Eagle (A Loki love story)

Chapter 91

Plot Chapter

When I could bear it no longer, I took refuge in an evergreen tree, high in the branches. It was an old tree, so large that a branch two thirds of the way up could bear my weight. I set myself down and relaxed. I was out. I had escaped. I knew that the news would reach Strucker quickly, but I figured it would take them some time to find me. So for now, I hopped between trees, not daring to go near the ground. They might look there, as well as high in the sky, but they wouldn't look in between.

Or so I thought. I had not been going for more than ten minutes before I was surrounded on the ground by tanks and foot soldiers, and my aerial escape was cut off by a chopper.

"Surrender, Thirteen." It was someone from the ground. I looked down and growled at them for uttering the name I hated more than anything. They were trying to provoke me. Trying to get me to come out of the safety of the tree I was currently in. A chainsaw activated and my tree began to shake. Or they could just cut it down. With no other option, I leapt to the closest tree, but they were ready. My body was enveloped in netting, causing me to fall short before I reached my target. The wiring was made of the same steel at my cell door, with a melting point too high for my body to tolerate.

Finally defeated, I had no choice but to allow myself to be hauled back to the compound. At least I got a view of the surrounding area. Not that it would do me much good now, but perhaps eventually. Upon our return, new cuffs and wing restraints were put on and I was escorted down several flights of stairs to what looked like a makeshift lab. Strucker was there, holding my melted cuffs in his hands.

"This is not one of the abilities you were gifted with. So how did you do it?" I didn't meet eyes with him. I just looked past him, not really focusing on anything.

"And those." He gestured to where my katanas were, behind what looked like bulletproof glass, "They burn whoever touches them. Aside from you, it seems. Where did you acquire such weapons?" I still refused to grace him with an answer.

"Very well." He uncovered a large object in the center of the room and I almost leapt forward when I saw what it was. Loki's scepter, from New York. And it was clear that Strucker had been experimenting with it. It was surrounded by wires and screens displaying different charts, graphs, and energy readings. But some of the wires led over to a chair, meant for a human subject.

"You see, I was planning to take it easy on you, this being your first day here and all, but after that escape attempt, I have changed my mind. Sit her down." I knew that he would have only trouble in store for me, but I could not show him that I was afraid. That would make him feel like he had power over me. And I could not allow that. Once closer, I could see that there were several leather restraints, and unfortunately, for good reason too. A doctor wearing a face mask and rubber gloves was approaching me with an IV. I closed my hands into tight fists as they were uncuffed strapped onto the armrests.

"I know how much you hate needles, so you'll just get a quarter of a dosage. I was originally planning on a single syringe."

"Dosage of what?" I finally bit the bullet and he smirked.

"Straight to the point. I suppose you can know. I have drawn upon the power that the orb contains and synthesized a pair of serums. Thanks to the many volunteers we received, I have perfected them both separately, but now....I have you. And I can combine them."

"What do they do separately?"
"That is why I planned to send you to meet the twins. But now you must wait." He nodded at the doctor, who promptly inserted the needle into my arm. The surprise helped me take the pain a bit better, but I could not help the squeak that escaped my lips.