Loki: The Dark World

By A.J. Garcia

So just throw me out
For not fitting in,
I will stand my ground
And be an outcast.

Outcast by Karrie Roberts

Chapter One

"And what of Thor?" Spat Loki, his baritone reverberating off the walls and pillars alike.
"You'll make that witless oaf King while I rot in chains?"

Odin remains seated on his throne, refusing to stand for his son.

Oh, how Loki hates this. This good for nothing king was a hypocrite and it would seem that only he noticed. Aesirs saw only what they wanted to see.

"Thor must strive to undo the damage you have done. He'll bring order to the nine realms and then, yes, he will be King."

Loki we beginning to think that an axe wouldn't be unwelcome at this point. Anything was preferable than seeing Thor as king.

Guards appear from thin air to take him to a place he would call home for the rest of his life.

No.

Half-way out of the throne room he drops, kicking the legs out from under one guard. The second went to use his sword, but Loki dodged the swipe, using the momentum to grab the guard's wrist. Loki jerks his knee and a satisfying crunch reaches his ears. He shoves the guard away.

The Allfather called his name like a curse and a warning.

But Loki was already scrambling to his feet. He could feel it- the thrill in his veins. His being ached with the need to get away, to flee, to be free!
And as soon as he reached his feet, he was knocked back by what felt like a hammer. His world, blurry for a while, became clear as he realized Thor was tossing him into a cell. The cuffs that had restrained his magic were gone. Bracing his arms, Loki lifts his head.

He wishes he hadn't.

Thor nods to another guard, the transparent gold-like cage covering the one of four walls, sealing him in. That was the only way in and the only way...

Thor gave him a disgusting look of pity before turning and walking away. Loki licks his dry lips, pushing himself to a sitting position. His just knew that there was something awry with his black hair.

"Thor, you aren't going to leave me here."

The one who controlled thunder barely faltered in stride. Thor's voice tasted resigned as it faded away.

"Stop trying to meddle with the future, brother. It's not yours anymore."

- Months later, Earth -

"Come on- this is exciting, look, the Intern is excited!"

Jane glances between Darcy, who steps out from behind the wheel, and the male, who climbs out from the backseat of their London rental.

"Ian," supplies the male.

Darcy steps up beside her boss. "You want the phase meter?"

It looked like it was going to rain and Jane shivers in her coat. "No."

Darcy twists and tosses, in the most awkward way, the keys to Ian.
"Bring the phase meter. The toaster looking thing."

"I know what a phase meter is," he replies.

Jane felt her legs taking her towards the rundown compound. It looked to be a mix of a lot of things... An abandoned storehouse, a factory, possibly a shipment facility back in the day. Where in the world had Darcy brought her?
The ground was overrun with weeds and the structure of the buildings surrounding her seemed fragile.

An eighteen-wheeler was turned on its side. She studies it as she walks past, vaguely curious to how that had happened.
An obnoxious ring sings from her person. With a brief glance over the ID, she answers. "How do I change the ringtone on this thing?"

"An astrophysicist with three degrees should be able to change her own ring tone."

Jane looked across the ways to find Darcy staring right at her, phone to ear. "Why are you calling me?"

"I didn't want to shout," says Darcy, "Intern says this way."

"Ian. My name's Ian."

Walking into the abandoned structure, Jane began to question if this was a good idea. She just wished that Eric would call her back.

A cloak of black attacked them. No, scratch that, it flew over them. The blackbirds took flight, screaming a chilling call.

Darcy murmurs to her companions. "I am not getting stabbed in the name of science." She turns, "It's okay, we're Americans!"

Jane walks ahead of her. "Is that supposed to make them like us?"

Voices whisper in a frenzy until they became shapes, humans that owned the voices. Little humans.

Jane blinks. "Oh, they're kids."

"Are you the police?" Asks a girl.

Jane was quick to throw up her hands. "No, we're scientists. Well, I am."
"Thanks..." Grumbles Darcy from behind.

"We just found it."

Jane puts on what she believes is a soft face. It probably made her appear dumb, but it was the thought that counts. "Will you show us?"

The batch of kids lead Jane towards a cement truck. Taking his finger tip, a boy raises the truck up. As if there were no gravity, the truck kept rotating, turning without anything to stop it.
Sucking a breath, Jane was unable to look away for the life of her.

Her brunette intern points her finger. "That doesn't seem right."

"Come on," calls another kid, "that's not all!"

Halting on a stairwell, a child above them tosses what seems to be a bottle over the edge. It vanishes into thin air as it falls.

"Where'd it go?" Asks Jane.

The young girl from before points heavenward. The bottle appears from above and falls into the anomaly below and vanishes again. The pattern repeats until a kid reaches out and snatches the bottle.
"That's… That's incredible." Bending, Jane snatches a can and releases it over the edge. But it did not appear above. She craned her neck, searching for it. "What happened?"

The young girl shrugs, her British accent strong. "Sometimes they come back, sometimes they don't."

Darcy's eyes sparkle. "I wanna throw something! Jane, give me your shoe."

Jane ignores her as she picks up a gadget that had brought them out here in the first place. Parts of it were turning red and readings were going off the charts. But there was something...bigger to be seen. Her breath caught. "I haven't seen readings like this since… since…"

"New Mexico?" Tosses a female voice. Jane meets Darcy's eyes before taking off up the stairs.

"Don't touch anything!"

Darcy's voice: "Give me your shoe."

Further up the stairs, Jane glances back, seeing Darcy and Ian throw things over the railing like children. She looks back at her screen, following another anomaly, this one stronger. Her mind whirled with the possibilities. In the distance, she could faintly hear Darcy's voice.

"...Were those the car keys?"

Jane almost tripped over her own shoes as she rounded the corner.

She came to a complete stop.

Because there before her stood he, the god of thunder after the storm.

Read chapter 2 before you decide if you like it or not!

That is when the fun happens.