Two days came and went and the details for their escape were prepared. Loki had nightmares, Steve became the official cleaner, Bruce missed his glasses and Tony beat them all at poker. It was nice in a way, kind of familiar. Just four friends in a small place passing the time. But it couldn't last long, food was running low and they needed more resources and people to get back at RVG and shut them down.

The plan was to go to Pepper's place in the city centre. It was nice and crowded, but with their own space. Some place to continue with the RVG takedown, to prepare it properly. They couldn't just stay on public place with cameras and people because Bruce would be nervous, which could mean Hulk which would mean disaster. Also, even if the guys are RVG were probably not legal, but the rest of law enforcement bodies could arrest Loki because of his past crimes with total legitimacy, and as Fury had pointed out, there were no witnesses when Loki had saved them from Bob, which would mean a long trial, which would mean a long time in preventive prison. Which was not an option. There was also the problem that if SHIELD knew were they were they sabotage every step they took. Prevent Strange from getting close. Prevent them from gathering anything against them. They needed their own secret place, but someplace where RVG couldn't mess around so much without drawing attention.

After those two days, they decided they would go out at four o'clock in the morning of the next day, an hour in which fewer people would be passing by. Their careful planning, the selected hour, everything was useless.

It was an ambush.

As soon as they got out agents started appearing and started shooting at them. They divided in two groups to distract them but there were just too many agents.

Steve protected himself with his shield, trying to reach the car on the other side of the road. Bruce became the Hulk and knocked half of the agents out with a mighty punch. Then he used one of them to beat the others and smashed their guns. They should had never made him angry.

But the agents came and came (little did they know that Bolton had brought his private army to the show) and suddenly the agents put on some masks and there was a grey gas surrounding them. Steve ran, convinced that his genetic enhancements would prevent him from being affected. He was wrong. They had taken that into account. They had all the data they wanted about the Avengers and they used it, to create weapons in case they needed to neutralised. After coughing for many metres, Steve fell unconscious on the ground, breathless. Some metres behind him, the Hulk fell too with a loud groan and became Bruce Banner again, half naked and unconscious in that cold street. In the shelter of the night the Agents tied them and loaded them into a van.

They also leaked the news of a shooting between gangs in the zone in that moment to several newspapers and websites, to cover the attacks. If anyone had heard they had the official version right there.

Some streets to the left Tony ran like hell, knowing that their main enemy wanted to see him dead. He'd been fast enough and clever enough to lose them or outrun them... but there was a man getting close. A man who knew giving Bolton a dead Stark would get him a promotion.

A man who had him. The agent shot once and hit him on the shoulder. Exhausted and in pain Tony stopped for a moment, not wanting to believe this was how it all was going to end.

Then another shot rang out and then another, and a body fell to the floor.

Tony looked behind him and saw the man on the floor, blood pooling under him. He looked to the place from which the shots had originated, wide-eyed.

There she was, still pointing the gun with a firm hand and a determined expression on her face.

Tony smiled.

"Nice timing, Pep."

Some alleys to the left Loki was having as much difficulties or more than Tony had before. Unable to run properly he'd lost some agents breaking into an empty house but was soon discovered. As he tried to escape he was shot on his side and fell on his knees. No more running. He couldn't move anymore. He waited for the fatal shots to come but a voice stopped them.

"Not that one, he's mine." Bolton said as he approached. "Just tie him down and gag him."

Loki should have known that something like that was going to happen. That he would be hunted down. In Midgard, in Asgard, no matter where. That's what you do with monsters, you hunt them.

"Well, who's kneeling now?" Bolton said mockingly as he approached. "Oh, I have waited for this moment... so long. To finally give you what you deserve."

Placing himself in front of the fallen god, Bolton took out a small crystal bottle, full of a transparent white-ish murky liquid.

"Have you read the norse myths, Loki? Well, in them, the always awe-inspiring authorities of Asgard punish you with snake venom. And I thought, why not make that beautiful passage of history come true, now that I have the chance? So I got myself some concentrated snake poison and mixed it with a bit of acid. What, you really thought you could live happily ever after with your Avenger friends? A bunch of freaks, that's what they are. Vigilantes. No, no, no. You are a criminal. You attacked a beautiful american city and you have to pay. But don't worry, after I disfigure that pretty face of yours and have seen you writhe in pain for a couple of minutes I'll put you out of your misery. We are the good guys, after a-"

Just as Bolton was going to finish his speech a figure came flying through the window and knocked Bolton out with a swing of his hammer. And then the rest of the agents in the room, too. Thor was angry, more than angry, he was furious. How dare they?

Then he went to unleash his brother, who looked even worse.

"Loki! I... the lady Potts informed of her plan to transport you to a safe house but I am afraid I did not get the information of the location correctly. Are you all right? You seem to be bleeding."

Loki did not want to answer while Thor freed him. He didn't even want to look at his so-called brother. He didn't want to be saved by him. He didn't want to trust him again, because he knew his feelings would be thrashed.

"Thor, was that you?" Came a voice out of the window. It was Stark, in his car. He wanted to get out of there, but there was no way he was leaving Loki behind.

"Yes, friend Stark. Loki and I will be down to join you soon." He said and then looked at his now free brother. "Can you walk?"

Loki didn't answer and just threw a poisonous look to his brother. Apparently, now he cared, now that there were witnesses who would frown if he didn't. How appropriate. But all of his organs hurt, his head was swimming and he barely made it to Stark's car and then collapsed in one of the back seats. Thor entered shortly after, looking worriedly at his brother.

"Let's get the hell out of here before one of those guys calls for back-up." Tony declared.

Pepper didn't need to be told twice. She didn't really know where they were going (their hiding place was probably compromised, the same way this escape had been) but she wanted to get out there. Fast. While she drove, she started thinkking of places to hide. She was nothing if not ressourceful.

"Where are Doctor Banner and the Captain?" Loki asked, after realising what was missing from the picture.

"They were taken by those guys." Stark said, a hint of anger in his voice. "How you guys holding up?" He said, and looked back at the Norse gods. Thor looked okay, as mighty and blonde as always, armour and cape almost intact. Loki, on the other hand, was way too pale and his eyes opened and closed, as if he had trouble staying conscious.

"Loki was shot." Thor said, and his brother threw him yet another nasty look. He had a voice, he could speak for himself. "But I am unharmed. And you?"

"Got shot in the shoulder, too, but it was through and through. I was lucky Pepper was there. Steve and Bruce not so much."

Loki's eyes closed and this time they stayed that way. He was too tired. And there was so much pain. And Thor, to top it all. Looking at him with those regretful eyes. Saving him from disfiguration and death. He had no right. With this last thoughts he succumbed to an exhausted sleep, his head banging the window. Afraid he might hurt himself, Thor moved his head so it rested on his shoulder instead. Loki wasn't going to like it when he woke up, but well.

"Where are we going?" Tony asked a distressed looking Pepper.

"Plan B. We're going to Amanda's place in Newark. She's in the Bahamas right now and if I'm not wrong she never got a house-sitter. I ran into her in the street last week and she told me to go there if I ever wanted to. I know where the key is and, most importantly, there is no written or recorded footage of us talking at all, and we hadn't spoken for months, so I don't think they'll look for us there."

"Amanda?" Tony asked. "Is that the rich chick who had cancer?"

"Exactly, which means there's a lot of medical material there so we can patch you up.. and him." She finished, throwing a quick glance to the brunette in the backseat. "We can contact Barton and Romanoff from there, see if they know what happened to Bruce and the Captain."

Tony smiled, enjoying someone taking charge while he wallowed in his own hurt and anguish.

It wasn't long before they were in Amanda's excessively big house, a place with three storeys, two separate independent wings and even a jacuzzi. It certainly clashed with Tony and Loki's previous accommodations which had consisted on a claustrophobic underground bunker. It was certainly more spacious.

After they arrived, Pepper had left with Tony to bandage his bullet wound, which left Thor and Loki alone in the big living room. It felt a bit uncomfortable.

"I was in Asgard." Thor said. "Mother sends her greetings and I brought some..."

"Stop talking, Thor." Said a now fully awake and apparently pissed Loki.

"Why all this hostility? It was me who saved you from those men!" Thor said, getting angry himself.

"And now I have to forgive all that you done to me? That easily? You handed me to my jailers and never even asked about me in all that time, even if you knew I was ill, even when mother told you my condition worsened. Even Heimdall showed some concern for me and left some new garments for me when the old ones came undone from the stains, and the dirt, even left some milk. You only needed to ask, Thor and he would have told you. Because he, a man who hated me and deemed me a traitor showed more concern for me than you ever did. As your friends, my own enemies have. Thousands of hours, Thor, thousands of days and nights and I screamed your name and you never even asked. So, no, Thor, all is not forgiven because you freed me from those men."

Thor looked at his brother sad, a bit ashamed of himself. It was all true. He had prefered staying in Midgard with the Lady Jane. Going hunting with Sif and the warriors. Talking the soldiers of Asgard and the ones in Midgard he befriended. He never asked. And if he wanted to ever win Loki's forgiveness he'd have to work hard. Much harder than he thought.

Loki hurriedly wiped out the unwilling tears that had escaped. It was never easy reliving the moments in prison or the incredible pain he felt when he learnt that Thor had not rescued him, but meant to only use him and send him back. It was too much.

Some minutes later, Stark came back and asked Thor if he could help him contacting the others.

"You go with Pepper, Loki, she's gonna patch up - again. You'll see, she's really great."

Pepper Potts was uncertain. Yes, she knew that this man had become friends (more or less) with Tony but she also knew that he had tried to take over the earth and that he was a very clever individual. What if he tried something funny? Se calmed herself. The ex-villain was pretty badly injured and even if it was an act she could defend herself, like she'd done many times in the past.

She directed Loki to a room where Amand had a tall bed and many medical supplies, a room where she had many of her treatments. She felt a bit bad for using all her stuff to cure her boyfriend and his friends but there wasn't much choice. Loki sat down on the bed, weary after his fight with Thor. He was so tired. Of everything.

"Could you take off your shirt, Loki?"

The shirt. That green shirt that Doctor Banner had left him. Loki wondered if he would ever see the man again.

When he did and Pepper looked she let out a small scream. It was like a horror movie. Like one of those guys who are released after twenty years in third-world prison and look scrawny and pale and just so... wrong.

"Sorry, milady, I did not intend to scare you so."

"Yeah, sorry, I... just...wow. You look pretty bad. Much worse than Tony."

The god did not respond and Pepper just started working to get out the bullet. Loki didn't complain much, but she could see he was hurting.

"How did you get this scar?" She asked, wanting to distract him, and pointing to a long scar that crossed his chest upside down. Maybe it was too personal. Maybe he didn't want to answer. But he did.

"It appeared after the Hulk repeatedly smashed me against the floor. I assume there's a connection."

"It's strange, right? Bruce is such a nice guy..."

"Indeed."

"And what about this one?" She said pointing at a strange cross near his bullet wound.

"I went on an adventure with Thor when we were only children and was attacked by a very rare type of grass snake. Somehow, I was the only one who got hurt, but he kept dragging me into those exploits. And I kept going."

Pepper felt slightly identified.

"Yeah, Tony does the same. One day I'm setting up a meeting and suddenly the next I'm arranging a plan to save the world."

He smiled a bit. Pepper like how nice he was being, how delicate. He did look a bit sad, but who could blame him after all that had happened? She finished bandaging him (the bullet wound and the wound from the explosion, now clean) and started talking.

"A friend of mine was killed by Belveroth. She was visiting L.A. when he appeared there and well, it's been though. And you... What I mean is, I'm happy you're here, happy for your help. You may not feel it now with all those guys chasing you but you helped. So thank you."

Tony had told her a while before that the guy had some serious self-worth issues, and that every kind word was appreciated. She wasn't going to compliment the guy for nothing, but what he did deserved at least a thank you.

"You have nothing to be thankful for, milady. I made Stark's fortress an unsafe place. Because of me, Banner's house was destroyed, his hiding place discovered. Now your own partner was shot and two good men were taken, because they decided to stay by my side instead of acting against me. I bring only torment to those near me, be it willing or unwillingly."

Overtaken by a terrible sadness the redhead looked at the prisoner on the eye and told him.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Loki. What has happened to Steve and Bruce is not your fault."

But it is, he thought immediately.

"Painkillers should be kicking in soon. Why don't you go to the bed and rest a bit? You look exhausted."

Loki complied, even if he had no intention of sleeping.

Down in the living room Thor and Tony had learned that Bruce and Steve were being held in SHIELD hq and had hacked into Bolton's files. They were now considering the best course of action to get them back. Tony had, of course, sent some files of his captured friends to the media, to JARVIS and the authorities but all the messages arrived with an unreadable file. There was a program that corrupted the files when someone tried to download them, save them, export them, manipulate them.. Tony could get around it, but it would take time.

And they didn't have much of it, not knowing what they planned to do to Bruce and Steve. Rescue was was going to be difficult with them being targets.

Tony, Thor and Pepper had some breakfast and discussed their options.

After some time in which, surprisingly, Tony could not think of any good ideas (painkillers were making his mind a bit foggy and the ideas of what those guys could be doing to Bruce kept distracting him) he decided to go to the other wing of the house where Loki was sleeping.

No one was there.

There was a note on the bed.

To whoever finds this note:

I left to retrieve Doctor Banner Captain Rogers.

Stark, do not come - your interference would put the whole operation in danger.

Thor, refrain from coming anywhere near where I am, your presence would only alert our enemies of my own presence.

I hope to meet you soon, back in this very house and with our lost comrades.

Loki.

He could not believe it. He had gone straight to the heart of the enemies, to the place where everyone wanted him dead. Alone. Unarmed. Injured. He stood no chance against the madmen at RVG and Bolton's private underlings.

Tony sighed.

"It was good meeting you, pal. We'll miss you."

A/N: Hope you liked it! It has action, at least. Things have happened. And badass Loki will be back next chapter in all his glorious... glory. Feel free to comment!

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