Chapter 22

Erik was huddled up in the corner of his bedroom. He was staring at nothing, looking like he was lost in his own mind and memory. Haunting memories of an alien invasion, his thoughts being chosen for him. It was terrifying. He jumped slightly when he heard a gently knocking on the door.

"Erik?" A familiar voice uttered gently. "Erik, it's Jane. Please open the door?"

Trembling slightly, Erik got to his feet and sauntered over to the door. He opened it just enough to let Jane in before closing it and locking it again.

Jane gave him a worried look. "Erik..."

"Why is he here?" Erik stuttered. "He shouldn't be here! You know what he did, what he'll do to us!"

"I don't like it either, Erik." Jane confessed, with difficulty. "I know what he's done, and that he'd probably kill us without second thought. But, he did help us a few times already. If it weren't for him, we probably never would have gotten back to Earth."

Erik just shook his head sitting down on the bed. "You don't understand, Jane. None of you do. You don't know what it's like. Having someone get into your mind, make all the decisions for you. You just play along, not able to break free of the binds. Not able to silence yourself when all the secrets spill out... It... It's..."

Jane sat down next to Erik, taking his hand in hers and smiling at her gently. "You're right. I don't. And I probably never will. I know that you've been through hell, but you made it through... sort of." This earned a smile from Erik. "But remember that Darcy and I are there for you. And we need you now more than ever. And besides, if Loki tries anything, remember we've got Thordis around to set him straight."

Erik laughed. "Alright. I may not want to see or even hear his voice again, but I can try to ignore him. For your sake."

"Thanks, Erik." Jane said, smiling. Then she frowned. "By the way... why aren't you wearing pants?"

ooooo

"Okay, let me see if I have this straight." Soladat said, twirling a strand of hair around on her finger. "The three of you picked up a sub-atomic frequency of unknown origin and went to check it out. After you got there, Dr. Foster was sucked through a portal and teleported to an alien planet, where she was apparently overtaken by an alien force of immense power that, if I'm not mistaken, now inhabits Xegh's body.

"After that, Sif showed up and took you guys to Asgard where the Asgardians tried, and failed, to extract this thing, this... Aether? From your body. Then out of nowhere, a group of, as Darcy put it, 'Lord of the Rings rejects', attacked Asgard looking for the Aether, and in the ensuing chaos, Odin, the king of Asgard, was murdered and half of the city was destroyed. Loki's mother then took the throne and came up with a plan to lure these Dark Elves away from Asgard by having Loki lead you guys to another planet, where the Dark Elves followed you and successfully took the Aether from Dr. Foster, only for the process to backfire, and now Xegh has a fragment of the weapon inside him, too. The Dark Elves then left the planet, and you guys stumbled upon a hidden cave that, through complete coincidence, you found was actually the location of a Prothean artificial intelligence that was nearly five-thousand years older than humanity itself and the source of the broadcast that has been rippling across every TV station across the world. It revealed to you guys that there are sentient starships called Reapers that destroy all organic life every fifty-thousand years, and also said that the Dark Elves' flagship was one of them and that they will reappear soon through the Convergence. It used a wormhole generator similar to the Bifrost that the Asgardians use to transport you guys back to Earth, and all of this happened in last eight hours. Did I miss anything?"

Darcy, who was standing across from her, shook her head. They were both joined in the circle with Hikesh, Sif, Loki, and the rest of Soladat's team, who were all looking at Loki with slight fear. Fortunately, he was standing in between Darcy and Hikesh, giving them some reassurance that he wouldn't try anything sneaky. Erik had also rejoined the group, and was standing as far from Loki as possible. Thankfully, at the urging of Jane and Darcy, he was now wearing pants again. Darcy inquired if he was alright, and he assured her that he would live. Darcy and Jane had changed back into normal human clothes. Jane was wearing a jacket and jeans, while Darcy was wearing a gray sweatshirt and pajama pants.

Everyone was all circled around the dining room table, leaning towards the center as they exchanged thoughts and deciphered plans.

"Well..." Skye said, breaking the silence with an awkward cough. "That's uh... that's bad, isn't it?"

"Very bad." Hikesh said, frowning in the girl's direction. "These beasts wiped out my people in a grueling conflict that lasted three centuries."

"He's right." Darcy added. "These guys make the Chitauri sound like saints."

"Malekith is going to fire the Aether at a spot where all the nine worlds are connected." Jane explained. "Under his control, he'll amplify the weapon's impact, increasing its capabilities exponentially. Once it's reached the appropriate level, he'll be able to sub-atomically morph the topological positioning of the Convergence, redirecting the portals to a location of his choosing. In this case, dark space. Once that's happened, the Reapers will have full access to each of the Nine Realms, Earth included. From what we've collected, everything will be reduced to rubble in mere hours."

"So then what do you propose we do about it?" Ward said, staring hard at the group. "We me may be S.H.I.E.L.D., but we're not exactly fit to deal with a catastrophe of this scale."

"Erik's got a plan." Darcy said, glancing at her slightly disturbed friend. "Right, Erik?"

"Right." Erik nodded, and everyone watched as he lifted up a large tripod and set it down on the table.

Darcy, Jane, Hikesh, Loki, and Sif appeared confused. Darcy looked up at Erik. "A tripod?"

"It's a trans-dimensional beacon." Erik explained. "A little something I made during my studies. When the Convergence is nearing its peak, these babies can manipulate the trajectory of the portals, warping it and anything near it to one of the other nine worlds."

"So... its like a teleportation device?" Jane said, slightly amazed.

"Yes! Exactly." Erik said, smiling.

"Fascinating." Hikesh said, studying it. "What are you proposing we do with it?"

"We set these up around where the Dark Elves plan to attack, and when activated, the Dark Elves will scatter across the realms. By the time they find some way back to Earth, the Convergence will have already passed and it will be to late for them to use the Aether." Erik explained.

Everyone thought over the plan, and soon, Sif spoke up. "A sound plan, Dr. Selvig. But there are two problems. Malekith and the Reaper. Malekith's control over the Aether makes him a dangerous force in his own right, and the Reaper will be guarding him like a Bilgesnipe guards its pups."

"What the hell's a Bilgesnipe?" Skye said.

"Large and scaled, with antlers." Darcy answered, and everyone turned to her in surprise. Sif lifted an eyebrow.

"How do you know-?"

"Volstagg told me." Darcy shrugged. "One of his romantic stories he told about him and his wife, how he always rescued her."

"Moving on," Hikesh said, rolling his eyes. "Darcy and I can take care of Malekith and Nazara. You can all deal with the pinions in the meantime."

"Sounds like a suicide mission." Agent Ward said, crossing her arms.

"You should feel lucky." Soladat said, smirking at him. "This is probably the most exciting mission we've had all month."

"Compared to what?" Agent May said. "Mike Peterson, Akela Amador, or Scorch?"

"Who now?" Darcy said, confused, but was ignored.

"I think a giant planet destroying battleship overshadows three superpowered psychos, Agent May." Skye said, giving the Asian operative a look.

"Even so," Agent May argued, "the magnitude of this mission, it's practically Level 10. We're not qualified to deal with that kind of danger."

"What would you have us do then, Melinda." Soladat said, frowning. "I've tried contacting Fury, but after the broadcast stopped, he's been getting calls nonstop! I can't reach him, and by the time I do, it won't matter. We're on our own here."

Agent May wanted to argue, but she closed her mouth, knowing she was beat. She eventually sighed. "Alright."

Soladat nodded, then looked at the rest of her team. "What about the rest of you? You in, or staying?"

"I'm in." Ward said. "I may not like it, but I'll do it."

"Us too." Simmons said, grabbing Fitz arm. Fitz looked at her like she was crazy.

"What? But Jemma-"

"Us too." Simmons repeated, giving Fitz a tight smile. Fitz gulped, and nodded.

Everyone looked at Skye. She looked at each of them. "What? Rushing into danger to save the entire universe from extinction? Sure. Why not? Me and my buddies, the heroes! No one's gonna pick on me in school."

"Good." Soladat said, smiling.

Clearing his throat to get everyone's attention back, Erik spoke up. "Yes, well, now that everyone's on board, here's the gist. The alignment is only temporary. Malekith must be in exactly the right place at the right time for his plan to work."

"Well, how do we know here that is?" Darcy confusingly uttered.

"We follow the directions." Loki said, as though the answer were obvious. "This has happened before, thousands of years ago, and the ancient cultures of this plan were there to see it. Would you care to show us the map, Erik?"

"Y-Yes..." Erik stuttered, dumbstruck. "How...?"

Shaking it off, but still eyeing Loki wearily, Erik reached under the table and pulled out a map. Spreading it out on the table, the group saw that it was a map of the British Isles.

"All the great constructions: the Mayas, the Chinese, the Egyptians, they made us of the gravitational effects of the Convergence. And they left us a map."Erik continued, drawing upon the map. "Stonehenge, Snowdon, the Great Orme. These are all coordinates taking us..." Erik paused, aligning the markings up with a ruler. "-HERE!"

Everyone blinked when he pointed to a small point on the map.

"Greenwich?" Agent May said, glancing at Erik.

"Where?" Sif said, confused.

"Greenwich. It's a district of London that's about forty-five minutes east of here." Soladat acknowledged.

"Thank you, Archangel." Erik said, smiling. "The whole reason I came up here was to follow the last few points of the map. Even while I was in the asylum, I continued my research and confirmed the location."

"We need to leave by sunrise." Jane said. "You said the Convergence reaches its peak at precisely eleven A.M. tommorow morning. By that point, the walls between worlds will be non-existent. Physics are going to go ballistic. Increase and decrease in gravity, spacial extrusions. The very frabric of reality is going to be torn apart."

Almost immediately, there was a noise that made everyone jump as Mjolnir suddenly flew from the coat rack by the door and into Darcy's open hand. Everyone backed away as a flash of electricity flowed over Darcy's form, and once it cleared, she was blonde, armored, and ready for action.

"Well, then." Thordis said, twirling the hammer around. "Let's get this show on the road."

ooooo

Darcy sat in her bedroom, sitting on her bed. Mjolnir was placed on a small bedside table. She was still in her Asgardian armor, but was texting on her iPod. She was so lost in her beloved little portable that she didn't even notice the other present.

"Relaxed?"

Darcy jumped, and spun around to face none other than Loki. She huffed, crossing her arms, glaring. "What do you want now?"

"I can't check in on my favorite mortal?" Loki said innocently. "What are you up to anyway?"

"Texting my mom." Darcy said simply. "Telling her that I'm alright."

"I see." Loki said, in slight understanding. He motioned towards Mjolnir. "Does she know about..."

"Yeah. She knows." Darcy said, nodding. "She recognized me on TV during New York. It took me forever to explain it. I thought she was gonna swoon."

"Amusing." Loki said, going closer to her. "You must be feeling pretty worried. Running off into danger again. I'm surprised you didn't seek anyone out for comfort."

Darcy frowned, seeing that Loki was getting awfully close. Her eyes narrowed and she backed away.

"Leave me alone, Loki." Darcy said, waving the god of lies away. "I don't want this."

"Is that so?" Loki said, smirking. "Your recent behavior towards me says otherwise. I didn't think you'd ever consider giving me a second chance after what I did."

"I'm still pissed about that." Darcy confirmed, glaring at Loki. "But... I figured you did deserve a second chance."

"Oh?" Loki said, actually intrigued. "And why is that?"

Darcy opened her mouth, then closed it. She glanced briefly at the Asgardian mallet that was sitting on her nightstand. It seemed to flash lightly with white energy. Loki didn't seem to notice it.

"Let's just say..." Darcy said, sighing. "I know a few people who'd be upset with me if I didn't."

Loki scoffed in disbelief. "Like who?"

"Your mom, for one." Darcy said, crossing her arms. "She still cares."

"For how long, though?" Loki said, suddenly getting hostile. "Odin thought me a monster. It will only be a matter of time before she does, too."

"When was it ever said that Odin thought you were a monster?" Darcy said, glaring in disgust. "Sure, you were born among monsters, but you yourself weren't raised as one. Odin and Frigga took you in when you had nothing, and raised you through a happy childhood. And what did you do? You fucked up, that's what you did!"

Loki looked outraged, and opened his mouth to retort, but Darcy wasn't done. "She's your mother, Loki. You may not see it, but I did. She loves you. And she want's to see that you return safely when all this is over."

Loki's lips tightened, his face unreadable. "I see. Is that the only reason you've decided to trust me?"

"I never said I trusted you." Darcy quickly pointed out. "But yes."

Darcy turned away from Loki, sitting down on the bed. She tried to continue texting in her iPod, but she just stared at it. Loki lifted an eyebrow at her expression.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes." Darcy said, nodding. But then she saw Loki's face. She sighed. "No."

Loki sat down by her, giving her a look. "What is troubling you? If you don't mind me asking."

"That's just it." Darcy said, getting angry. "I don't mind you asking! I'm too open with you, but I'm okay with it. But I don't like that I'm okay with it... Does that even make any sense?"

"Somewhat." Loki said, shrugging.

"Uh huh." Darcy said, shaking her head. She glanced over at her nightstand, and glared at Mjolnir. "I bet it's cuz of that."

Loki followed her gaze. "Mjolnir?"

"Yes!" Darcy said. "Ever since I picked that thing up, things have gotten so weird! I know you're a maniac, but I talk and listen to you anyway! I don't know why, but I do."

"Is that such a problem?" Loki asked.

Darcy gave him an 'are you kidding me?' look. "Are you serious? Just what the hell kind of a question is that? Ever since I've met you, I've been shot at, chased, struck by lightning, and blasted by lasers! And in the midst of it all, is you, hounding me like a piece of meat!"

"You didn't like it?" Loki asked. "You struck me as a woman of adventure."

"Oh yeah, sure." Darcy said. "Give a girl a hammer, and she'll do anything."

"Oh, save it." Loki said, rolling his eyes. "You're not mad."

"No?"

"No." Loki said, smirking. "You like the way I do things."

"I do not!" Darcy said, glaring.

"I disagree." Loki said, leaning in close.

"O-oh yeah?" Darcy said. Then, without warning, she grabbed Loki by the neck of his robes, catching the prince off guard. She pulled him to her, and smashed their lips together. Loki felt his face heat up, and struggled to keep his composure as Darcy kissed him.

Eventually, Loki pushed Darcy away, and saw that her cheeks were as red as tomatoes. He was also blushing and glaring at her. "How dare you kiss me!"

He studied her for a few moments, before grabbing her and pulling her into a kiss of his own. Darcy squeaked, but fell into it. The kiss was wild and passionate, and Loki soon had Darcy beneath him on the bed. He pulled away briefly.

"Just so you know, I don't like fast women."

Darcy breathed heavily, smirking at him. "And I hate, arrogant men."

The two resumed their make out session, and on the nightstand, Mjolnir shook and flashed with energy, while outside, storm clouds formed rapidly and lightning flashed through the sky.

ooooo

Hikesh exited the room that Soladat was sleeping in for the night, and blinked when a flash of thunder echoed outside. "Hm. Hope that doesn't last long."

He entered the kitchen to get a glass of water, and was slightly surprised to see Sif sitting alone at the table. She turned to him. "Hikesh."

"Sif." He nodded.

He walked over to the pantry, taking out a glass and filling it with water. Sif watched him carefully. "I see you are still well. The Aether hasn't been troubling you, I hope."

"No. Just a few cramps and pains. But I manage." Hikesh clarified. He turned to her. "How are you handling things. I... can imagine these past few hours have had a great impact on you."

Sif sighed, looking up at the Prothean seriously. "Hikesh, what do you think I will say? I just found out that the heritage of my people that I grew up believing so hard in... was nothing but a lie. I am as you said. A mere mortal with gifts."

"I did not mean it like that." Hikesh said gently. "I just thought you needed..."

"To know the truth." Sif said. "Yes. You were right Hikesh. I should have listened to you before. You were right. And I scorned you for it. I am sorry."

Hikesh was surprised. She was sorry?

"I... forgive you, Sif." Hikesh said slowly. "I never held any true animosity towards you. But... thank you. What will you do once this is over?"

Sif looked up, seriously. "I will go back to Asgard, and find the answers I need. Odin kept me in the dark long enough. I'm tired of not knowing right from wrong. Odin may be dead now, but there are others whom I'm sure were in on it as well."

"I wish you luck, then." Hikesh said. "But, try not to do anything to erratic. You are a worthy asset. We'd be lost without you."

Sif gave the Prothean a smile. "Thank you, Hikesh."

Hikesh nodded, and prepared to return to his room but Sif stopped him. "Hikesh, before you go, I'd like to ask you something."

Hikesh glanced at her, letting her speak. She did. "You are a warrior. You were trained to fight these Reapers. Even after your people failed, you were kept alive to fight them again. Your people had much faith in you."

"That's something you and I have in common." Hikesh said.

"Yes." Sif said. "But I fight for honor, the safety of Asgard and its people. The reasons you have to fight now are different. The friendships you have forged here on Midgard, the bond you have forged with humanity as whole. And more. You and the Archangel are... betrothed?"

Hikesh chuckled. "We are an item, yes. Not betrothed, though."

Sif smiled. "Is this why you fight to defend this place? For the humans?"

"My first life, the life I had before all this. It is dead." Hikesh said remorsefully. "This 'affection' I have for the humans? It is all I have left. This planet, it changes you, Sif. It has a certain beauty that draws you to it, pushes you to defend it. That is why I joined S.H.I.E.L.D., why I fought against the Chitauri, and why I fight now. I refuse to see this world die."

Sif was impressed. "That is a truly noble drive."

Hikesh nodded. "What about you, Sif? I respect your reasons for being here, but I get the feeling there is something more."

"Well, I actually have three." Sif said. "The first one may seem selfish, and is the least important. It is my desire to find adventure, the thrill of battle. I am a warrior till the end, Hikesh. The second, is like yours, only my desire is to protect all life in the realms as whole. Now the third, is the newest. It is to defend the friends I have made since I came to Midgard. You are right in that this planet changes you. I have come to think of Darcy, the Avengers, and the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as honorable friends and companions. You as well."

Hikesh blinked. "You consider me a friend?"

"Well, yes." Sif said simply. "Are we not friends?"

"Y... Yes?" Hikesh answered, sounding like he was asking permission for something. He was just shocked. After the times they are at each other's throats, he never expected Sif to ever strike any kind of friendship with him. It was actually... kind of nice.

"Wonderful!" Sif said, grinning happily. "Then we're friends!"

Hikesh smiled. "Good. I'm glad."

Suddenly, there was a loud crash of thunder outside that made the pair jump.

"Great Hela." Sif said, astounded. "Such a storm. I haven't seen one like this since our excursion to Alfheim."

"What happened?" Hikesh asked.

"Well, we were negotiating with the Light Elves, but the king would only agree if Thor courted his daughter." Sif said, cringing in disgust at that day. "I don't know the details, but Thor courted the young princess in her chambers, and Mjolnir responded to his excitement by creating storms that rocked the realm all night long."

Hikesh blinked. "You mean the hammer creates storms when the user... Oh my..."

"What?" Sif said, not understanding. Until she heard a loud thumping coming from Darcy bedroom. She blinked, her mind actually processing the implications, and her mouth fell open in shock. "Oh..."

Hikesh sighed, shaking his head. "I need more water..."

Ah, love and friendship. Well... friendship. Lol. The team arrives in Greenwich next chapter.

This chapter was mainly meant to explore the relationships between the main characters, in particular, the jacked up relationship between Darcy and Loki. It was also meant to resolve the rocky grudge between Sif and Hikesh that began in United They Stand.

Thank you all for reading.