Chapter One: The Anomaly
Dr. Darcy Lewis was pissed. Following the Westview incident during which she had been cuffed to a Humvee and abandoned to a swell of angry Hex magic, S.W.O.R.D. was firmly placed at the top of her shit list. It had been roughly a year since that had happened and a miserable four days since Thor had sent word that Jane had died, valiantly saving the children of New Asgard. And now, when Darcy wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and wallow in her grief, some fuckers at S.W.O.R.D. had strongarmed her into coming with them to investigate "an anomaly."
Darcy shuffled moodily along with Thing One and Thing Two as they escorted her to a cordoned off area in the middle of Nowheresville, Who Cares, USA. She flipped a switch on her Phase Meter, turning the device on as they walked. It lit up like a Christmas tree. Darcy stopped walking and stared at the screen. The last time she had seen readings remotely similar had been during the Convergence when portals were opening up and Jane had become infected by the Aether and… Darcy sucked in a sharp breath, holding back a sob. She blamed the Aether for Jane's cancer. It had ravaged her friend's body.
Darcy looked up and blinked rapidly, willing her tears away. She looked back down at the Phase Meter and pursed her lips. While the readings reminded her of what she had seen in London, they were actually quite different. She was fiddling with the settings when Thing One apparently noticed she wasn't walking with them anymore and called out to her.
"Miss Lewis!"
"Doctor Lewis!" Darcy snarled, glaring at him before turning her attention back to her device.
A hand touched her elbow and Darcy reacted violently, smacking Thing Two's knuckles with the Phase Meter. He yelped and jumped back, cradling his hand to his chest.
Darcy held her Phase Meter in front of her, pointing it at Thing Two and Thing One in turn while biting out, "Do. Not. Touch. Me."
Thing Two nodded jerkily and stammered, "Sorry, ma'am. Doctor! Sorry, doctor ma'am!"
"Doctor Lewis," Thing One said coolly. "If you would please follow me through here…?" He gestured to a door next to him.
Darcy glared at the two of them and growled, "As if I have a choice," before shouldering her way past them and into the room. She was looking down at her Phase Meter as she walked, brows furrowed in concentration at the data she was reading. "That's impossible," she muttered to herself. The cosmic energy readings were perfect. No degradations. It was as if she was at the source of all cosmic energy.
Darcy scowled and whacked the meter against the heel of her hand. The numbers didn't change. She turned it off and turned it back on. Again, no change. "What the actual –" she was cut off by Thing Two cautiously saying, "Doctor Ma'am…" She looked up at him with a blank face. He was pointing across the room. Darcy followed the trajectory of his finger with her eyes and gasped when her gaze locked onto a glowing green orb hovering at eye level.
"That's new," she said dryly. Darcy glanced down at the Phase Meter's readings then looked back up at the orb. "Huh." Slowly, she approached the orb, stopping an arm's length away from it.
"Oh, crap!" she exclaimed, smacking her forehead. "I didn't even think! Jeez, Lewis…" she muttered to herself as she dug in her handbag for another device. It wasn't there. Of course, if S.W.O.R.D. had bothered to tell her anything she wouldn't have shown up underprepared.
Whirling on Thing One, she pointed to him and said, "You! Have you gotten any radiation readings from this thing? Did I just freaking walk into Chernobyl?"
His eyes widened briefly in alarm before he tilted his head, listening to his earpiece. A neutral expression returned to his face, and he calmly stated, "Radiation levels have been measured at Category Two."
In her peripheral vision, Darcy noticed Thing Two glancing hurriedly between herself and Thing One. She rolled her eyes briefly and, while turning back to the orb, said, "Cat Two's fine." She took a step closer to the orb. A small part of her, a really stupid part of her, wanted to touch the orb. Nope, she told herself, don't be stupid. Instead, purely out of highly intelligent doctorate-level curiosity, she blew on it.
It reacted.
Until then the orb had been suspended lazily in the air. When she blew on it, the orb began to spin quickly. A blue light appeared next to it, enveloping it. Blue and green mixed to make a pretty turquoise. The orb spun faster and faster, flattening into a disc shape and widening.
Darcy took a step back, eyes wide. Something dark began to take shape in the center of the disc. As she watched on, Darcy realized she was looking at a portal opening. She stepped forward again, craning her neck forward to see into the portal. Dimly, she was aware of voices speaking loudly and quickly in the background and the sound of doors opening and closing. She tuned it all out, focusing solely on the image in front of her.
It was nighttime in the portal, and she was looking down on an open expanse of desert. There was a vehicle off-roading, kicking up clouds of dirt, and far enough below it looked like a little Hot Wheels car. Darcy squinted her eyes and angled closer. That van looked familiar. When she saw that it was barreling toward a geomagnetic storm, everything clicked into place. It was Jane's old work van in Puente Antiguo.
"Ohhhh myyyy goooood…." Darcy breathed. Before she could blink, a yellow beam of light and an orange beam of light shot out of the portal and lashed around her wrists, yanking her forward. Darcy screamed as she was hurtled through the portal and flung through the night sky toward the van. The beams of light wrapped around her wrists were emanating from inside of it and as she was flung, screaming, closer to it, Darcy realized they were coming from the driver's seat.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING?" she shrieked. There was no answer, only a rushing in her ears as she sped closer to the van. By now the geomagnetic storm had opened up into what Darcy knew was the Bifrost, kicking up a huge billowing cloud of desert dirt. Darcy threw her forearms in front of her face as she careened into the roof of the van. Instead of crashing, though, she phased right through it and slammed into her fourteen-years-younger self, snapping into her younger body like a rubber band. The beams of lights faded from her wrists, and she found herself clutching the steering wheel, foot on the accelerator, while Jane yanked the wheel to the right.
Instinctively, Darcy slammed on the brakes, smacking her chest into the wheel as the van lurched forward, skidding to a stop but not before ramming into a figure emerging from the dust cloud.
A beat passed and then Darcy opened her mouth and shrieked, "What the FUCK?!" She turned her head and made eye contact with Jane.
"JANE!" Darcy jabbed at the seatbelt release and clambered over the console, practically throwing herself into Jane's lap. She threw her arms around the startled astrophysicist and sobbed into her shoulder.
"Darcy?" Jane said, hesitantly. "Darcy, are you okay? Shh! It's okay. It's not your fault. Everything's okay." She pet Darcy's hair soothingly. "Erik, will you...?"
"Yep," Erik replied, and Darcy heard the sound of a van door opening and closing as Erik got out.
Jane continued to coo over Darcy's head, mistaking her tears for worry over having hit someone. But Darcy wasn't worried about Thor – she knew he was alright physically. She was in shock over having Jane back. She had spent a year privately mourning her friend's illness, though not where Jane could have ever seen. And she had spent the last four days grieving her death.
"Jaaane!" she wailed pitifully. Jane continued to pet and soothe her.
"He's alive!" Erik's voice hollered from outside.
"There, you see?" Jane said, "Everything will be okay. Besides, I'm the one who grabbed the wheel. It was my fault. I shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry, Darcy. Everything will be fine. You'll see." Jane gently but firmly pushed Darcy up and off her shoulder.
Darcy sat up and wiped her wrist under her nose. "Janey, I…" she trailed off, looking desperately into Jane's eyes.
"Come on," Jane ordered firmly. "I'll grab the first aid kit."
Darcy nodded automatically. "Okay." She climbed back over the console, bruising her thigh on the gear stick in the process. Sliding out of the van, Darcy stumbled and caught herself on shaky legs. Everything felt weird. Her center of balance felt slightly off, and she was lightheaded. Everything felt surreal as she shakily walked around the front of the van to the Bifrost site where Thor was lying on his side.
Jane rushed to Thor's side with the first aid kit. Darcy watched as if in slow motion as Thor rolled onto his back and looked up at Jane, a look of utter confusion and grief on his face. There was a long moment where nobody moved, then Thor leapt up from the ground and turned in circles yelling, "Hammer? Hammer!"
As if in a dream, Darcy drifted forward toward Thor and reached out to touch his arm. Thor flinched violently, flinging his arm out and knocking her back a few steps. Though startled, Darcy was unharmed, and she raised both hands placatingly and pointed toward the site where Mjolnir had landed. "Hammer's that way, buddy," she said calmly.
Thor spun to look at her then off in the direction she was pointing. He raised his hand, opening his palm in the direction she had indicated, but nothing happened. His face crumpled in disappointment and Darcy nearly cried again. She remembered this Thor, the arrogant prince banished to Midgard. But she also remembered the strong, mature, and kingly Thor she had last seen, who had wielded Mjolnir fiercely.
Thor began to stalk off toward the crash site. Darcy jogged after him, leaving Jane and Erik behind as they examined the Bifrost runes in the dirt. Coming up alongside him, Darcy gently said, "Hey," before placing her hand on his arm again. The muscles under his arm tensed, but he did not fling her off him this time as he stopped walking abruptly and looked down at her. "I can give you a ride, if you want," she said, tilting her head toward the van. "Get you there quicker."
Thor nodded. "I thank you," he said.
Darcy began to turn toward the van when she felt him tug on her arm and turn her back toward him. His brows were furrowed in concern, and he cupped her face gently in one large, warm hand. Rubbing a calloused thumb over the tear tracks on her cheek, he asked, "Did I harm you?" His eyes roved over her body briefly, but she was bundled up for a cold desert night so none of her skin was showing other than her face and hands.
For a brief second, Darcy leaned into his touch, feeling safe and secure in her friend's strong hands when the world around her was a confusing mess. But she only indulged for a second before reaching up and gently pulling his hand from her face. "No," she said. "In fact, I think it's the other way around," she deflected. "I hit you with the van. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
Thor scoffed and said haughtily, "It would take more than that primitive vehicle to harm me! I am Thor, mightiest of the Aesir!"
And there was arrogant younger Thor again. Darcy rolled her eyes and pulled away from him. "Yeah, alright. C'mon mighty Thor. Let's go find your hammer," she said.
Thor bristled and growled, "You think to mock me?!"
Oh, good grief, Darcy thought, narrowing her eyes at her currently annoying friend-who-doesn't-know-he's-her-friend. Yet. "Do you want a ride, or not?" she asked.
Thor glared at her a moment but then nodded his head. Scowling, he walked past her to the van and slid into the front passenger seat. Erik looked up at the sound of the door closing and looked to Darcy questioningly. Darcy shrugged and said, "I offered to give him a lift. Seemed the least I could do, considering." Erik nodded and prodded at Jane while Darcy clambered back into the driver's seat, next to Thor.
Once everyone was in the vehicle, Darcy drove toward the site of Thor's hammer. Though it had been fourteen years since she had been there, every location of significance in Puente Antiguo was burned into her memory. She grimaced as she remembered the Destroyer. That was still coming. And the Chitauri in New York, and… No! she scolded herself. Don't think about what's to come. Not yet. Now is not the time for a breakdown. Darcy shook herself lightly, ridding herself of the thoughts. Thor glanced at her questioningly and, keeping her eyes forward, she simply said, "Just a chill."
"Look!" Jane chirped, pointing between the front seats and up toward the sky. Darcy leaned forward and looked up. The sky was glowing again. A bright light shot out and arced to the ground a short distance in front of them. "A meteorite!" Jane squealed. The ground trembled briefly under the wheels of the van as it hit the earth.
"The sky is really talking tonight," Erik quipped.
Darcy kept her eyes forward but was acutely aware that Thor had turned his sharp gaze on her. She bit her lip as he continued to stare at her and resolutely refused to turn toward him. She hit the brakes and parked the van at the edge of the smoking crater. Dirt was raining down all around them, plinking and plopping against the roof. Still looking straight ahead, Darcy licked her lips nervously and said, "I think this is your stop." She felt Thor's gaze on her another moment before he turned and exited the vehicle. The moment the door closed behind him, Darcy released a huge breath and sagged into her seat.
It took all of her willpower to convince her fellow astrophysicists to stay in the vehicle instead of exploring a very fresh meteorite site. In fact, she failed multiple times and had had to drag them back in, stating Thor needed privacy, and didn't they owe him that considering they'd hit him with the van?
It was about ten minutes later before Thor returned, slumping dejectedly in the front seat without a word. The moment he entered the vehicle, Jane and Erik bolted, sliding down into the crater, arms loaded with equipment. Darcy reached across the console and placed a hand on Thor's arm. Slowly, his eyes traveled from her hand to her face, meeting her gaze with a look of despair. Darcy squeezed his arm. "You'll earn it back," she said.
"You've foreseen it?" he asked, brokenly.
"Uhhhh…." Darcy panicked, eyes flitting side-to-side. Before she could stammer a response, Thor placed his hand over her own and looked intently into her eyes.
"I understand. I will keep your secret safe. You have given me hope, my lady." He patted her hand and released her.
"Thanks," Darcy squeaked. Feeling awkward, she climbed out of the van, mumbling something about wrangling her friends. She peered over the edge of the crater and snorted as she caught sight of Erik attempting to pull Mjolnir from a rock. Jane was hovering over him, her camcorder in one hand and a homemade scatterometer in the other. Veins were popping in Erik's neck as he pulled on the hammer.
"Looks like you won't be ruling Camelot!" Darcy called out to him.
The scientists looked up toward her. Erik released the hammer and said, "Eh?" while wiping sweat from his brow.
Darcy gestured to the hammer, lodged into a rock pedestal, and explained, "It's all very Sword in the Stone. Clearly, Erik, you're not worthy. Sorry, man."
Jane laughed and shoved her equipment in Erik's arms. She tugged at the handle of the hammer to no avail. As she let go, Jane giggled and said, "Oh well. Worth a shot! Who wants to rule anyway?" Darcy closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, calming herself. She hadn't had the opportunity to see Jane wield Mjolnir, but she knew that she had been worthy at one point…or rather would be worthy in the future. And wielding the hammer had contributed to killing her.
Feeling an odd mixture of melancholy over the future and immense joy and relief over the present, Darcy herded her scientist friends out of the crater and deposited them back in the van. Glancing in the rear-view mirror while buckling her seatbelt, she met Jane's eyes. Jane raised an eyebrow and gave her a pointed look.
"Right," Darcy said, "Introductions. Guys, this is Thor. Thor, this is Erik and Jane, who is quite possibly the smartest woman on the planet."
"Oh jeez, Darce, I don't know about that," Jane demurred. "It's nice to meet you, Thor," she said. Thor nodded to both, then turned to Darcy and raised his eyebrows, giving her a questioning look.
"Oh, right. I'm Darcy," she said, holding out her hand. Thor reached past her hand and grasped her forearm firmly. Startled, she reciprocated. Where his fingers were able to wrap all the way around her arm, hers were only able to cup one of his bulging forearm muscles and had no hope of wrapping all the way around. It amused her and she huffed a single chuckle.
"Lady Darcy," he said sincerely, "I am grateful for your patience and assistance."
"It's really no trouble," she said awkwardly. "Um, why don't we head back? I think we have a guest room…" Darcy trailed off suddenly remembering that Erik had been staying in the only other bedroom while Jane slept in her camper. "No worries, we'll put you up for the night," she said decidedly. Jane and Erik both gave her questioning looks and Darcy waved them off, reclaiming her arm and backing the van away from the crater.
Upon returning to the lab at Smith Motors, Darcy showed him to her room. She casually scooped up a few items as she pointed him around the small space and backed out, closing the door behind her. She carried her bundle to the couch in the lab, tossing a blanket and pillow down and carrying her sweats to the bathroom to change.
"You didn't have to give up your room," Jane whispered when she emerged from the bathroom.
Darcy shrugged, "The couch is too small for him, and he's had a crappy day. I don't mind."
"We probably should have taken him to the hospital," Jane worried.
Darcy winced, "Yeah, you're probably right. Why don't we see how he is in the morning? And take him then, if he needs it?"
Jane nodded in agreement and looked thoughtfully at Darcy's bedroom door. "Do you think…I mean, Erik said in Norse mythology there is a Thor who has a hammer. Do you think he's…delusional? Like off his meds or something?"
Darcy huffed in amusement, thinking of all the fantastical things that she had seen Thor do. "Nah," she said, "I think he's just a man who's hit rock bottom and doesn't know what to do next. I figure we let him get a good night of sleep, take him to breakfast, then get him back on his feet."
Jane smiled sweetly at her. "You're a good person, Darcy Lewis," she said.
"Aw, thanks."
"I mean it. We need more Darcy's in the world."
Darcy sniffled and reached out for Jane, hugging her tightly, cherishing the contact with the friend she had just recently been mourning. "And I need you, Jane," she whispered.
