So it goes with saying that only things I own with any connection to MARVEL I bought on Ebay or Etsy. MARVEL COMICS & MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE are their own creatures and I have nothing to do with either of them aside from the fact I enjoy reading or watching them, and am grateful for the ability to play in their world. I claim nothing, and I receive nothing for this, expect the pleasure of putting something out into the world.
You can also find this story on ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN under the same title and pen name along with a place to post suggestions.
Don't forget to check out the Photobucket album listed on my profile page too. (My apologies. I didn't realize FF removed the links. I have corrected the problem in what way I can, so for those who like the visual additions, feel free to check them out.)
DAY FOUR
CHAPTER NINETY TWO
FRIDAY, MAY 4TH 2012
0226 HOURS
S.H.I.E.L.D HELICARRIER
INTERNATIONAL WATERS OFF EAST COAST, USA
STEVE
After we got Loki back on the Quinjet, and his brother who showed up and literally ripped him out of it the first time, we continued our flight back to the Helicarrier.
When we landed it was to an armed escort waiting for the prisoner, Thor intended to follow until Agent Romanoff's hand stopped him. I lost to Loki and I fought Thor for a second in the forest so I knew his strength and his temper. The ease with which she touched an Asgardian worried me for a moment but while he looked mildly surprised he showed no hostility, only mild annoyance when she told him the director needed to see him alone.
Stark's son made his own departure too, disappearing without any complaint of mine to store his Iron Man armor in one of the cargo bays of the ship.
That left me the option to wince my way to the infirmary without any need to put up a tough front anymore in front of my enemies. The serum speed up the rate with which I heal a great deal, but it didn't make it instantaneous, and is infuriating as it is I can't pretend my fight with Loki wasn't humbling.
Cracked left knuckles, bruised sternum, hairline fracture 7-8th posterior ribs, and massive bruising on my outer arms and shoulder from being tossed around like a rag doll. Not even the red skull beat me so soundly, he was my equal not my superior in a fight. I felt like a skinny asthmatic standing off against a thug again, and for the first time since Erskine died, when my punch didn't even make my opponent stumble, I felt afraid.
FRIDAY, MAY 4TH 2012
0241 HOURS
S.H.I.E.L.D HELICARRIER
INTERNATIONAL WATERS OFF EAST COAST, USA
NATASHA
"What do you mean she isn't on the table anymore?!"
After I stopped Thor from following Loki and the escort team to the cell, his upbringing as a royal probably doing more than anything I did. He was in a foreign 'kingdom', representing the intentions of his own, and a lady was telling him the 'king' of this 'kingdom' wanted a private audience.
While it wasn't completely accurate to think of S.H.I.E.L.D as a kingdom, it was still close enough to get him to cooperate, and after I guided him to the conference table on the flight deck where he could observe the conversation with the rest of us.
After that 'lovely' little display where Loki revealed his knowledge, and hinted at how though the control he had over Agent Barton must be to get it in the first place I just wanted to leave the room. Not just because Banner now looked at me as a liar, but so I could start preparing an interrogation of my own.
Having Agent Hill standing guard to make sure a fight didn't break out when Stark arrived, and to make sure I didn't reveal anything I shouldn't didn't make me any happier as the seconds ticked on.
Then after the meeting adjourned I found myself in a private one of my own with Nick, and I hated this one even more.
"This is coming right from the Council." His hand coming up silences my protest before it can get much farther then, "And when has that..." ever meant a damn thing to you Nick?!
"Natasha a courtyard of at least two hundred people, with cell phones just saw a man with magic carve someone's eye out, blow up a car, beat the crap out of Captain America, and stand up after being shot in the chest by Iron Man! Even though we bagged that footage, every news channel in Baden-Württemberg is talking about that fight, and every single one of them sounds scared."
I see the logic, I understand it's a bigger picture issue. "But..."
"No." His almost angry tone silences me. "Natasha, you aimed a mini gun at a crowd, and yes, I know that was for show but it doesn't matter because to a bunch civilians all they see is that their deaths were acceptable if it meant killing him."
"Agent Eliane is no longer on the table for negotiation. We can't afford to waste time on a woman who as far as we know is still a non-powered untrained individual. Agent Barton is still on the table though. He is a threat to intelligence and people every second he stays under Loki's control, we need to know where the hell he and the tesseract are yesterday, understood?"
"Yeah, boss. We're understood." I don't even wait for his dismissal before I storm off, passing Agent Coulson over as we both round the corner at the same time.
FRIDAY, MAY 4TH 2012
0244 HOURS
S.H.I.E.L.D HELICARRIER
INTERNATIONAL WATERS OFF EAST COAST, USA
STEVE
After the meeting finished I intended to seek out the Asgardian who crash landed on the roof of our plane. I saw the report on the New Mexico incident, and while I didn't agree with the God part I could understand the mistake. It was him wield lightning before I got involved in the fight, and the shockwave from his hammer leveled at least 5 acres of forest.
I found him in the middle of a conversation with Agent Coulson and the director though so I decided to wait my turn.
I knew from experience that S.H.I.E.L.D was probably going to let Loki sit for a while, it's the same tactic they used before they started interrogating Dr. Zola after we captured him, letting a person wear themselves down before you do. So with that in mind I decided to return to the room they offered me while I was here and change out of my uniform for the time being. The body armor panels were pressing uncomfortably against my cracked ribs.
I changed my mind when I noticed a small bracelet of red and white stripes with the occasional blue square around a white star. It also had a charm on it with a tiny version of my shield. No, not a bracelet, a collar, a cat collar. And it was sitting on top of a note written in unfamiliar but feminine handwriting. Find me.
I barely even finish the second step into the room before I'm back in the halls searching for people, the note and the collar carefully tucked inside my glove.
NOTES FOR THE READERS:
Baden-Württemberg is the region/state in Germany that Stuttgart is located in.
You may have noticed I'm moving quicker and skipping sections of time. In this part of the movie it does that. We get Loki back on the helicarrier, the meeting, a few scenes involving Banner, Stark, Rogers and Romanoff, and then the helicarrier fight happens. And is of right now my main character is basically unconscious and there's not a lot you can do with that, so I am hurrying toward the sunrise, because the action takes place in daylight. Think of it like a rollercoaster, you spend more time climbing to the top then you do speeding around the track, and we have cleared the top.