Thor, freed from captivity, stood beside Lin Hai. His golden hair was still somewhat disheveled, Mjolnir clenched in his hand as he stared at his good brother Loki, who had gotten back to his feet.
Thor's expression was complicated.
There was anger, of course. His own brother had locked him in a cell and nearly thrown him from ten thousand meters in the air. No one could have remained unangered by that. Yet beneath that anger was a deeper sense of helplessness—watching someone close to him walk step by step into the abyss, unable to pull him back.
His expression remained complicated as he spoke in the gentlest tone he could manage. "Brother, surrender. You've already lost."
"I've lost?" Loki repeated, his tone full of confusion and a hint of absurdity.
"If I'm not mistaken, your team should be in disarray by now. Your teammates should have turned against one another, and your fortress should be damaged."
He paused, his eyes carrying a lofty, scrutinizing look. "I don't understand. How exactly have I lost?"
Just as Thor was still gathering his words, preparing to argue with Loki, an orange beam shot in from the side.
It streaked out from the other end of the corridor and struck Loki squarely in the chest.
Loki was blasted away by the beam, crashing through a not particularly thick alloy wall. After leaving behind a jagged hole, he landed in the corridor outside.
Thor froze, while Lin Hai also turned toward the direction from which the orange beam had come.
Gwen stood in that direction, her expression somewhat surprised. Beside her, Coulson was still seated against the wall, both hands gripping the massive energy weapon whose barrel was still smoking.
Seeing Thor and Lin Hai both look over, Coulson appeared a little embarrassed. He