(Author's Note: I could go on and on about how sorry I am for being late and give excuses for it because my life is busy, but you know what, you guys are nice, so I'm just going to ask for forgiveness right now. Life happens, and it's been happening to me lately. But here it is! Enjoy!)
Chapter 7
The hallways of the Asgardian palace were quieter than usual. Thor was almost saddened as he walked through them. Ever since Odin had fallen ill and into the Odinsleep, Asgard had lost its joy, all its citizens worried for their king. But Thor walked on with his head high; he couldn't let the depression of the atmosphere cause him to lose hope.
Thor was on his way to visit Heimdall. He checked on Jane every day; Heimdall told him how she was doing. And now he wanted to know about Loki and Emmeline as well, and how their daughter was faring. When Thor reached the observatory, he walked up to the golden pedestal where Heimdall was staring into the stars, watching all the souls of the Nine Realms.
"How is she?" asked Thor. After a lingering silence that always seemed to precede his answers, Heimdall's booming voice rang out through the halls of the observatory.
"She fares well. She still waits for you."
"I miss her," Thor said, thinking of Jane's bright face smiling at him. "How fares Loki and Emmeline?" Heimdall sighed, and Thor looked at him anxiously.
"Emmeline is well; but she worries for Loki. There is a darkness in his heart."
"What sort of darkness?"
"It is a black magic, but I cannot place the origin, and the danger of it I know not." Thor looked at Heimdall, seeing the worry flood his eyes of vast galaxies.
"A black magic…is Emmeline aware? Is that why she worries?"
"Not that I can see. She worries for her friends and those she loves. The plague spreads around her." Heimdall looked down at Thor, the stars of the Nine Realms swirling in his eyes. "You are needed at Loki's side."
"What? But I…you said you knew not of the danger."
"That does not mean there is none. I simply meant I did not know the extent." Heimdall looked back at the stars. "And Loki is not the only one in need of your watch. The man they call Fury has been taken by the plague. I can no longer see him. Neither can I see Pepper Potts."
"But father needs—"
"—The Allfather will be fine," said Heimdall.
"Can you be certain?" asked Thor. Heimdall paused for a moment.
"I have told you your father will be fine," he replied. Thor looked down. What if something happened to Odin when he was away? And what would he do when he got to Midgard? He could not confront Loki about what Heimdall had said, at risk of infuriating him or suffering the wrath of whatever black magic had cursed him.
"Father has no one to look after him," Thor said.
"There are plenty of guards," Heimdall replied. "And if something were to happen you could do nothing. I am here and all of Asgard worries for him. You are the protector of Midgard, Thor Odinson. You gave yourself that title. If something is not done about this, I fear another war." Thor sighed.
"Very well, but I wish to go tomorrow. I need to tell father." Heimdall nodded.
That evening, Thor entered his father's chambers and sat at his bedside.
"Father," he began. "I am leaving on the morrow to go to Midgard. I do not wish to worry you with the reason given your current state, but I wanted to notify you that you will not hear of me for a while. I will return as soon as I can."
Knowing that Odin could not respond, Thor left after saying his goodbye to his father.
Loki had just put Sigyn in her crib after she fell asleep in his arms. It was nearly midnight, but Loki did not worry about his life clock; he had exchanged three souls already. He exited Sigyn's room, and as he passed by the bathroom he heard a noise that shattered his heart. Loki let his back hit the wall outside the bathroom as he listened to Emmeline's crying. He knew it was the "plague" that was making her so sad, and Loki hated himself. He slid his back on the wall until he was sitting on the floor, and he put his arms on his knees.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, knowing nobody could hear him.
After a moment, Loki decided he could not sit there and listen to Emmeline's sobs. He stood up and entered the bathroom. He felt the warmth of the steam coming from the shower and he undressed himself, concealing his glowing life clock with an illusion. He entered the shower and Emmeline's breath hitched when she realized he had heard her crying.
Loki let the warm water run over him and he said nothing as he wrapped his arms around Emmeline and held her tightly to his chest. She leaned her head on him and let herself cry. Loki kissed the top of her head and rested his chin on her wet hair. He knew there was nothing he could say. He knew Emmeline was afraid for the rest of her friends and maybe even for herself, and he couldn't tell her that he had control of this. That he was the one that decided who would live and who would die. Of course the people were not necessarily dead, but their souls were transferred to the orange glass orb of Vaettir-Draugr, and they were as good as dead in the real world. But he couldn't tell Emmeline anything. He would just have to stand by and watch her worry and despair.
They stood there for a long time. Loki could feel Emmeline's heartbeat next to his; hers was much faster. He held her tightly and pressed his lips to her forehead. He said nothing, and neither did she. Loki wished to die. Living wasn't worth the pain and agony of seeing her cry. But that would only make her more upset. He was screaming his apologies inside his own mind, wishing he could tell her how sorry he was and try to make her understand.
Loki could take nothing back. Although it seemed that the Time gem was in his hands, he had no control over it. All he could do was wield Vaettir-Draugr to the whim of Mistress Death and Thanos, and they were watching him.
When the water began to lose its warmth, Loki and Emmeline dried off and got into bed. Loki held Emmeline close to his chest as he did every night and watched her as she closed her eyes. He swallowed and looked at a few stars he could see through the window.
"Emmeline," he said.
"Yeah?"
"Everything is going to be alright. I promise."
The next day, the Avengers had all gathered in the living room of Tony Stark, Loki and Emmeline included. Emmeline held Sigyn, bouncing the happy baby on her knee. But Sigyn was the only happy one. All the Avengers were silent and brooding, looking down at the floor and wondering what was happening to the people around them. Stark was the worst. He looked unusually pale, and he had not shaved for days. His eyes were bloodshot and it seemed he could not keep his hands still. Emmeline broke the silence.
"Who is running S.H.I.E.L.D. right now?" she asked.
"Agent Coulson," replied Agent Romanoff. "He's sent for Dr. Erik Selvig and Jane Foster to find out what's going on, if they can."
Loki had twelve hours on his life clock. He had not exchanged any souls this day, because he had not been alone. And this time he could not wait until the night because by then it would be too late, or very close to it. He needed an excuse to get away from everyone.
"Where is Fury now?" asked Emmeline.
"He's being held in a prison cell," answered Banner. "We want to run some tests on him and find out what's going on with this 'plague'. And he…he tried to attack one of our agents."
"What?"
"He had one of the agents against the wall and he was trying to breathe into them. His eyes turned orange and when his did, so did the agent's. But before anything could happen he was taken by Barton and Romanoff and he was put into a cell." A silence passed.
"I want to see him," said Emmeline.
"Emmeline," Loki said, turning to her. "That is dangerous, I do not want you around those infected; what if you were to catch it?" Loki did not want Emmeline to figure anything out by visiting Fury.
"Loki, we have to get to the bottom of this. I can't just sit around while this happens; we have to figure out what's going on."
"That is what the Doctor is trying to do," Loki said. "Right now it is your right to rest and take care of our child. We left Asgard to keep you safe and I am not taking any chances." Emmeline scowled. Loki knew she hated being told what to do.
His fear was that the dead soul in Fury would recognize the energy of Vaettir-Draugr and give him away. If Emmeline found out, he was dead. Instantly.
"When are Dr. Selvig and Jane supposed to arrive at S.H.I.E.L.D.?" asked Emmeline.
"They came this morning," said Banner. "We don't know if they've found anything out; we will have to see when we get back."
"I'll come with you," said Emmeline. "I want to hear if they found anything out." Loki hesitated, but he said nothing. He decided that perhaps when Emmeline was speaking with Dr. Selvig and Jane Foster, he could sneak off and take care of his soul requirement.
"We need to put Pepper in with Fury," said Romanoff. Stark's eyes widened.
"No," he said. "I don't want her in a prison cell."
"We have to do it buddy," said Barton. "We don't know how contagious this thing is or if she's going to attack somebody…it's for the greater good. Just until she gets well." Loki knew that no one in the room was sure if Pepper or Fury would ever get well, and he knew that they wouldn't, at least not until he had returned their souls. He supposed Fury's soul was in Vaettir-Draugr, and perhaps Thanos had carried out Fury's corruption. But Barton was merely trying to keep Stark calm.
"It's okay Tony," said Emmeline. "She'll be safe there."
"Fine," said Stark, still sounding unsure.
Later that day, Loki and Emmeline walked side by side behind the Avengers through the corridors of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
"It's nice that we get to see Jane; she hasn't met Sigyn yet," said Emmeline.
"I don't care for the woman," Loki replied.
"What? Why?"
"How could one fall in love with Thor so quickly? She must be a special kind of idiot." Loki smirked.
"Loki!" said Emmeline, lightly slapping his arm. Loki chuckled. Emmeline smiled and as she kissed the top of Sigyn's head, Loki noticed the way her soft red curls bounced as she walked, and the way her hips swayed from side to side. He swallowed. It appeared she was wearing a new dress as well; he had never seen it before. It was red, and flattered her every curve, going down to the top of her knees. Loki licked his lips as he looked her up and down. Emmeline gave him a suspicious look.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Desiring you," Loki replied honestly. "I like your dress."
"Thanks," said Emmeline. "I manifested it this morning; I wanted to wear red."
"It flatters your physique." Emmeline smiled and looked at the ground.
When they entered the study room of S.H.I.E.L.D., there was Dr. Selvig and Jane Foster, sitting at the desk with many stacks of papers surrounding them. The assistant, Darcy if Loki remembered correctly, was sitting and tapping on some kind of rectangle technology.
"Find anything?" asked Barton, causing Jane to look up. She smiled when she saw Emmeline and Sigyn.
"Actually yes," she said.
Damn, Loki thought. What have they found out?
Jane approached Emmeline and smiled as she marveled at Sigyn.
"Is she yours?" she asked. Emmeline giggled.
"Yes!"
"She's beautiful." Jane cooed at the baby, and Dr. Banner spoke up.
"I don't mean to interrupt the baby-talk party, but I want to know what you guys found out."
"The robot-flu isn't contagious!" blurted Darcy.
"What?" said Emmeline, looking up at her.
"Yeah, it's not contagious. I don't know how people are getting it, but it's not from each other," said Jane. Emmeline looked confused.
"That's so weird," she said. "It doesn't make any sense."
"The disease doesn't seem to contain any contagions…actually; it doesn't seem like a disease at all."
"What do you mean?" asked Romanoff. Jane walked over to her stacks of papers and began pushing them around.
"My research—what I could get of it—shows that there is nothing wrong with these people at all. Everything checks out completely normal…I don't understand."
"That is…really weird," said Emmeline. "Then how is it spreading?"
"I don't know," Jane replied, a frightened look on her face. Loki observed the confused and expressions on the Avengers' faces, and he slipped into the hall unnoticed. Loki glanced at his life clock again; he had five hours and twenty minutes. That would be enough time. But right now Loki had to get back to Stark tower to retrieve Vaettir-Draugr.
When he had arrived at his apartment, he entered Sigyn's room and opened her closet. He moved the loose wall board to reveal the instrument of death. Loki reached for it, but as soon as he had grasped it, he collapsed. The voices of the stolen souls screamed at him in his head. Some of them were pleading, and some of them were angry. Most of them were shrieking, but some of them yelled.
Help! Help!
You are nothing!
How could you?
Loki clenched his teeth and shrieked, "STOP! All of you!" He stood up and tightened his grip on the wooden staff of Vaettir-Draugr. The voices lowered to hateful whispering, but some were still screaming. Loki tried to ignore it. He left Stark tower and proceeded back to S.H.I.E.L.D. He didn't want to stray too far from Emmeline should she worry where he was; plus, there were plenty useless agents he could use. Loki placed an illusion over Vaettir-Draugr as he entered S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. He found Emmeline and the others in the conference room, but he swiftly walked past it as he saw an agent at the end of the hallway.
Loki knew he had to get the agent to a more isolated spot; there were too many open doors in the hall. He cast an illusion of another agent walking down the hall.
"Coulson needs you outside at the back," said the illusion.
"What for?"
"New evidence for the cause of the plague." The agent nodded and took off in the direction Loki's illusion told him to go.
Loki smiled mischievously to himself as he dissolved his illusion and began quietly following the agent. Loki watched his back to make sure he wasn't being watched until the agent had exited the building. He let the agent stand there for a moment and wonder where Coulson was before he attacked him. Loki grabbed the man's neck and slammed him against the wall. The agent reached for his gun, but Loki took it from him and threw it to the side.
"Who are you?" asked the agent.
"I am Loki of Asgard, and I am here to steal your soul from you."
"Wait—what…where's Coulson? I—"
"You are a fool," said Loki with a smirk as he revealed Vaettir-Draugr. "You thought you were to receive evidence for the plague? I am the plague." He pressed it to the man's neck and his eyes turned orange. Loki smiled as a rush of adrenaline overcame him. He loved this. He loved the look of fear on the man's face and the glorious mischief of his secret. Was that wrong? Yes, but Loki couldn't care less at this moment. Perhaps he might feel bad later when Emmeline got upset, but Loki thought nothing of that now. Now he was enjoying his moment of mischief.
When the soul exchange was finished, the man fell limp to the floor. Loki looked down at him, satisfied with himself.
Just then, Loki heard the hitch of someone's breath somewhere behind him. He turned around quickly and saw Agent Romanoff hiding in the shadows. As soon as she saw Loki's eyes meet hers, she revealed herself.
"So it was you," she said. "All these people with the plague…it was you the whole time." Loki smiled.
"You seem surprised," he said. Romanoff crossed her arms.
"I didn't think you'd lie to Emmeline. I thought she had brought you to our side. I guess that was stupid of me."
"Oh please!" Loki scoffed. "You and I aren't so different, Romanoff. Your moral code is questionable…so is mine. You cannot be predicted…neither can I."
"You're nothing like me! You don't know anything about me."
"Perhaps not, but you aren't so hard to figure out. Few of us are as mysterious as we think we are." Loki slowly walked up to Romanoff, grasping Vaettir-Draugr firmly in his hand. "Now, I would have let you go if you had not spied on me. But unfortunately, you know too much. So you know what I must do now…"
Loki began to raise Vaettir-Draugr, but Romanoff ducked and ran for the back door of S.H.I.E.L.D. Loki ran after her and before she could reach it, he threw his arm around her neck and pulled her back. She kicked him and he stumbled, losing his grip, but he quickly gained it back by yanking her arm in a downward direction. Romanoff punched at him, hitting Loki in the face several times. Loki swung at her, knocking her to the ground. He stepped on her hair.
"Don't make this hard for me; I'm running out of time!" He kicked her side and she cried out, making a futile effort to get up. Loki pressed Vaettir-Draugr to her neck and before her eyes turned, she muttered:
"She'll never forgive you." She fell unconscious and Loki hid Vaettir-Draugr once more. He lifted his foot off of her hair and stepped back, letting out a quick breath.
"She'll never know," Loki replied, knowing she couldn't hear him. He turned around and whispered as he reentered S.H.I.E.L.D. "Bitch."
So...are you guys excited for Thor 3: Ragnarok in 2017? I'm so stoked that I don't even mind waiting so long! (LOKI IS COMING BACK OMG) I am just so excited. Excuse my fangirling (but hey, what else is this website for?) ;)
