Feel Something

Chapter 15: We Built This Town on Shaky Ground

"I'm feeling a strong sense of—what is that phrase you Midgardians are so fond of? Ah yes, déjà vu."

Loki sat yet again in the stiff metal chair across from his "handler," waiting to finally learn what his future would hold with SHIELD. And once more he was prepared for the worst, fully expecting SHIELD to at long last come to their senses about the ticking time bomb they had acquired in Loki Laufeyson.

But there Coulson sat, elbows resting on his desk and fingers laced loosely in front of him as he took in Loki's characteristic snark with bemusement. "You know, most people would jump at the chance to get paid for just sitting around."

"Well, idle hands and all," Loki shrugged, stamping down the rush of impatience that flooded his system like a drug. Ennui had always been the bane of Loki's existence. It was why he earned the title of Trickster at such a young age—he loathed feeling purposeless. Useless. "Now are you going to put my skills to use at long last or am I to seek alternative employment?"

Coulson wordlessly slid a thin black folder across the desk to Loki just as Agent Romanoff appeared stealthily in the chair next to him. Loki hadn't even heard her come into the room and flushed with irritation at his lack of awareness. He was growing complacent. Having a real job to do was looking better by the second.

"Has he been briefed?" Natasha inquired, snatching up the folder before Loki could reach for it. He shot daggers at the agent for her impertinence, but she took no notice as she flipped casually through the thin pages.

"I was just getting to that, Agent Romanoff," Coulson replied, "But seeing as you are here, it would seem our time is up. Loki, the two of you will be partnered for this mission. I trust Romanoff will fill you in on the details en route?"

Natasha shrugged, relaxing back into her chair as she closed the folder and rested it atop her crossed legs. "We're not taking off immediately, but we should gear up before hitting the skies. Besides, I figured the new guy would want to say goodbye to his girlfriend before we go."

Entirely aware of both who Natasha was referring to and what she was insinuating—Migardian linguistics left very little to the imagination—Loki decided against arguing the point and instead rose coolly from his chair, deftly snatching the file from Natasha's loose grip. "It would be a shame to not bid my adoring fans farewell, wouldn't it? I will meet you on the helipad within the hour, partner." After a nod of formal dismissal from Coulson, Loki left the office and made his way back to his quarters to prepare for his first official assignment as a SHIELD agent.

As he walked briskly down empty hallways, he scanned through the black folder in earnest. It seemed this assignment was to be fairly covert—no more than he and Romanoff, in fact. They would be investigating rumors of a militant upcropping outside of Sacramento—the remnants of a war-mongering group known as HYDRA.

Other than a brief report on the rumored hideout from Agent Rumlow and a map of the area, the file was primarily made up of historical data regarding the terror organization and its background with a patriotic character known as "Captain America."

Loki smirked as he observed a picture of this fabled hero before commenting over his shoulder at his newly assigned partner—he was getting better at tracking her movements—"So this is what Earth's mightiest hero looked like, is it?"

"He was one for the books, that's for sure," Natasha confirmed, quickening her pace until she was at Loki's side, leaning over slightly to study the image he was holding, "Captain Steve Rogers. The outfit was a little campy, but he was more than what journalists liked to paint him as."