Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 142

Loki refuses to ask FRIDAY for help.

He doesn't care how long he spends wandering around helplessly in the compound. He refuses to ask FRIDAY for help. He'll walk the entire compound alone if that's what it takes, but he will never ask that AI for help. She's not JARIVS. She's never going to be JARVIS. He's not going to pretend otherwise.

Fortunately, after what feels like hours of walking (though in reality, it can't be much more than 20 minutes), he runs into Clint and Natasha. It's a rare moment when running into these two is considered fortunate, but Natasha and Clint have been suspiciously nice to him lately, so he's not overly concerned about anything going too horribly wrong.

Natasha smiles when she sees him, clearly a bit surprised, but not in a bad way. "Hey, you looking for something?"

"Is it that obvious?" Loki asks.

"Little bit," she says. "What're you looking for? Thor? Rogers? Ice cream?"

"Banner, actually," Loki says. He hasn't really gotten to talk to him yet. He'd like to think a conversation would go better without Wanda and Pietro present – and if it doesn't, they could always pivot their attention to his work. "I assume he's in his lab, though I'm not sure where that lab is."

"Oh, yeah, we can take you," Natasha offers. "It's not too far."

Help from Natasha and Clint is marginally better than help from FRIDAY, so he accepts the offer. It's easier than walking around the whole compound.

As they show him where to go, he makes a point of looking around, trying to at least kind of familiarize himself with the layout of the building. It's going to take more than a walk to the lab to really get to know the place, but it's a good start.

It's quiet at first, until Natasha asks, "How're you liking the compound so far?"

Loki shrugs awkwardly. "It's nice." It's more than nice, really, but he doesn't particularly want to ramble about it right now — not to them, at least. It's nice to no longer be public enemy number one, especially where Clint's concerned, but he wouldn't call them friends, either.

Natasha doesn't seem to get the memo, because she tries to keep the conversation going. "I'm sure the fresh air's nice."

"Mm," Loki hums. The fresh air is very nice. The fact that he hadn't been outside in years, on the other hand, is not nice. He'd go as far as to say it's embarrassing, and certainly not something he would like to talk about right now.

They lapse into silence again, and Natasha glances at Clint, who glances back at her. They don't say a word, but it feels like some sentiment was exchanged there somehow. A part of him finds it uncomfortable, but another part of him knows he and Thor have used the same kind of silent communication before, and it would be rather hypocritical to hold that against them.

Finally, they reach the lab. This is something Loki has been somewhat excited since he first heard there was a new lab here. He's been looking forward to seeing the layout and what kinds of equipment it has and all the different things he could research here. Midgardian science is fascinating to him, and he'll take any chance to see what kinds of inventions they've come up with to further their research.

He doesn't really get the chance to enjoy any of it. His gaze falls on Wanda almost immediately, and any semblance of excitement he'd had fades in an instant. He'd known there was a chance she would be here. He'd tried to prepare himself for it. It doesn't make him feel any better to see her lying in a recliner with electrodes covering her head. Not only is Bruce working with Wanda; he's working on her – and, in essence, still experimenting with the Mind Stone.