"So...," Brun said, a knowing smile on her face.
"So?" Loki asked in return.
"You stayed with the Grandmaster all night long, then all day long, then all night long again," she said, face half disgust, half mocking.
"Yes. And I got some interesting numbers," he said, face serious. They had been playing Talf for hours. His brain hurt still from trying to think one hunded steps ahead. He never knew which movement the Grandmaster would use and the possibilities were endless. For each victory, Loki got random questions answered, as well as well pointed ones about the layout of the tower and random numbers after the layouts. His guess was that if he made the man think of some place in the tower that needed a code and then asked for a number, the number would be part of the code opening those areas.
"Oh, I can guess how you got them, then."
"Sure, you can," Loki said, with a self satisfied smile. Of course, she wouldn't believe him if he were to say that he had not had sex with the most powerful being in all Sakaar after spending almost two days copped up with him in the same room. Not that he would try to explain himself to her, he is used to people believing whatever they want about him, so he won't waste any kind of effor nor energy negating something that's already been rooted into the woman's mind.
"That's disgusting, just so you know."
Loki shrugged. He didn't care.
"Well, I did my part, now, what else do we have in storage?"
She grinned at him. "Follow me, we are going to meet with someone incredible," she was smiling so brightly that Loki felt a shived run down his spine, dreading to know what was the woman planning on doing.
"Well, make haste, then. I have run out of time already and I find myself distracted more often than not these days from my current situation."
She motioned for him to follow. "He came here into his own ship. I took a look at it a few times. If we could repair the worst, it should be able to fly out of the Annus and into safety, outside his grasp. Though if he tries to follow you out, then you are on your own."
"Wait," Loki stopped in his tracks, she did the same, turning to look at him. "You are not coming with me?"
Brun barked a laugh. "What? Nah! What gave you the idea?"
"I thought you might have a change of heart. It is your King we are talking about, here."
"Yes, well... You never told me what you were. If not Aesir, Loki, what are you?" Her eyes narrowed. Loki looked away.
"That matters not anymore." They started walking again. Then, as an after thought, he asked, "We are going to talk with the Midgardian, right?"
She looked at him and smirked.
00000
Loki looked from outside as the beast roared. He couldn't help that his body trembled in fear. Aside of what the Other had done to him, no-one had ever been as skilled as the green mass to hurt him. Currently, he couldn't decide if the beast was happy or angry of seeing him. It was just saying punny god, punny god. Putting on a façade, he rolled his eyes.
"As much as I dread this encounter, beast, I am in need of your assistance. My brother, Thor, you remember him, right? He needs your help." The Hulk looked at him and Loki stiffened.
"Point Break," it said. Loki was befuddled. What?
"Excuse you?" he said.
"Point Break. Stark call him that."
"Ah! The tin man. Well. I'll endeavor to remember it," Loki muttered. "Look, Doctor Banner, Hulk, green mass, whatever you want to be called. I need you to remember where your ship landed. And I need you to activate it for me. Now."
Valkyrie was leaning on the wall, clearly amused by what she was watching. Hulk huffed.
"No. You stay. You fight here. We fight and be friends, or I break your neck again."
Loki grimmaced. Yes, he remembered. His still healing bones had managed to get by the invassion and then, the green creature had managed to break them again, on other places. He could still hear the cracks.
"Aww! C'mon, big green!" Brun nundged. Loki's eyes widened at her. The Hulk seemed relaxed around her, though, and didn't try to smash her on the floor.
"Anyways, creature, we only need you to wreck havoc and I need you to start the damned ship," Loki chimed in. The beast came closer to Loki, which made him to recoil, to Brunnhilde's amusement. That distracted him enough for a green massive hand to close on his arm. He was subsequently crushed into an embrace. Loki stiffened in the Hulk's arms.
"We are friends, now. I will help."
Loki nodded, his displeasure painted plainly on his face.
"Now we just need to put the plan in motion," Brun said, sitting on the massive bed of the creature. "Loki, you should go first to the ship and see whatever it needs to fly, then you come back and ask my friend here for fingertips or whatever. Then, you, my greeniest friend, will throw a temper tantrum. I expect you to be able to create such a commotion that the fireworks will be thrown earlier, okay?" she asked. When the Hulk nodded, she grinned and continued, "I, on the other hand, will go and distract Topaz. She can be really perceptive and a fearsome warrior, we don't need her on our necks. And finally, if everything goes right, Loki here will be flown far away, and we will still be able to enjoy our lives leisurely. Understood?"
"No," the creature said, squishing Loki a bit more. Loki let out a pained groan. Still he didn't want to fight the Hulk, he needed the green beast on his side. "Punny god is not going anywhere."
"Aww, I know you like him, but he has to go. Big bro needs little bro," Brunnhilde said, as if she was talking to a toddler. "You know his big bro, right? Point Break?" She glanced briefly at Loki before looking back at the Hulk. "Thor needs Loki, Hulk. And Loki has to go."
The Hulk made an annoyed sound, then, before releasing Loki. As soon as his feet touched the floor, Loki put distance between the green one and himself.
"I will go now. Can you poit to me where you landed? With some luck, no scrapper will have removed the most essential parts," Loki said, straightening his clothes. The Hulk walked towards the massive windows on the wall and pointed. Loki, taking care of not getting too close to him, looked outside. Nodding to himself, he made a mental map of the streets and how to arrive there.
Brun bid her farewells to the Hulk and walked towards Loki as the prince walked briskly away. As soon as they turned a corner she tripped him. Enraged, he turned, ready to launch a punch, but what he found wasn't a smirking valkyrie, but a worried woman. Her face was grim, and that wasn't a good signal. He waited.
"Can't touch you, remember?" she said, even though she had jumped the Hulk as soon as they had met. It seemed the only one banned from touching was Loki himself. Another thing that annoyed him about his Green Guest Code or whatever the name. He nodded. "Look, I might not want to get involved into whatever mess you Asgardians have gotten in, but it doesn't sit well with me sending a child– "Loki huffed in disbelief" –a bratty child at that, to Hela's arms. I might also don't hold any kind of respect for you, aside that you managed to get a lot of credits and that now I have them all, but it still worries me... If you ever need it, you can always come crawling back here, I'll have a bottle of the best mead awaiting for your in my room."
Loki nodded. That was as close as it was going to get from the valkyrie to a "take care" and "you can always come back here". Then, unexpectedly she grabbed him and hugged him.
"You will get into trouble," he said, fighting her off. She held him still.
"Can't help getting into trouble. Though it will be worth it, kid."
Loki huffed. He was hardly a kid, but he supposed that to her, he might as well be wearing diappers still. He smiled crookedly.
"Well, don't hold it against me if I ever come back," he said. She laughed. "See you latter, my lady. I have chores to do."
She grinned at him. "Go get into trouble, Lackey."
Loki made a rude gesture and left her on the hallway. In less than an hour he found the ship. He entered and tried to operate it pushing a sequence on the console. A few buttons and screens lit up. Loki's attention was caught by a screen, it had the outline of a hand in the middle. Loki shifted into his brother's skin, putting his hand over it.
"Welcome. Voice activation required," a female voice sounded. Loki grinned.
"Thor," he said, confidently.
"Access denied," the voice replied. Loki frowned.
"Thor, Son of Odin," he tried then.
"Access denied."
"God of Thunder."
"Access denied."
Loki grumbled, cursing Stark, the tin man, for not being logical. What could be used as Thor's voice code? Narrowing his eyes, he tried with another thing, "Strongest Avenger."
"Access denied."
He was about to use his seidr against the thrice damned machine when a thought passed through his mind. "Point Break." The ship automatically came to life.
"Welcome, Point Break."
Loki snorted, then let out a small chuckle. As seconds passed by, it all became a full out laughter. He was shaking so much that he needed to sit on the deck floor, holding his middle. Drying a few tears, he rose to his feet and started a scan. He needed to know if the ship needed repairs or if it would hold. So far, so good.
Sitting on the pilot's chair, he ran other scans, minor ones, just to be sure, as well as reading the data from when the ship entered Sakaar. He would need all the information possible if he wanted to plot a course through the Annus and towards Asgard. He also needed to know what kind of power it had, if it would be enough to travel to Asgard or if he should make some adjustments before leaving.
He was lost in thought when it happened. A foce so strong it shook him from within. He looked up, at the skyline. In a blink he was near the debris' dumpsters edge. He felt it more than see it.
"Damn! Damn you! Fucking dickheaded arsehole!" he mumbled, dashing back. He had to find her. He had to find the valkyrie, and soon! He had to, before... Before... Loki found Brunnhilde in her room, drinking herself into a stupor. "Scrapper-142!" he almost yelled, with a commanding voice. She stood up, fighting stance on her body, though she was losing her balance as consequence of all the liquor she had already downed. "I need you to go to this sector, asap, and bring in the one that just entered Sakaar in here, as quietly as possible." He made a map appear on the air. She scanned it with blurred eyes, then grinned.
"Got it," she said, and Loki worried she was too intoxicated.
"Please, make haste. And do not let harm come to him," he pleaded. She looked at him through the hologram, with a serious face.
"Who...?"
"Your king just landed."