Special Agent Loki Laufeyson

Chapter 24

The NCIS team stood by the Bifrost, ready to head back to Earth. Frigga and Odin stood beside Heimdall, regarding the NCIS agents, Odin with a condescending look, Frigga with a warm expression, and Heimdall neutrally.

Abby and Bishop were carrying the soul forge between them, and Tony was blinking and holding one hand to his head. Loki stood beside Gibbs and Ducky, and Thor stood a little in front of the group.

"Thank you," Gibbs said to the king and queen. "Thank you for allowing us to come here."

Odin nodded briefly.

"Thank you," Loki muttered. "I may still die as a result of this headache, but I suppose a thank you is in due course anyway."

Odin ignored Loki, but Frigga pursed her lips and looked sympathetically at her youngest son. "Loki, have faith. There may be a way to cure it."

Before Loki had a chance to respond, Thor's gang of friends came hurrying up. "Fabulous!" Fandrul exclaimed. "We were afraid you would have left by now!"

Fandrul, after a hasty bow to Odin and Frigga, made a beeline to Bishop and gave her a hug. The agent looked surprised but awkwardly hugged him back with her one available arm.

Loki stared at the pair, anger lighting up his eyes. Gibbs noticed Loki's expression and raised his eyebrow at the god, but he was too busy staring at Fandrul and Bishop to notice the former Marine.

Sif, Hogan, and Volstagg said their goodbyes to Thor, Bishop, and Tony before retiring to stand beside Heimdall. "You are free to leave now," Odin said. "Remember what I said, Agent Gibbs."

"And you remember what I said," Gibbs replied evenly. "Thank you again. Come on, team. Let's go."

Heimdall stepped up to the podium with the Bifrost blade and inserted it. Loki could hear the grinding of the gears as the Bifrost emitter positioned itself towards Earth as the lightning crackled around them. Then Heimdall pushed the sword down all the way and the group was caught in the Bifrost's rainbow rays and propelled headlong back to Earth.

Except for Abby's cries of excitement and Tony's groans, the trip back was fairly uneventful. Loki couldn't stop thinking about Fandrul hugging Bishop on the way down. The thought made him extremely angry, and he didn't have the faintest idea why.

The Bifrost deposited them outside the NCIS building, right side up. Ducky stumbled as they landed and Loki caught his arm to steady him.

"Why, thank you, Agent Laufeyson," Ducky said. He glanced around at the other agents catching their own balance. Only Loki, Thor, and almost unsurprisingly, Gibbs, didn't have any problems readjusting to Earth.

"My pleasure, Ducky."

The team headed back to their office block, where Jimmy and McGhee were waiting anxiously. Both of them leaped to their feet the moment the tired group disembarked off the elevator.

"You're back!" McGhee exclaimed. "That was quick. Since you sent for Abby and Ducky, I expected you to be gone a lot longer."

"We identified the source of the headaches," Abby told Jimmy and McGhee excitedly. "There's nothing the Asgardians can do about them."

McGhee frowned, studying Abby's cheerful expression quizzically. "And...you think that's a good thing?"

"Well, no," Abby said. "But.... Guess who can fix them?"

McGhee glanced out of the corner of his eye as he appeared to be thinking. "I'd say – I don't know, Abs. Who?"

"We can!" Abby exclaimed.

"More specifically," Gibbs interjected. "You can, McGhee. Palmer, help Abby and Bishop get the soul forge down to her lab."

"Right away, Agent Gibbs," Palmer said, hurrying over to help the girls carry the piece of Asgardian technology to the elevator to take to the lab. As the doors closed on them, the others could hear him questioning the girls about their trip to Asgard.

Tony collapsed in his desk chair as Loki took his own seat. McGhee stared at Gibbs, trying to process what he had been told.

"I can fix him?" he repeated, flabbergasted. "How, Boss?"

"Abby says that a Trojan horse has been installed in Loki's brain," Gibbs explained shortly. "Someone apparently has 'hacked' Loki and is attempting to control him. I need you to analyze this Trojan horse and get it out of him."

"Okay, Gibbs," McGhee said. "When do you want me to start?"

Gibbs turned and just looked at him with his penetrating gaze.

"Right away, right," McGhee muttered. "But –"

Before McGhee could finish, the sound of someone clearing his throat caught everyone's attention, excepting DiNozzo's. They all looked up to the second floor to see Director Vance standing there, staring down at them.

"Did you perhaps forget to inform him of your absence, Jethro?" Ducky asked quietly.

"No," Gibbs replied. "I didn't forget. I just didn't do it."

"Ah," Ducky murmured.

"How come I never get away with that excuse?" Loki muttered.

"Holds your words, brother," Thor retorted quietly. "We have yet to see if Agent Gibbs gets away with it."

Vance cleared his throat again, aiming his gaze at the two Asgardians.

"I think he wants silence," Thor said to Loki.

Loki just looked at him with raised eyebrows, his expression clearly saying, You think?

"Yes, Director?" Gibbs called up.

"Agent Gibbs," Vance said crisply. "I need to see you in my office."

"Told you," Thor said. "The equivalent of Father's lecture is approaching swiftly for your Agent Gibbs."

Everyone looked at Thor.

"What?" Thor asked, shrugging. "I'm just stating the obvious."

"Gibbs," Vance said sternly. "Now."

Gibbs sighed. "Loki, see if you and McGhee can get any leads on Clare Leopard while Abby readies the soul forge. You'll need that to get to work, McGhee."

"Yes, Boss," McGhee answered, sliding into his desk seat.

"I'm heading down to autopsy," Ducky said to no one in particular as he headed off for the elevator.

Gibbs sighed and began to take the stairs up to the second floor.

/***/

What do you think Vance is going to say to Gibbs? Do you have any guesses? What about Loki getting angry at Fandrul?

Thanks for reading! Please vote and comment! Let me know what you think!

Skylar Wittenborn