Dog Days

Chapter 73

At 7:10, Heimdall finishes doing the dishes and steps over to me with the large pot, only to sit it down next to me. He gives me a tired smile and pats my shoulder, on his way to the table, to join Hela and Frigga.

Odin steps out of the bathroom with my meds and a glass of water. I quickly take my meds and he goes to sit at the table with the others.

And we sit in complete silence as the news anchor talks on "7:11, now. This is the final warning for those who don't know. The following video contains graphic images that isn't for the faint of heart or those with PTSD. Be advised, we at MBN stand behind The Variant. Those of you with any self-respect should turn off their televisions, now."

I rest my head back on the back of the couch and wait for the video to begin. The news is completely silent with just the channel page on the screen.

It's eerily quiet and for some reason, the air around me is dense. I feel like I'm back on the battlefield as I wait for the other shoe to drop.

I feel the emptiness of the space around me and I can already feel myself dissociating from the world.

And as the logo flashes onto the screen, I'm pulling back into my body, only to be shoved down through it. The pressure in my chest puts me in the middle of it and I can't seem to escape it.

And as the video flashes on, I see him. He's dressed now, in generic dirty black clothes, which cling tightly to his body. He's thin. Too thin.

He's tied to a chair, in the middle of the dirt basement. He looks off behind the camera as he remarks "You dick-bags put way too much time into making stupid ass entrances."

I sigh to myself, before remarking "At least you're not naked."

He gives them a confident look, before remarking "At least I'm not naked."

I scoff at him, before I watch Thanos step up in front of him with the water hose "We're going to make this real simple. I'll ask you a question. You answer or you get the hose."

I scoff as I remember Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs "It rubs the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose, again."

Loki doesn't skip a beat "It rubs the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose, again."

Hela sighs, softly "Okay, yeah, I see it."

Thanos speaks up as he grabs Loki's chin, harshly "Do you know the recipe for The Chemist's recipe?"

Loki looks at him and you can actually see the exhaustion on his face as he states "I do."

Thanos releases him and asks "And the antidote?"

He sighs "Of course, I know the recipe for the antidote. I was his test subject for months."

Thanos adjusts the hose in his hands, only to orders "You will make anthrax for us."

Loki narrows his gaze at Thanos, only to state "I can't."

As soon as he says it, Thanos starts the hose and it washes over Loki, forcefully. He hangs his head to try to break the stream and breathe, only to groan at the pressure.

He keeps the hose on him for a full minute, completely washing him out. When he finally kills it, Loki hunches forward and coughs up water.

Thanos repeats "You will make it for us!"

Loki sits back in the chair and looks up at him, only to begin "I can't-"

Before he can say anything else, Thanos starts the hose again and washes him out, again.