Muffins - Loki & Ylva alternate universe stories

The handler VI

"What do you mean, you can't show me the footage of that corridor?" I stare at the technician who turns his desk chair from left to right, drumming his fingers on the arm rest.

"This was all I am allowed to show you, Miss," he says for the second time. He has turned all the screens back to the live stream from the hotel and casino.

As if on cue, Miss Du Bois shows up again. "How is everything here?"

"Good, we're good," Loki answers, turning around to her. "It was really helpful, thank you again."

"It was my pleasure," she answers sweetly. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"I'd love to talk to your boss, Mr. Christopher, if that's possible?" I ask casually, even though I would rather march straight up to his office right away.

"I would have to see if he's available," she answers evasively.

"We're happy to wait, Miss," I say quickly.

"Very well," she answers. "Follow me." She directs us to another waiting area, in another generic corridor. There are no windows here, just doors to what are probably all offices. At the end of the hall is a door that opens to a locker room, a couple of staff members just came out of it. I guess it's time to change shifts.

"Excuse me, Charmaine?" Loki says before the woman leaves us. He holds up a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "Is there somewhere I can have a smoke? I know it's a nasty habit, but..." He lifts his shoulders with a charming smirk.
Miss Du Bois gestures for him to follow her to the end of the hall. Next to the locker room is an emergency exit. She pushes the door open; it leads to the roof of the lower part of the building at the back of the casino. There are some plastic chairs and an ashtray right around the corner; the staff uses this as a smoking spot too.

"You smoke?" I ask Loki when we are alone on the roof.

He turns the pack over in his hands, opening and closing the lid. "No. They're from that technician, they were in his coat pocket."

"Well, you smoke now," I answer quietly and nod subtly to the camera above the emergency exit. Loki nods and takes a cigarette out. Lucky for him this smoker keeps his lighter inside his pack of smokes.

"Dirty habit," he smiles as he lights up.

I shrug. "Nice to be outside, though." The edge of the roof is not far away to our left. I walk up to it and look down. We are four stories high, above a parking lot for the employees. I turn back to watch Loki. He's letting the cigarette burn up mostly by itself, his eyes wandering over the roof. Not much here but pipes and air conditioning units. Still, it's a nice change from that dark surveillance room. I think Loki felt cooped up too.

My earpiece crackles at the same time I spot movement behind Loki. "Watch out!" I cry and Loki turns just in time to see his assailant.

"Hydra!" agent Jones pipes up in my earpiece. "We're coming!"

Loki's attacker has some sort of stun gun that Loki quickly rips from his hands. I grab it while Loki ends the short struggle by throwing his assailant into the wall with a sickening crack. Just when I wonder where his buddies are, a helicopter rounds the building. We dive for the open door as Hydra opens fire.
"Where?!" Loki asks as he kicks the door shut.

"Top roof!" I answer when agent Jones tells me she'll pick us up there. "Take out that chopper!" I instruct her as I follow Loki to the nearest stairwell. I hit the fire alarm on my way, we need to get the civilians out.

We're only two floors up when someone suddenly shoots at us from a lower floor. Cursing our lack of arms - what am I gonna do with a stun gun now?! - I run faster up the stairs, Loki close behind me. Another spray of bullets hits the walls, Loki pulls me down on the stairs for cover. "You okay?" he asks when he lets me go so we can run again.
I don't have to answer, we just have to get out of here. If only he could teleport right now, that would be great.