Intertwine

17 - That Could Have Gone Better

ROARA

"This. Is. Useless." I said, my cheek pressed against the table.

I could hear the smirk in his voice. "I did try to tell you."

"It wasn't me who needed persuading." I leant back and rolled my head around, stretching my neck.

"Nothing in these folders will help. The Ascendency has been off the radar for years." He propped his legs up on the table. "But we could-"

"No." I said, looking through some more papers.

"Have some-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence."

"Fun?"

I stood up from the table, my knife in my hand, the blade pointed at his face. Since my powers were weaker now I'd taken to carrying my knives with me everywhere, somehow they made me feel safer. Loki looked down the blade and smiled.

In a low voice he said, "They told me you used knives now, not how good you looked wielding them."

I leant across the table, my body over his outstretched legs, the blade point inches from his nose. "Flirt with me again and I will stab you."

"Oh," He said, crossing his arms, "I'll look forward to it."

I grunted and sat back down, going back over the pages I'd already read a hundred times. "I don't have time for your games. We don't have time. We have to actually get some names here."

"Look I don't want to be a bother-" Loki began.

"You're already a bother, but please, continue."

He grimaced, "But I may have been holding back some information that would be of use."

I glanced up at him. "Okay... and what is it?"

"A lot of the scientists used to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. I could only tell you because I know you have no affiliation to that organisation." I looked down at the papers of possible suspects. Not one of them had been from S.H.I.E.L.D. Of course they wouldn't be, S.H.I.E.L.D wasn't one that liked to suspect its own. "They grew jealous of the avengers. Would always talk about them."

I frowned, searching through the piles. "Now I'm no Stark," I said, "But I think we need to access the S.H.I.E.L.D ex-employee database. We also need to know who wanted to be an avenger, who aspired to be one of them." I stood up from the table. "Come on dipshit, we're off to dig some holes."

"Dig some holes?" He asked, confused.

"How else do you find a mole?"

"You can't really hack it can you?" He asked, as I reached an office. Alina had pointed it out to me when we were walking one day.

"No." I said grimly. "But I know someone who can."

I dialed the phone number and press call. "Hey Alina?"

"A day and you already miss me that much huh?" Came the reply.

"You know it. Listen I need your help with something."

A pause. "What's up? You haven't killed Loki already have you?" From beside me Loki rolled his eyes.

"No, I need you to guide me through hacking into a high level S.H.I.E.L.D operative's computer. I need to access ex-employee's files from about five to ten years ago. Oh and first I need to get into her office." I said, looking down at the keypad.

"Her office? High ranking operative I thought you were going to say Fury." She replied.

"Maria Hill's. Where are you anyway?"