Bad news: beach trip got cancelled
Good news: more time to write :)
I hope you all have a great day! Enjoy the chapter! :)
Chapter Forty-Nine
~Nobody's POV~
Bruce's calm, if troubled, radio report sends them into a chaos, except, of course, for Thor who had, in fact, been a part of this scheme for a long time.
Meanwhile, Bruce says, "Jack's distraught. He's locked himself up. Kyle's not much happier, with a broken wrist to boot. We tried our hardest, but Thea was taken."
Before Tony or Natasha can say anything, Thor says, "Thank you, Banner. I will contact you in a few minutes and will provide you with an explanation of what has transpired." He severs the radio connection.
Everyone (except Clint, who is flying the plane but is still at rapt attention) stares at Thor.
"I think we all want to know what's going on here," says Steve, crossing his arms.
Thor nods, knowing it's time.
"Loki predicted the link between Thea and the Mantra," says Thor as he, Tony, Clint, Peter, Max, Steve and Natasha (plus the still-unconscious guard) fly over the western part of the Indian Ocean. "He also, I believe, predicted that we would need Thea's blood to enter the chamber where the Mantra is."
"So this was your grand plan?" demands Natasha. "To-"
Thor raises his hand, and Natasha falls silent. "Loki knew that he would be captured if the Imeldi broke into our camp. The Imeldi want him nearly as much as they want Thea, as he is mainly the reason that the Chiutari failed in New York. He created a double of himself to cheat death, if possible. He did not, however, know that Thea would be taken as well. Instead of 'dying' of natural causes in order to escape, he used his 'death' as a means of protecting Thea's life."
"Wait a second," says Tony, holding up his hand. "Loki is alive?"
Thor nods. "He stayed hidden in the forest until right before we left for Indonesia. When he heard from me that the Imeldi would be coming for Thea soon, he took Thea and knocked Jack unconscious so that he would not remember what had just happened. He used the body of the man who knifed Jack as a body-double for Thea, transfiguring him into her form."
Natasha nods, beginning to understand.
"He also took some of Thea's blood and left it on the counter so that we could somehow get it to get into the Mantra vault. Currently, I believe Loki and Thea are hiding in the rainforest, heading up the coast. Loki's plan is to get Thea to a place where Heimdall can summon them up through the Bifrost into Asgard."
There's silence. Then, Steve says, his arms still tightly crossed, "Okay, so we somehow get the blood, get back to that cave, and open the Mantra, right?"
"We need Thea, first." says Tony with a resigned expression. "Remember what Bruce said? The vial of blood smashed with the explosion. It's damn ironic, how the one time we didn't let Thea come along, that's the time we actually need her."
"That's where the Bifrost will come in," says Thor. "Heimdall will summon Thea and Loki to Asgard, and then beam them down at a certain location."
"That certain location being..." says Steve.
"The coast of the Dead Sea," says Thor. "I believe that's where Barton is flying right now."
Natasha stares. "He knew?"
"He knew only right before we entered the cave," assures Thor.
"So don't be all going after me," calls Clint from he cockpit.
Tony raises his eyes to the ceiling. "Fine. Let's just get to the Dead Sea before someone else who is dead comes back to life."
"Very well," says Thor, relieved that there has not been too much anger directed at him. "Stark, if you could please radio Banner, I'm going to explain this all to him as well."
*
~Thea's POV~
"Wake up and stay silent."
Those are the first words I hear. When I try to sit up, Loki pushes my shoulders down. He's crouching next to me, behind me. I hear him walk away. The sun is barely filtering through the dark.
"Now stay there."
"No." I say, standing up unsteadily, still half asleep. "Why do-"
"Silence," he hisses, appearing over me so suddenly, I can't react before he claps his hand over my mouth.
"Why...do you... have...to keep doing that..." I mumble, but I doubt he can hear me.
He presses something in my hands. "You're going to need this." It's cold and metallic. It's a dagger. It's the emerald-crusted one.
"What's happening?" I whimper.
Before he can reply, an arrow hisses so close to my ear that I stand still, too terrified to move. Loki grabs me roughly and pushes me behind him.
There are six Imeldi in total, each with arrows and knives, but no guns, slithering over the edge of the cave. They snarl as they cock their arrows, training them at us.
"Oh crap." I say.
*
~Nobody's POV~
Banner gets off the radio ten minutes later. When he tells Kyle, the young man stares at him for several seconds before heading to the cockpit to bang his head a couple times on the wall ("I'm going to kill her for doing this to us"). Banner designates the task of telling Jack to Maria Hill, who is very happy to give the boy some good news for once.
Jack, of course, is ecstatic, so ecstatic, in fact, that he emerges from his self-proclaimed prison to talk to Banner about the following plan. He tries to talk to Kyle, but Kyle is still wallowing in relief to be of much help.
"Where are we heading anyway?" he asks Banner.
"Dead Sea. We're going to get there, hopefully, before Loki and Thea, because they still have to get to a place Heimdall can beam them up."
Jack, who has taken the news of Loki's survival as something unfortunately necessary to make sure Thea stays alive, replies, "Why can't we just pick them up on our way over?"
"Because we're already over the Atlantic Ocean."
There's not much logic in that response, but Jack lets it go. He heads back into his cabin, not to grieve, but to grab his phone. Thea's phone is now not working properly, meaning it was probably destroyed in the explosion, but Jack shoots Peter a message, to try to get out any more information.
Five minutes later, he is unsuccessful, not because he doubts Peter, but because he thinks that, for once, he has been given all the necessary information. He logs off and amuses himself by annoying Kyle.
Eventually, this fails, because Kyle actually resorts to hitting Jack very hard in the shoulder, signaling retreat. In the end, Jack sits by the window, listening very carefully to Maria and Bruce's conversation and looking out into the endless blue.
*
"Thea, stay near me," says Loki in a low voice.
"I really would rather not." says Thea, her eyes turning even more crimson, her teeth baring.
"Oh I knew this was a bad idea," says Loki, mostly to himself as Thea lunges at the first Imeldi, fells him, and with a thrust of the dagger, it shudders and dies.
Loki is so busy watching Thea, he only has a second to react to the Imeldi that nearly decapitates him. Just in time, he swings around, kicks out at the beast, turns the tables, and slices off its head.
Meanwhile, Thea has leapt up onto the back of the second Imeldi, snapping at its neck. This one is smarter, smart enough to reach around at the same time it bucks down, throwing her to the ground. With lightning speed, she throws her hand up, plunging the dagger in the Imeldi's throat. It gurgles and falls.
Loki is handling two of the monsters at the same time. He hears Thea cries out and turns just long enough to see that an arrow has hit the girl in the forearm. She tears it out of her skin and uses the shaft to impale the monster that is attacking her.
With a single slice, Loki fells another Imeldi, than its companion.
The last Imeldi is throwing arrows at Loki and Thea so quickly, they barely have time to jump out of the way. With an anguished grunt, Thea flings the dagger at the Imeldi. She misses, and hisses at the Imeldi between her sharpened fang-like teeth as the dagger falls to the ground with a clang.
Thea's failed dagger attempt gives Loki enough time to throw his own dagger. This time, the blade lands in the Imeldi's heart. It falls with a thump.
Loki grabs the knife from the Imeldi, as well as Thea's that has fallen. He then strides over to Thea, whose vicious tenacity is wearing off; her eyes are now red-green, and her teeth are normal. There's a bloody gash in her arm, and she's gasping with pain.
He finds some of the medical supplies from Thea's rucksack and grabs her arm. She whimpers and tries to pull away, playing her own strength, but then gives in and lets Loki put an antiseptic cloth on her wound. She cries out at the sting, but Loki ignores this and wraps a roll of gauze around her.
"Get up," he says, hauling her to her feet. "We need to leave, now."
She's saying something, but her voice is so choked, Loki can't understand her until she ekes out, "I...I killed them."
"What?" he asks, turning back momentarily.
She catches the rucksack that he tosses her, putting it on her back with one arm. "The...Imeldi...I... killed them."
Loki looks at her for a couple minutes, his green eyes trying to perceive her feelings for what they really are. Then, he says, "You did what you had to survive to survive, kitten." He kicks the bodies of the Imeldi to the corner of the cave, and Thea has to close her eyes. "That's only what we all can do."
"But I didn't want anyone to die." she whispers.
Loki sighs, then walks over to Thea. Putting his hand on the girl's still-shaking shoulder, he kneels down so that he's level with her eyes. "Thea, listen to me. Murder has a curious way of making us all think about our own existence. How easy is it," he tilts his head towards the fallen Imeldi. "To take the life of something that tries to kill you. Now think of this. If you had not killed those beasts, what would have happened?"
He squeezes her shoulder when she doesn't reply. "Answer me."
Thea takes a deep breath. "I would've died."
"Yes." says Loki. "You would have died. You did what you had to do." He smiles at her gently, taps her own the nose, and then stands. "Do not feel remorse for taking the life of that which would do the same to you in a heartbeat. Now let's go, kitten. We need to beat the sun."
"The sun's already up." says Thea, not looking over at the Imeldi.
"Not quite."
Climbing down the cave is harder than climbing up. Thea is much quicker than Loki, scampering down the face of the mountain, so that he has to yell at her to slow down. She, of course, ignores him, and so Loki is in a very bad mood by the time they begin running through the forest.
"Where are we going?" Thea asks as Loki takes the lead now, pulling her along through the grass and forest, leaves slapping her face.
"Somewhere." Loki snaps, still annoyed about Thea's mountain goat-like exploits down the mountain.
"Ouch." Thea mutters as a branch nearly pokes her eye out.
*
Thirty minutes later, they have reached a field. Thea assumes it has once been used for deforestation, but has long sense been abandoned.
Loki stands in the middle of the clearing, looks up at the sky, and shouts, "HEIMDALL!" He turns to Thea. "Hold on to me."
Thea grabs his arm immediately, her immediate obedience surprising the both of them, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, are we going to Asg-"
Before she can finish her sentence, a rush of air and light has swarmed around her and she is thrust into the sky.
She stumbles to stand, and then realizes she was right; she's standing in the Bifrost chamber. Heimdall, the Asgardian guard with the sigh of all, is standing feet from her.
"The child needs the healers," says Loki, taking charge, ignoring Thea's protests that she's fine. "And quickly. And then we need access to the armory. I need my scepter, and we need weapons. Our return to Earth must be expedient."
"Why are we going back to Earth?" Thea asks as two stable boys appear from the rainbow bridge, towing two horses.
Loki raises his eyebrow. "Your blood is needed to get into the chamber of the Mantra." Then, he turns to the stable boys. "The girl does not know how to ride. We need only one horse."
"Wait a moment." she says, holding her hand up. Loki looks annoyed. "You're saying that you actually need me?" she puts on an excitable, fake-happy facade, "That you want me for something without chaining me up?"
Loki looks at her, then glares. "Shut up. Now come over here, seeing as you have no idea how to even mount a horse without toppling off."
She smirks at him, then, before he can react, Thea grabs the reins of the tall gray horse and then, placing her foot in the stirrup, swings up onto the saddle. "And actually." she grins, "I actually do know how to ride a horse."
Laughing with glee, she kicks the horse hard. It rears, whinnying shrilly, and then takes off, thundering across the rainbow bridge.
"Oh that child," Loki hisses between his teeth. "Give me that," he says, tearing the reins of the second horse from the boy, mounting it, and kicking it so that it gallops off after Thea. But as his horse chases hers, there's the slightest sign of a smile playing at the end of his lips.
Please VOTE and COMMENT if you'd like! :) :)
Love you all!
Sierra <3