Chapter 21
All was quiet and calm in the familiar warehouse in London. Nothing but the sound of leaves blowing in the wind. It was well after dark, at least four hours after midnight. There wasn't any activity anywhere, until suddenly, out of nowhere, the sky above changed and distorted in the shape of a hurricane's eye. The sky rumbled as a pillar of cosmic energy shot out of it, impacting a large clearing in the middle of the property. Amidst the light, five silhouettes descended. When the pillar receded back into the stars, the clouds returned to normal and everything was still once more.
Two of the five figures, Darcy and Jane, stumbled forward, Jane actually falling to her knees, not used to Bifrost-esque travel. She felt her stomach churning, and cringed in discomfort.
"Not as fun as the first time..." She mumbled, rising up to her feet.
"Says you." Darcy said, smirking.
Rolling his four eyes, Hikesh looked around, and sighed with relief. "We are back."
Sif looked around wearily. "I assume you know where we are?"
"Yeah!" Darcy answered, smiling. "We're in London. This is where you came for us after Jane first found the Aether."
"We have a flat that we can get to in just a few minutes, if our car is here." Jane said, hopefully.
"Excellent." Sif said, smiling. "Once there, we can plan our next strategy. All we have to... Loki? Loki, are you alright?"
Everyone turned towards the god of mischief, whose face had gone deathly pale as he took in his surroundings. At that moment, Loki's brain seamed to click in realization as he realized where he actually was. Midgard. To everyone's surprise, Loki actually flung himself back away from them and ran in no real direction.
"Hey!" Darcy yelled, and immediately jumped at Loki, grabbing at the helm of his robe. Loki let out an ack as he fell forward, landing face first on the pavement. He glared over at Darcy, and immediately tried to wrench himself free.
"Unhand me!" He panted, nearly frantic.
"What in Odin's name is wrong with you?" Sif said, glaring at him. "What ails you this time?"
"I shouldn't be here!" Loki bit back. "For the love of Hela, you should have left me in the dungeons!"
"Are you kidding me?" Darcy said incredulously. "You'd prefer being locked up than free?"
"In case you've forgotten, dear Darcy, I am not exactly welcome here." Loki growled.
"Yeah?" Darcy said, smirking. "Is there any place you actually are welcome?"
Loki opened his mouth to retort, but then shut it closed, growling at the mortal's successful remark. Hikesh stepped forward, glaring.
"If you think we are going to let you run free in spite of your recent contributions, you are wrong. You are coming with us so we may ensure you do not slip away."
Loki glared at the Prothean, but said nothing. Darcy spoke up. "Come on, Lok. Don't look so down. Think of this as a vacation of sorts."
"Do not joke about this!" Loki snapped. "You should have left me on Svartalfheim. With the Convergence, there may be a way for me to-"
"We cannot go back through the Convergence." Sif said, glaring at Loki. "If the Prothean machine was correct, then we do not have much time. Malekith could get here at any time, and we need to work together to stop him. That includes you, Loki."
Loki growled, but nonetheless resigned to his fate. With everything cleared up, the party walked out of the courtyard and into the parking lot where, to Jane's relief, the car was parked. However, on closer inspection, they saw that it had been thoroughly vandalized with graffiti. The hubcaps had been stolen, the windows shattered, and the radio had been ripped right out of the dashboard.
"This is our transport?" Sif said, lifting an eyebrow. "It's not in as good condition as the black beasts your S.H.I.E.L.D. uses."
"Aw, what the hell?" Darcy wined, looking over at the car. "That was a rental, dammit! Fury owes me big for this."
"You can complain to Fury later." Jane said. "Give me the car keys."
Darcy froze, and Hikesh sighed, shaking his head. Jane frowned at them. "What?"
Darcy gave a sheepish smile. "Well, uh... You see I-"
"She threw them into one of the portals." Hikesh finished, crossing his arms.
"You-What?! Darcy how could-"
"Hey, in my defense, you wouldn't give me your shoe!" Darcy said in an attempt to defend her actions.
"Darcy..." Jane growled, looking ready to kill her intern.
Darcy immediately put her hands up. "Hey, relax, alright? I'll just hotwire it."
Jane blinked. "You know how to do that?"
"Of course." Darcy said, shrugging. She opened the front seat, knelt down in spite of her armor, and opened up a compartment under the steering wheel. Jane watched in amazement as Darcy expertly rearranged the wires, sparking them together.
"I can't believe you know how to do this."
"Sometimes I had to rewire my mom's car when she was running errands." Darcy explained. "It was the only vehicle we had, and we could barely afford gas. It was a miracle that she got me into Culver."
"What about your dad?" Jane asked quizzically.
Darcy paused, and frowned. "Never had one. Don't even know what his name was."
"Oh..." Jane said, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "Sorry."
"It's fine. Everyone has father issues." Darcy said, casting a glance over to a certain prince of lies. Loki blushed, and he looked away, refusing to make eye contact with her.
A few moments later, the hum of a car engine was heard as Darcy gave a triumphant laugh, and immediately crammed into the drivers seat, which was difficult despite her armor. "Alright! Everybody get in!"
Jane got into the passenger's seat, while Hikesh opened the backdoor. Against Loki's protests, Hikesh grabbed the prince's shoulder and shoved him into the backseat. Hikesh squeezed into the car with some effort, crushing Loki against the door. Sif got in last, the hilt of her sword hitting Hikesh's head. When Sif managed to close the door, Hikes was so squeezed in that his feet went over the seat, close to Darcy and Jane's faces.
"Everybody comfortable?" Darcy asked.
"NO!" Loki.
"No..." Sif.
"Not really." Hikesh.
"Awesome!" Darcy said, smiling. "Hold on, let me readjust my seat..."
"ACK!" Loki yelled as Darcy's seat lurched back and crushed him further backward. He was evidently uncomfortable, barely able to move surrounded by Hikesh, Darcy's seat, and the door. He growled. She has to be doing this on purpose...
"Okay, away we go!"
The drive to the flat was short, but clearly uncomfortable for the passengers. Hikesh complained to Sif about her sword poking him in soft places, while Loki was just a pain in the ass the whole way. It didn't get any better when Darcy started singing...
Eventually, the group neared the flat, Jane and Darcy sighing with relief at the sight of the tall brick building. However, something parked in the lot caught their attention.
"Is that a S.H.I.E.L.D. van?" Jane wondered aloud.
"It is." Hikesh said.
"Must've sent someone..." Darcy guessed.
"All the more reason for me to stay here." Loki remarked.
From up front, Jane turned back to the group. "Okay, guys. I have no idea who Fury could've sent, but I'm sure they'll be surprised to see Sif and Loki walk in. So brace yourselves for whatever is up there."
"Of course." Sif said, nodding. "It is not in my interest to cause tumult."
"I appreciate the warning, my dear, but I'd rather just stay here and die from the fumes of this off-put realm." Loki drawled.
"Sorry, not an option." Darcy said, and almost instantly, she was out of the driver's seat and outside Loki's door. She swung it open, and Loki yelled as he was pulled out of the van and swung over Darcy's shoulder like a ragdoll.
Almost instantly, Loki began shouting various curses at Darcy, not all of them in english. "Put me down, damn you! I am a prince! I will not be manhandled by some mortal."
"This mortal kicked your ass twice in the past." Darcy remarked, walking into the building and up the stairs. "Keep dreaming."
Jane, Sif, and Hikesh followed closely behind, barely containing their laughter at the sight. Jane leaned over to Sif, whispering, "I wish I'd brought my camera."
When they reached the door, Loki was frantically trying to escape Darcy's hold. "Darcy, wait! You can't walk in there carrying me like this! It would be humiliating!"
"All the more reason for me to do it." Darcy said, smirking.
"Alright, Darce, put him down." Jane said, actually beginning to feel sorry for the mischief maker. She bent down, picking a key out from under the mat. "I think he's been embarrassed enough today-Is that music?"
The group paused and listened, and sure enough, there was rock music emanating from inside the flat. Jane immediately thrust the key into the keyhole and unlocked the door, opening it. The group all halted in the doorway and saw various people whom they did not recognize were all in the apartment.
Two young women and one young curly haired auburn man were at the TV playing with Darcy's Wii, rocking out on Rock Band 3, and have a good time doing it. At the table in the dining room, an Asian woman was playing cards with a dark haired man who, in Darcy and Jane's opinion, looked quite handsome. The curly haired man gave a triumphant smirk as he laid down his cards, and his opponent frowned as he put his down as well.
"What the-?" Jane said.
"Awesome!" Darcy yelled, tossing Loki aside. The prince of lies screamed as he was hurled violently to the side, crashing right into a bookshelf. Darcy quickly hung Mjolnir on a nearby rack mounted on the wall, and ran over, grabbing a microphone and singing alongside the others. The three seemed momentarily surprised by her appearance, but shook it off as they kept singing.
"Any way, you want it, that's the way you need it, any way you want it!" The young man sang in a high-pitched, Scottish accent.
Jane gaped as she entered the apartment, seeing that it was quite a mess. There was an empty pizza box on the table, and the kitchen counter was covered in dirty dishes. Hikesh and Sif followed suite, Sif glancing at the rack and, mimicking Darcy's earlier actions, hung her sword and shield neatly.
"Hey!" Jane tried to yell over the noise to no avail. She fumed. "HEY!"
Still no response. Gritting her teeth, Jane stomped over to a nearby outlet, and ripped the plug right out of it. The TV shut off, and the music was silenced.
Darcy gave Jane a look that read 'oh no you didn't.' "Hey! Not cool Jane."
"What the hell is going on here?!" Jane yelled. "What are you people doing in my flat?!"
The Asian woman sitting at the table sat up, wide-eyed. "Hikesh."
Darcy, Jane, and Sif all blinked at the woman and turned to Hikesh, who nodded at the woman. "Agent May."
"You know these people?" Sif asked.
"They are with S.H.I.E.L.D." Hikesh affirmed. "Agent May, if you are here, then where is-?"
"Hey, what's with all the yelling?" A familiar spoke up irritably. "The doc and I are trying to-XEGH!"
"Sola-Agh!" Hikesh nearly fell over as Soladat Wrekk engulfed him in a hug that would reduce a human spine to dust. She nuzzled her cheek into his chest.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" She said, looking up at him. "I was worried something bad happened."
"I assure you I am fine." Hikesh said, giving a warm smile.
"Agent Wrekk?" Darcy said, blinking at her friend and fellow Avenger.
Soladat turned around, giving Darcy a smile. "Hey, Darcy. Nice to see you again. Still wondering around with with Asgardians I see?"
Darcy smiled at her old teammate. "Passes the time."
Soladat laughed as she gave Darcy a friendly hug. "I'm sure."
A hand landed on Soladat's shoulder, and she turned around to see Sif, who was giving a jolly smile at Soladat. "It is good to see you again, my friend! I have not seen you since we defeated the Chitauri in New York!"
"Sif?" Soladat said, surprised. Then she smiled "Damn, it's like a reunion! All we need is the Hulk, then its a party!"
"No way." Jane said, frowning. "I've seen enough smashing for one day."
"So, aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?" Darcy said, glancing at the other agents.
"Of course!" Soladat said ecstatically. "These are my teammates. Agents Grant Ward, Melinda May, Jemma Simmons, and Leo Fitz. And this is Skye."
One of the girls that was with Soladat gave a wave. She gave Thordis and Sif smiles that emphasized a fangirl background. "Hey! I'm a... I'm not exactly an agent, but I help! Great to meet you!"
"Sup!" Darcy said cheerily in response.
"It's an honor to meet you all." Sif said, smiling. "Any friends of the Archangel are friends of mine."
"Charmed, I'm sure." Loki said, having pulled himself up from the ground and making himself known. "Agent Wrekk. Glad to see you're still working under Fury's win-"
Almost instantly, Soladat sprang away from Loki and swiped a large M16 assault rifle off of the kitchen table, and unloaded its contents on the mischief god. All the girls screamed as everyone jumped for cover, and Loki stumbled back as he was riddled with bullets.
Suddenly, the gunshots ceased as a dark aura surrounded Soladat and wrenched the gun out of her hands. Soladat blinked as she watched her gun float away from her and into Hikesh's hands. He frowned at her.
"Relax, Soladat." He said. "He is with us."
"With you?" Soladat said, incredulously. "Don't you know who that is?! That's Loki! The same Loki who tried to conquer Earth with an alien army!"
When Soladat said that, the other members of her team got defensive. Skye, Fitz, and Simmons all backed away in slight fear, while Ward and May drew their guns.
"Why is he here?" May said, her voice filled with an edge that made Darcy flinch. She hadn't heard such coldness since Romanoff.
"Yeah, and also, why is Jane wearing that dress?" Soladat said, quirking an eyebrow at the Asgardian apparel that Jane was wearing. "And since when is your aura red, Xegh? Shit, what have you guys been doing all day?"
"Shouldn't we be asking you?" Hikesh said. "What are you all doing here?"
"We picked up the readings left by the Bifrost." Ward explained. "Soladat saw that it was necessary for us to come and investigate."
"When we got here, you guys were gone!" Soladat said. "You scared the hell out of me, Xegh. We searched the whole place, and didn't get anywhere until we saw Dr. Selvig on the news. We got him hoping that he would know where you are but-"
"Erik?" Jane said, wide-eyed. "He's here?! Is he alright? Where is he?"
"Relax, he's fine." Soladat said, pointing a thumb back to one of the backrooms. "He's in the back, messing with all that equipment you've been using. We only just started using it. That signal Nick sent you guys out here to figure out? It just stopped on its own. Everything around the world's running normal again. Well, mostly."
"Mostly?" Darcy said. "What do you mean by that?"
"The doc can probably explain it better." Soladat said. "But I gotta warn you guys, he's a little..."
"Jane? Darcy? Is that you? I thought I heard..." Everyone turned to see Erik exiting the backroom. Darcy and Jane both blinked when they saw him. He was wearing a blue sweater and high-socks, but wasn't wearing pants, revealing his underwear. He had a horrified look on his face, and it was then that everyone realized he was looking at Loki.
Loki, smiling, gave Erik a nod. "Doctor."
Erik immediately ran back to the room, slamming the door. Everyone heard the lock click.
Hikesh sighed. "Once Dr. Selvig has regained his composure and you've all stopped pointing your weapons at our... guest, I'd be happy to explain what is going on."
Don't you just love reunions? I know I do.
So the groups have come together. Next time, they'll work together to take down a powerful enemy. Hopefully they'll all be able to overcome it. I hope I got Erik's reaction on seeing Loki right. I liked writing the humor in this chapter. Gives me laughs :)
I appreciate the positive response I've been getting for this fic :) I understand that it is weird and campy, but I still appreciate the good feedback. Thanks for reading!