Warnings: Torture, but nothing past PG13 (I think).

Loptr doesn't like it here. It's bright and hot and dry. His lips bleed all the time. He's tried begging for water, but they only laugh and hit him again, so Loptr just curls up in a corner and hides his head in his arms. It doesn't make them stop, but now he can't see them, so it's better. Maybe? Is it? Loptr doesn't know anymore.

Nothing makes sense.

Master hasn't come for him.

Why?

Is Master angry with him? Is that why He won't send Bruce or Natasha? Loptr wishes Master would send them. Hulk would hug him, and then smash the bad men. Smash, smash, smash. Loptr dreams of that. Hopes for it. Cries so much for it.

But Master never sends them.

Because Loptr was bad. He let the blue man take him here. He didn't fight when the girl in red took off his bracelets. He tried to, but they held him down and she used her red smoke to take them off. It burns him, to have them gone. Something in him rips at his skin inside. Builds and builds. It tears and screams to be let out. But Loptr doesn't know how.

Every time he thinks it will explode out of him, it disappears. Goes into the wires in his chest and is gone. He tried to get the wires off, but can't. They're stuck in him, and nothing Loptr does gets them out. So, the invisible thing inside him builds up again, grabs his mind and claws it to pieces, and then leaves again. It hurts Loptr.

Hurts him until he screams and screams.

That's why they put a muzzle on - they tell him it's called that right before they put it on. They say he's keeping them up at night. That he won't shut up. So they'll make him. The blue man is there when they do that. He looks sad.

After that, the red girl comes to see him every two days. She stares at him, and says nothing. Only tilts her head to the side and glares. Loptr hopes she won't come in and hit him. He's so very, very tired of people hitting him. Natasha never hit him. He was good. So why are these people doing it?

Is it because he's been bad? Should be try and be good for them? Will they stop if he's good for them? But then Master might get mad at him. Because they're Master's enemies. Bad, bad men, who attacked Bruce and Natasha.

Loptr grabs his head and whimpers. He doesn't know what to do anymore. He wants the pain to stop, to go home, but no one comes to get him. The heat just gets worse and worse. He can't even walk on his feet anymore, the ground's too hot. He can see the heat in the air all the time. He…he….he wants to go home. Bruce will make him better. Natasha will give him soup.

He misses soup.

But no one comes.

Not Hulk. Not Bruce. Not Natasha.

No one.

Why?

Why, why, why?

He was good for them, for Master. So why aren't they here? Why have they left him with the bad men? Why is he being punished again?

The door clicks open and Loptr huddles in on himself. They are back. He peeks out his arms and whimpers. The red girl is there. He doesn't know what that means. How did she get in? Did they let her? Why? Will she hurt him again? He hides in his arms again, sorry he looked out.

He hears her shoes tap on the floor. Why doesn't it burn her, like it does him? The tapping stops close to him and he stiffens. She is not Master, so he can protect himself from her. She will hurt him, but that doesn't mean he has to let her do it. He can protect himself for as long as he can, because she's not Master.

Something touches his shoulder and he jerks away. But it stays, and he realizes it's her hand.

"Why do you fight it?" she asks.

He says nothing, only curls up tighter.

Her hand tightens and something zaps through him. His muscles pinch and he sobs from the new pain.

"Why?" she hisses, shaking him a bit.

"Bad men," he dares to whisper. "Not Master's."

"Stark is your Master?" She sounds angry. "He is not God! You do not have to listen to him anymore. Let us help you. We can use your power to free the world from him."

"No!" Loptr yells and pushes her away. "Bad! Loptr not help!"

Her hands are shaking and the red smoke is curling out. "Stop fighting us."

"No," Loptr sobs. "Loptr good. Loptr not help you. Ever."

"Then you leave us no choice."

Her smoke rushes at him and Loptr screams until he only sees black. The pain goes away then. He's too far away for the red smoke to reach him. So Loptr stays with the black and dreams of Master coming for him.

And of golden hair and soft touches.

We're coming, my son.

So, yeah, it's been SOOOOO long since I updated this, and for that I can only say 'I'm sorry'. It's been super hectic on my end. Wrapping up the school year, giving my students tests, and also freaking out that I've not taught them all I should have (which I'm pretty sure I did). Before I knew it, I'd forgotten to update this. *hangs head* I know it's short, short, SHORT, but I think it's pretty good *crosses fingers and wishes upon a star* and I hope it soothes some of your righteous displeasure at this long wait.

Also, the 'blue man' is Pietro Maximoff' and the 'red girl' is Wanda.

*fiddles* Review? *hides* Don't flame me too badly, please. *peeks out* Any ideas for the next chapter would be more than welcome.