FALLEN ANGEL
PART 5
The shadowed figure sat upon a large, metallic throne, its hand tapping rhythmically upon the arm, and its view - if it could be seen - focused across the long, torch - lit room towards the set of huge, double doors at the other end.
Suddenly the doors opened, bringing with it a white light that tried, and failed, to illuminate the room. The doors quickly shut, returning the room to shadow.
And revealing a cloaked figure that had entered.
The figure walked down the long room, its shoes echoing on the stone floor, its pace never hesitant, never slowing, until it reached the throne, which was raised upon a stone dais.
The figure stopped and, without pause, fell to one knee, its cloak hiding its features.
The figure on the throne looked down towards the cloaked figure "have you done as i have asked?" it said with smooth, masculine voice.
"Yes mi lord" replied the other figure, revealing an equally smooth, but feminine, voice. She looked up towards the man and smiled, a pair of cat - like eyes gleaming in the torchlight "i trust i did well?"
"Perfectly" said the man, "perfectly"
Marla groaned, and turned her body away from the offending light that dared to wake her up.
After a few minutes though she grunted and, throwing the sheets aside, swung her legs out of bed...
Bed? Thought Marla suddenly, her sleep-addled brain finally noticing something not right, come to think of it where the hells am I?
She sat on the edge of the bed, trying to piece together the events of last night.
Okay, we went to the Morgue, she thought, and then shuddered as she recalled holding the eyelid open then we left...oh yeah and then we came back to Loki place...
Suddenly her head perked up, all sleepiness banished in an instant - back to lokis place?
She slowly, slowly turned to look at the other side of the bed...and was relieved - and a tad disappointed - to find no-one there on the opposing side.
Oh well she thought too good to be true i guess and with that she got out of bed and, with but a thought, willed a new set of clothes into being.
Unlike last time Marla chose to tone down her dress ware today - which in "Marla speak" meant a pair of form fitting black jeans, a blue sleeveless t-shirt, and a black leather jacket, with a pair of black, knee-high boots finishing off the ensemble. After a quick inspection and a satisfactory nod of her head she walked over to the bedroom door.
The room Marla walked into seemed to be the central living room and with the exception of a sofa placed in front of an electric fire on the opposite side to her, a small alcove that seemed to serve as a kitchen and a table in one corner which was home to a black and sliver lined laptop there was little else in the way of furniture. The window to her right was shaded by a Venetian blind, the sunlight casting bars of light across the room.
Lying on a couch, covered by a plaid blanket, was Loki. Marla was about to cross over towards the kitchen when something stopped her, and instead she leaned over to look at him closer, her eyes following details she hadn't seen - or not bothered to notice - before.
Even when he was asleep Loki still had a troubled, disgruntled look etched on his face, almost as if he was born with it. She noticed that despite his apparent age he still looked like a man in his early thirties, with a ruddy complexion, a slightly angular chin and a nose that was, in Marla's opinion, almost classical in shape.
In essence a real ladies man, if he'd put his mind to it. Thought Marla.
It was when she looked further that she noticed something majorly wrong.
Where the hells are his control programs? She thought. Sure enough he had no control program markings, not even on his cheeks that even unlicensed demons or goddesses had.
As Marla looked closer she could sense a shimmering, like a heat haze, cross her eyes...
"You havin' fun there" said Loki, one eye looking straight at her.
Marla jumped back, shocked " ah...well...that is..."
Loki grunted and, turning away from Marla, swung his legs out to the floor, revealing to Marla that, except for a pair of boxers, he was completely naked.
That wasn't the only thing that was revealed to Marla.
On Loki's back was a complicated Celtic knot work pattern that spanned the entirety of his back and front and, if she looked at too long, almost gave her eyestrain looking at.
Marla couldn't contain her curiosity "so, what's with the tattoo?"
Loki, who at this point had gotten off the sofa, stopped, and without looking at her picked up a shirt that was draped on the sofa back and quickly donned it, hiding the patterns.
"None of your damn business" said Loki, his voice suddenly edgy. He turned and walked towards a door marked 'BATHROOM', still not looking at Marla.
"Hey i was just..." started Marla, throwing her hands up defensively.
"There's food in the fridge" Loki interrupted, just before he slammed the bathroom door shut.
Marla stood still, the room now silent, her body feeling chilled from Loki's reaction.
"I was only asking" Marla mumbled to herself "didn't need to go off the handle about..."
Suddenly Marla's stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't had anything to eat for ages. Her eyes quickly found the fridge and in no time she was inside, rifling for her alternate power source.
Suddenly Marla stopped, her prey in sight. Marla licked her lips and, with unearthly speed, pounced.
Loki barely noticed the warm water of the shower as it flowed over him.
Almighty damn it he thought to himself why the hells am i doing this.
And what the hells was i thinking letting her stay here.
Oh yeah that's right - i wasn't..
Loki turned the shower off, feeling the last of the water run off him, pulled back the shower curtain and grabbed a towel to dry him off. He noticed the mirror that was above the sink and , after a moments thought, checked his back, his eyes tracing the patterns on his back.
Through the steam covered mirror Loki's thoughts drifted to another time...
Loki was running through the corridor, which was empty but for the lights on either side.
As he ran he willed the sprig of mistletoe in his hand to grow. The plant obeying him grew and twisted, until a sharp spear now remained in his hands.
He turned and ran up a flight of stairs, the sounds of jubilation now audible at the top.
He didn't care, he had only one goal.
In no time he reached the top and, running towards the front of the balcony he was on, saw his target.
Loki screamed, his voice silencing the room, "BALDUR!"
THUMP "LOKI!"
On the stage below a figure looked up, its eyes wide with shock.
Loki placed one foot on the balcony and, with one almighty roar threw the spear.
THUMP "OI LOKI, COME ON I'M GASPING!"
The door opened and Loki, dressed in nothing but a towel, came out, only to have Marla barge past him, grumbling something or other, and slam the door shut after him.
Loki shook his head - and then stopped.
A second later and it was Loki's turn to bang on the door." MARLA YOU BUGGER!" he roared.
"What?" said a muffled voice from behind the door.
"NEVER MIND 'WHAT' DID YOU SCOFF THE LAST OF MY BACON?"
"I was hungry"
"Yeah" said Loki his, voice coming down a decibel, "but most people COOK IT first"
There was a flush of the toilet, and Marla came out of the bathroom "look it's my alternate power source, i need to eat raw or rare cooked meat okay - it's my thing."
Loki pointed towards the pile of plastic that had once been containers of bacon "you could have at least cleaned up first"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll get onto it" Marla grumbled as she proceeded towards the kitchen.
Loki grumbled to himself and went into the bedroom. After drying himself off he looked through the wardrobe, as he did he was reminded yet again of one the disadvantages of having his powers curtailed - not being able to conjure up a new set of clothes.
But fortunately he had an ace in the hole.
He found a set of black denim jeans and, after a quick rummage through his laundry basket, a white shirt.
Loki sniffed the shirt experimentally, yeah that'll do he thought to himself, as he grabbed a pair of black shoes and left the bedroom.
When he re-entered he saw Marla putting the last of the bacon wrappers into the bin. "Satisfied?" she said sarcastically as she washed her hands in the kitchen sink.
Loki shook his head and walked over towards the laptop, pulling over a camping stool towards it. A few seconds later Marla joined him, leaning over him to see what he was doing.
"So, what yer doing?" asked Marla.
"Huh?" Loki asked, looking back towards Marla, "I'm just checking the pictures i took last night".
Marla shivered as she recalled holding Astartes' eye open. "So what yer got?"
"I don't know - i left Merlin on overnight to process the pictures and -"
"Pictures? But…" stammered Marla as she quickly checked her jacket pocket – to find nothing there.
A familiar looking camera appeared in Marla's eye line, held by a grinning Loki. "Looking for this" he said, in imitation of Marla's phrase from the previous night.
"So who's Merlin?" interrupted Marla, steering the topic way
"Oh Yeah" Loki said, pointing towards the laptop "Merlin, Marla. Marla, Merlin. Meet, have sex, shower, chat..."
Maybe it was the way Loki talked to the laptop that freaked Marla out.
Maybe it was the seriousness in his tone of voice.
Or maybe it was because the computer talked back to him.
"If you have QUITE finished", said "Merlin", its voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Ah come on, you know you love me really" said Loki, cheerfully.
"Hmm" said Merlin.
"Anyway, have you finished processing those photos yet?"
"Well" said Merlin, " Considering I lost a few due to SOMEONE not keeping the eyelid out of the lens..." at this Marla turned her back on the computer, grumbling to herself "I've had trouble processing the ones I could salvage"
"wadda you mean, trouble" asked Loki, suspiciously.
"Well, there seems to be some sort of scrambling effect around the face of the attacker, it's as if ..."
"As if someone was deliberately blocking their image"
"Precisely"
Loki grumbled and rubbed his forehead. "How long before you can crack it?"
"Hmm, ill have to run it through my other programs, and then try and hack Ygdrasill and access its systems if i can't do it - which won't be necessary"
"Merlin..." Growled Loki.
"Current Calculations about 3 - maybe four - micro cycles"
Loki grumbled "alright, any luck with Astartes?"
"Your prognosis of her death was surprising accurate, considering..." replied Merlin cockily "the only way she could have died was at the hand of another deity - a mortal couldn't have done this"
"But if that's the case" interrupted Marla "then who or what did this?"
"...I have insufficient information at this time to answer that query"
Marla threw her hands up in frustration "then what the hells use ARE you?"
"I could very well say the same about you Miss Marla" Merlin replied acidly.
"ALRIGHT LADIES!" Loki shouted, quieting both of them "If you've both finished?"
Marla stalked off towards the sofa and, after pulling out a portable TV From her jacket, sat down and watched it, occasionally pulling a sour face towards Loki's computer.
Loki groaned "look Merlin, I don't expect you to like this set-up - almighty knows I'm not too thrilled about it - but it's just until we finish this job. Can you keep your opinions to yourself till then?"
Merlin remained silent for a while "as you command, Loki".
"Loki, you'd better take a look at this" Marla suddenly shouted, her yes still locked on her TV.
"What?"
"Err...channel 4, quick"
"Merlin, TV, channel 4" Loki ordered, and Merlin wordlessly complied, opening a new window.
The window showed a smartly dressed woman, presumably a reporter, standing in front of what at first looked like to Loki to be a burnt out building.
It took less than a second for Loki to recognise the building.
"...Police are still puzzled" the reporter said " as to the official cause of the explosion that occurred at the Birmingham district morgue last night, which claimed the life of security officer Barney Edmund's, but the police are currently looking or the owner of this Morris minor..." at this the screen switched over to a grainy security that showed Loki's car pulling out of the car park.
Loki jumped out of his chair and ran towards the window.
"shitshitshitshit"
As he looked through the blinds he saw his car parked up out front - and a police officer standing suspiciously around it.
"" Loki cursed as he ran back from the window, grabbing his coat." Marla lets go!" Marla jumped off the sofa, but stopped to turn and see Loki go towards Merlin." what you doin'?"
"I'm bringing him with us" replied Loki matter of factly.
"WHAT? Your gonna lug that thing ar-"
"Merlin, disengage cloaking field" he said to the computer. The computer suddenly shimmered, blurred, and finally disappeared, leaving an ornate gold bracer, with silver wings for sides and a red glowing gem set near where the wrist would sit..
Loki grabbed the bracer and, after pulling the wings apart, slid his left hand inside. "Let's go".
"You are just so full of surprises" joked Marla as he turned to open the door.
Loki grabbed her hand. "woah" and looked towards the red gem. Suddenly a flat screen projection appeared in midair in front of Loki and Marla "Merlin, show us the cameras"
The screens image suddenly changed to a corridor, set with a series of identical doors. Armoured policemen, with two others on the opposite side, were standing next to a door.
The door to his room.
"Oh - key" Loki said, slightly panicked, "we could have -"
The last thing he recalled was a flare of light, a hand grabbing him by the shoulder, and the world collapsing into white.
TO BE CONTINUED...