The following day, my prep team arrives early. MJ, Flash, and Ned all seem rather sober as they order me off to the shower while they set up. Today is interview day.

After finishing my shower, I take my seat while MJ begins combing my hair. Everyone works in uncharacteristic silence until MJ dismisses the two boys – Ned is sniffling and even Flash looks sad. With a gruff "I can't work in this environment," she tells them to leave and let her finish. She works in continued silence until Erik arrives, after which she goes to leave.

But she pauses at the door to cast a look back at me. "Give them hell," MJ instructs, and then disappears.

I stand as Erik looks at me with a set expression. "Well, well, Loki," he states. "Let's get you ready for this interview."

"What am I wearing tonight?" I ask. "Any devious plans?"

Erik unzips the garment bag he was carrying and lays out the completely black suit I've worn before. "I have a couple ideas."

After I dress in the black suit, I look at Erik as I straighten the jacket. "Will I take on my armor tonight, Selvig?"

"I thought you might," Erik nods. "For your grand finale. But since the audience has seen your tricks before, you may want to add something new to it."

I incline my head. "Like what?"

"Well...."

As the time for the interviews approaches, I walk out and meet Veers. The sight of her makes me stop dead in my tracks, my heart rising in my throat as I realize the significance of my simple black suit in comparison with her outfit.

Veers wears a white dress.

A wedding dress, actually, of Midgardian design. A high neckline, simple string of pearls, tight bodice and a skirt that goes halfway down her calves that appears to float around her. Short gloves encase her hands, and a veil cascades down her back, covering her blonde hair.

My eyes feel like they are jumping out of my head, and my voice comes out strangled. "Veers?"

"Yes, Loki," Veers says, in a defiant voice. "It's me."

I look to Jane who's nearby for an explanation. She presses her lips together for a long moment before saying, "Thanos chose it."

I can almost hear his voice in my head, taunting. You did not prove your love for her when you were told to. Now it will be obvious you failed her.

And I know exactly what this is supposed to do. Erik and Darcy are forced to present us as partners to the audience, even though both of us cannot win. And if I so much as make a move against Veers, who is being presented to the audience now as my wife, I'll earn the eternal hatred of the districts. I'm being cornered into making sure I risk my life for hers, that I not drop the charade in the arena just to save my own life.

Something itches at the back of my mind...something about this does not add up. I must be missing a piece, for it seems like Thanos would not want to encourage me to be selfless in the arena. Unless he just wants to make sure I die, and I feel like there are other ways to do that than coercing me to take a bullet for my fake wife through an elaborate game of dress up.

I approach her and offer my arm, which she takes. "I hate that dress," I mutter. "You look lovely, but I hate the dress."

"So do I," she murmurs back. "Darcy wants me to wear the veil over my face until my interview, where you'll lift it back before sending me out to Luis."

More ritualistic wedding stuff. But wait...if this is Thanos' idea, why is Darcy playing along? I open my mouth to ask when Hela swoops over to us.

"All right, you know the drill. You are still allies and lovers to the audience, so maintain that illusion. Use the wedding apparel to your advantage. All right?"

We nod. Thanos' wedding dress can definitely be twisted to showcase the unfairness of such a couple being tossed into the arena to battle it out to the death. I suppose that's what Darcy intended...to use it as more than just a reminder to me.

Backstage, we join the other champions, who all look immediately at Veers and her immaculate dress. I see mixed emotions on many faces, ranging from confusion to outright pity. "What are those?" Shuri demands, gesturing to Veers' dress and veil.

"Thanos made her wear it," I say defensively, gently lifting the veil down over her face. Within her gloves, Veers' hands are clenched and starting to emit the glow of her photon beams.

Tony comes up alongside me, patting me on the back, a look of sympathy on his face. "You got this, Reindeer Games."

Wanda straightens the veil over Veers' face. "Make him remember this. Make him regret it."

We take our positions right before the interview starts. Luis greets the crowd as always, coming in with a booming "WASSUP!" However, as soon as he starts the interview with T'Challa, the difference from last year is palpable.

T'Challa, dressed simply in a black tunic with a silver design scrolling down the center and highlighting the wrists, conducts his interview with quiet poise. But when Luis asks him how he feels about going back into the arena, he pauses for a moment before speaking.

"My father, the King of Wakanda, has watched both his children compete in the arena before. My mother wept for us when we each left. But now...but now my parents have to accept that one of their children must never return to our homeland because of this Endeavor. No matter what happens, they will lose at least one of us, if not both of us, in the next couple of days." He looks at Luis. "That is how I feel."

Bruce Banner is up next, wearing a blue button-down and a grey suit jacket, glasses perched on the edge of his nose. He's so insignificant on stage, it's easy to forget he'll turn into a raging green monster once in the arena. His most memorable line is "This Contest doesn't bring Balance...no, it's a time bomb."

Then it's Hank Pym, in a standard black suit. "Not you again," he mutters grumpily as he walks up to Luis, earning a laugh from the audience. "What now, Luis?"

"I mean, it's really cool of you to come back tonight, Mr. Pym," Luis greets.

"I had no choice," Hank bites off. "My name was pulled out of a glass bowl, condemning me to all this." He gestures out to the audience. The displeasure he has, which has been seen in other champions so far, is obvious.

Tony Stark continues to stoke the rising tension when his interview starts, proclaiming a message to his own true love. I know he's talking to Pepper when he says, "When I drift off, I will be thinking of you. It's always been you."

The audience sighs, and I wonder if any of them had ever been involved with Stark in his playboy days, enough to mistake his words for Pepper as intended for them instead.

Since there are two male champions for District 5, there is initial confusion as to who will be spoken to first, and whether the other one will be interviewed with the female champions. But then Luis announces that he'll speak to both now, and do the same for District 9, and calls up Stephen Strange.

Dressed in his typical sorcerer's getup, Strange answers Luis' questions with barely concealed anger and frustration. Karl Mordo is a little more restrained, but not by much. "The bill always comes due," he insists.

The Jotunheim champion is visibly angry, keeping his responses brief to the point of verging on nonresponsive. Then Helmut Zemo is up next.

"My wife, young son, and father all died as a result of the uprisings in Sokovia. They were casualties, unnecessarily killed. And I anticipate that I will be joining them shortly...after I tear things apart from the inside."

Then it's District 8, of the Kree Empire, and Veers stiffens beside me. The lighting on us is dim, preventing the audience from getting a good look at us until we step out to join Luis center stage. So I'm the only one who notices her reaction.

Korath the Pursuer stalks to join Luis, conducting an interview that is insignificant regarding words said, but anything but insignificant concerning his dissatisfaction with his reentry into the Contest. Then it's District 9 and Yondu Udonta is interviewed first. Like Korath, his distaste is palpable.

"I may look as pretty as an angel," he tells Luis. "But I sure as hell ain't one."

Peter Quill follows the Ravager and his interview is similar. "This Infinity Endeavor is a real The Running Man, yet with a Maltese Falcon/Temple of Doom feel with the coveted item of victory at the end of the journey. But wait...where have I seen this mix before? Oh, I know! When I did this whole damn thing the last time you stuck me in the arena!" He then flips off the cameras.

Luis ushers Peter back to his seat as soon as possible before calling up Eddie Brock from District 10. Eddie's also pretty miffed, and interrupts his interview with Luis often to converse with the symbiote Venom in mumbled fragments, confusing everyone. But from his responses to Venom, it seems the symbiote is pretty angry about all this, too.

The Vanaheim champion is unremarkable and quiet, and then it's my turn. Rising, I stride to join Luis in the center, meeting scattered applause from the audience. Many of them are upset now, echoing the champions' feelings.

"Loki," Luis greets, looking a bit on edge from all the preceding interviews. "How's things, man?"

"Could be better," I tell him.

Luis surveys my outfit. "I see you're dressed like a witch."

I scoff. "A witch? Not at all, Luis. In fact, I'm dressed to complement my lovely district partner." Allowing a wistful smile to creep over my lips, I cast a glance back at Veers, whose face is concealed under the gauzy wedding veil. "You'll see her in a moment, I promise."

"Okay, you may not be a witch, but do you have any magic for us tonight?" Luis asks. "Any dazzling performance with which to tease tomorrow?"

I find Erik in the audience and press my lips together. This is it. He was insistent I do this. "Yes, actually, I do."

I lift my hands and the black suit vanishes, replaced by the design Erik had instructed me to conjure up. The black pants stay the same, but a crisp white shirt replaces the ebony one, with a dark green tie patterned with a cross-woven pattern, a gold tie-clip glinting in the lights. A green vest buttons over the shirt, with a navy blue suitcoat on top of that. A smaller version of my golden horns rests on my forehead, leaving my black hair free, and a pin appears on my coat, boldly stating Loki for President with a red, white, and blue background.

Standing with my arms held out, an easy, charming smile plastered on my face, I hear the roars of the crowd, the cheers and claps. But I know that this is dangerous, and begin to doubt whether I should have done this, whether I should have allowed Erik to talk me into it. I'm presenting myself as a direct opponent to Thanos here.

From the look on Luis' face, he seems to understand the implications of this quite clearly. "Whoa, man!" he manages to exclaim.

"I know," I say. Then, with a flick of my fingers, the illusion vanishes and I assume my Asgardian armor from my first interview, which earns another roar. "Whatever it takes."

Belatedly, I realize that, in the context of my first illusion, whatever it takes might mean my campaign for control. It means my opposition to Thanos.

It's now become a statement of rebellion.