"Now do as you promised and take us to your secret pathway."
Loki gave a flourish of his hand as he stepped to the controls. "But of course." He barely touched the console before the Asgardian ship above spotted them and fired.
"Fandral!" Thor barked.
"Right," Fandral replied, grabbing a rope. He turned to Rhiley with a grin. "Wish me luck?"
"For Asgard," he replied,
Rhiley dropped her shield just long enough for him to swing across. As he landed, she flung it back up without missing a beat.
Loki jerked the controls, sending the ship into a sudden descent.
"Loki!" Thor shouted, grabbing hold of Jane.
"If it were easy, everyone would do it!" Loki yelled back, steering them directly toward a sheer wall of mountains.
Rhiley braced herself against the railing, face pale, breath shallow. "I swear to every realm, if you kill me with your reckless ego, I'm coming back just to haunt you."
"Duly noted," Loki said with a grin. "We're nearly there—"
The ship dove into the mountain... and vanished through a shimmering portal.
"Ta-da!" Loki sang, triumphant.
Rhiley shoved him hard in the shoulder. "Do that again and I'll knock the smug off your face."
He chuckled, rubbing the spot she hit.
Jane, already weak, slumped further. Thor lowered her gently to the floor. She blinked blearily before falling into unconsciousness, her head landing in Rhiley's lap.
"She's burning up," Rhiley murmured, brushing Jane's hair back from her face, fingers glowing faintly with calming warmth. "But she's fighting."
Loki's gaze flicked to them. "What I could do with the power flowing through those veins..."
Rhiley's head snapped up. Her eyes were sharp, dangerous. "Don't even think about it."
He looked away, almost guilty—almost.
"It would consume you," Thor said, voice firm.
"She's holding up for now," Loki muttered, but his tone had lost its bite.
"She's stronger than either of us give her credit for," Thor said.
Rhiley smiled faintly and continued stroking Jane's hair. "Strength doesn't always look like a sword or a fight. Sometimes it's just enduring."
A silence fell, thick and charged.
"Say goodbye," Loki said quietly.
Thor stiffened. "Not this day."
"This day, the next... a hundred years..." Loki continued, eyes distant. "It's nothing. A heartbeat. You'll never be ready. The only woman whose love you've ever prized will be snatched from you."
"Shut up, Loki," Rhiley snapped, voice sharp.
Thor turned slowly, his eyes darker. "And will that satisfy you?"
Loki shrugged. "Satisfaction isn't in my nature."
"Surrender's not in mine," Thor retorted.
"The son of Odin," Loki mused, as if trying to remember who his brother was.
"No," Thor replied firmly. "Not just Odin. You think you alone were loved by Mother? You had her tricks—but I had her trust."
Loki's smile dropped, hard. "Trust?" he said coldly. "Was that her last expression? Trust? When you let her die?"
YOU ARE READING
Radioactive | Bucky Barnes
Fanfiction"I want to go back to the time you first told me your name." Rhiley, the twin sister of Howard Stark, finds herself wrapped up with the one and only James Barnes. The next time she sees him is on her new assignment with the 107th Infantry Regiment...
