Hell or High Water (#Wattys2016)

•So You Run On Gasoline•

This chapter and the next will follow some lines of canon - the comic books, that is. And... angst ahoy, yo.

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Heat.

All she could feel was the warmth that accompanied being blanketed in a burning inferno, but it didn't feel overwhelming. Flames danced at her feet every so often, she felt the heavy vibrations of volcanos erupting far off into the distance, carved structures of what she assumed were accommodation stood tall against the ash-laden mountains.

Almost immediately she realized why the flames and lava surface isn't burning her.

Charlie was enclosed in some kind of protected barrier. It shimmered faintly whenever she moved, noting that the barrier instantly dissolved under her touch and causing an intense wave of heat to reflect back onto her palm.

"Welcome to Muspelheim." She recognized the low baritone anywhere, instantly remembering her words to Thor. "I recommend you do not touch the force-field, considering you are not of the Jotunhiem variety. Or 'magical'."

"What is going on? Why did you bring us here?"

Loki shifted his gaze towards the smog-filled sky; she noticed a long thin scar on the left side of his temple - he looked like a man whose dignity had been ripped from him. Dark circles formed under his eyes, the hair visable under his helmet that was usually straight lay unkempt. She went to touch him, but he pushed her away.

"What happened?"

"Stop pretending to care. It is sickening."

"I do care! You never let me in enough to show it."

"Oh, really? You are one to speak of sentiment. Your mask is sarcasm - to the point of annoyance, and your costume is obstinacy."

"Why is being stubborn a crime? All right, so my sarcasm gets out of hand. I literally have zero control over it at times. But did I purposely lie and kidnap someone who is trying to help? No!"

He turned his back to her; apparently taking in the fiery landscape before him was more interesting.

"I have yet to tell you why we are here, do you want to know?" His question is frank, but the mocking undertone doesn't escape her notice.

Charlie on the other hand was looking murderous at this point; knowing he was ignoring the bigger issue. She decided that her silence is enough of an answer.

"Odin once learnt of the the Rock Trolls alliance with the Surtur, the former ruler of this releam, and faced the Fire Demon himself. Though, when Surtur realized he could not defeat Odin directly, he attacked Midgard. He bored into the earth as far as it would allow and released a huge portion of matter into the sky, thus became what you have always known to be as the Moon. Odin eventually trapped Surtur and his children in Muspelheim," He said this with distain, it reminded him too much of his own offspring and their degrading fate.

"It left them unable to travel to another releam. Surtur did present to Odin the gift of a flying horse, in hopes that Odin will release him someday. Not that it worked."

"Cute. What does this have to do with why you brought us here?" Charlie responded curtly.

"Nothing really, I thought you ought to know." He paused for effect, delight shining in his irises from toying with her. "Recently, someone I thought to be imprisoned has escaped. Someone who is after the Tesseract." He tightened his grip around the scepter, taking a step back - half fearful that she would try to snatch it from him.

"And this 'someone' is?" Charlie chewed at her lip. Apparently keeping her temper in check is easier said than done.

Loki sighed. Would it really make a difference if he told her? Did he not bring her here to keep her safe? Wouldn't she love to know that! One way or another, she was bound to not let it rest until he told her. It seemed his bed was always made; he just never had the chance to lie in it.