WASHINGTON DC 1015 HOURS

She was startled by a knock on the door as she watched the jerky YouTube video of Loki saving those kids. Bella stood up from her seat and made her way slowly to the door, lifting her nine millimeter Colt off the pillow next to her as she went to answer. If she had one more press club at the door, she would need it.

She opened the door, ready to fire at whoever had knocked, but she cocked her head at the person she saw rather than her gun, "why am I not surprised?" she tucked the gun into the back of her jeans.

"Can I come in?" Phil Coulson asked.

"Why not? I'm obviously having some sort of mental breakdown. I'll just ride it out and see where I end up."

"Is the footage real?" Coulson asked her.

She poured a glass of bourbon and offered it to Coulson, who waved it away, "why? Couldn't your Teen Titans figure it out by themselves?"

"Humor me."

"It's real," Bella answered as she took a seat on the saw bench, "and it's also true that he's the Wizard of New York."

"How do you know that?"

"I was there," Bella said stiffly, "he threw himself into the Void to re-stabilize the universes and save us all." She took a drink, "and I helped Stark create his alter ego."

"You really shouldn't drink in the middle of the day," he changed the subject quickly, almost too quickly for her taste.

"Who's going to stop me?" she snapped, "Is that all?"

Coulson sat stoically for a moment, "I need that file for Blue Light. You were fired before the mission was over, so your mission report isn't there. What is there appears to be a whole lot of propaganda."

Bella smiled humorlessly, "trust issues much?"

"You have no idea," Coulson replied, "or maybe you do. The report please?"

She pulled a rolled up lump of papers out of a box filled with woodworking tools covered a thin film of wood, smelling of bourbon and sawdust, "I never got a chance to type it. Why do you care?"

"According to the computer system, it doesn't exist," Coulson told her, "I could only access the preliminary file, and half of that is blanked out."

"I can't help you with those other things, I'm just a Jarhead," she smiled stiffly, "but those are my notes, have a read when you get time."

"Thank you," he stood, "I'll show myself out."

He had gone mostly up the stairs by the time she spoke again, "hey, Phil."

"Yes?"

"You're looking good for a dead guy."

Phil Coulson smiled as he left. In that moment, Bella was completely alone in her basement. Sophia was at school barely learning and she had dozens of things flying around in her head. The YouTube video that all the major networks had latched onto, the Wizard of New York, all the effort some people were making to find this hero, anti-mutant campaigners trying to smear his name and the very pretty lying that Tony had made to conceal the true identity of New York's hero and the press pestering her and her daughter every time they could. And now a friend had risen from the grave in a completely separate incident from Miracle Day and a tiring set of questions that her daughter would ask her.

And SHIELD had collapsed, creating an even bigger problem, and while she was not in the employ of Stark, she had feds beating down her door when the press weren't simply for being SHIELD once.

Life sucks.

Unbeknownst to her, Loki said the exact same thing at the exact same moment halfway across the universe.

"Life sucks."

He had leaned over this device for hours and he was nowhere near finishing it. To be honest, he did not even know what he was doing. He knew that he needed a device to harness Dark Energy and to tear through the fabric of the universe just enough to go where he needed, and had made a buffer loop that would close the portal behind him as soon as he was clear. He had also made another feedback loop that would destroy the device. Any further tampering with the Void would be very dangerous, and so this trip had to be the last he would ever make. He had isolated the scar which he needed to open, a space in the Asgardian sky that shimmered in the morning light in a way that metal armor would, and in mere moments, the color was gone again but the scar still existed.

It was based on Selvig's design, the one which he had tried to use to take over the world, but he was not sure how it would manage with an even more unstable power source and if his designs were in fact sound. He had little choice. He was going to try it.

The device was slightly miniaturized compared to the last one, but he could not hide it the traditional way, instead he folded it away into his Dimensional Pocket. Now or never. Now all he needed was an alibi.

Sif was reading something when he approached her, "Drengr Vísindakona," he noted, "Are you planning to take over another realm?"

She didn't even turn, "not now that you have ruined the surprise," she slammed the tattered old book shut and glanced out over the courtyard for a moment as she got up to leave.

"I need to talk to you," Loki told her flatly.

"Can you talk while you walk?" she arched an eyebrow.

Loki noticed the sarcasm in her voice, "I am out of practice, but I can give it a shot."

She mentioned for him to follow her back through the golden plated halls of the palace, "I don't think you've ever wanted to talk to me before," she said seriously.

"Until now, everything has been in order," Loki replied.

Sif glanced at him sideways for a moment, a little confused by his remark, "perhaps there is still some serious underlying damage to your brain that the Healers overlooked."

Loki sighed, "I need your help."

"Why me?" she asked, "why not Thor or your ever-growing team of fanatics?"

"I need an alibi," Loki said firmly.

"Generally you don't want your alibi to be a witness at the scene of the crime."

"I need someone who's known me for a long time and is . . ." he trailed off, "that thing."

"Perhaps the brain damage is further ingrained than I thought," Sif countered, "or perhaps it is a result of the . . . primitive . . . settings that you have been in for some time."

He pulled her behind one of the twelve foot tall statues that lined the hall, "I am being serious," he told her, "dead serious. I need you to help me achieve access to the Dark Energy generator."

"Why would you want access to Dark Energy?" she asked him, "unless . . ."

Loki nodded, "I can't go to Thor. He would try to convince me to stay, and I am afraid that I may listen to him."

"I'm sure Thor would respect your decision," Sif told him calmly.

"I know him better than you, Sif," Loki told her, "and I know that he would tear a hole in the universe to follow me. He has before." He let go of her arm, "I need you to get me into the Generator Room, to get me out of the city and to stop Thor from following me. He'll listen to you."

Sif sighed, "I am against doing something that can as easily kill you. Thor would never forgive me, and I hardly want to face the wrath of Odin."

"Like that has ever stopped you before."

"If I agree to take on this sensitive and highly difficult task, and I am not saying that I will," She narrowed her eyes, "what is in it for me?"

"Have you not always wanted rid of me, Sif?" Loki matched her gaze, "I'll pay you."

Sif sighed, "You have convinced me. What is the plan"