Silhouette // LokixOC

CHAPTER XII

allons-y

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"DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER BUT ALL WE NEED IS JUST TONIGHT" ~ IGNITE BY K391 (and few others)

Khione leaned back on the sofa with a groan.

"This will be quite long, so brace yourselves. This vision was almost two times longer than the previous one, the one about Loki. What is bloody not good is that Loki plays quite an important role in this one too."

Loki looked at her.

"It's worse than what already happened, isn't it?"

Khione didn't meet his eyes.

"Much worse."

The god sighed.

"Guess I'll have to get used to it. Shoot."

"There is someone named Thanos, he's a Titan from what I know. His planet was destroyed and apparently he's convinced that there is too much life in the universe but too little resources. He has his empire, he controls several nations. And he's searching for Infinity Stones."

Loki exhaled slowly. Sherlock and Lauren looked at Khione, their gazes calculating. John looked at them as if they all went crazy.

"He wants to wipe out half of the living creatures of the entire reality. And, technically, with the Infinity Stones he'll be able to do it. He already has the Mind Stone. Or rather, one of the races he controls has it, but it's basically the same thing. It's placed in a scepter. The Tesseract - the Space Stone - is on Earth in a S.H.I.E.L.D. base currently. The Aether - the Reality Stone - is hidden in some cave deep in Svartalheim. The Time Stone in the Eye of Agamotto is in the possession of the Sorcerer Supreme on Earth. The Power Stone in The Orb is hidden on Morag. I don't know where the Soul Stone is, the bond with it is too weak."

"This is crazy! You all went bonkers!" exclaimed John, standing up. Khione raised an eyebrow and raised her hand. She looked at Laurie.

"Will your landlady be very cross about another hole in the wall?" she asked. Lauren chuckled.

"I don't think she'll notice. There's a lot of holes."

Khione smirked and opened her palm. A huge icicle shot from her hand and dug into the opposite wall. John sat down.

Sherlock looked at Khione.

"How do you want to stop him?"

Khione looked at her hands.

"The problem is that I can't do almost anything. I can't risk linking the Ego Stone with the others. I can't risk Nemesis being created again. And we don't only need to keep the Ego from the others. We have to keep all of them hidden as good as we can, because even only six can destroy the world. Even two of them should never even be on the same planet."

Loki looked at her again.

"So what can we do?"

"There is a group of extraordinary people on Earth. Well, not yet a group. They are our only chance to defeat Thanos."

"But?" asked Lauren.

Khione put her head in her hands.

"They need a common enemy to join forces. A controlled enemy, a double agent who works for Thanos."

Loki inhaled sharply.

"You mean me."

Khione once again didn't meet his eyes, but shook her head stubbornly.

"We have to think of another way. I can't let you do this."

Lauren and Sherlock looked at each other. There might not be another way . Loki looked a bit sick but determined.

"You said this is our only chance."

Khione once again shook her head.

"It can't be. That's why we're here. Sherlock and L are our only hope of figuring out something else."

Lauren hesitated. She knew why Khione was asking them for this. The things that Loki will probably be forced to go through... she cared for him too much.

"We can't even start without more concrete data, Khione," said Sherlock.

Khione looked at Loki for the first time.

"I'm too weak to do this without a connection and I can't touch them. Help me?"

The god nodded.

"Of course."

Khione grabbed his hand and he extended the other one to the humans.

"Hold it."

They did. Even John, albeit reluctantly. And they were flooded with information. Thanos. Infinity Stones. Loki. The Avengers.

Khione broke contact. John looked overwhelmed. Lauren and Sherlock had the same calculating look again. They were silent for a moment, just thinking. Lauren looked at John.

"For the sake of the universe, John give me some paper and a marker."

He complied, still a bit shook. Sherlock was in his mind palace. Lauren started to draw a mind map, connecting everything they knew.

•••

They were thinking for hours. John went to bed, still shaking his head at the insanity of the situation. Lauren's mind map covered half of the floor. Khione was sleeping, still exhausted by the vision and teleporting through half of the universe. She had a frown on her face, it was obvious that her dreams weren't good. But Loki didn't wake her. She had to rest, even with nightmares. He was still sitting on the sofa, examining every detail of the vision in his head. He didn't see another way, but... he'd have to become a monster. And Thor... Thor wouldn't know anything about the plan. If he didn't hate him already, he certainly will then.

Good , said a little vengeful voice in the back of his mind. What do you need him for? He abandoned you. He wants to kill you, like he did with any other Jotun. He never respected you, never listened to you. What do you need him for?

Loki shook his head and stood up slowly. Lauren looked up at him. He pointed at the kitchen and she nodded. He went to make himself some tea. The kitchen was... a mess an understatement. He even spotted a frozen mouse, laying on the counter. He grimaced a bit and tried to find a can of tea.

•••

Loki leaned on the kitchen counter as his tea brewed.

It's our only chance , said the voice in his head, this time sounding awfully like Khione.

He heard almost silent footsteps, heading in his direction. Lauren walked into the kitchen. She swept away some papers that were laying on the table and sat on it, looking at her hands.

"You know there is no other way," Loki realised.

She sighed.

"From what we saw in the vision and from what Khione said... there isn't. There is no one else who can bring the Avengers together. No one can do it instead of you, not even her. Thanos probably already knows about your disappearance from Asgard. Khione can't substitute you, no matter how much she wants to do it, because Thanos will suspect something. And we can't tell anyone else, the risk will be too high. It has to be you, Loki. I'm sorry, we tried," she said quietly.

Loki sighed and took a sip of his tea.

"At least I'll do something good for the universe. Even if no one is going to know about it."

Lauren's green-and-grey eyes pierced his emerald green ones with anger.

"Loki, he'll probably torture you into submission. He'll try to control your mind with the Stone. And you'll have to fake resistance! Do you even know what are you agreeing to?" she exclaimed in a hushed tone. Loki grimaced.

"I know enough. The only thing that concerns me is how will I manage to get the plan done with my head open to that madman."

Lauren's expression was something that Loki could only describe as "scheming face". Then, she lit up.

"There might be something we can do about that."

•••

Khione didn't wake up in another five hours. It was morning already, when Loki saw her stir.

"What's the time?" she asked sleepily, pushing herself up.

"4 am," he answered. Sherlock didn't sleep at all and Lauren only dozed off for an hour. Khione groaned.

"That sofa is awful." She looked at the 'consulting detectives'. "Sorry for falling asleep."

Sherlock just waved his hand in a 'don't-worry-about-it' kind of gesture. Lauren didn't meet her eyes.

"Did you figure it out?" she asked, trying not letting too much hope into her voice.

No one answered. Khione sighed and put her head in her hands. Loki looked at her sadly.

"I'll do it, Khione."

She looked at him with anger and stood up.

"No. I'm not letting you. I'll do it myself, I'll do anything not to make you do that."

"Khione-"

"You don't know what you're doing. I see him all the time if I want, even now. I just never knew he'll be insane enough to act. Do you want to know how cruel he is? How much without mercy? Please, take a look!" she yelled at him, while striding to forcefully grab his hand.

His eyes rolled back into his head.

Thanos torturing a man for information until he's only a red pulp.

Thanos telling Ebony Maw ( Khione told him his name ) to break into a trader's head and destroy him from the inside.

The Black Order on a murder spree, viciously killing men, women and children.

Thanos's men killing the Zehoberi people, while he manipulates a little girl with black and red hair.

Thanos forcing his adopted daughters to fight themselves.

Thanos replacing Nebula's arm with a machine, while she screams in pain.

Thanos giving a speech on how life in the universe is twisted and wrong and he'll become its saviour and cutting off a 'traitor's' head.

Khione broke away.

"Do you understand now?!" she yelled, tears brimming her eyes. Lauren watched in shock. The Ice Queen never cried, not in front of people.

Loki closed his eyes.

"Yes, I do understand that, Khione," he said quietly. But when he opened his eyes, there was nothing but fierce determination in the green orbs. "And I also know that I killed almost an entire race, I almost wiped out an entire Realm from existence, I killed my birth father, I almost killed my brother, no matter how adopted and an asshole he is, and I almost killed Heimdall. If I have any way if redeeming what I did, it's this. And we can't let him murder half of the universe, I won't allow it, not if I can help it. You know it's got to be me, and you know you can't do anything about it."

Khione tugged at her hair in overwhelming frustration. She had a tremendous urge to freeze everything in sight, leave nothing but ice and she tried to control herself. She couldn't kill anybody else.

She looked at Loki, anger and frustration welling up in her and almost spilling over. Her fists were glowing with a white and purple light. A wind started to blow around her.

"No. I can't let you do this. I can't let you willingly choose your tormentor, I can't let him torture you, I can't let you break, I can't let you become... I CAN'T LET YOU BECOME WHAT I BECAME, LOKI!"

Loki wasn't distracted by her power. He made step forward and took Khione's face in his eyes hands. The storm calmed down a bit. He looked into her moony eyes.

"Calm down. Look into my head."

She frowned but complied. The second she entered his mind, she was almost attacked by his thoughts.

I don't know what you think you became, and I don't care what you did wrong in your life. Just as you don't care what I did. I know that it'll always haunt you, but look.

He showed her his memories.

Khione saving him from the fall. Khione reassuring him that he's not a monster. Khione forgiving him that he created her shackles. Khione understanding his need for space when he has nightmares. Khione showing him dragons and letting him calm down by spending time with them. Khione being a constant reminder that life is worth fighting for, even when it's just to irritate your enemies. Khione teaching him how to use his talents. Khione being a solid rock for him when he loses his balance and any scrap of faith he has left. Khione being the friend he never had.

The storm calmed down completely.

Do you understand now? he asked.

Khione didn't answer. She left his mind and hugged him tightly. Loki exhaled with relief.

Lauren watched the exchange with a soft smile, one that rarely appeared on her face. They reminded her of her wife, but this time she didn't let the sadness and loss overcome her. She watched as her friend found someone to fight for and that was what counted the most.

After a minute she cleared her throat.

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2000 words!