CHAPTER TWO
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They ran. To nowhere in particular, just away. Out. They were leaving the SHIELD facility and its facile lies, but Loki knew they wouldn't truly escape. Because, in the end, there was nowhere to go. They could run and they could hide, but for what? To live like rats in the detritus of the world, until some other group identified them and scooped them up?
No. Loki would not live that way, and he doubted Steve would either. He would rather make a stand and get something from an alliance.
So when the big black cars were pulling to a stop around them, forcing other traffic away with angry honking, Loki called a kernel of energy to his hand, ready to hurl it to defend himself and Steven, but held it, waiting to see how it would play.
The cars surrounded them but stayed back, and only Fury came out. "Mister Onsdag, you weren't supposed to engineer a patient escape."
"Patient?" Rogers called back. "Is that what I am? A patient or a prisoner? Your fake hospital, your fake nurse-"
"To ease you into it," Fury answered. "Not lay it all on you at once. But apparently Mister Onsdag believes in ripping off the bandage."
Loki returned his look, unrepentant. "I thought at first it would be a kindness, but a well-intentioned lie is still a lie. And it makes the reveal no better in the end."
"We'll never know, will we?" Fury stepped forward. "I should introduce myself: Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD. The successor organization to the SSR. We dug you out of the ice about two weeks ago, and my doctors have been carefully thawing you out of hibernation since." He glanced around, taking note of the gathering crowd wondering what was going on. "We should get off the street before some cell phone video of you two gets on YouTube. Hungry?" he asked. "There's a deli around the corner; we can talk."
Steve hesitated, looked to Loki for direction, and Loki nodded.
"Yes, I think I'm hungry," Steve answered.
Fury nodded his head. "This way." He gestured to the other cars to drive off, and only a few minutes later, -the three of them were sitting in a booth in the back of a deli. Steve looked around as they entered, and though he looked at the television mounted on the wall, nothing else seemed to draw his attention. The place was not modern in its décor with wood wall-paneling and faux-leather booths, though Loki was sure Steve noted the computerized registers and the patrons with their cell phones. People looked at Fury with his dramatic coat and eye-patch, but paid no mind to the two following him.
Steve said nothing on the way, and luckily for Loki's nerves, was willing to go on the inside of the booth.
"Basket of fries, three pastrami and swiss, coffee, and water," Fury ordered and to Loki's surprise the waitress smiled at him.
"Sure thing, darling. Good to see you again."
As soon as she was gone, Fury stretched an arm across the back of the booth on his side and his lips twitched seeing them across the way. "You want to move to a table?"
"I'm fine," Steve said, though they were pretty crowded. The booth was small enough their shoulders touched, and Loki had his feet in the aisle, to give Steve more room. Steve leaned forward. "So. You said the SSR. SHIELD. What do you want from me?" he asked.
"It's more what you want," Fury said. "When you were found, alive, we weren't going to leave you down there. And since Mister Onsdag was happy to ease you through the transition –"
Loki stiffened at the irony of his tone, wondering if he should've followed the plan after all. Steve seemed all right so far, but Loki thought some of it was shock, and that was going to fade eventually. But that moment would still happen, even if he'd gone along with the pantomime.
"I'm glad you told me," Steve reassured Loki. "I mean, I'm not glad it's true, but I'm here. I just don't know... what's next."
"Next is," Fury hesitated to let coffee be put down before them, "– thanks, Corinne – Next, we eat our lunch. And I tell you about my idea. Since you're going to need to transition to the modern world, and Mister Onsdag volunteered to help you do that, I was thinking to put you up here in the city."
"Why?" Steve asked. "In return for what?"
"Nothing," Fury answered but Loki leveled a stare at him.
"Nothing? You don't seek to add Steven to your Initiative?" Loki asked.
Fury lifted a hand. "Can you wait for one god-damned minute before springing all this on him?" he demanded irritably. "Yes, I have an idea for you, for the future, but that's not relevant right now."
"It is if you seek to form an obligation," Loki returned unimpressed. "There is very little in this world that comes free. And I will not have you put Steven blindly in your debt, so he thinks he has no choice."
"I'm just trying to help," Fury protested.
Before Loki could express his doubt of that – or at least his doubt that the 'help' came without strings, Steve interjected, "Then help. I see the cars, I know they're different. Hell, that small movie screen," he indicated the television showing sports mounted above, "is amazing. I can't even tell where it's being projected from. So I know I'm in the future. I know I'm going to need help to find my feet. I just..." he stopped and shrugged, and he looked at Loki. "At least we can do it together, right? I want to hear him out."
Loki nodded. "Yes, of course." He sipped at his coffee to discourage himself from interrupting Fury's pitch again.
"Thank you," Fury said to Steve. "Anyway. So, there's an apartment here, not far away actually, that SHIELD has as a safehouse. You two can have it. Not forever, we're not that generous with Manhattan real estate, but long enough to get adapted to modern Earth. Take some walks, ride the train to Brooklyn, see the old places, whatever you need to do. Take some time."
"And then?" Steve asked.
"Well, when you're feeling more comfortable, the world is gonna know you're back. The thing you should know is, the memory of Captain America didn't go away. So people are going to be interested. Excited. You'll probably have your pick of what to do, by then."
Loki thought of what 'interested' could mean, and the coffee turned bitter in his mouth. Strucker had been 'interested' in him; someone else might be equally interested in Steve Rogers, the only known successful supersoldier recipient.
Steve was quiet, and drank his coffee, thinking or just overwhelmed. Into that silence, Corinne brought their lunch and after she went away, Steve stared dubiously at the stack of meat and immense pile of fried potatoes. "This is more food than I think we had in a week," he said, with a shake of his head, but lifted the sandwich to take a long sniff, closing his eyes. "Oh God, that smells great."
At first unsure whether he was hungry enough to eat, Loki poured ketchup for dipping his fries. Cooper had introduced him to the practice since he ate everything with ketchup, and it was oddly delicious in its sweet foulness. Loki suspected it was secretly laced with some addictive substance. After nibbling a few fries and getting a curious look from Steve that he wasn't eating, he started on the sandwich as well. But there was something about Fury that reminded him that he was eating at a table and he needed manners, so he pulled out the sandwich contents to eat with utensils.
Fury watched them both eat with something like pride before going on. "So the simple answer to why I'm doing this, is because if word got out I left you out on the street like a beggar, I'd get fired and SHIELD would be burned to the ground, because you're a national hero. Our obligation is to you, not the other way 'round, whatever Mister Onsdag believes."
Loki sniffed skeptically at that, because while that was true, that didn't mean Fury didn't want Captain America to join his little band of Avenger Initiative "volunteers" and was prepared to give him a very long leash in order to do it. But he only said dryly, "I'm sure SHIELD rescuing Steven does nothing for your reputation."
"I didn't say I got no benefit, now did I?" Fury returned. "But SHIELD is willing to foot the bill while you get your head together and figure out what you want. If that ends up with me, great. If not, I still get to say my people pulled you out and brought you back. Now, for the details." He reached into his inside jacket pocket. "These days, you need identification and money, so here's a set for you, Cap." He pushed a thin black wallet across the table and Steve opened it up.
His eyes widened seeing the green paper money tucked inside. "This is… this is too much."
Fury laughed. "Inflation, Cap. It's not that much. And I have something for you, too," he handed a small booklet to Loki. "I thought you'd want it replaced."
It was a duplicate passport to the one Hydra had stolen from him. Surprised to get anything at all, Loki seized it. "My thanks." He opened to find it was in the name Luke Rendell, and smiled, handing it to Steve to look at. "I have an Arendelle passport now."
"Nice. It's new?" Steve asked, admiring it the gold foil design stamped on the purple cover.
"The old one was lost," Loki answered, flicking a look at Fury to keep his mouth shut about how it was lost. Luckily Steve was looking at the picture and didn't see.
Fury got the warning and gestured for Corinne to come over and refill their coffee, as Steve read the name and asked, "Luke Rendell?"
Loki shrugged. "I was trying to be anonymous."
"Mister Rendell, here, is famous, too," Fury added dryly, but then said, more seriously to Loki, "Word's getting out that the Ice Demon was in Sokovia and connecting you to the destruction of the fortress there. It's just a matter of time before you're recognized, too."
"Fantastic," Loki muttered.
"Sokovia?" Steve asked curiously.
"I'll tell you later."
By which Loki meant 'never', but Steve accepted that with a nod and handed the passport back for Loki to tuck into his jacket pocket. "I suppose I need one, too."
"We have to get a picture of you awake for ID," Fury pointed out. "But that's for another day. Go ahead, eat." Watching them finish their plates, he added, "I'll increase the food allowance twenty percent."
Steve paused as if he was embarrassed briefly, but ate everything in his basket and half of Fury's sandwich as well, when Fury lifted it up in offer.
After they left the restaurant, they headed to the apartment. As they walked, Steve looked around curiously. "It's so strange," he murmured to Loki. "So much glass. But other than that, it looks pretty much the same."
"Buildings endure unless removed or suffer calamity. And people still must eat," he nodded to a restaurant as they passed, "and wear clothes and shoes. But not hats," he added after a moment. "Very few people wear hats today. Pity."
They had to wait to cross the street, as a tour bus came by with a massive sign on the side for the Intrepid museum. Loki saw Steve's brow furrow as he read the information. "The Intrepid. It was new, I remember reading about the launch. Now it's a museum."
"You might want to check it out," Fury suggested, looking over his shoulder. "They've got a good display of the history of what you missed. And they've got a space shuttle." Fury dropped that casually, and Steve's reaction didn't disappoint.
"Space shuttle?"
"America put men on the moon, Cap."
Steve was impressed, but Loki rolled his eyes. "Humans. So impressed with themselves."
Steve's frown deepened. "Aren't you human? You were born with your abilities, I know, but you're human."
Loki hesitated, realizing he'd never actually told Steve the truth. "Not… exactly. No."
"So, what are you?" Steve asked.
Loki grinned at him. "A demon, of course." He stepped off the curb as the signal came up to walk, daring the taxi attempting to get around the corner in front of him. The taxi slammed on its brakes, honking at him, as the driver made rude gestures. Loki was tempted to put a boot on its bumper and shove it away, but mindful of his anonymity, he tossed a bit of seidr instead, conjuring an illusory snake into the taxi's front passenger seat.
The driver's yelp was audible all the way across the street, and Loki smirked.
The apartment building was a modest, low-rise brick building with a few steps up to a main door. "Here we are," Fury said and headed up the steps.
Steve tilted his head back and looked around. "This was a crap neighborhood when I was a kid. Too rich for me, but still crap," he said wryly. He followed Fury up, Loki tagging along behind more slowly.
Inside there was a hall and stairs both up and down, and an elevator that looked as old as Steve himself. They climbed up one flight to the open door to the right.
"Come in," Fury invited and strode inside.
Loki hesitated, unsure if this was a wise thing to do. An apartment to stay in felt strangely settled. The only place on all of Midgard he'd wanted to stay had been Arendelle, and even that, he'd never stayed too long. This would be temporary – Fury had said they couldn't keep it- but still, his own place felt strangely like the potential for growing roots. And he wasn't sure he wanted roots. Not here, not yet.
Yet being alone was not the answer. In the absence of other family, friends would have to do. And certainly Steve needed his help right now, so there was no real choice to make.
Inside, the had a short hall, with a kitchen to the right, bedroom and bath to the left, and opened up into a living/dining area with two windows, and a second door on the far wall to another bedroom. The walls were a dull pale beige and the furniture was basic and even Loki could tell from his short time in 2011 Midgard, that it was not current.
Natasha was standing at the small round dining table, and she smiled to see him come in. "You left HQ in something of a hurry," she teased.
"We were bored," Loki retorted, and introduced, "Steven, this is Agent Natasha Romanoff, of SHIELD. Natalya, Steve Rogers."
Steve shook her hand with a smile. "You get a nickname, so you must be a friend."
"I am," she answered without hesitation. "Good to meet you, Cap."
"Agent Romanoff, I trust you can manage here?" Fury asked.
"Yes, sir. I have the rest of the package."
"Good." He turned a baleful eye on Loki and Steve. "Get settled, see the city, learn some history." Those were definitely commands, not suggestions, the way he uttered them, but Steve didn't bristle, just nodded. "I'll see you in a few days." Then Fury added a tiny bit more warmly, "I'm glad you're back, Cap."
With a last nod, he swept out of the apartment and the door shut behind him.
"Package?" Loki asked Natasha, curious.
She dumped a brown envelope onto the dining room table. "Two phones. Keys. An information packet." She scanned over it, lifting her brows skeptically. "Looks like it was made by the psych department, probably mostly useless but you should take a look. Credit cards. And Coulson told me, under no circumstances, are you to use these to buy tickets to Hamilton." She glanced at Loki and grinned. "If you can get us tickets? I will give you anything you want."
Laura had already told him about the musical, which was only a few months old but difficult to find tickets for. He'd been less interested since he'd actually met those people, but she'd pointed out that was why he should see it. And if Natasha was truly that interested… well, perhaps he needed a credit card less than he needed persuasion. He'd earned the sobriquet of Silvertongue long before he'd become the Ice Demon. This should be a piece of pie.
He asked her archly, "Anything?"
But she met his gaze and he had no idea if she were bluffing as she said, "Anything."
It was more amusing to realize Steve was glancing between the two of them, frowning, trying to figure out what that teasing meant.
Which was, nothing. As attractive as she was, and as good as her touch felt, he knew it would be a mistake. Getting involved with mortals so intimately would bring only more pain. That he didn't know how he would react made it that much more obvious that he shouldn't do it.
"Hamilton?" Steve asked.
"A musical about Alexander Hamilton," Natasha explained.
"The guy on the twenty? Has a popular musical?" Steve asked and added more to himself, "Now I know I'm in the future."
His tone was incredulous and dry, but Loki thought the heaviness behind it was real. He asked Natasha, "It might be good to have a night out. Steven, too, I mean. But I know nothing of how such things work – where one should apply money or appeals to access these tickets."
Her eyes met his, fully aware of what he might mean by 'appeals', but she said only, "I'll look into it." She watched Steve head toward the window and stare out of it, then picked up one of the phones from the table and typed into it before handing it to Loki. He read "Natalya" and her number. "My cell. In case you need anything. I should let you get settled in. There are menus on the counter for delivery."
She touched Loki's arm and gave him a questioning look with a head-tilt toward Steve to make sure he'd be okay, and Loki nodded.
"I'll stop by later," she said and the door shut behind her moments later, leaving Loki alone with Steve in the borrowed apartment.
It lacked the warmth of the Barton home, with sparse décor on the dark wood shelves and the framed art prints on the beige walls were bland nature scenes, probably painted by machine. That could be why Steve was looking out the window, though Loki suspected it had more to do with looking at the street outside, picking out the differences and similarities, from what he remembered.
Silence held at first, and instead of poking at it, Loki examined the things on the table and then found his bag had been left in the corner by the kitchen. He carried it into the far bedroom, but realized it had an attached bath, which would be of more use for Steve than it was for him, so he turned around and took his bag to the other bedroom across from the kitchen.
One large bed, a nightstand, small closet, and dresser, all of it plain, though at least the bed had been made with sheets and a navy blue blanket. He dropped his bag on the bed and went to look over the kitchen.
Steve was still standing at the window, while Loki checked the refrigerator and cabinets. Steve's silence was growing heavy. "We have plates," Loki announced. "Condiments. Something in the cabinet, I am not certain if it is food or building materials." His jest got no reaction, and Loki pulled the drawer for the freezer, which was empty. "I see why Natalya mentioned menus, as there is no actual food in this place. There is, however, beer. Because no apartment is complete without ketchup and beer apparently."
Steve ignored the conversational gambit, and Loki was deciding whether he should go over to him or leave him be, when Steve abruptly turned around. "I knew you weren't enhanced like me," he said. "You were born with your powers. But you're not human."
Loki wasn't sure that was a question until Steve added, "So what are you really? Not a demon," he flicked a hand in decisive rejection. "I don't buy that. Are you from Earth?"
Loki hesitated, realizing how terrible this timing had been. He'd forgotten that Steve didn't know. He answered, coming nearer to Steve but stopping in the middle of the room to give him some space, "No. I was not born on Earth." It still felt strange to say aloud after he'd spent so long pretending to belong to humanity.
"You're from Mars? Outer space?" Steve asked.
Loki couldn't help a smile. "Mars is a barren cold place, and no one comes from there. But as the true answer has no meaning to you, I suppose 'outer space' is adequate."
Steve gestured toward him. "But you look human."
Loki thought of his true form, but he didn't want to make this worse by showing that monstrous visage. So he answered with a bit of a shrug. "I do. But I have abilities your kind does not, and I came to this world about three hundred years ago. I have used several names in Midgardian history, Lukas Onsdag and Luke Rendell are merely the most recent. Those stories about the Ice Demon are all me." Then he thought about what he'd read and corrected, "Well, except the ones they made up."
Seeing Steve's face, so still, and his eyes so blue in a face gone pale, as if this were a bigger shock than finding out he'd slept through sixty years. Or perhaps it was too many shocks all at once. Loki was reminded of Fury's admonition to stop blurting out the truth.
"I am sorry," Loki said after another silence. "I should have kept quiet. You'd think with my years I would be more wise."
"You're three hundred years old?"
He nodded, and this time, held his tongue that he was actually quite a bit more than three hundred. The exact number of years didn't matter; three hundred was plenty to a mortal. He gave a little laugh and tried to look sheepish. "I know. It does sound absurd when said aloud. And I truly did not want to bury you in all of this."
"You didn't tell me."
The note of betrayal in Steve's voice was difficult to hear, but Loki reminded himself it was not undeserved. "I told no one," Loki corrected, though that wasn't quite true. He'd told James most of it, but that was all. "It was a secret I have kept a long time. Now Earth is more ready to learn they're just one of many species of people in the universe, so I have been more forthcoming of late. But that makes no difference; you should not have had to learn that today."
Steve nodded slowly. "No, it's okay. I guess it's good to know all of it."
When Steve fell quiet again, Loki offered, "I need not stay here, if this is too strange for you. My presence is meant to help you, not make this worse. Yes," he nodded to himself, "I will have Agent Van Pelt sent in, she can help you settle, and I will remove myself-"
Steve snapped out of his daze, lifting his head and interrupting, "No. No, don't go."
"But, Steven-"
"You're still who you were during the war," Steve said. It was not a question, but Loki nodded confirmation anyway. Steve gave a little laugh. "It's not like I didn't know you were hiding something. I just figured you'd tell me when the war was over, and we had more time."
"Well, the war is over," Loki pointed out, "and we suddenly have a lot more time than we expected when we were on Schmidt's flying wing."
Steve snorted and shook his head. "This is so weird." He scrubbed a hand through his hair. "I can't even imagine all the things I missed. All the catching up I have to do..."
Pleased that Steve seemed to be recovering from the revelation of Loki's true nature, Loki tried to offer, "It's not so different. Humans remain the same, only the details change."
"I guess that's reassuring."
"Have a seat," Loki invited. While Steve sat on one end of the sofa, Loki took out two beer bottles from the refrigerator and offered one to Steve.
As Steve accepted it, he glanced at the label and to Loki. "It's not going to affect us."
Loki shrugged. "Social habit." He popped off the top of his bottle with his thumb and held it out. "Welcome back."
Steve tapped his bottle against Loki's. "It's good to be back."
...tbc...