AN: So sorry for the long delay! Life certainly happened, and it happened hard. JLPT studying/Physics/Orgo/Anatomy...I have no good excuses for why this is so tardy, but I hope you will all forgive me! For those of you following my Organic Chemistry drama, at least I got an A! ( Orgo is a time killer, I swear ). But I am on break now, so expect some updates!
I want to thank everyone for reading, reviewing and adding this story to their favorites! I am so blessed! I love you all :)
Please enjoy! And review! :)
"Well this certainly feels strange." Tony Stark remarked, looking at the red stone in his hand, "And you want me to do what exactly, Muscles?"
"You mortals have technology Asgard has not." Thor explained, looking around Stark's extensive laboratory, "This stone…it has properties unknown. My father feared it, and I want to know why."
Stark looked at the stone again with curiosity; it certainly was a strange stone. If he hadn't know better, he would liken it to a pricey ruby, or something that should belong in a museum. When he touched it, however, he knew it was no ordinary stone. Electricity seemed to pulse from the stone to his fingertips, almost like an unpleasant tingling sensation, and it seemed to give off a faint luminance. As he looked around his laboratory, he wondered if he even had an instrument appropriate enough to analyze the thing.
"I will try." Tony agreed, unsure if he could give Thor the answers he wanted, "This may be something Banner would know more about."
Tony watched as Thor sat down in one of his seats in a huff. Unlike their last meeting, the Asgardian looked rather nervous, scared even. To his side, he could see Jane examining the stone with a cautious curiosity. Obviously, something had happened on Asgard that was keeping the two unusually quiet. Quite frankly, he couldn't stand it.
"Are there more?" Tony questioned, this time towards Jane, "Now call me crazy, but don't you think that if there are more, they should be together under capable hands? The Avengers are capable hands."
This time, he could see Jane's honey brown eyes look to the floor—trying to avoid his questioning gaze. The woman played with the bottom of her shirt, seemingly trying to think of the next thing to say. Before she could come up with a believable lie, the God spoke again.
"There are more, Man of Iron." Thor admitted, quietly. "My father thought it best to scatter them with Asgard's most trusted. I cannot guess where the others are."
Stark watched with interest as Erik's eyes widened from across the room. Without another second, the man pulled out his laptop and started to click furiously at his keyboard. Walking over to him, Tony looked on with curiosity as the screen flipped through pages of astronomical data, charts, and pictures.
"The other night, I recorded an astronomical occurrence consistent with intergalactic travel. We recorded the same information the first time Thor reached Earth. My lab is not the only lab, though." He explained, pointing to data on the flickering screen, "Kitami and Pulkovo Observatories recorded similar data. I assumed that they were false reports, but…"
"Two of them?" Jane interrupted, "Thor, I thought we were going in three groups? We couldn't have all ended up here."
Thor closed his eyes in thought, rubbing his forehead again. It would be foolish if they all decided to go to Midgard. Admittedly, it was a tame realm, and would have been appealing. Aside from the Avengers, the mortals were nonthreatening which was more than he could say of other realms. Still, he thought it strange that they would all end up here.
"Well, have SHIELD monitor." Darcy suggested, drinking some coffee, "I know they're not the coolest group, but they did give me my iPod back. Besides, it won't take them long to find a group of tall, unacceptably attractive Norse Gods. No offense, but you stick out here."
Sighing again, Thor nodded. As much as he didn't want SHIELD involved, he knew the organization could examine these occurrences Erik spoke of, and bring—whoever ended up here—back to him. Still, he couldn't imagine that his father could be wrong. If all the stones ended up on Midgard, he knew it would only bring the war to these mortals again, and that was the last thing he wanted. But what if Tony was right? What if the Avengers really could keep them safe? What if they could destroy whatever evil sought them out?
He needed to find these stones.
Green eyes cast themselves over the figure lying close to the dying fire with intrigue; their body was surrendered to a deep sleep, their breathing slow and even next to the bright embers. The dark, long hair of its owner obscured most of his view, but out from her locks he could see the faint traces of a hand. In her fragile fingers, he could see a small pouch laced between them, held to her chest like a treasure.
Suddenly, their conversation from the pervious night entered his tired mind. Had she really spared his life because she made a pathetic promise to his brother? He knew Eir well, and he had doubts that she would be so merciful. Still, some part of him wanted to believe her—and he didn't know why. Perhaps he was enticed by the thought that someone forgave him.
Laughing to himself for a moment, he realized what a ridiculous notion that was. Eir would never forgive him for many things, some of which even he was ashamed of, so her sudden mercy was curious to say the least. Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he decided to shake his own guilt away and focus on his unexpected savior.
Focusing his eyes on the small pouch in her hand, he crawled slowly over the cold ground towards the sleeping figure. He could see her warm breath condensing in the cold air with each deep breath she took, her body shivering from the chill. Taking a deep breath, he put a hand towards hers and attempted to unwind her grip. Furrowing his brow, he ground his teeth as her grip only became tighter, her nails still glittering from the party the other night.
Finally, with some effort, he managed to take the pouch from her freezing, copse-like hands only to be met with shocked golden eyes. Before she could speak, he placed a rough hand over her mouth, his knee holding her down on the frozen ground.
"You lying little prat!" he growled, looking in the pouch, his face illuminating with an eerie green iridescence, "Where did you get this!?"
Moving his hand to her throat, he met her squinted eyes with his own. Under his knee, he could feel her heartbeat quicken, and her breathing become angrier. He had to admit, it pleased him greatly.
"You're mad at a lie, Loki?" she questioned, "Oh, how precious."
He choked her harder.
"Answer the question!"
"Your father." She finally admitted, closing her eyes at the pain, "Someone wants the set."
Loki's eyes widened at the realization that he was right. Thanos was attacking Asgard not only to punish him, but also to acquire the rest of the Infinity Gems. Looking down at the stone in the bag again, he noticed that it was solitary—its family missing. Sending a curious glance down towards the woman's eyes, he loosened his grip on her throat—admiring the handprint he left behind.
"Do you have any idea what this is?" He asked her angrily, "Where are the others?!"
Eir just brought a hand to his leather-clad leg and tried to push him off of her, only to have his free hand grab her wrist painfully, his knee digging further into her chest. Closing her eyes in defeat, she let out a sigh before matching his furious green eyes.
"Of course." She whispered, "Odin trusted me with it. He believed my powers to best control it. As for the others, I know not their location."
Standing up angrily, he threw the bag towards her with force. He couldn't believe that that fool gave the Infinity Gems to people! Thanos would only grow angrier at the scavenger hunt he would have to complete, and every realm would pay for Odin's stunt. Not only that, he was certain that Thanos wouldn't hesitate murdering every gem holder to get his desired power. Odin might have well just condemned the gems' guardians to death.
"Did you spare me thinking I could reason with Thanos?" Loki finally asked bitterly, "What, so when he finds you I can save you? Do you honestly think he will be cordial towards me? If so, you're delusional."
Eir's eyes burned into his.
"I already told you, I made a promise." She growled, "Besides, once I learn to control—"
Loki couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Control it?" he questioned with a smile, "The soul gem will destroy you long before that, Eir. Whatever that fool told you was a lie, I swear to you. The Soul Gem hungers for souls, and it will take yours—it craves a host. You're naïve if you think you can control it. It will control you."
Eir looked down at the stone in the bag and closed her eyes. She would be lying if she said she didn't feel the sentience it possessed, and Loki's words had awakened a fear in her that she had managed to keep at bay until now. Still, she didn't want to show any weakness towards him. If Odin trusted that she could wield it—protect it—then she would.
"I'm keeping it, Loki." She said forcefully, "I would rather suffer the fate of protecting this stone, than have been found without it."
Grinding his teeth again, Loki turned away from her defiant glare. He supposed that logic was sound. The other gem bearers would know she yielded this one, and if Thanos caught her without it…well, he knew the torture he would put her through would have her begging for Death's release—and Thanos loved to have people begging for his Love.
Without saying another word, he started out of the cave. If they were to keep the stone, they would have to keep moving. They hand to find better shelter, and figure out where they had ended up. Looking out at the blinding snow, he let out a heavy sigh.
He just prayed they weren't on Midgard.
Nick Fury rubbed his forehead forcefully as he looked at the scene in front of him. It hadn't even been three months and Asgard had already brought trouble back to Earth. When he received the fateful phone call from Erik Selvig, he knew he was in for a headache—he just didn't imagine it would be one of this caliber.
"I am astounded by your stupidity." Fury growled, looking at the glowing stone that lay before him, "An intergalactic maniac is looking for these stones and you decide to bring it here! Hasn't Earth suffered enough from your Asgardian trouble?!"
Thor looked down at his hands as he sat at a large conference table in SHIELD's headquarters. He had to admit, Nick Fury had a point. Midgard did not deserve to be burdened by the troubles of Asgard again but…truthfully, he didn't know where else to go. No other realm could give him the answers he sought, or the protection he needed…no other realm would have been safe for Jane.
"I offer my sincere apologizes, Lord Fury." Thor whispered, his blue eyes meeting Nick's angry brown, "But I had little choice. Midgard has minds that are unmatched in the realms. Surely, someone can provide answers."
Nick looked at the red stone again and let out a sigh. To his right, Maria gave Thor a soft smile.
"We have contacted Dr. Banner." Maria explained, "The stone emits radiation, and I am confident he can provide you answers. Still, the fact that there are others is troubling. Who else has stones? Do we know their locations?"
"I know not where they could have gone, Lady Maria." Thor admitted, ashamed he had no other information, "But those who have the stones are trusted Asgardians. My father would not place such power in incapable hands."
Nick's stern eye gave a look to the God that told him to continue.
"Lady Sif and the Warrior's Three have two of the stones." Thor explained, "Heimdall and Eir have the last two. We were to travel in three groups."
Nick closed his eyes again in frustration. He couldn't believe that this was happening again.
"And how many recordings did we get, Dr. Selvig?"
"Two others-one in Japan and one in Russia." The doctor explained sheepishly, "I had sent both observatories inquiries regarding the data, and after reviewing the numbers, I can confirm they were legitimate events."
Jane gave Thor's hand under the table a small squeeze as she watched Nick Fury become visibly upset with the information. Sending the God of Thunder a small smile, she tried to send him reassurance. Instead, the face she was net with was one full of sorrow and regret. No longer was this the laughing, charming man she came to love. Instead, a broken god sat in his place.
"Is Loki a threat?" Maria asked, writing information down on a piece of paper, "We need to know how many men to deploy."
Jane could feel her heart breaking for Thor as she watched his discomfort over Loki's mention. Biting his bottom lip, Thor gave a sad look towards SHIELD's second in command.
"Though my parent reassure me he will be safe, I fear he will fall with the rest of Asgard." Thor explained in a tone hardly above a whisper, "Loki isn't a threat anymore."
This time, Jane felt Thor grab her hand tighter…almost wishing his words weren't true.
"Agent Barton and Romanov are already stationed in Russia on holiday." Fury explained to the group in front of him, "We can send Rodgers to Japan. The sooner we find these other Asgardians, the safer Earth will be."
To his right, Maria sent him a questioning glance.
"Are you really going to send a World War two solider to Japan, Sir?" Maria asked incredulously, "Do you really think that's smart?"
Thinking thoughtfully, Nick shook his head.
"We can figure out who to deploy later, Maria." He shot back angrily, "In the meantime, you all are to stay out of trouble. We will contact you when the others are found. Until then, do not draw unnecessary attention to yourselves. You are dismissed."
Standing up from his seat, Thor sent a grateful look towards Erik and Jane. With Asgard in peril-with his brother given a death sentence-these two made up the only family he had left. He had failed in so many ways on Asgard…failed to be a good prince, to be a good brother. The least he could do was protect Earth and the people he loved. Sending a fake smile back to the woman who held his hand in hers, he decided:
He would not fail again.
Loki covered his eyes as he looked ahead towards the endless sea of blinding snow. Behind him, he could see Eir wrapping her cloak tighter and the seemingly endless trail of their footprints. They had been walking for what seemed like ages, and had seen little in the form of life. Instead, the only sights and sounds the Prince had seen included the occasional broken trees and the chattering of his companion's teeth.
Of the nine realms, he knew of a few that held landscapes such as this. However, the landscape in this land was more tame than Niffleheim or Jotunheim…in fact, he didn't know of a land that had such a tame, barren place like the one they now stood upon. Walking ahead, he stopped as he noticed the sound of snow-crunched steps cease behind him. Instead, what stood stopped in their shallow holes stood a concentrating Eir.
His mouth opened to chastise the woman, only to be halted when he realized she was trying to hear something. Her gold eyes widened, moving across the landscape as she moved her long dark hair behind her ear. Finally, her golden orbs met his green with a small smile on her face.
"Do you not hear that?"
The man concentrated on the landscape around him, cautious of Eir's comment. To his surprise, a sharp screech could he heard amongst the silence. It was not a malicious sound—no—instead it sounded mechanical…inorganic. In the distance, he could see a small change in landscape, a small dip in the snow. Ahead of them, dark against the white of the snow, laid strange metallic beams.
"These are curious." Loki muttered to himself, touching a hand to the device, "It shakes."
Being pulled back, Loki noticed that a strange machine came towards them—blowing a large horn which each passing moment. Gripping his hands tight, he closed his eyes and kicked some snow towards the tracks in front of him in anger. He bit his lip, tasting his own blood, as he tried to hold back the stream of profanity that he wanted to scream. Of all the places in the nine realms to end up…
It had to be Midgard.
Thanos smiled as his hands broke the elegant latch to Odin's famous weapons vault. In the distance, instead of the beautiful music the Royal Palace was known for, he heard the desperate screams of servants and handmaidens as his men attacked. Instead of the upbeat singing, he heard pleads for help and the frantic last prayers. He could hear the blood spilling on the gilded floor. He could hear the sickly sweet symphony of terror.
And he loved it.
But what he loved more, what he craved, was glowing ahead of him. In front of him, he could see the faint glitter of gold that he came here for. Along the knuckles of the gilded gauntlet, five gems sparkled back at him. Smiling to himself, he picked up the relic and relished the feeling of the cold metal in his large hands. His whole life led up to this moment…after the insertion of the final gem, the gem he guarded with his life, he would rule the galaxy.
Slipping the gauntlet over his right hand, he carefully inserted the final blue gem to rest along with its family. He watched with satisfaction as the gem glowed brightly, seemingly content with being returned to its home. Examining the other stones, however, he realized they were not behaving in a similar fashion. In fact…
They didn't glow at all.
Feeling his heart beat faster, Thano's shaking fingers detached the red stone and crushed it between his fingers as if it was glass. His yellow eyes widened as the red dust fell to the floor in a glittery cascade. Surely these gems were beautiful, but magic was not destroyed so easily.
Screaming, he returned the Mind Gem to his person and threw the fake across the room. Breathing heavily, he decided that he was going to pay the Royal Family a visit. Eventually, no matter how powerful, everyone gave into his torture. Eventually, he had everyone begging for Death.
Tonight, the Royals would be begging.
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