Chapter 6: Morning After the Storm

On the warm morning of June first, a red truck sped through the desert trail but slowed down when spotting a crater outside the road. The driver had been traveling this trail for a long time and had never encountered this before.

Curiosity took hold as the man exited the vehicle and slid into the crater to investigate. He found something stuck in the center of a sandy rock, suspecting it as a hammer. Little did he know if he proved himself worthy, the tool would no longer be ordinary.

The driver attempted to pull it by the handle, using both hands and pushing his boot against the rock; it didn't work. No matter how hard he tried, the hammer refused to budge. The man panted for breath and put his hands on his hips, staring at the Mjolner in wonder.

~000~000~000~

Rainbow colors flashed before Kelsey's eyes. She could hear swooshing noises and screams, which came from her. She squeezed her lids and endured the motion sickness from the spinning - this was like a roller coaster ride to hell. The landing was far more brutal. Numbness overcame her; she didn't have the strength to move a muscle, not even to blink her eyelids. Kelsey felt like she was underwater without a snorkel required. Nothing was concise as to what she was hearing.

"Open your eyes!"

The words were muffled - almost an echo. Someone was calling out to her - a paramedic, maybe. Obedience became regrettable, for a light painfully blinded her eyes. Was she in the hospital or Heaven? Kelsey avoided the light and shifted towards the moving colors of green, gold, and black - a faceless person.

Was Jesus standing in front of her, trying to tell her something? Why wasn't she moving? The servant needed to show respect if this was the King of Kings himself. Why didn't she have the strength? Was this real or a dream? She couldn't know for sure. Someone called her, begging her to stay in the light with him. The fight to stay awake exhausted her further. She was losing, too tired to do anything, falling back into what could be an eternal slumber.

She remembered the last words said to her - a gentle whisper.

"You are safe here... You have my word."

Kelsey's heart fastened as she exhaled, slowly regaining consciousness from her intense dream.

The first thing she felt was a pounding sensation in the brain as if it was demanding a way out of her skull. Finally able to move, Kelsey lifted her hand, touching a thin silk cover. This wasn't her bedsheet, and Kelsey realized she wasn't sleeping on a springy mattress anymore but on a very uncomfortable metal table. No doubt, her back would be sore from it. She didn't hear or feel Darcy's warm presence next to her.

Kelsey opened her eyes, and once again, she regretted it. She winced and shielded the sun's rays with her blanket. The RV had blinds to cover the windows; the sun shouldn't be shining through so excessively. That's when Kelsey knew that she wasn't sleeping in familiarity.

Her first instinct was to do one thing.

Freak out.

"What the fu-" Kelsey slid off the table to stand, yet her legs collapsed, kneeling on the marble floor. Her heart beat loudly, hearing the blood pulsing against her ears. Her breath quickened, hyperventilating.

Kelsey knew something had happened to her but couldn't remember what. She knew this place wasn't a hospital, for she would've had an IV stuck in her arm (she'd known because the teen had her tonsils removed ten years ago) or felt the breeze on her backside. Her soul couldn't be in the palace of paradise. Heaven was where you no longer had to suffer - no pain, sorrow, or shame. Nausea and dizzy spells kicked in once she was up on her feet. She kneeled and rested her elbows on the table, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her tongue against the roof of her mouth to hold back the vomit.

"My lady!" a voice echoed in the room. "Are you alright?"

"Mm-mm," Kelsey shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. She slowly lifted herself back on her feet while slouching, relying on the table for support.

"Over here!" The girl lifted her head to search for the source, possibly a doctor, but couldn't find him anywhere - not on her left, right, or above. "For goodness sake, child! I am lying on the table in front of you!"

Kelsey found a Cary Elwes look-alike on the table, a patient like her.

"Good day, mademoiselle," Fandral grinned. He didn't expect the girl to wake, but this was what he called 'perfect timing.' He propped his elbows so he could greet Kelsey properly. He bowed and waved his hand in greeting, "I am Fandral, Warrior and Protector of Asgard. And who might you be?"

Kelsey squinted in silent confusion, "I'm sorry. What?" Fandral repeated himself, though his title didn't provide any assurance for her fragile mind. Apparently, she was in a mental institution and under a heavy dose of medication. The man on the table was just a deluded patient who believed himself to be... she forgot what he called himself.

"I'm sorry... um... Whi-which hospital are we in?" Instead of pleasantries, the girl demanded answers. It was understandable due to her condition.

"Um - well, you're in the healing room, my dear," Fandral responded. "Now, could you tell me your-"

"Healing room?" Kelsey questioned his choice of words.

Fandral nodded, "Why yes. Now about your na-"

"Where is that?" she pressed. "Is it outside of Puente Antiguo? Where's Jane? Did she bring me here?!"

Fandral was confused by the girl's questions, but he answered her anyway, knowing her name would have to wait, "Young lady, we're not in a place you call Puente Antiguo. I know nothing of the lady you speak of. Is she your sister?"

"No, my aunt." Of course, he wouldn't know. He was a patient, after all. Her pulse was racing, her head was pounding, and her stomach was churning intently. She could puke at any time.

"Then, where on earth are we?" she whispered.

"Unfortunately, my dear. We are not in the realm you call Earth."

That statement pushed Kelsey over the edge, making her laugh with unease. She didn't wish to hear this nonsense, not from a deluded person.

"Oh really?" she forced a grin. Her voice was high-pitched, trying to hold back her frustration. "So which planet are we stuck in? Where's my doctor?" she demanded, struggling to find the button for nurse assistance. "Where is that freakin' pager?" Fandral could see that her sweet voice and actions weren't in sync. He jumped unwillingly when she irritably banged her fist on the table.

"My lady, please, calm yourself," he attempted to soothe her unsuccessfully.

"I'm sorry. Did you just tell me to calm down?" Fandral leaned away from the challenge. "See... I was sleeping in a crappy RV - that's the last thing I remembered! I was sleeping... somewhat peacefully, and now I'm here," she gestured her scenery, "and I don't see my family anywhere. Do you?"

Fandral replied the obvious, "No, I don't."

"Exactly. So I'm sorry, sir, but I can't calm down - not until I figure out what is going..." Then she noticed the blood on her clothes, gasping for breath, about to panic.

"Oh dear," Fandral cautioned; the woman undoubtedly theorized all the worst-case scenarios in her mind.

"Sir... Where am I?" she whispered. "Where the... the fu... Ah!" A sheering pain flared in her skull as if the walls were closing in and squeezing her brain. The room was spinning. Fandral's questions and suggestion to fetch Eir reached deaf ears. She lost her footing, tumbling onto her knees again. Her posture was hunched, eyes clenched shut, oblivious to the gentle hand on her back. She prayed for mercy, asking God for his healing hand and comfort. The pain became unbearable - no longer able to conjure up words and thoughts. She didn't realize she was lying on her side, until her world turned black

~000~000~000~

The temperature may be rising outside, but it was freezing inside Smith Motors. Garrett and Darcy stayed up half the night, waiting for Jane and Erik to return with Kelsey, but they eventually crashed onto the couch. Each slept on opposing sides, tugging the furry quilt back and forth for warmth.

Garrett woke up to the loud Spongebob theme song on TV. He yawned, sitting up to stretch his arms back, wincing from the familiar soreness he would feel after hours of practice or sleeping wrong. The ice packs duct-taped around Garrett's biceps melted into water bags, soaking the cushions. His stomach growled when the scent of coffee entered his nose. He spotted a familiar doctor brewing a cup for himself. Garrett reached across the couch to wake Darcy, only to receive a dismissing slap.

"Back off, Gary," she grumbled. "The horn hasn't blown yet." She didn't want to wake up, but Garrett didn't care. He shared a couch with her; it was awkward enough.

"Darcy!"

Erik jumped in fright and cried in pain, again spilling coffee on his front. His mouth opened wide, letting out silent curses as the dark liquid burned his skin. Darcy was wide awake in time to see the doctor suffer. She glared at her couch mate with pursed lips and shook her head in a scolding manner.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Me?!" Garrett was ready to give this woman a piece of his mind, but he sidetracked after seeing Professor Selvig. He couldn't help but offer the man compassion. "Professor Erik, damn! I'm sorry, man," Garrett tore up a couple of paper towels to wipe the stain off Erik's shirt.

"Give me that!" Erik snatched the paper towels from Garrett to clean himself. He required another round of aloe from the garden store, making a mental note to buy extra; there was no telling what could happen tomorrow morning.

"Hey, Erik," Darcy called for him. Erik turned to face the girl, only to get sprayed by cold water, dousing his burning skin. Erik breathed and spat out the water in his mouth, embracing the cold in silence. Darcy eventually released the trigger of the sink's hose, smiling in satisfaction.

"You alright, man?" Garrett asked Erik, roughly patting the man's shoulder. Erik glared at the teenager as if he had asked something dumb. He spilled hot coffee on himself, earning another first - possibly second-degree burn on his skin, and now he's drenched in cold water. Of course, he wasn't alright.

Erik pressed his lips together to hold back a snarky comment, forcing a false smile instead, "Just peachy, Garrett. Just peachy." He looked at them curiously, "What are you two doing up?"

The young adults glared at him as if he had asked a stupid question.

"Hello?!" Darcy waved her arms. "Is Kelsey here?!"

Erik sighed and lowered his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. Garrett and Darcy knew it wasn't a good sign.

"Damn it," Garrett cursed quietly. "How's Jane doing?"

Erik shook his head, placing his empty coffee mug on the counter, "Not good. We've been up all night, speaking with the sheriff." He nudged at the work table where Jane had fallen asleep. Erik's coat covered her back for warmth. "He said he'll send some officers to check out the scene; told us to stay put if Kelsey decides to come back."

"Do what?" Garrett pressed, pinching his brows in disbelief. "You sayin' that he don't believe us?"

Erik sighed, recalling the same question Jane had asked Sheriff Herandez after giving her testimony. "He didn't say that exactly-"

Darcy scoffed, placing a hand on her hip, "Then what exactly did he say, Erik?"

"He just found our story... peculiar, that's all."

This shouldn't surprise the team, for they wouldn't have believed it either. A twister wouldn't come without warning, not under the radar's watch. According to the weather report, this town must endure another week of drought. As for the lunatic in the hospital, he was just a bum suffering a heat stroke.

"He said they're going to do everything they can, but chances are, they're looking at Kelsey as a runaway."

The young adults groaned in unison. This wasn't how they wanted their summer vacation to go. Darcy hated how she had to sacrifice Pina Coladas and beaches to acquire enough credits for graduation. Not only was her payless job at stake, but she was stuck in a desert town with a mystery to solve. She was no Nancy Drew. She was a political science major.

Undoubtedly, Jane would oppose the sheriff's idea to kick back and let the police do the work. More work will fall onto Darcy's shoulders if the team investigates Kelsey's disappearance and the 'subtle aurora'. The intern was positive that her neighbor wouldn't mind sharing the burden to impress Jane. Why couldn't he attend basketball boot camp this summer?

"Is AJ asleep?" Erik asked.

"He's been sleeping like a baby," Darcy responded proudly, gesturing to the RV parked outside. She stretched and massaged the crick in her neck, hating how she had to sleep on the firm surface and share the narrow space with Garrett, "unlike the rest of us." The neighbor agreed as he discarded the duct tape and tossed the ice packs on the sink.

"Good," Erik nodded, glancing at the counter. Two Ibuprofen pills offered to Garrett last night remained untouched. It seemed his injuries weren't severe after all. The ice packs alone must've eased the soreness and bruising. "That's good," The older man popped the rejected pills for his burns, sipping water from the faucet. "With everything happening with his sister," he wiped his mouth, "Jane and I agree it's best to let him sleep in, just this once."

"If only you guys could do that for your interns," Darcy said quietly, rolling her eyes.

"What's that?" Erik challenged.

"Nothing," the woman squeaked.

~000~000~000~

Thor woke in the hospital with a bright light shining on his face. Much to his annoyance, everything that happened wasn't a dream.

He remembered meeting a few pathetic mortals, and one of them used a weapon against him. How dare she attack the Son of Odin? How dare the mortals abduct him? They all needed to be severely punished.

Thor tried to get up but couldn't move. Restraints tied his wrists and ankles to the hospital bed. Without his super godly strength, Thor couldn't break through his imprisonment. This is not happening. Not to me. Why can I not break free? I am Thor, the god of thunder. This is...

"Impossible," he growled.

~000~000~000~

Jane's awakened eyes contained baggy, dark circles around them. She remembered being up all night searching the desert and talking with the police, yet somehow she fell asleep on the worktable. Maybe Erik had something to do with that. There was no time to sleep and eat. Her niece was missing, and it was all Jane's fault. She vowed to remain restless until Kelsey was found, regardless of what Sheriff Herandez had said about Kelsey running away.

Jane returned to her computer and journal, writing her observations and analyzing the footage. She was oblivious to the faint footsteps coming her way until she heard it.

"Jane?" She looked over her shoulder to see her nephew in his Batman pajamas, still sleepy.

"Hey there, buddy," Jane greeted him, putting on the happy mask for the boy's sake. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," AJ yawned unwillingly. "Is Kelsey home?"

Jane's smile fell, fighting back the tears. Jane was a grown woman - a godmother. She needed to be strong for her nephew.

"No," Jane answered sadly, though tried to be optimistic. "She's not... not yet."

His eyes averted to the floor, "Oh."

"I know this is hard, but I promise you I'll do everything I can to find her."

"I know..." AJ looked at Jane's desk to see the storm pictures. "Can I help?"

"Um..." Jane looked between AJ and the footage in debate, "I don't think you can, AJ. Thank you, but this is my work stuff. I don't want you to mess up anything. Go play with your Nintendo, alright?"

AJ pouted and huffed in annoyance. Then, he remembered something that could help Jane. He hurried back inside the RV to get it while Jane was zooming on an image of the twister.

A few moments later, AJ returned with a digital camera.

"Jane, look at this!"

Jane glanced at the picture no longer than one millisecond before returning her attention to the computer. "That's nice, AJ," she dismissed.

"No, Jane," AJ insisted. "Look. You gotta see this!"

"Hold on, AJ," she lifted a finger. "Give me a minute."

"But Jane, this is important!"

"I said, hold on. I need to focus on this," Jane said in a motherly-warning tone. AJ was pushing her buttons. The last thing she wanted was to be interrupted.

"Jane, look!" AJ waved his camera like a flag across her line of vision, hoping it would gain Jane's attention. "It's about last night! It's important!"

Knowing he wouldn't leave unless she looked, Jane huffed, taking the camera to see, only to double-take at the image with genuine interest. Her eyebrows furrowed as she zoomed in and then out. It was dark, but the moonlight illuminated a circular pattern on the desert ground.

"What is this?" her brows furrowed, asking in a breathless whisper. "Did you find this online or something?"

"No," AJ shook his head. "Last night. While you guys were carrying Thor, I noticed that on the ground, so I took a picture of it. I would've told you guys sooner, but-"

"We were standing on it the whole time?"

"I guess so. I didn't know tornadoes could do that. I mean, Miss Barnes just taught us what to do during a storm. But she is a teacher, right? Not an as-troll-li-tist like you-"

"AJ, do you realize what this means?" Jane questioned, not bothering to correct his pronunciation and terminology. The boy shrugged, indicating that he had no idea. Jane replayed the footage on her computer, pausing when the cloud began to form.

"It means... that this right here," she pointed at the screen, "isn't a normal twister at all. It's not even a magnetic storm. This - This is different."

AJ still didn't understand, but he was glad he'd done something significant - one step closer to finding her sister. The professor and the students returned from the diner in time to hear the hypothesis.

~000~000~000~

Heimdall was staring into the cosmos. His hands were resting on the handle of his key blade, not moving a muscle. He didn't have to turn around to know who was entering the dome nor understand his purpose for this visit.

"Anything informative about that girl?" the prince demanded, skipping the formalities.

"I knew you would come here to ask me that question," Heimdall retorted, not looking away from the starry cosmos. "Are you to ask about your brother as well?"

"Are you to answer my question?" Loki retorted with a bitter attitude. The Gatekeeper was trying his patience.

Heimdall paused momentarily before addressing his prince. "She is Kelsey...of Midguard. She resided in a small village called Puente Antiguo." Loki listened intently, absorbing the information. Kelsey. That was her name. "The girl's companions - they all worry for her."

"Yes, I am sure they are, but I am afraid the girl is not permitted to leave anytime soon."

"You could at least acknowledge the girl's well-being," Heimdall suggested. "Perhaps you can offer Thor support, despite his banishment-"

Loki scoffed, "Boosting my brother's ego is the last thing he needs at the moment. If that is all you have to share, Heimdall, I best be on my way." For that, Loki turned away from the Gatekeeper.

"I am surprised you have not revisited the woman."

Loki halted to face the guardian again, "You have the gift of sight, do you not?"

"Yes, your highness."

"Then you should know I have already paid her a visit today. She is resting peacefully."

"Not anymore," Heimdall stated. Loki tensed his facial muscles, wrinkling his smooth skin.

"I beg your pardon?" the prince asked.

"The girl... she has awakened. Though, I must warn you. She is not taking kindly to..." Heimdall didn't finish his sentence, knowing Loki had already left the dome.

~000~000~000~

Kelsey breathed deeply, not in pain but in exhaustion. She couldn't get over the weird dream she had. She thanked God that she wasn't dead. Heaven was the most wonderful place in the universe, better than Disney World - the happiest place on earth - but her sixteen-year-old self wasn't ready to die. She expected to wake up in a cramped vehicle and smell Darcy's morning breath - possibly her own. She blinked, knowing immediately that she wasn't there—a floral perfume evaporated in the air - too strong for Kelsey's liking. The size of the room was massive yet ancient, almost reminding her of Hogwarts Castle. Instead of a bed or operation table, Kelsey slept uncomfortably on a green-patterned chaise with two decorative feather pillows.

Her thoughts were interrupted by muffled conversation, following the sound to see two women standing across the room. Both dressed like they were in a Renaissance, just like Fandral. One was dressed in sparkling gems and jewelry fit for a queen.

This can't be real.

The queen noticed the girl's wake, approaching her with an assuring smile. She didn't take offense when Kelsey was frightfully scooting back into a corner, tucking her knees against her chest. Questions soured the poor child's mind. The queen was happy to answer every one of them, starting with the most obvious.

"Welcome to Asgard."