Hey, you guys know what time it is? It's DARK WORLD TIME! WHOOO! SO just starting off by letting you know that Tessa will be pretty much taking Jane's spot in the movie. As much as I love her character, as Marvel kinda dropped the ball with her and Thor's romance, she doesn't really serve a purpose within this story. SO, as obviously we're hitting movie territory again, here's that big old disclaimer that I do not own or claim rights to ANYTHING marvel. Now with that out of the way, that's get this ball rolling! Enjoy! Xoxo-NickyLynn
The painful reality that Tessa had been spending far too much time on Asgard came slamming down around her during one of her trips back to Midgard. She had been focused on rebuilding her life on her childhood home, that she had neglected her life back on Earth, and that became painfully obvious as Tony told her what had happened during her most recent hiatus away.
"You WHAT?!" She yelled at him, distraught by the news he had relayed to her. "Tony, you aired your home address on live television and antagonized a god damn terrorist!? Are you insane?!" she bellowed out furiously.
"Yeah, well, in my defense I wasn't really thinking rationally so if you could just…stoke the fire." He said, motioning around her glowing form.
"Oh, no. No, there will be no 'stoking this fire' Anthony!" she told him, as she stared down at him in shock. "A terrorist blew up your home while I was gone!" she yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. "That's not okay!"
"Well, technically he wasn't actually a terrorist, it was Killian, but yeah I see your point." He responded with a shrug.
"Be serious Tony! You almost got yourself killed….again!" she said, rubbing at her temples in frustration.
"I am being serious!" he defended. "Which brings me to my next point…..I sort of…kind of….went hard reset on all the suits." He told her, not sure how she'd react.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked him, eyebrows pulled together with worry.
"They're gone." Tony said blatantly.
Tessa looked down at Tony and wasn't sure if she could be more surprised at this point. So much had happened while she was gone, and guilt was consuming her. Tony had gone through all that alone. She had not been there to protect him when he needed it most and that hurt her more than any external wound ever could. She dropped herself down on the couch next to him, letting out a sigh as she reeled back on her power, suddenly feeling incredibly drained. "Tony, why didn't you say anything?" she asked him, rubbing her forehead.
"Well cell service is a little spotty when your half way across the galaxy, so-" he began before she shook her head at him.
"No, I mean why didn't you say anything before? Why didn't you tell me you were having trouble sleeping and….and having panic attacks?" she asked, feeling terrible that he had suffered in silence this whole time.
"Yeah, well, you had your own stuff going on with the whole alien princess thing." He said with a shrug. "Didn't really seem like it was all that important." He told her.
"Tony, your health and safety will always be one of the most important things to me." She told him seriously. "Which includes your mental health. You should have come to me if you were struggling. I could have….I could have helped." She said remorsefully.
"I'm not sure anybody could have helped. Dealing with the reality that we aren't alone out there and that those forces could at any minute come tearing through this world again…..that….that's just not something a good talk will get somebody through." He told her. "I mean what would happen if your crazy brother broke out and wanted to enact some good old revenge, huh? How am I supposed to protect everybody I care about from things that I can't even comprehend?!" he yelled out, upset.
Tessa's muscles tensed at the mention of Loki, but chose not to respond, knowing what Loki did had seriously affected Tony in ways she couldn't imagine. "It's exhausting, isn't it?" she said, sitting back into the couch, looking over at him with crossed arms. "Feeling burdened by the constant need to protect the people you care about. Now, what could I possibly know about that?" she said softly, understanding his pain all too well.
Tony looked over at her and the anger in his eyes quickly evaporated as he realized that she probably was the only one who did understand. "How do you do it?" he asked her, the tears shining in his eyes. "How do you deal with all of the chaos of the world when there's so much chaos going on in your own head?" he implored helplessly.
Tessa's eyes softened at him. "Tony, I'm not the poster child for self-regulation of stress." She told him truthfully. "Far from it. I'm only strong because I have to be…because I have been lost to the chaos of my mind…..and innocent people suffered the consequences of that. It may seem like I take things with a bullet proof casing, but it's only because I have no alternative. But you are not me, Tony. You're allowed the freedom to feel your pain and your anger….and your fear. You're allowed to not be okay." She told him.
And with that, she held Tony close to her, as for the third time in his life he broke down and let himself be comforted by her soothing touch and words. Tessa knew that spending more time on Earth would mean that greater lengths of time on Asgard would pass without her presence, but she just hoped they would understand. Tessa wasn't perfect and she couldn't be in two places at once. And right now, she was needed at home more than she was needed in Asgard. So, she stayed and focused on getting Tony the help he so desperately needed.
Something had to be sacrificed and Tessa knew that Tony's mind was not something that she was okay with sacrificing. He had been her priority long before she ever knew of her Asgardian heritage. And so, the weeks spent back home stretched out into months. And while Thor would still visit her more often now, bringing with him news of Asgard, she couldn't help but feel guilt over leaving Loki alone for so long. Tony, her family in Asgard, Steve, S.H.I.E.L.D….it just seemed that Tessa had spread herself too thin, and she just didn't have enough time to devote to everyone they way she wished she could. She was beginning to lose sleep, as the stress over all the things she couldn't do overtook her. No matter what she did, someone in her life had to suffer her absence, there was no avoiding that painful truth.
After several months of attending to and prioritizing Tony's rehabilitation back to a healthy mental state, Tessa had begun to feel that she could pull back from her constant oversight some. She desperately missed Asgard, and now that she was confident that Tony wouldn't suffer a mental breakdown while she was gone, she had decided that she was well overdue for a return visit. She had packed a full bag, making sure to bring as many books for Loki as she could carry, seeing as she had not brought him any in so long, but the ringing of her phone and the man on the other end of the line stopped her from leaving.
"Are you kidding me?" Tessa asked, rubbing at her temples in frustration.
"Look if you want me to give the case to someone else, I'm more than happy to, I just thought you'd want to hear it from me first." Fury told her through the phone.
"Hear what?" she asked, fear spiking inside her.
"Oh, that the readings bare a remarkable resemblance to some taken in New York back in nineteen twenty-five." He responded. "The same day you supposedly fell from the sky."
Tessa's grip tightened around the phone. "You're sure?" she asked him.
"Would I be calling you if I wasn't?" he shot back at her.
"Alright. Send me the coordinates." She told him, willing to push back her visit one more day.
"Already did." She heard Fury respond before the line disconnected. Tessa let out a sigh as she pulled down the phone to open the incoming message from Fury. "London?" she asked out loud, looking down at the coordinates. "Well, I guess I'll need a plane."
By the time Tessa had made it to the location Fury had sent her, the sky had grown dark with an impending storm. She parked the S.H.I.E.L.D. provided black car, double checking that she had the right spot before stepping out. She walked through the overgrown lot of the abandoned warehouse, noting the vehicle which was already parked there. Her eyes drifted to the old cement truck laying on its side, to the shipping containers standing on end and stacked together, raising a brow at the peculiarity of it all. "Well, this is definitely the right spot." She muttered to herself as she walked towards the empty warehouse.
Her footsteps on the concrete echoed around her as she walked into the large building. Her eyes searched the area as she entered, catching sight of a few birds who had made a home within the abandoned walls, but nothing out of the ordinary. The sound of laughter caught her ears and her eyebrows furrowed together as it sounded distinctly young. She quietly moved further into the building, following the sound to its source.
She moved deeper into the old cement factory, the sounds of laughter getting louder until she came out at a stairwell towards the end of a building. As she quietly walked up the steps, she noticed several people leaning over the edge of the railing. She noted the three faces of children along with a few adults. She watched as they dropped items over the edge, into the center of the stairwell, only for the object to disappear mid-air and reappear further up. The items would fall in an endless cycle of disappearing and reappearing and Tessa knew she definitely had the right location. Though, seeing children play around with something so dangerous sent a chill down Tessa's spine as images of a younger her screaming in the endless darkness filled her.
Tessa transported herself up the stairs, coming out behind the group of adults, leaning over the edge, tossing their own items down into the portal with amusement. "What are you doing?" Tessa asked, startling them all.
The adults and children all turned around at her sudden appearance, letting out gasps of alarm. "Nothing, we were just-" The pretty brunette in the middle began saying before she narrowed her eyes at Tessa in recognition. "Hey, wait a minute, I know you." She said. "You're her. You're that woman from TV, one of the heroes from New York. You were with Thor." She said, pointing over to her.
Tessa's eyes bounced around the group, realizing they all recognized her. Her shoulders stiffened, still not used to public recognition. "My name's Tessa and I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." she said, looking back over to the woman who addressed her.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.? Oh, come one not you guys again!" Jane said, throwing her hands up in the air.
Tessa raised her brow at her reaction. "I'm sorry, you've had a run in with S.H.I.E.L.D. before?" she asked in surprise.
"Yeah, back in New Mexico. You guys stole all my stuff!" she said.
The pieces slide into place for Tessa and her raised eyebrow dropped down as she realized who she was talking to. "You're Jane Foster. You're the woman who helped Thor." She said, having been told many stories about her by her brother, as well as by Coulson. "Well, isn't this a small world." She commented under her breath.
"No, you guys can't do this to me again!" Jane protested. "We got here first!"
"Yeah, haven't you ever heard of finders keeper?" the woman behind her asked.
"Well, I'll be sure to file a formal complaint on your behalf." Tessa deadpanned. "You." She said then, directing her attention over to the kids. "You know who I am?" she asked them, only to get a round of nods. "You know what I can do?" she asked then, eliciting another round of nods. "Good. LEAVE." She said sternly, motioning her head down the stairs as her eyes burned bright blue.
The group of kids took off running down the steps, not having to be asked twice. Jane watched them run past before looking over at Tessa in shock. "You didn't have to be so rude. They were only curious."
"Haven't you ever heard what curiosity did to the cat?" she tossed back at her, letting her eyes fade back to their normal hue. "This isn't some after school science experiment Jane. What do you think would happen if one of these railings broke while they were leaning over it, huh?" she asked, giving the rusty bar a kick for emphasis, sending it flying into the void, only for it not to return, sealing in her point. "These things are dangerous. I'd rather have them too scared to come back than have them end up in a place there was no return from." She bit out.
Jane paused, realizing she was right. "Well, you still didn't have to be so rude about it." She muttered out.
Tessa rolled her eyes. "So, you going to show me what you've got, or do I need to make a call?" Tessa asked pulling out her phone for emphasis.
Jane let out a sigh before stepping forward and bringing her display around for Tessa to see. "We picked up the readings earlier, and we hadn't seen readings like these since…" she trailed off, eyes dropping down to the ground.
"Since your run in with a certain Asgardian god?" Tessa supplied for her with a raised brow.
"Yeah." Jane said as Tessa pulled the device out of her hand, studying the readings for herself. "Have you-" Jane began before biting down on her lip in hesitancy. "I mean do you-"
"Know Thor?" Tessa guessed, looking up from the display momentarily. "Oh, you have no idea." She said before her attention dropped back down to the screen as the numbers began spiking.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jane asked as Tessa turned around, noticing the sudden shift in the breeze. She began walking away, trying to find where the high readings were coming from. There was something else in the building and Tessa had to find it. "Hey, wait a minute!" Jane yelled as she ran to catch up with Tessa. "You can't just take my equipment and take off." She protested.
"I have a badge in my pocket that says otherwise." Tessa shot back at her, following the spike in energy the reader in her hand was picking up. She began walking down a corridor, having found that the readings were steadily increasing as she did.
"Well, what did you mean about Thor?" Jane then said, still trailing along behind her. "Do you know him? Is he here on Earth?"
"Not currently, no." Tessa responded, too focused on the readings to give Jane's questions any proper attention.
"Well, do you know when he'll be back?" she pressed as Tessa continued forward. "I really would like to see him."
"No, now would you-" Tessa began to say before she broke off as a particularly strong gust of wind swept through the hall. Tessa's eyebrows dropped down as she looked around, feeling a shift in the atmosphere. "Jane you should leave." She said seriously, her senses on edge.
"What? No, I'm not just-" she began protesting before another strong gust came, this time sending the pair stumbling down the hall, something seemingly pulling them down the hall towards it. With a burst of panic, Tessa dropped the device that was going haywire and spun around, quickly latching onto Jane with her powers. She used them to send her flying back down the hall, out of the grasp of the invisible force. Tessa then went to transport herself away as well, but before she could, she was sucked into the portal. She came out the other side, but instead of being enveloped into darkness like she had been fearing, she found herself in some large, cold cavern with nothing but the sounds of her labored breathing greeting her.
Tessa spun around, looking for a way out, yet finding instead a large pillar standing just in front of her, a strange red glow illuminating a shallow crack within in. Curiously, Tessa stepped closer. She could feel the familiar thrum of the energy inside her stirring, reacting to whatever it was that was stuck between the rock. She stepped over the broken stones beneath her feet, her eyes trailing over the familiar looking symbols carved into the ground.
"Those are Norse." She said to herself, looking down in confusion, before looking back up at the strange red glow. She stepped around the monolith pillar, trying to get a good look inside, but the crack was so small, that Tessa couldn't make anything out. She took a step closer, trying to peer inside as the strange glow called out to her. She looked into the opening and her eyes caught movement. She could make out some type of liquid substance, that was flowing around between the stones, twisting and turning as it were alive. And although Tessa knew it sounded crazy, it was like she could feel it calling to her, begging to be released. The power inside herself urged her closer, the two forces pulling themselves closer. "What are you?" she whispered to the emptiness curiously.
Suddenly, the substance shot out at her, latching itself onto her arm. Tessa drew back in alarm, stumbling away from the pillar. She tried brushing the strange liquid off of her, but it seemed to wrap itself around her, sinking into her skin as she desperately tried to pull it off. The glow vanished as the pillar slammed together, the crack sealing shut. Tessa's heart rate went ballistic as she felt the substance burrow itself deep into her body. The power already inside her mixed together with the new one and it felt like a hole was burning itself through her chest.
Tessa let out a strangled breath as she fell to her knees, unable to move the air in and out of her lungs properly. She was being pulled under by the weight of the battling forces inside her, and as the darkness began tunneling her vision down around her, she let out a scream before it swallowed her whole and she fell to the ground, unmoving.