Chapter 22 - Raw Violence

Katta watched her environment while listening to her brothers' bickering. Magnus's plan to split the whole group had been good. Still, her guts churned as she thought about the fact that Loki was walking around freely, somewhere in this city. He could literally be disguised as every single person they saw. He could be the man, mustering her as they passed him, the woman with the long red coat or the child on the swing - Katta couldn't suppress a grin. Loki on a swing was a picture that was now embedded in her brain. It would make her good thoughts when she would need it.

Clint walked next to her, his face tensed in concentration. It felt good, being on a mission with him again. Even after all the bullshit, he'd pulled. Last night, Katta had decided to forgive him. Not for his sake, but for her own. The urge to finally feel peace and breathe was getting heavier by the day, and Katta needed to lift this pressure from her chest.

"How are Laura and the kids?" Katta asked, looking up to him. He glanced at her and smiled. A sincere smile. It was infectious. The wrinkles around his eyes had become a bit deeper. He must be smiling a lot.

"Good, Laura started knitting, and the kids are doing great - especially in knife-throwing. Probably because they adore you, Katta. They ask all the time when you'll be visiting."

Katta grinned. The Bartons had been a second family to her, and Laura was almost like another sister. The pain after Vikar's death had been so fresh, and as Katta hadn't been able to mourn the loss with her family, Clint had offered her a place and people to do so.

"They would do best, living a regular average life - graduating from school, visiting a college and travelling the world," Katta sighed, shaking her head. Even though she liked her life, she had sometimes wondered how it would have been when she hadn't decided to join H.Y.D.R.A after the military career. Maybe, she would have worked as an instructor for new soldiers, married somebody - perhaps even Christoph, founded a family.

"You sound like Laura. But there is so much evil in the world. I just want them to be prepared, Katta. They can become whoever they want, but I want them to be able to defend when I can't."

While Clint still talked, Katta noticed a woman, looking at her a bit too interested, and nudged Clint's shoulder. He knew her well enough to interpret her actions and shut up immediately, following Katta's gaze. The blonde woman put on sunglasses and turned around, walking in the opposite direction.

"You know her?" Clint asked as they started following her, jogging across the street.

"No, just a feeling," Katta answered, keeping up her pace.

"We're following a suspect, Banner can you locate us?" Clint talked into his earpiece.

"Just give me a moment," Bruce murmured back.

"What about Decker, Arne?" Katta asked. Her brother huffed. "He was a dead-end, only wanted to make a good deal but had nothing for us."

"No reason to break his arm, though," Erik stated through the earpiece, his voice sounding angry.

Meanwhile, Katta tried to follow the woman, who constantly vanished in between the masses only to emerge again, seconds later.

"Let's get her from two sides," she yelled at Clint. He nodded and branched off.

Katta looked up and saw a drone following her position. "Banner?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm on your heels," he answered. "Pictures of the woman will be sent to the headquarter now."

"I need to know who she is," Katta panted, pushing through the people. Shit, she was fast.

"On it," Magnus said. "A.L.V.A.R, align the photographs and search for–"

"F.R.I.D.A.Y," Tony interrupted Magnus loudly. "ALIGN THE PHOTOGRAPHS AND SEARCH FOR SUSPECTS."

"Tony," Natasha scolded him through her earpiece while Katta rolled her eyes.

"Just doing my job," he smugly answered, waiting for the AI to respond.

Katta followed the woman around a corner. "Clint, you see us?" she asked, her breathing lightly shaking from her run.

"No, not yet. Give me a few seconds. You'll eventually come my way." His voice as well was breathless while he ran down the parallel road. Katta nodded to herself. She'd almost caught up with her. Only a few more steps and she could bring her to the ground without hurting civilists. Then, she heard Thor yell through her earpiece.

"Here, my brother is here."

For a matter of a second, Katta was thrown out of her concentration and stumbled. She barely managed to get her balance back and sprint on. Erik was the first to answer.

"You're sure, Thor?" Erik asked a hint of doubt in his voice.

〰〰〰

"I see him as well, bror," Fenris approved. He was the one paired with Thor. Fenris looked at Loki. He just stood there, in a side alley, as if he'd waited to be found by them. Something definitely felt off. Fenris remained standing where he was while Thor stepped forwards in long strides. Loki's smile grew even wider.

"Brother," he smirked. "Finally we see again. And again on Midgard. I really don't get why you like it that much. All that filthy, mewling little earthlings." Loki scrunched his nose as he mustered the alley. Then, his eyes fell onto Fenris.

"Fear," he whispered, tilting his head. "I can almost smell it. No, wait, this is not fear. Rather hatred."

Fenris swallowed. His fingers twitched towards his gun.

"Ah, no," Loki smirked. "You shouldn't do that."

〰〰〰

"Clint, I almost got her," Katta exhaled, taking three stairs at once, still chasing the blonde. God, she was fast.

"Let her be, Katta. We've got Loki. Head back to the base. I'll go there too," Clint answered.

"No, there is something about her," she insisted. Only a few more meters.

"Katta. Back to the base. Now," Magnus commanded, his voice slightly irritated.

"No, I first need to know the outcome of the persona check," Katta yelled.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y needs another 30 seconds to complete," Tony stated. "We're almost back to the base," he added.

"30 seconds," Katta silently repeated.

"Where are you, Katta? I lost your track," Clint shouted. She didn't answer. There was no time.

"10 seconds," Tony announced. Suddenly, the woman stopped running, now standing with her back to Katta. She had chased her all way down into a lonely street - a dead-end.

"Turn around," Katta commanded, her hand onto the gun strapped onto her thigh. Slowly, the woman turned around and put off the cap that had hidden her face.

"It is–"

"Yadira Gonzalez," Katta spoke out loud, interrupting Tony. She'd in an instant pulled her gun, pointing it at the Argentinian spy.

"Kattalina Harlovsen," Yadira answered, her face indifferent.

"Show me your hands," Katta commanded, stepping slightly forward.

"Stop, Katta. Where are you? Wait for backup," Fenris spoke up while his eyes still lingered on Loki.

"What are you doing here?" Katta ignored her cousins' command. Yadira didn't answer, standing all calm. That was unusual. Yadira was a trained spy and combat fighter. She would never just stand there, making no attempts to bring herself in a fight position.

"Yadira?" Katta again asked, coming nearer. It was then that she noticed her eyes.

"She's under Lokis influence," she spoke into her earpiece, lowering her gun for the matter of a second.

〰〰〰

"Stay where you are. Don't come near her. We'll come for you," Fenris commanded, his voice rising.

Loki tilted his head, a smirk pulling on the edge of his lips. "What is it? Did your assassin meet my assassin?"

Fenris's mouth dropped as he stepped backwards. "Go away, Katta. This is all planned. RUN!" he yelled into his earpiece. Cold fear coursed through his body. They should never have split up. Katta was somewhere in New York, completely alone and he couldn't help her.

Thor went forward to grab Loki, but his hand went straight through him. Loki's hologram cackled. "And you're falling again for the same trick. Honestly, brother, this never gets boring." Lokis's figure started to shimmer before fading away in an instant.

"KATTA!" Fenris's voice rose in fright as he turned around. "Magnus, where is she?"

〰〰〰

The moment Fenris had spoken out his assumption about Loki coming for her, Katta had pulled out a taser to knock the spy out and turned around, running down the street. Her eyes searched the environment for any movement that would hint at Loki, when all of a sudden, a hand grabbed her shoulder, jolting her back. Katta fell and looked up into the eyes of Jaime Perez, who seemed just as emotionless as Gonzalez. She grabbed for his ankles and made him fall next to her. They clawed at each other, rolling over the ground as either tried to gain the upper hand. His face still was heavily bruised from their earlier fight, but it didn't seem to bother him. He now was on top of her, holding her down.

"Fenris," Katta yelped, trying to get rid of Jaime's grip.

"MAGNUS. THE LOCATION," Fenris yelled into his earpiece, still sprinting down the streets, Thor on his heels.

"Next left," Magnus answered, following their tracks onto a screen. Sweat started building onto his forehead as he watched the red points moving. "Turn right."

Katta had managed to get up again and finally get into a usable fight position. Throwing punch after punch, she backed Perez back until he stumbled over the unconscious blonde woman and fell to the ground. Katta towered over him. Blood was running down from a cut on her lip. Heavily panting, he lay on the ground, staring up at her.

"Where is Loki? Answer Perez," she yelled. He watched her, not moving a single muscle.

"Fuck it," Katta muttered. She pulled out a knife and rammed it in his shoulder. He screamed in pain, his face becoming even paler.

"ANSWER ME," she roared, slightly stepping on the knife handle. He writhed underneath her, sweat building on his forehead.

Jaime looked up, and just like in the S.H.IE.L.D quarter, he grinned at her. "Death means nothing when you're fighting for something that is much bigger, Kattalina."

She grimaced at him using her full first name and used her taser to shock him.

"TELL ME," she shouted, grabbing his collar to raise his head, forcing him to meet her eyes.

"Raw violence. Impressing."

Katta looked over her shoulder and let Jaime's head fall back on the ground when she recognized Loki staring at her. Immediately, she pulled out a knife and threw it, watching how Loki simply raised his arm, blocking the blade with the metal armour wrapped around his underarm.

"Loki is here," Katta uttered, pulling out a gun.

"I'm almost there, Katta. Where are you, Barton?" Fenris shouted, following Magnus's instructions.

〰〰〰

"Two more streets," Clint panted, turning around a corner, still pushing through the crowd of people. Finally, the right street came into view, and within a few more seconds, he reached the empty road, seeing Loki standing backwards to him. Katta's eyes widened as she noticed him and slightly shook her head. Loki seemed to have noticed it and turned around.

"Agent Barton. What a delight to see you again! You must know he was one of my most valuable puppets the last time I visited Midgard," he stated before facing Katta again. "Of course, you know that. Your brother was well as an excellent addition to my team. Ansgar? Arnold,--"

"Arne," Katta breathed out, her face scrunching in hatred. Loki shrugged. "Too bad he isn't here. I would gladly take him again."

Katta's hand started to tremble as she aimed her gun at Loki. He began grinning maliciously. "My, my," he taunted. "I don't play with the same things twice. A little bird told me that your skills are rather impressive."

He took a step in her direction. Katta shot.

The bullet flew in Loki's direction and towards the place she suspected his heart to be. Katta never missed. At least until now. Loki vanished and made the bullet's way free to Clint, who gasped as it striped his right arm.

Blood started pouring out of the wound while he tried to steady the bow in his hand. Katta watched with wide eyes how blood dripped from Clint to the concrete. She lowered her weapon and took a step forwards to go to him, but a tight grip on her neck pulled her back.

"Oh, look what you've done," Loki whispered in her ear. Katta gripped his hands to pull them off of her, but it was too tight. Suddenly, a cold feeling appeared on her throat. Loki grabbed her hair to tilt her head back and pressed a knife onto her skin.

"Fuck off," she said through gritted teeth. He snickered in her ear. "You would like that, wouldn't you?"

Clint glared at her, muttering under his breath. Finally, Fenris and Thor appeared in the street, standing next to him. Fenris' face went red as he took the situation in. Katta met his eyes and shook her head. It was too dangerous for him to try something.

"Let go of her, brother," Thor demanded, anger displaying on his face. He was finally fed up with Loki. All his airs and graces - and he kept threatening his friends. That was a no-go. Even for Asgardian conditions.

"I rather not," Loki answered, stroking the blade over Katta's skin. She swallowed, trying to move as little as possible.

"Go," she mouthed to Fenris, trying to radiate as much authority as possible. She needed him to leave and go somewhere safe. He was her family and keeping her family safe was what Katta did. She tried to stare him down and make him turn around. To her despair, he shook his head and walked in her direction. Loki pulled her hair even tighter, making Katta wince. Fenris froze in his moves and carefully examined him.

Loki breathed in Katta's ear. "Another of your clan. Where have you all been the last time I needed soldiers."

"What do you want, brother?" Thor asked, tightly gripping the hammer.

"What I deserve," Lokis yelled. Katta tried to balance as he furiously shook. His amusement had changed to fury within seconds. He proceeded. "I want what is rightfully mine, and you will bring it to me."

"You want the stone." It was the first time Clint spoke up.

"I was a fool if I left earth with only one stone, Barton," Loki answered, looking between the three of them.

"Shame, you'll get none," Katta muttered, earning another drag on her hair.

"You're in no position to talk," Loki snarled. He then directed his eyes back to Clint, Fenris and Thor.

"Bring me the magician's stone, and I might decide to give her back."

Katta furiously shook her head, feeling the blade dig in her skin. "Don't do it," she begged Fenris. He stared at her, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind at once.

"Fenris," her voice shook. "Promise me. That's not worth it - I'm not worth it."

Suddenly, the grip on her hair loosened, only the blade remaining on her throat. Slim fingers stroked over her cheek.

"Shhh," Loki mumbled. "This. is. tiring. me."

He looked up. "One day - The Sanctum Sanctorum. Wouldn't it be bad if I had to flaw this beautiful face?"

Katta felt a hand resting on her shoulder and everything became black.