Loki walked around the loft aimlessly. Lucifer had gone off on another drafting mission, leaving Loki alone to wander. He'd been through every room at least twice; each one was just as bleak and empty as the one before. Under Lucifer's orders, all the curtains were drawn and the door bolted shut, not to be opened for any reason. Before he'd gone, he had drawn some curious symbols on the wall and the floor, wards in a language Loki didn't recognize.
Despite Lucifer's explicit instructions, Loki couldn't help peeking through the curtains at least once. Through the maze of skyscrapers, he could just see the beacon that was Avengers Tower. It was different than he remembered it, obviously. The city was still recovering from his last encounter in some ways but many things had already been rebuilt. People were walking along the streets below, going about their business as usual as if their entire world hadn't been shaken only a few short years ago.
Loki shut the curtains at the thought. Perhaps for them it was only a few short years ago. People had moved on, buildings were reconstructed, and life returned to the city. This was New York after all; the people were renowned for being strong and able to survive. Perhaps they hadn't forgotten but they had certainly put it behind them.
Four years. In the grand scheme of things it didn't seem that important. Humans lived for a long time, gods for even longer. But four years had stretched into an eternity in the cave. Every second chained to that rock felt like days. Each scream that tore from his lungs lasted months. The echoes rang in his ears and Loki felt the trickle of venom on his face once again. His heart started pounding and his breath grew shallow as he clawed at his cheeks, trying to rid himself of the phantom memory.
He collapsed onto the couch, curling in on himself and shutting out the dark, empty room and willing his mind to bring him somewhere warm and full of light. He pictured one of the spots he and Thor used to visit when they were younger. It was away from the city, secluded but open allowing light to flood in. The grass was green and lush, the rumble of the nearby waterfall creating a soothing background noise, and they could see the colors of the Bifröst burning in the distance. The memory brought simultaneous comfort and a different kind of pain as Loki's stomach clenched with thoughts of Thor. The face of his brother permeated his vision, images of his near expressionless face as he stood at Odin's side during Loki's sentencing.
Then he could see him laughing. He could see him drinking and joking with the other Avengers. His new family.
A wave of betrayal washed over Loki and any thought of his suffering in the cave was replaced with anger. Thor had taken him back to Asgard in chains, hadn't said a word against the verdict to lock Loki away, and as soon as Loki was gone he had disappeared back to Earth to be reunited with the team responsible for his brother's demise and that woman who had turned him soft to begin with.
Loki rose off of the couch and whirled around. He reached down and grabbed the underside of the couch, yelling as he flipped it across the room. It crashed against the wall, causing the room to shake and splinters to fly.
"Well, what do you expect us to sit on now?" An unfamiliar voice dripping with sarcasm and an Irish lilt sounded behind him. Loki turned sharply, his green cloak whipping behind him. In his fit, he didn't hear the whisper of Lucifer's wings as he reappeared, accompanied by a shorter man in a suit.
"My apologies," Loki growled. He straightened his garments as Lucifer looked between him and the couch with a raised eyebrow. The Devil walked over to inspect the damage, tracing the cracks in the wall.
Loki eyed the newcomer with apprehension, looking the man up and down and trying to figure how someone so unassuming fit into Lucifer's master plan. He was clean-cut in his suit and neatly combed hair, but short and slight in stature. On the surface, he wasn't much to look at. But the second Loki looked him in the eye, he understood exactly why Lucifer wanted this man on their side. This outside projection was utterly deceptive; inside he was cold and dark, ruthless and cunning. It wasn't his strength Lucifer needed; it was his mind that was dangerous.
He watched Loki look him over, rocking back and forth on his heels with his hands in his pockets. His eyebrows tilted slightly and he smirked. "If you're trying to deduce me, I wouldn't get your hopes up. I've gone up against the best and even he came out surprised."
"You also came out dead so I'd be careful what you're bragging about," Lucifer said, stepping back into the center of the room. "This is Jim Moriarty, self-proclaimed consulting criminal. And this is Loki Laufeyson, god of mischief."
"And this is it, then?" Moriarty said, pulling a hand out from his pocket and gesturing between the three of them. "The three of us are going to take over the world? Someone thinks a lot of himself, doesn't he?"
"Perhaps you should remember that we have power that extends beyond the capabilities of your mortal form," Loki jeered, taking a step toward Moriarty. The man looked unimpressed, simply raising his eyebrows as if inviting Loki to continue.
"Boys, boys. Put the rulers away; we're all on the same side here. And as it happens, Jim," Lucifer began, giving Moriarty a disapproving glare, "there is someone else I have in mind who will be joining us later. But for now, I believe the three of us are more than enough to cause a little mayhem, wouldn't you agree? Besides, I have the entirety of Hell at my disposal and with people these days, we'll never be shorthanded."
Moriarty shrugged and ambled off to inspect the room. "If you have the armies of Hell at your fingertips what do you need us for? I was quite content torturing souls in the Pit. What's so important that I had to be interrupted?"
Loki followed him with his eyes, crossing his arms. Although he didn't particularly like Moriarty, even after meeting him such a short time ago, he had to admit he was interested in hearing Lucifer's answer to his question.
"Demons are dispensable. With a few words they can be thrown back to where they came from and they can't even cross a line of salt. They have their uses, of course, but they're a temporary fix. Powerful enough against the general population but we're going up against the Winchesters. I needed something more long-term, more advanced. The two of you are special. I've chosen you to carry out incredibly important tasks," Lucifer said. Moriarty continued to look unconvinced but Loki felt all the more driven. Lucifer's words to him in the cave came to mind, "I can bring you justice and give you peace but I need your help as well." This was more than a simple order, this was a partnership.
"What would you have us do?" he said.
"Not exactly playing hard to get, are we?" Moriarty muttered from across the room, inspecting one of the light fixtures.
Loki turned to face him, the scowl on his face growing even more. "You can feign disinterest all you like but if this didn't intrigue you, you wouldn't be here, would you?" Loki stalked over to Moriarty, looking down on him. "You can pretend to be bored, but the truth is the prospect of this is so tantalizing you can hardly bear it."
Moriarty smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "Clever…now we're getting somewhere. There might be some potential in you after all." Loki narrowed his eyes and the two of them tried to stare the other down until Lucifer cleared his throat.
"Great, now that we're all friends, perhaps you'd be interested in hearing what I have planned."
Loki ripped his attention from Moriarty and refocused on Lucifer while Moriarty lolled his head to the side so he could see.
"Anyway, a Time Lord called the Doctor is amassing his own forces and he means to foil us in our Apocalyptic endeavors. As far as I can tell, he's yet to reach his full strength," Lucifer explained, perching precariously on the arm of the upturned sofa. "I know he's already managed to sway the Avengers and he's brought Sherlock Holmes stateside." Moriarty bristled. "But he still has a few other groups to convince. The Winchester brothers are notorious for working their own agenda and without them, they have little chance of succeeding."
"So why don't we attack now while they're divided?" Loki asked, leaning his shoulder against the wall.
"Because we're still divided ourselves. And I'd hate to have do introductions twice. No, for now we wait."
"So every possible barrier to our victory is congregating in New York and you've brought us right to their doorstep?" Moriarty said, slinking around the perimeter of the room.
"Well, I didn't bring us here because I enjoy the cheesecake." Moriarty rolled his eyes.
"Who is this fourth member you mentioned, when will he be arriving?" Loki asked.
Lucifer brought a finger to his lips. "Now that part is a secret. He's got his own grand entrance to make."
"So until then, we're on our own. You said the Time Lord still had people he had yet to employ. What are we going to do once this Doctor has brought everyone together?"
Lucifer smiled, a devious, cunning grin that made even Loki slightly uncomfortable. "We let them know we've arrived."