Coffee and Books 1

Chapter 37

I try to escape Romanoff's grip when she leads me to a scary looking dentist chair with restraints, but she is way stronger than she looks. To my relief she walks past the chair, to stop at something that looks a lot like an MRI machine. Next to it is a female doctor of some sorts with a tablet in her hand, I recognise my name and photo on the screen. 

"Miss Frederikson, this will only take a couple of minutes. You only have to lay as still as possible." She pulls a gurney from the machine's tunnel and taps on it with her hand, as to invite me to lie down. I cry and struggle, but I end up on that gurney, stripped from my jeans and bound by restraints on my wrists and ankles. "Sorry, no metal in the machine," the doctor says, extending her hands to take of my necklace.

"No! Don't take that!"

Agent Romanoff steps up to the gurney and carefully removes my necklace. "You'll get it back as soon as you're done, I promise." She puts a hand on my shoulder. "Now try to relax. We're almost done now."

Easy for her to say. I am sobbing when they put me in the machine. I hear the voice of the doctor over an intercom, telling me again I should not move a muscle. I also hear director Fury in the background.
"Her powers are linked to her emotions. You should get a good read out of her now."

Suddenly music starts to play, a generic tune like you hear in an elevator. The machine starts buzzing, the noise growing louder and softer in waves.

———————

The red Tesla sedan comes to a screeching halt in front of the building. Loki opens the door of the car before it has come to a complete stop, but a big hand on his shoulder prevents him from getting out of the car.
"Loki, we discussed this! You wait here, while we get her out. I can't have you tearing that building down brick by brick. You'll end up in that cell again." Thor gives his brother a stern look. He understands his brother's feelings, but those feelings make him a liability right now.

Loki clenches his jaw. "Ten minutes. If you don't have her out by then, I'm coming in."

"We'll get your girl," Tony Stark says, getting out from behind the wheel. Stark and Thor walk up to the building, leaving Loki by the car. The God of Lies is pacing back and forth, his hands balled to fists.

The men bluff their way past the security guards, going down a long corridor. Tony Stark looks at his phone. "Natasha said we could find her there," he says, pointing to the double doors a little way down the hall. 

Just when they get to the doors, Nick Fury steps into the hallway. "Gentlemen," he says by way of greeting.

"Where is Ylva?!" Thor demands in his booming voice. The God of Thunder is very angry, but he controls his anger because of his fellow Avenger next to him. Picking a fight with the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't help anyone.

"Really, Fury? Did you have to do it this way? The girl is harmless," Tony Stark chides the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. standing before him.

"The girl has powers. Powers that Loki can use. Powers that she can use, once she learns to control them better."

"Ylva barely knows she has them," Thor interrupts Fury. "You had no right to take her in like some sort of criminal!"

"The Sokovia Accords give me every right," Fury states curtly.

"Well, then you are reading them differently than I am," Stark replies. "You are just doing this to piss him off! And it worked. There is one angry god on your doorstep right now! You should be glad it's only us that came in."

Tired of talking, Thor pushes past director Fury and barges in to the laboratory. On screens around the room a body scan is visible, red highlights centered around the spine and brain of the human figure. A couple of people in white lab coats are studying the screens.
Agent Romanoff is just helping Ylva down from the gurney. She is only wearing underwear and a polo shirt from work and her eyes are swollen from crying. Ylva doesn't seem to notice him, staring into nothing. Thor hesitates to go to her and Natasha Romanoff signals him to wait. She helps to make Ylva decent again and puts on her necklace. She hands Thor the apron Ylva had been wearing before.

"Ylva?" Thor gently takes the girl by her hand. "Come, we'll take you home."

———————

In a daze I walk through the corridor, Thor's big arm around my shoulders. It's a good thing he is holding me, I am shaking all over. When we get to the lobby, a tall dark figure rushes over to me. Loki takes my face in his hands and kisses me, his lips and touch urgent. He pulls me close, his arms protectively around me.

"Come on, let's go," I hear Tony Stark saying and Loki turns us to the exit.

"How cute you two are together," Director Fury chuckles from behind us. "Has he shown you how his true colour yet?" 
Loki tenses up immediately and I can feel him letting go of me, probably to have his hands free to hurt Fury. But Thor resolutely moves us both through the door, to a red car waiting out front.

In the back of the car, buckled in by Loki and with him holding my hand, I can finally relax a bit. I slouch back in the seat, feeling exhausted by the whole ordeal. Loki is watching me closely, rubbing my hand with his thumb. "Are you ok?" he asks softly.

"I think so." I honestly don't know what I'm feeling, but I don't think 'ok' is the right description. But it is over, I'm safe now, Loki and Thor are here. If I'm not ok now, I will be very soon.

The car moves silently along the roads. Loki clears his throat. "Thank you, Stark."

The billionaire glances in his rear view mirror. "You're welcome. Both. Fury was way out of line on this one."

Author's note:
Tony Stark was able to show his good side in this chapter. I, for one, am glad about that. How about you?
Three chapters to go now... uh-oh...