36 hours and 33 minutes remaining.

"First of all, I want you to know that I am completely, one hundred percent in favour of not giving Hydra the weapons. I'm not worth the destruction they could cause."

  There was a little tremor in her voice. She knew, of course, that this message was to tempt SHIELD and the Avengers into making that choice, and part of her knew she should've refused, but if she presented her point strongly enough... Surely it couldn't hurt to send one last message to the best friends she'd ever had?

"Second of all, I want to talk to the Avengers. And Loki."

In the room surrounding Loki's chamber, the Avengers were circled around the small recording device. Loki stood at the edge of the cell, pressing a cold hand to the glass.

  "So, I'll never see you guys again. That's physically actually - even if you get me out, which will NOT happen - I think I'm blind? Yeah. Well, they did something to my eyes anyway, and I can't see. So."

  Somebody let out a little choked cry at that. And maybe, just maybe, it was Loki.

  "Um, let's go in some sort of order? Alphabetical? So, that means we start with you, Clint. Sorry if I get you a little mixed up, these idiots here are doing my head in. Only partly literally, haha."

  Black humour. Nothing you couldn't get out of with a little of that.

  "So.... Man, I'm saying so a lot... Clint, tell Laura that my cooking is still better than hers, whether she likes it or not. Nobody beats my chicken pie. Ok? And tell the kids that Aunt Livvy is going on a very, very long holiday and that she'll miss them. As for yourself, you won the archery competition on a complete fluke, and don't you dare say otherwise. And... Really, just thanks for introducing me to and being a part of the first real family I ever had."

  Clint nods. Numbly.

  "Right, who comes after Clint? Oh, wait, I forgot Bruce and Bucky! Dammit, this stuff really messes with your mind. Bruce, you're awesome. Yup. Keep working on the project! I know I can't use it anymore, but you'll find somebody else. That goes for all of you. You'll find somebody else to replace me."

  Bruce shook his head. Echoing everybody's thoughts. "No, we won't."

  "Bucky Barnes, by the way, it was me, not Tony, who repainted your arm. Sorry about that."

  Tony glared at Bucky. "I told you."

  "Hope the psychiatry thing's still going okay. Look after Steve for me, alright? That goes for the rest of you too! I can't run the Modern Midgard lessons for the four ancient ones anymore. We were gonna do text talk next. Oh, and Bucky, you were Student of the Week last week."

  "A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z. Is that right? I was never that good at the alphabet. Anyway, who's next? Nat? Since you can't yell at me back, I can call you Nat now. Yay. Silver lining, I guess, haha. Natasha Romanoff, you're fabulous. And like a sister to me. Thanks for teaching me all my spy skills."

"They weren't good enough," Natasha whispered back. "You got caught, so I didn't teach you well enough." She leaned slightly on Clint's shoulder.

"Agh... This is too much for my mind, why did I go alphabetical... Thor? I know you're in Asgard right now, but when you get back I have all the Modern Midgard work you need to catch up on on my laptop, so Nat, if you could sort that for him? You're a great laugh, and I... I'll miss you."

Tony frowned. "Did she just say Thor before me?"

"She missed me out, too," Steve said.

"And me," Loki added.

Tony was still frowning. "But I'm Tony Stark."

  "Now I'm quite aware that Tony will be mad that I missed him out. Also, Steve and Loki, but I just wanted you all to know that I care about you all, and I'll miss you. A lot. You guys meant - mean - everything to me."

  She took a deep breath.

  "This is for all of you. I love you, and I want you to forget me. You hear me? Forget me, understand? I am gone. That's it, the end, goodbye. Everybody lives happily ever after. Except me, you know? But you guys are superheroes. You deserve to live, and that's why I want you to forgot me. Leave me behind. Replace me. Find somebody else. There's to be no grief, no tears, nothing. Forget this, forget the bad parts, forget the good parts too. Everything about me, you have to let it go. Throw away everything that reminds you of me.

  "And whatever you do, don't try to save me. I'm gone. Ádios, my friends, and as Dumbledore would say, 'Death is the next adventure'. Or something like that. That is Dumbledore, right? Whatever. I've been captured by Hydra, I think I have the right to forget one Harry Potter reference.

  "Anyway. Stop waving that gun at me, you idiot, I'm trying to talk." There was a scream, and when Livvy's voice came back she was gasping for breath. "Goodbye. Forget me. Don't come to save me. Goodbye. Forget me. Don't come to save-"

  The recording ended.