Loki and Ingrid 34

Denial part 4 is coming soon--hang tight!

Escape

She looks at me, like I’m vermin. “What?”

          “Nothing,” I sigh, “You shouldn’t be smoking in the kitchen.”

          “You can’t tell me what to do. You two never got married, and besides, he’s not legit anyway. He should technically be ruling Jotunheim, and no, signing a book doesn’t count as marriage!”

          “I DON’T CARE!” I scream, “I HAT E YOU ANYWAY!”

          Lyd doesn’t move, or seem phased by my sudden outburst. “I’m used to it,” she sighs, inhaling deeply.

          She doesn’t know anything, I remember. She doesn’t know what just happened.

          “What happened to your hand?” she asks, but she doesn’t sound worried, and I know she doesn’t care.

          “Nothing,” I say.

          “That’s not nothing.”

          I sigh, “I wish Sif could explain, but she’s busy.”

          “Yeah, I know. Sif told me to wait for you, but she didn’t tell me what was going on.”

          “She didn’t know everything then,” I sigh.

          “Whatever,” shrugs Lyd, “But you don’t have to scream at me! What did I do to you?”

          Reluctantly I tell her everything. And I mean everything. Everything from the details of our contract, our poetry, the glass, our rooms, Loki trapping me, and lastly, my hand.

          Lyd doesn’t seem phased by any of it. “Hmm,” she says, “Maybe he shouldn’t rule Jotunheim. Not stable enough.”

          “Shut up. And he doesn’t want to, anyway. You dragged him out there!”

          “You have to learn to let go, princess. Stop defending him at every turn.”

          “First of all, I’m not a princess, and second of all, you’re the one who’s related to him…”

          “I don’t serve anyone.”

          “I didn’t say—”

          “I take family as a very loose matter. I don’t really care about it, learned not to. You need to get something on your hand. I’m surprised Loki didn’t just use his magic on you.”

          “Too angry,” I say, as I reluctantly follow her to the washroom.

          She begins running water on my hand, then rubbing an ointment into it. “Ow!”

          “What, I’m helping you, idiot!”

          “It stings!”

          “I’m trying to help, idiot!”

          “Okay.” I bite my lip until it bleeds. It hurts so much, but I would never cry in front of Lydvor.

          “Yeah. Let’s go to my ship. Sif gave me the coordinates.”

          “Right. The mission.” I’m so out of it that I forgot.

***

“So, I was saying,” says Lyd, thrusting the ship into autopilot, “That any family I ever had hates me, so why should Loki be any different?”

          “He hates me too, don’t worry.”

          “No,” says Lyd, laughing dryly, “He’s crazy about you, idiot.”

          “And how do you know that?”

          “He was talking to a wall once…”

          “You were a wall?”

          “Guess so.”

          “So, why do you think everyone hates you?”

          “You didn’t seem to happy to see me, and I don’t know anyone else.”

          “Look, it’s not you, I just don’t feel well…obviously,” I look down at my hand, now wrapped in bandages.

          “You know that friend I said I had on Sakaar?”

          “Yeah? The one you wanted to break out? Needed bounty money? Almost sold your brother to Aura?”

          “Again, you care too much about Loki. Apathy is key. But yeah, I was dumb. Aura was an asshole to me in captivity.”

          “I’m sorry. Well, Loki—”

          “I don’t care.”

          “Why not?”

          “Because I don’t” says Lyd, taking another swig of her drink that I’m afraid will spill onto my lap.

          “You were talking about Aura?”

          “Yes, yes I was. Not that it matters. She’s toast.”

          “What about her? About your friend on Sakaar. I’ve heard of it. No one ever leaves.”

          After a long silence, Lyd speaks. “Well, she wasn’t my friend. And she did leave. She was my…lover…don’t hurt me!”

          “I’m not—I don’t care.”

          “Of course, you don’t, you hate me.”

          “No, I mean it’s fine—it’s great—go on.”

          “I hung out on Zephenare for many of my teen years, and I met her, a bounty hunter who was coming though. She took a liking to me, the only person I can say ever cared about me…and then, well one day, I heard news that she stumbled upon Sakaar, the place no one leaves, and I promised I would break her out, and for years and years I tried to save money to bribe the grandmaster into letting her go—but when my plans fell through to deliver Loki to Aura…well, I paid. Hard. Before I got kidnapped…you know, I left Jotunheim…when you and Loki were there, after Gamora left, and you almost froze to death…his fault, I got a distress signal—that Thanos had her….And it was my fault for not bringing him his prize. I went to Thanos, I begged, and I bribed, and he refused, said he needed the stones and I would only be of help to him if I could deliver Loki to him…by then I’d already lost contact, not that I wouldn’t have handed him over if it weren’t for you, you LITTLE BRAT!”

          Lyd whirls around in her seat, and spits in my face. I’m stunned. I try to stop the tears from coming, but it’s too late. “WHAT DID I DO?”

          “I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you, Ingrid! So, after that, I wasn’t able to get him what I wanted he said I failed, and, HE KILLED HER, INGRID! HE KILLED MY BEST FRIEND, MY LOVER, ALL SINCE YOU CARED OH SO MUCH ABOUT THE SEXY, VULNERABLE, OH SO SWEET LOKI--!” her voice rises in pitch, then drops to a whisper. “And I want Thanos to die, so badly, just as much as you do, if not more, and you couldn’t possibly care, with your head in the clouds, your mind always on protecting Loki, and you didn’t think for a second what you were doing to me. Yes, I do hate you, and it’s not because of anything you did, it’s because of how much you love him.” There’s an uncomfortable silence, as Lyd continues to glare at me. “I’d honestly kill you both if I thought it would solve anything. But since I guess you want to fight Thanos, I’m going to need all the help I can get, so you’d better treat me with respect!”

          Suddenly, the ship alarm starts blaring. “Ravager ships,” I shout, grabbing the control stick, “I’m piloting this ship since you won’t.”

          “My ship!” screams Lyd, trying to reach for the controls as I kick her away with one foot, stepping on the acceleration pedal with the other and use my hands to do a barrel roll.

          “STOP!” screams Lyd. I’ve never seen her loose control like this, but I don’t have time. I start rapid-firing at the ships. “They’re shooting at us! Get on the back controls!” I shout in vain, as Lyd is beyond the ability to control a ship. All I hear is an explosion, as I’m knocked back into blackness.

***

“Be lucky we showed up,” I hear a female voice, hissing in the dark. I look up to see the sexy, green-skinned assassin I came to love on Jotunheim.

          “Gamora?”

          “Yep. What do you want?”

          “Who are these assholes?” I hear a snarky vice behind me.

          “Rocket, stop,” snaps Gamora. I sit up, and realize I am staring at the legs of a full-grown Flora Collussus. What is going on?

          “I am Groot?”

          “Hi, idiot,” I hear Lyd say. Oh good, she’s here.

          “I am Groot.”

          “I said hi. I’m Lydvor. I’m a Frost Giant. Where are you from?”

          “I am Groot!”       

          “He says it’s none of the blue-haired girl’s business,” snaps Rocket.

          “Okay, guys, can we get back on task here?” I see a Midgardian man with a strange device standing up to talk to the crew. “We’re trying to defeat Ronan and get the orb to the Nova Corp.”

          “Wait, who the hell is Ronan?” I sit up. “And who are you? What’s going on?”     

          “Sorry, the ravagers can be a little rough,” snaps the Midgardian, “We saved you, but we’re kinda busy at the moment. Place we can drop you off?”

          “Asga—”

          “Jotunheim.”

          “Oh please. Stop. You just want me to die, you said it yourself, Lyd!”

          “Never heard of it. So, I’m Star Lord…”

          “Stop it, Quill,” snaps Rocket.

          “That’s Rocket, Groot, and Gamora, and that’s Drax.” He gestures at a large, muscular, blue skinned man who grunts from the seat. “We’re outcasts trying to save Xandar. I wouldn’t suggest going there right now. But that’s exactly where we’re headed.”

          “Great, the people who picked us up are going to the one planet that’s about to be destroyed,” says Lyd, frustrated, “Figures.”

          “Ok, we’re supposed to be getting some Asgardian gold that was stolen by ravagers, I say, trying to get on task.”     

          “Asgardian gold, you say? Got a buttload of it right here,” says Rocket, gesturing at a drawer. I can transfer the units right now, but I wouldn’t, would I?” “Rocket give it over,” says Gamora, “She’s sort of acting Queen.”

          “Well that’s a load of bullshit,” says Quill.

          “No really, she is,” sighs Lyd. “Transfer those unit or you’re dead.”

          “Fine,” sighs Rocket reluctantly, “Guess we have other things to worry about. Like that orb.”

          “What’s this orb?” I ask.

          “Oh, it’s an orb of power—”

          “It’s a very powerful stone,” says Gamora, flatly, “And we can’t let Ronan get it, since he will destroy the planet.”

          A purple stone, with the ability to destroy planets. Whereabouts unknown. Oh no.

          “No,” I whisper, “Keep that away from Thanos!”

          “I plan to,” says Gamora, “I know how dangerous he is…”

          “No, like seriously,” I stammer on my words. I saw it. A little orb, sitting on top of the dashboard. And I know it’s going to the Nova corps. But I feel to paralyzed to do anything. Thanos could get this information from me. I mustn’t tell Loki or anyone, and trust Lyd to do the same. But I need to tell Thor, now.

***

“Thor?” I hear him faintly over the radio, “Thor?”

          “Ingrid! What a pleasure!”

          “No time for small talk. I know where the power stone is.”

          “What?”

          “I said—” the signal breaks up. “No, no!” I shout frustrated. He’s cut off all communication with Asgard, I can’t tell him later…

          “We’re entering Xandar’s atmosphere,” says Lyd, panicking, that’s why we can’t get reception.

          “Oh, no.”

          “Yeah. I called Sif, but she isn’t coming. Or she’s too late.”

          “Great.”

          “Looks like we’re going to die.”

          Gamora silences her. “No, stay down, stay quiet and—”

          “Open the hatch, quick!”

          I spin around, coming face to face with an illusion. “Loki?”

          “Down below! Sif’s flying.”

          “What?”

          “I didn’t come up with this stupid plan…”

          “Lyd. Space suit.”

          “Got it,” says Lyd, pressing her suit.

          I press mine, and jump down the hatch into Sif’s ship.

          “So, did you get it?” asks Sif.

          “Rocket’s transferring the units.”

          “Who?”

          “I’ll tell you later!” I jump into the hatch as Lydvor comes face to face with the real Loki, her eyes full of resentment. And that’s when I know I’ll have a lot of explaining to do.