Chapter Three: Thieving Feds and a Plotting Heroine
Darcy was rewatching the hilarious clip of Thor smashing a coffee mug on her phone when a couple of locals meandered in talking boisterously about the excitement at the crater. A flash of irritation crossed Thor's face and he tensed momentarily as they described the "satellite" that couldn't be moved before relaxing and continuing to eat. When the men lamented "the Feds" showing up at the site, Thor leaned over and asked Darcy, "What are 'Feds'?"
"Federal agents," she leaned in conspiratorially. "They work for the government."
Thor scowled. "Governments complicate matters."
Darcy nodded sagely, "'Tis their nature."
Thor gave her a meaningful look as he asked, "Same or different?"
"Same," she replied.
"How did it go last time?"
"Poorly. Let's talk some more somewhere else, yeah?"
Thor nodded. "Agreed."
Darcy turned to find Jane and Erik staring at them. "Uhhh, hey guys. What's up?"
Jane pointed back and forth between Darcy and Thor. "Do you two know each other?" she asked.
"Yeeeah," Darcy drawled, "remember how we hit him with our car and then he spent the night?"
"No, I mean before that. Hang on, spent the…did you – "
"Ack! Jane! No! Jeez! Get your mind out of the gutter!" Darcy smacked Jane on the arm playfully. "Don't be gross."
"Gross?!" Thor interjected. "Am I truly so hideous by Midgardian standards?"
"Stop it!" Darcy exclaimed, "Not helping!" she swatted at him, backhanding his abdomen and subsequently bruising her knuckles.
"Owww," she complained, shaking her abused hand out while Thor chuckled heartily.
Erik rolled his eyes and gestured to their server for the bill.
Darcy turned to Thor and, with sarcasm laced in her voice, said, "You're very pretty and your muscles are deadly." Thor preened.
Darcy and Jane caught each other's eyes and chortled. Erik settled the bill while Jane and Darcy contributed to the tip, making sure to leave a good one considering Thor's earlier exuberance. "Come on guys, back to the Batcave!" Darcy exclaimed, looping an arm through Jane's. "I printed out some pictures you might find interesting," she said, steering Jane towards the van and redirecting her mind from questions about Darcy and Thor's earlier conversation. She was amused to overhear Erik trying to explain the Batman reference to Thor in the background.
As they were driving to the lab, a truck passed them, headed the opposite direction, with some very familiar equipment in the bed. "What the hell?!" Jane shrieked. Smith Motors was visible up ahead and they could see people swarming in and around the lab. Jane gunned the accelerator, lurching them forward and, upon arriving at the lab, slammed on the brakes.
"Oof!" Darcy rubbed at her chest where the seatbelt had crossed.
Jane was out of the van in a shot, storming up to the lab while yelling, "What the hell is going on here?!" Erik was hot on her heels.
Thor twisted around in his seat to look at Darcy questioningly.
"Yeah, I can't believe I forgot about this part," she said.
"These are your government men?" Thor asked. Darcy pursed her lips and nodded.
"Yup. They're taking all of Jane's research." She cut a glance at him. "You might want to lay low, seeing as you're part of that research now." At Thor's confused expression, she explained, "We have recordings of the Bifrost and a picture of you in it." She grimaced. "Sorry."
"No matter," Thor waved away her apology.
"C'mon." Darcy hopped out of the van and led Thor up to the roof of the lab. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, both with arms crossed, watching government agents swiftly load Jane's entire life's work into shiny black vehicles. Jane was arguing and gesticulating wildly while Erik kept leaning in and whispering in Jane's ear, clearly trying to calm her down.
Darcy sighed. "Things are about to start moving quickly," she said. "And there's something you need to know about your brother."
"Loki?!" Thor exclaimed incredulously. "What does he have to do with any of this?" He gestured toward the agents.
"Nothing, yet. But he's about to involve himself in a big way." Darcy led him to a couple of beach chairs in the middle of the roof. As they settled, Thor more awkwardly with his massive thighs framing the wobbly chair, Darcy casually asked, "What do you know about Loki's adoption?"
"His WHAT?" Thor startled and the chair broke underneath him. As he hauled himself out of the broken pieces and off the ground, Thor looked at her in shock. "He's adopted?"
Darcy grimaced. "I wasn't sure what you knew yet. Dang. I hate to be the one to break that to you. Sorry." She scratched her head and looked off into the distance.
Thor paced back and forth for a moment then turned to Darcy. "Seriously?" he asked. She nodded. "Does he know?"
Darcy exhaled heavily, "He just found out. And in a pretty crappy way, too."
"How? What happened?"
"What was that planet called? The one you went to recently. Yoda something?"
"Jotunheim?"
Darcy snapped and pointed at him. "Yes! That's the one! As I understand it, while you guys were there, something happened, and Loki found out he's one of those Jotunheim people."
"This is madness. Surely you jest?" Darcy shook her head no. "Loki cannot be a Jotun. He looks nothing like them! They are hideous blue giants with horrifying red eyes!"
"Okay, first of all, maybe don't describe them as hideous and horrifying if you are wanting to keep a relationship with your brother."
"I speak the truth. They are beastly creatures."
"On second thought, go ahead. Get it all out of your system now. I'm a safe space." Darcy rolled her eyes.
"How can this be? How could my brother be a – a – a -"
"Don't say monster."
"A monster! Yes!" Darcy smacked her forehead.
"Okay, you know this freak out you're having right now? Imagine having it about yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"Thor, you're adopted, too. You are also a Jotun."
"WHAT!?"
"That's false. But did it freak you out?"
Thor panted heavily. A vein throbbed in his forehead and his fists were clenched.
"What I'm trying to say is that Loki grew up with the same prejudice toward the Jotun. He had the same freak out you're having now only like a thousand times worse because it's about himself. Everything he knows about himself is a lie. How do you think he feels?"
Thor covered his face with his hands and dragged them down to his chin. "Betrayed. And that will make him very dangerous. Eurgh! He's going to do something stupid, isn't he?"
"Pretty much."
Thor sighed wearily and flopped to the ground in front of her, sitting cross-legged like a sullen preschooler. "Tell me."
"Okay, I'm a little fuzzy on the details since I got all this info second and third hand. But I think by this point he will have confronted your father. Odin falls asleep? Which I always thought was weird."
"The Odinsleep. It is restorative."
"Sure, whatever. Anyway, while he's sleeping, Loki becomes king. So, I think that's already happened probably." She glanced up at the sky. "He's a king right now. Weird, huh?"
"Not really. He's trained for it as much as I…though a Jotun on the throne is disconcerting. I suppose that's why…" Thor drifted off and squinted thoughtfully in the distance for a moment. "Some things are beginning to make sense, now," he said.
"Well, while he's ruling Asgard, your friends ask him to bring you back home."
"He can't do that. He is ruling as regent only while our father is in the Odinsleep. To end my banishment without just cause would be to defy our king. 'Twould be treason."
Darcy nodded. "Your friends are a little hot-headed, aren't they?"
Thor smiled in acknowledgement. "Aye, though they are the finest warriors in the nine realms."
"Well, when they come for you, Loki sends the Destroyer here." Thor blanched.
"You must leave at once!" he exclaimed. "Gather Jane and Erik and leave this place immediately!" He jumped to his feet, gesturing toward the stairs.
Darcy folded her arms, narrowed her eyes, and said, "No."
"You don't understand! It will destroy everything!" he argued.
"Oh, I understand, Thor. I lived through it! Remember?"
Thor stilled and wiped a hand down his face. "Yes, of course. Future memories. What…" he sighed and sat on the ground again, feet flat on the floor and forehead pressed to his bent knees. "What happens?"
"The Destroyer comes and blows things up, wreaks havoc and all that. Your friends fight it. Seems to target you quite a bit…which reminds me," Darcy grimaced, "I forgot to mention Loki will come to visit you tonight."
Thor looked up from his knees and raised his eyebrows.
"Erm, I think he tries to convince you that Odin is dead. Though I'm not really sure why."
Thor's brows furrowed contemplatively as he rested his chin against his knee. "Oh, Loki," he sighed. "Always with the plots and the subplots." He looked up at Darcy and explained, "He is feeling betrayed and is lashing out. He finally has the throne and is afraid I will return and claim it from him as the true son of Odin and rightful heir. By convincing me our father is dead, he is counting on me blaming myself for Odin's death and doing the honorable thing, which would be to remain in exile until the end of my days, thus leaving the throne to him indefinitely." He pressed his forehead back to his knees and growled quietly in frustration.
Darcy blinked. "Wow. You really know your brother well."
"We've lived and fought with each other for over a thousand years."
"That would do it."
"He vexes me greatly." Darcy's lips twitched.
"Isn't that what little brothers are supposed to do?" she asked, nonchalantly.
Thor glared at her from between his knees. "You seem suspiciously unconcerned about his dastardly plans. What haven't you told me yet?"
The amusement fell from Darcy's face, and she looked away for a moment. "Things are about to get a whole lot worse for him. I'm hoping we can change that," she confessed.
Thor lifted his head and folded his legs under him again, watching her intently as she continued. "You're right. He's hurting and lashing out and making poor choices. You'll get your powers back and return to Asgard where you confront him. He tries to destroy Jotunheim and the only way to stop him, I guess, is to destroy the Bifrost. And somehow, in the fight, Loki falls off the rainbow bridge and drifts off into space." Thor sucked in a horrified breath. "Everyone thinks he's dead –"
"He survives this?" Thor interrupted urgently.
Darcy nodded carefully. "Yes, but he is captured by either Thanos or the Chitauri. I'm not sure which. They're both involved. And he is tortured for an entire year…" Thor made a stricken sound. "…before they send him to invade Earth, under mind control. You and the Avengers have to fight him."
"No," Thor breathed. "No, I won't allow it. There must be another way. I don't care that he is adopted. That he is Jotun. He is my little brother. I would protect him from this evil."
Darcy was quiet a moment before gently saying, "So we make sure he doesn't fall."
They sat in contemplative silence for a while before it was broken by the sound of Erik and Jane climbing the steps and joining them on the roof.
"Ah, there you are," Erik said with a wan smile.
"I can't believe they took everything," Jane grumped. She turned to Darcy and exclaimed, "Can you believe they took my notebook, literally, out of my hand? Some guy just snatched it out of my hand!"
"Government assholes!" Darcy commiserated.
Jane began pacing back and forth across the roof, hands on her hips. "I'll bet they took it back to the crater. Didn't someone say the Feds built up a base there?"
Darcy shrugged. Erik shook his head. "Leave it alone, Jane," he warned.
"No! I will not leave it alone, Erik! That's my life's work! I am so close! So close to a breakthrough on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge!"
"Jane, S.H.I.E.L.D. is dangerous! I've known scientists who have disappeared once S.H.I.E.L.D. came down on them. I am begging you to let it go. Don't be one of the ones who disappears!"
Thor scrunched his brows, looking quickly back and forth between Erik and Jane with concern. "This S.H.I.E.L.D. would harm her?" he asked Erik, gesturing to Jane. "To what end?"
"To keep her quiet," Erik said. "They'd either want her to work for them so they can control her research, or they would ensure that her research never sees the light of day."
"Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?" Jane asked, sardonically.
"No, Jane! I'm not!" Erik raised his voice, startling everyone. "Do you remember Dr. Banner?"
Jane nodded, "Yes, he was working on gamma radiation at Culver. Whatever happened to him?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. happened! Nobody's seen nor heard from him since! Don't!" he clenched his fists and exhaled forcefully through his nose before speaking in a gentler tone. "Don't give them a reason to disappear you, too, Jane. I'm begging you."
Jane softened at Erik's concern. She flopped down in the remaining beach chair and sighed. Then growled. Then sighed again. Darcy reached out and placed a hand on Jane's arm, silently offering her support.
Thor appeared troubled, frowning at the ground. It suddenly occurred to Darcy that she had made a critical error practically since the moment of her arrival in the past. She had been so absorbed in her own drama and confusion and so used to Thor being a decade-long friend that she had been unintentionally monopolizing him. He and Jane hadn't had a chance to form a bond. Darcy squeezed her eyes shut, mentally berating herself for interfering in their love story.
She released Jane's arm and hauled herself out of the beach chair. "I'll be right back," she lied as everyone's eyes turned to her. Upon entering the lab, Darcy looked around at all the empty counters, dust voids mapping out the missing equipment. "What to do, what to do, what to do?" she muttered to herself as she absentmindedly wiped down the countertops.
Aside from the whole thrown-back-in-time problem, they were fast approaching the Loki problem, and now she had a Thor-and-Jane problem of her own making. There wasn't a whole lot of time to work with. If she recalled correctly, Loki would come tonight and the Destroyer would come tomorrow, which means Thor would be leaving tomorrow afternoon. How the heck did they fall in love so fast?!
Since Thor had been so gentlemanly with her when she had been upset, Darcy hoped the same would be true for Jane, which is why she had left them together on the roof. Of course, Erik was still there being a third wheel, but Darcy wasn't sure how to pull him away while keeping those two together. So, for now, she just contented herself with removing herself from the equation. She would just keep making sure they have plenty of opportunities to interact with each other. Decision made.
Now, for the Loki problem.
This would be a bit trickier seeing as he is the god of lies. Pulling the wool over his eyes would be nearly impossible. But telling him the entire truth would be disastrous. They would have to tell small truths that leave room for interpretation. How could they keep Loki from having a planet-destroying temper tantrum?
Darcy moved to the sink and began washing dishes, needing to keep her hands busy. Okay, why does he try to destroy Jotunheim? she asked herself. Try as she might, Darcy couldn't quite nail down an answer. His motivations seem to be fluid, shifting this way then that. It didn't help that she didn't know the full story and had never met the god in person. Obviously being Jotun, himself, played a part. Being lied to by Odin played a part. Being jealous of Thor probably played a part, too. Thor's going to need to figure this one out, she decided. He seemed to have a good handle on Loki's mindset. Worst case scenario would be that it plays out like last time and Loki returns to Earth leading the Chitauri army. Only this time, Thor would know that Loki was alive and could maybe look for him before the invasion.
The dishes were all washed, so Darcy grabbed a towel and began to dry them and put them away. She thought back to the original timeline and tried to recall the order of events. S.H.I.E.L.D. takes away Jane's research (thieving jerks take away all their electronics, personal laptops and iPods, included), Jane drives him out to the crater, Thor breaks into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base and tries to take the hammer and gets arrested, Loki comes, Erik busts him out, Thor steals Jane's notebook back, and the next morning his friends come to town just before the Destroyer.
"Hmmm," Darcy hummed thoughtfully as she grabbed a broom and began sweeping. This time Thor has already been to the crater and tried to lift his hammer, so he had no reason to march out there after breakfast. How important to the timeline is breaking into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base? Darcy wondered. What did it achieve last time? It put Thor on their radar. By tomorrow afternoon, Thor will be on their radar regardless, so that's not too important. It's where Loki talks to Thor, but he can do that anywhere, so not too important. And it's where Thor steals back Jane's notebook, which she'll get back anyway when S.H.I.E.L.D. convinces her to work for them. Although, she thought, bringing her notebook back definitely put Thor in Jane's good graces. That might be the linchpin for their romance. Hmmm. Darcy stopped sweeping, leaning on the broom and bending the bristles while she contemplated the pros and cons of convincing Thor to steal Jane's notebook.
"You –" a voice spoke right behind Darcy, startling her. She shrieked and whirled around, wielding her broom like a weapon only for it to be caught easily in Thor's giant hand. He gently lowered the broom without pulling it from her.
"Peace, Darcy, I mean you no harm," he said, eyes twinkling in amusement.
"Holy crap, Thor!" she exclaimed, putting a hand to her heart, "You scared the bejeebers out of me!"
"My apologies, my lady," he said kindly. "I merely came to inquire after you. You were gone a while and I worried for your safety."
"Aww, that's really sweet. I'm fine. I just got in the zone with the cleaning and the thinking." Thor tilted his head and regarded her silently. "How's Jane?" she asked, hoping to redirect him to his future love.
"She is furious," he said sincerely. "And Erik is concerned she will do something to provoke the men of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Actually, I was just thinking about that," she said. "What if we beat her to it?" Thor raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, waiting patiently for her to continue. "Last time, you broke in to get to your hammer – you hadn't seen it yet since coming here," she explained, "I might have skipped ahead a bit by taking you to it when I did…"
"I had gathered," Thor said dryly. Darcy grimaced.
"Yeah, whoops. My bad. Anyway, while you were there you swiped Jane's notebook and gave it back to her. It really calmed her down. I think you have a better chance of getting in and out with it than she does. What do you say?"
Thor was quiet for a moment, staring at her while thinking. Darcy fiddled nervously with the broom. "You are worried she will sneak into the base on her own?" he finally asked.
"A little," she admitted, "But mostly I'm worried for Erik's sake. If she actually managed to sneak in, she'd probably get caught. I know S.H.I.E.L.D. and I know Agent Coulson. He's a good guy. He'd lecture her then either turn her loose or recruit her. But Erik's got a thorn up his ass about S.H.I.E.L.D. and he'd probably have a heart attack if Jane got caught. Like, literally. He might keel over and die of fright."
"And if I'm caught?"
"Meh, he's not as emotionally invested in you."
"So, I'm expendable?" Thor asked, amused.
Darcy held up her hands defensively. "Hey, your words, not mine!" Thor chuckled.
"Alright, I'll do it," he said. "When shall we leave?"
"Where are we going?" Jane's voice cut in. Darcy shrieked and spun around. Thor neatly plucked the broom from her hand before she could hit Jane with it accidentally.
"What is with people sneaking up on me today?!" Darcy exclaimed.
"You are a fearsome warrior with the broomstick, but you have yet to master situational awareness," Thor said.
"Oh, puh-lease! Fearsome warrior!" Darcy scoffed. Thor grinned mischievously.
"I don't know, Darce," Jane said, "You almost took my head off with that. Thanks, by the way," she directed the last part to Thor.
He bowed slightly and said, "It is always a pleasure to rescue a lady." Jane blushed and giggled. Darcy snorted but was secretly pleased at their interaction.
"To the library!" Darcy exclaimed dramatically.
Jane looked at her, confusedly. "Why the library?"
"Because they have free Wi-Fi and Erik has contacts. Am I right?" Darcy looked over Jane's shoulder to Erik, who had just entered the room.
"You read my mind, Darcy. I have an old colleague who's had dealings with S.H.I.E.L.D. I'll reach out to Hank for advice."
"Sounds like a plan," Darcy said while walking toward the door. "Come on, guys. We're not giving up just yet."
The library was within walking distance of the lab, so they left the van behind and hoofed it. Darcy made a point to chatter with Erik as they walked, leaving Jane and Thor to talk amongst themselves. When they arrived at the library, Erik zeroed in on the one public computer while Jane wandered around the bookshelves. Darcy invented a half-assed excuse to show Thor around while they waited and promptly dragged him outside and back to the lab. They hopped into the van and booked it out of town, toward the crater.
Ten minutes later her phone was ringing. She answered with, "Don't worry, I'm alive."
"Darcy!" Jane hollered through the phone, "Did you take the van?"
"Yes, I did."
"Why? Where are you going? What are you up to? Is Thor with you?"
"Sorry, Jane, that's classified. But yes, Thor is with me."
"What do you mean 'that's classified'?" Jane asked dangerously.
"I meeean I'll tell you when I get back. Which will be innnn," she checked the clock, "about four hours, give or take."
"FOUR HOURS?" Darcy winced. "Oh my god, you're going to the crater, aren't you?"
"Nice talk! I'll see you later!"
"Darcy, don't you dare –" Darcy hung up the phone.
"Whoooo…I'm in trouble," she said. The phone rang again. She turned it off. "I'm in huge trouble."
Thor chuckled. "All will be forgiven when we return her notebook," he said confidently.
"I sure hope so," she mumbled. A beat passed and she broke the silence with, "Anyway, I had a thought about Loki." They spent the next hour plotting how best to convince Loki not to commit planetary genocide. Darcy was impressed by how well Thor seemed to know Loki's slippery motivations and a little disturbed by how well he planned to manipulate the god of lies.
A/N: Another huge thank you for reviewing! It makes my day!
