Chapter 31 – Assembling (2)

(Eastern Europe - Republic of Kaznia – May 4th, 2012)

The strike bent her head backwards and to one side as she felt a slight stinging sensation, the abandoned warehouse she was in echoing with the sound of the blow. Nat merely rolled her head over so that she was facing her would-be interrogator, releasing a fake but believable groan of pain. She watched as the rogue General smirked in triumph as his man retreated back to his side, satisfied that the woman was cowed.

'Amateur' Was the only word that went through her head as she observed the elderly military official who had decided to try his hand at selling some very dangerous and very illegal former Soviet weaponry from their old Leviathan program which had been left in Kaznia when the Soviet Union fell and the small country gained independence. It took all her energy not to release a sigh at the sheer level of incompetence that was staring at her in the face, she was only lightly bound to the chair and the General had only brought two men with him.

"This is not how I wanted this evening to go," The General spoke in fluent Russian with his hands in his pockets, a smug look on his face whilst he stood in front of his prey. His thick eastern European accent dripped on every word as he leered at her chest.

"I know how you wanted this evening to go. Believe me, this is better" Nat responded in perfect Russian as well, her voice calm and measured as her natural accent danced through the air. It took every ounce of her considerable control to resist the urge to break free from her bounds and clobber the man.

The General's face fell slightly at her remarks but he quickly pushed it to one side and decided to get past his games and focus on the real reason he was there. "Who are you working for? Admiral Lermontov, yes?"

Nat's face remained neutral as she filed away that useful piece of information, neither she nor SHIELD had known Lermontov was part of the arms trade, the man had a decent reputation as an honest man and incorruptible, which was obviously not the case. However, her lack of response caused her interrogator's face to twitch slightly; he was obviously not used to being ignored. This forced him to signal to his man to threaten Nat, causing the large henchman that had hit her to move forward and tilt the chair she was tied to backwards, leaning over the edge of the large deep hole in the floor.

"Does he think we have to go through him, to move our cargo?" The General's voice was now haughty and defiant as if he was winning some great contest of strength with his words.

"I thought General Solohob is in charge of the export business?" Nat asked, forcing her voice to tremble in mock fear. Hoping the man would take the bait and explain the crucial link she was missing to understand the arms trafficking business in the region.

"SOLOHOB?!" The General yelled in mock disbelief as he let out a high nasally laugh, as he shook his head in disbelief. "Solohob is Luthor's poodle, a bag man, a front for someone who won't dirty his hands directly. He ships only what Luthor gives him and it goes only where Luthor wants it gone."

Nat's eyes widened slightly at the piece of information the General had just revealed to her. SHIELD knew Luthor was likely shipping weapons and tech to dangerous parties around the world but had never been able to prove it. Lex was always twelve steps ahead of them and they had never been able to find any real trace of it or who Luthor's frontman was, but if what the General was telling them was true then that was about to change.

"Your outdated information betrays you, you are working for the Americans. The famous black widow turns out to be just another pretty face." The General's words broke Nat out of her musing, returning her to her senses as he smirked down at her and made to leave to allow his men to dispose of her.

"You think I am pretty?" Nat asked with a slight smirk and a hint of flirtation in her voice hoping that the play would buy her a little more time to coax information out of the idiot in front of her.

However, it did not as the General just gave her a quick leering look up and down before sighing and nodding to his men. At the signal, the one nearest to her grabbed her head and forced her mouth open, his thick calloused hands threatening to break her jaw. The other one moved over to a workbench and picked up a pair of tongs and a rusted bone saw.

"You can tell the Americans that they shouldn't stick their nose into affairs not their own." The General gave a small smirk before he slipped into English as his man moved over with the pair of tongs and the bone saw. "You might have to write it down."

However, as the henchman moved in to mutilate her mouth, a sound reverberated throughout the room causing everyone to pause. The sound in question was the chorus of I Want it That Way by the Backstreet Boys and it was coming from the pocket of one of the thugs holding Nat down. The General paused and just raised his eyebrows, looking at his man with disbelief as the ill-timed music continued.

"YOU WANNA GEHA THA?" Nat asked, her words slightly distorted due to one of the men pressing her jaw opened as she looked at the man in question.

"Alexi, really? I told you to turn your phone off when we are on business." The General let out a disappointed sigh as he just shook his head at the man, raising his hands in disbelief as the moment of omninus terror was ruined.

"Sorry boss, it will take two seconds," Alexi said as he let go of Nat for a moment so that he could fish his phone out of his pocket. He turned apologetically to her as if he was inconveniencing her as much as his boss. "I am so sorry about this."

"DON WORRI ABOT IT" Nat responded giving him as much as of a smile as she could manage with a hand pressed around her jaw.

"Thank you." Alexi responded, causing both his partner and his Boss to shake their heads at his actions as the man then answered his phone, turning back to his native Russian. "Privet…. eto Aleksi,… da general ona i chernaya vdova tozhe"

Alexi then turned and offered the phone to the General with a confused look on his face, which was reflected by the hesitation in his voice. "Uh, sir it's for her?"

"What?! Give that here!" The General exclaimed as he moved over to Alexi and snatched the phone out of the man's hands. "Idiot! You listen carefully now or -"

His words suddenly stopped as a clear calm controlled-sounding voice that Nat knew well spoke from the phone. "You are at 1-14 Silensky Plaza. 3rd Floor. We have an F-22 exactly eight miles out. Put the woman on the phone or I blow the block up before you can make the stairs."

The General's face that was previously full of bravado and smugness went suddenly pale as he moved over to Nat, his hand trembling slightly. He placed the phone on her shoulder so that she could press it to her ear and talk without assistance while he also signalled for his man to let go of her, causing her to rotate her jaw slightly before speaking.

"We need you to come in." Coulson's voice sounded next to Nat's ear now that the phone was securely nestled between her shoulder and head.

"What? Are you kidding me, I'm working." Nat spoke, her speech losing her natural accent and returning to an American one now filled with exasperation and annoyance.

"This takes precedence," Coulson replied coolly, his voice in its usual neutral tone.

"I know this is a punishment for dropping the ball with Kal. BUT I'm in the middle of an interrogation and this moron is giving me everything." Nat responded with even more annoyance at her work being interrupted. "I might even have a line on Luthor's front man in the Eastern Bloc."

"I don't….give everything…. Do I?" The General spoke, trying to reassure himself as he looked at his men. Both of whom merely responded with faces and slight shaking of their hands indicating that they believed he was a little.

Nat just rolled her eyes and gave her own little shake of her head at the man before returning to her phone call. "Look, you can't pull me out of this right now."

"Natasha" The use of her first name caused her to freeze a little. Coulson only used her name when things were seriously bad. "Barton's been compromised."

Nat's face went from a playful annoyance to an icy glare as she felt the warmth leave her body at Coulson's words and felt her knuckles go white as she turned her hands into fists. "Let me put you on hold."

Nat gave a gesture for the General to take the phone which he did but as he moved in she made her move to lift her unsecured feet to kick him straight in the chest. With a flick of the wrist, her bonds snapped and she made her move towards his men. What followed next was twenty seconds of graceful almost artistic movement on Nat's part and searing pain on the part of her captors.

Coulson merely kept the line open as he listened to the series of grunts, groans and the sound of breaking bones coming out the other end of the phone. He waited for a few moments then brought up his watch up to look at the time and kept it there to see how long it would take Romanoff to get back to him.

It finished with Nat having disarmed the one named Alexi and pointing the barrel of his gun to his head, however instead of pulling the trigger she asked him a question. "So you're a Backstreet fan?"

"It's more my wife, I'm more into Jazz myself," Alexi responded a bit hesitantly as he looked up at the now free Black Widow and nursed the hand that she had broken taking his weapon off of him.

"Fair enough, I personally like Folk Rock," Nat stated with a smile on her face as she remembered her sister Yelena's love of Don McLean.

However, before Alexi could respond, his world went black as Nat pistol-whipped him across the face causing a slight spurt of blood and knocking two teeth out. Nat then cracked her neck slightly and rolled her shoulders alleviating the tension the brief burst of graceful acrobatics had just brought on. She moved over to the General who was still lying from where she had initially kicked him to the floor and stepped on his stomach hard as she walked over him to retrieve the phone. A slight groan escaped his lips indicating that, fortunately, he was still alive so that Nat could possibly come back to retrieve the rest of the information.

"49 seconds, getting a little slower there," Coulson stated neutrally over the phone as he lowered his watch and heard Nat's breathing return over the phone.

"Where is Barton now?" Nat immediately asked, ignoring the very subtle attempt to inject a little humour into the difficult topic at hand.

"We don't know." Barton sighed, staring at a screen that currently showed their leads on their two assailants, Barton and Doctor Selvig. It was currently blank aside for a few pending assignments to come in but none of them was anything hopeful.

"But he's alive…right?" Nat asked, pausing as she walked through the building she was in, suddenly worried that this call was to ask her to deliver the news to Laura. She had promised Clint years ago in case the worse happened, that she would honour his wish to be the one to tell his wife so that they both had someone there to mourn.

"We think so" Coulson sighed as he paused, suddenly feeling a decade older. "…..honestly, it's all a mess right now, I'll brief you on everything when you get back. It's pretty bad, Nat. But first, Fury is putting the call out, we need you to talk to the big guy."

"You want me to get Kal?" Nat asked with surprise in her voice, although she was good she wasn't sure she was the best person to bring in Kal. She would have said Barton due to the months they spent together, but with Clint MIA, she supposed that was out the window.

The line went silent for a few moments and Nat could almost feel Coulson uncharacteristically cringe at the question "…..No, Kal is off the table for the moment,….. Fury's orders, I'll explain once you're back."

It was Nat's turn to go silent for a few moments at the shocking news that Fury was calling in the Initiative without the flying Asgardian. She knew the god was on Fury's shortlist, she was pretty sure he was at the top actually, and she knew that despite Kal's recent actions the two were good friends, if a little distant. So for Kal to be out, it could only mean one thing, Fury couldn't trust him to be part of the team as it might be aimed at him for some reason.

"Nat, are you still there?" Coulson asked after she didn't break the silence for a few minutes, worried that the connection had been lost.

"I'm still here, so you want me to get Stark?" The spy asked to calm the worry that was in her chest as she tried to remain professional, as she suddenly felt like the world was shifting beneath her feet.

"Oh, I've got Stark. You get the other big guy." Coulson explained a slight chuckle entering his voice as he gave Nat her assignment.

The worry that Nat had just dispelled was suddenly replaced with trepidation as she felt her body tense at the assignment she had been given. The line went quiet for a few moments as she let out a heavy breath and swore in her native tongue.

"….nu der'mo"

(Royal Palace of Valaskjalf – Asgard – May 2nd2012)

The palace was quiet, silence hung over every corridor and every doorway even when it was bustling with activity, there was a sombre mood by which people moved. It was like the world still existed with all its wonderful array of vibrant magnificent colours but they were now dulled and muted as if an invisible spectre that haunted everyone was turning the world dull and grey by simply removing the mere essence of happiness.

The silence at times was almost unbearable for Thor who reflected on the tone that had settled in for more than a year, ever since…. He had lost them.

For to Thor's mind, it was he who had lost the greatest sources of Asgard's joy. It was his arrogance and looming shadow that cast Loki into the dark depths of loathing and envy, forcing the once-spirited playful prince of Asgard to become something dark and twisted until not even his brothers recognised what had stood before them. It was also his neglect and sense of entitlement that had shouldered Kal with burdens that should have never been his or at least shared, causing the once bright shining promise-filled prince to become muted and restrained, mired in duty and responsibility and now lost to the depths of the cosmos because Thor was not strong enough to prevent what he had caused.

Thor released a great sigh as he looked around the throne room. It was filled to the brim with people making requests as his father was taking petitions today whilst seated on Hlidskjalf, rigid as ever. However, his gaze did not linger on his father long instead it swept over to his mother who was seated off to one side, again it did not linger long. His mother was dressed in dark sombre mourning clothes, which she had not removed since Loki had fallen from his grasp a year prior, she also clutched a small portrait in her hands. It was of him, Loki, and Kal when they were still children playing in the garden, Thor remembered that day fondly because it was one of the last times the sons of Odin had been together and not been in an argument or a fight.

His gaze quickly moved on however as the portrait and his mother merely reminded him that Loki was dead while Kal was lost to Midgard. With the Bifrost destroyed the only way to bring his brother Home was via dark magic, and although would have braved any risk to bring Kal home, his parents had stated that the danger was far too great. Dark magic was not to be trifled with even at the best of times, and simply put unless Kal was in danger, his parent did not want to risk pulling Kal across the cosmos with the bonds of space as broken as they were.

"Thor, are you okay?" Sif's voice suddenly sounded next to him startling the god of thunder who had been so lost in his own world that he had failed to register his oldest friend's arrival.

"Of course." Thor gave Sif his usual charming smile, however in recent months he had found that it had become less effective.

Sif's eyes instead of becoming joyful as they once did any time he paid her attention suddenly became slightly saddened as they looked at Thor with concern. She didn't say anything, but then Sif and Thor had never needed words to convey their feelings to each other, as she placed a comforting hand on his arm. The small action caused Thor to release a small sigh and pat his old friend's hand giving her a grateful nod at the same time.

He was about to speak to Sif when suddenly a large commotion occurred in the hall causing Thor as well as everyone else's attention to turn to the tall figure pushing his way through the crowd. There was no mistaking the imposing figure of Heimdall the All-Seeing, whose powerful strides caused the crowd before him to part. The commotion that was being generated was less him cutting through the crowd but rather that the great Gatekeeper of Asgard had left his post and was approaching the King in the middle of an event.

As far back as Thor could remember he had never once seen the Bifrost Guardian actually come to attend to the King in person, or really leave his post. Heimdall was one of the few people on Asgard that Odin went to see rather than calling them to him. As Thor caught a glimpse of General Tyr and his mother's face it was clear he was not the only one failing to recall Heimdall appearing in such a manner.

"My King forgive my disturbance of these proceedings, but I must speak to you." Heimdall's voice was solemn and grave as he took a knee before the grand throne of Asgard.

However, the act of deference lost much in Thor's eye by the fact that even kneeling Heimdall was still taller than the commoner that he had interrupted who was petitioning his father. Odin with a raise of his hand caused the commotion and murmuring at Heimdall's arrival to cease. Silencing the hall so effectively that Thor thought for a moment that his father had cast a spell on the hall robbing it of sound.

Thor watched with tentative eyes as his father gestured with the same hand with which he had silenced the crowd for the Gatekeeper of Asgard to approach. Heimdall rose to his feet and quickly ascended the steps before the Throne, his long legs allowing him to take them nearly 5 at a time with ease. The hall somehow grew even quieter as Heimdall leant in towards the Allfather to whisper his reported news, as everyone including Thor moved closer to try in vain to listen to what was being discussed.

A few moments passed before Odin's impassive face suddenly became animated as his eyes widened and stared up at Heimdall, a questioning disbelieving expression on his face. The great Gatekeeper's only response to his King's questioning gaze was a single solemn nod which confirmed that what Odin had just heard was indeed true. The reaction was immediate; he raised Gungnir and struck his great spear on the ground once, the loud thundering ring that followed was a clear signal that everyone recognised.

The common folk of Asgard that had gathered to speak to their King immediately began to file out of the hall along with the lesser nobility. Thor waited for a few moments as he watched the greater Nobility of Asgard, the likes of Sif's father Ullr and Lady Sigyn's Parents, who lingered until Odin gave them a dismissive nod. It was clear that Odin wanted to be alone with Heimdall to discuss something, Thor was about to leave when he suddenly saw a pained expression on his father's face as he took a quick glance at him.

Thor moved forward to speak to his father but found himself suddenly stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder. As he turned, he was surprised to see that it belonged to his mother who had somehow managed to cross the room in the commotion without him or anyone else noticing. As he looked at his mother, the pain in his chest only intensified, the mourning colours were not the only sombre aspect of her in recent years. It was her eyes that always brought him the most pain, where once they were filled with joy and life, they now seemed tired, distant and simply sad.

"Mother you should be resting," Thor spoke softly as he turned, almost ready to cradle his mother as if she could collapse at any moment. Frigga was often in her rooms these days and attended to few duties, not that anyone could blame her given her recent losses.

"Such a good boy to still worry about your mother," Frigga replied, giving her eldest a slight pat on the shoulder as she looked at him. "Don't worry, go and enjoy the day. I will see what news Heimdall has brought."

Thor merely looked unsure as he first glanced at his mother, then at Heimdall and Odin who were already clearly in deep talks about something urgent. "Mother I really should -"

"Go, enjoy the rest of the day," Frigga said, her voice soft as she released a sigh whilst looking at her son with her sad eyes. "Please Thor, trust me to conduct this matter."

That defeated Thor, ever since the incident that had robbed them of both his brothers everyone including him had treated his mother like she would break. Thor looked at her and saw some spark of his once fiery mother present and desperate to break free from the gloom threatening to envelop her. He merely gave a broad smile that he truly did not feel and with a nod of his head as he departed the hall.

In truth he did not get far, he went to one of the only few places he ever went when he had free time these days which was incredibly rare. The royal training yard however, whereas before Thor would batter the training dummies or beat some novice Einherjar senseless, was now a place he came to sit and think.

His mind wandered to a time not too far removed but which grew more distant each day as he stared at a bench on one of the far court walls, placed in front of low ledges next to a corridor that allowed passers-by to look at the training that could occur. His mind conjured images of his brothers and their friends lounging in the sun, chatting idly and making merry without a care in the world. How Thor longed for those phantom images to be real once again and his own presence to be a mirage, conjured up by some depressed soul.

His mind took even more sombre turns as he thought of the growing distance between him and those memories. True, his brother Kal was still alive, and by Heimdall's reports thriving on Midgard, but until they figured out how to fix what had been destroyed by his hand, his brother was lost. Whilst Loki …. Thor's mind paused there as the last image of his pained brother's face took hold of his mind …... whilst Loki was lost. The thought that now ruled him was one that he had once imagined briefly with Jane before his friends had arrived to take him home, and his mortal love was now lost to him.

It was of the future, namely a small girl with his golden locks, high cheekbones and Jane's inquisitive brown eyes. He had once feared that if such a child existed how could he explain the world of Asgard to her and the uncles she would never meet because of his actions. Now, however, he feared how he would explain how one uncle was lost for eternity due to her own father, and that another lay stranded on a distant world. Even if they recovered Kal and enabled travel between the realms, Thor doubted Kal would forgive him. No, Kal like Thor himself would blame him for the death of their brother.

Thor was not sure how much time had passed before the royal Einherjar guard in his golden glowing armour arrived, summoning him to attend to his father. Thor was swift to go to his father's side fearing the worst that the enemies of Asgard which had already started to prey on their isolated state were now beginning to move in earnest. Thor just prayed to the Allfathers that Midgard and Jane would be spared and if not that his brother's strength was enough to protect the people of the mortal realm.

(Several Hours Later – Thor's bedchambers)

Thor was standing in his room now as he donned his armour, discarding the regal robes of a prince of Asgard for the cold Uru plates of a warrior of the Realm Eternal. As his hand instinctively moved to place the armour on as he had done over a hundred thousand times before, his mind returned to the meeting he had just had with his parents and Heimdall. All of it seemed so impossible, Loki alive on Midgard, the Tesseract, the one thing they needed to restore the Bifrost in his possession, it all seemed too good to be true.

It is. He reminded himself recalling the less-than-ideal news that Loki's survival and presence on Midgard were due to the fact that his brother was now serving darker forces than his own mad ambition. Heimdall's great sight combined with Odin's own had revealed that Loki's possession of the Tesseract was part of a bargain: the Cosmic Cube for an army, a very big and dangerous one.

The Chitauri, Thor knew of the name by reputation only and even then it was mostly rumour and soldiers' gossip, tales shared between warriors looking to scare the other. The tales were of a hybrid race mutated and built to fight in a war long since forgotten in the annals of the cosmos, who now served a dark master. The tales also said they roamed from planet to planet taking what they needed and slaughtering half the population at the whim of their foul and elusive master.

However, none of that concerned him, nor was he concerned about a black armoured figure that had appeared with Loki that his father had warned him not to fight under any circumstances, stating to leave the man to Kal if it came to a fight. Thor was confident that he would be able to find Loki and bring him home before they needed to worry about armies or black armoured men. No, the prince knew what he was going to do, head straight to Midgard, reconnect with Kal, find Loki, convince his brother to come home and all would be right again.

There was nonetheless a grim cynical part of Thor that wanted to scoff at all these plans and decrees Odin was making of bringing Kal and Loki back. A darker part of his mind that almost sounded like Loki laughed and spoke to him telling him what he really thought Odin cared about.

'No, what father cares about is the Tesseract and that it can allow Asgard to reclaim its precious position as the main power in the cosmos' The voice snidely remarked and for a moment Thor could swear he could see Loki's reflection staring back at him from a piece of armour he was putting on. 'Oh they won't use dark magic to bring Kal home, but a chance to get an infinity stone?Nothing is too dangerous for that.'

Thor shook his head dismissing the dangerous dark murmuring before it could spread its doubts and poisons further. He knew his father was not perfect and that part of the reason he was going now was for the Tesseract, that couldn't be denied, but it was also because he needed to get his brothers back. He could listen to that inner voice and the doubts it tried to spin but he would never let it control him, for that had been Loki's downfall.

As he moved to put on the last piece of his armour, he heard his bedroom door open and turned to find his mother striding in towards him. Despite her still wearing mourning clothes she looked better, more herself, and there was true life once again in her eyes as she stood tall again with purpose. Thor was pleased to see that merely the news of Loki's survival had restored her, and he could not imagine what bringing his brothers home would do.

"You must bring them home." His mother spoke before Thor could say a word. Her voice again was normal, no longer soft and detached with sadness. No, it was forceful, strong and proud, truly the voice of the witch queen of Asgard.

"I shall, mother," Thor stated with confidence standing taller as he felt pride rising in his chest. "Once I have the Tesseract in hand -"

"TO HELLHIEM WITH THE TESSERACT." Frigga suddenly snapped causing Thor's eyes to widen, he had never heard his mother be so dismissive or blunt before. "I do not care about that bloody bauble. You, Kal, and Loki returning is all that matters."

"Mother, I will need the Tesseract to travel back to Asgard," Thor spoke softly fearing that his mother's state of mind was not sound, perhaps he had been too quick to think her fully restored.

Frigga merely dismissed the statement with a wave of her hand as if it was merely an insect to be swatted to one side.

"Nonsense, do not let your father mislead you, there are more ways to travel the branches of Yggdrasil." Frigga's voice grew darker as she spoke and Thor saw a shadowy glimmer in her eye that reminded him that his mother had once held a sinister reputation in the cosmos, and how the title Witch Queen had been well earned.

Thor looked at his mother and understood what she was saying, Asgardian dark magic was a key to many doors and abilities that even some of the most proficient dark magic users considered to be unnatural. As he looked at her, he knew what she wanted, she was a mother longing for all her children to be by her side once again. The loss of Loki and Kal was nearly too much for her once and she would not, could not bear it again, so like any mother she would pay any price to see them restored.

"Promise me, my son," Frigga stated as she moved forward and pressed something long and heavy into her son's hands. As Thor looked down, he saw Gram, the sword of his brother still in its scabbard placed in his hands. Even sheathed. Thor could feel the heat radiating from the blade. "Promise me that you will bring them home."

"…. I swear to you I will."

(Fortress of Solitude – Arctic Circle – May 3rd, 2012)

Kal was staring at the console before him, his hand becoming a fist as the result came back negative again, two days since he had seen Loki and he had found nothing. No trace, so sign, no indication that his brother was even on Midgard, but every fibre of his being told him that Loki was still here. Kal had spent the last two days crisscrossing the world trying to find any trace of Loki, he had even clandestinely returned to the site of Loki's arrival. He had found nothing but a demolished structure and SHIELD agents combing through the ruins.

The only thing of note that he had found was a slight residual cosmic signature that the Fortress's computers had determined belonged to the Infinity Space Stone, which is what had caused his return to the sanctuary. Kal had come to only one conclusion: that SHIELD had possessed the Stone and in their infantile stupidity as a species had attempted to use it. It was that attempt that Kal was certain his father's AI had detected since his arrival and what was also certain was that it had brought Loki and the mysterious figure in black to Midgard.

"You seem tired, my son." The image of Jor-El appeared next to his son as Kal rubbed his eyes, the exhaustion a result of a failure to find anything rather than any actual tiredness on his part.

"I am more frustrated than tired." He let out a deep sigh running his hand through his hair as he stood staring at the console that was not aiding him in any way. As he turned to face his father his eyes lingered on their family crest that was emblazoned on Jor-El's suit, a new idea forming in his mind.

"What is it, my son?" Jor-El asked as he noticed his son's unblinking staring at the mark of the House of El.

"On Krypton, did everyone bear their family crest as you do?" Kal asked, his eyes moving to his father's.

"Yes, it was the cultural marker of our people. Family, lineage, and bloodlines were sacred on Krypton. If one belonged to a house such as ours, they would proudly display its symbol." Jor-El explained gesturing to the emblem on both their chests.

"I have encountered someone with my powers who bears their heraldry on their chest like us." Kal's explanation caused the images of Jor-El's eyes to widen with shock.

"Another survivor?" Jor-El whispered in disbelief, as his mind raced with a possibility he never had considered. "Can you show me what their crest looked like?"

Kal nodded in confirmation, he placed his hand on the console in front of them and summoned the image of the crest he had seen in his mind to appear. As he opened his eyes, he was pleased to see that the image on the screen was perfectly accurate, however, his joy at using the console right for once disappeared as he saw his father's face. Although only a facsimile of a person, the image of Jor-El had gone deathly pale.

"Father?" Kal asked in alarm, he had never seen the simulation of his biological father react in such a way and was worried that the program may have broken.

"You are sure this is the image that you saw?" Jor-El pressed as he stared at the screen for a few moments before looking over his son to confirm whatever fears he was having.

Kal merely nodded, which caused a grimace to appear on Jor-El's face as he stared at the crest once more. "Father, what is it?"

"That my son is the crest of the House of Zod. The last man to wear it was General Dru-Zod, Krypton's Supreme Military Commander"

"You mentioned him before you said that he was your best friend and that he attempted a coup before Krypton was destroyed," Kal recalled the name from when he had first activated the image of Jor-El and the small anecdote that Jor-El had told about himself meeting Lara.

"Dru-Zod was a great man, who believed he could save our world, he was also my best friend, and…." Jor-El trailed off for a few moments before he released a deep sigh. "… and the man that murdered me."

Kal was silent for a few moments as he too stared at the crest and the implications it now resulted in. He was possibly not the last Kryptonian, however, the only other living member of his race was the killer of his father. "You said he was your best friend, so why did he kill you?"

"Zod was one of the only ones apart from your mother to believe my warnings that Krypton was doomed, he supported me when I stood before the Council but even with his support they would not listen." Jor-El turned sombre as told his son about his relationship with his murderer. "When this became clear, and I could not save our people, I made moves to ensure your survival as through you Krypton would survive. However, Zod made his own moves. He planned his coup to overthrow the Council and seize power, he believed that he could save our world."

"Could he?" Kal asked tentatively, he could guess where the story was going. Jor-El evidently had not supported the coup and Krypton had been destroyed. He was hesitant to ask the question as he feared that his father was potentially the villain in someone else's story.

Jor-El merely shook his head with a pensive and regretful look on his face. "No, by the time Zod tried to seize power it was too late, the core had destabilised and the end was inevitable. All I could do was to save you, … and ensure that the Codex survived with you."

"The codex? What codex?" Kal asked his eyes widening as he could see that Jor-El had been keeping something from him that he was now being forced to share.

"It was the reason Zod killed me. When I refused to join him, I took the Registry of Citizens Codex, Krypton's most sacred and important artefact, to keep it out of his hands. The codex contained the genetic codes for every Kryptonian, with it one has a map of the Kryptonian genome and can recreate our race in its entirety." Jor-El spoke hesitantly, obviously revealing something that he had not yet been planning to share with Kal but feeling that he needed to. "Zod came looking for it, and believed that I hid the codex in the pod that saved you from the fate of our world."

"So, the codex can be used to create more Kryptonians? That's why you needed me to find a scout ship for the genesis chamber, so that I could rebuild our people?" Kal asked his mind overwhelmed as he realised the implications of the Codex, Kal wasn't just the sole survivor of his people he was meant to be his people's saviour.

"Yes, I did not want to burden you with that task until you were ready and knew everything about your origins. When you were, I would have revealed that the choice to restore our people was in your hands and that Krypton could rise again if you deemed us worthy. I am sorry my son, but if Zod is here he will be here for the Codex." Jor-El's voice suddenly became incredibly grave and looked more serious than Kal had ever seen him before. "That cannot happen. If Zod takes control of the Codex and this fortress then he will breed an army of Kryptonians raised with his values. Heis a soldier to his core, it' is what he was created for and the only thing he knows is the strength and glory of Krypton."

"So, I'm guessing he will kill everyone he deems lesser than him in order to rebuild it all." Kal finished Jor-El's statement, knowing full well the type of man Zod was, having seen the tyranny of the cosmos firsthand.

"Yes, Zod is a product of the failures of our world. He only understands violence and strength, he is a true zealot, there is nothing he will not do to keep Krypton safe or restore it, including killing me when he thought I was in his way." Jor-El confirmed Kal's worst fears as he spoke of his old friend with clear regret.

"Well, it's a good thing that my pod and the codex are on Asgard and well out of his reach." Kal sighed as he absorbed the information that had been provided to him.

He was by no means okay with all of it, especially since Jor-El had been hiding the fact that he was also supposed to someday resurrect his dead people. However, Loki and this Zod took precedence for now, as with them in possession of the Tesseract there was no telling the danger this world was in. Seeing that he had confirmed his suspicions about the black armoured figure being a Kryptonian he was about to ask his father if the ship could track Kryptonian life signs. He was stopped though by the look on Jor-El's face.

"What is it?" Kal demanded as Jor-El looked apprehensive, as if there was something that Kal had just said that was cause for concern.

"The codex is not in the pod in which I sent you to Asgard, Zod only believed it was," Jor-El stated, releasing a deep sigh as he spoke, his voice clearly uncomfortable.

"So the codex was destroyed?" Kal asked in confusion

"No, I had no idea if the Asgardians would keep the Codex or merely destroy it. So instead I and your mother hid it within …... you." Jor-El gestured to Kal as he spoke emphasising his point.

"In me?" Kal asked, his eyes going wide.

"Yes, within you. Deep within your genetic structure and genome is the Codex, it was the only way I could ensure that it could never be taken from you as now the two of you are one." Jor-El spoke softly and slowly, understanding the gravity of what he was telling his son, wishing that he had had more time to prepare before telling Kal all this. "Within you lies the potential for the ancient people of Krypton to rise again."

Kal was silent for a few moments as he proceeded with another piece of information that was shifting his understanding of his place in the universe. Silence fell as he returned his attention to the screen that still showed the crest of the House of Zod. Staring at the image for a few seconds Kal released a deep breath as his face became one of determination again.

"Is this Fortress able to track Zod, his suit or any Kryptonian life signs?" Kal asked his voice all business as he focused on the matter at hand, namely finding Loki, he could worry about the rest later.

"I will set the scanners to search for Kryptonian lifesigns and technology. However, I fear if your goal is to find him you will not have to wait long." Jor-El spoke as he waved his hand at the console, setting it up to search for any trace of Zod.

"Why?" Kal asked, his brows raised at his father's words.

"Zod was never one to wait in the shadows, and you are the only other Kryptonian left. He will seek you out first to try to persuade you to his side and will only try to kill you when you refuse him." Jor-El said as he returned his attention to Kal.

"Can he be bargained with?" Kal asked, hoping that the matrix of his father could reveal anything more about his fellow survivor.

"I do not know. Over a thousand years has passed, the Zod I knew would do anything for Krypton, it was his purpose. I have no idea what a millenium without that purpose might have changed him into." Jor-El for the first time since Kal had activated the matrix of his father looked unsure and truly had no idea what might have become of his planet'sgreatest general.

"I think perhaps we should -" Kal stopped himself as his head snapped towards the direction of the entrance of the fortress just as an alarm went off.

"WARNING ENERGY SURGE DETECTED OUTSIDE MAIN ENTRANCE" The Fortress's automated voice sounded out in the room as a loud shrill alarm went off.

Before Jor-EL could speak Kal was already moving and pushing open the door of his fortress, he moved forward and hovered in the air above the disturbance. A small pocket of air in front of the main door appeared to have turned to glass, it was shattering and collapsing in on itself in an endless loop. Kal recognised the effect as he had once been on the other end of it, it was a portal created from Asgardian dark magic.

Kal braced himself for the worst not knowing what to expect when suddenly the strange shattering glass effect convulsed violently and the area exploded in a bright aura of light. Even Kal with his senses had to shield his eyes but as he lowered his hand, he suddenly felt something fly into it that he had not felt in some time. As he looked down he saw his sword Gram firmly in his grasp, it glowed slightly and if Kal didn't know better thought that it maybe was happy to see him.

"Well, that was unpleasant, I am not doing that again." Kal lifted his head from looking at Gram and saw a figure he feared he would never see again.

"Thor?" Kal asked hesitantly fearing that it was merely an illusion or some trick.

However, as soon as the figure whirled around, he knew it was really his brother. Giving Kal a broad smile and rushing over to him grasping Kal in a bear hug he couldn't prevent, Thor lifted Kal off the ground as if they were children again.

"Brother! I have missed you!" Thor roared with happiness as he looked at Kal with clear affection.