Disclaimer: If you know it, I do not own it.
Our Liberties We Prize and Our Right We Maintain (Part II)
And if the world should fall apart, hold on to what you know / Take your chances turn around and go
-Lifehouse, "Chapter One"
"You are something new."
Loki opened his eyes to find a woman seated next to him, staring at him as if he were a bug. Loki slowly sat up and realized they'd relieved him of his clothing and protective gear.
Not that it really mattered, as he's destroyed his shoes and left glove.
He sat up, letting the white sheet draped over him pool around his waist, keeping his modesty. Resting on his elbows he looked over at the woman.
"You're brave."
"I heal quickly."
"That's nice. I used to do that as well," Loki offered.
"I know. You're not human."
"No, but you don't see yourself as human either, do you?"
"I am Inhuman, but you are not. What are you?"
"I was a Frost Giant, also known as Jotun. I doubt you've heard of them, as this is a small world who only know the Chitari because the Avengers told them."
"A what?" the woman asked, wrinkling her nose in a familiar manner.
Loki cocked his head to the side.
"Frost Giant, only I'm a little person in their culture. Worth nothing so I was thrown out with the trash. Their world is dark, frozen. This skin, this is a skin of a Frost Giant." Loki pointed a bare foot at her. "Blue, rough, hard, and freezing. And they can do this."
Loki jerked his foot forward and shot ice in all directions from his various limbs. The woman jumped, looking scared for the first time. Loki frowned at the flat surface he was upon, moving to fully sit up now that it was mostly ice. He let the sheet fall and pool in his lap, looking at the woman.
"I have control issues."
"I can see that," she said, looking anywhere but at him.
Loki smirked. "I could do with training. Gordon mentioned you did this at this unknown location."
The woman looked back at him, pressing her lips together. Loki smiled wildly at her.
"We do. You and your…friend did not transform in the usual manner. Most transformations take place here and with the aid of friends and family. And there are years of training that occur before one goes through transformation."
"I took a short cut. Well, not really, as I am over a thousand years old."
The woman blinked. "You were alive when they Kree were here."
"Ah! You know where your magical prowess comes from!"
"It's not magic. They are powers," the woman corrected.
Loki scowled at his hands. "I do know that."
"You were magical?"
"Yes."
"Your name?"
"I go by Thomas."
"That's not your real name."
"Do you deserve my real name?"
"Raina says you are called Loki."
"Ah, I see you found her. I had wondered where she'd buggered off to."
The woman frowned at him. "You do not like her?"
"No. She's annoying," Loki said with a flap of his hand. Ice flew out and froze a piece of art on the wall Loki found ugly. He shrugged and looked back at the woman. "Can you find someone to aid me in harnessing my powers?"
"Yes. I fear we best do that even if you're not one of us."
"Tragic, I know. Always the freak, always the monster. Could I bother you for some clothing?"
"I never said you were a monster," the woman said quietly. "You're just not Inhuman."
Loki shrugged his shoulders up to his ears and let them fall. "Can you fix my nose?"
The woman looked mildly amused and nodded. "I will send someone in shortly. We've got a doctor who can regrow your skin easily and reshape your nose to your liking. There is a pile of clothing in that chair."
"Brilliant! I love it here already," Loki drawled, giving the woman a wide grin.
Granted he had no clue how he was going to dress himself without the gloves.
She gave him a strange look before rising from the floor and exited the room.
There was furniture in the room, but the woman sat on the floor. Interesting. Loki wondered where Skye was, but she was likely alone in a room just as he was. Loki investigated the clothes. Upon touching the folded shirt with his blue hand, it froze instantly, along with everything else in the pile plus the chair. Letting out a huff of frustration, Loki stood in the middle of the room and scowled for fifteen minute till the door opened and several people entered, one who was likely the skin doctor who'd regrow his nose. He smiled widely at the group. Two of the people blushed and looked away, while the elder one strode up to him and grabbed his chin.
"You are in need of a new nose," the woman commented, turning his head left and right. "A looker you are, aren't you?"
"Best looking man in the village and all that."
"I doubt you ever lived in a village. Mirror?"
One of the lackeys (who stared at the floor to avoid looking at Loki in all his naked glory) handed her a mirror. She didn't take it, simply rolled her eyes at the lackey. She looked at the pile of frozen clothes, let out a loud sigh. She looked at Loki, who went on smiling widely.
"My power, besides being a doctor, is I can regrow skin, cartilage, and bones. If you can believe this, I've actually done this a few times before. Hold the mirror so he can see what I'm doing. Don't want to give him a nose he doesn't like, now do we?"
When I was a man I thought it ended / When I knew love's perfect ache / But my peace has always depended / On the ashes in my wake
-Hozier, "Arsonist's Lullaby"
"Jaiying doesn't like you."
Loki was standing in an empty field with the doctor, who told him to call her Mary. He figured since she was the one dressing and feeding him until he got control of his powers, he could call her by her given name. She also was literally the only person besides Thor, his mother, and his personal servant who were not affect by the sight of his naked body, so parading around naked lost it's allure when she didn't react in any manner.
"No. Not many do. I'm an acquired taste."
Mary boastfully laughed. "Sure you are, Prince."
Mary refused to call him Thomas, insisting on calling him Prince. As long as she didn't add a my he was okay with that. He was, after all, a prince. (Hence why he was perfectly all right with someone else dressing him. Someone else had dressed him for over a thousand years.)
"So, since she's iffy about you, no one wants to step up and train you. They're all jumping to train up her daughter, but you?"
"Ah," Loki said, nodding. "I figured as much."
"How? The girl doesn't even know yet."
Loki smirked. "The nose scrunch. I thought it was familiar. I'm good at picking out relations based on things people do without realizing it. There are certain traits children pick up and keep throughout their lives without even realizing it. Some are even picked up without the child's awareness of where the trait came from. Even though I've never witness it, I myself tend to move my hands in a very similar manner my mother did when she spoke. And we fight in the same style."
"You don't mean verbally, do you?"
"I was trained as a solider, so was my mother."
"You share things with your dad?"
"I'm sure I do, I will never see them," Loki admitted, talking about both Odin and Laufey.
"Well, okay. Don't tell her when you see her. Jaiying wants to tell her herself. Now, let's get those ice powers under control."
"How'd you get this job? Your power isn't similar to mine."
Mary laughed. "Sure it is, bub. When I first came through the mist, I was shooting skin out of my fingers and regrowing my own left and right. After I learned to control it, to be at peace with my new found gift, I stopped doing that. The growing bone and cartilage came later, after I'd been practicing. Now, with you, who knows what you'll be able to do once you harness the power and accept it."
Loki pressed his lips together.
"You're an alien, but not Kree, right?"
Loki nodded, feeling bitter. Mary didn't seem to care, unlike Jaiying and the others he'd seen at this strange place.
"Does the race you're from have similar powers?"
"As I've only met them a few times, I'm unsure how their ice powers work, but I do know they can turn their hands into ice knives."
"You've only met them a few times?" Mary asked, her eyebrows raising and looking shocked. "You weren't raised with your own folk?"
Loki shook his head. "I was adopted after my own people left me outside to freeze. I'm half human. About little over a year ago…"
Loki trailed off wondering how much he wished to share. If he did, she'd likely realize who he really was.
"Honey, I've put it together you're not named Thomas," she said. "I remember a pretty face."
Loki cringed. "Do the others know?"
"Not really. While they paid attention to what happened after HYDRA and SHILED blew up, no one really paid attention to the information published passed what pertained to us. There wasn't anything, as HYDRA kept it hidden what they knew. Kept it on paper. So they stopped paying attention, but I like watching the news. I saw them drag you and your boyfriend threw the mud till you seemingly vanished a year ago. Guess you went underground?"
"I joined SHEILD."
"And then got yourself in a temple with a Diviner. Good on you. Moving on."
Loki snorted.
"Can I still call you Prince?"
"It does not bother me at all."
"Good. Now, you learned to control magic once, right?"
"Correct."
Mary made a noise and flapped her hand at him. "This'll be easy once you accept yourself. Pretty sure, since you've been a magician for thousands of years, that's the reason you've yet to master what the Diviner gave you. You've not accepted it."
"Gave me? Cursed me with."
"Ah, see. There. Accept yourself and the rest will follow. I'm sure Frost Giants are able to touch things without turning them into block of ice."
"They are also fully covered in this blue stuff and have no human skin."
"Your mother managed to survive long enough to give birth to you. You think she was human, right?"
Loki nodded. "It explains my height and appearance. Even when I transformed into a Frost Giant, I did not look the same. I retained my…human features."
"Asgardian. That's what you were going to say."
"You know a lot."
"I like the news. I also remember almost everything. Horrible sometimes, useful others."
Loki nodded. "Steven has an eidetic memory."
"Sucks to be him. Okay. Not really. He's one juicy boy."
Loki glared at her as she cackled.
"I'm serious. He is a total beef cake. I'm jealous of the pair of you. My god…how do you go out in public together and not cause traffic jams?"
"Maybe we do. Shall we get to work? I'd like to be able to scratch my nose without needing your skills to give it back to me."
Mary smirked and nodded, reverting into a serious teacher.
In a rush we become some things we never thought we'd never be / We're surprised by how hard / Left weary and scarred
-The Airborn Toxic Event, "All At Once"
Mary watched him struggle, freeze the whole field, then create avalanches in his rage. Two days passed before Mary tried a different tactic. She knew what he needed to do and she couldn't do it for him, could not show him how to do it either. It was all up to him.
"Let it go," Mary urged.
Prince cast her a dark glare.
"I'll start singing," Mary taunted. "Actually, have you ever seen Frozen?"
"Yes. I have an…acquaintance who rather likes the movie for unknown reasons," Prince remarked, glaring at his blue hands.
"You ever really watched it?"
"Yes. I have seen it."
"No, I mean watched it, analyzed it, went online and looked through what hard core fans have picked out?"
The man gave her a look that was worthy of his nickname.
"So, I know the whole message of the movie is that love will solve your problems, but really, what solves Elsa's issue is she accepts herself for who she is."
Prince narrowed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. He looked like a majestic ice prince. Mary had tried to give him a crown she'd fashioned out of some sticks, but he had looked so alarmed, she quickly threw it away.
"Seriously, just give it a thought. Yeah, she loves her sister, but she doesn't think anyone can accept her because of her powers. She's so afraid of herself, she winds up hurting herself and everyone around her. Think: when Hans tells her Anna's dead, what happens?"
"The storm stops."
"Yup. She was using the storm to escape, to go back to her mountain to be alone, but once Anna was gone, she wanted to die. Then what happened?"
"Anna froze."
"Exactly. She used her last strength to save her sister from Hans' sword."
"Love," Price sneered.
"No! I mean, yes, but think: when did Elsa had the greatest control over her power?"
"At the end with Anna's love."
"NO! When she ran away, when she was alone on that mountain top. She did things she didn't even realize she could do and had the utmost control. She built a castle and made an alive snowman for unknown reasons."
"And then a monster."
"Naw. He wasn't a monster, but he did embody her fear at not being left alone," Mary offered. "After she was gone, though, he stayed at the castle and hung out, didn't he? And wasn't angry any more. I mean, he found the crown and smiled, right?"
"Arendelle was still frozen when she was alone on the mountain."
"Well, she'd left. Her magic stays as she leaves it when she goes."
Prince gave her an annoyed look. "What is your point?"
"She was able to end the spell, get control, and stop randomly freezing everything she touched when she accepted herself."
Prince gave her a look full of doubt and annoyance.
"Trust me. She accepted herself and she stopped freezing everything. Anna accepted her, and the rest of her kingdom followed, and they all lived happily ever after."
"No one accepts me."
"Steve does. Your best friend does. And Thor does," Mary pointed out. "Your Avengers friends have all seen you blue, right? They're still your friends. Or did you just want your strange electronics and lone glove back because you wanted to watch porn? Granted, I've no idea how you get an internet connection here, but hey, I'm no techno whiz. Or are you in there talking to yourself about weird stuff?"
"I do not watch porn."
Mary quirked an eyebrow.
"Fine. People accept me, but this is different. The power is different, the appearance of myself is not the same. I am not a Frost Giant."
"Prince, you look the same."
"I do not. My hair, eyes, hands, feet…"
He scowled at his bare, blue feet.
"I recognized you," she pointed out. "I knew who you were with the white hair and ruby eyes. And I didn't know you that well."
He looked away, his arms hanging limply at his sides.
"You gotta accept it, own it, make it yours. Once you do, I bet you'll be able to build me an ice castle."
"Fine," he said, turning his back on her.
"I mean, I already know you can control the power somewhat."
"How?"
"I'm not frozen," Mary pointed out, gesturing around the rock she was sitting on. It was the only thing in the field not currently frozen solid. Besides herself. "You didn't freeze me or let anything near me get frozen, even in your hissy fit."
Mary noticed it, though she doubted even Prince realized it'd happened. She saw him accept himself, saw him realize what he needed to do to control the ice powers gifted to him. It was a subtle thing, like most accepting. He fisted his blue hands and flexed his blue toes. She felt a change in the atmosphere that had nothing to do with what Jaiying and her kid were doing on the other side of the mountain rang (yes, they'd felt the earthquakes the kiddo was causing, but it was hard to tell who was making the ground shake when Prince was having his own quakes thanks to his hissy fit). Prince took a deep breath, blew it out his nose in a controlled manner, and let go. His whole body loosened and he cocked his head to the side.
"Never sing to me," he warned, as the ground began to melt around him. "No matter how much you want to."
He gave her a grin that would freak most folks out, but made her laugh.
He built her an ice castle.
Who would have thought I'd ever let somebody get to me / Who would have thought I'd ever give a damn
-Bonnie McKee, "Trouble"
"It was weird," Skye said, looking around Loki's room. She'd not seen him since they had left the Hulk's Winter Retreat. She felt lifetimes had passed.
He looked good. He'd had his nose fixed and wasn't freezing anything with his bare blue feet or hands. And not once had he shot ice out of his limbs as she told him about her day with Cal and how horribly it'd ended.
She let a small smile grow across her face thinking about how far the pair of them had come since coming to Afterlife. She mostly had her own powers under control, as did Loki. Hell, he looked the best she's ever seen him. He was clam, collected, and at ease. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about him that seemed looser.
"Coulson's probably dying on the inside right now."
"Don't say that. I want to go after Lincoln, but Jaiying won't let me."
"The boy who was spying on you?"
"He was making sure I was okay," Skye said, shifting uncomfortably. "Cal's not exactly stable. God. I always wanted to meet my parents and one of them is crazy. Oh, I didn't tell you. Jaiying's my mother. Can you believe that? I thought she was dead. Hell, Cal told me she was dead. Well, he thought she was, or something. I'm not clear on the details since she said that Cal put her back together and her healing powers did the rest. Maybe he didn't hang around for that part?"
"You didn't inquire?"
"No. I was in shock. I found both parents, Loki. Can you believe that?"
"No. But, I am glad if you are."
"I'm not really sure. I mean, I like her. I can see her being my mom. See myself in her more than I see myself in Cal."
Loki nodded, looking distracted. Cool and calm, but distracted. Skye stared at him, still not sure what exactly had happened to transform him so much. Well, other than the obvious, but still. It was like his head was screwed on straight finally.
"Did you know Raina's here?"
"Yes. I was told shortly after I woke. I have not seen her."
"Oh. I just saw her."
Loki raised his eyebrows, which were still black, unlike his hair on his head.
As if speaking of her would call her to them, Raina opened the door without knocking, a wild expression on her face.
"I saw you saving Lincoln."
"Hark and thee shall appear," Loki snarked.
"What?" Skye asked, standing up. "You saw me?"
"Another power. I get visions of the future," Raina said, swiviling towards Loki and glaring at him. He smiled wildly. Raina turned her attention back to Skye. "I saw you saving Lincoln."
"Who else knows about your visions?"
"Jaiying and Gordon," Raina replied. " And Loki, now. We should speak to Gordon."
Skye nodded, turning to Loki.
"I shall remain here. Raina did not see me there, so I shall stay."
Skye got a strange feeling Loki was plotting chaos, but shook it off. She had someone to save.
The man with a thousand voices is talking perfectly loud / But nobody hears him / Or the sounds he appears to make
-The Beatles, "Fool on the Hill"
"I can't contact Jarvis."
"What?"
Raina was confused. Loki was in her room, looking wild, and telling her he was unable to contact Jarvis, whoever that was.
"Where is Jarvis?"
"Loki, you know I cannot control what I see," she began slowly, backing away.
There was a wild air to him that was worse than she'd ever witnessed in the time she'd known of him. She was honestly amazed ice was flying all over the place.
"I heard you speaking to Jaiying. You said metal men will pour out of the sky and the world will change."
Raina stared at him.
"You've not seen the news, have you?"
"There are no TVs here, Loki."
He made a disgusted noise and pulled a strange looking tablet out of his pocket and thrust it at her. She decided not to study it as when she took it, she saw flashes of Loki using it while seated next to a blond man who looked tense and was glancing left and right while wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. Loki was also blond, his hair standing up wildly in an artificial manner that made him look as if he had rubbed a balloon over his head. Loki looked at ease and was merrily using the tablet.
"Who is the blond guy?" she inquired, her questioned answered as she watched the video playing flash various images of the Avengers. While the top of his head was covered in the stock photo, she had just seen that jawline. "Never mind."
Loki grunted. "What did you see?"
"You and him seated at a bar somewhere while you used this thing and he was cagey," Raina replied watching the news footage with a frown. There were no metal men, well, the ones she'd seen, pouring out of the sky so she unsure why Loki was showing her. She looked up and found he'd relaxed a fraction. She turned her attention to the footage. She read the scrolling information at the bottom and frowned deeply. "Why did you believe I needed to see this?"
"Jarvis is not working," Loki repeated manically, his voice raising a few octaves. "He always works and he's not working."
"Who or what is Jarvis?"
Loki made an annoyed noise. "Stark's AI."
Raina's eyes went wide. "That's not good."
"The metal men you saw in your vision, what did they look like?"
"You think Stark's AI went rouge?"
"JARVIS? No. JARVIS would never go rouge."
"Because Stark designed him not to?"
"No," Loki snapped, fisting his blue hands together. She saw him take a few slow breaths before he continued. "JARVIS evolves. Stark designed him to learn, to be adaptable. He is able to care. He cares a great deal for Stark and what happens to him. That? JARVIS would not have caused that. It goes against everything he's programmed to do and everything he's come to be since his inception."
"This looks like the Avengers lost control of the Hulk."
Loki made an annoyed noise again and pinched the bridge of his nose. She waited for him to yelp, but he remained silent other than the noises of frustration he kept making as he tried to think of how to explain to Raina whatever he'd come to tell her.
She marveled at his progress. When he arrived, he froze anything he touched and shot ice out of his limbs when he got emotional or tried to use his powers. She had seen him freeze his own nose off (again). One of the doctors here with a healing power had regrown it for him (again), but it'd be disgusting to witness him loose his nose. Here he was wearing shoes (expensive ones), hands bare, and touching his nose in annoyance. No ice anywhere.
"You've come far," Raina commented with graveness.
Loki looked up. "Once I accepted what had happened, since I spent centuries training in the art of magic, it was simple to harness my natural abilities."
"Natural abilities?" Raina echoed.
Loki smirked without any humor.
"I was never fully human, and now I'm not fully Inhuman. Always the odd one out, I am," Loki seethed, taking the tablet form her, tapped his finger a few times on the screen before handing it back to her once again.
She gasped.
"You saw that, did you not?"
"How did you know? It was in the vision of the metal men," Raina breathed. "I…didn't know what it had to do with the metal men."
"Oh, no."
Loki sat down heavily on a padded stool. Raina watched as Loki did the thousand yard stare with large, ruby eyes. What little color he had, drained from his face. Even his dark blue hands seemed lighter.
"He didn't."
"What?"
Loki stood. He turned and exited the room, leaving Raina with the strange tablet. She turned it over and chuckled once she saw the back.
"No wonder he and Stark get along so well."
Enemies, well I don't think they ever sleep / Make our way until we see the light / Another day, another chance and it will be
-The Subways, "Alright"
Jim was pacing. Skye knew something was wrong, but refused to leave Lincoln alone while they were at SHEILD. She had saved Lincoln, with the help of the old team. She'd allowed SHEILD to care for Lincoln, but she was going to take him home once he was healthy enough for the trip.
She was unsure where she wanted to go, where home was. But to Lincoln, it was Afterlife. Or she thought it was. She didn't actually know where he lived, if she was honest.
"What is going on?" Skye finally asked. "You've been pacing for an hour while staring at your tablet."
"JARVIS is down."
"Stark's AI? How does he go down? Isn't he located in more than one location?"
Jim looked up sharply.
"What? I'm a hacker. And Stark's AI is almost un-hackable."
"Almost?"
"Well, he gets curious and sometimes lets hackers in a little. Also, Stark's paranoid, so of course he'd back up his precious AI at multiple locations. Especially after what happened when his Malibu house fell into the ocean."
Jim nodded. "JARVIS should never be down as he is currently. He's not working. Anywhere."
Skye stared at Jim with large eyes.
"And then this happened," Jim said, turning his tablet around to face Skye. She watched the footage as the Hulk rampaged in a city she didn't recognize. "The Hulk does not behave as this, not since he and the Black Widow came up with the Lullaby. Also, the Hulk likes Iron Man. Quite a bit. Something is not right."
"The Hulk tore up Harlem."
Jim closed his eyes. "Not on purpose. Not like this. It was not mindless destruction."
"He doesn't look mindless. He looks mad," Skye pointed out, flipping between news outlets to get better footage. She gasp as Iron Man (Or Iron Hulk, because seriously, that was some serious armor) and the Hulk took down a whole skyscraper. The fight ended after that, but she did catch the look on the Hulk's face when he came out of the wreckage. The camera zeroed in on him and he looked upset as he looked around. Till Iron Hulk knocked him out. Then he looked unconscious as Iron Hulk took the big guy away.
"I believe something was influencing the Hulk."
"JARVIS?"
"No," Jim quickly said, walking around Lincoln's bed and knelt down next to Skye. She looked at him while he searched her face for a beat before he made a decision. "Coulson sent the Avengers after Loki's scepter."
"Loki's…what?"
"When Loki brought the aliens to Malibu, he carried a scepter. This was what he used to brainwash people," Jim explained. "HYDRA stole it before the fall of SHEILD. Or well, they didn't really steal it, but someone non-HYDRA noticed it was missing, so even before the fall of HYDRA the Avengers were looking. It was with HYDRA at a base in Eastern Europe."
"And you know this because…"
Jim looked sheepish, but said, "JARVIS told me. JARVIS kept me updated on Captain Rogers movements."
"In order to tell Loki?"
"No, he tells Loki himself. Loki calls JARVIS once a week. He would have called this morning."
"Only, JARVIS wouldn't pick up? Wait, why does JARVIS tell you?"
Jim pressed his lips together. "I am unsure, but I assumed it was to get more information to relay to Captain Rogers. Loki likely didn't say much from how JARVIS was fishing when he spoke to me. Also, I believe JARVIS told me what Captain Rogers was doing to help us deal with Loki."
"He was still cranky as hell sometimes. Was that when his honey was out on the Hunt for Mind Zombie Stick?" Skye grumbled.
"Yes."
"How'd they get the information? Were they working alone? Or are they working with SHEILD on the downlow?"
"Agent Hill works for Stark."
"You think Hill is still working for SHIELD?"
"Correct. I believe she answers to Director Coulson."
Skye nodded, looking at Lincoln's still face.
"That's why when he was cranky, you were glued to his side, right? Because you knew Rogers was off being Captain America?"
Jim nodded. "I know he knew why I was doing that, but it helped. Loki is not meant to be alone no matter how much he claims he wishes it. He needs…people who know his quirks and care."
Skye swallowed. "He's alone now. I left him alone."
"Did you ask him to come with you?"
"No, not really. He chose to remain there. I don't know…Raina burst in telling me her vision and I knew I had to go."
"Raina gets visions?" Jim inquired.
Skye cringed.
"I won't tell," Jim whispered.
"The room is likely bugged," Skye grumbled. "And Simmons and Fitz have been staring at us since you got here."
Jim did not even bother to glance at the window looking into the med bay where Simmons and Fitz were looming. If it wasn't them, it was someone else. Skye ignored whoever was looking usually, but it being Fitz and Simmons unnerved her.
"It's not bugged and the microphone isn't on," Jim said. "I've got those anti-bug things in my pocket and disabled the microphone last night. Since they do not look alarmed, neither has tried to turn it on to hear our conversation."
Skye stared at Jim wide-eyed. "When did you go rouge, Nicholls?"
"When SHEILD fractured," Jim replied. "I know you do not know what is going on, as you've been away, but I do not trust anyone here farther than I can throw them."
"And no one trusts you?" Skye badly joked, remembering the rapping he and Coulson had done after the fall of SHIELD many moons ago.
"Oh, no. People trust me even after I do something to break their trust," Jim sighed, looking deeply troubled. Skye knew it wasn't because people still trusted him no matter what but whatever he did to break their trust that was bothering him.
"It's your face. And Smile Power. How many times do I have to tell you, you've got a smile that'll make the world fall at your feet?"
Jim glared without heat. "I will not tell of Raina's powers. All they will ever know is she's got a face full of spikes. But, speaking of Raina's new power, how is Loki handling his?"
"He mastered it before I did," Skye grumbled. "He doesn't even need gloves passed when he goes out in public. Ice no longer shoots out of his hands and feet at random and he's no longer freezing bits off himself. They fixed his nose. Regrew it with an Inhuman doctor who can regrow skin, cartilage, and bones. Thank god. He was looking a little…like he'd gotten bad plastic surgery."
"He is rather vain. It is good they did that for him," Jim agreed. "And he is not alone. He's…where ever you two were. There are others there, are there not?"
"True. But no one trusts us, or really talks to us. We didn't go through the transformation like they did, so they're not sure what to make of us. The leader accepted me quickly, but she's a little weary of Loki. Because he's not technically human, he's not Inhuman. She's not sure what to make of that."
"He didn't tell her what we guessed?"
Skye shook her head. "Loki doesn't trust her, I think. He likes Gordon and Lincoln and who ever helped him master his ice power, but he doesn't like Jiaying."
Which kind of hurt, but since Jaiying didn't care for Loki, she could understand why they didn't get along. Skye had told Jaiying Loki was like a good Scotch, but the woman hadn't replied, had simply smiled and changed the topic.
"He's always had issues with people in positions of power," Jim dryly joked, then sighed deeply. "He's discovered by now JARVIS does not work. He will be a wreck."
"You could call him, you know. He's got all his tech on him. I didn't have a phone on me because I left it in the cabin, but he's Loki and he had all sorts of doodads on him and I bet they work there."
"He's not called," Jim said, sitting up straight and pulling out his iLoki.
"Do you think it'd occur to him to call?"
"Yes. He always calls people when there's a crisis. Or messages them."
"If JARVIS is down, the Hulk and Iron Hulk are fighting, wouldn't he just assume the worst?"
"Yes, of course."
"Hey, do you think you could get information out of Hill?"
"Why?"
"So you could tell Loki that Steve's okay, duh. And, well, to know what's going on."
Jim blinked a few times, then smiled sadly.
"Come on, no one is going to tell you anything here. I bet they're all bickering about whatever or running around like chickens with no heads," Skye insisted. "Plus, I bet HIll would tell you if you said JARVIS was broken and Loki might go nuts if he doesn't get some information soon on Steve."
Jim stared down at his lap. "Wouldn't Loki call her?"
"No. He's not communicated with anyone other than JARVIS, right? He doesn't want them to know where he is. He ran away to join an organization they don't think exists. He wears a wig in public and always wears sunglasses even if it was raining."
Jim took a deep breath and dialed. He put it on FaceTime and waited while it rang.
"Yes, Agent Nicholls?" Hill's voice came. She sounded calm, collected, and expecting Jim's call.
Jim smiled. "JARVIS is not working."
"Why are you smiling?"
"Because people like it when I smile," Jim replied, smiling faltering.
Hill quirked an eyebrow.
"You've been trying to contact JARVIS?"
"Yes. He never contacted me with Captain Rogers' current condition. I assumed since the Hulk was rampaging, the Avengers had been involved in something. There was no footage of any of them other than Iron Man and the Hulk. I was worried, so I tried to contact JARVIS."
"Where's Loki?"
"Somewhere safe," Skye butted in, putting her chin on Jim's shoulder and looking at Hill. She was the picture of collected business woman. "We're just worried for his sanity. If JARVIS isn't working, isn't he likely to assume the worse?"
"Where is he?"
"You don't know?"
Hill pressed her lips together, eyes locking on Skye. Skye tried hard not to fidget or look guilty of something.
"You're back, so where's Loki?"
BINGO!
Hill was in contact with Coulson and still part of SHIELD.
"Agent Hill—"
"No longer an agent."
"And the sky is green," Jim remarked, trying the smile again.
Hill looked annoyed, pressing her lips together till they almost vanished into her face.
"Fine. Captain Rogers and the Avengers are alive." She glared at Skye once again before going on. "They came across two enhanced humans who did some damage. Mentally. Not physically. Physically they are all okay."
"What were their powers?" Skye inquired, trying to sound casual. While she didn't know everyone at Afterlife, she was familiar with many of their powers from asking too many questions.
"They're twins," Hill sighed, looking annoyed. "They didn't come into their powers like you and Loki. They signed up to be experimented on by von Strucker. He and his HYDRA goonies used the scepter to bring out the powers. They were the only subjects who survived."
Skye shivered at the same time Jim did. She glanced over at Lincoln, who'd been held captive by von Strucker and his evil doctor and experimented upon likely in a similar manner. She couldn't imagine what would drive someone to volunteer for that kind of treatment.
"So they're not…like Skye and Loki?"
"I don't know. We don't know much about the scepter or what powered it. Passed…"
"Stark found something," Jim realized, leaning forward towards the tiny phone screen and dislodging Skye from his shoulder.
"Don't hack into our systems," Hill warned. "I can't tell you the finer details, but Stark created a peace-keeping AI he called Ultron. Something happened and he made…a…"
Skye's eye went wide. "Oh, god. His peace-keeping AI is trying to end the world, isn't it?"
"Did Loki know about this program?" Jim asked.
"No idea," Hill grumped. "But, right now Ultron is everywhere on the web. He's trying to break in and steal the codes for the world's atomic weapons and missiles to launch them and wipe out the world, so yes, Stark created a robot bent on destroying the very world it was designed to bring peace to."
"Well, if we're all dead, there'd be peace," Skye remarked, sitting down heavily and on longer looking at the screen.
"Something is stopping Ultron from getting the codes, though," Hill admitted through gritted teeth.
"Someone's stopping him whose not Stark?" Skye asked, standing and looking back at the phone's screen to find Hill shrugging.
"There is nothing you two can do. Other than control Loki."
Jim glanced at Skye. She bit her lip, but said nothing. She could do some hacking/computer work to see who was keeping Ultron at bay. Though, if Ultron was already everywhere…she'd need Loki's laptop. It had to be around here somewhere since it was likely SHIELD minions had swept the cabin after they'd made their dramatic exit.
"Where are the Avengers now?" Jim inquired.
"Somewhere safe. They're going to lie low till we figure out the next move to take down Ultron."
Jim nodded. "Thank you."
"Tell no one. Except Loki."
"I won't, Agent Hill," Jim graciously replied.
"No one likes me here, other than Jim," Skye offered.
Hill sighed, rolled her eyes, and hung up.
"Stark created a nightmare," Jim breathed, dialing his phone. He waited a moment, looking tense, till someone answered. Skye couldn't hear what the person was saying, but it was a male voice and it was speaking quickly. "Yes, I just got off the phone with Agent Hill." Short pause. "Yes, I did. She did not tell us much, but Captain Rogers and the rest of the team are safe and waiting till they know what to do next."
Loki began talking again. Skye began to ponder where they minions would have stored Loki's magical laptop.
"Are you the one— you're not? Who is it then?"
Loki went on for another five minutes and judging by Jim's expression, he had no idea what the hell Loki was talking about. Skye grabbed the phone.
"— it has to be JARVIS, but I won't know till I go to nexus hub in Oslo."
"You're going to Olso?"
"Skye?"
"Yeah."
"If I can persuade Gordon to take me," Loki admitted, sounding bitter. "He and Raina are pow-powing. She's…accepted her power fully and has been using it to sway others to her side."
"Oh."
"I don't think Jaiying likes it. Especially since her right hand man is listening."
"Loki."
"Never mind. No one ever believes me. Anyway—"
"Anyway, what?"
Loki was silent for a full minute before he spoke again.
"Iron Man's been spotted flying over the Atlantic. I assume he's on his way to Oslo."
"Okay. So, you don't have to go. And why were you going to Oslo?"
"It's the central storage hub or something unbelievable that seems just perfect for a plot device for JARVIS to battle Ultron without anyone knowing it."
"There is a central hub for the Internet? Why am I just now hearing about this?"
"It's rather top secret. I only found out— JARVIS. Oh."
"Loki?"
"It is JARVIS!"
Skye could hear him tapping on a screen and let out a curse.
"Wish you had your laptop?"
"Yes. Do you happen to have it?"
"Nope, but I was going to go looking for it. Do I need to?"
"Yes. I do not trust others with it, so if you could I'd be grateful. But, I believe Stark will get what he needs."
"Okay, then, it's out of our hands. And, Lokes, Steve is okay."
"Hill did not tell you where they'd gone?"
"Somewhere safe. You could ask Gordon to take you to Steve. Pretty sure he glows or something because he's totally super."
"No."
"You've mastered your power."
"No."
"Yeah, you have."
"No, no I am not leaving Afterlife."
"Please don't say something is rotten in the state of Denmark," Skye moaned as Jim chuckled. She glanced up to see Simmons and Fitz had left. She looked back at Lincoln, who remained in a coma. "Please, just don't. There's nothing fishy—"
"There's plenty fishy," Loki insisted. "What's going on at SHEILD?"
"There's two factions of SHEILD," Skye sighed. "One led by Coulson, one led by some other old dude. If this thing ends well, they might become friends."
"Have they been asking about where you've been?"
"Yeah, but I haven't said anything they can use. I want to tell Coulson, but…"
"You are right to worry. Not about Coulson, but if he tries to make friends with this other fraction, you and Afterlife might be in danger."
"How will they find them? No one can get there other than Gordon."
"HYDRA can track Gordon. How do you think HYDRA found you when you had your day out with Cal?"
"How?"
"Science."
Skye grumbled. "You're grumpy."
"I am not grumpy. Is this how Cassandra felt?"
"Who?"
Loki let out a noise of annoyance and hung up on her. Skye pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at the now blank screen.
"Who was he talking about?"
"He asked me if this was what Cassandra felt and then hung up on me."
Jim looked baffled, but shrugged. "You should get some sleep."
"I'm staying here. Do you think you can find the laptop?"
"I did not say you needed to leave. There is another bed behind you and I will remain here while you sleep. You've not slept since you arrived."
"And the laptop?"
"I will look for it when you wake."
"Will you smile at anyone who walks in?"
"Of course."
Skye grudgingly went to the other bed and curled up. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sleeping when Jim shook her awake.
"Did he wake up?" she asked as she tried to sit up but found her limbs not cooperating. She'd really been asleep for a long time. Eck. She needed a toothbrush stat.
"No. Something happened," Jim whispered, looking worried.
It was dark in the med bay, meaning it was the middle of the night. Rubbing her eyes, Skye sat up and blinked a few times against the light of the tablet Jim was extending towards her. She took it, taking in the multiple screens showing footage of an out of control train in Seoul and something happening in some city called Sokovia.
"How long have I been sleeping?"
"Twelve hours, give or take."
"You've been awake that whole time?" Skye asked, now understanding why she was so freaking stiff.
"No. I'm sorry. I fell asleep," Jim said, looking ashamed.
Skye sighed, looked at Lincoln. He remained unchanged, so she forgave Jim for falling asleep. She looked back at the tablet and noticed the flying metal men in both cities, but since the thing in Seoul had happened ten hours ago, she tapped one of the live screens of what was happening in Sokovia.
"Is that part of a city floating away?"
"Yes. That's the city where JARVIS said the Avengers were going before he went down."
"What the hell is going on?" Skye demanded, as the footage she'd enlarged was in a language she couldn't read.
"About an hour ago, the Avengers showed up and began to try to evacuate the city. They got most of the population out before the city center began to rise above the rest of the city and the metal men began to pour out of nowhere. There are still quite a few people on the—"
"HEY!" Skye yelled, then sheepishly looked at the sleeping Lincoln, though he was in a coma, so shouting likely didn't disturb him. "Hey, isn't that a hellicarrier? I thought they were all destroyed!"
Jim came around the bed and leaned over to see the screen. Skye would have invited him to sit down, but she doubted he'd do that. It was her bed, so he'd never sit on it. Skye maneuver herself so he didn't have to crane he neck.
"It seems one survived."
"Or someone built another one. At least it seems to be helping," Skye commented as the camera zoomed in on what appeared to be transport ships landing on the floating city island. "Jim, do you think what I think about what Ultron is going to do with the floating city?"
Skye looked up at Jim with big eyes. Jim sat down on the edge of the bed with a thump. They both stared at one another and with wide eyes they stared at the screen to watch the events unfold.
There was a time I was taking all bets / That this place was even better than as good as it gets / And now looking back from the outside in / I think I was choking on the air
-Sara Bareilles, "Eden"
Loki was not freaking out.
Loki was pissed.
While Gordon and several others wanted to go help the Avengers get the people off the floating city and send people to help, Jiaying forbad anyone from leaving Afterlife. Everyone crowded around Raina to ask her about her vision and if the planet lived to fight another day. She fully embraced the attention and told everyone about her visions and others she had while they all sat around waiting for news.
Loki clutched his tablet and sat in his room. He could see the people gathered around Raina from his sitting room, so he didn't feel the need to be outside. Plus, no one other than Raina and Mary knew he had tech that worked here and neither had yet told anyone. That Afterlife had no internet connection was criminal. He knew they had cable, as there was a TV in the public gathering area, but no one had cell phones or computers here.
He looked back at the tablet. He had only gotten an Internet connection due to making his super duper Leopold and Loki improved StarkPhone (his iPhone had met Death By Ice during his transformation) a hotspot. He was not going to sit amongst those in the common room glued to an ancient TV.
The Avengers had saved the day, at a great cost. The public at large was rather angry since finding out the cause was Stark. Between the thing a year ago with HYDRA and the hellicarriers, SHEILD's downfall, and now this, the politicians were jumping at a chance to "do something" about the "trouble brewing" in their great nations.
Loki tossed the tablet aside and stared out the window. Raina was speaking when Gordon jolted. The two talked further before hurrying off. Loki tilted his head, frowning.
I guess it's time for me to show what I've got / Things will never be the same / I may snuff the burning flame / Or I may prove to be much more than I thought
-Weezer, "Brave New World"
Everything went to hell in a hand basket.
Loki knew it would.
After Jaiying stumbled out of the room she'd been meeting with Agent Gonzales (alone), he went inside, finding the broken bits of what formerly had been Agent Gonzales. Loki narrowed his eyes and swept outside as missiles were fired on Afterlife by a Quinjet.
He pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes.
Chaos broke out and everyone ignored him in their haste to flee or get into fights with the remaining SHEILD personnel. Loki strode off towards where the Quinjet was hovering. The ground shook violently, sending Loki to his knees. He got up and hurried towards where he was sure the epicenter was, only to find Skye gone and May unconscious. Simmons came tripping around the corner.
"May! Loki!"
"Agent Simmons, what is going on?"
"I was going to ask the same thing," Simmons remarked, skidding to a halt next to May. "Is she okay?"
"Yes. And Jaiying has declared war, having invented the need herself," Loki proclaimed.
Having become used to being told he was wrong about everything when it came to Jaiying, who could do no wrong, he was surprised when Simmons nodded.
"Agent Morse never showed up and none of our agents are answering from the Quinjet that just shot at us," Simmons replied. "If Jaiying is making up that Gonzales shot her—"
"He's dead. She dosed him with a crystal. I found the broken bits on the table and Gonzales in pieces on the floor. There was no way he could have shot her where she was shot and have crumbled as he was in the time frame. The dust from the crystal was gone by the time I entered, so he'd been long gone by the time she'd shot herself."
Simmons stared at him with wide eyes while chaos continued to reign around them. She looked unable to conceive herself someone would shoot themselves to start a war.
"We need to find Raina," Loki urged. "I can carry Agent May."
"Raina?"
"She got on Jaiying's bad side. She was locked up to prevent her from interrupting the meeting. Raina saw that if Jaiying met with SHEILD it would destroy the Afterlife. As usual, Raina was correct."
Simmons nodded, hurrying after Loki. They didn't make it far before one of the residents tried to attack them. Loki shot ice out of his foot, ruining his shoes, but preventing the person from harming them. The person quickly hobbled off, giving Loki an evil look. Loki returned it.
"I think we should get out of here," Simmons suggested, tugging on Loki's sleeve. "I…the Quinjet landed. We should go figure out what happened."
"Agreed. I have no wish to remain here."
"And Raina?"
"We will find her later."
Simmons nodded, leading the way to where the Quinjet landed. They entered to find the agents manning it unconscious and Zabo sitting in a jump seat tied up and wearing headphones. Loki carefully set Agent May down on the floor before heading to the cockpit while Simmons checked the unconscious agents. One shakily pushed himself up when Simmons touched him.
"Were there any other SHILED agents here?" Loki demanded as the man sat up.
"We lost one. The man with no eyes, Gordon? He grabbed him. We need to call the Playground," the agent said as Simmons came to stand next to Loki. "Uh, should we take him?"
"Yes," Loki said. "Jaiying was trying hard to get rid of him, so we ought to take him. Leave him tied up, though. Who knows what she told him to get him to agree to this."
"Could that be because he's insane?" Simmons suggested.
"He's her husband," Loki stated, happily watching Simmons' jaw drop.
"Is Jaiying…"
"Yes," Loki shortly said. "Did she not tell you?"
"I didn't exactly speak with her much when she was at the Playground," Simmons admitted, looking sheepish.
Loki leveled her a glare. "We are still who we were before."
"Are you, though?"
"Can you fly?" Loki demanded of the agent on the ground.
"Not advisable," the man admitted, swaying. Simmons knelt down and grabbed the First Aid kit.
Loki strode into the front of the plane. He had not actually flown one, but read the manual. It would have to do for now. "At the core, we are still who we were."
"She went with them," Simmons pointed out, dapping the cut on the other man's head.
"She's being manipulated by a great manipulator who happens to be her mother. As someone who spent most of his life being a chess piece by a great game, I can understand how she'd fall for it."
"Odin manipulated you?"
"Every leader manipulates those who will aid in furthering their cause," Loki darkly said, setting the Quinjet's corse and putting on the autopilot. He turned to Simmons. "Jaiying is a leader and is manipulating all of the Inhumans to do what she believes needs to be done in order to protect their species. She is not right, but try telling that to those she's helped with what appeared to be selflessness is pointless. Trust me, I've tried."
"She's building an army," Simmons surmised. "Has been for a long time, hasn't she?"
"Correct."
"But, they seemed so peaceful," Simmons recounted.
"Most of them are. Most want to be left alone to enjoy their lives. And I have a feeling they went home."
"Home? Wasn't that their home?"
"Not all of them. Many only go to Afterlife to visit and enjoy the company of those there. It's like an all exclusive resort," Loki explained. "Some live there, but most do not."
Simmons sighed and slowly nodded. She asked the agent a few questions, then nodded. She stood and turned to Loki. "We should call the Playground. They need to know what happened."
It's ourselves that we betray / How has it come to this / We are but drones, silenced, led amiss
-Trivium, "Blind Leading the Blind"
Skye panted, wrapping her arms around herself.
"She was just like Ultron," she blankly said, rocking back and forth. "More crazy than Cal."
Jim was in front of her, his worried blue eyes filling her vision.
Whoa. Where had he come from?
"She said the same thing that crazy, homicidal robot Stark built said," Skye whispered, trying to get lost in those baby blues.
Jim said nothing, but held his arms open. Skye fell into them, burying her face in his chest. He felt strong, solid, and god how she'd missed his smell while she'd been away.
"I picked the wrong side. Why do I do that?"
"She was your mother," Jim quietly said, pressing his chin to the top of her head. "Love is blind."
"He's right, sweetie," Cal said from above her head somewhere. She heard him fall heavily to the ground, panting. "I let her become what she was. I let her…"
"She did that on her own."
"Not all on her own," Cal insisted. "Before HYDRA she was gentle. After…she was poisoned, I just did not want to see it."
"The fight is over," Jim offered. "I left Campbell and May after they defeated the last of the Inhumans. None lost their lives, that I know of, other than Jaiying."
"She wouldn't have stopped unless she was dead and there was no way for her to use her healing power to come back," Skye said. She pushed herself off Jim's chest, but didn't venture out of his arms. She looked over his extended arm at Cal, who looked worse for wear. "That's how her healing power works: she sucked the life out of things."
Cal nodded. "She didn't need to kill the other person. She started that only after HYDRA."
Skye felt extremely sad and angry. She looked back to where she'd pushed the plane off the deck of the ship.
"This isn't going away. I might have made this worse," she whispered.
"Why? What happened?" Jim asked.
"I pushed the plane with all her crystals over the edge of the boat," Skye whispered. "What's going to happen to the crystals?"
Jim let go of her and stared at her, his blue eyes wide. She began to hyperventilate. Jim quickly pull a bag out of somewhere and handed to her. He spent two minutes trying to get her to calm down.
"You didn't know. You were simply trying to get rid of them. People have dumped lots of things into the ocean to get rid of them."
"Yet, they don't really ever get rid of them, do they?" Cal unhelpfully offered.
"Hush," Jim growled before looking back at Skye. "If we're lucky, it fell into a trench and we will never hear of it again."
Skye gave him a dark look from over the top of the bag. She was not that lucky.
I ran away from my mistakes / Crashed and burned but I'm okay / The most important thing / Learning what it all will bring
-Falling In Reverse, "My Heart's to Blame"
"Are you going home?"
Loki looked up from his packing to see Skye leaning against the doorjamb.
"No."
"Then where are you going?"
"The Avengers' Headquarters."
Skye rolled her eyes. "Then you're going home."
"What is home?"
"Where the heart is, stupid," Skye said, pushing herself upright. "Your heart is living at the Avengers HQ."
Loki went back to packing and chose to ignore the girl in the room.
"Coulson's given me an assignment. I'm to head my own team of Inhumans," Skye said. "I was hoping you'd be on it, but if you're leaving…"
"I do not know if he'll welcome me," Loki quietly admitted, stuffing things into his bag. He was unaware he'd gathered so many items in the year and half he'd been with SHEILD.
"He might not," Skye agreed. "But, if he loves you like I think he does, he'll let you stay and prove you are aren't a complete waste of space."
Loki straightened and glared at Skye.
She threw up her hands. "I'm not saying I ever thought you were a waste of space, but admit it. When you first got here, you kinda thought you were."
"I wanted to kill, beat, and bash things," Loki flatly stated. "I did not think I was a waste of space."
"You've always thought you were a waste of space. It's the whole reason you wound up here in the first place."
Loki opened his mouth to argue, but Skye put her hand up to silence him.
"You were depressed."
Loki looked away. "Would you not be?"
"You had it all, Lokes. You had it all and it was ripped away from you. And that's happened to me. For a few minutes I had it all. Everything I ever wanted. I had a family, Lokes. A real family."
Loki studied Skye, narrowing his eyes.
"It was an illusion, though. And nothing I'd dreamed of and now it's over. Mom's dead, Dad doesn't know who I am, and all I've got left is my name."
"Your real name?"
Skye nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to go by it now. Daisy Johnson."
"No more Skye?"
"No. My dad's not a bad guy, not really. He was…well, mislead and, well, HYDRA."
Loki nodded his understanding.
"He gave me that name, so I'm going to use it. Skye was something I chose for myself, since I had no name as far as I was concerned. I always figured once I found my real parents, then I'd find my name and take it. Claim it for myself."
"And you have."
"Have you?"
"I am Loki Laufey-Odinson. My name says it all."
"Does it?"
Loki cocked his head to the side. "Explain."
"Well, your Asgardians take your father's names and add son or whatever daughter is in your tongue, right?"
Loki nodded.
"You never really met Laufey, did you? I mean, sure you saw him when you killed him, when you tricked him, and when he called your brother a princess, but he's not your actual father. You are not his son, so why is he part of your last name?"
"He is my father," Loki said, feeling confused. "His genetic code gave me all this."
Loki held up his two blue hands, held up one bare blue foot, and blinked his rusty red eyes at her.
"That's it. That is all he gave you, Lokes. Genetic code?"
"And what did yours give you besides genetic code?"
Skye, or rather Daisy, smiled sadly at him. "He showed me what it really was to love someone so much it drove you insane, drove you to become a monster you didn't even know, but you could come back from it and do the right thing in the end. Even if the right thing was killing your own wife."
Loki blinked.
"You didn't hear him, Loki. All he wanted was to be a family, to know me, to tell me how our life was before HYDRA ruined it," Daisy said, stepping forward till she was right in front of him. "Did Laufey give you that?"
"No."
"Then, I ask once again, why is he part of your last name?"
"He is my birthfather and that is really—"
"Then why is Odin still there?"
Loki pressed his lips together.
"Most days, you can't even admit he is your father. Most days, you seem to detest the man, but besides not telling you were adopted, what did he do that was so horrible as leaving you out in the cold to die?"
Loki said nothing for a long time. "I was a pawn."
"Were you?"
"At first."
"No parent is perfect, but I'm sure he didn't manipulate you to start a war against mankind, did he?"
"Didn't he?"
"I don't think so. I know you like to think Odin manipulated you your whole life into becoming who you are, but really, Lokes, think about it. What did he do other than let you into his home?"
Loki noticed she didn't say love him, which he was thankful for as most days he was still unsure Odin could love a Frost Giant, yet another aspect of Loki knew that Odin did love him in his own way. He knew it'd never be in the manner Loki craved, but it was there and the proof was he was currently on Earth. Loki would never have been on Earth as he currently was if Odin hadn't allowed him to leave in the first place to seek help.
Loki sat down on the bed and stared at the wall opposite.
"Just food for thought."
"Loki Odinson," he whispered. He'd not used that name since the day he let go and fallen into the Void.
"Or, if you want, you could be Friggason, or whatever."
Loki looked up.
"What? Why can't she get in on the action of being part of your last name? While you're never sure of where you fall with Odin, you love your mother. You always have, no matter what."
"True."
"And no one knows Loki Friggason. Or would it be Friggson? Friggson sounds better, but Frigga was her name, so…uh, help me out here."
"It'd be Friggason," Loki whispered.
"Well, why leave her out yet take Laufey?" Daisy challenged.
Loki stared at her. "Would you take something Jaiying gave you?"
Daisy removed a necklace from under her shirt. "She gave me this and I will wear it. It was hers from before HYDRA."
Loki looked away. "No one knows Loki Friggason."
"No one will be looking for him either. You don't look like the Loki they're looking for. Or were looking for. I think they've been a little distracted from you as of late."
"True. Though, I did make the news yesterday."
"Did you have white hair, red eyes, and blue hands and feet?"
"I do not have white hair at the moment."
"No, you colored it blond for some reason. Why did you do that?"
"Raina told me she saw me with Steven and I had blond hair. Only doing what I have to in order to assure it comes true since she will not be sharing visions with the world any longer."
Daisy nodded, folding her arms across her chest and studying Loki. "Go home, Loki Friggason."
Loki looked up at her. "I think I will."
Time will tell us if we're out of answers when it stops / Climb back down to the beginning / Take it from the top
-Lifehouse, "Chapter One"