(Svartalfheim – Cave - November 15th, 2013)
Kal had covered Loki's remains with great black stones to prevent the planet's harsh winds from ravaging it. His brother's daggers, which had once been Frigga's, found themselves embedded into the makeshift tomb as a marker. He and Thor had said the funeral words and vowed that if they survived the coming battle then they would find Bragi, god of Poetry and the greatest skald amongst their people, to have an epic worth of their brother written. They had also vowed to ensure Loki's body was collected and he was buried as befitting a prince of Asgard.
However, their current concern was how to depart this world, a bitter storm had forced them to seek shelter in a nearby cave and they were currently trapped. Loki's death had robbed them of his secret ways through the branches of Yggdrasil, and the black hole in the sky prevented Carol from using her communicator to call for help. Thor helped Jane into the cave as she was still feeling weak from the Aether, and Carol led the way raising one illuminated hand up to light the cave.
Carol gave the cave a quick scan and determined that it was as dead as the rest of this world, apart from a few energy readings but she couldn't make the source out. She sighed and turned, hearing the familiar boom that heralded Kal's arrival, to see him landing at the cave's entrance with a grimace. He slammed his fist into the side of the cave in frustration as he entered, causing the mountain to shake slightly and cracks to appear.
"I take it you didn't find a way offworld?" Thor asked, a similar expression on his face as well.
"NO!" Kal snapped back before taking in a deep breath trying to calm himself and then letting out a breath before he tried speaking again "…. Apologies, I have not. Heimdall does not respond to my calls, we cannot go back the way we came without Loki's knowledge, and the blackhole we are orbiting makes leaving directly a fool's errand."
"We have bigger problems," Jane's voice caused everyone to turn to face the still pale woman as she slowly stood up, still drained. "Malekith is going to use the Aether, I saw it when he drew it out of me. He's going to destroy everything, not just Asgard or a star, but all of it."
"How?" Thor asked, looking at Jane trying to control the grief that was welling up inside of him. "The Aether is powerful, but it is beyond the power of a single stone to wipe out all of existence …...right?"
"The Convergence" Kal whispered out as his mind connected the dots, turning his head to Jane and speaking louder. "He's not going to blot out the light all at once, is he? He's going to use the prime convergence as a first step, create a chain reaction within a large enough proportion of space that the dark matter will spread, consuming everything?"
"Yes, Malekith's going to convert enough regular matter into dark matter that it will be like toppling the first domino, after that all he has to do is sit back and watch as our reality is destroyed," Jane confirmed their worst fears which only increased the frustration of three heroes present being stuck on this dead world. "I saw him on Earth. Why would he go to Earth?"
"Because Earth stands at a nexus point of not only Yggdrasil but multiple dimensions, it's why Asgard and so many species are interested in our world," Carol's voice caused Jane to face her, as the cosmic avenger looked tired. "and with the Convergence occurring, the barrier between all realms and dimensions will be weakened, if I wanted to start a chain reaction to destroy everything it's where I would go."
Everyone was quiet as the understanding of what was happening hit them, causing Carol to look tired, Thor to look at Jane with worry, and Kal winced with anger again. He was currently switching between rage, annoyance, frustration and grief all of which had heavy doses of guilt along with it.
"Oh god," Jane suddenly spoke out as she slumped back onto a rock, a look of pure guilt on her face. "None of this would have happened if I hadn't found the Aether. The universe being in danger, Asgard being attacked, Loki and Frigga, I'm the cause of all of it."
"Then Malekith would have just possessed it that much sooner," Thor reassured Jane, hating that she blamed herself for something entirely out of control.
Jane moved to speak only for Kal to cut her off, his steady calm voice sounding out in the dark cave.
"My brother is correct, the Aether wished to be found, if it had not been you then another would have found it." Kal gave her a friendly smile as he backed up his brother. "I assure you none of what has occurred is your fault."
"And for the universe being in danger…well that seems to be like an annual, maybe even biannual thing these days." Carol chipped in giving Jane a pat on the shoulder as she gave her own reassurance that she was not to blame.
"I know…..but I still -" Jane began to speak before suddenly being cut off by the sound of Cake'n Up by Demrick blasting out from behind them.
Jane's eyes went wide so did everyone else as everyone cast glances at each other. Jane turned to look at both Carol and Kal who just shook their heads before she turned back to Thor.
"It's not me," He said, raising his hands up.
Jane then scrambled trying to find the strange pouch, purse, pocket thing that was in the folds of her dress. It took a few moments before Jane pulled out her phone which was blasting out the annoying ringtone. She was frustrated she couldn't change it but was so happy to hear that moment. Hitting the green accept call button she pressed the phone to hear her ear desperately praying that this was a good sign.
"…Hello?" Jane hesitantly asked, not sure exactly what was happening.
"Hi, Jane, it's Richard" The man's voice sounded out in the quiet cavern causing Jane to smile that the phone was working but Thor's face to scrunch slightly.
"RICHARD!" Jane shouted in happiness causing everyone's eyes to widen and Thor to look uncomfortable. "Where are you?"
"I'm still at the office. It's been a crazy day here today." Richard replied, trying to play things cool, hyping himself up to ask for a second date.
"Oh, my god, this is amazing" Jane placed the phone on speaker and was now holding it out in front of her as she walked deeper into the cave, trying to figure out where the signal was strongest.
"Is it?" Richard spoke, his voice heightening in tone before he cleared it trying to sound casual and not letting himself get too excited. "I quite enjoyed our lunch, despite never actually ordering anything."
"How am I getting service here?" Jane asked as she pressed on into the cave with a trio of some of the strongest people in the universe behind her.
"Oh sorry, is this a bad time?" Richard suddenly asked realising how late it was and suddenly cursed himself for not thinking of that. "Do you want me to try you in the morning?"
"No! No, no. Whatever you do, don't hang up." Jane was quick to respond, gripping the phone tightly and moving quickly into the deeper sections of the cave desperate to find the source of the signal.
"Okay then" Richard's voice took on an almost smug flirtatious tone, that Jane was oblivious to as she searched for their way home but which caused Thor to grimace slightly. "I was just wondering if you want to try again, maybe dinner next time?"
"Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah," Jane said half-listening to the conversation as she climbed over a large rock in her way. "Just stay on the phone okay?"
"Yeah, I will." Richard's words caused Thor to cough very loudly trying to remind Jane he was there, however he only received a chuckle from Kal as Jane completely blanked them.
"Oh my GOD!" Jane suddenly reached down to the floor disappearing from sight only to spring back up holding a crushed soda can.
Her discovery caused everyone's eyes to widen and started to fan out around the area with people stretching their arms around trying to locate the portal. Carol suddenly also reached down to the floors and picked up a pair of car keys that Jane recognised as hers. Testing a theory Carol lifted up the keys and pressed the lock button, she listened and heard the beep of a car somewhere in front of Jane, causing everyone to surge in that direction.
"Um, am Iinterrupting something?" Richard asked suddenly having heard the car alarm as well as the echoing heavy footfalls of the others in the cave.
"No, no,no, no. Nothing at all." Jane quickly responded, gesturing everyone else to follow her as her signal bars started increasing. "Come on, this way."
"Sorry, I'm losing you slightly. Are you in a tunnel?" Richard's voice became still curious as Jane was sounding very odd and the background noise was becoming louder.
As they started walking forward behind Jane Thor started to look around the floor very confused as the floor was covered with smashed bottles, soda cans and ….
"Why are there so many shoes in here?" Thor asked as he stepped over a pair of sneakers, as he spoke he and Jane disappeared in a shimmer through a ripple in the air.
Carol and Kal looked at each other before rushing forward, passing through the ripple through the air to suddenly find themselves in a dimly-lit industrial park surrounded by police tape. In front of them was Jane and Thor who were already moving towards a heavily vandalised car with cracked windows. Jane immediately hung up her phone not bothering to listen to Richard anymore, and as she moved over to the driver's door she lifted up her hand towards Carol, who threw her the keys she had found.
"Everyone get in, I'll drive," Jane shouted as she got in the car and everyone else scrambled to the passenger door.
As Jane buckled herself, she started the car groaning as the ignition just churned on her a few times before it spurted to life. Her smile of triumph quickly left her face as she turned to look at her passengers and was met with the oddest sight she had ever seen. Crammed into her two-door car was a trio of gods all of whom were fidgeting and trying not to poke each other.
"Thor, your seat is too far back, move it forward," Carol grunted as she pushed the back of Thor's chair.
"I cannot, if I move the seat Mjolnir will have no room on the floor," Thor grunted back gesturing to his feet where he had placed Mjolnir, only for him to suddenly let out an annoyed yelp, "Kal your sword is sticking into me!"
"Well you should have said something before we got in the vehicle, I can't unhook it now. Rrgh, yield, blast you!" Kal half grunted his defence as he pulled at his seat belt trying to mimic Jane and Carol but finding that the strap kept going tense.
It took a few minutes before everyone was finally settled in, albeit very crampedly and not before several windows were cracked further from elbows going into them along with one very heated and amusing argument between Thor and Kal about whose cape was making it more difficult to sit in the space. Carol for her part had been shoved into the side of her seat having elected to stay there after the third time Kal's sword poked her in the side.
"Okay everyone ready to go?" Jane asked with a bemused feeling like a mother with a bunch of unruly superpowered children.
"Yes," Thor and Carol said whilst Kal just muttered out something about how it would have been quicker to fly.
"Okay, then let's get going." Jane declared looking over her shoulder as she reversed the car and prepared to drive home.
"…. So, who's Richard?" Thor finally asked the question looking out of his window trying to seem casual and disinterested like the question didn't matter.
"Really?" Jane asked, raising her eyes at Thor, who just went quiet and looked away silently..
Seeing that she would not get a response, sighing not believing him at the moment as she pulled off and headed home.
(Central London – Foster Townhouse - November 15th, 2013)
As Jane pulled up to the house that once belonged to her parents, she noticed that the lights were already on. She guessed that Darcy had taken over the house because of the makeshift lab which Darcy probably thought could help her find Jane and the fact it had a full fridge along with a plasma screen TV. Jane was the first out of the car and as she walked up to her front door she noticed her neighbour, an elder gentleman, standing at his door with wide eyes. Turning around she saw what was causing him his reaction, as Carol, Thor and Kal exited the car still in their armour and then realised she was also still in Asgardian robes.
"Umm…. renaissance fair?" Jane explained her voice sounding not at all confident, her neighbour's only response was to look at Carol's clearly futuristic space uniform. "Uhm…...I meant midnight comic con?"
Jane then pushed her way into her house shoving her companions in as quickly as possible whilst giving her neighbour a forced smile, and as she closed the door, she let out a sigh just happy to be home. However, her moment of relief quickly ended as she was greeted by several highly-armed SHIELD agents in her hallway checking their equipment. The agents froze as they looked at them, Jane was about to demand what they were doing in her home when another voice cut her off.
"Is that the pizza? Because I'm starving." Appearing from the end of the hallway was Tony Stark dressed in a smart casual look and about to crack another joke when he saw the new arrivals.
"Mr. Stark, I keep telling you, you have to stop ordering take out to our… secure… site." Jimmy appeared next to Tony, his presence, although expected by Jane, was the one that caused her eyes to go wide as he was wearing a SHIELD tactical uniform.
"Excuse me, what the hell is going on?!" Jane snapped, finally reaching the end of her patience.
"JANE!" Darcy's voice sounded out from the room Tony and Jimmy appeared from, which Jane knew led to her living and dining rooms.
The young woman suddenly appeared pushing Jimmy out of the way and Darcy's eyes immediately brightened as she saw Jane. Then without care, she barrelled down the hallway pushing the heavily armed agents out of the way and enveloping Jane in a hug.
"Oh my god, Jane, thank god!" Darcy exclaimed with happiness as she almost picked Jane off the ground with her hug before she broke apart. "You can't just disappear like that, the world is going crazy!"
"Darcy, why the hell are Iron Man and several armed muscleheads in my house?!" Jane immediately gestured at the men and Tony before she blinked at Jimmy fully registering what he was wearing. "And why is the intern a SHIELD agent?!"
"Oh that…...yeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhh." Darcy turned and looked at the hallway, her voice taking on a very delicate tone as she stretched out her word. "You might want to prep yourself."
Jane's eyes went wide and she followed Darcy as she pushed her way back down the hallway and into her living room only to be greeted by the strangest sight that she had ever seen, which given the last few days was quite something. Hanging on her coat rack was Captain America's shield, next to Hawkeye's bow and a deactivated Iron Man helmet, whilst the Avengers sat on her couches. As she moved into the room, she noticed two people standing off to the side wearing uniforms like the Avengers, but she didn't know who they were.
One was clearly male with broad shoulders, standing just taller than Tony, but seemed to have light yet still athletic build. He was dressed in a dark blue and black uniform that looked very similar to Captain America's look except that his waist did not have the red and white stripes nor the star on his chest. Instead, he had the SHIELD eagle emblazoned in silver on his chest and his helmet covered his entire head making seeing his face impossible. He was standing straight as a ruler and his head seemed to be pointed at nothing until Kal moved in and if on instinct the man's head suddenly snapped to him, and Jane was sure she could feel the intensity of his gaze.
The other strange individual next to him also snapped their head to the door, however it was when Carol walked in, and when they moved around the black and blue figure, Jane saw the other person clearer. She was definitely a woman; her costume was a strange one; it was a complete skin-tight bodysuit made out of material that seemed to shimmer when the light hit it. The costume's torso and waist were mostly white forming a leotard-like outline whilst the arms and the sides of her stomach were red. She too had the SHIELD emblem on her chest, yet it was smaller than her compatriots however her head was also covered with a helmet that concealed her identity.
Jane was about to ask who they were but was cut off when suddenly Erik appeared before her. He looked awful in her view. He had bags under his eyes, he seemed to be twitching as if he was trying to quit drugs cold-turkey, and looked like he hadn't showered in at least a few days. He was also not wearing any pants either but he did have a massive grin on his face upon seeing her and gave her a hug before she could do anything.
"JANE! Oh, it's so good to see you!" Erik embraced her with both arms so strongly that Jane quickly had to tap out as he was getting close to squeezing the life out of her.
Whilst Erik assaulted Jane with a hug Thor moved over and hung Mjolnir up the strap next to Cap's shield whilst Kal placed Gram in an umbrella stand, both actions earning a look from Darcy. They quickly moved to join Jane standing next causing Erik's grasp to break apart and look at the two wide-eyed with excitement.
"Erik, are you well?" Thor asked, looking at his friend's dishevelled state and his lack of legwear.
"KAL! THOR! It's great to see you!" Erik then moved in for a hug but stopped himself as he recalled his last interactions with gods. "...Your brother isn't joining us, is he?"
Both Kal and Thor became sombre at Erik's words exchanging a glance that resulted in a heavy sigh escaping from Kal.
"Loki is dead," Kal stated, closing his eyes at the hard words that threatened to choke him.
"OH, THANK GOD!" Erik exclaimed in relief causing both brothers to look at him slightly hurt along with everyone else in the room giving him an odd look for the tactless comment. "I meant…. So, so sorry for your loss."
"Um, Erik, why are you in your underwear?" Jane butted back in worried that Erik's state was going to cause him to say something else that would cause offence.
"He says it helps him think," Jimmy stated, finally having pushed his way back into the dining and living room that was quickly starting to get cramped.
"It is good to see you again Olsen, Agent of the SHIELD." Kal gave a nod to the young red-haired man which caused the agent to smile.
"WAIT! Do you know him? You knew he's a SHIELD Agent?" Darcy exclaimed, pointing at Jimmy feeling like she was the butt of some cosmic joke that she was always the last to know.
"Yeah, sorry to intrude but we have a situation here," Tony stepped in feeling very weird that he was the voice of reason, a role that did not suit him well. "We have gravity deciding to take a holiday all over the world and I really want to make sure I cancelled a dinner date with Pepper for a good reason."
"Of course, my friend," Kal spoke up addressing Tony's concern, and as he did so noticed that the two costumed people he did not know seemed to be laser-focused on him now but put that to the side for the time being. "The gravitational anomalies are part of a natural event called the Convergence; it is the aligning of the Nine Realms into a state of perfect balance. However, it will soon pass, and we should be able to identify any issues it will cause, to prevent danger to the people of this world."
"Great!" Tony replied with a smile.
Whilst weird space anomalies weren't great it sounded manageable and from Kal's tone, they didn't need to worry about this Convergence causing Earth's gravity to stop working. So, although it might be a pain warning people, in all Tony would take it. Warn everyone of this weird thing happening, track any weird stuff it causes and just keep people out of the way. However, Tony's smile fell away as he saw the look on Kal's face.
"Not great, I take it." Steve stated, giving out a sigh as he too had been hoping this would be an easy one.
"Well, the Convergence itself is not a danger to you." Thor cleared his throat and gave the room a little look of worry. "However, we might have, potentially, caused what you call a….difficulty."
"What difficulty?" Natasha asked bluntly, leaning forward on her chair and interlacing her fingers giving Thor a hard look.
"Well, in our defence we really thought our plan was going to work." Kal quickly defended his brother as he uncomfortably moved around to address everyone.
He gave a quick summary of everything that had happened and filled them in on the danger they were now facing. The room had offered their condolences when he had talked about the losses Asgard had taken and the deaths his family had endured. However, the room was now quiet as everyone was processing what he had just informed them of.
"So… let me get this straight. We have an elf with the power to control reality coming here to destroy everything and we don't have a way to fight him?" Clint asked leaning forward in his seat and looking at Kal, who simply nodded confirming Clint's assessment of the situation. "Well…. that's just peachy."
"So what? He shows up and that's it, we're finished?" Tony asked feeling a little disconcerted that this was apparently it.
"No, we still have a chance." Thor was quick to step in, his voice firm and confident.
"The Aether is an imperfect weapon. It drains the life force from its wielder, its effects are more pronounced when the wielder is actively altering reality." Kal explained, backing up his brother's confidence with his own. "I saw when I fought Malekith, he may be able to wield it, but it is killing him."
"Why would it do that?" Darcy's question caught everyone off-guard and caused everyone to turn to look at her. "What? If they made this weapon, it seems stupid that it would kill them, right? I mean I get it killing Jane as she isn't a Dark Elf, but why would it kill this Malekith guy?"
"Because artefacts of this nature are not an easy thing to wield," Kal explained, his voice taking on a serious undertone that Thor recognised from when he used to give reports to their father. "They require a physical capability or conduit to channel such power, the strength of will to overcome the stone's own, and most importantly the understanding of how to use it."
"So, what, this Malekith guy is too weak or stupid to use this Aether right?" Tony asked as he couldn't help but be curious, the scientist in him was itching to understand.
"Not at all, but this version of reality is poison to him, and he does not truly understand it. Malekith is a creature born of darkness, he does not understand this dimension, nor does he wish to. He merely hates it, as such his understanding of how to use the Stone in this reality is limited." Kal explained, a thoughtful expression on his face, as he processed what he knew. "I believe the Aether was his solution to this shortcoming, a way to use the Stone for the purpose he desired. However, it is flawed as we said, using it is killing him."
"So what do we do?" Steve asked, stepping forward wanting to know the plan.
"It is simple my friends, Malekith will not use the Aether until the Convergence is fully upon us." Thor presented the plan with confidence and a rare serious expression on his face. "All we have to do is either delay him until it passes or force him to keep using the Aether to fight us until either it kills him or he is too weak to use it to unleash his plan."
"I will also consult with Jor-El and my fortress's records. There is a chance I might be able to separate Malekith from the Aether if he is weak enough and return the Aether to its natural state," Kal added, giving Steve a nod of confidence.
"Great, now we just need to figure out where this Disney Princess is going to show up," Tony stated dryly, really hating the fact that the situation was moving towards another battle with space aliens.
"Well good news there. The alignment is only temporary, for Malekith to utilise it he would have to be in exactly the right spot at the right time. If we can figure out where it will occur then we can set a trap." Thor responded pointing out the fact that they had the advantage.
"So do you know where that will be?" The voice that sounded out was a young woman's, with a familiar sounding tone. It sounded like a teenager more than an adult and caused everyone to turn to the slender woman wearing red and white whose face was covered.
"I DO!" Erik's voice caused everyone to turn to face him as ran over to the long table in the dining room and slammed a map down. "This has happened before, thousands of years ago and the ancients were there to see it. All the great constructions, the Mayans, the Chinese, and the Egyptians. They made use of the gravitational effects of the Convergence, and they left us a map."
Erik started drawing lines on his map of England between all the great construction sites he knew existed on the island of Great Britain. As he went the Avengers and everyone else gathered around to watch the madman work until suddenly his map was filled with crisscrossed lines. Tony was about to subtly ask Natasha if Erik was actually okay before he suddenly shot up, a massive grin on his face.
"Here!" Erik stated with a grin on his face as he pointed to a spot in London.
Kal and Thor both raised their hands causing their weapons to fly into the waiting hands signalling they were ready to fight. The action caused the air in the room to crackle with power and a gush of wind to blow paper all over the place.
"We must go to this Green Witch and prepare to defend this world." Kal declared confidently assured that victory would be theirs.
"Um….Kal it's pronounced Greenwich," Jimmy spoke up from behind them causing Kal to glance to his side at Carol who just nodded, signalling Jimmy was right.
"Okay to Greenwich!" Kal swept around dramatically heading to the door, his cape billowing behind him before he suddenly stopped. "I don't actually know where I'm going. How do we get to Greenwich?"
"We could drive….but the Tube might be quicker." Clint joked earning him a smile from Nat and Tony but confused looks from Kal and Thor who had no idea what he was on about.
"I'd better go get my pants," Erik stated, causing the room to look at him as he moved off to get dressed for the fight ahead.
(Old Royal Naval College – Greenwich, London – November 16th, 2013)
"Sir we have evacuated the campus, we have stationed Agents throughout the site, and we have altered the British Military to the danger" Jimmy gave his report to Captain America, although technically he should have been reporting to either Clint or Natasha as the senior agents, but the Captain had clearly taken charge of setting up the area.
"Good, what about Doctors Foster, Selvig and Miss Lewis?" Steve turned to face the young man, seeing him suddenly straightened up now that he had the legend's full attention. "Have they been evacuated as well?"
"Errrr…... no sir," Jimmy reported before clearing his throat clearly not liking that he had not been able to fully complete his orders. "They have refused to leave. They have set up a series of devices around the site that Dr. Foster says should contain the worst effects of the gravitational effects and possibly even use them for a tactical advantage."
"Agent Olsen, we need to clear this site. All civilians need to be-" Steve sighed as he looked at the young needing him to understand the seriousness of the situation, only for the young man to cut him off.
"I know," Jimmy said forcefully, knowing that the area wouldn't be secure and wanted to keep his charges safe. "Er um I mean, I understand, sir, it's just that, Dr Foster is refusing outright and Darcy- I mean- Miss Lewis is…..difficult. But I swear sir, I'll be with them all the time and I'll get them out if it gets too dangerous."
Steve gave a grimace at the news but nodded nonetheless, Jane and Darcy reminded him greatly of a woman he once knew, and she was never one to sit on the sidelines either. Jimmy gave him a nod and then moved off towards where Jane and Darcy were setting up the final one of their devices. Steve was not alone long as Kal suddenly landed next to him having done a quick reconnaissance of the area but as he landed Steve could see that Kal was looking at the two newest and mysterious additions to the team.
"The area is secure; everyone will be in position shortly. The Convergence is starting. I can see the walls between worlds weakening, Malekith will arrive shortly." Kal reported to Steve however his eyes were still on the two young superpowered people.
"Good, I'll be here with Clint and Natasha, trying to contain them in the courtyard. Any chance Asgard will send help?" Steve gave Kal a quick glance remembering Kal telling him that they had left a friend in a position to send help.
"I do not know, once the battle begins perhaps," Kal replied truthfully, they had left Sif with the potential to send aid but in truth, she had just as much chance of being arrested for helping them, even if there was no proof. However, Sif was pushed from his mind as he looked again at the two strange people that his instincts were drawing him to, he then gestured at them whilst speaking to Steve. "My friend, who are they?"
"They're called Patriot and Binary, SHIELD assets, don't know their real names. Apparently they were volunteers for some sort of super soldier program." Steve replied his vision turning to the pair who seemed to be uncomfortable being left alone as if not used to any degree of independence. "The male is supposed to be the next me and the woman is supposed to have powers like Carol, why?"
"I do not know, it's just…...they feel familiar is all," Kal responded, his eyes narrowing at them but grunted as their suits were made of or at least lined with something that blocked his vision.
Steve was about to ask what he meant by that when suddenly the ground shook slightly, and the Thames River started to churn and boil. Although they couldn't see it, it was clear something was pushing its way into the river and towards them. Steve simply cracked his neck and then took his shield from his back as a shimmer of light revealed the great black Ark ship which tore into the courtyard.
"It begins," Kal stated softly as he drew Gram from his side and floated into the air as the ship opened up.
A wave of dark elves charged out of the vessel covered by black bolts of energy raining down from the ship as they swarmed to secure the area for their leader. However, the leading elf was suddenly stopped as a blur of red and white struck him, a sickening crunch causing him to fall dead. The other charging elves stopped as the blur which was his shield returned to Steve's arm a dark grimace on his face. The elves looked at their fallen comrade before uttering an inhuman roar and charged forward only to be met with equal ferocity by the Avengers who met the charge.
What followed was a confusing mess of sound, blood and explosions as the usually quiet campus nestled in the heart of London became a warzone. Steve immediately found himself on the back foot, a horde of Dark Elves had swarmed him eager to avenge their fallen comrade, forcing him back into the halls of the building. His face formed a small grin as saw his pursuers fall into his trap, Steve suddenly turned around and threw his Shield with all his strength. It blurred down the corridor ricocheting off the walls, the narrow space giving him the advantage and nullifying his enemy's numbers.
He then powered forward to catch his shield as it bounded back towards him, then tore into his foes, weaving around the group. His first strikes with his first and feet quickly made it clear that despite his enhanced strength these elves were a lot tougher than the Chitauri, so instead, he struck them with the hard edge of his weapon. Steve was nearly out of breath after he dispatched the last of his pursuers taking deep laboured breaths, however, his moment of respite ended when the wall next to him exploded. He raised his shield just in time to protect himself. As he lowered it, he saw the chaos in front of him.
The courtyard was pure chaos as his fellow Avengers tore into the horde of elves that were pouring out of the ship. In the skies, Tony, Kal and Carol were raining down fire on their enemies whilst trying to deal with the enemy ship that was attacking them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Binary fighting elegantly giving a quick blow to a one dark elf with a glowing fist that turned the being to ash. She then suddenly looked upwards and tracked Carol in the air, seeming to mimic the flying Avengers fighting style whilst still on the ground.
Binary's 'partner´ Patriot, however, was clearly more of a brawler, he was just hammering away at everything in front of him while looking more like the Hulk than a soldier. The young man was definitely not trying to mimic him in any way, Patriot seemed to have the worst combination of focus, determination, and ruthlessness. However, what troubled Steve most was the young man seemed to be far stronger than him, especially for someone who apparently had had an experimental version of the serum. This was made clear by the fact that Patriot had just punched several Dark Elves into a wall with seemingly minimum effort.
Steve's observation of the two new members was halted by a small group of elves attacking him and a series of lightning explosions across the battlefield as Thor threw his hammer. Just as he was starting to get a handle on the situation, the universe decided to throw him a curve ball and the sky ripped open. Casting his gaze upwards as he slammed his shield into his last attacker, he saw The Convergence thing Kal had talked about: Whole worlds were tearing into existence above him. Still, Steve managed to refocus himself on the battle and spotted Clint needing backup, he ran forward ready to leap to the other man's defence.
Only for him to suddenly feel a strange sensation wash over him and his vision go bright white for a second. He then had to stop himself as he found himself next to Natasha on the street outside of the college.
"Hey Cap" The spy greeted casually as she fired at a group of elves, her face becoming slightly annoyed as her bullets failed to do anything. "Where did you come from?"
"I have no id- WATCH OUT!" Steve suddenly dived into Natasha pushing her to the side avoiding a black-coloured grenade thrown by one of the elves.
However, as he pushed her to the floor, he again felt the strange sensation wash over him and his vision go blurry. As they landed he quickly looked around only to dodge out of the way as a Dark Elf swung at him with a sword. His attack however was quickly vanquished as Kal kicked him in the chest landing next to his friends.
"Careful the Convergence is causing rifts in space to open," Kal grunted as he slashed one attacker with his blade and headbutted another.
"Got it!" Steve yelled back as he got back to his feet and slammed his shield into a dark elf who suddenly disappeared as he fell backwards, 'Or not.' Steve thought to himself. "Any sign of Malekith?"
"Not yet, I believe he is trying to save what remains of his strength for the task ahead" Kal responded as he threw Gram slicing through a dozen foes, then cursed as it disappeared when he tried to summon it back. "Damn! The alignment will soon reach its peak. He will reveal himself then, when that happens just keep him off balance."
Steve gave a firm nod as he moved to intercept an enemy attack Natasha from her side only to disappear again. As he materialised standing on the roof of the building he let out an annoyed sigh, hoping everyone was having better luck than him.
(The other side of the campus)
'I have the worst luck ever!' Jimmy cursed in his head as he fired his weapon uselessly while he and Darcy ran down the road. Its hi-tech rounds were doing nothing to their pursuers. 'Most advanced handgun in the world my ass!' Jimmy snarled as he heard the click of his sidearm which he threw at his pursuers hoping that would do more than the bullets did.
Just above them running down a corridor Jane and Selvig were running for their lives while the former desperately pressed every button on the device in her hands. They had set up Gravimetric Spikes all over the site to contain the most severe effects of the Convergence but at the moment they were having limited success. The spikes in theory should have let Jane open and close portals at will but the device was proving temperamental, and the doorways were opening and closing at random.
As they rounded a corner they stopped as they met a squad of Dark Elves who raised their weapons to obliterate them. Jane panicked and slammed her thumb down on the controls, only for a wave of light to roll in front of them causing Iron Man to appear.
"What the hell… OH SHI-" Tony cursed as confusion gave way to battle instinct as he spotted the group of Dark Elves and blasted them away.
Jane was about to thank him but as the billionaire turned and moved towards them a portal opened up and he disappeared. She was about to try and bring him back when a blast over her head reminded her of the pursuers still chasing them causing her to run. She and Erik skidded as they rounded a corner trying to take the stairs to the outside. Another portal opened nearby and dropped Kal in front of them.
"Get down!" Kal declared as he twisted around trying to regain his bearings spotting his friends and the elves pursuing them.
He let out a blast of heat vision only to groan as a portal opened up in front of the elves causing his energy blast to be transported somewhere else. Kal cursed and instead slammed his fist into the ground causing it to fall away in front of him and collapse beneath the pursuing elves' feet.
"Kal what is happening?" Jane quickly asked if anyone had an idea of the chaos unfolding.
"It's a mess. Malekith just revealed himself, Thor and I moved to fight him, but these blasted portals keep opening up. I have no idea where Thor or Malekith or anyone is." Kal lamented twisting his head round using his superior sight to try and track his brother and their foe, but found it near impossible as they kept appearing at random through portals. "Also, have you seen Gram? I threw it and it went through a damn por-"
Kal was suddenly cut off as the portal suddenly enveloped the area he was in, taking part of the floor and rubble with him. At that exact moment, his shining sword suddenly exploded through the wall and stopped. It hovered for a movement and made a movement that Jane thought was almost like a shrug, but then rocketed upwards smashing through the roof trying to find its master.
"I hope Darcy is okay?" Erik said looking at Jane the situation focusing his mind through the slight madness that still lingered there.
Outside Darcy was not okay as she ducked behind a half-demolished car, as a strange pale creature that looked like a massive white lion bounded out of a portal and started tearing into everything in sight. The creature was suddenly driven off by a series of energy blasts but its departure did improve her mood as she saw the people driving it off were dark elves. She crouched behind the car as low as she could and held her breath as they approached, debating whether to run or not.
'Great. Jane's probably being rescued by Thor whilst I'm out here about to be killed by Santa's Workshop crew!' Darcy lamented to herself, she had been separated from Jimmy who had been desperately trying to keep her safe. The last she had seen him he had thrown rocks at their pursuers and told her to run when his weapons proved insufficient. The thought of the SHIELD however caused her to go wide-eyed as she remembered she still had some of his stuff in her bag that she had 'borrowed' when she thought he was an intern.
'I took that backup camera he had, if the first was a gun, this has got to be something cool.' Darcy thought to herself and smiled broadly when she found the older model camera in her bag. Taking in her hand she pressed every button and tried twisting it every way she could hoping something would happen. The screen suddenly went dark before a countdown from ten blinked on. Darcy quickly threw the camera that had to be a grenade at the elves that were almost on top of her.
The elves stopped and looked at the device that suddenly let out a large flash of light as it took a photo and did nothing else. Darcy herself just let out an exasperated sigh and swore under her breath, it was just her luck that the one thing she took from a secret spy turned out to be useless. Her moment of self-loathing ended quickly however as she suddenly jumped backwards as one of the elves appeared in front of her and grabbed her arm. She pulled with all her might but all she managed was to annoy the creature who let out a grunt before throwing her down and levelling his weapon at her.
Darcy closed her eyes not wanting to see her death coming and flinched when she heard a metallic bang. It took her a moment before she realised she was still alive and opened her eyes being greeted by the sight of Jimmy having saved her. The small dark elf group had been crushed underneath a car, whose rear end Jimmy was still holding, he was sweating buckets and panting heavily even using the shift in gravity to aid him lifting the vehicle and crushing the elves had taken a lot of effort.
"You saved me?" Darcy stated slightly detached as she gazed up, her eyes wide.
"Yeah well, just doing my job," Jimmy replied modestly, giving a smile and then offering his hand chivalrously to help her up.
She returned his smile and took his hand gripping it tightly, and as he pulled her up, she found herself in his surprisingly well-toned arms, which she grouped slightly. Jimmy eyed her hands and was about to say something when Darcy was suddenly kissing him, sweeping him backwards in reverse of normal roles. He knew professionally he should resist but at the moment didn't care and leaned fully up into the kiss. They stood there in a passionate embrace until they heard a loud cough, and broke apart seeing Jane and Erik standing next to them with an amused expression on Jane's face.
"I can explain, we were just…." Jimmy started to defend himself but trailed off when he suddenly moved forward pushing Jane and Erik next to Darcy behind him.
In front of them, a large group of Dark Elves had rushed in and surrounded them, all of them levelling their weapons at them. Jane started hammering away at her device again but no portals appeared taking them to safety or removing the elves. Jimmy looked in every direction but saw no possible way of any of them escaping and simply positioned himself to shield his friends as best he could. He remained standing tall wanting to die on his feet but a roar from above them caused everyone including the dark elves to flinch and look up.
"FOR FRIGGA!" The battle cry was shouted from a woman in radiant armour wearing a winged helmet with a red jewel embedded in the forehead, riding a winged horse and carrying a sword.
"FRIGGA!" Her call echoed again louder as it was taken up by a horde of Vikings descending from flying ships above them as they started tearing into the elves below.
Asgard had arrived, and from what Jimmy could tell they were out for blood. The woman on horseback swung her sword with deadly skill, tearing through bone and skin. Whilst the horde of Asgardian warriors overwhelmed the surprised Elves who either fell back or fell to the blades of their enemies. Looking around, Jimmy saw that the arrival of the Asgardians had not only saved him and his friends but also effectively ended the fighting, the ferocity of their attack shattering the elves' cohesion. However, just as he started hoping this would be enough to secure victory the ground shook violently beneath him and he saw the air around him darkening as above them the great portals leading to other worlds began to align.
He prayed they were not too late.
(Main Courtyard)
Malekith's breathing was laboured and felt his bones creaking as he pushed the great power of the Aether through his body. He cursed under his breath his actions against the Kryptonian on Svartalfheim and his battle with the Asgardian here had nearly drained his strength. However, he had just enough strength to complete his great task, the corner of his lips twitching up as he felt the maelstrom forming around him.
Lifting his hand up he willed the Aether forward and grinned with pride as the darkness began consuming the filth of the universe around him, turning it into blessed dusk. The vortex grew large around him and started pulsing with a dark redness as tendrils began forming and etching their way through the air. He could feel the light dying all around, and for the first time since he was a child, his body no longer screamed at him, his eyes did not protest and his soul finally felt at peace. He was going to restore his home and destroy the reality that had taken so much from him.
Outside of it, the Avengers were sheltering from the ever-growing storm. Steve had his shield raised whilst Tony was crouching over Clint and Natasha whilst feeling the edges of his armour chipping away. The Hulk was screaming at the top of his lungs and throwing debris at the storm whilst gripping the ground tightly. Above them, Carol was blasting away with her Photon Blasts trying to disturb the whirlwind. Directly beneath Carol, Binary was also blasting away with what seemed to be weaker blasts whilst Patriot held onto her keeping grounded. Still, neither of them was making headway.
"THOR, KAL!" Steve yelled over to the brothers who had just arrived, sliding forward slightly causing him to slam one foot into a pile of debris to stabilise. "We can't get close!"
Thor nodded at Steve and started pushing forward, lifting Mjolnir as a shield but as he reached the edge he stopped. The dark mass barred his entry as well. He would have been thrown clear away had it not been for Kal behind him and the weight of Mjolnir weighing him down.
"I CAN'T GET THROUGH!" Thor screamed over his shoulder to Kal a grimace on his face, as he started to feel the surroundings sapping his strength.
"I think I can, if I can reach Malekith I should be able to stop this!" Kal yelled back, lifting one hand to shield the side of his face from the howling wind. "But I need you to help clear a path."
Thor nodded at Kal's words and lifted Mjolnir pushing all the power he could into the hammer. He hefted it back and aimed for where he guessed the centre was.
"Ready?!" Thor half asked half screamed over his shoulder he readied trying to punch a hole through the black.
"Ready!" Kal yelled back, digging his feet into the ground ready to push off.
Mjolnir exploded from Thor's hand, crackling with lightning as it struck the edge of the cloud. The hammer hung there for a moment straining against the swirling mass of darkness, with Thor fearing the throw had failed until suddenly it broke through giving Kal his chance. The youngest son of Odin pushed off so hard that not only was Thor thrown away, but the maelstrom fluctuated as Kal tore through it.
However, Kal's flight through the chaos was short-lived as the vicious black mass almost immediately blunted his momentum. He could feel his body starting to bruise as he pushed his way through the vortex of death around him, his armour becoming torn and destroyed as he went. Despite his strength, he was eventually forced to one knee, raising his hand to try and shield his eyes so that he could still try and see. As he was forced to the floor, he suddenly noticed one of the Gravimetric Spikes laying on the ground next to him, it was still active and was releasing a small steady pulse that caused the storm around him to retreat slightly.
He gripped it tightly and planted it in the ground before him using it as a staff to pull himself up. He also forced out of his failing body some of his power, causing the device to glow slightly and push back the winds enough for him to move. As he took several more painful steps he noticed that the turbulence suddenly became weaker, looking up he realised why… he was in the eye of the storm with Malekith standing before him.
"Darkness returns, Son of El" Malekith's voice was distorted and seemed to echo all around him as his veins pulsated with the power of the reality stone. "Have you come to witness the end of your reality? To witness the final triumph of my people?"
"No. I've come to stop you." Kal forced himself to stand erect as he delivered his statement despite feeling the vortex sapping his strength.
"You think you can stop this?!" Malekith gestured to the growing darkness around him and a malevolent grin appeared on his face as he saw Kal starting to weaken. "The Aether cannot be destroyed!"
"No, but you can." Kal lifted up his hand and felt Gram return to him glowing brighter than Midgard's sun.
With a roar, he rushed forward and then flung the blade as hard as he could, causing it to spin in the air before slamming into Malekith's chest. The sudden unexpected blow caught the Dark Elf completely off guard and due to his body weakening using the Aether he was unable to wield its might to stop himself from being thrown back. The blow parted the storm which weakened greatly now that Malekith was no longer controlling it, the Dark Elf himself slammed into his Great ArK ship and felt a searing pain in his chest.
Before he could react, Kal was on him rushing through the destroyed courtyard he had leapt into the air Gravimetric Spike in hand which he drove into Malekith's body. A roar of pain erupted from Malekith who coughed up black blood as he stared into Kal's eyes, hatred burning within them. Kal however paid the glare no mind, he pulled his sword from the elf's chest and cast it into the ground behind him. Whilst still gripping the Gravimetric Spike, like a spear Kal forced the device deeper and channelled more power into it until he saw flakes of red stone starting to float in the air.
Malekith's eyes widened, and he tried to raise his hand to grab the pieces of the stone, but Kal moved faster. Whilst his right hand drove the spike further into Malekith's body, his left hand snapped up and gripped the crystal. There was a moment of silence as Kal felt his hand burning, then a rush of power threatening to overwhelm him before he managed to control the spiralling vortex of strength he felt in him. The moment he felt he had control, everything stopped as the maelstrom created by the Aether halted. Suddenly, every piece of the fractured Reality Stone rushed to his hand and resolidified.
That was when the area exploded.
The reforming of the stone into its natural state caused a wave of energy to be released, causing Kal to rocket backwards and Malekith to painfully slam further into his ship. Malekith screamed as he watched the Aether dissipate and the darkness he had created to return his people to glory overpowered by the foul light. However, his scream suddenly ended as the spike in his chest beeped twice. From the side of the courtyard, Jane slammed her thumb down onto her device causing the dark elf to disappear.
Thor and everyone else present breathed a sigh of relief as the maelstrom ended and the darkness hanging over them ended. However, Thor's reprieve ended as he saw his brother laying unmoving on the ground as the great ArK ship in front of him started to buckle and collapse. Thor made to leap forward, but stopped as Kal suddenly rose to his feet with a strange aura of power rolling off of him.
Kal merely raised his hand and, as if erasing chalk from a board, swept it through the air in front of him causing the Great Ark ship to suddenly vanish. Thor felt his muscles tensing as his brother turned to face him, Kal was radiating power, it rolled off of him like waves crashing onto a shore. What caused the thunder god to pause however was that Kal's eyes were red, not the usual red of his heat vision but a darker more opressive crimson that seemed to stare out from eternity.
"…. Kal?" Thor hesitantly asked, fearing that in their triumph he had lost his brother.
He stood unmoving for a moment, causing the other Avengers to look at each other with concern and several of them to raise their weapons. Whilst they did not know the full extent of the dangers of the stones, they could tell something was not right with their friend. However, just as Thor was about to act, Kal suddenly lifted his left hand and opened it causing the Stone he had been holding to fall to the ground.
The dark crimson left Kal's eyes that returned to their impossible sapphire blue and he released a deep breath before turning to face Thor. "…We are going to need a box for that."
(Asgard – Throne Room, Royal palace of Valaskjalf - November 17th, 2013)
Kal and Thor stood before Odin who sat on the restored Throne of Hlidskjalf. The Allfather sat erect, a solemn look on his aged face as he stared down at the two princes of Asgard. The Lady Sif had been in the hall before them, and they had watched their father render judgement on Asgard's greatest shieldmaiden. Her actions, much like theirs, had technically been treason and Kal guessed that had it been anyone else but the Lady of Ida, they would have been exiled or at least spent time in the dungeons. However, instead, Sif had merely been reprimanded for taking command of the royal forces whilst Odin had been 'indisposed' and warned not to overstep her place again.
However, where a crowd had been present for Sif, the hall was now emptied as Odin came to render judgement on his sons. Whilst Sif could plausibly claim ignorance by the design of their plans, Thor and Kal had wilfully and blatantly defied their King and father, disobeyed royal orders, and actively harmed the Allfather. In short, Kal was under no illusions that regardless of their success or providing Asgard with a second Infinity Stone they were going to face consequences.
"I must congratulate you both on your victory over the Elves. All the realms witnessed your heroism and bravery." Odin's voice took on a tone that his sons knew well; it was his kingly voice, the one used when delivering harsh news. "And you have my gratitude for the gift of the Reality Stone, it has already been dispatched to a safe place."
"Thank you, father." Thor bowed his head at the thanks he had received.
"However, despite your victories the path to your actions cannot be ignored, no matter how much I might wish it." Odin's gaze turned squarely to focus on Kal, his burrow furrowing as he sighed at what he had to do. Gungnir struck the ground as its wielder stood up, his breathing troubled as he looked down at his youngest son. "Kal, son of Odin, Prince of Asgard, God of Justice. You have committed high treason in harming the royal person of the King of Asgard and disobeying royal commands. Do you have any defence for your actions?"
"... Only the love a son has for their mother," Kal replied standing tall and looking Odin unwavering in the eye, his response only brought forth a regretful sigh.
"Very well. For your actions, as according to the ancient laws of our people that bind even the King, I, Odin Allfather must hereby strip you of your title of Prince of Asgard and banish you from the Realm of Asgard" Odin spoke solemnly. The pain was evident in his voice as he acted as a King must. Treason could never be ignored, however his face softened, and he added barely above a whisper. "…even if I understand your actions."
Thor said nothing as he and his brother already discussed what they would do if this were to happen, and despite him trying to argue Kal had been adamant that he needed to face the consequences of his actions. Thor in truth believed that he was less trying to protect their father's position as King and was more punishing himself for Loki's death. However, despite his thoughts, he had to respect his brother's wishes as Kal unhooked his sword belt and offered it to his liege.
Odin however merely raised his hand, a clear signal that Kal was allowed to keep the weapon that he had been given. "Keep it. As long as you remain true to who you are my son, Gram shall always be yours. Now go, Kal Odinson…child of Frigga, to any place from here with anyone you choose to, and live well."
Kal's eyes widened at his father's words slightly before a smile appeared on his face understanding what Odin was subtly telling him. He bowed as he took several steps back and gave Thor a quick glance before he departed the Hall leaving the eldest son alone with the Allfather. As the doors shut behind him Kal did not wait, knowing his brother would find him, and instead headed to his room. However, neither Thor nor Kal noticed the subtle glint of green that flickered across Odin's eyes as he watched the doors close and he returned his eyes to Thor.
It was about an hour later, when Thor knocked on the frame of Kal's bedroom door watching his brother load a few remaining items from his room into a large chest and bag. He gestured for Thor to enter as he loaded the last of his possessions into the chest laying on his bed including a picture of the sons of Odin from only a few decades ago. Thor glanced around the now spartan room and noticed that Kal had left only a few items like his armour rack and a few clothes.
"I see father left you with Mjolnir too" Kal stated, nodding at the hammer at Thor's side as he swung the bag onto his shoulder and lifted the chest under one arm. "Did he offer you the throne?"
"He did, I turned it down. Wherever my path is in life I do not think it leads to the Throne of Asgard." Thor responded realising a deep sigh as he started to walk with his brother to the Bifrost. "…I actually told him he should offer it to you."
"Really?" Kal asked surprised, despite changes in recent years Kal had never thought Thor would ever willingly offer him the crown that was his birthright.
"Indeed, you understand ruling as I never will brother. You would make a great King, possibly even greater than Father" Thor responded with such sincerity that it almost caused Kal to stop, as he was touched by his brother's words but kept moving. "I promised father that I would defend the realms to my dying breath, but I cannot do so from the Throne of Asgard."
"Shame. Would have liked someone that could have lifted this exile" Kal responded in a mischievous tone giving his brother a grin that earned him a laugh and a punch on the arm.
The two walked for a time, descending from the palace steps and walking onto the great bridge as they headed towards Heimdall. Neither in any great rush as Kal was aware this might be his last time on Asgard and Thor, although eager to return to Jane, did not deprive his brother of his last moments of home. However, as they approached the Himinbjorg Thor turned to his brother causing Kal to pause.
"So have you decided what you are going to do?" Thor asked. His thoughts racing as he did so was this goodbye? Would the two of them not see each other for some time? "Will you go with the Lady Carol back to Kree Space? I know she said she had to return soon."
"We have discussed it, however, for the moment I believe I must remain on Midgard," Kal responded, his face becoming serious as he cast his vision back to the palace. "Something is occurring brother, I do not know what, but I feel the fates aligning
"You think Midgard is in danger?" Thor asked in panic as concern for Jane exploded into his mind.
"Perhaps. I do not know, but I feel that ever since father exiled you, something has been set in motion and Midgard seems to be at the heart of it." Kal explained the strange feeling that had started to come over him ever since he had held the reality stone in his hand. However, not wanting to dwell on the negative , Kal shook off the feeling and gave Thor a smile. "Anyway, Carol and I are not concerned by the distance. I have my communication system set up so we can talk all the time and, besides, it's not like either of us are short on time."
"I suppose not." Thor gave his brother a kind smile, whilst trying to ignore the unintended fear about Jane's mortality that his late brother had placed there. However, he quickly pushed past it and gave Kal a teasing grin as he elbowed him in the side as the two started walking again. "So, I suppose I need to ask Jane if she has a spare room you can stay in then?"
Kal just chuckled at Thor's statement, shaking his head in amusement. "You do know I have a whole fortress on Midgard, brother, equipped with advanced Kryptonian technology?"
"Ah yes, but Darcy has told me that Jane's abode has a 100-inch plasma screen television. As well a coffee maker and a devices called a toaster able to create the greatest of Midgardain delicacies, Pop-Tarts" Thor smiled back at his brother, his voice deadly serious.
Kal blinked at Thor before he burst out laughing and received a peal of laughter in response as the two made to leave Asgard. Both had a feeling that as long as they were together, they had nothing to worry about at all.
(Meanwhile – Depths of Svartalfheim)
The Dark Elf lieutenant struggled not to fall as he carried his wounded leader down the pitch-black tunnel his Lord had insisted they take. He had run from a horde of Asgardians only to stumble through a portal and find himself on Svartalfheim. He had spent nearly a day looking for other survivors but had found only the bleeding Malekith, who had been half-crawling half-dragging himself across the wastelands.
The elf had wanted to pause and try to treat the obvious gaping wounds in his leader's chest, but Malekith had merely grabbed the young elf and ordered him to carry him deep below the planet's surface. The young elf, having been raised to believe Malekith was a great man and the one to save their people, had done so. However, even his zealous devotion to the man was starting to wane, for as far as he could tell they seemed to be the only two survivors after Malekith had led their people to ruin.
"Sir, where are we going surely, we should try to find other survivors?" The young elf finally spoke having had enough as almost tripped over another jagged rock, the darkness pressing in such that even a member of his race was struggling.
"There are no others, the Kryptonian and his Asgardian filth slaughtered everyone." Malekith merely grunted out as he dragged his failing body through the tunnel.
"Then what are we doing here?" The elf asked back, his tone no longer respectful and dropping the formality of rank as he looked down at his dying leader draped on his arm.
"We are here for that." Malekith's face suddenly darkened into an ominous black smile as he pointed with a weak pale hand at something in front of them.
The dark elf lieutenant turned back and froze in place as if bursting out of the darkness was a massive white crystal that took up nearly the entire cavern they were in, with something embedded deep was buried within, the elf could not make it out, he could only tell that it was huge, and he felt dread looking at it. The elf moved forward and seated his leader on a large rock by the crystal and couldn't help but take a step back.
"What is this?" The lieutenant asked as he feared that raising it too loudly would cause something to occur.
"A weapon of our greatest enemy, Queen Alflyse discovered it when we ventured back out into this light-infested dimension," Malekith revealed, causing the younger elf to look at the crystal and allowing the elder to withdraw a black hole grenade from his belt. "She brought it back here when we almost opened it by accident, and buried it deep where no one could find it. The magic used to keep it sealed was what killed her."
"Why? What is it?" The Elf asked turning around to face his leader only for his eyes to go wide as he saw Malekith activate the grenade in his hand and hold it against the crystalline rock.
"A faction of Kryptonians created it during their civil war using several of the Infinity Stones. It has no name and no purpose beyond killing everything in its path. When it was unleashed, it ended their civil war before it took their collective might to merely imprison it." Malekith said as a mirthless smile spread across his face as he released the trigger on the grenade. "What it is, my boy, is our last vengeance and the doom of our enemies."
The lieutenant jumped away as the grenade exploded, causing a black hole to erupt into the small, confined space of the cavern. Malekith was consumed immediately along with much of the white crystal next to him, which caused the little that remained to crack and fall away. The younger elf screamed for a few moments as he gripped a rock with all his might, cutting his hands as he gripped tightly to prevent his demise.
Suddenly the black hole ceased, and the young lieutenant fell to the floor. He was silent for a few moments before the euphoria at still being alive caused him to laugh. Revelling in his survival the elf stood up but his happiness at surviving ended when he felt something crack beneath his feet. Looking down he saw the floor was littered with shattered crystals that had gone dull, he then heard something move causing him to look up and turn pale.
Before him was a creature that towered over him, it seemed to be bound in some kind of green suit as he could see large metal cables wrapped around its body, with its face covered and two large red lenses where its eyes were. The cables seemed to be alive with millions of tiny parts as they pulsated around the beast, restraining one of its arms to its body. However, its other arm was free, and the elf could see that the explosion had destroyed the cable restraining that arm and part of the suit, revealing a large grey hand with bones protruding from the knuckles.
The elf made to raise his hand, but never did as the creature's free arm snapped forward and effortlessly crushed his head causing a shower of gore to rain over the green restraining suit. The creature then simply let go of the deceased elf without any hint of emotion and started moving forward.