A/N: Short McGee - Here's your "more". And even MORE coming soon. Jigoku - you know we deny that alcohol like a boss! No way is he gonna get alcohol. Nuh-uh. Can you even imagine? ;) Lastly, "Guest" - You'll never see it coming. My co-author (DeviantArt's ReSurrendered-Hero) and I love all of our fans, reviewers, and followers. Stay tuned for more chapters (and stories)! We're not done with this yet.
Nancy paced back and forth in front of the large picture window. The heroes were here. They'd arrived just after she made it safely back into the herd. Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America, Romanoff, Barton. They were all downstairs. And it was too quiet. The fighting had stopped long ago. Loki was injured. He couldn't fight. So, when were they coming for her?
The door shot off its hinges and repulsor blasts filled the air. One by one, each agent went down with little to no fight.
Nancy screamed as a sudden battle ensued around her. Her comrades dropped like flies, falling at her feet. She quickly tucked herself safely into a corner and covered her ears with her hands. She was still screaming.
Bullets fired, repulsors blasted, and then... everything stopped. Her screams died away as she opened her eyes. Every other agent was on the ground, dead or unconscious. She panted softly, staring at the scene with wide, frightened eyes. She was the only agent left standing.
Iron Man turned in a full circle, and his glowing gaze landed on the girl in the corner. "You must be Nancy."
Nancy's heart stopped as Iron Man's glaring gaze landed on her. She was an open target, defenseless. An agent in a room of brainwashed agents. No, scratch that. The only agent left of the herd of brainwashed agents.
"I'm not one of them!" she shrieked, throwing her hands in the air in surrender, "I'm not a sheep! Don't shoot!"
"Oh, it's fine. You're good." Iron Man waved his hand in front of her face, making his point. "Responsive. No blue eyes."
Nancy nearly swooned when his repulsor got that close. It would only take one thought, one breath of a whisper, and her head would fly off. He was pretty much waving a loaded gun in her face.
"I think I'd like to go home now." she whispered, finally giving way to her shock and exhaustion. Nancy immediately collapsed against Iron Man's thick armor.
Iron Man extended one arm and caught her with ease, barely bending his knees when her full weight collapsed on him. "Best reaction yet." With little effort, he hauled her into his arms and carried her back down the stairs to his used-to-be living room. That would need a redo.
Nancy's sight faded in and out of clarity as unconsciousness began to overwhelm her. When they reached the front room, she turned a bit and glanced at all the heroes. They were standing around Loki, ready to strike if he even considered attacking again. Then… her gaze fell on him. Intricate handcuffs bound his hands. A tight, silver muzzle was clasped over his mouth.
No. Don't muzzle him. she thought, They have no idea how much that muzzle restricts language. Not only words, but facial expressions, too. And those cuffs. Restricting gestures. They have silenced him in every way imaginable. No… not him. Don't do that to him.
Loki looked away from his brother long enough to see the Iron Man enter with the girl in his arms. At least now he knew his obsession had survived the battle. Not that he had any doubt. He had strictly warned his followers not to touch her. On the other hand, she was in the metal man's arms. Held aloft like some sort of doll.
Loki scowled, but with the muzzle he was fairly certain no one could tell. Stark should not be holding her like that. She was not his. She was and always would be Loki's obsession, one more thing he needed to know more about. And he would not let her go easily, nor without a fight. He had plans for her, and no one – not even his brother or Earth's mightiest heroes – would keep him from putting his plan into action. One day, he would come for her. And she would never see it coming.
"What're you going to do with him?" Nancy asked Tony, trying to hide the tears in her voice.
"Point Break wants to take him home. Let him face justice there." Tony lifted his face mask and shrugged. The gears in his shoulders whirred and then settled. "We'll see what Nicky says."
"The director will do whatever Thor wishes." Nancy said sadly, "Loki is Thor's brother after all, he should face justice at home. When will Thor take him back to Asgard?"
"I dunno." Another shrug from the genius billionaire philanthropist playboy. "So, back to the ship for debriefing. Hold tight." He tightened his grip around Nancy and braced himself.
"Wait, what?" Nancy clung to Iron Man's armor, bracing herself for the ride back. He was nearly as bad as Coulson. Debriefing? Did they have any idea what she just went through? She was kidnapped! And could, quite honestly, use a nap! This was outrageous!
In less than a second, Tony had shot off and was soaring through the sky, back to the hellicarrier.
There was no fighting it now. She was already on her way back. It had all happened so fast. She never even had a chance to say goodbye.
Nancy closed her eyes tightly and tried to ignore the massive gusts of air that pushed past them. All she wanted was to be in the quinjet again, with Loki sitting across from her. To sit there silently, studying him. She'd be quiet now. She wouldn't say a word. She wished she could watch his every move again. His every breath.
He was a super-villain, yes, but he hadn't harmed her. In fact, he'd healed her. He'd saved her life. He was calm, even in the face of disaster. He was strong and elegant. He was fierce and frightening, yet thrilling and kind. She longed with every beat of her heart to be back there again with him. In their one moment in time. That's all she'd ever have of him. One moment. One breath. One kiss. And then they were pulled apart, sent their separate ways.
No, she'd have him back. She'd do whatever it took to see him one last time. Even if it took her whole life, she'd see him again. She wouldn't let them kill him. They didn't know him. They hadn't met the man she met. They didn't know of his kindness.
It took less time than anyone would have reasonably anticipated to reach the hellicarrier. Tony landed effortlessly on the flight deck and cautiously settled Nancy on her feet on the deck.
"Thank you." Nancy mumbled, attempting to straighten her clothes.
She did not want to sit through a debriefing right now. She was absolutely exhausted. With a sigh, she watched Stark blast off again, returning to the heroes. Returning to deal with Loki. Her Loki.
Feeling like she'd been hit by a bus, backed over, and run over again, Nancy went back inside and flopped down in front of the first computer she saw. She didn't care whose computer it was. They could find another one. She folded her arms over the keyboard and buried her face in them. Let the world end. She didn't care. Let the director call for her. She didn't care. Let the counsel fire her. She didn't care. Oh, precious sleep!
"Ugh!" she sighed heavily.
"Agent McAllister!" the director leaned against the balcony above her and raised an eyebrow. He waited for her to look up, after hearing her name, and then beckoned for her to follow him down the hall. "I know Stark told you about the debriefing. Interrogation One. Now."
Yep, she was an agent alright.
"Yes, sir." Nancy groaned.
She grabbed her bag and slouched towards the room, making sure to take as much time getting there as possible. As soon as she got inside the door, she slumped into the nearest chair. Taking her notebook out of her bag took every ounce of her remaining strength.
"Someone should go for coffee." She mumbled.
Fury waited until she had entered to take his seat across from her. He pulled his ever-present tape recorder from a pocket and settled it on the table. "Start at the beginning." He slouched sideways in the chair, waiting.
"Do we really have to do this today, sir? I mean no disrespect, but I just got kidnapped. I deserve a leave."
"Better do it now, while the memories are fresh. Proceed, agent."
Nancy sighed. Fine. If he wanted a report, he'd get one. A clean, honest, brass tacks report. "Fine. I wanted to finish my psychoanalysis of Loki, so I went down to the detention level. The best material comes from the source. I asked him a few questions, but he didn't say much. Then something exploded. I hit my head on one of the rails and was knocked out. When I came to, Loki was out of the cage. I grabbed my things, headed back towards my station, but then we lost altitude. I fell and hit my head again. I think I broke a few ribs, too. I fell down three levels.
"When I woke, Loki was lying next to me. He'd been hit by something. Something big. It made a hole in the detention level wall. I tried to check to see if he was still alive, but he grabbed me. Then a bunch of agents came to detain him, and I managed to slip away. I ran through the ship, got myself ridiculously lost, and somehow ended up right back at the beginning. He caught me and I struggled, but didn't do very well. I had some sort of injury in my side and couldn't fight. He dragged me outside, into the quinjet, and had me tied down. Next thing I know, we're taking off to God-knows-where. He wouldn't even talk to me. I tried. I was, however, able to make a few observations of the brainwashed agents.
"They're able to think cognitively and still have their emotions intact, but are completely controlled by the scepter. They wholeheartedly believed in Loki's cause. Believed the sacrifice of a few people was for the greater good. They were still agents, but… they were gone. They stopped caring about civilians and only cared about him."
Nancy paused, remembering back to the agents in the room. Their blue eyes. Their shadowed guns. They were still agents alright. Just not for S.H.I.E.L.D.
With a sigh she continued,
"We landed at Stark Tower about half an hour later. I tried to interview the agents again, tried to convince them to snap out of it, but they were unresponsive. Finally, I decided to follow Loki into the tower. What more could I do? We bantered for a while, I called him a few choice names, he kept that stupid smirk of his, then Iron Man showed up. Loki had the agents escort me upstairs while he dealt with Stark. The battle happened, I watched from one of Stark's big picture windows, then it was over. Stark burst in, shot all the agents, grabbed me, and here I am." Nancy gestured to herself for emphasis, "End of story."
She crossed her arms, challenging the director to question her story.
"Really?" Fury tilted his head slightly, staring her down with his one good eye. He believed all she said, he just knew when someone was leaving out details. And this woman was leaving out details. "That's everything?"
"Everything." Nancy replied with confidence. She had told the truth. That was a good summary of what happened. She'd just neglected to mention a few choice details. Like Loki healing her. Her standoff with the guards. And, most importantly, the kiss.
He still didn't believe her, but he didn't think he'd get anything else out of her, either. So Fury grabbed the recorder and turned it off. "I'll get this typed up for you to sign. But, if you happen to remember anything, I'll be around." He gave her a look that warned her to be careful. He was on to her lies and if she slipped up he'd be right there to point out her mistake. To get the truth out of her.
"There's nothing more for me to remember." Nancy reassured him, "May I return to my quarters now, sir?" She was exhausted. Getting kidnapped by a raving lunatic was exhausting work.
He wouldn't be getting anything out of her by pushing her farther than she was willing to go. Fury nodded at her and motioned towards the door with one hand.
Finally. It was over. Nancy stood and strode out the door, holding her head high, if only for the time being. She was sure of her story. It had been the truth, after all. Well, most of it.
With a weary sigh, she pushed open the door to the agents' quarters. A long hall stretched on in front of her, each door leading to a separate eight-by-ten cabin. So many of these rooms would be empty now. So many families with lost loved ones. Not wanting to think on it any longer, Nancy threw open her own door and flopped down onto her bed. She'd been lucky. She'd survived. If she'd been at her station when the chaos happened, she might have perished in the destruction. At least, that's what she told herself.
She rolled over onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. Her soft pillow with its less-than-fluffy embrace. Its rough pillowcase that smelled like a hospital. She hated it, but she loved it today.
As she laid there, images of the day played out in her mind. Images of Loki brushing her hair from her shoulder. Of him fingering the strap of her satchel. Of her gently placing her hand on his waist. What if they'd had more time? What if she'd dropped her façade and was real with him? Would he do the same for her? She doubted it. This was shock. These was the early signs of Stockholm Syndrome. No, she needed treatment. A soft laugh escaped her lips and warmed the pillow under her. The physiologist needed a shrink.
Then, a sudden memory flashed into her mind. Her notebook. Her darling notebook. Oh, how she loved that notebook. She still had her notes. She'd always have her notes. No, not always. Fury would take them when he had a chance. But, she could copy them, word-for-word, into her other notepad. The smaller one she kept in the lock-box under her bed. Yes, she'd keep them. In her journal.
Nancy sat up and pulled the lock-box out from under her cot. She entered a long and complicated code into the keypad and opened the lid. There it was. Spiral bound with pink roses donning the front. It was girlish, she knew. But she loved it. This was her secret notepad, where she kept all her secret S.H.I.E.L.D. notes. As quickly and carefully as she could, she copied over all the notes from her yellow legal pad, being extra careful with everything she'd learned about Loki. Every little detail. It had to be exact. Not one thing could differ. Not one memory. Not one moment. It only took about five minutes for her to copy everything over. There. It was done. She'd have them forever. She quickly dropped her journal back into the box, locked it again, and slipped it back under her bed.
With a heavy sigh, she slumped backwards into her sterile pillows. As tired as she was, her adventure had been worth it. She'd stolen a kiss from the world's greatest super-villain.