Phil glanced around at Tony, Nari, and Steve to make sure they were all ready, then rolled out to take his position behind the podium at the front of the meeting room, setting his notes down on it as it automatically adjusted itself to his height. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the press. As you are all aware, this morning's press conference is for the purpose of allowing you all to meet the visitor who made such a spectacular appearance in the skies over Manhattan yesterday morning. As the official press release yesterday stated, Nari is a friend of Thor's that the Avengers are hosting for the duration of her visit here, and her presence here is not considered by SHIELD or by the Avengers to be a danger to others. At this time the length of her stay here on Earth has yet to be determined. Nari is willing to answer at least some questions, though she reserves the right to refuse any that are considered too invasive to her personal privacy. Mr Stark and Captain Rogers are also attending today's conference as her official host and the leader of the Avengers respectively, and will answer questions as well."
That done with, he retrieved his notes and wheeled back, stopping in line with the row of chairs in back of the podium. Nari walked out, flanked by Tony and Steve, Tony moving to take the podium first while Steve took a seat beside Phil. "Morning all. You all know me. I'm pleased to be able to introduce you to Nari, our current guest, and apologize for any worry the two of us caused to people yesterday. Nari was demonstrating her shape-shifting ability to me, and I was unaware she intended to take such a spectacular form, or I'd have made sure to either warn the authorities ahead of time or that we were in a location less likely to lead to widespread notice and fear. Nari? Come say hello to all the nice people of the press," he said, and stepped to the side, keeping one hand resting on the podium and holding the other out toward her.
Nari darted a look his way, but put her hand in his while stepping up to the podium, before releasing his grip to rest her hands on the edge of it. Tony gave her an approving smile before stepping back, though he remained close by. "Good morning," she said, and smiled warmly at the gathered reporters. "I too would like to apologize for any worry I caused yesterday. I had not realized that my appearance would cause such a stir, or I would have chosen a far less noticeable form as part of my demonstration to Tony. Now, you've all read the press release, I believe... do you have questions that it does not already cover?"
Several hands went up. Tony signalled toward one, a reporter that Phil knew was generally friendly to the Avengers and likely to ask questions that weren't seeking a sensationalist answer. Sure enough his question was a benign one – asking how long Nari had been in residence so far, the claimed answer for which was just under a week's time – and most of the initial wave of questions asked by other reporters afterwards were equally innocuous. Nari handled herself well, remaining calm and friendly in tone and smiling frequently.
"Thor had to return to Asgard after escorting me here, due to obligations he had in his own realm. I am hoping to see him again before my visit here ends. No, I don't have a set date for departure... I'm hoping to stay for at least several weeks. I don't know if I'll visit other locations, that depends in part on whether my hosts find themselves free to escort me elsewhere, as I would prefer to be accompanied than travel on my own in a realm I am unfamiliar with. No, apart from yesterday's flight I have yet to leave the tower; I wished to take time to acclimatize myself to this realm and properly befriend my hosts before venturing elsewhere. I am looking forward to seeing more of this city in the coming days."
And so on and so forth, only twice deflecting questions – one from a reporter who seemed to believe Nari's presence was part of some elaborate plot or hoax on the part of SHIELD or other government agencies in order to acquire extraordinary powers to the detriment of all right-thinking Americans – Tony took that one and essentially gently mocked the reporter while refuting his idea – and a much more benign question some time later, asking about conditions elsewhere in the so-called Nine Realms and if another appearance by threats such as the chitauri might be expected. That one she turned to Steve for an answer to, claiming to be in no position to answer it herself.
"Thor, as a representative of Asgard, has indicated that to the best of their knowledge the chitauri are still active, but that their attention is currently turned elsewhere than here, and that Asgard is taking steps to eliminate them as a future threat to both themselves and us," Steve explained, looking very serious. "That is of course no guarantee that we will not see them again, though it is our sincere hope that our allies elsewhere in the Nine Realms will successfully deal with them. Rest assured that the Avengers, among others, are prepared to defend Earth against them if it again becomes necessary."
That led to further questions about the purpose of Nari's visit here, and whether or not she too was a representative of another realm.
"I merely seek to learn more of a realm that my friend Thor has spoken well of," Nari calmly answered. "I have no standing or influence in the government of my home realm, and am here merely as what you would call a private citizen, a tourist."
"What realm do you come from?" another reporter asked.
"I am of mixed heritage and was raised elsewhere than where I was born, and have travelled considerably since reaching my majority; my mother is of the Vanir, and it is on Vanaheim that I suppose I most feel at home."
Phil admired how deftly Loki mixed some degree of truth into his misdirections over the course of the press conference. He was relieved when it finally came to a close without incident, and rolled forward to thank the reporters for their attendance while the other three withdrew. Once the room started emptying out, the SI security guards making sure that no one lingered or wandered about, he moved off to rejoin the others. Pepper, who'd been watching from the wings, had seen to it that they waited for him before boarding the elevator to return upstairs.
"I'm glad that's over," Phil said.
"It went quite well," Pepper said approvingly.
"Yeah, could have gone a lot worse," Tony agreed. "Well done, Nari."
"Thank you," Nari said, then yawned. "That was far more tiring than I would have expected."
"Tell me about it," Tony said, grimacing. "I always end up feeling either wired or exhausted after these things. Sometimes both at once."
"You'd feel exhausted less often if you actually slept properly before them, Tony," Pepper pointed out.
"I did sleep before this one. Which may be why I'm feeling wired now. I hope lunch is ready... I could eat a horse," he said, then frowned down at the suit he was wearing. "After I change. There's a doombot in the quarantine lab that Bruce and I are supposed to be doing further work on taking apart this afternoon, and the Caraceni is not allowed to even get off the elevator on the lab floors for anything short of imminent destruction."
Pepper snorted. "You and that suit... isn't it a little much for a simple press conference?"
"If it was just a simple press conference, sure, but this was me introducing a fabulous alien beauty to the world," Tony said, grinning toothily. "This suit makes it clear just how important an occasion I felt it was. Look, even Agent pulled on a decent D&G for the occasion."
Phil turned his chair a little to take a second look at Tony's suit, feeling a pang of envy as he looked at its beautifully constructed lines. "Caraceni? Really?"
"Yeah, you ever want one, let me know, I can probably swing you an appointment."
"I had one once," Phil said, smiling fondly at the years-old memory. "Picked it up during an extended OP in Italy where I was supposed to be the money. Unfortunately it didn't survive the fire-fight at the end."
"Took a bullet?"
"The pants did. The jacket stopped Clint from bleeding out."
"Ow. Most expensive bandages ever? You ever want another one?"
"Tempting as the offer is, I'm currently unable to do justice to the lines. Or take time out to fly to Milan for fittings. I'll stick with local off the rack."
"At least you're buying from a decently high-end rack."
Phil smiled up at Tony. "You have your suits of armour, I have mine." That won a wide grin from Tony, who had a good understanding of both kinds, as the Caraceni demonstrated.
The elevator stopped at the common floor, where Bruce and Natasha were preparing a lunch for everyone as part of welcoming Pepper's latest visit to New York. Tony continued up to his penthouse to change, though Nari chose to disembark with them rather than accompanying him up. Phil glanced around to see where Clint was, and spotted him seated in the pit in front of the television, at the far end of one of the curving benches, where he could keep an eye on the entire room. He met Phil's eyes, glanced once, pointedly, in Nari's direction, then seemingly returned his attention to the tablet computer in his hands. Steve and Pepper were headed to the kitchen, taking Nari with them; Phil considered joining Clint, then followed after them instead.
Lunch was apparently going to be a lentil soup – made by Bruce – and a sandwich buffet. Natasha was arranging the prepared fillings down the centre of the dining room table; baskets full of various kinds of bread; platters of cheese, cold sliced meats and fish, and assorted sliced or chopped vegetables; smaller dishes full of pickles, olives, capers, relishes, and other condiments. Bruce recruited Pepper and Nari to carry bowls full of soup to the table as he filled them, while Steve saw to it that pitchers of sangria and beer made it from the fridge to the table.
Tony soon re-appeared, dragging in a reluctant Clint behind him, and they all found seats, Phil finding a place open for his chair between Steve and Clint, Tony deftly manoeuvring Nari to sit between him and Pepper at the far end of the table from Clint, Natasha and Bruce taking the remaining seats.
Despite the palpable tension that remained due to Nari's presence at the table, it ended up being a very enjoyable meal, with a lot of chatter as people passed things back and forth to construct their sandwiches. Phil built himself a bagel with cream cheese, lox, capers and chopped red onion, and a pastrami on rye, and watched with amusement as Steve assembled a small mountain of different sandwiches for himself. Clint built a complicated sandwich involving two kinds of bread and a half-dozen different fillings, one thick enough he could only just manage to take bites of it, and ate it with obvious enjoyment. Tony attempted to build a real Dagwood of a sandwich, until Pepper firmly made him separate the towering construction out into several sandwiches. Nari tried a number of different combinations of fillings and condiments, and Phil was interested to note that she, like Natasha, preferred her sandwiches open-faced. They both assembled them as if the sandwiches were individual artworks, the end results looking worthy of a photoshoot.
By the end of the meal the mood was considerably improved, much of the tension draining as people ate and drank, and as any difficulties between Clint and Nari failed to materialize. Eventually Tony sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Well, we won't starve today," he said with every evidence of satisfaction. "Bruce, lab?"
"The doombot? Sure, we've been delayed long enough on that already," Bruce agreed, the two pushing their chairs back and rising to their feet simultaneously.
"You coming with?" Tony asked Nari.
"Of course," she said, and rose to her feet, transforming from Nari to Loki as she did so. Clint tensed for a moment, then picked up and drained the beer left in his glass, as Loki trailed the other two men away.
"I'm fine," Clint said quietly, noticing Phil's attention. "Not going to freak out, I promise."
"Good," Natasha said to him, then smiled at Pepper. "Care for some company this afternoon?"
Pepper smiled warmly back at her. "I have some things I need to to take care of in my offices downstairs at SI, but if you'd like to come along, I can multi-task."
"Clint and I will do clean-up," Steve said, building himself another sandwich out of some of the leftovers still littering the table.
Natasha nodded and the two women left together.
"Going to supervise us?" Clint asked, smiling at Phil.
Phil sighed and grimaced. "No, I better head downstairs; Director Fury will be expecting a report from me."
"Ugh. I'd rather wash dishes," Clint said.
"Good, you can do so then," Steve said firmly. "Or would you rather dry and put away?"
"Cap, I don't know if you've noticed, but we have these things now known as dishwashers..."
Phil smiled as he rolled away, listening to the two bicker amiably as they started gathering up and carrying dishes back into the kitchen.
It felt odd to be in the lab in his own form, though it made watching Bruce and Tony at work – and talking with them about the few obviously magical components of the doombots, at least obvious to him – considerably easier. He looked over the tray full of the oddly-shaped components that the pair had separated out so far, wrinkling his nose as he examined the magic that they were imbued with.
Tony wandered over to look over his shoulder. "Any idea yet what those are or what they're for?" he asked.
"Not entirely. The magic is crude, by the standards I am used to; it's form is not familiar to me. I can only guess at the purpose of a few parts of it. I think, though I cannot yet confirm it, that it is part of the control system of the robots."
"Like for remote control?" Bruce asked, looking up from photographing a circuit board in the calf of the robot.
"Possibly in part, though I believe it mostly helps the robots in decision-making; they're sent out with a strategic goal, and these may help determine the tactics they use in response to what they encounter."
"It's their AI?" Tony said, looking interested and taking a second closer look at them. He started to reach for one, and Loki quickly grabbed his hand.
"Don't touch with your bare hands," he reminded him. "Handle using inorganic and non-conductive materials only."
"Right, sorry. What could happen if I do touch them, anyway?"
"That would depend entirely on what sort of protective magics, if any, are included in the spells they hold. Though even without protective magics, it is generally unwise to handle bespelled objects of unknown purpose; you never know what you might set off."
"Is all magic dangerous?" Tony asked, frowning.
Loki shrugged. "Anything can be dangerous if you don't know how it operates," he pointed out. "Would you allow someone with no knowledge of machinery and tools to poke around at random in your workshop?"
"Oh. Yeah, no. Not a good idea. Okay, I'll be sure to keep my fingers to myself," he agreed, glanced over the tray a second time with a mildly irked expression, then went back to taking apart the robot.
Loki lost himself in studying the pieces, until some time later then Bruce came up beside him, placing a second tray of them on the table. "Learning anything useful about them?" Bruce asked.
"No... I'm still trying to sort out the method that he's using. It doesn't draw from any of the systems of magic I'm already familiar with, which is making translation difficult."
"Translation?" Bruce asked, looking mildly interested. "So it's not a case of a specific configuration of magic for a specific purpose?"
Loki shook his head. "No. It's more..." He had to pause and think for a moment. "Midgard has a number of different languages, yes? And some are related and have words in common, or are at least based on a shared forerunner, that are close enough in sound that the meanings of many words can be guessed in comparison to known languages in the same families, while others are completely unrelated in both sound and structure, sometimes even in their perceptual basis. Systems of magic are like that; most of the methodologies used throughout the Nine Realms draw from a shared pool of concepts and terms, though there are exceptions. This... whatever method this Doom person is using, it follows a method of notation I have never encountered before. I suspect it's something he either developed himself, or is based on some purely Midgardian system that developed here in isolation. I am having to try and guess from the patterns of the structure what configurations might be performing what functions, and extrapolating from there. The process is very slow."
"I'm not sure I get..." Bruce started to say, only to have Tony interrupt.
"Oh! I think I understand! It's not like looking at some wire and a switch and a couple batteries and a light bulb and knowing you're looking at a flashlight; it's more like looking at a programming language you've never encountered before whose structure is unrelated to any you already know, and trying to pick out things like its version of coding for case statements and if-then loops, and then having to guess at what the other commands are meant to do."
Bruce gave Tony an amused look. Loki smiled at him. "Vaguely correct. With a certain amount of the guesswork having to be based on... well, on the feel of the shape it takes. There is a large part of any magical working that relies on intuition or instinct; on the intentions of the caster. The systems of notation a way of directing the power into appropriate paths to satisfy the caster;s intent, and even two students of the same master using ostensibly the same system of notation might find their actual configurations varying considerably one from the other, each using a personal version of the notation."
"Like two people writing the same word but their handwriting being entirely different?" Bruce suggested.
"Something like, yes," Loki agreed, and bit his lip for a moment. "Except even both being handwritten is not necessarily the case; one might have written their notation in fine calligraphy with ink on parchment while the other assembled theirs out of chips of stone fused together into a standing structure. My mother..." he paused a moment, then gave a very minute shrug. "My mother weaves hers, quite literally. Many of her women work with fibre or fabric in some way as the basis of their system of notation."
Tony frowned. "So any object might be a spell then? Like the binding necklaces and these lumps of metal and... how does that work with shape-changing?"
"Physical notation is best for a working that is meant to have duration, or to be activated at a later time. Some magic users can only work with physical notation, manipulating power indirectly. Those of us who are best skilled at the art can work more directly with power; using our focused intent to create instantaneous, short-lived effects – like blasts of shaped energy, independent of an ensorcelled object to cast them from – or direct the power into creating long-term effects. There is much discussion over whether shape-shafting is a use of power or an innate ability. There is shape-shifting that is mere illusion or costuming, which most agree is just a stable shaping of power, and can be performed by almost any reasonably skilled practitioner, and then there is actually changing physical form and size, taking on not just the appearance but the being, the abilities, the limitations, of a specific creature. I might use illusion to hide as a statue in a hallway, but to be a dragon I become a dragon. It is a very rare skill, the true shifting, and dangerous."
"Because function follows form? The form you takes affects you?" Bruce asked.
Loki nodded. "Yes. The instincts of the form, its needs, they can be... overwhelming. There is also the trick of maintaining your own knowledge and thoughts and mental abilities while using a physical form whose brain is not designed for such; your have to maintain your own mind as a separate entity of energy while... overlapping or interlacing it with the animal brain. And in cases like the dragon, which is a very highly developed thinking creature, keeping yourself from merging completely into it, becoming it entirely, is hard to resist. Though even the less intelligent forms have their allure," he admitted, unable to stop a certain amount of longing from entering his voice. He drew a deep breath, forced himself to calmness, continued. "More than one true shape-shifter has vanished over the years, believed to have taken a form and been unable or unwilling to change back out of it. Perhaps some of them purposefully, but likely as many or more by accident. There are some who say that Odin All-Father's ravens were once such, or are descended from one who was, though I have never stumbled across any proof that it is so. Though they are unusually intelligent and have abilities that no other ravens do," he admitted, shrugging. "In any case, we are getting rather far afield from our original subject."
"The lumps of magical metal," Tony said, leaning forward a little to take a closer look at them, though this time keeping his hands well away.
"Yes, these lumps," Loki agreed. "My instincts tell me they are part of the controls for the robots, though unravelling the form and meaning of their magics is, as I said, a slow process. And I dislike the... the feel of them. I find myself questioning is this Doctor von Doom even truly understands what they do; he may be working too much by instinct, and not enough by knowledge, logic, and focused intent. I would say that not only should we avoid touching them, but that spending too long in close proximity to so many of them may be harmful."
Bruce and Tony both took immediate long steps back, then exchange rueful looks. "How long is too long, and what do you consider close proximity?" Tony asked.
"No more than a few hours at a time in the same room with them unshielded like this. I feel uneasy enough about them that I think it safest if we destroy most of them, keeping only one or two for study, and keep those heavily shielded except when necessary."
"Shielding?" Bruce asked. "I'm guessing you're talking of something more than just a lead-lined box."
Loki grinned at him, amused. "A lead-lined box would actually be a good start, lead being both inorganic and non-conductive, though lead by itself is too... reactive and malleable. The less miscible the lining, the better. Resistance to both heat and cold, and oxidation... I know what alloy I would use if this were Asgard, but as magic is involved in its production to overcome the immisciblity of two of the metals in question, I don't think you'd have it here, though I'm sure some reasonable substitute can be found."
"Jarvis, figure something out for us, would you?" Tony asked.
"Checking stocks for a non-conductive alloy with the stated properties, Sir."
"How do we destroy them?" Tony asked.
"We don't; I do, though a careful application of focused power," he said, and frowned at the pair of trays in front of them. "I think the first step will be to separate them, having them gathered so closely together feels... unwise. Gathered like this they may be interacting in unexpected ways, especially if they are formed mostly of instinctive workings."
"Dangerous ways?"
"Possibly. The saying that magic sometimes has a mind of its own exists because it does."
"Let's get these separated then," Tony said firmly, stepping over to the workbench to pick up a pair of the insulated tongs that he and Bruce had so far been using when it was necessary to handle one of the lumps. "How far apart?"
"At least a foot, and preferably more than that. Try and keep them on this side of the room; I'd prefer to have some elbow room between myself and the bulk of them as I'm working on destroying them individually," he said, before picking up tongs himself to begin spreading out the pieces.
Bruce peered through his glasses at the palm of Loki's hand where an ugly burn was already showing signs of healing, pink new skin replacing seared flesh. "Fascinating," he said.
"Gross is what it is," Tony put in, stopping to peer over his shoulder. "You sure you're okay, Loki?"
Loki glanced at him and smiled thinly. "Well enough. My own fault for underestimating how strongly the magic might react in its own defence. I'll be much more careful with the destruction of the remainder, though I think we'd best leave that until tomorrow. Containing the reaction took considerable energy," he added ruefully. "Between that and healing this... well, I would rather be well-rested before continuing."
"Sounds like a plan," Tony agreed, turning to look at the closed doors of the quarantine lab. "I don't think I'm in the mood to poke at the robot any more right now anyway. Not physically, at least, and we can review the photographs and scans we've taken so far anywhere, so how about we withdraw to somewhere more comfortable?"
"How about my place?" Bruce suggested.
"That depends, are you cooking?"
Bruce smiled. "I might have some chicken marinating in tandoori paste."
Tony gasped and widened his eyes theatrically. "Doctor Banner! Eating actual meat?"
"I do on occasion," Bruce said, looking amused.
"There enough for three?"
"Should be."
"Then lead on," Tony said, and the three of them went upstairs together to Bruce's apartment.
Within a remarkably short time Bruce had prepared tandoori chicken, skewers of grilled vegetables and naan bread for them. They ate gathered around one of the large coffee tables in his living room rather than at the table in the kitchen, Bruce sitting on a pillow on the floor while Tony and Loki sat on the couch, the two scientists pouring over Jarvis' projections of the photos and scans of the robot and discussing its internal makeup.
"It's not really my field," Bruce said, as he had several times already, pushing his glasses up before leaning forward to gesture at one of the scans. "Though this part here looks like it might be a receiver of some kind."
Tony grabbed the hologram in question and pulled it closer to himself, expanding it to a larger size as he did so. "You're right," he said after a moment. "This component, and this... Jarvis, show me a schematic for how this connected to... right, thanks..."
Loki pushed aside his empty plate, and curled up on the end of the couch, watching while rubbing one thumb across the now healed but still-sensitive palm of his hand. This was even more not his field than it was Bruce's, the antiquated electronic systems of the humans like nothing he had ever bothered studying before coming to Midgard. He watched the pair of them for a while, his own thoughts wandering, considering how best to safely handle the destruction of the remaining magical artifacts. It was only when he squirmed closer to rest his head on Tony's leg that he realized he had shifted shape, without even planning to. Tony's hand absently scratched at the fur around the base of his ears, a comfortingly familiar touch. He glanced self-consciously across the table at Bruce, who was watching the pair of them with a faintly amused expression, and realized to his own chagrin and dawning amusement that Tony hadn't even noticed yet that he'd shifted. He licked his muzzle, gave Bruce a vulpine stare, and wrapped his bushy tail around himself, settling down in a contented curl against Tony's thigh.
