A/N: I apologize for taking so long to update! My husband and I have recently bought a house, and we have been busy moving. On with the show! I am totally messing with the events in both Captain America: Winter Soldier and MAOS, fyi...
The Bus
Angrboda did not have time to elaborate; she and Agent Coulson reached the medical bay moments later, and the strain was starting to show on the host's face. Jemma and Sky put their heads together and yakked excitedly for a few moments with the alien guest. Several alterations had an EKG jerry-rigged to a holographic projector, and Sauer/Angrboda lying down with electrode placements across her scalp and body. She reached for Coulson's hand as he started to leave the bay.
"Your word, Agent Coul-son?" She gave him an anxious look.
He nodded. "I won't say anything to Loki," he murmured. "You two need to work this out. All I ask is that my friend not be injured in the process."
The young woman nodded. "I thank you, sir." She bit her lip and tears formed at the corners of her eyes.
"Is something wrong? Are you in pain?" Coulson looked across the table. "Jemma..."
"No, I do not hurt, Agent Coul-son," the woman said, "at least, not physically." She looked hard at Jemma and Skye: almost desperately. "Your family-your wife and sons..."
"Yes?"
"Cherish them." Her eyebrows bunched together as she whispered and looked frantically across the room, to where Jemma and Skye huddled together over a computer monitor. "I have done so much wrong...there is so much I have lost with my family...that I cannot take back...and now there is no time..." She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "May they forgive me! Please..."
"Angrboda?" Coulson touched her shoulder, concerned.
She opened her eyes again and smiled at him, albeit a little sadly. "Cherish them," she whispered, "for as long as you have them."
"I will," he nodded.
Skye walked over from her conference with Jemma. "We're ready to start when you are, Angrboda," she said brightly. "Just let us know when you change...you know..."
"Speakers?" Angrboda suggested. "Yes, we will do that."
"I need to give Ward a course heading," Coulson informed Skye. "Can you ladies take it from here?"
"Yeah, sure, AC. We've got this. Jemma or I will call you if anything interesting shows up," the young hacker nodded.
Coulson gave Angrboda/Sauer's shoulder one more reassuring squeeze before leaving the medical bay. The woman on the gurney watched him go and then turned to Skye.
"Your parents named you after the clouds?" When Skye gave her a puzzled look, Angrboda explained. "Your name means 'cloud' in our tongue."
Skye shook her head. "I don't know my real parents; I was fostered since I was a baby. The woman who dropped me off at the orphanage told them my name was 'Mary Sue', but I changed it to 'Skye' when I came of age. 'Mary Sue' was just too boring."
Angrboda smiled. "A matter of opinion, methinks. 'Meri Sjó' means 'Ocean's Filly' in my tongue; it is a female water-horse of great power."
"Like a Welsh Ceffyl Dŵr?" Jemma asked, joining them.
Angrboda nodded. "The same, but they dwell in salt water instead of fresh, and are more powerful."
"What's a Ceffyl Dŵr?" Skye looked confused.
"A Kelpie. You know, like in Loch Ness!" Jemma giggled. "All this time we've had a water monster on board, and we never knew!"
Skye blew a raspberry at Jemma. "Let's get started, alright?" She turned to monitor her equipment, and Angrboda grabbed her hand suddenly, with force.
"Please do not leave me," she begged.
Skye squeezed her hand in a comforting way. "I'll be right here, where you can see me if you need to, ok?"
"We cannot touch you during the procedure, Angrboda. It would interfere with the equipment, and I'm not certain how well this is going to work," Jemma explained.
Angrboda/Saur bit her lip. "I understand. It is just...difficult. The last time I lay like this..." she swallowed thickly..."Thanos was killing me."
"I don't have to watch the monitor," Skye looked up at Jemma. "I can stay with her so she can see me."
Jemma wiped her eyes. "I'll call Fitz up here anyway," she said hoarsely.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"This is our course heading, sir? It's the middle of nowhere!" Ward was incredulous. "And we left Agent May behind!"
"Fury gave me these co-ordinates in case of an emergency," Coulson told him evenly. "We'll rendezvous with May when we can; it isn't like she's been dropped behind enemy lines. She's with Fury: remember?"
Ward nodded, but looked grim. "I just don't like leaving anybody behind."
Coulson smiled wanly.
Ward gave Coulson a sideways, quizzical look. "Sir, I have to ask...what is so important about ex-agent Sauer?" Coulson raised his eyebrows at him, and Ward looked at him and then out the cockpit window. "I mean, I know she's an old friend of yours, but she technically isn't S.H.I.E.L.D personnel any longer. It's not like she has any more intel on this Thanos character...does she?" Ward glanced at Coulson's face, and was shocked at his expression. "Sir?"
"She has more, alright." Coulson nodded grimly. He looked out the cockpit window, as stoic as ever. "I just hope we can get it out of her without doing permanent damage."
"Sir," Ward said hesitantly, "if interrogating a friend of yours is a problem, I can always..."
"That won't be necessary, Ward," Coulson answered quickly. A curious glance from the young man prompted him to sigh. "She's willing to talk. It's the size of the data stream that's the problem. Scientists have never really mapped the capacity of the human brain. Sauer may have reached its limit, and on top of that, she's traumatized and exhausted."
Ward's face twitched. "I've gotten soft, I guess. I don't like the idea of working without the full team." He frowned. "Any particular reason we couldn't have just taken Sauer to Bethesda? They have an entire hospital, whereas..."
"Call it a gut feeling, Ward," Coulson interrupted him. "I had to get Sauer further away from New York than Maryland."
"Alright. You're the boss."
Coulson was silent for a few moments as he stared out the cockpit window. Ward was surprised when he spoke again.
"I do wish we had more backup," the older man said darkly. "The hunt for the Clairvoyant has us stretched to our limits."
Ward glanced at him. "We could call in Garrett and his team. He and Tripp were a great help tracking down the Guest House."
Coulson nodded. "Great idea, Ward; we'll make a team player out of you yet."
"I can have him on the com in..."
"You fly the plane, boy; I'll make the call. Didn't your parents teach you not to talk on the phone and drive at the same time?"
Ward's face twitched, and he looked from the cockpit window to Coulson and back again. "The only thing my folks taught me was how to keep the family's dirty laundry a secret. It's why I'm so good at undercover work."
Coulson looked at him, surprised. "I'm sorry, Ward. I didn't know."
Ward shrugged. "You didn't need to; it isn't important anymore." He glanced at Coulson again. "Does anybody else need to know?"
Coulson looked at him for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I don't think so."
"Thank you, sir."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Sauer's apartment, NYC
Agent May approached Fandral with her business face firmly set. She had heard about his amorous nature, and was in no mood for his 'play'. Not with a few dead bodies to wrangle, she wasn't.
"Fandral the Dashing?"
"Lady May," he gave her a professional nod. "Are you in need of assistance?"
"No," she said bluntly, "I need your counsel."
Fandral looked down on the diminutive woman. Her features and demeanor reminded him of Hogun. She looked every bit the warrior that Sauer had not, in both body and countenance. Her black leather jacket clung to her figure like armor, and her black shirt and pants barely disguised the muscle in her arms and legs. Her face was comely enough, in its own way, but the beauty ended at her eyes: they were filled with death. She moved with a dancer's grace, and Fandral knew-instinctively-she would be absolutely deadly with a blade, or even her bare hands. Hogun moved the same way. It was part of his-and probably her-upbringing. He nodded.
"What do you wish to know?"
"The head in Miss Sauer's bedroom: have you seen it before? Did you know her?"
Fandral thought quickly before answering. Thor did not want Loki to know Angrboda was dead, and he did not know if this woman could keep her tongue still enough. He settled on a nod.
"I did."
May raised an eyebrow.
"The woman was often a guest in my King's court," Fandral expounded, "though that was several centuries ago. I know not how she came to be here..."
"When is the last time you saw her?"
Damn her directness, Fandral thought. He wasn't that good of a liar, and he could not afford to break Thor's confidence or orders...
She saw his hesitation at once. "Sir Fandral," she said cautiously, "are you under orders to avoid speaking about this?"
He blinked once, and she nodded.
"I understand," she looked around the room briefly, "I have my orders as well. Miss Sauer told us about your temporary possession by Thanos," she said, lowering her voice.
Fandral looked stricken. "I did not..."
"Let me finish," she said hurriedly, stepping closer and lowering her voice even more. "I have seen the representation Sauer made of Thanos' control room, as well as the victim on the altar. I need to know if that head," she motioned to the boxed-up remains with a nod, "belonged to that victim, or if it belonged to another."
Fandral's face tightened. "Lady May..."
"Drop the courtly bullshit, Sir Fandral. We're allies. We can't afford to keep secrets from one another: not now. Eight hours ago you saw a woman being tortured to death light-years from here. I need to know if that woman's head is now in a box in this room, and if so, how it got here. Nobody saw the Bifrost open over North America since the six of you arrived this morning!"
May's words had the desired effect: Fandral's face opened up as he realized the peril they all faced.
"I must contact Thor at once," he said grimly.
"Do that," May nodded. "I will co-ordinate with my own people."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Stark Tower: Thor's quarters
Thor slipped out of his cape and unbuckled his armor at the waist, brooding as he did so. He had stayed with Tony Stark enough times to warrant his own quarters in the Tower, and was glad for the privacy. He needed to think.
The discovered head disturbed him on a number of levels. Angrboda had been well-versed in Aesir defensive technology and weaponry, as well as the training of the Einherjar: Odin's special guard. She had even witnessed them in battle-Asgard had come under attack by trolls while she was a guest-and could accurately describe their motions and tactics. She knew secret passages around the castle proper, thanks to her shadowy dalliances with Loki, and knew ways even into the throne room that an enemy would be happy to exploit.
All of this was troublesome, but it was eclipsed by her relationship with Loki.
Thor sighed. Sooner or later Loki would have to find out the woman was dead, and Thor dreaded the madness that could follow. Loki had torn his cell apart with bare hands after Frigga's murder, and injured himself in the process. What would he do when he heard about the torture and murder of his old lover? He and Angrboda had consorted 300 years: sneaking around the castle, playing shape-shifting games, studying magic, and desecrating every inch of holy ground with their sex play. Thor suspected that they had romped in Odin's bedchamber and even behind Hlidskjalf, but of course he couldn't prove it. She had born him three children in secret; that scandal had outraged the nobility for a century.
Loki had been heartbroken to discover she was a Jotun. He suspected his foster brother had honestly loved her, and her revealed heritage had shaken the Dark Prince. Odin had warned Loki to stay away from her. Thor suspected the old man had known what she was all along, and had hidden the truth from Loki, even as he had hidden Loki's own race from him. Odin had many harsh words for the boy when the truth finally came out, and it did nothing to help the situation: not then, and not when Loki discovered his true nature.
Thor pondered his father's silence. Would the truth not have served them all better: perhaps prevented Loki's madness and dalliance with the Mad Titan? He wondered at the wisdom of it all, and found he did not know what to do.
Would the truth help now, or hurt the situation? Thor did not approve of lies; they were dishonorable and cowardly. But was speaking the truth always necessary?
Mayhaps there was a time for secrets.
He knew not.
Thor finished undressing and bathed quickly. He wasn't really dirty, but the action of washing was cathartic, symbolizing the removal of the day's emotional filth. He wrapped a large towel around his hips and poured himself a tankard of ale from the cask Tony had provided. Tony was a thoughtful man.
He sat, then, and brooded some more. Somehow he would have to deal with the Loki/Angrboda situation, and soon. To complicate matters, Thanos seemed to have some way of transporting small objects-like Angrboda's head-to Midgard without detection. Hopefully Loki could shed some light on that. The technology to transport small objects was even more difficult to operate than the Bifrost. It usually required dark matter-extremely dangerous to manipulate-and opened what Stark called "one hell of a hole in the atmosphere" when it was used.
The head had arrived undetected, at least according to Stark and Banner's contacts. No screaming detritus trails, no streaks of ice and fire, no energy fluxes consistent with any sort of wormhole had been detected. There were no marks on the ground such as the Bifrost would make-or any other Einstein-Rosen Bridge-if that was what had been used.
Einstein-Rosen Bridge was Jane's term for the Bifrost Gate. He remembered her with a pang, and glanced at his cold bed. She was technically still alive, of course, and safe enough on Asgard...if being suspended in a coma was 'safe enough' for one unused to the Odinsleep.
Thor (and Loki, of course) had rescued Jane from Malekith, and freed her from the Aether, after Frigga's murder. He had left her safely in England with her friends and family when it was over, and returned to face his father's wrath. He had, after all, committed high treason in taking Jane away from Asgard. He did not want her to face Odin for what he-Thor-had done.
He had thought she was safe.
He had thought Loki was dead.
He had gone to face his father...
But Odin was Loki.
And Jane wasn't safe.
Someone-or something-had struck her as she worked alone in her lab. Darcy had found her lying on the floor one morning: eyes open but glazed over, staring at the ceiling, unresponsive. The curvy woman had the sense to call for their healers, but they could do little.
Jane's physicians had diagnosed her with a stroke, brought on by long hours of personal neglect and overwork. They recommended cutting off her food and water so her body could die. Eric Selvig had run out of the hospital room at that, shoving hospital personnel-and Jane's mother-aside in a mad dash to the roof.
The old man had bellowed for Heimdall, and Heimdall had fetched Thor.
Thor scooped up Jane's still-breathing shell and took her to Asgard. Now she lay in a suspension field, tended by Asgard's finest healers, as they puzzled over her condition. The woman was not alive, but neither was she dead. Hel had been consulted; Jane's spirit was not in Niflheim. Neither was she in Valhalla, according to Brynhildr Valkyris. Jane was somehow gone. It was as if Jane's mind had been...erased.
Now all that was left was a shell: a beautiful shell that had housed the brightest spirit Thor had ever known. He could touch it, caress it, talk to it, but there was no answer: not an eye-twitch, not a joule of brain activity. The body breathed, and the heart beat: a beautiful, empty machine.
Loki had been right about one thing: Thor was not ready to lose Jane.
Thor curled his right hand into a fist, rested his head on it, and closed his eyes.
"I had hoped for solitude," he said darkly.
Loki's apparition flickered before it 'sat' in the opposite chair. "I had hoped to remain enthroned. Neither of us gets what he desires this day." He paused for a moment, contemplating the chains that wrapped even around his illusory hands. "I could have killed him, you know: stabbed him where he fell and transformed the body into a fallen Eirhinjar. None would have known the difference."
"None but Hel and the Valkyries, you mean." Thor gave the pensive Loki a raised eyebrow.
"Aye, them."
"Why did you not? Slay Odin, I mean," Thor looked at Loki curiously. His younger brother had been bound hand and mouth since the discovery of his taking Odin's place. "You said on Svartalfheim..."
"I know what I said," Loki waved a chained hand impatiently. "I have had Odin helpless at my feet twice now, and have not struck him as I wished. I suppose it should be easier now-I am a patricide, after all-but I still owed a debt to the Allfather, and it had to be repaid. He spared a helpless babe; I spared a helpless old man." He scowled at the manacles on his wrists. "And here we see Odin's gratitude for my mercy. He was always an effective teacher."
"What mean you?"
"I learned politics and lies at Odin's knees, Thor. Now he teaches me the value of mercy." Loki smirked and flexed his chains for emphasis. "Beyond that, it would not do to deprive Fenrir of his vengeance. He owes the old man for 500 years of torture, at Odin's command." Loki's voice dripped with bitterness, and Thor glanced at him, worried.
"Father's deception is not all that burns you, is it?"
"Bless you, Thor, you CAN see the light of day when it is before your eyes," Loki snarled. "Your father stole everything from me. Country and people and title and consort and children: he took them all. My sons were incarcerated for crimes uncommitted, and my daughter faced a dragon-alone and weaponless but for her wits-at the Allfather's word. If that were not enough, he still held back my true parentage for another half millennium!" He glowered. "And for all that, I am supposed to be thankful." He snorted and waved a dismissive hand. "But enough about my wounded pride." He glanced around the penthouse. Ironwood pine furniture was swathed in dark red and gold trim, and sturdy velvet curtains were drawn to allow the city's night lights to show. "Stark has outfitted you well enough."
"Are your quarters comfortable?"
"They are: plenty of books and a place to sleep. It is almost like Asgard's dungeons, but for the sky-light." He looked thoughtful. "Their maids lack bed-making skills, but the decorations are adequate."
"Bed-making skills?" Thor looked puzzled.
"The top sheet is secured all the way down, at the foot of the bed."
Thor chuckled. "'Tis a prank, Loki: you have been short-sheeted," he explained. "Midgardian children do this to their elders as a joke."
Loki's eyebrows went uuuuup. "Really! Someone would prank the God of Mischief! I must find the little scamp, and return the favor." He saw the look on Thor's face and spread his hands. "Worry not! I will be gentle with your pets." Loki frowned gently. "Brooding will help naught."
"And yet, I must." Thor stretched and sat back a little. "I used to wonder why Father retreated from the throne room. Now I wonder how he stayed in it at all."
Loki gave him a worried look. "You ponder Jane Foster again?"
Thor nodded. "Among other things: aye."
"I warned you of her fragility; t'was going to happen sooner or later." Thor glared at Loki, and the dark prince held his hands up to placate him. "I speak practically, not cruelly. Humans are too weak to be more than a diversion. If you want someone to rule by your side, choose a sturdier female. Now, what else?"
"Thanos' victim."
Loki winced. "I focused on the machinery in the recreation. I had not seen most of it, for I was not allowed into his command center. His torture victims I know well; I did not need to refresh my knowledge of how he kills."
Thor peered at the man he called 'brother'. "You have seen such before?"
Loki nodded, and for a moment looked old and tired. "He bid me watch, and often, for he has many such altars. I suppose the maid is better for having seen an adult. Thanos usually tortured children before dining when I was his 'guest'. He is," He scowled, thinking, "the monster we were always taught Jotuns were: twisted and evil. He makes me look like one of the Bishop's saints." Loki glanced at Thor's somber face. "This was someone you knew," he said, cocking his head to one side. "A friend, perhaps?"
Thor nodded once and laid his head back on the chair, eyes closed. "Aye, she was," he said somberly, "a good friend once, and a decent woman. She deserved a better end, I deem."
Loki raised an eyebrow. "An old lover, then? I am sorry, Thor..."
"Nay, we did not share a bed. I did not sport with every woman that entered the court, you know. One of us had to show discretion."
"And Baldr has done a fine job," Loki cracked, nodding sagely. Thor cracked an eye at him, and the Trickster smiled a little.
"So has Tyre," Thor mused. "Sif is proof o' that."
"Don't let Sif hear you mention her sire. She has her helm set on you."
Thor snorted. "She and half the populated realms, since I was announced Crowned Prince. 'Tis indecent, I say. Her sire is my half brother, and her mother one o' my father's consorts! Our progeny would be lack-wits!"
Loki groaned audibly. "Thor, you make this too easy."
"I envied you and Angrboda," Thor suddenly confessed. Loki looked at him in amazement, and he nodded. "You had the love of a good woman, and she, for her part, loved you back. You should have kept her. Was her heritage such a shock?"
"Her heritage was not the problem," Loki growled, "and for what it was worth, neither was her marriage to Gymir. The All-Father could have dissolved her marriage, and I could have forgiven her secret race. I am the king of all the liars, after all, and some espionage is to be expected at court. But she kept my children from me, and that was unforgiveable. Their years in Jotunheim twisted their minds and bodies. By the time I gained custody, the damage was done and their fates sealed. Angrboda robbed me of their earliest years, and them of a decent education." He sighed and settled back. "Hel, at least, has made something of herself. She is a queen, whilst I am but a renegade prince and usurper."
"She conquered and chained Fafnir in single, unarmed combat," Thor reminisced proudly. "According to Heimdall, their battle was worth a song. Do you think she can take Thanos on her own?"
Loki shrugged. "Possibly. If Thanos attacked her she would be justified using lethal force, but only in that case. Odin's magic prevents her from using her power for offense." He frowned and tapped his chin. "That soul eater bothers me."
"Had you not seen one before?"
Loki nodded. "I have, but this device was different. There are...oddities. None of his other soul eaters had such."
"A distillation attachment, perhaps?"
"Nay. The device handles that internally." Loki scowled and hunched over, staring at the floor. "I want to call it a port, but for what, I cannot divine."
"Fandral could not assist you?"
"No," Loki said darkly. "He does not believe that I do not know, despite Odin's Stitchery, and refuses to speak of it. We need to secure the Maid Sauer. 'Twas she that made the image, after all."
"In shock and unresponsive, Hogun reports. The Titan's gift in her bedchamber was too great a blow for her mind. The Son of Coul has taken her away for healing," Thor replied dully.
"She will find no healing on Midgard," Loki mused. "The contact with Thanos will destroy her nervous system within a moon."
"She will die?" Thor looked puzzled.
"Aye, and soon." Loki gave Thor a look. "Possession is to the mind what ravishment is to the body. Did you give no mind to any of your studies?"
"Fandral seems well enough, though pettier than I like."
"Fandral is Aesir." Loki waved a manacled hand. "His nervous system heals at a faster rate than a Midgardian's, and is stouter. He has seen centuries of war and death, and is calloused to it. If he suddenly bleeds from his nose, send him back to Lady Eir."
"But the maid?"
Loki frowned. "Imagine a child ravished by a rock troll, if that helps you understand the harm. Her nervous system is undone." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I heard the maid's abode was visited by agents of the Mad Titan. What did Thanos gift her, and how?"
"The head of his latest victim, and her blood in writing on her bedchamber wall," Thor growled. "I had hoped you could discern how. Such inter-stellar transport takes a great amount of energy, and should have been seen by Heimdall or Midgardian watchers. No such energy spike was reported."
Loki frowned thoughtfully. "The Tesseract could do such."
"It lies encased in Father's vault."
"A copy, then," Loki mused, stroking his chin, "Or more likely, two identical copies that formed the base of the chain."
"No such item was found in her quarters."
Loki frowned. "I would not expect one. Thanos likely has agents on Midgard for such tasks. He can be quite...persuasive...when he so wishes."
Thor scowled and gritted his teeth in frustration.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Coulson fretted silently, staring through the two-way mirror as Sauer stood in front of a blank wall, drawing with a marker. Alien gibberish came to life under her hands: some of it maddeningly familiar. He watched more, and then finally joined her with a marker of his own: scribbling and scratching at the wall.
She tilted her head to one side and watched him then. "You scribe well," she finally said. "Your script is off, but that is understandable. You have the wrong number of fingers." She went back to her original drawing.
"Eldest?" he asked politely. Sauer had already displayed four alien personalities, including Angrboda, and 'Eldest' had been the easiest to understand.
She wobbled her head. "The one called 'Eldest' tends part of the Frond. There is much damage. Call this one 'Branch'." Sauer's eyes peered at him curiously. "Branch inquires?"
Coulson by now had talked to enough of the alien minds to get a feel for the odd syntax. The Reis were a completely telepathic race, and were still learning how to speak from both Sauer and Angrboda. "You may ask me anything, Branch."
"The one called 'Skye' is neither of your pollen nor your vine, but you share the same sap. How is this so?"
Coulson 'hmmmed' while he thought about this. Something told him the question was better suited for Jemma, but he did not want to lose any time with Branch.
"It is hard to explain," he finally admitted. "You refer to us with plant words, but we are...different creatures. We do not have roots or leaves or..."
"Branch understands. The Reis are different creatures, like the huu-mans, but smaller." She wiggled her arms and shoulders and looked puzzled, then tried to look over her shoulders without success. Finally seeing her own reflection in the glass, she walked over and turned around several times, reaching for her back and stretching oddly. "Your bearers do not have wings?"
Bearers...Coulson had to think for a moment...Females. "No," he admitted. "None of my people have wings."
"Huu-mans are strange," Branch opinioned, "but there are many shoots in the tree."
"Which tree is that?"
"The Aaa-sirea call it Yygdrazzil."
"Is that the tree that is damaged?" Coulson looked over at 'Branch'. "You mentioned a damaged frond," he explained.
'Branch' shook her head. "This frond is the damaged one," she said, patting herself on the chest. "The one we have sheltered in, for the storm. We tend that which shelters us, like a tree shelters smaller creatures in a storm. Your friend-she shelters us now, so we tend her frond: her body," she explained. She cocked her head at him, birdlike. "Coul's son understands?"
"Not really," Coulson admitted. "I think Jemma would. Does Sauer's frond have many branches?"
Branch shook her head. "Yygdrazzil has many branches. The Aaa-sirea are a branch, and the Jotun are a branch, and the Cree are a branch, and the Huu-mans are a branch..."
"And the Reis are a branch?"
"Not now. The tree has been pruned. But we will sprout again, Coul's son. Comfort the Sauer with this word, will you? She hurts for us, and makes water..."
"Tears. She cries; it is an expression of mourning."
"A strange gift: mourning that comes without dawn. It is difficult for us to understand, for we do not do so, Coul's son." She stopped writing and stared blankly at the wall in front of her. "We joy in all phases of life, in spring and in winter, in sunshine and in night..."
"You are not bothered by death?" Coulson turned to Branch, surprised.
"We understand it differently. The Reis and their trees are no more now, but this cousin of yours will move on, and we shall sprout again. Such is the way of the One who planted us."
"So the Titan will move away from your system..." Coulson was incredulous. Branch nodded.
"And that which was broken will re-form. It is the Way of the Reis." Branch went back to writing.
Coulson thought for a moment as he scribbled beside Branch. "You asked about Skye. We were both injured, and given blood from another...another shoot. I don't know which one." He explained the GH 325 serum, and Branch nodded.
"Cree sap. They heal fast, like the Aaa-sirea."
"Branch, do you know why Sauer and I understand each other's speech, when nobody else does?"
Branch nodded. "You touched the glowing stone. It changed you both, but only a little."
Coulson thought for a moment, and then remembered the Tesseract battery Sauer had used to cauterize his chest. He nodded.
"What are we drawing?" he finally asked.
"It is...an opener. It will make doors where there are none," Branch explained. "It will help you enter your cousin's house, when you visit him."
"My cousin?"
"The one who pruned the Reis: Thanos. He is related to the huu-mans." Branch saw the look on Coulson's face and patted him on the arm. "Do not fret. There are many shoots on the tree, and all of them need pruning from time to time."
Coulson put down his marker. "I must make a call, Branch. Please rest, if you can. My friend's body-her frond will need it to heal."
Branch nodded and went back to drawing, even as Coulson slipped out of the room. He pulled out his cell phone, and moments later Tony Stark's voice sounded in his ear.
"Hey, Lazarus. It'sh the middle of the night annnd I'm ina alcohol-induced coma. Whazzup?" Tony Stark sounded a little cross. And a little drunk.
"I need you to pass along a message for me," Coulson said dryly, rubbing his eyes. Dammit, he was tired. "To Prince Loki."
"What 'm I, Weshtern Union?"
"You are today. Tell his majesty he was wrong, horribly, horribly wrong, about Miss Sauer. She came away from the Titan with a package."
"I've sheen it," Tony said thickly. "Why doya shink I've been dinking?"
"Sober the hell up, Stark. That was only an appetizer. There is more where that came from: a lot more. Just pass the message along, will you?"
"K. 'M on it."
Coulson hung up. A motion at his elbow made him smile a moment later.
"Glad you could make it, John."
"Thanks, Phil. Ward said you would be down here. What's going on?" John Garrett looked at the figure scribbling furiously in the other room. "And what is that?"
"Long story," Coulson answered tiredly. "Let's get some coffee, and I'll fill you in."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"I cannot imagine any being willing to betray realm and people for anything Thanos could offer." Thor was clearly disgusted by the idea, and Loki shook his head at the blonde giant.
"Then you need to start, Thor," he chided. "Have centuries in court taught you nothing? Survival, greed, ambition: all are coins used by the powerful to sway the weak. Humans especially fear death and desire power; it is an intoxicating weakness, easily exploited. Factor in cruelty and insanity, and shalt find a good many allies for Thanos. He knows humans well enough to almost be one."
"Tis a pity there are no others of his race to which we could appeal," Thor mused. "Their council and aid would be invaluable."
"He eliminated them long ago." Loki shrugged. "They were extinct when Odin was young."
"I thought the same once of you. Verily, twice, and yet here you are." Thor looked ruefully at Loki.
"Hmmm," was Loki's only reply.
The intercom pinged overhead.
"Prince Thor, Mr. Stark desires to speak to you," JARVIS said politely.
Thor glanced up casually. "Should you not be resting, Tony?"
"I wazz," came the fuzzy reply. "But I wash asked to pash along a mesheage to Woki, and heeesh not answering his pager."
Thor narrowed his eyebrows at the illusion of his foster-brother, who shrugged.
"I saw no reason to answer any query in the middle of the night," Loki replied, "so I...how to the humans say it...put him on 'ignore'."
"Speak now, Tony. Loki can hear you," Thor answered.
A few moments later Loki's eyebrows rose, and his illusion flickered in front of Thor. "Really!" was all he would say.
Thor reached out a hand to the Loki-image. "You cannot..." he began, but Loki laughed at him and flexed his manacled hands.
"Think you so?" he sneered.
And vanished.