Chapter 20

/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/

"So where do we start?" Fury's gaze studied him expectantly.

Aiding the man in any way chafed at Loki but he had no other choice. Submission and transparency was not in his nature. So he would reveal as little information as possible in order to help, in order to save himself and wake Darcy.

"Can we move somewhere more private to talk?"

"After you've given me something useful, I'll think about it."

Shrugging as nonchalantly as possible with the nervous energy running through him, Loki smirked. "Suit yourself. But walls and shadows have ears and eyes."

Fury frowned then glanced back to the little control room on the back wall, making a hand gesture. Immediately the red lights on the little cameras flicked off.

"Is that where she is, the shadows?"

"If you are referring to the human, her mind is most likely trapped in a nether world."

"Another world? Like a parallel universe?"

"No. A nether world."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

Loki's lip curled in disgust. "Sometimes it amazes me how ignorant and stupid your kind is, yet you still insist on taking over the world and acting like kings when you have no clue what you're standing on."

"If you help, I can make life easier for you and we can work together. But if you're gonna keep up with that attitude I just might take the offer off the table."

"I think you want that little human alive too much to give up now."

"I think you do too."

Loki scoffed even as the accusation smacked into him with unsettling clarity. He was doing this to save himself. No one else. Stop lying to yourself.

"We're wasting time."

"So explain to me. What is a nether world? And how do we get her out of there?"

Forcing a deep breath for calm, Loki gritted his teeth as he answered: "It is a dark pit of nothingness, a hole between worlds. Only those who travel between worlds can access it."

"So how did she get there? She's never been anywhere but Earth."

It was the very same question Loki had been asking himself. He'd long ago realized his dreams were not dreams, that he was being drawn back into the pit of despair he'd fallen into after he'd let go at the bifrost, every time he closed his eyes to rest.

He'd called out for help so many times in the vast desert he always ended up stranded in, and no one had ever heard or answered. Until her.

His reinforced cage deadened his senses, but when she'd been near to him in sleep he hadn't sensed any power or magic at all inside her. Nothing about her seemed out of place or different from any of those around her.

It was one of the very reasons he'd underestimated her from the start.

So how had she come to meet him in the nether world?

When he hadn't been wallowing in impotent rage and shame, he'd racked his brain searching for an answer and come up empty handed.

Could he have somehow pulled her there? Except if he'd had to choose anyone to come to his aid, he would have chosen someone more powerful, someone who might be able to stand up to Thanos, surely. Not someone like her, someone so vulnerable and open.

And he'd only sensed his magic returning after she'd met him in the nether world. So he couldn't have pulled her in before that.

Forced to acknowledge a bitter truth, he glanced away. "I don't know."

Fury's intelligent eye flashed as thoughts whirled through his mind. "But if those who travel between worlds can get there, that means you can get to wherever she is."

"Yes."

"And Thor?"

"Technically, yes."

"And… Tony Stark? He crossed over into somewhere, over New York city."

"Then perhaps he can also, though he would need to know where to look. But getting there is only the first problem."

"I'm guessing getting out isn't so easy."

"Near impossible."

Silence fell as Fury rolled over the information in his mind, face unreadable as he studied him.

Every minute Thanos loomed closer and conspiring with his enemies ate at him, but facing the man down, Loki was forced to acknowledge Fury had never really been his true enemy.

His arrogance reminded him too much of Thor's worst traits. Except unlike Thor, Fury was scheming and underhanded. Thor was too flamboyant and straightforward for tricks, always direct. Fury and his Avengers had thwarted him, a fact that still stung even though he hadn't truly wanted to destroy the world.

But the rage and anger had been justified, had stemmed from a place deep inside of him filled with hurt and regret. Those were the feelings Thanos had preyed on throughout his torture, they were what had enabled him to take hold of Loki's mind and twist him until he was under his control.

It would seem now, that in order to rid himself of the monster and the pain and torture once and for all, he would have to find a way to unravel and resolve those feelings.

But how could he let go of years of anger and insecurities?

Fury's voice cut through his dour thoughts. "You've been to the place she's at before."

It wasn't a question but Loki nodded nonetheless.

"Can you get to her now and help to wake her up?"

"I can try to find her but there is no guarantee. And if our enemy finds her first…. There will be nothing left for her to wake up to."

"Do it."

"It isn't that simple."

Fury's eye narrowed suspiciously. They glared at each other, both struggling against their dislike for each other in an effort to reluctantly cooperate.

If the situation wasn't so dire, it would be laughable.

"What are you asking for?"

Loki wondered just how far he could push, but settled for caution. Testing the boundaries.

"If I have no magic, I might not be able to pull her out."

Fury's jaw clenched, muscles tense at the request he had no doubt anticipated. "You will remain locked up in your cell until I know you can be trusted."

He'd expected as much, but the denial still angered him. His magic was a part of him, one that had never abandoned him the way everyone else in his life had. Until SHIELD had stolen it from him and locked it away.

"But," he continued, oblivious to Loki's inner turmoil, "if you help with this, certain limitations might be lifted."

He knew he wouldn't be able to get any more of a compromise out of him for the time being, the set line of Fury's jaw a visual illustration of his steel resolve. So he nodded, flexing the muscles of his shoulders as he began mentally preparing himself for the task.

The nether world was not somewhere he'd ever willingly tried to go, and there was no telling what chaos he might find there.

"How will this work?"

Loki had no answer, so he settled for a cynical eyebrow raise. He'd trapped himself in the nether world once before and had never been able to pull himself out again. If Thanos hadn't released him, he might still be trapped to this day.

There was a very good chance he was sentencing himself to a lifetime of torture trapped there once more. The knowledge twisted his gut. Yet the alternative was sitting and waiting for the end to find him, trapped and handicapped. Not something he was about to let happen. He wanted to live, and he wanted to fight.

Darcy's vivacity and passion had awakened his own and he felt more hopeful than he'd been in a long while, despite the vein of dark finality and doubt that wove through his mind.

"If we wake up, I will have succeeded."

"And if you don't?"

"Then you're better off killing us both before he reaches us."

Fury inhaled sharply, apparently as displeased with that notion as Loki felt. Which was slightly comforting. But Fury was a man of action and a protector. He would take his words seriously and no matter how much he disliked them, he would do what he had to to keep his army and their planet safe. The good of the many over the good of the few.

"We'll be ready, no matter what." His severe tone was less than reassuring, but Loki didn't really have many other options.

Get in, get her out, and free them both. If he could do that, then perhaps there was hope for him after all.

/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/

Miraculously, he sensed her in the darkness mere minutes after he'd fallen into slumber. Unsure of where to go he'd drifted into sleep, his subconscious hesitant to return willingly to a place that had caused him so much pain. He'd given it a nudge even as he'd cringed from the suffering he knew was coming, tumbling into the dark far too easily.

He hadn't had to go far before he'd picked up the singular smell of vanilla amid the pitch black.

Instantly he was on alert, tense for Thanos or his minions lurking and ready to pounce. He had no sense of direction yet somehow he was still drawn to her. Was he imagining the scent? How could he sense it when every other sense was numb? It didn't make any sense and yet it was undeniably her.

When it grew stronger, he reached out, wrapping his arms around a petite female figure that flailed and fought until he pulled her tightly against him.

It was the first time he'd held her. Even though it was only in the nether world, where touch and all senses were numbed or completely absent, he felt her warmth against him. Sensed her fear kicking up his own.

He tried to speak, tried to say her name but he was mute in the darkness. So he took her hand and kissed it, unsure how else to identify himself.

Her hand was small in his, her skin soft and warm. The vanilla clung to him and the strangest sensation came over him.

Everything else faded away but the touch and feel of her in his arms. A dark part of him wanted to stay exactly as they were, away from the rest of the world with no one but each other as a reality.

He shook the ridiculous thoughts from his mind. She stilled, then slowly turned, her hands lifting up to touch his face and try to feel his features.

He wanted to see her, to see for himself if she'd been harmed again. The alarming, overwhelming feelings she engendered in him were too powerful. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides, tolerating her exploration until she stepped back and broke contact.

He didn't miss her touch. Not in the slightest. Liar.

The moment they stepped apart, his fear escalated. He could not hear a sound, could not speak or see her. Any minute Thanos or his minions could capture them, take them to the plane of desert where he'd enacted his brutality on him. Without physical contact, he barely knew she was there.

The separation did not last long before her fingers found his arms again and clung tightly. She shook his shoulders as though trying to wake him up and he remained still, struggling to find a way to communicate with her.

Searching inside himself, he felt the spark of magic blossom once more. Before he could think twice, he pulled up his palm and conjured a small, flickering blue flame in his hand.

The flame lit up the darkness and finally, they stared at each other face to face in the faint light.

Her blue eyes were wide and expressive, and this close to her the emotion behind them hit him like a punch to the gut, terror plainly evident but tempered by a desperate relief as she studied his face.

She was unharmed as far as he could tell, and the stark beauty in her features this close was undeniable. He could no longer lie to himself. She was a beautiful human, and he cared for her.

He didn't want either of them to die in this hellhole.

So he had to do everything in his power to get them out.

/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/+/

The dramatic change in emotions was wreaking havoc with Darcy's state of mind. Stark terror was replaced by a cautious hope when she felt the sharp, angular planes of a face that seemed familiar to her. But she didn't dare hope it was truly him.

Then a dull blue flame flickered to life in the palm of his hand, and Loki's cold, handsome features nearly caused her to collapse. The relief threatened to choke her, bringing tears to her eyes. She'd never thought to be so happy to see his stern face until this very moment.

She tried to speak, but again words failed her as no sound left her mouth. She'd always sucked at charades but she was prepared to do everything she possibly could to get out of the darkness that was driving her crazy.

If anyone had told her a month ago that she'd be ecstatic at seeing Loki's severe face inside a nightmare, she'd have thought they were insane.

Now she didn't care what anyone thought as long as he stayed beside her and helped her get out of here. She mimed in different directions to him, sharing a pleading look as she tried to ask how they could wake up and leave this place.

His brow scrunched as he studied her and shook his head. She didn't understand, and kept trying until the horrible voice came back again, turning the blood in her veins to ice:

"Have you brought her with you? I know you are there…"

Panicked, she grabbed his forearms just as he extinguished the flame in his hand. He crouched and pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as though trying to shield her body with his.

Her instincts about him had been right all along. He was a protector just like his brother, no matter how much he tried to ignore it. He'd caused harm to so many people and he'd suffered because he'd been hurt deeply. He felt deeply, and the more she learned was beneath his stern exterior, the more she wanted to know the truth about him.

But now was not the time.

His muscles were tense against her as he turned, trying to locate the voice and failing. It came back with taunts, but just like before it remained distant, unwilling or simply unable to locate and approach them.

As it began to fade away once more, the blue flame returned.

She mimed a person walking with her fingers, motioning upwards and around her, trying to figure out how to leave, but again he shook his head. He moved his hand and seemed to drop the blue flame beside them, leaving it sitting in the middle of the darkness and burning with a pale blue light.

Both of his hands, now free, lifted to her temples and touched lightly as he placed his fingers against her face, little electric shocks travelling up along her skin at the contact.

He frowned, vibrant green eyes focused on her as he seemed to be prompting her towards something. To concentrate?

She nodded, closing her eyes and focusing on waking up as hard as she possibly could.

"Sooner or later I will find you and make you suffer."

They both jumped at the louder voice, pulling apart as it echoed around them. Suddenly, with a sharp gasp the darkness was sucked away and they were back in the familiar desert plane she'd visited in her dreams.

"So close already…"

"No…" She jumped and stood, recognizing the deep voice as Loki's. Abruptly, sound and sensation were back. When her eyes fell on him her stomach dropped. His arms were pulled back, somehow encased back in the chains that had bound him to the ground when she'd dreamt of him before.

His face remained stoic, though she could see the pain that tore at him in the tense line of his clenched jaw and the thinning of his lips.

And before her eyes, she gasped as a line of blood blossomed through the pale green shirt he wore.

He flinched as though struck, and when she stepped around him, she saw horrible, long gashes cutting into the flesh of his back.

Like a vicious cycle, they were back where they'd been before, except now she was here to watch the torture inflicted upon him.

And it had only just begun…