They made good time that morning, despite their sore feet and protesting joints. The countryside had soon turned to suburbs, and then they had come across the first train station. Freya had been a little surprised to see people waiting on the platforms, but as they walked further towards the heart of the city, she noticed that the roads were not as chaotic as she thought they would be. In fact, there were buses travelling on the roads, and then she realised that the underground was still running. She could not help but smile at this fact, for she should have known that the capital would recover from such chaos so quickly. As unused as she was to taking the tube, she also knew that it would save them a few hours walking, and so she had decided to stop at the next station. Loki had not needed much convincing, and after staring at a map of the tube for a few minutes, they had made their way onto a platform.
Within half an hour they were in the heart of the city centre, and Freya had never seen London so devoid of people. The roads were nowhere near as busy as they usually would be, and the usually bustling streets were almost empty. It felt rather eery as they barely saw anyone else, and she could not shake the feeling of being watched. Checking her phone for the address, she made a mental note of the street name before the battery died, and then stopped to check one of the tourist maps on an information board.
"How much further?" Loki asked as they reached Trafalgar Square. Freya was silent for a moment, as memories of feeding the pigeons as a child with her sister came back to her, and she dearly wished she could go back to such happier times. She then realised how empty the tourist spot was, and she hoped she would never see London like this again. As much as she liked to explore when it was quiet, this was too quiet for comfort.
"We need to take that turning, then follow it until we're near the river." She told him as she gestured to one of the streets.
"How certain are you of that?"
"Well, if we reach Westminster Palace or Big Ben, we've gone too far." Freya paused. "But I'm not completely sure what building we're looking for."
"So we're going to look at each one?" He asked, not best pleased at the idea.
"If you have any better way of doing this, then I'm happy to listen." She snapped, for she was now very tired, sore and hungry.
"It's at least a plan." He sighed, for he was also losing patience. "Lead the way."
Ten minutes later found them near the river, and they had decided to take one side of the street each. Loki was looking on the left side, and Freya had taken the right. She was also munching on a bar of chocolate in the hope that it would ease her hunger somewhat, and she prayed that they had not had a wasted journey. She wasn't entirely sure what she'd do if they failed to find the Sanctum, for she had no doubt that there would be no planes going to Wakanda anytime soon, even if she could afford the tickets. Sighing, she kept on going and eventually reached the end of the street. Loki had not appeared to have much luck either, and she felt her heart sink, for she was not in the mood to be searching the entirety of Whitehall and Westminster for one building, especially when they all looked so similar.
"What do we do?" She asked as she leaned against the wall of the corner building.
"I'd suggest we…" He paused, then looked at the ring that was forming at his feet. "Not again." He sighed, while Freya looked confused.
"That's not you?" She asked, and he had just enough time to shake his head before he fell from view. Freya stared at where the Norse God had been stood, then wondered just where exactly he had gone.
"Loki?" She asked the air, but got no response. She took a walk around to the other side of the building, wondering if this was some cruel trick, but there was no sign of him at all. That was when her eyes fell on a small plaque by the door, and she realised that they had found the building after all. She looked upwards and spotted a familiar window, and knew that she was exactly where she was meant to be. If that was the case, then she now had to get Loki released and persuade them for help. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she walked up the steps and knocked on the door, praying for a miracle.
"Who are you? And what do you want?" A man in red robes asked as Freya stood in the hallway. The door had not opened, but she had found herself moving, and it felt rather disconcerting. Still, she smiled politely and tried not to get too distracted at the beautiful architecture or the numerous artefacts on display.
"My name is Freya Wilkes, and I am here to ask for your help." She explained, while he tried to work out if she was a threat. "My friend mentioned that he has had dealings with a Doctor Strange, and that he…"
"Your friend is a danger to those still remaining." He warned, and Freya bowed her head.
"He only wishes to help undo the damage caused by Thanos." She told him as she set her bag down. "I'm sorry, but that's rather heavy and it's been quite a journey. I mean you no harm at all. I also understand if you say no to my requests. I just wish to get to Wakanda, talk to Thor, and hopefully figure out a way on how to undo all of this chaos."
"And what makes you think you can get to Wakanda from here Miss Wilkes?" He asked, still regarding her curiously.
"Loki mentioned that your colleague could create portals, and that was how he travelled to Norway from New York with his brother, Thor."
"So you thought you would use the Sanctum as a travel hub?" He was not impressed, and Freya sighed.
"We seek your help, if you will give it." She told him. "If not, then I will simply work out another way to get there. I figured there was no harm in asking." He stared at her for a little longer, then made up his mind.
"The name is Wong." He introduced as he beckoned for her to follow him.
"You are the guardian of the Sanctum?" She asked as she slung her bag back on her shoulders.
"Temporarily."
"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you Wong." She said, hoping that he would help them. Her heart would not stop racing, and she was as nervous as anything, but she had not come all this way for nothing.
"You have a bad taste in friends." He told her as they walked down into the basement of the building.
"I know you do not trust him, and I cannot say I blame you, but our intentions are honest enough." She could not help but wonder where she was being taken, for they seemed to be walking through a maze of corridors and stairs. "We have all lost people, and we wish to do what we can."
"And what is your plan exactly?"
"It's a work in progress." She admitted rather sheepishly. "The first step is to find Thor, and then work out a way forward from there."
"And you truly believe that the man who devastated New York will help us?"
"He has no reason to betray me." Freya shrugged. "He too has lost people, and has a more personal reason to face Thanos than anyone."
"You truly believe you can bring them back?" He asked after a few moments. By this point Freya was totally lost in the maze, and she knew that this had to have been the guardian's intention.
"With the help of Thor and what is left of the Avengers, yes. Yes, I do." She told him with conviction. This seemed good enough for the guardian, and within a few minutes a portal was opened for her. Freya stared at the African landscape, then turned back to Wong.
"Can I have my friend back please?" She asked, for she recognised the ring around the portal as the one that had taken Loki. The man sighed, then cast another portal. The God of Mischief was pressing against the walls, desperately searching for a way out of the small room he had been trapped in, and he was not best pleased when he saw who was responsible. Freya silently begged the Trickster to behave, and pointed straight to their way to Wakanda.
"Thank you for all your help, Wong, temporary guardian of the Sanctums." She said, as she nudged Loki forwards. He was not happy, but he knew he could not do anything to jeopardise their plan. Freya then took a deep breath and stepped forwards into the portal, praying that Wong had sent them exactly where they needed to be.
The first thing that hit them was the heat, and both squinted in the bright sunlight, but once Freya's eyes finally adjusted, she really wished they hadn't. It appeared that they were in a field outside of the main settlement of Wakanda, but they were surrounded by corpses. It was evident that some form of clean up had been attempted, for some of the alien bodies had been grouped together, but the stench of death was overwhelming. Flies buzzed all over the place, and Freya instantly ran to some bushes to be sick.
"I take it you've never seen a battlefield." Loki commented as he handed her a water bottle. She took it gratefully and did her best not to look at the devastation.
"I prefer to read about them." She told him weakly.
"Then focus purely on the destination." He suggested. "I'll lead the way."
After what felt like the longest half hour of her life, Freya finally reached the other side of the field, and she knew that she would never be able to forget the sight nor smell of such a place. She had done her best to focus on the horizon, but every so often she had glanced downwards and instantly regretted it. Loki had been quiet as they walked, but she could feel the anger radiate from his body as he had been tricked once again. She had tried to apologise, but he had not responded, and so they walked in silence.
"Loki, I…" She tried again as she caught up with him.
"You are not to blame." He told her. "I will get my revenge on those so-called sorcerers though."
"We have the universe to fix first."
"You aren't discouraging me?" He was a little surprised at this.
"Bring my family back, and then you can do what you want." She shrugged, though she felt a little uneasy. She knew they should have been stopped by now, but nobody had come to greet them, and the streets felt like a ghost town. Her courage was also running out, and she was desperately trying to work out what to do if Thor was not here. What if he had gone elsewhere? What if he was half way across the Universe and they found no one? What if…? What if they failed, and this had all been for nothing?
"It'll be alright Freya." Loki assured her as they headed towards the palace. "We'll figure something out." She truly wished she could believe him, but it had been such a long day and…
"Am I imagining things?" She asked as she spotted movement ahead. A vaguely familiar man was walking towards the palace entrance, but he was talking to a raccoon. The raccoon was talking back, and for one moment Freya wondered if she still had her sanity.
"We both are." Loki paused. "But I recognise that man." He had stiffened slightly, and Freya could not blame him. She knew the devastation that the Hulk could cause, and she also knew how much pain he had caused the Trickster.
"Well, let us see if they know where…" She trailed off, for they spotted another man follow, and both knew that they were in luck. Loki could not help but smile, but he knew he had to keep his true identity hidden for the time being.
"Shall we?"
"I…" Freya hesitated, for she knew that she was not exactly on friendly terms with the God of Thunder, and she was a little star struck to see two Avengers nearby. That was when they were spotted, and both were a little uncertain as to what to do, so they stayed where they were. The trio of heroes approached them, eyeing them up, while Freya and Loki did their best to look as unthreatening as possible.
"We are terribly sorry to bother you, but we thought we may be able to offer some help." A disguised Loki began.
"We mean no harm." Freya said, for the second time that day.
"Who exactly are you?" Bruce Banner asked curiously. Freya could not help but note that they all looked a little dishevelled, and she could not blame them.
"I am Freya Wilkes, and this is my friend, Luke Smith." She explained. "We both used to work for SHIELD a few years ago, and thought that we may be able to help find a way to…"
"Wilkes?" Thor questioned, and Freya's heart raced. "The name is familiar…"
"We could do with all the help we can get." Banner said. "You have travelled far?"
"From London." She replied, trying to quell her nerves. "We saw on the news what had happened, and then…"
"You have lost people too?"
"Our families." Loki said sadly.
"We would do anything to bring them back." Freya told them.
"Then you are in the right place." Thor told them. "There's to be a meeting this afternoon to discuss possible plans."
"It seems we got here just in time." Loki smiled as he followed his brother back inside the palace. Freya just hoped that they would find a way to bring everyone back, for they had come too far to fail now.
