Skaldi woke, her head throbbing in pain. "Where am I?" She groaned. "Oh, my head." She braced herself against the wall. Her whole body ached, and she couldn't remember what happened last night, if it even was the next morning. She closed her eyes. The others, they are going to be so mad at her for taking the Tessaract- the Tessaract! Her eyes flew open and she scrambled to the floor, searching for it. "Oh hel, oh hel, oh hel." She thought. There! A soft blue glow emanated from the corner. She reached over and pulled it closer. "It's safe. It's safe." she sighed in relief. She started to calm down, and surveyed her surroundings. There was glass encasing her and the Tessaract. Skaldi touched her fingertips to it. When she did, the Tessaract glowed brighter, illuminating the room. She gasped when she saw Sayrah, slumped over in a chair nearby.

"Sayrah?" she whispered. She didn't move. Skaldi pressed her hands against the glass. She could tell her friend was still alive, just barely though.

"Sayrah!" she shrieked. Sayrah's eyes opened, narrowed in fright. She screamed, startling Skaldi. "Sayrah! Sayrah, it's me! Your friend! Skaldi! Remember?"

"I have no friends." Sayrah rasped. "They are all dead. I killed them."

"No you didn't! You only think so because they messed with your mind!"

"They're dead! Their blood is on my hands. They will never be clean." Skaldi smacked her hands against the glass.

"Sayrah listen to me! Please stop saying these things!"

"I killed them. I did. I killed them." Sayrah mumbled over and over, almost as if she were chanting a spell.

"Sayrah! You're sick! Please listen to me!" Skaldi pleaded. "We came to save you! Me and Thor and Fandral and Hogun. Volstagg. Even Loki! Loki came to save you!"

Sayrah's head snapped in her direction. "DON'T SAY THAT NAME!"

"Okay! Okay! I won't!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You're scaring me Sayrah."

"Don't worry. You don't have to listen to me anymore. I can kill you next." Sayrah thrashed in vain against her bonds.

"No!" Skaldi half cried- half screamed hysterically.

"That's enough, you two." Thanos stepped into the room. Skaldi backed away to the farthest edge of the glass prison. Sayrah fell silent, a dead look in her eyes. He addressed Skaldi first.

"It seems as if bringing you here was a good idea after all. The sight of you is shattering her mind more than I ever could imagine! I must thank you for that."

"Stay away! You can't hurt me when I have the Tessaract!"

"Oh, that's not my decision, dear. That's not my decision at all."

"What do you mean?" she asked, but he had already turned away.

"Would you like a demonstration? You see, when I press this button here…." Skaldi flinched as he lowered his hand. "Nervous? Or perhaps you don't want to see your dear friend in pain?"

"Don't hurt her, please."

"Too….Late." he smirked and laid his hand on the button. Sayrah screamed, her face contorted with confusion and pain.

"STOP! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"I am destroying her mind. Making it easier for my lady Death to take her."

"You can't!"

"I can and will." Thanos pressed the button once more.

Sayrah's tortured screams echoed through the room, entwining with Skaldi's horrified sobs and Thanos' mad laughter.


"WAKE UP, THOR YOU IDIOTIC OAF!" Loki shouted. Thor woke with a start.

"Huh? What? Why are you shouting?"

"SKALDI AND THE TESSARACT ARE GONE! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?"

"Um, that's bad right?"

"I don't believe you." Loki spluttered. "OF COURSE IT'S BAD!"

"Calm down, Loki." Fandral placed a hand on his shoulder. "You of all people know that Thor doesn't function well in the morning. I'll get him a pint of mead, and then you can explain everything to him."

"We don't have time to wait for his foolish mind to work! We have to leave immediately! Once again, I was right, and you all were wrong!" he stormed out of the shelter. Fandral shrugged and helped Thor up.

"Look, you have to be in your best state today. I have a feeling that this day will end in battle." He said grimly.

"I think you might be right, my friend." Thor staggered to his feet, shaking the fog of sleep from his head. "We must leave now, I am ready." They hurried out of the cave, grouping with Volstagg, Hogun, and Loki.

"Right, then. We need a plan of attack." Thor announced. "I propose that Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, and I will create a diversion. Loki will sneak into… where ever Thanos is, find the girls and the Tessaract, and get out."

"That is the stupidest plan I ever heard. He will expect it." Loki retorted.

"It's so stupid, it will work."

"Your logic is faulty, and your reasoning is insane."

"Distraction it is!" Volstagg laughed. "Let's go!"