Game of Shadows

Chapter 6


Ambassador Koltsov hit 'call' on the lighted screen of his cell phone. He sighed as it began ringing, and ringing, until Barbara's voice came through the headset.

"Hello, you have reached the voicemail of Barbara Contreras, personal assistant to Russian Ambassador Alexander Koltsov. Unfortunately I am unable to…"

He spoke upon the beep. "Barbara, it's me. I just wanted to let you know I made it. Tatiana is stable, thank God. Still has trouble breathing but there's no need to put her on a respirator. Please call me back to let me know you've received my message. Have a good day, my girl. Talk to you soon. Bye"

In an alley in Washington DC a cell phone inside a discarded Prada purse vibrated, alerting its absent owner of a new message.


Barbara opened her eyes when the van came to a gentle stop. She instantly closed the opening of her blouse and turned to Loki. He was looking around the van with a hint of a smile in his eyes as voices were heard around the vehicle. They were shouting of standing at the ready, securing the gates, and establishing a perimeter.

"We're here sir" Barton said looking behind him at his leader. In the passenger seat Erik Selvig awakened, letting out a big yawn and hugging the briefcase closer to him.

"Good! We're here! Can't wait to get to work!" He stretched his legs as much as his tight space allowed him.

Loki turned his gaze from Selvig to the woman sitting in front of him. He fixed her with a threatening stare.

"Don't forget our agreement Barbara. Do not disappoint me" he warned pointing the scepter at her

He rose as the doors opened and a group armed men stood outside, saluting Loki. He took Barbara by the arm and led her out of the van. Her eyes widened when she took in her surroundings. They were standing inside a massive concrete dome that she realized was part of a military air base. Men and women in white coats gathered the metal briefcases from the van and followed Selvig down a tunnel as he inquired about the mount for something called a Tesseract and supplies he needed. She narrowed her eyes and looked back at Loki as he spoke.

"Take her to her quarters" He ordered two men before he turned to Barton "you know what to do. Keep her well-guarded. Provide for her basic needs and have her join the Doctor before midday"

Two men armed to the teeth and carrying M-16's flanked Barbara on either side. Barton stood in front of her and motioned for her to follow. As she was led away, Loki turned to the armed men and began giving orders before he disappeared into the tunnel.


Barton entered a code on a touch-screen panel next to a large steel door at the end of a long corridor. The door slid open and he walked in. Barbara followed and stood in the middle of the room as he turned to face her.

"You will stay here. Write a list of essentials you require. As soon as you are ready, the guards at the door will take you to Dr. Selvig. Code for the door is 2891. What's your dress size?"

She noticed a notepad and pen on the aluminum table next to him that was built into the wall. "Clothes are 4 and shoes are 7" she informed him as she began jotting down a list. When she was done, she tore off the sheet and handed it to him. When he left she looked at her new living space.

Her quarters reminded her of a white padded cell. The walls were all bare, with large glass panels that divided the living area from the kitchenette and the bedroom. She sat on a small couch and contemplated how she had ended up here.

Loki. She cursed him out loud. She should have been planning her meeting with Stark's CEO to further the Ambassador's goals for a better future. She was filled with sadness at the thought of her boss tending to his injured wife, and wondered how long it would take before he realized she was missing.

Exhaustion over took her and she dozed off. Suddenly she was awakened when the door to her quarters slid open and a middle aged woman walked in carrying a vast array of bags. Barbara sat up as the woman placed the bags on the table, gave her a smile and a nod before turning to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Barbara called after her, but she left without saying a word. She peered into the bags and carried them to the small bedroom, placing them on the bed. All her essentials were there, and she was surprised and amused to even find a small bottle of her perfume included. She had put it on the list she gave Barton just for kicks, not expecting it to be provided.

After showering and changing into one of the pair of outfits given, she was ready to leave her room. She looked at herself in the mirror above the sink. Dressed in tight black jeans, a green tank top and a black leather jacket, she looked like she was going to either a rock concert or a fight club. She zipped up her new knee-high black combat boots over her jeans and headed out the door.

As she walked down the corridor with the two guards next to her, she thought of ways of escaping.


"Ah! You're the one that joined us. Welcome, I'm Doctor Erik Selvig. This is Agent Barton. I hope you're ready, we have lots to do!"

Barbara approached and pushed open the strip curtains.

"I'm Barbara Contreras. Pleased to meet you" she shook Selvig's hand and motioned to the equipment and piles of steel and other materials being placed in the work area "what's happening here?"

"We're building a portal" He said casually "Loki said you know about Stark's arc reactor. You're going to help me build the device so it is able to harness the power of it to activate the Tesseract"

"The Tesseract?" she inquired. Just then, Barton opened a briefcase to show her and she gasped "what is that?"

"It's an energy source, from outer space" He informed her. Barbara couldn't believe her eyes.

"You say you're building a portal with it? A portal to what, another planet?"

"Maybe… he's bringing his army here" Barton replied, matter-of-factly.

She looked at both men as if they were mad. "And you guys are helping him? He's leading an alien army into Earth and YOU'RE HELPING HIM?! WHY?!"

"Because they serve me" came the voice from the hallway. She whisked around and faced Loki from behind the strip curtain as realization dawned on her. She was fuming as she stepped down from the work area.

"You're invading the planet? Is that why you brought me here? You knew about Tony Stark's reactor and the Ambassador's involvement in pursuing the technology. You knew all the research I've done into the makeup of it and you dragged me into this to help you harness its power!"

"Yes"

"You turned my life to shit! Twenty four hours ago I was standing behind my boss on the brink of making this world a better place! Everything was as it should be! And here you come with your idiotic plans of taking over the world, and you kidnap me! What else? Did you also conveniently cause the Ambassador's wife's accident?"

"I did. I needed him out of the way"

"You unimaginable bastard! I won't help you! You can take your plans of world domination and shove them right up your pompous, self-absorbed ass! You will not succeed! You will fail miser…"

"Enough!" She was silenced by the sudden and painful pressure of a curved blade against her chest.

"It's a terrible shame, Barbara" Loki stated, as the blue stone on his scepter began to glow.

End of Chapter 6