Chapter 5: Mutual
Sorry for the slight lull in the updates (From now on, I will try to update once a week, twice if I feel especially inventive).
So a lot of wikia reading was involved in the makings of this chapter. Hope you all enjoy :)
"You look tense, Captain."
"Uhh," Steve says intelligently, eyes involuntarily flickering to one of the cams hovering above them.
"Oh, we're being watched." The god calmly concludes. "Because I have agreed to answer your questions, I am suddenly of interest again."
It's only their second encounter since the god's capture, and Steve is already growing tired of the way Loki can soak up information like a sponge, and look right through Steve as if the soldier were made of glass. Fury is probably fuming in the conference room upstairs, taking Loki's flippant remarks as personal insults.
But Steve knows better than turn this into a competition, because Loki is keener and smoother, almost flaunting his clever deductions to remind his capturers that he is not to be taken lightly. And Steve does not intent to challenge his intellect. He was assigned to Loki for a reason, and what the soldier really needs to focus on is doing his job properly, protecting the Earth at all costs. If he has to lose a few battles of wits in the process, then so be it.
"Do you mind the cameras?" Steve decides, keeping his expression as neutral as possible.
"Do I have a choice?"
"If you agree to cooperate, we will do our best to meet your preferences."
"How considerate." Loki smiles thinly. "Although, you seem more apprehensive than I am, with regards to being watched."
"Yeah, well, this is hardly about me," Steve rubs at the back of his neck, before opting to return the conversation back to its intended topic. "So you're ready to tell us why you're here?"
Loki looks at him pensively for a moment, and Steve waits and wonders just how much truth he can expect coming from the god of lies.
"How much has Thor revealed of Asgard and of me?"
"Nothing." Although that's definitely not true, so Steve decides to add, "At least, I don't know much."
Loki frowns with a hint of frustration, and Steve doesn't know if it's entirely directed towards him.
"As you may or may not know," Loki begins carefully, as if testing the waters, "A minor altercation between Thor and myself resulted in the demolition of the Bifrost, the bridge linking Asgard to the rest of the realms, making travel difficult."
Steve nods.
"And now, an abyss lies in its wake," the god continues, "Through which I was thrown."
"I thought you let go yourself," Steve says and realizes his mistake immediately, as blood rushes to his neck and ears.
"So you do know something about me," Loki's lips twist into a wry smile, although insincere but still lack the usual malice. "Lying does not suit you, Captain."
"I—" Steve falters, wondering whether he should apologize or justify himself, although both options seem absurd. Eventually, he decides to swallow his embarrassment in silence, and focus on the god instead, who obviously is stalling. "Again, this is hardly about me. If you want our help, then ask nicely. If you want us to believe you, tell the truth."
"I do speak the truth." Loki stares back with stubborn defiance. "I was thrown into the abyss—this second time at least—which is why I am before you now."
Steve knits his brows together, searching the god's face for any flicker of doubt. "Who did it?"
"A past enemy of yours. A current enemy of Asgard," Loki says without much care, but Steve can tell that he's hiding something darker, that he's talking in circles and riddles to avoid the real issue. "And as of now, a recent enemy of mine."
"The Chitauri." The soldier concludes, and Loki responds with a single nod.
"I'm guessing the friendship faltered since the invasion," Steve says dryly, and almost regrets it when the god tenses. But then, he remembers the vigils still held in Central Park, the little boy and his father and the bouquet of lilies, and decides that a little reprimand is nothing compared to what Loki actually deserves.
"It was fragile to begin with," Loki admits with a small frown, "as most of my alliances are."
"Then why do you want to go back to Asgard?"
"I don't suppose you have the ability to remove these," Loki's features flashes in annoyance, as he wrings his chains for emphasis. "Not even Thanos could, although I'd rather not give him the opportunity to test his abilities."
"Who's Thanos?"
Loki scowls in frustration. "Do you honestly not know, or is this all so you can match my words to Thor's."
"Believe it or not," Steve tries to placate the god, or at least keep the conversation in civil atmosphere, "Thor tells us surprisingly little about Asgard, past or present."
"He told you of my fall." The god is quick to counter, voice bitter.
"Well, that was important."
"And you think Thanos is not?"
Steve shrugs. "Maybe not compared to you, his little brother."
"Thor is not my brother," Loki says menacingly, face contorting in rage, and Steve is taken off guard by the sudden surge of emotion.
"I—" The solder stumbles over his words, but decides that this is definitely not an argument he wants to get into, not now at least (or ever if he has a choice in the matter). "You're right. I'm sorry."
Loki looks briefly unshielded, the apology probably the last thing he had expected from the soldier. He doesn't respond right away, so Steve decides to nudge the conversation along in the intended direction. Whether purposefully or not, Loki is still leading them on tangents.
"From now on, we should focus, because you need to tell us what's going on." Steve reminds the god. "Who's Thanos, and why is he so important?"
Loki takes a few moments casting the right words, before explaining to the soldier of the dead dimension where Thanos rules and the Chitauri army which serves him. "No one knew of this realm—not even Odin—until recently, but I suspect—"
"Why did you do it?" Steve cuts him off in mid-sentence, because as generous as Loki is with answers right now, he is still speaking too quickly, breezing through details that might actually be important, might offer some insight into whether the Avengers can trust him or not.
"Pardon me?"
"Why did you form an alliance with them after your fall?"
Loki waves a flippant hand. "I needed an army and a realm to rule. Thanos needed the Tesseract. Mutual benefit, nothing more."
Steve doubts that this is the whole story, but the god seems unwilling to elaborate.
"And now that Asgard is in possession of the Tesseract," Loki brings the conversation back to the present, "Thanos will redirect all of his resources to breaking into Odin's vault. And if he succeeds, it will not only be the Tesseract in his possession—let's just say Odin has a multitude of dangerous trinkets locked up in the heart of Asgard."
"So why aren't you helping Thanos anymore?"
"Because Asgard is my home," Loki mocks.
"If you're going to tell the truth, don't make it sound like a lie," Steve says sternly.
The god rolls his eyes, but opts to move on. "Every year, Odin falls into a state of deep sleep in order to regenerate his power. During this time, he is left vulnerable, and Thanos would be foolish to forgo this opportunity to attack."
"When's the next time he'll fall asleep?"
"Any day now, I suspect. If Thanos dared to send even a small fleet, Odin must be growing weak."
"Asgard is already under attack?" Steve's eyes widen.
"Yes, but fear not for your world." Loki seems slightly exasperated from Steve's constant interruptions. "None of Odin's relics have been lost. That was not the purpose of the invasion."
"Then what?"
"Thanos freed me from my prison. He had come for me."
"You said you guys were enemies."
"We are, but with or without my consent, he needs me." Loki frowns, fingers running absent-mindedly along the links of his chains. "Thanos has the incredible power to awaken one's hidden potential, but he himself lacks the magic of a true sorcerer. If it had not been for me, the portal between Midgard and the realm of the dead would never have opened. The energy from the Tesseract could have liberated him from his dependence on my magic. Had he harnessed its power, he could have used brute force to tear into any dimension he wished—And Asgard, with its multitude of resources, would have been his primary focus."
"And you were fine with that?" Steve tries his best to wrap his mind around the twists and turns of Loki's logic, as convoluted and conflicting as they are.
"I did not care then, whether Asgard stood or not."
"So what changed?"
Loki's eyes flicker of sadness and mistrust, but the transient emotions were soon replaced with nonchalance and lies. "Personal interest. Odin has locked away my magic within these chains, and only he can break the curse. Perhaps I can convince him to free me, if I were to fight for the good name of Asgard."
"You think he'd buy that?"
Loki shrugs, making no effort to feign sincerity. "Depends on how desperate he is."
Steve doubts the entirety of his reasons, but he decides not to push Loki further if these pseudo-interrogations are going to be part of a daily routine. There s always going to be tomorrow, after all.
The soldier decides that it's probably more beneficial if they return a topic that the god is more willing to elaborate on. Something regarding the present seems safer. "You said you were thrown."
"Yes. Thanos threw me into the abyss after he had freed me."
"I thought he needed you."
Loki's steady eyes fall to Steve's briefly, as if to assess the cards being dealt, before deciding on the best (if not true) answer. "Thanos forced his way into Asgard, using the abyss as a weak link in the border between dimensions. Needless to say, he and I are not on the best of terms. For some unfathomable reason, he deems me responsible for the impotence of his own army, and believes I owe him his biddings henceforth. Therefore, threw me into the crude portal he had carved out, where his army waited on the other side."
"So how come you ended up on Earth?"
"Chance." Loki responds dismissively, "His portal was unstable and unrefined. So unfortunately for him, I fell to Earth instead of my intended destination."
"So does that mean the Chitauri are coming back here to get you?"
"Yes, but not in the immediate future. Thanos will need time to restore his energy. And he will need time to find me first."
Steve inhales a deep breath as his stomach clenches. "Yesterday, you said you will leave Earth in peace."
"I do intend to," Loki says righteously, and Steve had to call upon all of his legendary patience not to lash out at the god. "But if you keep me here long enough for Thanos to find me, then I make no such promise."
"Four days. You had four days to tell us—"
"Asgard had four days to retrieve me, five counting today," Loki glowers with defiance, "If I had any other choice, I would not have sought help from you."
Steve licks his lips in apprehension, wondering what Fury's take on the situation is. "What should we do?"
"Contact Asgard. Seal that portal through which I fell. Though, I am sure you have already thought of that on your own. My words should change nothing with regards to your plans, but I do offer a new sense of urgency."
"How long do we have?"
"I do not know for sure. Three weeks? A month? I would not gamble beyond that."
"I don't believe this." Steve buries his face into his hands, muffling the end of the sentence. The Chiauri could invade Earth because of Loki, again. And even though the god is their intended target, who knows what collateral damage the city might suffer, how many innocent people could die in the crossfire—Loki, Loki, he brings trouble wherever he goes. Steve should be rightfully angry with him.
"The sooner you return me to Asgard," the god repeats, his voice soft and almost consolatory, "The sooner your planet will be safe."
"And you?" Steve doesn't know why he asked this, perhaps out of common decency because Loki—even if this is entirely his fault—could also be hurt in the end.
Loki's lips curve into a wry smile, and Steve realizes that the god does this often when they speak, when Steve says something border lining considerate (or stupid). The soldier wonders if Loki is mocking him, if he finds it amusing that Steve would feel some degree of sympathy even for a mass murderer. He doesn't dwell on this for long because Loki's voice suddenly resonates with unbelievable sadness, and Steve doesn't know what to think anymore.
"To be at the mercy of Thanos, or that of Odin? How can I possibly choose? Although, perhaps, there is more for me in Asgard than I had previously thought."
"What do you mean?" Steve asks absently.
A flash of darkness contorts Loki's features before everything is once again behind a perfect mask. The soldier knows that the conversation is over before the god even responds. "We have been speaking for a long time, Captain, and I grow weary."
Steve tries to look into Loki's eyes for any hint of reassurance, but the god turns away, smoothing his hand over the fabric of his cot. "I would like to rest, if you do not mind."
The soldier sighs before moving to stand. His questions are far from being answered, but he decides to let it go for now. It will take much more than a day to fully understand the complexity of this mess that Loki has gotten himself into (as well as three other realms that all probably want his head). But at least, Loki is being cooperative and is talking, although the degree of truth in those words is still up to debate. Steve needs to discuss this with Fury and the rest of the Avengers first, because right now, he doesn't know what to believe.
"We'll talk more about this tomorrow," he tells Loki before turning to leave.
The god responds with a single nod.
Propelling the plot along. Thanks for reading. Drop a comment if you liked it :)