Lavender wisped at the gray sky that colored the city as Cassandra's shoes touched concrete. She'd asked for a picture of the location, but the building didn't look quite as dilapidated on her cell phone—now, looking up at the warehouse of some sort, it appeared as something out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Windows were smashed, floors were dirtied with debris and whatever had blown in from outside, accompanied by the occasional graffiti. Not exactly a place she would expect to find otherworldly readings.
Cassandra had showered and dressed warmly, knowing she was going to be outside for who knew how long. Darcy said Jane had been missing for almost two hours at the time of calling. Now, it had been three, and Darcy was wearing every minute on her features when Cassandra finally arrived. Though, how could Cassandra blame her? After all, it was the reaction she would have if any of her close friends were there one second, then gone the next.
"Where did you last see her?" Cassandra asked the question before the purple sparks had fully dissipated, walking quickly toward Darcy and the intern, Ian, where they stood in front of the building.
Darcy was flamboyant in her panic, waving her hand wildly toward the doorway in. "We were on the third floor," she explained, shouting to be heard—and let out some anxiety—as she gestured. "She got some new readings, I think, and walked away. I didn't see where she went—but we literally looked everywhere! There's no one here but us."
"There were some kids with us, but they're gone now," Ian added, a bit nervously.
Cassandra exhaled, stopping two feet from them, hands dug into the pockets of her coat. It was far too cold to be dealing with this. But, her mind was starting to toy with the possibility that perhaps Jane had finally found what she'd been looking for. It was far too suspicious of her to disappear like this and not have gone to another realm somehow. Though, there was always the possibility she'd been injured somewhere, somehow, and was just too unconscious to call out for help.
The emergency scenario took the front and center position in her thoughts despite the rush the other had begun to cause. "Well, she has to be here somewhere, right? I'll see if I can feel her out," Cassandra told Darcy, remaining calm in an attempt to reassure her.
Darcy nodded quickly. "Okay."
It was a relief to know that someone like Cassandra was there to help, someone more powerful, more capable—as if she were a teenager asking an adult for help out of a dangerous situation. But, then again, Darcy always did have a much different outlook on her than Cassandra did herself. To Darcy, Cassandra's abilities gave her instant superhero status, and her involvement in saving New York only added to the celebrity. Everything Cassandra did was larger than life.
Though the knowledge of how highly Darcy thought of her was unwanted pressure, Cassandra refused to purposely squash it. Even now, she couldn't bring herself to tell her that she didn't have much of a better chance finding Jane than Darcy or Ian did. The pair followed Cassandra into the seemingly abandoned building, eyeing her closely as she pulled a hand from her pocket, outstretching it. Sensing energy this way was never easy—or very accurate—but it was their only option aside from an official search party at this point. And something told her Jane would not like the attention from law enforcement.
After what S.H.I.E.L.D. had done to her, it was more than understandable. So, Cassandra walked quietly as she attempted to put out feelers, invisible extensions of her hand that stretched over the concrete in search of anything with enough energetic value to be considered human. Though, that wasn't quite what she picked up on. Instead, a sudden warmth touched the deepest corner of her chest cavity, and she nearly lurched to a stop. It was familiar in the worst way, the energy calling to her from somewhere nearby.
Adrenaline crashed over her head like a violent wave, and it began to fill up her veins as they caught the excess, causing it to pool in her limbs. Her muscles were jittering as she reached the far wall, stepping through the concrete archway into a hall space. "Darcy, what the hell is in here?" Cassandra sent a glance over her shoulder as she finally stopped walking.
Her tone worried Darcy further, but she couldn't help it. There was too much urgency built up within the adrenaline. Darcy rambled an answer, "Those kids showed us a spot where the gravity is wonky, and there's some kind of portal in the stairwell where stuff disappears-"
"A portal?" Cassandra interrupted, whirling on her feet as her eyes shot wide. "Where? Where's the stairwell?"
"That way," Darcy pointed.
The sudden panicked concern radiating off of Cassandra startled Darcy. Was there something they'd missed? What was dangerous enough to scare her? But she didn't hesitate to follow Cassandra when she started in the direction Darcy had pointed. The safest place to be was most likely beside Cassandra, should there be something really dangerous in the building. Ian followed along simply not wanting to stand around alone.
Cassandra marched quickly through the dinge and grime with a new mission in mind. If there was a portal nearby, Jane could have gone through it, either on purpose or by accident. Either way, it was incredibly worrisome. If all she'd heard about the realms was true, one of the safest places to land was Asgard, but there were some incredibly dangerous places for a human to appear—and they would have no idea where the portal opened to unless they went in themselves.
Then, she saw it—a truck floating aimlessly in the air, seemingly in one spot. It rolled slowly, the only thing in the expanse of the room it occupied. That was the spot with 'wonky gravity', she recognized. So, she continued past it. But her hands shook just enough to notice as she neared the spot. She didn't dare lift a hand to it or even reach out subconsciously. It was clear that whatever was causing the abnormalities was otherworldly and powerful, cosmic.
When she finally reached the stairwell, her fingertips began to burn, bits of fire like sun spots peppering the nerves. Cassandra climbed the first flight of stairs before something pushed against the space between her eyes, building pressure there like an overfull balloon, and she was forced to slow her pace. She freed her other hand only to grip the rusted railing for support as her balance sloshed. "Where exactly is the portal, Darce?" she called out, taking a deep breath.
She couldn't tell how much of the physical reaction was simply from the overwhelming energy, or a potential panic attack from feeling the same kind of energy that quite literally killed her. "It's over the railing," Darcy explained, as she climbed the stairs to join Cassandra on the second level landing. "We were throwing all kinds of shit in there. Including the car keys."
Darcy sent daggers down the stairs, and Ian was quick to defend himself, "It was an accident! I told you I didn't realize those were the keys."
"Is it possible Jane went over, too?" Cassandra asked Darcy.
"No, we would have seen her," Darcy shook her head.
Cassandra sighed. "Is there a portal or weird gravity anywhere else?"
"I don't know. We stopped looking for those when Jane went missing."
Cassandra gave a single nod before continuing up the stairs. If Jane was last seen on the third floor, that was the place to truly start looking. Though, as she glanced over the edge of the railing at the floor below, she found herself fighting back potential outcomes birthed from her deepest desires. What would happen if she simply fell through? Jumped the railing and allowed the air to swallow her, chew her up, and spit her out somewhere completely different? Somewhere closer to him?
The questions were hard to shake. They repeated themselves on a loop in the back of her mind like the whispers of a mad woman in a darkened corner as she reached the third floor. She ducked quickly out of the stairwell to distance herself from the temptation, and she held up her hand again. There was energy calling to her from behind, in the stairwell, and again from somewhere else ahead. She could feel it tugging at her hand. A small child leading her away to play.
She kept walking, following the energy as it grew louder. Across an open space, around a corner into a hallway of rooms—and then, nothing. It let go of her completely and shriveled away, disappearing into nothingness, and the stillness left behind was startling enough to cause Cassandra's feet to stop. Had there been a second portal, and it closed? Was it simply a spot of untamed gravity that dissipated on its own? "What is it?" Darcy asked, over Cassandra's shoulder.
Allowing her hand to fall at her side, Cassandra turned around to face her, causing Darcy to take a step back. "There was a second signal, but it's gone," she answered her as calmly as possible. "Are you sure you guys looked everywhere?"
Darcy nodded quickly. "Yeah, we looked everywhere and we called for her—but it was like she just disappeared."
"Okay. The only explanation I can think of is that she found another portal and went through it, most likely by accident. I can't feel anything else here. So, the only thing we can do is wait by the stairs in case she comes through that one somehow," Cassandra explained, slowly.
"You want us to just wait? I could've done that."
"It's our only option," Cassandra shrugged half-heartedly as Darcy sighed. "We'll wait for a while and if she doesn't come back, we'll get police involved."
Though she was unhappy with the results of the search, Darcy nodded and turned to shuffle back toward the stairwell. But Cassandra couldn't help looking over her shoulder once more before joining her. The way the energy vanished so quickly was perplexing. It was as if it sensed her, too. Perhaps it did? There was no telling what kinds of things this level of energy could be used for. Cassandra pondered it as she joined Darcy and Ian on the stairs.
The three each sat on a separate concrete stair, angled to best see the center. It was the most miserable kind of waiting. Half hopeful, half ready to give up at any moment. Still, Cassandra kept her mind open, keeping a proverbial eye on the energy swirling around through the building. Waiting for the second signal to return. But it never did. They'd sat on the stairs for just over an hour before Darcy stood and declared she was calling the police.
She followed the stairs back down to the ground floor and Ian went with her, but Cassandra sat still on the stair. Leaning a shoulder against the railing, peering over the edge to see the ground. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Every now and then, something shimmered in the air, hovering just beneath her level, and she could feel the energy briefly surge through her skin. Part of her wished Jane had called her before investigating something like this, but she understood why she didn't. After all, hadn't Cassandra just told Darcy she didn't want to be involved just a few days prior?
Darcy would have advised her not to. Even now, Cassandra wanted to abandon it all. To run back to her apartment and continue on with her life as though these things didn't exist, as though they didn't involve her. Because what would it mean if they truly found a way to get to Asgard? She had wanted it more than anything in the world just weeks ago, but the determination, the excitement, wore off and she realized it might just be for nothing. What if she got there after all this time and he wasn't even alive? What if no one believed her and she still couldn't save him?
Wouldn't that hurt so much more than never knowing either way? That was how she reasoned with it, deep within her gut—but it stung. If Jane hadn't given up, would Cassandra have, too? Or would they both still be at it now, doing everything in their power to make the impossible happen out of sheer will? And, the most common question of self-loathing brought on by disaster—could she have prevented this? Cassandra sighed heavily, propping her cheek against her knuckles as her elbow braced the metal railing.
The faintest sound of wailing sirens touched her ears and she knew that the police Darcy called had finally arrived. Jane had officially been missing for four and a half hours. Under any other circumstance, calling the police would've been the first step, and it would probably look odd that it wasn't anyway. Finally, Cassandra gripped the railing and pulled herself up to stand. Darcy might need help explaining how Jane disappeared, and it would look better if they were all outside together.
She took disappointed steps down the stairs and back through the building toward the outside lot. Three cars had arrived at the scene and officers were beginning to spread out as Darcy spoke to the lead officer in charge a few yards from the entrance. But as Cassandra crossed the threshold, a drop of cold rushed down her spine and erupted her covered arms in bumps. It was just unnerving enough to gain her attention, stopping her just outside, as she turned to face the building once again.
Then, movement. Cassandra squinted but it was her gut that noticed her first, the muscles twinging with a sudden burn. "Jane?" she called out but it was a question, startled by the sudden appearance of her. "Jane! Over here!"
Jane was slightly uneasy on her feet as she walked quickly toward the entrance to the building, partially from suddenly finding herself alone but also the odd swirl in her head. "Cassandra?" she was in disbelief, even as she came to stand in front of her. "Did Darcy call you?"
Cassandra exhaled relief, nodding. "Where were you? Did you go through the portal?"
It was then that Jane paused, brows furrowed gently in confusion. She opened her mouth to reply, but light caught her eye, pulling her attention away—and her eyes rounded. "You called the police? What the hell were you thinking?!" Jane's voice rose with every word as panic and frustration surged through her upon seeing the police response.
"Jane, you've been missing for five hours," Cassandra rebuttled, her own brows furrowed now. "I'm only here because this place was empty a minute ago. Where did you come from?"
"What?"
Jane's skin paled as her features went slack. She had no recollection of actually leaving the building. One moment she was checking readings, and the next she was waking up on the floor of the first level completely alone. But how could that have happened? How could she not know? How could no one else have seen her? "Jane!" Darcy ran toward them both, across the asphalt. "Where were you?! We've been looking everywhere for you!"
"I was…I don't know," Jane paused.
Darcy stared at her with confusion and mild concern. "What do you mean you don't know?"
"I don't know," Jane shook her head quickly, shrugging. "I don't remember."
Cassandra was staring at Jane now, too—though for much worse reasons. She could feel heat dancing at her fingertips in small ebbs. It popped and sizzled like a sparkler in her hand, stray sparks peppering her wrists sporadically, but it was nearly the same kind of energy she'd felt from the Tesseract. Though, this energy felt utterly violent and a bit unhinged. Her head tilted, features wiped clean as it all clicked. Jane was the source. But how? How could a person be the source of something so powerful?
"Jane…where did you go?" Cassandra spoke slowly, her eyes flicking up to meet Jane's with a certain shade of nearly unreadable concern that turned Jane's stomach.
But Jane sighed, exasperated. "I told you, I don't know."
"Did you touch something?" Cassandra pressed.
"Like what?" Jane countered, frustrated with the line of questioning. Though, she had always been just a little frustrated with the girl. It was then that Darcy's eyes caught movement. She glanced once, if anything just to satisfy the urge to look when something nearby stirred, but she was forced to look a second time as the frame of a man became visible.
Blonde locks over the shoulders and silver chest plating, red trailing down his back that flowed gently with the soft breeze—but he maintained a distance despite the fact the women stood alone. They were open and approachable, yet he stayed still. And it was only then that Darcy truly noticed the droplets of water that poured from the sky. Though, no liquid touched any of them. It was like a large halo of dryness, as though a single cloud hung over them to absorb the overhead flooding. "Um...guys?" Darcy spoke over the others as she eyed the man ahead with a rounded gaze. "Guys!"
"What?" Jane snapped as she looked at Darcy, brows furrowed.
Cassandra had only spared a glance in Darcy's direction. But it was then that Darcy lifted a hand, pointing a finger straight ahead, and Cassandra's eyes followed the gesture in a line right toward its destination—and her lungs seized. Thor. Not surprisingly, he didn't look any older than the last time she saw him. That dreadful day he returned home with the Tesseract and a clear-headed but silenced Loki. Jane immediately began walking, crossing the asphalt lot toward him where he stood.
As she moved, so did the circle shielding them from the rain. It all came down at once like a brick atop their heads, soaking quickly through their hair and into the shoulders of their jackets—but Cassandra didn't mind. In fact, rain felt rather perfect. No other weather was suited for feeling like this. Her chest was tight, forcibly held still but the contracted muscles, and her heart fought to beat against the restraints as her blood chilled. It was like a kind of rigor mortis in her limbs.
Her breaths came out in strained hiccups and Darcy's voice was like a vibration against a metal can. Jane, however, was in full motion. She marched toward him and didn't stop until she'd reached him enough. Part of her wanted to simply run to him, to give in to fantasy and desire and throw her arms around him to revel in the fact that he was here. He was finally here. But in her gut was stored all the tears she'd cried, all the silent pleas for his return, and the pain his absence caused. So, instead, she wound her arm back and swung.
Jane's palm crossed Thor's cheek and the god's head was thrust aside. Darcy startled from where she watched a few yards away, grimacing—but her comments continued unheard. "Where the hell were you?" Jane questioned him.
Thor was taken aback by the action, though he simply shook it off. It was enough just to see her again after all this time. "Heimdall could not see you," he explained his appearance.
"I was right here where you left me," her voice raised with anger. "I was waiting, and then I was crying, and then I went out looking for you. You said you were coming back."
"I know, but the bifrost was destroyed. The nine realms erupted into chaos. Wars were raging, marauders were pillaging. I had to put an end to the slaughter," Thor replied. It was a solid and honest explanation—and it didn't give Jane much room to be mad. After all, what was she to say? No, you shouldn't save lives, you should be with me. The notion was incredibly selfish and felt wrong in her chest. Still, the frustration lingered even as she exhaled.
Jane shifted her weight on her feet. "Well...that's not a terrible excuse. But you were in New York—why didn't you come to me?"
"Jane, I fought to protect you from the dangers of my world but I was wrong. I was a fool," he edged forward, reaching up a hand to carefully cup her cheek. "But I believe fate brought us together. I don't know where you were, or what happened, but I do know this-"
It was then that Darcy trotted toward them, hefting her coat over her head as a makeshift kind of umbrella. "Hey! This you?" she questioned, unaware of the interruption as the pair shuffled away upon her arrival. Thor looked up at the downpour that fanned out around the halo that circled Jane, and anyone within four feet of her, and it was as though he were just noticing what he'd caused. Though, that wouldn't be so far fetched.
How could he not be distracted? With a sigh, the rain dropped in one final cascade and no other droplets followed. Cassandra reached up a trembling hand to swipe at the water coating her face and forced a deep exhale. She'd anticipated this moment so many times that any and all possible conversation starters no longer carried the right weight. But she peeled her shoes from the asphalt and hefted them forward, slowly beginning to make her way toward them. The movement, however, didn't go unnoticed.
Thor's eyes landed on her soaked frame rather quickly, and his heart sank. He might not have changed much—but time and heartache had been unkind to her. She appeared as a withered version of the woman he'd met during his last visit. The bags beneath her eyes were prevalent, her skin a bit more pale, and she was much thinner. Had she truly withered? Had the trauma of it all wilted her like the flowers she so loved to tend? It was disheartening to know.
Though, as she got closer, he found himself a bit nervous. He didn't know if she would act as saddened and reserved as she looked or if she still held the same angry spirit she did before. "Cassandra," he greeted her with a solemn and gentle tone. "I didn't know you would be here as well."
Cassandra came to stand three feet from them all, keeping her distance in an attempt to hide her restricted functioning. "It was kind of a last minute thing," she shrugged half-heartedly, weakly as her voice softly trembled.
"I trust you've been well?" he gave pleasantries a chance.
"You know I haven't."
She gave him a knowing look and Thor blinked in a moment of pause—but it wasn't entirely surprising she assumed his misuse of Heimdall's range of vision. After all, if he was obviously keeping an eye on Jane, what was to stop him from asking of her? Though, Cassandra didn't know that he hadn't asked Heimdall of her. He hadn't needed to. Frigga kept him abreast of her health well enough already.
Thor nodded once, briefly averting his eyes. It was then that Darcy jutted a thumb over her shoulder in a gesture, turning toward Jane. "Um, I'm pretty sure we're getting arrested," she told her, so matter-of-factly Cassandra couldn't help but raise her brow.
"Oh!" Jane turned on her heel as it came rushing back to her, the reality that police had been called to look for her on private property. "Hold on."
She hurried away, back across the lot, toward the police officer talking to Ian by the car. The poor intern had been stuck being questioned alone, completely forgotten by the others, now being checked for weapons by an officer. Though, reasonably so. Cassandra sighed through her nose and Thor's eyes met hers once more—cautious, vaguely timid, as though he still might be expecting a reaction like Jane's. It wouldn't be out of character in the slightest. But all she could do was stare.
Not much had differed from his previous visit to Earth. Now, however, his arms were scaled in silver like dragon's skin and locks of his hair were tied at the back to keep the rest out of his face, a braid tucked behind his left ear. "How have you been?" she suddenly spoke up, nearly startling him as Darcy glanced sporadically between them both.
"I've been well. Busy," he answered, honestly. "Though, I cannot say it hasn't been difficult."
Cassandra swallowed as she gave a nod. "Understandable. And…is he-"
Adrenaline surged through Cassandra then as a chill rushed along her spine, and she whirled on her heels, eyes immediately searching for Jane—she could feel her like a hot poker beneath her skin. But any view of Jane was blocked by an incoming wave of swirling, translucent crimson. Thor was quick to wrap an arm around Darcy and sidestep to angle himself in front of her to block the burst of energy. Cassandra simply held up a hand as if to block out the sun as she squinted to see Jane.
The ground shook. Windows erupted into glass dust out of every vehicle the red touched. When it cleared, Jane was lying on the pavement. The police officers were quick to draw their weapons as they stood from their makeshift hiding spots and slowly began to approach, but Thor moved swiftly to reach her side first, helping her to her feet as her balance faltered on her own.
"Place your hands on your heads," the closest officer ordered. Cassandra walked quickly across the lot and her approach was not unnoticed. The officer aimed his gun at her as she neared Jane and Thor, riddled with anxiety that was visible in the slight shake of his hands. "Hands up! Step back!"
"This woman is unwell," Thor attempted to reason with him despite his concern for Jane.
She was discombobulated, staring at her hands in a state of near dissociation. She didn't feel like herself. Not like herself at all. "She's dangerous!" the officer insisted. Against her better judgment, Cassandra lifted her hand, palm hovering inches from Jane's arm. Jane startled away as red sparked through her jacket, popping against Cassandra's skin in brief wisps of heat, and looked up at her with rounded eyes. It felt like Cassandra had just been shocked by static.
Though, she could feel the agitation, the hostility—but, most importantly, the power. Thor eyed her long before she finally looked at him, and her features only confirmed his fear. "I don't know what this is-" she spoke quickly, loud enough to be heard over the shouting officers and rustling wind. "-but it feels like the Tesseract."
Thor's heart sank into his stomach. Still, he acted quickly, wrapping an arm around Jane's frame as though to pull her in for a hug. "Hold onto me," he told her, tugging her closer. As she clung to him reflexively, he looked again at Cassandra, this time with a nod of determination, "You, too."
It was shocking. Wasn't it? Isn't that what she should have felt—surprise? So, why was elation all that was present in her veins? She couldn't tell if it was the thought of interdimensional travel or the idea of her desires being realized, or some kind of combination, but she lurched at him. Cassandra wrapped her arms around them both and held on as tight as she could despite an edge of uncomfortability attached to the sudden lack of personal space. Lines began to burn into the floor in an unknown pattern, forming a large circle beneath them, and that was when the light engulfed them.