Worthy

Waking to Panic

Loki was beside himself with amusement. Having used Frigga's well to look in on his brother from Asgard, he found himself in a fit of laughter. To think that an Asgardian prince would stoop so low as to throw himself at the feet of a mortal.

"Father was right to fling you onto that rock," he scoffed. "You belong there with the ants."

Loki felt once more that he had made the correct decision when he had incited Thor's lust for war. He had already been aware of Odin's lack of patience with his older son's brashness. Encouraging him to bring his legendary temper to Jotunheim was the easiest way to incite Odin's own legendary temper. Watching Odin strip him of his power and maroon him on earth had been such a victory. He had to pat himself on the back, knowing that he had chosen the moment perfectly.

Every year, during the Asgardian winter, Odin must enter a deep sleep during which he rejuvenates his powers. With Thor stranded and powerless, and Odin asleep and helpless, it had been all too easy for Loki to step forward and seize the throne.

"Now I simply have to make sure you never reclaim your power," Loki threatened. He shifted his gaze from Thor to the mortal with him. "Weak," Loki surmised. "Pathetic ant."

Despite the judgement he passed over this mortal, Loki made a mental note to keep his eye on this frail creature. Lesser beings had certainly foiled the plans of a god before. His eyes remained on the mortal and he found himself growing more concerned by the moment.

"What is he?" the god asked himself as he leaned back and touched his chin.

Dean's watch told him that he had only been asleep for two hours. Despite his earlier fatigue, he found himself wide awake. This wasn't an uncommon occurrence for him, of course. He rolled onto his side and sat up in the dark of the barracks and stared out into the shadows. The sound of Thor's deep and slow breathing met him and he found himself smirking at the god's earlier denial of fatigue.

Slipping silently from the bed and to the ground, he turned around to see the large Asgardian sleeping in a rather cramped position that made him feel guilty. Maybe he should have looked into a hotel for him instead?

As he turned to walk out of the sleeping quarters, he could feel his heart beginning to thud rapidly. The pulsation seemed to take over all of his senses. He walked out of the room and into the corridor where he rested against a metal support beam.

"Why is this happening to me?" he whispered in a jerky voice as his body succumbed to a violent wave of tremors. "Why now?"

In an attempt to regain some level of composure, he stalked out of the nearest exit and into the cool night air. As he moved along the interior of the base, he breathed deeply and slowly in an attempt to relax himself. His path took him to the hammer, where he sat down on the ground and hugged his knees against his chest.

"Of course I would have an anxiety attack," he chuckled to himself after sitting in this position for some time. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Special Agent Dean Allen, code name Mongoose. Valiant and skilled operative by day, weak and panic-stricken by night."

He smiled and stood up just as a shadow passed overhead. Dean's eyes darted up and he instinctively reached for his gun- which was not there. Though he should have felt even more panic rising up within him, he felt his nerves steady completely.

"Nothing like an intruder alert to take the edge off of an anxiety attack."