Jotunhiem
A tall woman with long blonde and red hair and a green dress walked alone across the icy surface of the planet.
Laufey's Temple
Darkness shrouded the ruined temple, save for the shafts of light which knife their way in through the damaged ceiling.
Cosmos entered. Frost Giant guards surrounded her on all sides.
Laufey approached, same height as the goddess.
"What have we done to offend you, esteemed goddess?" Laufey asked, a tone of fear in his voice.
"It is not you, but your son that offends," Cosmos said sharply.
"I have no son," protested Laufey.
"Previously I have taken all grievances with this child up with Odin, the god who adopted him," Cosmos said. "But now he breaks my taboo a second time. Jotunhiem will be forfeit. Unless..."
Laufey listened closely, eager for a way out of the wrath of a primordial deity.
"I will conceal you and a handful of your soldiers, lead you into his chambers, and let you slay him where he lies. Thor will take the throne, and you will take Loki and his Sword of Winters." Cosmos said.
"Why would you do this?" Laufey asked.
"Communication between Asgard and Midgard is forbidden," quoted Cosmos. "This is the will of the gods, and thus is absolute."
"I accept." Laufey said. "Anything to keep our goddess' wrath at bay."
Cosmos vanished in a swirl of shimmering lights.
Bar
Selvig drove to the lab to drop off a pretending-to-sleep Kurisuta, then headed to a bar
Loki and Selvig sat at a booth at the back of the local dive. The bartender sat down a couple mugs of beer and two shots of whiskey. Selvig poured the shot into his mug and downed it.
Loki sipped the mug.
"Seems Rei's a talented hacker." Selvig said.
"Thank you for what you've done." Loki said.
"Don't thank me. I only did it for Kurisuta." Selvig said.
"Your daughter?" Loki said.
"Yes, she and Rei are my daughters," Selvig eyed him with interest. "I don't know who or what you are and I don't care. I just care about Kurisuta. I've seen the way she looks at you.
"I swear to you, I mean her no harm." Loki said.
"Good. If that's the case, then I'll buy you one more drink, and you'll leave town tonight." Selvig said.
A long pause, then Loki nodded. He took a drink.
"Hey, I know you, man..." a drunk man said. He approached, belligerent and looking for a fight.
"You were in the diner with that hot girl."
Loki didn't like where this was going.
"I wouldn't mind her doing a little research on me." He laughed.
Loki was annoyed. "I have no quarrel with you. But she's a lady. You should be more respectful."
"And you should shut the hell up!" The townie said.
Selvig looked to Loki, concerned that he was going to lose it. But, to his surprise, Loki remained unaffected by the Townie's baiting.
"I will not fight him." Loki said.
"Then it'll be easy to kick your ass." The townie said.
Selvig stood, stepped between the two men.
"Gentlemen, please. Let's keep our heads." Selvig said.
Just then, Selvig head-butted the Townie, knocking him out.
Loki was impressed. Selvig downed his drink, then hurled his glass aside, shattered it on the ground. "Another drink?"
Kurisuta's Trailer
The small trailer was in a state of perpetual disarray, strewn with various books, old pizza boxes, etc. A worried Kurisuta lay on her bed, trying to read.
She was startled by the loud rapping on the door. She bolted to the door and opened it to find -Loki, Standing there with the unconscious Selvig slung over his shoulder.
"Dad!" Kurisuta said. "Is he all right?"
"He's fine. Not injured at all." Loki said.
As Loki entered, he banged Selvig's head on the doorway.
Selvig groaned.
"Sorry, my friend." Loki said.
"What happened?" Kurisuta said.
"Just a bit of an argument." Loki said. "Nothing to worry about."
"Put him on the bed." Kurisuta said.
Loki moved through the small trailer carrying Selvig, like a bear lugging another bear, smashing into things along the way, until he finally set Selvig down on Kurisuta's bed. Selvig awakened groggily and looked up at him through bleary eyes.
"I still don't believe you're the God of Mischief." Selvig said. "But you ought to be."
As Selvig drifted off to sleep, Loki pulled a blanket over him.
Kurisuta watched, stunned by their friendship, impressed by Loki's tenderness. Loki turned back to her, looked around.
"These are your chambers?" Loki said.
Kurisuta suddenly became self-conscious. She started cleaning up the mess around her.
"Well, it's more of a temporary living space, really. I don't usually have visitors in here. Actually, never..." Kurisuta said.
Loki picked up a sock off the floor, amused. She snatched it from him, put it away.
"I have something to tell you," Kurisuta said. "Can we go outside?"
Thor stepped off a ladder onto the roof of the lab. He offered Kurisuta his hand, helped her up. There's a telescope set up, a couple chairs, some blankets.
"I come up here sometimes when I can't sleep. Or when I'm trying to figure out my Dad's research. Or when Rei's driving me crazy." Kurisuta said. "I come up here a lot, now that I think about it."
Loki looked at the night sky, filled with stars.
"I had a vision, Loki," Kurisuta said, then told him about the goddess Cosmos' visit to Jotunheim and her deal with Laufey..
"I'm glad you're safe." Kurisuta said. "But you need to get back to Asgard and save Odin."
"And how am I supposed to do that?" Loki asked. "Every night I ask Hiemdall to open the Bifrost to me but he does not answer."
Kurisuta swallowed. "Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I have a feeling, everything is going to come to a head. I'm going to be there to support you."
"You've been very kind. I've been far less grateful than you deserve." Loki said.
"I also hit you with my car a couple times, so it kind of evens out." Kurisuta said.
He smirked, then reached into his pocket and pulled out her father's notebook.
"I don't believe it..." Kurisuta said.
She took it from him, surprised and grateful.
"It was all I could get back. Not as much as I promised. I'm sorry." Loki said.
"No, this is good. Thank you. This means he doesn't have to start from scratch..." Kurisuta said.
She sat down and opened the notebook eagerly, then stopped, a harsh realization clouding her face. Loki noticed.
"What's wrong?" Loki asked.
"SHIELD, whatever they are. They're never going to let this research see the light of day." Kurisuta said. "And I don't understand this."
"Then I'll help," Loki said.
Loki moved beside her, opened her notebook, turned to the page which bore a sketch of the Bifrost. He took the pen from the notebook, began to add to the sketch, leading from one point to another in space.
"Look - you and your family call it magic. The mortals call it science. I come from a place where they're one and the same thing." Loki said.
Loki was drawing the branches of Yggdrasil as Kurisuta looked on, amazed and intrigued.
"Goshinboku?" Kurisuta asked.
"What's that?" Loki was surprised.
"The Sacred Tree," Kurisuta said. "It grows behind our house and connects us to the Otherworld."
"Well that sounds similar to what we believe," Loki said. "This is how my father explained it to me...Your world is one of the Nine Realms of the Cosmos, linked to each other by the branches of Yggdrasil, the Worlds Tree. So, Nine Realms..."
They looked at each other. She nodded. They smiled. This was going to be a long night.