Milena Kenley strove to live a normal, unassuming life. And for the most part, she was okay with that. She's had her taste of adventure; Her Alice-in-Wonderland moment. But one fateful meeting with the God of Thunder, the quiet existence she had made for herself all comes crashing down.

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Chapter 1. Storm Chaser

Milena gazed up at the beautiful splendor that was the clear night sky as glittering celestial bodies of gas winked back at her, speaking of worlds unknown.

Idly, Milena wondered what untold secrets they would tell. After all, countless seers had used the stars to read the future and uncover hidden truths that no one should know, powerful secrets that men would spill blood and wage wars for. Maybe it would tell her what time she would be going home tonight. Or if something will finally come out of this expedition.

Sadly, the stars remained silent and Milena was no seer, so time could only tell what the undoubtfully long night would bring.

"You think this thing's going to happen?"

Milena glanced at Darcy, Jane's intern. She couldn't fault the girl for being bored out of her mind. After all, the four of them had been camped in the middle of the desert staring up at the sky for several hours now.

Personally, Milena highly doubted anything exciting was going to happen. Nonetheless, she didn't have it in her to say that to Jane, who threw an inordinate amount of energy into her life's work. Even though Milena worried at times that the other woman was working herself ragged, she admired Jane all the same for her determination and passion. So instead of voicing out her true thoughts, Milena replied kindly, "Give it time."

Predictably, Darcy rolled her eyes.

Milena leaned on the door of the van, watching Jane tinker around with her equipment and haul herself up to the roof of the vehicle as Darcy killed the lights.

"Wait for it!" Jane eagerly called.

In the van, Darcy grew bored. "Can I turn on the radio?"

"No," Jane answered promptly.

From next to her, Selvig started, "Listen, Jane, you can't keep doing this."

Jane sat herself back down into the van and began going through her files. "The last seventeen occurrences were predictable...,"

Milena felt a swell of sympathy for Jane, and delicately approached her. Since meeting her and Darcy at a bar three months ago after moving into town, Milena had developed a friendship with them both. She understood that this was practically Jane's entire life's work, but this was getting ridiculous and frankly, painful to watch. She placed a hand on the astrophysicist's shoulder, "Jane, come on. Maybe Dr. Selvig is right. You're an astrophysicist, not a storm chaser."

"I'm telling you," Jane stressed, looking at Selvig. "There's a connection between these atmospheric disturbances and my research. I wouldn't have asked you to come out here if I wasn't absolutely sure."

Milena sighed, and knowing a losing battle when she saw one, made her way to the front passenger seat. It was at that moment, Milena began to grow uneasy, and stilled just before opening the van door. There was a thrum of..something in the air that set her on edge.

It had been years since the fateful day her life changed and she was forced to living a relatively normal existence. While Milena no longer possessed it, she knew magic when she sensed it. Milena looked up, just as Darcy called out, "Jane, I think you'd wanna see this."

A faint light broke through a puff of clouds about a mile away, steadily growing brighter and brighter. The clouds surrounding the light started swirling picking up dust and sand in its wake. It began to spin faster and faster, and it was if a tornado was forming right before their very eyes. The swirling energy surrounding the tornado was palpable, leaving Milena stunned and in complete awe.

"Is that...?" Jane gawked as she and Selvig scurried up the roof to get a better look.

"I thought you said it was a subtle aurora," Erik sputtered.

"Go!" Jane shouted. Milena scrambled into the van just as Darcy switched the ignition on.

Milena whipped around to look at Jane, not liking one bit the crazed look in the astrophysicist eye. "You can't be serious, Jane! We're going towards it?!" Of all the stupidest things to do!

"I cannot miss this Milena!" Jane snapped. "This is everything!"

"We don't even know what that thing is!" Milena yelled back, holding onto her seat-belt for dear life as Darcy stepped on the gas and the van lurched forward. With no regard for safety, Jane leaned between Darcy and Milena with a camera at the ready, intent on capturing the anomaly.

"Jane!" Milena grabbed at her friend by the waist to steady her as the van took a more violent jerk forward, and nearly throwing the scientist into the windshield. Not to be deterred, the scientist steadied herself with one hand on the dashboard.

The van was steadily moving closer to the mysterious, glowing tornado, and Milena could practically taste the energy the thing gave off on her tongue. Distantly, Milena was reminded of a similar sight like this from her past, but the immediate concern in front of her kept her from reminiscing.

"Darcy, drive closer!" Jane yelled, practically insensible to the danger she was putting everyone.

"You're kidding right?" Darcy snarked back.

"Just do it!"

Milena knew that Jane was passionate about her work, almost to an obsessive degree especially when she got herself worked up. And Milena respected that, admired it even. But there was point where a line had to be drawn, and as the van continued to speed toward the vibrating dust cloud of immense energy, this was it.

"No Darcy, get us out here!" Milena yelled back.

Not needing any more prompting, Darcy swerved at the van with the intent of driving away from the swirling dust cloud.

"What are you doing!" Jane cried.

"I am not dying for six college credits!" Darcy snapped.

Jane wasn't having it and leaned over to jerk the steering wheel back toward the anomaly. Milena tried grab onto Jane's arm to pull her away.

"Milena, stop it!" Jane cried.

"I'm sorry," she yelled, "but our lives are more important than your research!"

The dust cloud consumed the van, as a terrible rumbled reverberated through the air. Milena grasped wildly at Jane's waist and arm, who would not relent and continued to reach for the wheel like an unruly child.

The struggling and squabbling continued as the van veer wildly through the dust cloud. Darcy tried to steer blindly through the low visibility and vibrating noise. It wasn't until a resounding THUMP rattled through the van after slamming into a figure emerging from the dust that everything came to a startling halt and scream.