Loki ran across the Rainbow Bridge, leaving the angered Thanos to take care of Odin. Still invisible, me made it past Heimdall and transported himself to Midgard. He soon found himself in a somewhat familiar setting. His eyes scanned the new surroundings-definitely Midgard. He happened to notice framed pictures of Iron Man and Tony Stark around the room and his smile widened. His eyes soon fixed themselves upon the glowing Tesseract and he grabbed it. There was no way he was to return to Asgard-not with Thanos causing chaos. Asgard was doomed to fall. Odin will die, and Thor will be so full of regret. Thanos could have Asgard- Midgard was a far more suitable place for Loki to rule over, anyways.
"I think that this could be a good thing," began Natasha.
"Another evil born into this world?" questioned Banner.
Tony finished another glass of wine. "Would you kill your own kid if he takes after daddy?"
"No!" she cried. "Listen to me-this is for his own good, just hear me out- he's alone, he's been betrayed!" she began. "He doesn't know what a real family is, but me-this baby-we're his family. This could change him!" she protested.
"You seem to put a lot of faith in him. Do you really think it's getting to him?" asked Steve.
Thor folded his arms across his chest and stared at her. "This could turn him around for the better. My Brother deserves this."
"He needs to be here…" she continued. "I want our child to know his father."
"Loki has never known the love of a real Father and Mother," Thor continued.
"So we think this will get rid of the daddy issues?" asked Tony.
"I will ask my Father to let me speak with Loki. He is still imprisoned for his wrongdoings."
Natasha lowered her head upon hearing this. "I want to see him… to tell him."
"Careful what you wish for," said Tony as he pulled his phone out. After staring at the screen for a minute, he outstretched his arm to show Natasha. On screen was a video of Loki appearing and taking the Tesseract. "Security breach. He's here."
"How did he escape Asgard?" questioned Thor.
"You can ask him yourself. Let's move!" Tony ordered. "Can I get a lockdown on all entryways, Jarvis?" he asked into his phone.
Natasha followed Tony and Thor to his car, while the others split up.
Before Loki could leave Tony's workroom, the lights abruptly went out and the door locked itself shut. He pulled the handle, then kicked the door. His golden scepter appeared in his free hand, which he used to blast straight through the door. An alarm blared throughout the building and Loki broke out into a sprint, readying himself to escape. The next door to stand in his way was destroyed just as easily as the first. At this point, a laser locked itself on Loki and fired a shot. Loki used his scepter to create a force field. Shots continued to fire at him, forcing him to remain in place while he maintained his barricade. He was trapped inside of this place. Leave it to his enemies to create an array of challenging cages in which to contain him.
The firing soon ceased as the sounds of footsteps drew near. "Having fun?" Tony Stark asked Loki.
Loki stared at him as his force field diminished.
"We're gonna have to add even more damages to your tab, now aren't we?"
"Loki!" growled Thor. "How did you escape?"
Loki smirked at him. "You should be thankful I'm alive. I came to warn you-Asgard is in danger. As we speak, Odin is facing a most difficult battle."
Thor stared at him in disbelief. "I have not been gone long. Do not lie to me, Loki!" he growled.
"You leave and all Hel breaks loose."
"And by 'Hel', you're referring to yourself," Tony chided.
Loki slyly grinned as he shook his head. "I'm afraid the danger is far greater than myself. I only came here to save my own life."
"You've been chained and locked away! How did you manage to escape?" Thor questioned.
"I was freed by the creature. He demanded answers from me and set me free." His eyes fell upon Natasha. "I owe him a debt."
The familiar words shocked Natasha for a moment. "You 'owe' him? So he let you go and you let him destroy Asgard?"
He shook his head. "I am afraid he wants me dead."
"You really know how to piss people off, don't you?" Tony commented.
"I shall go to Asgard myself and save Father!" declared Thor.
"It's far too dangerous to go alone, Thor!" Loki warned him. "I barely escaped, myself." Thankfully, his dirt-covered clothing and the scratches and dried blood on his face from while he was locked up served as a decent compensation for his lies.
"We've got our team," Tony said, staring back at Bruce, Steve, and Clint. "Natasha, you're on babysitting duty," he informed her. "No pun intended," he whispered to her as he turned on his heel.
"I will join you," announced Loki. "You will be in need of my assistance."
"Our team can take on this guy easily enough," Tony assured him.
"Did it not require the lot of you just to stop me?" he slyly reminded him.
"Fine. Natasha, you stay here," said Tony. "We can use him as bait."
Loki frowned at the idea, but was in agreement, nonetheless.
"No! Loki, you stay right here!" Natasha warned him. "You shouldn't underestimate them." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh, but I do." His hand reached out to touch her neck. "They're as good as dead!" he growled. "Thanos's power will surpass and kill them. He won't hesitate to show any more mercy than what I am showing you now."
As the pressure of his fingers snaked around her windpipe, the back of Natasha's hand swiftly smacked his arm away from her. "Don't do this, Loki," she warned him.
"He has power to kill you so easily. Unlike myself, he won't refrain himself from snapping your neck."
She stared into those familiar green orbs. The sound of his sickeningly sweet voice aroused a sense of fear within her. This man was still as dangerous as ever, yet she kept coming back to him. "They're leaving me behind for a reason," she told him coolly, staring up at him from beneath her long lashes.
He raised a brow as he noticed the look of resolve in her emerald eyes. She was such a devious wench, so conniving and much like himself. Perhaps that was why the trickster found himself so drawn. Her charm was like a drug to him. His fingers began to absently toy with a strand of her red hair. "And why is that?"
"Because you're going to be a father," she composedly informed him.
At this point, Loki's hand froze and his brows knit together in confusion. For once in his life, Loki found himself at a loss for the words that came so easily. He looked from her, then to Tony.
"Let us go, then," said Thor.
Loki turned on his heel to follow after them, only to stop as Natasha grabbed his arm.
"So you're just going to leave without saying anything to me?" she asked.
"I know not how to reply in this situation."
"Can you two finish this later? We're on the clock," Tony reminded them.
"I'm going with you," she announced.
"I thought you were planning on taking time off," noted Tony.
She shook her head. "I'm going with you. I can't let you go off if there's a chance you won't come back."
"Stay here," said Loki quietly. "You'll only be a hindrance in our battle."
"You better come back," she warned him. She couldn't help but feel hurt by his remark. Being a burden to the team only upset her.
"I have no intentions of dying," he assured her. His hand briefly touched hers before he turned to leave.
The six of them used the Tesseract to transport themselves to Asgard. Thor led the charge towards the castle where his Father was.
"Thor!" Loki growled. "This is no time to act out so foolishly!"
"The enemy is attacking our Father!" he reminded him.
Loki suddenly grabbed Thor's arm. "Do you not recall the time in Jotunheim-you were banished for your rash actions!"
"Father is in danger!" he shouted. He pulled his arm away and ran into the throne room.
Tony followed in his Iron Man suit, Steve readied his shield, and Clint drew an arrow. Bruce, however, stood beside Loki, watching the others run off.
"Do you not wish to join them?" Loki asked. "I honestly believe you to be the one with the greatest strength."
"I'd rather not have the other guy…destroy everything," he nervously began as he rubbed his hands together. He began to look around in awe of the fantastical surroundings. "This place is all too fantastic! It's unreal!"
Loki couldn't help but chuckle at the man's childish wonder. "You're willing to leave behind your friends all for the sake of feeding your naïve curiosity?"
"I already said," Banner continued as he fixed his attention on Loki, "I don't want to destroy anything."
"Be my guest. Destroy everything if it pleases you," he smirked.
Banner shook his head in reply. "I'd rather not have to do that. Besides, I've got to guard this," he added as he held onto the Tesseract.
"Feel free to explore," continued Loki. "I'd like to see how Thor fares in this battle." He tightened his grip around his scepter as he began to walk down the pathway to his former home.
"I know it's odd to say, but be careful," said Bruce with an anxious smile. "You know-for Natasha's sake."
Loki replied with a grin, then walked away.