Sorry it's late, but I just got it finished... it's still Saturday here! lol.
Theme song is "End of All Days" by 30 Seconds to Mars, just 'cause I like the sound of it.
Chapter 67: Naming Names
Natasha sighed and opened another energy drink. They were the good stuff, the really hard to find ones that actually had decent flavors, but after five even they were losing their effect. She would kill for an entire pot of Loki's chocolate tea, but that would involve going home. If she went home, she might relax. If she relaxed, she might fall asleep...
She shook her head, clearing away the sudden wave of exhaustion. She couldn't sleep now, she had too much work to do. With a smirk, she mildly regretted her activities of the day before. Loki hadn't held back, either on the sparring floor, or later in the shower, and she was glad of it. She could remember the feel of his body, still heated from their fighting, pressing her into the cold tile wall. It had been amazingly cathartic, but it had significantly drained her.
Pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes a moment, she straightened her back and returned to the arduous task of filing through the application forms submitted to all of uptown Manhattan's retail locations in the past six months. She had to make herself useful.
After the mission, Loki felt somewhat useless. There seemed little for him to do, at least until he switched. Both Natasha and Clint were very busy with the investigation, but between Clint's reassurances and Natasha's enthusiastic sparring and screwing session, he wasn't terribly worried that she was avoiding him. If she had shied away from him on the mat, or attacked vindictively, he would have worried. But instead she had fought with him on equal terms, as she had not since she had proved herself capable of defeating him. It was good to stop pretending and guessing and just lose yourself in training.
Afterwards... a sly smile broke over Loki's face. If he had any doubt left as to how they stood, that had cleared it. She had been greedy, hungry for his touch, and he had given her all she could take. And yet...
And yet, he still worried. They had made good progress before this in exploring the darker side of Loki's passions, but it had been nothing more than a fun game for her. Now, he wondered if she would see it the same way. Could he bring himself to tie her up again? To bring himself down to the level of her attacker? He laughed darkly. That was not likely the problem. The real question was, if she no longer desired it, could he stop himself? He didn't know.
So he had pushed these issues aside and spent the weekend playing the piano, relaxing, and spending time with his future sister-in-law. Somehow, Jane had a way of making him feel as if he were a better person than he thought, and it was addictive. He could see why Thor loved her so much-he wanted, more than anything, to be good, after all-and in Jane's eyes, he was every bit the hero. Loki, by the same token, was given the greater benefit of the doubt, and as far as she was concerned, a clean slate. It was more than he could have asked for. And of course Darcy's witty presence kept the entire arrangement from getting too awkward.
So it was that on Sunday evening, Loki realized with more surprise than regret that he would have to switch without seeing Natasha again. Perhaps his counterpart would know better how to handle the situation. He had never been one to try to solve others' problems, and had little skill at it. But as he relinquished his control and moved back in his mind to watch, he wished, for the first time, that he did.
Loki sighed and looked down at the surprisingly detailed note her counterpart had left her. It seemed that He was very frustrated at his need to summon her during the mission, and sought to remedy the situation by filling her in on everything that had transpired while she was gone.
She frowned as she read over the part where He advised her not to interrupt Natasha in her work. It sounded to her like she had been avoiding Him, but He assured her she was not. It didn't sit right with her. She thought she should go to Natasha and make sure she was okay. But she didn't want to mess things up between the three of them, and she actually had work to do.
So, tucking the letter back in her pocket, she exited the elevator on one of the lowest levels of Stark Tower, far underground. Agent Sitwell was sitting at a desk in front of a locked door, and he looked very surprised to see her.
"I'm sorry, Miss Loki, but this is secure storage, and you don't have clearance-" He stood up and started to say.
"Oh, but I do," she smiled, knowing that it looked intimidating. When he cringed, it gave her an unfamiliar surge of satisfaction. She did not like this man.
He frowned, and turned to his computer, entering a series of commands. When the correct screen opened, he frowned deeper and then looked back at her.
"Please," Loki said in a mockingly reassuring voice, "Do call commander Fury if you like. I assure you I have the proper clearance."
She watched his face twitch as he wavered between the danger of admitting Loki and the risk of being reprimanded by Fury. Duty won over, and he picked up the phone. She pretended not to listen to the ensuing butt-chewing, but it was difficult when Fury yelled so loud.
"But sir," Sitwell persisted, showing more backbone than she thought he possessed. "Artifact 18..."
"Is not in the area that she will be working," she could faintly hear Fury respond. "Take her to the proper area, show her the materials, and post a guard if it makes you feel better," he taunted.
"Yes, sir," he sighed. He hung up, and gestured for Loki to come around the desk. Placing his thumb on a sensor, he stood still and waited for his retina to be scanned. The machine accepted his entry, and the door cracked open.
Whatever materials SHIELD had used to keep the contents of secure storage from being scanned, it also blocked magical energy. As soon as the door was opened, Loki could feel the pull of the items within. But there was something different...
Taking a few steps in, Loki stopped and tested the air. Something was calling her. Something chillingly familiar. Her head turned slowly but unerringly to the left, and she saw Sitwell begin to sweat. Her right palm itched with memory, and images flashed blue behind her eyes. Faces, explosions, death. She closed her eyes and swallowed. Her scepter was in here.
No, she thought, and whether the thought had come from her or Him, she was unsure. But she knew it was right. Opening her eyes, she made a subtle gesture, shielding herself from the effects of the scepter. This was a test, she realized. As she turned to gesture that Sitwell should lead the way, she wondered if Fury would ever stop testing her. Probably not.
Sitwell, for his part, looked vastly relieved. He took her to the area that held the effects they had found in Pierce's warehouse, and left her to work without a guard. She rummaged about the boxes, pulling things out and arranging them. In addition to the altar and various paraphernalia, there was rumpled bedding, and a collection of fantasy paperbacks.
"Jarvis, can you hear me down here?" she said, looking up to the ceiling.
"Certainly, Miss Loki. May I be of assistance?" the polite AI responded.
"Yes," she sighed, studying the symbols on the altar. "I'm not familiar with these markings, I believe they come from a school of magic I have not learned," she reasoned. "Can you pull up information on the different theories popular here on Midgard?"
"Er..." although artificial, Jarvis managed to sound rather uncomfortable. "I do not possess access to such records," he apologized, pausing for a moment. "Until very recently, magic was believed to be outside the realm of reality by modern science," he explained. "I can provide you with a variety of legends and fictional sources, but I cannot verify their accuracy."
Loki rolled her eyes. "Well how am I supposed to find out what I need to know?" she asked, exasperated.
She watched as a line of blue light scanned the top of the altar. "Several of these symbols are used in early Astronomy, and also are found on Dr. Bryardie's personal artifacts."
"Dr. Bryardie?" she frowned.
"Yes," Jarvis continued, "I believe she utilizes a board to facilitate the process of summoning," he explained.
Loki nearly sat down she was so surprised. After a full thirty seconds, she blinked and shook her head. "Can you please patch me through to her office?"
"Of course, Miss Loki."
After a couple rings, Rowena picked up. "Dr. Bryardie, how can I help you?"
"This is Loki," she said, thinking. "I'm down in secure storage looking at Pierce's stuff. If you're not busy, I could use your help. I need some insight into what some of this means."
"Sure, just let me finish up some paperwork and I'll be right down," she said cheerfully.
While she was waiting, Loki flipped through the books. Most of them were well-worn, the spines broken in many places. They detailed the legends of one King Arthur and his court. Some of the names seemed vaguely familiar to her, including that of the wizard Merlin.
Rowena found her deep in the story of a quest. "Ah, the Arthurian legends," she said fondly. "Good stuff, although this is probably pretty watered down," she flipped through the books absently. "I don't see Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur..." she clucked her tongue.
Loki spoke without looking up from the book floating in front of her. "So you are a Summoner..." she mused.
The psychologist froze a moment. "I am a medium," she said at last. "I occasionally use summoning to help people contact their deceased loved ones."
Snapping the book shut, Loki gave her a sarcastic glare. "Right. And I studied the art of levitation for a decade so I could read with my hands full," she quipped. Belatedly, she realized that was actually true - it was the inability to do so that had originally inspired her to learn it.
However, this statement was lost on Dr. Bryardie anyway. She doesn't know, she realized. It's her natural gift and she has no idea how powerful she is. Quickly rearranging her features, she turned to the business at hand.
"Anyway, Jarvis seemed to think you might know the origin of these symbols," she gestured to the altar. "They are unfamiliar to me."
Rowena walked over, and looked. "Yes. These are the traditional western symbols for the five elements."
"Five?" Loki frowned. "I was taught only four- earth, air, water, and fire."
She nodded. "Those are the four that most cultures agree on. But some add another, and which one they choose says a lot. This one," she pointed to a circle, "Can represent a number of things, but it's most likely to mean magic. It's all very consistent with Alchemy."
"Alchemy? In my studies, that's just the making of potions and other various ingredient-based spells."
"That sounds about right. It was a precursor to modern chemistry, mostly concerned with finding the Philosopher's Stone," Rowena agreed.
"What, like in Harry Potter?" Loki laughed.
Dr. Bryardie gave her an impressed look.
"Movie Time with Tony and Steve," she grinned.
"Well, yes, like Harry Potter. The Philosopher's stone supposedly could turn any metal into gold, and create the elixir of life," she explained.
Loki snorted. "Yeah right," she glanced back at the books. "Does this guy think he's Merlin or something?"
Rowena shook her head. "The symbols are all too late for that, and there would be more Celtic influence. No, I think you were right with Harry Potter. This is more Nicholas Flamel's thing."
"Was he a real person?" Loki asked.
"Yeah, he lived in the early 1400's, but most of the stories attributed to him are from the Eighteenth Century. Still, some people think he was the basis of Dr. Faust."
"Dr. Faustus..." Loki repeated absently, going over to the stack of books.
"It's a popular story, retold by several authors. Faust sells his soul to the devil for arcane knowledge," Rowena said.
"That would certainly enable someone to write a grimoire," Loki reasoned, and then came up with a book, hardcover and in better shape than the others. The cover was red and said only "FAUST - Goethe"
"Exactly," Rowena grinned, and took it from her. "It's a library book," she opened it to a bookmark only a few chapters in. "Can't say as I blame him, I much prefer Marlowe to Goethe. Goethe's all Sturm und Drang, it gets old fast. Marlowe's Mephistopheles is more someone I could actually imagine selling my soul to."
Loki froze. "What was the name you just said?"
Rowena's smile faded at Loki's tone. "Mephistopheles?" she repeated. "That's the name of the demon who purchased his soul."
This time, Loki did sit, thumping down onto a crate.
"What?" Dr. Bryardie asked.
Loki held out her hand for the book. "I know where Pierce got his power, although likely indirectly. And it is not good. I'll need to read this, and..." she thought, putting a finger between her teeth. "Jarvis, can you call Thor or Jane?"
"Right away," he said politely.
"Loki?" Thor's voice soon came over the PA.
"Brother, I need to ask you a favor," she cringed, laying it on thick.
There was a pause. "What sort of a favor?" he asked.
"I need you to go to Asgard and get some books, preferably without anyone knowing."
"Why can't you just ask Father for them yourself?" Thor scolded.
Loki looked at Rowena as she spoke. "Because they are books about Muspelheim, and the Scourge Mephisto," she explained, "Who I believe is the source of our enemy's power."
There was an even longer pause on the line. "I shall see it done," Thor said at last.
A/N: At least it's long, right? I think I will need to stick to the once a week update schedule for the time being, I'm having a hard time adjusting to a full-time schedule. Most days I come home and just pass out. But I want to assure you that finishing this story is at the top of my priorities. That's why there's so much of this chapter that's narrative instead of scene... I'm really trying to move the story forward!
Anyway, as always, please tell me what you think, and thanks for being patient while I get my world in order.
