Chapter 10: Floating Fortress

"Lady Eleanor Tate?" The booming voice, accompanied by the excessively loud knock, makes her sit upright in her bed. Her eyes are so tired and she's lost track of how long it's been since she slept, but quieting her head proves to be a total impossibility.

She's still not used to it, this crazy new world of superheroes and demons and gods. All the guns around this floating fucking fortress freak her out. Everything freaks her out, and she can't sleep.

In the bunker it was so easy to pretend that it wasn't real, that Loki was all talk, that his magic were tricks only.

The real world is kicking her ass, but she still can't sleep.

"May I enter, Lady Eleanor?"

It takes her another moment to recognize the deep, vaguely British although not quite voice, and then another to find her own.

"Um… sure," she manages.

Thor fills up her entire doorway, making Ellie feel even smaller. She turns on the bed, crossing her legs under her slight frame, and although she should probably be welcoming him to her new cell, she can't find it in her to get up.

"Do I disturb your slumber, my lady?" he asks, frowning down at her with concern.

She shakes her head.

He glances around for a place to sit, and finding none, looks at the foot of her bed. "May I sit?"

She just nods, totally baffled by his presence in her room.

How did this become her life? He is a freaking god. A whole day every week is named after him for fucks sake and he is calling her Lady Eleanor Tate and how the fuck is this her life?

Ah yes, that would be Thor's mentally unstable brother, the God of Mischief and Lies.

"I…" Thor abruptly closes his mouth as he stares at her with such pity. Ellie shifts awkwardly under his gaze while he attempts to puzzle out what to say. His brow furrows and she wonders what's going on in that pretty little head of his.

It's actually a rather giant head.

Whatever.

"How do you fair?" he murmurs.

No one has asked her that, not since her so called rescue by the so called good guys. No one particularly seems to care about how she is doing. They are too busy being suspicious of her involvement with Loki.

Also trying to save the world.

She'll give them that one.

Ellie tries to respond for once, but the words get clogged in her throat and she just ends up shrugging.

"I must apologize for my brother," Thor says gently. His massive palm twitches, as if he wants to reach out and comfort her, but upon seeing her fragility he stops. "He is not well."

"Adoptive brother," she mutters. Thor looks offended, his bright blue eyes going wide.

"Brother," he insists.

Ellie shrugs and the words come to her. "I know he's not well. Really, really not well at all. Something about using that scepter of his… He's like a drug addict. It gets him high when he uses it, but after he feels like shit. He's like a mentally ill drug addict."

Again, Ellie would know.

"Mentally ill?" Thor asks, squinting at her. Maybe they don't have that short of thing in the highly evolved realm of the gods, but she thinks about Loki and the fact that he's adopted, and somehow she doubts it.

"Just… sick," she says, not having the energy to really explain.

Thor nods, crossing his arms over his chest and stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"He harmed you?" Thor asks.

Ellie shrugs.

"Forced himself upon you?" he asks after pausing for a long moment. He looks extremely wary.

Ellie shakes her head because as much as she hates herself, it was all consensual.

"He tried to control you, with this scepter of his?"

Ellie nods.

"But he was unable to do so. Why?"

"I have no idea."

"He thinks you Aesir."

"Look, dude," she says with a heavy sigh. "I've been through a lot of shit in the last three months. Knowing that there are other realms, that you are a god, it's really a lot to get my head around and I just don't have room up there to think about what I am at the moment. Let's just focus on keeping your brother from releasing his army and bringing around the end of the world."

"Wise words, Lady Eleanor Tate."

"Eleanor is fine."

"Wise words, Lady Eleanor."

She just sighs.

"I really don't have anything else to say. You heard it all during my little briefing. Why are you here?" she murmurs.

Thor looks her right in the eye, staring at her so intently it makes her uncomfortable. In this moment he reminds Ellie of his adoptive brother.

His eyes flicker to the bruises on her neck and then back to her eyes. Ellie studies her lap.

"There is more," Thor says. "You did not share the entirety of your relationship with my brother, I believe."

"What are you implying, oh God of Thunder?" she snaps, getting defensive.

"You care for him."

She just sputters, not knowing what to say about that bit of idiotic simplicity.

Undeniably, she feels something for Loki. It was brought on by a strange combination of loneliness, sexually attraction, and deep sympathy, but he truly is deranged, bent on world domination. Knowing all that makes it impossible to simply care for him.

"Do you not?" he asks.

"It's complicated," she admits. "He was the only person I had any sort of contact with for three months, and there were moments when he wasn't creepy evil and there were times I actually wanted him around, but he did kidnap me and he wants to enslave my planet, so no, I can't care for him, even if I have some weird, confused instinct to do just that."

Thor smiles ruefully.

Eleanor is amazed by her own verbalized honesty.

"But you do not totally despise him, Lady Eleanor."

"Does this matter?" she says with a sigh.

"Perhaps it may. I take comfort knowing there is another being on this craft who does not completely loathe my brother. You speak with wisdom and should do so more often," he muses. "Come, I will have the soldiers escort you to my brother's prison."

"Now?" Suddenly she regrets her ridiculous demand to see him. What is she even going to say? That was one thing she failed to think through.

"Indeed," nods the God of Thunder.

Ellie is ushered into the room that holds Loki just as Agent Romanoff is exiting.

"Let's see if he's so edger to unleash the Hulk once he knows you're up here with us," she murmurs, watching Ellie with unsettling intensity. It feels as though the redhead can see her every secret. The agent's eyes flicker to the bruises on Ellie's neck, and she zips up the collar, hiding. She is so very tired of being ogled by this group of good guys.

The commandos do not follow her into the chamber that holds a large glass container, leaving her alone with her former captor. She lingers in the shadows for a moment, watching him pace in the circular enclosure.

She bites her bottom lip to keep from crying. What exactly she is doing here, what exactly these good guys hope to accomplish, is beyond her. Looking at him makes her feel uncomfortable and dirty and guilty.

The good guys are watching and it was incredibly stupid to request this audience. He will undoubtedly say something that will fill them in on the whole sex component of their relationship, totally complicating her shaky status as almost a prisoner and making SHIELD that much more suspicious of her intentions.

Loki abruptly stops his pacing, face almost pressed into the glass. As he stares intently right where Ellie is lurking, she knows she's caught and steps closer, into the light. She keeps her face blank, arms crossed over her chest as she approaches the glass of his cage.

For a moment his eyes go wide with shock and fear, but then he is composed once more, glaring at her. She recoils slightly, recognizing the danger of the mania behind his gaze, before she remembers that he is trapped and she is safe.

Relatively safe, given all the guns and supernatural stuff happening in this floating fucking fortress.

"What did you do?" he hisses.

For a moment she forgets her fear and guilt. She hates the way he addresses her as if she is simply a misbehaving child. The anger makes her feel strong. She stands straighter, dropping her arms to her sides and returning his glare.

"What did you do!" His yell reverberates in the enclosed space, but she does not cower this time nor does she speak.

"Eleanor." When his palm slaps against the wall of his cage, she doesn't even flinch. "You will answer me. Now tell me, what did you do?"

"You're adopted," she murmurs.

He goes completely still and it is with great difficulty that he manages to make his features shift from shock into a look of mild distain.

"I have no family nor do I require one."

"I knew it."

"What?" he snaps.

"Me too. I… just, me too."

He looks at her for a long moment.

"What did you do?" he demands, angry once more.

"I wish I'd done something," she mumbles. "I was trying to escape. Thanks for leaving me in an abandoned warehouse, by the way. I could have easily starved to death."

"I would have returned promptly. There were more than enough rations to hold you for months. Now answer me!" He's pacing again, continuing to stare.

"You probably think I'm some sort of alien super spy again, huh?" she muses.

"Eleanor!"

"I climbed up through a vent in the kitchen," she says, feeling quite proud of herself. "The one right above the fridge? But I only made it as far as your abandoned workspace before the commandos busted in and brought me here."

He seems to relax fractionally, making Ellie wish she found the commandos on her own volition.

"SHIELD found you," he muses, somewhat impressed. "I thought it only a precaution, relocating the whole operation, but now I commend my exceptional foresight."

Ellie rolls her eyes.

"I left you there because I thought you would be more comfortable in our bunker, amongst your instruments," he says. "I apologize, for letting them take you."

"It's cool, turns out. These are the good guys."

He laughs, but then immediately sobers.

"Are you hurt?" he whispers.

Spitefully, she unzips her jacket, showing him the bruises he left on her neck. He ignores her gesture.

"What have you told them?" he hisses, angry once more.

"Everything I know."

Loki snorts. "So nothing, you mean to say. But why send you to me now?"

Ellie shrugs.

"Everything?" he asks, smirking mischievously. "Every little detail of our time together?"

His voice is absolutely dripping with sex but Ellie just shrugs again. He lets out a huff, irritated by her lack of reaction, and then he abruptly stops pacing.

"Romanoff, she spoke to you in passing," Loki says, eyes unfocused. Ellie is reminded of his alleged ability to skim the thoughts of others. He can't manage it with her, for whatever reason, but he must be in the agent's head now.

Ellie waits in silence as Loki's eyes twitch around, seeing what she can't see, using his goddamn magic.

When he lets out a gleeful laugh, Ellie actually does jump. This makes him smirk even wider.

"Oh, how delightfully naive, these heroes of earth. How blessedly desperate they must be, to try to manipulate feelings that could never and would never exist," he murmurs, looking directly at a camera now.

Ellie shakes her head, as she begins to understand Agent Romanoff's passing comment. Loki plans something big and dangerous to cripple SHIELD from the inside, but she's here too.

"Sentiment," Loki says, spitting out the word with disgust.

"Wow, she read you like a fucking book," Ellie muses, smiling slightly. He just stares at her. "Don't you blink at me like you don't know what I'm talking about. I saw the fear in your eyes when I walked in here. You don't want me to die. Me being here? It's a big old kink in your grand plan, and you might not mourn my death, but you certainly don't want it to be your plan that kills your own little pet."

Loki scowls. "As usual, your words betray your true ignorance, Eleanor."

"Whatever, Loki."

For once he is silent. For once, she smirks.

They stare at each other for a long moment, until an explosion sounds in the distance, causing the enormous floating fortress to jerk and shutter. The movement has Ellie falling forward and smacking her head against the glass. She slumps over, disoriented, but the sound of Loki's voice brings her back.

"Eleanor," he says. "Look at me. You remain uninjured."

She presses her cheek to the glass and watches him. He is crouched, his face inches from hers, separated only by thick glass.

"Listen to me," he whispers. "That is Agent Barton."

"Barton?"

"The Hawk has arrived. You are to remain right here within my line of sight, do you understand?" he says, talking in the same low voice.

She scowls at him.

Does he understand that she hasn't been able to make any choices regarding her own location for three months? If the commandos come to take her away she is fucking going away.

"This craft is doomed, Eleanor," he continues. "Release me."

She raises an eyebrow. Just how crazy is he?

"Do not look at me in such a way," he snaps. "It is only a matter of time before I am once more free. Expedite the process and I will ensure your safety."

Ah, that's right. He's totally and completely crazy. She gestures to the bruises on her neck and looks at him with skepticism.

With a frustrated growl, he smacks the wall of his prison once more. The vibration against her wounded head makes her wince. "You stubborn, foolish, girl! Do you have any idea what is coming? You will be ripped apart."

"So basically you are saying either way I'm fucked," she mutters.

"No," he says, smiling his totally maniacal grin. "The only way you are fucked is if you let me out immediately. The other option is your painful and brutal—"

A piercing roar interrupts the god's tirade. The growl echoes in the depths of the floating fortress. Ellie's head whips around in the direction of the sound. Her heartbeat picks up, and she turns back to Loki, seeking out answers.

"I do not lie, Eleanor. The beast has awakened and you will be ripped apart. I've seen it."

For one brief moment, Ellie considers doing as he says. She doesn't doubt that he will protect her from the so called beast and the general chaos, as long as it does not threaten his greater plans in someway, but she already has enough to atone for. The guilt is nearly crushing her, so she stays put, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

His other words sink in.

"Seen it?" she whispers, searching his face. He's certainly seen quite a bit lately.

A mad smile stretches across his face for a moment before he focuses once more on Ellie. He looks at her in confusion, as if he can't quite remember how she came to be here, before shaking his head and frowning.

"Eleanor, grant me my freedom," he coaxes. "Do as I say or you will regret it immensely."

Ellie opens her eyes to glare at him again, but she is met with black boots for the second time in as many days. She follows the body up to see Agent Romanoff staring down at her with crossed arms, shaking her head.

"Come on," she says, extending a hand towards Ellie. "I need to get you back to your room. We're under attack."

No shit.

Ellie doesn't hesitate to take the extended hand, and Loki growls again.

"Barton," he whispers as they depart. "Find her."

They race down a dimly lit corridor in the bowls of the aircraft. The sounds of gunfire and growls echo in the hall. Agent Romanoff drags Ellie along by the hand, and the small woman stumbles as she struggles to keep up

"Hurry, hurry," says the agent. The stoic woman's panic increases Ellie's fear. She was so together before.

Their path is blocked when a giant green thing crashes through a wall some ten feet in front of them. Agent Romanoff pushes Ellie back as she drawls her gun. With a scream, Ellie falls to the ground, desperately trying to scramble back and away from the beast.

You will be ripped apart.

Loki's words echo in her head, and upon seeing this nightmarish creature, she wishes that she would have just let him free because as miss guided as it may be, she trusts him to at least protect her from this thing.

And how fucking horrible is that? In this moment she is selfish enough to sacrifice humanity by letting Loki out if it means she'll be saved from the horror before her.

Agent Romanoff is talking in hushed tones, as if she can calm the beast with logic and soothing words. Ellie gets to her feet and tries to stop shaking. She backs away slowly, not wanting to run for fear that it will chase her.

The beast lets out a roar, taking a step in their direction. Ellie can feel the heat of its breath even from her position behind the agent, and she bites her cheek to keep from screaming.

What kind of fucked up world have we been living in?

"Run," Agent Romanoff says just as another large blur of red fabric and gold hair shoots through the same hole in the wall that sparks with busted electrical wiring.

The force of Thor's attack is so great that he and the beast fly through the opposite wall. The sound of the pair crashing through wall after wall reverberates in the metal corridor.

The lights flicker and Eleanor cannot breathe.

Agent Romanoff turns back to Ellie and opens her mouth to speak, but the words are lost as the giant craft lurches once more. Ellie can feel the sensation of falling in her stomach, and the flooring gets uneven. She understands that she needs to grab something to keep her steady her body too late, and she slides down the hallway, failing to snag a railing to prevent it.

Her body tumbles down, following the ever-growing incline of the floor as if it's a slide until she slams against a heavy steel door at the end of the hallway. The force of the impact makes something within her crunch and she cries out in agony. Ellie curls into a little ball against the door and tries to catch her breath, even if there is a searing pain every time she pulls air into her lungs.

She wipes blood from her cheek as the carrier evens out once more. The marks on her neck are going to look minor compared to the injuries she just sustained. She continues to lie in a heap on the floor, body and mind equally bruised and battered.

Maybe she'll just stay here forever. If she closes her eyes, maybe it will all just go away.

At the sound of footsteps on the metal floor, Ellie opens her eyes to see a now familiar pair of boots.

"You okay?" Agent Romanoff asks.

Ellie nods.

"Come on."

Ellie is pulled to her feet and clutches Agent Romanoff to steady her shaking body. She winces at the pain in her ribs.

Progress is slow and they only make it fifteen feet before the Hawk drops down from the dark ceiling somewhere, landing lightly behind Ellie, putting her between the two similarly dressed killers.

She wants to scream but the pain would not be worth it.

"Come with me, Miss Tate," the Hawk, extending a hand. He stares at Agent Romanoff, not even glancing at Ellie. She supposes he's still under order not to even look at her. The talking thing was revoked, it would seem.

Ellie just stares in shock as Agent Romanoff brushes past her, engaging the Hawk in combat. The redhead quickly disarms the brainwashed minion, and then it's a tangle of deadly limbs. Ellie steps back and watches, entranced by the sight before her. They fight with their whole bodies and Ellie has a difficult time determining who exactly is winning as they swing around and beat the shit out of each other.

Agent Romanoff bashes Barton's head against a metal railing. The sound rings in Ellie's ears as he falls to his knees, struggling to find his feet.

"Natasha?" he whispers as he squints up at her.

Romanoff hits his head again, and he crumples to the floor in a heap.

Ellie is still unconsciously backing up, away from the danger, and she walks right into a solid and familiar chest. She screams, thoroughly terrorized by everything she's witnessed in the last fifteen minutes, as Loki wraps his arms around her, making her groan when he comes in contact with her ribs.

"Eleanor," he says in greeting. "Agent Romanoff."

The agent spins on her heel, drawing her weapon, but the world seems to melt away around them before she can get off a shot.

Wind is rushing in Ellie's ears and she gasps for breath as her sight clarifies once more. It feels as if she's been twisted inside out. She leans against Loki, her limbs incorporative. It takes her a few moments to realize they are outside, floating thousands of feet above the ground. Her terror is renewed and she screams again, turning into Loki's chest. She pushes her face in his armor, hiding in the leather of his long coat. Her hands fist in his coat and she can't catch her breath.

Her body doesn't really hurt anymore. She's too scared to pay attention to the pain.

With arms tightly griping her, he drags her into a jet. They collapse on a bench seat.

"Go," snaps Loki.

She shakes against him, completely falling apart in his arms. Squeezing her eyes closed, she tries not to be sick as the sensation of takeoff threatens to overwhelm her stomach.

"You need not have seen the beast," comments Loki with mild annoyance. He strokes her hair. "When will you learn to do as I say, Eleanor?"

She lets out a whimper, and then the tears come. She shakes and sobs, her brain still struggling to process all the revelations of the past few months. Fear chokes her, but still she clutches to the thing that scares her most for comfort.

He gently takes her face in his hands, coaxing her to look up at him. She finds his eyes and calms somewhat as he wipes blood and tears from her cheeks with his fingertips. "This is the result of your disobedience, Eleanor," he says. "With great ease I could have spared you that. You will do as I say. Understand?"

Ellie nods, but doesn't really comprehend his words. She just wants to be wrapped up in his arms again, even if the safety she feels is an illusion.

"You look terrible," she croaks out. And it's true. His skin is pale and drawn. The dark bags under his eyes are even more pronounced, as are the hallows of his cheeks. He looks almost grey in the shifting light of the jet.

He just sighs and pulls her into his lap. She closes her eyes, but is does nothing to stop her tears.

"Sleep, Eleanor. Have you slept since I left you?"

She shakes her head and feels completely pathetic.

"Sleep." When he murmurs the word this time, it seems like a spell, and she falls asleep with her head against his shoulder, for the first time in what feels like weeks.

Two days in a row. I'm pretty proud of myself. Big welcome to everyone joining the party! Thank you so very much for being here.

To all the recent anon reviewers - your words are so very kind. Thank you for making this writing thing so fun and rewarding!

The non-anon reviewers are equally loved, as are the followers, favoriters, lurkers.

See you soon!