This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
- T.S. Eliot
Dr. Kate Dennison swept her long brown hair out of her eyes, and adjusted her seat for the 100th time as she sat poised over her desk. Tapping her fingers impatiently on her desk, she pulled a pen out from behind her ear and began to write furiously.
Beer I Miss
Yuengling
Stella
Crabbies Ginger Beer
"Does Ginger Beer count as real beer?" She shouted, not looking up. From outside her door, Agent Matthews yelled back "Hell no, that's some kind of chick drink."
Kate laughed and stood up to stretch as she said "You are missing out on the finer things in life my friend." She ignored his insults to her drink of choice as she walked to her private bathroom and took an appraisal of herself. 4 months she had been living in this room, with a guard from SHIELD poised to strike outside her door. 4 months of making lists, twiddling her thumbs, and waiting. Waiting. Waiting.
Her quarters were pretty nice. The safe-house included a suite, bathroom, and kitchenette. She had no idea where she was in the world, but all Kate really wanted or cared about was a window. To feel the sun on her face and the wind in her hair. Once she was out, she would never take it for granted again. Hell, she would live in the woods for a solid year when she was done and be one with Mother-freaking earth.
She stared at her pale face in the mirror. Her eyes, normally a bright blue, seemed dull and sickly. Her entire body felt achy and constrained.
What's the point when there's no one to please other than me?
Every two weeks, Agent Matthews opened the door (the only time he was allowed to) to deliver food, magazines, and other distractions. She had a calendar above her desk that obsessively marked and transcribed these dates. Sometimes she spent hours drawing cartoons over the Mondays he delivered, with the words "DON'T FORGET" ruefully marked into the page.
On the outside, before her imprisonment, or as her father would say "safety term" she was a top thoracic surgeon in Chicago. Beholden to no one. Independent. Those precious few years of medical school were the first time she had ever been truly happy. She was relied upon for her skills, her expertise, and her mind. Not for whom her father was or where she lived. For therein lied the problem, the very reason she was trapped in this hellhole awaiting the all clear from Nick Fury and his goon squad.
Her Father was the President of the United States.
When Loki defeated the Avengers, he assumed all power over the Earth. SHIELD still existed as a military operation, hiding somewhere with the scattered "earth's mightiest heroes." But no one knew where.
Loki knew he couldn't rely on brute strength and alien forces alone to conquer; no he was too cunning for that. Instead he began to collect hostages, relations or friends of those in power. He was very quiet about it initially. He would make certain members of the government disappear, followed by a kidnapping. He would manipulate the situation so it looked as if the government was behind it, leading to a breakdown in order and civility.
Until he revealed his true motives of course. Which happened after he had kidnapped the children of the Presidents of China, Russia, Canada, India, and Japan. To control these countries meant to rule the world. But not quite. Loki had his eye set on one more kidnapping. He wanted leverage in the United States, the most powerful country in the world.
President Dennison, along with SHIELD concocted a plan to keep Kate and her siblings safe. Her two older brothers were quickly and quietly taken to safe houses, with the hope that Loki wouldn't be able to track them. She still remembered that day as if it was yesterday, leaving the OR at 3 AM, only to be bagged and gagged by two SHIELD goons. A harried "Don't worry we work for your father" was shouted as they carried her out of Chicago General. She completely understood of course, but not until after she had kneed one of them in the balls and broken his nose.
I would give anything for a beer right now. Or cheesecake. She groaned at the thought and rubbed her face tiredly. At 5'11, Kate had always been slender, but this 4 month diet of emergency rations and rice cakes made her look waifish. Instead of looking all of her 27 years of age, she looked 20.
I look like a Bronte character right now. With a long suffering sigh she finally exited the bathroom and returned to her desk.
And as she was prone to do, she said aloud to herself "Maybe I can start a book club with myself. We'll call it iBook Club. Memberships will be extremely limited, and Apple might sue us for copyright infringement. But hope springs eternal."
She stared at her desk for a few moments, and was so lost in her thoughts she didn't hear the door knob twist behind her. The clinking of glasses finally caught her attention and she whipped around in her chair in total shock.
Agent Matthews stood in the doorway holding a six pack of Crabbie's Ginger Beer. Smiling. She had always wondered what he looked like after all of these months (usually they delivered in the dark). He was 5'8, mid-thirties, and had a "dad" look about him. Blonde hair, brown eyes. Cute.
It took her a second to completely get over the fact that a real person was standing in her room, NOT on a Monday (DON'T FORGET! Practically screamed from her calendar as she thought it).
"Agent Matthews what are you doing in here?" She finally said. She stood up from her desk slowly.
He gave her a warm and inviting smile and said, "I thought it was high time you and I have a beer. Together. We've been stuck together now for 4 months, it's high time we get to know each other."
Alarm bells went off in Kate's head, as she remembered her father saying to her on the phone that fateful day: If anyone comes into your room before the designated time, EVEN if it's an agent of SHIELD, ME, OR ANYONE they must answer the safety question correctly or you kill them. Do you understand me? Swear to me Katerina.
She had sworn. She had meant it. And that was why she was shaking so badly as she walked closer to him, trying to put him at ease with a friendly smile. She then said, "Well that would be lovely Agent Matthews. I've been wanting to get to know you too. Oh by the way, before I forget, I'm out of vitamins. Do you think you could get me some more on the next run?"
Agent Matthews smiled and said, "Of course."
Kate smiled and gushed, "Thank you so much." There was a pause as they both continued to smile at each other warmly. And then Kate lunged at Agent Matthews with the letter opener she kept stashed up her sleeve and all hell broke loose.
She had been just close enough that she had the element of surprise when she jabbed him in the chest with the letter opener, followed by a leg sweep that sent him crashing to the floor. He fell hard, clutching his chest, and rolled to his side.
Kate took a few steps back, breathing hard, her arms raised in a fighter's stance. Try as she might, she couldn't stop her voice from shaking when she said "Alright, who are you and what have you done with Agent Matthews?"
The imposter had rolled onto his stomach. For a moment he lay there, completely immobile. There was no way in hell Kate was going over there to check on him and instead yelled "Who. Are. You?"
At this, the body on the floor melted away. To reveal an even taller man, lithe and covered in green and black leather armor. He took to his feet with a willowy grace and as he turned Kate gasped "Loki."
The glare on his face was harsh enough weather stone as his eyes took her in. She felt as if she was going to faint. All of this, the hiding, the waiting, had been for nothing. He had finally found her.
For a moment they stood there, staring at each other. The only sounds that could be heard was Kate's terrified breathing. Loki finally interrupted the silence and said in a voice as soft as velvet but laced with the promise of impending murder, "What was the correct answer to your question?"
Kate stared at him, his voice unnerving her even more. "A-agent Matthews" she stuttered "was supposed to say 'And a jolly-good Chimpanzee you are my lady.'"
If the situation wasn't so scary, Kate might have laughed at the expression on Loki's face: complete and utter confusion. She took a deep breath and said, "When setting the question with SHIELD, I thought it best to have an answer you couldn't guess. One based on randomness and silly words. I knew you would try and trick me or answer the question with logic, so if anyone tried it – "
"Then they were an imposter. Or me." Loki finished.
"Precisely." She said. She almost felt like she was back in school again. That is until Loki thoughtfully nodded and then raised his hand. Immediately Kate was thrown across the room until she landed at his feet. He then bent down, grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground. He began to squeeze.
Kate thrashed as hard as she could, sinking her nails into his palm as he strangled the life out of her. He paid no notice. She closed her eyes and gasped, desperate for air.
"Look at me."
She ignored him.
"LOOK AT ME. OR YOU DIE."
She opened her eyes. His face was so close and so terrifying. She had seen his features a hundred times on the television during the war. Beautiful yet deadly, like a snake in human form. And yet nothing compared to the sheer and total terror of having the God of Mischief strangling the life out of her in person.
He loosened his grip.
"That's better. I should pay you back for the dent you put in my armor." Kate looked down and saw that the letter opener was still in his chest.
Gasping Kate still managed to say drily, "You're not even wounded."
Maybe it was the months of living in a glorified bunker. Maybe it was the weird doodling and list making. Or maybe it was the knowledge that she was probably going to die in the next few minutes, but either way Loki did not expect that to come out of her mouth.
He gave her a feral grin as he released her from his grasp. She dropped to the floor like a stone, coughing and spluttering. She could feel his gaze on her like a tractor beam, but refused to look up at him. She shuddered as he softly said down to her "I'm going to take great pleasure in breaking you."
She refused to answer and instead continued to take slow deep breaths. She then stood up and looked at him square in the eye and said, "What are you waiting for then?"