How was it that everything could be so dark, but be so bright at the same time? Loki had no answer to his silent question as he slowly arose to awareness.
Why was his body in so much pain? It had been a long time since he had felt discomfort to this degree; the last time being when he had been viciously beaten in a training match with Thor.
The blubbering fool had thought he would have had time to dodge Mijnor coming straight at his chest. Loki would have, if not at the same moment, his foot became tangled in a tree root and held him planted to the spot.
He had awoken a day later in his chambers with a healer and a very worried mother hovering above him. Thor had apologized profusely for weeks.
Thor. Where was his brother? He must be near if he was injured.
Opening his eyes was perhaps one of the most exhausting and difficult things he had ever had to do in his life. The lids felt as if someone had glued them together and weighted them down.
After a dozen useless blinks his eyes finally opened. The sight that greeted him was terrifying.
Thor stared down at him with something akin to fury and disappointment, along with someone cloaked in an iron suit, a large green beast, a Midgardian male with an arrow notched on a bow, a Midgardian female with two guns trained on him, and a man wearing a suit of red, white, and blue.
"Hey reindeer games, you winked out on us. Fainted like a teenage girl." The strange voice came from the metal suit, sounding distinctly male.
Loki knew better than to show his emotions and what he was thinking, but he couldn't help his brow from scrunching up in confusion.
Why was he here, and why was his brother not aiding him in rising from this strange cocoon of flooring he seemed to be wedged into? Half- panicked thoughts raced through his exhausted mind, leaving his head spinning violently.
He thought he might be sick. A strange ringing started filling his ears, and his eyes watered up, leaving his vision blurry. His stomach gave one brutal lurch, and that was all it took for Loki to spill the contents of whatever he had eaten onto the floor beside him.
"Oh come on!" the voice from the suit complained once the God of Mischief's hearing returned. "As if you had not destroyed this place enough as it is, let's add nasty, chunky, smelly vomit to it all!"
What was this man rambling on about? He had destroyed this building? A quick glance around supplied him with the state of the place.
An entire wall was missing; giving off a spectacular view of some city, a Midgardian one perhaps? The rest of the room was in shambles. There were holes blasted in every inch of available space, and nothing was in its proper place. Huge cracks ran across the length of the floor around him, spider webbing away from the hole he currently resided in.
To sum up everything, it looked as if a tornado had blown through.
Loki was suddenly grabbed by a pair of meaty hands and hefted to his feet. The pain level spiked, but it was graciously minimal compared to what it had felt like minutes before. His healing abilities were doing their job.
Before the dark-haired God had a second to draw air and question his brother as to the situation, something round and metallic was shoved between his teeth and into his unsuspecting mouth. The metal was cold and large enough to hold his tongue down, effectively cutting off his capability to speak.
Eyes wide with betrayal and a hint of fear shot to the Golden God's. His own brother had silenced him? For what? He shook his head violently to dislodge the strange contraption, but to no avail.
The muzzle was already fastened around his head, ripping out some strands of his silky black hair. During his brief struggle for freedom, someone had clasped his hands together in front of him with a pair of handcuffs. The metal from both cut painfully into his tender skin.
Loki's terrified whimper was silent, thanks to the muzzle. To think that he almost showed fear in front of strangers, and worst of all, his brother, was unacceptable. They must believe him to be strong and in control of the situation.
With that determined thought in mind, he straightened his back and held his head high.
The Midgardian woman stepped forward and pressed a cloth to his nose. A strong noxious smell immediately took over his senses and, unable to draw air through his mouth, it dragged him down into the darkness.
It was so hot, unbearably hot. The sweat trickling down his face slowly is what brought Loki back to awareness. Slowly peeling his eyes open only brought him pain as the salty liquid fell into his eyes. He quickly brought his hand up to wipe away the sting, but his hand caught on something.
Handcuffs? Why were his hands bound? The memories swarmed his mind along with the questions that had been put on hold.
Once again he found himself waking to a place he had no recollection of. He concluded it must be some sort of holding cell, given that the walls were completely bare except the single metal door seated in the middle of one.
He was currently lounging on a bed that felt as hard as the floor would if he had been lying on it instead.
What fate awaited him? Why was he here in the first place? What had he done?
The door banging open snapped him out of his dark thoughts.
A dark man in black clothing and an eye patch strode in surrounded by a cloud of rage. Loki immediately sat up straight in the bed, feeling threatened by this man's mere presence.
"How does it feel to be responsible for the murders of hundreds of innocent people? To know that you failed, you and an army, defeated by six humans?" Murdered? What was he talking about? He decided to go with a respectful tone to try and calm the situation.
"I'm afraid I haven't the slightest idea of which you speak, sir." The man's good eye flashed in fury as he lunged forward and grabbed Loki by the shirtfront and lifted him from the bed.
"Don't bullshit me Loki. I know you know exactly what you did!"
"But I don't! I don't know what I did! All I remember is waking up in that building!" The man threw Loki to the ground roughly, stalking back towards the door.
"Enjoy the heat while you wait for Thor to come drag your sorry ass back to your planet to receive your punishment." With that, he departed in a rush, leaving Loki's mouth slightly agape for a moment before he shut it with a snap and rose as gracefully as he could.
His bruised knees protested greatly until he sat back onto the bed.
Soon, the heat grew in intensity leaving Loki's belly rolling with discomfort and anxiety for the moment to come when his brother would walk in the door.