This one is a long one. If you've seen Agents of SHIELD (highly recommend), Kitson might sound familiar.
Chapter Eight: Kitson
The nightmares only worsened, to the point where even Thor finally agreed they shared the same dreams.
Flashbacks also plagued Loki during waking moments, no longer contained to his sleeping mind. The surge of energy he unleashed in the dining room did nothing to stop the overwhelming anxiety. If anything, the sudden increase of sedir flowing unhindered through his veins only heightened his fear they were being stalked.
The outburst of energy felt like he had unwittingly sent up a flare—a beacon to their location—and he couldn't shake the feeling he had doomed them all.
He brought his concern to Thor, and then to Heimdall who said he could not see anyone following them. The confirmation from the gatekeeper did nothing to ease Loki's fraying nerves, so he busied himself to distract the worries from consuming him fully.
Most of the still citizens gave him a wide berth. From what he could tell, everyone slowly adjusted to living on the crowded Statesman and accepted their fate. However, people complained about close quarters, lack of good food, and overall restlessness. Supplies ran out faster than anticipated and their finances depleted with every stop.
Loki sat in a corner, staring out the window and eating a small bowl of soup. He would have preferred a larger and less watery portion, but their food supply dwindled to a few vegetables and small cuts of meat from unknown animals. The leathery meat and rubbery vegetables did little to satisfy his hunger.
While staring out at the stars, a large figure came into his line of view, reflected on the glass. Loki took another bite of soup before acknowledging his brother.
"Sneaking around doesn't work when I hear you coming," Loki stated.
"It was not my intent," Thor said, calm yet weary.
The responsibilities of king still affected Thor. Problems constantly arose on the ship, and Loki, speaking from experience, thanked the Norns for not having to deal with people directly anymore. Assisting Banner with repairs or doing supply checks was tedious and repetitive. He currently lacked the patience to calm an angry mother or an elderly couple complaining about back pain from a stiff mattress.
"What do you want?" Loki asked.
Thor leaned against the wall and stared down at his brother. "I need your help."
"I'm busy," Loki said and took another bite of soup. He almost choked as a rubbery vegetable slid down his throat without warning. He regained his composure, although it hurt going down.
"Loki, please," Thor said, his arms folded across his broad chest. His beard had gotten thicker since their argument and he had bags under his good eye.
Loki scoffed and rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the pain in his chest from swallowing the vegetable whole. "Is there no one else?"
"You're the best on this ship at negotiating."
"What is it?" Loki sighed, taking another bite of soup, slower this time.
"Heimdall located another planet," Thor explained. "It is not the most friendly place and we do not have the money but we cannot afford to pass it. So I need you to negotiate for us."
"And what planet is it?" Loki asked, his interest piqued.
"Kitson," Thor said.
Loki froze and then laughed in surprise. "Kitson? Really?"
Thor raised an eyebrow. "You have heard of it? Heimdall says it's a planet perfect for earning more money..."
"Yes, by either gambling in their rigged games or selling yourself to one of the brothels. It's a nasty place, absent of any basic scrap of decency. I'm not going there, and if you want to keep your spotless reputation, neither should you."
Thor looked taken aback, apparently not receiving all the details from Heimdall.
"Oh," Thor mumbled.
"Perhaps if paid more attention in your lessons and studied planets outside of Yggdrasil you would have known. I doubt even Heimdall everything about it. It's not a commonly known planet but it's reputation precedes it. I would advise avoiding it at all costs."
Thor pursed his lips as he thought. Loki turned back to his now-cooled soup, ignoring Thor even though he could still see his brother in his peripheral.
"We cannot make it to another planet," Thor said. "Kiston, as horrible as it sounds, is the closest and we are extremely low on fuel. I know you don't like it but this is our only option."
"If you want to go there, be my guest but I'm staying. It's a planet full of thieves and perverts. It's no place for royalty; we will stick out."
"Then we find a disguise," Thor suggested.
"And if we do, what then?" Loki questioned, his patience reaching its limit. He just wanted to eat and not think about going to one of the worst places in the galaxy. "It's one of two options and I am not selling myself to a damn brothel."
"I never said you should. We will gamble; find some strategy game and win. You're good at strategy games, we would start small and then..."
"No."
"Loki, please…"
"I said no, Thor. I'm not going to Kitson; it's risky."
"If we don't we will get stuck floating in space and slowly starve to death," Thor said, gesturing wildly. "I suggest this because we are desperate and are a long way from Midgard."
"We are not in friendly territory anymore. We have no allies. If we fail, then we are doomed," Loki stated.
"We're doomed either way but at least we could have a chance of surviving," Thor said, practically pleading. "I would take Banner with me but he lacks knowledge outside of Midgardian customs. Perhaps you could show him how to play a game and then we could double our chances of winning. I'll come along in case a fight breaks out. Loki, please, I need your help."
Loki rolled his eyes and swallowed the rest of his soup before responding. He's probably going to regret this.
"Fine."
-oOo-
A short, chubby, balding man with round glasses greeted them at Kiston's docking station. He went through a list of requirements before they entered the planet. Thor set Heimdall to guard the Statesman in their absence, and the trio disembarked.
The air, thick and humid, made their clothes stick to their skin. The atmosphere had an orange tinge to it and tasted like dust. Already, Loki wished he had stayed on the ship because the humid air stuck to his tongue and coated his throat in a layer of sticky dirt.
Next to him, Thor gestured for Loki to take the lead.
"Do you know where you're going?" Thor asked, staying a half-step behind Loki.
"Vaguely," Loki stated and fell silent. On his other side, Banner struggled to math the Asgardians' long strides.
Before leaving, the three of them left their armour and opted for less conspicuous outfits. Thor had somehow found a plain tunic and leather pants. Banner wore black skinny jeans, Stark's borrowed jacket, and a white t-shirt with some Midgardian music cover on it. Loki kept his pants and boots but chose a different, slightly worn jacket instead of his cape.
Although he sweated under the atmosphere, he kept the hood up to conceal his identity. The last thing he wanted right now was someone to recognize him and jeopardize their whole plan.
Their plan sounded easy, in theory. Find a strategy game at one of the casinos, start with small bets, and build up enough money to buy enough fuel and supplies to make it to the next planet.
They'll figure out the rest through bargaining, and on friendlier planets, maybe throwing their titles around.
Finding a casino didn't take long. Kitson had plenty of casinos so Loki just chose the closest one.
The lights overhead inside the building shifted colors at a fast enough rate to disorient even the most resilient people.
A young woman with short, white hair stood behind a check-in podium and gave the group a wide smile in greeting.
"Welcome to the House of Games," the woman said and glanced at Thor's eyepatch. "Robots, droids, mechs, cyborgs, and synths are strictly prohibited. Violators will be removed and executed."
Banner's eyes widened at the threat. Thor frowned and touched his eyepatch. "I just lost my eye, there's nothing mechanical under here."
The woman raised an eyebrow.
"I can take it off if you want—"
The woman held up her hand. "No, no, it is quite alright." She looked slightly disgusted at Thor's suggestion.
Turning to Loki and Banner, the woman added: "Please check your weapons and moral high ground then walk through the scanner."
Neither Thor nor Banner had any weapons, not that they needed any. Thor stared at Loki, waiting for him to deposit his daggers into a box on the counter.
"What?" Loki asked.
"Don't you—" Thor motioned at the box.
Loki rolled his eyes and lifted his hands in surrender. "I come unarmed."
He reserved his wink and smirk for when he turned his back toward the woman.
Sighing, Thor said nothing in response to Loki's wink and walked through the scanner first. Loki swept his arm wide and gave a small bow to Banner. Banner followed Thor and Loki went next.
The scanner—more like a hallway with sticks of white lights attached to the walls every few feet—did not react to any sign of weapons. The white light irritated his eyes less than the constant colorful neons.
At the end of the scanner, a flight of stairs led down to a darkened stairwell. Few lights lit the path, so they had to watch their steps, the stairs creaking under their combined weight.
To their right, numerous chains hung from the ceiling. A set of double doors sat at the bottom of the stairwell. Thor stepped through it first, pushing it open with a small flourish.
Driving electronic music blared out over the bustling room. Indistinct conversations blended with the cheering and ear-splitting music. Many gaming tables spread out over the spacious room illuminated by neon lights placed in specific areas to highlight the room's features. Waitresses carried drinks on glowing trays, weaving through the tables with ease.
A bar sat to the right of the entrance, and glasses and bottles sat on the shelves behind the countertop. A few bartenders poured drinks for the odd assortment of patrons sitting on the plush bar stools.
Thor made his way over to the far end of the bar, sitting on an open stool. Loki and Banner joined him. None of them ordered any drinks; they couldn't afford it.
"Do any look easy?" Thor asked, turning around in his stool to survey the room.
Loki grimaced a bit at Thor's lack of subtlety but spun halfway to face his brother while having a good view of the room. Most of the gaming tables had a fair amount of people surrounding them and the crowd could make it easy to blend in. He just had to pick one.
"Have you played poker before?" Banner suddenly asked, leaning his forearms on the countertop and trying his best to not seem terrified. The poor human looked so out of place and uncomfortable Loki would have felt pity for him if he hadn't known Banner could turn into a raging green beast if provoked.
"What's poker?" Loki asked, completely serious.
Banner gave his signature confused look. "You've never played poker? It's a common card game people gamble with. Tony taught me how to play; I'm very good at it."
Loki smirked. "Maybe we can find a version of it here for you to play."
Banner shook his head and opened his mouth to protest. Loki held up a hand.
"I jest. I'm not going to force anyone into doing something they don't want to do," Loki said, directing a glare at Thor. The blonde, too busy staring at the gaming tables, didn't notice.
"Our best bet is finding a strategy game—games of chance are too risky," Loki suggested.
"How are we going to find a strategy game?" Thor asked, spinning back around in his stool to face the bar instead.
"We could ask someone who works here…" Banner suggested.
"Or we could just join a game," Loki said and stood up. He weaved through the tables and found an opening at one card table. He sat down as Thor and Banner stood behind him to watch, just like a few other spectators.
The dealer—a tall, blue-skinned man with short, dark hair—handed Loki a few cards and waited for Loki to make a bet. Loki took out an Asgardian coin from his pocket, glamoured it to look like the common betting chips everyone had in the bar, and set it down in front of him.
"Starting small," Loki said when the dealer raised an eyebrow at Loki's meager bet. "I can't waste it all on the start, can I?"
The dealer shrugged and looked around at the table. "Any other bets before we begin?"
A few other gamblers set out their bets. Once everyone had done so, the dealer started flipping cards. The objective seemed to reach a score of twenty-one, or as close as possible, without going over.
"It's like blackjack," Banner whispered to himself somewhere on Loki's right.
Loki didn't know what it meant. He had never heard of blackjack before. Judging by Banner's excitement, it must have been a popular card game on Midgard.
In this version, Loki realized if he counted the cards, he could figure out whether to draw another card or stay. As card games went, this one seemed relatively easy, and he soon had a large stack of chips piled in front of him.
A few other gamblers groaned or complained whenever Loki won the round. As his pile grew, Loki allowed himself to relax, a smirk forming on his face
However, his smile quickly faded to a frown shortly after a large, tan man with long, brown hair and a horseshoe-shaped beard sat down on Loki's left.
The horseshoe man kept throwing Loki suggestive looks with his creepy, beady eyes and maneuvered his chair to sit uncomfortably close to Loki's. In addition, the man's constant talking became so aggravating, that Loki thought about stabbing the man in the face to shut him up.
"What's a pretty, little thing like yourself doing in a place like this?" Horseshoe asked.
"Winning," Loki retorted, never taking his eyes off the cards in his hands.
Replying to the man would probably only encourage him to continue flirting. Loki tended to not think through his words before responding whenever his patience wore thin.
Thor hadn't sensed Loki's discomfort, not that Loki relied on his oaf of a brother to get Horseshoe to back off. Thor's presence, however, did ease some of Loki's nerves because he knew he had support if something were to happen. Such as a random dagger suddenly sticking into the hand of an overly flirtatious gambler in dire need of a shave.
"Impressive," Horseshoe continued, whistling low when Loki won another round.
Loki's stack of chips towered over Horseshoe's meager three. He suspected the man's interests lay more in flirting than in gambling.
Suddenly, Horseshoe's large hand brushed Loki's knee. Despite the quickness and randomness of the action, Loki knew Horseshoe did not intend for an accidental touch. Loki threw the man a sidelined glare, but Horseshoe scratched his bear and gulped down his moldy-cheese-smelling drink, feigning ignorance.
The touch didn't stop there. Horseshoe kept brushing Loki's knee and sometimes his thigh. It got to the point where Horseshoe kept his hand on Loki's thigh for exactly five seconds before returning to fumble with his cards.
Loki suppressed a grimace and glanced over his shoulder at Thor and Banner to see if they noticed anything. Banner, apparently, was feeling adventurous after watching Loki play a version of 'blackjack' and had wandered off to another table playing the same game. Judging by his stack of chips, Banner wouldn't need any help.
Thor stood next to Loki, a faraway look in his eye. Glowering, Loki focused on his cards. Centuries of growing up together let Loki read his brother's body language well, and the way he gazed into the middle distance, Thor had long ago zoned out.
Loki shifted a little in his seat to once again move away from Horseshoe, trying to pay attention to the dealer.
This time, Horseshoe's hand rested on Loki's thigh again and started massaging up and down.
"Don't I know you from somewhere?" Horseshoe asked, his hand continuing its movement.
"No," Loki replied, anxiety crawling up his spine. Terrible memories of his time in the Void flashed in his mind but he shoved them to the side. He shouldn't waste his time on ridiculous worries; Horseshoe wouldn't know about what happened with Thanos.
"Hm, I'm sure I do," Horseshoe continued. "You remind me of a pretty, young, little prisoner on a certain Mad Titan's ship. Of course, it's a little hard to recognize you without all the shackles and—"
At that, Loki stood up, grabbed Horseshoe's wrist, twisted it behind Horseshoe's back, and slammed the large man face-first onto the table. The table jolted from the impact and the other players jumped in shock.
Thor's hand clamped down onto Loki's shoulder, somehow both anchoring Loki to reality and angering him even further.
"Back off or you have more than a broken nose," Loki hissed in Horseshoe's ear.
Horseshoe laughed, his whole body shaking under Loki's grip. "Bold words for an ergi. You're a long way from home, no friends, no one to defend you."
"He's not alone," Thor growled and yanked Horseshoe from Loki's grip, tangling his fist in the man's shirt. "Touch him like that again and next time you won't be so lucky."
Thor pushed Horseshoe away from him and turned to Loki. Horseshoe laughed, gaining the brothers' attention. The man wiped the blood from his busted nose and smirked.
"There's a bounty out for you," Horseshoe said, pointing at Loki. "I intend to claim it."
Whispers of his name started weaving through the crowd as people stared at Loki. His hood had fallen, making it easier for people to recognize him. And, apparently, a lot of people knew him.
Well, damn.
Sweat beaded along Loki's hairline as panic slowly gripped tightly his chest. None of this should've happened. They were supposed to find a game, earn enough money, and then leave. The crowd of outlaws and degenerates wasn't supposed to use them as a way to earn easy money. Loki's reputation must have reached further than he originally suspected.
"He's mine!" a voice from the crowd shouted.
"Not if I get him first!" another person yelled.
Chaos descended on the casino.
They lunged at him from all angles, knocking him to the floor. Horseshoe tackled Thor, but the king grabbed Horseshoe's foul drink and smashed the glass over the man's head. Banner ducked under the bar, wisely avoiding the fight.
From beneath a pile of bodies, Loki thought he saw a tinge of green on Banner's face. If the Hulk made a special appearance in such a small, enclosed space, they would lose all chances of buying more fuel and supplies.
Angry, Loki summoned his daggers from his pocket dimension and stabbed them into the nearest chest. He kicked off an overweight man and shoved a pink-skinned waitress away.
Rolling to his feet, he slashed at anyone who dared to approach. There were too many to fend off, and soon, the crowd closed in on him again. Hands gripped him by the shoulders and upper arms, pulling him every which way. Someone caught his wrist and twisted sharply, causing him to drop his dagger out of pain.
Between the gaps of limbs, Loki saw Thor fighting off a swarm of patrons who must have assumed Thor also had a bounty on his head. The small space of the casino would have electrocuted them all if Thor used his lightning, so he resorted to tossing the attackers aside.
Well, he's fine, Loki dimly thought.
At least two dozen people fought for a chance to capture Loki, return him to Thanos, and earn a rather large sum of money.
Struggling, Loki lashed out at anyone, managing to kick a few away. More filled in the gap, replacing each other as quickly as they retreated.
Panic flaring, his mind lost control and tossed him into a memory:
Sprinting through the Sanctuary, Loki clambered over the rough ridges of the asteroid, not watching where he ran. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, kicking him into high gear and giving him the energy for his frail, exhausted body to vault over a chasm.
He landed hard on the other side and rolled to break the fall. He stumbled when he pushed himself to his feet, shaking from the exertion of both the mad scramble to escape and from the energy blast he had unleashed on Thanos only minutes earlier.
Chest heaving, Loki forced his tired limbs to keep moving, not entirely sure where to go. He had seen little of the Sanctuary's layout, and now, he discovered it extended further than he thought.
Stopping himself in time from dropping off a ledge, his feet slipped out from under him and he collapsed onto his rear. Below him, hundreds of Chitauri mingled about, all carrying weapons.
Loki rolled to his front and pushed himself to shaky feet.
"You are quite troublesome," a calm voice said.
Loki glanced up to see Ebony Maw, one of Thanos's trusted lieutenants and leader of the Black Order.
Dammit.
"You can fight as much as you want, Jotun, but Thanos will see his glory," Ebony Maw continued, floating closer. He flicked his wrist, whittling down shards of asteroid rock into needle-like daggers. Another flick and the daggers sailed through the air.
Loki dodged the attack only to trip on a cavity in the ground and tumble down the ledge.
The Chitauri spotted him immediately, and like ants on a mound, swarmed him. They caught him and held fast, overwhelming any attempts at breaking free.
Then the Chitauri parted to reveal Ebony Maw, a collar dangling in his hand.
"Thanos will make you pay for your actions," Ebony Maw said. He reached forward, and Loki, pinned in place by Chitauri, couldn't resist. The collar opened into a half-circle and the noseless alien slipped it around Loki's neck.
As soon as the collar clipped shut, it hummed and Loki felt energy wash over him, squashing his sedir.
"No more fighting, princeling," Ebony Maw said. "Thanos does not take kindly to traitors."
No, no, NO!
Loki heard himself scream. Hands clawing at his neck in desperation, he found...nothing. The collar...he had no collar. They couldn't suppress his magic—not anymore.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he balled his fists and let himself feel the power pooled within. He let it grow and grow and grow, the green light visible even through lidded eyes.
He brought his hands to his chest, and then, fingers parting, whipped his arms out.
A blast of pure energy surged from Loki, arching out in a bubble and sweeping through the building. People screamed as the energy ripped through them, draining their life forces and killing them instantly.
Tables and other objects rattled and toppled over from the shockwave. Glass shattered and wood caught fire—the green energy burning brighter and brighter until everything transformed into pure white.
Arms splayed, Loki let all the rage, guilt, and fear pour out.
He felt himself smile—Thanos no longer controlled him. He was finally free.
-oOo-
Several patrons lay sprawled on the floor, unconscious from Thor's punches. The crowd seemed endless, attacking from all sides. He had long ago lost sight of his brother amid the chaotic brawl.
They wanted Loki for something and Thor didn't know why. He had no idea Loki had a bounty on his head. As far as Thor knew, Loki only had crimes on Midgard, Jotunheim, and Asgard—all contained the Nine Realms.
Unless Loki had done something while in the Void, which Thor didn't want to think about. Of course, Thor knew something must have gone horribly wrong when Loki first arrived on Midgard after his supposed death. The ensuing fights distracted him from questioning the circumstances further.
The horseshoe-beard man's words must have struck a cord in Loki because the younger prince usually didn't get riled by mere threats. The calmer of the two, it often took more than words to provoke Loki.
The Mad Titan's name rang a bell but Thor couldn't remember where he heard it. It certainly held a deeper meaning for Loki because Thor saw his little brother seize at name.
Dammit, Thor thought as he threw a bartender into the wall.
When all of this was over, Thor swore he would sit Loki down and have a long, probably uncomfortable, discussion about what had happened in the Void. They both had things to get off their chest, and what better way than to lay it all out in the open?
First, Thor had to find his brother, not an easy feat considering the size of the crowd and how easily Loki tended to slip into the shadows.
A well-aimed kick freed Thor from the hands of a large, burly woman with several scars crisscrossing her face and bare arms. Scanning the room, Thor noticed a set of double doors on the opposite side of the casino's front entrance.
Seeing no other sign of Loki, Thor growled and shoved his way through the mass of bodies. As much as he wanted to unleash his lightning to make the path wider, the enclosed space would only put Banner and Loki in unwarranted danger.
The doors were within reach and he grabbed hold of the handles.
He stomped on the feet of someone standing behind him, threw the double doors wide open, and immediately crumpled from a burst of energy.
-oOo-
When Thor came too, he lay flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Little black dots danced in his eye, mocking him for succumbing to a shockwave.
Groaning, he palmed his head, trying to ease the massive headache straining inside his skull. Feeling like the Hulk slammed a small house onto him, his muscles cramped and a ringing in his ears spiked in volume. The haze in the air pushed down on him—suffocating.
Thor grunted and squinted to force the little dots away only to discover the spiderwebbing in the ceiling above. A cloud of dust rained down as the splinters slowly formed into larger cracks.
Great, Thor thought, causing his vision to blur again. Bury me alive, that's how I'll go. The king and prince of Asgard will both be—
"Loki!" Thor gasped and immediately sat up, the sudden movement causing his back to spasm as if he had just thrown out his back.
Head swiveling from side to side, Thor realized the haze came from the smoke billowing up from flames licking at the furniture. The orange tongues began their ascent along the walls, leaving scorched remains in their wake.
Bodies littered the floor, all glowing with a faint green light. None of them moved, not even to breathe.
"Thor?" Banner called out. Thor craned his neck to find the scientist peeking out over the top of the bar. "Wha-what happened?"
Thor turned back to where the double doors used to be, both of which were currently embedded on the opposite wall of the casino, blown off from the blast. The fire engulfed the hallway in front of him, but through the smoke and flames, a bubble of green shone in the middle of the carnage.
Thor rolled onto his knees, cursed through the pain, and lurched to his feet. He gripped the wall for balance, mindful of the smoke and fire, and limped to the open door. His legs seized with each step and he almost fell several times as he staggered over.
An extremely painful cramp formed in his right thigh, and he collapsed just outside the green bubble. Through the smoke, Thor could make out several more bodies surrounding the sealed half-circle.
Adrenaline gave Thor a burst of energy and he crawled his way over to where Loki lay face up on the dirty floor, his arms spread wide.
Thor placed a tentative hand on the green dome and released a sigh of relief when his hand sank to the elbow into the green light. Pushing himself the rest of the way through, he placed two fingers on the side of Loki's neck. He felt a pulse—faint yet still there.
Groaning, Thor threaded his arms under Loki's unconscious form and let out a series of loud curses as he stood. The green light dissipated when they left the bubble, popping in a shower of green sparks.
Mindful of not banging Loki's head against the door frame, Thor sidled out sideways and shuffled back down the hallway. Banner had moved away from the bar and nervously watched the cracks in the ceiling. Despite the obvious anxiety, not a hint of green marred Banner's skin.
"What happened?" Banner asked again, wavering only a tiny bit once Thor entered the room.
"I don't know but we need to leave—now," Thor said, struggling to remain standing. Normally, Thor had no problem carrying someone as light as Loki. Now, his body protested every step and his arms strained to hold Loki aloft. "Grab whatever money you can find and let's get out of here?"
"We're stealing now?" Banner asked, scanning the room.
"I think we earned it," Thor replied, nodding toward the casino chips scattered across the room.
Banner obliged and collected as much as he could stuff into his pockets.
Going back up the stairs required some effort, but nobody stopped them. As they passed through the scanner and out the main entrance, Thor noticed the white-haired woman slumped against the wall, presumably dead.
Returning to the Statesman took forever. If Thor felt like this, he could only imagine what Banner felt.
Heimdall greeted them at the ship and did not question them further. Once inside, Thor peeled away from Banner and struggled to his bedroom.
Setting Loki on the bed, Thor dropped down beside him, blissfully allowing the darkness to consume him as his body finally gave out.
The white-haired lady survived and is the same one who appeared in Agents of SHIELD 6x3 which takes place in 2019. Kitson had a while to rebuild before the agents showed up.