A Change in Events
Leif was in a shock, unsure of what was happening to him. The moment the pendant touched his neck, a surge of energy had coursed through his body before erupting out in a humongous explosion that had blasted the walls of the container outwards in a curve. Then, a bright white light had engulfed his entire body before slowly fading away. Leif could still feel the energy radiating from the pendant and surging through his body though. It felt surprisingly warm. Familiar. It was as though these powers were meant to be his all this time.
"That's enough kid. Take the pendant off." A sharp mechanical voice jolted him from his trance. Leif spun around and saw the Iron Man entering the container and the metal door swung shut behind him. Looks like they were not going to take any risks of him escaping. "Now kid. Don't force me to use force." The Man in Iron commanded curtly once more, now in a battle stance with the palm of his right hand aimed at Leif. Uh oh.
"I… Wait…" Leif stuttered in panic and reached gingerly for the pendant on his necklace. He didn't like the look of this situation. Leif thought he'd better do as Tony Stark demanded; he had a feeling the man would not hesitate to carry out his threat. As Leif's hands closed around the pendant and attempted to lift it off, he realised with terror that he couldn't. The pendant simply wouldn't budge. It was as though it has been welded firmly onto Leif's skin and regardless of what the boy did, he was not able to tug it off.
"I can't take it off!" Leif cried out desperately.
"Don't give me any tricks boy," Tony growled. "If you don't take that pretty necklace off by the time I count to three, I will blast you straight into the centre of the Earth!" Leif looked at him, eyes wide with panic and horror.
God, what should I do?
"One," The Iron Man counted menacingly, still aiming his palm at the boy. Leif grabbed the pendant and tried to pull it off with all the strength he could muster. It was useless.
"Two," Tony continued and this time, the area of the Iron Man suit covering his right palm slid open and glowed with a flashing white light.
Shit! He really is going to kill me!
"Thre-" Tony seemed about to fire a blast from his palm when Leif panicked and shot his hands out with terror in an attempt to defend himself.
"Wait no!" Leif cried out in agitation and before he knew it, there was a loud blast. The Man of Iron flew backwards with such tremendous force that he knocked the iron door of the container off its hinges and slammed into the wall opposite the room. Leif stared in horror as the limp figure of the man in the iron suit slid onto the floor from the large dent in the wall.
Oh god, what have I done!
Leif gazed down at his hands which were still tingling with the remains of the energy he had blasted out from his palms. He then took another nervous glance at the Iron Man.
I didn't kill him, did I? Please don't let him be dead!
Tony Stark gave a groan and picked himself up from the floor, straightening himself as he brushed debris off his suit.
Thank goodness. I might have known. How could the great Iron Man possibly die of just a tiny blast from me?
Leif's attention returned to his own hands. After recovering from the shock, he was now curious about his new found power. Leif had always been able to produce weak energy waves from his hands and fingers, but they had never before been as powerful as the blast he had produced earlier. He took aim at the clear wall of the container with his right hand, eager to try it out once more. However, this time, only weak energy waves pulsed out momentarily from his palm before disappearing entirely.
Okay. It seems that I can't quite control it yet.
"Alright son, stop that!" Leif looked up at the sound of the stern voice and saw a man in a tight uniform, holding a shiny circular shield standing at the entrance of the container, now without its door. Leif could have rolled his eyes at the sight of the spangly red and blue tights the man was donning. Is that horrendous outfit the latest fashion now?
"Don't try to fight Leif, it's useless. Raise your hands up and put them behind your head. We won't hurt you if you surrender." The man ordered firmly. There was a ring of authority in this man's voice and yet there was a certain feel about him that made Leif trust his words. Leif placed his hands cautiously behind his head as a sign of surrender. It was the only thing he could do now after all, as the Iron Man had once again strode into the container and was now aiming all the missiles and lasers from every inch of his suit at the boy.
Clint Barton walked up solemnly towards Leif and cuffed both his hands while Natasha approached him cautiously and attempted to remove the pendant.
"God, he was right Director," Natasha muttered quietly into her earpiece, her eyes fixed grimly on Leif's face. "The pendant can't be removed. It's like it has been glued to the boy's skin."
Leif could feel all the dubious glares that were being cast towards his direction that moment. He glanced around nervously and fixed his eyes on the furious face of Tony Stark, whose Iron Man mask had snapped back up again. Leif wondered if he should apologise to the man for blasting and sending him hurtling out of the container across the room. It had been unintentional, after all. Then the boy took one final glance at the infuriated Tony before deciding against it.
No. It would do the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist some good to learn a little humility once in a while.
XXX
Loki chuckled gleefully as he watched Leif send the Iron Man rocketing out of the container with a giant blast. Beautiful. Perfect. That was exactly what that annoying and irritating mortal deserved.
He was extremely pleased. His son had not disappointed him. Loki then observed as Leif tried to produce another energy pulse and failed. Well, obviously the power would have to take some time and practice to control. Loki, himself had taken quite a while to master his energy projection skills. It was a powerful form of magic and extremely useful in combat when one has managed to master it.
Patience, my son.
Thundering footsteps alerted Loki to the arrival of his brother once more and for the first time in the past two months, Loki didn't mind. No, the God of Mischief was in such a good mood that even the presence of Thor would not irk him.
"Loki!" Thor had roared once he reached his brother. Loki simply smirked back. "Who is this boy named Leif? I know you have visited him in his dreams and tried to manipulate him. Don't attempt to lie to me brother!" The God of Thunder growled dangerously, glaring at the grinning man before him.
"Oh, so you have met him Thor? Delightful boy isn't he?" Loki chuckled mockingly. "I am extremely fond of him myself," The trickster added happily as his brother glowered. "And in case you were wondering, dear brother; yes, Leif is my son. I thought that even you, with your mast amount of dumb, would have realised that by now. That boy is a splitting image of me." Loki grinned at Thor's flabbergasted look.
"When did you have a son, Loki? No one knew. Not even Father." Thor gaped at his brother, unsure if this was another of the god's tricks.
"I like to have a few little secrets of my own Thor." Loki gave a sly smile. "Leif was born by the union between me and a Midgardian female 18 years ago on one of my little vacations to Earth. Yes, Thor, a human female (Thor had looked surprised by this declaration). As much as I despise those foolish, mindless creatures, Thea was different. She was unique. Special." Loki paused for a moment at this point, his heart suddenly flooded with sorrow at the thought of his late lover. He longed for her again. However, the trickster did not let it show on his face, wearing his usual cold smirk to hide his emotions.
"So he is your son Loki," Thor began furiously, filling in the silence of Loki's pause. "Well, what do you want from him? Why are you manipulating him to steal the pendant? What are you scheming this time?" Loki looked at his brother with amusement. Oh, someone is getting angry.
"Firstly, I did not manipulate him. The boy did it out of his own free will. Secondly, the pendant is his. I gave it to him when I left his mother; Leif was merely retrieving what was rightfully his in the first place. I would not consider that stealing." Loki smirked as Thor looked crestfallen at his words. Oh, so you thought that I had brain washed the boy, did you? "And yes brother, I had planned for him to get the pendant because when he does, my plans would be set." Thor's eyes almost bulged out in shock at Loki's words, amusing the trickster to no end.
"The pendant would not only unlock the powers within the boy but will also amplify it. It is a powerful relic I had found ages ago. When Leif's potential is unleashed, he will be able to destroy Earth under my command once he learns to control those powers." Loki smirked as Thor gave an angry growl and turned to leave.
"Going back to Earth to stop him, Brother? Well, it's too late!" Loki hissed, stopping Thor in his tracks. The larger god turned around, anxious to know what the other had meant. "You forgot one important thing Thor, Leif is MY son." Loki declared. "I am still amused by the way he had made those incompetent fools at S.H.I.E.L.D. hand over the pendant to him on a silver platter. I couldn't have done it better myself." The trickster sniggered elatedly while Thor glared at him. Then the God of Thunder turned and strode off wordlessly with large furious steps, leaving Loki alone in the dark cave.
Running off to plead for Father's help again Thor? Loki thought spitefully as he watched his brother leave. Typical. And Father will once again come up with the perfect plan to solve the problem. Loki gave a cunning grin. He knew what that perfect plan would be. Loki had anticipated it. Little did Odin and Thor know that this particular perfect plan was part of Loki's scheme all along. Loki gave a happy little sigh of content. Looks like plans (Loki's plans) were progressing better than he had expected.
XXX
Leif was back in his cell. The people from S.H.I.E.L.D. have dragged him back as soon as he was subdued and left him there, probably to run off and have a little discussion about what to do with him. Nonetheless, Leif was calm despite the seemingly grave situation.
The pendant is now mine.
Leif could feel the pendant's warm touch against his chest. Energy radiated from the glowing violet gem, entering and surging through his body. It was a wonderful feeling. Leif felt safe. Secure. He gave a smile which quickly turned into a grimace as his arms ached with cramps when he leant back on the wall. He had those damn hand cuffs on for two whole hours now. Apparently his captors got a little jumpy about his newly attained powers and felt that it would be safer to keep his hands locked.
Damn them. Leif thought bitterly as he shifted his arms uncomfortably. The cuffs were hurting his hands and he hated it. He hated the damn thing. Leif was just thinking about how he would rip off the freaking contraption if he could and was imagining the delightful feeling of his hands being free again when he realised that it wasn't just his imagination. Leif promptly turned around and glanced down at a spot on the bed where a once solid metal hand cuff that was binding his hands now lay: In a pool of silvery molten liquid. Apparently the metal cuff had melted when Leif targeted his strong feelings of displeasure towards it.
Oh my god.
Leif bent down a little closer to the molten metal and was examining it with both shock and curiosity when the door of his cell swung open once more. Agent Romanoff strode in, took one terrified glance at Leif, with his hands now free, and immediately whipped out her gun. She pointed it at the stunned boy and in her panic, took one swift step backwards, causing the back of her head to collide soundly with the nose of Clint Barton, who was following right behind her. There was a loud crack and Agent Barton stumbled backwards, holding onto the metal doorframe for support and clutching his poor nose in pain.
"Oww! Oh my gawd Tadshaw! Wad hadpened?" Clint grunted, nursing his nose while his eyes watered at the pain. However Tasha didn't answer. Her eyes swept over briefly to the spot where the molten metal liquid was and then back to the boy's face. The usual fire in her eyes was now replaced with a mixture of astonishment and fear. What kind of monster is this boy?
Leif raised both hands up as a sign of surrender once more and managed to smile weakly at the grim woman.
"It wasn't me. The contraption (he nodded towards the molten puddle) melted by its own." Leif explained lamely as his heart sank a few inches deeper.
Things were bad. Really bad.
XXX
"I know this is a bad time to say 'I told you so', but I told you so." Tony said annoyingly to a depressed Nick Fury who was now sitting with his elbows resting on his office desk and face buried in his hands.
"Stop it Tony. Stop rubbing it in," Steve chided, although his voice was not as stern as it usually was. He secretly agreed with the billionaire; the boy should not have been allowed near the pendant.
Just five hours after he had worn the pendant, the boy had managed to melt away 3 pairs of handcuffs, (scaring Natasha out of her wits the first time he did that, thus leading to Clint's nose being broken) as well as 'accidentally' blast a hole in the walls of his cell. Leif was then transported to a new, stronger and better one which was now being heavily guarded by Natasha, Clint (who had made a speedy recovery thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D's high tech medical equipment, or maybe simply from an apologetic kiss from Tasha herself) and 18 of the best-trained and bravest men Fury had.
The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was completely worn out and exhausted. He was in a wreck. Things had not gotten any better when Maria Hill marched in and presented Leif Matthews' original birth certificate to him, having actually managed to coax it out from the boy's parents. At the very top of the document scrawled in untidy letters under the heading of Child's Father was the name: Loki Odinson. ("See! We could have determined the boy's parentage without nearly tearing down the entire building!" An irritated Stark had exclaimed.)
Bruce Banner had run some preliminary tests on the molten metal sample collected and found out that the energy level of the atoms and molecules in the sample were exceptionally high. This, the scientist had reasoned, may be the cause of the metal transforming from its solid to liquid form. However, how Leif had actually managed to increase the energy levels of the molecules, resulting in them breaking free of their metallic bonds, was still unclear and Bruce had said that he would have to conduct a lot more research on the matter. So now there was nothing else Nick could do except to sit in his office and lament his earlier decision to let Leif try out the pendant while the boy is in his cell, melting away his fourth handcuff.
Tony was about to open his mouth and make another sarcastic remark when he was interrupted by a thunderous crash. Nick fell off his chair in shock and Steve scrambled under the desk for cover as the large glass window of the director's office had once again shattered into a million pieces when something, or someone, flew in. Tony himself took a few steps away from the window in terror, lost his balance and found himself sitting on the floor in a most unglamorous manner.
"Greetings my friends! I have come bearing most excellent news!" Thor beamed happily as he stood up and shook pieces of the shattered glass from his hair and clothes. He then looked surprised as he saw all three of his friends sprawled on the ground.
"What the hell Thor!" Nick had bellowed furiously at the befuddled god as he picked himself off the ground. He stared incredulously at his broken window. "I just had that window fixed yesterday!"
Captain America climbed up from under the desk, his face visibly blushing with embarrassment.
"You shouldn't do that, you know?" Steve said reproachfully to an upset Thor. "I could have gotten a heart attack."
"Yeah listen to the old man Thor," Tony muttered as he stood up and glared at the God of Thunder. "Old people die easily from heart attacks," he continued, causing Steve to shoot a dirty look in his direction. Thor looked so utterly grieved at having caused his friends so much trouble that Steve hurriedly changed the topic.
"So what is the excellent news that you have spoken of?" Steve asked Thor, snapping the god out of his depression. The God of Thunder seemed to suddenly remember the reason for his presence and beamed in delight.
"Ah, yes! I have confronted my brother and learnt that Leif is indeed the son he had with a Midgardian female 18 years ago." Thor declared happily. Tony snatched up Leif's birth documents from Nick's desk and waved it under the god's nose.
"Way ahead of you, pal." He said dryly as Thor stared at the piece of paper, disappointed that his news had not been of much help.
"Well, you must have additional news right, buddy?" Steve mentioned kindly and Thor gave a vigorous nod.
"Loki did not simply want to steal the pendant, as we had thought. He means to unleash the powers in the boy by letting him come into contact with the pendant." Thor explained earnestly. Nick could have kicked himself after hearing Thor's words. Great! There he was, thinking about how he would be determined to stop Loki's plans at all costs when he had actually completed the psycho's scheme with his own two hands. "When the boy's powers are unleashed and amplified by the pendant, he would become a threat to Earth. Loki would be able to manipulate him to do his bidding, as I know my brother's skills too well." The Thunder God continued solemnly.
"Well marvellous! Absolutely marvellous! We have managed to accomplish Loki's goal for him. How about giving three cheers, Director?" Tony exclaimed mockingly while Nick looked downcast. Steve was about to reproach him again but decided against it as the Captain felt that there were much more pressing issues to address and mistakes to admit than to start an argument with Tony.
"I am afraid we have allowed the boy to obtain the pendant, Thor." Steve mumbled apologetically to the god, expecting Thor to become outraged. However, contrary to his expectations, Thor smiled gleefully.
"Yes I have learnt of that," the god grinned. "And I have approached my father, the Almighty Odin himself for help. Father had come up with a perfect solution my friends." Both Nick and Steve snapped to attention at Thor's words while Tony seemed bewildered. The perfect solution?
XXX
The green and silvery mist surrounded Leif as he stared vacantly into the space before him.
No… This cannot possibly be happening to me.
Just earlier, Leif had been poking curiously at a puddle of molten silvery metal that had once been his fourth handcuff, entirely minding his own business when Nick Fury and Thor marched into his room. The Director took one weary glance at the puddle of silvery substance on the floor and decided to blatantly ignore it, focusing his attention back on the boy. The God of Thunder had positively beamed at Leif (much to the boy's amusement) and greeted him with a loud, jovial "Greetings nephew!"
Nick Fury then handed Leif some pieces of paper wordlessly. The boy had taken a quick glimpse of the documents and realised that they were his birth certificates attached with information of his real parents.
"So now we know the truth of your birth, huh?" Nick Fury gave a grim remark as Leif's eyes skimmed the documents quickly, ignoring the director as the man had continued to banter on about something. He had caught a few words and phrases now and then in Nick's lengthy speech, such as 'dangerous', 'threat to Earth', 'sneaky little liar' and 'are you listening to me?'. However, Leif had been too engrossed with reading his real parents' names and information to care.
Thea Black, his mother, was a beautiful raven haired woman with stunning brown eyes that had died at an age of 26 while giving birth to him. Leif felt a tinge of sadness as he stared at his mother's photo. He then glanced through the information about her family and background, thirsting for knowledge about this woman he should have been extremely familiar with. There had however, been no information about his father, Loki Odinson in the stack of papers. Apparently Thea had only given the name of her child's father, unable to provide any official documents before dying and the nurse had simply scribbled it down thinking that the unusual name might have been an alias of some sort.
Leif had always known that he was adopted. However, finally seeing the proof of this fact in front of him was like a slap in the face and he was in a stunned stupor as he read about his true parentage. It was not until Nick Fury had said something unimaginable that he jolted out of his trance.
"Therefore, as you are now too dangerous to keep on Earth, Thor will be bringing you back to Asgard, where your powers will not be a threat." The Director concluded his lengthy speech. Leif stared, first at him in disbelief, and then at Thor, who was grinning brightly at him.
"No. I refuse." Leif had replied curtly as he glared at Nick Fury's indifferent expression and his uncle's disappointed face.
After an hour and a half of furious arguments (where Leif had defiantly stated his stand of not leaving, Nick had angrily berated the boy and Thor had tried as hard as he could to persuade his nephew that Asgard was 'a wonderful place'), an enraged Leif had fiercely ordered the one-eyed man and God of Thunder to leave the room (or as he had stated, 'scram!'). Thus Nick and a downcast Thor had left the boy alone to think things through and resign to his fate. Leif was desperately trying to think his way out of this fix when Loki's voice echoed in his head.
You may never be able to return to your old life again.
Loki knew. Leif realised that the God of Lies had predicted that this would happen and thus, was now back in the only place where he could confront his father. Loki materialised in front of him and grinned at the boy.
"Congratulations, my son. You have not disappointed me. You have obtained the pendant, as I had always known you could." Loki smiled at his son with a tinge of pride in his voice. However, Leif was too concerned about other matters to accept his Father's praise with grace.
"You knew, didn't you?" Leif said quietly, looking at Loki. "You knew that once I have obtained the pendant and revealed my identity, Thor would have no choice but to bring me back to Asgard."
"Well, I had sort of guessed," The God of Mischief shrugged and smirked at his son, who became rather hysterical.
"No! I don't want to leave Earth," Leif had shouted in despair at his father, his eyes pleading for the god to come up with an idea to help him, any idea. "I can't possibly leave my parents behind here!"
"They are not your parents Leif," Loki reminded him gently. "I am."
Leif felt enraged by Loki's words. "You have no idea how I am feeling right now-" Leif was about to start another rant when he stopped at the sight of Loki's cold, harsh eyes, flashing with anger and hatred. The boy felt a shiver run down his spine once more as the god glared savagely at him.
"I know exactly how you feel Leif," Loki replied quietly, trying to control his emotions even though there was an unmistakable tone of anger in his voice. "I had gone through far worse than you had ever been through in your measly 18 years of life. I was adopted as well." Loki saw the boy's face fill with surprise at his statement.
Obviously, the boy didn't know, did he? Not many people knew.
Even till today, Odin had kept the true identity of his adopted son a secret. Only Thor and Frigga, as well as the Avengers (because the bumbling Thor had blurted it out) knew about Loki's true parentage. Loki decided it was about time his son learnt it as well. It would not be good for Loki's plans if the boy grew too attached to his 'Uncle Thor'.
"Yes, Leif. I am not the real son of Odin as you might have thought. I realised this fact myself, abruptly in the midst of a rising war, unlike you who had known that you were adopted all along. I learnt then that I was the son of the king of the Jotunheim, Laufey, the sworn enemy of Asgard." Loki said bitterly as Leif's eyes grew wide with shock. "I learnt then, after all these years that I was the monster that mothers had spoken of in bedtime stories to their children in Asgard: a Frost Giant." The trickster spat out the last term in disgust, hating his own parentage.
"I was nothing more than another stolen relic, claimed by Odin after the earlier war and held as a hostage in the very place I had thought to be home. I was merely a tool to use against the Jotunheim when the situation calls for it. I was abandoned by my birth father, forsaken by my adoptive parents." Loki hissed viciously. "Yes, I know what it means to lose all that was dear to you in the flick of an eye, Leif. I, too, had lost both my parents as well as my faith in them. I know exactly how you feel." Loki finished and gazed sadly at his son, who was now truly dumbfounded by his father's confession.
"At least your foster parents loved you," Loki added, his eyes filled with sorrow. "And I," he continued. "I have never forgotten about you, have I? All these years, even though we were separated by the distance of the realms, even though I could not bring you to me, I had visited you and paid attention to your life." Leif nodded, not knowing what else to say. It was true; Loki had made an effort to meet him at least once in a while. All those dreams Leif had in the past seemed so much more significant now. They were a father's visits to his son, and not brief meetings between two strangers. Leif felt touched, and sympathetic as well at his father's plight. His feelings must have been shown on his face as Loki seemed to notice and gave the boy a rueful smile.
"I am sorry," Loki said apologetically. "We should be celebrating your triumph in obtaining the pendant and your powers, not ranting about my pathetic past." The mention of his powers reminded Leif of something.
"My powers," the boy piped up suddenly. "I am not able to control them." Loki looked amused by his statement.
"Of course you are unable to control your powers Leif. No new born is able to walk immediately." The god stated matter of factly. "The ability you have used to blast that annoying Iron Man, which I must compliment you for (Loki sniggered at this point), is a skill you have inherited from me: energy projection. It is an extremely useful bit of magic, my son, as you will learn in the days to come. However, the pendant seems to have amplified that particular skill of yours, allowing you to manipulate energy and its flow into different objects as well. That's interesting, even I am unable to do that." Loki gave his son a cunning grin. "We will have more time to investigate this new ability of yours when you come to Asgard, Leif. I have no doubt it will come in handy someday."
Well, at least that will be interesting; Leif thought to himself. He fancied the idea of looking into his new powers but his heart sank again at the thought of having to leave his adoptive parents. Leif could not bear the idea of parting with them. Loki took another look at his son's glum face and chuckled.
"Lighten up, my son. Regardless of whether you like it or not, you are coming home."
To be continued…
So Leif is going to go to Asgard. I bet some of you may have already guessed what Loki is up to by now. Don't fret though; Leif's time on earth is most definitely not finished yet. He will return. Furthermore, he will be up to a lot of mischief, regardless of where he is and Loki will be there to help him, teaching him magic and tricks along the way.
In case some of you were wondering, the energy projection ability was listed under the set of skills Loki had in the Marvel's comics. It was not shown in the movie but I thought it will be interesting to emphasise on as Leif's main ability. Don't fear though, the teleportation and self-duplication skills will be included as Leif has magical powers now and you can be sure Loki will be more than eager to teach him.
Please stay tuned for the next chapter as Leif starts causing chaos in Asgard. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far and thanks to all those who have reviewed!
