Chapter One

The scientist's coats were covered in blood. They lay in a pool of their own red life, their eyes looking longingly towards their laboratory. Loki hadn't considered killing them at first; he had planned on being in and out without any casualties or any notice. Then he had seen what they had been doing and his rage had been dangerous. He didn't regret hurting them; he would kill them a million times if he had the opportunity.

Their lab was a mess bloody of medical tools and medical notes hung taped up all over the wall. A picture of a young man laying naked, his chest cut open. Loki growled low in his throat at the sight, those stupid mortals had injured, tortured, an Asgardian. And this was unforgivable!

He glided through the hallways of the lab, opening every door he could find, any clue of where they were keeping the immortal.

He kicked open a fourth door, his magic flaring up in joy as the door flew off its hinges. The room inside was dark, and only the rattle of chains and raspy breathing could be heard from inside the black pit. Loki hesitated for a moment; the blackness was similar to The Void, and for that he hesitated. After a deep breath, he stepped inside the blackness, willing a tiny flame into existence.

In the centre of the room, trapped inside a glass box, was the man from the picture. His head was shaved on one side and a myriad of stitches covered the patches where hair should have grown long. The other side was a filthy matted mess of inky black hair. His wrists stretched above him, holding him high enough that he couldn't quite rest comfortably. He was resting as best he could given the circumstances, but his breathing was labored and his bare chest showed the fresh stitches from the last round of experiments. His ribs were poking at his skin; the thin flesh was stretched over the bones like the mortal cling film over a bowl of soup.

Loki shattered the glass without a thought and approached the child. He was quiet; startling the boy could send him into a panic. And could ultimately kill him.

"Oh Norns, what have those monsters done to you?" Loki lifted the young mans face for a better glimpse at who he was dealing with, it could have been anyone from the lower cities to the high courts. He stared at the boys face in horror. This couldn't be… He was dead… Odin had killed him himself…

"This can't be true…" With a cry of rage the chains snapped from the ceiling, narrowly avoiding hitting their prisoner in the head. Loki cradled the boy close, tears dripping freely from his eyes. The boy's eyes opened slowly. They were glassy and were barely aware of whoever was holding him. The rattle in his chest as he breathed seemed to have eased a little, but he still gasped for ore air. There was almost nothing he could do for the boy, save take him to Asgard. And that wasn't an option.

"Thor." The fallen prince whispered. Perhaps, he was his only hope. But the stubborn pig headed Bilgesnipe wouldn't trust him, wouldn't help him. Unless…

"Loki! End this madness!" Thor cried as he took a swipe at another illusion. Ahead Stark was blasting away another one of Doom's failed robots. The green berserker let out a wild shout and looked around for more bots to smash.

"Thor? You think Loki is here?" The captain inquired over the earpiece, he sounded worried. Doom was bad enough without adding Loki into the mix. But so far magic and technology weren't really good together on Midgard.

"If he is, I get first dibs." Barton growled from where he was perched atop a large office building. The team shared a small laugh before Stark dispatched the last flying menace. Then the illusion appeared again. Only he was different. His armour was soaked in blood.

"You'd better get here quickly Avengers. He doesn't have much time left!" The traitor hissed, baring his teeth in a parody of a smile. "Lets see if you can find me before Death finds him." Then the illusion was gone, vanishing into this air. Thor gnashed his teeth in frustration. They had just finished with Doom and now Loki was showing his traitorous face. He had sworn to protect Midgard and all its inhabitants, but Loki was still his brother, who he had also sworn to protect.

"Stark." He turned to the genius almost desperately.

"Already on it. JARVIS?"

"He is in a SHIELD funded research hospital sir. The basement it appears." The AI intoned, "But I would be careful sirs. Loki's energy signals were easier to read than they were last time. I have run the numbers and they indicate a possible trap." Steve and Natasha only nodded solemnly. They could handle this, they all could. Loki was on his own this time. He had no army, no Chitauri and no outside help. This would drain the last reserved of their energy, but it would be easier than the last time they had faced each other.

The hospital was already desecrated. Four dead security guards at the door, and six scientists in the basement. The room was bloody. Loki had wasted no time on torturing the agents apparently. Tony whistled in astonishment. The captain didn't fair much better.

"I don't recognize any of these researchers. None of them have authentic SHIELD badges, they're close, but not real." Barton remarked, examining one of the dead men.

Natasha stepped over one of the corpses, her guns ready to fire.

"Well, well, well. What has the cat dragged in? A little spider and a bird? How wonderful." The group spun around, Loki's voice echoed from down one of the hallways. Thor frowned. He seemed worried, anxious. Not his usual arrogant, cocky nature.

"Enough with the tricks Loki. Come out and face us like a-"

"Like a fool? I though you knew me better than that Thor." They entered a room; the door had been blown off its hinges. Quickly they noticed the small flame flickering in the center of the room, illuminating Loki as he cradled the body of a young man close to his chest.

"I don't like to make bets where I know I won't win. Which is why he is the only reason I called for you." The fallen prince had tear streaks on his cheeks and his armor was as drenched in blood as his illusion.

"Now are you going to just stand there or will you be calling the needed authorities?"

Doctor Helen Cho was currently working her magic on the injured young man in the medical bay of the Tower. The list of his injuries was extensive and he had almost moved on three times. Though the avengers were in a state of fear and hope towards him, they were baffled at Loki's odd behavior. He had sat in the growing puddle of blood as the Avengers gawked at the situation. His fingers had stroked through the injured young mans' hair in a comforting manner, and his eyes softened whenever he looked at the boy. But his face was pale and his fingers were shaky. There was fear in is eyes as he watched the super heroes examine them.

He was currently being held in the Hulks containment room, and from the live feed JARVIS was playing in the living room, he wasn't doing anything towards trying to escape. He was worrying his lip in between his teeth as he paced back and forth across the area of his temporary cell. It was plain to see that he was worried, afraid even. Steve looked almost sick as he stood up from the couch.

"I suppose we had better go find out what Loki wants then?" He was usually so confident, but the gods' odd behaviour really threw him off. Loki was usually so predictable, but this was different from his usual M.O. that it was almost disturbing. Barton only cracked his knuckles and watched the sorcerer with hatred in his eyes. Tony poured himself a glass of alcohol and stood from his spot on the couch.

"I'll talk to him. You guys try to find out who the kid is." The billionaire was gone only seconds later.

"I really don't understand that guy." Steve muttered.

"Same as the rest of us then." Clint was trying to lighten the mood, but the others only smiled shallowly before turning back to the monitor to watch as Tony confronted Loki.

"Why did you surrender to us?" Tony asked glibly, "That wasn't the smartest thing to do in your case."

"As I said before. I don't make bets I know I can't win."

"Was New York a first then?" Loki let out a sharp laugh. Tony frowned in surprise; he hadn't been expecting that response.

"Foolish mortal. You think I lost that bet?" The raven-haired god chuckled, " I may not have conquered Midgard, but I wasn't the one that lost anything." The two stood in silence for a moment. Tony contemplating what he had learned and Loki lost in his thoughts.

"I waited for you yesterday because I couldn't risk his life. He is more important that every world in Yggdrasil's branches. If you let him die, there is a greater chance that I will end your pathetic lives than if I had never found him." Tony watched him through narrowed eyes, trying to judge whether he was speaking the truth or not.

"Now tell me, Iron Man," Loki spat, "Is my son alive?"

TBC

A/N: Here is the answer to my Poll. The idea of Harry being an Asgardian that HYDRA experimented on won by 75%. S here you go, hope you enjoyed.