A/N hello, my lovelies! Yes, I'm sorry it took so long for chapter three. *sigh* I've been busy. I promise to update more!

3. Testing

Chell wasn't used to being around other people, especially not a cocky billionaire. Tony never shut up, while she had always tested in silence.

"Hey Chell," Tony said.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"You know why I talk so much?"

Chell rolled her eyes. "So you're not just trying to be annoying?"

"That hurt, Chell. But really, the reason that I talk so much is because I don't want to lose the ability to speak like you did," Tony murmured.

Chell considered that for a second. "Fine, I'll talk more. Just… Don't talk to me while I'm thinking, ok?"

"Deal."

GLaDOS' voice came once more. "Very good. At this point, I think that you two are ready for the more… Advanced tests. Continue testing."

The door slid open. Tony groaned when he saw what lie ahead. Two metal plates were smashing together right outside of the door, blocking their path. Beyond that, all they could see was the red glow of either lasers or fire.

Chell gulped. "Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"No talking."

"Agreed."

0o0

"CLINT!" Steve shouted from where he was dangling above the ground, an angry robot snapping at his feet.

"I'm a little busy here!" Clint called back while shooting some turrets with his gun.

They had solved test after test, both taking turns being the one that needed to be saved. Clint wished for nothing more than his bow. He could see many cracks in the wall where he could send an explosive-tipped arrow to at least give GLaDOS some trouble.

Clint considered this as he shot the robot that was threatening Steve, blasting it to bits. Steve was dropped to the ground, where he landed on his feet. It was these… things on the back of their boots that allowed them to always land on their feet. Clint also had a suspicion that he could drop from any height and still land on his feet.

"That was close," Steve commented.

"Too close. Sorry, bud. I just got… Stuck," Clint said, his attempt at an apology.

"Don't worry about it."

"Continue testing," GLaDOS said.

Steve groaned. "We know, we know."

"Just keep testing," she snapped.

Clint leaned close to Steve. "We need a plan," he whispered.

"I'm working on it."

0o0

Natasha was solving these tests faster than GLaDOS could build them. Her mind worked much faster than the average human, and GLaDOS was actually impressed. It almost made her want to take back the dog comment from earlier. Almost.

It occurred to GLaDOS that Natasha might be too smart. She had specifically broken the team up so that they were working with their opposites. The only exception to this rule was Natasha. She worked best on her own, maybe better with Barton on a good day.

If Natasha was left alone for too long, she might figure out how to overthrow GLaDOS.

This was not good.

0o0

Bruce glared at the psychotic god that stood before him. Loki simply smirked. "I see how it is. You know, I understand how hard it must be for you, constantly having to be careful around those you love. Knowing that you are a monster. Constantly having to live with that fear. That guilt. You and I are not so different, Dr. Banner."

"I am nothing like you," Banner growled. "You had everything! You chose to be a monster! I- I have no choice. You know nothing about me."

Loki wasn't surprised. It was exactly the answer that he was expecting. "How- exactly -did I choose this?" Just enough false emotion laced his words that Banner began to believe him. "I am a monster! My father was a monster!"

Banner threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "You had everything! Some kids live on their own. Others die of starvation! Most don't have half as good of a life that you had! You were raised as a prince! You had everything that you could ever want and more!"

That, on the other hand, caught Loki off guard. Now, the emotion in his voice was real. "Oh, I had everything? I was constantly living in the shadow of my older brother! My favored older brother, the crown prince of Asgard! He's the one who got everything! The adoration, even the Allfather's love. Me? I was nothing more than a clever, mischievous child! A problem that needed to be fixed. A liar. A traitor. That's all I will ever be in the eyes of my so called 'father'!"

"Listen, Loki," Bruce said, forcing his voice to be calm. "You don't need to do such rash actions in order to gain The Allfather's love. He loves you the way you are, Loki."

"Lies," Loki hissed. "The Allfather doesn't love me, don't you understand? He will never love me! He could never love a frost giant!"

Frost Giant? "Look, this plan is crazy," Bruce said quietly. "There is a very slim chance that it'll work, trust me."

"I'm seeing this through to the end, Dr. Banner," Loki muttered in defeat. "Anyway, I couldn't stop GLaDOS even if I wanted to. Now get back to work."

"Yes," came GLaDOS' voice. "Back to work."

Loki hated how much control GLaDOS held. He wanted that power. He craved it. He needed it.

A/N Thank you all for your reviews and putting this story on story alert!

I know you're all wondering why the hell Loki is working with GLaDOS, or even how he discovered Aperture in the first place. (And no one has asked about Thor yet... Hint. Hint. ;]) All of these questions will be answered! :3

Thank you,

SilverTongueLoki