It was such an odd feeling. There was something exhilarating, freeing about it all. After all, this was where they were supposed to be—they deserved to see the light of day, hand in hand with no qualms about who might see them. But it felt just a little wrong, naked almost, as though any minute they would have it all taken away and the prospect of true freedom would shatter. And Cassandra would be left alone to pick up the pieces like she had been before.
Thor walked just ahead of them, striding swiftly along the long, golden hallways with a watchful eye on every shadowed corner. If they were going to make this work, they needed to run into the littlest amount of guards possible. There were no Einherjar in sight. Thor had confidence in his own planning skills, his strategy—but there was always a possibility of error. It kept him alert. Thinking steps ahead of an altercation or missed turn, planning more routes and alternate ways of getting out of Asgard.
It wasn't too long before they reached the meet point, the designated spot where they were meant to converge paths with Lady Sif and Jane. The three of them were the first to arrive, most likely a few minutes ahead of schedule, and Cassandra was more than a little relieved to be taking a break. There weren't any specific points of injury she could feel anymore, but nothing felt quite right either. Like the pain had ceased but the energy had not yet returned.
Cassandra exhaled as they came to a stop, inadvertently swaying on her heels to the left, into the side of Loki's shoulder. "So, they meet us here?" she asked Thor, for confirmation.
"Yes," he nodded, sparing a glance away from the hall he knew Sif and Jane would be marching down any minute.
"Isn't this ironic, brother?" Loki mused. His voice pulled Thor's eyes in his direction, wary for what he might find—but it was only a bemused and lazy smirk. In a way, that might've been worse. "After all, it wasn't long ago you and your friends chastised me for this very kind of clandestine meeting, was it?"
A pang of guilt flickered in his chest like a loose bulb, and Thor's shoulders lowered despite the unchanging expression of his face. "I was wrong for that. But this is just as much for your mortal as it is mine. They don't deserve the punishment for our mistakes."
Cassandra stared at the gold door at the other end of the hall but her fingers tightened, a gentle but firm reminder where she stood as the vague hostility lingered in the following silence. There was a part of Loki that wanted to rebel even now. To lift the blanket off the cage and let the fresh air of exposure flush it all out, everything that had been said or done and never atoned. To yell, to scream, to cry, to demand an apology. Then, there was something about the way Thor worded his response that felt too sincere.
Returning it with anger would only make his claims look inflated and self-involved, he knew, yet the urge still remained. The pad of his thumb brushed over Cassandra's knuckles and he thought better of it. There was no point. After all, any minute, Sif would walk through the door with Jane and they would continue with their plotted escape. So, instead, Loki only eyed Thor thoughtfully before averting his gaze completely. It was then that the door burst open with a hollow thud that echoed through the empty halls.
Sure enough, Lady Sif was revealed as she marched through the doorway. Behind her, Jane walked quickly to keep up, even quicker at the sight of Thor and Cassandra. "Jane," Cassandra flooded with relief, stepping forward as she dropped Loki's hand, moving instinctively.
"Are you okay?" Jane questioned her, as she approached. "Sif said you were hurt?"
They collided carefully but urgently, throwing their arms around each other in a tight hug, however brief. When Cassandra pulled away, she waved away Jane's concern with a shake of her head. "I'm running on fifty percent, but I'll be fine," she told her, stepping back.
Jane's eyes shifted over Cassandra's shoulder, and she stiffened. "Is that…?"
"This is Loki," Cassandra sidestepped and she turned to see both parties, gesturing briefly with a hand toward her beloved. "Jane, Loki. Loki, Jane."
"Hello," Jane tipped her head in an awkward acknowledgement. She hadn't hesitated much to believe Cassandra when she first told her about the truth behind the New York invasion. After all, it wasn't like she knew Loki personally and could attest to his true villainy—and what she was saying seemed plausible with all she'd discovered about the universe since meeting his brother Thor. But that wasn't the problem. She'd seen the news broadcasts, though nothing could quite prepare her for seeing him in person.
She hadn't expected him to be attractive by her own standards—but the god of mischief appeared abundantly charming as the corners of his mouth uplifted for a polite smile of greeting. "A pleasure," he replied, with a small bow of his head.
Jane shifted her weight to lean toward Cassandra, lowering her voice as she did, and Cassandra raised an eyebrow as she somewhat reciprocated the lean. "I see why you needed to get here so bad," Jane whispered. Cassandra gave her a look as she stood upright, and Thor's brows lowered. He stood just inside of earshot. However, the unappreciative expression was dissolved in a flicker at the sound of boots on the gold floor, armor clanking with shields.
At the end of the hall, a group of Einherjar emerged from the open door. Both Sif and Thor were quick to react. "I'll hold them off," Sif volunteered herself, angling away from the others as Thor came to stand beside her. She tipped her head toward the opposite direction in a brief gesture, "Go."
Under any other circumstances, Thor would've objected. He would've volunteered himself instead—or, perhaps, even been the first to speak up. But the stakes were too high this time. He loved Jane too much to sacrifice her life to stand with his fellow warrior, and it burned somewhere deep in his chest. "Thank you," he said, the only worthy response, despite it not quite conveying enough.
Thor turned toward the others and placed an arm around Jane's back before gesturing with Mjölnir. He lead the way along the hall and to the left, guiding Jane along with him, and she moved quickly to keep up with his long stride. Loki waited for Cassandra to meet his position before turning to follow after his brother. With the enemy so close, it felt foolish not to. It was a protective instinct, an urge to take hold of her hand, to keep track of her for fear she might slip away behind his back.
They walked together after Thor and Jane, only a few feet behind. It wasn't far to the hall of the throne room where the elves' ship had crashed. Cassandra hadn't seen this damage. The large and once sturdy pillars broken into chunks on the floor, scattered in large shards around the dark craft. Its black exterior reminded her of coal with its jagged texture. The bay was left open, though the inside was just as dark as the outside. How did someone even fly something like this?
Volstagg stood before the rubble at the open mouth of the bay. "I will give you as much time as I can," he promised, as the pairs approached quickly.
"Thank you, my friend," Thor reached out his hand, and Volstagg grasped it firmly. It was a brief gesture, an acknowledgement of their friendship. Once again, it didn't feel like quite enough. Though, nothing really was. They were all willing to give up so much simply for Thor to escape with his Jane and, if they were all very lucky, stop Malekith. There was pressure placed on him, but there was sacrifice on them.
Thor and Jane continued toward the ship. Jane gave an acknowledging smile to Volstagg and he returned it with a smile of his own and a small nod. "It was an honor," Cassandra said, as she, too, began to walk past him.
Volstagg smiled down at her, as well—however, he found himself hesitating to respond for a brief moment. Bewilderment surged through him as a light bulb ignited at the sight of Loki holding her hand, a kind of open affection distinctly uncommon from him. Though he knew many years of friendly bullying most likely contributed to Loki's modesty, he couldn't help but blink once, thinking an extra second before replying. "The honor was mine," he responded, smiling warmly once again at Cassandra.
Loki simply regarded him with a neutral side-eye as they passed. There was no need to hash out grievances and he couldn't quite bring himself to be polite, so instead he found it within himself for a final act of civility. After all, he wouldn't be seeing any of these people—ever again, if he could help it—for a very long time after this.
The inside of the ship was incredibly dark. Any light was ambient from outside and the black texture of the walls absorbed most of it. But Thor climbed the stairs to the bridge without pause, and Jane was right behind him. He was too determined to let just about anything stop him now. So, he marched straight to the control console against the far wall, scanning it only briefly before reaching out his hand to tap a control. None of them were labeled, barely highlighted by the ridges between them.
Cassandra took the stairs two at a time, her hand still loosely entangled with Loki's as he climbed them behind her, but the pair slowed at the top at the sight of Thor smacking his hand against the console. "I thought you said you knew how to fly this thing?" Loki recalled, a mixture of sarcastic and confused as his brows lowered.
"I said, 'how hard could it be?'" Thor clarified. The ship whirred and stuttered with each unknown button pressed.
"Well, brother, whatever you're doing, I suggest you do it quickly."
Thor continued to press buttons, a bit more desperately now, as the faint sounds of shouting echoed up the stairs. Cassandra twisted on her heels to glance down at them reflexively. The guards. They were running at Volstagg now, shouting, "Get to the ship!" and she could hear their calls rather clearly. There was no time to be wasting with this. She dropped Loki's hand then and hurried forward, walking quickly to the console beside Thor.
Surprised by her sudden appearance, Thor leaned away from her, giving her space to reach forward for the darkened buttons. "You tried your best," she assured Thor, as her palm met the textured surface of the console. Energy surged through her hand and into the black and the ship hummed loudly. Maps and navigation guides appeared before them in a light blue haze of projected light, the light around them dimming to brighten it. The blue encased them in a grid-like bubble within the bridge of the ship.
The hatch door hissed closed and Cassandra stepped back as the craft began to loudly whir to life. Thor took the helm, a hand at either side of the console, before glancing back at her somewhat sheepishly. "Thank you," he nodded once.
Cassandra returned his nod, lips pulled thin in an expression, and the ship began to ascend. It lifted off the rumble of the palace floor in a steady climb. Thor eased it upward and turned the craft to the left to face the exit, and its sheer size caused a few of the remaining pillars and columns left to crumble, hit hard by the body of the ship. "Well done. I think there's still a few columns left," Loki commented through a sigh.
Thor bit his tongue—though, that didn't stop his brows from creasing in a frown. Jane shook with the rumble of the ship, the vibration of the floor, and she stepped to the side to reach out a hand, grasping at Cassandra's sleeve for something steady. Cassandra did her best to hold still as well. Neither had ever been on a spaceship before, and Cassandra had a notoriously sour experience with aircraft in general. The craft surged forward, bashing through the wall of the palace, and diving into open air over the city. The motion sent Cassandra's hand to her stomach instinctively, the contents—or lack thereof—of her gut forcibly sloshed.
Guns mounted on the first floor of the palace fired at the craft as it soared away, and Thor guided it downward, ducking temporarily under a bridge to miss the beams. It was then that Cassandra felt a brief and gentle tug at her arm. Movement in the corner of her eye turned her head just as Jane's knees buckled. Cassandra lurched aside to wrap her arms around Jane's torso, hefting her weight just enough to ease her to the ground. "Jane!" she gasped.
Jane's head lulled back on her shoulders, her eyes shut. "I'm okay."
Her voice was weak, slurred, though she was still breathing. Thor was twisting sporadically in his stance at the helm to see them just behind him, a knot twisting in his throat. "Is she alright?" he asked Cassandra.
"She's alive," Cassandra replied, unsure. "I think she just needs to rest."
The ship was rocked, an awful sound erupting from the back as guards began firing, their ships catching up. She held on a little tighter, keeping Jane in her arms so neither were flung into the wall. "We're almost to the jump. Can you make it?" Thor asked her, over his shoulder. His evasive maneuvers were dizzying, but Cassandra did her best to swallow the nausea.
"I can do it."
"Won't you be too slow?" Loki questioned, coming to stand near the console. "You won't be moving fast enough to stay on the skiff."
Thor's veins flooded with adrenaline. "What? Why didn't you tell me this?"
Cassandra eased Jane onto the floor and climbed to her feet with a sigh. "It'll be fine. Just grab me if it looks like I'm going too fast the other way," she said, glancing between them both.
Thor pressed a button on the controls and a hatch on the side of the bridge hissed open. Wind rushed by with a sharp hiss. More noise added to Cassandra's already flooded ears. "Go, I'll take Jane," Thor looked to Cassandra before tipping his head toward the opening.
She nodded once and turned to take steps toward the hatch. This wasn't something she'd even remotely done before. It would be like jumping out of a plane without a parachute and hoping that a prayer would be enough to stick the landing. But she was forcing confidence into the planned action. She couldn't be the thing that slowed them down. Not again. As she reached the edge, the wind whipped at her hair, tugging wisps through the opening before she'd even thought to truly jump.
Though, it was then she felt gentle pressure at her back, a presence at her side—and, suddenly, her feet were no longer touching the ground. Loki hefted her into his arms as though she weighed less than a sack of flour. And, at this point, perhaps she did? Health wasn't exactly at the forefront of her mind these days. Her arms surged around his neck in a startled reaction, eyes widening. "What are you doing?" she was quick to question him, the alarm clear in her voice.
"I finally have you. I'm not taking any chances," he told her. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
Cassandra didn't hesitate. He nodded once and took a step toward the edge, and she found herself gripping at his collar with pale knuckles, hiding her face in his shoulder like a child scared for the drop on a roller coaster. Then, harsh wind that screamed in her ears, the distinct yet indescribable feeling of falling. That unique and terrifying weightlessness with the pull of gravity whisking you away. Loki's feet planted firmly on the floor of the skiff several yards below.
Fandral had timed it just right, maintaining speed to mirror the ship, but staying just far enough behind that all they would have to do was jump. His lips curved into a smile of surprise as Loki landed, though he was more amused by the appearance of Cassandra. She'd been so brave, so fiery, and now she looked humorously childish in comparison. It was not something he'd anticipated he would see with what little he knew. "Hard time?" he shouted over the wind, asking sarcastically.
Cassandra lifted her head slowly, immediately looking to the floor for assurance that it was in fact there now. "I don't do planes," she shouted back, a bit absentminded.
"Are you alright, my dear?" Loki asked her, genuinely.
"I will be when we finally reach land," she grimaced, seeing the open water surrounding them. Then, her eyes moved to meet his, finding them before twisting her lips up in a small smile. "Thank you."
"Of course, my love."
He smiled back at her and warmth blossomed in her stomach. It calmed the nausea enough to breathe comfortably, wrapping a warm blanket around her shoulders with the sparkle in his eye. She wanted to kiss him. But it was then that Thor landed beside them, Jane's limp form in his arms, and she decided against it. Instead, she loosened her grip and Loki helped ease her feet to the floor of the skiff.
"Loki, take us to your portal," Thor said, sparing a glance over his shoulder. He moved to the end of the skiff and carefully laid Jane on the floor.
Loki was quick to move to the helm, taking hold of the control as Fandral stepped aside. Cassandra moved to the right of the skiff and sat on the inner bench, gripping the edge of the siding with one hand and the edge of the bench beside her leg with the other. It wasn't much more safe than simply standing in the middle of the skiff, but it added an illusion of safety she desperately needed. The speed increased.
Still, there was a skiff racing behind them. It fired at them in a steady stream of beams and Loki guided the skiff left and right to avoid them. "Fandral," Thor signaled, twisting to give him a nod.
Fandral returned the nod and stepped up to the edge of the skiff, grabbing the rope that waited there. Once he had it securely in his hands, he said, "For Asgard." Then, he jumped. His body swung through the air as the rope pulled tight where it tied to the skiff. Cassandra blinked in a controlled startle as he disappeared over the edge. However, he landed safely on the other skiff. He dispatched the guards on it rather effortlessly before taking control himself, and he gave a mock salute toward the others.
That was the last Cassandra would ever see of him, she was sure of it. She wished she'd thought to say goodbye. "Loki," Thor's voice was warning, pulling her eyes away from the edge and instead to Thor's position. They were barrelling toward a mountainside at top speed. Something in her chest twinged.
"If it were easy," Loki replied, through a tense jaw as he steadied his hands. "Everyone would do it."
"Are you mad?" Thor's voice grew increasingly worried.
Loki only grinned. "Possibly."
Thor hunkered himself down beside Jane, a hand protectively on her still shoulder as they neared the hole in the cliffs. It looked so small from their distance, and getting closer didn't make it much bigger—which only added to the sinking feeling in Thor's gut. The second the thought crossed his mind, he reached back for Cassandra, grabbing at her arm and giving it a strong pull. It practically yanked her from the bench, but there was no way he was going to leave her without protection.
The sides of the skiff were surely going to be vulnerable very soon. He tugged her close, tucked her under his arm, and ducked. It happened fast enough, there was no time to consider disagreeing with his actions, but Cassandra was thankful for the intervention. She held tight to the neck hem of his silver chest plate, desperate for some assurance, and the skiff entered the hole.
It was rocked from left to right, bounced off pieces of the inner wall as the cliffs swallowed them whole. Only a second in and Cassandra could feel heat in her palms, a burning prickle along the length of her spine. Purple and blue light flickered around them like quick tendrils of lightning, each one causing the heat to surge. Then, a thick white light enveloped them. It lasted for only a second before it spit them out into darkness. Two more seconds of tunnel.
It opened to a green, muddled sky. The skiff bounced against a mound of black sand at the opening of the tunnel before regaining its balance in the air to fly straight. Loki's near-monotone voice cut through the panic and humming wind with a bleak but sarcastic, "Ta-da!"
Thor released his hold on Cassandra once the skiff was steadied, and she gave a grateful nod before climbing to her feet once again. "Did you have to do that every time you came to New York?" she asked Loki, taking ginger steps toward him at the back of the skiff.
"It's not quite the same path, but yes," he answered. "It was rather worth it, I'd say."
"Is that why it took so long between visits?"
Cassandra sat on the inner bench near the control, keeping a hand on the siding to remain steady despite the lack of turbulence. He gave a small nod, "Sometimes."
"And you didn't think to tell anyone what you'd found," Thor stood, partially muttering under his breath. A small bubble of resentment escaping him.
Loki's eyes shifted to find Thor. Cassandra couldn't help but notice the subtle change in posture as he stiffened, his features sinking to highlight the shadows over his eyes. "What reason would I ever have for confiding in you, brother?" Thor turned to look at him now, a bit of a glare lingering. But Loki continued, "You, who told father everything—but only after sharing it with all your friends. It wasn't exactly a joyful experience being your brother."
"Perhaps if you weren't such a liar-"
Cassandra stood up. "Enough. This is not the time. Remember why we're all here."
"You're right, Cassandra," Thor nodded once, slowly, before turning to sit on the inner bench near Jane. "This is for Jane."
The response was obviously a dig at Loki—that much was clear by his sour, passive-aggressive tone. Cassandra sighed and turned her head to give Loki an apologetic look. Thor was not her responsibility to apologize for, but it was her that convinced Loki to help in the first place. Loki shook his head, waving away the considerate but unnecessary gesture. "Think Malekith knows we're here yet?" she asked him, folding her arms across her torso.
"Undoubtedly. The question is, when is he going to show his hand?"
A flicker of movement, the shifting of a shadow, caught his eye. Blinking once, he lifted his head to look—and there it was. A ship. Appearing in the gloom of the green and gray sky as if simply mentioning his name was enough to call him out. Conjuring him up out of the black. It was then that Jane sat straight up in her position on the floor. Her head turned, eerily stiff, to face the ship as her eyes swirled with black. "Malekith," she confirmed the sighting with an emotionless voice that pitched Cassandra's brows with concern.
Thor stood. "It's time. Remember the plan?"
"You didn't exactly explain it after this point," Cassandra pointed out, turning to better see him.
"We're going to trick him into drawing out the Aether. When he does, you will destroy it," Thor lifted a hand to point at Cassandra in a brief gesture. "Then, we'll kill Malekith."
It sounded so straightforward when he said it like that. However, there was one rather oversized caveat to his grand scheme. Cassandra was still unsure if she would be able to properly destroy the Aether without dying again. Though, even if she did, she thought, Loki would be free. Earth would be saved. All the realms would. Would it be so bad to make the sacrifice if that was the outcome? Still, she was determined to try.
So, she nodded once, sure. Loki couldn't help but eye her as he navigated the skiff to land against the black sand. It hadn't crossed his mind that she would be there saving grace. It made sense now why Thor would need her for this plan of his to work—she was essential to the root cause.