Steve isn't sure how long he's been at Stark Tower, but he's completely certain that he's hungover. Or at least getting there. His vision is a little blurry and his tongue isn't doing what he wants it to do. His head hurts and every little sound irritates his ears. He almost wishes he were back in the ice.
He looks over to see Tony passed out on the floor, shirtless with his arc reactor casting a blue hue over everything. Steve closes his eyes, remembering the blue of the Tesseract and realizing how similar the two look. He groans as he sits up, prompting the inventor to roll over on his side.
"JARVIS...please tell me you have painkillers." The AI replies in the affirmative and the soldier sighs with relief. He stands and prepares to follow JARVIS's directions on where to find them. He forgets where Tony is for a moment, but remembers when he trips.
"Owww!" Tony yells as all of 180 lbs of Captain America drops onto him. It feels like having a car dropped on him. Steve apologizes and stumbles to his feet. Tony continues to lay on the floor, his whole side throbbing with pain.
"You alright Tony?" Steve asks. The inventor groans and moves his legs weakly.
"Rogers, you need to go on a diet," Tony tells him in a pained voice. Steve can't help it. He laughs.
Malekith eyes Loki appreciatively as Thor talks. Loki holds back any signs of discomfort as he hears his brother sing the praises of having a Jotun like Loki as a servant. It's disturbing at first but he just blocks it out after a while.
Lorelei sneers above him, her arm draped around Algrim's muscular form. The Kursed is steadily trying to dislodge her body from his, but she just keeps latching on. His annoyance becomes so great that he lets his body heat up. Lorelei jerks away from him as her skin is burned. She glares at him and decides that Loki will be better company for the time being.
Lorelei walks calmly toward Loki, smiling cruelly. When she's close enough, she gives him a sharp kick in the ribs. He can feel it through the thick armor he is wearing but manages to smile nastily at her when she gives a yelp of pain. The God of Mischief was really starting to hate her, but he feels a bit better now. When she sees his smile, she promptly kicks him in the face with her other foot.
Thor glances back at him worriedly. He tries not to let it show, though. He steps in before Lorelei can kick his brother again. Loki gives him an irritated look but doesn't say a word.
"That's enough sorceress. I will not have you injuring him any further than he already has been," the god thunders. Lorelei simply glares at him, not daring to stand against him.
"It would seem as though you still have an attachment to him," she says quietly. Thor smiles.
"I am simply trying to get the highest price I can for him. Damaged goods do not sell well I here," he tells her. Lorelei looks to Malekith for approval.
"What do you think Lord Malekith? Shall we keep him? I think he'd make a good servant. Of course, we'd have to make sure that his magic is truly gone. But we can simply cut it out of him using a few methods I picked up when I visited Midgard," she says happily. Loki knows her preferred methods of removing magic and doesn't like the implications one bit.
Malekith studies Loki for a long moment before walking over and grabbing a fist full of his hair. He forces Loki's head up until they can stare into each other's eyes. Loki spits in his face and Malekith slaps him sharply across the face.
"What are your plans for him should I allow you to keep him?" the dark elf asks. Thor frowns.
"Allow? He is my prisoner. A prisoner of whom I no longer have a use for. But, since you are curious I will answer you. If you do not want him, then I will have no choice but to execute him," Thor answers. Malekith smiles.
"Kill him if you wish. I have a feeling he will be more trouble alive than dead," he says. He promptly loses interest in the kneeling god for the time being.
"Now with that out of the way, shall we speak of why you are truly here son of Odin?" The dark elf looks to Jane who was sitting on the ground, clearly in pain. He can feel the power of the Aether calling to him but restrains himself. Thor nods and brings Jane closer.
"I need you to remove the Aether from her body," the god tells Malekith. The dark elf frowns.
"What will I receive in return? Perhaps I should just let her die and then draw the Aether from her body," he suggests. Thor pales.
"She is the love of my life. If you were to remove the Aether, I would be forever in your debt," Thor tells him. Malekith gave him a skeptical look.
"How is it that only less than a day ago, you were ready to slay me but now you are willing to just give me what I desire? Is this a trap? I should think so," he says quickly. Thor sighs heavily, turning away from the dark elf. Loki's catches the corner of his eye. 'See, I told you it might not work. Think of something else and quickly before you get us killed,' Loki seems to say with his eyes. Thor turns back to Malekith.
"In truth, I am here because I have realized that Odin does not share my best interests at heart. He thinks me wrong for choosing to make a mortal my bride. He would rather allow her to die than attempt to save her. So, now I turn to you Malekith. In hopes that you will allow me to beg mercy of you and save her," he says. Malekith still doesn't look very convinced but nods anyway.
"And what do you require in return?" he questions. Thor bows his head.
"In return, I only ask that you spare my realm of Asgard and that of Midgard. I fear I have grown rather fond of the mortals. If you do as I ask, I promise not to stand in your way," Thor said. Malekith regards him thoughtfully for a moment. Then a broad smile reaches his face.
Thor feels barely a tug at his side before he realizes what is happening. He whirls around to see Loki drawing back his hand from removing a dagger from a strap at Thor's thigh. He looks at the blade in Loki's hand. Suddenly, Loki lunges forward faster than Thor can comprehend. For a moment, Thor understands the fear that others feel when they came across the deadly accuracy that is Loki.
Thor feels a stab of pain as the small blade slashes at his face. Thor grips Mjolnir and prepares to swing it at Loki's head. Before he could bring his arm down, however, there was a flash of pain in his wrist and he stares in horror as he sees his entire hand fall to the ground. Mjolnir flies past his hand and lands with a solid metallic thunk into the ground. Loki kicks him square in the chest and Thor hits the ground hard enough to rattle his teeth.
Behind them, Jane screams. Loki turns and sees her trying to run. He starts toward her and when Thor grabs at his legs, he kicks him in the face, knocking the downed god unconscious. Loki grasps her around the waist and drags her kicking and screaming body along with him. Jane shouts insults at him along the way. He throws her at Malekith's feet, panting from the exertion.
"Malekith, I am Loki of Jotunheim and I present you with a gift. Take what you need from her. All I ask is that you allow me to kill that arrogant bastard in my own time and when you return your people to their former glory, you simply give me a proper seat from which I may watch Asgard burn," Loki declares, a bit breathless at the end of his speech. Malekith smiles.
"Why should I believe you?" he asks. Loki grins wildly, eyes sparkling darkly.
"Because I have absolutely everything to lose should you fail. There is a being even greater than you that seeks to wash their hands in my blood. If you were to take the Aether, you would be even more powerful than he," Loki tells him.
Lorelei steps forward fearlessly. Her hands flare with the beginnings of magic and Loki prepares himself for the spell she was about to cast. She relaxes as Loki turns toward her.
"He tells the truth. There is a being that seeks to have his blood. His name is Thanos," she tells Malekith. The dark elf stares at the god, wondering what he could have possibly done to get on his bad side.
"Alright, we have a deal," he says. As Malekith raises his hand to summon the Aether, Jane rises with it. Loki's hand tightens on the handle of the dagger. As the Aether flows from Jane's body and into the air, Thor lifts his head. It takes barely a five minutes before all of it is out. As soon as it is, he lets out a shout.
"Now, Loki!" he yells, rising to his knees. Thor rips off the pendant dangling around his wrist and calls Mjolnir to his hand. With it, he summons bolts of lightning to strike the gathered mass of Aether. Loki throws himself onto the ground to cover Jane as it solidifies and shatters into a million pieces. Malekith looks on, barely moving. He suddenly begins to laugh.
"Fools! You cannot destroy the Aether. It is impervious to such things," the dark elf says as it begins to rise again. He draws it into his body and soon, his eyes darken and so does his skin. He smiles, feeling the power surge through his body.
"Kill them," he says to his men. At his order, the dark elf soldiers move forward with incredible speed. Thor fights them off one by one, but they soon begin to swarm him from all sides.
"Get her away from here!" Thor yells to his brother. Loki grunts as he has to haul Jane to her feet. He pushes her out of the way as a dark elf throws a grenade and it explodes, creating a void of energy that begins to suck him in. Out of nowhere, Thor tackles him before he can disappear. When Jane rushes toward them, both men yell for her to run. With almost all of his dark elves defeated, Malekith sends Algrim to finish them off.
Thor turns to confront the Kursed, swinging his hammer. Algrim proves to be too powerful for him though and is soon pounding him into the ground. Loki groans, going back for Thor.
Loki picks up a discarded blade from a dead dark elf and drives it straight through the Kursed's back and out the other side. Loki hopes that's enough to bring him down. As the Kursed Algrim turns around, Loki's heart sinks in his chest. He stares into its glowing red eyes, a tingle of fear reaching up to grab at him through the soles of his feet.
"Loki, no!" Thor yells. When tries to get up, Loki gives him a knowing look and it shocks him so much that he drops to his knees again. Thor can't keep himself from wanting to help, but he knows that he won't be able to help in time.
Loki can see it before it happens. The shock of Algrim grabbing him and pulling him onto the blade simply doesn't register. The pain is a distant feeling as his body is being pushed away. Before he falls, he grabs the grenade at Algrim's hip and pulls the pin. As his back hits the ground, he smiles up at him.
"See you in hell, monster," he says in the strongest voice he can manage while blood begins to fill his lungs. Algrim looks down and begins to claw at the grenade to throw it away. Before he can unclip it, it explodes and he is pulled into a dark void of blackness. Loki allows himself to relax.
"Brother," Thor says as he cradles Loki's head in his lap. He places a hand over Loki's wound and the god winces as a sharp pain shoots through his chest. He can already tell that the wound is bad. Hot blood is welling up underneath his armor and he tries not to think about how uncomfortable it feels.
"Thor," Loki says weakly. He sees Jane approach slowly and he takes a deep breath.
"Thor, you must go," Loki tells him. Thor shakes his head.
"I will not leave you, Loki. There is hope for you. I will get you back to Asgard and the healers will help you," Thor insists. Loki smiles again. He is starting to feel lightheaded from the blood loss. The blood slowly filling his mouth isn't helping any either. He chokes when he tries to speak again.
"Thor, I will never forgive you if you allow sentiment to keep you from stopping Malekith," Loki tells him. When Thor hears this, he freezes. He can feel Loki slipping and he is helpless to stop it. He simply nods.
"Ok. I will tell father what you have done here this day," Thor promises. Loki tries not to laugh.
"I didn't do it for him," he says quietly. There is a dark haze coming across his vision now and he knows he can't hold on much longer. As Thor rises, Loki tightens his grip on his arm. Thor allows himself to be pulled back down so that Loki can whisper in his ear.
"Thor...tell mother...that I am sorry. For...the baby," he says with his last breath. Thor is confused for a moment as he tries to work out what Loki has just told him. He watches as Loki's skin takes on a blue hue and his body becomes cooler.
Jane calls his name and he looks to her, tears stinging his eyes. He nods and pulls off his cloak. He covers Loki's body with it, silently vowing to come back for him.
When Jane offers her hand, Thor takes it and gently squeezes it. Now is not the time to mourn, he tells himself. Malekith is his top priority at the moment.
Darcy eyes the anti-gravitational machine skeptically. But, if Selvig says it works then she'll trust him. For the moment. She still isn't sure is all his marbles are intact. She's just placing the first pole into the protective pack the good Dr. has designed when there is the sound of air popping and a pressure builds at her back. She turns. Jane stands with Thor, shaking slightly.
"Lady Darcy, we haven't much time. Malekith has escaped with the Aether and Jane has had a vision that he plans to come here first. We must defend this realm from him," he tells her. Darcy stares at them.
"How did you guys get...never mind," she says throwing her hands into the air. She knows better than to ask questions of the universe. It always bites her in the ass.
Selvig comes out of the back of the house, wiping oil from his hands. He has no pants on but doesn't seem to notice. He smiles when he sees Thor. The god tries not to let his gaze drop below his waist.
"Thor! This is wonderful. Now that you're here, you can help us prepare for the aligning of the planets. With my creations, it will pass us by without interfering," he says. Thor nods.
"Are you well Selvig?" Thor asks. The scientist nods. Then he looks around nervously.
"I don't mean any offense, but I hope you didn't bring Loki along. I know my therapist says I have to face my fears eventually, but I don't think I'm ready to deal with that sort of thing at the moment," he says. His eyes widen at the look of pain Thor gives him.
"Loki is dead," Thor tells them. Darcy almost faints. A look of relief passes over Selvig's face, but he quickly hides it when he notices Thor staring at him. He decides to keep quiet.
"NOOOO! Not my shadow prince! Oh why!" she mumbles, practically unconscious. Jane goes and splashes some cold water on her face to revive her. She then begins to sob into Jane's shirt. Thor sighs.
"There is no time to mourn his sacrifice. As I have said, we must stop Malekith," he said. Selvig nods and grabs the equipment.
Tony stares at the flashing lights that are assaulting his eyes. He groans and asks his AI what the hell is going on.
"Sir, it appears that you are being summoned by S.H.I.E.L.D. for a mission. I suggest you prepare yourself accordingly," he tells his creator. Tony hauls himself to his feet.
"Wake Steve up, will you? Tell him we have a mission," he orders. Tony goes about his daily routine a bit quicker than usual. After, he gets into one of his suits and heads out. Steve was already waiting for him in his Captain America garb.
"Do you just carry that around with you in a suitcase like I do, or do you just wear it under your clothes like Spiderman?" he asks. Steve sighs but doesn't answer the question. Tony will always be Tony, he reasons.
Author's Note: I know what you're going to say. Something along the lines of "WTF Rathian Empress! What are you doing? HAVE YOU GONE INSANE!" Not to worry. I have not lost my faculties. Not yet that is. *evil laugh* *cough cough*