United

Chapter 15

The General crumpled to the ground, dead, his eyes lolling in the back of his head and his face distorted beyond recognition. It was half melted off.

Pamela stood over him, still smoking laser gun in hand. The weapon had incredibly accurate precision and a hot enough blast to melt the flesh and bone of its target. Her scientists were already working on mass producing them for her agents, but she had been given the first prototype.

She bent down on the corpse's level and slowly lifted his head, cradling it with one hand.

"Oh, General. I warned you what would happen if you let Loki escape. I warned you, and you still failed me. Pity you won't be around to see my empire rising. I was quite looking forward to seeing you lead my troops into battle, but I suppose you can be easily....replaced."

She dropped his head and called for a few of her agents to dispose of the body. As they dragged him off, she lifted the gun to her face and inhaled the sweet scent of the laser's smoke. She exhaled slowly and smiled before stopping one of the agents dragging off the body.

"Agent Kestler, you are now General. Prepare my agents for my next attack. Make sure that each of them is trained to the best of your ability, and if any one of them fails you, kill them. Go."

The newly appointed General scurried off to collect her agents, leaving Dr. Reese to marvel at the fact that such strong men and women could succumb to the will of a higher power so easily. She would strive to be more than just the higher power.

Dr. Pamela Reese would destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. with an iron fist, and when the rival organization fell, so would the Avengers. They couldn't operate without guidance for long.

So she would become their guidance. The Avengers would be hers, along with Loki.

Nothing could stop that now.
***
Loki had been on the run for 3 weeks. He teleported in between realms, never staying in the same place. He considered going back to Midgard once or twice, but never did.

Without him, the Avengers returned to their normal lives. Wanda got back from her mission, which had prevented her from being at the facility during the movie marathon. Korg and Heimdall worked with Sigyn to keep the Asgardians in check and to provide a sense of safety for them, while S.H.I.E.L.D. worked to accommodate them with a new home. Thor and Brunnhilde had grown closer over the past few weeks, but avoided physical touch. Their relationship was more of that of a brother and sister, each secretly holding on to the hope that Loki would return. 

Somewhere across the universe, the god of mischief stepped cautiously through a dark cavern. Human bones crunched beneath his feet as he made his way deeper into the dark abyss. Drops of water rhythmically dripped down from stalactites and formed small puddles on the rocky ground.

As Loki continued to venture into the farthest reaches of the cave, he noticed shadows dancing along the wall.

Strange.

Shadows couldn't appear without light.

He made a sharp right turn and let out a gasp.

Stretching endlessly before him were floating orbs of light, illuminating the cavern. They covered every available space and seemed to choke the life out of anything that dared to come near. The body count was higher here, and Loki noticed the thousands of skeletons piled up hastily along the back wall, making room for the orbs.

"What is this?" He whispered to himself, approaching an orb.

His hand grazed the sphere of light. He jumped back with a yelp as he stared at his hand covered in horrid red burns. The burns were bad enough to cause his skin to peel back, making the trickster cry out in pain.

Seconds after the agony had begun, it vanished. He was left with a perfectly healed hand.

"Remarkable, isn't it?"

The voice rang out through the cavernous expanse, causing Loki to jump in surprise.

"Tola Sigfusdottir? High Priestess of Alfheim?" He asked, unsure if what he was hearing was real.

"Ah, I always knew you were more than just another pretty face. Ever the intelligent one."

Loki glanced around him in fear.

"What's going on? Where are you?!"

The sorceress has an air of serenity about her, even if she was not visible. It was quite obvious that she was of a higher power than any magical being, including Loki himself.

"I am everywhere, yet I am nowhere. What you should really be asking is where you are. Unless, of course, you already know."

The asgardian slowly made his way through the mass of orbs until he felt like he'd reached the center. In front of him, a larger cobalt blue orb hovered three feet in the air.

"I know exactly where I am. The caverns of my ancestors. But this...." He let his hand come dangerously close to the bigger orb. "Is very new."

He waited in silence for her voice to echo throughout the cavern once more.

"You will soon undergo a series of trials. I have called you here to help prepare you to face them. H.O.P.E. is stronger than you could ever hope to imagine, so to defeat Pamela Reese and her flock, you must first channel sorcery within your bones that you didn't know existed. Touch the blue orb."

Loki froze, not quite understanding what he just heard.

"What trials? I do not understand-"

"Just touch the orb. I will explain in due time."

Taking a deep breath, he reached out towards the glowing sphere. The second his hand connected with its surface, he let out a cry of agony and terror. Blue light surrounded his body and caused his eyes to glow the same color as the source of his pain. He screamed. He thrashed. He begged the woman to help him when he realized that he couldn't pull his hand away.

"Channel the energy surging within you! Use it to fuel your power! You must accept that you are no longer in control!" She called out.

As he screamed, his life flashed before his eyes. Chopped up bits from his past came flying to the surface of his mind in a tornado of memories. The energy pulsing through his veins electrified him, and beneath the pain, he could feel adrenaline. Surrendering to the full power of the orb, he opened his eyes to see that all of the other lights had fallen dark, and that he had turned the sphere green.

He was absorbing its power.

A magic unlike anything he had ever felt consumed him as he took in the full power of the orb. When it was all finished, his hand was released, and he fell to his knees.

"Go and find your brother and his friends. Rally them against H.O.P.E., for you cannot do this alone, even with the power you now hold. You know what you have to do."

His eyes closed and his mind fully concentrated on the magic within him, Loki let out a guttural battle cry and shattered the cavern around him, rocks turning to dust. His eyes glowed green as he cleared a path for himself out of the realm he was on.

No one would ever underestimate his power again.

He was a fully charged living battery, a host to unimaginable energy.

He would use it to destroy Dr. Reese and her organization.

And may the gods help anyone who gets in the way.