Hi Guys!

Welcome back to the eighth part of this story, hope you're all well and are ready. This part is getting us back into the plot and if you've been waiting for some more Avengers action I hope this will tide you over until the next chapter.

Thank you as always for following, faving and the reviews, I always want to hear from you and what you think of the story.

Lets not hang around too long as I know most people only care about one thing. The Story!

Cheers!

D.S x

Disclaimer: I do not own Thor, the Avengers or any other of Marvel's various properties

8

They did appear in mid-air, though it wasn't for long as they hit the ground with a clang just seconds after appearing. Loki toppled as Sigyn's weight came down on him, Leif successfully managing to step back in time to avoid being crushed.

"P…Prince Loki! Lady S…Sigyn! A…are you al…alright!?" the Valet called having to shouted

"Fine," Loki pushed the girl off him, who continued to splutter in indignation as he robes tangled around her legs, her bag askew. Wind whipped Loki's hair into a frenzy as he stood back to his feet. They were on some sort of platform, out in the open air on the flying machine Loki had seen thanks to the locator spell. Surrounded by clouds Loki had to wonder just how far off the ground they were. Loki of course was not shocked at being so high up, Asgard had long since mastered the skies with their long ships, but Loki had to admit he was surprised by how far the Midgardians had come. A whining hum came from behind and at Loki's glance back his eyes widened as he caught sight of a circular indent with blades spinning furiously within it.

"Where are we?!" Sigyn called over the noise, having finally corralled her clothes, though her long blonde braid was streaming out behind her. "Is this really where Amora is?!"

"The spell said … get down!" Loki quickly grabbed Leif, pushing him down so they could crawl along the metal platform until they were hidden behind a large structure that Loki assumed was a weapon with the turret and large gun sat on top. Sigyn had thankfully followed, so all three children were out of sight as a pair of black attired Midgardians trooped passed.

"Looks like we're in the right place," Loki muttered as he eyed the Midgardians over the rim of their hiding place. "Those look like the Midgardians who came to take away Amora."

"I doubt she's somewhere out here though," Sigyn pointed out. Loki had to agree, if Amora was anywhere, she would be inside this flying beast, though how they got there was a mystery Loki would have to solve.

"W…what should we d...do?" Leif asked.

"Follow them," Loki nodded to the still retreating Midgardians. "They must have a way inside. Here." Taking Leif's hand along with Sigyn's Loki cast his favourite spell, so invisibility washed over the three of them hiding them from sight. "We don't know all the capabilities of everyone here," Loki went on, addressing his companions like he had seen Thor do with the trainees when they were about to go on an exercise. "They could have things that we've never seen, so try and avoid fighting the Midgardians if you can."

"A…and if not?" Leif stuttered and Loki had to stop a shiver of unease rippling down his own spine. Instead he squared his shoulders and spoke like the Prince he was.

"Then we do what we have to do." Leif shuddered, but nodded, griping his sword tightly. Sigyn stiffened, clutching her bag which Loki knew contained the Seidr crystals he had given her. He refrained from asking for them back, Loki knew that his ambient Seidr was greater than that of the Healers Apprentice and was confident that he would be able to rely on it, while Sigyn would need the extra power his crystal would give her. After all she was a healer with little knowledge of combat Seidr.

As Leif fiddled with his sword, Loki took the opportunity to slide over to the fussing Apprentice. Taking care he gently placed a hand on her shoulder, though it still illicated a startled jump. "Will you be well?"

Sigyn smiled shakily, nodding her head. "I will be fine."

Loki hesitated, glancing at Leif who was peering out to track the Midgardians unaware of the conversation behind him. "I know you might not want to speak of it," Loki said quietly. "But that noble, what was his -"

"Prince Loki, please there is no need to bring that up again." Loki shivered at the dead tone that came from the usually sharp Apprentice's mouth. "It is in the past."

"But he must be punished," Loki hissed fervently. "He should not be able to get away doing that. It doesn't matter if he is a noble or a commoner. No one has the right to do that to another."

Sigyn stared at the Young Prince, blue eyes wide as the wind tugged at her blonde tresses. After a moment a small smile twitched at her lips and her eyes regained a spark.

"I thank you, but there is no need. That noble has been punished in the greatest possible way."

"How, did you -?"

"Lady Eir is very tougher in her background checks when she takes in new Apprentices. She makes sure to know all about those she wishes to take under her wing."

The significant look Sigyn shot was not lost on Loki and he reflectively swallowed nervously. The Head Healer was known for her stern no nonsense nature, but she was also kind and cared a great deal. Loki had been on the receiving end of both and he was positive that the knowledge of Sigyn's past, along with the scandal that would no doubt plague the young girl for the rest of her life if Eir dragged this out into the open, would have pushed the Healer to take matters into her own deadly hands. After all Eir was Asgardian and they were not exactly known for their peaceful methods of revenge. Though Loki couldn't help but wish he still could get an name, if would not be fitting for such monsters to still be held in high regard, even in death.

"P…Prince Loki, we s…should move s…soon."

Leif's call gained both the Prince's and Apprentices attention. Taking one last look at his two companions to be sure they were all prepared, Loki took the lead, stepping out into the open to follow the Midgardians. Even with the invisibility spell Loki still felt uneasy as they trailed the Midgardians, it was never easy to step out into the open, even if you knew you couldn't possibly be seen by any other eyes. It was also rather blustery, the wind that circled the flying machine tugging at Loki, Leif and Sigyn, slowing their pace and making it difficult to catch up to their targets.

The pair of Midgardians appeared to be walking in a straight line, not that there was anywhere else to really go. The platform they had landed on was long and straight, with four of the blade engines, which Loki assumed were used to keep the whole machine in flight. More structures were dotted along the strip, all weapons from what Loki could make out, along with a larger one looming ahead that the strip headed right towards. Signalling for Sigyn and Leif to catch up, Loki picked up his own pace, so he was only a few steps behind the Midgardians. They went under the overhang, thankfully blocking the wind, and allowing the three stalkers to keep close to their targets.

Under the overhang Loki saw several other Midgardians, all dressed in that now familiar black attire. Most were rushing about doing things that Loki had no clue or want to understand, creating a hive of activity and noise, which did not help the three invisible children as it made navigating without being hit difficult. However, much to Loki's relief and interest a set of large bay doors were at the back of the crush, leading the way inside the flying machine.

"Come on," Loki hissed, abandoning their escorts to head into the depths of the Midgardians machine. Inside was much larger than Loki would have thought, once again made of metal, but with other machines, much smaller than the one that housed them, sat inside of it. Again, Midgardians scurried about, fussing with equipment or talking in short, sharp tones. A ring of metal had Loki looking up, grinning when he spotted some stairs.

The three made their way over, though were forced to duck and dive to avoid any collisions with Midgardians. The invisibility spell may be good for getting around unseen, but it became a problem in large crowds or busy places, but they couldn't afford to lose their only means of reaching Amora undetected.

Taking the stairs, the three crept along, pushing back against the wall when Midgardians came passed, slowing their progress considerably.

"W…where do you think s…she will b…be?" Leif whispered as they were forced to a stop once again.

Loki sent him an annoyed look but had to grit his teeth. "The spell didn't really show me, but this place can't be that big."

"Perhaps we could find a map," Sigyn mumbled as she carefully watched as more Midgardians came up the stairs.

Loki snorted, "where would we find -?"

"Amora has to have back up troops somewhere, she can't seriously expect to take over the entire earth with an astrophysicist, a Legolas wannabe and a handful of grunts. No offence."

The three Asgardians perked up at the voice that came down the stairs, not hesitating they made a dash for the top, where upon reaching it they appeared into a large room filled with Midgardians. It was round in shape, with a large window looking out onto the strip they had walked down. There was a bit of empty space before the windows, which led to many terminals that were sat around the back which led to a much larger one. Two levels sat above it filled with even more screens which all had a Midgardian sat at them, typing away furiously. All of this would have been awe inspiring if it wasn't for the situation and Loki had to stop himself from gasping as he caught sight of some familiar faces.

"He looks a lot like his picture," Sigyn muttered to which Loki sent a glare her way and Leif was forced to hold in a snicker. Jerking his head Loki led the group closer to where a large congregation appeared to be arguing around a table.

The red and gold armour, or Stark was smirking at a one-eyed dark-skinned man, who Loki recognised from Heimdall's vision, Fury he thought his name was. Captain America, or Steve Rogers was also there, though he appeared more offended than Fury at Stark's words. Along with them was another familiar face, Coulson, one of the Midgardians from when Loki came to Midgard to warn Thor a year ago. He was stood a little away from the others, dark suit making him blend in with the masses of other Midgardians, though he watched everything with a calculated air. Though there were two faces Loki didn't recognise, one was a woman with bright red hair. She was dressed completely in black, an all in one suit covering her lithe form. Her stance was the most interesting of the group, light but strong as though she was ready to spring into action at any moment. The second was a man and he appeared rather boring. With salt and pepper hair and a lined face that Loki thought seemed tired or stressed. Dressed in clothes that hung off him, giving the impression that he had lost weight. But something about him bothered Loki's Seidr, so much so that it sent him little warning flares as the children approached.

"Stark," Rogers began to admonish but Fury was quick to step in.

"We can't know what kind of back up she has, but we do have certain facts which point to them not being on earth right now."

"She must be building some kind of portal," the unfamiliar man said. "That's what she needs Erik Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Stark asked with a raised eyebrow. "He's the astrophysicist, right Banner?"

The man, Banner nodded, but it was the red-haired woman who answered. "Amora has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours."

Loki watched her face and for a fraction he swore he saw pain flash over the stoic façade. Fury wandered over, placing a hand on her shoulder before moving off away from the group and out of sight.

"I want to know why Amora let us take her," Rogers said, hands crossed over his chest. "She's not leading any backup here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Amora," Banner dismissed. "That woman's brain is a bag full of cats, you can smell crazy on her."

Loki had to grip Leif's arm to stop the snort that issued from his lips from becoming a laugh, though he had a hard time stopping a smile from tugging at his own lips, even Sigyn had to cover her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"Iridium though," Banner went on with a thoughtful frown. "What did they need the Iridium for?"

"It's a stabilizing agent," Stark said, stalking over to Coulson, who watched him with a mixture of wariness and fond exasperation. Loki took the opportunity to move the three of them to the other side of the table, so they were closer to the doors that led further into the flying machine. "Means the portal won't collapse, like it did at Shield. Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long as Amora wants." He moved passed Coulson, peering curiously at the working Midgardians, continuously moving around the space as though he couldn't keep still. Though Loki narrowed his eyes as he paused by a large desk before moving on swiftly. "The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component she stills needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Coulson asked to which Stark smirked.

"Last night," his cocky grin had Loki wanting to smile along with him, even though he was annoying Loki had to admit it was fun watching the Midgardian rub his fellows up the wrong way. The Young Prince could always appreciate a bit of mischief. "The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers." He glanced around at the others, Banner being the only one seeming to follow what Stark was saying. "Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"Does Amora need any particular kind of power source," Rogers cut through Stark's fun which got him a glower.

"She's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," Banner rattled off which had Stark bounding over to him like an exited wolf pup.

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunnelling effect."

"Well," Banner said thoughtfully. "If he could do that, he could achieve Heavy Iron Fusion at any reactor on the planet."

Stark stood looking at Banner for a moment before he laughed, a face splitting grin taking over his whole image. The three Asgardians watched unseen, full of curiosity in seeing the Midgardians interact.

"Finally, someone who speaks English."

"Is that what happened?" Rogers muttered, sharing a confused look with the red head who shrugged.

"It's good to meet you, Dr Banner," Stark said while pumping the other Midgardians hand. "Your work on the anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of how you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

Loki quirked a brow, while Sigyn gasped and Leif just furrowed his brow in incomprehension.

"Thanks," Banner offered with an unsure tilt of his head.

"Dr Banner is only here to track the cube," Fury's booming voice announced his return, coming to stand at the centre of the group, like a commander. "I was hoping you might join him." He directed this to Stark who huffed.

"Maybe we should start with finding that stick of hers," Rogers muttered, brow pinched with worry. "Have you found any leads about it yet."

Loki tensed, along with Sigyn and Leif. The three listened intently as Fury was silent a moment before answering.

"We've not been able to track its location."

"What about the kid who took it?" Stark asked, which had Loki bristling. He wasn't a kid; he was more than likely a hundred times this mortals age.

"We managed to get a look at his face," the red-haired woman replied, moving over to one of the monitors which one of the sitting Midgardians flicked at and suddenly a picture of Loki appeared. He was crouched low, the staff clutched in his hand which allowed the blue glow of the gem to light up his face. "Our recognition software isn't coming up with anything though."

Stark snorted, "amateurs."

"What was he even doing there anyway," Rogers mumbled thoughtfully. "He was fixated on Amora."

"Shield will find the staff," Fury said, taking control. "Romanoff is leading the investigation."

"So, the super spy has to find a kid?" Stark laughed which didn't even get a twitch from Romanoff. "Bit of a demotion."

"From the footage there is also another one with him, we'll be treating them as hostiles for the time being."

"You're not shooting kids," Rogers growled, and Fury shook his head.

"I'll do what I have to, to protect the Earth."

With that he walked off, quickly followed by Romanoff leaving the men behind. Loki hesitated a moment before muttering to Leif and Sigyn.

"Come on."

"Shouldn't we stay there," Sigyn whispered. "There might be clues to where Amora -"

"That guy's in charge," Loki nodded to where Fury and Romanoff continued to stalk ahead. "He won't leave Amora out of his sight for long."

Sigyn looked ready to argue, but Leif nodded in agreement, so they set off in pursuit.

They followed at a distance, heading further into the flying machine, going down a level. Passing through several corridors Loki wondered if they were going to head right to Amora when Fury pulled up short, Romanoff right behind him.

"What do you think?" he asked not looking at her.

"They'll barely last a day. Stark and Rogers are already riling each other up."

"It's not Stark or Rogers that I'm worried about."

"If you thought he would be a loose cannon why did you ask me to bring him in?" Romanoff asked neutrally.

Fury sighed, hand coming up to adjust his eye patch. "Dr Banner is a brilliant man, we could use his mind to track the cube, but if the shit hits the fan, we'll need more fire power than a soldier and a tin can."

"You think it will come to that?" Romanoff leaned against the wall, facing her superior with a cool expression.

"I hope not, but you've seen Coulson's report."

"You mean the one about the Alien Prince calling himself Thor."

Loki stiffened and would have said something if it wasn't for a warning hand on his shoulder. Turning he saw Leif shaking his head with a frown, even Sigyn appeared concerned as they continued to listen to the two spy's private conversation.

"Exactly, you know what Coulson said about his fire power. That metal thing, the Destroyer nearly wiped out the whole of Puente Antiguo and the being known as Thor could control lightning and fly. What do we have that can match that?"

"Apart from on out of control Hulk?" Romanoff quipped to which she got a glare. "I don't know, Fury. It's a risk, like you said the Hulk is a loose cannon, we could always use the Tesseract weapons."

That had Loki gasping, which earnt him an elbow to the stomach, but he just couldn't help it. Weapons, the Midgardians had built weapons with the Tesseract. Didn't they realise how dangerous that was, what peril they were placing their world in? The Tesseract was not something that should be played with.

"We don't know if they'll be useful," Fury admitted, and Loki had to agree. The Tesseract may be powerful but even that might not be enough to stop some of the other races of Yggdrasil, especially when only combined with Midgardian technology. "Besides I have a feeling Rogers won't be pleased if he catches wind that we have those kinds of weapons."

"Hydra?"

"Hydra," Fury repeated. "But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, you have work to do."

"My demotion?" Romanoff smirked. "How are we really getting on with finding those kids?"

"We couldn't track them," Fury grunted. "They disappeared from our scopes as soon as they entered the forest around Stuttgart. We've had no pings on any surveillance."

"You don't seem worried."

"If Rogers's report was right, the feisty one was after Amora. Whether they're a threat to us or not I'm sure they'll come for our guest one way or another. We'll just have to be ready."

Romanoff nodded and the two continued down the corridor until they came upon a door that signalled a dead end. Fury stopped before turning to Romanoff.

"Good luck."

"If I need luck I'm losing my touch."

Fury grunted before pressing something on the wall revealing another door which he stepped through. The three children didn't get a chance to consider following him as the door shut, leaving them no choice but to stick with Romanoff or head elsewhere. Fortunately, Romanoff continued until she hit another door at the end of the corridor. She fiddled with a small pad at the side before it opened silently so she could step through. Loki, Leif and Sigyn were quick to follow her, only to pull back and plaster themselves against the wall.

In a glass cage suspended in a dark windowless room with a balcony that ran right up to the glass was Amora. Dressed still in her battle gear she looked resplendent, not a hair out of place as she paced her prison, blonde tresses fanning out behind her as she twirled back and forth. Loki clenched his fists at the sight of her, his rage returning as he longed to extract his revenge. He didn't move though, what with the Midgardian in the room and the glare from Sigyn and the anxious gaze of Leif enough to keep him in place to watch proceedings until he could make a move.

Amora didn't seem to notice Romanoff straight away, continuing to pace as the Midgardian made her way closer to the glass prison. Suddenly she stopped.

"I only know one person who can sneak up on another in such a way, and I don't get any amusement from knowing that he still lives." Amora turned, smirking at Romanoff who continued unhurried up to the glass.

"But you'd figured I'd come."

"After," Amora conceded. "After whatever tortures Fury can concoct. You would appear as a friend, as a balm. And I would cooperate."

Leif looked dazzled and even Sigyn stunned, Loki had to admit if that was the plan it was a clever strategy. Romanoff didn't appear effected though, taking Amora's sneer in stride.

"I want to know what you've done with Agent Barton."

The Witch tittered, rearing back to look down her nose at the spy. "I'd say I've expanded his mind."

"And once you've won," Romanoff forged ahead. "Once your Queen of the mountain. What happens to his mind?"

Amora didn't answer right away, tilting her head before stepping closer to the glass to stare at Romanoff with interest. "Is this love, Agent Romanoff?"

"Love is for children," Romanoff was quick to answer, but Loki was sure he saw a finger twitch.

Amora laughed, a soft thing that sounded more depreciating than malicious. She stepped up to the glass so that her face was almost touching it. She whispered, "tell me."

Romanoff hesitated, biting her lip before answering carefully. "Before I worked for Shield, I uh … well I made a name for myself. I have a very specific skill set." That got a raised eyebrow from Loki, his natural curiosity wishing the Midgardian would elaborate a little. From the satisfied look on Amora's face she didn't need more information, so Romanoff moved on. "I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on Shield's radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me, he made a different call."

Loki shared a surprised look with Leif and Sigyn. It was not something that would be considered on Asgard, then again the All-Father had a hand in all decisions and in most extreme cases such as ordering a death sentence it was the King that issued the order and the king alone.

"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?" Amora asked. Romanoff crossed her arms over her chest jerking her chin in defiance.

"Not let you out."

"Ah, no," Amora giggled. "But I like this. Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man."

Romanoff shrugged, "regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian …or was."

Leif mouthed "Russian?" in confusion, which earned him a clueless shake of the head from Sigyn. Loki didn't bother to respond, not that he knew the answer, the Midgardians and their many Countries was too confusing for him to focus on. No Loki was far more puzzled by Romanoff's words. It seemed a little contradictory, what with the way she seemed to truly respect Fury, and why would she work for an organisation such a Shield, which in itself was a regime if she didn't care for them.

Amora smirked, tapping the glass playfully before asking, "what is it you want?"

"It's not really that complicated. I've got red in my ledger; I'd like to wipe it out."

"Can you?" Amora said, voice soft and coxing as she continued to fix her bright blue eyes on the Midgardian. "Can you wipe out that much red? Drakov's daughter?" Romanoff visibly flinched for the first time and Amora grinned a little. "Sao Paulo? The hospital fire? Barton told me everything?"

Loki had to wonder why exactly Amora would be interested in information such as this? It wasn't strategic, not in the grand scheme from Loki could understand. Why would Amora care about knowing of one of the many Midgardians that littered the planet she wanted to conquer.

"Your ledger is dripping," Amora went on, blue eyes flashing, and Loki thought he saw rage welling up. "It's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the basest of sentimentality. This is a child's prayer. PATHETIC!"

The shout had all four watches startled, though thankfully none of the children let out a peep, giving away their spying.

"You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers," Amora ranted. "You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away!"

Suddenly Amora slammed a fist against the glass, making it rattle. Romanoff flinched, but Loki had to wonder how the glass was able to hold up under the onslaught. Amora was Asgardian, so their bodies were much more durable. So why hadn't the glass broken?

"I won't touch Barton," Amora hissed, vicious pleasure dancing across her face as she took in the shaken Romanoff. "No until I make him kill you. Slowly. Intimately. In every way he knows you fear. And when he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams I'll split his skull. This is my bargain, you mewling quim!"

Leif blushed a deep red at the insult, even Sigyn was disgusted. Loki wrinkled his nose, but he pushed aside his distaste as he fixed on the words Amora had used in her tirade. He wasn't sure but it almost felt as she wasn't talking about Romanoff anymore.

As for the spy herself, her crossed arms had locked tight around her chest, almost hugging herself, she'd turned so she wouldn't have to face Amora's rage. "You're a monster," she muttered which only got Amora laughing.

"No, you brought the monster."

The change happened instantaneously; the arms dropped as did the shaking. Romanoff spun to fix a calculating eye on Amora, all fear and terror gone.

"So, Banner … that's your play."

Amora's grin slipped as she stared at the Midgardian. "What?" But her question was ignored as Romanoff reached up to touch her ear, already walking away.

"Amora means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way."

As Romanoff reached the door, programming it to open, passing by the three children where they watched unseen. She turned back to Amora, a smirk of her own playing around her lips. "Thank you for your cooperation."

And with that she left. The door closing behind her, leaving a frozen Amora and three startled youngsters.

It didn't last though, after only a few moments after Romanoff's departure Amora giggled, face splitting into a wide grin that flashed teeth. "Fool, she muttered, before spinning in a circle so her back was to the glass. "I hope you enjoyed the show. Why don't you come out so we can have a real conversation, not you just listening in to my performance, your Highness."

Loki stilled, surprise washing over his face. He didn't need to think about it too long though. After nodding to Sigyn and Leif so the two could ready their crystals and sword respectfully, Loki dropped the invisibility spell, summoning one of his knives to his hand as he stared at the glass cage which housed Amora.

"How long did you know we were there?"

"Not long," Amora admitted, peeking over her shoulder to smile at the three of them. "I must commend you on your spell work, it seems you have started to master masking your Seidr. Then again you are a master of disguise."

The pointed jab was enough to have Loki snarling, knife held tight as he started to lunge towards the glass. Unfortunately, hands grabbed him, pulling him back.

"No!"

"Prince L…Loki you mustn't."

"Your friends are right Young Prince. You really must calm down, you wouldn't want to do anything stupid, again."

Loki wanted to kill her, he wanted to hit her until that smug look was off her face and all that was left was a bloody mess, nothing remaining to sneer at him and flaunt his faults in his face. But the restraining hands of his companions helped to calm him. He swallowed, taking a breath to centre himself, relaxing his limbs, though Sigyn and Leif didn't let go.

"I don't want your games Amora. You know why we're here."

"Yes, you told me," Amora said, sauntering back towards the glass. "And like I said before, you're in over your head. You should have just let Thor come down so the grownups could handle it."

"This has nothing to do with Thor, I'm within my rights to hunt you down, not just for me but for Alviss."

Amora blinked at him, then threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, Young Prince, what pretty lies you tell yourself."

"I'm not lying!" Loki shouted, shaking himself free of Sigyn and Leif to stalk closer to the cage. "You'll pay for Alviss's death, he should have been the one to survive not you."

"What makes you think he didn't?"

Loki froze, stunned, mouth hanging open unable to form a response.

"What do you mean?" it was Sigyn who asked, coming to stand on the Prince's left.

"Both of us fell together," Amora said, ignoring Sigyn completely. "Both alive as we continued to fall into nothingness. It felt like an eternity." The Witch's voice was quiet, melancholy. "When we finally landed, I don't know how the old fool was still alive, my blade had pierced his back, he should have been dead."

Loki's heart thumped faster; his fists clenched so the hilt of his dagger dug into his flesh. "A…Alviss is alive?" he couldn't stop himself from asking hopefully. Amora studied him a moment longer before grinning.

"Only long enough for me to finish the job."

Loki reared back, face paling. "What?"

"As he struggled to regain himself, I slit his throat. From ear to ear." She mimicked the gesture with a long-nailed finger, glee etched into every motion. "I left his rotting corpse behind for the scavengers, his soul unsure if he would find peace in Valhalla."

Loki gulped, Sigyn shivered but surprisingly it was Leif who pointed his sword and declared. "You lie!"

"Why would I lie child? I was there? Besides did you truly believe that the old Steward could have survived and not tried to return to Asgard after all this time." She bared her teeth with a hiss. "Hopeful fools, you make it so easy to -"

The rest of Amora's words were silenced as Loki stepped forward, dagger coming down to strike the glass with a resounding crack. The glass splintered, but it didn't break, much to Loki's rage. Green eyes were almost feral as they found startled bright blue, Seidr whipping around the small form as he tried his best to rain it in.

"I said I didn't want your games, Amora," Loki growled, pulling the point of his knife free to twirl it in his grip before striking the glass again. "I'll kill you. I swear I will."

"Then you may have to be quick about it, as my escort is about to arrive."

The anger that had been coursing through Loki bated. He blinked, his mind clearing enough to fix on what Amora said.

"What do you -"

Suddenly the whole of the room lurched to one side, it was followed by an explosion, along with the wail of sirens and flashing lights filled the room.

Loki stumbled away from the glass, reaching out to grab a shrieking Sigyn, while Leif gripped the rail that surrounded the balcony they stood on.

"W…what was t…that?" the Valet asked.

"The room moved. How can the room move?" Sigyn muttered. Loki passed her on to Leif, before turning to a smirking Amora.

"What have you done?"

"Me?" Amora said in mock shock. "Why what could I possibly do? I'm trapped right here."

"You -!"

Shouts and cries started to fill the air. Loki turned to the door, startled, it sounded like pandemonium out there. Abandoning Amora in the cage, Loki crossed to the door, opening it to look outside. There was no Midgardians about, but their screams and wails of distress were louder, echoing from outside to filter down the corridors. The ground tilted once again, making Loki's stomach do flips, before it righted itself.

"What is going on?" Loki muttered.

"My P…Prince, what s…should we do?" Loki turned to Leif, who along with Sigyn had come to stand with him.

"Something must have happened to the flying beast," Loki said.

"Then we should get out of here," Sigyn started but Loki cut her off.

"No! We need to finish what we started. You two go scout the area."

"I w…won't leave y…you Prince Loki!" Leif demanded, Sigyn nodding in agreement.

"He's right we shouldn't split up."

"I'm not giving you a choice," Loki drew himself up regally. "This is an order. Go and scout the area, then return to me here. Now!"

Sigyn and Leif shared a look, neither appearing happy, but unable to counter the order. Loki was the Second Prince of Asgard, and they were merely citizens. What he said was second only to that of other members of the royal family.

"Aye my P…Prince," Leif bowed before heading out the door, sword aloft. Sigyn said nothing, but she ducked her head in a small measure of appearing respectful before following the Valet. Once they were further up the corridor Loki turned back to Amora who hadn't bothered to move from her place inside the cage.

"You sent them away on purpose," she said. "Afraid they'll get hurt? Or just what I might tell them about their precious Prince."

"Shut up, Amora," Loki mumbled. Flipping his knife in his hand he moved in front of the door to the cage, casting out with his Seidr to disable the lock. Amora watched him, amusement and surprise clear as the door opened.

"You're going to take me head on? We both know how well that went last time."

"Yes," Loki agreed. Twirling the dagger one more time before vanishing it. "But I think I have an advantage this time."

"Oh really?" the Witch mocked. "What's to stop me from simply teleporting out of here?"

"The same reason you didn't vanish the moment your attack began," Loki said, summoning his pocket dimension, extracting Amora's staff from its depths. The effect was instant, the Witch's eyes widened, and they flashed with longing.

"I knew you would keep it."

"Where did you get it?" Loki asked. "It's filled with malicious Seidr."

"Malicious? Oh no, no, no your Highness, it is something so much more than that."

"Well I'm counting on it." Loki dropped into a stance, placing the staff across his body. Amora had positioned herself in the doorway, smirk on her lips as she waited.

"Make your move then."

And Loki did, lunging towards the Witch who braced for the attack. Only as Loki swung his hit contacted nothing. The Staff went right through Amora's head, so it went wild, along with the rest of his body, diving through Amora as though she wasn't there. The gasp of surprise that escaped him caught as before he even hit the floor, something grabbed the top of the staff, wrenching it from his grasp, spinning him so he landed flat on his back in the glass cage.

Scrambling furiously to his feet, Loki wasn't fast enough to get out before the door to the glass prison shut in his face, the grinning visage of Amora spinning the staff on the other side.

"I can't believe you fell for that," she laughed. "Did you really think I would wait for you to attack me?"

"When did you -?"

"I've been out of the cage since my escort arrived," Amora tucked a blonde strand behind her ear as she surveyed the Young Prince with mild distain. "If you had been concentrating you would have realised that I'd teleported along with the illusion I put in my place. Though I do have to thank you, your invisibility spell is rather inspirational."

Loki bit his lip to stop himself from screaming. He couldn't believe he had been so stupid. He'd fallen for the easiest trick in the book. He knew Amora was a Seidr wielder, he knew how powerful she was. Why would she have waited for him attack her? She wasn't Thor.

"So now what?" Loki demanded. Amora smiled, stalking along the balcony just outside the glass prison until she was far to the left. Loki noticed a collection of buttons and dials on a panel attached to the rail. Amora trailed a finger along them gently.

"The Midgardians think us immortal. Should we test that?"

Loki gulped as he eyed the buttons dubiously, what did they do? What would Amora do to him? He tried to teleport out of the cage, but his Seidr simply swirled before dissipating. Loki cursed, he needed to concentrate, but his mind was too focused on Amora.

"Amora don't -"

A blast from behind cracked against the wall, right above Amora's head. The Witch spun, along with Loki to look at the door, only to find Coulson stood there, a large gun in his hands.

"Move away, please?" he asked rather politely. Amora hesitated before stepping away from the controls. Coulson came closer, eyes flicking from Amora to Loki in the cage. "I thought I recognised you. Loki, right?"

Loki didn't say a word but nodded. He was surprised the Midgardian remembered him, then again Midgardians seemed to be surprising him quiet a lot lately. Coulson didn't linger on the Young Prince though, his attention taken up by the threat of Amora.

"You like this?" he gestured to the gun. "We started working on the prototype after the Destroyer was sent. Even I don't know what it does. Want to find out?"

Amora, like Loki remained silent, instead just tilted her head and smiled. Loki felt the Seidr before anything else, it shifted around the room to consolidate behind Coulson.

"Coulson behind -!" Loki's warning was too late though as the real Amora appeared behind the Shield agent, thrusting her staff right into his chest, impaling him right through the heart.

"NO!"

His shout was ignored, blood spluttered from Coulson's mouth as he dropped the gun, the fight going from his limbs. Amora kept him there for a moment before spinning him around to throw the Midgardian from the end of her staff so he slammed into the wall. Loki yelped as it fell, a dead weight as blood spilled onto the floor forming a puddle.

"Terribly sorry about that, but I have places to be."

"You'll pay for that Amora."

"Oh, Prince Loki, you need to learn to keep your mouth shut."

Amora sauntered back up to the control panel, Loki watching her warily. "If you're going to kill me just do it."

"Well you see I would, but I'd rather not waste my time. But I'm sure this will be enough."

"What are you -?" Amora didn't wait for Loki to finish before pressing one of the buttons. A whine came from beneath Loki's feet and air blasted up, buffeting his hair. The floor below the cage had opened, revealing the drop down to Midgard in all its glory. Loki glanced fearfully below him before turning frightened eyes back to Amora who smiled.

"Goodbye Prince Loki."

She pressed another button and Loki barely heard the clamps release that held the cage in place before he was falling. Out of the flying beast and into the open sky, heading right down towards Midgard with nothing to break his fall.