"This is the Tesseract," Thor explained, holding out a glowing, blue cube as if offering it to Elise.

Elise listened as well as she could this early in the day.

"Are you familiar with it?" he asked.

"No," Elise responded, shaking her head and staring into the light. "I'm not."

"The Tesseract is a very powerful relic. It will open a portal for us into Asgard."

"Do I have to touch it?"

Thor chuckled heartily. "Of course."

Frowning, Elise asked, "Is it radioactive?"

"I would not know," Thor responded.

This response was unsatisfactory to Elise. "What I'm really asking is whether I'm going to get cancer from it."

"No one has yet." Thor delivered these words with a smile, as if terminal illness were a completely trivial concern. "Though traveling as far as we will so quickly, you may feel unwell when we arrive."

"Motion sickness?"

"Perhaps." Thor extended his arms to position the Tesseract closer to Elise. "Hold it."

Elise slowly and timidly placed the hand that was not holding her luggage on the relic. To her surprise and comfort, it was not especially hot or cold. She experienced an energetic, perhaps even tingling sensation in her fingertips, but she attributed the feeling to anxiety and tried to ignore it.

"Brace yourself," Thor warned just as everything in Elise's consciousness flashed bright white, then black.

The portal spit them in front of a massive, texturally interesting, glistening compound, seemingly comprised of a multitude of slender towers. Elise took in the scenery as she caught her breath and regained her balance.

"We have arrived," Thor announced. He had already assumed a regal pose, apparently not suffering the dizziness and confusion that Elise did.

"What's that?" Elise queried, gesturing to the huge, sparkling edifice.

"Home," Thor replied simply as he started toward it.

Elise scrambled to keep up. "This is where you live?"

"Yes." Thor looked straight ahead as he spoke. "I reside here with my mother, my father, and my brother."

"Your brother? Loki?" Elise was baffled. "Isn't he supposed to be locked up?"

"He is," Thor assured her. "There is no safer place for him than here. He is guarded at all times. And here, we have the means to keep him from playing any tricks until the Allfather is awake and able to take back the power he gave him."

They entered through a massive doorway into a foyer, and Thor led Elise down a long corridor to an atrium, at the back of which stood an empty, golden throne. Elise followed him to the right onto a seemingly endless spiraling staircase.

"So you keep him pretty well hidden," Elise panted as she struggled toward the top.

"Yes," Thor agreed. "We do not want him pestering our friends and guests, not that there is much he can do with the restraints he wears." He cracked a smile at the end of this phrase.

He may have thought this was funny, but Elise did not, and she made a mental note: her client was being held in unsatisfactory conditions. How credible would testimony from Loki's jailers be if they took such delight in his undignified living situation? This could be evidence. This could be...

Nothing, Elise concluded as they arrived at the door to Loki's quarters. Scratch that. Anything with ceilings large enough to accommodate those mile-high doors couldn't possibly be inhumane. Two guards, their likenesses obscured by their armor, stood unflinching at either side of the broad entrance.

Thor ignored them, approached the door, and knocked hard twice, the sound echoing through the hall. "Brother," he called.

There came no response from behind the doors.

"Loki? Brother?" he repeated.

"Go away." The voice that called back was just loud enough to hear, and something – not anger, perhaps hurt – was evident in the tone.

"You have a visitor," Thor said, shouting so that his voice would carry into the room.

There was an uncomfortable pause, and then a cautious response: "Who is it?"

Thor glanced at Elise before answering. "A lawyer."

More silence.

"Loki," Thor called, impatience leeching into his timbre, "do you want to meet her or not?"

"Come in." Loki responded so quickly that he nearly interrupted his brother.

Thor gave a quick nod to the guard on the right side of the doors. The guard approached and returned a set of oversized brass keys to Thor.

"Thank you," Thor said as he began the process of opening the doors. Elise watched carefully – subtle points of light where the keys met the locks suggested that there was more than just machinery at work.

Thor pushed through the doors, and Elise followed him into the room. It was a sparse, vast space, devoid of decoration save for its own ornate construction and empty of furniture besides a double-doored wardrobe, a writing desk with a matching chair, a night stand, and a more-than-king-sized bed, at the foot of which Loki sat.

He slouched, his gaze boring into the marble of the tiles on the floor. His wrists were bound up in a device that, in Elise's mind, most closely resembled a miniature medieval stock. As she drew closer, an ominous glow was visible where the contraption touched his skin. Even seated, it was obvious that he was far taller and somewhat broader than Elise, but relative to his surroundings and to Thor, he was small.

Elise jumped when, without turning his head, Loki fixed his eyes on her.

"Who is this, now?" he muttered, his jaw tense and his volume low.

"This is Elise," Thor responded in full voice. "She is a lawyer. In Midgard, lawyers are-"

"I know," Loki interrupted, "what a lawyer is."

Thor paused before speaking again, this time with measurably less self-assurance. "She is here to advise you in..." he turned to Elise. "What are the matters on which you will advise him, again?"

"Actually," Elise said, "that's none of your business." Her heart pounded as she delivered these words.

"What?" Thor's head tilted, and his eyes narrowed. "Of course it is my business! He is not only my brother, but a prisoner in my charge."

"I am not your brother," Loki hissed, finally becoming animated. "I-"

"Mr. Laufeyson," Elise interjected, raising her free hand, "it's best if you don't say anything."

The expression on Loki's face was one of fury, confusion, and contempt. "How dare you?"

Sensing that her client was on the verge of launching into a tirade, Elise stepped quickly away from Thor and toward Loki to convey a quick, quiet message. She stood to his side, leaning sharply to reach his ear and whisper:

"With all due respect, Mr. Laufeyson, I'm here to help you-"

"How can I be sure of this?" he whispered back. "Thor is well-loved in Midgard, and I-"

"It's my job to help you," she assured him. "I want you to walk."

Loki was baffled. "To walk? Where?"

"I mean, I want you to win this. If you lose, I lose, too."

A narrow smile spread between Loki's cheekbones.

"So can you do this for me?" Elise requested. "Can you keep as quiet as possible?"

"I can," he promised.

"Good," Elise said, backing away to stand between the two deities.

"You cannot exclude me from your conversations," Thor balked.

Elise smirked. "Yes, we can."

"No, you cannot!" Thor protested, visibly agitated. "I am in charge of this realm while my father sleeps, and I have a right-"

"You actually don't. Mr. Laufeyson's trial takes place in my jurisdiction. I know the rules. And what you need to understand is that in that jurisdiction, we have a thing called attorney-client privilege." It was too easy. Elise went on. "I'm here in a professional capacity, as an attorney, to consult with my client. If you can't respect that, you're in for the ride of your life once we get to court."

Thor appeared stunned, then furious, then defeated. "Very well," he said as he turned to leave. "I will take your belongings to the room where you will be quartered, and I will return in no less than an hour."

"I'll hold onto the purse," Elise smiled as she thrust her suitcase toward Thor.

"Just know," Thor called as he neared the exit, "that I will seal these doors when I leave, and that you will be trapped here until I return."

"Is that a threat?" Elise retorted.

"Nay, it is a warning." With that, Thor was gone, and the door, presumably, was locked.

As soon as the heavy footsteps faded, Elise approached Loki again, and in her most professional demeanor, said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Laufeyson. I'm Elise Milton with Parmeri & Associates." She began to extend her hand for him to shake, but remembered the device immobilizing his wrists and thought better of it.

"That was thrilling," Loki commented. "No one dares speak to Thor that way."

"I'm not just a lawyer, Mr. Laufeyson," Elise quipped, "I'm a New Yorker, too." She looked around the room, and her eyes fell on the desk chair. "Do you mind if I sit?" she asked, gesturing to it.

"Splendid." Loki seemed to have come to life in Thor's absence. "And yes, of course you may."

"Thanks." Elise traversed the expansive tile, retrieved the chair, and brought it to where Loki was. She sat, crossing her legs, and prepared to discuss his defense. "Now, Mr. Laufeyson-"

"Loki, my dear," he corrected. "You may call me Loki."

"Right," Elise said, thrown-off. "Loki, there's a few approaches we could take here. Now, I'll be honest-"

"May I ask a question?"

"Yeah," said Elise, again caught off-guard by his interruption. "Shoot."

His question seemed sudden: "Are you wed?"

"Excuse me?" Elise replied, taken aback.

"I mean no offense," Loki laughed, "I simply must know whether my assumption is correct."

Though suspicious, Elise took the bait. "What's your assumption?"

"That you must not be." His teeth visible in the broadest of grins. "Midgardian men must be terrified of you."

"Loki," Elise began, rubbing her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, "right off the bat, that's inappropriate."

"Is it?" Loki feigned ignorance. "Then I will not say what I had planned to say next. Please, forgive me."

"It's fine," Elise assured him before moving on. "Why don't you tell me how you're feeling about this trial? What do you think?" Elise reached into her handbag for what notes she already had, and for a pen with which she could write more.

"How do I feel?" Loki paused momentarily. "I suppose I feel confused."

"What are you confused about?"

"I do not understand why the people in your realm are so eager for my return. Do they believe this punishment to be insufficient?"

"Well," Elise explained, "we believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and there are a lot of people who take that very literally."

"Is that so?" Loki seemed to look past her, wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"Yeah. And those of us who pay attention to international law, when we found out you were being extradited, we were surprised Germany didn't come up with the idea to extradite you first."

"Why such surprise?" Loki asked, his focus returning to Elise.

"Germany does a lot of extradition," she clarified. "Of course, nothing like this."

"I have another question for you."

"What is it?"

"What will become of me if I – or, rather, if we – lose?"

Elise took a moment to gather her thoughts. She needed to tread lightly. Although almost all the rest of Parmeri & Associates was hard at work devising a strategy to have charges reduced or, conversely, to ensure that what Loki was charged with was difficult to prove, the subject of the death penalty would have to come up. But rather than broaching the subject then and there, Elise simply said, "It depends."

"It depends upon what?" Loki pressed.

"On plea bargaining."

"Please, explain."

"Our basic goal with plea bargaining is going to be to convince the prosecutor to dismiss or lower your charges in exchange for a guilty plea from you."

This concept appeared not to resonate well with Loki. "But then, will I not be proven guilty?"

"Well, yes," Elise said, "but you won't be proven guilty of nearly as much. Or at least that's the goal."

Loki frowned. "I would rather be found guilty of nothing."

"That's the other option," Elise informed him. "We're half-expecting the prosecution to try to stick you with something unprecedented, like genocide.

"I fail to see how that is an option."

Loki seemed to be growing frustrated already, Elise noticed. That made her uncomfortable, but she proceeded as if it didn't. "Well," she said, "the good thing about that is this: the more they charge you with, the higher their burden of proof. So that means a jury's less likely to find you guilty."

Loki sighed. "You sound very capable," he mumbled.

"Thank you," Elise said. "Now, let's-"

"Let us talk about something more pleasant."

"Sorry?"

"I am weary of discussing what cannot be undone."

"We have to talk about it, though." Elise didn't want to talk about anything other than what was required, and, cloistered in this room, she had to talk about something. She was already uneasy, and a change of subject would make her more so.

The way Loki looked at her when she attempted to reject his request to talk about pleasant things was pitiful. He seemed hurt. "I am alone here at all times, excepting meals," he said. "And even then, I am the constant subject of Thor's reprimands. He has instructed the guards not to speak with me. Even Frigga refuses to see me."

Elise couldn't help but feel badly for him. "I'm sorry," she said, not knowing what else to say. She had dealt with criminals before, but none whose alleged crimes were so violent and serious, but also none for whom she felt real sympathy. Parmeri & Associates' clientele was largely comprised of conniving executives, people in an untouchable pay grade, none of whom were remorseful for their frauds, and none of whom faced a death sentence. And when she was honest with herself, she knew that Loki would be convicted. She knew – though trials like these could drag on and on – that his time was limited.

For a second, her heart go the best of her head. "I guess it would be okay if we talked about something else for a while."

Loki perked up, and Elise thought she saw something sinister flash behind his eyes.

"Tell me about yourself," he said, quiet, but not timid.

"What do you want to know about?"

"Anything. Tell me anything."

Elise thought for a moment about what information was not sensitive. "I think I already told you that I live in New York," she stalled.

"Yes," Loki confirmed. "Is that where you were born?"

"No," Elise said, "I was born in New Jersey."

"Truthfully," Loki said, his smile recovered, "I am not familiar with New Jersey."

"There's no need to be," Elise joked. "It's an armpit."

"An armpit?"

"Yeah, it sucks."

"Pardon?"

"Sorry." Elise had forgotten just how different her vernacular was from his. "I'm trying to say New Jersey isn't a very nice place."

"I see..." Loki trailed off, and his eyes darted everywhere until he found his next question. "What do you keep in that bag?" he asked.

"This?" His question was so innocuous. Elise lifted her handbag into her lap and looked inside. "Today I've got notes about your case, printed-out e-mails about your case, a memorandum about your case..."

"Do you have anything in there that does not pertain to me?" Loki teased.

Elise stopped rummaging through her bag momentarily, having noticed something odd about his inflection, or his phrasing, something almost imperceptible. Surely, though, she was just nervous or over-sensitive. "Speaking of which..." she muttered to herself as she resumed the journey to the bottom of her handbag and encountered the pills she'd packed.

Loki heard her. "Hm?"

"Nothing," Elise said. "Just remembered something."

"What did you remember?"

"Really, nothing import-"

"Ouch!" Loki flinched, curling up his fingers and tensing.

"What's wrong?" Elise asked. "Are you okay?"

"Forgive me," he said, raising his bound forearms. "The restraints are painful at times."

"Are they? How so?"

"They prickle my skin." He straightened his elbows to give Elise a closer look at the contraption. "Do you see the light they emit?"

"Yeah."

"That is more than simply light. It is energy. It is meant to stun me."

Elise shook her head. "That doesn't seem right."

"I suppose it is not the worst that could have befallen me," Loki said, resting his hands in his lap. "But it does cause me considerable discomfort."

"Let me get some things straight," said Elise, concerned. "They keep you locked in here all day long?"

"They do."

"And they keep this thing on your wrists the whole time?"

"Not when I eat," Loki admitted. "But then, I am shadowed by guards."

Elise considered this, and asked one more thing: "Are they allowing you to shower? To take care of your hygienic needs?"

Hesitant and bitter, Loki answered. "When Thor remembers, or when I protest loudly enough."

Elise frowned. "That's... not okay."

"Pardon?"

"There's no way that's considered a reasonable degree of restraint," Elise explained. "I'm not sure what the rules are exactly, but..." she stopped to think before saying more.

"But what?" Loki urged. "Is this impermissible?"

"I think so. I-"

At that moment, the doors swung open. Loki's demeanor immediately darkened as Thor entered.

"An hour has passed," Thor announced. "Elise, you may go to your room now, if you wish."

Elise leaned toward Loki, placing her hand gently on his upper arm, and whispered to him: "I'll see what I can do about this."

"Thank you," he returned in the quietest audible voice.