Choices

Chapter 97
Rorik returned within the day. With Sigyn now strong enough to travel, they left their temporary home and made their way to a pawn shop.
Rorik had none of the mans bartering for low prices and in the end Cephera felt they got enough money out of it to be considered substantial. After some extended research using the internet at a nearby cafe, they were well on their way to New York.
They located the tower using a map they’d purchased at a tourists shop. “What if your friend is dead?” Rorik asked Cephera as they traversed the unknown territory.
“I have confidence that Tony has survived, Afteral, he did survive Loki’s army.” Cephera had to smirk, but not for reasons known to Rorik. Apparently, ‘Loki’s Army’ meant something different to the world wide web. Pepper was right, people were strange when given such faceless freedom.
“Okay, but what if he’s not there?” Rorik shuffled a hand through his brown hair.

“Then we wait, or find a way in. Tony has lots of money. A broken window won’t be any sweat off his back.”
“Thats an Midgardian expression right?” Sigyn asked, pipping up for the first time since the plane. Cephera nodded in response.
“Fine, but if we get arrested I’m blaming you.” Rorik noted and Cephera laughed. It was more something she’d have said to her sister.
XxX
A long journey and a broken door handle in the back alley of Tony’s building, and they were inside. Cephera could have tried teleporting, but the dangers of going in without knowing what the other side looked like was life threatening and she decided to avoid that.
Magic was not always so simple.
“Jarvis,” Cephera called out. An alarm hadn’t even sounded for the building. Like most of Tony’s stuff, it was run by his super computer. Pepper mentioned it when Cephera had extra questions about the A.I.
Jarvis didn’t answer and Cephera frowned. Maybe Tony’s house caused a loss of connection. She shrugged and looked to her nephew. “At least we’re in,” he proceeded to head for the stairwell.
Nearing the upper levels, they had no choice but to break a few knobs there too where security panels would normally let them in, provided they knew the code…, which they didn’t.
“Woah, nice.” Rorik grinned staring straight ahead and out through the vast number of windows surrounding the room. Cephera had to agree, the view was nice.
“I think it prudent, that for now my identity remain between us.” Sigyn told then.
“Secrets don’t last long.” Rorik warned. “My mother always says honesty is better. That way you get all the bullshit over with and move on.”
“Still, the longer my arrival here stays quiet, the more time I have to recover my power. Over the past many centuries I’ve been studying, building up my magic to one day rival my husbands. If Cephera is right and he isn’t watching us, then the secret should be easy to keep.”
“If…, the key word here is if.” Rorik narrowed his eyes.
"I tend to agree with Cephera, now that she's out of the picture he holds no more interest in her."
"Except she's carrying his kid," Roriks tack on the subject reminded Cephera of Seraphina. Cephera nearly cringed at the reminder.
"Loki has no use for the child, I can promise you that." Sigyn replied smooth and calm. If Cephera did know better, she'd think Sigyn wasn't phased at all by her husband's wayward ways... But Cephera had a feeling that deep down Sigyn was not on any level okay with this.
Cephera couldn't imagine being in Sigyn position. She'd be heartbroken if Loki was running around with other women, let alone get one pregnant and then have to meet the woman and team up with her.
Rorik gave up on his argument and looked around. "I hope there's food." He was right. The food he'd brought with him only lasted to the plane ride. They'd gotten a meal in a small New York Cafe before reaching the tower.
"I'll look for the food." Sigyn offered.
"I'm sure the rooms are upstairs. I'll check. I guess all we can do is look around and make ourselves at home." Cephera told them.
XxX
The fridge was bare of anything fresh, but the cupboards had some boxed and canned things to eat. "One of us will need to head to the grocery store." Cephera frowned.
"One of us?" Rorik questioned. "All of us would be better. I don't know my way around Earth and certainly not around their food stores. Sigyn here is on a secret mission to take down her renegade husband and shouldn't be wandering about alone, and you're pregnant with that ass hole husband's kid and could be in danger. OH, and let's not forget Kystoff."
Cephera sucked in a breath. He was right. She'd forgotten Krystoff. Being off her world for so long, it was easy to push him from her mind.
Sigyn looked to have a question, but she didn't express it. She sat demurely on the couch in her Asgardian clothes and watched the conversation unfold.
"Krystoff won't bother with me. I'm already pregnant." Cephera brushed off the notion.
"You're early pregnant. If he caught you, he could easily force you to abort the baby and then start working on his own." Cephera cringed. The idea sent shivers and a nauseous feeling through her belly.
"It would seem we have many reasons to stick together." Sigyn offered to end the uneasy conversation.
"What if Tony returns? I'm more than capable of handling myself and Sigyn, I'm sure, can fend for herself too. Rorik you should stay here."
"No way. My father would kill me if I allowed two ladies to roam around unattended in an unfamiliar world." Cephera glared. This was not the Mechanovian attitude. Male or female, it didn't matter, they were all the same. This was something Rorik picked up from his father in Asgard and probably used it to pick up women.
"Don't give me that attitude. You know well that Mechanovian's are raised on battle. I won't be treated like a soft rag doll." Cephera felt affronted. It had been a while since she'd been treated like she couldn't handle herself.
Rorik's face whitened and he flushed. "I'm sorry, I just...,"
"You're staying here. Someone needs to watch the place. After all, we did break in and those doors are not fixed. Keep an eye on things here. There is always the possibility that the man who attack Tony's home could come here too."
Rorik seemed like he wanted to argue, but he knew better. Putting a stone cold look on his face, he begrudgingly accepted the task.
(Hela)
Hela sat bored on a seat overlooking the vastness of her realm. It was always calm and dreary and she usually liked that. No one to nag at her, to expect her to smile or have something nice to say.
"Hela, dear daughter." The voice made her narrow her eyes before she turned to look at Old Loki. His hair long and pulled back into a ponytail, silvery white strands telling his age. The wrinkles under his eyes and along his face would make it appear he was looking at her kindly.
"You are not my father," Hela reminded him. He only smirked and proceeded to approach her.
"I presume you've closed off the entries from the overworld?" Hela gave him a blank bored look.
The Overworld was what he called the place of magic that ran through her domain and into the living world. It's how he got there..., how she pulled Sigyn through. Of course he didn't known that.
"And you're sure no one has already come through?" His condescending tone irked her.
"I'm never wrong," Hela pursed her lips and let her cold gaze catch his. She'd always known about him, but she had only recently met him in the flesh.
He'd come to her realm, how she wasn't sure, and started bossing her around using words like sweetheart and darling daughter as if they are his orders sound nicer. His arrogance annoyed her.
When she came to realize his plot, at first she hadn't cared, but then she started to become irritated by him just a smidgen more than anyone else and decided that playing the trickster for a fool and bringing about his downfall would be lovely fun.
She hated to also admit that without the world as it was now, she'd be out of a job.
Hela was taking a huge risk though. If this surrogate father of hers was able to get into her realm without dying, he was mighty powerful and she had to tread carefully.
She hated that she was forced to rely on her wannabe mother. Knowing her, Cephera would probably run to this Loki and think hugs and kisses would make things better.
The thought made Hela want to roll her eyes, but she restrained herself.
It took a bit of difficult maneuvering to get Cephera there. She was never intended to die when she did. Hela put her mark on her hoping one day she could restore her life and set in balance a debt she felt she owed. She never dreamed she'd have to undertake her death herself.
She'd been watching Cephera since her arrival on Earth. When the house collapsed and the princess ended up in the water, Hela shrouded her so that even Heimdall couldn't see her to save her. She allowed her to drown to death before pulling her to the other side.
She was still shrouded from the old man's eyes, as was her friends.
"Have you seen your mother lately?" Loki asked after a long snap of silence.
"My mother died of dark magic poisoning, or have you forgotten." Hela didn't miss a beat with her quick tongued reply.
"Cephera," he glowered at her.
"She is not my mother and I haven't seen her since the day I was finally free of Asgard." Loki scratched his chin.
"I remember that day. It was amusing." He grinned. Hela tilted her head, she hadn't realized he'd been watching them, but she also wasn't surprised. He seemed to be everywhere.
"Why do you want her?" Hela asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
"Her Nephew left in a great rush the other day. Something had happened on Midgard so I was just wondering." He didn't blink, he was trying to gauge her reaction.
"She's not dead, at least not that I am aware of." Hela shrugged. She had a sneaky suspicion he knew what the mark Hela left on Cephera's arm was for and he'd know that Hela had seen Cephera once he realized it was gone.
"I'll take my leave then." Hela glared daggers at the back of his head as he turned and disappeared.
"Until death reunites us," Hela mocked. "Better sooner than later." She added.
(Old Loki)
He wasn't entirely sure he could trust Hela. She was always known to do as she pleased even in his world. She was born to lie and to be indifferent to those around her. She could easily switch sides and never bat an eyelash for those she's double-crossed.
Still, he hasn't many allies in this world.
He stretch his lithe body, cracking his back and donned his usual shapeshifted form. He had other things to do than worry about Hela and the task he assigned her.
He entered the throne room and inwardly glared at the sight of Odin on the throne.
"Tyr, just the man I wanted to see," Odin said.
"I am forever at your disposal." Loki replied smiling and giving a respectful bow.
It had been easy, too easy to kill and assume the form of this old advisor. For centuries he'd fed Odin simple ideas to create a world around his younger self that would make him easy to corrupt.
Little whispers like, 'he has been known to lie,'. That little fact was reminded to the king when Loki came back claiming to have his body snatched.
He fought to have Cephera divorced from Loki. He made it sound like it was for her own happiness that she be separated from her husband's crimes. But he unknowingly ruined his own plot by getting her pregnant. Still, the outcome was good enough with her now on Midgard.
He'd told Odin that Sif was the best candidate for queen and that allowing Thor to devorce her would never make him learn. Loki knew that one day he would meet Jane and he hoped his legal marriage would cause problems in the future.
The little mortal tart was a nurse back in his old world, here she was a astrophysicist, not that it mattered.
Not everything he plotted went according to plan, but he always made the best of it. After all, he couldn't control everyone, though it would make things so much easier, but less fun.

Notes