Nick fury looked less than pleased as he gave Thor something of a blank stare the next day after Thor explained what he understood of his brother's motivations. "Sorry, Thor. I'm just not buying it," the Director of SHIELD responded.

Thor looked genuinely confused as he replied, "I am selling nothing. These are our traditions. The other Avengers were insistent that I should inform you of them."

Nick stared Thor down for a moment before letting off a small sigh as he replied, "Did Stark or Banner ever explain surveillance video to you? Well, the crux of it is we take video of everything for security purposes and the Terraract was in a VERY secure location. And we made sure to recover the servers that held the security data from the wreckage of the collapsed portal. Would you like to see just how suicidal your dear little brother was when he showed up?"

Thor's face grew more and grimmer as he watched Loki's grand entrance. It was audacious and showy, much like his brother could be, but something was off throughout. Loki attacked without question. He ignored Fury's attempts to speak with him. Loki loved to talk. Convincing people to agree with him was practically his favorite hobby. He had mocked Thor for centuries for using a battle strategy of "hit it with Mjolnir and hope for the best" as an opening move. This… was not his brother. Not the one he was raised with. Not the one he fought beside. And suddenly, Loki's words out there in the forests of Germany took on a more sinister light.

"Freedom; freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart…" Loki purred on the screen with a mad glint in his eye.

"This is wrong. I was wrong. It is worse than I feared," Thor whispered to himself.

"What is it? Other than seeing just what kind of crazy is in Loki's head," Fury asked his lone remaining eye trained keenly on the troubled Asgadian's face.

"Loki's words. His actions. They are not those of my brother. There were signs before but I didn't put them together. I must contact Asgard. I fear matters are more dire than any of us suspected," Thor rambled.

"Thor. What is it? What did you see?" Fury asked again.

"Loki is a sorcerer, and as such he will always lead with his words. He would not lash out in violence when he could outwit his adversary. And my brother would never say something like that about freedom for he treasures his own above all else. He is best known for saying "I do what I want" when confronted over his behavior for good or ill. He thrives on chaos and conflict. This… he speaks of freedom as if it were a curse. These are not his words. Some of the things he said when I first confronted him seemed off, but this. Nay, there is deviltry afoot here and I fear Loki was as much a victim of it as Hawkeye or Eric," Thor explained with a scowl.

"What did he say to you that would make you think he wasn't in control of himself? Especially with the way he played everyone right until the end?" Fury asked, his expression suddenly far more interested than angry.

"Loki spoke of great mysteries and a great power that taught him how to harness the Tessaract. It is not knowledge that he could have gained for himself on Asgard. He spoke of being banished and having the throne stolen from when neither was true. We thought him dead until he reappeared on Earth, and he was the one to let go of Gungir to plunge to his supposed death. Father never banished him. All of Asgard mourned his passing. And again, when I faced him the first time on Stark Tower, for a moment I saw my brother again in his eyes. There was shock and horror at what he was doing. Then he said it was too late and the madness seemed to take him again. And then… there is the staff," Thor replied with a scowl.

"The staff?" Fury asked.

"Although similar it was not Asgardian in design. And we could all see that it was a far cry from Chitauri weapons. Where did it come from? Who made it for my brother? Why would he rely on its power rather than his own? We saw how when he was upset that Bruce took hold of the accursed artifact in his agitation. I fear it may be more than a simple weapon," Thor explained.

Fury's face broke into a scowl as he recalled, "He used it to take over both Barton and Selvig."

"And now that I ponder it, both times I seemed to reach him for a moment it was not in his hand," Thor returned with equal concern.

"You do realize that even if your theory is right it might not change anything, right?" Fury asked after a pause.

"What do you mean, Fury?" Thor asked, unsure if he really wanted to hear what the one-eyed man would say.

"Assuming, and it's a huge assumption we're making here that would require serious proof for my bosses to even entertain it, but assuming Loki was altered the way the others were you can't think it will be as easy as a knock to the head to free him. If it was his fight with the Hulk would have done it. Or when Coulson put him through the wall with the energy rifle." Fury started.

The old soldier's face grew tired as he continued, "I've worked intelligence for a long time, Thor. I've had agents turn. Seen what was left after they were tortured or brainwashed into jumping sides. You don't always get them back. And even if you do it's not easy. Look at Barton. He still beats himself up over what he did under Loki's control. I don't think it would be that easy to take over your brother's mind. And if he was somehow fighting it where others didn't it could have been a different process. He was gone for months before your people found him making his deal with the Chitauri. If you were right at all with your first theory, there may be a reason Loki was hoping we would off him," Fury noted grimly.

"Aye, but I still must try to reach him. He is still my brother. Either way, steps must be taken," Thor responded.

Fury understood where the Thunderer was coming from. He would do the same if it was one of his own. Never mind the potential security nightmare of having an unknown Manchurian Candidate in your midst. "Go warn your folks, Thor. I'll fill the others in as part of a briefing later today and I'll have my people go over every bit of footage we have about Loki," Fury assured him.

"I am certain you are doing the latter already, my friend. After all, it is what Loki would advise me to do in your place," Thor replied with a bittersweet smile as he left the room.

As he existed, Nick didn't know whether to feel insulted or flattered by the comparison.