Above All Shadows [Loki Timetravel fic - Completed]

40. Midgard

Maybe we are standing amid its ruins?

Conceding defeat, Loki asked, 'Where exactly are we? What's happened here?'

'This was a Midgardian research facility,' Thor replied. 'They were studying the Tesseract here. Tyr and two accomplices opened the wormhole inside —'

'Tyr?' Loki cut in. 'As in Sif's father, the traitor, who should be rotting in a cell right now? Why is he involved in this?'

Thor exhaled tiredly. 'I would've informed you, but you didn't want to be contacted and I didn't think the news would bring you any joy, so I didn't go against your wishes. Tyr escaped. A rogue faction of the Einherjar arranged his break out from the cells and spirited him somewhere beyond the Nine Realms. We've been searching for them, but there was no sign of him or those who fled with him until today.'

'How long ago was this?'

'It'd be more than six months back now.'

That explained a great deal. Loki's exploits in the Sanctuary had turned Thanos' eyes towards the Nine Realms. While he dug out his supporters from the burnt out sections of the Palisade, he would have sent spies to gather information to ready his revenge and to prepare to claim the space stone. There were few people more perfect for Thanos' purposes than disgraced traitors, such as Agnar and Tyr. Better yet, Tyr and Odin had been very close in their younger days. Loki wouldn't have been surprised if Tyr had accompanied Odin when Loki's father had hidden the Tesseract on Midgard.

And earlier, I failed to account for the months I spent on Sakaar before being taken to the Sanctuary. I had already brought the entire timeline forward before Tyr got involved.

'That's bloody wonderful,' Loki groaned. 'So what's the outcome here? Was the Tesseract taken?'

'Yes,' Coulson replied. 'Before you arrived, we were about to show your brother the footage we retained from the incident. Would it be of interest to you to see it also... your... highness?'

'Loki will do. And it would very much interest me.'

Coulson nodded and motioned for everyone to follow him. As they all did their best not to stumble over the shattered concrete and twisted chunks of metal, he provided Thor and Loki with the background to the situation. 'The Tesseract research project was considered extremely high risk and the facility was designed to detonate should the Tesseract laboratory become unstable. The Tesseract has been showing activity patterns over the past three days that we haven't encountered before, then four hours before the incursion, there was an energy surge. An evacuation order for all personnel had already been issued for the site when the Tesseract became fully active.'

'Are we now walking on top of what remains of the laboratory?' Loki asked. At Coulson's nod, he frowned. 'How do you have footage then?'

'The video feed from here was always transmitted live to the central office.'

'Ah, important people were nervous about playing with artefacts they didn't understand.'

Both Coulson and Romanoff were stone-faced at that remark, and neither of them had anything to more say until they reached a huddle of white tents. SHIELD agents and emergency personnel swarmed the area and there seemed to be more tents in the process of being erected at the back. Coulson took them inside the largest of the tents, which was choked with computers and communications equipment haphazardly set up on plastic fold-out tables.

'Travers,' Romanoff said. 'Pull up the footage of the incident again.'

The SHIELD agents who had shadowed Coulson and Romanoff had fallen back at the entrance of the tent, which was a wise move. The tent didn't have the space to accommodate that many additional people. As it was, Loki found himself pressed against Thor's side as they gathered around a trio of wide-screen monitors.