Chapter 6: Memory Problems

Loki Laufeyson

The room was too hot, and Loki lay still on his bed, trying to figure out why he felt so confused while a weird man asked him questions.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Loki."

"Where do you live?"

He shrugged. Asgard? Midgard? He wasn't sure, and he asn't going to tell that to the weird man with the dark skin and the creepy thing on his eye.

"How old are you?"

"Five," Loki informed the man, rolling his eyes.

"You said you were three before." Now Loki rolled over and scowled at the nosy man with the questions.

"No I didn't." Loki smiled just a little, then stopped because the creepy man looked annoyed.

"You held up three fingers. Usually that means three."

"Maybe you didn't wait for me to hold up five," Loki offered. "Or maybe you should learn to count better." The man sighed.

"Do you have any sisters?"

"No," Loki said. In his head, he saw a vague picture pretty girl with long red hair. Then he saw an even foggier picture of an older, dark-haired girl. Finally, the faintest glimpse of a woman in gold. "No sisters."

"Do you have any brothers?"

"Yes. His name is Thor," Loki admitted. "He's big and he loves me." Now why had he said that? The man raised an eyebrow at him, and Loki looked away.

"Can you tell me about him?" the man asked, and Loki shook his head and flopped back down on the bed. "Okay, well can you tell me if you have any special powers or any strange memories?" Loki froze and forced himself to laugh.

"Of course not, old man."

He sat in a dark room, with white fog rising up around him as he screamed with a strange, burning terror. He couldn't go back here, not again! They wouldn't change him! He was Loki, he was 14! No, he was much, much older, she had said, and he remembered…he remembered…he was Loki…14…10…14!...no! No! He couldn't remember…

"Let me out!" he screamed. He had never felt so scared in his life, had never sreamed, and certainly not in fear…he was…he was…he remembered…

The room faded away before his eyes, and the memories slipped away with it.

Loki realized then that the creepy man was staring at him and he was whispering, "I am Loki, I am 14, I am Loki, I am…I am…I remember…" He clamped his mouth shut.

"No strange memories, huh?"

"No," Loki said defiantly.

He looked up as the weird man walked into his room and did a double take upon sight of Loki. "Fury," he said calmly.

"Loki," Fury said cautiously.

"Why don't you sit down, Nick? Have a cup of tea, as you Midgardians call it, ask some questions… We'll be 'BFFs' in no time." He laughed.

"So how old are you, Loki, because you're obviously not five?"

"I am twelve, although I have the wisdom of a much older man," Loki said. He smiled slowly, taking in Fury's worried face.

"I leave you to your 'wisdom' then," Fury said, rising and leaving.

"Oh my," the man began, staring at Loki. He looked up, cocking his head. The he went back to chewing on his blanket.

"What's going on here? Jefferson! Hirst!" Another man and a woman in white coats walked in but Loki didn't care.

"He looks about two," one of them offered tentatively.

"I noticed, Jefferson! What I would like to know is why Loki has been tree, five, twelve, and two all within the span of a few hours! This just started today and no one's been in or out!"

"Well he has magic and shapeshifting powers, doesn't he? I think that this might be his mind's way of trying to deal with being reverted to such a young state. He and the other Asgardian, Thor, are much older than the others who were shrunk. That's a lot more memory and experience to repress."

"It's possible that it's only starting now because that strain on his mind is finally building up. You said he seemed to be having some kind of flashback earlier, right? As far as we know, none of the others have had that. It might be a good idea to call Mrs. Stark – er, Miss Potts – and tell her to bring the others in to be checked, particularly Thor."

"Might be a good idea, huh? I'll get right on that. In the meantime, run some more tests and please, for the love of God, keep the others away from Loki! If you do nothing else, don't let them see Loki!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Affirmative, Director."

"Loki, what are we going to do with you?" For the first time since the other people entered, Loki looked up. His vision turned green and gold and he felt a tickling sensation as his body seemed to stretch and his mind enlarge.

"When did you come in?" Loki asked, before he could stop himself, looking a little confused. He smiled uncertainly.

"You saw that, right?" the man with the eyepatch demanded.

"Yes, sir!'

"Affirmative, Director."

"Was that him shifting again?" Shifting? Again? Loki hated not knowing something.

"Yes sir!"

"Affirmative, Director."

"Can you say anything else?" the man demanded, exasperated, rubbing his forehead and looking ready to bang the heads of the two people in white coats together.

"Yes s –"

"Affir –"

"Just stop. Please! Go run some tests or something." They hurried out and the man with the eyepatch turned to Loki. "Do you need anything, like food or water?"

"Yes, please," Loki said cautiously. The man nodded wearily.

"I getting too old for this…" he muttered. "How old are you now, exactly?"

"Seven. Sir?" he added uncertainly.

"What is it?"

"What were you talking about?"

"Well, Loki, we do some very important work here, and there's a boy who seems to be…sick…in a way, and we're not sure how to help him. It's worrying." The man looked at him intently.

"How's he sick?"

"He seems to behaving memory problems, and he acts strangely." Loki frowned, because the man was looking at him like he expected Loki to have a solution to the problem.

"Maybe he's looking for something," Loki suggested, when the man kept staring at him. "But maybe he can't remember what he's looking for, so he just feels like he's missing something." Loki had felt like that before.

"Maybe you're right."

"Sir?"

"Yes, Loki?" the man asked with a sigh.

"What's your name?"

"You may call me Mr. Fury," the man said finally.

"That's a funny name," Loki said, smiling up at Mr. Fury. "Is that why people call you sir or director?" Mr. Fury just shook his head, muttering something, and walked out. Loki wondered why Mr. Fury hadn't answered his question.

Loki looked up as someone opened the door to his room, carrying food.

"Hello," he said to the man hesitantly, just as a group other people walked by his door. Some of them were kids, and one of them, a blond boy, stopped suddenly.

"Loki?" he asked, frowning. "Loki! BROTHER!" Loki looked up in alarm as the boy ran in and hugged him. "ARE YOU COMING HOME WITH US, BROTHER?" he boomed. Loki jumped at the sound.

"Um, yes, of course. But later…brother," he said, cautiously. The boy seemed familiar, he Loki wasn't quite sure who he was.

"AFTER THE TESTS?"

"Yes, after the tests." What tests?

The boy smiled and one of the grownups called, "Thor, come on!"

Thor… It was later, after the boy had left and the door had closed and Loki had eaten most of hi food, that he remembered who the boy was. It was is brother, Thor. Loki wondered what would happen now, if he would get to see his brother again.


Author's Note: Okay, first of all, I want to thank everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and most of all, reviewing this story. You guys are awesome and I really appreciate it.

Second, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was supposed to provide some background information and explain what happened with Loki. Yes, Loki will be coming back...he makes everything more fun and even though he's not an Avenger, he certainly has a history with them. If this chapter was confusing, I apologize.

Third, please review! Like I've said before, I love it when you review! Favorite moments, things you'd like clarification on, things you want me to add...anything you have to say.

Thanks again for reading!