Chapter Fifty Nine

Loki was being led down one of the many hallways extending through the palace. Ada walked along his other side, keeping a trained eye on him. His antics were something that she struggled to ignore. After breaking him out of the prison cell, they had to maneuver around the prison guards carefully to avoid getting caught. Ada knew it was only a matter of time before his 'escape' was discovered, and more guards would be sent to recapture him. Though, she had a feeling Loki wouldn't make that easy for them.

He already seemed to get a kick out of being in a situation that Thor was less than happy with. The Asgardian did his best to avoid whatever jibes Loki made at him, but even he was beginning to grow irritated after a few minutes of walking. There really was only so much they could take. Loki's mouth hadn't stopped running off since they left the prison, and Ada was beginning to think that maybe knocking him out would have been the better alternative.

"This is so unlike you, brother," the Trickster went on with yet another rant. His cheeky grin irritated Thor to the point where he tried to maintain his composure, "So clandestine. Are you sure you wouldn't rather just punch your way out?" He paused, and then looked at Ada with a grin that made her wish she could punch it off his face, "Are you certain you don't want to pull off a few tricks? I'm quite sure of myself that you are capable of doing so."

"I think I preferred watching the Hulk beat the crap out of you," she muttered under her breath.

For a moment, Loki's face fell at the unpleasant memory of the Hulk throwing him around like a rag doll. There were times when she wished she could have recorded the whole thing. Unfortunately, Jarvis had been offline at the time, and there had been too much chaos throughout the city. Not to mention she had her father to worry about at the time. Seeing the face Loki made only told her that he too hadn't forgotten that moment. She hoped it would serve as a reminder that he wasn't necessarily welcome on Earth.

"I would not aggravate her any further than you have, brother," Thor warned him with the slightest smirks. While he was opposed to using violence against Loki unless it was necessary, he did enjoy seeing Ada put the Trickster in his place, "She will not hold back on you."

And I don't plan to, she added silently. After all, she still had a score to settle with Loki. He'd stabbed her in the stomach and nearly killed Coulson, along with numerous other attacks he was never held accountable for.

"Fine. As you wish. I'm not even here," he rolled his eyes and changed his form into one of the guards. Ada rose an eyebrow at the sudden outfit change. Not for the first time, she wondered why he hadn't used this illusion before to escape, "Is this better?"

"It's better company," Ada snorted in amusement when Loki shifted his gaze towards her.

"Indeed," Thor nodded in agreement as he kept his stride.

"Still, we could look less conspicuous," Loki decided after that wasn't enough to annoy them. Seconds later, he changed back and changed Thor's appearance to that of Lady Sif. "Brother, you look ravaging."

"Is it just me, or have you turned into an even more annoying asshole than when we last saw each other?" Ada asked with a roll of her eyes.

She could have sworn Loki was more sarcastic now than he had been when they first met. The worst part was seeing the cocky grin written across his face. She hadn't missed the fact that he was getting a kick out of this. He knew he was getting under their skin. This was probably a ploy to see whether or not Thor's patience would hold out during their trip to the ship. Ada kept her fists clenched to keep herself from punching that smirk off of his face, even if it was tempting to do so.

"It will hurt no less when I kill you in this form," Thor reminded him after looking at his new form while continuing his stride.

He hadn't even slowed down, though he was getting more annoyed with each passing second. Ada had to admit, she was impressed with the way Thor handled the situation. Despite the obvious tension, he didn't let Loki get to his head. The Trickster frowned when he too noticed that Thor wasn't fazed with the idea of being changed into a woman, as if it had happened before. She had no doubt that Loki had done something like that to Thor in the past. Considering the stories he would tell, she wasn't too surprised with Thor's lack of a reaction.

"Very well," he digressed with a look of disappointment. His eyes lit up in a way that sent shivers through Ada when he glanced in her direction, "Perhaps you would prefer one of your new companions, given that you seem to like them so much… especially your friend here." Before she could make sense of what he meant by that, Loki's form changed once again. Her eyes narrowed when he changed into Captain America in a flash of green. "Oh, this is much better!" He even mimicked Steve's voice perfectly. "Whoa, the costume's a bit much, it's so tight. The confidence, I can feel the righteousness surging. Hey, you wanna have a rousing discussion about truth, honor, patriotism? God bless America—"

Ada reached for Loki and suddenly slammed him against the back of the pillar. The annoyance from earlier morphed into fury as she glared daggers at him. Loki's face morphed back to his own, and his amusement was replaced with immediate terror as a fireball formed in the palm of her hand. He'd gone too far this time. As much as she loathed to admit it, changing into Steve now was probably the worst timing Loki could have chosen.

"Shut up now, Loki, before I do decide to take your life!" she finally snapped.

"What, have you truly fallen in love with the soldier?" Loki's sneer only added to the fuel. "I am quite certain that he would never love a monster such as yourself—"

Her grip tightened around his throat, and Loki all-but-stopped himself after realizing that she wasn't holding back. Fear flickered across his eyes. She didn't let go until she felt Thor nudge her slightly, giving her a reassuring nod. Loki finally saw why she had stopped him. Two guards had walked past them, and were now beyond earshot.

"You can at least furnish me with a weapon," he went on once she released her grip. He almost looked relieved that she finally let him go, "A dagger, something!" Thor stepped a little closer and slid a pair of cuffs around his wrists. As an added insurance, Ada was the one who suggested that they bring cuffs with them just in case. She was relieved to see that they hadn't gone unused. "At last, a little common sense."

"If only you actually used that," Ada scoffed under her breath.

Loki looked down at his wrists to see what she had been smirking at. His face fell upon seeing the cuffs wrapped around them. Heimdal had informed them that they were bound by a magical energy that even he couldn't escape from without the key. It was a clever idea, and one that she wished would have been used sooner.

"I thought you liked your tricks," Thor chuckled in amusement upon seeing the look on his face. "Are you alright?"

He looked at Ada worriedly after noticing that she hadn't dropped her guard.

Loki's jibe had stung deeper than she wanted to admit. She left the states because Darcy invited her for a vacation, but truthfully, she left because she felt so lost. She wasn't sure if Steve would ever see her as anything more than just a friend, if they were even that.

Swallowing hard, Ada glanced at Thor and tried giving him an encouraging nod, "I'll be fine once we find a way out of here."

Thor returned the gesture with one of his own. They needed to get out of Asgard with Jane. If anyone could find a way out, it was Loki. Ada just hoped the Trickster knew that they wouldn't hesitate after that little display to take him down if he tried betraying them. His fear told her that he'd quickly learned she wasn't one to mess around with.

They finally reached a wide hall to take a small rest, grabbing Loki along the way so that they could wait for Lady Sif and Jane. According to the plan, she had already gone off to find Jane and bring her to their meeting place. Ada knew that it would take time for them to slip past the guards. Odin would also be furious once he discovered their plot, but by the time he did, they would hopefully have a way off Asgard.

Ada looked over her shoulder when she heard the sound of footsteps echoing across the hall. Fortunately, Loki had the sense to keep quiet until they knew for sure who was approaching. Sure enough, Lady Sif had reached them with Jane at her side.

Jane's eyes widened in disbelief upon seeing Loki standing between Ada and Thor, "You're…"

"I am Loki," he introduced himself with a smug look. Jane stormed towards him, and Ada winced as she guessed what she was planning, "You may have heard of me."

She watched in amusement as Jane suddenly slapped Loki across the face, hard. The woman didn't hold back after hearing how much chaos Loki had left behind. Ada tried to smother a laugh when Loki glared at her, as if this was somehow her fault.

"That was for New York!"

"I like her," he decided after recovering from his initial surprise. "She's quite the feisty one, much like your friend here."

"You really wanna say that after that little bout back there?" Ada demanded. She narrowed her eyes when Loki glared at her. "Because quite frankly, I'm not opposed to kicking your sorry ass before we get out of this place."

Loki opened his mouth, ready to spit something in response when they saw a flash of light illuminating in the distance. Ada glanced out the window to see that the Bifrost had been opened, signaling that Heimdal had begun their plan. In order to drawl Odin away, Heimdal would use the Bifrost as a distraction. It was a brilliant plan, especially since Odin had ordered that no one was allowed to leave Asgard unless he gave the order.

They still had to meet with Volstagg and Fandral after that was said and done. The two of them had promised to hold off the guards' advancement for as long as they could. It was only a matter of time before Odin figured out that this was all a distraction.

"I'll hold the guards off for as long as I can," Lady Sif assured them once Jane returned to Thor's side.

"Thank you," Thor nodded his thanks just as the guards began rushing towards them.

Sif suddenly stopped Loki with her sword, shooting him a warning glare, "Betray him, and I will kill you."

"It's good to see you too, Sif," Loki grinned in response.

Sif merely narrowed her eyes and pulled her sword back. She glanced in Ada's direction, giving her a nod that she returned as an encouraging gesture. She knew it wasn't easy for Sif or the others to fight back against the guards. They had all been trained to follow Odin's orders. To go against them was ultimate treason, and they would likely face punishment for what they did. Sif and the others were incredibly brave. Ada couldn't help but admire them for their courage, loyalty and friendship towards Thor for that reason.

"Perhaps I was wrong about my earlier statement," the trickster put in as they made their way to Volstagg.

A knot formed in the pit of Ada's stomach as she felt his gaze boring through her. There were times when she wondered why she held back against him. Hurting Loki now would be a suicide mission. She'd attacked him during the battle when he was gloating in the Tower. And his words still rang in the back of her mind. The logical part of her mind kept telling her that he was wrong. Yet, another part kept pining for something greater.

Have any of our people killed others for the pleasure of killing? she wondered. She couldn't help but frown at the thought. Ada realized how terrible that would be. The Black Knights had been hunting the Aliquid for centuries, and to give them a reason for killing wasn't the right answer. A shiver swept through her at the thought. These were questions better left for Nadia when she was in the mood to talk. She couldn't bring herself to strike a conversation with Loki, Jane or Thor about it. Loki would just make some kind of snide comment, while Jane would feel thoroughly confused as to what she was talking about. Thor might have an answer, but he knew next to nothing about her people.

It didn't take them long to reach the room where the first Dark Elf craft had crashed. In order to get off of Asgard, they needed something that could fly. Taking a vessel that was Asgardian would have been their best option if the ships weren't so heavily guarded. While the craft wasn't a better option, it was better than nothing.

Volstagg stood in front of the craft while waiting for their arrival. He seemed thoroughly concerned about Thor operating a craft with such technology. Ada herself knew next to nothing about the ship; she'd never seen anything like it until now. She had her doubts earlier, but seeing the look written across Thor's face told her that any confidence from earlier was nearly lost. Swallowing hard, she tried to push the worry of what would happen if they couldn't fly the vessel out of the palace.

"I will give you as much time as I can," Volstagg reassured them after giving Thor a gruff nod. "Take care of yourself, Lady Stark."

He added the last part with a warm smile, which she returned gratefully. She had only just been warming up to him, and the Warrior's Three along with Lady Sif. It felt strange to realize that she and Jane were finally going back home.

"You too, Volstagg," she replied.

She hoped he and the others wouldn't face too severe a punishment for doing what was right. They began heading towards the ship when Volstagg suddenly stopped Loki, grabbing him by the shoulder, "If you even think of betraying him…"

"You will kill me?" Loki guessed in a mocking tone, "Evidently, there is a line."

He glanced pointedly in Ada's direction, to which she glared back, "Believe it or not, Sif and I aren't the first."

The trickster didn't need to be told twice who she was referring to. His face fell after recalling that he'd taken over Clint's mind. The archer hadn't exactly forgiven Loki for that trick, and she had a feeling that he would be the first one to fire an arrow at him.

"I believe I would prefer whatever punishment you have in mind for me."

His comment came so unexpectedly that Ada looked at Loki in disbelief. The smirk that spread across his face was enough for her fists to clench.

"Do you always have a way of irritating people?" she grumbled.

"Only if they allow themselves to be irritated."

By now, Ada was struggling not to punch him when his smirk widened. He really was getting a kick out of seeing her reaction, which aggravated her further. She wished that she had better control over her temper, but Loki was slowly pushing her over the edge.

"Tell me you know how to fly this thing?" she asked after they finally climbed inside the ship.

Jane stood not far away, watching the trio curiously as Thor studied the buttons on what she guessed was the control panel.

"I am uncertain… but, it cannot be that hard," he replied in a hopeful tone.

"I thought you said you knew how to fly this ship!" Loki chimed in with a look of alarm.

More guards were beginning to pour into the room as Volstagg managed to hold them off. With Thor frantically hitting the buttons, Ada doubted they would get anywhere anytime soon. She held back a sigh of frustration, rubbing her temple to keep the headache that formed from getting worse.

"I said, 'how hard can it be?'"

Thor's movements became more frantic as Loki continued making comments, "Well, whatever you're doing, brother, I suggest you do it faster."

"Shut up Loki," Thor finally snapped.

"You must have missed something."

Loki moved forward to see the panels himself.

"I didn't, I'm pressing every button on this thing."

As if to prove his point, Thor tried running his hands along every button he could.

"No, don't hit it," Loki argued, "Just press it gently."

"I am pressing them gently!"

"Would you two quit bickering and get your damn act together already?" Ada finally shouted above their bickering.

Her headache was only getting worse, and Loki hadn't helped matters by pushing his brother over the edge. She knew that she would lose control if the tension between them got any worse.

"You can really tell they're brothers from the way they argue," Jane added under her breath.

Eventually, Thor was finally able to get the craft moving. Relief swept through Ada as it hovered in the air for a few seconds. Then the chaos followed. Because the ship wasn't Asgardian, Thor wasn't familiar with the controls. The ship moved slowly through the halls, smashing through the columns until it finally broke free from the palace. Thor's triumphant laughter was short lived when he managed to crash into a few other columns along the way.

"I think you missed a column!" Loki remarked.

"Shut up."

Ada pinched the bridge of her nose when she realized that they weren't going to cease their arguing. She tried relying on the breathing exercises Banner taught her to keep the headache from getting worse. Anything was better than listening to their banter as Loki continued making snide comments.

"Look, why don't you let me take over, I'm clearly the best pilot," Loki started after trying to push Thor out of the way.

"Is that right? Well, out of the two of us which one can actually fly?"

Thor's smug look was enough for Loki to back away in disgust. As much as he hated to admit it, Thor was right. The silence that followed was short-lived when Jane suddenly collapsed to the floor. She had begun looking paler than ever before that.

"Oh dear, is she dead?" Loki asked dryly.

Ada rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time as she checked for a pulse. To her relief, Jane was alive. The Aether was likely taking a toll on her body. The Healers had warned them that this would happen eventually.

"I'm fine," Jane brushed her off when Thor asked if she was okay.

The ship suddenly careened into another statue, this one bigger than the others. Ada winced as the impact caused the ship to jolt. She was thankful she grabbed hold of something to keep her from lurching forward. Tumbling out of the ship would have added insult to injury.

"Well done, you just decapitated your grandfather!" Loki paused, and Ada was almost positive Thor was ready to smack him upside the head for his comments, "You know this is wonderful! This is a tremendous idea. Let's steal the biggest most obvious ship in the universe and escape, flying around the city, smashing into everything in sight so everyone can see us"

Thor shot Ada a pleading look, and she rose an eyebrow incredulously as she guessed what he wanted her to do. One nod was all it took for her suddenly wrap an arm around Loki's neck. He let out a yelp of surprise when she dove out of the ship, using the air around them to cushion their landing on Fandral's ship.

"And that's for being an asshole," Ada snapped after regaining her composure.

"I see your time in the dungeons has made you no less graceful, Loki," Fandral remarked with a smirk of amusement.

It was only a few seconds later when Thor landed on the ship with Jane in his arms. Loki finally recovered from his initial shock. Though, to Ada's surprise and annoyance, he didn't look entirely surprised that she was the one who pried him off the Dark Elf ship.

"You lied to me," he started while dusting himself off, "I'm impressed."

"I'm glad you are pleased," Thor replied with a nod, "Now, do as you promised. Take us to your secret pathway."

Loki simply smirked and took over the helm after Fandral stepped aside. The relief Ada felt earlier was short-lived when she noticed Asgardian ships were closing in on them. She wasn't entirely surprised that Odin had discovered their escape faster than anticipated.

"Fandral."

"Right." Fandral gave another nod as he tensed up upon seeing the approaching ships. He too agreed to buy them as much time as he could once he salvaged the ship. "For Asgard."

Once Fandral used the rope to give him support and keep him from crashing into the sea below, he leaped off and landed on the other ships. Just as Fandral took a leap of faith, Loki turned the ship towards a band of mountains looming ahead.

"Loki!" Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat when she realized his intentions.

"If it were easy, everyone would do it," Loki pointed out with the same smug look from earlier.

"Are you mad?" Thor demanded.

The Trickster only grinned at Thor and Ada's expenses, "Possibly."

Ada couldn't help but flinch when the mountains drew closer and closer. Even Thor was bracing himself for impact as he held onto Jane tightly, fearing that a crash would kill them all. Her eyes squeezed shut just as the mountains became unbearably close. It wasn't until she felt a rush of air that Ada opened her eyes again, only to notice that they hadn't crashed into the mountain.

"Ta-da!" Loki cheered as they emerged from the other side of Asgard.

AN: Ah Loki... one of these days you're going to regret speaking out the way you do... (that was totally not an Infinity Wars reference there). I have to say, I did enjoy writing this chapter, mostly because of Loki's banter and how Ada confronts him. Most of all, I actually appreciate the fact that the Warrior's Three and Lady Sif were so loyal to Thor in the movie. They were devoted to Odin and protecting the people of Asgard, but they maintained their loyalty to Thor until the bitter end.

Anywho... I'm rambling now XD Thanks to UltimateFan-girl15 and sakuraddiction for reviewing!