The soft rain turned into a pelting storm, the wind howling outside and rattling against the windows. Steve had not moved from his seated position in the conference room, even as Tony interrogated Jennica for her earlier actions. His thoughts were otherwise occupied, deciding what the next move would be, now that they had the trickster locked up in a spare room. It was obvious that Loki had come for Jennica, and despite them having known each other, she still possessed great power. It wasn't too far-fetched to believe that Loki had come for it. The Tesseract was his motive in 2012. Why not the Fractals now?
"I have news to share." Thor announced, rather clamorously, as he barged into the room.
Steve immediately stood. "Thor, thank God you're back."
"My father sent Loki here, have you secured him?" A heavy stack of old books was slammed down onto the table.
"Of course, that was our first instinct." Tony replied, finally taking his attention off of Jennica. "So it's true that he was banished?"
"He was. I was there to witness it myself."
"We had a hard time believing him." Wanda grimaced. "He probably doesn't like us too much right now."
"Do not take offense to it, he hardly likes anyone." Thor picked up the top book from the pile. "But I have news, my friends. Good news! My father and I were able to find the sector that the Time Stone Fractals are hidden in, based off of the contents of this book."
Steve nodded. "I guess that is good news, but what about your brother?"
"I've come to take Loki with me. I know he requested Midgard for Jennica's sake, but he would be useful in the search."
"You trust him enough on a mission like that?"
"I did last time and we were successful. There may be a further change in him yet, I have not lost hope."
Tony sucked a breath through his teeth and shrugged. "We'll see. Here," he handed over a key card, "go and talk to him. Get him out of our hair."
Thor took the key card, fumbling with it. "Thank you. Jennica, come with me."
She blinked, surprised by that, and she stood to follow.
They walked the halls to Loki's room, matching the door number with the one printed on the key card. Thor slid the card in, turned the knob, and they were met with a dim room, Loki sitting on the edge of the small bed in the corner.
Loki's eyes lifted. "You're back."
"I came as quickly as I could." Thor sat beside him, along with Jennica. "Father and I found a sector location for more of the fractals. I am planning to leave as soon as I can."
Loki's eyes lit up with surprise. "So it is possible to find the others."
"It is, but they are heavily guarded and it is a dangerous journey." He clasped a heavy hand to Loki's shoulder. "I want you to come with me."
The faint smile he had fell. "What? Me?"
"You helped us so much on Alfheim. I need your help."
Loki swallowed. "Brother, my success was based solely on my magic. I no longer have it, I will be of no use."
"But you will have your wits! I'm not a thinker like you."
"I know I won't last. I hardly know how to live without my magic. It became such a crutch for me all these years." He could see the pity in Jennica's eyes, making him unable to meet them. "Thor, I came here in hopes of helping Jennica."
"She has been controlling the Fractals just fine, there is nothing to worry about."
"She may be controlling them for now, but what do we know? That there are eighteen of them and they may all change fate itself. What else? They're powerful. That's all we know. We don't know exactly why the Fractals grew out of control to attack their host."
"The Fractals don't require a host."
Loki frowned. "Where did you hear that?"
"I read it in the books. I couldn't understand everything, though. The language was too ancient."
Loki paused for a moment, thinking. He was good at that. "Bring the books here."
"Loki–"
"Look, if I am going to be of use, then you might as well leave me here to decipher what you could not. You can't very well expect yourself to find all of the Fractals and handle them if you do not understand all of their properties."
"Even if we brought Jennica along, you would stay?"
Jennica wanted to shake her head in protest. She was not ready for another adventure, much less one involving more of the Fractals. Loki could see the uncertainty in her eyes.
"Neither of us will go. You've helped her enough, but now it is my turn. Please, bring me the books. We need to make sure these Fractals aren't more than just restless."
There was no arguing with him, no convincing. He sat firmly in his place, believing his decision to be right.
Thor turned to Jennica. "Do you agree with this?"
Her heart thumped so heavily that she could barely breathe. It was a mixture of her fear, of Loki sitting right there, and Oveaus whispering in her ear. "I do." Her hands folded. "I want to stay. It's... safer that way."
Loki seemed to be put at ease after hearing that. "I would like to start right away, if you don't mind."
"Oh yes, of course, I just hope the rest of the Avengers are as accepting of this idea. Natasha will throw a fit about it when she comes back."
Loki grumbled. "Always in the way, aren't they?"
"They're just careful, and you are a criminal here."
Loki's gaze met his lap. "I suppose I am."
"But I won't leave until I convince them, alright?" He patted Loki's back, trying to offer a brotherly gesture, but Loki stiffened a little.
"I would like to see the books."
"Oh yes, the books. Right..."
...
Needless to say, there was an argument about Loki staying, and a heated one at that. Loki had heard it through the walls of his room, but he ignored their protests and flipped through the pages of the books around him.
Thanks to his mother, he could read those old runes, the tongues of the sorcerers. Odin was never involved with enough deep magic to know them. With every page, he seemed to get further away from the truth, however.
Thor was right. The Fractals did not require a host. They were ready to be servants, not control their masters. So why, even while they strengthened, did they react against Jennica's will?
"They only act on command." The book read.
So did someone else give the command? Loki wondered, ruling out every possibility. Is she being used? He knew exactly what that felt like.
There was so much in this book, even a chapter about the Crown. It was the stronghold for keeping every Fractal once they were found. To wear the Crown would bestow the Master of the Universe title. It made him shiver with greed that he had to swallow.
The back of the book held the oldest tongue of all, with stories of the sorcerers who built the temples for the fractals of each stone. Loki was encompassed by the tales. He began muttering in the tongue out loud, watching as the runes on the book illuminated, tingled under his finger tips.
It was so much fun to see magic at work, even when he had none. There was a spell in this book and mere words were making them come to life. He read them louder until his sight was no more and there was nothing but darkness.
What have I done?
There was silence, and the nerve of someone watching. He felt around himself. The book was no longer on his lap.
Had he opened a path? Was he in shock from having used magic on his newly mortalized body?
It wanted him. It was calling for him, and he was filled with sudden fear.
Darkness clung to Loki, and he wanted to claw at it, but there was no escape. He just felt it. Whatever it was, it wanted him. But he could not see. There was no escape.
His heartbeat quickened and he crawled on his knees. Claustrophobia began to overwhelm him. His head throbbed, his body trembled. He could feel something, or someone, watching. Watching him and his every movement, just waiting to lunge out and strike.
Loki tried to call out, to ask who was there, but his voice was suddenly gone. Nothing would come out. Not a single sound.
Panic rose but he forced it down. He gasped for air that seemed to be running out. What was happening? Where was he? Why was it so dark?
Whispers grazed his ears.
"Wake up, Laufeyson. Wake up..."
He threw the book to the ground when he snapped out of the trance.
"Loki?" Standing in the doorway, genuinely concerned, was Jennica. She held a tray of food. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He was suddenly giddy. "Everything is perfect! Oh, just set the tray on the table."
She obeyed, going to pick up the tossed book immediately after. "What happened? You seem a little..."
"Wild? I feel it. I might have had a breakthrough."
"Already?"
"You sound as though you doubt my abilities." He quirked an eyebrow.
"You're just without magic. I didn't expect results so fast."
"That's just the thing. I activated a spell without magic!" He stood, taking back the book and flipping to the page. "Here. I read about the dark sorcerers of old, and I opened a path."
"To what?"
"I don't know, but look," he traced the edges of the page. "They're burnt now."
Jennica followed his movement with her eyes. "Is it possible to activate magic without possessing some yourself?"
Loki shrugged. "You rarely ever hear of it happening. Usually the magic deems mortals unworthy of its use. It must know who I really am..."
The leftover magic sizzled away into the runes and faded. Jennica could see them and frowned. Something wrenched in her chest, a sudden dread.
"Loki... if this is dark magic, maybe you shouldn't be summoning it."
"I can't tell what it is without some of my own." He closed the book and set it aside. "Even if it was, it was only for a moment. There was no harm done."
"You would be one to say that even if there was."
He chuckled, sitting on the side of his bed. There was a mischievous twinkle in his emerald eyes. "You know me so well, love."
"Don't call me that."
"Why not?"
"Because we ended it, remember?"
It stung to hear her say it. Loki swallowed. "I thought you said you regretted leaving me."
"I regret leaving you on Alfheim and coming here. Leaving the relationship we were creating was best for the both of us."
Loki stood again, making his frown obvious. "Was it?"
"Yes." She tried not to notice him stepping closer. Her heart quivered. "Loki, we would tear each other apart. We have two vastly different battles of our own, we would end up hurting each other. I know we would."
"But do you really mean to say you do not love me?" He waited for a response. Nothing. Trying not to smirk, he watched her gaze break away. "I thought so."
"I'm not sure there is a way for us to make it work. Not for awhile, at least."
"I think there is." He tilted her head so she was looking at him again. "I am here to help you because I care. That alone should prove your worth to me. We fought battles together on Alfheim. Who's to say we can't be a team against others?"
"I... I suppose."
"And now that we're on the path to success, we can only move forward."
Jennica released a calm breath, nodding and trying to smile. She could feel him brushing her cheek and it calmed her racing heart. "Alright. I trust you."
He raised his eyebrows. "You do?"
"I do. You haven't done anything to break it."
I might. Just you wait. "Well, you're the first to say so."
She smiled, wholeheartedly. "You had to hear it from someone." She missed him so much. Now her heart was finally coming to terms with it. How easy it was for him to bewitch her...
"If only we could find why your Fractals acted out..." Loki broke the thoughts with verbal ones of his own. "My intuition says that the path I opened may be a clue." He knelt by the pile of books.
"Maybe someone is using them. Not me."
"Manipulating them into thinking you're the one giving them the commands? Only dark magic could do that..." He paused. "Wait, didn't Ulric say that the elders used the artifacts, sometimes for dark magic?"
"Yes, something like that."
"Your locket is an artifact and someone is using it." He teased the idea and it sounded right when leaving his mouth.
The blood slightly left Jennica's face. "I'm being used?"
"We don't know for sure, but someone could be trying... trying to kill the master. The Fractals won't serve an outsider."
He must have learned this all from the books, or it was pure speculation. Whatever the case, it was not the news Jennica wanted to hear.
Loki continued. "The lockets came from Alfheim. We just might have to go back."
"Well we can't leave until Thor returns." Jennica replied.
"That's fine." Loki picked up one of the books. "I need to read a few more of these, anyway. Care to join me?"
"As long as there's no more dark magic involved."
