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Reality-7515
Outside the Son Home
A Short While Later
Xander's POV
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the work you've done Xander." Chi-Chi said as he finished loading the last basket of produce from the garden he'd been maintaining for over a decade, "The garden's been a boon to not just the family finances but it's also helped me feed my boys."
"No problem Chi-Chi." He said before slamming the back of the pickup truck closed, "I told you from day one I'm the kinda guy that earns his keep."
"Well you've certainly done that." She said moving over to the driver's side of the truck, "I'll be back in a couple of hours. Look after Goten until I get back okay?"
"Not a problem." He replied with his lopsided grin, "Kid's love me!"
Chi-Chi rolled her eyes at that.
Probably because in spite of his age he still acted like someone half as old and only marginally more mature than Goku when he was still alive. From the few telepathic communications he'd had with his old mentor it didn't sound like the afterlife had done much to change that. Seeing the woman get into the truck and drive off he wondered how much secret training he'd be able to guide Goten through before she got back. While he still believed that Gohan would be the one to inherit his father's position as Earth's primary defender it wouldn't hurt to make it so his little brother could provide some decent backup.
The kid had made a lot of progress on that already much to his mother's dismay.
Despite all his efforts to convince the woman to be more flexible she was still determined to direct her kids away from fighting and the martial arts. In her defence Goku had been a martial arts nut pretty much from the time he could walk and while participating in the World Martial Arts Tournament had occasionally gained them some money it inevitably ran out. Then, when Goku became so strong that fighting normal warriors ceased to be a challenge, he pretty much stopped being a source of money for his family. No one had said anything but he'd bet good money that Chi-Chi occasionally got a 'loan' from Bulma's family whenever things dipped a little low in the money pool.
Considering how many times the guy singlehandedly saved the world he figured a little help in the money department was the least he was owed.
Turning towards the house he got no further than three steps before his ki sense went ballistic causing him to instinctively whirl towards the source. This was important because from what he could tell the source was a little under twenty feet away from him and anything pinging his senses this hard was NOT something you ignored. From the feel of it he thought it was like a balloon filling with water with the possibility of popping being quite real.
Just in case the popping turned out to be a bad thing he powered up to the first of six plateaus he'd mentally designated for the progress he'd made in his training. It would result in a ki field strong enough to deflect bullets and would take someone with a superior ki field to break through it. Fortunately he'd long since mastered the technique of skipping a few plateaus with only a few seconds of warning so if the pop looked to be too much for his current ki field he'd have no trouble doubling up.
Much to his surprise though this proved to not be necessary.
Just when he thought he'd be on the receiving end of a blast a pane of energy, gold and black in colour, cycled into existence before rippling as it finished manifesting. Considering how things usually went in this reality he could be looking at a portal to the afterlife or the arrival of a new baddie.
It was then that a familiar robed figure emerged from the pane bringing to the forefront of his mind the very event that set him on his present path. He still couldn't see the guy's face but thanks to his years of training on this Earth his ability to sense ki let him know that whoever or whatever the guy was power was very much a part of his being. This was no average practitioner of the mystic arts but rather someone with energy running through him that was beyond what mortals were capable of.
"You must come with me immediately Alexander Harris." The Robed Guy said sounding rather disturbed, "You and your friends are needed."
"Now? But it hasn't been twenty years yet." He said relaxing a bit both physically and in terms of ki generation, "Unless there's some kind of time differential between realities causing things to go faster back home then they have here."
"While there is indeed some disparity from one reality to another that is not why I have come here." Robed Guy said an undertone of urgency in his words, "Matters have…'developed'…since you saw me last and it is now known why the one to wield the Six will succeed."
"What happened?" He asked instantly hungry for more information on the threat to come.
"Champions, extraordinary individuals, began to emerge roughly ten years after your departure." Robed Guy replied obviously trying to shorten the story so as not to waste time, "This was unprecedented especially since these were not champions born of magic but rather born of mortal science. My allies and I came to the conclusion that it was these champions that the Overseers intended to use to defeat the wielder of the Six."
"Sounds awesome. Can't wait to meet'em!" He said excited at the idea of being a part of a genuine super hero team up.
"I'm afraid that that's why I have come to retrieve you before the expected time." Robed Guy said with genuine regret, "They're dead."
"What!? The big bad strike early?" He asked making a logical prediction.
"No. Apparently the father of another hopeful did not take the death of his daughter two years prior well. He blamed the man who intended to bring the champions together for the loss and chose to exact his revenge by murdering the champions." Robed Guy replied sounding displeased by this.
"Damn. It ain't easy losing someone that important to you but killing people who had nothing to do with it is just wrong." He said with a frown of disapproval, "Guess it's a good thing you recruited me and the Scoobies."
"More than you know." Robed Guy said sounding like he was getting to the core of his reason for showing up, "In his desire for revenge against Nick Fury he brought about the death of Thor thus bringing down the wrath of Asgard to your world."
He knew he should be surprised but with everything he'd been through this was just another piece of news helping him gain a better understand the real world he called home.
"How bad is it?" He asked imagining the sort of reaction a warrior culture might have to the murder of royalty.
"Both better and worse than you are likely imagining." Robed Guy replied with concern, "Nick Fury was able to determine the identity of the murderer and even turned the man over to the Asgardians in the hopes of them swiftly withdrawing from Earth. However their current ruler, Loki, had different plans. Through strength of arms he has 'convinced' the leaders of every nation in the world to name him supreme ruler. He claims that humanity secretly craves subjugation and so he will help satisfy this craving by ruling over the entire planet."
A frown of disapproval at the murderer's actions turned into an angry look both at what some asshole thought was mankind's destiny and because his Sunnydale paranoia was pinging. The timing of it all seemed just a little too perfect for his liking: a woman dying and setting her father on a crusade of irrational revenge, a group of champions cut down before they could assemble and a man with an army now free to conquer Earth unopposed. Indeed he believed that if Earth's militaries stood a chance on their own of defeating Asgard's warriors the Robed Guy wouldn't have shown up like this.
"Let me tie up some loose ends here." He said turning to the front door of the Son home, "They deserve more than just me disappearing into thin air."
"Very well but do not dally too long." Robed Guy said with moderate reluctance.
Once inside he immediately went to the room that he'd been living out of since his arrival in this reality grabbing a bag by the door before stuffing whatever was his into it. He didn't examine every little thing and evaluate its worth but rather scooped up clumps before shoving them in.
Time was a factor and he couldn't afford to waste even a second.
Once the bag was full he zipped it up and gave the room a once over for anything he might've missed but when nothing stood out he moved to the next thing on his to do list.
Leaving his room he went over to Goten's and when he opened the door he wasn't surprised to see the kid drawing at his small desk. Being so young Chi-Chi hadn't started harping on about him getting a good education just yet and being a kid Goten preferred doing fun stuff to schoolwork. Personally he believed that life had to be two parts work to one part fun in order for things to work out. As much as he'd like it if it were the other way around it took money to pay the bills and depending on what sort of life you wanted that meant a LOT of money. Fun of course was important too since workaholics tended to build up stress and it was a medical truth that stress killed if you didn't learn how to relax every once in awhile.
"Hey Goten!" He said trying to keep things casual.
"Hey Xander." Goten said turning to face him on his stool, "Mom gone into town?"
"Yeah. Should be back in a few hours." He said before moving onto the core issue, "Look…remember when I told you about why I'm here? How I need to get stronger so I can help people back home?"
"Yeah." Goten said sounding a little confused.
"Well the time's come to go." He said wishing there was time for a real farewell party, "Things've gotten bad back home. I'm needed. So I need you to behave until your mom get's home."
"No! You can't go!" Goten exclaimed hopping off his stool and darting to wrap arms around his leg.
It pained him to see this because while he might not be related to the kid by blood the years he'd spent living with them had still formed a bond almost as strong. Being with the Son family had helped make being away from the Scooby gang for so long more bearable and there were even times when he forgot about the longing to see them altogether. If he thought he'd only be gone for as long as it took to save the day back home he'd have told the kid that since he could honestly see himself coming back here. He'd probably be able to convince Willow to come here if only because of the advanced science present and as for Buffy it'd be a freedom from her Calling while also getting to know the Demi-humans that lived in this world.
She'd probably even get a kick out of testing her skills against Piccolo and the others.
Neither of them would probably be all that crazy about all the times map rewriting battles took place or that they'd be the weakest ones here for awhile but they'd adapt. With all the know how he'd learned he was sure that he could get them up to at least Krillin's level within a few years.
The sad truth was that his instincts were telling him if he left with Robed Guy he'd be saying goodbye to this reality for good. Travelling between realities couldn't be easy and probably needed a lot of juice to pull off. It was even possible that Robed Guy had called in a lot of favours and burned a lot of bridges to make everything happen.
"I know it sucks Goten. I do." He said being gentle with how he spoke, "But when stuff like this happens you have to ask yourself: would it be right to let other people get hurt just so you can have what you want? Being here with all of you guys has been the best but I'd never forgive myself if people got hurt because I stayed here. Do you understand?"
"I…guess so." Goten replied not quite at the teary eyed stage but definitely a little upset, "Will you ever come back?"
"I dunno kid. It's not easy going from here to there and back again." He replied being honest rather than sugarcoat things, "I'd like to say yes but jumping between realities and how to do it is a LITTLE over my head. If I find a way, a safe way, I'll be back. If not…then know that you're the little brother I never had Goten. I'll miss you big time but I'll never forget you."
Kneeling down he gave the youngest son of Goku the best hug he could, a good five second long one, before letting go and standing back up.
Turning away from the kid he exited the room and then the house itself finding Robed Guy right where he left them but with signs that the being was tapping his foot impatiently.
"Are you ready to leave?" Robed Guy asked managing to maintain some politeness.
"Yeah…let's go." He replied striding up to the pane of gold-dark energy.
In the space between blinks he passed through the event horizon and found himself standing in the very same limbo where his unusual trip had begun so many years ago.
He wasn't alone though.
Standing before him were people he hadn't seen since then and a surge of happiness swept through him even as he examined each of them in turn. All of them had changed both in the superficial areas like clothes and hairstyles as well as in physical age but that was to be expected considering how long it'd been since he'd last seen them. What really had him impressed though was what his ki sense was telling him: all of them had gotten a lot stronger and if they had skill to go along with it then stopping the mystery man after the Six would be easy.
He'd definitely have to see about getting a camera so that when the mystery man saw what the new and improved Scoobies could do he'd be able to capture the jaw drop in all its glory.
Dawn's POV
She missed them already.
They weren't family but with all the years she'd been with them they might as well have been.
She also hated that the last sight she had was…THAT…moment. They'd all tried so hard against odds that not even the stupidest gambler would've taken and at the end of it all they'd succeeded. They'd WON!
Too bad the cost was one no sane person would be glad to pay. He'd done it willingly and it'd done the job of getting the Horde off the planet in a hurry but the pain she'd seen in the eyes of his closest allies made clear the wound to their hearts was a bloody one. The hooded mystery man from so long ago had shown up shortly thereafter explaining that an unexpected development, namely an invasion from Asgard, required that she return home immediately. She hadn't wanted to, made it clear that she at least wanted to stay for the funeral, but of all the people present it'd been Veena who'd told her it was okay. The widow had told her that she and her husband had been expecting that this day would come so while her presence at the funeral would've been appreciated duty was rarely inclined to wait.
In fact leaving duty waiting tended to result in things getting worse and make saving the day harder to accomplish.
As a parting gift though Veena had infused her sword with the smallest of fragments of her power, D'Vann's power and the magic that made up so much of the planet. Something to remember them all by and to hold close to her when the darkness seemed so deep that any light would be welcome. She'd given the woman a good hug, then Ro and then after saying her goodbye to the body of D'Vann she'd passed through the portal the mystery man had come through.
"So what's the big deal?" She asked looking at the people she hadn't seen in a long time, "The guy said something about an invasion from someplace called Asgard but didn't exactly go into much detail."
"Much like you and your friends Miss Summers I dislike repeating myself and believed it to be more efficient if I only had to do it once." The mystery man said closing the portal behind them, "Allow me to provide you all with everything that is known as of now."
For the next thirty minutes the mystery man explained everything.
She was a bit surprised at the idea of someone actually managing to build a flying suit of armour with laser beams coming out of its palms or a guy who turned into a giant rage monster if he got too upset but she got very surprised when told it was due to science not sorcery. Both the guy who made the armour and the scientist whose clothing bill had to be ridiculous had gotten their special additions either by design or from a science experiment gone wrong. Then things took a twist when a injector device that was supposed to dispense lithium dioxide to take the edge off a poison seeping through Tony Stark's blood instead wound up killing him. However no one present, her least of all, believed that this had been intentional or even a surprise assassination by the redhead the mystery man showed them in a projection.
Rule number one when committing murder: NEVER be seen with the murder weapon in hand seconds after the victim keels over dead.
Then a day later, when a blonde buff guy was reaching out to lift up a hammer, an archer above him shot him in the heart with an arrow.
"That's Thor?! THE Thor!? God of Thunder!" Willow blurted out sharing the shock of half the people in the room, "How can an arrow kill him? Was it made out of a special metal? Coated in something deadly to gods?"
"Sadly nothing so simple. As you know the Overseers have made it so that the pantheons of old cannot influence or direct the human race as they once did. The empowerment of certain spells and the occasional discreet visit under VERY tight restrictions are allowed but nothing more than that." The mystery man replied with some bitterness, "The Asgard under Lord Odin were the least happy when the proclamation came down from the Overseers with many daring to defy them. Those who chose not to follow the proclamation believed that the Overseers were bluffing and decided to call them on it. The result? The entirety of Asgard and all those loyal to Odin were stripped of all but the smallest speck of their divinity."
Shocking but at the same time it did explain why none of the other pantheons had made a similar attempt and why the group the mystery man represented were all cloak and daggery. All of them had been BORN gods and had a long time to get used to what that entailed. The idea that if they stepped too far out of line they might have almost all of it taken away would be enough to make any deity submit.
And yet this secretive group was willing to push their luck to avert a catastrophe.
Her opinion of them went up a bit.
"However the people of Asgard are not the sort to simply accept defeat or be content to remain powerless. In the centuries that followed they worked diligently with all the knowledge they possessed to create a means of regaining as much of what they'd lost as possible. Not by looking appropriately contrite to the Overseers but rather by creating objects, armour and structures capable of amplifying what divinity they had left." The mystery man explained showing images of examples, "In time Asgard regained a lot, much to the displeasure of the Overseers who couldn't do anything about it, but never attempted to defy the proclamations again. Thus while wearing his armour and holding Mjolnir in his hands Thor would've been able to shrug off a simple mortal arrow without either he was as vulnerable as any other mortal."
A bit of bad luck or intentional timing?
She'd need to know more before she could come up with an opinion of her own.
"Naturally the archer suspected of firing the shot was apprehended and imprisoned but before he could be questioned he was found dead in his cell. No visible injuries." The mystery man said continuing with his briefing, "That was when things took an unexpected turn. With the death of Thor Odinson a response from Asgard was to be expected but many thought it would be nothing more than a retrieval of the body and an independent investigation. Instead Prince Loki, the Warriors Three, the behemoth known as The Destroyer and a sizeable Asgardian army arrived via the Bifrost determined to avenge their fallen prince. It was only due to quick thinking on behalf of one Nicholas Fury that all out war was avoided with the promise of locating Thor's killer swiftly before handing them over to Asgard.
"Urged to do so by Lady Sif Prince Loki deigned to permit this but gave a very short time limit to do so. Sadly the assassin was quick to provide them with more information to work with." The mystery man said before showing what looked to be a large university building, "Their next target was Doctor Bruce Banner who due to an experiment gone wrong with gamma radiation became afflicted with a transformation into a powerful giant being. In this transformed state there is little that can harm Doctor Banner whether it be tank shells or high caliber bullets but the killer struck while he was still in his weaker form and so this happened."
What she saw was both amazing and unpleasant.
The transformation from the form of a man that looked like he'd be perfect teaching a classroom full of university students to a towering mass of green muscle was amazing. She couldn't even come close to understanding how someone could gain so much mass in such a short amount of time without some sort of external source of organic matter. The show of power Banner possessed in his transformed state made even the strongest of the Snake Men seem puny by comparison.
The unpleasant part came when out of nowhere the green giant began to expand ever more in ways she was pretty sure weren't normal for him before exploding into green goo all over the place. It was like something had decided to continue adding more organic mass regardless of whether or not the container could hold it all and then POP everything exploded. Needless to say people would probably be mopping up pieces of Doctor Banner for weeks.
"The only connection that could be formed between the victims was that all of them either were candidates or could become candidates for a proposal called 'The Avengers Initiative'. Written by Nicholas Fury years prior he'd suggested gathering together a group of exceptional beings to fight the enemies that conventional forces couldn't. Stark, Thor, Barton and Banner were among these possibilities." The mystery man said bringing up an image of each person named, "So former Agent Romanov chose to follow that lead and discovered that someone had accessed the file containing the proposal shortly before the first murder. The problem was that the access codes used belonged to someone who'd been dead for two years."
"The father." Xander stated sounding like he'd been told more than the rest of them had.
"Indeed. Hank Pym lost his daughter two years ago during a mission for the organization Nicholas Fury leads and his pain turned to anger then rage. He blamed Fury for filling his daughter's mind with nonsense about being a part of something bigger, of being a hero, and was determined to take everything from Fury." The mystery man explained to those who knew less, "Agent Romanov pieced this together quickly but before she could go to her boss Pym struck. The most she was able to do before dying was send a brief message to him giving him the critical clue needed to piece everything together. After that it was easy enough to draw Pym out into the open and then apprehend him with the aid of Prince Loki. Nicholas Fury likely expected a swift withdrawal by the people of Asgard but instead their ships appeared over every major city on the planet with their weapons aimed DOWN."
"How can he do this?" Giles asked sounding puzzled and concerned but not upset, "The proclamation by the Overseers should have caused immediate consequences for them all for deploying such a large military force."
"Indeed. That is another reason why I retrieved each of you." The mystery man said sounding grim and…worried, "Such a blatant display of power and aggression should've resulted in all of them being transported away for judgment and possibly the modification of the memories of every human on Earth to restore the status quo."
"Your worried something's happened. That either the Overseers decided not to get involved or that they can't for some reason." Willow said showing her quick mind in action.
"Indeed and either possibility bodes ill for the future." The mystery man said grimly, "As things stand now half of the six are now on Earth and should the one who seeks it learns of this a struggle humanity is ill prepared for might well begin."
Not a good idea.
Anyone seeking power on the level that the Six combined were implied to have likely had no small amount of power themselves. When added to the fact that those in possession of one of the Six likely wouldn't give them up without a fight and Earth would become a battlefield like nothing that'd come before.
"So…what's the plan?" Buffy asked speaking up for the first time, "'Cause six people against an army? With potential hostages involved? I'm not liking those odds."
"You are correct. Regardless of how powerful we have become we do not possess the means to engage an entire army simultaneously." Giles said looking only a little older compared to the rest of them, "I propose a more surgical approach."
"What do you have in mind Dumbledore?" Cordy asked sounding more comfortable with her new form and the cheerleader had picked up a new swagger as well.
Potentially troublesome but since the Queen of Sunnydale High School hadn't shown an inkling of interest in Xander yet she wasn't a threat.
"If we cannot defeat the army through force we must remove their reason for occupying Earth in the first place." Giles replied without elaborating further.
"Assassinate Loki?" Buffy asked sounding like she thought it was worth considering.
"Nope. We kill him and we've all but guaranteed they'll dig in and make their occupation VERY not of the good." Xander replied shaking his head in refusal of the suggestion.
"Indeed. If Asgardian culture is anything like Norse culture slaying TWO of their princes, one of which appears to possess authority to command their military, would only make matters worse." Giles said supporting Xander's position, "What I was referring to was that we should find a way to undermine the authority Loki possesses so that the armies of Asgard will no longer obey him."
"And I know A good way to start." Xander said drawing eyes back to him, "After our 'host' explained the reason for the early recall I thought it was kinda fishy that all the heroes that could've stopped Loki just happen to get killed before he arrived. Almost like somebody'd planned it to happen that way."
"You think Loki gave Mister Pym the idea to take out the heroes?" She asked beginning to see how that'd work.
"No…I think he had something to do with Pym's daughter dying and probably used some mojo to make him go homicidal." Xander replied sounding confident in his theory.
"How? Just because the Overseers haven't interfered in Loki's invasion it doesn't mean that they'd let it happen back then." Willow said her eyes furrowed in thought.
"Loki's a trickster and part of being one is not letting anyone know you're behind it all." He said laying out his thoughts, "Besides think about it: just how much would he have needed to do to get things going the way he wanted? How much would he've had to do to make sure Miss Pym died? How much would he've had to do to lock Hank Pym into revenge?"
She could see the others considering the questions and she was as well.
Through her lessons with Veena and D'Vann she'd learned the subtleties of maneuvering an enemy towards the location you wanted them to be at. It wasn't hard if the enemy was dumb but the smarter they were the sneakier you had to be and sometimes you needed to know how your foe thought to really get it done. If Loki had been careful enough, stayed under the celestial radar, then he could've set it all in motion with no one being the wiser about it. If they could find proof or even better trick Loki into admitting it in such a way that his people heard it he'd go from ruler to traitor in a heartbeat.
It'd definitely be enough to get the Asgardian army off Earth.
"A promising train of thought Xander and one worth pursuing." Giles said nodding in agreement, "Another option would be to seek the aid of those who rank above a prince. Lord Odin and Lady Frigga. The King and Queen of Asgard."
"Loki's parents? A bit of a douchebag move but it'd work." Buffy said sounding like she wasn't crazy about the idea but thought it'd work.
"But how would you even get to them?" Willow asked pointing out a very real weak point in that plan, "It's not like they're living in a cottage somewhere on Earth."
"I know of one way however perhaps our host might be able to send me to them." Giles said turning to their mystery man, "He seems to have little trouble sending us across dimensions so space should pose no problem for him."
"Sadly retrieving you from your respective dimensions has exhausted what power I've been hiding over the years." The Robed Guy said with regret, "It's going to be all I can do to return you to Earth."
"Very well." Giles said sounding a little disappointed, "We shall have three objectives to achieve. First to investigate the events leading up to Loki's occupation of Earth starting with the death of Hank Pym's daughter to see if there was more going on. Second contact the king and queen of Asgard in the hopes that they will put an end to this invasion."
"And the third?" Cordelia asked sounding like she had an idea.
"If Loki is truly the mastermind of this entire debacle he is not going to simply let us expose his scheme and ruin his plans." Giles replied with a smidgen of mischief on his face, "The odds of our success would be greatly improved if his attention were focused elsewhere. If he were appropriately…vexed."
"Like say a pair of unknown people bringing some chaos to his orderly plan?" Cordelia asked no doubt rhetorically with a gleeful smile on her face.
"Precisely."
"Then who goes with who on what mission?" She asked knowing who she'd prefer to be with.
Onsholt
The Outskirts of Viby, Jutland
Giles' POV
~I wonder what father would think if he could see me now.~ He thought as he walked along the outskirts of of Viby doing his best not to be noticed.
Too bad his 'partner' for his mission was making no such effort.
Then again given that she was eight feet tall, clad in a skintight outfit and was quite attractive perhaps asking her to be overlooked was requesting too much.
"So what exactly are we doing out here?" Cordelia asked walking alongside him even as various locals gave them strange looks, "I'm just asking because it's only gonna be a matter of time before the wrong people notice us."
"As you know our goal is to speak with either Odin or Frigga. However since we were not able to count on our mysterious friend to send us to Asgard we must seek alternate means of going there." He replied pausing to look about the immediate area for the physical reference point that would tell him where they were, "The optimum possibility is to seek the location with the strongest connection to Odin and the worship of the Norse Pantheon. Such places often have lingering sources of power some of which are buried while others are located in plain sight untouched only because their significance has been lost to time."
"And one of these 'sources' is our ticket to Asgard?" She asked idly glancing about.
"If we are fortunate." He replied after finding what he sought, "This way."
They could not take a direct route both due to his desire to avoid as many eyes as possible but also because buildings now stood where once there had been nothing but wetland. How did he know this? He could not rightly say, not for certain, but he suspected that one of the deities that had backed their mysterious benefactor might have been Odin himself. He…knew things now…things that had not been contained in any of his studies before or after becoming a Watcher. For a time he had thought that their 'benefactor' had merely implanted it as part of his Halloween costume however over the course of his years of training he'd come to believe otherwise.
His mentors likely knew more than he did but whenever he attempt to hear what they knew his attempts proved fruitless.
They were all masters of mysteriousness and he privately thought that they spent ample time conceiving of new ways to confound him in perfectly innocent ways.
If he was right that Odin had played a role in forging his current path then it gave him confidence that he was heading in the right direction.
It took only a short while longer before his confidence proved to be well founded for it was then that they arrived at the edge of what looked to be a small park. There was not much to it, clearly meant for decorative purposes rather than via a desire to preserve nature, however there were several trees that looked like they'd been there for centuries. They were not ugly per se and he suspected they'd been allowed to grow as they would for the most part but the focus of his attention lay in the worn jutting rock wrapped in the roots of the largest tree.
"Here we are." He said striding up to the rock before examining the engravings that had held up miraculously well to the passage of time.
Indeed one would think that it had been chiselled and carved only a few decades ago when in fact it had likely been done before the Overseers began their aggression against the pantheons.
He let his mind go where it would as he traced every line and bump present in the engravings. Pushing away all possible distractions he let thoughts come and go in the hopes that whatever information he might've gained from Odin would come to him more easily. It wasn't until his fingers brushed against one of the roots of a picture from Yggdrasil that a feeling within him surged forward. Without resisting in the least he pressed his hand completely against it before sending a baseball sized amount of magic into the root. A reaction began almost immediately but he could tell that time without maintenance had left the ancient artifact in a state of minimal functionality. It was quite likely that even if it succeeded in sending both him and Cordelia to Asgard the effort would render it nonfunctional.
In short they would need to hope that Odin felt generous enough upon learning of his son Loki's activities to allow them to use the Bifrost to get home.
"Stand close to me Miss Chase." He said taking a step back before pointing his staff at the shimmering root engraving, "The window of travel will likely be rather narrow."
"I just hope we get there in one piece." Cordelia said doing as she'd been asked, "I don't want my atoms scattered across space."
"Neither do I." He said before using his staff to channel the required amount of magic into the root in order to trigger the transference process.
Almost at once a waterfall of light and colours surrounded the two of them but before they could do more than comprehend that a force had plucked them from where they stood. They were sent hurtling down a tunnel of light so bright it was all but impossible to see what was on the other side. It was exhilarating! In all his years as a Watcher, as a practitioner of magic, he had never experienced the light and it even put what he'd seen in the reality of his mentors to shame. All of his teachers were powerful and were capable of great things but they'd never performed a feat that matched the brilliance of this. Given their thorough teaching methods though it was possible that they'd intentionally restrained themselves so as to not tempt him to try something beyond what he could handle.
He was no longer as he once was and was capable of much more but that did not mean that he was suddenly without limits.
He still had limits they had just been moved from where they had once been.
Sensing that they were nearing their destination he braced himself for the deceleration to come as well as the reorientation of his body. He would trust that whatever training Cordelia had undergone during her time away would allow her to handle the landing without difficulty. Then it happened and he put into practice everything he'd ever been taught about safely dropping from a significant height. This proved to be the correct course of action for with only a slight feeling of vibration his body went from going headfirst to feet first. A moment later he was once more standing on solid ground but as the light that'd sparked off their journey receded he could safely say that they were no longer on Earth.
Greenery and majestic structures were spread out before his field of vision with the area around his immediate position telling him that they were on the edge of the city. This was good and hopefully their arrival had gone unnoticed by the people of Asgard since he doubted that Loki had taken every man and woman capable of wielding a weapon to Earth. It was quite likely that the trickster god of the Norse pantheon didn't consider the people of Midgard to be any match for the warriors of his people. As such whatever the size of the force that'd been taken to Earth there were almost certainly sufficient warriors on Asgard in order to assure its security.
"So THIS is Asgard." Cordelia said taking in their surroundings, "Looks tasteful enough. Clearly designed by someone who wanted to convey 'throne of the gods' to anyone visiting."
"I would say it was less due to ego and more for the psychological benefits it would have on visitors." He said as information on what was before him begin to manifest in his mind, "To allies it would be reassuring since it meant that the Asgardians could afford them great protection and aid. To enemies it would serve as a warning about what could be brought to bear against them should they provoke the Allfather's wrath. Come, we have much to do."
Pulling the hood of his cape over his head he adopted the posture and walking mannerisms one would associate with an old man of advanced years. He did this because most people would overlook such a person not considering them threatening in the least and therefore reduce the odds of anyone taking an interest in him. For a moment he worried that Cordelia's unique appearance would halve their success but then much to his surprise he watched as the very threads of her skintight outfit began to move as if alive. Like hundreds of super thin snakes they moved in perfect synch with one another shifting and reweaving themselves until her clothes took on a new form entirely. Now to his eyes it appeared as though Cordelia was wearing a simple yet elegant black dress with a hood concealing all of her head save her face.
"And the reason you did not employ this ability on Earth?" He asked with mild curiosity as they proceeded into the city.
"Didn't see the point. If we're really supposed to save the day it's not going be subtle." Cordelia replied affecting a more subdued stride, "People are going to know what I look like one way or another. Here? I'm not stupid. I know that getting caught before we even set foot in the palace would make all this a waste of time and probably get us thrown in the dungeon. I can do simple and ordinary when I need to."
"That is good to know." He said relieved that he would not have to deal with any teenage behaviour anymore.
Due to their training and the time it took to master their new 'upgrades' all of his former charges had matured both physically and mentally. While they still retained much of what'd made them who they were before their training had begun like fine wine age had only made them better in his opinion. Still he supposed that he would have to wait and see whether or not they'd simply exchanged one set of eccentricities with another set.
He truly hoped that whatever new qualities they'd gained in their time apart that he would not find it any more difficult to interact with them than he had before.
Nighttime
Approaching the Pym Residence
San Francisco, California
Willow's POV
"Are you okay?" She asked looked about trying to remember everything Mister Lynch had attempted to teach her.
Everything about looking normal and completely unremarkable even when you were anything but that. They couldn't afford to attract attention or else they'd wind up losing this lead and being forced to find another one but that'd take quite a bit of valuable time.
Who were they trying to avoid gaining the attention of?
Why the ten large ships hovering over San Francisco that looked like Viking longboats minus the sails and had who knew how many weapons at their disposal. Their only saving grace was that whatever Prince Loki's orders they didn't include a ground presence of armed soldiers everywhere you looked. Both Buffy and her believed that Loki wanted to play up the whole 'your leaders handed me their crowns willingly' angle for as long as possible. Whether it was because it stroked his ego or because he didn't have the numbers for a full occupation force the bottom line was that so long as they kept a low profile they could do what they wanted.
If they did anything to justify the ships overhead deploying soldiers or firing their ship mounted weapons they'd be in trouble.
It was one of two reasons why they were doing this at night as opposed to during the day since most people would be asleep and assuming Asgardians were even remotely human only the night watch crew would be awake on the ships. The sudden change in world leadership had also left many people scared of what'd come next so the nightlife was rather unstable with some people living it up like it was their last day on Earth while others kept to their homes. With the reduced foot traffic the odds of them getting spotted went down even as it'd make them more noticeable to any eyes in the sky.
The second reason why they were doing this at night was because of Buffy's more feline appearance. She didn't have a tail or limbs that looked more like they belonged on one of the big cats but there were enough differences that couldn't be explained off as costume parts. Maybe the best make up and costume specialists in Hollywood could copy it but she doubted that many people would go that far for a party or even a comic book convention. Being as dark out as it was most people wouldn't be able to make out enough details to suspect something was up and the hoodie they'd borrowed hid them even further.
Though the unique eyepiece Buffy had on might catch an eye or three.
At first she likened it to a monocle of the sort used to correct or enhance eyesight in a single eye and was often worn by men in older movies to make them look distinguished. However it was far from simple in design and was not being held in place by thread or chain but rather seemed to be attached right to the Slayer's face. She couldn't tell if it was attached via screws, glue or some sort of magnetics but however it was done it was solid. No sign of wobbling or being loose so she figured either someone would have to physically take it off or a solid enough blow would be needed to remove it.
In any case it was unique enough in design that when the light from the street lamps reflected off of it people would see it and have trouble taking their eyes off of it.
"I'll manage." Buffy replied panting a little bit, "Let's just get to Pym's place so I can get some AC going."
It was one of the things they found out soon after their mysterious host had dropped them off in San Francisco: Buffy's new form was not as compatible with California weather as it once was. While still more humanoid than feline it looked like her human ability to vent body heat via sweat had been partially or completely lost. Granted her friend wasn't copying how a cat dealt with their body being too hot but she'd seen her friend dressed in similar clothes without the west coast heat getting to her.
Looking ahead she could see the Pym home and luckily for them it didn't look like the police or Loki's forces were giving it any attention at all. This'd make their job a little easier since they wouldn't need to sneak inside but they were still stuck with the task of finding something without any idea about what it was. All they had was a theory that the deaths of the new wave of heroes was somehow tied to Loki's coerced occupation of Earth.
Still it was preferable to trying to tackle the entire Asgardian occupation force head on.
Once they arrived they approached the front door keeping an eye out for any witnesses that might call the police or make their quiet entry less so. It was when they got to standing in front of the door that the hard part began because she wasn't going to make the mistake of thinking that all it'd be was a locked door or a simple home security system. She knew the name Hank Pym and his reputation as a brilliant physicist that specialized in particle physics. He also owned a company bearing his name so he would have access to resources and a need to make sure any sensitive materials kept at home couldn't be stolen.
Fortunately for her she'd had the chance to examine some truly advanced technology and be taught by people that knew the technical specifications of that tech. She hadn't just been training to master her powers or learn how to fight when she was with the others but also to learn what she could about the science of that reality.
Putting that knowledge to use she began to examine all around the doorframe as well as anything practically close enough to be a security mechanism. Minutes passed and one by one she spotted what she sought with some being better concealed than others. Then with tools that'd been a gift from Mister Lynch she began to disable the security systems around the door being watchful for signs that they needed to be handled in a specific order. It was tricky but fortunately Mister Lynch and Caitlin were good teachers with the former especially good at giving her troublesome problems to solve. If Caitlin was the kind teacher with the encouraging words then Mister Lynch had been the harsh taskmaster who always made sure that her study load never got lighter.
"Done. We're in." She said turning the doorknob and pushing the door open.
"Good. Any idea where to start looking?" Buffy asked once they were inside and she closed the door behind her.
"Not a clue. A lab would probably be a good place since Doctor Pym would need something like that to prepare for his 'revenge'." She replied taking in the interior of the house, "He wouldn't do it at his company. Too many eyes that might suspect something or people that might stumble upon him at an incriminating moment."
"Let's split up then." Buffy said looking at the staircase leading to the second floor, "You go up, I'll go down and if neither of us find anything that gives us the wiggins we'll meet back here and give the ground floor a try. Sound good?"
"Yep. Let you know if I find anything." Buffy said before proceeding upstairs.
"Ditto." She said before looking for something that looked like the door to the stairs leading into the basement.
She didn't think it would be too hard since she didn't think Doctor Pym would've been able to conceal it or even have built his house with secret hidden doors. It was on her second try that she found the right door and after using paranoia to check for traps or sensors on the stairs within sight she carefully began her descent. It was difficult but if living in Sunnydale after learning the truth of it told her anything it was that paranoia kept you alive so long as you kept it on a tight leash. When she reached the bottom she looked about for anything that struck her as off or a sign that something didn't go with everything else.
If their theory was right, that someone had messed with the Pyms to set up the present scenario, then there was a chance they left something behind that didn't mesh.
For the most part the basement looked like one should with boxes in various states of fullness scattered about, an old looking safe that a person could fit into and a layer of dust on everything. Picking a corner of the basement she began her search scrutinizing anything that pinged her instincts even a little before putting it back if it didn't check enough boxes. In the end she couldn't say that there was anything that struck her as being off so she turned her attention to something that looked like a more promising candidate.
Namely the thick looking metal door with a keypad next to it.
She hadn't gone for it right off the bat because it looked like it wouldn't be a picnic to get past but now she had little choice.
Taking out a device from the pack Mister Lynch had given her she began to use it to look for higher grade security measures. The upstairs, the front door and the stairs wouldn't have warranted anything better than what'd be needed for burglars or police officers. If this door did lead to a lab then it'd warrant a top of the line set of security precautions so that only Doctor Pym could come and go without a problem. The device she had wasn't all too special back in its reality of origin, a basic piece of equipment that all Black Razor operatives were given. It was designed to look for two things: to detect energy signatures that didn't belong to the civilian sector and scan a set area before comparing hardware configurations with known patterns. At the moment the device only had patterns from the other reality but she suspected that there were certain parallels between realities that closely resembled each other. If the same could be said for certain hardware designs and security configurations she should discover what she needed to get the job done.
~One…two…three…four.~ She thought as dots signifying threats popped up, ~Impressive configurations too. Doctor Pym definitely didn't want anyone in this room.~
Nevertheless she set to work disabling the four things keeping her from where she wanted to go barely managing to catch some very nasty traps before they could activate but managing just the same. It was when she finished bypassing the keypad so the locks would disengage without the passcode that a part of her still waited for the other shoe to drop. She valued the training she'd gotten and didn't dismiss what she'd gained from it but this was her first mission post Halloween spell. No matter what it was when it came to the things that mattered 'first times' were always accompanied by varying levels of anxiety. Hearing the last of the mechanical locks slide out of place she pulled the door open to reveal what could only be Pym's lab and it'd definitely been worked in recently.
~Okay. Time to put my high IQ to work.~ She thought going to the computer to look through the files, ~Better try to access any personal logs or security footage first. It's the best place to look.~
Fortunately when it came to computers and looking where others wouldn't want her to she had more than a little experience. It took her less than a minute to pick apart the usual tricks hackers used to booby trap their computers both physically as well as in terms of software. Once she gained access she began to pull up the files she needed and began to watch them one by one starting with the oldest.
"Hope…my darling girl…is dead." Doctor Pym said looking destroyed by the grief he was feeling, "Fury came to break the news to me himself. He gave the usual platitudes and condolences but only gave me an edited explanation of how it'd happened. He praised her for being willing to give up her own life for something greater than herself. Probably told a lot of parents that. So many times I doubt he actually feels anything! Not the pain of loss! The grief people who actually knew the dead have to live with for the rest of their lives! Guess you have to be one cold fish to be director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Good thing I left when I did. Probably why I'm still alive."
Sad but what could you expect from a grieving father who apparently had done work for S.H.I.E.L.D in the past only to quit. Mister Lynch was a former spy and while he kept most of the details close to the vest he'd shared a few tidbits about the toll such a life could take on a human being. The thing that kept you in 'the game' was the belief that all the hell you put yourself through was for the greater good. That it stopped something that'd hurt a lot of people or would ensure that the 'something' never got a chance to be born in the first place. Some had it in them to be career people who'd do the job to their dying day but others chose to get out while they could still feel their souls within them.
The next few video files focused on efforts to bury himself in his work, a normal response to combat grief, but she noticed something after the fifth file. It might've just been her imagination but it looked like he was getting fed up with his projects quicker with every new one that he took on. Most of them interested her quite a bit and she'd have loved to have worked with him on them but the good doctor seemed to be set off by one detail or another.
"This is pointless! No matter what I make it's only a matter of time before Fury or someone like him takes it and uses it on one of their 'missions'. That's all they do! Take things meant to help people and hurt them instead!" Doctor Pym growled looking borderline irrational and quite angry, "Worse than that one of my colleagues has informed me that Fury is up to his old tricks again. Something called the 'Avengers Initiative' involving the recruitment of extraordinary people for some sort of strike team. Doesn't that man ever learn!? If what I was told was right they'r not even S.H.I.E.L.D agents! It's one thing to involve people who signed up to put themselves in harm's way but innocent people's crossing the line! Someone needs to stop him before more families get to hear Fury's 'regret to inform you' speeches."
Definitely sounded like Pym's mind was on track to taking action against Fury himself but the man still seemed reasonable enough to believe that someone in the system would stop the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. If someone was influencing Doctor Pym to grow increasingly hostile and homicidal then it looked like the good doctor was putting up a fight.
But a losing one.
Skipping ahead a few files what she saw next proved that more than anything else.
"The time has come at last! With Cross' Yellowjacket suit I'm finally ready to avenge Hope's death!" Doctor Pym declared with visible bloodlust and hatred, "Its mobility will compensate for my age and its firepower will more than make me a match for anything that bastard Fury can put in my way. He'll never see me coming!"
This Doctor Pym looked much more the part of the deranged father seeking revenge for his daughter who perished in the line of duty. Unkempt hair, bags under the eyes, no sign of having shaved in two weeks and a gleam in his eyes that made one doubt his rationality. However according to the date one the file it'd been recorded more than two months before Tony Stark had been killed. Why the delay?
"Yet…even now…I wonder if I'm doing the right thing targeting Fury's recruits. His Avengers!" Doctor Pym said his visage calming somewhat but still possessing the volatility to relapse back into irrationality, "I have their names, done the research, and most of them seem to be good people. Stark's a chip off the old block but at least he's done what Howard never could and gotten out of the arms manufacturing business. Banner's a scientist like me who just had the bad luck of his experiment going awry. As for Barton and Romanov both of them might be career S.H.I.E.L.D agents but from their files it looked like they haven't lost their souls yet. The former's got a family to keep him on the level and the other is a former Russian agent that he helped defect to S.H.I.E.L.D when she wanted to part ways with her country.
"They might be flawed but they haven't sold their souls to Fury yet." He said looking as though he might remove them from his hit list.
However just as she was about to open the next file she spotted something in the footage that had her eyes narrowing and her focus sharpening. It was only present in the space between blinks but she could swear to seeing something fly through the air to strike Doctor Pym from the right. She could even see a slight bit of movement from Pym when it hit him implying that it had some substance to it and wasn't just a fancy light show.
"But it's only a matter of time until they do. Fury wouldn't have chosen them if he wasn't confident they could be brought around to his way of thinking!" Doctor Pym growled the gleam gaining strength once more to the point of surpassing its previous level, "They're naive, arrogant and foolish! They won't stand a chance once Fury starts playing his mind games with them! Any 'choice' he gives them will be a mirage and it'll last about as long as mirages ever do! Better for them to die as they are before Fury gets his blood soaked claws into them! He deserves to have his big project burn!"
~Definitely a sign that someone's been railroading Pym towards murder.~ She thought copying the video file to a plastic wrapped disk that was nearby, ~But this isn't enough to tell us who much less pin it on Loki.~
She looked through the rest of the files but all they showed was more development of weapons or tools for Pym's revenge or rants about how Fury was responsible for his daughter's death. Obviously whoever had nudged the man back onto the path of vengeance had made sure that whatever remained of the man Pym was could not regain its freedom. By the time she was done she was sure that there would be no further clues to what was going on by looking through the computer files. She was no expert in the field of psychology but she found the rate of Doctor Pym's descent into madness to be a little too quick for her liking. Coupled with what she'd seen in the copied file and she could safely say that were it not for the outside instigator the champions the Robed Guy spoke of would still be alive.
All of it was enough to confirm that the theory was more than just a theory but it did't come even close to implicating Loki.
They needed more.
Getting up from the computer chair she decided to go and see if Buffy had managed to find anything in the rooms upstairs…
…only for a crimson clad fist wreathed in a golden light to press itself against the side of her head as soon as she exited the lab.
"That's far enough." Came a woman's voice with steel in it comparable to Mister Lynch's when he was serious.
~Should've known things were going too smoothly.~ She thought with a mild sigh of exasperation.
A Few Minutes Earlier
Buffy's POV
~This is feeling a little creepy.~ She thought as she continued to look around a room that showed tastes similar to Giles'.
Still for all she'd looked she couldn't find anything but perhaps that was because she didn't know what she needed to find. She was a fighter not a a book person like Giles and Willow were! Point her at something that needed slaying and she'd know exactly what to do but there was a reason why she left research to the others. Nevertheless she had a job to do and nothing less than the freedom of Earth was on the line so she continued to look for something out of place.
She lasted about a minute before growling in frustration her new form adding an animalistic quality to it that past growls had lacked when she'd still been human.
They needed to speed things up!
The longer they took trying to find dirt on Loki to strip him of his authority the more his grip on Earth strengthened!
It was this drive that caused her to reach up with her right hand to touch the treasure that'd been secured over her weakened eye and consider a possibility.
It'd been during her recovery from the mother of all visions that the healers of Thundera had conveyed to her that despite the best medical knowledge they possessed they could not fully undo the damage to her eye. The treatments they'd carried out so far had repaired some of the damage but a single sparring match with her mentor had made it clear that her prowess was diminished. She could still fight against opponents of less skill than her mentor and with the right amount of skill and speed she could mitigate her weakness. Still she did not regret holding onto the vision for as long as she had. How could she? With the forewarning she'd given the people of Thundera they had time to prepare a proper evacuation instead of being blindsided by it.
It just meant that she would have to rely on her teammates to keep enemies from exploiting it.
At least that'd been what she'd expected of her future until she'd been called before Lord Claudus and Lord Jaga a few weeks prior to her departure. The first odd thing that'd struck her had been the lack of guards, servants and other members of the royal court since the suns were only just beginning to set. She'd only been to the royal palace once soon after her arrival but it'd given her a reference point for how things were supposed to be. They'd all made the usual small talk about how she was doing and how the evacuation preparations were going but once those were done the Lords got to the reason they'd called her before them.
Lord Claudus personally thanked her and conveyed his gratitude for what she had done and acknowledged the sacrifice she'd had to make to warn them of Thundera's destruction. However the member of the Lion Clan also told her that he had not forgotten her explanation for why she had come to his world in the first place. To train and prepare herself to defend her own world against a mighty threat that only those of great skill and power could counter.
In an effort to reward her and to ensure that her sacrifice would not cost her victory against her own foe they would bestow upon her something few others had ever received.
An artifact from the Treasure of Thundera.
The Treasure of Thundera was a cache of Thunderian artifacts, mostly magical in nature, that were pretty much the equivalent of the British crown jewels. It was one of the things she'd learned early on in her training and the fact that they were giving her one of the artifacts was completely unexpected.
The artifact was called the Eye of Omens but unlike the conclusion that many people came to that did not put it on the same level as the Sword of Omens. The story behind its creation though did involve the most valuable treasure of the Thundercats though. Apparently many centuries ago an alien race attempted to invade Thundera only to be repulsed time and again by the Lord of the Thundercats of the time using the Sword of Omens. It was after a certain number of defeats that the leader of the invaders decided to go with the subtle route and sent his best infiltrators to Thundera.
Their mission? To sneak into the royal palace and steal the Sword of Omens.
It was the belief of the leader of the invaders that without the weapon victory was sure to be his the next time he attempted to take over the planet.
However what set this plan apart from those that had tried it before was that the infiltrators actually succeeded in stealing the sword and escaping the capitol city. They didn't get away without a single alarm being raised or any pursuit but considering that in the past no theft attempts had lasted past the palace walls said much about the group's skill. Naturally all efforts were made to recover the sword but the leader of the invaders had accounted for this as well and had the weapon placed deep within a treacherous location.
The Catacombs of Despair.
She'd almost snorted at the name but managed to keep it under wraps out of respect for the two people before her.
Apparently it was an underground network of burial chambers belonging to an extinct civilization only spoken of amongst scholars and those with a fascination for the past. What had gained it its infamy though was that those who entered the catacombs almost never made it out and those that did escape it never did so unscathed. Some were permanently injured with the means by which they were damaged never truly understood. Others suffered wounds of the mind that caused them to withdraw from civilization to become reclusive hermits where they could not be harmed and they could harm no one.
One of the most devoted of the invaders had volunteered to take the Sword of Omens as deep into the catacombs as possible until they reached the bottom or were killed.
Many loyal Thundercats volunteered to brave the dangers of the catacombs to retrieve the Sword of Omens but the Lord of the times refused to place them at unnecessary risk. Instead the best scientists, mages and craftsmen were charged with creating something that would lower the risk to more acceptable levels. This was no small task since without knowing precisely what the dangers were those assembled had little to focus their efforts on or any way to get more precise results. In the end it'd been a member of the Lynx Clan that proposed attempting to recreate one of the Sword of Omens' most valuable abilities.
The ability of 'sight beyond sight'.
It bestowed upon the wielder to see across great distances, find hidden things, and spot impending danger or allies.
It was the Lynx Clan member's position that if they succeeded their creation could show the wielder where all the traps were located, make visible hidden enemies and perhaps even show the path the fanatical invader took. While bold the Lord of the time approved this idea and so the assembled experts went to work pouring every ounce of their skill into making the idea a reality. While they worked the armies of the Thundercats did all they could to hold back the invaders to buy time for the experts to complete their work and for the Sword of Omens to be retrieved.
The end result was the Eye of Omens.
It fell short of what was possible for the Sword of Omens but that did not diminish what success the experts did manage to accomplish as a result of their efforts. The Eye of Omens allowed its user to see significant distances, perceive various forms of energy normally invisible to the naked eye and with some effort grant a glimpse into the past or the future. The primary flaw of the creation was that it didn't have the power that the Eye of Thundera possessed and so it was made to tap into the stamina of its wielder. The more the person attempted to do the more stamina that would be required with it being entirely possible that the wielder could be brought to brink of death. Seeing great distances was the least draining of its abilities but perceiving things through time drained the wielder proportional to how far into the past or future they wished to see.
No past wielder had ever dared to test the limits of the artifact for fear of killing themselves in the process.
It had been Lord Claudus and Lord Jaga's belief that the artifact would make for an acceptable gift and that it might neutralize the damage done to her eye.
She'd accepted the gift and as it turned out the artifact did indeed restore her vision to its former level of acuteness. It'd taken awhile to be able to use all of its abilities when she wanted to use them and only when she wanted to use them but thankfully Lord Jaga had helped out a lot.
So why had she waited until now to use it?
Because despite how useful it was that had been while she'd been on Thundera where the Eye of Omens had been created in a reality where Thundera existed. She had no idea how it would work in a reality with significantly different rules and properties or if it would even work at all. She even feared the possibility that it might literally blow up taking the eye it'd been meant to help.
All those concerns were in her mind but at the same time she knew how much they needed to know more to kick Loki and his Vikings off Earth. Every moment she hesitated was another moment the occupying force had to do whatever it is they planned on doing. Depending on just how ambitious or villainy Loki planned on being dragging their heels could wind up costing them big time.
Thus she made her choice.
"Eye of Omens! Show me a glimpse of times past!" She asked more to psych herself up than because it was required in order for the artifact to work right, "Show me what happened in this room in the last two years!"
In response to her command the lens that made up the core of the Eye of Omens began to glow blood red before bathing everything in her field of vision. Next came the sudden blur of images and movement that had happened like always but fortunately when she focused on certain criteria the unnecessary stuff faded away. What was that criteria? Strange energy being made and when Mister Pym wasn't the only person in the room. Either of them could lead her to proof that someone had pushed the guy to go all psycho murderer and if that someone turned out to be the one leading the invasion all the better.
Watching the scenes play out she was glad that she didn't get to see Pym's ENTIRE day since that would've been gross considering his age. She sighed a bit as she forced the one issue with limiting what she was seeing to certain things: a lack of order. The Eye of Omens wasn't showing her things in the order they happened in but rather was bouncing around from one moment to the next so it'd be hard to determine when someone messed with Pym's mind. Sometimes what she was seen only lasted a few seconds while others less than that making her wonder if she'd actually spot anything.
Then, as if responding to her desires, the Eye showed her Mister Pym asleep in his bed and from the image of the newspaper on the beside table the date was roughly two years ago. At first she saw nothing but then a humanoid mass of green entered the bedroom through the doorway. She couldn't make out any details and considering the Eye's abilities that could only mean that whoever it was was completely covered in green energy. Seeing as how Mister Pym didn't react and nothing showed up in a mirror on the wall she bet it was some kinda invisibility spell. Watching the form she saw it move to the bedside table before taking something out and in defiance of logic implanted something into the reading lamp on the table. It was as though the item temporarily went ghost allowing it to pass through the solid lamp without disturbing it even a little.
A point in favour of the Loki theory since normal people couldn't do magic like that.
After the item had been inserted the humanoid figure simply stood there and ten seconds later a beam of some kind of energy flowed out from the lamp to hit Mister Pym's head. Whatever it was doing to the guy it didn't look like it was being pushy about it since the future hero killer wasn't thrashing about or even looking disturbed as he slept. This apparently proved to be enough for the humanoid figure who promptly left the room without dropping whatever was keeping them invisible so she couldn't confirm that it was Loki. Using the Eye of Omens required that she remain in one spot while it peered into the past or the future meaning she couldn't follow the figure to see if they dropped their cloak of invisibility. Still as she saw more images and more instances of whatever was placed in the lamp beam something into Pym's head there could be no doubt that something was being done to him.
With a conscious effort she disengaged the Eye of Omens staggering a bit as the toll was paid but fortunately it wasn't too much. Her Slayer side was quick to have her bounce back and once she was ready she walked over to the lamp to see if she could get at what was inserted inside. If there was any sort of proof of who was behind all this it'd be inside of the lamp but the question was how to get at it. Would it be like in the movies where the thing'd disintegrate if it wasn't removed in just the right way? Or was the person cocky enough to not care if his thingamajig was found?
~Only one way to find out.~ She thought picking up the lamp before smashing it on the ground.
Sorting through the fragments quickly it didn't take her long to find what didn't belong and it was in the form of a small bauble that looked like it belonged at the bottom of a necklace. A green gem ornamented with a mix of gold and brass from what she could tell but it wasn't designed to look like anything specific. Snatching what looked like a handkerchief she scooped the item up off the ground taking care not to let her skin touch the item. If there was any gimmick meant to eliminate evidence it was probably triggered by contact with skin since it hadn't disappeared upon hitting the floor.
"Guess he didn't think anybody'd think to look in the lamp." She said grinning at her success, "Mistake number one asshole."
Leaving the room she decided to head down to the basement to see if Willow had found anything like she had…
…but got as far as the top of the stairs before her acute senses of hearing and smell picked up on something that had her on guard.
Someone else was in the house besides her and Willow.
Detaching her telescoping bo staff from her arm brace she proceeded cautiously down the stairs her senses alert for any sign of the new arrival as well as danger. Letting the scent guide her without making it obvious that she was trailing it to its source she soon arrived at a dining room…
…where a bald African American man with an eyepatch was sitting like he'd been patiently waiting for her.
"I guess I'm not the only one that found Hank Pym's actions a little too perfectly timed." The man said as though he had nothing to worry about, "Perhaps together we can get to the bottom of this before we have to start learning the Asgardian national anthem."
"We?" She asked with a raised eyebrow aimed at the man who acted like their alliance was already a done deal.
In response the man reached up to his left ear, pressed something in the ear and said "Captain Danvers? Would you please join us in the dining room?"
Moments later she heard the sound of two sets of feet ascending stairs that likely led to the basement making her wonder just how outmaneuvered she and Willow had been. She hadn't smelt a single thing when they'd entered the house and that could only mean that this guy and 'Captain Danvers' had shown up after they had and gotten in VERY quietly. With her being upstairs and air circulation inside a house being what it was their scents wouldn't have gotten upstairs without unnatural manipulation.
~How can any human be quiet enough that I couldn't hear them?~ She thought rather proud of how she'd honed her senses on Thundera.
A moment later the feet she'd heard coming up the stairs stepped into view and almost immediately she wondered what the hell was going on.
Willow was walking side by side with a blonde woman wearing a red, blue and gold outfit that looked like it belonged at a comic book convention. The thing was her friend wasn't in restraints and didn't seem to be in much distress as far as she could tell which didn't mesh with the being held hostage.
So what was going on?
"It's okay Buffy." Willow said sounding only a little uncertain, "This is him."
"Him? Him who?" She asked looking from her friend to the bald African American and back.
"Colonel Nick Fury." The man replied getting up from the chair he'd been sitting on, "Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Nick Fury.
The guy Pym had a major hate-on for?
Huh.
Didn't see this coming.