Oh, how I love extended homeroom time. Got these two chapters done and ended chapter four before bed. Life is good. :)
This one's a bit shorter, but it began and ended in nice places, so it works. Sometimes shorter can be better.
Enjoy!
***
"So," Jessie turned to look up at the old factory that had been on the report. "Is this where . . . whatever's going on is?"
"Yeah," Darcy nodded, then groaned at Jane's annoyed face. "Come on, this is exciting! Look, the intern is excited!"
"Ian," the young man gave his name.
"Last name?" Jessie asked him.
"Boothby," he answered, blinking.
"Nice to meet you, Ian Boothby," Jessie nodded.
"Do you want the phase meter?" Darcy asked Jane.
"No," she said in a clipped voice, heading for the factory.
"Bring the phase meter," Darcy told Ian, tossing her keys at him. "The toaster looking thing."
"I know what the phase meter is," Ian grumbled, turning to the car.
Jessie shook her head and walked after Jane, only to stop when a ringtone went off. She looked down at her phone, then saw Jane groan and take out her phone. "How do I change the ringtone on this thing?"
"An astrophysicist with three degrees should be able to change her own ringtone," Darcy pointed out.
Jane scowled at her and held her phone up to her ear. "Why are you calling me?"
"I didn't want to shout." Darcy turned to Ian as he came up behind her. "Intern, the entrance is this way."
"Ian," he insisted as they headed for it. "My name's Ian."
Jessie and Jane took the lead into the building, only for Jessie to whip out her gun when she heard movement. "I am not getting stabbed in the name of science," Darcy shook her head rapidly, holding up her hands. "It's OK! We're Americans!" she shouted.
"Is that supposed to make them like us?" Jane asked in irritation.
"Come on out!" Jessie shouted. "Come on!"
"Make it go away!" a young kid's voice whispered.
"Shh!" another voice hissed.
"Hello?" Jessie insisted.
Three young kids suddenly came out of hiding, and Jessie quickly holstered her gun. "Oh, they're kids," Jane put a hand to her heart.
"Are you the police?" the little girl asked.
"Something like that, yeah," Jessie nodded. "These three are scientists."
"Well, I am," Jane shrugged.
"Thanks," Darcy hissed.
"We just found it," one of the boys pointed behind him.
"Found what?" Jessie asked, walking forward. "Can you show us?"
The kids headed further into the warehouse, pausing by a truck. One of the boys touched it, then used two fingers and pushed upwards. Everyone stared as the truck floated into the air. "That doesn't seem rigged," Darcy managed to say.
"Have you seen this before?" Jane asked Jessie.
"I'd need to see the cause of it first," Jessie tilted her head. "But, it's not the weirdest thing I've seen before."
The kids ascended a stairwell, waiting for them to catch up before one of them dropped a bottle down. They watched the bottle disappear, and Jane looked around. "Where did it go?"
Jessie poked her head out, looked down, then she heard a whoosh above her. Quickly, she triggered her powers, then watched the bottle shoot right through her and further down. She jerked back, watching the bottle continue the cycle. "That's," Jane trailed off, eyes wide. "That's incredible!" She looked around, then tossed a can from behind her down, except this time, it didn't return.
Jessie considered, then looked at the kids. "Shouldn't it be coming back down?"
"Sometimes they come back, sometimes they don't," the girl shrugged.
"I want to throw something," Darcy grinned, looking around. "Jane? Give me your shoe."
Jessie absently tossed Darcy one of the granola bars she had with her, hearing her squeal before tossing it down. "How're the readings?" she asked Jane.
The woman took a look, and her eyes widened. "I haven't seen readings like this since . . . "
"New Mexico?" Darcy prompted.
Jane bit her lip and nodded, then blinked when Jessie held out her hand for the device. "But - !"
"I know it's your research, Jane, and I know you love him," Jessie told her. "But there's more worlds out there than Asgard. This might not be Thor. For all we know, it could be another alien invasion. I'll tell you when it's clear."
"All right," Jane handed over the gadget. "Just . . . be careful?"
"Will do," Jessie smiled, giving her a small salute before walking off.
She was halfway down the corridor when she heard Jane shout, "Don't tell me those were the car keys!"
Jessie shook her head fondly, walking on down the hall, blinking as she watched the gadget react more and more. "Maybe I should have asked how this works," she mumbled, smacking the device a bit as she took another step forward -
She shrieked when a huge gust of wind propelled her forward to the point she no longer knew where she was. It certainly wasn't the factory. It was just some stormy world with rocks, like a ruined battlefield. "Jane?" she spun around, looking up. "Darcy?" She looked back around, frowning when she saw a huge column that looked like it flickered with dark red energy in the middle. She approached cautiously, bending down to get a better look, her eyes widening when she saw the energy swirling about. "Whoa," she breathed, reaching out a hand to put it on the column. "What are - "
The energy latched onto her fingers, and she cried out, collapsing as the energy swarmed around her, her head hitting the column, and she fell to the ground unconscious, the dark red energy swirling ominously under her skin.
+++
Being attacked by aliens in the middle of Manhattan had not been high on Jessie's bucket list. Neither was bleeding out in the middle of the alley they had left her in.
Numbly, she tapped Saleen's number into the phone she had just taken from some store nearby - her brain was too fuzzy to remember which - and winced, holding her hand over the stab wound that was freezing cold instead of blazing hot. When voicemail picked up, she began her message. "Saleen, it's me. I made it to Manhattan. This was the phone I managed to . . . find. I would have gotten further, but I was attacked by . . . " She looked down at the blood spilling over her fingers. "Things. One of them stabbed me, and I can't go anywhere." She fell to her knees as the pain started to make her black out, and she ground out her last words. "In an alleyway close to the Empire State Building. In case you don't see me again, Icicle . . . goodbye."
The last thing she thought the voicemail would have gotten was a scream from her just before she passed out.
+++
Saleen wasn't sure if she should be feeling nervous about entering Stark Tower or not. However, considering the six Avengers had taken on an alien army and won, there wasn't anywhere else she could really think of going.
She stepped inside, looking around for anyone, when a male, British voice echoed through the room. "Good afternoon, ma'am."
Saleen jumped a few inches in the air before she realized who was talking to her. "Good afternoon," she greeted Tony's AI, JARVIS. "Er . . . is Mr. Stark in?"
"He is currently busy in a meeting. He'll be back in about an hour."
Saleen gritted her teeth. "It's really urgent."
"How urgent is it?"
"As in aliens that attacked New York a year ago urgent."
There was a pause. "What is your name?" JARVIS finally asked.
"Saleen Harper."
"I will pass the message to him instantly, Miss Harper."
"Thank you." As she waited, Saleen slid the battery back into her phone, watching everything reload. She frowned, noting the one voicemail she had from an unknown number, then played it.
When Jessie's message started playing, she relaxed a bit, glad to know they were at least in the same city.
Then Jessie mentioned the attack, and when she heard her best friend scream, Saleen blurted out her name before the dial tone hit.
"Is everything all right, Miss Harper?" JARVIS asked worriedly.
Saleen could have cared less about the Avengers at the moment. She turned and sprinted to the doors to try and find her best friend before she died.
"Where do you think you're going?" a voice that was definitely not JARVIS's spoke from behind her.
Saleen froze and turned on her heel, her blue eyes widening as she took in the five figures that had just emerged from the hall nearby.
Well, JARVIS had definitely been right about instantly passing the message along.
+++
In the Dark World, known as Svartalfheim, Malekith the Accursed woke from his slumber at last and smiled. "The Aether awakens," he rasped. "The Convergence returns."
***
Doctor, what have the Dark Elves done to you? XD Seriously, though, excellent role by Christopher Eccleston, also my favorite Doctor. Honestly, the way "The Day of the Doctor and the Bad Wolf" played out with Kasterbel and at the end was the best decision I ever made. I squealed when I wrote it.
Anyway, Thor and Jessie reunion next chapter!