Hell or High Water (#Wattys2016)

•Waking Up To Ash And Dust•

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"H-how did you know?" Charlie stammered. She was still reeling from the fact that she would become a parent of not just one, but also two, children. Two. How did she not know she was pregnant? What would she do with two children? She had her whole life ahead of her, and now two people were going to depend on her for their lives. She never considered Loki could actually procreate, but then they never actually discussed it. They used protection of course, but everything was a whirlwind of emotions that night.

Then take the pain away, Charlie. If you can see it in my eyes, take it away.

She was a fool to believe any of it.

"I have forseen your future. I needed to be sure it did not change."

"And if it did?" She said irritably. One minute he's telling her his whole devious plan, and now all of a sudden he was being tight-lipped?

"Your children would not be born, your hybrid children - first of their kind. Half human, half Jotun, and in no time will they be a powerful asset regarding my rule over the nine realms."

"What could you possibly need them for?"

"Do you not harbor a brain? Honing their magic, as it is no doubt they will have magic, is of no challenge to me. I can teach them to use their power to its full facility, they will be unstoppable and under my complete control. This fact coupled with the Tesserect will leave every being, every insect, and every unturned leaf, without chance. My reign will hold true over the nine realms, even Odin of Asgard dare not go against me, for he will be slain where he stands."

Charlie was having serious trouble retaining all of this, as Doom tapped something on the screen, it showed a series of statistics she couldn't begin to understand what they were used for. He seemed wholly convinced of his plan, and she wondered if Loki was fairing any better, depite what he did, a part of her still seemed to care if he lived.

There must be a way out of this, to stop Doom from getting anything remotely close to what he wants.

"You think no one will stop you?" Charlie spat, her tone venomous. It hardly mattered that she was trapped; he would probably kill her anyway. "That I'll just let you use my children like this!? You will be sorry the day you ever crossed me."

"My dear, you do not have a choice. Besides, my apprentice is more than capable of teaching them certain laws of humanity where I cannot."

"Apprentice? What do you mean?"

"Someone you have not seen in a while." He responded with mock kindness, and all she wanted to do, all she could think of doing, was wiping that silly metal mask off his face and making him pay dearly for what he was attempting to do to mankind, and who knows how many other races were going to suffer before he got what he wanted.

Charlie's throat tightened as a woman walked into the room. A composed expression on her face, hands hanging limply at her sides.

"Hello...Charlotte." The young woman greeted passively, not a hair out of place and dressed ominously in black.

"No, not you. Doom, please, please, let her go!"

As Doom beckoned her closer, Charlie noticed that she kept her right hand close to her pant pocket.

"Thelia McLane... has been a very loyal pupil."

°°°°°

"How could you do this? How can you take this lunatic's side!?"

"She came of her own accord, I simply offered her something she could not refuse."