New chapter, yay! :) I hope everyone's having a wonderful summer so far! This chapter is a bit more light-hearted, so enjoy! :)
Chapter Ten: We Don't Talk Anymore
The procedure had already started. Amora stood at the front of the room with a gleeful look on her face as the Hydra scientists dove into their work.
Already, Sigyn was beginning to feel lightheaded and a little unfocused. She lost track of how many times she and the kids were injected with some sort of medicine or serum - it was probably the latter.
Despite all this, Fenris - ever the jokester, even in the face of death - wouldn't stop talking. He would ramble on about some random fact or trivia that he knew. This had been going on for a couple hours, and the only break that Fenris took was when one particular injection caused him to black out for a minute. If his plan was to annoy the scientists, then it was clearly working. Sigyn could make out their quiet complaints as Fenris asked questions like a persistent toddler.
"What's that for?" Fenris asked as another needle filled with a clear liquid poked through his skin.
"It's a formula," the scientist muttered in reply.
Fenris raised an eyebrow as he watched the liquid disappear into his arm. "Is is organic? Sleipnir is vegan, so it's gotta be organic or he won't touch it. Even though were technically Asgardians, we still gotta be careful about what we put in our bodies," Fenris quipped.
On the other side of the room, Sleipnir rolled his eyes and called out: "I don't eat meat, Fenris. Everything else is fine."
Fenris shrugged as far as his restraints would let him go. "Whatever you say big bro." He turned his head to look at the scientist next to him and whispered loudly, "He's a horse, you know, so it's understandable why he doesn't eat meat. I still think it's a little weird since I love bacon. Who doesn't like bacon? And steak? Ooh, grilled steak wrapped in bacon is the best! Have you ever tried it? You should try it." Fenris paused. "Speaking of food, I'm hungry. Do you have a snack? All this lying down is quite exhausting; I can't feel my toes right now and that is quite concerning. Does that have anything to do with what you're putting in me?"
Sigyn stifled a laugh as the scientist groaned and moved away from Fenris. She was glad that he had found someone else to annoy, rather than herself and his siblings.
"Hey, mister!" Fenris called after the oldest scientist who was sorting files at his desk on the other side of the room. "Could you get me a snack? I know that this isn't a five-star hotel with room service, but since we're so patient with you while you turn us into mindless drones, the least you could do is give us a snack."
The scientist shook his head and turned back to his files.
Fenris sniffed the air. "Hey, mister, you smell sick. When was the last time you've been to a doctor? I think you should get checked out," Fenris said and sniffed the air again. "Yeah, you gotta get that checked out; you have stage three lung cancer."
"By the Norns, Fenris!" Hela spoke up. "You just can't tell someone that!"
"But its true!" Fenris whined. "That's really serious for humans."
The oldest scientist slammed his stack of paper down and turned to glare at Fenris. "How did you know?" he rasped angrily.
"I'm a wolf, duh. Of course I can tell by smelling you. Sorry if it seems weird, but you know what they say about dogs. If dogs can smell illnesses, why can't wolves? Dogs descended from wolves, it's only fair that wolves have the same sense of smell. Naturally, wolves aren't inclined to help humans, but whatever," Fenris explained. "Actually, I don't know if you should get that checked out, since you're the bad guy and all…"
"Fenris!" Sigyn scolded, even though she kind of agreed with him.
"Savage," Jormungandr mumbled from his own table. "Let me tell you, nothing escapes that kid. He's just like dad, all perceptive about everything."
"Who, by the way, is gonna come and kick your ass!" Fenris boomed with a wild grin on his face before his mind wandered elsewhere and launched into another random story about his love for human sports. "...and then he just slammed the ball through the hoop and won the game! It's amazing how humans can come up with different games. They've got football, soccer, basketball - which is my favorite; Michael Jordan is the best player ever, not gonna lie - volleyball, baseball, track, football - I said that already… um… cross country..."
"FOR THE LOVE OF CUPID, DO YOU EVER SHUT UP?!" Amora screeched angrily as she threw he hands up into the air in frustration and kicked the nearest guard. She glared at Fenris with angry, blazing eyes.
Fenris stared back with his mouth agape. He blinked and slowly, a grin spread onto his face.
"Oh, anger does not suit you at all. You look hideous. I mean, you looked terrible before, but now, whoo man, there's no amount of words that I can use to justify how you look right now. Girl, you gotta lay off the makeup. I suggest a haircut as well. Maybe some basketball shorts and hoodie - those are super comfortable," Fenris rambled on.
Amora was shaking with anger. That had done it. She was sick and tired of Fenris' mouth running constantly.
She spun towards the nearest guard and practically shoved him towards the door. "Go get a muzzle for this savage beast before I kill someone!" Amora commanded. The guard quickly took off before Amora lost even more of her already short temper.
"'Savage beast,'" Fenris quoted. "Imma take that as a compliment. I mean, if you wanted me to stop talking, you could just let me go. I promise I'll leave you alone if you let me go. No more talking; I just walk out that door a free man, right into the sunset. That'd be the last you'd see of me."
"No more talking out of you if you know what is best for your siblings," Amora growled.
"Oh no, a threat!" Fenris rolled his head back dramatically and extended his arm as far as it would go, reaching towards Amora. " How ever could I survive? This is the last of me, fellow brethren! It has been nice knowing you!"
Amora's jaw tensed up and she bit so hard on her bottom lip that she drew blood.. "I would choose your words carefully, child."
"Do your worst, lady. There's nothing someone in high heels and a dress can beat what I haven't already been through. My stupid adopted grandpappy, Odin, locked me away under the castle with a bunch of dead skeletons. Nobody knew I existed. It was quite dark and lonely, being the only one alive. So, yeah, try to top that," Fenris sneered with a glare.
Amora's reply was cut off by the guard returning with a metal muzzle in his hands. The gleam of the metal caught Fenris' attention.
"Oh great, now I feel like a dog," Fenris grumbled as the guard approached Fenris cautiously to attach the muzzle over his mouth. "I'm a freaking wolf, not a dog. There's a difference, ya kn-"
With a click, the muzzle was locked into place, preventing Fenris from opening his bottom jaw to speak. Fenris shook his head in an attempt to dislodge it, but it was all in vain. The muzzle stayed put, much to Amora's and the Hydra agents' pleasure.
"Now that's just rude," Hela muttered as she stared at her brother in pity.
"If anyone else tries something like that again, the same thing will happen to you," Amora announced with a satisfied smirk.
The other four captives remained silent, not wanting to provoke an angry sorceress while they were tied up and operated on. They clearly were at a disadvantage; fueling Amora's anger would only cause them more harm than good.
Fenris' constant talking had also kept their minds off of what was going on around them. None of them were willing to admit it, but they were all scared. Scared about what would happen to them, the world, and ultimately, the universe if Amora completed her plans to build a mindless, Asgardian army.
Sergeant Barnes had suffered through years of this torment. How long would it take before they turned out like him? What would it feel like? Would they ever escape? Is Loki coming to save them? Or is this a ploy to get Loki to fall into Amora's hands? They all knew that Loki was a powerful sorcerer, capable of things that were only limited to his imagination.
What if he got turned into a mindless warrior? They all saw what happened to New York when he had little control over his own thoughts. He did all that without much magical aide; there's no telling what would happen now with his powers and abilities if Loki was to lose control again.
What if they brought Thanos back? What then? Would they serve him as a loyal army? It took a lot to kill him the first time, and with several powerful adversaries on his side, the universe might not be so lucky this time.
Once again, I am typing this all on my phone, so I apologize for any mistakes. Please feel free to leave a review! :)