The Avengers: Tainted Love

Stone walls and ceiling combined to form one circular grey blur. Even with the annoying prattle of the guards above, he could hear nothing but the blood rushing to his ears.

With steady footsteps the guards continued hauling the limp body held firmly between them, letting the feet drag on the concrete. His body trembled but not from fear.

“You give it away too easily, Stark.”

A flash of a grin appeared in front of him before disintegrating into the grey blur.

Despite his greatest efforts to remain deaf and blind to the situation, he could not stop the foul stench from reaching his senses. As soon as they had descended the unnecessarily winding staircase his nostrils became overwhelmed with the pleasant aroma of the dank stone around him in combination with whiffs of human excrement.

He had stopped moving and heard the grinding sounds of a metal lock being forced open as the metal bars in front of him slowly came into focus. Momentarily, the firm grip on his arms slackened as both guards attempted to pry open the door to his cell.

From the depths of the cell, he saw two mocking green eyes staring at him.

“Everything we shared was a lie.”

His body tensed and he wished for nothing more than to claw those eyes out of their sockets. Turning his head upward, he saw the glinting blue eyes of the guard above.

Close enough.

Using the loose grip on his arms as an advantage, he quickly freed himself from their grasp and lunged upwards towards the guard. Instantly, he dug his fingers into the guard’s left eye, tearing at the eyelid viciously. In a panic, the other guard pulled him away from his victim, who clutched his bleeding eye in shock.

With a punch to his abdomen, he was thrown on the cold, unforgiving floor of the cell before the door was hastily shut and locked. Growling, Tony leapt from the floor, reaching between the bars to grab the sleeve of the injured man. Successful, he pulled the man toward him with one hand and repeatedly punched his chest, aiming for his heart.

Desperately, the other guard used the butt of his gun to strike Tony’s hand with enough force to disengage his fingers. As soon as Tony retracted his mangled fingers, the guards moved away from the cell.

Undeterred, Tony wrapped his hands around the cool metal bars, shaking and pulling at them like a rabid animal. Without another word, the guards hastily departed, most likely to find a doctor to fix the bleeding eye.

Tony screamed obscenities at their retreating backs with such intensity that his lungs burned and his throat went dry from exertion. With one last shove at the unyielding bars, he stomped away.

~*~

With hands clasped behind his back, Loki felt a cold sweat break across his palms. Stubbornly, he set his jaw, keeping his gaze steady as he watched the guards drag away a screaming and violent Tony.

Panic swept through his body betrayed only by his widened eyes as they locked momentarily with the mournful eyes of his victim.

Traitor, the eyes screamed back at him as Loki struggled to maintain composure.  

As soon as the guards dragged the screaming man from his sight, Loki closed his eyes and took a shallow breath. His heartbeat slowed down and as soon as he turned on his heel, the mask of impassiveness sunk into his features.

Without another word, he walked down the hallway, flanked by guards. As they travelled through endless corridors, he could hear the guards speaking to him but he couldn’t hear a word. Remorse travelled through his veins like a drug.

He stopped in front of a door and as soon as the guards opened it, he saw his ally waiting for him on a screen.

“I see you’ve made yourself at home.”

Loki stared at the man on the screen, unable to gauge his mood due to the emotionless metallic mask which served as his face.  Without missing a beat, Loki sat down in a chair with a smile.

 “Nice to see you as well, Doom,” Loki spoke as he crossed his legs and leaned back into the chair.  

“After the incident in New York, I was afraid you disappeared.”

“I had a few complications.”

“I see,” Doom breathed heavily through his mask. “And the failed attack?”

“A simply ploy to disassemble our main enemies,” Loki waved off the remark. “They’re weak now and the time is right for a proper assault.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I was afraid you’d lost your touch.”

Loki feigned a laugh as he relaxed further into the chair in a false show of comfort.

“You never mentioned you had another army.”

“They were not ready at the time.”

Loki nodded in understanding but his eyes caught the faintest twitch in Doom’s eyes.

“What do you think of them?”

“Quite formidable. I’m both intrigued and impressed with their skill.”

“Good. And the tesseract?”

“Not with me, but still within my position,” Loki allowed the lie to slip passed his smile.

“Excellent. Then we shall attack again. I will make some arrangements before we come into contact for the final battle.”

“I await your signal.”

With another nod, Doom shut off the link between them and left Loki staring at his reflection in the black screen. He leaned on one hand while drumming on the arm of the chair with the other. The men buzzed around him as they went about their daily business. Excitement should have been flooding his veins but instead he felt a pang of remorse lurking beneath something more ominous.

Even though it was brief, he had taken notice how Doom’s eyes shifted quickly during their conversation. Being a trickster he knew deception when he saw it. Doom was hiding something from him but he did not know what.

No matter how hard he tried to allow his hatred to flare, he couldn’t regain focus.

~*~

The clicking from the heels of his shoes echoed through the otherwise silent cell as he circled aimlessly. The events of the past weeks flooded together like a movie trailer and only fueled his wrath. His thoughts ran one way before changing course and flowing in the opposite direction. He was caught between the fervent desire to rip Loki limb from limb and the unexplainable urge to help him regain his senses.

 “Tony?”

With the blood pounding in his ears, he barely heard someone rasp his name. He stopped pacing and looked around, spotting a figure in the shadows of the adjacent cell. Curious, he walked towards the man and when he looked through the bars, his eyes softened.

 “Steve? Is that you?”

Steve lay sprawled in the corner with only the cold wall to hold him upright. The scant lightening caused shadows to fall on his face, but when he turned towards Tony, bruises and dried blood covered his face like a mask. His eyes lilted as he attempted to focus them on the figure between the bars. His once crisp blue uniform had turned dull and dingy.

 “Is there something on my face?” he struggled to laugh but soon broke into a coughing fit.

“What happened?” Tony ignored the attempt at humor even though the bruises on Steve’s face answered his question.

“They wanted to see how much a ‘super soldier’ could take,” Steve smiled, the action reopening a wound on his lip. Tony gripped the bars between them, getting as close as he physically could.

 “I’m going to get you out of here.”

Blue eyes stared at him with the faintest glimmer of hope. Waiting for a miracle was out of the question since S.H.I.E.L.D. had no idea where they were and Tony doubted Loki would have a sudden change of heart. Suddenly, he looked down at his wrist, remembering the bracelet.

He pressed a button and watched the blinking red light.

 ~*~

A strange metallic grinding sound from outside the lone barred window got the attention of the guards who were routinely walking around the jail. They paused outside of Tony’s cell as they looked up at the window and murmured to each other in German. With a grin, Tony calmly walked to the far side of his cell and fell on the ground, his hands shielding his head.  The guards watched his reaction with curiosity before slowly reaching to draw their weapons.

For a moment there was nothing but silence before an explosion shook the jail cells. As soon as the debris cleared, Tony stood up quickly made his way through the wreckage towards the window.  As he spread his arms open, he saw the red and silver box zoom towards him and begin assembling with neat clicks as the armor fastened into place.

The guards had retrieved their weapons and began firing, their bullets ricocheting off the armor. The eyes of the suit turned blue, signaling the end of the transformation. With two swift blasts, Tony disposed of the guards before turning to look at a bewildered Steve.

Using the strength of the suit, Tony pulled apart the bars separating them and knelt near his comrade.  

“We need to get out before they call in the cavalry.”

Steve smiled as Tony gently placed one arm around Steve’s back and the other under his knees, lifting him easily. Steve winced as he clutched to Tony. The footsteps of the approaching guards echoed in what remained of the jail and Tony fired up his boosters before blasting through the hole in the wall.

~*~

“Master Loki!”

 

Loki turned to see a guard hunched over, catching his breath. He stood up and wiped the excess sweat from his face.

 

“Your prisoner has escaped!”

 

Green eyes narrowed in anger before Loki crudely brushed past the guard and walked towards the jail cell. Once he reached the stairs leading down to the basement, he could smell sulfur. As he descended the air became thicker with debris and he had to side step once or twice to avoid a guard barreling up the stairs, no doubt in search of a medic.

 

A patch of light caught his attention as soon as he descended the stairs and his eyes followed it to a large hole in the wall. He continued walking towards the mangled jell cell, avoiding large chunks of rubble. The bodies of two mutilated guards lay to the side and he noticed a few more adjacent cells were destroyed and devoid of their previous occupants. His presence was largely ignored since the guards had begun a frantic search for the prisoners.

 

He stepped to the edge of the crumbling stone gap and peered into the distance, squinting against the sun. A large object on the other side of the river caught his eye and he reached into his tunic and retrieved a set of binoculars he had swiped earlier from a guard out of boredom.

 

The large object turned out to be a vessel and a quick scan of the coast revealed many more. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that from each vessel waved a flag belonging to the Red Country. Metallic crates were being moved down the gang plank and Loki only assumed their final destination would be the base’s weapons warehouse.

 

He put away the binoculars and began walking to the staircase, his thoughts following him like a cloud. Everything from the past few days flew past him – Doom’s constant shifting gaze and his genuine surprise that Loki was alive and not captured by S.H.I.E.L.D., the hidden Hydra army and now the supply of Red Country’s finest weapons the knowledge of which he had graciously kept to himself.

 

Grinding his teeth, Loki began looking at the guards with a new-found perspective, eyeing each one that passed him with suspicion. His alliance with Doom had not been born of trust but rather of a mutual hatred. He knew – no – he expected Doom to betray him at some point, but not until after they had vanquished S.H.I.E.L.D. together.

 

He walked the halls as he anxiously plotted his next move. Instead of feeling in control, he felt like a mouse trapped in a cage he had allowed to be built around him. He barely noticed a pang in the back of his mind, choosing to attribute it to the raging migraine.

 

All at once, nausea overtook him and his once cool skin began to burn under his leather armor. He placed a palm on the wall next to him in attempt to steady himself.  A twisting pang in his stomach began spreading throughout his entire body in waves, getting progressively more aggressive. With an anguished wail, he fell to his knees as his vision blurred and his body began to spasm of its own accord.

 

The pounding in his head drowned out the shouts of the approaching guards. In the midst of his pain a hazy memory found its way towards the surface.

 

Turning to Loki, Tony warned, “By the way, you can only move in a 30 foot radius around me. If you exceed that then you will be continuously zapped by progressively stronger and stronger electric currents until you pass out.”

 

Loki held up his wrist with the blinking bracelet and smiled at the irony.

 

Then everything went black.

 

~*~

 

The wind whipped past them as Tony cradled Steve to his chest, trying to shield him from it as best he could. He called Fury who, after yelling at him profusely for disappearing, assured him that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the area would take Steve home. After agreeing on a drop point, Tony had wasted no time in flying towards the designated area. When they reached the proper coordinates, Tony slowly brought himself to the ground into a small clearing between the trees.

He gently sat Steve against a tree and let his helmet slide up. Steve smiled at the friendly face. Technology still made him uncomfortable even if it did just save his life.

“You weren’t lying,” he spoke through cracked lips.

“The others are safely back in NYC and as soon as these guys appear you will be, too,” Tony eagerly scanned the area. “You’re almost home, Captain.”

“We are almost home,” Steve gently touched the arm of the suit. Tony turned away and chewed the bottom of his lip nervously. Steve eyed him before a sudden realization hit him.

“You’re going back aren't you?”

“I have to,” Tony turned back to look him square in the eye. Steve’s eyes shifted from one brown eye to the other as if judging Tony’s sanity.

“Why? I don’t think you can destroy the base alone with only that creation of yours,” Steve gestured to the suit.

“I’m not going back there to destroy it. I’m . . . I’m going back there for someone.”

Steve stared at him in confusion. Tony sighed, realizing that Steve had no idea about the past few weeks.

“I’m going back for Loki. He’s the one that helped me get the rest of you back.”

“Is he a prisoner?”

“Well, no . . .”

Tony shifted uncomfortably before laughing.

“Actually he’s the one had me thrown in the cell next to you. He kind of . . . turned on me.”

“And you want to go back to save him,” Steve’s words trailed off as he continued staring at Tony. The penetrating gaze made Tony edgy and he removed his arm from Steve’s.

“I just have to, ok?”

Steve continued to stare at him, completely unconvinced at Tony’s poor explanation. Tony pinched the bridge of his nose as he fought a headache. He knew his actions made no sense let alone to someone like Steve who saw the world in black and white. Sighing, he turned back to Steve as he began to try to articulate his intentions in a way he would understand.

 “Look, you’re a soldier, right? You do not leave a man behind.”

“This is different,” Steve shook his head in agitation.

“You don’t understand, up until now he’s been my ally. He’s the one who helped me get the others. Without his help none of you would be back in New York.”

“You can’t change a mad man,” Steve hissed.

“You can’t change a stubborn one either,” Tony grinned.

Steve slumped against the tree in defeat as they waited in silence for the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to arrive.

~*~

A screech, seemingly from the same family as the Banshee, jolted him awake. Green eyes shot open only to be accosted by a bright light intent on burning its way into the sensitive cornea. With an irritable groan, Loki rolled to his side to avoid the light and his eyes fell upon a rickety gurney, the source of the shrill noise.

His eyes scanned the room, observing the simple white washed walls and the sophisticated looking equipment next to each bed, which were lined up in neat rows. Nurses walked around checking the vitals of various patients. An overwhelming feeling of déjà vu crept into his senses and he had to focus to remember where he was – a hospital or an asylum.

He placed hand to his forehead, hoping to alleviate the migraine and noted that they had not restrained him. Most likely, Doom had yet to inform his soldiers that he would not be joining them in battle and he inwardly sighed with relief. Without his magic, escaping any type of restraint would be a daunting task.

Pushing himself upward with his forearms, Loki fought back his nausea. His breath hitched in his throat and his hands instinctively went to his neck, grasping at the metal collar in confusion before a genuine smile broke onto his face.

 The thought of Tony returning to the base filled him with unfamiliar warmth which he eagerly pushed to the corner of his mind.

Doom had made his move and the time was ripe for a preemptive strike.

A malicious grin enveloped his face as he gently and quietly slid off the bed, disappearing down the corridor before the nurses could bat an eyelid.

~*~

Tony nervously smoothed out the creases in his newly procured uniform. He attempted to make himself look as inconspicuous as possibly as he skulked around the hallways. Navigating the hallways proved quite the chore and he happened to come across the control room by accident. Curiosity began eating away at him as he glimpsed the computers inside. He took in a deep breath as he pushed the door open.

After a brief and convincing exchange with the worn-out guard, Tony took his place in front of the various screens. With bloodshot eyes and a yawn, the guard hastily departed without so much as inquiring about Tony’s strange accent.

Tony deft fingers ghosted over controls as his eyes darted from screen to screen, seeking his target. Luckily, Hydra meticulously labeled all of the screens so the only difficult task was spotting Loki. His heart raced and his uniform suddenly felt hot as his eyes frantically searched.

The corner of his eye caught a flicker of movement and he snapped his neck to the side. He grinned before taking note of the location as he pulled up a map of the base. Never in his life had he been as grateful for his picture memory as he was now.

After glancing around the door, Tony walked into the corridor, making sure to keep his steps even as he fought back the urge to run. He passed by two guards talking to each other and caught a snippet of their conversation.

“. . . escaped the hospital.”

“All that matter is we find him or it’s our heads.”

He kept his eyes level as he kept his face neutral and exchanged a brief nod with the guards. Inside, his heart rattled like a broken fuse. So far he had a head start on the guards and he aimed to keep it that way.

~*~

A faint aroma of mildew permeated the air and even though he was only one level below ground, Tony felt like he was walking through a cave rather than an army base. He placed one foot slowly on the step below, testing the stair for any creaks before his other foot descended. Even though the process was painstakingly slow, he preferred caution over being caught and thrown into a jail cell.

As soon as he reached the bottom of the metal staircase, he took a quick look around and spotted the entrance to the warehouse which was square in shape and made of metal. He darted behind a stone column just in time to watch the door slide upwards as two men exited. His breathing remained even but his heart raced as seconds passed in the form of hours before the men disappeared around the corner.

Just as the door began creaking downwards, Tony sprinted and managed to roll under the door before it closed behind him. Once inside he pressed himself against the wall and looked around. 

Metal containers made up most of the décor and were stacked one on top of each other in neat little rows. Each bore Hydra’s insignia and some were separated from each other by chain fences with red signs of warning, the standard protocol for boxes containing explosives. Yellow beams crisscrossed above with metal claws hanging from them in strategic places, most likely used to move around the crates.

Although there were plenty of light fixtures embedded in the ceiling, the warehouse still seemed a dark and foreboding room due to its large size. Some of the lights flickered while other bulbs had simply broken and Tony doubted there were many men who were eager to change them.

From a distance he heard a clinking sound. His head snapped towards the sound as he continued to listen. He grinned as he slowly made his way into the labyrinth of crates, careful to stay in the shadows. On his way, he spotted a discarded wrench lying on the ground. He crouched and carefully wrapped his fingers around the handle before rising from the ground with his new weapon.

For a moment the sound stopped and Tony grew still, his heart beating at the fear that he had been discovered. Faint footsteps seemed to grow closer and he instinctively lifted the wrench above his head, ready to strike.

The footsteps ceased and were replaced by the clicking sound again. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tony continued walking. Every few steps he would look towards the light and back to the ground, making sure that his shadow remained unseen and his steps unheard.

With every step, the clicking sound became louder until he could see a figure crouched near a crate. Slowly, he lowered himself into a kneeling position, careful to conceal himself behind a crate. From a small gap between the two containers, he watched the figure.

After a few minutes, the figure stood up and began walking towards him. The rapid beating of his heart made him wonder if gods have heightened senses and he clenched his sweaty palm around the wrench in his hand. Once again, Loki crouched in front of another crate and after pulling a square object from his tunic, he began attaching it to the crate in front of him.

Carefully, Tony began shuffling himself closer until he was directly behind Loki. Once he was finished with his task, Loki stood up and ran his hands through his hair, breathing a shallow breath and surveying the warehouse, no doubt making certain he had installed whatever he had planned.

A queasy feeling began ebbing at the pit of Tony’s stomach as he slowly took off his hat and threw it towards Loki’s left side. Although soft, the hat landed with an audible thump and made Loki’s face sharply turn to the left.

Bringing the wrench above his head, Tony launched it at Loki, hitting hit at the juncture of where his neck met his head. Loki stumbled forward in surprise and Tony used the opportunity to sprint forward and use his full weight to slam Loki into a crate. He quickly bent to pick up the wrench which almost fell from his slippery hands.

As soon as Loki turned towards him, Tony struck him first in the temple then in the side, kicking him on the way down as Loki slipped to the ground. Tony had always enjoyed a fair fight but when pitted against a god and without his suit to aid him, he could use all the help he needed. He slammed the wrench into Loki’s side.

Recovering quickly, Loki grabbed his wrist before delivering a blow to Tony’s head causing him to lose his grip on the wrench and stumble backwards. Just as he looked up, Loki punched him in the jaw causing him to fall to the ground.

As Loki walked towards him, Tony angled himself to deliver a perfect kick to Loki’s knees, bringing him down to his level before grabbing a fistful of hair and punching him repeatedly in the face, grinning when he drew blood. Loki retaliated by slamming the heel of his palm into Tony’s throat before reaching for the lapels on his suit and throwing him to the ground.

He straddled him but before he had a chance to deliver another blow, Tony lunged upward, digging his fingers into the flesh of Loki’s right eye. Screaming in pain, Loki grabbed Tony’s wrist, gave it a hard twist and pinned both wrists to the ground as Tony continued thrashing around like a feral animal, eager to escape and continue his rampage.

After a few more moments of pointless struggling, Tony lay still, panting as he glared up at the gleaming green eyes. Blood flowed from Loki’s eye and he blinked it away as he stared down.

“I could kill you,” Loki finally breathed into the dank air, narrowing his eyes.

“What’s stopping you?!” Tony grinned but the spark of anger in his eyes caused him to look more demented than happy.

Loki merely stared as his body tensed, his eyes darting between two flaring chocolate colored irises. Slowly he released one of Tony’s wrists and wrapped his hand around the exposed throat, feeling the rapid heartbeat.

He began squeezing before something flickered in his eyes and he stopped. With his hand now free, Tony landed a punch to Loki’s temple before clawing at the hand on his wrist. Surprisingly, Loki released him as he stood up and backed away giving Tony enough room to do the same.

“I find it ironic that you’re always calling everyone else a traitor when you’re clearly no better,” Tony spat.

“To be fair, I told you I would turn on you.”

Tony flinched, feeling the words hit him like a physical slap.

 “I even warned you of my plan after I put you in the hospital. You should know by now that I follow my own rules.”

“I thought I make you break all your rules,” Tony countered.

Loki sighed as he closed his eyes, the ghost of a genuine smile playing on his lips.

“True. You have made things complicated for me,” Loki leaned against the crate behind him. “Still my initial plan has not changed.”

Even as Tony stared into Loki’s eyes and heard the words, part of him refused to accept them as the full truth.

“So you used me and then you were – what? Going to kill me after you had fun with your human toy?” Tony crossed his arms and began tapping his foot in agitation. His eyes briefly flitted towards the discarded wrench and he could not decide if he wanted to fight or run. Anything seemed like a better option than to have Loki watch him have another metal break down.

“I never intended to get rid of you,” Loki whispered softly, his eyes betraying his surprise at such a thought. “I just wanted you out if the way until I finished what I started.”

“And then what?”

Loki faltered, unsure of his answer. Tony laughed as he ran a clammy hand through his hair.

“You were going to destroy my planet and then retrieve me like some plaything,” He began pacing and continued laughing in order to stop the flow of tears that clung to the brim of his eyes. “So that we can run off into the sunset together after you’ve burned my world into pieces?”

A strong feeling of déjà vu began to overwhelm Tony as he continued pacing, wondering how many times he would end up breaking down in front of Loki. Instead of meeting Loki’s gaze, he began staring at the broken patterns on the concrete floor. He heard footsteps approach and he lifted his fisted hand defensively. 

Before he had a chance to strike, Loki reached out and brought him to his chest. Loki’s familiar scent and the feel of his leather tunic caught Tony off guard and he permitted himself to be enveloped in a hug. He gingerly rested his head on Loki’s shoulder as he brought his fingers to tangle in the leather garments. His body shook with emotion but he managed to keep the tears at bay.

“You’re not my plaything,” Loki whispered as he began stroking Tony’s hair.

“Then why abandon me?” Tony moved his head to gaze into Loki’s eyes. “I thought we were in this together.”

“I didn’t . . . I wouldn’t . . . I won’t abandon you.”

A ghost of a smile finally reached Tony’s lips. There was absolutely no logical reason why he should ever trust Loki at his word again but something into those green eyes made him fall apart.

“Promise?”

He felt stupid asking such a desperate question but before he had time to rethink his words, Loki nodded before placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

“Promise,” He smiled.

Both men tensed as soon as they heard footsteps and shouts enter the room. Instantly, Loki released Tony as he looked around towards the source of the noise. 

“We need to leave. I know an exit –”

“– bet you mine is better,” Tony grinned as he pushed a button on his bracelet.

The footsteps were getting closer and Loki began to get agitated. 

“Tony . . .”

“Just trust me,” he turned to look at Loki with a grin. “We’ve come this far.”

The men were now within shooting distance and as soon as the guards saw their targets, they took aim. A crash through the wall shook the left side of the warehouse and caused the guards to begin firing at a zooming red metallic box. Tony ran towards the object laughing in relief as his suit assembled around him.

With the suit in place, Tony flew towards Loki, grabbing him around the waist and hauling him into the air as the guards below continued firing.

“Wait!”

“Why?” Tony asked as he hovered above the warehouse.

“I have a little parting gift,” Loki grinned as he reached into his pocket. He took out a blue object the size of a cigarette pack and brushed his fingers over it. Suddenly, simultaneous explosions erupted in the warehouse and like dominoes, the flames spread until they had engulfed half of the base, effectively destroying the contents inside.

Tony grinned before readjusting his hold on Loki and flying away, leaving behind an angry red mass.