Chapter Thirty-Seven

'You!' Thor interrupted, almost angrily, pointing a finger at Leah.

'Me,' she replied calmly.

Steve looked back and forth between the two of them, wondering if he was going to need to intervene here as well.

'You were in Asgard,' Thor said.

'Yes,' Leah said, finally hopping down from the wooden chest, smoothing out her green dress.

'You sent someone to spy on me, brother?' Thor asked, turning back to Loki angrily.

'I was keeping an eye on you,' Leah said as she walked closer to the rest of them. 'It's hardly a deed worth making such a fuss over.'

'I think I am better suited to decide that,' Thor said, but Leah just walked past him to get to Loki, who was still leaning heavily on the wall.

'Things went far worse than I expected,' she said with a sigh. Loki was giving her an odd look, so Steve was probably not the only one who didn't forget about her initial reaction. She did not act any differently now, as far as Steve could tell, but obviously something bothered her about Loki's new appearance.

'Are you well, James?' Leah asked without looking away from Loki.

'Yeah, I'm fine,' Bucky responded. Steve really had enough of hearing that word coming out of his mouth, because he kept repeating it, but it was obviously not the case. Steve wanted to drag him up to his floor and tuck him in his bed, or something. Pull him away from all of this, give him time to breathe and calm down.

'And you, Captain?'

'I'm okay, Leah, thanks,' Steve said. He knew Leah was not just some average girl, but he still found it hard to be anything but polite. She was polite herself, which helped.

Loki huffed and reached out to grab one of Leah's shoulders, trying to communicate without words again, with not much success. Leah followed the gestures with her eyes for a moment or two, then grabbed Loki's furiously flailing hand.

'Calm down,' she said. 'What is it?'

'No voice,' Bucky said plainly. 'Came with the red hair.'

'No, that can't be right,' Leah frowned. 'Let me look at you.'

She grabbed Loki's head with both hands and almost immediately noticed the wound on her neck.

'How did you die?' she asked, tilting Loki's head back a little.

'She was stabbed through the neck,' Steve said. 'With the spear.'

'Is it part of the new shape?' Bucky asked.

'No, it cannot be,' Leah said as she let go of Loki. 'But that spear is a powerful weapon, so it might take some time for you to fully recover.'

Loki nodded at her. Steve wasn't sure if it was relief he saw, or just a calm that settled over Loki, but he would've taken serene over manic any day.

'Where's the spear?' Leah asked then.

'Uh, HELEN?' Steve asked, because he had no idea. Things went fuzzy after he got into the Quintjet, so he didn't really keep track of things.

'It's been locked away,' HELEN reported. 'Like all weapons and technology you usually bring back to the tower.'

'Maybe it is best if it remains under lock,' Thor said.

'I think not,' Leah protested and raised a hand.

The spear materialized right next to her, slightly glowing and floating in the air. Steve should not have been surprised. Loki reached for the spear but Leah grabbed it first. She stared at it for a moment.

'Maybe not,' she said. 'You were killed with this. That is just asking for trouble.'

Loki's eyebrows lifted, the question plainly written on her face.

'I'll think of something else for you,' Leah said. The spear cracked in her hand. The noise reminded Steve of shifting ice, so it was not the most pleasant of sounds. Then spider-web cracks appeared all along the spear as it fell to pieces, vanished into nothing.

Bucky looked unfazed, but at least Thor shared Steve's slight confusion. They just talked about what a powerful weapon it was, and now it was gone, turned to dust in a blink. The more Steve saw of Leah, the more confused he was about her.

'You said something about the day you've had,' Bucky said then. 'What happened?'

'Oh, later,' Leah sighed.

'Good,' Thor said. 'Time for you all to answer our questions then.'

Steve knew that tone of voice. Thor made up his mind and nothing was going to make him back off. To be fair, Steve still had more questions than answers, so he was not about to start arguing with him.

'Oh?' Leah asked. 'And why is that?

'Because enough is enough,' Thor said. 'All these secrets and lies…'

'And we're back to square one,' Bucky interrupted.

'I don't owe you any answers,' Leah said. 'None of us owes you any answers.'

'This threat is far bigger than you let us believe. A city has been struck and we won't stand idly by,' Thor countered.

'If you think shouting demands will get you anywhere...' Leah continued pleasantly.

'Since you obviously need our help-' Thor cut in.

'Fine, we're leaving then,' Leah interrupted in return.

Things were getting out of hand, so Steve interjected.

'So how did I know who it was?' he asked, drawing all attention on himself. 'When this happened,' he continued, gesturing at the burn on his throat that still felt raw and hot. 'I saw that woman, but I knew who it really was. It, they, whatever… wanted me to say it.'

'And you did what?' Leah asked. She stared at the burn on Steve's neck for a second, then finally looked at his face.

'Loki said "not a word", so I took that warning literally,' Steve said. 'Not a word, I stabbed her with the knife you slipped me,' he added, looking over to Loki.

'Oh, well done, Captain,' Leah said after a moment.

'It didn't do much good, she just pulled the knife back out.'

'Not that, keeping your mouth shut,' Leah said. 'There would've been consequences, so well done.'

Steve nodded, because he suspected as much. He didn't need to know everything to realize that.

'There's more,' he added. 'She did something… after you were gone,' he said still looking at Loki. There was no surprise on Loki's face, but Steve didn't expect there to be. 'The woman… or that thing in her, they did something. You opened your eyes, but it wasn't you.'

Now there was a flash of something in Loki's eyes, quickly hidden again.

'It was something, a presence; I don't know how to describe it actually.'

'Try to recall something,' Leah encouraged.

'They wanted to know who sent Loki,' Steve said. 'So I think that's who it was. Everything went cold and silent... it was. Something far bigger than the thing in that woman... I don't know.'

Loki and Leah exchanged a look, incomprehensible to Steve. He looked over to Bucky, who was standing a lot closer to him than a moment before. Steve had a feeling he wanted to walk even closer, maybe plaster himself to Steve's side. It warmed Steve's chest.

'You need to tell us everything,' Leah said then.

x-x-x

Steve had just about enough of walking around barefoot in Stark Industries clothes, and he also felt like the infirmary was not the best place to have a calm and reasonable conversation in. His floor was a safe bet, so he insisted going up there. Bucky agreed with him immediately, which probably helped sway Leah, because she nodded almost right away as well. Loki didn't put up a protest, but Steve had no idea what was going on in her head. His head... maybe. It didn't feel like the right time to ask.

Thor nodded when Steve looked at him questioningly. Steve understood his frustration, his anger, he really did, so he was all the more grateful for Thor's calm and his willingness to be reasonable.

Leah was the only one that stopped short after they stepped out of the elevator, looking around curiously, taking everything in. She was so quiet when she walked, so silent, and also small and slender, but her presence was hardly easy to forget about. It was a strange contradiction.

'Do you have any medical supplies, Captain?' Leah asked then.

'Are you injured?' Steve asked, looking back at her. She looked fine, but maybe she just hid it well.

'No, I'm quite all right,' she said, then glanced over at Loki meaningfully.

'Uh, sure,' Steve said. He left all of his supplies out in the living room where he patched Bucky up just before they left. Everything was still there, which was a good sign. It meant nobody was up on his floor since then.

He quickly tossed everything back into the box to take it back to Leah. Loki was glaring at everything something awful, especially at Leah.

Leah took the med-kit from Steve.

'You're not allowed to give me that look when you're bleeding on the floor,' Leah told Loki and started walking.

'Bath's that way,' Steve pointed helpfully. Leah nodded her thanks. Loki stood in one spot for a long moment, then huffed and followed her.

Thor watched them walk away silently, probably wanting to follow, but resisting the urge.

'I'll get us some real clothes,' Steve looked over to Bucky.

He quickly changed in his bedroom, then picked out some clothes that would fit Bucky. He was almost the same size as Steve, so it didn't really matter that much. He was still thoughtful about it, trying to figure out what Bucky would prefer. No bright colours, he said, so Steve went with greys and blacks.

Steve knew that this was a mess. Not really in his own head, because he still felt like he had a good grip on things. He knew what he needed to do to protect not just Bucky, but everyone from what was coming. Of course he also knew that the others won't see the danger they were in unless they were given answers. He was ready to talk, get everyone up to speed with all this, but he had no idea how willing Bucky, Loki and Leah were going to be.

He could convince Bucky, it wouldn't take much for him to see why it was a good plan. Loki was trickier, but Steve had a feeling that it was not an impossible task. Loki could be convinced, especially if Bucky agreed with Steve already. But Leah was such a big question mark. And she had a lot of sway over Loki, for some reason. Steve would've loved to know what was going on there, but he had no way of finding that out easily.

When Steve walked back into the main living room Bucky was nowhere to be seen. Thor stood by the tall windows and nodded his head in the bathroom's direction at Steve's questioning look.

'You okay?' Steve couldn't help but ask again.

'I'm... worried, conflicted... angry,' he sighed. 'I hope you will be able to explain some of this to me, because right now I have nothing but questions.'

'Just a minute, okay?' Steve asked, lifting the clothes in his hand up. Thor nodded and turned to stare out at the city again. It was never good sign when Thor was stoic, it meant that a storm was brewing right under the surface.

Steve walked towards the bathroom, but stopped when he heard Bucky's voice. He wasn't sure what made him reluctant to interrupt.

'You're usually healed when you wake up,' Bucky said.

'This is different,' Leah said.

'Was it because he...' he paused. 'He?' he asked, then waited. 'Okay, "he" then... so it's cause you were strung up there this long? Or is it because of Mistress Death?'

That... Bucky said that before... it sounded like just an odd expression before, but now...

'A bit of both, I imagine,' Leah said.

Steve felt a bit guilty about eavesdropping. His hearing was extraordinarily good, so he was still far away enough from the bathroom to be unheard. It still felt like a violation of trust maybe. Of course some part of him was sure they never would've talked this freely in front of Steve.

'He's healing, don't worry,' Leah said. It sounded like she was smiling. 'And once you're well, you'll be stronger than ever.'

'Steve, if you have a moment,' HELEN spoke up.

'Yeah?' Steve answered, his voice way too loud. They obviously heard him now.

'Sam asked me to give you a warning that he and Vision are coming up to your floor,' the AI said.

'Okay, thanks HELEN,' Steve said as he started walking again. 'Bucky, you there?' he asked as he walked closer to the bathroom. He was such a shitty liar, Natasha always told him so, he was so busted.

'What is it?' Bucky asked.

'Uhm, clothes,' Steve said as he got to the doorway and held out the bundle.

Loki was sitting on the floor, half undressed, bandage around his throat and some parts of his chest. Leah knelt in front of him, obviously the one to patch him up. Bucky stood a few feet away by the wall. He wordlessly walked up to Steve to take the clothes.

'Look, some of the others are coming up,' Steve started.

'We heard,' Bucky said. His face was kinda unreadable, it made Steve nervous.

'Right, so I know there are things that are dangerous to talk about, but we need all hands on deck here, you gotta agree with that. Trouble is already here, now it's up to us to beat it back where it came from, and that would be much easier with more people on-board.'

'We'll see,' Leah said before Bucky could answer.

'Would you really say no to more help?' Steve asked.

She finished sticking a bandage to one of the oozing wounds on Loki's chest, then she looked up at Steve.

'I'm not sure your friends will be as eager to stand with us as you are,' she said. 'But by all means, this might very well be our last battle in this war. We hardly have anything to lose by spilling all our secrets.'

'You're serious,' Bucky said, sounding surprised. 'You really think it doesn't matter anymore?'

'We did all we could to even the odds, James,' Leah said. 'And we will soon see whether it was enough. But as the Captain said; the threat is already here, our secrets will no longer protect us.'

That didn't sound good at all, even if it got him the answer he wanted to hear.

x-x-x

'Man, you really scared the crap out of us,' was what Sam opened with.

'Sorry,' Steve said and welcomed the hug he was engulfed in.

'You good?' Sam asked when he pulled back, still concerned.

'Hungry as all hell,' Steve admitted. 'But I'll be fine.'

'That burn though,' Sam said with a frown. Of course he immediately noticed.

'Yeah, it heals slower, don't worry about it,' Steve said easily. Sam wasn't buying it.

'Right...'

Steve didn't know what to say, so he just gave him a shrug, which made Sam shake his head.

'That was real dumb of you, you know,' Sam said. 'Running off like that.'

'Look, I did what I had to do. It could've turned out better...'

'You very well could've died,' Vision told him.

'Yeah, well,' Steve sighed, because it was true, but he risked his life for less. 'This is going to be the craziest thing that ever came out of my mouth, but Loki actually had my back down there.'

'Seriously?' Sam asked.

'From how we found you two, I'm willing to believe that,' Vision said. 'No matter how uncharacteristic it sounds.'

'It is what it is,' Steve shrugged. 'All right, sit down, I really need to grab a bite, just a sec.'

Normally, he wouldn't have wasted time when they had something this important to discuss, but he felt like his vision was going to start going blurry unless he got some energy back. Fights and injuries always took a lot out of him. He was pretty sure Bucky had to be as hungry as he was, so he made a mental note to get some food into him as soon as possible. He had no idea about Loki. Thor ate a lot, but he could also go for a long time without needing anything. Steve felt like he should at least offer.

'HELEN, I'm gonna need my fridge stocked again,' he said.

'The usual?' HELEN asked. Steve was a creature of habit when it came to food, he usually bought or ordered the same things.

'Yeah, just more. I think my guests might be staying for a while.'

'Rations for a small army coming right up,' HELEN answered.

It's not like Steve had time for a full meal just yet, so he grabbed a few power bars, an apple that started to look a little too ripe, a bar of chocolate, and a sports-drink from the fridge. It was hardly enough, but a real food had to wait.

Bucky was back in the living room when Steve walked back in, but he stood pretty far away from Sam, Vision and Thor. Bucky's been more and more comfortable around Steve, relaxed even, so seeing the hard line of his shoulders and the almost blankness of his face was an unpleasant sight. Steve forgot how dangerous he could look like when he wanted to. He got it though, Bucky needed time to trust people and he didn't personally know Steve's fellow Avengers.

Loki strolled back into the room before Steve could say anything, still half-naked, covered in bandages and looking no more pleased about his current situation than before. Leah followed him at a leisurely pace.

'Well, you certainly are alive... again,' Vision said. Loki barely spared a glance, just chose a random spot in the room and dropped himself down on the floor, his back to a wall. It was a good spot, he could see the whole room and his back was protected. He was defensive, Steve realized. Maybe because he was still injured, maybe just being around them in general, maybe because of what happened.

'He can't talk,' Bucky informed Vision and Sam, not sounding friendly. Seriously, this was going to end in a disaster if everyone kept being so damn hostile.

'Right... so, I know about the big alien fella you guys took down,' Sam said. 'But he wasn't the one who wiped the floor with you two, right?'

Loki's eyes were sharp as he looked up at Sam.

'No, it wasn't,' Steve agreed, mouth still full, so he swallowed quickly. 'But...' he looked over at Bucky, then Loki and Leah, who were kinda in the same direction from him. 'Is it safe to talk about this now...'

'No wait, he did something, you're right,' Bucky said as he walked up to him, pointing a finger at Steve's neck. 'This here, what the fuck is this bullshit?'

'You're right, we should be cautious,' Leah agreed. 'Loki, would you mind?'

Loki huffed again and rolled his eyes as he got up from the floor.

'It's going to require a closer look,' Leah explained as Loki walked up to him. Steve always forgot how tall he was. It's not that he was that thin, but he had such a different silhouette than Thor, so sometimes it was hard to remember that he was almost as big as his brother.

Steve wasn't really concerned though, especially not with Bucky standing right next to him. Bucky, who just took one of Steve's power bars and his chocolate, leaving him with his apple. Steve wanted to complain out of sheer principle, but he was glad Bucky was eating.

'Okay,' he said.

'Close, as in touch,' Leah added.

'Fine,' Steve agreed, tipping his chin back just a little.

'Whoa, you're sure about that?' Sam asked. Both he and Thor took a step closer. Loki looked incredibly amused.

'Right yeah,' Steve said. 'That was the big plan. He's going to strangle me with all of you standing less than ten feet away from us.'

Leah laughed, and Loki still looked very amused.

'Now, don't move, Captain,' Leah instructed.

'At all?' Steve asked.

'At all,' Leah confirmed.

'Not even my toes?' he asked innocently.

'Smartass,' Bucky snorted, then started on the power bar.

'Why yes, the position of toes is extremely important when it comes to spell-casting,' Leah answered, sounding completely serious.

'Right, of course, Magic 101; mind your toes,' Steve nodded. Loki huffed again, but this time it sounded less like he was about to get murderous. No, it was definitely a funny sort of huff.

Some of the tension broke in the room.

'You are all horrible people,' Bucky commented drily as he crumpled the power bar wrapper.

'Says the guy making puns about his bionic arm,' Steve told him.

He couldn't turn his head towards Bucky though, because Loki put his hand over the burn on Steve's throat. He could joke around, but he didn't intend to mess with magic, so he stayed still. He resisted the urge to make a face, because it stung, something right under his skin, almost like disinfectant poured on an open wound. He tensed a little and Bucky noticed.

'What? Does it hurt?' he asked.

'Just weird,' Steve said, keeping still.

Loki pulled his hand away after a moment. The burn still felt hot, but not as burning as before.

'Huh, it's better,' he said, then he noticed the dark fluid covering Loki's palm, slightly blueish 'What the hell is that?'

'Loki?' Leah asked. Loki help up his hand to show it to her. 'Oh.'

'Oh? Oh, what?' Bucky asked. Loki wiped his palm on his trousers and walked back to his chosen spot.

'Yeah, that didn't look healthy,' Sam said. 'Was that... inside Steve?'

'It's Loki's blood, mostly,' Leah said. 'You had a lot of it on you, I imagine.'

'Yeah, but... what?'

'Don't worry, it protected you... in a way,' Leah added, but that didn't make any more sense.

'Would you mind elaborating?' Vision asked.

'Interference,' Leah said. 'Like, normally you would sink in water, but if there's too much salt you will float. You still get wet either way, but you won't drown.'

'So I got wet, but I didn't drown?' Steve asked, just to make sure he understood correctly. 'Because of Loki's blood?'

'They attempted to weave some magic upon you,' Thor said. 'But they did not succeed, not entirely.'

'Who? Who the hell did this?' Sam asked.

Steve glanced at Bucky again, but he read no warning on his face, just a shimmer of dark anger that was obviously not directed at Steve. So he said it.

'Chthon.'

There was a heavy pause. Then Sam lifted his eyebrows and looked back at Thor and Vision.

'I have no idea who that is,' he said.

'I don't know that name either,' Thor added.

'HELEN is already searching for information,' Vision added. 'It might take a moment.'

'I just knew the name... I don't know how. It was just suddenly there,' Steve said. He had the urge to rub the burn on his throat, because the whole thing left him strangely uncomfortable.

'Well, I guess it's lucky I got someone here that knows,' Tony's voice came out of nowhere.

Steve sighed. 'You've been listening in this whole time?' he asked.

'Obviously,' Tony said through one of the speakers in the room. 'I'll put a nickel in the violation of privacy jar later.'

'You could've just said something,' Steve told him.

'And interrupt when you finally got the dangerous duo and miss little creepy to talk?'

'Charming,' Leah commented.

'If you are not aware of your own creepy vibes, you should be,' Tony told her.

'You said you have someone there with you,' Vision prompted.

'That I do,' Tony confirmed. 'Guess who came to visit Detroit. Say hi, Doc.'

'Hello, and I apologize for listening in,' said another voice. It sounded familiar.

'Doctor Strange, back in this world?' Sam asked.

'Yes, but a little too late as it seems. I hoped the situation wouldn't turn this dire in my absence.'

'Sure, cause you could've just stopped this from happening. 'Bucky said doubtfully.

'I don't know, I would've tried my best,' Strange said. 'But at least my journey was not in vain. The Whisperer, you were after him, right?'

'Things didn't go according to plan,' Steve told him.

'From the way things look like here, I believe that. The Whisperer however, I made sure he can't hurt anyone anymore.'

'Finally some good news,' Leah said.

'There was a girl, right?' Steve asked. 'Is she safe now?'

Strange gave a long sigh and said nothing for a second.

'Casey, yes… Well, "safe" is a very odd term, considering she's still lying in a grave,' he said then. 'But yes, I took back what the Whisperer stole. She should be at rest now, as cliché as that sounds.'

'Oh, sorry, my condolences,' Steve said.

'You said nothing wrong,' Strange told him. 'Some battles are lost even before they start. Dealing with the Whisperer was nothing but a series of lost fights and tragedies. At least it's over now.'

'From what we hear a very different battle is about to start,' Vision spoke up.

'I'm not sure I would call it that different, all things considered,' Strange said. 'I will return to New York with Mr. Stark. I have much to tell you.'

'I thought it was too risky for you and Steve to meet,' Sam said.

'Vanitas vanitatum, Mr Wilson,' Strange said. 'It hardly matters now.'

'This Chthon,' Thor said. 'Tell us who that is now.'

Strange paused again, maybe contemplating his answer, or trying to decide how to explain it briefly.

'Chthon is the Great Shadow, a so-called "Elder God", the first master of magic.'

'He's a demon,' Leah interrupted. 'Not a god.'

'True, but I would hardly compare the Demon of the Darkhold to lesser beings.'

'An Elder God,' Thor repeated. 'Those I have heard of, heresy mostly.'

'So a demon, just bigger and nastier than the ones we've seen so far,' Tony said.

'No, that is very far from reality,' Strange said. 'This is a being that has existed for billions of years!'

'Says your crystal ball?' Tony asked.

Strange sighed again, but this time it was long-suffering and not melancholy.

'I just want you all to understand, that this is not a matter of defeating another demon. This is survival,' Strange said. 'What happened here in Detroit was just a glimpse. He barely flicked a finger.'

'That is true,' Leah agreed.

'He's on his way over here, to our world, and we have very little time to stop him,' Strange finished.

'If he's so immensely powerful, how the hell are we supposed to stop him?' Sam asked. 'Thor?'

'Elder Gods are ethereal beings with vast cosmic powers,' Thor said. 'Even the ones that descended into degeneracy. I know of no power that could defeat one, just the God-Eater.'

'We cannot hope to defeat him,' Leah said. 'The one thing we can do is stop him before he can return to this plane of existence from the Other-Realm.'

'How?' Steve asked.

'Correct me if I'm wrong, but there is already a plan in motion, right?' Strange asked.

Almost everyone in the room turned to look at Bucky or Leah or Loki, who didn't even seem to be paying attention. He was leaning on the wall, staring out of one of the tall windows, looking distracted.

'Yeah, a plan,' Bucky said. 'If you can call it that.'

'That's somewhat reassuring to hear I suppose,' Strange said. 'I'll meet you in New York, then we can discuss things further.'

'And he just walked off,' Tony reported. 'I don't like this guy.'

'What plans do you have in motion?' Thor asked, looking at Loki despite knowing very well that he wouldn't be able to give any answers.

Loki didn't react, just kept staring out of the window.

'Loki,' Thor repeated, slightly louder, but there was still nothing.

'Loki?' Leah called, and after a slow moment Loki turned his head back around towards the room. He blinked hazily and Steve wondered if he was more injured still than he looked like.

Then came a swift burst of light, not unlike the golden glow that lit up just before Loki woke. There was a glimpse of real fire, an orange and yellow blaze, then Loki was gone.

He left silence in his wake, and some of them just kept blinking in surprise.

'I did not know he could do that without those weird portal things,' Sam said.

'He couldn't,' Bucky confirmed. 'But he is getting stronger now.'

'Stronger?' Thor repeated, his anger spiking. 'So this is about power then! Of course it's about power... Where is he?' he demanded, looking at Leah.

'On the top of the tower,' HELEN answered.

'What on Earth is he doing up there?' Tony asked. 'There better not be any space portals opening again.'

'Nothing, from what I can see,' HELEN said.

Leah sighed. 'Just give him some space.'

'For a moment I believed it was about something more... something just,' Thor said. 'I should've known.'

'You can't win a war without guns,' Bucky said easily, but that was obviously the wrong thing to say to Thor right now.

'I allowed long enough for Loki to come and go freely,' he continued 'And am I just supposed to trust, that he has good intentions? That this "power" is something he seeks in good will? No.'

'Yeah, that sounds like a majorly bad idea, if you ask me,' Tony added.

'Well, so far-' Steve started, but Thor cut him off.

'No,' Thor interrupted. 'I trust you when it comes to your friend, so you should trust me when it comes to Loki.'

Right. Steve had to agree that he had a point there.

'I do not trust these plans,' Thor continued. 'I do not trust anything that needs to be obscured by lies and secrets to this extent. And I do not trust Loki with power.'

Thor walked away. Well, he marched with intent really, and not even towards the elevator, but to the stairway. Steve could basically see the dark cloud of anger around his head.

'Okay. Can someone make sure that they don't trash the entire tower, please?' Tony asked.

'Dammit,' Steve cursed as he followed Thor.

x-x-x

To be continued...

Author's Notes: Vanitas vanitatum (lat.) - The "vanity of vanities" as in "all in vain", an exclamation of utter futility. (From the Vulgate, Eccl. 1:2;12:8)