Part Two: On the Other Side of the Mirror
Thor hoped that Tony wouldn't care about the trace that Bifrost left on the terrace of the Avengers Tower. It wasn't the first time, and it made him wonder why they bothered fixing it at all. Undeterred by that, Thunderer walked through the doors into the spacious lobby, where he was greeted by Miss Potts.
"Hello, Lady Virginio," he said, bowing slightly.
The woman laughed heartily.
"I see my insistence that you call me Pepper is futile."
"Such an affront to a lady is unacceptable," Thor replied charmingly, taking her hand and kissing it gently. Pepper shook her head with amusement and changed the subject.
"I assume you've come to see Tony."
"That's correct. He wanted to show me something, but he was quite sparing with the details."
"Come, I'll take you. Bruce is in the lab as well."
"Thank you for your kindness."
Still smiling, Pepper led the Asgardian to the elevator and further, until they reached a large glass-walled room. Thor was immensely grateful for her assistance because, despite visiting multiple times over the years, he still occasionally got lost among the numerous floors of Stark's fortress.
Almost immediately upon entering, he noticed a peculiar object at the centre of the room. Connected to various sensors and scanners, a small black-and-red sphere lay on a metal table, its content seemed in constant motion, like poorly mixed paint.
"What is this?" Thor asked, approaching.
"I was hoping you could tell us something about it," Tony replied, emerging from the background.
Thor examined the mysterious sphere and reached out towards it. Before touching it, he glanced questioningly at the inventor, who merely shrugged. The sphere felt silky in touch, slightly warm, and yielded gently to his fingers. However, nothing happened when he touched it.
"An exploration team found that in some Aztec temple," Tony explained. "S.H.I.E.L.D. confiscated the discovery when it turned out it might have extraterrestrial origin. Since the Chitauri attack, they've been strangely sensitive about that. Given that you're the only alien in our reach, we were hoping you might know something about it."
"Don't call me an alien; it sounds like an insult in your mouth," Thor muttered, still staring at the sphere.
Truth be told, Thor had never seen anything quite like it before. He could, of course, return to Asgard and ask his father or mother, but he doubted they would be willing to come to Earth just to examine that object. However, it was certainly a valid assumption that humans did not create it. It unmistakably appeared to be some form of alien technology.
"We've examined it in various aspects," Dr. Banner chimed in, joining the two men. "It emits a faint radiation, but nothing like what came from the Tesseract. Attempts to scan it revealed that it's a homogeneous body, meaning the entire sphere is filled with the same substance. We tried to take a sample, but it disintegrated the moment we extended the probe beyond the sphere's perimeter. We heated it and cooled it, but it seems resistant even to extreme temperatures. The only significant reaction we observed was when we sent electrical impulses through the sphere. At that point, the movements inside intensified. However, it seems that their speed is not correlated with the power's intensity."
Thor listened to these and further explanations from Dr Banner, realizing more and more that he probably wouldn't be able to help. Whatever it was, they needed to seek knowledge elsewhere.
"I'm sorry, friends," he replied when Bruce's torrent of words concluded. "I'm afraid you know much more about that sphere than I do. Unfortunately, I've never seen anything like it, neither in Asgard nor in any of my journeys."
The disappointment on their faces didn't improve his mood. He genuinely wanted to help them, especially since the object looked quite unsettling. It was difficult to predict its purpose and what powers might be unleashed from it.
"I can look for information in the Asgardian library; maybe I can find something there," he suggested, although he knew it would take a considerable amount of time before he would find the necessary knowledge amid the depths of thousands of volumes. Unfortunately, he wasn't Loki, who knew every book there.
Suddenly, a dangerously tempting thought crossed his mind.
"Or?" Tony asked, looking at him meaningfully.
"Or what?"
The inventor shrugged.
"You had that look as if you just had an epiphany."
Thor sighed heavily. He had dared to use the power of the box only once, and that was over two years ago. Loki, wherever he was, apparently didn't feel the need to provide any more information, beyond that one sentence that had to suffice as an entire answer. Therefore, Thor had also abandoned the idea of sending anything more. He concluded that his brother needed time to sort everything out and let the negative emotions subside. Thor believed that there would come a day when Loki decided to contact him, when the anger would cool, and the hatred would fade. However, it required time, and Thunderer decided to give his brother as much time as he needed. He had no intention of intruding any further. In the past, Thor had never bothered with such trivial matters, and it had disastrous consequences. He didn't want to repeat that mistake. Loki had left to free himself from Thor's excessive presence in his life, and Thor could at least guarantee him that much.
Would asking about that mysterious object be a violation of the pledge? After all, he didn't intend to persuade Loki to do anything, didn't even plan to ask where he was or what he was doing. Thor just needed information, and he knew well that Loki always enjoyed impressing others with his knowledge on any subject.
"I would need a piece of paper and a picture of that sphere," he said when he made the final decision.
Tony looked at him surprised, but after a moment, he placed a notebook and a pen on the table nearby. Shortly after, Dr Banner printed a photograph of the sphere.
"What do you plan to do with that?" Tony asked.
"A trick," Thor replied, smiling cunningly. Seeing their bewildered faces, he began to better understand why Loki always found such situations immensely amusing.
He took the box from his pocket and placed it on the table. The accompanying men looked at it with undisguised interest. Thor pulled out a card from the notebook, wrote a question about the object from the photo on it, and then folded it. Together with the photograph, he placed it inside the box and gently closed the lid.
"And how is that supposed to help?" Dr Banner asked.
Thor felt like a cheap magician when he opened the box again after a moment and showed them that it was empty.
"I guess you won't pull a rabbit out of there," Tony laughed. "It would be a tiny one."
Thor smiled wider.
"I'm counting on something else."
"What is that little box, anyway?" Bruce asked.
Thor didn't want to answer that question. He knew that his friends wouldn't be pleased to find out he was seeking information from Loki. For obvious reasons, they would be negatively inclined towards it.
"It's a gift I received once. We'll have to wait and see; maybe we'll gain some answers," he replied evasively.
As they were unsure how long they would have to wait for an answer, they collectively decided it was worth moving to a higher level of the tower and having some pizza. Thus, the four of them, along with Pepper, sat in the living room, savouring a highly fragrant and calorific four-cheese pizza, washing it down with a considerable amount of soda. They chatted about various light topics, speculated on the properties of the sphere, and gossiped about the absent members of the team. Tony spared no one, even Fury had to find a place on his mocking list.
"Be glad Natasha or Clint aren't here; otherwise, everything you say would go straight to the director," Pepper warned, wagging her finger at him.
"The worst he can do is give me his critical, one-eyed look. Remember, I largely funded the repair of the Helicarrier. Not to mention, I'm a member of his elite team."
"The most conflict-prone and insubordinate member," Thor laughed.
Tony took a sip of his Scotch and nodded.
"Of course, I have to maintain my reputation. I'm not going to be an errand boy like Steve."
"Where is he, anyway?"
"Oh, who knows, some mission in Rwanda, Uganda, or some equally unhygienic place."
"That's Steve, always ready to help," Pepper remarked.
"Someone kidnapped a few doctors there, and now the entire province is without medical care," added Dr Banner, who was sitting in the corner of the sofa sipping herbal tea.
"It's the perfect mission for..."
Suddenly, a quiet click interrupted Tony's statement, and all eyes turned to the box standing in the middle of the table. Its lid slightly popped open.
Thor leaned in and pulled out a small rolled-up piece of paper. Once again, Loki graced him with just one sentence.
I need more information.
The trio looked at the Asgardian, who shrugged slightly.
"It's quite inconvenient, considering the capacity of that little box," the doctor remarked.
"And I don't feel like transcribing those gigabytes of data into a notebook," Tony added.
They all fell into deep thought for a moment.
"Can't we just put a pendrive in there?" Pepper suggested.
Tony choked on the sip of his drink.
"I have the feeling that that magical box might not be compatible with our technology," the inventor replied.
"I think it's not such a bad idea," Thor countered. "I understand you mean those small devices you use to store information. If that's the case, maybe that form will be enough."
"Well, if you claim that your mysterious oracle can connect something to USB, then I don't see problems. Jarvis, transfer the data from Project 'Grapefruit' to a portable drive."
"I have already started transferring the data, sir."
While Thor sincerely doubted that Loki possessed a device capable of reading the data from the drive, given his abilities, he would surely find a way to retrieve the information. He could decipher ancient Elvish runes, so dealing with Midgardian technology shouldn't be a problem for him.
A few minutes later, a small black pendrive disappeared into the depths of the box.
Two days later, the drive reappeared in the box. Tony eagerly grabbed it and, unable to contain his excitement, connected it to Jarvis's console. A subtle whistle was the first sign of approval.
Dr Banner also entered the laboratory, and that's when Tony scattered the received information on the holographic wall before them. Thor had little idea of what he was looking at. There were numerous charts, diagrams, and calculations. Feeling that it made no sense to ask the scientists about what they had received, he slowly retreated from the laboratory and took the elevator to higher levels. There, buried knee-deep in papers, Pepper sat, intensely analyzing some documents. Not wanting to bother her either, he quietly went to the terrace, where he leaned against the railing and sipped Midgardian beer.
He still had doubts about whether he was doing the right thing, and whether involving Loki in their affair was truly a good decision. On the other hand, he knew that if Loki didn't want any contact, he could simply ignore it. Besides, deep down, he had a bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, that way he could learn a little about his brother's fate in the past two years. He didn't want to inquire or insist in a way that could only irritate Loki further, but curiosity consumed him. The thought that his brother was somewhere out there, but no one knew what was happening to him, was truly frustrating. In moments like these, when Thor had an opportunity to calmly think everything over, he often wondered where fate had led his brother. He had no reports of anyone meeting Loki in the realms with which Asgard maintained contact. Heimdall also couldn't locate him with his all-seeing gaze. However, that was nothing unusual; centuries ago, Loki had learned how to avoid the gaze of the Bifrost's guardian. Thor couldn't even imagine the places that could have become home for his brother.
Late in the evening, as Thor sat in the living room, halfheartedly watching some program on television, Tony emerged from the depths of the laboratory. Without any preamble, he handed the drive with the data to Thor.
"We still need a few more answers," Tony remarked, approaching the bar to drown his fatigue in a glass of alcohol. "If you could use your magical box and send that to Loki again."
Thor visibly recoiled at those words, looking at the inventor with difficult-to-hide astonishment.
"You don't look like someone who knows too many extraterrestrial technology experts," Tony retorted. "It's Loki, right? You're contacting him."
Knowing that further denial was pointless, Thor merely nodded.
"Where is he now? In some dark, wet dungeon?" Tony inquired.
Thor sighed subtly, feeling that they wouldn't like it. Annoyingly, at that very moment, Dr Banner entered the living room with Pepper.
"As usual, I was right," the satisfied constructor quipped.
Apparently, Bruce shared his suspicions.
"I don't know where he is at the moment," Thor answered the earlier question, and seeing their astonished looks, he quickly added, "He was banished from Asgard and is also forbidden from appearing here."
"So, after he wrecked half of New York, you just let him go as long as he doesn't mess up your backyard?" Tony commented.
"Not a very harsh punishment," the doctor added.
"I know that by your standards, Loki committed a terrible crime. However, you must understand that Asgard operates under slightly different laws. A few years ago, I attacked Jotunheim, causing the same destruction. At that time, my father stripped me of my power and sent me to Earth. From the perspective of Asgardians, Loki's actions weren't much different. In fact, his punishment is much harsher; my father left me a loophole, a way to return home. Loki was banished forever."
Something in Thor's tone made Tony refrain from making a sarcastic remark. Instead, he critically looked at the pendrive.
"So, can we be sure that Loki won't help us build an intergalactic bomb with his tips?" Tony asked.
Thor shook his head.
"My brother always liked to impress with his knowledge, so I sincerely doubt he would stoop to giving you incorrect information. Someone might think he made a mistake, and his pride couldn't bear that."
"You're quite confident about that."
"After all, I've known him for quite some time," Thor replied, smiling somewhat mischievously.
Ultimately, after a brief discussion, the doctor and the inventor agreed to use Loki's knowledge again, although both stated that they would double-check every piece of information at that time.
That time, the wait was relatively shorter because the next morning, just after waking up, Thor noticed that the lid of the box was ajar. However, inside, there was no data drive; instead, there was a small, pale blue ball, with a rubbery consistency, and a small note saying "squeeze." Uncertain of how to proceed, Thor went to the living room, where the others appeared after some time.
"It looks rather suspicious," Tony remarked, inspecting the ball. "Jarvis, did you scan it?"
"It's an elastomer built from aliphatic polymer chains, sir."
"So, you mean it's just a piece of rubber?"
"Exactly, sir."
"I think the material doesn't matter here," Thor interjected. "That ball is saturated with magic."
Touched by a bad feeling, the inventor quickly placed it on the table and wiped his hand on his pants. Although his aversion to magic was evident, curiosity got the better of him, and he looked at Thor expectantly.
Thor glanced at the gathered people, seeing that the doctor and Pepper were nodding in agreement. Eventually, he grabbed the ball and squeezed it firmly. Almost immediately, it began to emit a blue glow, and when he put it back on the table, rays emanated upward, forming something that could pass for a very irregular holographic screen. In less than a minute, the vision gained colours and sharpness, allowing them to see the scene of a room. There weren't too many things in the image: a piece of a colourful wall, some quirky lamp, a chair, and a lot of books. Books not only occupied an entire shelf but also piled up in large stacks against the wall. Thor felt something tighten in his throat at the sight. He vividly remembered mocking Loki multiple times, saying that he was competing with the great library of Asgard with his rooms. Apparently, some things never change.
"Look, the projector activated!" unexpectedly, they heard a feminine voice, and after a while, a strange creature appeared in the vision. She had pink skin, equally pink, almost red hair and eyes, and her face was adorned with a joyful, almost childlike smile, although she did not resemble a child in any way, despite being quite small.
"I didn't expect it to work so smoothly," she said to someone outside the frame and then addressed them directly. "Can you see and hear me well?"
Consternation lasted for a longer moment, and Tony was the first to break free from it.
"Loud and clear, whoever you are."
Before the constructor's words fully resonated, a second figure appeared within their view, tall and slim. At first, Thor had difficulty recognizing him. Loki had much longer hair, tied back, and was dressed in a loose white shirt and dark pants, which was entirely different from his usual attire. Moreover, the woman accompanying him also wore only a thin-strapped blouse and shorts, suggesting that wherever they were, it must be warm.
Above all, Loki's facial expression had changed. He seemed so... calm, almost slightly amused, but in a way entirely devoid of his previous madness. Thor couldn't remember the last time he saw him like that.
"So, it was true that you had to spend time with your Midgardian friends," Loki spoke, looking towards Thor. "Although I rather expected the woman from New Mexico."
"No, Jane is not with us," Thor replied, feeling the excitement growing. How many times had he wondered if his brother was safe or simply doing well, and now he saw him in the company of some cheerful, incredibly charming woman, in a place that evidently was his home. A weight lifted off his heart.
"You are Thor, Loki's brother, right?" the girl asked enthusiastically. "He told me a lot about you. I'm Miriady, very pleased to finally meet you."
Thor nodded in greeting and smiled slightly. "Indeed, and these are my friends, Lady Virginia, Tony Stark, and Bruce Banner," he replied, feeling obligated to introduce everyone.
The woman greeted them with a radiant smile. "I've heard about you too. You're the Avengers. Your fame in the battle against the Chitauri has reached even here."
"And where is that 'here'?" Tony asked, clearly pleased by the recent compliment.
"Sakaar," Loki replied, and seeing their surprised expressions, he added, "It's a place Asgardians do not know about. Far beyond the branches of Yggdrasil. But let's not dwell on that. Transmitting for too long isn't necessary. What you asked about will be easier to tell than to describe, besides, I don't have time to write an essay on the matter."
Thor was on the tip of his tongue to ask what was keeping him busy at the other end of the galaxy but ultimately restrained himself. Knowing that they hadn't parted on very good terms, he didn't want to jeopardize the fragile truce that had been established between them with one thoughtlessly thrown sentence. Loki was whole and healthy, and willing to help the Avengers with the mysterious object. That had to be enough.
After a while, the discussion shifted to the laboratory level. Thor sat a bit to the side, observing the increasingly heated debate between the scientists and Loki. They clashed over various theories, used terms Thor would likely never decipher, and adjusted settings. The only thing he could reasonably grasp from the entire discussion was that the examined sphere was some kind of relay or communicator, allowing attempts to connect it with similar devices if they happened to be operational elsewhere. As Stark found the prospect of establishing communication with another civilization highly tempting, he invested considerable effort into making the sphere fulfil its assigned function.
Thor refrained from intervening in the conversation, knowing that with his lack of knowledge, he would contribute nothing constructive. Instead, he gazed at the image displayed by the blue sphere. He had many questions, and was very curious about the things his brother had seen during his journey – surely, it would make an extraordinary tale. Yet, seeing Loki's focused expression, he knew it wasn't the right moment. He hoped he would have the opportunity later, although, on the other hand, he feared the transmission might end as soon as they completed the sphere-related work. Well, if Loki didn't want to talk to him, he would accept it as he promised to himself earlier. After all these years, he finally seemed to realize that he could not force his presence onto anyone. And with regret, he admitted that he was an expert in that over the centuries.
"When you set it to the right frequency, all that remains is to wait," Loki concluded after over an hour. "If you calculate the amplitude correctly and, of course, if there's someone to receive the signal, everything should work now."
"Any ideas about who might be on the other side?" Bruce asked.
Loki shrugged. "Personally, I've never seen any of these spheres, so I wouldn't expect much. They are very old artefacts, and there's a good chance the others have been destroyed. Besides, I cannot guarantee that even if you receive the signal, the other side will be friendly. Ultimately, these spheres could be anywhere."
"We'll wait and see," Tony remarked, wiping his hands on some rags as they were covered in grease from installing a cooling system component. "I never thought I'd say that, but thanks for your help."
Loki smiled somewhat cunningly. "The pleasure is all mine," he replied with sarcasm that sent shivers down mortals' spines.
"Oh, stop provoking them," Miriady interjected. She had disappeared half an hour ago. "I brought ice cream," she added, placing a small container in front of Loki. "Have you finished?"
"Apparently."
"Perfect. The Grandmaster wants us to accompany him during the presentation."
Saying that she approached and sat on Loki's lap. If Thor had any doubts about the nature of their relationship, that gesture must have dispelled them all.
"As you can see, duties are calling me. So, if there are no more questions about the sphere, I bid you farewell."
Loki waited a few more seconds, but as no one spoke up, he reached for his projector, and the image disappeared.
Thor lay on his bed, holding a small blue sphere in his hand. Another small manifestation of his brother's magical genius. Even being on the other end of the universe, he still managed to surprise everyone. Loki's magic was never of the spectacular kind; it always focused on the efficiency of actions. Perhaps that was why, not having the habit of creating illusions of giant beasts, terrifying dragons, or uncontrollable weather phenomena, few in Asgard appreciated his abilities. In that regard, he was similar to his mother; she, too, never flaunted her skills, although both Odin and her sons knew them to be immense.
Unfortunately, Loki never had the social qualities his brother possessed, the ability to make friends easily. Thor always had a natural talent for that. Over time, Loki distanced himself more and more from everyone. Despite his talents, he became increasingly disdainful of those around him. Thor had heard countless times from Loki's mouth the reproach that feasts were a primitive entertainment for imbeciles, and constant exercises caused the brain to yield to muscles. That attitude couldn't win him anyone's favour. Of course, his position as the son of the ruler and the second prince protected him from direct attacks, but he was well aware of what was said behind his back.
Only Thor never paid attention to it, always thinking it was just silly banter, and Loki didn't care about it, after all, he always made such an impression. He seemed to disregard most of the Asgardians and their whispers, too proud to take them to heart. Yet, perhaps it was all just a perfect act. How many years, how many centuries had Loki suppressed the need for acceptance within himself? How long did it take for him to realize that he would never gain it, that the only path available to him led over corpses?
Thor sighed heavily and sat on the bed. He would like to tell Loki that he understood, or at least he tried not to be so blind to the reality around him. Loki would probably mock him, but it was Midgard who taught Thor that subtle quality – empathy. Something that in Asgard was considered a negligible trait of the weak, on the Earth was held in awe. People like Steve or Bruce, who were always ready to help those in need, were presented as examples for others. Most importantly, people try to understand others, their motives, and needs. Nothing there was black and white; Midgardians oscillated between different shades of grey. They could be mean one moment and noble the next. Nothing was simple. The longer Thor stayed in that environment, the more he noticed that his life was the same, but he had too straightforward a way of thinking to see it.
But now it was a bit too late for such reflections. He didn't intend to burden his brother with similar thoughts; it wouldn't change anything. Besides, when he saw how calmly, without previous anger and bitterness, Loki talked to Stark and Banner, he understood that wherever Sakaar was, Loki was happy there. He left, left his home and family, and freed himself from the stigma of his past. And in that new life, Thor was no longer needed.
That thought strangely hurt him. In the past, he liked to think that the bond between them was inseparable. However, fate made it clear to him that it was entirely different. Despite everything, Loki was doing perfectly well without him and Thor should accept it and forget about it. He should let his brother live his life and not torment him with memories of the past. But it wasn't so easy to erase someone from memory with whom he had spent over a thousand years. Perhaps Loki could do it; maybe his resentment and anger were enough to drown out any sentiments. However, Thor couldn't. He wanted to be able to talk to his brother again, enjoy common entertainment, and argue about the smallest things. Sometimes he even missed Loki's typical malicious remarks, mocking everyone for the slightest stumble. Asgard seemed empty without him. That's why Thor eagerly returned to Earth, even if there was no clear reason for it.
At that moment, looking at that small blue sphere, Thor struggled with the irresistible urge to squeeze it again and talk to his brother. So much had happened over the last two years; there were so many things he wanted to tell him. But he didn't. He was too afraid that it would only irritate Loki. That doing that he would again intrude into his brother's life with his boots. Life in which there was no place for him.
So, in the end, he reluctantly put the sphere aside. He promised to accept Loki's decision. That's what he wrote in the letter to him. However, even though more than two years had passed, he still couldn't do it.
"Damn it," he muttered with irritation, then got up from the bed and, without thinking too much, went to a small table in the corner of the room. He tore a sheet from the notebook lying there, wrote one sentence, and before he could change his mind, he put it into the small wooden box standing on the bedside table. Then he sighed and sat heavily on the mattress.
On the note that disappeared into the box, there was one question: "Do you want to talk?"
End of Part Two.
The entire story consists of only five chapters, but I warn you that, unlike the first two, the next three are very, truly disproportionately long.
Two more pieces of information at the end. The OC Miriady, created by me, was visually inspired somewhat by Catrina, the Collector's slave. As for Sakaar itself, it is, of course, another reference to Ragnarok, although, as you will see in the next chapter, I let my imagination run a bit wild, and it is quite different from its cinematic counterpart.