Madness of the Serpent

Interrogation

Their journey soon came to an end, to the spirit's relief. The atmosphere inside of the crowded air vessel had been uncomfortable, the air rife with charged tension and frazzled nerves. The hatch door opened and the spirit saw they were inside a spacious metal structure – some kind of holding facility filled with other air vessels which were considerably more aerodynamic than the squat vehicle they had previously occupied.

Loki was led from the air vessel first – the shield-warrior and armored human flanking him while his brother followed close behind. The female with the crimson hair unclipped the spirit from its seat and firmly held it by the bicep as she led it onto solid ground.

A group of humans waited for them, somber in their black and navy blue bulky garments. One in particular stood out, the expression on his face one of severity as his singular eye observed them closely. His skin was dark brown and his head was devoid of hair, his dome dimly reflecting the lights from above. Tendril-like scars were seen past the edges of his eye-cover, as if something very powerful had deprived him of his sight.

His body language spoke of power, authority, and complete control which brokered no disobedience.

"Put him in the tank," he said in a deep, commanding voice, indicating the bound Loki whose wrists were now being shackled behind his back. A gathering of armed and armored humans surrounded him, and the Jotun-Asgardian gave the authority figure an unimpressed sneer as they led him away.

The human leader turned his attention to the spirit, still dressed in its glittering attire, and said, "Detention level, standard cell. Give her something more practical to wear."

The female gave a curt nod and raised the spirit's hand, placing it on a flat surface. A line of light shone underneath its palm, apparently scanning its image into the device. Once its hand was removed from the tablet, the female wasted no time in escorting it from the vast area, pressing her finger to her ear to give instructions to an unseen party regarding the acquisition of clothing.

It looked over its shoulder to find Loki, but he was already gone. There was nothing to do but allow itself to be led by the red-haired female.

They did not speak, and the spirit took this time to observe. They were in some type of military compound, and there were uniformed males and females everywhere. They all wore similar black-and-blue garments and moved with precision and discipline. The intense focus they displayed was not dissimilar to the way Loki's mind-thralls behaved, which drew its thoughts to Barton.

Would he be concerned about the spirit's predicament after having been charged with guarding it? Or would he continue to follow instructions, his enslaved mind not giving it another thought? Loki had indicated he would reunite with the assassin, but how was that possible when they were now captives of the human warriors and a branch of their military?

And from the recognizable circular emblem on the shoulders of every human it passed, it knew exactly what kind of military organization now held them in captivity. The documentary had served its purpose in making the spirit extremely wary of the entity known as SHIELD.

The female led the spirit through several doors and they descended several stairs before they paused in front of a blank wall. The human slid her palm over a device, and the wall slid back, revealing itself to be a door to a brightly-lit room covered in grey walls with a dull metallic floor.

It was brighter and cleaner than its quarters in the underground structure, but it was a cell nonetheless. A horizontal surface designed for sleep was attached to the wall, a small facility for eliminating waste was sequestered privately to the side, and there was a spigot high on the wall that served an unknown function. There was also a small, black device in the upper corner of the room, its purpose also obscure.