Welcome back! Quick note: I considered moving the setting of Kamar-Taj back to Tibet, instead of Nepal as in the movie, but having never been to either of those places, I decided to stick with Kathmandu so I could use memories of the movie for setting descriptions. That said, now that I've researched Kathmandu, I really want to visit! Let me know if you've been there and what it was like.
Call her an ugly American, but Jane had never formed any idea of Nepal, not even a rudimentary one. She only knew that whatever conception she had in her mind was completely at odds with what she found in Kathmandu. Far from a lonely mountain town, it was a sprawling city, where every beautiful, ancient temple was flanked by at least a dozen squat concrete offices or apartment blocks. Despite this multitude of generic buildings, the city didn't feel dull; colored flags flapped in the wind, storefronts were painted in a variety of spiraling designs, and little shrines with curved, gilded roofs peeked out at street corners.
Its enormous population boiled over, foaming into the streets, busily pursuing their own ends. Little market stalls obtruded onto narrow alleyways, heaped over with produce, clothing, stationary, toys, and every other thing imaginable. The air, sharp and chill, was nonetheless warm and comforting with wafting scents of incense and spices. They passed vendors of curries in colors ranging from rust red to pea green and Jane's stomach, still full from the morning's breakfast, growled in sympathy with the delicious smells.
For a few moments—as she and Loki waited at an intersection, waiting for their chance to dodge through traffic—Jane allowed herself to imagine that they were just on vacation together, with leisure enough to explore and enjoy this amazing city. It struck her that they had never had this opportunity; though they'd been to many beautiful places together, it was always in pursuit of some vital quest.
One day, she promised herself. One day, we'll come back.
Trying to push regret and irritation out of her mind in order to focus on their most recent vital quest, she toddled on her tiptoes and shouted into Loki's ear. "Anything yet?"
"No," he replied, frustration apparent in the tight corners of his mouth, "I thought being closer to the sensation would help me locate the Time Stone, but it is well-guarded."
"What should we do?"
"I intend to let the Stone's guardians find us," he said, tucking her under his side as they started across the street, "Anyone responsible for safeguarding such an artifact will be aware of threats to its safety."
"So you're acting like a threat?" she didn't want to argue, she really didn't—time was of the essence after all, nor did she have any idea how to proceed—but she couldn't help feel like there were better ways to go about this.
"Not a threat. Just an unknown magical force," he shook his head, eyes scanning the crowd as they inched their way through it, "If I am right, they will send someone to investigate what, if any, threat we pose. Jane," he went on, "they may attack. If they do, don't try to help. You will be safe only so long as Thanos does not know that you hold the Aether. If we are separated, I want you to run to safety and make your way back to the Avengers. Thor will take care of you."
She dragged him to a stop, the two of them an unsightly rock in the river of traffic. "Like hell I will," she snapped, not caring one bit for the dozens of curious eyes bearing witness to her outburst, "We have been through this together, every step of the way. You've never left me, so I'm not going to leave you. I'll keep the Aether safe, I promise, but don't ask me to run away. Okay?"
Her eyes and throat stung. Everything was happening so quickly, everything was spiraling out of control. The idea that Loki was so afraid that he was willing to let go of her…it hurt more than she expected. Because in his voice, she heard Loki's conviction about the likelihood of his own death. He was already trying to keep her safe by pushing her away, but Jane had always loathed that stupid soap-opera tactic and she wouldn't have it. She'd feel pain her own way, thank you very much. She'd never been managed by her boyfriends, and she wasn't going to start now.
A hard shoulder jostled Jane into Loki's arms.
"I beg your pardon, Miss Foster."
She flinched. Jane couldn't claim a good memory for faces, but she was pretty sure she'd remember being introduced to a plump Asian man with close-cropped hair who dressed in Jedi robes and soft cloth boots. Something about that getup would stick out at an astrophysics convention. "How do you know my name?"
He smiled. "Maybe I saw you coming in the alignment of the constellations or a fortuitous throw of the bones? Or maybe, like most people, I watch the news. You're pretty famous, Jane Foster. My name is Wong," he extended his hand and Jane met it on instinct, shaking numbly, "and I believe you've been looking for us."
"Us?" Loki squared his shoulders, staring down at Wong with a threatening frown. His hand moved sharply, but Wong met the invisible wave of his magic with a swift quelling gesture. The only sign of the spell's power was the dust swirling at their feet. No one in the crowds flowing around them even looked up.
The fine hairs on Jane's neck prickled. She'd never seen someone negate Loki's magic before.
"Please," Wong said, "There is no need for this. We have the same interests, don't we?"
Loki's expression of surprise faded into considering silence, studying Wong's face through half-lidded eyes. "I suppose we do. Lead on…guardian."
With a bow, Wong skirted them and led the way deeper into the heart of Kathmandu.
Stephen Strange was a strange figure. The pun was too weak to be funny, but Jane couldn't think of a better one. Wrapped in a high-collared sentient cloak, layered in medallions of strange sigils and stones, reading from three books at a time—two of which hovered in the air at eye-level—he welcomed them with a grunt and a wave of one leisurely hand. Jane swallowed her laugh. At least she wasn't the only ugly American anymore.
He looked them over with one sharp eye, then turned back to his books. "So you're Loki. You messed up my hospital when you attacked Manhattan."
"I destroyed many things when I conquered your world," he replied, shrugging, "I can only offer my sincerest apologies and the assurance that it was not personal."
"Of course it wasn't. I wasn't anyone back then," Strange finally looked up and gave Loki a longer, considering stare, "But now I am. And that's why you're here, isn't it?"
Loki's lips twitched. "I have not come to see you. Rather, I have come to help you protect what you hold."
Jane followed his eye-line to a flat, ovular pendant around Strange's neck, one that glowed with a rich, green light from behind a filigree of elaborate metalwork. As she watched, the light pulsed, grew brighter. From behind her ribs, she felt an answering pulse that came from the Aether's heart, not hers. Some sympathy reverberated between the two Infinity Stones, something cosmic and elemental.
She shifted uneasily and pressed one palm to her chest.
Strange frowned. "How do you know about it?"
"You are not the only possessor of arcane knowledge in this universe. Be easy that I have no intention of taking the stone from you, unlike others."
"You mean Thanos? He's tearing up one of Stark's American compounds right now; he hasn't stepped one foot in this direction," for the first time, Strange stared at Jane, but his eyes cut through her skin and settled on the Aether inside her, "If anyone's brought anything dangerous here, it's her. Is that the Mind Stone I feel?"
"It's the Aether," she spoke up, letting it bubble up inside her, feeling her eyes blacken and her veins glow red, "The Reality Stone."
With a thought, the Aether subsided again. At her effortless display of control, Strange nodded approvingly.
"After this is all over, you might want to stay at Kamar-Taj for a while. We could teach you how to master that power."
"The Aether and I have an understanding," Jane replied, stifling a laugh. As if anything or anyone on Earth could tell her more about the Aether than she intrinsically knew just by holding it inside of her! Strange reminded her of a Tony Stark who hadn't yet taken his lumps. His smug superiority was so intrinsic to his character it distorted his view of everything and everyone in his orbit. "But thanks for the offer."
At last, Strange saw her. "Okay," he said, "Well, you've come a long way for nothing. There's no way Thanos can break into the Sanctorum. I've trained a new generation of guardians who have wrapped the world in a magical shield."
"A shield some have already punctured. All your pretentions to power mean nothing to Thanos. He has not even begun to make his mark on this world. He will come for the stone, and you will not be able to stop him," Loki leaned forward, his face white and painfully earnest, "I used to think like you, Strange. I was arrogant enough to believe I could outmaneuver Thanos. But it cannot be done. All we can do to spare lives on this planet is take the stones and run."
"Run?" Strange shook his head, "The stone protects us from something bigger than Thanos. Trust me, I know. If the Time Stone leaves the world, those things will—"
The walls trembled. Jane blinked, glancing around. The sensation was so mild that she thought someone was just walking across the floor behind her. Conversation died.
"It's just an earthquake," Strange said, "We get them all the—"
The floor heaved beneath them like a breathing beast, tilting the walls crazily out of alignment. Above them, the roof groaned, shingles sliding off and clattering on the cobblestones outside. Furniture upended, porcelain vases shattering against the cracking floor. Muffled yells broke out in the honeycombed rooms of Kamar-Taj and power sparked into the air. Above it all, Jane heard Wong yelling for order, rallying the guardians together into the relative safety of the courtyard.
Loki hauled Jane to her feet. "We're too late," he breathed, "Too late. I miscalculated."
His magic flared out, wreathing them in green and black shadows. The air thickened on all sides as Loki summoned shield after shield after shield. Shapes became distorted beyond these layers of magical protection; sounds slowed and stretched. Within the barrier, Jane's short, uneven breaths were now painfully loud.
"Get ready, Jane," Loki squeezed her hand, "He's here."
Stay tuned for our next chapter, AKA: All Hell Breaks Loose.