It's Magic, My Dear

Pulling up with a wretch of tire smoke Jane staggered out of the front passenger seat and I heard her choke on a gasp. “What are you doing? This is my research station!”

Erick and Darcy were already out of the car, their doors already slammed shut and again I was the last one to follow. My gaze was cautious and as Jane argued with a man suited in black backed by Darcy and Erik, I looked around.
There were another three black trucks all filled with Jane’s research and tolls. I knew she had built all of this herself and I wrote the programmes, so I couldn’t help but feel some degree of anger as they piled everything away. I knew men like this, in suits of black and unmarked vans. They would archive every bit of data and no one would ever see of it again.

I could hear my sister’s heart break as she tried to plead with them to let her have everything back. This was her life’s work. Looking to the side I noticed they had missed something. It was a little black box and I only just noticed it peek from under a few blank papers. Cautiously I slid over to the table it was upon and snapped it up in my pocket before anyone noticed me.

After another attempt at yelling, Jane stood back deflated and defeated as the trucks drove off with everything. “What do I do?” She asked herself sinking back into sadness. “That was my entire life. Just packed up into a few trucks and stolen from me. My book, they even took my book.”

Placing an arm around her shoulders Erik pulled her into a hug. “We’ll get it back. Somehow we will get it all back.”

Darcy looked around her shoulder at me. “Anything you might be able to do, techie wizard?”

I thumbed the side of my chin and thought about telling them I maybe found something useful the suits had over looked. But thought it better not to. I didn’t want to get Jane’s hopes up just in case the little black box was nothing. “I’ll see if I can track where they are taking it all to, at least.”
Tucking my hands into the back of my jeans I walked off towards my car where I had safely stored my backpack away from the Agents prying eyes.

“And do what? We can’t just waltz in and take it.” Jane rounded on me with frustrated tears brimming her eyes.

I dipped back into my car and pulled my backpack out. “No, but at least we will know what they are doing with it. I think they know more about what you were chasing then they were letting on, Jane.”

Jane’s expression grew darker. “Would you be able to rip my data from them if they are using my systems?”

“Perhaps. I won’t promise anything.” I blinked at her. “I’ll try though.”

*

The bright blue glow of my screen threw shadows around the backseat of my car as I sat curled up in the corner furiously typing away. My finger’s cramps were getting cramps. But I was so close to finding out where they had taken Jane’s equipment when all of a sudden the co-ordinates popped up on my little screen.
My brow crinkled and for what felt like the hundredth time in less than a few days my eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
The numbers were pointing to fifty miles west of our site.
“What the hell are they doing there?” Immediately after utter the question I snapped my netbook shut and scrambled for the driver’s seat.
I was going to find out.

Parking my car far enough away from the second site I walked the rest of the way. My feet slowed to a halt as over the hill I saw exactly what those suits were up to. Surrounding Mjölnir was a vast network of above ground temporary tunnels with large spotlight and guards as far as the eye could see.
And that’s where Jane’s research had been taken to.

This raised my questions than it answered and as I began to cautiously approach something caught my attention. From the corner of my eye I spotted movement. Squinting I caught a glimpse of blonde hair racing across to the fence.
“Oh Jeez.” I muttered to myself.

Again I looked at the spot Thor had sped from and again groaned to myself. There Jane was huddling to the ground with her mobile to her ear. I made to creep over to her, but apprehension stopped me. She looked to be safe there, in a spot where she couldn’t be seen.
Looking away I began down my own path, desperate to get closer and find out what was happening in their little fortress.

Rock crumbled away under my boots as I snuck ever closer to the tall chain link fence that had gone up over night with the rest of the alien looking tunnels. There was a dark spot in the shadows close to the far side of the fence and that’s where I hid.
My eyes watched as people bustled to and fro carrying and taking away all manner of queer objects that were clearly not human tech. I bit my bottom lip and began to chew upon it as I wondered what Thor was up to.

“So my brother still thinks he can just walk in and win battles.” A chilling voice came from behind me.

The unexpected voice made me jump and I clamped a hand over myself to stop the yelp from being heard past myself. My body spun around and came halting at a cool smile. One that was delighted for my skittish reaction.

“Oh my stars.” The voice that came from my lips was barely a whisper. I could feel my body well in reaction to his presence.

His eyes stared down vibrant and blue from his great height. “And I had thought I was the only one spying tonight.” The voice was just a shudder through me and I quivered. There he was, towering over me with an unreadable expression over his face.

Loki

“I wasn’t spying.” My words were almost a stutter. How was I supposed to reply to the God of Mischief? Wasn’t it enough that the God of Thunder was on Earth? But now Loki himself? My mind was slowly turning into a fine mash trying to comprehend what was really going on.

His hand tucked themselves into the pockets of his coat. “Don’t lie to a liar.” Loki’s glance moved to the fence and sparked as a guard was thrown from the maze of tunnels. “I thought it was taking him too long to start beating bodies.”

I turned as he approached the fence, the sleeve of his coat brushed against my arm. “So, uh, he is always like this?”

“You tell me.” Again his eyes slid to me in a knowing way.

I felt so small beside him, like an ant against an old oak but at the same time I felt compelled to keep my feet firmly planted in to the ground. His presence evoked a want to turn tail and run away tapping into a sense of panic crudely mixed with the most gripping fascination. My eyes couldn’t help but to stare at him. There was a glint in Loki’s gaze. “Are you going to help him?”

For a moment it looked as though Loki was considering the question. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Part of me always knew you weren’t just myths and stories.” I blurted out unable to stop my word vomit. I blushed deep red.

A small smile played over his pale lips. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Tygera Foster.” And like he had appeared so quietly, he was gone.

I was left to watch as Thor dispatched guard after guard in his ravenous attempt to retrieve his hammer. As I stood there, I found myself beginning to lose interest. More concerned was my mind now on Loki that I turned away and began back to my car.
Jane was still belly down on the ground waiting for Thor to come back, but I had lost the want to care in that moment. I felt like I was losing my mind.
Loki had been there, beside me. He had spoken with me, however briefly. Inside my gut I could feel an out of place emotion begin to wake from slumber.

My body staggered to my car and dropped with a heavy thud into the driver’s seat and I shut the door behind me. For reasons still unknown to me now, tears prickled at my eyes. I have supposed it was the sheer magnitude of his presence that rattled my core. My hands shook as they roughly batted back my sheets of black hair. A heavy breath pushed itself past my lips and I felt so utterly wrecked.