Lesser Gods

Once more, Raeyn found herself back in her old room, watching as new, new Chitauri recruits painted a warm, sunny yellow over the robin’s egg blue. The old furniture was taken away, moved into storage as the king and queen had no more use for it. In the center of the room, Loki worked his magic to grow trees with soft, forgiving wood into a crib and mobile spinning above. Raeyn painted the dried walls quietly, letting her paintbrush create the beautiful places she had seen in her many years, or imagined in her time wondering of Asgard. The babe was still over seven months away, but nothing could ease the parents’ excitement — especially when a slight bulge began to show in Raeyn’s belly.

But still, even with the many changes happening twenty two stories above the ground, Raeyn continually found herself ducking into R4 without her husband's knowledge to keep his brother company. Raeyn's constant happiness was contagious to the cooped up God of Thunder -- at least, when he chose for it to be.

The one particular instance it was not was one night -- far too late for Loki to still be awake and far too early to begin getting ready for the day, when she could not sleep, when Raeyn stepped out of the elevator gracefully and set herself down on her side of the glass as she usually did. It only took a few moments for Thor to emerge, wearing nothing but his britches and cuffs around his wrists. It seemed he never slept, but liked to pretend he was as he rubbed his eyes and gave an enormous yawn that could only be compared to that of a lion's. Raeyn laughed lightly at his tired appearance as he sat across from her as he always did. This time, however, he did not return the gesture.

Her brow furrowed quickly. "What is the matter, brother?"

He looked up at her through his tired eyes. "I woke with a mare sitting on my chest," he said tiredly. It only took a moment for Raeyn to remember the time several hundred years ago in which the phase used to refer to bad dreams. "I have told you what you have asked, so may I ask you sometime, My Lady?" He stared up at her solemnly as Raeyn nodded fervently.

"I need... I need to know if you have any knowledge of Jane Foster," he said, almost as if he were forcing the words forth. It was obvious he had wanted to ask for some time, but not quite sure if he wished to know the answer.

Raeyn gave a great sigh and nodded. Even now, a year later, the guilt began to press in on her, making it more difficult to breathe. When it took her a moment to further explain, the expression on Thor's face crumpled into despair.

"He found her, did he not?" he hissed, his jaw clenched as he ran a hand through his long golden hair.

Raeyn blinked back tears as she nodded. And it is entirely my fault. "He did. Eight months ago, or maybe a little more. I... I pleaded with him to spare her life." At this point, Thor's eyes were tainted red. "She and her friend live still... but neither of them remember any contact with us Asgardians, good or bad. She is in a research facility in Alaska studying Astrology. Many of the scientists working there are enlightened to the knowledge we Asgardians hold, so she must be happy. Unaware, but that can be blissfully pleasant."

She could not bring herself to look at Thor again until he straightened up and set his shoulders back to give the idea of strength. All traces of any tears or hurt at all had quickly vanished and a terribly sad smile grew on his lips.

"Thank you," he said deeply, as if he were still prince of Asgard and thanking a brave soldier. Raeyn did not respond, but her eyes glued themselves back to the floor, her feet, the ever changing glass -- anything than to face her guilt in the face. Lew's blurred face, smiling over a mug of coffee and her black glasses teetering at the edge of her nose haunted her as her chest rose as fell. How could she not remember the details? The color of her eyes? Was she shorter than Raeyn? Why could she not remember?

"Why?" Thor asked suddenly, his voice surprising Raeyn and breaking her trance.

Raeyn sighed deeply, pushing the images out of her mind as she spoke. "I knew them briefly, but by other names. Her friend... Darcy..." The name felt so foreign on her lips, but she surely could not call her "Lew," for that would sound ridiculous. "Befriended me. I was devastated when they were arrested for being part of a rebel movement."

Thor nodded as well. "I knew Darcy Lewis for a brief time as well. I am glad to hear that she is alive," he said, but it all sounded too hollow. Something was missing, gone.

"Eric Selvig, he was under Loki's control during the battle. Do you know of him?"

"What did he look like?"

"He was an elder, balding, grey hair and eyes. A little rounder, but with a good heart," Thor said immediately; Raeyn quickly realized that these people haunted him constantly as well.

Raeyn shook her head. That description matched none of the men she met with Lew and Eyre; not Agent, Happy, or Route. Neither had she seen him around the tower. "I do not know of him, but he would still be under Loki's control... unless..."

Her mind quickly traveled back to the night she nearly died. Loki had destroyed level twelve, as well as every living being on it in his rage.

"Unless what?"

"Unless he was working on floor twelve. In that case, he is dead," Raeyn said without a trace of emotion.

Thor nodded. "Perhaps that would be for the best. I had a friend who escaped from Loki's mental cage and vowed to die before becoming his slave once more."

"Who was he?"

"Clint Barton, or some called him something odd, like Eye of Hawk, perhaps. I do not remember."

Raeyn nodded gravely. "He got his wish," she said solemnly. "After the fighting was over and Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Bruce Banner were captured, the former publicly swallowed a poison capsule before being handed to Loki. The woman saw him and followed almost immediately."

The horror showed just beneath the mask over Thor's expression. "They were strong, brave mortals."

Raeyn nodded simply to agree with Thor as they sat in silence for a long moment.

"Do you know what became of the Doctor?"

Raeyn shook her head. "He was never seen again."

"The others -- are they dead as well?"

Raeyn blinked. "The only three that are most certainly dead -- whose deaths were filmed and seen by millions -- are those of Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the Man of Iron," she said carefully, watching his expression to make sure she did not upset the God.

Thor nodded as he took this information in. "And Captain Steve Rogers?"

"I know not what became of him. He was last seen saving a group who fled into the subway station. He was severely injured... but the body never found."

Thor sighed. She watched as a little more hope faded from his eye. Surely, he now felt more alone than he ever did before. His team was missing or dead. His love did not have any memory of him, and neither did her friend. His home was hundreds of light years away and virtually unreachable without the Tesseract, which was not even in Loki's grasp or in this realm any longer.

"Would you like me to leave you?" she asked when he did not respond. After a long moment, he nodded slowly.

"Please."

Raeyn gave him a sympathetic look, not knowing how else to react, before retreating to the elevator once more. But now she had a new hunt to begin.

"JARVIS, I need to know who else is in this Tower."