The following day, Elise shared a cab with Parmeri as she had before, but they parted ways once they were safely inside the courthouse. Elise waited just outside the courtroom for Whitney Mercure. Those allowed in the courthouse during the trial – only those there on official business – stared as they walked by, and Elise stared back until they looked away, winning the contest every time.

"Whitney!" Elise called when she spotted her.

Mercure, briefcase in hand, turned her head and waved, then made a beeline for Elise. "Good morning," she greeted. "You wanted to speak with me?"

"Yeah," Elise confirmed. "Bathroom again?"

Neither woman said a word as they proceeded down the hallway to the ladies' room, but as soon as they had jammed the door with one of Elise's crutches so that they wouldn't be interrupted, they spoke as though they had been waiting for years to do so.

"You do understand that I can't drop the charges, right?" Mercure said. "I have to save face."

"No, I get it," said Elise. "Just do whatever you can."

"On the phone last night, you said that you had a witness. Who is it?"

"It's the doctor who saw me at the hospital. She's willing to testify."

Mercure smiled a devilish smile. "And she knows everything?"

Elise shrugged. "She knows enough to sabotage his character."

"That's all I need. I've got enough evidence to nail him on every single charge." Mercure leaned against the bathroom wall and sighed, elated. "And you'll testify for me, won't you?"

"If you aren't planning to ambush me," Elise said, "then sure."

"No surprises," Mercure assured her. "In fact, let's go over those questions now." She propped up her briefcase on the nearest sink and opened it, selecting a yellow legal pad from the top of the pile of documents and flipping to the desired page. "Be careful with this first one: how did your relationship with Mr. Laufeyson become sexual?"

"Loki held me hostage in my own home," Elise replied confidently. "He came into my room one night, and I had a moment of weakness. It could have happened to anyone."

"Good," said Mercure. "Next question: what was the catalyst for your visit to the hospital?"

"Loki smacked me and knocked me out."

"You're going to have to use stronger language than that if you want this to look good," Mercure corrected. "You should get specific."

"Okay," said Elise, "he 'struck' me, with the back of his hand, and that resulted in a concussion."

"That's pretty good," Mercure said, "but you should call it a 'traumatic brain injury.' It sounds more serious."

"Can we just skip to the important parts?" Elise complained. "Ask me about the murders."

"Every part is important," said Mercure. "We're not even close to that point on the timeline yet. Answer this one: what symptoms resulted from your traumatic brain injury?"

"Loss of consciousness, confusion, nausea, pain..."

"Not good enough," Whitney coached.

"Really?"

"Not even close. He has to look like a monster. You know as well as I do that Parmeri has a decent case."

"Then how should I phrase it?" Elise sighed.

"Say, 'I was so fill-in-the-blank that I fill-in-the-blank.' You have to make the connection for the jury; you can't count on them to make it themselves."

Elise nodded. "Got it."

Mercure glanced at her watch. "It's already time to head out," she said, removing Elise's crutch from beneath the door handle and handing it to her. "Remember: monster, not maniac."

Mercure exited the bathroom first, and as she had the day before, Elise waited for some time to elapse before she joined her in the courtroom. The other occupants of the defendant's table were already seated, but this time, Parmeri occupied the contested seat beside Loki. Elise didn't make eye contact as she ambled into her seat.

Once again, when the clerk emerged from her hiding place and said, "All rise," all stood in anticipation of the judge's arrival.

"Good morning," Judge Dames said. "You may be seated."

The attorneys and the defendants were silent as they waited for the judge's next words.

"Today, we're going to continue with the prosecution's witnesses," he said. "Tomorrow, I'd like to move on, and as such, my tolerance for interruptions will be limited. Understood?"

"Yes, Your Honor," the attorneys responded.

"In that case, are there any matters we need to attend to before we begin?"

Whitney Mercure jumped up. "Your Honor, I'd like to request a sidebar with the attorneys for the defense, if that's alright."

"May I ask for what purpose?" Judge Dames asked.

"I'd like to include another witness," Mercure replied, glancing in Elise's direction.

"Keep it brief," the judge groaned as he motioned unenthusiastically for the attorneys to approach the bench.

The second all four attorneys were assembled, Parmeri opened his mouth. "Whaddaya want now, Whit? My soul?"

"Nothing of the sort," Mercure smiled. "Ms. Milton has agreed to testify."

"Nope," said Parmeri, shaking his head adamantly. "You should'a brought that up before we got here. No surprise witnesses."

The prosecutor's smile broadened. "Why not? Surely you must have another witness you'd like to add."

"Skip," Cara intervened, "what about the... um..."

"Right," Parmeri replied before turning back to Mercure. "Whitney, only way you're gettin' another witness is to bump one."

"Fine," said Mercure, folding her arms. "I'll bump Rogers."

Parmeri shook his head again. "It's gotta be the statement or the security guard."

Mercure pursed her lips then said, "Fine. Rob Cordero's statement is out."

"So you're goin' with the terrorism charge?" Parmeri taunted. "That's ambitious, Whit. Can't say I would'a made the same call."

"We can't all be competent attorneys," Mercure retorted venomously.

"Alright, alright," the judge finally interrupted. "No more bickering. If you've come to an agreement, we need to move on."

Mercure grinned at Parmeri and extended her hand. "Let's shake on it."

Parmeri rolled his eyes and gave his adversary's hand one hard shake before they all returned to their seats.

"Will the prosecution please call their next witness?" said Judge Dames.

"Your Honor, members of the jury, the United States calls Ji Sin to the stand."

At first, the name didn't ring any bells for Elise. She assumed that the witness being called had been a bystander, someone who would testify to the events that took place months earlier. However, when the short, black-suited man came into her field of vision, she remembered who he was. He was Ji, Loki's contact in North Korea and de facto interpreter. Her jaw dropped. Could he even be subpoenaed? She tried to recall the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Wasn't he being detained? If he was, then why did he look so smug?

"Agent Sin," Mercure began, "would you please state your name and occupation for the record?"

"My name is Ji Sin," he responded. The thick accent he had had two days prior had vanished. "Until recently, I was employed as a field agent with S.H.I.E.L.D."

Elise leaned forward and turned her head slightly to watch Loki react. He was shaking with anger, but his gaze was steady and fixed on Ji.

Mercure went on. "And what did that job entail?"

"Field agents investigate threats to homeland security, gather intelligence related to those threats, and intervene when necessary."

"Two days ago, that job brought you to Allegheny, is that correct?"

"That is correct."

"And why was that?"

"I've been working on a case involving extremists in Asia for the past year," Ji stated calmly, "and as fate would have it, there was some overlap between that case and Loki's."

"How so?"

"Well," said Ji, "I infiltrated a now-disbanded circle of rogue military officers and government officials in North Korea. They were of the belief that more needed to be done to exclude Western and capitalist influences, and they were essentially preparing to go to war. Just as we were about to spring the trap on them, though, Loki was spotted walking around in Pyongyang - looking dismally out of place, I might add, calling attention to himself without even trying – and he eventually made contact with this little splinter group."

"And what was the nature of Mr. Laufeyson's relationship with these people?"

"It was business-like, at first," said Ji, "but then he came forward with the Tesseract, which the group wanted to use to power their weapons, and he leveraged that to gain power. Up until yesterday, he was almost completely running the show."

"And what show was that, Mr. Sin?" Mercure asked, pacing the floor in front of the jurors. "What was Loki's 'inner circle' trying to accomplish?"

"Nuclear war," Ji testified, his voice darkening. "The group didn't agree with Loki on a lot of things, but they did agree that the world needed to be cleansed. They wanted to start over at year zero. I think that was what appealed to Loki about their message."

Elise could hear Loki muttering something under his breath.

"Easy," Parmeri whispered to him.

Loki emitted a noise that was half-sigh and half-growl before opening his balled fists and laying his palms flat on the table.

Mercure paid the tension at the defendants' table no mind and continued her line of questioning. "And did Loki give over control of this power source to this terrorist organization?"

"I wouldn't really call it an organization," said Ji, "but in short, yes. With the help of the scientists who were colluding with this group – I didn't mention this, and I can't really explain it, but the group was actually able to expand its contacts quite a bit once Loki joined them – anyway, Loki was able to divide the Tesseract's power. A decent portion of it stayed with him, in the cube, and the rest of it went into a sort of harness that was meant to keep it contained until it could be used."

Pensive, Mercure touched her finger to her chin and paused, making an odd, squished face as she considered what Ji had just said. "That's interesting," she eventually remarked. "You mention that this group expanded its network with Loki's help. Why do you think that was?"

"Objection," Parmeri interjected. "Calls for speculation."

The judge hesitated, then said, "Sustained."

"Let me rephrase that," said Mercure. "What steps did Loki take in order to strengthen this group?"

"In terms of making connections, he didn't really have to do much," Ji said. "My own analysis is that Loki is crazy enough to not care about being found out, but that doesn't impede his social ability. At all. He can actually be charming if you don't have a good reason not to trust him. He could sell water to a fish, that guy."

"Have you dealt with sociopaths in your tenure as a field agent, Mr. Sin?"

"I have."

"And what has become of them?"

"Some of them have been incarcerated or otherwise detained," Ji replied. "Some of them have been... incapacitated by other means."

"And how has that worked out so far?" Mercure said, facing the jury. "In terms of reducing the risk they pose to national security, I mean."

Ji smiled. "It's worked out very well."

Elise watched as Parmeri rested his head in his hands, seemingly resigned to his fate, his client's fate, and the fate of their case.

"Let's go back to the specifics of this plan for war," Mercure said. "Can you tell us how the agenda changed after Loki arrived?"

"Of course," said Ji. "At first, it was straightforward – a direct military strike on the United States, and possibly Canada. It would have failed. The strategy wasn't sound, and they didn't have the weapons they needed – not enough reach - but they were confident anyway. After Loki came in, though, he convinced them to plan for a proxy war, hitting targets in Asia, and then in Europe, and then in North America, turning other states against each other along the way. He wanted a global war, and these guys loved it. They thought they could make it look like the whole thing happened by accident, like they weren't behind it."

"And how would that have benefited Loki?"

"Objection," said Parmeri, lifting his head. "Speculation."

"Overruled."

"His motivations have always been selfish," Ji answered. "He didn't reveal this to the group, of course. The other day, though, before he was arrested, he expressed what I interpreted as contempt for humankind. He said, 'I answer to no man.' It was pretty obvious to me that-"

Suddenly, Loki was on his feet once more. "Traitor!" he yelled. "I will not tolerate this any longer!"

Without delay, Thor made himself heard. "Brother, calm yourself!"

Elise turned to see that Thor, too, was standing.

"Mr. Laufeyson," Judge Dames shouted, his face turning red. "What did I justsay less than an hour ago?"

"I have nothing more to lose, old man," Loki spat.

"That's great," the judge replied sarcastically, "because I'm holding you in contempt. Thirty days in jail."

Now, Parmeri was on his feet as well. "Your Honor," he yelled over the buzz of the spectators and jurors, "my client is mentally ill, he can't be held responsible for these-"

"If he's fit to stand trial, he can control his impulses," the judge responded angrily. "If you don't want thirty days as well, then I suggest that you sit down right this second. And you too, Mr. Odinson." He pointed the handle of his gavel at Thor. "You do not need to be in this courtroom today, and I won't think twice about having you thrown out."

Parmeri took the judge's suggestion, and so did Loki, but not without hesitation. The trial didn't continue until everyone was seated and silent.

Judge Dames inhaled deeply and exhaled a sigh. He mumbled something - possibly a prayer for speedier trial – before he spoke again. "Does the prosecution have any more questions for the witness?"

"Just a few more, if that's alright," Whitney Mercure replied quietly and confidently.

"Go on."

"Mr. Sin, let's talk about Allegheny." The interruption didn't seem to have shaken her; she asked her question as though it hadn't happened. "You were with Laufeyson at the location where he was eventually taken into custody, is that right?"

"That's right," Ji replied. "And Elise."

"Can you walk us through that series of events?"

"Yes, I can," Ji confirmed. "As agreed, I and some of the North Korean group's contacts in New York located Loki and picked him up along one of the major roads. We went straight to the nearest safe house. In the car, he and Elise had a bit of a confrontation."

"What type of confrontation?"

For the first time, Ji's testimony deviated from the official-sounding account he was giving. "Ah, it was... hard to watch. Really uncomfortable."

"How so?"

He shifted in his seat. "At first, it just seemed like he was flirting with her, but just weirdly aggressively. But then he started threatening her. Poor girl seemed like she was scared out of her mind, screaming and crying..."

Mercure turned to flash Elise a sly smirk before turning back to Ji. "Ms. Milton was crying?"

"Yes ma'am."

"It didn't seem like she wanted to be there, did it?"

"Not at all," Ji replied, shaking his head emphatically, "and when I talked to her before we went into the house, it didn't seem as though she had any idea who Loki was in business with or what he was planning."

"Thank you," Mercure said. "No further questions."

"Mr. Parmeri," the judge said as Mercure retook her seat, "your witness."

Parmeri stood and approached Ji. "Mr. Sin, had you had any contact with Elise Milton prior to this interaction?"

"No, sir."

"Were you aware that 'Lise suffers from panic attacks?"

"No."

"Isn't it possible that she overreacted to Mr. Laufeyson's alleged 'threats?' She could'a been havin' a panic attack, right?"

"I don't think so."

"Yes or no," Parmeri pushed.

"Alright. Yes, that is a possibility."

"You mentioned that you thought Laufeyson was crazy. Is that true?"

"I'm not a psychologist."

"Please, Mr. Sin, just answer the question."

Mercure calmly leaned back in her seat. She could have objected, but it seemed that she saw no need.

"Again, I suppose it's a possibility, but I can't answer that question with any certainty."

"You also mentioned that this alleged 'plan' wasn't gonna be effective. Doesn't that conflict with your assessment of Laufeyson as a threat?"

"I said the original plan wasn't going to be effective," Ji clarified. "Loki's plan could feasibly have worked, though."

Defeated, Parmeri paused and scratched his head, then said quietly, "No more questions."

"Ms. Milton," the judge asked, "any questions?"

Elise had many questions, but they were more for her own information than for the jury. "No, Your Honor," she said. "Thank you."

When Judge Dames gave her the nod, Whitney Mercure said, "The United States calls Neil Sexton."

Elise didn't recognize him, even when she turned to look. He was a fat, aging man, maybe Parmeri's age, maybe older. He wasn't wearing a jacket, and his tie was too wide and short. She stared at his face once he was seated at the stand, but still, she was clueless. She guessed that he had been an eyewitness to Loki's attack on New York, but he quickly proved her wrong when he answered Mercure's first question regarding name and occupation:

"Neil Sexton," he said. "I work security at Greystone Hills Children's Hospital."

Elise's heart felt uncomfortably heavy, and her legs felt liquid and useless. Until now, not a single witness had surprised her, but she had forgotten the hospital entrance and its many cameras. It dawned on her that her pact with Whitney might not have been sacrosanct; that notion settled firmly in the garbled gray matter between Elise's ears and remained there as Neil – sweaty, nervous, sent-by-the-agency, wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time Neil – gave his testimony.

"I was... um..." He wringed his hands anxiously and stared at them as he began to recount the events that took place on the night Elise carried out Loki's errand. "I was startin' my shift, and I went up to check out the cameras..."

"Are there cameras aimed on most areas of the hospital?" Mercure prompted.

"Yeah," Neil said with a quick nod. "You can see the whole place, pretty much."

"So you were able to see Elise enter the hospital?"

"Yeah. She was holdin' a package. But that's pretty normal."

"Normal, perhaps, if a loved one is staying at the hospital," said Mercure. "But did she come into contact with any patients while she was there?"

"Uh... no. Er, well, I didn't see her with anyone." Neil loosened his tie and exhaled a labored breath.

"Who did you see her with that night?"

"She, uh, she just went to the receptionist and dropped off that package."

"And who took the package after that?" Mercure pushed.

"One of the doctors," Neil answered. "Wen."

"'Wen' was the doctor's name, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"And where is Doctor Wen now?"

"I... uh..." Neil only seemed to grow more uncomfortable with each question. "He's, um, y'know. He died."

"Could you tell us when, where, and how, Mr. Sexton?"

"Y'know..." the security guard mumbled, his eyes cast downward. "Um... he tried to bomb the court building, uh... this building."

"He succeeded, didn't he?" Mercure suggested.

"Yeah," said Neil. "You can still see outside. It's not all fixed yet."

Mercure nodded, pressing a fingertip to her lips as she considered her next move. "Tell me, Mr. Sexton. What is your usual work schedule?"

"I'm full-time, so, uh, same shift every day, Sunday through Thursday."

"And was Doctor Wen's schedule similar to yours?"

"Um, yeah, basically. I was there when he came in, most of the time. Not that day, though. I was... uh, I was running late that one day."

"Had you ever seen him receive a package while at work before?"

Neil shook his head. "Nope. That was the only time, I think."

"I see," Mercure said. "Now, Neil, can you tell us what time Doctor Wen left the hospital that night?"

"Oh, uh, I dunno," Neil replied. "I left 'round four in the morning. He was still there when I left."

"So, you're saying that Doctor Wen didn't leave with that package until after four in the morning?"

"Um, yeah. I think so."

"I'm going to go through this one more time. Correct me if I'm wrong, Neil, alright?"

"Sure."

"You got to the hospital a little bit late – around nine-thirty – and as usual, you saw Doctor Wen. Is that right?"

"Yeah."

"You watched the security cameras for a little while, and you saw Elise Milton approach the building, carrying a mysterious parcel. She entered the building, went to the receptionist, and gave the package to her. Correct?"

"Yup."

"And the receptionist gave the package to Doctor Wen?"

"Uh, yeah, as far as I know."

"Your Honor," Mercure said, turning slightly to face the judge before walking quickly back to her table, "I'd like to offer United States' Exhibit D into evidence at this time." She extracted several glossy sheets of paper from her briefcase, returned to the judge, and handed them to him.

"And what are these?" the judge asked.

"These are stills captured by the security camera at Greystone Hills, Your Honor."

Judge Dames flipped through the photos nonchalantly before handing them back to Mercure. "Admitted," he said.

Mercure handed the photographs to Neil. "Do you recognize these, Mr. Sexton?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied with a nod. "It's pictures of, um, of the entrance to the hospital."

"Look at the first photograph in the series," Mercure instructed. "Who do you see entering the building?"

"Uh, Elise Milton."

"And what is she holding?"

"That package."

"And what is she doing in this photo?" Mercure said, taking the first photo from Neil's sweaty hands.

He stared at the second photo momentarily before answering. "It looks like she's leaving."

"And what is she holding?"

"Uh... what?"

"What is she holding, Mr. Sexton?"

"Um, nothin'. She's not holding anything."

"Take a look at the third photograph," said Mercure, taking the second picture from him. "Who do you see?"

"That's the doctor."

"Doctor Wen?"

"Uh, yeah."

"And what is he doing? Is he holding anything?"

"He's leaving," Neil answered. "And he's carrying the package from the other pictures."

"So you're saying that Elise Milton delivered a mysterious package to Doctor Wen the day before he was involved in a terrorist attack on this very building?"

"Objection," Parmeri interrupted. "Leading."

"Withdrawn," Mercure said with a smirk. "I have no further questions. Thank you, Mr. Sexton."

"You bet," he replied awkwardly.

As the prosecutor took her seat, the judge asked, "Mr. Parmeri, your cross."

Parmeri stood and meandered toward the witness. "I just have a couple of questions, Mr. Sexton."

"Okay," said Neil.

"First off," Parmeri began, "have you ever seen my client anywhere near your hospital?"

Neil shook his head. "Nope."

"And when 'Lise was at the hospital, did she give ya any reason to believe that she was associated with Mr. Laufeyson?"

"I, um, I don't... I don't understand the question."

"I'll rephrase it," Parmeri said. "You said Laufeyson's never been near that hospital. Right?"

"Uh, not that I know of."

"And he wasn't there when 'Lise was there, right?"

"Yeah... uh, I mean, no, he wasn't."

"And his name wasn't on that package, right?"

Neil shook his head. "Nope."

"So I'm askin' ya this: couldn't 'Lise have done it alone?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

"No further questions," Parmeri said, wearing a smug expression as he returned to his seat.

"Your cross, Ms. Milton," said Judge Dames.

Elise had been blindsided by Whitney Mercure's betrayal, and she hadn't expected Parmeri to go to such lengths to distance Loki from the attack on the courthouse, but she suppressed her anger and disappointment and gathered her crutches, approaching the witness as calmly and confidently as she could.

"Mr. Sexton," Elise began, "you say that you saw me enter the hospital and deliver a package, but did you hear my conversation with the receptionist?"

"I, uh..." Neil now seemed unbearably anxious, wiping sweat from his brown with his wrist. "I guess not."

"So, then, you probably didn't hear me ask her for help with a... medical situation. Right?"

"Uh, no. No I didn't."

"When people come to the hospital, they're usually there seeking medical attention. Correct?"

"Yeah."

"Then isn't it entirely possible that that's why I went to the hospital on that day?"

"Um, yeah, I guess..."

"And, Mr. Sexton," Elise continued, "did you ever see or handle the contents of the package that you claim I delivered to Doctor Wen?"

"Uh, um... no. I just..."

"Neither have I."

Mercure pounced. "Objection, Your Honor. She's testifying."

"Sustained," ruled Judge Dames. "The phrase 'neither have I' will be stricken from the record."

"In any event, Mr. Sexton," Elise went on, "not knowing what was in this box, can you say with any certainty that I brought a weapon into the hospital?"

The witness' eyes widened, and he became red.

"Answer the question, Neil," Elise pushed. "Go ahead."

He shrugged. "Uh, I guess I just... no."

"Would you consider yourself a good security guard, Mr. Sexton?" Elise asked. "Are you good at your job?"

"Uh-huh," Neil replied. "At least, I think so."

"Then it probably wouldn't escape you if someone were plotting a terrorist attack in the hospital where you work? Not on your watch, right?"

"I, um... uh..."

"Just answer the question."

"No," Neil blurted.

"You think you would have picked up on that kind of thing?"

"Sure," the witness replied, nodding emphatically. "I've been workin' at Greystone Hills for a long time."

Though not entirely satisfied with the cross-examination, Elise had run out of questions that would cast doubt on her involvement with Loki's plans.

"No further questions."