The Syndicates || "MARVEL: Avengers" || COMPLETED

T H I R T Y F I V E | ' 20 questions '

. . . MARIONETTE . . .

"How did you find us?"

Marionette asked as they began the long, winding trek up to the castle. Normally, she would have scoped out the building first but she'd pitched the idea forward already and neither Silver nor Thor wanted to spend any more time here than necessary. She could understand that.

"Professor Banner was able to construct a radius using the energy levels detected in Enoch's contraption at the time it was fired. We managed to put together a list of coordinates but without this photograph we may still never have found you."

"This is...Alien technology." Silver said, accepting the photograph he held out towards them.

"Enoch."

Marionette said, peering at the image over Silver's shoulder. A family of four stared back at them. With purple skin and golden crowns, they were a sight like which she had never seen before. At the center was a small boy she assumed was Enoch, cradling an infant in his arms.

"Thank you for finding us, Thor. It can't have been easy."

"Ah, you humble yourselves, spending years in this...netherworld is no easy feat either. Truthfully, I applaud you."

"Years?" Marionette asked, shaking her head with a smile, "Please, it wasn't that bad."

Thor hesitated, "This is no joking matter, Lady Marionette."

She frowned, gauging how serious he was, "That's, no, that's impossible. It's been...We've only been here a few hours at most." She looked to Silver for support.

"Time must flow differently here." Silver said, her lips parted slightly in surprise, "You're saying its been years?"

Thor seemed horrified, and Marionette was feeling no different, "Very nearly 3. If that is the case, then we must leave this planet ASOP."

"Asop..."

"As soon- Stark taught me."

"You mean ASAP."

Thor bit his lower lip, frowning. "Yes, that seems-"

"Right, anyway, where exactly are we?" Marionette quickly interrupted.

Thor tipped his head up towards the horizon, as if the answer was written in the skies, "They call this place Adohi. Many do not even know of its existence and of those that do, few are willing to talk."

"Adohi. There was a war here." Marionette said, a question lingering in her tone. What happened?

"Some would say genocide," Thor said, solemnly, "Millions massacred at the hands of a madman. These people, the Adohians, for all their magic they did not stand a chance. And Asgard, Asgard did not raise a finger to help."

"What does that mean?"

Thor sighed heavily, "30 years ago, unbeknownst to my brother and I, our father journeyed here to answer a request from the Queen. You could say that he owed her a favour, but he never followed through. The Queen begged and begged him to save her people but the Adohians were naturally a powerful race and whether Odin saw them as a threat, or capable of defending themselves, I don't know. He denied her, but saved the young prince. The child's natural form was masked with Asgardian witchery and he was raised by a Midgardian family on your Earth. 10 years later, he vanished. Until now, Odin believed or perhaps wished he were dead."

He rubbed the nape of his neck, clearly uncomfortable.

"You know it wasn't your fault, don't you?" Silver said.