The Harlovsen headquarters was something Magnus was very proud of. Besides the offices, it contained several rooms the Harlovsens could stay in between missions or when they weren't hired. The extensive training centre could compete with the best gyms. And in the laboratory, they worked on new security systems and smaller weapons.
The construction of weapons had never been an emphasis of the Harlovsen business. They concentrated on managing missions, submerging and staying under the radar.
Magnus sipped on his coffee, the tenth already. Damn Super Soldier Serum. It had made him strong, really strong. But at the same time, his body has been altered to quickly dismantle harmful substances. And whoever had decided that caffeine was harmful belonged to Guantanamo, hung by their thumbs.
A message appeared on his computer screen. Magnus placed the cup next to the keyboard and opened it.
"Mission failed." The sender of the message was Arne.
Magnus cursed. They wouldn't have left her behind if Katta hadn't commanded them to. He knew that the Stark tower would be challenging, but somehow, he'd hoped that Arne, Erik and Olaf managed to free Katta, regardless.
He wanted to push it away and proceed with setting up the new safehouse in Soho, but Magnus needed to see if Katta was in immediate danger.
It took him two hours to overcome the Stark security system. Magnus had to admit that Tony Stark was one intelligent motherfucker. His systems seemed to improve on their own.
As he finally hacked into the cameras, he found Katta sitting in a room that didn't seem to be locked. She looked okay for her state, not as if she was seriously harmed. He breathed out, relieved.
The only thing that nagged on his nerves was that they wouldn't try a second time to get her. It was a part of the deal they'd made years ago. One try - nothing more.
Still, Magnus would prepare everything just in case she managed to flee herself. It wouldn't be the first time. Turning around on his chair, he faced Fenris. His brother was responsible for intercepting information from security agencies worldwide. Together, they sat in the Harlovsen Head Quarter and observed worldwide occurrences. If something happened, one could be sure that they already knew about it. It was part of their network and one reason they were so popular with clients worldwide.
Knowledge meant power.
Fenris frowned, watching the screen of his display. "Look at that, Magnus." He waved his brother over. Stepping behind him, Magnus examined the screen's record. It looked like a NASA file.
"This radiation has occurred over the last few weeks more and more frequently with increasing strength," Fenris stated, pointing at the curves of the graphic.
"Could it be from a foreign satellite?" Magnus asked, going back to his computer starting tapping.
"Unlikely. The only satellites nearby are not evolved high enough to send such strong signals." Fenris leaned back in his chair. Magnus started a search to compare the radiation to others they had recorded before. The computer started working, and he stood up to get himself a coffee, his brother on his heels.
"So Katta's out?" Fenris poured some sugar into his mug.
"Yes. For now. Erik, Olaf and Arne tried it, but she cancelled the Mission." Magnus sighed, stirring his beverage. "From what I saw on the security cams, she seems unharmed and not locked away."
"Why would she change her mind all of a sudden?" Fenris wondered. "There must be a leverage included."
"Most likely, but I didn't search that far. There are more important things at the moment. Liv is on a mission for the MI6, and I was all busy with controlling her environment," Magnus replied.
His computer pinged, signalling that the search was ended. "APRIL 2012" blinked on the screen next to a graph that compared the actual radiation to the one it had recorded back then. "Dritt - (shit)," he cursed in Norwegian.
"It's not what I think it is, is it?" Fenris peered over his shoulder.
"Yes, it is. Fuck," Magnus cursed. In April 2012, Loki had come to earth. It had ended in New York's battle on 4rth May 2012.
"And you are sure that's not an error?" Fenris asked.
"I don't think so. The radiations match on 96%."
"Alright, I'll give out a warning to the others." Fenris nodded and started contacting the Harlovsens worldwide so that they could start preparing for whatever would come.
〰〰〰
"That could hurt a bit," Bruce warned as he held the little gun with the chip to Katta's forearm. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Right, you'll probably not mind," he mumbled before pulling the trigger. A sharp pain jolted through Katta's arm.
"That I heal fast doesn't mean that it hurts less," she hissed, peering at her arm.
"I'm sorry. Next time, we numb it beforehand." Bruce pulled out an ultrasound device and slid it above the chip in her arm, looking at a screen beside him.
"Next time," Katta muttered, too quietly for him to hear.
"Perfect," Bruce exhaled before shortly smiling at her. The situation apparently made him uncomfortable.
"What exactly does that chip?" Katta pulled the sleeve of her sweatshirt back down.
"It's a location device in the first place," Bruce answered, dodging her look.
"And what does it in second place?" Katta stood up from the lab table.
"It gives us exact details about your physical conditions," Bruce explained. He pointed at one of the screens, where lines with regular amplitudes appeared.
"Your heart is beating so slowly." He sounded amazed. Like Katta was the newest great discovery in science.
"I'm glad I could be of assistance," Katta muttered briefly. She left the laboratories and went through the corridor. Apparently, she was S.H.I.E.L.Ds newest lab rat. A shiver ran down her spine. Would they experiment with her as H.Y.D.R.A did? Would they electrocute her to make her stay awake for weeks? Would they take her blood and try to alternate it? Would they slice her skin to see how fast she could heal?
"Lady Katta!"
She flinched, raising her shoulders. For a second, she heard a droning in her ears, but it ended as quickly as it had begun. Upon turning around, she saw Thor walking in her direction. He wore the typical Asgardian armour, his hammer dangling from his right wrist.
Katta breathed in, chiding herself. Damnit, her nerves were on edge.
"I suppose you're not going to stay," she noticed. Thor grinned at her, letting his hammer rotate.
"You suppose right, Lady Katta. I'll head to godly halls of Asgard to look after Loki in the godly cells."
"I get it. Everything is very godly," Katta rolled her eyes. Still, she couldn't completely hide the smirk pulling on her lips. He noticed it, smiling back.
"You're really beautiful when you smile."
Katta thought she had misheard, but Thor kept talking. "Beautiful, but very angry at the same time. You should think about a betrothal. Maybe to a god. Not many women of Midgard ever get the chance to lay with a man of Asg--"
"Are you kidding me?" Katta interrupted him. "You are suggesting that I--" she pointed at herself, "and you--?" she pointed at him.
"No, ha. What? No." He blushed. "I have this really beautiful girlfriend. Her n-name is Jane. She's a Midgardian."
"I--," he then pointed at him, "was thinking that you," he pointed at Katta, "should think about meeting my brother, so that--"
Katta's mouth dropped. Never before had she met somebody who spoke so bluntly! Her nostrils flared as she even thought about the option. She quickly shook her head, trying to get the picture out of her mind. As she opened them, Thor still stood right in front of her, his eyebrows quirked.
Katta cleared her throat. "You can tell your brother that I'm waiting for the moment when I'll be his worst nightmare. I'll grab his throat and squeeze until the light of life fades from his eyes." Katta raised her hands to imitate the move. "In your language: No! No betrothal and EW! No laying with your brother."
Katta turned on her heels and went towards the kitchen. "I'M GLAD YOU'RE FIGHTING WITH US," Thor yelled behind her.
"GREET YOUR BROTHER FROM ME," she yelled back before passing the kitchen door. She hadn't eaten since this morning, and her belly grumbled. Pasta and fried salmon would do the job. It was something the Harlovsen cooked for their family dinners in the headquarter.
Katta sliced a lemon, a slight smile grazing over her face as she imagined the knife would be on Lokis's throat, slowly cutting it open. Daydreaming, she almost missed the additional presence in the room if it weren't for the reflection in one of the silver pots.
"No need to sneak around," Katta said over her shoulder, without turning around.
"You need to tell me how you do that," Natashas voice sounded from behind her. Wordlessly, Katta pointed at the pot.
"Really impressing, you Harlovsens," Natasha remarked, leaning against the kitchen island. Katta turned around and started setting the table.
"And you mean all of us or just Erik?" she asked.
A faint blush crept over Natasha's cheeks. "He warned you, didn't he. You know we were coming?"
Katta nodded. "In the end, blood is thicker than water. Even Erik knows that. I don't wanna know what you did to get that little piece of information out of him. Please no details." Katta shuddered as she squeezed lemon to drop over the pasta.
"Well, he is not bad looking."
"NO DETAILS," Katta clarified. "I'm serious. I know enough about you to bury you in a deep hole in the very north of Russia. And bears will feast on your rotting flesh."
Katta had expected Natasha to back away, but instead, she began laughing. "You sound like my sister. It is something she would do."
"Seems like your sister is nice," Katta remarked.
"What exactly do you know about me?" Natasha took a seat at the table as Katta filled her plate with pasta.
"Natalia Alianovna Romanova. Karate, Judo, Aikido, Savate, Boxing, Lucha-libre style Wrestling, and several Kung Fu styles mastered. Excellent spy. Former H.Y.D.R.A and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent. And you must have noticed the looks Banner is giving you," Katta winked, twirling spaghetti around her fork.
Natasha blinked, watching Katta take a bite from her plate.
"We started searching for information about you after you nearly were able to put down Erik in Bulgaria," Katta explained with a mouthful.
"Your network must be amazing," Natasha answered, shaking her head.
"You have no idea," Katta replied.
The door swung open, and Tony entered. He opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.
"How are our assassins doing? Are you already painting each other fingernails?" He turned to them. "Or is it rather about exchanging throwing knives?"
Natasha nodded towards him and also grabbed a bowl of pasta. "We were just talking about spying stuff, right?"
"Sure," Katta agreed. "I was telling Natasha how we used to squeeze out people's eyes with our thumbs to torture them. How's Virginia, by the way?"
Tony choked on the water and coughed a few times. Natasha quirked a brow. "Who's Virginia, Tony?"
He looked up, a blasted look on his face. "Pepper. It's her first name." he stammered, looking at Katta. Natasha nodded in appreciation.
"Not bad, Harlovsen."
Katta smirked, winking at her. The Harlovsens had started collecting information about the Avengers as soon as they had left their garden party. Magnus had given her every piece of information they had gathered over the last few years. Ever since Tony Stark had started being Iron man.