A/N:: There are a lot of things going on in this chapter, but it's what you've all been waiting for.
HELICARRIER
It was hard to convince SHIELD to treat Loki the same as they treated Clint Barton, but Thor had way more leverage than he wanted to have when he discovered that Harry had been thrown off the vessel. Hela had already left for Helheim with the scepter when Thor had found out.
Thor didn't even feel the devastation he'd felt when he'd thought Loki had died or the anger when he'd found Loki alive. He was just hollow, empty, at this point. SHIELD was trying to locate Harry (or his body) based on his comm device but they were still trying to get their systems up after the hijacking Barton had given them before Natasha had given him a "cognitive recalibration" on one of the lower decks. Banner survived at least. Thor didn't know if he'd be able to resist killing him if he saw him.
He focused on Loki, knowing that he didn't have much of a chance to help Harry. Loki struggled for several hours with getting oriented and then everything he'd done. Once Thor had filled him in, he'd been much more forgiving of everything that had led to his mind controlled actions. He was, in fact, outright remorseful.
"I should not have lashed out as I did," said Loki as soon as Thor entered his guarded room.
"You were distressed," said Thor, "and there was no real harm done on Asgard."
"Except the emotional toll," said Loki.
Thor nodded. In other life, he might've entirely disregarded the mental impact such events could have but he knew all too well how strong non-physical pain really was. "What was your plan for the Tesseract after taking over?"
Loki shook his head, "I was supposed to give it to my benefactor."
"Who was your benefactor?" Thor asked, "Hela tried to get you to speak about it earlier."
Loki shook his head, "that's not important right now."
"Loki," said Thor impatiently, "we need to ensure nobody else gets hurt."
"You sound like the Captain," said Loki humorously.
"This is no time for jests!"
Loki's small smile melted away, "has it occured to you, brother, that my memories of the void may be more painful than you can imagine?"
No, it hadn't. Thor didn't say this though, but he did calm down. That was uncharacteristically vulnerable for Loki so he decided to drop it, "my apologies."
Loki nodded jerkily, "where is Harry?"
Thor closed his eyes painfully. He didn't see the look of absolute horror that came over Loki's face.
"No," he whispered.
Thor cracked his eyes open, tears brimming even as he tried to come with some reassurance, "we don't know for sure—Banner survived from what we can tell."
Loki shook his head wordlessly.
"We are tracking his comm device," said Thor. "We'll find him."
"Let me off the bed," Loki demanded, tugging on the restraints, "I don't want to break their bed."
Thor went over and undid the latches, letting Loki stand up and rub his wrist. He was only wearing a generic SHIELD tee shirt and his trousers without the metallic golden armor that was his trademark. The grabbed his boots immediately and yanked them on, fastening up the shin and knee guards.
Thor, knowing what he'd go for next, grabbed his shirt and over jacket. Loki took those and changed from his T-shirt and then put on his armor. He went sans-cape and helmet, like Thor, and, to Thor's quiet joy, turned his shoulder clasps so the Asgardian Royal crest was visible like they had always been.
"We need to find Harry," said Loki, "where is your tracking device?"
"In the lab with the Man of Iron," said Thor, leading the way.
SHIELD agents shot Loki wary looks as they walked by but nobody questioned them as they moved through the Helicarrier.
Thor knew Agent Romanoff was speaking with Barton and thought it best to avoid them for now, so took a slightly longer route. Unfortunately, they ran into the Son of Coul.
"Hey!" Coulson called, "what's he doing out of his room?"
"Finding our brother," said Loki.
The Son of Coul looked at Thor who nodded, "Loki is back to his old self!" He said happily.
"Yes, yes," said Loki in annoyance, "let us hurry, now. Harry, remember?"
"Right, of course," said Thor, "we are going to Stark's lab."
"I'm not sure if I can let—"
"Are they all this annoying?" Loki asked, marching away despite not knowing where he was going in the slightest. "Why would anyone want to rule them?" He asked himself.
Thor hurried after him and they arrived in Stark's lab shortly thereafter. Steve and Tony were discussing how to extract the Tesseract from New York when they arrived.
"Where is Harry?" Loki asked immediately.
"Whoa!" Stark exclaimed, "who let Reindeer games in?"
"Loki is fine," Thor assured them.
"Are you sure he should be running around the ship?" Steve asked.
"I want to find my brother," Loki insisted, brushing by them after he spotted what looked like a tracking device.
"And we're trying to figure out how to stop your plans," said Stark.
"I am sorry for my actions," said Loki, "I was not in my right mind."
Steve nodded, "well we could use all the help we can get to stop this invasion. You said it would happen without you?"
"I believe so," said Loki, being helpful for once. "The others should still be under the influence of the scepter and acting according to the wishes of the Other," he said. And Thanos. He shuddered.
"I am not sure if he will come to lead them personally once he realizes what has happened," Loki continued, "but I can shut down the portal—I think. You still need to destroy the Chitauri or they will still come for Midgard."
"You're not going to fight with us?" Stark demanded, "you kind of started this whole thing!"
"Finding my brother is my first priority," said Loki, "if you need my help after, I shall try to assist."
Suddenly the screen blinked, "What was that?" Loki asked, pulling his hands away.
Stark walked over to him and peered at the display, "got wonder boy!"
"Where?" They all chorused.
"Scotland?" Tony said incredulously. "He must be alive to have gotten all the way there."
"Of course!" Loki muttered, "I will retrieve him."
HARRY
Harry woke up on full alert. Shock was the first thing that coursed through him. How was he alive? Had he imagined everything? He was comfortable. He didn't feel any soreness or discomfort. Nothing felt broken. Not even out of place. He must have imagined that. A fall that epic wouldn't have left him feeling this good so quickly. He assumed it hadn't happened long ago. Then again, he thought as panic began to rear up, it could've been weeks ago. If it happened at all.
He was on a bed. Not his. The sheets weren't right. He cracked an eye open. He knew this room.
"Hello?" He called hesitantly.
"She's not here I'm afraid," a new voice said. He knew that voice.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked… what? Well, he was in the Hogwarts infirmary.
"Hello Harry," said Dumbledore, coming into view as he made towards where Harry lay. Harry pulled himself upright and watched him. "Madam Pomfrey is visiting her niece in York for a few weeks. I've had a friend of mine keep an eye on you instead. I'll introduce you when she comes back."
"Oh," said Harry. "How did I get here?"
"You fell out of the sky in the States. MACUSA found you and sent you here. You didn't need much medical attention, miraculously enough."
Shit. There was no way Dumbledore didn't know something was up. Madam Pomfrey had never treated him for anything so he'd been able to avoid detection but this time it appeared he hadn't been so lucky. His biology was too different from a human's for it to go unnoticed.
The conversation didn't take it's expected course.
"I have asked you before and you have not deigned to give me an honest answer, but I'm afraid I must insist now," Dumbledore began, "is there anything you need to tell me?"
"No," said Harry firmly. He was going to make Dumbledore spill everything he knew before he decided what he was going to fill in.
"What do you know about Sirius Black?" Dumbledore asked instead.
"The escaped mass murderer?" Harry asked. He made sure the play dumb. He couldn't admit to having heard of him from James Potter. He couldn't say he knew he was innocent. He certainly wasn't going to mention that Asgard had already taken care of it. As long as Dumbledore was going to play oblivious he would too.
"Yes," said Dumbledore. "The ministry fears that he is after you."
"I'll keep that in mind," said Harry.
"This is a long story that could be made short with a simple 'after he escaped and with this in mind, I went to check on your safety at Privet Drive,'" said Dumbledore.
Harry stared at him, face blank. Was this the part of the conversation between his parents that he'd missed? Quite possibly. It would also explain why his father hadn't sent him down with Thor to go after Loki.
"And I, as you know, discovered you weren't there," said Dumbledore, "but what was really fascinating was the conversation I had with your aunt. If she's even your aunt, I suppose."
Harry blinked, "I'm sorry?"
"I know you aren't James and Lily's biological son. According to Healer Vance, you aren't any known species," said Dumbledore. "I need the truth Harry."
"This is insane," said Harry, shaking his head in denial.
"You aren't a particularly good liar," Dumbledore pointed out, "I'm not sure whether I am relieved by that or not. Who are you? Are you even the same child I sent to the Dursleys all those years ago? Petunia implied you were."
"Yes," said Harry flatly, "I had the pleasure of living with them for 10 years thanks to you."
Dumbledore inclined his head, as if in apology, "I did not think there was any other option and from what I hear, it was a part-time arrangement at most. But that does beg the question, why did you keep coming back, why are you here?"
"Can I go now?" Harry asked impatiently, his thoughts wandering back to Loki and Thor and the Tesseract.
"You'll be staying here for the rest of the summer," said Dumbledore with a shake of his head, "with Black on the loose, we cannot risk you going missing again. You are still a child and I'm not sending you off by yourself."
Harry's jaw twitched. Dumbledore didn't look smug, at least, or particularly happy or angry. Just calm and serene. Harry wanted to throttle him.
"I have a family as you alluded to," said Harry. "They will come for me and you might regret being on the opposite side of them."
"I'd like to meet them," said Dumbledore. "I am terribly curious about the family of an unknown species of people that left a child in the middle of a war zone."
"It's more complicated than that," Harry snapped back petulantly. "And I'm not some unknown animal!" It really bothered Harry that Dumbledore hadn't done anything that couldn't be dismissed as being a responsible adult. Despite essentially kidnapping him.
"I didn't mean to imply you were," said Dumbledore, "but you have yet to give me any sort of information as to your identity, other than parading around as Harry Potter."
"I am Harry Potter," said Harry.
"I distinctly recall Lily being pregnant," said Dumbledore, "what happened to her child?"
"His name is Charlus," said Harry quietly, thinking about his brother from his other mother.
Dumbledore looked at him with, in Harry's opinion, too much curiosity. "The Potters aren't—?"
"Dead," said Harry, "all of them."
"I can see this is a painful subject for you," said Dumbledore, not unkindly, "I shall let you be for now. I just need some assurance that you are not a threat to anyone in the castle."
"Only if you swear to never speak of any of this to anyone," said Harry.
Dumbledore seemed to size him up, as if deciding whether this would be worth it, "you will tell me more later?"
Harry paused, "what you are allowed to know—yes."
"You have a deal, then." They shook on it, both infusing it with binding magic without telling the other.
Emmeline Vance—Dumbledore's healer friend—took care of him after the Headmaster left. She brought him food and some books to read while she monitored his health. She didn't ask any questions about his apparent alien biology and he swore her to silence under her healer oath. She didn't resist either. Vance talked to him for several hours about her life and healing and her time at Hogwarts too. It was actually kind of nice after the past few days.
Harry wasn't sure why he didn't just leave. Maybe it was because he was still a little sore. Maybe it was because he didn't want to fight and injure Vance. Perhaps he was still wary of Dumbledore whom he didn't know if he could beat. He should be able to blow him away. Anyone else in his family could (he suspected) but Dumbledore had something powerful about him that made him wonder just how powerful the mortal really was.
THE TENTH REALM
Heven was not what outsiders might expect. For one thing, it was almost exclusively women, though maybe that might not be a surprise. Men (Anchorites) were rare and had a specific purpose that saw them locked in temples from birth. They were also wingless and somewhat defenseless, untrained as they were in the art of combat. The women, on the other hand, were literal angels. White feathered wings, silver band helmets, and everything.
They all knew damn well that they were not what people imagined when they heard "heven" or more accurately, "heaven" but they certainly didn't care. They stuck to their own values, twisted though they may be. They had protected Midgard, once upon a time. At the behest of Odin. It was a truly shameful time in their history.
That was neither here nor there. Here was another matter entirely.
The throne room of Heven was everything you'd expect of a place with such a name and home to such residents as Angels. It was a massive, grand, white marble and gold affair with large columns and sweeping views of the entire realm. It was lofted high above the capital and played host to the Queen of the Angels.
This was where Angela had been summoned.
Though she had come alone, the palace was far from empty, it was teeming in fact, so she felt like she was on familiar ground. She was, actually. As a girl, she'd spent a lot of time here with her mother serving the Queen as she had. Running around, training, playing, getting bullied for not having wings.
She was the only female actually, who didn't have wings. It was pathetic. Even now she was self conscious about that, despite everything.
"Where are you headed?" A very welcome voice had called as she got ready to leave her manor.
"The Queen has summoned me," said Angela, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder carelessly.
"What for?" Sera asked. Sera was also wingless. But that was because she was born a "he" and later switched. She'd had to escape the temples too, which is how they met. It was a long story but the gender switch was good for hiding her identity too. She was also Angela's best friend.
"An assignment, I'm assuming," said Angela with a shrug, "that's normally what it is."
"Oh," said Sera.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Angela asked.
"Well…I was kind of hoping we could go do something later," said Sera.
"Oh," said Angela, mirroring Sera's earlier response. "When I get back I promise we'll go."
"Alright," said Sera, grabbing her hand, "good luck."
"Thank you," said Angela, squeezing the hand back, "I shall return in soon."
"And healthy," added Sera.
"That too," said Angela knowing that that was not always a promise she could keep. Sera knew it too, but it was nice to pretend.
Angela had gathered some supplies and gone on her way. It was a long trek when one couldn't fly.
She got there eventually and was escorted straight to the throne room. She bowed immediately upon entering, "your majesty."
"Rise, Angela," said the Queen imperiously.
Angela didn't say anything but straightened comfortably. They knew each other well enough to be a little more laid back.
"I suppose your presence indicates you believe yourself to be headed on a mission at the behest of the crown?" The Queen asked from her perch on top of the throne's dias.
Angela blinked a few times, taken aback at the strange phrasing, "yes, your majesty. I am prepared to go on a quest at your will."
The Queen made a strange sort of cross between a chuckle and a snort, "and what of your reward?"
"My normal reward of honors and a comfortable living will suffice," said Angela, now beginning to frown.
The Queen shook her head, a small strange smile on her face. Her eyes glinted manically, "how did I not see it before?"
"Pardon, your majesty?" Angela continued confusedly.
"No true Angel would be foolish enough to settle for anything less than a firm, quantitative reward," said the Queen.
Angela felt anxiety rise in her stomach as she averted her eyes from the Queen of the Angels, "I'm sorry? I do not understand what you mean." She had a feeling she knew exactly what the Queen was referring.
"When that Sera boy," girl, Angela corrected mentally, "escaped, we knew it was the work of an Asgardian, from the blood sample taken at the crime scene."
"Yes," said Angela, "I am still looking for how it was possible for someone from that realm to break in—"
"And I wondered too," said the Queen, "how could such an enemy of ours—the very race that destroyed our connection to Yggdrasil—sneak in, undetected by even our greatest assassin, and then escape with such a dangerous Anchorite as Sera. Why would they?"
"I'm not sure what their motive was," said Angela uncomfortably. She would never forget the briefing in which she found that out. That's when all the pieces had clicked for her.
"I have solved our little mystery," said the Queen. "And I think you have too."
Angela's breath caught in her chest as if she'd had it forcefully kicked out of her. She swallowed a gulp as it suddenly became clear as day what the Queen was implying.
"Guards!" The Queen called, but Angela was already surrounded so she had no chance to mount a defense. "I should have never trusted Loriel to dispose of you Asgardian," she said nastily.
"What?" Angela repeated. Did the Queen and her adopted mother know who she actually was? Who her family was? She knew she was Asgardian. That she'd figured out. She didn't know who her family was though, nor how she'd ended up here. Loriel had died many years ago without ever breathing a word of this to Angela.
"To think, you were our mightiest assassin!" The Queen bemoaned as the guards closed in on her, swords out and ready. "You'll be executed in the morning, unfortunately not with your little friend."
Angela's mind wandered to Sera, horror coursing through her veins, "no," she whispered.
"Yes," said the Queen, "your manor is being raided as we speak. Sera died putting up quite the resistance."
Devastation came through her like a tidal wave. It rode through making her nauseous and off balance. She shook and swayed, trembling as her mind's eye pictured Sera's tortured last moments. Her midnight black hair going flying as she fell backwards, her lips moving wordlessly from incantation to a cry of shock and pain. Her eyes glinting one last time. She was supposed to protect her. They were supposed to go shopping. Suddenly her vision cleared and she was angry. Very angry.
Anger rose up inside like nothing she'd ever felt. She felt powerful all of a sudden. Her vision twisted as I'd seen through a brilliant white glow around the edges. Her awareness of everything peaked beyond what she could even hope to comprehend. She wanted out of there. Away from the pain. Away from this Queen. Away from Heven. As far as she could get.
She got exactly what she wished for. It barely registered before she fell unconscious, drained beyond belief.