Loki snapped his eyes open as a knock was heard at his door. He loosened his grip on his dagger as he stayed quiet on the bed. He formed a double and looked to the door to direct it to see who was on the other side. Right before his clone approached the door, Loki remembered to remove the air bubble. He kept himself invisible throughout the entire exchange between his double and whoever it was at the door.
It turned out to be Coulson. Again.
"Morning, since you told us that you'd be ready to work today, I only brought up your breakfast." Coulson, with a ready smile, handed the tray to the double.
"My thanks," the clone said before closing the door. Loki sat up while his twin set the tray on a table and disappeared. Loki knew that if today was like yesterday, he would be receiving another set of green and black clothes. At this point, Loki was more than sure that Coulson enjoyed intruding on his mornings to do just that.
He was looking forward to today – for many reasons. After staring at Tony's laptop for hours at a time, he was certain his eyes would have been damaged by now. He wasn't concerned – he could fix it – he was just irritated. Still, he got through it all and also managed to look up some other things he was curious about. Today would mark the first day without the usage of the laptop.
There was also that surprise he planned for Stark today. Loki chuckled. A series of unfortunate events, indeed. He was expecting a repeat performance of Stark's temper tantrum from yesterday. What a delightful surprise Tony immediately blamed his artificial butler for the botched paint job. Loki figured it was good to teach Stark the importance of colors. Unfortunately the lesson seemed lost on Tony, which Loki could not figure out why. Victorian flower language was a human invention after all – shouldn't Tony, as a human, know this?
Well, there was another lesson he planned for today; this one was about one's own ego.
Loki absentmindedly ate through a bowl of cut fruit as his mind was occupied by thoughts of his new teammates. The concept was quite new. He had in his long life worked with other people, but they were Masters and he the apprentice. Never before studying and brainstorming with peers for a common goal.
His mind still diverted, he dressed himself in black and a touch of yellow around his collar. (Take that Coulson.)
He had previously dismissed the value of humankind. Well, he still dismissed the value of the majority of humankind, he amended. Now he realized that there were some deserving of his respect. He hadn't gone so far as liking them, but he knew respect should be placed where it was due.
He slowly evaluated each one of his partners. Banner was the quietest of the three but also the easiest to underestimate. Loki unconsciously massaged his neck as he remembered how much he had underestimated Banner – that was humiliating. Foster was a surprise, if he was truthful in his opinion. When he had promised Thor to visit this woman, he never thought it would be under these circumstances. Like Banner, she was more muted than he first thought but with a curious intellect underneath. And then there was Stark. That man had initially been bothersome, in some ways still is, but now brash and challenging were added as descriptors.
The greatest and most exciting discovery was that they could keep up with him! They did not have as much background knowledge as him, but he was not so arrogant to think that it made them less brilliant. Before, his old Masters were the only ones he had described as brilliant, but now here were people he could almost call … kindred. Their minds still young, elastic, and open to humor, unlike his stiff and unbending Masters.
He had watched all three of the humans the few times he was in contact with them, and what little he saw, he already knew that this collection of minds together, this team, would be spectacular.
He was looking forward to working with them.
Tony was just finished adjusting the last of the motion sensors for his holographic panels when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He turned around and wiped his hands on a towel before throwing it to the side. One of his bots will take care of it.
"Morning, Tony," Jane greeted. She was followed by Bruce, who looked like he had unsuccessfully battled his bed hair.
"Need help?" Bruce offered while he covered his yawn with his hand.
"Nah, still a little more to do, but I should be done by tomorrow."
Bruce and Jane looked at all the mostly empty cardboard boxes and the assorted knickknacks scattered around the room and didn't believe for a second that Tony would finish by the next day.
"So where's the bas –" Tony stopped himself in time. Bruce and Jane were glaring at him already. He rubbed his face and let out a frustrated growl.
"Here." They all whirled around to face Loki. He smirked because he knew he had surprised them. Tony suspected he timed his appearance; what happened yesterday and just right now was too much for coincidence.
"So where do you have to go today?" Jane asked.
"I will remain here for the day. I am done catching up." Tony knew that Loki was the last person on Earth that needed to catch up. Tony snorted at the show of humility.
"Tony, didn't you say this room isn't ready yet?" Bruce reminded them.
"This is unfortunate," Loki began to say before he burst into a dozen copies. The duplicates fanned out picking up and sorting through everything while the original Loki stayed in place. "You can thank me later."
Jane and Bruce stood shocked. It was the first time they'd seen this ability.
Tony bristled. "Hey, some of this stuff is fragile."
"Like the antique Stark Expo model? I am offended that you think I am incapable of handling such primitive objects."
Tony was beyond upset but he had to let this drag out some more. His pride wouldn't let him back down and he thought triumphantly, the more Loki was using his abilities, the more likely he and JARVIS could figure them out.
"I like doing all this alone."
"We are a team now, Stark." Tony was starting to hate that smile.
Within a few minutes, the floor was cleared and the clones disappeared, no sound marking their departure.
Complaining sullenly in a low voice, Tony started in the direction of his paintings. He faced Loki to give him a final scowl before he noticed the strange expression on the trickster's face. Tony would soon learn to fear this look; it meant something was going down and most likely at his expense. He kept his eyes on Loki the entire time, while he pulled the white sheets off the canvases on the wall. He glanced at Bruce and Jane and then became very worried.
"Guys, you better say something or I'm calling someone. You two look apoplectic and you –" Tony pointed to Loki. " – what's with that face?"
Bruce and Jane suddenly exploded with laughter.
Tony's head swiveled around to look at what he had revealed. "What the hell?!"
Each canvas had a picture of Tony alright, but they were candid shots.
Tony knocked out over a lab bench.
Tony chewing with his mouth open, half awake.
Tony dancing, while inebriated, on his birthday.
Tony tripping over some electrical cables.
And the pièce de résistance was one of Tony donning his Iron Man suit. The camera angle allowed the unflattering image of one of the mechanical arms with a power drill posed right at his posterior.
Overloaded, Tony's mind thought of Pepper and her recently developed interest in photography. Didn't she promise him that she was going to delete these from existence?
Bruce's eyes landed on each person around the coffee table: Jane on his left, Loki to his right, and Tony across from him. They had all decided to sit down to talk about what Loki knew before going to the chalk boards – or in this case, Tony's holograms. This was a surprising contrast to the explosive environment only fifteen minutes ago. Bruce didn't think he'd seen Tony run so fast; the self-proclaimed philanthropist had scrambled to a prototype for a new repulsor design to take care of the paintings. The canvases and wall were still smoking, courtesy of a couple of shots each from Tony.
Bruce knew there was a downside to Tony's gift laptop to Loki, but he never thought this would be an outcome. Apparently when Tony said personal database of everything, it really was everything, including Pepper's private library of photos she had taken. How Loki gained access to them, Bruce didn't know, but he reminded himself to never underestimate a bored mind. His eyes slid over to Tony as he remembered the billionaire muttering darkly of payback to Loki. Bruce could only hope nothing exploded in their little war - and prayed he would be spared from the crossfire.
Bruce turned slightly to his right, to watch Loki discreetly. The events of yesterday still confused him; he was still unsure what to think of their alien guest. Bruce could say that their interactions so far have been ... good, but there were still moments that unnerved him. He shook his head to clear his mind. There was nothing to do but wait and see how things turn out.
"JARVIS, four cups of coffee." Tony's voice cut through the silence.
"Yes sir." Bruce felt sorry for the A.I. It sounded most unhappy when Tony made good on his threat to keep it on coffee machine duty. Bruce still hadn't told Tony about his suspicions about Loki's involvement in the paint job. Neither had Jane. What was the world coming to? My goodness, he realized, he and Jane were now accomplices, co-conspirators. He glanced back at Loki and was startled when he received a secret smile. Oh goodness.
"So I have a question. How come you're the only one that came?" Tony started as he took the mugs of coffee from his bots and passed them around. They all took a drink. Loki was the only one who frowned and Bruce thought that maybe he wasn't used to coffee yet.
"I am the best on Asgard." Loki said that only to get a rise from Tony. Bruce looked to Tony and it seemed to be working.
"There is no one second best or third best then?" Jane honestly asked.
Loki grew serious and clasped his hands together. "There are, but I am far above them. I am the only living Master of Magic. All the other Masters have long died in battle or are asleep. They cannot be woken and I am their last apprentice. I also have no apprentice of my own; I have not found anyone worthy of passing the knowledge."
"How does an advanced civilization like yours become like this? To only have one person truly understand the sciences?" Bruce inquired.
Loki's face openly showed his contempt. "Asgard has become stagnant. A mighty kingdom and race, fierce in battle, but weak in mind. They use the magics and technology of old but do not understand them. How else do you explain my presence here? The Bifrost was built by a Master, but I had not studied under him before a fatal wound claimed him."
"Someone would have realized that any technology needs maintenance," Tony thought out loud.
"The Bifrost was meant to stay operational for thousands of years more. It was not an urgent concern until now. The old Master had certainly not considered the stupidity present in Thor."
"What do you mean?" Jane asked. She was a little surprised by the heat behind Loki's words.
"Thor smashed the bridge with Mjollnir. And no, I will not tell you the story."
Still troubled, Jane went back to the previous topic. "The builder left no notes or an assistant?"
"He was paranoid. Justly so. The Bifrost was utilized as a method of transportation, but if a gate is left open too long, the power builds and can destroy entire realms." Bruce stared at Loki, who looked down on the ground as he softly spoke. Bruce noticed the hard eyes and knew there was a story behind them. He guessed that Loki knew this information from experience but he did not want to pry. He didn't think he'd like the story.
The basement became quiet again. The only movements were from the bots refilling the coffee mugs.
Jane spoke again, "That makes sense. The Einstein-Rosen Bridge requires a large amount of power to maintain the wormhole. Naturally the tunnel collapses before anything gets through, but to keep it open…"
"Yes, you need a substantial energy source to pull the tunnel open wide enough and for however long you need it opened," Loki finished.
"Wait how come we can't just build on whatever you personally use?" Bruce thought this should be an option they should explore. Tony sat forward on his seat to listen closely.
Loki shook his head. "My method finds the Plank-level black holes that burst into existence spontaneously. Very short lived but occurs almost everywhere. The Bifrost, on the other hand, creates these black holes and subsequently the connection between these holes."
Tony snapped his fingers. "You can't travel as freely, can you? You're restricted by what's available." Loki nodded reluctantly. Tony continued, "Wait a second, how do you go through them then without something like the bridge keeping the wormholes open?"
Loki contemplated on the answer. He also decided that letting Tony know and giving him any form of help on his challenge was a sacrifice he was willing to make as long as the Bifrost was built successfully. "I believe this will help you understand. I can access extra dimensions."
Jane dropped her mug. Before it shattered to the floor, one of Tony's bots caught it. Jane didn't realize any of this as she excitedly clapped her hands to her mouth. She squeaked before she started laughing out loud. "This is amazing! Evidence for the string theories."
"You mean for the Theory of Everything?" Tony asked.
Bruce shook his head as he smiled. "That's been a mystery for decades."
"Yes, I read your progress and the many different theories your race has created to explain the breakdown between quantum mechanics and Einstein's general relativity."
"So, how many of these extra dimensions can you get to?" Jane managed to get out through her laughter.
"Up to the eleventh. I am not certain if there are more."
Bruce saw that Jane was still pleased with the answer. He hadn't felt so excited about something great and new since he had sat in that chair where he got his first life-changing dose of gamma radiation. "Well we live in four dimensions: three for x, y, and z coordinates with time as the fourth. The existence of the eleventh gives much credence to the M-Theory. What're the higher dimensions like?"
Loki shook his head again. "I can access them and use them, but I do not traverse through them, only along them." Bruce memorized this. He felt it would be important later.
"Still with eleven dimensions, that eliminates many of the theories that use fewer dimensions in their equations." Jane was happily lost in her own mind.
Tony crossed his arms. "It would be great if we can solve this without your input – not that we don't appreciate it. Just less credit."
Bruce was surprised when Loki graciously replied with, "I am certain if left on your own, you or others of your kind would have discovered all this. It is the limitation of your current technology that is your biggest obstacle."
Tony grinned. "That's what my old man said too."
Jane broke out of her daze and exclaimed, "Let's get to work guys!"
Rappaccini strolled through the white sterile hallways of the headquarters of the Advanced Idea Mechanics. She had risen early in the morning; this was a result of the excitement she felt and the many things she planned to do today. The Scientist Supreme was on his way and so were the rest of the Imperial Council. She sprayed on her perfume: a little on the wrists, a little underneath her jaw, and a little in her hair. She didn't apply too much; she didn't want anyone to avoid her. It had taken her a few months to create this formula. She was a gifted biochemist and this formula was one of her many triumphs.
She sprayed an unscented version on the folders she was carrying and stopped in front of the double doors leading to the meeting room. She paid no mind to the luxury of the leather cushioned chairs or the oak wood rectangular table – she was too busy misting each chair and the floral centerpiece. When she was satisfied that everything was covered, she hid the small bottles in her suit jacket and began to place the folders on the table in front of each chair. Not a moment later, the governing body of A.I.M. filtered in through the doors. She greeted each one before exiting the room. Too bad she couldn't spray drinks; it would have made this entire process much faster. Every single person in that room was a paranoid bastard; they didn't trust each other and they wouldn't eat or drink in the same room either.
Rappaccini mentally counted down from ten minutes. She wished it would go faster. Whoever said, that a little bit more time after waiting for so long doesn't make a difference, had obviously not experienced it. With every minute that passed, her grin grew wider until finally she laughed. Her laughter continued even after she opened the double doors to find all seven members of the Imperial Council vacantly staring at her and their eyes eerily tracking her path to the Scientist Supreme.
She bent forward and patted his cheek in a mockingly loving way.
"My dear Scientist Supreme, we will all miss you. If you would be so kind to resign and pass all powers to me, I would greatly appreciate that. And afterwards, go home and eat this won't you?" He signed the papers she provided and took the small envelope carrying a pill with no hesitation. Her mind-altering drug was performing as expected. She smugly smiled at her victory. "If you find yourself feeling a little under the weather, don't worry, you're only having a fatal cardiac arrest. Have a nice day."
As her former boss left the room, Rappaccini looked at the rest of the council. "I find the title Scientist Supreme and our Imperial Council too pretentious. I propose we change them simply to Chairwoman and the Board of Directors. The times are changing and so should we." She clapped her hands three times and everyone in the room shook their heads as if just waking up.
"Good morning everyone," Rappaccini said clearly across the room as she sat at the head of the table. As if she had been doing this every day, she confidently asked, "What's the first order of business?"
There was some shuffling of papers before a woman in her sixties, further down the table spoke up. "We're still studying the Chitauri bodies and their anti-gravity technology. The aerodynamics behind their gliders can also improve our own flying vehicles."
"Their physiology? Does it offer some benefit?"
"Only increased strength and long distance vision," the same woman responded. Rappaccini frowned; the Chitauri body did not seem any more advanced than the Super Soldier formula. What a waste of time.
"Leave a team to research more on this and another two for their technology. I also want you to revive Project Matchbox." Rappaccini demanded.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Now, in front of you, you'll see the new reports for a man self-identified as Odinson. Pull the rest of our resources to tracking him." She paused to let the Board settle and plan around this change. She looked around before asking, "Any other developments?"
The man to her right immediately responded, "Chairwoman, we started buying large amounts of shares from weakened companies three months ago. We have forced meetings with them while they are still recuperating from the heavy damages sustained from the incident in New York City."
"Since a few months ago you say?" She was exhilarated. She had planned for something like this and didn't know that the Scientist Supreme had taken her suggestion and started already. She ultimately wanted to buy out some of their top competitors; if that was not possible then a merger. Both scenarios would end with either the resignation or assassination of the competitor CEOs of course, but she had time to plan that out.
Steve Rogers straightened his bow tie for the twentieth time. He stopped when a slender hand batted his own hands away. He held his breath. He was always nervous around beautiful women.
"You're making it worse," Natasha chided. She quickly retied it and sat back in her seat.
"Uh…thanks…for doing all this for me." Steve was about to run his hand through his hair when Natasha caught it.
"You'll ruin your hair."
"Ha…yea…thanks…again." Steve didn't think he was doing that well. He had never taken a girl out for a date before and boy, was that showing.
"No problem. You did all the work though. You just asked me for advice."
Steve had asked Natasha because she was the closest woman he felt comfortable enough to ask about dates. He knew he shouldn't have picked her just because she was a woman, but among all the Avengers, he thought she was the most likely to know. Stark was the other option but even Steve thought him a horrible choice. Stark was equally likely to offend a woman as he was to compliment her. Steve did not want to anger Peggy; the last time she expressed her displeasure was with several shots from a gun she picked up from a table. The only thing that saved him was his shield.
"Thanks for setting up the limousine. Need to thank Tony for the suit too. Back when I was in Brooklyn, the only thing of worth that I really owned was my father's watch. So, thank you."
Natasha nodded. She turned away and pressed on her earpiece. "Clint, what's it looking up there?"
Steve held his breath; he wanted to hear Clint's answer too.
"She's closing up shop."
"Copy that." Natasha turned back and gave Steve a sly smile. "It's show time. 8 o'clock on the dot, right?"
Steve was about to exit the car when Natasha pulled him back. She handed him an umbrella and a single red rose. It all seemed too overdone and cliché, but for Steve Rogers, a man who time left behind, it was a classic move that fit him perfectly. He smiled in thanks as they both left the limo: Natasha crossing the street to join Clint and Steve opening his umbrella and waiting in front of the shop.
Steve felt his heart thud and his palms sweat. The umbrella shook in his hand as he watched the lights in the shop dim.
When the front door opened and the bell above the doorway jingled, he forgot to breathe. He watched as the old woman turned around with her hand in her purse, and then froze. Shock, doubt, and elation spread across her weathered face. He thought she was beautiful, even now. His nervousness crept back into him ten-fold.
"Steve?" she breathed out.
"Peggy, I'm sorry… for being late." Steve stepped forward, remembering that Peggy was getting wet with the rain. He covered them both with the umbrella and handed her the rose. "I have so much to tell you. But first…" Steve took a deep breath, "Miss Peggy Carter, may I still redeem that rain check? For the dance I mean."
When she smiled, Steve felt his face stretch to match hers. He hadn't genuinely smiled for almost seventy years until this moment.
AN: Woo. What do you guys think of all that sci-fi? Took a bit to come up with that Bifrost conversation. I am no expert on particle physics, but I hope I did a good job at blurring the line between science and fiction.
Rappaccini and A.I.M. represent a major villain group in the comic-verse.
And if you would be so kind to review, please? :)
