"And they send another woman. This'll be fun." Loki announced as Temperance walked down the metal catwalk toward the giant containment area he was being held in. She took a minute to observe the holding device, fascinated, before she responded.

"Big words coming from a man in a tupperware container." She retorted. A look of surprise and a bit of confusion flashed across his face for a moment, and it occurred to Temperance that he might not know what Tupperware is. Probably for the better, since insults weren't a great way to start any conversation in which she wanted something.

"And let me guess. I'm to believe that you aren't a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and that you're just some sweet, innocent woman they pulled off the street to have a heart-to-heart with me." He continued, the smug look back on his face as he took in her wardrobe - sandals, skinny jeans and a burgundy t-shirt that was just a little bit too large for her frame.

"I suppose it doesn't really matter what you believe about me." she said with a half shrug,

shoving her hands into her back pockets. "Is Loki your preferred name?"

"'Your Grace' would be more accurate." He shot back, clearly not feeling very

compliant.

"Alright, Your Grace." Temperance said simply, climbing up to sit on the tall swivel-chair that sat next to the console on her left. "You can call me Temperance. Now, I know that you know why I'm here. And I know that you don't want to tell me what I need to know. But let's start with what you do want to tell me."

Loki turned from her, pacing toward the back of his cell, clearly thinking but also trying to throw her off balance with his silence.

"Okay, that's fine, because I have a lot of questions about where you come from. That's not what they sent me in here for, but I figure, while I have your attention..." She asked. Loki stopped pacing. "So you come from...Asgard?"

"They could've at least sent me someone who's done their homework." He retorted.

"How does one get to Asgard? How did you get to earth?"

"I fell." He told her in a clipped tone.

"Hm. Like Lucifer." She pondered aloud.

"Who's Lucifer?" He asked, his curiosity clearly getting the better of him.

"Oh, he's...no one." She cut herself off. "Fell from what?"

"The bifrost." He said simply. He wasn't giving her anything helpful at this point, but at least he was complying.

"Oh. Because it says in your file that you stepped through some kind of portal. Using the tesseract?" She questioned, as if she was trying to jog his memory about what really happened. "Is that something all Asgardians can do?"

Loki snorted derisively, "No."

Temperance nodded thoughtfully. "Then how did you do it?"

"Just special, I guess." He said. Temperance couldn't help but note that the smile he wore now was practically wolfish - predatory. He was trying to intimidate her. His eyes narrowed as he sized her up.

"I'll bet." She replied, carefully locking up her uncertainty so that he couldn't see it. "You want to know what I think?"

He didn't respond, still sizing her up as if he was trying to place her.

"I think I'm speaking to middle management. You work for somebody." She told him firmly, crossing her legs and folding her hands on her knee. His face fell in surprise just the tiniest bit before he masked it. But she saw it. The slip gave her enough confidence to take a more direct approach.

"Tell me who it is." She commanded him, trying to appear much more authoritative than she actually was. She had expected Loki to laugh at the demand and dismiss her outright, but his eyes narrowed even further. They weren't angry, though- they were supremely interested.

"What are you trying to do?" He asked quietly and carefully, his voice betraying the cogs that were clearly spinning in his brain. It was almost as if he was sensing something about her that couldn't be seen or heard and it was unnerving. Temperance decided that it was a trick to throw her off balance.

"Who do you work for?" She asked again calmly. He smirked, exhaling through his nose.

"I don't think your little trick works on me. Temperance, was it?"

"I wouldn't call this a trick. I don't know how I could be any more direct." Temperance

replied, crossing her arms. The conversation was getting away from her, and she hated that he could clearly sense her confusion.

"I told you where I come from. It's only fair that you return the favor." Loki changed the topic. What was he playing at?

"New York." She replied simply. "I work for Tony Stark."

"Ah, in Stark tower." He said with a sarcastic wistfulness. "You must fancy yourself very special."

Temperance actively worked at not letting her eyebrows cinch together. He didn't know what Tupperware was but he knew about Stark Tower?

"Nope, just an assistant." She replied with an easy shrug.

"They sent Tony Stark's assistant to interrogate me." He said with a note of derision. "Now why would they do that?"

He asked the question as if he already knew the answer. Maybe he could enlighten her, because she still had no idea how she ended up in this position.

"Guess they're just desperate." She answered. The last detail he'd let slip had come out when he felt in control - when he was the one leading the conversation.

"While I'm sure they are, I don't think that's the reason." He replied smoothly, stepping closer to the glass. His gaze was boring into her and she resisted the urge to break eye contact. "I know what you are, Temperance."

His voice had a slight hiss to it as he uttered that last statement and the hair on the back of Temperance's neck stood up. She wondered what he was physically capable of - what had necessitated locking him in this giant box? Surely he could kill her without effort. And with no hesitation. She remembered Tony's words about walking away if she felt uncomfortable, but pushed them aside. If she dipped out of the conversation now, they'd lose all the ground they'd made, if any. No, this was a matter of pride now. Because, Temperance thought, Tony was right. I can crack him.

"And I know what you are." She replied, leaning forward and wedging her hands under her thighs like she was chatting with a friend.

"You don't even know the half of it." He assured her.

"You're right, the details are a little fuzzy. I don't know what you're capable of, but clearly a pair of handcuffs wasn't going to cover it." She continued, once again eyeing the holding cell.

"True as that is, this wasn't built for me."

"Oh?" Temperance asked. "They're keeping me in the dark about...pretty much everything." She then admitted. Loki smirked.

"Clearly. There are monsters on this ship that you should fear much more than me."

This time, Temperance did allow her eyebrows to furrow. She reached up and touched the ear piece Romanov had given her.

"Did you catch that?" She asked Natasha.

"Yep. Nice work, Ward." She replied, sounding like she was in a hurry. "We need eyes on Banner! Who's with Banner?" Temperance then heard her call out to someone. She turned her attention back to Loki, who was attempting to cover the surprise on his face.

"It's been a pleasure." She told him in closing, hopping up from the chair, though her voice lacked the usual enthusiasm that phrase called for. She turned and began down the catwalk.

"You'll never reach your full potential here." He called out to her as she walked away. She stopped and turned back to him with an incredulous look.

"You're right, because I don't even work here." She called flippantly. The next thing she knew, she was pitching sideways into the railing of the catwalk. Her head collided with one of the bars, but she managed to hold tight to the railing as the entire helicarrier quaked and shuddered. It sounded like there had been an explosion. Temperance allowed herself to sink down to the floor. Her vision was blurry and the floor under her seemed to be swaying back and forth, though she couldn't tell if it was because of her disorientation or if the helicarrier was still actually rocking.

"Temp, are you alright?" She heard. She looked up at Loki, still encased in his glass chamber, her eyes narrowed in confusion as she tried to make out what he was saying. His lips weren't moving…

Her senses cleared up after a moment and she realized it wasn't Loki speaking, but Tony speaking through her ear piece, panicked.

"Temperance, where are you?"

"I'm okay." She murmured, using the railing as a support as she slowly pulled herself to her feet. She felt nauseous - she hoped it was just air sickness from the sudden movement and not a concussion. "I'm still on the interrogation deck."

"Is Loki still contained?" He asked, out of breath.

"Yes." She replied quietly, staring at Loki like he was a wild animal ready to pounce.

"Don't move. I'm coming to get you." He instructed. Temperance stood there, her body tense and her head pounding. She stood as tall as she could, not wanting to give Loki the benefit of seeing her panic.

"If you let me go now, I'll spare you." He told her, his voice taunting.

"I wouldn't get ahead of myself if I were you. You're still not in any position to be bargaining." She retorted, her tone more confident than she felt.

Goosebumps erupted all over Temperance's body when she heard the echoing of a roar coming from the bowels of the ship. Loki's wolfish grin came back. Banner had gone green.

"Won't be long now." He continued. "Not too late to take me up on that offer."

The ship shuddered again, and then suddenly became much quieter. The screens on the console went black and Temperance's heart painfully skipped a beat as she waited to see if his containment cell would open up. It remained locked and she breathed a sigh of relief. Loki's smile widened.

"Temp, we have an engine out - I have to go fix it before this thing falls out of the sky. Loki has operatives on board, and they're coming for him. Get out of there."

Temperance didn't need to be told twice. Without another word or backward glance to the prisoner Loki, she turned and rushed out of the room. She had no idea which way she should be running, until she spotted men with guns and decided the answer was the other direction.

She sprinted through the hallways and around corners, trying to find her way to the hangar. She'd been amazed when they'd brought her in on a helicopter while the helicarrier was already in flight - all the hallways looked alike and she was having trouble tracing her steps back to the hangar, especially since she'd been led to two or three separate places since then. She figured that the hangar was the best bet for getting out alive if things continued to go south.

As she turned another corner, she almost ran head first into a few S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives who immediately pointed their guns at her in response. She threw her hands up, backing up a couple of steps "I'm a civilian," she announced quickly. The three operatives lowered their weapons and she exhaled heavily, bringing her hands down. "Which way to the hangar?" She asked.

"Back this way," The operative in front quickly told her, gesturing over his shoulder behind him. "You'll hang a left and then a right. After that, just follow the signs."

Temperance opened her mouth to thank him, but instead screamed when a thunk sounded, and the man fell to the ground with an arrow protruding from his back. Down the hall, a man with a bow and arrow stood, flanked by a number of others with guns risen and pointed in her direction. Gunfire erupted, and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives began to return fire in an attempt to hold ground. Temperance ran back in the direction she came. She would need to find another way to the hangar.

She turned down another hallway and attempted to navigate in the general direction the operative had given her. Before long, she began to see signs that directed her toward the hangar and could have cried in relief as she followed them.

When she entered the hangar, the racket made her want to leave just as quickly as she'd arrived - yelling, the clanging of metal, and...roaring? The hair on the back of her neck stood up, but she forced herself forward. Still better off to be near the aircrafts, right? She wasn't so sure, but she didn't have any better plans. The other option would be to try and find Tony, but he was likely at the center of this conflict, and he had a metal suit to keep him safe and in the sky. She would need to procure her own metal salvation. She quickly but quietly made her way past various devices and storage containers, headed toward the aircrafts at the end of the giant room. She picked up the pace and gave up on hiding to run right down the center of the hangar as she heard the roars increase in volume. The terrible, visceral sound of ripping metal met her ears and she knew that she was now sharing a space with the Hulk.

"Shit, shit, shit," she murmured as she ran toward the helicopter that had brought her aboard. She wrenched the door open and pulled herself up into the pilot's seat. Her chest heaved, but she didn't have time to catch her breath. "Any chance that you're voice activated?" She asked the control panel in front of her. Nothing. Damn Tony for spoiling her with his technology. Another roar tore through the room and she looked up through the windshield to see Hulk standing opposite her, a few hundred meters away. She began to push anything and everything on the panel, willing the vehicle to start. When the engine did roar to life, she barked out a triumphant laugh.

Her smile fell when she heard the telltale thumps of the Hulk approaching. He was fast. She began to play with the joystick, glancing nervously through the windshield at the approaching green mass. She'd just felt the helicopter's rails leave the floor when Hulk reached out and grabbed them, swinging the aircraft around in a wide circle. She screamed and grabbed onto the handle near her head. Thankfully, she'd at least had the presence of mind to buckle in. He released the helicopter while it was still in full swing, sending it soaring across the room and into a wall. Temperance's body jolted at the impact and she felt the metal close in around her as the aircraft crumpled. She groaned as she tried to shift in her seat. The helicopter had landed on its side and she had smacked her head on the console hard enough that it took a minute for the cabin to stop spinning around her. When her vision finally settled, she reached up and began pulling at the door handle. When it didn't budge, she pulled herself up and threw her shoulder against it. It was no use. The thing was so crumpled and damaged, she'd probably have to be cut out of it. She shifted her legs and curled her toes, trying to gauge the extent of her injuries. Aside from a blossoming headache (or a concussion, more likely), she seemed to be okay.

She flinched and threw her arms over her head as the sound of tearing metal returned - this time, it was her helicopter being ripped open. When she wasn't immediately pulverized, she peeked through the crook of her elbow to see that the door had been ripped completely off, but not by Hulk.

"Your hand, Milady."

The man speaking, though not Hulk, was rather large. He had long blonde hair and a cape and armor that told her he probably wasn't from earth. She remembered him from the images she'd been looking at on the projection screens in Tony's apartment, so she allowed him to pry her from the wreckage.

"Thank you." She groaned, placing a hand to the back of her aching neck.

"You're most welcome. I'm Thor Odinson of Asgard." He introduced himself jovially. Temperance nodded absent-mindedly as she watched the Hulk approach them.

"You got any ideas about him, Thor Odinson?" She asked. His face lit up with a confident smile.

"Don't need ideas when I have this." He replied, holding up a large metal hammer. Before Temperance could question it, he stepped away and spun the hammer, using the momentum to propel himself forward, toward the Hulk.

"Okay, seems like he's got everything in hand." Temperance murmured to herself, climbing down from the helicopter wreckage. She glanced around, unsure where to go now. She obviously wasn't going to get out of here on any aircraft with the Hulk around.

Thor and Hulk continued to tussle, throwing each other around. Temperance cringed as she watched, just waiting for one to bust a hole in the hull and send them all falling out of the sky. When she was satisfied that Hulk was fully distracted by his new foe, she began to make her way back toward the exit of the hangar, keeping out of the open as much as possible. The helicarrier lurched and Temperance slammed into a storage crate as the floor slanted and then righted itself again. The disturbance must've also thrown off Thor, who had been grabbed by Hulk and thrown down the long runway of the hangar. The impact was hard enough that he lay groaning on the floor. Hulk charged toward him.

Temperance's stomach dropped as she glanced between Thor (who'd landed just a few meters away from her) and Hulk, who was still approaching. Thor had pulled her from the helicopter and kept Hulk from charging her. She couldn't just leave him there. She emerged from her hiding place and skidded to her knees next to the man.

"Thor," she called, "Come on, you've got to get up." He was conscious, but his expression was dazed.

"Damn it," she murmured, climbing back to her feet. Hulk had been leisurely making his way over to finish the man off, but now that he saw his lost target returned again, he grew angrier and began to run. Temperance stepped around behind Thor's head and hooked her hands under his arms, beginning to drag him. He was heavy, but not nearly as heavy as she anticipated for such a strong man. Thor seemed to jolt back to reality for a moment when she managed to drag him, staring up at her in confusion and surprise. Temperance promptly dropped him back to the floor when she realized they weren't going to make it out of Hulk's reach - there was nowhere to pull him. As Hulk reached them at a fast gallop, Temperance instinctively stepped over Thor to shield him. She tried to brace herself for the impact and take it head-on, but at the last moment, she threw her arms over her head and crouched.

"Stop!" She screamed at the height of her anticipation, the same way a person yells 'no' at the crest of a roller coaster hill, despite knowing that it won't change the outcome. The thumping stopped abruptly, followed by a sliding noise, and Temperance winced even harder. When the impact never came, she slowly peeked through the crook of her arms to see Hulk towering over her.