Lead Me Back to Normalcy
A/N: Woohoo! Three chapters in three days!
I'm loving this love from you guys! I was able to crank out three more chapters because of it! Honestly, thank you for your support! 3
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
Chapter Three: Metaphors or Reality
The basement of the facility was less than desirable, but during the days when neither party felt like working and wanted to escape the sun, this was the best area. Though smelling of dirty government secrets and aging files, Jane and Darcy had managed to spruce up the place. Of course, Stark had been able to secure them a few necessities such as a fridge for drinks and food, and another fridge for the alcohol. Most importantly, he had installed his own, one-of-a-kind television computer offspring on the empty wall. They pushed the shells to the walls to give themselves extra room, turned two of the long desks into beds, and managed to make working ping-pong table.
Today was different. Normally Jane and Darcy were the only ones to enjoy the basement cellar, but Tony Stark had come to make an appearance and offer his help with Jane's research. Agent Coulson had come with to monitor the situation, as he did not trust the trio together. He had brought along Agent Thacher to help contain the situation. The mid 30's man was average height at 6 feet with brown and short, ebon' hair. His face was rounded with a Chinese nose. His brown eyes were like that of a venomous snake, with barely any white showing. Tied together in a black suit, white shirt, and black tie, he seemed to be an "assassin or IRS worker" as Darcy had so kindly described him.
Thacher sat erect in his chair, hands on his lap, legs bent at 90 degrees at the knees. He was a stark contrast to everyone else in the room. Jane was sprawled on her stomach on top of one of the far makeshift bed. Her jeans and tee-shirt had been traded in for a formal scientist's wardrobe. Darcy was sitting Indian style on the other one while jamming to her music. She dressed in her jeans, rocker tee-shirt, and light blue jacket with yellow stripes. Stark was in his pin stripe suit with white shirt. The man had conquered three chairs. His jacket rested of the last of his chairs. Agent Coulson was casually resting back on his chair, pushing up the front legs off the ground. Like Stark, he was focusing on the hockey game on ESPN.
"You don't like hockey, do you, Thacher?" Stark commented.
He twisted his head without the rest of his body moving a single centimeter. "No, Mr. Stark. I've never been a fan of physical sports. Now chess I thoroughly enjoy," Thacher replied in a sophisticated voice, or, as Darcy as also described, a politician's voice.
"Doesn't that go against your profession?" Darcy inquired in her loud voice. "You're suppose to go pew-pew, bam-bam, and knock 'em dead."
Thatcher smirked; though it seemed rather forced. "I am not a muscle man with no brain, Miss Darcy. I spend my free time reading through human mythology. I majored in it when I was in college."
"It was one of the reasons we brought him on the team," Coulson added. "He's our best reference to her boyfriend's world besides her. He'll be valuable for if any more of these gods come alive or if Loki decides to rear his ugly head our way."
Jane was quiet as she flipped through the Norse book, but sighed at the mention of gods. "I just hope Thor made it out of there alive," she commented. She closed the book and rolled onto her side to join in on the conversation. "It's been so long, over three years. I would have thought to have heard from Thor by now." With a heavy heart, she pushed the book away.
Darcy rolled her eyes. "Phhh, Loki is the worst villain ever. We saw what Thor did to that tin man. He would have no problem kicking Loki's ass into the next plane," she joked. She raised her hands to make a few punching motions. "The guy didn't even have anything bargain Thor with. The very least he should've taken you like the typical super villain."
"That's not how Loki operates," Thacher implied. "He relies more on trickery than harming people. He is a trickster, not some murderer; though, legend has it he will be the one to unleash Ragnarok."
Stark tilted his head forward. "Unleash what?" he inquired.
"Ragnorak," Thacher explained. "It would mean the end of the world and the beginning of a new world. Myth has it that he will be the one to unleash it if Sigyn ever leaves his side."
"Who's Sigyn?" Coulson asked. "Another god I suppose."
Jane nodded. "Yes, she's another god; princess of Asgard actually. She is Loki's wife." She pushed herself into a sitting position as began to search for a page in the book. "Thor told me about her when he explained his family. But she is described as the faithful wife according to lore. She is responsible for keeping Loki out of pain while he was chained to a tree. Which is false, but what is true is that she is very faithful to Loki. Unlike what the legends say, Thor said Loki was very faithful to her. They embodied the perfect marriage."
"But according to myth, Loki was a womanizer," Thacher argued. "He had three wives—"
"Hey," Darcy interrupted. "She's gotten her information from a god. Where did you get yours? From a manuscript that has been plagiarized thousands of times. She has more credibility on her side."
"But will she become another psycho girlfriend if Loki is dead?" Stark inquired. "I don't see a spouse handling her brother-in-law killing her husband too well. Break ups are messy enough when they don't involve murder." His eyes remained fixed on television.
"Thor best not lay a hand on her though," Thacher answered. "Because if Loki lives, then he will unleash Ragnorak. Up until now, Loki has only been a trickster. If he seriously put his mind to it, he will become a major threat. I promise you, you will die Jane should that occur." His voice ended in a venomous spat that took the others by shock. He realized it a moment later. "Wow, I am sorry for that," he apologized. "I don't know what came over me." He pinched his nose as if he were suffering a bad headache.
"Working for the government is what did it," Stark sneered.
The group, with the exception of Coulson, laughed. Darcy and Jane's laugh was cut short as they noticed a shadow figure heading towards the stairs. As the figure came under the light, he turned his olive eyes towards Jane with malice intentions lurking within the pupil. The light casted dark shadows over his angled, pale face. His raven hair was pulled back to intensify his threatening appearance. His black suit matched his fierce appearance.
"Hey!" Darcy shouted. "Eavesdropping isn't nice!"
The rest of the group turned their heads in the direction, but beneath the light was just air. The lights flickered and the television went to static. "Who are you talking to, Darcy?" Stark asked. "There's no one there."
"But there was," Jane added. "I saw—"
"He looked damned pissed," Darcy interrupted. "I mean he had the invisible lasers coming out of his eyes." She motioned with her hand the lasers. She quickly turned her attention to Jane. "What the hell did you do to piss him off?"
Thacher and Coulson were up, guns drawn from their holsters. Tony had out his hand-sized personal computer. But by his grunts, even his computer was receiving interference. "Whoever it is, their fucking with my equipment," he growled.
"Who's there?" shouted Thacher. "Show yourself or you will be gunned down."
Loki was well outside the compound by the time the compound underwent a thorough sweeping of the intruder. He sat comfortably on his white HP2 Sport BMW. There was something about motorcycles that felt more natural cars. At the very least, they were much easier to maneuver around like a horse. On the plus side, the vehicle was much smoother and faster than any stallion he had ever ridden. The vehicle was more practical as well when it came to blending into human society. Loki had come to learn quickly that he could not simply teleport without one or two humans noticing. There were just so damn many, even for a town as small this.
He rolled to a stop beneath the shade of the makeshift garage. The air in the shade was much cooler, offering relief to the god. He took off his white helmet and held it underneath his arm as made his way up the rickety steps of the apartment building. His apartment was on the first floor, which was both a savor and disgust. He would blend in, but that didn't stop him from hearing his neighbor's moans at four in the morning or complaining about the limited space.
For what space he did have, Loki had only furbished very little. The gathering room, or the family room as humans called it, had a soft, earthy carpet and a bland, beige couch tucked away in the corner. A table sat in front of it with an unfinished jigsaw puzzle and a stack of completed Sudoku books. Resting beside the table was his Mac laptop in order to receive his mortal news. On the wall opposite of the couch were various papers pinned to the wall. A calendar was jammed in the middle with the have-gone days marked with a red x.
Directly the right was his small kitchen, complete with tacky wood floor and matching cabinets and appliances. A small, wooden table with a single chair was in the middle. A candle still burned in the middle, releasing a pine scent. In between the two front rooms was a small corridor. To the left it led to the bathroom, and the right to his bedroom. It was enough to get him by in this world. In reality, the humans should have been providing him with housing and meals, but their world had twisted without the gods there to watch over. Gods meant no more to them than dogs.
He placed his helmet on the table next to the door. As he walked away, the helmet transformed into his battle helm, and the rest of his clothing began to change into his armor as he sat down on the couch. Loki gazed upon the puzzle with bored eyes; there were a few pieces left to put in place but not enough to offer him any challenge. Sudoku had become boring to him, just as other human games had over the years. Though human books could be entertaining, he found himself bored with a human's average life. With a sigh, he began to rub his temples.
Loki could not yet obtain the objected he needed, not without facing the consequences of some of SHIELD's minions. Yet every day he waited, the greater the chance Jane cracked the code for quantum jumping between planes. In his own twisted way, he wished they would crack the code. For if Jane were able to see Thor, then she would tell him of his existence, and Thor would in turn tell Sigyn. Through Sigyn he might be able to return home to see her, if only for one day. Just to hold her again in his arms seemed so far away at the moment.
"Soon," he whispered.