This new family, this team, has given Izabella something to fight for. Losing any of them isn't an option, especially not when their lives are in her hands.

It's a responsibility she doesn't want, afraid to mess up.

As she makes her way through Asgard, she calculates her new plan.

Lucy is a distraction. Someone they shouldn't have to be fighting and it's a waste of muscle to have Hulk feuding with her…That's where she decides she will intervene.

They need another god on the field- someone to buffer the onslaught of prisoners when they attack. And for as much as it pains her to say, Loki is the perfect contender.

Izabella dodges when she sees a few guards headed in her direction upon entering the prison.

Judging from the clouds gathering in the sky, Agatha is terrified and Thor is upset…She's reversed things by about an hour tops.

Izabella heads for the prisons, testing a bubble with a quick flick of her hand toward the ten plus guards.

Once it's big enough to fit them all, she quickly warps them elsewhere and warps a set of their keys back into her hand.

Her target is down the hall; cuffed and in a cage.

Izabella doesn't have the time to regret her actions or think them through. From this point on it's only about survival.

She needs to keep the Hulk alive, Brunnhilde from any potential injuries and Thor from being overwhelmed by the attackers.

Making it to Earth in time to aid Riley wouldn't be so bad either.

She is exhausted, both mentally and physically, when she throws a fist onto the glass to wake her victim.

"You're still here!" Loki groans from behind a new cell.

Izabella is standing in front of him with her arms crossed and her feet apart;

"Actually. I am there,' she nods toward the battlefield, 'We are not done."

"Your friend already smashed my skull! Have I not suffered enough humiliation for one day? Let me sleep-."

"I have a preposition."

"Dear gods of Jötunheimr. What for?!"

She drops her hands with a scoff, toying with a set of keys that knock her in the face, "Trust me- ow-! You are the last person I want to help. And your last breakout? That did not end well for you."

"T'was not my finest moment."

"Here is the deal,' she steps purposefully, trying her best to channel Natasha's intimidating 'spy voice', 'Asgard is desperate and I need you to help clean up the mess you made."

Loki scoffs and turns his back to her.

Izabella runs a hand through her hair and keeps herself in front of him no matter how many times she needs to run around the cell;

"We are all in trouble."

He looks over his shoulder in an angry spat, "You wrestled me, if you remember. Not before quivering in the corner upon our introduction like a newborn fawn that has yet to learn how to chew the leaves of Yggdrasil. Now you come to me, pleading, with blood on your cheek and so human. So weak. It is nothing but a waste of power that pours through your veins. A travesty that YOU should be born with such a gift that you do not understand!"

"Are you finished?"

"Why in the name of Frigga would I help you?!"

Izabella tightens her lips together and tugs out the crystal on her necklace, "Because I wield a stone from an hour into the future where Asgard is about to burn to the ground."

Loki finally breaks his stoic expression, taken back.

She sighs, tucking the crystal back under her top, "You like to make deals. I know you want to get out of here. And spending a lifetime making up for your mistakes seems, cruel. I think the other prisoners have done worse than you…somehow. I believe in forgiving and I promise; that if you help Vrach- I mean Hulk. If you help the hulk, Thor, Valkyrie round up all of the stray prisoners to help return Asgard to normal, I…will set you free."

Loki thinks for a moment, a hand finally dropping from his head, "And why should I believe you? You're a child. You strictly adhere to every rule."

"I fought to get here. I stole a stone and set intentions, I used the book-."

"You cast a spell?!"

"I broke rules."

"You must be truly desperate to come crawling to me for assistance in capturing Asgard's 'most wanted'. Just like your mentor. Unless you're playing me as she has, repeatedly. Why would I meddle in your affairs?!"

"Agmundr is in trouble."

Loki looks up as if it's an automatic response. There are no tricks behind his eyes, only concern;

"Do not toy with my emotions in relation to Agmundr, you wicked girl!"

Izabella exhales and tries to remain as calm and as honest as she can be, "All of Asgard is in trouble. I know deep, deep….REALLY DEEP down you care about your nephew and Asgard."

"A bunch of helpless fools-."

"I think,' she cuts him off and shuts her eyes almost painfully, 'Natasha was wrong. And that I was wrong about you. You could have killed me on the cliff earlier but you-."

"That proves nothing!"

"You think you have to prove yourself, that you have some big purpose."

"Glorious purpose," he corrects shamelessly.

"You want to rule so show the people that you can rule, that you are worthy of respect. Asgard, Midgard- it is not yours to just take but maybe you would feel better about yourself if you did something good."

"I feel amazing!"

"Loki!" She snaps in frustration, "Without my help? Without trying to make up for your past? Good luck, EVER, getting out. This could be your only hope."

"You're lying."

"I never break promises, ever! You know I can match your magic. You know I can help you if you just, help me!"

He rotates, standing with one more touch to his forehead, "Where is my nephew-"

Izabella grinds her molars, her jawline firm. She restrains her need to answer his question and suppresses her guilt when she doesn't, "…Do we have a deal or not?"

"Tell me where my nephew is or I will separate your limbs!"

"He is fine!"

"Where, girl!"

"With his mother! Are you going to help me or not!"

"We have an arrangement," he frantically admits.

Izabella moves forward and swiftly unlocks the doors to free him. He stumbles and lifts his tied wrists in her direction;

"Wonderful. Now! Untie me! I fear I cannot assist you if I do not have a full range of motion."

"Net! Ya ne pozvolyu tebe predat' menya-."

"If it's easier for you to communicate in your mother tongue, I speak over three hundred languages…rebenok moy."

"I will free you when I am ready,' she tugs at his wrists, trying to stay firm, 'If you try anything, I will use the stone, and send you into a past eternal loop where you will be smashed into the ground over and over again by the Hulk in Avengers tower. Do I make myself clear?"

"You are already able to set a loop. Fast learner, are we?"

"-I will do it!" She threatens by raising her crystal.

"Yes well,' he holds his smile, ready to charm his way out of the situation, 'We wouldn't want that."

Reaching to mess with her hair she extends a band, trying to be kind.

Loki pulls his head back, "Why are you offering me?"

"A hair tie-."

"Why would I need that?"

"I just thought-."

"Clearly you need a lesson in flipping. Observe," he demonstrates with needless sass, rotating his head backward, smiling proudly.

Izabella waits as she holds a judgemental expression she subconsciously picked up from watching Natasha- or anyone really- interact with Tony Stark.

She huffs and ties her hair back, stepping purposefully forward, "Okay."

Loki follows behind, "Would not the armory be a wise stop?"

"No."

Loki scoffs, a bit terrified, "My daggers at least! Are you stupid? You are small, do you realize you'll be pummeled into the ground within mere minutes by gods!"

"Zakrói rot,' she sighs, 'Use your magic…and I am NOT small…you are just! Tall!"

"Fine! I shall conjure them later."

She looks over her shoulder, "You can, do that? But you don't know where they are…?"

"Ah! She's curious."

"I am not afraid of you, not anymore," Izabella laughs nervously.

"Good. You may yet learn much from me if you can get past this stubbornness."

She wrinkles her nose with an icy stare.

Loki throws his head back, pointing with his chin, "We have guests."

They dodge through the path, pushing through to arrive back onto the field when Izabella finally frees Loki from his bonds in order to fend off their attackers.

They work to symmetrically form their bubbles of magic to fight back and defend.

Loki pants, "That wasn't so bad-."

Izabella reaches to cover his back and warps his next enemy away.

"Now! My daggers?"

"Why are they after you? You freed them."

He points to her crystal, "Oh, they're not after me. Your stone is their desired object. That would be much safer in my hands-."

"No!"

"What will it take for you-."

She stops him in their tracks, "Teach me to clone."

"What?!"

"To clone! That thing you do! What you did with Lucy earlier-."

"I don't understand."

Izabella tightens her lips and lifts her crystal, "This! Teach me how to replicate this so I can make it appear elsewhere!"

"That would take years of dedication, practice-! Are you telling me you learned how to conjure an eternal hell loop before learning any basic magic? Who has been training you? They are quite incompetent."

Izabella huffs with a groan and reaches into the waistband of her leggings and lifts two daggers, "I will give these to you, if you teach me!"

"Where did you get those?"

"The armory. I went before I met you at the prison."

He claps sarcastically, "The pest has sense."

She looks up at the sky, clouds gathering, "Are you going to help me or not…"

Loki groans, "You simply take yourself as you are and push through your soul, outside of the body in a mirror. You know the water in the air?"

"Yeah."

"Mold it. Use it to your advantage. You know how to bend matter, so bend it,' He smirks, 'That's it."

"Loki!" Thor's voice can be heard from a mile away.

The demigod snickers, his head throbbing at the sight of Mjolnir, "Brother!"

Loki looks over his shoulder in search of the suddenly vanished Izabella.

He looks back at Thor, "Surprise."

Loki moves Thor to defend his brother, fighting alongside him.

Thor snaps, "What is this game!"

"I am here to help. And from the looks of it,' he kicks away his next enemy, 'You seem to need me."

Thor twirls his hammer, "It pains me to say that you are not wrong and yet, the question remains: Can you be trusted?"

"My words mean nothing to you, brother. You must decide that for yourself."

Thor stands tall, "If you pull any tricks, I will permit the hulk to pummel you into the ground!"

"No tricks," Loki promises, reaching his hands behind his back to locate a dagger in each.

"Once this is over, you will return to the prison."

Loki thinks he has the advantage, ready to take a stab at his brother only for the dagger to disappear in a green mist, "Come on now! Give it back or you will regret the day of your birth!"

Thor breathes heavily after knocking his most recent enemy, confused over Loki's conversation with himself, "What are you saying and to whom do you whine-."

"-Nothing! No one! Why are you doing that?' Loki demonstrates Thor's twitch, 'the chin gesture…"

Thor leaves a hand on his brother and rotates him around, "What magic has possessed her to attempt such a feat?!"

The two demigods look on, watching Izabella stealthily climbing up her mountain towards the hulks in a pouring rain.

Loki lifts his hands in complete surrender, "You must believe that it is not my magic. She is simply as reckless as the hulk and as foolish as Romanoff."

"Valkyrie shall intervene," Thor keeps a protective eye on Izabella, calling to his warrior for help.

"Brother? If I may,' Loki interrupts weakly, 'I believe we have much larger threats to concern ourselves with, other than the girl and her stone…which is why I'm here-."

"How did you escape?!"

Loki fumbles over his words, "Even I protested the escape! You must believe I would much rather rot in a cell than join in your meaningless fight. But! I am out and now I believe we should focus on our escapees?"

The demigod sighs, begrudgingly following Loki's lead, "I suppose you are right."

Loki heads for his next victim, pleasantly surprised to have the daggers reappear back into his hands.

He mumbles giving Izabella one final glance;

"You clever girl."

Separating Lucy from Bruce is Izabella's first priority to avoid completely setting him savage.

It's an issue that snapping a hair tie, Clint Barton style, won't solve. Lucy won't feel a shoe being thrown at her. She searches, wiggling her fingers and watches her mentor from a distance as he tries to reach Lucy.

Izabella makes her own move and warps Lucy blade from her hands as she holds it inches from Banner's flesh. The Asgardian blade causes Izabella's wrists to flop, barely catching it with both hands when she yells;

"Lucy!"

The way her friend whips her head around is startling. The golden flicker in her stare causes Mikhailov to take a breath.

She lifts her glowing blue crystal with one hand, dropping the knife.

Izabella holds her stance and swallows hard. One wrong move and she knows she'll be squashed by one, if not, both raging figures.

"Do you still want to 'defy gravity'?"

Lucy grits her teeth and eyes to stone in Izabella's crystal, making a charge with her eyes glowing gold.

Izabella hops a few steps backward, ensuring she's parted Lucy far enough from Bruce to protectively teleport her away.

The hulk charges next.

Izabella lifts her hands standing in front of him, channeling her calmest tone despite the circumstances;

"Woah, woah woah! Easy big guy! Easy…"

He freezes, slightly confused and looking elsewhere for something…

Someone.

Izabella takes an inhale, "Black Widow went to Earth, to help Riley."

He huffs. Calm and engaged.

She brushes her nose, "I am sorry, I know you are looking for Natasha. Right now I am trying to help Asgard."

"Small spider."

She assumes he's referencing her.

Izabella quirks her eyes upward. She can't hold back tears, "I need you to help Thor. Okay? And and, Loki is on our side. Now."

He hums, keeping a kind focus on her.

She continues, "Let me handle Lucy. Okay?"

She swallows, his unpredictability only slightly terrifying. It's one thing to see Natasha handle him but another to be standing in front of the green giant without backup.

"Do you, trust me?" She asks softly.

The hulk tilts his head with his eyes never leaving hers.

She swallows and continues, "I think you do."

Izabella instantly cringes, looking away and tucking her chin when he lifts a hand towards her. She holds her breath, only exhaling when she feels a large finger tenderly brush her cheek. It's tender, gentle. She looks back at him and takes his hand with her smaller ones;

"We can do this together, okay?" She laughs a bit with a memory, "I won't warp you away again. You are safe."

He looks up and spots his next target headed in his 'daughter's' direction and leaps over her head to block the incoming attack.

He springs right back into action with a drastic change in persona, refocused on the battle as the hulk takes on a more aggressive role.

Izabella starts to run backward when Lucy charges for her.

"…oh, help," Izabella mutters in a panic. The Russian lifts her crystal, baiting Lucy to follow her, "Is this what you want? A way to reverse time?"

Lucy grits her teeth and snarls toward Izabella, chasing her down.

Mikhailov freezes near the cliff's edge, out of room to keep running and calculates a jump.

She makes eye contact with the yellow eyed figure who ceases her run, choosing to perhaps equally calculate a jump.

Her thoughts fall to Natasha as she swallows hard, trying to calm Lucy in some way that won't trigger her further.

Breathing.

Is she breathing?

"I came back for you," Izabella calls in desperation.

Her voice breaks as she takes another step backwards and Lucy takes her forwards;

"I am not, giving up on you!"

Izabella takes a struggling breath, looking Lucy in her eyes as she takes one more step backward;

"You are not a monster, not to me."

She swallows, struggling to keep her composure when she looks into her friend's eyes;

"You control your own destiny. I trust you! You are kind. And you don't have to try so hard to be good because! Because you already are. You are good, Lucy. Green or not, you are a hero to me."

She glances over her shoulder toward the rocks below, taking a terrified breath.

When Lucy lifts a hand, Izabella loses her footing and trips.

With her heart in her throat, Izabella screams and tumbles backward over the cliffside. Her fingers glitch, unable to start a warp or catch her own fall as her eyes close and her world goes dark.