Chapter 1
New York is a city of opportunity, and lack thereof. I have so many bad memories that I was about to leave when opportunity knocked. More like it sent an email for an impromptu interview.\
I nearly turned around three times on my commute here and nearly once more when the head of security escorted me to the waiting room.
"C'mon, Odelle, it's just an interview" I muttered in the silence of the empty room. I could see from the window the riot of fangirls and boys who set up camp when the Avengers moved into Stark Tower, now named Avengers Tower. I have to admit that I'm starstruck by the heroes, but these people outside are on another level.
"Miss Daniels" I heard a British voice around me and jumped. I couldn't pinpoint the source of the voice.
"Sorry to startle you" the ceiling said, "I am Jarvis, Mr. Stark's AI. Please enter the next door and walk until you reach the last door to the left"
"Um thanks Jarvis" I reply before hurriedly gathering my belongings. I knew Tony Stark was a genius, but it's more mind blowing to see his tech in action. I reached the last door to the left and took a deep breath before entering. The room had completely white walls and floors. A desk and chair sat in the middle of the room with a laptop and a silver item sitting on the desk. What did I get myself into?
"Your interview starts here" Jarvis announced, "You will go through the BARF"
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"The Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing"
"Oh. Oh."
I remember reading about this! Stark announced that a prototype was underway with an indefinite completion date. I hope I'm not just a guinea pig for Stark.
"Your blood pressure is rising" Jarvis said, "Please know that though the program is in beta phase you are not in danger"
"That's nice to know" I replied, "How do proceed?"
"Sit at the desk and put on the glasses" Jarvis replied, "Good luck Miss Daniels"
I sat in the desk tentatively and put the glasses on. At first nothing happened, then a bright flash appeared. Then the room went dark, blue lettering appearing before me.
"Secretary sequence loading" it read. I gasped as an entire world constructed around me.
"Ahem"
I jumped as Tony Stark stood before me, tapping his foot impatiently.
"What's my schedule look like today?" He huffed. I the laptop had turned on to a program with Mr. Stark.
"Uh meetings at 9,10, and 11am, and a gala from 6-10pm. Your suit will be delivered to you at noon, and Miss Potts scheduled to see you at 3" I read aloud. Mr. Stark smirked and walked away.
"Thanks, newb" he called, "Good luck!"
Wait. Was that the real Tony Stark? Before I could reply, he was gone and a line of disgruntled businessmen appeared. It's remarkable, all the simulations look like they're alive almost. I finally reached the last person.
"Justin Hammer here to make an appointment," he said, leaning on my desk trying to peek at the computer. An email popped up, reading "Send him away."
"We're booked for the next 7 months" I replied, not missing a beat.
The man's face turned tomato red as he sputtered at me.
"Get me an appointment" he threatened. How can a hologram be this annoying? I plastered on a smile and asked "How about February 31st? Or May 32nd?"
Justin sputtered again and walked away, threatening to report me to my boss.
"You'll need an appointment" I called back. The room darkened again before the bright white walls appeared again.
"That was rich" a man cackled behind me. Tony Stark was at the door bent over in laughter.
"You're hired"
I blinked, processing the news before stuttering a thank you and shaking his hand.
"That was amazing! I didn't realize how far you were on your new project!" I gushed, "This is decades ahead of virtual reality! What other simulations have you run?"
He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Do I sense a fellow techie?" He grinned. I looked down, embarrassed.
"I didn't finish college," I admitted, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to leave"
More like I was forced out, but no one needs to know that. I can't open up that pandora's box. Mr. Starks grin remained however.
"How about an internship along with a paying job?" He asked, "I can teach you more than any fancy school"
I brightened at the prospect, but was still wary.
"I'm not sure with the commute and-"
"You can use a spare room in the tower" Mr. Stark interjected. With a little more convincing, I finally agreed, and left to gather my belongings.
A job and a learning opportunity from the Tony Stark? This is actually the best day ever. Packing was easy. I don't like to own too much items so everything I needed was packed into a small carry on. I arrived back at the Tower and received a badge from Happy, the head of security. Mr. Stark was waiting at the elevator.
"Is the rest of your stuff coming?" He inquired.
"No this is it" I replied. Mr. Stark nodded, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
"We'll stop by your room first and then you'll get the grand tour"
The elevator stopped and I gaped at the person behind it.l
I had only seen the star spangled hero once, battling the aliens that invaded New York. I still have nightmares of being held hostage by those beings.
"Stark, ma'am" he nodded to both of us politely as he stepped into the elevator.
"Meet our new secretary slash intern" Mr. Stark said, "Odelle, meet good ole Captain America"
"Hi, Odelle, welcome to the tower" Captain Rogers said warmly.
"H-hi" I squeaked. Captain Rogers and Mr. Stark smirked but didn't tease me as I fought with my inner fangirl. Sadly, we left the elevator before Captain, but I was soon dazzled by the large living space.
"Here's the living room, kitchen and dining hall are to the right, rooms are upstairs to the left" Stark explained. Men and women slept on separate floors, meaning I'd have the floor mostly to myself.
"Nat doesn't stay overnight often so go crazy" he said.
"I can't thank you enough, Mr. Stark" I said after dropping off my carry on.
"Call me Tony, unless some bigwigs in suits are around" he replied, "let's continue the tour"
We went to the lab first, where I talked Tony's ears off with questions about past, current, and future projects.
"This is the most I've heard you talk" he joked as we walked out, "You really are passionate"
"I'm sure you've seen my file" I replied, "I was in the foster system until I aged out. STEM was the only constant in my life"
Tony stayed silent as we walked down the hall with a serious expression. I hope I didn't make things awkward with all the orphan talk.
"I have a good feeling about you" he grinned again. I sighed in relief.
After showing me around, Tony led me back to the dining hall.
"Sir Director Fury and a guest are in the living room" Jarvis announced. Before Tony could reply, a loud roar erupted from down the hall.
"Uh oh, big guys out" Tony muttered, breaking out into a run, Jarvis, my suit!"
"Om its way sir" Jarvis replied. I followed behind, unsure if i really should. We entered just as Thor and Captain Rogers pulled Hulk away from a man dressed in green and gold.
"Get a hold of yourself Banner" a man with an eyepatch fumed.
"Fury, what the hell is this?" Tony boomed. I flinched at the switch in his personality. Why is he so angry?
Then I looked back at the man in green. He had bonds that covered his entire hands and some sort of metal that covered his mouth. His sleek black hair and piercing green eyes reminded me of someone… I gasped. He's Loki, the man who led the invasion that hurt so many people, that added to my numerous nightmares.
"Why is that here?" Tony demanded.
"Loki is here on probation" the man called Fury joked, "He will be working off his debt to Earth. Now, why is there a civilian at the tower?"
All eyes turned to me except for Tony's. Hull had turned into a man with brown hair and now very loose clothing.
"Odelle is my protege and employee" he said, "She's staying in a spare room to avoid commute"
"She's a liability" Fury warned.
"Loki is a liability" Tomy countered, "She is an asset"
Fury waved his hands in the air.
"Fine, but no discussing missions or sensitive information with your protege" he ordered. Who is this guy?
"Now, back to the golden tusked elephant in the room" Tony said, glaring openly at Loki. He seemed relaxed, even amused by everything happening. Maybe he's crazy, he did nearly wipe out New York with intentions of doing the same to the world. I looked away quickly when he met my eyes, focusing on the Avengers arguments.
"My brother was under influence from another" Thor said. Loki and Thor are brothers? I realized that makes sense with the very little information I know of Norse mythology. They look nothing alike. Thor is bright and cheerful, while Loki is, well, dark. I looked from Thor to Loki only to realize that his gaze never left me. I felt a shiver down my spine and pointedly glared at him. I'm not one to let people intimidate me. His eyes crinkled in amusement and I huffed and looked away.
"He killed so many, too many" Tony shot back, "Phil being one of them"
I was lost, the odd one out of an obviously personal conversation. Captain Rogers had been watching thoughtfully and finally chimed in.
"Imagine how afraid he must have been if under some sort of influence" he interjected. Everyone looked up, even Loki.
"To hurt, kill, and terrorize others" Rogers said, "I can't imagine that, but that doesn't make it untrue" Tony groaned.
"Nat, you here?" Tony called out.
"Yep" Natasha said from behind us, making Tony and I leap up.
"Sorry, couldn't help it" she teased, "I don't trust Loki, but Rogers has a point. Let's give him a chance and if he betrays us, Hulk will take care of him"
Loki's eyes went wide as Hulk grinned at him. I guess the Hulk is strong enough to make invaders afraid.
"Make Loki something to inhibit his powers as needed, Stark" Fury ordered, "Once that's done he'll operate with you all out of this tower"
With that, Fury left with Loki, and the Avengers headed to dinner. I felt shivers again and looked back to find Loki staring daggers at me again as the elevators closed. What's his deal?
I was much more talkative when I realized the Hulk is also Bruce Banner. I started asking him question after question about major theories he had established. He had a large grin as he answered them patiently. Tony later told me I'm one of the few people to see him more as Banner than the Hulk. Later into dinner, Hawkeye showed up and insisted on showing off his skills by shooting food into peoples mouths at random. He landed me with a piece of a cookie and nearly got beat up when he nailed Nat. They were all kind and made me feel welcomed even though I'm not a superhero like any of them. Soon enough everyone had to leave on patrol, leaving me alone in the tower. I decided to unpack and prep for tomorrow. Jarvis would be showing me the ropes tomorrow.
"Hey Jarvis?" I called out cautiously.
"Yes Miss Daniels?" He replied
"Why did Tony hire me when you can easily do my job?" I inquired.
"When he posted the job, Mr. Stark said he wanted more friendly faces around" Jarvis replied, "Will that be all?"
"Yes, thank you" I said.
My bedroom is huge and I have my own spacious bathroom too. My whole apartment is the size of the bedroom alone! I sighed as I laid on the soft mattress. I was more tired than I realized, I fell asleep shortly after my head hit the pillow.
It was the same nightmare as the ones that started the day after the Battle of New York. At that point I had three jobs and was heading to my favorite one, the small, quiet coffee shop. I was crossing the street to it when a large blast sent me flying backwards. In a daze, I just sat and gaped at the burning coffee house as screams erupted. People looked to the skies and gasped in horror. I looked upwards to see fearsome creatures flying down to us. I stood but didn't get a chance to run as the creatures landed around a large group of us, corraling us with staffs. Before I knew it, people were cornered by the armored beasts into a bookstore.
"Aliens" a man whispered, "I'm gonna be killed by aliens"
Suddenly a woman screamed as they began to surge into the crowd, dragging her away along with other young women. I was frozen in horror and almost missed the alien who grabbed me-
I woke up shrieking and sweating for a moment forgetting where I was. I'm in the Avengers tower, the safest place to be. I relaxed a little, but was still disturbed by the dream. No matter how many times I remember, it's always as bad as when I experienced it. I looked at the clock and groaned. It's 7:30am, thirty minutes ahead of when I actually need to get up. Not wanting to sleep, I decided to shower and get ready for my day. I left the room after I put on my work clothes and wandered around until I found the kitchen. The fridge was fully stocked with fresh groceries, so I grabbed a couple of items to make a small omelet. Once I finished breakfast, I cleaned away any sign of me being there and crossed the loving room to find the lab. A tablet and earpiece with a sticky note attached attracted my attention.
"Dells" the note read, "Use the earpiece and tablet for your secretary duties as you see fit. The credit card holds a monthly stipend from your internship for any additional necessities. Meet me at the lab asap. Tony."
Dells? No one has ever called her that. No one would've ever thought to have called her that. Also, maybe I shouldn't have told him about my few possessions. I don't need a pity party. I pocketed the credit card to promptly return to Tony. This is all so weird, but still in some ways the new experience excites me. Let's see how long that lasts.
Jarvis ended up guiding me to the lab where I found Tony glaring at Fury outside the door.
"Good morning" I said tentatively. Both men snapped their gaze towards me but Fury was the first to make his way to me.
"We didn't properly meet yesterday" he said" Director Fury"
"Odelle Daniels" I replied, shaking his hand warily.
"Trust me, he knows" Tony said, "Why don't you tell her why you're here?"
"I'll be frank, Miss Daniels, we need your help" Director Fury said, "To make inhibitors, we have to know what we're inhibiting. We need to talk to Loki"
"Still not seeing why you need me" I replied, though I began to feel a weight on my chest.
"You may have noticed that Loki took an interest in you yesterday for whatever convoluted reason" Fury replied, "He's contained in the lab and said he'll only speak to you"
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to" Tony jumped in, "We can find another way"
"But this is the quickest way" I replied, "I'll give it a shot"
Both of them looked surprised by my answer.
"He's contained right? Talking won't hurt" I said, walking straight into the lab with them following behind. Fury chuckled as Tony sputtered.
"I like this girl" Fury murmured to Tony.
"Me too. Which is why I don't like what we're doing" Tony snapped back in hushed tones. I decided to ignore them, reminding myself every ten seconds that Loki is in a contained space. All he has are words, and I've been through worse than empty threats.
Loki was leaning against a wall, facing away from us. He seemed entirely relaxed, but who could be calm when people want to poke and prod you? People who hate you? I gulped as I came to a stop a few feet from his containment.
"Loki" I said. His head tilted and he rose and turned to face me. I didn't realize how tall he was until now. He towered over my average frame and seemed to revel in it.
"Yes?" He asked innocently.
"You wanted to speak to me, so talk" I replied. I could feel the weight on my chest increase the more I stood near him. After that dream, and now being near the alien who almost destroyed my world is a pretty triggering concoction.
"You're no fun" he crooned leaning forward against the glass, "I just want to get to know you, Miss…"
"I'm Odelle Daniels. Why, do you want friends?" I asked quizzically. I was met with harsh laughter.
"I don't make friends" he said while looking me up and down. He meant to unsettle me, but I'm not going to show that I am.
"You really are a liar" I said. He raised his eyebrows.
"Care to elaborate?" He asked with an edge in his voice.
"Holy s-. She has him rattled" Tony whispered. I spared a quick glance behind me and saw Tony and Fury out of the view of Loki's containment. Before Loki could ask what I was looking at, I started talking.
"Sure, you may be a lone wolf, but that's only because you don't know how to make friends" I said, "Especially in a place where you're hated for ravaging the city and nearly the world"
"Do you hate me?" He asked. I was taken aback by this question, then steeled myself as memories of the battle of new york folded my mind.
"Yes" I replied, "Now it's time to cooperate with the people willing to give you a second chance"
"I'll answer any questions you ask me" he said, smiling mischievously. Why is he doing this?
"Fine" I said, turning to gesture Tony over. It looked like Fury had snuck off to who knows where.
"He still only wants to speak to me" I told him. Tony shot a glare at Loki, who was staring icily back.
"If you're alright with that," he said, "Jarvis can take over for you today but you'll get paid the same hours."
I nodded and Tony emailed the questions he had to my tablet.
"Okay, Loki" I said, turning back to the maniac, "What are your abilities? What can you do?"
"I can bring my enemies to my knees," he replied, "and lovers as well"
Our conversation went like this all week. I would come during my break or the end of my shift to find the god of mischief saying lewd things. Today Tony hadn't arrived yet, so I decided to try a different approach. I set my tablet down and asked him one question.
"Do you even feel bad for what you did?" I asked, not a drop of malice in my voice. Loki's confident grin wavered, his mouth open but not saying anything.
"Your brother says you were controlled, but so far I've not seen this noble side he speaks highly of"
"You try being noble when your caged like an animal" Loki snapped.
"Answer my question," I said.
"Why?" he growled, "You want me to say I cried a tear for every mortal I slayed? That I want to turn myself around and be a ray of hope?"
"I want you to stop messing around" I snapped, "You agreed to make up for what you did"
"For what I was forced to-"
"I was in New York when it happened" I interjected, "Do you even know what these aliens were capable of? The acts they committed besides murder?"
Loki's mouth formed an O asI rose to meet him a foot from the containment unit.
"You can never make up for what you did, but you can have some compassion" I yelled, "Answer Tony's questions, I'm done with your games"
I nearly ran into Tony as I fled the lab.
"Whoa, Dells, what's wrong?" His eyes were full of concern. I realized tears had been falling onto my tablet and wiped them quickly away.
"I'm sorry Mr. Stark" I said, not meeting his eyes, "I still want to work in the lab, but not on this assignment"
Before he could say anything else, I walked off to my room. As soon as I laid my head on my pillow I fell into a dreamless sleep.