Chapter 21 - Chaos

•£• Loki •£•

"I believe it is…" The elevator doors slid open before Jarvis could finish. Loki watched as Jane Foster entered the room, followed by Darcy and Ian.

"Thor!" Jane shrieked in delight as soon as she caught sight of him.

"Jane!" Thor burst into a smile.

"Why did you not tell me you were here?" Jane admonished him as she walked towards him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Loki noticed Katirya suddenly stiffen.

"That is NOT Jane Foster!" Katirya hissed.

Loki watched as Katirya crouched down, closing her eyes briefly. She seemed to be centering her energy on something, and if Loki was right, it was on Jane Foster. He was proven correct as Katirya clasped both hands in front of her face and opened her eyes, which had turned to the glittering silver he recognized from her destruction of the eight back in the Vaults. She was going to kill Jane!

"Kiri, NO!" Loki shouted, causing all eyes in the room to focus on Katirya.

Thor's grip on Mjölnir tightened, preparing to defend Jane if he needed to. "Kiri, do not do this."

Katirya ignored them and focused intently on Jane. Seeing disaster looming, Loki realized he needed to make an instant decision. Thor or Kiri? Who was right?

Katirya straightened up and dashed both fists towards the floor in an explosive gesture, causing a burst of white light to flash across the room directly towards Jane.

With a slight flick of his wrist, Thor released Mjölnir. Loki made his decision as the hammer flew through the air. He leapt to try to incept the hammer, stretching he tried to reach it and felt it glance off his hand before he hit the ground. He watched as Mjölnir continued unhindered on its path, despite his efforts.

The hammer hit Katirya in the belly, lifting her off the ground and throwing her into the window. The glass smashed as she hit it and her trajectory continued until she slammed into the retaining wall of the patio. She crumpled to the ground, blood flowing from the many cuts she received from the breaking glass as she crashed through the window.

Loki rose and moved towards her when he saw a few of the Thirteen head her way. Figuring they could attend to Katirya, he turned to look at Jane to find her lying dead upon the ground as he had expected.

A shriek rose up from Darcy. "You killed her! WHY?" She knelt down next to Jane, crying. Ian hovered over her, trying to comfort her.

Loki stood transfixed by the scene in front of him. Darcy was sobbing hysterically while Thor seemed to be moving in slow motion towards Jane, barely able to comprehend what had happened. Then he watched as Thor rounded on Katirya, rage clearly evident upon his face.

"YOU WITCH!" Thor shouted increasing his pace towards Katirya.

Loki did not need to read any minds to know that his brother intended to kill Katirya!

A slight movement from the body of Jane caught his eye and he watched in sheer amazement as the body shifted from that of Jane to an alien creature. The change started first with the skin, as it reddened then seemed to glisten. The limbs seemed to melt for a moment before forming into tentacles. "Thor! NO! She is right, that is not Jane!" He stepped in Thor's path, only to find himself flung aside as if he were a feather.

"OH… MY… GOD! THOR! What is this… this…?" Darcy had risen, staring at the thing now lying in Jane's place.

Darcy's scream stopped Thor in his tracks, just inches away from Katirya. "What in hell is that?" He whirled back to stare down at Katirya. "What have you done to her?"

Katirya raised her head slightly. "That was not Jane."

"Then where is she?" Thor demanded.

"I do not know, I just knew that was not a human." Blood was dripping down her face from a cut upon her brow. She reached a hand to try to stop the bleeding, only managing to smear it more across her face and into her hair. Her hands and arms were bleeding profusely as well.

"Thor, she is injured," Loki tried to get Thor to settle down by reasoning with him. "And how would she know where Jane is?"

"How do I know you are not lying? That you are simply masking the real Jane to make it look like a creature?" Thor shouted at Katirya, his rage returning. "Where is JANE?"

At that instant, Darcy's cell phone went off. Darcy's eyes widened and she stared at her phone. "It's the ringtone I use for Jane."

All eyes turned to look at Darcy as she answered the phone.

"Hello?" Darcy spoke hesitantly into the phone. Suddenly she yelled in joy and hit the speaker button so others in the room could hear the conversation. "JANE! Where the hell are you?"

"What do you mean where am I?" Jane's voice came through distinctly. "I am waiting in Central Park for you, with Erik. You called me and told me that Thor was here, and to meet you. So I did, but you are not here. That's why I am calling you. To make sure you…"

"Thank god, you're alive! And Thor IS here, he is standing across the room…" Darcy cut Jane off.

Thor ran and grabbed the phone out of Darcy's hand. "Jane! You're alive?"

"Thor?" Jane sounded confused. "Where are you? And of course I am alive. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I am at Tony Stark's, and… it is difficult to explain. Just come over here."

"Then why did Darcy tell me to meet her here in Central Park? She said you were here."

"We were in Central Park, but came here. Heimdall sent us there for some reason, but…"

"Don't go anywhere," Jane stopped him. "I'm coming right over there…. Erik! Hail a taxi!"

The phone disconnected and Thor stared at it in his hand, relief evident in his face.

Loki looked at his brother, glad that Katirya had been right; a sound behind him caused him to shift his attention back to Katirya. Five of the Thirteen were now surrounding her.

Katirya suddenly spoke in a low, threatening voice. "Mythean, you do not understand."

"Oh, I understand well enough. It should have been mine!" Mythean yelled. "I should be King!"

Loki saw the man reach towards the tiara containing the Cronuth Stone. Katirya held her blood-covered arms up in front of her defensively.

"It was never yours. You had the chance but could not control it."

"Once I have it, I will make you AND it do my bidding!" Mythean replied, pulling a dagger out and raising it.

"Even if you possess it, you cannot control it, you fool!" Katirya tried to move away by scrambling along the floor. She found her path blocked by another of the physical Thirteen. "Traitors!"

Mythean brought the dagger down swiftly.

"NO!" Loki and Thor shouted simultaneously.

Mythean had raised his hands above his head, clutching the tiara with the Cronuth Stone triumphantly, and a whoop of joy coming from him. Suddenly he collapsed, his body dissipating into the air. A pile of clothing was all that remained. The tiara clattered to the floor and rolled away.

Thor reached down and retrieved the tiara.

Loki saw Katirya move slightly, a burst of light flashed and the remaining five of the Thirteen collapsed and joined Mythean. With a heavy sigh, she collapsed into unconsciousness. He raced to her fallen form, noting the puddle of blood she now lay in, Mythean's dagger buried in her body.