Natasha scrutinized the woman as she flipped through the folder, she walked over to the panel and pressed the blue button. "What I am about to tell you required that I shut the equipment off, it is classified even beyond my clearance level. I only know because Stark still had access to the files." she walked over and sat next to Sophie.
"Of the over 900 people that died that day, well over 600 of them were from friendly fire or caught in the middle of falling debris. All reports and interviews indicate that the Chitauri didn't directly kill anyone, they detained and moved them or just caused minor injury. Fear was their major purpose." Natasha sighed and looked Sophie straight in the eye.
"From what we could tell, your brother was crushed under a cab. One flipped by Thor to kill nearly a dozen Chitauri soldiers and save Captain America's life."
Sophia blinked very slowly. The nervous tension drained out of her suddenly, leaving her feeling weak.
She wasn't terribly shocked by this revelation. The question wouldn't have been in her mind if this hadn't been a possibility. She had never been one to believe in heroes. The world existed in shades of gray and not black and white. It's just that no one had been so forthright about David's death with her before. And now she had to figure out how this information fit in with Loki.
"Thank you. My friends call me Sophie." she said quietly as she rose from the bed, stepped across the carpet and pressed the blue button on the panel.
Natasha nodded in acknowledgement.
"I'll just bring my bags in here now, I guess."
The heels of Sophia's boots clicked on the blue slate floor past the doorway as she went back for her bags. She picked up the 2 larger ones and set them next to the coffee table that was in front of the chair that Loki was sitting in. They thudded to the floor. His gaze glanced across them and back to her as she took the other 3 bags back to her new room. Sophia felt his eyes on her back. She clenched her jaw and pretended to ignore it as she walked back to her room.
Natasha left the room with her after the bags had been dropped on the foot of the bed. As they entered the living room, Sophia turned to the other woman and said, "One more quick question about Subject 86753-09. I don't get the Rudolph thing. Can I call him Jenny?"
Natasha and Clint both snorted when she asked that, Loki glared at all of them. Natasha schooled her features. "You can call him what ever you want, just don't call him Frosty, Apparently he gets touchy when you call him that." She smirked at the growl Loki sent her way. "We will be across the hall if you need anything….Sophie." With one last nod, the Agents left the apartment.
Loki stared at the door for a few moments after the Agents left. "Am I correct to assume that you have the means to remove these horrid shackles?" He finally spoke, every word dripping with the contempt he felt of the entire situation.
Sophia crossed around the room and sat on the sofa opposite Loki's chair. "Ummm No? I don't think that I do. I can call the Agents back and ask them." She tilted her head questioningly at him. "I am not sure that I don't feel a bit better with you wearing them right now though."
She leaned over, elbows on knees, chin on hands. "What am I supposed to do with you though? Maybe you can give me a really good reason not to wait until you go to sleep and stab you."
Loki cocked a brow. "You shall be waiting for quite some time for that, I do not sleep often if at all. It would be nice to be out of these shackles, unless you would like to clean my person whilst I bathe?"
He stood and walked near the window. "If you would be as so kind as to show me where I shall be staying and call upon your pet Agents to remove these." He held up his chained hands. "I would…..appreciate it."
He looked near pained when he said it.
Sophia pondered and let civility win out for the moment.
"I'll call", she sighed.
She stood up, pulled the new phone out of her pocket and scrolled through the screen. Looking through the list of names she burst out laughing," Oh My God! I have Iron Man on speed dial. This is just absurd!" Her hands covered her face and she sniffed a few times to control herself before she touched the phone to dial Agent Romanoff.
Sophia wandered over and opened the door across the living room from her own bedroom door. She peeked inside another room almost exactly like hers just as Natasha answered.
"Hi, It's Sophie. I hate to ask so soon, but I could use some help. This guy needs to bathe and can't figure out how to do it on his own with the shackles on. Could someone show me how to get them off of him? If it's OK." she paused a moment for an answer, " Thanks."
She turned back toward Loki standing at the window. He seemed so much larger standing there than he seemed on the news. " Someone will be here soon to help with the shackles. I am guessing that this would be your room in here."
She stepped in to turn on the light. It took her a second to fumble and find the switch.
Loki turned from the window just as there was a knock on the door. Agent Romanoff walked in and straight over to him, taking his shackles. As soon as she was done she walked back out.
He walked over to the room that Sophie was in, rubbing his wrists and striding into the room. Loki stood in the center and surveyed the room, sparsely furnished yet livable. He sat on the bed and just stared at the woman standing just inside the door, taking in her appearance.
She was beautiful in her own way, not conventionally so like the ladies from Asgard. He was sure she turned a few heads and didn't even realize it, Agent Barton certainly enjoyed looking at her. Perhaps he could use her timid nature in his favor, entertain himself for what little time he most likely had left in this world. After all, the All-Father surely didn't have faith in his ability to reform. Honestly neither did he.
When she started to fidget he decided to put her out of her misery. "Thank you for having my chains removed, you can go now."
"Excuse me?" she seethed, eyes opening very wide. His attitude burned her like cold fire. "Did you just DISMISS me? When the fact that I am here is the only reason you aren't locked in a cell in the basement right now? FUCK YOU AND THE EIGHT LEGGED HORSE YOU RODE IN ON!"
Sophia turned heel and left the room, slamming the door violently behind her. She felt very stupid for even considering civility
She paced the apartment. She clenched and unclenched her hands and twisted her ring back and forth around her finger. This was no good. She needed to calm down.
Opening kitchen cabinets looking for a glass for some water, she noticed that the pantry was stocked. Minimally, but more than enough to cook with. This would work.
She found a glass, had a long drink and stopped shaking. Then she went across the hall and knocked on the door. Looking and feeling very sheepish.
Agent Barton opened the door immediately. " Is everything OK Miss Arbor?"
'"Yes? No? I, uh, made a mistake. We're going to need those shackles back once he is clean. Could you bring them back?"
"Yes." he smirked at her, "but you learned fast."
Sophia winced and shrugged.
"If that's it then?" he asked.
"Well, I don't know what's protocol, but I'm going to make dinner later and if you two don't have plans, I'd like to cook for you guys too. I hate cooking for one and…just think about it. OK?" She pointed back over her shoulder. " I'm going to go back now. I don't like the idea of being in there with him, but I don't like the idea of leaving him alone either. "
With a quick smile she was back behind the apartment door and heading to her room to read the folder that Natasha had left.
Loki stared at the door with an eyebrow cocked as she stormed out, perhaps he needed to reign in his more charming attributes.
He went to the bathroom to bathe, enjoying the almost scalding water as it ran down his body. Flinching slightly when the water hit the sensitive scars that had yet to completely heal, the ones he collected from both Thanos and his current jailors.
After drying off and heading back to the bedroom, he looked for something else to possibly wear. He ended up finding a pair of loose fitting black lounge pants and a dark grey tank top, shrugging at the lack of proper clothing. He would have to suck up the hatred he felt toward everyone and ask the woman for more suitable attire.
Loki heard the apartment door open then close once again, this time a male voice was heard. Wandering out to investigate, he discovered that Agent Barton was back….with his shackles.
He fought back the urge to run back to his room, instead taking a deep breath and entering the kitchen. The smell wafting from the room was rather pleasant. "What ever that is you are cooking smells good, might there be enough where I could have a taste?" Loki took a seat on the stool by the island counter. "I would also like to apologize for my behavior earlier. The situation we find ourselves in is not ideal, I realize that I could have been more polite and I am sorry."
The information that Sophia read about her new roommate stunned her. The papers listed act after act of brutality and treachery, committed both by and against him. His family seemed ruinous, even in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s whitewashed version his father and brothers actions would be abusive. Loki truly was a prince, twice over, if not the god that he claimed to be. He had training in fighting, magic„ philosophy, politics, well, just about everything. He was fluent in all languages due to Asgardian " all speak". Physically he was stronger than anyone on Earth, at least on par with Steve Rogers. His psyche was damaged and to say he was emotionally unstable would be an understatement.
As a foe he was terrifying. On the surface his violence was that of a madman, but Sophia could see the patterns and tactically, if not morally, his actions were impeccable. Up to a point. Something must have gone horribly wrong for him to have been captured during the attack on New York, unless she thought, remembering what Agent Romanoff had said about the Chitauri, he hadn't wanted to win.
She read and reread the brief passage that explained that he had been with an entity called Thanos and most likely had been tortured extensively before he arrived to steal the Tesseract. Thanos. She choked at that name and wept openly at the horror that the few words implied.
Putting him down like a sick dog might be a kindness at this point. His "redemption" would clearly only serve to let the "good guys" have access to his strength. He was still a murderous, arrogant asshole though.
Agent Barton's arrival shook her out of her thoughts. He had brought the shackles, but laid them on a chair and chatted with her while waiting for Loki to finish bathing.
Sophia had many questions about her situation, but kept them to herself. She was very practiced in shallow conversations and this was comfortable.
