(continued from chapter 2)

~58th floor, Stark Tower 2, Los Angeles, CA, USA~

Day 2 on Earth.

“Loki and Sigyn,” Tony said with a fake as Hel smile, “meet Nick Fury and Steve Rogers.”

Fury, one eyebrow raised, nodded to the two Asgardians who had just stepped off the elevator.  Extending his hand to Loki, he frowned.  

“Sorry for Stark’s attitude.  Hope he hasn’t been giving you too much lip.”

Loki eyed Tony curiously.  The man was burning holes in the back of Fury’s head.  Interesting.  He then looked Fury up and down.  He was intimidating (not to Loki but surely to the others) in head to toe black with one eye covered by a black eyepatch.  Well, wasn’t that just wonderful.  Another man in an eyepatch.  Hopefully this one was more pleasant than Odin.

“It’s fine,” Loki said cautiously. “Stark has been gracious enough to offer Sigyn and myself sanctuary in his tower.” He turned back to Tony whose brown eyes had narrowed suspiciously at Loki’s suddenly cordial behavior.  

“I don’t believe I ever said a proper thank you either,” Loki said, offering his hand to Tony who accepted it with a look of…. was that contrition?  Valhalla, it was.  Stark was turning out to be a rather complicated fellow.  Or just moody.  Running a hand through his hair, Loki glared at the floor.  He understood moody better than anyone.  

Steve cleared his throat then, and Sigyn gave him a quick once over.  Sandy blond hair, kind eyes, clearly athletic.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain Rogers,” she said extending her hand to him, pleased when he grasped it firmly and let go.  She’d decided over the last two days that she preferred this greeting far more than having her knuckles kissed.

Steve smiled and pocketed his hands. “Just call me Steve.  I’ll be honest,” he looked between Sigyn and Loki, “when Fury told me that a couple aliens from another planet had come through the tesseract, I figured that you’d look a bit more, well, alien.”

Loki snorted, successfully controlling the instinctive roll of his eyes.  Humans had no clue.

“For the sake of correct information,” Jane interjected, “Asgard isn’t a planet.”

“Obviously, that is the most important matter on the table,” Tony said, wide eyed, nodding dramatically.

Erik shrugged. “She’s right.  For one thing, a planet orbits a star, and is typically spheroid in shape, and from what Thor told us-”

“Thor hardly even knows the term spheroid,” Loki interrupted, his mood darkening instantly at the mention of that blond cretin. “Sorry, Dr. Selvig, but you’ll discover, if you ever encounter him again, that man’s vocabulary is acutely lacking.  He didn’t care much for the academy during our youth.” And yes, Asgard was a planet, albeit an oddly shaped one.

From behind Tony, Pepper sighed, eyes trained on Jane. “Let’s just agree that Asgard is a different realm, like they called it.  Arguing over what constitutes a planet is hardly a productive use of everyone’s time.”

“Yes, let’s,” Sigyn agreed.  

Dear gods, anything to take Loki’s mind off Thor.  She could see the storm brewing behind his eyes, the faintest of green light appearing at the tips of his fingers as he took steadying breaths.  

“As you probably know by now,” Fury looked at Loki, “I’m the director of SHIELD.  Coulson called me as soon as you came through the tesseract, so why don’t we start with how the hell you pulled that off.”

Loki opened his mouth to answer, but Tony cut him off. “You know, I should have known it all along.  I always thought something was off.  There was this little voice up here,” he tapped his temple twice, “telling me not to trust SHIELD.  Not to trust you.” He pointed at Fury.

Crossing his arms, Fury glared at Tony. “That may be, but you agreed to work for us nonetheless.  You wanna know what I think?”

“I really don’t,” Tony said, looking the other man in his one good eye.   

Fury shrugged. “I think you didn’t know all along and are just pissed off that you weren’t sharp enough to figure it out.”

“Damn right I’m pissed,” Tony said, laughing humorlessly. “And why shouldn’t I be?  I came on for one purpose only; to research and or test the tesseract because that thing just might be the sustainable energy this planet needs.  To think my work has been going toー”

“Stark,” Fury took a step in Tony’s direction, “you signed a contract saying you understood that SHIELD retained the right to use said research however they saw fit.”

“Yeah I did,” Tony huffed, running a hand through his hair, eyes shut tightly, deep lines creasing his brow, “but I had no idea my work would be in the hands of a bunch of glorified Nazis.”

Loki pursed his lips, and turned to SigynーNazis.  The Third Reich.  They followed that Austrian-born German politician.  What was his name?ーHe snapped his fingers, trying to rememberー Ah, yes.   Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945.

Sigyn frowned, glaring at FuryーThat’s not good.

Not good at allーLoki agreed, nodding as he draped his arm over her shoulder.

Fury clasped his hands behind his back to keep from throwing them up in frustration. “You think I had any idea of that?  Newsflash, Stark, I just found out.”

Coming nearly toe to toe with Fury, Tony glared. “It boggles my mind that the director of SHIELD had absolutely no idea-”

“Guys, guys, come on,” Steve stepped between them, his jaw set, “remember we are on the same team here.  Hydra is the enemy.”

Loki quirked an eyebrow, lips pursed. “And what is Hydra?”

“It’s a fucking fascist cult,” Tony answered, face red with anger as he turned away from Fury.

Fury snorted. “That’s one way of putting it.”

Closing his eyes, Loki took a deep breath and shook his head, utterly frustrated.  Could they not just give him a straight answer?   

Steve frowned and looked at Loki, the once warmth in his eyes replaced with detached seriousness. “The new Hydra is a terrorist-criminal-paramilitary organization that has secretly been hiding within SHIELD for 70 years.”

“Terrorist-criminal-paramilitary?” Tony repeated, making quotation marks with his fingers.

He scoffed and looked at Loki. “I.e. a fucking fascist cult.”

Keeping his eyes on Loki, Steve ignored Tony and continued. “Hydra has existed for millennia.  Originally they worshipped a supposed Inhuman who was banished from Earth because the other Inhumans were afraid of its power.  Simply put, Hydra has been trying to get this being back to Earth and establish a planetary takeover.  It’s absurd, but it is what it is.”

Loki, disbelief clouding his features, looked from face to face before returning his attention to Steve. “An Inhuman?”   What did the mortals know of Inhumans?

Fury shook his head and waved the question off. “All of this is neither here nor there.  Once again, we are here to talk about the tesseract, and Loki,” he gave him a pointed look, “you need to give us everything you’ve got.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and Loki would have done that hours ago if you two hadn’t shown up three hours earlier than the agreed upon time.  You think I had planned on twiddling my thumbs while Loki just hung out in his condo this morning?”

“Stark,” the warning tone was evident in Fury’s voice, “if you’d wanted to talk to Loki so badly, maybe you shouldn’t have drawn out your temper tantrum for those three hours.”

Steve sighed. “And yet here you are,” he looked from Fury to Tony, “still arguing.  The guy is standing right here,” he gestured to Loki, “so let’s talk to him.”

All eyes were on Loki then, and for once, he didn’t care for the attention.  Staring at the floor, he exhaled through his mouth.

Tony eyed him and frowned. “You don’t wanna talk,” he said, nodding to Sigyn when Loki met his gaze. “Not with your girl right here.”

One dark eyebrow raised, Sigyn said, “What are you talking about?”

Still focusing on Loki, Tony shrugged. “I just doubt that Loki can be completely honest about everything with a non objective person, aka his girlfriend, listening.”

Jaw set, Sigyn turned to Pepper, annoyance written all over her face. “So that was the purpose of shopping this morning!  Your boyfriend wanted to speak with Loki alone!” Looking down at her new black t-shirt, she tugged on it and looked back up at the other woman.

“Listen,” Pepper said calmly, “I know it wasn’t exactly your idea of a fun morning.  Believe me, I don’t care to traipse around shopping malls either.  I have to buy enough clothes for Tony without having to bother with my own.”

Tony mock scoffed. “Hey, you love it.”

“Just like I love taking out your trash.  Anyhow,” Pepper rolled her eyes at his smirk and looked back at Sigyn, “Tony and I talked it over yesterday when you and Loki were…. um,” she cleared her throat, “recuperating.  I suggested that Loki might be hesitant to give the whole truth of what he had experienced, how painful it had been, with you present.”

Sigyn put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans to keep from putting them on her hips and scoffing like a child who wasn’t getting her way. “Loki knows he doesn’t need to protect me.”

“Don’t misunderstand me, Sigyn,” Pepper said, holding up a hand. “I’m not saying you need protection.  Not at all.  I was in Catalina, remember?  I saw what you did to Tony’s gate.  It’s just that, well, often times men are instinctively protective of women.  I’m not saying there aren’t exceptions-”

“I told you,” Sigyn snapped, cutting her off, annoyance evident in her tone, “he knows he doesn’t need to protect me.  Loki entrusted me with the task of protecting his parents, the very king and queen of Asgard, when Asgard was under attack.  He physically left me in order to take charge of the army.  He treated me as he would have any other soldier.”

Loki stared over Sigyn’s head, her voice becoming a mere echo as the penthouse was lost to him….

Surrounded by the snow covered fields of Asgard, he was exhausted, a gaping wound in between his left ribs oozing blood even through the heavy leather and metal of his armor.  

“I will not abandon this fight.”

His words were strained, barely a whisper.  The pain wasn’t enough to knock him off his horse….yet.

“Your lung has been pierced, Loki.” It was Thor’s voice. “I am sure of it.  I must get you to Eir!”

Frost giants swarmed all around them.

Panicked, Loki whispered, “Sigyn.”

He thought he heard Thor scream, “What?  Loki?!”

Loki reared back on Sinir and took off for the palace shouting behind his shoulder, “Finish them!!”

“Loki?” Sigyn waved a hand in front of his face. “Loki?” Grabbing his hands, she continued to say his name.  What was he seeing?  She focused on the bond and could have sobbed for the images that flashed through her mind.  No, no, no.  Not that day.  Dear gods, not that day.  She never should have mentioned it.  What had she been thinking?

“What’s wrong with him?” Jane asked, concern spreading across her delicate features.

“Can Asgardians have PTSD?” Fury said, taking a step toward Loki. “Because this sure as hell looks like PTSD.  Believe me, I would know.”

“Stop,” Sigyn said, looking at him sharply, holding up a hand, “I’ll handle this.”

Come on, loveーshe felt absolutely sick, his emotions seeping through the bond and twisting her stomach painfullyーcome back to me.  I’m here.  YOU’RE here.

Loki continued his stare into nothingness, reliving the worst day of his life, entirely unaware of Sigyn shaking him….

Where was she?  He had just arrived in Odin’s chambers.  His mother was at his ankles trying to pull up.  His father was still asleep on his bed, unscathed.  And Laufey, FUCKING Laufey, was burning right in front of him.  Black mist drenched the flames then, and he saw her.  GODS, NO!  She was gasping for breath, trying to smile, absolutely drenched in blood, and mouthing ‘Loki’ as though his very name was her salvation.  He couldn’t get to her fast enough.  She was whispering something about the door covered with ice.  He took the end of his cape and pressed it to the probably fatal wound that was absolutely gushing blood from her stomach as he aimed Gungnir at the door, blasting the ice apart.  Oh gods, she was dying in his arms.  He was going to lose her.  Get her to Eir, you fool!

His mother was still clinging to him, and he kissed her cheek before practically barking, “Stay with Father.”

“How long are we just gonna watch him have an episode?” Grabbing Sigyn’s elbow, Tony gestured to Loki. “My god, just look at the guy.  This has gotta be torture for him!”

She shrugged Tony’s hand off her arm and finally shouted, “Loki!”  She shook him hard, breaking through the tortuous haze of seeing Sigyn unconscious on a healing bed, and Loki came to, blinking rapidly.

“I’m….s-sorry,” Loki stuttered running a hand down his face.  

It wasn’t the first time he’d been shaken by the memory of Sigyn dying in his arms, and it wouldn’t be the last.  It had been his worst nightmare in the desert, the reality of it fueling the horror more than any imagined monster could have.  Gazing down at her, tears in her eyes, he pulled her to him, his hand tangling in her hair as she wrapped her arms around his neck whispering ‘I’m here’ into his throat.  Yes, she was here.  Tangible.  In his arms.  And yet he was still haunted by that damn memory.  He hated it.   Hated it.

“It’s okay, man,” Tony said, hesitantly reaching out and patting his shoulder.

Loki cringed.  He looked absolutely pathetic right now, didn’t he?  Dear gods, how far the mighty had fallen.  Then again, he’d never exactly been ‘the Mighty Loki’.  No, that title had been bestowed upon Thor.  Pulling back from Sigyn, he ran a hand through his hair.  Ms. Potts was absolutely right, and he wasn’t sure how to explain that to Sigyn.

“I would do anything to keep you safe, Sig,” he said giving her a pointed look. “Do you not remember what I once told you in the cave in Vanaheim?  I’d sooner let Asgard burn than I would let anyone or anything hurt you.  And by Hel, I meant it.” Shaking his head, he frowned and looked at his hands, picking nervously at his fingernail. “I abandoned the fight for you.  I abandoned all those men for you.  I left the battlefield.  I put Thor in charge for Hel’s sake.  Sig, all that mattered was you.”

When he looked back up at her, his eyes shone with tears.  Sigyn’s face fell.  She’d clean forgotten his once words in the cave.  Hadn’t those words been uttered only to boost her confidence enough to get back through the Vanaheim portal?  He really would let Asgard burn for her?  Would she let it burn for him, too?  Staring into his eyes, she had her answer.  Without a doubt she would.  The power they had over each other was more than a little alarming.  

“Ms. Potts is right,” Loki said, his voice startling her out of her thoughts. “There are things that happened to me, Sig.  Things I don’t want you to ever know.”

Unhappy with the ‘I told you so’ look Pepper was giving her, Sigyn sighed. “Well, it doesn’t matter either way, Loki,” she said, gripping his forearm. “The bond lets me hear your thoughts and words across an entire realm for Hel’s sake, so a shopping excursion in the same building wouldn’t keep me from knowing the truth.  Granted, I was so distracted from sensory overload downstairs, that I didn’t hear you at all, but the point remains.  You can’t really hide from me.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow. “What sort of bond let’s you read his thoughts?”

“A blood bond,” Loki answered, and at Steve’s still perplexed expression, he clarified, “It’s blood magic.  We performed a ritual that allows us to feel the other’s emotions and speak to each other with thoughts alone.”

Frowning, Fury looked around the room, surprised that no one else’s jaw had dropped. “Sorry to be the annoying skeptic of the group, but how the hell am I supposed to believe this shit?”

Tony rubbed the perfectly groomed goatee on his chin, brows nearly touching his hairline. “Can’t you at least…. I don’t know…. turn it off?  I mean, do you always hear what’s going on in her head?  That sounds awful.”

Loki shook his head. “No, I don’t always hear her.  We have to actively utilize it.  The bond is always there, always available to me, but if I don’t want to hear what she’s thinking or feeling, I just don’t listen.  It goes quiet.  In truth, I’ve been able to read all minds since I was a new sorcerer, so I’ve had a great deal of practice in mastering the skill.  I only listen when I want to.  Gods, if I had no way to not listen I should go mad.”

Eyes narrowed, Jane pointed a finger at him. “I knew you could read minds!  I knew it!” How horribly embarrassing, considering some of the thoughts that had gone through her mind upon first seeing Loki, or worse, the times that she’d relived some of her more intimate moments with Thor.   Surely, he would have shut that out as soon as he’d heard it.

Lips pursed, not especially thrilled with the newfound knowledge of Loki’s telepathic abilities, Steve jumped in, “Okay, well, I know this might not have crossed your mind, Tony, because it’s kind of old-fashioned and boring, but what if you had just asked Loki to speak with you alone instead of the supposedly covert shopping trip to distract Sigyn?  And Loki could have asked her to just not listen, right?”

Tony smirked. “Yeah, that is boring.  Not really my style, Cap.  But it wouldn’t have worked because,” he smirked and turned to Sigyn, “you would have listened anyway, wouldn’t you?” She looked away as he continued, his index finger poking her shoulder. “And Loki would have known that you would be listening, so he would have guarded his words or left out possibly important information, leaving us in the dark.”

Tilting his head sideways, Loki mused aloud and brought a finger to his chin. “Except…. wait…. she wouldn’t have been able to hear me at all from downstairs.”

Tired of standing around talking about some weird blood bond or whatever the hell it was, Fury took a seat on one of the many leather chairs situated throughout the living area.  Apparently this was gonna take a while.  He set his elbows on his knees, hands under his chin.

“I don’t get it,” he said, shaking his head, his eye on Loki. “Sigyn said she could hear you from across a ‘realm’, so why not from fifty floors down?  Sure you have to actively use it, but does that mean you can also….I don’t know…. block each other?  ‘Cause if that’s the case, then this is all a moot point, and we might as well stop talking about the finer points of their bond and ask Sigyn to kindly let us have a moment alone with you.”

The fire under her skin burned hotter, and taking a calming breath, Sigyn chose her words carefully. “Perhaps I’m misinterpreting you, Director, but-”

“I actually can block her from my thoughts,” Loki said, his hands moving up to her shoulders and rubbing gently, cutting off whatever sharp words she had planned on slinging at Fury. “That is, I can somewhat block her.  Blocking isn’t part of the blood magic, though.  I have to utilize a different set of skills.  It is, in a way, a magical form of deception, of lying, and Thor,” he cringed at the name but moved on without missing a beat, “always did say I was talented liar.”

Turning on him, Sigyn pushed his hands away. “What?  Well then teach me how to block you, God of Lies.  I’d like to keep some of my thoughts to myself as well.”

“God of Mischief,” Loki corrected, pushing a strand of hair that had come loose from her braid behind her ear. “I haven’t lied to you since I said you were no match for me.  You know that,” he whispered, pulling her close.  

“That depends entirely on one’s definition of a lie,” she snapped, though her tone lacked any real menace.  

She was clearly a bit miffed still, but she wrapped one arm around his waist loosely, and that was good enough for him.  Satisfied that she had calmed down enough to not burn a hole in his sweater, Loki addressed the others.

“But that isn’t why she couldn’t hear me from downstairs.  Tell me, Stark,” he trained his eyes on Tony who had crossed the room to pour a mid-afternoon drink for himself, “from what material is this tower constructed?”

Tony took a sip, the ice tinkling in his glass. “Steel,” he said, shrugging. “Like every other high rise in existence.  Why?”

Eyes narrowing, Loki inclined his head.  “I simply wish to know how it is possible that our bond works from across an entire realm but not through the floors of your building.”

Tony frowned, genuinely confused. “What?”

Loki inclined his head. “Something is blocking the magic, and I’m fairly certain it isn’t steel.  The material is shielding our thoughts from each other.  I tried to use the bond to find Sigyn this morning, but it wouldn’t work.  Jarvis had to tell me where she was.  I tried to hear her, feel her at all, while purchasing new clothes.  Again, nothing.”

Everyone turned to face Tony, the looks on their faces ranging from bemused to suspicious.  He had no idea what Loki was talking about.  Something in his building was blocking their bond?  Running a finger around the rim of his glass, he shut his eyes.  This place was made of solid steel!  How could steel shield their thoughts from each other?

Wait—Shield their thoughts.  Shield.  One eyebrow quirked, Tony looked at Steve.  

After a moment of feeling unnerved under Tony’s intense gaze, Steve held up his hands in question. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Looking as though a light bulb had just turned on over his head, Tony said, “Your shield.”

Steve frowned. “Come again?”

Tony walked around the bar, his drink forgotten, and pointed at Steve. “Your shield is nearly indestructible.  It blocks you from just about any harm, right?  Hell, I’ve seen fire bounce right off it.  I know you’ve fallen off a high rise and landed on it and just stood up and walked away.  No broken bones.  No bruises.  No cuts.”

Leaning back in his chair, Fury groaned. “Get to the point, Stark.”

Brow furrowed, Tony walked to Loki. “Can you hear each other as long as you’re on the same floor?  Even in different rooms?”

Loki and Sigyn nodded silently.  Tony laughed dryly, a hand over his eyes.  He could have cried right then.  He was so busted.

“Goddammit.” He held up a hand just as Steve opened his mouth.  “I swear if you say ‘language’ at me, I will punch you right in your perfect teeth.”

Brows up, Steve shrugged. “I still don’t see what my shield has to do with any of this.”

Rubbing his hands down his face, Tony groaned. “Vibranium.  It must have mystical properties that shield their bond, too.”

Fury was on his feet in an instant. “Stark, are you saying you’ve been concealing vibranium in between the floors of your tower?”

Backing away from the much taller man hovering over him, Tony nodded.

Hands fisted at his sides, Fury scoffed. “That’s a helluva lot of an extremely rare metal, Stark.  Also, extremely valuable to smugglers, namely, Ulysses Klaue.  What’s that thief’s little collection called again?”

“Big collection you mean,” Tony corrected, one hand in his pocket as he returned to his drink, “and it was called the ‘salvage yard’.  Brilliant name.  Very descriptive.”

Crossing his arms, Fury glared. “Uh huh, and just how did you manage to get to the salvage yard undetected?  You know Wakanda is a hotspot for SHIELD.  They’ve got satellites specifically watching Wakanda because of their vibranium.” He grabbed an empty glass from the counter. “Fill it up.  I’m considering this entire day off duty, and I need it.”

Jane interrupted. “Sorry, what’s Wakanda, again?”

Pepper cleared her throat. “It’s a central African country, the only known location to house vibranium so far.”

Jane nodded. “Right.”

Ignoring Fury’s still empty glass, Tony took a sip from his own. “Wakanda is a hotspot for Hydra you mean.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Neither here nor there.  Answer the question, Stark.”

Setting the glass down with more force than necessary, Tony eyed him. “I’m sorry, I don’t recall signing anything that said I take orders from you.”

“For the love, Stark,” Steve ran a hand down his face, beyond exasperated.

Finally pouring whiskey into the glass Fury was holding up expectantly, Tony huffed, annoyed to have to come up with a story on the spot.  He was normally better at this, but today, well no, yesterday and today had scrambled his brain.  He eyed Fury.  There were things that Tony knew, things that Fury didn’t know.  Things that no one knew, save for Tony, and maybe a handful of others.  Wakanda wasn’t exactly what it appeared to be, and he needed to keep it that way.  Turning away from them, he rubbed a hand down his face, having a silent mini-breakdown in his head.  When a story (a lame overused story) came to him, he faced them again.

“Fine.  It’s fairly self-explanatory though.  People love money, and when you have enough of it, you can get them to do just about anything.” He shrugged. “Make friends with the right people.  Hire the right people.  Blah blah blah.  Look, the details of how I got my hands on Klaue’s stolen stockpile don’t matter.  I know this is boring and old-fashioned without any covert flair, but maybe, just maybe I did the honest thing and simply asked King T’Chaka if I could raid the mines.  Let’s not forget that my dad had good relations with Wakanda back in the day.” He looked at Steve. “You remember, right?”

“Am I supposed to be affected by the old jokes still?” Steve raised an eyebrow. “Come up with something new, Stark.  You’re losing your touch.”

Jane rubbed her temples, annoyed that she couldn’t seem to keep up. “King T’Chaka?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Good god, Pipsqueak, aren’t you the one who always spouts off that ‘knowledge is power’, and yet here you are knowing nothing about geography or Wakandan royalty.”

“You don’t have to be an ass about it,” Jane snapped. “Astrophysics is my specialty, not Wakandan royalty.”

Sparing her a sympathetic glance, Steve interjected, “T’Chaka is the king of Wakanda, and in case you were wondering,” he looked at Loki and Sigyn, “my shield is made of vibranium, which is only available in Wakanda.  It has properties that absorb the most intense vibrations on a molecular level which protect me from just about anything, and now,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair, “apparently it has magical properties as well.” He crossed the room to the bar, eyeing Tony like a dad would his misbehaving son.

Tony sighed, relieved that no one was further questioning him about his relationship with Wakanda or their king.  Pulling Sigyn with him, Loki walked to the other men and snatched the bottle of Knob Creek right out of Tony’s hand.  Hard liquor sounded superb at the moment.

“Originally, I came up here to talk about the tesseract in order to help you.” The bottle still in his hand, Loki released his index finger and pointed to each of them.  Enjoying how they shrinked just that much under his stare, he set the bottle down and placed his hands flat on the bar.

“In order to be as helpful as possible, I want to make sure I’ve got it straight.  Stark and Dr. Selvig were hired by SHIELD to research the energetic capabilities of the tesseract.  Stark was hoping to make a clean energy source with it, and he was willing to work for SHIELD even if it meant handing over his research to an organization that might choose to use said research for less than benevolent purposes.  This weighed heavily on Stark, but he justified the research for the sake of sustainable energy.  That same weight and the untimely destruction of his house in Catalina made him a rather unpleasant and unwelcoming host to myself and Sigyn, thank you very much,” Loki held up a finger when Tony glared at  him, “but all is forgiven.  This morning, Director Fury and Rogers arrived ahead of schedule, which was unfortunate for Stark since it meant he didn’t get alone time with me,” he smirked as everyone chuckled at the insinuation. “Then Fury informs Stark that SHIELD has been infiltrated by a fucking fascist cult, as Stark so delicately put it, called Hydra which is bent on world domination by a powerful Inhuman.  Stark is a bit upset to know that his research on the tesseract is now in the hands of this evil Hydra organization.”

Tony slow clapped, “Bravo, Loki.”

“There’s more you should know,” Steve offered. “The tesseract was stolen from Tonsberg by Johann Schmidt, the commander of the Nazi special weapons division, aka Hydra, in 1942, and it became their secret weapon.  Eventually it ended up at the bottom of the ocean, as did I.  Howard Stark discovered it later on while looking for me, and that’s how we ended up here.  Big mistake fishing it out of the water.”

Tony looked into the bottom of his glass. “Yeah well, hindsight is twenty twenty.”

Loki rubbed his eyes, not only because his body was tired still but because they were genuinely starting to hurt again.  It was a minor pain, but hopefully this wasn’t going to turn into that piercing stabbing pain like when he came through the tesseract.  Blinking rapidly, he took a deep breath and sent a pulse of pain numbing magic into his temple, the faint green glow casting shadows across his face.  Ah, relief was sweet.

“Damn,” Fury’s one eye shot wide open as Loki exhaled deeply through his mouth. “What the hell did you just do to your head?” He leaned in closer to Loki, eye squinting.

Loki waved a hand. “I was merely ending a headache.”

“Not sure if I’m impressed or genuinely creeped out by that,” Fury said, leaning away.

Head sideways, Loki smirked. “Creeped out?  Why?  Are you wondering if I could give a headache, or worse, to someone else, Director?” He didn’t wait for a response. “The answer is yes.  Much worse.”  

He wiggled his fingers, his smirk turning to a dazzling smile as green light seeped from the tips and slithered across the bar toward the other man.  Fury flinched when it made contact, but quickly relaxed, a faint smile tugging at his lips.  

Sigyn smacked his arm. “Loki, what did you do to him?”

“Fear not, Sig,” Loki chuckled, taking a sip from the bottle. “It’s just a slight high, nothing more.  He’s probably feeling more relaxed than he has in ages.”

Grey green eyes narrowing, Sigyn smacked him harder. “Well end it.”

Fury’s smile faltered, the effects of Loki’s magic dissipating. “Interesting.”

“Oh my god,” Tony smiled wide, holding his arm out to Loki, “please do me.”

Loki smirked, winking at Sigyn. “I’m afraid you’re not my type.”  

Holding up his glass, Tony wiggled his eyebrows. “Hey man, I’m everybody’s type.” Watching cool magic like that was improving his mood big time.  A chorus of catcalls and snickers and air kisses echoed in the room as Pepper, Jane, Erik and Coulson joined them at the bar.

Steve rolled his eyes. “Come on, guys.  Back to business.”

Grabbing a corkscrew from beneath the bar, Tony released the small knife on the side. “Why so serious?  Here,” he reached for Steve’s cheek, “let’s put a smile on that face.”

Steve leaned just out of his reach, lips pursed.  After a beat he said, “The Dark Knight.”

Nodding, Tony set the corkscrew down, eyebrows up expectantly. “Correct.  And?”

“I actually liked that one,” Steve said, a small grin brightening his features.

“Everyone liked that one,” Pepper said, grabbing four glasses, one for her, and set the others in front of Jane, Erik, and Coulson.

“Guess I’m taking drink orders now,” Tony mused aloud, his forehead creasing. “The usual Pep?”

“Yep,” she said, situating herself on one of the leather stools.

Pushing the glass away, Coulson shook his head. “No thanks.”

“I already said we’re off duty,” Fury said, holding up his glass, “so feel free to indulge, Coulson.  Reasonably indulge, that is.”

Sigyn cleared her throat. “I want to know more about this vibranium material.”

“Speaking of which,” Fury said, eyeing Tony who was trying not to visibly wince at the subject matter, “I still don’t know why you have your own stockpile of it, Stark.”

“Listen,” Tony shrugged (keep it simple, stupid), “let’s just say I struck a deal with T’Chaka.  I keep it safe from smugglers like Klaue, and just look how the good people of Wakanda have thrived thanks to the big chunk of cash that I drop landed in their benevolent king’s hands.  Seriously, think about it; who would think to look for vibranium in the space between steel planks between the floors of Stark Tower Two?  It’s a great hiding place.” He rushed through the question, not letting them respond. “But let’s get back to the tesseract because I want to know how we can get that thing as far the hell away from Earth as possible before Hydra comes for it.”

Pepper looked sideways at him. “Considering another Asgardian just came through the tesseract last night with twenty SHIELD agents there to witness it, I’m assuming it won’t take long for them to come for it.”

“I can assure you,” Coulson cut in, holding up a hand, “Director Fury and Captain Rogers were the only ones to be notified.  The agents who witnessed it are under strict protocol to answer to me, and I answer to Fury.  You think any of them could just make a phone call to the higher ups at SHIELD without me knowing about it?  Come on, Ms. Potts, I’m level 8.”

Sighing, Pepper shook her head. “I’m not questioning your level of authority, Phil, only that if Hydra has infiltrated SHIELD, then I trust your agents about as far as I can throw them.  Doesn’t hurt to look at this from all possible angles.”

Holding his hands up, palms facing her, Coulson nodded. “I understand, but I know my agents, and even if I didn’t, I’d still know if they’d been communicating with the fat cats at SHIELD, and they haven’t.  The council sent their top guy, Fury, to investigate the blast along with his choice of agents.  SHIELD’s cover is that the blast was due to a gas leak.  They know if they make a fuss over some billionaire’s house exploding in Catalina people are gonna start to talk.  It’s in their best interest to let Fury handle it covertly.”

Swirling his drink, mouth set in a frown, Erik said, “But how does the council know they can trust Fury?”

Fury, head tilted down, gave him a pointed look from under his brow. “First of all, I’m not sure the council has actually been infiltrated, and no one knows that I know about Hydra except for these guys.” He pointed to Steve, Tony, and Coulson.

Rolling her eyes, Sigyn crossed her arms. “So we’ve established that you can trust all of three people in this organization.  Wonderful.”

Planting a kiss on her temple, Loki shrugged. “Seeing as how our new friends are desperate to get rid of the tesseract, they’ve made my job exceptionally less difficult.”

Tony grinned and clapped his hands together once. “Now we’re getting somewhere!  The real meat of the discussion.  So what job would that be, Loki?”

Loki leaned an arm on the bar. “To steal the tesseract whether you like it or not, take it to Asgard, and stick it in Odin’s vault.”

Choking into his glass, Tony put it down, cringing. “Please tell me ‘Odin’s vault’ isn’t a euphemism for something else.”

Loki and Sigyn exchanged quick wide-eyed glances before they burst out laughing.  Sigyn doubled over, gripping her stomach.

“Loki,” she tried to catch her breath, “c-can you imagine the Allfather’s f-face?”

Wiping a tear from his eye, Loki sniffed, speaking through what could only be described as giggles. “That would be truly horrific.”

“No, Stark,” composing himself, he straightened the hem of his sweater, shaking his head, “it’s the weapons vault.  A great many treasures are stored there for the safest keeping in all the realms, guarded by the Destroyer and the Einherjar armed with enchanted blades, invisible shields, and centuries of military training.”

“So back to the being who sent you here,” Steve said, frowning, “I’m just gonna call him ‘Big Bad’, can he sense where the tesseract is?”

Running a hand through his hair (he hated that Sigyn was hearing anything about his torturer) Loki sighed, jaw jutting forward. “Yes.  Well, only because it was awakened, if you will.  When it was stagnant at the bottom of one of your oceans, he did not know where it was, but then you people started playing with fire and the game changed.”

“So,” Tony leaned his elbows on the counter, “does Big Bad sense that the tesseract is here in my tower?”

Loki quirked an eyebrow. “That raises the question: is it in this tower?”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Obviously.”

“Not obvious,” Loki snapped, glaring. “How should I know if it had been moved?  Yes, he surely senses it is here rather than in Catalina, and I am to report to him every other day as to your defenses and what not.” He waved a hand dismissively. “I am meant to be a scout for him, for all intents and purposes.  I hope it is clear to you that I have chosen a different path.”

Sigyn grabbed his chin, jerking his face toward her, grey green eyes burning holes into his slightly less blue ones. “Wait, you’re still in communication with him?”

One eyebrow raised, Loki tugged on her wrist gently. “Of course.  I have to be.”

He tugged harderーSig, let go.  That actually hurts.

Eyes narrowing, she released her grip.

“Think of it as highly skilled telepathy,” he said, rubbing his jaw.

Sigyn straightened her shoulders, unhappy with that answer, but kept her mouth shut.  She didn’t especially want to whine in front of these people, and anything further she had to say would be just that.  Whining.

Erik rubbed his chin. “I’m curious—are you saying that if he doesn’t know the exact location of the tesseract, then he can’t use it?”

Almost positive of the answer, Loki nodded. “Correct.”

Though The Other had never told him any of the specifics, Loki had been given two months to prepare for this little trip while he’d been on that desert rock, and in that time he had read just about everything in existence about the tesseract.  And why wouldn’t he?  He’d needed to know everything possible if he wanted to wield it himself.  In truth, he probably was a powerful enough being to use it, especially after the rigorous training in the desert, but he didn’t especially want to put his eyes through that horror again.

“It’s just like wielding magic,” he continued, shrugging. “For example, I am able to move things at will with just a thought.” He held out his hand, green light shining around it, and a chair fell over. “The only way I was able to knock that chair over was because I knew its location first.  I focused on it and wanted it to move, so it did.  Magic requires focus on the item or person you wish to manipulate.  I can’t move anything on the fifty-fourth floor for instance because I haven’t been on that floor.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know what to move.”

Head titled, Steve frowned. “But you just said the vibranium blocks magic, so even if you had seen something on that floor and wanted to move it, how would you be able to?” He paused, lips pursing. “Or does it only block the blood magic?”

Loki was genuinely stunned to silence for a moment.  He hadn’t thought of that.   Had he tried to do any other magic that went through the floors?  Well, he had zapped the woman installing new cameras in the ceiling above him, but she was in a vent, and only because he could hear her had he been able to do anything at all.  Perhaps the vibranium had been above the vent?  Or maybe it really did only block the bond.

“Well, let’s try an experiment then,” Loki said rubbing his hands together. “I’ve seen the forty-second floor.  I’ll try to move something there.  Jarvis, tell me if it works.”

“Yes, sir,” Jarvis responded.  A moment passed before he added, “sheets are floating above the bed, and the headboard is broken, sir.”

Tony scowled at Loki. “Was breaking something necessary in this experiment?”

Chewing on his lower lip, Steve put a hand on his hip. “Huh.  It worked.”

Sigyn held up a hand. “But wait, you’re using mind magic obviously, but the blood bond…. I thought it was mind magic too?  Why would one work but not the other?  Or no, wait.   Is the blood bond mind magic?”

Loki stared at her stunned, again (what the Hel was this vibranium?) before saying, “Can you light those floating sheets on fire?”

Eyes wide, Tony scoffed. “Hey guys come on!  I bought those!”

Jarvis piped up then. “The sprinklers have been activated, Mr. Stark.”

Scratching the back of his head, Loki groaned. “So it doesn’t block all magic, just the bond.  I’d say it was interesting, but I find it more irritating than anything.”

“Forgive me for not following,” Fury pulled up a stool and sat, the leather of his jacket creaking against the seat, “but I don’t understand why the vibranium matters.  Whatever way she arrived here, you two,” he pointed at Loki and Sigyn, “take the tesseract back through that place, and put the tesseract in the vault.  We’ll deal with the consequences here from Hydra agents within SHIELD.  At least Big Bad won’t attack us, and we can handle Hydra better than whoever sent Loki.”

Jaw clenched, Sigyn eyed the stern man seated across from her.  It must have been a requirement for all one-eyed men to grate on her nerves.  

“That is true, Director,” Sigyn smiled, though it was far from warm, “but Big Bad will be able to follow the location of the tesseract as we travel to Asgard, and due to anger over Loki’s rebellion, he might come through and attack before we made it to the vault, or worse for you, before we even made it to the Midgard portal.”

Loki shook his head. “I doubt he would be able to get through the tesseract during the time it took to lock it up.  It wasn’t exactly a quick trip.  I mean for Hel’s sake, I stood at the base of the steps for a solid ten minutes before the pain even started-” he stopped abruptly.  

He didn’t want her to know the torture it had been for him to travel through it.  He felt her bristle next to him, no doubt having focused on the word ‘pain’, but she was gracious enough not to probe him about it.  Hoping to ease whatever sudden discomfort he’d caused, he smiled down at her and continued.

“How long did it take you to come through Silver Lake?”

Sigyn scratched the back of her neck. “Um…. what do you think, Jane?” She looked at the smaller woman seated next to her. “About ten seconds?”

“Yeah,” Jane agreed shivering, “ten scary seconds.”

Loki nodded once and pulled Sigyn’s chin up to look at him. “Ten seconds plus the two minutes it would take me to teleport us to the vault.  I’m willing to take that risk, Sig.”

Sigyn frowned, her stomach in knots over the whole thing.  To Hel with the cube.  She just wanted to grab Loki and go.  

“But….” she trailed off, knowing her protests would fall on deaf ears.

Placing both hands flat on the bar, Loki mused. “Big Bad didn’t strike me as impulsive.  He was methodical, calculating.  He uses others to do his dirty work.  Who knows, he may have other infinity gems already, but the most important thing right now is to keep the cube from him, and our best bet is Odin’s vault.”

Running her index finger up and down his, Sigyn sighed. “Then again, Odin brought the tesseract here.  Why would he make it so vulnerable?  Maybe it’s not safe in the vault, after all.”

Frustrated with formulating a plan that could go wrong in any different number of ways, Loki’s fingers pressed into the bar, the granite nearly crumbling.

“Safer in the vault,” he corrected. “The Asgardian army and the Destroyer are far more capable than Earth’s forces.”

Fury snorted, shaking his head. “You do realize there are seven billion of us?”

Loki raised his eyebrows in question. “Have your soldiers, even your finest ones, developed their skills over centuries, over millennia?”

Fury glared into the bottom of his glass, and Loki nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

Holding her stomach since Loki’s words had done nothing to end its knotting, Sigyn hung her head. “Those two minutes and ten seconds between the portal and the vault concern me still, and that doesn’t even include the time it would take to get from the tower to Catalina.”

“Seven minutes, tops,” Tony supplied.

“Fine, so nine minutes and ten seconds concern me,” Sigyn groaned into her hands before looking up at Loki.

Letting his eyes drift shut (dammit, they were hurting again) Loki sat on the stool he’d been ignoring next to her. “Sig,” he winced at the whining tone in his voice, “it’s a risk, I know, but it’s worth it.”

She swiveled in her seat, her body completely facing him. “What if he decides to pull you back through the tesseract at any moment to talk with you rather than use highly skilled telepathy?”

He sighed, “There are a thousand what ifs, Sig.” Wrapping his arm around her waist, Loki pulled her onto his lap.  It wasn’t a sexual gesture on his part, just a way to comfort her, and he knew it had worked when her arms came around his neck.

Sitting up straighter, Pepper cleared her throat and swirled her glass. “Just a thought,” she said, pausing as the group focused their attention on her, “could the vibranium block Big Bad from wielding the tesseract?”

Steve pursed his lips. “As in make a literal shield for the tesseract out of vibranium?”

They were all looking at Pepper like she’d lost her mind, but she shrugged it off. “Well, it’s strong enough to block their blood magic,” she said, holding up a hand. “Is it possible that the tesseract works in a similar way to their bond?  If so, maybe the vibranium would block that, too.”

Loki groaned into Sigyn’s neck.  This Pepper woman had made some very intelligent comments, but this?  This was sheer idiocy.  Rolling his eyes, he shook his head.

“You can’t block the magic of an infinity gem, Ms. Potts.”

She waved a hand and took a sip of her drink. “I get that, but I’m saying maybe vibranium could mask it, as in hide it from prying eyes.”

Brow furrowing, Loki sat up straighter. “Elaborate.”

Standing to her feet, Pepper paced slowly around the bar, one hand on her hip, the other rubbing her chin. “Maybe the tesseract emits a signature,” she paused, snapping her fingers, looking for the right word, “like the heat signature our bodies emit.  Certain substances can block heat signatures.  Those substances create an illusion of cold.” She looked up, proudly noting that everyone was nodding expectantly for her to continue.

“For instance, in the movie Predator, the predator sees his victims by using technology that detects body heat.  Schwarzenegger covers himself in mud that is cool enough to hide the heat, and the predator can’t see him.  Now, it doesn’t mean that if the predator had shot at him that it wouldn’t have killed him, it just means that the predator didn’t know where to aim.”

Brown eyes sparkling excitedly, Tony’s jaw had dropped so far he would have to pick it up off the floor. “This is exactly why I can’t live without you, Pep.  Not only do you think outside the box, but you referenced Predator.  Coolest chick ever.”

Loki had no idea what Predator was, but disguising a signature was actually quite brilliant. “It’s a good theory, if the vibranium actually shields it, that is.  Like I said, one can’t possibly block a powerful being from wielding the tesseract if he wants to wield it, but masking it…. that actually might work,” he said, nodding at Pepper, guilt creeping into his bones for thinking her a simpleton.  

“Big Bad would sense it here in the tower, we would encase it in the shield, and it would simply disappear from his vision.  Once again, we’re assuming this rare metal is indeed able to shield it.  Though, I still don’t understand why vibranium only blocks the bond, of all things.  For Hel’s sake,” he ran a hand through his hair, looking at Sigyn who was still in his lap, “our bond is the strongest type of magic I can imagine.  We can’t control it.  We can’t remove it by just not using it.  It’s too powerful.  Other magic, my telekinetic abilities or Sigyn’s fire for instance, requires practice, but once we’ve practiced enough, we can control it.”

Deep lines creasing Steve’s forehead, he shook his head. “But that doesn’t make any sense.  If it can block the strongest, shouldn’t it be able to block the weaker form of magic, too?”

Shrugging, elbows on the bar, Loki put his chin in his hand. “It’s just a specific type of magic that it blocks.  It doesn’t matter the strength.”

Leaning forward, Sigyn’s whispered, “It’s pure magic.”

Mid-drink, Tony set his glass down. “What’s that?”

“It blocks pure magic.  Wild magic,” Sigyn clarified.

“Loki and I were only able to perform the blood ritual because we have natural genetic magic flowing through our veins.” She ran a finger up and down a visible vein in Loki’s forearm. “Blood bonds can only occur between natural sorcerers because blood bonds are wild.  They can’t be tamed.  They can’t be controlled.  They can’t be taught.  There is no ‘how to’ manual for them.  Any form of magic that we can control, that we can teach to anyone regardless of magical status, isn’t wild, isn’t pure.  And pure magic is by far the most dangerous form of magic in existence.” Trying to keep up with the thoughts racing ahead of her, she blinked rapidly.

“Maybe the mystical properties of vibranium focus entirely on blocking its greatest threats rather than bothering with those it deems less significant.  Why waste its energy on simple telepathy?  Simple illusions?  No, it’s the real threats, pure magic, wild magic, magic that works across a realm, that it cares enough to put up a shield.  And the tesseract?  One can’t truly control it.  It’s as wild as it gets.”

Huge smile on his face, Loki gripped the back of her neck and kissed her soundly.  He could care less that everyone was watching.  

Tony cleared his throat, cringing at their display. “Enough of that.  I know where that leads to.”

Pulling back, Loki chuckled quietly. “Sig, you really are brilliant,” he whispered in her ear. “No wonder I’m so in love with you.” Giving him a quick peck on the cheek, Sigyn winked and straightened up to pay attention to the group again.

Tony crossed his arms. “So, we fashion a vibranium cube to encase the tesseract.  Big Bad will then lose sight,” his brows knitted together in confusion, “or sense of it, which in turn prohibits him from focusing on its energy, and therefore he won’t be able to travel through it or send his scary army through it.  You two then take it to Asgard, lock it up, Earth is saved from alien world domination, and you guys are back home where you belong.” His face broke into a huge smile. “I like this plan.”

Steve shook his head, concern evident in his voice. “Still, we somehow need to test this vibranium shield theory.  Otherwise, this could blow up in our faces.”

“Yeah, it could,” Tony shrugged, “but it’s all we’ve got.”

FEARLESS CONTINUES IN CHAPTER FIVE: HEAT IS MY SPECIALTY (WHAT IS BLUE FOR)

Visit the Trilogy main page HERE.

Chapter links: ¹ You’ll Have Answers Later ² Talk Some Sense to Me, Sig. ³ Interlude in Asgard (Endless Grief) ⁴ Wild Magic (It’s All We Have) ⁵ Heat is My Specialty (What is Blue For) ⁶ Storms Pass, Loki. ⁷ Trust Me, I’ve Got This. ⁸ A Heavy Gift ⁹ Sick and Tired ¹⁰ Hold On, We’re Going Home (Green Is for Life Part 2) ¹¹ Home is Chaos ¹² Looks That Kill ¹³ Living Ghosts ¹⁴ No Rules (Tick Tock) ¹⁵ The Calm ¹⁶ The Storm

Chapter 17 Coming October 2021

CHAPTER FOUR THEME SONG:

“The Idealist” by Mr Fijiwiji

What Readers Have Said

About CH 4 “Wild Magic (It’s All We Have)”

“I love Loki and Sigyn the best, but in this chapter Pepper ROCKS. Surrounded by gods and geniuses and she is the one to come up with a workable idea. I am very, very worried about Lokis eyes 🙁 ”

-Ferbette, on CH 4 “Wild Magid (It’s All We Have)”, 13 Feb 2018 (AO3)

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