Chapter Summary: Our heroes are sneaky. Thor learns a thing or two. We catch the briefest glimpse of another player in the game. And Darcy's worldview begins to shift.

Chapter Four: You Know Nothing Thor Odinson

The sun was low on the horizon when they neared the crater. Thor directed Darcy to make a wide circle around the base so he could approach from the west with the sun behind him. They had a brief argument about whether or not Darcy would stay in the van. "Oh yeah?" Darcy argued, "What if you come back to find I've been abducted, and you have no idea where I am? Huh? What about then? At least if I come with you, you can hear me scream when they grab me!"

Thor gaped at her for a moment before finally saying, "So be it. You will come with me part of the way." He gave her a stern look, "But you will not enter the base with me, and you will do as I say."

"Aye-aye, captain. And I'll scream real loud if I'm caught," she added. Thor sighed in exasperation before beckoning her to follow him as he crept across the desert toward S.H.I.E.L.D.'s pop-up base. Darcy followed him diligently and pretended not to notice him occasionally flexing his fingers and surreptitiously holding his palm out for Mjolnir.

A fence was wrapped around the crater but there was a small boulder about 100 yards away. Thor and Darcy crouched behind it and peeked around to watch the activity on the other side of the fence. Darcy waited with bated breath while Thor watched. Eventually, he turned away from the site and sat on the ground, leaning his back against the boulder and draping his forearms casually across his raised knees. "Dude!" Darcy said indignantly, "What are you doing? Aren't you going to go in there?"

Thor looked up at her and smiled. "Patience, Darcy. We now wait for the cover of night. Come, sit with me." He gestured to the ground in front of him.

Darcy huffed in irritation as she plopped down in the dirt between his legs. His knees were at eye level, and she scooched back until she was leaning against his chest so she wouldn't whack her face against them. "We could've just waited in the van, then," she grumbled.

"Ah, but this way I had a clear view of their operations. I now know the patterns of their sentries. And with the sun at my back, they could not see me while I observed them plainly," he explained.

"I guess," she groused.

"If you recall, I advised you to stay in the van," Thor said primly.

Darcy growled, tossing her head back in annoyance and whacking it against his chest. He chuckled, the irritating jerk. "This is going to take forever," she complained.

"Take rest," Thor said. "Conserve your energy. We will want to move quickly once I have retrieved the notebook."

"Ugh, fine." Darcy crossed her arms over her chest and stretched her legs out. Even with his knees bent, her feet only just came to his heels. She felt small surrounded by him.

They were quiet for a while. Darcy closed her eyes and lost herself in the rise and fall of his chest and the lull of his heartbeat, which she couldn't quite hear but she could feel under the back of her head. When he spoke, the vibrations of his voice rumbled against her body comfortably.

"Tell me about Jane?" he asked.

Darcy's eyes flew open, and her heart stuttered briefly. She frowned at her body's reaction and asked, "What do you want to know?"

"What happened to her?"

Wait, what? "What do you mean?" she asked, confused. She watched as the last splinter of the sun slid below the horizon.

His breathing remained even behind her, keeping her calm and relaxed as he answered, "Your future memories of her are laced with sadness. I have inferred that she was among those who disappeared at Thanos' victory, but you said his evil was undone. So why do you remain sad when you think of your friend?"

Darcy was silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts, unprepared for how astute Thor apparently was. "You're very perceptive," she finally said.

She felt him shrug behind her. "It saddens me to see you mourn so," he said.

Darcy drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. "By my –" her breath hitched as she choked on a sob. She took a deep breath and tried again. "By my reckoning, Jane died five days ago," she choked. Tears sprang free unexpectedly and she buried her face in her arms. She felt Thor shift around her before he picked her tightly balled body off the ground and placed her gently on his lap, arms wrapped firmly around her.

Great wrenching sobs burst out of her suddenly, every breath she took feeding them. "I'm sorry," she gasped, a sob transforming into a wail as she completely and utterly broke down.

"You are grieving," he said, "You need not apologize."

Her body shook uncontrollably. The more she tried to stop her tears, the harder they came. Thor simply held her tightly to him, gently rocking them side to side. Finally, when the worst of it passed, Darcy spoke with a wavering voice, still punctuated by chokes and sobs, "I didn't – I didn't even get to- to see her. She died off- off- off-planet," she gasped. "Y-you s-said her b-b-body transformed into co-cosmic energy. Th-that she went t-to Valhallaaaa," she wailed. Thor cupped her head, holding her to his heart with one hand and rubbing her back with the other.

"How did your Jane come to die a warrior's death?" he asked. "For that is how one enters Valhalla."

Thor's even breathing and steady heartbeat helped soothe Darcy and she was able to answer with fewer sobs and slightly less chattering of teeth. "The children of New Asgard were taken," she felt Thor cock his head curiously, but he remained quiet, patiently waiting for her to continue. "You-you went to s-save them. But the person who took them was a god-butcher. He had the Necrosword."

Thor hummed thoughtfully. "I thought that sword merely a legend."

Darcy shook her head. "No, it's real. He was going around killing a bunch of gods. And when you went to confront him and save the children, Jane…" Darcy shivered. "Well, Jane was already dying. I didn't want her to go, but I get why she did." She took a deep breath, calming the more she talked about it. "She was either going to die in a hospital bed or die saving a bunch of kids from a monster. She took Meuh…she took Mjolnir," she corrected.

Thor flinched. "She could wield Mjolnir?" he asked, incredulously.

Darcy nodded. "She couldn't lift it until she was so sick. I don't really know why. But she helped you fight when New Asgard was under attack, and she went with you to some council of the gods or whatever. Zeus was there. I guess he's a prick."

The hand on her back stilled and Thor began to stroke her hair. Absentmindedly, he murmured, "Zeus is a mighty god. One of my role models."

Darcy shrugged. "I think your opinion of him changed after that meeting. You stole his lightning bolt and impaled him with it."

She felt Thor's body jerk slightly. The hand on her head stilled and he resumed rubbing her back. "The future is a confusing place," he said.

"Yeah, it kinda sucks."

"You said Jane was already dying? How did that come to be?"

"She had cancer. Do you – well, no, your people wouldn't get it. Are you familiar with cancer?" she asked. When Thor said no, Darcy briefly explained, "It's a disease where your body basically attacks itself at a cellular level. We have treatments that can help but we don't have a cure for it."

"How did she catch this disease?" he asked.

"I think she got it from handling the Aether."

"The Aether? The future is not only confusing, but fantastical as well! The Aether was destroyed by my grandfather, Bor Burison, former king of Asgard!" Darcy shook her head and Thor heaved a great sigh. "Is nothing I know to be the truth?" he lamented. Darcy shrugged.

"Sorry," she sniffled.

"No," Thor said gently, both hands still and pressing her tightly to him. "You are blameless. In fact, you have given me a great gift with this knowledge." He kissed her head. "I shall have more questions later. But now it is time to retrieve Jane's work." Darcy looked around suddenly realizing twilight had shifted to darkness without her noticing. Thor released his hold on her, and Darcy scooted off his lap, pulling herself up to a crouch and peering around the boulder while scrubbing her face with her sleeve.

The crater site was bustling with activity. Thor peeked around the other side of the boulder and watched for a few minutes, confirming the timing of patrols. He quirked a smile at her and said, "I'll be right back," before slipping into the darkness. Darcy squinted her eyes, trying to see through the dark. Occasionally, she would glimpse a shadow of movement as Thor made his way to the fence, but she lost sight of him pretty quickly. She waited, eyes sweeping the base and heart pounding in her ears. About ten minutes passed before she heard a faint scuff to her right. She whirled around, taser extended, when she heard Thor whisper urgently, "Time to go!"

She was night-blind from having been staring the entire time at a lit-up base, so she immediately stumbled. She felt Thor's large, calloused hand wrap around hers and she put her complete trust in him, stepping forward blindly as they ran. She stumbled a few times but was able to keep her feet as they went. Suddenly an alarm blared behind them.

"Apologies, my lady," Thor said. That was her only warning before he swept her up and threw her over his shoulder, pinning her legs to his chest. Darcy squealed in surprise. "But we must run with haste!" He picked up speed and Darcy braced her hands against his back to keep from repeatedly smashing her nose against him. When they neared the van, he set her down on her feet and placed a hand between her shoulder blades guiding her forward urgently. "Hurry!"

Darcy threw herself into the driver's seat, started the van, and stomped on the gas. She fumbled to fasten her seatbelt one-handed as she steered with the other hand. Thor took the belt from her and fastened it, freeing both her hands to steer. She bumped and scraped her way through the desert, off-roading in the dark with the lights off. The S.H.I.E.L.D. base serving as a lone beacon in the dark behind them.

"I can't see anything!" she worried. "Can you?"

"Aye," Thor said. He pointed slightly to the left and she angled the van in that direction. After a harrowing few minutes of driving blind, their wheels touched asphalt. Darcy hit the brakes and flipped on the headlights. By this point, the crater was a pinpoint behind them. However, they would have to pass it to return home. She carefully turned the vehicle around and followed the road back east. The site was about a mile off the road, so she was able to nonchalantly pass by without raising suspicion. She hoped.

She was just about to relax when a figure appeared in her headlights out of nowhere. She screamed, slammed on the brakes, and yanked the wheel to the left. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," she chanted, shaking.

Thor touched her shoulder. "Wait here," he said and then he exited the van. Darcy shook in fear. There had been a person in the road. She hadn't felt an impact but there was no way she didn't hit them. Having cried so heavily earlier, she didn't have any tears left. Instead, she was numb and in shock. Realizing her hands were still in a white-knuckled grip on the wheel, she slowly peeled her fingers free. She didn't know what to do with her hands, so she folded them tightly in her lap, knuckles white again. Her teeth chattered nervously. She chanced a look in the rearview mirror. She couldn't see anything. With a shaky breath, she looked in the side mirrors. She still couldn't see anything. She thought she faintly heard the low rumble of Thor's voice.

Slowly, Darcy opened her door. She tried to step out only to realize she was still buckled in. With shaking hands, she released her seatbelt and turned sideways in her seat, legs dangling out the door. Belatedly, she remembered the hazard lights. She couldn't remember where the button was. She twisted back toward the dash and poked at a few buttons and switches until she found it. "Oh yeah," she said; she felt as if she was speaking underwater. "That's where it is." The lights click-clacked steadily, beaming orange flashes in front and behind the vehicle.

She crossed her arms, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. Her head was bowed, and she stared at the concrete below as she strained her ears. The buzz of insects and the click-clack of the hazards were the only sounds that punctuated the stillness of the desert. Darcy waited numbly, mind blank, until she heard the crunch of gravel off to her left. Blearily, she looked up and saw Thor approach, illuminated by the red and orange of the vehicle lights. He stopped in front of her and cupped her shoulders, prodding her to sit upright.

"All is well," he said calmly, hands still on her shoulders. "You have harmed no one."

The wave of relief that coursed through Darcy almost made her feel sick. She took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "Oh, thank god," she said as he released her.

"The figure we saw was my brother. 'Twas an illusion he cast to gain my attention." Thor crossed his arms over his chest.

"What the hell?" Darcy yelped. "Why'd he – why can't – that's a shitty way to get your attention!"

"He is the god of mischief. Vexing, is it not?"

"YES!"

"Did you not say to be vexing is the way of little brothers?"

Darcy glowered at him. "Touché," she grit out between her teeth. "You got me there." Thor chuckled. "How did your conversation go?" Darcy asked.

Thor hesitated. "…It was good to see him again." He flicked his eyes meaningfully toward the inside of the van.

"Oh. Good. Okay. I guess we should head back now." Darcy swiveled in her seat to face forward again and turned to grab the door, but Thor was already closing it gently for her. "Thanks," she mumbled as she grabbed her seatbelt and strapped herself in.

Once they had been driving for a few minutes, Thor broke the silence. "I did not wish to speak of our conversation where Loki may have been listening. I believe our plan worked. I baited him with a suggestion that an infinity stone may be in this realm, in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D. He has agreed to allow me to search for it while he rules Asgard as regent."

"He didn't try to trick you into thinking your dad was dead?"

"I believe it was his intent, but I outmaneuvered him," Thor said smugly. "He accidentally admitted to Father being in the Odinsleep." Thor cackled mischievously. "It is a good feeling to get one over him, for once!" Darcy smiled. "Now that I have successfully outwitted the god of lies –"

"Hang on," Darcy interrupted. "I've always been a little confused by this. Is Loki the god of mischief or the god of lies?" she asked.

"He is both," Thor answered. "Just as I am the god of thunder, strength, and fertility."

"The what now?! You're the god of fertility?!"

Thor's answering laugh was loud in the small space. "It is far more innocent than you are imagining!" Darcy shot him a skeptical look. "In my youth, the people of Midgard prayed to me to bring the rain that their crops might flourish."

"Did you?"

"Occasionally, when they suffered drought. I tried not to interfere with your realm's weather patterns overmuch, but I could not bear to hear the suffering of those starving. Especially as I feasted in my father's halls."

"You could hear their prayers?"

"Aye. 'Tis the glory and burden of being a god."

Darcy was stunned. She had always thought the whole "god" thing was just humanity's explanation for aliens once upon a time. That Thor could actually hear prayers was paradigm-shifting.

"Do people still pray to you?" she asked. "Sorry, is that a rude question? You don't have to answer."

"Nay, it has been many centuries since I and my kin have been invoked in prayer. I am not offended, Darcy. Your curiosity is welcome."

"Oh, thanks. Um, I…" Darcy stammered, flustered. "I interrupted you earlier. What were you about to say?"

"Hmm. Oh, yes. Now that I have had my conversation with Loki, I would know more information about the infinity stone on Midgard. I did not want you to tell me too much earlier because my brother would be able to tell if I was omitting or outright lying to him. So, which stone is it?"

"Well, there are actually two stones on Earth, right now," Darcy admitted.

"Two?! On one planet?!"

"Erm…yes?"

Thor clasped a hand to his forehead then swiped it down his face. "By the Norns…" he whispered.

Darcy continued, "S.H.I.E.L.D. has the space stone. It's inside of a tesseract."

"And the other?"

"The time stone. The Masters of the Mystic Arts have it."

"Who are these masters?"

"Sorcerers. We should leave that one where it is right now. I read a file, back in my old time, that it was used to save Earth from a planet-destroying god-thing from the dark dimension. I don't remember that happening, but I suppose that's because time was reversed to undo it." Darcy shrugged.

Thor stared at her a beat then said, "Yes, best to leave that one where it is."

"Don't worry," Darcy said. "It's in good hands. Or it will be. Eventually."

A/N: Thor and Loki's conversation coming up next!

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