Special Agent Loki Laufeyson

Chapter 46

The ride over to the nightclub was silent, and the silence was driving DiNozzo crazy. But what, exactly, did you say to a girl who was an assassin - ahem, former Russian assassin - who was also an Avenger and didn't seem to like you too much?

Well. She'd warm up to him.

"Why are we going to this nightclub?" Romanoff finally asked, breaking the tense silence. DiNozzo breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Because Gibbs believes in being thorough," he answered, glancing over at her in the shotgun seat.

"Wasn't Gibbs thorough the first time around?" she queried, turning to look at him. She brushed a strand of her red hair out of her face.

"Yes, he was," DiNozzo replied. "But we have new information now. If Leopard killed Samson, if she had the scepter there, or if any of Samson's newfound ETCD buddies had gone with him, we might be able to get witnesses placing them there."

Romanoff tilted her head in acknowledgement of the point. "So, ETCD is military, correct?"

"Yes," DiNozzo affirmed. "Colonel Rhodes is scared of aliens, so he decided to start his own world-saving group. It's like the Avengers, but military style."

"I can't believe Loki isn't rotting in the Asgardian dungeons right now," Romanoff muttered, cutting her eyes across at DiNozzo, gauging his reaction. DiNozzo was about to respond with some joking comment and then realized he was being baited.

She was testing him.

So DiNozzo concocted a new answer.

"I think people should have second chances," he stated firmly, glancing over at her before taking the exit leading to the nightclub. "You never know, maybe they'll save the world. But you won't know, unless you give them a second chance."

When Romanoff looked out her window, DiNozzo inwardly grinned. He didn't know her full story, but somewhere along the line, someone had to have given her a second chance for her to go from being an enemy to an ally.

"Is that what you do with all the criminals you catch?" she asked wryly. "Give them second chances so they can save the world?"

"No, those scumbags get to rot," DiNozzo clarified. "Second chances are like David Bowie and Freddie Mercury teaming up. They don't come around much."

"So, do you like working with Loki?" Romanoff queried.

"Yeah," DiNozzo answered, surprised to find that his answer was actually the truth. "He's cool, once you get to know him. Besides, he saved my life."

"He saved your life?" Romanoff questioned skeptically.

"Well, yeah," DiNozzo responded. "I mean, he injured me in the process, but when you weigh a knife in the leg against total disintegration, the balance actually comes out in his favor."

"He's playing a game," Romanoff said. "Agent DiNozzo -"

"Call me Tony."

With a sigh, she continued, "Tony, Loki only saved your life to maintain his cover."

"His cover as what?" DiNozzo asked.

"As an NCIS special agent."

"That's actually what he is, now."

"Not for long. I promise you."

DiNozzo looked at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Loki is a war criminal," Romanoff pointed out. "And I don't think he's changed that quickly. Isn't it convenient that he happens to be working for the very team that's dealing with the case concerning his scepter?"