Chapter 9

"Well, it seems to me that we have had some… interesting circumstances." Fury's voice was low and calm, but no one in the room was fooled. "Would anyone like to tell me, what happened?" he asked, in the same nonchalant tone.

Loki eyed the man wearily. He had never seen the director so angry, so calculated. It would be unwise to fool with him at the moment.

Loki, the Avengers, and a few select SHIELD agents sat in one of the many conference rooms the Carrier had. Fury was the only one standing. He had his back to them, watching the clouds roll by. Despite his calm tone, his shoulders were rigid with suppressed wrath.

No one said a word. Not a muscle was moved. What could they do? Loki knew what he was doing; waiting. Waiting for the opportune moment to reveal what he had found in Kate's head. Something only Rogers knew about, but even he didn't know the full story.

Loki trained his eyes on the smooth wood of the table, tracing the grain with his eyes. Someone coughed, and a few people flinched from nerves. He could tell that the SHIELD agents were terrified of Fury more than him.

Finally, Fury spoke again. "Romanoff, who gave you authorization to enter Kate's cell?"

The woman cleared her throat slightly, her face blank. "You did, sir." She said quietly, but firmly.

Fury chuckled as he stated, "No, I did not." His back was still to them.

"Loki, who gave you permission to tamper with Kate during the transformation?"

"I have said it before, and I shall say it again, I do what I want." His voice didn't waver as he spoke. It was a bit dramatic, but it certainly achieved the effect he wanted. The room shifted uneasily. Uncomfortable glances shared, looks thrown his way, but that was just what he needed.

Again, Fury chuckled with a hint of aggravation. "No, you do not." The director's hands tightened into fists.

"Stark, I know you have never been one to obey the rules, but even you have never gone so far as to tamper with records. Who gave you permission?" now his words were getting even more laced with seething anger, and less forced humor.

"Funny, story actually. If I remember, in my, shall we say, contract, I have full clearance to look at anything in the lab's computers." Stark smiled as he talked. Completely confident in his statement. A hint of a challenge lit his eyes. For once, Loki approved of Stark's audacity. Especially since it was directed at Fury.

Fury took a deep breath. When he turned around, his eyes were glowing with aggravation. He looked each and every one of them in the eye. His hands were behind his back, and his mouth set in a grim line.

"May I should ask why you decided to endanger everyone on this ship?" he asked, his voice still calm. Loki raised an eye brow. They endangered the ship? Stark beat him to a response.

"When you decided to experiment on a thirteen-year-old girl." Stark said. He was no longer smiling. Loki and Stark shared the same outrage about Kate, so they had gone from hating each other, to tolerating each other.

"She wasn't in any danger. Her training was going to begin in three days, but now, that may never happen. This hasn't been easy." He said darkly.

"Yeah, hasn't been easy jumping through loop holes." Bruce said, in his gentle, yet firm voice. He continued. "When she woke up, a few hours ago, you know what I saw. Fear. I'm not talking about the way she was when she first came here, no she was terrified of what was being done to her and what she did. She has been in danger since the beginning. I don't think she meant to attack anyone." With his last statement, several scoffed. The only ones who didn't were the Avengers and Loki.

Fury shook his head. "Fine, you want me to tell you everything? To explain why she of all people was chosen? I'll explain, but not now. Now, I have to deal with the mess you all caused. You are going to have to trust me on this for a little while longer."

This was the time, if any to reveal his information.

"Actually, Fury, there is something you and I need to discuss." Loki said cheerfully, watching the man's face. "Would you care to explain to me, why my mind stone was paying her head a visit?"

When she woke up, she sleeping. She knew she was awake, but she didn't seem to be able to move an inch. Every time she tried to wiggle her fingers or shift her leg, it sent tingles shooting through them. She tried to scowl, to yell, to do anything, but she could do was blink and move her eyes.

She was laying on the strangest bed. She was on her back, but it wasn't a table like before. It had straps that were wrapped around two horizontal poles on either side of her. Her wings were pulled down, and clamped to the floor. Her arms and legs were tied to the thick straps she was suspended on. It wasn't comfortable but it wasn't painful either.

With nothing much to do except look at the same section of dark grey wall, she started to think. She couldn't remember how she had gotten here. Pounding waves of pain filled her head. Any attempt she made at trying to remember resulted in a more acute twinge of nauseous pain. After several attempts, she stopped. Her eyes roved over the wall and she tried to see as much of the room as possible. Her coloring hadn't changed either. She was dark grey, like the walls. A fuzzy sense of foreboding trickled into her stomach. Suddenly, something occurred to her; why would she be strapped down? Had she done something? The last thing that was clear was she was in her cell, waiting for… Her memory came back a little. She remembered feeling an indescribable rage, and then her vision went warped, and there was blood. So much blood. She decided to not worry about it, hoping it had all been a drug induced dream.

After a few minutes, the door opened. She couldn't see who it was, which only made the entire situation even more nerve-racking. The person stepped into her line of sight. It was Dr. Banner. Her first emotion at seeing him was rage. She wanted to rip his throat out, gut him like a fish. But she couldn't. The paralyzing drug prevented her from doing anything more than a blink. Her eyes narrowed in hatred.

Then she noticed the person behind him; Loki. The tall Asgardian, walked around Banner, and knelt in front of her, blocking Banner from her sight. Her mind-consuming rage slipped away as she focused her attention on him. His long fingers gently rested on top of her head, and she felt a soft buzzing sensation from the back of her skull. It was both comforting and cringe-worthy at the same time.

He took his hands away, a small frown on his face. Worry in his eyes.

"Well, is there anything there?" Banner asked. Loki looked Kate in the eye. He stared her down, looking for something, but Kate didn't know what. She just wanted him to leave her alone. To let her sleep, to not have to worry about anything. But more than that she wanted answers.

"Yes, but to find out, I need to talk to her, and be in her head a little longer." He folded his arms across his chest as he spoke. The grim frown on his face conveyed to her that it would not be a pleasant experience. Distrust leaked into her head. What did he mean 'in her head a little longer'?

"Alright." Banner muttered. He quickly left the room. As soon as he had, Loki waved his hand. When he did, the restraints sprang off her, and the clips holding her wings released. They hung limply under her. Even with the restraints off, she still couldn't get up. Loki muttered something and the paralysis began to wear off.

She sat up slowly, rubbing her arms to get the blood pumping again. Her toes wiggled, and her wings shifted. She longed to stretch them out fully, in the open air. That wouldn't happen anytime soon, sadly.

Loki slowly backed away from her, giving her the space she wanted. She sat up, balancing on the bands. Her tail swished through the air, stretching every which way. Her legs trembled slightly when she moved them. She was sore all over. When she was done, she glanced at Loki nervously. She tucked her legs under her and her tail settled over her lap.

"Do you remember the events of yesterday?" he asked.

She shook her head. She gulped loudly. He nodded slowly.

"Do you have a recurring nightmare?"

Again, she nodded.

"Are you saved from this nightmare by a voice?" he asked quietly.

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. For whatever reason it felt like something private. He nodded again, slowly.

"Who are your parents?" Loki said evenly, his dark eyes trained on her face. She was caught so off guard, she just stared at him. He wanted to know about her parents? Of all the questions in the universe, he had to ask that one?

She scowled at the ground, thinking. Their names were Catherine and Thomas Smithton. She looked at him again. Then she said, "Can't you just read my file?"

He smiled patronizingly at her. "If I could, do you think I would be here?"

"I don't know, maybe you have some weird reason of your own." She retorted. He smiled again. She sighed, before saying, "Catherine and Thomas Smithton."

"How did they die?" Again, she was shocked. And irritated. Why was this important?

"They… they were killed by a man." She said slowly. Her thoughts were muddled as she thought hard about that awful, awful night.

They had been eating dinner, when there was a knock at the door. Her parents had sent her and the boys into the living room, to wait. There had been arguing, then gunfire, her parents running back into the living room, shoving her and her brothers behind them. In the confusion, Kate had ended up toppling into a closet. In her dazed state, she hadn't even registered the arrival of the man. He was thick set, tall, with a gaunt face, and wild eyes. He began shouting unintelligibly, her father shoving her mom closer to the walls. She was paralyzed by fear, not being able to do anything. She watched in horror as the man raised the gun, and fired. Six times. All of them dropped to the floor like stones. Her brothers were crumpled in lifeless heaps, her father twitching on the floor, her mom underneath. Kate put her hand over her mouth, choking back sobs. Her entire body was shaking. She was certain she was hyperventilating.

The man looked from the gun, to the bodies. His eyes lit with a derangement. He staggered backward, gun held loosely. The man ran. With bated breath, Kate didn't dare move. She jumped when she heard the gun go off again; she was no longer worried about the man.

Her hands shook as she opened the door. The bodies blocked the way, and she pushed them aside as gently as she could.

"Mommy? Daddy?" she sobbed. She crouched on the floor, curling into a ball. Blood ran in rivers under her. She gripped her brother's lifeless hand. It was cold and wet with blood. His face was covered in drying tears. His once curly brown hair was now limp and soaked.

For how long she lay there, she didn't know. Eventually, police arrived. They asked her questions, but it was like listening under water. Her attention was dedicated to her dead family. EMTs started to carry her outside. She became animate instantly. "No!" she screeched, her arms and legs flailing madly. "I can't leave! Let go!" she continued her screeched pleas. Her hair was glommed with blood, tears, and saliva to her cheeks. The EMT carrying her let go, and she thrashed on the floor, trying to get back to her family; her dead family. Feral snarls erupted from her mouth, her nails slashed at the air. Her legs kicked out viciously.

The EMT backed up, calling for help. Strong hands wrapped around her arms, pinning them to the floor. She snapped at the fingers, but she couldn't reach them. Two officers and another EMT came and held her down while she was injected with a sedative. Her last thought before she had blacked out was why that man had to choose her house out of all the others.

She recounted the night to Loki. His face was expressionless. Thoughtfulness clouded his eyes. His long pale fingers were stippled under his chin. It wasn't until she finished that she realized silent tears were streaming down her face. She dabbed at them in confusion. Now that she had told her story, she didn't feel sad or angry. In fact, as she had spoken, she hadn't felt a thing. The emotions associated with the memory were despair and regret, but she felt nothing.

Kate fidgeted on the bed. After a while of silence, Loki spoke. "Kate, was this man wearing a gold band, with an orange stone? Were all the people in your memory wearing something gold with an orange gem?"

Her eyes screwed shut as she thought. The scene came swiftly and clearly to mind. She rewound the memory to when they were eating dinner. She examined each family member carefully. Her mom had a necklace with a small orange gem. She turned to her dad; his watch face was orange and his strap was gold. With increasing bewilderment, she looked to her brothers. They wore identical shirts, the top button rimmed in gold with an orange center. She quickly noticed she had on nothing that even resembled the vibrant hue. She recalled the appearance of the murder; his ring, gold with a shining orange gem. How had she not spotted the pattern before? She didn't like to think about it every day, but still. Now that she saw it, it was so noticeable.

When Kate opened her eyes, she was trembling. "How?" she asked weakly. "It's just a coincidence, right?" she implored. He raised his eyebrows at her. She knew it wasn't. "What does it mean?" she demanded. He ignored her.

"Where were you born, Kate?" he asked.

"In… I think… I…" Her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't remember. The only place she had ever lived was Tennessee… right?

"What was your mother's maiden name?" he asked quietly.

Kate just shook her head. She didn't know. Tears began to gather in her eyes. How could she not know?

"When were you brothers born?" he asked. His gaze had softened slightly. Dread pooled in her stomach, weighing her down.

"I," her breath was coming ever more rapid. "Did that serum do something to me?" she hissed in fear. Loki just shook his head. Red flashed in violent streaks across her. She had her tail in an iron grip.

He sighed. "I think you and I have more in common than I thought." He gave her a sad smile, before pushing off the wall he was leaning on. He turned to the door.

"No! Wait, please what does that mean? Why can't I remember?" she begged. Kate started to shakily crawl off the bed.

"We'll have none of that." He said sternly. He waved his hand, and thick bands pulled her back on the bed. Unlike last time, they weren't tight, but snug. He turned back around to face her. He walked up to her, leaning over head.

"You never made the memories to begin with, Kate." He said. He turned around, and left her in the room. She shouted obscenities at his retreating back, but he never once showed any sign of notice. The door opened with a hiss, and he left for good.

Kate lay on her back, crying and whimpering. She no longer cared about anything. Loki was right.

"Alright, Fury spill." Stark demanded. They were back in the conference room. As soon as Loki had reported to Fury about what had happened, he had called a meeting. This time, Fury sat with them.

He gave Stark a withering glance before starting. "As you all know; this idea has been on a long list of possibilities for quite some time. It was one among hundreds. We deemed it too radical and damaging to SHIELD's reputation if word leaked out, so it was quickly scratched off. Years later, we were approached by a young man. He was a world renowned scientist. His name was James Thorn. I didn't trust him at all." His eye was trained on the table. "I didn't think bringing back the idea and even considering it was a good idea, but the board overruled me. I had no choice but to head the operation. Over the next year of research, I had to agree that it could work. The possibility of making a human so powerful was tempting. This human would be a protector, with an increased life span and abilities they could train others for many years." He sighed.

"Soon, we ran into a block. We had no one who could handle the mutations. After another few months, our scientists put together a strand of DNA that could work. We didn't even consider the possibility it was associated with children." He paused again. "After testing all the candidates, there wasn't a single one. The project was doomed. I was about to issue it cancelled, when Thorn came to me and said he had found one, a girl of twelve. She was an orphan, on the run. No records. She was perfect. No one would be looking for her and she might leap at the chance at a new life. We found her, watched her for a year. You know the rest." When he finished, Loki couldn't help but scowl at him. What did that strand contain? It couldn't possibly be pure human. They hadn't questioned anything. Typical.

"Why haven't I met Thorn?" Banner asked. He seemed gravely alarmed at having not met him.

"Because he's dead. Poisoned. I didn't believe it either, but the body was tested. It was him."

"When did he die?" Rogers questioned.

"Two weeks before the extraction."

"Now, that we know about this disaster, how do we find this… Vision?" Loki asked briskly. Earlier, Stark had explained Ultron and the creation of Vision. As soon as the war was over, he had vanished. Loki was more than a little curious to see this being.

"Loki, we don't even know how he's talking to her, much less how to find him." Romanoff said. She was exasperated, but hiding it well.

Loki decided to come back to that later, now he had much more worrisome information. James Thorn. There was no coincidence with him and Kate. There was something going on, and it was becoming quite clear. He didn't like the picture it made, because it only reinforced his theory.

"Loki, are you willing to tell us your theory?" Fury asked. The room turned to look at him expectantly.

Loki nodded. His expression was grave. "I think she has been training under Thanos for her entire life, until a year ago."

Silence. Absolute silence. That had not been what he had imagined. Uproar, disbelief, accusations. Such things were common when Loki's more radical theories came under scrutiny. It was a refreshing change.

Disbelief traveled from face to face. Fury was the first to recover.

"Are you suggesting that someone who we know very little about, trained a human for years, and we didn't notice?" He challenged, glaring daggers at Loki.

"Stranger things have happened." Rogers answered. Then he proceeded to stare Fury down to Loki's great amusement.

"Fine." He murmured, leaning back. He scrutinized Loki for a long, painful moment. Loki however stared back; the defiant Prince. "What makes you think that?" he asked.

"When I was in her head the only memories she had were of the past year and her parents demise. I also noticed that each person affiliated with her parent's death was wearing the soul stone, Thanos's favorite torture device. She is human, and why he would take her is still unclear. With this new information about Thorn, I doubt it's a coincidence." His gaze settled on each face as he spoke. Stark's rigid jaw and dark gaze. Deep lines covered Banner's expression. Romanoff, stone faced but her eyes were gloomy with turmoil. Thor simply glowered at the table.

"By what you said about her attacking all of you on sight, he must have programmed her into killing all of you. I also did a probe when I went to see her, and there is an underlying spell in her head." He finished, waiting for questions. Voices erupted at once.

"Can you break it?"

"Why would he take a human?"

"Loki, are you sure?"

"But why didn't she try to kill us the first time?"

Loki raised his hands to stop the loud voices.

"She didn't attack earlier because the serum was a trigger to start the spell. I don't know why he would choose her, but he wants you dead. He sees you as a threat now." He let that sink in before continuing. "Yes, I am quite sure this is Thanos's work." He sneered at the end. "For twelve years he has been training her."

"Why wouldn't she remember being there?" asked Romanoff. Loki nodded in her direction. Finally, an intelligent question.

"When I was in her head, there was a golden wall of energy, blocking the majority of her memories. There must be a breach now. Soon, she will remember everything, and I'm afraid the girl in that room will cease to exist. Whoever she was before will come back, and she will not be anything like the girl you know." A grave silence settled over the room.

"What can be done?" Banner asked. A beep rang from the small device Banner used to communicate with his attendants in his lab. Loki didn't pay any attention to it.

"A safe option would be to kill her, since she is currently incapacitated." Objections rose instantly. He raised his hands placating, he also didn't like that choice. "But seeing that you aren't eager with that route, there is another. It's difficult and dangerous. I could train her personally, with the help of others who have no affiliation with Thanos. Possibly, over time, I could help her tame or destroy the side of her that is loyal to him. Again, it will take time and no communication with any of you."

"And why should we trust you to not turn her against us? If she's as dangerous as you say, then what's stopping you from encouraging her?" Fury asked, his eye challenging Loki. Hot anger bubbled, threatening to burst in a wave of malicious magic. It took a great deal of control to not attack the man.

Loki took a deep breath. "Because I know what it's like to be in the custody of Thanos. I am the only one who can help her." He said as calmly as he could. Everyone turned to stare at him. Some with pity, and some with suspicion. He held Fury's gaze.

"What if you're in league with Thanos?" Fury asked.

A muscle ticked in Loki's jaw. "I am not 'in league' with him. If you think I would ever, you are even more foolish than I thought." He snarled. Fury smiled slightly. The anger receded slowly. Had Fury just tricked him into proving he was loyal to Kate? Loki couldn't help feeling a grudging bit of respect for him.

"I vouch for my brother." Thor said. Rogers nodded, as did Banner. Soon, they were all supporting him until Stark and Romanoff were the only two left. Loki cocked his head to look at them, thinking.

"You promise you can help her?" Romanoff said coldly. He smiled at her sadistically.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"If you do anything to her, I don't care if you're Asgardian. I will kill you."

"What makes you so caring suddenly?" he mocked. Her eyes hardened.

"I know what it's like to be used as kid. I won't see the same done to her." She said quietly. Loki considered her carefully. He nodded his head.

He turned to Stark. "You know, Loki? I don't trust you and I probably never will. But if you can help that kid, then I guess I do a little." Loki nodded. Then he turned to Fury.

"It seems I have the support of your little boy band." His twisted smile covered any worry. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rogers roll his eyes.

Fury looked around the circle of Avengers. He stared darkly at Loki. Finally, he said, "You better not do anything crazy."

"But that's what I do best."

Hey guys, sorry for the lateish post, but I'm technically on time! I broke 20 on the follows! YAY! I'm so proud! So hoped you liked it, the next chapter will be better, and more... revealing. The one after that will be fun! I have an awesome plot for this story and I'm so excited to see it unfold! Review, Fave, and Follow! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)