Chapter 9
Jane rode the elevator down to her room staring at the formula she'd discovered. It was a thing of beauty, its harmony of numbers and forms, its geometric elegance. Austere, yet provocative, like a sculpture's cold perfection.
Before she realized it, she was sitting on her bed with her shoes off. She shook her head and placed the paper on the nightstand next to her book. Except that wasn't one of her romance novels.
Loki. It had to have been him. Who else knew she read them? Who else could just pop into her room whenever they wanted?
She hesitantly reached out for it, uncertain if she wanted to participate in this game he was playing, but as soon as she did, the book shimmered and changed into an antique leather-bound hardback. When she snatched her hand away, it transformed back into the novel.
Picking up the book, she ran her hand over the smooth green leather and the strange symbols embossed in gold on the spine. It looked like nothing she'd ever seen. What more, the book was written entirely in another language.
Why bother concealing something that was indecipherable? Why bother giving her something she couldn't fully utilize? Jane shook her head and resigned herself to scanning the pictures.
There weren't many but they reminded her of the different realms Thor had mentioned. She laughed at the colored drawing of what had to be humans during the Viking era.
She flipped through a misty world, a frozen one, and so on until she stopped at a majestic depiction of a golden city. It was connected to a circular building out in the water at the edge of the world. The Bifrost. She stared at it for a long time. What she wouldn't give to see it in person.
After readying for the day, Jane made her way to the lab. The elevator opened to the sizzling and crackling sounds of welding. She walked through the partition and found Tony in a helmet and gloves bent over one side of the containment unit with a shower of sparks surrounding him.
When the noise died down and he straightened, she asked if the connection was almost complete.
He flipped the mask up to inspect his work. "We'll be ready for tomorrow." He looked at her with a sly grin. "Unless, you want to give it a whirl right now."
Her heart jolted at the possibility. "But what about everyone else? We'll need to run tests, establish procedures—"
"It'll work." He sat down his gear. "Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk."
"Is that how you created the suit?" she jokingly asked, because surely he took the time to research, plan, and test each part.
"Pretty much." He walked to the table she was standing behind, ignoring her look of surprise, then spoke to JARVIS. "Run diagnostics."
"Already in process, sir," the AI responded.
Jane was on the brink of a panic attack or euphoria. The thought of activating the cube held the rational part of her brain hostage and kept her from stopping the madness.
There was a lull as JARVIS continued to do as commanded. Tony put away his tools and she tapped her foot, her breath matching the staccato rhythm. She could do this. She could break the rules and fly blind.
"Connection stable, output optimal," the AI concluded. "Real life trial predicted to be successful."
Tony raised an eyebrow at her in question.
She raised both of hers in response, but then nodded sharply.
"JARVIS, override SHIELD security and initiate power sequence."
When he pulled her to the workstations where they could watch the various scans, an arrow zipped overhead with a cable attached.
"Stark!" Agent Barton slid down to them. He landed with a lightness and grace she admired. "You're not following protocol. The director is supposed to be here."
"Lighten up, Legolas." He faced Jane. "Feels like we need champagne. Or popcorn." He paused at the whirlwind of emotions most likely playing out on her face. "No, you're right, let's do this."
"Stark, I'm warning you—"
"Power activated," JARVIS interrupted.
The lights dimmed, then flickered. The glowing cube brightened. The humming started up, faint at first but gradually increasing. By the time she looked at them to see if they could hear it, the sound was loud enough to hurt. She covered her ears and did her best to wait it out.
Tony tapped her on the shoulder. Apparently, he'd been trying to ask her something. Unable to read his lips, she shook her head in confusion just as the lights went out. Not that it mattered.
The cube flared, nearly blinding her. The hum vibrated her bones. It was almost as if it were trying to communicate with her.
The containment unit. It was holding the Tesseract back.
She headed to the contraption but someone grabbed her arm. She glanced back to find Tony looking at her like she'd lost her mind. He tugged her away from the cube despite her objections. She tried to work her arm out of his hold, but he tightened his grip and pulled her toward him.
The blue light intensified.
A quanta field radiated out from the cube, dislodging him from her. She stood in shock as the two men were flung backwards. They got to their feet and stared at her, their forms distorted from the shimmering field region.
Turning around, she gazed into the heart of the Tesseract and saw what she had to do.
After finding the lever on the side of the containment unit, she pressed down and released the cube from the band holding it in place. Instead of it falling to the floor, it hovered, shedding its shape and transforming into a ball of pure energy.
Her feet carried her closer to it. It was calling her. It wanted her... She needed to... She reached out to touch it.
Her body seized and her hair stood on end. Raw power flooded her cells. Infinite knowledge coursed through her veins. Universes exploded in and out of existence. It was frightening. Beautifully frightening.
Images of a harsh, frozen world and blue humanoid creatures with red eyes filled her mind before slipping out of her grasp as the Tesseract's touch receded. Its light dimmed.
As she gained consciousness, she found herself lying on a couch in the living room with Tony and Barton, yet she could not move or speak. Part of her panicked, while the other part marveled at somehow seeing with closed eyes.
A hole in the space-time continuum opened and Loki walked out to stand next to her supine form. His presence shined brightly, a kaleidoscope of colors, constantly shifting. As he drilled Tony with questions concerning her, wispy feelers flowed from the God of Mischief to wash over and through her. The magic felt familiar, as if he'd done this very thing before.
Thor charged in through the door and rushed to her side. His light was pure and steady, a stark contrast to his brother's.
"What has happened?" Thor asked.
"I'm not sure," Tony said from where he stood near her feet as if he were nervous to get too close. "She just passed out." The lie would've been convincing if not for the slight tremor in his voice.
She shucked off the Tesseract's hold and bolted upright. The attention shifted from him to herself immediately.
Thor bent over and reached to take her hand, practically shoving Loki aside. The God of Mischief leaned away, his face hard and his jaw ticking.
"Are you well, Lady Jane?"
All the information, all the knowledge the artifact had shown her quickly faded. She tensed and tried to recall what she had learned, but it escaped her frantic struggle to retain it all.
Tony cleared his throat and Jane remembered the role she had to play to keep the Tesseract a secret. She rubbed her forehead and answered, "My blood sugar must have crashed."
"Is it a mortal thing?"
She nodded, hoping Tony would stop staring at her like she had two heads. He was going to give them away.
A glance at Loki's inscrutable expression had her wishing he'd give one clue as to what he was truly thinking. He hadn't looked away from her the entire time. A vague sense of something light and airy touching her caused her to shiver.
She had to do something to throw the brothers off.
Mimicking the starlets of old, she placed a hand to her brow and collapsed back on the couch. Thor swooped in and caught her. He picked her up and she let her other arm fall, dangling to the side.
"Worry not, my Lady."
He looked at the other two men and she let her hooded gaze fall to them as well. Tony seemed to be biting the inside of his cheek while Loki's sigh had the air of disdain. Maybe she was laying it on too thick.
"I'll take her to her chambers for a respite."
She lost her view of them when he spun around and made way to the elevator. The door closed and she didn't know what to do now. Her arm was going numb and as the seconds crept by she felt more and more awkward.
She peeked up at him and found him smiling down at her, like they had just played a joke on everyone.
"You knew I was faking it," she said.
"Aye."
"Why play along then?"
"You clearly sought an escape so I rescued you. Is this not what you wanted?"
He had her there.
Their reflection in the elevator walls made them look like the cover of a romance novel. It made her uncomfortable. She didn't like the way her heart thumped out of rhythm.
"You can put me down now," she said.
"But I am enjoying this."
At her open-mouthed stare, he gave a hearty laugh, then lowered her and kept her steady with a hand against her upper arm. It was big and warm, strong and calloused, and very distracting.
He rubbed enticing circles on her arm as they stepped out of the elevator and walked toward her room. "I need to apologize for my initial intentions toward you."
Freeing herself from him, she tried to brush off the whole situation, but he pushed on.
"You would not be my usual choice in female companionship."
She bit her lip to keep from speaking her thoughts: there were no other free women available, so he had to settle.
He winced as if he'd heard her unspoken words. "Nay, forgive me. I am not one to admit my faults, but it seems I am no good at courtship." He gave her a soft smile.
Because he never had to, she realized. He probably had the pick of the litter.
"You don't seem impressed with my title, nor do you seek to elevate your status."
He took a breath and she found herself doing the same. The simple act had somehow escaped her as she absorbed his words, his tone, and the way his eyebrows exposed his shy honesty. He must have been doing a lot of self-reflection over the course of the week.
"I fear I am at a loss when it comes to you, Jane Foster, the cleverest in this realm. Next to you, I am but a bumbling fool."
She swallowed. "Haven't you heard flattery gets you nowhere?"
"How odd. It is the exact opposite in Asgard."
She cleared her throat as she opened her door. "I'll remember that if I ever need to butter you up."
They stayed just inside the room, facing each other. His expression was one of confused amusement. "An odd practice, but I find that I'm agreeable."
She gawked at him, then laughed freely at the mental image. "It's just an expression."
"How unfortunate." He took her hand in his. "I was looking forward to traditional Midgardian customs."
The contact, as benign as it was, made her heart flutter. "There are plenty of others that don't include ruining perfectly good dairy products."
"I shall enjoy any so long as you accompany me." He leaned closer to her with an intent gaze. His blue eyes held the depth of a clear midday sky.
She licked her lips and his eyes darted to them. Warmth blossomed in her belly and spread through the rest of her like a grass fire. She closed her eyes.
A piercing screech jolted them apart. She covered her ears. He, however, held out his hand, waiting for what had to be his hammer. The weapon would burst through walls and who knows what else to answer his call.
She shouted his name and pointed to the smoke alarm as it continued the deafening sound to tell him there was no danger, but the window exploded inward.
Glass sprayed everywhere. She had to turn and block her face with an arm. Sharp pricks of pain stabbed her, but there were no serious injuries.
Silence descended, though her ears still rang. Thor was out in the hallway, wielding his hammer and looking for an intruder.
When she rushed to stop him, he caught sight of her and nudged her back in the room.
"Stay here until I make sure it is safe."
"It was just the smoke alarm, Thor," she called out, but he was already rounding a corner.
She went back inside the room, rubbing her arm and wincing from the multitude of little cuts there. She grimaced as she pulled out a shard.
"What the hell happened here?" Tony asked from outside the building.
Her heart nearly galloped out of her chest as she stared at him through what was left of the window. He hovered outside in his Iron Man suit with his faceplate up.
She leaned against the dresser, suddenly woozy. "It's nothing. I think Thor thought we were under attack. You might want to call him down."
"The window?"
She pressed a hand against her forehead. "Mjolnir, the hammer."
His voice changed to one of wariness. "Hey, you alright? You know, from earlier?"
Her body felt weak, but at the same time invigorated, like a car that had just been souped up and taken out on a test run. "Yeah, just go get Thor before he tears down your building."
"We'll talk later," he said before taking off.
"Doctor Foster," the AI said, "your new room is ready next door."
"Thank you, JARVIS." She went to the closet and grabbed a bag, then shoved in the new book and her pajamas. She'd come back later for the rest of her belongings. The only thing she wanted right then was to tend to her wounds and go to sleep.
After walking into her new room, she kicked off her shoes and placed the bundle on the dresser, then continued on to the bathroom. She lifted her shirt almost over her head to remove it, but paused.
Something green and dark off to the side had caught her eye.
Lowering her shirt slightly, she peeked out and ended up jerking the cloth down fully. Loki sat smug in the oversized reading chair as if it were a throne.
"Loki, don't be a creep. I thought we agreed you wouldn't show up in my room."
He pinned her with his gaze, always examining her. "I never agreed to such a thing. Besides, I would have said something if anything untoward began."
"Like me taking off my clothes?"
He tilted his head and blinked lazily as if everything were inconsequential. "Underclothes, perhaps."
She huffed, feeling her face warm, then heat more as he laughed at her.
"You are far too easy to tease." He rose, all grace and untold strength, like a panther uncoiling from a nap. "Tell me, what is the commotion about?"
"It's nothing, just a false smoke alar... Wait, how did you know I'd be in this room?" She narrowed her eyes. "It was you. You set off the alarm."
He placed a hand to his chest. "I am appalled you think so poorly of me."
"You saw us." She took a step towards him and pointed a finger. "You saw us about to—"
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"You're jealous of your brother," she said without thinking.
It was absurd, but it all made sense. His taciturn ways, his constant insults of Thor, and just maybe that his older brother always got what he wanted, even if it was a lowly mortal astrophysicist. She had excused away Loki's interruptions by the simple fact that he didn't think she was good enough for the Crown Prince, but maybe that wasn't the whole truth.
With an air of nonchalance, he said, "One should not speak of things they haven't a clue of."
Not stymied, she took another step closer to him. "Why else would you care about a dalliance, other than not wanting Thor to have his way?"
"You know nothing, Jane Foster." Steel had finally crept into his infuriating unconcerned tone.
"Then tell me, oh Wise One, why do you care?"
He crossed the room and grabbed her arms.
She gasped at the sudden sting of the remaining glass digging into her skin.
When he peeled back his hand, a dark look crossed his face and he mumbled something about Thor not being careful. Then he looked at her, not devious or assessing, no judgement or artifice. It was just him. And it was striking.
Jane found herself staring, her cuts completely forgotten. But then he pressed his palm back to the spot and she winced, fully expecting the pain again. Nothing came of it, though.
His forehead creased as if he were struggling with something.
This close, his green eyes were hypnotizing. They flicked back and forth, taking her in with such an intensity, she could barely manage a whisper when she asked again why he cared.
"I should think it obvious."
Obvious?
He leaned forward, slowly closing what little space was between them. His grip on her arms tightened. Shock left her paralyzed and dumbfounded, but her traitorous heart leapt at the prospect of those elegant lips meeting hers.
Something was seriously wrong with her. There was a disconnect between body and brain. It never listened. It hadn't with her ex, Donald, not with Thor, and now Loki. She should not be attracted to brothers and tempted to kiss them both in the span of five minutes. She shouldn't even be in this predicament.
Gathering the strength from the depths of her being, she moved away from him to grab the book he had left for her. "I found this today."
When he said nothing, she glanced at him to find he was back to his arrogant, princely self: his posture rigid and his chin held high.
"Why leave me something I can't read?"
One side of his lips tipped up. He meant it to be sardonic, but that was not what irked her. No, it was that she couldn't stop staring at them, wondering at their softness, their taste. Especially after having had them so close only a moment ago.
"I should think a children's book would not stump the likes of you."
"Is it about the nine realms?"
He nodded. "Would you like me to read it to you?"
Was that an invitation? Or was he teasing her again? She couldn't meet his eyes, not in this state. He noticed too much. She forced herself to look at his nose, but it was also elegant, aristocratic, and she could imagine it grazing up her neck to behind her ear. She huffed. "If you can disguise it, then can't you have it translated it to English?"
He shrugged.
She was more than tempted to throw the book at him, but then a memory popped in her mind and she forgot all about his exasperating ways. After flipping to a page, she turned it to him and asked, "What do you know of this world?"
A flash of surprise crossed his face before disappearing behind his mask. "Jotunheim? It is the frozen wasteland of the Frost Giants. Why?"
She looked away, repeating the name in her head. "Nothing. I think I might have dreamt about it."
His posture stiffened even further. "What did this dream consist of?"
"I don't know," she said instantly because she didn't, not fully.
As if he could detect lies and deceit, he stood silent and watchful. Then his hardened look softened into something devious. A wicked smile played at the corner of his lips and she knew she was in trouble.
The instant he disappeared, she felt him at her back. His close proximity rattled her, reminding her of her latest dream with him. She should have moved away. Instead, she closed her eyes and tried to steady her breath. It was a mistake. His alluring scent filled her, making her heart trip over itself.
He leaned closer. His jacket brushed against her back and his breath tickled her ear. "Try to remember."
A delicious shiver slid over her and she grimaced. His mood swings were worse than a drunken Darcy nearing her cycle. "It was just a dream. Why do you even care?" That seemed to be the question of the day.
Though he said nothing, she could feel the weight of his presence like a firm caress. She needed to be done with this. With him.
She stepped away and turned around, but he was gone.
What had just happened? If she thought she had been exhausted before, then she was sorely mistaken. The whole day had been a roller coaster ride from hell.
She sat on her bed with the open book resting on her knees. The image of Jotunheim stared up at her, teasing the edge of her memory. It felt important, like a warning.
Absentmindedly, she rubbed at her arm while trying to recall something concrete, but was stunned to find no pain there. She twisted her arm to get a better look at it. Nothing. No cuts with bits of glass wedged in her skin and no blood.
He had healed her.
She didn't know what to make of it, of him. Sure, he made her uncomfortable in a bad-good way that made absolutely no sense, but he couldn't have feelings for her, a Midgardian. No, he had to be playing her, or it was just a game. Something to stave off the boredom of being stuck on a planet he despised. There was no other excuse for it.
Author's Note: I've started a parallel series of these dreams we're missing out on. It's called Mischief And Seduction. A couple of the readers asked about the dream at the end of chapter eight and by golly, your wish is my command. It's rated M which is why they can't be official chapters. Don't worry if you're not into smut, the new series won't affect the main storyline. You won't feel like you're missing anything. The first chapter doesn't include actual lemons or I guess even lemonade (if I'm using the term correctly), but it'll build up to hotter and heavier stuff as Natural Selection progresses.
Thank you to my beta, DreamFlight, who still rocks my socks off with her sheer awesomeness. Can you tell that I'm still in awe that she's my beta? I feel like I somehow bamboozled her or maybe I caught her when she was not in her right mind to truly know what she was getting herself into. My sister had no choice. She's stuck with me whether she likes it or not. Muwahaha!
Now it's your turn, dear readers. Thank you for reviewing, following, favoriting, and just plain reading. Yes, I see you're still reading. There's no hiding from me. Muwahaha... *coughes and moves on.* All of you are awesome too!
Up Next: a double POV because the plot is moving forward and we're finally (possibly) one chapter away from the first quarter mark. Dun dun dunnnn...