"There." Loki pointed to the top of a foreboding cliff. "He wanted to be at the center of this forsaken realm."
"Kind of dramatic, don't you think?" Hogun grunted.
"But where is his dwelling?" Thor asked.
"It's hidden. I can find it, though. You might as well start your diversion now."
Thor raised Mjolnir and summoned a thunderous storm. Lightning cracked across the sky, lighting his face in a way that would make even the fiercest of enemies cower.
"THANOS!" he bellowed. "HEAR ME! WE HAVE TRAVELED TO THIS WORLD ON THE BEHALF OF ASGARD! KNOW THAT YOUR ACTIONS ARE FOOLISH, AND, IF LEFT UNADDRESSED, THEY WILL PROVOKE WAR! IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO A PEACEFUL COMPROMISE, I AM PREPARED TO COMBAT YOU FOR SKADI AND SAYRAH'S SAFE RETURN!"
Silence answered his call.
"Yeah, that definitely worked." mocked Loki.
The ground rumbled beneath them, as if taking offense to his words. "Oh."
An army of Chitauri soldiers marched toward them, followed by an armored Leviathan. Thor and the Warriors Three readied their weapons.
"Go now!" He shouted to his brother. "And for the sake of all of Asgard, DON'T GET CAUGHT."
Loki smirked and nodded, speeding off in the direction of the cliff.
"Ah, now this is what I have been missing." Volstagg roared with merriment. "The four of us, fighting for our lives in a battle we cannot possibly win! Reminds me of the good old days!" He swung a massive fist, knocking out a row of Chitauri single-handedly.
"You and I, my friend, have very different definitions of 'good old days'." Hogun replied.
Loki raced through the narrow halls of Thanos' lair, sticking to the shadows. There would be terrible consequences if he was caught now. This whole quest would be a waste. He passed a hand over his face, making his form flicker in its appearance, reflecting a Chitauri's image to anyone who might glimpse him. He tried to recall the layout of this horrid place, but his mind tried desperately to banish those memories from his head. His automatic defense mechanism was to repress his memories and emotions, instead letting them simmer within and exploding when it reached dangerously levels.
Sayrah was the first person he had ever opened up to. It was back when they were children. He admitted to her his jealousy of Thor. It was some sort of special day, and Odin had paid more attention to Thor than he. Of course, now he knew why. Back then, he had cried and thrown a tantrum fit for a spoiled prince of Asgard. Sayrah listened and waited patiently during his petty monologues, always making him feel better by the end of the day. He missed those simple times.
"Can't go back now, Loki. Forget about it." he told himself, passing a large, ornate door. He stopped and glanced back at it. Recognition flashed over his face. She had to in there. What better way to inflict as much pain as possible as keeping her in the same room he was kept?
He pushed the doors wide open, fading the magical glamour as he stepped in. His eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the dimly lit room. The Tessaract gave a bright throb as he walked further in. "It must remember me."
Skadi shrieked with relief when she saw him. "Oh, thank goodness you're here! I was getting worried that no one would realize I was gone! Well, obviously you wouldn't since I had the Tessaract with me and I was the only girl in the group, but still, I told myself…"
She continued to blather on, but Loki tuned her out when he laid eyes on Sayrah. She was bound in the same chair, probably tortured the same way… Her sunken eyes were closed, and she had a malnourished look about her. She looked like she'd been to hel and back. Twice.
He shook with silent rage, falling to his knees beside her. She was still breathing, still alive, still fighting. His hand reached out, hesitant to touch her.
"Sayrah?"
Her eyes flickered open, struggling to focus on his face. "Are you here to kill me now?"
"You're not making sense. Sayrah, it's me, Loki."
"But he's dead." she replied emotionlessly.
"What do you mean? I'm here, alive. Sayrah, it's me."
"Are you here to kill me now?"
Realization washed over him. She thought he was Thanos. Loki let out a deep, shuddering breath, and rested his head on her shoulder. He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. She shifted in the chair to face him.
"What- what are you doing?"
He looked at her and shook his head, a sorrowful expression on his face. "I'm so sorry."
Her eyes narrowed in concentration, as if she was desperately trying to place his face. Her head hurt with the effort, but she ignored the throbbing. He looked familiar...
She mouthed his name, almost afraid to say it, scared to get her hope dashed again. "L-Loki?"
His breath caught. "Sayrah!"
"It's really you. You're here." she whispered.
"I came to rescue you. I will always be there for you."
She smiled faintly. "Who says I need a man to rescue me? I am an independent woman."
He laughed, tears trailing down his face. Her cheeks were wet too.
"You can be so annoying, you know that, right?" he grinned.
"I want to tell you something."
"Anything."
"I, I love-"
"Wait." he interrupted. "Something's wrong." He looked over at Skadi. She had stopped chattering, her face frozen with fear, staring at something behind him. He leapt to his feet and turned to come face to face with Thanos.
"The two lovers reunited at last. I do wish I had such a relationship."
"Thanos." Loki said, coolly and restrained.
"Princeling. It's a pleasure to see you again. Shall we discuss your performance on the mission I gave you? Was it my fault that you failed? Did I not supply you with an army? Unlimited power? The ability to be the absolute ruler of all of your nine little realms? And yet, you lost. To a ragtag team of misfits, no less. As you can imagine, I was not pleased at all to hear of your failure. You had to be punished, of course." He circled Loki, who stood perfectly still, trying to keep from losing his temper.
"But, you had already experienced everything I have. I thought to myself, 'What does that spoiled brat treasure more than anything?' And suddenly, the answer came to me: the one person that always showed up in your cherished childhood memories. So I sent some of the Chitauri to fetch her. She did make quite a fuss. Then I got an even better idea! Why not present my lady Death with a deceased immortal? She would be delighted to have such a rarity. Now here we are. I have three immortals and the Tessaract right here." he grinned. "You haven't retaliated yet. But that's not your style, is it? More like your brother to resort to violence first thing."
"It would be foolish to attack you."
"That's right, and just in case you did try something, this would be the result." He pressed the button connecting to the chair Sayrah was in. She yelped and slumped over, blood trickling from the side of her lips.
"Let. Her. Go."
Thanos ignored him. "I want to offer you a choice. You may decide your own fate, as well as theirs."
He gestured to Sayrah. "Chose her, and I will let her go, you may go and live the life you've dreamed of with her, or-"
He pointed to Skadi. "You can save her life and the Tessaract and earn dear daddy's love back, which you so desperately crave. Either way, the one whom you do not pick will die a slow, painful death." Loki stared at him. "Which will it be? Your dream girl, or your family's love and Asgard's safety? Choose."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you all die, and I get the Tessaract. Simple."
"Then why didn't you do that in the first place?"
"I enjoy drawing the pain out in my victims. You were warned. Know that what she experiences is a million times worse than what you ever did. It only took less than a day for her to beg for Death."
Loki looked to Sayrah. She was so beautiful, even in this state. She was the reason he was here in the first place. That's why Odin sent him here. On the other hand, he couldn't allow for Thanos to hold the power of the Tessaract. He would destroy everything, despite his promise not to harm Asgard. He found himself wondering what Thor would decide. He would probably choose Skadi, being the selfless idiot he was.
"Choose."
"I- I want…"