Chapter 10 - Prison Transfer

Thor walked through the halls of Asgard, aiming for Lokis cell. He hadn't been here in a while, but it wasn't like he'd missed something. Asgard looked the same since -- well, since the making of Asgard.

A whiff of something was in the air, but Thor couldn't point it out. Probably his mother, casting spells. When he arrived in front of the glassy cage, Loki sat in his cell, reading. His little brother had always preferred the accompany of books over the accompany of people.

When Loki finally looked up to acknowledge him, pure hatred shone in his eyes. Slowly, he put the book aside and stood up.

"The almighty Thor has returned to Asgard," he snarled, examining Thor.

Thor knew that Loki still held a grudge for believing that he was his brother. Loki had never admitted it, but Thor suspected that he was wounded over it.

Loki kept walking to the glass. With every step, his appearance changed. From him in his godly gowns to his armour and his natural form - with blue skin and all red eyes.

"Stop it, Loki," Thor commanded.

"Why? Can't you stand seeing me as what I really am?" Loki seethed, clenching his fists. His magic still was there; even the cell couldn't stop him from keeping some of his powers, although they weren't as strong as usual. Thor tried to suppress a shudder.

"There will come a time when we reign Asgard aside," he said, mustering Loki. He believed that he and his brother could work together. Loki glared at him with all distaste he could muster.

"There will come a time when I bent over your lifeless body and rip the crown from your head," Loki spat back and turned away.

"I already heard similar words today," Thor muttered. He turned around and walked back to the bifröst.

At least Loki had been how Thor had expected him to be. Currently, there was no point in him staying in Asgard. The Asgardians would make sure that Loki stayed in his cell to fulfil his sentence, and Thor had found some great company at Midgard with the Avengers. Maybe, after all, he could bring Lady Katta to spend a bit of time with Loki. Bizarrely, they matched each other. He could perfectly imagine them outdoing each other with death threats.

Heimdall already waited at the bifröst to send Thor to Midgard.

"It is just a feeling," he said as Thor got ready to travel. "But there will come something to Midgard that you don't expect."

Heimdall saw and heard almost everything that happened at the nine realms and could even perceive future scenes. He wouldn't speak a warning like that without reason.

"I'll keep my eyes open, old friend," Thor promised before he had returned to Stark Tower.

〰〰〰

Steve took a step back as Thor appeared out of a lightray in the living room. "When I was young, there only existed one God. And he would definitely not dress like that," he muttered.

Bucky chuckled, stretching his arms. "When I was young, no female assassins existed that could easily kick your ass."

"Oh shut up," Steve sighed, rubbing his face. "Fine, Katta surprised me. Next time I'll show no consideration."

Tony entered the room, his arm spread. "Two things," he announced. "One. Yes, Cap, she kicked your ass so hard this morning that I thought it would fall off. Two. We're leaving for S.H.I.E.L.D headquarter. Somebody get Katta." He turned on his heel and left the room.

Steve sighed and slowly got up. He looked at Bucky, who mirrored his expression. "Will you get her, Buck? I've got to get some things."

"Sure," Bucky said, smirking lightly. It was a sweet joy that he found in seeing Steve so worked up over the fact that Katta had beat him so plainly that morning. Steve sent him a warning look before he left as well.

Bucky quickly made his way to Katta's quarter. A nervous tingling rushed through his neck as he approached her door and knocked. It was only a feeling, but it had shown that it was a reliable precursor for danger in the previous years.

"Come in, Barnes," she answered. How did Katta know that it was him? Opening the door, he saw her sitting on the floor, her eyes closed. Her legs were crossed, and her hands laid on her knees.

"Pack your things. We're leaving in twenty minutes," Bucky said, still looking at her.

"Anything else?" Katta opened her eyes and slowly turned her head to him. Bucky shook his head but couldn't get himself to move. She seemed to take his glaring for interest.

"Meditation. You should try it sometimes." Katta got up and let her head circle. A few bones cracked in her neck. His eyes followed her through the room as he thought about their last encounter in her cell.

"How often do you get those nightmares," Bucky asked, watching her as she started to load her bag with some clothes.

Katta sighed, grabbing a pair of shoes. "I think you misunderstood the situation, Barnes. That I work with you doesn't mean that we're best friends and telling each other our deepest secrets." She looked up and quirked a brow.

Bucky felt his jaw clench. A pain in the arse. This was what she's been since the first second. He huffed. "Don't flatter yourself, Harlovsen. Only because we have the same nightmares--"

"Sorry, but I have no interest in a self-aid group for traumatized super-soldiers," Katta interrupted him, pulling out two throwing knives from under her hoodie.

Buckys eyes grew wide. She had a weapon ban. "How did you get those?" he asked, alarmed. His whole body tensed from the sight of the weapons.

"No need to piss yourself, Barnes. Nobody was complaining when I used the knives in the kitchen to prepare my food," she retorted. Bucky wanted to contradict, but after all, she wasn't wrong.

"Twenty minutes," he muttered, turning around.

"I get them every once in a month," he heard her say behind him as his hand laid on the doorknob. "The same interval, they had to renew the serum and restart my mind control."

Bucky looked over his shoulder at Katta, that had finished packing her things. She stood in front of her suitcase, her shoulders hunched. He pulled his hand back, waiting for something else. Katta looked over her shoulder, her eyebrows drawn together.

"Don't look that pitiful. I don't need pity," she said. Katta grabbed the suitcase and came his way. "Come on, I don't want to be late for my transfer. Something in the north would be nice. This climate is too hot."

"This is not a prison transfer," Bucky contradicted. "You're not a prisoner."

Katta laughed throatily. "I'll be a prisoner 'til the day I decide to stay on my own will, Barnes. You should look it up on the internet." She turned her head to him. "Oh, I forgot. Internet is something people do on-the-line."

"Shut up," he muttered. Still, he watched the smirk that skimmed over her face from the side of his eyes. It was so unusual to see expressions other than hatred glaring on her. It was nice.

They went to the common room side by side, where most of the others already had assembled, without exchanging another word. Katta looked around and waited for further instructions.

"We're taking the Quinjet", Tony announced, motioning them to follow him to the Helicopter landing space on the roof. Katta followed the others in a little distance and carefully observed the doors' opening and closing mechanics. They must be connected to the Avengers, as they opened without further commands. Maybe they had a similar chip system like the Harlovsens. Or they had programmed F.R.I.D.A.Y. to recognize the Avengers. Stark surely evolved different security levels, depending on which rooms one could enter and which doors to open.

Katta had strolled around the late afternoon and found out that she probably could only open the door to her room and the public rooms, like the kitchen and the training centre. The laboratory this morning had only opened after Bruce had wanted to enter.

If she wanted to escape, she must hack the system to change her security level. Looking up, Katta recognized that Clint was staring at her. He must have followed her eyes and realized that she watched the entrances and exits. Slowly, he shook his head, motioning her to enter the Quinjet. Katta clenched her jaw and averted her gaze.

The last time she had been in here, she had been unconscious after an injection from Barnes. He was currently sitting next to Steve, quietly chatting. Captain 'sulking because a got beaten by a woman'.

Katta didn't need to look at him to know that he was observing her. She'd tested a few conversations over the last few days. It would be no task to convince the others that she had changed sides, but Steve wouldn't make it easy for her. His trust needed to be earned. And Katta would do so - to betray it in the end. But that was secondary.

Katta had figured that she needed to make friends with the others to analyze her situation and regain control. Of course, she wouldn't just go to them and write in their friend book. That would raise suspicion. Instead, Katta would give it a bit of time to do it right.

A few hours later, they entered the S.H.I.E.L.D headquarter. Immediately, an agent came jogging their way, a friendly smile plastered on his face. He greeted the Avengers one by one until he finally stood in front of Katta.

"Agent Coulson," he introduced himself. "I've followed your work over the last few years. Impressive, how you managed to break into the white house without anybody noticing by just--"

"Let's keep it a professional secrecy, yes?" Katta interrupted him and stretched out her hand. He hesitatingly shook it. Katta took a few seconds to scrutinize his appearance. From the plain suit to his face, distorted in a gentle but professional smile. He should be easy to persuade.

A hand laid on her shoulder, pulling her away from the handshake. She looked up, recognizing director Fury. "This professional secrecy and a lot more answers Miss Harlovsen will give us the next days," he announced and motioned everybody to follow him into a vast office.

She clenched her jaw, following on his heels. Far too much body contact for somebody who forced her into employment by blackmailing. She would give him a few of her secrets, though - to gain his trust. And then she would rip his dumb eye patch away and set it on fire.

Said eye patch wearer snipped his fingers to stop the chatting. "Now that Miss Harlovsen is part of the team, I think it is indispensable to assign her to her first task."

The reactions in the room couldn't be more different. Tony spit the coffee he was about to drink back into his cup. Steve opened his mouth to say something but was elbowed by Bucky. Natasha and Clint looked at each other knowingly, and Thor grinned, delighted.

"And before everybody starts to piss themselves, she will be doing it together with Rogers," Fury added, watching the reactions in the room.

"With all respect--" Steven started to protest.

"With all respect, Captain. The decision was made," Fury interrupted him.

Katta watched Steve from across the room. He was clearly not happy with the situation, but he wasn't ready to disagree with his superior as a former soldier. Meanwhile, this couldn't have ended better for her. She now had the opportunity to spend time with him and work on their 'relationship'.

Coulson started a video on the giant TV, and the picture of a middle-aged man with black and grey hair appeared. He wore a plain suit and stood at a lectern, holding a trophy.

"Doctor Steven Strange", Fury said while Coulson clicked the remote so that different pictures of the same man crossed the screen.

"Brilliant Neurosurgeon. Winner of uncountable medical prizes. One year ago, he was involved in a horrendous car crash that caused incurable damage to his fingers. After uncountable operations, he suddenly disappeared. Over the last few weeks, he was spotted by one of our agents in New York, where he behaved quite--strange if that is the right expression. We saw him vanishing and reappearing in different locations worldwide in seconds. Whatever he is doing, we need to figure out what he is and whether he could become a threat."

Coulson ended the presentation and put the TV out. Director Fury turned towards Steve.

"Agent Coulson will give you the last address from the last place he had been spotted. I want you to talk, interrogate and report. No harmed people, if possible. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Steve immediately said, straightening his back.

"Harlovsen?" Fury asked sharply. Katta pursed her lips. "Aye, sir. No limbs to go."

He nodded. "Perfect. Thirty minutes to find your rooms and change. Rogers, your code for the Stark Tower also works for the garage."

Katta got up and grabbed her bag. She couldn't help but look forward to the mission. It had been a few years since she'd last been on a mission like that, and it would be a lie if she said she didn't enjoy it.

She changed into Jeans, a blouse and a long cardigan under which she could hide her knives. Her hair was braided back to keep her face free. Perfectly normal and nothing like an assassin. Without further detours, Katta went towards where she expected the garage.

"Katta," Clint jogged towards her and went alongside.

"Clint," she retorted. He smiled. "Back to first-name basis?"

Katta glanced at him. "For now."

"You won't do something mindless, would you?" he asked, frowning.

"What are you afraid of, Clint? I'm chipped. You made sure that I couldn't just submerge." Katta couldn't hide the bitter undertone in her words. He sighed.

"I know. Please just go with it. I know you want to leave, but do yourself a favour and don't."

"I'm an Avengers now. Why should I leave?" Katta asked indifferently.

"Promise me, you'll return. Don't give S.H.I.E.L.D a reason to hunt you down."

"Matter of honour." Katta raised her right hand and placed it on her chest. "And now leave. Otherwise, Rogers will suspect you to ally with the enemy." She winked at Clint before turning around the next corner and leaving him behind.

Having SHIELD hunting her down. Katta chuckled under her breath. They will wish that they would have never taken her hostage.

Steve already waited in front of the garage door. He had dressed in a pair of jeans and a plain, tight shirt.

"And there was no shirt in your size?" Katta remarked as she observed him.

"Let's go," he only responded and motioned her to step through the door. The vast garage was filled with various cars and different vehicles. Katta sighed in delight as she saw a black Harley Davidson Motorcycle in one of the corners. Behind her, pinged a vehicle to show it was opened.

"Come on, Rogers. Are you serious?" Katta asked as she saw the little black van with tinted windows.

"We try to be unobtrusive," he answered and opened the door. Katta walked towards the car and sat down in the passenger seat.

"Unobtrusive as in a child-loving-sweets-giving-pervert," Katta muttered under her breath.

Steve started the car and drove out of the garage on the streets. The whole time he looked straight ahead without speaking.

"What happened to you, Rogers? Have you suddenly gone mute?" Katta spoke up after half an hour.

"I don't trust you, Harlovsen," he answered without attempting to look at her.

"And that isn't just because of the fact I won against you in combat?" she smirked.

"That was luck. Next time, I'll not show consideration."

Katta smirked, placing her feet on the dashboard. "Is that a promise?"

Steve remained quiet, parked the car in a parking lot, and Katta alighted, looking at the vast building. "Are you sure that is the right address?" she asked, inspecting the round window in the highest level of the building that had a strange pattern.

〰〰〰

"Good, now that Miss Harlovsen has left us, it's time to concentrate on the things that are most important." Fury had called the other Avengers to another meeting as soon as Katta and Steve had left.

"If you open the folder in front of you, you'll see all the information we were able to get about her so far."

Bucky opened the folder in front of him and was confronted with a picture of Katta in a H.Y.D.R.A Uniform. She stood on something that looked like a battlefield alongside some other people. Most of them, Bucky recognized from the garden party. Katta looked exactly like she did today, apart from the blonde hair and a few scars on her neck and face that he'd seen the previous days. Shreds of evidence of whatever fights she'd been involved in.

"In exchange for Miss Harlovsen joining the Avengers, we promised her to not publish the records from the security cams that show her brothers. Still, we didn't promise to not find out as much as we could about the Harlovsens. We've never been so close to them, so take this as the best opportunity we'll ever get to find the probably most dangerous family on earth." Fury peered through the room while everybody was looking through the files.

"So you're saying we stab her in the back," Clint stated dryly. "After she agreed to become a part of us?"

"We're not going to stab her back, Barton. But we do exactly the same thing she and Rogers are doing right now. We need to find out what they can do and what their intentions are." Fury waved him off.

"Right now, we assume that all of the Harlovsen siblings attended the H.Y.D.R.A soldier training and are probably some kind of winter soldiers as well. We don't know why or how they left H.Y.D.R.A, but on one point, they started to build their own network and work for different governments and private persons."

Different pictures of well-known politicians and influential security organizations glimmered over the TV while Fury talked.

"They have a unique system that at least can set up safe houses, build those little chips she had implanted and probably produce weapons."

Bucky looked through the files in the folder and saw Katta in different uniforms while working for several institutions. Still, her picture in the H.Y.D.R.A uniform triggered something in him. His fist clenched a bit tighter.

"Romanov and Barton. You'll go back to the house you've found her first and gather the information you can. Barnes, as soon as she is back, I want you to take over the training with her in cooperation with Rogers to figure out what she can do. We don't wanna have any unsuspected surprises. Bruce, you'll keep having an eye on her medical values to keep us up to date. The others keep working on their current projects. That's it for today,"

The TV was put off, and the curtains went up in front of the windows.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Happy tenth chapter, everybody.

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