Chapter Thirty: Don't Speak
Loki landed on the sidewalk of a very busy street. He looked around and soaked in the shocked stares, some people confused or hesitating, thinking it was just a nut in a costume. He winked at the nearest pedestrian, a poised twenty-something, and let the adrenaline flood his bloodstream. He extended his arm and sent a parked car flying with a burst of magic that materialized in a blue ray. Then people started screaming. He couldn't help but laugh, he was barely even scratching the surface of his potential. He took a deep breath and felt at home in the panic of the civilians. Then he remembered that soon his brother would appear, and give him a challenge. He ignored the thought and decided to enjoy himself.
He sent another car flying then a taxi and then a bus-right through a bakery window. He observed his work with a satisfied smile and pondered on what to do next. After deliberating, the idea of taking a hostage seemed satisfactory. He sauntered over to the building and stepped through the wall, over the crumbled brick. Inside, several people were lying on the ground with a thin layer of dust coating their clothes. Everyone on the bus, which was now upside down, was huddled together in the corner farthest from him. They all crouched down on what was the bus's ceiling, breathing heavily and trying not to be noticed by him. He passed by them and observed the bakery customers. He leaned down and gripped a woman's arm to flip her over to her back. She was blonde and leggy and totally covered in powder. When she met his eyes, she let out a full volume scream.
"Hello," he greeted with a smile. She was apparently an employee of the establishment as she had a nametag pinned to her shirt. "Marjorie!" He exclaimed. "I like that name, it's very nice. Have you ever been taken hostage before, Marjorie?"
Elsewhere
"Are you seeing this?!" Bruce stormed into Fury's office with his iPad showing a livestream of a breaking news report.
"Quiet!" Fury barked.
"But-!"
"Yes! Quiet! Wait here. Get Thor."
"Well, which-"
"GET. THOR." Fury walked briskly out of his office and headed straight for Eve's room. On the way, he ripped his earpiece out and threw it in one of his coat's many pockets. He unlocked Eve's door and took a breath. He walked in casually as though nothing out of the ordinary was going on. "How's it going in here?" He asked.
"Fine, she hasn't moved," Natasha responded.
"Quick question," he pressed his finger into his ear, "can you guys hear me?"
Natasha and Barton both pressed into their communicators.
"Try again," Barton requested.
"Now?" Fury asked.
"No, I can't hear you," Barton tilted his head, slightly confused.
"Same," Natasha agreed.
"Okay, give them to me," Fury put out his hand and they threw their earpieces into his palm, "not sure what's going on with them, I'll bring them back once we've got it figured out. Don't worry. Cap and I will come relieve you soon." He nodded to them and left. Once he was back in the hallway, he broke into a sprint back to his office.
"What's the plan?" Bruce asked the second Fury passed the threshold.
Fury paused to notice who was in his office. Bruce has recruited Tony and Steve as well as Thor. "I told you to get Thor," he narrowed his eyes.
Bruce let his mouth hang open for a second. "I assumed this required everyone. I thought you were going to get Nat and-"
"No. They cannot know about this. It's just a ploy to get us away from that girl. If Barton knew, he'd go running out there, guns blazing. I took their communicators," he threw them down on his desk and replaced his own in his ear, "They need to stay with the girl. And Tony and Cap need to stay here just in case. There's no way he'll be out there long enough for us to apprehend him, anyway. So Bruce and Thor, I'll have you two go do damage control. If you can bring him in, good for you."
"Why are you so sure it's a distraction to try and get to her?" Steve asked.
"There's no time to assume otherwise. If we all run out there and leave her alone, it could be a fatal mistake. We don't know what happened last night. What if he's upset with her? He could have bad intentions. This is my call. Go."
Thor and Bruce took to a jog and left. "If we all went, we may actually be able to catch him," Tony bit at Fury.
"Not your call," Fury shook his head.
Tony gestured to his metal suit. "I got dressed for this."
Oliver Sweet Bakery
Loki had given everyone else, including the bystanders in the bus, an opportunity to leave. He'd promised not to hurt Marjorie, though no one seemed concerned about that as they rushed out the hole in the wall before he changed his mind. Loki sat on the counter next to the donut platter and knocked it to the ground just for kicks. "Come here," he pat the spot beside him and the girl propped herself up to come sit beside him. She was quiet and trembling-it gave him flashbacks to his first encounters with Eve.
She had cuts through her shirt and pants in no particular pattern. Thin lines of blood trickled out of her shallow wounds. She would feel them later, when her fight-or-flight response wore off. "Well aren't you the lucky one," he booped her on the nose with his index finger. She flinched as though struck. "You get to meet my brother! He may even scoop you up in his arms. He loves doing that. But he's already got a mortal girl he's infatuated with. And I'd bet she's a great deal smarter than you."
"I'm going to college for biochemistry," she spoke very quietly, not quite a whisper.
"Please don't speak," he glance at her with glaring disgust. "His lover is rather annoying. Not that I can judge him for being involved with a mortal anymore."
Just like that, Thor came barreling down the street. He was carrying Bruce and dropped him outside before entering. "Loki!" He shouted.
Bruce shook off the sensation of flying and stumbled to the side. "Gimme a minute," he panted and tried to catch his breath. He'd chosen not to release his inner monster unless absolutely necessary.
"Where are the rest?" Loki wondered aloud. "And did that man come to this fight as his regular self?" He hopped off the counter and took a moment to peek in on Eve. He was annoyed to find the agents still sitting there. When he came back, Thor was an inch from him.
"What on earth is going on here?" Thor growled in his face. "Why are you doing this? Fury seems to think you wanted us to leave Eve alone so you could come back to her."
"Oh," Loki frowned at the director's insight.
"Do you mean to kill her?" Thor asked. "What has she done to upset you? Or would it ust be for your own amusement?" Bruce took a step inside and Thor held up one massive, warning finger. "I will call you if I need you," he said.
"Why do you think I mean to kill her?" He sounded disgusted.
"If that's not your intention, then-" Thor watched as Loki's face lost its hard exterior and softened into an honest expression. "Do you care for her?" Loki struggled to maintain his composure. Honesty was not his strong suit, let alone to admit such a weakness to his strong, flawless family member. "If you want to show it, this is not the way…" He looked around at the debris and frowned.
Loki grabbed Marjorie by the arm and hooked his free hand around her waist to throw her at him. She flew to Thor as though launched by a catapult. He caught her, as was expected, giving Loki an opportunity to escape.
Marjorie threw her arms around Thor's neck and felt herself blushing.
"He's gone," Bruce muttered from the sidelines.
"Yes," Thor agreed before placing Marjorie carefully back on the ground.
"So Fury was right about his plan?" Bruce asked.
"It would appear so. Let's head back," He stretched out his arm, but Bruce merely stared on, looking exhausted. "I'll meet you there, then. I take it flying with me was uncomfortable."
"It was," Bruce sighed before leaving.
Thor turned to the blushing Marjorie. "Are you hurt?"
"Just some scrapes and bruises, nothing major," she brushed herself off. As she did, she felt twinges of pain spike through her wounds. The sharpness faded away into a dull pain.
"Did he say anything to you?"
"He asked if I'd ever been a hostage before, and then he spoke about you. He said you would save me, he said not to get my hopes up since you had a girlfriend. Then he said he couldn't judge you for dating a mortal anymore."
Thor looked back to where his brother had stood moments earlier. "Thank you very much, our agents will be out to clean up this mess shortly. If you feel your pain worsening, please head to a medical center." He whirled Mjolnir around and zoomed back to the tower to meet with the group again. "Banner isn't back yet?" He asked once in Fury's office.
"He can't exactly fly, so…" Tony shrugged his shoulders.
"I think you were right," Thor looked Fury in the eye, "and I think we need to talk to Eve."
A/N:
This chapter is slightly shorter than most. Just seemed like the most reasonable moment to end on :)
