"Well look who it is," Tony said, walking over to Thor and shaking his hand. "Point Break. I'm glad to see you, but you've come at a bad time."

"Is there someplace where we can talk in private?" Thor asked. "We have important matters to discuss."

Tony opened his mouth to reply, but Bruce overrode him. "I think the jet counts as 'somewhere private', don't you think, Mr. Stark?"

Tony had no choice but to nod his head and lead the god inside his aircraft. Once everyone had been seated, Thor set Mjolnir down and looked at them all.

"Loki has been exiled to Earth."

The Avengers glanced at each other. It took them some time to recover, and when they did, Steve spoke first.

"What do you mean? Wasn't he supposed to be judged for what he did while he was here?"

Thor nodded. "The All-Father has stripped Loki of his godly powers, as well as his speech. The Thread of Silence prevents him from speaking."

"Well hell," Tony said, as the realization hit him full force. "I think I know where he is."

"Jamie." Natasha turned her head to look at Tony. "The man she's traveling with is Loki."

"So that explains why The Other is attacking her," Clint added. "He's not after her, but Loki."

"Told you," Steve said smugly. Tony threw him a dirty look.

"How long has it been since Loki was exiled here?" Tony asked, frowning slightly.

"A few hours, your time."

"Then it fits. Jamie called me this morning, saying that some mute bum fell on top of her. I should have seen it coming," Tony muttered. "We need to find her, now. Jarvis, any satellite feeds from the highway? They say she's in a bright red Prius."

"No red Priuses are showing up on the feeds, Sir," Jarvis replied.

"Even a cat can find a moving red dot, Jarvis," Tony said testily. He hated how close he was losing his temper; normally he kept his cool. But the knowledge that his sister was traveling with the green horned God of Mischief and was being chased by a freaking interdimensional being that commanded the Chitauri army was really testing his limits.

"Relax. We'll find her," Bruce assured him.

Tony nodded briefly and looked at Thor. "So now that Loki's here, how's he going to get back?"

"Self-sacrifice." Thor crossed his arms. "Loki must prove himself worthy of being an Asgardian."

"Quite tough to do, considering he's a Frost Giant," Tony quipped, ignoring Thor's darkening expression. "Listen, Point Break, I'm all for your brother, arch-enemy – or whoever you consider him to be – learning his lesson. I personally think he needs a few knocks to the side of the head. But don't include my sister, okay? Leave her out of this."

"I fear it is too late for that," Thor answered. "The Other is not one who cares whether a person is an innocent bystander or not. As long as she is with Loki, he will find her equally guilty."

"So you're saying that Loki's going to get Jamie killed." Tony paused, and then nodded. "I see. Well, we don't have any choice, do we? We've got to find her before he does. Jarvis? Any updates?"

"I believe she may have switched cars," Jarvis said. "I've accessed all feeds coming from the highway, and no red Priuses."

"Why does she have to be so damn smart?" Tony muttered darkly.


Asgard

"He never should have left," Sif said, staring into the crackling fire. "How many times must Thor watch out for his brother?"

Volstagg sank his teeth into a juicy boar leg and chewed it, while Fandral joined Sif on the couch. "Thor is merely concerned with Loki's welfare. You have to remember, they grew up as brothers. No matter how much Loki says he despises Thor, there will always be a brotherly bond between them."

Sig gritted her teeth. In her eyes, Loki's actions were unforgivable, and she had fully agreed with the All-Father's decision to send Loki to Midgard. It may have been under the pretense of exiling the Frost Giant, but Sif knew – and she believed the Asgardians to share her line of thinking – that Loki had made no friends in the realm.

Without his powers, Loki was vulnerable. And Sif didn't plan on wasting any tears on him.

"He is beyond redemption," Sif insisted after some time.

"No one is beyond redemption," Hogun said softly. "We may not agree with Loki's actions, but we have to remember we fought with him. We bled with him. If there is any one of us who deserves a second chance, it is him."

Sif frowned. "Well I hope for his sake that he uses his second chance wisely. He may not even have a third one."

"Knowing Thor, he would forgive Loki a thousand times more if it meant having his brother back," Volstagg called, his mouth full of boar meat.

"That is what I am afraid of," Sif admitted. "We should ask Heimdall how Thor is doing."

Volstagg waved his hand, as if saying that he didn't plan on moving until he finished his meal. So Sif, Fandral, and Hogun left the room and walked to the Bifrost Bridge. Several Asgardians were helping rebuild it, and Heimdall was standing close to the edge, his all-seeing eye sweeping through the various realms.

"Thor has made contact with the Midgardians," Heimdall said as the three approached. "That is why you have come, is it not?"

"Yes. And Loki?"

Heimdall paused. "He still lives. But if The Other has his way, Loki will suffer the consequences of his failure in Midgard."

"The Other?" Fandral frowned.

"The one who controls the Chitauri army," Heimdall replied.

"Thor was right to warn the Midgardians." Hogun glanced at Sif, who was looking tense.

Heimdall fell silent, apparently keen on staying out of the conversation. Finally Sif and the two warriors returned to the palace, while Heimdall maintained his watch on the realms. However, his gaze kept returning to Midgard, where he knew that the two princes of Asgard were.

Although Heimdall did his best to remain neutral in all matters of the Nine Realms, he could not help but feel a slight chill come over him as he watched the events unfold.