It All Started In A McDonald's...

top level security shit

Maybe I should put Death Itself on the job.

"So what's happening now?" I asked, as the elevator smoothly but very, very slowly made its way to like the sixty-something-th floor. "I don't actually understand what the plan is, gotta be honest."

"We find Stark, and I will take it from there," Maximoff assured me. "Then we wait until he has done what he needs to do. You do not need to do much, do not worry. Just save your worrying for when you have to do that thing you are going to do with Peter later."

I frowned. "So I really just... hang around and wait for you guys to finish?"

"You said you wanted to know how the magic works," Loki said, as the elevator slowed even more. They had to be near the top now. "Call it a demonstration."

I nodded, and the elevator doors slid open. But we weren't on Stark's floor like I thought we were going to be. No, I didn't recognise this floor at all. But Loki and Maximoff were already halfway down the corridor, so I worked out how to make my feet move again and followed them, picking up the pace when I realised how quick they were walking and I didn't want to lose them round the corners so I ended up jogging after them. "What's up here?" I asked, since I wasn't seeing a lot.

Loki turned his head to whisper-shout back at me, "Security shit. Like, top level security shit."

They stopped at a blank door, a very reinforced and over the top door, I gotta say, with a key card scanner on it – like the front gate had, but this one seemed slightly different. "What's Stark doing in top level security?"

"Stark is not here," Maximoff explained, shaking her head, while Loki took a key card out his secret zip pocket (always gotta have a secret zip pocket) which was definitely not his, and scanned it against the scanner. I noted the way they were both stood at the edge of the door like they didn't want to be seen entering and realised I was standing right in front of the door.

"Then what-" I started, but I was way too slow on what the hell was going on, because suddenly – and this was the weird bit – I wasn't standing where I had been just a second before, I was behind Maximoff and my body was tingling with red... smoke? Light? Sparks? What the fuck? By the time I looked up, both of them were already in the room, and I heard a gun click.

I speed-walked over to the doorway entrance and peered inside, with absolutely no clue what was happening. And my eyes were either playing tricks on me or all the agent-y looking dudes had glowing red eyes. "Guys what-" I started, too quietly for anyone to actually hear me. That's when one of the buff-looking security guys snapped out of whatever weird possessed trance he was in and tried to tackle Loki... who was apparently way ahead of him because the security guide was knocked out and lying face down on the floor before I even knew what was happening.

Then Maximoff apologised – OK, her eyes were red too, apparently. "Sorry about that guy. What are we going to do with him?"

Loki shrugged as though that hadn't just happened. "Stick him in a cupboard and wipe his memory I guess. But lets get this bit sorted before we do that."

"You sort him. I can do this," Maximoff said.

Loki shrugged. "Alright. Jamie, keep an eye on Maximoff, make sure she doesn't fuck anything up," he said to me, before opening the door to the cleaning cupboard (why was there a cleaning cupboard in a security room?) and apparently dragging the unconscious dude in there.

I blinked. "I don't remember this part of the plan," I said, walking over to Maximoff, watching her examine the high-level security shit of which I had no idea what the function was. I don't think she did either, looking at her facial expression. Great. I looked at the glowing-red-eyed agent-y looking dudes behind us. "What are you doing to them?"