The crashing and clanging grew louder as the sound of many footsteps rang out.

"Who do you think it is?" Loki whispered, standing up slowly.

He got his answer a few seconds later when a woman's voice could be heard on the other side of the door, a Russian accent clear in her strong voice.

"Step back."

The brothers did as they were instructed and moved away from the door.

Loki stood against the cell wall across from Thor. He could feel the magic near him, could taste it in the air and hear it pounding heavily in his ears, the distinct feel of it circling the cell almost made it hard for him to breathe as all of his oxygen was sucked from his lungs. He could tell that this magic was different from his. It almost felt clinical, like the woman had gotten it from a scientific experiment of sorts. Thor studied Loki with curiosity, watching as the god of mischief's face rapidly switched between different emotions. He, of course, had no idea that the woman had to be a sorceress.

Seconds after she spoke, the door was blasted open by a burst of scarlet energy. As she stepped into the room, her red leather trench coat trailing behind her, Loki couldn't help but smile. She was so young, yet looked so in control. Her fiery red hair cascaded down her shoulders in soft curls. Her eyes, however, were hardened, telling Loki that she'd obviously been through more than one traumatic experience in her life, perhaps Earth-shaking.

The two Asgardians stood frozen on the spot, causing her to squint at them questioningly.

"Well we aren't going to just stick around, are we?"

They quickly shook their heads and followed her out. Thor and Loki shared a smile as their powers returned to them in an exhilarating rush.

They dashed through the facility, red and green magic blasting back agents while Thor covered them from behind, his lightning streaking through the facility in bright, spiked arcs of energy. By the time they made it out, most of the facility had been cleared of H.O.P.E. agents, their bodies burned and singed beyond recognition.

"Well if it isn't Reindeer Games himself. The brunette chick didn't tell me that you were included in our little rescue mission. Back on Earth so soon? What's wrong, Thor got sympathetic and rescued your sorry ass from space prison?"

Loki groaned as he laid eyes on the red and gold armor of the Man of Iron.

"It's good to see you too, Stark."

The distant sound of arrows being snapped brought both Tony and Loki's attention away from each other.

An enraged Hawkeye was standing off to the side, practically foaming at the mouth and snapping his arrows in rage.

"Why is he here?!" Clint whispered, his voice dripping venomous hatred.

Black Widow had her pistol drawn, aimed at Loki's head, while a bearded Captain America glared at Thor.

"I want him off of my planet." Rogers growled.

Thor took a look at the Avengers in front of him, trying his best to send them apologetic glances while Loki stood in full defiance, his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk plastered on his face.

"I am truly sorry, my friends, but Asgard was destroyed, and Loki is a changed man."

Iron Man never took his eyes off of the trickster.

"Yeah. Tell that to the thousands of people he murdered viciously in cold blood. You'd better get the hell off of this planet, Antlers, before I call Fury and you end up facing actual justice, something that Asgard failed to do."

Loki gave him a broad grin.

"Actually, The Director already knows that I'm here on Midgard."

Another loud snap was heard.

"I can't handle this right now....I need a drink. Anyone want to come with?"

The entire team nodded their heads and murmured their agreements.

Loki was the only one who hadn't said anything.

"Oh fine, you can come back with us too, but only because you never got that drink I promised you."

The trickster silently nodded his thanks to Tony and followed them back to the quinjet, where they headed off for upstate New York.
***
Loki trailed behind Thor as he took in the sights of the new facility.

"Upgrades." He muttered, slowly wringing his hands back and forth out of nervousness.

The last time he'd been in the same room as the Avengers, things didn't exactly go his way.

The heroes grouped together in the main lounge room, complete with a bar that Tony had customized himself. He poured drinks for everyone and they settled around the circle of couches.

Surprisingly, it was Loki who spoke first.

"Forgive me, but may I ask who you are, young maiden?" He asked, his eyes focused on the strange woman's

She offered him a small, sad smile.

"I am Wanda Maximoff, but some refer to me as Scarlet Witch."

He took a small sip of his drink, shifting uncomfortably at the end of the couch next to his brother.

"So where have you been? I don't believe I made your acquaintance last time I was on Midgard."

When he said this, Wanda glared daggers at Tony.

"Well I didn't join the Avengers until about 4 years ago, but I spent the last year in a prison submerged underwater with no access to my magic, thanks to Stark."

Loki sloshed his drink around a bit in his glass, unsure of how to respond to this.

"....oh."

After that, it was silent for a bit.

Clint was the one to start up the conversation again, tapping one of his drumsticks idly against the coffee table.

"I have a question for Thor."

The thunderer turned to him and gave him a toothy grin.

"Ask away, my friend."

Clint have him a mocking grin in return.

"How long, exactly, have you been working with Loki since he attacked New York? Or, more specifically, how long has he been free to roam around since then? One month? Two?"

Thor's grin faltered as he turned away from Barton sheepishly. He looked to Loki for support, but the trickster just shrugged his shoulders and took another sip of his drink.

"It's been about 2 and a half years."

Natasha had to reach across the table and grab Clint's drum stick before he snapped it in half.

Stark poured himself another very full glass of scotch.

"How can you trust him after what he did?!"

The blonde averted his eyes from his brother.

"Oh, I don't."

Loki choked on his drink a bit, spilling some on his armor. This caused Clint to smile, glad for some small sliver of revenge.

"What I want to know is that if you don't trust him, why should we?" The black widow asked.

Loki finished wiping up his mess and stared directly at the woman that had spoken.

"You don't have to trust me. You don't even have to like me, but as long as we can tolerate each other, we can take down H.O.P.E."

Tony shook his head in confusion.

"I thought we just did that."

The god of mischief tipped his head back to finish off his drink before giving Tony a small, grim smile.

"Dr. Pamela Reese is a very persistent woman, and she's been playing this game for years. She won't stop until the Avengers are wiped out and Earth is under the protection of no one but H.O.P.E. We are running short on options, so like I told Bruce; Whether you like it or not, we have to work together."