Hello again! Here goes my first shot at an original character…and God does it make me nervous. I just needed some variety in my writing, so I invented a cute little protagonist. She's a red head, because honestly, I don't think there are enough ginger protagonists out there.
I've never been a fan of romantic Loki. Frankly, I view him as the opposite. Angry, cold, and calculating are how I see him. Not that he doesn't care, he just wouldn't be very…he wouldn't be a lovesick fool.
So here we are. Welcome to E.T. (inspired by the Katy Perry song). Each chapter has a song/quote to set the mood. Looking the songs up and listening to them is optional but recommended. The titles of the chapters are the song title, and the name following them is the artist/band.
This WILL become M later on!
Hocus Pocus (by Gary Hoey)
Heidi was nothing if not thorough. It was of this she reminded herself as she combed the massive rune on the ground before her. Her hands were caked in dust so thick that she couldn't see the freckles on her knuckles. Blowing her bangs from her face before tying back her lengthy hair for the fifth time, she continued determinedly.
Since her employment at S.H.I.E.L.D., Heidi had yet to achieve anything spectacular. She had promised them progress, but so far all she had presented them with was massive headaches. She had spent the past six years getting her Master's Degree in Scandinavian Language and Culture, a degree which her parents insisted was worthless and sure to leave her living in her childhood home with no means to support herself. Thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D. she had proven them wrong. She now had the highest government security clearance possible and was expecting to make six figures a year.
'Worthless? No. Tedious and frustrating? Yes,' she huffed mentally as she again sat in the center of the Bifrost marking and sighed. She spared a glance to the sky and noticed it was already getting dark. Desperate to find something, she snapped a few more pictures. Her skin was sticky with sweat from the heat of the day and the chill of the desert at night had her shivering slightly. But her frustration kept her stubbornly vigilant.
"Dr. Brown!" Heidi clenched her eyes shut in frustration as Agent Phil Coulson beckoned her yet again. "Progress report?" he asked as he reached the edge of the massive Celtic Knot in which Heidi sat.
"Um…well…it's a Celtic Knot. They were, eh, used as a symbol of protection and power by the Vikings…" she stumbled over as many impressive sounding words as possible to avoid telling him the truth: she was no further now than when she had begun over a week ago.
"I understand, Dr. Brown. Perhaps you should return to base and continue your research there," Coulson mused. The glint in his eye told Heidi she shouldn't protest. Suppressing a sigh, she stood, nodded, and headed to the black Acura waiting for her. Climbing in the back, the agent in the driver's seat drove her home.
Resting her head against the window, she began to relax. The Bifrost had been broken for nearly a year. Dr. Jane Foster as well as S.H.I.E.L.D. had remained vigilant. Letting a long overdue sigh pass her lips, Heidi closed her eyes and began to mull over the information she had obtained thus far.
At base, guarded heavily in a glass containment cell, were two very important… artifacts. A relic she recognized as the Casket of a Thousand Winters (as the Vikings had referred to it in their many books of history) and the God of Mischief himself, Loki Odinson. She was leery of the god and therefore hadn't yet mustered the courage to see him for herself.
From what she knew of Loki from mythology, he was not one to be trifled with. Then again, mythology had led her to believe that all of the gods had perished in Ragnarok many hundreds of years prior and this was obviously not the case. She had basically decided that all she knew of mythology was slightly skewed and that she would have to use the parts that appeared to be truth to decipher what exactly they were dealing with and how to deal with it.
Heidi opened her grey-green eyes again and watched the desert scenery fly past, lighted only by the dimming sun and the rising moon. There was nothing spectacular about her or her life; she was a normal girl with an average sense of prettiness about her. Her skin was tanned given her golden red hair and that was about as unusual as she was. She was one of the many nameless faces S.H.I.E.L.D. employed in situations such as the one at hand. She knew this job was going to be dangerous when she took it, but after living a life so uninteresting she felt the promise of adventure call to her spirit.
Though the adventure she had since encountered was a bit…intimidating at best. She had nightmares about the gods' wrath towards her for her inability to rebuild the Bifrost. 'Which is absurd,' she had mused. She wasn't even part of the S.H.I.E.L.D. division constructing the Rosen bridge machine; she was there to observe anything mythical or Nordic and report her observations. The most poignant dream, or perhaps nightmare, had been about him.
Loki had invaded her nightmares only once. No matter what Heidi did, she couldn't shake the apprehension that had followed her ever since. It wasn't particularly distinctive, but more disturbing on a basic level. The dream's details were fuzzy, including the god's appearances, but the baser sections (a feather light brush of skin on skin, the feel of his cool breath on her neck) were vivid.
When they arrived back to the base S.H.I.E.L.D. provided for the agents on duty, Heidi felt much more fatigued than she had initially realized, though her mind was active. She made it to the front doors of the apartment-like complex and stopped in thought. She contemplated working; on what, she was unsure. But she was restless. She knew exhaustion wasn't conductive to her work, so she decided to at least deposit her equipment and notes in her small office before heading to bed.
Turning on her heel, she walked across the street to the large building (formerly Jane's tiny, make-shift lab) that held all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s laboratories and offices. Typing in her code and pressing her hand against the smooth glass, the door beeped twice and allowed her access. As consultant, Tony Stark had "donated" (at the very forceful request of Commander Fury) much of his sleek technology, including his security and a link to J.A.R.V.I.S..
Walking quickly, her dusty lab coat and tennis shoes left a trail of filth behind her. Looking back embarrassedly, she vowed to apologize to the cleaning staff in the morning. She pushed forward at an impressive walking pace until she reached the corridor. Unfortunately, her office was within the containment cells and storage units. Agent Coulson had explained that it was for ease of access, as she was studying bits and pieces of relics found in the desert.
She shuddered hard as the feeling of unease began to seep through her veins like ice water. Call it sixth sense or intuition or whatever have you, but Heidi knew not to be near Loki. It was engraved in her baser instincts, prohibiting her from merely brushing off the feeling as silliness and proceeding. It took her a full three minutes to gather her wits and place her hand upon the glass to unlock the door.
"Welcome, Dr. Brown," J.A.R.V.I.S said amicably, making her jump at the sudden intrusion of the silence of this half of the building.
"H-hey J.A.R.V.I.S.," Heidi said once she had gained her voice. As soon as she stepped through the door, the hair on the back of her neck stood to attention. She took it as a warning from her instincts to move quickly and silently to her destination and not waste any time.
Loki's presence was massive and suffocating. She gasped for breath; the air was thick with tension and her fear. The fact that she was the only one that felt this baffled her and worried her. The possibility that Loki was intentionally making her uncomfortable reared its ugly head and she shook herself to rid the feeling. The thought that she had drawn that God of Lies' attention was unnerving.
'You are imagining it,' she thought, closing her eyes and moving silently and swiftly though the hall. 'You have done nothing to drawn his attention. He's never seen you and you've yet to see him.' She sighed in relief when she found her office was only a few steps away.
Punching in her code number softly, she swiftly entered her office and deposited her things on her desk. She decided she would organize her belongings properly tomorrow, when there were other agents lurking in the building. Closing the door softly behind her, Heidi didn't hesitate to sprint down the hallway, anything to rid herself of the feeling of Loki's aura that surrounded her.
Loki had always prided himself on his modulation.
Strong emotions were not a necessity and were often a hindrance and so Loki decided to avoid them at all costs. On only a few occasions had he lost his prized control: one being in the Bifrost chamber and another being this moment.
The cot he had been provided was upturned, ten feet away from where it had once sat. The only evidence of his tantrum other than the bed's misplacement was the thin sheen of frost that encompassed the room.
'No magic, but plenty of genetic abilities,' he thought bitterly. Standing, arms crossed and leaning against the wall, Loki surveyed the damage with an acidic smirk.
Dusting off his under armor (the actual metal bits had disintegrated as he broke through the atmosphere) Loki touched at the slowly healing wound to his forehead and winced almost imperceptibly.
He felt a slight twinge of regret when he recounted everything that had lead to this, but now was not the time for "what ifs". At this point, Loki not only had nothing to lose, but he had all of the time in the world to gain whatever he desired. He smiled wryly. Oh how Thor must love that Loki sleeps so near to his beloved. He chuckled lightly. He was truly overdue for some fun in this realm. He skin itched with longing for the rush of adrenaline that accompanied mischief. Goading Thor was rewarding, but not as rewarding as it had previously been. On Midgard, Loki could not physically see and hear Thor's cries of outrage and anger. He needed a new plaything. A new toy, if you will.
Sighing uncharacteristically, Loki pushed his back from the wall. He lifted his cot right side up and placed the flimsy mattress back on the frame. He sank into it uncomfortably. This lack of full magic matter was becoming a major nuisance. Hearing the slight click of the door across the hall opening, he smirked. The odd scientist was back. He knew the sound of her voice and the feel of her presence very well, but had yet to see her. He felt her near to him every day.
He could almost taste her apprehension as she entered the area near his cell. He was fairly certain she was the only agent who hadn't come to gawk at the fallen god. Her office was just across the corridor from his cell and yet she hadn't even peeked.
He heard the sound of her door shutting and what sounded like sprinting footsteps disappearing down the hallway. Loki's emerald eyes twinkled. He had found his newest plaything.