Loki's venture into Stark Tower was purposefully driven. He needed not the charming wit of the Man of Iron, nor the brawn of the first Avenger. He was in search of a more knowledgeable source to glean information from. The dogged pair of scientists who had been so helpful to Thor, Jane Foster and Erik Selvig would suffice. Loki had retained some working knowledge of the building's interior from Selvig and Barton's memories. The scientists would have taken residency on a middle floor, in one of the labs or meeting rooms.

But first things first. He needed to deal with Stark's security. The modern playboy would never allow S.H.I.E.L.D to cramp his style by posting men within the tower. The man had more faith in himself, and his creations. With the human portion dealt with, all that remained was the artificial part. Jarvis. Loki recalled from Barton that the machine was one with the tower. An AI that roamed a human made realm they called the internet.

Stark had access to his machine from varies terminals in the building, and through smaller machines. Its core was housed in the base of the tower. He would not need to travel there to disable the system. A single access point would do.

Loki came upon one of Stark's various labs further along the hallway. From the window he saw a workbench with a terminal. The door was locked by a red lit card reader.

"Honestly." Loki gave an aggravated sigh and teleported into the room. "Did you think that would be enough to keep me out?"

The terminals' screens flickered to life, clearing away the windows that were open in favor of lockdown screens. The intercom on the ceiling above Loki's head boomed out the AI's voice.

"Unauthorized access detected. Loki of Asgard, you are in violation-"

Loki waved a hand in the direction of the source. An ice disk collided with the speaker and spread on impact. "Yes, yes, yes…cease your droning."

He strode over to the terminal. Leaning over the keyboard he tapped a finger against his lips as he tried to figure out the best course of action to shut down the machine. There was no convenient red button to jettison the system from the building. Though Loki suspected with the right manipulation of keys, there could be. Instead he pulled one of the monitors from the wall, exposing connecting wires. Loki reached for a cluster of those, feeling the current of electricity that passed through them. Tendrils of magic swept through the AI's operating system, corroding terminals along the way until the system was forced to shut down. Stark Tower fell into a powerless state for a few seconds before it hummed back to life on reserves.

Power remained intermittent as Loki made his was down a stairwell to reach the middle floors. He remained alert for the other Avengers until he came upon Selvig's workstation. The former professor had taken up a modest sized meeting room that was quickly collecting boxes that he suspected related to Saffron. The boxes and its contents were old. They showed their age by merely being physical copies. Someone had to be going through this material, but the room was vacant.

Loki flipped through a packet of files resting on the meeting room table, noting the large redacted sections. He tossed the useless stack away and moved onto an open box on the table. More folders containing files lay under a sealed package. He went to push the package aside to reach the folders, but stopped halfway. Changing his mind; Loki produced one of his daggers, tearing into the seal. The dagger vanished from his grasp before he pulled out the object. A pitch black cloak with silver in-lining unfolded from the packaging.

It felt unusually heavy for having such a seemingly light appearance. Loki dug into the inside folds for the source of the added weight. He came up empty handed. He regarded the garment with a keen eye, tracing over the folds again. He found what he was looking for. Faint residual energy lined the pockets. Breaking a simple concealment charm was short work for the God of Lies and Mischief. This time reaching into the folds he reached their previously hidden contents. He felt cold hard metal that felt suspiciously familiar in shape and weight. Bringing it forth he identified the object. A dagger. More specifically, one of his daggers.

He brought the dagger between his thumb and forefinger, feeling its dulled edge. A sweep of the arm and wrist flourish sent the dagger into the far wall. The blade cracked on impact, bouncing off the wall to fall to pieces on the floor. An old dagger then. Loki mulled over the weapon a moment longer before disregarding it entirely. He had travelled to many realms over his lifetime, and left behind countless daggers in one form or another. Whether in battle or for show, it would narrow down nothing of its past whereabouts. Its presence merely showed a crossing of paths at one point. Though he highly doubted this cloak and its contents belonged to Saffron.

The outer garment was far too large for her frame. It would fit better on someone closer in Loki's own size. Further investigation of the cloak brought forth similar results; straight edged throwing daggers, curved hand blades with finger eyelets on the end, and an array of ornate stilettos that came from at least four of the main realms. Loki placed the small collection piece by piece onto the table before him. Everything one would need for close combat. Strangely the garment still felt weighted. He laid the cloak on the table beside the arsenal for now, there were plenty of other boxes to go through.

A flash of lighting had Loki flinching instinctively. He quickly looked up from his search to scan the skies. More lighting crackled in the distance, followed more slowly by the sound of thunder. He relaxed after a few minutes of anticipation. It was just a natural Midgardian storm. Satisfied he would not have to be dealing with Thor, Loki turned his attention to the files.

He shuffled papers around in a flurry. Trying to find anything of interest, but nothing caught his eye. It seemed that they knew just about as much on her as he did. Which was next to nothing. Frustrated he slammed a fist on the table, and glanced to the ceiling as the lights suddenly went out again for an extended period. It was but a small leap to make that the Man of Iron had woken up, and most likely set off some kind of alarm. Loki moved to a better attack point, the only other entrance in the room he knew about, the elevator.

He blinked to clear his eyes from the sudden light change. But kept his gaze focused on those double doors. He could hear the slight hum of the elevator as it ascended. Loki smirked when he sensed only one human. What fool was brave enough to confront him alone?

ooOOoo

Steve followed Saffron deep into Central Park. She came to a stop at the tree line overlooking one of the ponds. The lateness of the hour and rain had discouraged most of the people back into their homes. It was a cold rain; somewhere between freezing and sleet. Winter would be arriving soon. The drizzling precipitation provided both a natural cover for Steve, and a nuisance as he was forced to follow close to avoid losing site. The element of anonymity was on his side this time though; as Saffron would not expect him back on her trail so soon.

A giant black oak was currently attracting Saffron's attention as she ducked under the overhanging branches to reach the trunk. Stretching her hands forward, Steve watched as they passed right through the bark. A moment later they came back with an obsidian colored stone hovering slightly above her upturned palms. She regarded it for a moment as it spun idly as if it were weightless. Then she did the most curious thing. She crushed it. Bringing one hand over the other she ground the stone between her palms. When she opened them the pieces blew away as dust, toward the sky. Radiating out in a dark cloud to form a dome like structure.

The area dulled considerable, as if a sheet had been placed over the vicinity. A very primal feeling washed over Steve concurrently with the stones fragmentation. The most basic living response one could name, fear. He suddenly had an urge to leave the area as quickly as possible. The feeling was removing any intentions he had before. Stark Tower was vividly beckoning him in his mind. It seemed though that he was not the only one suddenly hurried to return home. The few patrons of the park were rapidly departing. Not in a panic, but by no means leisurely. They all stopped, looking around themselves with uneasy expressions before gathering their things and heading away from the epicenter of the veil.

Saffron stayed tucked under the overhanging branches of the oak, sheltered from the rain as she waited for the area to clear. Steve managed to stay just outside the veil, blocked from her view by a rock outcropping. He was technically outside the veil; still he experienced the strong urge to just turn and leave. Clearly this effect was intensified for the park goers, as not a single one managed to remain.

Steve realized with dread he would soon need to cross over that veil if he wanted any hope of following her. He watched as the first handful of people crossed over the barrier. The disturbance of their crossing created a ripple in the fabric, carrying as waves throughout the dome. But other than that it allowed them to pass through easily.

Saffron was keeping an eye on them as well. Silently overseeing their departure with dull interest. She removed her doctors' coat, slinging it over a branch near her. From the pockets of her scrubs she produced a set of keys and a phone. Using one hand to transfer them into a coat pocket as the other pulled the tie from her hair. It laid in big waves, kinked from being pinned all day. She suddenly turned back to her coat, digging out her phone as it flashed and rang out.

"Lacy." She answered.

A few moments later. "Yes, I have left for the night…Yes, I know I left my car there. I'll catch a cab in the morning.

She shifted her weight from foot to foot as she listened. Finally deciding on a direction to focus the motion, she paced around the other side of the oak idly lost in the conversation.

"You are not going to find a copy in my desk. I gave you my copy, which was the last physical one."

Steve readied himself to move closer, this was the ideal opportunity to get inside the veil. Saffron's back was turned to him and attention drawn elsewhere; there was still the matter of the pulse of energy that waved through the veil when someone crossed it though. He would have to time it right.

Steve pressed himself further against the rock outcropping when Saffron had made the full circle around the tree and stopped. He held his breath. A conscious part of him concerned that he had missed his opportunity; the subconscious part relieved it had passed and could remain where he was.

"Don't stress over it. I'll email you the file." Saffron cast a feigned annoyed look up to the tree; as if it was looking down participating in the conversation. "It should be impossible to lose it this time."

She turned away as she brought the phone down. With her attention on the device, another opportunity revealed itself. This one he would not waste. He looked around for a group he could intercept. A pair of men, burdened with a cooler and sporting gear, were signifying the last of the park goers to leave. Their disturbance would be large enough to cover any error in timing.

He quickly made his way toward them. The pair took no notice of him, focused solely on their own withdraw from this repellent structure. Steve spared another glance in Saffron's direction before crossing the threshold.

It was much worse on this side.

The feeling intensified its grip; finding a place to settle deep in his chest. It took all his resolve to steel himself against turning on his heel and high tailing it out of there. Steve pressed further to reach the tree line, ducking around the trunk of another large oak. Saffron finished her email and replaced the phone to the coat pocket. She traveled on a pathway to an open clearing with a bench overlooking one of the Park's ponds.

The area was empty, save for a man sitting on one of the benches. He was tapping his foot impatiently; glancing around occasionally. The rain seemed strangely not to bother him. Steve focused his attention back on Saffron, only to find she had vanished. Steve clutched at the tree he'd been hiding behind as he searched for her again. He had not accounted for that in any of his plans. People shouldn't be able to disappear into thin air. But then again; he had to remind himself she was far from human.

She reappeared a few seconds later directly behind the man. A flash of a smile graced her lips as she realized he hadn't noticed her presence. Steve made a move forward as she wrapped her arms around the man's neck. In a blur of movement the man stood, grabbing each of Saffron's arms he dragged her over the bench, flipping her on her back as he brought a knife to her throat. They stared frozen at each other for a moment. Steve stopped cold as translucent wings unfolded from the man's back. Squinting, he could just make out the pointed ears.

Saffron smiled. "You are always so jumpy, Týri."

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to sneak past the High Council to come see you? You would be a ball of nerves too." Týri replied, returning the knife to his belt. Saffron laughed as she sat up.

"You know I do."

"Could have killed you just now." He puffed as he took his seat again. His wings folded neatly to the sides as he crossed a leg over his knee.

"Not if I had a weapon."

"Ah but you do not carry a weapon anymore. Which is a crying shame by the way."

Saffron rolled her eyes at the fact, changing the subject. "And just where were you last time?"

Týri looked completely offended at her question. "Where was I? I was a tad late. But at least I had the decency to show."

"I was right here." Saffron said, pointing to the bench. Týri snorted in disbelief.

"For? All of five minutes."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Something came up, I had to leave."

"You should not be at the beck and call of humans."

"I never said it was human."

Steve was too far away from the pair to make out all of their conversation.

"Look, let us forgo the usual argument please. What is so pressing that you needed to see me?" Saffron asked.

Týri turned to her fully. "The fortress has fallen. Osirimar has been lost."

"You mean destroyed, or captured?"

"I do not know. Its defenses are active, no one can get through that fog to reach it."

Saffron sat back in contemplation. After a while she smiled. "Hmm…good for them. Never thought the day would come when it could be captured."

Týri was incredulous. "The fact that you are not concerned frightens me to no end. Without that fortress, Alfheim doesn't stand a chance in this war."

"And what would you have me do? Go with you now and mount a rescue or an attack to recapture it?"

"Yes!" Týri shouted back. They glared at one another for a long moment. Their features softened as their eyes widened; snapping their heads up to see ripples traveling along the veil. Four of them to be exact.

"Did you bring someone?" Saffron asked hopefully.

Týri shook his head, eyes locked on the sky. "No."

"Of course not." Saffron took a deep breath. Either someone followed Týri from Alfheim, which would be bad. Or worse, Thanos had sent minions hot on Loki's trail. Either way Saffron did not want her friend in the crossfire that was to come. "Right…I'll handle this. You need to leave."

"No. I have got a bad feeling about this." He refused, looking back down to her.

"Go I said." Saffron commanded again; using her feet to kick him off the bench. She propped her feet up causally on the vacated spot. He looked reluctant to leave; but her carefree demeanor was enough to reassure. He trusted her to know what was right. Turning to go Saffron stopped him once more.

"Wait." Saffron held out her hand. "Let me borrow your throwing dagger."

The color drained from Týri's face. She never took up a weapon anymore. But he dutifully removed the blade from his belt, handing it to her. "Are you going to kill them?"

Saffron vanished the dagger, letting her hands fall to her stomach. "Nope. I just want to know what they want and then we can all be on our way."

"Then why the dagger?"

Saffron shrugged, closing her eyes. "It never hurts to have a contingency."

Týri hummed an acknowledgment before disappearing.

ooOOoo

Erik Selvig rubbed at his eyes tiredly as he carried his coffee to the elevator. Hours of research and he knew nothing about the creature; and was hardly any closer to figuring out who Saffron was. He had a few possibilities. But he needed more information than Fury was giving him. A fresh stack of files to go through rested in the crook of his arm. He bounced the added weight off his hip as the elevator ascended. Except, it suddenly halted. Selvig staggered a moment, but managed to keep his coffee from spilling. He looked around for the problem. The elevator was powerless; that should never happen. Thunderstorm or not, Stark Tower had its own power supply. He reached for the intercom to buzz Jarvis when the elevator shuddered to life again.

Selvig was weary of the car's flickering lights as he neared his floor. This really should not be happening. He slipped through the elevator doors as soon as they opened, eager to leave that potential deathtrap, and stopped cold. Someone was sitting on his desk.

He could only make out a silhouette. The automatic lights had failed to turn on as he entered the room. Stepping back he found the light switch. It was a woman. She blinked at the sudden light and her eyes changed from green to saffron. He dropped his coffee in shock. It fell, spilling its contents all over the tile. She stared at the mess with a bored expression.

"Sorry if I startled you." She said in a caustic tone.

"How'd you get in here?" Selvig managed to ask. Loki slowly slid her feet to the floor. Stepping around the coffee she stopped uncomfortably close to him.

"I am not completely incompetent when it comes to Midgardian technology you know."

A shudder escaped him involuntarily; something wasn't right. "What do you want?"

She walked in a slow circle around him. The footsteps echoing in the quiet room. "Funny. That's exactly what I wanted to ask you."

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Every fiber of his being told him to run. But Cap had some sort of faith in her, he shouldn't be this worried. "I don't know what you mean, Saffron."

"Unfortunately for you…I am not Saffron." Erik looked up; finding himself face to face with his former oppressor; Loki.

ooOOoo

Saffron took stock of the incoming party. A pair of Chitauri off on her right, a lone one on the left. All three were advancing cautiously as they watched her. But Saffron had yet to as so much lift a finger from her spot. She was waiting for that fourth intruder before attempting anything.

She sensed its presence some distance behind her. It was radiating cosmic energy, a type of dark magic used in the outer realms. Paired with a small Chitauri guard, that did not bode well. Saffron raised her head past the back of the bench to catch a glimpse of the leader. A humanoid figure hidden in a hooded robe. Six fingered hands, grey as the dead were visible at the end of its sleeves. She saw the gold glint from a cage around its jaw; and placed the final pieces together, Thanos' Other.

Saffron stood in one fell swoop, turning to face the Other. If she was getting out of this situation, it was not the way she came. The three Chitauri had ceased their advance when Saffron stood. They looked to the Other for orders, keeping the elf in their peripherals. The Other lifted an arm, fingers curling until one long nailed finger remained. Pointing at Saffron, its meaning was clear. Seize.

Saffron moved first, striding briskly for the lone Chitauri. It started forward at a matching pace, keen to meeting her halfway. The pair now behind her began enclosing in as well. She kept her pace evenly measured, toeing the line between triggering an attack, and managing to put as much distance between herself and the Other as she could. Thanos' right-hand servant was a powerful sorcerer, an enforcer. Facing a draconian creature like that in nothing but scrubs, running shoes, and a single throwing dagger were insurmountable odds.

She was coming closer to the lone Chitauri, one lunge and they would be within arm's reach of one another. Saffron waited until she saw the creature tense for an attack. That's when she suddenly broke out in a full on run towards it. The Chitauri swung its spear in a horizontal arch, she successful ducked under the swing and ran past. She turned back, sending a brilliant sphere of white to stun the creature, and kept on going. The other two Chitauri broke out in a run after her, but she was already too far ahead for them to catch. She was nearly to the tree line when another humanoid figure stepped out from under the trees. A Dökkálfr warrior in full battle armor; a bow across his shoulders, and a broadsword at his hip. She just took note of the tribal tattoos painted across his face before reflexes took over. This next flash bomb went off right in front of the elf's face. He reeled back with a howl, covering his face with his hands.

Suddenly the Other was across the clearing, off to her right. It moved fast, sending a pulse of dark energy toward her. Saffron managed to extend her arms in time to conjure a shield. The impact rocked the ground, the shield dug into the earth as Saffron braced herself for the impact. She had miscounted. There were five not four of them that had come through the veil. They planned it well to walk through together. She heard cracking and looked to her shield. Fracture lines were growing over its surface.

"You traded haste for strength." The Other criticized mockingly as it drew energy around its hands again.

She had no time to repair the shield, this one would shatter her defenses. The Other's attack sent shards of Saffron's shield flying towards its owner. Saffron only had time to turn away slightly, arms raised protectively around her head from the potentially lethal projectiles. Most slicing through the air passed her, but a portion found their target. She felt the bite of each puncture as shards embedded themselves along her right side. She staggered from the impact and failed to maintain her balance when her leg refused to hold her weight.

Laying on the ground she could assess the damage. There were shards in her neck and along her side. The worse came from the pieces in her right arm and leg. A particularly large piece had cut through her calf. Until she mended that, there would be no quick escape. She looked to the pair of Chitauri to gauge how much time she had left. They had now caught up. The luxury of time was not on her side.

She let out a whimper as the Chitauri pair bared down on her. Their talon claws digging into her upper arms and pressing pieces of the shield further into her skin. She pulled a shard from her leg and passed it to her left hand unnoticed. They dragged Saffron to the Other, yanking her to her feet for its inspection. The Other regarded Saffron under the rim of its hood. Eyes hidden well behind the dark veil.

"A lone Light Elf stranded on Midgard." The Other slowly traced a sharpened nail down Saffron's jaw line; leaving a trail of blood as it sliced through skin. "Who did you deceive to earn this placement?"

Saffron shuddered at the contact and turned away as far as the Chitauri's grip would allow.

The Other released a throaty laugh. Its raspy voice was dark in her ear. "Talking is going to make this process go by quicker. Defiance will earn you more pain than you could hope to endure."

The Other forced Saffron's face to its own before tilting it toward the sky.

"Did you do this?" It referred to the veiled dome.

Saffron gave the slightest of nods and closed her eyes. They snapped open again as pan erupted along her right side. The Other was heating the shield remnants. Each shard becoming an embedded ember burning under her skin. She struggled in the Chitauri's grip until the pain subsided. Taking quick shaky breaths, tears stung in the corners of her eyes.

"Come on." Steve whispered under his breath. She was capable of taking down a couple of Chitauri and a Leviathan solo. "What the hell are you doing?"

The doctor was doubled over in pain as far as her captors would allow. The Chitauri were the only thing keeping her standing as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

Steve drew a firearm from the small of his back, removing the safety as he brought it to eye level. Thunder rolled in the distance as rain continued to fall from the heavens. He trained the weapon from the cluster of four to the pair just past them. There was no ideal option here. He might be able to empty the magazine before they were able to take action. But this handgun was hardly going to pierce through armor. And he would never make it over there in time to stop them from killing the doctor.

Steve lowered the gun to waist level before patting around his coat for his phone. Confronting three old foes and two new ones in civilian clothes with one handgun was never going to work. He needed to call Stark, if the billionaire had not already drunk himself unconscious, to at the very least send his shield. And possibly one of his autonomous Iron Man suits. The phone was not in his coat. He dug into the pockets of his jeans before realizing where he had left it. Stark Tower.

The Dark Elf was still attempting to regain his sight. The tattoos along his face bunched up with every press of his palms to his eye sockets. He would lower them for a moment, blink widely before replacing them with a hiss.

The Other stooped lower to speak with Saffron again. It parted strands of hair from her face. Blood was still trickling down her chin from the cut on her jawline, the other wounds had been cauterized. "We were on the trail of someone. A traitorous consort known as Loki who failed to deliver on his word. Due to this void you have constructed, that trail is now gone. One can only suspect that you are covering his tracks."

"Loki, the silver tongued trickster?" Saffron shook her head. "If I ever had the misfortune to come across him, I would have done the same as now. I would have run away."

The Other inhaled in thought, straightening. The Ljósálfr learned quick to speak when spoken to. It turned to its Dökkálfr companion. "Then we are done with this one. Our search will continue."

The Dark Elf pushed through the last remnants of blindness as he moved forward. "Allow me to dispose of the Ljósálfr."

"Do not keep me waiting." The Other consented as he stepped away from Saffron.

"I only need one strike." He replied, venom in his voice. As he reached for the hilt of the broadsword, he was finally close enough to focus on Saffron. The warrior froze. "Oh, no. Ælfwaru?"

The Other looked between them both. "Vikari, what is this hesitation?"

"The gatekeeper of Svartalfaheim." Vikari's hand withdrew from the weapon completely.

The Other half-turned to his companion. "Regardless of what she is. She is impeding our mission, either force her to submit or kill her."

Vikari took a step back, an uneasy expression crossing his face. He offered no reason for clearly refusing to simply kill her.

The Other regarded Saffron with new found interest. "Are you an Ælfwaru?"

"No!" Saffron practically shouted back at it. "I must have struck him too hard. If I were such a thing, I would not be in this situation."

The Other's head tilted to one side as it watched her for seconds that felt like hours. "I believe you are one."

Saffron's breath caught in her throat with anticipation.

"For you are no longer trembling, Ælfwaru." It finished.

Saffron's sniveling demeanor ceased abruptly, eyes glowing like fire, features smoothing as she leveled a cool gaze on the Other. A look of bitter nostalgia crossed Saffron's face. "I have not been called that in a long time."

She broke eye contact just long enough to dispatch the Chitauri restraining her. Using the shard she had hidden in her left hand, she stabbed the shield remnant down into the left Chitauri's upper thigh. The Chitauri released both Saffron and the spear from its possession. Saffron reached for the falling spear, managing to grasp the weapon as the other Chitauri yanked hard on her injured side towards it. She used that momentum to plunge the spear into its abdomen. The Chitauri released her other arm as its own went to hover over the wound. With both hands now free, she placed both onto the spear and leveraged it upward, eviscerating the creature. She turned back to the remaining one as it unsheathed a hunting knife from its waist. It attempted a shoulder charge as it slashed low with the knife. The attack was sluggish due to its injured leg. Saffron was easily able to avoid and disarm the Chitauri. She soon returned the weapon to its owner; through an open spot in its armor, underneath the jaw and straight through the skull. Her gaze returned toward the Other as the pair fell at her side.

"I truly loath that title."

The Other had used those short moments well, placing distance between itself and Saffron. It gathered another charge of dark energy to hurl at the elf. Saffron did not move. She shook her head in apparent amusement instead, bending down to heal the slash in her calf. The Other hesitated at the odd behavior. Saffron straighten again and regarded the Other expectantly.

"I am not one to be toyed with." The Other hissed angrily as it hurled a large pulse of energy at Saffron.

She stepped straight into the attack, not bothering with producing a shield this time. The blast past through her, racing onto the surface of the pond behind her. It tore a large trough through the water that lasted briefly before the water closed back in on itself. The water sloshed around disturbed, but Saffron was standing unaffected.

It sent another attack in quick succession. Except this time when Saffron stepped into it, she disappeared. The Other looked about the clearing wildly, searching for even a glimpse of concealment. It motioned for the remaining Chitauri to investigate the last place she had been standing.

"Vikari." It called out to its companion.

But Vikari had begun backing away even further from the Other. "You have just ensured our death."

"Vikari, do your job." The Other hissed, trying to regain some semblance of control. It suddenly realized how open to attack it was in a clearing. No one was watching its back. The Other turned around quickly, expecting an attack from there. What it got was a screech of pain from the Chitauri that was now behind it. The Other did not turn back in time to see the Chitauri be dragged across a veil in space.

"If you wish to face me, then do so. If you wish to be a coward, then you better start running now." The Other spoke out to the clearing. Again it tried to keep an eye around for any signs of where Saffron had gone.

"I believe it is the coward who is constantly concerned with watching their own back." She replied from somewhere in front of the Other. It hurled another wave of energy in that direction, straining its ears to determine if the attack had hit.

"Always concerned with what may lurk behind." She continued. Seconds later there was a wet thud as something struck the ground directly behind the Other. Its next attack indeed struck something; the remaining Chitauri. It looked upon the bloody mess of mangled flesh and bones at its feet. It had been ripped apart, already dead before it hit the ground.

"You should be more concerned with who stands beside you."

The chill creeping down the Other's spine had nothing to do with the weather. It looked over to Vikari, and understood her true meaning when he saw the elf looking beside it. Out of the corner of its eye it saw her. Stance as light and free as her eyes. It watched as the throwing dagger appeared with practiced ease into her hand. The Other gave a snarl lashing out. She was directly in front of it now, the blade dug deep into its chest as it reached for her. The six-fingered hand ceased when she twisted the blade sharply. The Other stood dumbstruck in the last seconds of life.

"What are you?" It asked.

Saffron leaned over its shoulder. "The Ghost of Osirimar."

She let the creature fall to the ground, dagger protruding from its chest before turning her attention to Vikari. The Dark Elf had her dead to rights, his bow out and drawn, aiming for her.

"I know how you work." He spoke in a shaky voice he was trying to keep even. "To kill him you had to be in this realm. In this moment you are just as vulnerable."

She could see the threat from Vikari. What she could not see, was that she was also now in the crosshairs of Captain America.

ooOOoo

Erik stumbled back. "Loki."

"That's me." Loki affirmed as he stalked after his retreating prey.

Erik glanced around for a means of escape; or at the very least, a weapon suitable to defend himself with. There was nothing. The only way out was the elevator he'd come up in or the stairway next to it. Exits Loki was closer to than him. He could work his way around the table like some child stalemating in tag, make a break for one of the exits. He shut that idea down quickly though. The elevator would be to slow and Loki would be too fast for him on the stairs. And unless a paper cut to a god is the equivalent to a silver bullet to a werewolf, he had no weapon. At this point his only option was to stall for time.

"You jus- wh-what do you want?"

"I want you to stop. Now." Loki's last word was a low dark growl that triggered a very primal response in the human. He stopped as if Loki's words were a command, the god halted his advance as well.

"Now what? This the part where you kill me?"

Loki tilted his head in question; Erik took the movement as some menacing affirmation. He threw the folders tucked under his arms to the floor, the contents within scattering on the ground around him. "Go ahead then. Hurry up and kill me."

Loki took a step forward. "I have no intention of ending your already short life this night."

"Then what do you want?" Erik may have balled his now free hands into fists, but they were shaking far too hard to be of much use to him. In a fight he was next to useless anyhow. But it was either this or close his eyes and wait for death.

"I already told you what I want the first time you asked. I want you to stop. Whatever you are trying to accomplish or game this organization is playing ends tonight. From hence forth S.H.I.E.L.D. will leave Saffron be."

"That's what you're here for, to deliver a message?" Blame it on the tension, the fright, or the unexpected turn of events but Erik began laughing. "Deliver your own message to Fury personally. I'm not doing a damn thing for you."

Loki had been keeping a keen eye on Erik's posture since he stepped off the elevator. He'd been in his mind once and didn't need to be in it again to see the man was serious. The fright was understandable, the anger expected, but laughing, now that was just disrespectful.

"Now where is that pseudo daughter of yours that my brother- Thor- has such an affection for?"

That motivated the scientist.

Selvig rounded on Loki. "Leave Jane out of this. You did not come all the way up here to send a message. What are you really looking for?"

Loki gave him a trademark grin that did nothing to settle his nerves. "Erik." His voice had shifted to sickly sweet. "I am simply working toward the same goal as you. Figuring out who this woman is."

Selvig stared at him mouth agape. There was no way he was going to tell Loki anything if he could avoid it. Not about Battle of New York, the wolves, or his own theories. He silently prayed that Loki had lost the ability of mind control, though the scepters location was burning vividly in his mind like a homing beacon. A blind man could read it scrawled across his forehead. He dropped out of his daze when he saw Loki reach into his breast pocket. Selvig raised his fists in defense of whatever Loki was about to draw. They lowered slowly when Loki produced a leather-bound book. He became extremely weary when the God of Mischief offered him the book. Selvig took it hesitantly, gently placing it on the table before him before opening it.

Selvig shook his head in confusion. "What is this in Æsir?"

"No." Loki replied. "I can read almost all of the ancient and modern dialects. This is something else entirely. I was hoping you could tell me the language."

Loki's sudden candidness had Selvig breaking out into a sweat. A trickster never lays his cards on the table. Two can keep a secret if one is dead. The old saying was on replay in his mind. He glanced to the god and for the first time noticed the array of knifes on that side of the table. That gleam in his eye; oh he was going to kill him. After he gained the information he came for.

Selvig quickly tossed the book at Loki. The god's reflexes were quicker though, catching the book before it could collide with his nose. Not the distraction he was hoping for, but he was already in motion, running for the stairwell. Loki appeared in front of his path and Selvig struggled to a stop. The ground reached up to meet him as he slipped on some of the papers he had thrown.

The sound of papers crunching underfoot as Loki cleared the remaining distance caused the god to take a glance down at the source of the noise. And what he saw grounded him to the spot.

"Impossible." he gasped as if he had been struck.

Selvig followed Loki's line of site. Nothing seemed out of ordinary from what he had leafed through earlier. Old blacked out files, a few photographs, small personal effects stuffed in manila envelopes.

Loki picked out one of the photographs from the floor, staring at it for an eternity. He reached for Selvig and lifted him from the floor as well, never taking his eyes from the image. He had the scientist by the collar in a vice grip. Knuckles so white Selvig felt sorry for the shirt.

"Where can I find this woman?" Loki demanded.

Selvig looked to the photograph in question. An autochrome that was older than himself. Saffron and another woman were dressed for a formal occasion sitting in front of a mansion, posing for the photograph. Saffron looked much the same as now, her hair a bit longer. The other woman was much older, laugh lines marked her face, her hair a shocking white was trimmed short.

"Where?" Loki shouted at him, impatience darkening his features.

"You mean Saffron?"

Loki's grip managed to tighten even further. "No. I know where to find that one. I need to speak to this one."

He pointed to the older woman and Selvig realized why it suddenly mattered to him. Loki wasn't really looking at the women, he was looking at the commonality between them. They were both wearing the same symbol. He would need his glasses to see what it was exactly, but from here he could see it was the same circular pattern. Saffron wore it as a pendant, the older woman had it tattooed on her forearm.

"I-I need to look at the file."

Loki glared at him, silently warning him about trying anything again before he released him. Selvig scrambled around the floor for where the corresponding file had landed. He found it under one of the rolling chairs. Reading it he blanched, Loki would not be pleased.

"Tell me." The god demanded menacingly.

Selvig swallowed hard and kissed his life away. "Evelyn Verenti born in 1855 died in 2001."

Wait. That didn't sound off until he read it out loud. Selvig looked it over again, thinking he meant to say 1955. He was right the first time.

Loki placed the photo protectively into the book and returned it to his jacket. "Died at nearly 150, for a human that would be a pretty impressive age."

He placed his hands together. "Well then-"

The lights of Stark Tower went down again. The whole building went eerily silent as it settled powerless. Almost like it never had power to begin with. Selvig slumped to the floor, lifeless.

Loki threw up his hands in exasperation. "I barely even touched the human this time."

He examined the heap of a scientist. Selvig had not fainted, he was dying. In fact, the whole city was suddenly dying.

ooOOoo

A/N:

Long time no update. Welcome back to cliffhanger central; though originally this was going to end on a different point further along, but this was getting long as it is so I broke it into two parts. A few things to keep in mind: when Loki uses his shapeshifting abilities (and there are plenty more of those ahead), then the corresponding pronoun is going to be used (e.g., posing as a female = she). & I'm still behind on nearly every Marvel movie (seriously it would be shorter to list what I have seen). Other than that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Osirimar = a fortress located on Alfheim

Ljósálfr = Light Elf

Dökkálfr = Dark Elf

Ælfwaru = Elf guardian (female)

Æsir = technically god, for the purpose of this story, the language of Asgardians