"Thor?" Loki repeated, his voice no longer trembling and his sorrow concealed. "How is this possible?" He asked The Chronicler has he placed his hand on Thor's forehead.

"The House of Odin is full of secrets." The Chronicler walked to the table and stood at Loki's side. "The AllFather couldn't bear the loss of two sons. He chose instead to conceal Thor's body below the palace and asked that I cast a spell of preservation and watch over his fallen son."

Loki turned to The Chronicler, a single tear threatening to fall. "This is why I have been summoned, is it not?

The Chronicler nodded, empathizing with Loki's emotional plight.

"Tell me please, what is it that I can do that no other can."

"You share a bond of blood, a bond of honor and a bond of love."

Loki didn't speak, he only stared at his Brother's lifeless face.

"Through the power of these unseen bonds you alone can endure the Trial of the Dead and reclaim your Brother's wayward soul from death itself."

Unconvinced Loki questioned The Chronicler's claim. "Would not the bond between Father and Son trump that of Brother's?"

"You are wise beyond your years yet you still carry the naivety of a child." Her kind smile warmed the air as she spoke. "Have you not asked yourself how Heimdall came to bear the Oracle Spheres?"

He never looked away from Thor but his body tensed as his curiosity piqued. "It was you who had given Heimdall the trinkets?"

"Correct."

"Why? Why would you allow such a precious artifact to used to aid a war-criminal such as myself?"

"Your are not a criminal of war, Loki. You are a victim, just as your family. Your Brother, your Father and your Mother."

Loki did his best to keep the memory of losing Frigga from his mind and focus on The Chronicler's words. "If this is true, why did you not come forward during my trial before the AllFather?"

"My testimony was unnecessary. Despite your past misdeeds your family did not want to see you executed. Frigga did not plea with Odin to spare the axe, that decision was already his."

Feeling an odd combination of anger and love toward Odin Loki bit his lip to restrain his emotions. "What of the Oracle Spheres?"

"Heimdall could not see beyond the stars but for a moment. He saw you, imprisoned. When Thor was requested to infiltrate the Chitauri home world to extricate you, their prisoner, he required assistance to see what no other man could. The Oracle Spheres allow one soul to remain in contact with a second soul for as long as the Spheres remain in the possession of the respective wielders. You still hold the spheres your possession, do you not?"

For a brief moment the image of the two glowing spheres, one of red the other of green, flashed through Loki's mind. "The spheres allowed Thor to see me because he wished to see me." It was then Loki understood that Thor's rescue was not from a sense of duty as an Asgardian but out of genuine love him, his Brother.

Retracting his hand from Thor's body Loki turned to face The Chronicler. "When do I begin?"

The Chronicler smiled confidently at Loki's response. "Soon." She walked past the table with Thor's body down a dark flight of stone steps. "Come."

Reluctant to leave Thor's body unprotected Loki obeyed The Chronicler's request and followed her down the steps, which faced absolute North. The darkness engulfed all light and was seemingly endless. Only when a sudden flash of light from a large black opening cast itself over The Chronicler, outlining her body in a shining silhouette, was Loki able to gain his bearings.

The black door creaked opened heavily and slowly, revealing a large stone balcony on the other side. The shining night sky of red, purple, blue and black clouds swirled like a whirlpool from the Heavens. Bright stars speckled the swirling mass of color and thick clouds like thousands of tiny diamonds. A second door, not as large but much blacker, stood alone in the center of the ethereal colors on the other side of a great bridge crafted of stone and bones. A wide, deep river of the darkest blue ran below the bridge in a slow paced torrent of eternal flow.

"Beyond this door no magic can protect you." The Chronicler warned. "Beyond this door Heimdall cannot see you."

"This bridge," Loki questioned. "it connects the realm of the living to the realm of the dead, does it not?"

The Chronicler bowed her head to acknowledge his suspicion. "Before you lies the bridge Gjallarbru. Beneath flows the river Gioll.

"The river that divides the realm of the living from the realm of the dead."

Loki was well versed in the layout of the realms. Through this acquired knowledge Loki was able to construct and conceal his secretive pathways that he alone used to traverse from Asgard to the next realm. He now knew where the door on the other side of the bridge led.

"Loki, you must enter Helheim, cross Nastrond and ascend Eljudnir to speak with Hel herself."

Walking with his head held high, Loki stood on the foot of the bridge and gazed fearlessly at the perpetually black door. He bowed his head respectfully before speaking. "Here I stand before the Gates of Hel, yet it is not my own soul that has been condemned." Loki felt guilt and regret entering his heart.

The Chronicler sensed the deeply rooted hatred festering inside Loki's heart, a hatred that was focused solely against himself. "Loki, one cannot be defined by their misdeeds alone, the good that balances evil; the light that blooms forth from darkness, is the brightest and purest of all. Yes, the remaining darkness that yet lingers in your heart is vast and its deep."

Loki closed his eyes to hide his emotional pain.

She continued. "But without darkness light could not be seen, let alone exist. The deeper the darkness the brighter the light that shines within, and there will always be a shining light to balance the darkness." She smiled a little, sensing that Loki believed her words. "No one heart is pure darkness just as no one heart is pure light. Your heart alongside the heart of Thor are proof."

Opening his eyes Loki stared at the black door and his hands clenched into tight fists. "Where darkness looms light shines." He looked at The Chronicler over his shoulder, his black and green leather armor appearing over his body in a green aura of magic, he nodded at her. "I am ready."

"Then, proceed."

She raised her hand toward the door, a faint purple glow emanated from her palm and the door across the bridge opened with a sudden jolt. Black smoke and dust crept from the opening crack as stagnant air flowed out in a single gust. The breath of the dead flowed past Loki, the potency stung his eyes but he did not blink, nor did he flinch as unparalleled chill cast a layer of frost over the doorway and partially down the bridge.

"Many years from now you'll understand that it was this moment that proved your Spirit. You must go in alone and save your Brother."

Loki walked down the bridge, ice crystals crunching beneath his boots. He stood in the large doorway and took in one last deep breath from the air of the land of the living and stepped inside the Gate of Hel. The black door began to close behind him, the doorway shuddered as the immense weight of the black door closed once more. As the door shut the sound of the bolt locking echoed ominously through the entry way that Loki now stood, alone.

"H.Y.D.R.A.? Are you serious Tony?" Bruce couldn't comprehend the implication that had been. "I thought after Steve took down their leader, uh, 'Red Skull', Peggy Carter and your father finished them off with the creation of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"You did your homework, I'm so proud." Tony tried to tease but his heart wasn't in it.

"I do alot of reading when I can't sleep." He glanced around the workshop. "And after I was 'recruited' by S.H.I.E.L.D. I found plenty to read about."

"Well, a history lesson from my old-man is better than any sedative, and that's a fact."

"Tony," Bruce was trying to get back on the main subject. "how is it possible for H.Y.D.R.A. to be a threat? Only a select group of people even knew of its existence and most of them have long since passed away."

"Yeah, I know." He stood up from his desk and stretched his back. "Correction: that much I know."

Bruce scratched the back of his head tiredly. "Too bad we can't seem to get ahold of Steve, he might know what's going on."

"About that..." Tony began pacing deep in thought in front of the display monitor. "Don't you find it a tad odd that at the same time S.H.I.E.L.D. disappears we lost contact with Rogers and Agent Romanoff... and Agent Barton... AND Fury?"

"Well, I doubt the giant hellicarriers crashing into the Potomac River were just a fluke. Think that's when it started?"

Tony tilted his head as he considered Bruce's theory. "Wouldn't surprise me. Then again I'm living in a Tower with my girlfriend, the pregnant former girlfriend of a now-dead God, the dead-God's no longer evil brother and a real life 'Dr. Jekyll' and 'Mr. Hyde'. So, it's probably going to take ALOT to surprise me from now on."

Pepper wandered around the corner from the small doorway that leads into Tony's workshop. "Tony? Bruce? What's going on?"

"Nothing to worry about." Tony answered quickly.

"Which means there is something to worry about." She crossed her arms and stared at him.

"Probably." His unresponsive response answered her question in the affirmative.

"Now what? Wait, I don't want to know just yet. Did you work all night? Again?"

"Probably."

She sighed. "J.A.R.V.I.S., how long has he been down here?"

'Approximately seven hours and twenty-three minutes.' The computer often exposed Tony's attempts to lie to Pepper.

Pepper looked down at her watch. "It's almost 7:30 in the morning! You were up all night! And Bruce, what about you?"

"Uh..." He knew better than to try to lie, especially to someone has sharp as Pepper. "Not AS long. I think. I just couldn't sleep."

'Sir, all potential communication relay networks have been identified and marked accordingly.'

"Good." Tony looked at Pepper who arched her eyebrow back at him. "Keep track of the most frequently used relays and isolate any possible patterns."

'Will do, sir.'

Tony just stared at Pepper through heavy eyes. "I can't just ignore this."

"I know." She was sympathetic to his sense of responsibility. "But you can't ignore your health either. Come to bed, just for a few hours. Please?"

Tony caved and followed Pepper out of his workshop. With little he could do to assist in the situation Bruce left the lab as well.

While Tony and Pepper returned to their bedroom to get some sleep, Bruce sat on the couch in the sitting room on the top floor.

His nightmares had returned and made it nearly impossible for him to shut off his mind and relax. Reading helped tire him out but his sleep was less than restful as the nightmares were very vivid, detailed and often contained bitter memories from when 'the Other Guy' accidentally harmed Betty.

Bruce began mindlessly flipping through channels on the TV, the volume nearly muted and stopped his search on the weekly weather report on the news. He was just beginning to doze off when Jane walked into the sitting room. He was awoken by her footsteps as she worriedly approached the couch. Bruce saw that she looked a little pale and took notice immediately.

"Jane? Are you alright?" He asked as he sat up and looked at her with great concern, not just for her but for the baby as well.

"I'm... I'm not sure."

...to be continued...