Loki Laufeyson - The Experiment {1}

Chapter Fourty - They're Closer

Whoever was controlling the little metal desk in the back of my neck decided to fill my head with as many memories as they could for the rest of the night. They were mostly fleeting, only brief flashes of fire or ash or the sound of someone screaming. Everyone noticed how withdrawn I was from the conversations going around, and Wanda sat by my, calming me down when the flashes echoed through my brain. Loki stuck by closely too, sitting about five metres away from me and constantly watching me, though I barely noticed. I didn't touch much of my breakfast, I didn't have any appetite, my power kept creating a horrible curling feeling in my stomach, despite the bracelets. I was tempted to take them off to stop the horrible feeling in my stomach, but I knew that if I burst into flames, I wouldn't be able to control it.

Wanda, as if sensing my thoughts, gently placed her hand on my forearm and I jumped slightly, lost in the different memories flashing through my head. My eyes darted over to her and she gave me a comforting smile that I couldn't return. I looked back down at my plate of food and took in a deep breath, closing my eyes briefly. I fought back the fire flickering in my memories beyond my eyelids and focused on the pounding of my heart in my ears.

Something metal clamped around my head, pressing in against my skull, cold metal against my sweating skin. My skin was prickling, I felt fire creeping up my arms and my vision blurred.

I immediately opened my eyes and clenched the fork in my hand tightly. Wanda rubbed my hand and watched me carefully as I swallowed thickly. I shoved a piece of hashbrown into my mouth to try and push back the bile rising in my throat as I began to hear screams echoing in my ears, the pained cries of people who I didn't even know.

"Tony," Wanda said softly to Tony, who was sitting not far away from us. "How about you start setting up that stuff?" Tony's eyes darted to me and he set down his almost empty place, Bruce standing up as well. They grabbed a couple of bags and began to slowly move some of the mattresses that weren't occupied, creating a space in the middle of the lounge room. Wanda stood up and moved them completely out of the way with her power, stacking them up against the back wall.

"Reindeer Games." Tony called out, setting down one of the bags and opening it up to reveal a whole bunch of medical equipment. I don't know why he was so prepared and had brought all of it, but it wasn't my biggest worry at the moment. Loki tore his gaze away from me and glared at Tony, his green eyes piercing.

"Can you conjure up some sheets or something?" Tony asked, rummaging through the bag. "I don't want to make a mess on the rug." My eyes darted to Tony and I tensed slightly at the thought of what he could be doing that require by blood splattering over the floor. Loki was clearly thinking the same thing, but Tony wasn't paying any attention to him. Loki's eyes darted back to me and I quickly looked back down at my plate of mostly untouched food. He looked away and waved his hand, white sheets appearing over the cleared space in the lounge room. Tony dragged a chair from the lounge room and placed it in the middle before beckon to me. I swallowed nervously and slowly stood up, putting my plate of food on my bed and walked over to the chair.

"I'm going to just give you a little bit of anesthetic." Bruce said, noticing how my eyes darted to the needle he was holding in a now gloved hand as I walked over. "It is just going to be a little prick in the back of your neck, it shouldn't hurt much." I nodded and slowly sat down in the chair, immediately noticing the number of scalpels Tony had lined up next to the bag. I tensed and clenched my jaw, fighting back memories of the number of times HYDRA scientists had used scalpels in the experimenting sessions.

"Relax." Wanda said, sitting down next to the chair. "Its going to be okay." Bruce gently swept my hair away from my neck and carefully placed a gloved hand on my skin, the familiar prick of a needle arriving a couple of seconds later.