What If... HYDRA Got Hold of Loki?

gurney

Loki's not sure why he's not allowed to walk back to the room.

Despite what his fall might imply, his legs are more than capable of carrying him. As long he's seeing clearly and not following orders he's unprepared for in a panic-induced frenzy, he is perfectly able to walk.

But then, this may be for the best. They've begun to wean him off of the pain medicine, and he's not sure he's ready to test his ability to function with a walk he can't even estimate the distance of.

He's been given a new hospital gown – the other one was apparently cut up? He's not sure he understands why, though – but he's pulled it down for the ride. The gentle breeze of the gurney's traveling feels nice on his sore, burnt body.

When they've reached the room, Loki feels himself relax a little bit.

He's back.

He's in the room.

He knows the room.

The last few days have been a whirlwind of confusion, but now he's back in the room, and things are going to become normal again. It's a rather miserable normal, he'll admit, but it's normal. He misses normal.

Loki sits up, but he doesn't get off the gurney just yet. He looks back at Pierce. "What happens now?"

"Nothing," Pierce says.

Nothing.

That's promising.

"I'm going to leave you alone for a few days," Pierce tells him. "We're going to get you off the painkillers. We're going to see where you're at. And then we'll go from there."

Loki lets that sink in. It sounds nice. He'll have a few more days of peace – and, more importantly, a few more days of peace in which he can use the cage. It's been difficult for him, sleeping out in the open the way he's been forced to while Pierce tried to mend his wounds. The cage will be a welcome gift. He'll be safe in there. He always is.

But he does have one question about this. "How long will it take?"

"What, weaning you off the drugs?" Pierce asks, and Loki nods. "I don't know; a day or two. I don't want to go too fast if it's gonna leave you screaming in agony again."

He doesn't think he will. His body hurts, yes, but only a little bit. He can hardly feel the burns that cover his skin from the last test. He can hardly feel the bruises and gashes from when he fell. He'll be fine.

But he's not going to say that. He probably should. He probably shouldn't keep any secrets from Pierce, and every time he does, there's a nagging voice in his head telling him that he's being bad; that he's not supposed to do this. But he does it anyway. He doesn't want to rush this just because he thinks his body can. If he's going to have a couple days of peace, he's going to make the most of them. Physically, he may not need them, but emotionally, he doesn't know if he could handle jumping right back into more tests.

"May I go back to my cage?" Loki asks.

Pierce gestures for him to go ahead. "Knock yourself out."

Loki climbs off the gurney and makes his way to his cage, squeezing himself inside.

It's not the relief he'd hoped it would be. Everywhere that his skin touches itself, it burns. It's as though the heat of both sides is working together to make him twice as miserable, and it's certainly succeeding.

But as much as it hurts, it makes him feel so much better. This is where he belongs. He's safe here. He can rest. He can take a nice nap; he can wake up and stare at the darkness and feel the relief of knowing that he is completely and utterly alone. Nobody can see him when the blanket's on the cage. He doubts even Heimdall could see him in the shadows. And that's exactly what he needs right now.

He uses his magic to levitate the blanket across the floor. It's a ways away; he probably should have carried it over. His magic can only move it so fast. It's as though the blanket is taking a leisurely stroll across the room – a funny visual, he'll admit, but he'd like it to come quicker and do its job of shielding him from the outside world.

"I've got it," Pierce says. He grabs the blanket, closes the cage, and lays the blanket on top, blocking out any and all light.

"Thank you, sir," Loki says. That was nice of him. He didn't have to do that. But then, Pierce is good like that. He likes to help. He likes to make Loki comfortable. He spent days healing his wounds, after all, even without being asked. He really is a nice man.

It really is a shame he has to run all these tests. He's sure that if Pierce had it his way, Loki would be free to stay in the cage all day, every day. He could have his porridge brought to him every morning. He could have his bath or his shower every year. It would be wonderful.

If only it weren't for these tests...