Chapter 11
The enemy ships overwhelmed the skies of Asgard, firing down upon the streets. While these smaller ships fired their guns upon structures and Asgardian foundations, the much larger mothership continued its slow trek towards the palace.
From the palace itself, Sif watched the spectacle with a disturbed expression. The situation seemed all to familiar. It was like the battle of New York all over again, sans the Avengers. Mortals or not, she sure could use their help right now. She had lost sight of Darcy, and wondered if she was still alive.
As the mothership drew closer, Sif scowled, and turned to face a platoon of Asgardian soldiers. "Quick. Activate the barrier."
On command, the Asgardians moved over to a terminal, and Sif returned her attention to the battle outside to see a large circular barricade of golden energy ascend upwards, casting over the palace in a dome-like fashion. Some of the enemy ships collided with the barrier, while others remained at a safe distance and continued firing. The mothership seemed to pause, studying the barrier.
Sif smirked. That should hold them for the time...
Suddenly, the optic sensor on the ship glowed brightly and the red beam dispelled, colliding and exploding violently against the barrier. To Sif's utter shock, the barrier shuddered and actually shattered in a brilliant explosion of yellow energy. The entire barrier fell apart as the ship's beam raced across the ground and trailed up the side of the palace, shaking the very foundation and reigning rubble everywhere.
Sif stumbled as the palace was shook, and her eyes widened as the beam drew closer to her location. She quickly faced the other soldiers.
"Move!"
Quickly, Sif leapt away as the beam struck the area she was standing, and a brilliant explosion engulfed the room. Sif jumped away just in time and shielded herself from the explosion. She could hear the screams of her fellow soldiers as the flames engulfed them, and once it stopped, she looked up, and her face paled when she saw all of the soldiers either dead or dying, scattered across the floor.
Sif closed her eyes, clenching her fists. So many of Asgard's finest. Dead. These invaders would pay dearly.
Suddenly, the sound of battle filled Sif's ears. The palace had been breached!
Unsheathing her sword, Sif left the room, briefly mourning the dead soldiers, and went to confront the invaders head on.
ooooo
Algrim, the wires and implants sparking with electricity with each step he took, grabbed the Asgardian's head in his hand and crushed it like a grapefruit. Tossing the dead bod aside, Algrim stepped out into the palace grounds, and looked up as the mothership loomed over him. It stopped, and a blue light shined from it, and materializing from it was Malekith.
Algrim nodded his head to his master and comrade. "The palace is no longer defended. The Asgardians are either occupied or scattered, and the Aether is vulnerable."
Malekith thought this over, and then paused, his eyes glancing briefly at the enormous ship. "It is being protected, but its host's life is slowly dwindling. I will reclaim it myself."
ooooo
Several Asgardian warriors stood in defense of the throne room as Odin commanded. They could hear the noise of their beloved city being ravaged by the invaders, and wanted nothing more than to assist. But they had orders, and they were bound to their king.
Suddenly, a small object was thrown, seemingly out of nowhere, and landed right in front of the group. The group eyed it in surprise, studying it, when suddenly, it exploded. A small black hole-like formation was formed in the aftershock of the explosion, and absorbed everything around it into its core, including several unfortunate soldiers.
The moment this happened, several Dark Elves stormed the throne room, all armed with particle guns. They started shooting at anything that moved, and the Asgardians were unprepared and mercilessly slaughtered.
Once all the soldiers were dealt with, the Dark Elves stood firm in respondance to their master as Malekith strode casually into the throne room, Algrim following closely. He glanced casually at the bodies, and looked around, his gaze soon settling on Odin's throne.
An intense anger suddenly filled Malekith, and his form shook with rage as he clenched his fists. Sensing his master's anger, Algrim stepped away from Malekith wearily, despite his implants making him more powerful than Malekith.
Malekith stretched his arm out forward, and a steam of blue lightning shoot out from his fingertips and struck the throne. The scathing bolts tore the throne apart, reducing it to rubble in seconds. Ceasing his actions, Malekith stared at his hand in shock, and studied it closely, watching the electricity move through him.
Algrim and the other Dark Elves looked at him in utter surprise. A grin soon formed on Malekith's face, and he faced Algrim.
"Nazara's gifts have made me stronger." He said. "Combined with the Aether... I'd be unstoppable!"
"You'd have the power to avenge our race." Algrim acknowledged.
Malekith was about to agree, when something in his mind forced him to change his mind. He frowned. "No. That power lies with Nazara and his brethren. You know this as well as I do."
Algrim's blue eyes flashed for a moment, before he nodded. "Yes, my lord."
Malekith nodded, and then glanced at the fallen Asgardians, and raised an eyebrow when he saw some were still struggling to stay alive. A sinister thought came over him.
"Gather the ones that are alive, and set them up on Nazara's pillars." He ordered the soldiers, who immediately began setting up strange devices. "This time, the Asgardians will be our puppets."
ooooo
Sif, Fandral, and Volstagg fought against several Dark Elf troops, cutting them down one after another. Against the soldiers of Asgard's military, the Dark Elves may have had a chance. But against Asgard's Finest, they had very little. The adrenaline and thrill of battle gave the three their strength as they cut down each and every one of their opponents.
Suddenly, Fandral grunted when a blast from one of the Dark Elves' particle blasters struck his arm. Gripping it with clenched teeth, Fandral glared at the elf who shot him. Sif glared as well, and gave a yell and she jumped at the creature and plunged her sword right through his chest.
The Dark Elf screamed in pain, wheezed, before dying. Sif wrenched the sword from the pitiful creature, glaring at it with disgust.
Turning back to her friend, Sif gave Fandral a smile, and recalled a question that a friend from Midgard once asked her.
"Are you two getting sleepy?" She asked. Fandral and Volstagg smiled back.
"Not in the least."
Suddenly, another platoon of Dark Elves appeared, pointing their weapons at the three. The Asgardians got into battle stances, but before a move could be made, a large Dark Elven ship crashed right through the walls and plowed into the platoon, crushing them all. The unique vessel, which was larger than the other fighters currently pilaging the city, slowly hummed and sparked until it ceased all activity.
Sif, Fandral, and Volstagg blinked in surprise, and turned towards the enormous hole in the wall that the ship had left. Standing there was Thordis, who, despite looking incredibly beat up and battle torn, was smirking and holding Mjolnir over her shoulder.
She looked around at the mess left in the room. "Wow. Even in Asgard, you guys have a habit of getting things blown up."
"Believe it or not, this usually never happens here." Sif said. "What happened to you?"
Darcy frowned. "That big ship out there. That laser packs a wallup! I was actually out for a few minutes."
Fandral spoke up. "We know. It took down our barriers in only one shot. It is different from the other ships out there."
"Indeed." Sif said, and frowned, thinking back to Hikesh and his reaction upon seeing the mothership.
"So who are these guys anyway?" Darcy asked, looking down with a grossed out expression as she looked down at a dead Dark Elf.
"I do not know." Volstagg said. "Curious as I have never laid eyes on creatures such as these."
"I have, but never in person." Sif said. "It is somewhat of a coincidence that these creatures have revealed themselves now. They are the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim."
"Didn't Santa Claus say these guys were extinct?" Darcy said, eyebrow raised.
Ignoring the 'Santa Claus' comment, whatever the Hel that even meant, Sif frowned at the bodies. "It seems the AllFather was actually wrong in his assumptions."
"But why would they attack Asgard?" Fandral asked.
"Perhaps for revenge?" Volstagg suggested.
But Sif shook her head. "No. From what I've learned from Odin's stories, there could only be one thing in Asgard that the Dark Elves would want."
The group looked confused, before Darcy's eyes went wide. "Jane!"
Sif nodded, and motioned for the four to follow. "Come on. We have to find her before they do. Hopefully Frigga is keeping her safe."
"And Hikesh." Darcy said.
The four ran through a battlescarred hallway before entering the throne room, and they immediately came to a halt. Their faces shown of shock, horror, and repulse. Numerous devices were set up around the room. They were enormous spikes made of a dark purple metal, but that was not what disgusted them, for impaled on the tips of the spikes were Asgardian warriors.
"Oh. My. God." Darcy muttered, covering her mouth with her hand. This was horrible.
"Odin's beard." Volstagg muttered, mouth agape with horror. "I have never seen such desecration. The mere sight of it is sickening."
"This is a desecretion." Sif growled. "No being should share such a fate."
"No shit." Darcy said. "What the hell are these things, anyway?"
"They appear to be some sort of sacrificial pikes." Fandral said, studying the technology. "Like the ones used by the Frost Giants on Jotunheim."
"Maybe so, but why would..." Sif said, but was cut off by a gasp from Darcy.
"Holy shit." She said. "They're still alive!"
Sif looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw that the bodies were moving, squirming around and trying to shake themselves free from the spikes. She nearly puked. The spikes receded as the Asgardians pulled themselves up, and the group gaspd when they saw them up close.
All of the muscle tissue had been converted into cybernetic parts, and the eyes were now glowing blue. What little skin tissue that was left had grayed, and hair had fallen off, unable to live on the dead tissue.
"What happened to them?" Volstagg wondered.
Suddenly, the creatures turned towards the four in the room, and gave out loud, inhuman howls and charged at them.
"They're attacking!" Fandral yelled.
The group immediately went into defensive positions, and beat back the approaching creatures. Sif chopped the head off of one, and its body convulsed for a moment before falling dead. Darcy bat several away with her hammer, not even letting one touch her, and tossed it forward, strike several along the way, and several more on the way back.
Fandral impaled one through the chest, and gaped in surprise when he saw that it was still moving.
"Shit." Darcy said. "They're like zombies!"
As she beat more away, she stood near the three Asgardians as several more of the abominations edged closer. Suddenly, a beam of golden energy washed over the creatures, vaporizing them, and the four saw that Odin, as well as a group of Asgardian warriors, had entered.
The group all sighed with relief, lowering their weapons as Odin stepped forward. The king of Asgard looked at the creatures with pure disgust. He faced the guards.
"Destroy these abominable devices." He demanded. "Their very presence poisons this realm."
As the soldiers dealt with the devices, Darcy stepped forward. "Okay, what the hell were those things? I felt like I was in an episode of the Walking Dead!"
"I knew that the Dark Elves were a savage people, but I didn't realize they used sorcery of such... evil!" Fandral said.
Odin face was grim. "These are not of Dark Elf design. They are from something more sinister. The Dark Elves have made alien allies, just as Loki did with the Chitauri."
"Who are these allies?" Sif asked.
"We cannot waste time explaining this, Sif." Odin said. "Where is Jane Foster?"
"Yeah, where is she?" Darcy asked herself, looking around.
"The queen ordered Hikesh to take her to safety." Sif said. "The queen herself went to her chambers. I know not why."
Odin's eyes went wide, and his face paled. "Frigga..."
The group all looked surprised when Odin suddenly turned and rushed out of the throne room. Sharing worried glances, they followed.
Not my best action sequence, but I hope it was satisfactory. For those of you who haven't already figured it out, this fic is borrowing material from the Mass Effect franchise, just as it did in United They Stand. For those who do not like that, don't read.
So anyway, next chapter, the battle of Asgard comes to an end. Review please, but no flames. Later :)