Hey guys! What's up? I hope you are all having a good new year and are doing something fun. Take the weekend to go and ski/snowboard/snowmobile! I LOVE WINTER SPORTS! YOU GUYS DON'T EVEN KNOW!

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel I just like to pretend that I do.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" Renee complained pacing up and down the block. Bell would be here soon and a bus hadn't come yet. This was trouble and he knew it. He didn't know what else to do and wasn't feeling up to jogging to the next bus stop, wherever it may be.

Renee glanced warily about him and made the decision. Just as he started walking briskly further into the city in hopes of finding a bus or a cab he heard Bell's insane laugh float towards him from the end of the block, "Renee!" Bell sang.

Renee glanced at her over his shoulder and cringed: Bell looked awful. Her usually wild black curls were now damp and matted, mangy looking, and her clothes were ripped from run-ins with corners of houses and other obstacles she had decided to overcome to catch up with him. "Leave me alone, Abella," Renee said as calmly as he could. He schooled his features into those of nonchalance and forced his posture to relax – all the while searching and thinking of a way to escape. His physical health was in danger here and he knew it and just as he realized how deep he was in it his mutation kicked in and his thoughts started playing in overdrive. His physical health depended on him getting away from the immediate threat and that threat was Bell.

Just as he started thinking on higher plains, wider plains, Bell's insane laugh filled Renee's ears. "Don't think you can fool me, Renee! I can see your eyes, you coward! You want nothing more than to get out of here. I'll tell you, Renee! I'll tell you how to get out of here completely unharmed!" she called, tauntingly.

Renee growled inwardly at his mutation – almost as if it were a separate being from him – willing it to keep thinking of ways to escape, but it had heard Bell's words and it knew that this would be the best for his survival. And that's all his mutation was really – something that forced his survival. Maybe he was losing control of his mutation, after all: before the invasion he and Bell had traipsed all around the world using his mutation numerous times when it didn't really count and now he couldn't even choose what his thoughts focused on while his mutation was working. He was falling apart. His mutation latched onto her offer and he stopped dead in his tracks even as that tiny, itty bitty part of his brain that wasn't affected by his mutation – the rational part – screamed at his to get the hell out. "How?" he asked, voice dark and deep, gravely with strain as he fought his inner battles.

"All I need," Bell gasped, breathless in her triumph, "All I need, baby, is your cooperation for a few days. After that I promise I will never make contact with you again!"

Renee glared at Bell. He was furious: furious at his mutation for taking this option, furious at himself for being unable to resist, furious at Bell for being a crazy diamond encased mutant, furious that he was going to kill someone, furious that he was going to sink so low…again.

Before he could stop himself, his mutation answered for him, "You aren't lying. I can…see that you aren't lying. A few days is all you have, Bell! After that we may never make contact again."

"That's all I need," Bell said triumphantly.

…

"Aren't you supposed to be a genius or something?" Pixie yelled at him as she tried holding down Loki's arms.

"Of course I'm a genius!" Tony scoffed, "Are you insulting me?" he asked as he attempted to hold Loki's legs down.

Loki screamed causing Tony to startle backwards and lost control of his legs and watch as Loki, even in fevered sleep, overpowered the Pixie and freed his arms. He gripped his head and his back arched as Loki gasped and choked.

"JARVIS! Get Thor in here!" Tony commanded as he once again tried to calm the thrashing body so that he wouldn't hurt himself.

"You're just asking for Thor NOW?!"The Pixie exclaimed, "I have yet to see anything genius about you!"

"What do you want from me, Pixie? We obviously can't wake him up and unless he starts sleep talking we don't even know what he's dreaming of!" Tony snapped. This was really starting to freak him out.

Tony had heard that Loki wasn't technically responsible for the attack on New York but…after going so long blaming someone for something it was hard to just stop hating the guy! He had mixed feelings about the guy: Loki was apparently tortured and mind-raped and then hypnotized into attacking New York after spending how many years in the hands of the beasts who had actually attacked New York but…he wasn't exactly making it easy to side with him. Since he had gotten here he had been nothing but cold shoulders and glares.

"Don't you have something that shows us thoughts yet?" The Pixie asked.

"Well I'm sorry I never thought to make a mindreading device – which, I might add, is IMPOSSIBLE!" Tony retorted as he finally just got up and walked a few feet away from the now sweat-covered god lying on the floor, screaming and writhing like no tomorrow.

"BUT YOU'RE A GENIUS! FIGURE IT OUT!" Pixie yelled, "What are you doing?! Get back over here and help me! LOKI! Loki, wake up, hon' you're just dreaming! You're fine! What's wrong?"

"He can't hear you, Pixie!" Tony sneered, now thoroughly pissed at the situation. He watched as the girls brown hair fell over her shoulders and brushed against the gods face as she tried to get him to open his eyes.

"WELL I'M TRYING!" Pixie yelled again. This was obviously killing her inside.

After all this time – it took so long! – it took to get Loki to open up and stop worrying and it was crumbling down again. She was afraid Loki would really lose it soon. Once could only go through so much before they had had enough.

"What's going on here?" Thor boomed from the doorway, rushing into the room.

"Thor!" Tony exclaimed, "Finally!"

"Get your Jane-loving-butt over here, Thor! Help me wake him up!" Pixie shouted at Thor.

"Loki!" Thor shook Loki's shoulders.

Loki had started to shake and his screams seemed continuous now. Tony was surprised the whole tower wasn't gathered in the room already. Loki arched his back and a tremor ran through his whole body before he raised his head and slammed it back into the ground with a sickening crack.

"Loki!" Pixie echoed Thor. Loki had stopped thrashing as soon as he hit his head and Pixie slid her hand under his head. "Loki, open your eyes."

…

It had all come back. Everything. In a big rush he remembered everything. Not only did he remember everything he forced himself to forget from the Chitauri imprisonment and invasion, but he also remembered things he had forced himself to forget from years and years prior. Not only did he remember it but he relived it. All of it.

Loki screamed. He needed to get out of here. It was too much!

"C'mon Loki! Figure it out!" A voice taunted him. In a way he knew he was only imagining these things and that it wasn't actually happening to his physical body but…it made it almost worse. This way his torturer could do multitudes of other forms of torture that would normally result in death but here, in his mind, only meant pain beyond death.

"Leave!" Loki commanded. In his mind he was in a wasteland. The air burned his lungs and eyes and the ground was sharp glass. Without shoes Loki was left to completely cut up feet. "Get out!" Loki said, trying to muster his most intimidating and authoritative voice. Unfortunately he had to suck in air to say these words and soon the pain searing in his lungs caused him to fall to his hands and knees, further cutting his skin with the jagged ground.

"You are nothing," the voice said calmly back. Suddenly there was a body beside him, one that he suspected belonged to the voice taunting him, and the body kicked him sending him flying much farther then should be possible. The kick audibly broke a few ribs and as he landed on the ground, sliding and grinding his bare back into hamburger meat, he gasped in pain, bringing more poisonous air into his lungs.

Loki cried out and writhed in pain.

It was a gentler memory of the mind games they had played with him.

Young Loki, about fourteen or fifteen by Midgardian standards, walked down a back hall in the palace, an empty one no one ever was in, trying to find a new place to read books without being interrupted by his blundering brother.

Just as he turned a corner he ran full on into a guard. "Watch what you're doing!" Loki exclaimed. When you're prince nothing like this is your fault.

"I'd just watch it if I were you, Loki," the guard growled as he grabbed the young prince by the arm.

"It's Prince Loki to you," Loki snapped as he tried to yank his arm out of the man's grasp. The man was unrelenting and Loki said, "Unhand me, guard. Think of what you are doing."

"I know full well what I'm doing," the guard grinned a sleazy smile.

Oh, God.

Loki knew exactly what was coming. He knew he was…desirable to some men. He had been 'accidentally' brushed by other men from other planets in the past, other guards. He knew no one ever came back here. He knew all these things yet…he never thought it would actually come to this.

"Get away from me," Loki sneered, aiming for confidence.

"I don't think so."

Loki cried out again. That memory had been effectively erased by his younger self and he was just remembering now. Loki had been attacked like that before but…that was the first time. It hurt.

"Sygin!" Loki called out, terrified as the woman he loved was dragged away from him. "SYGIN!"

"Still him," commanded the officer.

Two guards came behind Loki and forced him to his knees. "STOP!" Loki yelled. This time he imbued his magic and all the guards were frozen against their will as Loki's magic washed over them. Loki tore himself away from the frozen guards holding him just as chains bound his wrists. "What –" Loki gasped as he felt his magic seep out of him. There was nothing he could do. The guards were released from his magic and Loki was left staring after his lover being dragged from the hall as he writhed from magic withdrawal.

Loki choked. He knew he wouldn't erase such a memory. Someone else must have. How many memories had been taken from him like this?

Years later Loki still mourned the girl and certain people – people who had been responsible for the girl, Sygin's, disappearance – were getting tired of it. Later that day Loki stumbled upon Sygin: dead, used, and broken.

Loki felt his heart break – ripped from his chest and twisted until it didn't resemble a heart anymore.

Loki screamed. He felt the love he had lost. He felt his heart turn to stone. He felt himself losing grip of reality. Was there reality anymore? Loki wasn't sure. He wasn't sure he wanted to find out the rest of what he had forgotten.

Loki felt the pain of his life in mere moments and screamed and screamed. He felt his head crack against something hard and suddenly…he was free.

So. Angst. Hm. That could have been done better. I know it. Sorry guys: I'm tired!
So this was a longer chapter than usual! Yay!

Thank you all for New Years wishes! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Phantom