A/N: This is it! I've had this planned in my head since before I even sat down to write the first chapter. I'm glad the moment is finally here! It's a little bit longer than the previous chapters but totally worth it, I promise! Enjoy!

From The Ashes

By Anna Morgan

Chapter 6 The Trickster's Tale

Loki slowly regained consciousness, though he kept his eyes shut. He groaned inwardly, disappointed to find that he was actually still in existence.

He allowed his eyes to open, his muscles still dully throbbing in pain. He wasn't sure what had woken him – he had entered a dreamless sleep for once, despite the hallucinogens' faint presence. Had the Chitauri come back for another round? He thought he heard the handle of the door turn, the scrape of the metal door sliding against the floor. Perhaps he had been dreaming after all.

He sat up once more and looked anxiously toward the door, half expecting to see the Chitrauri looming over him, ready for another game. He studied the door carefully. There seemed to be nothing different about it from when he went to sleep – same thick metal armor, bolts around the perimeter, a small crack lining the edge…

A crack? Loki raised an eyebrow and looked at the door disbelievingly. Surely they had not forgotten to close the door? How long has it been like this? He didn't recall there being a light shining through when he had fallen asleep (not that he was paying much attention to the door). His heart threatened to leap right out of his chest as he crawled toward the door. He placed his hand a few inches from the bottom and, painfully slow, pushed the heavy metal just a little bit. It was open.

He pushed again, more confidently this time, and peered out of his cell, looking for any sign of the Chitauri. Finding none, he rose to his feet and swayed a bit, readjusting his legs so that they could support him easier.

For a fleeting moment he actually debated whether or not to make a break for it. If he was found, they would certainly kill him. But the thought of allowing this opportunity to slip through his grasp was unimaginable. They're going to kill me anyway. I may as well take the chance now.

He stepped out into the corridor and looked around. It was dark, save for the dim row of lights lining the floor and ceiling. He glanced along the wall, which was lined with doors just like his. The cell door to his left was also slightly ajar, and unable to resist the temptation, peered inside. It was empty. He sighed. If his friend was there, perhaps they could have escaped together.

He looked at his own door, searching for some clue as to how it had been opened in the first place. On the handle was a small, bloody handprint. Loki was sure it would have come from a woman, or maybe even a child.

Are you here to play detective? Run, you fool!

Snapping himself out of his trance, he focused on the mission at hand. He began to move cautiously along the wall, trying to make himself blend in with the shadows. He followed the corridor to the end, where it forked in two different directions. Following his instinct, he chose the path to the left, moving slowly as to keep his steps silenced, cursing at the chains that still impeded his magic. What I wouldn't do to get rid of these damned chains…

He only had his intuition to guide him through the maze of corridors. There must be a teleporter on this ship somewhere. The whole time, his heart raced almost painfully in his chest and his mind fluttered, planning his escape, and a backup plan, and another backup plan…. Failing in this situation was not an option. He focused his attention on the compass that was his instinct instead of what the Chitauri would surely do to him if they discovered his escape.

He passed by the rooms that he recognized as the same ones they used for the poison-knife game. Through one of the semi-transparent walls, he could see the silhouette of a smaller, human-like being hanging upside down from one leg, the other hanging uselessly at an awkward angle. The being didn't move as it spun slowly on the end of its chain as Loki stopped in spite of himself to look. He tried not to consider the possibility that the being was perhaps the friend who had made his escape possible, and instead shook his head and kept moving.

In his moment of distraction, Loki hadn't heard the footsteps of the guards behind him. His ears picked up the sound too late as he heard the angry snarling directed at his direction. He looked to see two Chitauri rushing toward them and without another thought he took off running, harder than he had ever run before in his life. Panic flooded through him and he was sure his heart was going to come out of his throat. He disregarded being silent now as he heard the movements of his captors closing in on him from behind.

Loki ran, weaving through the dark corridors, his pursuers gaining on him every moment. He tried to confuse them by making sudden turns, hoping to throw them off of his trail. Finally he reached a corridor leading to a bridge, suspended above several floors below him, with several more like it on the lower floors. Somehow he knew what he had to do. Swiftly, gracefully, he grabbed the rounded handrail of the bridge and flung himself over the ledge. He felt his legs buckle beneath him painfully when he landed in a heap on the hard metal floor of the bridge. But he had no time to dwell on the pain as he picked himself up and dived in the doorway at the far end. He looked up in time to see the Chitauri run by on the bridge above him. He was breathing hard and his vision swam in front of him as if he had just broken free from a noose. He took just a moment to catch his breath as he leaned against the cold metal wall for support, sighing in relief.

He could hardly believe his luck so far. The Chitauri are cruel beings, but they are by no means intelligent… But they knew he was out now, and they would surely have alerted every being on the ship to his presence. He had to get out, and he had to do it now.

He started running again, slower this time to almost a jogging pace, letting his intuition lead him once more. A couple of times he heard the voices or footsteps of Chitauri and was forced to duck in a doorway or against the wall. After what seemed like an eternity, he came upon a room lined with glass walls. Inside was the very mechanism he had been hoping to find – the teleporter.

He easily pried the sliding door open and slipped inside, closing the door behind him. He could feel freedom at his fingertips and his heart finally started to slow down, relief flooding through him. He made his way to the control panel, still looking around and behind him for his pursuers as he scanned the buttons and knobs, before locating a small silver key in the right hand corner. He pressed it and the backlights of the control panel and monitor came to life in a series of silver and blue flashes. Almost like he knew exactly what he was doing, he pressed keys and turned knobs until he achieved the results that he wanted. Loki knew where he was going – exactly where his brother had told him. He looked over his work carefully, looking for any flaws. He had made sure to take the time to program the device to erase its history once he was gone so that the teleporter would not reveal his destination, should the Chitauri check the teleporter's history log.

As he was about to press the key that would have ensured his freedom, the door behind him was violently thrust open as two Chitauri breeched the room. Loki barely turned in time to duck out of the way as one made a dive for him, spear in hand.

Of course they're going to walk in right now, Loki thought to himself.

Loki swept his leg across the floor as the second Chitauri charged at him, sending it crashing to the floor. He leapt to his feet like a loaded spring being released as he turned to face the first Chitauri, who was coming back for a second round. Loki was running on fear-induced adrenaline alone, being exhausted from his lack of recovery time between torture sessions. He knew he couldn't handle them in a hand-to-hand fight; he would have to rely on his movements only.

He continued to dodge, leap, dive, and swerve, making the Chitauri chase him about the room, clambering into each other. Eventually Loki managed to trick one into embedding a spear into the chest of the other. He grabbed the spear from the dead Chitauri's hands and raised it defensively as the other one angrily brought his own spear down on him, the blood of his comrade still seeping down the handle.

Loki couldn't last much longer, and he knew it. He was getting fatigued, despite the energy his own adrenaline had provided him, which was quickly depleting. The Chitauri had cornered him between the edge of the teleporter's control panel and the wall. With one mighty heave, Loki took his last bit of strength and shoved the creature across the room. Without hesitation, he hit the final key and the teleporter awoke with a revolving cry, emitting an icy-blue light from overhead.

With one spectacular leap, Loki sprang up over the control panel and into the light. The last thing he heard was the angry cry of the Chitauri, and he disappeared.

….

Loki landed with a soft thud on the ground, his eyes closed tightly. His world was still spinning around him and he felt as if he were going to be sick. He didn't wait for the nausea to subside before willing himself to sit up and observe his surroundings.

It was night time, and the cold night air both nipped at his extremities and acted as a balm to some of his still-bleeding wounds. He seemed to have landed in the middle of a park; the ground was covered in soft green grass and he was surrounded by trees. A concrete path reflected pale lights from poles illuminating though the darkness. There was no one around; he assumed the mortals would all be asleep right now.

He tried to stand but his knees wouldn't allow it and he slumped right back down onto the ground again. Damn it all, he thought angrily. He waited for just a moment before trying again, this time slower, and he finally forced his legs to support him, though he still felt nauseous and dizzy.

Looking around and up at the sky, he knew he was on Midgard but wasn't sure where. The setting seemed familiar to him but he could not recall many details of his surroundings during his previous visit, so the familiar feeling didn't do much to help.

Suddenly it occurred to him that he should move. If the Chitauri were able to follow him, they would have an easy time capturing him again if they came to the same spot. He moved parallel to the concrete path and followed it as it snaked around to an entrance about a hundred yards from where he landed. He looked up at the buildings looming over him, their bright lights shining even brighter than the moon and stars. As he scanned the skyline his eyes fell on a building in the distance adorned with a large glittering "A." He knew that tower!

His determination recharged, he started toward the tower at a quick walking pace, not having the energy for a full out run. The few people that were left on the street gave him quizzical and frightened looks; he was still clad in his torn, dirty, blood-stained Asgardian attire that he had been wearing the entire duration of his ordeal, and he still had the chains on to boot. He wished he could use his magic to morph into something more appropriate but instead he just quickened his pace, taking longer strides than he would normally.

By the time he reached the tower, he was out of breath, his vision was beginning to tunnel, and he could feel his insides climbing into his throat. It was with some difficulty that he clung onto the door handle and yanked it open just enough to allow himself to slip in. It looked almost exactly the way he remembered it when he last saw it. As I was beaten up and clad in chains, he remembered. How ironically familiar.

From the door beyond the receiving desk he could hear footsteps and voices, one belonging to a man, the other to a woman. His vision was fading fast and he hung his arm on the desk in an attempt to hold himself up for just a few moments longer as the black around the edges of his sight closed in on him. Before he collapsed to the ground, the owners of the voices came through the door and he locked eyes with their shocked faces before allowing himself to succumb to unconsciousness once again.

….

Of all the Avengers and SHIELD agents that she could have picked, Natasha decided long ago that Steve was her favorite sparring partner. Clint was more of a long-distance fighter and none of the other Avengers could handle her speed and accuracy. Although the SHIELD agents were trained in hand-to-hand combat, none of them showed the superior skill that she had, courtesy of the Red Room. Steve, even though he didn't have her level of skill either, didn't tire easily at all thanks to the super-soldier serum's increase in endurance, and Natasha delighted in taking him under her wing to hone in on his skills. At first, he had been hesitant to hit her because she was a woman, but she soon broke him of that after easily taking him down several times, proving to him that she could handle anything he threw at her.

It had been a normal sparring session for the two of them that evening. They had spend the better part of two hours at the gym in the basement of the Avengers tower, throwing punches and kicks mercilessly until they were too sore and tired to carry on any further. They laughed and talked as they climbed the stairs (Natasha refused to take the elevator and Steve, being ever the gentleman, refused to let her go up the stairs alone), talking about everything from strategies to Bruce's new kitten.

As they reached the door, Natasha could feel her gut telling her that something was not as it should be, and she held out an arm suddenly to stop Steve, who looked at her confused. She slowly opened the door and stepped out first to look around. At first she didn't see anything. She nearly screamed in shock when they both looked toward the receptionist desk to see Loki, clinging to consciousness by a thread. Before either of them could move to draw their weapons, he collapsed to the ground.

Natasha rushed to the fallen god's side, placing two fingers on his neck, and breathed a sigh of relief when she found a pulse.

"Steve, help me get him to the elevator!" she called.

"One second I'm going to warn the others," he replied before pulling out the phone that Tony had given him.

Natasha could hear Steve talking to who she assumed to be Bruce, because he was asking to gather all the medical supplies that he could. She did a quick assessment on Loki's wounds, seeing several cuts and bruises, lacerations, and what appeared to be multiple stab wounds. My god, she thought, dumbstruck, how he hell do you do this much damage to an immortal being?

Steve put the phone back in his pocket and rushed over to Loki, grabbing one arm and placing it around his own shoulders while Natasha mirrored him on the other side. He was incredibly heavy; it took all the strength Natasha had to keep him steady. They hobbled over into the elevator, thankfully leaning his unconscious form against the back wall. The ride seemed to take even longer than usual.

When the elevator finally stopped, the Avengers who resided in the common lounge floor were ready and waiting for them. Natasha and Steve staggered forward, towing the unconscious god along, and helped move him to the sunken center of the floor.

Natasha and Steve lowered Loki slowly while Bruce and Tony helped to guide him down steadily. Clint stared at them in disbelief, as if he couldn't quite comprehend the fact that the God of Mischief lay unconscious in front of him, and so he merely stayed out of the way.

Bruce pulled out a couple of packets of smelling salts from his pocket as the others stood a few feet back. The second the little packets snapped under his nose, Loki stirred and his eyes fluttered open, his face wrinkled like he had just been punched square in the face.

"Ah!" he cried as he coughed and sputtered. His whole body ached from fatigue and abuse, and for a second he considered just lying there. He propped himself up on his elbows and blinked his eyes until the room and its occupants, who now surrounded him, became sharp.

The Avengers were standing over him cautiously yet domineering, almost as if they expected him to attack them at any second. He looked around at each of them – Clint, Tony, Steve, Natasha, and Bruce – and almost chuckled from the irony.

"This looks oddly familiar," he said with amusement.

At his words, Clint raised his bow with an arrow ready to pierce him. Loki's amusement quickly evaporated at his threat. He raised his hands, palms facing outward, as a sign.

"Put your weapon away. I mean you no harm," Loki said quickly.

"Barton, stand down," Steve ordered. Clint narrowed his eyes at Loki for a second before reluctantly lowering his bow.

"Why are you here, reindeer games?" Tony asked.

"I have been sent here, by Thor –" Loki started, before Bruce cut him off.

"What reason could Thor possibly have to send you here?" he asked pointedly.

Bruce's interruption annoyed Loki greatly. He was in no condition to be treated roughly. "If you will remove these chains" he held his arms up to show them "I will be able to properly explain. And in case you have failed to notice I'm bleeding all over your floor," he added forcefully. "May I at least have one of those bandages you have sitting on your counter uselessly?" he asked angrily, nodding his head in the direction of the medical supplies sitting on the counter behind them.

The Avengers seemed somewhat shocked by his forcefulness as they exchanged glances. Steve asked Bruce to get the supplies and start treating his still-oozing wounds. Tony turned away to fetch a tool to remove the chains, while Natasha and a very reluctant Clint pulled Loki up and lead him to a tall stool at the counter with Bruce.

A few minutes later, Loki was seated, his hands and arms chain-free with his torso completely exposed (Bruce had asked him to remove his blood-soaked clothing so he could reach the wounds to treat them). The team surrounded him once again as Clint wielded his bow at the low-ready. Bruce began slowly dabbing cotton balls and disinfectant wipes at Loki's wounds to clear the blood.

"Alright, Rudolph. Speak," Tony commanded.

"When I returned to Asgard," Loki began, "I was sentenced to be chained to a cliff on the far eastern border. The idea was to avoid a public scene that my trial would have brought in light of the war with Jotunheim. And to use me as bait for the Chitauri in case they came to Asgard," he added bitterly.

The Avengers stood still as stone, listening intently to him.

"I was freed by an enchantress called Amora. She released me from my prison in exchange for one of the weapons in the All-Father's vault," he continued. "She was present when I received the scepter from the Tian Thanos."

"Thanos?" Steve asked.

"Thanos is a being that hails from a moon that you Midgardians call Titan," Loki winced as Bruce applied an alcohol-soaked cotton ball to an open stab wound on his side.

"Sorry, this may sting a bit," Bruce said. A shadow of a smile crossed his face behind Loki's back

"He is part of the reason I am here. That I was here before," Loki continued. "Long ago Odin defeated Thanos in a fight across the Nine Realms. Thanos claimed to have been given a task by Death herself to bring to the balance of life and death in the Nine Realms into her favor. To accomplish his task he sought out the Soul Gems – powerful objects that would make him the master of death in the universe." He paused for a second to catch his breath. The Avengers exchanged curious and confused glances.

"He did indeed find the gems and discovered the extent of their powers from the Infinity Well, a pool of unlimited knowledge. But before he could begin his task, Odin discovered his plot and destroyed him by using the power of the Soul Gems, but not before Thanos united the gems in a powerful physical medium called the Infinity Gauntlet."

Loki waved his hands in a circular motion and revealed a large gold armored glove. The Avengers gasped in awe at the object. It was much too big to be used by any human, and was at least twice the size of even the largest person's hand. Embedded in it were six oblong-shaped holes: one in the center of the back of the glove and one at the base of each of the five fingers.

"The Gauntlet itself has no powers but acts as the only medium to fully unite the powers of the Soul Gems – now called the Infinity Gems by most Realms – to make the wielder the omnipotent master of the universe," Loki said as he winced again, this time due to the needle Bruce was using to give him stitches in his side.

"So this Thanos – thing – wants the Gauntlet?" Steve asked.

"Yes," Loki replied.

"Didn't you just say that Odin destroyed him?" Natasha asked, her voice suspicious.

"I am getting to that," Loki looked at her as he replied. "Death resurrected Thanos so he could complete his task. His master plan is to destroy five of the Nine Realms as a sacrifice to Death, using the power of the Infinity Gems through use of the Infinity Gauntlet. I struck a bargain with him after I met him when I fell into the void to retrieve the Gauntlet for him in exchange for the rule of Midgard and his word that Asgard would be left untouched. I never wanted Asgard destroyed."

"Obviously that didn't work out for you did it?" Clint jeered. Steve silenced him with a poisonous look.

Loki shook his head. "No, it did not. By the time I made this bargain he had possession of all six Infinity Gems once more. Thanos gave me one of the gems – the Mind Gem – to aid me in my task to take Midgard, expecting that I would return it along with the Gauntlet once your realm fell. I was threatened with endless torture and a slow, painful death at the hands of the Chitauri if I failed."

At this, Tony and Natasha exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting a hint of pity and understanding.

"The Mind Gem is what powered the scepter. It allows the wielder to access a person's thoughts, their past, everything about them," his eyes flickered to Clint, "and anything they know about anyone else." His eyes rested on Natasha now. "It allows one to invoke mind control over a being, or many beings if the wielder wishes."

Tony asked him curiously, "You said there were six gems. What exactly do the others do?"

"The other gems are the Soul, which allows you to use an manipulate the souls of any being whether they are dead or alive; Time, which allows you to be in any time period, manipulate time as you see fit, and trap enemies in time loops; Space, which allows you to appear anywhere in an instant as well as control and manipulate space; Reality, which makes all physical laws meaningless and senses useless; and Power, to access all the energy in the universe and intensify the powers of the other gems when they are brought together."

"Jesus…" Clint whispered.

"So you were freed from the cliff to get this Gauntlet and instead you ran?" Steve asked, bringing the conversation back to Loki.

Loki shook his head again. "Not exactly," he replied. "Before I was captured by the Chitauri, who were unleashed upon Asgard without my knowledge when I was freed, I used my magic to create a replica of the Gauntlet to give to Amora. The Gauntlet Thanos has in his possession now is a fake; I placed a spell on the decoy so that it would behave the same as the real Gauntlet until all six gems are in place. Only then will he discover that it is useless to him. As long as both the real Infinity Gauntlet and the Mind Gem stay out of his reach, he will not succeed in his task. Your Realm, at least, will be safe. It seems as if I am too late to keep Asgard from his clutches."

Loki lowered his head as shame and remorse flooded through him. Asgard's destruction was his fault, and he knew it.

"That is why I have escaped from the Chitauri: to bring the Gauntlet to the hands of beings who can protect it, on Thor's request. You defeated the God of Mischief and the whole of the Chitauri army with your powers, combined with my brother's. Asgard has proven that it is not impenetrable. It is too dangerous to be kept there any longer. The consequences of Thanos in possession of the Gauntlet would be the immeasurable destruction of the Nine Realms, including your own! If there is anyone in the Nine Realms with even a chance to protect it, for the sake of all of the Nine Realms, it is you."

Loki finished his tale, keeping his head bowed with the Gauntlet clasped between his hands in front of him.

Steve looked down at him, seemingly satisfied with his explanation, shock etched into the frown he wore. Bruce had stopped his treatment and just stared in awe at Loki as if he were some strange being that he had never seen before. Natasha and Tony shared twin looks of shock and pity, not bothering to hide their feelings. Even Clint had lowered his bow and let his arrow clatter to the floor.

….

A/N There you have it! I hope this was as satisfying to read as it was for me to write! It's a relief to have finally reached this point in the plot.

As always, please review! I've worked quite hard on this chapter so please let me know what your thoughts are. I realize there are still a few loose ends (like who actually opened Loki's cell…) that will be tied up later :D But it just adds to the fun.

Remember – constructive criticism. No flames : )