Power Within Her

In London, SHIELD has been receiving strange and concerning data ratings from one of the satellites we have hovering over the UK. Fury commands me to use the safe house, specifically mine, safely tucked away in a rural part of England. The folder I am holding is overflowing with information. As I scan through the reports, taking note of the time of the energy spikes and the intensity, I notice that Jane Foster and her intern, Darcy Lewis, are also here in London. Jane and her team are attempting to track the energy surges.

I am currently wearing black clothes to blend in, my hair is a sure way to disguise myself if need be, and my makeup is simple. Sitting at a cafe, I keep my eye on Jane from afar, noting that she is not good at being discreet, is oblivious to her surroundings, and will likely be troublesome. The high-pitch beeping sound comes from a device in Jane's hand, and she looks at the machine in excitement.

Instantly, she jumps into her piece-of-shit car with Darcy, chasing after the two women. I slide into my car and begin tailing them, leaving room between us. As I continue following Jane and Darcy, she pulls into an old abandoned building that and the energy in the air causes my hair to stand on end, my body noticing the drastic changes in the atmosphere. The car's monitor shows many power surges, watching as they climb the floors to where a bunch of kids stand on the middle level of the building. I discreetly make my way up, keeping out of sight of Jane and Darcy, as well as the kids. I see something falling and disappearing in mid-air; I check the ceiling and floor to see if something is causing this, and I don't find anything. Running to the upper levels and trying and peer into the hole, I grab my phone and call Fury.

"We may have a problem on our hands, there is a portal opening, and it is leading to another world."

"What else? Is there anyone else there?"

"Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, some guy, and a bunch of kids are with them."

"What are they doing?"

"Throwing random things into a portal. Gotta go." I reply in a perplexed voice while watching Darcy ask for the man's shoe.

I hang the call-up and place it in my back pocket. When I see Jane run off while looking at her reader, I follow behind her silently. Strong wind gusts cause the scientist to panic, and suddenly she and I are falling into the portal, thanks to the brat grabbing my jacket. I land on the ground and see a barren wasteland; I get up from the cement flooring and brush my hands against the fabric covering my thighs.

"Darcy!" I hear Jane yell. She spins towards the sound of feet hitting the ground, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

I raise my eyebrow at her and say, "Chill, and technically I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, brat."

We look around, and I spot a column with red and black energy; my senses go on high alert. Jane slowly walks to the pillar and raises her hand, "I wouldn't." I caution her as I meander to her side; she looks at me, slightly annoyed, before returning to the energy. Suddenly, the power is attacking Jane. More specifically, entering her body. Jane begins to freak out, rapidly moving her arms as the red energy moves under her skin. She starts to stumble around before fainting on the stones, and I stare at her body, completely unimpressed, before going over to her. I kick her foot, causing her leg to twitch before resting back in its original place; for shits and giggles, one more kick, this time aimed at her shin, takes place.

"What kind of dumbass reaches her hand into a stone where there is a red glowing thing and doesn't know what it is? A really fucking dumb one, that's who."

I sigh and drop my head down to my chest, standing over to Jane, debating on leaving her where she is when we suddenly reappear in the old, abandoned factory. I look around to try and see what happened and why we are back; my attention is pulled to Jane when she jolts awake. "I thought you were supposed to be smart." I look over at her before gesturing with my head for her to get up.

"Come on." She scrambles to her feet and runs after me; we make our way out of the building, and cops are all over the place.

"Jane! Where the hell were you?" Darcy yells while running over to us.

"Tell me you didn't call the police?" Jane pleads with Darcy.

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Disbelief is evident on the intern's face.

"Not call the police?" Stating it as if it was apparent. I raise my eyebrow at the two women before looking at my phone at eight missed calls from Fury, Nat, and Clint. Oof.

The younger woman yells at the scientist, "I've been freaking out!"

"You call the cops; they call the Feds. Next thing you know, we have SHIELD crawling all over, "area-51-ing" the place."

"Technically, SHIELD is already here." They both turn towards me, terrified looks on their faces, and to add salt to the wound; I give them a closed-mouth grin.

"Jane!" Darcy grabs Jane's attention once again.

"We had a stable gravitational anomaly! We had unlimited access! Our only competition was ten years old!" Arguing commences once again, and I roll my eyes.

"Jane! You were gone for five hours!" Silence is all that is coming from the women in question.

"What?" Shock and horror wrote all over her face. Well, that explains the missed calls.

They are glaring at each other; I look towards the sky when a slight rumble of thunder sounds from above. I can see the rain falling, but I realize I am not getting wet. I spin slowly
in a circle, understanding that the rain is falling everywhere except us. Jane holds her hand out as a test, and no raindrops fall into her palm. I look into the distance in front of me and see a considerably large male standing between two shipping containers. Realizing the figure is Thor, Jane stares at him for a few moments. Counting down from three in my mind and reaching one when she gasps before moving her feet in his direction; the second she walks away from us, our figures are soaking in cold rainwater.

Sighing and looking up to the grey sky, "Really?" Huffing as I flap my arms down to keep the raindrops from soaking into my clothes.

I walk up to the couple and see Thor's head turn toward me. A smile splits across his chiseled face; Jane looks at him in confusion when she realizes his attention is not on her. I am sauntering up to them, and Thor then lunges towards me, his muscular arms encircling my waist. I feel his chest vibrate in a deep chuckle. I wrap my arms around his neck and squeeze.

"NIKKI! I have missed you!" I hear the accent in his voice and smile.

"I have missed you too, Thor!"

"Hey, is this you?" Darcy runs up to us, a jacket used as a cover from the rain. Thor places my feet back on the ground, and we look toward her. Thor peers at the sky; the rain stops with a twirl of his hammer.

"We are kind of in the middle of something." Jane referring to the kiss that both Darcy and I interrupted.

"Um, well, I think we are being arrested." Darcy snarks back; I slightly smirk and chuckle as Jane turns towards Thor.

"Hold that thought." She says to Thor before running toward the cops.

Darcy then pivots to Thor and me, "Look at you, still all muscly and everything! How's space?"

As Darcy teases, she pokes Thor's armor on his torso; he looks toward me in amusement before turning back to the intern, "Space is fine."

I turn my attention to Jane as she begins to talk to the police. The cop goes to reach for Jane's arm when suddenly, a surge of power erupts from Jane. Thor grabs me and turns; his chest hides me while his arm protects Darcy. We slowly turn around, and all the police officers are lying on the ground, groaning in pain and looking on in fear, and Jane is resting in the middle of the parking lot.

"Jane! Jane! Are you all right?" Thor yells: we run over to her. He helps her to her feet; at the sound of guns being cocked, my head snaps over to the cops, that are now pulling their weapons out and pointing at us.

"Watch it! This area is now under SHIELD jurisdiction." I order the police while staring them down. Everyone looks at me, and when none of them move to put their weapons away, I reach behind and grab my gun, pointing it straight back at them.

"What just happened?" She groans at us.

"Place your hands on your heads; step back!" The cops yell at us while keeping the guns trained on us.

Thor attempts to reason with the cops, "This woman is unwell."

"She's dangerous." The cops spit out in anger.

"So are we." He grabs me and pulls me close to his body.

“Why am I pulled into this?” tilting my head sideways in question to look at the Norse god.

“’Cause I said so,”

"Requesting armed response officers to the scene!" One of the cops requests into the radio that is on his shoulder.

Then Thor grabs Jane as well, "Hold on."

"What are you doing?" We question together.

Thor looks towards the sky, and I see a flash of light and multiple colors. I feel the ground disappear under my feet, looking down and seeing the world below me getting smaller and farther away.

When we land, a man wrapped in gold amour with massive horns from the helmet is standing in the middle of the room on a gold platform with stairs leading up to the very top. I use my wolf eyes to see the ornate designs all over their armor. His hands grasp a giant sword, twist it, and the action closes the Bifrost.

"We have to do that again!" Jane says, but when she sees Heimdall, she falters.

"Hi!" Jane greets him breathlessly.

"Hello, Heimdall," I greet in a calm, confident tone.

"Welcome to Asgard." He greets us, "Nikolina Volkova, Thor has told me much about you." I smile at him and then raise an eyebrow at Thor. The Norse God gives me a sheepish smile, and I roll my eyes, amusement shining through my eyes.

He gestures to the walkway; we all begin walking toward the palace. My eyes widen in awe at the sight of the golden palace. Making our way into the castle, Thor leads Jane and me to the treatment room; Jane lies on an examination table while the nurses work over her.

An energy field encases Jane, and a hologram shoots up in mid-air, showing a copy of Jane's body. I see the medical people standing all around her, trying to determine what exactly is happening with Jane.

"What's that?" Jane asks while pointing at the hologram.

The healer pushes her hand back to the table, commanding, "Be still."

"This is not of Earth. What is it?" Thor begins talking to the healers while trying to figure out what is happening.

The healer sighs, "We do not know. But she will not survive the amount of energy surging within her."

"That's a quantum field generator, isn't it?" Jane asks, her curiosity still peaking.

"It's a Soul Forge," comes the curt reply of the healer.

"Does a Soul Forge molecular transfer energy from one place to another?"

The healer looks impressed at Jane as she answers, "Yes."

"Quantum field generator," Jane whispers to Thor.

"Will you shut the fuck up already?" I snap, annoyed—the women snicker at Jane's affronted look.

Thor smiles gently at Jane, symbolizing he isn’t going to defend her; when the door bursts open, I see a man with an eye patch over his left eye, and a guard is trailing behind him.
As he enters the room, the power he emits causes all the healers to step away from Jane. Gold armor encasing his entire body with a giant staff in his hand and an eyepatch tells me exactly who this is; this man is the King of Asgard.

"My words are mere noises to you that you ignore them completely?" As the King chastises his son, he waves his arm, and the hologram disappears.

"She's ill." Thor tries to reason with his father.

Odin looks to Thor, "She is mortal. Illness is their defining trait."

"I brought her here so we can help her," Thor explains, trying to get help from his father.

"She does not belong here in Asgard any more than a goat belongs on a banquet table." The King insults Jane causing me to raise a hand to cover the snort begging to be let out.
Jane pushes herself onto her elbows, an insulted look on her face, "Did he just..." She turns and demands, "Who do you think you are?"

"I am Odin. King of Asgard. Protector of the Nine Realms." He states while looking down his nose at Jane.

Jane gaps at Odin before regaining her composure, "Oh. Well, I'm..."

"I know very well who you are. Jane Foster. Nikolina Volkova."

Jane turns her head towards Thor smiling, "You told your dad about me?"

“With the way, he just said your name, I don’t think it is something you should be smiling about.”

After my comment, I nod my head at the Allfather, "Your Majesty," I say quietly. He looks at me intently for a moment before his attention turns to his son.

"Something's within her father. Something I have not seen."

"Her world has its healers, and they're called doctors, let them deal with it. Guards! Take both of them back to Midgard!" The King begins to walk out of the rooms.

As the guards approach Jane, Thor steps forward, trying to intervene, "No, I wouldn't…" the guard attempts to grab Jane only to be thrown away by a force field of energy "… touch her. Jane, are you all right?"

Thor runs over to Jane, asking her if she is all right; I walk up to her side and feel the energy inside her body. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Odin walk to Jane's right side and slide his hand across her forearm, thus showing the energy within her.

"It's impossible." He mutters.

"The infection, it's defending her?" A healer asks Odin, Thor, and me.

"No. It's defending itself." I say, and Thor nods in agreement.

"Come with me." The King commands.

Odin leads us through the grand hall, a vast cavernous chamber, and the large tree at the center, meaning that it is Yggdrasil. We enter the palace library, my eyes trailing over all the rows of books. I spin around, looking in wonder and amazement at the beautiful colors that line the ceiling and the walls.

"There are relics that predate the universe itself. What lies within her appears to be one of them. The Nine Realms are not eternal. They had dawn as well as dusk. But before that dawn, the dark forces, the Dark Elves, reigned absolute and unchallenged."

Odin carefully opens an ancient, beautifully illuminated book and selects a page. I look over Thor's shoulder and see illustrations on the page move as the words are read aloud.

"Before the eternal night, the Dark Elves come to steal away your light. These were the stories that mother told us as children."

"Their leader, Malekith, made a weapon out of that darkness, called the Aether. While the other relics appear as stones, the Aether is fluid and ever-changing. It changes matter to
dark matter and seeks out host bodies, drawing strength from their life force. Malekith sought to use Aether's power to return the universe to darkness. But, after eternities of bloodshed, my father Bor finally triumphed, ushering in a peace that lasted thousands of years."

"What happened?" I ask the King of Asgard; he turns his head and looks at me.

"He killed them all."

"Are you certain? The Aether was said to have been destroyed with them, and yet here it is," states Thor while facing his father.

"The Dark Elves are dead." The King's loud voice portrays conviction, not wanting to believe that there could be any survivors.

Jane asks in a very hopeful tone, "Does your book mention how to get it out of me?'

"No. It does not."

“Well, I think it is a good time for you guys to talk without the feast pig and me, so we are just gonna…” my thumbs gesturing over my shoulder while commenting to the men while slowly shoving Jane back as we walk backward toward the door.

Thor motions for two servants to come and take us away;

“Lady Volkova,” one servant announces before gesturing to the room.

“Thank you,” I mutter as I sneak past the servant and into the large room.

“Oh, one more thing,” the servant chimes before bringing me pants, a shirt, and armor.

“You don’t have to do that,” I attempt to dismiss the gesture.

“It is Prince Thor’s command, My Lady.” With those words, I gently grasp the pile of clothes and walk over to the bed.

The servant dips her head slightly before turning to leave, pulling the door closed as she goes. My eyes run over the fabric before I grab the cloth feeling the softness and the sturdiness. I place the metal on my chest, and it begins to wind along my stomach, securing it to my waist before it elegantly wraps the metal along my shoulders and slightly down my biceps. I grab the braces and tie them on my outer and inner arm, covering the most vital veins. The shoes have a slight heel to the bottom of them, I slide my foot into the boot, and like the chest plate, it weaves along my legs. The metal wraps around my ankle, up to my calf, and around my shin; a piece of metal covers my knee, allowing it to bend.

Walking out of the room while still eying the details carved in the metal, I meet up with Thor and Jane before coming to a halt in front of them. Thor looks over and smiles at me, and I shoot him a slight twitch of the lips in return. He grabs a bag off the table and steps around Jane. Flinging open the flimsy material reveals all of my weapons. Glancing at him mischievously while sliding my weapons into the gaps in the metal, Thor's eyes rake over the form-fitting metal now that the blades are in their respective places, while Jane glares at me in jealousy.

We walk out of the palace and onto a balcony; I see water glittering in front of the railing that my body is propped up against. I look out over the water and watch the people move about me.

"When you came for me, you knew I was in trouble."

"When Heimdall lost sight of both of you, neither of you were no longer on Earth."

"Well, how is that possible?" I ask while still looking at the sparkling water.

"I believe you were, and you weren't."

Thor and Jane lean on the railing adjacent to mine; I listen to Thor as he explains what the Convergence is. His voice is a little louder than usual so I can hear it. Little does he know;
I can listen to everything, all the way to Heimdall.

"The Nine Realms within Yggdrasil, orbiting Midgard in much the way your planet orbits the sun. Every five thousand years, the worlds align perfectly, and we call this Convergence. During this time, the borders between worlds become blurred. It's possible you found one of these points. We are lucky that it remained open. Once the worlds pass out of alignment, the connection is lost."

I see their hands move as an example of the Convergence, I look over, and they have both leaned in and are kissing. I roll my eyes and shake my head while pretending to gag. When they break away, Jane begins to speak once again.

"I like the way you explain things. What's going to happen to me?"

"I'll find a way to save you, Jane," Thor tells her gently.

Jane begins to argue back, "Your father said there was – "

"My father doesn't know everything." I hear the sound of footsteps approaching and keep my eyes forward.

"Don't let him hear you say that."

Thor and Jane spin to the sound of his mother's voice, surprised they didn't hear her walk up to them. She walks down a couple of stairs and makes her way toward Thor.

"Jane Foster, Nikolina Volkova, please meet Frigga, Queen of Asgard. My mother."

Startled, Jane drops Thor's hands and distances herself from him, embarrassed, "Hi," comes her meek and sheepish reply.

I turn toward Thor’s mother and greet her in a calm, soothing tone, "Hello." She smiles brightly at me and nods her head back in greeting.

All of a sudden, an alarm sounds throughout the castle. I snap my head up and look around; my hand grabs one of the daggers I hide in my boot.

"The prison." That is all that Frigga says to Thor.

"Loki." is his response to his mother.

We all turn and look at Jane, "Go, I'll look after her." The Queen says.

Thor spins to me while taking off his cloak, "Nikki, look after them. Any means necessary." I nod my head in agreement.

We quickly walk to the castle throne room; I see Odin with a troop of soldiers following him. He speaks with the force commander when he spots me, Frigga, and Jane.

"Odin." He stops walking and turns toward the Queen.

"Frigga." He turns to the commander and dismisses him.

"It's just a skirmish. Nothing to fear."

"You've never been a terrific liar." She says to her husband in slight amusement.

"Take them to your chambers. I'll come for you when it's safe." When the words leave his mouth, a group of soldiers pass. I see Sif with them; she glares at Jane before she looks at me. She runs her eyes over my outfit, grabs a soldier's sword, and hands it to me. I nod my hand in thanks, and she smiles slightly and continues.

"Take care." Her Majesty pleads to her husband desperately.

Odin reaches out affectionately, "Despite all that I have survived, my Queen still worries over me."

She smiles slightly, "It's only because I worry over you that you have survived."

Frigga starts to lead us away toward her chambers when she grabs a sword from a walking soldier. I twirl the sword around in my hand, getting used to the weight, as I trail behind the two women.

Frigga grabs Jane and tells her, "Listen to me now. You do everything, Nikolina, and I say- no questions asked."

"Yes, Ma'am." The scared response from Jane squeaks out.

"Nikolina, Thor has told me that you are an amazing fighter. I beg you now, help me protect my family and people."

"Of course," I say in an active voice; the Queen nods her head in a graceful motion.

I hear heavy footsteps hit the ground, making their way to Frigga's chamber. The sound of steps getting closer, and he is soon at the grand doors. Jane stands, fearful, moving closer to my and Frigga's sides. I hide only a few steps behind the door while Frigga stands in front of Jane. I motion to Jane to hide, and she runs behind a pillar.
As an elf enters the room, the Queen speaks, "Stand down, creature, and you may still survive this."

"I have survived worse, woman," he says in a baritone voice.

"Who are you?"

"I am Malekith, and I will have what is mine."

Malekith moves closer, but I point my sword at him, ensuring that my body is between him and the Queen. The Queen maneuvers to hide Jane, Malekith moves forward, and the
Queen pulls out her sword and slashes him across the face. Five more elves burst into the room, the Queen nods to me, and I spring into action.

My sword clashes with another sword of an elf; I look around and see that I am surrounded; a smirk makes its way across my lips as I lunge forward. My legs wrap around one elf and swing him to the ground; I use the flip’s force to swivel my leg around and smash it into another elf's leg. It falls to the ground, and I swing my sword into its body. I lift the sword out of the body, twirl it in my hand and face the other four.

I run at one elf and slide between his legs. I kick one of his legs and bring a dagger into his throat. I turn around and do a spinning back kick, hitting another soldier in his face, and he stumbles back. He growls at me, and I snarl back, feeling my eyes flash red, and my fangs come out. The elf stops in shock for a moment, and I use that to my advantage; his slip-up means death. My nails sink in his face and drag them upward; he falls to the floor in a heap.

My hands and face are coated in blood, but my fight isn't over yet. I still have more elves to defeat. I look over to the Queen and see that she is a great fighter, and Frigga disarms Malekith and pins him beneath her with her sword to his throat. I see a massive creature come up behind me, and I shout, "Look out! NO!" The monster disarms and lifts her into the air, pressing the sword against her back.

Losing my focus causes me to receive a hard blow to my body and face. I feel a sword slide into my hip, and at the same time, the elf slices diagonally across my face. I let out a yell
of pain before swinging my sword and chopping the elf's head off. I pull the sword out of my hip and drop it to the ground with a loud clang.

I also drop my sword and face the last soldier, my vision getting distorted by the blood seeping from the slice. I punch him across the face and grab a discarded dagger from the floor. I bring my arm back and throw my knife, which nails the elf right in the throat, pinning him to the wall. I bend over, panting in pain and exhaustion, when my attention is pulled to Malekith and the Queen.

"Witch! Where is the Aether!" He screams at her once Jane disappears from under his hand.

"I'll never tell." She chokes out from where she is being held.

"I believe you." He looks at the monster holding the Queen and gives a small signal.

The monster slides the sword into her back. I scream out, running towards the Queen, ignoring the pain in my body, and throw my sword. As I make my way to the Queen, I hear Thor's anguish cry, and he sends a bolt of lightning at Malekith. As the lightning strikes Malekith in the face, instantly blackening one side, my knife lodges itself into his oblique eye, and he and another elf run to the balcony. Thor throws his hammer, knocking them over the edge, but as he runs forward, a narrow ship flies up and past, out of even Mjolnir's range.

They have escaped; I slide my body over Frigga and press my hand against her wound. She groans slightly in pain; I keep applying pressure when out of the corner of my eye, I see Odin appear. His eyes are drawn directly to his injured wife, staring at Frigga in shock and grief before making his way over to us. He gently grabs the Queen out of my arms and begins to lightly stroke her cheek; I see a tear fall out of the corner of his eye. I bow my head in respect and grief.

Thor walks over to me, bends down, wraps an arm around my shoulders, and slides one under my knees. I see the heartbreaking grief on his face, and I place a comforting hand on the side of his face. He walks me past Jane and takes me down to the healing chamber. The nurses run over to me and immediately begin to heal my wounds.

As they work on me, I turn my head towards Thor, "I am so sorry, Thor. I should have protected her better."

He shook his head at me, "You did everything you could. I know you, Nikki. Look at you! You have very severe wounds on your body."

"That doesn't change the fact that I could have done more. What happens now?"

"Now, we have a funeral for my mother." I hear the sadness in his tone and close my eyes.

"Come here." I get up from my reclined position on the table and open my arms; Thor walks over to me quickly and embraces me. I hold him in my arms for a long time when I hear someone stumble into the room.

We both look over to the door and see that it is Jane. She has a perplexed and slightly hurt look, and I sigh before attempting to get off the table. Thor realizes what I am trying to do; he grabs my hips, helps me off my desk, and steadies me on my feet.

"They are ready to begin," Jane says.

We walk to the side of the castle to where the water is, and I see Odin, Thor, and the citizens of Asgard gather to mourn the loss of their beloved Queen Frigga. Frigga floats out on
a boat, and at Odin's signal, an archer sends a flaming arrow onto the ship, setting it alight. As her burning boat carries on across the water, hundreds of burning arrows soar through the air, alighting on the ships of every other soldier and citizen killed by the invading dark elves.

With hundreds of boats burning behind her like candles, Frigga's vessel approaches the edge of Asgard's sea. The waters flow over the edge and into space. Odin strikes his staff, Gungnir, upon the ground. Rather than drop over the edge, Frigga's funeral vessel drifts beyond the water until her spirit rises from the boat and lifts into the cosmos like thousands of scattering stars.

The citizens of Asgard cradle orbs of light, which they lift toward the sky and release to join the stars. The balls float up, each a tribute to a lost loved one. I watch with sadness in my eyes as I stare at the Queen, floating away forever.