Mockingbird | Loki

[hashtagging]

[ It has become almost something of a ritual: once every few weeks, Loki will seemingly randomly end up on Bobbi's couch, and they will spend a morning, or evening, eating expensive ice cream and watching cartoons. It is one such time, an early Saturday enjoying brain numbing animation, when Loki suddenly sits up from his ungainly sprawl on the end of the couch. He lifts his head like a pointer getting a scent. ]

Mockingbird.

[ He had been calling her Bobbi just to annoy her with the fact he knew her real name, but now it is her codename, quick and sharp. ]

Get your uniform on.

Comments

[counterterrorism]

[she was really enjoying those cartoons--or, rather, her book and the relaxation.

Still, at his sudden sharpness, she frowns at him, tilting her head. She's a bit cynical even now, but it's the first time out of all of these months that he's ever told her to do something like this. Once upon a time, she would have been extremely suspicious, but now--

Now she just wants to know what's going on. Still, she sets aside her tablet and sits up straight and reaches for her boots.]

...What's up?

[hashtagging]

We are going to Paris.

[ He is abruptly not in his hoodie and jeans, but his green armor and golden horns. The ice cream goes back in the freezer with a thoughtless word and a flash of magic. ]

[counterterrorism]

[...........hm.]

Are we?

[But she just mutters it before hurrying down the hallway to get her uniform on. Give her two minutes--and then she's back, pulling on her last boot even as she hops in.

At least she's capable of telling when something is serious.]

You got a way there, or do I need to call in some favors?

[hashtagging]

Of course I do.

[ He gives her a quick look over and then reaches out for her arm, not asking permission before he pulls a rune from his other pocket. The magic is quick; what was a nice morning is suddenly late afternoon. They stand in the middle of a park, luckily not terrifying any joggers at the moment. ]

This way.

[ He starts off at a quick pace, mouth set in a firm line. ]

[counterterrorism]

[...whoa. That's disorienting. Mockingbird looks around, taking in their position and--yep, definitely Paris. She remembers it.

But she's quick to follow, mouth pressed into an equally firm line.]

Hey! I'm willing to follow you, to an extent, thanks to the fact that you've never led me astray yet. But I'm not going to continue if you don't tell me what's going on.

[being out of the loop is one of Bobbi's least favorite things, okay.]

[hashtagging]

One of my wards went off. Which means that either my spell malfunctioned, which is unlikely, or there is a seven-year-old girl in a great deal of trouble.

[ He walks as he speaks, eyes focused straight ahead. As they reach the end of the path, where the trees part to reveal a nice set of apartment buildings, he pulls her to the side. Several police cars are parked out front. ]

[counterterrorism]

[...okay, well, a response like that is enough for her.

She just tilts her head, looking at the situation ahead of them, now deadly serious. And she huffs out a breath before tilting her head towards the back of the apartments, where they can clearly climb up to reach where they need to go without being stopped by the police and still get a good look at the situation.]

[hashtagging]

[ Loki follows her gaze and then nods, starting off for the back of the building. He hops up onto a dumpster so he can pull the fire escape ladder down, and starts up, aiming for the sixth floor. ]

[counterterrorism]

[She swings herself up after him easily, following his apparent intuition (or magic?) with one hand ready to sweep out a weapon.

Kids should never be involved in tough things.

That's something that will always be true.]

[hashtagging]

[ He motions for Bobbi to keep low as they reach the sixth floor landing. They are in luck; the window Loki is aiming for is reachable from it. He peeks in through the half-drawn curtains.

The scene he sees is not a comforting one. A very beautiful woman is speaking to two policemen, dabbing at her red nose and eyes with a handkerchief. An older woman has an arm around her for support, rubbing it comfortingly. The room they are in seems to belong to a child, decked out in pinks and purples. ]

[counterterrorism]

[For now, she'll stand down. She takes in the scene with a practiced sweep of her eyes, expression tightening.

The girl is not there.

That makes it clear--they have to find her. Whoever she is and whatever Loki is doing here is secondary to finding this girl.

Expression tight, Bobbi drops to the ground. While Loki does his thing, she's going to find out what the police know.]

[hashtagging]

[ Loki joins her a bit later after having run what magical tests he could, not to mention eavesdropping on the situation. Turns out the mother had heard her child scream from her bedroom, ran up to find her, only to find her gone, the window still whole and locked.

The godling is not happy. Not happy at all. ]

What did you find out?

[counterterrorism]

[It's a face she's never really seen on him before. The godling that could actually be a full-fledged god--it's hard to doubt it, looking at him now.]

It was probably a typical robbery. They broke in through the front door, didn't expect anyone to be there, encountered the girl and when she screamed, they grabbed her and ran.

[blech, scum of the earth.]

That said, we'd better find her fast.

[hashtagging]

I might be able to get a lock on her, but it will take time. It is difficult to pin down one life force in the middle of a place like Paris. Do you have any leads?

[ Loki starts towards the edge of the street. This car right here. They are now taking it, even if he is not entirely sure which way to go yet. ]

[counterterrorism]

[......hm. She looks thoughtful, standing where she was before, not moving to follow Loki yet. And she looks up one side of the street.

And then the other.

And then nods once to herself and turns to follow Loki, already picking up her phone.

Time to ask for Twitchy again.]

Twitchy. I need the security camera footage from [street address]. Small house, yellow trim-- yes, you've got it. We're looking for a man, presumably with a young girl, taking unwillingly.

[hashtagging]

[ Loki pops open the passenger door and gets in. Bobbi will have to drive whichever way her friend tells her to head. Loki, on the other hand, closes his eyes and begins to focus. Location spells are always tricky, and he curses himself for not placing some sort of beacon on the child herself. Of course, doing so would put her in more danger from those who could sense it, but it was hard to stay logical when he found himself in a situation like this. ]

[counterterrorism]

[and so she does, as Twitchy goes through the security videos and guides her. She slams the gas and takes off, winding through the Parisian roads in pursuit of a girl for no other reason than the god of lies told her this was necessary.

...but she believes it.

And so she follows, in hot pursuit. And they are much, much better than a simple robber, no matter his head start.]

[hashtagging]

[ It is a few miles before Loki's eyes pop open. ]

We are on the right track. We are headed for a car repair shop on a street named Rose De Lima, about five miles east of here.

[ He is going to burn the place down. ]

[counterterrorism]

[...oh. Bobbi just nods once, shortly, and hangs up on Twitchy. He'll understand.

And then she plugs it into her GPS and steps on the gas pedal.]

Try not to kill anyone.

[that's all she's got though.]

[hashtagging]

I can make no promises about that. You can stay in the car.

[ It is sort of like he is being nice? ]

[counterterrorism]

[Pshhhh. She just rolls her eyes.]

Please. This is my area of expertise, not yours.

[She's coming. If only to get the girl out safely.

And then she pulls up to their goal, throwing open a door and stepping out before Loki can say a thing against it.]

[hashtagging]

[ Loki is quickly after her. He tries the door, finds it locked, and simply blasts a hole where handle used to be.

Even for one of the more subtle gods, his Asgardian upbringing does come out on occasion. ]

[counterterrorism]

[...apparently so.

She just arches an eyebrow at the wreckage but picks her way in after him, peering at the room and the surprised men staring at them.

Ah-ha.

A man (likely the culprit?) grabs the girl that is clearly their hostage, reaching for a knife to probably hold her hostage more. He's not a supervillain, though, and Mockingbird is used to far worse situations than this. She lifts her gun, firing off a single bullet. It strikes his hand before he can even touch the knife, and he shouts out in pain, falling backwards.

And then everything is chaos.]

[hashtagging]

[ A quick teleport and Loki has scooped the girl up like a toddler. He encourages her to hide her face against his shoulder -- and then his free hand is all about knocking some bad guys senseless. If he happens to send one through a wall, well.

They will live. ]

[counterterrorism]

[close enough.

she just lifts up a gun, gesturing at the other men still standing.

They take the hint and drop to the floor. Meanwhile, she turns to Loki.]

Alright, let's get out of here. Move it or lose it, kid.