DAY 9: 0930 HOURS

The doorbell rang, "I'll get it," Loki grabbed the door, only to look out on a bespectacled scientist he knew as Bruce Banner, and he carried a couple of bags filled with Chinese food, "I had no idea you made house calls, Doctor."

"Shut up and let me in," Bruce bit at him.

He stepped aside, "you know, my back has never been the same," he opened the door a little wider, "I assume in your profession, you would possess the telephone number of a good chiropractor."

"Boo hoo," he pushed passed him with the bags, "I brought you dinner."

He pulled a bit of a face, "thanks," he shut the door behind Bruce so the warm wouldn't escape. He mentioned to the kitchen, then checked his borrowed watch, "excuse me, there is something I must do." He walked up the stairs and Bruce's gaze followed him. He walked past Bella as she went the other way.

"He's in a hurry," Bruce said to her, "planning to test his ACME escape kit tonight?"

She smiled as she reached the bottom of the stairs, "nah," she took the bags off his hands, "I let him use my computer. The internet bill's gonna be through the roof."

Bruce's eyes widened, "really?"

Bella grinned, "So, has Fury made a decision about my proposal?"

"He wants a squad of plain-clothed agents," Bruce told her, "stationed around the perimeter. He wants a couple of other guys to tail you, and he wants me to join you."

Bella's brow furrowed, "that sounds fair."

"I'm not sure if crazy will appreciate it," Bruce scowled.

"He was the one that wanted to get out."

This was across the road, a few blocks from Stark Tower in Midtown, Manhattan Island, New York, where a large nineteenth century building once stood. Much like for the World Trade towers in 2001, the New Yorkers did not rebuild the building, but built something else on its foundations, a large mirrored shrine inscribed with the names of the four thousand and twenty seven dead. There were deliberate grid-like gaps in the polished granite, and many had squeezed flowers and letters into the cracks. It dominated his sight as a tall perplexing black wall.

He wanted to leave the house, and so they took him here, a shrine to the people he had killed, and while he scorned Bella, in the back of his mind, he knew that this was the only place they would consider taking him, to try to make him realize the wrong. SHIELD guards were posted around the perimeter; however no one seemed to notice, except him. One wrong move and he was dead. One of those guards would be his judge, jury and executioner.

He made a point to approach it alone, independently, and as the massive mirrored wall loomed above him, his knees went weak. All of a sudden, the inscribed wall seemed a million feet high. He read the names, trying to get the sinking feeling out of the bottom of his gut, but saw his own dark eyes staring back at him. Something struck him deep inside, and he didn't know what it was. All he knew was that he suddenly felt sick.

"I'll never get used to this place," he didn't even notice Bella sneak up behind him, "you search for a name, but find your own reflection," she approached, "you are among the fallen."

He said nothing, he didn't think he could, and he had no words to use even if he could. At the moment, all there was in the universe was him and this dark, ominous wall. What was worse was that he remembered everything. As he read each name on the wall, he saw a face, terrified.

You are among the fallen.

His knees gave way, and he knelt at the shrine, bowing. He began to cry. And at that moment, Loki decided he hated and feared everything he was.

"I know," Bruce said, "If I see one more 'We Remember' sticker on the back of a pickup truck, I'll start breaking things."

He sat in the back of the SHIELD sedan, silent. He was never silent.

"Hey, do you want to drive for a bit?"

"Not really," Bruce said.

"Loki," Bella said, "want to drive?"

Loki looked up at her with self-destructive look in his eyes, "never have you said that to me."

Bella sighed, "Just thought you might want to drive for a bit, excuse me."

"I am fine."

"That's debatable," Bruce quipped.

Loki glared at him dangerously for a minute, but then his gaze softened as he sank deeper and deeper into thought.