Disclaimer: I do not own anything Thor, Avengers, or Norse Mythology nor make any money of this fic.
A/N: Yahooo part 2 and a fast update! :) Sad to say not all updates will be this fast. I have another fic I'm writing for Doctor Who and haven't updated that in a solid two months (check it out if your interested!) However, I will update as soon as possible with this fic. Since I'm still in school, I'm aiming to have something up before/during May. But during the summer, I'll be rolling in the updates :)
The cube interactions and readings are changed slightly (if any) in this chapter. They are subtle changes, as in, for example, there were little people working that night Loki arrived, instead of the mass evacuation as seen in the movie.
Happy reading!
Jane entered in the combination for Erik's room. She was the only other person of whom he gave the code, but she never went inside. She understood that Erik liked his privacy, but this was the one exception she was willing to make.
The door unlocked with a click and light from the hallway spilled into the dark room. She reached blindly on the wall for the light switch. She flicked the switch up and a lamp turned on. On the opposite side of the desk sat a twin bed and a small wooden bureau. Some clothes were thrown on the bed and a book sat at on a nightstand. Jane walked over to the desk. Unlike the other scientists of SHIELD, Erik refused to have a computer at his personal desk. It was the same antique desk he had since she was a girl. On top of its surface were drawers to the left and right separated by a wooden panel. Papers and books were stacked all over it.
Jane sat in the desk chair and began sifting through papers. Most of them charts and graphs of the cube readings as well as daily reports he printed out and highlighted. Many were dated back to the previous year. After passing through each paper individually for a solid half hour, Jane had gotten nowhere. She reached for the lamp switch but saw a piece of paper sticking out of the back wall of the desk. Jane's eyebrows furrowed. She reached for the tiny piece of paper and tugged. She pulled hard and ripped the paper. It was the corner of a larger paper or a book. Jane pursed her lips and stared at the wall of the desk. Picking up a flashlight Erik left on the desk, she looked at the wooden panel. As her eyes roamed over its features, she noticed a small hole in the corner of the wood where the panel met the top portion of the desk. She grabbed a pencil and began pick at it. Suddenly, with a sharp click, the wooden panel popped out of it place. Jane's eyes lit with curiosity and she lifted the wooden panel off its socket. A secret compartment overflowing with dusted papers laid behind it.
She pulled out several papers from their resting place and examined them in the light. Many sheets were written in different languages and some she recognized to be Norwegian. She knew Erik was enamored with Norwegian writing, but she never knew that he kept this collection to himself. She dug further into the papers and to her surprise, she grasped a book. Dusting it off, she looked down at the cover and swallowed hard.
The title read "Norse Mythology" and had a sketch of Thor, the God of Thunder.
Her heart began to hammer into her chest. Not only had it been nearly 25 hours since she'd thought of him, but each time his name popped up, her suppressed memories came flooding back of the previous year. How could she ever forget Thor? He not only opened her eyes to the possibility of another world beyond human intelligence, but captured her heart in the process. It had been so easy for Jane to fall for such a handsome, warm-hearted guy who would do anything he set his mind to.
All at once, images flashed across her mind: The two times she hit him with her RV... His laugh and deep voice that held such an eloquence that was long forgotten on Earth...their conversation shared beneath the stars...his bravery and selflessness when he sacrificed himself to the Destroyer...but most of all she remembered their goodbye.
Jane let out a shaky breath as she gripped the book, fearing it would fly away. Their sudden kiss was a promise of things unspoken. Her eyes dropped back to the cover as she watched two tears splatter on it. It had been six months since he promised to return to her, and with each moment they were apart, that promise was chipped away slowly until all that remained with Jane was a wounded heart.
Did she love Thor? In a way, she believed she did. It was the first time she truly fell hard for someone. Did she love him now? Jane couldn't answer that question if someone asked her. But, she would be lying to herself to say that those feelings had left permanently.
She rubbed her eyes to rid them of the remaining tears. In the end of it all, Jane felt like a fool for letting such a promise hold so much on her heart. As much as she wished to deny it, Thor was a top reason why she took the job with SHIELD. She dreamed she could find him and hoped he searched for her as well. At the same time, the work kept her busy and usually kept her occupied from thinking about him.
Swallowing her emotions back, she opened the book. Erik highlighted passages about the land of Asgard and its inhabitants. It was described as the most beautiful place known in existence. She turned to a picture of a powerful god sitting atop a throne. In his chapter, the god was described as Odin, King of the Asgard, who was associated with war, battle, victory and death, wisdom, poetry, prophecy, and the hunt. Frigga, his wife, was the "foremost among the goddesses" and the queen of Asgard. They were also mentioned as Thor's parents. Jane smiled softly, seeing where Thor had obtained his attributes. She flipped through more and found another tab Erik had marked. It was the section about Loki, the God of Mischief. The picture depicted a man with flowing black hair adorned in green and wearing a horned helmet. His cold and calculating expression burned through the page.
Jane shivered as she recalled her knowledge of Thor's brother. Six months ago, Loki had lied to Thor and sent the Destroyer to kill him. Jane couldn't wrap her head around the concept of a brother doing that another sibling. She wondered if Thor had bested his brother and if they reconciled. Jane didn't want to believe there was a possibility Loki had bested Thor. Jane closed the book and pushed those thoughts out of her mind. Even though Thor had hurt her... she hoped he had succeeded in defeating his brother.
Jane set the book aside and reached further into the secret compartment. Inside, laid another book. As she examined it, observing that it appeared to be a journal more so that a book. It had a leather binding and was tied together by a leather strap. She unfastened it and flipped through its contents. The pages were scrawled in Erik's handwriting dating back to their beginnings with the cube. Knowing she was already running out of time in his room, she opened up to the last page, which simply stated:
He's coming.
Jane dropped the journal back unto the desk. This is what Erik has been keeping from me, she thought. He found something...or someone...
Her head snapped up to the sound of the emergency alarm. She grabbed her jacket, shoving the tiny journal and Norse mythology book in the inner pocket as she rushed out the door. The entire hallway was dead silent. Nearly everyone had been had been relocated to a more advanced base within that month. She located the nearest computer screen panel and pulled up the emergency locator.
Jane's eyes widened at the screen's message and took off running towards the lab. The cube was in overload and at critical level... Jane jolted to a stop at a of a sound deafening BOOM. The walls began to shake and particles of cement fell to the floor. She continued to run at a slower pace to Hanger 12 where the cube was being held. With each step, the sounds of gun shots and blasts became louder.
Her courage faltered when she saw the wall to Hanger 12 had been blasted open and hot smoke poured out of it. Knowing Erik was in there, she slowly approached the wall.
Hiding herself behind the broken wall, Jane peered cautiously into the lab. Her hand flew to her mouth. The entire room was sacked. Dozens of computers were destroyed along and small fires emerged from broken cords. Jane fought the urge to choke as the smell of smoke reached her nostrils.
But what caused her to force back a scream were the lifeless bodies scattered on the floor.
She crouched down and scanned frantically to see if any of them were Erik. She didn't know whether to be relieved or frightened that she didn't see him. Or it could be that she simply couldn't see him at her current position.
What Jane then noticed Director Fury's body on the ground in front of her. Jane took off her heels and crouched quietly over to his body. She checked for pulse and sighed in relief to feel it faintly beneath her fingers. His eye flickered open, and he mouthed to her 'the cube,' pointing to a brief case. Jane understood and nodded. Whatever was happening, Jane knew the cube was in danger and needed to be taken out of the area. With a sharp nod, he closed his eye. She crouched over to where the cube sat in its stand. She ignored the stabbing pain in her head as she took the cube out of its holding place with Fury's glove on her hand. She placed it into the case and closed it; ready to make a run for it.
"Please don't," a soft voice called from behind her. Jane froze and her body went rigid. Her heart began to pound loudly in her ears, and her body felt like it was on fire. The hand which held the case began to shake. It was as if the voice had grabbed her by the throat and locked her into position.
Jane realized in that moment that the cube didn't cause this destruction, but someone did.
"Face me," the voice commanded. The sound cut like razors across her skin. Jane swallowed her dry throat and willed herself to gather courage. If she was going to die, she would not cower in fear. She, Jane Foster, would die fighting. With a deep breath and a composed face, Jane turned around.
And it took all her strength to keep her knees from buckling under her.
A man standing over six feet tall stood about twelve feet away from her locked position. He was cladded in black and green leather, which appeared to be some sort of armor. In his right hand, he gripped a scepter, which held a blue glowing light at the center of it. His hair was the color of a raven's feather, slicked back and flipped up at the base of his neck. His face was cut, battered, and covered with a thin layer of sweat. Beneath the grime, she noticed the sharp features of his face. His eyes were truly striking. She couldn't tell if they were blue or green.
And for some reason..he seemed so familiar to Jane.
His mouth parted and she noticed he was observing her as well. Her heart began to beat slower and louder. Whoever this man was, Jane's gut told her to keep the cube away from him, and she was going to listen to it.
"You don't need to do this," she said as calmly as she could.
His smirked but glowered. "I've come too far for anything else."
"And what exactly are you here for?" Jane countered. She knew keeping the conversation going would be in her best interest.
The corners of his mouth twitched into a grin. "Amusing creatures, the mortal race...but foolish." With his free had extended he said, "Give me the case , and I'll permit you to walk out of here alive."
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Keep talking, she said to herself. "Who are you and what do you want?"
His face grew serious and straightened his back. "I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious of purpose."
Jane's eyes widened and her vision began to blur. No, her voice screamed in her head. Bile grew at the back of her throat. Her head began to shake without her control and tears formed. His presence directly in front of her proved to her that her very fear had come true.
Thor was lost.
And Loki had won.
He cocked his head to the side. Loki relished in her reaction but was oblivious to the true reason she responded that way. "My reputation precedes me," he said in a knowing tone.
Jane remained frozen,staring blankly at the ground. It wasn't until Erik Selvig stood up from behind a desk that Jane came back into the present.
"Loki," Erik rasped clutching his head, "brother of Thor-"
Loki glared at Erik through the corner of his eyes.
"Erik," she whispered, taking a step forward. She realized her mistake too quickly.
"Not so fast," Loki said holding the scepter in front of him. Jane held her ground as pure fear crept into her eyes. He stalked slowly in the direction of Erik. "You wouldn't want your Erik to get hurt, would you?"
Jane's anger flared for the first time. "What do you want?"
Satisfied by her reaction, Loki opened up his arms like a welcoming gesture. "I come with glad tidings," he said as if mocking her, "of a world made free."
Jane furrowed her eyebrows. "Of what?"
His eyes glimmered in menace. "Of freedom."
Jane stared at him, wondering what crazed ideas rolled through his head. He then began to speak again, silencing her thoughts. "Freedom is life's greatest lie," he said as he turned to Erik. He brought his staff up to Erik's chest. Jane gasped and shouted a 'No!' and Loki watched as the Tesseract's magic flowed into Erik's heart. Erik's shoulders relaxed after the transformation was complete. Loki's face softened and he spoke. "Accept that and you will know peace."
"Erik," Jane's voice cracked. She brought a shaky hand to her mouth, but dropped it. Tears flowed from eyes as Erik now regarded her with a cold expression and pale eyes.
"You say peace, but I think you mean something else," a voice boomed from behind Jane. Director Fury began to stand shakily, clutching his right shoulder with his opposite hand and rolling his neck.
Agent Barton, who was now standing on full alert, walked toward Loki. "Sir, this place is about to collapse. I advise we evacuate immediately."
Loki nodded in his direction. Erik typed away on the computer, nodding in agreement. "He's right. The portal is collapsing on itself. We have three minutes before it reaches critical level."
"Right," Loki nodded to Barton. The soldier lifted his gun and shot Fury who fell to the floor. Jane stumbled back. She gripped the handle on the case tighter. Barton brought the gun back up and aimed it at her head.
"Hold," Loki commanded. Barton looked back at his leader quizzically, but dropped his weapon to his side.
Loki stalked to Jane slowly, like a snake to its prey. She backed up into the stand that previously held the cube. He came directly in front of her so that they were merely inches apart. Everything inside her head screamed her to look away, but she refused to give into his game. She looked at him dead on. His striking features became more apparent to her now. Unlike Thor, Loki held a very noble look to him that hit you immediately in the core. His paleness was almost fey like, giving him an unearthly feel. His aristocratic nose and brow bone gave him the look of a ruler.
Loki cocked his head to the side, observing her.
Her expression hardened. "If your going to kill me," she said with a steady and low voice, "then do it."
His eyebrow lifted and he broke eye contact, lookin down at his scepter. His head snapped back up with blazing eyes."You have fight," he said chillingly.
He lifted his scepter up and moved it over her heart. Jane gasped as coldness spread into her chest. So this is it? She thought. But I guess Death is always cold. Jane closed her eyes, waiting for her end. But in an instant, the coldness rushed back out of her. She let out a breath and breathed heavily.
Loki looked at his scepter in disbelief. That's not possible, he mused looking down at it. The orb appeared to be fine, having no damage. He tried again, with more force but without breaking her skin. The same effect happened. Loki growled, gripping the sceptor tightly.
Jane, with her free hand, clutched her chest where the scepter just touched. It felt normal and undamaged. She closed her eyes and silently thanked whoever was out there to hear her.
Loki grabbed her wrist forcing her to look him in the eye. She met his gaze head on, breathing hard through her noise.
"What are you?" He rasped, gripping her wrist harder. She winced but did not look away.
"Sir," Agent Barton said. "We have less than two minutes to leave before we're all dead."
Loki's face twitched, and he dropped her hand. He jerked his head to his side, signaling Barton a silent command. The agent ripped the case out of her hand without so much as an effort and handed it to another guard. Jane stepped forward to attack, but Barton caught her wrist and shoved her hand behind her back in a locked position. He tightened handcuffs around them with ease while restraining her jerking body.
"You don't know what you're dealing with," Jane said to Loki out of desperation.
Loki pursed his lips and squinted his eyes. He took a step forward coming within an inch to her face. She looked away, repulsed by his precense. With a firm hand, he grasped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. His expression now bone chilling with his pupils burned into her eyes. "And you think you do, Jane Foster?"
Jane's eyes widened and jerked his her chin out of his touch. Loki smiled sadistically and began to walk forward. "The look on my beloved brother's face when he sees his pathetic mortal broken and chained to the foot of my heels..."
Jane was pushed forward by Barton to begin moving. She had no choice but to follow the vengeful god as SHEILD's base began to crumble.
A/N: Dun dun dunnnnnn. Cliffhangers are evil but I'm sorry I had to. Thanks so much to all who reviewed my first chapter! I feel welcomed and loved already by the Lokane universe :)
Review review review! I'll give you a cookie :)