Holding On

XI

Fire flooded all around. People screamed and ran in every direction. Cars were smashed and thrown against buildings. Glass shards were sprinkled over everything, a rainbow reflecting off of them as the sun hit them just right. A baby screamed and wailed, his mother clutched him closer as if the tight pressure would make everything disappear to the child.

Loki stood in the middle of all the chaos. He couldn't remember how he got there thought. Did he walk, maybe he teleported? But there was a nagging feeling, he had to remember something. What could he have forgotten that seemed so important? A car flew by, inches from his head and snapped him out of his thoughts. He needed to find cover to think. Loki looked around at the fleeing civilians trying to find the right person. A man about the age of 25 with curly chestnut hair, tanned skin, and electric blue eyes wore washed out and worn blue jeans with a while long sleeve shirt. Perfect, Loki thought. He took the form of the civilian and ran.

He took a right and then a left not caring where he went, his only thought to get away from the fiery chaos that was taking place a mere two blocks away. Loki turned into an alleyway about four blocks from the scene. Quiet. Loki took his head in his hands, a headache was starting to build. "Fight or flight." Loki mumbled to himself, "I stay and fight, try to find the others or I run." By this point his new form had faded away leaving him in a green shirt and blue jeans. "I should fight... for Thor, wherever that pathetic worm is." It had become a habit for him to insult his brother or call him names, formed when they were only kids.

Formed from Loki's decision to stay and fight, his gold and green armour appeared around him, along with his horn helmet which sat atop his head. He appeared from the dark alley and walker towards the fiery chaos. The closer he got the louder the chaos became, and soon he stood in the middle of a street crowded by abandoned cars. But something was wrong. There was still the sound of screaming and cars being crushed into buildings and glass shattering, but no enemy of was in sight. Sound was still there but to Loki the city of New York just looked abandoned.

Loki walked through the streets, looking in cars for civilians that might still be present in the now vacant city. "They must still be here." Loki said as he heard more glass being shattered. The longer Loki walked through the streets the quieter the sounds got and soon he took off his helmet. Maybe he imagined the whole thing. Maybe there was no sound at all. But that thought quickly left his head as a spaceship appeared in the sky.

His knives slid out of his amor and once again his horned helmet appeared on his head. The noise that had lowered into a mere whisper suddenly amplified as if it was happening right next to him. Next people came from every which way, screaming and running, trying to escape the spaceship which was pursuing them. The space craft above him opened and things coated in armour fell to the ground, metres from Loki. The people who were once charging towards Loki now scattered, running into alleys and office buildings. The strange beings circled around Loki. Their silver armour covered their faces, obscuring them from Loki's view.

"Who are you?" Loki asked. Could these things be the reason he was here. Did they know something he did not?

"We are infinites. We came from this land, before time." The infinite in front of Loki answered. "We believe your people have something of ours." Loki's grip tightened around his knives.

"I am not of this world." He answered plainly. "I will not be blamed for a human's mistake." The infinite looked at him as if to protest, but his expression quickly changed once Loki's skin shifted to blue.

"You are from Jotunheim." The same infinite stated. Loki nodded slowly. "We have visited Jotunheim, though it was many years ago."

"I do not wish to know about your life. I only wish to know why you seek Earth." Loki responded. He wanted the infinites gone as soon as possible.

"We do not wish to anger you, we only want what we have came here for."

"And what is that exactly?"

The infinite sighed. "Dainsleif." Dainsleif was one of the mighty weapons in Viking mythology. Every time someone took the sword and shed its cover, exposing the blade, some had to be be-headed. This was to quench the blood thirst of the sword. The sword was thought to have disappeared a thousand years ago when Loki was but a mere child. Now these infinites were saying it was here on Earth?

Loki withheld his questioning look from view. Whatever these things said they were, he did not know how much power they possessed. It was best to not question their judgement, at least not to their face.

"I do not believe that I have properly introduced myslef. I am Ledger, the leader of this troop." He said as he motioned to the other infinites.

"I am Loki, son of Laufey and Farbauti."

"Yes. Over the years from travelling all of the galaxies and eight realms we have heard much about you son of Laufey."

"Then how come I have heard nothing of you?" Loki was sceptical of these infinites were true to what they said.

"We have gone to great lengths to keep our race out of books and ancient writings. As told, it is not our first time returning to our mother planet." This time another infinite answered. This one was to the left of Ledger.

"But it has been a thousand years?" Loki questioned. He hoped these infinites did not walked the Earth as the Avengers protected it.

"I dread to say it had been." Ledger answered. This time he hung his head at his response as if he was almost ashamed of the answer. Loki just nodded, unsure of how to respond.

"I presume you have kept an eye on your mother planet, Earth, than." Loki assumed.

"Yes we have. The many wars the our siblings have had between each other saddens us."

"You are all human?" Loki questioned. How could these humans be so different from the ones who now inhabit the Earth?

"Yes, I believe that is what we classify as. Although we did inherit the planet when there was more oxygen giving us - what do they call it - special abilities I believe. Now I believe that more oxygen would be devastating to the new humans as well as our mother planet."

"What special abilities do you possess?" Loki needed to make sure these ancient humans would not become a threat to their younger race. As much as he hated the thought, he might have to be the one to protect the younger humans. At least until he could find the Avengers. Avengers, Loki thought. Where are the Avengers?

"A wide variety of things. Underwater breathing, flight, enhanced strength, telekinesis." Ledger listed off the abilities. This is impossible, Loki thought as the infinite listed his answers. Humans are not capable of such powers. There is no documentation of man with powers. Loki was brought of his mind at a loud noise.

He no longer stood in the middle of a street, instead he stood in a dark room. The infinites were no longer in his sight, in their places stood statues. What the statues were of, Loki did not know.