Special Agent Loki Laufeyson

Chapter 68

Loki looked haggard when Thor brought him and Bishop to the throne room where Gibbs waited. But he looked relieved to see the former Marine, and Bishop ran from her position beside the god of mischief to Gibbs.

"Gibbs, Lucas Sharpe is the Space Walker and –"

"We know," Gibbs said, stopping her. "Are you okay?" There was a bruise on the side of her face, coloring the skin by her hairline, and a scrape down her cheek, crusted with dried blood, but he couldn't see any other injuries beside those.

"I'm fine," she said, brushing at the cut on her face. "We're fine. But what's next, Gibbs? What are we going to do?"

Loki and Thor walked up to the two, the god of thunder looking ready to steady his brother should he need it.

"You good?" Gibbs checked.

Loki nodded. "I'll be all right."

"The Chitauri are coming," Gibbs told him. Bishop's eyes widened at that.

"I thought they would," Loki said, stiffening slightly. "Shall we return to NCIS, then?"

The four set off for the Observatory, where Heimdall only shook his head at the sight of Loki. "I do not know what you said, Agent Gibbs, to affect Loki's release, but I believe that Asgard should not make an enemy out of you."

"That's a good plan," Gibbs said.

"Heimdall, we need to return to Midgard," Thor informed the gatekeeper.

"As you wish," Heimdall said, turning and striding toward the podium. "Let us hope you are successful in your battle."

"We will be," Thor said confidently.

"We have to be," Loki added quietly.

****

"Loki!" DiNozzo shouted as Loki, Thor, Gibbs, and Bishop stepped off the elevator into the squad room. The agent vaulted up from where he was perched on the edge of his desk and came towards the returning group.

"Bishop!" McGhee exclaimed, starting up from his chair. The Avengers all looked up as DiNozzo grabbed Bishop in a hug. McGhee waited impatiently as DiNozzo released her before embracing her as the Italian agent turned to Loki.

"You did it," he said, grinning. "You did it, Loki."

Loki offered a slight smile. "There's no I in TEAM, is there, Tony?"

DiNozzo shook his head and placed his hand on Loki's shoulder. McGhee nodded at the god of mischief. The small gestures said more than words ever could of the agents' deep gratefulness and relief.

"Update," Gibbs barked, slipping past the reunited agents and coming to a halt in the middle of the room. "What's the arrival time for the Chitauri?"

The Avengers, who had been looking at Gibbs wondering what it would have been like had he been in New York with them, shook their heads collectively to clear their heads. "An hour," Stark said. "Tops. Jarvis calculated their trajectory and has found that their path leads them right to us."

"Fury has S.H.I.E.L.D. standing by to jump in," Romanoff added.

"The damage report from that blast of light finally came in," Barton said from Bishop's desk. "Struck a rural town in Virginia. They don't have a number of casualties yet, but they are estimating around forty right now."

Loki closed his eyes briefly.

"It's going to be us against them," Rogers said, arms crossed. "It'll be a tough fight."