Sunlight filled Loki's eyes as he came out the other side of the portal, his boots landing on old asphalt. It took him a moment to adjust to his new surroundings, the air hot in comparison with Jotunheim. Then he noticed the buildings, rising all around him, and his blood ran cold.

Midgard.

The two Dark Elves were ahead of him, striding towards one of the buildings. Loki recognized it; it was the very building Captain Morris had been killed in front of, the same building he and Agent Sniper had fallen from.

They're heading for Sniper. They sense her, like they do me.

Loki took off after them, baring his teeth in anger. They would pay for causing Frigga's death, he swore it. And this time, he would abide by his word.

The thud of footsteps behind him caught his attention and Loki glanced back to see more Dark Elves barreling through the portal. The battle hadn't ended, it was simply changing locations.

"Brother!" he heard Thor yell, just as he and Hailstohm jumped through. Loki turned as his brother and the frost giantess engaged the other Elves, racing after Malekith and the Elf with the Power Stone just as the door to the building opened.

Agent Sniper's rifle was the first thing Loki saw, and it fired immediately.

Both the Elves avoided the shot, but Sniper only fired again. When that bullet was also dodged, the rifle vanished and Sniper herself appeared in the doorway, rifle across her back, her eyes intent on the Elves.

"They've come for us, huh?" she called, and Loki knew she was talking to him.

"Aether," Malekith breathed, halting and turning so as to be able to look at both Loki and Sniper. "Kyma jaat leitko." Then he thrust out both his hands, one toward each of the hosts, and curled his fingers inward. "Ilekeni!"

Immediately, Loki felt the Aethur bursting against his veins, his skin, struggling to escape him. He tasted the darkness again, slimy on his tongue, and his mind flared with someone else's thoughts.

Agent Sniper's thoughts.

And he knew that she felt his own thoughts, that the connection they had shared ever since falling through that window had grown stronger. He could sense her in his mind, sharing his thoughts while having her own, and he heard her voice as clear as day.

"What is going on?"

"The Dark Elves seek the Aether," Loki told her. "As we both are its hosts, they are trying to draw it out of us so they can reshape the universe."

"Into what?"

"Primordial darkness."

"Ah, hell, no."

"I'm glad we're on the same page concerning that."

As if they had planned it, the Aether struggling inside both of them – Loki could sense its turmoil within Sniper as well as he could feel it in himself – suddenly surged into an attack, and Malekith was hurled backward.

Red rimmed Loki's vision, and he felt Sniper in his mind as clearly as if he was looking right at her. The other Dark Elf – Arvolt, the Aether whispered – raised his hands and sent a blast of amethyst power right at them.

Loki went to lift his hand to counter it but was pulled off balance as Sniper dove out of the way. Her action drew him right into the path of fire, and only by meeting the blast with a crimson one did he avoid injury. Regaining his balance, Loki shook his head, trying to dispel the disorientation from his mind. But it didn't leave.

Behind him, Hailstohm, Thor, Mordo, Tidal, and Tekahionwake were fighting with the other Elves. Malekith had regained his feet and was storming back towards them, his gaze livid. Loki readied to attack him again but felt tumult in his mind, making him feel like the ground was swooping under his feet.

Malekith uttered something in his language, but Loki couldn't even hear the words, just their foreignness. He was aware of so much and yet so little, his mind aching from the sheer proximity of the Aether's other half, of his other half.

Anything is possible.

A new, darker voice slithered into his mind. You aren't strong enough to make anything possible.

Loki was just aware of Sniper being similarly incapacitated, gripping her head. He also was aware of Malekith lifting his hand, causing both of them to rise into the air, and how the Aether was trying to tear free of his body, to go to the Dark Elf and rewrite the universe's reality.

And I can't even stop them.

Then a gunshot echoed in the air.

Loki fell to the ground, the Aether recoiling within him as Malekith once again fell back, snarling in frustration. DiNozzo, Bishop, Romanoff, and a muscular, Hispanic guy were firing at the Dark Elves, with Sam Wilson from the running track hovering over them, red and grey mechanical wings holding him aloft.

"Loki!" Bishop yelled.

Loki struggled to his feet as Sniper did the same. Arvolt snarled, the Power Stone in his chest flashing. "Ellie!" he screamed, summoning the scarlet power within him. He needed to protect her, keep her safe, keep DiNozzo safe.

He'd give anything to keep the both of them safe.

The Aether's power intercepted the Power Stone's blast, phasing through it and twisting it, interlacing crimson with amethyst. The blast changed direction, spearing through the side of the building next to the agents, the one bordering the alleyway Loki and Sniper had woken up in after the Aether had infected them.

Infected. Loki had never looked at the Aether in that way before. He had seen it as power, but never as an infection, an illness.

Is that really what it is?

Loki heard a cry issue out from the building he had deflected the blast into, the gaping hole showing a basement beneath. But he didn't have time to investigate, for Arvolt and Malekith were both still threats, despite the bullets from the agents.

Hailstohm and Thor had eliminated many of the lesser Elves, fighting back to back as naturally as if they had always done so. Mordo and Tekahionwake were keeping close as they fought, each keeping an eye on the other's blind spot. And Tidal's sword of light slashed through Elfish flesh with a searing hiss, causing their skin to shrivel and darken, scarred by the pure light.

Loki wanted to charge back into the fight, but could feel resistance from Sniper; she wanted to do something else, what, he didn't know. He felt like his mind was cutting in two, sliding apart, his neural pathways disconnecting and short-circuiting as her presence combatted his. He couldn't overcome her, couldn't force her out, and so couldn't focus enough to effectively fight.

No, no, no.

He could feel panic rising in his throat, trumpeting in his head, and red lines fractured his vision. His head was splitting, ripping through his thoughts like paper.

Nothing is possible. Any-any-nothing. A-an-nothing. Nothing. Nu-nu-nothing. Nothing is possible.

They were doomed. All of them, everywhere, were doomed.

Loki had failed. He had always failed, always would fail, and couldn't do anything aside from fail.

Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.

Loki heard Bishop scream what sounded like his name, but her voice was torn, tossed in the wind that was now his mind like worthless shreds of paper. He felt himself shudder, a shudder that cut at his essence and threatened to disassemble him. There was nothing left he could do.

And then light seared through his vision.

The chaos inside Loki subsided somewhat as Tidal moved into sight, advancing on Malekith and Arvolt. His blade sizzled through the air as he caught Malekith upside the face, slashing a burning scar down the Dark Elf's face.

With a shriek, Malekith recoiled, scrambling away from the Light Elf. Tidal, with a wordless snarl, attacked again, which this time the leader deflected with a short, obsidian dagger. But Loki could see that one of his eyes was starting to swell shut from the wound.

Arvolt rushed in, letting out a scream as he summoned his own dark dagger and struck at Tidal, purple strands coiling down the blade. Tidal fell back, fending off the two Elves well and even administering a wound to Arvolt's shoulder, but then one dagger entered his chest, the other thrust into his stomach, and he fell to one knee.

Malekith spat at Tidal, but it was clear to see the wound was taking a toll on him. Arvolt grasped his leader's arm and moved him away from the dying Light Elf, who remained motionless, his eyes focused on the ground as his sword fell from his hand, fading away as it hit the asphalt.

Hailstohm and Thor both were trying to move toward them, but the other large Dark Elf had blocked their paths. They battled with her as Loki struggled to his feet, Sniper mirroring him as Arvolt and Malekith escaped through the portal, followed by the remaining Dark Elves.

Hailstohm, Thor, and the two sorcerers all attacked the last Elf, magic, ice, and lightning combining to form a near invincible force that soon brought the last monster to her knees. With a blow from Thor's hammer, her skull was crushed in and she collapsed, the blood draining from her head black as darkness.

Loki staggered over to Tidal's side, kneeling beside the Light Elf. The tracker lifted his gaze, resting it on Loki. "Where is the other?"

"Sniper," Loki called, a pulsing pain in his head. "Come here."

Within a minute, Sniper collapsed to her knees beside them. Her eyes traced over Tidal, her expression quizzical, eyes pained. But he lifted his hands, placing the fingers of one on Loki's forehead and the other on Sniper's.

"The Aether has chosen the both of you as its hosts," Tidal murmured, as Loki felt some of the disorientation leave his mind. He exhaled in relief. "Different versions of the same misery. You share this power, but it beats separately in each of you. I feel...discord. It fights the other yet craves it. You must step together. You must. It is...it is the only way." He blinked, his gaze growing distant. "An Infinity Stone...dividing itself...it does not long to stay apart. No. You must...you must...fight together. To-together."

Then Tidal's body slumped back and Loki knew he was gone.