For a while, Loki says nothing. His eyes shift back and forth between me and the gun. Then he laughs. He laughs with a gun in his face. Idiot.

"I must say," he begins. "I'm surprised that I'm surprised. I was truthfully not expecting you to be driven mad."

I glare at him. "I'm not crazy. I just know what needs to be done." I throw in the line that just might save my neck after the deed is done. "For the good of SHIELD." I look into the security camera and shatter it with a bullet. There, that part covered.

I repoint the gun at my original target. "So, let me tell you how this is going to work. Basically, I'm going to list my reasons for killing you so I can see the regret in your eyes before the light dims. After I finish with that, I will blow your brains out."

Loki smirks. "I see."

I shrug. "That's in mild terms. It is dirty work, but somebody's got to do it. Please restrain yourself to little or no interruption." I'm surprised at how ruthless I'm acting. I don't even care, but a part of me cares that I don't care.

"Alright, so, point number one: my family needs me desperately, and you couldn't find the mercy to release me from a stupid debt. Think about it, Loki. What would you do if it was your mother who needed your help."

He glowers at me, but I can almost feel the guilt emanating off of him. I apparently hit close to home. Good.

"Reason two: you hurt my friend. Nobody hurts my friends. You drove Natasha Romanoff to weakness. Anyone capable of doing that should be eliminated. The person who hurts my friends gets hurt."

Loki rolls his eyes. "So, you saw that, did you?"

I scowl. "You better believe I saw it.

"Reason three. Note: this is my last point so brace yourself for excruciating pain. Reason three: You are a monster. You have no good in you whatsoever. People like you don't belong anywhere. So, in getting rid of you, I pay a service to the entire universe."

Loki trembles with pure rage. I've seen him angry before, but this is different. "How dare you! I have only ever lived up to everyone's expectations of me!"

His hands begin to turn a ghastly shade of blue, and his eyes redden. I stare in horror as he continues.

"I have only ever been cheated and lied to! You- You only know comfort! You think yourself above me. Why? Is it because someone cares about you somewhere in a lonely world? You lie to yourself. You are every bit equal to me. We both crave the same thing: a little welcome in the world, a little less suffering. We are guided by our fear and chase power because of it."

The blueness creeps up his neck a spreads itself across his face.

"We will both break our vows. We will both kill to ensure our own success. If everything I have said makes me a monster, it makes you one, too!"

I pull the gun back in shock, but I remember myself and stick it out again. "I'm not- I'm not a monster. I'm human in every sense of the word. I'm- I'm good."

He stares at me with desperation. "Have you not felt it? Is there not even now fear of yourself tugging at your mind, in your soul?"

There's a buzz in my ear and I feel so dizzy. I can't think. "No, I'm not scared! I just want to go home. This is- this is fine. I'm not afraid!"

"You're fighting it, Abby. It's no use. I know. I've been where you are."

Hot tears roll down my face. I'm shaking, and it's not due to the sudden transformation of Loki. Fear of myself. Scared of the one person I can't escape. I'm not a monster. I don't want to be.

I look at the weapon in my hand. Just pull the trigger. That's all I have to do, and I'm free. Just pull the trigger.

The gun is too heavy and it burns my hand. I can't stand it. I let it fall to the ground.

I look up at Loki who stares at his own blue hands in disgust. "There now, Abby," he mutters. "It seems we have seen each other for who we truly are."

A searing pain surges through my head. I cry out from the sheer pain of it and sink to my knees. I knot my fingers in my hair and scream. I can feel everything. The lies, the hurt, the rejection, the betrayal all crawl inside my mind like parasites and rip it to shreds.

My back begins to sting as though there are open wounds crossed over it. My wrists and ankles feel like they've been rubbed raw and my limbs ache. Invisible insects crawl up and down my arms and legs and inside the wounds on my back, biting and stinging. I swat at them to no avail. I feel acid drip down my face. It burns mercilessly into my skin. I can feel blood dripping down my chin from my mouth. There is no way I can move without bringing on another wave of excruciating pain.

The only sound I'm aware of is Loki shouting at the air. "Leave her alone! You don't have to hurt her!"

"What is happening to me?" I cry.

Loki looks at me with a look I have never before seen on his face: empathy. "It will pass," he says. "I swear to you it will pass."

Images flash before my mind. Every emotion and pain that I'm experiencing has been felt before. So much agony has composed Loki's life, and, for some reason, I'm being made to feel it.

Everything ends just as abruptly as it started. I curl into fetal position, breathing heavily and crying. After everything, there was no blood. Nothing I felt was real. It's as if the torture was never there. I am scarred, nonetheless.

I hear Loki walk over to me, and I remember that it was his memories I was going through. He crouches down and says softly, "You need to stand."

He offers me his hand, which I take, and he pulls me to my feet.

I stare at an undetermined spot on the ground. There are a million thoughts running through my head and no thoughts. I feel as though I can't function.

Loki picks up my gun and puts it in my hands. "Get out," he demands. "Now." He walks back into the cell.

I should obey him. If I stay for much longer, I'll be caught. However, I need confirmation of my suspicions. "Loki," I begin. "What I was… what I felt was… torture. I couldn't feel anything except pain and hurt."

He doesn't say anything.

I continue. "Was—was that your life? Your mind?"

Loki hesitates. "Yes," he finally says. "It was small portion of it. I'm sorry you had to live it."

A small portion… What other torment could he have possibly survived through?

I walk out the door. The agent I knocked out is starting to wake up. I sprint away as fast as I can. I return the gun to the cabinet.

For over three weeks, I've been insane. Loki's right. I've become a monster.

My sense of humanity has been thrown out the window. I've broken promises. I've lied. I've tried to kill.

It's time I remembered who I was, who I can be again. I can be good.

I'm still a prisoner, and I don't think that that will ever change. But, hey, others have had it worse than me. Namely Loki… And Jared.

Oh, mercy. Jared. What did he die for? I'm no better than his murderers.

I walk into the control room where alarms are blaring. I forgot. What I did was more or less illegal.

I backtrack to my room and lock myself in.

Mercy, my plan was stupid. I'm still going to have to try to pull it off, but it has got to be the most idiotic plan I've come up with.

It's not long before someone pounds on my door. I open the door to see Nick Fury and an entourage of guards. Every one of them has a hostile look on their faces.

"Director," I greet.

"Brandon," he replies. "There has recently been a break-in to the cell where Loki is currently being held. Would you happen to know anything about it?"

I raise my eyebrows in an attempt to appear surprised. "No, but kudos to them."

Fury glares at me. I would know that look on anyone. I'm his top suspect. Shocking.

"Ma'am, we're going to take you into custody for questioning."

It appears I'm going to have to tell a few more lies.