Thor's mind was foggy. What had happened? Had he been drinking? He paused a moment. No, it wasn't that... not that this didn't feel like a very bad hangover. Had he been in a fight? His whole body ached and his joints were stiff. He groaned.
"Ah, the sleeping beauty awakens."
"L- Loki?" His throat was raw and his voice was scratchy and strained. "Wha – what happened?"
"Give it a moment, it'll come back…"
Thor tried to open is eyes, though they were sore and full of grit. His vision was blurred and he found himself facing an indistinct gray mass. A stone wall? He tried to blink to clear his vision but the same foggy mistiness stayed. He reached up to rub his face and startled; those were not his hands, were they? They were old! Very old - The skin looked tissue thin, age marked, the vessels and tendons standing out in sharp relief. Was this an illusion, a prank? It didn't feel like an illusion. A body swap spell…? Or…
"Here it comes…" Loki's voice didn't quite sound right either. It was a bit rougher than normal. Like he had been shouting or…
…Like his voice had aged.
"Finally. You really are not the sharpest in the realms, are you?"
Thor tried to sit up only to grunt in pain and collapse back when his joins, stiff and painful, refused to do as commanded.
"Although," Loki continued from somewhere nearby, his tone amused and somewhat scathing, "I can hardly blame you for this one. Your mind and soul have been through an ordeal, to say nothing of your body…"
Everything came rushing back; the ambassador, the curse, the subterfuge instigating himself into the counter attack against the Atarinncerion Cult, the utter failure of their defenses against the city's attack, fleeing into the metropolis with Fandral, finding Ethgar, the message from Loki via one the Witnesses, finding him in possession of the old man, the ship…
"You…!" He tried to sit up again, managing to prop himself up on his elbow before his body fell back into an uncooperative heap again.
"Ah, I would take it slow if I were you. The transition from how you were to how you are will take some getting used to."
"Why?" Thor gasped, trying to focus on the blurred shape of a person crouched nearby, whom he assumed was Loki.
"Well, it is just like any transition from one state to another, it takes time! It is unwise to rush, Thor. If it will help, picture you have been gravely wounded in a battle but your body is not healing as fast as it would normally. Were you wounded during your brief stint as a mortal - baring the blow that returned you to form, of course? Picture that."
"That is not what I meant." Thor growled out, his voice like gravel. He was still squinting, trying to blink his vision clear. "And I hardly think your betrayal is a wise topic to bring up with me, brother." His chest felt tight and breathing was not easy, so he paused a beat to take a breath. "Why, Loki? What happened?" As he spoke, he tried to get his bearings, getting a feel for his body, checking for Mjölnir… it was gone. Thor tried calling out to it but instead of the warm static he usually felt in response there was only a distant cold crackle in the back of his mind, something he hadn't felt since his banishment.
Loki paused a moment before saying, in a cool tone, "It won't obey you Thor, not anymore."
"What have you done?" He said, as something about the way Loki had been talking to him since his awakening – more specifically, what he had been saying – started to click into place.
"Let's just say you are not quite the person you once were."
Or maybe I should say, you are more than the person you once were.
Thor gaped in horror as Loki's voice, clear as it had ever been, rand out inside his head. "You – get out of my head!" His shout made his throat, which was still raw, catch and he started coughing.
"Do you remember what I said about the priests, Thor? Stronger and more powerful then they were before death, able to co-host the bodies of the witness, to see through their eyes, to control them?"
Though his sight was blurred, Thor could see and hear Loki's grin and all he could feel in response was horror and dread. No…
Yes… Welcome to the Atarinncerion sect, Thor. And, welcome to servitude.
"You betrayed us, you betrayed Asgard…" He didn't say the last part, not now, not this time.
"Asgard is weak. You do not know what the Atarin are capable of. If not now then in a few short decades, Asgard was going to be converted anyway. Better to have one of its own rule over Asgard transformed, then to see another change it into something wholly unrecognizable."
"I can't… I can't believe this. Not even you would sell out all of Asgard, you-"
"-Was their King? Yes, and I will be again, soon. Rest, Thor. You will feel better as you get used to your body." Loki stood up then, and walked to the door which Thor could now see was propped open.
"It won't be Asgard!" Thor called after him, hoarsely, "If they succeed, if you do rule over whatever it is they make of our home, it won't be Asgard anymore. You know this. Please, Loki, think about this!"
"I have thought about it." Loki said from the door, "And I have made my choice. Now, look which us rots in prison and which of us walks free. I'll speak to you soon, Thor."
"Loki, please!" Thor called after him, but the door closed with a solid metallic thump and Thor was left alone.
###
Fandral paced around the tiny stone cell that he and Ethgar had been placed in, or rather, woken up in. Leaning against the wall by the door, Ethgar rubbed his forehead again.
Fandral sighed, "I told you, it's fine, there's no mark."
"Wish I had a mirror…"
"And here I would just be happy with proper sanitation facilities at this point." Fandral said sparing another withering glance at the small drainage hole in the floor, the only feature in the room other than the door and the small dome of light on the ceiling.
Fandral went to pace the room again – four strides across and the same in length – when there was a voice the other side of the door. "You'll have to forgive the room, prisons are not something usually required here. Crime is almost unheard of and the cells are more a deterrent for the rare rebellious mind than anything else."
"Loki!" Fandral called back, "Let us out!"
"Stand away from the door, don't try anything foolish and we will talk."
"Why should we talk to you, traitor?" Ethgar growled sullenly.
"You are not about to make any progress here, locked in a featureless stone box, are you? This is your only chance."
Ethgar and Fandral shared a look. Fandral shrugged and Ethgar shook his head and sighed, moving a couple of paces to stand opposite the door.
"Fine," Fandral said to the door, "We'll behave. Come in?"
The door clicked and Fandral gasped as Loki walked into the room. He knew logically that Loki would have aged like Thor, but having not seen the transition over time the sudden change from what he knew caught him by surprise. Loki's hair was a more silver then black now, and his face was lined and more gaunt then he ever remembered it being. There were shadows around his more sunken eyes and he seemed smaller, thinner, then ever before. The dark mark on his forehead was identical to what the Ambassador once had.
Loki smirked at the shocked reaction and said with a small flourish, "Surprise." He closed the door behind him and keeping his hand on it, closed his eyes. After a moment the door rippled with green energy and he sighed, opening his eyes again "Finally, some privacy."
"What was that?" Fandral asked with a frown.
"Call it a perception filter. As long as the spell holds I can make anyone outside of this room hear whatever I wish. To maintain it however, I need contact with the door so fighting is in none of our best interests right now."
"That remains to be seen." Ethgar said lowly.
"What would people outside of the room be hearing, then?" Fandral asked with a curious look.
Loki smirked and leaned back against the door. "That I, as a friend and a brother in arms, am trying to persuade you to join the Atarinncerion cause." Loki shot them a look which clearly said, as if.
"And that's not what you are here for?" Ethgar said before Fandral could say anything.
Loki made a derisive sound, "Do you really think I would toe the line with these mind slaved demented wraiths? You think I would hand over my freedom to them? No."
"In that case, why the ruse?" Fandral asked. "You certainly seemed to be working with them before you had us all knocked unconscious. And what happened to Thor?"
"Thor is fine. You, and he, were supposed to believe I was working with them, because they needed to believe it."
"Why?"
Loki shot Fandral an 'are you stupid?' look, "I was brought here as a prisoner and we had no time. Did the sorcerers back in Asgard work out how long Thor would have to live? Did they tell you?"
"Thor said, about three days…"
"Hmm, that would have been based on the aging continuing at a steady rate – they were wrong. He had a day and a half; the curse's progression was set to accelerate over time in order to pressure Odin into an all-out attack, if he had not already done so."
Fandral was stunned, "Then, he is running out of time. Where is he? And what about you? Isn't it the same for you?"
"It was, but they changed that after I convinced them I wanted to convert voluntarily."
"How did you manage that?" Ethgar said from just behind Fandral, a suspicious tone in his voice.
Loki sighed. "They are fanatics, and like all fanatics their minds are so lost in their cause they see little else. They were not hard to convince."
"What about Thor?" Fandral cut in with a note of worry.
Loki's expression flickered in what might have been irritation for a moment, but the look was gone as soon as it came. "He is as safe as he can be; I have done what I can. What matters now is that we have time and an opportunity to work without detection. This isn't just about us, they are trying to take over all of Asgard and every man, woman and child there is at risk. And, once they are done with us, all the Nine Realms will come under attack. If we are to save them, all of them, you have to listen to me and do as I say. Now, will you hear me out?"
Ethgar paused then nodded while Fandral replied with a quiet, "Yes."
Loki reached into his robes and pulled out a pencil and held it out to Fandral with a small smile. "First of all, I hope you two are familiar enough with the forehead brands by now to mimic them. It will be difficult to walk around freely otherwise."
"Are you serious?" Fandral said with a small smile as he took the pencil.
Ethgar was looking interested now, "That should be simple, the design is quite basic."
"You have an artistic bent, hmm? Be careful with the marker, it becomes tricky to remove after a few minutes."
"No chance of smudging then." Ethgar said with a small smile and a nod as he took the pencil from Fandral.
"Exactly." Loki said, and then continued, "When I leave, the door will be unlocked. Wait ten minutes, then head left." He pulled a small roll of parchment out of his robes. "Follow the directions on this map, it will bring you to one of the weapon generators. Sabotage it following those instruction – be careful, mess this up and it may blow up in your face so suddenly you won't even realize you are dead."
"What will happen if we follow your instructions correctly?" Fandral asked unrolling the parchment and studying it.
"It will blow up, but only after a delay."
"Ah. So this is a diversion then." Fandral said with a small smirk as he handed the parchment over to Ethgar.
"Mostly. It will also cause a significant delay if they decide to fire up the city weapons again. Once you are done with that, there are instructions on how to get to other generators in the city. Use the same method to sabotage them, with the addition of the small changes listed for each subsequent generator."
"To change how long it takes for them to explode, so they all go off at about the same time." Fandral said with a nod.
"Correct." Loki said with a small smirk. "One last thing, once you are done with the last generator, head out of the city and into the wastelands. Take some food and water with you and you'll be found soon enough. Oh, and if you see anyone you recognize from Asgard, other than myself, chances are you will be looking at a reanimated corpse. Keep your heads down, don't talk to them and try not to arouse any suspicion."
The other two nodded, sharing a glance before Fandral said, "And what will you be doing?"
"Saving Thor's oafish behind and destroying the curse, what else?"
Fandral paused a moment as he studied Loki, their eyes locked. After a long moment he said, "Well then, when do we head out?"
###
Deep in Asgard's halls, in a darkened, silent room adjacent to one of the healing halls, seven bodies lay entombed and waiting for proper funeral rituals to be performed. The air was still and yet a faint rustling of fabric could be heard. The silken shrouds covering the emaciating bodies shifted slowly as waisted muscles rejuvenated, fat and sinew restored itself.
Suddenly, one of them sat up, pushing down his shroud. He held up his arm, studying it as the flesh restored itself. Across from him, one of the others groaned, his arms moving beneath the cloth as he stretched.
The other side of him, another spoke up suddenly, "Ugh… I hate first awakening. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'growing pains'."
"Is it your own personal mission to always be the first to speak whenever we go through this, Ten?" Another croaked
"Old habits, my friend. Ugh…"
"Vreeten, Menif, quiet." Said the one who first sat up.
"Who's gonna hear us, Kel?" Said Vreeten, sitting up and pushing his shroud aside. "This isn't the old Praden settlements, where corpses were watched for fear of vampires and ghouls."
"No, this is Asgard. We still haven't mapped everything here, yet."
"Wouldn't Priest Loki have warned us if there was anything to watch out for down here? We're fine."
"You always were a bit simple, Ten."
"Keladen! Don't you trust our newest priest?"
"No."
"… isn't that sacrilege?" Vreeten smirked over at Kel as he sprawled leisurely, fully restored and fully nude. Kel just glared back at him.
"Well," said a voice further down the row as one of the bodies propped up their shroud to look themselves over. "These Asgardians certainly cut a pretty picture. I think I am going to enjoy this mission."
"Save it, Avla. We can enjoy the goods later, when Asgard is ours."
"On that note," Said Vreeten, "I think clothes should be our first mission statement."
"What a pity." Avla grumbled with a smirk.
