Eight years, years that could never be replaced. Eight years where all that awaited Loki each morning was the creepy crawlers and the dank atmosphere that was the prison's four walls. Even in Asgard the prisons were bearable, at best, and at worst… well, lets just say that the cell used to hold a few more inmates. Loki was just more, determined. He hung, oh so unceremoniously, from the wall with massive chains and restraints, these bothered him little. His great strife was in the fact that his mouth had been kept guarded by the metal contraption strapped on him by his own brother, Thor. The sleek invention rubbed his lips raw and ailed him greatly, he chaffed from it, from the device itself or from the lack of stringing together his pretty lines, he didn't know. He didn't care. He just wanted it off. His eyes glinted in the dim light.

Heavy, firm, steps echoed down the hall. A great key ring was heard jingling outside the door. The two other sorry souls in the space had lost, faraway, looks in their eyes, no longer seeing, just barely living. Loki hated them for their weakness. The door swung open with purpose as two fully armed Asgardian guards swept into the room, surveying all. Behind them stood Thor, Loki grimaced inwardly, Thor had been coming to the cell once every so often to turn Loki's heart, to make him see the good in life, to make him join in a group hug, who really knew what was going through that buffoon's mind. The point was if he had the same tit-for-tat planned for today Loki would have to find a way to hurl with this confounded muzzle attached to his face.

"Brother…" It was said with such a depth of sorrow, that single word held such loss and sadness in it. Loki just glowered from his lofty position strapped to the wall. Thor drew closer and took a deep peering look into those green eyes. His lips grew taunt as in consternation. At length he nodded to the guards who proceeded to unchain the villain.

This was new.

The two heavily muscled men half carried half drug Loki down several long hallways. Loki just dangled between them, he had no strength nor no will to walk on his own, he just hung his head and thought, thought of what plans his golden hearted brother had in store for him. At last the quartet arrived at the great hall. Odin sat in his throne looking not too pleased. Thor took a stand to the right of him and looked down upon Loki, they were to cast judgment on him. Loki pulled his strength together and straightened up into a semi respectable pose between the two giants to either side of him.

"Loki, you have done great wrongs." Odin said, his voice booming. "You must be punished," He looked right into Loki's eyes, "You know this, don't you?" Loki just rolled his eyes, these people…

"We have thought over these years for the appropriate repercussion for your actions." A moment for pause, "You have been sentenced to a life time on Midgard." Loki's eyes widened at that, this presented hope.

"Oh, you rebellious hot-headed son!" Odin stood up in anger, "Don't you think I would be so foolish to unleash you on that planet as you are!" He thrust out a sword from his side and slashed it down on the metal cage upon Loki's lips. Loki drew back instantly with slight fear in his eyes, he drew up his hands to touch his free skin, his free mouth, his free tongue. Oh how he relished in this feeling. He quickly remembered his predicament and shot a curious glance at his father who stood quacking in silent fury.

"Loki, you will have every power, every trick, every illusion ripped from you…" Odin said with a pointed stare. "Even the ones that trickle from between your teeth." Loki didn't quite comprehend at first. Slowly the idea took hold in his brain. The thought terrified him.

"Father!" He was scrambling. "What ever do you mean by this?" He was feeling for something, anything, a weapon, a comeback, something. "Father, please, I… I" He found nothing and went to Odin with a pleading hand stretched out to him, "I love you…" Odin slapped him, hard across the jaw.

"You sicken me."

"Are you ready?" A quite voice inquired from behind Loki, he turned to see who had spoken. A man in a wheel chair rolled into the hall with an elegant dark-skinned woman of high bearing. Trailing behind them further still was a slight man, bent into himself, he kept wringing his hands, he looked about franticly. The trio stopped before Loki, he now had slumped to the floor, looking on in disbelief.

Odin merely gave a slight jester with his hand and turned to leave the hall. Thor stayed behind with a look so torn painting his features.

"You won't feel a thing, all very easy, simple really." The bald wheel-chair man said. "This is Simon, he is a mutant, as is Storm there," He motioned to the white manned vixen. "And I, I'm Charles." He smiled. "Now, just release your mind to us…" The old man reached out his open palms to grasp the sides of Loki's head. Loki panicked and sprang back, nearly tripping due to his haste to escape. The guards whipped him up and threw him back on the floor in front of this Charles. Loki shook and flung himself back in forth to try and free himself. Charles's cool hands embraced Loki's dark wild head of hair, holding him still as he closed his eyes. The world slid into a deep dark hole. Loki slid into it.

…...

The sun glared at him, mocking him. Loki blinked multiple times to gauge his surroundings. He was in a dump, literarily. His father and brother had some sense of humor. He sat up from the debris; he flicked off a piece of old fruit from his leg. He scanned the area to find heaps of garbage on all sides. Standing up and stretching a fence could be seen at some distance. He started his way over there. So, he was on Midgard. He fell off the stack of trash he had been climbing down. Great.

Once to the fence a thought occurred to him. His powers? Loki closed his eyes and concentrated on making a duplicate of himself, a feat so easy, he had learned it as a slip of a child. He cracked one eye open, no other hims. He closed his eyes again and opened up his heart to the lingering cold that was always present there, he beaconed it to slip over his skin, coat him in his Frost Giant form, nothing happened. Fear was bubbling up his throat.

"I…" He swallowed hard. "I think Thor is…" Tension showed through the furrows across his brow. "Thor is… the…" Words flooded his mind, 'greatest, coolest, best dressed', Loki searched his mind, and nothing was coming out. "I think Thor is… a buffoon!" Loki slammed his fist against the fence in outrage. He couldn't lie! "I am…" 'king, king, king, king,' say it! Say it! Say it! " I am a… an outcast." He braced himself against the wooden panels and fell to the ground. He flung his head back and just laughed. He was on Earth, with no powers, and he couldn't even lie. Truly an ingenious punishment…