The Old Gods | Book 2

Eleven: Bound in Life and Death

Tony Stark sat up all night in his garage. He traced every lead until it gave him nothing. He looked into every avenue, every corner, every camera feed. He identified the faces of the Hydra soldiers who stole away the mysterious goddess. He stayed up all night nearly obsessing over it.

Floating in front of him is a holographic image of the two short stories of the mentioned goddess Sigyn. The name means girlfriend of victory. Wife of Loki to whom she had two sons. It puzzled Tony Stark how a goddess like her could only be mentioned twice in the Poetic Edda. And Why? It seemed to him those stories were cut short, like a book being torn in half.

Even just from what he read, they didn't make sense. The full picture wasn't there.

Then he rubbed his eyes reaching for the soldier Nick Fury left behind for him. He opened it up to her profile. Her picture nearly matched the one on the internet.

A photo of a very old and worn stone carving where she sat with a man roped to a rock and she held a bowl above his head. There was then a modern depiction of the scene right next to the one based on the story of Loki's arrest.

In the folder from Shield, there is a strong quote. "Won't talk about her past. Origin unknown."

Isn't that helpful, he thought. Of all the gods to finally land on Earth and make themselves known, it is the ones they least expected.

"Sir," said Jarvis's voice. "I seem to have found something."

"Bring it up." Tony replied.

Footage of a van driving towards shut gates at an airport is played in the hologram. The van is rushing towards the gate before... it disappears. It was like they were never there.

"Whoa." Tony sat forward. "Play it back." he watched it again. "That's them. Break the loop. Find where they went and what plane they boarded we can track it from there."

"Yes, sir." Jarvis replied.

Small footsteps came into his garage from the stairs. Tony kept his back to her and kept on looking at the screens. "Tony." Pepper's small voice called to him. "It's two thirty in the morning." she grumbled. "You need to come back to bed. We can find her tomorrow."

Tony glanced at her. "Every second we waste... who knows what they are doing. If they turn her into a weapon Hydra can use that against us."

"Tony..."

"You were the one who told me we had to find her and help her." Tony turned on his chair and rose to his feet.

She sighed. "Yes, but you also need sleep." she gestured helplessly to all the evidence around him. "If she is still out there, I'm sure she can survive one more night." The full-bodied hologram of the goddess stares right at Pepper. "She is a goddess after all."

"Ten percent complete."

"It's been over four days, Pepper."

"I know." she said. "And you haven't stopped."

"Neither will Hydra." he said, frustrated. "Did you see what they used against her? My own device."

"Tony, you can't help her if you haven't had proper sleep or anything to eat."

"Twenty percent complete."

"Keep it going." Tony turned to Pepper. "Go to bed, I'll be there soon."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Pepper nodded and headed back up the stairs. Tony fell back into a chair resting his hands behind his head, staring at his Iron Man suit across the garage. "Twenty-five percent."