09:30:00 A.M.
June 12/2012
Jotunheim.
"These look like the icy fields of Jotunheim." Thor looked around at the barren landscape. Inside the energy field all was warm and quiet. "I would recommend we don garments best suited to our new environment."
"Mmmmm, mmmm, mmmm!" Loki gave his brother the evil eye. He held up the SHIELD issue manacles.
Natasha laughed.
"Wassup Tasha?"
Natasha looked at Faith and tried to impress upon her one more time to stop calling her Tasha. All that without saying a word.
Faith snorted. She was picking up on the Widow's body language lessons. It was how Tasha could predict what everyone around her was thinking. Except for Xander of course. Sometimes Tasha missed what the guy was saying because she couldn't believe anyone was so silly as to think stuff like that with their body. Tasha wasn't fluent in child body language. Like the time Xander stuffed a whole Twinkie into his mouth in one go. She thought that Xander was undergoing a religious experience, silly Tasha, that only happened when she rocked Xander's world.
"What do you think is up Faith " she asked. "
"If I knew, I wouldn't ask." Faith gave her a heavy sigh.
"You're overdoing it. There's no need to shout." Natasha gave Faith one of her small tolerate smiles. Teacher to student. 'She has a lot of potential and raw talent. I should have her up to speed in a century or so. It's a good thing we have the time. Otherwise she would have been a hopeless candidate. So much to unlearn. Too bad she started so late in life. Little uncle is still around. I should get him to help out in her lessons when we get back.'
Loki ignored the peasants and demanded that his brother free him at once, one more time.
Xander sighed, "I hope you appreciate this." he unlocked the shackles and removed the muzzle.
Loki was confused by this gesture of kindness. After everything he had done to the man, he was the last one he expected kindness from. In his opinion he was a peasant, but one that had some power. "Thank you."
Xander smiled, "That didn't kill you, did it?" Xander let him be and went to see Tony at the center of the energy field, "How cold is it?"
"You have to ask," Tony pointed all around them, "that's not normal cold. The temperatures fluctuate between -40 and -60 degrees. And not because of the wind. In this small area the temperature should be the same."
"Is that in Fahrenheit or Celsius?"
"Doesn't matter Xan. -40 is the same in both Fahrenheit and Celsius." explained Dawn.
"What she said." Tony looked at Thor, "You're the local, any idea how we get out of here?"
"Yes. We walk." Thor looked around. Nothing, not a single landmark to be seen, "I would hazard to say that we are in one of the many icy plains, and not the mountains. We walk, unless you're willing to take your chances with the elemental winds?"
"Could be. How tough are these winds?"
"No thank you." Dawn put the kibosh on that idea.
"Why not?" asked Tony.
"Didn't you hear what he just said? Elemental driven winds, as in the driving force behind the winds are alive, and Air elementals are playful."
"How's that a bad thing. It's not like they're evil. Right?"
"No, not evil, but for the air elementals, the toys in this case would be us. How would you like to be a flying action figure toy to a giant air elemental?"
"You have been to these desolate wastes before lady Dawn?" asked Thor.
"No, but I kinda summoned one accidentally, by he time I sent it back it wreaked several labs and shutdown half our communications network. So no flying." she mimed cutting her own throat, killing that idea.
"Say, how come we wound up here instead of Thor's home town?" Clint asked.
"His fault!" Dawn pointed at Loki.
"My fault." asked the outraged God. If it was his fault he wanted to know how he did it so he could do it again. "I was both bound and gagged. How is it my fault?"
"You wanted to go home more. While you're both Asgardians, I'm betting you came from this place."
"She's got you there brother. This was the place of your birth."
"You're not blaming me for her incompetence. I will not stand for it." Loki made as if to leave.
"Say, uh just wondering, but where do you think you're going?" asked Faith as she played with one of her daggers.
"Are you threatening me? I am a God."
"Settle down 'God' I believe we've had this conversation before." Bruce told him face to face. The other guy was ready to come out and rip this mad godling a new one if he didn't answer the challenge to the Hulk's chosen mate.
09:39:00 A.M.
June 12/2012
Jotunheim.
"JACOSTA, please assume humanoid configuration." Tony sent the command to the silver and red AI unit.
"Yes, sir. Assuming humanoid configuration now," she replied and shifted her form from a pod on Tony's shoulder to an attractive human looking version of the armor. Her features were a duplicate of Pepper Pots.
"Holy shit! What the fuck is that?" Faith shouted.
"That is JASCOSTA. She's our life support and medical systems combined into one," Tony told her.
"Stark, you are one sick puppy. You built yourself a traveling girlfriend. So what else does she do? Any certain bedtime tricks?" Faith walked around JACOSTA inspecting her from all angles.
"Could you please stop that?" JACOSTA asked Faith. "You are making me feel uncomfortable."
"Seriously?" Faith face was a picture on Fascination.
"Seriously. You're making me feel like I'm some kind of freak."
"Aren't you?"
"No I'm not. I'm an artificial person, but a person just like you. I'm metal, and artificial flesh and circuits, and you're flesh, blood and guts, but we are the same."
"You know you're a lot like Spice girl. You're alright." Faith slapped her on the back to show no hard feelings.
JACOSTA stumbled a step. "Hey. Not so hard. And for your information, my brain was patterned after Miss Potts."
"Whoops. Sorry. I thought you were built tougher than that."
"I am tougher than that. You however are far above the human norm."
"C'mon, cookie. Tell me all about what's it like being metal and all I mean? Do you remember what Spice girl knows, or what's the deal?"
While Faith was busy with JACOSTA Tony asked Dr. Betty Ross to help the android out. She did help out with JACOSTA's medical programming after all.
"Sure Tony. Not a problem."
Tony looked at Bruce, who nodded and joined Betty and Faith as they checked out JACOSTA.
"JARVIS, it's your turn."
"Ready to deploy, sir."
"Deploy!" Tony gave the command and stood back.
The JARVIS combat pod transformed into a duplicate of the current Iron Man armor Mark VIII.
JARVIS flew fifty feet into the air extending the overlapping energy field coverage. "Mountain range fifty degrees north detected." he reported.
"Looks like we have a direction. Let's go." With no better options open to them, they went.
09:45:00 A.M.
June 12/2012
Asgard.
"Our sons are back," Frigga told Odin as she walked into the throne room.
"Yes, Frigga, I know. Gungnir has already contacted me."
"Jotunheim."
Odin confirmed with a nod.
"At least they're alive. Don't be too harsh with the boy. He did save your life."
"True, but he was also the one who put it in jeopardy in the first place." Odin sighed as he thought about the situation with his boys.
"What are you planning, old man?" The smile on her lips assured the old king that his queen was being playful. She knew him well.
"I am sending the Warriors Three."
"Send Sif as well."
He gave her an inquisitive look.
"It's not what you think. They need a cooler head to keep them out of trouble," she explained.
"You are playing matchmaker again."
"It is a mother's prerogative."
Odin's snort told her what he thought of that.
Frigga was about to argue the point when she saw that Odin's heart was not in it. "What troubles you so?"
"Gungnir's obsession with order has left us vulnerable in the future if proper action is not taken."
"What has he done now?"
"He has created Asgardian/Human hybrids with the aid of Jord's Avatar."
"Mother's awake. Why did you not tell me this sooner?" Frigga was shocked by the news. Jord, or Gaea as she was Known on Midgard, was Frigga's mother, and she her Asgardian Avatar.
"I told you as soon as I found out."
"I take it you are communing with the spear as we speak?"
"I am. He has chosen several Midgardian warriors to be his WIELDERS. The current WIELDER is a female. He has physically bonded with her until he makes it back to me."
"What a terrible punishment. What has this warrior done that is so vile to deserve such punishment?"
"That my dear Frigga is just it. She was the best option available to the spear. He had bonded with two others that were both your Mother's champions. That action woke her up to the possibilities. When he rejected them as being too chaotic for his liking; she used the opportunity to carry out her plans. There now exits a Force of Earthly Valkyrie dedicated to her service. If she had to take such an active role to protect herself, then this tells me that the great game is about to start again, with Midgard as the focal point of the battle his time."
"I now understand your concerns, husband. I will try to reach Mother and find out more." Frigga left Odin to his thoughts.
Odin went back to watching the struggles of his children and their near kin companions.