In Asgard, Kiana was sat in her room when suddenly the power of the Aether surrounds her and everything around her turned red for a moment, then Volstagg entered the room with two guards.
"Kiana Ofuda. You need to come with us." The Einherjar Lieutenant said.
Fandral and Odin inspected the damage to the palace where Malekith had crashed his ship
"We are still unable to restore the palace shields. Our artillery cannot detect them, even Heimdall cannot see them. My King, we are all but defenseless." Fandral said.
Thor approached them.
"She's your prisoner now?" Thor turned to Fandral, Volstagg and the guards. "Leave us." They all started walking off and left Thor with Odin.
"I do not wish to fight with you." Odin said.
"Nor I with you, but I intend to pursue Malekith." Thor said.
"We possess the Aether, Malekith will come to us." Odin said.
"Yes, and you will destroy us." Thor said.
"You overestimate the power of these creatures." Odin said.
"No, I value our peoples lives. I'll take Kiana to the Dark World and draw the enemy away from Asgard. When Malekith pulls the Aether from Kiana it will be exposed, vulnerable, and I will destroy it and him." Thor said.
"If you fail, you risk this weapon falling into the hands of our enemies." Odin said.
"The risk is far greater if we do nothing. His ship could be over our heads right now and we'd never even know it." Thor said.
"If and when he comes, his men will fall by ten thousand Asgardian blades." Odin said.
"And how of our men shall fall on theirs?" Thor said.
"As many as are needed!" Odin said. There was a moment pause. "We will fight! Until the last Asgardian breath, the last drop of Asgardian blood."
"And how are you different from Malekith?" Thor said. Odin chuckled.
"The difference, my son, is that I will win." Odin turned and walked off.
Xxx
Back on Earth, Rei paced around her apartment, talking to herself.
"Kuri isn't called me back. Erik isn't calling me back. Stupid SHIELD isn't calling me back!" Rei said.
Rei left a voice message for Erik. "Uh...hey, Erik. It's Rei again. Uh...Loki came back, he took Kuri to Asgard and um...I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do."
Rei hung up the phone and started watching the news.
As Rei was watching the news they started reporting about Erik being arrested at Stonehenge.
"Something else went missing this week when Astrophysicist, Dr. Erik Selvig, notable for his involvement in the Alien invasion in New York streaked nude across Stonehenge." The news reporter said. "...disrobed and began shouting at visitors at the historic site. He was later taken into police custody for psychiatric evaluation. The police are still refusing to confirm..."
Rei sat in dismay as she looked at Erik's face on the TV.
Xxx
In Asgard, Thor was sat alone when Heimdall walked up to him.
"You're not in Odin's war council?" Thor said.
"The Bifrost is closed by your father's orders. No one is to come or to go." Heimdall took off his helmet and placed it on the table. "We face an enemy that is invisible even to me. Of what use is a guardian such as that?" He sat down looking defeated.
"Malekith will return, you know this. I'll need your help." Thor said.
"I cannot overrule my King's wishes, not even for you." Heimdall said.
"I'm not asking you to. The Realms need their All-Father strong and unchallenged, whether he is or not. But he is blinded, Heimdall, by hatred and by grief." Thor said.
"As are we all." Heimdall said.
"Well I see clearly enough." Thor said.
"The risks are too great." Heimdall said.
"Everything that we do from here on is a risk, there is no other way." Thor said.
Heimdall hesitated before replying.
"What do you require of me?" Heimdall said.
"What I'm about to ask of you is treason of the highest order. Success will bring us exile and failure shall mean our death. Malekith knew the Aether was here, he can sense its power. If we do nothing he will come for it again, but this time lay waste to all of Asgard." Thor said. Thor was holding a meeting with Sif, Fandral, Volstagg and Heimdall. "We must move Kuri and Kiana off world."
"The Bifrost has been shut down and the Tesseract locked away in a vault." Sif said.
"There are other paths off Asgard, ways known only to a few." Heimdall said.
"One, actually." Thor said.
The others suddenly realized he meant Loki.
"No." Volstagg said.
Kuri shimmered in. "Let me talk to him. He's been waiting."
Kuri walked up to Loki's cell where he was standing looking well kept and clean. He also looked very angry.
"You knew. You didn't tell me. YOU COULD HAVE SAVED HER!" He screamed, and the force of his power shattered his illusion. Suddenly Loki's cell was transformed, the illusion was lifted and Loki's cell was a mess, everything had been thrown around and he was sat on the floor, looking unkempt and messy, in the other corner of the cell.
"Loki...I tried..." Kuri said softly. "Your mother knew. Before I spoke the words, she stopped me and sent me to safety. She was very brave."
Kuri walked up to the other side of the cell to be closer to Loki.
"Did she suffer?" Loki said.
"I did not come here to share our grief. Instead I offer you the chance of a far richer sacrament." Kuri said.
"Go on." Loki said.
"I know you seek vengeance as much as I do. You help me escape Asgard and I will grant it to you, vengeance. And afterward, freedom."
Loki echoed her earlier words to him "You must be truly desperate to come to me for help."
"I told you I would return when we were truly desperate my love." Kuri said.
"Hmm. When do we start?" Loki said.
Loki and Kuri walked out of the Asgardian prison.