The Multiversal Road-Trip: Book Five

21

And so Mephisto gave them the information. Stephen was amazed Wanda got him to actually stay true to his word – every other time, that hadn't worked so well. But he told them everything they needed to know, even helped them formulate a plan to get inside.

Stephen wanted to think he was changing into a better person, but the reality was, it was mind-numbingly boring in that cell for him. Stephen thought that would be the worst punishment ever – to be condemned to a cell forever, with nothing in there, not even torture to look forward to. Like Loki, Mephisto was one of those advanced beings who didn't necessarily have to eat, drink or sleep to survive, so he couldn't even pass time doing that. No window to look out of unless someone outside the cell decided to open the cell door window. No one to talk to except the skeletons by the wall.

The sheer boredom would've killed him after a day. That wasn't to say Mephisto didn't deserve this, but... well, this was definitely the most exciting thing he'd probably have to do for a long time. He'd be an idiot to pass up the opportunity.

There was only one problem with the information he gave them. And that was the location.

"Robot Heaven is located Andromeda: 0113SS"2783WM' 9304SL"0029LF'," Mephisto told them, as though they might get it.

Stephen's eyebrows furrowed by their own accord. Confused, he looked at Scott, whose eyebrows had also furrowed by themselves. Scott shrugged, clearly confused as hell too (dammit, hell puns...) and then Stephen turned his attention on Wanda. She was stumped too – all their eyebrows matched. He was just about to turn to Loki to see if he was also confused when Mephisto spoke again.

Well, no. He laughed first, and then spoke. Ass. "You aren't telling me you don't know what that means, are you? Now that is embarrassing," the devil laughed.

"Of course they know what it means, they aren't stupid," Loki dismissed, examining his nails. No one spoke, and he must have felt them staring at him, because their silence was enough for him to look up again. He seemed to falter slightly. "You... you guys do know what that means, right?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison, and Loki just watched them in confusion while Mephisto started laughing again. "So embarrassing," the devil chuckled in between laughs.

"Shut up, you," Stephen sighed, half-heartedly, rolling his eyes. "So, what does it mean?"

"They're coordinates," Loki explained, trying to ignore Mephisto's laughing. "I thought that was fairly obvious, honestly."

Stephen, Wanda and Scott's faces all changed to an expression of realisation at exactly the same time. Yeah, that made sense now he'd said it.

Loki turned back to the devil. "So, you finished with us now? I think three of us want me to elaborate further on this coordinates thing."

"Hang on," Mephisto said, frowning. "You haven't told me why you want to know all this yet."

Again, that tense feeling came back to Stephen as he slowly turned to face Wanda, but as it turns out, learning all this had made her much more calm and happy to oblige. "I suppose you kept your side of the bargain, so I'll keep mine," Wanda said, sighing lightly. She hesitated before saying, "I lost my family, and we're going to get them back."

Mephisto stared at her, in total silence, not even blinking, for ten entire seconds. "Um. OK," he finally said. That was obviously not what he'd been expecting.

"What?" Wanda asked, politely. "What's the matter with that?"

Mephisto frowned. "Well... look, as the devil, I've met a lot of people over the years who have wanted me to resurrect their loved ones. It doesn't work like that. It never works out. Ever."