Home | Loki [Book Two]

Chapter Three

"But I probably shouldn't be just walking around since I'm supposed to be, you know, dead," I said to Loki the next morning. 

"Probably not," he replied. I'd already brought this up twice and it wasn't even nine in the morning. After the first time, he'd opened his book and just tried to put up with my worrying.

"Do you think anyone would recognize me?"

"There is always a possibility of--"

"Hydra, I know," I interrupted. "But didn't we light them on fire?"

"We did, but they still have spies everywhere."

"I know, I know, but do you think they'd actually be looking for me?"

"People don't have to be looking to find out, love."

"You're right," I sighed, "but it's snowing."

"Snow is just water vapor that falls from the sky during the winter months."

"Scientifically, yes," I said, turning away from the window. "Yet it's always so beautiful and amazing... but I never got to do anything more than sweep away the blood that stained the surface from the missions. I never got to enjoy it." I sat down on the bed.

Loki closed his book and stood up. "Then let's go."

"Go where?" 

"Out. You know, see New York."

"Are you okay?" I held up a hand to his forehead, looking for a fever or something. "You were saying just a second ago that it was unsafe to venture out into the city. Now you're saying we should go see New York?"

"I assure you, I'm perfectly healthy." He threw one of his around-the-tower hoodies in my direction. "But you won't be if you don't wear a jacket. Honestly, who wears that in this weather?"

"Hey! I love this halter, thank you very much," I said defensively, but I pulled on the jacket anyway. 

"And you look gorgeous in it, but hypothermia is not fun to deal with." He opened the door for me.

"I think I could handle it." I elbowed him as we walked downstairs to one of the back doors and out onto the street.

The snow was more beautiful than I had expected. Little specks of white covered the surface of every sidewalk, bench, and rooftop. The bright white reflected the winter sunlight off of its spotless surface. A clean slate. A new beginning of sorts. 

Well, it may have been a new beginning, but some things from the past persisted. My hearing picked up on a new threat. "Possible D-84 sighting," the person, most likely Hydra, said, "backup requested--" A snowball whistled through the air and hit the man in the head, knocking him unconscious. 

"Nice shot," I said as Loki brushed the snow off his hands.

"Thanks. Was he Hydra?" We walked over to inspect the now-sleeping person.

"Let's find out." I smashed the communication device on one of the rocks, revealing a small symbol engraved on the inside. "Definitely Hydra."

"Do you think they know?"

"If they're smart, they'll send an investigator. But most likely they'll dismiss the report as a rumor." I stabbed a needle into the side of his neck. 

"What are you doing?" Loki asked.

"I'm making it seem like he was hallucinating, at least from the medical standpoint." I removed the needle. "There's a common drug that frequently makes the user see things that don't actually exist. The residue is pretty harmless, but when he goes in for a medical inspection, they'll probably assume that he was just imagining me being there."

"Clever." He helped me to my feet.

"They'll be sending back--" 

My vision shifted with a sharp pain piercing its way through my skull. Instead of the snowy New York streets, I saw a Hydra team in the back of a van, silent and armed. Before I could get a good look, I was back on the side of the street.

"Delta?" I could hear Loki asking, "They'll be sending what?"

"Backup," I said quickly. "The guy called for backup, so some Hydra soldiers will be on their way already..." 

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." My phone vibrated in my pocket.

"Who's that?"

"Stark. He says he needs everyone back at the tower." We teleported back near the entrance of the tower.

"What is going on?" Loki asked once we reached one of the floors.

"Truth or dare?" Stark asked, ignoring the devastation around the couch he was sitting on.

"Excuse me?"

"It's a game. Now, truth or dare?"

"What is the difference?"

I answered this time. "If you pick truth, you have to answer whatever question he asks of you. Truthfully," I emphasized. "Picking dare means that you have to do whatever the challenge is."

"Why would I participate--"

"Because it's fun, Loki." I sat down in on the floor, throwing a broken table leg in Natasha's direction. "Dare."

"I dare you to go up to the top of the tower and slide down to the bottom by the street."

The room erupted into a series of "she can't do that," "that's a death sentence," and the like. 

"And if you don't accept," Stark added, "you have to drink a mixture of mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon juice."

"Fine." I climbed up to the top of the tower as the rest craned their necks to watch how it would go. Stark was trying to video the entire thing.

Once everyone was there, I stepped out a slip down the side and past them in a flash, leaving them open-mouthed. As the ground rushed up to meet me, I teleported away while and illusion stayed behind to convince them that I had actually done it.

"Was that good enough, Stark?" I shouted up to them from the ground. I didn't wait for an answer as I ran back up to the top, where a new challenge was already presenting itself. 

"No," Loki was saying. "I will not participate in this game of your's."

"He picks dare," I said from behind him.

"I do not!"

Thor laughed and muttered something that I couldn't hear. Loki grinned and snapped his fingers and Stark disappeared, replaced by an extremely fluffy sloth, which proceeded to attempt (and fail) to yell in rage. The room erupted into laughter at the result of the dare that Thor had presented Loki with.

"Are you ever going to change him back?" I asked. 

"I'll consider it," Loki said as the sloth slowly threatened Loki with his tiny fist.