The group traveled in silence as they navigated through the Dark World. Jane was lying down near the front of the ship, with Thor next to her. Meanwhile, Zima and Loki were near the back, taking turns driving.
"What I could do with the power that flows through those veins." Loki says, referring to Jane.
"It would consume you." Thor responds.
"She's holding up all right." Loki adds, "For now."
"She's strong in ways you'd never even know."
"Say goodbye."
"Not this day."
"This day, the next, a hundred years, it's nothing. It's a heartbeat. You'll never be ready. The only woman whose love you've prized will be snatched from you."
"And will that satisfy you?"
"Satisfaction's not in my nature."
"Surrender is not in mine."
"The son of Odin..."
"No, not just of Odin. You think you alone were loved of Mother? You and Zima had her tricks, but she and I had her trust."
"Trust? Was that her last expression? Trust? When you let her die?"
"What help were you in your cell?"
"Who put me there? WHO PUT ME THERE?"
"You know damn well!" Thor responds, pushing Loki against the back edge. "You know damn well who!"
"That's enough!" Zima says, stepping in and pulling the two apart and putting herself between them. "Do you think she'd want us to be fighting right now?"
"She wouldn't exactly be shocked, love." Loki responds.
"We have greater issues at hand right now. We need to focus." Zima adds, going to check on Jane.
"I don't understand how she does it, but I wish I could trust you." Thor says quietly to Loki before also checking on Jane.
"Trust my rage." Loki responds, mostly to himself.
The group went back to flying in silence through some of the ruins until Jane got up, looking out ahead.
"Jane?" Zima asked, looking in the same direction, eventually noticing the ship descending from the clouds.
"Malekith." Jane responds.
The group decided to land near a hill a ways away from where Malekith's ship was landing and walk another short distance closer. They stayed low as they walked, not wanting to draw attention to themselves too soon. It was time to enact the next part of the plan.
"All right. Are you ready?" Thor asks Jane.
"I am." Loki responds, earring an eye roll from Zima.
The three Asgardians stood and walked closer to the edge of the hill, while Jane stayed where she was.
"You know this plan of yours is going to get us killed." Loki states.
"Yes, possibly." Thor responds.
"If all goes well, it won't." Zima adds.
Loki then holds out his hands to Thor, waiting for the restraints to be removed. "You still don't trust me, brother?" He says.
"Would you?" Thor asks before removing them.
"No, I wouldn't." Loki responds, taking his dagger out and stabbing Thor with it.
Thor rolled down the side of the hill as Loki jumped after him in pursuit. Zima followed a short time after, sliding down the hillside and stumbling only a few times before catching up. A terrified Jane followed last, running after them.
"You really think I cared about Frigga?" Loki asked, "About any of you?" He then kicked Thor in the face, sending him back again. "All I ever wanted was you and Odin dead at my feet with Zima by my side!" Thor tried to summon Mjolnir, but Loki stopped it by cutting off his hand. The girls had joined them at this point, Jane rushing to Thor's side, and Zima giving a sinister laugh as she and Loki pulled each other in for a quick kiss.
"How could I have not seen the fun in this sooner?" She asks, "I was almost getting bored."
"Better late than never." Loki responds, seeing Malekith approaching. "Get her." He whispers to Zima, who pulls Jane away from Thor. "Malekith! We are Loki and Zima of Jotunheim and we bring you a gift." Zima roughly pushed Jane forward, and the latter fell as this happened. "We only ask one thing in return. A good seat from which to watch Asgard burn." Loki adds.
Kurse informed Malekith in the elven language that he saw the two as prisoners, and that they were enemies of Asgard. This seemed to satisfy him as he walked over to Thor.
"Look at me." Malekith says, pushing Thor over before lifting Jane in the air, summoning the Aether out of her. When it was fully extracted, she collapsed to the ground.
"Loki! Zima! Now!" Thor yells. The duo lift the illusion they cast on Thor as he summons Mjolnir, using it in an attempt to destroy the Aether.
Zima had shielded Jane, and Loki shielded both women as lightning cracked and small red shards scattered everywhere. Unfortunately, The Aether reformed itself, and Malekith absorbed it. Their plan failed. Malekith and Kurse turned to walk back to the ship as the other elves approached the group, ready for a fight. Thor knocked three of them away just as Kurse triggered and threw a black hole grenade towards the others. Loki saw this and pushed the girls down and out of the way, almost being caught himself until Thor intervened.
"Stay safe," Zima says to Jane as she stands, "Let us do the fighting."
"But I thought-" Jane asked.
"All an act. Had to be convincing." Zima responds.
Thor charged towards Kurse, who knocked him back before the two engaged in their fight. Meanwhile, the remaining elves surrounded Loki and Zima as Malekith's ship took off.
"Oh no, it seems we're outnumbered." Zima says jokingly as she and Loki stodd back to back.
"Then we should show them that they're outmatched." He responds.
One by one, the elves tried to attack the two, only to go down with relative ease. All that was left was Kurse. Taking one of the other elven weapons, the two snuck up on him and drove it through his chest the second the paused from his fight with Thor. An irritated Kurse stopped and turned to see who was responsible, and grabbed the closest of the two, Loki, and pulled him onto the blade as well before throwing him off. Zima and Thor screamed, the former rushing to Loki's side.
"See you in hell, monster." Loki says to Kurse, who is just realizing that one of the black hole grenades on him was activated. He tried to get it off, but was too late as he collapsed in on himself, vanishing with a poof. Thor then stood and joined the other two.
"You fool, you didn't listen." Thor says.
"I know. I'm a fool. I'm a fool." Loki says weakly.
"Stay with us." Thor says.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Loki says.
"Don't speak." Zima responds, "It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay. We'll get out of here, we'll stop Malekith, and things will be alright."
"We'll tell Father what you did here today." Thor adds.
"I didn't do it for him." Loki responds before going completely limp. To Thor and Zima, he was dead.
Jane slowly approached the group as Thor and Zima yelled out again. Zima, under the emotional stress, started to change forms again as blue creeped up her arms. No one said a word or moved until a sandstorm approached them.
"We have to go." Thor finally spoke.
"No." Zima responds.
"Zima, we have to." Thor insists, reaching to pull her away.
"No, doN'T TOUCH ME!" She yells, "I don't want to hurt you, and I can't leave him!"
"I know, but we must. We need to take shelter from that storm and plan our next move."
Zima was reluctant, but calmed down enough to return to normal, allowing Thor to pull her away, Jane following.
YOU ARE READING
Dark Reality (MCU Book 2)
FanfictionA year has passed, and Zima has learned that Loki has been hiding out on Earth. She immediately goes to look for him, but what she finds is far from what she expected. Not only that, but the ancient Aether has found its way to Asgard through Jane Fo...
