My Friend Loki: The Price You Pay

Part 9

While Loki was giving me his statement on the murder case, he revealed some information that was unsettling.

"You blacked out?" I asked carefully, repeating what he had just said to me for confirmation.

Loki nodded and continued.

"Yes. As I said, I never blackout," he took a deep breath, pulling the blanket closer around him, "when I reawoke, I found myself on the floor... I was holding a knife in my hand, with blood on it... there was also blood on my hands... when I tried to move, I suddenly felt excruciating pain on my left side."

My eyes widened in alarm.

"Yet... I was able to crawl toward her. She was... dead. There was blood... I could see she had been stabbed several times... It was then, at that moment, my brother returned with the others..."

I could see this specific part of the story Loki was recalling was strongly affecting him in the worst way - his breathing had become laboured, his body was trembling under the blanket and that odd glistening moisture in his eyes had returned.

"Move over," I said.

Loki repositioned himself on the mattress so I could sit beside him. Both our backs were against the wall... now with him leaning on me, and I holding his hand.

"When Thor saw me..." Loki said quietly, "I couldn't think straight. Considering the situation, my worst fears were realized. My reputation... why would anyone believe me? There was nothing I could say or do, so I just resigned myself to my fate, whatever that would be."

"You made no mention of your injuries to anyone?" I asked, incredulous.

Loki sadly shook his head.

I hated to ask, but the timing was never going to ever really present itself, and I had to know, so I just blurted it out, "did Thor, or even the SHIELD agents that questioned you... did they compound your injures in any way?"

"Not as such. Considering the situation, I predicted my brother, in his usual way, would use his brute strength on me, and, of course, believing I was the perpetrator... He knocked me about, wanting answers that I couldn't begin to give. Apart from that, I ended up with this," he pointed to the bruise on his face, "and my back ached for some time. As for SHIELD, their methods were less violent... They attempted to bore me to death with their questions."

"Oh, Loki..." I breathed with sympathy.

Strangely enough, when it came to siblings, on another level, this was something else in which I could identify. In any case, I was gladdened - for lack of a better term - that the majority of Loki's "mystery injuries" were not caused by his brother.

Loki's story, asides from how it was also strongly affecting me, was making some sense, and from what I had originally suspected... my worst fears were also realized. Sure, it was possible my assumptions could be wrong. Nonetheless, my indecision on not telling Loki certain thoughts I had a week ago now weighed on my mind, but at least if I was correct, I had the means to make this right... but it would take time and I would have to rely on the 'professionals.'

Turning to Loki, I reached out and pushed a few stray dark tresses away from his face. I then put a gentle hand on his cheek and looked in his eyes.

"Loki, those were all my questions," I said quietly, giving him an encouraging smile, "your answers were very helpful." I moved to lean back against the wall, "now knowing what happened from your point of view, we have the means to work on proving your innocence." I turned my head to look at him, "I mean, we already know you're innocent. This is just going to prove it logically. But first thing's first." I pulled out that palm-sized communicator device the Security Guard had given to me. I looked for a specific button and pressed it.

"Hello?" I spoke into the device's - well what looked like - receiver, "I require a medical team to come to the cell."