Bruce and Tony were trying to copy the potion Thor had given his brother, but the molecular structure of the thing was something they had never seen before in their many years as scientists. The molecular bondings, everything was different. Tony ordered some more and very new machines to be delivered into his lab to try and synthesize more of it, but they knew, both of them, that even this was (as Thor had informed them) only a pain reliever made for this specific illness, and not a real solution. Thor had also said that this illness was specially harmful to people of Loki's lineage, and that they didn't have much time. Which made everything terribly frustrating.

Bruce looked at his friend while they examined the chemical blueprints of the potion.

"You think we'll be able to save him?"

"I don't know… and I don't know if I should care this much, either. But… It feels wrong, you know? We only got together to stop him, and other people were messing with his mind. He appears on earth and gets tortured, even if he somehow he saved Thor from that illness of the enemy. We've treated him horribly, Earth has treated him horribly… I wish this illness could be the way in which to make it up to him." Tony said, trying not to sound too emotional. It had only the previous day when he'd been the god's particular pillow, and had felt his laboured breathing. And the expression he had when they took him out of SHIELD… It was hard not to empathize with the guy.

Tony simply didn't want any more death.

Bruce frowned, and suddenly had an idea.

"The illness! I… maybe if we take a sample of Loki's blood and we throw this… this potion in, we can see what is affected, since it was designed specifically for this sickness thing, whatever it is, and we'll be able to isolate the pathogen."

"And once we know what's causing this, it will much more easier to get rid of it. Good idea, Brucey!"

Loki woke up shortly after they took the blood out of him, and found relieved that pain was manageable. He still felt like he was inside an oven, but at least he could sit upright. And he hadn't killed Thor, his brother had just been there, and given him Eir's potion – that was quite a relief. As much resentment, even hatred he had felt for the blonde, he had understood that he could not kill him. Not now, not ever. Those days in which he thought he'd killed had been terrifying – and he'd hated himself.

But as he opened his eyes and looked around, it wasn't Thor's blue eyes that met his, but the Captain's. The soldier had just arrived with a tray of food in his hands, that he left just next to Loki's next.

"Hey! JARVIS told me you woke and since you haven't eaten properly since you arrived here… And probably more, considering SHIELD…well, I don't think they fed you much, who knows when was the last time you properly ate…"

Loki looked at the man, confused, with glazed blurry green eyes, trying to understand the meaning of this. Surely he didn't simply want him to eat? There must have been some other agenda, he wanted information, maybe. Loki didn't understand. These Avengers already knew that Thor was alive, as was his Lady friend. What else did the Captain want?

Steve continued his rant, awkward.

"I know you have a bit of an upset stomach, Bruce told us, but I thought that maybe after the medicine Thor gave you it would the best time. And I only did something easy to digest, so you won't have problems, just rice and a bit of grilled turkey and some tea… Because you know, you'll need you energy to get better, right?"

Loki kept looking at him as if trying to figure him out. He had no strength for this and the Captain was sliding in and out of focus.

"You OK? Well obviously not ok, but… you know what I mean…"

Loki looked at him through unfocused eyes.

"Where is Thor?"

"I… I don't know. JARVIS?"

"Mister Odinson is currently smashing all the contents of one of the gyms in the seventeenth floor."

"Why?"

"He asked me to show him the footage of his brother's time in SHIELD and it seems to have upset him."

Loki looked surprised. Steve tried to turn that uncomfortable situation into something positive, somehow.

"It's nice to know that someone cares, isn't it?"

Loki felt like he was on fire. His muscles screamed and he forgot where he was once and again. But the Captain kept talking. Loki vaguely remembered that this mortal was the one that held on the end of his conversation with Sif. He wondered why – wondered what he may have done to get on the good graces of the soldier. Ignoring the food, Loki asked him to take him to an open space, a balcony or something. He had enough of this being trapped. So they went to a balcony.

The air in New York was cool but invigorating. Loki and the Captain watched the city as if it was the first time they had seen it. Steve asked again if there was anything else he needed. Loki found this sudden kindness most unnerving.

"You were happy to see me muzzled and chained not so long ago, Captain, why the sudden change? Are you not afraid that this whole thing is a scheme to get on your good side?"

Steve didn't mind the question and just kept looking and a city that had changed so much.

"I don't think you're faking that illness. I believe in redemption, especially now that we know that New York wasn't all you."

Loki looked at the city through very tired eyes.

Steve was next to him, quiet. Just watching the city too. He had been so wrong for so long. About many things. He had thought, for a single moment, that there was something black and something white. Loki was evil and had to be stopped. What a fool. He should've known already that life was made in shades of grey. Nothing was ever that .

There was a lone tear rolling down Loki's cheek. Steve wanted to say something, but didn't know what. So, as usual, he went for the truth.

"I wish I could do something to help you."

Loki looked up to the sky, melancholic.

"I am dying, Captain. And even I ignore why, how I came to be in this situation. There is nothing you can do about that… But I appreciate the company."

Some floors lower, Thor was preparing himself for vengeance. He was going to locate Fury and his allies and show them that they should not mess with anyone of his family. Loki had been hurt, badly, he'd been broken by those men who were supposed to be a force for safety. Well, not anymore. They were going to pay for what they had done to Loki. Such terrible acts could not go unpunished.

"I understand what you want to do, Thor, but you couldn't have worse timing."

When had the Lady Romanoff entered the room? Hell, Thor hadn't even known she was in the building. She was always so sneaky.

"I know this is the Agency you work for, and that you won't want them to be punished but this has to be done." Thor said, no room for doubt in his voice.

"This is not the time, Thor. JARVIS, how were Loki's vitals last time you measured them?"

"In steady decline, Agent Romanoff. The body temperature had improved after ingesting the medicine Mister Odinson provided, but the rest is getting worse. Oxiygen levels, blood pressure and pain levels indicated that he would be dead if he was human."

"I hate to tell you this, Thor, but this could be the last days of Loki. And you are the only one he knows anything about this, about any of this."

"But SHIELD's crimes shall not go unpunished!" Thor roared.

"Do you want your brother to die alone, surrounded by enemies?" Natasha asked, blunt.

"HE WILL NOT DIE! WE WILL SAVE HIM!" Thor doubted his sanity would remain whole if he lost Loki again. And if it was his fault. Again.

"Well, if you want him to be saved then you should probably stick around and be of help, instead of leaving us in the dark again. We don't know anything about this. Loki doesn't either – he's feverish, and scared and hurting.

"But I can't help either! This disease is a death sentence in Asgard, much more so for those of Loki's origin. Am I supposed to simply watch him fade while his torturers go unpunished?"

"You can avenge him when he's dead. But you won't be able to save him then. Now you still have a chance, however small. You're all he's got."

Thor looked away. The idea of vengeance had been the only one in his head ever since he had seen what the people of SHIELD had done. But the Lady Natasha was right – if he left now to find a dead brother he would probably regret leaving.

Romanoff spoke again.

"Now, you say that an enemy gave you this illness. What's the name? Maybe we can find something to blackmail them into giving us a solution, ending the sickness or an antidote?"

Thor nodded. This was better than the anger. This was a way out.

Bruce and Tony were still in the lab conducting a million experiments –so far they identified the pathogen but they still had to find a way to get rid of it. One that didn't involve killing Loki in the process. The thing didn't seem to be alive which made it more complicate to kill. Whatever it was, it was just there, latching on the cells and damaging them. But Bruce had an idea. It was a complicated thing but it was possible.

Bruce asked JARVIS to perform a simulation of what would happen if he applied the parameters of his idea. It worked. It freaking worked.

"Bruce you're a genius! It will work! It sure is going to work!"

And yes, it would have worked and that was not acceptable. After all that he had done, all the effort he'd put so that Loki would die alone torture by enemies and sick, thinking himself a worse monster than he already was (after he stripped him of his memories, poisoned his veins with that illness, after throwing him on Midgard and calling SHIELD on him) now those damned Avengers were going to ruin everything.

No.

Loki was going to pay, pay for all the pain, pay for all the suffering.

And he was going to die – suffering and abandoned. Yes.

He would make sure of it.

When Tony and Bruce finally came out of the lab to share the good news (A cure! How awesome was science?) Loki was nowhere to be found. When asked, JARVIS showed the scientists a scary piece of footage.

Footage in which the Captain and Loki walked back to the kitchen and suddenly disappeared amongst blinding golden light and screams. Tony asked JARVIS what the hell had that been and to tell him where the hell they had gone. JARVIS said that the energy identified as golden light was not from earth and that neither Loki nor Rogers seemed to be in the planet anymore.

They weren't.

They were on enemy ground now.

A/N: Sorry for the delay and the cliffhanger and everything. I just got a new job and then almost lost and Thor the dark world and things happened. But there you go. Something. With lots of questions. Who is this enemy? Why is Natasha so friendly suddenly? Where the hell have Steve and Loki gone? I also made a reference to a (relatively new) TV show. Anybody got it?

Anyways, do tell me what you thought, if you still like this story!

Reviews are lovely!