Chapter 32
Natasha sauntered through the Avengers, satisfied with herself. She had finally beat the Winter Soldier in a mock battle, the only rule being that it had to be not lethal, given the stockpile of miracle medicines in the tower was unrivaled by anyone or anywhere else.
“You look smug.” Steve said as she grabbed a soda from the fridge. She would have taken a beer but she had learned the hard way never to drink, the only time she had been drunk was the one time she had gotten caught and it talked out four, when Clint had caught up with her.
“I just beat a super soldier in a mock fight with the only rules being non-lethal. I’d say I can be smug about it.”
“Are you unenhanced?” He asked. He had never gotten around to asking, seeing how everyone else didn’t talk about her past and neither did he.
“I have the infinity formula, I’m more suited to stealth and not getting injured than outright fighting. My enhancements are only to the level of a very good Olympic athlete, nowhere near super soldier range. I can fall from a ten story building and then walk away*, but if a train falls on me, I’ll be just as much of a pancake as a baseline human.”
“Then I’d recommend you not get smushed but trains.” Steve said.
She was going to answer when her phone rang. Very few people had her number and Tony had done her a favor by blocking it from telemarketers. “Hello?”
“Romanoff.”
“Fury.” She said, knowing the acknowledgement would turn on JARVIS listening and recording. Lilith Stark dealt well with rejection but she also knew how to hold a grudge.
“Are you good?”
“Yeah, I’m in a private space.” She blatantly lies and Steve quirked an eyebrow but didn’t get up from the chair knowing it would make noise.
“Good. I need something on the Starks and you're in the lion's den.”
She immediately thought through this and realized with slight variations only one outcome here would be favorable. “One second.” She put him on hold so he wouldn’t hear, as she tapped out her plan to JARVIS. She was a good hacker, one of the best if not for Tony, and he had taught her the simplistic code to quickly transmit information to JARVIS he had invented.
He made the table vibrate to nod assent, as he explained it to Tony and Lilith.
“Yes.” She said as she took off the hold. Fury wasn’t a hacker, he was a survivor and an expert spymaster, sure, but not much else.
“What do you have?”
She switched to Japanese, knowing Fury knew the language, but Steve wouldn’t and she needed his genuine reaction as the man was a shit actor. “They don’t value much, or rather not anything you could get your hands on, and there’s no dirt I could get. But their son.” She left that hanging.
“Which one?”
“Teddy Stark is untouchable.”
“Thank you Romanoff.” Fury had always been so predictable.
She was right. It took less than a day before S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, it’s data dumped on the internet, or rather all of it but the things the Starks valued. Fury was so predictable, and so we’re the Starks, at least when she knew all the factors. SHIELD tried taking their son, they reacted by ending SHIELD. Natasha didn’t mind. One less puppeteer who thought they held her strings, much less that she even had them.
Loki suddenly found the barriers that kept him in his cell gone, not only that, but so were the nullifying handcuffs around his wrists.
He wished it hadn’t taken him that second to get his magic to flow back through his veins, because it had been a very valuable second that he should have used to make a run for it.
The one who had entered his cell was unfamiliar but dressed in clothing that distinguished her as of the House of Odin, now, he realized, the House of Thor.
“I don’t know you.” He said.
“Hela Odinsdottir.”
“You weren’t true-born, Odinsdottir.” He said. “Because I would have known of younger siblings yet Thor sits on the throne.”
“We’re the same in that regard. True-born, but with the wrong parentage.” She said, “Except I’ve more than served my term.”
“So why are you here? Searching for a worse monster to give you justification for redemption?”
“When you’re mad you speak like you’re from Midgard.”
“So you’re here to try and read deep into my soul? Enjoy the wasted effort.”
“Odin sure left behind a legacy. A traitor to his reign standing by his heir, the General who ended the Valkyrie. An only true born son who is undoing all his work while sitting on his throne.”
“And the Jotun meant to be a spymaster who nearly took down the whole empire in one day.”
“The magic nullifying cuffs didn’t take down your Aesir appearance. It would be very convenient for me if you were just a Jotun runt of a princeling locked up in our dungeons, but you’re a prince of Asgard, for all intents and purposes a child of Odin as much as Thor or I. The very magic of Asgard runs through your veins, allowing you to block out Heimdall yet. I was disowned, I know what it's like, and you’d know.”
“Why are you here? Reaching out a hand to help because you see yourself in me?” Loki asked snidely.
“No feelings of sympathy, I assure you. I just know firsthand that another few decades of the same bitterness and you’d sell your soul to get the throne.”
“So why aren’t you and Thor fighting it out yet?”
“Because he offered me something better.”
“Thor is no businessman and he can’t barter for his life. We’ve been there.”
“That is irrelevant. What I do want is one less enemy, and the children of Odin united. It’s poetic, and much more satisfying than spitting on his grave.”
“And how would you do that?”
“You’re supposed to be learned. No member of the royal house can be imprisoned without the agreement of a majority of said royal house. The second part of that law said no member of a royal house can be executed without unanimous consent, which is why you live.”
“So by me accepting my right as a prince of Asgard, Thor letting me go, and you agreeing, there is no legal basis for me to stay here.”
“The door has been open the entire time.” Hela said. “You’re not the only one with a knack for illusions.”
This time, Loki stepped out and made sure his magic was ready to burst free if need be, standing all the way near the exit of the dungeon he asked, “What have you to gain?”
“You’ll just have to find out, little spymaster.” she smirked, and as he disapparated back to his rooms, he saw Hela do the same. She had been imprisoned since the same year Hogwarts was founded, he realized.
If the Goddess of Death didn’t answer to it’s mistress, he would publicly thank Odin, such were the nonexistent chances of that being false. He might not know a lot of things, but he did know exactly who wielded death’s hallows, even if he didn't know much else about either of his two daughters.
“So where exactly am I going?” Pietro asked, his nervousness finally showing. He had already said goodbye to Wanda and Eugenia, because he really did want to go,this wasn’t only his loyalty to the Order showing through. He just really didn’t like going in blind.
“You, Pietro Maximoff, will be going to the Nova Empire, because if you can get caught there, you can talk your way out. We need a little more expansion before we can try for the Kree. You read the documents?”
“Yes. How did you get contacts in space?”
“Mind control isn’t even illegal if it’s considered impossible or very nearly so.” Lilith said. “You’re going in as a law enforcement officer. Expand. Recruit. Cover all your bases. You have free reign, but once you’ve established a semblance of a network, contact me, or Wanda, or Eugenia, or someone. Unless you want to, there’s no point in doing more work.”
“I just have to use my great charisma.” He said, smirking.
Lilith gave a soft snort, handing him a device. “Standard interstellar navigation with a built-in port key. You put in the coordinates. It’s reusable. I do prefer my people alive.”
“Thank you.” Pietro said, hugging her before he disappeared.
“I’m less than 15 years older.” She muttered, before shaking her head. She was fond of her students, she now understood McGonagall a little better, but she had things to do. He was capable, and she knew the twins had a mental connection that spanned any distance, even if they never overtly mentioned it.
“Darcy,”
“It’s alright. Lilith and I talked, and we’re both going.”
“Really?” Jane asked, surprised.
“If Thor knows, I hope it won’t be too bad. Facing your fears, right?”
“It’s alright, you have 3 months.”
“I have three months. Hey Jane, can you do me a favor?”
“Yeah?”
“Stop being so nervous around me. I’m still the same Darcy and even though I’m an awesome actress and even better at professional bullshitting, I have been a professional spy, assassin, and a pretty good mage since way before I knew you. I don’t get nerves. Sure, I’m not looking forward to it, but I am perfectly fine.” Darcy said, her face sample tell blank at first, then showing off all manner of expressions while her voice stayed the same average plain speaking level, as if she was talking about statistics and not emotions. “Jane, I’m not you. I’m emotionally stunted with severe daddy issues, sure, but I’m still perfectly fine, this isn’t new but I’ve managed both myself and you so far, I can keep doing it.”
“Alright, sorry Darcy.”
“Don’t be, you care. Just…”
“Act normal. I know.”
“Jane?”
“Yeah?”
“When are you going dress shopping?”
“I… oh. I have to do that.”
“Jane, you’re going as the future queen of Asgard to the King of Asgard’s formal coronation. I know he’s already been officially crowned, but still. Appearances matter, a lot.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“How do you feel about making a statement?” Darcy asked, a conspiratorial smirk on her face.
“What are you thinking of?”
“Well, without a doubt you’re getting 100% earth style clothes. And the other thing? How do you feel about a one-of-a kind couture exquisite formal ball gown from Jessica Montrouge?”
“You can get us appointments? How many years is the waitlist?”
“It broke a decade last year. But I can get us in.”
“How?”
“Why, ask Laura Barton. She’s Jessica Montrouge’s business partner. Or I can ask Tony and Lilith, it’s Stark money that gave her the startup fund.”
“Darcy, you are an angel.”
“Awesome, Janie. Next weekend, you’re on Saturday, I’m on Sunday.”
“Where are you going?”
“Business.” Darcy said, and Jane got the shock of her life as she saw the white uniform cover Darcy, and then as she turned fully invisible and with a pop, there was no more sound of Darcy.
“Whoa.”