It is time yet again for me to make my apologies. With two jobs and preparing for college, my time is nearly completely consumed. But I promise another chapter very soon. Please enjoy!
Loki was surprised at Elizabeth's genuine concern for his well being. He felt his heart twist with conflicted emotions. He assured himself that he felt nothing for the girl or anyone else, but his gut told him that she understood part of his grief. it also told him that Elizabeth was the closest thing to a friend that he had.
Loki watched as Elizabeth spoke to him, but he felt disembodied, far away from what was happening. He watched as she turned and hurried down the hall. He heard the sound of booted footsteps steadily travel down the hall. The steps beat a steady rhythm to his cell door.
Still in the recesses of his mind, Loki watched the thin fog of Elizabeth's handprint fade from the thick glass. He felt a strange sensation that the fog might be the last material shred he would see of the girl. As soon as it had disappeared, he forced himself to forget the encounter and deal with the new face at the window.
/
I heard the footsteps from the adjoining hall and realized that I needed to go. "I promise I will come back.", I said before I turned and rushed in the opposite direction. I reached the adjoining hall at the end and ran as quietly as possible back in the direction I thought I had come.
A few turns later, I slowed to a fast walk and tried to find any familiar landmarks. I could see no distinguishing features to the basic concrete walls and the identical converging and diverging halls. I decided that I could wander around for a while until I either found my way back, or was found.
Finally, I heard a pair of familiar voices. I turned the corner in their direction and ran directly into James' thick chest. Before I could rebound from him, he had a firm grasp of my elbows, and held me at just less than arm's length.
Darcy put her hand on her hip and smiled cheerfully. "Found her!", she said in an 'I told you so' tone. James might have turned to glare at Darcy had he not been so focused on me. "Where on God's green earth have you been?" James looked like was either about to hit me or hug me. When I did not respond, he gave my arms a little shake. "Why did you leave Darcy? You know you are not to be wandering around. The Director is suspicious enough as it is." I felt like shrinking into my body. "I...I was just looking for the bathroom. I got lost." I managed to choke out the cover story I had decided on. Hearing myself say it, it suddenly felt very flimsy.
/
Frigga stood on the bifrost, looking out over the vastness of space. Next to her, the golden guardian, Heimdal, stood proudly. "Heimdal," the queen began, "do you still keep watch over my son?" "It is my duty to the realm and to the king to keep watch over all things in the universe." Heimdal's booming voice replied. Frigga nodded, disappointed that the giant had not offered any news of her son. "You do it well. You are truly a most faithful servant to the realm." She turned to leave but Heimdal's voice stopped her. "I always keep careful watch over those dearest to the realm." He turned slightly to look at Frigga. "The lady Elizabeth has kept her word." Heimdal's words were gentle.
Frigga nodded her thanks to the giant and took her leave. She would be missed in the court, but felt that the time away was well spent. She had the warm comfort of knowing her son was not abandoned. Thor may have been home, but he alone could not fill his mother's heart.
/
James kept a firm grip on me all the way back to my 'room'. I would have liked Darcy to come with us, but she left down a branching hallway back to the files room. When James and I finally halted at my door, I was surprised to see it open. Inside, Natasha Romanov was sitting on my cot with an expectant expression. James stood on the threshold while I stepped a few feet into the small room. Natasha smiled at me. Then she nodded at James. "You are dismissed. Please leave the door open. I'll only be a moment." The young man hesitated for a moment before giving me one last concerned glance as he walked away.
Agent Romanov patted the bed next to her, signaling me to sit down with her. I obeyed, but I made sure to sit as far away as the small mattress would allow. This woman had always made me nervous. She was gentle and soft on the outside, but her manner was always tinged with a certain hardness. I imagine that she was once a happy and carefree girl, but years of a less than savory line of work wore the girlishness right out of her.
Looking at her now, I could easily relate her to her code name black widow. She sat there, all soft edges and gentle smiles, but underneath was a dangerous venom ready to use if the situation required it. "So, " Natasha said, sounding as if she was a longtime friend. "I understand that you took a little walk around today. " I ducked my head in an attempt to look embarrassed. "I got lost. " Natasha laughed brightly. " It is fairly easy to lose your way around here. " She cocked her head ever so slightly. " Did you find anything unusual on your little walkabout? "
I bit my lip as I tried to find a way around the double edged question. I finally decided that being mostly honest might be the best option. "Well, I found Loki's cell. But to me, seeing him is not exactly unusual anymore." Natasha nodded, the hint of a smile played about her mouth. " Did you talk to him at all? " Again, her question was transparently tricky. Deciding to stick with my policy of truthfulness, I replied with measured tone. " I believe I did most of the talking. " I swallowed the bile that threatened to rise in my throat. " Loki would have a hard time saying anything around that damned device. " Romanov nodded, but kept her expression carefully neutral. " Did you learn anything from him in other ways? " The firm grip I had on my anger slipped when I recalled the one thing Loki had communicated to me. "Yes." I snapped. " He told me that you are so cruel as to deny him both food and the ability to eat. "
A new voice spoke from the doorway. " Loki is an immortal creature. He does not need the same things as we do to survive. " I clenched my fists and refused to look at the Director. " He still needs to eat at some point." I hissed back. Fury paused before answering. " He will. When I deem him tame enough. It is a very complex process and not for the timid. I can't expect you of all people to understand." I felt intensely sick to my stomach. I swallowed and clenched my jaw. "And I suppose I can't expect you to know what an absolutely horrible and inhuman piece of filth you are. I can tell you that till I am blue in the face, but your head is so entangled in your bowels, that I doubt you would even hear anything. I don't even think that you are capable of humanity anymore. " My rage burned behind my eyes and a few hot tears had streaked salty trails on my cheeks.
To my further irritation, Fury looked completely unaffected by my outburst. Before I could manage any other coherent words, Romanov stood and turned to look down at me. "It is my understanding that you were intentionally searching for Loki today." I looked at her, incredulous. "You said yourself that you had 'found' his cell." My throat was swollen with outrage. I couldn't have answered her if I had wanted. Instead, I stood up and took a wild and impulsive lunge at her.
What I had intended as a tackle ended with me flat on my back, watching the agent stroll calmly through the door. "You are confined here until such time as the director decides otherwise. " she said as she pressed the button to close the door to the cell. I quickly pulled myself to my feet. The door sealed shut just as I slammed into it with my body. I slapped my palms against the glass while a few more salty drops clouded my vision.
I bit my lip and tried to force back the tears of frustration and anger. I felt the liquid burning behind my eyelids and I knew that I was going to have a terrible headache from this.