Prompt: Prison
Characters: Loki/Sigyn
I do not own anything. If I did, Loki would be the main character.
Sigyn was searched for the fifth time in a row by S.H.I.E.L.D agents. A metal detector was scanned up and down her body. She was then sent through an X-ray, patted down, and then back again through every sector. A woman with black hair down her back and bright red streaks in the front led the way. She approached a metal door that was sturdier and stronger than the others. The woman scanned her card, typed her code and placed her hand to a scanner.
"ACCESS GRANTED." The screen above said in red letters as if the woman's voice echoing from the machine wasn't enough. These mortal mechanisms were disturbing to Sigyn. All the beeps, voices, zip and zooms were unsettling. Her husband, Loki was trapped inside this machine prison.
The woman had introduced herself as Victoria Hand many months ago. She had a light, but sharp voice. Sigyn came to realize by her fearlessness and bravery, she was hard as nails. Victoria didn't become high up in S.H.I.E.L.D by combing her hair. Her and Sif would get along quite well. If she had met her somewhere else, she would've assumed she had been an Aesir.
"Wait here." She said. She walked ahead and disappeared behind an automatic door. Sigyn's eyes glanced around the cold iron room. Men heavily dressed in black Kevlar and holding their guns off to the side at an angle hid their eyes behind dark sunglasses, but she knew their eyes were on her.
They were observing her. Watching. Waiting. Noticing her every move. It was profane.
She acknowledge them with a nod of her head and smiled politely at them, but as would the soldiers of Asgard on duty, they showed no signs of human emotions. They were statues, trained to animate at request. She wasn't scared of them. She had her own magic to protect her, but she did not want to cause any more problems between the mortals and herself. Sigyn wasn't one to pick a fight that would only cause her more trouble in the end. Normally, ending fights or assisting them had more benefits than negative consequences. She owed this way of thinking to her mother. She taught her to observe, evaluate and weigh.
Observe her surroundings, who she was engaging, and why she was engaging them? Evaluate her situation or opponent. Were they a he or a she? What was their build? Did they practice magic? How powerful were their weapons. And finally weigh all the consequences of the decision she decided upon.
Victoria returned a few minutes later and held a piece of paper on a clipboard in front of her. The metal pen attached to the board read. "S.H.I.E.L.D." At the bottom was what the acronym stood for. "Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-Enforcement Division." That was a mouthful.
"Mrs. Laufeyson," Hand began. "Leave your John Hancock by the X's."
She didn't like being called Mrs. Laufeyson. She had asked them repeatedly to call her Lady Sigyn. She was royalty. The daughter of a proud king and warrior and she was married to a prince, the man she loved. But they had forgotten proper titles, they showed such disrespect. Sigyn's upper lip lifted up into a nasty look as if she had smelled something horrible. Hand didn't seem to notice and held the clipboard out for her to take.
Sigyn erased the look from her face and examined the words John Hancock. Who was he? What did it mean? She reminded herself to read a book on John Hancock as soon as she went home. She had a habit of examining the smallest details that others would perceive as white noise. She saw a mathematical equation several days ago and began reading book after book trying to understand the fundamental theorems of Algebra.
"What is a John Hancock?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.
Hand blinked at her and chuckled. "Oh, sorry. I meant your signature."
The metal pen was heavy in Sigyn's hand, it must've been expensive. Sigyn gripped the clipboard, and stared into the paper. "Why do I need to sign this?"
Victoria brushed her hair behind her ear. "It's formalities, you know." She explained. "This is to prove that you visited him today and that we are not responsible for the actions of the prisoner. It's so you cannot sue."
Sigyn raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. She signed her name, "Lady Sigyn" in large cursive letters beside all the X's.
"Great." Victoria said, taking the clipboard. "Wait here."
Sigyn sighed. She hated waiting so long to see him. She missed the mornings where he was lying next to her with the covers wrapped around him like a cocoon. She would ring the bell for the servants to bring them their morning tea. Sometimes he would wake up to the smell of hot food and fresh tea leaves. Other times he would be too exhausted to notice. She kept his food hot until he did awaken.
She rocked on her toes to the balls of her heels. She wondered what he looked like now. Was his hair tangled and frizzy? Would dirt be spread on his face like the asylums on Asgard? Perhaps he was still immaculate and his hair would be trimmed, his beard shaven and his weight consistent. Her heart was beating so fast. The thumps against her chest traveled to the back of her eyes to the palm of her hands. They were already sweating.
Not knowing was hurting her more than any torture the mortals could've given to her. Her questions would finally be answered. S.H.I.E.L.D had refused her efforts to get conjugal visits for him. Victoria explained until after he had his trial, not much could be given to him. It had been twelve months two weeks and five days since had last seen him.
"Good luck in getting conjugal visits." She said to Sigyn over a cup of coffee. "Your hubby tried to take over the entire world. I doubt the judge will care about his sex life." She was being harsh, but honest.
She went on to say. "I think it will help him rehabilitate him into society, you know? Everyone needs a good fuck, you know? Especially him. He's kept in isolation for the most part." Sigyn wouldn't have been so crude, but she didn't interrupt. "They're criminals, but they're still human. Making them lose their bloody minds wouldn't help at all, but being close to the one's they love might push them in a better direction, you know?"
She said, 'you know' a lot. The phrase used to send Sigyn into an aggravated fit. It was almost white noise to her now.
"When you're in prison, only two things feel great. Number one is thinking about what you're going to do when you're getting out and masturbation." She paused. Sigyn was a lady of the royal Asgardian court. Hand didn't need to censor herself. She was well aware of what a man could do in the privacy of his isolated room. She continued. "If he sees you, he won't be so bitter when he comes out. If he stays on good behavior that is."
"How is he adjusting?" Sigyn asked. She blew on her coffee, but didn't take a sip. She never could get used to the strong hot liquid, but she didn't refuse a cup to be polite.
Victoria took a gulp and nodded. "He's a model prisoner. He takes his food, cleans his plate, disposes of it, and does as he's told. He's a low risk. Maybe he will be granted some privileges."
Sigyn found this to be odd. Loki hated being told what to do and when to do it. He probably hated shoveling the mortal food down his throat even more, but she didn't let on her concern.
"Sigyn?" Victoria said. Sigyn was only used to Loki and her close family calling her without the title attached to her name. She didn't turn to Victoria's call. One of the guards grumbled and Sigyn looked up. She followed Victoria down the hall.
The hallway was dark and in front of them was an automatic door with the barred windows open to let in the sunlight. Sigyn held her breath. Victoria touched her shoulder. "We will allow you a half an hour."
Sigyn opened her mouth to protest, but Victoria shook her head. "I know. I fought to get you more time, but they wouldn't allow it."
"Mm." Sigyn muttered. She obviously didn't fight that hard.
"You're allowed thirty minutes. You may do what you want with your time, but be aware that there will be cameras watching you."
"You said nothing of cameras!" Sigyn snapped.
They could never have a private moment. It was all she asked. In their last months together, they were forced to endure to have servants and soldiers in and out of their living quarters and even now they were being watched at every turn. The privacy was more than the desire for a sexual release. He was her husband and as a married couple, they had every right to exercise that liberty, but she wanted a conversation without being interrupted or watching her words in case any lingering ears were present.
"It was in the contract you signed." Victoria stated. "Article I, Section twenty-three clearly states, prisoners and their guests shall be under surveillance throughout the duration of the visit."
"And if I said no to that?"
"Then you can kiss your visit goodbye." Hand snapped back. She sighed and rubbed her temple. "Look, I worked my ass off to get you this visit. I had to beg, plead and nag the director all for you. The least you could do is show a little gratitude."
"I am grateful, Victoria." She said. She held her hands tightly in front of her to keep from striking the mortal. The tension was already great. These mortals could topple down from their high horses. "I am very grateful. I apologize for my behavior. I realize your career is on the line. You have to understand, I miss my husband."
She nodded. "I understand. I am sorry for snapping at you too. This job can be stressful." She pointed to the door and smiled. "Shall we?"
Sigyn nodded and walked through the door. The room was empty except for one table and two chairs across from each other. The furniture was bolted to the floor. She hated their room already. At every corner she could see a camera and another one hanging over the door she entered through.
"Sit down and relax." Victoria said and left the room quickly. Sigyn walked to the metal seat and got herself comfortable. She wondered how many women had been sitting in her position.
Thirty minutes to do whatever they wanted. The thought was tempting. But she didn't want Victoria or the other agents to know what she looked like in mid coitus. She was a woman of royalty. It would be humiliating to them. They weren't animals to be viewed for their mating rituals.
She wondered if she was sitting in someone else's mess. It made her uneasy. She sniffed the room. It smelled like cleaning products. They probably deep soaked and scrubbed the rooms after people leave.
She heard the sound of movement and her head jumped up. Happy tears were in her eyes and her heart lifted. She clasped her hands against her chest as she saw Loki walk in with handcuffs on his wrists and a collar around his neck like a dog. How humiliating. The collar blinked an orange light every other second. It was distracting, but it was no matter.
Loki didn't look much different. His cheek bones were more prominent and there were dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he lost weight. His hair was longer and hung down on his shoulders in straight black locks. His withdrawn green eyes twinkled with tears. He waited until his handcuffs had been released on his wrists and the guards were gone before he looked up at her.
Sigyn could no longer control herself. She pulled him into a deep kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and held her body to his. They didn't part the kiss for several minutes. It felt like only seconds to them.
He kept her face close to his and his hands ran through her hair. He didn't say a word to her. He only stared into her eyes. She could see a tear run down his cheeks and disappear under his chin.
"My love," Sigyn managed to say. "It's been so long."
He nodded. She ran her fingers down his stubbly cheek. "I've been dreaming of this moment every day since they captured you."
"Me too." He said. His voice was raspy. He obviously didn't speak much to anyone. "I've been humiliated time and time again by them. They're forcing me to wear this." He said pointing to his collar. "As if I were an animal."
"Why?" Sigyn asked. Her voice cracked. "Why would they do such a thing?"
"To keep my magic under control. Apparently the body changes temperature when using magic. It's subtle, but it gives me a shock if I go over my limit. Sometimes it's on accident. Apparently, Hank Pym constructed this device."
She reminded herself that if she ever had to kill any of the Avengers, she would kill Hank Pym herself. Murderous thoughts have never passed her mind before until they had taken her husband away from her.
"How cruel." Sigyn said shaking her head. "I should tell them-"
"No." He said taking her hands in his own. He whispered close to her ear. His voice was practically silent, she had to strain to hear him. "I am waiting until they trust me enough. Then we will be together again."
Sigyn was relieved. The mortals could never break him. She whispered in his ear in return. "How long, my darling? It's hurting me to be apart from you."
"Do not worry." He said. "In time, but you must be patient."
"I've been patient for twelve months. I can't-"
"Yes, you can. You are the strongest woman in all of Asgard and that's why I married you. No simple maiden could ever hold my interest for longer than a dialoge. Be strong. We shall be together again." He kissed her hand.
She was going crazy. They had never been apart for so long. Once in a blue moon, Odin would call upon his sons to keep the peace in the Nine Realms, but the longest Loki was gone was for five months and no more. But he was right. She was stronger than to just give up.
She kissed him again as one tear fell from the corner of her eye. It was wiped away by his gentle calloused thumb. He managed to force a smile on his weary face and kissed her nose. "Tell me what you've been doing?"
"It doesn't matter what I've been doing. How are you?"
"I'm alive. It doesn't matter. I want to hear about you."
She told him about the MIdgard clothes she had gathered, the apartment she had bought in town, and the new cat she had. It was a fat cat she had found as a kitty in a box by the garbage cans a week after Loki had been arrested. The people of Vanaheim never named their pets. The animals were given their own names by nature and therefore did not need to be named by their owners. She simply called him Cat. Cat kept her company and gave her someone to talk to.
She was getting better at cooking on her own and learned how to use the Midgardian inventions like a computer, television, a mobile phone, a vacuum cleaner and read tons of the books in the library right down the street. She even learned how to sew and knit. She made Loki a black, gold and green blanket that she couldn't wait to throw it on him as he read by the night light.
Loki showed legitimate interest and asked her a ton of questions about sewing, vacuum cleaners, cooking and Cat. Mortals were a waste of time in his opinion, but there was something about their inventions that fascinated him. It was hypocritical and confusing, but Sigyn didn't question him.
Finally the inevitable happened. Their time together was too short. The door opened and Victoria led a group of guards inside.
"Wrap it up, kids." She said. Loki frowned at her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Visit me again, yes?" He asked.
"Yes." she said without a second thought.
"I love you." He said.
"I love you too." She kissed him again and parted from him reluctantly. His wrists were handcuffed and he was led down the hallway. His eyes were kept on her until he had disappeared down the hall. Sigyn refused to let the mortals see her cry. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction. Victoria touched Sigyn's shoulder.
"I gave you an extra fifteen minutes." She said. "I loved the story of Cat." It wasn't cheering her up, but Victotia continued. "Do not tell Director Fury." She whispered as the two women walked out of the dreaded lifeless room.
"Thank you." Sigyn said, forcing a smile.
She left the room with a heavy feeling in her heart. She was comforted by the touch memory of his lips brushing against hers and his hand on her waist. She was also comforted by the fact that this was only temporary. He would soon hold her in his arms.
"Only a matter of time." She said to herself, touching her lips.