Chapter 6

Once Mia and Steve had gone their separate ways, Mia did go to prepare for her meeting with Loki—by heading back to her room. Some small part of her hoped that if she changed her clothes, Loki wouldn't recognize her at all. So that was what she did—and anyway, she was tired of looking out of place.

She went back to her compartment and changed into a pair grey dress pants and a black long sleeved blouse. No frills, no fuss. Her hair pulled out and let tumble down around her face, still sitting in loose waves from that morning's flattening and partially covering her eyes. It was an outfit of which Darcy would give her endless crap about, calling her too bland and uptight.

Darcy. This made Mia remember where her friends currently were, and a pang of concern swept through her. No doubt Jane's gig was somehow SHIELD contrived—especially now that Mia knew about Jane and Thor, things made more sense. Still, it made her feel better knowing that her friends weren't anywhere that could become dangerous—that is, unless Jane wasn't careful to watch how much alcohol Darcy ingested. But that was a different kind of danger altogether.

Thus prepped for her interrogation, Mia took both her Starkpad and her SHIELD issued tablet with her to the bridge. Upon arrival, she found Coulson and Fury standing at the front of the room with Thor. Fury and Thor appeared to be in some kind of heated discussion. However, when Fury caught sight of Mia, he drew himself up and smiled at her—and this scared the metaphorical shit right out of her.

"Miss Paxton," Fury greeted her. "You've arrived just in time. I was just telling Thor how we plan on your help to better understand his brother's motives."

Mia nodded uncertainly. From the look on Thor's face and Coulson's state of unease, this was nothing like what they were actually talking about. But she decided not to press the director for information—after all, she was keeping secrets she didn't feel like sharing with him, either. "Thank you, director. I appreciate the confidence in my abilities."

Fury frowned, his forehead furrowing into his eye-patch. "Where's Rogers?" he asked, looking annoyed.

"He left after we went to see Tony and Doctor Banner," Mia replied without blinking. "I went immediately to my room, changed, and came here."

"I see." Fury didn't seem particularly pleased with this, but before he could go on agent Hill came striding down the causeway.

"Sir, we're ready for Paxton whenever you've finished."

"Good."Fury turned back to Mia. "I've arranged to have agent Romanoff interrogate Loki after you've had your time with him. She may be able to extract different information than you—and given that her methods can be decidedly more aggressive than yours, we thought it best if you go first like you requested."

"Thank you," Mia replied, somewhat indifferently. She frowned in irritation. Of course the Black Widow would think her interrogation methods were better. They probably were, come to think of it: but Mia wasn't flat out interrogating Loki. It was cleverly disguised as interviewing him, evaluating technically, which was something else entirely. People tended to let things slip when being interviewed, as opposed to interrogation were they were desperately trying not to reveal things. And anyway, Mia didn't interrogate people anymore.

As things were, she just hoped Loki wasn't in too much of a volatile state to be of any use.

"Agent Hill will escort you to the holding chamber," Fury told her. "I need to speak with Romanoff—Coulson, please show Thor to the lab. How long should your interrogation take, Paxton?"

"Evaluation," Mia corrected. "And I would say no longer than thirty minutes, tops."

"Fine. I want us all to meet in the lab in thirty minutes. Paxton, you too. Bring the results of your 'evaluation' for the team to discuss." With that, Fury stormed off towards the nearest corridor, apparently set on the confrontation ahead.

"With me, Mia," Hill said, leading Mia away from the console. Thor nodded politely as she left, and Coulson led him off towards the hallway that Mia knew led to the lab.

Maria led Mia down a different corridor, past several security checkpoints and finally to a set of large, reinforced steel doors with pressurized lock cylinders that stuck out from the lock mechanism like the legs of a spider.

Hill swiped a card through a scanner next to the door, then typed in a series of codes into a touch-screen keypad. Meanwhile Mia reminded herself that figuring out Loki's plan and maybe—maybe—why he had acted so strangely when he saw her were her main priorities.

An uncalled for, singular question arose from the depths of Mia's mind: would he act as bizarrely as the first time he'd seen her? Every question led to another series of unanswerable, disturbing questions, and it was making Mia's head spin, making her feel powerless.

This worried her immensely—not because she had no control whatsoever over the situation, but because the lack of confidence she had in the entire operation was affecting her work, and her ability to concentrate—and that, when paired up with one of the most sadistic , heartless god-men she could ever hope to meet, created a recipe for disaster. The last thing she need was for Loki to get under her skin, rattle her just enough to make her carefully constructed walls break down just long enough for her to give away her little 'secret'. That was sure to create a domino effect that she would be unable to stop, no matter how persuasive she was.

Hill was speaking to her. "This is in case anything goes south," she said, handing Mia a grey bracelet. It had a wide grey band with a large black button on it that was embossed with the SHIELD emblem. "Simply hit the button and you'll be teleported to a designated safe area."

"Thank you," Mia said, as she strapped it tightly to her left wrist. "While I sincerely hope nothing goes wrong, it never hurts to have a quick way out."

"Good luck in there," Hill said, setting a hand briefly on Mia's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll do great."

Mia laughed out loud. "That makes one of us," she muttered, setting humorless green eyes on the door as the locks disengaged, painfully slowly.

. . .

The journalist stepped inside, her boots making only a slight scuffing on the cement floor. The massive doors shut behind her with a finality that shook her more than she cared to admit.

With a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and marched up the causeway to the level of the containment unit, tablets crushed against her chest. She could feel Loki's eyes on her already, boring with a cool intensity into her skull. She could feel it as his eyes traveled over her entire form, like a wave of cold air.

Then Mia was standing in front of the doorway, staring at the man face-to-face for the first time.

He was grinning at her, a face breaking grin that had to hurt at least a little.

Mia just looked at him, face neutral a she tried to read him.

He didn't seem as cold, as calculating as she'd expected. Sure he was dressed in those crazy outlandish clothes, and sure he held himself regally, but he was surprisingly human for a supposed god.

"Like what you see?" Was he flirting? Shit.

"Honestly, I was expecting a little more," Mia said flatly, not breaking eye contact. After a moment, he ducked his head with a slight laugh.

"I, haven't dressed for the occasion," he said, looking down at his clothing.

"Oh. Is invading someone else's home planet cramping your style? What a pity," she said, bending down to set her Starkpad on the ground.

"Really, you of all people needn't kneel," Loki said, ignoring her comment.

Mia rolled her eyes, as she got to her feet. "Me of all people," she repeated dubiously, as a hologram sprang to life from the device on the floor. She began manipulating the images, pleased with Stark's latest 'update'. It was a personal favor, she realized now. This feature probably wouldn't be available on the market for months.

"Yes." His voice was cultured, refined. Each word was carefully crafted, selected for its purpose. She wondered if he ever said anything unnecessary—not because he didn't waste words, but because each word was so loaded with meaning. "If I'm not mistaken, you too come from royalty—though, Midgardians seem to have a strange system of politics."

Mia looked up at him, glaring involuntarily. She was moderately surprised to see him wearing an innocent expression—and was he blushing?

"There's no reason to be ashamed," he said coyly. "Or do you not want your newfound 'friends' to know who you really are?"

"Would you?" Mia replied, pulling up a painting of Odin onto the hologram. Loki visibly tensed, his jaw twitching. "From what I heard, you aren't overly fond of your adoptive parents either." She crossed her arms. "Do you go around, telling people what you really are? Because we all know that you're, what? The master of deception? A trickster, a cheat?"

Mia stepped through the hologram, over her tablet. "But what are you really? Just another man, trying to prove he's something better than what he feels he is. Because how happy are you really, with yourself, if your greatest goal in life is to exalt yourself above those weaker than you?"

"You know not of what you speak," Loki said, but his words lacked the necessary venom.

"A great man takes on forces stronger than him, and defeats them," Mia said. "In spite of all odds, in the face of adversity, and conquers. You don't seek to defeat adversity— you seek to create it, and remedy your own chaos." She was inches from the glass now, staring right at him. "That is not the mark of a hero. That is the mark of a coward." Careful, Mia, she warned herself. She could feel all of her rage towards her parents boiling under the surface, ready to erupt from her fingertips in a storm of gold.

After a few seconds, she took a step back. "And that," she said simply, "is who I am. Who I choose to be. I find the men like you—men of Earth, of course, but of a similar mind—and bring them to their knees. Because that, Laufeyson, is what they deserve. " She watched him cringe at the name. "Nothing more, nothing less. Those who have no good intent, no inclination to help those around them, have no business becoming powerful or influential. I just see that their true motives are brought forward, into the light."

To Mia's intense annoyance, Loki was smirking at her. "Oh, you are good," he said, his voice filled with an irritating satisfaction. "They call me Lie-smith, Silver-tongue, but you…" he shook his head wryly. "You, my dear, are the light to my darkness."

Mia scowled. "What do you honestly think flattery will gain you?"

"I was under the impression that flattery was a means of acquiring a lady's affection," Loki replied slyly, taking a few swooping steps backwards. His hands seemed to be in his pockets, as he viewed her with blue eyes slanted. "You shielded yourself from my sight—no mortal can do that."

"Apparently, you're wrong."Mia had gone back to her hologram display, as if Loki's presence weren't important to her in the least. "I am entirely human."

"Are you?" Loki strode forward, setting a palm on the glass. Mia looked through the hologram to see that his eyes were eagerly raking over her, the cold air combing through her clothes. He broke into a grin. "I think not. No ordinary mortal, at any rate, and full of surprises."

"Why am I such a fascinating subject to you?" Mia asked directly, tired of the games. "Honestly, with world domination on the table, why bother sweet talking a journalist? Surely you have better things to do—even from a cell."

"Because you intrigue me. Few can manage that." Loki clasped his hands behind his back, observing Mia keenly. "How is it that such a beautiful woman—a veritable princess, no less—with such astounding power, has come to work with such a band of misfits?"

Mia clenched a fist behind her back. "Perhaps they are misfits," she countered, ignoring the twitch she was getting in her left eye. "But they are still more worthy of admiration than you are."

"Really?" He looked up at a camera in a corner of his container. "Is that so? Or are you just reflecting upon them your ideals for what a hero truly is?" Loki grew serious, his eyes drilling into Mia with a frightening intensity. "You call them heroes, yet they do nothing but leave destruction in their wake, causing pain and loss to the people you claim to stand for. They have no good intent! What else holds them here, other than a power greater than themselves? They serve to gain their freedom: like slaves."

He jabbed a thin, pale finger at her. "And you, you are so afraid of what you are. What you could become. Who you are! You turn your accusing gaze upon others, because you cannot bear to face the monster lurking within! What honor, what glory comes of hiding yourself from the world?"

"You really don't know what you're talking about," Mia said, hating how he had coaxed her into repeating his own words. "You don't know me."Don't let him get the upper hand, Mia. This is YOUR interrogation…

"Don't I?" Loki sneered. "I see a scared little girl, raised in a cage, kept out of the light because daddy couldn't have the public seeing his eldest daughter for what she was: a freak."

Mia clenched her teeth. No, he can't know that. Nobody knows that. How—

"You ran away," he continued, "hating the man who raised you. You believed him to be just, honest—when the truth came to light, how your world crumbled around you! You joined the ranks of the peacekeepers—what do they call them here, police?—to atone for the sins of your parents, because you could not undo what they had done…what they are still doing."

"No," Mia said, trembling now. She had given up on the hologram, now just clenching her fists by her sides. Breathe, Mia. Breathe. Don't let him in…

"And when that failed, you made yourself a career of calling out those like him. Stopping the villains before they became the powerful ones. This, this is how you live with yourself, with who you are."

"No…"

"No? Oh yes, Mia. Or should I say…Bridget?"

"NO!" Mia twitched, a small cloud of sparks erupting from her fists. How had she lost control of the conversation so quickly? She sank to her knees, the hologram shutting off. She heard Loki chuckling above her.

"Do you see what hiding from yourself does, my love?" he said, his voice laced with a tenderness that was wrong, all wrong. "You believed them when they told you that you were a freak. You know that if these, these cretins find out who you are—what you are—they will treat you like a monster." He knelt down inside the container, pressing a hand to the glass. "You are not the monster. You deserve better. And I can give it to you."

Mia looked up at him, green eyes meeting blue. "Why?" she asked, tremblingly.

Loki's expression softened, beyond mock sympathy and into something that was real emotion. "Because," he said softly, "you are my Intended. And for you, I will move heaven and earth, to create a world where you are accepted. Where you are queen. And we? We will belong again."

Mia stared at him another long moment, allowing a tear to slip down her cheek. "Please…" she whispered.

The disowned demi-god leant his forehead against his arm, his hand still flat on the glass. "Darling…" he murmured, his eyes soft with feeling.

Mia bowed her head. Her shoulders began to shake, gently jumping up and down in sharp little jerks.

"My love, do not fret," Loki comforted her. "Soon we will be free of this infernal airship, and we will—"

Abruptly, Mia raised her head, eyes shining in triumph and a chuckle trickling from her lips.

Loki frowned in confusion. "What?"

"That was quite possibly the biggest load of shit I've ever heard," Mia said, shaking her head and clearly unimpressed. "Good lord. So much for the great liar, eh? All a girl has to do with you is shed a tear, and you're crumbling." She picked up her tablets and swiped at her wet cheek, effectively removing the single tear streak.

"I do not…" Loki trailed off, oddly confused.

"Oh come on. You didn't honestly expect me to fall for that garbage, did you? Or did you think you were the first person to bring up my past?" Mia snorted bitterly. "There was a reason I left the force, dude, and it wasn't because I was a sub-par cop."

Loki slowly rose to his feet, observing her with eyes narrowed. "I do not believe this is how we ought to be treating one another," he said finally. Mia rolled her eyes yet again.

"Yeah well. Don't bother getting all cuddly now." She gave the god one last unimpressed stare. "Nice chat. Oh wait—no, no it wasn't. Oh well. Can't win 'em all, I suppose. Or in your case, any." She winked at him. "Have fun in there. I hear the atmosphere is rather nice. Peaceful, even. Plenty of time to plot your world takeover."

"You cannot just leave!" Loki said, in what Mia assumed to be his most commanding tone. Then why, she wondered, did it sound so freaking desperate?

"Oh but I can," she replied simply, staring coldly, detached. "And if I never see you again, it will be too soon." With that, she hit the button.

She reappeared seconds later in the hallway outside the door, her head spinning. Hill was waiting there.

"How'd it go?" the agent asked, looking concerned. "Maybe it was just me, but it honestly looked like you were laughing at him in there."

Mia shook her head bemusedly. "Yeah. Yeah I was. The guy's a real piece of work. Possibly genius, but…still, a piece of work. Tell Fury he can send Widow in whenever he wants—I think I've played with his mind enough. He should drop the info she needs. Oh, and tell her to watch for reference to a 'monster'. I think there's something to that."

Hill looked bewildered, but Mia offered no further explanation. She stalked off, ready to talk to Steve.

"Mia!" Hill trotted down the hall after her, checking to make sure no one else was watching "Mia."

"Maria?" Mia asked, eyebrow raised.

"I've sent a blueprint of the ship to your personal tablet," the agent said quietly, head lowered. "You might want to check out what's being held in secure storage 10-C."

Mia grew solemn, realizing Maria was handing her the last piece to the puzzle that was Phase 2. "How am I supposed to—"

"Get in?" Hill finished. She gave Mia a knowing look. "Don't tell me Stark didn't give you the keycard."

Mia's eyes widened. "Oh. Oh...I see. Right, well." She nodded at Hill, just as a small gaggle of agents passed by, a long line of grey uniforms blending together. Seeing their suspicious glances, Mia continued, "I'll certainly take my report straight to Fury then, once I've written it up. Thank you."

"No problem," Hill said, giving Mia a sobering stare before heading away from the journalist and after the other agents.

Mia wasted no time. Talking to Steve would have to come after—if she had news for him as well, besides the news about Loki, then that was worth the extra wait.

. . .

In the lab, Tony Stark stood holding a remote, while beside him Banner watched the screen in front of them with rapt attention.

"What the shit was that?!" Tony laughed, seeing Loki's confusion as Mia left the holding area. "One minute he's killing innocent people in Germany, the next he's flirting with a political journalist working for SHIELD? The guy's completely out of his gourd!"

Banner shrugged. "I did say so, right from the beginning."

"Do not dismiss my brother's words as trifling," an unexpected voice intoned. Thor was striding into the room, his countenance grim and vaguely stunned. "I understand now his reference to a 'mesmerizing sorceress'. Loki has at long last fallen prey to Heimdall's prophecy."

"What's a Heimdall?" Tony asked, confused. "And who believes in prophecies anymore, I mean c'mon."

Thor glared at him. "Heimdall is of Asgard," he replied. "He is our Gatekeeper. As such he stands watch over all the nine realms and can, at times, see the future. This prophecy is one such example."

"Okay, sounds like a load of bull—"

Banner cleared his throat loudly, effectively cutting Stark off.

"Go on," Tony amended.

Thor gave him a dubious look, but continued. "When we were but children, Loki and I, my father Odin brought us before Heimdall. It is customary for the youth of Asgard, that he might see into our lives and predict what we should become."

"So he's like great daddy soothsayer," Tony remarked, now looking vaguely interested.

Thor ignored this, choosing to finish his story. "He predicted we should be great kings, strong rulers, and valiant warriors. And then, to my father's extreme displeasure, he predicted we would both find our Intended in a mortal."

"I'm sorry, 'Intended'?" Banner asked.

"Asgardians have a stronger connection to our inner force—what you mortals call a 'soul'," Thor explained. "We need only lay eyes on our Intended, and we immediately recognize that person as the one we are meant to be with for the rest of our existence."

"So, like a soulmate," Tony said, giving Banner a skeptical look.

"I know that you are doubtful of Asgardian ways, Stark," Thor said, a frown creasing his brow. "But I assure you, it is neither myth nor jest. I experienced the fulfillment of my own prophecy upon meeting Jane."

"Wait a second…" Tony finally realized the gravity of what Thor was saying. "So you're saying Loki thinks Mia is his…whatever?"

"Intended," Thor finished. "And he does not think it. If it is a true fulfillment, there will be no doubt in Loki's mind. If it were possible to know how he reacted when he first laid eyes on her—"

"It is," Banner said. "I was with Mia when Loki saw her first. It was like he didn't notice her right away—and then he just froze. He tried to say something to her through the glass, and the guards had to drag him off. The funny thing was, though, that he looked like he recognized Mia. And she swore she'd never seen him before in her life."

The god of thunder looked even more solemn, if possible. "Then it is no mistake. Loki has found his Intended in Lady Mia, and he will not rest until he believes her to be safe."

"At the moment, it sounds like he thinks she's someone else entirely," said Tony. He moved a few gauges and wires around the scepter, and then fiddled with some settings on a screen. "He called her Bridget, didn't he?"

"Indeed." Thor was thoughtful for a moment. "I know not what he meant by it. Perhaps it is true. Has the Lady Mia ever gone by any other name?"

"I…I don't know," Tony said, sounding a little shocked. "It never occurred to me to find out." A devilish glint came into his eyes. "If there's anything to find though, I'll know soon enough." He checked his handheld again to track JARVIS' progress.

"I must go and warn Fury of this development," Thor said. "This may affect things greatly." He left with a swish of his deep red cloak and a set of heavy footfalls.

"Well well," Tony commented after he'd gone. "Mia's just got herself engaged to the Norse god of mischief—and to think she and Rogers were practically, how would he put it? Going steady?"

"That is, if her name is really Mia at all," Banner said, adjusting his glasses. "Loki doesn't drop meaningless hints. I'll bet there's something to his calling her Bridget."

Tony frowned at his handheld, as if just waiting for it to reveal all of Mia's secrets. "What are you hiding, Paxton?"

. . .

Nick Fury watched Mia's encounter with Loki in his office, accompanied by the Black Widow. She stood brooding in a corner, observing the conversation with a mixture of disgust and intrigue. Fury himself was a bit disturbed by Loki's apparent fascination with Mia Paxton—especially since the god seemed to be aware of her hidden identity.

Once Mia had successfully teleported out of the holding area, he turned his gaze from the screen onto the woman in the dark jumpsuit standing in his office.

"Any ideas on how Loki found out about Paxton's redacted files, Romanoff?"

Agent Romanoff drew a breath, and raised her eyebrows. "Well, it seems as if he knows a lot about her," she said lowly. "That doesn't necessarily mean he read her files—however, it's possible Barton could have gotten his hands on a copy." Her face drew with guilt at the name of her partner.

"These files are housed in only two places," Fury mused. "The White House, and this carrier." He pointed a finger down at that very file, set upon his desk. "Seeing as its highly doubtful Loki infiltrated the President's home, I can only assume that a copy of our file has fallen into his hands." He sighed. "In which case, we should be very careful. His words prove he knows of her…talents, and he may want to use her as a means of escape—or worse, a weapon."

"Sir, I doubt Paxton has any inclination to assist Loki," Romanoff stated matter-of-factly. "She's made it perfectly clear that she wants as little to do with him as possible. I think our biggest concern is that he doesn't try to possess her with that scepter, like he did with…the others."

Fury didn't respond at first, staring thoughtfully at the file spread out on his desk. He slid a few papers aside before finally saying, "We should hope for our sake's that his interest in Paxton passes—we've already got enough volatile forces aboard this vessel as it is without her added to the mix."

"And if she does become volatile?"

"Then Loki's cell is plenty big for two," Fury said, his good eyebrow arched.

Natasha pursed her lips at this, as if displeased with his reply.

In his earpiece, Hill's voice sprang to life. "Sir, Paxton has finished with the prisoner. We're ready for Widow."

The director looked up at the agent. "He's all yours, Romanoff," he stated bluntly. Said agent shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Paxton thinks you hunch is correct, by the way. Feel free to press for details."

A grim smile tugged at the readhead's mouth . "I'll be glad to," she said, a frightening light in her eyes. She would make Loki spill anything and everything she needed to get her partner back.