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From his seat, he could see the etched landscape in front of him. This was a hard decision. One path urged him to say at his table. The other, needed him to take a stand for propriety to his realm and not be the laughing stock of the Underworld. His younger brother of many a millennia had done his duty with the success of Ragnarok with him swooping in and taking back the throne while his brother reveled in his fire.With so much death, he almost didn’t see the shadow that snuck back in his realm but he would let her pass with some suspicion. He remembered how his veins pierced as the All-Father soul passed his sacred gates. The mighty King’s death was only the start of a great deal of events. He sat, ready as Surtur fell from his exhaustion after the destruction of Asgard.Now his aged eyes looked to the glowing bits of light barely luminating. The brightest of them made him stand to his feet.“Well, now,” he whispered as if keeping a secret to himself, “Will you be the one, my child.”He pressed his ear to the edge of the table where she was. His smile widened with no glee or joy but eagerness to see if she was worthy to survive.
Thump, thump. Thump, thump.
Her heart was as strong as he remembered. It was time.He straightened himself up and looked down his grand table to the turrain and the obstacles that stood ahead. He closed his eyes and looked to the void of land that was no longer his. He knew once he started, the shadow would come out to play but he would be abe to find it.With the heartbeat ringing in his ear, he snapped his fingers and wished in favor that she would survive.There was a harsh ringing in her ears.She took a breath in only for it to sting beautifully. Her hands were brouht up to her chest as it slowly began to heave.Go.Breath after breath, she could feel walls around her. She steadied herself and tried to turn with no success. There was so much darkness around her that she thought for a moment that her plan didn’t work. It was the only thing she remembered. She closed her eyes.
Remember. Remember...
Her arms pushed around her, needing to fresh air to fill her growing lungs. Her hands slammed and punched at the walls until wind seeped through a crack. With each blow, she felt no fatigue. Her fingers made the crack larger until it split into two directions and made the wall slide. Now was her chance. She folded herself so that her leg could be brought up and kicked up to the wall as light blinded her enough to hurt. She forced her eyes open. Colors she never dreamed of disappeared as the scenery tried to stop her. For a moment, she was stunned in place until she forced herself up.Over her shoulder was a burning ship, crumbling as pieces of metal broke off and crashed to the ground near her. The heat scared her as she turned away from the flames. She remembered what she could. Her hands flew in front of her, unsure why she was feeling her way out of the ground. She looked back to the crystalized pod covered in moss behind her. She ignored the front of the mass as it tumbled away from her.There were more. Her legs were unsteady as she turned for the rest, the five. She caught sight of her arm and understood, almost. The pod to her right had to be first. She didn’t know why as her hardened fists rained down, fracturing it until she was able to pry the larger bits of hard moss away. Her voice cracked as she reached into the pod for the young lean male beneath her.“August!”His pale skin scared her. She shook him, unable to wake him up. Her arm reached back and swung forward to strike him across the face. He jolted to life as he gasped for breath and flailed from the confusion. He opened his mouth and roared with all of his might. He stopped, tearing up as he found her eyes staring back at him, actually staring. He didn’t look to the beautiful dark hair that rain over the bare shoulder her loose leather armor didn’t cover. That or the rusted golden collar that he was sure matched his.“Immie. How ca...”He stopped and clutched at his throat above the collar, tearing up more with happiness. She gave a single chuckle of relief.“I know! There’s no time. We need to open the others.”“Why?”Imogen shot out her arm and made him look to the etched writing on her arm.“Get them all out and run.”He looked to the long sleeve of her leather armor as she pushed it down. In the distance behind them, they turned to the loud screech that sank in a familiar chill down their backs. Her hand wrapped around his.“We need to go. Help me.”They broke the next three pods with ease as different and scared beings were pulled out with them. The first was a young woman drenched in white, skin, hair and all except for her dazzling teal eyes. Next, was an older man of grey with withered skin and blackened eyes. He pushed his own way out, not wanting to be touched as he clenched at his old robes. The third was a male who could have very well been human like her and August. He took his time and immediately smiled as he stared at Imogen’s rear. Her own eyes were glued to the three wide scars down the side. She felt a bit unsure about him.Each of them was different from the rest. All in the group had the same collar but she didn’t know why the jewel on the front of her brother’s collar didn’t shine like the rest and in the shock and confusion, no one asked about the burning ship behind them.The last pod was harder than the rest, more than moss or hard mass, there was an added layer of ice taking its time to melt. There was a darkened haze that clouded the red light that they didn’t bother to notice until the man in grey got to his feet.“We must leave or we will die. Something... is coming.”She didn’t look at the inking on his arm. Imogen focused on the pod in front of her.“We need to open the last one, now help me!”As the darkness blackened above them each of the group backed away until she was the only one left with the flames to be the only source of light. The man like her ran back and tried to ease her away.“Look. We need to go. If we stay here we are going to die. Please.”He lifted his blackened sleeve. Letters glowed on his pale skin and over his darkened tattoos.
Cross the barrier and live.
“I can’t. Mine says I have to get them all out.”He looked to her arm and sighed in frustration.“Fine. Move.”She dove away and watched his hand glow red. Wisps on the edge of his fingers slashed at the ice until a large crack split the ice in half. She helped shift the ice off the edge of the ground until she looked down to the pale, ice face of a rather tall man that could barely fit in his pod. She reached in and touched the side of his face. His body was so still, she feared that he was already dead.His eyes opened slow, looking only to her. His breath was short as he caught sight of the woman above him. He could feel himself smile in the way her dangled hair from her collar and touched his chest. She was a pleasing sight from the fast moving surroundings. He didn’t want to move.He did react as a large gray hand reached in for him and lifted him to his feet. He reached his hand back and struck the pale man, forcing his scenes to come back to him. He pushed himself away and stood on his own two feet. His ears rang, unable to hear the question, he was sure, that came from his mouth.He was only met with terrified stares over his head. The woman’s hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him forward to run for their lives. His eyes flashed to the blackened rocks passed quickly under his feet and the feet of his companions. There was almost no light to see what was in front of them as all the group stumbled.“Run faster,” cried August, “We need to find cover!”The group flinched in place as the screeching turned to a piercing note that made them hurl over. Imogen opened her mouth and screamed for them. Her eyes looked around to the other five souls keeling in pain. Soon, there would be something hideous and monstrous to go with the piercing noise. The ground rumbled. They were coming. The ground under her brother festered from his breath and tears.
Fight!
She looked to her life, her brother as a drop of blood fell from his ear. A pulse of hooves made them all teeter on their sides, not wanting to think of what was coming for them. Her heart slowed, helping her turn to what was closing in.August’s mouth dropped open, his breath drawn in at the last second to help. She knew. He screamed, lifting his voice to evaporate the spanned clawed wings and sharp teeth inches from his face. The creatures had no chance to cry help to their mistress. She would feel the dead extentions of herself, wherever her throne sat.The group looked up one by one to the young man and the waves of blackened ash that fell like beautiful snowflakes. The black dust flew off in the warm winds as they were the only sound besides their labored breaths.“Immie?”Imogen got to her feet a fraction to dive on his knees and catch her brother as he weakened from exhaustion. Each of their eyes looked around once the ash was cleared away.“That was awesome!”“You talk too much, Gussy. We... need to move. You’ve stressed yourself from whatever the hell just happened.”“No! What happened to your eyes? How am I talking? This can’t be a eureka moment! I thought we were going to go back to normal. I’m missing a lot. I can’t remember anything and the ink is shifting under my skin. How is that possible?”“Gus! Shut the fuck up! We need to get the hell out of here.”“Okay but something is wrong.”“I know. My arm says get you all out of here and I will, okay? I promise.”“Your skin is hueing yellowing, almost orange o-or brown. Your liver may be showing signs of shutting down but you can’t be dying, not yet. You could be suffering from dehydration, we should find clean water...”“What is this writing?”“Where in ions are we?”“What the fuck just happened? I am not drunk enough for this shit. My meds must be definitely generic this time...”Most of the group turned to her or away in confusion. Imogen did what the ink told her and started walking. There was silence amoung them. Their eyes locked to one other until they followed her over the dead grass.“Look,” she called out when they were close enough, “We all have a lot of questions and have no idea what is going on but we’ll work out one problem at a time and that will keep up busy enough.”She fixed her posture so she would be taken seriously.“I’m Imogen. I don’t remember much but I think there’s some memories coming back to me.”“And why should we follow you? You seem of a lesser form of the universe.”She rolled her eyes to the withered man’s voice.“Because she’s leading us out.”August pointed to a small but noticeable arch of misting light in the distance. Imogen was surprised that she knew the way out of wherever they were. They made the light, all looking in caution on whether or not to step through. The man dressed in goth reached out and tested the edge as its soft rifts slipped through his ringed fingers.“Reminds me of the first time I dropped acid.”“Is that all you remember, child?”He turned to the white woman with a smile.“Why, Powder? What do you got?”“My lover and I... were fighting and I ran from him...”“Hey,” Imogen clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention, “Let’s start with names only.”“August... I don’t remember a last name. I’m her brother.”“Roysce,” smiled the goth man.Imogen was unfazzled by the wink of his eye. He ran his fingerless gloved hand through his hair unknowingly streaking the pitch black strands red. August almost opened his mouth until she stopped him. A problem that could be solved later.“What about you, hun?”“Not, hun. I am Emmilette. It is all I know.”“Don’t worry. We’ll be okay with basics. You?”“I... I do not know.”“Fine. Just stay close to us.”“I will do as I wish. Who knows if you are leading us to our deaths.”“If you want to die here, then be my fucking guest but that means I’m gonna have to drag your raisin skinned ass across the finish line.”“And how would you know this? You are not one to order me.”“Fine. Everyone with a name can go through.”“Immie, we need to stay in a group. Remember the horror movies.”“Hey! What is your deal?”Imogen watched the grey man’s hand ball into fists as he turned for the light.She touched his arm, angering him. His own arm swung back to bring his fist towards her. There was a bit of swiftness that scared her as the forgotten sixth member of the group she’d forgotten thrown the man to his back. She looked up to the pale man as he straightened his plain dark tunic.“You should not lay your hands on a maiden like that. You wish to not listen to what she says, then listen to me. I will not be afraid to kill you and make sure your corpse escapes this place as her arm states.”The withered man got to his feet and failed to put up a fight to him. He turned his head and disappeared through the light.“Thanks, you got a name?”“Loki, I think.”She locked eyes with him like she looking at him for the first time. Again. Her mind was screaming to her that she had seen him before but with no memory she didn’t dare put her mind where it didn’t need to be. She turned for the group, all lingering at the light.“Look, I’m sorry if I put myself in charge but something is wrong here. We are no one. We don’t belong here. I know we are all scared but I’m looking at this thing and I know this is a way out.”“I agree,” said Emmilette, “This is salvation. We must go, I fear something shall secure our demise if we stay.”“Imogen. I think we’re in Hell.”“August, shut up. Let’s just go through thing together, ’kay? Let’s go, guys.”The group turned one by one, slowly disappearing until she and Loki were left. She stopped and found herself petrified. Loki held out his hand to hers.“Shall we?”There was a flash, more of a dull haze as she saw a gloved hand in front of her, the same size, same arc of strength waiting for her.“Shall we?”She fought herself and took his hand.“Let’s get out of here.”Her grip was a little unsteady but Loki made sure that he didn’t let go of Imogen’s hand as they walked through the light together.Out of the safety of the darkness, pain pulsed her body as her shrieks of grief filled her caverns. She didn’t have the strength to stay on her feet. Hela sobbed, not caring if the bits of her souls crumbled from her skin. From the pain of her flesh, she snarled to the warrior mortal. She would not stay alive for long. From all the failure of Asgard’s defeat to her lower current status, it would only be a matter of time until she was ready.“That is not possible!”Her blackened tears streamed her face in rivers until she stopped them.Her cries turned to growl as she was finally able to lift herself from the steaming floor. She turned her head in the direction of the reminence of the Soul Stone. She took the dagger from her side and looked to the whole where the orange stone, her precious stone was no longer. Hela flipped the dagger in her fingers and looked to the dusk. Through the storming winds of her realm, someone had gotten to the edges with the aid of magic. She already knew who, but she had to tredge carefully.A bit of wind prickled her ear, leaving a bit of a smile and a fair amount of frustration. She shook her head in compliance.“Have your fun but soon I will claim the bodies as mine. If you want, you’ll have to stop me yourself.”Another bit of wind to push her stingy death colored hair over her shoulder.“So says you but there were a few that made it from your fires before. One even left a way out. You may not be picky with the souls but those bit are mine to bargain with, brother.”“I am not your brother.”A sharp sudden cut to her cheek infuriated her with silence. She growled, knowing she couldn’t kill the being stronger, more cunning than her. Her emotions were controlled beautifully but she could not say the same for the blood trickling down her cheek.“I will get my souls and my stones, cut from the gasping breaths of their slit throats. I will slay that Titan down to size just for the trouble and when I return, I will turn you mortal so that you will know what pain truly is. I may even strike down Surtur and string him up as the puppet he already is.”She snapped her fingers and sent herself into darkness. In the shadows, in her realm, she was safe but the other realms would show challenge. She stayed to her thoughts and healed her cut, planning a way through Hell to retrieve what was hers. Her finger scaled over the six haloed rings taken from Sakaar. She did not want to break them, yet. If he was going to have some fun with them, then she would too. She smirked to the dullest of the rings with a single crack.The metal slid form her finger, disinteresting her as she closed her eyes and preserved her power.The light was blinding. It was the first morning sun that was shining over the grand balcony to the south. The warm sunlight shone over his face to the start of his brow. The decades’ worth of work to his majestic helmet would meet light and make a strong prism shine down to the floor of the throne room.He inhaled and could smell the aged bitterness of his worn armor. A king would not have worn it in such a manner but it felt just. He reclined back, smelling the grains as their scent carried high in the winds of Asgard.His eyes opened, showing him the colors of his centuries of existence. The court around him was filled with his subjects. The guards stood tall and triumphant. His fingers wrapped around Gungnir. All before him awaited his ready command.He rubbed the nightmare away from his eyes and composed himself as he could hear the shuffle of prisoners’ feet. He waved off his servants and smiled to a raven haired maiden that had sat of the within an arm’s reach of her king. He smiled to the corset of her dress that hugged at her skin and fabric. Something like that pleased him. Through the splendor around him, there was something troubling him. For a moment, his mind slipped the beautiful young woman from his dreams. Not the white one, though she was beautiful in her own ways but the other one. The woman that was there when he opened his eyes, the woman that pulled him away from danger. He looked down to his own armor, wondering why she was dressed in his armor.His heart felt raced as he swore the dream felt real. Her dark hair that sat at her shoulders. The brown eyes that never stopped moving. The dirt nearly etched in her skin. The shriek of her painful cries as simple monsters around them turned to floating dust.The open of the doors to the throne room brought his focus back as he saw her again but it was nearly impossible as she and another were dragged along straight to the base of his throne. She was exactly the same. He was confused as she met his eye. She slipped from the guards and raced up the steps.“Loki, you need to wake up!”She swung her bound hands back to strike at him but was stopped and dragged back down the steps. A small flash of light stung his eyes. He did not know why he didn’t defend himself or react to her.There was a memory of the woman, unable to breathe as he gasped for breath and tumbled beside her. Something pulled him back to Asgard, needing him to carry out his order as king. Loki couldn’t find it in himself to sentence her or the shouting gray skinned man to the dungeons by their chains. The only explanation was the rusted collars to their necks, pinning them as escaped slaves but not a thing such as slavery existed on Asgard. The prisoners screamed his name, almost tempting him to claim his duty rightfully as King.There was a touch, something close to a sting as the hand of the black haired maiden touched him.“My King, they belong rotting in the dungeons. They are no one.”
We are no one.
The memory grew over the sight of the Throne room before him.
We do not belong here.
His shaking hand reached for her face before the white mist made them stop breathing.He moved to the edge of his throne, no one able to hear his voice over the prisoners and the court shouting and hazing back to them.“Imogen...”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Wake up, wake up.”The warm hands at the side of her face softly worked its’ comfort to make her open her tearing eyes. It could have been a trick but she would make sure she was safe. There were things she did remember that helped her deduce that she was still in trouble, no matter how sweet his voice sounded.“Immie? Look at me, honey.”The voice, his was distorted but she knew what wasn’t real.“This isn’t real. Wake up!”Her ears popped as something sent a painful chill to skin. Her cheek stung but it was her neck that hurt the worst with the force of his hand.“Now, wench! Wake!”His slap made her open her eyes as the colors were forced away into new shapes. Her body jolted as she rolled to her side. She locked eyes with the gray skinned man as he looked to the glimmering closures around him. Her own eyes blurred and she feared that whatever magic helping her was wearing off.“Fear not, wench. This is only his memory. It is fighting to take shape so that we give in.”“Whose?”“I was shaken from my own. You seemed to understand your dream was not reality.”“Yeah. I would know when my neglectful ex being nice to me. Where is everyone else?”She blinked away her blurriness to the golden wove designs of a prison surrounding them. Monsters hissed and pounded on the structures of their cells to the faceless guards that passed by.“Nalek.”“What?”“My given name is Nalek. I am sorry for my actions and for my distress but you were correct when you suggesting leaving. We need to find whomever this place belongs to.”“This isn’t August or Roysce.”“Or that of Emmilette. She doesn’t seem as regal.”“Loki? That would explain... I don’t know. So we wake him up, then what? We end up in someone else’s memory?”“I may be mistaken. This place could be crafted from his memories.”“It’s an illusion.”“Precisely.”They turned at the opening of their cell door. There was no chance for them to move as shackles magically attaching to their arms and legs. The guards caught them before they hit the ground. Imogen looked up to the vibration of the guards’ faces.“We need to get free and find Loki!”A stray guard swung his gauntlet and almost knocked Nalek unconscious.“Nalek! Let me go, you pig fuckers!”“Worry not, child. These are illusions, these are not real.”“That blood looks like it hurts.”“We only need to wake and this will all be gone. The injuries as well.”Imogen fought the guards as they were dragged down majestic halls and through the shouting faceless people of Loki’s mind. They were stopped in front of towering gold doors. One of the guards clamped his metal hand around the back of her neck as she tried to bite back the pain.“I haven’t exactly been one for pain but we need to find Loki.”“I concur we may need his strength and any other skill for survival.”“Where would he be in all this shit?”The doors creaked opened as they were greeted with the roaring and shouting of the faceless crowd around them. Imogen watched as Nalek tried to put up a fight with his guards as her own dragged her to the bit of golden armor waiting at the top of a throne.“Oh, you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”Nalek turned in the direction of her eyes.“Loki!”They both fought and kicked, adding to the excitement as the crowd shifted forward to them. Imogen drove her knee up and was able to break free.“Wake him now, child!”Imogen pulled her chains behind her out of reach of the guards to not get caught. Her feet thundered under her, fueling her to move faster. He looked confused to the illusion around him but once he woke, she would not see the fitting armor that fit his torso beautifully or the golden crown that sat on his head.“Loki, you need to wake up!”Since the dream wasn’t real, he wouldn’t feel any pain from her chains but she had to be strong enough to wake him. A single foot planted into the top step but she was pulled from it and jerked back down from him.“No! Loki!”“Stop!”Loki looked down to Imogen and the men as the guards backed away a fraction. A guard pulled the maiden from his throne and put her with the others at the base of the stairs. He took his time to descend, to take in everything he could of the woman in chains.“What is your name?”“Loki, this isn’t real. You need to wake.”“And you will address me correctly or I will have your head.”They turned a chuckle as Imogen looked over her shoulder to Nalek’s widened smile.“Wench, I think he thinks he’s a king! That would explain it!”Loki sneered his lip and drew his dagger. The point was quickly turned into his darkened neck.“No! Nalek, stop pissing him off!!”“Remember what I said? This isn’t real, wench. Don’t worry.”“Should you worry, old man, if I were to slit your throat? It would not matter but your feminine compatriot would not be as beautiful if she is dead to me.”He snapped his long fingers and wrapped green silks to her skin. Imogen was stunned as she pulled at her dress, almost not noticing how her hair became clean and dangled in an impossible braid over her shoulder. Loki’s finger lifted the braid and touched her collarbone. Her fingers reached up for the collar as a choker diamonds scratched at her tips but it would still be there when she woke.She felt as if it had done the same before.“The hell?”“The best of the best.”
He had inhaled the skin at her neck as she forced herself to stay calm.
“Look, Wench. I think he fancies you.”“Shut up,” she hissed under her breath.Loki raised his dagger higher to Nalek’s throat and nearly pushed the blade into his skin, drawing a fine trickle of blood.“Another word from you and you will regret it as my kingdom watches.”“Oh, we’ll see, your grace.”He launched his head forward and head-butted Loki hard enough to send him back to the floor. Nalek reached for Imogen and dragged her away from the guards and shouting crowd. Imogen saw the glowing green glare of Loki’s eyes.“It didn’t work, Nalek. Please, tell me you had another plan.”“Trust me, you won’t like it. If we can’t physical shock him then we need something to pierce his mind.”Loki waved his hand to summons his guards’ swords to draw at the ready.“I dont’ give a shit. Just do it!”“Forgive me, wench. This will hurt.”Nalek shoved Imogen to the floor and knelt on top of her. She could feel her cheek split from the force of his arm. His knee dug painfully into her back. She felt the breath forced from her chest and her arm twisted up painfully. In the few seconds it took Loki to get to his feet, he saw the gray man pull harder at Imogen’s arm. His heart broke at the tears in her eyes. She shrieked in pain as a bone in her arm snapped. The crowd backed away in terror at the sight of blood staining the beautiful green dress.Nalek forced her screams from his ears and pulled harder as her fingers stopped moving, only hanging limp. Imogen screamed as her body filled with pain. Tears streamed as more blood dripped from her tearing wounds at her shoulder. The dress was beyond ruined with tearing and blood as well as the diamonds staining with her blood. Nalek could see the faceless crowd begin to disappear. Loki was stiff with fear and anger as the man tore her arm clean away from her body and tossed it to the floor in front of him.The moment he didn’t accept the limb that fell at his feet, he could feel the ground quake underneath his feet.Nalek jumped at the crack that shattered the side of the large throne room. Blinding light didn’t bother Loki as he shook off the crumbling image of Asgard as he dove for a pale Imogen. At once, the dress disappeared and her arm was perfectly in place. Her head spun wildly as she failed to look at her missing right arm. She could only look to Loki diving for her as his armor melted away and his illusion fading away fast.“No!”They woke at the same time but it was Imogen, then Loki and Nalek. Imogen screamed, clutching the right arm still attached to her. Nalek and August sat her up and tried to stop her hysterical screams. Loki’s eyes looked to a dark beam of light that dimmed and disappeared in a flash. Around them, the mist evaporated to leave crumbled bones and rotting bodies under them.“Wench! It wasn’t real. You are fine now.”She stopped rocking and snarled her like a dog to Nalek.“I’m gonna fucking kill you!”Loki shook off the last of his dream and felt empty of his powers. Feeling void of the memory and powers, he helped her brother pull her away as his arms encased her completely. With her in his arms, she softened the images around him and in his head.“Imogen. Please forgive me. I didn’t know. I...”She held on to Loki and was glad that it wasn’t real after all. He didn’t fight August prying his arms off and comforting his sister in return.“Imm?”“I’m fine. You don’t want to know what happened...”“We really are in Hell.”“What?”“Dante’s Inferno. The nine levels of Hell. We were in the second level. Lust.”“Ew.”“Not like that. What did you see?”“Abe before he went to shit. You?”“Silence. The moment I said hello, everyone swarmed me and wanted to be my friend.”“Yeah, that would do that. Nalek said it was an illusion.”“Something to draw us to keep us here. None of it was real.”She looked to the saddened eyes of Emmilette and Roysce.“I’d been reunited with Agamotto.”“I was in my van jamming to my Chili Peppers. I knew the drugs were too good to be true.”“Wait,” she pushed herself to her feet, disappointed that the dress was gone, “You said this was the second. What was the first?”“Limbo. The easiest. We need to use caution the further we go.”“Shit. Why are we here?”“Don’t know but we still have to get to the others.”“Wait,” interrupted Roysce, “This is some college shit. Dante’s inferno? Dante Alighieri?”“But think, he poured out more than ten years of his life to write it. Look around, has he gotten anything wrong so far?”“Okay, fine. Say this is all true. We passed through two levels with seven more to go, yeah?”Imogen ran her fingers through her dirty hair. Her chest hurt as it felt like it was burning her, her neck too, but it was just the collar.“So what level is next?”“Gluttony,” he pointed to a separate arch of light ahead of them, “We need to be careful. Come on.”August pulled her further from Loki and lead them all forward to the arch. Imogen closed her hand tightly to her brother’s and walked in silence. She looked over his face, wanting to remember as a memory came back to her.“You think it will go away again.”“Meaning I may not see you again. I remember seeing you when you were a baby, Gussy. You were so beautiful before you became a total prick.”“I thought it was Gassy, you know before we knew I was lactose intolerant.”Loki was glad to see how Imogen’s arm wrapped around her younger brother. Though he was taller, the strength of her arm made her shelter him from the frigid wind that greeted them as they stepped through the arch. The smell of the freezing rain was worse than the freezing rain itself.“Holy s-shit!”She huddled into August and Roysce as the wind blew harder. The leather armor on her felt as if it was doing nothing to protect her from the cold. Everyone around Loki flinched from the harsh cold but it did not bother him. He lifted his hand, feeling nothing but a welcome chill to his skin.Past the group, he looked to the hundred of thousands of white snowy mounds about their size. He stepped forward to the nearest mound and pressed gently. Flakes of ice fell from the mound, startling him as he looked to the person frozen to death in place. He grabbed Emmilette’s arm and turned for the group.“Everyone lock arms and walk.”“We need to find shelter and water.”“We cannot stop.”He stepped slowly, watching surely as each of their arms locked together. They marched forward, one foot in front of the other to pass the others that had been frozen to death.To Loki’s word none of them stopped and looked under the building snow of the other that obviously stopped. Imogen looked over Nalek’s shoulder to the arch that disappeared behind them. She almost forgot about the gray crevices on his face that filled and dripped with freezing rain. He wiped it all away and smiled enough to hurt.“We will survive this, Wench! On forward.”She turned in the direction of his shaking pointed finger and used her strength to help pull the group forward. The further they ventured, the more the more the frozen corpses seemed chopped or broken as red chipped ice crunched under their feet. She stopped for a moment as her throat seemed to feel cut off from any extra air. Imogen didn’t feel Emmilette’s feet stomping the collecting ice from her legs to keep her moving.“I can feel it too, young Imogen. We cannot stop now, we must keep moving.”The men stopped and pulled her forward as the rain stung worse. August held her up to shield her the best he could manage. Something picked up to her ears as she turned her eyes to the whitened darkness.“Do you hear that?”They all could hear the growling in the distance but they did not wish to stop and find out where it came from. Loki saw Nalek stop ahead of him.“Nalek?”“We are not alone.”A pair of red steaming eyes glared to each of them with more to join in around them. The group collected together in fear but only Loki stepped forward.“Come. Move slowly. We will not die here.”He felt himself shaking as he ushered the group past the outline of large beasts that licked their long teeth that grew well past their lips. He didn’t look to te pitch black rough skinned things that towered even over him. For once, no one dared to feel the cold as they walked silently in unison, hand tightly gripped to one another. A few of the beasts snapped their jaws to get one in the group to run.None did.They howled together, scarring the life from Emmilette but Imogen covered her scream as the pack ran off and attacked the taller mounds of frozen souls behind them.“Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming,” she forced as she held Emmilette close.Loki made sure he was the one to stay at the back of the group to see the beasts well behind them feeding. Of the group, he assumed that he was the most capable fighter should something had happened or attacked them.“Hellhounds,” shouted August as if the winds weren’t trying to silence him.“What?”“They’re like Cerberus. Dogs of Hell. They feed on the frozen that didn’t make it.”Roysce pulled the lapels of his jacket closer as he pressed on. He made sure both women were walking ahead of him.“I need a burger and some Jameson. Anyone else hungry?”“That’s the realm.”“Any suggestion on how to survive this one, Einstein?”“Mind over matter? Imogen?”They all stopped as they looked to Emmilette on her own. She shivered and lifted her shaking pointed finger to the colors of Imogen’s dark armor disappearing into the winds.“Imogen!They ran, sliding in the slushing mud for her as she dropped to the ground.“Take Emmilette.”Roysce and Loki lifted her to her feet and wiped the mud from her. She tried to wrench her hands away but she was too weak. They followed her eyes to the glowing in the distance.“Another arch. We’re almost there. Come.”They helped one another through the thick mud and rain until they passed in the arch.Imogen was the first to stumble to the beautiful patch of green grass as her body’s pain and fatigue slowly disappeared.“What the hell?”“Are you okay?”She rubbed her neck and fixed her clothes.“I guess. Where are we?”It was an oasis of sorts. The scene was a flowing watering hole but she had no reason to drink the water. Large smooth rocks lined the water and the breeze was settling to their dirty skin. She looked to the beyond to a canyon with cracking moving rocks below. She stepped back to be safe and away from the edge. Roysce was the first to make the water and wash the mud away from him.“Great,” laughed August, “There goes the drinking water.”“The joke’s on you, Genius. I’m not even parched anymore.”“Me neither.”“Or me,” concluded Imogen as she looked to the dazzling water behind of her.She blushed as Loki stripped off his tunic and crouched down in the water. It was nice to see him smile.“Well, look away if you’re embarressed.”Imogen turned herself away to a different part of the watering hole to wash herself. She still couldn’t help herself to his half nakedness.“We can’t stay. This level is greed.”“What’s there to be greedy with? There’s water for everyone and space enough to everyone to walk in the canyon. I may just pick a lovely flower for the ladies.”Roysce splashed Imogen with a great amount of cool water to make her scream. She laughed more as August did the same. He lifted her from her feet and dunked her in the water.“Loki! Make them stop.”Loki felt at ease and able to finish the miniscule task before him. He reached for Roysce and flipped him into the water easily. The man was nothing compared to what the Hell Hounds would have been.“Oh, shit,” coughed Roysce as he stripped off his own shirt, “We got us some white water wrestling. Everyone place your bets! The mortal and Lurch!”Loki was amused with Roysce, cautious to the twitch in the man’s eye and chuckle as he fought playfully with the young male while everyone else watched. Though focused, his eyes couldn’t stay off of Imogen as she stood next to August. He would have given anything to be next to her.He smiled to the opportunity as Roysce got to his feet and leaped for Loki. He ducked at the last second and flipped Roysce from his back into August. Both men wrestled in the water, leaving Imogen to herself. Her eyes never left her brother. She wanted to remember everything in case she went back to normal when all was said and done.There was a hand at her arm that didn’t turn her too quickly as she was met with Loki’s devilish grin.“Looks like you are left unattended.”“Nope.”She grabbed his arm and twisted it until he surprisingly gasped in pain. He chuckled and wrenched himself free. He licked his lips out of habit.“Come one, man. I’m not scared of you.”His eyes didn’t stay to the wet tunic from under the armor that stuck beautifully to her skin. Loki raced forward and tackled Imogen into a deeper end of the pond.“Yield?”His sides ached from the laughter and his joyful gasps. He wasn’t ready for her legs to wrap around his waist and throw him down into the water. His eyes cleared of water and a welcoming sight that could have only crossed his wildest dreams.Imogen’s hands pinned down his arms to the mud bed. She leaned over whatever part of his chest she wasn’t sitting on as various drops of water caressed down her skin. Dirty water fell from the ringlets of her hair. He followed each trail up past her chest and the column of her neck. He stopped to see the quick voiding flicker of white to her eyes.Imogen could see her hands covered in jewels, slowly making their way up a naked chest, skin clear of any blemish or scar, to wring the life from the neck.“Don’t ever think that I’ll give you what you want.”He was sure of how to answer her but her low voice was ensnaring. Loki felt his chest and other aspects of himself want more. Imogen felt her voice in the back of her head warn her of the things she was seeing.Hela nearly got sick on herself as she watched through the shadows. She was hiding under a slaughtered Hellhound in the third realm to heal the slash wounds on her legs. The growing stench of the dying hound comforted her as she played with the rings at her wrist.She decided it was time but which one to break. Her long nails watched one by one the golden rings as they clanged together. She smiled to the oldest one with a crack already in the gold.“I chose you,” she smiled as her strong finger broke the gold to pieces from her bloody wrist.Nalek gasped as his eyes sight was taken from him. No one saw him flail to the ground. Blood ran from his nose as each of his memories came flooding back to him. Emmilette looked to her ruined dress as its innocence was torn and covered in dirt.Soon she would be free with the others and back again with her love. She was just glad to be alive. Over his shoulder, Nalek pushed himself up from the grass, gasping for air.“Nalek?”He met Emmilette’s eyes in horror and knew he had to act quickly. She cupped the side of his face as the sleeve of her dress slid down and confirmed his approaching actions. Nalek forced a smile to keep her distracted.“I am fine, my dear,” he smiled as he sat on the smoothest rock and cleaned the blood from his nose.He saw the group frolicking in the waters irresponsibly and knew it would be easier to remain unsuspiciously. The quick look to the appearing ink on his arm made him smile. He knew what he had to do.“Quite a journey we have had so far.”“I would say so, Nalek. I thought the Hellhounds would get us.”“Indeed, at least this would seem a peaceful place to die.”“Do not say that. We will be free soon enough.”The squeeze of her hand made her break his heart but it had to be done. It returned to her long white hair as she gathered it over her shoulder. Nalek washed the blood from his hands and gathered a bit of water in his palms. Drops fell back to the pond as he steadied his hands.“What will you do when we are free?”Emmilette closed her eyes and smiled blissfully to break his heart worse. She would be missed.“I will be reunited with my love again and live life as I can. It is all I can do after all we have been through.”He pushed down his nerves and gathered enough water in his hands.“Sounds... decided. I hope you find him,” he choked back successfully, “Water? I would hate to have no strength for the rest of the journey.”Emmilette was hesitant at first.“You are wise, Nalek. You almost sound like Agamotto. Thank you for your strength to protect us.”He watched as she arched her head forward and drank from the edge of his hand. He forced himself to remember the last few second of her beautiful life before it was taken from her. Imogen would not have given in so easily but Hell was Hell and people died all the time. At the last second, her skin hued green.She lifted herself back and slowly looked up to him. Her beautiful smile was forever gone.“N-Nalek? What have you done?”He looked to the etching in her arm before it festered away.
A traitor is among you.
The secret would have to die with her as she screamed at the top of her lungs.Imogen moved away from Loki as she got to her feet.“Imogen? Did you see something?”“No. Let it go, Loki.”He lifted himself from the water and only reached out for a bit of comfort of both of their part. The flicker returned as the perfectly arched hand from her vision wrapped around her neck and held her to a wall. She could feel the fingers squeezing only a fraction to make her gasp and her heart to raced wildly.She couldn’t see the man’s face as his lips brushed against her ear.“My dear, you really must stop lying to yourself.”She swatted at the strange tingle in her neck and Loki’s hand as she backed further away. The realization of the man being him terrified her but she didn’t know why. There were too many unwanted feelings pulsing her to be near him.“What did you see?”“Nothing. I’m not going to jump to a conclusion without all the pieces.”“Please don’t lie. Anything could help us get out of here.”“I think it’s best that you stay away from me until we have our shit together. The last thing I need to do is get someone killed because of something we don’t understand.”Imogen turned for her brother as he stopped wresting with Roysce. She hugged August glad to feel an emotion that wasn’t fear or terror. She looked to the tender moment shared between Emmilette and Nalek as she drank from his hand. The clear water under her looked so beautiful and untainted under her. She was tempted for a drink as well.“I’m thinking about a drink too,” shrugged August.She broke away from him and pulled on her clothes. She forced herself to keep her eyes to the water so that she wouldn’t meet Loki’s eyes. She didn’t want anymore memories or to have anything to look back on. August rested his hand on her shoulder and smiled. She thought for a moment to tell him. They jumped as Emmilette shrieked to the sky.“Emmilette?”Imogen fought the flowing water to make it to the festering, ashing mass that was where Emmilette was sitting. She reached for her arm, reducing it to ash in her fingers as a green flash stung her hand. Imogen shook in her familiar fear as Emmilette gasped for useless breath.“No, no, no...”Her tears returned as the festering turned to beautiful green moss and colorful flowers and clear water to match the scenery around them. Imogen’s tear filled eyes looked around to the beautiful scape to the loveliness that was the poor souls that must have drank the water before they perished. Now Emmilette was with them, never to make it out of Hell as dirt fell through her fingers. The men gathered around Imogen, shocked as she trembled and cried where Emmilette’s paleness had withered away. Her collar clamored to the ground with no one in the moment of shock to see the glowing jewel in the collar to dim out.Loki stepped in front of Roysce as he was the first to lunge for Nalek.“What the fuck did you do to her?!”“She was thirsty! I wanted to give her some water before I took some for myself! You said this realm was greed! I did nothing but help her!”“Some help that was. You obviously didn’t see her die!”“Stop it!”Loki and August pulled the men apart, leaving Imogen to shed her tears over the vibrant flowers that slipped from her fingers. She got to her feet and shook her head wildly. Her arms stung her, bleeding hues of orange and green as they battled for her veins. The surroundings she began to back away from were impossible for her to comprehend. She cried out in grief and pain, unable to see the edge as she stumbled back through her crumbling grass. Roysce was the first to see Imogen before she went over the edge.“Imogen!”She looked up to the men failing to reach out for her as she tumbled back to the rocks. The pain she could feel but she didn’t feel like crying out in pain as her body clashed against the side of the canyon to bounce her to the shifting rocks below. The wind was knocked from her as she ended on her back with the eyes of the remaining group moving for the shallower side of the canyon.She closed her eyes and smiled to the light above her. It almost reminded her to Emmilette.They opened seeing the colored towers of smoke.“We are going to get out of here, Imogen. They can’t kill you. You are the best.”“I’m only lucky. Champions’ circle my ass.”
She turned her head in the memory to August itching at the gold collar attached to his skin. The tips of his fingers were caked in foreign ink that she remembered he didn’t bother to scrape it off anymore because there would just be more the add the next day. She sat up as her coiled brown hair spilled over her shoulder.
In the distance, through the towers, a ship docked on the main bridge. Her eyes saw the important guest that stepped from his ship and locked his emerald green eyes with hers. She wrapped her arm around her brother. They’d survived so far.
“I will not die here,” she decided, matching her words with her memories as she closed her eyes and waited for death to find her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Loki huffed his breath in aggravation and flexed his wrist, failing to complete a spell to pull everyone apart. He was tired and glad that his strength did the job for him.“I said enough!”Loki pushed Nalek and Roysce to their backs and away from the beautiful earth that had just been one of their own.He was used to death but he didn’t want to disturb Emmilette’s place of demise.“I know you did something to her, fucking Raisinette reject.”“I did not know that would happen to her!”Nalek was sure to point his arm sternly enough to make his sleeve drop.“Look,” pointed August as he grabbed Nalek’s sleeve.“Oh Gods,” he whispered to make sure he was believed, “I-I didn’t know, I didn’t know it was there...”“Let’s just stop and collect ourselves. Now is not the time to argue.”“Immie?”“Imogen!”The men looked to Roysce’s look of horror, then behind them to see Imogen fall from the side of the cliff. They crashed into one another, arching over the cliff to see her body land on the shifting rocks.“Immie! I’m coming...”August was the quickest to run for the decline on the edge of the canyon. He was stopped as metal binds shot from the edge of the ground to stop their feet. The four men looked off into the distance to Imogen as the rock that held most of her lift but a foot above the others.“Welcome.”A chill rose to each of their backs as a soft, dark voice filled their ears.“Who goes there,” shouted Loki.A darkened mist seeped up through the rocks and collected ahead of them until it formed a hooded figure. Loki was piecred with no fear but wonder as he felt a pair of eyes look to him. The figure raised his hand and ushered the rock holding Imogen forward. The closer she got, the more the men could see her tremble in grief as she refused to meet their eyes.The figure stopped the rock behind him with the snap of his fingers. He knelt down to her. It was surprising to see her again. Life was strong in her. He kissed her forehead and could feel the same heart thundering in her.“Thank you for keeping it safe, child,” he whispered.He turned for the rest of the group.“From the dire events she has endured, I give her part passage across the rocks. The rest of the way will be of her own accord.”“And what of full passage?”Loki was surprised to feel himself step forward to challenge the figure. It only stepped forward to August and knelt to his ear.“You know the way, don’t you? I always enjoyed cleverness...”August could only keep his eye on his sister.“W-We have to help her...”Roysce stepped forward as August’s arm shot up to stop him.“Greed! It’s greed! I remember!”“What?! You all want something from me? Fine.”He started with the rings on his fingers then the necklace under his collar.“Take them! Years of cheap shit and broken promises I’ve kept. Take that shit and let me go.”He didn’t dare look back as he took his first steps on the rocks despite the group’s efforts to try and keep him still. As the rings turned to dust on the rocks, so did the shackles on his ankles. Roysce held his arms out for balance, tregdeing his way on the shifting rocks until he knelt down for Imogen. He felt his heart race and he knew he had to be the first one to get to Imogen.“Hey, hey, there girl...”He pulled her up into his arms and wiped away some of the tears that couldn’t stop. They stung and blurred her vision as she looked to the hooded figure. Her broken heart pounded once, twice, more in her chest as she forced herself upright and vengeful on the ominous figure ahead of her. Chains appeared on her ankles to keep her in place but she didn’t care. Her heart was music to the shadow’s ears.“Give her back!”The men wanted to run forward to her but feared for the shifting rocks at the edge of their feet.“Hoarders and spenders cannot pass. The sins of your heavy souls could break my scales.”“Pockets,” shouted August, “Check your pockets. It’s a test.”She could still feel some anger for the shadow in the first second her foot touched the rock in front of her. She took a single step forward and felt the rocks drop from underneath her. The chains disappeared quicker than they had appeared. As the rock fell, she felt the weight of her rage and will disappear from her shoulders. She looked to the darkness underneath her and wasn’t scared.Emmilette was gone and for now, she was willing to let go of fighting and running and just fall. She closed her eyes and fell faster until she was jerked to a stop. Roysce knew his stomach hurt from landing on it after diving for Imogen. Both of his hands locked around her wrist and it was all he could do with his strength.“Fuck! Don’t worry, girl we’ve got you. I’m not letting go. I promise...”Loki reached into his pocket. His hand wrapped around something solid that he didn’t remember being there. He pulled out a pair of knives that almost brought him to tears. They were beautiful.The handles were woven in golden metal ribbons and the blade were sharpened to perfection. In the glimpse of the strong golden metal, Loki could see a strong blonde in valiant armor. Her eyes were loving and kind and filled him with sadness.“Mother,” he whimpered under his breath.He looked to August as he clenched a plush green chicken doll in his hand. Loki could see the tremble in his hands as he looked to Roysce stuggle to hold onto his sister. August kissed the soft toy and tossed it aside. His chains broke to let him run across the rocks with ease and dive next to Roysce for Imogen. Loki could feel the metal slip from his hands. The weight of the knives slipped from his fingers as the blades sunk into the dirt near his feet through a disappearing link of his own chains.“Fuck! pull, man.”“I am!”Loki ran over the rocks and reached into the hole for Imogen. Nothing else mattered. He pulled her up from the hollow ground with ease. August clenched onto her tightly as tears fell freely from his eyes.“God damn. God damn, Immie.”“She’s gone...”Loki looked to the dark figure.“You should hurry. There is something coming and it is not in my place to stop her.”Growls thundered up behind near the oasis as a dark woman loomed over the side of the canyon.“Yes,” she slowly hissed in delight.She didn’t see how many were on the rocks but her eyes went straight for Imogen.“Run!”No one looked back to Hela as she sighed and released a fresh set of demonic creatures down the rocks. Imogen looked to the shifting rocks ahead of her and left everything behind her. Her foot caught on a bit of rock that was no longer shifting or smooth. A pair of hands grabbed her up and pulled her as Roysce held on tight to her.“The caverns!”Imogen could see a clearing of slopping paths and trails that could have helped them find cover. She closed her hand tight around Roysce’s and ran as hard as she could manage. A flash of metal rushed past her ear, stopping her as she let go of Roysce’s hand. The loud ping of a metal sword wedged its’ way into the rocks as the group weaved away from the growing blades aimed at them.Hela sneered on the edge of the shifting rocks, disappointed in herself for lacking proper focus to kill the group. She knew her way through the shadows of Hell but if they disappeared, her shadows would be of no use.“I want them all alive!”The creature raced with ease across the rocks as the groups split in two.“Immie!”Imogen turned her head to August as he was pulled into the start of the howling caverns.“Gus!”She screamed for her brother until the galling caverns drowned her out. All she could do was hold Loki’s hand as he guided her through the pitch black depth labyrinth of rocks.Hela looked to her first dagger and gladly broke the blade from the hilt. She looked to the two pieces that were gifted to her by Odin. Both slid from her fingers and dropped to her feet. She smiled as her foot planted down to the shifting rocks.“Deal is a deal, Reaper.”He accepted the small defeat and let his brother’s new bride pass with a grin of ambition to her face. He wasn’t going to let her strut across his planes without a fight.“There!”Loki and Imogen ran towards a low hollow crack and dove for safety. They squeezed themselves as far as they could bare with her immediately regretting going in first. Loki reached behind him and knocked a few rocks overhead to crash behind him.“What are you doing?”“The less light the better. They’ll pass through the shadows without looking to us.”A sharp growl was heard behind them. Imogen failed to slow her breath to keep them hidden. Loki worked his hand over her mouth and covered her soft cries. Tears streamed over his fingers as he closed his eyes and willed an illusion outside of their hiding spot.The creature was so close to the rubble when a big of movement got his eye. Loki and Imogen jumped at the sharp digging claws to the rocks as it sped away. They both shuddered in some relief but she was finding it so hard to breathe. She rolled to her back, whining as she choked on dust and her tears.“I can’t... breathe...”Loki shot a closed fist up and punched a small hole above them. It was small but it was enough to help. Imogen could feel the harsh winds enter her lungs and ease her with Loki’s hand rubbing at her back. He could feel her body shaking as howls echoed through the caverns. Imogen didn’t hold back her tears.“We’re going to die here...”She shook worse as she slumped to her side. Loki worked his arms around her and pulled her to his chest.“No, no. Don’t do that.”He kissed her hair and comforted her the best he could manage in the tight space around them. In the back of his mind, he could hear a soft voice. It was warm and nearly moved him to tears. He could think back to the image of the beautiful woman in the glint of his blades and knew that it must have belonged to her. In his heart, he knew it was no mistake.In the shadows, Loki could see the glow of Imogen’s eyes. His fingertips tingled as they themselves in a flicker of emerald. Through her eyes he could see dim beams of light. They weren’t in the closed off hiding space but hidden away in a familiar safe place. So close next to her, she turned her head to see the outline of his face.“What do you see,” he whispered.
She wasn’t wearing the dirty leather armor anymore but some painfully revealing, sheer light bit of sash to cover her skin where it almost counted. He followed her in the dark and the light, the shape of her as she looked over her shoulder to him through the hair that rested on her shoulder. She didn’t smile or frown. Only her eyes gave the smallest bit of emotion. The faint grin to her eye made him close them off. He needed her.
Imogen could see the darkness around her thicken with the few colors of light to blind her. She knew it was him behind her but she didn’t want to tell him.
“I don’t know what they mean.”“Then why can I see them too?”“I don’t know...”He lifted her chin and inched his face to hers.“Where am I in your memories?”
Once he closer them away in her memory, he couldn’t find her. It was her hand that found him and turned him to the second of space before she crashed into him with her lips.
His hand rest comfortably on her neck to turn her head to him. Imogen could feel herself shudder as he pulled her face closer.“E-Everywhere...”Imogen paid no more attention to her visions as Loki pressed his lips to hers. Her body prickled with the touch his of fingertips as they found their own way underneath her clothes. His cold hand warmed from her skin the further it ventured down the front of her trousers. She gasped as his fingers traced the edge of her sex. Loki could feel her moan as his longest finger slowly pressed against her.She was completely mesmerizing. She was a safehaven from the Hell outside.His lips kissed down her neck and up to her ear. His fingers pushed into her, already so wet for him. She rocked her hips into his hand as his thumb pressed to her clit. Her nails dug into his skin, making him groan for a moment but he didn’t mind. The pain of her curling fingers made him grit and urge him as he rubbed himself into her thigh.“Please,” she whispered, “I want to remember parts of you...”Her whited-out eyes glowed a bit brighter despite being close to drifting shut and he didn’t want to keep her begging.He pulled his hand away only to push down the edge of both of their trousers. Loki pulled her to her side as his arm wrapped around her waist to hold her to him. He didn’t say anything else. He couldn’t.He pushed into Imogen as her gasp filled the small space around them. Her eyes snapped shut. He worked his other arm around her and lifted from the ground to bring her closer. He groaned into her neck. His strength held her strong and tender enough so he wouldn’t hurt her.
He didn’t look to the celebrating Sakaar below him. They would be too busy with their drink and their merriment and the distracting things and bodies around them to notice but if they did, he would show them how to properly worship their champion and an exceptional creature like her.
He was scared of himself for a moment, pushing her roughly back to the edge of the protected railing. As his hand touched her skin, he was soft and cautious. He slowed himself to take in everything he could of her. He needed to rip the sash away from her but a simple calm flick of his wrist worked just as well.
The deafening drowning of the music below them couldn’t lose the sound of her voice as his lips pressed against her lips. He could feel her body tremble and lean back.
His hand stopped her and pulled her close, securing his hold on her revealing flesh.
The images and the sound of Imogen excited him far too quickly as the creatures sniffed the air. Hela panted, ready to smite the realm around her if that was all it took.“Where are they?!”The shadow smiled for the first time in a long, long while. He was hidden by his own powers and watched in satisfaction to Hela’s aggravation. He saw the sorcerer’s image of mortal flesh running from the goddess’ dark creatures. He welded the magic and fueled it with enough smell of man. He looked to the creatures and Hela turn to the next gate, summoning all of under her to the center of the rocks.The darknesses disappeared into the gate one by one until his realm was silent with the exception of the group of men hiding in the lowest of the caverns and the duo that gasped in pleasure.Imogen bit into her lip as her body seized back into Loki’s hold. Her beautiful panting matched his own as her walls clenched around his cock. He grunted, groaning into her ear as he released and tightened his grip to her body. His cheek slid on her sweated skin. He turned his nose into her hair and inhaled the scent of her. It was just something he couldn’t describe.His hands held her close and helped pull her clothes in place. Her fingers stayed on his legs to stop him from pulling up his trousers the rest of the way. He was confused in the rough healing cuts in his leg that he didn’t remember having.“I didn’t know that was there.”“It still feels fresh. When did you get hurt?”“I don’t know.”She was careful to lift her wrist so she couldn’t touch him in any other certain way.“Imogen...”Loki almost opened his mouth until Imogen’s head snapped up to the hole he’d punched out for her. Imogen braced the sides of the rocks and looked up to the wind blowing, inching closer to the deep whispers.“Imogen.”She gasped as the shadow appeared and stared down into her soul. Loki could feel a stinging prickle of his skin as he could also see the shadow.“Imogen?”“Can’t you hear him?”He could hear the single moment of terror in her voice for it to be replaced with confusion and wonder. What he could not hear was the voice of the dark figure that looked only to her.“What is he saying?”“That woman is gone. It’s safe.”“How can we trust him?”“He could have kept us in place when she got here. We need to go.”Loki was hestitant, not wanting to leave but now was a good time as any to make a run to find the rest of the group.“Find the gate, child.”“Thank you.”He turned back and kicked away at the rocks until they could move back out into the open.“Where do we start? These caverns could stretch on for miles.”They turned their heads to the shadow as he lifted his hand and pointed down further into the caverns.“Go that way until you find them, take no turns...”Imogen didn’t have to be told twice as she grabbed Loki by the wrist and pulled him through the caverns. Her eyes stayed down to inclining ground as the parts to break off to other pathways tried to tempt her off course. Loki looked over his shoulders many times but was relieved to see nothing but towers of rock, shortening slowly behind them.“Wench!”They stopped as they broke eye level of the tops of the caverns. Imogen smiled from ear to ear as she met Nalek’s only eye.“Oh my God! What happened?”“We crashed into a dead end,” sighed August as he tied a ripped piece of Nalek’s robe to his missing eye hole, “Nalek got the worst of the falling rocks.”“No, I didn’t have anything worth of value to cross the rocks so I had to improvise. I wasn’t sure if the blood would give the rest of you away.”She looked to Roysce as he sat covered in cuts and some bruises.“Yeah, Raisinette thought he could sacrifice himself by fleeing but all of those things ran off before they could sniff us out.”“That was very brave,” smiled Imogen as she wrapped her arms around Nalek.Nalek could feel his guilt sink in as he felt the warming feeling of the mortal warrior’s touch. Loki saw the shadow point to a circle of smooth rocks. He took a step forward and could see the light leading to the next realm.“The gate. It’s here.”The group turned with Imogen behind them as she looked back over the sea of reddened rocks. In the distance, she looked up to the faint bit of green that was about to be left behind. Imogen didn’t know how much time had passed since they woke up. She knew the fresh added green in the oasis would never be able to make it out like the rest of them.“It wasn’t your fault.”Imogen wanted to feel reassured by the touch of her brother’s hand to her shoulder. It was incredibly hard for her to turn and leave what was left of Emmilette behind. She looked down to her hand to the small flash of green, not noticing its’ stinging to alarm her. August helped Nalek’s arm around his neck and stepped down into the gate first. Roysce forced his eyes to the gate. His side stung in jealous of Loki with the bruises to hide it beautifully.It stung so much as he tried to push it away and step through the portal alone. He didn’t want to leave them behind by themselves. Loki held out his hand again but Imogen shook her head.“I don’t think I can trust myself around you, Loki. In the only memories I have, they are all of you. I can’t afford a distraction, now.”“Imogen, please. Something happened between us. Perhaps in a previous life.”“Look what just happened with us. I don’t want to get anyone else killed because you are in my way. If I have to, I’ll put my brother before myself and I’m gonna do what it takes to survive with him. I’m sorry, Loki.”Loki could feel his heart break as she turned from him. He didn’t want to see her go. He looked down to the ink that appeared at the willing blink of his eye. The simple illusion faded, leaving the glowing ink to warn him.
Do not give in to her.
Imogen took a single step forward into the light. The feeling of falling had a thrill that made time around her stop. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a strand of her hair freeze in place. Her body could not move a muscle, unable to let gravity pull her down.“Child...”The voice returned to her.“Take caution in the remainder of your journey. There is a traitor among you.”“What? Who?”“Trust no one. Do what it takes to survive, child.”Before she could ask another question, she was dropped through the light into the next realm. The smell of rot and whiteness overwhelmed her. The sting returned to her neck just under the collar.“I can only do so much. I gave all of your companions the same gift I will give you.”“What gift?”There was warmth as her ear. It wasn’t needing or meanacing.“Your memories and your powers?”“I don’t have any powers.”There was a chuckle of pure amusement.“My child, you could very well be the most powerful of them all. Even her.”“Who?”“Your choice. I cannot wait any longer.”Her chest tightened and she did what she promised to herself. She closed her eyes and thought of August. He was dear enough to her to remember him and she stood true to wait she said to Loki. There was no telling what the last of the realms held for them and if fighting was the only way out, she would do whatever was nessecary.It was the better choice but she wasn’t sure of what power she did have.“Don’t be scared.”“Man, shut the hell up. I ain’t scared.”She shook her head and could feel herself feel free. August’s voice was still fresh in her mind. Imogen understood what she had to do.“I want it all...”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Her body arched as far back as her bones would allow. Her lungs filled with cold, fresh, putrid air as she gasped for breath. She slumped to the rough dirt underneath her with a grunt.“The hell?”She looked up, unable to understand the changed settings around her. Imogen stood as a small fragment inside a cave with walls high enough for the ceilings to disappear into darkness. Torches lined the walls in every direction. In front of her was a small pier with a long rowboat. She could spot a hooded figure but she could sense that it didn’t belong to the deep voice that helped her.It held up its small hand and held it out to the boat. Sharp howls made her jump as she started to the boat. It wasn’t until she was next to it that she saw Nalek, Roysce, and August, all slumped and in a daze.“Gus!”The hand of the hooded figure stopped her.“Payment.”“Are you... Look at me, I don’t fucking have anything!!”The hooded figure sounded as if he sighed and wrapped his hand around her neck.“Payment.”Imogen held on to his hand as she gapsed for breath. Her feet kicked back and forth to try and get some air for herself but it was of no help.“Please,” she choked.“Imogen!”Her eyes were about to see Loki take a single step before he was stopped in his tracks by something unseen. The figure turned its’ attention back to her. He raised his hand up to eye level and snapped his fingers. Imogen dropped from his grip with the shattered bits of the golden collar to rain around her. She coughed herself silly and pushed herself up to her knees in fury.“You could have just said give me the collar instead of choking me out!”She rose to her feet and swung her arm forward. She wasn’t ready for the growl that dropped from her mouth or to injure the figure with the growing dark talons that had grown from where her nails were. Loki looked to Imogen as she shook in fear of her change.She tucked her hand under her arm to not dwell on whatever she was. Loki kept his attention to her long after his own collar was broken and the pieces left where they fell.The growls of Hela’s creatures grew closer as the figure stepped onto the boat. They both followed behind and sat on seperate ends of the boat. In the distance, the torches extinguished one by one, filling Imogen with fear as she took her brother’s hand.“Don’t be scared. Everything will be alright. Hot Fuss.”The figure raised his hands and moved in a fluid motion to make the boat move. August fell forward as Imogen caught him and rocked him with help of the boat.“Come on. We didn’t get this far just to die on a Disney Criuse.”Hela rounded the corner, riding on the back of her endless sea of creatures. She snarled, taking her time to guess which one she was going to skin first. The ferryman would suffer the most for sending her in the wrong direction. Probably to the suggestion of her pathetic husband’s powerful brother. She knew beneficantly married the wrong one.The boat was so close as the first of her creatures made the peir and dove into the river for them. She stopped her parade once she heard the shrieking howls of her creatures as they slowly evaporated through the surface of the water. She scaled the rickety wooden pier and huffed in defeat. Again.She was not used to the feeling of failure.“Bastards!”Imogen jumped at the scream of woman that stopped chasing them.“What the hell does she want with us?”“All that matters is that we put as much distance between ourselves and her.”Loki looked back as the boat began to turn the bend. He caught the eye of the anrgy woman with dark hair. Her rage was familiar. He turned back and looked up to the void glares of the other men.“What do you think happened to them?”“I had to subdue them for the remainder of the ride.”The figure reached up for the edge of its hood and pulled the dark fabric back to let a rolling wave of coiling and braided blond hair fall to its’ waist.“Well,” sighed the figure as its’ voice grew maturely feminine.Imogen could see the shock and disbelief in Loki’s eyes. The woman in the dark robes looked over the side to see her face in the black glowing river.“Mother?”“I’ve never been a woman before.”“Before?”“Yes, child. When I ferry, I can take the form of one taken to make the journey eased a bit.”Loki didn’t need a memory to remember the devistation when Frigga was slain by the Dark Elves.“Can you tell us what happened before we got here?”“My master warned me of the harlot to step through the portal. She is a danger of sorts but no matter how hard she tries, she cannot kill him.”“The woman that’s been chasing us?”“Indeed. Her name is Hela. The firstborn daughter of Odin.”A flash blinded his eyes as he could recall the events leading up to Ragnarok. He remembered everything, even the vengful glare of his entitled sister.“Loki!”The woman held up a hand up to Imogen to stop her.“Do not interferre with him. He will be fine.”His visions cleared. He straightened himself and for once, refused to meet the gaze of Imogen. She kept her own mouth shut as her eyes roamed the open caves around her. Her hand stayed tightly wrapped to August’s. She looked down to the water and could see the small ripples of light floating by. Few took shape, making her realize where they were.“This is the river Styx.”“Yes.”“So you would be Charon.”“Intuitive.”“That’s why you took the collars.”“Why,” asked Loki, ready to ease his way back into a conversation.“That’s what we’re taught in school. The ferryman gets gold so that we can pass on the river.”“Why not swim?”“Because it’s not like the Mississippi. You go into the river and you die. Besides, I don’t know how to swim.”“Actually, the river would age you within seconds. The water would be stolen from your skin. Your bones would break from the preesure. In the blink of an eye, you would wither and cease to exist. Any bit of living human would turn these souls wild.”“Would it hurt?”Imogen didn’t know why she would ask.“I don’t know. I’ve never been in and no one has been that foolish.”“Why can’t you swim?”She looked over August’s shoulder to Loki.“Because I just can’t. It’s complicated and if it’s all the same, I don’t feel like talking.”“Fine. Ferryman, why were they subdued?”“It was only minutes after Hela left that they appeared. So many colors fired from them. It was a raging fit to see them attack each other. I could not stand for such a thing so I put them in a trance. They should return to normal once the journey is complete.”“Yeah, then they’ll start ripping each other’s throats out.”“Someone has to know what happened. I don’t trust Roysce.”“Nalek has some flaws as well.”The shadow’s words filled her ears and it was every man for themselves.“There is a traitor among you.”It was survival now and she had to push her unknown feelings for Loki aside.“Trust no one.”“I want to get August off the boat first. He’s never lied to me but if something should happen, I want to be the one to deal with him.”In the distance, she could see the river take another bend. The ceiling became visible as it narrowed down into a series of tunnels. Something wet touched her bare foot, alarming her. Her eyes everted down thinking there was a hole in the boat but she saw blood coated on the side of her foot. She followed the trail up past August to a pool resting at Roysce’s foot.Loki caught on to her worry and looked to Roysce and his pale skinned body as it rocked form side fo side.“Loki!”“Remove his tunic!”Loki steadied himself and moved as quickly as he could to Roysce. In the light of the dim torches, Loki could find the start of his wound and worked to make the bleeding stop. He’d forgotten about the shadows deal about his powers.“I can restore your power and your memories, your highness.”“Why couldn’t I use them?”“Because you forgot the person you were. She didn’t teach you to cast with your head. You cast with your heart.”
In the prescense of such an omnious being, he felt small. Though Imogen had placed him aside to focus on the road ahead, he felt... human.
“How can I focus when my every sense is clouded?”“You feel connected with the woman? That your aching heart is yours to lay as tribute at her feet. How sentimental for the bastard tyrant.”“What?”
He wasn’t ready for the momentary fit of the shadow. It’s hand shot up and wrapped tightly around Loki’s neck as he fought to breathe. It only made the fingers tighten more. He could feel his face turn red as he tried to pry them away but the cold breath at his ear made him petrify.
“Nothing you do will change the past. You gave many souls that did not belong here. I can hear them screaming even now. Sooner or later, she will see the monster that you truely are.”
The shadow raised a nail and pressed it into Loki’s forehead. The long nail pierced his flesh and the further it went, the faster his body turned limp and the dreaded instances of the life he forgot. The shadow let go just enough to whisper in his ear one more time.
“Good luck winning her favor when she finds out the truth...”He used his fear and anger to rip Roysce’s tunic in two and tie it tightly above his wound.“We’ll get him off the boat first before he bleeds out. One of us has to know how to heal him.”Charon was silent and stepped away from the blood as he used his powers to hurry and get his passangers off his damn boat.“Do not let him bleed...”“Loki, get him! I’ve got his legs.”Imogen didn’t wait for the boat to reach shore as she pulled Roysce and Loki along to the edge. Loki was first off onto the pier with a steady hold to his companion. Imogen wasn’t so lucky. She took a single step slipped from the blood under her foot. Roysce’s leg and hers hit the side of the boat with a single drop of his blood to fall into the river.Imogen could feel the boat rock wildly underneath her as she kept her hold on Roysce. The river blinded them as the brilliance started from the spot Roysce’s blood fell and spread out in every direction. Imogen tried to find her footing but was stunned to see herself float above the boat and the height of the pier but she wasn’t the only one.Eaach of the group was lifted by Charon’s glowing hand as his feminine face twisted with anger.“I told you not to let him bleed. Now, she can cross over the river. Get off my damn boat.”Once his hand sealed into a fist, everyone was throw from the boat and into the side of the dark walls. Imogne tumbled to the ground on top of Roysce as Loki rushed to them.“Move!”He cupped his glowing hand to Roysce’s leg and used a spell to heal him before he could bleed out. Imogen reached to check him but was stopped by Loki.“Don’t touch him. He is dangerous and we need to leave him here.”“No one’s getting left behind. What’s the matter with you?”Charon ignored the group and hurried to move his boat from shore.“Oh, dear,” he sighed aloofly as his form began to disappear, “he will not be pleased to hear about this.”Hela sat on the edge of the shore and tried to calculate how to cross the water. In the distance, her eye caught sight of the river as his darkness turned to light. A grin appeared on the corner of her mouth.“To err is human,” she giggled as she drew her sword and stepped onto the surface of the glowing waves as it reached the shore.Imogen jerked her arm away from Loki, not understanding why he was acting the way he was. The groans behind them made Loki shoot to his feet.“We need to collect Nalek and August now. Tend to your brother.”Imogen was a single step behind Loki as she felt a hand wrap tenderly around her ankle. She ignored Loki’s word and knelt over Roysce as he took his time to wake.“Roysce? Are you okay?”“Fucking bitch...”“You were hurt but Loki healed you. We nee...”Roysce’s hand shot up and choked the life from Imogen. He easily flipped her to the dirt and stradled her as she squirmed. A grin stretched across his scarred face that terrified her. The flirtacious look in his eye was now replaced with obession and so much need.He saw in her own as they turned black from her powers.“It a shame and frankly, that bastard should have let me bleed out. I’m really going to enjoy killing him but first things first. Try not to change on me, little viper.”Roysce lunged forward and pressed his lips firmly to Imogen’s. If his grip to his throat was making it hard to breathe, then his added weight onto of her made it all the more difficult. She scratched and punched at him with no promise of him stopping. She could feel the growl from his throat on her lips. His hand slowly inched down her body to the edge of her tunic as tears spilled over the side of her eyes.“Don’t worry,” he whispered, “I’m going to hurt you too...”Loki helped August sit up as he fought his dizziness. Once his vision stopped spinning, he saw Loki and punched him in the nose. He knew it was well deserved from what happened on Sakaar.“That’s for putting my sister in danger. I give you one rule and you fuck her over anyway! Where is she?”Loki looked to Nalek slowly waking by himself. He could feel August shove him back. He followed the lean male’s angered glare to Roysce pinning Imogen to the dirt with the vengance he was afraid of. He though back to Sakaar and knew if Imogen had her memories, she would have stayed far away from Roysce. Before he could cast a spell to break the bastard’s neck, August planted his feet and blasted Roysce off her with a single blast of a deep percusion of his voice.Roysce hit the wall, breaking a torch with is back. He cried out in pain as he swatted to put out the fire on his naked skin. Imogen choked and coughed to relieve the pain in her neck. Loki and August pulled her away and looked to the bruise marks on her neck. She flinched as Loki’s cold humming hand touched her skin.“Don’t move. I’m almost done.”She swallowed a single time and could feel relief in her brother’s arms.“What the fuck was that?”“I told you he was dangerous. Let’s go.”A loud screech filled the cave as everyone rushed to cover their ears. It mirrored the same painful sound from the beginning of their journey. Loki grabbed Imogen and August by the hand and made them run. Nalek followed as he gathered his robes and fled. They ran alongside the river, their hearts pumping. The shrieks grew closer and so did the wall as they were left with no more ground left to run.The river trapped them in and Hela was easily closing in on them. All they could do then was go up the wall to the tunnels above. They climbed the jagged rocks, not wanting to look back. Hela stopped and looked up as they tried to escape.“How precious. I should really give them another second.”She used it to make a needle from one of her shadows and aimed up. Hela flung her wrist and watched the needle fly up into the air. Nalek looked over his shoulder to the needle aimed for Imogen. He jumped to the rocks underneath her. It pierced him paining him for a moment as his head spun. He fought the fatigue and climbed higher.Roysce was the last up the rocks as the shadows snapped and clawed below him. His veins were filled with fury and it helped him race up the wall. He was going to kill them all but he wanted to get to Imogen first. His body slowed from the blood loss, he remembered getting wounded by the old man. Such power he forgot.His hand glowed red and Roysce raised it, feeling the flicker of red crackles. A chuckle fell from his throat as he whipped his arm back and flung a cluster of red lightning high up the wall. It missed August and Loki overhead by a few feet. With the force of Roysce’s powers, the group did teeter but none fell.Nalek looked over his shoulder to the snarling young man. He reached the top first and helped to pull everyone else to safety. Loki helped August rest, leaving Nalek and Imogen for themselves. August sat up and Nalek grabbed Imogen. His guilt from taking Emmilette’s life was weighing him down but with Imogen being the strongest person, she would lead them out of Hell, but soon they would know.Imogen was nearly over the rocks when she shrieked in pain as something sharp stabed her leg. Nalek looked down to Roysce with his hand around her leg and his glowing red nails dug deep into her skin. A ball of dark colored matter collected in his palm and knew what he was about to do was the right thing.“Get off the wench, Bastard!”He roared as he sent his hand forward with the matter to consume Roysce. He cried out in agony, his veins scorching as the dark replaced the red in his skin. Imogen could feel her leg burn from his nails. She didn’t want to look. Her feet shot down and knocked Roysce in his face. Nalek looked for her as blood streamed from his nose and his unconscious body let go of the rocks to fall into the growing sea of shadows below.Imogen felt strange as Nalek pulled her over the edge and down the tunnel to Loki and August, both on seperate sides. With what was left of the light, he could see both men holding themselves back. Their faces turned red with each passing second.“What’s happened?”August turned his head and his bloodshot eyes.“A-Anger...”Nalek was thrown to the rocks. He shielded his good eye and tried to regain himself.“I know it was you, Nalek.”He saw Imogen’s silhouette taking its’ time to tower over him. There was no reason except to spare his live than to tell the truth.“I-I am sorry. I didn’t have a choice.”“She didn’t need to die.”Her anger wasn’t subtle but it was beautifully controlled, striking more fear into Nalek. It was his good dead to not go unpunished. He deserved what was coming.“You killed her,” stuggled August.“Hell has no conception of time. When I gave her the water... I am sorry.”“Don’t worry,” she growled as she began to heavily pant, “I’ll make you are.”“No!”Loki stopped in front of her and it only made things worse. She lunged for him, swinging wildly as August tried to pull them apart. When he did, he used her sister’s momentary confusion to show some mercy to Nalek.“I hope she kills you slowly. Go.”Nalek ran down the pitch black tunnel with his hands out in front of him as Imogen shot to her feet. Loki was stunned as August slowly advanced forward to his sister. The look of colorful madness was in her eyes as they glowed red.“Okay,” reassured August, “Normally they go blue but I’m okay with change.”“What was that?! The shadow said there was a traitor in the group and you just let him go?”“Just take a breath.”“Don’t tell me what to do.”Loki blanked and saw Imogen dart down the tunnel.“Shit! Follow her, go!”Loki ran with August and summoned a beam of light to follow Imogen before the last of the torch light disappeared. August had some trouble but Loki backed away a bit between him and his sister to make sure neither got lost.“It wasn’t her talking! It’s this realm.”“What is it?”“Anger. Can you stop her without hurting her?”“I can if I must.”A scream filled the tunnels as they followed the spell to Imogen. The ran until the tunnel ended, opening with what was an unreal sun shining down on them. She’d found Nalek and he, as well as her, was fighting to end the other. Loki snapped his fingers and sent them apart. August rushed for Imogen before could attack again.He stumbled, crashing into her as they both fell over into the opening. Loki and Nalek cried out for the both of them. There was a second as a sharp prick was felt in the back of their head. The anger was gone. Imogen was now filled with fear instead of anger as she was August fell to the ground a few hundred yards below.She wasn’t sure what happened. When she looked to August falling next to her, an instinct took her over. She exhaled and felt her arms stretch out on both sides. Her nails shortened and turned to talons. She leaned forward and wrapped her claws gently around each of August’s arms. Her red wings spanned out and lifted them both just short of the ground.The force of her wings looped them up through the air to tumble down as Imogen was thrown from her transformation. She rolled back into her regular body and looked as the red in her disappearing feathers turned blue. She didn’t shake with the exception of her head as she tried to uderstand what had happened.August laughed and slapped his sister’s shoulder.“Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about. Look who’s back!”“What the hell was that?”“Immie, don’t you remember?”“No...”August rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around his sister.“Whatever. We’re still alive and that fucking counts.”She enjoyed the warmth of August as she passed out in his arms.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Loki reached out, unable to move any further as he watched August and Imogen fall back to their deaths to the ground below. He was stuck, unable to use his powers to save them until Imogen turned her head to her brother.Her skin red from anger had transformed before his eyes. Imogen sprouted wings from thin air and soared to grab August with a single flap of her wings. They reached the ground below and he didn’t know if they were safe or not.“Where are they? Did they hit the ground?”Loki couldn’t answer. He didn’t know. He only climbed down the rocks. Nalek watched as the male started his way down the rocks. With Roysce gone there was no reason to hurry but there was still Hela.She huffed her breath and knew she was lost. Hela drove her fist into the nearest bit of rock, making the structure shake. Nalek and Loki both grabbed the rocks in alarm. She was still coming for them.August waved as Loki and Nalek where close enough. Loki looked to Imogen on the ground and felt his heart jump from his chest.“Don’t worry,” shouted August, “She just used her powers.”“I remember.”“She didn’t. I don’t know why.”“How much longer will she be out? She seems to always know the way out of here and Hela’s not far behind.”“She needs to rest.”“Don’t tell me what to do, Gus.”Her body felt weak as she tried to sit up. She swatted away at their hands when they wanted to help her. Falling from the tunnels felt like a dream. The wind in her hair, the wings that replaced her arms. It all made her heart race. She looked up to the sky. The rocks went higher than she expected. The sun shone warm on them but it wasn’t real. Neither was the clear water in the flowing river next to them. It would have killed them like it did with Emmilette or as Charon had described. Either way,Imogen got to her feet and began walking and as before, the men followed her. Nalek didn’t talk and waited for the moment when one of the three would turn around and gut him for what he did. A pain rose from his neck where hela’s needle had struck him. He felt the soreness and could find no needle, giving no reason to tell the group as they pressed on but he did wonder if they would even care.Loki stayed his distance behind August and Imogen. All of his memories of Imogen came back with a vengence. Every glare, every threat, every moan, every tear and emotion. The events of his return to Sakaar were only short lived but the time he’d spent with her had mattered.In the beginning, he was a bit of a bastard but near the end, he knew where is intentions and his heart lied and he wasn’t about to give up on the way he felt for Imogen.August felt the dead grass and patches of dirt underneath his feet. He let his sister walk by herself and he was wonder why she was still standing. So much had happened in very little time or more time than their surroundings may have lead them to believe. He had his sister and that was all that mattered to him. That and getting out alive.Imogen.She tried to clear her head of the madness of Hell. There was far too much to comprehend and too many answers that she wasn’t sure if she wanted the answer to. Instead, she cleared her throat.“So, where are we now?”“We’re still in anger. We didn’t exactly go through a gate.”“I guess we didn’t. I need you to tell me the rest of the way out, to all of us in case more of us die.”Loki felt now was a chance.“You can’t believe...”“I didn’t fucking ask you, Loki!”He wasn’t looking when she had stopped so abruptly that she was inches away from his face.“I beg your pardon.”“Let’s just be clear that a fair amount of shit is going do and I don’t have the energy to care anymore so as far as I’m concerned, I fucking hate you all. Don’t ask me, don’t talk to me, don’t ask me my favorite color because I’m not giving a single fuck.”She turned to August as he tried not to smile.“You, I get to hate more because we’re related.”“Alright. Just keep up, old woman.”“Fuck you.”As Imogen walked away, Loki fought every fiber of his being to make sure he stayed away from her. He fixed himself in his trousers and carried on with their journey.“Gus?”Loki was pulled from his thoughts, unsure of how much time had passed as he heard Imogen’s calmed voice.“Sup, Slick?”“How come you know about my powers but I can’t?”“Well, you really don’t remember tham at all?”“If I did, would I be asking you?”“Fine. You want the short verision or the long version?”“I don’t know what I want.”“To be honest, you didn’t know then either.”
August’s foot was shaking up and down by his the pad of his foot and he didn’t care if it bothered Imogen. Both eleven and it was their mother’s idea to take them.She didn’t acoount that only one of her children would be ready.
“Hey, Im. It’s okay.”
It was the first time he’d spoken since they’d arrived that month.
“Dude, shut up.”
Imogen enjoyed the surroundings but her sides were killing her. Her fingers were restless and she couldn’t wait to be back in her room playing for August.
“Why are we even here?”“Because Nana is friends with him. She was in the circus for so long and it only makes sense that we get to be apart of something bigger. Man, it only starts here... Oh, fuck.”
She had turned out of her seat and knelt down to rest her head on where she just sat.
“Immie?”
She gasped as Gordon appeared from nowhere with a hand to her back.
“Yeah, I’m just nervous.”
Imogen didn’t want to look where his eyes would have been.
“Hey, it’s okay. I know you are looking.”“Did it hurt?”“No. You will be scared at first but the time after you grow into your powers will be well worth it. No matter what happens, we will al be there for you.”“Twenty bucks says she pukes.”“Dick.”
In the time she was by herself to step into the glass chamber, her nerves only got worse. August was nice enough to go first but when she heard no word from anyone about him, she could only think the worst. A few of the people that stayed on the grounds tried to comfort her and the more she asked for August, the more the breath in her lungs shortened.
She pressed her hands against the side of the glass. In her head, in walls were closing in, needing to suficate her.
“Wait,” she panted.
Her skin grew red as her hands pressed harder onthe glass. Everyone on the outside, tried to comfort her but they couldn’t feel the lack of air like she did. Imogne looked up to the small blue crystal as it was pushed through the small hole near the top of the case. It dropped but not as quick as her tears as the pounded as hard as she could on the case.She didn’t notice the thing as it smashed to pieces on the floor.
With a sobbing breath, Imogen inhaled the blue smoke that surrounded her. She choked and gagged. Her numbing hand grew, pushing harder on the glass. Her sobbing grew into growls and anger. Her skin blued. She looked to her large hand as a touch made the glass whine under her touch. The poeple once trying to ease her called for Gordon and backed away in fear from her.
Imogen knew her voice wasn’t hers anymore.
With the new shreik of her voice, her enlarged fist punched the glas a single time and smashed the case to bits. The glass rained down on the fur of her huge hand. Her panting turned grunting deep breaths were no longer hers. She swatted and pounded the leftover blue powder on her skin and fur, panicing everyone around her as they ran and screamed for Gordon.
She only caught a reflection of herself once. Imogen was horrified as she saw herself turned into an ape, growing scared herself.
“Imogen!”
She turned to Gordon as he appeared from nowhere. He held his hand up to try and calm her but her new instincts wouldn’t allow it. She roared and smashed her way through the wall. All she could do was run as other ran from her. She almost didn’t see the edge of the cliffs on end of the property but her new weight made her slip on the ice and made her tumble down the mountain side.
Bump after bump, her body filled with pain. She stopped rolling as she saw her arm above her, caught on one of the rocks. Her blue fur disappeared and showed off the edge of a bone that was threatening to break her skin. Cold air puffed from her mouth in short bursts as Gordon screamed her name. She could barely move an inch as she saw him and August teleport to a safer distance near her. They yelled at her to not move though the snow and shifting rocks underneath her was.
From the top of the ledge, snow and rocks tumbled down in alarming waves. Imogen watched August turn and wasn’t ready to see him die. Gordon nodded to him and looked as falling rocks were reduced to powder from the sound waves of her brother’s roaring breath. The powder showered down clouding and stinging her eyes. Her chest began to race, paining her as Gordon slipped and landed next to her.
“Shit, August!”
Gordon pulled sunglasses from the lining in his jacket and pushed them onto his face to hide his absent eyes. She closed her eyes and felt lifted off the rocks and into a crowd of people and absolute clean. Her growing voices of a language she couldn’t understand filled her ears just before she passed out from the pain.
She woke, trying to open her eyes but she couldn’t see anything. Her arms were heavy and her head slowly spun in circles. Her empty stomach turned but she couldn’t. Imogen’s heart raced again, yet... It wasn’t the same.
The beats were strong and sure, one after the over it terrified her and calmed her. She could feel tears stream the sides of her eyes and waited for the similar shuffle of feet stop at the side of her bed.
“I’m sorry, Immie. This month was suposed to be differnet for you and Gussy.”
She hadn’t heard her mother’s voice since the day she left home with August. She didn’t know how much time had past or that her fear and worry to ignore what was ahead and made that time pass. Her muscles ached from the medicine to replace it with numbed bliss and darkness. She whined, feeling her jaw to weak to move. She focused on her mother’s voice and knew she would hear her thoughts.
“Everything was happening so fast. August didn’t show anything at first until he sneezed half a building off. I though for a second you would get something like me. You were so fast.”
Imogen couldn’t understand why her mother sounded proud instead of scared.
“When you slipped, you broke a few bones and your chest caved in. Your heart was completely crushed. You were so lucky to get here when you did. There was a heart already here and it saved you, baby.
The calm reassurance of her mother’s hand to her chest crushed her where she could feel the large bandage. Imogen pushed her voice a bit louder to snap her mother out of her daze to her daughter and just get to the worse news.
“I know, I’m sorry but they can’t do anything else. You can’t learn to live without your eyes. There was too much debris to repair anything.”
All you need is sometime with Gordon. These people helped Nana and they can help you and Gussy too. Summer only just started.”
“Please, don’t worry, baby. Gordon knows someone in New York that can help you.”
A second hand held hers and she grasped the life from her brother’s hand. He brought it up to his throat for her to feels the tremors of his powers. She would remember how the rocks were reduced to nothing.
“Immie?”She had stopped and tried to feel for a scar underneath the armor.“Don’t bother. The Grandmaster hid it. Everything will go back to normal when we leave.”“Everything?”August could hear the sadness in her voice at the thought of losing her sight again.“I’m sorry, Immie. Let’s go.”She carried on without a word. Loki stayed behind them and paid no more attention to Nalek. The old man rubbed the sore back of his neck but it only invited whispered that prickled his ears.“Nalek... Excellent work...”“No,” he whispered, thinking he was finally rid of the witch.“Cute. You think you have a choice. Look up the stream, old man...”His feet were forced to stop as his head turned to the river in the distance. Imogen could feel the hair on her neck raise as she was also turned in the direction of a set of different whispers.“She is here. Go now.”“Immie?”“Something is wrong.”“Yeah, no shit.”She ignored the men around her and began walking after Nalek. Both pale men followed and could see the sun above them slowly dim.“Loki?”“What? Care to cut me down to size with what is left of us.”“You can suckerpunch me later. Just listen.”He watched August take a long glance to his sister.“I know how you treated her but I know you’ll protect her.”“What are you saying?”“It’s been me and her for a long time and if something should happen to me, I need to know that you’ll get her out of here, not questions asked.”The lower August’s voice went, the harder it was going to be for Loki to make sure Imogen was safe.“I promise.”“Don’t say that lightly, asshole. She can’t remember and you owe her so much for the shit you pulled. No matter what happens, you get her out, kicking or screaming and if I get left behind, you grab her and go.”“You have my word. She will be protected.”“I remember you saying that before Roysce found her alone.”He didn’t think straight as the memory flooded his mind and knew August’s words to be true. His request would be met no matter the cost. Loki stayed his distance and stopped behind Nalek and Imogen as they glared into the river. Her shadow’s whisper led her down the calming water until it collected at a small grotto.“It’s here. The next gate’s through there.”“Im, how are we supposed to get to the gate without being wet?”“I don’t know. If I knew how to control it, I would fly but the last thing I turned into would be too big.”“We could ride Nalek.”“You will do no such thing to me!”“How about I just peel the flesh from you for what you did to Emmilette?”“Do not be so chivalrous now! She was not yours to begin with.”“Stop it,” huffed Loki as he pushed the males apart.He stepped to the river and held up his hand. It hummed with his magic as he turned the collected water into ice. Imogen looked to Loki’s hand as bits of his skin turned blue.
She flinched as his hand turned blue and slowly inched to her face. She hissed as his fingers touched the small split cut on her cheek. Her tear chilled as he could feel it touch his finger.
Loki lowered his hand and stepped forward on the top of the ice.“We must hurry. The water will raise and spill over and we don’t want to be here when it does. Come. I’ll go first to make a path for us.”“Immie, will go next.”“No, I won’t. Someone needs to be behind Nalek so he doesn’t pull any shit.”He could feel his heart break because he could feel something was coming and for what he was about to do would be nessecary. Imogen saw for a moment as his eyes glowed, making her calm and not such a pain.“You listen to me, okay?”Though they were twins, she was always the one to protect him from people who did not understand him but now he would have to do it for her.“Okay.”“Don’t just say okay.”“Okay.”He couldn’t help but smile. He was going to miss her.“You go behind Loki and I’ll go behind Nalek. One false move and I will make sure he doesn’t do anything.”She wanted to argue but there was no use. She started to turn until August wrapped his arms around her. She felt the calm disappear as her own wrapped to his.“I love you, Immie.”“I love you, too? Dude, we’ll be fine. We need to go now before the ice melts.”He pushed down the lump in his throat and acted as if he wasn’t about to break her heart to pieces. Loki was the first on the ice with Imogen behind him.“Be sure to tell me where to go.”“Okay.”He disappeared into the dark grotto with a spell to light the way. August nodded his head and followed behind Nalek. Imogen was quick with her steps, fearing that her bare feet would melt the ice under her. She forced her focus to Loki.“The left.”“I can’t. There’s no more room to walk.”She looked around him as the rocks curved down to smaller tunnels.“Then we’ll crawl.”“And what happens when we reach a dead end. We’re pressed for time.”“I haven’t been wrong yet, have it?”Loki sighed and crouched down to freeze more of the ice. When solid enough, he got to his hands and knees and carried on into the dark rocks. The surroundings closed off quicker than they hoped as Loki had no more room left to go forward. He looked over his shoulder to Imogen.“There is no room. Not even my hand can fit through but I was able to freeze the water. If I do use my magic the water from the falling rocks could splash us.”In the green light, he was amused by the smile on her face.“Let Nalek do it.”Nalek snapped his head up but kept his words to himself.“That’s what I thought. Get up there.”The group backed away far enough so that Nalek was now at the front of the line. Imogen was to be the next until August stopped her. Each second was precious.“No. Order still stands. I’m next after him. You still don’t know how to use your powers yet.”Something was unsettling in her stomach.“Fine.”Loki helped her move back so that August could be ready and knelt behind Nalek. His hand laid on her shoulder to steady her on the ice.“Here,” he whispered as he waved his hand and covered her feet with a sinple pair of boots.With her fear of the melting ice gone, she looked to Nalek raising his hand to the wall of rock. Wisps of purple light glowed at his fingertips. Imogen’s hand quivered, waiting back to either grab August’s ahead or Loki’s behind her. Her hand went back and gripped Loki’s. He could feel her nerves.The rocks were slowly chipped away as Nalek’s hand reached closer to the wall.“That’s it. Just a bit closer...”Nalek could hear his mistress well behind in and in the back of his mind.“I am almost there.”“No, you are not.”He screamed once as his powers blasted a hole big enough through the rocks, making everyone in the group jump. Fresh air filled the grotto. August looked down to the edge of the ice that fell weakly compared to the other water falls surrounding it.“There’s no way to get across.”“But the gate’s right there!”All eyes looked across the falling waters to dim glow down a single tunnel. Even if she wanted to use her powers, the tunnel would have been too high for her to properly land anywhere safely.“May I,” asked Loki as he let Imogen go and snapped his fingers.Jagged rocks from the walls around them broke off and floated mid-air, slowly forming a path from their side of the cave to the gate on the other side. He waved his hand to steady the formation and keep it from teetering so much in the wind of the falls.“Nalek, if you please...”“Oh, it will,” whispered Hela as she took a single step on the melting ice.The old man wrapped his robes tightly around him and started forward into the makeshift bridge. It prvoed robust as August stepped behind him.“Im?”“Believe me,” she forced as she slowly steadied herself on the bridge with her brother’s hand, “I’m more terrified of dying than I am of heights.”August took her hand and led her across. Loki was the last to step onto the bridge and safely walk on his handiwork. Nalek could feel his neck burning as Hela grew closer. He figured the less they suffered the better. He grimaced as the party came to a stop. Imogen was still as she held her brother’s hand tightly.“What’s the hold up, man?”Not a word was said as Nalek’s hand shot back and blasted a small hole through August’s chest. Imogen gasped, stunned as her face was splattered with his blood. Loki could see bits of her shake as August looked behind to them. Her eyes saw the small flicker of a glow that shot from his arm and into her hand.The small prick of the glow was unnoticable as Nalek heaved the male into the waters below. She opened her mouth and filled the cave with her screams. Her other hand let go of Loki’s and failed to reach out for the last bit of family that she had left in her world. Loki reached to put his arm around her waist and keep her from going after August’s falling body but she was quicker and had other plans.Nalek turned and ran for the other side of the bridge, nearly a breath away from the portal. Imogen in all her truer rage broke into a run and tackled Nalek to the ground. Loki raced for her and pulled her away as her nails transformed into claws. She planted both of her feet on the rocks and wrapped her hands tightly around Nalek’s throat.He knew his time was coming. His neck felt it was seering on fire. Hela’s presence in his mind was unbearable. It was his own fault and soon enough now he had nothing more to lose. It was only right.“Kill her,” he choked as Imogen’s fingers gripped tighter.“No”, shouted Loki.August’s word rang deep in his head as he watched his body vanish under the waters. Nalek turned his eyes to the opening he created and closed his eyes, hoping his death would be quick. Loki could only imagine the rage seeping from Imogen’s eyes. He used every bit of his strength to at least pry her hands away as they latched to Nalek’s arm.Hela stopped at the cave opening and saw the last bit of definance in his eyes.“You served well enough, I suppose.”With the flick of her wrist, she sent a single sword across the cave and straight throw Nalek’s single eye.Imogen shrieked, mistakenly digging her nails through the fabric of his robes and into his skin. A deep hue collected at her wrist, making her let go as Nalek took his final breath.“K-Kill her...”Loki and Imogen looked to Hela as she took a step onto the rocks. Lok was quick to scoop up Imogen and take a mighty leap from the bridge. They landed near the gate and steadied themselves as they looked back to the woman.“Leaving so soon, brother?”“I am no brother of yours.”Loki snapped his fingers and broke the bridge into pieces. Hela turned and jumped back for the other side of the cave. When the rocks fell faster underneath her, she slipped and was able to hold on to the edge. The mist of the waterfalls made the rocks difficult to hold onto as she failed to hold herself up. Loki watched as Hela fell to the waters below.Out the corner of his eye, Loki saw Imogen take a single step forward to the edge. There was an emptiness in her eyes then same when Emmilette turned to a beautiful patch of soil and flowers. He stopped her as he wrapped his arm to her waist and pulled her back towards the gate, kicking and screaming.“NO! LET ME GO!!”He held on tighter and pulled her through the light to a pocket of cave that led nowhere. Her protected feet stomped on the rocks and her cries of grief echoed harshly around them. She screamed and flailed all while Loki held onto her. He would do anything to keep him from going back through the gate.Imogen finally gave in as she sobbed and slunk to the ground. Loki let himself fall with her as well as he wrapped his arms around her and let her cry into his shoulder. Her talons were slowly taking their time to get back to normal but he wouldn’t bother her with such a small thing. In the darkness, he held the woman he remembered caring deeply for as only thing she cared about was taken from her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Hell was a funny thing but in a strange way. Neither her or Loki was hungry or thirsty. She was however tired from all the tears she shed. After she thought she was done, fresher tears would take their place.Loki didn’t care; he would stay completely still for her. Not once did her try to kiss her or whisper hopeful things to her. They would have all been lies.They were the last two people standing and nothing was going to be alright. As her sobs disappeared again, Loki reached up and ran his finger through her hair.Imogen flinched for a moment, feeling his fingers run through her disheveled hair. She tried to ignore the waterfalls outside the cave or the death that lingered outside. She only turned her head into Loki’s tunic and closed her eyes.For as long as she cried, she was slowly starting to lose her purpose to get to her feet and carry on without August. She wanted, she needed to die...-
At was all hers. She almost didn’t care that the Asgardians escaped.
Hela drew her arm back and flung every sword she had under her arm into the entity that towered powerfully over her. The tall blackened lava creature began to crash down over her and still, she didn’t retreat in the slightest. She roared until her ending breath. In her moments of agonizing pain and suffering, Surtur took the time to admire her.
In the face of death, she was fierce with her blistering knuckles still wrapped around her sword. She burned, her leather boiled and her skin set on fire. Her eyes burned brighter than Asgard itself as his flames did their work for Ragnarok.
Then...
She was finally still. Her limbs stop fighting. Her charred hand let go of her sword as it drifted on by him. He eased his true image and watched her dying body float on in Asgard’s remains. In light of the past day, he was nearly overwhelmed by the raw, screaming souls of the Asgardian army. Thousands of souls, all laying at his feet to power his realm and she drifted into his hold as he lifted her and turned for his gate home.
With the touch of his burning hand and the final decision of his rule, he pushed his nail into her heart and let her live again.
She srtuggled and roared as she pulled at her bonds. He watched from across his grand table and watched his Hela did was she could to get free. He almost pitied saving her from the waterfalls. It was now his time to shine as a proper ruler.He pushed back his hood and smiled as plainly as a mortal would. Hela stopped and looked up to his chosen face. Weak chuckles fell from her throat as she put the pieces of her failed journey together.“Of course, it all makes sense now. All that aid just for them to die.”The shadow sat across from her and folded his hands. She would never be a danger to him.“They were not supposed to be here in the first place. Flesh and blood and I am surprised the hounds hadn’t found them. They were truly powerful if they had gotten so far.”“I have the gold of their powers in my pocket. I was only able to break one ring. How is that the others were broken? Gods cannot break their own gold and that less-than-Grandmaster is well always from these depths.”He reached into his own pocket and let Charon’s pay roll through his fingers.“They broke it of their own free will. It is amusing how you think this a realm. The powers of the first one taken; she made it so to protect them. You all have lingered here well after death without it or have you not figured it out for yourself yet? Believe me. Even I was surprised.”He left Hela confused as he turned from the table and down the corridors of his darkened palace. Once he was away far enough, he nearly collapsed from a broken heart that would have been there. His hand clutched at his chest at the ripped pieces of the broken heart belonging to the only woman to survive his domain. Soon, he would meet the young man to match both of their features but now he prayed to whatever deity that was stronger than him that she would survive long enough to know the truth.-Imogen could feel her whole face red from the tears. Any moment, she was hoping, praying that August would walk through the portal but then again she wanted the same thing for Emmilette. Unlike Nalek and Roysce, they didn’t deserve to die the way they did.Loki could feel her arm tighten around his waist. He lifted his head and could see the freckles in her cheeks from the sobbing in the glow of the gate.“I’m not ready yet...”He turned fully to his back and made sure that Imogen was comfortable no matter the harsh dig of the rocks into his skin. As long as she would need it, he would do what she said.“No! Let me go!”But he wouldn’t put her in danger. He would have told her the truth but he remembered Sakaar and by her brother’s word, he would not hurt her more than she already was.“Immie...”As she slept, she could here his voice as if he were still there.“Gussy?”“Stop this now. Get up before she finds you. There’s not much time.”“No.”She was dreaming; she knew. He appeared in front of her as a mist. His hand would have struck her face in anger but he was dead. There was no more denying it but she would try. He sighed as if he needed the breath.“Immie. You can’t stay here. I’m sorry. You need to forgive yourself or you won’t survive.”Imogen woke. She was still for the longest time as she heard Loki sleeping underneath her. They were what was left. She didn’t want to admit that there was a way to get out. She propped herself and looked to the small space. In the glow of the gate, she saw Loki sleeping peacefully. His arm slid down to her waist with him being in a deeper sleep than she had been.She brushed a few hairs from his face and slowly traced the side of his cheek. She felt bad for scolding him for feeling something about her when she’d felt the same way. He wasn’t a distraction but...Something had happened that August didn’t get a chance to say. Now it was only her. Her and Loki. She flinched as Loki’s hand touched her face.It was only them now.She looked up to the portal. August was right, she couldn’t stay. Imogen got to her feet and straightened out her leather armor.“Imogen?”She walked to the portal, eaving him behind. As she disappeared through the light, Loki shot to his feet and raced for her so she wouldn’t jump from the rocks.He was blinded at first, stopped by the impossible scene around him.The rocks were gone and a city spread out in each direction. He knew the landscape all too well and from the shocked look of Imogen, she did too. They heard the snarling around their shoulders of the Chitauri as they landed on the smashed concrete behind them. Loki pushed Imogen behind him as more began to circle them.“Be ready to run.”“Too late!”Imogen set off sprinting down the destroyed streets of New York with Loki and the Chitauri behind them. She was lucky and quick enough to dodge their guns and knives. Her heart pumped wildly as people screamed and ran in every direction. With each step, she knew how to avoid getting hit and how high to jump over the crashed cars. Loki followed in her every step, running as fast as he could as blast of blue smashed the side of buildings to rain down on them.He was distracted, keeping his eye on a growing agile Imogen, enough to not see the extended arm that clotheslined him to the pavement. Loki felt the air pushed from his lungs as he was held to the ground by a blue foot to his chest. He followed the blue skin up to the red furious eyes of Laufey.“It’s about time,” he chuckled in one breath.“No!”Imogen grabbed a piece of debris and pitched it into the frost giants face. Laufey cried out in pain as it broke apart on his face, allowing Loki to get to his feet and run. Imogen grabbed him by the hand and turned for an alley. Loki took a single leap over a high fence, leaving Imogen to climb her way up trash bins. She flipped herself over the fence and landed perfectly to her feet as the snaring grew closer.“How far are supposed to fucking run?!”“You’re the one with the ability to find the gate! You tell me!”“Oh, really? You can’t a spell and get us the hell out of he...”Imogen yelped out in surprise as she slipped on a bit of ice and landed on her side. She felt a hand grab her and pull her to her feet but was surprise when it didn’t belong to Loki. Imogen looked into the eye of Roysce with skin paler than it already was and a bit of bone sticking out of his neck.“Hey, there good looking.”His hands wrapped around her neck, tighter than she remembered. Loki was pulled back again by Laufey’s hand.“I think I would like to watch this. Wouldn’t you, Asgardian?”Loki found Laufey’s grip on his neck to be too powerful.Imogen kicked at Roysce with some success but still had some difficulty to knock him away. He only laughed.“Why aren’t you scared of me anymore? Maybe you need a more familiar face.”Roysce’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. His dead skin rippled, making his skin change its appearance before her eyes. She didn’t know how he was supposed to be at first with freckled skin and short red hair and a deep voice that made her weak with fear for a moment.Loki tried to break free as Roysce brought up his fist, ready to strike at Imogen.There was a pain in her chest. It was her heart but something had changed in her. In the wild look of his icy blue eyes, something snapped in her.“Why are you leaving?”
Imogen had backed into a corner but it was no use. He always found her. Abe twined his fingers into her hair and jerked her away. Imogen screamed and cried for help but the hell outside masked them out beautifully.
“What the hell?”
Imogen was turned away from the window as it shattered to broken glass and wood. The power of the blast knocked them both from their feet. Imogen was already on her feet and ran for the door without her satchel or her cane. She didn’t know why Abe didn’t believe her but now was a chance as good as any and she would have rather died than escape. It was now everyone for themselves.
Her hand fumbled with the locks many locks and not one of them turning from her panicked fingers. She fear grew as she heard the shuffle of feet in the broken glass in the living room behind her. Imogen jumped as a fist pounded the door from the other side.
“Immie!”“August! I can’t open the door,” she sobbed.“Get down now.”
Imogen didn’t have be told twice as she dropped to the floor and covered her ears. She held her ears tight enough to hear a small ripple of sound and a gust of wind on her back. She was jerked from the carpet and quickly led from growing snarls and Abe’s scream for help.
“August! What the fuck is going on?”“Just don’t let go of my hand. Don’t let go!”
She held onto her brother with both hands and ran as fast as her feet would allow her.
He had the same voice but not the same grip of anger in his hand. Abe’s was sure but Roysce’s was weak.
Thump, thump.
Her hands moved from her neck to the brick wall behind her.
Thump, thump.
Imogen calmed herself and could feel her skin harden.“Maybe I just need to kill you again,” she chuckled.Her eyes faded into a blue deeper than Laufey’s skin or that of any Jotun. Her body expanded in every which as Roysce let go out of fear.“No!”Faster than he could turn around and Imogen grew a long horn on her nose and large thick skin. Her mouth opened and she roared, setting her to charge and knock Roysce’s body high into the body across from them. Loki smiled at the large animal Imogen had turned into as she turned and set her sights on Laufey.He trembled for the briefest moment and it allowed Loki to move freely. Imogen charged and smashed her way to the giant. Laufey turned his arm to ice, thinking he could injure her. Loki jumped out of her way and watched as she trampled over the frost giant like a rag doll. Loki followed her back down the alley as she stopped and changed back. Imogen gasped for breath as Loki tried to comfort her.“You did so well,” he laughed.He left a quick kiss to her lips, fast enough for her to not realize it.“I-I can’t have you waiting back for me. You’re all that I have left.”She cupped the side of his face and kiss him back.“No,” he snapped as he formed his hand to her jaw, “I am not leaving you behind! I gave my word.”Imogen giggled, prying Loki fingers away. He was struck with some confusion at first but her glowing eyes made him easy.“Who said anything about leaving me behind,” she asked as her eyes began to slit back, “Try and keep up, old man.”Imogen leapt from the edge of the sidewalk and ran down the street on all four feet as a wolf. Loki smiled, running behind her at a pace slower for his anatomy. They weaved and dodged obstacles as the ran from street to street and he remember how far only the Chitauri were kept by the Avengers.“Is that the best you can do,” he laughed as Imogen sniffed around, “Perhaps tracking isn’t your best suit.”Imogen grinned out the corner of her eye. She howled to the sky and turned the corner through the chaos. Loki ran faster as she jumped from her wolf form for a single moment. As a human, Imogen ran a single foot and laughed in Loki’s direction as her hair flew behind her.“Catch me if you can...”She jumped from the ground and turned into a full grown cheetah as she sped off without him. Loki sped up himself, hearing the animalistic growl of her voice. In the distance, Loki could see a void on the edge of the battle. He forced himself to ignore the people screaming, the Chitauri as they slaughtered those whom fought back. All were memories to haunt him and he knew it was and wasn’t real; the poor souls to spend eternity frozen in the same Hell. It was the past now and all that mattered was getting across the next gate. With Imogen speeding well in front of him, Loki closed both of his eyes and ran into the shimmer of light.His first step through, Loki stumbled with Imogen. Her eyes were pulled forward to the white void in front of them but she was bale to reach back with her hand and grasp the life from Loki’s.“I-I don’t think that was the gate.”“As long as we didn’t stay in there,” he sighed.Loki wanted to look at her but her focus was glued to the white.“I don’t get it. Is it still the same level?”“I’m not sure.”Imogen went through her head and tried to remember. She counted on her fingers to be sure.“Limbo, gluttony, the hell hounds, the rocks...”“The rivers.”“The cave and this shit. Loki, that didn’t feel like a gate we went through back there.”“So...”“Seven. The seventh level of Hell. What was that supposed to be?”“I’m not sure,” he lied.He couldn’t tell her.“I’m not sure if I was surprised that Roysce found us. The dead go here to die, I guess.”Something echoed, something small to her right as Imogen turned to hear it.“What?”“I think...”She heard it again, a faint drop of water. She let go of Loki’s but stayed at his side. The drops grew closer but it was impossible to see when all she could see was white.“Maybe we sho...”She turned back, seeing Loki had vanished and was well out of her eyesight. Loki felt a chill run up his spine. He turned back, seeing Imogen fade away.“Imogen?”He turned, ready to find her but was met with a sudden heaviness in his heart. His feet dangled underneath him. He swayed as the feeling of defeat coursed his veins. He looked up to see Odin holding onto Thor as he held onto Gungnir tightly.“Father?”“I love you, my sons.”“This isn’t real...”Tears welled in the sides of his eyes.“No, Loki.”“No...”Just let go.He wanted to let go, he wanted to die at the words of his father. He wanted to make him pay. He felt he had nothing else in the world to live for.Imogen felt the white turn to darkness as she remembered through her other senses. She could taste the vodka on her breath. The city under her was strangely quiet from the day before. She didn’t want it to feel real until she reached down and picked up the broken bottle she’d just finished off.“Go ahead. See if I care.”She cried as she raised the broken edge to her forearm. She didn’t know if Abe would let her follow through or if he would toy with her and make her pay for it later. Her hand shook a single time, nicking her skin as she refused to bite back her cry.Loki almost let go as he heard something from the broken edge of the Bifrost. Behind Odin was a woman. Her eyes were white and red from her tears as she had something to her arm. She sobbed in pain as he saw the blood trickle from her arm and stained her white dress.“No.”Loki climbed up the vanishing images of his brother and his father, grasping the edge at the last second so he would not fall into the void.“Imogen!”Something made her stop as she pulled the bottle away from her skin. Hot breath raced to her neck as Imogen was jerked back by her hair. She cried out as she fell to her knees. She let the bottle fall from her hand as what was left of it shattered to pieces. Loki saw as she was pulled to her knees. He fought his fatigue and pulled himself to the surface of the bridge. With the glow of his hand, he met the eyes of a spirit-like creature and snapped his neck wtih a spell.Imogen gasped for breath as she tried to find her footing. She was disoriented, grasping the only memory that found her. She was never filled with so much shame as Loki held her and cradled her. He kissed the side of her head, glad that he didn’t give in to his pride over the side of the planet.“Imogen. Please wake up. Wake up for me.”She tired to look up but was still met with darkness. The voice of the man holding her was familiar but she could remember him. Loki looked into her eyes void of the deep color he remembered. Despite her natural lack of sight, he cupped both sides of her face and passionately kissed her lips. She was taken back to the whiteness of the level of Hell and knew nothing around her but him was real.“Loki?”Tears streamed from his eyes as he laughed and kissed her again.“Yes, yes. It’s me. I’m here.”“It was real.”“No, it wasn’t.”“Yes, it was because,” she choked on every word, “I has happened before.”“No,” he whispered as he held the side of her neck, “You’ll never get away from me.”A flash blinded her as Loki stood over her with a look of wickedness to him.“...for as long as I breathe, you quim.”Imogen choked as she pushed Loki away. He was surprised as Imogen knocked him away. She clawed at her neck for breath but the memory wouldn’t let her as she backed away from him and closer to the edge of the bridge.Hela opened her eyes and laughed. Her cackles made the shadow stop for a brief moment.“Why was I so blind to see it? All the magic and premonitions and I still didn’t see it. It was never fate.”She turned her face up to his hand over a single ring that he was repairing with his magic.“What are you up to,” she asked leaning forward so her smile could distract him from the shadows working on her bonds.“She is not ready.”“Ready for what. From what I know now, I thought you would want her to know the truth.”“Once she is close enough, I will make sure she knows all. He used her for so long and now I will make sure he is used tenfold, no matter if he lives or dies.”“But all this trouble for one. Little. Mortal,” she hissed so that it would hurt him.No matter her words, he knew she was right but it was his duty to make sure Imogen was in the right place and the right time before the last of her undeserved tragedy unfolded.“I pray your death will be quick, witch.”“And as yours as well,” she smiled as she looked over the shadow’s shoulder.“As my wife wishes.”He turned to follow her gaze and was met with the large hand belonging to his brother. The shadow was knocked to the ground. He looked up to Surtur, smiling to his brother as he made his way to Hela. She snapped a single bond with her own magic as the other was broken by Surtur. Hela ran her fingers through her hair and mounted her favorite crown.“Never in my year would I have imagined that I would slay a god.”“He is yours, my love.”She ignored Surtur and strutted across the great hall. The shadow wasn’t sure if he would survive.“You will not win.”“My Pluto,” she whispered softly as she drew her long blade from her thigh, “You will regret no letting me die as your brother did. Any last words?”He pushed himself up and smiled.“You must not know the meaning of a bitch until you’ve been devoured by one.”With the snap of his fingers, he summoned his hell hounds from the shadows to attack Surtur and Hela. They both fought and slaughtered the endless sea of creatures. Pluto jumped over the dead dogs and the blood to reach the gold on his table.He rushed his powers to repair the walls holding her memories.“Please hold. Please hold...”Surtur raked his nails across his brother’s back. He screamed out in pain as they crashed into the table to make the realm shift.Imogen and Loki stumbled from their feet. Loki fell but Imogen was steady even without her eyes. She reached out and tried to find Loki with no success.“What was that? Loki?”He stood up and saw the edge of Asgard crumbling around them. He reached out, finally about to pull her into his hold, holding her tightly as they both fell over the side of the bridge and into the foaming sea.Pluto lifted his palm and wrapped the shadows of his powers around his brother’s neck. Surtur kicked at the table to make it tumble and crack the edge as a terrible noise filled the room. The ground spilt open as the dogs, Surtur and Hela fell through. Pluto felt his brother’s hand wrap around his ankle and pulled him through as well.Loki wrapped his arms around Imogen and held her tightly as he turned his back to the sea so that he would take the most of the impact. There was a faint sensation of water at his back. In the second moment, the sea would have swallowed them whole and after that they would have tumbled over the side together and he would have died happy with her in his arms but the second moment never came.He landed on his side, shaking the both of them from their illusions. The white returned as Imogen to see again. They turned to darker objects falling from above. The smell of the dead hell hounds at their feet nearly made Imogen sick as she backed away.Pluto was the first to his feet as he almost stumbled into Imogen. He stopped and looked into her brown eyes. He was stunned, seeing her alive, the only one that now mattered to him. Loki slipped in the blood growing under the snarling beasts that ignored him. He was at the ready, willing to kill anything that charged at him. He was stunned to see his sister Hela slaughtering numerous hell hounds around her with Surtur, the demon that helped destroy his only home.He turned back to Imogen, only to see another presence reach for her hand. Loki lunged for them, only for Pluto to suspend him in the air. Imogen was petrified as Loki froze in place.“I will not harm you, child.”She matched the shadow’s voice to the man’s plain face.“Trust me. Here.”He place a large golden ring in her hand and closed her fingers around it.“Break it when you reach the end. You need to survive.”His cold fingers turned warm for a moment. They traced the edge of her hand as he pulled his away.Hela gasped as she tried to catch her breath. She looked up to her bastard brother frozen in the air. Her hand summoned a rather small blade in her hand but really any blade would have done the trick. She only had a moment to fling the metal to his heart before more hounds set their sights on her. A separate blade swung and chopped off another hounds head and she set her sights on the beasts surrounding her weak husband’s. She would mock her brother’s corpse when they were done.Imogen could see a flash of light. She reached for Loki and pulled him out of the air in time for the blade to only slice through his tunic and nick his side. The pain was bearable but his veins filled with fear as a few hell hounds sniffed the air. They turned at the smell of his blood.“Run. I cannot stop them when they sense fresh blood.”Imogen jerked Loki by the sleeve and ran from the Hell behind them. She didn’t know why she didn’t turn into something overpowering like an elephant or a buffalo but her only instinct was the run for her life. Pluto turned back around and couldn’t stop the growing sea of hounds that charged for Imogen but he could turn a few around and kill the rest.Hela stopped and watched her brother and the woman run off in the opposite direction. Surtur cried out in pain as the hounds dug their teeth into his leg. He tried to grow to his natural form but they attacked like bugs. The swarm of darkness grew up his legs until he fell to his back. The hounds bit every part of skin on him. Only a few perished by his fires but it wasn’t enough to fight his brother’s stronger powers. He looked up to Hela as she backed away.“Please! Help me!”Hela smiled reaching safely past his hand and ripped the scolding crown from his brow. Surtur disappeared under the starving hell hounds and his blood as she turned and sprinted away for the nearest shadow that wasn’t her own. Pluto secured victory for this time but with the crown in her hand, she would make sure he paid starting with the dead of his remaining flesh and blood.Loki ran with Imogen’s hand in his. With the other, he summoned endless versions of himself for the hounds to attack but it could only slow them down a fraction. Imogen’s heart beat deeply in her chest and the hounds knew to follow it. She didn’t dare look back. Loki could feel his side heal and the cold patch of blood staining his shirt. He stripped it away and wiped off his side the best he could.The dark tunic fell behind them. The remaining hounds stopped and fought for the fabric, finally giving them a chance to run. Imogen was too focused on running that she almost rolled on her ankle and dropped her golden ring. She caught herself and watched as the ring rolled back. Loki reached for her and tried to pull her away.“Leave it!”“No,” she shouted as she slipped away.She dove for the ring and caught it before it could roll any further. A single hound caught her scent and turned with its tongue licking its lips in her direction. Imogen was frozen as she tried to turn and run. More of the hounds turned for her. Loki ran, almost not seeing the large metal vehicle screech to a stop in front of them. Hounds were either killed or hit as blood landed at their feet.Imogen backed away into Loki as he helped her to her feet. The door to the vehicle opened and Imogen almost lost her mind as Emmilette’s white hand was extended out to her.“Come, child. It is not your time to die here.”Loki didn’t wait for her to respond as he scooped Imogen up from the ground and hauled her onto the rusted bus. Imogen fell into the nearest seat and looked out the windows behind her as great distance was put between them and what was left of the hell hounds. Loki’s eyes were glued to the controls of the vehicle being operated and steered all on their own. He didn’t meet Emmilette’s eye as she ran to the back and returned with a smiling guest.“Hey, you made it.”Imogen’s head turned around to August, paler than she remembered. Her eyes watered with tears that spilled down her cheeks. August only wrapped his arms around his sister. When she finished crying, he helped her back to her seat and sat next to her. There were so many questions and no willpower to push the words out of her mouth.“I remember it hurting. The water was actually warmer than it looked.”“Are you...”“Yeah, sorry, Im.”She could feel her tears again. She looked to his arm and saw the glowing words.
The dead cannot leave.
“It isn’t fair.”“No shit, Sherlock. I’m sure that counts in life and death.”“Did you know Nalek was going to do that?”“Im...”“Did you know?!”Loki and Emmilette had no choice but to listen to the grief in Imogen’s voice.“Yeah.”“Motherfucker,” she cursed under her breath.“Imogen, you’ve looked after me all these years and now that I’m gone, I need to tell you that Abe is my fault and I should have gone for you when I had the chance. Now it was my turn to protect you.”Imogen didn’t want to accept that he really was gone. She laced her fingers tightly to his and didn’t want to let go.“What the fuck am I supposed to do without you, Gussy?”“Live. Kick Abe’s ass if he ever comes back. Go back to the symphony. Be Auntie Mame.”“I can’t,” she choked.“Hey, hey. Whether you like it or not, I’m not going with you. Learn to be lonely if you have to. It is going to hurt, I know.”“If you’re not going with me then why are you here? It this come fucked up practical joke?”“It is only a detour,” interrupted Emmilette as she smiled with her eyes, “Our souls are not darkened enough to stay here.”“You’re getting out of Hell?”“Yes, Pluto said we were granted passage and told us to find you.”“Who?”“The shadow,” said August.“That thing’s got a name?”“Yeah but we don’t know anymore. Just that your stop is soon. You made it through this level and all you have to do is find the next gate.”“What was this one?”“Violence but this one was tricky. First to others, then to yourself.”Loki could understand why Laufey appeared but he wondered if the look of revenge could be mimicked. The scene on the Bifrost didn’t need to be explained or relived for the time she had left with August.August looked up to Loki and lowered his head so only Imogen could head him.“I know you can get out of here, ok? You only have two more to go.”“What are they?”“Freud and treachery. I need you to promise me that if you have the chance to run, you’ll leave Loki behind and get out. I don’t have the time to explain but he isn’t who you think he is.”“Abe was your friend. I remembered, asshole.”August rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. His hand went to hold hers again but stopped.“What is that?”August slipped his hand into Imogen’s pocket and pulled out the golden ring.“The sh- Pluto gave it to me. He told me to break it at the end. Does that mean anything?”“It’s not for me to say. Those are your memories to do with what you want. I can’t help you anymore than that and neither can he. You’re on your own.”The bus began to slow as Imogen’s fingers dug into the seats around her. Her breath started to pick up and her arms flung around August. He rocked her enough to keep her from latching onto him.“Immie? Imogen, look at me.”“No.”“God dammit, Immie. You need to let me go.”“No, no. Please...”She began to sob again as her arms shook. August was able to break himself away and kiss her cheek one final time.“Hey, be a big girl and say goodbye.”“I can’t.”“This isn’t the end of the world, Immie, but I’m sure you can see it from here. I’m going to a better place and I’m going to be happy. I’ve lived life as far as I could. Did I die under fucked circumstances? Yeah but I’ll be okay. I’ll have Nana and Emmilette to keep me company.”Imogen had no more words to say as her fingers slowly and painfully uncurled, letting her brother go.“I will be sure that he goes where he needs to be, child.”She shook her head to Emmilette, still so pale and beautiful as she took August’s other hand.“Be good, Immie. I’ll look back on you from time to time.”Imogen forced herself in her seat as Emmilette and August walked to the front steps of the bus. August looked to Loki from the steps.“I forgive you, man. Just keep her safe.”“I swear I will.”The bus stopped and the doors creaked open as they both departed. The door shut and the bus slowly started to move again. Imogen could barely breathe as she looked through the window to her brother and Emmilette waving them off.Imogen got to her feet and walked to the back, not wasting a moment in remembering every bit of August before he disappeared. Her eyes were kept wide open to not blink or wipe away the tears. She sank to her knees and watched until he and his companion vanished in the beautiful light that appeared. Loki knelt behind Imogen as they both saw the light vanish.Imogen pushed herself into one of the last seats as Loki sat across from her. They didn’t know how much time had passed but as her tears slowed, she wiped them away and tried to clear her head. Loki waited until he was absolutely sure she wanted to be bothered. The bus continued on for some time as it rocked them back and forth.The white seemed to go on forever. Imogen didn’t feel like talking. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the hard seat beside her. Loki wasn’t sure what to do with himself. The controls and the wheel of the bus was still operating by itself but he didn’t know how far it would be until they reached the next gate or if the bus was even going in the right direction.He only closed his eyes and rested as Imogen did.She tried not to dream of August but it was no use. She could see him, plain as day but dressed rather odd. Imogen could tell it was still him but his clothes were like nothing he’d seen before.He sat at a square bright desk and counted strange looking metal chips. His dark hair wasn’t combed over as it normally was but stood up stylishly on end. Yellow parallel lines ran down his face and the robes. God, the robes were different story. He donned a dazzling grey robe that spilled over his seat and almost touched the ground.He looked over his shoulder to her and smiled with a single wave.“Imogen...”She woke, almost curled up in a ball as Loki stood over her.“What happened?”“The bus stopped.”“What?”“I just woke up and the bus stopped running. Look.”He pointed past the windows and the open bus doors. The bus had stopped just shy of a cliff edge. Imogen was out of her seat and off the bus as she stepped closer to the edge.“Wait,” yelled Loki as he leapt after her.“Look over.”Loki was cautious as he leaned over and saw the gate, normally small enough to step through, was now spanned in every direction from the edge. He kicked a bit of the ground and watched it disappear in the light.“What do we do now?”“We get the fuck out of here.”Imogen grabbed Loki’s hand and closed her fingers to his. He smiled as they both took a single step forward. Imogen paused and looked to Loki.“Second thoughts,” he shrugged to her.He wouldn’t be surprised if she need more time or if she didn’t want to step through the gate altogether. Imogen grabbed Loki by the neck and jerked him down for a kiss. He was surprised by the act but he was glad that Imogen returned his affection if only for a moment. He held her face as she broke the kiss. He looked into her eyes; the color would be gone with her sight so he would remember the life they’d been filled with. His thumb ran across her cheek freckled from her cries. He smiled as he turned them to the edge.“Not anymore.”She held his hand tighter and leaned forward so she couldn’t change her mind at the last minute. Imogen closed her eyes as she was Loki fell over the edge and straight through the lighted gate.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Hela laid on her back and rested herself. There was a smile to her face as she slowly wiped all the hell hound blood for her face. It was such a jounrey back to her own lair but with Surtur no longer in power and Pluto in the winds of Hell, the throne was hers for the taking. She looked to the empty throne and sighed. It was far too easy to take just like Asgard but she wasn’t going to turn down such a possibility.Once she emerged clean to her new quarters, she looked to Surtur’s broken crown.“Such a great conquest but pity of the pathetic.”She waved her hand over the crown as it took its time to repair itself. The fracturing dark bone crunched back together. Bit by bit the crown essembled to the bit of her dead husband that now laid as a trophy in her hands.The large crown sat heavy in her hands. She flipped it around, admiring each bit of it with a glint in her eye.“You are not strong enough to wield such a power, Hela.”She scoffed under her breath.“Your brother was too blinded by the beauty of my raging death to see clearly. His death was his own doing, if not yours.. Such foolishness and idiocy should have been protected.”“Why must you she her perish? What would her death achieve?”“The fall of your legacy. She would not thrive here. One reign to fall and I will rule this place as it should be and I’ll end up killing my brother only because I can.”“You know nothing of the importance of blood. You may wear the crown but without the proper...”“What? Heart? Compassion,” her eyes drifted down to the opening of his robes to the start of a healed but jagged scar, “You were smart to hide it, dear Pluto or else I may have stolen it like I did poor Surtur but ambition is a beautifully independent thing. Just imagine the conquests from hell itself.”Hela cackled as she lifted the crown and pressed it to her head.“I will spill mine and that belonging to yours,” she sighed as the burning crown embedded itself to her own brow, “but don’t worry, Daddy. I’ll make sure she dies slowly so you can hear. If only the boy could have died the same. Oh, the failed treachrous sight of the father...”She groaned as the burning crown attached itself to her skull. Her groans of pain melted into laughter as she could feel the power rush through her blood and flesh. The crunching bone grew and embedded itself with the strongest metal she carried in her veins. Pluto slowly backed away, knowing he would be unable to help any further as he looked over his shoulder to the eons of his realm in the direction of Imogen well on her way out of this place.-Imogen wasn’t surprised as she wandered around the maze of the junkyard around them. As they turned another corner, Loki left a bit of his magic to mark the way back. He almost ran into Imogen as they look up to yet another dead end.“God dammit.”“How many is that?”“I don’t know. I lost count... too many times. Let it go.”She brushed past Loki and started back up the pathway to the last glowing marker. Loki stopped and looked up to the towering cars around them.“They changed.”“What?”“The columns have changed look.”Loki pointed ahead to the bend of the cars that disappeared, showing off a clear path further ahead.“Of course they did. Shit.”“Hey.”Loki only put his hand on her shoulder gently.“We’re almost there. I trust you to lead the way.”“Not if we fucking die here.”She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. Loki stayed quiet. Imogen could hear the whispers again but they didn’t belong to the shadow or even to her. She turned back from where they came and walked. Loki wasn’t sure why she was walking back to the dead end but he knew to trust her. Imogen was careful on which rusted cars to touch and the stay away fro the twisted piece that stuck out.As they turned the previous corner, they stopped surprised that there was a fresh opening to another part of the maze.“May as well get rid of your markers. They aren’t gonna matter now.”Loki dismissed his spells and followed behind.“Not that I don’t trust you but why don’t we climb over?”“Be my guest,” she shrugged as she stopped at a crossroads.Loki began his climb up the cars while Imogen was stuck. The whispers led in every direction and she didn’t know which path to take. Loki looked down below to the ground the higher he climbed up. He was so near the top when the metal of the rusted vehicles began to whine under his hand. The crushed cars rippled under him.He cried out as a bit of the car door split apart and cut his hand. He hissed in pain as the blood dropped from his cut. Loki was quick to keep moving and not to linger in his steps. A bit of metal sprung our and curled, almost to slash his foot. More aimed for his arms and the start of his legs.“Dammit.”He jumped from the car back to the ground and landed near Imogen who was in no rush to pick a direction.“Didn’t work there, Tarzan?”“At least I was contributing.”“Well excuse the fuck out of me, your highness.”Loki closed his hand and willed his magic to heal the cut. The skin around his wound tightened enough to fully heal. She sat at the crossroads with Imogen and waited as she did. As much as she waited for her sense of direction to clear, she found herself distracted by Loki. He noticed the roll of her eyes.“Am I bothering you?”“No but your Magic Mike is showing?”“My what?”Imogen huffed her breath and stripped off the top musty layer of armor. She balled it up and threw it in his face as he tried to shield himself.“Put a damn shirt on! You’ll still look good if the hell hounds get to you.”Loki grinned. He slipped on the armor finding it to fit him perfectly as he remembered the tailors on Sakaar had made it. It felt strange to wear it again, having feel like an eternity from wearing it and it looking better on Imogen to show off more of her beautiful neck. He looked to her then as she bit at the edge of her thumb nail. His eyes ventured down to see more of her shape with the trousers and the simple undershirt that hung from her shoulders.She wasn’t sure why but her eyes fixated on the ink still glowing on her arm.“What does your say?”“What?”“The ink. Everyone had something. What does yours say?”Loki was quiet, trying to decide to tell Imogen. She snapped her fingers in front of his nose to get his attention from the simple question.“Dude, am I gonna have to hold you down and get the answer out of you that way?”He smiled to the ground and lifted his arm for her to see.“Suggestions say otherwise, I’d presume.”“Do not give in to her? What’s that supposed to mean? We haven’t exactly been ones to control ourselves when we’re alone.”“Who says it’s me that doesn’t have the discipline?”“Yeah, whatever because I just can’t keep myself off of you,” she mocked.Loki bit the side of his lip, understanding he was well about to step over a line. He reached up and turned her face to his. He wasn’t quick but he wasn’t slow. It was enough to pull her from her thoughts. He held her face still and pressed a kiss to her lips. He didn’t have to wait as he let his lips linger after a second kiss. When she faintly followed after he broke the kiss, he knew she couldn’t lie to herself.He leaned into her only a bit and kept a tiny bit of space between their lips.“What if I told you that you were the one that couldn’t control yourself around me?”There was some annoyance from him that made her want to get up and leave him behind. Instead, she sprung to her knees and caught ahold of his collar. Loki braced the ground as Imogen pored everything she had into a pasionate kiss. She stradled him, leaning further until he was covered in her. Imogen winced for a moment as the golden ring dug into her thigh. She jerked it free, letting it slide frmo her fingers to the floor as she moved her full attention to Loki.He grabbed at her, pulling her so much closer so that he grinded himself into her. She felt as chill as his fingers ran up her back to her neck to hold her in place. She could feel her whole body want his hands, his lips on her. Her hands, however cupped his neck, feeling the pulse under her palm and wanting so badly to make it stop. It her fingers began to close, it excited Loki but it terrified her that she wanted him dead.“Mm! Stop...”Imogen snapped out of her fit and pushed herself away from Loki for his own safety. She gasped for breath, doing everything in her power to keep herself back. Loki groaned as he tried to sit up, only for the pain in his cock to hurt.“Why?”She could feel August’s warning at the back of her neck. All of the visions and feelings and death clouded her mind and the only thing she could do was... save herself.“Because... something happened and I know if I ask you, you’re just going to lie to me.”Imogen got to her feet to swat the dirt away from her knees.“What?”“Fine. What happened before we woke up?”“I-I...”She crossed her arms and waited until Loki was at a complete loss of words.“I didn’t think so. I can’t trust myself with you. August was right.”“Well, what did you expect?”She didn’t realize she was pacing until she stopped and kicked a bit of dirt into Loki’s face. He was on his feet to stand his ground to Imogen. If the worst was unfold, then he needed to protect himself from her powers.“I expect you to be a decent human being and be honest with me!”“If I was honest with you, would you stop setting your on me like a bitch in heat?”“Oh-hoh, bitch! You are so full of yourself.”“At least I’m honest when it counts. You were so close to removing my clothes with your teeth. Please share why you had to practically drag yourself away.”“Because I wanted to kill you.”Imogen was almost too close to his face and it was strange to see not one ounce of need for him.“If I were to tell you what happened, you would.”“Then tell me what happened.”“No, it’s for your own protection.”“So, you’re going to keep lying to me?”“I am the God of Lies. It’s what I do best.”“Fine. Then I’ll just break the damn ring...”“Pluto said to wait until you were at the end. Perhaps it’s better if you wait.”“To hell with him and hell with you. You both have been playing me and I’m not getting killed over some dumb shit.”She turned and walked off, leaving him behind.“Is that it?”She put up her middle finger and ignored him.“Does that mean you don’t want your ring?”“Dammit...”She turned back and kept her eyes to the golden ring that purposely slipped through his fingers. She kept her mouth shut, though she wanted to curse him out til the ends of the earth. The ring pinged as it hit the dirt.Imogen reached down for it, missing it as it rolled on its side. She reached again but the ring turned and rolled away all on its own.“What?”“So you can see that too?”They watched as the ring continued to roll.“I thought Pluto wasn’t helping us anymore.”“Maybe it’s a trap.”The ring stopped and sped off behind them in a new direction. Imogen ran after the ring.“Imogen!”“Those are my memories!”He groaned in frustration and ran after her. Imogen ran for the ring the best she could but was cautious to the twisted metal from the cars and a wall that slammed shut behind her. Loki slid to a stop just short of the wall.“Loki!”“Don’t stop, keep going!”Loki waited and thought over his options seeing no choice but to climb. He used his magic and set an easy path for him that would get him over just one wall. He leaped as high as he could, dodging the metal that tried to wound him.He reached the top with only a few cuts to his legs. Imogen heard him drop behind her. She wanted to stop. Loki ran at a slower pace around the corner as he waved his hand to her.“Go! Before it disappears again!”Imogen ran before she could lose sight of the gold. Corner by corner, she could feel herself losing the ring.“Screw it.”She jumped forward and allowed herself to shrink. Imogen donned rows of beautiful scales and no limbs as she slithered with speed for the ring. Had she the voice, she would have screamed in frustration as the ring picked up its speed and tried to outrun her. Loki trailed behind the spinning gold and the snake that Imogen flawlessly transformed into. He was glad to be more agile to not nick himself on the sudden turns and rusted metal.Loki was the first to feel it. The wind whipped past his face and towards the direction of the ring.“Imogen, stop!”She coiled and recoiled herself until she could not longer be a snake. She changed back and her natural weight was able to stop her from being sucked into the gate that sat at the end of the maze. There was nothing she could do as the ring was sucked into the gate without her. Loki pulled her back to the safety of the side of the maze. Imogen jerked her arm away and tried not to take out her anger on Loki.“I was so close!”“You tried,” he looked back around the corner to the raised vortex of light that waited for them, “Shall we?”Imogen bit her lip. She got to her feet and wiped off what dirt she could manage. She hesitated, not knowing how to properly make her next decision. She wrapped her arms around Loki and didn’t try to take her actions any further than they needed to be. Loki knew the end was near. He knew things would change once she broke the ring and retrieved her memories.Imogen could feel her bone ache. Her eyes stung from all the tears she shed. She had nothing else but Loki. If it was only her, she had to walk through the last level and find something to live for, even if it was just herself but she had to admit what she knew was true. She let go and took a step back from Loki into the opening. He watched as the dark hair picked up from her shoulders.“Thank you for helping me, Loki. I don’t think I could have made it without you.”“As I promised, I will be with you until the end and after this is over, I will make sure our seperate ways are met safely.”“Sounds like a plan.”“It does.”They turned for the spinning vortex and were slow with their steps. Both were pulled a bit forward by the gales of the winds.“I’m sorry for the things I said, Loki.”“Don’t be. I wish you will find the power to forgive me for the things I’ve done.”Each step closer made the winds harder for them to hear each other.“Let’s just keep it as bygones for right now!”Her hand found Loki’s and he held on to her.There was only one level left and there was no chance that they would escape without something waiting on the other end. Imogen noticed Loki clench her hand before he brought it up to his lips and kissed it gingerly.His voice softened and she wasn’t sure why she could his whispering farewell under the rolling wind.“I’m sorry,” he smiled.He let go and hauled her to back so that he was the first to go through the gate. The wind was knocked out of her as she sat and saw the last of him disappear in the light.“LOKI!”She braced the ground as she waited. Imogen felt strange as she realized that for the first time since she woke up, she was alone. The wind made her skin cold. She knew to go forward. Her hand lifted on its own as it inched closer to the light.She pushed herself up to her feet. The gales pulled her in, slow at first but with each heartbeat, she could feel the end. Imogen steadied her breath and could feel her skin prickle. On her raised arm, she could see her ink.
Get out.
She’d do whatever it took. As she braced the last bit of blinding light ahead of her, she failed to see the swirls of colored bruising forming under her skin. Imogen closed her eyes and embraced the light that surrounded her. Her body lifted up and her feet could no longer touch the ground. She could feel the dark, she found comfort in her own voice.“This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper...”He woke from his sleep with a gasping breath. He choked on his nightmare and knew something was wrong.“Can’t even get a good night’s sleep...”He dressed himself and ran for his books in the second floor library. He grabbed as much as he could carry and ran for the doors to Kamar Taj. He pushed his way in and stopped as he looked to the eye of Agamotto.Stephen placed down his books and studied the relic closely.“What in the hell?”He picked up the artifact. The gem in the center lit up and dulled in a faint pattern.“That can’t be Morse code...”He grabbed the nearest pen and paper, waiting as he sorted. He waited until the patterns became clear.“Dot, dot, dot, dot. Dash.”He missed the next letter but waited until it came back around again.“Dot, dot, dash, dot. Dot, dot. Dash, dash, dot.”He hurried to rearrange the letters.“Fight? Who’s fighting what?”He left the books near the door and grabbed the eye as he raced back for his sanctum. He would do his best to focus and solve one problem at a time, though he knew he could do more. He grabbed as many scrolls and maps as his hands would allow until the lobby of his home became littered with paper and spells.After a few hours in the start of dawn, he pushed away whatever he didn’t need anymore as the pile grew smaller and more complicated. Stephen held a stone attached to a string and dipped it in a strong solution. He held it over the first map and waited.“Alright, where are you now?”The stone began to swing on its own to the northern hemisphere, landing near the ocean on the east coast.“Process of elimination...”He went to the next map underneath it, letting the stone swing until it pointed to the small space of Manhattan. It snapped up from the map and pointed in the air.“Where are you taking me?”He looped the stone into a necklace and slipped it on around his neck. His hands were quick to make a portal enough to get to the rooftop of his sanctum. The stone pointed to the north.Stephen moved through the rooftops with his spells until he ended up well out of Greenwich Village. He eyed the stone and followed its direction to the street below. Cop cars came and went, filling the growing dawn sky with flashing lights and the sirens to match. The stone shifted to a blind man as he exited the building.“Thank you,” he could hear the man say as he flicked his wrist and let his walking cane come together.The stone followed the man as Stephen let out a small chuckle.“Never knew the blind to wander around so late.”The man stopped for a second and shifted his head to the roof. He walked off and carried on as Stephen did the same. The stone moved from the blind man back to the the police station and dropped a moment later.Stephen sighed and laid back to watch the dimming red glow on the horizon.“I guess I have to wait,” he mused as he looked to the flashing eye relic.“Guess so,” said Matt as he locked onto Stephen’s voice and started for home and his armor.Imogen opened her eyes and groaned in pain. She turned to the side of her that wasn’t in as much pain as the rest of her was. She couched and sprayed the ground below her with blood from her mouth.Behind her she could hear a chuckle that she tried to escape from. She could also hear Loki as he tried to breathe.“So close,” Hela cackled, “and yet, not far enough, my pathetic dear...”Hela laced her fingers into Imogen’s hair and pulled her to her feet. The woman had changed so much. The darkness of her clothes and her soul now burned bright as Hela inched her face closer to Imogen’s.“I’m going to rip the heart from you and tear your soul to pieces when I am done!”Her eyes locked up to Hela to distract her. Imogen raised her hand to Hela and pressed her deeply bruised palm to the woman’s armored chest.“Bring it on, Hot Topic.”She blasted Hela back, making her tumble on the start of her stone steps. Her lip snarled up as the mortal’s hand blended with colored energy. She would enjoy draining her for all she was worth.“I’m going to enjoy this,” she hissed as she reached for her sword and lunged to slaughter Imogen.Loki was powerless to move as he saw his sister ready to kill Imogen where she stood. Imogen smiled and was able to stop Hela in the air. Another wave of her hand and a wall of clear mirrored crystals formed between the pair. Hela could see the image of her rage turn to shock over Imogen’s smile.“Not if I enjoy this first.”She closed her fist and sent the crystals in every direction as the three of them were slowly forced back in their steps...
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Thump. Thump.
The harsh surge of life through her heart hurt her as she kept her hand raised to Hela. Imogen couldn’t understand how or why the pale mirrored crystals worked to the wave of her hand but she wasn’t going to chance the sudden hand given to her. She embraced the green energy at the edge of her fingertips and let the crystals carry all her, Loki and Hela back in their footsteps.Blood raised from the cold ground and dripped back up her face as the wounds on her face tightened and healed. Imogen fought the crystals and dropped to the ground. She caught herself and raced for Loki. She forced them down to the floor as Loki caught his breath.“H-How...”He had seen many things in the universe. So many worlds and so many evils; the wonders that would not be believed on either side of Yggdrasil. He was now the ant watching the raise of a boot where its function couldn’t be explained.He drew his dagger and waited for Hela to be in the height of her leap. He threw them with all the rage in his blood as Hela was helpless to stop their flight. She howled in pain as he snapped his fingers and sent the daggers down into the ground with his damned sister to go with them.Hela knew it was strange to feel pain the way she did. The breath was knocked from her as her weakened body hit the ground. Imogen stopped the crystals. She pounced on top of Hela and held her thrashing arms to the ground.Loki hands wrapped around the long horns of her crown and pulled with all of his might. Fire and blood dripped from Hela’s brow. She shrieked, unsure in pain or resistance to the separation of her power to what would be left of her. She could not accept defeat for a third time. Her only chance of success would be to wound Loki with a blade that would never be her own.“Kill me, child.”“Don’t worry,” grunted Loki as he gathered his strength for a final pull.He jerked the horns well away as a small bit of blood splattered the floor. The horns clashed, echoing with Hela’s sobs. Loki tumbled from the force and sat to catch a much deserved breath. Death had been too close again.“It must be you. Kill me and the power shall be yours.”Imogen looked to a blade, one of Hela’s, close to her feet.“My brother’s dead because of you.”Imogen didn’t mind that tears ran down her cheeks.“Kill me and kill my brother as well. If anything Pluto has said to be false, it will be true that Loki is no love to you.”“Shut up!”Imogen plunged the dagger into Hela’s chest. Bits of blood spouted from her lips as Hela looked down to her own true metal sticking out from her chest.“Fear nothing, child. I would have slit your throat quick and shown you mercy.”“We’re already in Hell. Where will you go, bitch?”Hela smiled and pointed her finger to the ring in Imogen’s pocket.“Break the gold and see them for who they are. You will always be mortal no matter the thickness of your blood.”“At least I’m alive, aren’t I?.”Imogen felt her breath shake as her hands wrapped around the blade. She roared and pulled the long blade from Hela only to stab her deeper, again and again until her lap was soaked with deep red blood.“Imogen!”Loki jerked the blade from her grip and pulled her away from Hela, just breaths from death.“Live the life you deserve...”Imogen sobbed into Loki’s chest as he held her close. Hela looked away from the pair and to the hidden jewel in the tip of her finger. She used her sharpened thumb nail and broke her skin and the edge of the jewel she’d steal from their payment of the Sakaarian jewels collars. The red gem proved strong from its previous host and she knew he would do her proud.“Wake, dead child and raise with me...”She closed her eyes and felt death sink deep into her bones as her soul was quickly dragged into the red stone. Her rule was done and all she had to do was wait.“It is done,” he sighed.Imogen pushed herself away and could feel a heaviness in her hands. Her fingertips darkened from a moment but returned to their color. Loki helped her to her feet and the thought was gone. They looked around the circled room of marble, stone and blood, seeing no door or window as a way to leave.“What now?”“I’m not sure. I don’t know a spell for a realm such as this.”Imogen calmed herself and brushed away her tears so she could focus. She was never good at puzzles but August was. She tried her best not to think of him but what he would do.“I’m a key,” Imogen sighed out loud as she tried to think, “There’s no doors, no windows.”She turned to look around the room again.“There’s no furniture, no decorations.”Apart from the blood, the walls were bare of trophies and color. She ran and checked under each of the dull hanging drapes, only to see the strong marble pillars.“Should we check her.”“No,” she mused, “That would be too easy. She was already having fun with us. She wouldn’t have the way to leave on her.”“She would have it in plain sight.”“But there’s nothing here.”Loki pulled his daggers from Hela’s cold palms and hid them away. He dug his foot under her and flipped her to her stomach, just to see if there was a trick up her sleeve.Imogen stepped around the blood and sat on Hela’s throne. There was no comfort to it. She looked down the steps to Loki as he made his way to her. She didn’t want to look at anything else.“Any chance that the ceiling curtains would be the way out?”“I doubt it.”Imogen shifted herself angrily on the throne and felt a sharp cold breeze at her back. They both look to the soft beam of light peering from the edge of the worn cushion.“No way...”“Move.”Imogen moved out of the way as Loki reached from the cushion and ripped the plush fabric. The rush of wind stunned the both of them. Imogen looked to the bits of her hair that danced softly in the breeze pulled to the throne.Another slight move of the cushions and the marble walls faded away. High pillars of rock and snarling beasts appeared around and above them with their growls echoing for miles beyond them. The Hell hounds turned the yellow hummed glow of their eyes to turned to the pair. Loki pushed Imogen behind him, knowing their would be nothing he could do to protect her. He no longer need to now that the growing breeze was slowly starting to drown out the beasts.“I didn’t see that coming. You?”Loki grabbed the cushion and hurled the heavy thing for the beasts to chew at, some busy with fighting one another for Hela’s dead corpse“No. May we leave now?”Loki held out his hand and she excepted it blindly. He smiled to the strong grip of his hand to hers. Imogen’s stomach hurt for a moment as the ring felt heavy in her pocket. She tested her weight, holding herself up through the start of the portal as she quickly eased herself though and left the rushing waves of Hell hounds behind her.One last time, she told herself as the lights of the gate prickled her skin softly.He looked in on the both of them and swore to himself that he wouldn’t help but he couldn’t help himself nor would he forgive himself. He snapped his fingers and cracked the ring.Loki was the first through the portal and helped Imogen. He felt her stop and fall as her eyes whited out.“No,” he begged as he tried to reach for the ring.
Imogen could feel herself being pulled along as she felt August’s hand to hers.
“Stop,” he cried out.
She felt a gust of wind rush past her face as August shoved her back. She could smell blood, some was her own and most was from the dead bodies under her feet. There were too many noises and terrifying screams filling her ears as she screamed in a panic. She was scared stiff, not knowing what to do. All she could do was hold on to August’s hand for dear life.
“Imogen!”She gasped as she found her footing.“Sorry, I got dizzy for a second.”Loki was too panicked to notice the lie as his arms folded tightly around her. Imogen tried to laugh if it wasn’t for his arms squeezing the life from her.“Okay, okay,” she laughed, “Let’s just go home.”“Wait. I want you to come with me.”“I-I can’t. I have to go home.”“Without your brother? What will you do?”She could see the sadness in his eyes. Imogen would miss her sight.“I’d manage. I’ve had people disappear for as long as I can remember. It’s just life.”“But...”“Whatever is happening with you, figure it out and stop trying to pull me down into your shit. I know you’re hiding something and fucking me into submission isn’t going to stop me.”Loki’s heart sank deep in his chest and knew the worst was only coming and had happened but he still held her hand. Imogen didn’t want to break the ring but it only kept her feet dug into the ground until she couldn’t move. He could read her thoughts and pulled himself through the planes to get to her before the bastard could did.Loki looked to her lips, the first thing he noticed about her on Sakaar then looked to her defiance, the first thing he saw in her during the Battle of New York. He could see the ground festering in darkness behind her and knew his time was up. He turned her face to his and looked her deep in her beautiful eyes. He didn’t steal a kiss. He only pressed his brow to hers and smiled.“Just know that you have changed me from whom I used to be and I will always think of you, my love.”“No!”Imogen gasped as coldness wrapped around her waist and flung her body back from Loki. He was perfectly still and compliant as a bloodied Pluto stood almost straight between Loki and her. His hand shot up and bound his veins in darkness as Loki fell back in agonizing pain. He groaned and gasped in uneven breaths as another weaver of breath got his attention.He looked over his hunched shoulder to the trembling young woman as her eyes stayed on Loki. She was too beautiful. She’d grown into something he’d never seen born. Her looks mirrored her brother’s and the woman he’d meet so long ago.“Do not give him pity, my child.”Imogen turned her eyes to the long face that had been hiding under the darkened hood. The figure that had saved them before straightened himself to make himself presentable for her.“Look, we only want to leave. We made it through! What do you want?”His arm was long enough to reach for a strand of hair as dark as his soul and pushed it away to show her face.“The truth.”“I-Imogen...”Her fingers closed around the ring as she pulled it from her pocket. She could hear so many voices.Emmilette. Roysce. Nalek. Her brother. Hela.The heaviness of their remembered voices clouded her ears as she stopped listening to Loki and the figure, for once listening to her own voice.“Do it. Do it.”She stopped breathing. Her heart stopped too for a moment as her fingers grew stronger and snapped the metal apart. Loki closed his eyes to remember the last bits of her old self before the terror and anger would return.A stronger flash blinded her as buildings grew overhead of her. The setting reminded her of one of the planes they’d run through, slowed chaos and all. She stepped over the rubble in the street and found herself in front of the burning bakery. She could still remember the smells.Everything crashed back to her as her head felt it was spiked with sharpened picks.“Well...”She’d never seen Loki dressed as he was, drenched in golden armor and green leathers. He made his way down the front line of the cowering group of people that hadn’t run fast enough to escape. She found herself clutched to her brother. It was strange to see the memory of him alive and afraid.“In time you may cower and revel in the newer world I will prepare for you all. Look to me.”Everyone did but her.
Loki grew agitated in a moment, snatching Imogen from the ground.
“I said ‘Look at me’, you quim!”
The sudden jerk upward made her scream as August pushed himself between the pair.
“She’s blind, you fool!”Loki turned the spear into August’s heart and she understood why his grip loosened.“A blind wench. I may find a use for this. Be sure to keep a hand on her.”“Yes, sir.”
She’d cried out when August’s grip tightened. Loki’s hand wrapped around her neck and pulled her up as her toes could barely touch the ground.
“Don’t go anywhere. The fun has only started.”
She’d shaken then in fear but now in anger. A blast overhead caught Loki’s attention as his vision snapped up. A blast from one of the creatures shot him well back half a block away as people ran for safety. Something else pulled her back from the wave of forgotten time and events.
Imogen gasped as the broken ring fell through her fingers and rained underneath her. Her body almost fell back until the ground under neath her pulsed. Her body stopped midair and stayed bent backwards as her heart thundered in her chest. Her gasps stung her throat as she wailed in grief and heartbreak. Tears streamed from the side of her face. Pluto wanted more than anything to wrap his arms around her but her newer powers were beginning to surface and even he didn’t want to feel the rift of what was to come. One of her animal forms could have easily ripped him apart but the veins racing over her skin scared him.Loki watched, waiting for when the worse was to start. He eyed Pluto as darkened man backed away, knowing Imogen to go for him and all he had put her through and he wouldn’t have blamed her. Even saving her from the planned horrors of Sakaar and leading to Hell’s end, he wouldn’t deserve the mercy of a slow death.Imogen slunk to the ground, still trying to comprehend the returning emotions and reality of what was waiting behind her. Pluto let Loki go only for Imogen to raise her purple hand and blast Loki from the ground. He was thrown into the air and landed on his side, his body radiating with pure pain as Imogen stood steadily on her own two feet.Her breath trembled. Fresh tears streamed down her face. He knew what was coming. She turned to Pluto.“What did you do to me?”“I have done nothing.”“Why did you help? All the souls raining down in hell, all the people deserving this, why are you helping me?”“I cannot say.”“Don’t say that. Tell me.”“Please...”Imogen clenched her fists and could feel her eyes blaze. Pluto looked into the dazzling yellow of the familiar stone he was present to witness the birth of.“Tell me!”Completely under her control, he would not lie.“You are my blood, my child. My beautiful child.”He raised his arms to want to embrace her as he always wanted. Never did he think one of the stones to string him like a puppet.“What?”His smile was beautiful. Loki’s blood drained as she shook her head.“I never thought I’d see the day when I would look upon you and your brother.”Imogen understood but the pounding heart in her chest brought her to her knees. Pluto shook the power away and wrapped his arms around his little girl, so warm from suspended life. Imogen couldn’t move.“Oh, God.”He held her face in his hands and kissed her cheek.“I am far from it, Imogen. As much as I wish for you to stay, you must go.”She forgot about Loki and pushed herself away from the stranger, her father.“I don’t. I don’t have anyone else. Everyone else is gone! You’re in charge here. Open your eyes!!”It was true. The mother was long gone. His son he’d sent to his deserved destination and swearing him to secrecy as he’d taken the news much better.“You will survive. It was bad for you here and you will let go. There is life in you.”Loki got to his feet. Imogen looked to him and he was petrified. Step by step, she recalled everything from the moment she fled from his grip in New York.
August groaned as his grip loosened. Imogen uncurled from her ball and felt around for her brother.
“August?!”“Imogen. W-We can’t stay here.”
Her hands reached out for his face and felt his blood dripping between her fingers.
“No!”
Loki got to his feet and raced for the people running for the safety of the subway.
“Run!”
Imogen obeyed as she ran for her life with her brother to guide her to the vanishing screams. She didn’t understand until Loki’s screams of anger were replaced with the terror of the grouping people and the snarls of the creatures as they pushed metal rings onto everyone’s wrists. She could still feel the terribly painful voltage of electricity running through her body. The pain was enough to make her slip from her brother’s secure grip.
She was frozen emotionally, unsure of what to do as she stopped in front of Loki. Pluto knew not to interfere. She reached up and brushed the black hair from his face. He turned his face into her palm, excepting the gingerness of her touch.“You bastard,” she whispered.He didn’t mistake the softness in her voiced for forgiveness. He wouldn’t dare.“I am sorry, Imogen for everything.”He wanted to remember her warm smile.“Too little too late,” she shrugged.Her other hand shot up and struck Loki hard in the front of his neck. He wrapped his hands around his throat and fought to breathe. Imogen backed away as Loki sank to the floor. There was something about him, strange as his breaths started to slow. There was a darkened haze surrounding him that inched its way towards Pluto as he came into vision.“He is finally dying. It has been a while since I witnessed the death of a God.”Imogen sank to her heels and watched the color slowly run from Loki’s face as he tried to breathe.“Plea… Pl...”Imogen swatted Loki’s hands away and wrapped her own tighter around his neck. The tightening squeeze of her fingers was drenched in pain and fury that he had caused. Through her tears, she could see the darkness stop and draw its way back to Loki.“No.”She felt a bone in his neck pop back into place.“No!”Loki was in a great amount of pain from what Imogen had caused. He looked to her, anger and all, as small, soft rifts of blue made their way from the edge of his skin and up her arms.“Let him go.”She did and brought her clenched red fist down on his face.
Imogen was shaken awake as she was ready to fight the creatures. She stretched out her limbs and swung with all of her might until a familiar touch eased her. Her skin chilled terribly as she tried to stop her head from spinning.
“Immie. Shh.”
August kept her gasping breaths quiet.
“Sit for a second. Your legs are going to be stiff.”“Wh-what happened? Where are we?”“We got pulled into somewhere. My pod broke and I was able to get free.”“Pods?”“Yeah, that’s not the best of it either. Everyone is in a Mexican standoff outside. We don’t a lot of time but we’ll get far enough.”“Good. We’ll do what we can to get home.”
She sighed at the relief of her metal cuffs slipping from her wrists. Her legs stung and prickled as she tried to use her hands to warm her shins. Her whole body felt heavy and tired.
“Imm. That’s another thing.”“What?”“We may not be able to get home. I don’t even think we’re on Earth anymore.”
Before she could say anything, Imogen jumped at the sound of familiar shrieks she remembered in New York. August helped her up and ran with her through the labyrinth of metal and sickening smells. A whiff of cold, musty air settle her stomach.
“Stop, stop. Hold my hand. Try to stay low.”
Her ear picked up the yelling and snarling of two different parties. August pulled her to her stomach and reached under her to pull her from the ramp of the ship. The tear of her dress getting caught on the ramp was louder once everything was silent. She jumped as a single snarl turned in her direction.
“Run!”
She clutched her brother’s hand and ran as fast as her legs would carry her through the mud and trash. They left the screaming voices behind them and stopped as did the blasting and the snarls.
Her fists struck his face again and again until her knuckles split from the force. Loki turned his head away as he coughed his blood into her pant leg. She grabbed the collar of his tunic and shrieked in his face.With no more breath in her, Imogen let Loki go and turned away from him. Her strong heart kept her upright and from passing out. She looked down through the under shirt and saw the beautiful darkened veins growing from the vertical scar on her chest. Her eyes met Pluto’s.“You were the donor. Weren’t you?”“I grew tired of being in my mortal form and it was the only way for me to return. I never stopped watching over the both of you.”“So you never gave a shit about mom?”“There was a time when I did love her but we had drifted apart from ambition. Me with my returning rule and her with the progress of her own kind. I never stopped loving you or your brother, Imogen. In a sense, you saved me. You took my heart and in turn, I could finally go home. Now it is time for you to do the same. You must live again.”“N-No...”Imogen started for the portal and left Pluto to look at Loki.“How do I go home? What will happen?”“The Norn Stone will wear off and you will be sent into darkness again.”She touched the back of her neck but could feel nothing. It was for the best; she think about the pain again. She sealed her eyes shut and stepped forward to the light. She could feel the blackness collecting in her wrist. She shot her hand back as dark vines sprang from the ground and dug through Loki armor and deep into his flesh. Imogen knew he would try to follow her, wherever she went. He groaned in pain as each thorn on the vines took their time to pierce his flesh and make him bleed. He was held down harder to the ground as his blood began to pool around him. His limbs and his body could barely move an inch.“Good.”“Imogen.”She refused to look at him.“Good luck getting back to that ash heap. I have to let you go now, Loki, no matter what I felt for you.”She didn’t say anything else. Not to Loki as she cried out for her to turn around. Not to Pluto as he said her name a single time. She would make sure to remember everything. Earth, Sakaar, and all of the things she lost running through the planes of Hell. It would be the one thing she would not let go.She took another step through the blinding light and felt her knees go weak.
One sound was replaced with another but Imogen quickly grew to ignore it. Her side stung and sweat dripped down her neck but she never once felt her hand slip from her brother’s.
“In here.”“Where?”“I don’t know, I mean, it’s a ship and it looks legit. Come on, girl.”
Imogen felt her arms were growing weaker as August hoisted her up into a better smelling ship. She sat still where August put her. He turned for the controls of the ship, unsure of which buttons to push. Anywhere would be better than getting captured again.
“Over 200 hours and I never once touched Galiga. Dammit.”“What do we do now, Gussy?”
She wiped her hands on her dress and in turn wiped the mud from her legs.
“I don’t know, Immie.”“How about reach for the sky?”
Imogen turned her head to the new voice that had appeared. August scrambled for his sister but was too fast as she were pulled apart from one another. A clap of hands made the shuffle of his guards feet cease.
“You two must have been the ones that started the itchy trigger fingers on that Chitauri war ship.”
Imogen kept her mouth shut out of fear but she August kept his closed from anger and a new person that he would never trust.
“What? A-Are we speaking their language? Go check the speakers. Go! I want this to be formal. They look so clean.”
Imogen acted quickly as she stuck out her foot and tripped the guard, causing more of a ruckus before she and August were pulled further apart again.
“Goodness! She’s a little spit fire, isn’t she? Cute too. Reminds me of that Lord of Thunder. What’s wrong with her eyes?”
She felt an oddly firm hand hold her face up as it was turned from side to side, inspecting her absent vision.
“You speak up now,” he snapped his fingers “or I’ll have to kill her.”“Gus. It’s okay,” Imogen trembled.“Gus? Anything to say about the lady here?”“She’s blind,” he forced.“Blind? I can’t have that. There’s a few deaf ones but what good is anyone blind? That won’t do anywhere. Hold her.”
Imogen was turned into a metal wall face first as she tired to get herself free. The new voice behind her hummed as he stepped up behind her. His fingers returned to her skin as he shoved her hair up over her head.
“Uh, be sure to brace yourself, darling. This is going to hurt.”
Imogen screamed as something small seared its way into the back of her neck. The smell of her scorching flesh nearly made her sick as the pain made her head spun. August screamed for her as her own screams started to die out into whimpers.
“And… all done!”
Imogen fell weak to the floor as she was let go. She slowly reached up and felt the cooling for the stone. The pads of her fingers felt where the small bit of stone still poked out from her back and formed to her skin. She felt her eyes clouding as she tried to wipe them clear. She grunted and whined as lights in her head pulled the darkness away and left her with the blinding colors of the ship around her. Soon, the blobs of color were clear and her eyes locked with August.
She gasped as she tried to fight her tears. He’d grown since the last time she’d seen him. Now, he sat bloodied and tired with several weapons pointed to him. His face showed disgust and bloody anger but she knew he would be the most angry at his shirt being untucked from his pants.
“August. It’s okay. I’m fine.”
She did what she could to keep her voice as low as she could.
She turned her eyes up to the colorful man’s delight as he smiled and offered his hand out to her. He wore a bold robe filled with colors, one matching the line tattoo down his lip. His smile stretched to either side of his face.
“Oh, this is wonderful! I’ve never used a Norns stone before. I’m sure his highness wouldn’t mind that I used it.”
Imogen stayed away and pushed herself from the cold metal floor. She tried to back herself into the nearest corner as there was no other way to escape safely with August. She remembered the same feeling with Abe. She was trapped.
“Him. I’ve seen one of his kind before. It’s all in the mind. I know where he’ll go. Knock him out so he doesn’t see the vault codes. You got to watch out for the smart ones.”
One of the guards knocked August out with the end of a rifle. Imogen took a single step forward to reach out for her brother until the same rifle end turned and knocked her our cold.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
His breath grew shallow again as his body did what it could to repair itself. Much time had passed and the fresh waves of pain returned as she promised. He grew used to them and the empty hall that stayed the same long after Imogen and Pluto had gone.The howling winds of the portal yards away from his face warmed his natural freezing blood. His eyes hurt locking to the portal for so long but in his time of solace, he’d become the one thing he’d been against his whole life.Sentiment.Through his madness and as clear as day, Loki could always see Imogen’s face. He closed his eyes and felt the thorns dig deeper into his skin. He forced his breaths steadily, ignoring his mind’s twisted fantasy that the vines covering his body were beginning to loosen.“Bastard.”A mighty strike across his face jolted his body. Loki gasped as he pulled against the fatigue of his weakened form. As he turned to his side, he could feel a heaviness in his heart. He clutched his chest and could feel himself drifting.It felt too much like a dream as she came to his mind. Of course, he would think of her in his last moments alive; seeing himself free. He turned for the portal and crawled slowly for what his strength was worth.He was jerked to his back, think it to all just been a joke but the terrified look in Pluto’s mortal face.“They are in danger. You have to help them.”His green eyes followed the pale hand that reached into his robes and pulled out a small flickered flame dancing just on the tips of his fingers.“It is weak but strong enough.”He placed his hand to Loki’s chest and hoped that he wasn’t too late.“With this the All Immortal Flame, awaken.”Loki felt a stinging pierce through his whole body. Air filled his lungs and he pulled it all out with a heavy scream as life was pushed through his veins. His blood boiled, giving color to his pale skin. Pluto couldn’t wait as he pulled Loki from his feet and pushed him to the gate. Loki grew stronger in a second as he clutched to Pluto’s robe.“What is your game?! How do you have the Eternal Flame?”“The Eternal Flame was born from the All Immortal Flame but it will not keep you alive for long.”Loki stopped fighting as the shock loosened his grip. Pluto tried to smile.“You slept through it but now there is no time to sorrow.”“What’s happened?”“I can feel Hela.”“That isn’t possible.”“Think, you stupid bastard. She has been powerful for longer than you had been alive. She has had time to learn ways to live beyond death.”Loki could feel his back straighten.“Where is she?”“She is on Earth and she is out for blood...”- - - - -“Imogen?”She could feel her eyes blinking to keep the tears back but it would be her face that would give her away.“Please say something.”“Ma’am. Your order is ready.”Imogen cleared her throat and held up her hand. Once she felt the plastic bag on her fingers, she smiled in the direction of the cook and turned for the bells of the door.“Imogen!”She made sure she was quicker than Matt. Once she felt his hand on her arm, she stopped. She kept her face forward though.“Look, I’m sorry. I really am.”“You’ve said your peace. What do you want me to say?”“Anything. You’ve been quiet for nearly ten minutes.”“Fine. Fuck you. Don’t show up on my doorstep or I’ll tear you to fucking shreds.”She could fell his face get close to hers and she made sure hers was pointed to the ground.“So you’re just going to leave?”“You wanted this, so let me go and I’ll see you at the hearing.”“Just like that?”She controlled her powers so that when her hand wrapped around his wrist, it started to bruise like she wanted it to.“Just like that. Now get the fuck off or I’ll scream the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.”She jerked her hand away and got into the waiting cab.“What about my food?”“It’s ours now.”She slammed the door and pressed her middle finger proudly to the glass.“I know you can see that, Bitch.”“Ma’am?”She pushed down the lock on the door just as Matt reached for the door handle.“Sorry. 177 Bleecker Street, please.”The cab pulled off the curb and she was sure that she would make it home before he showed up. He didn’t move as quickly in the day. Imogen put her hand to her stomach and tried to stop the noises it was making.She kept to herself and clutched her bag of take-out as she listened to Manhattan as it rolled by her cab. Her body was on autopilot as it was most days as she got out and carried herself through the Sanctum’s front doors.“Evening. You’re ear...”“Where do you keep the shotgun?”Stephen stopped as he looked to the forced blank look on Imogen’s face. She followed the echo of her tennis shoes and held up her hand as it smacked against the kitchen door. She felt her way inside and let the door swing freely on its hinges. Stephen caught it and knew to stay on the other side of the island where Imogen banged the plastic containers of food against the counter.“No Matt tonight?”Imogen grunted in frustration and stopped messing with the food. She closed her eyes, completely ignoring Stephen so that she could focus and change her vision.“No Matt indefinitely.”She opened her eyes as they glowed blight blue, shifting to the same colors she chose to see when she wanted.“Ah, better. Mine, mine...”“What happened?”“He broke up with me. I kinda blanked out but I left before I did any damage to him. I gave him an out months ago with the client/attorney bullshit but I guess I was too much for. Hear that, virgin?!”“Okay, okay. You’ll be better with some food in you.”“I’ll eat when I’m done being so pissed.”“I would make a joke but I don’t need you breaking more things.”She looked up to Stephen and grinned jokingly.“Have some, there’s plenty.”“Oh,” he chuckled, “this isn’t for the both of you?”“No. Yes but no. Matt choice to break up with me in the restaurant, so dinner’s on him.”“This is his?”“Mine. Eat.”They turned their heads to the end of the cane that tapped on the high kitchen window.“That was quick.”“We should get a dog so you can set him loose. I could totally make a great white wolf.”“No. Just eat and I’ll take care of him.”“No. You’re gonna invite him and his woman haterness in.”“That’s not a word.”“I’m going to sleep the rest of today off. Leave my food out.”“You’re gonna get sick.”“I already do. Don’t touch my Nutella either.”Imogen waited until she was out of the kitchen to weaken her eyes back to their blindness and snapped her cane out in front of her. Stephen separated the food and waited until the tapping of her cane was on the second floor.He grabbed the food and made his way to the front door. Stephen was sure to not smile so largely as he was met with Matt.“Doctor Strange.”“You know I can’t let you in.”“Is she really not talking to me?”Something was hurled against the top of the door pane as bits of Imogen’s phone rained on them.“I’m guessing that is a no but hey if you can find a way in, you can talk to her under my protection.”“Fuck.”“Here, Daredevil,” said Stephen as he handed him the leftover bag of food, “You’re lucky I prefer General Tao's chicken”.“She needs to be at the courthouse on Monday.”“She’ll be there if it means she doesn’t see you again.”“And I’m sure there was humor in there somewhere.”“Why now?”Stephen crossed his arms and Matt knew what he was asking.“She has something going for her and I can’t bring her down.”“Bullshit.”“Besides, it doesn’t matter. Soon she’ll have something to occupy her time.”“Wow. You’re pussing out for the obvious reasons, Matt. You would have been fine. She’s has more on her plate and you are the one running scared.”“Like you would know. At least now, I won’t be in your way.”“Pray on that for me.”“Dick.”Stephen smiled and shut the door in Matt’s face. He opened it again with an even bigger smile.“Oh, and be sure to bring her things by Tuesday or I will find you and string you up for Snapchat to love. Bye.”Stephen locked the door and waved his hands in a series of spells and enchantments so that Matt wouldn’t step foot through any of the Sanctum entry ways. Imogen pulled off the last of her clothes and set her AC to full blast. She used a fraction of her powers to kick her bed with ease in front of the machine a single time.She eased herself to the comfortable bed and pulled up her sleeping shirt so that the stretched skin on her round stomach could cool. She set her alarm clock for an hour and then, she decided she would go back for her food. Stephen would leave her to her privacy and Matt would be well away and back in Hell’s Kitchen where he was needed.The only thing that really needed her was drawing closer to its due date. Imogen rested her head on her pillow and tried not to think of all the things she still needed to do. There was the empty room across from hers half done and with her last day with her other musician of the city’s symphony, she would be almost on her own to raise her baby with Stephen over her shoulder. Imogen wouldn’t have minded though. With her baby safely born, she would be able to use her powers again to help her.For now, she let a few tears drop for Matt leaving her but she was used to it.Mother, brother, Loki.Her chest ached for a moment as she thought of Loki for the first time in a long while. Matt did care for her as well as Stephen but she always kept her mind to the baby. She rolled to her side and propped herself on her pillow. Her hand slowly rubbed her belly in circles to give her baby the attention it loved.“Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine.”
A rumble shook the edge of her skin. It was the same vibrations of the amplified power of her brother’s voice. She could tell my the way the hairs on the end of her arms stood up.
The front of her head throbbed as morphed panicked voices filled her ears. There was a quick moment when color and shifting lights blinded her enough to hurt. She slid as her body was skid to a stop.
“Yes, they’re finally awake!”“Im.”
She couldn’t help what was to happen next.
“Oh! Oh, tip the chair! Do it now!”
Imogen could feel herself go forward and all she had to do was open her mouth. She clenched her fists and her stiffened out her legs as she vomited to the floor, hanging like a rag doll from the shackles of the armrests. She was set back down once she was done coughing the remaining crud from her cheeks.
“August?”“Hi there.”
The main strange looking man from the ship was the first thing she saw and it was already growing uncomfortable for him being so close to her face.
“Where’s my brother?”“Right there. Waiting for his mussel.”
Imogen turned to the other side of the chair and gasped seeing her brother seizing as the veins in arms turned blue.
“Stop it! Make it stop!”“Sweetie. He blasted a hole through my view with a single harmless breath.”
She ignored the giant hole to expose the breathtaking view in front of them as Imogen pulled at her bonds to help August.
“Son of a bitch, let me go!”“Her too. Just for a minute. Are the cages ready yet?”
Imogen could barely scream as her whole body was stunned with electricity. She didn’t flail as much as August but she was no longer in control of her bonded, shaking limbs or her bladder.
“My goodness,” whined the strange man, “We’re going to need a cleaning crew. Go see how wants work off some debt.”
Imogen curled her fingers to her chair and forced her blood to slow. She was trapped in her shackles and could feel invisible walls closing around her the same way the glass contains tried to hold her when she became Inhuman.
Only a few looked to her as she shrunk herself into a blue minuscule field mouse. She sighed as the metal disk which spikes were dug deep into her skin was now tilting away, making a single ding on the hard seat cushion.
“What happened? Where did she go?”
Imogen used every once of anger in her to expand herself into a giant blue squid. She reached in every painful direction to grab and hurl anything with a weapon in their hands. The floor was covered with moaning and knocked out guards as she changed into something with opposable thumbs.
She wrapped her large fingers around August’s chair and ripped the shackles away but couldn’t stop him from seizing.
“Oi, monster!”
Imogen could feel something wrap painfully around her neck and jerk her back. She crashed into the nearest metal wall, denting it high near the ceiling. Imogen unwillingly changed back and could feel her body turning out of the hole in the wall.
Her eyes slowly followed the rushing chaos of armed guards pulling a weak August back into his seat. The strange man come out of his hiding place, looking around to the vast space and the destruction she had caused. Imogen was unable to stop herself as she rolled down the last bit of curled metal.
“Come to Daddy.”“Get her secured before she does that again.”
Her body dropped down into the waiting arms of a pale man plastered in shining black armor. The wind was knocked from her as her vision faded to black, hopefully restoring her blindness but her other weakened senses dulled, letting her pass out from the pain.
The blurs.
Imogen was growing to be annoyed with them in each special way. With years of being blind and the stone in the back of her neck to mess with her parts, she had to be ready for whatever was going to happen to her and to August. She dreamt of him in the days before they turned. He was alone by choice and always stayed by her side. His hand was normally at her arm to hold her but it slowly crept down her arm.
She frowned. Something was wrong. He turned his head and his smile twisted into one that wasn’t his.
“She looks so weak. Can’t believe she wrecked the Grandmaster’s looking room. She’s gonna get thrown into the ring for sure.”“Ring needs a new champion.”“I am the new champion since that green rock fled with the others. She’ll be useful elsewhere.”
She forced her eyes open and saw one of two towering men to sniff at her skin. She waited until the first one looked back to his friend. Once distracted, Imogen reached for the knife on his belt and slit the inside of his arm. He cried out and she used the opportunity to roll away and crash to the floor. The second man slammed a button on the wall behind him and filled the small room with red blaring lights.
“Alright enough.”
Imogen moved from the sudden shift of the walls as the strange man appeared with a smile to his face.
“Hi. Me again.”
Imogen leaped clear over to the other side of the room and wrapped her arm around the second man’s neck with her knife pointed to his chest.
“Oh! She’s quicker. What did you do?”“Nothing she just woke up and killed Yollen.”“The little tired lady killed Yollen, then raced the same speed as him and is a mirror image of him with the knife to your chest. Is this a pattern?”“Please, sir. Just get her off.”“I want my brother. Alive. Now!”“Okay, but first you just do something small for me.”
Imogen didn’t understand why her grip on the knife was so secure or how she knew where to stab the man but she would try her best to negotiate.
“Fine.”“Kill him for me.”“Sir!”“Don’t worry. I know you and Yollen were poisoning the other contenders to move up. Go ahead.”
Imogen was frozen as her arms moved a fraction out of place. The man struck her in her side and pushed her off. Before he could reach for a weapon, her unnaturally steady hand slit a perfect line across his throat.
The strange man clapped his hands, not looking if Imogen had turned with intent to kill him next. He snapped his fingers and a guard by his side flung a small blade towards her face. Imogen held her hand up to shield her face. The tip of the blade touched her hand, reducing the metal to dust. Sand rained down her forearm as the strange man waved his hand.
“Bring them,” he whispered.“What the hell,” she whispered to herself as she saw the orange hue hum through her hands.“You know, I was going to execute you for all that chaos and then I was going to make it worse when I landed in your mess. My robes as delicate and take time to mend.”“I did what you wanted. Give me my brother.”“No,” he hummed as he backed out of the room, “Change of plans. You stay here and I feed you.”“What?! That wasn’t the deal. Who the hell do you think you are?”“I, sweetie, am the Grandmaster and you are about to show me your true worth.”
Once he was far enough from the outside of the door, several creatures flooded the doorway and turned for her. Imogen gripped the knife in her hands and felt herself run forward. She didn’t remember much but the blood, so much blood that wasn’t hers.
Back and forth, her arm moved steadily and her hand stayed strong. She wasn’t one for Beethoven but her years of practice made the Symphony No. 5 flow easier through her strings. The fingertips on her left hand were going to callus but not enough to blister or tear. It was going to be a long while before she was going to return and the consistency of the minuscule sting was comforting and going to remind her of what she was sacrificing.The night and the previous day had dragged on. She only thought of Matt once. Instead, she focused her energy on wallpaper for the baby’s room and starting on the damn crib.Damn baby needs the damn crib, she forced herself for hours.In the final crescendo, she played her violin and felt every note deep in her veins. The build of music, she felt for August whom was no longer occupying a seat in the front row but Stephen promised to be there. It was important to her but she understand if he wouldn’t be there.Each instrument in the orchestra played their last notes, leaving Imogen to pull her bow across the strings she would miss, echoing the full house ahead of them.As the music stopped, applause filled the auditorium, thundering painfully in her ears. Imogen smiled as she was helped to her feet and smiled to the empty vision of the hundreds of patrons standing in waves at the end of the show. She bowed slowly because of her stomach and waited for the draw of the curtain to close.She listened to the creaking wheels overhead and waited until someone helped her to violin case. She waited and said goodbye to the many people she enjoyed playing with for years, accepting her back to the symphony and playing to the endless crowd. The rush of her profession filled her with thrills. One day, she would be back but as her pulse slowed, she was ready for once to start the next part of her life.She held her arms near her stomach so no one would grab her. One hand at her arm made her smile.“You came!”“I’m not gonna ask if you cheated.”She hugged Stephen and laughed as she felt the tux he had stored for a special occasion.“What, no robes? Wow, you smell good.”“Please. I had a life before I became a mystic. These are for you.”He stopped her hands as she reached for the soft paper wrappings of the small bouquet of flowers. She smelled them and could barely hide her smile.“Thank you, Stephen.”“Alright, softness. Let’s get you home.”“Come on,” she whined as she took Stephen’s arm, “I’m wearing a custom straw Cinderella dress and I’m not going to look as good in this thing than I will later. Come on, look at me, man! We gotta take this thing out for what it’s worth.”Stephen smiled at the spell he’d found to make sure her last performance was unforgettable. He’d taken pictures of her to look at later. He was careful to not step on the hem of her crimson gown that settled on her shoulders and let out wonderfully at her sides. She wanted to wear a simple pair of earrings and her hair up in its normal twisted heap. He liked Imogen and with the playful pout on her lip“It’s almost 11 and there’s no way I'm letting you get soy sauce on your favorite toy.”“How about syrup? Ihop! Come on, C.O.! Please?”It was getting harder to say no to her, especially with the beautiful smile to her face. He eased on his rules, just for tonight.“Fine. Pit stop at home then disgusting pancake delight for you.”Stephen was stopped as Imogen wrapped her arms around him. She a bit quick for her size. She only hugged him.“Thank you,” she grinned.“Okay, people are looking.”“You’re right. Those pancakes can’t be waiting all night.”She let him go and held her flowers up to her nose. Irises. August grew many flowers but his Irises would never take to the soil. She inhaled them and wished he was somehow there again.
She turned her nose into the familiar smell but didn’t want to wake up.
“Immie?”
She remembered his voice, the Grandmaster. Though she could hear him, she couldn’t see him as she lifted her heavy eyelids and was set down in a reclined chair. Needles were stuck into her arms to stop the fatigue from weighing her down.
Imogen’s new eyes did a double take as a gray robe was forced to sit down next to her. His arms weren’t bound like hers were.
“August?”
He smiled with his eyes because his mouth was covered by a metal band that wrapped around his mouth to the back of his head. She almost didn’t see the white lines of paint cascaded down his pale, clean face.
“Don’t mind him, sweetie. He’s just learning his place.”
Imogen turned up to the Grandmaster as he waved away a pilot at the front of ship. Both her and August’s chairs moved at the snap of his fingers. She was in no position to move herself or even a finger to touch August. They kept their eyes to the front pane of shield glass to the planet beneath them. Imogen hadn’t remembered seeing so many beautiful dirty colors in her life. Soon, her amazement withered and they were left to the chattering Grandmaster.
“But you have to remember this one engages hyperspace but it doesn’t kick in unless the outer tiles of the ship of compressed by the pressure.”“Why are you showing us all of this?”“Oh, she can speak again.”
Her throat felt sore from all of the screaming from the past day as she slaughtered anything that tried to kill her.
“Why?”“Because there, little creature… I like that,” he chuckled to himself, “I’m letting you both know that there is indeed many ways off the planet. I’m giving you the choice to escape or stay.”“You’re going to kill us if we escape.”“So smart, I love it! Think of it like this. I’m giving you the keys. Know that I have eyes everywhere and I will not hesitate to kill you if either of you goes missing.”“Fuck...”
He patted the dried blood on her knee, giving her some comfort to the unwilling situation.
He took the ships wheel again and turned it back for the tallest building in the sea of colors.
“You both are going to love it here, I promise. Now we have much work to do. You two are going to make me rich...”
She and August were let go, their shackles undone and August’s collar taken away. They were made to follow the Grand master as he pointed out the uninteresting trivial bits of his homing space. With each snap of his fingers, more people employed under him were given instructions and tasks involving the both of them.
“August, your quarters will be down here in the study. It was meant for somebody else but now it’s just collecting dust. Lots of books and numbers for you. You start in the morning.”
He was pushed lightly inside the vast library and trapped with a finger snap. August stopped himself as red beams connected with one another and stopped him from running to his sister.
“Immie!”“Stay there, August.”“Oh, how sweet.”“Shut up.”“You don’t have a… thing with him...”
Her face twisted in disgust as the Grandmaster smiled.
“No, you sick fuck.”“I’m sorry, mutt, but I was just asking to make you feel comfortable. Twins, you know.”“No, I don’t. Do we look like we have ‘Lannister’ tattooed on our forehead?”“What? Nevermind. Moving on.”
Imogen was pulled along from her feet as August cried out her name. Imogen turned to the dark covered hand belonging to the lone guard that had caught her before. He looked down to her once and winked.
“Roysce, if you please,” waved the Grandmaster.“It will, sir.”“See you soon, kids!”
Imogen look over her shoulder to a waving Grandmaster as she was pulled down a long hallway to the sound of running water and turning gears.
Imogen gasped as a pain in her side woke her. Sweat drenched her skin as she tried moving to her back. She groaned feeling her skin tightened. She moved a single fraction and was blinded by the lights overhead.
Her eyes ventured down to her arms covered in leather. Her torso and legs were the same. Something else caught her eye. At first, she thought it was someone else in the room with her but the more she moved, so did the person that was in front of her.
“What?”
Imogen stopped as close as she could in front of the mirror and touched her face. Bold lines were draw on her cheek. Her long hair was twisted back into a beautiful braid that circled her head. Her fingers touched the small ball of metal in her bottom lip that was repierced.
“Look at you!”
She smiled and ran into her brother’s open arms. She could feel herself tremble, relieved that August was unharmed.
“Are you okay? I swear I’ll fucking kill them!”“I’m okay. Honest, Immie.”
Over her shoulder, she saw the towering shelves of books and scrolls of his room.
“Creature! You’re up!”
Everything happened so fast. She was snatched away from August as he forced himself to stay put so that the disk on his neck. Imogen dug her thick boots into the bold blood colored tiles. A lit screen was pushed into her face but she kept fighting.
“Weapon! Pick one!”“How about your spine?”
Imogen picked up her foot and kicked the tablet from his hands. There was a strange tingle in her arms that wasn’t from her Inhuman side that reached for the Warden’s neck but a quick shock immobilized her, wrapping her in endless chains.
“Oh, well,” he sighed, “Heard what you can do. I gots not’in for you to takes anyway.”
Imogen groaned, feeling herself dragged through the bright colored halls and into a rusty old shaking dock ship. The rock of the ship made the chains dig into her skin.
“Main arena, we got the Creature. Ready to drop.”
The doors under her swung down towards the blinding lights. Imogen dropped. Her body spun wildly as it rolled down the chains. She kicked and screamed pulling the last bit of metal chains free from her arms as she realized in the last few seconds how fast she was free falling. She covered her face with her arms and crashed hard to the padded sand.
The wind was knocked from her lungs and her whole body covered in cuts from the impact to the sand. Imogen whimpered and looked to the colored grains push from her bloody healing skin. Trumpets and loud synths flooded her ears as cheers circled around her. The filling buzz under her skin all led back to the stone on the back of her neck.
“Welcome back, Sakaar!”
There were many cheers but her ears could find a few unhappy souls. Imogen pushed herself to her feet. They turned her around to the arena she’d been dropped into.
“Quite the journey to rebuild since the revolution but I’m glad to say that now we are back! I know we’ve had some great contenders but I think with the restart that I should give something special for tonight.”“Figures,” huffed Imogen as she looked up to the towering glittering hologram of the Grandmaster above her, “Fucking Diva...”“Now for the first fight. Here center stage is a new fighter to show us a thing or two. I give you, Creature!”“That’s not my name!”
She screamed out all of her frustrations only to be drowned out by the applause. There was a rumble under her feet. She jumped at the slight screech of the large metal gates behind her. Imogen was scared enough to back away from three towering beings, all different in almost every way. The only thing that was similar among them was the strong grip of the weapons in there hands and the growing charge of their sprints in her direction.
She stopped in place. She felt like she could on longer move. She didn’t feel anymore fear. It was blood and fury and her heavy boots digging deep in the sand of the arena to send her forward with her fist in the air.
Imogen closed her eyes for a moment and roared with all of her might. When she opened them, they felt the least tired and hurt of all her body parts. The Norns stone pumped some relief through her veins but she didn’t have the strength to care. Imogen’s ears hurt with the waves of clapping and cheers. They loved the blood drenched across the diameter of the arena and the torn body parts that weren’t hers.
She looked up to the floating Grandmaster’s head, looking down on her.
“Ladies and Gentleman, we have a new Champion!”
Her knee buckled under her and made her crash to the bloody sand. From her limbs to her pounding heart, she could feel the sensation that came with the glowing orange hue on her dirty skin. She could only imagine what strange shit powers she was going to absorb.
She would care once she woke from the darkness that was quickly overcoming her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
She woke as slow as her bladder would allow. She crossed her legs and wanted more than anything to sleep, just sleep for a bit longer. Once she was up, she wasn’t going down until the baby said so. She’d get used to it.Imogen pushed herself up and held her hands up routinely as she raced for the bathroom. Her feet slammed against the wonderful cold floor as she made it in time for the baby to kick against her bladder.“You bastard,” she sighed as she smiled to winning one of many, many close calls.She picked herself up and stopped in front of the mirror and changed her eyes just to see how she looked. When she used her powers for sight, she wouldn’t waste a minute to map out the world around her. Imogen traced her fingertips to the edge of her chin to the side of her glowing eyes.“Just another day,” she sighed.Her feet carried her out to the hallway. Normally, there would be something to pull her forward. Some task, either Matt or practicing would be the first thought to help her start her day but with her prolonged hiatus and Matt no longer in the picture, she took a moment and listened to the sounds of the Sanctum.“Morning.”“Morning, C.O.”“You okay?”Imogen smiled.“This is the first time I’ve been barefooted in here.”“Oh?”“Yeah.”Stephen put his nose back in his book.“Enjoy it,” he grinned over his shoulder.“I will,” she sighed as she took slow steps towards the foyer.“I have an errand to run but I’ll be back later. I’ll bring food.”Her growling stomach softly jerked her forward as the pads of her feet molded to the grand wooden floors.
Imogen wiped the last of the blood from her legs with a bit of cloth she’d gotten from the last contender she’d beaten. She ignored the view from her shuttle back to the landing of her victor’s suite. With winning and her and August making the Grandmaster much money, she felt herself entitled to the demands that she deserved. She didn’t ask for a lot though.
August’s disk was able to be removed and it helped that he stayed to himself in his locked quarters. He was moved closer to Imogen’s loft that she barely bothered to decorate. She didn’t want routine and for two years of winning, she lived to the minimum.
Her wearing boots clamped on the tiled floors on the lower levels to the “Top Healer” that the Grandmaster wouldn’t shut up about.
“Hello?”Imogen was ready for the harem of doll-like women with hair braided up to the heavens but instead was met with a young woman paler than anything she’d ever seen. She stopped herself for a moment just to stare at the woman and how beautifully different she’d looked from everything else on Sakaar. Imogen was grateful for the distraction as the little healer waved her hand.“Yes, ma’am?”“Oh, sorry. I’m not healing like I should.”“Really? I heard the Grandmaster put a Norns stone within you.”“I did get hit in the back of the head. The crowd didn’t like it.”
It was true. In the months of fighting in the arena, Imogen let her guard down for a moment and was clubbed at the back of the neck. She was used to the pain of the fights but when the stone was hit, she thought she would die.
Imogen was led through the hanging herbs of the healer’s quarters. She sat on a raised table and lifted her hair for the woman to inspect the stone sticking out the back of her neck. “Well, I see that you are not what I thought you would be.”“Really?”“I thought you’d be a monster from all the stories I’ve heard.”“You have no idea.”“I can sense a bitterness in your blood; the smell. The stone was only chipped a small bit but the relic will heal itself soon. Perhaps we can fit a word in with the Grandmaster to give you a leave of rest.”I mogen looked over her shoulder to the teal eyes that wasn’t scared of her like other s would be.“Thanks, I guess.”“Not a problem, Creature.”“I don’t like that name.”“My apologies. I only know you by the one name. Here. This will help with the soreness and red blush on your wrist.”
Imogen worked a long wet cloth around her wrist and sighed from the instant relief. The little white woman smiled.
“Wow, that’s good stuff. Thanks. What do I call you?”“I am no one. My name is of no importance.”“Are you sure? You really don’t have a name? Do you not get out?”“I am told to stay put. Orders by the Grandmaster but it is not the worst. I get to be away from the terrible things this planet has to offer and as much as I don’t like it, I thank my brother for giving me my peace.”
In the growing time she had her sight, Imogen learned quickly to read body language. She followed the saddened hunch of the healer as she gathered a few supplies here and there and cleaned up after herself.
“Sounds like Hell. Sometimes it’s nice to have someone to talk to even if it’s just talking shit.”
The little woman giggled as one of her bowls slipped from her hand. The giggle turned into a laughter that gave her raised cheeks a moment of hue. She pushed her white trailing rain of hair over her shoulder and turned to Imogen.
“Thank you for that, Champion, and should another problem arise, then don’t be a stranger to me.”
Imogen redressed her arm and pushed herself from the table.
“Thank you. I will keep that in mind the next time someone hands my ass to me. You can call me Imogen.”She held up her hand, not remembering if she was as formal. Her small hand made Imogen’s look large as she shook her hand.“Emmilette.”“Give to meet you. Perhaps one day, I’ll see you out of here.”“Absolutely not!”Imogen rolled her eyes as she felt the Grandmaster’s playful hand at her shoulder. She roughly shrugged him off.“Ladies, I see you finally met. Honey, I need you to go for the thing again.”“What thing, brother? You make me do many things without reason.”“Brother? Him?”“Yes,” smiled the Grandmaster, “Can’t you tell?”“Brother, if you are here to jest, I am not in the mood.”“No, Roysce was at it again and he’s actually worse than he started this time.”“Serves him right. Who’d he pick at this time?”“Little Gus.”
Imogen clenched her fists and turned for the door. The Grandmaster’s hand stopped her.
“Tell your brother to get himself together or I’ll have to put a disk on him again.”“Keep your Tin Solider to back off or I’ll see his sorry ass in the Arena.”“As much as I’d like that, I need your brother’s head on now. I have a dear guest coming back and his pockets are as likable as him. I need his projections. Go on.”“One day, I’m gonna end up kicking your ass.”“I’m waiting for it, Creature. He’s in his usual place. Move!”“Prick,” Imogen mumbled under her breath.
She set off into a run, not paying any attention to the many eyes that were to watch her at all times. She climbed to the service quarters until she ended up in the rafters leading to outside. She’d grown used to the blasting muddy winds of Sakaar’s early evening winds. Imogen ran the edge of the rooftops so agile until she ended up on the last metal roof and near the edge was the ruffled gray robes she knew she would find.
“Did you get any good hits in?”
August didn’t open his mouth. Imogen sat next to him and was slow to turn his head. Her heart broke when she saw the black eye beneath his messed yellow lines down his face. She undid the bandage at her wrist and folded it to fit on his face.
“Here. Give me your hand.”
She took her brother’s hand and formed it and the moist cloth to his eye. He gave a small groin and huffed in relief as he held it stronger to his face.
“I know, right? Good stuff.” “It smells like her.”“Her? You met her?”“Yeah, it wouldn’t be the first time.”“I’ll make sure its the last time. I’m gonna beat the brakes off that bastard and the Grandmaster too.”“You can’t touch Roysce.”“You want to bet?”“With the blood under your belt, you’d get up to 93% chance to win.”“And don’t you forget it,” she grinned as she kissed his good cheek.August wiped it off in disgust. She was glad to see the tiny smile at the side of his bloodied lip. She held his f r ee hand and looked out on the sunset.“ I’ll been working on something, Immie. ” “ Really? ” “ Yeah, ” he pulled the cloth away so she could see the seriousness in his bruised face, “We need to talk about this.”
“No, we aren’t. You don’t know shit and you are going to fucking let this go, Gussy.”
“ We are going to get out of here, Imogen. They can’t kill you. You are the best.”“I’m only lucky. ‘Champions’ circle’ my ass. I’m not sure how many more people I can kill for the Grandmaster. I know you mean well but we can’t, even if we could. We could die in any one of those portals. I don’t think I could adapt to another environment.”“ You’re just pussy-whipped by the glory. ”“ No, dumbass. I’m fighting to keep us alive. I know shit’s hard but another outburst and the Grandmaster’s gonna put the disk back on you. ”“ Yeah, I know. ”
She turned her head to August itching at the gold collar attached to his skin. The tips of his fingers were caked in foreign ink that she remembered he didn’t bother to scrape it off anymore because there would just be more the add the next day. She sat up as her coiled brown hair spilled over her shoulder.
“ I like the collar. ”“ It itches from the oils. It’s supposed to steady my heart. The Grandmaster thinks it will help with my condition. ”
Imogen knew there was more she could do with all the money she made the Grandmaster. She went over in her head how easier to make things for them.
In the distance, through the towers, a ship docked on the main landing below them . She could make out the colors of the Grandmaster as he opened his arms in welcome. Her eyes saw the important guest that stepped from his ship and locked his emerald green eyes with hers. She wrapped her arm around her brother. Things would be the same, blood and all.“I will not die here,” she decided, “How long do you think I could last in the Collector’s extended collection without drawing suspicion?”“Depends. It really just depends but it helps that you’re a Champion.”“Do you really think he has a brother?”“He has Emmilette under wraps.”“Yeah, she seems nice. You good?”“No,” he sighed as he put the bandage back to his eye.“Well, at least come inside and get something to eat. I’ll find Roysce and sting him up by his sack.”“Sounds good.”The lights of Sakaar dance d on the tiles as they were met by Emmilette and the Grandmaster in the grand foyer. . Imogen put her arm up in front of August as Roysce smiled to her. In that moment, she didn’t give a damn about consequence.“Hey there, Cre...”Imogen kicked her foot up, striking Roysce in the mouth and knocking him to his back. The single crunch of his nose made August smile. He hit the floor with a thud.“I honestly don’t give a shit if you are a favorite of the Grandmaster. You lay a finger on my brother again and I will fucking end you!”Imogen held herself together, waiting for the moment when a disk would be attached to her skin. The Grandmaster threw his head back and laughed as Roysce looked to him in confusion, leaving the blood from his nose to run down his polished armor.“My goodness. I hope that free shot was worth it.”
She smiled.
“It was.”“What?!”“Roysce, hun. You do your job too well sometimes but you needed to be put back into your place lately and it’s not worth using the melt stick for..”“You’re gonna let her get away with it?”“Are you deaf? I said ‘Free shot’, go clean yourself up. Dinner is soon.”
Roysce locked eyes with each of them and left without another word. Emmilette hid her smile with her hand and Imogen noticed the growing smile to her brother’s as he looked to the little woman.
“Go ahead and escort them back to his quarters. No one in or out. Thank you.”Imogen let go her to her brother and watched him disappear with Emmilette and a cluster of Guards.“Imogen, walk with me.”
It was only when he used her name that he needed a favor.
“I’m not in the mood to kill anyone, man. I just want to go to my room and sleep life off.”“Ah, ah!”He stopped her and pointed her in a separate direction away from her room.“I moved your lack of things.”“Excuse me?”“Don’t worry, kid. You deserved an upgrade. These past two years have been just the greatest and there are many changes coming. Lots of influences headed our way and you are one of them. So, you will get the best.”“Why are we going to the Freshings?”“You’re gonna love this part. My friend has arrived. I thought the poor thing was dead but he’d back to stay and he’s very eager to meet you.”“I don’t want to go to your dinners. I hate those people.”“Oh, no. I’m already running late to that as it is. You are for after.”“I don’t understand.”“He’s seen the footage of your fights and is investing in you.”
Imogen forced her arms to stay at her side as she stepped away from the Grandmaster for August’s sake.
“You’re whoring me out.”“Come on. Don’t think of it like that. Things have changed since last time he was here and I want to show him a better time.”“Get somebody else.”“Ok, Plan B. Have a good night.”“What?”“Yeah, you refused so I have to get August to take your place.”“Whoa, whoa.”
Her hand jerked the Grandmaster back, making any guards close by stop her with the point of their blasters. He wiped off where she had touched.
“Don’t think that you are untouchable, Imogen. I have no problem killing you. It will either be you or your sweet little brother and I’ve got to say that he doesn’t have the stones to stand up to Roysce so he may not survive even a conversation with someone above his intellectual level.”“You bastard. I’m gonna enjoy hurting you.”“Grow up. It’s just the night. I promise nothing bad will happen.”“You’re not the one that has to sleep with him, you dick.”“I never said sleep with him. Just make sure he’s happy and I’ll make sure that August will be safe.”
Imogen could feel a lump of fury in her throat. She was already fighting for his benefit without a choice and now wasn’t any different.
“Fine,” she mumbled.“Not good enough. Get him.”“I said I would do!”
The Grandmaster waved his hand and dismissed the weapons. He pinched Imogen’s cheek and smiled.
“I know I could count on you. Now hurry up! You’ll want to see your new room before he does. Don’t forget to play nice.”
Imogen turned for the Freshings with her middle finger up for the laughing Grandmaster behind her.
- - - - - - - - - -
Imogen had never felt so naked in her life. Her skin itched with the silk wrap tied to perfection. It wasn’t a reaction but it wasn’t something she was used to. She stopped at the opening of her new quarters, already too large for her taste. She looked over her shoulder to the single guard as its’ post. She wasn’t ready to put herself in an intimate position or had she ever been in one but she was ready to get the night over with. With her luck, the Grandmaster would give her enough liquids to knock out her guest and she would be able to lie her way to the next day.
She just had to make sure that once the electric shades at the start of her room were down so no one would see. Imogen stopped messing with her painfully tied back and twisted hair. She didn’t want to chance looking in a reflected surface to see the horror of her painted face. From that, the ridiculous dress and the decorative golden jewels that hung at on her hand, Imogen wanted to tear everything off and just be naked from the sham the Grandmaster was trying to portray.
Imogen stepped into her room, her eyes darting to the sitting area that slowly lit to her movements. She found many shelves of liquid full to the rims as she was relieved to their colors.
Something whined under the length of her ear. She tilted her head at the last second and reached up to the knife that stopped in her palm. Without looking, she lunged to the floor and kicked her leg up, knocking someone down. Imogen raised her hand and almost killed the man under her. She looked down to the raven hair that collected under his hair and the piercing green eyes that froze her.
She was thrown to her back as the man towered over her.
“Funny. I thought I was meeting the new Champion.”
Imogen bent her leg up and locked it around his neck long enough to jerk him away out of her reach. She moved her back to a lounging chair. The man got to his feet and brushed himself off. He licked his lips.
“Fast, aren’t you,” he flicked both of his wrists, letting twin daggers appear in his palms, “I’ve fought faster.”“You’ve got to be kidding me.”He raced to her and Imogen could feel herself smile. She put up her arms to defend herself, surprising him as his daggers hit the crystal rocks that formed over her arms, an ability she gained from one of her first fights.“That’s new.”
She brought her leg up and kicked some space between them. He swung his arms, missing her skin by an inch every time. The thrill of the fight excited Imogen a bit too much as her Inhuman powers began to surface. She willed her form to stay the same but the growing strength in her hand grabbed the back of the man and hurled him across the room.
Imogen stopped herself. She calmed her breath as water splashed in waves over a large oasis, probably made by the Grandmaster’s request. She jumped as the man swam to the surface and gasped for air. He stopped, locking his eyes to hers as water dripped from his dark, polished clothes.“Perhaps I misjudged your ability as the Grandmaster’s new Champion.”“Guess you’re lucky I didn’t kill you.”
He swam to the edge and stood at the highest point of the floor. The walls holding the water stopped just below his stomach.
“Is that why they call you ‘Creature’?”“You don’t want to know why they do.”
She turned for her given collection of liquids and tried to guess which of them was the strongest. She grabbed a glass for herself and one for his.
“I do not need anything,” he called to her.“Fuck,” she hissed under her breath.She placed the glass back and swallowed her own concoction. It didn’t take long for her arms to warm.“The Grandmaster has told me many stories of you since I arrived. He always has a love for his Champions. You wouldn’t be the first.”“He only likes the money we make him.”“Is that so?”She jumped at the man’s breath on her neck. Her glass dropped from her hand but his was quicker as he caught it before it could crash to the ground. He finished the glass and placed it on the counter behind him. She watched the water drip behind him as he returned to the oasis. His fingers curled to the edge of his thick armor and dropped it on her floor.“What is your name?”“Which one?”“The one you would prefer me to say.”T he more he talked, the less uncomfortable she felt.“Imogen.”“Ah, Imogen. That’s a name deriving of Midgard. How did you travel all the way out here?”“Unwillingly.”“Fair enough. Come.”S he was hesitant to move but one foot stepped in front of the other as she sat near the edge of the steaming water.“Why are you scared? Afraid of company?”“No. Just people in general.”“You don’t seem comfortable with your surroundings as well.”
She looked back to the new room. From her seat on the water, she could see more of her room expanding to a bend around the oasis’ hanging plants and the vanity mirrors on the other side of her liquids.
“Up until a few hours ago, I had a small space. He moved what I had up here without telling me.”“Is it not to your liking?”Imogen turned back to the man’s face so close to hers. The warm water on his chin dripped to her hand. She kept her eyes up to keep them from looking down to shirtless bare chest in front of her.“Shall we?”“What?”“If this is your first time here, then why not enjoy the benefits for what they are worth?”I mogen was too hypnotized by his eyes to feel his arm wrap around her waist and pull her from the edge. She could feel her heart drop once her feet no longer touched the floor of her room or the oasis. She slipped from his grip and went completely under the water as she kicked and fought her way up to the surface.
Imogen’s hands gripped the side of the walls as she pushed the water from her mouth and coughed for dear life.
“Are you alright?”“I can’t swim!”Imogen wiped her face in fury and tried to slap the man across his face. He caught her hand and turned her face up to him.“Now, that is much better...”“Wh...”
Imogen looked over his shoulder to the mirrors on the ceiling. The water had rinsed away the makeup that had plastered her face. Her hair was ruined too, only sitting in a wet curled heap on her shoulder. She met his eyes again. Instead of wonder, they’d been replaced with something else.
The tips of his fingers left goosebumps on her skin. They ventured up her arms and ending at her neck. He waved his hand and opened his fingers as a pile of chained emeralds filled his palm.
“Hold still.”
Imogen was frozen as she felt a strong sensation at her neck. From the corner of her eye, she could see emeralds hanging in rivers down her neck as he worked the jewels around her neck.. He smiled to her skin.
“The best of the best for the best.”He had inhaled the skin at her neck as she forced herself to stay calm. She wasn’t used to having someone close to her. Imogen could feel herself shudder as his lips kissed her neck. His hand wandered to the small of her back to hold her to him.“ What’s the matter, Creature? I won’t bite if you don’t want me to. ”
He kissed her neck again above the jewels, just below her jaw. Imogen put her hands up to push him away but instead, they grabbed onto him.
He chuckled into her ear, gently pushing the hair away so she could hear him clearly.
“ Loki, ” he whispered.“ What? ”“ My name is Loki, Imogen, in case you wish to cry it for the planet to hear. ”
Her eyes shot to the opening of her room and the guard that would be waiting at the end of the hall. She wasn’t stupid; everyone talked. Loki’s hand shot behind him and closed the electric shades to the opening to shut them away.
He untied the damp silk wrap that dropped from her arms. Loki collected the cloth and tossed it back into the water behind him. He tried not to seem so pleased at sight of Imogen crossing her chest with her arms.
“ There is no need to be ashamed, Imogen, only with the tragic fabric constricting your skin. ”
She didn’t have to argue with him. The red and black fabric bound and lifting at her chest hurt. It was one of others chosen as was everything else but it and the lower garments were the least festively cultured. Loki’s thumb played with the decorative embroidery on the surface of her breast. It would have been easier to rip it away and leave her bare but he enjoyed the thrill.
Imogen gasped as he kissed the top of her chest.
“ I see the fashion here has not changed. So much pain to construct a non-existent beauty. Perhaps without it, I would be distracted by what truly lies underneath. ”
The black and red ties on her back quickly unraveled as she found herself easy to breathe again. Her breaths returned with a moan as Loki latched himself to one of her breasts without a second thought. Imogen grabbed the wall behind her.
He moved from one breast to the next, lavishing her chest with kisses. His lips refused to leave her skin as they went lower. He wanted to taste her but something else needed to be done. His other hand gripped the back of her neck and tilted her head back as his lips ravaged her neck. Loki crashed against her, pinning her to the wall as Imogen could feel her body weaken.
His fingers found the Norns stone at the top of her neck.
“ It seems the Grandmaster has put my treasures to good use in my absence. Mmm... ”
His finger touched the same place Emmilette did.
“ Without a spell to heal this, the stone will slowly lose it’s power but that is a favor for another time. ”
He buried his lips deeper into her neck. He forced his teeth not to sink into her soft skin.
“ Give me your hand, ” he panted.
Imogen didn’t know why she blindly obeyed. Loki molded her hand to the front of his pants and groaned. She closed her fingers around him and followed the rhythm of his hips to her palm.
“ Tighter, ” he hissed into her ear.
She did as she was told but when it wasn’t enough, he pushed her hand away and undid his trousers to let his hand disappear. Loki hunched over her, keeping himself from tearing her to shreds.
Through the growing bliss, she could feel something familiar about Loki. It wasn’t the look of lust in his eyes or the lips that pressed their way up her neck. It seemed to be the haunting growl filling her ear.
“ May I touch you, ” he panted.“ You already are. ”
When she stepped in the room or further back when the Grandmaster left a heavy choice at her feet, Imogen didn’t want to be where she was now, though she was doing it for her brother. Now, the wall of clouded judgment was slowly crumbling down but… she wanted more.
A bit of wickedness crossed his lips as his hold moved from her side to the front of her smooth stomach.
“ I’ve sampled many a delicacy in my centuries but with a Norns stone to aid in your veins, then I would say that the possibilities of what is to come will be endless. ”
Under the water, Imogen caught a glimpse of his glowing green fingers pulling away her undergarments without ripping the fabric. His hand returned to her, venturing between her legs and slowly cupped at her sex as her knees went weak. Loki latched onto her breasts again, suckling hungrily from her as his fingers worked themselves into her. He turned them into a reclined and cushioned wall of the oasis for her to lay against as he willed her legs apart. He spread her lips and pressed his finger firmly to her clit, enjoying the jump of her body. Imogen closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to watch herself writhing under Loki. The jewels on her hand tangled with his long dark hair as she cradled his head.
Her voice rose with each touch of his hand until it pulled away for the briefest moment. His longest finger dipped slowly into her, sinking slowly with each push of his hand until it rested against her.
His hand pumped into her and splashed against the water. Imogen cried out as a wave of bliss flooded her body. Her back arched up from the wall. She’d never felt a thing like it as Loki moaned into her skin.
“ A rare beauty indeed. ”
He pulled his hand away and brought them to his lips. Imogen braced herself against the wall and closed her legs out of modesty. She shuddered at the sight of Loki moaning at the taste on his fingers. He braced himself over her, careful to not touch her skin.
“ Your reactions give you away, so pure. ”“ Sorry to burst your bubble but I’m not. ”
“Again, no shame. I wouldn’t mind delving into a few carnal episode with you.”
The running bliss in her head wore off and her old self returned. Loki pulled himself away and turned to push his pants down his legs. Imogen moved once his back was turned and fled for the opening on the other side of the oasis. Her hand grabbed a door and slammed it behind her. She slunk to the floor and tried to steady her breath.
“ Why run, dear Creature? ”
The room around her was silent but she could still hear his voice.
“ I would have made you feel the heavens and back if you wanted. Still will if you return. ”“ Shit. ”
Imogen ignored his words and tried to think of a way to keep Loki happy without getting in trouble with the Grandmaster. She grabbed the nearest tailored robe and wrapped herself. The large bed would have been something to look at if her nerves and exhaustion hadn’t pulled her under the covers. She looked out the view to the portals high in the sky, wondering if her chances running through one of them with August was the worst idea. Imogen closed her eyes and tried not to press her legs together, think of Loki’s hand teasing her again.
Imogen woke up, gasping for air as sweat poured down her neck. She moved a bit to the edge of her bed, shuddering as she thought of first night she was with Loki. She kicked on her AC but it wasn’t enough for her. She peeled off her shirt and stumbled to the bathroom. Her shaking hand turned on the cold water. She pushed herself under the shower water. The freezing rush calmed her skin for the time being but the memory of him always troubled her.
“Dammit,” she hissed.
Imogen braced herself against the shower wall, letting her other arm rest against her. Her hand was slow to touch the side of her leg. She pushed her hand down the front of her shorts and gasped. She reached lower, stroking herself to ease the ache she didn’t know that she’d feel again. Imogen moaned into her skin to keep herself quiet. Her body hummed, wondering if it was his hands touching her again. She opened her eyes, heavy as they turned for the locked door. She didn’t know why but only one time ran through her mind. She pulled herself up from the bed and turned her head for a second door with the balcony. It felt like her body had pushed itself up all on its own. Her feet braced the cold floor.
She leaned against the metal, letting it sliding with ease out of her way. Her eyes found the vanity mirrors she had seen before and on the other side was what her feet followed. Imogen could feel something pull her forward to him.
Fireworks lit the night sky. Colors danced on his skin as he stayed half dressed and reclined with a glass of wine in his hand.
“Change is coming.”
His voice pulled her forward as she stopped alongside him but his eyes stayed glued to t he Sakaar night. “ I changed my mind. I h ave no need for you. You should leave me in peace.” Loki rubbed the front of himself as if she wasn’t there. Imogen wasn’t sure what was happening with her but she wouldn’t have it; none of his words. She knelt to the level of the chair and swung her leg over his lap. His eyes leveled themselves with the necklace he’d given her.
“Yes?”
Her eyes fixated to the strings of jewels covering her hands as they slowly ran up his chest and up to his exposed neck.
“Don’t ever think that I’ll give you what you want,” she softly growled.
Instead, she slowly sank her teeth into Loki’s neck. He sharply inhaled, grabbing at the sides of her thighs to pull her up further on his lap. She could feel the towel from his waist bunch under her legs and the skin of his legs behind hers. The chuckle from his throat made her blood boil.
“Too worried to think of what I want to realize what you would. What would come to mind?”
It scared her to feel herself smile. He didn’t stop her hand as it ventured down his stomach.
“You,” she whispered, “In pieces.”“As you wish.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and flipped them into the chair. Her back, however, hit the lavish mattress well on the other side of the suite.
“There are far too many things I wish to do to you, my Creature, but I suggest the simple pleasures first.”
He pulled his towel away and let himself fall to Imogen’s thigh. He buried his lips into her neck, kissing hungrily.
“Tell me what you want. If nothing is said, then I will gift the same and it would be a shame to not shower you with what you truly desire...”
He pulled the lapels of her robe apart to show off her skin. The fabric was jerked away to leave her bare under him. Loki kissed at her, making her moan as she refused to keep herself quiet. Her fingers dug into his arms to pull him close but he stayed his distance. His hips, however, did not. He grabbed himself and pushed himself gently to her sex. He gave one, two shifts to leave her breathless and needing.
“Please.”
Another shift made her gasp. She needed him more than anything.
“Say it again, for me...”“Please,” she moaned, “Take me...”“As you wish.”
He braced himself over her body and pushed himself into Imogen’s wetness. Loki groaned into her chest as she stiffened under him. She trembled. His hands covered her as did his mouth. She could feel the growl of his voice on her breasts as his starving lips pressed into her. Every shift of his hips made her voice filled his ears. The growing needing grip of her hands pulled his closer, drawing him to the writhing wonder under him. His tongue traced the valley of her breasts and up the rough edges of the emeralds coating the column of her neck. With little control of her body, he found her head turned with each attempt to taste her lips. She’d given in thus far. Just a little more...
Imogen let her legs drift further apart. They braced the mattress to anchor herself to him. With the bliss radiating her, there was a bit of festering doubt that coated his growling voice.
“Look at me, Imogen.”
She met his eyes and his voice terrified her. Loki’s eyes shifted down to the bright gems that were slowly loosing their power. His teeth grit as Imogen stopped herself and tried to pull herself away.
He jerked her head to the side by her jaw and for a moment, the desire crumbled, leaving fear and fury. She shook as his voice pierced her memory.
“You were doing so well. I’m but a man at your mercy, Imogen. Is this not enough for you?”
He shifted his hips deeper to fill her to his satisfaction. He let her neck go and worked his hand between them to slowly rub her clit. He gave a soft chuckle to the changed reactions of his fingers stimulating her.
She was quickly losing a battle with the bliss but she knew who he was.
The bastard.
Imogen turned her head back to Loki and he was only waiting. He pressed a hungry kiss to her lips. Loki could feel the last bit of her resolve try to fight but just a few more and he chanced that she would stop resisting. Imogen grabbed the sheets under her and gripped them with fury.
Loki cried out at the feel of Imogen’s teeth splitting his bottom lip. He stopped and wiped the blood away, glistening in the growing fireworks outside the view.
“So the Creature wishes to show her true nature,” he huffed as his thumb dug under the emeralds around her neck and snapped the silver chains, “If you wish to draw blood, then all you had to do was ask...”
Imogen thought quickly, locking her legs around his waist and flipped him to his back. Once she was free, Imogen could feel her Inhuman power start to take her over. She scrambled to straddle Loki’s lap. He waited until she was over him to hold her hips to his and thrust up into her. Imogen cried out from the thrust of his cock. He hissed from her newly sharpened nails digging into his chest. Imogen forget herself for a moment and let her legs drift apart with each shift of the both of their hips. He watched her glowing eyes drift shut, indulging in the growing arch of her back. He slowed his hips to watch hers grind into him. He ran his tongue to his lips and his hands to grope the life from her breasts.
Imogen’s head threw back as Loki worked himself into her again. The fury and goodness in her veins grew as she turned her head and looked down to the bastard that put her in the disgusting position she was in now. She decided, through her moans and rock of their joined hips, that he would die. She leaned forward, using her weight to let her hands travel up his heaving chest. Her hand slipped to his jaw. His tongue darted out and licked her thumb. Nothing he would do would help her change her mind.
She pulled her hand away and wrapped the both of them tight around his throat. Imogen squeezed as hard as she could. Her grip was sure but her blood ran cold once a smile grew on his face.
“Such a shame...”
Loki disappeared in a bright green flash from underneath her as she landed on her stomach. Her head was jerked up from the bed as she was forced to look into Loki’s furious glare. Imogen wrapped her hand to his wrist to make his grip lessen.
“Let me go!”“You were doing so well, even breaking through my spell. I was about to reward you for your compliance but I don’t believe I can trust you with your own powers.”
Loki jerked her over his lap and pinned her down. He pulled the long wavy hair from her neck and chanted as a harsh tingle ran through his fingertips. He clenched the Norns stone and dug his fingers deep into the edges of her skin.
Imogen cried out, feeling a numbing pain embrace the back. Tears streamed from her eyes as she could feel the stone being torn from the bones in her neck. Loki pushed the screams from his ear and gave the stone a final jerk as blood poured from her skin.
He let her go and looked to the stone.
“Should I take the rest of your powers away and leave you as plain as the day you were birthed,” he mused looking back to Imogen trying to move away in pain.
He cupped the back of her neck and held her down as his magic closed the wound on her neck. He knew the spell in the necklace would empower her to give in to her desires but her desire of blood was stronger than he’d given her credit for. He pushed the trousers from his hips and pulled Imogen gently back to him. Imogen could feel her head spin as Loki returned to her.
She flinched at the soft kiss at her bloody shoulder. He worked himself between her legs and slowly thrusted into her. She was too weak to knock him away or tell him to stop the feelings she was too ashamed to feel. His once strong enough touches to her were sure and almost painful as he held her between himself and the mattress.
She moaned into her arm, not wanting him to hear her but he could feel her core tight around him.
“Sweet mewlings may save you, wench, but I do enjoy your screams.”
He sharpened his thrusts and returned his hand to her clit but her wall clenched around him too soon. She cried out and clawed at the sheets as her body rippled in sweet release. Once she came back down, she didn’t feel Loki’s stimulation to her slow. She accidental looked over her shoulder to the single vanity mirror that caught the corner of the bed she’d made it to. She skin felt pierced with shame but also with Loki’s teeth dug deep enough to make her bleed. Imogen let her mouth hand open to the cries that fell from her lips. There was mixed pleasure and pain and a growing difficulty to figure which was which.
Her fingers clenched the bedspread as she came again. She swam the waves of her bliss and tried to ignore the pain. For Loki, she was a rag doll. She was pulled back onto his cock, jerked up by her beautiful hair to see herself gasping for air, her hips lifted from the bed to angle her for his own pleasure. It was too much.
A hand slapping her rear made her body jump as Imogen screamed out in pain. Loki lowered himself to her ear.
“You’ll never get away from me,” he snarled, “for as long as I breathe, you quim. You are just too perfect to let go...”H e slapped her harder to make her wall tighten around him. With the influence of the Grandmaster at his side, the unraveling woman beneath him wouldn’t be far at his word.“I am your benefactor, my lovely quim. You can either be rewarded or punished for your actions but I fear you may enjoy my hand too much as well as the rest of me.”
He pulled her head back and swallowed her voice. He let her go to taste whatever his lips to reach from the sweat on her back to the drying blood on the side of her neck. Imogen could feel her eyes blur. She tried to blink away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Once they were clear, her vision only got worse.
Without the stone, her vision slowly disappeared, leaving the image of Loki rutting into her and the ripple of her body begging for more to burn itself into the back of her mind.
Loki groaned into her as he came. His hand unknowingly grabbed onto her hip. His Aesir strength bruised her hip and tore some of the flesh. He panted and gasped, kissing at her skin as he slowly pulled away from her. He felt himself unable to bother with the weakened woman next to him. He carelessly waved his hand to cover her with a rich green silk robe. He looked at the metal ceiling with most of the fireworks ceasing for the night.
Loki rubbed his bare skin in satisfaction, remembering Imogen as she moved her body a fraction. He turned his head to her in amazement to remember her every curve that lead under the cloth. He was sated for the time being but there were too many thought of what to do with her that ran through his head. He turned to his side as he heard her give in to her exhaustion.
“Sleep, my lovely quim. We are going to have the most fun together.”