Chapter 10

Obsession

You aren't allowed to talk to any of my men. Understand?

She hates how he's ordered her not to talk to the men. It infuriates her because Loki has no right to just ban her from human contact like that. Is she to search for socializing from him? A hilarious idea in her mind because he doesn't seem like the socializing type. He can be menacing and just downright irritating with his controlling personality. The idea of starting up a conversation with him seems rather unpleasant.

Her mind flashes to the distraught young man hanging off a (brilliantly colourful and flashing and broken) bridge. She shakes it off and walks around the bunker again. She can't just pity him because of the past. Wasn't it his choice to become what he is now?

After waking up, she had showered again and eaten (they had feed her once more thankfully). She then spent the past two hours wondering around the bunker, putting to memory the hallways. She had been thinking over her situation and remembering old things. This was only the third day and so much had happened, she was truly surprised.

"Hey, babe, out on a walk again? Or can't find your room?" a familiar voice called out, teasing her.

She turned and tightly smiled to Ethan. Would Loki know if she talked to him? She scoffed. How could he? "Hello to you too. And no, I'm not lost. I know my way around already," she replied, a smirk playing on her lips. As long as he doesn't touch her, it's good. She could do this.

As they started to talk, her wrist slowly began to burn. She ignored it at first, it only being a mild irritation. But ten minutes into their friendly conversation, the mild irritation turned into a burning pain. Her hand twitched and when she looked down, she noticed it was the wrist with the iron bracelet. The skin underneath was a brilliant red and swollen. When the iron moved over the skin it only burned more, actually making her flinch and bite her lip.

Noticing this, Ethan looked at her in slight confusion. "You okay?"

Looking up from her wrist to him, she asked, "Where's Loki?"

"Probably watching Selvig's progress. Why?"

She didn't answer him, breaking into a sprint towards the room with the Tesseract. As she ran, Ivona cradled her burning wrist to her chest. Was this his doing? Was this all because of her talking with Ethan?

Rounding a corner, right before the entrance to the room she was going towards, she stops to a halt and almost falls onto her back when she's suddenly met with Loki. He looks mad but small amusement plays in his eyes.

"Is it so hard to listen to what I told you?" he asked, almost sounding exasperated with her.

She stands her ground, the burn from the iron bracelet receding, but the pain still there. "Why is it burning me?"

"It's a warning, for disobeying what I had told you. And why do you speak with him anyways? Yesterday, you basically screamed to me that you wanted that man away from you. Was it a lie?"

She hears what he says and blinks. "I- I what?" She had projected her thoughts to Loki? But why him?

"Are you not aware of how far your powers go? Or do you have such little control?"

She shook off his insult. "The reason why I wanted him away from me is that I don't like people touching me." She swallows, not liking that she had told him. But what else is she supposed to tell him?

He looks at her, doubting what she says. "Judging by your previous occupation, I'm surprised to hear such a thing."

Her anger flares again at his condescending attitude. "I'm not a damn whore. Believe it or not," she begins to say bitterly, hesitating, "I'm still a virgin. It's pathetic. I know. I'm twenty-five and have never been with anyone because of my little tick. But hey, you don't have to worry about me distracting your men by sleeping with them at least." Her tone is biting and self-loathing.

He regards her with a sort of twisted interest and chuckles. "I certainly wouldn't allow such a thing anyways."

"Then why? Why would it be so bad for me to just talk to the guys? Are you going to oppress me so far as to ban simple socializing?"

"With your powers, you are above them. Why waste your time on such simplistic creatures?" he asked her like it was common sense.

She was actually stunned to silence. No one has ever told her that she was equal to everyone, let alone above them!

He warned her again. "Do not interact with any of them. If you fear another's touch, I'm sure you wouldn't have to worry about that so long as you do not interact with them." And anyways, only he would be the one to actually touch her. He wanted to expose that fear and have her be used to his touch only. It was a challenge to undertake while he waited on the progress of the Tesseract and he'll surely enjoy it.

"So what am I supposed to do now if I can't talk to anyone?"

"If you are so bored, I'm sure you can find other things to occupy yourself with."

She gritted her teeth and walked away, resisting the urge to stomp. As she left, the iron bracelet began to cool the skin of her burned wrist, slowly healing it.

/\\/\\/\\/\\

Humans were lower, they desired subjugation and that was what they were given. The war won and Loki ruled all. Was life not easier like this, like it should always be like this? And Ivona was faithfully at their king's side, almost a queen of sorts to the man that reigned. The previously dull iron bracelet on her wrist was now smooth golden band with different runic inscriptions.

At one distorted part, she sees Loki and hears him say, "Do not dwell on what they say about you. It is all lies. You are above them, always have been." He reached out to her and she didn't flinch when he touched her, the soft caress on her cheek.

She woke up with a start, heart beating.

The dream made her skin crawl because of how absurdly realistic it felt. It only brought about awful thoughts that would often plague her mind in years back. Life with her parents taught her that she was a freak because she was a mutant. Her short time at the club made herself feel almost more superior to the pathetic lives that surrounded her. And working with SHIELD only made her more bitter towards humanity despite helping it.

Her parents continuously degraded her for being different. It didn't help that she couldn't control her powers and heard their thoughts all the time.

The strip club was better in the way that no one knew what she was. Her guilty pleasure was to read certain minds. (It was just practicing! Was that such a bad thing?) She would gain some money too when she played poker in the back during her free time. She thought herself better and used her powers to her advantage. Everyone was disgusting and a waste of space. She was only there because she had no other place to live, having not even finished high school before getting kicked out. (At the time, she refused to see anyone else's circumstances. In hindsight, some were just as bad, if not worse compared to hers.)

For some odd reason she thought that SHIELD would be more accepting. However she was completely wrong. It had taken some time that she had gained trust in the agents; the only real opinion that mattered was Director Fury's. But many of the other agents still didn't trust her because of what she was able to do. They were wary of her because she could easily access information. If she wanted information, would she have went through six months of training to become an agent? She thought they would be logical about it, but most were just judgemental. It was infuriating at times, but she was glad to know several people that wholly trusted her.

Remembering it all, she hates how comforting this dream felt to her.

Also, random shout out to a reviewer's fanfic: archangelavyn05's Loki's Sorceress. It's really different and such an interesting concept. It's long after the movie, but here's the catch: Loki won the war. Give it a look, it certainly deserves it!