Chapter Thirty-Six - Rescue of the Spymaster

How can this be happening to me?

If Loki spoke, Cami didn't hear him. When he laid her down on the mattress and moved away, she looked for him only to have her vision blur with stinging sweat and beginning tears.

"The condom did break," Loki confirmed in a soft, mindful tone, returning to her side as she wiped the moisture from her eyes with a handful of her discarded cloak. "We'd better sit you up."

Loki probably repeated himself as he gave her instructions because her mind kept hazing over. She knew he was doing far more than she managed to do for herself through the clean up and getting dressed in their uniforms.

The hot tent was pungent with the smells of perspiration and sex, yet Cami hesitated to follow as Loki stepped out. "Come on," he urged, turning to offer her his hand. "We should chat with Dr. Lloyd."

"No, I can't," Cami insisted with a whimper. "What if he tells Clint?"

"I'm sure the doctor is bound to keep such matters to himself."

"But everyone's going to see that I'm upset. Don't make me—please?"

Loki let his hand drop, nodded and hurried off to find the doctor himself.

It was just desperate, wishful thinking on their part that Dr. Lloyd would happen to be carrying around emergency contraception meds in his field kit. It was bad enough that this was Cami's first ever condom mishap, but being told she'd have to wait until they returned to Asgard to get the pill was troubling as timing was important in these situations.

While Loki and the doctor made some discreet inquiries among the Zovodna for any remedies they might have, Cami went for a walk around the edge of the village. She detoured by the river to wash her face in the cool water while organizing her thoughts. She realized that Loki had been so quick to run off in search of a back up plan that they hadn't talked about the worst case scenario. Maybe Loki's urgency to find the doctor after their encounter summed up his feelings.

Natasha and Gary worked around the STAVs when Cami approached. An odd sensation prickled inside her chest and grew more pronounced as she honed her attention in on the vehicles. Cami touched the hood of the closest car, her mind drifting to images of the internal systems. She'd seen pictures before, but realized that these were more detailed than the ones they'd shown in their class back at the STAV training facility. Plus, Cami had the distinct impression that she understood better now how the parts came together as a whole functioning system.

Loki strolled up, placing a cup in her hand. "Drink this."

Cami choked down the thick, bitter liquid then followed it with several gulps of water from his offered canteen. "That was awful," she voiced, making a face. "What was it?"

Aware that Natasha watched them, Loki chose not to respond, which made him look guilty of something. "When does the team leave?" Cami asked in a weak attempt to draw attention from Loki.

"A little after sundown," Natasha said.

Gary turned off the farthest STAV and stepped out of the cockpit. "Looks like they got enough light through the breaks in the canopy to mostly charge the batteries. We might still want to pull them into direct sunshine for awhile."

As Natasha opened her comm line, the prickling in Cami's core surged up into her head. "Clint, do you want us to pull the cars out to charge the batteries?" Natasha asked, but seemingly in stereo, as Cami could hear her words in duplicate, not quite synchronized.

Though she had no communicator of her own, Cami heard Clint's response as if he stood at her side. "Sure. Dan and I are heading your way. We'll help."

Again Natasha's voice doubled as she said, "Loki and Cami are here with us."

"Good. Be right there."

Loki leaned close, noting something in her expression that concerned him.

Cami said, "I think I'm connected to the comms. I could hear Clint talking back to Nat."

Natasha looked to verify that Cami didn't have a communicator in her ear.

Loki suggested to Natasha, "Let's test it. Get Clint back on the line."

The prickling sensation returned to Cami's head as Natasha opened the comm again. "Clint, please respond."

"Yeah," Clint said, sounding amused. "We're almost there. What's up?"

Cami nodded to indicate that she could hear Clint.

"We're testing a theory," Natasha said. "Have Dan jump on too."

After a brief pause, Cami heard Dan say, "This is Kotter." She nodded to Natasha again.

"Well guys," Natasha reported, sounding impressed, "it appears that Cami can access our comm signals without an earpiece."

"That's sweet!" Kotter exclaimed.

"Dan's excited," Cami said to Loki with a chuckle. "Of course, he's always easily entertained."

"Hey! I heard that," Dan said with slight offense.

"Me too," Clint added. "Loud and clear." Clint and Dan came into view, studying Cami as they walked up. "What does this mean?" her brother asked, looking between Cami and Loki.

Cami admitted, "I'm not sure yet." She turned back to the STAV, resting her hand on the hood. "I get something here too. There are images and a sort of familiarity with its systems."

Loki pointed out, "Nearly every incident she's had with her magic involved machinery of some sort."

"A technology mage," Kotter speculated. "Now that would be seriously cool, Cami."

"I want to try something," she said, placing her other hand on the car as well.

"Wait," Clint said. "Jorn said we should find you a teacher. I don't think you should 'just try' your magic on a multi-million dollar piece of equipment."

Cami took her hands off the STAV and jammed them in her pockets, trying to mask the hurt his lack of confidence in her had sparked.

"Clint," Loki said, "if she's truly a technology mage, trial and error could be her only option."

After some thought, Clint said to Cami, "We've got a ton of gadgets and stuff in the cargo trailer. We'll pull out what we're planning to use tonight and you can experiment with some of the rest away from the village."

Cami agreed, cheered a little by his offer.

While they charged the STAVs to full power in the sunlight, Clint and Natasha tried to bring Cami and Loki up to speed on the rescue plans, which relied heavily on surprise, nonlethal attacks. There was also the issue of trying to recover the twins' weapons, magical family heirlooms that were left behind with their father when they fled the Jotun attack. For the most part, Cami caught the basics, though her mind wandered.

Later on, Clint and Loki pulled her and a small trove of gadgets out to the edge of the forest. Cami took the items out of the boxes, giving each a few moments inspection before laying them out on the ground. Clint perched on a log a few yards away, staring off into the forest. Loki sat near Cami, his knees pulled up so he could rest his arms on them. At first, it appeared that he was watching her, but she soon realized his mind was also elsewhere.

Cami could sense the tension and asked, "Have you two been arguing?" It was a shot in the dark because both of them had plenty of things to worry about. Clint relaxed his features some, but kept his gaze averted while Loki silently picked dried flakes of mud off the side of his shoe—neither one denying it.

Cami picked up a pair of high tech binoculars, fiddling with the buttons. "So, I heard a rumor once that I always get what I want." She watched as the edges of Clint's mouth curled and Loki pursed his lips to fend off his own grin. "Well, if that's true, I don't want you guys fighting. For my sanity, at least act like friends."

Loki insisted in a soft, mindful tone, "We are friends."

"Yeah," Clint agreed, yet they didn't look at her or each other.

"Good." Cami nudged Loki. "You know magic stuff. Teach me."

"Do you get any sensations from these devices?"

"Yeah. My body kinda prickles. I feel warm and energized," she explained.

"Where would you say the feeling originates?"

"Huh?"

"There should be a point in your body where the magic is generated. The three most common areas for mages are the head, chest or abdomen."

"Oh." Cami thought about it, trying to focus on the movement of the energy through her body.

"I think it's her chest," Clint said. "It's the first spot she starts rubbing when she gets riled up."

Cami realized he was right and agreed.

Loki glanced over at Clint. "Your magic originates in your head?"

"Yeah," Clint said with a shrug. "So?"

"Your magic will not be affected as much by your emotions," Loki told him. "You will require more mental discipline and the ability to quickly clear your thoughts to manage the power. Cami, on the other hand, will find her magic to be more instinctual and reactive. Strong emotion will actually heighten her power levels."

Though Loki offered to split his instruction between both of them, Clint turned down the offer. He insisted he was just there to get a feel for Cami's abilities.

With Loki's encouragement and advice, Cami worked her way through the collection of gadgets using her magic to power them up and manipulate each as much as possible without actually handling them. When she had nearly a dozen such devices running at once, Clint and Loki were speechless and shaking their heads with amazement.

Her mind and body felt alive and connected to her surroundings. Of course there was an active pulse and draw with each device, but she soon distinguished a similar closeness with both Loki and Clint, who were in close proximity to her.

"I think I can feel people too," Cami said, shifting her gaze to them. "We all have a natural electrical current inside of us, right?"

"True," Loki said.

"You think you could affect bioelectricity?" Clint asked with widening eyes.

"Maybe," she said, feeling a bit freaked at the prospect.

Natasha appeared through the trees, casually strolling in their direction. She stopped in her tracks when she noticed the buzzing and blinking lights from the collection of gadgets at Cami's feet.

"Impressive, isn't she?" Clint said with pride to Natasha who nodded in return. "Cami thinks she might be able to manipulate the electricity inside people too."

"I don't suggest testing that just yet," the redhead said with concern. "Unlike some toys or a STAV, a person can't be replaced."

"Well, yeah," Clint said, his enthusiasm deflating. "I wasn't volunteering."

With a stern expression, Natasha moved on to the matter on her mind. "Kotter has suggested that we break camp now and head straight back to Asgard after collecting Rosner."

"That would save us some time," Clint agreed.

"He says there was a heavy snowstorm in the Jotunheim this morning that likely obscured the tracks from their STAVs," she continued. "We can't count on that tonight though. If the Frost Giants get mad, we don't want to lead them to the Zovodna."

"Then we'd better get packing," Clint said. "We're losing daylight."

After stowing their tents and gear in the cargo trailer, the group met with Saizon to give heartfelt thanks to the Zovodna for their hospitality, assistance with the planning of the rescue, and for their numerous and tiring efforts in Clint and Cami's treatments.

"We know that Midgard is a young realm," Saizon told the team, "but you are strong people with great love in your hearts. Your kin will always be welcome here."

Jorn and Mahlora pulled Loki and Cami aside as they exited the leader's hut. Jorn placed his hand on Loki's chest while Mahlora pushed up the sleeve of his leather jacket to reveal some of his scarred flesh. "You are damaged. Why did you not ask for help?" Jorn asked.

Though he fidgeted and had difficulty keeping eye contact, Loki didn't pull away from them. "The scars will heal on their own."

"But your soul may not," Jorn insisted. "Your essence bleeds. Did Jahla do this?"

Loki nodded. He looked so conflicted and embarrassed that Cami grasped his free hand.

Jorn was watching them with sad, yet compassionate eyes. "Where is the missing piece of your soul?"

"Inside a construct of blood and shadow magic. He is my twin in appearance and also our enemy."

"We can't kill him or Loki will die too," Cami told them.

Jorn understood. "What is your plan?"

"We don't have one," Loki admitted, looking more uncomfortable. "They are far ahead of us."

"If you capture this twin," Jorn said, "send for me. I will come."

Cami could tell from the sudden flush of color to his face that Loki was touched by Jorn's offer, though he gave no response beyond a nod.

With a final farewell, Trawick and the children accompanied the team to the edge of the village where the Mischief Makers climbed in their vehicles, choosing to depart along the rocky river bank to help mask their tire tracks.

Alfheim and Jotunheim were separate worlds in the vast cosmos, yet they were connected together and to other realms by mystical passages. An underground cave system joined Southern Alfheim to the outskirts of the Jotunheim. The dark, wet caves were barely wide enough in most spots to allow the STAVs through single file.

Cami could tell when they were getting close to the end of the tunnel as frost and ice became visible on the walls and cave formations around them. As it got colder outside, Cami monitored and regulated the cockpit temperature as well as traction control and all sensor readings with her magic.

The rescue plan consisted of five phases—not including the planned retreat at the end. Cami appreciated that Clint didn't ask her to repeat the order like he had in D.C. because she was just too unnerved to concentrate. She did recall that phase one was to track and take out the Jotun's hunting patrols. So, as soon as they had cleared the confines of the cave and could put their sensors to best use, the team started across the snow for the distant range of hills that surrounded the village in a loose crescent shape. On quiet running with no headlights, the drivers had to rely on their readouts to navigate the uneven terrain of ice, rock and snow.

They detected their first patrol as they approached the foothills. Clint, Loki and Cami pulled their STAVs into the cover of the trees while the others continued west, away from the patrol, in search of the path Kotter and Stott had discovered through the hills that morning.

"Maybe Mitzi and Diani should scout a little," Cami suggested, turning to see the twins nod their agreement from where they were cramped into the shared backseat.

"Good idea," Clint said.

The sisters leapt from the vehicle as soon as Cami popped the cockpit, scurrying up the incline with surefooted agility for higher ground. In the few seconds the top was open, freezing air whisked in to steal away Cami's breath and make her shiver in her thin uniform jacket.

"There's only two of them." Clint said, downplaying the threat of the patrol. "We've got this." He and Hogun climbed out of the lead STAV, donned S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued cold-weather coats and grabbed their bows.

"Zero fatalities," Natasha reminded them over the line.

"We're using the treated arrows," Clint reassured her. There was comm silence while the archers tracked their prey. "Targets down," Clint reported a bit later, then followed with, "Loki, can I get you and Dr. Lloyd up here for a quick opinion. Maybe we hit them a bit too hard with this stuff."

Loki and Dr. Lloyd vacated their STAV, leaving Cami alone with all three vehicles while they hoofed it along the foothills to catch up with Clint and Hogun.

Kotter reported, "We've got life signs to the northwest of us."

"They're a ways off, but coming this direction," Stott confirmed. "I'd say from these sensor readings that this is a single rider on one of those woolly elk things we saw in the village earlier. He is covering significant ground."

Kotter said, "Gary and I will park and find a good sniping position. We'll attempt to drop the rider and mount together. Do we have a determination on the sleep toxin?"

"Doc and Loki say we're good to go with the predetermined dose," Clint said as Cami saw him, Hogun, Loki and Dr. Lloyd return through the trees. Once they were loaded up again, Cami's group continued slowly along the hills until they reached the end.

"We're good here," Kotter soon reported.

Both groups narrowed in on the village. When Kotter's group detected and skillfully dropped another patrol a few minutes later, Dan speculated, "The Jotun must be expecting something. All of our guys were carrying horns. Probably to signal the village."

Clint said, "We'll stick to the plan as long as we can."

Cami stopped the slow crawl across the snow when the twins flew close enough for her sensors to pick them up. They circled as she opened the cockpit then shifted out of bird form to drop onto their feet and climb in.

"There are at least four more patrols in the hills on the far side," Mitzi reported to the team.

Diani added, "And several guards are moving about the village."

"We need to hurry this up," Dr. Lloyd said, "or we won't be clear of the area when those first patrols we encountered wake up."

"Then I say we focus on the guys in the village," Kotter said. "If we spread out a bit, maybe we can take the guards out all at once."

Clint agreed and quick adjustments were made to the plan. They drew in as close as they dared to the village before leaving the STAVs. Cami pulled on her winter coat, grabbed her staff and fell in step behind Clint and Dr. Lloyd, keeping low and watchful while Loki and Hogun took the twins with them toward the back of the closest lodges.

The structure where Cami, Lloyd and Clint found cover had a distinct odor, even in the frigid temperature. It had to be the community's outhouse; and its proximity to the giant pen where they kept their animals probably wasn't a coincidence. Cami fought the urge to hold her breath as she eyed the massive and furry white elk creatures within the nearby pen that were acutely aware of them too. She noted that their impressive antlers were at least as wide as they were tall, about twelve or thirteen feet.

"Give me locations, numbers," Clint requested, "and call your targets."

A flood of information came in from the group. Cami was at a loss to make heads-or-tails of it all. She could do the math though and realized they were dealing with eight guards, three more than they had snipers. Clint, Dan and Gary swapped ideas for a few seconds, using soldier shoptalk to assign the additional targets based on the locations of their shooters.

Clint stood. "On a three count," he whispered as he stepped around the edge of the outhouse and took aim at his first target.

Two bows, three silenced tranquilizer rifles and eight falling bodies didn't make enough sound to stir the sleeping Frost Giants in their towering communal lodges. All that followed was some agitated grunts from the fidgety elk.

"Nice," Kotter complimented the team. From his tone, Cami could tell he was grinning.

"We're a go for phase three," Clint said in his no-nonsense tone. "Runners and fliers move in."

Cami climbed to her feet, moving around the side of the outhouse away from the animals to bolt across the snow-packed and sporadically muddy ground to the first of the four lodges. Noting Sif's form as she slipped in front of the adjacent lodge, Cami drew a small canister from her pocket, turning the cylinder so she could open it one-handed on command.

"Everyone in position?" Clint soon asked.

Cami added her guarded, "Yes," with the others.

"Go."

Cami took a deep breath. Then with a flick of her fingers, she pulled the pin and opened the valve. Gas filtered out as she tossed the canister through the gap beneath the door. She backed away to the corner of the building to wait and capture some fresh air in her lungs.

Amid rising shouts from inside, the door opened and a large, wheezing figure stumbled out, collapsing to the ground. A second Frost Giant emerged through the wafting gas. He held a piece of cloth over his mouth as he stepped over the first Jotun, but was dropped in the next moment by one of Clint's treated arrows that struck him in the bicep.

Clint ordered, "Hold for ten more seconds everyone." Since they'd gassed each lodge from multiple sides, most of the Jotun weren't likely to make it to their feet before passing out.

The animals grunted and bellowed in their corral, making Cami more uneasy with all the nervous adrenaline streaming through her body. She figured Clint had a good reason for not shooting or gassing them too.

"Go for phase four."

The twins and the other runners moved from their positions around the lodges to converge on the pit while the snipers kept watch. Cami, however, walked up to the unconscious Jotun in the doorway of the lodge. She estimated their height at a little over ten feet tall. The size of their hands alone made her uneasy. They had rugged, muscular builds; and she noted that their markings differed from Loki's and even each other.

Natasha said, breaking the comm silence, "Rosner is alive, but we have a problem. The Jotun constructed a cover over the pit from tree trunks, metal, roots and rope. They're keeping it in place with large boulders set on the corners."

"Some precise shots from an STAV could cut that cover into pieces," Stott offered.

"It would have to be very precise," Sif emphasized. "We don't want to drop debris on Rosner."

Natasha said, "Maybe we should try to pull this cover off with grappling lines and winches on some STAVs."

Kotter offered his approval. "We get the weight off the corners and I bet the winch idea will work perfectly."

Clint and Dr. Lloyd passed Cami en route to the pit. She fell in behind them.

"Dan, Gary, bring in your cars," Clint ordered. He stepped up to the twins. "Mitzi, Diani, we're gonna have to leave in a hurry. Look for your weapons now if you're going to. The rest of us will try to get those boulders off."

The Elves split up as they moved back to the lodges.

It didn't take very long for the group to realize that the boulders were too heavy to budge, even with the combined efforts of their strongest members. The Asgardians began chopping away at the sturdy cover near the corners with their edged weapons. Once she successfully cut a slender section of the cover free, Sif slipped her shield through the opening, calling out for Rosner to use it to protect himself.

Stott and Kotter pulled their STAVs into position. Clint and Natasha securely attached the grappling lines to the cover and ordered everyone to move back. The cover creaked and cracked along its weakened points then finally broke free of the boulders and was dragged off the dark pit.

Natasha and Clint pulled their flashlights as the group gathered around, soon revealing that the pit had steep, smooth walls. The man who peeked out from under Sif's shield had the same fair hair as the twins, only shorter and matted with dirt and dried blood. His features and garments also appeared filthy, adding to his battered appearance.

Loki asked him, "How badly are you injured?"

The Elf seemed to tense as he recognized Loki's voice. "I am not seriously wounded, your majesty."

"He looks weary," Sif said. "Shall I climb down?"

Clint had detached the winch lines from the cover. He hooked the line from Kotter's vehicle to his belt. He stepped to the edge of the pit, holding the other with his gloved hands. "I got this," he said, stepping over the edge to repel down to the spymaster.

"King Odin sent you?" Rosner inquired as Clint approached and helped him to his feet.

"Yes. We are the Mischief Makers, Sir, a joint task force from Midgard and Asgard."

The Elf asked, "Mischief? Is Prince Loki your leader?"

Clint chuckled. "Nah, he's really more our mascot." He took Sif's shield, slipping it on his arm and turned to put it between him and the wall of the pit. "Grab on," he said. Natasha signaled once the men looked ready and the winches steadily pulled them up and out of the hole.

"Okay. Last phase," Clint announced. "Find every last gas canister, tranq dart or arrow we used here in the village. Then we'll load up and get out of here."

"Uh guys—we have inbound patrols from the north," Kotter reported as three loud blasts from a horn echoed in the distance. "Guess we made a bit too much noise."

"We are officially out of time," Natasha commented as Mitzi and Diani sprinted up.

Mitzi carried a black-handled longsword with distinct symbols etched into the blade. Diani held a similar styled dagger, but sheathed it before joining Mitzi to embrace their father.

As he passed her, Clint asked Cami to head to the north side of the village and drive in Natasha's STAV since that was the direction the patrols approached from. "Be quick about it," he snapped.

Cami started to run, letting her prickling senses guide her through the darkness toward the car. Though soft moonlight assisted her, she didn't see the approaching form until it was upon her. A strong blow connected with the side of her face, blacking her vision as she fell in the snow. The attacker's crunching footfalls rushed past her. Cami fought to clear her head. She heard and felt the STAV power up, heading toward the back of the village.

"Where are you going?" her brother demanded through the line.

Cami forced herself to focus. "That's not me. I got blindsided. Didn't see who it was."

"Shit! Are you alright?"

"No. I'm pissed!" Thinking of the approaching Jotun patrols, Cami pushed to her feet, pressing a handful of snow against her aching cheek as she retrieved her staff and hurried back.

A sudden burst of light artillery fire blew off a section of roof on one of the lodges near the center of the village eliciting a chorus of curses and gasps from the team.

"Kotter, Stott, disable that vehicle before he brings down the whole place!" Clint barked. "Everyone, switch to the alternate comm line."

Dan and Gary chased after the rogue driver in their own vehicles, peppering their target with bullets and managing to scare him off a ways so he couldn't continue to fire on the lodges. "I don't think STAVs were meant to fight each other," Stott said. "Our main weapons deflect off the armor."

Kotter growled. "Who is this guy?!"

"The lodge is burning," Sif reported as orangey-red flames spread across the damaged roof. "We'll never drag all the Jotun out in time."

Cami yelled to Clint and Loki as she ran past them, "We can use the foam."

She was panting by the time she reached her STAV on the opposite side of the village. Cami jumped in, powered it up and sped off. She didn't even wait to come to a complete stop in front of the lodge. As soon as the system told her she was within range, she launched a stream of fire suppression foam to start coating the roof.

Clint and Loki pulled up, helping finish off the flames. Her brother sounded pleased as he said, "Good thinking."

Kotter warned them, "He slipped by us. He's heading back your way, and he definitely knows what these vehicles can do. Loki, man, please tell me you know the override procedure for the STAVs."

"Yes. I read it in the operator's manual." Loki asked, "What number is the vehicle?"

"Four."

"I'll have to find which line he's using if he hasn't disabled the onboard communications."

"Just broadcast on all of the channels," Clint said as he sped off to intercept the battling STAVs.

"Clear the comms," Loki requested, then steadied his voice. "Sierra, tango, alpha, victor, four. Acknowledge override authority." After a brief pause, Loki repeated the command then reported, "He must have switched off the link."

"Can you hack his system from your vehicle?" Cami asked.

"It will take time. Think you could reactivate the link for me instead?"

Though surprised by the request, Cami recognized the opportunity Loki offered. "I'll try."

Cami climbed out of her vehicle to help unclutter her faculties. She focused on the magic in her chest and felt a strong responding prickle. She let it expand, becoming an overwhelming sensation that made her whole body tense with energy. Then she sent out a wide scale pulse, which flooded her consciousness with information from all six STAVs.

"Wow," she couldn't help muttering. Then what started as six connections, one for each STAV, multiplied to include each of her teammates, the Jotun villagers and the penned elk.

"Anyone else feel that tingling?" Kotter asked.

"Yeah," Natasha responded with notable concern to her voice. "Cami…?"

The elk in the pen became agitated, trying to canter about inside the confined space and knocking into each other and the fences with their great antlers.

"She's spooking the animals," Dr. Lloyd reported.

"Hell, she's spooking me. Cami, back it down," Clint ordered pointedly through the comm.

She shushed him then winced and placed her hand to her temple, responding to an ache that appeared there. "I've got a job to do. Let me focus. Can you divert him back my way?"

"I'd prefer to keep him away from the village and the team."

Cami understood what her brother was saying, but fought to stay afloat, so-to-speak, and couldn't begin to determine the necessary steps to quell this storm she had unwittingly unleashed. Her body prickled so severely that her limbs went numb. She dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands.

"Loki, help!"

"I'm coming," he said. "Take deep breaths. Fill your lungs, then breathe out slowly."

Cami forced the first intake of air, releasing it before she remembered to go slow. Loki reached Cami's side as she let out her second labored breath. She peeked out from behind her fingers. "How do I disconnect from everyone?"

In the moonlight Loki looked far less anxious than Cami felt. He said, "You have to calm down. Breathe."

In. Out. In. Out, Cami thought along with the motions as she tried to obey him.

"The connection with the cars should feel different than with living beings. Separate them in your mind. You can find the right one," he encouraged her.

Sounds of gunfire and car engines disturbed the night, but Cami kept her attention on Loki and the task. It wasn't the words Loki said as much as the tone of his voice that helped to reel in her panic. With some effort Cami identified the specific sensations coming in from the people and elk. She tried to push them aside and hone in on the stronger connections with the STAVs so she could sort them as well.

After jumping from connection to connection, Cami's mind found the stolen STAV and delved in, navigating its processes to pinpoint and reactivate the communication link. "Got it," she told Loki with an excited gasp.

"Good. Keep the link open, my dear," he said, hurrying back to his own STAV to reactivate his communicator. "Sierra, tango, alpha, victor, four. Acknowledge override authority." After a brief pause, he continued, "Initiate full system shutdown," then rambled off a huge string of numbers that Cami never could have memorized.

Cami felt the STAV power down and heard Clint order a pursuit when apparently the driver took off on foot into the hills.

"Clint," Natasha said urgently, "we have inbound hostiles, remember? Get over here and pick us up."

"We can't leave this car out here," Clint said.

"It's going to need a system reboot," Kotter said, "and possibly a jump start."

"Leave that to us," Loki spoke up. "Mitzi, Cami needs a lift."

Cami got to her feet, but stepped back as a gorgeous black and white horse ran up to her. Diani also approached, riding upon the back of a daunting black cat with sleek fur, broad paws and knowing gold eyes. Diani held Mitzi's longsword, but put it down as she slid off the beast to give Cami a boost.

As soon as Cami was up and had grabbed onto her neck, the horse took off west across the mud and snow, passing Clint, Kotter and Stott's STAVs returning to the village. The jarring ride frightened Cami, reinforcing her personal preference for wheeled transport.

Loki pulled up with Dr. Lloyd as Cami and the shapeshifters reached the lone vehicle. He requested that the Elves keep an eye on the hills for the unknown car thief and awakening Jotun patrollers while he started a diagnostic.

Cami took the empty driver's seat and laid her hands on the console, reading the system in a matter of moments. "The car has taken some mild damage," she reported, "but mainly its battery is low."

"Switch it to use the fuel once it is powered up," Loki said.

When the STAV wouldn't start, Cami popped the hood and went around. Generally she'd never mess around with a battery, but when she had an unexpected stir of energy in her chest, it was just instinctive for her to reach out and touch the posts.

The doctor let out a cry of concern that was mostly unheard by Cami due to a pulse transferring from her body into the vehicle that caused a sudden roar of its engine. She drew back her hands, looking sheepish as the others stared.

"I'm okay, really."

Rebooting the computer system took a few minutes. So once underway, they had to race to avoid pursuers and catch up with the others at the cave while taking a wide berth around any other life signs that showed on their sensors.

"That was messy," Clint said as they regrouped, "but not too bad for our first combined team mission."

"Thirteen against an entire village of Jotun hunters and their kin—I consider that a triumph," Rosner praised.

"We must feast!" Volstagg roared with glee, causing the team to burst into laughter.