"So Jane's coming to us?" I inquired, Thor nodded, crossing his arms and staring at the hallway. A few seconds later Sif and Jane turned down the hall, I smiled at the sight of Sif, whom I fought with since I was a young girl, the person who was like a sister to me, and also shared my acrimony against the fact I was locked up. I hadn't seen her in some time and seeing her again brought a foreign sense of joy and nostalgia to my emotion.

Jane strut down, Loki went to introduce himself but to my surprise she slapped him across the face, Sif smiled from behind her, nodding downward. No doubt she herself might have set Jane up to that. "That was for New York." Jane spat, I tried and failed to hide my smirk. Loki locked eyes with me. "I like her," He said, grinning at Jane and winking at her. She glared at him and scowled and I chuckled soundlessly.

I walked over to Jane, concern shining in my eyes. "How are you feeling? You look pale," I said, motioning for her to give me her hand. She begrudgingly obliges, obviously shy and skittish about godly powers. I closed my eyes as I clenched her palm in mine, "Pretty crumby." She said with a small smile, frowning by the confusion she received.

"How long does she have, Lyra?" Thor anticipated, stalking close to my back and making my usher him away to give me space. I almost didn't want to say. I could feel her life leaving her by the second, each second the Aether taking over her and its power consuming everything in its path, and unfortunately she was in its path. "At best, an hour, maybe two. It's not looking good," I say, letting go of her hand and looking at Sif and Thor, purposely avoiding Loki's gaze.

"What?" Jane asked demandingly, her tone stern but slurred she was clearly light headed. "Can you do anything to postpone it? You mentioned extraction before," Thor said, pressing his fist against his lips. I nodded and sighed, creasing my forehead in contemplation. "Extraction would take weeks without stopping or resting, it would kill me in a matter of days. I can hold it off, but we need to get out of here first." I said, Sif stepped forward, unsheathing her sword. "I'm on it, Volstagg is already awaiting us at the Svartf ship, I will make sure there is nothing in your way." Sif proclaimed.

I turned to Sif. "My gratitude is infinite, my friend, I would in any other circumstance stay and fight with you." I assured Lady Sif, she smiles and clasped my hand. "I understand, and if I may it has been an honor knowing you." She said, a smile gracing her lips. I returned the gesture, "Likewise, and do not speak such remorse, this will not be the last you will see of me." I assured her, she hugged me briefly.

As we parted I looked behind her beyond the corridor, seeing Asgardian warriors striding forward with shields and swords in hand. "Sif," I warned, she turned and saw them, her expression filling with dread. "Take Jane to the ship where Volstagg awaits you, I will hold them off." Sif said we started to turn away but she drew her double-bladed sword against Loki's throat, it made me jump a bit, not expecting it at all.

"If you betray him and I will kill you," Sif seethed, Loki smiled at her sarcastically. "It's good to see you too, Sif." Loki said.

-

"Volstagg, my friend, thank you for doing this." Thor told Volstagg, who was waiting for us in front of the crashed dark elf ship, his staff in his hand and his head held high. "Of course, I will hold them off for as long as you need. Go quickly," Volstagg told us, I nodded at him, a smile spreading on my lips as I followed Thor and Jane on the ship. I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Volstagg grab Loki. "If you even think of betraying him," Volstagg said in a warning tone. Loki scoffed, a smirk crossing his lips. "You'll... kill me? Evidently, there will be a line." Loki smirked, boarding the spaceship from behind me.

The hatch closed behind us, I walked over to Jane quickly. "Give me your hand," I instructed, she obliged and I closed my eyes, getting to work immediately on trying to hold back the Aether as quickly as possible. She groaned as I used my mental hands to work wonders on the dark energy pulsing through her veins. "Sorry, it might seem uncomfortable having two types of magic working through your system," I murmured quietly. Jane nodded, not saying anything.

"You have to have missed something," Loki said to Thor from behind me, I tried to ignore what they were doing and help, you know, keep Jane alive. But their bickering made my head explode. "I'm pressing every button on this damn thing!" Thor snapped. "Don't hit it, just press it gently," Loki said, I rolled my eyes and tried to shove their voices into the back of my head.

"I am pressing it gently!"

"Oh for the love of-" I turned around abruptly and shoved Thor out of the way, pressing a few buttons and within seconds the ship whirred into life. I glared at Thor and Loki ."Idiots, we don't have time for this bickering, so shut up and get this thing in the air," I snapped, the two brothers stared at me with blank expressions, I crossed my arms and stared at them.

"Well?" I asked, and Thor quickly went to the control units. He pressed something and the ship spun around violently, I almost lost my footing and I grabbed Jane to help her balance herself, she thanked me with a nod and regained her coordination. "Ha ha, yes!" Thor exclaimed, face enlightened with excitement. The ship then went out of control, twisting and spinning. The ground quakes and I almost loose my balance. I looked through the front of the ship and saw many pillars demolished by the ship's rampage. "I think you missed a couple," Loki retorted, "Shut up!" Thor exclaimed, before pressing a button and the ship lurched forward. I grabbed Jane to help her maintain her balance, continuing to work my abilities by keeping the Aether from claiming her.

Soon Thor steers the ship through the air, Asgard's palace streaks of brilliant golden light as he soared and poorly guided Malekith's ship throughout the city of the Æsir, wrecking through tall buildings as he went. I didn't question Thor's strategy, noticing how many buildings he could've easily avoided that now lay in rubble across the street, the whistle of the wind screamed in my ears so loudly I almost didn't hear the large bang of rock against paved walkways.

"Why don't you let me take over? I'm clearly the better pilot," Loki insisted, his eyes watching the rubble fall to the ground with a scoff, his lips curling upward in delight, probably at seeing his brother so terrible at something. Even though I suspected something else was afoot here, I was inclined to agree. Even without the intentional wreckage Thor left he cursed many times as he clumsily pushed the ship throughout Asgard. Without taking Thor's eyes from the front of the ship, Thor commented,

"Is that right? Out of the two of us, who can actually fly?" Thor said, and I saw the offense in Loki's eyes and I couldn't help but chuckle a little at their brotherly bickering. Thankfully, my humored laugh was not heard over the whirring and mechanical screeches of the ship and the wind that pounded against the tough material of the Svartf ship.

I took a step forward so I could see around us better, squinting through the window when I saw the large dome of the Bifrost in the distance, I could distinguishably make out figures striding from the rainbow bridge though it was very difficult to see, I imagined that had something to do why Heimdall wasn't unleashing the Bifrost on us. The glimmering surface of Asgard's waters came into view over the horizon line, and I start to get a hint of where we're going.

I knew we were leaving Asgard, but this, I had to hand it to Thor. As I started to unravel Thor's plan a smirk grew on my lips, nicely done, I thought. There was nothing more satisfactory than a well planned out treasonous act.

Jane from behind me swayed on her feet, her lips pursing and she fell backward before I could register what was happening quickly enough to catch her. She groaned in pain, her body thudding against the floor of the ship. "Oh dear, is she dead?" Loki clicked his tongue, showing little to no emotion and not one drop of sympathy for the girl whose very being was currently being gnawed away by the Aether.

"Jane," Thor said, his voice growing with concern, I was at her side in an instant, touching her sweat plastered forehead tenderly and helping to keep the Aether from taking control of her consciousness. "I'm alright," she muttered, her eyes fluttering closed and I knew that the energy the Aether was taking was too much. I almost outwardly winced when my magic brushed the Aether's force, setting up an imaginary border to ward off the otherworldly power that lurked in her veins.

"Lyra?" Thor asked, the question an obvious one.

"Not doing so good, she doesn't have long. Whatever plan you have needs to be sped along Thor, or else there will be no Jane to save," I said, not taking my eyes from the human that was shifting uncomfortably, her eyes clenched close and face scrunched up in anguish. I heard Thor's distressed mumble, and then he sighed loudly. "Well then, guess we hurry this along then," he jerked the ship violently to the side suddenly, making me yell in surprise and latch onto Jane's arm to keep her from skidding away from me. She groaned again and tried to shift away from me to get comfortable but I pulled her back a little. "You mustn't move, Jane, or the process will be painful," I told her, she nods wearily and obliges.

"Now they're following us," Loki grunts, looking backward at the aerial legion that we're gaining up on us. "Now they're firing at us!"

"Thank you for the commentary, Loki, it's not at all distracting!" Thor growls, continuing to dodge the bright orange rays that launch at us from the blasters that we places at the edge of the Asgardian ships. Thor made a sharp turn away from one of the rays, the wing of the somewhat damaged Svartf ship crashing through a large statue of King Bor, I cringe at the sight of the concrete head tumbling from the statue of falling uselessly to the ground below.

"Congratulations, you just decapitated your grandfather," Loki said with a sarcastic drawl in his tone. Thor shot him a glare before quickly turning his eyes back toward the outside.

"You know, this is just wonderful. This is a tremendous idea! Steal the biggest, most obvious ship in the entire universe and escape, smashing into everything in sight so everyone can see us, it's brilliant, Thor! It's truly brillia-"

Loki didn't even get to finish his chastising because Thor turned toward him, and without another word shoved him through the open hatch of the ship, his yell of surprise lost in the violent wind. A smirk grew on my lips as I stood up, grinning at Thor in understanding. "Nice one," I snorted. Thor's answering grin was all I needed to give him a mock salute, then fall backward out of the hatch and being captured into the wind.