DAY 1

She's tied to a thick pipe running up the side of the cabin wall, but not with rope or zip-ties. Around her wrists are clunky pieces of metal with a ring of glowing blue on the inside. Looks to her as if someone got their hands on some cyberpunk-type handcuffs and added some tacky glowsticks to them. Feeling a stab of fear, she rattles them against the pipe in an attempt to slip out of them, but they only grow tighter on her wrists, leaving a harsh red mark.

Before panic sets in, she has a quick look around, her deep breaths consoling her to an extent. It looks like a cute little cabin bungalow, with a pretty fireplace and quaint wooden furniture. A small kitchenette was to her left, and balcony doors led out to deck by a large body of water. It was beautiful with the sun gleaming through the windows and not unlike the ones she and her dad used to holiday in just to get away from the cities.

And it's deserted. She rattles her chains to the top to get a good look out of the window and sees nothing but trees to one side, water to the other. It looks to her like a lake, still and shimmering. She sits down again on the soft rug beneath her, disappointed. Maybe she should shout for help?

The soft padding of footsteps behind her makes her spin to face the doorway.

Oh shit.

She's seen him on TV- Thor's brother- the arrogant antler guy with aspirations to rule the world. Loki Odinson. And now he's standing in front of her in full armour, and she can't help but laugh at his helmet.

He tilts his head, almost fascinated, and crouches down next to her.

"You know who I am, you know what I have done and yet you laugh in my presence? You think me funny, Jane Foster?"

That wipes the smile off her face. He thinks she's Jane? She wonders what the hell he's after her for, and plays along, knowing damn well this psycho wouldn't think twice about burying her six foot under in the woods if he knew she was Darcy Lewis, intern-extraordinaire.

He grabs her face roughly and pulls her toward him, examining. She does the same, her gaze fixing on the pale white skin and the dark circles around his oddly bright green eyes.

"I see why my brother is so smitten. He is known to prefer beauty over brains. Though with your developing research, I profess it is possible to be both."

"You think I'm pretty?" Darcy can't meet his eyes, and doesn't want to laugh again. It's hard though, and she manages a barely supressed smile, her full lips pressed firmly together. He lets go of her with disgust.

"Wait. What am I even doing here?" She changes topic. "And you're supposed to be in Asgard."

"Those cells are not designed to hold something as strong as I. I need your research."

"What research? There's tons of it. Take it." Darcy shrugs and tries to slide out of her handcuffs to no avail.

"The research on the Bifrost you are building. I know you will have given it to the oaf, Thor, for safe-keeping."

"So your plan is to kidnap me so he gives the research to you? Wow, talk about picking on people your own size…" She scoffs.

"Your realm is primitive and base. You deserve no travel to our realms. Just because Thor happened to be cast out onto that rock does not grant you mortals permission to access such information! The superior realms must stay in the hands of those with power and knowledge."

"Excuse me, but we just got to that point! We're smart- we have enough knowledge, you think Asgard started out-"

"Silence!" He shouts and she flinches back into the stone wall. "I will not be told what you are capable of. "Asgard has saved Midgard time and time again. Once your Avengers are challenged and defeated, your realm will be naught but a barren wasteland to pave the way for superior beings. You humans are such a waste of resources."

Darcy sighs heavily. She's bored of this lecturing. She wants to snap back, but a nagging voice in the back of her head tells her that Loki would probably snap something of hers if she dared. Still, she was tempted to see how far she could go.

"But those Avenger dudes beat you. Doesn't that mean you're the same as us?"

At this, Loki throws his head back and laughs gracefully. She hates the way her gaze lingers on his pale throat, on his long fingers resting on his knees as he crouches down to her level. Sure, he is handsome as hell, but that doesn't mean his attitude is squeaky-clean. Or his criminal record, for that matter.

"You have spirit, I'll give you that." He tilts his head and smiles, and Darcy sees the mask underneath. The trickster, the playful child that drives him. It quickly turns to malice. "I will never be like you people."

"So… what now? You wait til Thor misses me and tries to find me? Then he trades the research over? I suppose my life is in danger, etcetera, etcetera."

She doesn't know why she's being so casual. An evil God is in front of her, threatening her life, and she's laughing? Must be the nerves. She tries to think what the real Jane would do in this situation. She'd probably be smart, calculating. She'd have probably made it out of these handcuffs by now. Darcy fidgets uncomfortably.

"I will contact him, and let him know my terms. Not today. I will let him worry, first. To rip apart that small island you call home, desperately looking for you."

"And if he doesn't agree…"

"I will send him parts of you until he does."

Darcy gulps, but tries to stay nonchalant. "Cool. Yeah. Sounds like a good deal."

There's a moment of silence before she speaks again.

"One thing…"

Loki, who has gotten up and across the room by now, turns and raises his eyebrows.

"What?"

"Can I try on the antlers?" She smirks to the ground, trying not to meet his eyes.

Loki looks baffled, his head tilting to one side in confusion. "No."

"Eugh." Darcy's bored already. Even in the face of impending death, she chooses sarcasm over the fear that Loki might decide to mail her fingers to New Mexico.

"Scrabble?" She suggests halfheartedly. She watches Loki, now in more casual garb, light the glowing orbs of light around the room and draw the curtains. Not before looking shiftily out of them, though.

"Monopoly then? Checkers? Um... Clue?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Entertainment. Board games. I know we have no electricity, so the internet or TV is out of the question, but c'mon, I can't sit here forever. I figure you're more of a chess-type, but god knows I don't exactly know the rules."

"Is your aim to be as annoying as possible? It will not result in you being released."

"When will you call Thor? Wait… how will you call Thor? Space-phone?"

"Stand up."

"Hell no."

Loki grabs her hair and pulls her up, forcing her wrists to catch on the handcuffs as they slide up the pipe. She leans against the wall and scowls at him as he releases her sharply, rolling his eyes and tracing a circle in the air in front of them.

His fingertips glow green, and the circle becomes a screen. She can suddenly see the lab, where Thor and Jane are tapping away on separate computers frantically. Darcy's secretly happy they've been worried, but whispers 'shit' when she notices Jane look up, toward them through the screen.

"Darcy?!" Jane gets up and rushes toward them, Thor following after, until their faces fill up the entire screen.

Loki looks back at Darcy with rage. "Darcy?"

"Holy shit- No, guys, I'm Jane, yeah?" Darcy looks at Loki's furious glare and thinks quickly. "It's a… nickname?"

"What?" Jane and Thor's panic fades to confusion as they tilt their heads, eyebrows furrowed in unison.

"Eugh. Forget it." Darcy rolls her eyes as Loki composes his rage.

"Loki?" Thor nudges past Jane and growls. "You touch a hair on Darcy Lewis' head and you answer to me. What is it you want now, brother? Another kingdom?"

"Hardly." Loki sneers happily, realising this woman would be of use after all- Thor's threats were not entirely empty. "I want your Bifrost plans, and the sceptre you keep hidden from me."

"You said you just wanted-" Darcy begins, before Loki shuts her off with a hiss of "silence!"

"You wish to procure the plans in exchange for Darcy's return? Nothing would make me happier." Behind him, Jane is glaring at Loki silently. "Though I cannot give you the sceptre, brother. It has poisoned your mind and soul too long."

"Don't give him anything, guys. He's a psyc-"

Darcy doesn't see the hand until it hits her, hard, whipping across her face with a crack. She whimpers as her arms slam against the pipe, her wrists straining against the cuffs from the sheer force of the hit. She refuses to fall, though, her legs shakily supporting her.

Loki turns back to Thor through the screen and smiles manically. "Your move, brother. I will give you a week to procure the sceptre. I need not tell you what will happen if you fail."

He snaps his fingers and the screen disappears, folding in on itself.

Darcy breathes heavily, tears streaming down her face from sheer pain. She's more angry than hurt though, and she struggles in her restraints as she tries to lunge at him.

"What the fuck was that for? Asshole!"

Loki sighs heavily. "You do not know the meaning of the word, hostage, am I correct?"

"Yeah of course I do- my mom once took me to New Jersey and this guy got me in the back of his van and he treated me real nice until my mom gave him a couple hundred bucks to give me back. Hell, I wanted to stay there."

"This is not New Jersey." He snaps. "Why did you lie about being Jane Foster?"

"I didn't want you going back for my friend. Duh."

"So you'd be loyal to the point of destruction."

"What do you need the sceptre for? You said you just wanted to stop us building the bridge!"

Loki sits himself opposite her in a cosy armchair. "Darcy Lewis." He says her name like a question, but she hates the way her name sounds on his lips, and apparently he does too, suppressing amusement. "There are worlds beyond your own, you know. And inside those worlds are creatures that will rule you, given the chance. The only way to stay in their favour is to deliver what they desire. I owe a debt."

"To who?"

"Your kind would not know such a creature." Loki tuts and crosses his legs.

"True." She shrugs. "Probably got an ominous space name or something. They always do."

Loki looks at her for a second, entirely confused by this… creature he has managed to accidentally pick up. Still, Thor and (the real) Jane seemed anxious at his choice of hostage, so he feels as if he has some leverage. He stays silent, not entirely sure he wants to talk to the strange girl who apparently yo-yos from anger to sarcasm in record time.

"I'm hungry." Darcy moans, causing Loki to ignore her completely and walk out of the room, leaving Darcy alone with her thoughts. "And my face hurts!" She shouts after him.

After another round of shouting at a wooden door, she realises that the 'annoying technique' didn't exactly work on him like it did with the guy in New Jersey. Maybe, she thinks, if she tries a more… sincere, damsel in distress-type, he'd probably feel a little bit sorry, right? He probably loves those, she thinks wryly, knowing for a fact that this man loves to be in charge.

After an awkward toilet break (Loki insisted on following her in the bathroom), she stays silent for the remainder of the night, and Loki doesn't return. Maybe tomorrow, she thinks hopelessly, trying to filter out the strange noises she can hear outside the cabin.