Kate drummed her fingers on the wooden surface of the table, glancing around at the other super agents and the one super soldier in the room. Thalia Mars, Isaac Connor, and Barnes were all here, with their newest teammate sitting with them, dark and stony.

Captain Hayden Jacklin was his name, Kate had been told. An ex-Marine, he had been dishonorably discharged for unnecessarily killing locals during a skirmish when overseas. Jacklin had been drafted for experimental treatment seven years ago, his death being faked to aid his disappearance, and he had been undergoing the conditioning ever since.

Kate wondered idly if NCIS had investigated his "death." If they had, Ziva David would have been on the team during the case, taking her place and her desk and Tony and McGee and the entirety of her old life. Kate had watched her a couple times in the past, from the skylight looking down into the squad room, and she had grown to dislike the Israeli agent, the girl who had stolen her life away from her while Kate had had to endure the conditioning, the lies, the horrible sensation of realizing one had gone from hero to villain without any choice in the matter.

The worst of it, looking back, was her acceptance of her new role, her submissiveness to INTEL's plans, her willingness to do such things as track and kill.

Her agreement to kill Gibbs.

Jacklin had curled his fingers into a fist, which he surveyed impassively. The other four enhanced watched him curiously, unsure still of what powers he possessed. His light skin had a slightly darker, unnatural cast to it, as if ebony blood ran in his veins. It made him look partly insubstantial, like a shadow.

The door at the other end of the conference room opened and James Mitchells, the head of the super-agent initiative, entered, several scientists and handlers accompanying him. Sivil was one of the handlers with the group and he nodded briefly at Kate as he took his seat at the table, Mitchells assuming a position at the head of the table.

"I assume you've all been introduced to Captain Jacklin?" Mitchells asked, pressing his fingers together. When the other agents all nodded, he looked to Jacklin. "You stated in your mission report that STRIKE destroyed the Blackout satellite, despite orders to Agent Rumlow for his team to stand down, for him to divert them to different targets in case Fury caught on."

Jacklin nodded. "The girl destroyed it. The blonde one."

Agent Eleanor Bishop.

"Yes, she's annoying," Mars said dismissively. "I almost killed her, a couple days ago."

"That's certainly a delay," Mitchells said grimly. "But another satellite is under construction, a stronger, more impervious one. Once it is completed, once you are synced up to it, Captain Jacklin, we will officially launch Operation Blackout. And then Phase One will be completed – HYDRA will take its rightful place among the leaders of the free world, emerging after years of preparation from the shell of SHIELD.

"And Phase Two will commence."

Kate glanced around at the other agents, whose expressions were impassive. Phase One was the infiltration of federal agencies by enhanced agents, whose true loyalties were with HYDRA and its super-agent program, INTEL. Phase Two, on the other hand, had been kept closely under wraps – almost none of the agents here had been read in to it.

As Mitchells continued to talk, Kate's vision suddenly flared dark red, the strands cutting across her eyes and burning into her eyelids. When the red vanished, she was no longer sitting in the conference room, but looking down at a large bed with a golden headrest, an unconscious figure lying in the center on his back, and two more figures sitting on either side of the bed.

Odin lay on the bed, his eyes closed. Kate wondered if this was the same unconscious state he had fallen into after telling Loki his true heritage. Loki sat to his right and an older woman with her long blonde hair falling in ringlets sat to his left, the two silent. The room was dimly lit, lamplight flickering on the walls.

"I asked him to be honest with you from the beginning," the woman said, looking across at Loki. "There should be no secrets in a family."

Is that his mother, perhaps? Or at least, his adopted mother?

Loki's face was hard, impassive. It looked as if he was holding all his emotions in as he sat beside his unconscious adopted father. "So why did he lie?"

"He kept the truth from you so that you would never feel different," his mother answered. Loki just continued to look at her, his face drawn, the burden of his past weighing heavily on him. Kate guessed he had always been different and never understood why, and so the justification was nothing but an excuse to him. "You are our son, Loki, and we your family. You must know that." A slight note of pleading had entered his mother's voice.

Loki's eyes flicked downwards to Odin's still form as she continued. "You can speak to him. He can see and hear us even now." The note of pleading grew stronger; she wanted her son to reach out to his father, she wanted to see that their relationship hadn't been completely destroyed.

Kate bit her lip. How long had it been since she had been in contact with her parents, since she had talked with her sister, Rachel?

Loki kept his eyes on Odin for barely a moment longer, as if thinking of a question to ask him, and then looked up at his mother again. He want to speak to Odin. "How long will it last?"

"I don't know," his mother answered in a whisper. "This time it's different. We were unprepared."

"I'll never get used to seeing him like this," Loki confessed. "The most powerful being in the Nine Realms, lying helpless, until his body is restored."

Nine Realms?

"He's put it off for so long now," his mother lamented, reaching forward and taking Odin's still hand in hers, her fingers caressing his skin. The god didn't move, didn't react to her touch. "But I fear...." She paused. "You're a good son. We mustn't lose hope that your father will return to us. And your brother."

What happened to Thor? Where is he?

Another memory flashed through Kate's mind, from three years ago.

"Just got a report in from Sitwell out in New Mexico. They have a mercenary in custody, he's not in the system. Is he one of ours? A rogue, maybe?"

Sivil took the proffered file from the other HYDRA agent as Kate moved over to him, peering over his shoulder. The photo of a blonde haired man stared back at her, eyes dejected and grim, face hard.

"I don't know him," Sivil replied. "But I'll have the techs run facial-rec on it, see if we can come up with an ID from our database."

She had learned later that that man had been Thor, god of thunder and prince of Asgard, not to mention Loki's brother.

Kate frowned. Puente Antiguo? Is that where Thor was at the time of this conversation?

Loki swallowed as he held his mother's gaze. "What hope is there for Thor?"

"There's always a purpose to everything your father does," his mother answered. Loki just looked at her and Kate remembered the first vision, where Loki had demanded for what purpose Odin had basically kidnapped him and raised him as his own son, searching for the answers to his entire life. She wondered if he was remembering that now, too. "Thor may yet find a way home."

Loki's eyelids flickered but he otherwise didn't react to her statement. Did he, too, have hope that his brother could return? Or did he fear that return?

Judging from what HYDRA's got on him, Loki and Thor haven't always been on the best of terms.

The footage of a fight on the balcony of Stark Tower shot through her mind, Loki and Thor fighting furiously as the battle of New York raged around them, alien vehicles screaming through the air. Yeah, the part of worried little brother wasn't looking to be a winner here.

Loki glanced down and stood, turning away from his parents. As he walked toward the door, it opened and a small company of guards stood in the hallway outside, facing into the room. At the sight of Loki, they clapped their right fist to their chests and dropped to one knee, the butts of their spears resting on the hard floor.

Loki stared at them as an elder, carrying a spear, stepped in front of the guards and entered the room, approaching the young prince. The elder knelt before him and presented him silently with the spear as Loki furrowed his brow in confusion and concern, looking like a child, definitely looking younger than he did now. He looked back at his mother, who spoke.

"Thor is banished. The line of succession falls to you. Until Odin awakens, Asgard is yours." Loki stared at his mother uncomprehendingly, mouth slightly agape, then turned back to the elder, who lifted the spear.

Lifting his head, resuming control over his expression, Loki took the spear from the elder, curling his fingers around the gold, and held it gingerly in his hands as the elder rose, backing away from the new king. Loki watched his careful retreat before dropping his eyes to the spear.

"Make your father proud," his mother said, quiet pride etched into every feature on her face. Loki pivoted slowly to face her but his eyes never left the spear. Kate knew his mind was working furiously, scanning the chess board and calculating out his next several moves, making his predictions about what his opponent would do next. "My king," she added, bowing her head slightly.

The ghost of a smile crossed Loki's lips before he moved his eyes up to meet his mother's.

The redness invaded Kate's vision again and she blinked, finding herself back in the conference room just as Mitchells concluded the briefing with "Everyone understand?"

****

Arvolt stood on the bridge of their sleeping spaceship, standing before his brothers and sisters of the darkness as their leader ran his fingers over the controls, his touch almost loving.

"Paris a jaris, jenäth djonta tervasinä ahi jen puhalsupen." Malekith's voice echoed around the chamber, a welcome sound to the ears of his followers. The Dark Elf's pale face was framed by the dark metal headpiece that would ordinarily, in the curse of the light, hold secure a glassy mask to prevent exposure. "Brothers and sisters, we have come to our victory. The Aether has awoken and our Dark Lord calls to us from our home. The City of the Darkness rises again, where the curse and weakness of light can never find us. With the Aether, our birthright, in our grasp, we will return this world to the everlasting darkness of our Dark Lord."

Arvolt felt excitement building in his veins. At long last, they would return the realms to their virgin state, to the comforting oblivion of darkness and nothingness, in which the eldest beings of the universe would again rule. The Dark Elves were hindered by matter and light; they made do, made do with the world they had been given after the emergence of light, but Svartalfheim was a sorry excuse for the City of the Darkness, the true Vela Gjölf.

"Our Dark Lord needs willing servants," Malekith continued. "He has gifted us, the Älfeneel, the first-born and last alive, another weapon to use beside the Kursed, of which our brother Algrim and sister Vihreä are the last. I will select several of you to accept the new gift of the Dark Lord, to carry out his purposes."

Arvolt felt eagerness burning within him. He wanted to be one of the chosen few, one of the elect. It would be the highest honor to be selected.

Malekith's eyes fell on the younger Elf. "Arvolt. Väärin. Käärme. Aino. The four of you will receive our Dark Lord's gift in pursuit of perpetual darkness. Step forward."

Arvolt stepped forward, along with the other three of his kin, looks of utter devotion and joy on their faces. Malekith lifted a dagger from the four lying on the tray in Vihreä's arms. He gestured to the four to approach him, which they did, slowly and reverently. Malekith was the oldest of their species and legend had it he had witnessed the fall of the first City of the Darkness and the Älfeneel's subsequent exile to Svartalfheim while light and matter brought the merelings hope, blasted, bitter hope. He was the closest of them to the Dark Lord, the master of darkness and the only master they bent the knee to.

Malekith positioned himself in front of Arvolt, grasping his shoulder with one hand and placing the tip of the dagger on his chest, the point cold through the tunic he wore. Arvolt stared into his leader's eyes, steeling himself.

"For darkness," Malekith declared and plunged the dagger into Arvolt's chest.

Sharp pain wrenched through his body as he bent forward, a gasp struggling to leave his lips. But Arvolt resisted the little, involuntary noise of pain, relishing the feeling of the dagger lodged in his chest. "For the Dark Lord," he rasped, straightening, as the power contained within the blade tore through his body, strengthening him.

To his left, Käärme, Väärin, and Aino watched, eyes alight with anticipation, as Malekith reached for a second dagger.

****

The elder woman started from her meditation, her eyes opening to regard the starry sky above. She had sensed a disturbance among the darkness that always sought to shroud the earth, to cover the Multiverse like a heavy blanket and smother all life.

"What is it, Master?"

The voice of her young protégé sounded behind her and she turned, her ancient eyes regarding the young woman. Tall and slim, dressed in a simple leather tunic layered over a long sleeved black shirt, the sorceress tilted her head slightly, dark eyes worried. The raven black braid cascading down her back shifted, the feather braided into her glossy hair brushing against her left shoulder with the barest sound. "Did it come again?"

"He has decided to try yet again, after five thousand years of sleep" the elder sorceress said calmly, her expression impassive, her pale skin contrasting with the darker skin of her protégé. "The awakening has begun. He will never be satisfied without our world absorbed into his."

The woman lifted her lip in a snarl. "Then we must stop him, yet again, like Agamotto of old."

The elder looked at her protégé, at the young woman she had practically raised. "Yes, Tekahionwake. We must again repel Dormammu and the Dark Dimension from consuming our worlds."

/**/

New update! Sorry for missing last week's - my classes just started this past week, so I've been trying to juggle studying and writing. But what did you think? Of Hayden Jacklin's backstory, of the Dark Elves' preparation, of the mysterious scene at the end?

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!

Skylar Wittenborn