Loki was alive.

It was Queen Frigga who had been able to reach him first, but he had refused to speak with her. Then Sigyn had tried, but to no avail. And to be honest, what she had seen had scared Sigyn. He hadn't said much, but she had never seen her husband so dark, so vengeful before. "I will have your precious mortals," he had said, and then hidden himself from her. Sigyn wanted to believe this was just an idle threat, but she decided not to leave Peggy out of her sight, just in case. Sharon could handle herself, Tony had his Iron Man suits, and was known to be extremely protective of his daughter. That left Peggy's children, but Fury promised to send agents to keep an eye on them. Fury might be ruthless at times, but he wasn't too bad.

"I know," Peggy agreed when Sigyn told her this. "I'm glad Nick is the Director of SHIELD now."

Sigyn sighed. "I just wish he understood the forces he meddled with."

"Sigyn, look…" Peggy was pointing at something behind her. When she turned around to look, Sigyn saw that it was Odin's astral form. He seemed deeply troubled. And if he had decided to visit Sigyn himself, this must be very important.

"Allfather? Is everything alright?"

"Loki has stolen the Tesseract."

"What?"

"He managed to open a portal from the other side, and came to Midgard. He is planning to start a war, Sigyn. You must stop him and take the Tesseract back."

"A war? Against whom?"

"Against mortals."

"Well, I remember how he threatened me. But this doesn't make any sense. He cannot wage a war by himself, even with the Tesseract…"

"He has an army. The Chitauri, they are called. He needs the Tesseract to be able to unleash them upon mortals."

Damn, she thought. "Has he lost his mind?"

"Perhaps. But you've taken an oath, Sigyn. You're the guardian of the Tesseract. That oath surpasses any other. I was able to send Thor to Midgard with dark energy. Find him, and together you can put an end to this."

"Allfather, Loki is my husband. I cannot fight him."

"What do you wish to do, then?"

She thought for a moment, then said, "As his wife, I'm supposed to fight Loki's war. But as the guardian of the Tesseract, I'm supposed to stop anyone who wants to use it to wreak havoc across the realm. I cannot fulfill one oath without breaking the other, so I'd like to stay out of this conflict completely."

"I understand your confusion, Sigyn. I really do. But know this: If you do not fight by Thor's side today, you will be banished from Asgard forever."

"So be it." She wasn't looking forward to going back to Asgard anyway.

Their conversation was interrupted when Peggy started coughing uncontrollably. Sigyn went to help her sit up in the bed, and drink some water. When she looked at where Odin's projection had been, he was gone.

"Sigyn, what have you done?" Peggy scolded her once she was able to speak again.

She shrugged. "I guess this is where my duty ends, and my exile begins."

"Oh, dear, don't be so dramatic. You Asgardians take these 'oaths' too seriously. By stopping him, you wouldn't be betraying your husband. Sometimes, people need to be saved from themselves. Do you remember how Michael saved me?"

"Of course I do. He was the one who recommended you to be a field agent."

"I was so angry with him at first, but now not a day goes by I don't thank him for reminding me who I really was."

"But this is different, Peggy. If Loki refuses to surrender peacefully, I might have to…"

Her phone started to ring. It was Fury.

"Loki has stolen the cube, I know," she said the moment she answered the call.

"Good. Then you know why I need all hands on deck for this one."

"All hands on deck? Please tell me you didn't do it…"

"Do what?"

"Reactivate the Avengers Initiative?"

"Why? You got better ideas?"

"At least don't bring Tony into this…"

"Like I said, I need all hands on deck."

"Fury, Loki is going to go specifically after him just to spite me!"

"Stark is more than capable of protecting himself."

"What about Sharon?"

"Well, I don't need Captain America to see his future neighbor walking around in a SHIELD uniform, so…"

"Good," she said, glad that she hadn't put the call on speaker.

Peggy didn't know Steve Rogers had been found in ice yet. She didn't know Fury had also promised Sigyn that he would assign Sharon to monitor him undercover once he was ready to go back to civilization, for this was the safest long-term mission he could think of for someone with Sharon's qualifications. Sigyn was pleased, but had decided that it was something Peggy needed to hear from Sharon herself. If Sharon chose to share it with her, of course.

"What about you?" Fury asked.

"I'm going to sit this one out."

"Really, Sigyn? You're the guardian of the Tesseract, your husband takes it and threatens our world with war, and you're just going to sit this one out?"

"I'm no longer the guardian of the Tesseract. Odin has just relieved me from that duty."

"Well, I haven't. I'll send you a debriefing file in a minute. Perhaps that will change your mind." He hung up.

Indeed, a few minutes later, Sigyn received the file. She was right to be afraid. Loki had already brainwashed one of Thor's mortal friends, Dr. Erik Selvig with a scepter. He must have chosen that poor man specifically to spite Thor. Sigyn couldn't even fathom what he had in mind for the Starks and the Carters.

Or, if he was truly beyond hope, he could just reveal the truth about HYDRA and cause a global turmoil.

…

Sigyn and Peggy watched the Chitauri army attack New York on TV with sheer terror. The portal had been opened just above the new Stark Tower; no doubt this wasn't a coincidence. Sigyn wondered if the whole thing was her fault. Thankfully, Fury's plan worked, and the Avengers defeated the Chitauri. Thor took Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard.

Ten minutes after the battle, Peggy had already forgotten that an alien army had invaded New York, or even Steve Rogers was one of those who had fought against them. When her family had put Peggy in this place, Sigyn had assumed that it was because they were too busy with their own lives, but now she could see that it wasn't the only reason. It was just too painful to be around her. Sigyn had tried healing her mind, but unlike her mother's and Mr. Jarvis', Peggy's mind was feeble, shattered, and chaotic. It was something beyond Sigyn's healing abilities. She decided that she couldn't bear to see her friend like this anymore, and returned to Tonsberg. Besides, she was expecting Fury to pay her a visit after what had happened. She didn't want a bunch of men in dark suits storm into the nursing home and disturb the other people who lived there.

She didn't contact anyone from Asgard. She didn't ask for forgiveness, or even asked about the punishment that awaited Loki. She had made a choice, and now she was going to live with its consequences. She whiled away the days thinking about what exactly had happened to them and who was to blame for it, trying to find comfort in her mother's music. When she had first came here, those Pagan songs were on vinyl discs, then on cassettes and CDs. Now, they were easily accessible on the Internet. Midgard changed fast, unlike the other realms, and now that mortals knew they weren't alone in the universe, things would be a lot more complicated. After what Loki had done, SHIELD would no longer be able to keep everything under wraps. Perhaps for the first time in her life, change scared Sigyn, because she wasn't sure if this change was for the better or worse.

She was pondering this unclear future when the doorbell rang one afternoon. She went to open it, assuming it was Fury.

It wasn't Fury.

Despite everything she had done to stay away from the Stark family, that baby she had left on her father's doorstep twenty years ago was standing right before her now, along with another young girl who was about the same age.

Loki, what have you done?

"Good afternoon," Ana said politely. "Sorry to bother you, but we were, uhm… We wanted to—"

"Come inside."

"Were you expecting us?"

"I was expecting a visitor after what happened in New York. Just… not Howard's granddaughter." She turned around, gestured them to follow her, and made for the living room. This was going to be a long conversation.

"Did you know my grandfather?"

So, she didn't know… What had Loki told her? Or what had he not told her? Sigyn decided to be honest. She owed her that much.

"He was a good friend of mine. As was Peggy… This realm used to be a simpler one back then. Now, nothing is ever going to be the same."

"Your name is Sigyn, right?"

"Yes. And I assume you're here to learn more about your mother?"

Ana made no reply. Sigyn studied her for a brief moment. She looked like Maria. She was wearing Maria's favorite necklace, which emphasized the resemblance even more. It was a gift Howard had given her on their first wedding anniversary, and Sigyn was sure they would be pleased that their granddaughter had it now. Ana seemed pretty uncomfortable about being here, though. She might have inherited her father's and grandfather's genius, but not their confidence, it appeared.

"Please, have a seat."

They did, and the other girl put an arm around Ana's shoulders. It took a while for Sigyn to remember who she was, but then realized this girl wasn't just a random friend Ana had brought along. She was Princess Shuri of Wakanda. Sigyn had read all the SHIELD files on the Wakandan Royal family to see how they might know about Asgard or Thanos, but hadn't been able to discover a connection. She just hoped they hadn't brought Ana into whatever they were up to.

"Coffee, or tea?"

"No, thanks," Ana said, and Princess Shuri shook her head as well.

Both girls were extremely tense, so Sigyn decided to do them a favor and cut to the chase. "Loki," she said, sucking in a sharp breath. "My husband has always been one for mischief… I don't know what he told you, but I did what I did to pay my debt of gratitude to Howard."

"Wait… You're not my mother, are you?"

Her mother? She knew Loki was trying to spite her, but… Seriously, what exactly had Loki told this girl?

"If you had Aesir blood in your veins, you would know it. And I'm still faithful to my husband."

"Sorry. I meant no offense, of course."

"Look, Irene had no right to hide a child from her father. I had to do something about it."

"I—I don't understand. Who is Irene?"

"Irene Clarke. Your mother."

For a moment, everyone was quiet.

"Tony and Irene were both studying at Cambridge. That's how they met," she went on.

"Was she just a one-night stand, or…"

"I don't know the details of the… affair. I took you from the hospital after her death. She was already ill by the time you were conceived… Stage four breast cancer. She died three weeks after your birth."

"How come does my father not know about this? Didn't she try to contact him?"

"Contact him? She was too proud. Too proud to admit that she had been seduced by a playboy, and then left with a broken heart. She was hoping Tony would never know he had a daughter. That would've been Irene's posthumous revenge."

At that moment, Sigyn saw a familiar look on Ana's face, and she knew what she had just said had changed something in Ana permanently. Because it was the same look of betrayal that had appeared on Howard's face when he had learned the truth about the last blood sample of Captain Rogers.

"So, it was you who left me on my dad's doorstep…"

"Yes. You were born in London. After I took you to your father, I tracked down everyone who knew about you, and erased their memories."

"Why did you do that?"

"To make sure Tony could raise you in peace. Anyway, what else do you want to know about your mother?"

"Nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"I wasn't here for my mother."

"Why, then?"

"Loki said you could help us defeat Thanos."

Shit. How did Loki know about Thanos?

"You know what I'm talking about."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "What do you want from me?"

"We were hoping you could tell us what the Nexus is."

"I don't know what that is."

"It has something to do with the Infinity Stones."

"Get out," Sigyn hissed. These girls had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

They stood up, but Ana wasn't going to give up easily. "Please. You said you owed Howard Stark a debt."

"And I paid that debt when I took you to your father. That was the last time I meddled in mortal affairs! Perhaps I shouldn't have done even that. My duty was to guard the Tesseract, not the Starks!"

"You were in my vision!" Princess Shuri cried. "You were helping us send Ana back in time and stop Thanos!"

So, the Wakandan princess had received some kind of vision as well. That was how they knew. But it didn't matter. "You are not ready!" She conjured her sword, hoping it would be enough to intimidate them. But in response, they took out their own guns and pointed them at her. "I'd warned Fury about the Tesseract. He didn't listen to me, and look what happened in New York!"

"You're going to regret this!" Shuri snarled. "I know what Thanos will make you do."

"So do I. But I'll never trust mortals again. Take your friend, and leave in peace now, Ana Stark. I'm giving you one last chance, for Howard's sake."

"Okay." Ana lowered her gun. "Come on, Shuri. Let's go."

Shuri, too, lowered her gun, and let Ana lead her out of the house. Sigyn sent her sword back to her pocket dimension. She waited until they left.

"BITCH!" she heard Shuri yell before closing the door. For some reason, Shuri seemed even more desperate than Ana. But Sigyn wasn't going to tell them anything. Not before figuring out what was going on, at least. So, she called Fury the moment she was sure the girls had left town, but he didn't answer the phone. He was probably still busy cleaning up the mess the Battle of New York had left behind. So, Sigyn left a message, saying that there was an urgent matter they needed to discuss.

While she was still waiting to hear from Fury, Shuri's brother, Prince T'Challa, paid her a visit one night. He tried to convince her to tell them about the Infinity Stones. She refused once again. Meddling with those stones had caused mortals nothing but trouble so far. But she advised him to join the Avengers if he wanted to be prepared for Thanos. They had proven themselves in the Battle of New York, and were now Midgard's best hope against the Mad Titan.

…

Fury called her back three days later.

"I can't say I was expecting to hear from you anytime soon," he said bitterly, making Sigyn wonder if he had kept her waiting on purpose. But she decided not to quarrel with him.

"Ana came to me, with Princess Shuri of Wakanda. They knew things they weren't supposed to know."

"Things about Thanos?"

"Yes."

"A meeting is in order, Sigyn. I'll send you the coordinates of the rendezvous point. Meet me there tonight. There's something I've been planning to show you for some time."

He hung up, and a few minutes later, Sigyn received the coordinates. It was an uncharted island in the North Atlantic, but Fury had secret facilities all around the world, so Sigyn wasn't surprised.

Fury was already there by the time she landed. It appeared he had come alone. He approached the gates, and waited for the retinal scanner.

"How many people have access into this facility?" she asked as the big metal doors clicked open.

"Just me and Ana Stark. Though she doesn't know it yet."

"I don't understand…"

"You will. Come."

She followed him into the bunker. It was smaller than Sigyn had imagined, and mostly empty. There was an elevator, but Fury didn't take it. Instead, he opened a secret hatch on the ground. It led into a long, winding tunnel. There was a metal door at the end. He took out a key and unlocked the door.

This was a lab. If it weren't for the relic that stood on a table in the center, all this secrecy wouldn't make any sense. But there it was, the scepter Loki had used to command his army…

The energy that radiated from it reminded her of the Tesseract, and the Eye of Agamotto.

"This scepter contains the Mind Stone," Fury said.

"How do you know that?" Fury, too, knew things he wasn't supposed to know. Something was going on. Thanos, the Infinity Stones, Wakanda, Loki… They were all connected. The realization sent a chill down her spine, but she forced herself to remain calm. She had to know. The Time Stone had trusted her for a reason. Maybe it didn't want to be used by Thanos.

"Believe it or not, this is not even the most important thing in this room."

Sigyn shot him a questioning look, wondering what could possibly be more important than an Infinity Stone. Fury crossed to a vault door in the far corner. He opened it, revealing what looked like a sophisticated coffin.

"What's this?"

"A cryo chamber," he answered, and then opened it.

When he did, a loud gasp escaped Sigyn's lips. "Is that… Ana?"

"She is, and she is not."

"Explain. Now."

"This is a time-traveler, killed by Obadiah Stane's hired thugs, while Stark was in Afghanistan."

"Stane tried to kill her?" she asked, but she couldn't say she was shocked. Obadiah Stane was a traitor, and Ana was known to be working on time-traveling. It looked like one day she would succeed.

"Yes."

"So, she was dead when you found her… Yet, I have the feeling that she was your source of information."

He gave her a defying look, but remained silent.

"You brought her back from the dead, didn't you? With Kree blood? I should kill you for that alone! You son of a bitch…"

The body of a dead Kree was one of the alien artifacts Fury had been collecting. Sigyn didn't know where he kept it these days, but she very well knew what he was doing with it.

Perhaps for the first time since they met, Sigyn saw an expression of fear on Fury's face. Also, it didn't escape her notice that his hand went for his gun. But she knew she couldn't kill him, no matter how furious she was right now. She needed Fury to live and do what he did best as long as possible.

"Well, you've never bothered to hide your distaste for the Kree…"

"Am I wrong about them? You know what they did to Carol. The thing is, Fury, you're no better from them either. Carol failed to see that. If she hadn't, maybe she'd still be here!"

"I'm not your enemy, Sigyn! How many times do I have to tell you this?"

"You try to turn everyone and everything around you into a weapon!"

"I'm the Director of SHIELD! Do you think I have a choice?"

"This is Howard's granddaughter we're talking about!"

"You're treating her as a person. This thing is not a person, not in this reality. She came here to warn her past self, and me against Thanos. She's just a temporal aberration, and a valuable asset, nothing more." He paused when he saw how Sigyn was glaring at him, then added, "Her words, not mine. She knew I'd use GH.326 on her. In fact, she was counting on that."

"What did she tell you? What happened in that future?"

"Thanos won. Earth got destroyed. He snapped his fingers and killed half of the universe, then adopted you, Ana, and Princess Shuri."

"So, he didn't destroy the other realms entirely. Why did he make an exception for Midgard?"

He shrugged. "I guess we were too much trouble for him."

"Damn…" Sigyn leaned forward to be able to inspect the body more closely, and sensed another familiar form of magic. Her own. "She has my magic!"

"Yes. You cast a spell on her before she traveled back in time, to disguise her as her teenage self."

With a wave of her hand, Sigyn removed the spell, and realized this Ana was actually in her thirties. "What about Wakanda? Who warned them against Thanos?"

"Wakanda is still a mystery to us. The time-traveler was also quite surprised when I told her. That wasn't a part of her plan. But we should be glad. They're the most technologically advanced people on this planet. We're going to need their resources when Thanos comes knocking."

"How much time do we have, before Thanos comes?"

"He will come in 2018."

"If he finds out about this, he'll hasten his plans."

"He won't make his move before Odin dies. He's not stupid. You must keep your king alive as long as you can."

Sigyn rubbed her forehead to give herself a moment to think. This was just… too much. "How much does Tony know?"

"He's got no idea. Ana is leaving him out of this… For his own good."

"How much does Ana know?"

"She received a message of her own."

"Does she know that you have the time-traveler?"

"She's not ready for that part. Why do you think I want her at the Academy? She'll try to earn my trust, not know knowing I'm the one who's trying to earn hers."

"Is that what happened in the other reality?"

"Not exactly. Ana never went to the Academy in that timeline. But she knows herself better than anyone else."

"I don't know, Fury… I was the one who took this girl to her father. I've been observing her from a safe distance since then. She's not someone who is cut out for this kind of fight. She's no warrior."

He snorted. "No? Why do you think Thanos adopted her? She might not be a fighter, but believe me, she is ruthless and cunning enough to impress a guy like Thanos. That's saying something, isn't it?"

"You seem pretty impressed yourself," Sigyn said accusingly. Once again, she could see the desire to turn Ana into a weapon on his face.

"Thanos was the one who sent Loki," Fury suddenly said. "He was the one who found your husband after he fell into a wormhole. He was the one who gave him an army, in exchange for the Tesseract. He's started looking for the stones, Sigyn."

She froze. Fury must have said this to deflect the conversation from the subject of Ana, but still… Loki. The question was, what had made Loki think she could help Ana? Did he know about Sigyn's vision?

"I—I have to go…"

"Alright. Before you leave… I hope you're not planning to sit this one out?

"I'm not sure yet," she mumbled, and stormed off.

…

A trip to Kamar-Taj was in order. The fastest way to get there was to use the New York Sanctum. After switching to auto-pilot, she decided to swallow her pride and contact Loki. To her relief, she found him reading a book in a clean, bright, well-furnished dungeon cell. No matter what he might have done, she didn't want to see him suffer.

"Hello, Loki."

He looked up from the book, put it aside, and rose from the armchair. There was no shame or regret in his eyes, but there was no trace of that unusual venomous malice either. He smiled bitterly. "I was starting to think you'd never come."

There was no time for cute, witty exchanges. "How do you know about my vision?"

"What?" He seemed confused, but Sigyn decided not to fall for it. He was Asgard's most infamous liesmith, after all.

"How do you know about my vision?" she repeated firmly.

"Are you playing some kind of Midgardian game with me?"

"I'm not playing any games."

"I don't know anything about your vision, whatever that means."

"Then why did you send Ana to me?"

He shrugged mischievously. "I thought you'd be happy to see her."

"No, you sent her to me because she told you about Thanos, didn't she? How did you know I'd received a warning as well?"

When his smirk was replaced with an expression of genuine fear, Sigyn realized he hadn't been lying. "What?" he gasped.

"Years ago, I met… a group of mortal sorcerers in Midgard. I've sworn an oath to keep their secrets. All I can tell you is that I received a vision of the future with their help."

"What did you see?"

She shivered when she remembered it. "We were on a ship. There were dead Asgardians everywhere. The rest of us were captured, including Thor. And Thanos had decided to adopt me. He made me kill you. He wanted me to choose. It would be either you, or Sif…"

"So, you chose to kill me…"

"I had to," she said apologetically.

"I know. You owe your sister a lover after what happened to Haldor."

"Why did you agree to serve such a monster, Loki?"

"Agree?" he snarled. "Do you think I agreed? He tortured me, Sigyn! He tortured me to weaken my mind, and then used the Scepter to turn it against me!"

Sigyn's heart sank. Her husband had been tortured, and she had had no idea. She should have known. "Forgive me."

"I don't need your pity. What I did in New York… It would be a lie if I said I didn't enjoy it. Thanos didn't put anything in mind that wasn't already in there. He simply freed me from whatever conscience I had left."

"Really, Loki? Was your 'conscience' the only thing that stopped you from turning into a villain in the past? Is that how much you despise me?"

"Yes! You and Thor both chose mortals over me!"

"We didn't choose anyone over you, Loki! Thor loved you. And I always wanted you to be a part of my life in Midgard. I only pushed you away after that vision."

"Don't feel guilty about it. You didn't know you were marrying a Frost Giant…"

"I have no regrets."

"Oh, come now, Sigyn! You were my wife! I kissed you, I made love to you, and had Odin not made you swear a vow, I would've put a child in you! Don't tell me you're not disgusted by the mere thought!"

"I'm not," she said, and it was the truth.

"I invaded your mother's world, I stole the relic you'd sworn to protect with your life, I tried to kill the descendants of your beloved friends, and you still think I love you?"

"You didn't tell them about HYDRA," she reminded.

When Loki turned away from her to avoid her gaze, Sigyn knew she had won this argument. "How can you not be disgusted by me?"

"Why are you so surprised? You were never disgusted by me."

He pursed his lips stubbornly.

"If anything," she went on, "Now that the truth has come out, I know why we're perfect for each other. You don't know what you are. You're not an Asgardian, but you're not a Frost Giant either. I made the same mistake in the past. I let my father's people convince me that I was neither mortal, nor Asgardian. Do you know why I love it here in Midgard? Because this realm helped me see the truth."

"What truth?"

"That I'm both. So are you."

He scoffed. "Perhaps Odin should've forced me to live among the Jotunns as a punishment…"

"Believe it or not, that might have done you some good."

"No!" he spat.

She decided to return to the matter of Thanos. As strange as it might sound, it was an easier subject to discuss right now. "What does Odin say about Thanos?"

He shrugged. "Nothing."

"It doesn't make any sense. Heimdall must have told him everything… What about your mother?"

"She hasn't said anything either. But I think she knows."

"Of course she does."

"I think I know why they never speak of Thanos."

"Would you care to share your theory with me?"

"It's because of Thor. If he hears about Thanos, he'll do what he always does. He'll confront him."

"That would be suicide."

"Exactly. That's why Odin will do nothing until Thanos comes for the Tesseract. If it had been Thor who had fallen into the hands of Thanos, Odin would've declared war on him the moment he found out. But lucky for Asgard, it was me, so he did nothing." His chuckle was so bitter that for a moment, he looked like a wild beast to Sigyn.

"Loki, please… Stop this. Stop comparing yourself to Thor. It will bring you nothing but misery."

"Sigyn?" he said, his voice suddenly gentle.

"Yes?"

"I was wrong to send the Stark girl to you. Please just stay out of it."

"Loki, I can't. Thanos has been haunting me for decades. I tried to ignore the threat, but now I know he is coming. There is no denying it."

"You haven't seen the things I've seen. You don't know what he is capable of. I spent a year in his domain. That vision you had, it was nothing, believe me!"

The fear in his voice made Sigyn realized the gravity of the threat. No matter what Asgardians might say about sorcerers, Loki was no coward. He wouldn't be scared easily. And now, he was scared beyond words.

"Loki, listen… Me, Ana, Princess Shuri… We all have been warned against Thanos. I was in denial at first, but now I think it is for a reason. I saw the corpse of the time-traveler with my own eyes."

"Really?"

"Yes. Fury has it. When you met Ana, what did she tell you?"

"Not much. That Thanos will have the Infinity Stones, Midgard will be destroyed, she had to give up on time-traveling because otherwise she would create a time loop, and she has to create something called the Nexus to prevent that future."

"Yes, she asked me about the Nexus."

"She was telling the truth. I was inside her head for a time."

"I wish you hadn't, Loki. You're a part of this, too, don't you see it?"

"Why? Because I'm the first one to meet Thanos in person?"

"Not only that. We're all connected. I think we can defeat Thanos if we embrace our destiny."

"And what if we fail?"

"Then we won't let him take us alive."

He nodded gravely. "That's wise…"

"But first, we have to try. We have to do everything we can."

He shrugged. "Alright. But I'm afraid I won't be much of help from this cell."

"Loki?"

"Whatever Thanos has done to you, I wish I could undo it."

He smiled. "I'll be fine. What are you going to do?"

"I'm on way to New York as we speak. I'm going to meet those mortal sorcerers again. Maybe I'll get another vision. This time, I have a specific question in mind."

He nodded. "Will you visit me again?"

"Of course."

Sigyn wanted to say "I love you," but for some reason, couldn't bring herself to do it. It had nothing to do with him being a Frost Giant, or even what he had done in Midgard. Yes, they were perfect for each other, as she had said. Too perfect, in fact. And it might not be a coincidence. Nothing in Asgard was ever a coincidence.

In the blink of an eye, she was back on her ship, alone, heading to New York. Hopefully, the Eye of Agamotto would show her what had gone wrong in that future.