Chapter 2 – Where Her Voice Went
Loki's Room, Stark Towers, New York
Ms. Potts had kindly showed everyone to their rooms soon after they were finished their meals. The separation was sort of strange, but Loki didn't mind. His quarters were nowhere near Barton, which was probably for the best. Though he loved to torment the archer, he'd probably get stabbed with an arrow in his sleep. Loki glanced around the room. Stark had graced him with a bookshelf, thank the Norn's. That meant he wouldn't have to leave very often and could avoid everyone else in the tower. He smirked and ran his hand across the spines of each book. Perhaps this wouldn't be terrible after all.
Just as he was about to sit with his book, there was a loud knock on the door. Without moving, Loki snapped his fingers and the door swung open. "What?" He demanded. Thor stood at the doorway, looking as bright as ever.
"Brother, you should come out! You won't redeem yourself sitting in your room all day." Loki wrinkled his nose. Thor had just referred to him as 'brother.' Before he could make a snarky remark, Thor grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him down the hall.
"Wha—Thor!" He gasped, trying to pry his hand free. Thor didn't even acknowledge Loki's struggles. Instead, he just tossed him into the center of the Living Room.
"There we are!" Thor declared. Loki glared back at him coldly, brushing off his clothing.
"I don't need your help to walk, Thor," he snapped. Around the room, pretty much everyone was stifling their laughter. Loki narrowed his eyes and made for the kitchen. He expected it to be empty, considering most of the Avengers were in the main room. However, he'd forgotten about Agent Monroe. She was sitting at the table with some sort of hot beverage in her hand, sipping it. When Loki entered the room, she looked up. Loki blinked at her, before slipping into a seat in front of her. Monroe smiled weakly, which Loki ignored.
"What's that?" He asked instead, pointing to her mug. Monroe frowned, before pushing her chair back until she was at the counter. She grabbed a box and hauled herself back to the table. Loki took the box from her and read it.
"Tea. What's that?" Monroe frowned and held up her mug. Loki had completely forgotten she didn't speak. Before he could say anything else, Stark popped his head in.
"Hey, Monroe, wanna play my game? Thor's still mad about losing last time." Monroe nodded and carried her mug out of the room. Loki watched them leave. Something about what the agent had said the previous night crossed his mind. He wanted to know her story. Why she refused to speak, more importantly. So, he followed the two into the main room and plopped himself next to a grumpy looking Thor. "Loki, can you believe it?" He asked once the God of Mischief had settled himself. "I tell you, the Man of Iron cheated." Loki rolled his eyes, staring at the screen. "Grow up, Thor," he grumbled. He focused himself on Monroe, who was smashing buttons on her controller. Stark let out a triumphant laugh, and she tossed the controller away. "Awe, what's wrong? Hate losing?" Stark asked. When Monroe narrowed her eyes at him, he raised his hands. "Okay, sheesh! Save your death glares for someone else." Loki watched as the young agent stood and walked off towards the elevator. He quickly stood and followed her. He slipped into the elevator behind her, earning a surprised look.
"Look, I get you don't talk and everything, but you did yesterday," Loki said, pressing the 'close' button. Monroe shot him a look but didn't respond. He kept a stern gaze on her from across the elevator. "Could you at least tell me your first name?" He asked after a moment. Monroe looked up from the ground and set her gaze on him. Loki waited several moments, expecting to get an answer, but he didn't. "Oh, so that's how it is. I see." He smirked at her, then began pressing all the buttons on the elevator. The young agent behind him pushed him away from the buttons, frowning. "We aren't leaving until you answer me," he stated simply. Monroe wore a look of pure rage but kept her silence. Loki gave a fake yawn and crossed his arms, keeping the agents gaze. "I don't know about you, but I have all day." He watched as Monroe sighed, and turned towards the door. "Katrina," she said after a moment. "My name's Katrina." Loki smiled. "Now, was that so hard?" He asked, straightening. When she didn't answer, he sighed. "Back to the silent treatment, huh?" She glared up at him again, and he smirked in response. At least he was getting somewhere.
Library, Stark Towers, New York
Katrina let out a short sigh of relief as the elevator doors slid open. She brushed past Loki and make her way to her usual spot. She could tell Loki was following her; he wasn't being very quiet about it. She stopped and whipped around to him. The God smirked and raised his hands.
"Ah, I have been discovered," he said sarcastically. Katrina blinked coldly at him. He sighed. "You know, your glares aren't as terrifying as everyone else makes them seem," he added, glancing around at the books. Katrina didn't answer. Instead, she turned and made for her quiet spot on the far side of the library. To her surprise, Loki didn't follow. She grabbed the reports she was supposed to be working on that she had hid under a desk and got to work, popping in some earbuds.
She continued her work for several minutes after that, humming slightly to the song she was listening too. Most of the time she couldn't help her humming; it just happened. But she made sure to only listen to music alone, so no one had to hear her voice. Faintly, she heard footsteps. She slowly pulled out an earbud and spun in her chair to find Loki standing there with a file in hand. Katrina felt her heart sink as she read the name on the front; Katrina Grace Monroe. She slowly turned her gaze on the man who held her life story in his hands.
"W-where did you get that?" She rasped softly. Loki shrugged. "In the back," he responded, flipping through it. "It's called research. You won't tell me, so I'll find out myself. Unless," he paused and glanced up at her, "you'd like to tell me yourself?" Katrina clenched her teeth and lowered her eyes to the ground. It didn't matter what she did anymore. He had the file. He'd know either way. It'd be better if I just tell him, she decided reluctantly. That way it won't seem like I'm as much of a monster. With a deep breath, she met his gaze. "Fine," she huffed. "Sit and I'll tell you. Put the file down," she added, nodding to the table beside her. Loki smiled and tossed the file on the table; it slid across to the other end. He then pulled up a chair and sat, keeping eye contact with her. Katrina muttered something to herself, before quickly glancing at the ceiling. "JARVIS, please stop recording." There was a pause, before, "I'm afraid you do not have the authority to do that." Katrina narrowed her eyes. Awesome. She glanced over at Loki, who was staring at her expectantly.
"Well?" He prompted. She sighed. "I'm going, I'm going," she mumbled. After playing with her hands for a moment, she spoke.
"When I was seven years old, my dad took me and moved from Toronto Canada to New York—here, of course. When I was twelve, my father disappeared. Everyone just assumed he was dead." She glanced down at the floor. This was a very bad idea. Sadly, she had no choice but to continue. "There was no way in hell I was letting myself be thrown into foster care, so I hid out on the streets. I stole for survival. I threatened people to save my own life. That's how things worked out there; I learnt that pretty quickly." She began anxiously twisting her chair with her feet from one side to the other. "One day," she sighed, "I was approached by a well-known thug. I don't remember his name, but he was shady as fuck. He offered me a deal; if I could pull off an assassination without getting caught, he'd spread the word about me and I'd get more job offers like that one." Katrina took a shaky breath. "I killed someone. They probably didn't even do anything wrong. They probably had a family, a life, friends. And yet I still slit their throat in cold blood. For money. If that doesn't make me a murderous monster, I don't know what does." The young agent raised her gaze to Loki, who was still staring intently at her.
She let the silence ring out for a couple more heartbeats before she continued. "I got more jobs, as the guy said. I kept killing, I kept hiding, I kept running. I trained with daggers, I trained my silence—I kept my silence. I've murdered more people than I can count, all for a reason I didn't know. When I was sixteen, I received an assassination request for a man called Norman Osborn. Everything was going according to plan; I had him. Something went wrong. I—I killed the wrong person. The man I killed had a family. They watched it happen. They watched me snap his neck. Instead of the police, though, I dealt with SHIELD instead. Out of all things, they offered me a job. A real job. That's when I began working for SHIELD. God, that seems like so long ago now," she added quietly. "That still didn't change the fact that every agent I passed looked at me like I was a monster. Of course, I was. It also didn't help that I was selectively mute. I guess they assumed the worst of it." Katrina sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Ah, yes, almost forgot. Within the first year of working here, I discovered my father worked for SHIELD. He went missing on a mission to South Korea. I guess that's not really important, but its still a fact. He could still be alive, for fucks sake." She trained her gaze on Loki, who actually looked surprise. There was something else, though. He felt pity for her. That little bastard thought she was some broken girl in need of fixing. Katrina glared at him, and he narrowed his eyes. "I swear to God, if you apologize for what I just said I'll separate your head from your body and feed it to Thor. And," She added, leaning forwards, "tell anyone else what I just told you and I'll slit your throat in your sleep. Deal?" Loki contemplated for a moment, before sighing. "Fine, whatever," he muttered. She twisted back to her reports. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have reports to finish." With that, she popped her earbuds back in and continued her assignment, enjoying the feeling of not using her voice.
Living Room, Stark Tower, New York
Tony stared at his tablet in disbelief. JARVIS had contacted him informing him of an attempt to shut down his recording system in the library. So, he'd checked the security cams to see who it was. When he saw who spoke, his jaw dropped. It was Monroe. She actually spoke. Then she'd started to spill her life story to none other than Loki. Out of all people, she chose the God of Lies. Steve must have noticed how he was staring at the tablet, because soon he was peeking over his shoulder.
"What're you gaping at?" He asked. The gasp that erupted from his mouth was clearly audible. "D-did she just—talk?" Steve spluttered, straightening. Thor, who was trying to beat Clint in the video game Tony had created, glanced over.
"What are you two doing?" He asked. Clint turned too, pausing the game. "I bet he's spying on the receptionist again," the archer joked. Clint stood and sat himself next to Tony, so he could get a good look at what the two Avengers were staring at. Thor joined them curiously. Thor blinked in confusion, while Clint laughed. "Man, Tony, did you alter your cams? I'm positive I just saw Agent Silent but Deadly talk." Tony glanced at him. "I didn't do anything. Monroe did just talk." Clint frowned. "Oh, wow." Thor took the tablet from Tony's hand to get a better look. "Hey—that's expensive, Thor! You break it you buy it!" Tony snapped, while Thor just ignored him. "Is that Loki?" He boomed, tilting the screen a little. Clint flopped over Tony's lap to look. "Wait, what?" He asked, straining to see. Tony let out a grunt. "Get off," he huffed, pushing Clint back to his side. The billionaire snatched his tablet back and turned it off just as Monroe was finishing her story. "That's enough of that. We'll leave it alone for now. She tried to turn to cameras off, so she obviously doesn't want anybody to know." Tony stated firmly as if he was speaking to small children. Thor frowned. "If she didn't want anyone to know, why would she tell Loki?" Tony glared at him. "Leave it alone, Thor." With that last word, he heaved himself from his sandwiched position and left the room.
Loki's Room, Stark Tower, New York
Loki found himself standing in a cloud of mist so thick he couldn't see anything past it. His heart was racing for a reason he was unsure of. Before he could get a good look at his surroundings, a sudden sharp pain in his head made him screech. He dropped to his knees and closed his eyes, his hand immediately finding his hair and gripping onto it. His mind was too foggy to think properly.
"You thought you could run, Odinson?" An all-too familiar voice sneered. The Mad Titan towered over Loki's kneeling frame, power reflecting from the galaxy in his eyes. "Nobody fails me and lives." The pain in Loki's head became sharper, and he clenched his teeth in an attempt not to scream again. "I did tell you there is nowhere I can't find you? You should have heeded my warning more carefully, Loki." Loki slowly raised his green gaze to meet Thanos', still clutching his head. The mist surrounding the pair lifted, and Loki could see the remains of Thanos' force lined up, clearly armed for a fight. Loki let his gaze flicker to the Mad Titan who was smiling evilly.
"What do you want?" He managed, each word a struggle. Thanos just chuckled.
"Haven't I made that clear?" The Mad Titan closed his fist, another stabbing pain slicing through his head. Loki couldn't hold back his blood-curdling scream of pain this time.
Loki sat up panting, his body doused in sweat. His eyes darted around the room, ensuring the Titan was nowhere to be seen. He let his breathing slow as his door swung open. Thor stomped in, Mjolnir clutched in his hand.
"Loki! What's wrong?" He demanded. Loki frowned. He must have screamed in his sleep.
"Nothing, you brute!" Loki snapped a little too quickly. Thor didn't seem convinced, but he didn't press either. "Get out, will you?" Loki sighed, his gaze hardening. Thor shrugged and backed out. The sound of the Thunder God's door closing could be heard from farther down the hall. Loki, certain that Thor was gone, let out a shuddering breath. His dream only confirmed what SHIELD had suspected; Thanos was plotting an attack on Earth. If he wasn't, why bother Loki? It'd been so long since the failed attack on New York and The Mad Titan had only come to him now. Plus, he had even seen the army prepared for the upcoming battle. He sighed and slipped out of his bed. He crept into the Kitchen and sat in a chair, holding his head on his hands. The God of Mischief was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't even notice Katrina. She poked him, causing him to raise his head.
"What?" He muttered bitterly. The agent frowned and poked his arm again. He responded by slapping her hand away. "I said, what do you want?" Loki demanded, sharper than before. Katrina scanned the room, ensuring nobody was around, before murmuring, "Why are you up?" Loki frowned. "Why is that any of your concern?" The young girl shrugged. "Not everyone wakes up at five-thirty in the morning," she responded quietly. Loki narrowed his eyes. "Well, why are you awake at this hour?" He countered. Katrina looked to a different part of the kitchen to avoid Loki's gaze. He huffed. "Fine, don't tell me. I'll find out soon enough." With that, Loki pushed his chair back and made for his room, slamming the door shut behind him. He made for the bookshelf, clapping his hands softly as he went; the light switch on the other side of the room flicked on, and the room was illuminated with light.
Almost certain he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, Loki read quietly for the next couple of hours. As he was slowly flipping the page, there was a knock at the door. Before he could react, it slid open. Thor popped his head in, scanning for his younger brother. When he spotted him, he smiled and entered.
"Brother, would you like to tell me what happened?" He asked, plopping himself on the foot on Loki's bed. Loki scowled. "First, I'm not your brother. When you get that fact through your thick skull, be sure to inform me. Second, my business is none of yours." Thor frowned at Loki's bitter retort. "Loki, you are my brother! Blood doesn't bond us. It is the connection we formed before the truth was revealed that matters!" The Thunder God protested, frowning. Loki snorted. "That connection died along with your brother. I am no Odinson, as you are. I am nothing but a monstrous Jotun on a hunt for blood." He tossed his book onto the floor next to his bed. "Get out, Thor. I don't want to hear your pleas." Thor frowned. "No, I won't leave. In fact, I'm going to lock you in with me until you tell me what's wrong," He retorted, pushing the door shut. Loki growled and slipped off his bed, his hands tightened in fists.
"Thor," he said, his tone slow but laced with venom, "open that door." Thor shook his head stubbornly. "Not until you tell me why you were screaming so early in the morning!" Loki rolled his eyes. He could barely stand more than three minutes with Thor. The rest of the day didn't sound too pleasing. Of course, neither did admitting his weaknesses. "Thor," Loki repeated, his tone full of warning. Thor leaned against the door, eyes narrowed. "I shall wait here for as long as need be, Loki," He declared, earning a growl from Loki. Without warning, Loki flung a dagger that seemed to appear from thin air at Thor. He lifted his hand out of the way as the blade dug itself into the door. "Ah, that was close," Thor commented, shuffling away from the dagger. Loki narrowed his eyes coldly and flung two more of his daggers at Thor. They pinned him against the door, very close to each of his arms. "Well, brother, I must admit that your aim is extraordinary," Thor's voice was bright despite how close he was to getting impaled. Loki frowned. "Something else you haven't taken to time to notice. I shall add that to my list." Thor sighed and shook his head. "Loki, will you please just tell me? You are refusing, and it is only making me more suspicious." Loki shot another dagger in Thor's direction, aimed just next to the older god's head. Thor flinched, craning his neck to the side. With a rush of muttered curses, Loki let his hands flop to his sides. "Fine," he grumbled, "but you shall speak of this to no one." He was really going to do it? Just like that? Give in to Thor's pleas as if he were some child? Loki mentally scolded himself. He had gotten into the habit of listening to Thor when he spoke like that, despite his efforts to crush whatever was left of Loki Odinson—which he was not. Not anymore, at least. Thor was smiling at Loki's sudden agreement, and he pried himself from the door. "That's the spirit, Loki! And worry not; what you tell me shall not leave this room. I swear to Odin, Allfather," Thor declared with a bright smile. Loki rolled his eyes. "It was simply a dream," Loki informed him coldly. Thor frowned. "Yes, but that's not the whole truth, is it?" He crossed his arms. "Otherwise, you would have just told me that to begin with." Loki narrowed his eyes, then sighed. There was no point of this anymore. Thor was irritating, and all he wanted was the brute to leave him alone. "Fine!" He snapped. "Thanos is preparing his attack. Our mind link somehow remains, regardless of the fact I do not have possession of my scepter." He glared at Thor, his gaze as sharp as daggers. "You know what you wanted, now get out!" Thor's smile had faded. "Loki, you know you can't hide this. If Thanos is attacking, then I shall inform the rest of the team!" Loki's lip curled in a sneer. "Yes, do that. Do not mention the small fact that I was afraid, or I will do more than just pin you to my door next time." Thor nodded. "Of course, brother. You may leave now." Loki rolled his eyes. "Yes, thank you for your permission Thor. How kind of you!" He brushed past Thor and made his way into the living room.
Living Room, Stark Tower, New York
Katrina sat on the sofa, watching Tony and Steve argue.
"I don't want that hopeless romantic, Johnny, in my penthouse!" Tony was arguing.
"It's only fair the Fantastic Four are aware of the oncoming threat," Steve pointed out, much calmer than Tony.
"Oh, so you like Johnny now?" Katrina rolled her eyes and heaved herself from her position. She pushed herself between the two Avengers, separating them. Tony glared over her shoulder at Steve, who returned the look.
"I agree with Steve," Banner spoke up from where he was standing on the other side of the room. Tony glanced back at him, then sighed. "Fine, whatever. But if he sets something on fire, both of you are paying for the damage." Steve frowned as Tony disappeared in the direction of his bar. Katrina sighed, and glanced around. It was quite early in the morning. Not many were awake yet; just her, Thor, Tony, Steve and Banner that she knew of. That's when she watched Loki storm out onto the balcony. The young agent frowned. Whatever had worked the God up like that, she didn't feel like finding out. Instead, she plopped herself back on the sofa next to Steve and remained there for the rest of the morning.
A few hours later, JARVIS had informed the team of Dr. Richards and the rest of his crew's arrival. Tony had reluctantly told his AI to let them up, and the Fantastic Four was now lined up in his main living room. Katrina sat awkwardly on the sofa as they all switched their gazes to her.
"I get this whole threatened by some purple alien thing, but why would we have an Agent of SHIELD here? What use could she possibly be?" Katrina narrowed her eyes at Dr. Richard as he spoke. It was true that she wasn't as useful on the battlefield like the four Mutants were, but she wasn't a complete waste of flesh. Johnny, the one Katrina knew as the Human Torch, nudged his companion. "Ah, why would you say that, Rich? I'm sure she has as much skill as she does beauty!" That sentence earned an eye roll from everyone in the room except Bruce. "Please stop flirting with the mute agent," Tony muttered, sipping his alcoholic beverage. Four pairs of eyes trained on Katrina, making her want to disappear. Of course he'd mention that, she thought scornfully. "I was wondering why she was so quiet," Richards commented. Katrina shrugged, turning her attention to the large windows behind him. She could see Loki sitting out of the balcony, staring down at the city. If only she could join him. Anything to get away from Johnny Storm, who seemed desperate for even a slight blush from her.
As the rest of the team filled in the four new additions to their fighting force, Katrina had taken to scrolling through her phone. After they were finished, she excused herself to the kitchen for a glass of water. What she wasn't suspecting, however, was to find Johnny following her.
"So, how'd you lose your voice?" He asked once he'd caught up to her. Katrina glanced back at him but didn't respond. As much as she'd love to make some sort of retort, she held her tongue. Not out of fear of the mutant, but out of anxiety. If she said the wrong thing, the mutant was sure to burst into flames. Right? She focused her thoughts on pouring her glass of water she originally set out to do. Johnny appeared beside her, awfully close. "Ah, right. Why would I ask that? You won't respond," He said softly into her ear. She pushed him away, shuffling over to the sink. The man obviously couldn't take a hint, because he followed. "Aw, come on. Don't be like that!" He protested, grabbing her wrist. She placed down her glass and turned to face him, her eyes cold. "Ooh, feisty one!" He commented with a smirk. She trying to pry her hand free of his grasp, but he held on firmly. "I just wanted to know what you were doing this Friday?" Katrina almost bared her teeth at him like a dog.
Before she could do anything else to attempt to free herself, she heard footsteps stop at the doorway. She whipped her head around, relieved. Hopefully, whoever it was would tell Johnny to fuck off. Who she found, though, was Loki. He was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.
"I believe she wants you to let go," Loki commented, his cold gaze trained on Johnny. The mutant who held her laughed. "And how would you know that, Mr. Daddy Issues? Are you just protecting her because you're into her?" He laughed again, before adding, "No, I highly doubt that. Such a high specimen like yourself could not be troubled by such a small being like her." So, he just called her short. It wasn't a lie; she was quite small. But it was an insult, nonetheless. Loki's gaze hardened. "How dare you imply such a thing about me?" He demanded. Johnny shrugged. "You obviously have a very large ego. Why else would you douse yourself in cologne? I bet you kiss your reflection whenever you see yourself in the mirror. Plus, you proved your ego is huge when you tried to take over New York and rule it as our King. That only comes from someone who thinks highly of themselves." At that comment, Loki had clearly lost all his patience. He whipped out with an arm, sending a dagger flying towards the mutant. Johnny muttered, "Flame on." His body burst into flames, Katrina's arm with it. She let out a screech of pain and cradled the burnt arm. Pain crawled along her wrist up to her elbow. Loki and Johnny were now having an all-out fight, shooting insults at each other as they did. Katrina's scream, however, had attracted the attention of everyone in the neighboring room. Tony, Steve, and Dr. Richards appeared at the doorway. Tony spotted the injured agent and was at her side in an instant, inspecting the burn, while Steve called for Banner in the other room. Richards had gone to calm Johnny down. Steve went to help him after Bruce hurried into the kitchen.
Katrina gingerly held out her wound to show Bruce. The skin was red and puffy, and the color was steadily crawling up her arm. "We need water or something!" Bruce demanded, glancing around. "Anything cold!" Before Tony could run to his bar, where he kept many ice cubes for his beverages, Loki knelt at Katrina's side. At first, she was confused. How would he be able to help? Then, she noticed his pale skin steadily fading to blue. It started at his fingertips, before crawling up his arm and engulfing his face. His green eyes faded to a vibrant red; it was like he had been wearing a mask the entire time. Loki held out his hand and rested it on Katrina's burn. His skin was cold. Extremely cold. It was soothing at first, his cold skin against her burning arm. But another stab of pain made her yelp and withdraw her arm. His skin was too cold for hers, and the soothing sensation had switched to pain. Loki blinked in confusion, as if wondering what he had done wrong. There was something different about him. It was as if his ego had been peeled away with his usual apppearance. His eyes carried something different. It was a sense of loneliness. There was pain, anger, grief, and fear in this new version of his eyes.
Loki just stared at her for several moments, before he seemed to realize what was happening. Katrina watched as he stood, his blue skin retreating and being replaced by his usual pale tone. Thor was standing behind the God, his eyes laced with shock. Before anyone could say anything else, Loki stormed out of the room. Tony broke the silence.
"Thor, your brother is a smurf?" He asked, immediately turning to the God of Thunder. Thor shook his head. "No. That was Loki's Jotun form. Though, I am unsure as to why he used it. Loki hates that side of himself." Katrina glanced down at her arm. The red was gone, instead replaced by her usual fair skin-tone. Bruce went to check on it again, turning her arm over to see all sides. "Amazing," he breathed. Katrina couldn't take her eyes off the doorway, though. Loki had just turned blue, for god's sake! At that moment, she realized there was so much she didn't know about Loki, just as he didn't know too much about her. Maybe she should change that.