Chapter Five: Guilt

Harry followed beside his newly made friend, Phil, as the older man led him through identical looking hallways.

"Where are we headed?" Harry asked casually. He'd been pleasantly surprised when instead of the fanatic fanboy Harry feared he would be, Phil instead turned out to be a pleasantly mellow guy. The man's ability to keep a neutral face and a calm façade was in contrast to the biting humour Harry had discovered lurked underneath. Over all, Harry was pleased to have found a friendly presence to stick near in his current situation.

"Back to the Bridge. I need to get an update on the search for Selvig and Barton." Coulson explained.

"Barton?" Harry questioned. He'd already heard Thor and Doctor Banner speak of Selvig before. He was an astrophysicist and Thor's friend, if Harry remembered correctly. But he didn't recall anyone mentioning Barton before.

"He's one of ours. Loki put him under some kind of mind control spell." Coulson replied with a sigh. Ah, Natasha Romanoff had mentioned him, Harry remembered. At the same time, Harry noticed the tightness around Coulson's eyes and the way his lips twisted just slightly down as he spoke.

"I'm sorry." Harry told him sincerely.

"What for?" Coulson sent him a raised eyebrow along with another bland smile. Still, Harry hadn't imagined the initial reaction.

"He was your friend?" Harry asked gently. Coulson paused for a moment before continuing walking.

"Yes." He agreed after a short silence. "I recruited him, you know?" Coulson continued quietly.

"It's not your fault." Harry immediately assured the other man. The weight of responsibility was one Harry was familiar with. He knew too, how unreasonable guilt could be. It wasn't Coulson's fault that Barton had been compromised but Harry would bet his vault's worth that Coulson still felt responsible.

Coulson's lack of response was very telling.

"This is it." Coulson announced as they arrived at the end of the corridor.

Harry followed Coulson onto the Bridge which was just as busy with activity despite the others absence. Agents milled around their computer screens and a low murmur of talking seemed to be a constant background buzz.

It didn't take Harry long to spot the big blond Asgardian from before standing by the table. His arms were folded and there was a scowl on Thor's face.

Harry separated from Coulson as the man went to get his update. Harry moved instead to stand beside Thor.

"Thor, right?" Harry said in greeting. He arched one eyebrow as eyes the colour of sky turned to gaze over at him. Even with the new height his natural form gave Harry, he was still a head shorter than the impressively tall god of thunder.

"Indeed. I am Thor Odin-son. And you are the Captain's son." Thor greeted with a nod.

"Call me Harry." Harry offered his hand to the man. After only a moment of awkward hesitation, Thor reached out and clasped Harry's hand. It was through immense self-control that Harry did not allow a wince to cloud his features at the tight grip of the god before him.

Once his hand was released, Harry turned to stand next to Thor, looking out at the busy agents before them.

"So, is this your first time on Earth?" Harry asked lightly. He ignored the somewhat hysterical laugh that seemed to echo from deep in his own mind. How had his life gotten so very strange?

Thor looked across to him, and Harry got the distinct impression he amused the larger man. "I have ventured to Midgard many times." Thor… decreed? It certainly wasn't how a normal person spoke.

"Uh, Midgard?" Harry repeated unsurely.

"It is what my people call your world." Thor explained patiently. Harry nodded in understanding.

"Right." Harry agreed. "Midgard." Harry rolled the name on his tongue. "I like it." He decided. Thor flashed him a smile, his eyes alight with amusement. The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence as they watched the agents bustling around them. They were joined by Phil only moments later. Harry greeted the man with a small smile. "Anything new?" Harry asked hopefully.

Phil shook his head, a tight frown turning the corner of his lips downward. "So far there's been no sightings. But we're hopeful. They have to turn up eventually." Phil said and Harry got the distinct impression the man's words were more for his own benefit than for Harry or Thor's.

Harry clasped a hand to Phil's shoulder. "I'm sure they will." Harry agreed kindly.

"I must ask, son of Coul, what fate befalls my Lady Jane?" Thor asked. Harry looked to the other man in bemusement. He wondered what Thor's home world was like. From his speech pattern alone, Harry knew Thor's home must be very different from what they knew on Earth.

Phil gestured for Thor to follow him over to one of the many monitors in the room. Harry, for lack of anything better to do, followed and stood slightly to the side of the two men. Phil tapped at the computer for a few moments, bringing up a picture of a beautiful brunette woman.

"As soon as Loki took Selvig, we moved Jane Foster." Phil began to explain. "We've got an excellent observatory in Traunsee. She was asked to consult there, very suddenly, yesterday. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote." Phil looked to Thor and smiled. "She'll be safe there." He assured.

Harry didn't know who Jane Foster was but from the relief on Thor's face, he knew she was important to the god.

"Thank you." Thor breathed sincerely. Harry watched as the amusement he'd seen flashing in Thor's eyes before faded to be replaced by a weary solemness. "It was no accident Loki taking Eric Selvig. I dread to think what he has planned for him once he is done." Thor announced in a tight tone.

"You mentioned he was your friend?" Harry asked.

"Indeed." Thor agreed, glancing over toward Harry. "Eric is a good man." He finished quietly or at least as quiet as Thor could be.

"He talks about you a lot," Phil told Thor even as he moved away from the computer set up. Harry fell into step beside the agent as he began leading them further onto the bridge. "You changed his life. You changed everything around here."

Thor let out a sigh as he too fell into step on Phil's other side. "They were better as they were." Thor announced while looking down at the ground. "We pretend on Asgard that we are more advanced but we come here battling like Bilgesnipe."

Harry exchanged a glance with Phil and was pleased to see he wasn't the only on confused. "Like what?" Harry asked curiously.

"Bilgesnipe." Thor answered at once. He turned to see both Harry and Phil fixing him with confused expressions. "You know, huge, scaly, big antlers." Thor rattled off while bringing his hands up to mimic the apparently big antlers. "You don't have those?" Thor asked.

Harry found himself struggling to hold in an amused smile. The regal impression he'd first gotten from Thor was clearly not all there was too see of the surprisingly amusing god.

"I don't think so." Phil deadpanned with a small bland smile. Harry found his own smile breaking free of his control as he grinned.

"Huh." Thor replied, taken aback. "Well, they are repulsive. And they trample everything in their path." As he continued to speak Thor's voice became more sombre. The blond man wandered closer to the glass overlooking the dark sky and even darker clouds. "When I first came to Earth, Loki's rage followed me. And now again."

Hearing the guilt in the bigger man's voice had Harry moving closer to place a hand on his shoulder. Thor glanced over to him and Harry was surprised to see the genuine sorrow and guilt written so plainly on Thor's face.

"You are not responsible for the actions of another." Harry imparted solemnly. It was a lesson he himself had to learn when those closest to him were being injured in Voldemort's attempts to get at Harry. He had been drowning in guilt right up until Ron had slapped him across the head and told him quite plainly that Harry was not responsible for Voldemort's actions.

"I brought my brother's wrath upon this planet." Thor said with his voice wavering.

Harry shook his head even as he reeled at the new information. The dark haired death-eater-wannabe in holding was Thor's brother? The two couldn't be more different if they tried.

"Loki may be your brother, but you do not own his actions. They are his own." Harry repeated firmly. He held Thor's gaze until the god finally nodded his head. Doubt still lingered in Thor's eyes but Harry didn't expect to solve such an issue with just a few words. It would take Thor not only hearing but accepting the words before that could happen.

"Never the less, my brother will not be persuaded from his chosen course of vengeance." Thor announced grimly. "In my youth I called it war." Thor spat out tiredly.

"War hasn't broken out yet." A new voice suddenly called from overhead. Harry turned and looked up at where Director Fury stood on a walkway to the right of them. The man was staring intensely at Thor as he spoke. "You think you can make him tell us where the tesseract is?"

"I do not know. Loki's mind is far afield. It is not just power he craves but vengeance, upon me. There's no pain that would pry his prize from him." Thor lamented while turning his gaze back to the clouds in front of them.

"A lot of guys think that, until the pains starts." Fury declared as he began making his way down the steps.

Phil moved silently closer. He stood beside Harry with his arms crossed and a pinched look between his brows on his otherwise expressionless face. Harry meanwhile was watching the exchange with growing trepidation. His own arms were crossed as he glared over at Fury.

"What are you asking me to do?" Thor asked uneasily.

"I'm asking, what are you prepared to do?" Fury demanded, mere inches from Thor now.

Harry couldn't stop himself from taking an angry step forward. "Exactly what kind of organization are you running here, Director Fury?" Harry spat.

Both Fury and Thor spun to look at him as Harry boldly forced his way into their conversation.

"Excuse me?" Fury asked, eyebrow raised.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds an awful lot like what you're asking is whether Thor would torture his own brother for information." Harry paused to give the man ample time to correct his statement. Fury did no such thing, instead holding Harry's gaze with his own unwavering one. Harry felt his own face twist into a sneer. "And you're supposed to be the good guys? Really?"

"The world isn't split into good and evil," Fury began to spout, looking all the world like a teacher explaining something very simple to an ignorant child. Harry didn't give him the chance to begin his lecturing.

"No it's not." Harry readily agreed. "But it sure as hell is split into right and wrong. And in case you can't tell, Director, what you're suggesting is wrong!" Harry found himself taking the few steps necessary to put himself right in front of Fury.

Fury's one good eye was twitching as he frowned angrily down at Harry. "Let me make this simple for you, Rogers. If we don't stop Loki, then we really will be facing a war. I doubt I need to tell you of all people of the civilian casualties a war will bring." Fury's voice got louder and angrier as he spoke.

Unnoticed by either of the two arguing men, the chatter on the bridge had died as everyone's attention turned to them.

"Loki is a prisoner." Thor inputted, his arms crossed as he stood behind Harry.

"Then why do I get the impression he's the only one who wants to be here?" Fury bit out.

"So what? You'll torture him on a gut feeling?" Harry demanded. "You know, I knew a man like you once, he thought the end result always justified the means, too. As long as it was always for the greater good, right?" Harry argued right back. "But that's the thing about the 'greater good'. It's all relative to your perspective. So tell me, what makes you so sure your greater good is any better than Loki's? Or even the hundreds of tyrants and torturers that came before you?" Harry demanded hotly.

Harry, who was used to a glare far crueler and nastier than Fury's, held the directors gaze with his own heated glare.

Their intense stare down was interrupted by Phil, the man clearing his throat as he took a hesitant step forward.

"Director," Phil said, waiting for Fury's attention to turn to him before he continued. "Agent Romanoff is about to begin her interrogation, if you wanted to oversee it?" Phil offered in that mild tone of his.

Fury turned to give Harry the stink eye one last time before sweeping away with his coat billowing out dramatically behind him.

Harry for his part continued to glare at the man's back until he felt Phil sidle up next to him.

"I'm going to finish my rounds if you still wanted to join?" Coulson offered mildly. Harry turned to his new friend and could see the wariness in the older man's eyes.

"Of course." Harry agreed with an incline of his head. He turned to Thor and offered the god a smile. "Would you like to join us, Thor? Phil's giving me a tour of the place," Harry asked. He didn't need to be a genius to see that Phil was eager to remove him from the situation before Fury's attention could return to their little argument.

From the strained amusement on Thor's face, Harry thought he had figured out something similar. "Thank you for your offer, my friend. But I shall remain here and watch over my brother." Thor decided even as he turned to frown in the direction Fury had gone.

Harry nodded and offered the man a smile before following silently beside Phil. They did not speak until they were well away from the bridge.

"You really shouldn't push him like that." Coulson began. Harry looked to the man to see him starring ahead. "Fury is under an immense amount of stress. And, although it may not look like it, he is a good man." Coulson told him.

Harry found his eyebrows going up. It said a lot about Fury's character that he had a man like Phil's loyalty. Even still.

"Well then, maybe he should act like it." Harry stated simply