Chapter Three

Loki smiled, finding the perfect place to hide his newly acquired ship, deep in the wastelands of Sakaar, and far away from where most salvager would think to look. He landed the ship next to a pile of debris, blending the ship in with the other wreckage and stepped outside.

To be on the safe side, he quickly setup up a beacon to alert him if anyone approached the ship, then pulled out the space stone. He stared at it intently, knowing he had to use it sparingly, but this time, he didn't have much of a choice. It would take him days to reach the nearest settlement on foot, and he couldn't leave his ship unattended for that long.

A Kree spaceship would draw far too much attention if he simply flew it into town, which was the last thing he needed, not with Thanos on the lookout for him. He cast an illusion on his clothes, turning them into a ragged set of hooded robes, and transported himself to the city.

After some searching, he found his way to the Scrapper's District, then began the more difficult search for someone that could make the modifications to ship he needed, but also discreet enough that they would keep their mouths shut.

Loki held the mind stone in his hand, and began his search, eventually finding just the person he was looking for. After a short walk, he found himself in front of their shop. "Torren's Modworks," he read aloud before stepping inside.

"What do you want?" Loki heard a gruff voice from the back of the hangar.

"I'm looking for Torren, is that you?" Loki asked, seeing the hulking, blue skinned alien coming towards him.

"Yeah, that's me," Torren said. "Now, what do you want?" He asked impatiently.

Loki looked up at the impossibly tall alien. He didn't even recognize his species, but by the looks of him, he could give Hulk a run for his money. "I have a ship that needs some modifications. Are you interested?"

"Depends," Torren said noncommittally, crossing his arms. "What kind of mods you have in mind?"

"Quite a few, and money is no object," Loki replied with a smirk, glad that he had raided Asgard's treasure vault earlier.

Torren smiled, "now we're talking. What do you need done, and how fast?" He asked, guessing his new customer didn't intend to stay too long.

"A stealth coating, to start with," Loki replied. "The ship also has a few marking from the people I 'acquired' it from that need to be removed. I also need the hull reinforced, the engines upgraded, same for the weapons systems, too. It's all here," he said, handing a list to Torren.

"Quite the list you got here," Torren said as he skimmed through the list. "I got a guy for the interior stuff you want done, but he ain't going to be cheap."

"As I said. Price is no object. I need it done quickly, and most importantly, discreetly." Loki replied. "Is that something you can manage? Or do I need to take my business and my money elsewhere?"

"I'm gonna need a little something," Torren replied. "Show you're serious about this instead of just yanking my chain."

"I have just the thing," Loki smiled, handing over a pouch of gem stones he liberated from the Asgard treasure vault. "That's half. You'll get the rest when you finish the upgrades. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal," Torren grunted, grabbing the bag of gems. "How soon can you bring the ship here?"

"I'm not bringing it here," Loki replied, shaking his head. "It'll draw too much attention. I assume a man like you has a more discreet place to make the modifications I need, considering what I'm paying you."

"Yeah," Torren replied, not surprised by the stranger's demand. "We can do that, but it takes longer. I don't have all my equipment over there. I'll need five or six days to get the work done."

"There's another pouch of gems in it for you if you can get the work done in three," Loki replied, knowing what the alien was doing, but he didn't have the time to haggle.

Torren pretended to think about it for a moment before nodding. "I think we can make that work. Bring your ship to these coordinates," he said, handing Loki a scrap of paper.

Loki snatched up the paper, and after making sure his hood covered his face, stepped out of the shop and returned to his ship.

***

A few hours later Loki piloted his ship through the wastelands, arriving at the location Torren gave him. Before he landed, he used the mind stone to search for anyone else Torren brought with him, but only found the one Torren mentioned earlier that would handle the interior modifications he wanted.

'His reputation is well earned,' Loki thought idly as he landed the ship in the hangar before stepping out.

He had searched the minds of over a dozen of Torren's competitors, and most of them would have taken an opportunity like this to rob him blind, but Torren stuck to his word.

"Good, you're here," Torren said, stepping up to the ramp. "This is Rennar," he said, cocking his thumb at the shorter alien beside him. "I told you about him. He's going to handle the interior mods to your ship."

"I want you to start with the computer core," Loki said. "Let me know when it's done."

"We can do that," Torren nodded, "Rennar, gimme a hand. Start on removing the old core. I'll be there in a few with the new one."

"On it," Rennar said, starting up the ramp.

"Good," Loki nodded. "I'll be on the bridge," he said, going back into the ship, "but stay out of the med-bay, I don't want any modification made there."

He didn't wait for a response from either of the aliens as he made his way to the bridge.

A couple of hours later he got the message from Torren and went to the central processing room to access the main computer.

Removing the Kree command functions from the main database had only been the first step in securing his new ship. What he planned next would make it impossible for anyone to take control of his ship in the future.

He pulled out the mind stone, looking down at the shimmering yellow stone for a moment, preparing himself for what he was about to do. It would take a lot of his mental focus to manage, but he knew it was necessary.

He could feel the power of the stone thrumming in his hand. He sharpened his focus, projecting his will through the stone as he connected to the ship's central mainframe and began the process of create an Artificial Intelligence.

He projected concepts of loyalty, intelligence, and efficiency, forming the blueprint of his new AI, the stone's power surging as it created a new artificial life form before his very eyes.

Loki watched as the monitor in front of him flickered to life as millions of lines of code filled the screen, designating the AI's primary functions. Managing life support, navigation, combat systems, and linking every part of the ship through it.

As the process continued, Loki felt the mental and physical strain the stone imposed on him. He wiped the sweat from his brow as he pressed forward, pushing through the discomfort.

Secondary consoles flickered to life as lines of code streamed endlessly as the AI took form. 'Almost there,' he thought, breathing a sigh of relief.

Finally, after four long hours, the process finished. Loki let out a tired sigh as the monitors flickered off as the computer core rebooted, then his AI came to life.

Loki looked at the screen as text began to appear. 'Hello.'

'Hello,' Loki typed back.

'How may I serve you creator?' the AI typed back.

'There are speakers installed in every room of the ship,' Loki typed. 'You will use them to speak to me.'

'Initializing voice communication protocols...'

'…Scanning ship's systems for speaker locations...'

'…Speakers located. Creating voice function...'

'Voice synthesis module activated.'

'Testing audio output in main control room...'

'Audio output successful.'

'Voice communication system online.'

"Voice communication system fully operational, Creator. How may I assist you further?" The AI queried.

"First, what to call you?" Loki said, thinking out loud. "There was a being my — Odin encountered, Mímisbrunnr, the keeper of the Well of Wisdom, and a source of boundless knowledge."

"Odin sacrificed his eye to drink from that well," he said, recalling the memories he had taken from the All-father. "Your role will be much the same, not only guiding and managing this vessel, but the kingdom I will one day create and rule. I will name you after them, Mimir."

"Acknowledged Creator," Mimir responded.

"We have a lot to do, Mimir," Loki continued. "Monitor the upgrades Torren and Rennar are making, and keep me informed. I'll be on the bridge."

"Understood Creator," Mimir responded, using the ship's cameras to monitor the upgrades.

Loki nodded to himself, returning to the bridge and sitting down heavily in the command chair, cradling his head in his hands as he recovered from using the Mind stone. He briefly considering waking Vers now, but decided against it, knowing that it would be some time before he was ready to use the mind stone again.

***

Loki walked through the halls of his ship, a satisfied smirk on his face as he took in all the upgrades Rennar and Torren had made. The once utilitarian Kree transport ship was all but unrecognizable now.

"All systems integrated and fully operational, Creator," Mimir said as Loki walked down the ramp to meet Torren.

"Satisfied?" Torren asked.

"Very," Loki said, impressed, tossing him the two pouches of gems he promised.

Torren opened the pouches and smiled, "pleasure doing business with you. Let me know if there's any other work you're looking to get done."

"I'll keep that in mind," Loki said, closing the door behind him as he instructed Mimir to plot a course to an uninhabited area of space as he reflected on how he would have likely handled a situation like this before he got a hold of the mind stone.

'I would have probably tried to double crossed him for the fun of it,' Loki thought ruefully, 'and probably miss all the hidden weapons systems he had trained on me the entire time.'

He shook his head, thinking about how short sighted he once was, and ultimately self destructive. 'I really was my own worst enemy.'

"Creator, we have arrived at the asteroid field," Mimir said, interrupting Loki's thoughts.

"Good, take us in. Find a suitably sized asteroid and land," Loki said as he made his way to the med-bay. 'It's time to wake up Vers,' he thought, looking forward to the next part.

He knew he was being overly cautious, but didn't want to remain on Sakaar for a moment longer than he absolutely had to. There were far too many beings on the planet that knew about the infinity stones and how to wield their power.

"Mimir," Loki instructed, looking at the stasis pod he put Vers inside. "It's time. Bring Vers out of stasis."

"Understood Creator," Mimir responded. "Initiating reanimation protocol… optimal body temperature achieved… reactivating metabolic functions …restoring circulatory and respiratory systems… Reanimation Process complete," he said as the pod hissed opened.

Loki reached in, picking up Vers. He carried her to the med-bed, and lay her down. He looked at her sleeping form appreciatively, knowing that it would be some time before she woke up.

Loki pulled out the mind stone from his pocket as he stared at Vers. He took a breath, mentally preparing himself before he delved into her mind to make the necessary changes.

He ran his fingers through her hair as he probed her mind, forging a mental connection between them, the first step in using her as a conduit to access the power of the infinity stones.

A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. It was far more difficult than he thought, necessitating changes to both his and Vers minds just to establish the link, but after a long moment, he released the breath he had been holding and wiped his brow, finally establishing the mental link he needed.

Next he established a measure of control over Vers so she wouldn't be able to use the infinity stones directly, or use her own abilities against him, then expanded it to allow him to send her mental commands, and finally locked away her combat abilities.

They would still be there, just beneath the surface, but she wouldn't be able to use them against him. Her mind going blank the moment she committed to attacking him.

He let out a frustrated sigh a moment later, discovering another limitation of the mind stone. The changes he made only affected her mind, not her emotions. It seemed such things were even beyond the power of an infinity stone.

Moving on, he embedded the commands deep into her mind, making it all but impossible for Vers to ignore then, requiring both the mind stone and his own mental signature to undo the changes he made.

Loki stepped back, sitting down heavily in a chair as he completed the process. It had taken even more out of him than creating Mimir. He let out a ragged breath as he closed his eyes, massaging his temples.

***

Vers squinted her eyes as she slowly came back to consciousness. The last thing she remembered was losing the fight to Loki. She cracked open an eye, feeling a profound sense of relief as she stared up at the familiar ceiling of the med-bay, believing for a moment that Minn-Erva, Bron-Char, and Korath must have taken down Loki and brought her and the rest of the team back to the ship.

The feeling quickly passed as it dawned on her she was naked, and laying on a cold metal surface. Falling back on her training, she didn't let on that she was awake, and went through a mental checklist as she considered her situation.

'I'm not restrained, but my clothes are gone, and so are my weapons, but I'm still on the ship,' she thought, latching on to the silver lining. 'If I can make it to the armory, I can get my spare armor and weapons, then find out what the hell is going on.'

She knew Loki must still be around somewhere, but he didn't have the command protocols for the ship. 'We haven't left the planet yet,' she thought, a plan forming in her mind. 'I can use the locator beacons to find Yon-Rogg and the rest of the team, then we can regroup and take down Loki together. He doesn't stand a chance against all six of us,' she thought confidently.

"Creator, sensors indicate Vers has regained consciousness," Mimir said helpfully, interrupting Vers's thought process.

Vers's eyes shot open as she heard the computerized voice, knowing her cover was blown, and not only that, Loki was in the med-bay with her. She sat up, looking around wildly before spotting Loki leaning back in a chair with his eyes closed.

She swung her legs over the bed, dropping to the floor, then surged forward, her bare feet slapping against the steel plating as she reared her fist back, ready to knock him out before he even realized what happened.

The moment before she struck, her mind went blank, and she stumbled, landing on the floor with a thud. Her jaw fell open as she looked up in confusion, wondering what had just happened. Then she saw it, the knowing smirk on Loki's face.

Her confusion quickly turned to anger as she realized Loki had done something to her, but she didn't know what, or even how.

Then Loki opened his eyes, his eyes roaming over her body. She quickly wrapped her arms over her chest, covering her nakedness as best she could as her face went red. Despite her predicament she glared up at her captor. "What have you done to me? And where are my damn clothes?!" she demanded.

Loki sat up, taking in Vers in all her naked glory, his eyes roaming up and down her sultry form. "I got rid of them," he said simply, his smirk transforming into a grin at the look of outrage on her face. "Along with all the trackers I found in them," he added.

Vers's eyes went wide at the mention of trackers. Without them, the empire didn't stand a chance of tracking her down. She surged to her feet again, knowing that she had to escape.

Setting aside her embarrassment, she spun her leg, aiming a kick at the bridge of Loki's nose, only to stop in confusion again as her mind went blank.

When her foot touched the ground, her memories flooded back. She swung her fist, trying a right cross next, only to stop again as she stared at her fist in confusion. 'What's going on?' She thought with growing panic. 'How is he doing this? He's just sitting there.'

Loki said nothing as he watched Vers, throughly enjoying the show. The changes he made to her mind had worked beautifully.

Vers's confidence took a heavy blow as she realized she couldn't fight her way out of this. She looked around frantically for a weapon, a blunt object, anything she could use to attack Loki with, but there was nothing.

Taking advantage of Vers's distracted state, Loki rose to his feet, closing the distance between them. He grabbed her wrists, pulling her close as he held her wrists behind her back, curious to see how she would react when he was the aggressor.

Vers struggled against Loki's grip, trying and failing to fall back on her military training. Just as quickly as a thought entered her mind on how to break his hold and attack, her mind went blank. She could only struggle helplessly in his iron grip, her strength no match for his Asgardian physiology.

She could feel the cool metal of his armor pressing against her naked flesh, goosebumps forming on her skin as she glared up at him, in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. "Let me go!" She demanded.

"Now, why would I do that?" Loki questioned with a raised eyebrow, the amusement clear in his tone. "Especially after all the trouble I went through to get you," he added, enjoying the feel of her firm body pressed against him.

Vers continued to glare at Loki, despite the blush on her cheeks, as she took stock of her situation. "What do you want with me?" She ground out, "and what have you done to the rest of my team?"

"The same thing I did to the two that were with you," Loki replied. "We fought, they lost."

"Are they dead?" Vers demanded, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

Loki chuckled. "They're alive. I saw little point in killing them," he replied with a careless shrug. "They were no threat to me. Their only crime was standing in the way of what I wanted," he said, staring at Vers meaningfully.

Vers felt a flood of relief, knowing her team was still out there, looking for her. "What do you want with me?" she asked again, her blush deepening, aware of how close they were, and how much of her body Loki could see.

"You belong to me now," Loki declared. "That's all you get for now."

Vers glared at Loki, incensed by his words, and at how casually he said them. "I don't belong to anyone!" She shouted, struggling to break his grip again.

"Really?" Loki asked, cocking his head to the side as he released his grip on her wrists, eager to test out the other changes he had made to Vers's mind.

Vers stumbled back, landing on the floor again with a soft thud. She looked up at Loki with a mixture of anger and surprise before covering herself with her hands again in embarrassment.

'Follow,' Loki thought, sending a mental command to Vers through their link as he spun on his heel and went to the door.

Vers watched as Loki walked to the door without saying a word. She silently rose to her feet, following him out, not sure what else to do.

Her jaw dropped open as they walked through the corridors, not sure what to make of what she was seeing. She was sure they left the cruiser's med-bay, but everything else was different. Almost as if the med-bay had been rebuilt inside an alien vessel. 'Why would someone go to all that trouble?' She thought in bewilderment.

"Where are we?" Vers demanded, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

"You don't recognize it?" Loki smirked as he continued to walk. "I suppose it does look a little different than what you're used to."

"You're saying this is my ship?" Vers demanded incredulously. "You expect me to believe you made all these changes in what? A few hours?"

"Formerly your ship," Loki corrected. "And you've been in stasis for about a week, plenty of time to make the changes I needed."

"You're lying," Vers declared, shaking her head as she followed him through the corridors, noting all the differences between this ship and her own.

Instead of the utilitarian design favored by the Kree Military, it was far more luxurious, using geometric patterns and shapes, along with wood and stone accents, and vibrant colors.

She furrowed her brows. The design seemed familiar, but she couldn't place where it was from. Then it all clicked as she saw a mural on the wall. "You're an Asgardian," she realized.

Loki stopped, turning around to face Vers with a raised eyebrow. "Curios," he said, mentally noting that Vers was still trying to cover herself up. "I didn't expect anyone to know of my kind this far from the nine realms. How do you know of us?"

"It's part of our training," Vers replied. "We're informed of all the major powers in the known universe. What are you doing so far from home?" She asked, hoping to gain some insight into what he wanted from her.

"What do you know of my kind?" Loki asked curiously, ignoring Vers's question.

"I know you're from a race so powerful, lesser races once consider you gods," Vers replied. "Now answer my questions," she asked pointedly.

"You'll find out when I allow you to," Loki replied mysteriously, as they arrived on the bridge.

Vers followed Loki in, bristling at being spoken to this way. Asgardian or not, she was still a warrior, an elite soldier, and wasn't used to being dismissed so casually.

Just like the rest of the ship, the bridge was completely alien to her. It was far larger and more opulent than her cruiser, with one chair dominating the center of the room instead of the six chairs for each member of her team.

Her brows knitted together as she saw the console attached to the chair, recognizing it immediately as Kree technology, which meant that Loki was telling the truth. This really was her cruiser.

She dashed forward, running past Loki as she made a beeline for the console, knowing what she had to do to take control of the situation. She rapidly typed on the console, keying in her command code as she prepared a self destruct, confident that Loki would have no choice but to surrender, only to stop and stare at the screen in surprise when it refused to accept them.

She tried again, thinking it might be some type of glitch, only for the console to beep and lock her out. 'How is this possible,' she thought in confusion. It was clearly a Kree console, but her command codes didn't work.

"Access denied," Mimir said over the speakers. "Command codes Invalid."

Vers stepped back in surprise, realizing that Loki must have done something, but she had no idea how he managed it. Getting past the security subroutines should have been all but impossible. The ship should have self destructed long before he got through even the first layer of encryption. And then there was the voice recognition system, something that wasn't standard for any Kree vessel.

She looked at Loki, hoping for some explanation, but was only met with an amused smirk. "What have you done?" She demanded.

"Oh, nothing much," Loki replied, sauntering up to her. "Just a few minor tweaks here and there. Mimir, what was Vers trying to do?" He asked, addressing his AI.

"Vers was attempting to initiate a self destruct, Creator," Mimir replied.

Loki let out an amused chuckle, looking at Vers. "You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you?"

Vers ground her teeth glaring at Loki, refusing to say anything.

"You can try as many consoles as you wish," Loki said, still amused. "But the result will be the same. My AI will stop you from accessing any of the ship's systems."

"AI?" Vers asked, in surprise. The Kree empire was no stranger to AI's, but true AI's were normally the size of buildings, and none of them were designed to fit inside a ship of any class. "How?" She demanded.

Loki just smiled, sitting down in the command chair. "Mimir, how long until we arrive at our destination?"

Vers glowered at being so blatantly ignored, but without her martial training to fall back on, she wasn't sure what to do about it.

"Estimated time of arrival is seven days," Mimir responded.

Loki nodded, looking at Vers again as she held her hands in front of her in a futile attempt to cover herself up. A sly smile working its way onto his face as he decided to test the limits of the mental commands he'd implanted in her mind. 'Sit on my lap,' he thought, sending her another command.

Loki watched carefully as Vers walked towards him. She still had the angry scowl on her face, and was still trying to cover herself up, but she didn't seem to register what she was doing.

He leaned back in his chair as Vers straddled his waist, then crossed her arms over her chest to cover her breasts. Testing a theory, he cupped her ass, gently kneading her cheeks as he observed her face for a reaction.

"What are you looking at?" Vers demanded, a scowl on her face.

Loki raised an eyebrow, surprised by Vers's lack of reaction. He reached up, pulling her closer, until their noses were almost touching, but still there was no visible reaction from her.

'Interesting,' Loki thought. 'She doesn't notice anything that would cause her to disobey an order. He reached up boldly, cupping one of her breasts, kneading it as he watched her for a reaction.'

"Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work," Vers said, deciding to change tactics as Loki stared at her silently. "I'm a member of the Kree military. They're going to come looking for me, and they're going to come in force. You won't be able to defeat all of them. The best thing you can do is let me go, and hope they're lenient with you."

Loki chuckled, recognizing the bluff for what it was. The Kree most certainly had an interest in Vers. Considering her abilities, it was already a foregone conclusion, but they would have no idea where to even begin a search for her. "Let them come," he said confidently.

Vers huffed, looking away from the Asgardian, not used to being the one off balance and at a disadvantage.

Loki felt Vers's nipple harden to his touch, and gently pulled away her hands, staring at her perfectly sculpted breasts. He wrapped his palms around them, kneading them gently as he observed his prize.

Her body was perfectly proportioned, her skin nearly flawless, only a few minor scars from her years on the battlefield. She was lean and toned, with hardly any fat on her body, reminding him of the Valkyries of old.

He traced his thumb across her nipple, surprised when a soft moan escaped her lips. 'She may not be consciously aware of my touch,' Loki thought, 'but her physical reactions are another story.'

Testing a theory, Loki confronted her with reality to see how it affected the order he gave her earlier. "Vers?" he asked, watching her face closely. "Why are you sitting on my lap?"

"What are you-" Vers started to say, caught off guard by the ridiculous question, then stopped, her jaw falling open as she realized her position. Her face went red, a mixture of fury and embarrassment as she scrambled off his lap. "What did you do to me?" she demanded, very much aware of Loki's eyes trailing up and down her body as she tried to cover herself up.

"What did I do?" Loki said, feigning ignorance as he locked eyes with her. "I think you have that backwards."

"Cut the crap, Loki!" Vers growled, masking her vulnerability. "I know you did something to me! I never would have done… that on my own!"

Loki smirked, enjoying this game more than he thought he would. "Perhaps you're drawn to me," he suggested. "You're certainly not the first to lust for a god."

Vers continued to glare at Loki, studying his face for any tells, but frustratingly couldn't find a single one, leaving her floundering. He was either telling the truth and she couldn't even trust her own senses, or he was the best liar she had ever met.

***

Hi! What do you think of the new chapter? These first three chapters were more about establishing the characters, and the plot of the story, but the next chapter will focus a lot more on Loki and Vers(Carol).

If you can, please take the time to review, and let me know what you think of the story.

For more info on my writing, character pictures for Loki and Vers(Carol Danvers) and early access to chapters 4-9 please visit: https://taplink.cc/jumpin

A big thank you to all my supporters, I really appreciate it.

Jumpin