A/N: Thank you again for jumping onboard this idea with me! Each review, follow, and favorite has made my day.

He wakes slowly, aware of Thor's presence at his side before anything else.

"…hurt that badly. Do you have any idea how?"

"No." His brother's voice is low, soft – pained. "Loki has always had his enemies, but I can think of no being in all the nine realms that would cause him such physical harm."

"If our tests are anything to go by," a familiar voice says, "it's more than just the physical. Prolonged exposure to the scepter may have damaged him psychologically."

Loki struggles to place who is speaking, even as he tries to focus on what the speaker is telling Thor.

"Are you saying that he was controlled, like Barton?" Thor asks.

"No, he's been in control of himself this entire time. But the scepter – it has a stone in the center. It acts as a power source."

"Yes. It is called the mind stone."

The other speaker shuffles his feet, moving closer to Loki. "That makes sense. It looks like it's been fueling Loki's emotions, especially the negative ones. Anger, jealousy, fear…he's been feeling them on a much worse level than most normal people do."

Loki's heart begins to beat faster. Banner. The doctor must have been caring for him since his collapse.

"That cannot be easy," Thor murmurs.

Banner huffs a laugh. "Believe me, it's not. Of all people, I would know."

The corner of Loki's mouth twitches, but he schools his expression before he smiles. So Banner is already on his side. Who could have anticipated that?

Before they continue speaking, Loki intentionally shifts, letting them know that he is waking.

Thor leans closer to him. "Loki?" he asks quietly.

Loki slowly opens his eyes, blinking repeatedly until Thor comes into focus. His brother's expression breaks into a grin even before he says anything. "Thor," he croaks, then winces at the sound of his own voice. Wonderful, he thinks. I did not even sound this awful when Thanos –

He stops himself before he can finish that sentence. It is probably best not to dwell on one's own death.

Swallowing hard, he continues, "How long have I…"

"Only a few hours," Thor replies. "We are in a safe place – a Midgardian hospital onboard a large flying craft. Bruce Banner, a healer of this realm, has been caring for you."

Loki blearily looks over at the doctor. "Thank you," he manages. Banner nods, giving him a small smile. Loki looks back at Thor. "Barton?"

"Both he and Selvig have been released from the stone's power, as have the other agents you met upon your arrival here."

Loki nods, relieved. The first step in his plan is complete. Now he must focus on making the Avengers the team he knows they can be. They must come together before Thanos discovers his betrayal, or all will be lost. He struggles to sit up straight, but a sharp pain in his left side immediately forces him back onto the pillows behind him, breathless.

It is only then that he begins to truly take in his surroundings. He is lying in a small bed, a strange assortment of wires and tubes running from his arms to a large machine that he can hear beeping just out of his sight. There is one small window in the room, allowing him to see the early-dawn sky. A security camera rests in a corner of the ceiling. Loki briefly makes eye contact with it before looking down at himself once more.

He is still wearing his leathers, but his overcoat has been removed, as has most of the metal armor that covers his shoulders and forearms. The hem of his undershirt has been pulled up enough to reveal the ugly gash that sits just at his waist. He winces at the sight of the white bandage now covering it, both in remembrance of the pain that accompanied receiving it, and a mixture of shame and irritation that Banner and Thor have discovered this weakness.

He quickly tries to quell those emotions, fighting against his urge to become angry with them. It is not their fault that the Maw had seen fit to teach him one more lesson before he had been sent to Earth. Besides; isn't he supposed to be revealing such things this time around?

"I cleaned it up and bandaged it," Banner states, following his gaze. "It should be fine in a few days or so, but you should really go easy, okay? Especially with your other injuries."

Ignoring the doctor's recommendation, Loki struggles to sit up once more. "You saw them, then."

Banner nods sheepishly. "Once I saw how badly you were stabbed, I felt obligated to check for other reasons that you might have collapsed. Although you were stabbed pretty horribly, it wasn't a fresh wound, so it shouldn't have been enough to knock you out. That's when I found the burns on your arms."

"Loki," Thor interrupts, reaching for his brother's hand, "I swear that whoever has done this to you shall know my wrath. No one may harm a prince of Asgard."

Well. It seems he already has Banner and Thor on his side.

Only four Avengers left to win over.

"I'm not buying this."

Loki rolls his eyes. Past-Stark is as irritating as he remembers. "Whyever not?"

The man stands, slowly making his way around the circular conference table where they are all seated. "Nobody has a change of heart that fast."

"You did," Rogers says.

Stark sighs, giving the captain a look. "I'm trying to make a point, Cap."

Rogers lifts his hands in frustration, but he remains silent.

"It is not a change of heart," Loki continues. He straightens in his seat, attempting to convey his usual air of power and confidence, even though he is still attached to the machine from the small medical room. "It is the realization that I have more to lose in this scenario than I have to gain."

"And what is it that you have to lose, exactly?"

"My freedom. My brother's trust. My very life, in fact."

Fury steps out of the shadows of the room. "Care to explain how you suddenly came to this realization? 'Cause I'm not buying this, either."

Loki laughs. "Barton can answer that one for you." He turns towards the archer. "Do you recall what Selvig said about the Tesseract when we were in the tunnels?"

A far-away look comes over Barton's expression for a moment. "The Tesseract is more than knowledge," he quotes, slowly. "It's truth."

"Precisely. As I have told you, I have seen what my actions can bring upon your world and mine." It is not exactly a lie, but it is also not quite the truth. Such is my area of expertise, Loki thinks.

Thor crosses his arms. "My brother has warned me that there is another behind his attack – another creature that harmed him, and forced him to seek out the Tesseract."

All eyes turn to Banner then, looking to the doctor for his opinion on the matter. He fidgets with his sleeves as he speaks. "There are clear signs that he was tortured. A combination of dehydration, blood loss, and some kind of molecular manipulation caused him to pass out last night. I don't think he's lying to us."

Loki nods at the doctor, silently thanking him. "His name is Thanos," he murmurs, forcing himself to speak the syllables aloud, "and his goal is to decimate half of the universe's population. If he acquires the Tesseract, he is one step closer to completing that goal."

Stark returns to his seat, still scrutinizing Loki. "So you're willing to betray this guy 'cause of the possible future you've seen in the Tesseract – a future where Thanos wins."

"Yes."

"And you're willing to jump onto our side of things. To help us stop him, in return for us protecting you from him when he comes."

Loki leans forward in his chair, deliberately making eye contact with each of the Avengers seated around him. He speaks with a quiet, deadly precision. "I will do more than help you stop him. Together, we will kill Thanos, and wipe his name from the universe's ledger for good."

The room falls completely silent. He sits back again, ignoring the twinge of pain in his left side.

After several moments, Romanoff finally speaks. "Tell us everything you know about him."

Loki grins.