In the middle of nowhere, only one road going in and out, surrounded by forest and endless trees, was the big square building, hiding behind a massive fence littered with firearms, red lights and cameras.

At the sight of it, Loki's mouth pursed into a smirk. "That's all?" he asked. "Thor, one of these days you need to give me an actual challenge," he commented, amused.

"It might not be that easy," Thor cautioned. "Yes, their technology may be considered low grade in our eyes, but the warriors in there can be something else."

"Midgardians?" Loki asked in a slight snort. "The race whom breaks at a gust of wind?"

Thor had to hold back at that, it would be easy to say… Well, they beat you in a different timeline.

He elected the wiser option though, of not saying that and tried to reason instead.

"Loki, you more than anyone know that strength is not everything," Thor commented. "Midgardians make up for the things they lack, by being creative, smart, cooperative," he listed. "They very well know they can't win any battle with brute strength alone, so they use all other tactics."

"Really?" Loki asked, he actually looked slightly intrigued by that.

"Aye." Thor nodded. "That's their strength, they are all so very different from each other. But by pulling together and working together they can do wonders."

Loki frowned, he didn't look convinced.

"Just… It'll be in our best interest to not be discovered at all until we are gone," Thor stated. "A quick in and out without being seen, that's it."

Loki's eyes were wide as they looked at Thor's face as if he had grown another head.

"What?" Thor blinked.

"It is still…. so weird hearing you talk like that," Loki breathed. "It's honestly bizarre."

"What do you mean?" Thor asked.

"In and out without making a big ruckus?" Loki asked. "Trying to sneak around? Not just, run in swinging the hammer, punch a hole in the wall, grab the Tesseract, yell out in triumph and march out not caring about any arrows fired at you. Mowing down whoever stands in your path."

Thor gaped. "People would get hurt!" he exclaimed, horrified.

"That really didn't stop you before, did it?" Loki asked.

Thor was stunned into silence, his mouth closed. "Did… Did I really act like that?" he asked.

"Erh, yes," Loki replied. "As long as someone is considered an adversary you don't tend to care about property damage or some knocked in skulls. Heck, even if they are friends you don't seem to care much about property damage or a few knocked in skulls."

Thor blushed deeply, it was really embarrassing to hear, worst of all... It was true, he knew it was true. "The Midgardians are not adversaries though," He pointed out.

"They are not Asgardians." Loki shrugged.

"So they are worth less because they are not of Asgard?" Thor asked, shocked.

"Erh." Loki blinked confused. "Yes," he replied, still looking as confused as ever over such a weird question.

Thor closed his eyes, there was so much wrong about this… On so many different levels and for so many different reasons. Then he opened his eyes again, and locked his eyes with Loki.

"Loki… Answer me honestly," Thor asked. "Do you honestly believe that your aesir blood makes you better than other races?" he asked.

"Yes," Loki replied, once again as if it was the most obvious answer known to man. "Thor, we are gods, of course we are better."

"No, Loki, that's where you are wrong," Thor sighed deeply. "That there, is the reason why Odin didn't choose you for the throne."

"Hey, until you suddenly started shifting timelines you believed the same thing." Loki pouted.

"Yes! And when Odin figured that out he stripped me of my powers, banished me to Earth and only allowed me to come back when I had truly learned my lesson! That I am not above the people on this planet nor anyone else! A king is never to be above his people, his people are not to serve him, he is to serve them!" Thor informed firmly.

Loki frowned. "That sounds dreadfully dull, if that's the case. Then what's the point of being king?" he asked.

"Well Loki, you are you. You don't actually need to be king to decide the fate of an entire world." Thor sighed deeply. "Honestly, I don't think you would like being king for very long. It would rob you of the freedom which suits you best."

Loki's head tilted, he seemed puzzled, a bit annoyed. But also slightly curious. At least he was listening, that was a great positive. He wasn't out of reach.

"You said I would be a better king than you, to Odin," Loki contemplated. "Did you actually mean that?" he asked.

"I did," Thor stated. "In the other timeline, you were king, for a sizable amount of time. I don't think your reign was entirely ideal but… there was peace. People were thriving. The second I was made king however, destruction reigned upon all the Asgardians and when they needed me the most I..." he swallowed. "I hid away at the bottom of a whiskey bottle… The truth is, when the Asgardians needed strength the most, I was weak and a terrible king. If you had been there, I don't think it would have been so bad."

"What do you think would have been so different if I were there?" Loki asked.

Thor smiled lightly. "You are so stubborn, you would just refuse to yield." He smiled, amused. "I really think you could have inspired the Asgardians to rise once more, your pride would have been an inspiration to them… I couldn't do that for them. I couldn't be the inspiration they needed. I know that."

Loki glanced down, he looked very thoughtful, Thor could almost hear the humming of his mind working, then Thor turned his head to look at the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. "Well, we should probably get going. Just a quick in and out. Without being seen, preferably."

Loki nodded absentmindedly as he gestured with a hand and suddenly both Loki and Thor were wearing S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms identical to the soldiers walking back and forth. Loki glanced up as he looked at Thor with a critical eye and waved his hand again, casting a glamor so that suddenly Thor's long hair looked short while Loki's already short hair was re-arranged in a hair style which looked very similar to what the Midgardians would have, not slicked back but more loose. Amused, Thor noted that Loki had made sure that no curls were visible.

That was one thing Thor had always found funny, Loki had the most adorable natural curls and he hated it with a passion.

As children Thor had pointed out how cute they looked and that Loki would make such a cute girl with those curls, Loki had gotten pissed, it had nearly ended with a stabbing and from that day forward Loki had always been flattening his hair.

Shame really, they were nice curls. Many girls and women would indeed kill for hair like that.

The next moment Loki grabbed Thor's arm and in a blink they were out of the forest and on the other side of the fence inside the facility where Loki let go and stepped back. "Well, lead the way, Thor," he invited.

Oh boy, Thor sucked in a deep breath. He had tried his best to memorize this! Don't fail me now, brain!

Loki has always thought you were a big, dumb oaf! Now was the time to prove him wrong! And Thor turned forward then halted… Okay. Where's west?