Among the Asgardians: The Goddess of Love

Parents

Kathryn's POV

I yawned as I slid yet another preserved slice of brain into the microscope.  They were all the same; just little grey slices of circles and neurons. “Dad, how much longer until we get to Australia?” I whined as I put my eyes to the lens. No change.

“Should only be about another hour or so,” Tony replied, looking up from the blueprint in front of him. “We’re flying over the Philippines right now. Fury didn’t want to risk a flight into Indonesian airspace.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“The Indonesians don’t exactly take kindly to us, and we wanted to make a stop in Madripoor before we made it to Australia. I have a business transaction to attend to.”

“What are you buying?” I asked.

“You’ll see,” Tony said mysteriously. “Hell, I’ll even send you in if you want. Bruce told me about how you handled Mystique.” His eyes lit up. “Yes. Yes, I like that. You’re coming to Madripoor with me.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I need backup that isn’t a suit, and you need to see how I do business if you want to inherit Stark Industries someday.” He patted me on the back. “Plus, you need to get used to dealing with Madripoor.”

“What’s wrong with Madripoor? It’s just a business transaction,” I laughed.

“No. It’s not just a business transaction. Do you know what Madripoor deals in, Kathryn?”

I shook my head.

“It deals in crime. The entire city used to be controlled by Hydra awhile back. They certainly left their mark on the place. If you don’t believe me, ask Clint or Maria. They both executed a mission there a couple months before I hired you. That reminds me. You’re getting a raise.”

“I am?” I asked. “Where do you even put my money, and why are you raising my salary if I don’t even work for you anymore?”

“I put your money in a bank in L.A., and I’m not raising your salary. I’m just raising your allowance. I like to spoil my girl,” he laughed. “I fired you a long time ago because your work attendance record was horrendous.”

I laughed and put a new slide under the microscope. My breathing instantly stopped and the smile dripped off my face as I peered down the lens. “Oh gods… Dad, you’ve got to look at this.” Before, the slides had showed normal brain cells from places such as the cerebrum and cerebellum. This sample was from a new box labeled “hypothalamus.” Where before the samples had been grey and uninteresting, they were now a bright blue color like the Tesseract and I could see actual cell activity within the cells.

“What is it?” Tony asked rushing to my side and looking down the lens. “My god,” he said. “They’re still alive. They were soaked in preservative fluid and encased in crystal, but they’re still carrying out their functions. That’s impossible,” he concluded. “Wait a minute. Crystal. Crystal… Where’s Thor?” he asked.

“Thor’s in Asgard looking for Loki,” I replied. “But I bet Nari could tell us anything we want to know about Asgard.”

“Page him,” Tony ordered.

I picked up a phone from the wall and dialed the intercom number. “Nari, you’re needed in the biolab,” I said.

The boy appeared within moments, teleporting from god knows where. It seemed that, like his father, he had the ability to teleport. “What is the problem, Lady Kathryn?” he asked.

“Can you tell us what kind of mineral makes up the Tesseract?” Tony asked.

“Why… I think it’s crystal,” Nari said. “Quartz crystal, cut against the grain by the natives of Muspelheim,” he said.