Second Chances

Maia had had dreams when she was a child. Not the kind where she aspired to be a ballet dancer or gymnast, like her friends, but when she slept she saw things, starred in stories of adventure with monsters and heroic princes, but she never needed saving, she fought alongside them with sword and magic…until puberty hit.
She started to suffer random blackouts that the doctors put down to changing hormones or poor diet, but nothing seemed to help, until the day two representatives came to her house, offering her a place at their school for gifted youngsters, a scholarship in fact, and pretty soon the reason behind the blackouts became apparent; Maia had powers. Professor Charles Xavier took her in, knowing nothing of what her powers might be, other than her body struggled to stand the stress of her using them. She could manipulate light and air, heat and cold, and create barriers or blasts of each, but upon every use her body would shut down, meaning she was never able to join what the students had, many years ago, affectionately named X-Men. Despite Professor Xavier’s many failed attempts to understand why her mind felt the need to shut everything off, she had remained at Xavier’s for her schooling and after college she returned as a counsellor and teacher. Lately however Professor X had noticed she seemed, sad almost, unchallenged, and when he received a request for assistance from one of his allies he thought it might do her good, as she was perfect for the task.
The Professor waited for the last student to filter out of the literature lesson she had been teaching, one of her preferred subjects thanks to her love of books, and expertly guided his wheelchair through the rows of desks. Maia looked up at him and smiled as she put her things in her bag. ‘Hello, Charles.’ She said warmly.
‘Good afternoon.’ He smiled back at the petite woman the small, red-haired girl had become, pretty and freckled with hair that curled to mid back, her black pants suit and white shirt accentuating her slender frame. ‘May I speak with you for a moment?’
‘Of course.’ She moved the chair to the corner of the desk and sat down. ‘What’s up?’
‘I have been contacted by one of our affiliates who is looking for someone for a particular post and I think it might suit you.’
She sighed and gave a slow blink. ‘You know, it can be quite annoying having a psychic boss?’
‘So I’ve heard.’ He smiled. ‘But I know you would like to try something a little more challenging, and this opportunity is temporary with an option to go permanent if things work out.’
‘I suppose I can give it a try, if you think it would suit me.’ She shrugged. ‘Where is it?’
‘Still in New York. You would be working at The Avengers Tower.’
Maia gave him a disappointed look. ‘For Stark? Really, Charles?’
‘I know you find him acerbic but I also know you would get on with your task, and as far as I am aware you would not directly be reporting to Tony.’ Charles had thought this may be the one thing that put her off. She had met Tony Stark a number of times and he wanted to know just what she could do, but as she couldn’t show him and wouldn’t tell him it had become a bit of a mission of his to try and find out, much to her annoyance.
She sat back in the chair and folded her arms. ‘Temporary?’ He nodded. ‘Doing what?’
‘One to one with a new agent who needs help with integration.’
Maia pursed her lips. ‘And if I don’t like it is there still a place for me here?’
‘There will always be a place for you here.’
She shook her head. ‘I can’t think of a reason to say no, other than Stark.’
‘Then say yes.’
‘Okay, yes.’
‘I think you will enjoy the position.’ He smiled again, his eyes crinkling. ‘You leave in two days with an additional day before you start, so you can get settled.’
‘You were so sure I’d agree?’
‘I was sure you wouldn’t let me down.’ He replied as they left the room together.

Notes

Hi all, this is my first foray into the Marvel fandom as a writer, having been a fan of the comics long before the movies were even thought of! I hope you like what began as a small idea in my head, giving Loki a second chance at many things, and has spiralled into a three part series that while is complete is constantly having additional epilogues added, not to mention sequels!

So sit back, relax, and see what Loki is up to...