Loki and Ingrid 44

Sorry i got the fanfic bug.

The Only Way

“What is it?” I surprise even myself, by asking. “Did Gadalia track us?”

          “Doubt it,” says Lyd. “If I had to guess, Aura’s cronies.”

          “Oh no.”

          “I knew they’d be back.”

          “Shit.” It’s Sif. “Get down.”

          “What?”

          “No time to run the best thing to do is hide.”

          “We all should be dead by now,” says Lyd, cynically. Of course,she has to say that.

          How much time do you presume we have, Calder?” asks Sif. “Since Thor had you—”

          “Set the alarm system, yeah I know. About five minutes. Yeah, ship coming…” he pulls up the readings, “Xandarian class. TK-08. Yep, looks like them.”          I can’t believe Calder just tried to kill me, and now he’s acting like nothing ever happened. I don’t know what to think. He’s my brother, but…

          “It was me, Ingrid.”

          “Loki, what are you?”

          “We don’t have time, for this, but it wasn’t your fault. I can take me and one other person.”

          “What?”

          “Invisibility magic. That’s all I can do at the moment.”

          “All you can do?” I ask, “I didn’t know you could?”

          “No time for this.”

          “Let Ingrid,” says Sif. “She needs to rest without getting caught.”

          “Of course—”

          “No, one of you do it,” I say, “I should be dead anyway. I don’t—”

          I catch a look of guilt from Calder. Oh dear, I don’t know what to do. Does he still want to kill Loki?”

          “Sif is still recovering,” I remind everyone.

          “Nothing on you,” she says.

          “Remember, there’s a good chance those who can’t stay hidden will have to fight. And of course, I consider it my duty—”

          “Shut up, Calder,” I say, “If you protect me, you protect him. Try to kill him try to kill me.”

          Lyd rolls her eyes, but remains silent.

          “I’ll fight, not like I haven’t dealt with it before,” says Sif.

          Lyd is silent.

          “We don’t have much time—Ingrid—come on!”

          “Let Lyd.” I feel so numb to everything. I almost don’t care anymore.

          “Are you crazy?” says Lyd, “You’re the one who almost—”

          “Do it!”

          Loki looks between us for a second as Lyd seems baffled.

          “Please. I don’t even—”

          “Fine. Don’t get yourself killed Ingrid. I could never forgive myself.”

          “Don’t be—”

          Lyd’s fingers start tingling, then the rest of her arms, then her whole body as she disappears and Loki slips out after her.

          Now the rest of us gotta hide. Sif grabs a blanket, and shoves me under a chair as Calder stands guard.

          “Sif, you gotta hide, come on!”

          “No, I said—”

          “Sif!” I shout,” just as the door is blasted open. I can see what is happening through a hole in the blanket, and I watch as the blue and pink bodyguards approach, guns out. They face Calder and Sif.

          “Hands up.”

          “Who are you?” asks Calder.

          “Aura’s bodyguards…seeking revenge—” spits the blue one, “And bounty.”

          “Who’s—”

          “Well, they aren’t here, if it’s them you want.”

          “Laufeyson. Odinson. And the girl.”

          “They aren’t here.”

          The pink-skinned guard turns towards the blue-skinned guard and says, “We’re told the blonde girl knows more than she’s letting on…must seek.”

          “We’re after Laufeyson. Killed Mistress Aura.”

          “But we need him alive. To bring to Thanos.”

          “I don’t care if he dies.”

          “He’s worth a bounty.”

          “I’m not simply walking into Thanos’ throne room on Titan—”

          “We go through people Lysha,” whispers the pink-skinned guard. “Corvus. Ebony,” her voice drops. “Proxima.”

          “Not her, Aisha, not her.”

          “Yes, her. And you will be quiet, Lysha, or I shall have to restrain—”

          Lysha falls silent.

          “Well,” begins Aisha again, “Where are they?”

          “The stones?” Dammit, Sif.

          “Infinity stones don’t concern me, girl. That is Thanos’ game. Give them to me, and there will be no fight.”

          Things are escalating, quickly. A couple years I reckon…” whispers Lyd next to me. I can feel her there even though she’s invisible.

          “And what would you do with them then? Take them to Thanos?”

          “Perhaps. Perhaps Proxima.”

          “You know what they do!” Shouts Sif, “I suggest you get out of here right now or I—”

          “Isn’t she the one—” starts Lysha.

          “Lady Sif. Documented killer of Thanos loyals. Friend to them. Friend to Odinson.”

          Lysha looks over in my direction. Oh dear. Am I moving? I freeze, scared.

          “So, tell us,” begins Aisha, “Where is Thor Odinson?”

          “I don’t know.”

          “Liar!”

          “I really don’t know—”

          Calder raises his spear and Sif takes a step back.

          “You will pay for this!” it’s only a second before Sif jumps back and draws her sword as Lysha and Aisha open fire.

          “You don’t think you can—” Sif pants, trying to stab Lysha and missing, “I’m not a liar!”

          Calder tries to close in on Aisha, as Sif is caught. One of Nova’s chips again. I still call them Nova’s chips. I can’t help it. I don’t care where Nova aligned in the end. She scarred me.

          “I don’t know how long I can do this,” whispers Loki, “I don’t—”

          “Shh.”

          “It’s okay,” says Lyd, materializing, Loki in tow.

          “I feel sick.”

          “Yeah it does that sometimes,” says Loki.

          “Shhhh!”

          I hear them coming. “Quick, go invisible again!”

          I shout.

          “Ingrid—ready?”

          “What?”

          “No, it might kill her!” screams Lyd. As I feel my body being torn apart again.

          “I’ve got Sif and Calder!” shouts Lyd. I struggle to keep conscience.

          “Oh no.”

          “They’re following us!”

          “Try to lose them!” shouts Calder.

          “I’m trying!”

          I struggle to keep consciousness, as I hear my brother fighting one of the guards…c’mon, Ingrid, c’mon. Suddenly I feel myself slipping and spiraling, down, down, towards the endless void of space. I see Lysha fall behind me, falling, falling. Off into space. No. No. I’m falling. I’m not a god like Loki, I can’t survive space. This is it. I’m falling. I close my eyes. How am I still conscious?

          Suddenly I hear it in the distance. “Ingrid! Come back!”

          I don’t have any control of my body. I can’t come back.

          “Ingrid!”

          “I can’t do it—” the grip of his magic is failing. “Ingrid.”

          I’m going to have to let…go.

          “Ingrid!”

          “Loki!”

          “Come back!”

          “I can’t!” I shout, losing my breath, “You know I don’t travel well.”

          “Ingrid, no!”

          “Just go.”

          “I’m trying to lose them and get to a safe system—”

          “Just go.”

          “I won’t leave you!”

          “It’s selfish. Get them through. Please.”

          “I’m trying to get all of us!”

          “Just do it!” I shout, as with a flash of light, Lyd, holding an unconscious Sif is sent through. I breathe a sigh.

          “Oh no, she followed—Aisha—I sent her too—no!”

          “Where did you send them?” I hear Calder shout.   

          “Not sure, if my trajectory was right, but somewhere near Sovereign!”

          “What the hell were you thinking, Loki? What the hell are you thinking a lot of the time?”

          “I don’t know, honestly.”  

          Their voices are growing fainter. I feel myself slipping.

          “I can’t hold on much longer—”

          “Then land!” Shouts Calder, “I don’t care where, just land!” He sounds—upset? Why? How?

          “I can’t make the jump!” he shouts, “I’m trying—I’m losing her.”

          I can barely hear the voices as I feel like I’m slipping.

          I feel like I’m starting to have some control. Almost comfortable with the travel. My head is clearing. I can hold on a little longer, maybe. But I still don’t have much time…I can hear them now, almost see them, floating above me….Loki and Calder. The one I love and the one who…

          I can’t think like this. Not before I die. I can’t be angry at Calder. And Loki…so many things I want to say, but I don’t know how—he won’t be okay without me. I need to—I just can’t. No, the pull of the void is too strong. I’m slipping again.

          “I’m losing her again!”

          “Find somewhere Loki!”

          “Five was insane the first time, seven with them towing…I can’t do this anymore—it’s too much.”

          “You have to—”

          “Ingrid, I’m sorry, I’d never forgive myself. Maybe I can send you two and—I don’t know if it’s stable—I can try.”

          “It’s ok…just go. Just…go.”

          “No, Ingrid!”

          “I’m losing you, Loki.”

          “No, Ingrid!”

          “Find Thor. Get the infinity stones don’t let Thanos—”

          “No!”

          “I—” I love you…my brain forms the words but they seem to hang in space and just fall.

          “Hang on, Ingrid, I’m sending you and Calder through.”

          “What about you?”

          “Get ready, Ingrid!”

          “No, you’ll die—or get caught—or go to Titan again—no, we aren’t over anything—we aren’t—you’ll die—”

          “Ingrid, I’m—”

          “No!”

          I try to see where the voice is coming from. Calder? No, no, what are you doing?

          “What?”

          “Don’t send us.”

          “What? I have to do something, I’m losing her…”

          “Wait.”

          “I’m losing her.”

          “I’m sorry, Loki.”

          “What?”

          “Maybe I was wrong. Tell Lyd I’m sorry.”

          What? No?

          “Calder, what are you doing? Calder!”

          “I’m doing my job, Ingrid. You said if I protect you I—”

          “No, what are you talking about? It’s fine.”

          “My Queen, it is my duty…”

          “Calder?”
          I shout as I lose sight of what’s happening. I’m falling, going, going, gone.

          “It’s the only way.” The words pierce the void, as suddenly, I’m pulled back, I can feel the jump, then I stumble onto cold, dry ground. I’m alive. “Calder!” I scream, “Calder!”

          “Shh, Ingrid.”

          “Where are we?”

          “Vanaheim. But we won’t be staying. Not safe. I’ll steal a ship. No way I’m letting you travel again.”

          “Are we going back to Asgard?”

          “No. I have a feeling we won’t be going to Asgard for a long time. Too easy for them to track us.”

          “Is anyone else here?”

          “No one has found us. Yet.” And I know that we are very much alone