Chapter 4

Nightmare

Loki lie on his back in the center of the cell, his arms positioned awkwardly over his chest to accommodate the manacles now fastened to the ground. He had stared long at the bricks overhead, analyzing each crack and imperfection in their gold-hued forms. Heimdall stood silently, his back to the cell, ever watchful. Loki suspected he had been employed to watch for three things: any associates come to free Loki, any vengeful Asgardians come to harm him, and Loki himself, whose mischief and plotting was practically legend.

His body pained him. His mind raced through thoughts of the battles and his failures. But eventually, after long dragging hours of the night, he began to grow weary and consider sleep.

At first it was a waking sleep in which he constantly woke himself with slight shudders and jerks, but soon he found himself in the land of his uninterrupted dreams. He stood on the moon of Chitauri, speaking with The Other. He was vaguely aware of the dream's reality, its past nature, but soon found himself reliving the familiar conversation.

"…Until I open the doors, until your force is mine to command," Loki said as he faced The Other, the scepter held to his neck. "You are but words."

The Other's breath was heavy as he considered.

"You will have your war, Asgardian," The Other began after a pause.

Loki pulled the scepter away as The Other leaned in close.

"If you fail..."

The Other paced the moon's surface, disappearing from Loki's vision as he walked behind him.

"If the Tesseract is kept from us…There will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice we cannot find you…"

Loki swallowed, considering the threat. The Other was certainly an intimidating figure, but his army of gruesome soldiers seemed far more volatile. Not to mention the Leviathans.

"You think you know pain..." The Other continued, and this time Loki felt his hand creep up his neck from behind, crawling up to his face.

"He will make you long for something sweet as pain…"

Loki didn't dare show weakness by flinching or pulling away, so he allowed The Other to pull him down to his knees, lying his head onto a rock before him. He felt the splaying tentacles of a Leviathan wrapping around his limbs, but continued to remain still. It seemed to be an exercise of subjectivity, and if it would gain him the Chitauris army, so be it.

He gasped, however, as the razor tentacles of the Leviathan pierced into his body from points all over. Their tiny, needle-like points began to sink deeper and deeper into his flesh, encompassing his very bones.

Do not scream, he told himself as the pain became immense.

"You have never known real pain in your life, Asgardian, until you have crossed the Chitauri," The Other continued. "Until you have crossed him!"

Loki could feel his body convulsing as the needle-thin tentacles continued to dive into his body, sinking ever-deeper like malleable swords. They worked their way through his muscles, grasping hold of him.

Do not scream.

"You will bring us the Tesseract," The Other said, stepping in front of him and placing his hand on Loki's hair. He slowly pulled Loki's head back to expose his throat. Loki felt yet another tentacle rest against the flesh of his neck.

"You will... succeed," The Other said with a grin, and Loki felt the tentacle dive into his throat.

Do not scream.