Since the incident all Bruce Banner did was work.

He ran himself into the ground with formulae and papers until he couldn't see straight and swear the ghost of Abraham Lincoln was following him then he had a cup of coffee and Abe disappeared for about twenty minutes.

He had his own agenda; to prove himself as Bruce Banner. Despite what Fury said he had to force himself to believe he is more than the Hulk. Finding the Tesseract was his only purpose.

"It feels as if nobody on this sky plane ever sleeps." Thor told the pair of scientists as they disregarded the comment. He picked up a thermometer and flicked it with his finger; it cracked.

"Sleeping is for the dead." Bruce replied solemnly as he plucked it out of the Gods hand.

"Which we will all be if your brother has a say in it." Tony Stark looked at Thor who disliked being reminded of his little brother's presence in the Helicarrier.

"Loki does not wish for any of you to be dead, he desires to see you all bow down before him." Thor corrected them and the thought sent shivers down his spines. He would never do that.

"I'd rather be dead." Bruce had taken to talking in short sentences. That way nobody wanted to talk to him in the first place.

"Both of those options sound bad to me," Tony tried to lighten the dark mood falling over the room, "Now what did you want Muscles?"

"I merely wanted to check how the search for the Tesseract was faring. I care as much about it as both of you." Thor justified his appearance but really he covered up the fact that even he couldn't rest. Loki being here neither comforted him or scared him; it only made him fearful of the mortal's life. He should have been scared of their mentality as well.

"Why don't you ask your brother-of-mine to tell us where he's hidden it then?" Bruce was sarcastic at times but never usually intentionally rude before this series of events. Rudeness had manifested itself as a coping mechanism and he didn't care who it hurt.

"I have tried that already," Thor answered, "Loki would not answer me."

"Did you try saying please?" Tony said dryly.

Thor did not respond, he could not get through to his brother no matter what he said or did. Somebody else was going to have to try, "One of you should talk to him."

Bruce stopped sending the instruments he was working on clattering on the tabletop, "No."

"Yeah I agree with alter-ego green guy here, not going to happen." Tony agreed.

"Loki is trapped and has a mind the size of the universe - surprisingly my half brother is called the clever one - and you could ask him anything you want. Don't you just want to at least try?" The Norse God was trying his hardest to make the prospect of possible mind control by Loki seem attractive. Thor figured the way to get through to the pair was through science. Unfortunately he knew nothing of science.

Bruce thought for a second, his sleep deprived brain trying to separate the sane from the, well, insane thoughts he was thinking. It wasn't going well. Suddenly the idea seemed like a good one; maybe Bruce Banner could outsmart the God of Mischief.

It was never meant to be, an ill decision but once he thought of it, he couldn't rid it from his mind. Loki could find Parker, wherever in the universe she may be, he could find her. Bruce was willing to risk anything the god could throw at him in order to know that information.

"Okay," Bruce looked up at the towering Norse god and immediately crossed his arms. He looked at the size of Thor - how he carried himself so righteously - and Bruce had never felt less like a man in his whole life. He put on a brave facade standing up straight and taking a deep breath, "I'll talk to him."

A smile shone brightly on Thor's face and he showed his happiness by slapping Bruce on the back numerous times. Dr Banner winced slightly with each thud, "Good man!"

"No, bad man," Tony Stark looked at the pair and saw how forced a smile Bruce wore. A normal person should never talk to Loki, a man who could turn into a raging green beast talking to Loki was the worse idea in the universe. Tony pointed a finger at Bruce, "It's a terrible idea and that's coming from me."

"We've hit a dead end, just admit it. We need any lead we can get." Bruce tried to hide his alternate motive but Tony could read the slight upturn in his lips and the idiosyncrasies of a desperate man.

Tony pieced together the doctors real plan in just under twenty seconds and changed his own tune five seconds later. Tony had heard the story of a lost love and the romantic in him wanted to help. That and the fact he liked to disobey orders that come from any form of higher command.

"Alright," Tony made eye contact with Bruce making him swallow the saliva in his throat, Tony watched as his Adam's apple moved up and down, "Do what you want."

So Bruce Banner, with one final glance at Tony, made his way to see the God of Mischief.

---

"I expected you to be taller."

Loki knew that Bruce Banner would come to see him sooner or later. He knew that the man wouldn't be able to resist the allure of Loki Laufeyson. For a man seeking knowledge he wasn't particularly smart that day.

"And I didn't expect you to have such ridiculous choice in headgear." Bruce retorted but he felt his legs shake as he paced around the wall of the cell, not daring to be any closer.

Loki chuckled, "Touché," His eyes had a certain glint, a mix of mischief and all powerful sight, that Bruce could feel even from his distance. Loki was standing with his arms behind his back staring at the scientist. Bruce crossed his arms and drew his thumb over his chin, both of them were inspecting each other like prey and predator simultaneously. Only time would tell who would become what, "Now, how may I help you Dr Banner?"

Bruce stopped pacing. If he was going to get his information he would need to appear strong, "I think it's more a question if you can assist me."

Loki furrowed his eyebrows in surprise at the accusation. Maybe there was more to the man that stood before him than he had originally thought, "Oh, I think you underestimate my abilities Dr Banner."

"Or," Bruce took off his glasses and pointed with them at Loki, "You are overestimating your own capacity."

The exchange of words was like negotiating or a game of chess, right now they were both guarding their Kings and Queens with pawns. Idle movements to test their opponents skill. One would break ranks soon.

"This cell was built for you, was it not?" Loki changed the subject and walked up to the glass. He carried himself almost regally, different from Thor. Bruce watched him and wondered how his own hair compared, probably it looked pathetic in comparison. Bruce did not reply so Loki idly drew a finger  along the glass, "Oh come on Banner, you're not afraid of me, are you?" He paused and chuckled in glee, "You are. This is just too good."

"I don't think afraid is the right word. I believe I am just skeptical of SHIELD's methods of Hulk proofing. They don't have any track record you see." Dr Banner decided he would venture a little closer. He wasn't scared, if anything he was more anxious than normal. The only true physical thing that scared Bruce was himself but there was a lot of possible ideas that terrified him.

"Yes Midgardian technology can be quite," Loki drew his gaze onto the oncoming figure, "Unpredictable."

Bruce paused for a second, "Quite." He then continued until he was halfway to the cell. His plan had been ad lib up to this point but now he knew exactly what he was going to say. He just had to pray that Loki followed the script he had written for him.

However just as Bruce was about to say his opening line, Loki tore the script in half and ate it, "I know you haven't come here to ask about the Tesseract."

Bruce tried to hide his shock by crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows, "Well..." He told himself he was leaving a dramatic pause, "Tell me why I came here then."

"The girl." Loki grinned his wicked smile and Bruce knew in that moment he had made a mistake.

The doctor was the one that had overestimated his own abilities to manipulate; Bruce was a sitting duck to Loki. He felt stupid, for the first time he was vulnerable and for the millionth time; he was angry. Bruce Banner had an anger problem and everybody knew it, unfortunately that included the God of Mischief.

"I don't know what you're talking-"

"Come on!" Loki cried in exasperation making Bruce jump slightly, "Save your breath Dr Banner, I know. I know." The poison dripped into Bruce's ear with every syllable and over exaggeration of the god's thin lips. It stung Bruce's skin, "The girl. Oh the girl!" The enjoyment of a manic was hard to listen to and the laughter that interrupted his speech every other word was even more painful, "Oh Bruce! You chose very well."

Loki lipped his lips and walked around the cell as his shoulder lifted up and down with every chuckle. He was becoming psychotic and it made Bruce mad, it made him too mad. His clenched knuckles were beginning to go white as he breathed through his mouth, his glasses had been reduced to shreds on the ground.

"Stop it." Bruce demanded but his voice almost didn't make it through the glass. He was still Dr Banner, just an angry little man with a glare that make a man's blood run cold. However Bruce wasn't against a man, he was against a god.

"Stop? Stop! I thought you wanted my help Dr Banner?" Loki had him in the palm of his hand, he was writing the script and decided to keep it succinct as it was only a matter of time before their relative privacy was compromised.

"I don't want your help Loki."

"No. You want Parker and right now I am the closest you are going to get to her." Loki stopped his laughter and suddenly his face was devoid of any emotion as he studied Dr Banner. He took in the still clenched hand and his untucked shirt and messy hair, the sight of all those factors combined made him beyond happy.

"Don't say her name."

"Right, now you're telling me an awful lot of what I can't do, so tell me Dr Banner what I can do for you and then we'll talk about what you can do for me." Loki needed his answers, he needed Bruce to be under his control no matter what and the quickest way to achieve that was debt.

"Tell me where she is." Bruce had meant to demand his wishes, he wanted to grab Loki by his robes and shout in his smug face. But he couldn't. Having failed that his voice came out weak and slow, a huge contrast to the high-pace and high volume that had occurred before.

The tension hung in the air despite the glass separating them, the God of Mischief knew the answer to the question and he also knew that as soon as he answered it Bruce would leave.

Instead he answered with another question, "Don't you think she deserves somebody - you know - better?"

Bruce Banner forget to breath in the seconds that followed, the question had startled him because it was his worst fear; Parker might not want him. Panic swept the scientists eyes and he swallowed, trying to muster any energy and pride he had left in. "Like you?"

Loki laughed, he could tell he had already entered his mind. His tricks could still send a brave man to the brink of madness on a good day. Bruce was already there himself so it was child's play, "A God or a monster? What a tough decision. Beauty or the Beast?"

"I am not a beast." Bruce snarled at him slowly.

"Then what are you? Normal? You are not normal Dr Banner, you are the alter-ego of the Hulk. Nothing more and nothing less."

"Stop it."

"You keep telling me to stop, why don't you make me stop? Do it. Prove to me you are a monster." Loki ran his tongue over his teeth as he saw the veins on Bruce's neck stand up against his skin.

"Stop!" Bruce wanted the world to stop, he wanted the Hulk to stop coming and he wanted to stop being a monster but his words melted to form one long roar of pure emotion. Bruce became the beast.

"Make me!" Loki fired back at him, standing back and outstretching his hands as if he was on a sacrificial cross.

The glass in front of him wasn't Hulk proof.

The green mutated animal pushed through as if it was paper and wrapped his hand around Loki's neck lifting the Asgardian above him. Loki didn't squirm, he only looked at the irises of the Hulk and said three words, "New York City."

Bruce had been granted the information he wanted and Loki had achieved his goal; Bruce Banner was now under his control.