Between the Lines

Fork in the Road

          The feeling of Eibhlin's lips, her soft touch, and the refreshing scent of her hair still lingered on my skin as I rushed along the pathways of the city atop a Chitauri cruiser. I fired at them, keeping them from getting too close to the mortals, laughing at my newfound feeling of freedom. The Other would be furious, the Mad Titan more so, yet I was the one truly in control thanks to their gifts. They, too, had underestimated me; I was not Loki of nowhere, I was Loki of Asgard and I would not die today!

    Having lessened the attack, for now, at least, I focused my attention on the portal. If it could be closed, the Chitauri would be cut off from the hive mind of Sanctuary and the overseers; they would look to me and me alone for what to do and I could just have them destroy one another. As I leaped from the chariot to the roof of the tower where Dr. Selvig still slept off the blast he had suffered at the hands of the metal-clad billionaire, I reached for the Tesseract only to be violently shoved back by its energy field. This was going to require more. Teleporting to the platforms on Stark's tower, I gathered the scepter from where it had landed during my scuffle with Eibhlin. It felt heavy in my hands still, a good sign; though I knew it would not last long.

    Meditating, I utilized the power within the staff to reach out to the only person I thought might be able to help me; hoping against hope it would work. As her green face came into view, the image blinked away, my body screaming in pain as I was yanked swiftly back to Sanctuary. I prepared myself to stand against The Other once more, yet as I lifted my head from my crouched position it was not him I saw, but Him.

    "You would betray us, Asgardian," his deep voice boomed as he lifted me by the back of my collar. His blue eyes narrowed as he held me as if he would eat me. "You think you can just walk away?"

    "I don't have to play your games, Mad Titan. I am a god!"

    "You are nothing. A lifeless little star that I will drown and drain the life from until what light you still possess goes out. Do you hear me, Asgardian? Your only option for redemption is me."

    My stare was cold as he continued to hold me aloft. "You think far too highly of yourself. You are no longer my only option-"

    "Ah, yes. The woman..." his smirk was unnerving as he turned toward Nebula who sat nearby along with Gamora, a projection in her hand of Eibhlin and I kissing. "Pretty little thing, but it's her abilities that make her all the more enticing." Nebula's projection shifted and I watched as Eibhlin hurled daggers left and right, portals opening from wherever they struck as she dove through them with the grace only my Little Dove could possess. I watched in awe as she fell through portal after portal before coming to land on the ground beside the Romanov woman. "Exquisite. Abilities worthy of my dark order, wouldn't you say, Ebony Maw?"

    From the shadows came a man whose face resembled that of a fish; his heavy brow ridge shrouded his blue eyes making them seem to glow as his philtrum protruded like a flat mountainside down from his brow line to his top lip. Small horn-like bumps lined his temples as his thin almost translucent hair fell like a spider's web over the back of his head to his scapula. His skin was the same mottled tone as The Others, though not as slimy. This man, Ebony Maw, smiled steepling his ringed fingers as he nodded; the long robes he wore seemed to shift in an unseen breeze.

    "Yes, my lord. My humble personage does believe she would be an even greater asset than this lowly... god..."

    The Mad Titan smirked turning his head back toward Nebula and Gamora. "And you, daughters; do you also believe she would be a finer sibling?"

    Nebula shrugged; her head bowed though her dark eyes glanced toward me. She nodded softly, before looking at me once again with the tiniest semblance of dread. The longer I looked at her though, the more I noticed her glancing down toward her metal arm that hung free beside her knee; her fingers signaling to me. Watching closely as the titan and his fish-man conversed as if Nebula, Gamora, and I were not present, I saw Gamora drawing a cube beside her foot before she drew a line coming toward it, a spear tip aimed right at the center. She was telling me how to close the portal; how to end things. Nebula elbowed her, her boot coming to crush the drawing as she glared at her sister before her cold metal eyes fell on me as the Titan spoke about how he would bring Eibhlin under his control...

    I could feel my blood begin to boil; I would not allow them to lay a hand upon Eibhlin, or Thor. "You want her? You'll need to let me live then."

    "Oh, I am well aware of that, Asgardian. New rules. You bring me that girl, the Tesseract, and the scepter and not only will I help you to finish what you started, but I will make sure you are never again separated from that girl. But if you fail..." He released me, gathering up a rock on the asteroid's surface only to crush it in his palm. "Do we have an understanding?"

    I tried to remain stoic, though my breathing betrayed me. "Yes... I understand."

    "Good... Now, finish what you started, and don't keep me waiting." I was thrown back to Midgard then, my body sore with the memories of all I had endured under the Mad Titan's command, all that was still to come if I could not figure out a way to be free of him.

    I sat there, clawing at my head as I tried to will the memories away, the control I had fought to maintain slowly dissipating as he entered my mind once more. Above me another Leviathan entered the arena that was the city beneath me; Chitauri soldiers jumping from it to land amongst the others as Stark's 'Avengers' continued to battle with them, my Little Dove in the mix despite my commands that she remain safe, remain with Thor. I watched, wavering between pride and contempt as the Romanov woman and Eibhlin were shot into the air by the soldier; the assassin having timed her jump well enough to catch the back of an oncoming cruiser while Eibhlin threw her blades at another, a portal opening up right behind the Romanov woman.

    A soft growl of malice overcame me then, the softness and sentiment I had allowed to overtake me being shoved down within me once more. "Send the rest," I muttered knowing my thoughts and actions were all being watched. A concern for another time, right now I just had to make it look as though I was cooperating; I had to maintain the illusion of a puppet upon their strings.

    Leaping gracefully from my perch, I landed atop another cruiser, ordering the driver to follow the one holding the redheaded women. I would knock them from the sky for their safety. It was the only thing I could do. Manifesting my helmet back to me, I took careful aim as the driver steered me toward them; all I needed was one good shot. Eibhlin seemed to have learned since our last encounter how to better handle multiple attacks at once though as she utilized her spear to block as many of my blasts as she could while the other woman made the chariot they rode in swerve back and forth to better aid in blocking them from my attack. I drew closer, hitting the edges of the vehicle, Eibhlin's eyes glaring at me as I aimed once more, holding my place as a familiar string of consciousness invaded my mind. Barton...

    Purposefully slowing down, I awaited his arrow catching it far too easily in my left hand. I allowed myself a moment of cockiness as I glanced back toward the bowman, seconds before the arrow exploded in my hand. I went flying from the now destroyed chariot, landing on the same balcony I had already done battle on and nearly destroyed, yet somehow, I still managed to sail through the remaining glass of the balcony, rolling across the stone walkway as glass shards filled the air around me. With a snap of my head, I rose to my knees just in time to see Eibhlin land on the circular deck of the multi-tiered balcony. My eyes focused on her as a sense of dread overtook me, I had to get her away from here. And if I couldn't then I would have to kill her to save her from the fate that she was destined for.

    Rising, I opened my mouth, her name on my tongue as the monster's roar pulled my eyes from my sweet little dove; its green limbs taking hold of me as the creature threw us both back and into Stark's bar area. My back hit the wall of the bar; glassware and liquid exploding around me as I snarled. The beast beat its ape-like fists against the stone floors, coming toward me as it grunted.

    "ENOUGH!" I cried, standing to my feet once more, my torn cloak billowing behind me as I swung my arms down, my shoulders rolling back. "You are, all of you, beneath me," I seethed; "I am a god, you dull creature; and I will not be bullied by ARGH!" The beast had gripped my ankle, dragging me down and across the floor before it lifted me and swung me down into the floor, the stone shattering around me. The beast was not done though as it lifted me once more, hurling me down on its other side, the ground once more caving around me. Again and again, it whipped me around as if I were a ragdoll, as I panted hanging loosely from its hand by my ankles, my legs wrapped around its arm as my own dangled. He slammed me twice more before releasing me, the floor holding my form as it now had an almost perfect depression in the shape of my body.

    I lay there, breathing, too shocked and in pain to do anything more as I heard the creature stomp away. "Puny god," it called out in its deep voice.

    I made every attempt to move, yet the only thing that seemed to work was my lungs, though from the whine that slithered out from my lips, I wondered if they too had been damaged. I took stock of my life then as I lay there, wavering between consciousness and nothingness; I could feel the Mad Titan checking in, could feel his disappointment. Everything I felt at that moment was the opposite of what I had felt when I first met the titan. There was no pride, no joy, and this was so far from the magnificent glory I had felt destined for. My mind had been right all along, this was not me, this was filthy... I had once more been led to believe the lies of another, once more been made out to be nothing more than a jumping point for others to achieve their destinies while I suffered in the background.

    "You have failed, Asgardian," I heard The Other sneer in my mind as I closed my eyes. "Count yourself lucky that you should perish this way; for he would not have been so kind..."

    The pain slithered from my mind, my thoughts silent and empty once more. I could rest... Or could I? If I died, would they still come for Eibhlin? I groaned, thinking about how I had failed her as well. Had I never cared for her, never allowed her to get as close as she had, she would be safe now. I truly was the idiot I had thought myself to be three years ago. I never should have allowed this to happen, I should have listened to Sif... She had been right, I deserved to be alone... It was better, safer that way.

    As my body grew tired, I fought to stay awake. I had to find the strength to rise, to find Eibhlin and get her as far away from here as possible, yet the idea of just remaining here, of succumbing to my wounds was one I tentatively looked forward to. At least in death, I could rest some, even if I would never be able to forgive myself for whatever would befall Eibhlin... My Little Dove...