Across the Yggdrasil Tree (closed for HCJ22)

[scarlettnuit]

Dr. Ivy Wild looked intently at the supply closet door. Her lab was rather sparse, having just been hired by on the world’s foremost technological universities. She had never been to Bern before, so many things seemed strange to her, though none could compare to this.

She had spent many years of her life researching the possibilities of travel via worm holes. Her desire was to make it possible for people to live and work anywhere in the world, simply taking a worm hole to wherever they needed to go through some kind of transportation device. Many times she had been scolded by her mentor, stating that this was earth, not Star Trek.

But now she had reason to believe that she had made a break through. She had tested her portal device with several small cubes with a universal tracker inside. They had arrived in Africa, Vietnam, Mexico and Canada, she had even managed to land one on the moon. The was only one device didn’t she couldn’t quite track this one. While she could get a very faint signal, it changed location rapidly. She finally chalked it up to a device flaw. It was clear that her next step was to try and control the output of the portal.

------------

A small metal cube flashed in a darkened room as the sounds of footsteps echoed in the expansive hall. Nothing but the small flashing red light of the cube illuminated any of the feature in the room, features too faint to make out.

A hand reached out for the box to look at it more closely, illuminating Loki’s face brilliant flashes of red. He turned the box over to read the bottom:

Please return to Dr. Ivy Wild, Bern University

 

[HCJ22]

The worst mistake that Thor ever made was freeing Loki to help defeat the Dark Elves. During the battle, Loki managed to fake his own death. It was quite believable, especially to Thor, who seemingly held him as he did. Unbeknown to anyone else, he returned to Asgard, removed Odin from the throne, and took the opportunity to mimic him, using his magic to disguise himself as Odin. During that time, he played the role, being the leader of Asgard, controlling the realms. It was working quite well so far, especially since Thor was no longer a problem to him.

As he was walking through the hallway of his large estate, he heard something metallic clinking. Naturally, Loki was on edge all the time, so the slightest noises startled him, readying him into a defensive mode. Turning around, he looked to see a small cube that had fallen down. He picked it up and realized that the material here was nothing like any material he had seen on Asgard, but he had seen it on Earth. On the bottom, he read the note and realized that it was indeed something from Earth.

There must have been another portal, another way to Migard. Anyone that knew Loki, knew that his failure to conquer Earth ate at him daily, when he was “alive”. It still did. Loki realized, in that moment, he needed to figure out how to get this cube to open up the portal. There were different magic spells he could use, that he could try on the cube. Something had to give. Suddenly, he was on a mission, deciding that nothing was going to stop him as he attempted to use the same type of magic that he would use to open any portal, on the cube.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Ivy sat at her computer, updating her notes, charts and spreadsheets. She had a tendency to be a little obsessed with paperwork and planning, but she all knew that exact notes would lead to greater discoveries, discoveries that could be looked back on and improved and modified to something new.

She stood up, her chair causing an unpleasant screech as she stood up. She picked up her mug, intent on getting another cup of tea when she turned around and saw Loki Standing there. Her mouth gaped open and her mug hit the floor. Her green eyes looked over the God of Mischief and had literally no idea how he had gotten there.

“Y…you…” She started, remembering the chaos she had watched unfold on tv the last time this guy had been on earth. She took a step back from him and looked around. She knew there was nothing she could do if the man, or god, or whatever he was, wanted to kill her.

She tucked a piece of fiery red hair behind her ear. “Can I help you with something?” she asked, her voice on wavering slightly.

 

[HCJ22]

There were stories about the type of magic that the bridge was formed from. Loki tried every trick in the book until something clicked. The world around him started spinning, and he shifted into his regular form, no longer appearing like Odin. There was a large flash of light, and within two seconds, he found himself standing in a room he had never seen. Judging by the design, he was certain it was on Earth.

About that time, he saw a female, met her eyes, and gauged her reaction. There was an evil smirk on his face. She must have been the one mentioned on the cube.

“Oh, I think you already did help me…” He muttered, closing the gap between them, holding the cube out towards her.

“Is this yours? I don’t know how you did it, but it brought me back here. Ever since my defeat, I have longed for a way to return. You’ve given it to me now.” He figured she would regret that fact, soon enough, though he had no intention to kill her, he could not say the same for the rest of the human population. He might spare her, but he would not spare everyone.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Ivy’s eyes were wide as he walked towards her. Part of her was scared while the other part of her considered delivering a swift right hook to his jaw. Considering all that had gone down, she didn’t think angering him would be the answer. However, as she saw her cube glowing in his hand she became immediately protective and started to grab it out of his hand.

The minute she touched the cube a vortex swirled around them and in an instant, the were back in the hall in which Loki had found the cube. She looked around, not knowing where she was and immediately wrestled the cube from his hand. She shook it and tried to make it take her back to where they had been. She tried everything, only to realize that the cube had stopped flashing and any power it may have had was gone.

“I need paper, I need a pen…it’s never taken anything with it before, much less anyone.” She said more to herself than anyone as she started to get flustered about documenting the momentous event. It was only after she paced a few times that she remembered that Loki was standing not 5 feet from her, and she was most certainly, not in her lab.

She stopped and looked around at the hall, it’s high arches, the lack of people in this fairly dark space.

“Are we…in a museum or something?” she asked and then swiftly walked towards what seemed to be a heavy curtain on a large window. She opened it up with the intention of figuring out what city she was in. Munich perhaps? Rome? As she pulled back the drape she was greeted with an unobstructed view of Asgard.

“Where am I?” she said with a mixture of awe and fear in her voice.

 

[HCJ22]

Loki stared at the female long enough to gauge her emotions. The woman looked terrified, the woman he assumed was Ivy Wilde. Inadvertently, she had given him a portal to return to Earth, just like he had done once before. When he saw the woman moving forward to grab the cube out of his hand, he turned around and was trying to hold it away from her, but had no success. She gripped the cube, and for a human, she had quite the grip. Still, Loki pulled on it as well, using his strength to keep it in his palm.

Unfortunately, her taking the cube out of his hand was the least of his problems when he saw the same flashing of light as before. In the blink of an eye, they were back into the hall where he found the damn thing earlier. “No…” loki muttered when he looked around them. This couldn’t be right!

He watched her silently, wordlessly as she worked with the cube. It wasn’t working anymore. Loki had just found a way back to Midgard, yet, it was taken right back from him. How unlucky could one God be? He felt a great deal of anger and rage at the woman. If she had kept her hands to herself, they would still be on Earth.

As she tried to figure out where they were, Loki only chuckled in an almost evil laugh. This woman was clueless, and he doubted she would like his answer. He wondered if she thought they were still on Earth, somewhere that she could buy a plane ticket to get back to her home. It was not that easy here.

“This is the manor where I live.” Loki responded. “Welcome to Asgard.”

 

[scarlettnuit]

She simply stared at him for a few moments. While her mind should have been more blown that she was on another planet, in another realm, but given how driven she was with her work, all she could think about is what her device had accomplished. However, she was brought back to the full reality of the situation when Loki welcomed her. She closed her hand firmly around the cube and was unsure of what to say.

“Thank you?” she began, still not wanting to get to close to him. She looked down at the cube in her hand again before she looked at him. “I take it you want me to fix this?”

She hoped that was the case. The only other thing she could think of that he’d want to do with her is to kill her and get her out of the way of whatever plan he was hatching. He had seemed entirely too pleased to be on Earth the brief moment he was there. This left her with a dilemma. If she was allowed to fix he cube and return home, he too would want to use it to do God knew what to Earth. On the other hand, if she refused to fix it, she would never get home and would possibly be killed. She didn’t know what answer she wanted from him. She calmed her mind and decided that she would cross those bridges when she came to them.

“You really are tall…” She mentioned randomly, despite herself.

 

[HCJ22]

Fix this? What did that mean, exactly? Loki might enjoy having this woman to keep him company. Now that he focused on her, he found that she was quite attractive. Sure, there were many women in Asgard, but they all believed he was Odin. Perhaps, he could make a captive out of her, while keeping her for himself to enjoy, too.

“I want you to figure out a way to open the portal again, yes. I am ready to return to Earth and take my rightful place on the throne.” The only thing he needed to do was have time to gather an army build an assault against Midgard. Loki felt like he was close. Each time he tried to build an army, he was knocked down and destroyed. This time, it would be different as Loki would never stop trying to win this throne that he wanted so badly.

Right now, she had use to him. The portals that one could usually cross, those bridges were no longer functioning. Whatever this cube was, it had a special power that Loki needed to harness. He rolled his eyes when she mentioned his height, wondering if she was simply trying to distract him or deflect attention away from her.

“Yes, I am. And you – you are now a prisoner on Asgard. If you ever hope to see your plane again, I suggest you figure out how it works.”

 

[scarlettnuit]

Ivy bit her bottom lip as he confirmed that he wanted her to fix her device. The most difficult thing was that it was an anomaly. It was nothing she had planned and so it would be difficult to duplicate. Her ego said that she could do it, do anything really. The rest of her had doubts.

She raised her right eyebrow in annoyance he dictated her circumstances to her. She looked him over long and hard, the only thing keeping her from cowering was knowing that she had something he needed, and needed desperately.

“Well then, as your so called prisoner, I will need a space in which work. Materials, a computer would be nice but I’m guessing you don’t have anything like that here. I also require reasonable accommodation and guarantee of my safety and life both now and after the device is repaired and working. Deal?” she asked as she held out her hand to seal the accord.

 

[HCJ22]

Wow – the audacity of this woman. He had never seen a mere human being, a mortal be so demanding before. She acted entitled, as if these were things that she should have. Loki wanted to roll his eyes and snort, but refuted. After all, he was the God of mischief. Did anyone actually expect him to uphold his bargain when it was no longer useful to him?

“A space to work in. Reasonable accommodation. Guarantee of your life and safety, now and after the device is fixed.” Loki affirmed these things, commenting on everything he could provide, as they did not exactly have computers here, so she was on her own there.

“I do believe that we have a deal.” Loki added, reaching out his hand to seal their agreement with her. Of course, he would only uphold his end as long as it was useful to him. After she lost her usefulness, what was there to do? She wouldn’t have value.

 

[scarlettnuit]

She shook his hand and knew, full well, that despite the accord, she was on shaky ground at best. She looked around the hall and had no idea where she should go.

“If you could be so kind as to point me towards where I should be, I will get out of your hair and start working on the problem at hand. The sooner our paths delineate the better I imagine,” she said as she held the one note book she had had in her hand when they transported. It was the only thing that would save her from becoming a permanent Asgardian.

“This way?” she asked as she started walking towards the two massive double doors that closed off the hall. Her heels causing a “clicking” echo to bounce around the walls. She imagined they had to have some tech she could access, given what she had seen out of the window, it was just a matter of finding it.

She folded her notebook and put it in the large white pocked of her lab coat as she reached up to pull on the handle of one of the doors. She gave it a mighty yank but it did not give one bit. She tried a few more times and then sighed. She reached into her other pocket and pulled out a hair tie. She pulled up her fiery locks so that they were no longer dangling in her eyes and then looked back to Loki.

Looking at him sent a chill of fear through her. What made it confusing was that it sent another sensation rolling through her body that she could not place. It was in no way feasible that she liked the person, if you could call him that, that had tried to end earth. She chalked it up to anxiety and gave it no more thought.

“Are you going to open these or…what’s happening now?”

 

[HCJ22]

Getting the human out of his hair was not exactly the best plan. Loki preferred to keep an eye on her, to ensure she did not disrupt anything. Plus, how would other Asgardians react to knowing that such an individual made it into Asgard? It was not something he wished to find out, at least, not yet until he knew she was useful. The idea of delineating from one another’s path was an interesting one. Loki was not sure he could ever release her. The chances were high that if she helped him get to Earth, she would know his plans.

If she knew his plans, then they would have problems. For the woman’s work station, Loki did know of a private room that nobody used. He could ensure it was locked, that it stayed that way. It was the room with all of their equipment that could have been considered technologically advanced. He didn’t know if she could work with what they had, but it was the best shot.

When she reached the locked doors, Loki stared at her a moment. “Of course. I will ensure you are the best accommodated prisoner we have here.” He stated with a tone of sarcasm as he used his key to open the doors. “This room always remains empty, which is where you will stay. If you make progress, I will ensure you will have the ability to have food brought to you and anything else you need. If you do not uphold our end of the bargain, I may have to dispose of you and this may be a one way ticket for us both.” Threatening her was part of it – Loki made good on any threats he made.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Ivy looked around the room he had brought her to. There was some kind of technology that she would have to figure out in order to start her work. There was a decent enough work station for her to get started and she had some notes, and her notebook of course, that were stuffed carelessly in the big front pockets of her lab coat.

She started to look around and play with the tech that was on the table, figuring it out with a surprising amount of speed.

“Looks like this will work perfectly,” she was definitely used to being adaptable.

She was doing her best to appear brave, to not make it obvious that his presence made her nervous and afraid. Of course, the fact that he was devilishly good looking didn’t help the strange mix of emotions that were rolling through her. When she went to the door once more, it still wouldn’t budge.

It was then that he made it perfectly clear that she was his prisoner and would be treated as such. The Irish side of her wanted to belt him one and tell him that no one controlled what he did. If her temper had its way, she wouldn’t even consider working on the cube. As it was however, she wanted to be home and for this ordeal to be over with. As he “laid down the law” for her, she clenched her jaw and tried to remember that his wrath was not worth the sarcastic retort she had burning on her lips.

“Fine,” she said with clenched teeth. She took a deep breath as she looked around the fairly sparse room and then brought her eyes to rest upon him again. “Do I at least get a place to sleep? I see a work station, a chair…is there some kind of bathroom and/or bedroom I get to retire to or should I just work until I’m delirious?” she asked him. She had desperately tried to bite back her sarcasm and had failed.

 

[HCJ22]

Indeed, the woman was impressive. Loki barely knew how to use the technology in Asgard. It was never his forte – he always focus on his magic and deception, never technology. This could get interested, if she could figure everything out. Loki hoped she did, because he was relying on her right now.

Something about her demeanor intrigued him. Loki could tell she was trying to appear brave, to put on a face that looked unyielding, but Loki knew better. He almost chuckled when she attempted to walk out the door, as if she would have free reign to walk as she pleased. This human must have felt so entitled, that even when she was taken prisoner, she acted as if nothing applied to her.

He felt somewhat impressed with the sarcasm, but mostly annoyed. There is a restroom behind the door in the corner. You can sleep on the floor. I’ll make sure you are fed. Stop worrying about things that don’t involve you figuring out your cube. If you ever want to see your home again, you will. Really, what happens to you is not up to me, this is up to you. If you want to get home, then you will give me what I want. If you prefer to die here, that’s fine by me. I’ve gotten to Earth before. I’ll get there another way, but fixing this technology of yours would be beneficial and easier for the both of us, don’t you agree?”

 

[scarlettnuit]

When he told her to sleep on the floor, she supposed she wasn’t surprised. She simply raised her right eyebrow, gave him a bit of a death stare and then turned around and walked to the work table. She started to get things in order and pulled a small toolkit out of lab pocket and started to work on the cube.

“Thank you, oh masterful one,” she retorted and got to work.

She spent the next several hours lost in her work. She had dissected the cube and managed to scan it into the Asgardian tech which helped her break it apart more easily. If anything, given the amount of info she had, the tech would make it easier for her to figure out the glitch that brought them both here and recreate it, but it was going to take time.

She spent the next two days working. Food was brought to her and she slept as well as she could on the floor. She didn’t see Loki but food and drink were brought as promised. Nothing special really, but enough to live on. On the third day, she told the servant that had been feeding her that she needed to speak to their master. She needed supplies and she would have to talk to Loki directly to see what was available and what she would have to rethink.

Of a proper shower. While there was a small facility in the work room, it didn’t include a shower or tub or whatever the Asgardians used. While she had obviously bathed, it was a labored effort when one had little more than a pitcher and bowl. They had been kind enough to provide her with one rough servant’s robe. It was a plain white toga made of what felt like a wool or cotton and draped over both shoulders. It was like wearing a sack.

When Loki deemed it worth his time to come see her, she was sitting on stool writing some notes, her hair pulled up into a lazy bun with the one hair tie she possessed. When he entered, she turned around to look at him and tried not to look as tired as she felt.

“I’ve made some progress but I will need to go over a materials list…” she said softly as she pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment before looking back up at him. Her head throbbed. “Would that be amenable?”

 

[HCJ22]

The death stare was something Loki noticed, finding it amusing. How did this human think she was in any position of power to look at him this way? As if he would have actually cared how she felt about her situation – that was strange to him. Loki just found it odd whenever humans exhibited this kind of belief in their own abilities and life. Humans were so much lesser than Asgardians. It was not even close, really, so whenever the woman acted like she had some value made him feel quite quizzical toward her. It was just ironic to him.

Of course, the response she had in a sarcastic tone was angering for him. How dare she speak so freely? So openly? Loki could strike her down without even trying. On the other hand, the audacity she had combined with the fight in her eyes did intrigue him, it even attracted him. Loki had so many conflicting feelings about this woman, which was something he was never used to. Nobody had ever made him feel this way before, so Loki was trying to figure out what to do next, how to act around her as the day passed. Even in the time where they were apart, he could not get her off his mind somehow.

The next few days were strange. Loki could not focus, could not think about running the day-to-day operations of Asgard. Loki was busy changing into his Odin disguise whenever needed since everyone thought Loki was dead. That was a fact that the female knew, but he was trusting her with it anyways. Loki knew it was going to be a risk, which was why he needed her isolated. Besides, he doubted anyone would have believed her anyways. So, he figured he was safe on that front.

As he was sitting on his throne one afternoon, a servant tasked with making sure that their “guest” was fed and kept somewhat safe told him that she requested to speak with him. So, once it was determined that was what needed to be done, Loki told everyone else to make themselves scarce as he left, going to the room where she was kept, opening the door and listening to her demands. “That depends. What are the materials you need?” Loki questioned in response to the female, needing to see what she needed.

 

[scarlettnuit]

When he asked her what she needed, she walked towards him with a slip of paper in her hand. She handed it to him, assuming that a God could read any language and then started to go over it.

“I need some copper, some gold wire, a small power source of some kind or something that could hold a large amount of power but it’s very large.”

She noted a few things, some she described as she wasn’t sure that they would be available on Asgard or not. There were only ten items on the list and she doubted she needed to explain as much as she did, but she was dead tired.

“But the main thing of as you might have guessed, is the power source,” she began to tell him and accidentally leaned into him in her tiredness, “Sorry.”

She then took a few steps back and thought what a pity it was that he was so malevolent. She gave a barely audible sigh and then walked back to the table where she had been sitting and leaned rear on it as she put her hand in her pockets.

“If I can obtain these, or make them as the case may be, I think I could have the cube done in a few weeks,” she told him as she pulled her hair out of the messy bun and ran her fingers through it, her headache now lessening without the tension of her hair being pulled back.

“Also, do you have aspirin or something here…something for minor pain?”

 

[HCJ22]

Copper. Wire. Power source. This woman was making demands left and right. There were a couple items Loki was unfamiliar with, but the female’s explanation helped erase any questions he might have.

When she leaned into him, Loki felt something weird happen. It felt surprisingly nice to feel her this way. It made Loki want more at some point. He could not believe the thoughts in his mind about this human, but they were very much alive in his brain. He tried to shake the thoughts from his head as he looked at how tired she appeared.

Loki almost felt bad for her, almost felt like he wanted to give her a break. Why was he feeling this empathy all of a sudden? It was uncharted territory for the god of mischief. “Minor pain? What could possibly be causing you pain right now? I’ll see. I’ll hand this list off to someone and see if they can find the material for you.” Loki jotted a couple notes down onto the paper before handing it to someone right outside the door, but he was not done yet. Loki returned to her side after handing the paper off and studied her for a minute.

“Are you intelligent, by human standards?” Loki questioned. “And why were you building such a thing in the first place?”

 

[scarlettnuit]

She looked up at him with her arms crossed over her breasts, rather surprised by the question, if, indeed, it was a question and not an accusation.

“I…I suppose I’m not stupid by any means. There are certain areas where I am, but where astrophysics are concerned, I’m well versed,” She told him, giving him the honest and straight forward answers, she tended to give everyone.

When he asked why she was building the device she shrugged from fatigue. “I simply thought it would be wonderful to send things to people, whether they need food, or if they are family, to be able to send what is needed instantly without all the traveling and red tape etcetera. My primary goal, however, was to create a better way to travel. I didn’t think I was anywhere near that of course, but with this kind of technology one could live and work anywhere. People would not be subject to paying inflated prices for housing due to the location of their job. Plus, 18 play flights suck,” she added lastly with a weak smile.

She looked over his face as she explained. The Gods were certainly created with beauty and grace, and whether she wished to admit it or not, he stirred something in her, though she wasn’t entirely sure what it was. It felt like fear, but for whatever reason, she didn’t feel afraid of him.

“Anyway,” She said as she made herself stand properly and walk a short distance from him, focusing her gaze elsewhere, “I’ll do my best to get this done as soon as possible. I want to go home as badly as you wish for me to be gone.”

 

[HCJ22]

Listening to Ivy, Loki was forced to take a thought-provoking introspection of himself. She was developing the cube for humane reasons. She wanted to help people whether it was sending food or necessities, to being able to improve travel. It was something that was to be admired. Loki, on the other hand, wanted to use the cube for dark purposes. He wanted to travel to Earth again so he could decimate the world and take control. This time, he would hit harder with a larger, more powerful army.

For a split second, Loki might have felt some sense of regret or guilt, but it did not last long. He could not let the kindness of this human change him. It was just a trick his mind was playing on him. After all, her creation would be useless once he finished his work. She wanted to make things better for people, but travel would be the least of what humans would worry about once Loki was in control. The thought made him smirk inwardly.

“Good. There is great urgency here. I’m glad we understand each other. Maybe you are not so bad after all. I understand what your intentions were with this cube, but... why? Didn't you think of how you could use it yourself, too?"

 

[scarlettnuit]

“Of course I did! Have you ever flown from LA to Manchester? It’s a nightmare. If I had an family, it would l have been nice to visit with them whenever I wanted,” with the last statement her heart fell a bit and she moved away from the lab counter.

“Now, unless there is something more you need of me my liege,” she said and gave him an overstated curtsy, “I’d like to return to my slab on the floor and try and get some rest before this migraine gets any worse.”

Ivy moved, too tired and her head hurting too much to care about his reaction, to the blanket on the floor that constituted her bed. She laid down faced the wall, closing her eyes from the light. It felt like the cube would never get completed. Even with all the parts she might need, she couldn’t guarantee that it would be stable and not a one off. Her body ached and she dreaded staying here longer than she had to.

 

[HCJ22]

Loki had no idea about the locations she mentioned. Turns out, he knew very little about Earth. Loki made a mental note, telling himself to learn more about this world he was going to conquer. What good was his throne if he did not know what to do with the place? Shaking that thought from the head, he also noticed how important family seemed to be for Ivy.

Family was nothing to Loki. Hell, his entire family was a lie, so he could not relate to her in the slightest. She broke his concentration again by asking to be left alone and get some rest. There was no time for rest, though. She needed to get some work done as soon as the supplies were brought to her.

Yet, Loki relented and did not make a fuss. “Fine. You do that. I’ll bring the items you requested when I have collected them.” With that, Loki exited the room and went about his business, putting a rush on those supplies that Ivy asked to help her.