Loki paced the length of his medical room. He kept his eyes directly focused on the security cameras in the corner, smiling. He knew the mortals were watching him, studying his every move.

Though time seemed to pass slowly, he found himself entertained by the people behind the one way mirror. They thought he was unable to hear them or see them, but the mirror did not have the same effect on him as it did on mortals.

He could clearly see the doctors, scurrying around, checking clipboards and scribbling notes. He picked out the nurse that pressed a button every thirty minutes to release the most unnoticeable amount of sedatives into his blood to keep him under control. He watched as they swiped I.D. cards and let the wall scan their eye to get in and out of the room. Loki heard their quiet murmurs and theories of how he had gotten here. He watched as they glared at him and whispered angry words at each other over his presence and why he was getting medical treatment after all he had done to New York.

And finally, Loki watched as Agent Sparks came through the door, looking down at her phone, sending a few last texts before putting her phone and extra guns on a tray, clipping on a recorder and hiding it expertly in her jacket. Lingering in front of the door for a few seconds before putting on a mask of self-assuredness and walking through the door.

Loki had been smirking well before she had entered the room, but it had finally paid off. Her facade cracked a little, seeing his smirk. Loki stretched lazily before laying back down on his bed and closing his eyes, pretending to be bored and uninterested.

The red ant was silent for a few moments before she finally spoke, catching Loki off guard, though he didn't let it show.

"You win." She stated.

Loki cracked open one eye. "Are you sure about that? I've only just started."

Agent Sparks sighed. "You aren't going to cooperate. No matter what we do, you'll still be sitting there with that smug grin, thinking you're the king of the world. So, you win. If you won't cooperate, you're of no use to us. We're going to lock you away until we can contact Thor. And if we can't, then you'll be there for a while."

Loki's heart sped up. Locked up. Most likely in a small cell, dark, without any form of contact. For years. Because Thor wasn't coming back, because Thor had abandoned him. It didn't matter, though, did it?

Loki slowly sat up, weighing his options. Dark cell with nothing but darkness, or "work" with Agent Sparks, perhaps feed her false information, play her to his music. Loki hummed, his eyes finally drifting up to meet the Agent's dark glasses. She wore glasses this time. Loki grinned. She was smart, learned fast. She would be a fun toy for now. Perhaps she might even lead to his escape. He would play it out, see what happened.

"You have played your cards well, Agent Sparks. I applaud your memory." Loki watched as she folded her arms, scratching her elbow. It was not until that moment that Loki noticed she always wore long sleeves. Even on the first encounter, she had been wearing long sleeves that covered her arms perfectly and were tight enough to make it near impossible for them to slip. It was the middle of summer here as well. Even the Black Widow had been wearing short sleeves.

Loki saw that she was watching him, that she had unfolded her arms and stopped scratching her elbow. Loki stood up, slowly walking towards her. One step after another until he was standing a mere foot from her. He could tell she was getting nervous, that she itched to run away as she had done the previous day.

"Do you think I will play your game? Or do you fear what will happen if I win? If I somehow put you into checkmate, if you turn your back for a second too long." Loki whispered. "Or perhaps it is something more. Some painful truth, some sad reality, some... nightmare." Loki couldn't see her eyes, but he knew what flashed in them. Fear. He could taste it in the air. He took one more step. He could tell she had been so distracted by looking up at him that she didn't realize his hand was twitching, his eyes set on the single gun she carried on her belt.

Then, all he could feel was pain. Loki gasped, clutching at his neck as he felt the pinch turn into a stab. The searing heat ripped through his neck, going into his head, to his chest, into his arms and legs. He stumbled away from her, growling as it started ebbing away into a dull buzz. Loki's head snapped towards her.

She smiled, a genuinely pleased smile, before motioning to the watch on her wrist. "Your collar is also a shock collar, by the way. I wouldn't get that close again if I were you."

Loki could hear the doctors laughing at him, he turned his head to the side, his doubled vision slowly lapsing into one picture as he focused on the doctors, who were all smirking. Loki growled again. "Foolish mortal. You will regret that."

"I don't think I will."

Loki looked up at her. There was something about her, something that made him want to slit her throat. But there was also something that made him want to smile. Her smirk, perhaps? Or the fact that she wasn't as stupid as he had previously thought? Loki shook his head before he grinned, standing up. "Indeed, you have played your hand well. I am… impressed." Loki said before walking over to his bed, his hands clasped behind his back. He chuckled. "It seems as though I have made up my mind, or at least what's left of it." Loki turned to face her, a mad glint in his eyes. "I will play your little game of chess, Agent Sparks. For now."

Cherry breathed a sigh of relief as she heard those words. She felt sweat beading on her brow. That had been too close of a call. She could have sworn he'd been going for her gun. She watched as the tyrant sat on the bed, watching her every move.

She could've heard a pin drop.

She forced her voice out, trying to keep it from wavering as she told him she'd be back in a moment. She slipped out into the room just outside the door where the doctors were bustling about, writing down more notes.

"What just happened?" Cherry asked, a little bit of anger wedged into her voice. "You were supposed to warn me if his heart rate picked up. He could have gotten my gun."

The nurse in charge of watching Loki's vitals cleared her throat, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "His heart rate stayed the same, Agent Sparks. There was no sign that he was going to act out."

Cherry rubbed her elbow, sighing. If Loki knew how to keep his heart rate the same before attacking, that meant either he truly was mad and hadn't known he was going for her gun, or he was the best actor she had ever come across.

She heard two beeps in her earpiece before Widow came through. "What happened, Agent Sparks? I heard there was some trouble."

Cherry stopped herself before she could say anything. If she told Natasha that she had almost let Loki get her gun, that she had been so distracted and careless as to allow him to get so close to her, then Fury would take her off the mission. And though she had protested being the one to pry information out of Loki, she now looked at it with a new light.

She was part of Shield to protect the people. To protect Earth from another invasion. To protect Abby. And if Loki was going to whisper threats in her ear, then let him do so. She wasn't giving up, not after what he had done to her and everyone else in his little escapade. She was going to be strong. She wasn't going to bend to his every threat. The sooner she could get the information from him, the safer New York would be.

"No. No trouble here. I don't know what you're talking about." Cherry said quickly.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Everything's great. Loki just agreed to work with us. I did what you said and threatened to put him in a cell. Cracked like a… a nut?"

"I'll inform Fury about your progress."

And with that, the line went dead. Cherry tapped the end-call button on the inside of her earpiece and sighed, her eyes shifting to look at the madman in the cell. He was grinning, looking straight through the one-way glass, almost directly at her. As if he could see her.

Cherry felt a shiver zip through her spine, raising goosebumps along her arms and legs. Those icy eyes were inhumane. As if he was a rabid animal, just waiting to tear at her throat and drink her blood. Her eyes narrowed behind her shades and she resisted the urge to run as she had the previous day.

She rubbed her elbow and swiped her I.D. card, watching as the little light turned from red to green, the door hissing as she opened it and went back into Loki's cell.

"When do we start?" The crazy god asked.

Cherry glared at him. "When I say so."

They stayed like that for a long time, watching one another, hostility dancing through the air on a black leash.

"Well, you best start soon. I'm not getting any older. You, however, are." Loki laughed.

Cherry's fingers itched to grab the gun on her belt, aim it at his raven-haired head, and pull the trigger.

When Cherry got home that night, Loki's eyes were planted into her memories. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was still watching her, even though she knew he was safely locked away back in the S.H.I.E.L.D underground labs.

Abby still refused to talk to her and was rarely seen in the same room as her sister. Cherry knew the teen was still mad at her for forgetting her birthday, but there was only so much Cherry could do to make it up to her.

She walked into the kitchen, opening a cupboard, pushing a gun to the side, and pulling out a cup. She knew that maybe she went a little overboard with her guns, but she would rather have one that not.

She got a drink of water, setting the cup in the sink with a clink, only to hear the tiniest buzzing sound irritate her eardrums. She turned towards the direction the sound was coming from. It was coming from just outside the window. She grabbed the gun from the cupboard, clicking a bullet into the chamber and cautiously approaching the dark window.

She crouched by the wall, pressing her ear to it and hearing the buzzing sounds grow, the vibrations quivering slightly in the air. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before she peered out the window, her gun raised, trained on the source of the sound.

There was nothing but a quiet street, a tall street lamp illuminating the asphalt as clouds rolled through the sky in the distance.

Cherry sighed in relief, lowering the gun, her hands shaking at the rush of adrenaline. The buzzing sound had stopped, making her wonder if she had heard anything in the first place. She set the gun on the counter, shaking her head and then pulling the blinds down.

She dragged her feet up the stairs to her bedroom and got ready for bed, climbing under her heavy blankets and falling asleep, Loki's eyes still in her mind.

The Chitauri soldier watched with its insect eyes as the earthling suddenly appeared at the large, front window, a weapon raised towards the street, right at it. She was looking right at it, but slowly lowered the weapon, shaking her head and closing the blinds.

It made a few clicking sounds in its comlink, a button beeping, a tiny screen appearing on its wrist.

"Did you find her?"

The Chitauri soldier answered in various ticks and pops.

"Good."

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