After Fury and Pierce's (as far as they knew) private meeting, Thor and Loki were supplied with SHIELD level 3 security lanyards to wear around their necks, which gave them access to the mess hall, briefing rooms, and lodgings. Coulson was assigned to be their attaché for the duration of their visit to Earth, meaning that it was his job to explain their assignment to them and accompany them wherever they went.

They ate a fairly tasteless meal with him in the mess hall—Thor thinking wistfully of drinking with Erik Selvig and helping Jane cook breakfast as he ate an assortment of limp steamed vegetables, noodles in cheese sauce, and some kind of breaded meat that seemed unlikely to have come from an actual animal—before he showed them to their quarters. From ceiling to floor, everything in their adjoining rooms was a sterile white, but they were serviceable enough. Royalty Thor and Loki might be, but in their adventures they had spent many a night sleeping on nothing but bare ground (and it had only been days for Thor since he'd been crammed in a psychedelic party ship with a few thousand Aesir for several weeks); they were used to less than ideal sleeping arrangements.

In the morning, after a breakfast only slightly less bland than supper had been, Coulson gave them a limited tour of the Triskelion, introduced them to a few more SHIELD agents, and brought them to the briefing room. Thor had forgotten how rudimentary Midgardian technology was at this point. None of the screens could be manipulated by touch and all of the images were two-dimensional. Stark would be changing that soon.

"General Ross has been hunting this man for years based on the claim that he stole military secrets," said Coulson. Pictures of Banner and Ross occupied the whole of the main screen.

"Did he?" said Loki, his expression shrewd.

"Not in the traditional sense," said Coulson. "We're not talking about files or prototype defensive or offensive technology. These 'military secrets' are locked in Dr. Banner's own physiology. He was working with Ross on military-sponsored medical research. Ross wasn't honest about his goals, though, and if Dr. Banner had been fully informed, he probably wouldn't have participated, let alone volunteered himself as the first human test subject."

"What happened to him?" said Loki.

Coulson hesitated. "I'm guessing Norse culture borrowed a lot from you guys."

The brothers frowned and exchanged a glance. "Yes," said Thor. "Why?"

"Do you have berserkers?"

"We do," said Thor. Without seidr, he wasn't sure how Midgard could truly have berserkers, but he didn't challenge Coulson's use of the word. Perhaps the concept had merely come from their garbled myths.

"Good," said Coulson. "Then what I'm about to show you might not be that unfamiliar." He touched a button on his device, and the screen began to play somewhat poor quality, silent footage of an average-sized man transforming into a green, muscular monstrosity and wrecking a laboratory.

"By the old man's beard," said Loki. He sounded at least slightly impressed. "He survived that transformation?"

"He did," said Coulson. "And fortunately it wasn't permanent. Unfortunately, it wasn't the only time it happened. Dr. Banner realized that the military was more interested in duplicating this result for use in warfare than they were in curing him, and he's been on the run ever since. He's had a number of other incidents." Coulson touched another button, which brought up a map scattered with a handful of red dots, each paired with numbers of casualties, wounded, and the amount of property damage done in those locations. "But all our information is that he's done everything he can to prevent and minimize them. There's no denying that he's dangerous, but what Ross wants violates just about every ethical and human rights consideration there is."

"And what does SHIELD want?" said Thor.

"To get Dr. Banner the help he needs, whether that means treatment or space. Either way, that starts with keeping him away from Ross."

"I take it previous attempts to contain him have failed," said Loki.

"Every one," said Coulson. "And those tended to be where the most collateral damage happened. We're hoping you guys can do better."

"So our objectives would be to retrieve him in defiance of this general with minimal impact on people and property," said Thor.

"And the less Ross is able to learn about SHIELD's involvement, the better. The agency isn't on the best of terms with him."

The briefing continued for the remainder of the day, and even so, Thor could tell that SHIELD was keeping back a lot of information. Explanations of Banner's situation, while thorough in covering his recent movements and what he was capable of, carefully omitted the details of how he'd gotten into it, with only vague references to the botched experiment. Files on General Ross and his soldiers were even thinner—they were essentially only given their names, ranks, and photographs, so they would be able to recognize them and avoid drawing their attention.

Thor was perfectly confident that he and Loki could accomplish this mission, regardless of what SHIELD chose to keep from them, but he wished his own memories would be more useful. He and Banner had never really discussed events from before they met. For the most part, Banner had seemed content to listen to the rest of the Avengers' tales rather than contributing his own, and he had done the same as a Revenger. Thor felt another pang at the thought of starting their friendship over again after everything he'd been through with the Banner of his time.

X

The initial plan was that they would be sent out "in the field," as Coulson put it, the following day, by which point SHIELD expected to have locked down Banner's location. However, they had just eaten another uninspiring meal in the mess hall when Coulson received a call on the odd communications device he used. Within the first few seconds of it, his spine stiffened and some of the mildness in his expression hardened. When he closed the device a moment later, Loki was watching him expectantly, and Thor said "What news?"

"We just got a bead on Banner's location, but it's a bead Ross got over an hour ago."

"Then speed must be of the essence," said Loki.

"That it is. We'll be leaving from the hangar in fifteen minutes."

Precisely a quarter of an hour later, they were boarding the same aircraft from the previous day. Barton and Sitwell were there again, but the pilot was someone new. The mortals strapped in. Loki and Thor didn't bother to follow suit.

"What can you tell us?" said Coulson as the pilot maneuvered the craft out of the hangar. He had to speak very loudly over the noise of its propulsion systems.

"We've piggybacked onto Ross's comms," said Barton. "They just raided the office of Dr. Samuel Sterns, alias Mr. Blue, and carried Banner out on a stretcher. We can't be sure what happened yet, but Sterns's lab is full of data and materials they want to requisition. The ranking officer on the scene is Major Kathleen Sparr, with Captain Emil Blonsky, UK Special Ops as her support."

"I thought Blonsky was in critical condition," said Coulson sharply.

"Apparently not," said Sitwell.

"Isn't Blonsky the one we watched Banner hurl into a tree in the video one of the young scholars recorded?" said Thor.

"Yep."

"And he's back at work?"

"Sounds like it."

Loki glanced at Thor, but Thor only looked bewildered. Clearly he had no knowledge of this Blonsky beyond what Coulson had told them in the briefing room, and no idea why he should prove so much less breakable than the average mortal man. However, that wasn't the most pressing piece of information at the moment. "If Ross already has Banner, then what can be done?" he asked. "Not that he would be much of an obstacle for us, but I'm assuming you don't want us incapacitating him and his soldiers."

"That would be a little less covert than we'd like this to go," said Coulson. "Right now, the plan is to get close and wait for an opening. But we now have the secondary objective of destroying the contents of that lab."

"We can't be sure Ross hasn't already taken some of it," said Sitwell. "Until we are, some of it will need to go back to HQ with us. Fitzsimmons can get working on countermeasures to whatever Ross's people do with it."

"Right," said Coulson. "We'll see what's there before we decide how much to send back to the lab."

As Coulson handed out small devices meant to be placed in the ear for the purposes of communicating as a team, Loki had to admire the insidiousness of this Hydra organization. Sitwell had just gained access to dangerous materials but proposed it in such a way that he kept Ross as the villain and SHIELD on the defensive, and Coulson and Barton hadn't so much as raised an eyebrow. Perhaps he and Thor could ensure that none of the contents of Sterns's laboratory survived. Working with SHIELD and against Hydra without appearing to do so and while the former remained ignorant of the latter's existence could prove very entertaining.

He turned to Thor and, using the nameless tongue, asked, "What more can you tell me of Banner before they drop us into this situation?"

"What do you mean? Coulson has told us more than I ever knew about him," said Thor, frowning.

Loki shot him an impatient look. "He gave us dry data, which is useful for tracking and fighting him but not for winning his loyalty. You were his friend."

The furrow between Thor's eyebrows deepened. "Above anything, Banner mislikes being used," he said slowly. "He appreciates those who respect him for his mind and don't fear him for something he can't help. The damage the Hulk has done weighs heavily upon him, so I do not recommend speaking of that in positive terms, no matter how impressive a warrior he may be. He's one of the most brilliant mortals I've ever known, but only as Banner. As the Hulk, his intelligence is akin to that of a beast—barely capable of speech and consumed by rage. We will have to make it extremely plain that we are fighting with him, not against."

"Even though if he makes an appearance, we will most likely be fighting him. How does that work?"

"We focus on protecting everything he might attack rather than directly attacking him. If we can get him somewhere clear of mortals, that can change. Gaining Banner's trust is how we will eventually gain the Hulk's."

Loki nodded. "Alright. But what about the fight? He can't be much of a challenge for us, can he?"

Thor grimaced.

"You cannot be serious," said Loki incredulously.

"He has come...close to besting me in battle," said Thor. "Do not underestimate his strength. Or his speed."

"Alright," said Loki. Thor's insistence that the Midgardians would be useful in upcoming conflicts was beginning to make sense. He was about to ask Thor about the Hulk's fighting techniques when there was a burst of sound from the speakers that were patched into Ross's operation, followed by a panicked voice.

"The Hulk is in the street! I repeat, the Hulk is in the street!"

All five of them sat up straighter and glanced at each other in alarm.

"That's impossible," said Ross's voice. "You get ahold of yourself, young man, you get it together!"

"121st Street, heading north on Broadway!" the soldier yelled.

"Damn it, give me eyes down there!"

"Yes sir!"

A video feed opened up on the screen behind the pilot, showing an enormous beige creature with grotesque muscles and a ridged spine wreaking havoc in a crowded street.

"What the Hel is that?" said Thor.

Loki stared at him. He didn't know?

"Travis, what's our ETA?" said Coulson, eyes fixed on the screen.

"Another seventeen minutes, sir!" said the pilot.

Coulson swore, and they watched the footage cut off midway through the bloodcurdling scream of the man recording the scene. "Okay, new objective. Whatever that thing is, if it's still standing when we get there, we've got to take it down or get it clear of the city. We'll have to worry about Banner and the lab later."

However, it wasn't long before the situation became even more complicated. Moments later, Sitwell held his hand to his ear and looked at Coulson. "We've got another situation."

"What is it?"

"A report from Agent Romanoff." Thor reacted to this name the same as he had to Coulson, Fury, Barton, and Hill. Another former friend, then. "It looks like Ivan Vanko's alive. The prototype Hammer Industries drones just went rogue in the middle of the Stark Expo, and so did Rhodes's suit. Their main target is Iron Man, but there are thousands of civilians in that park. Romanoff's going after Vanko. She's requesting backup."

"And I will provide it," said Thor, getting to his feet. "Where is this Stark Expo?" Everyone stared at him. "What?" he said. "You wanted to see what my brother and I can do? Watch closely." He summoned Mjolnir to his hand. "Tell me the way to the Expo, and open the back of this craft."

"The Expo's in Queens," said Barton while Coulson and Sitwell continued to gape. "Northeast of here. I'm guessing it's pretty hard to miss right now."

"Thor, wait!" said Loki, grabbing him by the arm. He used the nameless tongue. "You're going to leave me to face that creature you know nothing about alone?"

"Yes," he said. "You will be more than a match for it."

"How do you know that?" said Loki, irritated and feeling the first stirrings of panic. "This didn't happen the first time!"

"It doesn't matter," said Thor, grinning and clapping a hand to Loki's neck. "I have faith in you, Brother."

"Sap!" said Loki, shoving Thor away. He was still annoyed, but the panic had been replaced by a fiery determination. "Go, then!"

"I'm coming with you," said Barton, unfastening his restraints as the tail end of the craft opened and wind howled around them.

Coulson looked like he was about to object, but he didn't get the chance.

"Alright," said Thor.

"I'm not sure I'd recommend that," said Loki.

Barton shrugged and snapped a pair of goggles in place over his eyes. "What's Nat's channel?"

"Six," said Sitwell.

Barton tweaked something on his earpiece and Thor's, handed Thor's back to him, and set to work rigging up some kind of cable harness so that he didn't have to rely solely on the strength of his arms to hold onto Thor.

"Give Romanoff my best," said Coulson, having recovered his mild affect.

"Yes, sir," said Barton with a grin, and then he and Thor had jumped into open air. Barton gave a whoop and Thor began to spin Mjolnir until it blurred. Within seconds, they had flown out of sight.

In the relative quiet that settled in after the doors closed, Loki found himself the object of three stares, including the pilot's, who had turned around in his seat.

"So," said Coulson. "Can you fly too?"

I had to watch The Incredible Hulk one and a half times in preparation for writing this chapter and the next. (It's my least favorite of all the MCU movies, so that wasn't very fun, but this story is fun enough to make up for it.) Figuring out how to weave the endings of that and IM2 together in such a way that Thor and Loki would have to split up was really tricky, but it's super handy that one happens in Harlem and the other in Queens.

Originally, I thought Clint was going to parachute after Thor, but logistically that would not work at all, because he'd land miles away from Thor's destination. Luckily, he's crazy enough to do it this way instead.

I'm so excited for the next chapter, you guys. It's the reason I've been updating so quickly for the last few.