Chapter 8
Teagan and Loki finished their meal in polite silence. Teagan didn't mind, oftentimes she preferred quiet company over the tedious work of making conversation. When they were both finished, Teagan dropped a few bills on the table and they left.
As the small bell jingled once again, Teagan looked at Loki. "So…what's next?" she asked.
He looked around at the hot landscape, thinking. "We need to find a place to take shelter while the agents search for us. The longer we're gone, the farther they'll think we've gotten."
Teagan nodded in agreement. She walked back to the car, the god following her. She drove down the road for barely 15 seconds before she saw a run-down old motel. "It's not a five-star, but it'll do." She parked around the back in hopes that the stolen vehicle wouldn't be as obvious.
As they walked through the door of the office, a strong scent of cigarette smoke hit the pair. Wincing, Teagan approached the cashier, a gray-haired man in a wife beater who looked like he couldn't even own a sofa, let alone a motel. When Teagan requested a room, he scratched his unshaven chin and gave her a disgruntled expression, eyes moving from her to Loki, and back again. She just glared at him with an eyebrow raised until he grabbed a key from behind the desk and handed it to her. "Twelve," he informed them gruffly.
She took the key swiftly and led her companion to the room, bracing herself before opening the door. Once open, another burst of cigarette smell made its way through the door, only now it seemed like someone had attempted to mask it with air freshener. Two full-size beds with tacky comforters sat side-by-side, separated by a nightstand with chipped white paint. A dim lamp and dusty Bible were the only things that graced the top of it. Across from the beds, an out-dated TV sat on a desk, a remote missing a back was set in front of it. A mini-fridge and microwave sat in one corner of the room. The door to the bathroom was left open, showing the rusting faucet and not-white-enough-to-be-trustworthy toilet. A tiny corner-shower was stuffed in there as well. The only other door was a closet that, frankly, Teagan was too scared to open.
The girl strode in and sat on one of the beds, feeling the crispness of the sheets and the faint smell of detergent. It's been weeks since they've been cleaned, she deduced. But, clean enough…hopefully. Settling in, she undid her braid, which had practically fallen out already. Her light brown hair cascaded down her back as she ruffled it, combing through it with her fingers. As she sat cross-legged on the hard mattress, Loki took a seat on the other.
"Teagan," he started, and she felt the same shock she always did when he spoke to her. "We need to find a way to expose S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plans to the public. You know this world on a social level, what would be the best way to do this?"
Teagan laughed lightly. "Using the term 'social level' is a bit of a stretch, but I would say the Internet."
Loki knew a little about the Internet from studying S.H.I.E.L.D.'s technology, but he wasn't knowledgeable about how it worked. He did, however, know that it connected people from all over Earth.
Expecting this, Teagan continued. "I suppose if I were able to sneak into headquarters, I could get photographs of the weapons and put them on the Internet…I'd need to steal a computer, too…" She trailed off, her mind wandering to the depths of the headquarters, travelling through camera-monitored hallways, card-requiring doors, and heavily locked armories.
Loki watched her think for a moment before asking, "You really think you can do that?"
A sly smile overcame her face. "Don't you underestimate me," she teased. "We should probably wait a day, at least. After that, more agents will be sent out to look farther. With that many people gone, security will be less than usual. It'll be easier to get what we need."
The god was consistently captivated by the girl's ability to take control. He wasn't sure why it didn't bother him; normally he would stop at nothing to assert his dominance. But something about her made it…worthwhile…to step back. He had disguised his armor and scepter as a suit and a cane, and he stood up and closed the blinds before transitioning back to his natural state. Teagan look over at him, twisting her long hair into a bun.
"Okay, so I have a question," she stated.
"Yes?"
"How do you take all of that off?" she said, a serious question although she soon realized how unusual it sounded, via his disconcerted expression. "I mean…for instance, when you bathe…it's just so much clothing – do you have to have people, like, help you? Or can you do it yourself?"
Loki laughed wholeheartedly, the first time he'd done so in a while. "No, I can usually manage," he said, a blushing smile on his face as he looked at her. She was smiling, too.
It was the first time Loki really looked at her. Of course he had seen her, but it wasn't until this moment that he really looked at her. He saw her light pink lips and her small, straight-bridged nose, and her color-changing eyes (in this light, they were gray) outlined by long eyelashes. Small, barely noticeable freckled danced across her cheeks. Her jaw wasn't overly defined, given her oval face. Loki had never found anyone attractive before, but when he looked at her like that, he knew it was in a different light than he'd seen anyone else.
She's so young, he thought to himself. I've got nothing but age and hate. But she…she has so much light.
After watching Jeopardy for an hour on the low-def television, Teagan started to get bored. She popped off her bed and grabbed the wallet off of the desk and headed toward the door. "I'm going to go pick up some stuff," she declared.
Loki's face must've looked worried, for she reassured him, "I'll be fine. You just be careful." She tossed the TV remote onto his bed, not bothering to explain it to him. "And no porn," she said, mock-seriously.
Loki's brow furrowed at the comment, not understanding. He just hoped no agents were anywhere near this town.
Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated...and the last chapter kind of sucked lol. This one's kind of short but I figured I'd write one because I don't have school tomorrow. Thank you so much for reading and have a great night/day! ^.^
