Prologue

"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt."

― Sun Tzu, The Art of War


2011, Puente Antiguo, NM

Loki appeared on Midgard without sound, without the dazzling lights of the rainbow bridge, and most importantly, without a trace. He turned, sand grinding under his boots, to take in the desiccated land.

An unforgiving sun leached the color and life out of the rocky earth and sparse vegetation. Even the sky was a pathetic, muted shade of blue. It was all so monotonous, so dull. He raised a brow, thinking it had a striking similarity to Svartalfheim.

His gaze flicked to an odd little building, then down at a many-legged insect, skittering across the fissured ground near his feet. He took a step forward, indifferent to the crunch that followed, and continued on to the astrophysicist's dwelling. The one his mother had foreseen and whom only he saw as a potential threat.

Frigga had convinced the All-Father there was no danger or harm in allowing this turn of events to proceed. So, Loki had decided it was up to him to investigate this mortal, even though it was an unsanctioned, and therefore clandestine, mission.

A hot breeze scraped across his skin, filling his nose with dust and leaving behind the taste of grit on his tongue. He curled his lip in revulsion. Of all the places to live, the astrophysicist had to reside in the middle of a desert. Not that he preferred any location on this particular realm. It was Midgard, after all, the backwoods of the World Tree.

A woman launched out the door and shot toward the dingy trailer next to the building. She stopped mid-stride. Her long hair whipped forward, unaware the rest of her no longer moved. She turned, sweeping back the brown mass with a slender hand, and stared at the spot he found himself rooted to.

She could not see through his cloaking spell. If Heimdall couldn't, no one could. Especially not a Midgardian. Not even Jane Foster, the one destined to build a Bifrost.

He watched as her eyes lit up and a slow smile took shape. It was as if she were greeting him, pleased he was there. Something stirred within him. The grim line of his lips threatened to crack. He gritted his teeth and crushed the nameless sentiment like the insect it was.

"That's it," she hooted in excitement and darted back inside. The screen door slapped shut behind her and a hazy cloud billowed out in her wake.

It mattered not what Frigga or the All-Father had said, Loki would discover this woman's secrets. He'd peel back as many layers as needed to know everything about her. He'd hold the spark that made her who she was, and if he must, for the good of Asgard, he'd smother out its existence.


Disclaimer: In case you're unsure, I don't own Thor, Marvel, or Disney.

Author's note: I'm so very excited to share this with anyone who happens upon it. The actual story is in Jane and Loki's POV with a main plot line involving the Tesseract and a romance sub-plot that is a slow build. There are a multitude of characters who are swept up along for the ride, so it's not just Jane + love interest. You have been warned. :)

I have an amazing beta, DreamFlight, who I'm seriously honored took me, a newbie, on. She's the one who wrote Broken Things and Between Worlds. Yes, I'm bragging and if you haven't read them yet, then you should. Right now.

To my sister, who reads my work and is always my cheerleader, I love you!

Since I'm a new writer, I'd love critique. Constructive criticism is my best of friend. She can be harsh, but it's always for my betterment. Thank you for reading!

Update 9/5/16 - Mercury97, a copy editor, has offered her services to work on NS. You have no idea how much her PM tickled me. I felt like I'd won the lottery. And now NS will only get better. Thank you Mercury97!