even worse, Loki's magic and Wanda's sentient power seemed to be two totally different, so they had almost zero knowledge to what he could be up to. All Fury could do was keep an eagle eye on the cameras and order his minions to do the same.

On a hunch, he switched the camera to thermal radiation settings. To his surprise, the Director found a child's profile, cooler than most humans (or Asgardians), pressed against the wall, alarmingly close to the Tesseract's room.

"Target has been located! South 39 hallway, closing in to the Tesseract. He is not visible to the cameras, so keep alert. I repeat, target in South 39 hallway, invisible to cameras. Be alert!"

…

"I got an order from Fury," Tony announced. "Loki's only visible on thermal cameras."

The Hulk huffed in annoyance.

"You mean we can't see him with our eyes?" Steve translated.

"I don't know," Tony snapped.

"Less chatter, more finding," Clint growled. "I really want to stick an arrow in his eye socket."

Natasha cursed loudly in Russian. "Guys! Thor's comm. unit is on the floor!"

"Are you sure it's his?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. It has the blue lightning bolts on it and says 'Thor, Channel 6.'"

"Shit. The bastard went after Loki."

…

Loki was caught. Earlier, he had stolen a radio from a tabletop, and had listened to the frantic shouts of confusion through it as he ran, carefully listening for any sign of detection. It didn't prepare him for when he actually heard it.

"Target has been located! South 39 hallway, closing in to the Tesseract. He is not visible to the cameras, so keep alert. I repeat, target in South 39 hallway, invisible to cameras. Be alert!"

Loki wasn't one to lie down and give up, so he decided to change plans. He was preparing an illusion to disguise himself as a SHIELD agent when he heard a familiar voice.

"Stop!"

It was Thor. Loki tried to sneak away, but Thor spoke again.

"I can see you."

How could he forget that only humans were fooled by the invisibility spell?

"You know, usually the loser asks for the rematch." Loki drawled.

"What is Thanos offering in return for the Tesseract?"

Loki didn't speak.

"We figured it out Loki," Thor continued. "You are working for Thanos. You fell down the void, and he is the only other being to have done so."

"Amora did."

"True. But she is dead."

"I do not work for Thanos."

"You're a talented liar. Always have been, always will be."

"You misunderstand," Loki revealed. "I do not work for anybody. I am Thanos's ally, helping him destroy this world."

Thor's face twisted in pain and confusion. "Why?"

"Because I hate you," Loki thought bitterly."And I respect Thanos."

Out loud, Loki whispered softly, stepping towards Thor until they were face to face.

"Remember when we were a bit younger and Hogun's spiked mace hit you dead on your shoulder blade?" He reached around and gently poked the spot where it had hit. "Remember how much it hurt, how you yelled in agony? Remember your blood staining everywhere? Now imagine that pain, right between your shoulder blades," Loki tapped the spot on Thor's back. "Full penetration nicks the heart, and that pain is more intense than anything that club can cause. But the worse part isn't the pain that is slowly killing you, or the morbid feeling of your lungs filling up with your own blood. Imagine if I did that. Imagine what that would feel like."

"I cannot," Thor murmured back.

"Good thing, because you will not have to. I will provide the experience for you, free of charge."

Quick as a snake, Loki grabbed Thor's throat.

"Ah, the neck," he purred. "So many ways to kill. Since you never paid attention during anatomy lessons, I will provide a quick review. There are multiple deadly pressure points, caused by the many veins. There is the neck, which can be cracked. And there is the windpipe, which can be crushed or cut open. I can have my revenge right now, by killing you in all of these ways. Unless you start talking."

Thor looked confused, so Loki continued.

"I am giving you a chance to save yourself, and to save this world. Tell me what happened six months ago."

"You are being pursued," Thor croaked, "We do not have that much time."

"Then," Loki growled through clenched teeth, hands tightening, "make time, or make it concise."

"It started in the royal kitchen in Asgard. I was bragging on how puny the Midgardians were, and you agreed. You led me outside to an anthill and turned the ants into the images of the Midgardians, and started to burn them by reflecting the sunlight off your dagger. Then Odin came. He said we needed to learn to respect Midgard, and he sent us to continue our education among the humans. There we met the Avengers, and we befriended them, along with a few others. You connected to them more than you ever have with Sif and the Warriors Three. Five months later, you went to assassinate Amora. You know the rest."

Loki was silent for a moment. "Who are the Avengers? Who are my friends?"

"Steve Rogers. Tony Stark. Bruce Banner. Clint Barton. Natasha Romanoff. Me. You also befriended Pepper Potts, Jane-"

The recognition from all the names was too much to bear.

"Enough!" Loki removed his hand from Thor's windpipe and covered his hands. "You lie! I know not how, but you lie! I know none of these people!"

"Brother-"

Thor was cut off by a solid blow to the head. His eyes went unfocused, and he dropped like a stone.

"I am not your brother. Not anymore."

Quickly, Loki turned himself into Agent Coulson, them image familiar after his first interrogation with the man.

He walked like he was in charge, in control, like the man himself did, all the way to the Tesseract.

He pulled out a 'badge' from his 'coat'.

"Director Fury has ordered me to guard the Tesseract."

"Sir." The guard let him pass.

Loki had to prevent himself from grabbing the Tesseract hungrily. Instead, he looked at it curiously and poked it.

The contact with the cube instantly reacted with his magic, the glow of the cube growing brighter. Loki touched it again, and reached through the darkest recesses of space.

"Thanos!" he cried mentally. "I have the Space Stone! Teleport me, now!"

The Space Stone crackled, which drew the attention of the guard.

"This isn't Coulson!" he shouted desperately.

That was the last thing Loki heard on Midgard.