Dahlia knew immediately he was referring to the statue in the main hall. Thor and Sam were probably standing only feet from it. She had to get them all out of there.

Now that she had this man talking, she pulled out her heel and pocketed the dagger back into the sheath around her leg.

"Where is Keith?" she demanded.

"Go to hell. I'm not telling you."

Seriously?

She drove her thumb into the stab wound, eliciting a holler of pain from her uncooperative enemy. "I'm not going to ask again."

"Top floor!" he snarled in his agony. "Last room on the end of the left hallway... But you'll never get by the guards up there.

"Thanks. You're a dear."

Dahlia stood up, grabbing a ceramic figurine and knocking him out on the head with it. It would give her enough time to warn Thor and the others.

"I'll find that bathroom myself."

Once she did, she made it quick just long enough to make herself look presentable. After washing her hands and the heel she used as a weapon, she hurried back to the main hall.

Thankfully, Sam was close to the stairs, standing silently by her social butterfly of a husband.

"Sam, we've got big trouble," she whispered to her. "You and Jerry need to get everybody out of here."

"What did you find out?"

"There's poison gas in the goddess statue by the snack table. Keith's plan is to release it when your former boss makes a toast."

"Damnit. Okay." She did well to remain calm, then looked at her husband. "Jerry, I need to find David and tell him what's going on. I think there is a fire alarm close to the entrance. Pull it."

"I'm on it."

Dahlia nodded and looked around quickly to find Thor. Once she found him with a glass in hand, she hurried to him, grabbing him by the arm.

"We need the get to the top floor. Keith is up there and he's waiting to trigger poison gas to spread through this entire room."

"What? How did you find all of this out?"

"No time, Thor. We need to put a stop to him, and now. Sam and Jerry are working on evacuating everyone as we speak."

As she started ushering the God of Thunder up the stairs, the deafening sound of the fire alarm shot through her ears like a piercing knife. The music came to a quick halt, and as everyone started hurrying for the exit, Jerry would urge them on outside.

"Please, hurry. We need everyone to clear the building safely and quickly. I'll explain everything shortly," she faintly heard him say.

As the two Asgardians hurried up the steps, she led him down the hall to the passage that would take them to the third floor. The fire alarm had lured the guards towards them.

Thor held out his arm, and as he waited for his hammer to come to him, Dahlia helped herself to get started on the guard in the front of the group of three. She used the banister to vault around him, then pushed him down the stairs towards Thor.

A pair of arms encircled her firmly from behind, and she struggled for a moment before she would pull herself forward, taking him with her down the stairs. She landed hard on top of him, giving him no choice but to release her as the marble steps struck him hard in the back. She pulled out her blades, moving onto the next man that drew a gun on her.

The hammer knocked his arm before he could even fire.

Looking back to Thor, who was in the process of knocking out the only semi-functional guard left with his weapon, Dahlia sprinted on up the stairs. "I'm going on ahead. I'm sure there's more guards up here somewhere."

"I'll find Carr, then!" he heard him call after her as she rounded the corner into the right hallway. It seemed quiet, but she knew that there was no way she can be alone. The hallway was lined with doors, a couple of which were opened. There was music playing from one of the rooms, instrumental, as if the band from downstairs had taken refuge up here.

She went through a door that led into a big study, and the music, she realized, was coming from a record player. Another one of Keith's men trying to lure her in and catch her off her guard, no doubt. She backed herself up against the adjacent wall of another door to the next room. Someone was inside, waiting to strike.

She waited, but after a few moments of tension, she couldn't be sure if the guard was going to strike first or not.

Finally, she bolted through the door, and a flash of silver in front of her quickly sent her reflexes into full gear. Her daggers crossed with two, other blades, and just as quickly as it happened, her shoulders loosened.

"Well, this is a familiar situation."

Loki was grinning back at her from the other side of the quartet of knives, dressed in an all-black suit, and she wondered if maybe he already knew she was there before the reveal.

"You've been busy. Did you find your culprit yet?"

It shouldn't have surprised her that he was aware of the mission, but knowing Loki to be an individual not to be trusted, she was not fond of the idea of sharing information.

Though she was quick to share her bed with him.

"Your brother is taking care of it."

"And such a good boy he is to give us time to catch up." Suddenly, he pushed forward and down, the movement so fast that Dahlia couldn't quite comprehend how he managed to reposition her arms behind her back. Their daggers still entwined against her spine, she felt her resolve weaken as the space between their bodies depleted almost entirely. "I'm amazed that my brother managed to get such an intoxicating creature as yourself on his arm."

She kept a straight face, though it wasn't easy to stay firm in response to the flattery. "Jealous, Loki?"

"Not in the slightest," he answered, smiling with his teeth. "You see, while he's galavanting and out to be the hero, I'm right here."

"I can see that." She spun quickly, freeing herself from his embrace with a twist of her wrists. He managed to drop one of his knives, but as she swung one of her blades at him, her arm came to a halt as he grabbed it in mid-flight. She was pushed into the wall, her lungs hit with a sharp gasp as he pinned her. Clearly, it was a game he was playing, and she wasn't exactly winning.

There was a glint of amusement in his eyes that couldn't be missed, and it was obvious he was toying with her. Again.

"We both already know how this game is going to end, Loki."

"Is that all this is to you?" Oddly enough, he didn't exactly seem offended by her choice of words. Perhaps more amused.

Dahlia inhaled, thinking over her next words carefully. "I assumed that was all this was to you."

At first, he gave her a puzzled look, and then, it was as if something had sparked. Loki's expression changed to a half-smile. "You would think that, wouldn't you? I have a confession to make."

Then, suddenly, the room seemed to quake. Both of them stopped, and for a moment, Dahlia began to panic before she realized this wasn't a good time to get distracted, no matter how much she wanted to know what Loki had to say.

In a way, she had a feeling she already knew.

"We need to find my brother," Loki insisted, pocketing his daggers and racing for the door. The Valkyrie followed close behind, though her mind was still slightly blurred by their exchange, which left her with so many questions. Was it possible that their one-night stand had really occurred, and he merely left her house before she woke up? Was he ashamed of what happened? No, that didn't seem right, because he was still chasing after her even now. She could tell her wanted her, just as much as she wanted him, but her concern for her comrade upstairs now overpowered her hidden lust.

As they hurried up the stairs, the whole mansion continued to tremble, as though an earthquake had taken the entirety of New York state. Above them, the cathedral ceilings flaked and crumbled, and as they finally came into a large room at the topmost floor, completely surrounded by shattering, glass windows, a figure hovered in the middle of the room, cloaked and shrouded in shadow. Dahlia couldn't make out much of him, except for long, raven hair that was twice as long as Loki's. Beneath the floating stranger crouched a beaten Thor, who huffed as he would regain strength to throw his hammer and pummel at their unknown enemy.

Loki stopped quickly, and one arm outstretched to stop Dahlia from going any further. "You don't want to tangle with this one," he muttered to her, but as it seemed, the clash between the figure and Thor was enough to cause the foundation's destruction. Suddenly, the remaining windows shot gave to the force of the hammer against the man's staff, which remarkably didn't shatter. Dahlia determined it had to be magic, but her view was soon obstructed as Loki stood in front of her, shielding the shards of glass as they flew across the giant room in all directions. His arms took her, and the scent of him filled her nose as he held her protectively. Her bright, blue eyes cast over his shoulder at the man holding the black staff, and a glimpse of icy blue seemed to glimmer as he looked back at her.

It was all she remembered before the room went dark around her.