Rising Sun

by owashinoken

A powerful villain returns and he is determined to have his revenge upon Loki. It would take the combined might of Stern Bild's Heroes and the Avengers to defeat him.

4. Chapter 3

RISING SUN

Copyright August 2, 2012 By Rory V. Pascual

Chapter 3

Teleportation has always been a difficult skill to master. Even in his youth, it had taken Loki close to half a century to master this skill to some degree. With his magic just recently restored to him, he was chagrined by the fact that he had to re-learn it all over again in a matter of minutes.

As he blinked back into existence somewhere on the Silver Stage, the poor god found himself crashing into some trash cans like a bowling ball and landing on the pavement in a most undignified sprawl. Gingerly, he picked himself up to find a small group of people gawking back at him, eyes and mouths as round as goldfishes'.

Although embarrassed, Loki managed to regain some of his composure and gave them a charming smile and a wink. "Sorry about that, folks. Please carry on," he said, before vanishing again.

Traveling through the spaces in between worlds, Loki could not help but appreciate the irony that here he was, rushing off to save someone just like his older brother and his team of zealous superheroes. It was furthest from his mind to become a hero. He was happy with his new life as a garcon, thank you very much! But, he could not bring himself to do nothing, especially after seeing Kotetsu so distraught about his lover and the troublesome fact that the Heroes themselves were at a loss on what to do to rescue their comrade. Just this once, he will play Hero, if only to repay the kindness that the mortal had accorded to him.

A small smile curled up the corners of Loki's lips. If he was going to play Hero, he might as well look the part.

Using his magic, the god willed his clothes to transform. He wanted something that would allow him freedom of movement, if he was going to get into the type of fight that he was already expecting. The closest garments that came to his mind were the training clothes he once used in Asgard. Slowly, he could feel his modern day garb changing and fitting tightly to his skin – olive green shirt shortening, baring his midriff, into a crop top which clung snugly to his chest, silk jacket into tough leather with gold and green embellishments along the collar and shoulders. His trousers also changed into leather, clinging to his long legs. A sash was wrapped around his waist instead of a belt, its ends fluttering free behind him. His shoes turned into boots with gold laces to keep them in place. As a finishing touch, he conjured up a magpie mask on his face with green and gold ties.

Now that he was suitably attired, Loki focused his mind on the mission at hand. If he remembered the layout of the city correctly, Pauly and his gang would most likely take the small off-ramp that connects the Silver Stage with the Bronze Stage and then head off into the road that leads to Brox Bridge. There was a very good chance that he could catch up with them before they hit that off-ramp.

As soon as that thought entered his mind, Loki willed his magic to take him to that spot. Popping into existence once more, he fell onto the asphalt, gasping at the sight of a car's headlights. Quickly, he leaped out of the way, only to land on the next lane and had to again dodge another speeding vehicle.

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath as he vaulted over a Porsche.

To his horror, he saw a large trailer truck bearing down on him. With nowhere else to go, he could only squat down and cover his head. Thankfully, the truck skidded to a halt just a few inches from him, the tires emitting an ear-piercing screech. This was followed by the rumble of the trailer door being raised.

"What do you think you're doing? You could've gotten killed!"

Loki raised his head to behold Kotetsu's best friend Antonio Lopez, clad from head to toe in the heavy green armor of his superhero alter ego Rock Bison.

"What's going on down there?" a voice inquired audibly over the comlink. Flying overhead was Sky High.

"It's nothing," Antonio replied. "Just some tourist who wandered onto the off-ramp."

Tourist? Tony Stark had called his brother that when he had returned to Midgard to retrieve his errant sibling. How could such a word be so irritating?

"I'm not a tourist!" Loki said heatedly. "I'm here to help!"

"Yeah, right!" Antonio declared in sarcasm, pushing the god away. "Leave this to the professionals."

"But—"

It was Fire Emblem who next spoke on the comlink. "They're getting close to the off-ramp! If we're to stop them, we have to do it now! I think I have a plan. Sky High, get in front of the van and slow it down with your wind powers. I'll blast the back with my flames and get Barnaby out. Once he's freed, Rock Bison can deal with Pauly."

"Are you insane?" Loki retorted, loud enough for the two Heroes on the comlink to hear him. "That van is traveling at top speed! You won't be able to generate enough wind in time for it to slow down! It'll still be like crashing through a wall or, worse, the van would even flip over! Do you want to hurt Barnaby?"

"But Barnaby said that he'll be okay because he's wearing his Hero Suit," put in Keith, sounding a bit hurt by the way his wind powers have been belittled.

Loki was partly relieved to hear that Barnaby was okay and was able to stay in touch with his comrades. Still, he argued back, "But he's NORMAL, isn't he? Maybe if his Hundred Power was activated, he could probably survive. But not now when he doesn't have his power!"

"So what would you have us do?" Antonio asked, already getting frustrated with this stranger.

"NO TIME!" shouted Nathan. "THEY'RE HEADING YOUR WAY!"

With a low growl, Loki shoved Antonio aside, actually shocking the Hero as he fell on his butt. He dashed down the road, heading straight for the armored van that was barreling toward him. Using his psionic powers, he managed to determine Barnaby's position inside the van – sitting tied up in the center with a gun pointed at his head through the raised visor of his helmet. With his control over his teleportation magic still not up to par, he knew that the maneuver he was planning was going to take all his concentration.

"Magic, don't fuck up on me now!" he said between gritted teeth as he leaped head first into the van.

Loki felt his body phase through the front of the van, passing as a ghostly wisp through the bodies of the startled old men who comprised Pauly's gang. He blinked back into his physical form inside the van, just in time to grab Barnaby. The effort was greater this time to teleport both him and Barnaby out of the van. That millisecond delay was enough for a bullet to be fired which grazed his shoulder. Still, Loki managed to get Barnaby out, finding themselves tumbling on the highway a short distance away from the speeding van.

Sky High and Fire Emblem chose that moment to blast the van with their powers, so that the armored vehicle was briefly tossed into the air before it flipped several times on the asphalt with deafening crashes.

"Are you okay?" Loki asked worriedly as he helped Barnaby to his feet.

"I'm the one who would be asking you that," Barnaby exclaimed, seeing the bleeding wound through the rip of the god's jacket.

"The bullet just grazed me. I'm fine."

The sound of metal being torn open caught the two men's attention. Turning, they saw Antonio ripping the door of the van off, only to be punched away by a diamond-wrapped arm. Then, Pauly himself strode out, still dressed in prison uniform but with his entire body encased in diamond. Antonio tried engaging the criminal in fisticuffs, but his great strength proved worthless against that tough, glittering skin and Pauly's rage. With a single punch, Pauly sent Antonio flying through the air a second time.

"YOU!" Pauly roared, pointing a finger at Loki.

It was a clear challenge that Loki had no plan of declining. He took a step forward, but Barnaby grabbed his arm.

"No, he's too strong for you! My Hundred Power…I'm sure it will be coming back any minute now."

Loki turned to Barnaby. He was not at all surprised to see a red flame briefly flicker in his green eyes, the same spark that he had glimpsed in Kotetsu as well. Don't these two men truly know what they are capable of?

"You're not ready…yet," Loki replied cryptically as he shrugged off Barnaby's grip. "Besides, he wants me. I certainly don't want to disappoint him."

"No, wait!"

But Loki was already sauntering over to the enraged NEXT, looking at Pauly with mocking assessment from head to toe.

"Very impressive," the god remarked as he circled the NEXT. "Is that 24 karat?"

"Maybe you'd like to find out," Pauly said, his right hand cracking into a fist.

Loki stepped to the side before that hard fist can be driven into his face. The left fist shot out, but he just as easily dodged it by bending low. As he rose, he punched Pauly in the gut, his knuckles painfully cracking as it met hard diamond.

"Is that the best you can do?" Pauly jeered at him.

Before the god could get away, the NEXT grabbed his neck and smashed him down on the asphalt. The impact knocked the breath out of Loki for just a second. His green eyes narrowed in annoyance, seeing that smug grin on Pauly's face.

"Is that the best you can do?" Loki taunted back at the NEXT. "I've been tossed and smashed around by someone a hell of a lot stronger than you. Frankly, you don't hold a candle to him."

"STOP INSULTING ME!" Pauly roared as he yanked the god up to his feet, punching him hard in the jaw, the force behind the blow causing Loki to fall back hard against the van.

Twisting his body to the side, Loki dug his fingers under the van. With effortless ease, he lifted the van high above his head, drawing gasps from the Heroes who were watching them, and threw it straight at Pauly. Despite his initial shock at seeing the strength of his slighter adversary, the NEXT managed to push the flying van to the side with his arm, only to behold Loki's grim face before his eyes.

"I've had enough of your games," the god remarked, and he started raining a fierce volley of punches and kicks on the NEXT.

"Ha ha ha!" Pauly laughed, mocking. "That tickles!"

"Let's see how you like this then!"

Suddenly, flames roared before the NEXT's eyes, blinding him for a couple of seconds. When his vision cleared, Pauly saw Loki standing before him with a fiery sword gripped in both hands.

"A sword?" Pauly asked in disbelief. "Do you think that puny weapon can hurt me?"

"Why don't you take a closer look?"

Pauly let out a shocked gasp, seeing the X-shaped crack on the diamond skin of his torso. He gingerly touched the edges with his finger, only to jerk back in pain from the heat. Even with his diamond skin, he could feel that blazing temperature.

With a wave of his hands, Loki dispelled the Sword of Surtur back to the dimension where he had fished it from.

"Good night, Pauly!" he simply said as he drove a powerful fist right at the center of that X mark, shattering the NEXT's diamond skin into millions of pieces. Pauly could only utter a pitiful whimper as he collapsed backward onto the pavement.

For a while, Loki stood in place, staring down at the NEXT at his feet. Then, he inhaled deeply and bent down as the tension left him, leaving only a good feeling of exhaustion. He did it! He really did it! Now, he knew how his brother felt whenever he saved a life. It felt so damned good to be a Hero!

A hand clapped on his shoulder and he saw that it was Barnaby, a proud smile on the Hero's lips. "You were amazing!" Barnaby gushed in praise. "Even Kotetsu and I had a hard time beating this guy."

"Yes…I know," Loki said, panting for breath.

"Are you a free agent? I mean, if you are…well…" Barnaby paused for a moment before adding reluctantly, "I could use a little competition."

Loki laughed heartily at that. "Believe me, I'm not doing this to gain popularity points. I'm just doing a…friend…a small favor. I'm afraid I'm not really cut out for the Hero business." Nodding toward Pauly, he said, "He's all yours, including the points that come with him."

The other Heroes approached them as well. Loki almost stumbled when Antonio slapped his back. "Great work there! Sorry I was a little rough on you earlier."

"If I remember correctly," Keith Goodman put in, nudging the larger Hero in the side, "he was rougher on you." He even gave the god his trademark salute. "Thank you and, again, thank you very much for your assistance!"

Strong arms suddenly wrapped around his neck and a finger began insinuating itself under his mask. "What do you have under this mask, eh, you cutie magpie?" Nathan purred in Loki's ear, as his finger traced the prominent contours on the god's face beneath the mask. "Ooh, nice, firm jaw! High cheekbones too! How about giving me a little peek?"

Loki squirmed out of the Hero's grasp. "Uh, no, thank you."

"BARNABY!"

The Heroes whirled to see Kotetsu jumping out of Blue Rose's trailer, the younger Heroes behind him. Without even considering the fact that he was on live television, Kotetsu threw his arms around Barnaby and pulled the younger man into a tight embrace.

"I was scared to death!" Kotetsu exclaimed, kissing his lover on the lips. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm fine, Kotetsu," Barnaby reassured the older man. He gestured toward his savior. "But this NEXT here. He saved my life. Pauly shot him in the shoulder and…"

All the Heroes turned in the direction of Barnaby's rescuer, only to discover open air where he had been standing earlier.

##########

It was past midnight when Loki finally decided to return to Kotetsu's apartment. He had been hoping that the older man had gone to Barnaby's condo instead to be with his lover. Despite Barnaby's seeming calm earlier, he knew that the mortal was a bit shaken up by his experience. It was understandable. From his own personal experiences with his brother, no Hero would want to be caught at his most vulnerable moment.

But, as he opened the door and switched on the light, Kotetsu was waiting for him, sitting on the couch with a stern expression on his face, arms folded over his chest. Sitting on the table was a first aid kit.

Unable to offer an excuse, Loki could only ask one question, "How did you know it was me?"

"I wish I could say that it was a lucky guess, but it wasn't," Kotetsu answered. "I suspected for quite some time that you weren't exactly…normal. Call it a gut feeling for being around NEXTs all the time."

"Well, I'm not really a NEXT."

"If you're not a NEXT, then what are you?"

Loki exhaled sharply. "I'm a god."

Kotetsu's eyebrows lifted at that statement. "A god…"

"An Asgardian to be exact." Although he was weary and wanted to sit down, Loki dared not approach the man who was glaring back at him. Instead, he clasped his hands before him nervously. "As you probably deduced by now, 'Locke' is not my true name, but it is…similar…to what I am really called."

Kotetsu stared at him, frowning. Just like the tumblers in a lock falling into place, the older man's face paled as realization set in. "Oh shit! You're that God of Mischief! You're Loki!"

Loki raised his hands pleadingly. "Yes, I won't deny that I am that God of Mischief, but I swear that I have done absolutely nothing to deceive you! True, I may have lied to hide my true identity from you, but that's it." He then added truthfully. "After the kindness you have shown me, I could never deceive you."

"How about being more honest with me then?" asked Kotetsu, still not convinced. "What are you doing here in Stern Bild?"

"I was fleeing from a powerful being who wanted to take my life." Loki confessed reluctantly, "Actually, he wanted more than just my life. He desired revenge upon me because I contributed to his defeat. I wish I could tell you more, but I dare not even speak his name because I know that he will find me if I do." The god let out a shudder. "I will not see death and destruction fall upon this city…or you."

Loki flapped his arms wearily to his sides. "I am so sorry, Kotetsu, for not being able to tell you the truth about me. But please believe me when I tell you that I harbor no ill intentions. All I wanted was a safe place to stay." He let out a pained laugh. "I guess I overstayed my welcome. I'll just pack my stuff and be on my way."

"Who said you're leaving?"

Loki flinched at that query. Thinking that he had misheard it, all he could say was "Huh?"

Kotetsu stood up then and approached the confused god. "If you think I'm letting you walk out of here after you have just saved my lover's life, you are sorely mistaken. I must admit that you gave me a hard time trying to convince Karina, Pao-Lin and Ivan that you merely rode me over to Abas Prison and went straight home, and that you weren't that masked NEXT. You scared me half to death though when Bunny told me that you were shot. Are you alright?"

"I healed the wound earlier with my magic," Loki said with a shrug. "It was just a graze."

Kotetsu peered through the rip in his jacket and indeed saw that the wound had completely closed, leaving only a scar. He then said sternly, "I know you're a god, but please don't do something so reckless and stupid like that ever again."

"I promise I won't." The god then asked shyly, "Does this mean I could stay?"

"Of course, you can stay! I owe you one for saving Bunny's life." A mischievous grin formed on the former Hero's face. "Besides, I don't want to lose my favorite garcon. The profits of my café will plummet to record lows."

Loki laughed at that statement. "Don't worry. I promise I'll work even harder."

Kotetsu clapped a hand over the god's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "And I promise I'll do everything I can to protect you, Loki. Now, why don't you go get cleaned up and head right off to sleep? I bet you're pretty exhausted."

"Thank you, Kotetsu," Loki said with all sincerity, tears welling up in his green eyes. "Thank you so much for trusting me."

The god was about to go up the stairs to get some clothes from Kotetsu's dresser when he heard a startled gasp behind him. Stopping at the middle of the stairs, he saw that the mortal had turned as white as a sheet.

"What is it?" Loki couldn't stop himself from asking.

"The Avengers are coming to Stern Bild. In fact, they'll be arriving tomorrow," Kotetsu blurted out.

Loki blinked, his blood running cold. "The Avengers? My brother Thor is coming to Stern Bild?"

Kotetsu nodded his head briskly. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Loki let out a groan as he sat down on the stairs, burying his face in his hands. "Bad, Kotetsu. Definitely a bad thing."