Sitting in the lab and doing nothing while Tony and Bruce do a million things at once is incredibly boring, so Mazzy is now trying to find something better to do. So far, she has played about three billion games of tic-tac-toe with herself, and that isn't cutting it anymore.

"Daddy," Mazzy huffs, spinning around in her chair. Tony lets out a huff, briefly ceasing his work to turn his head and look at her. "I'm bored," Mazzy whines, tossing her head back.

"Find something to do, then," Tony says, turning back to the computer he's been working on.

Mazzy lets out a dramatic groan. "But there's nothing to do," she complains.

"You're in a giant hovercraft in the sky, Maz. There's plenty to do," Tony tells her.

"No, there's not," Mazzy argues.

"I'm working, Mazzy. Just-" Tony pauses, letting out a sigh. He wishes he would have sent Mazzy with Pepper, but that wouldn't have really worked out, either, since Pepper is also working. Maybe he should have called Happy and demoted him to the babysitter. He just needs her off of his back. "How 'bout you go and find Natasha, huh? She'll give you something to do," he suggests, knowing how fond of Natasha Mazzy is.

"Okay!" Mazzy chirps happily, sliding off of her chair and skipping her way to the doorway. Honestly, she was just waiting for him to tell her to go away. She just didn't ask because she wasn't sure if she is allowed to be walking around the place by herself, but since her dad says it's fine, she figures she's allowed to explore.

The hallways are lit by lights that remind Mazzy of a hospital, which she doesn't like, but she tries to ignore that as she drags her finger along the walls and makes her way down the halls. The place is practically a maze to her. She has no idea where Natasha is or where she'll find her, but at least looking for her is something to do.

Originally, Mazzy would have thought that being on this ship so high in the sky would scare her, but it doesn't. She doesn't see any windows where she is, so she can't even really tell she's in the sky. She just feels like she's in any other building. She also thought there would be plenty to do in a structure so huge, but there is really nothing unless you have a job to do, which Mazzy does not.

One entertaining thing, though, is figuring out which things are in which doors. Off of hallways, there are some doors and some other hallways, leading to more hallways, more hallways, and more hallways. As she passes them, Mazzy makes sure to peek down each hallway and room, just to check if Natasha is in any of them. So far, there is no sign of her.

However, something other than Natasha piques Mazzy's interest. And that is the large room to her left. She stops in her tracks, her shoes squeaking on the shiny, metal floor. She can hear the sound of footsteps on the ground. They are steady and sort of rhythmic. Mazzy can tell it isn't Natasha, but she wants to see who it was, anyway. So, she turns and entere the room.

As soon as she enters the room, the footsteps stop completely. Stepping further into the room, Mazzy can see the back of a man in a cell. And she knows the clothes he's wearing and the long, black hair on his head. This is Loki. The space magician.

Her suspicions are indeed confirmed when the man spins on his heel, turning to face whoever he just heard walk into the room. Upon seeing that it's the little girl from the jet, he furrows his eyebrows. He would never have guessed they would let her near him. He supposes she's doing it without any of them knowing, which sort of makes him like her a little bit more. Curiously, he steps closer to the glass that separates the two of them, and Mazzy does the opposite, taking a single step backward.

"Well, hello," Loki says to her. He doesn't sound harsh or snarky like he might with any other person on that ship. He sounds like any other person Mazzy speaks to, except with a British— or Asgardian, rather— accent.

"Hello," Mazzy responds, her voice quiet and soft. It almost sounds fragile, like if Loki speaks too loudly in return, she'll shatter right in front of him.

"Who are you?" Loki asks her. Of course, he knows plenty about her already. He knows a bit more about everyone than he truly wants to, if he is to be honest. He just asks the question to fool the girl into thinking this is a normal exchange. He hopes that it'll bother the Avengers to know that Mazzy is talking to him.

"I'm Mazzy." She still sounds careful, but not as afraid as before.

"Do you know who I am?" Loki asks next.

"Yes. You're Loki," Mazzy answers. She holds her hands together behind her back, pushing and pulling on her fingers in an anxious sort of manner. "You're Thor's brother. Adopted. And you killed 80 people in two days for fun, apparently. And you have magic powers and you want to take over the world," Mazzy says, reciting all of the things she has picked up throughout her time here.

Loki frowns slightly, but not the genuine kind of frown. It is a fake frown to express disapproval. The kind that makes Mazzy take another step away from the glass. "Don't believe everything you hear, Mazzy," Loki tells her, shaking his head.

Mazzy doesn't like him saying her name. It feels wrong. He isn't supposed to know her name. She isn't supposed to tell him her name. She isn't supposed to be talking to him at all. She knows that. But, at the same time, she wants to know more about him. So she lets her curiosity get the best of her.

"Why not? I can believe them. These people are the good guys. You're the bad guy," Mazzy says. She tugs on the hem of her shirt, hoping her fidgeting will make her less afraid. It doesn't do much, though.

"What makes you think that?"

Boy. That is a question Mazzy hasn't taken into consideration. Why are they the good guys? Why should she trust Shield, Nick Fury, and the other Avengers? Or, even further, why should she trust anyone at all?

For all she knows, they could all be lying to her face.

They wouldn't do that.

Mazzy is sure of it. She's pretty sure of it.

"I just know." Mazzy crosses her arms and straightens her posture. If anyone would lie to her, it would be Loki. She has only just met him, but she knows that much.

"You don't just know things, sweetheart," Loki says. His voice is reaching that same tone again. The one he was using with Fury. The one that sounds a bit more like a hissing snake than a speaking person.

"I'm not your sweetheart," Mazzy spits. She might be afraid, but she will stand up for herself relentlessly, either way. Natasha Romanoff would, so Mazzy would, too. "You think you're the good guy, maybe, but you aren't," she tells him.

"Oh, really?" Loki asks, a small smirk growing on his face.

"Yeah. Really," Mazzy says.

Putting her fears to the side, she steps closer to the glass. So close that if the glass weren't there, Loki could kill her without moving his feet. But the glass is there. Glass strong enough to hold back the green monster Mazzy had seen on the screens— the monster that is apparently hiding inside of Dr. Bruce Banner. So she is safe, she's pretty sure.

"You do bad things just because you want to. And I think, maybe, it's because you're hurt inside and you don't know what else to do, like Megamind or like Anakin Skywalker. But just because you're hurt doesn't mean you get to hurt other people because it's fun. You're angry. But it's not our fault."

"People aren't born angry. People make them that way," Loki says. He's still calm. Even after Mazzy tried arguing with him and firing up, he's still just so calm. She doesn't understand it. How can he be so calm and so angry at the same time? Loki crouches down on the other side of the glass to meet her height. His eyes narrow. "Are you deaf, Mazzy?" he asks. Another question he already knows the answer to.

Mazzy furrows her eyebrows. "Mostly, but that's why I got these," she says, tucking her hair behind her ears to show him her hearing aids. She doesn't really understand why he's asking.

"Were you born deaf or did the world make you that way?" Loki asks her.

"I was born deaf," Mazzy says, a bit unsure of herself. "Or maybe it was when I was sick. I can't- I can't really remember."

She needs to ask about that. That and whatever Hydra is.

"But you didn't choose to be that way. Did you?" Loki asks her. Hesitantly, Mazzy shakes her head. Of course, she didn't choose to be this way. But what is he getting at? "But are you ok with it?" This time, Mazzy nods. She is fine the way she is. "I didn't choose to be this way either, Mazzy. But I'm ok with it."

"But I've never hurt anyone. You have," Mazzy insists.

"Everyone's hurt someone," Loki tells her.

"Not me."

"Is that what you think?" he asks, raising his eyebrows at the girl.

"It's what I know," Mazzy says firmly.

"Well, that's not what I've heard," Loki murmurs, meeting her eyes.

What?

"Mazzy!"

Natasha rushes into the room, grabbing Mazzy by the shoulder and pulling her back, away from the glass. Mazzy stumbles back, grasping onto Natasha's arm, but keeping her gaze on Loki. What does he mean? What could he possibly know?

Nothing.

He doesn't know anything. Right?

"What are you doing in here?" Natasha asks, pulling Mazzy's attention away from Loki. But Mazzy doesn't really have anything to say. "Go. Go find your dad," Natasha says. She lightly pushes Mazzy in the direction of the door.

"But he-" Mazzy tries to argue, her eyes darting back and forth between Natasha and Loki, who is smiling on the other side of the glass.

"Go now," Natasha says once again.

Mazzy lets out a huff, stepping out into the hall alone while Natasha stays to talk with Loki. Mazzy begins walking down the hall, back to find her dad, but she can't stop thinking about what Loki said. She tries forgetting— to not believe him. But she can't stop wondering. She always feels like there's something different about her. Like there are things she doesn't know about herself. But everyone else tells her there is nothing wrong; that she is just the same as any other kid. Are they telling the truth?

She needs to know.

Luckily— or maybe unluckily— before Mazzy gets back to the lab, she runs into none other than Loki's very own brother. Thor. Mazzy isn't feeling very patient right now, so she figures maybe Thor has an answer.

"Thor, can Loki read your mind?" she asks, very quickly and panicky. Thor stops when he hears her voice, raising his eyebrows. Before he can answer, though, Mazzy goes on, listing off more questions. "Or, maybe, he could see things that happened to you that you don't remember? 'Cause he- well, I don't remember a lot of things, but he said he knows things that I don't know. Like, bad things. Maybe he read my mind. Or maybe he hasn't but he could and he should. Can he?"

"I'm sorry; what are you asking me?" Thor asks, confused. He honestly didn't process any of the things she said.

"Can he read my mind? Or make me remember things I can't remember?" Mazzy asks, her eyes wide and glassy.

"Loki?"

"Yes! Loki!" Mazzy shouts impatiently.

She doesn't understand. Did he read her mind? Or could he read her mind? If he can, maybe she could ask him to help her remember the things she can't ever remember. Maybe he can answer her questions about Hydra and about her hearing.

"Ah, Loki. He certainly can," Thor says with a nod. He talks and explains painfully slow and Mazzy thinks about leaving that very second. "He used to play mind games on me all the time when we were young. More than just mind games, actually. He was always up to no good. He once shapeshifted into a snake to fool me, because I love snakes so I, of course, went to pick up the snake. He then transformed back into himself and stabbed me," Thor reminisces.

Well, stabbing is no good, but that isn't important at that moment.

"He could read my mind?" Mazzy asks just one more time for confirmation.

"Yes. Did you not listen to my story?"

Mazzy doesn't bother to answer him, turning on her heel and running back down the hall from where she came. She passes by the room where Loki is being kept, and she can hear the sound of Natasha's voice. So, she tucks herself into a separate hallway and watches around the corner for Natasha to leave.

It takes a minute, but eventually, Mazzy hears Natasha say, "Thank you for your cooperation." Mazzy then peeks around the corner and watches Natasha make her way back to the lab.

As soon as Mazzy is sure she can move without being caught, she runs back into the room where Loki is being kept. Surely enough, Loki is standing there inside the cell.

"What are you still doing here?" Loki asks the girl.

Mazzy runs straight up to the glass fearlessly and presses her hands against it. "You can read my mind," she says, bouncing on her toes.

"Yes?" Loki says. What is she getting at? What does she want? And, more importantly, why isn't she with her father? She'll die any minute now if she isn't with him. Loki isn't quite sure if he wants that.

"You need to read my mind," Mazzy tells him.

"Why is that?"

"Because I asked you to! Please! Please, Loki," Mazzy begga, her voice more whiny than she intended.

She doesn't want to sound like a desperate, pleading little girl, but it is what she is. She needs him to listen to her. She needs to know. Because the more she thinks about everything that she can ever remember happening to her, the more it doesn't make sense. She bought the explanation from her dad all those months ago, but Loki's comments about hurting people are sending her spiraling.

Is her dad lying to her again and again and again? Loki told her not to believe everything she heard, and if he was already in her head, then did he say that because he knows something she doesn't? She can't properly trust anyone anymore. She can't fully believe her father, and she also can't fully believe Loki.

But she wants to know.

"Please. I can't remember," Mazzy pleads, her eyes wide and her eyebrows pinched together.

"What do you want to remember?" Loki asks her. That's the problem, though. Mazzy can't remember what she wants to remember. She doesn't even know what she's asking him to tell her. "What you did?"

"Just tell me what you were talking about," Mazzy huffs, slamming her hand against the glass.

"I'm afraid that now isn't the time, sweetheart," Loki says, shaking his head.

"I told you, you can't call me that," Mazzy reminds him. She kicks the toe of her shoe against the glass, but he doesn't startle. He isn't easy to scare, unfortunately. He isn't easy to convince, either, which might suck even more. "I have magic powers, too, kind of. And my dad says it was medicine because I was sick, but if I can't believe everything anyone tells me, then how do I even know he's telling the truth? I can't remember it. You need to make me remember it."

"I told you, Mazzy. Now is not the time. Go back to your father," Loki says, growing impatient with the girl. He knows that any minute, Barton will show up and send things to shit. Mazzy needs to be with her dad so she'll have a chance at surviving this.

"Why not?!" Mazzy shouts. She just went out of her way to do this and he isn't even going to help her? He is the one who's making her question these things. He needs to help her!

"Go back to your father! Now!" Loki yells at the girl, hitting the side of his fist against the glass.

Mazzy jumps backward, her heart racing in her chest as she suddenly remembers just why Loki is locked up in there in the first place. She never should have believed a word out of his mouth. He is mean and he is cruel and he yelled at her. He has no right to yell at her!

Frustrated and furious, Mazzy storms out of the room. She isn't supposed to be in there, anyway.

Her dad is who she's supposed to trust. He'll tell her the truth about everything. She's sure of it. Pretty sure of it, at least.

Gosh, she needs to forget what Loki had told her. If only she could forget him and remember what happened to her. She just can't understand why she is somehow unable to remember any of it. She was sick. People don't just forget things because they're sick! Mazzy lets out a frustrated groan.

Then, she feels it. The ship begins to rumble and the next thing Mazzy knows, she is falling flat back onto the ground with minor burns on her skin and a new supply of adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Now is not the time.

Loki.

Mazzy pushes herself off of the ground, pressing her fingers against her skull and waiting for the pain to fade away. She rushes through the halls. She never should have left her dad's side. Or maybe she should have just listened to him in the first place. She feels incredibly irresponsible and stupid.

"Daddy!" Mazzy calls out, her voice echoing through the halls. The burns on her skin begin to fade away into nothingness and the pounding in her head is slowing to a stop. The adrenaline, though, just keeps coming. "Dad!" Mazzy screams.

That's when she hears the roar.

The green monster.