Kara struggled to her knees. She couldn't see for the tears filling her eyes and the pounding in her head. The backlash of the power rebounding into her hurt worse than the migraines she was getting before Eir had healed her nervous system damage. "Easy, kiddo," she heard Bruce say as he helped her stand. "Relax, we'll get him back."

"How?" she asked. "We don't even know where they took him." Wiping her eyes she took a deep breath. The guests had scattered and were cowering at the sides of the room furthest from the windows.

Once her vision cleared she saw one of the British royals on his feet and staring out the shattered panes that the Chitauri had blown through on their way out. He was holding a handgun, she didn't know the kind, in a professional grip. His freckles stood out against his now pasty skin under his ginger hair. "What in heaven's name was that?" he asked in an accent that spoke of an Eton education.

"Chitauri," Iron Man said as he landed beside the stunned prince. "The aliens that trashed New York. Nice shooting, you had one of them bleeding pretty heavily."

"I-thank you. It was instinctual, I believe."

… …

"Good man." Tony flipped up the face plate and gently pressed down on the prince's hands. "You can stand down now, they're gone."

"Oh, too right. Sorry." Prince Harry tucked the weapon away and then strode over to where his brother hovered over the other royals, his own weapon out and ready and encouraged the elder prince to stand down as well.

"Okay, citizens of Earth, the party is obviously over. Time to head home. You're not in any danger; the enemy got what they came for. Off-realm visitors, stay put. Someone has some 'splainin' to do." Tony watched the human guests gather their things and head out while he closed down his suit. He picked up the briefcase it folded into and handed it to Happy. "Hopefully I won't need that again tonight, but stick close, 'k?"

"Sure boss."

"Kara, take it easy. As soon as Loki figures out where he is, he'll pop himself back here, it's good."

She shook her head. "No, Tony, he can't."

"Oh, come on. Last time he was hampered by the magic dampening tech, this time won't be a problem."

"He-he doesn't have his magic."

"Say what?"

"It bounced back when I unlocked it, it's still here. He has nothing to protect him, nothing," she said bitterly.

"Son of a bitch." He shook his head. "Keebler, get your ass over here."

"Stark, must you…" the Ljósálfar prince began.

"Shut it," he said quietly. "Is there something your people can do that could block Frosty from taking his mojo back when it's released to him?"

"Wha…no, well, not precisely."

"Explain what can be done, precisely."

"There's a potion that can make one temporarily immune to magic. It's generally used for protection when one is going on a diplomatic mission, particularly one that involves the Svartálfar as they have a number of sorceries that can infect the body."

"How is it used?"

"Swallowed, if one has a great deal of time to prepare, though it can be effective almost instantaneously if it's injected. But that's far too dangerous; you'd run the risk of permanently disabling your ability to use any kind of magic."

"Including sorcery?"

"Oh my God," Kara muttered. "That bastard wouldn't care if it disabled Loki, he probably hoped it would. Jesus, Tony; I'm going to fry Tolthe and if Elénaril gets in my way, she's toast too."

"I'm kind of leaning toward the frying myself, but take it easy, Loki will be fine. He's a hell of a fighter, and he's got Rhodey."

"What?"

"Rhodey caught up with them just as they hit the wormhole. He actually had his arms around him when they went through; he just couldn't spin and come back before it closed behind them. Loki isn't alone this time, Kara. He's got Rhodey in the War Machine armor; they've got a fighting chance."

"Not if they're stuck there. And without his magic, Loki won't be able to bring them back," she snarled. Her temper was simmering. He could almost literally see the heat rising in her eyes.

"Whoa, calm down, I've got an idea on that. I'll go make some calls, in the meantime, why don't you have a word with that scum-sucking consort – and hold off on the flaming, he's got intel to get first. I'd bet my entire stock portfolio that he did this and that he wasn't acting alone; he's sold us all out."

Nyvorlas snorted. "I do not know what a stock portfolio might be, but that is certainly a safe wager. Kara, let's go put the fear of you into my mother's consort."

… …

"My pleasure." Kara stalked over to where the off-realm guests waited. That stinking turd wasn't just smug anymore; he was gleeful. Oh, that was going to change. "Why?" she asked Tolthe directly. "You can't be doing all of this over an illusion cast centuries ago."

"I have no idea what you mean," he said with a carefully cultivated innocent expression.

"I'm a powerful empath. You can't lie to me; Loki can't even lie to me. I feel your smugness and I feel your glee. No shielding in the Nine Realms can completely block me when I really want to get past it."

"You're mistaken. I feel no such things, I feel only shock."

"Nyvorlas, explain me to your…what the hell is he to you?"

"Nothing. His position as my mother's consort gives him no relation whatsoever to me, thank the gods." Nyvorlas turned a flinty gaze on Tolthe. "Princess Kara was an empath whose ability even the Æsir admired when she was mortal. Now that she is not, her gift has grown considerably. If I cannot block her unaided, you surely cannot. Answer her honestly lest she demonstrate what else she can do with it. Unlike our people, she has a skill set that lends itself well to attack."

"I have nothing to hide…"

"You have nothing hidden but your motive and your partners!" Kara snarled at him. "I know you're responsible for this. I know how you did it. What I still need to know is why and who else was involved." Tolthe set his jaw and stared at her. His murky grayish amber eyes were ugly, she decided; particularly when they were narrowed in such an obstinate expression. "Do you even know what they'll do to him? No? Obviously you don't care, you selfish bastard." She blinked back tears as she remembered how close Loki had come to death the last time the Mad Titan had him.

"Whatever he gets, he deserves," the Ljósálfar hissed.

Elénaril gasped. "Tolthe, how can you say such?"

"No one deserves that, asshole," Tony snapped as he rejoined them. "Loki did a hell of a lot here that pissed us all off. He threw me through my own goddamn window, but when I saw what had happened to him my first thought was that he didn't deserve it. What kind of person are you?"

"You're going to tell me who put you up to this and how I can find them or I'm going to make you scream," Kara said, finally managing to calm down enough to concentrate. She pulled memories; memories of her own fears, memories of Loki's pain and terror that she'd picked up after they'd found him broken and bleeding in Central Park, memories of the despair she felt when Loki returned to Asgard with Thor, of when he lost his chance to be Asgard's hero and when he'd refused to defend himself to the Tribunal. If Tolthe refused to respond to her demand, fine.

"You won't touch me. I'm a diplomat."

"You are a sniveling coward and you are going down. I don't have to even come near you, let alone touch you to make you scream," she promised as she packaged the entire compilation of horror and forced it through his shields.

… …

Elénaril gasped as Tolthe shrieked and dropped to the floor, cowering before the redheaded former mortal. "Please!" he begged. "Make it stop!"

"What is happening to him?" she demanded

"He's mentally feeling the pain and terror Loki and I have felt thanks to the Mad Titan. Tolthe, if you tell me what I want to know it will stop. Otherwise you'll feel like this for the rest of your miserable life," the woman snapped.

"Now, Princess," Elénaril chided soothingly; "I'm certain he did not realize what he did."

"Oh, he realized. He's a petty weasel and this time his betrayal is coming back to bite him in the ass."

The god of Thunder put a hand on the shoulder of his sister by marriage. "He will face Odin's wrath, Kara. Let him go."

"Thor, stuff it. He's sent my husband and your brother off to be tortured to death. He had help and he's going to tell me who helped him and how or he's going to scream in terror until his voice fails him."

Tolthe continued to shriek and whimper. Elénaril wanted to help him; after all, they'd been lovers for nearly four hundred years. But if he'd truly done this…she knelt beside him. "Tolthe, tell the truth, and you will be spared."

"He's guilty as sin and he's going to pay, but this will stop if he tells the truth."

"And if the truth is that he's innocent?" she asked desperately.

"He's not."

"Kara," Thor scolded. "What if there were extenuating circumstances? Loki received leniency."

"He'll have to prove it, like we did." The girl's tone was sullen, her expression made it clear that she did not believe any such proof existed.

"Tolthe, my love, we'll find proof. Please, tell the truth," she begged.

"You stupid cunt!" he screamed, his eyes so wide with fear the sclera showed all around the iris. "You never loved me, I never loved you. All you wanted was a never flagging cock and I gave that to you. I wanted power and now I shall have it. I will rule all of the Nine Realms in the name of Thanos!"

She pulled back, stunned. "Gee, isn't that a surprise," the Iron Man said, not sounding surprised at all. "And his eyes aren't even blue. That means he's doing this of his own free will."

… …

"People like him are what Loki saved us from by playing along with that lunatic," Bruce agreed. He shot a look at Kara. "I think you can let up now."

"Like hell. He didn't go anywhere near the Mad Titan; unflagging cock or not, he doesn't have the balls. He didn't have any artifacts on him, S.H.I.E.L.D made sure of that. The servants only knew he begged Elénaril to bring him, they didn't know why." She reached down and grabbed the shaking Ljósálfar's hair and dragged him up to his knees. "There's someone else involved and you're going to tell me who," she snarled in his face. Bruce shuddered. Kara's eyes were glowing in an odd mix of gold and silver. It seriously looked like a roaring golden fire against a silver backdrop. "Who helped you? Where is the artifact?"

The fabric of Tolthe's pants darkened as the smell of urine and feces spread through the room. Oh boy. Kara must have upped the wattage of her projection and the poor bastard had soiled himself. He was gibbering now, and weeping outright. "Malekith," he finally sputtered. "Malekith walked the branches of Yggdrasil and brought a token from Thanos. He took it with him when he left."

"Should you say the Titan's name once more I will rip out your tongue," Helblindi grated from behind them. "I'd much rather not. I wish to hear you scream when I punish you for what you have done to my brother and heir."

Bruce shuddered remembering the grisly sight of Býleistr's head hanging from Helblindi's belt then shuddered again when he realized that Tolthe's confession meant that Malekith had survived the avalanche. "Oh, no; that lunatic is still walking around?"

Helblindi nodded. "So it would seem, doctor." He turned to Kara. "Release him now, Princess. His mind should be sound when punishment is meted out, else such would be meaningless." Kara nodded and let go of Tolthe's hair. He collapsed on the floor, his eyes rolling up into his head as he lost consciousness.

"Tony," Bruce asked. "What have you got for us?"

"Jane got a reading on that bridge. She and Erik are heading out to Central Park and are working on tracking it to the other end. It could take a while, but we should be able to open up one of our own using the War Machine…uh, Iron Patriot, damn I hate that name, armor as our focus, its arc reactor has a unique energy signature."

Frigga stepped forward and took a now shaking Kara into her arms. "Asgard can help with that. Thor, go to the All-Father. I'm certain Heimdall has already reported this disaster to him. Ask him for help opening this bridge to retrieve our Loki."

… …

Oh, this was so bad, James thought as he stared at the alien landscape that surrounded them. The two Chitauri sleds had crashed into each other when he'd pulled Loki from their grasp, but when he'd banked into a turn the blue rip in the air had disappeared and they were…someplace else. "Crap. Tony? Tony, can you hear me, buddy?" Not even static. The computer that ran his armor was limited in comparison to Jarvis, but it was still enough to tell him that none of the constellations he could see were visible from his part of the universe. The air, however, was close enough to Earth normal that he could stop using the armor's reserve supply. His power levels were at 99%; that was good. The modified arc reactor Tony had put in this thing would keep it going for a while. Tony had told him about Jane opening an Einstein-Rosen bridge to Asgard. Would she be able to open one to here; wherever here was? "Oh, crap, this is FUBAR." Loki was moaning and his eyelids were fluttering. "Loki, you with me? We're in deep here."

The god's eyes snapped open. "Colonel?" he muttered fuzzily.

"Yeah, hey, just call me Rhodey, like Tony does. Otherwise I'm going to feel like I've got to salute or return one."

Loki struggled to sit up and he repressed an urge to help. He had a hunch that the guy wouldn't appreciate it. "Tolthe poisoned me; he blocked my power. Oh, gods, Kara. That had to have hurt her."

"What do you mean?" he asked as he checked the HUD to keep an eye on their surroundings. Nothing was within his range; assuming things here would register on the equipment. For sure the Chitauri did and any of the other beings Tony had encountered. He'd passed on an update to the sensors the last time they'd gotten together to 'play'. But what if there were other things Tony didn't know anything about? "I have a really bad feeling about this."

The god favored him with a sardonic look. "You have a gift for understatement, Rhodey. I do not have my power, it's blocked from me and I much doubt our enemy will be so kind as to open a gate back to the Nine Realms for us. "I only hope that the rebounding of my power did no real harm to my wife."

Loki had answered him, in a roundabout way. It looked like he was struggling to focus, maybe because of that poison he mentioned. "Um, is there an antidote to the poison?"

The guy had really pretty eyes and holy Hannah was it freaky or what that he'd noticed? That green was almost mesmerizing. Damn. "No, I-it's more a potion, actually, though it was used as a poison. It will have to wear off," Loki muttered, looking away and breaking the connection. "If that doesn't happen soon, we are doomed."

"I don't like the sound of that."

A soft snort answered him. "Think you that I do?" Loki stood and turned around slowly, stopping when he saw the wrecked sleds. "Your work?"

"Sort of. I grabbed you from them and they didn't let go so they collided pretty violently."

"That's bought us a little time. I was wondering why we have not been captured. They likely had instructions to deliver me elsewhere and are not yet overdue." He strode over to the crash site and started picking through the wreckage, tossing several items to the side. After he'd picked through everything, Loki moved to the pile of items he'd pulled out and went through it more carefully. "These are fully charged, excellent," he said as he slung two of the energy weapons over his back by their long straps. "These have field rations in them," he said as he tossed a belt and pouch to him. "You should pray we shall have no need of them as they're quite foul. However, they will sustain us."

"Great. Aliens came up with something worse than MREs. Uh, field rations we call 'Meals Ready to Eat'."

Loki smirked. "They don't find them nearly so vile as I do. I've seen them eat the stuff with great relish. However, they are not to my taste and I much doubt they are to yours, either. This," he continued, holding up what looked like funky-shaped canteens, "is water, or a close enough substitute. It's tasteless, so we'll have no issue with it."

"Okay, so we won't starve or die of thirst anytime soon. Why do I think that's the least of our worries?"

"Because you are an intelligent man; Tony would not have long tolerated your company else. Before they crashed, they were taking me to their leader."

"How cliché can you get?" Loki's eyebrow shot up. "Never mind, it's a cultural thing. Tony said you guys have problems with some of that, my bad."

… …

"He must be taken to Asgard for judgment," Haakun told the gathered royals.

"I'll save you all a lot of trouble," Kara told him as she pulled away from her mother-in-law's comforting embrace. "A nice Tolthe-sized pile of ash would be really satisfying just now."

"All the Realms must see what it is to bring harm to the Royal House of Asgard," Haakun insisted.

"Jötunheim has first call on justice," Helblindi interrupted. "We take the most damage from Loki's loss."

"Excuse me?" Kara said, directing a glare at her brother-in-law that by all rights should have incinerated him even if she weren't a pyrokinetic.

"First, he has harmed my heir," Helblindi began. "Second, he has harmed my only remaining brother; third, he has harmed my sister by marriage. Punishment for these crimes should be mine to bestow. I will see that he fully regrets his attack upon my family before I grant him the mercy of death." Kara pictured Tolthe's head hanging from Helblindi's belt. The thought was, if anything, more satisfying than making him into a pile of ash. "As I will not be in the midst of battle, his death will arrive far more slowly than that of Býleistr," he promised.

"Thirty-five days," she bargained. Helblindi's eyebrows rose. "I had thirty-five days, including today, of marriage to Loki. If we can't retrieve him, that's all I'll ever have. I want that bastard to suffer for thirty-five days before you finish it."

"Done."

"Kara, maybe you should just let…"

"No, Tony. I'm sick of this. I am sick of people targeting Loki because they think they can get away with it. I can't do this anymore; it stops and it stops now. If we survive this, I want every last being in the Nine Realms to know that they do not fuck with me and they do not fuck with my family." She turned to stare at Tolthe, who had finally regained consciousness. Her eyes narrowed and she nodded. "Start with a finger, rip it off, the next day a toe; keep that up until they're all gone. Then a hand, then a foot and after they're gone move to the lower arms and lower legs, then to the upper. Go for the ears next. That should give you thirty-four days. On the thirty-fifth day rip off that cock he's so damn proud of and let him bleed out. If he doesn't, go ahead and rip his head off." She turned and stalked away, ignoring Tolthe's keening whine and the horrified expressions on almost every face save those of the Jötnar.

… …

"She didn't really mean that," Bruce offered. "It's the shock of the situation."

"On the contrary, Dr. Banner; I believe she meant every word of it." Bruce frowned at Raj Nassar. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top psychiatrist and the chairman of their Council of Regents seemed absolutely serious and only slightly perturbed. "She's seen the worst of the, uh, Nine Realms in two months or thereabouts she's known of their existence. She's had to fight not just for her love but her life repeatedly. It's a miracle and a tribute to her resilience that she hasn't snapped under the pressure of it all." The man sighed; he looked infinitely sad. "Sometimes violence and horror must be met with the same. Kara knows what she's demanded, and she understands it all too well, I believe. It's a pity that such a caring soul has had to learn that lesson so thoroughly at so young an age."

Bruce looked around at the others and was surprised to see agreement on almost every face, even most of the Avengers. Frigga's expression echoed Nassar's. "I shall go care for my daughter," she told them.

"My queen," Haakun called before she left the room. "Do you dispute King Helblindi's claim?"

Frigga's sky blue eyes hardened. "I do not, nor will the All-Father. Tolthe will face justice on Jötunheim." Those eyes softened again when the Ljósálfar queen gasped. "He has not just betrayed us all to the Mad Titan, he has destroyed my family, Elénaril. Odin would show no more mercy than Helblindi or Kara. And he has betrayed you as well; be glad that you need not punish him yourself, my friend."

Elénaril nodded and resolutely turned her back on her consort. Bruce could still see her lost expression. Considering how coldly Nyvorlas had spoken of her before, he was surprised when the prince joined her and took her into a supportive embrace. The other Avengers stood around looking awkward. Well, not Tony. The genius's eyes were narrowed and he was rubbing his hands together. Obviously, Tony had a plan. "Care to share?" he asked him in a soft tone.

"I've been working on upgrades to the suit," he said with a sharp grin.

"And water is wet."

"Ha-ha. I've modified it; if I have to go outside the atmosphere, I'll have plenty of oxygen and it will resist decompressing in the lack of atmosphere thanks to the Asgardian metalworking secrets aaannd there's now a backup for repowering, kind of a rechargeable battery, that Loki's been helping with when his power's been released for training exercises. Even if the MT and the Chitauri are too much for Loki and Rhodey to handle, they'll still be taking a chunk out of them; once that bridge is open, I can swoop through and kick some ass instead of losing power and needing you to break my fall."

Bruce nodded. "What about the rest of us?"

"I can't do much for you guys without building you suits and yeah, not happening. Though the modified body armor I'm working on for Cap might be able to have a helmet added to it, Jarvis, make a note of that…just not in time."

"You're really worried."

"What do you mean?"

You mentioned three different people, two of whom you almost always use snarky nicknames for, and you didn't use a one."

Tony's expression said it all. "Well, shit."

… …

"You're not going to talk me out of it," Kara told her.

"I've no intention of it. It is rather bloodthirsty, but well deserved under the circumstances," Frigga told the daughter of her heart. "I couldn't be any more proud of you for making such a difficult decision."

"It wasn't a decision," the girl admitted. "It's just…okay; it's vengeance, plain and simple. I want someone to suffer for this, and he's a deserving target. The others will suffer too, but I think they're more dangerous so, if I get the opportunity, they're just going to die, period."

"That's probably wise. But dear, let Odin handle the Mad Titan; he is beyond even your power."

"Odin's not here, I am. Whether I can kill him or not, I've got to try. At the very least, I'm going to make that bastard hurt."

"What good would that do should he then swat you like an insect? Between his own power, the power he's stolen from others, and the mystical artifacts he's collected, there is little even a god can do on his or her own. Odin would bring all the power of Hlidskjalf and Gungnir to bear upon him."

Kara's expression could best be described as a glower. "Well, if my father-in-law deigns to bring his high and mighty ass into battle, maybe I'll let him help."

Her laughter, however inappropriate, burst out. The thought of the former mortal allowing or disallowing Odin anything was simply hilarious…although…she gasped and shook her head. "Oh, Kara; I am sorry. I couldn't help but picture my husband's reaction to being graciously allowed to share an attack with anyone. Please don't put it that way to him; the shock he'd suffer might cost you the victory."

The girl's lips twitched. "I'll resist the temptation then. After we've destroyed that-that thing I'll let him know I allowed him to help."

"Just be sure you're smiling when you say it, dear. He's not much quicker than Thor at knowing when he's being teased; and do not tell me that you would not be teasing at that point. I know better."

"How much does that annoy Loki?" Kara asked.

"Terribly." Her smile faded as her daughter's eyes filled with tears. "You'll have him in your arms again, sweeting, I'm certain of it."

"But how badly broken will he be this time? How many times can his mind and body be broken before one or the other just gives up? It's so not fair."

"I know, my dear. Life rarely is."

… …

Loki struggled to fully focus. He'd recognized the potion that was used upon him; he'd experimented with it centuries ago to see if he could find a way around it...and had failed. Tolthe had to have given him twice the usual dose for it to have made him this groggy. "Should we be sticking so close to the wreck site?" Rhodey asked him as he finished fastening the canteen and food pouch around his armored waist.

He had to concentrate to think about it rationally. "Yes and no. We should get away from this immediate site, but we must be able to return here swiftly should our friends find a way to open a path for us. It would be easiest for them to do so in the last spot one was opened."

"Okay, makes sense. How about those rocks over there? Good cover, not too far."

"And the first place they'd look." He shuddered thinking of The Other's boast that there would be no crevasse where he couldn't find him. Wait. "Can you scan below the surface?" he asked.

"Uh, sure. What are we looking for?"

"A crevasse. One large enough to hold the two of us that can be covered with some of those larger rocks."

The armored man looked from side to side for a moment and then stopped. "Bingo. Uh, I mean, found one. Better yet, it's under an overhanging ledge so if we give a push to one of the overhanging rocks to that side of it, it will look like it fell naturally."

"Then let us move that other rock. Your armor works much like the Iron Man armor, yes?"

"Pretty much. It's not as elegant and it has more outright weaponry."

"It can generate a light wind to blow our tracks away?"

Rhodey was silent for a moment then popped up the faceplate on his armor. "Junior says I can do a three percent power up on a hand repulser and that will do the trick."

"Good. Junior?"

"I've got a stripped down version of Jarvis in this thing. No personality, and minimal self-direction, but it has the same computational capabilities and it talks. I call it Junior because it's a younger or smaller version of Jarvis." Loki stared at him as he tried to understand the reference. "Look, when parents give their son the same name as the dad, they use a suffix of junior at the end of the name and the dad becomes senior. So if I had a son I named James, he'd be James Rhodes, Junior and I'd become James Rhodes, Senior."

"Ah. Thank you. I hadn't heard that custom before." Mystery solved, he lost interest and trudged toward the rocks.

"Junior, give me locomotion capability, but power everything else but the scanners down to where we can do a hot restart," Loki heard Rhodey tell his armor's computer. The response must have been in an earpiece as he did not hear it before the mechanized steps followed behind him.

… …

"We've got the equipment set up," Jane Foster told them as they arrived in Central Park near the fountain that now served as a Bifröst egress. "We're working on getting a lock on the Iron Patriot arc reactor. That's the hard part."

They all jumped as a glow surrounded the fountain and the platform slid across it, triggered by the eldritch energies. Three figures landed with a reverberating boom. Nick blinked as the tallest, an older silver-haired warrior wearing gold armor turned an intense one-eyed gaze on them. He smothered a grin and Raj Nassar frowned at him inquiringly. "I was just picturing someone running around with one brown left eye and one blue right eye somewhere."

"Your macabre humor surfaces at the oddest moments," Raj murmured.

"Am I imagining things, doctor, or is he bigger than Thor?"

"You're not. A good two or three inches and a bit broader across the shoulders I'd think. Unless it's all in the armor."

"Odin's one quarter Jötnar," Romanov said quietly. Nick cursed silently. She was the one agent, or former agent, that could sneak up on him.

"Then why is Loki not bigger if he's half?"

"I think the muscle bulk is the Æsir side. It's just the height that's attributable to the Jötnar. Helblindi isn't nearly the tallest of his people, and that makes me think Laufey wasn't particularly tall either."

"Interesting." But for later. He stepped forward as the Kind of Asgard, his son and an impossibly old man dressed in robes stepped down from the platform. "Welcome to New York City," he said.

… …

"No, we must do this with brute force. Your weapons will leave anomalous marks on the rock and would be noticed," Loki told him

James sighed. "Fine, I'll power up so we'll have plenty of that."

Loki grinned. "My magic is blocked, but I'm still a god." The god squatted down, carefully angling his back against the rock and turned his hands to grip the lower edges of it. "We'll need to give it a bit of lift, not simply push outright, to get it over and down properly."

"Okay." He selected a spot that would balance Loki's position and prepared to compensate for the fact that the slender man wouldn't be able to lift as hard or as fast as he could in the Iron Patriot armor. Man, he hated that name, but the Pentagon Brass had ordered him to use it. "Ready, on three?" Loki nodded. "Okay, one, two, three…whoa, hold up!" Loki's side had been lifting far more easily than he had expected. Heck, easier than he could manage with the suit. "How strong are you?"

"Exponentially stronger than a mortal. Not so strong, physically, as Thor or many others of the Æsir."

"Oh, that's real helpful." He queried Junior. Oh. Actually, that was pretty helpful. "Okay, sorry. Tony had your strength calculations in the last update he snuck to me. Let's try this again."

Wearing an annoyed expression, Loki situated himself and nodded. "On my count then, Rhodey since I will obviously need to adjust for you." James grimaced and nodded back. "One, two, three!" They lifted with perfect precision this time and the rock tumbled over the ledge that had held it for who knew how long and landed with a tremor inducing thud in the soft ground below.

Peering over the edge he queried Junior again. "Perfect. It's just where we'd hoped."

"Calculated," Loki corrected. "It is exactly where I calculated it would land."

Good God this guy was annoying. "How is it you and Tony haven't killed each other yet?" he had to ask.

The god shrugged. "It would be rude to kill a man responsible for saving my life and Kara would be angry with him if he killed me. I think of it as an armed truce." Oh, James thought. That so wasn't good. Loki sighed. "I'm joking. I understand him and by some strange quirk of fate, he understands me. We have an accord; once with a certain amount of animosity, it's true, but considering our personalities, that's to be expected. We do, ah, keep a lid on it, I believe the phrase is."

They climbed back down to the surface of the asteroid; the atmosphere was artificial, Loki had informed him. There was enough room to slip down in the crevasse if he took off part of the armor. There was plenty of room in it to put the stuff back on. Getting out in a hurry wouldn't be a problem. If that had to happen, he could blast his way out and the explosion of debris would be a good weapon and cover for them. "Okay, looks good. Let's go make some tracks leading elsewhere and then I'll power up and carry you back here erasing the tracks we've made to the rocks on the way."

… …

Green eyes narrowed as their owner smiled wickedly. This was going so very well! Tolthe had betrayed only Malekith and would be silenced forever soon enough. Loki would be dead in moments if he was not already…or he would once again be in the thrall of Thanos. Either served her plan. Thanos would soon make his way here to this ridiculous excuse for a Realm and Odin and his greatest warriors would come here to fight him. They could not risk the Titan setting foot in the Valhöll, within reach of the dangerous treasures safeguarded in the Great Vault. She'd little doubt they'd destroy the mad creature, particularly when she came in at the last moment to deliver the fatal blow. She'd have to time it well. Odin and Heimdall must both be dead or beyond the help of the Healers. Thor must be in danger or safely captured, yet not overly harmed. Then her intervention would save Asgard, Thor would marry her out of gratitude and she would be Queen of Asgard. She sighed as pictured it. After a suitable time, of course, Thor would also have to die. But first she would enjoy him well. A woman's light footsteps hurried down the hall and she pulled back into the shadows. Holding her breath as the mortal glanced in her direction then continued on, oblivious to her presence, she smiled again. This was too easy, Amora thought as she stepped into the hidden path that connected to the roots and branches of Yggdrasill.