The Orion Trilogy
Pt. 2
The Thief's Downfall
.:.
.:.:.
"But man, proud man,
Dress'd in a little brief authority,
Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd—
His glassy essence—like an angry ape
Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven
As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens,
Would all themselves laugh mortal."
-William Shakespeare
.:.:.:.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.
They searched for her every day, but it took forty days for them to finally catch her.
The first escape—and also the first realization at what events had, were, and would be unfolded—took place in the clearing in the woods by her house. She went there when it began to get unbearable at home, when she felt stifled and helpless and doubtful of herself; so she would stretch back, walk to the front door, and slip quietly way into the twilight. This time, she made sure to wear her glasses and pocket her taser.
Darcy had taken a different route this time, veering off the trail and loping through the trees. But for the first time in months, Darcy felt uneasiness as she climbed higher. It took less than a minute to find out why.
Prowling around the entrance from visible the trail and in the clearing were several grotesque, gangly creatures. They had a tough, leathery hide covered with pieces of metallic armor. They grunted and growled, with yellow eyes and a horrible faces that bared their teeth in their displeasure. It was all Darcy could do not to let out a sound or horror. Even the smallest one would have been her certain death. Darcy backed away from the field and went back to her home, her heart filled with dread.
She rooted on the spot when she was fifty feet away from her house. The lights were out. When she had left, her mom and dad were sitting by the television in the living room, eating a late dinner. And Darcy was sure she had left her bedside lamp on, which could shine its light visibly from the outside of her window. But not a single light was on, nor a single cricket chirped. It was deadly still, the air stagnant and ominous. Her mind was racing and came to several conclusions. She knew what was happening, and knew she could not go back to her home.
But she had to know. She had to know.
She fished out her phone and dialed 9-1-1. The line was dead. Throat tightening, Darcy steeled herself and put the phone back inside her jeans.
Darcy glued herself to the shadows, walking silently and quickly. She approached her shed and made certain that nobody was inside. Tentatively, she cracked open the door, just enough to reach inside, and grabbed a spade.
Quietly she made her way around the house, and came to the back door to the kitchen. Darcy slipped inside and blinked several times as her eyes adjusted to the complete darkness. She could make out the shapes of the kitchen table and the counter, the fridge and the cabinets. She stuck to the edges of the room, feeling her way slowly towards the living room.
She inhaled sharply. The television was flickering with white noise. She could see a fine crack on the center of the screen. Swallowing hard, she gripped the spade tightly.
This was where her parents had been. With the aid of the television light, she could make out the usurped sofa, the scattered remote controls on the floor, and broken glass from the coffee table. They had gone with a fight. She edged closer to the sofa when her eyes caught sight of a small, dark area that glittered eerily when the television light flickered over it. She knelt down, careful not to touch the glass, and tried to make out what it was. They seemed like…words…written hastily...Darcy blanched.
In still-wet blood were four letters: HIDE.
Darcy began to breathe very fast, and lurched to her feet. She spun around to run away, but then came face-to-face with one of the creatures she had been intent on avoiding.
The creature from the forest was now standing before her. It bared its teeth in a mock expression of a smile, and Darcy dodged its hand when it shot out to grab her. It growled loudly and clambered towards her, and Darcy screamed and swung the spade hard at its head. It was stunned at first, shocked that the tiny mouse of a girl had managed to land a blow. Darcy took advantage of this and swung the spade at the creature again and again while screaming, "Give—back—my—parents!"
It finally gathered its wits and grabbed the wooden part of the spade, breaking off the end and leaving Darcy with a useless weapon. She backed away immediately, finding things to throw at it as she tried to escape. It caught up with her easily and threw her violently into the wall, causing Darcy to see stars as she crumpled to the floor. She blinked hazily, aware that any second now it would kill her.
"Not on my watch," she said hoarsely. She groped for her taser, aimed it at the creature, and fired.
It jerked wildly and screamed an ugly, shrieking scream before collapsing on the ground, twitching violently. She stumbled to her feet and kicked the side of its head for good measure, and then bolted to the staircase. In her room Darcy threw open a back pack and began stuffing it with clothes and anything she could put her hands on that would be of use to her—a cell phone charger, batteries, a water bottle, a Swiss army knife, and a flashlight was all she managed to salvage from her room. She grabbed the bag and bounded back downstairs into the kitchen. She opened the pantry and stuffed its sparse contents into her bag. Zipping it up, she reloaded her taser, grabbed a knife from the counter, and headed back outside.
Her heart was pounding in her throat as she took out her cell phone again. She got inside her car and waited for the line to pick up.
"Hey, it's Jane. I'm away for business in New York right now—"
"Ugh, come ON!" Darcy growled in frustration, and jammed her finger on the 'end' button. Where the fuck was Jane?! She sent angry thoughts her way, and thought bitterly on how Shield had made themselves virtually invisible, making Darcy unable to contact them in any way.
She knew Loki was written all over this. He had vowed it months ago, and now it had become a reality. The streets were deserted and black as night with the power lines glitching and sparking dangerously, and all of the houses on the road were equally dark inside. Darcy put the car in ignition and began to drive.
Darcy stuck to the inner roads, avoiding the main streets as much as possible. She knew it would be most dangerous there, and there were probably hundreds of those gruesome creatures prowling the streets. If tonight was the night of their invasion, this could only mean they had been successful. With the police AWOL and the power lines cut, Darcy was stranded. She could see no protection, no air force, and no civilians. It was as if they had all disappeared, or had gone into hiding as she was right now. Darcy briefly pondered on how the rest of the world was faring. She knew Loki's intentions were not local. He wanted to be king, and a king of Earth he had become.
Darcy looked up at the sky and saw the stars glittering familiarly down at her. She glared at them bitterly, and looked away. What use were the stars to her now? What help would the cosmos deign to Earth and its people—to her? Stargazing was for fools and dreamers.
With a sigh, Darcy knew she couldn't travel by car for long. She parked it on the side of a deserted road and opened the door, grabbing her bag and sprinting from the street into the alleyways. She knew her way around town, and though the walk was going to be a long one, Darcy knew there was only one other place she could go to where she might be safe.
Jane's lab was situated nearby both the town and Darcy's home. It was one of the factors that led Darcy to apply for an internship there in the first place. She remembered her glowing face when she first arrived at the laboratory, with Jane introducing her to Erik Selvig and teaching her what it meant to be studying under an astrophysicist. It had overwhelmed her at the time, but Darcy had been eager to learn.
Where the lab was once brightly lit, it was now dark and silent. Darcy feared the monsters would be here as well, but a few quick tours around and inside assured her that they had ransacked and discarded the dwelling fairly quickly. She didn't expect they would be around again, but knew she would have to still play it safe.
Dropping the bag onto the floor, Darcy eased herself onto a chair. She raked a shaking hand through ridiculously long hair, pausing when she felt dried blood on one side. Being thrown into the wall was apparently been more damaging than she thought.
From the distance, she could hear the shrieks and grunts from the alien creatures roaming the city. It made her shudder uncontrollably, and she thought of her parents. They had been dragged forcefully from their home by those things. Were they alive? Were they hurt?
Her lower lip began to tremble, and Darcy made a vow of her own. She would do anything—everything—in her power to stop Loki.
.:.:.:.
Thirty-nine days later, that vow began to come into fruition.
It was during a trip to get more water when they'd caught her. It was as if they'd been waiting her to arrive, for when she came to the well that was thirty minutes away from Jane's laboratory, they were standing expectantly in front of it like a giant alien wall. Their arms held massive weapons, and their heads were covered with helmets.
Darcy stood frozen. The bottles she was holding, meant to be cleaned and refilled, clattered to the ground. As if sensing her intentions, a disembodied voice said, "Do not run."
Darcy nearly jumped in surprise. In the month since the invasion, not once had she heard these things speak—at least, not in anything discernibly human. They growled and grunted and shrieked, hissing and spitting in their own native tongue, but never a human language, let alone English.
She found herself complying. She was far too terrified to run, even if she wanted to—just one look at the weapons, which resembled large metal barrels the size of a walrus, was enough to assure her that one blast would leave her as nothing but a pile of Darcy ash.
The one who had spoken stepped forward and walked towards her. Darcy took several steps behind automatically, her heart racing with fear as it grabbed her roughly by the arm and began dragging her back to the group.
"Where are you taking me?"
Her captor did not respond nor look at her, but continued to march away from the well with the rest of its team. She did not attempt to get anything else out of it.
A large air ship was sitting on the desert plain. It grew larger and larger as they approached it, and Darcy swallowed nervously. "You do know how to drive this thing, right?"
For the first time, the alien creature turned its head to look down at her. Suddenly it let out a deafening growl, the kind that blew wind in her face and had her hair flying back like a storm and Darcy jumped away in fright, her eyes wide as it continued its strange howling. It said nothing as it shoved her towards the ship, and Darcy vaguely realized that it had been laughing at her.
The interior of the ship was nothing but buttons and metal paneling, with rows and rows of seats. There were hundreds of creatures inside, all hissing and growling at her approach as they crowded around her. Darcy found herself shrinking closer to the one holding her arm, although she wasn't sure she was any safer by its side.
Suddenly she was thrown onto a seat, and she looked up at the creature. "Sit until I return."
Darcy nodded numbly and it left. She glanced around saw a hundred staring in her direction, and immediately dropped her eyes to her lap. Truth be told, she had expected something…crueler, as a captive. She imagined she'd be huddled on a huge freight with thousands of other people sobbing and near death. In her forty days of freedom she feared of being caught—and killed. She feared what they would do to her if they ever found her, found a resister.
But this was nothing like her imagination. She was alone on an aircraft with an army of aliens. She wasn't hurt except perhaps a bruising arm where the creature (whom she was suspecting was some sort of leader of the aliens on this ship) had held her roughly. She wasn't threatened, hit, or spat on. Her skin and her wits were intact, and Darcy wondered what they planned to do to her.
Suddenly the words of Loki entered her mind: Upon my divine rule over this realm, I will ensure no harm will come to you. Your council may be useful once I am King.
Darcy shuddered. She had prayed for weeks that he would have forgotten about his vow to her. Forgotten about Darcy completely, too overwrought with his thirst for power. Clearly, he had not.
The aircraft jolted and came to life, and Darcy nearly fell from her seat. She looked around wildly to see if there were any seatbelts, but found none. She looked at the other creatures, and saw they didn't have seatbelts either, yet they were able to maintain a perfectly calm sitting position.
She knew they were watching her, and she knew the ship was about to lift off into the air. She gripped the sides of the seat firmly. Her palms were sweating at the worst time, and she kept trying to wipe her hands on her jeans and reaffirm her grip, but she understood quickly that it was not going to work, and the creatures surrounding her understood it too—she knew this, because they began growling that deafening growl that she coined as laughter, and she knew it was at her expense for what was to come.
Their laughter did not go unrewarded. The moment the ship began flying through the air, Darcy fell to the floor and would have hurled around like a limp doll had she not wrapped an arm around the back rest as if her life depended on it. At some point she began screaming, and heard it loud and clear when the alien creatures suddenly went silent.
She felt two arms grab hold of her waist and lift her in the air, spin her around, and plop her firmly onto the seat. It was the commanding one who captured her. He was holding rope in his hands and began tying her to the chair. He was grunting and hissing in his language, and sounding very irritated at that. He looked at her and growled firmly through the helmet, "Stay!"
Darcy glared and said hotly, "It's not like I wanted to fall off!" She recoiled when she realized what she had done. The other aliens were shifting both uncomfortably and excitedly, watching the scene with ardor.
The commanding alien bared its teeth. "I have orders to pacify if necessary."
Darcy blinked several times and then blanched when she understood its meaning. She began shaking her head fervently. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Silly human female. I'll stay."
The alien stepped away in satisfaction. It turned around and gave a warning growl to the other passengers, and then went back to the cockpit.
The rope was secure around her middle, tying her to the chair and keeping her from falling. It was also incredibly tight and uncomfortable against her ribs, but moving only made it worse. Darcy sighed and tried to stay still. There was no window to gaze out, and she was too afraid to look at the other creatures even in passing, so she resolved to stare at her hands. Minutes turned to hours, and Darcy found herself incredibly sleepy during their journey to nowhere.
But the fear of waking up to a slit throat kept her awake.
.:.:.:.
Two large legs came into view, and Darcy blearily looked up. The alien commander was untying her, and then hauled her none-too-gently to her feet. She realized the engines were cut off, and had probably landed some time ago. Darcy was surprised she didn't notice before.
It was early dawn. She took a generous gulp of fresh air as she was frog-marched out of the aircraft. It was slightly warmer wherever they were, and Darcy tried glancing around as much as she could as she walked through the silent city.
It was when they came right before a massive tower that Darcy realized where she was. She recognized this place from several photographs in her political science courses, from history books and summer research. She couldn't believe they'd brought her here.
In any other situation, Darcy would have been excited out of her mind to be here. But currently she was exhausted, thirsty, and terrified out of her mind. She didn't want to know what she would see behind the castle doors. She didn't want to approach her fate. Every action she took here would change her life.
The commander gripped her arm to stop her right before the door. Two guards were standing on either side of the double doors. With a commanding grunt from her captor, the guards turned and swung open the doors.
The pressure on her back urged her to move forward. Darcy tried to keep her composure as she entered the tower, walking in what seemed to be a throne room. The walls and floors were pearly white with gold curtains. The floor was made of marble and spotless; a room to befit royalty. And there were people everywhere—whether they were the privileged or the guilty, she couldn't tell. But they all had equal looks of abject fear in their eyes, as the leader of the alien creatures brought her to the man sitting on the high throne.
Loki looked very different. His eyelids were lowered as if sleepy, and his hair was slicked back and reaching past his shoulders. His clothing was tailored and crisp, deep greens and golds entwined with leather and armor. In his right hand was a long golden scepter, held lazily and touching the floor. She was surprised he wasn't wearing a crown.
His eyes were watching her intently as she approached him. At the last moment the alien shoved her roughly forward and sent her tumbling down to her knees. She let out a cry of pain, but pressed her lips together against the pain.
"That was not necessary," Loki said coldly, and Darcy looked up to see Loki's eyes flashing dangerously at the creature who had been accompanying her since last night. It looked alarmed as Loki raised his scepter at him. In an instant a jet of light shot from it, and the alien disappeared.
"No!" Darcy cried, looking at where the commander alien had once been. She had no love for them, but this one hadn't treated her cruelly since her capture. She looked at Loki angrily. "You didn't have to do that!"
Loki was taken aback by her response. He leaned against the throne, lowering the scepter back to its original position. He smiled, "Am I hearing correctly? Do you sympathize with the Chitauri?"
So that's what they're called, Darcy thought. She shook her head. "No. I just don't think you needed to kill him over something that you probably make him do to everyone else."
Loki's eyes narrowed into slits. Darcy stared back. It was here that she came to the startling realization that she wasn't actually afraid of him. He was fearsome, of course—horrifically so. He had taken over an entire planet and dismantled all established government, defeated all enemies, and named himself king. But she did not fear him. Despite the grandeur and the throne, despite the fact that he was the supreme ruler of the earth, she could feel nothing but pity as she looked at him.
"Is that so," he said softly. Darcy looked up at him quietly.
"Are you happy, Loki?" she inquired genuinely. Loki wrinkled his brows as she continued, "You didn't forfeit. You made a name for yourself."
Understand dawned on green eyes. His jaw clenched, and viciously he whispered, "Yes."
Suddenly he lurched from his throne and waved his hand in the air, causing the scepter to disappear. Loki skipped down the steps and strode towards Darcy, starting to circle around her. "It took weeks to finally get you out of your rabbit hole, you know," said Loki conversationally. "I searched and searched for you, and yet you ran further and further away from me." A cold, bitter laugh rang against the walls. "To think, this entire time you had been hiding away in your old mentor's laboratory. How sentimental."
Darcy's eyes widened. "Where is Jane? What did you do to her?"
Loki grinned, and Darcy felt heat rise in her body. She hated him so much right there, and wanted nothing more than to slap him again as she had the first time they met in the forest clearing.
"You accuse me of so much," he said in mock-hurt. "Has my rule really been so terrible for this realm?"
"Everyone lives in fear and hiding," Darcy spat.
"Everyone is liberated," Loki hissed. "There are no more talks of war. There is peace and plenty throughout the kingdom. Have you starved, Darcy? Have you gone without water? Have you heard anybody complain of their habitat?"
"I wouldn't know," said Darcy lowly. "You cut all the power lines. We're living in the middle ages."
"That is a minor malfunction," Loki waved her words away. "I will configure the electricity back to your world shortly, with a few amenities. I can't have a revolution starting, you know."
"Where is Jane?" Darcy repeated. Loki rolled his eyes.
"Well she's certainly not here," Loki snapped irritably. "What would an astrophysicist do in Istanbul?"
Darcy paused briefly. "Why Istanbul?" she prompted.
Loki shrugged. "I am particularly fond of this tower. Do you know what it is called?"
Darcy made no reply. His eyes were boring into hers again in a familiar way, and Darcy narrowed her eyes. She felt a shadow fall over her mind, and Darcy gasped.
"Stop!"
"So you do know," said Loki softly. "Your mind is sharp. I knew I was wise in keeping you. The Galata Tower," Loki was walking around the room again, glancing lazily at the other occupants who had their eyes downcast. "Quite a history and magnificence to it. I could have gone for more obvious landmarks in this world—the White House, Buckingham Palace, the Gyantze Fortress—I could have gone anywhere to imbue my throne. But I settled for this." Loki turned to her and smiled wryly. "For now."
Darcy looked away in disgust.
"Now that you are here, I think it would be best if you got some rest," Loki looked away from her dismissively. "You've had a long journey, and seem quite dead on your feet—or knees, I should say."
He snapped his fingers and two ladies came to either side and helped her up. Darcy threw one last glance at Loki, who was now sitting stiffly on his throne and discussing something with one of the Chitauri. She could have sworn he looked tired.
.:.:.:.
She was in a room. A proper bedroom, with a fluffy bed and windows and a dressing table. There was a closet with clothes that were Darcy's size, and somewhat attuned to her taste. There was an ensuite bathroom with a comfortable tub and a sparkling sink. A hairbrush and cup of water were sitting on the bedside table.
Once again, her expectations were shattered at the face of reality. She imagined a dungeon with fire-lit torches, the rancid smell of urine and vomit in the air. Instead she got wonderful scents and a comfortable room.
The halls where the two maids led her through to reach her bedroom were just as lavish. She didn't hear any moans or screams of terror; she didn't hear whimpering or crying or peer out the window to see someone escaping. There were no dungeons or chains and whips. It was silent and uneventful in Istanbul.
A full week had passed before Darcy was summoned. She had been reading a book on mythology (one of many that were in her room) when a nervous-looking maid announced that King Loki wished to see her. Darcy knew her—her name was Alice, and she was the youngest and friendliest of the maids she encountered at Galata Tower. This nervous girl was a new sight.
She quickly found why—two Chitauri guards were to escort them. Darcy rolled her eyes at the extra muscle that followed behind them.
"Don't mind them," she assured Alice comfortingly. "They won't hurt you right now."
Alice gave her a pained smile, but remained stiff and silent. Darcy suppressed a sigh. She learned quickly that the residents of Galata were not very talkative.
"We're here," she announced, and Darcy looked skeptically at the door.
"This is it?" she asked. It looked rather plain.
Alice nodded, and knocked twice. "Enter," said Loki distantly. Alice opened the door and led Darcy through, stopping just two feet from the door. Loki was sitting at a desk, and said, "You may leave."
Alice curtsied, gave Darcy an emphatic look, and closed the door behind her.
Darcy glanced around uncomfortably. Loki's quarters were very plain, but unmistakably royal. The furniture was beautifully carved, the bed a large four-poster with silk green curtains. Bookshelves lined the walls, and the desk Loki sat at was overburdened with textbooks and scrolls.
Loki finally moved away from his work and turned to gaze at her. Darcy's breath came short. She hadn't realized how informally he was dressed—she'd never seen him without the layers of armor. It was certainly a unique sight.
A pleasant smile graced his lips. "Sit," he offered her a chair that formed out of nowhere. Darcy walked slowly towards him and sat down stiffly. "Has your stay here been well?"
"Very," Darcy replied.
Loki was pleased. His expression grew serious. "I have been considering this for a while….As you know, I made you a promise many months ago. When you found me in the clearing and you tended to my wounds."
Darcy nodded numbly. She hoped he wouldn't ask.
"My offer still stands. I admit our meetings thus far have been…unpleasant…." Darcy cringed. It was a little more than unpleasant. Loki, however, continued, "…But, you are someone who thinks independently, and cleverly. You'd be surprised at how the great leaders of this world haven't an ounce of cleverness in their old, leathery bodies."
"…Thank you?" said Darcy uncertainly.
Loki looked at her seriously, his eyes flashing with both danger and hope. "Do you accept the position as advisor in my council?"
She swallowed hard. "I…"
Darcy froze when she felt something vibrate in her pocket. Something that she always kept on her, but never found a reason to use. For forty days it had been silent.
Until now.
"Yes," she blurted. Loki had made a pleased statement and personally escorted her to her rooms. Darcy waited a full thirty minutes before taking out her phone and looking at the screen.
There was a new message from Jane Foster.
We're coming for you.
.:.:.:.
Six months had passed since Darcy first stepped into Galata Tower.
Six months of sitting beside Loki in his weekly council meetings and reading ancient texts. She learned so much—she learned about the nine realms, about the history of lineage and kingship of Asgard. She learned of the two sons of Odin, the apples of Idun, and the inevitable Ragnarok that would destroy the universe. Six months of diplomacy and leadership, and she was so close to escape.
But in the six months of staying here at the Tower, a knot of unease decided to settle in the pit of Darcy's stomach. It grew larger and larger each day as Darcy saw his leadership reign over the world. There was so much to it that Darcy disagreed with, the crux of it being the fear that was rooted into very civilian and courtier on the planet. Such constant fear could never prosper into something memorable. History would warp it as cruelty, and Darcy's name would be written beside Loki's as his advisor and aid in destroying the very name that was mankind.
And yet—and yet there was so much Darcy didn't disagree with, and this was what frightened her the most. At times she almost started believing the logic Loki would press upon her. He had denied it many times but Darcy knew it to be real—there was magic in his words. She knew Loki was a god of Mischief of Lies, a Trickster and a tormenter. A man destined for chaos. But she listened to him every day, unfailingly, with patience that would be shown to a child, and learned the philosophies Loki wished to come to fruition, and came to understand that Loki had a power of enchantment, whether he realized he wielded it or not. He knew he had magic. He bent it to his will on an everyday basis. He knew he could spin lies as tall as mountains and still have them be believable. But Darcy knew the reason was because he was gifted with an exceptional tongue, where his words seemed golden and providential.
Some of Loki's aspirations, if taken away to stand on its own, were wonderful and realistic. In fact, if Darcy picked out all of Loki's philosophies and allowed them to stand on their own, then Loki's ideas of a prosperous world was actually something that could be achieved, and Darcy would want to be achieved. But within these aspirations, if taken as a whole, was a darkness; a black hole of ugliness and destitute salvation. His mind was sickened and warped by his need for power and title, his hunger for respect and acknowledgement from his father, and whether he admitted it or not, his older brother.
The cell phone in her hand was twirling deftly between her fingers. There were eleven texts saved onto the phone, two every month. The twelfth would be sent today.
Jane had been keeping contact with her, and explained as sufficiently as possible that she had been in hiding from the moment Loki had stolen the Tesseract. She was with a few members of Shield, hidden underground somewhere in the West. Spies in the streets of Turkey had tipped her off that Darcy was indeed alive and had been specially brought to Istanbul to be a member of Loki's council.
"Are my parents with you?" Darcy had texted frantically. She received a succinct response of, "Ask Loki."
Consequently, Jane was in the midst of building a bridge (for what, she would not say), and needed Darcy at the post she was at. She asked twice of sending a sketch of the layout of the tower that described where everyone's rooms were. It took two months, but Darcy had managed to scope out the Tower and discern who was where.
Despite this limited contact, Darcy was still vague on the details of how Loki gained his power. She knew he had an alien army that took over New York City, and then the rest of the world; but apart from that she knew nothing, and Jane was unwilling to discuss too much—a combination of safety and being simply too busy to reply.
But today—today was important. She had a job today, something that would mean the freedom of the planet. And it relied entirely on Darcy touching Loki's hand.
Jane learned quickly of his partiality towards Darcy, and doubled her efforts to get Darcy close enough to Loki to usurp him. Darcy dreaded what she would have to do to achieve this.
But then she would remember her mother and father, and suddenly would find the resolve to do so.
The clocked chimed seven times, and Darcy stood from her chair. She opened the door, glanced at the two guards at the door, and began walking towards Loki's chambers. She knocked twice, then let herself in.
She frowned when she saw he was not at his desk. "Loki?" She walked further inside, and muttered, "Of course this is the day he goes missing."
A soft sound made her turn to the bed. A dark lump was resting under the sheets, and Darcy's eyes widened.
She approached the bed slowly, as if coming near an injured animal. She went around it until she was directly in front of him, discovering that Loki Laufeyson was indeed asleep. His eyes were shut, his expression blank. He transformed into another person while in this vulnerable state, and the image went at war with who she knew Loki to be in the conscious world.
Blinking rapidly, Darcy straightened and cleared her throat. "Loki." Nothing. "LOKI."
Annoyed, she stepped closer to the bed and went to shake him awake, but hesitated. Her hand was hovering over his arm, and she thought perhaps she could just do it here? She needed a tissue sample, and what better way to do it when the king was asleep and unaware?
Swallowing thickly, she saw that the only uncovered sliver of skin was his face. Her grew warm, and she desperately hoped he would not wake up.
Darcy stopped again, and nearly walked away. This was madness! He would wake up. There was no way he would stay asleep when a hand brushed against his cheek.
Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad. Darcy breathed slowly through her mouth, and hovered her hand over his face. Right before she brushed skin against skin, Loki murmured, "I really would not."
"Argh!" Darcy doubled back and saw one green eye open. "Damn it!" Loki smiled and stretched, then shrugged off the blanket and stood up. Darcy's eyes narrowed as her heart sped up traitorously. "And why do all men have to sleep without a shirt on?"
"I run hotter than most," Loki commented absently.
"You should've thought of that before deciding to build your throne in Istanbul," said Darcy icily.
"Why were you thinking of your parents?"
Darcy froze. She'd never mentioned them to him before. Licking her lips, she said quietly, "I thought we agreed you wouldn't read my mind."
"I never agreed to anything. You merely projected your wishes to me, and I humored you with a smile." Loki was putting on a dark shirt and walking in her direction. Darcy backed away slowly, and stopped when he looked at her. "Well?"
"I miss them," she said stonily.
Loki raised an eyebrow. "Do you often think of you parents when almost touching a male?"
Darcy's face heated. "You reminded me of them." The eyebrow arched even higher. "You were asleep and all innocent-looking. I felt motherly. Like my mother." It was perhaps the world's worst excuse, but it was all her panicking brain could muster.
Loki nodded briefly, and walked to his desk. "What happened to your parents? Weren't you living with them?"
Darcy's mouth dropped open. When no response came from her, Loki turned to see what was wrong. "What?"
"How dare you?"
Loki's frown deepened. "I don't understand."
There was something in his expression that niggled the back of Darcy's mind, but rage was overpowering her (as it often would in people), and she found herself shaking and blurting what came to mind. "How could you—you really don't care, do you? You're just like everybody else! You're cruel and vile and the absolute worst plague that ever happened—"
"I will not allow such treason in my own quarters!" Loki raised his voice angrily.
"Treason!" Darcy laughed bitterly. "What a joke! Do you honestly think you'll rule this place forever? Do you think the earth is yours?"
"It already is," said Loki through his teeth.
Darcy shook her head. "No, it's not. In the entire time I've known you, Loki, I have never hated you more than I do right now."
She turned to leave, but she barely made it past five steps before Loki grabbed her by the arm and hissed, "You will tell me what this is about."
"I don't have to do anything."
Loki's eyes darkened. "Don't be fooled by my favor for you, Darcy. You cannot address me this way, and you will answer to your king."
Her eyes were icy whirls of fury, and she looked at him with all the loathing in her heart. "My parents," she said slowly. "You took my parents, and you don't even remember. You don't even care."
Loki looked at her for a long moment. "Darcy, I didn't take your parents."
"Yes you did!" Darcy said shrilly. "You were looking for me, and you took them too! You destroyed my family! Give them back!"
"I didn't take them!" Loki roared. Darcy took a step back, her eyes filling with tears.
"You're lying," she whispered, but now doubted herself. Loki had sounded genuine—and not trickster genuine, as he was oft to be around politicians and during council meetings. There was true honesty in his words. "You're lying…you have to be…."
"I'm not," said Loki angrily. "Are you telling me that for six months you believed I was keeping your family hostage here? And you never brought it up?"
"I'm sorry," said Darcy numbly. Her mind was racing, and she knew she had to go text Jane. "I'm really sorry. Please forget everything I said to you. Excuse me."
"No." Loki said firmly. "You will stay here and explain."
Darcy looked at him helplessly. Loki waited for her to speak, but Darcy couldn't. She couldn't make herself say a word. They remained in silence for fifteen minutes. At the twentieth she began to cry.
It would be the first time for her to cry in front of Loki, and it seemed that he realized this too. He jerked unsurely when he saw the silent tears, and he tightened his fists. Suddenly he turned away and began pacing his room. Finally he stopped by the window.
"Do you really think I'm so cruel, Darcy?"
The words hung in the air like a bucket of ice. Quietly, Darcy replied, "I don't think you ever mean to be."
Loki's jaw tightened. "I don't want to be known for my cruelty," he said, fuming. "I want—all I've ever wanted—was to be known for my ambition. And my success."
Darcy said nothing. She was in complete turmoil, and had no words of comfort for the trickster god. She was startled when Loki touched her shoulder.
"You've been keeping secrets from me," said Loki. He was no longer angry, but there was a coldness in his words, the type of voice he would use when issuing commands as king. "This is a grave one. Explain about your parents."
"There's not much to say," replied Darcy. "The Chitauri were looking for me on the night you invaded. They were in the clearing, where we met. And they had ransacked my home. When I came everything was a mess, and my parents were gone. There was a message in blood on the floor. And seconds later I was attacked by one of your minions."
Loki nodded in acknowledgement. "I did send them to find you, and they searched your home. The only Chitauri to return with a report to me was the one you had stunned."
"What do you mean?" Darcy asked slowly.
"I had dispatched three to your house. When none reported back to me, I sent a fourth—the one you incapacitated." Loki stepped back, drawing in a breath. "Three missing Chitauri and two parents vanished in the night," Loki observed softly. "Isn't this curious?"
Darcy swallowed. This was getting grimmer and grimmer, and the things she had known as truth were now unfolding into mystery. "You didn't take them," she repeated.
The cold exterior cracked, and Loki tried very hard to peer into her downcast eyes. "No." His lips twisted in a derisive smile. "But all this time, you have held this in your heart. Every time you looked at me, you saw the captor of your family. Were you ever going to discuss this with me, had I not asked?"
Darcy blinked desperately. "I don't know."
They stood in silence. Finally, Loki's lips curled in disgust. "Go."
Darcy's eyes widened and she looked up. No, she still had to—she ruined the plan! Her mind worked rapidly to figure out how to approach him, how to use the situation to her advantage.
Darcy stepped forward. "I haven't been sitting here hating you for six months."
Loki looked at her in surprise. Darcy vaguely realized that dismissing an order from him was treading very murky waters, and by all means he could throw her in a dungeon for disobedience. He seemed to be thinking along the same lines, but remained silent. Waiting to see what she would do next. Darcy almost hated having this power. Why couldn't he just be cruel to her? Why couldn't he make her miserable, so that she wouldn't feel such guilt for using his express kindness towards her against him?
Darcy didn't know why Loki was fond of her. She said things that made other council members aghast. Some licked their lips in delight and hoped Loki would punish her. But Loki never did—he never hurt her. He regarded her words seriously whenever she advised him. He would even smile at her dry remarks and bold comments. And Darcy hated to admit it, but being in his company wasn't something she disliked. He was…interesting, intelligent, and—
You can't think about this right now.
Darcy steeled her nerves and took a deep breath. "I am…I'm sorry, for not asking you about my parents earlier. It was stupid of me to assume."
Loki tilted his head, his eyes roving over her calculatingly in the eerie way that made her feel like he was listening to her thoughts. She licked her lips nervously, and noticed his eyes flicker down for a fraction of a second.
"Then what have you been thinking of me?"
On impulse, Darcy said, "How you've barely changed since you showed me the stars."
It was partly true. He still spoke to her the same, but very manipulative and scheming as well. He sought to gain something, but didn't do it with malice. Truthfully she hadn't thought much to the day in the sky once she was captured. She was hoping to play favor on his memories of her. Surprisingly enough, despite the spoiled way they had departed that night, seeing the stars with him had been one of the best memories in Darcy's short life.
It seemed to work. Loki's harsh gaze softened a fraction, and Darcy smiled unsurely. "Friends?" She held out her hand in camaraderie.
He eyed it with deep suspicion, flinching at the word 'friends'. It was like an alien language to him, and for Darcy to offer it to him so freely was puzzling him.
Before she knew what was happening, Loki pushed Darcy's outstretched arm aside and kissed her.
Darcy's eyes went wide and both she and Loki stepped away immediately. Her lips still felt the cool caress of his lips and his breath on her skin. It was brief and hesitant, but firm all the same. And now Loki was looking at her unsurely, assessing her parted mouth and wide eyes. Darcy wondered if he would try to read her mind and see what she was thinking, but it would've been useless. Her mind had gone utterly blank.
Loki looked away first. Quietly he muttered, "You may leave now."
Darcy stood there for another beat, then said, "The paperwork we were supposed to look over tonight…."
"Deliver it. I don't care," Loki said impatiently, his back turned to her. Darcy nodded and said mutedly, "Good night."
She left the room, not noting how Loki watched her as she closed the door. She went to the mail room quickly, her heart beating fast. She took out the scroll that her and Loki were supposed to look over, and sealed it into a golden cylinder. Casting a glance warily around, Darcy took out a thin film of clear plastic from her pocket. She was supposed to put her hand across it to swipe any of Loki's cells, but she hadn't touched his hand.
Instead, Darcy took a deep breath and pressed the plastic to her lips. She could see the smudgy imprint left behind on it, and she put it inside a small plastic bag, which went inside a small envelope.
She headed towards the courier's office. It was a small man with salt and pepper hair and a short beard, dressed in long robes. He stood abruptly and gave curt nod. Darcy handed him the scroll, and then slipped him the envelope that was meant to be delivered to Jane Foster. Darcy was always afraid Loki would discover the many spies in the city, especially the few in his own castle. But the secrecy remained, and the little Turkish man bowed to her before she left.
"May God bless your soul," he whispered emphatically. Darcy forced a smile, and then retreated to her room.
.:.:.:.
Two weeks had passed, and Darcy was getting skittish.
She could no longer look at Loki for a number of reasons. The first being that whenever they caught each other's gaze, one of them would shift uncomfortably and cough, before pretending not to notice each other. An awkwardness had settled between them, the king and his advisor. Angry with the tension, Loki had turned to being absolutely cold towards his staff, and barely said a word to Darcy. Darcy wondered if this was how all his kisses had went in the thousand years of his life.
The second was the return text Darcy received from Jane. On the sixteenth of August, Jane needed to be informed where she would be at nine p.m., and where Loki would be as well. Darcy didn't know why, but the tone of finality in the response made Darcy nervous. It seemed that after seven months of dormancy, all was going to break loose.
How would Jane achieve this revolution? Who was going to help her? Who could possibly overpower the monstrously large Chitauri army, let alone get past Loki's own magical defenses? Darcy worried for nights on end, switching between panic and guilt. She felt absolutely disgusted with how she was deceiving everybody in the court. Some of them had become her friends, and they would be thrown into chaos. She could barely look at Loki anymore—she didn't want to. She couldn't stand to see him and know she would be responsible for his demise.
He destroyed your planet, a voice reminded her sharply. He's enslaved your entire race. Do not pity him.
On the evening of August sixteen, a knock came to the door. Darcy smiled and said, "Come in."
Alice walked inside with a brilliant smile. Darcy laughed. "Well someone's in a good mood today. Do you have my supper?"
Alice's smile widened. "The king wishes to dine with you this evening."
Darcy's smile disappeared. "What?" she asked shrilly. "Why would he do that?"
Alice shrugged and strode to Darcy's closet. "For someone so clever, Miss Darcy, you are really blind." She took out a few dresses and laid them on the bed. "Now, which one do you prefer? Something bold, or something modest?"
"Neither, because this is insanity," Darcy shook her head wildly. "And why do I have to wear a dress?"
"Because you're going to eat with the king in the courtyard," said Alice blankly. "Now, up."
Grudgingly, Darcy wore a black-fitted dress that reached her knees and covered her arms. She snuck to the bathroom and sent a quick text to Jane. Both at the courtyard, 9pm. Good luck.
Darcy's stomach was filled with butterflies and knots, her heart sinking with dread. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She wasn't supposed to see it happen. But it was eight-thirty and she was going to have dinner with the King of the Earth, and there simply wasn't time to be nervous.
It was a cool night. Lights were strung around the courtyard, and in the center was a table set up with food. Loki was waiting for her when she arrived. Alice bowed and left, leaving the two alone.
"So what is this, like a date?" Darcy asked bluntly.
Loki shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "It's a meal outside." Darcy opened her mouth to speak but Loki snapped, "Are you going to ask me questions all day, or are you going to eat?"
Darcy narrowed her eyes and nodded, letting him take her by the arm and seat her. The meal was quite nice, Darcy admitted, and the conversation was pleasant. She still felt her heart beating irregularly every time she allowed herself to think of what was going to happen. Periodically she glanced up at the sky, wondering if she'd see Jane flying on a machine she built and shoot lasers at Loki.
"Is there something in particularly you're looking for up there?" asked Loki dryly. Darcy jumped, and cleared her throat.
"Nothing," she said sheepishly. Loki looked at her searchingly and smiled, seeming to find her nervousness as a good sign.
"You know," Loki started quietly. "Earth is just one of my ambitions. And now that I've succeeded, I think I can begin moving on to other realms."
Darcy's attention snapped to Loki. "What are you talking about?"
Loki smiled pleasantly, but she could see darkness swimming in his eyes—the familiar gleam of excitement that she'd come to fear. "My work has not ended, Darcy," he said matter-of-factly. "I strive to achieve many things. This—well, this was just my pit stop. There is so much more I want to do."
Darcy was shaking her head furiously as he spoke. "No, no, no—you can't. You can't, Loki. It's never going to work."
Loki grinned. "Silly, young Darcy. The girl who gazed at the stars in wonder, now telling me something is impossible. I'm a little disappointed at the negative view you have on life now."
"Because it is impossible! Loki," she tried to placate him. "Isn't this enough? Aren't you happy here?"
"Yes," said Loki distantly, "and no." He pinned Darcy with his gaze. "Almost." He looked at her deeply, and Darcy felt uneasy again. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I see that I will be unable to convince you this evening."
Darcy frowned. "What…?"
"Give me the phone."
Darcy went still. Her eyes were wide as saucers, but Loki looked at her levelly. "The phone in your brazier, Darcy. I'd like it now." He held out his hand expectantly, and Darcy's heart thudded wildly in her chest. He knew? How long had he known?
"For a while," he said tiredly. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. I'm very fond of you, Darcy, for reasons even I can't explain. Especially considering how much I despise your kind. Now," his voice turned to stone, "the phone."
Darcy pursed her lips, and tugged at the neck of the dress. She reached inside and pulled the phone free from her bra, and handed it to him. He crushed it in his grip, and pieces shattered all over the table onto their plates. Darcy looked at the time. Eight-fifty-seven.
"I assume Ms. Foster has plans to overthrow me tonight," said Loki boredly. "My armies are stationed and ready, though. It should be over within minutes." Darcy was speechless. Loki smirked.
"It doesn't matter," Darcy said shakily. "Even if it doesn't work, others will know. Others will try to end this reign of yours. There will be a revolution."
"Your planet is finally at peace," Loki said strongly. "They will beg for me to stay."
Darcy shook her head incredulously. "You really don't get it? It's like you're blinded…like someone put a veil over your eyes and you don't realize what you've done."
"I am a god to these people," Loki hissed.
"You're a tyrannical little boy who's never learned to swallow their pride!" Darcy shouted.
Loki was on her in an instant, his hand reaching for her throat. She was paralyzed with the magic Loki was using on her, and Darcy looked up at him contemptuously. He was breathing hard, and the longer he stared into her eyes the sadder his became. His hand hovered over the skin of her neck, and then brushed it tenderly. He took his hand away and Darcy could move again. Loki sagged beside her.
"Oh Darcy," he smiled humorlessly. "I wish I could change your mind. I would have taken you with me. Other worlds, other galaxies."
Darcy looked at him wondrously. "Do you really think I would ever be with you?"
Loki stared at Darcy, his eyes reading a thousand thoughts she couldn't decipher. Resignation filled his green eyes, and quietly he replied, "No."
The watch on her wrist chimed. Nine o'clock. Loki's face hardened, and he rose slowly from his seat. Golden armor began shimmering on his body and a staff appeared in his hand, as he walked away from her and gazed at the sky.
"Do your worst," she heard him hiss.
The sky darkened, and thunder crackled in the air.
Loki's entire body stiffened. "No," he breathed. He took several steps back. "NO!"
Darcy screamed when a bolt of lightning struck Loki, knocking him to the ground. When the dust cleared, she saw Jane standing over Loki, and to Darcy's surprise, Thor.
"Come here, Darcy," Jane commanded, not taking her eyes off of Loki. Darcy stumbled to her feet and ran across to safety, and Thor patted her back gently.
"It is good to see you again, Darcy," he murmured quietly. Darcy nodded, unable to speak. She was looking at Loki, hoping Loki was still alive.
He was. Loki rolled over and groaned, a grin sliding on his face. "Good to see you again, brother. Tell me, how did you get here? Did Odin use his last stores of Dark Energy to transport you?"
"Actually, I built a machine that works like an Einstein-Rosen bridge," Jane cut in. Darcy noticed for the first time that Jane was holding something similar to a stun gun. "I was able to bridge the two realms together and bring Thor to earth."
"Smart," Loki acknowledged as he rose to his feet. Jane didn't move away. "But not enough. My army will be here, and I am more than strong enough to handle a little scientist and her lover. So you see, it doesn't matter what you've built."
Thor flinched angrily next to her. "You can still surrender, Loki," said Thor gravely. "Stop this madness, leave this poisonous dream. This world is not yours to govern; you are but a thief in king's clothing."
Smiling, Loki drawled, "Never."
Jane raised her gun. "Then I'll have to stop you."
Loki barked out a laugh. "Is this what's become of you, Thor? You need to be defended by a woman?"
Thor replied, "You never did understand them very well, did you? Perhaps now you will."
Loki bared his teeth and reared back his staff as he prepared his assault. Before he could fire, Jane shot a blast from her gun, and Loki was covered in smoke.
When it cleared, Loki was looking at Jane distastefully. "I am seriously disappointed."
"I'm not," said Jane with a triumphant smile. Loki reared his staff again and blasted Jane with energy…or he would have, if anything had come out.
Loki paused. He tried again with no results. Angry, he tried to summon a clone of himself (a trick he used many times against Thor) but found he could not.
"You can't use your magic anymore," said Thor. Loki looked up at him desperately, his eyes wide in hysteria.
"No, you can't—you can't have…."
Try as he might, Loki couldn't even muster the magic to bring himself a wine glass. She could see the acceptance settling in his mind, and it was driving him mad. They had taken away his strongest power, the thing that set him apart from everybody else. He screamed in rage, and looked as if he would charge at Thor but wheeled around to Jane.
"What have you done!"
Jane crossed her arms. "A combination of energy blockers and a tissue sample from you, compressed then vaporized. Harmless to everyone else, but detrimental to you."
Loki's eyes moved sharply to Darcy's, and she looked away. He knew.
Suddenly, a large metallic crunch sounded next to Darcy. She jumped, turning to see a man in an iron suit standing beside her.
"Everything's good here," it said, and Darcy blanched. Tony Stark. Tony Stark was standing next to her!
"What have you done?" Loki hissed. "What did you do to my army!"
Iron Man shrugged. "We figured out how to permanently incapacitate them." He made a face. "It did help to have four Chitauri prisoners to figure it out, though. Six damn months I had to deal with those bastards."
Darcy furrowed her brows. Was he saying…?
But she didn't have time to think. Everything began to happen in a blur, and the next thing she knew there were seven individuals surrounding Loki. They appeared out of nowhere, and all had grim expressions on their faces.
"Oh I should have locked your all up when I defeated you the first time," Loki shook his head, smiling bitterly.
"Yeah well, we didn't have Thor or Jane the first time," said Tony blandly. "If we did, you wouldn't have even won the first time. But now your reign is going to end." He looked at Thor. "I'll let you tie him up."
Thor nodded and approached the fallen god. They exchanged words that Darcy couldn't make out, and just when Thor bound his wrists, Jane grabbed her by the arm and looked at her with watery eyes.
"You did really well, Darcy," she said shakily. "I couldn't have done it without your help." She took a deep breath. "I'm—I'm really, really sorry for not taking you seriously during your internship—"
"Jane, stop," Darcy said quickly. "That means literally nothing right now. We just saved the world. Cut yourself some slack."
Jane smiled waveringly, and gave Darcy a fierce hug. Her heart panged and she hugged Jane back hard, not realizing how much she missed her until now.
Jane led her back inside the tower, and Darcy threw one last glance at Loki. His eyes were following her calculatingly.
.:.:.:.
They were all in the throne room. Jane introduced her to the band of superheroes (she told Darcy that Shield called them the 'Avengers'. When Darcy asked why, she changed the subject), and they all decided a midnight snack was in order. Darcy refused, having eaten with Loki already.
Later Darcy showed Jane where she'd been staying.
"At least he wasn't cruel to you," Jane observed in quiet approval.
"No," Darcy said quietly. "He definitely wasn't cruel to me."
Jane rubbed Darcy's arm comfortingly. "You won't have to see him again, Darcy. He'll be gone."
"What do you mean?" Darcy asked.
"There's talks of execution," said Jane. "Or banishment. Execution is a completely horrible idea. But we'll see what happens." She began smiling suddenly. "But I have some great news for you!"
Darcy couldn't help but smile in return. "What?"
"It's about your parents."
Darcy gaped. "You found them? Are they okay? Where are they?"
Jane grinned. "They were fine all along, Darcy. We saved them from the Chitauri when the attacked your house. Me and a few Shield agents helped bring them down—that's how we were able to experiment on the Chitauri. We took the ones that attacked your parents as prisoners, and cracked the code."
"So you knew all along…where my parents were?" Darcy asked slowly. "You…lied to me?"
Jane shook her head worriedly. "No, I didn't—I mean, I did, but not because I didn't want to tell you—"
"Then what?" Darcy kept her voice level, although inside she was furious. "Why wouldn't you tell me my parents are alive and okay?"
"I was going to," said Jane emphatically. "But one of the agents—Ross—suggested that you would be more driven to reach your goal if you didn't hear word about your parents."
Darcy looked at Jane incredulously. "Of course, because being held captive in Turkey and having a megalomaniac ruling the entire damn planet isn't enough reason to want to help bring him down!"
Jane blinked, and took a step back. "I'm sorry, Darcy." She looked at the door. "I'm—I have to go for a bit. You should get some rest. It's been a big day for all of us." Without another word she left, closing the door quietly behind her.
Darcy was shaking with rage. She couldn't believe that she wasn't told about her parents for the most bullshit reason. And the more she pondered, the more she was unhappy with the way things had turned out.
Clutching her head, her thoughts ran in circles and her vision swam. Too tired for tears, she collapsed onto the bed and slept.
.:.:.:.
Darcy awoke some odd hours later to the sounds of whispers outside her door. She padded quietly to the door and pressed her ear against the wood.
"Best if…for now….Dangerous." The words were too muffled to hear clearly, and those were all she heard.
She waited until they walked away and the footsteps died. She reached for the handle and turned, but it wouldn't budge.
They locked her in.
Darcy jangled the door knob angrily, but to no avail. She was locked inside, by people who should have been her friends and allies.
Why? Why would they do this to her? Darcy raked her hands through her hair as her head spun wildly. Something was wrong. Something wasn't quite matching up, and Darcy wanted to get to the bottom of it.
At this time of night, they would be keeping Loki in the dungeons. It was on the bottom-most floor of Galata Tower, where hardly any prisoners had been kept under Loki's rule.
Her mind made up, Darcy peered out the window and started to formulate a plan.
So, a few things:
I got so much praise for interweaving canon into Stargazer's Deal, and now I think I obliterated canon completely with this AU spin on post-Thor events. :) It was a necessary evil, though.
This was written both as a sequel and a challenge request from pastatheory over on tumblr (to use a scene from Megamind into a tasertricks fic). I had tons of fun writing this!
The title of this fic is a nod to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and is reflected at the end of the story when Loki's magic is taken away, as well as Darcy being Loki's doom in the end.
And YES, there will be third part to this series. It is, after all, a trilogy :)
This fic is currently unbeta'd and edited to the best of my current ability, so I apologize for errors. I promise when I get some sleep, I will go back and fix everything!
Hope you enjoyed!