Kamilla: A few seconds later
After navigating my way through the quantum realm, I find myself on-board Thor's spaceship, hidden in a tiny closet just as I planned. I can't see anything, so I create a tiny flame that floats in my hand as I look around. The closet is full of shelves stocked with food I don't recognize. I notice a jar of what looks like eyeballs and a large can of what appears to be blue carrots. The room is cold; this should be the food storage room on the furthest side of the ship. The room that I called Thor about, asking him to describe in great detail, less than a week ago. I'm careful not to make a sound as I slide down onto the floor. Quickly I cast a small spell on the door so that no one else can get in. Now all I have to do is wait, and pray I'm not discovered. I hear the sounds of tearing metal, and I know we're being fired at. Several more blasts hit the ship as it shudders violently. Then the explosions stop, and the Asgardian refugee spaceship goes still. I know this means that Thanos and his minions are boarding the ship. I hold my breath and cover my ears, not wanting to hear what I know comes next. A few moments later, people begin to scream. At first the screams are angry cries of battle, but very quickly they morph into piercing screams of agony and death. Eight minutes later, the screaming stops. This will work, I whisper to myself, trying to take my mind off of all the Asgardians that have just been slain. I can do this, I've spent the last week preparing for this very moment. I wait a few more minutes until suddenly I feel my enchantment activate, Loki has finally pushed the button on the device I gave him. Immediately I set my timer for six minutes. With the clock ticking, I tilt my head and listen for Thor's muffled shout. It's so quiet that I barely hear it, but thanks to the spell I cast on myself earlier, I have amplified hearing. One minute later Loki's unconscious body appears before me and I jump to my feet. His narrow face is unusually pale, and he's got dark finger-shaped bruises covering his throat. Blood drips from his nose and mouth, and his veins and eyes are bulging. He looks dead, but I know it's just an illusion. I use my magic to help me put the extra Avengers suit I brought onto his body. Then I extinguish the flame in my hand, plunging us both into darkness. I silently lean him against the wall, but his body is limp and heavy, and I struggle to prop him up. I sit down next to him and listen, holding my breath. If we are found, I have no doubt we'll be slaughtered on sight. I close my eyes and use my magic to heighten my senses and feel for the magic of the infinity stones. On the other side of the ship I sense them, Thanos is using the space stone to open a portal through space. I hear the sound of nearby explosions as I glance back at my watch, two minutes have passed. I've only got four minutes before Loki's brain starts dying and he dies for real. That is, if I've timed this exactly right.
With no time to lose, I feel around for the button on Loki's Avengers suit and push his and mine at the same time. And just before we are caught in the ship's explosion, we're instantly transported into the quantum realm. I'm still clinging to his waist as I drag him through the quantum realm behind me. I must hurry! I remind myself.
Finally, we appear in the Avengers lab, in 2023, back to the time I came from. Thankfully the room is still empty; the white, neat laboratory is silent and still. The Avengers should still be in their meeting with Dr. Strange and are hopefully, none the wiser. And I expect the meeting to go on for at least another ten minutes. I glance at my watch, my heart beating wildly, three minutes and thirty seconds left. With my free hand I pluck a piece of hair from Loki's head and use it to create a portal to New Asgard, in Norway. Then I drag him through and shut the portal behind me as fast as possible. I lay him down in the grass and with a flick of my wrist, I restore both Loki and I to our normal clothes. Instantly he's back in his black suit, and I'm back in my black leggings and black tank top. I briefly glance around to make sure nobody has followed me. It's nighttime in Norway, there are a few stars out, but it's too dark for anyone to see us from a distance. The timer goes off with a ding, and I immediately break the enchantment that's keeping him unconscious. The illusion disappears and his face looks normal, as his pulse returns slowly. I breathe a sigh of relief, "Loki, wake up!" I whisper urgently shaking his shoulder. Instantly his eyes snap open and he begins gasping for breath, gulping down air as if he can't get enough.
"How are you feeling? Any brain damage?" I tease lightly.
Loki scrambles to his feet swaying slightly as he looks around frantically. I know he's searching for Thanos. His eyes widen in alarm when he realizes we're no longer on the spaceship, but that we're standing on a large grassy hill, overlooking the village of New Asgard. The blinking stars illuminate the silhouettes of small houses in the distance and the half-moon casts a glittering reflection on the ocean to our left. I finally let myself relax, breathing in the salty air, savoring the familiar taste and happy memories. It's been a while since I've been back here, and although it's not the same now that Thor is gone, I've missed it.
"Where is Thanos?" Loki's voice is hoarse and raw, he's still breathing heavily.
"Thor killed him. We're on earth, I-"
Loki looks at me his face full of worry, then suddenly his eyes narrow in recognition. "I thought you said you would aide me in my fight against Thanos?" Then he looks around puzzled, "Are we in Fucking Norway?"
"I didn't need to fight him. I just brought you five years into the future, Thanos has been killed and you nearly died but-"
"Where's my brother?!" He snarls cutting me off.
I take a tentative step back and conjure a magical shield in front of me. "He's safe I promise! When Thanos began to choke you and you pushed the button on the device I gave you; you were injected with a toxin so strong that it temporarily stopped your heart. You immediately lost consciousness, and the enchantment I used made you look like you died of asphyxiation. So it made it seem like you died from suffocating, rather than a stopped heart. And after six minutes, before your brain began to decay, I broke the spell and your heart began beating again." I pause, pride filling my voice.
"I fooled Thanos into thinking he had killed you. After he thought he was finished strangling you, he dropped you to the ground assuming you were dead. And while Thor watched in horror, I waited to make sure that Thanos would leave Thor alone. Then when Thanos and Thor weren't looking, the enchantment teleported you to the other side of the ship, where I was waiting and left an illusion of your dead body in its place. After I was sure Thanos left, I brought us both to Earth in the year 2023." I smile smugly then add, "I may have tampered with time, but as a whole, history remains unchanged. Thor was undoubtedly rescued by the Guardians of the Galaxy which lead him to behead Thanos, fueled by the desire to avenge your untimely death. So Thanos is defeated once and for all... and more importantly, nobody even knows I was there!" I put my hands on my hips and give him a proud look, enjoying the satisfaction that rolls through me.
He falters; shocked for a moment, then sags a bit, his eyes filling with worry. "So, you altered time, to save me before I died?"
I smirk, "Yup, but it's no big deal. I'm sure there won't be any future ramifications in our timeline."
He looks at me warily, his eyes suddenly tired and mutters absentmindedly. "If I should be so lucky."
Then he shakes his head and offers his hand, his movements noticeably awkward and stiff. "I suppose I should thank you for saving my life then."
I eye his outstretched hand but make no attempt to take it. I wait for him to show some genuine gratitude, but he just blinks at me, a mixture of appreciation and disdain on his face.
I assume that's as much of a thank you as I'm ever going to get, so I nod curtly. "Well, don't thank me just yet, Dr. Strange will find us soon." I scoff, "To be honest, I'm not sure how he will react when he realizes what I've done."
He raises an eyebrow and rolls his shoulders back, his joints popping into place, as he straightens out. "So, you truly are a witch?"
"I'm a Master of the Mystic Arts. Well, not quite." I admit still bitter over the fact. "But I've been Wong's apprentice for over four years and Dr Strange's since he returned. They refuse to let me advance to the level of master, but I'm almost there. Strange might not approve of me saving you, but I don't give a rats ass what he thinks anymore!" I say fiercely. Then I take a deep breath trying to steady my flaring tenper. "Look, we have some time before he finds us. Do you want to see New Asgard? Thor left Earth a while ago, but Valkyrie is still here, she's been running the show."
"By all means lead the way Little Witch, my glorious kingdom awaits."
We walk down the hill illuminated by moonlight and head down to the village. It's completely silent except for the sound of the waves crashing softly against the cliffs. The ground is a bit uneven as we scramble down the side of the hill heading to the center of town. New Asgard is small, there can't be more than fifty buildings here; the small houses made of stone and brick are spread over the rolling hills that surround us. We walk in silence, and Loki appears to be lost in thought as his eyes roam over the landscape slowly. To our left is the small harbor, where several ragged fishing boats are docked for the night. The town is still, and yet welcoming as if it senses that its long-dead Prince has returned. Together we walk to the house that I'm pretty sure Valkyrie lives in. It's going to be quite entertaining to see the look of total shock on her face, when she sees Loki standing in front of her, very much alive. Loki eyes the buildings with disgust, then stops moving.
"This place is a dump." He remarks, his voice small and far away.
"Yes, but it's all the government was willing to give them. Valkyrie has been trying to get permits to build more, but after everyone who vanished returned, there have been fights over territory and the country just can't keep up with it all."
He turns to look at me, "Vanished? So, the mad titan really did it?"
"Yup. After Thanos killed you and took the space stone, he went to earth and collected the rest of the stones. Thor went to create a weapon powerful enough to kill him, a weapon he calls Stormbreaker. However, it wasn't enough to stop him from accomplishing his goal. Thanos snapped and half of all life disappeared from the universe. Then to prevent anyone from changing things, he destroyed all the infinity stones. So The Avengers created a time machine to go back in time and collect the stones to make a new gauntlet and Hulk used it to bring everyone back. But then past Thanos found out that they were altering the past and he came to the future and tried to steal the new gauntlet! Fortunately, Thor and the Avengers stopped him, and Ironman used the glove to destroy Thanos, the Chituari and all of Thanos's armies."
I pause for a moment watching him carefully. His expression goes from amused, to surprised, to relieved. "Unfortunately wielding the stones killed Tony Stark." I pause again, I never met Tony, but I did appreciate his genius and his sacrifice. "Tony saved the entire universe. And after that, the Avengers went back in time to put the stones back where they found them. Of course I only found out about time travel, after I overheard Strange talking about possibly destroying the time machine. That was when I began formulating my plan and found a way to sneak into the Avengers headquarters in order to bring you back from the dead."
"Impressive." He nods, seemingly intrigued.
"Yeah, everyone is safe now. The decimation has been reversed. And Thor, well, he left Earth to join the Guardians of the Galaxy, but I'm sure Strange will put you in contact with him." Loki considers everything I've told him quietly, until suddenly a portal appears in front of us, and a very irritated and red-faced Dr. Strange appears on the other side.
Right on time, I think. "Speak of the devil." I say aloud.