Chapter 10: Stop This Sickness Taking Over
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Shorter chapter, but any longer would require at least 5k words...and I think I found a decent stopping point. Sorry for the delay. I rewrote this chapter multiple times to get it right. Read this chapter! It's crucial to the future of this story and for Jane's birth! I hope you enjoy! Also, there are a few extra characters from Agents of SHIELD. They are three of the bigger stars, so it will be easy to refresh who they are if you need to!
Thanks for reading!
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"I cannot stop this sickness taking over. It takes control and drags me into nowhere.
I need your help, I can't fight this forever. I know you're watching, I can feel you out there."
― Starset's "My Demons"
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Jane's twenty-seventh year
The house nearly fell apart by simply gazing over it. Jane's features scrunched as she stepped onto the raggedy porch and carefully stepped cautiously on the rotted wooden planks. She swallowed. "It's been abandoned for a while," she stated.
Fandral followed her closely behind. She glanced at him, and she saw his disgusted features, "This is the paradise from which you hail?"
The princess shrugged, "I guess so, Fandral."
Jane closed her eyes and remembered that knocking was the custom on earth with which to announce yourself on someone's property. She knocked three times, loud enough for anyone within to answer.
No answer came, though.
Jane gripped the doorknob and readied herself to bust through the threshold, but a hand fell on her armored shoulder, "Allow me the privilege, princess."
A small smirk twisted Jane's mouth. She moved away from the door and relaxed a bit. She held out her hand as she stepped away, "Be my guest, Fandral."
The cavalier offered her an appropriate devilish grin and a head nod as he replaced her position and used his shoulder to bust the door open. He gracefully caught himself from tripping within the dwelling.
The Asgardian curled his lip and raised his nose, "Oh, dear. These poor souls...to live in such squander."
Jane smiled and patted his cheek, "Not everyone is as privileged as you, Fandral."
The walls were littered with dust. Windows were broken along the first entry room. Furniture was covered in rotted coverings and trash. Exposed holes on the floor had Jane watch her every step.
She swallowed, "Strange."
"What?" Fandral responded in kind as he continued to stalk about the small entry room.
The Asgardian princess shifted and turned as she continued her examination of the establishment, "I don't remember this place that well. It's strange how little it's changed, and also it's strange how I can't seem to remember much, either."
He curiously took the effort to lift a lazy brow, "That is strange."
Jane shifted between the rooms until she went to the last unexplored room on the floor of the two story home. The door was closed, so she slowly curled her hand over the knob and eased the door open.
A foul stench purged the last bit of the dusty atmosphere. The odor was so intense, Jane had to step away and hold her hand over her nose. Even her eyes stung. There was only one thing this could be linked to, Jane mused.
A dead body must be near.
The property was situated far from any major city and small town. The residence had been the only oasis in the surrounding wasteland. "Fandral!" she called out. She was unsure if she could do this on her own. "Fandral! Cover your nose, but come here quick!"
Loud steps guided him closer to the bedroom she stood out of. "Oh, gracious! What in Helheim is that smell?" he hollered as he turned away from her a bit to readjust to the area.
"A dead body, most likely."
Fandral swallowed nauseously and nodded. He twisted his brows slightly with dread, "I, of course, will survey the scene in your stead."
As he slowly moved toward the door, Jane caught him by his shoulder. Her other hand was still over her mouth, "Go keep watch outside. By the degree of this stench, the body will have been here for a while. Regardless, I don't want to risk our safety."
He swallowed. He wasn't like the other two members of the Warriors Three. He always defied her wishes. He mostly saw her as a pesky child from two decades before. However, he nodded without fuss. She raised a brow and nodded her head once.
He moved down the hall and turned before going out of sight, "I thank you for your benevolence."
"It has to be me. No matter what inside, this is what I've wanted for so long."
"Be quick. I dislike this place. It's quite hotter than the town I visited when Thor was banished," he complained. He lowered his hand from his face and offered her a smile, "You will make a fine queen, my lady."
She paused and nodded once more. "Thank you, Fandral," she responded quietly. "Even if I'm not the queen you wanted to serve," Jane added.
He paused, appearing to consider his words carefully, "Sif is better suited for such a destiny..." He held her gaze, "However, you possess the will of a mother now. You have become much stronger than I thought you capable, Lady Jane."
It wasn't totally a compliment. She knew he didn't favor her. Jane would never be Sif.
Jane lowered her gaze and faced the door, "I'll be out shortly. Take watch."
He left.
And she deeply breathed. Nerves collided with a dim, glowing fear. She swallowed and opened the door fully. The image she witnessed was one she'd not forget.
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"It's the same activity we saw when Thor first appeared, Selvig!" a spunky dark-haired young adult spewed for the fourth time in two minutes.
Their flight had landed the previous night, and her mentor had seemed distracted since then. Granted, he was now a complete whack job. That was important for anyone to know. The astrophysicist had become a reclusive genius since his mind had been taken over by Loki.
Darcy held the papers of their research, "The bridge patterns reflect identical information! Look!"
Erik turned to his right and lamely smiled, "Darcy I appreciate your unusual enthusiasm, but I doubt you fully understand how to correctly interpret such information."
Darcy scoffed, "This is no longer an elective! I'm your partner, old man! Do you have any idea how many hours I've spent studying up on this shit while you were admitted to the cuckoo's nest?"
He smiled lazily, "And I appreciate that greatly, child."
She rolled her eyes, "I haven't been a child in a while, old man."
Erik considered her words and sighed. He raised a brow as he replied, "I haven't been an old man in a while, child."
"Oh, my God! You're totally missing my point! I may not be a shiny astrophysicist, but I know how to read," she retorted passionately. Quickly, she added, "I'm not entirely useless."
Erik drove the car quickly down the dusty dirt desert road without much care to pay attention to where he was driving. This place was not New York. A fire hydrant wouldn't jump out at you randomly.
Darcy placed her fingers at her temple, "You have got to hear me out, Erik. While you've been away, I had to deal with the fame of being associated to the man who nearly destroyed the world."
The man's smile faded somewhat, but he nodded, "Darcy, we have been through many things together. I didn't think you'd actually enjoy your internship with me those years ago in Puente Antiguo. I am happy you have changed your interests to the stars..."
She sighed, "But?"
He sent her a pointed expression, "I wish you would allow me to move past my involvement in the attack on New York." He looked away, appearing ashamed, "I'm not proud of that at all...nor am I proud of my involvement with the Tesseract. It was always too dangerous for humans to control."
Darcy groaned, "Where exactly are we going? We were supposed to have turned left a mile ago."
She saw him grip the steering wheel, "I have personal matters to settle before I resume my life as a wormhole tracker."
"Is it the girl in the photo you keep in your wallet?" she quietly asked.
He only nodded. When she didn't think he'd verbally reply, she nearly spoke again, but he beat her to it, "The photo has vanished, though."
"Did you leave it back at the hospital?" she speculated.
He shook his head slowly. "It was missing from my belongings before I was admitted. The culprit is either SHIELD or Thor's damned brother," he hypothesized.
Darcy's brows came closely together, "Why would an alien want a picture of a child?"
"More importantly, why would SHIELD want the photo of a child?" he asked without regard of hearing an answer. He quickly continued, "I'll tell you why! They know where she is! I've been following SHIELD lately. Ever since the organization fell, the lines of communication have opened a bit for small pieces of hacking information."
Darcy raised a brow, "You don't know how to hack anything."
He sighed, "I have a contact from within who shared with me disturbing news of the child's whereabouts and her parents."
Darcy allowed a brief pause to settle over the moment, "Who is the girl?"
Erik relaxed a bit and glanced over the road before answering, "She is the daughter of my very best friend, Max Cahill."
"He was your old partner in your research, right?"
"Correct," he replied quickly. He shifted around a bush and continued, "His daughter was kidnapped two years before he passed away of cancer. She would have only been a few months old...perhaps about four months?"
"Who would want to kidnap a baby that young?" Darcy questioned...more rhetorically than anything.
He only shrugged, "People often do things many do not understand. Perhaps a family desired children, but were infertile."
Darcy picked up on a peculiar tone in his voice, "You clearly don't think that's the case."
"You're very bright, Darcy. You're correct. I know they were after this specific child. I just don't know the reason," he admitted.
The woman swallowed, "That's so heavy. And so awful for your friend's family..."
"The address we're going to is the last lead I have from my contact. He has stated many times about exhausting all other possibilities. This is my only chance to find that child. I have to. I made Max a promise," he rambled.
"Maybe we'll at least find a clue?" Darcy offered hopefully.
Erik peered at her through the edge of his eye and smiled, "We will."
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Phil Coulson hadn't been back to New Mexico in a while. With the current state of SHIELD, even this trip was impossible. Skye accompanied him on this trip. She was still shaken from the way things turned out with Hydra and Grant Ward. She was more reserved, quiet.
He didn't like it a all.
The carrier Melinda piloted sat in the sweeping and endless landscapes of the surrounding desert. The three of them were searching for the missing link of the whereabouts of Loki's scepter.
SHIELD was in a terrible state. He could try to restore it with the assistance of otherworldly artifacts. Only the three of them were cognizant of this desperate attempt to bring back balance to the exposed, wounded agency.
"We need to find the house first. Then we search for answers," he instructed.
Melinda moved to him and Skye followed suit quickly. Melinda appeared calm and in control as she spoke, "Sir, we need to devise a strategy if this is an ambush."
"It's just a house, May," he started. "Relax," he suggested obtusely.
Skye held the handheld tablet and swallowed, "Sir, I count two bodies in the house."
Phil raised a brow, "How can you know that?"
She shrugged, "I hacked into a satellite in this area of orbit and am using its sensing capabilities to scan for thermals now."
He shrugged. "I don't know why I'm still surprised by you..." he uttered carefully.
In the whole world, he trusted Skye the most. They'd developed an endearing, profound, and deep connection similar to a father and a daughter. He feared he'd lose her when it was realized that Grant was Hydra all along. She'd remained by his side without question.
"Sir? What do you think we should do?" May asked quickly.
Phil lowered his shades, smirking somewhat, "We go in, of course."
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The group arrived by the glitter of the bifrost. New York had been fruitless. Selvig had fled to an unknown location. And without more information, Thor found it impossible to offer his aid and seek guidance from the wise man again.
Thor sighed, but was caught unawares by the dark skinned man before him.
"Thor, Jane and Fandral still remain on Midgard," Heimdall informed the crowned prince.
The large, burly man frowned, "She was meant to arrive before us."
"Thor, we must go at once," Sif offered.
Calder stepped forth, "Allow me to offer my sword, my prince."
Thor swallowed and nodded. The three of them went back to earth...to New Mexico.
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Breviary-Rose