Coffee and Books 2

Restraints

The king of Asgard and the billionaire inventor both stare at the two objects on the table between them. "Are you sure these can restrict his magic?" Thor sounds doubtful. "My brother is a Master of Magic, it is in his blood. I'm not sure two Earth-made metal cuffs can keep him under control."

Tony Stark huffs and picks one of the metal bracelets up from the table. "This is vibranium, Point Break. There is no way your evil adopted brother can break them."

"He's not evil," Thor interjects sternly. "Loki has redeemed himself, without him our people would have been slaughtered on the Rainbow Bridge or would have perished with the rest of Asgard!" Thor's one eye peers angrily at his fellow Avenger.

"Don't loose your cool, buddy," Tony shushes, holding up his hands in apology. "You have told the story often enough. Your belief in Loki is the only reason I even designed these things in the first place." He turns the metal cuff around in his hands; although tested thoroughly in his lab, the real test will be when they enclose them on Loki's wrists. They are smaller - a lot smaller - versions of the metal box-like restraints that are used by S.H.I.E.L.D. to contain beings with magical powers. "With some more time I could have designed something a little more sophisticated, but this will do."

"He will not like them anyway," Thor answers solemnly.

"We are letting him out of prison," Tony reminds his the thundergod pointedly. "He has no say in this! Loki may have shown his good side to the people of Asgard, yet here on Earth we still remember the horrors of six years ago all too vividly!" Tony clenches his jaw; he is of a mind to throw the metal cuffs in the bin and tell Thor that black-haired brother of his can rot in jail for the rest of his life. Loki being a demi-god, that is a lot of jailtime to be looking upon.

Thor pulls Tony's thoughts back to the present. "The people of Asgard are very grateful we can have Loki back in our midst," the Asgardian says humbly. "We have lost so much, it is important we stick together."

"Yeah, yeah," Tony replies gruffly. "Let's get this over with."

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Tony checks his tools for the seventh time in twelve minutes. The worklab at the remote S.H.I.E.L.D. facility is almost as well equipped as his own lab, he should have every tool he might need. Not that he needs it, he tested the restraints one last time before they left the city; they work perfectly, the settings are even adjustable, a feature Thor specifically asked for. The king of Asgard seems to think Loki can roam the Earth without magic restraints in time. Tony scoffs with disdain, even though he is the only one in the room. He whips out his tablet again, looking at the settings. He made them stronger than the standard S.H.I.E.L.D. restraints, which leave just a tiny bit of magic to remain. Tony's finger lingers over the slider for the settings on the screen, his eyes glazing over at the memory of the alien invasion. At the sound of the door opening behind him, his finger slides up and he quickly locks the screen to turn around at his company.

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The automatic door slides open for Thor after he presses his thumb to the keypad. It is an act he has become all too familiar with in the past months, same as the room he is walking into now. The space is dominated by the round glass cell in the middle; white floor, white ceiling, glass all around. The cell is minimally furnished with a white bed with dove grey blankets, a white table with a matching chair and a small bookcase, also white. Thor's brother is lying on the bed, his hands folded on his chest and his eyes closed. The raven-haired Asgardian prince stands out from his white surroundings, wearing attire from his home realm in his usual black and dark green.

"Hello, brother," Loki says quietly the moment Thor stops in front of the glass.

"Hello, Loki," Thor answers amicably. "Have you said goodbye to your surroundings already?"