A/N - I am such a terrible person. I've been so busy haven't been able to do anything to this story, coupled with the fact that I really hadn't planned on taking it this far. :/
Chapter 15
Nala was quickly escorted down a hall, past rows of doors plainly marked and nondescript, just like the rest of the building. Up a flight of stairs and an elevator which required a passcode.
Coulson had been gone almost a half hour before he and several other agents came without so much as a preface and yanked her up. Her shoulder was still sore from where they had gripped it not even a day ago, hauling her from the wreckage of her farm…
No. Don't think about that. Not ever. Tears blurred her vision and Nala almost stumbled as she tried to furiously blink away the last attachment to her land. Soon, she told herself, it would be no more than a hazy memory.
The elevator door opened to a much more sophisticated hall, which opened into a large circular room, with a high glass ceiling and multiple other elevators and doors all around it. Nala was lead to a door almost opposite the one she came from, down a small flight of stairs and into what looked like a conference room. The handcuffs were taken off and the men left without a word, save Coulson, who sat gingerly opposite her.
"Miss Monroe, I would just like to say how sorry I am for your losses." Coulson smiled, but Nala was too tired to discern if it was genuine or not, nor offer a comeback. She nodded glumly, not meeting his eyes.
"What happened to my farm?" she asked, trying to avoid mention of the friends she had lost.
"Forensics is analyzing a soot sample from the blast site, and agents are doing a sweep for any leftover energy signatures. Miss Monroe, do you recognize this object?" Coulson lifted a piece of paper from a manilla envelope and slid it across the table. Nala glanced at the photograph quickly at first, then back again when she saw what it was.
"Are those…"
"Bifrost markings. Loki and other Asgardians use them to travel great distances. We believe that the markings and the bifrost's own energy signature summoned the chitauri here."
"The chitauri? Those were the aliens from New York?" Nala asked.
"Yes. We believe they were after Loki for revenge." Coulson confirmed. "After he lost the battle, the majority of the chitauri army was destroyed or crippled with radiation-induced diseases. We think this was a retaliation bomb." Coulson seemed so matter-of-fact. He spat out what his superiors gave him. He never took speculation as an answer. It was so different from an interaction between Loki. Normally she would have said something witty back at him, but that was out of the question.
"So now what?" Bland. To the point. A question asked and information received.
"Now, you will be housed temporarily here. We'll ask a few more questions, medically treat you for anything you might have picked up from being so close to a foreign being, etc." Information received.
"Thank you." the customary courtesy felt dry and dusty on her tongue. Coulson smiled thinly again and stood.
"My boss will be here in a minute. He'll want to question you as well. They you'll be escorted to your room." Coulson left. About five minutes later, his boss entered the room in a swirl of thick black cloak. He was tall, dark, and brooding, with only one eye as a testament to some terror years before.
"Nala Monroe. I'm Nick Fury." Nick extended a hand, which Nala shook weakly. Her father would have been horrified. He had always taught her to shake firmly. "Word is that you've been pretty friendly with our war criminal here." he placed upon the table what appeared to be a hologram depicting live footage from Loki's cell. He was currently lying on his back, seemingly lost in thought. "I was wondering if you could tell us what he's doing here."
"His father banished him. For earthjustice or some shit. I'm not too familiar with an ancient alien species's politics." she pointedly glared at Nick as she watched the screen.
"Did he say for how long?" Fury continued.
"I'm assuming forever. Again, I wouldn't know." by now, Nala was tired. Tired of herself, of Loki, of Fury, Coulson, talking, life. "I was told I had temporary housing." she pressed.
"Yes, you do. You must be pretty tired." Fury stood and opened the door. The two agents pressed themselves on either side of Nala as she was lead out, down the hall, up the stair to the circular chamber, then up an elevator emerging onto an airy, modern floor.
"Welcome to the Triskelion, Miss Monroe." greeted an agent waiting on the floor. The two others stayed in the elevator as Nala walked out. "Your compartment on this floor is standard, but if necessary, we can move you to a better one or even off-grounds in an apartment." Nala understood this to mean 'if there was nothing for her to do anymore.' She already assumed she was carrying around dangerous information, so they'd need to keep her close.
"Here's your compartment. It's got a living room/kitchenette, bathroom, and a bedroom. You will be contacted in a day or so with further information. If you need anything, just press this keypad here. By the way, I'm Agent Yu." Agent Yu smiled. Nala tried to return the favor, but it came out as more of a lazy grimace. She closed the door carefully and inspected her surroundings.
He wasn't lying when he said kitchenette. It had a microwave, several cabinets stocked with generic white plates, a small refrigerator which contained basic ingredients for cooking, a stove, and a sink. The living room was small, but bright. Floor to ceiling windows allowed ample view of the horizon, pierced by the pointed spear of the Washington Monument. The bedroom was also small, but comfortable, with a dresser containing several SHIELD T-shirts, track pants and undergarments. Nala wondered how many suspects, witnesses, agents, and god knows who else stayed in this room before her as she changed into the new clothes and flopped on the bed, not bothering to eat anything to calm her queasy stomach.
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