NEST Base, island of Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean, Earth
"How clever they think they are," Ratchet spits. The Autobot chief medical officer is offended by the situation.
Jazz ignores the comment, and Optimus Prime, the leader, shoots his old friend a sidelong glance, hoping he'll get his snark out of his system before the humans arrive. Their ship is overhead, cloaked, but they all know it's there. They can see and sense it. Primitive technology by their standards, but advanced for humankind. The humans standing with them are nervous, waiting with fingers on triggers. Optimus hopes it will not come to that, but even he is wary, knowing what is coming.
They watch as the landing craft touches down on the tarmac, not far from where they're standing. The back hatch lowers, and two people exit.
One is familiar—Optimus knows Nicholas Fury from several previous joint operations between NEST and SHIELD, but the man beside him is someone the Autobot leader has never met, but knows by reputation. A reputation that is only newly known.
And that person is named Loki. He's weak. Exhausted. Hasn't slept in days. They won't take off the gag for him to eat, or drink, because they fear what his words might bring. So they leave him muzzled and chained like the great wolf prophesied in Ragnarok. Cut off from his magic by his bindings, Asgardian in design. Locked in a cage in another carrier.
Loaded into the flying craft, armed guards on either side and across. Loki is grateful when they land. He's tired of their company and more than willing to face whatever comes next. Except he's not prepared for it. Loki stands, and Fury's grip on his elbow suggests trying something would be a bad idea. Stepping into the sunlight, Loki blinks against its harsh brilliance. Days since he's seen the sun, breathed air that wasn't recycled through some machine.
And something steps into the light, blocking it, throwing a shadow over him and his companion. Loki looks up, eyes widening with something like panic, and he backs up, Fury stopping him from going anywhere.
A titan. Another. Three in all, one looming larger than the others. Loki barely registers the other humans on the ground in front of him, a half-dozen, dressed in what passes for armor in this realm and armed to the teeth.
"He's all yours," Fury said. "Hope the cage is ready."
A hand on his shoulder, and Loki is guided to what is going to be his new home. The others follow, and Loki strains to hear the conversation, not understanding all of it.
"All of the trial runs were successful, and all of the test subjects were unable to escape," Optimus said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Fury asked.
"It means you have nothing to worry about," Ratchet said, stepping over to slide open the door to the hanger they were at. It had been converted into a makeshift brig. One had been hastily converted to hold a much smaller prisoner. They stopped in front of it, and Jazz tried putting his hand through the shimmering wall of energy in front of them, only to be knocked off his feet.
"That's a Class 5 containment field. It's enough to hold back a gestalt," Jazz explained as he stood.
"A gestalt—the thing that took apart the pyramid in Egypt three years ago?" Fury asked.
"It should keep your boy here from getting into any trouble," Jazz said. "This field is the best we've got, and the whole brig's been tested time and again by the best we have. Some of them are the only bots who ever successfully broke out of Kaon's prison."
Optimus shot him a look, hoping to silence him.
"Well, the ones dumb enough to break in, too," Jazz continued, shooting his Prime a smile.
"What's the significance of that?" Fury said.
"Ask when you're not short on time," Ratchet said. "You're making Red Alert twitchy, and if you don't get that boat out of our airspace, none of us are responsible for what happens next."
Fury sighed, knowing the reputation of the Autobot security officer. He made the NSA look downright friendly when it came to surveillance.
"Fine. Just put him away, and I'll be going," Fury said.
He watched as Jazz shut down the field, and one of the human guards shoved Loki inside the cell, and the force field was once again activated.
Loki was now officially disappeared, forgotten and buried.
NEST Base, island of Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean, Earth
"How clever they think they are," Ratchet spits. The Autobot chief medical officer is offended by the situation.
Jazz ignores the comment, and Optimus Prime, the leader, shoots his old friend a sidelong glance, hoping he'll get his snark out of his system before the humans arrive. Their ship is overhead, cloaked, but they all know it's there. They can see and sense it. Primitive technology by their standards, but advanced for humankind. The humans standing with them are nervous, waiting with fingers on triggers. Optimus hopes it will not come to that, but even he is wary, knowing what is coming.
They watch as the landing craft touches down on the tarmac, not far from where they're standing. The back hatch lowers, and two people exit.
One is familiar—Optimus knows Nicholas Fury from several previous joint operations between NEST and SHIELD, but the man beside him is someone the Autobot leader has never met, but knows by reputation. A reputation that is only newly known.
And that person is named Loki. He's weak. Exhausted. Hasn't slept in days. They won't take off the gag for him to eat, or drink, because they fear what his words might bring. So they leave him muzzled and chained like the great wolf prophesied in Ragnarok. Cut off from his magic by his bindings, Asgardian in design. Locked in a cage in another carrier.
Loaded into the flying craft, armed guards on either side and across. Loki is grateful when they land. He's tired of their company and more than willing to face whatever comes next. Except he's not prepared for it. Loki stands, and Fury's grip on his elbow suggests trying something would be a bad idea. Stepping into the sunlight, Loki blinks against its harsh brilliance. Days since he's seen the sun, breathed air that wasn't recycled through some machine.
And something steps into the light, blocking it, throwing a shadow over him and his companion. Loki looks up, eyes widening with something like panic, and he backs up, Fury stopping him from going anywhere.
A titan. Another. Three in all, one looming larger than the others. Loki barely registers the other humans on the ground in front of him, a half-dozen, dressed in what passes for armor in this realm and armed to the teeth.
"He's all yours," Fury said. "Hope the cage is ready."
A hand on his shoulder, and Loki is guided to what is going to be his new home. The others follow, and Loki strains to hear the conversation, not understanding all of it.
"All of the trial runs were successful, and all of the test subjects were unable to escape," Optimus said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Fury asked.
"It means you have nothing to worry about," Ratchet said, stepping over to slide open the door to the hanger they were at. It had been converted into a makeshift brig. One had been hastily converted to hold a much smaller prisoner. They stopped in front of it, and Jazz tried putting his hand through the shimmering wall of energy in front of them, only to be knocked off his feet.
"That's a Class 5 containment field. It's enough to hold back a gestalt," Jazz explained as he stood.
"A gestalt—the thing that took apart the pyramid in Egypt three years ago?" Fury asked.
"It should keep your boy here from getting into any trouble," Jazz said. "This field is the best we've got, and the whole brig's been tested time and again by the best we have. Some of them are the only bots who ever successfully broke out of Kaon's prison."
Optimus shot him a look, hoping to silence him.
"Well, the ones dumb enough to break in, too," Jazz continued, shooting his Prime a smile.
"What's the significance of that?" Fury said.
"Ask when you're not short on time," Ratchet said. "You're making Red Alert twitchy, and if you don't get that boat out of our airspace, none of us are responsible for what happens next."
Fury sighed, knowing the reputation of the Autobot security officer. He made the NSA look downright friendly when it came to surveillance.
"Fine. Just put him away, and I'll be going," Fury said.
He watched as Jazz shut down the field, and one of the human guards shoved Loki inside the cell, and the force field was once again activated.
Loki was now officially disappeared, forgotten and buried.
