Loki sat at the interrogation table, to all appearances calm. Bishop, Ducky, Vance, McGhee, Jimmy, and Abby, joined by Loki's powerful Avenger brother Thor, stood in the observation room, watching Tony play with his pocket knife, flipping it around casually in front of the god of mischief as he sat waiting for Gibbs.

"That is not a wise man you have in there," Thor commented gravely.

"We know," Vance said. "He tried to escape NCIS custody."

Thor looked at Vance askance. "I was referring to your rapscallion human agent. My brother is a fool, but not that foolish."

"He tried to take over New York," Bishop pointed out.

Thor looked at her. "And here is your agent, playing with a knife around the king of daggers. Not good for self-preservation."

Vance reached for the intercom. "DiNozzo, put away your pocketknife. Playtime is over."

DiNozzo glanced back at the one-way window, reflective to his eyes, and threw out his hands in protestation. "But Director! I was enjoying frightening the prisoner."

"You are not frightening him, mortal," Thor said. "You are merely raising his level of contempt for you."

Tony glanced at Loki, who had one eyebrow raised at the sound of his brother's voice, and put the knife away.

The door to the interrogation room opened and Gibbs entered, holding a file.

"Finally," McGhee said. "We can get this show on the road."

Gibbs sat down at the table beside Tony and placed the file in front of him. "So, Laufeyson, do you want to explain why you attacked two federal agents over a petty argument?"

Ant, boot.

Thank you, for your cooperation.

Loki shook his head to rid himself of the memories of the last interrogations he had received. First Nick Fury, telling him of his prison's design, and then Black Widow, trying to figure out his plan.

The second one hadn't gone well at all. Loki decided to learn from his past mistakes and not repeat them here.

But when Loki mulled over Gibbs' question, he found himself asking the same one. Thor's called me worse.... Even Father – Odin – had worse names than "puny." So why? Why did I attack him? I must say, Tony DiNozzo is better than Odin, by a longshot – and easier to get along with than Thor. More inquisitive, not as stupid.

So why? What's my problem with being called puny?

The Hulk's words resounded in Loki's mind.

Puny god.

Loki winced as a stabbing pain pierced his brain. He turned his head to the left as he gritted his teeth, closing his eyes against the pain. As Gibbs started forward, he held out his hand to stop him.

In the observation room, Thor frowned. "What is he doing?"

Ducky looked at the god of thunder. "I was just about to inquire the same of you."

"Don't play games with us, Loki. It won't work," Vance said into the intercom. "Gibbs, please continue with the interrogation."

Loki shifted in his seat and blinked a few times to clear the pain from his head. It was reduced to a mere throbbing behind his eyes, which was bearable for the present.

"Are you going to answer the question?" Gibbs asked.

"Take your time, if you're having trouble remembering," Tony added. Loki looked at the bruise on DiNozzo's face, saw the hurt he had inflicted on his fellow agent. He almost felt sorry, almost felt guilty.

"I do not like being called puny," Loki replied as casually as he could with a problematic headache. "I had enough."

"I need more than that, Laufeyson," Gibbs said.

"I have nothing more," Loki said with a shrug. "I am deeply sorry, Agent Gibbs."

"You attacked two NCIS Special Agents," Gibbs said. "And you have no further explanation to offer other than you don't like being called names?"

"Once again, I apologize, Agent Gibbs," Loki said.

"Maybe you'd like your brother to get the answers out of you?" Tony challenged. "He's offered."

Loki shot a glare at Tony before looking back to Gibbs. "Gibbs, I cannot give you more information than I have, it's as simple as that."

Gibbs didn't say anything; just folded his hands and looked at Loki. For a long moment, there was complete silence as the man and the god had a staring contest.

"He's holding out longer than most," Bishop murmured.

"I've never seen anyone hold eye contact with Jethro for this long," Ducky commented.

"He is made of firmer mettle than you know," Thor remarked quietly. "He is my brother."

"I wouldn't want him for a brother," McGhee said, wrinkling his lip in disgust.

Thor just looked at him. "You do not know him as I do."

McGhee gave Thor a look of disbelief. "He bit me." He held up his injured hand for proof. "He said he didn't bite, and then he did."

Thor just looked at McGhee. "Well, he does lie, as well."

Everyone in the observation room looked at Thor.

"What?" Thor asked. "I thought you knew that."

Finally, Loki looked away from Gibbs, letting his gaze slip beyond him, to the reflective window. "I had a flashback."

"When?" Gibbs asked.

"Boss," Tony interrupted. "Could a flashback really be –?"

Gibbs looked at him fiercely. "DiNozzo! Really?"

"Sorry, Boss," Tony said, hands up defensively.

"Continue, Loki," Gibbs said, rolling his hands in a continuation gesture.

"When Tony referred to me as puny, it triggered a flashback to the last time someone had called me that." Loki fell silent, a pondering expression on his face.

"When was that?" Gibbs inquired quietly.

Loki looked up at him, and the former Marine could see the sense of being lost in the god's eyes.

"During the attack on New York," Loki replied. He read the next question in Gibbs' eyes and answered. "I fought with the Hulk. Let us say that he won the fight, and as he left me, lying there trying to catch my breath and recover some of my dignity, he left with some parting words: 'Puny god.'"

Tony leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes. "Boss, are you buying this?"

"Shut up, DiNozzo." Gibbs didn't take his eyes off Loki. "Is that the whole flashback?"

"Yes," Loki answered readily. "Besides the pain. I told him he must respect me because I am a god, and am above him. Then he smashed me. Into the floor of Stark Towers, again, and again, and again." The god winced at the recollection.

"It seems almost like post-traumatic stress disorder," Ducky murmured. "My, oh, my. Poor boy."

McGhee wrinkled his nose. "He got beat up by a green monster, Ducky, for trying to take over the world. I wouldn't call him a 'poor boy.'"

"What is your analysis, Dr. Mallard?" Vance asked. "Are you inclined to believe him?"

"I believe the young man has quite a bit of an issue, but I can't determine what," Ducky answered. "I'm a medical examiner. Although I am trained in psychology, it isn't my main field."

"This is when we could have used Kate," McGhee mumbled. "She would have profiled him."

"McGhee, even I could profile him," Bishop said. "Psychotic."

"And you were provoked by this flashback to attack Tony?" Gibbs asked.

Loki shrugged hopelessly. "That is what I am supposing. Something inside me just snapped, and I couldn't help it. I just wanted to act." Quieter, he added, "I wanted to stop it." He looked up at Gibbs, a desperate expression crossing his face. "But for the first time in my life, I feel like I belong somewhere, and I am deeply sorry for jeopardizing that position. I would ask for a second chance, if I felt I could be given one. But unfortunately, this has been my second chance, and I blew it."

Thor shook his head. "My brother has never spoken like this before. He never speaks about what is going on inside his mind. My father could never get him to open up like that. Only my mother could, on occasion." He regarded Gibbs through the window with a newfound respect. "I'm impressed."

Gibbs stood. "All right, Laufeyson. Don't do it again."

Tony looked at Gibbs in astonishment. "Boss. He attacked us."

"And I got a video telling me you fought back," Gibbs replied evenly. "He's to blame. I'm not saying he's not. But Thor, god of thunder, is going to be here for several days, to ensure his brother gets a good start working for NCIS. So don't worry. If he does it again, someone, somewhere, will shoot him."

Thor looked at Vance in surprise before pointing out the window at Gibbs. "I'm sorry – I'm doing what now?"