Chapter 27
"You let him off on an insanity plea?" Clint practically shrieked. In the background, Tony was choking on his scotch with Steve patting him on the back a little harder than necessary, Bruce was doing breathing exercises, and Natasha was muttering something angrily in Russian. "He's not being punished for what he did?"
"On the contrary!" Thor's hackles rose in defense of his little brother, "He suffers greatly for his actions. He nearly died of the injuries we dealt him, and his recovery is slow and painful. Nor would it have been fair to try him for crimes that he does not remember committing."
"Oh this is rich." Tony had his breath back, "We're supposed to believe that he conveniently lost his memory of everything he could be punished for? Bull-fucking-shit."
"He lost his memory of the entire past five years, long before any of the damage he did. He was shocked when he woke to find that we were full grown."
"Shouldn't five years be practically no time to your people?" Scientific curiosity had overcome Bruce's internal struggle.
"Five Asgardian years. Time passes differently there than here, and although thousands of your years have passed since my birth, I am still only twenty-five."
Steve did some quick math. "So you're saying that Loki has reverted to a teenager?"
"No." It was Bruce that answered. "Even if his memories cut off in his teens, he'd still have the brain of a 20-whatever he is."
"Twenty-three." Thor supplied.
Bruce nodded. "Yes, thank you. Our brains and therefore our thought processes and experiences of the world continue developing well into our twenties. He may not remember anything past the age of 18, but he surely still has the mental and emotional maturity of a 23-year-old."
"That's beside the point. He's dangerous. Let's pretend for a moment that he is telling the truth about not remembering." Natasha brought the focus back to the issue at hand. "What happens when he regains his memory and goes evil again? If he's let to go free, the past will just repeat itself."
"He is telling the truth and the past won't repeat itself." Thor paced in agitation. "We've taken precautions. The finest healers in the realm have confirmed that his injuries and memory loss are real. He's seeing a mind healer and we are attentive to his needs."
"And when his memory comes back?" Steve prompted, clamping a hand over Tony's mouth as he tried to say something ill-advised. "Ow! Tony! No biting!"
"His memory has begun to return, and with our love and support and the help of the mind healer he is handling it well. He wishes to help mend the damage he has done."
"Right, and I wish to donate my entire fortune to charity. He's the god of lies, and we all know you're not the brightest especially when it comes to him, big guy." Tony wriggled free and put a couch between himself and Steve in case the super soldier tried to muzzle him again.
Thunder started to crackle overhead, and Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. "Thor, please…"
Natasha tried to appeal to reason again. "Thor, even if we agreed to it, Fury would never allow you to bring him back here. You know that. Please make the storm stop."
"I'm telling." Clint whipped out his cell phone. "I'm calling Fury and telling him you want to bring Loki back to Earth."
"Finally a sensible plan!" Thor beamed. "He shall be pleased to hear of our success!"
Clint put the call on speakerphone. "Barton, how the hell did you get my private number. This had better be good."
"Oh it is." He assured his boss, "Thor is here and he's trying to persuade us to let him bring Loki back to Earth."
"What, Asgard can't handle the little maniac?"
"I do not appreciate the way you speak of him. He is a prince and he is my brother." Thor cut in. "I come with glad tidings, Director. We have successfully rehabilitated Loki and he wishes to help mend the damage he did!"
They could hear Fury face-palm on the other end. "Are you insane? We are not unleashing him on our world again."
"He is no danger to your world! He only wants to help! And he will be supervised!"
"Sure. He'll be supervised right up until he does one of his magic tricks and gives his supervisor the slip." Steve crossed his arms and glared at Thor.
"He won't." Thor asserted. "He is still unwell. For his own safety he won't dare stray far."
"So you say." Fury sounded exasperated. "But I'm not inclined to believe it. I highly doubt he feels any threat to his safety when he has magic at his disposal."
"He does not always." Thor hesitated a moment, knowing Loki would hate for him to disclose it, "He has suffered seizures since his return, and by the time he feels one coming on he cannot safely attempt any magic, nor does he have the energy for some time afterward. He dares not venture far for fear of being caught very vulnerable indeed."
Reactions ranged from disbelieving to "I suppose you did say the finest healers confirmed it." to shock and concern. The latter from Bruce, who immediately made the connection between the Hulk beating him against the floor and brain damage and seizures.
Fury groaned. "Look, I can't talk. I've got an urgent call coming in on the other line. If you come up with a plan that makes certain he can't pull any tricks then I'll consider considering it." We could use a bit of magic to help get people back into their homes went unsaid, but Thor heard it all the same and latched onto it with all his might.