I am back! The play was awesome, we all did fantastic… Even though my friend Jarett and I caught the flu and my friend Ashlee now has a neck brace (I had a very interesting show weekend). But hey, I'm back! Also, hope you guys (who celebrate it) had a happy thanksgiving and a safe Black Friday.
Also, I bring cameos of the Asgardian kind. If any of you remember the trailer fic I published once upon a time, you know which one I'm talking about. Wink, wink.
Plus, loving the reviews guys! They literally make my day. On the topic of reviews, I got a couple of guest reviews and someone I'd like to respond to since I didn't realize they had their PM option turned off. Anyway,
Silmaril666: Sorry it took me this long to respond! I usually do it after I upload a new chapter and therefore didn't know beforehand that you had your PM option turned off. I've gotten the whole 'I waited until after the Age of Ultron' thing before so I can understand why you waited. I'm glad that you like the story direction I'm taking. Again, sorry I didn't reply sooner and thanks for the review.
Jane Malfoy24: I love Jane/Thor too! Like, Top 5 Marvel ships, they're in it. What's the ship name though? Thanks for the review!
Cocoa4Christmas: I'm glad that you like the fanfic and I'm happy you can relate to Darcy. I honestly thought her doing that whole "No, no nope" thing would just be funny, I didn't perceive it as relatable until after I wrote it. Wanda was both looking out for her friend but also (reluctantly) following orders, and Bucky was just being a confused bean at the moment so… I thought it'd be kind of cute and funny, too. I'm glad that you like the story, thanks for the review, and I hope this was fast enough.
Guest: I'm glad that you like the story. And I figured you guys would like Darcy's reaction to Loki. And here's the next chapter!
Gallifreya: I'm happy that you liked the chapter and I hope this was quick enough of an update for you.
Ok, so I have a question to ask you guys at the end of this chapter, so just keep that in mind.
Disclaimer: Hang on, let me check *looks at birth certificate* Darn. Unfortunately, I am not Stan Lee or Walt Disney… so I own nothing but OC's! Also, Comic-related Easter Eggs for those who can spot them. BONUS: Jack's Lament belongs to Tim Burton.
.::. .::. .::.
The older figure sat in his chair, facing the back wall as the younger one paced back and forth anxiously, a displeased scowl on their face. Finally, the younger figure stopped and whirled on the older figure.
"She's alive."
"I've notice." The older figure deadpanned.
"'The serum will work' you said. 'It has a fifty-seven percent accuracy rate' you said!" The younger figure sneered at the elder. "I should have known better than to trust the likes of you."
The older figure stood suddenly and narrowed his eyes at his young cohort. "I'd watch what you say if I were you."
"You said that Mr. Barnes would be unstoppable!" The younger shouted, frustration clear in their voice before they exhaled. "You said that it would be an easy job."
The older figure frowned, "We didn't exactly take in the fact that there were two Gods out there."
"She's still alive! She's supposed to be dead, Darcy Lewis is supposed to be dead!" The younger figure gestured wildly with their arms. "She's supposed to be a martyr, someone the Avengers will fight for. She's supposed to be dead so HYDRA can take the fall for us!"
"You know as well as I do that HYDRA, while plentiful in numbers, have not yet had a chance to recuperate after the beating they took in Sokovia." The older figure sighed heavily. "There's no way they could've been responsible for that attack, even if it was a set-up."
"Now what're we going do to? Phase 2 still has one more stage to go through, which we can't exactly complete now!"
"The plan will continue on schedule. Phase 2 will complete itself in time, and then we can finally move onto Phase 3."
The younger figure raised a brow, their mouth twisted in doubt. "While it would be a pleasure to complete Phase 2 after nearly three years, how do you expect to do that?"
"Mr. Barnes was captured, and thanks to my ingenious serum—" The younger figured snorted at this "—he remembers nothing about us injecting him with the serum, who we are and whom we're affiliated with, and more importantly where we are." The older figure smirked dangerously at his cohort. "They will not believe his story due to lack of details and since his last known affiliation was HYDRA, guess who will take the fall?"
The younger figure shifted uncertainly from one foot to another, "Alright, you have a point," they admitted begrudgingly, "but we still have a few 'details' to take care of."
"Such as?"
"True, everyone will think HYDRA was responsible for the attack, but how will we move on with Phase 2 when the Avengers won't be focused on something else?"
"Simple. We hide in plain sight."
"Come again?"
"Hide in plain sight. Since the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D are growing, they need more than one weapons benefactor."
"You? You applied to be one of the Avenger's new weapons' benefactor?"
"Well, my company applied."
"That is the dumbest idea I have ever heard, which is saying a lot. Considering I've worked with you for nearly seven years."
"Ignoring that for the moment… If we get the job, we'll be able to work on Phase 3 and the Avengers won't notice. Why? We'll be hiding in plain sight. Not to mention, with access to their computers, we'll complete our work much more quickly."
"HYDRA did that already. They lost,"
"HYDRA became too big for even themselves to handle. We're just two people… well, three people."
"Three people?"
"I'm calling in someone. We won't be able to do everything by ourselves. We cannot stray too far for too long of a time, we'll need help."
"Who do you have in mind?" The older figure pulled a manila folder out of his coat and handed it to his comrade. Glancing through it quickly, the younger figure scoffed. "Him? That pathetic mistake, he's who your bringing in?"
"Considering your relationship to Young Hix, I'd watch what you say."
"That son of a bitch is a pimple on society's ass who has never accomplished anything in his life! There's got to be someone better,"
"Oh no doubt that there is, but Young Hix is the one that they won't suspect. Not to mention, he's willing to do it. Almost desperate to do it, actually."
The younger figured frowned, not liking the idea of having to tolerate working with Young Hix so closely, but having no choice but to tolerate it. For now, anyway.
"There's still one thing that bugs me though,"
"Which would be…?"
The younger figure pursed their lips, glancing at the notes on the older figure's desk. "We need to have Project C-01 finished before the end of summer. Madame Sarkissian is a very demanding woman."
"We will finish it in time. The Pym Particle is a mere science project, while Project C-01 is the next advancement in War Armory."
"What about the other God? Um, Loki, I think is his name?"
The older figure guffawed bitterly. "Him? He will be of no hindrance to us. The Avengers know who he is and are not going to give him any more than an inch in any one direction. He won't be an issue."
The older figure turned on heel and left his office. Pulling out a tablet, the younger figure typed in a simple passcode. Once in, the younger figured opened file footage of the Winter Soldier attacking Darcy Lewis in the alley, only to be stopped by the Undead God of Mischief, Loki. The younger figure's face twisted into something between a frown and a snarl. "'Won't be an issue'… Like hell."
The younger figure knew that they'd have to come up with a plan to make sure they didn't have another 'Godly' intervention. But what? Glancing at the footage of Loki saving Darcy Lewis, the younger figure hummed thoughtfully.
Perhaps Darcy Lewis had more value in her than a would-be-martyr…
.::. .::. .::.
Jane and Ian tried to focus on the news, but they kept glancing at the clock. Three-seventeen PM. Jane flexed her fingers before tapping them nervously against her bottle of Pepsi. "How long have they been in the meeting?"
"Two hours," Ian informed her.
"They're going to be ok, right? I mean, they didn't do anything horrible."
"Yeah, Darcy just convinced Wanda to sneak into a secure prison holding two of the most dangerous men any of us have ever known."
"Well, you can't blame Darcy for being curious." Jane told the boy. "You have to admit that 'National Guard' story sounded fishy from the get-go."
"Yeah, I suppose… Still, it's their own fault."
"We could've come clean from the start, we all could've." Jane's eyes widened in sudden realization. "Oh geez, she's going to be so pissed at the Avengers. After that whole Ultron mess, none of them like the others keeping secrets."
Ian patted Jane's shoulder reassuringly. "It's Darcy, she can't stay mad at them forever."
Jane raised a brow, "You've been dating her for how long exactly?"
The front door was thrown open with a loud 'bang' and Darcy stormed in, looking tired and downright furious, with Steve, Natasha, and Rhodey trailing after her.
"Darcy, just listen to us for a second!" Steve begged.
"No!"
"What choice did we have? You know what Loki did!" Natasha pointed out
"I'm not listening!"
"We wanted to tell you, but we also wanted to keep you safe!" Rhodey said.
"Still pissed!" Darcy fixed the three with a glare before slamming her bedroom window shut. The three heroes deflated slightly before Natasha knocked lightly on her friend's bedroom door. "Darcy, honey, we're sorry. Can we talk?"
The only response the assassin got was the sound of a door locking. Natasha sighed and motioned for the boys to head out to the living room. "Let's give her some space to calm down," she whispered.
"So… How'd it go?" Ian asked.
"Nick, Phil, and Maria were… less than pleased with how Darcy and Wanda conducted themselves yesterday." Steve winced slightly. "They're on two weeks probation…"
"Where is Wanda, anyway?" Jane asked, a bit concerned for her new friend.
Rhodey sighed "After the meeting, we all kind of led them to the training room to try and talk things out. Darcy blew up and Wanda more or less sided with her."
"Things were said and Wanda just left. Sam and Vizh followed her but we haven't heard back from them and, well, you saw how things went with Darcy." Natasha frowned apologetically at Jane as the scientist slouched in her seat slightly.
"Ok… Ian, Erik, and I will try to talk to the girls when they're ready, but you have to admit they have a point." Jane fixed the three Avengers with a hard stare. "Yeah, Loki did some pretty bad things but Thor told you what he did for us on Svartalfheim, right?"
"Yes," Steve said begrudgingly, like a child admitting they were wrong about something.
"He could've left me to die but he didn't. Look, I'm not saying he's a good guy, far from it actually, but there might be some sliver of something akin to goodness buried somewhere deep, deep, deep inside that twisted head of his."
"That still doesn't explain why he saved Darcy from… You-know-who…" Rhodey trailed off, nervously glancing at Steve.
The Super-Soldier rolled his eyes, a bit aggravated. "You can say his name, it doesn't bother me."
Natasha laid a comforting hand on Steve's shoulder and turned to face Jane and Ian. "Nonetheless, we have a situation on our hands. Loki's here and he saved Darcy. God knows why he did it, but he did. Not to mention Thor or Asgard or anyone hasn't shown up to collect him. So, what do we do?"
"We have made strides with our very own Einstein-Rosen Bridge," Ian interjected, "but unless we get a major power source we will be unable to get a quick message to Asgard and we'll have to resort to Plan B."
"What's Plan B?" Steve asked
"One of us stands on top of the last known Bifrost sight and we shout up to Heimdall and hope he hears us." Jane informed him.
Natasha bit her lip in thought for a second before smiling awkwardly at Jane, "Maybe Tony has a strong enough power source?"
"We could give him a call." Ian suggested.
"And we can help in any way we can," Rhodey offered, gesturing to himself, Steve, and Natasha.
"Ok, let's head down to my lab." Jane shrugged.
"I'll call Tony, see if he's got anything." Steve said, pulling out the iPhone the Iron Man had given him a few years ago.
As she gathered up a few notebooks, Jane glanced at the hallway heading toward Darcy's (and now technically Ian's) bedroom. The woman frowned before heading down the hallway, gesturing to Ian and Rhodey to wait a moment. Once outside the locked door, Jane knocked lightly, "Darcy, sweetie, it's just me. Um, we're going to go try to contact Asgard, want to come and help?"
Jane pressed her ear lightly to the door. 'But who here would ever understand, that the Pumpkin King with the skeleton grin, would tire of his crown, if they only understood. He'd give it all up if he only could…' The scientist cringed. Apparently, she underestimated how hurt Darcy was by the actions of herself, Ian, and the other Avengers. The girl only listened to The Nightmare Before Christmas album when she was really upset with something or someone.
Knowing now that she wouldn't get any response from Darcy for a while longer, Jane sighed. "Ian and I ordered pizza for lunch, there's leftovers in the fridge. Ham and mushrooms with extra cheese, your favorite…"
'Oh, there's an empty place in my bones that calls out for something unknown. The fame and praise come year after year, does nothing for these empty tears…' Danny Elfman's voice, though muffled by the door, was all Jane had received in response.
Though saddened by her friend's behavior, and admittedly a bit disappointed by it as well, Jane slowly followed after Ian and the three Avengers, knowing Darcy would come out when she was ready to talk or when her hunger became too great to ignore.
Whichever came first, Jane supposed.
.::. .::. .::.
Loki sat crossed-legged in his cell, hands folded atop his knees and an irritated scowl on his face.
Pathetic, he screamed at himself, weak, sentimental-fool.
For, truly, what else was he? A Pathetic, weak, sentimental-fool. Why else would he have done what he did?
Loki knew he shouldn't have given himself away. He had escaped to Midgard and was hidden from Heimdall's gaze. But, instead, he just had to save that one girl with the bright blue eyes. That one girl with bright, expressive, inquisitive, puzzling, befuddling blue eyes.
Giving up on any thoughts of attempting meditation, Loki slowly rose to his feet and paced the area of his cell. Though much of an improvement to the last cell he had been in, the God of Lies knew, if not for the adamantium barrier along the walls, he might have been able to go somewhere in a means to escape.
Escape the cell, escape S.H.I.E.L.D, escape the Avengers, escape Asgard, and escape the hauntingly bright blue eyes, if not just for a little while.
Pathetic, weak, sentimental-fool, he hissed at himself again.
Yet, here were the facts; Loki had sacrificed his own security and safety to save Darcy Lewis when she was nothing but the dirt underneath his boots and, though he deemed it as one of the biggest mistakes of his long-lived life, seeing Darcy Lewis down here, alive and blue eyes as haunting as ever, eased a sense of worry he did not know was in him until he saw her.
Thinking back to her and the Witch's visit, he frowned. Darcy Lewis's reaction to him was a bit unexpected. True, he had expected her to be surprised, after all, the one who tried to conquer her planet and enslave her race had saved her life. But, after the surprise would eventually ware off, he expected her to get angry, to start screaming at him, to shout that he was a freak, monster, names that her limited, yet surprisingly colorful, vocabulary could muster up.
Instead, she seemed uncaring that he was there. Repeatedly stating negative renouncements as she walked out of the prison, leaving her wary, if not slightly confused, friend behind.
Shaking his head, the God slowed his pacing. If he had discovered one thing about Darcy Lewis during his… observations was that she was an enigma. Trying to understand her, no matter how Loki thought it would be a benefit, would only end in mass confusion for everyone involved.
Glancing through the glass barrier once again, Loki caught a glimpse of the only other man down here. The Winter Soldier, he was called, lounging on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his own cell in deep thought.
An old friend of the Captain's and another man out of time, only the Winter Soldier had a bit of a… rocky trip here. From what he was able to learn of him was some group called HYDRA, a common foe of the Avengers, had corrupted his mind and used him as their personal hitman. Recently, from what Loki understood, he was starting to come back to his former sense of self.
That's one of the few things that nagged at Loki.
If the Winter Soldier was starting to come back to himself, his own personal sense of right and wrong, and had apparently cut all ties of HYDRA then why would he attack Darcy Lewis, an otherwise innocent civilian in the grand scheme of things for HYDRA?
That led to another question, why would anyone attack Darcy Lewis? The most she had ever done was assist in the creation (and later defeat) of Ultron and assisted in the Vision's birth, only to be reduced to the Avenger's Assistant. What would a powerful, if not ever changing, group such as HYDRA gain from her death?
Loki, being the God of Tricks and Mischief and Lies, knew when there was something menacing afoot. The fact that there were too many questions and not enough answers was just proof that there was something bigger at play here, what it was exactly was (currently) unknown to the God.
Sighing, Loki resigned himself to the bed he was given. Between the underlying plot that someone was slowly unfolding and the enigma known as Darcy Lewis, he found himself a bit exhausted.
.::. .::. .::.
Wanda sat in the library at HQ, scientists and interns of all kinds were pacing around, looking for tomes that would assist them in their experiments. She, on the other hand, was stretched out on a comfy couch in the center, Ayn Rand's Anthem in hand.
"Hey," The Witch glanced up from her book and offered Darcy a small smile. It had been a few hours since there meeting with Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, and Maria Hill had taken place. Neither felt like talking to any of the other Avengers quite yet.
"Hey to you too," Darcy shifted Wanda's legs so she could sit down next to her on the couch. "I saw Jane and Steve come in here early looking for some science-y looking books. You weren't there so I'm taking it the talk went well after I left?"
"I'd rather not talk about it just yet," Darcy cringed, "They meant well, I get that, but I still feel lied too. How're you liking the book?" Darcy nodded toward the novella in Wanda's hands, desperate for a change of topic."
"It's ok, I guess. A bit confusing, though."
"Yeah, the whole 'No-singular-pronouns' thing is a bit confusing at first, but once you get past it you'll be fine. It's actually one of my favorite books."
"The idea of society just willingly giving up their individuality is just crazy. There's no way we would ever do that, right?"
"That is what's so great about books," Darcy sent the Witch a wry smile, "most of the time, they're fiction."
"Either way, I haven't been able to get past chapter three." Wanda set the book down.
"Too confusing?"
"Too much on my mind. You know I wanted to tell you, right?" Darcy's brow furrowed in annoyance before she exhaled.
"I know, Wans. And you've apologized, like, hundreds of times this morning so…" Both girls leaned back, relishing in the quite of the library and the light form the setting sun streaming in through the back windows. "I get why you guys lied to me, it's just… After Ultron, well... We already had too many secrets between all of us."
"I get that, we all did. But, what else could we do?" Wanda glanced at Darcy. "They all wanted to tell you too, they're just better at following orders."
Darcy chuckled a bit. "Preaching to the choir here, sister."
Both girls laugh a bit at that. After a few moments of silence, Wanda's brow furrowed in thought. "Why do you think he did it?"
"Who did wat now?"
"Why do you think Loki saved you?"
"He didn't save me."
Wanda blinked, confused. "Uh… what?"
"Loki didn't save me."
"Ok… Did Bucky hit your head harder than we thought or something because…?"
"What'd you mean?"
"Darcy, while I get that your mind isn't always the most… sensible of things—"
"Hey!"
"—but I think you're confusing yourself… You know that whole 'National Guardsmen' story was fake, right?"
"Yeah, I know it was fake." Darcy nodded, awkwardly avoiding Wanda's eyes. "It's just, Loki didn't save me."
Wanda stared at Darcy, concerned. "Ok, I think I better take you to the infirmary. You must've hit your head on something."
Before Darcy could protest, Wanda had grabbed ahold of her friend's arm (and tucked Anthem under her free arm) and proceeded to drag her out of the library. Darcy tried to pry her arm free, but the Witch held fast.
They got to the hallway between the cafeteria and the main entrance before Darcy was able to pry her arm free, stating "I do not need medical help!" in a louder voice than necessary, but considering the only one present besides the two girls was a bored lookin security guard, Darcy didn't pay too much attention.
"What'd you mean you don't need medical help?"
"Loki didn't save me because that's not the kind of thing he does!"
Wanda frowned in confusion, "Wh-What'd you mean 'it's not the kind of thing he does'?"
"You know who he is Wans, you've seen the footage and read the files." Darcy sighed and made her way over to the windows near the main entrance. "He's Big-Bad Loki of Asgard… Younger, moodier, and broodier brother of Thor. The guy who sends Flaming-Robots-of-Death to small towns and tries to take over Earth with weird alien armies and stabs his brother in the back almost on a daily basis…"
Joining her friend by the windows, Wanda pursed her lips in thought. "Was that last bit figurative or literal?"
"Shit if I know anymore, Salem. What I do know is that someone like Loki wouldn't waste a single "godly breath" on some lowly assistant. Especially if that assistant just so happened to work for the group of heroes who kicked his ass three years back."
"Look, Darcy, I get where you're coming from… but you know what happened that day. For Christ' sakes, that's the reason we went down to the prison yesterday!" Darcy chuckled.
"You didn't have to come…"
"You can be very persuasive when you want to be, you know that right?" Both girls smiled a bit at that. "Nonetheless, you know what happened that day and… and actively denying it won't help anything."
There was a pause as both girls took in the forest surrounding HQ in the twilight, finally Darcy spoke up. "I know what happened that day, but I also know what Loki would typically do… I'm just not sure which one I believe yet, does that make sense?"
Wanda shook her head sympathetically, "Not really. But then again, we don't make much sense either, do we?"
Darcy smiled thankfully at her friend and pulled her into a sort-of one armed hug, which Wanda returned. The two friends were simply content to watch the twilight shift into night, until Wanda noticed something odd in the sky.
"Is there a tornado warning for tonight?" Following her friend's apprehensive gaze, Darcy smirked.
"You weren't there when Thor left, were you?"
"I was in the building but…" Darcy held up a hand.
"Trust me, you'll love this."
The two girls focused their attention back outside just as the odd-shaped cloud came to a sort of peak. Before their eyes, a bright beam of rainbow colored lights shot down from the sky onto the ground. It only lasted for a couple seconds, but Darcy could tell Wanda was amazed.
"'Holy shit' right?" Darcy laughed.
"No kidding…" Wanda smiled, still in awe over what she just witnessed. "Does this mean Thor's back?"
"I dunno," Darcy shrugged, eyeing the figure in the distance, "one thing's for sure, Earth must be a nice rest stop for Asgardians."
.::. .::. .::.
Bucky glanced at the ceiling of his cell. He hated being locked up here, he always awoke thinking HYDRA would be there waiting for him, but knew that there wasn't really much he could do to argue his way out of here. There was one thought that eased his nerves, if not only slightly.
She believes me, he thought, Darcy's believes me.
He smiled at the memory of their impromptu visit to his cell the other day. Though it ended on an odd note, Bucky still found reason to smile at it.
He thought about Wanda, who technically believed him but that was only because Darcy convinced her that he could be trusted.
Darcy, he smiled again. She believed him. She was the first to believe him. The one who he unwillingly and unconsciously attacked with intent to kill, she had seen past him and believed him.
Bucky thought about how she seemed brave enough to come down here, how brave she was for talking to him, how blue her eyes were and how curious they seemed as they bore into his own eyes and soul in their search for answers, he thought about how sweet she was when she said calling her and her friend 'dames' was sweet.
Darcy was a right, stand-up dame. She had guts and Bucky admired that.
She believes me, she believes me. At least one person here believe me… Bucky thought to himself again as the memory of bright blue eyes danced across his memory. If nothing else, I have Darcy's belief in me…
The sound of someone—well, more than one—entering the prison brought Bucky out of his revere. Sitting up on his bed, the former soviet-assassin spotted four or five heavily armed, and pretty big, guards move in a uniform pace past his cell. Remembering that there was only one other person in the prison besides him, Bucky's eyes widened significantly. That guy can't be that dangerous… can he? Did HYDRA say anything about him? Bucky remembered waking up briefly and their being talk of an alien invasion just about everywhere he went. Who led the supposed invasion, what happened to them, and how did specifically was information kept from him at the time.
After leaving HYDRA and before his apparent recapture, he had learned a bit about what happened, but not much. Wonder if that's the guy who did it…
Bucky heard a lighter pair of footsteps following behind the guards. Turning to see who it was, Bucky frowned in confusion.
The person was a female with long, dark hair in a high ponytail. She was wearing a red tunic with silver armor plating laced across the front, there was a silver clothed skirt at the end and below that were skin tight black pants partially covered up by black leather boots. The woman glanced at him accidentally, the two stared at each other for a second before the woman nodded in acknowledgement and proceeded after the guards.
Remembering the way the other man in the prison dressed, and taking into account the fact that not only was this woman wearing armor, but carrying a shiny shield and sword made Bucky wonder if there was some sort of Renaissance Fair nearby.
.::. .::. .::.
"…which allowed our very own miniature-Bifrost to function, even if it was only for a second. So, what I'm thinking is that if maybe we collaborate with Tony and Stark Industries personally we can—Darcy, Wanda, are you two even listening me?"
The sudden sharpness of Jane's tone made Wanda jump and nearly drop the notebook she was scribbling ideas for the Neurological Recognizer in. "Yes, yes! I am… listening to every word you say." Even the witch would admit that sounded unconvincing.
"What did I just say then?"
"…Um… Something about space?"
Ian and Erik Selvig chuckled from a few tables down. Wanda sent them a glare and the two men wisely shut up. Jane let out a long-suffering sigh and turned in Darcy's general direction. "Darcy, do you have anything to say at all?" After a moment of relative silence, Jane's brows furrowed. "Darcy? Darcy?"
A light snore rang through the room, making Wanda and Erik laugh fondly and Ian roll his eyes. Wanda turned to the astrophysicist, "You have to admit, that was a pretty obvious outcome?"
Jane ignored the Avenger, picking up a large tome she and Steve checked out of the library a few days ago and marching purposefully over to her sleeping friend. Once she was behind her, Jane shouted "Darcy!" and slammed the book down on the desk next to her friend. In response, Darcy jolted awake and shouted back "What do you people have against me sleeping?" whilst sleepily glaring at the other people in the lab.
Wanda turned to the men in the lab, smirking knowingly. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say this isn't the first time's she's done it."
"Nope!" Ian laughed
"Far from it, actually…" Erik told her.
Darcy and Wanda, still not on decent speaking terms with the Avengers, had went to training, but they left as soon they possibly could. Preferring, in the past two days, to spend their time working on the Neurological Recognizer or helping Jane with Earth's very own Bifrost.
Speaking of Bifrost, Odin and Thor had sent someone down from the Golden Palace in the sky to pick up Loki. Darcy, not being able to see who it was the other night, had asked Maria who it was, but a part of their "probation" was that certain information was withheld from them, unless it was cleared by someone. Darcy being the Avenger's assistant and Wanda being an Avenger herself, the probation made things interesting.
"Ok, I have no idea how long I've been asleep," Darcy yawned, "but I'm guessing Jane was blabbering on about the Rainbow Bridge-3000 and you," she pointed at Wanda, "have made some progress with the Neuro-thingy McRecognizer…?"
Wanda stared at her friend incredulously, "How the hell have you managed to keep this job?"
"My butt-load of charm and spark-tacular personality…" Darcy replied sardonically.
"Well, you're right about Jane and the Bifrost-whatever-it's-called," Jane narrowed her eyes in frustration at the two young girls, but ignored the comment, "but as for the 'Neuro-thingy McRecognizer'," Darcy playfully stuck her tongue out at Wanda while Ian chuckled, "I've made a little progress, anyway…"
"Define 'a little'." Erik asked.
Wanda held up her notebook, which contained recently drawn pictures of random anime-esque animals, hearts, and a cute little drawing of BMO from Adventure Time. "Why is science so hard?"
"It varies for different people, I hear." Coulson teased lightly from his spot in the doorway.
"Hey Coulson," Darcy smiled, "what brings ya here?"
"We had a visitor a few days ago. I'm sure you've heard?"
"We know it was Asgard. Who exactly from Asgard, well, some of us were left out of the loop." Darcy ignored Wanda's warning look.
Coulson sent Darcy a small glare, but a new voice spoke up before he could say anything. "You cannot blame the girl from being curious, Son of Coul. I have heard it is her prerogative,"
"No way, Sif!" The young brunette smiled at the sight of the Asgardian Goddess.
"It is very good to see you again, Lady Darcy. It has been far too long," Darcy stuck out her hand, expecting Sif to shake it, but apparently there one meeting four years ago made Sif count Darcy as a close companion. So, to Darcy's surprise, Sif pulled her into a quick hug. Doing the same with Erik and Jane (though Darcy noticed both women seemed a bit tense during their hugs).
Sif nodded politely at Ian. "You must be Ian Boothby. Thor has spoken much of your great interning skills."
"I'm not an intern anymore…" Ian grumbled childishly, Darcy smiled and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush.
Wanda stepped forward and held her hand out to Sif, "I'm Wanda Maximoff."
Sif shook her hand, Wanda winced at how strong she was. "Ah yes, the Scarlet Witch. Thor has spoken highly of you. A great friend and ally to have in battle."
Wanda smiled bashfully, "Well, I was on his side for one fight so…"
"Nonetheless, you have proven yourself."
Coulson cleared his throat, reminding everyone of his presence. "Getting to the point, Sif and I are here to deliver some important news. Sif, you wanna go ahead or…?"
The Warrior Goddess nodded to Coulson before stepping forward. "Have any of you heard of the Infinity Stones?"
"Considering one our closest friends has one implanted in his head, I'd say so, yeah." Ian said. Darcy nudged him slightly, sending him a look that told him to be polite.
"Once returning home, Thor immediately began in quest for knowledge of the Infinity Stones. Pouring over many a books in the Asgardian library—"
"I would pay anything to see Thor read a book on purpose," Darcy whispered to Wanda.
"Likewise," The witch replied
"—to see if there was anything to be found. He and Heimdall have spent the past few weeks searching the entire Nine Realms for answers and they have found… some of them."
"Some of them?" Jane echoed questioningly.
"The two have discovered that out of six Infinity Stones, four have been previously found and used in many ways. The Tesseract and Aether were only two. After assuring the known four's locations were safe ones, Thor and Heimdall began to search for the remaining two and they have reason to believe that the last two Infinity Stones are here on Earth. Thor requests that S.H.I.E.L.D personally begin the hunt for the remaining Infinity Stones." Sif said.
"What makes Thor think they're here on Earth?" Ian asked.
"Heimdall, though he cannot see where the stones lie for sure, knows that they are on Midgard, er, Earth." Sif corrected herself.
"Ok…" Darcy uncrossed her legs and closed her eyes, trying to jog her memory of one of her last conversations with Thor. "Let me see if I got this right… So far, the ones we know about are the… Mind Gem, the Space Gem, the… Reality Gem, and the Power Gem right?"
"That is correct." Sif nodded.
"Ok, wait," Selvig interrupted, "I remember the Space, Mind, and Reality Gems pretty well, but what about the Power Gem?"
"We have knowledge that it rests safely in the hands of the Nova Corps, a peaceful people at the center of the Nova Empire." Sif explained.
"Can I just get like a tour of space one day? Is that too much to ask?" Darcy asked, only half-joking. Jane rolled her eyes at her friend and Sif only smirked.
"Wait," Wanda spoke up. "Darcy mentioned four, what're the other two?"
"The Time and Soul Gems." Sif told her.
"Time and Soul…?" Wanda mumbled
"They contain just as much power, if not possibly more, than the previously known Infinity Stones." Sif told them.
"Ok. I get that the Infinity Stones are crazy powerful and can do a lot of damage if they fall into the wrong hands," Jane piped up, remembering when she had an Infinity Stone inside of her, "but why is it so important for all Infinity Stones to be found? Wouldn't no one on Earth knowing be a good thing? Less people knowing, less chance of some crazy maniac trying to blow up the planet, I mean."
"Your idea is not completely false, Dr. Jane Foster, but I'm afraid we all face a more serious threat." Sif answered.
"Such as…?" Erik prompted.
Sif sighed heavily, her face becoming deathly serious. "We have reason to believe someone is planning to collect all the Infinity Stones and use them for his own purposes."
"Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us. Once all these pieces are in position…"
"Triple Yahtzee?"
"More like 'Checkmate'."
The memory of her last conversation with Thor as he was leaving ran through Darcy's mind, and she suddenly grew scared. She had witnessed firsthand what a single Infinity Stone was capable of. But six of them, all together at once and in the hands of some universal baddie? Darcy fought to keep her breathing normal as she turned to Sif, "Who is trying to collect all the Infinity Stones?"
"Thor has yet to learn his true name, but learned he goes by the nickname The Mad Titan…" The six humans stared at the Asgardian warrior, unsure of what to say. Finally, Darcy let out a low whistle. "Well, as if our lives couldn't get more hectic and fucked up then they already were."
Despite the tension, Wanda laughed.
Deciding now was the perfect time to switch topics, Sif cleared her throat. "Now, before I go any further, Lady Darcy, do you know why Loki saved you from the Winter Soldier?"
"He didn't save me."
Both Sif and Coulson seemed surprised and confused by Darcy's answer. Wanda rolled her eyes before replying "I opened that can of worms two days ago and I'm still getting flack about it. If I were you, I'd just nod your heads and let it slide."
"Denial?" Coulson questioned.
"Fake it til ya make it, Coulson." Darcy replied.
"Anyway, the All-Father and Thor have taken into considerations Loki's past crimes and what he has been spending the past two years on in order to duel out an effective punishment."
"I say eight-hundred years in some deep, underground mind and then another eight hundred in solitude." Darcy chipped in.
"He saved your life," Ian remarked.
"I have plausible deniability!"
"Do you even know what plausible means?" Erik asked.
"If you don't mind my asking, what was Loki doing for the past two years?" Jane asked.
"He was masquerading as Odin and ruling in his place while the true All-Father had fallen into the deepest Odin-sleep any of us had ever heard of." Sif replied.
"Two years in a coma?" Wanda asked, incredulous. "No offense to you or Asgard Sif, but being in a coma for two years and having your wayward son impersonate you sounds like the plot of a bad soap-opera."
"Like Game of Thrones, only not as entertaining and with less incest." Darcy smirked at her little joke.
"I am afraid I don't understand that reference." Sif told them. "Still, Odin and Thor have taken this and Loki's past crimes into consideration for dealing out his punishment."
"What was the verdict?" Erik asked
"He was found guilty of all crimes but…" Sif frowned nervously
"'But' what?" Ian asked
"I, begrudgingly, admitted under oath to Odin that Loki's action as King of Asgard were not tyrannical but instead fairly wise and somewhat… decent."
Sif just, sort of, complimented Loki. Darcy quickly glanced outside to see if pigs were flying, satisfied that they were not, she tuned back into the conversation.
"What about Lorelei?" Coulson asked. "You and I both know what she is capable of. Wouldn't it have been easier to kill her?"
"Yes and no, Son of Coul. Lorelei is a liar and trickster, but she and her sister, Amora, have a strong bond. If we were to kill Lorelei, we would all have faced Amora's wrath."
"So, all I'm hearing from this is that Loki somewhat-kinda "redeemed" himself and now has less Asgardian-prison time going for him."
Sif cringed and stared at Darcy sympathetically, "Actually, Thor was able to convince the All-Father on a slightly less-severe punishment."
"Oh, I don't like where this is going…" Erik groaned slightly.
"It has been decided that Loki will be banished here to Midga—I mean, Earth, until he has proven himself truly "redeemed" in the eyes of Asgard."
"S.H.I. and the others Avengers have heard the terms and, although… "hesitant" at first, seem to agree with the plan."
"I didn't agree to anything." Wanda reminded everyone sternly.
"What exactly are the "terms" of Loki's banishment?" Jane asked warily.
"Loki will be banished here to Earth. While the All-Father cannot remove his powers entirely he can and has weakened them. Loki can only use his magic if someone gives him permission too and he will be in service to the Avengers in any way they see fit. He will be, I am told, housed in a cell the Iron Man has constructed, watched twenty four hours a day."
"And if he breaks the rules of his little banishment?" Erik asks nervously.
"Permanent removal of his powers, stripped of his place on Asgard, and permanent banishment to Jötunheim."
Jane let out a low whistle. "You guys sure don't kid around when it comes to punishments."
"Verily," Sif agreed.
"Ok. So Loki's grounded to Earth for the foreseeable future and Wanda and the other Avengers will have to deal with him when the next baddie rolls into town. What's this have to do with the rest of us?"
Sif frowned again, though Darcy noticed it was more a mix of sympathy and slight regret than the last few frowns. "Well, after hearing what Loki has done for you, Lady Darcy—"
"He didn't do jack-shit for me!"
"Let it go, Darcy!" Jane informed her friend
"—Thor has personally requested that you be Loki's chaperone… of sorts…"
All the air in Darcy's lungs seemed to fly out of her body as she stared at the Asgardian Goddess in shock as Jane, Erik, Wanda, and Ian protested venomously.
"It has already been decided." Coulson told everyone firmly, holding his hands up in an attempt to silence them.
"Shouldn't we have had a say in this?" Jane asked.
"Or at least Darcy and I?" Wanda echoed.
"You can't be serious about this Coulson! Loki is criminally insane!" Erik protested
"She'll be in danger, she's helpless and defenseless against him if he tries something!" Ian added.
Darcy stood up suddenly, knocking her chair over in the process, silencing everyone. "First off; Ian, I have Electabuzz with me at all times. If my taser could knock-out the God of freaking Thunder, than I'm pretty sure my EMG and I can handle Loki." Darcy sent her boyfriend an icy glare. While he didn't look fully supportive of the idea, he wisely kept his mouth shut. "Second; Coulson, while I understand me and Wanda were on probation, don't you think a heads-up would've been the respectful thing to do in this situation?" Sighing slightly, Coulson nodded. "And finally; Sif, I know you and Thor and everyone else on Asgard has their reasons for doing what you do, don't you think someone with a little bit more training or something would be better for this job like Thor or the entire US Army?"
"Thor requested you personally. I trust his judgement, I always have." Sif told the young girl earnestly. Wanda raised a brow at the emotion in the Goddess' comment but said nothing.
Darcy glanced between Coulson and Sif and just about everyone in the room before making wild gestures with her hands and squeaking uncertainly.
"What about her schedule? Not only is she the Avenger's assistant—" Erik asked
"Babysitter," Darcy corrected automatically and without thought
"—she also assists Jane and me with the Bifrost project and now she and Wanda work on the Neurological Recognizer!"
Sif hummed, impressed with what Darcy was doing nowadays, as Coulson stepped up. "Everything has been worked out. Darcy will start on Monday,"
Noticing Darcy's uncertain expression, Sif quickly added "Only if she feels comfortable enough to accept this position." She then quietly added "Do not feel pressured into taking this position if you are not comfortable with it."
Darcy frowned and shook her head uncertainly, "I just don't know man…"
After a moment of thought, Wanda slowly raised her hand. "What if she had some help?"
Coulson eyed her questioningly. "You, Miss Maximoff?"
"Uh, yes. Why not?" Wanda shrugged. "I could help Jane and Erik when Darcy is too busy, she and I are already splitting up work on the Neurological Recognizer, and I used to help out at the Sokovian Orphanage whenever I could so I think that makes me qualified to be the Avengers Assistant. Also, if she really needs it, I could always help her with Loki as well…"
"And you'd be willing to do this?" Coulson asked.
Wanda nodded and smiled at Darcy. "Anything for a friend."
Darcy smiled in return, turning to Coulson purposefully. "I'll do it if Wanda can help me whenever I need her to."
Coulson thought about it for a moment before inhaling. "Alright, I'll make arrangements."
Darcy smiled. "Thanks Boss-man!"
"Well," Coulson smiled tightly, "I'm glad everything worked itself out. I'll go see about getting Miss Maximoff's schedule moved around. Sif, would you like an escort?"
"Before I go, Thor asked me to deliver a message to Dr. Jane Foster." Sif approached the scientist, Wanda and Darcy noticed her mouth drawn in a tight line as she did so, but made no comment on it. "Thor asked me to tell you that he thinks of you constantly and that once he has finished his work on Asgard, he wishes for nothing more than for you to come to Asgard with him."
Jane listened politely to the message Sif delivered, but once she was finished, Jane looked down and shook her head sadly. Darcy noticed many emotions flickering across Jane's eyes but couldn't decipher them in time before Jane glanced back up at Sif, smiling tightly.
"Well, you can tell Thor that I told him to take his time. I know his work means a lot to him…" Jane turned and walked back to the computer she had been working at before Coulson and Sif showed up. Leaving a slightly bewildered Sif and five shocked/surprise humans staring at her as if she had just grown a second head.
Of all the things they expected Jane to say in regard sto a message form Thor; that was not what any of them expected.
"Uh, actually, I was wondering if I could ask her a few questions about the Bifrost." Erik looked at the Goddess, who smiled and nodded, remembering Coulson's earlier offer of an escort.
"Of course, ask anything."
"Walk and talk with me. So, I understand that a similar energy found in the Tesseract was used too…" After the two had left, Coulson nodded at the four remaining people one last time before heading out himself.
Turning and shutting down the computer she had been working at, Jane quickly gathered up her things. "Well, I am going to go have a word with Steve and the others. The least they could've done was run this idea by us…"
"I'll come with you." Ian chimed in. Quickly giving Darcy a chaste peck on the cheeks, he grabbed his coat and followed after Jane. "I'll see you for dinner tonight, love!" he called back to Darcy.
The two friends stood silently in the now empty lab for a few minutes in silence before Wanda turned to Darcy and said "I think that Sif girl has a crush on Thor,"
Darcy snorted, "I could've told you that. What'd you do to find out, read her head?"
"Unintentionally, yes. I think Asgardians thoughts are the only thoughts louder than yours." Wanda teased.
"Ha, ha. Very funny. Ready to go?" Darcy asked, slinging her back over her shoulder.
"Mhmm," Wanda gathered up the notebook she had been scribbling in and the pencil she was using. As they were walking out of the lab, Wanda commented "So, chaperoning the God of Lies and Mischief… That sounds fun, kind of, right?"
Darcy turned to her friend and gave her a hard look. She knew Wanda was only trying to lighten the mood, but it still didn't make reality any more appealing. "Why didn't you talk me out of going down to the prison that day, or tried to drag me out of there before I could find out he was down there?"
In response to that question, Wanda angrily flicked Darcy's forehead and muttered something that Darcy assumed was a Sokovian swear-word.
Good thing Steve wasn't around to hear it…
.::. .::. .::.
And there was chapter ten. I will try and update again before Christmas. Now that I have more time I hope I can keep that promise. Also, be on the lookout for a one-shot I intend to publish this weekend.
Also, I've been thinking about getting a Tumblr account but I am still uncertain. It would be a blog for this story and also my personal blog. If I got a Tumblr like that, would any of you be interested in following me? Just wondering.
Ok, I'm interested to see what you guys think of this chapter, mainly because it was a bit hard for me to write. Reviews are like early Christmas presents to me!