Stay safe, get vaccinated, wear a mask! Much love! Enjoy!

"How about a lift?"

Charlotte had to restrain an eye roll, the accent giving away and the distinct sound of her car's engine. She turned, folding her arms to find Loki grinning in the driver's seat of her car.

"Since when do you know how to drive?" She asked, Loki gave an overly offended gasp.

"I'll have you know I have not only the skills to drive a car, but to pilot as well." He bousted.

Charlotte seemed to let this go, as she patted around the car and slid into the passenger's seat, jacking the heat up to warm herself. Loki drove the remaining blocks to the apartment, Charlotte shivering next to him. He had noticed so when he parked the car in front of the apartment, he kept it running so the heat wouldn't die off.

"Would you rather take a different approach to this?" He asked, she raised a brow at him. "You're shivering to the bone in that outfit. Maybe we could-"

"No, I can handle this, Loki." She insisted, digging for her keys in the tiny purse she carried. "I don't expect us to get this guy the first night. It might take another to get him." Charlotte climbed out and smiled at him. "We'll catch him tomorrow, for sure."

Five nights.

Five nights in a row of Charlotte wandering down streets of South Street, Center City, and even the edge of North Philly to try and lure the kidnapper out. With her constantly dressing lightly in the freezing cold December nights, she had woken up feeling groggy, congested and sneezing her head off in the shower to warm the chill out of her bones.

No, no, not a cold. Not now! She cleaned her foggy mirror after her hour-long shower, longer than her usual ones. The hot water felt so warm and relaxing she didn't want to get out. Wrapped in her robe, emerging from the bathroom, the chill had returned to her. Charlotte eyed the thermostat, daring to raise it up to warm the apartment a bit more. She usually kept it at a comfortable seventy-two degrees, but she raised it to seventy-six to ease the cold.

Wandering down the stairs, she groaned, shuffling into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Mitsy was curled up on the couch sleeping her head off.

"At least someone's comfortable." She muttered, glancing at the huge windows frowning. "...Sun's not shining through like God's flashlight today?"

Charlotte walked toward the door and opened it to see that a huge amount of snow had fallen upon the city and deep gray clouds blocked the sun. Her heart sunk, seeing the four inches- no six!?

"No, no- The weather never said anything about snow!" She slammed the door before any of the powder could leak in and ran to the couch.

Swiping the remote off the table she turned the TV on flipping onto the weather channel, finding commercials on. "It should be illegal to have commercials on this damn station!"

Mitsy turned her head hearing Loki emerge from his room. Clad in his nightwear, yawning into his palm. He patted Mitsy who greeted him and paused at the kitchen to see Charlotte gripping the television set glaring at the screen as a commercial for shoes came on.

"Eager for some shopping?" He asked, combing his hair that held a few knots out. Rarely did he make an appearance before fixing himself up for the day. Though all her yelling made him curious.

"Shh!" She hissed, making him give her a look.

"What?"

"Shhhhhh! Shush!" She waved at him, turning the volume up as the weatherman came up.

"Quite a surprise we woke up to today, the amount of snow fallen onto the city overnight is alarming!" Said the weather man behind the desk.

"Just give me the inches." Charlotte demanded.

"Al is in Center City right now ready to measure the snow. Al?"

The scene cut to Al who was standing in said city, the roads covered in a blanket of white and not a car seen to be moved as they hadn't been plowed yet. "Bob, I got the measuring stick here! Remember the blizzard of '96? Let's see if this snow beats that blizzard."

Charlotte nearly clawed the TV, watching Al stick the ruler into the snow. She pressed her face to the screen watching it pass the numbers.

"Would you look at that! Twenty-nine inches!" Cheered Al, showing a close up on the ruler that the snow was just above two feet. "The snow plows won't be out for a while, so stay in, stay warm, and enjoy this snow day everyone! Next, a list of schools that are closed."

"Twenty-nine inches!? Two feet!? Son of a Bitch!" She yelled, chucking the remote as hard as she could.

Though accidentally in Loki's direction, the god caught it like a baseman catching a foul ball. He frowned at Charlotte's temper as she roughly slammed the power button to turn the TV off.

"I take it you don't favor snow?" He asked, walking over to place the device on the coffee table.

She huffed and stomped into the kitchen. "Not when we got a case of missing women in a snow buried city, Loki." Charlotte snarled at him.

He raised a brow when he noticed how her voice was lower than usual. "Once the snow is cleared, we can resume."

Charlotte shook her head, preparing coffee at her maker and setting the buttons on it. "I can't wait for some lazy bastards to push snow onto the sidewalk and then have the snow melt in a few days." She cleared her throat, leaning her palms onto the counter.

"You're not planning to go undercover a sixth time, are you?" He asked, nodding to the snow outside the front door. Mitsy nudged Loki's hand, who conceded to petting her head. "I don't think even her walker will arrive today." He added, referring to the dog.

"Mitsy will stay inside, you can stay too if you're too scared to handle the snow." She countered, grabbing a mug from the upper cabinet.

Loki scoffed, folding his arms as he leaned against the wall across the kitchen. She thought this snow was bad, dread had crept up when she released a loud sudden sneeze. Loki frowned when Charlotte froze in the middle of the living room. Another violent sneeze came upon her, along with a stuffy sniffle. Charlotte turned her hand up to cover her nose as she returned to the kitchen, shooing Loki from the counter to get a paper towel and clean her nose, mug on the counter.

He watched as she tried really hard to blow her nose, but then yelped when she rubbed her ear, popping them. "Can't be sick- Hell no. I haven't been sick since I was in high school, and not now of all times" She spouted, grabbing her mug and wafting the hot drink's air to her nose in an attempt to unclog it.

Loki shook his head, " We're essentially snowed in, as they said" he told waving to the TV.

"Watch me."

Loki did watch the human struggle just to get the snow off the steps. Charlotte was bundled in layers of pants, jackets, coats, and even two hats and a pair of gloves and boots. He stood in the two feet of snow in just boots, a jacket, and a single coat. Loki took pride in handling cold conditions, seeing humans are much weaker and to add insult to injury, Charlotte was sick as well.

A large snow shovel she kept in a closet was her only weapon against the mounds of snow. Her nose dripped and rubbed until red, her cheeks pink and eyes growing dry from the wind. Charlotte paused a few times, rubbing her back and heaving breaths- what Loki believed to be wheezing. Once he heard coughing he had enough.

"Charlotte, might it be best to take a break." He suggested. "Look, you've done an excellent job getting the top step cleared!"

She huffed at him, snuffling though barely getting the nose unclogged. "Once I get all the steps cleared, I will."

Loki frowned, he could just sweep the steps off with his magic alone. Get this all done in a few minutes. Then again, that'd make her move to the side walk and attempt to actually get to work. The best effort would be to avoid her from finishing.

His eyes rolled, but caught something above him. The roof was covered in snow, like on the edge of a mount cliff ready to fall. An idea came to his great mind.

"Charlotte?" She huffed and looked up, seeing Loki step down and nudged some snow off the cement's edge. "You need to warm up and drink something to sooth you throat."

Charlotte looked down at her work, rolling her eyes as she chucked the large shovel at Loki. He caught it with no effort as she carefully stepped around him to the door.

"Twenty-minutes, and I'm back."

"Thirty." He haggled.

She turned, hand on the door knob. "Twenty-five."

"Twenty-eight."

"Twenty-six."

"Twenty-eight and thirty seconds."

Grumbled, she huffed. "Fine!"

Loki grinned despite her spat as they returned inside the apartment. He placed the shovel beside the door as Charlotte refused to remove her outer clothing to make tea in the kitchen. He snapped his fingers and after a few seconds of silence, the apartment started to shake. Charlotte looked up, gripping the counter as Mitsy ran off the couch to hide behind her owner. A sudden crash jolted them, even Loki not expecting the snow to crash so loudly from the roof. Charlotte held her breath, huffing a few times to bite back a cough.

"What the hell was that?"

Loki looked up at the roof, "Sounded like an avalanche." he told.

In fear of the roof caving in, Charlotte bolted upstairs to check for any holes in the ceiling. Loki frowned to himself, why was that snow louder crashing than he expected? Should've showered down to just recover the steps. He turned and reached for the door, pulling it open to find the snow had indeed come down. It mounded where she had just shoveled like a small hill for children to climb. The steps were gone and reaching a height that could reach his hips. Loki must have caused all the snow on the roof to fall.

"The roof is fine." Charlotte came back, making Loki shut the door and spun to her as she came down the steps. "The snow must have fallen off."

"Yes, it has." he confirmed, stepping aside and tapping the door. "And has landed right at the door."

Charlotte looked to the door, frowning at his words. She walked over, gripped the handle, and pulled it open. All that erupted from her strained throat was a guttural screech as if calling birds.

"All that came off my roof!?" She coughed out, trying to lean her head out to inspect any damage. "Awww, come on-" She coughed, covering her mouth, the cold air making the snow fall in through the doorway.

Loki took her by the shoulder, urging her from the door to shut the cold away. "I think it's time to admit defeat."

She gave a weak glare, unable to argue as he helped her out of her coat and jackets, gloves and scarf. Loki led her to the stairs and helped her up, toward her bed where Mitsy was found. He shooed her off and let Charlotte fall back onto the bed with a groan, as he knelt down and removed her boots and cold wet socks. All the wet and cold clothing was removed, leaving her in the sweater and jeans. He had her lay in bed properly to put the blanket over her, adjusting the pillow as she was sitting up.

"You make a good nurse." She teased, earning a raised brow from him.

Mitsy jumped back onto the bed, circled to lay down right up against Charlotte's side, sensing her feeling unwell. "Just rest and you'll be better by tomorrow."

She scuffed, clearing her throat. "I could be sick for a day or two."

"Not if you take care of yourself." Loki scolded, making sure she was warm enough before walking toward the stairs. "Just let me know if you need anything."

Charlotte just frowned and rolled over, Mitsy resting her head on her hip.

Loki chewed his lip and rubbed his brow pacing downstairs on what to do to help Charlotte get better. His first real friend and she was sick. Resting was one thing, but she had to eat and her cooking was out of the question. Take out was not happening with the snow, and her food stock wasn't ideal.

What could he make to help?

Asgardians didn't get sick, at least not like humans. Only injuries from battles- Wait. Loki paused, biting his thumb nail. There was this one dish, one his mother had requested when he was younger. Anytime Thor beat him in practice fighting, she always had it made and it cheered him up right away.

Three hours of nose blowing, sneezing and coughing was a hell hole to Charlotte right now. Her nose was starting to sting from the rough tissues rubbing her nostrils, chest and head hurting from coughing and she just wanted to lay on her stomach but it hurt from lack of food.

Wrapped roughly in her blankets, Charlotte decided she needed food before she started gagging from all the coughing. She twisted in her spot to let her feet touch the floor, her blanket still wrapped around her as she wobbled toward the stairs. Her hand gripped the rail tightly, taking each step delicately so not trip and kill herself.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Loki asked, finding her descending the stairs.

She sniffled harshly to keep a dripping snot from hanging loose from her nose. "'Ungry." She told, heavily congested. Loki walked over to her, but she avoided him. "You'll ged sick doo."

He chuckled and folded his arms, "Impossible. I never get sick." he assured.

Loki brought his palm to her forehead, it sat there as she frowned at him. He turned his hand over, knuckles gently against her warm skin as he withdrew. "Hm, how about you sit on the couch. I'm almost done with the meal."

Meal? Charlotte looked to the kitchen, though a mess, she did spot a pot boiling something on the stove. Signs of vegetable cutting and cans of broth answered he was making a soup.

Loki ushered her to the couch, moving pillows for her to sit comfortably as she curled her legs back under her blanket. Mitsy sooned joined them, noticing the lack of her owners' presence.

"What are your symptoms?" He asked, leaning his palms onto the couch arm. She sneezed right then, instantly covering her mouth and nose like before. "Sneeze, check." He amusingly checked off, fetching her a tissue before tending to the pot.

Charlotte cleaned herself and blew her nose best she could. Careful not to pop her ears again. "Coughing- dry cough. Gave me a headache add chest pains, add sdomach pains."

He paused in stirring, looking over. "Stomach?"

She sighed heavily through her mouth. "Need food."

"Already on it." He told, leaving it to stew a bit longer. "It'll be ready. Usually it cooks for about five hours, so I'm rushing it."

"Whad are you making?"

"A customary dish from my home." Loki told, a proud gleam in his features. "You'll surely love it."

Charlotte was given the remote at Loki's help to flick through channels. Of course there was nothing much on, until she stumbled across a station airing only commercials. Not just any, the golden infomercials. Charlotte smiled, tucking her remote into the blanket and watching the ridiculous product advertisements.

It wasn't until she was coughing and laughing at one commercial that Loki returned with a bowl and spoon. She released her arms from the wrappings and took the bowl. Charlotte wished she could smell it, in the bowl she spotted chopped onions, potatoes, carrots, and small bits of sausage and what she assumed was the pork she had frozen the other week. All cooked up as a stew with broth.

She didn't want to be rude, but Charlotte was apprehensive of what he had just given her. Has he just thrown random stuff together and boiled it for three hours?

"It's not as perfect as what I'm used to, but I made use of what I had." Loki defended, seeing her hesitance.

"Erm, what is it?" Charlotte asked, her congestion clearer after a nose blowing session.

Loki sat on the arm of the chair, "We call it lapskaus; originally it's cooked with mead, cabbage, and whatever hunted game we had." he informed. "My mother used to prepare this for me when I was young, it always did the trick."

She looked up at him, "So a childhood dish when you were sick?" Charlotte asked. When he nodded, she raised a brow. "I thought you didn't get sick?"

Loki rolled his eyes and stood. "Just eat it, you'll feel better. Trust me."

With a sigh, Charlotte stirred the bowl a bit and took a spoonful. Making sure to get some broth, pork and a carrot before taking her first bite. The warmth felt good in her system, broth soothing her sore throat and having something in her stomach made her sigh to feel the hunger pains dissipate. The pork fell apart easily in her mouth and the carrot was soft between her teeth. She took another spoonful to try the potatoes, onion and sausage. The saltiness and sweetness was a good combo, potatoes weren't as soft but still held the soaked flavor of the broth.

Charlotte looked up to Loki, eager for her response and she just smiled and continued eating. Content with that alone, Loki grinned with victory as he returned to the kitchen to clean the mess head made.

By the time he had the dishes and knives clean, she was half way done with her bowl. He brought her a glass of water, to which she drank as he sat down beside her. He had just noticed what was on television, frowning at the people struggling to break an egg.

"Is this a comedy of sorts?" He asked.

Charlotte chuckled, "There infomercials; cheesy ads to sell useless products. They were much more common when I was a kid." she explained.

"And this product is to help people who… struggle with cracking an egg?" He asked, watching the weird hand held device break a simple egg for someone.

Many others were seen; Spray on hair, ride on cooler, and small robot pets for lonely grannies. Loki was a bit dumbfounded by them, did humans really need such useless products in their everyday life?

"You got a weird look on your face, Loki." Charlotte teased earning a nod to confirm.

"Are people this lackadaisical about their daily lives?" He questioned, shaking his head at what he's just watched for the past forty-five minutes. When the next one came on, he sat up and threw a hand toward the screen. "Who needs this!?"

The current commercial was one of a man dropping coffee on himself in a car, then the solution was an adult size bib. Charlotte coughed into her hand, a mixture of laughter as Loki started a yelling match with the ad.

"Forget messy spills and unplanned accidents!"

"No! I don't gawk at some woman in a vehicle while drinking and deliberately spill it onto myself! No one does!" He barked at the TV.

Soon another ad came on. "A Psychic? Not possible."

"I agree, there's a lot of scams with people claiming to be able to find missing people as psychics." Charlotte voiced.

Loki shook his head, "That's not how it works at all. You can't just call someone over a phone call and read them like a book." he huffed looking insulted.

"You offended by this?" Charlotte inquired.

Loki sat up, turning to her. "Mind reading is not predicting the future. You don't just assume what will happen but see what has already transpired to the person. Not only is a mind read, but their soul."

Charlotte was giving him a funny look. "...Is this a personal take or-"

Loki sighed and stood, taking her empty bowl to clean. "Sorry, forget I said anything."

Curious, Charlotte muted the TV as Loki entered the kitchen. "Is mind reading something you can do with your 'magic tricks'?" She asked.

Loki raised a brow at her, abandoning the bowl in the sink and returning to her on the couch. "You could say that."

"Whatever you say, Magic Man." She joked, taking a tissue to blow her nose.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, hearing her sound less congested.

She shrugged, tossing the tissue into the small trash can brought over to dispose of them. "A bit better, you were right about the rest."

"You tend to overwork yourself, don't you?"

Charlotte sheepishly chuckled, "At times. I used to fall asleep in the library when studying in college or taking more shifts in retail to cover apartment payments." she told.

Her smile fell as she leaned back, pulling the blanket back around herself. "This is different though. People's lives are on the line and this weather is restricting anyone in finding them. Bad enough I'm sick on top of it."

Loki couldn't ease her mind on that. All he can do is distract her from the thoughts. Standing, the god climbed the stairs leaving her for a moment. He soon returned with one of her VHS tapes, one Charlotte recognized with Mickey Mouse on the front in his famous sorcerer hat; Fantasia. He struggled to remember how the tape went in, but soon grasped the concept and changed the channel to the player.

Once he sat back down, he sighed and looked relaxed. "It's not your fault you're ill." He told her, waiting for the previews to pass by. "Unfortunate circumstances happen, but we will get back to the case and solve it." He looked at her, a kind smile on his features. "Together."

Charlotte looked away, watching an ad for Disney World on the tape to end, now playing the movie. They watched in content silence to enjoy the music and animation. The Nutcracker, Chinese Mushroom Dance, Dance of the Flutes. Then came the Sorcerer's apprentice. Loki was intrigued by this, rubbing his upper lip to hide a smirk or chuckle now and then. The Pastoral Symphony and Dance of the Hours were Charlotte's favorite parts. Though she had to explain the second one a bit better, to understand the meaning behind it.

It wasn't until they got to Rite of Spring that Loki felt weight on his shoulder. He glanced down to find Charlotte leaning her head against his shoulder, he tensed making her sit up immediately.

"Sorry, I got a little drowsy." She rubbed her eyes, moving to distance herself from him. When he said nothing, she turned to lean against the arm of the couch, soon falling asleep.

Loki kept stealing looks at her, brushing his shoulder where she laid her head. He had different types of relationships with females, but never one to rest beside him. The women of Asgard liked to cuddle and embrace Thor, or Fandral. Women sometimes swooned at Hogun and others catering to Volstagg. Loki though, he remained in his solitude for proper attention. A night or two was one thing, but physical affection. He mostly knew the motherly affection of comfort from Frigga.

Did having a friend include this? He pondered if he had been rude about denying her to rest beside him, he stood and adjusted the blanket better over her to make her comfortable. He'd remember to allow her permission to lean against him.

Some snow still rested along the road and curbs, but enough for people to continue their days. Charlotte got better and immediately awoke Loki the following day to return to the case. She was clear of her cold, though she sniffled now and then. But seeing her color back and no more wheezing, he agreed to go back onto the case.

The two were greeted by Mack in the investigation room. Everything where it was, as he was looking over the photos and evidence they had gathered.

"Lane, Loki, welcome back." He greeted, though Loki didn't give him a glance as Charlotte approached him.

"No other abductions have occurred, I hope." She pondered.

"Thank God no, the weather must have troubled him since no one really left their house." He told.

"Where do we go from here?" Loki asked.

"We've had four instances to catch him with you as bait, clearly that hasn't worked. No offense." He added. "This culprit could be onto us, we need someone he wouldn't recognize or think is under cover for us."

"Who do you propose? We can't risk a civilian out there." Charlotte contested.

Mack sighed, folding his arms. "What else do you think we should do?"

"Might I offer a suggestion?" The two glanced at Loki who raised his brows at the dirty look Charlotte was sending him. "I might know someone who could offer assistance in that department."

The officers looked to one another, apprehensive of his claim. "Who would that be?" Charlotte asked him.

"She goes by the name of… Sif." He told, a grin plastering his lips. "Feisty woman, holds her own, and might I add has the proper appeal we're looking for."

Charlotte leaned against a nearby meeting table. "A friend of yours?"

"A friend of my brother's." He answered.

Mack scratched his neck, "I don't know. Any woman can claim to take on a man but then… What?" he noticed the dark looks now from Charlotte.

She nodded to Loki. "How soon can she get here?"

Loki hummed, "By tonight, I can promise that." he assured.

Mack stepped over, "Hey wait, we can't let some random woman join in this." he told.

Charlotte turned to him. "I'll talk with her myself. We need to nab this guy, Mack. By any means at this point."

Her fellow officer frowned. "I just don't agree with this method, Lane."

Loki frowned, stepping up. "Charlotte has spent five freezing nights walking the streets and getting herself sick. She can't keep this up, you said so yourself; someone who he wouldn't recognize."

Mack rolled his eyes, and threw his hands up in defeat. "Fine! But if anything happens this is on you two."

"Who is this Sif? You never mentioned her before." Charlotte asked as she sat in her car outside the club. She parked the car in an alley entrance across the street, using the darkness as cover.

"Never felt the need to." He dismissed, standing outside of the car by her car door. "Friend of my brother's, not mine."

Charlotte shrugged, "Just curious- rarely do we get volunteers for this sort of jobs." she told.

Loki ducked down to see her through the window. "Not even fellow officers?"

She scoffed. "Not unless they're getting extra pay. I always offered to help."

"Really?"

Charlotte nodded, looking up as she rested her arm on the door panel. "Mostly to arrest muggers, people loitering or other small things. Nothing too dangerous." Charlotte looked up the street then back to Loki. "Where is she?"

"She'll be here- oh." Loki turned when he saw something in the car's mirror. "Welcome, Sif."

Charlotte twisted to see a slender tall woman, long dark hair, dark eyes and holding a look that could kill. Despite her features, she was wearing what Charlotte can only call the skimpiest outfit she's seen.

"You must be Charlotte?" Sif greeted, she shook her head in an even grip. "I am Sif, Loki informed me of the help you needed."

"Yeah, thanks for aiding us." Charlotte pointed to the building across the street. "We just need to lure the suspect out of the building. Are you sure you feel safe? We'll have eyes on you the entire time so-"

Sif scoffed, "No man can take me down, I assure you of that." she told. Without another word, Sif made her way across the street entering the Striped Spoon.

"Wow, she kind of scares me." Charlotte admitted, making Loki laugh. She reached for her walkie, "Mack, our volunteer is in position." Charlotte informed.

"Roger, I'll let you know if anything happens here." He replied through the static device.

"Got it, we'll be out here."

The wait started, and it was making Charlotte anxious. Various patrons left and entered the bar, though Charlotte kept her eyes on the men, she didn't doubt a possible female playing part in this case. She checked the clock on her dashboard, tapping her thumb and fingers on the steering wheel. Once two hours had set in, she brought the walkie back up.

"Any update?" She asked into it, staring at the club doors. No response, she glanced at Loki who looked back. "Mack, is Sif still there?" After a minute she added. "Are you still there?"

"Sorry! Sorry!" He said back finally, a pause before he continued. "This girl was insistent on giving me a lap dance, she wouldn't take no." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Is Sif still at the club?" She asked.

"Yeah, I see her at the bar. The blonde, right?"

Charlotte frowned, looking down at the walkie. "No, she's brunette."

After a few seconds, he responded. "...All I see are a bunch of blondes. I thought she was one of them."

Charlotte started to panic, her hand gripping the steering wheel. "No! She's a slender tall girl with brown hair and brown eyes. Wearing a skimpy outfit! Do you see that!?"

The static made her weary, what made her feel worse was his response. "No."

"God damnit, Mack!" She barked, opening the car door as she reached for her gun. "Loki, Sif- Loki?" She looked around, but he was gone as if never here. "Loki?" She called down the alley, but nothing, then peeked out to look down the roads. No sign of him whatsoever.

"Loki!"

"Lane!" Charlotte spun, finding Mack running across the street to him. "I-I-" He coughed to catch his breath. "I just checked the camera, the girl you described, Sif, right? She was taken right under our noses!"

Charlotte shoved Mack as she rushed across the road, ignoring the blaring horn of a car she dodged. She ran inside and toward the back room where two of the girls and Sadie were overlooking the security cameras. One of them on the screen was behind the building through the back exit. Sadie yelled at her as Charlotte took control and rewound the tape, then replayed watching as Sif had stepped outside, looking up and down the roads as she turned toward the exit of the alley.

How had Sif been taken when she sat there watching this entire time? No one had exited that alley. Charlotte watched closely, seeing her wave as if talking to someone. Finally, a figure came in, wearing a hood hiding his face from the camera. She was able to see a pale hand, reaching up to take Sif's hand and kissing her cheek. Sif didn't seem to mind it, Charlotte's eyes locked onto the two, close to the screen when she saw it. A second person came up behind Sif and grabbed her, wearing the same outfit but another pale hand noticeable. Sif flung him off her back with ease as if throwing a coat off. The first man shoved something into her mouth and nose, which made the woman slowly collapse onto the ground.

"They got her…" Gasped one of the girls, horrified to watch Sif being carried off screen.

They weren't going right where the exit was, but to the left. Charlotte left the room and through the emergency exit, looking to a fencing. She inspected the fence, finding a ripped material hanging over the barbed wire above and some blood.

"Mack!" She barked into the walkie. "Evidence was left behind! Get forensics now!"

"O-Okay!" Mack replied. "What do we tell Loki-"

"I'll get back to you on that once I find him."

"He's missing too!?" Mack paused. "Did he go after them?"

"I hope not." Charlotte replied.

Anguish.

Horror.

Despair.

These six women felt these emotions and more ran through them at an all high as they sat in a metal container. The cold encased metal caused them to shiver and shake, only to contain their warmth by huddling together. One or two girls released heavy coughs, no doubt catching pneumonia if they stayed any longer. They barely had any coats for their clothing so risqué from the moment they were taken, they had wished to have worn more coverage the night they disappeared.

Emery, the newest captive, had circled the containment, freezing her fingers to try and gauge what they were in. She had figured they were those storage contaminants used for transportation of cars or such. Pressing her ear to try to hear anything on the outside, but the metal was too thick. She nearly refused to sit down, constantly moving around to get her blood flowing than possibly freezing in a corner.

"We're going to die here." Corey wheezed, only to get comforted by another girl. "We're going to freeze to death."

"Someone will find us." Emry assured, walking over as her heels echoed against the alloy bottom. "They already have an investigation team on finding us."

Jenny looked up at her friend. "We've been here too long, some over a week." She shook her head and hung it onto her bare knees. "It's over for us."

A creek of metal made them jump. Emery stepped back as the door screeched opened slowly, a bright light blinding them. The girls covered their eyes as a thud echoed and it was slammed shut once more. Once they're sight was restored, Emery was the first to notice yet another victim had been captured.

"No, not another." Jenny was near tears, seeing the collection of women growing to near ten at this point. "What does he want with us!?"

Emery knelt down to the person, "Hey, are you alright?" she asked, reaching for their shoulder.

The person sat up, shaking their head and standing- very tall. Actually, now that Emery looked closer, she was shocked by the person who had joined them.

"Mr. Loki!?"

He coughed and cleared his throat. "Loki is just fine." He took her by the shoulders, using his magic he felt no critical injuries on her. "Are you alright?"

Shuffling alerted him and with the light used on Emery's phone to see in the darkness, Loki met the remaining missing six women. "All here and accounted for." He sighed, looking at each of them.

"Yeah, everyone, including you." One of them pointed out.

"Why would he kidnap a man?" Another asked.

Loki shook his head, "It was a trap set to capture them. Regrettably, they seemed to have turned the tables." he informed. "But, I'll get you ladies out to safety."

The women looked skeptic among each other. "How?"

How; he scoffed to himself. He had his magic. Just a snap of a finger and he'll bend the metal to peel open like a banana. Well, he had no need to frighten the girls. Loki approached the doors he was thrown through, pressing his palm to force them to open.

But, something was wrong.

It was as if something was blocking his magic. He felt a wall against the door, pushing his magic back at him. There was something abnormal about this, why was his magic blocked? He closed his eyes to sense the possible blockage, feeling a different sense of magic one he had never encountered.

Magic was blocking him? He glanced back at the girls, these were mere mortals. Why use magic to block them- Unless someone knew he was there. Who knew and how?

What he did know was, Loki was trapped like the women.