((This line comes from the song You by R.E.M. and it comes without the context of the song. (Which is one of the most blatantly sexual I've come across in my life.).))
12. Disrespect the Signs
'It seems there's no-one in here,' Loki announced when they stood in Heid and Gullveig's quarters after Thor had opened it using his override.
'Then where is she?' Valkyrie asked.
Loki shook his head. 'Who knows? Maybe looking for Thor in his room.'
'Doesn't matter,' Thor said, his voice gruff. 'We're here now, we'll look around.'
The room was still cast into darkness. 'What's that smell?' Valkyrie asked.
Loki frowned. 'Rot,' he said simply. 'What in the name …' He turned on the light and Thor could take in the room. He couldn't see anything out of place.
The bed was made, and everything was generally tidy. 'Seems normal. Except for the stench.'
Loki was going through drawers, while Valkyrie started looking under the sheets. 'Maybe we should leave the room as we entered it,' Thor said.
'Doesn't matter,' Loki said. 'We should wait here and attack as soon as she enters.' He kept his face as detached as he could. 'Do you know Solvi is dead, Thor?'
'Yes.' He worried at his lower lip. 'I told her to stay. This is my fault.'
'No.' Loki abandoned the trunk he was going through. 'No, Thor, it's not. You're a victim in this.'
'Doesn't feel like it.'
'Then take my word for it.'
Valkyrie huffed. 'He's right. If even I say so, he's got to be.'
A minute smile tugged at Thor's lips. 'Fine.' He made a face. 'Ugh. That smell, though.'
Loki turned around in a circle and walked to the desk. He knelt beside it. 'A-ha.' He ran his hand through thin air. When he removed it, there was a small pile of decomposing food under the desk. 'Interesting. Our rationing isn't unreasonably tight, but I don't see how that much food can accumulate in such a short time unless they are trying to starve themselves.'
'If she can make a piece of paper disappear, why not the trash, too? Would make our search so much less disgusting.'
'She could have just put it in the recycler. Let me get rid of that for her.' With a lazy wave of Loki's hand, the trash was gone. 'Hang on.' Amazed, Thor watched him go over the room again, checking beds, closet, and drawers a second time. 'Take a look, brother, and tell me what you see. Or rather, what you don't see.'
Thor wanted to argue, but they would finish this faster if he just did as Loki had asked. He found clothes, a bit of jewellery, a piece of paper with the duty roster for engineering and the infirmary. 'I haven't the faintest idea.'
Loki's expression was one of triumph. 'Well. This room is inhabited. Obviously, you want to say.' He raised a forefinger. 'But here's the fun part. There's only one person living here.'
'Uh. What?' Valkyrie followed their investigation. 'Well, it looks like there's not enough clothes for two people.'
'That, too. But we have food for about one person rotting under the desk. There is not even a hint of separation of spaces. Unless they share underwear, there is only one sister. And I'm fairly certain if we examined it, we'd find that the second bed has never been slept in.'
'What exactly does that tell us?' Valkyrie asked.
Thor shrugged. 'Maybe Gullveig is dead.'
'I suppose she is,' Loki said. 'But not recently and she doesn't have rest.'
'Loki, what are you saying? That Heid animated her body and keeps her walking around?'
'That is exactly what I'm saying.' He rubbed the bridge of his nose. 'Let's leave. Come on. I have an idea.'
Thor hurried after his brother. 'What do you mean?'
'We talk to Gullveig. If we manage to convince her that she is dead, her sister's magic might fail. Losing control over a permanent spell always has a backlash. She must have felt one when she lost control of you, and another one, especially such a powerful one, could weaken her significantly.' Loki stopped when they were all out in the corridor. 'Thor, I do not fear a fight with most magical beings, but I cannot say this enough. A mad witch is extremely dangerous. Anything that gives us an edge could tip the scales in our favour. We don't want any casualties, but she won't care.'
'What does she want exactly?' Valkyrie asked.
Loki looked at her. 'Power. Magical and political. She wanted him as a puppet, which didn't work. Now she'll want him dead. And we cannot let that happen.' He took Thor's hand into his and squeezed. 'No-one hurts you. Not while I'm here.'
Ϡ
Loki's steps were brisk, almost a run. Thor stopped him after a while by grabbing his arm. 'Where are we going?'
'Our office,' Loki said. 'I want to see exactly how and when Gullveig and Heid filled in the census.'
'What good will that do?' Valkyrie asked.
Loki spun and faced her. He raised his arms. 'I don't know. Maybe none. Maybe it gives us some hint, some insight about what exactly Gullveig is except a walking corpse. I also want to talk to the people in her department tomorrow. I want to know if they're depressed around her, if there is some vibe she's giving off. We can use that to talk her into dropping dead. This is bad, in case it's not clear. There is almost no scenario in which necromancy – actual, real necromancy – is a good idea.'
'There's fake necromancy?' Thor asked.
Loki rolled his eyes. 'This isn't the time for the basics you should have learned when we were little.'
Thor's chuckle was infuriating. Apparently his impatience showed, because Thor sobered. 'Maybe we can find out if Heid is a lot older than she looks,' he suggested.
Loki nodded eagerly. 'See, this is useful input, Thor. Now can we move?' He didn't wait for an answer but hurried on.
He barged into his and Thor's office and found it occupied. Bruce Banner sat at Loki's desk, his arms folded on its surface and his head resting on them. Next to him stood Heid, bent over him. At their entrance, she looked up.
Loki folded his arms. 'Step away from him.'
Heid blinked but did as she was told. 'I don't understand …'
'Did you think you'll have an easier time controlling Thor if you murder his friend?'
Bruce proved he was very much alive by raising his head. 'What are you even talking about? Thor, why did you have to keep that raving maniac around?'
Thor looked mildly offended but just shrugged. 'He keeps showing up.'
Loki shot him a glare. 'Thanks for the support, brother. Well, since you're not dead, I'd ask you to leave us.'
Bruce stayed put. 'No. You're not giving orders to me.'
'Are you well, Bruce?' Thor asked.
'No. I want to rip your brother in half.' A faint sheen of green appeared on his cheeks.
Heid put a hand on his shoulder. 'Close your eyes. Think of her. See your face in front of your eyes. Hear her voice, feel her hands on your skin.'
Loki watched how he did as he was told and his colouring returned to normal. When he looked at them again he seemed tired. 'I wanted to take a look at the ship's layout and what not and asked Heid to come here when I … ah … felt I was slipping.'
'Well, the problem is that you're probably possessed now,' Thor explained.
Loki and Valkyrie gave a simultaneous shout of, 'Thor!'
Thor shrugged. 'What? Look, Heid, we know it's you. You have your dead sister walking around while you keep murdering people. What you're using her for is beyond me, though.'
The look Bruce gave them all was one of deep scientific interest. 'You are all raving maniacs, you do realise that.' He sounded rather thrilled. 'Heid is a good soul. She's the only reason why I can have a sensible conversation with you. So whatever gave you that idea, you're wrong.'
'I assure you, my sister is not dead,' Heid said. 'What in the world gave you that idea?'
'We found the evidence in your quarters,' Loki told her. 'There is only one person who lives there.'
'But …' Heid closed her eyes and shook her head. 'That makes no sense.'
Loki tried to read her energy. It was difficult to glean any knowledge from her, but that was perfectly normal for a witch. 'This is weird.' He frowned. 'I expected you to attack us at once.'
'She's just too smart for that,' Valkyrie said.
'No. A mad witch isn't in control of her emotions or her actions.'
'He's right,' Heid said. 'I wonder … Gullveig's and my room … I'm trying to summon up its image to see what makes you think this, but I can't.'
Bruce stiffened. 'Hey, maybe you're dead,' he said.
'She can't be,' Loki said. 'She has a powerful aura.'
'Well, maybe she isn't there at all, then.' He squinted at her. 'What if … I mean, I don't know the first thing about your crazy Asgardian hocus pocus, but what if she's like a touchable, walking illusion and what you sense isn't an aura but the magic that's making her a physical presence?' He shrugged. 'I've read a bit about Asgardian magic, you know. It seems like that could work.'
'Could it?' Thor asked.
Loki nodded slowly. 'Hypothetically Auras and magic feel very similar. Heid, do you allow me to touch your mind? I might find out.'
'Like you wait for permission,' Valkyrie muttered.
Wordlessly, Heid walked around the desk to stand in front of Loki. 'You need to lower your defences. Thor, if I start acting strangely, knock me out.' He put his hand on her forehead and reached out. He found memories of being in the infirmary, of working with Bruce Banner … of walking back to the room she inhabited with Heid. As the door closed behind her, the memory faded to black, cutting Loki's link to her.
Taking a step backwards, Loki lowered his head.
'And?' Thor asked, ever impatient.
Loki ignored him. His eyes were on Heid. 'I am sorry,' he said quietly.
Heid lowered her head in a moment of quiet contemplation and Loki half expected her to fade from his eyes like so much fog. 'I don't need your compassion,' she said eventually. She looked again, at each of them in turn. 'Tell me. Am I a threat?'
Swallowing, Loki shook his head. 'No.'
'Then I wish to speak to my sister before it is over for both of us.' Her eyes burned into Loki's. 'I want to know why.'
