Chapter One - Sibling Rivalry
Cami Barton matched Natasha Romanoff's hurried, angry strides the best she could. The people and equipment that filled the corridors hardly seemed to hinder the graceful Black Widow.
"What were you thinking?" Natasha asked. "How do you expect Clint to not find out about this?"
"I didn't hurt anything. I just wanted to see the jet in action," Cami said, trying to get Natasha to understand.
Sometimes the two women could connect on certain issues, like Cami applying to become a field agent. This time, however, Natasha was just too frustrated with her recent string of antics.
"An important mission was delayed because they had to fly you back here to the helicarrier. You could have asked Clint to take you up if the jet was so interesting."
"No I couldn't. He'd just tell me no."
Natasha stopped a few paces down the corridor from the conference room.
"Then give him a reason to say yes. Your brother doesn't trust you because you constantly get into trouble."
Cami bit at her lower lip. It sucked having Natasha upset with her.
"You'll help smooth things over with Director Fury right?"
"What choice have I got? Fury sends you away and Clint will go too. He's needed."
"You need him?" Cami asked with cautious hope, once again looking up to study the Russian-born agent.
Natasha hesitated, her features showing fleeting uncertainty before she clarified, "We need him. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers need him."
With a frown and weary slouch that threw off her stance, Cami slumped against the wall.
"I thought that was what you meant."
"Hey," Natasha said, touching her shoulder, "after this meeting, we can hang out for a little while. That is, if your homework's done."
"It is. So, what's the meeting about?"
They took in the limited view through the doorway.
"I don't know," Natasha said. "Sure are a lot of people in there."
"Move aside please!" a voice bellowed from the far end of the corridor.
The women turned in that direction to see people dodging out of the way of two tall figures clad in more colorful and decorative clothing than the norm around S.H.I.E.L.D. Cami recognized Thor, though she'd only seen him from a distance on a few occasions. His wardrobe was hard to miss.
"Loki," Natasha muttered, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Cami turned her attention to the other man. He was dressed in black, dark green and gold with long dark hair, slicked back from his forehead. His clothing seemed to weigh heavily on his tall, slender frame. His features were dull and pale with his gaze cast downward, paying little heed to his surroundings. Cami might have guessed that he was comatose if his long legs hadn't been propelling his body forward.
"That's Loki? Really?"
Cami spoke only because she didn't have a proper response to the situation. She hadn't been in the service of S.H.I.E.L.D. for that long, but everyone knew of the events two years ago in New York. Loki was enemy number one.
Natasha shot a venomous gaze at Loki as the Asgardians passed.
"I've got to go," she said to Cami, pulling away to follow the men into the conference room.
Cami wanted to know what was happening, so she tagged along. Higher-ranking agents packed the room, some seated at the large table, most standing. Either no one noticed her enter on Natasha's heels, or they were too preoccupied with the tense atmosphere to care.
Thor and Loki continued to the front of the room where the director, Nick Fury waited.
"Quiet down," Fury ordered, "and shut that door."
Cami hid behind Natasha— who was close to the same height and body size as her— holding her breath as someone passed by to close the door. Luckily, her presence was not noted.
"Thor has requested this meeting," Fury continued. "I know there's a lot of animosity at the moment, but let's hear what he has to say."
Thor did not step forward to take the spot relinquished by Fury. Instead he chose to remain at Loki's side.
"The citizens of Asgard are sympathetic to the horrific crimes Loki has committed against the peoples of Earth and the Frost Giants of the Jotunheim. As part of his punishment, he has spent two years in the Jotunheim helping to rebuild their kingdom."
Again Fury spoke, his tone candid. "I'm surprised they didn't kill him."
"Or that he didn't escape," Clint Barton interjected from a seat near the front of the room.
"Loki was stripped of his powers at his trial," Thor explained, shifting his large frame with apparent discomfort. "He is mortal."
"Then how did he survive in the Jotunheim for two years?" Fury pressed.
"Our father made an agreement with the Frost Giants. Loki would remain to serve out his sentence only as long as they didn't try to end his life."
"How does two years of community service make up for mass murder?!" Clint snapped back, his anger driving him forward in the chair and just short of launching to his feet.
The God of Thunder took a single, cautionary step forward.
"His sentence was supposed to be much longer," he said, taking a side glance at Loki. "The Jotun did not keep their promise."
Cami focused on the God of Mischief. Even as Thor admitted to the group that the Jotun had tried to kill his adopted brother, Loki didn't flinch, frown or show any other sign that he was taking in the conversation.
"Father wants Loki to be useful and to learn the virtues of serving others. Therefore, he requests that Loki be allowed to join S.H.I.E.L.D."
Shock kept most of the room silent, but not Maria Hill. Cami saw Maria push forward from the back of a group, her features tight with rage.
"Joining S.H.I.E.L.D. is a privilege! What has Loki done to deserve such an honor?"
"If he's really mortal, we can just throw him in jail," Clint added. "Let him live out his life in a cell."
Between both outbursts from senior personnel, the crowd joined in with calls of agreement and other angry mutterings.
Again Cami studied Loki's features, searching for anything that resembled an emotion, but he was an empty void. In fact, the longer she stared at him, the more Cami realized that she was thinking about herself and how terrible it felt when no one believed in her or stood at her side when she made mistakes. She'd been there a couple of times at least.
"You have rehabilitated criminals before," Thor countered over the ruckus. "People who have taken the lives of others and still been allowed to redeem themselves."
Cami knew he spoke of Clint and Natasha, two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that he knew more than most others. Both had done questionable things in their pasts, hurt people and regretted it.
Fury put up his hand, silencing the noise before addressing Thor.
"You can't guarantee that he's safe, no matter what rehabilitation he's already been through."
Cami spoke with a guarded tone into Natasha's ear. "We should give him a chance."
Natasha turned to respond in harsh whispers, "You don't fully understand the situation, and you shouldn't even be in here."
Cami discovered the words only as she spoke them since her thoughts were chaotic.
"I know, but if you and Clint offered to supervise him, I think Fury would agree."
"No." Natasha shook her head, which caused her crimson curls to bounce a bit. This time she was much louder, drawing attention to them.
"Is there a problem?" The director asked. Then he spotted Cami. "Trainee Barton," Fury said with a scowl, "I don't believe you were invited to this meeting."
Fighting the urge to retreat from the stares and Fury's disapproval, Cami stepped out where everyone could see her. She chose to keep her attention on the director instead of the group at large.
"Can I make a suggestion?"
Clint rose from his seat. "I don't think Director Fury is interested in what you have to say right now." He started toward her through the packed crowd.
"I think we should give him a chance," Cami persisted, realizing her time was limited. "People can change if their environment changes and they have a strong support system. Loki is super smart. We could use that to our advantage."
In the next moment, Clint clutched her arm to be escorted from the room.
Once in the corridor, his blue-green eyes glared down into hers. He had five inches height on his sister to further enhance his intimidating look. Cami had grown used to him being like this. No matter how angry he got, Clint wouldn't physically hurt her.
"Haven't you been in enough trouble this week?"
She shrugged, attempting to keep her own problems out of this argument.
"I want to help."
"Loki doesn't deserve your help."
"Why?"
"He's a monster."
"Let him prove that to me himself. I think you are all blinded by what he's done in the past."
Clint tried to turn away. Cami grabbed his hand. She wasn't going to let him dismiss her.
He leaned closer to point a decisive finger in her face.
"We are not continuing this conversation."
"Come on. Where would Nat be if you hadn't given her this second chance with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Clint wasn't really hearing what she said.
"Go to your quarters. We still need to talk about you stowing away on that jet this morning. Don't think I'm going to let that slide."
Cami wanted to come back with some sort of a retort, but she was too emotional. So when Clint rejoined the meeting, shutting her out, Cami stormed off to find something that she could hit repeatedly without getting in more trouble.
After hours of wandering and hiding around the helicarrier, Cami arrived in the mess hall for dinner. She filled her plate with delicious foods in the hopes that she would be tempted to eat. Unfortunately, her appetite had been affected by the fight with Clint that lingered in her thoughts, making her angry and even a bit depressed. It didn't help that everywhere she went people either looked at her too much or not at all. It appeared that word had spread of her suggestion in the meeting, and her view of Loki's fate was in the extreme minority.
Through the agency grapevine, she knew Loki was currently in a cell in the detention center. At some point he was going to be transferred to a maximum security prison to await trial for war crimes. No one had mentioned to her when that would be. Guilty or not, Cami figured he was the one person on the ship that felt remotely like she did right then.
Taking her plate with her, Cami headed down to the detention center where four armed guards blocked the entrance.
"Can he have visitors?" she asked the steely-faced men.
"Not without the director's authorization," the closest man named Mike Hopper informed her.
Cami knew Hopper and her brother were close friends, and that fact could easily work for or against her.
"We got any other prisoners in there right now?"
"No."
"You guys heard that I stowed away on a jet this morning and caused all kinds of trouble, right?" When none of them responded to this question she confessed, "I really want a chance to talk to Loki."
Still the men stared.
"Can't you guys put me in there for a few hours for bad behavior? I'd have to serve some jail time for the same offense if this was the Air Force."
"Don't be crazy," Hopper said, his stance losing a bit of its rigidity with his exasperation. "Clint will kick our asses if we let you anywhere near this wacko."
"Yes, he would," the silky voice of Natasha Romanoff said from behind Cami. The crimson-haired beauty gave the situation a quick once over. "He's not going anywhere, boys. I think you can get some dinner."
"I don't know if that's a good idea, ma'am," Hopper insisted.
"It's okay. I'll keep an eye on him. Give us an hour."
Cami didn't know why Natasha was helping her out instead of lecturing her, but she knew better than to speak up and possibly jinx her chances.
Hopper gave in, handing Natasha the keys to the cells and waving his guys off. He peeked at the food on the plate Cami carried.
"Hey, they're serving the chicken parmesan tonight. I'm going to get me some of that."
Cami thanked the men as they departed, though she knew they weren't doing this for her.
Natasha studied her with a worried expression. "What do you think you're going to get from Loki?"
"I don't know. I think I understand some of what he's been going through."
"I think you're feeling a little singled out lately and underappreciated. Do you want someone to empathize with you? Because I doubt you'll get that from Loki."
Having Natasha throw out ideas for her motives didn't solidify Cami's thoughts. She was running mostly on a form of instinct.
"Can I see him?"
Natasha unlocked the door.
"Stay away from the bars. He's probably still stronger and faster than the average human, and remember, he's all about deception."
Loki was stretched out on his bunk with his eyes closed as Cami approached. His Asgardian fashions had been swapped out for a long-sleeved, dull gray prisoner jumpsuit, which was far from flattering on him. Considering the scene, the God of Mischief didn't look so extraordinary.
There were chairs and a table in the center of the room with the cells lining the outer walls. Cami considered pulling a chair closer to Loki's cell, but decided to take a seat on the floor instead. She put down her plate, noticing that his dinner tray rested on the floor just inside his cell. Everything on the tray was white, brown or yellow. While the food was probably nutritionally sound, it looked utterly unappetizing. It didn't appear that Loki had sampled the offerings at all.
Loki remained as he was, giving no acknowledgement of her presence. He could have been sleeping, but Cami didn't think so. He was ignoring her.
"Um..." she said, searching for just the right words as apprehension rose in her chest.
There were so many things she could say, like 'I'm sorry the Jotun tried to kill you. I bet that hurt coming from your own people' or 'I understand what it's like to not quite fit in', but none of that would matter to him coming from her. He didn't know her at all.
"I'm Cami."
The prisoner just laid there, the slight rise and fall of his chest the only indication that he was alive. Cami wondered if this had been a stupid idea. She didn't know what to say to him, and he wasn't responding anyway. He had no reason to take an interest in her considering the burden of his own situation.
"I brought you some food. These are some of my favorites," she tried again, doubting herself more with every word. "Sorry it's already getting a little cold."
She slid the plate close enough to the bars that he should be able to reach out for it if he wanted, but Loki remained unchanged, and the silence grew heavier as time passed.
Cami endured it as long as she could then pushed to her feet to find Natasha, Clint and Thor standing just outside the open doorway. Clint looked angry as he and Natasha talked.
Thor came into the room, eyeing the surroundings. Finally his gaze fell on Cami.
"Barton says you are his sister. I am Thor."
Cami decided a simple nod was a sufficient response.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to visit with my brother in private."
Cami looked back at Loki.
"He doesn't want to see you right now," she said, voicing the thought that came to her.
"Did he say this?" Thor asked with urgency. "Did Loki speak to you?"
"He didn't have to."
Thor's curious stare made her feel a little self conscious. It definitely felt like time to leave.
"I'll come see you tomorrow, Loki," she promised then met up with Clint and Natasha in the hallway.
"Don't be mad at Natasha," Cami said when Clint looked at her. "She was just helping me out. She stayed to make sure I didn't do anything stupid."
The tension radiated from him, and it was a wonder that he managed to not explode.
After a deep breath, Clint admitted, "I don't even know what to say to you right now."
"Maybe we can talk tomorrow," Cami suggested, barely meeting his eyes because she wanted this fight over quick.
"Fine. Mess hall. Seven thirty for breakfast."
Cami agreed then fled the area.