"WHAT?"

Astrid stumbled slightly but Thor placed his hand on her shoulder keeping her steady. It's Loki? It can't be. She had spent the last year trying to get over her grief, her guilt, her anger.

"He's dead," Astrid whispered. She could not believe what Thor was telling her. He had been dead for a year. She watched him fall into space. She watched as he chose death over reconciliation. She mourned.

Thor shook his head. "He lives. And he's wreaking havoc on Midgard... again."

Astrid furrowed her brows and shook her head. "No, no... I watched him fall to his death!" She uttered out in disbelief.

Thor sighed, patting Astrid's shoulder. "He's a trickster, Astrid. His 'death' is yet another trick that we both fell for."

Overcome with anger and confusion, she furrowed her brow. "You're sure?" Thor nodded as Astrid waved her hand, watching her once floor length gown transform into her classic gold tinted armour, similar to that of Jinx and Janus'. "I'm going to kill him myself then."

      ·      　⠀⠀✧.      *　　           * ⋆ 　 .
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THOR AND ASTRID TOOK OFF TO MIDGARD THROUGH THE BLACK CLOUD OF ODIN'S DSRK MATTER. Astrid insisted she did not need Jinx nor Janus nor any other supervisor. She wanted to capture Loki herself, so did Thor. Both of them had to prove something to the mischievous god. The pair landed in a city, amongst driving cars, speeding people, and blinding lights in the dark air. Stuttgart, Germany. Both Astrid and Thor recognised most of the vintage buildings amidst the modern ones from their own old adventures in Europe.

"Split up?" Astrid asked. Thor nodded agreeing to meet up again in an hour, flying off into the sky, catching many onlookers gaze. Astrid took a different approach. She transformed her appearance, changing from the gold armour to something Midgardians would call casual.

She rushed around the streets, her mind feeling thinking of where Loki could be. She scanned the streets as she rushed by them.

But she halted as she saw lit up museum. Very flashy, she thought. Was it too obvious? Maybe. Was it very Loki? Indeed. Her eyes darted over the scene, coming to the conclusion that there was a gala occurring inside. She once again transformed her appearance, so she was wearing a simple green floor length dress. Her hair, transforming colour from blonde to brunette in order to disguise herself, flowed up into an updo and decorated itself with gold accessories. She could not be sure if he was there, but why would he not be there. She approached the gala, entering after enchanting the armed guards to let her in with ease.

Astrid's gaze landed on everything in the museum, before landing on the speaker, a doctor she supposed. Her eyes drifted away to the staircase, narrowing as they landed on their target.

Loki.

Dressed in a lavish suit and holding a cane, he descended down the stairs as he flipped his cane in his hand. He's still handsome, she thought, before scolding herself to shut up. She gulped quietly, her eyes not daring leave his figure as he strutted down the stairs.

Astrid was not the only person who Loki caught the eye of. A guard noticed him and pulled out his gun. However, before a bullet could be fired, Loki had clubbed the poor guard in the head with his cane. Screams erupted everywhere as they watched the scene as people rushed to escape, pulling Astrid with them. Struggling to keep her balance, she tried to push against the current of the stampede, but she was still pushed outside with them.

As the crowd ran away from the gala, Astrid stood before the museum, being held back by police. She had not transformed back to her armour as she did not need to give the Midgardians more need to panic.

She watched as Loki exited the museum, his magic enveloping him as his green leathery armour replaced his suit and his cane transformed into a spectre. She eyed the spectre closer, noticing it was different to his last one last year. She gasped slightly, seeing the glowing blue gem in the head of the spectre was the Space Stone.

With no hesitation, Loki blasted his spectre towards the police, flipping their cars with it. "Kneel before me," loki ordered, his arms outstretched as he addressed the gathering crowd. Astrid chuckled bitterly at his words, reflecting on how she ordered the same of him the first time they met. The crowd ignored him. Multiple apparitions of Loki appear throughout the crowd, intimidating the innocents. "I said kneel!" He screamed out, angrily. Everyone kneels. Astrid does not immediately but the elderly women next to her dragged her down, scared for the younger woman's safety if she protested.

Loki smiled at the scene before him. "Is not this simpler? Is it not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

As the words resonated amongst the crowd, an elderly man from the middle of the sea of people refused the kneel. "Not to men like you," his German accent spoke out.

Loki glared at the man. "There are no men like me."

"There are always men like you." The elderly man stood his ground.

Loki approached him, sinisterly. "Look to your elder, people. Let him be an example."

Astrid stood up, ready to intervene. However, before Loki could execute the man, another man jumped between the two with a round shield. The blue blast emitted from Loki's spectre was blocked by the shield, knocking Loki off his feet. The man lowered his shield, revealing a muscular man wearing a red, white and blue suit, his suit following the same colour scheme.

"You know," the suited man started. "The last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing."

"A solider. A man out of time," Loki stated as he rose to his feet.

"I'm not the one out of time here," The man chuckled. As he spoke, a jet hovered above them. A machine gun poked out the side and pointed directly to Loki. Astrid sighed disappointingly. That won't do much.

"Loki. Drop the weapon and stand down," a Russian female accent called out.

Ignoring the order, Loki blasted the jet but missing narrowly as the machine dodged out the way. The crowd dispersed, the older woman from before grabbing Astrid's hand firmly and rushingly dragged her away from the scene as Loki and the suited man began fighting.

"Excuse me, madam," Astrid spoke alertly in German, trying to pry her hand from the woman's strong grip. "Please let me go!"

"No, don't try to be a hero, girl, Captain America will sort that devil out," she replied in fluent German. The woman dragged her further and further away from the museum, until it was out of sight. Having enough, Astrid planted her feet into the ground and transformed her dress and hair back to her gold armour and blonde hair, causing the old woman to gawk.

"May I go now, madam?" She politely asked. The older woman continued to gawk but released her grip from Astrid's now sore hand. "Thank you greatly, madam."

Astrid flew off, using her powers to sore through the sky. She flew toward the museum but saw no sign of either Loki or the man she now knew as Captain America. Thor flew over too, landing next to Astrid. "Where is he?"

Astrid looked to the sky, seeing the jet from before in the distance. "That's our best shot," she pointed to the aircraft.

Thor wrapped his arm around Astrid's waist and spun his hammer in the air, lifting them into the air and jetting off towards the plane.