AN Few chapters back, Loki mentioned a shadow thread that came from Svartaifheim; again, I borrowed that from the comic Loki Agent of Asgard, forgetting that's where the Dark Elves came from, Since I am loosely following Dark World's plot and version of them, I went back and changed what I put and just had him say they got it on a trip they took and left opened where it came from.
Disclaimer I own nothing
Chapter 24: Prison
Saphira woke with her head pounding; going by the darkness outside the tiny window, it was still pretty late. The room was dark; the only light was the hall light shining from the window on the door. Groaning, she sat up and rubbed the side of her head with her fingers. Saphira hated it here and didn't want to be here any longer. She wanted to go home; she missed Las Vegas, missed Asgard, Loki, her sister, she even kind of missed Thor. And she couldn't even pass Loki a letter; stupid collar even stopped her from being able to do that.
Saphira suddenly felt sick and got up and ran to the bathroom, and emptied her stomach. Before sitting down next to the shower, she put her head in her hands and cried. Her head was pounding so bad; she couldn't stand it. The damn collar around her neck caused awful headaches that even made her sick sometimes. Saphira didn't know how it worked on her, but it did; she was unable to use her abilities when wearing it, she didn't have her God-like strength either, Saphira still had her fighting skills, though, a good thing since she had been in a few fights since being here. Many people claimed to have friends or family in New York or took offense to her trying to take over the planet.
It had been three months since she came to this prison, making it almost four months since the attack on New York. Saphira hated to admit it, but it was better than being locked up on Asgard, they didn't have to stay in their cell around the clock, and their doors were allowed open during the day on weekends; they could go in and out. They were permitted visits every other week when a ferry bought people's family and friends to the island. As long as they followed the rules, it wasn't completely terrible.
Breakfast was at eight every morning, they had until eight forty to eat, after that, they had to do morning chores, at ten forty another break where they were allowed to go outside for thirty minutes. After that break, more tasks, twelve was lunch, the little free time until five, they could go outside, go to the prison library or a rec room, that had pool tables and games and tv, no cable or local channels, but DVDs to watch. Dinner was little after five; afterward, they had to stay in their rooms rest of the night, lights out at ten. Saturday and Sunday, they had no chores and could do what they want all day unless they had gotten in trouble over something.
When Enid visits, she brings Saphira magazines and crossword puzzles, and books to have something to do. Remy has visited Saphira a lot since being locked up; he even gave her some playing cards. Jean Luc has a couple of times, Henri has yet to visit, though, but Saphira understands it was hard for them to get here when they lived in New Orleans.
"You alright in there?" Mystique called out to her, knocking on the bathroom door; Saphira quickly rubbed her eyes and stood.
"Yeah, give me just one second, then I'll be out," Saphira called out to her. Then she went to the sink, rinsed her mouth out, and washed her hands, then opened the door and stepped out. "Bathroom is all yours now."
Saphira walked over to her bed and laid down and covered herself; Mystique did not enter the bathroom; instead stood there watching Saphira silently.
"I don't need the bathroom. I was asking if you were alright." Mystique said.
Saphira frowned and sat up; Mystique had told Saphira she had been here two years, and was serving time for killing a senator that was trying to pass a lot of anti-mutant laws, then used her shapeshifting ability to take his place and get the laws thrown out, it all was working until someone decided to assassinate the senator, and shot Mystique, which reviled who she was. Mystique was a hard person to figure out, she sometimes acted so mysteriously, and other times she opened up and wouldn't stop talking. Ever since coming to prison, Mystique has struck up a somewhat friendship with Saphira. Whenever someone picked a fight with her, she joined in and helped, and Saphira soon learned Mystique was a damn good fighter, and a lot of people here, guards included, were frightened of her.
"I am fine; headache made me feel sick," Saphira answered; she rubbed the side of her head again. "How can you stand wearing this damn collar for so long?"
"Live as long as I have, and go through the stuff I have gone through, and you get used to pain." Mystique answered.
"I'm a goddess." Saphira answered, "Not just a Midgardain with powers, believe me, I am probably a lot older than you."
Mystique looked at Saphira and gave her that smirk that eerily reminded her of Loki's.
"You are so arrogant you don't pay attention to anything that is outside your little bubble and are still unaware of just what is possible on the planet you have lived on for a little over a century," Mystique told her.
"What are you getting at?" Saphira demanded, feeling a bit angry.
"People who know me know I am a lot older than I look." Mystique answered," Due to my shapeshifting abilities, I can constantly alter and rejuvenate my cells, keeping a youthful appearance, stopping myself from aging and getting sick, and even heal injuries. Most people believe me to be around one hundred or so, but I am much, much older than that."
"How old are you then?" Saphira demanded, frowning, she didn't know whether she believed Mystique, but she guessed it could be possible. Mystique didn't answer at first; instead, she looked Saphira over with a frown.
"A thousand and sixty-seven." Mystique answered. "I think, give or take a year or two. Most of my early years are a bit fuzzy."
"That's not possible." Saphira said, "Is it?"
Mystique gave her that damn smirk again, and it soon turned into an amused grin. Which also eerily looked like the grin Loki had when amused by something; maybe Saphira was missing him so much she imagined things.
"Other beings on other planets live much longer; why not people on earth?" Mystique asked, and without another word, she laid down and turned away from Saphira, who stared at her for a moment confused, before deciding Mystique was probably just crazy and laid back down to try and get some sleep, but was suddenly too hot, and threw the covers off and rolled over to face the wall. Her body's ability to adapt to the temperatures around here didn't even work now, and the prison had no air conditioning, and seeing as it was the end of August, it could get pretty hot in the damn place. Saphira wished so much for Loki to be lying next to her; not only did she sleep better snuggled to him, but his naturally cold body would help her a lot right now.
Saphira rolled back over feeling depressed; lately, thinking about Loki made her cry. She missed him so much. If Loki were unable to escape his prison and break her out by the time she figured out a way off this island, then she would escape and find a way to Asgard and break him out. She was sure there was a way to do it. They wouldn't return to Midgard; no, they would find themselves a spaceship and travel in space. Saphira wanted to hunt down those that hurt Loki because they need to pay for what they did to him and stop whatever they were planning was a perfect way to do it.
Saphira wasn't able to fall back asleep. Before she knew it, the sun was shining in the tiny window, and a guard was banging on the door saying they only had so long to get up, shower and dress before breakfast; she let Mystique shower first since she didn't want to get up when Mystique got done, Saphira went and showered, got dressed and combed her hair, then put it up in a ponytail. Saphira left the three buttons at the bottom of her shirt undone so she could tie it up.
When Saphira left the bathroom, a guard was already there opening the cell so they could come out and follow all the other inmates on their block to the cafeteria; when she got her breakfast, Saphira frowned down at the food on her tray, the food here always looked so gross and always seemed to include something that came from an animal, this morning it was nasty looking runny eggs, along with toast and orange juice, Saphira ignored the eggs and ate the toast and drank the Orange Juice instead. After breakfast, they were appointed chores to do.
It was Monday, so it was their day to clean the bathrooms; Saphira hated doing it but had no choice; it took all morning to mop the floors, scrub the sinks and toilets. Saphira was thankful they gave them gloves and a mask to wear while cleaning. When they finished with the bathrooms on the top floor, Saphira scrubbed her hands clean after taken off the gloves. Saphira and Mystique were allowed to have their outdoor time; she was happy to get the fresh air; she just wished it would turn to cooler weather, seeing as it would soon be September.
When they went back in, they had lunch; then they had to clean the second-floor bathrooms. Which somehow seemed to be grosser than the last bathrooms. Saphira hated the chores, she never had to work this hard before in her life, and it showed by how tired she was by the end of each weekday. She felt as if something was draining all her energy sometimes. Saphira would probably sleep all weekend if it weren't for the headaches.
"Ugh, why don't they hire workers to do this stuff," Saphira demanded as she sprayed the sink with a cleaner then wiped it off.
"My guess, to save money and give us prisoners something to do." Mystique answered, "Are you not used to hard work?"
"Not until after being locked up here." Saphira answered," Even before Enid got her casino, I took jobs like acting and modeling; on Asgard, we had maids and servants." She moved on to the next sink.
"I was somewhat the same." Mystique said, "Expect for acting and modeling. Still, I did my best to avoid hard work, scheming, and whatnot, though sometimes I did have to take a job or two, the only time I had any maids was when I was married to a guy named Wagner, he was German nobility, that all ended when I killed him after I had an affair."
"You kill everyone, don't you?" Saphira asked; Mystique smiled at her.
"Only when it's necessary." Mystique replied. "Anyway, the affair wasn't a total mistake; it gave me my son Kurt."
"He's the one that visits you sometimes?" Saphira asked.
"Yes, despite our differences and the fact I tossed him in a river when he was born, we have decided to try to have some relationship with one another." Mystique answered. Saphira paused in cleaning and looked at her with a frown.
"I'm sorry, but did you say you tossed your son in a river?" Saphira demanded.
"Don't give me that judgmental look. I was scared, being chased by an angry mob who thought my son was some demon. " Mystique replied.
"Kurt doesn't look like a demon to me," Saphira answered, going back to her work. "He's just different, which isn't always a bad thing; he takes his blueness after you. Couldn't they see that?" Mystique didn't answer at first, just looked at Saphira in surprise before smiling slightly.
"During most of my stay there, I was not in this form." Mystique answered," I looked normal up until I was in labor; because of the pain, I couldn't stop myself going back to my original form; saying those in the room with me were surprised would be an understatement."
"You used your shapeshifting to look different?" Saphira asks. "Do you do that often?"
"When it is needed, yes." Mystique answered.
"Just like Loki." Saphira answered, "He can shapeshift too; we've had a lot of fun with it in the past playing tricks on people." Mystique smiled slightly at that, then went back to mopping.
Most of the rest of the week went pretty much the same, and Mystique, for some reason, seemed to stick close to Saphira or just watched her quietly. When it was Sunday after Enid had gotten done talking to Saphira and headed back to the ferry, Mystique had brought her son over to meet Saphira; she liked Kurt immediately, for someone seen as a demon he was a kind man, though Saphira only got to talk with him a few minutes. Saphira noticed she got along better with mutants than humans; she wondered if it wasn't because they weren't that much different than her and felt as much of outsiders to this planet as she did. Even after being here for over a century.
The following Friday, Saphira and Mystique were hanging around their cell. Saphira was sitting in the middle of her cot as she flipped through a magazine Enid bought her last visit, and Mystique was seated at the round table putting together a puzzle.
"God, I wish this headache would go anyway," Saphira complained.
"Go see if the nurse in the hospital wing will give you something for it, not sure if Earth medicine will help you, but worth a try." Mystique answered.
"I guess," Saphira replied; she closed her magazine then left her cell to head to the hospital wing, which was a floor under them. All the nurse was allowed to give her was aspirin; Saphira took it with water, thanked her, and headed back to her cell; she had just made it up to the landing leading towards her room when she felt someone hit her from behind, Saphira stumbled and fell forward when Saphira raised back up and felt someone kick her hard in the side, Saphira gasped out and grabbed her side, as she made it up on her knees someone punched her in the face.
"Some goddess." A voice said, then laughed as she swung at Saphira again; this time, Saphira grabbed her arm, stopping the hit, then took her other hand and grabbed the women's leg and pulled, making her fall hard onto her back.
About five girls were standing around her, the same ones that kept picking fights with her. Saphira got up and tried to defend herself as she fought off the girls, taking them down punching them, only to get knocked down while Saphira was down on the ground; they all started punching and kicking her at once. Saphira probably could have taken them even with the collar on if it wasn't for her having almost no strength lately.
"That's enough!" Someone yelled, they stopped at the sound of the voice, Saphira raised to see Mystique standing there, the five girls held their hands up and backed away.
"Saphira is not only my cellmate but a friend; mess with her, you answer to me. I have already told everyone this once; I will not say it a third time; she is now under my protection, you know what that means, so, get lost before I lose my temper." Mystique yelled.
The girls took off running as Mystique walked over to Saphira and helped her to her feet, and walked her back to their cell.
"If it wasn't for this collar, I could have taken all them out," Saphira claimed as she sat on her bed. "Plus, they got me from behind."
"Am I going to have to a company you everywhere?" Mystique demanded as she left the room, then came back five minutes later with an ice pack and laid it on Saphira's eye. She winched from the cold.
"Don't be a baby." Mystique demanded.
"It's cold," Saphira complained
"Your husband is half Frost Giant; you can handle the cold." Mystique replied.
"That is different," Saphira claimed, frowning; she didn't remember telling Mystique Loki was half Jotuun, but she must have the headaches must be messing with her memory too; because there was no other way she could know, unless the news had found out somehow and she learned it from there.
"One of those bitches gave you a pretty good shiner." Mystique said she removed the ice pack to take a look, then put it back on and headed back to the round table. "Don't worry now that the knowledge you are under my protection is out; you shouldn't be bothered anymore."
"Why are you helping me?" Saphira asks. "Yeah, you told those girls I was your friend; I consider you a friend too, but why would you go out of your way to help me?"
"I have my reasons." Mystique replied.
"You better not be trying to trick me," Saphira warned; Mystique glared at her, then sighed as she put a piece of the puzzle in place.
"I have done things in my past that haunt me in my present." Mystique answered."Kurt isn't the first child I abandoned; ever since being made to give up my firstborn many years ago, I seem to be unable to get myself to get attached to my other children. I willingly gave up every child I ever gave birth to."
"How could someone force you to give up your own child?" Saphira demanded.
"His father was powerful and a monster in so many ways; I stood no chance against him. If I was to take my son and leave, I feared being chased and found, and both our lives ended. So, when I located where his father had abandoned my son to die, I saved him the only way I could, by tricking his father's enemy into finding him and taking him in. Then I left, ran off, traveled realm to realm until I decided I could return to Earth."
"And your other children?" Saphira demanded.
"My third son, Graydon Creed, was born to a man I was only with because of a scheme I was in; in fact, his father believed I was someone else." Mystique said. "When Graydon was born, I gave him up for adoption but kept close watch over him; by his teen years, I realized he was not a mutant and abandoned him altogether, he grew to hate us and started a group called the friends of humanity, whose only goal is to wipe out mutant kind."
"Any other children?" Saphira asks.
"Just my daughter Rogue." Mystique replied, "You met her, I believe; she's one of the X-MEN."
"She hits pretty hard," Saphira answered. Mystique laughed. "Remy said she was his wife, but when I knew him back in the day, he married some sleaze named Belladonna, wonder what happened to her."
"They divorced." Mystique said. "And after many years and ups and downs, on and offs Rogue and Gambit married, at first she had to wear one of these collars because she couldn't control her powers. She was unable even to touch another person, but she has since learned control, and as far as I know, she and Gambit are happy."
"That's good. Remy deserves to be happy." Saphira answered.
"Rogue is adopted; she was a teen when I took her in." Mystique said. "I had my reasons, but I grew to view her as my own, even then I still made mistakes with her, and before long she too joined the X-Men, like Kurt we have been trying to put the past behind us, I was her something blue at her wedding." Saphira laughed a little at that.
"I will never understand Midgardain superstitions," Saphira replied, lowing the ice pack from her eye. "When Loki and I got married in Las Vegas, the workers at the chapel insisted on us having something old, new, and all that; the next I joked and told Loki he should have been our something blue; I don't think he found my joke amusing."
"What's Loki like?" Mystique asks.
"He can be nice and a real gentleman to the ones he cares for." Saphira answered, "especially those who care about him, but if you cross Loki, he can turn mean and vengeful; he loves to scheme, play tricks, is extremely intelligent and very cunning." She smiled, thinking of him. "He can also be very dangerous."
"I know someone like that." Mystique replied with a smile; they were silent for a moment.
"Deep down, Loki is a good person." Saphira replied," He's just been through a lot, he was lied to all his life, had to live growing up in Thor's shadow, and right before attacking Midgard, he was captured and tortured for months."
"He was what? " Mystique demanded, eyes flashing in anger.
"Loki wouldn't tell me the details. They where the ones that sent him here, to begin with, Loki is strong, he can withstand a lot, he refused their demands even with months of day in and day out of painful torture, it wasn't until they started threatening me Loki gave in" Saphira explains "But not completely he had his plan to double-cross them, keep what they wanted. We win and rule Midgard together, but as you see, we failed."
Mystique smiled, and to Saphira's surprise, what looked like pride shined in her eyes. "I look forward to meeting him someday."
"I think he'll like you," Saphira replied. "It's kind of weird; you remind me of him somewhat, your actions and the schemes you've done. You both can shape shift and he has a blue form."
"He must be a great guy then." Mystique remarked, smiling, her smile fall when she heard Saphira snuff and looked over at her. "Is something wrong?"
"It's just I miss Loki so much," Saphira replied, ripping her eyes. "Something always seems to tear us apart. When I'm finally with him again, nothing is going to stop us from staying together if I have to superglue myself to him."
Mystique snickered."That would be amusing to see."
"Oh, be quiet," Saphira said, lying down. Mystique watched her with an unreadable experience as Saphira soon closed her eyes and fell asleep.
AN I know the last couple of chapters have been boring, but I hope the next chapter is enjoyable and somewhat funny. I tried to make it a bit funny away; one after that will have some action.