When Doctor Washington returned to her bedside, Elise broke the news.

"I'm leaving tonight," she said. "I guess I'm going with Agent Hill."

"Are you sure?" the doctor asked. "You really shouldn't be up and about until you feel well enough. It's safer if you stay."

"I have to go," Elise replied as she sat up, feeling woozy. "I made a deal."

"I won't tell you what to do," Doctor Washington said, "but I am going to have to ask you to sign an agreement releasing the hospital of any liability."

"I figured." Elise stood. She teetered, uneasy on her feet, but she eventually found her balance.

"I'm also going to get you the number for that shelter we talked about," the doctor added. "It would make me feel a lot better if you promised to call."

"Oh. Don't bother," Elise said. She focused on her effort to stand up straight and steady. "I can handle this. I'm gonna talk to him tonight."

The doctor seemed surprised. "Don't do that," she said. "I'm saying that on a personal level, one woman to another. Please don't do that."

"What else am I gonna do?" Elise said, nonchalant but for the weariness in her voice. "Actually, never mind. Can you just get me that waiver?"

"I really don't feel comfortable with this."

"Just get me the waiver," Elise repeated. "It's not your problem anymore."

Doctor Washington nodded gravely, then left without another word.

While she waited, Elise found time to reflect on the circumstances into which she had been pushed. She was afraid to be in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody, and she worried that Agent Hill wouldn't keep her promise. She wondered what Loki would say, and she wondered what he expected from her. She knew she was in trouble – serious trouble - but somehow, she found herself more concerned about what would happen to him. She hoped that he had a plan. He just had to. And this time, she told herself, she would recognize her doubts for what they were: just doubts.

The doctor returned with a clipboard and a business card. "Sign here," she instructed as she entrusted to Elise the waiver and a pen. She then handed over the card. "This is the number for the shelter. Give them a call when you're ready."

"Thanks," Elise said as she signed the form and pocketed the card.

"Now, don't rush your recovery," the doctor advised. "Concussions are hard to gauge. Some people feel better in as little as a week, others don't feel completely normal for months. If you-"

The doctor's speech was interrupted when Agent Hill entered the room toting a set of handcuffs. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"Hold on, I'm not finished," Doctor Washington said. "If you have another head injury, even if you think it's minor, come right back. Don't take any chances. Other than that, get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, take time off of work if you need to..." She paused. "And keep that number handy, okay?"

"Okay." Elise turned to Agent Hill, took a deep breath, and said, "I think I'm ready."

"Turn around," Hill said. "Hands behind your back."

Elise frowned. "You're really gonna handcuff me?"

Hill nodded. "That's protocol."

"Can you skip it?" Elise requested. "I won't do anything, I swear."

"Sorry," Hill said as she turned Elise and tightened the cuffs around her wrists. "It's a necessary precaution."

Elise cringed as the metal pressed into the wound on her arm, stinging her skin. She watched as Agent Hill touched her fingers to her ear and, apparently, a small radio.

"Milton is in custody," Hill said quietly. "Stand down. We're coming up."

"Up?" Elise questioned as Hill ushered her out of the emergency room and toward a well-concealed staircase.

"Yes," the Agent confirmed. "I know your doctor wouldn't like it, but we're taking a helicopter."

"Oh."

They walked several flights of stairs, and by the time they reached the roof, Elise was exhausted, dizzy, and sick. When she saw the whirling blades of the chopper, she thought she was going to throw up.

"Give me a sec," Elise panted as she closed her eyes and bent slightly at the waist.

"What's wrong?" Hill asked, still holding onto Elise's upper arm.

"I just... oh, God." She closed her eyes and breathed, deeply and rhythmically, until the anxiety and nausea subsided. "Okay. I'm good."

Agent Hill helped Elise into the aircraft, then seated herself before they took off. The flight was turbulent, and Elise struggled to keep her head still as Hill persisted, questioning and prodding and digging for information.

"How did it happen?" she asked.

"What?"

"How did he convince you to carry a bomb into a hospital?"

Elise rubbed her aching temple. "I didn't know what it was."

"So you admit it, then?" Hill pushed. "You did deliver the bomb."

"I'm not confessing to anything, if that's what you want me to do."

"Alright." Hill leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. "Then tell me about your relationship with Loki."

"No," Elise replied curtly. "Not a chance."

"Why not?" Hill said. "Is there something you want to hide?"

"You want me to incriminate myself."

"Well, as far as your indiscretion goes, Loki's already done that for you."

"You're full of it," Elise spat.

"Less so than you'd think." Hill leaned forward and lowered her voice. "He's got some sick ideas, and he's not afraid to broadcast them. Some of it even made my skin crawl."

"Stop."

"I don't know if he's just saying this stuff just to derail our interviews, or..."

"Stop it."

"But either way, he's got some plans that involve you, and they're all creepy, to say the least."

"Cut it out!" Elise screamed, losing her self-control. "My God, do you think I'm fucking stupid?" The volume of her own voice sent a lightning-like shock through her forehead. "You're awful,"

she said, cringing at the pain. "You people are all awful."

Agent Hill just sat back and stared for a few tense seconds. "It's a shame that you think that." Her tone was shaded with a contrived calm. "We were planning on helping you."

Elise closed her eyes rested her head on the back of her seat. "What are you going to help me with?"

"With the charges that will inevitably be brought against you," Hill replied. "S.H.I.E.L.D. could get those charges dropped."

"But you want me to roll over on Loki, or whatever."

"That's the gist of it."

Elise considered the consequences of that proposition. On the one hand, she could have been a hero. Loki had told her what he had planned, and he hadn't exactly been kind to her, after all. She could have passed his information on to Agent Hill and S.H.I.E.L.D. She could have liberated herself from guilt. But what if S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't as powerful as they said they were? Elise knew too little about them. What if they couldn't hold Loki? Neither option was without its risks, she thought. At worst, if she kept her mouth shut, she would take her chances at trial. But if she gambled with Loki's temper...

"It's a pretty easy decision," Hill said.

"It's not," Elise replied.

"What's making it hard?"

Honestly, Elise wasn't sure. "I told him I loved him," she said. "I can't just turn on him."

"You can," Hill said, "and you should. You're not in love. You're a hostage, and you're sympathizing with your captor."

The helicopter shook in the wind, and Elise groaned. "I have to think."

"There's not a lot of time for that." Hill craned her neck to steal a glance at the cockpit. "Look at it this way. How long have you known him? A week?"

"Yeah," Elise admitted. "About a week."

"And how long and hard have you been working to get to where you are? Professionally, I mean."

"Years," Elise responded. "Years and years."

"Are you willing to throw that all away for someone you barely know?"

Elise paused. "But what happens to Loki?"

Hill shrugged. "I still don't understand why you care."

The aircraft landed, but not on the ground, and not outside. They stepped out into what appeared to be a small hangar, and Agent Hill escorted Elise through the halls into a control room full of expensive-looking technology. Fury stood at the center, surrounded by several monitors, and he turned when they arrived.

"Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D., Elise," he said, not pleasantly. "I'm so glad you decided to join us."

"Director," said Agent Hill, sounding uneasy, "I had to promise her something to get her to come."

Fury glared. "What?"

Hill took a breath. "Sir, I told her she could talk to Loki."

He shook his head and pressed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "And what made you think that was a good idea?"

"Sir," Hill said, "you said to do whatever I had to do to get her here. That's what I had to do."

"Do the interview first," he instructed as he turned to view something on one of the monitors, "then she can see him."

"I'm not saying anything until I see him," Elise said.

Fury wheeled around. "What did you say?" he growled.

"I want to talk to him before I talk to anyone else," Elise answered. "You're not getting anything from me until I see Loki."

"Fine. Have it your way," Fury replied, clearly displeased. He turned away again and became busy. "Keep it short."

With her hands still bound behind her back, Elise followed Agent Hill through two heavy, air-tight doors, but before they proceeded through the third, Hill stopped.

"Here's the situation," she said as she removed Elise's handcuffs. "We're holding Loki in a secure cell. He'll be able to hear you, and you'll be able to hear him, but you'll be separated by a transparent panel. He can't break it, and he can't touch you. Should anything happen, there's a button on the opposite wall. You have to pound it with your fist. That'll send out a distress signal, and we'll get you out of there."

Elise was skeptical. "If he can't get out, why would you tell me that?"

"Just in case," Hill replied. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

The last door opened, and Agent Hill stayed behind while Elise went through. On her left, sure enough, was the panic button; on her right was Loki. He looked manic and tired. His hair was a mess, and his mouth was bent into a grin that pushed wrinkles into the corners of his eyes. When he caught sight of Elise, his smile evaporated, and he paced to the glass wall that separated them.

"Look," he said as he stole closer, "a visitor."

Elise just watched him, though he barely moved.

"What happened to you?" Loki asked blithely. "You look hurt."

"You hit me," Elise breathed. "You gave me a concussion."

"Then you do remember," he said, seemingly amused.

"But why?" Elise asked. "Why would you do that?"

"I had forgotten what fragile creatures mortals can be." He backed slightly away from the glass. "I could not have anticipated such a grave injury."

With her hands finally free, Elise touched two fingers to the side of her face to gauge the amount of swelling. "You shouldn't have done it, anyway," she mumbled.

"You shouldn't have given me a reason to do it," he sneered.

With Loki rendered harmless, Elise's confidence grew, and so did her anger. "You shouldn't be starting a third World War," she said. "You shouldn't even be here. You should be waiting for your trial like everyone else does. You should-"

Loki lurched forward and bashed the glass panel with both fists, shaking the cell. "You cannot give orders to me," he yelled. "These people, these mortals, they say that I will never escape. Is that not what they tell you? They are gravely mistaken. They know not my power. They know not what I have planned!"

Elise backed toward the wall and the panic button.

"You wouldn't dare," Loki hissed. "If you leave this place now, mark my words, you will regret ever having trifled with a god."

"So what do you want?" Elise responded as she tried to steady her trembling hands. "You just want me to stand here so you can yell at me?"

"Not quite." His wicked smile returned. "You will stand there and listen as I tell you what you must do next."

"What's there to do?" she replied. "This is over."

"This is not at all over." He laughed darkly, but then he was serious. "Lift your shirt."

"What?" Elise exclaimed. "That? Here?"

"No, Elise, you insipid harlot," he said, exasperated. "I wish to know whether they have burdened you with some device or another, something that might give them ears within these walls."

"Oh." Somewhat embarrassed, she entertained his request, turning as she did. "There's nothing on me."

"Good," Loki said as Elise covered herself back up. "Now, listen well. The Tesseract, in part, is still in my possession."

"In part?"

"Yes." His eyes darted left and right. "Though the relic itself is still mine, much of its power has been stored. I know not precisely how they did it, but my allies have found a way. Clever men, they are."

Elise was newly worried. "You're still dealing with North Korea?"

"Not exactly," Loki said, beginning to wander around his cell. "My work is done. The rest is in their hands. Now, the-"

"But wait," Elise protested feverishly, "that's it? Couldn't you call it off? They might let you go if you do."

He laughed. "But why, on the eve of my ascent to the throne that is rightfully mine, would I do that?"

"Humanity," Elise said. "People are going to die horribly. Don't you care?"

"Humanity?" Loki repeated the word as though it were unfamiliar. "I am not human. I have no need for humanity." He returned to glass near Elise before he went on. "As I was saying, the Tesseract is not whole. It could take days for it to reach its full strength again, or it could take longer yet. For now, however... well, we cannot simply wait here for the old relic to regenerate, can we?"

Elise couldn't be sure whether her injured brain was causing her to misunderstand him or if he truly intended to escape. "We're up in the air," she said. "Even if you can get out, where will you go?"

"We will go someplace safe." Loki touched his fingertips to the glass. "Someplace remote. But given your apparent sensitivity, we will not do that until the floating fortress is closer to the ground." He smirked. "What goes up must always come down, must it not?"

"But what after that?" Elise asked. "You don't have a plan, do you?"

His mood took a turn; his hand clenched into a fist and his forehead wrinkled. "I always have a plan, little girl, and today is no exception. If you would simply silence yourself, I would tell you what you must do."

She hesitated for a moment, but finally, perhaps misguidedly, Elise spoke her mind. "Why should I do anything for you?"

"What?" Loki snarled through gritted teeth.

Though she was frightened and queasy, Elise didn't relent. "You moved into my apartment, you started controlling my life, you got me involved with things I wanted no part of, you ruined my career, and then - just for good measure, I guess - you put me in the hospital. You could have killed me! Why should I-"

"You think I was trying to kill you, do you?" The look on Loki's face became sinister, and he assumed an aggressive posture. "No, Elise," he growled, "had I wanted to kill you, you would be long dead." His gaze settled squarely on her. "You now know what one of my hands can do to your head, and if you do not wish to discover what two can do to your neck, you will do exactly as I ask. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less."

That threat was enough for Elise. "Okay," she whispered, hoping that her quiet would have a cooling effect on his temper. "Just relax. I guess I didn't mean it."

"Do not test me," he cautioned. "Are you prepared to do my bidding?"

Elise nodded, and her head felt full.

"Good." Loki clasped his hands together and brought his fingertips to his lips, casting his eyes downward as if he were praying. He sighed as he let his arms fall to his sides. "When you leave here, they will undoubtedly question you. What will you say?"

"Nothing without a lawyer present," Elise replied quickly. "I know how these interviews work."

He laughed sarcastically. "Very clever," he said. "But you are a lawyer. Do you mean to say that you will cooperate with them?"

"No, of course not," Elise said. "I wasn't trying to be snarky, just... never mind."

"I need your word," Loki pushed. "No matter what horrors they threaten, you are to be silent. Is that clear?"

"Horrors?" Elise's brow wrinkled with fear. "Do they... they aren't torturing people, are they?"

"I assure you, they are not above it," said Loki. "For someone who claims such experience, you seem not to understand the lengths to which others might go in order to fulfill their desires."

"It's just surreal, that's all."

"No. This is reality." Loki's eyes scanned Elise slowly, from her feet up to her battered face. "Is it not terrible? Would it not be better for me to shield you from it?"

"How can you?" she asked despondently. "You're locked up."

"Not for long." He stared out from behind the glass as if he could see his plan materializing before him. "All you must do for now is keep quiet. Let them believe that you are blind and deaf to my intentions. Then, when the time comes, simply follow me."

"But where?"

Before Loki could answer, the door to Elise's right opened, and in walked Agent Hill, handcuffs dangling from her fingers.

"Time's up," Hill said. She wrestled Elise's arms behind her back and tightened the cuffs around them.

"What a shame," Loki remarked from his cell.

Agent Hill sighed. "What now, Loki?"

"My woman is in chains," he replied, "but what good is that if you won't allow me near her?"

"Sick freak," Hill mumbled as she pushed Elise through the exit.

"What, are you jealous?" Loki heckled as they left. "Perhaps you'd like to join us in bed next time."

"Disgusting," Agent Hill said as the first door shut behind them with a clunk. "Absolutely disgusting."

"He's just joking," Elise replied.

"You think that's funny?"

"Kind of."

"You don't have to defend him, you know," Agent Hill said. "He's done for."

"If he was done for," Elise argued, "you wouldn't need me."

They walked in silence until they arrived at their destination.

"We're keeping you in the infirmary," Hill said. She gestured for Elise to take a seat on a cot similar to the ones at the hospital. "You're not gonna run, are you?"

"Nope," Elise said. "Nowhere to go."

"I'm locking the door anyway," Hill said as she crossed the floor to the exit. "I'll be right back. Sit tight."

While she waited, Elise noticed several things about the dimly-lit room. For one, the cot on which she sat was fitted with restraints. The surgical implements on the table beside her were also unsettling. Perhaps Loki was right, she thought; perhaps S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interrogation techniques were "enhanced." She squirmed as she envisioned several horrific scenarios.

When Agent Hill returned, she carried a clipboard, and she was accompanied by an unhappy-looking Nick Fury.

"Let's chat," Fury said, folding his arms in front of him. "How's your head?"

"Little better," Elise said. "Not great."

"Glad to hear it." He didn't seem glad. "Why don't you start by explaining how Loki escaped from Asgard?"

"I don't know how he escaped," Elise fibbed. "I wasn't involved with that."

"Is that so?" Fury said. "Then why does Thor seem to think it's all your fault?"

"He's wrong."

Fury scowled, obviously dissatisfied with her answers. "Hill," he said, "let me see that for a minute."

Hill passed him the clipboard, and Fury flipped through the papers it held.

"You wanna know what turned up on Jane Foster's toxicology screen when she finally made it to a hospital?" he asked.

"Not really," Elise replied.

"I'm gonna tell you anyway." He turned the page in search of something. "Benzodiazepines."

"Why do you have her medical records?"

"I've got yours, too," Fury responded. "Everything from the past five years. Says here you've got a bad case of anxiety."

"That's confidential," Elise protested.

"Must be tough. Those panic attacks are a bitch, aren't they?" Fury looked up from the clipboard. "Good thing your doctor prescribed you diazepam."

"Excuse me?"

"Valium, Elise," Fury said. "Jane's never taken Valium. Thor doesn't even know what it is. You were the only person in Asgard with a prescription for it."

"What are you implying?" Elise asked.

"Well, Miss Foster wants to press charges, so I'm going to assume she didn't ask you for pills."

"You think I drugged her?"

"I think Loki drugged her," Fury said, "but I think you gave him the drugs."

Elise didn't believe what she was hearing. She wanted to tell him what happened, to distance herself from the crime that she knew had occurred, but she couldn't. Not without pointing a finger at Loki.

"But that's the least of your worries," Fury continued. "I'm not a cop, and I'm not a lawyer, but I've done a little research. You're probably looking at attempted murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism, maybe treason... definitely some kind of attorney misconduct, if nothing else sticks."

"I can explain..."

"Then explain."

Elise hesitated. "What do you want me to say?"

"I'll be completely honest with you," Fury said. "S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't concerned with any sort of criminal investigation. The only thing we're concerned with is stopping Loki in his tracks. We can make everything else go away as long as you tell us whatever he's told you."

"You don't get it," Elise said. Her head was beginning to hurt her again. "It's not that simple."

"It's only as complicated as you wanna make it." Fury handed the clipboard back to Agent Hill. "Why don't you just tell me what you were doing at that hospital?"

"I had a concussion."

"Not that hospital," Fury said. "The other one. The one in Queens."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elise lied. There truly was no way to explain that great a lapse in judgment.

Fury's tone became more accusatory. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. The surveillance camera caught everything. You went in with a box, and you came out without one. What happened there?"

"I didn't know what it was," Elise said before she could stop herself. "I had no idea."

"You know now, don't you?" Fury replied. "Who drove you there?"

"I don't know."

"Who gave you the box?"

"I can't say."

"Loki gave you the box!" Fury shouted. "It was Loki, wasn't it?"

"No!" It wasn't true, but the response came quickly.

Fury touched his fingers to his temple and shut his eye as if he, too, had a headache. "Hill, I thought you said she was ready to cooperate."

"She was, sir," Agent Hill said.

Fury looked back to Elise. "But then she talked to Loki."

Hill nodded. "Right."

"What did he say to you in there?" Fury asked Elise.

"Nothing," she replied quietly.

"It's never nothing," Fury said. "You need to tell me what he said to you." He took a step toward Elise and pointed a finger at her as he stared her down. "Right now."

The small act of aggression made Elise shut down. If they were planning to torture her, it was going to start now, she assumed. Her face went red and her lips curled in, and she blinked to stop tears from cracking her stony demeanor. She took a deep breath before she said: "I couldn't help you even if I wanted to."

The words seemed to irritate Fury further. He turned away, his hands forming fists, and with one, pounded the wall. "God damn it," he roared. He sighed, then returned to Elise. "Since you don't seem to care about anything else, let me put this another way. You got a family?"

"Yeah," said Elise.

"Well, pretty soon, you might not."

"So now you're going after my family?"

"Not us," Fury said. "Your boyfriend's got a thing for indiscriminate killing."

"He's not my boyfriend," Elise mumbled.

"Of all the words in that sentence, that's the one that bugs you?" said Fury. "Do you not understand that every major city on earth is a target? Or do you just not care?"

"Of course I care!" Elise shouted.

"But you're too selfish to do anything," Fury said. "You're too scared of what Loki might do to you. But I'll let you in on a little secret: we've taken him down once, and if he makes a move, we'll take him down again. It's up to you if you wanna go down with him, but I'm offering you a way out. You tell us what he has planned, and Loki won't be able to touch you. You'll have S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection, and we'll make sure you don't go to prison for life."

It was either too good to be true, Elise thought, or S.H.I.E.L.D. was absolutely terrified of Loki. "Can you really do all that?"

"We sure can," Fury replied. "Sounds good, doesn't it?"

Their conversation was interrupted by a heavy pounding on the metal door.

"Open this door immediately!"

Elise recognized the clear, dense voice. Her stomach twisted into an ugly knot. It was Thor.

"Thor?" Agent Hill called. "What's going on?"

"She needs help!" Thor shouted from outside. "Open the door!"

Hill pressed a button, the door sprung open, and Thor rushed in with an unconscious woman slung over his shoulder.

"Loki has escaped, and he..." Thor approached the cot, but when he saw Elise, he stopped moving and stared at her, clearly confused. Elise couldn't stop staring at the person Thor was carrying. The woman he had with him was Elise, or at the very least, her doppelganger. She was an exact copy, right down to her scarred wrist. It wasn't a hallucination, Elise knew. Something was happening, and she waited, breathlessly, her hands still trapped in cuffs behind her back, to find out what.

"Is that Elise?" Thor finally asked.

"Is that Elise?" Hill replied.

"What is this, a prank?" said Fury. "You know we don't mess around here, Thor."

"This is no trick," Thor said, lowering his voice. "When I went to see my brother, he was gone, but Elise was in his cage, and she was hurt." Standing there, still holding the imposter, he looked ludicrous.

"So where's Loki?" Fury shouted as he started out into the corridor, followed closely by Agent Hill.

After a few moments, a siren sounded, sending a stabbing sensation through Elise's skull. She closed her eyes tightly, and when she opened them again, she saw the bewilderment in Thor's face give way to understanding. Suddenly, he threw Elise's copy to the ground beside the cot.

"Loki!" Thor bellowed. "Show yourself!"

The copy stood, apparently awake, and smiled. "Thor, you are as foolish as ever," it muttered in Elise's voice and Loki's cadence. It grasped Elise's arm, pulled her to her feet, and positioned her in front of itself before it changed its shape.

"Brother, you will not pass," Thor announced as he imposed himself in the doorway. "I will not allow it!"

"Is that so?" Loki said. "Then answer me this." He brought a hand to Elise's throat and dug his fingers in. "How much pressure do you suppose it would take to crush a mortal's neck?"

Elise wasn't convinced that he wouldn't follow through. Panic shook her legs as she gasped for breath; without Loki's support, she would have fallen.

"You would never do that to her," said Thor. "Not after all she has done for you."

"You know well that I would." Loki stepped toward the exit, pushing Elise in front of him. "My hand is quicker than yours. If you move toward me, I will kill her. Move out of my way, and she will remain unharmed." He chuckled. "Well, more or less unharmed."

Thor just stood in the doorway, indecisive, as Loki tightened his grip to choke Elise.

"Move," she rasped. "Fucking move."

Finally, Thor stood aside, his face wrinkled and tense with frustration. Loki's hand left Elise's neck and tangled itself in her hair as he walked, almost casually, toward the end of the hall.

"For those who have not heard," he shouted into the corridors, which were filling with guards and agents, every single one armed, "should anyone approach me, I will twist her head until every bone in her neck breaks."

As Elise's eyes darted from one face to another, she saw expressions filled with pity, confusion, and concentration. Some of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had already taken aim, and they seemed to be waiting for someone to say "fire."

"I've got a clear shot," someone said.

"Stand down," someone with more authority ordered. "The last thing we need is a dead civilian."

"Listen to your superiors," Loki proclaimed as he sidled up to an electronic panel that was home to a litany of buttons and levers. He pulled one lever, and the lights went out. He pulled another, and cold wind from outside forced its way into the Helicarrier as a door that spanned a large portion of the wall creaked open. Elise looked out; they were still far from the ground, but the Helicarrier appeared to be flying relatively low.

Loki backed toward the edge, and clutching her tightly, he took Elise with him as he fell.