Chapter 15: So I Got A Theory

Disclaimer: I am but a simple observer of the Marvel Universe. I own none of it to my infinite sadness.

Secondary Warning: Y'all know what I'm not good at? Keeping track of time without school. I honestly have no idea what day it is. Additionally, I'd like to apologize for the late chapter. I've been filling out a bunch of applications for literally everything (schools, scholarships, and jobs) and working. Anyway, thanks for the comments on the last chapter. Glad ya liked it!


"So, Loki, in all seriousness, are you okay? Cause like according to Thor you've been MIA for a year after you jumped ship into space. From what I hear, space isn't exactly where one would go for a spa retreat, either," I ask him when he finally calms down a bit. Or when he finally got less red anyway. I wouldn't call that calm per say.

"Why do you care, girl?" he snaps back viciously. See? That's not what a calm person would say.

"Fair enough. I don't really have an answer for you though," I shrug. "I just do is all." Again with the "wtf is wrong with you look". If I had a nickel for every time I've gotten that look I'd be richer than Tony Stark. I should start demanding nickles. "You don't happen to have a nickel on you, do you?" Here we go again. That's two nickels now, bro.

"You…" he starts before letting his voice fade away.

"I what?" I try to to convince him to continue.

"Aren't worth my time," he bites out.

"Rude," I scold him. "You need to have better manners if you're going to be king." Wow does he have a good 'done' face. A+, Broki. Oh that's a good one. I'm only calling him Broki from now on. "Fine, fine. I'll drop the subject. So what have you been doing since you took a Space-cation?"

"Space-cation?" he repeats incredulously.

"A space vacation," I clarify. Okay, still blank faced. And silence. Well then. "Are we playing the silent game again?"

"If we were you'd have lost just then," Loki replies cheekily.

"Then so would you now," I rebound with a grin at his sass. And the scowl is back. Great. "Come on, Broki, lighten up."

"Broki?" he reiterates rather violently.

"Yeah, bro and Loki. Broki. It's my nickname for you," I tease him.

"Leave."

"What's the magic word?"

"If you expect me to say please I wi-"

"Nope. Different magic word."

"Leave."

"Nope."

"Now."

"Still no. You can guess better than that."

"Why you inso-"

"-lent little fool. Again we've been through this. Get some new material."

"GO!"

"Not even close."

"..."

"Silence isn't the magic word either."

"..."

"I'll give you a hint. It's something you eat."

"..."

"It's a fruit."

"..."

"The magic word is cantaloup."

"Cantaloup."

"Nope."

And then his head exploded.

"I'm kidding! Calm down, your godliness."

"Go. Now."

"Fine, fine. I'll talk to you later. Hopefully by then you'll want to talk properly," I bid him goodbye as I head for the door again. He doesn't say anything as I leave.

Man, he was really tight lipped, I think as I start wondering the helicarrier again. And not about the stuff I thought he's be. What harm could me knowing why he's eyes aren't green, how he is, or how he's spent the last year do? He really isn't looking good. He reminds me of Jeff. Jeff was a student at the academy with me who joined my team after the serum procedure. While on a mission in Turkey he got hurt pretty badly and was put on some powerful pain meds. From there it was a bad downward spiral into drug addiction.

We'd have interventions that are much more screaming and threatening than the ones on TV, as the rest of the team were very upset with him and couldn't stay calm. He'd run off. I'd track him down and talk to him. He'd get clean for a while before falling back into it. Loki reminds me of the first week of being clean. He also kinda looks like he got roughed up pretty badly not too long ago. Steve and I didn't do enough damage, or any really, for it to have been us so what has he been up too? Could be training, I guess. Getting beat up during training happens quite a bit, but what was he training with to cause that kind of damage to him when two super soldiers couldn't even bruise him?

Uh, this is starting to seem really fishy now that I'm thinking about it. I should talk to Thor about Loki later. First, though, I gotta find Steve. Now where could he be? I guess I could check back at the command center. Now how do I get back there?

I think I'm lost.

I glance around to find the corridor completely empty and very unfamiliar.

Yeup, I'm lost.


A solid fifteen minutes of confused wandering later and I manage to get back to the command center. Woop woop! I'm fabulous and I know it. I scan the room and find no Steve which is only slightly disheartening because I did find Thor which is very convenient for my current line of thought that, surprisingly, hasn't been derailed yet.

Ooo, and look, he's with my favorite suit, Phil. I saunter on over to where they are gathered in front of one of the computers.

"As soon as Loki took the doctor, we moved Jane Foster. They've got an excellent observatory in Tromso. She was asked to consult there very suddenly yesterday. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe," Phil is telling Thor. Right Jane Foster, the chick that ran Thor over when he came Earthside last year. More importantly, the kickass scientist that is deep into some very interesting research. Science may not be my forte, but space is super cool. Huge. Terrifying. Existential crisis inspiring. But cool. Speaking of existential crises, just take a second to think how messy and horrible those are for me with my whole multiple trains of thought thing. Like this one ti-

"Thank you," Thor replies bringing me out of my head. "It's no accident, Loki taking Erik Selvig. I dread what he plans for him once he's done. Erik is a good man."

"He talks about you a lot," Phil adds as he stands up. "You changed his life. You changed everything around here."

"They were better as they were," Thor insists as the begin walking towards the windows and I tag along quietly behind them like a ninja. "We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced, but we come here, battling like bilgesnipe."

"What?" Phil and I ask at the same time. They both immediately turn to look at me before continuing.

"Bilgesnipe," Thor repeats. "You know, huge, scaly, big antlers," he motions the antlers part much to my amusement, "You don't have those?"

"I don't think so," Phil answers mildly.

"Well, they are repulsive," Thor clarifies. "And they trample everything in their path. When I first came to Earth, Loki's rage followed me here, and your people paid the price. And now, again. In my youth, I courted war." Aw, poor Asgardian baby. I wanna give him a hug.

"War hasn't started yet," Fury suddenly cuts in out of nowhere. "You think you could make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?"

"I do not know," Thor replies honestly with a slight tone of anguish. "Loki's mind is far afield. It's not just power he craves, it's vengeance, upon me. There's no pain would prise his need from him."

"A lot of guys think that," Fury responds as he starts down the stairs towards us, "until the pain starts."

"What are you asking me to do?" Thor asks.

"I'm asking, what are you prepared to do?" Fury corrects him.

"Loki is a prisoner," Thor reminds him.

"Then why do I feel like he's the only person on this boat that wants to be here?" Fury inquires. While Thor goes all thoughtful about that I jump in.

"Hey, I tried my best to change that," I add in.

"Yes, you did a marvelous job of annoying him, Agent Greene," Fury humors me.

"I'm not an agent," I remind him yet again. "Anyway, Loki's acting like a whiny baby. A whiny, dangerous, and slightly crazy baby, but a baby. Isn't he the god of lies and mischief? I feel like this is taking that to a new level and his end game is too small to warrant this kind of effort."

"Earth is a small prize to you?" Thor asks me incredulously.

"No, but it is to him. He looks so far down to us 'measly little Midgardians' that it makes no sense that he would wish to rule us. Enslave us? Sure I can see that, but rule? No he wouldn't be able to rule here like he's used to. Isn't Asgard like this huge fantastical place where ruling is an honor and the people respect and love you and stuff? Well that's not Earth. He'd have no court. No throne room filled with the beautiful, the wellborn, and the rich. He thinks nothing of us other than that you do and that further demeans us in his eyes. Why rule what you cannot stand?" I dumbfounded looks. Yes guys, I have a brain that has thoughts, now let's move on. "Anyway, I feel like he's gone loco in more ways than one so that make explain the wanting to rule over ants thing. Anyone else notice that he looks like he's been through a space dumpster?"

"Um…" they all reply. Guys are useless. Do I have to pull their strings to get them to talk?

Wait a second… pull their strings uh?