"Detective Rogers, what can I do for you?" The amiable voice on the other end of the line asked.

"Hey. It's me."

"Tony, how're those ribs?"

"They were better before I jumped off the Boardwalk."

"You jumped off th-" Steve was interrupted by the sound of a voice in the background, "Barton, hold up a second," More mumblings, and what sounded like the shuffling of papers prolonged the intermission. "No, no, its—There was an issue with the paperwork, didn't match up with the evidence... Hey, just hold your horses for a minute... You still there, Tony?"

Poor guy, that work ethic of his is going to drive him into the ground.

"I'm here."

"Did you say you jumped off the Boardwalk?" The detective asked, disbelief thick in his tone.

I'm not sure how he still musters the surprise. I've done worse.

Steve groaned.

"Oh, Tony. You're going to get yourself killed, and—Wait, don't tell me you had something to do with that call that came in last night, with the lamp post?"

"Actually, it would almost be a funny story if I didn't feel like I got hit by a truck, I-"

"When I say don't tell me, I mean it. I don't want to hear about it every time you risk your neck, and I doubt you want me to send somebody to drag you down here and take your statement."

"A client was in danger."

"You mean you were grandstanding. There was a dame involved wasn't there? You can't run around the way you do, just 'cause you're doll dizzy."

"My client is a man, Steve."

"Oh."

A very attractive man, but Steve didn't need to know that. The man understood me better than most, but there are things he'd probably never be able to wrap that straight-laced head of his around.

"Still, you should be more careful, regardless of your motivations." He said, only half conceding his point. "I'm sorry to be rude, but if you just called to gab, I've got to go. Things are crazy down here."

"As much as I love to chat with you, I did actually call for a reason."

"Okay, just give me a second then."

I heard the muffled scraping sound of Steve covering the receiver, poorly it seemed, since I could still make out the voices at the station.

"No. He doesn't know if it was on purpose, that's the whole issue. I.A.'s sniffing around though, so he snapped his cap...No, I can't...Because this call is important...It's Tony...Yes, that Tony...I'm not going to tell him that...Why—Because it's vulgar. Listen, I'm being rude, I'll take a look at the new evidence later...Okay, good, thanks. Tony? Sorry. I'm back, you have my full attention."

"Who was that? Detective Barton? And what's the scene with IA? Anything scandalous going on?"

It's always worth knowing when something big is going down with the local law enforcement.

"Yes, it was; and no, there's not. At least I really don't think there is. The people up top think there's a mole in the department."

"Why do they think that?" I asked, fiddling absently with the papers on my desk. I'm a curious man, and in my line of work, that pays.

"You know I can't tell you that. Tony, I'm busy. If you called for a reason, now would be the time to get to it." He said, not actually sounding exasperated with me. I've never known how he manages.

"I've got a new client."

"So you said. Who are they?"

"Icelandic guy, says his name is Loki Laufeyson. He's in a whole lot of trouble. Found out something he shouldn't have, I guess. If I'm going to help him I need information. I was hoping you'd be a pal and get me the file on the guy who has it out for him."

"I can't just hand you police records on demand, Tony."

"My client's life depends on it. The guy's in over his head. I'm not asking for anything top secret. I'm not even actually asking for the files. I just need to know exactly what I'm up against."

Steve sighed loudly.

"I'm assuming there's some reason your client didn't come to us instead of you."

"Yah, Victor Von Doom wants him dead."

"What?" Steve sounded absolutely appalled. "Tony, you can't handle that all on your own! I want you to bring this guy in so he can tell us what he knows."

"You must know I'm not doing that."

"Wh-" He stopped and lowered his voice, ever diplomatic, "Why?"

"It would be a death sentence. You just said there was a mole in the department."

"No. I said the Commissioner thinks there's a mole in the department. There's a difference. I know these cops, Tony, and they're good ones, honorable."

"You cannot know that about all of them. I could name two off the top of my head that I could prove aren't. If you're willing to put that naiveté on the shelf for just a second, you'll realize I'm right. Plus, in all your years on the force, how often has Commissioner Fury been wrong, especially when he was sure enough to share his doubts like that?"

Silence. When you're trying to talk someone into something, that moment of silence is always a good sign.

"Steve, come one, do me the favor. It's not against regulations to tell me what I want to know, and, whether you help me or not, I'm taking this case."

"How did this client of yours get all caught up with Doom?" Steve asked, sounding tired. Seemingly sudden fatigue is also usually a favorable sign.

"I plan on getting answers when he wakes up. I'm not as up on the specifics as I'd like to be, as of yet."

"You don't want to fight the mob."

"I promise you, I have no intention of fighting the mob."

"I'll look up his file, but I do not approve of this."

"I know. Thank you. I owe you one."

"Tony?" He spoke up again, after a lingering silence.

"Yah?"

"Just...be careful." Steve said it with gentle resignation.

I would have told him I was always careful, but Steve Rogers is a more loyal friend than I probably deserve, and it didn't feel right to lie so glibly.

"I'll do my best."

"Good."

"I know you said you were busy, so, talk to you later?"

"Yes. I'll call you when I can."

"Alright, by-"

"Wait, Ton'"

"What?"

"Iceland's a pretty funny place and the people there can be... oddballs sometimes." His tone was careful, and he spoke slowly.

With all the things he could have been warning me about, I will never understand why he chose to make a note of the character of the Icelandic people.

"You've never even been to Iceland." I couldn't resist pointing out.

"I know, but I had a buddy who was stationed there at the end of the war. I have to go, I was just saying. Don't worry about it."

"Wasn't planning to."

I hung up the phone and was confident about only one thing: that this was going to be a hard one.

The hardest part of any case is finding the beginning of the thread, because once you've got a firm hold on it, all you have to do is wind it and remember not to let go.

I couldn't start without my strange new client, and although I do try, I am certainly not a man known for my patience.

I pressed the button to talk to Pepper.

"Do you have any idea whether Loki's awake yet? I was hoping to get down to business sooner rather than later."

"He is. In fact, he's right here."

"Good morning, Tony." He chimed in, voice quieter from distance.

"Morning. Any special reason you're hovering in my waiting room?"

"Pepper said you were on the phone, and was kind enough to entertain me."

"Well, come on in, we need to talk."

The second time he walked into my office put me on edge less than the first; having resigned myself to play a part in whatever fate had tossed my way.

"I must thank you again for helping me." Loki said as he sat. "I owe you my life."

"Save the sentiment for when I succeed, you're no where near in the clear, yet."

I looked him up and down, seeing him in the light of day for the first time. It didn't make much of a difference, still pretty, still bringing me trouble.

"So, from the beginning. How'd you wind up in all this?"

"The story is not a long one. It all happened very quickly." He took a breath and drew in his limbs. "I've been working for a company involved in shipping, you see. The night before last, I had to go down to the warehouse to drop off some papers, nothing at all that urgent, really. Usually I just drop it off with a colleague, but he wasn't there. Naturally, I didn't want to be irresponsible, but I had to go, so I went into the back office to leave I there. There was already paperwork strewn all over the desk. It was all names and numbers." He was an active story teller, expression changing and body shifting as he went on. "I should have kept my eyes to myself, I know, but it was right there, where I needed to leave my own work. Once I saw the names on it, and the notes, I couldn't help myself." Loki looked properly ashamed of himself and gazed at me with regretful eyes. "I did not understand all of it, but it was absolutely clear that it was all very, very illegal. Not only illegal, but incriminating."

"Who caught you?"

Never read the evidence in someone else's office. On the job I learned damn quickly that if you need to see something someone doesn't want you to, you'd better take it and peek later. Criminals always have the best (or worse, rather) timing, when it comes to interrupting investigation.

"I heard talking. I was quite startled, and wasn't sure what to do. So, I went to the door to listen for who it was. I was hoping I could just slip out, unnoticed. It was Doom, talking to some button man. I had seen the thug around before, but of course never realized who he had worked for..." He paused and ceased to meet my eyes. "...Never realized who I'd worked for..."

This city's lost too many innocents to being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I'd decided the night before that he wasn't going to be one of them, not on my watch.

"Don't beat yourself up. What happened next?"

"Doom left. I thought the other man had left to, but he hadn't, and he walked back into the office. He yelled at me, asked me what the Hell I was doing. Then he pulled a gun, told me to stay where I was and left. I heard him close the doors, they're the mechanical sort, that comes down from the top. I don't know your word for it. I panicked, grabbed a book end and broke the window. He heard it, obviously, and gave chase. I barely made it." He looked shaken when he stopped.

"Those files, he could get pinched for them?"

"They could certainly put someone away, but whether it would be him or some fall guy, I don't know."

Once you're that high up, passing the buck gets a hell of a lot easier and there was no escaping that.

"What we need is information, which it sounds like you know where to find,"

"Yes."

"Then all I need to do is find out what we want, and how to get in to get it unnoticed."

It didn't sound convincing to my own ears in the least, but it was what had to be done.

Loki nodded. He looked like he had far more confidence in me than I did. I'd disappointed too many people for it to have been comforting.

"How shall we start, then?" He asked.

"We start with getting your things."

"My things, how? My apartment cannot be safe."

I may not have faith in many things, but I have faith in the skills of my contacts.

"I've got a guy. This kid can get in and out of anywhere without getting noticed."

"That would be appreciated then. How much can he carry?"

"If you make a list of your favorite clothes, and any small items that you need, he'll manage."

"When?"

"No time like the present." I said, and passed him a sheet of note paper and a pen.

He accepted it with a small nod and began to write.

"Pepper," I said to the intercom, "I need you to call Peter and get him down here."

"Should I tell him it's time sensitive?"

"Yes, but tell him it's a short job, and he should be here in about an hour. It'll just be an in and out retrieval."

"Will do."

Loki had yet to look up from his growing list.

I slid closed my desk drawer and locked it, before pulling my jacket from the back of my chair.

"I'm going out. Obviously, you need to stay inside." I stood and collected my wallet. "If you need anything, Pep's your girl. She knows where everything is, upstairs and down. Eat whatever you want from the kitchen fridge, leave the compact fridge alone."

"You shall return within the hour?"

"I'll be in and out all day. I've got some people to see. While you're at your list, I want you to scribble down everything you saw on those papers that you can remember. After, if you get bored there's a radio in my room, and books floating around."

"I'm sure I'll be able to keep myself entertained."

"Good." I pulled my hat from the rack, and, jacket over my arm, left Loki in my office.

I told Pepper to tell Steve I'd call him a.s.a.p. if he rang while I was out, and stepped into the morning sun.

I tipped down my hat to save my eyes the trouble. I'm not a morning person. Any work I can do at night, I do. The ins and outs of this city make more sense to me after the sun sets. Daylight has its advantages, but they're fewer and farther between.

First things first, I needed coffee.

STEVE

When Tony rang, I probably wasn't as bothered by what he told me as I should have been.

If I worried myself silly every time Tony was up to something he shouldn't be, I'd never stop.

Tony Stark is a stand up guy, once you get to know him. He has his faults, but we all do, if we're brave enough to admit it. That's one of the things that's easy to admire about him. For all that ego, he doesn't lie to himself about who he is.

I was busy that day, but it's always busy down at the station, and I made time for Tony. When I had needed it most, he'd always made time for me, day or night; I could take twenty minutes out for him.

I set my coffee down on my desk and flagged down Barton so he'd know I was leaving for a few.

The file room was always a nice detour from the hectic hustle and bustle of casework. Back when I was still walking the beat, I savored the trips down there I got sent on. When I was new and unsure, Elizabeth's small talk was a real comfort.

"Morning Detective, how goes it?" She asked with a pleasant smile from behind her counter.

"Well, ma'am. How are things back here?"

"Oh, you know how it is. Same old, same old."

She's a real sharp girl, not all khaki wacky like so many are these days.

"So, what can I do for you?"

"I was hoping to take out some records." I informed her, as she reached for her wheeldex, and stared up at me expectantly. "Everything you can find under Doom, Victor V."

"Are you after that creep?"

I felt a rumble of disquiet in my chest.

"No, unfortunately. I'm just helping somebody else out."

"Ah." She nodded with a faint, business as usual, smile. "Here we are, Doom." She said in staid triumph. Her fingers landed on the proper card and pulled it free.

Elizabeth wore a professionally cut red dress that widened by the time it reached her calves. She's always been a spiffy dresser, and that Saturday was no different. Tony had met her once, said she was 'stacked'. It was true, but she's a good girl, and certainly not the kind who would go with Tony.

"Ahh,.." I spoke up vaguely as she turned to head back into the stacks of the file room, "...and anything you can find under Laufeyson." I tacked it on for good measure. You can never be too careful, and getting in with a guy as big as Doom wasn't as easy as bumping into him on the street. At second thought, it was worrisome in itself that Tony hadn't asked me to check if his client had a record.

"Sure thing." The blond flipped quickly through the cards, fingers adept from repetition. "Looks like we don't have anything under that name, sorry."

"Don't be." That was good, at the very least.

"'Alrighty, I'll be back in a jiff." She spun on her heel and disappeared into the stacks.

I listened to the gentle tapping of her heels on the tile and waited. When she reemerged, it was with empty hands.

"I'm sorry, Detective, but it looks like they've all been checked out already." She rifled through the papers on her clipboard and then made a path down one with her finger tip. "Ah!" She pointed to a line on the page. "Late last night, most recently."

I didn't know why anybody would have needed them. We hadn't gotten a lead on him in ages.

"By who?"

Her pretty, normally smooth forehead, crinkled.

"I don't know."

"It doesn't say?"

"No. Time, case numbers, and incident report numbers are all filled out, where applicable, but no name." She continued to stare as if with due diligence, the missing information might reveal itself.

"Who was on last night?"

"I was… I'm sorry. I just don't know what to tell you." Guilt swam into her expression, to sit beside the confusion.

"It's alright. Just, I would appreciate a heads up when they come back."

"Absolutely. I'll see if I can figure out who checked them out, too. We need that for our records."

"I'd imagine so. Thanks for the effort."

She gave a perky nod as she settled back into her chair.

I made a friendly exit, but my heart wasn't in it. My head was too busy being off kilter.

A/N2:

Elizabeth is actually a character from canon, although she hasn't been in canon a lot in a long time. Does anybody know who she is?

Thanks for reading. Comments are always appreciated.