Special Agent Loki Laufeyson

Chapter 42

As Loki, DiNozzo, and Gibbs headed down to autopsy to see what leads Ducky might have dug up for them, Loki sighed. At that very moment, Director Vance was writing to Dr. Strange's hospital requesting that he be sent to D.C. for important government business.

Loki liked being labeled as important government business. He had enjoyed it during his invasion, and he enjoyed it now.

"What've you got for me, Duck?" Gibbs asked as the three stepped into the autopsy room.

Ducky and Jimmy looked up from the body of Diaz, lying outstretched on the autopsy table. The body cavity that had been open the last time Loki was down here had been stitched up. "Ah, Jethro," Ducky greeted, coming around the table and approaching the agents. "Hello, Tony, Loki."

"Ducky," the two agents acknowledged.

"Found anything?" Gibbs asked, looking at the body as DiNozzo and Loki came to a stop on either side of him.

"Actually, I did," Ducky answered. "On his forehead, there was some particles of a foreign substance, right in the center, up between his eyes. I've just sent it up to Abby for analysis, along with his stomach contents and a sample of his blood."

"Cause of death," Gibbs stated.

"Judging by the spittle surrounding his mouth and an examination of the soft tissue in his esophagus, Mr. Palmer's initial diagnosis of poisoning is correct," Ducky replied, pointing to Diaz's mouth. "It is the same as the effects we found during our examination of Petty Officer Samson."

"Chitauri dust," Loki murmured.

"Precisely, Agent Laufeyson," Ducky affirmed. "I am liable to think that the dust was located in either his meal or his drink. Mr. Palmer, care to explain why?"

"Because of the tissue in his throat," Jimmy spoke up. "It appears almost corroded. It is the same effect we found in the blood vessels of Petty Officer Samson. This corrosion occurred several minutes before his estimated time of death."

"Good job," Gibbs said. "Call me when you find anything else. DiNozzo, Laufeyson, let's go."

The three agents walked into the elevator. DiNozzo frowned and looked at Loki. "I meant to ask earlier, Laufeyson –"

"If you so much as mention Agent Bishop, I will tear your throat out and mount your head on a pole as a trophy," Loki snarled warningly.

"You Asgardians keep heads as trophies?" Tony asked, wrinkling his brow.

"No," Loki stated. "But there's always a first."

Tony laughed and grinned. "Loki, I was going to ask about the scepter you used in your invasion. What, exactly, does it do besides disintegrate stuff?"

"It could disintegrate people," Loki told him flatly. "If I wanted it to."

DiNozzo just looked at him. "Besides disintegration!"

"Well, it is fabulous for mind control," Loki said reminiscently, a slight smile on his face as he thought back to his invasion. "I used it to manipulate several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to aid me in my plan to invade earth."

"You used it to control people?" Tony repeated.

"Oh, yes. I even had one of the Avengers working for me for a time."

"Which one?" Gibbs asked.

"Clint Barton," Loki said, feeling pain shudder through his brain with the memory.

"You have heart," he told the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, making the decision not to kill this one.

"You mean Arrow Boy?" Tony said.

"Yes, I suppose," Loki agreed. "It didn't work on Stark."

"You tried to control Stark?" Gibbs queried.

Loki nodded. "I did. That didn't go too well. Although it was quite enjoyable to see the fear in his eyes, if only for a moment."

"Because if we can't protect the earth, you can be darn well sure we'll avenge it," Stark told Loki seriously, taking a sip from his glass.

Loki started to take menacing steps towards the Iron Man. "How will your friends have time for me," he began softly, pausing for effect. "When they're so busy fighting you?"

The scepter began to power up as Stark realized exactly what Loki meant to do. It flashed in his eyes, the fear that he could become the mindless beast Barton had once been. Loki brought the scepter up and touched it to his chest before Stark could do anything.

The scepter powered down as the tip made a clinking sound against Stark's chest. Perplexed, Loki tried again, only to receive the same result.

"This usually works," he stated in confusion.

"Well, performance issues, you know," Stark suggested. He grimaced. "Not uncommon. One out of five –"

Loki silenced Stark by grasping his throat and flinging him to the floor.

"Jarvis," Stark muttered, pushing himself up. "Any time now."

Loki grabbed him by the throat again, baring his teeth angrily. "You will all fall before me," he promised.

"Deploy!" Stark gasped as Loki lifted him up off of his feet. "Deploy!"

Loki hurled him through the window and heard Stark yelling as he fell to what would have been his death had another version of that cursed Iron Man suit not flown out after him, knocking Loki over.

Pain shot through Loki's head and he flinched, jerking his head to the left as if to escape the pain. It lashed through his mind and he placed the heel of his palm to his temple, just wanting the agony to go away. He just wanted to be left alone. Why couldn't Thanos just leave him alone?

"You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain!"

He had failed. Thanos would never leave him alone until Loki was dead, until Loki had paid for his failure. "If you dare to fail in this assignment...you will never know peace.

Pain? You know irritation. I will teach you pain. And pain will bring you right back."

Gibbs looked at him with a frown. "Headache again?"

"Yes," Loki murmured, wondering how Thanos was planning to punish him in the long run. The headaches were only temporary. They had to be. Thanos had some other plan up his sleeve that he was going to put into play. What type of pain had the Titan dreamed up for his failed mission?

"I would have paid good money to see Stark working for you," DiNozzo snorted, seeming to have missed everything that had just happened. "Or Arrow Boy, for that matter."

The elevator opened and the three field agents stepped off into the squad room. "We just need to make sure that no one falls under the scepter's influence," Gibbs said.

"Oh, that won't be any problem," a voice said from across the squad room. Loki felt himself stiffening and he glanced up at the group of six people standing there. He knew that voice. He had just heard it.

Tony Stark stood there, arms crossed over his chest. Behind him stood Thor, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and Bruce Banner. The Avengers.

"We're taking over this case."

/***/

NCIS meets the Avengers! This is going to be...well, interesting. Very interesting. I guess we'll see how this will progress! Tune in next week to see how this goes down!

Thanks for reading; remember to comment and vote! So, what did you think of this chapter? Did you expect the Avengers to show up, or did they surprise you?

This week's question is about Abby: what do you think of her? Her quirkiness, her partiality to Loki? 

Once again, thank you for reading, and have a great day!

Skylar Wittenborn