Holding On

VI

Loki stood on the roof content with his shapeshifting attempt. The sky loomed over his, his raven black hair blew behind him right the slight breeze, and the cold fresh air made his skin feel at rest and not burn. He wasn't worry about the torture he had endured and the marks that covered his body or the things he saw when he closed his eyes. He wasn't worrying about what would happen if Thanos was ever to find him or what the Avengers were planning for him. He wasn't worrying about what Odin or the rest of Asgard thought about him. He was thinking of the peacefulness that he yearned for and as he held his eyes shut he envisioned an open field where no one could find him. With rolling hills in the background covered in dainty little flowers and a cabin that sat in front of a pond. And that was it. That was what he wanted. That was his happiness.
Loki walked back to his room, a sudden tiredness had taken over his body. He slumped into his bed and quickly sleep took him. In his dreams was the green filled oasis he wished he could escape to.

After the Avengers finished their meeting they went back up to the sitting area where they expected to find Loki but no one what their. They immediately started to panic. Did he leave? Did he trick us? Did Thanos take him? Nat and Barton ran to the elevator taking it up to Level 15 to check the roof. Cap and Tony walked around the floor to make sure that Loki wasn't hiding anywhere. Bruce and Thor ran to the second elevator and checked the other floors that Loki knew of and Wanda and went to the sleeping quarters to check all the rooms.

"I've got nothing over here!" Steve yelled to Tony from across the room.

"Same." Tony responded. Both of the men huffed in defeat.

Nat and Clint ran out of the elevator and into the open room.

"You check is over there and I'll get over here." Natasha said. Clint nodded in response. Both of them ran around the room checking behind the mini bar, under tables, and behind furniture. Eventually, after twenty minutes of searching, the pair ran up the stairs and walked to the roof. They were met with a cold wind as they stepped into the outdoors. Clint looked around the roof for anyone standing, sitting, sleeping, or remotely moving but he didn't see anything.

"I don't think he's up here Nat."

"Yeah, let's go back and see if the others found anything." The pair silently walked back down the stairs and into the elevator.

Bruce and Thor checked their third floor - the medical floor. Again they came up empty handed.

"Are we even sure he's in the building?" Bruce asked warily, unsure of how the Thunder God would take the question.

"Loki wouldn't  just leave. He was injured and weak. He may be many things but stupid is not one of them." Thor responded. He hoped that what he said was true. Bruce and Thor continued checking the rest of the floors that Loki knew of.

"Maybe he wanted to explore the floors he hasn't been to yet." Banner said. He prayed that he was wrong. What could a person like Loki do with equipment that powerful?

Wanda and Peter walked out of the elevator cautiously. They glanced around the hall before walking to the first room. Slowly they opened the door making sure that there were no traps before stepping in all the way. They peered around the room opening the closet, looking under the bed, and checking any possible space that Loki could have escaped to. The room was clear. One by one the went through the rooms making sure to check all the nooks and crannies.

"This floor is clear." Peter said to Wanda as he finished checking his side of the last room. Wanda huffed in defeat.

"Well let's go onto the next floor." The two walked out of the room down the long hallway and took the elevator up to the second floor of sleeping quarters where all the guest rooms were.

"We should have checked this floor first." Wanda remarked as she stepped out of the elevator. "If he is in a room it's probably his own."

On that remark Peter and Wanda walked directly to Loki's room which was the fifth one down the hall. They silently opened the door and peaked in hoping the see Loki. To their relief there the mischievous man laid fast asleep on his bed. The two quietly closed the door silently hoping that they didn't wake Loki and walked back to the elevator.

"All that searching just for him to be in his room." Peter muttered. Peter and Wanda went back down to the sitting floor and where Tony, Steve, Natasha, and Clint were and told them where Loki was. Tony called Bruce to tell them the good news.
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"HE WHAT!" Thanos boomed as one of his guards told him the news. "How did none of you morons not see a prisoner leave the prison? How did he even get out?" Thanos questioned the group around him. No one dared to speak up. "Find him. FIND HIM NOW!" The group around him quickly scurried off to find a way to track down their missing prisoner.

Thanos sat down on his throne and put his head in his hands. "I wonder how those idiots survive sometimes." He mumbled. Just then Thanos sat upright. He had the perfect idea. Thanos stood up and walked out of the room to find the old witch.

"Open the door." Thanos said to the guard that guarded the room. The guard quickly turned around and opened the door. Thanos ducked into the medium sized room. A round table with a glass ball sat in the middle of the room with big chairs surrounding it and in the corner a desk littered with magical books sat.

"Ahhh, you have come back." an old woman with a scratchy voice said.

"I want you to put me in someone's head."