The Future

A giant figure trudged over the rocky terrain of a large cave. His heavy footsteps reverberated against the rough obsidian walls. From deep within the cave, heavy breathing echoed down the tunnel. He carefully stepped over deep gouges in the ground as he moved deeper and deeper into the darkness. The harsh sapphire glow from a tesseract energy source lead the way down. Soon, he came upon a huge creature covered in bloody and matted fur. Thanos smiled and approached the hulking animal.

"It is time. Yggdrasil's branches are weakening. Have you felt it?" A deep voice answered back in the darkness.

"Yes! The air shall grow sweet with blood! I hunger for flesh!" The air rippled as the creature spoke. Thanos smiled a cruel, mirthless smile.

"The fate of the gods draws near and the ravens have begun circling Yggdrasil. We must only wait a little while longer." The creature strained at his bonds and growled in frustration.

"How long must I wait to be free! When will you bring me a sacrifice?"

Thanos held the energy source of the tesseract in front of him and showed the beast images of death and battle, the beast growled yearning to tear into the fray. "Since my last puppet failed on Midgard. I have sent my night mares to invade the dreams of the mortals to torment them, and from there we shall reap a sacrifice so that you may at last break free from your bondage. A low and deep howl shook the cave and small pebbles clattered to the ground.


Sophie stared sleepy eyed at the TV which was running another report on the attack on New York. One of the dogs, Sten, was curled up in her lap keeping her warm in the mid-January weather.

"Although we have the protection of the so called 'Avengers,' how can we be so sure that they will continue to protect us? Why should we rely on these beings with powers far greater than our own military?" Sophie frowned at the news commentators as they sat around and talked in circles about where the modern world will head now that there are these super human beings. Taking another bite of her toast, Sophie contemplated about what the commentators had said but the voice of her father called into the living room.

"Sophie, are you finished with your breakfast!" Sten's head perked up and turned to search for the origin of the voice. Sophie turned off the TV and popped the last bit of toast in her mouth. Putting the small terrier on the floor gently, she stood up from the arm chair and stretched before heading outside into the foggy California morning. Though the clouds obscured the mountains and the drought had taken a toll on them, Sophie knew that her home had the most beautiful view of the Sierra Nevada's in the whole Central Valley. A small whine sounded beside her as she opened the door.

"No Jarl." said Sophie as she prevented an aging chocolate lab from sneaking between her legs to the outside. She stepped out and was met by the cheery voice of her dad.

"Finally!" he teased, "The zombie has awakened!" Hiding a smirk, Sophie bent down and pulled on her work boots made cold by the chilly night. When she remained silent, Sophie's dad reached up and jostled her by her shoulders which turned her smirk into a full-fledged laugh. "Wake-y wake-y! It's time to go to work!" Gently pushing her dad away, Sohpie reached up and tied her shoulder length dark, wavy, blond hair into a small pony tail.

"Alright, alright," she smiled, "let me grab my gloves." Walking over to a workbench, she grabbed her gloves and picked up her dad's, a mischievous grin on her lips. "Ay dad!" she yelled throwing his gloves with a satisfying smack to the face. Sophie laughed with mirth and started to book it in the opposite direction as a smile spread across his face.

"Oh you think that's funny?" he gave chase and hooked his foot around her ankle just right and she fell face first into the dewy grass. A wave of laughter spread over the two as and it took a minute before they both could regain their composure. He helped her to her feet and gave her a good smack on the back after he was sure that she was okay.

"I'm surprised that you were able to catch up to me, old man." She quipped shaking off the grass and water dropplets.

"I'm not as old as you think I am, besides age and wisdom will always trump youth and foolishness." Sophie laughed as grabbed the back of her dad's sweater and pulled it over his head.

"Then it's a good thing I'm sly about it." She grinned and skipped away leaving him behind.

Both Sophie and her dad eventually made their way to the truck and hopped into the cab. Sophie pulled down the mirror to make sure that her hair was fixed properly. Her dad laughed.

"We aren't going to a beauty pageant, Soph."

"I know that, dad, I just don't want my hair to fall out." She was happy that her dad was in such a good mood this morning. Some days she was never quite sure what he would be like for that day and whether or not she had to tread carefully around him. Looking in the mirror one last time before putting it back into position, Sophie couldn't help but notice how different she was from her dad. His eyes were bright blue while hers were as dark as coffee. Her skin was a slight olive color that darkened easily in the sun while his burned at the thought of sun exposure. Sophie had been told by her dad and grandparents just how much she looked like her mother, a spitting image, but Sophie wouldn't know considering that her mother had passed away when she was too young to remember.

The truck pulled smoothly out of the driveway and down a short dirt road before making it onto a main road. Sophie didn't mind living in her town, it wasn't nearly as small as the ones that surrounded her college in Oregon, but it was still too small for her preference even though it was where she had grown up. However, it was a safe haven. After a ten minute drive, Sophie and her dad reached the family's orange groves. The air was filled with the sweet smell of orange wood and the earthy small of damp soil as they stepped out of the truck. Immediately, the pair went to work pulling out large limbs that had been recently trimmed off the trees. Sophie was used to this kind of labor, ever since she was in elementary school, her and her family had come out to the groves and because of this, Sophie had developed a strong and lean body.

After an hour or so, the pair decided to take a break. Sophie's dad tossed her an orange which he had pluck off one of the trees.

"Are you still job hunting?" asked Sophie's dad ask he began peeling his orange. Sophie grimace but tried not to let her dad see it. Both Sophie and her dad sat on the tailgate of the pickup truck. Setting her gloves to the side, damp from hauling out wet tree limbs, Sophie began to peel apart her orange, taking her time in answering her dad's question.

"I sent out a few more applications, I'll do some follow up phone calls this afternoon." she said dismissively, hoping that he would drop the subject. He didn't.

"I know that you just graduated and that it's hard to get your footing the job market," he tossed the orange rind to the ground, pausing only briefly, "but I thought that you might have a better chance since you graduated college early."

"I would have thought so too dad, but finding a job has become a lot harder now-a-days," Sophie paused as she bit into a section of her fruit, "besides, you still need help out here in the groves since Gunner isn't here to help you anymore."

"That's because he has a job."

"You know as well as I that the military is not an ideal job right now." He frowned and remained silent, knowing that she was right. Even though the attack on New York was a few months ago the danger still lingered. Sophie knew that her older brother's safety weighed on her father's mind every day and she regretted bringing up Gunner in the first place. In truth, Sophie hadn't sent out any applications or resumes. This was for two reasons: firstly, she felt uncomfortable leaving her dad to work in the orange groves after his heart attack; secondly, Sophie had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. Her communications major was a broad major that opened up a lot of business fields to her, but she felt like she didn't belong in any of those fields nor would she be happy in them, but she wasn't about to tell her dad this.

The pair ate their oranges in silence and quietly stood up to continue the manual labor, all while Sophie kept a close eye on her father. After a few more hours spent in the groves, Sophie and her dad packed up the truck and left back home for lunch.

"Thank you for your help today Soph, I know that this keeps you from your job hunt, but I promise to pay you for your work today."

"Dad, you know that you don't have to do that. I'm not worried about the money."

"You've worked quite a bit and I haven't paid you yet so I will run to the bank and pull some money out for you." said her dad, effectively ignoring her. Sophie decided to drop the subject.

"Are you going out for coffee today?" she asked, he nodded.

"Yes. Why? Did you need something from me?" they were just pulling in and as they stepped out of the truck, Sophie could hear Sten and Jarl barking frantically inside.

"No, I was just wondering." They walked into the warm house and were greeted by the excited yips and waggling tails of the two dogs. Sophie and her dad meandered into the kitchen and made their lunches. As they sat down to eat Sophie's dad asked,

"What were you watching this morning?"

"Just the news, I was curious to know how far along the rebuilding of New York is." Sophie answered looking down at the two dogs who were staring up longingly at the food. "It's been slow so far because all of these freak snow storms have been setting them back."

"That's unfortunate." he said as he snuck a piece of bread to Jarl who had been resting his head on his lap.

"They were also discussing the Avengers as well." Sophie continued.

"All I can say is I'm glad that these . . . people . . . were able to stop the attack and save many of the citizens there." Sophie knew where her dad's unspoken thoughts had gone. Gunner had been called in as part of the first defense against the invading creatures and he had narrowly escaped death with the help of the Avengers. But Sophie couldn't help but furrow her brow and wrinkle her nose.

"I don't know dad, we know little to nothing about these 'people,' other than Tony Stark. I'm not sure that I'm totally comfortable knowing that there are beings on this planet with this much power."

"But power is not good or bad. What truly matters are the people who wield that power. It can change a person certainly, making them more responsible or more dependent on it. But in the end, the choices that people make with that power they have are what have lasting impacts." Sophie nodded but she couldn't completely agree with what her dad was saying although she understood where he was coming from. She tossed a bit of her leftover lunch to the dogs and went to shower and change out of her work clothes into some sweats. When she came out of her room her dad regarded- her attire.

"You're not going out today?" he asked. She shook her head. He left it at that and left to go for coffee with his friend, leaving Sophie alone in the company of Sten and Jarl. She started a fire in the fireplace and sat down in the armchair next to it. Sten hopped up on her lap and Jarl curled up at her feet.

"How is daddy sleeping these nights?" Sophie asked Sten as she smoothed down his wiry fur. Sten only looked at her and tilted his head. As much as he tried to hide it, Sophie knew that her dad barely slept anymore and when he did he would wake with night terrors. It began happening after New York. Sophie had been plagued with nightmares every so often as well. The fear of losing Gunner had not dissipated for both of them but even more so for her dad.

"Still not well, huh?" Sophie said as if the dog in her lap had responded to her. Sometimes she preferred the company of animals as opposed to humans. Animals didn't interrupt or judge. Sten and Jarl simply listened and loved unconditionally. Sophie was glad for that because they were all her dad had when she left. She sighed heavily and pulled her hair from her pony tail and shook it out. The warmth of the small dog on her lap and the smell of the fire relaxed her and pulled Sophie into slumber.


Elsewhere, another father was discussing the future with his offspring. Thor and Odin strode the halls of the Asgard palace in stern discussion of the unrest in the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil.

"Do to the interferences of the traitor, dark forces have awakened within the Nine Realms and I fear that peace maybe swiftly coming to an end." Odin's powerful voice echoed through the hallway. Two ravens griped onto either side of his shoulders, their feather reflecting in the golden light of the palace like tar.

"Father," Thor's baritone voice was full of weariness and trepidation, "is it truly the fate of the Nine Realms that the peace holding them together should end so soon?"

"It is foretold." Odin said with finality, "In the days to come, wars and disasters will be what we encounter. We must face these with strength and acceptance." Thor knew the wisdom of his father. It seemed as if the great tree Yggdrasil was in its autumn and the occupants of the realms were growing restless. The Asgardians were occupied in each of the Nine Realms trying to settle disputes and rebellions. Along with all of this, earthquakes, floods, and blizzards decimated the landscapes.

"Surely you cannot believe that we are at the end of the age?" asked Thor with trepidation.

"I can't say for certain my son." Odin replied with a heavy heart. "We can only hope that this is just but the remnants of the traitor's rebellion." Thor was skeptical once again.

"Father, it seems unjust that you should burden him with everything that is happening within the Nine Realms."

"No, but I do blame him for Midgard." he grumbled, "Nevertheless, the chaos and the rebellions must be squelched. It is the duty of us as Asgardians to . . ." Odin's authoritative voice continued to droll on and Thor continued to stare straight ahead. But despite the foreboding nature of the conversation, Thor couldn't help but let his thoughts wander to one of the realms in particular, to the seemingly insignificant Midgard and to one inhabitant in particular. His last excursion to the realm had prevented him from seeing her again and the visit was all too short and hecktic. Thor constantly felt the aching worry for Jane and loneliness inside his gut whenever his thoughts turned towards her. With her easy smile and passion for her work, she was truly an admirable human.

Suddenly a loud and hoarse caw dragged Thor from his meandering thoughts to the hall that he had been walking in with his father. His thoughts had drifted so much that he hadn't even noticed that one of the ravens had left its perch on Odin's shoulder and had griped to Thor's. Odin, who had moved a few paces ahead of Thor, faced him with a deadly serious glare from his single eye. The slightest bit of shame took hold of Thor for a moment. Odin's spear, Gungnir, reverberated against the pillars as Odin dropped its heel to the ground with a sharp thud. The piercing gaze of the twin raven, still perched on Odin's other shoulder, regarded Thor in its human-like manor. Odin's voice was low as he spoke sternly to his son.

"You seem as if you do not take this seriously, my son." Thor stood up and straightened his shoulders, the ancient bird adjusting its perch in accordance.

"I do take this gravely father. If you wish it, I shall go to the realms in order to secure the peace for as long as I possibly can." Thor fought back the weariness that threatened to take hold but he knew that this was the duty of the heir and future king.

Odin turned his back on Thor and proceeded to walk away from him, the raven on Thor's shoulder gliding off after him.

"You travel to Vanaheim in a fortnight." As Odin's form grew more distant he was joined by a guard and a woman warrior, a Valkyrie, who followed him silently out of the hall.


Far below the palace, where the glittering gold of the halls was exchanged for dull stones, the restlessness of the realms remained present. Prisoners paced in their cells, fights would often break out between parties, and more and more prisoners were being brought in, which only added fuel to the fire. The guards constantly had their hands full between breaking up the fights and bringing in more prisoners. Only one prisoner felt at ease in the chaos. He sat in his private cell quietly observing what was going on around him, a quiet smirk playing on his sharp features. This small dwelling place was only temporary for him, all he had to do was be patient, and though it wasn't his strongest quality, he had a lot of time to learn it. After all, he had nothing but time down here. As a particularly loud dispute began to heat up in another cell, he listened with slight interest before picking up a book and turning his thoughts inward. He was also affected by the unease. It coursed through his blood and down in his core he knew something was going to happen, something much larger and sinister than his own mischievous doings on Midgard and it filled him with anticipation.

All Loki had to do was wait.