Natasha's head was pounding and her wrist was nearly as bad, but that seemed to be the extent of her physical injuries. She was aware of her body shaking but she attributed that to her mix of confusion and disorientation, it couldn't be helped. Her initial impression of Loki was hard to establish, he obviously seemed to know her but she had no clue as to who he was. His hair was nice though, it was one of the first things she noticed after calming down and making the decision to stop trying to attack him. His hair and his eyes. They were so very green and full of depth.
She eyed him in a subtle way as they walked slowly down the street, he stood tall and straight, his posture was excellent and his hands were clasped behind his back in what seemed to be a well practiced stance. There weren't many people out, it was getting to be late and Natasha supposed everyone was going home, but those who remained were casting strange looks toward the pair. Loki stood out as much as she did in her medical gown, it was a mixture of various reasons that ensured he did not blend into the crowd very easily.
"It is rude to stare." He said quietly, continuing to look straight ahead and she dipped her head, feeling guilty at being caught.
"Sorry." She murmured, quickening her pace a little to try and keep up with his long strides. "You just seem very different from everybody else." She saw the corner of his lips twitch slightly, but he still didn't break his forward gaze.
"I am nothing like these people." He informed her and she swore his shoulders set themselves a tad higher, surely a sign of pride or dignity.
"Are you foreign?" Natasha asked, not bothering to try and be subtle as she looked back to him, her eyes studying the perfect contours of his cheekbones.
"I am not from around here." Loki said simply but did not make any indication that he was going to explain further. Natasha resisted the urge to roll her eyes, receiving the feeling that he was not much of a chatter and yet that was what she wanted. She needed to know more and any information might have helped her.
"Where are we going?" She looked at her surroundings and realized that he had led her in a circle, they had gone around the block and ended up outside a café that they had already passed.
"I needed to wait until the guard had changed shifts." He wasn't looking at anything in particular, his eyes were glazed as though deep within a memory. Natasha waved her hand in front of his eyes, noting that he didn't seem to be able to see her at all. His statue like stance and unseeing eyes sent a chill up her spine and she folded her arms across her chest, her hands rubbing the cold skin of her arms.
"Take this." Without even looking at her, Loki maintained his glazed stare and shed the outer layer of his extravagantly designed clothing. They were thick robes that crisscrossed in on themselves and were not made from a material that Natasha recognized. It was only really at that moment that Natasha realized how odd Loki's looked in reference to what he wore. He handed the long cloak to her and waited for her to take it, still staring at something Natasha couldn't see. Wordlessly she accepted and wrapped the material around her shoulders, noting it was heavier than it initially appeared, draping right to the ground. But it was surprisingly warm and more comfortable than she would have expected.
A comparison to Loki, of sorts. She was aware that he seemed to be so standoffish, certainly not a man who would be deemed approachable. Yet he was willing to help her and even gave her defence against the cold. She realized he must be a good man and it made her very curious as to how she knew him.
"We can go now." Loki said and looked back to her, his emerald eyes focusing on her. He took a step forward and gripped her wrist, not very hard but she still flinched from the flash of pain the motion sent through her. He released his hold almost hesitantly, and glanced down at the injury. Before she could even speak he had grabbed it again and lifted it to eye level.
"Humans are so easily breakable." He murmured, definite amusement in his tone. Her closed his palm over the area and Natasha felt a icy rush up her arm. She blinked with wide eyes as his hand turned a delicate shade of blue for a moment before he lifted it away and the blue turned back to a more natural color. Natasha moved her hand, shocked that the pain had disappeared completely.
"You are welcome." Loki said pointedly after she simply stared at him in silence. She opened her mouth but had no idea of what to say and closed it again before she could appear to be stupid. To her surprise, he chuckled lightly and took hold of her wrist once more, but with a much gentler grip.
"Prepare yourself, this method of travel is usually… uncomfortable." The corner of his lips twitched slightly before he closed his eyes and Natasha felt an extreme tug on her body. Her eyes snapped shut and the breath left her lungs in a panicked gasp, her body feeling as though it was squeezed through an incredibly tight tube.
As quickly as the agony had filled her, it ebbed and she swayed with nausea, opening her eyes to discover they were now in some kind of facility. She would have toppled to the ground if Loki hadn't put a steadying hand on her lower back, keeping her upright.
Natasha glanced around with even wider eyes, unable to understand how they had suddenly come to this location when they were only just out on the street.
"What just happened? Where are we?" She demanded, fire in her eyes as she gazed up at Loki, still clutching his cloak around her shoulders. "How did we get here?" He raised an eyebrow but kept his expression neutral, opening his mouth to speak but was cut off by a voice yelling down the hall.
"Natasha! There you are!" She turned at the mention of her name and saw a man running toward her. He was dressed in a tight fitting leather outfit, various weapons could be seen across his body and she blinked in surprise as she noted a bow and quiver on his back. As he reached her she took a hurried step back, which he didn't even seem to notice. "Two days Tash! Two days you have been out of contact and you just waltz back in without even checking through security!" He was definitely angry at her, but she got the feeling it was more for concern rather than anything else.
"My name is Natasha." She said quietly and the rage in his expression altered to bewilderment as he simply stared at her in confusion. "Not 'Tash'. Natasha."
"What… what are you talking about?" The man asked impatiently, stepping forward to grab her wrists tightly. She didn't even consider her actions, the attack came from reflex and her body reacted without any will of her mind. She slammed her head forward and earned a cry from the man who promptly released her wrists to clutch at his nose. Natasha darted forward and pulled a knife from the sheath on his hip, swiftly moving it to his throat and forcing him back against the wall.
"Tash! What the Fuck-"
"Natasha!" She growled angrily as she pressed the blade into his skin, drawing a tiny amount of blood. The man was wide eyed as he took his hands away from his nose and placed them defensively in front of him.
"Okay, okay, just calm down." He said softly, nothing but concern showing in his eyes. Natasha hesitated and stepped back, lowering the knife to her side.
"I-" She tried to speak but he moved faster than she could have believed and spun her around, trapping both her arms behind her back and ignoring her struggling protests.
"Get off me! Let me go you bastard!" She jerked her body and tried to kick him but he swept her legs from under her and forced her to the ground, pinning her down with his body.
"Natasha you need to calm down and tell me what is going on!" He yelled above her own shouting, gritting his teeth with effort of holding her down.
Natasha was terrified, this strange man had her trapped and all she could think was that she would be taken back to the place where she had awoken. She had forgotten Loki was even there, too preoccupied with the other man but she noted huge feet appearing just in front of her face. She stilled and glanced up at his form, well aware that he did not look happy in the slightest.
"Barton, I would suggest you release her." He spoke with an icy tone that sent fear through Natasha even though she was not the one he was even speaking to.
"Piss off Loki!" The man growled, taking her quietness as an opportunity to call for back up over his radio. "Cap, can you get to my location ASAP? Got a problem here."
Natasha tried to look behind her but a hand was placed on the back of her head to push it against the cold floor. She whimpered and tried to struggle again but the movement only brought pain to her arms, which were pulled behind her at an unnatural angle. All of a sudden, the weight that pinned her was gone and she was able to breathe freely. She scuttled forward and moved to her knees, using the wall to clamber to her feet. As she turned she could see Loki holding up the other man by the back of his shirt. It was an undignified sight, to see a man squirming pointlessly against such a hold. Loki was glaring with distaste, however the two men knew each other, it was clear that they were not close friends.
"Don't touch me again!" Natasha snarled at the man, pulling Loki's cloak around her once again after it had fallen to the floor during the altercation.
"What is going on!" A booming voice sounded from the end of the hall and Natasha turned to see another two men hurrying toward them. One was very tall, long blonde hair coming over his shoulders, a huge red cape trailing down his back and across the floor. He looked ridiculous and Natasha couldn't help but stare. Like some sort of dress up convention had been in town. The other was of a muscular build, with neatly brushed hair and a vibrantly colored outfit, very American looking. And he carried a shield of all things. Who the hell were these crazy people?
The one with the shield hurried to her and tried to place a hand on her shoulder, obviously with the intention of checking her for injuries.
"Natasha thank god you are back!" He exclaimed, ignoring the way she pushed his hand away. "We had intel that you had been taken, good to see you in one piece!"
"Captain your assessment is premature." Loki spoke up, bringing all eyes to him. "She is missing something quite vital. Her memory." The others all blinked in confusion and looked back to Natasha, who took a step backwards, uncomfortable with the sudden attention she was receiving.
"What did you do to her!" The man with the bow yelled and dived for Loki. The one with the long blonde hair and the cape stepped forward before a fight could start, both men looking as though they wished to tear the arms off the other.
"Look at me Natasha." The Captain commanded and his tone prompted Natasha to comply, turning her gaze to him but not making any move to come closer. "Is this true?"
She could do nothing but nod, still keeping her distance from the strangers, subconsciously edging a little closer to Loki. She didn't notice his smirk as he realized what she was doing. He had promised that she would be safe with him and she was taking him at his word, he was the only one who had helped her so far and he was the only one she was willing to trust.
"We need to get her to medical." The Captain proclaimed, "Loki, come with me and tell me everything you know, Clint and Thor, take Natasha to see Bruce and get him to do a full brain scan or whatever he thinks will help."
Before Natasha could react, Clint had taken hold of her wrist again and was trying to pull her down the hall as the man with the red cape followed closely. "No!" Natasha tried to struggle against him when her other escort took her free arm and she was shocked beyond belief at how strong he was, it was completely unnatural. "No! Let me go! Loki!" She cried out for help and caught a glimpse of Loki just as she was yanked around the corner. His green eyes were flashing with pure rage as he watched the scene and he tried to take a step forward but the Captain pointedly nudged him in the other direction. She continued to fight as her terror increased, even if Loki had decided to abandon her then she was not going to simply accept her fate as these strangers dragged to off to an unknown location.
