Adrianna smiled up at the clouds as she turned the volume up on her iPod. It was a beautiful day in the middle of fall, or at least, she thought it was beautiful. She loved overcast, rainy days and especially loved winter, when snow blanketed the ground. For now, she could make do with a breezy cloudy day as she went for a walk on the secluded bike path behind her house. The trees were just starting to change color and it was so peaceful out. She had waited until it was mid morning when no one else would be out.
Ria was supposed to be inside working on a paper for her English class, but it was too tempting outside. She would work on it later when she was supposed to be having a girl's night with Cassie and Jen. They would probably kill her but it wasn't like they would be doing much anyway. They were settling in for a Marvel movie marathon tonight, complete with the new Avengers DVD.
She rolled her eyes at the thought. There was a ninety percent chance they would be reduced to bickering over their favorite character, as always. Cassie had a thing for Loki, calling him the misunderstood, tragic figure that "just needs a hug". Jen would proceed to mock her and say that Iron Man could take him any day. Ria could see the valid points of all the characters; she even understood the whole "Loki is misunderstood" argument, but personally, she liked the Captain. Not that it mattered, anyway; none of them were real, and the chances of meeting Chris Evans or Tom Hiddleston was about the same as winning the lottery…in a different country.
Someone tapped on Ria's shoulder. It startled her out of her thoughts and she jumped as she turned around and pulled out her headphones. She hadn't thought anyone else was around, but there was a middle aged man right next to her.
"I'm sorry for interrupting you," the man said with an amused expression. "I was just wondering if you could help me with a question."
Ria eyed the man; something was very off here. He was in dress clothes...on a bike path. There wasn't anything around here but woods; the nearest road that intersected was a quarter mile back, and that wasn't even near the town, which was another mile and a half away.
"How can I help you," she asked warily as she took a discreet step away from the man.
She had only taken basic self defense classes at the Y with her friends, but the man didn't look like he was in the prime of his life. She figured she would be able to get a good hit in and then run. She thought back to the pepper spray and taser gun her dad bought her as a moving out present. Why hadn't she thought to bring them?
"I was just wondering," he said as he paused thoughtfully, looking at her. "Is your name Adrianna Nicole Moore?"
The blood drained from her face. She tried to turn away to run, but his hand shot out and grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip that was unexpected. Immediately, there was a giant pulsing blue light formed to her right. Ria closed her eyes against the brightness as she felt herself get tugged into the light, which felt like a gaping hole. She fought back a scream as her feet left the solidity of the ground, and then reconnected a few moments later.
Her heart pounding, she opened her eyes as she twisted her arm out of the man's grasp. She tentatively rubbed her wrist as she backed away from the man. It was brighter out then it had been, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Then she realized why; the trees that had been surrounding her were replaced by buildings. The skyscrapers of New York City loomed over her everywhere she looked.
"Let the girl go, Tyr," someone called out.
Ria focused on detail a little more at this point. They were in a relatively empty location behind some buildings. The man, Tyr she guessed, was standing about five feet away from her, and there was some sort of surreal force field looking thing made of swirling LED lights. Behind that she could see…
"Oh no," Ria breathed. Then she got louder, shaking her head and yelling at Tyr. "No, no, no, no. I don't know what the hell you did, but fix it. Now. I don't know what's going on here, but I'm not going to be a part of it. Put me back."
Tyr simply chuckled at her outburst. Apparently he thought this was all freaking amusing, which was starting to make Ria mad despite her fear of the situation. There was just no way this was happening.
"Oh, I have put you back, Anika," Tyr sneered at her. She heard a gasp echo through the square, but she stayed focused on Tyr.
"Um, I think you have me confused with someone else. I'm not Anika, my na-," she started.
"I know who you are," he cut her off. "You're name is Adrianna Nicole Moore, twenty years of age, attending Illinois State University, and you live at 2102 Pine Lane in a town house you share with two other girls."
Again, Ria went pale. This man was stalking her, and now she was…here. She couldn't even think the words, it was too surreal.
"But before that, you were called Anika, daughter of Odin and Frigga of Asgard, youngest of their children. You were taken as an infant, and sent to an alternate dimension of this realm, where these tales are no more than bedtime stories," he continued.
"I don't know who you are, but I'm going to make this clear: I'm. Not. Anika. You need someone else, or professional help for that matter-"
"Insolent girl," he snapped and reached out to strike her across the face. As soon as his hand came near, she blocked it with her forearm and then swept her leg out to catch his right behind his kneecap, sending him sprawling to the ground. She tried to get out of reach, but his hand ensnared her ankle and he twisted it, painfully.
Ria made not a sound as she fell. Almost as soon as she hit the ground she was in the air again. Tyr wrapped one hand in a death grip around her neck, holding her dangling above the cement.
"Let her go," a voice roared. Thor, she was pretty sure it was Thor. Ria wrapped her hands around Tyr's arm, trying to keep him from collapsing her trachea like a bendy straw. She looked right into his eyes, and he stared back in a hateful glare.
Something inside Ria had shifted. She wasn't scared; she was angry. This man had dragged her into this insanity and was now going to kill her. She wanted him to feel pain and returned his glare with equal rage.
Suddenly his eyes changed; the hatred there turned into a pained expression as he dropped her, collapsing to the ground himself with a small cry. Ria landed more or less on her feet and slightly unsteady. She continued to glare at the man on the ground before her.
Tyr let out a small chuckle from his spot on the concrete. "And so the princess has returned. I hope you enjoy your family reunion. It won't last long," he said with a grin as he disappeared into thin air.
Ria stayed standing where she was, still staring at the spot where he had disappeared. This couldn't be happening to her. Things like this didn't happen. There was surely a logical explanation for it. Suddenly she was enfolded in a giant hug. All she could see was the metal armor pressed up against her face, seeing as how she was only chest height to them.
"Anika, can it be you," Thor's words came to her muffled from where she was awkwardly trapped in his hug.
"Can't breathe," she mumbled. She was immediately let go and then held at arm's length. Okay, he looked exactly like Chris Hemsworth. There was something very wrong here.
"I'm really sorry," Ria said, "but I'm not whoever you think I am. I'm just…me. My name is Adrianna, not Anika. You have me confused."
"Of course not," Thor exclaimed. "You are my sister."
"Right. Because evil villains never have hidden agendas," she replied sarcastically. She couldn't help it; if she didn't resort on some form of humor she would have to seriously focus on the situation and she didn't want to risk having some sort of mental breakdown from all of this.
"It is not just because Tyr claimed it. I can see that it is true. You are a rightful daughter of Odin," Thor said.
"No, I'm not," Ria protested.
"How else would you explain the magic you used," Loki asked. She hadn't noticed him there, but he was with the Avengers and they weren't attacking so she assumed he must be on their side, somehow.
"That was…I don't have to explain myself to you," she said as she turned away from the group. It looked like the original six members of the Avengers and Loki were all there. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find some ruby slippers to take me home."
"Anika, you are in danger-," Thor argued.
"Stop calling me that," Ria snapped as she turned back. She had gained a good twenty foot distance from him, and the rest of the Avengers were even further. "I'm not your sister, and I don't belong here. So now, I'm going home and I'm going to pretend that this never happened."
She was getting a major headache. In truth, she had no clue what the hell happened when Tyr was forced to let go of her, and she didn't want to know either. She just wanted this all to go away; it was like a bad dream. She wanted to wake up in her own bed, forget that it all happened.
Another bright blue light formed in the corner of her vision and she recognized it from before. Without thought she dove into it, disregarding the shouts from the people around her. Thor reached the spot just as the portal faded away, his hand closing around nothing but air.
"Loki, reopen the portal," Thor shouted as he joined him.
"I can't open it without knowing where it went to," Loki said exasperated. "You cannot just recreate the laws of magic. I have to know where the portal leads to in order to create it."
"There's nothing you can do," Steve asked as the rest of the Avengers surrounded the spot. It was more of an accusation; most of the team still had reservations about allowing Loki to work with them, no matter how much help he would be against the new sorcerer they were facing.
"I did not say that," Loki responded with a glare. "If we had something of hers, a possession she had touched, I could create a spell to take us to her."
Natasha held up a pair of white headphones. "These fell off of her when she hit the ground. Will they work?"
Loki eyed the headphones. "I suppose they shall. I'll need several hours to prepare the spell."