Since District 8 is Hala, Veers' district, we skip over it and head to Sokovia, District 7. Sokovia happens to have been the home of another of my fallen allies, Pietro Maximoff, the Quicksilver. The last time I saw him alive, Pietro had chosen to spare my life because of Cassie Lang, our mutual ally who had already died by that point. Because I stayed with her as she died, Pietro hadn't killed me.

Now he is dead and I have to face his sister.

We land in the capital, Novi Grad, and an armored transport takes us to our temporary residence at the Research Base, which was once affiliated with HYDRA before Thanos separated Midgard up into districts. Now it just serves as an imposing building, playing host to the champions when they stop by on tour and managing the affairs of the district.

It also tried its hand at enhancing individuals, once.

Both Pietro and his sister, Wanda Maximoff, were experimented on, which gave them their gifts of super speed and telekinetic and telepathic manipulation. They were the only two lab rats, or mutts – short for mutation – that Sokovia's governor Wolfgang von Strucker actually succeeded in creating. From what I remember hearing, Thanos actually approved the experimentation and had a hand in it, until more people died than he considered necessary and he shut down the program.

We're shown into a sparsely furnished set of rooms, for us to relax and prepare for the event tonight. The guards who escorted us here made it clear that unlike in Xandar, Veers and I are not free to explore Novi Grad. In fact, it seems they want us to see as little as possible of the city.

I wonder why.

Jane wrinkles her nose as she glances at the space. "It could be nicer."

"It'll do," Hela says dismissively, taking a seat on the couch. Thor sits beside her, frowning at the several television show seasons spread across the coffee table as he picks up one labeled The Dick Van Dyke Show. "Loki, Veers, you might as well go get ready. We won't be spending a lot of time here, I can tell."

"I remember this show," Thor says slowly. "They had it the last time I was here. I enjoyed it."

I have a sudden image of Thor finishing the season and yelling, "Another!" It makes me smile, if only momentarily.

Jane takes the season from him and slips a disc into the ancient-looking DVD player while Selvig and Darcy take Veers and I into the rooms designated for us. I can hear the laugh track while I get ready, dressed in yet another suit, white shirt, black jacket, black tie, and a pair of black sunglasses. MJ slicks my hair back severely, putting something in it to stop the ends from curling up.

When I exit, Veers is dressed in a pair of black slacks and a black shirt with a black jacket over it, the buttons silvery and the only thing standing out on the dark as night fabric. Her hair has also been slicked back severely, pulled away from her face like mine.

I sense a theme here.

It almost feels like both of us are dressed for a funeral. Or perhaps a heist. I'm not entirely sure what Selvig and Darcy mean to imply through all the black. The funeral makes sense, in a way: Pietro and I were allies in the arena, and this is his home. That theory is much better than my heist theory, as fun as that sounds.

Our speech is the same as the ones before. We stick to a script now, aside from several customized comments for each district. For Sokovia, that means me mentioning my alliance with Pietro. For obvious reasons, I choose not to mention that I personally killed Helen Cho, the female contender from Sokovia.

"I never had anything against Pietro," I say now, meeting Wanda's eyes. "He saved my life, and he didn't even have to. We fought together briefly, along with Cassie Lang, and we almost killed Carnage. I know Pietro regretted her death, and I regret his. If it hadn't been me who won, or Veers, I wanted it to be him." I close my eyes momentarily. "Pietro didn't kill me, because of Cassie. I wouldn't have killed him, also because of Cassie. I'm sorry he had to die. He...." I stop myself, struggling with the words I can't say. But Wanda's gaze is burning into me, taunting me, urging me to say it.

I don't want to finish, because I know it will upset Thanos. My life rests on this. I can't save the dead, nothing I can say will affect Pietro, but what I say does affect me. I'm supposed to be saving myself, not building my own gallows.

But screw that. I never was good at following orders.

"He deserved better."

Instantly, I know I said the wrong thing again, for the proper response should have been something along the lines of "Pietro's death served a purpose" but I will not say that to his grieving sister. I couldn't say it. The angry people standing in front of the stage do not need an incentive to start yelling and protesting – they're on the edge of it already.

"Because of Pietro, I am alive," Veers says, glancing at me in confusion. "I didn't know him personally like Loki did, but if he hadn't spared Loki's life at the Gauntlet, he would never have brought me the medicine that saved my life. So I thank him for that." For once, she sticks closer to the agenda than I do.

I then pick up, ending the speech with my now customary homage to Thanos despite my previous errant comment. At this, I see Wanda clench her fists, red mist flickering around her fingers, and beside her, Helmut Zemo presses his lips together in anger. Neither of them are fans of Thanos, and I don't think they're particularly fond of me, either.

The crowd starts yelling at Veers and I. "Thanos has no right to control us! Thanos has no right to control us! Free Sokovia! Free Sokovia!" It's the most vocal any of these crowds have been so far and Veers' fingers tighten around mine as the crowd continues to chant, yelling and screaming at us and Thanos and von Strucker. The Children of Thanos step forward, shocking some, stabbing others, as we are hustled back into the Research Base. I already know the cameras are off, refusing to film the rebelling crowd.

"That must have been why no one wanted us out in the streets," Valkyrie observes quietly. "Those people are on the verge of starting their own rebellion."

Nothing I say can appease them, I know that. They are looking for an Avenger, and they have nobody better to look at than me. And if they keep holding me up as an Avenger, Thanos will personally have me killed.

And in that one moment, reveling in their chaos, I don't care.