Oh my gosh, I keep finding mistakes. EDITED 10/14/17

X X X

Okay, so I've always loved the idea of Loki meeting Gabriel, and visa versa. I know, this idea had been attempted many times before, (and I know that most of them may be better than my story) but I've always wanted to write this.

So, anyways, I hope you enjoy.

X X X

Loki had been fading in and out of consciousness, when something inside his brain just snapped. It had been subtle at first, and he was sure he'd been hallucinating, so he brushed it off and continued to pick at his nails -which were caked with dirt and dried blood. Everything had started to fade away, and Loki wasn't sure what was real anymore, so of course he pushed it away. He pushed everything away.

Maybe that shadow by the wall that Loki talked to sometimes was real, or maybe it was fake. Maybe he was already dead, and this was Odin's punishment to make him suffer, alone and isolated in the dark. Maybe . . . maybe . . . he didn't know what to think anymore.

Loki had stopped counting the days he'd been imprisoned. He had stopped counting after a what he calculated as a week, but he was sure he had already lost count within in the first couple of days.

The silence kept him awake at all times. During the day and night, because, come on, he didn't even know what time of day is was. That, and the way his stomach contracted in pain due to the lack of food. When was the last time he'd eaten? He thought as he blankly stared into the wall.

The muzzle that was tightly placed over his mouth made it hard to breath, and it dug into his skin. The chains that kept him tied to the wall, unable to move an inch, made his bones ache. His wrists were raw from all those times he tried to make himself comfortable, but they always bit into his skin, and he'd stopped trying a long time ago.

All the silence allowed him to think, and it hurt to think now. It made him realize how stupid, how utterly stupid and dumb, he'd been. He should've tried another tactic instead of launching himself off the Bifrost. At that time, it had been totally a good idea, and he was sure he'd die. But when he realized, after hundreds, maybe even thousands of years, of being stuck there, it was one of the worst decisions of his life. Time didn't exist in the Void. Nothing did. So it did feel like a thousand years.

Loki's breathing was erratic now, the lack of oxygen that was not properly getting to him, was making him tired. But he knew, that he would not die. He couldn't die. Not from the lack of hunger, not from being stabbed, not even from jumping off the Bifrost.

All he wanted, was to die.

He closed his eyes and scratched at his skin, to keep him awake, even though that part of his skin was peeling and bloody. It kept him awake.

All of a sudden, he felt it. The strong, warm, bright light or force that seem to melt off his skin, and burn his eyes, even though his eyes were closed. And just as it started, it disappeared, and it made Loki wonder if it even happened at all. Probably not, he thought, and continued to scratch his arm.

'Hey,' a voice called all of a sudden, filling up the silence in his head.

But Loki did not open his eyes. He listened instead, because his eyes hurt.

'Hey, Lokes. did you know that about 4 out of 10,000 prisoners commit suicide when imprisoned? I think you happen to be one of that four, unfortunately. No, wait, actually I'm not sure how accurate that is, but I know you're suicidal for sure.'

At the mention of his name and the information, Loki perked up. He opened his eyes and saw that the Shadow in the dark corner of his room had moved. He noted that the Shadow had never called him by his name, but it did now.

'There you go.' The shadow seemed to say, 'Man, for a second, I thought you were already dead. Though, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise actually. I heard you kind went off the deep end when you found out that you were adopted. But hey, I would've done the same, so no biggie.'

Loki felt his eyebrows narrow, and his mouth tried to form a frown, but the muzzle made it difficult. He was actually offended, and upset, and angry. But maybe it was his mind playing tricks with him again. Blaming him for causing the destruction.

When this realization dawned on him, he felt himself relax and slump against the wall with defeat. He was already far gone. The Shadow was being extra ruthless today, and that was strange, because it was usually nice enough.

'Mmm, it appears that you don't think I'm real. Again. But hey, I gotta give myself some credit. I always try. You can say that I am ruthless, because that's what you think of me, right?'

Loki shrugged to himself and he stopped scratching his left arm. Time to move on to the right, he thought.

'I've been trying to ask you something.' It said, clearly ignoring Loki's scratching. 'But it seems like you just don't like me. Is it because I'm dark? I didn't peg you for a racist type of guy. I'm a shadow Loki,' the voice huffed, 'of course I'm dark.'

Loki opened his mouth to say something, but was cut short when the Shadow continued.

'Actually,' it said, 'never mind. You were pretty racist when you tried to kill the whole race of Jotuns. I don't know why though. Is it because you hated them, or yourself?'

Loki looked up and saw that the Shadow had moved closer to him. The words that had been said stung and made Loki feel guilty, but it had to be his imagination, because the voices in his head had started to bother him more. So it must be a hallucination, he thought.

The Shadow appeared to slump in disappointment, and wow, Loki was impressed with his ability to create images in his mind. 'I don't understand why you don't think I'm real.' It threw it's hands up. 'What am I doing wrong?'

Loki was about to say something out loud, but the voice cut him off. Again.

'Anyways, I'm kinda running low on energy here, and I thought you might help me out. I've been trying to talk to you, and you've ignore me every time. Why do you always think shadows are from your imagination, huh? So now that you're paying attention, I'm going to get right down to the point. I need a vessel. You know, because my brother, like, stabbed me with no remorse. Can you believe him?' The Shadow shook his head. 'And I'll help you, if you help me.'

Loki just stared at the Shadow, and -wait. Did it just get closer to him, again?

Suddenly, Loki saw and felt as the Shadow touch his forehead, and a coolness spread over his body. It was relaxing, and Loki found that his mouth didn't hurt anymore.

'Besides,' it continued, 'I heard that you hate your brother, and I kinda hate mine now, so ya know. We have that connection, and I'm kinda running out of time. I was just popping by and visiting those other times, but this is the real deal now.'

Loki remembered Thor then. He wondered how he was, and how'd long he'd been in here.

'I can get you out of here,' It said, again interrupting Loki's thoughts, or more so reading them. 'But to do that, I need you. Heh, that sounded better in my head, but anyways, I need your permission, consent, your approval. Oh geez, everything sounds so wrong.'

Freedom.

It sounded too good to be true. So, that was why Loki, right there and then, was sure he was hallucinating. No one could get him out of here. No one. He was trapped.

'Hey Loki, you're kinda ruining my jazz here. I had this whole speech prepared and everything, but you're kinda letting me down. If you want out, the only thing you have to say is 'yes.' It's real simple. I can also see that you have a small problem, so, a nod will also do.'

Loki felt the Shadow's hand leave, and a throbbing sensation ran through his whole body. He wanted to feel relaxed again.

'Freedom,' It said, almost taunting him. 'You can have freedom. Ya know, I can read minds, and I know you've wanted out for a long time. And not just out of this creepy jail, which I gotta say needs some more lighting. It feels like death in here, and trust me, I know what death feels like.'

Loki didn't say anything, and It continued. 'I looked up to my brother too, ya know. But he was a dick. I wanted to be subtle in this situation. But hey, if you want to die, I can help you. Just say 'yes,' and everything will be over.'

Loki thought of Frigga and of Thor again and then, with distaste and anger, of Odin.

'I'll make sure all of them are okay, but if you want me to make it hard for Odin, I can do that. Just for you. Just say yes.' The Shadow was starting to get desperate. Loki could tell by the way it's voice went from high to low. He knew that. But Loki himself, was desperate too.

Loki sighed, and with all the strength he had, he mouth out a small, yes, his chapped and bloody lips aching at the movement. He nodded too, just in case.

The Shadow stood up, and stood tall. 'Thanks Loki.' It said. 'I hope you feel better soon.'

And with that, It stepped forward, and Loki could finally see a light, and then all the pain, and guilt, and more pain, simply vanished.

'You'll be okay, Loki,' It said softly.

Loki felt himself slipping away, and with the last remaining consciousness he had, he managed to ask the Shadow in his mind, Who are you?

"My name is Gabriel," he heard himself say suddenly, his body not in control anymore.

Then, darkness consumed him and everything was just warm and calm.

Tony Stark had been downing a cup of his favorite whiskey at 1:00 pm, when a voice spoke from behind him, startling him so much, he almost shattered his cup. And that would not have been good because that was his last crystal cup, and if he broke it, Pepper would be pissed.

"Son of Stark," the deep voice had said. "I bring news."

Tony, immediately jumped back a good few feet, holding his cup protectively in his arms, and only when he was sure he was far away enough, he turned.

And goddamnit Thor, personal space ya know?

"Jesus Christ Thor," he gasped out. "You gotta give the guy a warning you know. You almost gave me a heart attack." Tony bent over and tried to catch his breath. His hand was slightly shaking.

Thor frowned, but opened his mouth. "I deeply apologize, but I bring news that must be shared with Nick Fury."

Tony shuffled to his sink and settled the empty cup down. "Yeah, yeah. He's busy with everything right now. He won't even answer when I call him. So it better be important."

Thor shifted. "Where is The Captain? Banner? Lady Romanov?"

"Oh, don't forget Barton. He might get mad you didn't ask for him," Tony commented. "But they're buying pizza. I think." Then he cupped his chin. "They went out a while ago. I bet they're having a party without me."

Thor frowned again. "I need you to gather them. With haste Stark, this is important."

Tony rolled his eyes, and turned on the faucet. "Man, can't a guy get a break? Today's Sunday. Anyways, what's the big news that everyone, including Mr. One Eye had to hear about?"

Thor settle Mjolnir down on the counter top. "I am not sure what happened," he said nervously, and stared off into the distance. "One minute he was there, and the next, he wasn't."

"Wait. Wait a second." Tony held his hands up. "Who are we talking about right now?"

Thor looked down at the floor. "I am sorry Stark, but I bear news that he has escaped."

"What. Who?"

Thor looked up, his eyes serious and in pain. "Loki has escaped," he deadpanned solemnly. "It had happened recently."

Tony just stood there. "God damn," he whispered, remembering when Loki had throw him out the window. Just thinking about it left him breathless and nauseous. "Hey Jarvis," he called out as Thor watched him carefully.

'Yes sir?'

"Call down everyone, now. And put Fury on the phone. Tell him it's an emergency. I don't care what the baldy has to say, tell him it's about Loki."

'Right away sir.'

When the news of Loki escaping Asgard's most secure prison reached the ears of Nick Fury, he flipped. And when the rest of the Avengers heard the news, they were immediately called for an emergency meeting, and they all dreaded it. Especially Thor.

"What in Gods name do you mean he escaped?" Fury barked out. "How could nobody have seen him?"

Thor stood in front of the others, who were sitting in a round table. They were all looking uncomfortable, and Bruce was trying to ignore the way Fury's voice lashed out.

"He was guarded," Thor said emphasized angrily. "Something took out the guards, but we were watching Loki's every move. He just vanished."

Fury just rubbed the bridge of his nose. "And you're telling me, you Asgardians have no idea where he is."

Thor shuffled and moved Mjolnir from hand to hand. "Unfortunately, no. Not even Heimdall can see him."

Fury sighed, annoyance clearly evident in his voice. "Great. Just another thing to worry about." He turned to his agents. "Okay everyone, you heard Thor. Not even Heimdall can see Loki. So start looking. I want everyplace checked for unusual activity. Put out his pictures and run it."

And so, at every mission, or small robbery, or anything that alerted and caught the Avenger's attention, was recorded. Whenever anyone thought Loki was spotted, that specific mission was looked at in detail.

But after months and months of nothing that seemed to truly be Loki, Fury and the Avengers started to focus on other things. And soon he faded as old news.

"You know," he pointed out. "Adults who kidnap small children, or anybody, are called kidnappers, right? You do realize it, right?"

The man tied to the chair shifted uncomfortably. "Yer supposed to intimidate me? Well it ain't workin'. You ain't getting anything out of me. I keep my mouth shut," he smirked evilly. "Just like they did when I told them what I'd do."

The other man, who was casually leaning against the wall and popping some Skittles in his mouth, shrugged. He had clearly ignored the sick comment that captured man had said. "I dunno pal. If you knew me, you'd know when to head for the hills. But hey, we have all the time in the world." He leaned in slowly. "So, let's get to know each other. Before, ya know, I start torturing you." He smiled sweetly. "Hiiiii, my name is Gabriel, and you are?"

The man tied to the chair spit in Gabriel's face. "Bite me," he said, anger and fear evident in his face. Oh, wow, he was trying to be brave, Gabriel noted.

Gabriel laughed darkly, and wiped off the spit with distaste. "Man, I love when they get all tough." He turned around and picked up a razor. "But trust me, they all break once they realize they won't be leaving alive, if they don't tell me what I want to know."

The man in the chair tried to squirm away as he watched Gabriel pick up a drill.

Gabriel smiled sadly, but he wasn't really sad. "Now, let's start again. My name is Gabriel," he said a little more darkly, "and I want to know where you took the kids."

The man swallowed thickly. "I'll never tell you," he hoarsely replied.

Gabriel sighed and turned on the drill, waving it around nonchalantly. "They always say that," he said to no one in particular. Then, he gently place his Skittles aside, and flicked out the razor, putting it out full view.

And then, the screaming started.

"Sir," Agent Hill said while holding up a thick stack of papers, before she roughly slammed them on Nick Fury's desk. "This is the fourth murder in two days in the town of Paterson."

Nick Fury raised his eyebrow, and put down his pen. One would clearly be able to tell that he was annoyed, but Hill ignored it. "This better be important Hill," he said.

Agent Hill tapped her shoes. "Sir, I wouldn't have interrupted you if it wasn't."

Nick Fury picked up the packet and flipped through, catching glimpses of the murders and how they were committed. "So," he said finally. "do the murders have any correlations? Agent Hill, murders happen everyday. And most of them were all committed in different states. These four are nothing. Not to mention that those four murders happened in a town where murders usually happen."

"Sir, if I may, but all the murders were committed in a similar way, and all of the victims had committed some sort of felony," Hills stated.

"Shouldn't the police be investigating this? Copycats exist," Fury pointed out and picked up his pen, ready to write. "Karma."

"Sir, we've got witnesses. And it . . . matches the physical description "

Nick Fury put down his pen immediately. "Yes, it would match . . . and you say he's been seen in almost ten different states across the country in the last two days?"

Agent Hills nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Killing people?"

The nod, was small and fast. "Yes, sir."

"You wouldn't know where he is right now, would you?" Fury asked earnestly. He was seconds away from calling the Avengers.

Maria Hill pulled out a tablet. "Sir, we've located him. Right now he's in Pennsylvania."

Fury whistled and put the Avengers on call. "Good job Agent, you can take the rest of the day off."

Hills smiled, "And miss the greatest recapturing of the most wanted criminal in two planets? I don't think so."

"Soooooo, it's Loki," Clint said. "Right?"

Thor frowned, and settled Mjolnir on the table."It appears so, but tis I, or does he appear different? His mannerisms appear slightly off, but I could be wrong."

Bruce replayed the tape again, and tapped his chin. Loki was seen walking into a small stop and rest, walking out with bag of chips. He was wearing normal clothing, and he was whistling, as if he hadn't killed thousands of people, and like he hadn't recently tried to take over the world and had not recently escaped. He didn't even look worried that he was wanted in three worlds. It was funny, actually.

"Well, if he was trying to blend in, it didn't work," Tony joked and put on a wide smile. But he shut up immediately when Natasha shot him the look.

"Well his hair is shorter, and definitely lighter. His hair almost seems brown actually," Natasha added as she squinted at the screen. "He's not dressed in his usual clothes either; his usual green Asgardian outfit with the leather and everything. "

After a small, uncomfortable span of silence, Bruce spoke up, identifying what he was able to find with just a small clip. It was the eyes.

"His eyes are different too," Bruce pointed, voicing his findings out loud. And then he zoomed in.

Everyone gasped as Loki's eyes came into view.

"They're blue again," Tony softly noted. "Oh god, do you know what that means?"

Natasha tilted her head. "They are blue," she stated, and then turned to face Thor. "Hey Thor, what color were his eyes originally? Before the attack, because during the attack they were blue."

"They are . . . were . . . green," Thor said blankly. "They've always been green." He took a step forward and watched the video replay.

"Maybe he's under the influence of the scepter again," Clint said suddenly, rising from his seat. "And that means we can kill him," he stated confidently. "I call first shot."

Thor frowned, about to say something when Natasha sighed and beat him to it. "Clint," she said. "We have orders to capture him and bring him back for questioning."

Suddenly a new voice chimed in. "That's right Clint. We capture him first."

Everyone turned at the new voice, and Tony smiled. "Hi Steve, it's about time you join the party," Tony called out, pointing to the chair across from him. "We've been expecting you."

Clint just sighed and slowly sat down as Steve headed for his seat.

"Just got debriefed," Steve replied and sat down. He rested his cheek on his hand. "And man, can't believe Loki escaped and that we found him."

Bruce nodded at the screen. "We were just talking about Loki actually. We noticed that he changed. His eyes are blue again."

Steve raised his eyebrows and sat up straighter. "Blue? Is he under the scepter's influence again?

"That's what we were trying to find out," Bruce said, and started to tap away at his computer. "We've gotten camera surveillance during the attack and his eyes were blue then too."

"Is that the only video surveillance? It would help if you were able to pull up some more. I need to confirm something," Natasha said seriously. "I think I know why Loki is here."

Tony smiled, or more like smirked evilly. "I can pull up some feeds. I'm pretty sure Fury is keeping some things to himself."

Natasha got up, not acknowledging Tony's observation. "Pull all the info you can, I'll be right over your shoulder."

Steve watched as Tony started to hack the system. He watched with a serious look on his face as Natasha stood by his side. He turned to face Bruce, "Isn't that insubordination?" He whisper-asked, but Bruce just shrugged.

"We all have the feeling that Fury is hiding something. He always does. It's better that we get all the information than to go in blind."

Steve slowly turned to look at Tony and Natasha. He got up and looked at Thor, Clint and Bruce. "I wasn't here when this happened okay?" And then he stepped out.

"Wait," Clint spoke up in a somewhat hushed tone even though there was no need to. "The only thing we know about Loki right now, is that he's been seen all around the country in less than a week. I think he's teleporting. He can teleport right?" Clint looked at Thor for confirmation.

Thor nodded, and he closed his eyes, clearly trying to recall something. "He can, but it tires him quickly . . . " He paused and opened his eyes quickly. "Something is wrong with Loki. I am sure that he wouldn't be able to teleport so many times, to so many places, in such a small amount of time."

"Maybe, he's getting stronger." Clint pointed out. "And if he gets stronger that means he can cause even worse damage that New York City, and that means we can kill him. "

Thor scowled. "Barton, I would greatly appreciate it if you would not threaten my brother."

"Well, he wasn't actually threatening him," Bruce cut in, trying to stop an upcoming fight. "And he has a point. If Loki wasn't able to teleport so much before, and he is doing it now, then he has to be getting his power from somewhere."

Thor thought about it for a second. "But what? He would need-"

Suddenly, Tony called out. "Guys," he said a little bit nervously. "We found something."

As soon as Tony's voice had slipped out, Thor, Bruce and Clint, knew something was very wrong. They all walked over as Tony was clicking all over the place. The clacking and clicking sounding frantic and the video. Cautiously and nervously everyone walked over to them. Natasha stood firm, but Tony was glancing all over the place. "This is one of many videos guys," was all he said, before he pressed play, and everyone grew silent.

. . .

Loki was seen bending over a figure in a chair. He appeared to be talking, his arms waving back and forth (which was highly unlike him, Thor thought). He seemed to be frantic and scared, or something, but when he stepped back and turned, he had a huge smirk on his face. And the figure in the chair was bloody. And oh, god, why was Loki doing this? Had he gone so low to torture people? And what made it even worse, was that there was even audio.

"You know," Loki said, in a non-Loki way, almost like this all seemed like a huge game to him. (which to everyone, it did) "I didn't actually think you would kill them. They didn't deserve anything. You however, deserved everything I did to you."

The man in the chair kept his lips shut and sealed, blood forming droplets on his mouth. Loki continued, his voice giddy and excited.

An uneasy feeling passed through the whole group.

"They were young, and kind, and everything that you didn't have, they did. Like peace with their families and such. I can't say the same thing about myself though." This time, Loki's voice was sharp and mean.

For some strange reason, Thor felt a pang in his stomach, even though Loki wasn't talking directly to him. He could practically feel Loki's stare cutting through him, even though, he was just staring at the bloody man.

"So," Loki leaned in, his mouth smiling, but his eyes strangely evil, "tell me where they are, and maybe I'll kill you quickly. If you don't, well, you know I can stop time, we can be at it for centuries."

Thor stood unmoving. Stop time? No, Loki hadn't been capable of that. Was he?

The man strapped in the chair, visibly shuddered. "All, right," he said, his voice almost cracking. "I'll tell you. I'll tell you."

"Perfect. Just say everything to this camera rightttt here." And when Loki smiled, it seemed unnatural on his face. Not right. Because after all, no Avenger had seen him smile before, and he was evil. Thor hadn't seen Loki smile in a long time, but he didn't like this.

The man started to speak, telling the time and place and everything. But he didn't say who he killed, and if he had killed them deliberately. Loki was glancing at his imaginary watch and tapping his foot. He kept looking around and everyone could see that Loki was starting to get impatient.

Loki snapped his fingers. "Just tell them. Look into the camera and say it. Did you kill them?" His voice was soft, but it held a darker side.

The man nodded roughly. "I killed them. I killed them. I killed Thomas and Wilma Burner."

Loki nodded, and pulled something from his pocket. It long and silver and- yep. Yep, it was a blade.

"Good, now I'll send this tape to your whole family and the police." Loki stopped as the man stared in horror. "Oh quit it with that face, you'll only make me feel guilty that I didn't kill you a long time ago."

The man was squawking and trying to form some words, but he didn't voice out anything. Maybe it had been Loki's doing to shut him up, Thor thought. He'd never liked when people interrupted him.

The whole room was silent, and Natasha could feel everyone's breath, and how it quickened. She glanced over at Clint as saw that his eyes were narrowed.

"But I'll change it up a bit," Loki added, as if he had just thought of something amazing, "and it'll seem like I wasn't torturing you to get your answers 'kay? I'll add some glam." Loki picked up the blade and the man stiffened. "Fortunately for me, I'll have to kill you. Hey- hey, don't cry. It's for the best. You won't be stuck in jail for the rest of your puny life." Loki got closer and twirled the blade in his hand. "But unfortunately for you, well you'll go straight to hell. I asked Crowley myself that he'd torture you. Now, he's a little rusty, but I'm sure you'll think about your decisions if you ever die again and choose rebirth."

The man started to cry harder and everyone felt pinpricks on their skin. How could Loki act so nonchalantly? Who was Crowley? Any why was Loki killing people who did bad things now? Clint felt his gaze harden. Well, he was killing the bad people . . . he couldn't really feel bad, but he did feel bad . . . he just . . . didn't know what to feel.

The recording played on. Only two minutes left. And Loki just stood there for a second. "Welp," he said. "Tell Crowley I said 'hi'." He smiled and then man started to visibly shake from so much crying and, and, Loki just turned around. Actually seeming like he was going to walk out the door.

The man, sobs halted, as if confused, and everyone watching the video was confused.

Loki snapped his fingers and the man's clothing was all nice and clean. He looked fresh, and if he wasn't tied up to a chair in what appeared to be a basement, well you would think he was going to a job interview at an extremely wealthy firm.

Loki stashed his blade away and stood up tall and proud. "You know, I just don't feel like getting blood on my hands again. I just got them clean."

Again? Getting blood on his hands again? Natasha thought. So, this is what Fury's been hiding. This isn't Loki's first kill. She looked for any signs of where this murder could've happened. Outside the windows, the foundation, Loki's clothing . . .

When had he gotten them clean? Bruce thought nervously. His magic?

As everyone was having conflicting thoughts of their own, the video continued. "So, I think I'll just leave," Loki pointed to the sky, and turned around once again, and everyone could see the man's eyes widen and he let out a shaky sigh of relief. Everyone felt their own shoulder relax and thought, oh, Loki isn't going to kill this clearly guilty man who really deserves it and-

Then this horrible screaming that pierced through the room (both rooms, the one in the footage and the one the Avengers were all, standing in). The sound of pure agony, and oh god, Clint was going to be sick. And there was this blind flashing white light and-

Loki was gone, the man was dead, and in his place of were his eyes should've been, there were only two huge gaping holes pouring down blood.

Damn.

TO BE CONTINUED SOON

I didn't want to make Clint, like a serial killer, cause ya know, he's better than that. A lot of stories I've read, he's like prone to hate and want to torture Loki, but I just can't imagine it. I added some bits and pieces of Clint trying to hint some torture methods and I made him have crude humour, because that's how I envision him.