My Friend Loki: The Price You Pay

Part 2

Within the designated seating area for patrons in a food court in a mall, despite the usual distracting and ambient sounds of the aforementioned patrons, Loki and I were enjoying each other's company. I was drinking coffee, and he, his first milkshake.

"How have you been adapting to Earth, I mean, Midgard?" I asked him.

The happiness dimmed from his face, and he lowered his eyes.

"Not very well, I'm afraid..." he seemed to be struggling with what to say, then shrugged and said, "it's been... a difficult transition."

"How so?"

He took his time in responding, and again I saw him struggle. A worried smile came to his face, "I don't want to burden you with my troubles."

"It's okay," I said, gently putting my hand on his arm, "you can tell me. Maybe," I looked carefully at him, "in some way, I could help?"

Loki patted my hand on his arm, pursed his lips and nodded. He took a deep breath.

"Are you aware I have visited Midgard before?"

"Yes. Yes, I am," I said quietly. "Your actions, shall I say, left quite the impact..."

I recalled when the story broke about the Battle of New York. Peter Mansbridge kept us Canadians informed covering the story for CBC news, while CNN had their usual heyday discussing everything about it to the nth degree.

"At the time, those actions..." Loki said, "I felt there was a glorious purpose to it all." He now spoke with a voice that was soft and somewhat strained. "Now looking back, those memories, even those... before... haunt me. I wish I could forget, but I can't... and neither could they."

"They? Who are 'they?'"

Loki looked away for a moment, composing his thoughts, then continued, "When my brother and I returned to Midgard, I was abruptly taken into custody by SHIELD. I was detained for quite some time," he clasped his hands on the table, his right thumb rubbing his left palm, "I've previously known detainment, I'm also familiar with imprisonment... This time, however, I was quite beside myself..." he closed his eyes for a moment, shaking his head with unease. His voice was tinged with disbelief, "the agent who... I believe the term is 'collared' me... I recognized as someone I thought I had mortally wounded on my previous visit... I was so certain that I had. Yet... there he was." Loki paused for a moment, the thought of this still hard for him to process.

I stayed silent. I mean, I had no idea what to say... but I felt I needed to do something. I took a risk - reaching out, I gently put my hand on top of his clasped ones. It seemed to be the right thing. He looked at me with an expression I could only describe as relief to be distracted from those unwelcome thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Beverlee. I digressed." He took a sip of his milkshake then continued.

"SHIELD and from what I understand, other related parties were content to have me remain 'contained', thinking it would be better for Midgard to have me no longer see the light of day..."

"They..." I began to ask, incredulous on what I just heard, "didn't offer you the choice to never come back to Midgard?"

"In their infinite wisdom, with my brother here, they surmised I wouldn't be too far away to possibly cause some other kind of mischief for the planet somewhere." Loki's voice was solemn, "they wouldn't be wrong."

"Yet, you're here. What happened?"

"My brother made a plea to them and gave testimony I was no longer the same person that I once was. Of course, they were skeptical, but my brother regaled them with my actions during Ragnarok, when Asgard met its tragic fate. He also made no bones about my actions during that... 'other event'. Some of my brother's friends also rallied to his side to help sway opinion..." Loki exhibited a tiny smile as he recalled the memory, "that Stark fellow really knows how to, I think the term is, "work the system?"

I was glad to see Loki at least smile for a brief moment. His story was making my heart both pound and break at the same time.

"There's more, I take it?" I asked carefully. Loki nodded, with a frown.

"They agreed to let me stay, with the following conditions. I am under temporary probation, to earn their trust. If I put a foot wrong doing some kind of deed that causes death or destruction to others, asides from coincidences, I... I will be taken by any force necessary and imprisoned for life," he then proceeded to roll his sleeve up to his wrist, revealing a thin bracelet, "I am to wear... this... so I can be tracked. They say it's simply a precaution."

He could see I was curious about this tracker and presented his wrist closer for me to examine. While observing it, Loki gave me an affirmative nod and a simple hand gesture toward the wrist in question - permission to also examine the tamper-resistant bracelet 'hands-on.' The material felt like a type of hard plastic. It was also transparent, allowing me to see within it the high-tech electronics. The way how those at SHIELD fashioned the bracelet on Loki, there was a tiny blinking light positioned at the middle of his inner wrist. Upon closer observation, I found it bittersweet to see a logo printed on the item... Stark Industries.

I suddenly had a worrisome thought.

"Loki, about this tracker," I said, still holding his braceleted wrist, and looking up at him with concern, "while we know it's SHIELD that is behind this, did they give you any information on exactly who are the ones that are 'tracking' you?"

"I was told it would be a secret department of a few people. The information would remain in that department, classified, only to be released to other related parties during an unexplained occurrence or event... and only with probable cause I was breaking my probation." He looked into my eyes, "why do you ask?"

"Umm," I couldn't tell Loki what I was actually thinking, I didn't want to make him feel any worse than he already felt, or possibly seed something in his head that he might instigate, "just basic curiosity. It sounds like the powers that be at SHIELD know what they are doing." I released his wrist - not fully realizing I still had been holding it - trying to keep my nagging thoughts at bay, "I'm so sorry for what happened to you. But... considering the circumstances, it's not exactly the worst price tag for your freedom, is it?"

"No. No, it's not," he said, rolling his sleeve back down. "Thank you for listening, Beverlee. I feel better that at least someone knows."

"All part of the friendship agreement," I smiled.

"I don't know what that means... but I do like the sound of it," Loki said wryly, with a smile returning to his face.

We were then interrupted by a deep voice that called out to Loki, one I didn't immediately recognize...