The prison is brightly lit. Almost uncomfortably.
"I hate these places." Valkyrie complains as she studies the magical seams of the jail cell's barrier. She peaks down the side and spots a single guard standing at the end of the hall, looking away. She looks down the other way, noticing several other cells. They all look empty. "They must not get many... guests." She turns toward Thor who is laying on her side in the corner of the padded room.
"Are you going to lay there all day?" Valkyrie asks.
Thor does not reply, she continues to stare at the wall.
"You're not still crying are you?" She tries riling her up, but still gets no response. She takes a few steps toward her to make sure she is still awake. Thor is definitely not crying, but it does look like she was, recently. "Thor?" Valkyrie calls out.
Thor leans further into the wall with a sniff.
"We're never going to get out of here, if you don't help me." Valkyrie tells her.
Thor continues to pout quietly in the corner.
"Fine! I don't need your help!" Valkyrie turns toward the barrier again. "I've gotten out of worse jail cells than this." She starts poking at the corners once more.
"What are you doing?"
The sudden questioning causes Valkyrie to jump backwards, worried that she was caught. She takes a few steps away to see a familiar figure. "Loki!" She exclaims.
Loki is in female form. She nervously looks over her shoulder at the guard when her name is said. The guard does not seem to notice, nor care.
"You slimy traitor! Where the hell have you been?" Valkyrie is sure to keep her voice down this time.
"I've been looking for a way off this rock." Loki says matter-of-factly. "Hela took off with the ship, and something tells me she isn't finding better parking."
"I had just assumed you would sooner abandon us." Valkyrie grumbles.
"Oh, I had!" Loki admits. "Credit where credit is due, but then I caught wind of what's been happening."
"You mean the Celestial?" Valkyrie asks.
"That, among other things." Loki admits.
"Other things?"
"Oh, you're to be executed." Loki says cheerfully. "It's going to be a big celebration."
"Executed?" Valkyrie rolls her eyes. "You have to get us out of here. How did you get past the guards?
Loki flashes something that looks like a small card. "Visitor's pass."
"Visitor's pass?!" Valkyrie huffs, angrily losing her patience. "What are we, fish?"
"What's wrong with Thor?" Loki dissipates and reappears inside the jail cell. With a wave he returns to his male form. "That's better." He mutters
"Why would you do that!" Valkyrie shouts. "It's a one way magic cell! Now you can't get out."
"I have my ways." Loki responds confidently before approaching Thor. "Thor," he calls out, "Brother?"
"Go away..." She finally speaks.
Loki moves closer, kneeling down close to her head. "What's wrong, brother?"
"I don't want to talk about it." She tells Loki.
"She's just been like that for hours." Valkyrie points.
"Are you ok?" Loki looks up toward Valkyrie. "I haven't seen him this upset since father banished him to Midgar."
"Just go away, brother." Thor grumbles. "Leave me here... to die."
"Hey, don't talk like that." Loki sits on the floor cross legged. "You have so much to live for..." He looks her up and down briefly. "You've got your hair back... kind of."
"I don't have patience for your humor now, brother. Just leave me be... to rot!"
"Come on, big guy. You don't mean that." Loki looks up toward Valkyrie while shaking his head.
"Don't you want to save your people? Superhero with your friends? You love superheroing!"
"No!" Thor grumbles, as tears roll down her cheek. "They don't need me... I'm not a superhero. I'm a failure."
"Hey." Loki rubs Thor's shoulder. "Maybe in my eyes you're a failure, but not your friends... They love you."
"You're wasting time. Are we ever going to get out of here?" Valkyrie interrupts.
Loki raises a reprimanding finger and grins at her. "These sorts of things take time." He focuses his attention back on Thor.
Valkyrie rolls her eyes.
"What's going on brother? What's got you down?" Loki asks. "Is it because Hela stabbed you?" Thor curls up a bit more. "I'm sure it's just, she just doesn't know you like I do."
"Haven't you stabbed him before also?"
"We're not talking about that right now." Loki tells Valkyrie. "Can't you just... go somewhere else."
Valkyrie gestures toward the jail cell barrier, but chooses not to say anything. She throws her back against the wall and slides down to sit on the floor also, content to wait out whatever this is.
"What's going on, Brother?" Loki continues. "I know it can't be Hela. The gladiator is right, I have definitely done worse."
Thor sniffs.
"Is it the gender thing?" No answer. "Because you were already very pretty before, so there's not much difference. I'm sure your friends won't make fun of you. They're definitely too nice for their own good."
"No." Thor grumbles.
"Is it Nebula? Because, I'm pretty sure he's fine, wherever he is." Thor just grumbles a negative response.
"It's not me is it?" Loki asks. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was me, but I hope it's not."
Thor stays quiet.
"Is it Valkyrie?" Loki peaks at her briefly before looking back to his brother, "Because, I don't like her either. She drinks entirely too much."
Valkyrie rolls her eyes and scoffs.
There is a long silence before Loki turns and leans on the wall himself. "Well, you're going to have to tell me what's wrong, because I am honestly at a loss." He gives Thor a moment to respond, which doesn't happen. "I must say, you've never been so mysterious. It's usually obvious why you're sad." Thor stays quiet.
Loki leans against the wall and decides to list off possible reasons. "There has to be something specific eating at you brother, not much gets you this way... Like... me dying, leaving James (Jane) back on Earth, me dying again, Hela breaking your hammer," Thor pulls herself closer to the wall a bit at the mention of the hammer. Loki notices this. "me dying again..?" Loki adds this last comment to see if he is getting closer or has hit the mark. When Thor doesn't react, he backtracks.
"Is that it?" Loki raises an eyebrow. "Your hammer."
"No." Thor sobs.
"Oh come on, brother. I know you loved that hammer... but you have your axe now."
"No..." Thor sobs loudly.
"Thor, it's not that bad." Loki says. "If anything, your axe is way cooler."
Thor continues to cry quietly. Loki seems somewhat confused.
"What's wrong, Brother?" Loki pushes her shoulder roughly. "Were you really that attached to your hammer?" Thor lightly sobs. Loki looks toward Valkyrie, seeing her impatience before turning back toward Thor. "I suppose we could go back to Earth... Pick up the pieces."
Thor quiets slightly before muttering something, "Not wor...y?"
"I'm sorry. What was that?" Loki asks. Even Valkyrie looks up, rather surprised.
After a few sniffles, Thor repeats herself. "I'm not worthy..."
"Not worthy?" Loki asks. "Of course you're worthy. You're Thor Odinson. It's in your name."
"I'm not worthy." Thor insists. "The axe won't listen to me anymore."
"What?" Loki is legitimately shocked. He looks up toward Valkyrie who nods in acknowledgment.
"He can't summon it anymore." Valkyrie verifies this.
"Hmm..." Loki mutters, now looking concerned.
"I'm not worthy, Brother." Thor sobs. "I can't protect my people. I can't protect Earth. I can't even protect myself!"
"Hey, it's just an axe." Loki is not sure what to say, as this development is completely unexpected. "You don't need that dirty old thing. Don't let something so silly decide who you are."
"I'm nobody without my hammer... or axe." Thor begins to sob again.
"Thor, come on!" Loki is starting to feel legitimately concerned. "Maybe you just need to prove yourself again. You know, like back on Earth."
"It doesn't work." Thor complains. "Hela already stabbed me. What more could it want? I'm a failure!" She starts to bawl loudly.
Loki pats her on the shoulder again, hoping it will help. "To hell with that stupid trinket. You don't need it to tell you you're worthy. We'll get you a new weapon. Something bigger, and better, and much... much cooler!"
"I don't want a weapon." Thor protests. "I just want to curl up and die."
"Does this guard even know we're back here?" Valkyrie asks, mostly trying to avoid the conversation.
"I'm not worthy." Thor continues. "I lost Father. I lost Asgard... twice. I lost to Thanos... And now I'm going to lose Earth and everything I have left, because I am a failure. A big stupid... stupid failure!"
"Is this going to wrap up anytime soon?" Valkyrie asks.
"Sorry." Loki responds. "It seems 1,500 years of uninterrupted victories has made losing really hard on him."
"I'm a loser!" Thor begins to bawl loudly.
Loki pushes himself up and starts to dust off. "This is not progressing as easily as I had hoped it would."
"Really?" Valkyrie asks. "I hadn't noticed." She looks outside the cell again. "It's a wonder we haven't drawn any attention." The guard is still standing in place, oblivious to the going ons behind him.
"So what's your plan, genius?" Valkyrie asks.
Loki looks at Valkyrie and the way out, thinking for a moment. "I was going to have Thor smash the barrier with his axe, then we could rainbow-road out of here." He looks at his brother, now sister, a sobbing mess on the floor. "That's clearly not going to work. She's pretty much dead weight at this point."
"Hang on!" Valkyrie interrupts. "Your plan was entirely hinged on a weapon, outside our jail cell, that we have absolutely no access to?"
"Obviously I did not know that at the time." Loki protests.
"You didn't think to check, before trapping yourself in here with us?"
"That wasn't my only plan!" Loki retorts. "I had others!"
"Like what?" Valkyrie demands. "Widdle the wall with a stick?"
"While not my plan, I'm sure that idea is better than whatever plan you had."
"I don't have a plan because we already tried your ridiculously obvious plan, the second we got in here!"
"How was I supposed to know he was no longer worthy of wielding the axe?" Loki complains. It causes Thor to moan loudly. "It's not like we had any trouble using it to get here."
"Why don't you summon it?" Valkyrie asks. "Hela could do it. You're an Odinson too!"
"I can't!" Loki snaps. "Don't you think I've already tried?"
"Well, try harder!" Valkyrie snaps back. "Otherwise you're just as useless as her." She points at Thor.
"Look!" Loki throws out his hand to emphasize a point. "It doesn't work. The bloody enchantment very specifically plays favorites." Neither seems to notice a loud ruckus occurring outside. "Believe me, I've given up on seeking Father Odin's approval long before I even knew you existed. Even if I was 100 times smarter or more responsible than my simpleton brother over here, I simply do not have what it takes to be worthy of our father's love."
In that instant, the barrier to the jail cell exploded due to a large object tearing down the hall, past the guard, into the cell, and directly into Loki's hand. He shielded his face while Valkyrie ducked for cover. The lights flicker as loud alarms begin to blare.
"What the?" Valkyrie wonders aloud, looking up toward Loki. "No way! I told you!"
Loki himself cannot believe what he is seeing. His eyes open so wide it almost hurts to look. He does not seem to mind the dust flying everywhere as he pulls the object closer for a better look. "By all that is..." Loki mutters. He turns toward Thor, who has finally turned away from the wall and is watching the recent development.
"It seems destiny has changed its course brother." Loki pulls Stormbreaker closer to his face for a better look. "Worthy at last." He whispers.
"It's a jailbreak!" The guard can be heard shouting, just before a horn is blown.
"Well, now we've got his attention." Valkyrie says before locking eyes with Loki. "We need to get out of here, now."
"Right." Loki responds, lowering the axe. "Brother, you need to get up now." He kneels down by Thor.
"Why?" Thor cries in a shrill voice. "Why is this happening to me?"
"How the mighty hath fallen..." Loki states casually. "Alright, we're going to have to do this the hard way. Hold this." He hands the axe to Valkyrie without thinking. It falls hard and partially impales into the floor. She looks at him angrily.
"Right, already forgot." Loki tells her before looking back toward Thor. "Brother, we're all going to die if you don't get up and tell me how to work this thing." He points at Stormbreaker.
"Go away! Just leave me!" She cries.
"Grrr!" Loki growls, losing his patience. He reaches down and grabs Thor by the armor and pulls her up, trying to get her over his shoulder, but having to fight to get around her huge chest. At the same time he is reaching for Stormbreaker with his other hand, which he can't see. "Where is it?" He complains before it magically flies into his hand.
Loki manages to situate Thor, but due to her still being significantly taller than him, it looks fairly ridiculous. He turns toward the exit to see guards starting to push their way through. A gust of wind picks up causing Thor's cape to fly into Loki's face.
"Use the axe!" Valkyrie shouts.
"I don't know how this thing works." Loki muffles through the cloth.
"Just point and shoot! We can figure it out later."
Loki raises Stormbreaker into the air and nothing happens. He shakes it a couple of times, but still has no luck.
"Loki!" Valkyrie calls out in concern, but he still can't see.
"Stop them!" Someone shouts.
Loki lowers the axe, concentrates really hard on a place and throws it up once more. The room lights up as a rainbow of light comes down on them and sweeps them up into the air.
"For glorious Purpose!" Loki shouts in excitement when he realizes it's working.