They dropped Kiera off at the med bay with Coulson as Steve and Clint went to reconvene with Tony and Nat. Thor had gone off after Loki since they had discovered his treachery, and Banner was still at large. Meanwhile, Hydra offered Loki an alliance; an army at his disposal if he let Hydra become his Gestapo should he become ruler of Earth. The amused prince mulled it over, but then decided against it given their terrible hospitality to his daughter. Instead, he easily decimated the holding and disappeared to his base with Selvig, just missing Thor. At the base, Eric caught Loki up with the progress made, and Loki retired for a peace of mind.

Which didn't last long.

With the scepter back in his hands and his eyes wide shut, Loki was contacted by The Other.

"The Chitauri grow restless."

"Let them grow restless. I will lead them in the glorious battle." Loki was smart enough to not turn on them right now, not when he was alone. But truthfully, he no longer had the intention to end his daughter's home.

"Battle?" The Other scoffed at the idea. "Against the meagre might of earth?

"Glorious, not lengthy." Loki internally rolled his eyes. Why did everyone have to be so daft. "If your force is as formidable as you claim," he teased to annoy.

"You question us?!" Results guaranteed, Loki smirked.

"Question him? He who put the scepter in your hand? Who gave you ancient knowledge and new purpose? You princes, are blind beyond you own personal ambitions. Your ambition is little and full of childish need. We look beyond the earth to great worlds the Tesseract will reveal."

"You don't have the Tesseract yet." Loki's calm statement was met with an aggressive attempt to scare.

"Do you think he knows not of your child? Her existence changes nothing. If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevasse where he can't find you. You think you know pain? He will make you will beg for something sweet as pain. And do not think your daughter will be spared at your death!"

"ENOUGH!" His anger was now on par with the Other's. "I do not threaten. But until I open the doors, until your force is mine to command, you are but words."

With those parting words, Loki broke the contact, finding himself back in his camp with Selvig waiting patiently to talk to him.

"WHAT?" Loki growled, his eyes sparkling icy blue.

"Um... I need a new place."

"Uhun, and where are we headed?"

"We're not soldiers! I'm not marching to Fury's fife." Tony Stark argued.

"Neither am I. He's got the same blood on his hands that Loki does," Steve took a breath before he spoke his next words, "but right now we gotta put that behind us and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list..."

"He made it personal."

"That's not the point.

"But that is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart." Tony reiterated.

"Yeah, divide and conquer is great but- he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience"

Steve was catching on. "Right. I caught his act in Stuttgart."

"Yeah. That's just previews, this is... this is opening night. And Loki, he's a full-tail diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered..." That sounded a lot like someone Tony knew and loved, "son of a bitch!"

Meanwhile, somewhere aboard the helicarrier, Clint was mourning to Nat, unable to accept that he'd been tricked by the actual God of Trickery.

"I mean, we freaking bonded over our family situations, Nat. I told him about Laura and the kids. He trusted me with his child, and we got her back!" Clint slammed off the bed, tossing the rag aside. "He swore on his daughter's life!"

Nat took a breath to calm herself before she had an answer for him.

"I don't think he's in the position to, Clint. I went over the video files from before the hit. Clint, I think he's himself under the spell of whoever's scepter that is. I don't know his story, nor am I excusing for him, but I think he's a pawn to someone bigger." She too got off and stood next to him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Barton, if you were able to see the good in me, then it would be wrong of you to not try to see through Loki. Like you said, you made a bond with him, as fathers. You know better what a father can do for his daughter. Let that help you make your decision."

The pep talk did its work and Clint let out a smile, returning the hand on her shoulder.

Their peaceful moment of camaraderie was broken when the room door slid open, revealing a suited up Captain America.

"Time to go."

Nat stepped forward first. "Go where?"

"I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets?"

"I can." Clint answered.

Cap looked to Nat to double check and she cleared him for duty.

A nod was all he needed.

"Got a suit?"

"Yeah."

"Then suit up." Cap ordered and left, leaving them to change.

Somewhere on land, Thor stood in the middle of the wasteland that had previously been the Hydra holding. He growled in anger and in frustration over his brother's antics, and thrust Mjolnir to the skies, gathering his electric powers.

Electricity was also buzzing in a workshop aboard the helicarrier, where Tony Stark successfully brought his mask back to life. There was also plenty voltage in Widow's bites. Captain America and Hawkeye were ready to go as well, shields and quivers loaded on their backs.