Chapter 3 ~ He Still Can't See
Loki's Room, Stark Tower, New York
Loki let out a roar, clenching his fists. As if it were a command, several pieces of furniture around the room smashed into the nearest wall. The God of Mischief stomped over to the nearest chair and tossed it to the other side of the room, rage giving him enough force to make a dent in the wall with it. As quickly as his tantrum started, it stopped. Loki sat with his knees to his chest, leaning against the wall. Why would he do that? He willingly used his Jotun form—on Katrina, for Odin's sake! The part of his life he had run from for years, the one he hated Odin for hiding, he just willingly showed it to everyone in that room. He was still unsure of what drove him to do it. He was weak. A coward. A worthless monster.
His door slid open. Loki expected to see Thor, but he didn't. Instead, Monroe stepped over the wreckage that was his bedroom. She seemed to study Loki for a moment, before pressing the door closed and coming to sit next to him.
"What do you want?" Loki grumbled, refusing her meet her gaze. He heard Katrina sigh. "I heard some sort of crash and wanted to make sure you didn't jump out a window or something." Humour. That was something he never expected to see her use when she spoke. Loki couldn't help but smile. Maybe she was opening up to him after all. "Well, you'll be glad to know that I am still here, and my windows are in fact intact," he responded with a slight hint of laughter. He glanced over at her, finally deciding to meet her gaze. She smiled lightly at him, which he returned. "How's your arm?" He asked, deciding to change the subject from him to her. Katrina shrugged and held out her arm for him to look at. "Much better, thanks to your... what did Thor call it? Jordan form?" Loki snorted. "Jotun form," he corrected, turning her arm over to see each side. She was right; it's previous puffiness had disappeared. He let her have her arm back, and she smiled. "So, when were you going to tell me about this Jotun form of yours?" She asked suddenly. Loki frowned. "Never," He responded quietly. Katrina raised an eyebrow. "Never? I told you my story. Why can't you tell me yours?" She had a point, Loki reflected. But Loki had already revealed enough about himself that he'd rather keep from any mortal minds. Yet, he had gone and revealed his Jotun form.
Loki pushed himself to his feet, glaring down at her. He refused to show any sign of weakness to this mortal, regardless of what she'd told him. "I don't have to do anything," he snapped. Katrina frowned, and stood with him. "I don't speak to anyone but you, yet you still don't trust me?" Her tone held some hurt behind it, and Loki picked his way over his busted furniture to hold open the door for her. "You should go," he muttered darkly, a shadow flitting over his eyes. Katrina frowned, then stepped out into the hallway.
"I will get you to tell me," she declared. Loki tilted his head slightly. "That seems highly unlikely, Milady. Have a good rest of your day, Katrina." With that, he closed the door and held it shut. He remained there for several moments, before retreating to his bed.
Loki sat, staring at the wreckage that was his quarters for hours. The sun had begun to set when there was a soft knock on the door. Loki rolled his eyes, assuming it was Katrina. He clambered off his bed and opened the door.
"Katrina, I already told you, I—" he stopped mid-sentence when his eyes rested on Thor. He stood in front of the small crack between his door and the wall, hiding his room. Thor would undoubtedly fuss about the mess Loki had made. Not because he cared about cleanliness, but because he knew if there was a mess in Loki's quarters than something was wrong. Loki didn't feel like dealing with Thor's pressing, which was why he hid it.
"Brother," Loki greeted coldly. Thor smiled. "I just came to check on you. Katrina came out of your room a little while ago, looking quite… taken aback, if you will." Loki narrowed his eyes. "Why would you care, anyways?" Thor shrugged. "Just curiosity, I guess," he said, before trying to peek over Loki's shoulder. "What are you hiding back there?" He demanded. Loki slipped out of his room and closed the door behind him. "Nothing of your concern," he responded coolly. Thor raised a blonde brow suspiciously but didn't question it any further. "Anyways, I was sent to inform you about a mission we are setting out on. Recon, I think Romanoff called it. Just a quick In-and-out, for information. Or, something like that." The Thunderer shrugged. "Anyways, we are all meeting in the main room in about an hour or so." Loki nodded slowly, murmuring, "Alright, I'll be there." Thor smiled, clearly pleased at the response he received, and left Loki standing alone outside his bedroom door.
Training Room, Stark Tower, New York
Katrina had been sparring against one of Tony's droid thingy's for almost an hour now. They were surprisingly hard to defeat, considering they are man-made. But, much to Katrina's surprise, she found herself almost pinned against a wall several times. Fighting drones is a great way of releasing your anger, especially when that anger is targeted at a blueberry that also happens to be the God of Mischief. Katrina had shared so much with that bastard, yet Loki refused to even tell her the smallest things. Besides, it was him who decided to show that new side of himself in the first place. If he didn't want anyone to know, why even bother with it?
The young SHIELD agent had been so caught up in her thoughts and avoiding the training bot's blows, she hadn't even noticed JARVIS trying to get her attention. "Agent Monroe, you are needed in the main room," the AI was saying. Katrina disabled the training session and turned to the door. She waved at the camera set up in the corner that was undoubtably for JARVIS, signaling that she was on her way.
When she entered the living room, she noticed everyone in the tower was assembled there—well, all the Avengers at least. The receptionists and workers within the tower were not allowed on these few levels, as they were classified for the reasons of the Avengers. It was a good reason, and Katrina felt special she had able access. As she entered, everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and watch her. She gave a small wave and wedged herself between Loki and Thor who were giving each other death glares. Obviously the two had recently fought, otherwise the deadly glares would only be coming from Loki. As she settled herself between the two Gods, they each gave her an annoyed look. She shrugged it off and whipped out her phone, patiently waiting for this meeting, by the look of it, to start.
Loki had started to peer over her shoulder curiously. Katrina glanced up at him, amusement clear in her crystal blue eyes. "What in the nine realms is that thing?" He whispered to her. She glanced around the room; everyone else seemed occupied with conversations or something else, so she decided it was safe. "It's called a phone," she whispered back. "Its basically for entertainment, but people communicate through it too." Loki nodded contently and continued to watch as Katrina quietly played Candy Crush. Only Tony clapping his hands brought her back to the room.
"Alright, people, here's the deal!" He began, glancing around the room. Katrina quietly slid her phone into her pocket as he continued. "Basically, SHIELD has uncovered someone who they suspect is working for Thanos. Either Fury refuses to get off his ass or is not suited for the job because we get to go in and investigate." Katrina narrowed her eyes. He was talking lowly about SHIELD right in front of a SHIELD agent. Not that she cared, of course. Tony smiled and waved his hands with a little "Yay!"
Steve, who had rolled his eyes at Tony's humour, stood. He glanced slightly at Katrina but addressed Stark. "So, essentially, this would be considered a stealth mission?" When Tony shrugged, Steve rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the information. I'll assume it's stealth then, meaning the lead for the mission would go to Katrina." Katrina frowned. First mission, and she had to lead this team? She couldn't even speak. How would she give orders? She was positive these people hadn't even heard of sign language, let alone learnt it. Except for maybe Cap. He seemed like that kind of guy.
Loki, as if reading the young agent's thoughts, spoke up. "She's mute. How'll she lead?" Katrina gave a grateful glance to the God. Steve frowned, as if he had never even thought of that. Natasha, who was leaning against a wall on the far end of the room, rolled her eyes. "Seriously, did you guys forget that I happen to be a SHIELD agent too? All of us were trained for stealth, even if Monroe is better at it. I could give the orders, or Clint could." The archer next to her shot her a glance. "Me? I think it'd be better if you led stealth. For obvious reasons, of course. I'm better as the eyes." Natasha shrugged. "Alright, fine then. If that's okay with you, Monroe, I'd be glad to lead for you." Katrina agreed with a smile and eager nod. Natasha returned the smile. "Alright, it's settled then," she declared. Steve made his way out of the room, calling over his shoulder, "Suit up."
Katrina had quickly changed into her SHIELD uniform and had now taken to tying her short hair up. She was standing in the bathroom, holding a hair clip in her mouth and gathering up her hair. From the mirror, she watched Loki peek in. When he noticed Katrina, he seemed to back off a bit. "I don't, bite, you know," she called out softly. He reappeared. "I never said you did," he retorted. Katrina sighed, pulling her hair through the hair tie. "What's up?" Loki frowned, looking confused for a moment. "What are you doing?" She sighed. She had finished her hair and turned to him, getting a good look at his appearance. He was wearing something like what she had seen in the files on the New York attack, but without all the gold armour and horns. "I was looking for Thor," Loki responded. "I don't suppose you know where he is?" Katrina shrugged, turning back to the mirror to clip he stray hairs at the back of her head. "Can't say I do, but I suggest the kitchen. He was eyeing up the Chinese leftovers Tony has in the fridge." She turned back to him with a smirk. "I wonder what look he would have on his face when he finds out I ate it all?" Loki frowned. "You've started a war if that's the case," he muttered. Raising his voice, he added a quick "Thanks," before he disappeared again.
The team had met up again on the Quinjet JARVIS had kindly piloted to the landing pad. Katrina sat with her knees against her chest, entertaining herself by listening to the sound of the engines the jet created. It would take several hours to reach their destination in Bordeaux, France, and Katrina quite frankly didn't think she would enjoy the trip. Drowning out her source of entertainment was the sound of Tony and Steve arguing in the cockpit. It was about something stupid, too. She wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it was still annoying. She could tell everyone else was fed up, too, considering the looks on their faces. Everyone except Thor, because he had no clue what was going on. Thor was too busy bugging Loki. Loki, however, was shuffling closer to Katrina to avoid his brother's poking. Katrina couldn't help the quiet laugh that escaped her mouth. "Help!" He yelped to her, swatting Thor's hand away. Thor frowned. "Loki, I just want to know!" He complained. They were acting like children, which was the best source of entertainment. Katrina shoved Loki away with a short snort of laughter. "Nah, you got it," she whispered. Thor immediately stopped what he was doing and began staring at her. She frowned. Thor heard that. Loki noticed his brother's look, too, and quickly shot Katrina an apologetic glance. She shrugged and looked to the ground, leaving Loki and Thor to do whatever they did, which was act like small children apparently.
Bordeaux, France
Loki quietly followed Katrina out of the Quinjet. Before they'd left, the Widow had divided everyone into teams. He, luckily enough, was placed with Katrina. Probably because of the fact his magic could keep up with the young agent's skill. Also, both he and Katrina specialised in daggers. Katrina made a sharp right, keeping low. Loki mirrored her, a dagger held firmly in his hand. Its blade glinted slightly in the dull light.
They made a sharp stop just behind a building. Loki stayed in his crouched position, focused on the noises around them. The area was quiet. Too quiet. Katrina seemed to be listening, too.
"This is one of the most popular cities in France," she murmured. Loki frowned. "What?" His tone was full of confusion, and Katrina twisted to face him. "Bordeaux. It's a famous city in France. Yet it's so... empty." She glanced up suddenly. Loki noticed her reach for one of her blades, so he tightened his grip on his own dagger and slowly came up beside her. "What is it?" He whispered, his voice barely audible. She didn't answer. Instead, Loki watched as Katrina stood full height and peered around the corner. Loki stood as well, pressing himself against the wall. "There's someone coming. They're armed, by the sound of it," Katrina finally whispered. "We need a distraction." Loki let a smirk slide across his face. "How big of a distraction, exactly?" He asked, the glint in his eyes clearly catching the young agent's attention. She smiled, as if remembering who she was talking too. "Nothing too eye-catching. We only want the one out of here." Loki nodded. "I think I can manage that," he breathed after a moment.
With one last smirk at Katrina, he let his form change. He shrank, taking on the appearance of a black cat. He flicked an ear at Katrina, before quickly scrambling out into the open. He got a better look at their surroundings. The person she had heard; a man, holding a very large looking weapon. He thought it was a gun from the structure of it but couldn't be sure. The man noticed him, and Loki let out a loud meow. "Ah! Chat stupide! Je pensais que nous les avions tous elimines!" He exclaimed quite loudly, and Loki winced. He scrambled out of the way as the armed man charged, trying to grab him. Loki hissed, drawing his tail out of the way as the man reached out again. He led the man away, neatly dodging his attempts to stop him. Once he was sure he was far enough, Loki quickly slipped into the shadows and found Katrina as quickly as possible.
She hadn't gone too far from their original spot. Loki approached quickly, his paw steps echoing around the empty streets. "Well done!" She praised quietly, running a hand along his fur. He narrowed his eyes and, with a sharp green light, he was towering over her again. "Excuse me, did you just pet me?" He demanded. Katrina shrugged and turned away without responding. Loki scoffed and followed her as she quickly slipped to the building they had been circling. Katrina stepped aside to reveal a vent shaft. Smiling, she waved her hands in a dramatic was of presenting it. "After you, your highness!" Loki scoffed and took off the vent's cover. "Thanks," he mumbled, "but I don't think I'll fit." Katrina frowned. "Just turn back into a cat or something! I won't let your size compromise this mission," She declared stubbornly. Loki muttered something to himself, before letting himself shift into the same cat as before. "Ah, much better! Now I don't have to here you complain. Off you go, Lokitty!" She pointed to the vent as she spoke, clearly finding his form amusing. Loki let out a warning hiss, before squeezing into the vent. His claws made a weird noise along it, and he wondered if this was even a good idea.
Behind him, Katrina was placing the vent cover back where it belonged as to not look suspicious. She then slithered after the cat version of her comrade, smirking as he lashed his tail in her face. They quickly travelled through the shafts until they reached their desired location. Now all they had to do was wait for Stark to drive the suspect from the office, and Katrina and Loki could get what they needed. If he even had it, that is. They weren't even sure if this guy was working for Thanos as had been suggested. Their mission was based on a hunch that they couldn't even back up. "Better safe than sorry," Steve had said. Loki glanced over at Katrina as they gazed through the openings. Below, he could just make out Tony as he attempted to lure the target out of his office. He wasn't having it, though, which caused Loki to flatten his ears. He didn't want to spend any more time in this form, and especially not in this vent.
Finally, Tony and the target left the room. Katrina removed the vent cover and dropped down. Loki watched with amusement as she stumbled and barely kept her balance. He, however, leapt down gracefully and shifted form mid-air. He landed neatly and ran a hand through his hair. "Now, what exactly are we looking for?" He asked, pulling out one book after the other on the bookshelf on the far end of the room. "Anything," Katrina responded. "Something that will prove his alliance with big, purple and ugly." Loki raised an eyebrow. "I don't suppose you mean the Mad Titan?" He asked slowly. Katrina grunted in response. "Mad is right. You'd have to be mad to try and lead an attack on a planet full of heroes," Katrina laughed. Loki, however, wasn't laughing. She hadn't seen Thanos like he had. He was dangerous. They continued his search in silence until Katrina let out a small "Aha!" from the other side of the room. Loki turned. "What is it?" He asked, coming to stand beside her. She was holding a piece of paper in her hand. "An email he'd printed off," Katrina replied with a smirk. "To the Higher-ups of his company. He's referring to someone who is very powerful that he is having a meeting with, so he won't be able to attend to business matters." She glanced up at Loki, her eyes shining. "This is the best lead we're going to get." Loki took the paper from her and read it. "This is in another language," he commented. Katrina shrugged. "What can I say? Canadians know French." Loki narrowed his eyes, not understanding one bit. Before he could ask, there was a loud bump outside. "Shit!" Katrina whispered. "We need to go." Loki nodded. She took the paper from him and hurried to their exit. Loki watched as she strained her neck upwards hopelessly. "Curse genetics," she muttered. "A little help?" Loki quickly gave her a boost up, before crawling up next to her. The vent was extremely small for his size, and he cursed grumpily. "Oh, for God's sake, turn into a cat already!" Katrina whispered harshly, placing the vent cover back where it belonged. "I have limits, you know!" Loki whispered back. "I've used up all I can today, unless you want to carry me out." Katrina's eyes sparkled mischievously, which was not a good sign at all. "Alright, Mr. Tough-Guy! I'll carry you back." Loki raised his eyebrow. "Oh, really now? How about I just make do with what I have and save myself the embarrassment?" He asked, shuffling along in the vent. Katrina scoffed from behind him. "If you don't switch, we'll be compromised. Think about your ego later!" Loki cursed silently and shifted into his cat form. He staggered, before glancing back at Katrina. She was smiling, and Loki wondered if she actually preferred him in this form. He sure didn't. With what little energy he could muster, Loki practically dragged himself through the shafts until they reached the way they had come.
Bordeaux, France
Katrina snickered as cat Loki tried to headbutt the vent cover with little success. "Move your fat ass and I'll open it!" She whispered up to him. Loki let out yet another warning hiss but pressed himself to one side of the shaft, so Katrina could wiggle through. She kicked the cover off and scrambled out.
When she had straightened, she turned back down to the vent. Loki hadn't come out. "For gods sake," she muttered, crouching back down to grab him. He was flopped, still in his cat form, in the centre of the shaft. He looked like a large black lump in the darkness. Katrina pulled him out and hurried out of the building. When they were safely outside, Katrina sat the unconscious cat Loki on the ground and poked him. A blinding green light told her he was shifting back, and Loki sat leaning against the wall. "I hate you," he muttered, his half-closed green eyes filled with annoyance. Katrina smiled. "Hate you too~!" She sing-songed happily. "Now, get up. I'm not fully carrying you because you're heavy and I'm short."
Katrina helped Loki back to their designated meeting point, the evidence still clutched firmly in her free hand. When they reached the rendezvous point, she let Loki slide onto the ground. She joined him after a moment, settling down with a grunt. If they were going to wait here, might as well read the rest of the email. She scanned the paper quickly, easily translating the French to English. The perks of being Canadian, as she always said. One sentence caught her eye. It was out of character from the rest of the email. While every other sentence was formal and business-like, this one sentence was different. It read, "Si vous essayez de me trouver, vous n'aimerez pas ce qui se passera ensuite," which translated to "If you try to find me, you will not like what happens next." It was strange, and yet it felt quite familiar. Before she could think more on it, however, the Quinjet hovered over their position. Katrina leapt to her feet, pulling Loki up with her. Steve was crouched at the doorway, his hand hanging out to pull the two up. He looked slightly confused as she half-dragged Loki with her. She pushed Loki in front, so he could get up, before she grabbed the Captains hand and hauled herself up. When they were safely aboard, the doors closed and the Quinjet flew out of sight.
The moment Katrina and Loki came aboard the ship, Thor, who had been sitting patiently, was at his brothers' side in an instant. "What happened?" He demanded. "Did Loki get into a fight? I don't see any blood." Katrina laughed softly and helped her comrade sit. Loki sighed and glared up at his brother. "No, Thor, I was not engaged in combat. I just used more magic than I should have." Thor frowned. "Oh," was all he said before walking off to talk with Steve.
The rest of the ride was quiet, with Loki barely conscious and her back to her mute facade. When they touched down at Stark Towers, she let Thor drag Loki off and didn't follow. Instead, she made right for the library. She wanted to know everything about this guy; where he lived, who he was related too, hell, even where he enjoyed eating. So, she spent her afternoon searching through files and reading reports. At one point, JARVIS had suggested she join everyone else for lunch, but she politely declined with a shake of her head and continued her investigation.
The man's name was Henry O'Gorman. He lived in Bordeaux, obviously, and had a wife and two children. None of that information was helpful. Katina sighed and leaned her head back in her chair. She had no lead and hadn't submitted her proof yet. Fury would be pissed, that's for sure. Defeated, Katina retired to the kitchen. She salvaged whatever was left from lunch, which wasn't much since Thor was around, and sat in the living room to listen to Tony complain. It was actually very entertaining, and since she had nothing better to do, she actually found it funny.
That was when Loki walked in. He looked to be in pretty rough shape, and Katrina found herself feeling bad for forcing him into this state. He made his way out onto the balcony, and Katrina quickly followed. "Hey," she called once the doors were safely closed. Loki turned to her. "I thought you'd be busy," he muttered. Katrina shrugged and sat next to him. "Nah, not really," she replied, pulling her knees up to her chest. Loki sighed, then glanced at her. "So, what was the real reason for keeping me in my cat form?" He asked suddenly. Katrina snorted with laughter. "Because then I don't have to hear you complain about.. everything! Also, you are much cuter as a cat." Loki rolled his eyes at the answer he received. "Cute, hm?" He raised an eyebrow, and Katrina laughed again. "Yes, actually. When you're like this, your kind of.. Oh, how do I put this?" She furrowed her brows thoughtfully. "Unappealing?" He offered. "Unapproachable," Katrina decided. "You definitely look like the God of Mischief, that's for sure." Loki scoffed. "Yeah, that's kind of what I was going for," he muttered. Katrina softly punched his arm. "All I'm saying is your cuter as a cat." Loki rolled his eyes. "Mhm. Thanks."
They sat in silence for a couple minutes, staring out onto the city. After a moment, Loki finally spoke. "You know, on Asgard, I have a view much like this one from my quarters. Except it's not over New York, of course." Katrina nodded thoughtfully. She hadn't really thought about the fact Loki was Asgardian for quite some time. "What's it like? In Asgard, I mean," she asked, glancing at him. Loki sighed. "Golden," he murmured after a moment. "Everything your legends say it is and more. Except, the people there are a bit more unforgiving." Silence again. Katrina sighed and leaned back on her hands, her head raised to the sky. "New York's like that, too," she said finally. Loki, looking surprised, whipped his head to face her. "Really?" He inquired. "I thought of them to be more.. fearful." Katrina shrugged and lowered her head to meet his eyes. "That's only because you tried to rule them by killing them," she pointed out bleakly. Loki's eyes flashed with something Katrina couldn't make out and he looked away. "Yes, I believe you're right," he murmured. Katrina slapped him on the back with a smile. "Away from the depressing stuff." She declared cheerfully. "Have you ever seen a sunset on Earth?" Loki frowned and shook his head, causing Katrina's smile to widen. "Well, that's what were doing. Get comfortable, Elsa, we'll be a while." Loki raised an eyebrow as she spoke her new nickname for him but didn't complain. She doubted he'd even know what she was talking about, which made it even funnier.
They sat on the balcony, watching the sun slowly melt into the horizon. The sky was a mixture of oranges, pinks and reds, and there were a few stars peeking out. Katrina sighed, before heaving herself to her feet. "I'm cold." She announced. "I'll see you later~!" With that, she went inside and remained in her room for the rest of the night. There, she pondered the clues she'd collected, and somehow got distracted because she ended up singing quietly to herself while reading a report. That was when she noticed an amused Tony at her doorway. "Ah, so you do speak," he commented, closing the door behind him. Katrina frowned, keeping to her beloved silence once again. The billionaire raised an eyebrow, before plopping himself on the foot of her bed. "You know, I saw the recordings. The day you spilled your life to Loki." Katrina tossed her reports onto the floor next to her bed and glared at Tony, who just shrugged. "Hey, can't help what I see kid!" He stood and made for the door. "When you decide to use that voice of yours, let me know. It'd be very useful to everyone if you just voiced your opinion for once." And then he was gone.