Coulson shifted a cardboard box in his arms. "Where do you want this?" he asked, "This is supposed to be the last of it." The last, and probably the heaviest. It was likely filled with case files. Or maybe Miya had just stuffed a box full of bricks.

Miya stopped unpacking clothes long enough to gesture to a desk shoved against the opposite wall. Coulson hurried over and set the box down, flexing his hands.

If he had to describe the room SHIELD had issued Miya, functional would have been the first word from his mouth. Modern would have been next, with honorable mention going to bland. The large window above the desk lent a false sense of openness and freedom. He was sure that it would take a grenade launcher to get through the glass, and it was completely opaque from the outside. He'd also noted magnetic seals on the door.

Bedroom today, prison tomorrow.

There was another box already sitting on the desk. Coulson reached out and tapped it with a single finger.

"I see you still have this," he said softly. The large box was ragged around the edges, white patches showing through the fake brown leather.

"Still," Miya affirmed, closing a drawer.

"I thought you were going to get rid of it."

"Some things are easier said than done," Miya shrugged. Silence stretched uncomfortably between them.

"Do you want help unpacking?" Coulson offered, hopefully.

"It's okay," Miya said with a lop-sided smile, "I don't really have that much left. You don't have to help me."

"But I want to," he told her, earnestly, "Let me help you, Miya." The woman stiffened at the loaded request.

"Please don't try to talk me out of this again." Her voice was weary and taunt.

"I know you aren't going to change your mind. I understand why you're doing this. I hate it, but I understand. So if you're going through with this, let me help you."

"How?" Miya asked, sharply, "How are you supposed to help me? You're about to fly off into the sunset with your dream team. And even if you were staying, it's not like there's anything you could do. You can't take Loki out of my head, you can't take away the dreams, hell, I doubt I'll even be allowed to discuss anything that happens with you. I don't even know if I'll see you again." Miya paused, sinking onto the bed. Dark circles shadowed her eyes. "I'm sorry, that came out harsher than I meant."

"It's okay," Coulson said, sitting on the bed next to her. "At least promise that you'll call me."

"If they let me."

"Don't worry, I'll see to that. And..,promise that you won't hate me."

Miya looked at him with wide, dark eyes.

"Why would I hate you?" she asked incredulously.

Coulson dropped his gaze. "I brought you into this life. You were young, and impressionable, and all you wanted was –"

"– A family, a purpose, and a chance to change the world," Miya finished for him, "You gave me all of that and more. Look." She walked over to the desk and flipped the lid off the brown box, exposing stacks of colored paper, trinkets, and small wrapped objects. She picked up a small white envelope and handed it to Coulson.

The envelope crackled as he opened it and withdrew its contents. Captain America postured heroically, his figure obscured by red-brown stains. "You kept this?" Coulson said with surprise.

"You died, Coulson," Miya reminded him, "That card was all I had left of you."

He shifted on the bed as he looked down at it. The surface was smooth under his fingertips as he absently touched the picture. "I thought it might have something to do with your father."

"I gave it to you," Miya insisted him, "It doesn't belong to him anymore."

"It's your only link –"

"– to a man I never met. SHIELD gave it to me after you died, and I kept it to remember you. And then when you came back I couldn't throw it away, because if you decided to die again I'd never forgive myself. I would mope around for over year thinking, 'Oh no, my mentor's dead, if only I had something to remember him by'."

"You're never going to forgive me for that, are you?" Coulson commented ruefully.

Miya snorted. "I forgive you for being alive, but next time you don't die, send me a postcard. Doesn't need to say anything, just a random postcard from Tahiti, or where ever else they send you."

"Done," Coulson said, tucking Captain America into the envelope and handing back.

"And don't ever be sorry that you recruited me. Becoming a part of SHIELD was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Coulson raised an eyebrow. "Even now?"

"Well, I guess I wouldn't mind skipping the brain-link with a mad god," she mused, "but if it meant never joining SHIELD, never working with you, then I wouldn't change a thing." She suddenly leaned over and wrapped her arms around him. Coulson swallowed around a suspicious lump in his throat as he returned the embrace. "So don't go blaming yourself for anything; I've got enough to deal with as it is."

"All right," he whispered, "I won't." Another promise he couldn't keep. He shut his eyes and hugged her a little tighter.

"There is one thing you could help me with," Miya said, voice muffled against his chest, "How do you bond with a god?"


Miya looked at Loki from across the stainless steel table. The orange jumpsuit was replaced by a simple black shirt and black pants, standard SHIELD issue by the looks of them. The more important change was the lack of barrier dividing them. She eyed his hands where they rested on the table, the long, thin fingers pale against its surface. The sight of them gave Miya the urge to raise her fingers to the skin of her neck; she could almost feel the pressure of his hands in the bruises.

Instead, Miya slid a manila folder across the table. Loki allowed his eyes to flick downward for a millisecond, raising them back to look at her with a sardonic gaze.

"The papers inside dictate what will be expected of you while you remain on Midgard," Miya began, careful to use the Asgardian term for Earth. Remember your training, Coulson had advised her, but trust your gut. One of the first things she'd been taught was to find common ground, and with Loki she would need to milk every opportunity she could find. "You'll also find your schedule for the foreseeable future. I'll explain everything in depth, but if you have any questions, just let me know, and I'll answer as best I can."

Loki ignored the folder, instead leaning back in his chair, spreading his legs wide. "The little hero, come to save the day once again. What is it about you that makes your commanders so eager to sacrifice your life?" His eyes glinted green.

Miya hid her reaction to the venom dripping from his words. She hadn't expected Loki to make her a friendship bracelet, but she had no reason to expect such open hostility. Especially after she'd been the one to broker the deal to keep him out of Asgard. "Last time I checked," she told him, "delivering paperwork was hardly a life-threatening activity." Unless Fury was involved, of course.

Loki laughed at her words, "Oh, but it is for you. Every moment that passes, every breath you take may as well be lethal. Who knows what it is that will bring about your end?"

"That's the price of being human," Miya said, "No one knows when death will come."

"But it's more than that for you. How long do you think it will take for your sanity to snap? A day, a month, a year? Will it be slow or sudden? Will you end your life locked screaming in a room, or silently by your own hand?" He grinned malevolently, "The possibilities are endless."

Miya felt the blood drain from her face at his words.

He knows.

"Yes, little mortal, I know," he said contemptuously, "You dare to walk the dreams of a god, and you think you will escape unscathed?"

How does he know?

"SHIELD knows what has become of those who have brushed my mind," Loki continued. Images flashed through Miya's mind: poor, broken, raving Dr. Selvig, the haunted look that flitted through Barton's eyes. "How low they must esteem you to have you delve deeper. Do you think they dislike you, or are they simply curious to see what happens?"

"It is my choice to look into your mind," Miya replied, "Mine and mine alone." Hers against a host of objections.

"The more fool you. Either your arrogance is overwhelming, or you are a glutton for punishment."

"I have sworn to protect this world, and I will do so at any cost."

This just made Loki laugh again, long strands of black hair falling across his face. "Not either, then, but both! Do you really think you can save your pathetic world with anything you glimpse in my mind?"

Miya bit her lip. He's right, she thought, what help are dreams? There was nothing in them that had helped them; Loki had told them about Thanos without the dreams to guide them. What she had seen had only served to make Thor angry and force her to vomit and cry hysterically. And in time…

Every night, I fall for eternity. It drove Loki half-mad; how long can I last?

The disks might not work anymore if they broke the link. But maybe they would. And if they didn't, SHIELD would think of some other way to contain Loki.

SHIELD had little to gain from the dreams. She had everything to lose.

Miya looked at the smirking prince lounging in the chair before her. She could be free of him, his soft voice and his hard eyes and his terrible, screaming nights.

Coulson's voice whispered in her mind. Look behind the words. Look for the reason.

Miya mentally kicked herself. Of course. Loki wanted her to sever the connection.

Maybe he thought it would help him escape. Maybe he simply didn't like the invasion of his mind. Maybe there was another reason. But breaking the link – that was what he wanted.

He's manipulating you.

Miya squared back her shoulders. You couldn't take my mind before, she challenged him silently, and you cannot move me now.

"By themselves, the dreams might not save the world. In the end, I don't see the big picture. This may seem small and meaningless, but it takes a thousand small, meaningless things to make up one big, world-saving thing," Miya echoed the words Vahan had given her. It seemed like he had said them in another life, to another person, "You and I will remain linked for as long as your services are required on Earth."

A certain hardness settled over Loki's features. "Well, then, I certainly hope that your cell is more comfortable than mine."

"If your quarters are unsatisfactory, I can see what I can do to make them more pleasant. But unlike you, they're not keeping me in a cell."

"Are you certain? If not, it's merely a matter of time."

Miya pushed away thoughts of magnetic seals and bullet proof glass. "I see now why you're so well liked on Asgard. I bet you get invited to all the parties."

"Would you prefer that I lied, then? I am certain that SHIELD is not worried about your mental state and the potential danger you present. In fact, I find it highly unlikely that the link between our minds poses any threat to your sanity. Thanos has a weakness for small baby animals, and I recommend all of your agents should train diligently in the art of underwater basket weaving."

"It's not going to work, Loki," Miya told him, "I'm not going to sever the connection. Now, let's get back to business," Miya flicked open the folder. "Your time has been divided into several blocks. Most important are the debreifing sessions, where you will be sharing any and all information that may be useful in defeating Thanos. You will also work with SHIELD scientists to help us understand how Asgardian magic and science works. Of course, you have periods set aside for meals, sleep, and other necessities, as well as other assorted tasks SHIELD may have for you..."

As Miya prattled on, she could feel defiance pouring off of Loki. Not today, perhaps, he seemed to say, but tomorrow, or the day after that. I will break you.

She met his gaze firmly. Never.


Author's note:

Loki's getting a taste of his own medicine, and he doesn't like it one bit. It's not quite as fun when it's your mind and memories someone's traipsing through.

Thank you to everyone who has followed/favorited this story, especially sass-mistress-lucifer and Tamuril2 for their lovely reviews. They motivated me so much that I've got most of the next chapter ready to go, and it includes a certain duo whom sass requested in her review. Ask, and ye shall receive. Well, as long as you don't ask for anything stupid.

Have ya'll seen GOTG? I went to the premiere dressed as Gamora, and I'm still finding green paint in the weirdest places. Totally worth it!

As usual, direct any questions/comments/requests to the review button! I do my best to answer as thoroughly and quickly as possible. Classes permitting, I should have the next chapter ready for next week.