*~Loki's P.O.V.: The Dining Room~*
It took a while but I finally restored enough of my manna to preform astral projection, to visit someone. The only question now was who? Should it be my beloved brother? Or maybe the emotionally unstable doctor? The possibilities flowed through my mind like silk on glass. Everyone seemed like a good candidate, but the one that stood out the most was Alex's little pet, I pondered how visiting Katarina would anger him. He had been working as my informant for about six mortal months now, but still I had yet to figure out what evokes anger from him.
With my mind now made up, a plan started forming without and effort. I laid down and closed my eyes to make it appear as though I was asleep, then set out in search for Katarina. It didn't take long to find her, because she went jogging through the long corridor without any reserve for the direction she was headed, her long black hair flaring out behind her dramatically. She soon turned the corner into what I presumed to be a dining room, with a long table and high backed chairs. Once she entered the room, she threw herself into one of the chairs and slumped down with her head on the table. She mumbled to herself then groaned in a frustrated and stressed manner.
"Well, well princess, you do look distressed." I tried to keep the smile out of my tone, but I feared some still broke through. I leaned up against the door frame as she shivered silently. After a moment she turned to face me without any emotion, but her eyes said she had plenty to say. Her hand was firmly clasped around the golden angel wings that I had given to her as a gift.
"Loki, I wonder who was suicidal enough to let you out of your cage?" Looking at her slowly I laughed and smiled coolly. She truly is an interesting mortal, with a spit-fire attitude. Very engaging.
*~After She Goes to Sleep~*
This strange woman is not only not afraid of me, but she is brave enough to stand up for a man she barely knows. She baffles me in ways that most humans can not. She asked me to keep an eye out so that she may rest with out any interruptions, but I'm afraid that the astral projection won't last much longer. But never the less I sat next her and watched over her as she slumbered peacefully. She moved and a bit of glossy hair fell onto her face, revealing the stark contrast of her pale skin very noticeably. Upon looking closer I noticed a light dusting of freckles on her cheeks and on the bridge of her nose. I was in complete awe at how long her lashes were and how full here lips were when slightly puckered in a sleepy dream like state. Before knew what I was doing I had gently traced her bottom lip with my index finger. She murmured something I couldn't understand and instinctively, I jerked my hand away from her and chided myself for getting so caught up in my thoughts.
Without thinking, I bolted up from the table and went in search for someone to look after her, after searching for a while I found the doctor in one of his labs. Running in, it was amusing to watch his eyes bulge and become tinted with green.
"Do calm down doctor, I'm not here to antagonize you, I'm here because I need your assistance." He looked puzzled but calmed a bit, but not enough to take the green out of his eyes. After nodding for me to continue with my request, I could tell he was ready to refuse me at any moment.
"Your dear Katarina is down in the dining room asleep, I can not keep my present state for too much longer, so I ask you to watch over her in her sleep." At the mention of Katarina's name his jaw stiffened and his eyes hardened.
"What did you do to her?"
"Just because I'm the bad guy, why does everyone insist on accusing me of doing anything bad?"
"Maybe because you're the bad guy...? And does this mean you didn't do anything to her?"
"Fair point, and no, not a thing. Oh don't give me that face. How could I do something to her wen she looked at me with those...golden eyes?" His hard look became colder and more heated at the same time. What had just come out of my mouth? I had shocked myself.
"Where did you say she was again?" His voice became harsh and he glared at me.
"In the dining room. Would you like me to show you the way?" He shook his head and took off in the direction of the dining room.
*~Normal P.O.V.~*
Banner came running into the dining room almost as soon as I woke up, worry etched into his face.
"Dr. Banner?" A small sigh of relief escaped his lips ad his eyes lit up.
"You're okay!" I yawned and rubbed the back of my neck.
"Yeah, that's good right?" His laugh caught me off guard.
"Good? That's wonderful!" He was still chuckling softly as he ran a hand through his unruly hair.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, is there something I'm missing here? And where's Loki?" His smile faltered and a brief look of confusion passed over his face.
"Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that you knew Loki was out of his cage and you didn't say anything? Didn't sound an alarm or anything?" I groaned and pushed myself off the table and into a standing position.
"Look, I'm not awake enough to explain this to you completely, but he wasn't actually here. It was a magic trick, that's all." He stared at me in disbelief, but eventually just shook his head angrily and stormed off without another word. I stood there debating whether or not I should chase after him, when Loki walked in weakly. Anger boiled up inside of me at a temperature that I had never reached before.
"You!" I charged at him and pushed him into the door frame as hard as I could.
"Why did you go get him!? Now he hates me and it's all because you couldn't perform one simple task! No wonder you aren't a king!" He just looked at me pitifully and bowed his head in defeat, this made me angrier.
"Say something damn it!"
"What's there to say" You're right?" All the explosive rage inside of me came bursting out at once, and I punched the heavy mahogany door as hard as I could, right next to head and walked off as quickly as I could. I had dealt with all I could for today, from Fury and Agent Hill, to Tony and Pepper fighting then Pepper calling me a tramp, now Bruce being angry with me. I was done. Another fit of rage was building up inside of me and I was about to lash out again.
~Kitten!~ Alex's voice cut through the anger like a sword of ice.
~What!?~ I snapped at him irritably. Flinching mentally, he stood his ground.
~Kitten, can we talk?~ I was too angry to hear anything he had to say.
~No!~ I clenched my fists tightly to avoid hitting the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that walked past me.
~Kitten, please?~ Where ever he was, he was getting closer to me.
~No.~
~Please, it's important.~
~I said no!~ My anger was being directed at him wholeheartedly. Closer, Alex was still getting closer.
~Kitten, I'm coming to talk to you.~ Why was he being so stubborn?
I did my best to stay away from him, but my guard dropped for a few seconds and he caught up with me. He grabbed my hand behind my back and forced me to walk into an empty conference room.
"Good, now we can talk." He let go and locked the door with a key.
"Let me out!" I demanded weakly.
"Not while you're a danger to to others." Putting his hands on my tense shoulders he led me to an empty chair and sat me down.
"Before you go anywhere, I need you to calm down. That's it. Deep breathes." I began to slowly calm down as he carefully massaged my shoulders and upper back.
"See?" He stopped massaging for a few moments and I felt a sharp prick on my neck.
"Just relax." I slowly turned my head and saw the surgical syringe he had just removed.
"What the?" He helped me stand and looked apologetic but the shock and anger I felt left me confused and hollow inside. My feet soon fell asleep and refused to work correctly and Alex just let me fall to the floor pathetically. Crawling to the door with leg that wouldn't work properly proved to be more than a challenge. I got to the door and tried o pull myself up using the door handle.
Jiggling the door handle, I began to panic.
"Help!" My throat was dry and my tongue felt thick. "Someone help!" My voice cracked and my arms started to become numb. I coughed hard and the sudden coppery taste of blood welled up in my throat. Alex sat down in a chair and turned towards me, he just watched me with his arms folded over his chest.
"No one is coming to save you, because no one is close enough to hear you screaming like the little bitch you are. Now Kitten, I'm sure that by now it's getting hard to breathe, so let's make this interesting. I have the antidote to he fast spreading virus I've injected you with. If you refuse, you die. If you accept, on the other hand, you live." I glared at him darkly while clutching at my chest in a failed attempt to get air into my lungs.
"What I want you to do is fairly simple. I want you to accept the proposal for you to join the Avengers Initiative and inconspicuously spy on everything they do. From what they eat, to how they train, even down to what they wear. You need to make a decision soon, you're running out of time." He held up a vile of vicious red liquid, and wiggled it teasingly. I had fallen down onto my hands and knees and began coughing up blood at an astonishing rate.
~Help! Somebody help me!~ Alex's true laugh cut through the air.
"No one's going to save you! Only I can hear you." My arms gave out and fell onto my stomach. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander to anyone whose subconscious was weak enough that I could break through and beg for their help. I wandered around in darkness until I found a weak mind to infiltrate, I felt guilty about it, but I needed help. So I went in. The first thing I saw was a little boy sitting on the floor playing with an Iron Giant action figure. He had dark brown hair and a loopy smile on his face. He looked so familiar, but I couldn't remember where I knew him from.
~"Hello? Little boy?"~ He turned to face me, his smile growing contrasting with the sadness in his eyes. My heart ached for his boy.
~"Hi there, are you here to talk to daddy?"~ He set his toy down and walked over to me. Silently taking my hand he led me over to a purple and orange couch that looked like it came strait from the sixties.
~"No, I'm actually lost, could you tell me where I am? I hate to intrude."~ Smiling, he sat down next to me.
~"So you're not here to see daddy?"~ I shook my head and his smile widened.
~"Well I'm Tony."~ Eyes widening in shock, my hand came up and hid the gasp I just couldn't hide.
~"Tony? As in Tony Stark?"~ He nodded proudly and laughed freely. I was in absolute shock. Never in a million years did I ever think that Tony Stark would be the person I would contact in a time of emergency. But it did make sense, I was looking for a weak mind, what's weaker than someone whose drunk and unconscious? As I pondered this silently, young Tony looked up at me with large chocolate eyes, and it was a bit unnerving.
~"Hey, lady, you never told me your name."~ Thinking back, he was right.
~"Oh, I'm Katarina, but you can call me Kat."~ Upon hearing my name, his wide eyes became wider and his smile faltered.
~"Katarina?~" I nodded slowly, wary of his reaction. The next thing I knew Tony threw himself onto my lap, his arms wrapped around my waist. He was trembling and murmuring apologies that weren't completely coherent. i patted his back as he sobbed, not knowing exactly how to handle the situation.
~"Tony? What's wrong? I can't understand what you're saying."~ he slowly sat up and wiped the tears from his eyes, he sniffed a few times before he finally calmed enough to tell me what was wrong.
~"I'm so sorry Kat, please forgive me, I'm sorry."~ I stood up in confusion and started pacing.
~"Sorry? For what?"~ He stood up behind me and there was a soft bubbling of light. I turned and was faced with the normal Tony with tears in his eyes and a sad smile on his face. He reached out and grabbed me by my shoulders.
~"I'm so sorry sweety."~ He pulled me in and embraced me warmly and protectively.
~"So sorry."~ He patted my hair gently and began shaking again. there was so much emotion behind his words, enough to make me start feeling sick. I pushed away from him and took a few steps back, his hands reached out to me desperately then fell beside him limply. His head hung low, with hair shading his eyes from view, almost identical to what I did when avoiding people.I folded my arms in front of my chest in a subtle way of defending myself from getting hurt. He sighed deeply and looked up at me with hooded eyes.
~"Why are you here? And how did you get here?"~ He sat back down on the old couch heavily and ran a tired hand through his hair.
~"I got here through a telepathic connection, I'm here because I'm in danger."~ His head snapped up.
~"Danger?"~ I nodded and his hooded eyes flared angrily like someone had just blown up his house...again.
~"I don't know where I am...I need you to find me, please."~ A sudden jolt of fear shot through me and I began shaking.
~"You don't know where you are? Someone took you? Who took you?"~
My body began fading from it's surroundings and Tony's eyes became as wide as saucers.
~"Kat! Sweety, don't go!"~ His hand reached out to grab me, but instead went right through my stomach.
~"Sweety?"~ My voice came out as barely a whisper. He tried to grab me again but failed.
~"Kat tell me whose taking you!"~ He sounded frantic but far away, like he was yelling through a tunnel. I knew I had one chance and one chance only before I was gone.
~"Blighton!"~ I yelled as loud as I could, but it seemed to me like he could only hear a part of what I was trying to say. I tried to yell out again but no sound came out and I was then forcefully dragged back into consciousness.