He could tell instantaneously that Loki wasn't human, his clothes were clearly other-worldly, though his long emerald cape was more of a personal statement.

His stance told him that Loki was slightly egoistical, and the way the words dripped off his tongue with smarmy slickness irritated him. He didn't like people who rivalled him in intelligence. The last people to do that were the Vulcans; he did not get along with Vulcans.

Loki stood in an elegant fluster of gold and emerald, something which clearly he thought would make an impression. It did, but perhaps the wrong sort. It flickered in the dim light, the gold dimming in places; the whole of this stranger was intangible, suspicious, He skimmed his eyes up and down his intruder, calculating in a few seconds several different ways he could knock Loki unconscious, paralyze him and kill him.

He was irritated, if he had the capacity; he stared at Loki and felt the need to validate him, to make sure he wasn't imagining it that this figure had blinked into existence in front of him. His clothes, his appearance; he didn't seem real. Loki made him doubt himself. He did not take that lightly.

It was not in his nature to show such flaws, so he refused to turn around. He watched Loki in the reflection of the flight screen.

'Who are you?' he asked. The ship was dark, the only light glinting from the panels that had sprung into life in a circle around the small flight deck, with various damage reports and error messages flickering across them. His long black coat swathed him and his collar was pulled up, his eyes just visible in the low light. His voice thundered out from the darkness, almost making Loki nervous.

'I have many names.' Loki raised an eyebrow, his pale lips widening into an annoyingly charming smile. It was a smile of a inferiority complex.

'Are you with Kirk? I suggest you answer me.'

'If you don't come with me you're going to die.' he grinned in response.

He ignored Loki, deciding if he was going to give him no more information, he was irrelevant. He turned and continued with what Loki assumed was the attempted rescue of his rapidly deteriorating ship. He barely blinked as an explosion detonated to his right, and then ceased. His eyes followed the descent pattern of the ship on the console, which flashed in obnoxious red numbers how many miles from the ground the ship was.

'How did you get here?' The figure asked, almost courteous in his tone.

'I have a certain proficiency when it comes to teleportation.'

'And what do you want from me?' he asked. Loki was slightly irked by his attitude, as if he was dealing with a difficult child. He didn't need to answer his questions.

'We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, shall we?' Loki replied gratingly.

'I'll say this one more time. Who are you?'

'I am Loki, of Asgard.'

The figure turned, his stance suddenly alert, and in the dull light of the ship, Loki could see him put one hand on his phaser.

'Loki Laufeyson?'

Loki's grin became unbearably smug and his blue eyes smouldered with satisfaction. Finally, somebody who knew him by reputation.

'You're in range of their weapons, they'll fire again or you'll land and they'll arrest you, lock you up and this wonderfully orchestrated plan will not go as expected.' Loki noted. His eyes danced across the figure in the darkness, making out pale skin and black clothes.

'And this is why you are here, to offer my escape?' the figure asked.

'Always happy to help.'

The figure was silent, but in the dingy light Loki could see the glint of his teeth as he flashed a mocking, malevolent grin, but said nothing. Loki blinked in bemusement as a console exploded to his left, and the figure turned vaguely to click the teleportation field off, his hand lazily wandering across the buttons.

'I could use a ship, if I am to be honest with you.' Loki eventually surrendered, as he watched the ship explode very gradually around him. He wanted this to ride his way to freedom and annoy SHIELD; how was he to do it if this maniac was letting it be decimated.

'So, if there was any chance of you fixing it...'

'Sorry to disappoint. I really am rather busy, so if you'd excuse me.' the dark figure said.

'Why are you letting them destroy the ship? It does seem the most pointless of ideas. Is the idea that you're a terrorist, what and you think they'll surrender to you what you want because you scared the planet?'

'You're cleverer than you look.' he said dismissively. Loki was not enjoying this. Why wasn't he paying more attention to him? He'd teleported onto his ship, a demi-god mass-murderer in glittering gold and green Asgardian outfit, and this lunatic was just ignoring him.

'Are you not surprised by my presence?'

'If I found your presence interesting enough to be surprised by it, I would most certainly be surprised.'

Loki frowned, working out the meaning. The figure's teeth glinted again as he grinned.

'You knew my name. That must make me vaguely interesting, must it not?' Loki smiled, sure he had caught him out. The figure's hand dropped from his phaser and crossed his arms, his forearms hulking with muscle.

'Everyone knows your name. It's not that you're interesting. You're famous for being the god who lost out to the Avengers, and was taken back to his planet by his brother with a muzzle on.' he replied shortly, his quick, observational comment hitting Loki in all his weaknesses.

Loki gaped. His lightning wit was about to turn it back to this stranger, but he got in first.

'And now you're trying to hijack my spaceship. Really not all that impressive, is it?'

Loki's expression was almost wounded, but anger seethed from his features.

'What did you expect when you boarded my spaceship, that you would drag me to safety and then fly off into the night, with the Avengers in your wake, shaking their fists at the villain who just keeps outwitting them?'

Desperately trying to think fast, Loki opened his mouth preemptively.

'Anything to say?'

'Yes. I expected to trade a ship for a life, and given that you're a pathetic human then I think that's very charitable of me. I was expecting some dark elf. But no, I've got you, some psychotic know-it-all human, and given your ship I assume you have some time travelling device, which may come in useful. Now give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now and steal your ship.'

Within a heartbeat, he replied soundly;

'You wouldn't be able to fly it.'

Loki's face fell from one of imperious self-righteousness to saddened disappointment.

'I'd work it out.' he attempted.

'This is a Dreadnought, second class, from the year 2259. You would have no idea.'

Loki felt a victory over the stranger that he had worked out that he owned a time travelling device.

'I'm from Asgard. We make Earth look like a primitive species.'

'Perhaps it would be all the more embarrassing for you to have... performance issues, when making your great escape. Now please, I'm busy.'

'You are planning to get yourself captured?' Loki stated, his ego wounded and desperately trying to repair itself by foiling this stranger's plans.

'I wouldn't tell you my plans even if I wanted to.'

'Have you any idea who you are talking to?' Loki thundered.

'Loki, of Asgard. Obviously. And if you are planning on getting captured along with me, by all means, stay and hinder me, however if you want your freedom then I suggest you leave now.'

'I think I'll stay put, thank you. I can't have you getting all the attention.' he replied acidly.