In The Shadows | Loki

THE VERY FABRIC OF REALITY

Loki~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

        "She going to unleash the Aether on earth. On everyone who wronged her." I say as we walk. "We have to stop her. If she does that, I don't think its something she'll be able to forgive herself for doing."
        "Her parents are what I'm worried about." Jane replies. "They forced her out, but they loved her until she was a teen. Until she developed her powers."
        "The convergence is happening over London. Not the United States." Thor replies.
        "Oh God. None of this would've happened if I hadn't found the Aether." Jane whispers, slowing for a few moments.
        "No, It wouldn't." I snap, and Thor glares at me. "Am I wrong?" 
        "If she hadn't found it, Malekith would've had it that much sooner." Thor shoots back. 
        "I only found it because I was looking for you." Jane murmurs after a moment. I roll my eyes, more furious about wasting time with this talk. We move into a cave as the winds begin to roar outside. 
        "How cute." I mutter. "Your quest for love is destroying the only-" I cut myself off when Jane frowns, looking at me.
        "The only...?" She asks, and I look away. "Loki, you have to-" She's cut off by music, interrupting the silence of the planet. Thor and I turn, confused.
        "It's not me." Thor says, raising his hands in mock surrender. Jane fumbles with her dress, pulling out a small device I had seen on Midgard. A phone. 
        "Hello?" She answers, frowning. After a second, her expression clears. "Richard? Where are you?" She pushes a button, and suddenly we can all hear the man on the other line. "Oh My.. This is amazing." 
        "Is it? I quite enjoyed our lunch, despite never actually ordering anything." Thor looks startled by this, and I smirk. He scowls when he sees my expression, and Jane walks past us, farther into the cave.
        "How am I getting service here?" 
        "Is this a bad time? Do you want me to try you there?" I was as confused as Jane. That lump of technology shouldn't work anywhere but on Midgard. Unless....
        "This is a portal." I realize as Jane holds up some keys.
        "Is someone with you? If I've got you at a bad time-"
        "No, no. Please, whatever you do, do not hang up the phone." I push past Jane, realizing how close we were. It didn't matter where we ended up on earth, because we might be able to stop her then. We won't be galaxies away. I pass multiple Midgardian objects on the floor the farther I go, and I can hear Jane and Thor behind me, as well as the man that Jane was still on the phone with.
        I feel the familiar tingle that came with traveling through portals, the hair on the back of my neck standing up, just as the darkness closed in around me.
        And suddenly the three of us are in a large structure, and Jane is rushing outside. Thor and I follow, running up to a car.
        "Jane!" The three of us turn, and the woman calling her name stops in her tracks, staring at me. The men following behind her stop as well, and I recognize one of them. Selvig.
        "Loki." He whispers, horrified. I roll my eyes.
        "Isn't that the guy who tried to destroy the world?" The younger man asks. The woman nods wordlessly. 
        "We don't have time for this." I hiss, looking to Thor. "We have to find her."
        "Eric, do you now where the convergence will be?" Selvig frowns. "Wait, where are your pants?" 
        "Why is he here?" Selvig demands. "I thought he was locked up. In an Asgardian prison. Why is he back on earth?" Jane glances towards me, moving forward to the older man.
        "He says he thinks better without pants." The younger man says, answering Jane's earlier question.
        "He's helping us." Jane murmurs. The woman shrugs, accepting the news easily. I arch an eyebrow at that, giving her a curious look.
        "I'm not quite sure what you're helping with, but if it's anything like when Thor first showed up, we're going to need it." She pauses. "Wait, where's Ophelia? She was going to fix the leak in the bathroom." I don't answer, turning to Thor.
        "We need to go."
        "She has to travel through nine realms to get here. We have time." Thor tries to calm me down.
        "And she intention on stopping anywhere but here." I argue. "She'll be here before we know it. We have a head start, and we can't waste it." Thor looks as if he's about to say something. "We find out where the convergence happens, then we find out where she'll be. We can stop her before she hurts herself."
        "We have scientists here that can help."
        "And I have magic that will find her faster."
        "We're talking about Ophelia, right? What happened?" The woman asks, glancing around. "She was sick when she left for Asgard. I saw her faint." 
        "It's a long story, Darcy." Jane replies. "One we don't have time for. Short version is, Ophelia is kind of possessed and has enough power to destroy the planet. And she suddenly has a score to settle with some people."
        "Oh.... That isn't good." The woman, Darcy, murmurs. "We should probably find her." 
        "I don't have time for this." I hiss, moving to leave. Thor grabs my bicep tightly.
        "You aren't leaving my sight."
        "You still don't trust me? Even with this?" I ask, disbelieving. "I want to help her!"
        "So do we. Help us help her too." I clench my teeth, trying to resist throwing him off of me. "Just try to work with us."
        "Help me to help you to help him." Darcy sings under her breath. Everyone turns to stare at her. "Its.... Disney. Disney sequel, actually." We al continue to give her a strange look. "Just go back to your little chat." I return my attention to Thor, who is waiting.
        "You have one chance before I do it my way." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

        We arrive at Jane and Darcy's home, and it's only then that I found out that Ophelia had been living there as well. SHIELD had sent her here to protect Jane, and she had done her job. "Bathroom is down that hallway, first door on the right." Darcy gestures towards the hallway without looking up. 
        "How do we find where she'll appear?" I ask. There wasn't time for pleasantries. 
        "Wherever the convergence spits her out." Selvig replies, giving me a cautious look. "We follow the directions. This has happened before, thousands of years ago, and the ancients were there to see it." He lists off ancient civilizations. 
        "Why does that matter now?" I ask. 
        "It leads us here."
        "Greenwich?" The younger man asks, surprised.
        "Is that close?" I ask, and Darcy nods. 
        "Conveniently close, which is weird because in every movie the end point is usually far away, so this is great. Really great." Darcy rambles. Jane is frowning.
        "Even if she isn't meaning to, if Ophelia isn't careful, she could accidentally break apart the walls between worlds. Physics are going to go ballistic. The very fabric of reality could be torn apart, but she doesn't know about any of that." Selvig looks as disturbed as I feel.
        "I better get my pants."