"Agent Carter to the medicenter. ASAP." The cool male voice permeated the hovercraft and I sighed, rushing through the base. My fellow Agents knew me and parted like the Red Sea as I bolted past. When I arrived in the medicenter, Loki was strapped to a metal examination bed with a breathing mask over his face. The table creaked while he strained against his bonds.
"Carter; what do you know of Asgardian physiology?" Dr Miyazaki inquired, getting directly to the point. The other two assisting doctors watched me curiously in between noting Loki's vitals.
"Very little," I replied, walking toward the table slowly with Mei standing on the other side and an anaesthesiologist seated at the head of the table looking rather concerned. "And Loki's Jotun, not Asgardian," I added.
"Your pathetic mortal compounds have no effect on me," Loki growled, fists clenched. "Would you tell them to remove this ridiculous muzzle?" At the word 'muzzle,' I suddenly realised why Loki appeared so agitated. I didn't say anything, I simply removed the mask myself, letting my fingers gently brush against Loki's shoulder as I withdrew again.
"Hey!" The anaesthesiologist protested, turning off the valve attached to the anaesthetic tank. I turned cold eyes on him and waited. He hunched lower into his chair under my gaze and I spoke to him coolly.
"Tell me; was the anaesthetic having even the slightest effect on the Trickster?" Loki growled at the use of the label and I ignored him.
"No," the anaesthesiologist admitted quietly.
"Then can you see a point in keeping the mask on him?" I inquired again.
"You can't just go around…"
"I brought the asset here when no-one else could; did I not?"
"You did," the anaesthesiologist agreed reluctantly.
"I am one of the top Agents in The Ides; am I not?" The anaesthesiologist shifted uncomfortably, looking down at his gloved hands.
"Your file would suggest so, yes."
"Then if I take the mask off of my asset, my alien asset, when there are no effects to be seen, I think it would be best if you kept your objections to yourself, lest I report you to the Director for questioning a high-ranking Agent. Have I made myself abundantly clear to you?" I demanded in a low, soft voice. The anaesthesiologist ground his teeth for a moment before nodding curtly in compliance. "Good. Now, I take it that you would prefer to have Loki unconscious for the endoscopy," I turned my attention to Dr Miyazaki. She nodded while Loki spoke.
"What in the Nine Realms is an endoscopy?" he demanded.
"It is a procedure wherein a camera on a pliable tube is inserted down the oesophagus in order to explore the upper gastrointestinal tract. It is the best way to locate the source of your bleeding," I explained matter-of-factly.
Loki's eyes went wide and he started struggling aggressively. "No! You will not be putting anything inside me! You will not!" The bond around his right wrist tore away from the table and I wrapped his hand in mine, attracting his attention while Dr Miyazaki watched from her position next to the emergency button on the wall.
"Calm yourself, Loki!" I entreated, rubbing his hand in between my own. Loki stilled and slowed his breathing, staring at me and ignoring the other four humans with us.
"Carter; have I not been through enough?" Loki asked me quietly, searching my face for emotion. I thinned my lips and reached out a hand to smooth his hair.
"It is for your benefit, Loki. I am sorry, but they must know if they are to help you… Would you like me to stay with you for the procedure?" Loki nodded subtly and I inclined my head. "Can the procedure be performed without the use of anaesthetic?" I inquired. Dr Miyazaki nodded.
"If the patient can control his gag reflex, yes," she confirmed. I glanced at Loki and he nodded.
"I can control myself," he said, staring up at the ceiling. Dr Miyazaki nodded, picking up the naso-laryngeal tube.
"This will help your breathing," She explained before gently sliding the tube into Loki's nose. Loki grimaced, but remained still. "Now the endoscopy," Dr Miyazaki proclaimed, holding up a long, thin, grey tube with a visible lens at the end of it. Loki watched intently as Dr Miyazaki approached with the equipment in hand, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard, breathing through his nose.
"Open your mouth, please," Dr Miyazaki requested. Loki inhaled deeply before obliging. Dr Miyazaki carefully slipped the tube into his mouth and turned her attention to the screen where the camera view was being shown. I had one hand wrapped up in Loki's, the other gently combing through his hair absentmindedly while I stared at the screen. I could see Loki's throat working around the tube, but he did manage to refrain from gagging, so the procedure continued. "No damage to the oesophagus; approaching the sphincter," Dr Miyazaki reported. The tube slipped through the end of Loki's oesophagus and the view changed immediately. Every visible surface was covered in deep, red blood. Loki breathed in sharply when the tube reached his stomach, tightening his grip on my hand, muscles tensing.
"Suction," Dr Miyazaki commanded, and one of the doctors flicked a switch on a monitor. A hissing sound started up as blood was drawn into the tube. Loki gasped audibly and he arched his back, eyes wide-open and panicked. The image on screen jolted as the tube was moved, suction catching on a fold of stomach lining. "Keep him still! Someone, call in back-up!" Dr Miyazaki commanded in a harsh voice, never taking her eyes from the screen. Loki still held my hand and I curled my lip as I felt my wrist pop and my bones grind together while he squeezed.
"Loki! Loki, calm yourself!" I pushed, pressing my forearm down on his chest to try and stop his movement and placing my other palm on his forehead. Loki's head rolled, causing the tube to thrash inside his stomach. "Loki, stop! You're making it worse!" I yelped.
Agents came in, large ones, with my kind of reinforcements. Dr Miyazaki glanced at them briefly. "Restrain him," she ordered calmly over the keening monitors.
"Carefully," I added firmly. The Agents nodded, moving to the table. One Agent put his hands on either side of Loki's head to hold it still while two held an arm each, and two more pinned down his knees. Loki still arched his back, shaking.
"Turn off the suction," Dr Miyazaki said. She was obeyed immediately. Loki continued to arch and flex his back, breathing raggedly. I reached over and placed my free hand over his abdomen, since he was still crushing my other hand in his fist.
I pushed down softly as Loki's middle lifted against me. He relaxed his spine again and I started rubbing his belly as I had done previously; using the friction of his tunic brushing his skin to create warmth for him. Loki still arched his back once or twice before lying flat again, shivering convulsively. The Agents said nothing while the doctors, minus Dr Miyazaki, whispered nervously between themselves, staring at the clearly traumatized figure on the table. Eventually Loki released my hand and lowered his eyes with a frown, trying to see me. I stepped further up to the head of the table, within Loki's eye line. "Are you hurt? I mean; more than before?" I asked quietly. Loki glared at the man holding his head before looking back to me. "Blink once for yes; twice for no." Blink. Blink. I sighed, nodding. "Good. Are you okay for us to continue?" I asked quietly. Loki shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut.
"That's alright; I know enough," Dr Miyazaki told me. I looked over at her, placing my hand on Loki's forehead again. "Given the amount of blood we saw in the stomach, I have no doubt that an operation will be needed to repair the stomach wall. Removing the endoscope," Dr Miyazaki announced, slowly and carefully pulling the tube. When the endoscope was clear of his mouth, Loki took a deep breath and coughed.
"Let him go," I told the other Agents. They did as I instructed and left the room, closely followed by the other doctors, leaving only myself, Dr Miyazaki and Loki. Loki fumbled for the naso-laryngeal airway and I gently pushed his hands away. I turned his face to me and cradled his cheek in one hand while I carefully slipped the tube from his airway. Loki pulled back from me and continued to wheeze, rolling onto his side and curling into a ball, wrapping his arms around his middle and bringing his knees up protectively.
"Carter; a word," Dr Miyazaki requested, opening the door. I looked down at Loki and placed a hand on his side.
"Will you be alright if I leave for a moment?" I asked him quietly. Loki nodded without looking at me and I left the room. I followed Dr Miyazaki to a free examination room and closed the door behind me, rolling my popped wrist. "Okay, Mei. What's wrong?" I sighed tiredly, rubbing my abused hand.
"How long has Loki been like this?" Mei asked. I hissed as I inhaled, scowling thoughtfully.
"I'd say… roughly… a little over a month now. Maybe five weeks or so; but I can't be completely certain. I don't know precisely when Loki's torture was started, and I don't know how long it took for the damage to be done afterwards."
"I see… El, you view Loki as a friend, right?" Mei asked. I sighed, sinking down against the door to the floor.
"It's… complicated," I groaned tiredly, hanging my head over my lap.
"Do you care for him?" I looked up again.
"Sadly, yes," I confirmed.
"Then you know that he has been suffering… for a long time." I nodded.
"Yeah, I suppose so. Like I said; it's complicated. He's… not a very open individual. He's been in pain for a while now, I know. But he still hides it whenever he can. It's… complicated," I finished lamely. "Complicated is the word for us."
Mei smiled at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Ellie. Will you be able to convince Loki to allow us to operate on him?" I pushed myself to my feet again.
"He'll need time to recover from this; I think… I think the endoscopy brought back memories of the torture. Not to mention the fact that Loki is still in pain. It can't have been comfortable for him to have that thing stuck into his insides." Mei nodded.
"I understand. You should go back to him; take him to the containment facilities." I smiled at Mei appreciatively and opened the door again, returning to Loki. I shut the door behind me and sighed again tiredly.
"Hey, Princeling," I greeted quietly. Loki had released himself from his fetal position and was lying on his back again. He turned his head towards me.
"Carter; I'm sorry about your hand. I didn't mean to hurt you." I frowned. He had been so far gone before; I knew he wouldn't have noticed that he'd damaged me.
"How did you know?" I asked. Loki stared pointedly at my hand and I looked down. Bruises were blooming red and purple across my skin. "Oh. It's nothing, don't worry." Loki sat up slowly, stiffly. I walked closer and looked at him carefully, examining.
Loki stared back, turning cold as soon as he noticed what I was doing. I sighed. "Come on," I instructed, turning to the door. "I'll show you where you'll stay while you're here." I heard Loki stand behind me and opened the door. Loki followed me out and down the corridors.
"It's going to be another prison cell, isn't it?" he grumbled. I huffed a quiet laugh, glancing up at the Jotun.
"We both know how dangerous you are," I stated lowly. "Would you trust you in our position?" A slight smirk flitted across Loki's lips as he looked down at me.
"No," he acknowledged. "I would not."