Chapter 21)
"In the end, I think that I may have a slight bit of a problem. A chronic desire to backstage others to get what I want. However, the power which I will get from the transaction is much more intoxicating. And I have proven my point and allowed the Avengers to deal with a problem."
The Avengers flickered further and further away from Loki's eye, as he drifted to the next destination. They were having to deal with the contorted shadow monsters.
"And there are so many possibilities. It's true that I did not intend to go this direction. No matter how many people won't believe me. But, the moment the spear slid into my hand, it was not going to end well for anyone. Well, it's going to end rather well for me."
Loki arrived outside of the Wakandian embassy where several of the guards pointed their weapons at him.
"You don't belong here."
"How quaint."
Their spears were dangerous and could in fact do some serious damage. However, they lacked one quality, the power of Loki. Loki stabbed the spear forward and caused them all to crumble to dust. While he could do that to the guards, Loki did respect them as noble warriors.
Therefore forcing them to their knees and rendering them powerless for Loki to walk past would do rather nicely. Loki made his way into the embassy past them.
"Yes, yes, I won't get away with this," Loki said. "Heard it before. The book, the movie based on the book, the fanfiction based on the movie based on the book, everything."
Loki turned his attention to Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis.
"Fancy meeting you here, Doctor Foster," Loki said. "I'm not here to do you any harm. I just wish for the Nth metal that Shuri was studying. It could be of some use of fortifying my plans."
"You won't be getting it!" Jane yelled.
Loki just casually flicked the staff and Jane levitated off of the ground like a puppet on the string. Several of the shadowed figures moved in and they grabbed Darcy. Darcy struggled, and fought valiantly, but it felt as if she was just punching air. They could touch her, but she could not touch them.
"I'm not the villain, I stopped an invasion, but there will be more, if I don't become the ruler of all of the realms. Now, I'm sure you don't want Ms. Lewis to make a pretty little mess on the wall. So, why don't you point out the vault while I do the rest?"
Loki had no desire to murder any more than he had to. Murder without a purpose at least did not fit into his plans.
"It's a lot of power," Loki said.
"Yes, and you've gone mad with it.'
"Oh, no, my mind is clearer than it's ever been .And I can see how I must start reshaping all of the realms, one world at a time and I am….."
"LOKI!"
Thor crashed through the roof of the embassy. One mighty swing with Mjnolir knocked the shadow creatures away from Darcy. Thor slammed down onto the ground.
"Oh yes, a very impeccable entrance as usual," Loki dryly commented. "But, that won't stop me."
Thor's biggest regret was letting down his guard for one second. That's how Loki tricked him, that's how Loki always tricked him.
"Oh, dear brother, you abandoned the rest of the Avengers to chase after me," Loki said. "I'm touched."
"Not abandoned, Loki, and your forces are losing. It's allowed me the opportunity to….."
A beam of light erupted from the staff and slammed Thor around like a ragdoll. Thor powered out of the agony beam and smashed forward to hit Loki in the face. He disappeared into dust and reappeared behind Thor. Thor had been blasted once again.
A wall of pure energy erupted on the ground and separated Thor from his hammer. Thor dove at the wall only to find the energy blasting him back.
"We'll see how much the fabled Thor is without his hammer," Loki said.
"Then drop the staff and we'll settle this like men," Thor said.
"Mmm….no!"
Loki blasted Thor three times in succession. The god smoked from the energy which Loki just laughed at. Now that Thor was weakened, Loki kicked him around like a soccer ball, just like he always wanted to.
Thor caught Loki's foot upon the third kick and flipped him to the ground. Loki landed and sent a beam of light right through the face to hold Thor down to the ground. Thor struggled, breathing underneath it.
"Think of the consequences of what you're doing," Thor gasped.
Jane and Darcy watched. They had no idea what to do. But, surprisingly, Mjnolir lifted off of the ground and went straight into Jane's hand. Her eyes flashed with power and energy as she rose up to the ground.
Darcy gasped and this turned Loki's attention off of Thor to Jane. Loki reacted and chuckled as Jane held the hammer in her hand.
"Get away from him."
A wild swing of hammer, but Jane found herself flying off course and smashing down against the wall. Loki walked over as Jane yanked herself back up to try again. Loki casually performed a shield spell which the hammer reflected on and sent Jane flying back.
"So, you can wield the hammer," Loki said. "Bravo. Or rather, you have the ability to hold it and channel it's power. But, you have no idea how to wield it, do you."
Jane channeled all of the power possible and tried once again. This time, the shield broke for a second and Jane came close to smacking Loki in the face. Loki dodged the attack.
Then the window crashed upon as Shayera came down and cracked the mace back into the face of Loki. Jane's attacks, as novice as they were, had served as a distraction for Shayera to come in.
And she was not alone. Loki found himself facing a brand new group of Avengers, which Jane slipping the hammer back to the recovered Thor, although a certain amount of divine power still flowed through her body.
Loki zipped outside of the embassy outside, with the rest of the Avengers following him. Iron Man and Shuri joined in on the fight.
"You've forced my hand, Avengers," Loki said. "Now, let me show you what this spear is going to do."
"Loki, stop, you don't know what you're doing!"
"I do, and none of you are going to stop me."
Loki clasped his hand around the spear. Arrogance proved to be the downfall of many who held the spear and Loki was not a simple exception. Thor threw himself in front of the rest of the Avengers, but he was too late to stop what happened.
A rift ripped open in time and space. And judging by the look of abject shock crossing Loki's face, the rift was not what he expected. A swirl of energy erupted from the rift as green meteors began to rain from the sky. One of the larger meteors flew at the speed of light and knocked the spear out of Loki's hand and the others smashed the spear to bits, with them flying up into the vortex. The spear pieces have been knocked into time and space.
"NO!" Loki yelled.
"At the rate that's going, Earth could be destroyed," Iron Man said. "We have to find a way to close it."
"Yeah, but the spear was smashed, so how can we….." Captain Marvel asked.
A particularly large black meteor rock hit Loki directly in the chest and sent him flying through the nearest portal. Thor watched in abject horror as Loki appeared to have been ripped in half and sucked directly into oblivion for all to see.
There had been no time to mourn Loki's apparent demise because the meteors were about ready to crash down.
"We need to divert them somehow," Shuri said.
"Yes, of course, but it's easier said than done," Iron Man said. "We're going to need to reverse course, or at least mitigate the damage….."
Thor lifted his arm into the air and sent a vortex back to try and send the meteors flying back.
"Keep it up!" Wasp cheered. "You're doing it."
"Yes, but not enough," Thor commented. "I've only got so much strength and the battle with Loki has sapped some of it so…."
Jane grabbed Thor's arm and clasped the power. The power of Mjolnir channeled through her and Jane could feel her body transforming. Her dark hair turned blonde, her body became a little bit more defined and she grew slightly in height so she was almost neck and neck with Thor. The power of the hammer channeled through both of them.
"The two of us together, we can beat this!" Jane called out.
"Yes, yes, we can!" Thor thundered.
The vortex had been sealed, and most of the meteors rained into a harmless canyon area just a little bit away from where they were standing.
The second that they had closed the vortex. Thor inclined his head. Loki was gone. By arrogance of his own doing and despite the hideous way he went, Thor knew by now than to count him out just yet.
"That was exhausting," Jane said. "You make it look so easy. I can't do the same things that you can."
"Such efforts come with time and practice," Thor said. "Before you can utilize your new enhancements, you need the proper amount of training."
"And what enhancements they are," She-Hulk said.
Jane got a good look at her body. Even when she let go of the hammer, she retained it. By closing her eyes, Jane was able to return to her old form and then by concentrating hard again, she was able to go to her new Asgardian form. Although she was left with a headache and she almost collapsed into Thor's arms.
"We're going into uncharted territory," Thor said. "Best not to overexert yourself."
"We need to clear the area, and make sure people don't go near. Thankfully this is the Wakandian embassy, and there are very few people who are allowed."
Carol Danvers would have to take a personal interest in this mission.
"Agent Danvers, you better come here. Something crashed in this pod, and it's not meteors."
From beneath the cannon, Carol spied it. A pod which had fallen in the meteors. They had been so busy dealing with the chaos, which they missed the first time. Carol and the SWORD agents with her looked around.
"We have to get down there," Carol said. "Or rather, I will. Stand guard."
Carol lowered herself down and walked over to the pod. The technology on it was astounding, although it was empty. The front of the pod opened and whoever was inside, was not inside anymore.
They could not have gotten far. Carol flew out of the canyon to take a look around and then, off to the side, she noticed something. Which appeared to be a blonde woman dressed in white. And then, nothing but a blur as she went off in the other direction.
"Get the wreckage out of the canyon," Carol told them.
The SWORD agents could see Carol go off in the other direction.
"What is she doing?"
"Avengers things?" one of them suggested. "Let's get this up out of here. I've never seen anything like this in my life."
They lifted the pod up out of the cannon.
"What's that?"
Something silvery began to leak from the bottom of the ship. One of the agents reached for it, to prepare to take a sample, but a scientist shook his head.
"It looks as if some kind of nano-tech agent," the scientist said. "Don't touch it."
The substance oozed ominously from the bottom of the ship. A further study indicated that whatever it was, it was not part of the ship itself.
Curious, curious indeed.
The Shameless Smut Commences In the Next Chapter