Rising From The Ashes (Book Five of the Bad Wolf Chronicles)

Epilogue

And over to Asgard for our ending scene . . . and I'm going to go put on a bulletproof vest real quick before you reach the end.

***

"Loki."

Loki groaned and looked away from the tome he was reading as Sif ran up, her face bleached of all color. "What now, Sif?" he asked irritably.

"It's Heimdall," she swallowed hard. "You need to hear what he has to say."

"If this is something about finding the scepter, I'm all for it," he rolled his eyes, but stood up nonetheless. "What is it that I need to hear from him?"

"You need to," Sif tugged him in the direction of the Bifrost. "Please, Loki!"

Whenever Sif resorted to using pleading terms on him, Loki knew it was serious. He set his book down nearby and ran after her.

When they made it to the Bifrost, Odin was already there, a rare look of raw emotion on his face. Fandral and Volstagg were standing there as well, both looking stunned. Heimdall was stiff as a rod, staring down at something. "What is it?" Loki asked, looking at them all. "What is it?"

"The future is written," Heimdall rumbled. "And it cannot be undone."

"What future?" Loki asked, shaking his head. "What could you possibly - ?"

"Loki," Odin cut in, looking down at the rippling glass Heimdall was staring into. "Look."

Loki frowned, then walked over. He looked down into the glass - and his breath caught. He quickly turned away, closing his eyes. Sif had tears in her eyes. "No," Loki shook his head. "Time can be rewritten. It's possible!"

"Not this one," Heimdall shook his head. "This is set in stone."

"Look," Odin urged.

Loki swallowed hard, then turned back.

There was a figure with white gold energy streaming from their body, a figure in an astronaut suit standing opposite of them. With two quick blasts of a blaster, the regeneration was cut off.

Jessie fell to the ground, eyes closed, sprawled across the sand of Lake Silencio.

She did not move again.

***

To be continued in "Living In Time And Space."

So yes, for those of you who wanted to know, it will indeed be Jessie - and only Jessie - standing on the Lake in Season 6. :(

Avengers and astronauts and Silence, oh, my! See you in the next book for this series!