Chapter 26: A Job? A murderer?
Things were going well, Alex had adjusted to daycare and was making friends. He was happy. The Avengers were keeping up with their routine of training and some missions. Bruce and Tony were working in the lab. As for Loki, he was doing well. He was taking care of Storm who was also doing well. For her age, she was bright and very aware of what was going on around.
One day, during training, Steve put Natasha in charge so he could have a chat with Tony and Loki. So now, they were sitting at the table in the kitchen.
"Loki, we have a proposition for you," said Steve.
"Right now, you are a prisoner with a job, but we don't even pay you," said Tony. "Even real prisoners in jail got a salary and we want to offer you a real job, here."
"We want to offer you the job you already have, but with a paycheck," announced Steve. "You will have a work schedule and more access to the facility, but the job will be the same."
"And I get pay with what? Real money?"
"No, peanuts! Of course we are going to pay you with real money, not monopoly money or even Canadian money. You know they have very colorful money, like straight out of a board game. It's awesome, but..."
"Tony!"
"But it's not the subject. Yes, it's going to be real money. Also, I will open a bank account for you, but you will be in charge of it," said Tony. "You will have a boss, the head of maintenance, and she will tell you what to do and when to be at work. Because of Alex's daycare, you are going to have a week-day schedule; so while he's out, you are going to work. It's 40 hours per week and the pay is every two weeks."
"Slow down, Tony. Don't overwhelm him just yet," said Steve. "Loki, is it something you want?"
Oh, yeah, he had a choice.
"This is a proposition," reminded Tony. "You can take it, or leave it. And you can ask as many questions as you need."
Loki was fighting with himself to say that it was their choice, not his. But at the same time, it would be good to earn money. But then, with great incomes come great expanses.
"If I earn money, what will I have to pay? I already own you for the food, the clothes, the room, everything."
"Actually, you will be a Stark employee, and there is a close saying that if an employee needs housing in order to work, the company have to provide it. That same close apply to the Avengers, therefore I pay for their housing, food, and other basic stuff that comes with the job, like doctors because they can get injured."
"You won't have to pay for the food, nor the housing. As for the daycare, I'll handle it for now," said Steve.
"Look Loki, for Christmas, you wanted to buy gifts, but you didn't have money. Now, for Alex's birthday, Storm's birthday, you will be able to pay, to provide for your family. You will have minimum wages, $15 per hour, but with a minimum of expanses as well. You can save up money for special occasions."
"You don't own us money," said Steve. "You will have a decent salary and be able to provide for yourself and the children, but I don't want you to pay me back for what I have already given you."
"And you are also free to refuse the job," said Stark.
"But if you are offering it, it is because you want me to take it," said Loki.
"No, it's more that you might want the money, you could use it," said Stark. "Right now, we are using your services as a handyman and janitor, but we are only paying you in gold stars. You are not a slave, but we need to start acting like you are a prisoner with a job, and jobs pay money, give a salary to the workers."
He cannot accept. The point of slavery is that there is no salary. It is like forced labor. But if he refused, he will be forever in debt and dependent of his master. And if he accepts, what will the AllFather say about that? But he can deal with Odin later and twist the truth. Or just tell the truth, because he is for sure going to use that money only for Alex and Storm, never for himself. He wants to provide for his family, to be responsible and not depend on the Avengers for every single thing.
"I will accept your job offer. And I promise you Storm will never interfere with my work."
"Storm can stay with you during your work hours, no problem. And during naptime, Friday can alert you if there is a problem," said Tony.
"And with the job, you will have more freedom in the compound," added Steve, "get to explore it more."
"Also, the other employees will know who you are, but they are to keep it a secret," said Tony. "It's another close, to keep company's secrets."
"When do I start?"
"When would you like to start?"
"I am free now," said Loki.
"You could start tomorrow," proposed Steve.
"And you could meet your new boss right now. Let's see if she is available," said Tony.
oOo
The head of maintenance was a woman in her thirties named Camila. When Tony arrived, she turned toward him and greeted him, but when she saw Loki, she just stayed the same. Loki had Storm in a stroller and he was just hoping it would not be a problem for his new boss.
"Is he the new worker," she asked.
"Yes, this is Loki. He has accepted the position," said Tony.
"Hi Loki, I am Camila. Basically, I'll be the one telling you where to go and what to do."
"Mister Stark had told you about my situation, I supposed, Miss," said Loki.
"Yeah, I know who you are and everything. And just call me Camila, I don't want to be 'miss' something."
"It might take some getting use to it, miss Camila," said Loki.
"For what I understood, you have a little bit of experience already. The job is simple, just to keep the whole compound clean. And since you arrived, you were the one assigned to the living quarter of the Avengers, so that's not going to change. When do you start?"
"I can start when you want."
"How about we begin with a visit of the whole compound. Everything."
Loki pushed the stroller around the whole compound. It was huge, way bigger than the part he had seen so far. And now, he was responsible for cleaning and taking care of it all.
"Mister Rogers told me you can get out of your room at eight every morning, do you think you could start working at nine?"
"Yes, that's doable."
With the time to dress Alex, have breakfast, send Alex to the daycare, Loki should be ready to work at nine without problems.
"And Storm's nap is at twelve twenty. How about you work from 9 to 11:30, have a dinner break and come back at 12:30 until 5 p.m.? You could also take Storm to work at all-time or go retrieve her whenever she needs. Does that work for you?"
"That's only seven hours of work. Mister Stark told me it would be 40 hours on 5 days."
"You have a one-hour diner break paid each day," informed Camila.
"That's very generous," said Loki no expecting this.
"Yeah, well, Stark is the best boss I ever had. He has high standard, but he is fair. And I know you have two children, so you are only working day shift and week shift."
For Loki, the situation was weird, so he explained it to himself in his own word. Now, his master had lent him to Stark because he didn't have enough work for his slave. Stark, having an estate as big as it was, needed Loki's services in cleaning, so Loki was just a slave for Stark Industry now. As for the money, it was just a way for Loki to provide for his children, not for him. A slave provides for his master, never for himself.
oOo
Loki was adapting to his job and he was balancing doing his job and taking care of Storm. But he also knew she would go to a daycare when she would be a bit older. By now, all of his worries about Alex going to the daycare had disappeared. The boy had made friends and was feeling safe enough to sleep during naptime.
Today was a Saturday, so Alex was home and Loki was not working. It was his first weekend since he had started his job and it was strange to have a day off, but after the paternity leave, it was not as strange. Slaves don't get a day off for their "job", they don't even have a schedule, they just work and do what's demanded.
So Loki, Alex and Storm were in the playroom coloring some pictures. Well, Alex was coloring, Storm was observing and Loki was using the tablet he got for Christmas. The access on the tablet was restricted: Loki could not go on the internet and Tony could know everything he was doing, but Loki was just glad to have a device to save his digital books. Midgardians have so many books available online and Loki just have to ask Friday to ask Steve to ask Tony if they could borrow a book from a library. Of course, Tony had arranged a system so all the Avengers could have access freely to the books they want on their devices, but Steve had to first make sure the book was acceptable for Loki to read.
So Loki was reading when Alex punched his sister and Storm just start crying.
"Alex, what happens?"
"She started it, she took my crayon," said Alex.
Loki took Storm and calmed her.
"Alex, your sister doesn't know yet she is not supposed to take what's yours," said Loki severely.
"I didn't punch her hard, just pushed her."
"But Storm is young and small," said Loki. "Alex, you are in time-out for the next five minutes."
"But..."
"And after, you will apologise to your sister."
Alex putted, but he went to the corner pointed by his father and sat down facing the wall.
"Friday, could you please set a timer for five minutes," asked Loki.
"Of course, mister Loki."
Storm had stopped crying, but Loki was concerned. So many thoughts went into his head during those five long minutes.
"Time's over, mister Loki."
"Thanks Friday. Alex, come here."
Alex came back and faced his father.
"I'm sorry I pushed Storm, daddy, I won't do it again. Sorry Storm."
And Alex kissed his sister. Actually, it was cute and melted Loki's heart.
"Why did you do it, Alex? You know Storm is small."
"I just wanted her to not take my crayons."
"You don't have to push her for that. You can just move your crayons out of her way."
"Yeah, I could have. I'll do better next time, daddy."
"Okay, go play now."
oOo
The incident was over pretty quickly and Alex probably forget, but not Loki. That evening, after the children's bedtime, Loki went to speak to Steve.
"Hey Loki, everything's fine?"
"Actually, no. I require advice."
Loki sat down in front of Tony and Steve in the living room, close to Wanda and Vision.
"It's about Alex. Today, he was drawing and Storm took one of his crayons and he pushed her, made her cry. On the spot, he didn't seem to regret or be ashamed by his action. I send him in time out, but I'm afraid of his behaviour."
Of course, Loki knew it was dangerous to talk about that with his master and the Avengers, but they were also the best to do something about the situation.
"What are you afraid of," asked Tony.
"That he would grow up to be like me," said Loki. "I'm not talking about the slave part, because technically, the harm is already done there. I'm referring to be a bad guy. What if he doesn't stop at pushing his sister?"
"Sibling rivalry is normal among children," said Wanda. "I had a brother who teased me a lot growing up, but he was also protecting me."
"Living closely with someone day in and day out, of course, there's going to be friction at one point," said Vision.
"Did Alex apologise? Did he look sincere," asked Steve.
"Yes, he did. When I put him in time out, I told him he would have to apologise after."
"Storm is now three months old," said Tony, "maybe Alex just wants attention."
"It's normal to have jealousy between siblings," said Steve. "My friends who had younger siblings were sometime jealous."
"But... Thor was never jealous of me. I was jealous of him though," said Loki.
"You are worried, because you think Alex might become a criminal like you," said Vision, "is that right?"
"Yes, exactly."
He had done terrible things and he was a criminal, but lately, he had tried to be better for his children, to be a good example for them. He was worried that with his past, he would never be a good example for them or that, genetically, they would turn out to be villains.
"Loki, when you were three, or even ten, did you know you would do what you did," asked Steve.
"No, of course not. I did stab Thor once when we were eight, but I didn't want to kill him, not every day."
"Okay," said Tony slowly. "You just wanted to kill Thor every other day when you were young, but I'm sure that's not Alex's case."
"Why did you stab Thor," asked Wanda curiously.
"I wanted to demonstrate he was a fool. He failed to recognise me as a snake, so when he pet me, I turned back into myself and stab him. But I knew that would not kill him. And I wanted to kill him a few times more because I was angry at him, or jealous, not because I really wanted him dead."
"Loki, do you love Thor," asked Steve seriously.
"Yes! I must admit that I love Thor more dearly than... No, not anymore. I used to love Thor more dearly than anyone else could love him, and while that part is still true, there is now two people I love and I would do anything for them over Thor. But I still love Thor as a brother, even though he is not my brother. Last time I saw him, we talked and he is my brother, at least because we were raised together."
"So you don't want him dead?"
"No! No, absolutely not."
"Thor and you are brothers, the same way Alex and Storm are siblings," said Wanda. "Now, siblings fight and sometime hate each other. I had said that I wanted Pietro dead a few times during fights, but when he died, I regretted all those times so much, I just wanted to go back in time and told him something else instead."
"Brothers and sisters fights. And three years old don't always measure their strength. Just because Alex hurt Storm today doesn't mean he will try to take over a planet in a millennium or so," said Tony.
"Remember the time the Hulk tried to get his blanket back," asked Steve. "Alex discovered he had magic because he wanted to protect his sister. I think Alex will be fine."
Loki smiled, yeah, Alex should be fine. So should Storm.
"Yeah, I still have questions about Alex's magic. How come he does magic but Loki's bond to Cap," asked Tony. "And does Storm have magic?"
"When Odin came, he said it was because mister Rogers does not consider himself to be Alex's master. You probably don't consider yourself Storm's master," said Loki looking at Steve.
"So, because they don't have a master, they can do magic? Does the same go for you, Loki? I don't consider myself your master."
"But I do. Alex knows he's not a slave. Storm doesn't understand. The bond goes both ways. If one still thinks of the other in a slavery way, the bond still holds. I know I will never be free from my sentence. The children are different, they are innocent and free."
Yes, free.
"Using the bond, you can feel where I am right now," said Loki. "But if the bond is broken, you should not be able to say where my children are."
"You're right. I do know at every single moment of the day where you are, but I only felt Alex at the beginning and never have I felt Storm," said Steve.
"The bond should be passed by blood, but they are free from you, they are not slaves," said Loki happily.
"Well, that's good," stated Steve. "And it should stay that way, with them being free. Loki, you are a good father and the children are fine. They will continue to be fine. You lead by example, by being a good man. The children need models to grow up and try to resemble them."
"I don't think I would do a good model," said Loki.
"People used to idolise me," said Tony, "back when I was selling weapons. Some used to hate me. Now, I become a super hero and a good role model. I may not be the best, but if people realise I could change and be better, it also inspires them to be better themselves."
"The world needs heroes and models because individuals are seeking some values in their heroes that they want to have in themselves. Humans — and probably aliens too — need models to archive greatness, to try to better themselves in this life. If they can see something they like in someone else, they will want to do the same, live by the same code and be better human being, make the world better," said Vision wisely.
"But I'm the villain, I'm the guy who attacked New York and killed people. No one should want me as their inspiration, they should not take me as an example," said Loki.
"Not people, but your children see you as you are now. Just be good for them," said Steve.
"I am. I am trying to be good so I don't get punished."
"You are changing to be a good example for them," said Steve. "As long as you give your children stability and love, they will be fine."
"Alex and Storm will grow up," said Vision, "they will become more who they are supposed to be. They will transform with time. One little incident at three years old does not make a future criminal."
"And Alex is a nice boy, he never has behaviour problems," said Wanda. "I know a lot of things can change a person for better or worst, but with all the support of the Avengers, I truly believe Alex will become a good man with time."
"Thank you, all of you. I never realised how stressful it was to be a parent before I got Alex in my arm. I worry about everything," said Loki.
"That's normal," said Tony. "My father was afraid I would turn up exactly like him. Well, I did, I'm a genius, playboy, millionaire, philanthropist, but I am not a womanizer. He once told me his father used a belt to beat him when he was really naughty. If you ask me, it didn't work that well, but it's also cruel. Not once did my father beat me. He ignored me from time to time, but I think he loved me."
"Well, corporal punishment was the norm, even before my time," said Steve. "It's a good thing things change with time."
"Humans, and probably all types of living being, try to be different from generation to generation," said Vision. "They try to not replicate the same mistakes, so they make new ones. Of course, you will make mistakes with your children, but you won't make the same ones as Odin and Frigga did with you."
"And we will be here to help you through those mistakes," reassured Steve. "Do you want me to call Scott or Clint for a chat about fatherhood?"
"It's not necessary," said Loki. "But I would appreciate talking to them about that subject."
