A Tale of Mischief and Mutants part 2

Easing Fear

—-Sam—-

Ok I'm talking to my favorite actor right now but I need to keep my cool. I keep myself professional as I ask Tom various questions. Tom is obviously pretty shaken up by everything he's been through in the last few hours and I can tell he's not one hundred percent comfortable with Loki being here either. In fact I think he's probably terrified of Lo'.

He's a sweetheart though and is trying his best to be polite regardless of his fear of the current situation. He's actually keeping his cool really well for a civilian... he's even handling this better than I do sometimes. When my anxiety takes over I just become a mess. I listen as Tom explains what we can expect to face from what he's seen.

These people don't sound like they'll be that big of a problem for Loki and I to deal with, just some guys with guns. It's kinda underwhelming but then again having the bad guys have any ridiculous weapons or abilities that would level the playing field would feel enormously out of place for this show, Lost was never one for super powered characters.

The closest the show got to that sort of thing were characters that could make people around them have bad luck (more of a curse really), talk to dead people, be able to withstand a large amount of electromagnetism, live for a really freaking long time, see the future, or have the rules of time travel not apply to them. Not the best abilities for combat situations.

As I shift the position I'm standing in I ignore the sharp pain in my chest. The bastards did to Tom what was done to Sawyer in season three of the show they poked a large hypodermic needle into his chest then told him he was given a modified pace maker that would stop his heart if it started beating too fast, which was a lie. In the show they did it to con Sawyer in order to earn his respect as Sawyer was an excellent conman but doing that to a man as kind as Tom was just cruel.

Suffice to say the poor man was terrified. He's obviously still full of anxiety over the situation and I hate that we're leaving him behind. It's too dangerous to bring him into the fight though so before Loki and I leave Tom to look after Amy in a relatively good hiding spot I summon a hand gun and offer it to him the barrel tipped down towards the ground.

"Do you know how to use this?"

His eyes widen at the sight of the gun.

"Heavens no."

He shakes his head adamantly looking terrified of the object.

"It's ok I'll show you how to use it."

He shakes his head again. I look to him reassuringly.

"We can't just leave you alone and defenseless I promise you if you just follow some simple gun safety rules you'll be just fine. You can do this Tom."

He reluctantly takes it holding it like he expects it to suddenly go off. I sigh.

"You know I'm aware it's not a very good comparison but you've been in war movies... so I know you should have a basic concept about how to handle a gun."

He seems to have a realization at that and  readjusts his hold on the gun so he's holding it with a little more confidence. I nod in approval then go on to teach him how to use it and basic safety precautions like never aiming it at anything you don't intend to shoot, making sure the safety is on, etc.

I also explain the situation we're in various threats there are in the show and how to combat them. I'm especially sure to stress that he shouldn't shoot anything unless he's sure what it is he's aiming at so nobody goes the way of a character named Shannon.

"Think you got it?"

"Yeah I... I think so."

He nods hesitantly. I smile at him and make an attempt to ease his anxiety.

"I just had one more question before we go..."

He looks at me expectantly just as filled with anxiety as I go on.

"Is Orm really dead?"

He smirks at my question and laughs slightly my question badgering him about a character he's played easing his nerves slightly.

"Princess, my apologies but you know I'm sworn to secrecy."

"Dang, well it was worth a shot. Anyway we'll be back as soon as we can."

I'm happy to see Tom looks way less stressed now. As I'm walking with Loki in the direction Tom told us he saw them take Mazouz I catch him looking at me with a peculiar smile.

"What?"

"You are exceptionally good at easing people's fears. It's no wonder you were able to calm my own... you have a gift. Meanwhile I cause fear wherever I go."

"Hey, that's not entirely your fault that Titan jackass hijacked your emotions and sent you down here. You have to remember that, you can't keep beating yourself up over it. Don't give me any crap about not fighting him hard enough, you did better than most would do in that situation you kept the Soul Stone hidden and you managed to limit casualties during a freaking alien invasion. If it hadn't been you at the helm, things would've turned out worse, much worse."

He smiles slightly at my words its a timid smile I'm not used to seeing from him... it's absolutely adorable. I take his hand.

"Come on handsome we've got asses to kick"

He smiles mischievously at my callback to him flirting with Tom and we're on our way.