Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Here's another chapter, this one with lots of Cap's POV. Enjoy, and please don't forget to review!

Chapter 11: Waging War:

The tally following Loki's escape wasn't good. From the talk going through the ship, there were many wounded, numerous dead, and one missing.

When he'd heard about there being hurt and dead, Steve had panicked. Panic was an unusual emotion for him –he typically kept a cool head when it came to fighting, and bad things were expected to happen to people when battles were fought.

This was different, though –this time there was Adena to consider; a civilian who was helpless in a fight, and who made an easy target for the mind-controlled agents under Loki's command. Even though Director Fury had ordered her to accompany him to this flying craft, Steve felt that she was under his protection, and that he was solely responsible for her safety while aboard. If she was one of the wounded, he'd blame himself. But if she were dead…

Once the ruined engine had been repaired to the best of Stark's abilities, Steve had raced to the bridge, offering aid where he could (which was very little, as he had no medical training whatsoever). Still, he did manage to get debris off of those who were trapped, and helped them onto stretchers or to lie still until medics could arrive.

After reaching the bridge, Steve took one look at the Director's face and felt his stomach drop. "What happened?" he whispered, his spirits sinking.

It wasn't good.

Trapped inside Loki's glass prison, Thor had been launched from the ship, a fall of easily twenty thousand feet or more. Such a fall could easily kill a human man, and it was unlikely that even an Asgardian could survive the drop. Steve hoped for the best, but suspected the worst.

Doctor Banner, as The Hulk, had also hurdled to Earth, but in his alternate form, Steve was more optimistic about his survival. So far, nothing had managed to destroy The Hulk, and he doubted that a mere fall would do it. Stark felt the same way, and said so.

But the worst blow came when Steve asked where Adena was.

"She's been taken by Loki," Director Fury bluntly told them. "She went with Agent Coulson to try and prevent his escape. Unfortunately, a mind-controlled guard had gotten Loki the scepter and he used it to overpower them."

Fury sighed as he hung his head. "Adena managed to save Coulson from being stabbed from behind, but in doing so, she got Loki's attention. From what we can gather, she tried to take him down by herself with a stun gun, but accidentally got Coulson instead. When Coulson went down, Loki was able to get Adena and make his escape. They're gone."

Steve was glad he was sitting down, because he would have had to take a seat after hearing that news. There were a mixture of feelings and thoughts racing through him, and he needed a moment to sort them all out.

The predominant thought was, 'This is all my fault. How could I have left her alone like that: unguarded, unprotected, and standing in the middle of a shattered lab?'

He'd honestly believed she'd be safe there –after all, Director Fury would have tried to keep her out of harm's way, so Steve had naturally thought she'd be safe and in good hands. How could he have been so wrong?

Numb, Steve followed Stark to the prison level, where Loki's cell had been. There, he stood in silent thought, wondering what had become of Thor, Doctor Banner, and poor Adena…though mostly his mind was on Adena's fate.

'Will he hurt her?' he wondered. 'Will he torture her for information? Or will he kill her once he finds out that she doesn't have much information to give him?'

No, Loki was too clever for that. If he had gained control of some of the crew, Loki now knew that Adena was at least passing friends with some of the most powerful heroes on Earth. She would be a valuable bargaining chip, if he chose to use her. Steve refused to think about what might happen if Loki decided to do otherwise.

"Stupid," Steve snapped into the open air of the room. "Why didn't they wait for other agents?"

"Coulson was doing his job," Stark said, trying to defend the unconscious man who was now in the ship's hospital, suffering from concussion-like symptoms. "She was probably all that was available at the time."

Steve took a swing at the wall, hurting his knuckles and leaving a dent in the metal wall paneling. "That doesn't excuse Coulson for letting her go along! He should have kept her locked up somewhere safe! She doesn't know how to fight, and she told me herself that she hated weapons. Why would either one of them do what they did?"

Stark sighed. "Earlier, when she was spending time with me and Bruce, Adena had been complaining about being useless during this whole mess. She wanted to do something useful, and once the trouble started, she probably figured she might be able to help someone. Phil was alone, with no backup –knowing Adena, she volunteered her services, and he took what he could get."

"And now she's gone!" Steve yelled at the dented wall, ignoring the jealousy he felt at Adena spending time with Tony and confiding in him, rather than Steve. "We don't even know what Loki's plan is from this point. What's he going to do now that he's got both the Cube and Adena?"

A hand rested on his shoulder. "I thought you'd be used to losing soldiers in a fight."

Steve barely resisted the urge to punch the other man in the face. "Adena isn't a soldier. She's a civilian; she hates fighting. She's a kind, soft-hearted person, not a seasoned fighter. Even the most inexperienced agent onboard this ship has seen more action than her!"

"At this point, I doubt it," Stark replied in that joking tone of his. "I think Adena is a fighter –she's got more spine than I think you give her credit for. If she was willing to go head-to-head with Loki, even at the cost of her own life, that says a lot about how much guts she's got."

The thought of her facing down Loki made Steve want to laugh. While he didn't like the image of her at the mercy of that monster, he could easily smile at how defiant she'd probably been; given how stubborn she was, he could easily see her throwing insults at her enemy as she stood against him, drawing attention from the downed Agent Coulson.

Steve's amusement quickly faded. "Now that he has her, what does he plan to do with her? She's just an ordinary person, not really valuable to him except as a hostage or bargaining chip."

That made Stark pause for a minute. "Well, she's spent time with some of us, so he has to know that at least a few of us think of her as a friend. But I agree –he's got to want her for something big. Loki wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

"Right," Steve confirmed, though he wondered where this was going. "We all saw his act in Germany."

Stark waved his words aside. "That was just a preview; this will be his opening night, the one where he wants to make a huge impression. Loki is a full-tilt diva –he wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the sky with his name plastered-"

He stopped. "Son of a bitch!"

Apparently Loki was nearly as arrogant as Tony Stark, because his plans centered on the new ARC powered Stark building. With that in mind, Steve went to get Agent Romanoff, who would want to know what was going on.

He found her in another prison cell, this one clearly meant for human prisoners. "Time to go," he told her.

"Where?" she asked, showing a mixture of emotions that included determination, anger and curiosity.

"I'll tell you on the way," Steve answered. "Stark's figured out what Loki's up to. Can you fly one of those jets?

"I can," came a voice from the other room.

Seeing the agent known as Clint Barton emerge from the restroom, Steve felt his hackles go up. This man had been one of the first to be turned by Loki. Glancing at Natasha, he only relaxed a hair when she confirmed that Barton was okay.

"Have you got a suit?" Barton nodded. "Then suit up."

Within the hour, even Stark was ready, his suit as repaired as he could make it under the circumstances. While Iron Man headed off ahead, Steve gritted his teeth and led Natasha and Barton to the docking bay, where only a single youngster tried to get in their way. Luckily, it took only a few choice worlds from Steve and Natasha to get past him –Steve really wasn't in a friendly mood just then, and anyone who got in the way of rescuing Adena was going to have hell to pay.

The long flight to New York only gave him more time to think about what his friend must be going through. It tore at him, that she was in danger and he'd been the one who put her there. First it had been Bucky that he'd lost in war; and now Adena, a girl who hadn't known what to expect when she'd signed up to help him fit back into the world.

'I'll never forgive myself if something happens to her,' he thought to himself, his heart weighing heavily as they headed for New York.

When he next saw her again, Steve silently swore that he would do everything possible to be the best student in the world and do whatever she suggested about his 'reeducation.' It was the least he could do, and he had a feeling Adena would like it.

Looking at his unconscious prisoner, Loki couldn't help but feel triumphant. Soon, this world would be in the palm of his hand, and there was no one to stop him.

The sorry group of 'heroes' that had been assembled to defeat him were broken and scattered –the great beast had done as Loki desired, and confused their attempts to organize and assemble. Now that both the Beast and Thor were out of the equation, the group was severely weakened with the loss of its two strongest members.

With a grin, Loki turned to glance out the window. Like the palace on Asgard, this particular building was taller than most, providing a high perspective and a clear view of the city. From here, he would create a new capitol for his empire, though the one he planned would be far more appealing to the eye than this primitive city.

'It is an ugly world; nothing like Asgard,' he thought with a sneer. 'As soon as my reign here is established, I will level this place and build a far more elegant palace and city from which to rule.'

And with him would be Adena. He could hardly wait to see her reaction to a conquered Earth! It might be enough to break her, or at least shake her to the very core of her being. Once she was unsettled, Loki would twist and manipulate her, turning her to his cause and gaining her loyalty so that she served only him. With her insight into humanity, it would be easy to bring this race fully to heel.

'Perhaps I'll put that beast, the Hulk, to work at building my city,' he pondered, looking at Adena's sleeping face. 'I will find a way to control him, and once he is also under my power, he could prove most effective in hard labor. And if he proves to be obedient to my will, I could have him as a fully destructive force to use against my enemies.'

Reaching down, he ran a finger along Adena's soft brown locks as he telepathically channeled images into her mind. While she slept, Adena would see the future he had in mind for her –a glorious vision in which she stood beside him, watching this ravaged world being rebuilt under his power.

But first, he had to open the gate for the Chitauri. Here, Adena would sleep safely, and once the battle was won, he would awaken her to her new destiny.

I had no idea what was going on. I didn't know where I was, what was happening, whether I was alive and in a nightmare, or hovering between life and death.

Standing on an invisible plane of existence, I shivered. Here, things were dark, like the night sky, only without the moon for light. There were a few bright spots that flickered in and out around me, showing me images that were either figments of my imagination, or were visions of actual events that were occurring. Honestly, it was like watching television, with someone else frequently changing the channel.

Half of these visions made me feel sick just watching them. In one, I saw monstrous creatures subjugating Earth, killing people and enslaving others while a familiar cloaked figure watched with relish. The arrogant, pleased smirk on Loki's face made me wish that I could beat the crap out of him.

Another vision was of me on my knees, my head bowed as Loki waved a hand over me. The everyday clothes I wore shifted into a gown of deep forest-green, embroidered with strange gold designs that vaguely resembled Celtic symbols. On my head was a gold band, and as I looked up, there was a gold collar around my neck, with a blue gem that seemed to flicker in time with the orb in Loki's scepter. No doubt the collar was meant as a way of controlling the wearer.

I swallowed hard as the second vision continued. In it, that version me rose to stand, one hand slipping into Loki's as we turned to watch the complete subjugation of Earth. I saw the cold, impassive, and almost statuesque look on "my" face, and shivered –there was no mistaking the brain-washed look that face bore.

The thought of being bound to Loki's side for who-knows-how-long was a terrifying one. Being stuck inside my own body, watching everything around me and being helpless to say or do anything about the horrors going on was just as frightening.

'And who knows how long he would keep me that way,' I thought, watching the 'other me' keep pace with Loki, almost like an obedient dog or slave. 'Or would he occasionally bring me out of that state, just so he could gloat over his victory?'

Perhaps he'd do it to torment me further by rubbing my face in the Avengers' defeat. I could totally picture Loki smiling in triumph as he tortured or killed one of my friends in front of my face; he would think it funny to watch me cry out in agony while he flaunted his victories.

But to my surprise, some of these visions faded away to reveal what I could only guess to be actual events. Perhaps whatever spell Loki had me under was flawed, or it affected me in ways even he couldn't imagine, because what I saw felt too real to be a nightmare created either by Loki or by my own imagination.

In one, I saw Tony Stark chatting it up with Loki in his corporate building in New York. As always, Tony had that signature swagger of his, as well as an air of confidence that he could put on as easily as I put on a coat. When Loki next opened his mouth to speak, I was shocked to learn that I could actually hear what was being said.

"What have I to fear?" he asked arrogantly.

"The Avengers," Tony replied nonchalantly as he poured himself a drink. Loki gave him a puzzled look, causing Tony to roll his eyes a little. "It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. Earth's Mightiest Heroes type of thing."

Loki looked amused. "Oh, yes. I've met them."

Tony shrugged. "Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one." He waved his drink in Loki's direction. "But let's do a headcount, here: your brother, the demigod." Loki gave a sneer at that one. "A super-soldier that is a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; and a couple of master assassins. And you, big fella, have managed to piss off every single one of them."

"That was the plan," Loki arrogantly pointed out.

"Not a great plan," Tony replied, sipping his drink. "When they come, and they will come, they'll come for you."

"I have an army," Loki pointed out.

"We have a Hulk," Tony countered, stepping out from behind the bar.

The Asgardian smirked. "I thought the beast had wandered off…?"

By now, Tony was looking annoyed. "You're missing the point!" he said. "There is no throne; there is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you." He walked closer to where Loki stood, scepter in hand. "Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned sure we'll avenge it!"

I was so proud of him at that moment, I wanted to applaud. Even after the damage that had been done on the hover-ship, and all of the arguing that had been going on there, the team was coming together to protect the world. How great was that?

Loki merely looked calm and amused at his words. "And what about the young lady I have in my possession? Do you take her life so lightly? What makes you think that I won't torture her and use her as a bargaining tool during my battle with your precious 'Avengers'?"

At his words, the look in Tony's eyes got downright hostile. "You might try to use her, but she'll go down fighting you every step of the way. And you can be damned sure that if something does happen to Adena, all of us, though especially the super-soldier, will rip you apart."

Throwing his head back, Loki burst out laughing. "Such sentiment for a woman you have barely known a few days! Why does she mean so much to you? She is of no significance to what you stand for."

I knew that if Tony had been wearing his armor at that point, he'd have blown Loki clear into the next millennia. "She's part of our team. When you took her, you merely strengthened our cause. Believe me; that was the wrong thing to do, and you can bet that all of us will fight to get her back."

"And how will your friends have time for me, when they'll be too busy fighting you?" Loki retorted as he lifted his scepter and tapped Tony on the chest with it.

To his surprise, nothing happened. He tried again. "That usually works…"

"Performance issues?" Tony sarcastically remarked. "You know, it's not uncommon-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off by Loki grasping him around the throat and tossing him aside like trash. Furious, Loki hauled Tony up to eye-level. "You will bow before me," he snarled before throwing him out the window.

"No!" I screamed as the vision ended.

Alone in the dark once more, I felt fear surge through me. I worried for my friends: I wondered if Cap was alright, and whether Tony had performed one of his miraculous Iron Man stunts and survived the fall from the top of his building. If an invasion was going on, Natasha was probably involved, and likely kicking some serious ass along the way, right alongside the other Avengers.

As though summoned through my desperate need to know, a small glow in the darkness swelled to show me what was happening in the world outside my head. What it showed me was not good.

"Oh, my god," I muttered, staring in disbelief.

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