It had been months since I last heard anything about Loki. In hindsight, I don't know why I thought there would be a trial, that I would be called to the witness stand to tell what happened exactly at Solomon Island. That there would be some justice for the people that remained there.
Admittedly, I never brought anyone in alive before. The creatures I fought would usually fight to the death. They were mindless, feral, evil. With them, it was kill or be killed.
I asked eventually and was told there would be no trial. This was the Secret World after all, and the organisations themselves were judge, jury and at times executioners as well. Loki was detained by the Templars to be studied and contained. I was reassured he'd never be able to harm anyone again.
It didn't feel right to me. I knew the devastation Loki had left in his wake, I knew better than almost anyone. I felt Loki deserved to be punished for what he did, but I also felt he deserved a fair trial. There was no justice to be had for anyone involved, it seemed.
Life went on, and so did my job. Up to this point, I had been working alone. The Templars would have preferred I had a partner, but there often were more cases than agents, and while I had worked with other agents on certain missions, I did most of my job by myself. As a Bee, there wasn't much that could kill me. My way of dealing with a minefield was to walk right through it and set off the bombs as I went along until I got to the other side. A mortal partner wouldn't survive that sort of strategy, and there weren't any new Bees coming in to partner up with.
I knew I did a good job in the field most of the time, and having started my career by defeating a god had earned me quite a bit of leeway, not to mention a few medals. But I could be doing better, and I knew that too. I had my flaws, my blind spots, and a having partner in the field could help with that.
So it wasn't a great surprise when Richard called me into the office and told me they might have a potential partner for me.
"I want you to keep an open mind," he said as he motioned to follow me. "I know you are worried about having a partner that is not, let us call it 'as sturdy' as you are, but in this case, you won't have to worry about that. He can survive almost as much as you can."
I was intrigued. Richard lead me through some doors and down a long hallway. I'd never been in this part of the building before, it required special clearing that I didn't have. At the end of the hallway was an elevator.
"You have refused other partners in the past, and while your clearance rate is great and you are truly well on your way to becoming one of my best agents, your knowledge of the secret world is lacking. And, I am sorry to say this, you aren't always the most observant of people."
That was right, I did have a habit of missing things, quite obvious things at times. I solved most of my cases with brute force.
The elevator went down, and down, and down. I had no idea where we were going.
"This is a great opportunity for you," Richard continued, "and I would advise you to take it. Our superiors have high hopes for this partnership. After you."
The elevator had stopped, and Richard gallantly opened the door for me.
We walked down another long hallway, lined with guards in the now familiar red and white uniform of the Templars. They were holding guns, high tech weapons that reeked of magic. Orochi-made, from the design. What on earth were they keeping here? Or more to the point, who?
At the end of the hallway was a door. Richard put his hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. "Keep an open mind, will you?"
I opened the door and walked into the room. It wasn't large, there was just room for a table and two chairs. In each corner of the room stood a guard, weapon at the ready. With his back towards me was a prisoner in a red and white tracksuit, in chains, his hands manacled to the table. Black hair whipped around his face as he turned his head, his eyes widening slightly as he recognised me. His voice, however, was calm and slightly mocking.
"Ah, so they finally brought you out to play, did they? How predictable."
"No! Absolutely not! Under no circumstance! Are you insane?" I knew I was screeching like a fishwife. The moment I recognised Loki I had turned on my heels and walked right out of there. Richard was my handler and my direct superior, but I didn't care at that moment. "What were you thinking? I'm not taking that… that villain as my partner!"
"Hey, I don't like it much either," Richard admitted to my surprise. "But we don't have much choice here. Cases are slipping between the cracks, and we never know what is important until we have an agent out there to assess the situation. It's all hands on deck, and like it or not, but the brass considers him an asset."
"An asset? Do you know what he did? Who he is? Of course, you do, you've read my reports! Richard, how can you expect me to work with him! He should never be let out, but if you have to then please partner him with someone else!"
Richard rubbed the top of his head, something he did when he was uncomfortable. He looked at me apologetically.
"We may have tried that already," he shrugged, "it did not work out so well."
"What do you mean, it did not work out well?" I asked, not sure if I wanted the answer.
"His first partner opted for early retirement after a week," Richard admitted. Well, that wasn't so bad, I supposed. "He was less than forty years old." Okay, not so good.
"His second partner has a nervous breakdown and had to be institutionalised."
"What did he do to them?" I asked horrified, but Ricard continued on.
"Don't worry, her condition is slowly improving, or so I have been assured."
"And now you want me to partner with him? What is wrong with you?"
I was practically apoplectic.
"And how can I trust him anyway? I can't watch him every second out in the field. Isn't he going to make a run for it the moment I have my back turned?"
"He'll be outfitted with a magic collar that he cannot remove. It allows us to track him. It can also be used to release an electric shock that will paralyse him, essentially a magic taser, were he to misbehave.
You'll be given a device to activate it. And if worse comes to worst, the collar doubles as a small but deadly bomb, severing his head from his spine and terminating him immediately." Richard said, in a way I assumed was meant to sound reassuring.
"What the hell? A remotely detonated bomb? What the fuck is this? The Suicide Squad? I'm not using that! This is insane…"
"Listen, you don't have much of a choice, I'm afraid. They think you might be able to keep him in line, that he is scared of you. I know, I know, that doesn't sound like a good base for a partnership, but here we are."
Richard's shoulders slumped. " Our bosses think his skills would complement yours. You've managed to sail by quite nicely so far, but we all need to step up our game. It would be better for both our careers if you'd cooperate."
I hesitated. I didn't consider myself a career-oriented person, I wasn't ambitious. I just wanted to do my job. But I knew that going against one's superiors was a bad idea in this organisation, they punished swiftly.
"What happens if I refuse?" I asked quietly.
"Normally I'd say you would be suspended, but it is all hands on deck, so I'd reckon they'll dock your pay instead."
As a single mum mine was our only income. Being a special agent doesn't pay half as well as you'd think it would, and I had a daughter that depended on me. I couldn't afford to lose my wages, I was still paying off old debts.
"So that is how it is going to be." I sighed, "Fine. But before I decide, I want to talk to him. Alone."
"Absolutely not," Richard said immediately.
"I'll be alone with him in the field, won't I? Surely it will be safe if I just talk to him. It is either that, or I refuse."
I held my breath, I hoped I was sounding more confident than I felt. I'm usually not one to rock the boat, so to say. Richard hesitated but finally agreed.
I walked back into the room. Loki was leaning back in his chair, his arms stretched out before him, his long slender fingers drumming on the table. He turned around as I came in, with what can only be described as a 'shit-eating grin' on his face. "Hellooo…" he practically purred. Had he heard everything?
"Well, boys, it seems like the lady would like to spend some time alone with me, and can you blame her? Who wouldn't love to spend some time in my wonderful company?"
The guards ignored him, even when he winked at one of them.
"No? Tough audience today," he murmured.
"Please, if you could wait outside for a minute?" I asked as I walked around the table. The guards saluted and left, closing the door behind them.
I sat down and looked at him. For months he had haunted my dreams, I had been so scared of him when we first met.
He looked different now. Just before that final battle, he had changed from a sleazy looking hippy to the way he looked now. He was taller, his hair longer, his eyes a brighter blue. He had high cheekbones and a strong jaw. He wore his hair slightly shorter now, curling down his neck but not much further. I had to admit he was not unattractive.
After my battle with him, I rewatched the Marvel movies about Thor and Loki out of curiosity, and I knew exactly who he looked like.
"Why do you look like Tom Hiddleston?" I blurted out.
His eyebrows rose up to his hairline. "That is your first question?" he sounded perplexed. Then he chuckled. "I do not resemble Tom Hiddleston, he resembles me. If by 'resemble' you mean 'shorter, much less attractive and not half as charming. '"
I sighed.
"Why did you change shape to the way he looks, I mean. During the battle I thought you did so to throw me off, to confuse me, but you still wear his face."
He made a tent with his fingers, idly tapping his fingertips together.
"This is my face. If I truly wished to resemble Tom, I would have been more accurate."
I studied him. Now he was sitting opposite of me, I had to admit there were differences. Loki's jaw was narrower, his cheekbones sharper, and his nose pointier. It was close, but not an exact resemblance.
"So you and the guy who plays you in the movies just happen to look alike?" I asked suspiciously. I had other questions that I wanted to ask, better questions, but right now my curiosity was piqued.
"Surely you are aware of my involvement with the Morninglight cult. They have members everywhere, including Holywood. When I heard they were making a superhero movie about Thor, I figured it was likely some version of me would be at least playing a part in it."
He spoke fast, in a matter-of-fact tone. His hands punctuated his words with gestures for as much as his manacles allowed.
"I pulled a few strings and was able to get myself involved in the casting procedure. I saw immediately that Tom would be a good fit. Not for the part he was auditioning for of course, but he did resemble me enough to be suitable for the part of Loki."
That almost made sense. I mean, if they'd ever make a movie about me, I'd want to have a say in who got to play me too, right?
"What about the rest of the cast? And is the story in any way accurate?" I asked.
Loki scoffed. "Accurate? Of course not. Do you see millionaires flying around in metal suits? And you of all people should know that Thor is most certainly not playing superhero here on Midgard. Weren't you the one chosen to wield Mjolnir yourself?"
I nodded, feeling a bit foolish.
He sighed, and then rattled off quickly: "Hemsworth resembles Thor as close as a scrawny younger brother would, Hopkins makes an adequate Odin, and Russo doesn't resemble Frigga in any way, shape or form, but it is not like a mere mortal could ever capture her beauty and grace anyway. Happy? Can we move on now?"
He sounded rather annoyed. Ooooh, sore subject! I decide to drop it though, I wasn't certain how much time I would get alone with him and I had more urgent questions that I'd like answered.
"Why did you do, or try to do, what you did back on Solomon Island?" I asked softly. I didn't look him in the eyes, I could feel myself getting emotional.
He hesitated, then cleared his throat. "I hadn't planned it that way if that is what you are asking. I was merely at the right place, at the right time. Or the wrong place at the wrong time, depending on your view."
His fingers tapped on the table. "I saw an opportunity, and I seized it."
"All those people," my voice cracked to my annoyance. I looked up at him, but he wasn't meeting my eyes, he was looking down at his hands. "So many dead, and for what?"
Loki pulled his shoulders back as if he was puffing himself up, then met my eyes, his voice scathing. "Mere mortals, regardless of what I'd do they would have been dead in the blink of an eye anyway. Tiny people, living tiny lives, not worth a second thought."
I bristled, how dare he!
"Innocent people! I barked angrily.
"Liars! Cheaters!Sinners! Blood on their hands! All of them!" he snapped back in that deep powerful voice of his. "Hiding behind their white picket fences, pretending not to see the evil that permeated the very island they were living on, the bones of victims of the crimes of their forefathers crunching beneath their feet as they walked ever so piously to church!"
He leaned back, suddenly calm again.
"What do you want from me? An apology? I can do that. I can make it sound heartfelt if you wish." he shrugged, "I can even add some tears in the mix if you want me to. I can give you an Oscar-worthy performance!"
His manacles rattled as he theatrically tried to spread his arms wide, for a moment forgetting he was chained to the table. "Shit," he hissed annoyed. His blue eyes sparked and bristled.
"Look, I understand you wish to be here as little as I do, but unlike me, you have a choice. You can simply walk away. I tire of this charade. So if it's all the same with you, I'd like to retire to my cell now."
I angrily stood up, then changed my mind and sat back down again.
"You listen to me, Loki," I said, looking him straight in the eyes.
"You will make up for what you did on that island. You will come along with me and you will help me make this world a better place until you've paid your debt. I don't believe for a second I can trust you, but I don't have to, I just need you to do your part."
His eyes studied mine, his head slightly tilted as if to question where I was going with this. He said nothing.
"I will never use that taser, I will promise you that now. I don't believe it is right, I wouldn't do that to a dog. One step wrong, however, and I will see that you are locked up in the tiniest cell available for the rest of your long, long life. I will make it my sole purpose to see to that if I have to. Because I am going to live for a very long time too, or so I have been told. You will never see the sun shine or feel the wind on your face again. This is your last chance, so if I were you, I'd take it. I'll see you on our first mission."