Chapter 14

"So, the universe rotates on a five thousand year cycle, and once its cycled, all the worlds align." Erik Selvig said as he sat on a wooden desk, wearing a tan sweater and blue training shorts. He reached forward and picked a shoe off the ground, holding it up.

"Imagine that this is our world, and," he looks around the room for a bit, before someone hands him another shoe. He looked with a smile. "Thank you. Okay, now this is another world. Normally, they're separate."

Suddenly, he started waving the shoes around. "But during the alignment, everything is connected. All nine realms. All nine realms are passing through each other and gravity, light, and even matter is crunching from one world to the other." He crushed the shoes together while explaining that last part. "But if this happens to us now, the result would be cataclysmic."

Erik placed the shoes aside and picked up two pencils. He held them up parallel to each other. "My gravimetric spikes can cstabilize the focal point of the Convergence." He put the pencils down, picking up the shoes once more. "This time, the alignment would just pass us by. It's beautiful, and simply!."

Erik put the shoes back on the desk, and gave a jolly smile. "So, any questions?"

Erik was met with a dead silence, and looked around at the other patients in the mental ward. That had all mostly ignored his banter, doing simple things like playing checkers and watching TV.

However, there was one man who had been listening, and he glared at Erik in annoyance. "Can I please have my shoe back?"

ooooo

At a safe distance from Asgard, Nazara loomed over the realm, looking it over with fascination. A Prothean construct, more advanced than anything Nazara and its ilk harvested during the end of the Protheans' empire. It seemed impossible for them to have missed it. No matter. Once the others returned, Asgard, like all the other worlds, would be stripped bare and absorbed into the collective.

NAZARA

Nazara paused. It had heard the voice of its other. The new leader, in the place of that which the lesser beings had destroyed. Nazara listened intently.

YOU ARE PROGRESSING AT A SATISFACTORY RATE. THAT WHICH THESE LESSER CREATURES CALL THE CONVERGENCE IS NEARING ITS PEAK. ONCE YOUR PAWN UTILIZES THE POWER OF THE INFINITY STONE, WE WILL RETURN AT LAST.

Nazara hummed in agreement, promising to succeed.

BUT.

Nazara paused.

YOUR PUPPET IS GROWING POWERFUL WITH THE GIFTS YOU HAVE GIVEN. IT WILL ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE HIS INFERIOR MIND BECOMES CLOUDED BY HIS OBSESSION FOR POWER, AND HE WILL BECOME IRRELEVANT. IMPLANT HIM.

ooooo

"We are still unable to restore the palace shields. Our artillery cannot detect them, even Heimdall cannot see them." Fandral paused, looking up at Frigga, who saw in Odin's throne, looking as regal and authoritative as she could be. Even though the throne had been ruined by Malekith's assault, Frigga still made do with it. As Asgard's new monarch, she had to make herself seem strong. For Odin's sake. Nearby, Sif, Darcy, Hikesh, and Volstagg looked on sympathetically. "My queen, we are all but defenseless."

Frigga sighed. "I understand. Thank you, Fandral."

Fandral nodded, and stood. Frigga glanced over at the others. "Please. Come forward."

The group did as they were told, and stood before Frigga, looking at her expectantly. Frigga took a deep breath. "I will not lie to you. We are in a vulnerable position, susceptible to decimation at the hands of the Dark Elves. I have not yet called the war council, for I doubt even their combined minds will be able to stop this threat."

The Asgardians all paled at this, while Darcy and Hikesh looked nervous. They could tell that this was not good news. Darcy looked up. "So... what are we gonna do?"

"The Dark Elves have destroyed the Bifrost. Trapping us here, and the AllFather is gone, he..." Frigga looked away for a moment, her voice fading, before looking back at the group. "Malekith still roams above our skies, preparing to strike at us again, and will not relent until he has taken the Aether from Jane Foster. We are stranded, faced with an enemy invincible even to Heimdall, and invincible even to us. Some of you know this by experience."

Frigga eyed Hikesh for a moment, and Hikesh looked back at her, his expression blank. The others followed her gaze, and all but Sif gave looks of confusion. Frigga directed their attention back to her. "We cannot waste anymore of our forces against them. So, Heimdall and I have formulated a plan."

"What do you require of us?" Sif asked.

"You must move Jnae Foster offworld." Frigga instructed.

"But how?" Darcy asked. "The rainbow bridge is out, again, and we're struck here!"

"It may seem that way, but Asgard possesses other means of transportation between realms, and with the Convergence brewing, those passages are even more common." Frigga said. "We cannot risk using the Tesseract, given recent events on Midgard, so you must rely on the other paths."

"My queen, forgive me." Volstagg said, stepping forward. "We know of these ways, but they are known only to a few."

"Known to only one." Frigga declared.

Darcy and Hikesh blinked, looking around at the others, observing their faces. Looks of realization and timidness crossed their features. Sif looked absolutely furious, while Volstagg and Fandral's faces fell in horror.

"No." Sif said. What the queen was suggesting... it was crazy.

"Wait. What?" Darcy said, confused. "Who?"

"Loki." Volstagg rumbled, glaring at the very mention of the name.

"You can't be serious." Hikesh growled. "That man tried to take over the world. He killed hundreds of people, allied with a barbaric race simply to satisfy his own ego. He would betray us at any given moment."

"I care how you speak, Hikesh." Frigga said sternly, causing the others to look up at her. "Loki may seem beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. He is my son, and my only remaining family. I know what he has done is unforgivable, and that even he would rather die than work with all of you. But, if you all truly care for the safety of Jane Foster, and all life on the realms as well, you will work with him."

Frigga sat forward. "I am begging you."

The group all exchanged looks of uncertainty. After a few moments of silence, Darcy stepped forward. "Loki's a bucket of nuts. That much we all get. He tried to kill me, take over my home planet, yadayada. But, you said before you believe there's hope for him. I may not be a good judge of character myself, but I'm willing to take that chance for Jane's sake. I'm in."

At Darcy's words, the others complied as well, although with a noticeable degree of uncertainty. Nevertheless, Frigga smiled in relief, glancing briefly at the statue of her lost beloved that loomed outside the ruined palace.

Short chapter, yes. But the next chapter is where things start to get a lot more intense. Let's hope our motley group of warriors can handle what the realms have to throw at them.