We're in Avengers territory now! I thought of the song "Stark Goes Green" from the Avengers soundtrack when writing this chapter from the beginning to the point when Loki decides to tell Coulson something. I thought of this song because it made me think of life being normal and then things changing.
Loki continued his studies of Earth weaponry and how to use his magic to negate it with minimum use of his energy. He also found which elements could best hold his magic. He then storied his magic in several items which he put in the storage compartments of his staff. It was an idea similar to that of batteries. He also spent time practicing how to use his staff. After doing this for a while he helped Tony put the finalizing touches on Stark Tower. With Loki and Pepper's help Tony was able to get the tower completed earlier than he would have otherwise. Loki was with Pepper when she activated the arc reactor which could, optimally, power the tower for the next century. Tony came back proudly from getting an eagle's eye view of the lighting. At sensing Tony and Pepper's desire to celebrate privately he teasingly left them to do so.
One night something happened which made him wonder what was going to happen next in his life. He felt like he was being tugged towards a massive vortex of magic. He didn't dare look to see what was responsible for it for fear of being dragged down. He tore himself out of sleep and calmed his racing heart. He paced the window and looked over the calm New York skyline. Not here. Then again that magical incident was so strong it could be very far away and I would still feel it. What happened? Should I get involved?
He decided not to wake his shield brethren. If he and Tony were required then surely SHIELD would let them know. He did tell them at breakfast though.
"Magic isn't exactly par for the course around here. Why do I feel like we're going to be getting visitors soon," Tony muttered.
"We probably will. They'll probably send Phil," Pepper added.
"Pepper his first name is 'Agent'. Just because he's been around a few times to ask me or Loki about something, and he's on the end of year gift list, doesn't mean anything. Really," Tony commented.
"Of course not," Loki drawled sarcastically.
They all tried to have a normal day: Pepper organizing, Tony working on his machines and Loki studying. The fact was that, though, they all knew this normality would not last. Pepper's organizing took on a 'preparation for emergency' type of urgency. Tony invented with the air of someone who knew he would not be able to for a while. Loki's studying was less leisurely and more like last minute cramming. They made allowances for the interruption to come. Still, when the interruption came, Tony did not take it equitably.
"Coulson's calling me at dinner. Dinner. Loki and I usually don't get dinner," Tony complained.
"If I wasn't around to rein you two in there would be times when you two might not get showers," Pepper put in.
"Hey we aren't that bad," Tony refuted her statement.
"Rhodes would agree with her," Loki argued.
"Reindeer Games you aren't helping. Come on JARVIS tell her the truth."
"There are times when I am glad not to have olfactory senses sir," JARVIS stated.
Loki laughed at Tony's pouty look. Pepper sighed. Tony's phone rang again. Tony groaned and then answered it.
"You have reached the life size replica of Tony Stark. At the beep leave a message."
The doors to the dining room opened. Coulson walked in. Tony frowned at the ceiling.
"How could you JARVIS?"
"He overrode my protocols sir," JARVIS explained.
"That's what you always say. I'm starting to wonder," Tony replied.
Loki waved a hand and another place setting, complete with food, was added to the table. Even this outright display of magic was not enough to shock Coulson. Loki was now the one fighting a pout. SHIELD has to stand by me, so I figured I could risk revealing this much. It wasn't enough to get a reaction from Coulson's determined calmness.
"It was worth a shot Reindeer Games but I don't think this guy has nerves," Tony consoled him.
"They can get in the way. We've got a situation. SHIELD was researching an artifact known as the tesseract," Coulson interjected.
Loki's shoulders hunched almost imperceptibly.
"Have you heard of it Mr. Noen?"
"I have. It is very powerful and very dangerous," Loki revealed.
Should I reveal why I know about the tesseract? Would it make them more inclined to listen to me or less? For now, keep things relatively close. I've showed them small displays of magic. They can write me off as a gifted human. Revealing who I am might try their oath to protect me. Hopefully hiding is not a tactic that will work against me.
"One of the researchers was acting oddly. We had an agent watching him, but it wasn't enough to stop some sort of portal opening yesterday," Coulson informed.
Loki was as bland as Coulson could be while remembering what happened last night. No wonder I sensed what I did. The tesseract is very powerful. I have grown to appreciate humans but are most of them ready for that sort of power? Is SHIELD?
"The portal discharged some sort of alien. He attacked the personnel and somehow took the minds of two of them. One of them being the agent sent to watch the researcher who also left with the alien. The alien took the tesseract and threatened to open another portal with it to summon an army for world conquest. Director Fury, some of the other personnel and myself barely made it out before the portal caused the base to collapse," Coulson continued his briefing.
An alien bent on world domination! Now I am glad I kept quiet. Right now I have far more safety and trust as a human. Still, who was it?
"Do you have a picture," Loki inquired.
"We managed to get this off one of the base cameras before the base collapsed. He calls himself Malekith," Coulson replied.
Loki felt his face freeze. This is bad. This is very bad. I'm not going to be able to fight this sorcerer from the shadows. Malekith is the foremost sorcerer of the dark elves. I am more powerful, probably, but he has hundreds of years more experience. A question…why hasn't Asgard interfered? Surely seeing a dark elf running amok on this planet would be enough to rouse Odin to send Thor. Unless Malekith has learned how to hide himself from Heimdall too? Blast, I'm not going to be able to explain how I know of Malekith, or fight effectively, while hiding my true nature. This changes everything. I guess I will see how far SHIELD's oath goes.
"Agent Coulson, I know of the tesseract and this person because I come from the same very general area they do," Loki admitted.
Coulson nodded calmly. Tony groaned at Coulson's continuing blandness.
"It makes sense Mr. Noen," Coulson replied.
"Earth," Loki emphasized the human term, "is my home now. I come from a realm called Asgard. I am what the Loki of your myths is, and I emphasize this, based upon. I have no intention of endangering anyone or causing Ragnarok."
"The Loki of myth always seemed underappreciated. Our psych profiles speculate that part is true," Coulson said.
So they've wondered for a while now. I didn't give them enough credit. What was it Happy said when I told him who I was? That I was so eerily like the Loki of mythology that my 'nickname' fit me perfectly?
"That part was correct. It was why I left Asgard. I don't know why the Allfather has not sent Thor to deal with Malekith. Unless Malekith, like myself, has the ability to deceive Heimdall the mostly all-seeing gatekeeper."
"We need you and Mr. Stark. You can attempt to track the tesseract with your abilities while Mr. Stark works with Dr. Bruce Banner to track the tesseract's gamma radiation," Coulson stated.
"Bruce Banner? The guy who turns into a green rage creature? Cool," Tony mused with a grin.
Loki remembered learning that Banner had been experimenting with recreating the same serum that made Captain America. Instead of becoming like Captain America he gained an alter ego. Loki appreciated Tony not calling Dr. Banner a monster. With Loki's lingering unease over his heritage, which he dealt with by trying not to think about his heritage, the term was sensitive for him.
"I'm sorry for taking them from you Ms. Potts," Coulson apologized.
"I'll manage," Pepper replied.
"Let me see your bracelets. I want to recharge them before I leave," Loki ordered.
Coulson looked on with interest while Loki recharged the spells on Pepper's bracelets. After the mess at the expo, Loki had added an invisibility spell to the bracelets. Both spells could be vocally activated by using the ancient Norse words for them. Pepper could pronounce them flawlessly. Loki looked at Tony. He wished they had had more time before this mess arrived. Loki's current project was to create some spells to add to Tony's armor. He had been throwing around some ideas of how to do so without the magic interfering with the armor but there had not been enough time for the two of them to figure it out. Magic could work well with technology, but it could also be difficult. It required lots of careful thought.
"Okay, let's go meet the rest of the boy band," Tony suggested cheerily.