I continue down the hallway, following Loki's henchman, and can't help but wonder what Loki was thinking. He knows something...but what? I glance over my shoulder again at Loki, who is now looking over the railing at the gathering a good distance away. Then he turns and walks down the huge stairwell towards the host, disappearing from view. I sigh, and follow Loki's man out of the building, where we are met with three more agents who immediately surround me. I smirk. I take it Loki doesn't want me to escape.
The men guide me to the waiting SUV behind the building. I can already hear people screaming and running for their lives. I feel a mixture of amusement and annoyance towards the people. Amusement at their reactions to Loki, but also annoyance at their cowardice. There are so many of them here that they could easily have overpowered Loki with sheer numbers, even with his glowstick of destiny. But they didn't. Instead, they ran away screaming, which is amusing and frustrating at the same time.
I climb up into the SUV, and before ducking inside, I stand on my tiptoes and stretch my neck as far as possible, trying to see the commotion around the corner. But all I can see is people running- wait. I grin in spite of myself as I see an illusion of Loki holding his scepter appear, scaring a group of already frightened people even more. They immediately turn and run the other direction, only to be stopped by another illusion I can't see because the building is blocking my vision, and I'm too far away anyway. Then, the stone in Loki's illusion scepter glows bright blue, connecting with the other illusions in the courtyard, and I hear a loud yell. Suddenly everything goes silent. I shake my head, rolling my eyes, and duck inside the vehicle. Two of the henchman climb in on either side of me, and the other two climb into the front. Then we're off. We drive in the opposite direction, away from Loki's distraction, so I have to crane my neck to look behind us and watch in awe as Natasha's quinjet comes into view, right before the buildings of Stuttgart block my view.
The journey back to the airport is silent, and I'm content with that. I have a lot on my mind. It was truly a beautiful night, and I certainly had not expected to enjoy it as much as I had. Even though I knew what Loki was up to, I knew I couldn't stop him, so instead I had decided to go with the flow. And I'm glad I did. Loki seemed to enjoy himself as well, and I'm glad for that, though I'm not sure why. He kidnapped me, strapped me down, wouldn't let me leave, forced me to train every day, and forced me to come to this gala merely as his cover. I have no idea why I care at all. If anything, I should be anxious to get away from him. But I'm not. Strangely enough, I feel safer near him than away from him. Must be because I actually know him. I don't know any of these men. I would probably feel safer with Clint...well, if he wasn't mind controlled, that is.
I sigh, watching the buildings of Stuttgart pass by in a blur. I need to turn my mind to my escape plans. Once we get back to the compound, I have to start preparing for my escape. From what I remember, I'll only have a few-hour window of escape once Barton leaves, and in the meantime the entire operation will be packing up and preparing the Tesseract container-thingy for transportation to Stark Tower. I don't even know what part of the day Loki will attack, but I know it's either tomorrow or the next day. I just have to be prepared ahead of time so I can move at a moment's notice.
The rest of the ride back to the airport passes quickly, since I am lost in my planning. I am swiftly ushered to the waiting jet, which is already preparing for takeoff, and given a bag of clothing to change into. I head to the plane's bathroom as Loki's men finish loading the jet and fire up the engines, and I quickly slip out of my beautiful dress and into the comfortable clothing provided for me. I hang the dress back up and then head to the seat I had occupied on the ride here the night before. Buckling in, I feel a strange tightening in my chest at the sight of the empty seat across from me. I sigh and shake my head, dismissing the feeling. He wasn't great company anyway. All he did was sit there and read. I can't help but miss the companionship, though. I flick my wrist, summoning Loki's Pride and Prejudice to my hand, and pick up where I'd left off. It's going to be a long seven hours.
By the time we finally arrive back at Teterboro Airport, I've finished the book, started reading Henry VI from Loki's personal Shakespeare collection, and dosed off twice. I'm happy to get off the plane, but I'm surprised it's still nighttime. I look at my watch, and am astonished to see the time is only 11:15 p.m. Didn't we leave at 10:00 p.m.? Then I roll my eyes and smack my forehead. Right. Time zone differences. I shake my head as I'm escorted to another vehicle. I must be tired...
The ride back to the subterranean compound seems incredibly long after the seven hour flight, and I dose off again, requiring Clint to shake me awake. I climb out slowly, stumble down the hallway, across the main area, and through the hallway that leads to my room. I accidentally slam my door open, stumble wearily inside, close it, and then lean against it, sliding slowly to the floor. I wake up slumped over on the floor sometime around midnight, realize what happened, and climb into bed, shutting off the light and putting my phone and Apple Watch on the charger. I sleep soundly after that, not waking up until 8:30 the next morning.
When I finally emerge from my room, I see that I was correct. Selvig and the scientists are preparing the Tesseract container thingy for transportation, and there are scientists and armed men running this way and that, carting equipment, tinkering with certain items, and hollering back and forth at each other. I'm glad that I'm dressed and prepared for my escape, with all my essentials—including the driver's license from last night I used my magic to acquire— in my pockets. But I'm going to need money, food, and a place to stay once I get out of this place. It would probably be best if I stayed in New York, at least for the time being. Mainly because I would be close to Stark Tower, and therefore close to the Avengers. I sigh, looking around at all the bustling people in the underground area. At least it will be easy to make my getaway, since I can make myself invisible with my magic and no one will be paying attention to—
"Victoria!"
A masculine voice calls my name, and I whip around to see Clint striding purposefully toward me. Several armed men are with him. I realize this must be his hit team. "Yeah?"
"Have you eaten?"
I shake my head. "No, why?"
"Come with me."
Clint turns and leads me to the kitchen, his men staying near me and watching me carefully. I wonder briefly why, but then realize that some of these men have probably seen Loki and I training together, and know that I am a prisoner here. It makes sense that they would be wary. Agnes hands me a paper bag once we reach the kitchen, and I smile my thanks. Then Clint leads us back the way we'd come. I frown, becoming suspicious. I know he plans to leave very soon, so why would he be with me right now?
A moment later, my suspicions are confirmed. We walk back across the main area and into the hall I had exited nearly twenty minutes ago. "Barton," I address him. He barely turns his head, not even looking at me, but I know he's listening. "Did Loki tell you to lock me in my room when you leave?"
"Yes."
I frown. "How nice of him..."
"The King doesn't want you to escape while I'm gone," Clint says unnecessarily, stopping outside my door. I give him an incredulous look.
"Oh, really? I had no idea! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for enlightening me," I say dramatically.
To my astonishment, Clint actually cracks a smile. "Enjoy your breakfast. I'll come back for you in a few hours."
He shuts the door, locks it, and then walks away, leaving two guards behind. I sigh, staring at the closed door. Well, at least I know how to get out.
Author's Note: Ok...so it's a bit of a filler chapter. Not very nice, I know, but I'll have a much more interesting chapter out tomorrow. We're headed straight into the Avengers movie, but from a side perspective, so I think you might like it. Hang in there til tomorrow!
Thank you for reading!
Signing off, AuthorsDream.