Loki watched as they all filed in, he lounged against the back wall.
"After all this time you've finally come to play" he smirked. Thor walked forward.
"Little brother" he warned.
"I'm assuming you want me to help look for Katarina" he moved towards the glass leaning his hands against it.
"Can you reach her telepathically?" Steve said joining Thor by the glass.
"If you get me out of this cell I can"
"We can arrange that"
"And I won't have to go back inside once I've found her"
"You'll be free to go"
"Who said I wanted to go" he smirked as confusion spread across Steve's face.
"I want to help you get her back," he explained.
"Why?"
"She was good to me and I want to repay the favour"
"Little brother have you gone soft" Thor said smiling.
"You seem to like playing the good guy, I thought I'd give it a try"
"Okay so say we let you out, how do we know you won't just disappear" Tony said joining the others by the glass.
"You don't, you'll just have to trust me". Bruce grunted from behind the others.
"Oh and one more thing. I want a shower" Loki said. Thor had to stop himself from letting out a chuckle.
"After you find her" Tony said, tapping the code into the door. The door hissed open and Loki stepped out cracking his neck as he felt his power returning to him. Tony offered him a seat.
"Now Loki you need to find her and see if she can tell you where she is" Thor said with a hand on his brother's shoulder. Loki closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He rifled through the voices, trying to sense her. It didn't take long, he could feel the fear and pain radiating off her mind.
"She's in this country, she didn't take too long to find" he said aloud before tapping into her mind.
"Hello Princess" he purred. No response.
"Don't be frightened, I'm with your beloved Captain America"
"Loki" he heard her mind respond.
"Stop looking around to find me, we're not there yet. I'm back with the Avengers at the base"
"Is everyone okay?" He smiled.
"Everyone is fine princess, we just want to find you. Do you know where they took you?"
"No"
"What can you see around you?"
"It's an old warehouse I think or maybe a barn, they don't have any technology here that I can see"
"Is there electricity?"
"No"
"Okay, good girl"
"She thinks it's an abandoned warehouse or barn, but it must be far away from most things as there is no electricity" he said aloud. Bruce went to the computer and started to search.
"Can you see anything else?"
"The floor feels like sand and the air is dry"
"Like a desert?" he pushed for information.
"I think so"
"She's in the desert" he said aloud.
"How many men are there?"
"I think I've counted seven over the last few weeks but it could be more could be less. I'm not sure, I'm sorry"
"It's okay princess, just breathe. Do they stay there with you or do they leave?"
"They come and go on shifts. Three at each time for three hours each but then only two at night"
"Good girl, very observant"
"There are around seven guards but they alternate in shifts of three, except for night time when there are just two" Tony tried to stop his heart swelling with pride at how much information she had retained.
"Katarina have they said anything, that might give you any other clues"
"They just want to know if I have powers, they think I'm an avenger. Loki they're coming back"
"Stay calm princess, we're going to find you okay"
"Don't leave me Loki"
"Are they going to hurt you?"
"I don't think so, it's just a shift change"
"Okay I'm going to go for one minute and then i'll check back okay. You've done so well princess" he pulled out of her mind exhausted.
"Anything?" Steve asked as he looked over at Tony and Bruce who were gathered round the computers.
"There are two possibilities" Bruce said, not looking up from the screen.
"We need to split the team and hit them both"
"Suit up everyone" Steve said, jumping to his feet.
"Just wait Steve, we need a game plan"
"And I need a shower" Loki said stretching, counting the seconds in his head. Tony groaned.
"Thor take Loki to the shower and then make sure you're all in the briefing room in an hour"
"Tony we need to go now"
"Steve, we need a plan, this has to go exactly right. I'm not losing her" Tony put a hand on his friend and colleagues shoulder.
"Neither am I"
Loki relaxed in the shower, searching again for her in his mind.
"Katarina"
"Loki" he could sense an added layer of fear in her thoughts.
"Tell me what's happening"
"There are other men here now. New men" her thoughts were interrupted with a blinding flash of pain.
"Katarina" no response.
"Princess"
"Please hurry Loki" the thought was weak but it was there.
The teams were split, Loki, Thor, Natasha and Clint going to one location. Tony, Steve and Bruce going to the other.
"We have to keep communicating, whoever finds her first gets her out of there and lets the others deal with the captors. The other team will join as soon as we know where she is"
"Thor keep control of your brother" Tony warned as they dropped the one team off.
"We'll all be keeping an eye, don't worry Tony" The four of them set off towards the abandoned building in the distance. Loki reached into her mind, it took an instant to find her. They were at the right location.
"Loki can you sense anything yet" Steve's voice tickled in his ear.
"No not yet" he lied.
"We're almost at the other location so we'll update you when we get there"
"Clint and I will go round the left, Thor take Loki round the right"
"Katarina" he reached out to her.
"You need to tell me where you are in the building"
"They've got me in an underground bunker, they moved me this afternoon"
"Are the new men still there?"
"I think so, there were five of them. Loki. I think. I think they are going to sell me". Her thoughts hit him to the core.
"Don't worry Princess, we're here. Were going to get you out"
"Is Steve with you?" even in her thoughts he could tell she ached for him.
"Not yet, he's on his way"
"Thor she's here. I can sense her. Tell the others to get here now. She says there are five new men that weren't there before"
"Did you get that?" Natasha's voice reverberated in her ear.
"We're on our way, don't wait for us. If you see an opportunity go in". It didn't take long for an opportunity to present itself to them. Clint took out the guards on the perimeter with ease.
"This is bloody amateur hour" he hissed to Natasha.
"Let's just be grateful this isn't Hydra we're up against" The four of them entered the building, ready for the attack.
Katarina sat where they had left her, her arms had gone numb from being behind her back for so long and the new pain in her ribs was ripping through her body. She kept telling herself that it would be over soon. The silence above her was broken by the sound of gunfight. It was deafening. Through the chaos Loki's voice purred in her ear.
"Not long now, I'm almost there Princess" The hatch above her opened and someone jumped down.
"You're coming with me" the stranger said roughly pulling her to his feet.
"I've paid good money for you," he whispered in her ear. She stumbled as he pulled her back into the main building. Her eyes tried to adjust from the darkness she had been in before but she couldn't focus from the pain that was coursing through her entire being.
"Let her go" she heard a familiar voice. Loki. Her captor threw her to the ground and she watched through blurred vision as they faced each other. Loki drew his knives. It had been a while since he had had a good fight and he was raring to go.
Their tussle lasted mere minutes although it felt like forever to Katarina, her attacker fell to the floor like a sack of bricks, his dead eyes staring into hers. Loki scooped her up, cutting the rope on her wrists.
"You're alright Princess. It's over now" she leaned into his chest.
"Loki get her out of here" Tony yelled as he came smashing through the ceiling. Loki nodded and teleported back to the compound. His legs giving way as he landed and a yelp of pain uttered from his lips as he fell to the floor, Katarina toppling with him. He looked down to see a knife stuck in his side.
"Son of a bitch" he growled.
"Loki are you okay?" she tried to sit up.
"I'll live" He said pulling the knife free from his side, hissing as he did so, blood pouring from his side. It was deeper than he had thought.
"We need to stop the bleeding" she cried trying again to stand but she was too weak and the pain was still coursing through her entire body. She used the last of her strength to crawl back over to him. Her hands putting pressure on his wound, slumping over him.
"We need a medic" she said hoping that someone would hear. Her lungs hurt as she tried to keep her breathing level but it just made her cough, blood spattering down her chin.
"Loki, stay with me" she said as she realised his lids were fluttering closed.
"Please, please don't close your eyes. Look at me" but nothing she could say would stop him from losing consciousness, a slight smile on his lips.
"Loki. Loki don't you dare" she hit his chest, but it was a weak hit, tears started to fall down her cheeks, the saltiness tingling in the fresh wounds on her cheeks. She felt a familiar hand on her shoulder.
"Katarina, we need to get you to the hospital" she could barely hear Steve over the blood that was roaring in her ears.
"Help him" she croaked out.
"We will beautiful" he started to prise her off Loki's body but her screams of pain stopped him. Suddenly she was conscious of the amount of people in the room; avengers and paramedics all bustling around her and Loki's broken bodies.
"You have to help him first" she cried, her ears were ringing now as exhaustion took over from the pain.
"Katarina, stay with me" Steve said as he held her frail body whilst Thor pulled his brother from underneath her.
"You have the most beautiful eyes" she murmured.
"Then keep looking at them Katarina. Don't close your eyes". He stroked her hair.
"Stay with me please" he pleaded with her.
"Just five minutes, I just want to rest for five minutes" she whispered as her lids fluttered.
"Katarina look at me" but unconsciousness had consumed her and she fell limp in his arms.
"No, No. Katarina" he roared as he let the paramedics take her out of his arms, he sat back on the floor.
"Steve. I need you to focus. She isn't going to die. Our girl is stronger than that" Tony's face swam into his vision.
"Don't give up on her so quickly. I'm following them to the hospital. Thor is going with Loki. I need Bruce to check you over and then you can meet us there". Steve nodded slowly letting the information sink in. His arms felt empty from where she had just been. Blood covered the white floor mingled with dirt and sweat. He felt Clint and Bruce pull him up from where he sat but he felt like he was in a dream. He let them lead him into the medical bay for Bruce to patch him up but his mind could only think of her lying almost lifeless in his arms.