As Elise made her way back to her seat, she made a point of shooting the prosecutor a mean look, but before she reached her destination, Mercure altered Elise's course.

"The United States calls Elise Milton to the stand."

Surprised and furious, Elise froze. What was Mercure thinking? She hadn't even attempted to conceal her betrayal, and now, moments later, she was trying to collect on her end of the bargain.

"Go on, Ms. Milton," Judge Dames urged. "Let's not delay this any further."

Slowly and carefully, Elise ascended to the seat reserved for witnesses, not taking her eyes off of Mercure even for a second. Somehow, suddenly, the prosecutor's strategy became clear: she was holding a gun to Elise's head. She was taking her freedom hostage. Now that the jury had seen the evidence of Elise's crimes, she needed an excuse. Whether it was an effective excuse was unimportant to the prosecutor, Elise knew; her testimony would further incriminate Loki, and whether or not she became a casualty in Mercure's campaign against him was of little concern. It was a sneaky, dirty move, but a clever one.

Mercure smiled, making a mockery of Elise without so much as a slight change in her tone of voice. "Hello again, Elise."

"Hi."

"I don't think I need to ask you to repeat your name for the jury, but could you please state your occupation?"

Elise sighed. "I'm an attorney."

"I see," said Mercure, half-heartedly feigning surprise. "Have you represented anyone who is present here today?"

"Yes."

"Could you point him out to us?"

"I represented Loki," Elise replied, gesturing toward him.

"And when was your attorney-client relationship with Mr. Laufeyson terminated?"

Elise paused to think before she gave her answer. "I'm... not exactly sure, actually."

"And why is that?"

"Well..." She swallowed hard and glanced at Loki. He was watching her intently, his expression stony and unchanging. She knew that look well. She was in trouble.

"Answer the question, Ms. Milton," Judge Dames scolded.

Elise took a deep breath and tried to sound like a lawyer. "Numerous complications arose in the course of my representation of Mr. Laufeyson."

Mercure gave a quick nod. "Then let's start at the beginning, shall we?"

"Okay."

"How did you first meet Loki?"

"I traveled to Asgard to meet with him. I stayed there for a couple of days."

"And what did you do there?"

"A lot of that is confidential."

"Just tell us whatever you can."

"Fine," said Elise. "I met with Loki almost immediately when I got there. We talked about his case. I met with him a couple more times before we went back to New York."

"Were you supposed to go back to New York with Mr. Laufeyson when you did?"

"No."

"Then why did you?"

"I was forced to."

"I see," said Mercure. "Who forced you, and how?"

"Loki did," Elise answered nervously. "He took my anxiety medication from my purse and used it to sedate everyone who could have stopped him, and then he grabbed me and took me back to my apartment."

"And what happened next?"

"That's when he started threatening me. He wouldn't let me leave, and he basically treated me like a slave."

Mercure pulled another glossy photograph from her briefcase. "Your Honor," she said, "I'd like to offer into evidence United States' Exhibit E, a photograph from Elise Milton's apartment."

"Admitted," Judge Dames said.

"Do you recognize the subject of this photograph?" Mercure asked as she handed the picture to Elise.

"Yes," Elise answered. "That's the door to my apartment in the left half of the picture, and that's the wall on the right."

"What happened to the wall? How did it become cracked?"

"That happened the first day Loki was there. He punched the wall."

"What were you doing when he punched the wall?"

"I was... giving him legal advice."

Mercure smirked. "You were trying to talk him into turning himself in."

"That's confidential."

"I understand," Mercure replied. "Now, did you continue to give him legal advice while he was occupying your apartment?"

"I did whatever I was asked to do," said Elise, her voice lowering in volume and timbre. "I really didn't have much of a choice."

"But, Elise, did you continue to give him legal advice?"

Elise shrugged and sighed. "I guess so. Occasionally, as needed."

"And did that continue even after you started having sex with him?"

"Excuse me?" Elise exclaimed, not having anticipated the question. She turned to Judge Dames. "I'd like to object to that."

"On what grounds?" the judge replied drowsily.

"Relevance. Leading."

"Overruled."

"What?"

"I said, 'overruled.' Answer the question."

"Okay, let me just make something clear," Elise prefaced. "I tried to recuse myself pretty much immediately, before any of that even happened."

"You tried?" Mercure parroted. "You tried, but you didn't succeed in recusing yourself?"

"Right," Elise replied, irritated. "Again, I'm telling you, I couldn't do anything he didn't personally sign off on. I was being threatened."

Perhaps realizing that her line of questioning was leading nowhere, Mercure changed course. "You mentioned that Loki 'threatened' you. How, exactly, did he do that?"

"It wasn't just threats," Elise clarified. "It was violence."

"Explain."

Elise held up her wrist so that the jurors could see her scarring wound. "See this?"

"Let the record show that the defendant is raising her hand," Judge Dames interjected.

"Loki did this," Elise testified. "He grabbed my arm, and it felt like he was burning it. When I went to the hospital, they said it looked like frostbite. I don't know how he did it, but that's what happened."

"You don't know how he did it," said Mercure, "but do you know why?"

"Because he's evil," Elise replied, aggravated.

"Perhaps," Mercure conceded, "but in this particular instance, was there anything that set him off?"

"I don't know. I probably looked at him the wrong way, or something."

Judge Dames interrupted once more. "Are you being facetious, Ms. Milton?"

"Barely," Elise answered gruffly.

"Your Honor," said Mercure, "if I may, I'd like to request permission to treat the witness as hostile."

"Absolutely," said the judge. "Permission granted."

"Really?" Elise exclaimed, forgetting decorum entirely. "You're gonna let her get away with that twice?"

"That's it, I've had it," said Judge Dames. "Ms. Milton, you're in contempt. You can look forward to spending the rest of this week in jail."

"What?"

"Perhaps now you'll think before you speak," the judge said, obviously satisfied with himself. "Whitney, you may proceed."

"Thank you, Your Honor," said Mercure. "Ms. Milton, is it true that you were intimate with your client?"

"Yeah," Elise sighed.

"And is it true that you initiated that intimacy?"

"Why are you focusing on that? What are you trying to prove?"

"Answer the question."

"Fine, yes, whatever," Elise growled.

"Did it occur to you, at any time, that you were violating an ethical obligation to your client?"

"I don't even know how to respond to that, Whitney."

"Just answer."

Elise threaded her fingers through her hair and pulled. "Yes, it occurred to me. Of course it occurred to me."

"But that didn't stop you, did it?" Mercure pushed. "You took advantage of your position, didn't you?"

"That's not even a question."

"Very well," said Mercure. "Then let's talk about something else. What happened to Shannon Smythe?"

"Who?"

"Oh, should I refresh your memory?" Mercure's heels clicked against the hard floor as she rushed to her briefcase for another piece of evidence. "I'd like to offer into evidence United States' Exhibit F, a photograph from the Allegheny crime scene."

"Admitted," the judge said without so much as glancing at the photo.

Mercure handed the picture to Elise. "Do you remember her now?" she demanded. "The young woman you murdered?"

"I didn't murder anyone," Elise insisted. "Loki broke her neck."

"And how do you know that?"

"I saw him do it!"

"Really?" Mercure continued calmly. "You just watched? You didn't intervene?"

"Of course not!" Elise shouted He broke her neck like she was made of glass! He would've killed me, too!"

"Are you sure you didn't play any role in the murder of Shannon Smythe?"

"I'm absolutely sure."

"It had nothing to do with Officer Rowcevski?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You were being chased, weren't you?" said Mercure. "That is why you killed him, isn't it? Or was that just for fun?"

"I told you," Elise replied, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, "I am not a murderer."

"Of course not. You just like to watch."

"I object to that!" Elise shouted.

"Withdrawn," Mercure chirped. "Ms. Milton, are you involved with sexual sadomasochism?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'll repeat the question: are you involved with sexual sadomasochism?"

"I heard you the first time," Elise replied, "but I'm not answering that. It's completely irrelevant. I object."

"Your Honor," Mercure said, "I assure you, I do not intend to waste this court's time with frivolous questions."

"Make it quick, Whitney," said the judge. "Ms. Milton, you may answer."

Elise rested her aching forehead in the palm of her hand. "No."

"Are you sure?" Mercure asked. "The violent and sexual nature of your crimes would suggest otherwise, wouldn't it?"

"Whitney, that's sick," Elise responded.

"I thought so, too, but isn't it possible that watching Loki commit these crimes fulfilled some sort of voyeuristic fantasy for you?"

"No!" Elise protested. "These questions are beyond unreasonable!"

"I agree," Judge Dames said. "Wrap it up, Whitney."

"I will," she said as she started toward her seat. "No further questions."

Skip Parmeri stood, but he didn't leave the table. "Just one question, 'Lise," he said. "In your experience as an attorney, is it ever a good idea to sleep with a client suspected of havin' diminished capacity?"

"Objection," Elise said, turning to the judge. "I'm not testifying as an expert on ethics."

"Sustained," said Judge Dames. "Is that your only question, Mr. Parmeri?"

"Yes, Your Honor," he said. "Thank you."

"You may return to your seat, Ms. Milton," said the judge.

Slowly and cautiously, Elise descended from the stand and made her way to her seat. As she made herself comfortable, she heard Parmeri chuckle at something Loki whispered.

Mercure rose once again. "Your Honor, as my final witness, I call Steven Rogers to the stand."

Moving quickly in a brown, tweed suit, Steve crossed the floor to the witness' chair beside the judge. Once seated, he buttoned his jacket, took a deep breath, and tapped his foot audibly on the floor.

"Mr. Rogers," said Mercure, "would you please state your name and occupation?"

"My name is Steve Rogers," he replied. "I'm currently unemployed, technically."

"Could you describe your history with Mr. Laufeyson?"

"Sure," said Steve. "I was recruited to be a part of a task force to handle supernatural threats, and-"

"The Avengers?" Mercure interrupted.

Steve hesitated. "Yes ma'am. And at that time, Loki was the threat. As for Elise, I-"

"Thank you." Clearly, Mercure wasn't planning on allowing Steve to derail her questioning. "And what was Loki doing when you first met him?"

"He was causing a scene in Stuttgart."

"Could you describe the scene?"

"Sure. He was standing over a crowd of kneeling people."

"And what did you do?"

"I apprehended him, with a little help."

"And then what?"

"Well, if I remember correctly, we wasted a lot of time fighting with each other – which was probably what Loki wanted – and by the time we figured out what he was trying to do, Loki was leading a full-scale invasion."

"Interesting," said Mercure. "And did you witness that invasion first-hand?"

"Yes," Steve answered. "From the ground below."

"So, you saw him cause the deaths of countless civilians and inflict millions of dollars in property damage in this very city?"

"Objection," Parmeri called. "Leading."

"Sustained."

Really? Elise thought. That's what you call "leading?"

"I'll rephrase," Mercure said. "Taking into consideration what you saw that day, would you call Mr. Laufeyson a dangerous individual?"

"Yes ma'am," said Steve.

"Can you give an example of something you saw that would lead you to such a conclusion?"

"Oh boy," Steve sighed. "Just one?"

Mercure smiled wickedly. "As many examples as you'd like."

"Right. Well..."

Steve went on to explain, calmly and in colorful detail, the events leading up to and comprising the infamous battle in New York City. Had the events not been widely known, Elise and all the others present in the courtroom might have disbelieved the more fantastical elements of Steve's account, particularly his testimony about the massive rift that darkened the sky and spat monsters into the air above the city streets.

"I remember it clear as crystal," Steve concluded. "Like it was yesterday."

"Thank you," Mercure said with a smirk. "No further questions."

"Wait," Steve blurted, "don't you wanna ask about-"

"No further questions," she repeated. "The prosecution rests."

Somewhat crestfallen, Steve remained at the stand and waited silently for Parmeri's cross-examination to begin. Elise hadn't been surprised by Mercure's duplicitousness, but she was aghast at the lengths the seasoned attorney was willing to go to in order to suppress what may have been, at that point, her only defense. Perhaps Whitney Mercure was confident enough in the evidence she had already extracted that she felt no need to pursue testimony regarding Loki's most recent ill behavior, and perhaps that decision was made in the interest of preserving her case against Elise. The strategy, Elise could understand, but Mercure's callousness was an extraordinary feat of cruelty.

"Steve Rogers," Parmeri greeted loudly as he approached the Captain. "Sounds like you know a whole heck of a lot about the finer points of my client's alleged plan for world domination. Is that accurate?"

"Yes, sir," replied Steve.

"So, then it wouldn't be too big a stretch to infer that you know a lot about my client as a person, would it?"

"I'm sorry, I'm confused by your wording."

"What I'm askin' is this: how much do ya know about Laufeyson's personal history?"

Steve paused briefly. "I know the highlights."

"'Course ya do," Parmeri said, "but everybody and their mother knows the highlights by now. Whaddaya know about about him that qualifies you to speak to his motives or his mental state?"

"Objection," Mercure interjected. "Scope."

"Sustained," ruled the judge.

"One more thing, Steve," said Parmeri. "You testified at length about the aliens you saw attacking the city, but where was Laufeyson while all this was happening?"

Steve paused once more to consider his response. "I had a duty to prevent innocent lives from being lost. I guess I was more focused on that at the time."

"And I'm sure the jury's gonna take that into consideration," said Parmeri. "Thanks. No further questions."

Once Parmeri was firmly planted in his chair, Judge Dames said, "Ms. Milton, your cross."

"Your Honor," said Elise, still seated, "I have no questions for this witness."

"In that case," said the judge, "I'm going to recommend a recess for lunch, if that's quite alright with all of you."

Elise heard the faint sound of a pen scratching on a piece of paper and, turning to her left, saw Cara slide a note to Parmeri across the surface of the table. Parmeri responded with a nod, and Cara stood.

"Your Honor," Cara said, "defendant's counsel would like to request that we forgo this recess."

"And why is that?" Judge Dames asked.

"We're only planning on calling two witnesses, and we have reason to believe that Ms. Milton will only be calling one."

"Two, Your Honor," Elise clarified. "But one of them is me."

Judge Dames pondered the proposition momentarily. "Here's what we'll do. We'll recess for twenty minutes. That way, our jurors can have a quick bite, and you all can stay here and prepare yourselves. How's that?"

The attorneys looked to one another, then nodded silently to indicate their agreement.

"Good," the judge said. "Then we are now in recess for twenty minutes."