#finding phoeona

They hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms.

The last time Sterling had seen Loki he was driving a dagger into his thigh and letting him suffer, pinned to the spot by the dagger's blade embedded into the concrete below his flesh.

True to his word, however, Sterling had done what Loki had asked. He had investigated the kidnapping. How could he not? Phoeona was an innocent in all this. Just because she was Loki's child didn't mean she should suffer for it, even if he was sure that was her kidnapper's intention. His investigation took him first to the building where Loki had found her locket. The building itself had been sealed off since the explosion. Checking the reports of what had happened there had stated it had been the result of a gas leak. Three bodies were found at the scene. Sterling had stood where the charred outlines of the bodies had been. He stared at one in particular, remembering one of the names listed there.

He had been a SHIELD agent. He'd known him. They'd served together in the NY base before the fall. He'd been recruited by Agent Blake, a man Sterling looked up to a great deal. He never knew what had happened to him after SHIELD fell. They'd worked together to hold medical while it was under attack but Sterling had shortly after been assigned to an undercover op and he hadn't seen Blake since. That was about a decade ago.

One body hadn't been identified but the third he had to research. He certainly had a record and the file was pretty long. Hate crimes against powered people, petty theft, in and out of jail over the years. The thing that stood out to Sterling though was one of his known affiliations: The Watchdogs. This sent Sterling down a rabbit hole of research, requisitioning files, watching footage, and overall regretting a few life choices.

After a few days of looking into the incident, Sterling now stood before Loki. Sterling had discarded the crutch he'd been using while he recovered to not look quite as vulnerable and injured in front of Loki but he didn't think it was working. He was still in a lot of pain. The dagger blade had chipped his bone and surgery had to be done to collect the pieces that had broken off. Thankfully SHIELD's medical technology was top notch and the cast was barely visible and small enough to fit under his dress pants. Still, it didn't hide the pain or his limp or his need for a crutch.