Chapter Text
The last thing Loki remembered was “helping” Thor on Svartalfheim, playing dead so he could ultimately sneak back into Asgard and steal the throne from Odin. This place though… He found himself somewhere entirely different. It was dark like Svartalfheim but held a beauty that could rival that of Asgard. An aurora of fuschite, lepidolite, muscovite, all the variations of mica were glittering in the deep sky like starlight. The mountains were littered with glowing fluorite and celestite and lined with silver and gold while the ground beneath his feet, though it felt firm like rock, looked like ice as it reflected a faded image of the sky. In all his years, he had never seen anything like it.
His curiosity pushed him forward, traipsing down the various winding paths. Aside from from his own steps and the faint, distant sound of wind chimes, Loki’s ears could discern nothing else. Was he truly the only being here? Hours of walking and there hadn’t been any signs of life. Where was he going anyways? Was there a point to continuing his trek? Had he messed up so horribly in faking his death that he actually died, and this was the afterlife? The thought froze him on the spot. No. His calculations had been perfect. He should have woken up on Svartalfheim after Thor’s departure… Right?
No. No, no, no. This had not been part of the plan. Loki ran is fingers through his hair, tugging lightly on it to bring himself back into focus. He just needed to figure out a way out of this realm so he could claim the throne that was rightfully his. The easiest way would be to call Heimdall who likely knew where he was already, but then he would be tossed back in his cell and forced to wait for another chance to escape. Who knows how long that would take. So, that plan was out. His teleportation abilities would only get him so far. With no Tesseract to enhance his seiðr, he could not make it off-world. There had to be something on this planet that would help him.
As if sensing his distress, the wind kicked up so hard it blew him forward down the path. He dug his heels into the pseudo-ice to keep his balance, almost falling when the wind ceased. Norns… This place was going to be the death of him - the real death of him. The wind roared to life again, stronger than before, strong enough to lift him into the air just above a mountaintop where it promptly dropped him.
Grumbling with irritation, he combed his now wild hair back with his fingers. Vision no longer obstructed by his curling locks, he looked at the mountaintops before him, noticing red double doors rounded off at the top in a valley nearby. Strange but maybe that was his ticket out. He silently thanked the possibly sentient wind as he made his way down to the doors. At ground level, he could see the red was adorned with strangely placed half sphere handles shimmering with gold. Instead of sitting next to each other to form a full circle, they were angled creating an S-shape. Below that, shining crystals were growing at the bottom of the doors.
He pulled on one of the handles. The door would not budge. He tried turning the handles. Nothing. Growling, he gripped and pulled harder. Nope. Loki’s godly strength did absolutely nothing. Just think. There was always another way. Brute strength was rarely the best option. He had proven that many a time. Pulling his hands away, he noticed faint green light reflecting off one of the handles, a light that was coming from his right palm. Upon inspection, he saw a string numbers tattooed in his skin, trailing down the underside of his wrist and beneath his gauntlet. How had he not notice this earlier? He unstrapped the gauntlet and rolled up his sleeve. The numbers swirled up his arm just past his elbow.
The crystals by his feet rattled and shattered as an unlocking sound echoed through the valley. Fixing his sleeve and armor, he reached for the handles again, giving them another turn. This time, they rotated 180 degrees before locking into place again. The doors opened wide, allowing him to exit before closing automatically behind him.
Loki now stood on the outside of a magnificently massive train car with a long catwalk leading to another car. He felt so minuscule compared to his surroundings. Even the near deafening sounds of the locomotive made him feel tiny. Looking back from where he came, he shook his head. Yes, the car was large but how could it fit that seemingly infinite world inside? Maybe if he continued on, he would find some answers and possibly a way back to Asgard.
Stepping onto the catwalk, the red desert dust kicked up from the locomotive wheels into his face sending him into a coughing fit. Well, he could go back to the other car. At least it was not actively trying to suffocate him. No. Keep moving. There was nothing to help him in the crystal world. Covering his face as well as he could, he sprinted across to the next car and opened the doors.
The loud colors nearly blinded him as he made his way inside despite the darkness that enveloped the sky. An endless sea of circus tents were gently swaying in the breeze. A ways off, he could see a creature standing on a platform, yelling into a microphone. A barrage of bipedal animals in Midgardian 50’s style clothing surrounded the creature. At least there was some form of life here. Loki glided through the crowd. Being taller than most of the animals, he was able to navigate a bit easier than them. Making his way to the front, the creature was a large badger sporting a red vest and yellow woven hat.
“Come on up, folks! The show is about to get started! Wouldn’t want to miss it for the world!” The badger was spouting. “You’ll be feasting your eyes on something you’ve never seen before! Step right up!”
The badger’s voice grated on Loki’s ears. Forcing his lips from curling into an annoyed sneer, he looked around for the closest way out of the crowd and to another door. Near one of the tents, he spotted you who looked like a Midgardian woman in more modern clothing next to a bear cub, holding a conversation with it. He wove through the animals and finally reached you.
“Excuse me,” he interrupted after plastering a fake polite smile on his face.
You spun around to face him. “Oh! Hello!”
Your voice was surprised but not unkind. He could work with this.
“Good evening. I am afraid I may be lost. Would you be so kind as to assist me?”
“I can try,” you began. Your eyes suddenly widened. “Oh! Your hand!”
Loki held up his right hand. “This? Yes, this is part of my problem as well.”
“Oh my god!” You clapped excitedly. “It’s been a while since I’ve met another Passenger.”
“Passenger?” Loki’s brows furrowed.
“Yes! You’re a passenger like me.” You held up your palm which held only three digits. “All Passengers have these.”
He looked to the bear cub who was watching you both earnestly. “This being has no number. Is he not a passenger?”
You crossed your arms, tucking your bottom lip under your teeth. “Yes and no. While technically a passenger since he is riding the train, he’s not a Passenger. He’s a denizen of the train; a product of it.” You paused. Loki nodded, expecting you to continue. “Passengers like us aren’t originally from here. We get these numbers when we arrive. According to that little round robot, the numbers change, and if a person can bring them down to zero, a special door shows up to take them home.”
Loki sighed exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Little round robot?” He punctuated each word, lacing them with irritation.
“Yeah. You know, the one from the video in the pods?”
“The pods? By the Norns, what are you blathering about?” He ground his teeth in an effort to quell is growing annoyance.
You could see his ill-hidden expression, cautiously answering, “The pods that have been transporting new Passengers to the cars…”
“There was no pod when I came to,” Loki grimaced.
Genuine confusion flooded your face. “Then… How did you get on the train?”