Chapter song: Human by Civil Twilight

Raven hair framed his pointed, chiseled face. The paleness of his skin rivaled that of my own, though he appeared to be on the verge of illness. The dark, prominent circles under his eyes only accentuated his pallor complexion. Those eyes. Deep green like that of a summer forest, filled with contempt and arrogance, shined in the midst of his colorless face.

Thin lips spread taut into a maleficent grin now grew wider by the second. Every step I took backwards was matched by an even wider step in my direction, and very quickly, he was only a few short feet away. The gold cane he held in his right hand snapped against the marble bannister in front of me, blocking my escape route. The glowing, blue stone in the tip of his cane emitted the strange energy I detected earlier, filling me with the familiar hunger I always felt before losing control.

Shit. No. Not here.

I inhaled deeply through my nose and looked up until I met his eyes. "Get away from me," I said, sounding anything but brave.

Please. Before it's too late.

His eyes wrinkled as his lips drew back into a wide smile, revealing perfect, white teeth. "Your courage hangs by a thin rope, girl. Do I truly frighten you so?" He asked with a smirk.

"No, I'm not scared of you, you fucking creep. Now get out of my way," I said more angrily as I took a step to the side. His arm immediately came down and blocked my path, successfully caging me against the cold, hard bannister. There was nowhere for me to go. I could feel the familiar vibrations starting at the base of my spine, slowly making its way up into my limbs.

No. No. No. What do I do?

"Strange," he said, leaning in closer. "Cornered by an unfamiliar man, yet it is not the man you fear, it is yourself which terrifies you most," he said, his eyes narrowing with curiosity.

Wait, how does he know that?

Does he know what I am?

"Yet another exceedingly small, foul-mouthed human, I presume," he said, his eyes lighting up with amusement.

Is he… is he reading my mind?

"Yes," he answered in a taunting tone.

"How did…" I started to ask, but I quickly cut myself off. "Fuck off," I growled, shaking my head. My skin was now beginning to sweat from the battle raging inside of me.

"Careful, Midgardian," he sneered above me. "You should address your king with respect." He continued speaking, but my frenzied mind was unable to process his words. Where are my fucking pills? I thought as I began digging through my leather clutch.

With shaking hands, I frantically pulled out the glass vial and popped three of the white spheres into my mouth. Better safe than sorry. As I felt the pills make their way down my throat, I sighed with relief and let my body relax. The tingling sensation disappeared, but I still felt the strange hunger throughout my body. When I looked up, I found the man staring at me with obvious confusion.

"What was that?" He asked as he watched my now-wandering eyes.

I placed my hands behind me on the bannister to hold myself up. "Just…medicine," I said, blinking slowly.

Anger flashed in his eyes. "Lying will not work with me, girl," he said, lowering his voice. At that moment the string quartet on the first floor stopped playing, making the room eerily quiet. The silence was quickly filled with Dr. Schifer's voice on the microphone. Well, there you are Uncle Ric.

The man who called himself Loki stepped away from me and eyed me with distaste.

"You are far more entertaining with life in your eyes," he said with a sneer. He then began strolling away towards the stairs in a lazy, arrogant manner. I leaned backwards against the bannister and sank down to the floor, closing my eyes from exhaustion.

Less than a minute later, the room erupted with horrified screams. My eyes shot open in a panic, but the rest of my body seemed unwilling to move. After a lengthy struggle, I pulled myself up from the floor and leaned over the balcony to inspect the chaos below. People were running from the building, but in the middle stood Loki with a man pinned underneath him on a table. Even from here, I could see the maniacal, satisfied grin on Loki's face as he looked around the room of screaming men and women. I felt chill bumps spread across my skin as his gaze slowly drifted upwards in my direction, pinning me with his malicious, evil smile. He pulled his hand back from the man's face and revealed an unsettling sight; his right eye ball had been completely removed, leaving a gaping, bloody hole in his face.

I stumbled backwards as I felt the sudden urge to vomit. Who the fuck is this guy? I need to get out of here! Damn it, I shouldn't have taken those pills. I took a deep breath and slapped myself across the face in an attempt to pull myself together. It worked, but I still stumbled around like my legs were half-asleep. By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, Loki was nowhere to be seen. As I passed the man on the table, my lips parted in shock as I recognized the poor victim. Dr. Schifer. He was still alive, though gratefully unconscious.

Outside, I could see Loki standing before a crowd of frightened citizens, and all were kneeling on the ground before him. I noticed right away he was no longer wearing the sleek, black suit he wore when I spoke with him, but instead was adorned in gold and green armor, complete with a golden helm with horns. Horns, really?

"Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel," he said with a sickening smile.

I watched from the museum stairs as an old man stood up from the crowd. "Not to men like you," he said with admirable bravery.

Loki laughed. "There are no men like me," he said with amusement.

"There are always men like you," the German man replied.

"Look to your elder, people. Let him be an example," he said as he lowered his glowing blue scepter.

Now completely furious and far beyond annoyed, I stepped forward to defend the elderly man. The clicking of my heels against the stone stairs was quickly drowned out by the rumbling of an aircraft engine in the distance. My enhanced hearing and sight allowed me to detect a speeding jet heading in our direction. Just as Loki fired his weapon at the brave senior, a man dressed in a skin-tight, American uniform appeared from the crowd and used his star-spangled shield to deflect the blast from Loki's scepter. The blue energy bounced off the shield and back to Loki, knocking him face-down into the ground.

The man in the uniform walked confidently through the crowd. "You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing," he said as he approached Loki.

"The soldier," Loki sneered. "The man out of time."

"I'm not the one who's out of time," he said as the jet I heard from earlier appeared. I could see all of its guns were pointed in Loki's direction. How powerful could this guy be?

"Loki, drop the weapon and stand down," a female voice sounded from the jet.

There was a slight pause before Loki drew back his arm and fired his scepter at the jet. Luckily, the pilot was able to swerve to the left at the last second, barely missing Loki's blast of energy. The American man threw his shield at Loki, but it merely bounced off of his armor. He caught his shield in the air as he ran towards Loki, and with all his strength he punched Loki in the jaw. I could hear the powerful blow from where I stood. I watched in awe as Loki remained standing upright, looking more surprised than anything else. In a sudden fit of anger, Loki charged the soldier with his scepter, striking him until he managed to break through his shield. My stomach clenched with fear as I watched the soldier get thrown back several yards away.

I remained standing still while hundreds of people ran in all directions around me. My head felt as if it were spinning as the drugs continued pumping their sedative effects throughout my body. The people, cars, and lights surrounding me suddenly merged together, forming a blurry, indistinct sight. I could hear metal clashing against metal as the two men continued to fight. My vision became clear enough to see Loki throw the soldier with his hand as if he were a mere rag doll. Just as I started to feel all hope was lost for the soldier, I saw a familiar sight in the sky and I instantly smiled. Tony Stark – aka Iron Man – flew straight towards Loki, and without hesitation, fired at him with the ray guns located in his hands. Loki was immediately forced backwards in the air until he landed hard on the concrete, grunting with pain. He remained on the ground as Tony and the soldier approached him, and in a sudden turn of events, he held up his hands in surrender. Maybe it was the drugs making me hallucinate, but I could have sworn his armor dissolved into thin air, leaving him once again in his elegant, tailored suit.

As the American soldier escorted Loki aboard the jet, Tony spotted me in the crowd and proceeded to fly over to me. I've known him ever since I was a little baby, though I haven't seen him in years. One of my earliest memories is of him bouncing me up and down on his knee until I was crying from laughter. The Starks and Alamannis are practically family. Without my great-great grandfather, Stark Industries might not even exist today.

Several girls around me started squealing with joy as he landed directly in front of me. "Hey Tony," I said tiredly, staggering where I stood.

"Hey kid. You've, uh… grown," he said, looking at with me surprise.

"That usually happens with time," I said smiling at him. A wave of vertigo hit me out of nowhere, causing me to stumble backwards. By now, there were dozens of cameras flashing all around us.

Tony grabbed ahold of my arms, keeping me up straight. "Yeah, looks like you've been having a real good time," he said, looking around. "Alright, London Bridge, time to go," he said as he put on a fake smile for the crowd.

I nodded and leaned into him, now too tired to stand. He sighed and gathered me in his arms bridal style, instantly causing the paparazzi to swarm around us and blind us with their obnoxious, flashing cameras.

"Pepper will not be pleased," I heard him mutter before he flew us over to the jet.

When we stepped inside the small aircraft, I was instantly met with confused stares from all aboard, including Loki. The man in the red, white, and blue outfit now had his mask removed, and I had to admit he was extremely handsome. If it weren't for the harsh glare he was giving Tony, I probably would have smiled and giggled like every other girl. He was blessed with classic good looks and an impressively ripped body, and his thick, blonde hair made me feel the tiniest bit jealous.

"Really? You can't go one night without taking advantage of some helpless, drunk girl," he said, glancing over at me in my chair.

"Umf nod trumk," I said. Fuck. I slouched defeatedly in my chair across from Loki, who was now staring openly at me with disgust.

"You heard her. She's fine," Tony mumbled sarcastically.

"No. Take her off. You are jeopardizing the mission by bringing a civilian aboard," he stated more angrily.

"Oh, don't get your panties in a bunch. She's a family friend," Tony casually replied as he strapped me into my seat. "Does the name Alamanni ring a bell, Gramps?" He asked, glancing over at him. "Yeah, I thought so. Even back in your day they were quite something." What the hell is he talking about? He doesn't look a day over twenty-five.

"It's fine, Cap. She can stay," said the woman with red hair.

Cap glanced uneasily at me. "If anything happens to her, it's on you," he replied, pointing at Tony.

That was the last thing I heard before I fell into a heavily sedated slumber.

Some loud noise jostled me in my seat. My dreary eyes slowly lifted to find Loki scowling unhappily across from me. When I glanced to my left I noticed a tall, brawny man had joined us. It was Thor. I recognized him from all of the papers I read in Ronan's house. Tony was standing across from him, facing me, and he stopped mid-sentence when he noticed I had awakened.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty. No, not you," he said, patting the soldier named Cap. "You missed quite a commotion. I'm surprised you didn't wake up with Thunder Thighs here rocking the damn jet," he said as he glanced at Thor who was now walking over to me. I looked up tiredly and smiled.

"Hello my lady, my name is –"

"Thor. I know who you are," I answered nicely. He looked taken aback, but smiled.

"Have we met before? I doubt it, for I could never forget such beauty," he said with charm.

In the corner of my eye I could see Loki watching us. "No, never. I've just seen you on the news," I lied.

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, miss…," he inquired.

I smiled at his formality. "Silvia. You can call me Silvia."

Shortly later, the jet connected to a much larger aircraft, and I was quickly escorted away from the strange assortment of people, including Tony. A security guard showed me to my guest chamber, and I promptly took a shower and changed into the casual clothes they provided for me. Just as I slipped the fitted black V-neck over my head, I heard a soft knock on my door.

"It's open," I called out.

A short, balding man with a gentle face walked through the door, and in his right hand he carried a thick folder tucked tightly against his side.

"Miss Alamanni, I'm agent Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Better known as S.H.I.E.L.D.," he said with a soft smile. "May I?" He said, pointing to a chair by the door.

"Yes, of course. Please," I said, gesturing with my hand. I awkwardly sat on my bed facing him, silently wondering what this was all about.

"Your father has asked us to return you to the States. I agree it's probably best you return home," he said with a polite smile.

"Well, OK, then," I said, clasping my gloved hands together. "That's… great." I could feel my happiness instantly shrivel away. Home is the last place I want to be right now. I didn't want to return to reality just yet.

His eyes lingered on my hands for a second too long. "I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind?" He asked as he opened up his file. I looked at the door uncomfortably.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, looking up at me.

Out of habit, I swung my feet nervously back and forth off the bed. "No, not at all. Umm, what sort of questions?" I asked in a quiet voice.

He looked back down at his file. "It's regarding your disappearance. There are a few missing parts of your story that I hoped you – "

"Listen, I really don't want to talk about –"

"We know the truth, Silvia," he said more seriously than before. I could feel the blood rushing in and out of my ears.

I paused a few seconds. "What do you mean?"

"We can play this game if you want, but the fact of the matter is you and I both know your story is a lie. I have rescued plenty of agents from the sea, and none ever managed to come out looking as refreshed as you," he said, pointing his finger at me. I twisted my hands nervously, wishing I could feel the skin underneath the fabric.

"You have been seen wearing those gloves since your reappearance. Would you care to elaborate on that?" He asked, eyeing me carefully.

"I like them," I answered shortly.

"And you suddenly prefer wearing ankle-high socks as well," he said with a smile. From his pile of papers he pulled out a picture of me I recognized from a party not too long ago. In it I could be seen adjusting the sock on my left foot underneath my evening gown. Judging by the angle of the picture, this was taken inside someone's coat pocket.

Great, so now S.H.I.E.L.D. is spying on me? Not only do I have low-life scums following me around every day, but now I have a secret government agency riding my ass as well? Fuck my life.

"Yes, I love socks," I replied coolly. "They keep my feet warm."

"Don't you mean foot? You see, you only wear one on your left foot," he said pointing to the photograph.

"Can I go? I'm hungry," I said, standing up.

"Of course, we'll speak again another time," he said as he held out his hand for me to shake. I coldly brushed past him without another word.

Not likely.

I was secretly wandering the hallways for nearly thirty minutes when I noticed a glass window up ahead, and inside, I could see Tony working on a 3-D hologram in a white lab. There was another man beside him who reminded me of a sad puppy. He was slightly shorter than Tony, olive-skinned, and had dark hair with specks of gray.

I tapped on the glass window, making both of them look up in surprise. Tony winked when he saw me and casually walked up to the glass door.

"Can I come in?" I asked, looking around curiously. Tony stepped side to side, blocking my view into the lab.

"Sorry, Tinkerbell, you need a security clearance," he said, pointing to the sign on the door.

"So," I sighed. "My family pays for most of this stuff and I'm not even allowed to see it?" I asked, placing my hand on my hip.

"Sucks to be rich, huh?" He replied sarcastically. "Now go on, fly away little birdy. Let the adults get back to work," he said, shooing me with his hands. I rolled my eyes and stepped backwards.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Tony. I'm twenty-two years old," I said with reddened cheeks. "And you can kiss your invitation to our Fall banquet goodbye," I replied in a playful, sassy tone.

Tony made a shocked face and dramatically placed his hand over his glowing-blue heart. His lab partner, who was watching us curiously in silence, faintly shook his head and grinned. As I backed away from the glass door, I waved goodbye to his friend, which caused him to smile uncomfortably and avert his gaze.

I turned around and looked right to left, trying to decide which direction I wanted to explore next. "Wait, how did you even get in here?" I heard Tony ask from inside his lab. I turned halfway around with my finger placed upon my lips and smiled at him, knowing he would never rat me out. After a lifetime of avoiding paparazzi and sneaking past my parents, I became very good at not being seen when I didn't want to be.

I decided to go right.

Every time I heard footsteps approaching me from ahead, I would hide behind a column or tuck myself inside a small crevice, waiting for the person to pass. It felt invigorating and undeniably fun to sneak around on a ship full of people who were secretly spying on me. Although I knew what I was doing was probably extremely illegal, I somehow convinced myself that it was just an innocent little game and no harm could come from it. Besides, they started it by spying on me. Tit for tat is how I see it.

I peered around a corner and saw two black-suited men standing guard by a door. After several minutes of debating whether I should give up and return to my room or find out what's behind that door, I of course, chose the former.

"Hey!" I shouted from behind the corner, hiding behind a pole. The two guards immediately looked at each other, both appearing unsure of what to do next. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Help me!" I shrieked, adding more desperation to my voice. This time the men immediately began jogging in my direction, and I carefully hid myself behind the pole, slowly twirling around it to remain unseen. I watched as the guards disappeared down the hallway and smiled at their stupidity.

I excitedly ran over to the mysterious door, now anxious to discover what was hidden inside. I pulled on the handle, but as expected, it was locked. To the right of the door was a control pad, filled with numbers one through nine, and on top was a retina scanner. Knowing that I could never crack the code, let alone pass the retina test, I started to back away from the door. But a thought quickly came to mind.

If I can't get through the security system, can I break through it instead? I stepped forward once again and placed my gloved hand directly upon the control pad, closing my eyes in concentration. With a deep breath, I began summoning the energy inside of me that was waiting to be released. My hands immediately began vibrating, and seconds later the control pad screen started flickering with distorted images, until finally, it became completely blank. Not a moment later, I heard a small click as the door miraculously unlocked.

Fuck yes.

I pulled once again on the door handle, only this time it easily opened for me, and I quickly stepped through the threshold. Inside was a dimly-lit hallway that curved to the right, like the letter C. I had no idea what awaited me around the bend, but instead of feeling frightened, I became more excited with every breath and step.

Cold air crawled across my skin as I continued creeping down the forbidden passage, growing closer to whatever S.H.I.E.L.D. had locked away so deep inside the ship. The second I reached the unseen part of the hallway, the air around me shifted in an unsettling way. My feet came to a pause as the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. There was a heavy, cold presence that felt strangely familiar. A part of me knew I should return to my room, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I continued forward, though at a much slower pace.

The hall became brighter with light as I came closer to the end. As I rounded the final curve, I felt my pulse quicken as I realized it opened into a large, circular room. So this is it, I thought as I stepped inside, looking around to make sure I was alone. The walls were a dark metal, filled with various pipes and luminescent lights. In front of me were yellow-painted guard rails that lined the walkway and surrounded a large, circular glass…room? It appeared to be white inside. Maybe it's another lab. I casually peered over the yellow guard railing, surprised not to see any guards below. As I approached the center of the walkway, there was a glass window on my left, looking into a control room. Again, there was no one in there. I sighed from boredom.

I turned to look into the glass and white room, expecting to find another lab. Instead, I found myself standing less than ten feet away from the sadistic and strangely alluring man, Loki. He stood with his hands folded behind his back, and gave me an unnerving smile.

"Stay away from me," I warned in my most-threatening voice. His smile widened.

"Ah, but you see, it is you that came to me," he said, coming to the edge of the glass. I glanced towards the hallway where I came from, knowing I should leave now before anything bad happened. But… that stone.

I looked back at him, seeing that he was now watching me with an amused look on his face. Even when he isn't smiling, his eyes appear to be filled with sardonic glee. I began playing with the edge of my shirt, giving me an excuse to look away from him.

I licked my lips nervously. "Who are you?" I asked without looking up. I already knew the answer, but I wanted to know more. I needed to know more. If he has an infinity stone, there's a chance he knows Ronan, which means… I could see him again.

"It is not my name you seek," he said as he slowly strolled the confines of his cage.

"No," I agreed quietly. Loki once again stood near the edge of the glass and looked down at me, apparently pleased with himself for being right.

"Tell me what it is you wish to know," he said, watching me with amusement.

"Where did you get an infinity stone?" I asked, causing him to shift with surprise. He was no longer smirking.

"What does a Midgardian know about the infinity stones?" He asked quietly, now eyeing me more carefully.

"Answer my question first," I retorted heatedly. "And stop calling me Midgardian. I swear with you fucking aliens it's always Terran this or Midgardian that. My name is Silvia," I said, growing more annoyed by the second.

Loki's eyes narrowed halfway through my rant. "Terran," he said as if he were in deep thought. "Only a select few galaxies use that term, all of which I am familiar with…" he said, looking at me with suspicion.

"But none from these galaxies should have wandered here so far, unless…" he continued, though I didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Hold on," I interrupted, making Loki stop mid-sentence. "I asked you a question, now answer me," I ordered heatedly.

He grinned down at me, though his eyes were full of loathing. "Prepare to be disappointed for I do not have the answer to your question."

"You're lying," I responded immediately.

"And if I am, what of it?" He said with a taunting sneer. "Ah yes, you don't like that, do you? You're used to men groveling at your feet, begging to lick the ground you walk on, yet here I am refusing to answer a simple question."

I could feel my breath shaking because I was so angry. "Why won't you just tell me where you got it?" I asked more loudly.

"Because I despise your kind," he snarled, making me take a step back.

"My kind?" I asked. "You don't know anything about me," I scoffed. He stepped closer to the glass.

"I lived in a palace surrounded by women like you… all arrogant and conceited beyond measure. The difference is… their beauty will remain for thousands of years…but yours... yours will fade day by day before your eyes, until you are left an old maid with no one to admire you. I will enjoy that day when it comes," he said with a soft chuckle.

I didn't realize my eyes were watering until I blinked and a tear landed on my cheek. I quickly wiped it away, embarrassed that he was even capable of making me cry.

My voice trembled as I spoke. "I just wanted to know if–"

"You want answers, go search for them yourself, human," he said, turning away from me.

I stood there for several seconds in silence, suppressing my urge to scream at him.

"Fine, I will."

I left the cold chamber unaware of the pleased smile on Loki's face.

I had just managed to sneak back into my room when I heard a soft knock on the door. I quickly opened the door, surprised to see Tony standing in the hallway. He entered my room without asking and casually strolled around the room, inspecting my belongings.

"So it's been – what – two or three years since I last saw you?" He asked as he stopped to look at me.

"Umm… more like six," I said with a smile. "Though… I did run into you at a party last New Year's eve," I said, blushing as I remembered the night.

He nodded his head and looked down uncomfortably. "I've been meaning to apologize for that…"

"Don't, Tony. Please," I awkwardly muttered. "It was so long ago..."

"I thought Pepper locked the bathroom door. When she drinks… there's no stopping her," he said, shaking his head at the memory. I smiled awkwardly as I tried to block out the naked images of them inside my mind.

I miss Ronan.

"It's... really no big deal. Everyone has their moments," I said in a sadder voice than I intended. Tony regrettably noticed and sat down on the edge of my bed.

"Listen, kid, I know we don't talk much, but I know you, and I know something's up. Shit, the entire world knows something's up. You've been different ever since you came back," he said in his unusually serious voice.

"Yeah… that… boat crash – "

"Hey," he said, pointing at me. "Don't bullshit a bullshitter." I sighed and sat down next to him.

"Come on, tell me," he said, rocking into me.

"I can't tell you here," I whispered, looking around the room.

"Follow me," he said, standing up. I followed him out the door and into the hallway, and continued following him until we were at the lab I saw him in earlier today.

"I thought I needed a security clearance," I said as we entered though the sliding, glass door

"Did I say that? I don't recall," he said in an amused tone.

As soon as we entered the chilly, white room, I felt a strange presence that made my skin crawl. I looked around the room until I found the origin of my unease: Loki's scepter. It was securely fastened to a table on two metal prongs, and surrounding it were various tools and instruments I'm sure Tony had been using earlier on it. I must have been staring at it for longer than I realized, because I heard Tony cough loudly once beside me, breaking me from my reverie.

"Weird, isn't it?" He asked, now looking at it as well.

"It's beautiful," I replied softly.

"Err – right. Well, let's get back to your juicy secret. What really happened? Don't worry. I've debugged the whole room," he said, coming to stand beside me.

"Well, I wasn't in a boat crash," I started. Tony immediately rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock," he sarcastically muttered.

I took a deep breath and decided to just go for it. "I was kidnapped by aliens." Tony blinked once and a few seconds later reached out to feel my forehead. I swatted his hand away annoyed.

"I'm not sick, and I'm not crazy. You wanted to know the truth, so now I'm telling you. Do you still want to know or not?" I asked tiredly.

Honestly, I wanted him to say yes because I had no one else to talk to about this except for my parents, and even with them, I couldn't tell them everything. They still didn't even know I was missing a hand and foot. It would be too much for them.

Tony nodded his head, for once unable to say anything smart.

"The aliens that kidnapped me sold me to some type of pimp… who I stabbed in the neck with a piece of broken mirror - don't worry, I escaped before anything happened to me," I reassured Tony who's eyes were now wide and alert.

"Long story short, I ended up with Ronan, who at first hated me, but then we grew to… like each other. I guess… more than like each other. He left me on his planet while he went off on some military mission, and the government there thought I was conspiring with him to overthrow their leader… and they imprisoned me. Mac-Varr… the man who took me…he did things to me," I said, stopping as I felt my throat tighten up. "Sorry, I've never talked about this to anyone."

"I'm… I'm here," Tony reassured me, looking at me with a worried expression. "Did he… rape you?" He asked reluctantly. I nodded my head softly, making Tony curse under his breath.

"I'm sorry, kid," he said as he rubbed my back to comfort me.

"He did more," I said as I took off my shoe. As I rolled down my sock, I watched Tony's eyes light up with amazement. "He took my right hand too, but I can't take these gloves off. Ronan did it for a reason…" I said, coming to a pause. I wondered if I should tell him the rest. He looked pale enough already.

No. It can wait.

"Do you mind?" Tony asked, pointing to my foot.

"No, go ahead," I said, happy to change the subject. He bent down on one knee and began inspecting my foot, apparently mesmerized by it.

I could hear him muttering to himself, most likely taking mental notes of the foreign metal technology. I know that the hand and foot Ronan gave to me was far more advanced than anything here on Earth, and Tony undoubtedly knew this as well, so it really wasn't surprising to see him become so excited over it.

"I'll be right back," he said, jumping up to his feet. "I just need to get something from my room… for tests, you know," he mumbled before walking out the door.

"Well, fine…" I said, not having a say in the matter.

As soon as he left the room, my eyes once again rested on Loki's scepter. I found myself walking towards it, being drawn in by its strange aura, and feeling a desperate need to touch it. When I came within less than a foot of the golden scepter, my hands began tingling stronger than ever before. The glowing blue stone pulled me in with its unworldly beauty and power, forcing me closer until my fingertips were only centimeters away. I watched with fascination as the stone emitted a soft blue ribbon of energy, slowly twirling around my fingertips and up into the palm of my gloved hand. My eyes grew even wider when I saw a faint purple glow emit from my gloves, eventually forming its own purple ribbons of energy. It appeared as if the two stones were greeting one another. A few seconds later, I noticed the blue ribbons were beginning to travel further up my hand, towards the bare skin on my arm. I stepped away, but it only followed me. As soon as the swirling blue energy touched my forearm, I felt a feathery cool touch. It almost tickled. I stepped forward once again, only this time I grasped ahold of the scepter with both hands.

I watched as the stone's energy began covering my entire body, causing me to glow. This stone's power felt undeniably different as it soaked into my skin. With every second that passed, I could feel something forging inside of me, specifically in my hands. I felt physically stronger, and for some unexplainable reason, I no longer feared losing control of my powers. I couldn't recall ever feeling so calm before in my life. No amount of sedatives could bring about this type of…. euphoric… reassurance.

"Where are you, Ronan?" I heard myself whisper.

Out of nowhere, I felt a dark presence in the room. I tried to let go of the scepter, but my hands were forced closed around it. Everything suddenly became pitch-black, and the air around me grew heavy and cold. I tried to scream as I felt like I was being pulled and dropped in every direction, but my stomach remained clenched tight, making it hard for me to breathe. It was over in a matter of seconds. My eyes, which had remained closed during the whole ordeal, slowly opened up to find a troubling sight.

Stars.

There are stars everywhere.

I'm in the middle of fucking space.

With the scepter still in my hands, I looked around the strange place it brought me to, trying hard not to hyperventilate. I was standing on a large rock, surrounded by other rough, tall rocks which appeared to form some kind of island. As far as I could see, there weren't any planets nearby, though there was an annoyingly bright star to the left of me. I slowly walked around, careful not to venture too close to the edge of the giant rock. I came around the corner of a particularly jagged stalagmite and accidently scraped my arm along the side of it. After hissing and rubbing my tender arm, I looked up and found yet another surprising sight. In front of me were floating stone stairs that led to God-knows-where. As hard as I tried not to panic, I could definitely feel myself shaking from fear.

"Ronan?" I called out. No answer.

I gathered all of the courage in me and took a step towards the stairs.

"Who dares enter the domain of Thanos?" A shrew voice yelled behind me. I immediately turned around to find a cloaked man wearing a golden web of a mask, which covered most of his ugly, deformed face.

"Where did you get that scepter? Who are you? Speak, now!" He yelled, making me cringe. His teeth were stained a deep red. Like blood.

"I'm…Silvia. I'm looking for Ronan," I meekly replied. As the man walked towards me, I noticed he was missing a hand, and the remaining one had two thumbs. I couldn't see his eyes, but I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to.

"The Terran," the man hissed as he came closer. "Thanos has been looking for you, child." I began slowly backing away from the frightening man up the stairs.

"Who is Thanos?" I asked as he followed me with a terrifying smile on his face. I stumbled slightly as I continued walking backwards. The man's smile grew even wider.

"Don't come any closer! I'm warning you!" I shouted desperately as I came to the top of the stairs.

Please let this be a dream. Please wake up.

Wake up!

I turned around to see a small open space, and in the middle was a throne hovering in the air, made of rocks. It was faced the other way so I couldn't see who was in it, but I could see they were wearing a large, golden helmet. The throne itself was huge, much larger than Ronan's, and that alone was terrifying.

"Wh-Who are you?" I managed to ask. I saw the man's head move slightly, but he didn't respond.

"Where am I?" I tried again. Still no response.

Seconds later the man with the mask emerged from the stairs and proceeded to walk over to the throne, standing to the right of the huge man.

"Ronan's human wench has appeared to us, master," he said. The throne slowly began turning, revealing a terrifyingly huge, purple man who's smile made my blood run cold.

"How convenient."

Oh, no.

Ronan, where are you?

Author's Note: Hey guys! I know it's been a while... hope I didn't keep you waiting too long ;) I would have updated sooner but the server was down so I was left helpless! I know I left you guys with a cliffhanger... but... that's what I do hahah I'm sorry. So, what do you think is going to happen? I'd love to hear all of your thoughts. Thanks again for the follows/favs/reviews. I love them and I read all of them and cherish each one!