"You're just as bad a liar as Thor." Short version of the story I told those of you who happened to mention this line in your review - I've never put as much time and effort into a single line of fiction as I did for that particular line. It had to meet a rather long list of criteria for me. I'm glad to hear so many of you liked it!
Please note, this chapter contains a metaphorical or psychological battle along with actual battle, and this story is rated "T."
And now onward!
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Beneath
Chapter Thirty-Five – Battle
Jane's smile was still plastered on her face as her mind went into overdrive. Some strange part of her continued to insist that this couldn't possibly be real. Lucas couldn't possibly have just mentioned Thor. Because he didn't know Thor. He was an astrophysics grad student from Canada. But the part of her that couldn't deny reality was staring up into Loki's eyes and they were more frightening that Lucas's had ever seemed at the worst of his temper flare-ups. The world around her seemed to be spinning in a tight tornado and some very strange detached part of her hoped it would carry her right out of this corridor and away from the man standing far too close to her and the grip on her elbow that was becoming painful, causing her to wince.
Loki's eyes narrowed. His right elbow was beginning to hurt. He remembered what had happened at the hockey game in Melfort and instantly let go of her. He hadn't meant to hurt her in the first place, only to get her attention. He kept his hand at her side though, and pushed back her flannel shirt. "Who were you planning to call, Jane?"
"Oh, this?" Jane asked, glancing down at the sat phone on her belt. She shrugged her shoulders, shook her head minutely. "No one. Actually, I had it from the MCI drill. I guess I forgot to return it."
"Why don't we go do that right now, then?" Loki asked, as casually and politely as though he were asking if she'd like to go have lunch.
"I…I think I'd rather go take a nap first."
"Dear Jane, if Thor hasn't gotten any better at this in over a thousand years, how much do you really think you're going to improve over the course of a few minutes?"
Patronizing though he may be, he was right. She could continue to pretend, but she wasn't fooling anyone. Not even herself. It was time to face up to this. To face up to him. She'd sent the e-mail, the cavalry would come. But probably not in the next ten minutes. "What do you intend to do with me?" she asked, the first thing that came to mind. It was a terrible cliché, she realized, once the words were out, but it was also the thing she most wanted to know right now. And she'd managed to put a bit of steel into the words, which in turn gave her a small boost in confidence.
Loki smiled. Now we're getting somewhere. "I intend to escort you to Comms so you can return the telephone, then to someplace we can talk." He let his hand fall back to his side. The Science Lab door was opening behind him.
"Jane, Lucas," Carlo said with a nod.
Jane smiled and nodded back as Carlo went past them, in the direction of the galley, and Lucas – Loki – did the same. Jane stared at Carlo's back and thought she might have just experienced the most surreal- yet-seemingly-insignificant moment of her life.
"Talk," she repeated when she faced Loki again.
"Yes. Were you expecting something else?"
Jane opened her mouth, but nothing came out, because, well, yes.
"Jane, if my purpose was to harm you or anyone else here, I've had two months in which I could have done so many times over. Have I ever done anything to hurt you?" Loki asked in his most reasonable tone, his expression firm but open. Trustworthy.
Jane glanced down at her right elbow, where she could swear she still felt the imprint of his fingers.
"I apologize for that," he said with a look of deep regret that was at least partially sincere; his own elbow still twinged from it and he'd barely touched her. "I assure you it was entirely unintentional. I sometimes forget how fragile you mortals are."
Right, Jane thought sarcastically, but didn't dare say.
"So, shall we?"
Jane took a deep breath and nodded. It wasn't like she really had a choice. Besides, all she had to do was survive – keep calm, keep him calm – and wait for help to arrive. Preferably in the form of a certain well-armored hammer-wielding acting king.
They walked side-by-side the few feet back to Comms. Loki opened the door for her and followed her in.
This time Rodrigo noticed her immediately. "Done already? Hey, Lucas," he added.
"Yeah, it was a quick call," Jane answered, walking up to the desk as she unclipped the phone. Loki stayed by her side and exchanged polite minimalist greetings with the others.
"Everything okay?"
"Sure, yeah. It's fine now. Thanks," she said in a bit of a rush. She hoped she was doing a better job with Rodrigo – and Zeke and Olivia – than she'd done with Loki, though. She figured she was only putting them in danger if she gave any indication of a problem. Maybe Loki hadn't attacked anyone precisely because he hadn't been provoked. So, Jane told herself, don't provoke him.
"To your chambers?" he asked as they returned to the corridor and began walking toward the other end.
"I don't think so," Jane said with a nervous, wry laugh. Chambers? Thor used that word…has he said other things like that, this whole time, and I never noticed?
"Where, then? I ask only that we have privacy."
"The galley."
"That's not very private," Loki said in a chiding voice, drawing to a halt. They stood in the divide between the A and B wings.
"We're in between lunch and supper. It should be private enough." Jane set her expression to show her determination, staring unflinchingly up into the eyes that were the last thing Erik saw before being enslaved. Either she was getting braver or she was getting stupider. If he refused to go to the galley, there wasn't a thing in the world she could do about it.
"I understand your…concerns," Loki finally said. "The galley it is. As long as we're able to talk without being overheard." His own first choice would be one of the unoccupied jamesways outside, but at this point, if he was to regain control of Jane, he needed to create the illusion that she was the one in control.
Jane nodded, almost surprised, and they continued on toward the galley, past the same old rooms, the same exposed ductwork in the ceiling, the same brightly colored square tiles on the wall. It had begun to feel like home, but now it felt almost like she was being led to her death.
They took a seat at one of the round four-seater tables – they were alone except for the kitchen staff preparing dinner.
"Oh, my apologies. Can I get you something? Double espresso?" he asked, standing again.
Jane looked up at him with the closest thing to disdain she could manage. There was something incredibly disturbing about Loki knowing her favorite drink. A chill raced up her spine. What else does he know? I told him about my family, my friends, my work-
"I merely thought it might help set you at ease. But I suppose espresso might not be best suited to that task."
"What are you doing here? Knowing that might help 'set me at ease.'" Hardly. But knowledge is power, Jane thought, an absurd – given the circumstances – flashback of some cartoon she'd watched as a kid coming to mind.
Loki nodded once and sat down across from her. "Very well. What did my brother tell you about how he was sent to Earth?" Did he tell you I'm not really his brother?
Jane started to answer, then reconsidered. "I asked you a question. I'd like an answer back, not another question."
Loki tightened his jaw and struggled to keep his polite smile in place. Somewhere was a line between letting Jane think she was in control and letting her actually take control. They were close to it. "Fine. But you do know he was banished here, correct? Sent here as punishment?"
Jane hesitated, but then nodded curtly.
"Well, so was I. He was expected to accomplish a task in order to be accepted back on Asgard, and so am I."
"He gave his life to protect me and everyone else in Puente Antiguo. Were you planning on doing that anytime soon? Oh, wait. Probably not, because it was you he was protecting us from in the first place." Jane literally clamped down on her tongue with her teeth to prevent herself from continuing. She'd grown comfortable arguing with Lucas, and despite the very real fear she still felt, it was shockingly easy to slip back into that mode. But this was very much not some eccentric grad student. Don't antagonize him, Jane, she reminded herself. His smile had grown, and somehow she suspected that wasn't a good thing.
"You wish to talk about that, do you? We should then. If I understood you correctly, you just said that it was I who made possible the return of Thor's powers and his home."
Jane narrowed her eyes at him. His logic was so twisted it took a moment to penetrate. "Please don't try to tell me that was your intent all along."
"I wouldn't dream of so insulting your intelligence. My intent was to stop Thor's friends from defying our father's commands. No one else was ever meant to get hurt. Still…ironic, isn't it?"
"Thor got hurt."
"Really? He looked rather well the last time I saw him."
Don't antagonize him, don't antagonize him… Jane wanted to slap him. "You still haven't told me why you're here. What this 'task' is that you have to accomplish."
"Jane, think about it. You're a clever woman. You already know. Thor is a man of strength. He had to lay down his strength to reclaim his home."
Jane kept her mouth tightly shut. She had a few ideas of what he was a "man of," and all of them were likely to go against the "don't antagonize him" rule.
"I am a man of magic. I must lay it down and find my own way home with Midgardian science."
Understanding flashed through Jane. In her panic she'd forgotten everything about Lucas. She'd forgotten what they were working on, how badly he wanted to see it come to fruition. Lucas was like a separate person to her, a person who had never actually existed, who had in fact winked out of existence the moment she realized who he really was. She realized now, however, that he was more like a character Loki had been playing. A character through which he could achieve his goal. To get back to Asgard?
A healthy dose of skepticism then flashed through her as well. "So your…'task,' as you put it, is to use our technology instead of your own to return to Asgard?" Thor never mentioned anything like that.
"Essentially, yes. But I can see you doubt me. Go ahead, ask your questions." I am an open book, Jane. But I cannot speak to the veracity of what lies on my pages.
"I understand what Thor learned on Earth. Humility. And…and…and selflessness. If this is some grand task you have to accomplish, what are you supposed to learn from it? How does using Pathfinder to get to Asgard make you a better person?" And besides, Thor not saying "please" and "thank you" and breaking the occasional coffee mug is not quite the same as you murdering a thousand or so people and trying to take over my planet. How dare you even compare yourself?
"Working with mortals teaches me to value your realm. To value your people's efforts and ingenuity. I sought you out, Jane. I knew that you were very talented. And…and kind. I knew you would be able to help me, just as you helped my brother." Loki leaned forward, his eyes full of every bit of sincerity he could draw up into them. He wanted to vomit.
Jane sat back in her chair, maintaining the distance between herself and Loki, mind reeling. She had helped Thor by getting him some clothes to wear and feeding him. She understood now that she'd also been a kind of anchor for him in a time when he was cut adrift. But she wasn't some miracle-worker; she hadn't said any magic words or done anything so special to change him. Even her own initial interest in him had been basically selfish – he'd been the best piece of evidence she'd ever had for the existence of Einstein-Rosen Bridges. Whatever Thor did had come from inside himself. She wasn't sure what Loki needed, but she was pretty sure it involved prison bars and she was pretty sure it did not involve her. And she was pretty sure Thor would agree with at least the latter.
"So…you're here to find a technological means to reach Asgard," she finally said. Because right or not, she was involved, at least for the moment.
"Yes."
"And if we can ensure that Pathfinder works, and that it's safe…"
"I'll be its first living test subject."
"You'll leave."
"Yes."
"No plans to…to try to take over the world?" Jane asked, forcing a smile. But the question raised the fear back up a few notches. It was so easy to forget the reality of who he was, sitting here with him in the galley as she had a hundred times or more.
"If that were my goal, I think I would have identified a more likely power center than the United States Antarctic Program Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Of course, I suppose I could conquer this base, then move on to Russia's Vostok Station, the French-Italian Concordia Station, and keep going from there. But I can't say I find the idea very enticing." And that is an understatement.
Jane shook her head. "Are you actually joking about this? Because it's not funny. People died, Luc- Loki." She took a quick breath. It was the first time she'd addressed him by his real name.
"I'm simply trying to assure you in whatever way I can that my intentions are entirely innocent. You are not in any danger, nor is anyone else here. I remind you – we first met in Australia on February 5th, and it is now March 31st. And in that whole time I've wanted only one thing: to learn from you and find a way to return home through your technology. And that is all I have ever done. There's no reason for that to change, now that you know the truth." The words were smooth as warmed honey. He hadn't earned the nickname "Silvertongue" for nothing.
Jane, however, was not easily swayed by mere words, no matter how smooth and seemingly logical. "So why lie? If your purpose here is so innocent, why did you lie to me from the very beginning? Tell me your name was Lucas Cane? Tell me you were a graduate student from Toronto? Set yourself up as my assistant?" And how did you do all that? she wondered, sending her head spinning again. I got an e-mail from SHIELD telling me about you… But there was no time to think it through.
"If I'd told you the truth, would you have agreed to work with me? I suspect not."
You suspect correctly.
"And that brings me to one point of unpleasantness. I must insist that you tell no one outside this place that I'm here. I swear to you, Jane – and I do not swear lightly – I have no desire to do harm to you. But if I am attacked, I will defend myself." He paused and leaned forward; she needed to be very clear on this point. "Vigorously," he added, with extra attention to enunciation. "It would not go well for the station's residents."
Jane felt her mouth go dry and tried to swallow. "That sounds a lot like a threat."
"I don't threaten. I merely state facts. If you don't want a repeat of what happened to New York, you'll tell no one that I'm here."
Jane's anger spiked in response to that. As if "what happened to New York" was anyone's fault other than yours. And it's too late for your "I-don't-threaten-I-merely-state-facts." Help is already on the way. She fidgeted a bit in her chair. Help that would break out high-tech weaponry to capture Loki. Or, if only Thor could make it here due to the temperatures, help with a lightning- and tornado-producing hammer. And then there's whatever Loki would use to defend himself "vigorously" with – magic? He didn't have his glowing magic wand anymore and she wasn't sure what he could do without it. SHIELD might have that information, but she didn't.
"What troubles you, Jane? It's not complicated. Keep my secret and I will leave this place peacefully as soon as I'm able. Fail to keep my secret, and you will bring war to the one continent on your planet that has never known it."
Her hands started to shake, and she was grateful they were hidden under the table. An image of her slightly rambling e-mail on the pages of a history text chronicling how the first and only war in Antarctica began flickered in her mind. But she couldn't tell him. She couldn't know how he would react. She could only hope that Thor knew how to subdue his brother without destroying the station or its residents.
"Oh, I see. You're concerned about that e-mail you sent. Don't be. Its intended recipients will never see it."
Jane's eyes went wide and her stomach dropped. How could he possibly know about that? Does he read minds? Does he make himself invisible and follow me around? She shivered. That was a terrifying thought. Either of them, actually. Are you reading my mind right now? And then it occurred to her to deny it. Maybe he was just bluffing. But she knew that was a lost cause. Her reaction had already confirmed it was true. "How did you know?" she finally asked. And then something else occurred to her: that meant the cavalry was not coming. Thor was not coming.
"I understand your curiosity. I even admire it. But I'm not here to satisfy it. I'm sorry, Jane," Loki said, deliberately softening his voice, and finding it came very naturally. He did regret what had happened, though his reasons were complicated. "I know this is a shock, and a lot to take in. And yet look at us. Sitting here, talking, as we always have. I have the same request I've always had, to return to work on a new transmitter for Pathfinder. To concentrate our efforts on making this technology work. As long as we continue to behave normally, as long as no one knows I'm here, I promise, I'll be gone as soon as possible, perhaps even by the end of the week. I'll go back to Asgard. Where I belong," he added, though those final words may as well have been a mouthful of glass. She hadn't yet made a choice, and he would keep repeating her options until she had done so. Until he had made it clear that there was in fact only one good option.
And yet still she did not respond. He took a breath and continued. "I know that Thor spoke to you when you were still in Norway. He warned you, did he not? But he also communicated the wishes of Odin All-Father, I believe. That I should not be hunted. That I should be allowed to complete my task unhindered."
Jane looked away. She didn't recall anything about any task. She did recall him saying Loki had threatened to come find her. But he wasn't threatening now, not really. Although if she refused to help him, she suspected threats would follow; she wasn't that naive. He was trying to get to Asgard. She wasn't sure yet if he was really supposed to go back there or not…but there – where Thor was and Odin and whoever else who were equipped to deal with Loki – was infinitely better than here – where fifty unarmed scientists and mechanics and cooks and electricians were certainly not. Fifty people who would be caught in the crossfire if someone managed to make it here to try to stop Loki.
"All right," she said at last, reluctance and self-doubt still in her voice.
"And no more e-mails about me. No phone calls period. You're too dreadful a liar."
"I take that as a compliment. And fine, agreed."
"Good," Loki said, sitting back and letting his posture relax. He had won this battle, and won it the way he knew best. "Shall we get back to work, then?"
Jane hesitated only a moment longer, then nodded.
/
/
"Back to your positions! Back to your positions!" Thor shouted. "The horns each signal a separate attack. Only those assigned to defend the palace should stay. Everyone else, the battle isn't here. Defend your sectors! Guards, secure the palace!"
There was a moment of confusion, then a shout, then more shouts, then the air felt physically abuzz with the voices of thousands of Asgardian warriors pushing and shoving and eventually settling into streams flowing back to the locations they never should have left in the first place. Thor, still aloft with Mjolnir, flew to the closest portal. A battalion at some 10% strength was steadily losing ground to Dark Elven cavalry. The shimmering silver doorway, just a few feet above ground in a long narrow garden less than a mile from the palace, continued to disgorge horse and rider. The Dark Elves, in their thick black leather helmets and black and tan garb, brandished long curved swords that gave them great reach as they swung them in broad sweeping motions from atop their steeds. They appeared to be too big and heavy, in fact, to be used with such balance and control in just one hand, but the Svartalf wielded them with graceful and deadly ease.
Thor quickly considered then rejected several tactics – tremors through the earth could bring down nearby buildings and would be difficult for his own overwhelmed warriors to escape, and throwing Mjolnir at the cavalry emerging from the portal carried unknown risks for the hammer's return to him – before illuminating the ever-darkening sky and directing a cascade of lightning toward it. The silver frame of the portal attracted the bolts of electricity; it glowed orange like flame and began to lose its structural integrity, seen in tiny but brilliant flickers of light snapping violently across its surface. Horses reared as they crossed the unstable threshold, and several threw their riders, some to Asgardian ground, some back through the portal, presumably to Svartalfheim.
As the lightning attack continued the portal shrank and convulsed, while at the same time reinforcements began arriving to augment the dwindling ranks of Asgardian warriors. An ear-splitting whistle sounded and Svartalfheim's warriors disengaged, drew in their reins, and rode for the portal, their horses leaping easily into the air and disappearing. The Asgardians fought them as they retreated, but their ranks were disorganized and still under-strength. Without orders to do so none attempted to follow the Dark Elves. This bit of remaining discipline proved wise, for one Svartalf who'd been thrown by his horse attempted to follow his fellow warriors through just as the portal was shut down; his raised outstretched hand made it through but nothing else. He fell to the ground shrieking in horror, his voice soon lost amongst the others.
Prisoners were hastily rounded up, perhaps seven or eight of them, Thor counted; as they were brought together he realized there were many more; as he widened his view to try to estimate the Asgardian fallen he found the numbers of everyone on the ground to have increased far beyond his expectation.
"Prince Thor! Come down! You require treatment!"
Thor looked down, searching for the owner of the voice…then found there were two owners, both of them very young men, probably barely of age, in identical armor and light-blue capes marking them as healers. Thor wasn't so far gone that he didn't realize now that he was experiencing double vision, but was too far gone to force the two healers into one body or even determine which was really him, despite the considerable will power he invested in the task.
He came down in a planting bed so trampled it was impossible to tell what had grown there just an hour or two earlier. He should have easily come to rest on one knee, but instead he immediately lost his balance and pitched forward into the soil. He felt hands under his arms, pulling him up, and he sputtered out dirt from his mouth and nose.
"Hold still," came the voice of the young healer.
Fingers probed at his head, soon hitting a spot that made him hiss and jerk his upper body hard enough to break free of the healer and the two others holding him up. It was only then, when he began to pitch forward again, that he realized they had been holding him up. "Do what you must, but quickly. I have to get to the next portal." He wasn't certain, but he thought his words sounded slightly slurred. He managed to keep himself still this time as the healer determined the extent of the injury to the back of his head.
"It's a large gash, my prince. And I…I'm new at this, but I'm certain you have a concussion. I'll just use a healing stone for now – it will help, but go to the Healing Room for further treatment as soon as-"
"Yes, yes, get on with it. Don't explain it, just do it. Now!" he barked.
The young healer looked frightened – though there were still two of him so it was hard to be sure – but Thor had little chance to regret his tone, because in the next instant a gray stone was being crumbled over his head, and he detested the tingling feel of it, even worse on his head where the itching was awful. He'd hated it all his life, from the first time a stone was used on his head when he was a young child and had fallen from a chair trying to reach a plate of sweet rolls and had been taken to the Healing Room and his father had gone with him and Eir had healed him and his mother had come and… Suddenly his thoughts cleared and he had no idea why he'd been thinking about sweet rolls at a time like this. Flesh had knit back together, blood loss stopped, injury repaired. And his head itched terribly. He looked at the healer – healer, singular – and nodded his thanks at the same time as the men supporting him released their grip.
He took to the air again, searching for the next closest portal. "Maintain your positions! Only respond to a ram's horn if it's within your sector!" he called to the men below him. And then he realized he had no idea if any more horns had sounded during that battle. He'd given every last ounce of fading strength he had in drawing down lightning on the first portal, so although he hadn't heard any horns, he wasn't at all sure he would have noticed them.
Settling on his next target, Thor found himself amidst startled archers from Alfheim nimbly perched on a series of elevated walkways and taking expert aim into the melee below, Ljosalf and Aesir clashing primarily with swords. He took out the closest with a powerful swing of Mjolnir, then, careful of the location of the portal, he tossed it down a line of archers so straight and compact it appeared they'd positioned themselves precisely for this moment. Several fell, but the Light Elves were quick and agile, and did not do him the favor of remaining in their convenient line. They sprinted to new positions and took aim at him; he called Mjolnir back and rushed the closest archer, slamming his fist into the man's head and knocking him unconscious. If any arrows struck Thor they did not penetrate his armor, but at least six of the jagged gleaming arrows pierced the leather-clad back of the man he still held in front of him.
Mjolnir back in his hand he dropped the unfortunate archer and began working his way through the rest of them, moving quickly though not always as quickly as the elves. They continued to try to take aim at him but they continued to fail, and Thor rejoiced in every bow gone taut with an arrow to be released toward him instead of onto the battalion below. He was soon joined by several of the Aesir winged cavalry, and it was not long before there was no more threat from the archers.
As soon as he made a visual sweep of his surroundings and could find not one archer on his feet, he turned his attention to the portal, preparing to direct lightning at it this one, too, opened up right above one of Asgard's main streets. Before he could do so he realized someone was calling his name. He looked down from the overpass he stood on and saw Volstagg below, his big hands cupped over his mouth and shouting up at him. The mere sight of him made Thor smile.
"We have this one under control!" he shouted. "Go to that nature park near the source of the Vina. The Fire Giants brought women!"
Thor stared down, trying to make sense out of both Volstagg's words and his actions. The latter proved easier, as Volstagg suddenly stepped to the side and swung his double-bladed battle ax, felling a Light Elf who'd been swinging his sword toward a distracted Aesir. Thor quickly realized there were two distracted Aesir – who did not look alike, he was quick to make sure – both staring hard at the portal. Magic wielders, then. They could handle the portal, especially now that there were no arrows raining down on them and they could focus. It was already showing signs of instability.
With a whirl of Mjolnir Thor took flight and raced toward the park Volstagg had spoken of; he knew it well. As he sped across and beyond the city the four or five miles to the source of the Vina River, he looked down and saw nearly a dozen separate battles raging. He tried not to let his thoughts be sidetracked by them – he could not fight them all at once. Asgard's warriors were fierce and courageous, and their discipline was returning along with their fellows who'd left for the palace.
His eye caught on something that shouldn't be there, something extending down from him – a Ljosalf arrow, he realized. He'd never even felt it. It was lodged in his left leg, just above the knee, and now that he was aware of it, it was beginning to ache. The injury was minor, though; the arrow had not gone deep and there was little blood. He set down on a broad thick tree limb overlooking the battle Volstagg had directed him to, hung Mjolnir at his hip, gripped the arrow shaft with his left hand, and snapped it off with his right. It hurt, but it was easily bearable. And now it wouldn't get in his way.
Thor didn't see any women, only Aesir warriors in leather and metal and Fire Giants of Muspelheim in their silver metal helmets and thick blackened leather that served as armor. The Fire Giants were nearly as tall as the Ice Giants, with skin a red so deep that in the darkness of night it looked almost black. In their own realm they were surprisingly swift for their size, but here they seemed to be more sluggish, perhaps because of the cool night air. As Thor quickly assessed the battle, he realized that some of the Aesir were even more sluggish, hesitating to strike and being struck down themselves instead. What is this cowardice? he thought, before swooping down to ask just that of a particularly tall Aesir warrior who'd just pulled a punch and barely avoided a sword to the gut.
He threw the man back and lifted Mjolnir toward the Fire Giant raising his sword, then froze himself. The Fire Giant's long dark shiny hair flowed out from underneath his helmet…her helmet. She was bringing her sword around again.
In the space of a single heartbeat Thor pictured what Sif would have done to him if he'd said that he didn't need her, or worse yet a woman, to accompany him. In the next heartbeat he remembered the way Sif had looked just moments after, the last time he'd seen her: silent and still, not even a wiggle from a fingertip.
He swung Mjolnir around and knocked the sword from the female Fire Giant's hands, then brought it around again but in an upward arc and struck under her chin with all his might; she crumpled to the ground and did not get up, as silent and still as Sif.
He met the eyes of the warrior he'd knocked to the ground in anger, now back on his feet; the man nodded, and Thor was certain he'd have no more qualms about striking a female Fire Giant. He spun Mjolnir and let it lift him up again. His voice boomed out over the men – and women – below. "If they stand before you as warriors, man or woman, strike them down! The only dishonor is in not defending our realm!" Women on Asgard were not treated as weaklings – no Aesir was – but neither were they expected to appear wielding a sword on the battlefield. Women were to be treated gently, respectfully, not because they would break, but because it was the honorable, right thing to do. If these women were treated gently, they would decimate the Asgardian battalion. Thor hoped his words had been heard and taken to heart, but he couldn't simply watch the battle and shout. He had to join it.
Fire Giants were still pouring from the portal opened just on the near bank of the Vina; he could identify no effort to close it through magic. He continued to spin the hammer but lifted it high and summoned lightning again. Even as he directed it toward the portal, he had a new idea. Thunder boomed overhead, making him grin; he'd always loved the thunder, even as a child when his brother had been afraid of it, years before he'd been given Mjolnir, even longer before he'd learned to use it to cause thunder. Then the rain began. The Aesir wouldn't be bothered by it; they'd trained in rain and mud. But in the chill of the night air it was a cold rain, and the Fire Giants trembled and slowed further. Thor watched as the tide turned, with the giants' strength and skills plummeting and fewer Aesir hesitating to fight the women.
Half an hour later the portal was gone and the nature park was silent and dark and wet, its grounds littered with the fallen.
Thor sought the battalion commander for word on where he was most needed next.
/
/
Even as they settled into work in the machinist's shop in MAPO, Jane could not relax. She was acutely aware of who sat next to her at the worktable, to her right, closely watching everything she did. Gary was there, too, busy with his own work, so there was no talk of anything other than the circuit boards before them. She couldn't help shrinking away from Loki when he picked up the soldering gun. He'd merely raised an eyebrow at her before focusing his attention on the task at hand, performing it exactly as she had, and just as well.
Dinnertime came and Gary eventually left, but still nothing was said between them. Jane was hungry; she'd skipped lunch and hadn't had anything but water since breakfast. But she was afraid to speak up. And she wanted to finish. She wanted him gone.
She was tired, though, too, and it was sinking into her bones fast. The MCI drill really had drained her, and the lack of food meant there'd been nothing to replenish her energy. The circuit board she was working on was starting to blur before her eyes, and this was delicate work which blurriness would make impossible. She closed her eyes to rest them for a moment.
Suddenly she had a terrifying sensation of falling, and hands on her shoulders jerking her upright before she could hit the ground. She blinked rapidly, gasped out a few shaky breaths, and turned to see the owner of the hands – Lucas. Several seconds passed before she steadied enough that he let go of her and full comprehension returned. She'd fallen asleep sitting up and nearly fallen into the table. And the man who stopped her from doing so was not "Lucas," but Loki.
She reached for the illuminated magnifying glass – she couldn't remember exactly where she'd left off on the circuit board – but Loki got to it first and moved it to his side of the worktable.
"Jane, you should have told me you were this tired."
"I'm not tired. I can keep working."
"You sound like a child," he said, and the sad thing was, he was right, and she knew it. "Go on back to the station. I think I can finish these. We'll test first thing in the morning, before house mouse."
"House mouse…you…no wonder you hate it so much." There was something else she wanted to say, something else she wanted to think, but her brief moment of hyper-alertness was gone and she felt so tired it was little different from being drunk.
Loki gave a small smile – or maybe it was a frown, Jane wasn't entirely sure. She took a deep breath and pushed herself up from the table.
"No e-mails about me, and no phone calls," he said. There was no anger in his voice, but even in her exhaustion she heard the undercurrent of or else.
"I understand," she said quietly, her eyes flickering up to meet his just once, just so he would hopefully see that she was telling the truth. He nodded, and she quickly left the room.
Jane stood outside bundled in the warm familiarity of Big Red. She drew in a slow, deep breath of bracingly cold air through her balaclava and stared down the path of red flags leading toward the elevated station. Loki wanted to pretend that nothing had changed. Everything had changed. The growing darkness had been a welcome break from unrelenting sunshine; now it seemed foreboding. The harsh environment had seemed like an adventure; now it seemed like a prison. No one was coming to free her.
She set off for the station; the fifteen-minute walk seemed to last an hour. Dinner service was over, and she didn't feel like going to the galley anyway, so she went straight to her room and stripped down to her long johns. From a desk drawer she fished out two granola bars and forced herself to eat them, then chased it down with as much water as she could manage. Then she climbed up into bed and slid beneath the covers.
She lay there, thinking about Loki, afraid she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about him and he'd keep her from sleep, but within minutes that concern was proved unfounded. Her last lucid thought was of the date. Loki had mentioned it – March 31st. It really should have been one day later.
April Fool's Day.
/
As always, thank you for reading, thank you for reviewing!
Here are a few previews from the next chapter, 36, currently titled "Fear": Jane vacillates between fear and the urge to confront Loki (which really might not be the brightest idea she's ever had), and she realizes for the first time that there's more to him than just a card-carrying tyrannical Bad Guy; Loki works hard to present the image of himself he needs Jane to see so that she'll help him and keep his secret (and how long will he be able to keep that up?); battles continue on Asgard.
And the excerpt (Jane and Loki):
"What have you learned?"
His lips thinned and his expression turned hard. How to manipulate you into doing exactly what I want you to do without even the tiniest wisp of magic. Father will be so pleased.
"I'm serious. If we find out the probe made it to Asgard and we can work out a few more problems, you'll be gone before long. So what have you learned?" Because it doesn't sound like you've learned anything. Except you haven't killed anyone. That I know of, she thought with a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold.
