" Heimdall, let me pass." Thor's voice was cold. In his chest, his heart felt like an ice-slick stone. It shouldn't feel that way, his baby brother is alive!
" Of course, Prince Thor." Heimdall replied evenly, drawing his sword. Thor was surprised, he had thought he would have to fight Heimdall to get off Asgard. " Give Loki my best regards, and this, if you will." He pulled a small, shining black dagger from his boot. " It is made of dragon's tooth, and enchanted to focus his natural ice powers. I have reason to believe he will need it."
" Um, thank you, Heimdall." Thor frowned in puzzlement.
" You wonder why I would allow you passage?" The Gate-keeper guessed, his face impassive. Thor nodded wordlessly. " I admit to missing Loki's tricks. They are often beneficial, in a hidden way, and Loki cares for Yggdrasil, he is important to the balance. If he turns against Asgard, things will go badly for all realms."
Thor nodded, taking the black dagger and stowing it carefully in his leather armor. He hadn't bothered with stopping by his chambers, since he was headed to Midgard and none of his clothes 'fit in'. " You can transport me to Midgard, yes?"
" Yes, Prince Thor. But only you, and I have not the power to return you. Loki knows the hidden paths of Yggdrasil best, and can bring you back if you find him." Heimdall closed his golden eyes, concentrating fiercely. " I wish you the best of luck."
Thor felt like a strong wind had begun to lap at his heels. The feeling grew, stretching over his body until he felt like he was being torn apart. Heimdall vanished into a blurry cloud of mixed colors, and the ground dropped away from under his feet. He caught fleeting glimpses of several realms, as if Heimdall was bouncing him between them. The stone walls of a city in Nidavellir, the lush grass of Alfheim, the dead, empty space of Svartalfheim before fading away to complete darkness.
No, not complete.
Thor waved his hand infront of his face, frowning at the blurry streak hardly visible in the inky darkness of a Midgard night. There was the faint glow of electric lights in the distance, drawing the prince of Asgard to it like a moth to flames.
Squaring his shoulders, Thor marched towards the light. Unseen by the god, a colorful sign stood proudly off to the side of the road, letters blazed gracefully across it's flat surface;
Stuttgart.
" Hello, Captain." Steve started, rolling off his uncomfortable little bed. Agent Coulson smiled ever so slightly, offering the fallen soldier his hand.
" How did you get in here?" Steve asked, accepting the helping hand.
" You friend let me in." Coulson tilted his head towards Loki, who was leaning gracefully against the wall, a small smirk pulling at his lips.
" Of course." Steve sighed, rubbing the back of his neck when he got to his feet. " Is this about the Tesseract?"
" And the Chitauri." Coulson added, noticing Loki tense minutely out of the corner of his eye. The agent filed the movement away in the back of his mind. " That's Loki, right? He's the one who knows the guy who stole the Tesseract." Steve nodded in affirmation, ushering his two guests towards the tiny kitchen in his apartment.
" Coffee, anyone?" Coulson nodded silently, taking an offered mug. Loki, looking slightly pale, refused. " So, Loki, how do you know the Chitauri leader?"
" I do not believe that is necessary knowledge, at the moment." Loki sat down at the little round table, back straight and shoulders set. " Next question."
" What are the Chitauri?" Coulson spoke up, sharp eyes watching the god's body language closely. No tensing, this time, but the agent noted the number of blinks the god made; five in three seconds, like he was trying to chase away memories.
" They are beasts from a different realm not known by Asgard." Loki answered, his tone indifferent. " They reside deep into the roots of the World Tree, where no light reaches and few bother to search."
" Why do they want to take over Earth?" Steve prompted gently, his expression soft and his smile genuine.
" I know little of their language, but from what I've heard, I believe their leader wishes the death of Yggdrasil." Loki's thin hand curled into talons under the table, digging into his borrowed jeans. " He is courting Death, though she pays him little mind, and he seeks a gift that would catch her attention."
" So the guy who took the Tesseract," Steve frowned, hands wrapped around a mug of cheap black coffee. " Has a crush on Death? Like, the Grim Reaper?"
" No, the man who took the Tesseract is a pawn, he is meant to open the portal between worlds and lead the Chitauri to a slaughter of mankind. If they get a foothold here, the other realms will be in constant danger. And I mean Death, not the silly skeletal creature your kind has made up. Her true name is Hel, or Hela. She rules the dead." Loki's green eyes softened by a fraction, not unseen by Coulson.
" What's she mean to you?" The SHIELD agent raised one eyebrow, leaning over the table.
" . . .She is my daughter." Loki admitted, drawing a wide-eyed glance from Steve.
" So Norse Mythology is true? You gave birth to a horse?!" The soldier gasped. Loki's expression turned sour.
" Of course not. I created Sleipnir, but he was borne of magic. I made him as a stead for m- the All-Father." Loki narrowed his eyes at the suddenly blushing mortal. " Any other questions?"
" Many." Coulson tipped back his head, downing the rest of the coffee. " But they can wait until you talk to Director Fury."
" Well, then." Loki stood, pushing his chair back. " Lead the way, Son of Cole."
Loki struggled to hide his awe, burying it under heaps of indifference and superiority.
But is he any better? Loki thought bitterly, trailing after Steve Rogers like a lost puppy. A Frost Giant, no a Frost runt, unwanted by the race of savages-
The god of Mischief gave himself a mental shake, focusing on his surroundings.
Coulson had taken Steve and Loki on a metal machine with wings, he called a Helicopter. It roared like a dragon, it's dark shiny blades chopping the air with a deafening hum. Loki had to shove his hands in his pockets to keep from betraying how they balled up into fists at being so high up. The god had never liked heights, especially after the fall.
When they had landed, it was on an island made of metal and pavement. More Helicopters, as well as much larger inanimate beasts, lounged around it. People scuttled around the surface, fearlessly running up to the slumbering metal beasts and parading under the order of the superiors.
In the middle of the island, scrawled in bright yellow paint, was a massive eagle, wings spread and head turned. The insignia of SHIELD, Coulson had said.
" Agent Romanoff," Coulson called, smiling slightly at the red haired woman that greeted them as they stepped out of the Helicopter. " This is Steve Rogers, and Loki-"
" Laufeyson." Loki interjected, sweeping down to a bow. Steve's cheeks turned slightly pink as he copied the movement.
" Well, mister Laufeyson, you know how to make a girl feel special." Agent Romanoff arched one eyebrow at the smirking god. " Coulson, They need you on the bridge, they're starting the face trace."
Coulson nodded and swept past her, throwing a encouraging smile to Steve and Loki. " See you there."
" What is 'face trace'?" Loki asked polity, green eyes wary and watchful whenever someone stepped too close.
" You'll see later." Romanoff replied, leading the other two through the chaos around them. " There's been quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice." She commented to Steve, who fell into step beside her. Loki tagged on behind, building up a mental map as they went, in case the need arose. " Thought Coulson was going to swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?"
" Trading cards?" Steve echoed, puzzled.
" They're vintage, he's very proud." Romanoff nodded at a few of the agents rushing by, but her eyes were fixed on a man in a grey suit that had seen better days. The man had brown hair, streaked with grey, though he didn't look that old. He milled around cluelessly, looking lost.
" Dr Banner." Steve called, catching the man's attention. Banner turned to face them, looking grateful.
" Uh, yeah, hi." Banner took Steve's offered hand and shook it, a small smile on his lips. " They told me you'd be coming."
" Word is you can find the cube." Steve said, releasing Banner's hand. Him and Loki had been debriefed on certain things on the ride their, Banner's role in the search for the Tesseract among them.
" Is that the.. only word about me?" Banner's eyes slid to the side, his smile turning nervous.
" Only word I care about." Steve answered. Loki raised one eyebrow, slinking up behind him. All he had been told was not to irritate the doctor, not the reason why. Though now he was close enough, Loki could sense strength pouring off them man potent enough to challenge a god.
Banner nodded in agreement, rubbing his hands together. " Must be strange to you, all of this." He gestured to the base around them.
" Well," Steve looked thoughtful, following a troop of jogging agents with his eyes. " This is actually kind of familiar."
Loki agreed silently, trailing after them as the three others wandered off to the edge of the metal island. Anyone that had gone through military training, no matter the realm, could relate with something in the base.
" Gentlemen, you might want to step inside in a minute. It's gonna get a little hard to breath." Romanoff's lips curved into a tricky smile, bracing her feet solidly against the metal floor.
" Is this a submarine?" Steve asked in disbelief, turning to Loki.
" Really, they want me in a submerged pressurized container?" Banner gave a humorless laugh.
A deep thunk and growl rose up from under their feet and the people around them scrambled towards the many doors leading down below. All three men shuffled over to the edge of the metal island, leaning over to watch as the water churned and frothed. Metal blades chopped through it as a contraption rose up, two on each side of the island.
As they watched, the metal island laboriously raised itself a few feet up in the air.
" Oh, no this is much worse!" Banner chuckled, hair tousled by the wind.
" Odin's beard." Loki hissed behind them, speaking for the first time in an hour. Steve glanced over to him.
" Are you afraid of heights?" He asked teasingly.
" I fear nothing!" Loki spat, spinning on his heels to follow Romanoff inside. " Lease of all falling!"
" I said nothing about falling." Steve muttered, trailing after him. The look on his face was that of a kicked puppy.
" Oh, this is going to be fun, isn't it?" Banner snorted, following behind. No-one deigned to answer him.
How many words is that? Oh, well, I don't care. This chapter is pretty boring, but eh. And yes, Loki is afraid of heights. Partially because he fell off the Bifrost, mostly because it's a real-life phobia for me and I can use it to make some hard decisions for Loki!
I'm evil.
Until next time, Internets. Peace Off!