Hi everyone, thanks for sticking around :) This chapter features a guest who makes Stella reconsider her career choices. Enjoy!
When I see Phil Coulson waiting by my door when I return from lunch, I smile at him. "Hello, Phil. Tell me you guys found Thor for me."
"Something like that," Phil nods. But I can't believe my eyes when I see what is in the folder he hands to me.
File ID: 37638 - June 18, 2012
Name: Loki Laufeyson
Species: Frost Giant
Date of birth: 965 A.D.
Place of birth: Jotunheim
Citizenship: Jotun, Asgardian
Occupation: God of Mischief, Prince of Asgard
Family status: Unknown
Note: Convicted of multiple crimes - he is supposed to serve his sentence in Asgard
He escaped and returned to Earth - circumstances are still under investigation
I look at him and shake my head. "Loki is not an Avenger. I fail to see what I have to do with the fact that he's here."
Phil smiles ever so politely as he gestures for me to follow him down the corridor. "We believe he has information on Thor's whereabouts."
I raise my eyebrow. "Fine. Then get it out of him. I am a psychologist, not a detective."
"We never really got to discover Loki's personality and motivations. This is our only chance as Asgardian authorities have already been contacted. They might be here in any moment to collect him."
He stops in front of a huge door and looks at me sideways. "SHIELD appreciates your help, Miss Moon." He places his card against a censor on the door and it opens. "Oh, I almost forgot," he adds and hands me a small black gun.
I stare at him. "Are you serious?" I ask as I weigh the weapon on my palm. It fits perfectly.
"I know it doesn't look too dangerous, but believe me, it is. Only use it if absolutely necessary."
I keep looking at him. "No. I understand the concept of a gun being dangerous. But I am not a fighter, I can't—"
"You'll be fine." As the door opens I see a glass cell, similar to the one Bruce used, except for the books. And the guards. There are four of them standing around the cell with huge machine guns.
Loki sits in the cell and is seemingly highly entertained by a deck of cards in his hands. He shuffles them slowly and raises his gaze to meet mine. I feel goosebumps break on my skin and I turn my glance away.
"This won't be possible like this," I hear myself say. I wonder if it is my professional opinion or he bewitched me already. "I want the guards out. The patient-therapist relationship does not allow outsiders to be present at the session."
"It is not a typical session, Miss Moon," Coulson says.
I shrug. "I don't care, Mr Coulson." I still have the gun which now I clutch in my fist. There is no way I would be able to use it. I lack the skills, the reflexes and the will. "You want a therapist? Here I am. But we either do it my way or not at all. Your call. I will gladly leave if you prefer."
I turn around but he catches my upper arm. "Right. Alright. It's just you and Loki. If you need any assistance, use this," he says pointing at a little red button on the barrel of the gun he just gave me.
"I just want you to know that in this instant I am not impressed with SHIELD at all," I reply dryly.
"Duly noted," Phil nods and leaves with the four guards in tow.
I clear my throat and approach the cell. Loki seems almost innocent. He raises his hand showing me the cards. "Do you play, Miss Moon?"
"You know my name," I note. I shouldn't be surprised, really. This is Loki of Asgard, he probably reads minds as a hobby. He shrugs and looks at me questioningly.
"I do, sometimes," I reply. "But I am not here to play cards, Loki."
"Oh I know," he nods. "You monkeys lost Thor, hmm? The little minion thinks I know where he is and that you'll make me tell you?"
I press my lips together. "We did not lose Thor," I reply, although I am yet to meet Thor precisely because SHIELD does not have him on its radar. "You are supposed to be in Asgard. In a cell similar to this, I imagine."
"I was bored," he shrugs and turns back to the cards.
"So you left."
He looks around pointedly. "Obviously."
I sigh and sit on the floor. I miss my comfortable armchair back in the office where nobody seems to want to come to anymore. "You left quite a mess here in New York. Demolished half of the city."
He shrugs nonchalantly and a little irritated. "Your point?"
"I just don't understand why you would want to return to Earth after all that," I reply. "You have plenty of enemies here."
"Could you bring in Black Widow please?" he asks. "If you mewling fools want me to talk, at least you could have sent someone physically or at least mentally attractive."
I raise my eyebrow. "You know, you were on camera the whole time you spent on the Hellicarrier. I watched some of the footage."
He looks at me. "And? What did you think of me, Stella?"
I shrug. "That for the God of Mischief you looked quite grim. And for a trickster you got played real good."
He abruptly stands up. Actually I cannot see the movement, I just notice that he now stands at the wall of the cell staring at me. I keep my fear in check and return his stare with an icy glare, at least I damn hope I do.
He smiles. "Play with me."
"No."
"Why not?" He asks and I swear I can see him pout.
"Look, I don't have much time. I just want to talk."
"Oh, but how often do you get what you want in life, Stella?" Loki smirks.
"Speaking from experience?" I ask back.
"What are you talking about? I have everything I want." He's been playing with me ever since I walked through that door, I conclude as I look around his cell.
"You have a deck of cards, a cell and Asgardians coming to collect you, and I am certain you'll get a worse hole back there than the one you escaped from." I open my arms raising them slightly to indicate my confusion.
"Wrong," he says. "I have your complete attention. Just like SHIELD's."
I frown. This is not good. "What are your planning, Loki?" I ask.
He wiggles his index finger amusedly. "Oh no. This is definitely not how you speak with a god. With me, at least. Play with me and I might let you know one or two things."
I groan.
"Oh sorry, are you so annoyed with your patient?" he asks with the smile of somebody who owns the world.
"I have a gun, you know," I reply. But he does not care about my gun. Smart. I am obviously no challenge for him.
"Then why do I frighten you so much?"
"Okay, will you cut this fake mind reading bullshit?" I snap.
He titles his head to the side. "Why, you don't like others diving into your mind?"
"I do not. It comes with my job," I answer. "I especially don't like trickster gods peeking into it. Especially not when it is not in my contract to have a session with them anyway."
He doesn't reply but raises the deck and spreads the cards. "Ideally you could pick one yourself, but I'll do it for you for now," he says. "If you ask nicely."
I resign to my fate. "Third one from the left," I shrug.
He picks the fifth one from the right. Obviously. He presses the card against the glass and I can see the Queen of spades. He puts it back in the deck and starts shuffling it.
"So this is the moment you tell me about your plans?" I ask.
"Oh. Sure," he nods. "I have many plans. One of them is that I am going to rule this pathetic planet. And I will probably have you SHIELD rats all murdered. You included, of course."
Contrary to what anyone might think about psychologists, I really hate getting death threats. But I have to stand my ground, so I just smile at him, hopefully coldly.
"You really have no concept on how to maintain a civil conversation, do you?"
"Do you?" Loki asks back. Before I could answer, he pulls a card out and shows it to me. It's the Ace of hearts.
"That's not it," I claim.
Loki smirks. "You don't understand, do you?" I frown as he continues. "It was never about the cards."
He is right. It was a trick. I knew it all along but it all dawns on me when he stands right in front of me. No glass between us this time. He grabs my hair and pulls me up. The gun is in my useless hand. I should press the button but I can't. I should press it against his stomach or head and pull the trigger, but I can't do that either. My fingers are frozen.
"Loki, you— please, if we could just talk it through," I plead, my voice barely audible through the drumming in my ears.
"You're a true shrink, huh? Can't say anything smart even though your life depends on it," he taunts.
The pressure eases on my scalp but in the next moment I fell on the ground. Loki is cursing next to me. I rub my aching elbow and notice he is entangled in a net. A net that is secured to the floor by several arrows.
"Where are you coming from?" I ask Clint Barton who stands above him with his bow and an arrow on it pointing at Loki's throat.
"From the vents," he answers simply still eyeing the god.
I finally press on the button on my gun and we hear sirens go off nearby. "Clint," I say softly getting up. "Stand down." His arm slightly trembles for a moment. "Clint," I repeat. "Please. Don't."
"What happened here?" I hear Coulson as he arrives with the four guards who now surround Loki. "Barton?" He asks softly placing his palm on Clint's shoulder. Noticing the slightly lowered bow Phil simply takes the weapon out of his hands before swinging it over his own shoulder.
Then he turns to me. "Miss Moon? Is everything alright?"
My lower lip tremble slightly and it is hard to speak through the lump in my throat.
"You should take this day off," Coulson coos as if I was a fragile kid. Which is not that far from reality, apparently, because I can barely manage a nod without bursting out crying before one of the guards steps next to me and walks me to the exit. He even hails me a cab which seems oddly attentive from the same company that just threw me to one of the most dangerous creatures this city has ever seen. "Tough day, eh? Sleep it off, you'll be over it sooner than you think," he smiles before closing the door of the car and waving me goodbye.
When I enter my little flat and drop my bag on the floor I am ready to fall into bed. But when go to the kitchen to drink a little water, I can't help the scream that escapes my lips. There it is, on the counter. A single card. The Queen of spades.