Part Two. Chapter Sixteen.
Loki's Return.
"Astryd," Steve breathed as soon as my eyes opened. My blurred vision cleared and I found myself staring into Steve's blue eyes. "When I told you to concentrate, I didn't mean for you to pass out."
Steve helped me up. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," I said, waving off his concern. "I just...it's crazy."
"Crazier than you being a princess from a different world?" Steve asked, his eyes widening a bit. I couldn't help but laugh lightly at his expression. When I had told him my story, he was dubious and bewildered. He didn't fully believe me, because to him, there is only one god. I respect that of him and will not push his beliefs. His doubts about me not being human faded away when I showed him what I look like sometimes when using my power, and it definitely whatever doubt was left, is gone by now since he's gotten a taste of what I am capable of.
"I'm afraid so." I answered.
"Enlighten me," Steve said as he positioned his hands in front of his face and readied himself in a stance. I playfully rolled my eyes, a smile toying on my lips. "Come on, fight me. I know you can."
"Steve, I think we've had enough prac...-" I ducked, moving away just in time from Steve's fist."-ice." I finished, glaring at him. His other fist came towards me, but I stopped it midway, careful not to use my powers against him. I wanted to fight fair this time.
A smirk formed onto my face as I thought of something. His eyes narrowed at me, sensing my plot against him. My hand clenched into a fist, ready to punch him square in the jaw. He stopped it almost immediately. Using that as a distraction, I hooked my foot around his leg and pulled, causing him to fall on his back. My smirk began to widen, but it soon faded away as he managed to grab a hold of my hand and brought me down with him. I fell on top of him.
"You almost got me there." Steve smiled, gazing up at me.
I playfully rolled my eyes and got up, off of him and offered him a hand. He took it and I brought him up with ease. "While I was out, I was pulled into another...realm," I began, finally enlightening him.
"Go on," he urged, his eyebrows furrowing.
"I don't know where exactly I was or what brought me there. It was this...this creature whom I've never heard of or met of before. He calls himself the Other and he offered me a deal; to give them the tesseract and to join them in return for whatever I wanted."
"Did you take the offer?" He immediately asked, his jaw tightening.
"Of course not!"
His tense body loosened and he sighed in relief. Did he honestly think I would accept that offer?
"He wouldn't tell me why he wanted the tesseract, but we both know why anyone would want it. He was really infuriated when I rejected the deal. I don't even want to imagine what he had planned...," I trailed off, grimacing at the thought.
"Are you going to inform Director Fury about this? If he is after the tesseract, what makes you think he won't continue on with his plan, without your help?"
"You're right." I agreed, making a mental note to myself to inform Fury about this later. I'd be lucky if I got a hold of him by tomorrow morning. These days, he's been so busy working on his so called 'project'. In fact, I know he's with Erik since he received an emergency call from Agent Barton not too long ago.
"Now, where were we?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We were just about to stop and call it a night." I answered.
"I'm actually not tired at all. I believe I've slept more than enough already. You know where you find me if you need me. Goodnight, Astryd." Steve said.
I nodded, not questioning him about it and walked out, mumbling goodnight. Walking down the halls of S.H.I.E.L.D, I noticed that there weren't many agents around. They all must be with Director Fury. I sighed and opened the door to my temporary room, content with going straight to bed.
As tired as I was, I couldn't find myself to go to sleep. I tossed and turned, closing my eyes but every time I did, an image of the tesseract would appear. "The tesseract has awakened," a voice called out in my head. What is that supposed to signify? I sighed, my worry over the tesseract increasing. Perhaps, handing over the tesseract to Fury wasn't the best decision I've ever made...
**
Families scurried into their cars, taking only their most prized processions as the dark indigo sky above them watched. Policemen and S.H.I.E.L.D agents were scattered about the town, helping the residents. A faint alarm wailed in the background, signaling all residents of the secluded town to evacuate immediately.
A helicopter circulated the area before finally settling down miles away from the populated town. Agent Hill hopped out as soon as it landed, Fury shortly following. "How bad is it?" Fury asked.
Agent Coulson sent them a curt nod before answering Fury's question. He was a bit hesitant to answer, knowing that Fury wouldn't be so pleased with it. "That's the problem, Sir. We don't know."
Fury finally reached the room in which the whole tesseract operation was occurring in. His gaze landed on Erik's expectantly. "Talk to me, Doctor."
"Director," Erik Selvig addressed, his eyes leaving the tesseract as he stepped away from it. He turned back to Fury, making his way towards him.
"Is there anything we know for certain?" Director Fury asked.
"The tesseract is misbehaving." Erik stated in a matter of fact. It was the only statement that was reasonable to conclude to. He hasn't been able to get an abundant amount on the tesseract these past days as much as he needed to. He knew that the only one who would know and could help was Astryd, even though she's a bit clueless herself. There was no doubt in Erik's mind that she knew things about the tesseract, that she's told no one, but Fury's stubbornness would never allow Astryd to help. It's not like she'd want to help in the first place, anyways.
A scientist probed at the tesseract, observing it in bewilderment. As soon as the metal probe met with the tesseract, a strong shock ran through his arm, almost numbing it. He jumped back, startled. Fury's expression hardened. "Is that supposed to be funny?"
"Not funny at all." Erik said as he finally reached Fury and walked alongside him. "The tesseract is not only active, she's behaving."
"I assume you pulled the plug."
"She's an energy source. We turn off the power, she turns it back on. If she reaches peak level...," Erik explained trailing off. There was a small hint of an "I told you so," in Erik's voice. If Director had listened to Astryd, none of them would be in this mess.
"We prepared for this, Doctor; harnessing energy from space."
"But we don't have the harness." Erik replied, obviously referring to Astryd.
"Astryd wouldn't have helped, if she had known." Fury defended. In fact, you wouldn't have had the tesseract if you hadn't lied to her, a small voice in Fury's head shot back. Was he guilty? Yes. He was guilty of lying to Astryd for the sake of humanity. Billions of people meant more to him than one.
Dr. Selvig sighed and stared at a nearby computer monitor. His eyebrows furrowed. "My calculations are far from complete, and she's throwing off interference, radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation."
Fury glanced at the tesseract worriedly and then back at Erik.
"That can be harmful....where's Agent Barton?"
"The Hawk? Up in his nest as usual." Erik replied, his finger pointing upwards towards Barton's location.
Fury's eyes followed the direction in which Erik pointed at. Sitting at the top of what seemed to be a small banister, was Agent Barton watching over the scene before him with keen eyes. His nickname couldn't suit him better at that moment. He looked as if he were a hawk, scanning the forest for his prey.
"Agent Barton, report." Fury ordered.
The Director's voice alerted Clint and he immediately sprang into action. Steadily grabbing onto a metal, he slid down with ease landing on the first floor as a cat gracefully does.
"I gave you this detail so you can keep a good eye on this."
"Well, I see better from a distance." Clint responded.
"Have you seen anything that might've set this thing off?" Fury wondered, indicating to their surroundings. Clint glanced around himself, already familiarized with the place. He knew where all the scientists were situated, where the tesseract lay, and exactly where that one security guard who snuck in a donut- despite the strict no food policy in the lab-, was hiding out in. He knew everything.
"Doctor, it's spiking again!" A blonde scientist exclaimed, her eyes wide as she stared at her computer that wouldn't stop making an agitating alarming beep
"No one's come or gone, and Selvig's clean. No contacts, no IMS. If there's any tampering, Sir, it wasn't at this end." Hawkeye informed as they both walked up towards the tesseract. They stood their distance, a minimum of twenty-five feet away.
"At this end?" Fury demanded, concerned.
"Yeah. The cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right? Astryd told me so. Doors open from both sides.
The tesseract's blue swirls began to move, spiraling into the middle. All the guards and scientists stopped what they're doing and turned to the tesseract. It continued to spiral inwards, waiting for the right moment to strike. It cast out a massive energy wave, causing everybody who was nearby to take a step back at the impact. The energy wave was so cold that it burned.
The tesseract didn't stop there. It continued to glitch, letting out sparks of some sort of electricity fly out every second. The floor, and soon, the whole area began to tremble as the tesseract began to spiral once again. This time, Fury and Selvig were ready for the next blow and took a few more steps back. The tesseract shot out a beam straight across the room, opening a dark portal. It grew with the second until the portal finally fused. Everyone covered their faces protectively.
Erik removed his forearm from his face and stared back at where the portal once was. In place of the portal, was a silhouette of a man kneeling. The blue smoke faded away, revealing a smirking menacing man. Loki.
Recognition hit Dr. Selvig at the Asgardian man before him. He could've sworn he'd met him before, but as he reached far back into his mind for a face like his, he found no match. All he was left was with the feeling of thinking he knew Loki.
Loki stood up, his gleaming scepter in hand.
"Sir, please put down the spear." Fury addressed.
Loki glanced down at his 'spear', a bit thoughtfully. Fury watched him warily, thinking for a moment that he was going to comply. Loki did no such thing. In less than a second, he raised his scepter towards Director Fury and shot. Fortunately for Fury, Agent Barton managed to grab him and push them both out of the way just in time.
Immediately all the security and agents began to shoot at the new threat. Their guns were of no use against a god like Loki, but they continued to shoot, with the hopes of one bullet actually affecting him. Enraged, Loki shot at his opponents, jumped out of thing air and slayed them all with ease.
He breathed heavily as the unconscious bodies fell before him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man stand up. Not wasting time, Loki gripped the man's wrist before he could do anything. "You have heart."
Loki pointed his scepter directly over Agent Barton's heart, and with just one touch, Barton was in Loki's control.
Fury watched, trying to hide his terrified expression as he watched one of his best agents slip out of his control. He forced himself to snap out of it. This was no time to mourn. Loki is a new threat, and if he didn't get to the tesseract soon, Loki would get to it. He hastily went for the tesseract, his glove hissing when it made contact with the cosmic cube.
"Please don't. I still need that."
"This doesn't have to get any messier." Fury steadily said over his shoulder.
"Of course it does. I've come too far for anything else."
Fury froze and hesitantly turned around, taking in the new threat.
"I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose." Loki spoke in a deep, sultry voice.
Erik, who had been hovering over the now dead blonde scientist, glanced up. Staring at Loki, he found himself standing up. To him, Loki looked sick. His eyes were heavily bagged, long black hair messily slicked back, and his eyes were the brightest shade of blue Erik has ever seen. They reminded him of Astryd's eyes...
"Loki? Brother of Thor...and Astryd?"
Loki shot him a death glare at the mention of Thor, recognizing the old man. It was the man who took Odin's place in raising Astryd. The one he had seen in her mind when he hacked into it. Astryd, he thought, wondering where she was. He expected her to be here, but as his eyes roamed around for the second time, he concluded that she wasn't.
"We have no quarrel with your people."
"An ant has no quarrel with a boot." Loki stated, nonchalantly.
''Are you planning to step on us?" Fury incredulously demanded. Guilt and worry stirred in him. The weapons that he had sent out to make for this exact purpose weren't ready. If Loki were to strike, then how would his people be able to defend themselves?
"I come with glad tidings...of a world made free."
''Free from what?"
"Freedom." Loki sickly grinned as he glimpsed at Erik Selvig. If he wanted Astryd to side with him, he had to have some leverage to lure Astryd in with. It didn't help that Erik was an intelligent man, either. "Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that in your heart," Loki began as pointed the scepter right above Dr. Selvig's heart.
"You will know peace." Loki finished, his grin widening as Erik's eyes converted into blue.
A/N: I know I've said I had most of these chapters planned, but I've been focusing on my other fan fic since that one is almost completed. I might put this on a short hold so I can finish the Joy of Agony before school starts. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. What do you think Astryd's reaction will be to all of this? Will Loki find her next? Please leave your thoughts below!
p.s...this has not been proof read yet, so I apologize for any mistakes! I just wanted to upload this already.