AN: I've tried explaining to a review that the timeline is just an assumption, but at this point, I'm done with reasoning. I've posted on the beginning of Iron Man 3 what the year is, since quite a few people seem to be offended based off of an assumption made in previous chapters and haven't read beyond that point. Obviously, this story is going to have its mistakes. I'm slowly but surely working through said mistakes, but it takes time and patience. So please bear in mind that I'm aware of said mistakes, and I will fix them eventually. Thank you UltimateFan-girl15, and Heh309 for reviewing!

Chapter Fifty Seven

It seemed odd to think that she was on Asgard of all places. Years ago, Ada never would have dreamed that she would get the chance to see it in person. Asgard had only been a myth. Now, it was real, and surprisingly disappointing.

Her shoulders sagged as she wandered down the halls of the palace. She was thankful that Thor had given her some time to wander on her own. While Odin had been anything but happy with their arrival, there wasn't much he could do with the Aether infecting Jane.

Ada frowned the moment she thought of Jane and what fate beheld her. There was no telling what the Aether would do to her. The Healers had mentioned that the energy surging within Jane's body would eventually kill her. From what she gathered, the Aether sought out hosts, and would likely find another victim to claim if the Dark Elves didn't find it.

What really left her feeling worried was the planets aligning together. Odin's story was another reminder of how vulnerable Earth was to an attack. If the Dark Elves were alive, they would likely use it as a way of getting to Earth after claiming the Aether as their own. Ada knew for a fact that such an occurrence would end in disaster.

She chewed the bottom of her lip. Her mind was still spinning in light of all the new information brought up by Odin and Thor. She couldn't help but wonder how they were supposed to prepare themselves if Odin believed the Dark Elves were all dead. There was a difference between being prepared and not being prepared. Natasha was always the one who told her that being cautious was a good thing, especially while one was on a mission.

"It's better to have your guard up and expect an attack than allow someone to take advantage of you," she'd said during one of their sparring sessions.

Words of wisdom from a master assassin, she thought with a slight smile. She wondered what the others would have done in this situation. Most likely, they would have already found a way back to Earth. But I'm not like the others. I need to find my own way back.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of metal clanging against metal. Ada blinked in surprise when she reached what appeared to be the armory. She often wondered what her own people would have worn if they went to battle. There was so little known about the Aliquid, that everything was still a mystery to her. She realized with a start that the people of Asgard might know more about her people, especially since they now knew there was life beyond Earth.

'The armor would not fit you.' Ada froze at the sound of Nadia's voice. She wasn't expecting to hear her mother's voice after she'd ignored it earlier. Ada knew that she could have avoided this mess if she had listened to her mother in the first place. 'I am not angry with you, Ada,' her mother reassured her.

How the heck am I supposed to find out more about you or my people if you won't tell me anything? she wondered while studying the armor absentmindedly.

The chain mail reminded her of something that would have been worn in ancient times. A shiver swept through her as she recalled her nightmares revolving around the Black Knights. The armor they wore was nothing like this. Their armor had been heavier, built for people who were capable of fighting back with more than just swords.

'There was a time when the knowledge you seek would have been passed down by our people,' Nadia explained when a heavy silence followed. Ada couldn't help but flinch when she wondered how she was supposed to obtain that information. It wasn't as if any of her ancestors still lived on, as far as she was concerned. 'The information you seek is something you must find on your own.'

"You know, that would be a hell of a lot easier if I knew what the heck I was looking for," she sighed in frustration.

Her statement was met with silence, and Ada crossed her arms in annoyance.

More often than not, Nadia frustrated her to the point where she wondered why she bothered asking. The Aliquid were apparently a secretive people, having given any information to outsiders. Ada was more frustrated with this lack of knowledge than she wanted to admit out loud.

"If you wish to seek battle armor built for women, you are in the wrong place." Ada whirled around at the sound of Lady Sif's voice, eyes widening upon seeing the shield maiden looking at her in amusement. "I was informed by one of the maids that you disappeared in the armory."

Ada's cheeks turned a faint shade of red when she realized that she had been caught. She had been wandering for a good half hour in the hopes of finding the library on her own. She refused to admit that she needed directions, especially with Odin roaming the same halls. After the way he acted around Jane, she was in no hurry to face him again.

About the only positive side of Asgard was that Thor's friends happened to be a lot more welcoming than Odin had been. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering how Odin and Thor were related. The two of them were nothing alike, other than through appearance.

"Sorry… I was actually looking for the library," she admitted sheepishly.

"Why did you not choose to remain in the library if that is what you seek?" Lady Sif asked curiously.

Curiosity killed the cat, a small voice told her.

Curiosity was what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. Yet, she tried making the most out of an awful situation. Asgard wasn't the most ideal place she would have liked to find herself getting lost in, but at least it was better than nothing.

Not to mention, she wasn't given the time to memorize where they had been going when Odin whisked them away to the library. Judging from the urgency in his tone, he'd wanted to make Thor and Jane aware of the Aether, and the Dark Elves.

"I wanted to see the rest of the palace," she replied with a shrug.

Lady Sif shook her head in amusement after sensing that wasn't the only reason Ada had left. She had to admit, she did enjoy Lady Sif's company more than the others. Not only was she a good friend of Thor's, but she was also one of the few female warriors of Asgard still spoken of in Earth's history.

"You Midgardians have such a strange behaviors," she remarked after gesturing for Ada to follow her. Her shoulders sagged in relief when Ada realized she was willing to guide her to the library. "Are you always wandering like this on Midgard?"

"Not all of us are flighty," Ada retorted defensively. Though, she could understand what Lady Sif meant by her question. There were some people on Earth that simply couldn't settle down in one place. "I've just never been here before, and I'd love to take in everything I can until we can go home."

I wonder how long it has been since we left Earth? she suddenly wondered.

A sudden pang in her stomach left her wondering if she would even see Tony and Pepper again. Or even the rest of the team for that matter. Ada hadn't noticed until than just how homesick she felt. She could already imagine that long list of reasons why going off on her own wasn't a good thing.

She'd promised Tony that she would stay out of trouble while she was on vacation. Unfortunately, life never seemed to work out the way she would have liked. The only positive outcome of this was that Jane got to see Thor again, even if there was an energy source trying to kill her.

The only hope Ada had was that the sooner they found a way back to Earth, the better off she suspected everyone would be.

…

Nothing. Absolutely nothing!

Further frustration swelled within Ada when she found nothing in the library regarding her people. She'd searched every shelf and even asked one of the keepers if they'd heard of the Aliquid. To her surprise, and disbelief, no one seemed to know what she was talking about. It was almost as if the Aliquid had never existed.

She'd learned from experience that her mother was secretive about the Aliquid and their ways. Yet, she had been hoping that if anyone had wisdom on her people, Asgard would. It was ancient enough that she had hoped there would be some information on the Aliquid.

Ada let out a sigh as she finally placed the last book she tried reading back where she found it. Most of the books were ancient enough that she was afraid they would crumble upon opening. As it was, quite a few had torn pages or were simply too faded for her to read. The only consolation she had was that Asgard seemed to have a translating system for foreign visitors.

Whether that was for her own convenience or the convenience of those living in the palace, she would never know. Ada was just grateful that she could make out a few words. She'd seen Odin use the translator for Jane and herself, but never quite figured out how he used it.

'Reading will only get you so far, Ada,' Nadia warned her in a tone that was full of amusement.

"So will keeping everything from me," she snapped angrily. "I'm tired of either being ignored, or you telling me that I'm not ready to hear what it is you have to say."

Once again, Nadia fell silent. Ada was ready to curse under her breath when she noticed the faint glow in her necklace. She'd quickly learned that Nadia had passed down whatever energy she had left to the necklace. From what Ada was able to gather, that meant it took energy for her to speak with her.

For the first time since deciding that she wanted knowledge on her people, guilt stabbed at her chest.

All she had been doing was berating the woman who was supposed to be her mother for ignoring her. She couldn't imagine how much it must have cost for Nadia to speak with her in the first place.

"I'm sorry," she whispered after looking down at the floor warily.

'There is no need to apologize.' Ada blinked in surprise at the sound of her mother's voice. 'I understand that you are frustrated. But, this knowledge is something that is passed down when our people reach a certain age. As I warned you before, you are not ready.'

Ada let out a huff of annoyance when she realized that was all her mother would say. She knew there wasn't any point to keep arguing. After reaching the same conclusion that pushing her mother was a waste of time on both parts, Ada decided to keep wandering.

She tried to avoid getting on Odin's bad side after their last confrontation. The King of Asgard hadn't entirely been thrilled with the way she kept firing back at him. But it wasn't as if she could help herself. Odin acted as if the Dark Elves weren't a big deal, nor was the Aether infecting Jane's body. In the back of her mind, something told Ada that he was worried about both, but he didn't have the heart to tell anyone.

It wasn't until she noticed the walls changing from their bright colors to dark and dingy that Ada realized she'd wandered too far. She was about to turn and head back she felt something crash into the palace. The sudden impact was enough to cause the walls around her to tremble, and for her to cling on for dear life when the whole palace shook.

Before she was able to make sense of what had happened, a large looking creature emerged from one of the halls. Ada narrowed her eyes the moment the creature spotted her and let out a fearsome roar, as if that was meant to send her running in the opposite direction. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she dodged a large arm that swung in her direction, then she threw a fireball in the creature's direction. That only seemed to aggravate the creature. Instead of fleeing like she'd hoped, the creature began fighting back harder.

So much for having a vacation.

She should have known that would never happen. After working for SHIELD for so long, Ada began to suspect that a vacation was out of the question.

"Lady Stark!" Relief swept through Ada at the sound of Fandral's voice. She hadn't been expecting to see anyone else around, but she began to reach the conclusion that this was Asgard's prison. Especially if a creature this large and spiteful was lurking about. "Thor was asking for you when the ship attacked the palace."

The creature was about to strike when Fandral suddenly drew his sword. It barely moved an inch before falling to the ground in a bloody heap.

"Well, as you can see, I'm otherwise occupied with a random prison break," she explained once she recovered from her initial shock.

Fandral quirked an eyebrow, as if he wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Then he barked with laughter and slapped a hand heartily over her shoulder, "It appears as though you have not lost your humor during battle."

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed, though it didn't last when she understood the situation they were in. She should have known the crash from earlier was an attack. If she had to anything to bet on, she would have sworn it was the Dark Elves looking for the Aether.

"You'll need backup to round up those prisoners," she told him as they headed deeper through the halls.

More and more prisoners were moving about, but they were easily taken care of thanks to Volstagg's help. Fandral seemed even more amused with her offer, but he didn't dare suggest she wasn't capable of helping. After the way she had acted around Odin, he seemed to know better.

The fighting only seemed to last for a few minutes before the prisoners dwindled down in numbers. Ada frowned in confusion when she noticed that Volstagg had disappeared down one of the hallways, leaving her with Fandral.

"Loki is being kept in one of these prisons," the warrior explained when he noticed her confusion. "It would be unwise to leave his cell unchecked. He is craftier than he looks."

I won't argue with that logic, Ada thought after recalling how many stories Thor had about Loki. He'd shared a few back when they were in New Mexico, and after the battle of New York. She had no doubt that Loki was capable of escaping his prison.

She was saved from asking further questions when Thor finally arrived just moments after Volstagg disappeared. The god of thunder seemed equally surprised to see her, though at that point, he didn't bother questioning her presence.

Most of the creatures were still fighting back, or fighting each other. She hadn't even noticed until glancing over her shoulder that quite a few had knocked each other out. Despite that, she and Fandral worked together to break a few of the prisoners apart while Thor took care of the rest.

"It is as if they resent being imprisoned!" Fandral exclaimed when one of the larger creatures swung a club in his direction.

"Gee, I wonder why?" Ada rolled her eyes in disbelief.

While the creatures here consisted mostly of what looked like trolls, ogres and other vile looking things, some of them were also human. She'd noticed before Thor's arrival a woman who seemed to take advantage of a few guards who tried fighting back. At the time, she had otherwise been occupied by a couple of trolls that were putting up a harder fight than expected.

"Mother!"

Before Ada could make sense of what Thor meant by that, he suddenly slammed his hammer into the face of one prisoner and flew off through one of the hallways. The only thing she could hope for was that nothing had happened to Jane or to Frigga. Otherwise, they were all in trouble.

AN: I know that this is slightly different from the movie, but given an added character in the plot (and honestly, it's been ages since I've seen Dark World), I hope that justifies the changes ^^