The Desire To Serve

She tried to calm her mind. She'd spent too much time crying and worrying and what had it gotten her? No matter what had happened to Loki, the man that entered her room and entered her body was not the man she'd known a year ago. He was gone and whoever had taken his place, for whatever reason, she now had to escape. She would not be a part of whatever madness he had planned. She would not be his queen. He would not give her Midgard because Midgard was not his to give.

Kenna was not stupid. She could not overpower Loki. The inherent disparity between the strength of their genders within their species didn't allow for that. Neither did the millennium of combat training the prince had received over his lifetime while the most she'd ever learned was that the sharp point on a knife could cut. So attempting any sort of actions against him would be completely useless. His humans however were a different matter.

Even the weakest of Asgardian women could match up with some of the strongest of the human world. It was a simple fact and one Kenna would have to exploit. She had to act quickly if she wanted to avoid seeing him again, being touched by him again. She didn't want to see what he'd promised to show her, to make her understand. She raised her hand to her cheek. It still ached as she stood by the door in the outfit she'd chosen from the wardrobe, the least provocative of the group, a low cut, sleeveless, white cotton dress that fell to mid thigh. She wore her necklace as well, a gift from someone she'd lost.

Kenna waited and hoped that the woman from the day before would appear. She could overpower her, take whatever weapon she wore and try to quietly sneak away. Then she'd run, to where, it didn't matter. She just needed to be far away, it's what consumed her thoughts since he last left her. So she stood next to the hinged side of the door, fully aware that this was her one shot. She prayed that Loki didn't walk through or it would be over before it began. Her position here was clearly meant for escape and he'd see her intentions immediately. She tried to keep her breathing calm as she kept her eyes glued to the door's handle. Minutes passed and then an hour. Finally that lock of the door ground against itself and Kenna almost cried out when she saw a feminine hand holding another greasy sac enter the room.

The woman walked in and never had a chance to utter a sound before Kenna's small hands wrapped strategically around her throat, cutting off all chance for a call of alarm. The small Asgardian woman had no problem holding on against the human's flailing. She pressed her fingers just so against the carotid arteries running up either side of the woman's neck and within a few very long seconds, her prey started to calm, her eyes turning unfocused, her limbs losing the ferocity of their initial movement and finally she went limp. Kenna carefully laid her down on the ground before quickly checking for weapons. She found a gun in a holster inside her jacket and grabbed it before slowly opening the door and peering out. The hallway was dimly lit but showed no sign of activity. Taking a deep breath, she stuck her head out and looked both ways to find the same result.

Kenna stepped out and moved down the hallway in the opposite direction that she'd come from the night prior. There had to be a back way out of this large building and she was determined to find it. Fewer and fewer overhead lights were on the farther she traveled until the windowless interior hallway almost became pitch black. Determined and running high on adrenaline, Kenna pushed forward, both hands in front of her, one holding the gun while the other searched for unseen objects. She came to a wall and was forced to make a ninety-degree turn before continuing forward once more.

Darkness continued to surround her but she kept going, slowly shuffling forward until she met another wall. She pushed away the growing sense of dread as she was forced to once more make a turn, now headed back toward the front of the building. Kenna gasped when the lights of the hall all started to flicker to life, the fluorescence glowing dimly before gaining in intensity. Whipping her head behind her and then back to the front, she saw no one. Her hands were shaking now as she walked faster before breaking into light jog. She slowed down when she heard the activity of the warehouse floor. Hugging the interior wall, she crept along now until she was almost to the end. Kenna took as quiet of a breath as she could as she barely peaked her head around the corner to see what was going on.

She gasped at what she saw. There, standing not ten feet away, facing her, with cold blue eyes staring right at her was the same warrior that had brought her here. He wore a cold smile as he held a knife to the throat of her supervisor and friend, Greg Wallace. She would have screamed when she felt a body suddenly pressed up against the back of hers but his cool hand quickly wrapped around her throat, cutting off all sound and breath. His other hand took the gun from her and tossed it to the side.

"That was unwise little one." He didn't sound upset but amused. At least he didn't sound emotionless and cold. Then with his grip on her neck, he tossed her into the warehouse space. She fell painfully only a few feet from Greg's feet.

"Kenna? Oh my god, are you ok?" She looked up to see confusion, fear and concern in his eyes before they screwed closed in pain as the warrior behind him wrenched his arms up higher behind his back.

"Another word from you mortal and we'll watch your life drain out in a red gush." Loki grabbed the man's face, flashed him a quick glance of one of his daggers and Greg groaned in renewed pain. "Understood?"

Kenna saw him nod dumbly before Loki turned to her. He reached down and took her upper arm in a painfully tight grip and hauled her back to her feet before taking her back to her room. He tossed her inside and once more she found herself in an undignified heap on the floor. There was no sign of the woman.

"Get up." He said simply. Kenna did so, her mind screaming at her to do something. Loki's minion walked in a second later still holding Greg's upper arm. His hands must have been bound together behind him but other than that, he looked unharmed. "You know him?" Loki asked. Kenna, unwilling to let Greg be hurt due to her obstinacy answered quickly.

"Yes. I work with him at the hospital."

"You know him well?" Kenna chose her words as carefully as she could despite her heart hammering in her chest and the threat of tears in her eyes.

"He's my supervisor and a friend but that's all."

"A friend? Good, this will mean more." He walked over to Greg.

"Please don't hurt him!" Loki turned to her for a moment and smiled.

"Oh, my dear, I not going to hurt him in the slightest. I'm going to set him free." He raised the scepter he carried and hovered it at the level of the human's chest.

"Please." She whimpered out. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again." He didn't face her but responded.

"I know." And then he hesitated. "You're sorry?" He turned to her but the weapon remained. "Sorry for what?"

"Trying to escape." She blurted out.

"And?" Kenna was at a loss for words but he obviously wanted something else. She searched her mind for the right thing to say, anything that would keep Greg from harm. She winced when she made the decision after a split second of time.

"For crying and shaking. I won't do that anymore."

"What else?" Kenna's eyes flitted around the room. She didn't know what he wanted.

"I…"

"For lying to me. Are you sorry for lying to me?"

"Yes!" She blurted out too quickly. His eyes narrowed for a moment before he turned back to Greg, his intent clear.

"I said I was sorry, please! I'll be good, I'll do whatever you want me to do just please, let him go." Loki didn't even hesitate.

"Regardless, you need to see this." Kenna stared, frozen in place as the gem of the weapon glowed.

Greg Wallace's eyes were glued to the sharp tip of that bizarre looking weapon as it hovered for a fraction over his chest before he saw the tiny arc of blue light jump off the tip and onto his chest before the cool metal touched him just over his heart. His vision dimmed and he had a distinct feeling of falling, of overwhelming sadness, failure, loss, disappointment and then freezing, unending darkness. He felt the unending loneliness and then the presence of nothing but staggering pain in all its forms. He felt the crushing pressure of a dying star on his soul, of limbs being stretched over eons, of skin being flayed by the tearing force of a black hole. He heard whispers and he didn't know when they started but it felt as though they'd always been there. They spoke of obedience and loyalty, of power and glorious purpose. Mostly, they promised an end to the pain. Then he felt the most wondrous feeling he'd ever known, the complete lack of feeling. Then it started all over again, a thousand times over, the pain, the loneliness, the whispers, the removal of pain only to repeat it once more. After a time, an unknown amount of time, the whispers started asking questions.

'Are you worthy of us? Do you want to serve us? Would you like to know what real power is?'

The whispers started telling truths.

'None but us have believed you. None but us can give you purpose. None but us can give you peace.'

They started twisting the past.

'They never loved you. They were never your family. She only wanted to be rid of you.'

They began showing a new future.

'The world could be yours; you can take what you want, rule it. It belongs to you; she belongs to you. You are a king.'

The whispers snapped something inside, tore something away and buried it deeply, hiding it away.

Greg Wallace experienced these echoes for a flash of time and then he saw nothing else but the purpose and intensions of his master. He felt nothing else but the desire to serve.

Kenna gasped as the tendrils of blue traveled through Greg's face, his eyes turning momentarily black before they settled into the same haunting blue state as the man who had retrieved her. She watched as Greg disappeared.

XxX

Enosimania: You made me snort my drink and choke a little. I can't believe I didn't think of that when I chose it for a chapter name… sigh.
Leanne: Woot! Yes, she will meet them and in only a chapter or so, depending on how my muse wants to lead me there.
Leannelusk: Same person as above? If not, apologies. Thank you!
jnotjane: Yeah, it was actually hard to write. Writing 'Avengers' Loki has been tough. Can she, will she, will she want to reach him. Ah, the brief waiver… what was it exactly? Hmmm. It's cool that you're rooting for them but I'll give nothing away. Yeah, this would be pretty traumatizing but keep one thing in mind, her relationship with him, especially in the beginning has never really been what we'd consider healthy. He didn't go from a sweet heart, all lovey dovey and then turn into this. So while his transition has been toward the dark side, it's by no means a 180. And yes, it will get a bit uglier… in unpredictable ways I hope… though I have hinted already at how.
Elise's Angelus: Hey, I'll still count this as a review. It made me smile. Thank you.
caitysays: ROFL. He probably doesn't have problems in that area. Loki is most definitely insane. I've read lots of fics that say he went insane while in the void and during his time with the Chitari but most don't delve into it at all. He just goes from being insane to not… without any real explanation. So, that's my challenge to myself… deal with insane Loki and the aftermath.
Guest: Thank you! Gratifying to hear.
LittleNikki: Yar, it was. Kenna tried, she really did but Loki was one step ahead of her. He may be insane but he's still a genius. Yeah, it's tough to write the coldness too. Woot, angstiness maxed out! (hehe)
KeeperoftheNine: Aww, thank you! I'm not only minimizing the dubcon scenes because of the nature of them but also because they are minimalist in and of themselves. Loki isn't fucking around… ok he is but you know what I mean. We have a bit more 'Avenger's' Loki left. Thank you! Yes, now I have many loyal minions, hehe. Yeah, review count can be misleading. To each his own I suppose. And you're welcome.
Lae D Snowflake: Yeah, I wanted a passage of time but also a sense of exactly what went on without getting too wordy. LOL. Yeah, crazy Loki has VERY different intentions. Before he wanted to mess with the fiancé, work out some sexual depravity and have someone around that he doesn't have to be false around but now… well I haven't fully explained it yet but I will. He will at least get a mention, maybe an appearance but my muse hasn't fully decided yet. I don't have this tale outlined, I just know what my key points are that I want to hit and how I want to end it and that's about it. New details make it into a lot of chapters as it's being written all the time.
Fat Old Son: That could answer any 'why' question posed to Loki. lol