Of the ways Thor could have told him, there were far worse ones. Because of that, Bob's reaction would be far more mild than it might otherwise have been.

He stared at Thor for a silence stretch of minutes, upward to nine. His eyes, wide and blue, remained immobile and fixed on Thor. Allied with a madman, our most formidable foe, his mind repeated, over and over. Bob absorbed their meaning as best he could. That was all he could do now, without being there. Without knowing.

"I wouldn't ally myself with madness," he said, quietly. "I don't know, Thor. You know me. You know that whatever I would do, it was for the good of-- if I was..."

Stopping mid-sentence, his mind repeated itself again. His breathing quickened, sharp and dry in the airless environment. If I was myself.