3.
Loki had changed into a loose fitting gi, fetching a long oak staff from Fury's limited weapons stash. Limited to Loki in any case. When he entered the training area connected to the small uniform room, he could feel the pressure in the room increase as the airtight seals slid into place, a failsafe method just in case anyone felt the need to render a god unconscious..he stood to center his balance, deep breaths in and out, sliding his foot to the right, extending the staff along his leg, bringing the staff up and holding it level, he began to spin it in a slow figure eight, a parry and a thrust, swinging the staff behind himself, scenes began to form in his mind, Asgard...Odin...the Jotun...Loki, his lip curled involuntarily into a snarl, was thrown off balance by a misplaced step and tumbled forward to his hands and knees. He knelt there for long minutes trying desperately to swallow his rage. Fury had said he could return here to Midgard on the promise of cooperation with the Avengers Initiative and a vow of good faith. Loki closed his eyes and sat back upon his heels, his breath slowing with each heartbeat. Another image formed in his mind as he stood up, forehead against the staff. The new intern Sarah, whom he'd seen in the cafeteria and encountered in the elevator. That a mere mortal should draw him so was at once vexing and intriguing, especially one sworn to protect and keep safe what he'd sought to control. Perhaps, he mused, a smile forming on his lips, she could teach him more about the mortal realm than Fury wanted him to know. After all, if he was planning an extended stay, he should learn all he could to facilitate such an endeavor. The click of the intercom brought him from his reverie. "Brother, I've been looking for you" Thor, immortal babysitter...a walking, talking conscience...Loki looked about the room, "You've found me, now what." He undid the sash of the gi and pulled it off, reveling in the cool air against his skin. "Mr. Fury wishes to speak with you." Thor's voice rang out loud in the room and Loki rubbed his forehead, "Back away from the intercom you great ass, and tell Fury to come see me here if he's so eager to talk to me." Loki smiled at the thought. He doubted Fury would ever again want to be in close confines with him. Thor's voice, softer now, "He said in his office. I think it's about something that happened this afternoon. What have you done wrong, brother?" Loki punched in the code on the keypad at the door and listened as the seals released in a rush of air, "Nothing I can recall" Loki said as he stepped from the training room into the uniform room where Thor stood, arms crossed in front of his chest. "Are you sure you've done nothing wrong?" Loki nodded and looked away but his smile continued to grow, "Surely Mr. Fury wouldn't be so eager to speak with you had you been behaving." Loki struggled to contain his mirth and after a moment, was able to turn to Thor with a serious countenance, "If you consider speaking to someone misbehaving then I fully deserve the forty lashes Mr. Fury is going to give me," No longer able to contain himself, Loki exploded into giggles. Thor rolled his eyes at his brother bent double with laughter. "I have delivered the message as he asked, I now have work to do. See that you do what Mr. Fury tells you." The giggles that had overtaken Loki slowly died, replaced by a frown as he watched his brother make his way down the stairs of the platform the training room was perched upon. He sighed then, and decided that Director Fury had waited this long, he could wait a bit longer, he was going to take a shower first.
Sarah stared absently into space, listening to the whir of the can opener, ignoring Mr. Whiskers as he sat on the kitchen counter, one paw on her forearm. Try as hard as she could, she didn't recall Loki being part of the Avengers Initiative when she'd read the dossier about the project, still she couldn't confess to having paid attention to all of it. He had frightened her and all at once charmed her in the space of five minutes. She knew a few guys like that...and she wondered if he also was as crazy as they'd turned out to be. She sighed, turned the can of cat food over in the food dish and tapped the bottom to force the contents to give up their hold. He was probably crazier than all of them combined. She shook her head, afraid to speculate about what tomorrow was going to bring.
Nick Fury stood at the window of his office, staring out across the skyline of Manhattan. Had it really been so long ago that the citizens of New York, nay the entire world, had been abruptly introduced to the fact that not only were there other worlds, but other realities just waiting beyond the scope of their own and the man who had garnered the introduction was currently on his way to Fury's office. When Thor had suggested, as a way to keep a close watch on his brother, that he return to Earth under the watchful eye of S.H.I.E.L.D , Fury had balked right from the start even though it did make more sense than to leave him alone, locked away in Asgard where his power was greater. Loki had also agreed to help Dr. Banner as he studied the energy source of the Chitarian scepter which Loki had wielded during his past trangressions so Fury had given in against his better judgement, wondering if it was going to come back to bite him in the end.
Loki paused at the door to Fury's office until it slid aside to let him in. Fury glanced back at him over his shoulder. "Have a seat," Loki instead remained standing before the large wooden desk, "Is this going to take long?" he sighed, "I told Dr. Banner I would look over his latest notes and I don't want to make him angry...we don't like him when he's angry." Fury turned towards Loki with a thin smile on his lips and for a moment Loki was sure he'd enjoyed the jibe at the Doctor's expense but the smile quickly disappeared. "I was informed that you made a little foray into the internal operations sector earlier today. Looking for a job?" Loki looked down at his feet, composing himself before he lashed out at Fury's insinuating tone. "I was making friends," then added, "Why, are there any openings?" Fury shook his head, "No and I would like for you not to look for any either. Ms. Miller is a new hire and I would like her to stick around, each agent is important to us and you probably, no I'm sure you scared the hell out of her." Loki rolled his eyes, "Well if she's that easily frightened, maybe she ought not to be here. There are other things out there a lot scarier than me." Fury nodded, "That may be so but perhaps you fit her idea of a lot scarier. I would advise you to find other avenues of amusement. Do I make myself clear?" Loki nodded, looked at his feet again, then up into Fury's glare. "Crystal, director, now if you will excuse me, I have work to do.." Fury gave an imperceptable shake of his head, certain that this wasn't the last discussion they would be having on the matter, and watched Loki as he spun around and strode back through the office door.
"Looking for a job", Loki grumbled to himself, his step becoming quicker as he walked down the corridor, headed to the elevator, "How dare he presume...would he have me die of boredom here in this fortress?" He stepped onto the elevator and stood beside Tony Stark who smiled at him, "Now if it were me talking to myself that would make a lot more sense, you know, money in the bank and all those old cliches, but you, fella, it just makes you sound like a nutjob. Might want to cut it out." Loki glanced sideways at Stark, "Shut it, I've only just dealt with Fury and he has put me in a mood." Stark smiled broader as the floors flew by, " I guess at this point then, we're pretty safe, seeing as they've taken away your toys." Loki drew a hand through his hair and growled, "I am not entirely powerless without...those toys, as you call them, I daresay you can't claim the same good fortune." They stepped off the elevator and Tony turned to Loki, "That's a bit harsh don't you think? After all, I know how to play with my toys, but you, you lost the directions to yours didn't you?" As Tony sped off down the hallway towards Dr. Banner's lab, he looked back at Loki, "Maybe if you play nice, Fury might find you a new toy to play with." All at once, Loki returned to the elevator, Dr. Banner's lab was the last place he wanted to be at this moment. He punched the number 7 on the panel. He would spend the night in his chambers and damn to hell anyone who disturbed him, especially his dear brother.
Sleep that night came slowly, his mind drifting into a time he could not erase from his memory. The slow descent through space as he watched the remains of the Bifrost and Asgard slip away until they could not be distinguished amongst the myriad stars that surrounded him, the moments that madness seemed destined to consume him when he was sure that death was indeed going to capture him in its cold embrace, an end at least, to the nonexistence that awaited him in the cold grip of the universe until he had felt himself drawn slowly towards a mass of dark rocks and caverns at the edge of space, the realm of the Chitari. Fear had slowly been replaced by acceptance, then intrigue as they laid out their plans for the conquest of worlds, places he had knowledge of, swore to assist them in their endeavor...the moments before he had been sent to Earth, Thanos had remarked to him.."Are you so eager to fulfill your destiny?" Loki had looked at Thanos who grinned back at him, "Ragnarok?"...Loki sat up in bed, cold sweat beading upon his arms. The words of the seer Odin had sought out reverberated in his head, "Loki Laufeyson, god of destruction, mischief, evil...you are destined to be the undoing of all creation..."He felt a sinking sensation in his stomach as he drew up his knees and rested his head in his hands and stayed there in that position long after the midnight hour had passed until finally, true sleep overtook him and he slumped to his side curled tightly into himself, an occasional shiver wracking his body as the night wore away to day.