Acts of Treason

Asgard

Asgard, the Shining City, was in peace. Years without significant conflict – other than the usual battles engaged during the Odinsleep – allowed the gods to enjoy life to its fullest without having to worry themselves with battle after battle. Still, that did not mean that they were not vigilant. The guards still held to their posts, the watchmen still watched over the city, and the warriors within were still ready to jump to the defense for their beloved home.

Odin himself had been sitting on his throne a mere thirty minutes ago when he received a report stating that there was an uprising in Jotunheim. The frost giants, led by Ymir – the largest and oldest of the Jotun – were allegedly preparing to invade Asgard and were gathering the necessary forces to do so. Since Thor was busy on Midgard, Odin rose to handle it himself.

Little did he know that this was a ruse. Loki, the true crown prince of the Jotun race, struck a deal with Ymir to lure Odin away from Asgard. It worked. Without its king and most powerful defender, Asgard was defenseless.

They were unaware of their predicament, but would learn soon enough.

Two guards were standing watch outside the front gates leading into Asgard. The massive, eighty foot wall, was constructed of gold and uru. It was indestructible, but was very much capable of falling if struck in the right manner.

"Ho! Brave warriors of Asgard," shouted Loki from atop a hill that stood between Asgard and the Bifrost Bridge. "I have come to pay my respects to Odin." He bowed theatrically.

"Loki," one of the watchmen spat before doing so literally. "Go alert Lady Sif and Brunnhilda. This cowardly traitor has returned."

The other watchman nodded and turned to do exactly that, only to find himself face to face with the God of Mischief. "And of course, I have brought presents," he continued. He laughed evilly and swept his hand toward the hill. "Behold, my tribute to the Allfather."

They looked and beheld hundreds, maybe thousands of the mutated super soldiers from the Hub standing from the peak of the hill down the face. Each one was hoisting a massive boulder in his or her hands. With a gesture from Loki, they let them fly. They battered relentlessly on the wall. Many were aimed at and struck against the doors leading inside the city.

"Long have I been denied my rightful place," Loki stated bitterly. "And now, I have the power to take it."

Three super-soldiers launched a boulder that was six times the size as the others directly at the door. It struck the center and sent the door crashing to the ground. Loki laughed manically as the super-soldiers stampeded toward the gate.

"Go! Warn Her Highness!" One guard sprinted away without delay, leaving the second one by himself. He took a moment to assess the army rumbling toward him and to estimate his chances. He determined that he had no chance of surviving. "FOR ASGARD!" He sprinted to meet them head on. With his uru warhammer, he managed to easily kill ten with only a few swings before being completely overwhelmed and torn to pieces.

The Trickster watched his mutated army storm through the gates into Asgard and begin to lay siege to the city. "Odin's throne will be mine. Eheheheheh!"

The gods were taken completely by surprise by the super-soldiers. Many of them believed that no one would dare to attack Asgard while Odin was free to defend it. Even without Thor, they were confident. Many of them were unaware that Odin had left half an hour earlier and was thus unable to come to their aid. Still, this did not deter the gods from taking the battle to the super-soldiers.

"For Asgard!" Sif roared as she and the Warriors Three flew into action. Armed with swords and a mace, all constructed of uru, they carved through the giants with ease. For each one they killed, though, five more arrived to take his place. Their numbers were endless.

Alongside the super-soldiers were the supervillains under Doom's command. They had orders to find three specific gods: Heimdall, Tyr, and Balder. The first was necessary to capture so he couldn't guard the Bifrost, allowing Doom's forces to disable the conduit with which the wormhole was opened. Tyr was the god of war – a rather redundant title, as the entire race could be considered war gods – and was the original defender of Asgard before Thor was born. Balder would have been able to rally the gods and lead them to sure victory against Doom's army.

While everyone else was distracted with the super-soldiers, the Masters of Evil were able to capture the three gods. They were placed in chains and kept close watch over by several villains. Balder was in the courtyard just in front of the entrance to the royal palace, while Tyr and Heimdall were dragged inside and placed at opposite ends of the palace. Loki erected an energy barrier in front of the entrance to keep anyone from getting inside.

"'Twill not be long until Thor and his allies arrive," Loki told Amora, Lorelei, and Skurge. "We must complete the necessary preparations before they show themselves and inevitably turn the tides of battle."

"Then let us slay Heimdall and Tyr and be quick about it," Skurge reasoned. "They are too vital to Asgard's defenses to be allowed to draw breath another second longer."

While this made perfect sense, Loki was uncharacteristically hesitant. "Nay. It matters little if Asgard falls this day or not. So long as what needs to be accomplished is accomplished, it matters not who still stands and who falls."

They could all tell that there was something Loki was not telling them. Then again, both he and Doom had been rather short on details ever since this endeavor began. They knew that Doom planned on using an ancient spell discovered by SHIELD to steal the Odinforce, but as far as what he planned on doing after that, it was a mystery. As was what Loki stood to gain from this. Asgard's throne without a doubt, but what else? The throne and a throng of unwilling subjects was not enough to commit the ultimate act of treason.

Amora glared at the ground. She knew better than Skurge and Lorelei that Doom and Loki were not being transparent with their future endeavors. That, plus them committing treason had her feeling regrets over her decision to work with Loki again.

"Are you coming, Amora?"

She looked up from the ground to find Loki standing before a swirling white portal. She could just barely see a speck of scenery on the other side that told her that it was a portal to Niffleheim. A heavy sigh breezed through her lips, allowing her a few more moments to swallow down those regrets. "Aye." She turned to Skurge and held her hand up when he tried to follow. "You are to remain here with Lorelei. Stand guard over Balder and ensure that no one attempts to release him from his bonds."

Skurge hesitated, but eventually acquiesced. "Aye, milady."

"Yo...you fools," Balder spat weakly. He was on his knees, both arms bound with a pair of energy tethers. "You will not taste victory. Not while I still draw breath. Thor will return with his allies of Midgard and put a stop to your wicked scheme. Odin will torture your black souls for an eternity." He screamed in pain when Amora jolted him with a bolt of lightening. "Do with me what you will. 'Twill only mean your undoing."

"Hmph. Why do you believe you are still alive, 'brother'?" Loki inquired bitterly. "How can I rule over Asgard if Asgard is in ashes after Ragnarok? Let Thor come. He will find his efforts rendered ultimately useless once our plan bears fruit."

"You will not succeed," he insisted. Even as Loki and Amora vanished through the portal, he shouted, "You will not succeed!"

"Oh, poor Balder," Lorelei cooed mockingly. "How much it must burn to see your beloved city being burned to ashes."

"This is your city, witch!" Balder snarled. "Odin will have your heads on a pike for this betrayal!"

Skurge barked out a laugh. "Not likely. Odin's life will indeed come to end this day."

"But not mine."

"Hmph. After Doom accomplishes his goal, Ragnarok will be inconsequential," he answered.

"What do you mean?"

Neither one answered him.

"Answer me!'

"What kind of fools do you take us for?" Lorelei inquired with a raised eyebrow. "Divulge our plan to you so you can relay it to Thor when he inevitably shows himself at the last moment to play hero once again? Ha! Pitiful fool. You will remain ignorant."

Balder's shoulders slumped as much as the angle at which his hands were bound would allow.

Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun fought against hundreds of super-soldiers at the feet of a ruined statue of Bor, father of Odin. In the distance, dozens of Valkyries – led by Brunnhilda – were carving their way through the flanking forces belonging to Doom. "Do not yield an inch, sisters!" she bellowed. Dragonfang was drenched from tip to hilt in scarlet red blood. Gods, please send Thor and the Avengers to aid us in this time of peril!

Sif's shield had been destroyed early on in the battle, so she had to resort to both defend and attack with two swords. Not out of her capabilities, but not what she was accustomed to with her extensive training. For a long while, this tactic actually worked to her favor. With an additional blade, she was able to kill twice as many super-soldiers as she would have normally.

This advantage came to an abrupt end when she caught a massive fist to the arm that would have normally been carry her shield. Her swords pinwheeled out of her grip and landed on the ground with twin clangs. She herself was sent flying into the arms of a second super-soldier, who tightened his grip around her like a vice, crushing her dense body and driving the air out of her lungs. She gritted her teeth to keep from screaming, as doing such would have sacrificed what little air she had left.

"Sif!" Fandral and the other Warriors Three tried to cut through the mass of mutated humanity to save their shield-sister in peril, but there was too much congestion to put much force into their attacks. It was not long before they themselves were overwhelmed and swarmed at all sides.

All throughout the Shining City, the Asgardians were being pushed back and defeated. Warriors fell one after another after fighting with everything they had. Doom's forces weren't more powerful, but the numbers were just too much to overcome.

It appeared that all hope was lost.

However, unseen by everyone, was a white blur that was streaking and winding through the throngs of volatile humanity en route to the Bifrost Bridge – Hermod, son of Odin and his trusted messenger. While his fighting capabilities were inferior to most Asgardians, his speed proved vital in many battles. In this one, his speed was a matter of life-or-death. The message he was carrying to his brother of Midgard was the difference between Asgard standing to see another day and falling for the final time.