Drums of Asgard.
My my, snizzleplops and dragonflies, we're nearing the climax of Murder on Mercury! Where will the Doctor take Loki next?
*taps nose*
Telling would be spoiling!
Murder on Mercury: Part Five.
The whole Pyramid was closed off, thanks partly to the Doctor's solemn, almost mourning air and partly due to Loki slipping into the conversation smoothly like the Silvertongue name he had gained on Asgard. Dr Lee couldn't deny the evidence behind their words or that the death of Sunita would surely put the other workers on edge and in possible danger.
"We have ways of dealing with residents like these!" the Doctor said brightly as they watched the last of the workers be properly evacuated from the area. "Think of my companion and I as pest control!"
"As well as Safety Inspectors?" Dr Lee asked doubtfully and the Doctor grinned easily enough.
"Yeah, well, government cuts affect a lot of departments, I'm afraid."
Dr Lee chuckled sardonically.
"I know too bloody well about government cuts."
Loki remained silent, wondering why the Midgardian government were cutting up their own people. They truly were a barbaric race.
Dr Lee felt uneasy about letting the two men down there on their own. If the creatures were as dangerous as the Doctor made out, then it would be madness to watch them march off to their possible deaths like that. So he insisted that two security guards went with them, much to the Doctor and Loki's displeasure, for two different reasons.
"We are capable men – we can surely look after ourselves!" Loki argued, feeling insulted about the apparent jibe to his fighting abilities.
"No, I don't want any more people dying like that…not for me."
The other two males stared at the Doctor for a moment and Loki wondered again why the Doctor was so concerned with protecting everyone all the time. The humans had brought it upon themselves with their endless nosiness and he understood why Odin limited access to Asgard. Clearly, Dr Lee seemed to understand something however, for he sighed.
"I'm not going to back down on this one. The amount of paperwork that would need doing if you two died would be atrocious and I wouldn't see myself as a very capable Project Leader either."
The Doctor looked very unhappy but grudgingly backed down, allowing two burly men with big black guns to come trooping to their side. The former Asgardian eyed them both warily, deciding that they reminded him too much of SHIELD for him to be properly comforted by their presence and elected to ignore them. Torches were given out and Loki was told in a firm undertone that it would be best for their cover if he used a torch as well.
With a huff, Loki complied, clicking the button on and off in a bored manner to cover the fact that his hands shook slightly.
"Good luck, Doctor." Lee said, shaking his hand in what he hoped wasn't a final farewell and the Time Lord gave a nod as he focused on the task at hand.
"Alrighty then, fellas! Allon-sy!"
With that, the door swung open under the guiding mechanisms and the band of four were swallowed up by the darkness, unsure of their safe return, but steadfast in their belief of victory.
The torches cut through the black efficiently and Loki was glad of the light, for it made him feel a little safer. The Doctor was talking again and apparently already learnt the names of the guards (Bob and Terry) with great gusto, asking about their lives and how many children they had. The god didn't understand why he went to such trouble of getting to know them when they were probably going to die. Why bother to hold them close to his heart when they were just going to be ripped away brutally and make him hurt badly?
Unless he wanted to know how best to honour them at their funerals?
Loki shrugged away the thoughts, not willing to chase them around in circles. He suddenly realised that Thor would know. Thor understood Midgardians better now than any of the Asgardians had before. For a second, his heart ached to have his older not brother by his side. Nothing could harm them or stand in their way then! Then he remembered that he wasn't a little boy anymore and violently shook his head, cursing. His latest experiences made him soft!
"Ah, this is new…"
With a jolt, Loki came to his senses properly and found that they'd arrived in the main chamber. Now that there was light on the situation, the Doctor discovered a hole covering a small network of tunnels behind the ritual carvings.
"So, who wants to go first?" asked the Doctor brightly and saw three pairs of eyes giving him dirty looks. "Fine, fine! Can't have a good joke nowadays."
They shuffled, slightly bent over, into the tunnels, warily keeping their eyes and ears open for any unusual sounds or sights. Bob swung his gun back and forth, the flashlight mounted on top bobbing through the murk and it hurt Loki's eyes after a while. The Jotun became tense, constantly stiffening at every shadow. Suddenly, hissing sounded from ahead and everyone froze like rabbits in front of a fox.
"We've found their nest." Doctor breathed, holding up a hand so nobody walked past him.
Loki sucked in an inaudible breath. A nest of them? There couldn't have been only one or two for them to deal with? A band of iron panic clenched over his lungs and he forced himself to try and breathe properly. He had the urge to click his fingers and make fire appear to ready for an attack, but the Doctor's warning served as a reminder and stopped him at the last second. Instead he contented himself by rubbing the pads of his gloved index finger and thumb together.
"Should we just shoot the bastards?" Terry grunted out, eyes locked on the gloom ahead.
"No-no, not yet. We can sneak past, I think."
Bob and Terry gave him an incredulous glance.
"I don't think that's wise, sir. They've probably already heard us." Bob pointed out, dull brown eyes narrowed under his infra-red glasses.
As if answering him, a clicking noise emerged and the death rattle rolled over the group. Loki's legs shook immediately and he was angry at the giveaway of his fear, but he didn't feel the instinct to run like last time. The Doctor had been right about that apparently.
"Just move slowly to that entrance on the left." The Doctor intoned carefully, eyes fixed on the creature crawling in that horrible manner towards them. "Loki, you need to go first."
Loki opened his mouth to protest, closing his grass green eyes to protect his mind from the nightmare.
"Go now!"
Terry put a hand on Loki's back and pushed him roughly headfirst into the new hole, Bob shooting down the creature without thinking as it dove for the Doctor's neck.
"Now you've done it!" The Doctor shouted as more death rattles gathered around them and Loki repressed putting a hand over his mouth, swallowing the whimper back down his throat. "They'll be following us!"
Bob stared the others firmly in the eye.
"Not if I can help it."
It took moments for them to figure it what he was implying.
"No! No no no! I – you can't!" Doctor cried, his face falling in devastation. "Don't you dare! Come with us, you can make it! They're not that fast -!"
"GO!" Bob snapped, the first of the things appearing round the corner. "I got us into this mess! I get that they're after your friend. He's defenceless – I'm not."
The former Prince gasped a bit. Why was this human, who he barely knew, willingly sacrificing himself? What was the point? And did he really consider HIM unable to fend for himself?
"Hey, Terry."
Terry's face was stoic and his voice respectful as he answered.
"Yeah, Bub?"
"Tell my wife and kids they're an amazing family. Tell them they'll be okay without me, that they HAVE to be okay without me. Let them know I wasn't scared when I left – that I didn't want to leave, but had no choice, alright? You'd better get that message to them, or I'll haunt you until your death!"
Despite the situation, Terry laughed and saluted as best as he could manage in the cramped space.
"I will, Bob. You give those things hell!"
The first creature leapt forward and Bob shot it down without flinching.
"GO NOW!"
The Doctor's face…Loki couldn't describe it. It was the face of a man who had seen this before, yet begged for a different outcome every time. It screamed of heartbreak and the younger brother of Thor felt his heart jerk in slight sympathy, but he did not know why. The gunshots banged loudly and Loki couldn't figure out when this tunnel had turned into a miniature war zone.
Terry shoved him forwards again and the three huddled and scraped their way to what was turning out to be a molten pit as fast as possible, tuning out the crunch of teeth against neck muscle finally.
The gunshots rang out no longer.
The heat threw Loki again instantly and he panted for air as he fell face first out of the tunnel, landing in hot sand. The other security guard jumped down lightly beside him and hauled him up as the Doctor gingerly made his way down to the floor, his coat snagging on red rock.
"Hey, you don't look so hot." Terry noticed with no expression and Loki rolled his eyes as he struggled away.
"I am fine."
"Don't mind him, he's the clumsiest intern I've had!" Doctor's voice echoed behind them, a cheerful grin plastered on his face once more.
Was the care for Bob a façade then?
Sweat beaded on Loki's brow and he stubbornly ignored it, gaze travelling to the lava pool in front of them.
"Doctor, what is this?"
The lava rumbled and quaked, a massive form rising from it like a grotesque phoenix.
"We've found their god, Loki." Doctor murmured softly from his right hand side and Loki had no idea whether they would see daylight again.
Welp, there it is! The second to final chapter for this arc and they might be in for the battle of their lives. How will Loki and the Doctor cope?
Love Lily. X
