PROLOGUE

A vast, empty realm.

The stars glittering overhead, tiny pinpricks of light hardly seen in the void around them. A black rock floating in the midst of ruin and desolation. Remnants of long-ago splendid dwellings, now reduced to rubble and decay, neglected by their previous owners. No lights glimmer from its surface, no warmth from the distant stars warms the cold stone far below.

A lone figure slowly crawls its way to the summit of the tallest spiral on that frozen rock. Up, up hundreds of carven steps it climbs, head bowed, face hidden behind a hooded cowl. Its hideous six-fingered hands clutch at its cloak nervously, as if it had something to fear.

At last, it reaches the final step, hesitating for a moment before coming forward and kneeling before a huge carven throne, facing away from the creature.

"You sent for me . . . my master?" it hisses softly, its voice echoing ominously over the empty landscape.

Its question fades into silence as it awaits a reply from the silent figure on the throne. As the heavy pause continues, the creature wavers nervously, face downcast. Finally, the shadow speaks.

"You have failed me."

The voice is so low it shakes the ground beneath the Other's feet, so ominous it sends a shiver of dread through his servant's body.

"My lord . . . I could not have-"

"The Traitor failed to bring me the Tesseract, and you failed to kill him for his insolence – therefore you betrayed me." The dark voice smiles, sensing the Other's fear. "I should punish you for such a disappointment."

The Other stiffens, terrified lest its master turn and make good on his threat. But after a few moments of tense silence Thanos merely laughs.

"But I am not without mercy. I will allow you to atone for your mistake." The Titan stands, his back to the Other, gazing out intently at the stars. "Bring the Tesseract to me, and you will live."

"And . . . the Traitor?" the Other presses, a black hatred in his voice.

A deep, pleased rumble of laughter rolls from Thanos again.

"Loki is no longer of any interest to me. He has proved a most . . . difficult servant to bend. Therefore, you may do with him as you please."

"My lord . . .?"

Thanos smiles.

"Break him."

Author's Note: Greetings once again, fellow fans! Yes, after much hinting and teasing and delays (so so so sorry!), I give to you your first taste of the sequel to Measure of a Man - THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY! Hope this little tidbit will be enough to tide you all over until I can get the next chapters up. I have the entire story plotted out already, so it's just a matter of writing the chapters. I thank you all for your patience so far, and I would ask that you continue to be patient with me, as my life has gotten so crazy busy that it has made writing anything very difficult. But enough excuses! What are your thoughts on this prologue? What are you hoping to see in this story? Any theories on plot or direction yet? I would love to hear what you all think! (And who knows? If your ideas really strike my fancy, I might just write them into the story!) Please leave reviews! I LOVE hearing from all of you!