Special Agent Loki Laufeyson

Chapter 59

Loki couldn't take anymore of DiNozzo's teasing and prodding. The agent just didn't know when to stop, and all of Loki's threats had no effect, most likely because there wasn't much he could do, lying in the hospital cot. Not much that DiNozzo was afraid of, anyway.

"You guys are going to end up together," he was saying now, confidently. The words themselves could have been taken as encouraging, if it wasn't for the nasty grin on his face that made Loki wonder if there was some hidden threat in DiNozzo's sentence. "I just know it."

Loki desperately wanted to change the topic, but he couldn't find a topic to change it to. The desperation drove everything straight out of his mind. So finally, he just interrupted DiNozzo with, "How did Kate die?"

DiNozzo stopped talking and drew back, brow wrinkled. "Why do you want to know?"

"You said she died working a case. Is that normal?"

DiNozzo's expression grew somber. "It does happen. I've seen it, quite a few times. You should know there's always a chance of death around here."

Loki nodded. "When did she die, and how?"

DiNozzo thought for a moment. "She died back in 2005. Sniped with a marine sniper rifle, which is also known as a kate. It was a purposeful selection by the killer as he knew Gibbs would be aware of the gun's nickname. Gibbs was a Marine sniper in Panama and Operation Desert Storm. He'd used a kate."

"What do you do after an agent dies?" Loki asked, genuinely curious.

"Eventually, they get replaced," DiNozzo said with a shrug.

"Who replaced Kate?" Loki asked.

"Ziva David," DiNozzo replied.

"What happened to her?"

"She left, went home to Israel. Bishop was her replacement."

Loki nodded just as Gibbs came through the door. "You can go, DiNozzo," he said quietly. "Get some sleep."

DiNozzo stood and stretched. "Okay, Boss. But you should have seen Loki and Bishop when I got here –"

Gibbs just gave DiNozzo a look that shut the agent up. "Night, Boss," he muttered, exiting the room hurriedly as if to avoid a potential slap.

Gibbs sat down and looked at Loki. "How's your head?"

"Better," Loki responded. "No flashbacks or anything of the sort yet."

"There shouldn't be." Dr. Strange's voice came from the doorway as the doctor entered and checked Loki's monitor. "I removed every bit of the energy source. Anything that was instigated by the source will cease." As Strange gestured to Gibbs to follow him from the room, the agent stood up and left.

"I'm not a psychologist, Agent Gibbs," Strange said quietly. "But I do know the symptoms, and from the file on your Agent Laufeyson, he has PTSD. It is my belief that the energy source only exacerbated his symptoms. He probably still has them, although they might manifest themselves differently."

Gibbs furrowed his brow. "What was the purpose of the source?"

Strange looked away for a moment before meeting Gibbs' gaze again. "Due to the analysis of Mr. Stark and Agent McGhee, the source was a tracking device and a memory chip."

"A memory chip?" Gibbs repeated.

Strange nodded. "It was meant to save Agent Laufeyson's memories and thoughts for the 'hacker' to preserve."

Gibbs felt a hard knot form in his stomach. If Loki's former boss, Thanos, was responsible for the source, as Loki believed....

....and if this Thanos was planning on killing Loki in punishment for his failure in New York....