Special Agent 2: The Dark Soldier

Chapter 62

The grey predawn morning was quiet, the first rays of the sun beginning to make their appearance on the horizon. Loki crept toward the Triskelion, which rose ominously against the early morning sky. Behind him, McGee shifted uncomfortably, but there was determination in his eyes. Both he and Gibbs were wearing bulletproof vests, armed with heavy rifles along with their pistols. Loki had his pistol holstered on his belt, but he intended to rely on his own powers to break into the Triskelion.

After all, he was the one who had single-handedly destroyed the SHIELD compound in Nevada.

"Everyone in position?" he heard Gibbs murmur, both from behind him and through his earpiece. He heard the affirmations from Rogers, Bishop, Hill, and Romanoff, the designated team leaders. Rogers was paired with DiNozzo to target one helicarrier, Bishop with Hailstohm to take another, and Hill and Wilson to take the third. Romanoff had assumed the disguise of a councilwoman from the World Security Council in order to get close to Pierce.

Closing his eyes, Loki reached out to the crimson power resting inside him. He needed to connect to Kate Todd, to communicate with her as he had done before and see where she was.

Kate. Kate. KATE.

What? A surprised reply.

What's your situation?

They have Torres and I imprisoned. I think they're planning on running tests on me, possibly altering my mind to make me more obedient. But they're putting me in cryostasis first. Torres – oh, no.

What? Loki demanded. What?

They're going to torture him! To find out what he knows! No! Her voice sounded suddenly frantic.

Kate, get him out of there. We're breaking in to take down the whole thing, Insight, HYDRA, SHIELD, and all. Do you think you can escape?

No choice but to, now.

Loki heard an ear-shattering crash, several cries of surprise, and then his connection was lost.

"Todd busted out," he told Gibbs. "Perfect distraction, actually."

"Let's move," Gibbs ordered.

The three sprinted toward the Triskelion, Loki's magic concealing them from sight. When they reached the front door, Loki shattered it with a blast from his magic, striding down the corridor like he owned the place. He dropped the invisibility spell around him, but left McGee and Gibbs concealed.

"It's the Asgardian!" someone yelled, drawing a pistol. Loki smiled, a bit manically, and flicked a small dagger at him, catching the agent in the neck. He gasped, clutching the wound as blood gurgled out, and collapsed.

As more and more agents appeared, McGee and Gibbs opened fire, startling everybody but Loki. He then summoned a more elegant weapon – a scepter, reminiscent of the one Thanos had gifted him with. The sight made him sick but it was important for the performance. SHIELD, after all, had bad memories of Loki holding that scepter. He wanted to capitalize on that.

Loki used the scepter as a channel for the Aether's powers, blasting agents into oblivion left and right. Adrenaline swept through him as they battled their way down the corridor to the stairs, which were relatively empty. Running up them to the proper level, McGee directed Loki to the control room.

Rumlow had stationed himself before the door.

"Look at that," he sneered. "NCIS thinks they're on the same level as SHIELD – isn't that cute?"

****

Kate heard the screams as the glass of her Cryostasis Chamber shattered, the mind agent that was supposed to tamp down her senses dissipating into the room. Red tinging her vision, she raced toward Torres, strapped into a chair so similar to the ones they used to subject her to, and hurled herself at the scientist about to administer the first dose of the chemical agent designed to put him through just enough hell to make him want to talk – she'd heard the second dose was actually living hell.