"I have a question, Loki," Tony crossed his arms.

"Go ahead," he narrowed his eyes, sounding a little more deflated than usual, "I have nothing better to do than to answer your questions."

"When you came here from wherever the hell you came here from, you came out in the desert, right?"

"Yes, so?"

"Why didn't you go for the nukes?" Tony asked, "I mean, if you wanted to take over the world, why not choose to do it the easy way?"

Loki rolled his eyes, "were you not listening to anything said in the throne room?" he bit at Tony, and then realizing that he probably hadn't, he leaned against the wall casually, "I was trying to get you to beat me."

"Like I said then, not a great plan."

"I was hardly myself at the time," Loki bit back, "I am sure you have read Speedy's report."

Both of them grinned as Loki used Bella's old call-sign.

"It didn't make a great deal of sense," Tony shrugged, "I'm no good with the shrink-wrap."

Bella continued to pace, "it was like being conscious yet powerless," she growled.

"Not entirely," he growled under his breath, "I am Loki of Asgard, and whatever tortures that Thanos could devise could not remove that from me. I manipulated Thanos's own hunger for glory, and used that as a way to beat him. I never wanted to hurt anyone," he sighed, sinking deeper into his own misery, "you should be flogged for taking so long. I certainly gave you enough clues. You and Banner were the smart ones; you should have figured it out sooner."

Tony raised his eyebrows, "serious?"

"Serious," Loki crossed his arms, "I put too much faith in your pathetic race."

"Watch it, Spaceman!"

"The race I am referring to is Americans," Loki said quickly.

"That's better," Bella continued to pace, looking paler and paler by the second.

Sif crossed her arms, "nice story, too bad it's all a lie." Loki began to seethe, but otherwise said nothing.

"This is definitely against the Geneva Convention," Bella hissed.

"Being locked up, you mean?" Tony asked her.

"Nah, being locked up with Sif." Thor and the Warriors Three decided to stand as far away from Bella as possible and to shut bad Sif didn't share their sentiments. She sat on the floor whining that anything involving Loki got her into trouble, to which Tony replied 'somebody call the wambulance'. Loki kept giving her cutting glances, but decided it was best to let her rant, she was still bitter, about the hair, and they were only kids. It was more like a time out for Thor and his pet warriors, being that they were in another cell, one that seemed a little less secure.

Tony had already blasted his flight stabilizers at their cell and succeeded in blasting them all off their feet and against the wall. It was not his smartest move, and Bella decided that the dumbest smart person she had ever met was in fact Tony.

"I am getting motion sickness just watching you," Loki told her snidely.

"Shut up, Loki," Thor bit at him "at least Isabella is doing something."

"I am trying to concentrate on blowing up the cell," Loki crossed his arms defiantly.

"Very honorable," Sif said sarcastically.

"Sif," Tony said, "you don't want to make him angry. He'll Hulk-smash you."

"Oh, yeah, and how long did that take last time?" Bella either didn't hear them or didn't choose to dignify any of that bull with a response. Besides, Loki was well aware that he was the most interesting person that she could be talking to in this little white room.

"I was about to find out when Thor busted me out," he sighed and closed his eyes. He suddenly seemed very small and insignificant, "what's the point? There's no way out," was it her imagination or was he crying? He was suddenly very quiet and would look at no one; he stared at a patch of wall outside the cell longingly, but absently.

"Loki?" Thor asked.

"Crap," Bella whispered, "this is exactly what I was afraid of."

Fandral glanced at the whole scene, "what exactly is going on?"

"Quiet," Tony said, picking up on Bella's concern, "let the Marine do her work."

"The blood," he stared down at his hands, and then began to rub them together, "why won't it come off?" it was almost as though he didn't see everybody watching him, separated in his own reality. Someone had to break into that reality and get him out.

Bella's heart rate quickened. She didn't know what to do, but she knew that she had to do something. No one but her could possibly have the skills for this, there was no such thing as PTSD on Asgard. Bella bit her lip, "don't do this, not now."

"Don't look at me!" He ordered, his face reddening. He burst into tears and he buried his head in his hands, "don't look at me!" he was hyperventilating, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry . . ."

She knelt by him. She was going to do the only thing she knew how to do, what her training told her to do, to break him out of it, "get up, Marine," she said, her voice low, "Soph's counting on us," she leaned in by his ear, "do you really wanna disappoint your biggest fan?"

Loki looked at her for a moment, "what the hell are you talking about?"

"Listen to me, you infuriating, blue hobbit," she didn't raise her voice, "you said in there that she was your best friend and there was no way in Hell that you were going to let her down. Newsflash for you, Marine, you are letting her down. She loves you, she thinks you're the coolest person in the known universe and you're just gonna crash and burn. Is this why you have no friends? Is this why your family lost all faith in you? Prove them wrong," she narrowed her eyes, buzzing around in her blind spot, "get up, Marine, we have a job to do."

"What are you doing?" with a withering glare from Bella, Thor shrunk back in to his corner.

It worked, Loki looked up at her, "that's easy for you to say."

She put a hand on his shoulder, "you're a member of my team, you are a Marine now, son, and we have a job. And we're not accomplishing anything while you're staring into the abyss. Freak out, break down, cry, whatever. I'll even hold your hand, just do it later when everyone's safe. For now I want you to stay strong, Marine, be brave, not for you, not for me, but for my baby girl," she slapped him across the back of the head sharply, "pull your head out of your butt, open up your eyes and get back to work, Marine!"

Loki wiped away the tears, "I suppose."

"Wrong, Marine," she bit at him, looping her hand under his shoulder and hauling him up, "there is no 'I suppose'. There is only yes or no, Which one is it, Marine?"

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

He breathed, "Yes Gunnery Sergeant Ma'am."

"I didn't hear you, Marine."

"I am not saying it any louder," he narrowed his eyes.

Bella half-smiled, "good, Marine, real good. Now rule one. You do what you have to for family."

"Should I write that down or crotchet it on a pillow?"

"Wow," Tony nodded, "that was the shortest mental breakdown I have ever seen."

Bella grinned; Loki was back, or at least the breakdown was on hold, "Question, why can't we just reach out of here?"

"It is designed to destroy all living things," Volstagg answered for them, crossing his arms. Was it her imagination, or was there a tough of pride in his voice?

"Tony?"

He shook head, "no, my alloy isn't think enough," he crossed his arms, "it is a suit of armor, not a torque wrench."

"Once his armor is breached, it will chew through his arm," Thor told them bluntly.

She began to pace a little quicker when Loki's brow furrowed, "what about your arm?" Bella glanced at him for a second, "the bionic one."

Bella grinned, "Tones, how thick is my alloy?"

"Should do it," he replied.

"And it's not really alive by our definition," Loki added.

"How?" Thor asked.

Loki shrugged, "I decided to think like a mortal, and it appears that being an absolute idiot is just as important as being a genius sorcerer."

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Bella narrowed her eyes, "Snow-cone?"

"Meatsack."