Chapter 46
Chapter 46
One hour later, Bruce came down to check on what Tony was up to. It wasn’t hard to guess where he was. When the scientist stepped into the lab (his knocks hadn’t been responded to), Tony sat behind his desk, too focused on his work to notice anything around him. Only when Bruce cleared his throat, the man seemed to take notice of him, not even looking up for a second.
Bruce: “ - Quite busy, huh?”
The brunette lifted his gaze from the screen then, looking directly at his ally.
Tony: “I’m currently trying to hack into SHIELD system to get access to their data of cameras and stuff. Maybe that’ll help somewhat.”
The doctor nodded thoughtfully.
Bruce: “Steve’s talking to Fury right now to fill him in on the details. - We hope they’ll help us searching for Loki. - How is he?”
Tony averted his gaze then, seemingly staring at the letters on his laptop
Tony: “He’s sleeping. - We gotta track him down, Bruce. Otherwise - he won’t pull through like that.”
Bruce: “Chances are high we will. As soon as Fury’s convinced to step in - it won’t take long. - Clint and Natasha are doing everything they can as well.”
The brunette nodded, although bruce guessed he hadn’t even listened.
Bruce: “Will you come up when you’re done here?”
A shrug of shoulders was the only reply he got. But he knew he wouldn’t get more right now. So he turned to leave, hesitating at the door.
Bruce: “And don’t forget to eat and drink from time to time. It won’t help anyone if you’re dehydrating yourself.”
Tony: ”Mhm.”
-----
When Thor awoke hours later, the first thing he saw was … Loki. Cuts all over his body and chained to the wall, crying on the floor and screaming out his name. Thor wanted to help, to reach out for him and kill anyone who dared to touch him. But he could only watch. Watch as they hurt him, cut his skin, hit him until he had no more air to scream and fell unconscious. And they still didn’t stop. They didn’t stop. And all he could see was blood. … Blood – blood – bl- ….
“Thor? Thor, listen to me!”
There was a shaking at his shoulder, a faint voice reaching him from far away.
Nat: “Thor, it’s Natasha! You’re alright! It’s not real!”
Thor was terrified by his own screams when he opened his eyes, struggling for air. It took a moment until he was able to see clearly, the crimson view of blood still tainting his vision. After blinking multiple times, he noticed Natasha was kneeling next to him, an arm around his shoulder and a hand combing through his hair.
Nat: “Thor, it’s fine. Try to calm down, ok? I know you’re scared but it’s only an image in your mind - it’s not real. Loki is fine, believe me.”
When he slowly calmed down, he noticed he wasn’t in bed. He was lying on the roof terrace of Stark Tower, tightly wrapped in several blankets and lying on the floor. After several minutes, he sat up slowly, regaining composure.
Thor: “Wh-what - why am I here? - Why are you here actually?”
Nat: “I just came to check on you and found you’re not in bed. - I guess you just fell asleep out here and Tony didn’t wanna wake you. - Everything ok now?”
The thunderer nodded slowly, getting to his feet and walking in.
Nat: “ - Where’re you headed?”
Thor didn’t answer, walking inside. The agent followed him, thinking he might be hungry and heading for the eating area. But instead he ran straight into his room, locking the door behind him. She stood in front of the door for a moment, unsure of what to do.
Nat: “Thor? Don’ you wanna eat something?”
There came no answer, only a quiet, suppressed sob. The spy sighed, considering coming in without allowance but finally deciding against it. If Thor wanted to talk, he knew where to find them and right now she should better focus on helping the others finding Loki as that was the only thing that could solve their problems.
-----
Thor lay on his bed, his face buried in his pillows. Not long ago, he and Loki had slept here together, they’d made love together and … they’d had a happy future to look forward to. And now …. loki was gone. He knew the images in his brain were probably far from reality, but still – he couldn’t shake them off, couldn’t retend they weren’t there. He wanted to help! Damn, he wanted to focus! But the harder he tried to think clearly, the crueler the pictures got and tempted him to believe they were true. He was quietly sobbing now, rasping out Loki’s name all the time, begging anyone to stop this, to finally bring Loki back to him.
-------He didn’t know for how long he’d been here. In the beginning, he’d tried to guess but the only times someone came to him were to deliver food and water. Apart from that, he was left alone in complete darkness. Loki had tried his best to stay calm, telling himself that it would soon be over, that soon, Thor would come to get him out. But he never had. And by now, Loki wasn’t sure if he would. What if they … They had robbed Loki of his magic and it hadn’t returned until now, so he was rendered helpless against their power. He had kept himself busy with making plans how to break free. But every idea he’d had, had failed in its roots and there came a time when he had none left. They’d not hurt him in any way. In fact, they hadn’t even talked a word since they had put him in. he had wondered, what this all was for in the end. He’d come up with no solution. And once he’d realised that there was no reasonable explenation for this and Thor didn’t seem to come for him either, frustration and despair had taken over him. He’d spent hours curling up on the stone floor, sobbing quietly and sending silent pleas for Thor to save him. To come back for him. He had always done. Why not now? Was he – was he … ? No! This couldn’t be! But what else could explain this? Thor had always saved him! He’d never left him to anyone! Never. Except for now. There were also times when he’d thought of the baby. It wouldn’t survive. Not if it went on like this. He barely got enough to eat for himself, not mentioning for his unborn child. It hadn’t changed since, but this was only a temporary bliss. By now, he couldn’t even think clearly. He sat in a corner, pressing his face against the wall to let no one see his tears. Sometimes, he tried to sleep. It never worked and he’d only start crying again, tossing and turning on the floor as he had no bed or blankets. And when he’d finally cry himself to sleep, the only thing he’d dream of was Thor. And when he’d awake, panting and crying and found Thor wasn’t with him, wasn’t holding himclose, telling him everything would be fine and stroking him soothingly, he’d collapse back into tears, curling up on himself and rasping out Thor’s name, over and over again. Hoping he’d finally hear him, embrace him with his strong arms and bring him out of here.
--------