Weakness | Loki [Book One]

Chapter Fifteen

Kathy and I continued to search for her brother, but we found nothing helpful. The fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the rise of Hydra had sent anyone even remotely associated with S.H.I.E.L.D. into hiding. 

"Have you found anything?" Loki asked one day as we sat in the coffee shop at our usual table.

"As far as Kathy is concerned, no," I said. 

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I did find something." I opened my computer, which displayed a sloppy hospital record. "I hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sort of refugee server and found this. He fits the description of her brother and has the same name."

"Loss of motor skills, obvious gaps in vocabulary," Loki read, "due to cerebral hypoxia? What's that?"

"Lack of oxygen of a prolonged amount of time," I answered. "The reports said that he'd been dropped in the ocean and barely saved by Jemma Simmons, fellow scientist. Basically, he just was underwater for too long."

"And you're not telling her this because you don't want her worried, correct?"

"She's already worried, I just want her to still be able to sleep. I'm tracking the records, so I'll know if anything changes for the better. I at least want to have some good news when I before I tell her that her brother nearly drowned."

"He's alive. That's good news."

"True, but still." I stared down at my tea. 

"What's bothering you?" Loki asked. 

"Nothing."

"I'm not an idiot, love. I've known you long enough to know when something is on your mind."

"Seriously, it's nothing. I'm just thinking."

"About?"

"Things."

"Things? For example?"

"You."

"Me?" Loki asked in surprise.

"Yeah. You're complicated, and it bothers me."

"I am not complicated. It's extremely simple: Loki comes first."

"Exactly!" I said. "The thing is, those who are heartless once cared too much."

"It's not that I don't care."

"Then what is it, Loki?"

"I don't know what it is. But I assure you, there are things I care about."

"Like what? Name one thing other than yourself." I crossed my arms and leaned back against my chair. 

"You." Loki covered his mouth as if trying to take the word back. "Wait. I didn't mean to say--" 

The simplest way to describe was interrupted Loki was the building blowing up. There was a huge bang! and half of the little coffee shop was blown to smithereens. The other half burst into flames. Loki and I had been right in the middle, but I'd still been thrown into the opposite wall, blacking out.

"Delta? Delta, wake up!" 

I blinked; the light was too bright. Was it moving? Oh yes, that was fire. Fun. 

"Delta, nod if you can hear me."

I nodded. It hurt to, but whatever. 

"Stay with me," Loki said as he picked me up and teleported me to the tower. "Stark!" he shouted. 

"What do you--oh my gosh, what happened?" Tony asked when he saw us.

"Terrorist or Hydra attack, I don't know."

"I know a doctor."

"Quickly, Stark." Loki started following him.

"Loki?" I asked quietly. "What happened?"

"You were injured. It's not major."

"Don't lie to me. I can feel the blood, you know."

"Just hold on, okay?"

Stark opened the door of a car, then gave Happy directions. "I have to let her know you're coming, but I'll be there to pay the bill as soon as I can."

"How far is it?" Loki asked once we were on our way. 

"Twenty minutes. You're lucky, the doctor happened to be in town."

"We can do better." I don't know what he did, but I'm pretty sure it was only a five minutes drive after that point. 

"What happened?" a lady dressed in doctor's clothing asked. 

"Purposeful explosion, probably Hydra," Loki answered quickly. "She's Asgardian, but Hydra did other experiments that we don't know the details of."

"I'll be careful." 

I was laid down on a medical table and immediately injected with some kind of anesthesia. I was too tired to tell them that it had no effect, even when they pulled the piece of metal from my side. By this point, I was used to Hydra not caring if I felt pain during procedures or not. I'd learned to bite the bullet and live through it. Even so, I passed out, from blood loss or pain I don't know.

When I woke up, a huge bandage was wrapped around my midsection. It limited mobility, but it seemed to be healing my wounds faster than expected. Or maybe that was the Asgardian in me. 

"How are you feeling?" Loki asked from his chair beside my bed. 

"Well, I can feel my legs now, so that's a good sign."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier that you couldn't feel your legs?" Loki said exasperatedly. 

"It didn't seem important."

"Of course it's important. Anything else I should know about?"

"Probably not." I started to unwrap the bandage. 

"What are you doing?"

"It's healed. I see no reason to stay." I disconnected myself from the various machines, finished recording the doctor's notes for her, and was about to leave when she walked in. 

"It's healed itself, I presume?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Come back in a month."

"Okay. Can I leave?"

"Yes." She left, taking her clipboard with her. 

"I told you I could," I said to Loki. I tried to stand up, but my legs gave way and I would've fallen if Loki hadn't been right there, nervously hovering. 

"Steady," he said, providing support as we left the hospital room. One of Stark's drivers was waiting for us in the lobby of the building to take us back to the tower. 

"Delta!" Kathy ran out to meet us when we returned. 

"Hey, Kathy," I said. 

"Everyone was so worried!"

"I sincerely doubt that," I muttered as Kathy continued to talk at inhuman speeds. Loki snickered. 

After we left Kathy back at her room, Loki walked me to mine, where I sat down on the bed with a computer.

"You need to sleep," Loki said. 

"I disagree."

Loki sighed. "What're you going to work on?"

"Finding Kathy's brother," I said. "Do you want to help? I could use a second pair of eyes."

"Alright." Loki sat down next to me. At some point, Loki's shoulder became my pillow and I fell asleep.