With trepidation, Alexis watched Elsie try to march herself toward the cell bravely. She would admit the man that was her bonded looked particularly menacing in his cell. They had removed his cuffs foolishly, perhaps in an attempt to seem merciful. She glanced as Natasha moved over to Elsie and whispered something in her ear, causing her friend to look slightly mortified, and knew, in the end, there was a judgment call to be made. Elsie would do whatever she thought was in her best interest, and she knew in her heart that Elsie would do whatever it took to find the cause of what made this man turn on everyone. She dragged her gaze from the young woman to the man in the cell, and he was looking on with disinterest at the gathering crowd. He sat with his hands resting casually between his knees, pale cheeks gaunt as if he'd gone days without eating much, if anything at all. The dark circles under his eyes look almost like bruises causing her heart to ache. He hadn't been able to sleep or allowed to sleep. Perhaps it was because something had caused him pain. Her eyes roamed over his body, but she couldn't find any noticeable injuries.

She held her breath as Elsie approached the door, closely followed by Thor. They seemed to gather some silent strength before entering the cell. Tony stood beside her, tense as he seemed seconds away from getting his suit back on. While it meant a lot that he was concerned for the safety of their teammate, she could only imagine what it would mean when she had to explain what Loki was to her. Finally, Steve brought up the rear of Elsie, and Alexis realized Thor was being sent in first. Steve was going to be back up, and that was a relief. Elsie would do whatever it took to help, which probably included putting herself in danger. Alexis looked at Kurt beside her, relieved to see him still near her as she grappled with the situation. If Loki somehow got out of control with Thor and Steve in the cell, Kurt would go in and grab Elsie.

"It'll be all right, Lexi," Kurt spoke softly, reaching over and grabbing her hand. Alexis nodded thanks before holding her breath and turning riveted eyes to the scene about to play out. Thor moved in first, abruptly grabbing the man. Quick and hard enough to make Alexis flinch back.

"What are you doing, you oaf!?" Loki grunted, lifting his hands up to grab Thors, having clearly not expected an assault of any sort.

"I'm sorry, Brother. This is for the best," Thor told him, and Loki only had time to dip his eyebrows in puzzlement before Elsie reached up and grabbed his head. Alexis swallowed hard as Loki tried to jerk his head back, and a grimace crossed Elsie's face.

"I will kill you all for this!" Loki snarled, and Elsie's face crumpled slightly as if she felt pain. Alexis felt her gaze between the two, one growling out threats, and the other looked like she was about to fall. Steve came up behind Elsie and placed a hand on her lower back, steadying her as she continued her work. There was a sudden burst of energy that sent all three sprawling back. Alexis gasped as Elsie landed further from the other two and watched as her bonded stalked the prone girl. Just as Alexis was about to send Kurt in, who was apparently waiting on her word, Elsie reached up and grabbed his head again. The young woman kicked out her foot and swiped it, taking the moment the man was off balance to use the momentum to make him fall to the side. All the while, Elsie held onto his head, straining to break whatever control held him. Alexis felt her muscles strain, realizing the power struggle happening before her. Elsie had managed to catch him off guard and gain control over his head again, but it would only take a moment for the shock to wear off, and he would go for her again.

"Stop!" There was a tinge of fear in this demand, making Alexis' heart lurch and make its home in her throat. Elsie merely shook her head, unable to form words while finishing her task. Before Steve and Thor could make their way back to the two on the floor, Alexis saw the green in his eyes. A brilliant, beautiful hue as the blue dissipated. That did not stop him from tossing Elsie back. Elsie crashed back to the floor, and Alexis turned to Kurt, giving a nod. She watched as Kurt popped from her side into the cell, gathering the struggling young woman, and came back out. Alexis hurried to them, seeing Kurt kneel on the ground and holding Elsie by her shoulders.

"Elsie!" Alexis crashed to her knees beside the two, grabbing her friend's hand as Elsie seemed to return to herself. "Did it work?" It seemed inconsiderate to ask when Elsie was weak, but she had to know.

"I broke the control, but I'm not the Professor... I can't straighten the tangled mess," Elsie spoke softly, letting Kurt help her sit up, and they all turned to look at the three men still in the cell. Loki seemed almost feral in his confusion. "He's confused and lost. Whoever had control of him not only used some method but they used tortures to make him more susceptible to the power."

"You witch! What have you done to me?" Loki called, banging his fist against the see-through wall and turning to look at Thor and Steve, who stood nearby waiting to see what he would do next.

"Loki! Your eyes are back to being green! The little one was right, and you were being controlled!" There was relief in Thor's voice, but Alexis felt unsure of what should be the dominant emotion in her. She watched as Loki shook his head as if he was trying to get rid of the feeling of someone going through it. For a moment, all was quiet as several people in the room tried to adjust to the enormity of Loki's presence. For Thor, his brother was alive, and for Alexis, that meant that her bonded wasn't usually a murdering psychopath.

"Where is Clint?" Natasha demanded, long past the point of keeping calm. They were thousands of feet above the ground, and while Loki was no longer under the control of any person, there were questions that had to be answered. Why would he choose earth, exactly, or what was the purpose? Was it just the tesseract?

"I don't know," Loki murmured, his hand reaching up to touch his forehead. "Agent Barton knew what had to be done. So he took the tesseract and went off to do his part, but we did not communicate further." Steve glanced over at Natasha and shook his head gently, and Alexis realized he was trying to get her to stop questioning. The Helicarrier lurched, causing everyone to lose their footing. Alexis looked around as her wings moved restlessly, not liking what that could possibly mean. Another lurch was accompanied by a crashing noise, leaving Loki to look underneath his feet anxiously. It was meant to drop him should he attempt to escape, and Alexis hoped whatever was happening would not make the protocol activate prematurely.

Coulson appeared, helping all three of them to their feet, and looked at Natasha. "Barton is on the carrier. I suspect they're trying to get their... Leader. Head him off before he gets to the main bridge," with that, he effectively stopped Nat from trying to push the confused man further. "Elsie, can we trust him?" Alexis immediately looked down at her friend whose eyebrows furrowed, and regret passed her features.

"He wouldn't help the enemy, but if he escapes now, we won't be able to find him. Until his mind is clear, and we'll need the Professor, I think he's a flight risk more than anything else," Elsie looked back at the cell, realizing that her words doomed him there.

"Which would just endanger him further," Alexis spoke softly. It was a blow to her heart to see someone looking so lost and confused. There was even a hint of fear as the helicarrier lurched. She stood and approached the glass as she realized that Kurt had grabbed Steve and brought him back out. "We'll get you help, I promise." She knew he was confused about who she was, let alone what she was, but he didn't look like he'd shake her again.

"Who are you?" Loki demanded, looking at Alexis, his green eyes filled with suspicion and wariness. When another lurch caused her to stumble against the cell, he moved forward as if to catch her, only to hit the wall. Confusion marred his face as Loki realized what he had tried to do. Another question was formed when Thor turned him around and hugged him tightly, cutting him off.

"We thought you dead, brother! We mourned for you for so long! It's a joyous day to know that you yet live!" Thor enthusiastically hugged his brother while Loki was still trying to gather his wits about him.

"Thor, stay with Loki," Alexis spoke up, catching both of the gods' attention from inside the containment cell. "There's no telling what they'll do to him since Elsie broke the control." The staff and entry into the earth may be the end goal, but if they were to realize he wasn't on their side, Alexis shuddered.

Steve seemed to grapple with the weight of the situation, knowing it was beginning to be dire. An arrow, a special arrow at that, had shut down their computer system. Alexis knew the full weight of that. It meant there was little time before the carrier went hurtling back to land. Steve was still growing accustomed to it all, and she jumped into action. "Elsie, can you walk?" With a nod, Kurt helped the young woman up, both of them giving their full attention. "Elsie, find the injured and heal them. After what you did, heal them enough that it's not deadly. Don't overdo it. Kurt, I take it we've been struck. If you can find people that are trapped and get them to safety. I am going to make sure no one else can get here. Okay?" The three nodded and dispersed. Steve walked over and brushed shoulders with her.

"You'd make a good leader," Steve spoke softly, squeezing her shoulder as a strained laugh bubbled out of her. "You stay here with Thor. The rest of us will see if we can stop the attack and keep us in the air."

Alexis merely nodded, knowing that she had no real strength to deny the need to be close to the man that was the person she was created for. She reached into the holder she had for her staff and brought it out. Giving it a spin to show false confidence. Steve squeezed her shoulder one more time, and then he was gone. If they did fall from the sky, she realized there was no saving everyone. In fact, she might not be able to save Elsie or Kurt, even. Shaking her head, she took a stance and waited for anyone to show up. Clint had shown up and was already taking them down. If he was on the carrier, their aim was to smash and grab. She had to give Loki credit for taking Clint, seeing as how much of an asset he was to the inner workings of SHIELD. She didn't see Loki moving away from Thor to stare at her.

"This imprisonment is only temporary, I promise," Thor said, patting his brother on the back as he watched outside the cell. "We will straighten out your head, and all will be well when we go home." It fell on deaf ears as Loki felt great concern for the lone young woman waiting for the enemy to come.

"You can not leave her out there to fight alone, brother," Loki spoke suddenly. It was not a demand. It was a statement. Loki remembered the plan, and he had gotten many more to join his army thanks to the help of the archer. He weeded out the strongest before turning them into slaves, but Barton was smart. That left Alexis at a distinct disadvantage.

"She will be fine, brother. You need not worry about that one," Thor said, glancing out at Alexis, who waited for anything to come through the doors. "She is strong and even took on Barton." Loki merely shook his head worriedly.