A/N: After having seen IM3, I am going to say that this story is pre-Mandrin and that you might see some events that could be construed as leading up to the events in IM3. As far as Thor 2 goes, I'm going to hold off on making timeline decisions as far that movie goes. Until then, I'm going to weave this story around the movies and myths that I have available to me.
At her words, Hogun felt the relief wash through him and sank down beside Sif on the couch. With her, with them, it didn't seem such an impossible task that Heimdall had asked of them. Then, his gaze shifted from Thor to Sif and he noted the sweat that was beading her face and the labored way in which she was breathing. Her eyelids flicked open and she gasped, hands reaching for something unseen, before she collapsed again. Sigyn was already darting to her side by the time Sif collapsed.
He hadn't realized he was moving until Thor grabbed his around the chest and bodily hauled him back from his place beside Sif. "Let Sigyn work. We'll only distract her and she's little enough power left to her after healing you," Thor was saying, but he barely heard it. Sif's pale face filled his eyes and he was aware of only one thought pounding through his head: She has to live. She has to live.
Magic lighting her hands and a frown furrowing her lips, Sigyn looked upon the veins that the spell lit up and felt the blood drain from her face. Red was the color for healthy blood flow and black the color of poison. Around her shoulder, where she had been originally raked by a wolf's claws, there was a knot slowly spider-webbing across Sif's body and already it was too close to her heart. "Poison," Sigyn said softly. "Poison that mimics paralysis."
Another spell was forming on her lips, but the power for it slipped from her fingers, just beyond her grasp as the siphon shifted it away from her. She reached again and felt the magic dance from her grasp like a restless child and she could have screamed for the frustration that welled in her. There was nothing for it. To force the spell would be to cascade everything Loki had worked on and render her weak, sick, and defenseless.
Yet…
Her eyes darted to the ceiling as she asked, "Jarvis, I need my husband for this. I've no magic left. Can you make an exception for this or must I have her carried to my room and risk agitating the spread of the poison?"
There was a pause and then Jarvis answered, "An exception can be made, so long as he tries nothing hostile."
She was already up and halfway down the hall by the time Jarvis finished. When she vanished around the corner, Thor released Hogun and stepped forward with him, but it was Hogun that took the place by Sif and cradled her head in his lap. Jane and Darcy slid from the couch as the Aseir moved in to hover and joined Dr. Selvig in the kitchen.
"Are we really turning the living room into a medical wing? Is that sanitary? Are we going to eat here tonight?" Darcy muttered and Jane simply shushed her.
"Move back, Thor," a cool, masculine voice said sharply. "You are in my way."
The look that Thor gave his sibling was a slanted one that spoke of a tired patience wearing thinner by the day even as he stepped away from Sif and gave them room. Loki turned from him without further comment and looked down at Sif and Hogun and, without bothering to so much as roll his sleeves up, he began.
It was a strange council that Clint and Natasha returned Pepper to. Their day had been spent in almost complete boredom as Pepper had dealt with the paperwork and technical issues of her current project for their Clean Energy program. There had been no sign of any suspicious activity in her vicinity-if one discounted the slobbering executive that kept hitting on her and wouldn't take the politely phrased "no" as an answer, but Pepper had already issued a discreet order to have him transferred to a firm in Montana.
Back in the Tower, they discovered exactly what their teammates had been up to in their absence. Three new residents-however temporary-and Loki covered in blood, arguing softly with Sigyn. As the elevator doors swished shut behind them, Clint almost wished that he was still on the other side of the door when his eyes landed on Loki's familiar black hair and figure.
Terror gripped him so hard that he forgot, for a moment, how to breathe. Battle and dust, peace and order had swirled around him. "You have heart, Agent Barton," echoed through his mind. Then, his bow was in his hands with an arrow nocked at the level of Loki's head. "Give me a reason," he hissed.
Natasha had taken a position in front of Pepper with one of her wicked daggers drawn and held idle.
Loki half turned to look at him and something hardened in his gaze as he studied the archer. "Hawk," he said, a smirk settling on his lips. "So good to see you again. I do believe we have unfinished business." A feeling of cold dread stole through Clint as he realized that Loki knew. Knew and was aiming for Nat, the only one who had ever been something different for him.
"Stop," Sigyn said, catching her husband's wrist. "Loki. Enough. An eye for an eye is not how we work."
There was a pause before Jarvis said, "I suggest that hostilities end here. I am authorized to sedate all individuals within the room." Clint glanced up and his fingers relaxed a fraction. Loki's gaze slanted to his wife and he turned towards her rather than the archer.
Pepper was eyeing Loki curiously, her gaze flicking between the new Aseir and their two resident demi-gods. Apparently nonplussed by the shows of animosity, she asked, "Jarvis?"
Responding to the querying tone she used, Jarvis answered, "Three new occupants have been added to the list of authorized inhabitants, all three of whom appear to be companions of Thor Odinson and Ms. Sigyn. The Liesmith was invited at Ms. Sigyn's request when it became apparent that the other female's critical condition exceeded Ms. Sigyn standard four to five spells per day."
"Thank you, Jarvis," she said. Glancing at Thor, she wasn't surprised to see that he had stepped closer to his siblings. The best way to diffuse a situation like this was to simply continue as one had been. Instead of answering Loki's hostility or rebuking Clint for his show of protection, she stepped around the assassins and told Jarvis, "Forward today's files from the ten am and three pm meetings to my personal computer so I can have another look at the proposals. Alert me if Tony emerges from his cave. While you're at it, I'd like an analysis of the current trend for…" Still conversing with the AI, she vanished into the hall.
Grateful for the silent distraction that Pepper had given them, Sigyn physically planted herself between the two assassins and placed her hands on her husband's chest, gently steering him back towards Sif. "As I was saying before, what needs to be done next is a light sleeping stasis to allow her body to enter into healing trance that will enable her to regenerate the blood."
"And I happen to disagree," Loki returned, gaze darting only once over his shoulder before he let his wife claim his attention. "Sif has already entered into a secondary healing trance. Encouraging her to slip further into it could cause neurological damage."
"There are several different kinds of trances that the body can enter into at the same time," Sigyn said patiently and, by that point, most of the other occupants had slunk off to avoid what promised to be a lecture.
Only Hogun and Darcy remained as the sorcerer and healer finally reached a compromise in which Sif was left in her current state with a spell woven into her body timed to activate as soon as the first healing trance broke. By the end of it, Sigyn had enlisted Hogun to carry the other woman to a room designated by Jarvis one floor beneath theirs and recruited Darcy to help in cleaning up the mess that had been made. Loki lingered for a moment, watching the two females, before he wrapped himself in a spell and slipped from the room to tread in a different realm.
When Sigyn felt the cool wash of magic, her smile slipped a little, but she kept going and answered the questions that Darcy was firing rapidly at her. With her arms full of used medical supplies and slightly bloody, discarded clothes, she opened the door to the stairs with her foot, shoulder, and elbow with Darcy at her heels. What had to be done would be taken care of. She knew that, but it didn't stop the blossoming pain in her heart as he vanished without another word...again.
Warning. Foreign signature. Unknown origin. Caster not recognized.
It had been an idle test, a stray notion to fine tune the calibration of the new function that Sir had installed. There were no protocols, nothing in place to tell him what to do with the input that he was receiving. He ran the scan again, factoring in trace elements of Sigyn's spells and the Liesmith's recent departure. Separating them out and then combining them together again still gave him the same results.
Warning. Foreign signature. Unknown origin. Caster not recognized.
An active spell within his walls, position pinpointed to…it slipped from him and he backtracked to the last location that had been logged. Too close to Sir for comfort. Activation of the House Party protocol was put into standby, one of the suits charged with energy in case of necessary deployment. Analysis supplied that Sir still wore the bracelets. Another scan.
Warning. Foreign signature. Unknown origin. Caster not recognized.
The function was still imperfect. Three locations: Sigyn, Banner, and parts for an upgrade in the shop. He directed a visible, direct scan over Banner and Sigyn. They paused in their work to look questioningly at the ceiling. Trace elements detected, but nothing high enough that would have alerted the new function. He cut the feed, logged the results, and directed a scan over the unfinished upgrades.
Warning. Foreign signature. Caster not recognized. Trace elements suspected in metallic lining. Disposal of material strongly recommended.
Use of the stand-by suit for the disposal would damage the lab. The link was terminated and the suit shut back into its dormant state. Rapid heartbeat and slight perspiration aside, Sir was still resting and not to be woken for at least another hour, but disposal was necessary now and Ms. Potts was out of the question.
"Ms. Sigyn. Please proceed to the Sir's lab. Your assistance is required. Temporary access has been granted," Jarvis informed the sorceress.
Darcy, he noted, didn't ask any questions as she shifted the material in her arms and took everything from Sigyn. An unlikely development, given what had happened with the girl and her taser, but not unwelcome in terms of Sigyn finding companionship outside of Sir, Thor, and Liesmith. Reviewing the list again and comparing her personality traits led to him making a note to subtly encourage Rogers to spend more time with her. A stabilizing influence between Sir's eccentricities, Thor's intensity, and the Liesmith's…charms…seemed like a good idea.
That, however, was filed away with the current situation occupying his attention. Another scan indicated that the trace elements were multiplying. The spell was waking.
As she ran down the stairs, Jarvis brought her up to date on the situation and informed her of his conclusions. "Another thing we'll have to watch for," she huffed out as she paused outside a secondary entrance to Tony's lab. "Amora's tracked down his suppliers. Any indication of what effect the spell is having?"
"None," Jarvis answered as the locks clicked open to allow her entry. "And, please, do not touch anything but the indicated item. I detect no other trace signatures on the other materials."
The lights came on dimly, enough to allow her to pick a path around the items strewn across the floor. "He's not very clean, is he?" Sigyn chuckled quietly.
There came a soft whirring as one of the objects came to life and tracked her movements. She paused and studied the small robot, squinting until she recognized Dummy. "Is he…" she began, only to trail off as the machine trilled loudly at her.
Across the room, there came a startled gasp and the firing of a repulsor. The lab was briefly illuminated by the blast and then there was a crash and the sound of splintering glass before they were plunged back into the dim light. Movement in the darkness just beyond her sphere of light had her falling into a crouch and tensing her muscles.
"J, what is she doing in here? I don't remember giving any orders to amend access. Unless I was talking in my sleep. In which case, we've already had this discussion, J," came Tony's rapid fire words. His tone was off, too high and tilting a little towards fear, for her to truly relax as she recognized him.
"Tony?" she asked, voice pitched to soothe. "The project you've been working on to detect certain signatures is working, it seems. Jarvis asked me to come down here when he detected unknown trace elements on one of…your…materials…and…" she trailed off again as Tony came into the light, face haggard and eyes not quite focusing on her.
"Sir, there have been some-" Jarvis began.
"Do a scan of the area, Jarvis," Sigyn said abruptly. "Tell me where you sense Tony."
"I do not-"
"Jarvis, subdue her."
The order had her leaping the tables before it left his lips. Sigyn landed on the surface, crouched over the unfinished upgrades even as her feet scattered screws across the floor in a shower of silver. Her hand was curled into a fist, drawn back, and punched through the air. Tone was moving towards her, hand outstretched like he was wearing a suit.
"Sir, I do not-"
"Subdue her."
But she had already struck her target. The metal of the unfinished glove splintered beneath her fist and gave a small explosion. Fragments dug into her skin and the heat of the blast made her flinch away, but her gaze remained locked on Tony's form as it flickered and the vanished from existence. "Tricky bitch," Sigyn muttered as she leapt lightly from the table. "Jarvis?"
"Sir is…still in bed," Jarvis said and, for a moment, the lab was lit by the soft blue light of a scan. "Breathing and heart rate are normal. I do not understand."
Her hand flicked idly though the fractured pieces of metal and glass. "It appears that the spell may have been feeding off of the power source in the glove," she said quietly. "The element that Tony uses to power his suits is compatible with magical energy.
"Explain this to me," Jarvis said, tone carefully neutral. "And while you do so, please vacate the area. Sir is still my first priority." She caught the underlying words, the threat and hostility that Jarvis was trying to keep from his tone. She was weakened, he knew that, and she knew he would hold nothing back to subdue her if he thought her a threat.
She cast a long look towards the ceiling. "As you wish, Jarvis," she said and picked her way back to the door. Pausing at the entrance, she glanced back over her shoulder and added, "You may wish to check on him every ten minutes or so for the next hour of three. A spell of that kind isn't an idle thing." Then, she left the lab and moved back up the staircases. Behind her, she heard the soft hiss of metal on metal and didn't have to turn to see that Jarvis was drawing up protections around his creator. She could hardly blame him. It had been far too close.
Silence stretched between them as she paused somewhere between the thirteenth and twentieth floors to lean against the wall and slide down it to sit on the stairs. Tilting her head back, she fixed the ceiling with another look and sighed. "I intend no harm towards your creator, Jarvis. The spells that I cast will never be turned against him. I can promise you that. Of those that occupy this Tower, he alone is safe from me should we ever draw a line and stand opposite each other," she said even as it made her ache to consider the possibility. So little time she had spent with them and already she was forming attachments and sentiments.
"The thought is…appreciated," Jarvis said slowly. "But I would first understand what occurred."
After a pause, she said, "It was an illusion cast to feed off the first individual who interacted with the particular object it was attached to most. In such a spell there are certain underlying compulsions that are woven into the fabric of the personality that it seeks to mimic and, eventually, it would have become a perfect copy right down to the biological material. What you witnessed was the activation of a safety measure before the spell could complete itself."
"I detected Sir rising from the bed and approaching you," Jarvis interjected. "He gave off thermal heat and all the same vitals." It was a protest and a plea wrapped into one that had her sighing and dropping her head into her hands.
"Amora is a crafty bitch and a master of illusions and seduction. Of those in this Tower, Tony was ideal for her spell. This also isn't the first time I've seen her use this particular spell to try and infiltrate the core of a group. We simply triggered it before it could completely map his habits and personality," she said. "And a damn good thing, too. Spells like these will kill the individual that it is meant to mimic."
There was a long pause in which she simply sat there and remembered the days when Amora had been her biggest worry and the schemes that had nearly ripped her marriage apart. She roused herself as Jarvis said, "Perhaps it is best that I incorporate a detection scan with the existing security measures."
She only hummed her approval as she curled in on herself and felt the exhaustion roll over her in waves. Just before she drifted off, she registered the irony of the situation and how she had gotten on Tony for pushing himself too hard just that morning.
The skin was a perfect match, the bones and facial structures a perfect reflection. Encased within the illusion, Amora wove and danced, smiled and chatted, and reflected on the implicit trust that humans put into their ability to recognize someone by sight, by touch, by scent. They were so very blind. Gestures could be mimicked. Sights, sounds, and smells could be reproduced and a face created from memory and deception. Her prey asked her to dance, led her to the floor and held her close.
One plan destroyed by a spy too perceptive for his own good and another, more subtle one spinning itself around her victims. They just didn't know they were dead, yet.
My thanks to my reviewers: wbss21, no-MY name's Anonymous, and Maia2. Expect the next update in the next 1-2 weeks. This next one promises to be a difficult one for me to write.