Special Agent 2: The Dark Soldier

Chapter 35

As Gibbs stepped out of the room, the NCIS agents falling in behind him, he noticed Brock Rumlow striding toward him down the hospital corridor. "Gibbs!" he called. "Secretary Pierce calls for you and Rogers to report to the Triskelion, pronto. Bishop and DiNozzo, you, too. You're also needed."

Bishop and DiNozzo looked at Gibbs, who gave them a slight nod. Rumlow did not miss the silent request for permission and he scowled. "Immediately."

"Loki, go back to NCIS," Gibbs said in an undertone. "McGee, go with him. Do some work on the data."

McGee nodded, face grim. He knew Gibbs was referred to the code. "Got it, Boss."

Gibbs looked back into the room, where Romanoff and Rogers still stood, the Russian completely ignoring the exchange between STRIKE and NCIS. Rogers, however, was looking toward the door, brow furrowed. Gibbs gestured for him to join them and the Avenger came out, frowning. "What's going on?"

"You're wanted back at the Triskelion," Rumlow told him. "Pierce's orders. You need to be debriefed, all four of you." He glanced past them, at McGee and Loki. "All that has happened is classified, okay? Keep it so."

Without another word, Gibbs, DiNozzo, Bishop, and Rogers headed down the hallway after Rumlow, Loki and McGee watching them leave, Romanoff still standing over Fury's body. An unnoticed tear traced down her cheek.

****

Loki wanted to hit the gas, but McGee in the front seat was giving him a look that almost beat Odin's stern looks. So he held a steady speed as he drove back to the Navy Yard, resisting the urge to go any faster than the car in front of them was going.

"Are you sure –?" he began for the umpteenth time and again, McGee cut him off.

"Yes, I'm sure you can't go any faster."

"This is an emergency!" Loki snapped. "Fury was just murdered by the Ghost, the man we've been chasing. I think I can speed in this case."

McGee shot him a murderous look. "No. You need to learn, Loki."

"I think there is a time for learning, and a time for speeding," Loki retorted, increasing the pressure of his boot against the pedal slightly. He could feel the vast potential for speed beneath his foot and wrestled with the urge to floor it. A little bit of speed at the moment was all he could get away with if he wanted to avoid McGee snapping at him again. He had been so shocked the first time the agent had reprimanded him, when he had roared out of the hospital parking lot and skidded across two lanes of traffic and McGee had started yelling at him, that Loki had immediately slowed down to comply with his demands.

Loki had found out the hard way that McGee was scary when he was angry. Or maybe scary when he was stressed. He wasn't sure which emotion prompted his reaction, and wasn't planning on poking the sleeping teddy bear – he didn't feel like watching his friend turn into a grizzly again.

McGee shook his head. "No, Loki. You go the speed limit. Or else." He shot him a glare. Loki lifted an eyebrow at him but didn't increase his speed.

"Or else what, McGee?" he asked. "You can't just shoot me, we both know that."

"Loki, if you ever want to get your driver's license, you'll need to learn how to obey the rules of the road," McGee directed. "Which means following the speed limit. Okay? Come on, Loki, if you want to live here, you have to follow the rules."

Loki looked at McGee, furrowing his brow. His reply of "Rules don't apply to me" died on his tongue. "What has gotten into you?"

"Fury's dead," McGee pointed out. "Dead, Loki. Agent Sniper and the Ghost killed Fury and Aurora and Flare are running around somewhere, and then there's the whole thing with the Gauntlet. There's something sinister about to go down. So yeah, I'm a little on edge. Perhaps this is normal where you come from, but here? Something's about to go down."