"Now what?" Clint said as the three stood atop an old, rundown apartment complex in the lower part of Manhattan. The sun had long since set and the city had come to life.
"I don't know. We're at a dead end," Orthani exhaled quickly and ran her fingers through her still disheveled hair. "Loki refuses to talk to me about the situation. He fears his life hangs in the balance and the only way to protect himself is if he never speaks about it ever again. The Tesseract is a dead end as well. We cannot do anything to it without broadcasting to the universe we are ready for a higher form of war. We have nothing."
Natasha folded her arms across her chest, trying to rack her brain for something…anything.
"When Loki returns to Asgard, he will be locked up once more. That we cannot escape. However, he is the one with all the answers. He knows everything. I guarantee you he's more than likely planning out what his next move is, but unfortunately for us, he recognizes the value of information and what it would do to him if he ever spoke this to another person." Orthani shrugged off her leather overcoated armor and hung it over the ledge of the building. She extended her arm and started to unhook the silver arm guards from her forearms as well, leaving only her leather corset with the silver strips of metal plated around her ribs for protection. Her arms and shoulders were now bare and had hints of bruises from her fight with Thor. The cuts on her face had already started healing at a fast rate.
"So something needs to change here," Clint said, bringing his hand to his lips in contemplation. "We've stalled the entire operation because no one wants to give. So what do we do?" He looked around at the two women surrounding him.
No one spoke. Not until Natasha came up with an idea. "We convince Thor to free Loki. Completely dismiss his crimes, and let him walk-"
"That's a dangerous play, Natasha," Orthani interrupted her, shaking her head in disagreement. "This isn't just a one time deal; he's known for fiddling with things that shouldn't be messed with on multiple occasions. Even if he is the one we need to get talking, freeing him won't help us. It might actually hurt us."
"What else can we do? Everyone else is at a checkmate here; we can't do anything else." Natasha unfolded her arms. "There's been no other sign that there is actually something else out there that could be threatening us. Maybe that's our key: we act as if there isn't. Sure, we can silently prepare ourselves should something break loose, but until then, we can't do anything."
Orthani nodded. She knew Natasha was at least partially right. They had nothing to go on; they were chasing dust in the wind at the moment.
"So what, our play is to let him do what he wants?" Clint furrowed his brow.
"I'll keep an eye on him in Asgard," Orthani quickly replied. "I won't let him get too out of hand, and in turn, he will keep me in check as well."
"Something tells me Fury won't really like this plan," he said as he bit the side of his thumb lightly.
"Well we can't force information out of someone when they believe their life will be put in immediate danger should they mutter a single word. If we can't let him talk, we might as well let him start fending for himself. You have to remember: this is Loki. He might seem a little crazy, but he knows exactly what he is doing." Orthani shifted her weight over to one leg and held her arms behind her back.
Silence fell over the group for a moment before Clint spoke up again. "Can we trust him, is my question," he exhaled, running a hand through his hair.
Orthani nodded. "Maybe not entirely, but I know him well enough that he would rather the universe still live on. He isn't quite ready to give up entirely on his mischief making. If someone's stomping on his plans, he wouldn't tolerate it. Just trust him only as far as you can throw him."
Clint shook his head lightly. "I don't know about this, you two. Something just doesn't seem right."
"The last time I listened to Director Fury, I ended up killing a fellow agent, "Natasha snapped quietly. "Somehow, she's managed to still be able to stand with us, and she's telling us this war isn't over. Maybe this time we should actually listen to her."
Both Clint and Natasha looked over to Orthani, who gave them a small nod and closed her eyes briefly.
This is going to be a very long and tedious battle, I can already tell.
"Who is this foolish child who dares approach me without permission?" a low, throaty growl emitted from the throat of the Other as he eyed the ditzy blond now bouncing towards his throne.
"Is that how you treat everyone who approaches you?" the blond spoke with a sparkle in her eyes and a devilish grin across her lips.
"This better be of importance," the Other growled, curling his fingers over the armrest of his throne.
"I am Sylvie Lushton-"
"We do not need another petty Asgardian to tromp about us again!" the Other snarled.
"Not even one who is willing to give you the information you want?" she curled her lips as she tried to hide a smirk. "I've received information that would be of great value to you, should you want it."
The Other suddenly stood up at her offer. "Do tell."
"You are in search for Loki, are you not?"
The Other let out a husky growl. "Yess," he hissed.
"Then I may be able to assist you." She let a wide smile finally break through, unable to hide it anymore.
"Cease your stalling, child!" the Other roared, causing Sylvie to jump back as she was startled by his voice.
"There is a new addition to the house of Odin. One that could, if manipulated enough, can be the downfall of the king and make way for a new kind of ruler."
The Other rolled his eyes; Just another fool wanting to gain the throne of Asgard. Must gods always be so power hungry? "Such arrogance graces your tongue."
"I simply ask you to spare Asgard in your destruction so I can rise to take control over a kingdom that lacks a ruler once you storm in and slay the royal family. Once I gain control over the ignorant newcomer and turn her to our side, I can hand you Loki and that will be the end of that. Quick. Simple. Easy to remember," she snarked.
"HE does not wish to make bargains. The time has long since passed for that."
"Then consider this an alliance."
The Other remained silent for a few moments before speaking. "Might I suggest you tell us all that you know, or otherwise you will not leave this realm alive," his voice hummed lowly.
"He is in Asgard. Locked away in a cell for the next half year. The very humans he tried to defeat are trying so desperately to gain his alliance; and everyone knows the moment he decides to let his tongue slip the information he knows, you all will be slain before the year is out-"
"Go. Leave us. It will be up for consideration whether or not we shall take your alliance at heart," he growled, sitting back down in his throne. He didn't wish to hear the rest of this banter.
Sylvie put her hands up in defeat. "So be it then," she said as she slowly started walking out of the room.
As soon as she got out earshot, he muttered to the Chitauri at his right, "Kill her," before getting up and making his way to his master. She was but a pawn.
"Master, we have received word on the Asgardian's location," the Other knelt down on one knee as he entered Thanos' sanctuary.
"So I've heard," Thanos shrugged off the Other's message.
"What is your plan?"
"We must wait. Our forces are weak. We cannot take an army of gods with the state our army is in," he mused lightly, fingers caressing the arm of his throne. "We must wait until they are weak, and us strong. Then we shall bring the fight to them."
The aircraft finally touched down back on the S.H.I.E.L.D aircraft carrier a good few hours after the incident with Orthani first occurred. The moon was high up in the sky and it illuminated the flight deck in an odd light.
"Will one of you bring Loki, Thor, and Nick to me?" Orthani muttered quietly as the engines were shut off and the three exited the belly of the jet. "Bring them out here. I need to talk with Loki properly this time, and then we shall be off," she exhaled, turning on her heels and heading the opposite direction as Clint and Natasha.
"Wait, you guys aren't staying?" Clint spoke, making her stop and turn around.
"What is there for us to do here?" Orthani shook her head slightly. "If I stay here any longer, I might as well be signing everyone's death warrants along with my own. Thor cannot be of any use here since the Tesseract is a dead end, and Loki must return so that I can somehow bring upon a miracle and convince the king to let him free. There is nothing we can do here until something actually happens," she reluctantly explained. "We're practically dead in the water with no way out. We know that something is out there planning something and that they're after Loki. That's it! We have nothing else to go on." She exhaled and studied the expressions on Clint and Natasha's faces. "If we need you, we will come to you. If the world is suddenly put in danger, we will come to you. That's all we can really do at the moment."
The three fell into silence for a moment, knowing that she was right.
"All I can tell you is prepare. We might need you, we might not, but if we do you can at least be ready to go to war for us. That's all we can do. We cannot fight an enemy that isn't even here yet."
Clint nodded and unfolded his arms. "I hope you know what you're doing, Ghost."
She smirked. "Don't I always?" He smiled back at her. "Now come over here and give me a hug before I leave, you. God knows I couldn't have made it this far without your help," she said, holding out her arms as Clint walked over to her and wrapped her in a tight bear hug.
"You take care of yourself, sis. Don't go blowing stuff up anymore, got it?" Clint muttered in her ear as he kept her pressed to him in a suffocating embrace.
"I can't make any promises," she chuckled, clapping him on the back and making him flinch from the hit.
He unwrapped his arms from the death grip he had around her. "Jesus, woman, you hit hard!" he exhaled sharply as he attempted to reach for the spot she had hit him in.
"Sorry. I'm stronger than I look, and I tend to forget that," she laughed, ruffling his hair and then playfully shoving his face towards the door that lead below deck. "Now get. I need the Tesseract and those three, will you? I don't want to risk going inside, or else I might kill someone again," she joked as Clint walked away from her, laughing as he shook his head.
She laughed as well and then turned to walk towards the center of the undestroyed flight deck. She suddenly felt something grab her arm.
"Hey," Natasha spoke gently as Orthani turned around to face her. "I don't think I've actually apologized for well…killing you," she looked away somewhat sheepishly as she pressed her lips into a thin line.
"Well, I am here now. No need for apologies in my eyes. You were the starting point of turning me into this, and that I cannot regret," Orthani spoke softly. "You were only doing what you were told. I cannot be angry at you for following orders."
Natasha stared at her blankly. "I shot you in the head. That kinda makes it personal," she gave Orthani a confused look.
Orthani shrugged. "Not in my eyes. Had I remained dead, yes, I would most definitely be haunting you from the grave at this very moment, but I am still here and now at a higher lifeform than I was before. If I was to remain angry after you made it possible for me to do this-" she quickly brought up her arm and snapped her fingers, letting an orange glow of flames swirl in an orb around her slightly curled fingers, "- then I would just be ungrateful for what I have been given. You are more than forgiven, Natasha. Just remember to consider the consequences next time you come face to face with someone you've been ordered to kill."
Natasha let a faint smile curl on her lips. "You know, for an assassin, you are really sort of a pushover," she joked.
Orthani laughed and closed her hand, extinguishing the ball of flame between her fingers. "In that case, put on the gloves and we'll go a few rounds one day to sort out the final score. Sound good?"
Natasha's smile widened. "It's good enough for me," she spoke as she let go of Orthani's arm. "You're going down, Ghost!" she taunted.
Orthani chuckled. "Bring it on."
"No fire, though. That would be slightly unfair," Natasha yelled back as she walked backwards towards the door.
"If you say so," Orthani held up her hands in defeat as Nick, Thor, and Loki emerged from the very door Natasha was about to go through. She watched Tasha turn around and head through the door, completely ignoring the three men as they exited.
"Let me get this straight; 7 hours after you all get here, you're leaving?" Nick fumed, stalking over to Orthani.
"I don't feel like destroying an entire base again, director. We're at a dead end, we cannot do anything else!" she snapped back.
"And what if something does happen? Hm?" Nick roared. "What are we going to do when you guys leave and we can't get in touch with you. What then?"
"Give us one of your high tech computers if communication is what you're worried about! We are at a standstill here. We cannot move until the supposed enemy does. That's just how things work," she smartly answered.
"You are not in charge here, Miss Mynx."
"I know that! What would you honestly do! Go on, what's your brilliant plan!" she yelled at him. She had enough with all of this. She just wanted to get somewhere she could relax for a bit before all hell broke loose again.
Nick opened his mouth to say something before snapping it shut again.
"That's what I thought," she said softly. "Now go on. Retrieve the Tesseract, give us what we will need to remain in contact with you-"
"Are you even sure this stuff will work back on Asgard?" Nick cut her off.
"The Tesseract will act as a beacon. As long as a connection between two devices is forged beforehand, it will be able to maintain it over in our realm," Thor spoke. Loki nodded, indicating Thor was right.
Nick glanced over the three before pursing his lips and exhaling in defeat. "I hope you all know what the fuck you're doing. Gonna give me a heart attack before this is all said and done," Nick shook his head and headed to get the Tesseract as well as a small tablet of theirs so that they could remain in some form of contact with the three demigods as long as they were in Asgard.
She turned around to face Loki and Thor and was immediately taken aback at the less than amused look on Loki's face.
"Oh don't give me that," she said desperately. "You're the one who started this mess," she pointed out when he remained silent.
He shrugged. "I am simply expressing my disdain over you getting involved in such a mess again," he exhaled.
"Well no matter how much you don't like it, I'm involved with it. You got me into this when you decided to bring me back. You can't change that." She started to turn away from him before she felt a hand grasp her arm firmly.
"Why are you once again risking everything you have for me?" he asked her in a hushed tone.
She sighed. "Because I love you," she said, not even bothering to turn to look at him. "I don't trust anyone else to teach me to control this monster I have become. I don't wish to have anyone else teach me. That is why I am freeing you." She finally turned to face him. "We will be better off with you out from behind bars even though you definitely don't deserve such freedom. S.H.I.E.L.D needs you; the world needs you. I need you. You might be...hiding certain things from me, but I don't doubt you for a second."
His silver tongue failed him when he opened his mouth to speak. He snapped his mouth shut, clenched his jaw, and then dropped her arm in a loss for words.
"Look at me," she suddenly grabbed his wrist, which made his eyes snap to hers and locked with her gaze. "I told you I'll stand by you; nothing changes that," she spoke with a more than sincere look twinkling in her eyes. "I will be here for you even though you're making it incredibly difficult for not just me, but everyone around you."
He looked away from her and off to his side, his jaw still clenched.
"Nonono, look at me," she snapped, causing his eyes to reluctantly pull back to her. "If you turn on us, Loki, it's over," she half whispered. "I can't be caught in the middle again. Not this time, so please promise me you aren't about to betray every single one of us once you regain your freedom," she begged.
He was being forced to go against his nature here and it was making him slightly nervous. He wasn't used to someone begging him to stay loyal. But this was Orthani. His Orthani. He didn't have the heart to go against her even if he wanted to. "Do I still have your undying trust?" he said while looking away from her.
"Of course you do. You know damn well you do," she gave a light chuckle to lighten the mood. She had just incidentally backed him into a corner and could tell he was uncomfortable with it.
"I cannot make any promises. Just know I would never do anything that would make you wish to leave my side so willingly," he said softly. "Though it might seem deceptive and out of line, know I am trying to save more than just myself."
"That doesn't sound like you-"
"Does it not?" he spoke barely above a whisper. "I cannot just be reborn once the universe is brought to its end. Should Thanos so choose-"
"Thanos? Is that who is behind all this?" she suddenly screeched.
He suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Loki, why have you not-"
"Silence, brother!" he hissed, removing his hand from Orthani's mouth. Thor was hushed almost instantly. "This stays between the three of us. Am I inescapably and clearly understood?" he spoke lowly as he saw Nick Fury emerge from below decks. "You will find out in due time. For now, that is all I can give you. Now do I have your trust?"
Orthani saw the desperation in his eyes. He was just as scared as the rest of them were.
"Do not betray me, brother," Thor said softly.
"Revenge that will end as severe as this shall if I deceive you is but a fool's mistake. I will seek my revenge once this war has been fought," Loki said seriously. "You have my word on that." Thor still gave him a look that told him he was still wary. His brother was a trouble maker; not one to give in so easily. "If you knew of what I have gone through, all the pain and suffering that I was forced to endure when I was in that pitiful excuse of a realm, you would realize I am not trying to deceive you."
Thor reluctantly accepted his answer. "I hope you are right," Thor exhaled roughly.
A/N: Erg, this is sorta just a filler chapter. x.x Setting the scene, tying up loose ends. Sorta uninteresting. BUT. I would rather give you a short filler chapter than have you all not knowing what the hell is going on. So it kinda got boring real quick, but that'll change next chapter.
OperaGhost18: Yes, yes you can! x)
chuckythecat: Haha, oh boy. xD I'm either gonna flop or score with the sexual stuff, and knowing me, I would probably flop, so don't get too over excited.
I'm just kidding.
Cat-Natty: Aw, that sounds like a dog waiting for food or something. xD Here ya go! Fresh off the presses.
Asmos: Oh thank you so much! That literally makes my day! x)
Captain Cynthia: Haha, she says as I post a boring chapter. x) Thanks though; I think I'm improving a lot since I've been writing this story nonstop for the past month or so. x.x
TheMagentaColor: Touche! Touche. You've got a point there.
J: Aw, that's sweet! -hearts-
Dr Pantalons: As much as I wish I could, I can't see Orthani keeping such a grudge. x.x She'll have a boxing fight with her eventually, I promise x)
Itlava: Aw, thank you! x)
Lime Toaster Cat: I've followed you back. x)
WulfLuver22: Pft, she can't have normal fire when she's lost it. She's gotta be badass and have black fire. Like a boss. x)
Guest: RED VINES.
