I made my way out to the desert. With my long reddish-brown hair pulled back in a French braid and my crystal blue eyes safely concealed behind sunglasses, I was ready for a day in the intense heat of the desert. I didn't mind. I loved the thrill of new discoveries and just being on my own in the wilderness.

"Veronica," I heard someone call out my name and I stopped to turn around. I scanned the block for anyone I knew, straightening the weight distribution of my backpack from my lower back to higher up on my shoulders. No one.

I continued to walk past the last of the stores in the tiny town. I sighed. Just last year my research team had left for bigger and better things. Jane had been the last to go. She hadn't wanted to leave in case Thor came back, but Eric had urged her to move on and accept the fact that Thor was gone. Even Jane, the woman who never took no for an answer, who would work through the night on mind-boggling figures and equations, needed to move on.

About three months ago, she had left too. When a position had opened up at Harvard, I had urged her to take it. There was something different about her when she left. A little bit of her spirit was gone forever. That was when I realized that she, like the others, had gotten tired of the frivolous search for Thor after his sudden disappearance. I couldn't blame them. I would have left too if I had had anywhere else to go.

"Veronica," I heard my name again. I stopped, not turning around this time, and simply looked over my shoulder. It didn't sound like a person yelling, simply a male voice saying my name. Again there was no one around or close enough for me to hear them. "You're in danger…" I heard it say. I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized who the voice belonged to.

"Thor?" I asked out loud. "Where are you?"

"I am in my realm. Listen I need to talk to you. I have reason to believe that my brother isn't dead. I fought him and ended up destroying the bridge back to your world in the process. That's why I never returned. Loki fell, but I think he survived… and has landed in your world. You must warn the others."

"Is there any way you could get back?" I asked talking out loud again. Was I going crazy? Well, Jane had never let that thought stop her and now she was at Harvard researching the latest and greatest in astrophysics.

"The Gatekeeper is working on it as we speak. He was able to channel enough of my thoughts to make it so that I could contact you. I'm just glad I wasn't too late. I'm not am I?"

"Nope. We're all alive down here." I heard a sigh of relief.

"Good. I am pleased that my brother hasn't tried to harm any of you. Can you make your way over to the last site you saw me leave earth at?"

"Umm, sure, but why-"

"Just trust me. I think I may be able to make it back if I have another life force at the other end of the passage."

I made my way to the site Thor had indicated. Sure enough, the circle that had been there a year ago was still there, unblemished by the elements. I paced around it, waiting for him to respond. After three solid minutes, he did.

"Ok, now can you stand in the center of the symbol?" I took a deep breath and slung my backpack down before moving to the center of the circle.

"I'm not going to be electrocuted or anything am I?" I asked, only slightly joking. I heard him laugh.

"No, I don't think so. It may feel a little uncomfortable, though."

Before I could react, I felt a surge rush through my body. It started at my feet, and then traveled to the top of my head. I looked up, hoping to see his familiar grin come hurtling from the sky. But, to my disappointment, I saw nothing. Then, I collapsed as the surge ended. I crumpled to the ground, the hot sand burning my cheek as my face landed in it.

I lay there for what felt like hours, but what I soon learned to be minutes. When I opened my eyes, Thor was standing over me, checking my pulse. "Thor!" I exclaimed, trying to sit up. He pushed me gently back down.

"Easy, easy," he said. "You've been through a lot in the past five minutes. Your body needs to recuperate."

"Recuperate?" was all I could manage. Right, massive energy moving through my body.

"Lay back," he said, taking his long sleeve linen shirt off and tucking it under my head. His white undershirt reflected the sun rather uncomfortably, but I was grateful for the pillow.

"Where'd you get the clothes?" I muttered, remembering the armor I had last seen him in.

He didn't answer, or if he did I didn't hear him as I drifted back into unconsciousness.

When I opened my eyes I was back at my apartment. I rolled over in my bed and glanced at the clock on my bedside table. It read 11: 48 pm.

Last I had known, it was around three in the afternoon. I slung the covers off and swung my long legs over the side of my bed. I reached down for my sneakers and pulled them on. I grabbed a hoodie from a hanger, and then shakily made my way out the door and down the hallway.

Thor was sitting at the little wooden table I ate my meals at. He beamed at me when he saw I was awake. "You don't know how much I've missed this place," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"Hungry," I said, moving towards the refrigerator. He laughed.

"That's typical for someone in your position."

I looked at him curiously." What do you mean?"

"You've changed. Your body is like mine and my people now. You possess a part of my powers."

I looked at him blankly. How in hell was that possible? "What?"

"If you wanted to, you could travel across dimensions without blowing up, live like an immortal."

"Yeah, I got that part. But... how?" I asked.

He looked off a bit. "Think of it as all the chemical bonds in your body as being strengthened ten-fold. You remember that surge of energy you felt before you collapsed, right?"

I nodded.

"That surge of raw power moved through each cell, each DNA molecule in your body and strengthened them."

"Then why do I feel so weak?" I asked.

"It's like when you work out for an extended period of time. Your body feels sore and weak before you see the end results. You just had the most physical and mental workout of your life. Trust me. You'll be feeling better in no time."

"Right. Okay. And this happened just because I stood in the center of that circle and opened up a way for you to return? Why on earth would you pick me?" It made no sense. I had always been strong for a girl, but I had never had the build of Sif. At five feet nine inches I had been taller than Jane or Darcy, but I didn't have the confidence that Jane had had. In as few words as possible, I was the least obvious choice for Thor to pick as a human to channel his powers.

"My father feels that I will need some assistance. Assistance which only a native of Earth can offer. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three wouldn't have been able to help me. I needed one of you. Where is everyone else?" he asked.

"Well," I said, scratching my head awkwardly, Eric went on to some secret government project team. Jane's at Harvard studying astrophysics in more depth. She's been published already for her work." I pulled out a copy of Jane's latest brainchild and handed it to Thor. He looked at it and smiled.

"I taught her that," he murmured as he pointed to a diagram of stars outlined in the shape of a tree. I smiled too. "What about Darcy?"

"She's gone into politics, working with campaigns for senators and governors."

"Wow… It appears everyone has moved on…"

"Everyone except for me," I said. "Pathetic, I know."

"That's not how I see it. I wouldn't be here if you had left town like the others."

"So what's all this about Loki?" I asked. "You think he survived a fall through space?"

"Yes. And he's more angry and determined to rule than ever before. If I know him, he'll be wanting revenge on me as well. What better way to do that than to take out those of my friends that he can get to easily?"

I nodded, understanding. "And my powers… will they protect me from him?"

"They should. If anything you'll be able to run away if you need to. I just hope that will be enough… I'll need your help, though, like I said before."

"What kind of help?" I asked carefully.

"Help me find him and take him out."

"As in, kill him?" I asked. "Your own brother?"

Thor looked at me with a sad, sober look in his eye. "If that is what I must do to restore peace to this planet and my realm, yes."

"You've certainly matured since you left. But how am I supposed to know who he is? I've never met him before, or seen him for that matter."

"You'll know," Thor replied. He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Now you just need to locate him."

"You mean you're not coming?" I asked. "I don't even know what he looks like, Thor! How am I supposed to defend myself?" I fought to keep my voice level.

"Trust your instincts. I'll be in touch. I won't be returning to my realm until I know you, Jane, and the others are safe. I'll be just a… um… what do you call these devices?" he asked pulling a cell phone out of his pocket.

"A cell phone?"

He smiled, pointing at me and grinning stupidly. "Yes, a cell phone call away."

As scared as I was, I couldn't help but laugh at him. He was so child-like when it came to this realm. "What would you have me do?" I asked, defeated.

He got up from his chair and paced the small kitchen area. "My father gave me the coordinates where Loki landed. It's in New –Yo-rk -City," he said the last three words hesitantly, unsure of how to pronounce them. I gawked when I heard the name.

"That's my hometown! I know it better than anyone."

"Excellent. Then you'll need to start there. If you can just locate him, I can handle things from there. He can sense my presence otherwise I would go looking for him myself. But you, someone he's never met before, can find out where he is."

"You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?" I asked.

"Well… as much thought that someone as reckless as I am is capable of," Thor replied. I smiled again at the last comment.

"Fine. I'll help you. I still have an old apartment up there that my parents left me when they died. It's just a matter of getting there."

Thor cocked his head to the left. "Why not teleport?"

"Because I'm…" I trailed off. He had just gotten through telling me about my new powers. " Good point," I replied.

I went back to my bedroom, packed my few belongings into my backpack, then came back out to the kitchen area. I opened up the cabinets and grabbed all the dry food I owned. Cereal, granola bars, trail mix… I hadn't been that healthy of an eater… I filled two canteens with water from the tap, then threw them into the mix. I turned back to Thor.

"I'll accompany you since this is your first time, but then I must get out of the city. Loki will not be expecting me in this realm, but if he senses me at all he will grow suspicious."

"Where will you go?" I asked.

"There is a team of humans that are joining together farther south. They know something big is happening, but they don't know that Loki is the cause of it. They will need my aid. You just focus on finding Loki. Don't make contact, just locate him. Then call me and I will take it from there. You're powers will protect you to an extent, but you aren't invincible. Keep that in mind." Thor put a hand on my shoulder. "You'll be fine. And Veronica?"

"What?"

"Thank you."

I nodded my head. "Sure. It's not just any girl that gets to fight off evil gods of mischief."

"Well, we'd best be off, if you are ready," he said.

"Let's go," I replied

"Take us to New York!" Thor stated. We made our way to the balcony as a beam of light touched down. The gatekeeper had heard him. "Let's go," Thor said, to me this time.

I swallowed and simply nodded. We stepped into the column of light. An unnerving feeling of weightlessness overcame me as I realized we were traveling faster than the speed of light. How was I not dead? Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over, and I was standing next to Thor in Central Park.

"Can you find your way from here?" he asked me. "I really should be going."

"Yes. I'll be alright."

"Well then, thank you for agreeing to help me, Veronica."

I nodded. "Call me! I can't do this alone."

"You have my word," he replied. Four words, so simple. I suddenly felt able to face Loki. I wasn't afraid anymore. What would be, would be. I figured I might as well help while it was in my power. Who knew? Maybe being part god would have its perks.