Loki was loathed to spend the next 50 short years watching her with Bruce Banner. His only consolation that if he succeeded his would be the arms she turned to and there would be no argument of mortality about her as with Thor's precious Jane Foster. Facts stood that were he to wed her there would be the potential of a valuable alliance with an ancient and respected race of influence, power, and resources. Enough that the All Father and likely the council would reconsider his banishment and the loss of his chance at the throne. He simply had to see to it no one learned what her true heritage was and even he wasn't absolutely sure. Nor was there anyway discretely to conclusively prove it without physical exposure to another of the race he suspected she came from. Even where she something else entirely her demeanor and incredible gift would more than sufficient to elevate him at least to the status of Prince with full titles restored. With a start he wondered if she were one of the Kree's experiments. That could be proven with the technology on Asgard far more conclusively than here on Midgard. With that thought Loki rolled over to go to sleep.
The morning brought a dark and ugly sky that threatened to soak anyone who passed through its turbulent rains and unpredictable winds. Loki's morning started with a surprising invitation. The guards and some of the command staff invited him to breakfast with the company. The invitation came from the guards from the night before. He didn't hesitate to accept the unusual request. It was calm and orderly in the dining hall by comparisons to the common dining experiences the guards of Asgard held. There was very little bragging or rough housing in the SHIELD common room. It was also spotlessly clean, brightly lit and the conversations showed the guards chosen by SHIELD to be far more educated than those brutes who filled the ranks of the Einherjr. Most of the guards ignored him or watched him warily but at the group of tables where he sat there was a welcoming environment waiting for the prince.
They treated him with respect; some who joined to hear his tales were those present for the events in the cell where Althia healed him. The questions asked stimulated the prince and he even found himself laughing and enjoying being in the position normally occupied by his brother Thor. Pleased with the recognition of his battle tactics and field behavior as valuable and showing wisdom Loki ate well and leisurely. There was an appreciation for stealth and out witting the enemy rather than simply beating him to a pulp. Though the ability to do so was valued; only when wits and guile were of no use. It was also pleasant to find that many of the men respected dagger play as a weapons form and all were required to be proficient with it as part of standard training. When he completed his meal he found that several of the ranking members were interested in meeting him for a meal at a later date. Apparently SHIELD found the idea of dying in battle foolish and a waste of strength and his application of his small force prior to the Chitari attack was a topic greatly reviewed and as one commander said " A damn fine use of available resources." He made a promise to willing join them at a convenient time before he left to meet Althia.
The distance to the gym was long enough his guards acquired a jeep rather than trudging through the mud. The ride was free of the general hostility he'd become accustom to and Loki found himself in a pleasant mood when he was shown the lay out and function of the equipment in the gym. He was also shown the various annexes that held obstacle courses, open floor space for hand to hand and, smoke combat was required and had a separate complicated course of it's own. He was shown the mock weapons that while they would hurt if they hit their target were designed to be merely embarrassing. He was impressed by the variety of non-lethal hand held sparring weapons that they offered. Unlike his brother, Loki felt no need to show off or challenge anyone to a pointless contest so his time to acquaint himself with the space went rather quickly, but thoroughly as he memorized the available resources. He made no recommendations for improvements and complimented sparingly. It was both enlightening and disturbing for him to find the human race was capable of both breathtaking naiveté and subtle world changing guile. He was beginning to understand how he'd been defeated.
Loki received a second shock that morning. He asked for cloths fitting to train in and was told Thor had brought him Asgardian provisions including several changes of the common sparring outfits. Changing into one he contemplated the unusual actions of Thor. He gave up and decided to wait and see if the odd behaviors continued and perhaps some clue as to the source would present. The changing area contained not just cubicles for his belongings but also showers, a storage area with a variety of tapes and pads he didn't recognize. None of those he'd seen using the gym wore any of it so he waited figuring the use would become apparent without him having to ask anyone. One of his guards Agent Nico Brown changed at the same time. "I don't want to offend you." Brown started to ssay when he saw the question on Loki's face. "Thing is Althia has made a lot of friends in the last few months." He frowned. "It's not a good idea for you to be seen swinging on her until word gets around Fury and The Widow approved your activities." He finished and Loki smiled and chuckled "That will take a great deal of time. I'm beginning to see why the Chitari attack was such an abysmal failure. SHIELD does not gossip." He replied and the guard laughed. "Althia will see to it herself. She is the sweetest thing but she's quick to correct you if you're wrong." The guard grinned Loki could tell the man had been on the receiving end of her corrections before. He asked about it as they finished up and the guard got him shoes regarded as standard to the gym and annexes.
Loki was unaware of Althia's arrival until she dropped down from the rafters of the building to land in a squat in front of him as he exited the changing room. She was grinning from ear to ear watching for a reaction. Without missing a beat he dove over her and pulled her support arm up landing her on her back. Spinning his body to straddle her waist he pinned her neatly to the floor. Only then did he speak "First lesson never loss any advantage you find once lost it will cost more. I thought your Widow taught you that already. Shall we begin?" He spoke calmly his voice carrying to those who watched, as she stared at him in disbelief. The guards scattered around were laughing quietly and stayed out of the way. Nico grinned but didn't say anything. Rising he pulled her from the floor and began running her through a series of exercises to test her endurance, strength, balance, reflexes and confidence.
Althia had never been tested so brutally. Loki didn't make any assumptions based on her size. He had her run not inside the gym but with him outside on the track. The guards who started with them were left behind quickly. Loki had almost three feet of height on her and didn't get winded as he raced around the track. She alone could stay anywhere near him as he ran. He did four miles worth of laps; each faster than the last. The first at an easy pace even the guards could keep up the second he stretched his legs and only the tallest guards could pace him. The group that managed to stay with him did a six minute mile but on the third lap most were panting and sweating accept him and Althia. She didn't speak just focused on staying with the group of long lean runners. Her eyes locked on Loki she stretched her legs and stayed with them until they hit the half mile of the second mile and he said "Now, run." It was a command and she didn't think about it anymore she stopped matching the group and tried to pull ahead. She was the only one with Loki when they hit the mile mark the second time. His breathy laughter made her mind click back into her surroundings and she smiled to see guards stopped inside the track watching them. No one was near them at all. "Keep up, little queen." Loki said and he stopped playing with her; he ran as he did in battle nothing mattered to him but reaching the goal. Althia watched his legs pull ahead of her she looked up and taking hard breathes she pushed her body harder. He stayed ahead of her the distance around the next mile grew slowly between them. They hit the marker and he slowed them down both were covered in a thin sheen of sweat and breathing harder. The final mile was a cool down and he watched her focus on her motion. She could run truly move not as fast as him but one of few who had ever been able to stay with him as he ran. He nodded and they stopped at Nico and the other guards. Sam walked up to her and looked down at her smiling. "That was impressive little lady. Damn you can run like a rabbit!" he smiled broadly at her and she grinned back reveling in the feeling. "Yes, she did very well. Shall we continue?" Loki asked after he'd drank two bottles of cool water. She drank one with the guards as they returned to the open annex next to the gym.
"She'll need something to hit." Loki said and Sam nodded he and althia's other guard for the day left them. Loki asked her a series of questions about their run and she answered as best she could though his questions were odd. How long had they run, did she feel cold or hot afterwards and others that made no sense to her. Sam and Davis returned with a cart and led the group to a series of hooks hanging from the ceiling. They padded Althia's arms and legs as Loki watched. He noted the use and configuration solving the question of the tape and pads in the changing room. There were four heavy bags Loki lifted one and found it weighted nearly as much as he did each bag was a different density and wieght. He nodded his approval of the heaviest and helped the guards hook it up. The next twenty minutes Althia hit the bag with every part of her body. She didn't use all of her strength in each blow falling back into the training she'd had with her angel. "Use what you need and don't waste energy you might need later." Tasha had said. "Fights may not last long but sometimes there's more than one target." She made it move but not as much as some of the guards could. Loki grabbed her arm mid swing. She'd lost time forgotten everything else and locked on keeping the bag moving. "Why are you holding back?" he asked her she could feel his irritation and she snatched back from him. "Angel said don't waste energy you might need later." He nodded "There won't be a later if you don't stop wasting my time." He grabbed her arm and spun her back to the bag. "Destroy your enemy quickly cleanly and you won't waste energy on him again." He said from behind her and released her. He was aggravated and it began to influence her. She began hitting the bag again. Each blow landed hard and the bag swung more than ever. She moved in close keeping her arms in tight she hammered the bag Loki's words echoing in her mind. She moved back out and snap kicked the bag as hard as she could. Then she stopped, she had no choice, the bag seam gave way and spilled a fine grain sand on the floor. "Holy shit." Davis muttered and Sam could only nod. No one had ever busted the two fifty cept Captain rogers." Loki cut the chatter and changed her from the bag to sparring.
Loki watched her hold back from hitting guards as hard as she hit the bag and clamped down on his reactions. After the third he stepped into the circle himself. "This is a waste of my time." He looked at Brown "She can't hurt me" he let out a breath "and she's obviously unwilling to truly" his paused carefully choosing his words. "give any of you the respect as warriors you deserve." He turn to her and had her begin again. She failed to even land a single blow nor did her attempts to get close enough to compensate for his greater length of arm and leg work. After a few rounds he called the day. He knew what he needed to train her there was no reason to embarrass her further.
Only her endurance and confidence came up lacking and she had excellent reflexes but the centuries of torture still made her flinch at times. He could tell she felt she had failed seeing it in the set of her body. "You've done well, far better than I expected. We shall meet again tomorrow here an hour earlier than today and begin." He was curt but not harsh. She thanked him, which pleased him a little she didn't seem to feel the need to be coddled as so many trainees did when they discovered they weren't as battle ready as they thought.
The ride back to his room was enlightening. His driver felt the need to thank him for the abject lesson he had taught Althia. Her favorite greeting in the gym seemed to be dropping down in front of the guards when she could catch them unaware. "It's no good to an guard or agent whose trained to attack when surprised to be surprised and have to suppress their training." The guard shook his head and frowned. "She's a sweetie for sure but she doesn't know a thing about fighting. How do you tell a pretty little thing like that she can't have her fun? Sides most of the men have had her hands on them at some point. It's a wonder to have a full staff with none on injury leave." Loki assured the guard that such behavior was frowned upon during training on Asgard as well. Althia had a few things to learn it would seem and Loki was more than willing to give her lessons.
Althia sat heavily on the padded floor of the empty room as Loki left. Working with anyone else had become easy. Today with Loki had been like her first week with Natasha. He pushed and challenged her in ways she'd never experienced. His last words her only assurance that she hadn't failed completely. The very first moment he laid eyes on her instead of the shock, or praise she was accustom to getting, he had a cavalier attitude. Even the silent awareness of his emotions told her very little. Hauling herself off the floor she quickly showed and dressed; before disappearing back to the main building her face uncovered in the rain. Loki watched her move away her guards following at a discrete distance. Now was time to face Dr. Banner.
Taking the time to return his belongings to his room Loki had his guards lead him to the room where he was to meet Dr. Banner. It was very different to seek an audience than to request someone come to him. His degraded status riled him but he refused to let that disrupt any chance he had of regaining all he had lost and perhaps more. Already he had seen the advantages he could gain by developing a strong relationship with the organization that had spear headed his defeat in NY. He also was beginning to see why his plan had been so quickly defeated. SHIELD employed skilled, intelligent, and resourceful individuals in all areas. It was also obvious that not all information was shared equally. Barton's information had in the end been entirely correct but incomplete so had the information shared at breakfast. While those around him listened and engaged in any subject he wished they passed no affirmative or negating comment about events to which they had been witness. They didn't discuss SHIELD protocol or anything regarding the structure of the organization. Their voices pitched not to carry anything besides the occasional laugh to the tables beyond allowed for each group to discuss semi-privately. The ease with which he had infiltrated the temporary base in New Mexico began to take on a new light; it wasn't a matter of his skills and power over theirs but the fact that these people had never encountered anything like his power. All this occupied his mind until Dr. Banner arrived for their meeting.
Rising respectfully when Dr. Banner entered Loki waited for him to choose a seat before speaking. "I appreciate your indulgence this morning and considering the matters you're working on I will be brief." Loki said sitting down. Loki had already decided the best way to disarm the man was partially truth. He explained the terms of his agreement with the Allfather. He stopped and waited to see what the doctor would do.
Bruce watched and listen carefully to the words Loki spoke. If he had his way Loki would be back on Jutonhelm bowing and scraping to the frost giant queen until he died. Bruce wasn't on the other hand going to stripe a protector as powerful as Loki from Althia though. As long as he could keep an eye on the god of mischief and any influence he had over the impressionable Althia; Bruce could see how it was an advantage. "Is that all you wanted to say to me?" he asked. Loki let his eyes fall to the table debating the wisdom of his next words before plunging in. "I'm very fond of Lady Althia. As she has shown you her favor I wish for you to know that I will respect her choice. For so long as you hold her favor I will do my best not to create any discord in your relationship or cause her to distrust you for any reason." Looking up he let the fact that he hated that he felt that way show in his face. Bruce nodded "Ok, you hate me but as long as Althia wants and is with me you won't cause any problems. You're also willing to do whatever it takes to see to it she lives a full life in any way she chooses under SHIELD protection. So that when she leaves me you can't be blamed. Have I missed anything?" Bruce asked standing. Laughter burst from Loki's mouth only Odin himself had ever reach through Loki's careful wording so quickly. Smiling he stands up and in the manner of Asgard salutes Bruce Banner as an equal fist over his heart. "Dr. Banner you have managed to once again surprise me." He said. "Good, I expect it will get harder to do that in the decades we're going to be around each other. Thanks for laying the cards on the table. I'm going back to the lab I expect I'll see you at lunch. We have a meeting to discuss testing if it's you affecting Althia's powers." Banner gave the prince a contemplative look before leaving.
Bruce had known part of the terms of Loki's stay but if what the man said was true than Bruce could, if Loki became to troublesome, get Thor to have his parole violated and watch him be shipped off to a nice cold slice of hell. The smirk on his face wasn't an attractive look. Making his way to his lab Bruce Banner didn't doubt Loki would keep to his word but his words were always carefully chosen to leave loop holes big enough for and Asgardian prince to ease through. This time it was Althia herself that Loki planned to use to change his situation. 'I hate politics' he thought after rolling the matter over in his head. Bruce set aside the little problem of the big Asgardian to focus on finding the right frequency to detect any response to Loki's magic in Althia.