Chapter Text
Things were going to fall apart and there was very little he could do about it – which was, sadly, the story of his life. He needed more time.
Damn Odin.
Loki had spent the last few years making plans for Thanos, taking advantage of the stroke of luck that had been Odin falling into the Odinsleep after Malekith’s failed attempt to destroy the universe. As Odin, Loki had been able to command Asgard and start preparing the Nine Realms for Thanos’s inevitable return. It had not been easy, of course, since Loki could not just come right out and explain what was going on. Fortunately, Malekith’s sneak attack had been enough to get people on Asgard off their asses and begin to take threats seriously again. They had become far too complacent in their belief of strength and superiority and look where it had gotten them.
Asgard alone, however, would not be enough. They would need allies, which had proven to be easier said than done. The rest of the Nine Realms were none too pleased with Asgard as a whole, especially considering the time the Bifrost had been destroyed and its consequent limited contact, and they had no desire to be dragged into a war for Asgard’s sake. Obviously Thanos would be a danger to them all, but Loki couldn’t tell them that, not without arousing suspicion he couldn’t afford to have. So everything had to be done quietly and presented in the vaguest terms. It was, in short, a pain.
Add to that the fact that Loki had to pretend to be Odin all the time, and it made for a very tired and stressed out God of Mischief.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if he’d had an ally, someone to trust and rely on – or even just someone to rant to when things got hard. Unfortunately, that was not the case. He had nothing. The only one who might have listened, who might have helped, was Frigga, and she was gone. (And Loki avoided thinking about the circumstances of that and his own role in it as much as possible.) Thor… Thor could not be trusted. Not with matters of subtlety or secrecy. (Not with Loki’s life. There had been a time when Loki would have believed whole-heartedly that Thor had his back, but that time was long gone. Loki had his own share of the blame for that, yes, but the end result was the same.) Bottom line, he was alone (again, story of his life), and now his time was running out.
Odin had begun to show signs of waking, and when he did the game would be up. Loki didn’t think Odin would completely undo all Loki had done – that would be far too suspicious and Odin was no fool. It would not help him if the whole of Asgard (not to mention the other realms) became aware that there had been an impostor on the throne of Asgard for all this time. It would make Asgard look weak, and Odin would never allow that. As such, Loki was reasonably sure that his plans – or at least some of them – would be safe. The issue, of course, was Loki’s own safety. Once Odin awoke, Loki would have to flee Asgard, possibly for good. It wouldn’t be such a huge hardship since he hated the place anyway (or so he tried to convince himself); the trouble was that he had nowhere to go. He could seek refuge in Alfheim or Vanaheim for a short time, but then what? Spend the rest of his life running? Looking over his shoulder for both Thanos and Odin’s forces?
No, he would not do that. He’d had enough of being helpless, a victim of circumstances outside his control. He had a plan, though it was a risky one. Ever since he’d realized that the Odinsleep was coming to an end, Loki had been thinking and worrying and driving himself insane (more than he already was) debating whether he should take that chance.
Now he was running out of time. If he was going to do it, he’d have to do it soon. Before Odin woke up. Before he was completely out of options. The decision had to be made now to get the wheels in motion.
Loki was scared. Despite the toll the last few years had taken on him, at least he’d been unharmed and free. Free to walk around as he pleased (in Odin or another disguise), free to make his own choices. Free to walk away if he so chose. Once he put his last desperate plan into effect, he was going to lose all that. Freedom would be a much more distant concept. Unfortunately, it was either that, go on the run forever or get thrown back in the dungeons for the rest of his life – and that last one was out of the question. He had had enough of being Asgard’s scapegoat and laughing stock.
No, he’d rather take his chances. There was still some hope that things wouldn’t be quite as bad.
There was no real choice in the end. He’d have to go to Midgard. The humans were his best bet.
Norns help me.
*****
Loki stood at the Bifrost observatory, alternating between watching the sky above and the void below.
This is where it all started, he thought. This is where I looked at my traitorous hands and wondered if I had been cursed. This is where I watched Thor banished and thought that it might be my chance. And it had all gone so wrong. So very, very wrong. For him, for Asgard, for the universe.
This is where I fell. Where I let go, knowing that there was nothing else to fight for. He shuddered, remembering the cold and darkness of the space in between. The silence, the crippling sense of fear. I had thought it would be a quick death, an easy out. What a fool. He had not died at all, although there were plenty of moments when he’d wished he had.
This is where it all started. Maybe it will be a blessing if I never see this place again.
He gave on last look to the Bifrost and its machinery then began the walk back through the bridge to the city, bypassing a silent Heimdall. He did not bother to say anything to the gatekeeper.
Of everyone, Loki had thought perhaps Heimdall would be difficult to fool, yet it had not been the case. For all that the man claimed to be all-seeing, in reality he only saw what he wanted to see. He’d wanted to see Odin and thus he did, never looking beyond, never questioning. No. It was only Loki who had been constantly monitored and scrutinized.
I am leaving this place for good, Loki told himself. It won’t matter what they think of me anymore.
After one final walkabout of the palace and his rooms to make sure he had left nothing behind, Loki went to say his farewell to Odin.
“You are a liar and a manipulator, yet you – and the whole of Asgard – always chastised me for being the same. I could have understood that in a king, but a father? But then, you were never my father, were you? You never cared. It was foolish of me to have ever expected such a thing, not with all the evidence I had to the contrary.
“You always underestimated me, always dismissed me. But I was a good king. At least good enough that no one ever noticed it wasn’t you. I wonder what you’ll think of that.
“This was never my home, so it will be a relief to leave. I hope you’ll continue to do what needs to be done to ensure our survival.”
There was so much else he wanted to say, but it would only delay him and achieve nothing. He left it at that and carefully closed the door to Odin’s chamber and replaced his spells so no one would wander in.
It was time to go.
Making sure his magic was strong enough to prevent anyone from finding him, Loki stepped into Yggdrasil and the path that would take him to Midgard.
Show time.
*****
Loki had only kept an intermittent eye on Midgard after the last report Thor had given him on the subject. He’d had far too much to do to worry about the humans. Thor had mentioned that the Avengers had new and powerful members, including a being made with the Mind Stone. It had sounded completely insane and absurd, yet Loki had not been able to get any more out of Thor. The being had apparently been able to wield Mjolnir, which Thor had taken to be all one needed to know about it. To avoid arousing suspicion, Loki had asked nothing further, though he was intrigued. Stark had been partly responsible for its creation, according to Thor, so Loki figured it was probably not a threat to the universe.
The other new member of the team was a woman who had some kind of magical power. Loki had nearly snorted when he’d heard that. As if mortals had any concept of magic. However, since Thor had very little knowledge of it himself, there had been no point in asking questions. Loki had been trying to expand Thor’s education on matters other than combat with mixed success. The stupid oaf was still stuck with his own biased notions more often than not.
Not checking up on things more closely had obviously been a mistake, Loki realized pretty soon after arriving on Midgard. What was supposed to be a quick review of the information he had (the human invention of the Internet was really very useful) before presenting himself to the Avengers turned out to be a massive undertaking in understanding how the Avengers had apparently fallen apart after Thor had left.
It did not entirely surprise him that the Captain – who was uncomfortably similar to Thor – had fucked everything up in his arrogance and short-sightedness. The man was a warrior to the core, and that meant he believed all problems could – and should – be solved with violence. The little turn-coat Spider had switched sides one too many times and ended up distrusted by all. The archer had gone off the rails as well, following blindly even without the need for mind-control. The so-called magic user Thor had mentioned had been executed for many crimes, including mind-manipulation (which made Loki glad he wouldn’t have to deal with her). It was a complete mess.
Of the original Avengers, only Stark and Banner remained. Loki would rather not have to deal with the beast, though. Stark had always been Loki’s best bet, so he was glad at least that one was still standing. And there were new people. Another man in an armored suit, a woman who could shrink down to insect size, the Mind Stone creature and another supposed magic user.
After reading as much information he could on the so-called “Civil War”, Loki came to the conclusion that it was probably a blessing for him. It would be much easier to make a deal with this Accords Panel than it would have been with the remnants of SHIELD – though Thor had told him they were gone, he’d also said that Fury and some of his people remained. Those obviously couldn’t be trusted. But governments? Well, they were not entirely trustworthy either, but at least these United Nations people had some standards, and they represented the actual people of Midgard rather than a handful of string-pullers who would no doubt have no problem watching the world burn so long as they didn’t get caught in the fire as well.
All in all, the break-up of the original Avengers was not as unpleasant a matter as he had initially believed. For once, he might have actually have lucked out.
His planned approach would not have to change overmuch. In fact, Loki was quite sure that Stark would be more willing to listen to him than the Captain would have been. The Man of Iron would not trust blindly, of course, but he was smart enough not to completely dismiss Loki just because he had once been an enemy. On the other hand, the fiasco with the not-at-all-rehabilitated “witch” might have made him that much more cautious. Loki would have to proceed very carefully if he didn’t want to blow his chance of not only getting Midgard’s assistance with the coming threat, but also securing himself some protection.
Odin would no doubt have totally disregarded Midgard’s possible contribution to the battle, believing – as all of Asgard did – that the humans were little more than primitive savages. Loki, however, had seen firsthand what they could do. He’d witnessed and experienced their strength. The Hulk had been quite formidable (and not very kind, though Loki did appreciate the way that thrashing had released the last of the Mind Stone’s grip on his mind). The weapon that Stark had delivered through the portal had been very effective against the Chitauri. No, despite what Odin might think, the humans should not be overlooked. Loki would just have to hope that his luck would hold when he spoke to them.
Staging the meeting had to be done carefully. He didn’t want to frighten the population, as that would hardly endear himself to them. He also didn’t want to just stroll into Stark’s Tower. Breaking into a man’s home – or even just knocking on the door uninvited – would not do. Thus he needed a neutral location away from bystanders who might panic at the sight of him.
In the end, he chose the park from where he had departed the realm several years before. While in the past he might have taken the opportunity for some harmless mischief, now he restrained the urge and simply saturated the place with magic. Stark had been able to track down the Tesseract before, so he should have instruments capable of detecting that kind of energy, especially so close to his home. If Loki remained unnoticed, he would have to come up with another plan, but he didn’t think that would be the case.
Loki waited, hidden from prying eyes, for the Avengers to arrive. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t nervous or worried. However, he was well aware that he didn’t have much choice here. Idly, he wondered if Odin had already awoken, and what he thought of Loki’s tenure as king. No matter how good a job Loki had done, Odin would never acknowledge it.
The sound of Iron Man’s repulsors reached him first. The suit that landed looked different from the last one Loki had seen, and it was accompanied by two more. Loki recalled reading about the Iron Legion – suits piloted by someone else behind the scenes – though he hadn’t fully understood it; it seemed odd to him that Stark would allow someone else access to his technology. There was no sign of the other Avengers.
Now or never, Loki thought. He stepped forward and dropped his concealment spell, allowing Stark to see him.
“Hello, Stark,” he said. There was no point in appearing too friendly, as that would only make the other more suspicious, yet he also didn’t want to seem threatening.
The other suits immediately pointed their weapons in Loki’s direction. Stark remained as he was.
“Well, if it isn’t ol’ Reindeer Games,” the man drawled, mask retreating to show his face. “Back from the dead, are we? Color me surprised.” He was obviously not surprised at all, which made Loki wonder. Had Thor said something? Loki didn’t think Thor had any idea that he’d survived. Could he have been wrong? It was an unsettling thought.
“Rumors of my demise were somewhat exaggerated.”
“You don’t say.”
Loki smiled a bit. He did like this mortal. He certainly had style and a flare for theatrics Loki couldn’t help but appreciate.
“I’ve come to offer you a deal.”
Stark raised an eyebrow. “A deal? What kind of deal?”
The fact that Stark hadn’t opened fired the second he saw Loki was a good sign, but it was only the beginning. Now came the hard part.
“A mutually beneficial agreement, I assure you. I am no longer in the business of world conquering.” Not that he had ever been, really. His experience with ruling Asgard had shown him that leadership was not really a position he was eager to take. Though, of course, he had never intended to rule Midgard – he’d only wanted to escape Thanos by any means necessary. It was simply unfortunate that humans had suffered for it.
“Despite what some people seem to think, I’m not king of the world. I don’t have the authority to make any kind of deal with you.”
“Yes, I am aware of that. But it seemed more prudent to approach you rather than your world leaders more directly. I hoped you might help to… facilitate negotiations.”
Stark tilted his head to the side a bit, watching Loki with sharp intelligent eyes. “What about Thor? Does he know you’re here making deals?”
Though it was tempting, Loki knew it wouldn’t help his case to say Thor was on his side to help get his foot in the door, as it were. Loki didn’t think Thor would be returning to Midgard any time soon, but it was still too risky. Besides, Loki also needed protection from Asgard.
“Thor knows nothing of this.” Thor doesn’t know much of anything, really. “He doesn’t know I’m alive. I’m here on my own and I do not speak for Asgard, only myself.”
“And what is it that you think you have to offer?”
Now Loki was really glad he was dealing with Stark and not the Captain or SHIELD. Stark had been on the other side of the portal, he knew what was out there because he had seen it with his own eyes. If anyone had reason to believe Loki and take him seriously, it would be Stark.
“Information about who was really behind the invasion, and what you can expect from their next incursion.”
Stark had a good poker face, Loki had to admit, but there were still telling signs: the tightening of his eyes and the slight pursing of his lips. Thor had told him that Stark was still worried about another invasion (as any sensible person in his position would be), which had, according to Thor, caused the problem with the machine called Ultron. The explanation had not been very intelligible to Loki, since Thor didn’t really know much about how human machines worked. What Loki had taken from it was that the humans would probably welcome more information on their alien problem, and that was something Loki could provide. For a price, of course.
“And what would you want in exchange for this information? Assuming I even believe you have anything worth telling.” Whether he believed it or not, he would still listen, Loki was sure.
“Nothing that would be too costly, or that would violate your ethical principles.” SHIELD had no ethical principles to speak of, but Stark seemed to, as did the United Nations council currently in charge of the Avengers (or, at least, they said they did). “Perhaps we could discuss this at a more comfortable location?” Loki suggested.
Stark narrowed his eyes at him. “And why should I believe that you’re not just waiting until we’re somewhere else before putting your evil plan in motion?”
“I could give you my word that I mean you and your world no harm, but I don’t think that would be sufficient. So I’m prepared to agree to whatever conditions you deed necessary.” He looked Stark straight in the eye and continued with as much sincerity as he could muster. “I’m not here to fight. I only want you to listen to what I have to say before deciding to lock me up.” It was unlikely that the humans had the means to truly detain Loki, but it wouldn’t do to be overconfident. It would certainly not help his case if he escaped their custody without getting his deal.
“All right, we’ll listen. But that’s all I can promise right now.” Stark finally said. It was more than Asgard had done, and wasn’t that ironic? “For now you stand right there and don’t make any sudden moves.”
Loki nodded, keeping his posture open and relaxed. Stark’s faceplate came down again and he stepped a bit further back, no doubt conferring with the other Avengers about how to proceed. The two empty suits remained in position, ready to blast him at the first sign of trouble.
Again Loki waited. So far things had gone well enough. It was always good to deal with intelligent, level-headed people.
After a few minutes, a portal appeared out of nowhere and a man dressed in odd clothes and a swirling red cape came through it. The portal was obviously magical in nature and Loki widened his eyes as it closed. He had not been aware that humans were capable of such things, despite the so-called witch. That new magic user might be real after all. Perhaps Odin was not the only one to have underestimated them.
“Loki, this is Dr Strange, our new magic expert,” Stark said. “Strange, Loki. He claims to have dropped his world domination kink and to have information for us.”
The new man, Strange, looked unimpressed. He produced a set of handcuffs and took a step in Loki’s direction, gesturing for him to extend his hands. Loki could sense magic coming from the cuffs, though the feel of it was unfamiliar. Just how long had humans been able to do magic? And how had he never noticed it before?
Loki allowed the cuffs to be placed on him without complaint. There was an odd sensation for a moment, like a slight burn on his wrists. It was not like the Argardian cuffs he’d been shackled with the last time he was here; its dampening effect was not as strong. Loki was sure that, with a bit of effort, he’d be able to get free. For now, however, he did nothing.
“Right. Shall we, then?” Stark asked, not taking his eyes off Loki.
“By all means,” Loki replied.
Strange opened another portal. Stark stepped through first and waited on the other side. At a nod from Strange, Loki followed. Once Strange and the armors had also gotten to the other side, the portal closed.
“Most impressive,” Loki commented.
The room they were in was a corridor with cells along one side. Oh, how charming, Loki thought. It wasn’t unexpected, though. Of course the humans would be wary of him.
“So, I take it that I’m to be a prisoner?” he asked in a casual tone.
Stark gave him a sharp grin. “You’re… a guest, shall we say.” He motioned to the closest cell and the glass door slid open.
Loki eyed the cell. It was no doubt heavily monitored and as strong as Stark’s technology could make it. He wondered if it had been designed to withstand the Hulk like the one at SHIELD’s flying fortress. Still, it looked comfortable enough at least.
“I am willing to cooperate. As I said, I’m not here to hurt anyone.”
“Well, excuse me if I don’t quite believe you.”
As soon as Loki got into the cell, the door closed again. Despite its “amenities”, it still reminded him of his cell in the dungeons of Asgard. Only this time he would not have Frigga’s visits to look forward to (even though he’d been angry with her at the time). And, hopefully, this would be only temporary and not a life sentence.
“We’ll be back in a little while,” Stark told him. “We have to take your… proposal… to our superiors. Behave.”
They all departed; Stark, Strange and the suits. Loki looked around his cell and sighed. He made himself comfortable on the bed – nice to have it, really – and sat in to wait. It seemed to be all he did these days, much to his annoyance.
Once again, Loki’s thoughts strayed to Asgard and what might be happening there. Would Odin tell Thor of Loki’s escape? Would he send his golden son all over the Nine Realms to apprehend his wayward pawn? Or would he just forget Loki had ever existed, going on as if nothing had happened? If Thor was sent after him, he would eventually make his way to Midgard, if only to warn his shield brothers that Loki still lived. Loki didn’t think that would be done right away, though – at least that was what he was counting on. By the time Thor showed up, Loki hoped to have secured himself a deal. Of course, Odin could push it and demand Loki’s return despite any deals, yet Loki didn’t think he’d do that. It would risk exposing the fact that Loki had spent a considerable time impersonating Odin. Unless Odin decided to just have him executed right away.
There was no use worrying about worst case scenarios now, Loki told himself firmly. The wheels were in motion and he had no choice but to see it through to the end. It was impossible to anticipate all possibilities and plan for every contingency, not in his position. He would just have to hope that the humans were more interested in their own survival than making him pay for the destruction he’d caused in their world. Without SHIELD, Loki figured he had a chance.
The break-up of the Avengers team was a double-edged sword for him, he knew. While the current line-up might be more willing to listen, they might also, perhaps, be less inclined to trust him. From what Loki understood from his research on the matter, Rogers and his faction had betrayed not just Stark and the other Avengers, but had also managed to completely turn the population against them. The dead witch could be a dangerous precedent for Loki, though the fact that they had a new magic user might help.
He wished he’d had more time to truly delve into what had happened. Unfortunately, half a day of frantic reading was all he’d been able to manage. There was no telling when Thor would come, so Loki could not afford to delay too much. Making plans without all the relevant information was never a good idea, but needs must and all that.
There was nothing to do. Idleness had never sat well with Loki, though for different reasons than Thor. Thor hated inaction because he always wanted to do things: train, fight, drink, go on adventures, prove himself. Loki hated it because it gave him time to think and fret. He really was his own worst enemy sometimes. Thinking led to insecurities and uncertainties, it made him question himself and everyone else. While Thor got bored with nothing to do, Loki got anxious, and anxiety led him to making mistakes – sometimes huge, terrible mistakes.
Focus, he told himself. He tried to keep his body relaxed with only limited success. Talking his way out of trouble had, for the most part, worked well for him in the past, and this was exactly what he had set up to do. He had valuable information to offer and he had his magic – still somewhat drained after the stress of the last few years – so he was not helpless. The humans weren’t Thanos. He wouldn’t go as far as to say he had nothing to fear from them – the Hulk had made a very eloquent point about how not invulnerable he was – but it was not the same as it had been before with first Thanos and then Asgard. At least that was what he kept telling himself in order to keep from panicking. It will be all right. I can do this.
He didn’t know how much time passed before Stark finally returned with the Mind Stone creature beside him.
“So,” Stark began. “First of all, this conversation is being recorded.” Loki nodded, already aware of that. “I can’t promise anything, but if you give us something useful, we might be able to… make some kind of deal. So far you’ve said what you have; now you need to tell us what you want, ‘cause frankly I can’t see that we primitive humans have much to offer you.”
“You might be ‘primitive’ by some of Asgard’s standards, but you still destroyed most of the Chitauri fleet with a single weapon. Asgard would be fools to dismiss you.” And they were fools, of course, the lot of them. So sure of their own superiority they hadn’t managed any original thoughts or advancements in ages.
Stark’s mouth tightened, “If you’re going with flattery, I can tell you now that’s a bad tactic. Unlike what you might have been told, I’m not ruled by my ego.” There was an edge to his voice that made Loki wonder what was behind those words.
“I’m not trying to flatter you. I’m just telling you that you do have things I want.”
“A nuke?” Stark asked with a frown.
“No. Protection.”
The Mind Stone creature tilted its head. “Protection from what?”
It was disconcerting looking at it, the Mind Stone shining on its forehead. What kind of powers did it possess? Loki shuddered involuntarily.
“Oh, sorry, forgot the introductions,” Stark said, no doubt noticing Loki’s reaction to the creature. “This is Vision. Vision, Loki.” He paused. “And yes, that’s the Mind Stone on his head.”
With an effort, Loki tore his eyes off from Vision to focus back on Stark. “Ah. And how did that come about?” he asked, tone as casual as he could make it.
“Tell you what. A story for a story. We’ll tell you how Vision came to be if you tell us how you faked your death and what you’ve been doing since that would require protection from us lowly humans.”
“Very well. I have been doing the same thing you have: preparing for the next invasion. The one that threatens us all.”
“Preparing how? And what about the faking your death bit?”
“What did Thor tell you?”
Stark snorted. “The usual, which wasn’t much. Something about an invasion of Elves and you dying a heroic death.”
“I was injured, that much is true. I simply… allowed Thor to think the worst.”
“So you pretended to be dead?”
“Thor was very quick to write me off. It hardly needed much effort on my part.” Loki didn’t think he was very successful in hiding his bitterness.
“Okay, so you fooled Thor into thinking you were dead. Then what?”
“Then I… have been arranging to bolster Asgard and its allies’ defenses. Discreetly.”
“And by discreetly you mean without telling people you’re still alive and kicking.”
“Precisely.”
“So coming here isn’t a good idea. I mean, we could tell Thor what you’ve been up to.”
“You could. But I would rather you didn’t. And, as I said, I am willing to give you information and assist you in preparing your own defenses in exchange for your cooperation. Now, I’ve answered your question.”
Stark and Vision looked at each other and Stark nodded. “All right, fair enough.”
Their version of the tale regarding the original Avengers’ last battle was vastly different from Thor’s, not surprisingly. Though neither Stark nor Vision said it outright, Loki could tell they had not been impressed with Thor overall and were, in fact, probably glad to be rid of the big oaf. Loki could sympathize. Thor was an excellent warrior on the battlefield, but outside of it he was often dismissive of others and too quick to pass judgment and jump to conclusions. As a man of intellect, Stark would likely not have the patient for that.
Loki remembered Barton telling him about Stark’s ghostly creations. It had sounded intriguing, yet Loki had been too focused on surviving to pay much attention to it at the time. Perhaps he would get the opportunity to rectify that now. It was pretty amazing that Stark had managed to, for all intents and purposes, tame an Infinity Stone, and after it had been used to create a destructive force like Ultron. Very impressive indeed.
There were still a lot of unanswered questions about Vision’s abilities, but Loki was satisfied with the explanation so far. He didn’t want to seem too demanding right off the bat.
“Very well. We have each answered the other’s question. Will you agree to the terms I have proposed?”
“You want protection from Asgard then? You want us to not hand you over to Thor when he comes back? Is that it?”
“Yes. I believe the word you use is… asylum.”
“Asylum,” Stark repeated, as if unsure how truthful Loki was. “And what happens when Thor just does what he wants regardless of what us puny humans think? What makes you think he’ll even care what we have to say?”
“Thor will care. He might not like it, but if you tell him your leaders have agreed to it, he will have to honor that.” Odin might not, but that was a different matter. Loki had spent that last year hammering diplomacy into Thor’s head, at least when it came to respecting other realms’ authorities. It sometimes took pointed reminders of the fiasco with the Frost Giants to get through to him. Still, Loki was pretty confident that Thor would at least think about the possible consequences of his actions in other worlds rather than continue with his previous tendency to just do whatever he wanted at any given time. His time in Midgard had not changed him completely, of course, but it had at least made him aware of his flaws. The woman he’d been enamored with ending their relationship had also had an impact in his overall arrogance and self-importance.
“Well, as I said, I don’t make the decisions. I’ll take it up with the people who do. You’ll have to tell us something good before we agree, though. And I want answers to a lot of questions as well.”
“I will answer them to the best of my abilities.” Loki assented.
“All right. Viz, you got anything else?”
“Nothing at the moment, no.”
“Okay, good. So, we’ll get on that. You,” Stark told Loki “stay here. We’ll get you something to eat if you want.”
“That would be appreciated.”
“Viz, you got this?”
“Yes.”
“Cool. Guess I’ll see you… later.”
“I look forward to it,” Loki said. So far so good.