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thebibliomancer · 3 months

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Essential Avengers: Avengers West Coast #51: I SING OF ARMS AND HEROES...

November, 1989

Guess who's BACK... and guess who aren't too sure they're HAPPY about it...

Well, Hank and Jan don't look too happy about it. Neither does US Agent. Lookit him frown, the gwumpy pumpkin. Wonder Man looks like he has dull surprise going on. I cannot fathom Robot Human Torch's expression. The man would do great at poker. Wanda looks like she's offended. That's a "how dare?!" expression if I've seen one. And Vision looks like he's staring directly at the sun and isn't sure why people keep screaming at him to stop.

So my guess is that Hank, Jan, John, and Wanda aren't happy about it and the others may or may not be happy about it.

They might have been more pleased to see Iron Man if he hadn't just flown through a perfectly good wall for no reason.

Last times in Avengers West Coast: Iron Man left the West Coast Avengers because of the Armor Wars arc in his own book. Wow, that was a while ago.

At the end of Armor Wars, Iron Man faked his own death by letting the government blow up an armor full of blood. When more Iron Manning was needed, Tony Stark just built a new suit and claimed he'd hired a new bodyguard/superhero.

And now, all these issues later, he's back to rejoin the Avengers because he's become more dependent on his armor due to stuff happening in his solo. He figures more time stuck in the armor, might as well be putting it to good use.

Also happening, Wanda has had the worst fucking period of her life (so far). Her husband got disassembled by the government, her teammates don't seem to care, her children keep blinking in and out of existence whenever she's not paying attention, evil bacteria shoved her full of goo until she became a mutant supremacist, the robot Human Torch came back to life to take the hottest robot on the team role from Vision. Just a lot going on!

I sure did talk about Wanda a lot in this issue featuring Iron Man.

Anyway.

Iron Man.

What a shiny guy he is.

Yeah. The Avengers (West Coast) aren't thrilled to see Iron Man.

Because: who even is this Iron Man?

US Agent John Walker is not privy to all the details of Iron Man's identity. But he does know that the original Iron Man was supposedly killed and a new guy took over.

Original Iron Man may have been a founder of the Avengers but New Iron Man is just Some Guy. Some Guy who can fuck off if he thinks he gets to swan in and get automatically put on the team.

Iron Man understands that he doesn't get any special consideration and says he's willing to go through whatever initiation process the Avengers consider necessary.

US Agent is a big company man so even though he's maybe the leader of the Avengers possibly? (he's done literally zero leading and nearly zero interacting with the team), he storms off to go call his handlers in Washington so they can tell him what to do.

With him gone, that just leaves Hank, Wasp, and Wonder Man who all know that Tony Stark is Iron Man. Or was. They know that at certain points, Tony Stark has been Iron Man.

(Way to just spill the beans in front of an Iron Man that you don't know whether he's Tony or not, guys)

So they ask Iron Man straight up if he's Tony.

For some reason that would probably make sense if I was reading Iron Man, Iron Man apologizes and says he can't say.

I do want to read olde Iron Man. One of these days, I want to dig into that backlog. He's one of the prominent Marvel characters I haven't read significant material from pre-2000.

Anyway.

On the other side of the compound, Scarlet Wanda and Vision.

Wanda is in a mood. Because she's been in a mood Byrne's whole run because shit keeps happening to her. Possibly goo related shit.

Vision: "It surprises me that you did not wish to stay for the meeting with Iron man, my wife. I am curious as to your reason..." Scarlet Witch: "Please, Vision... I know you're programmed to use words like 'surprised' and 'curious,' but I wish you wouldn't. It only emphasizes how much more robotic you've become." Vision: "My apologies, Wanda. It was my impression you wished me to sound as human as possible." Scarlet Witch: "Human? Why would I wish that, husband? Why would any mutant worthy of the name wish to associate herself with humans?" Vision: "And yet... you are a mutant, and for years, you have gladly associated with the Avengers -- most of whom are human." Scarlet Witch: "A passing weakness, Vision."

Okay. Seriously. Did nobody think to de-gooify her after that Absolom University adventure? Give her a medical check or anything?

I'm getting a little perturbed with how little a shit this era of the West Coast Avengers seem to give about each other.

Nobody noticed Tigra was going nuts. Nobody bothered to do anything as Wanda has clearly been emotionally spiraling. Wasp decides to help Wonder Man undermine Wanda's marriage.

You all suck.

Wanda is behaving like a jerk now but at least we know external factors contributed. The rest of you just suck.

Anyway, Wanda and Vision reach their quarters and find Agatha Harkness waiting for them there.

Hi, Agatha.

Are you the Agatha that does horrible shit to Wanda to teach her something or the Agatha that's helpful without being traumatizing?

I feel like Wanda is a couple pieces of straw from just breaking so maybe considering the latter approach today.

Also, maybe consider calling ahead.

The last time Wanda and Vision saw Agatha, in the second Vision and the Scarlet Witch series, Agatha was burned at the stake.

She tells them that being burned at the stake sucked but that's not what she's here to talk about.

She's here to talk about Wanda's kids.

Wanda's weirdo kids. To talk about them and to understand what precisely they are.

Scarlet Witch: "They are only children. Normal in every way!" Agatha Harkness: "Normal, Wanda? With a mother who is a mutant and a father who is a synthezoid?"

Rude.

Agatha tells Wanda that her kids are far from normal and if she hadn't been busy resurrecting herself, she would have been here sooner.

Agatha Harkness: "But you already know yourself, that when you are not thinking about them... they disappear!"

Vision asks if that's true but Wanda denies it. BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY AS A GOOD MOM SHE IS ALWAYS THINKING OF HER KIDS AT ALL TIMES 100%.

Agatha pulls the nuh uh on this. There have been recent times where she was too distracted in battle or knocked unconscious where obviously she wasn't thinking about her kids. And wee baby Thomas and William just cease to exist during those times.

Remember those times? All those times they disappeared, freaking out the governesses? Who tried to report it to Wanda and got fired for it?

Wanda refuses to listen to this. Literally putting her hands over her ears and shouting she won't hear it.

Eesh.

Agatha tells Vision that Wanda will need his strength and love more than ever and oof is she behind the times. The government took away his capacity to love! Bad timing!

Elsewhere, up in the sky, a bird, a comet, a (robot) human torch!

Jim Hammond took off when the Avengers grouped up to meet with Iron Man. He took the time to fly over the countryside for about a half hour, just get an idea of how much things have changed.

And he's amazed! To him, it looks like 400 years have passed instead of just 40.

He lands back at the Avengers West Coast Compound and lands right into some drama without even trying.

Ann Raymond saw him being all human torchy and mistakes him for Toro. And when she realizes he's Jim Hammond instead, she, of course, gets upset because for an instant she let her hopes get up and now she's been reconfronted with the fact that her husband died in an entirely stupid and unnecessary way.

And now Jim knows Toro's dead too and is also emotionally staggered by the news.

Also: demons.

Flaming fireballs! Demons!!

Robot Human Torch gets immediately slapped into the pool. A sad casualty of being the first one the demons run into.

But Ann screaming alerted the other Avengers and they assemble and start walloping demons.

Hank Pym suggests that if a bunch of demons suddenly show up to the Avengers West Coast Compound, why there's only possible explanation.

Iron Man: "You mean it's MASTER PANDEMONIUM?? But the last we saw of him, he was being swept away by the river of oblivion... deep in the realm of Mephisto!"

Hank Pym makes a mental note of Iron Man knowing about the Avengers' last encounter with Master Pandemonium. Because Tony Stark Iron Man was on the team at the time. So is this Tony or did Tony just brief New Iron Man on all his Avengers' cases?

I don't know why Tony isn't telling the Avengers he's him so I don't know how tense it should be that Hank is piecing things together.

Anyway!

US Agent comes out to yell at the commotion and he's not really alarmed by a sudden invasion of demons. It does make him punchy so he starts punching.

Robot Human Torch pulls himself out of the pool. He's soaking wet but all he has to do is FLAME ON! to boil the water away.

Then he can "show these demonic delinquents how we used to deal with their kind back in the 50's!"

Did... you deal with a lot of demons in the 50's specifically?

Wasp takes note that the demons don't seem to be after anything and aren't really trying that hard to kill the Avengers. So why are they here?

Whoops, they're a distraction.

While the Avengers are outside fighting the demons, Master Pandemonium busts into Wanda and Vision's quarters right when Wanda is about to have a nervous breakdown over everything that's happened to her over the past few weeks.

Agatha Harkness tries to ward off the demons with her witchcraft but Master Pandemonium tries belches hellfire in her face.

Gross.

Vision tries to do the intangible fisting thing he does which either works great or doesn't work at all.

Whoops, this is one of the times it doesn't work at all.

Master Pandmemonium just blasts out demons from his arms to overwhelm Vision.

Leaving only Wanda to face him, as she boasts that nothing can withstand her hex power.

Although she seems to fend him off and force him to retreat, she doesn't notice until he's gone that one of his demons snuck behind her and yoinked the children.

He drags the poor, probably innocent tots down to probably Hell.

What does he want from them?

Well, first, he wants a captive audience to recap his entire backstory.

Villains gonna villain.

He was an actor man who drunk drove himself into a bad car crash that cost him his arm. As a big Hollywood type in the 80s, he was big into the occult?? Apparently? So he called upon dark powers, promising his soul for his arm back.

Mephisto was bored and decided this would be funny so he replaced the guy's arm with demons. And then he replaced all his limbs with demons.

Mephisto's sense of humor is beyond me.

He didn't want the guy's soul so he ripped it out, broke it into five pieces, and scattered them around.

Master Pandemonium has been searching for them since, trying to become whole.

He found one with the Cat Demon People of Tigra's origin. But whatever Englehart was planning for this dude, he didn't get around to. Guy got one soul piece back and then dropped out of the plot.

So Byrne is bringing back that plot thread.

Master Pandeominum declares to these two stupid children who don't understand any of this that kidnapping them will allow him to replace his missing 4/5ths of a soul much more efficiently than all his aimless searching up until now.

Now, I know where this is going already. It is renowned, infamously.

But try to make your best guesses before I get to the end of the issue. See how close you get.

Anyway.

In the pressing urgency of some innocent children being kidnapped... the Avengers all sit down to discuss classic sitcoms.

That's a fair response, to be honest.

But here's how the conversation unfolds.

Instead of leaping into action, the Avengers sit around and quiz Agatha on how she's alive again. Even though she keeps telling them it was fucking magic and it's not going to make sense to their science brains.

Wonder Man chimes in that HE's seen Bewitched so he can vouch for Agatha's point.

So Wanda starts yelling at him for talking about television when her children are kidnapped.

Wasp tells Wanda to settle down. Clearly they're treating this with all due urgency! Since, y'know, maybe her kids are fake as shit. Maybe they've just stopped existing again like all the governesses said.

And that's when Wanda does her a slap.

Granted, her mutant supremacy is not called for but, yeah, the Avengers are all a bunch of jerks now who can't muster a bit of urgency when a demon man kidnaps some children.

Wasp isn't even hurt because of her small size. But she is concerned that Wanda said that thing the way she did about humans.

Anyone else concerned? Nobody else reacting? Okay.

Wanda begs Agatha to help her follow Master Pandemonium.

I'm surprised we didn't start with that but I've already made clear how I feel about how the team is reacting to this.

Master Pandemonium tried to hide his path but Agatha took precautions when he first arrived so she can trace him. But Wanda can't do it alone! So... will the Avengers step up to action when a witch very lightly implies that they should?

Yes. They finally get their asses in gear and jump through the swirling magic portal.

Even US Agent agrees that where Wanda goes, the Avengers go too. Which is a big team player moment from the guy who doesn't seem to realize he's leading a superhero team.

Watching from the time Limbo that isn't the demonic Limbo or the game Limbo, Immortus freaks the fuck out.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go for his vague yet menacing plan!

And he can't do anything to alter the flow of events because, I dunno, he can't touch demonic realms. So if anything happens to Wanda, he won't be able to protect her!

Dun dun dun??

I wonder what his vague yet menacing evil plan needs Wanda for?

Back at the Avengers, Hank Pym asks Jim Hammond Human Torch to stay behind to watch the Compound.

So despite making a big deal about him joining the team last issue, with WANDA BRINGING HIM BACK FROM THE DEAD, he gets to sit on his ass for the rest of this story.

What a weird writing decision.

Byrne is all over the place with all the subplots he's juggling for this book and a lot of them just get backburnered hard.

Iron Man gets to go. And he hasn't even officially (re)joined the Avengers at this point. They don't even know if they can trust him because he won't admit to being Tony Stark to his closest friends, for some reason.

The Avengers and Iron Man arrive in a seemingly peaceful fairy tale glade but Agatha's floating head warns them not to trust it.

And the very scenery attacks them a few panels later so. Yeah. Floating Head Agatha called it.

In the distance, past all the killer foliage, Wasp spots a building made of twisted agony.

The Avengers fight their way through the angry vegetation and Scarlet Witch blows open the twisted agony fortress front door with her probability manipulation.

But they find that Master Pandemonium is ready for them. Waiting for them.

And he's done the dumbest thing possible.

He's attached Billy and Tommy to his arms so now he has literal baby hands.

It's horrifying.

It's also the dumbest thing possible.

He's so proud of himself for thinking of this.

Was this where you would have guessed him kidnapping some babies was going to go?

Also, jamming babies onto his arms seems to have filled in two points on the star shaped hole in his tum tum.

I used to like what a silly concept Master Pandemonium's entire deal was. But he's ruined it by going even dumber.

For shame, everything that went into making, publishing, and printing this comic book. For shame. You took a perfectly goofy villain and you ruined him.

Follow @essential-avengers and maybe like or reblog. I appreciate being appreciated.

#avengers #essential avengers #west coast avengers #Master Pandemonium #US Agent #Wonder Man #the Wasp #hank pym #dr pym #Scarlet Witch #the Vision #robot Human Torch #Iron Man #Agatha Harkness #Immortus #for some damn reason #this ends on a really dumb note

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stewardofningishzida · 7 months

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Stephen Strange Meta-Fic Sequel Chapter 9: Silly Witch…

Okay, people! The latest plotline is underway! Our heroes need to get their friend back and there’s no time to lose! Thank you to our lovely Trix, Prettywitch, and Tear for sticking around still!

SPOILERS AHOY: Loki

TRIGGER WARNING: Torture, kidnapping, mentions of death

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*We arrive at Avengers Campus and notice Scott walking by.*

Me (quickly): Scott, we need to call a meeting. It’s urgent.

Scott: Sure. What’s up?

Stephen (grim): Agatha Harkness has kidnapped Trix.

Scott: *He stares at Stephen quizzically.* Wait…the crazy witch lady that Stark was talking about?

Stephen: Yes. She took Trix hostage as retaliation for the girls’ informing us about Wanda. We attempted to protect them, but Harkness somehow managed to get past the wards and grabbed her.

Me: It seemed like she manipulated Trix somehow. It was like Trix was her usual self at first, but then she suddenly went into some kind of spiral and yanked open the door. Then, she passed out and when Tear and I tried to catch her, she vanished in a puff of purple smoke.

Stephen (disturbed at what I just said): …Mental manipulation. Agatha must have used Trix’s magical signature as a conduit since you four have different energy signatures than the wards and other spells in our universe.

Scott: I have no idea what any of that means.

*Prettywitch snickers, unable to keep herself from finding Lang adorable in a moment of crisis.*

Stephen (snippy): So, are you going to call the meeting or not? *He’s getting agitated due to being worried about Trix. If Scott won’t call the meeting, then he will.*

Scott: Hey, take it easy, Stephen. I never said I wouldn’t. Besides, I still owe you one for showing up at Cassie’s birthday party. *He pulls out his communicator and hits the emergency meeting button installed on it.* Alright, see you guys in an hour.

*He goes to find the remaining Avengers currently present on the campus.*

*Stephen doesn’t leave our side. Though he does end up pacing agitatedly after a while as we wait. After an hour, we enter the conference room with Scott and Peter. Tony and Steve have already come in. They had switched places with Rhodey and Sam a few days back to rest while other heroes tend to stabilizing our universe.*

*Fury is sitting at the head of the table with a deadpan look on his face and glances at Stephen and the girls.*

Fury (sarcastically): So, how did magical protective custody turn out? I see you’re down a person.

Stephen (coldly, trying not to lose his temper): Still better than your option. There would have been more of them missing and sooner without the wards.

Scott: Yeah, about that. You lost one of them?

Peter: “Lost one of them?” You can really lose people inside Kamar-Taj? *He looks between Scott and Stephen, slightly anxious as he’s been inside the temple before*

Tony: *He sighs tiredly* I don’t think he means Stephen misplaced them, kid. The Purple Witch of the West clearly got her claws on her.

Peter: *His eyes widen and he stiffens in his panic, too concerned to worry about being embarrassed* What? She did? Who did she take? Are they okay?

Steve (stern and concerned): How did this happen?

Stephen (trying to be patient): Agatha bypassed our magic by using the girls’ energy as a conduit. It’s similar to…Hmm…What Stark would say a VPN is on a computer. She used it to manipulate Trix into opening the door and breaking the wards. Then, Agatha abducted her before anyone could do anything to stop her. From what we saw, Agatha is holding Trix hostage within an enchanted crystal and has threatened to kill her if any of our trained sorcerers follow her.

*Steve listens. He doesn’t really understand it, but he lets Stephen talk.*

Scott: So, it’s basically a firewall breach but with magic.

Tony: Goddammit… *He rubs a hand down his face and shifts in agitation* And how certain are we that she’s actually crazy enough to go through with that threat? Could it be a simple bluff?

*Stephen nods at Scott affirmatively. He then looks grimly at Tony.*

Me (tense): She DID try to bump Tear, Prettywitch, and me off in the tunnels. Said something about “hopefully your corpses will contain enough useful residual energy.”

Stephen: Agatha carrying through on her threat is very possible. She appears to want information and to…experiment on one of the girls…It is highly likely that once she gets what she wants, she…*He cuts off, clearly dreading what could happen.*

Peter: *He rushes to interject, eager to pull the adults from such dark endings* But we can still find Trix then, right? If Agatha did, then so could you and Mr. Wong. And we can plan an extraction together. Not to be mean or anything but…*He winces at Stephen*...sorcerers don’t tend to expect tech to be used against them. The Stark tech only continues to work because you’ve helped improve it with magic and…stuff.

Stephen (at this point, he’s willing to take any help he can get): We COULD locate them, but Wong and I cannot follow…Peter does raise a good point in that regard, I suppose. *He appears to be silently mulling something over.*

Fury: So we’re dealing with yet another magic user who loves to mess around in people’s heads and doesn’t hesitate to retaliate? This is the third one in a decade. You better have solutions for this breach in defenses for us mere mortals. *He’s still annoyed at being snubbed at the last meeting* Let alone that woman was the one who shared the most information and I doubt she’s had training to not share information through torture. If she knows this much about everything and has been captured, she’s a liability at this point.

Stephen (irritated): Just like SHIELD is doing with the Ten Rings? How is the current situation with HYDRA, by the way?

*Fury looks unimpressed but doesn’t push more on the issue for now*

Me: Tear, Prettywitch, and I are still novices. Our signatures are still rather weak and Agatha bragged about finding us by sensing a “dead zone”. So, since she probably isn’t in one of those areas, our signatures are more easily concealed. We want in on this rescue mission. *I’m firm*

Steve: Well…Do you girls have any non-magical skills that could help?

Me (coolly): We’ve been receiving martial arts training, as well as with some melee weapons. Before coming here, I had advanced fencing training and some mixed martial arts from my dad since he’s a Marine. Prettywitch has some prior training too. Also, I can pick locks, make small explosive rigs, wire some objects to shock people, tie several strong knots, and a few other things.

*Stephen looks back at me and raises an eyebrow. I hadn’t mentioned any of that before. Despite this, he isn’t reassured and hates having to essentially sit back while all of this is happening. The Sorcerer Supreme is also highly aware of Wong’s own agitation. Neither of them like where this is going.*

*Steve is taken aback by this and more than a little suspicious of me after I admit to these things.*

Tony: *He waves a hand at Steward, palm facing up* Sounds like the basic Avenger skill set to me. Any of you know how to shoot a gun?

Me: I don’t, unfortunately. Can use a recurve bow and crossbow. That’s it.

Prettywitch: *I shy my gaze away.* I don’t have any melee training, sadly. I am a pretty good swimmer, though.

Tear: *I meekly raise a hand* I can. Dad kept a shotgun in the house in case of intruders when I was younger…and I’ve had some weird boyfriends who thought shooting ranges made for cool dates… *I cross my arms and look away, clearly embarrassed*

Tony: Right, I don’t know why I’m surprised anymore. I can help equip them with a few things, for protection mainly. Maybe Rhodey can be convinced to do so as well. I don’t have any full suits, custom or otherwise. I don’t exactly run a leasing program.

Scott: I can probably help modify goggles for night vision.

Fury (grimacing): So what happens if more of you get captured then?

Stephen: I was thinking the same thing, honestly. However, I also know that these three won’t sit quietly either…Seeing as they’re hell-bent on participating in this rescue, we think it’s best that they do so while we can keep an eye on them to prevent more of them being captured. *He still has an intense expression on his face.*

Scott: *Raises his hand to volunteer.* I can go with them.

Stephen: Okay. *He’s still not as familiar with Scott as the others, but his skills seem appropriate and Scott did help them defeat Thanos. So, Stephen agrees to this as he continues to ponder.*

Prettywitch: So…does that mean we shrink down?

Scott: Yeah, but the problem is trying to convince Hank to let me use the Pym particles on a bunch of kids. He’s still pretty mad about me and Hope joining the Avengers.

Fury (deadpan): You don’t think a multiversal threat that can manipulate and destroy anyone she comes across isn’t a compelling enough argument?

Me: We’re all in our 20’s and 30’s. So, that might help a bit if he’s aware that we can understand the risks.

Scott: Okay. You have met Hank, right? Quick to anger, made a Hydra agent eat a table? He’s not exactly known for being chill under pressure. Believe me, I know!

*Fury just stares at him and then sighs.*

Fury (resigned): Strange, I would say to send one of your…apprentices along with Lang to convince Pym with the sob story but I have the feeling you’ll go feral if I even attempted to suggest that.

*Stephen turns to Fury with a look that all but confirms that fact.*

Prettywitch: Don’t worry, Fury. Stephen won't have a problem with it…because he’ll be coming with us. Won’t you, Stephen?

Stephen (displeased, but reluctantly agreeing to it): Fine. Though Wong will be keeping an eye on the rest of you. None of you are to leave our sight. Understood? *He’s firm*

Me: Yes, sir.

Tear: Promise we’ll behave. We don’t want to cause you or Wong any more trouble.

Prettywitch: Ditto.

Fury: Keep us updated on your progress and next steps. This witch has the potential to do a hell of a lot of harm if she gets the bright idea to step out of the shadows for once.

Tony: Pete and I will touch base with Rhodey and Wong, see what kind of equipment we can provide for you all. We’ll strategize and form a plan with Cap once you return. It’ll be easier if we know what we’ll have to our disposal.

Steve: We’ll hold the fort over here and alert you if there are any additional developments in the meantime.

Scott: I’ll let Hank know you guys are coming.

Stephen: Okay, so which one of you is coming with me to speak with Hank Pym?

Me: I’ll go. I can be diplomatic if needed.

Prettywitch: Tear and I can stay here in case they need an extra hand.

Stephen: Okay. Tear, PrettyWitch, stay with Wong and the Avengers. Scott, Steward, and I will be back shortly. *He opens a portal and sends the two girls back to Wong at Kamar-Taj alongside Tony and Peter. Then, he opens a new portal to Hank Pym’s office once Scott finishes his notification.*

~~~~~

*Agatha is happily bustling about her lair as she starts getting preparations together for her guest of honor. She has taken off the crystal necklace and it is floating above the onyx slab table in the center of the room. Compared to how it looked back at Kamar-Taj as a dark eggplant color, now it is cycling between a light violet and a bright orange.*

Agatha: Now my dear, you truly are something interesting. Completely different kind of magic just popping up like a weed out of nowhere. That and you and your friends seem to know way more than you let on… *she stops moving and turns to the necklace* Let’s start off easy… *she whispers a spell and purple smoke blows out of her lips and circles the necklace before it seems to be pulling something out of it. Finally, a violet and orange orb emerges from the crystal and begins to shape into a translucent form…*

Agatha: Alrighty, we never got formally introduced. My name is Agatha Harkness and you ruined my plans. Who are you supposed to be?

*Trix is floating about a foot above the necklace, seemingly tethered the crystal like a ball and chain. She is groggy and confused but takes a moment to realize where she is and just who is in front of her.*

Trix (out of it): Oh! It’s you! I love you, you’re one of my favorites! I was supposed to know something about you right now…damn I’m still useless… *she seems to shrink into herself for a bit*

Agatha: I’m glad that you could finally meet me then! Tell me- what’s been your favorite thing you know me from. *She’s slightly confused but isn’t going to let a chance like this go to waste*

*Trix is looking like she would fall over to the ground if she had a body at the moment but tries to focus on Agatha.*

Trix: You were in Wandavision. You had a catchy theme song and everything and almost won… *She starts to piecing together in her mind what’s going on and physically recoils when she looks down to find the situation she’s found herself in* Oh. We’re in that part now, huh.

Agatha (puzzled): I’m rather curious about you. Like how exactly you knew about my plans. Is it that seer friend of yours? It’s written all over her magic that she’s clairvoyant, same for the medium. It was you and that other one that were trickier to whittle down. But you’re still aware of details without your little group around as well. *She frowns and brings her hand up to her mouth in thought*

Trix: Listen, I just like to keep up with some of the more important magic users! It’s why I’m such a fan of you! *She’s trying not to get nervous but she has no idea what sort of spells that Agatha has going on. It’s better for her to tell the truth than get caught in a lie*

Agatha *She begins circling the table, looking up at Trix*: So, are you a witch then? Is this the Sorcerer Supreme’s attempts at an experiment? Combining witchcraft and the mystic arts to make up for the loss of their infinity stone? *She frowns to herself*

Trix: I mean, I don’t know what his plans are- they kinda just grabbed us from our home and suddenly we were being trained!

Agatha *She hums*: So, why the different magical signatures then? I know what their goody-two-shoes ‘mystic arts’ looks like and I have seen nearly every form of witchcraft on this earth and yet four women show up out of nowhere with an entirely new one.

Trix: I don’t kn- *She hisses in pain as her form begins to glitch out with magical sparks. Agatha smiles*

Agatha (cheerfully): You know, props to you for making it this long without lying to me. I was looking forward to a light show but you’ve only given me some $5 sparklers. *She laughs* Not that I’m complaining but I thought you’d make this more fun. *She comes closer to the crystal and stares up intently at her* Now that you are starting to learn the consequences, why don’t we try that again?

Trix (nervous): Okay! Okay, I’ll tell you everything I know about what’s going on. But I want to know some things too. For every question I answer, you teach me something new about witchcraft. Where I’m from we didn’t have witchcraft like yours and when I found out about you, I was fascinated! Please? *She’s trying to be as convincing as possible*

*Agatha stares at her seriously for a moment before letting out a laugh and backing off and Trix lets out a small silent sigh of relief*

Agatha: I respect the hustle, kid. I really do. You’re lucky I want to learn your secrets today because lessons with Auntie Agatha don't normally come cheap. Fine, I’ll play this game so long as you tell me everything you know about what’s going on. Otherwise, I might get a bit clumsy and drop that crystal on the ground and Humpty Dumpty isn’t going to get put back together again…

*Agatha gives her a sharp grin and Trix smiles weakly back in response. She’s going to have to think on her feet to get out of this and honestly, she might have just made a deal with the devil.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Stephen, Scott, and I arrive in Hank Pym’s office and wait for the man to come in.*

Hank (coming into his office briskly): Stephen! It’s been awhile; good to see you. I take it this is one of the girls you mentioned, Scott?

Scott: Yup.

*Stephen greets Hank politely.*

Stephen: Hello, Hank.

*I watch the conversation start and give a meek wave, a bit shy around the older man.*

Me (polite): Hello, Dr. Pym. I’m Steward.

Hank: It’s nice to meet you, Steward. I’ve heard a little about your situation from Scott and I’m eager to learn more. (He holds his hand out to Steward for her to shake it and, noticing she’s hesitant, smiles.) It’s okay, I don’t bite.

Scott: Isn’t that what you said to Peter the other day before you chewed him out for…(He sees Hank slowly turning to give him the death glare.) You know, you’re right. I’m shutting up now.

Hank: Thank you. (Turns back to Steward.) Anyway, I look forward to helping you.

*Stephen gives me a gentle nudge to snap me out of the shyness. I’m slightly startled, but look back at Hank.*

Me: Thank you. *I reach out to shake his hand, keeping it professional with a small smile of my own before getting serious.* Erm…Unfortunately, one of us, Trix, has been abducted by a witch and we need some non-magical means to slip past her detection. We were hoping that we could borrow some of your equipment for the rescue mission if that’s okay. *I’m still slightly cautious, but figure that Hank would appreciate a direct and honest approach.* I also figured that maybe if things work out, then you might be curious about interdimensional energy and travel. So…Maybe if we can get the mess sorted out, you could visit our universe. The differences in quantum energy between universes could be interesting. *I offer this, speaking from scientist to scientist.*

Hank: Well that depends…(Turns to Scott) Will you be there with them?

Scott: Yeah, of course.

Hank: (Turns back to Steward) Then you’ve got yourself a deal. (He motions for the trio to follow him and they do.)

Scott: Wow. I actually thought it would take awhile to convince you.

Hank: If you’re with them, there’s less of a chance of something going wrong. Just…try to keep it under the radar. I don’t need the FBI on my ass…again.

Scott: (Sigh) You’re just never gonna let go, are you?

Hank: You had me on the run for the Government for two years!

Scott: Oh, right! Cause you were living so uncomfortably!

Hank: And you weren’t?

Scott: (He’s realizing he has no argument for them.) Point taken.

*Stephen watches everything unfold quietly, slightly amused by the bickering.*

(They step into Hank’s lab.)

*I’m intrigued, glancing around curiously. Though I’m also being careful not to touch anything.*

Hank: So, tell me a little bit about this witch.

Stephen: Her name is Agatha Harkness and she practices Dark Magic. Her original goal was to corrupt Wanda Maximoff with the Darkhold, but the girls informed us about it and we managed to stop her. As retaliation, Harkness went after the girls. Wong and I attempted to keep them in protective custody until she could be captured, however something went wrong.

Me: Agatha essentially used our different magical signatures as a conduit to get past Stephen and Wong’s wards and manipulated Trix into opening the door. She basically forced Trix into a mental breakdown. Tear, PrettyWitch, and I tried to stop her, but it happened so quickly…As soon as the door was opened, it broke Stephen and Wong’s wards and Trix disappeared in a puff of smoke. *I speak grimly.*

*Stephen looks at me empathetically, the truth of the matter on how Agatha got to us finally starting to sink in.*

Hank: A magical bypass…Well, I’ve got something that should work. Although it is experimental. (He pulls out what looks like a regular old press-on tattoo.) This is the Achilles Tendon; it’s meant to neutralize incoming frequencies and disruptions without your opponent knowing.

Me: So, it’s effectively a wearable signal jammer so she can’t interfere with any of us during the rescue?

Hank: Exactly. I’m not exactly sure how powerful it will be against magic, but I’m sure that’s something you can help with, Stephen.

Stephen: I can. Do you have an extra one for me to reverse-engineer?

Hank: I do. (He tosses it Stephen’s way.)

*Stephen catches it. As he does, his expression lightens. It appears he has multiple ideas.*

Stephen: Great. *He nods at Hank gratefully* I’ll get to work on it.

Hank: Good. I’ll set you up with some more discs, Scott can show you how to use them when you get back to the compound.

Me: Thank you, Sir.

Hank: Don’t mention it. Good luck.

Me (slight smile): Heh…If the lab is still reasonably intact and my boss lets me, maybe I can let you and Tony check it out. I’m in biomedical science, but it still could be interesting. *I’m showing gratitude*

Hank: (Chuckles) I’d like that.

Stephen: We’ll report back to the compound for now. Thanks, Hank. We’ll keep you updated. *His trademark smirk is beginning to reappear.*

Hank: You’re welcome.

Scott: Oh yeah, Hank? Would you mind texting Hope and let her know I’m gonna be running late tonight?

Hank: Text her yourself, she and Janet are out having a spa day.

Scott: Oh yeah…Hope mentioned something out that…now that I remember.

*After he texts Hope, we accept the tech from Hank and portal back to the Avengers Compound.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Trix is beaten and battered as she hisses in pain, landing hard on unfamiliar ground. As she looks around, she seems startled as she finds a landscape made up of orange and purple, the colors swirling together like a lava lamp. She has no idea how she got there, as the last thing she remembered was Agatha’s crazed eyes. Trix hadn’t given up any important information (in her eyes) yet, but had dragged the conversation along until the witch grew tired of waiting for a relevant answer and went straight to torture instead.*

Unknown Voice: I don’t know why you think that trying to outsmart a centuries old magic user is a good idea. Especially when trapped like this.

*Trix whips around to look behind her and it almost seems like halfway through the dreamscape, someone painted a line down between the halves and smothered it in green. The most surprising thing is the black haired person sitting casually on the ground, looking up at her unamused.*

Trix: I can’t tell her something important but I have to keep her distracted long enough for the rescue team to show up. Wait- *she frowns* can I not lie in here as well?

*The man sighs and stands up, revealing a very tall figure. He wanders up to the split and just stares at her. Trix merely stares back at him as she begins to recognize him*

Man: We’re in the astral plains. We’re essentially spirits here with no physical body so that leads to being unable to lie. Unfortunately the witch has extra compulsions on the crystals…

Trix: You-you’re Loki! *she is absolutely starstruck and Loki looks confused*

Loki: You know of me? I’m not even in my usual manner of dress. *He frowns and looks down at himself. He is wearing khakis and a white button up shirt. The tie is almost shredded and there’s no jacket to be found.*

Trix: You’re the one who had to deal with the TVA! Fuck, how did you end up in here? *She’s exhausted but realizing who’s there with her is giving Trix a second wind*

Loki (frowning): How…how do you know about the TVA?

Trix: Long story short, I know about what the sacred timeline is and how the multiverse was broken open by Sylvie killing the One Who Remained. *She glances around* Agatha can’t hear us here, can she?

Loki: No. We would have to be pulled out in order for us to be spied on. The one saving grace of this spell to be honest. *He stares at Trix closer* You’re not another version of me, are you? Because the female presenting ones seem to be a bit more successful in their murdering plans.

Trix (smiles weakly): No, I’m not a Loki however my nickname is based off of you. Well, it’s a nickname of a username…Trickstress turned into Trix and…y’know- *She can’t help but ramble and her body begins to tremble with both nerves and exhaustion*

Loki (gently): A pleasure to meet you then, Trix. Apologies for the terrible living conditions. Clearly you were important enough to be trapped in this torture session. *He smiles at her gently, seemingly aware she’s at her limit*

Trix: Oh no, I’m no one special. My friends are amazing and can do incredible things! I’m just the expendable one who faints whenever I come across something in a different language. *She wanders over to the border and knocks on the invisible wall before plopping down on the ground.* I just had to promise Agatha that I would tell her everything I know about what’s going on…

Loki (deep in thought): No, you’re clearly important enough to render this *he gestures wildly at their surroundings* punishment.

Trix: You mentioned we were in the astral plains…how exactly are we here?

Loki: *He sits down again, staring at Trix* This is typically used by mages to their particularly tricky or uncooperative opponents. The body is transformed and crystallized, revealing the deepest parts of one’s soul. In your case it’s the violet and orange around you. Mine matches my magic. *He gestures at his surroundings* In the same way that our body would normally house our spirit, the crystal prison that our body becomes gives others almost complete power over our souls. Such as being unable to lie. *He looks annoyed at that.*

*Trix looks around at their surroundings with a bit more hesitancy*

Trix: So you’re saying it’s pointless to try and escape?

Loki (shrugs): You mentioned having assistance so you’ve already started to stall. The only way you’re getting out of here is by outside help, a good opportunity, and luck.

Trix *confused*: Why do you say that like you’re not getting out?

Loki: I’m not a good person. I am acutely aware of that fact, especially after everything that happened after New York. No one knows that I’m here and they likely wouldn’t save me otherwise. *He isn’t upset at any of this, but states it as fact*

Trix: I would absolutely help you and the others would as well, especially after they know what’s going on. *She attempts to scoot closer to the barrier* Don’t give up on yourself yet!

Loki (smirking): I could say the same for you. You don’t seem to have a high opinion of yourself at all.

*Trix frowns and curls into herself*

Trix: So, the long story short is that my friends and I are from a universe where everything about your universe, from the ‘Sacred Timeline’ is media. Stories that were fictional and we bonded over our love of those stories. Then Stephen *she blinks a moment* Doctor Strange is what he’s formally known as and now is Sorcerer Supreme here, accidentally ended up in our universe. Our universe kinda broke and now magic is becoming real, we all got new powers but mine keeps being overwhelming, and we were brought here to try and train so we can survive and thrive at home. *Trix is rambling at this point but Loki is listening intently* The others are all able to fight, even at a beginner level, have amazing abilities like being able to talk to spirits, or advanced healing, and even foresight! I’m only able to read and understand languages but it’s just so frustrating because my brain can’t handle it! I am horrible at fighting too and injuries freak me out. I honestly shouldn’t have come, I don’t contribute much…

Loki (frowning): No, you will. You might not be able to now but you will eventually. In Asgard, you weren’t highly regarded if you weren’t a warrior. I decided to learn how to be a politician and a scholar. You don’t need everyone on the same path and same skills. *He crouches down next to me on his side of the barrier* I’m guessing I’m a character in these stories you talked about, yes?

Trix: Yeah… *finally starting to pull slightly out of the depression*

Loki (slightly frustrated but trying to be motivational): You likely know my whole story then. Even the parts from my ‘true path’ and know more than I. Yes?

*Trix nods*

Trix: Yeah, you’ve always been one of my absolute favorites. You’ve always somehow been able to get through any situation even when it’s seemed impossible.

Loki (grinning): Ah, good. Then let me become your instructor in the School of Loki. You shall be my first disciple.

*He’s trying to goad her into a smile and is pleased when she lightly giggles in response*

Loki: Consider this an early repayment of gratitude for your dedication to both getting me out of here as well as your dedication to my story, as it were. *He sits down next to me on his side of the barrier* First, we’re going to get you prepared to be summoned back to Agatha as I am fairly sure you haven’t been trained in how to withstand torture and interrogation, yes?

Trix: Yeah, not part of my curriculum when going to school.

Loki: Honestly, it should be. Anyway: you promised her that you would tell her everything that you know. In this, you will not lie. We are unable to at the moment.

Trix (realizing): I completely forgot about that-

Loki (slightly exasperated): Which is why I believe you about your origins and why I can’t train you as I’d like. Anyways: let’s begin-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Stephen returns with Scott, me, and the tech in tow.*

Stephen: Okay. I’ll let Wong and the others know how it went. Also, I have another idea. We’ll discuss it once everyone is back.

*Stephen messages the Avengers to update them and then communicates with Wong. As soon as the older sorcerer knows that things are okay, he portals Tear, Prettywitch, and the two Avengers back to the Compound to join me and the others. A few minutes later, the rest of the Avengers assemble to begin formulating their strategy to deal with Agatha.*

Me (small smile): It worked out. We have the tech. Also, Hank wants to visit our world later on when stuff calms down. If stuff calms down, anyway…

Tear: I’m sure it will. Tony managed to get in touch with Rhodey. He said Matt and Jen had finally made some progress in giving SHIELD and the Avengers proper authority over disaster zones.

Me: That’s great news! *I brighten up slightly. Though still worried about Trix.*

Prettywitch: It’s about damn time. *She says this with a smile.*

Steve (giving a small congratulation before getting down to business): That’s some excellent work over there. Now to the problem at hand. How do we locate and capture Agatha Harkness? Also, how do we make sure she doesn’t have Trix on her? We need to make sure we get her out safely as quickly as possible.

Stephen: Wong and I have already traced her location to a remote cabin in the middle of the October Mountain wilderness near Salem, Massachusetts. That part wasn’t difficult. Hank gave the team some wearable signal jammers and I’m going to attempt to modify them so that Harkness’ spells won’t work on anyone wearing them. Also, I think I found a workaround for the witch’s defenses so that Wong and I can provide additional aid.

Tony: *He sends Stephen a look, genuinely impressed* So you’ll give us the Sorcerer Supreme’s version of protective charms? Sounds like we got lucky with our cereal box.

Stephen: Technically speaking. *He gives Tony a wry look.*

Steve: Okay. That’ll work as an effective defense. What else do we need to be on the lookout for when confronting this witch?

Stephen: She’ll most likely have several traps and wards up. Judging by the fact that she uses Dark Magic, those wards and magical triggers for the traps will be in the form of runes. Not all of them are visible to non-magic users. However, the girls will be able to see them. We did get them to that stage of their training before it was interrupted. Anyway, most trap spells are triggered by anything larger than an insect. As for the wards, all of the runes have to be taken out at once or they stay up. Beyond that, be careful of any potential entities or brainwashed mortals that she might use as pawns.

Tony: Alright, so we’ll do extensive recon. We had already determined we cannot go in, guns blazing, while Trix is still a hostage, so our strategy cannot change. *He types away at a holographic keyboard being projected from his wristwatch and finally flips his hand forward, tossing the resulting hologram to hover where everyone can easily see it. It is a terrain map of the mountain Stephen mentioned.* This is where Atom Ant and his tiny army come in. With the Pym Tech, I can equip you with scanners and beacons to help us locate these runes.

Scott: *Raises an eyebrow at Tony’s nickname.* Atom Ant?

Stephen (stepping forward quickly): Our first priority should be to locate Agatha within her lair and confirm that Trix’s crystal is present and undamaged. *He’s still quite livid about the situation and worried sick about Trix, but containing himself as best he can.* Once we do, the crystal needs to be secured and taken out of Harkness’ reach. Then, the runes must be destroyed to break the wards. Wong and I should be able to portal to the ensuing battle as soon as Trix’s crystal is secured and the wards are down. *The sorcerer seethes with determination.*

Scott: Hey, don’t worry, Doc. We’ll get her back.

Steve (reassuring the sorcerer): Precisely, Stephen. We’ll ensure that Trix gets freed safely and help the other girls through this mission. Scott, could you please brief the team on how to use the discs Dr. Pym provided?

Scott: Sure. *He holds up two discs for everyone to see.* Alright, so there’s two different discs. Red shrinks, blue grows. Now, the way you use them is pretty simple; all you gotta do is throw them at the object or person you wanna shrink or enlarge and…bam! *He throws a red disc at Fury’s coffee cup, which shrinks.*

*The entire group listens intently to him, asking questions to be sure that everyone has the facts straight. Scott has each person do a dry run of what to do so the risk of anything going wrong from misuse is minimized. I’m nervous, but hiding it well. I’ve never been in this kind of fight before. However, my main priority is getting Trix back. So, I listen well, answer the questions, do the drills, and stay composed. Steve watches all of us intently.*

Steve: If we feel confident in these drills, then we need to address how to properly disable and capture Agatha. Stephen, any advice?

Stephen: Magic takes focus and concentration. If she’s too preoccupied with defending herself, then she won’t be able to hit back as effectively. Also, most incantations have to be spoken and the proper gestures need to be made. If you can somehow silence her and prevent her from using her hands, she can’t cast.

Me: Tony, if you have some spare supplies, I can make some small charges and connect the detonators so they all go off at once to take down the runes. Do you mind? Oh! Also, maybe some clamps, a couple of wires, and the power supply from a taser. I’ve got an idea…*I have a slightly nasty-looking smirk at the last bit, but notice his look.* Don’t worry. It’s nothing lethal. Basically, if she tries to open her door, she’ll get shocked. It could provide an opening for a second or two while she’s stunned.

Tony: *He lifts his eyebrows at Stephen, slightly amused.* She’s devious. *He turns back to Steward and gives his consent with a small flick of his fingers.* You can grab what you need from any of the shared labs in the Compound. And I may not have any extra suits just waiting for grabs, but I do have plenty of explosives. FRIDAY can easily time the detonations. So if Mother Goose doesn’t object, you can be responsible for setting them up.

Stephen (looking at me): Are you sure you know what you’re doing?

Me: I do.

*He sighs.*

Stephen: Please be careful and don’t blow yourself or anyone else up.

Me: I won’t. I’ve worked with explosive charges before. *I have a toothy grin. The small chips and slight cracks on my teeth are not reassuring.*

Stephen (resigned): Do I want to know?

Me (chipper): Probably not!

*Stephen reluctantly allows me to perform my tasks. Though he IS hovering nearby as he works on enchanting Hank’s devices.*

Steve: When we have Trix’s crystal located, we’ll have to secure it quickly before Agatha can damage it. If we can disable her quickly, then we should be able to go in and recover it without too many complications. However, if she’s wearing or holding it, we’ll have to make sure we incapacitate her carefully without giving her an opening to make a move on the crystal.

Peter: *He sits up eagerly and lifts a hand as if they are in class.* Oh! I could easily steal it back from her if I get a clear shot at it. *He turns and shrugs at PrettyWitch, who is standing closest.* It worked when I once stole Cap’s shield.

Steve: Admittedly, that was an effective move.

Tony: *He frowns, unsure.* I don’t think I want you anywhere near the witch, Underoos.

Steve: *Approaching the subject gently, but firmly. He’s trying to be tactful. Though he understands why Tony is so protective of Peter. Even then, he also sees how much Peter has grown.* Tony, as young as Peter is, he did help us save the universe. Maybe it’s time that he helps more on missions if he’s willing.

Tony: *His eyes flash dangerously as he whips around to face Steve with a scandalized look.* Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware his guardianship had passed from May Parker to Steve Rogers.

*Steve puts his hands up and steps back, letting Tony speak his part. He’s not looking for a fight.*

Stephen (stepping in): I’ve finished my modifications on the “Achilles Tendon” devices that Hank provided. They should ensure that everyone on this rescue mission is well-protected. *He emphasizes the last part while looking at Tony, who looks about to explode at Steve.*

Tony: *He drags his eyes away from Steve to meet the sorcerer’s. His angry glare remains if only to hide the sheer fear in his eyes.* Can you promise me that?

Peter (meekly): I trust Doctor Strange…

Stephen (solemn): I promise. Everyone there will be wearing the devices, including my apprentices. They will provide the best protection I can possibly give while unable to be there myself. *He’s deadly serious*

Scott: *He notices the tension in the room and decides to do something about it.* Ah, great! Hank’s gonna be thrilled. *He takes the devices from Stephen and looks at Steve & Tony.* Well, come on. Let’s go. *He makes his way towards the door.*

Tony: *He sighs and turns to Peter, pointing a scolding finger at him.* You stick close to the girls and listen to your Spidey Sense, no matter how little a tingle you feel. Got it?

Peter: *He grins, happy he got his way in the end* Got it. Just stop saying tingle.

Tony: *He pivots to point that same finger at the three women.* And that goes for you three as well. Out there, you all listen to Cap or you listen to me. No questions asked. The last thing I need is Mother Supreme haunting my ass if anything happens to any of you.

Me: Aye, sir. *I give Tony a serious nod.*

Tear: *She links elbows with Peter and gives both Tony and Stephen a nod.* We’ll keep each other safe.

Prettywitch: Exactly! You two’ve got nothing to worry about.

Steve: Okay, any more questions? If not, then suit up. We’re moving out in T minus 5 minutes. Make sure everyone has everything they need.

*Within 5 minutes, Steve, Peter, Tony, Scott, and the three women are suited up and ready for action, each person donning a modified Achilles Tendon device to block Agatha’s spells. They use a Quinjet to get close to the location.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*There’s no way to track the passage of time while in the astral plains, however Trix has been summoned by Agatha four times so far. Each has been harder than the last and she comes back wounded each time. This was one of the longer sessions so far.*

Loki (looking concerned at Trix): That one seemed to be a harsh session, are you alright?

Trix (laying on the ground and spasming in pain): I asked too many questions that time and I think she was getting less forgiving of my stalling. *She groans in pain and lays there for a while. Despite being in her astral form, she looks beaten and bloody.*

*Loki does a spell and a large leather bound book appears before him, floating in place right around his chest*

Loki: Let’s not waste your sacrifices then. Show me what she taught you.

*Much to Trix’s initial surprise when he first did so, Loki is able to use magic in the astral plains and has been slowly teaching Trix to do so as well when she isn’t too burnt out. He has been collecting all of the knowledge she’s been drawing out of Agatha in a grimoire he had summoned. He slowly taught her to cast spells to show what the runes looked like in light. While Loki’s was green, Trix’s was orange.*

Trix: It was warding this time. It looked like the runes she has up in her lair. I know a little bit about runes from my world but hers are different, unsurprisingly. They looked like these-

*She casts from where she’s laying on the ground and six orange runes float above her. Loki makes a noise of acknowledgement and begins to write them down. Trix begins to explain how Agatha described each one and what each one meant and how they interact with each other.*

Trix: I recognize them from the show. She went more in depth in them here of course versus the show but they’re meant to keep people from performing magic. ‘In a given space, only the witch that cast the runes can perform her magic’ she had said in the show. Agatha didn’t say that here, only explaining the details of each one. I’m doubtful she would have taught me this if she knew that I know what they do. *She pauses a moment before looking over at Loki* I think this may be what we need to stop her.

Loki (nodding): I think you’re right. I recognize some of these but covens are notoriously picky about who they share their knowledge with. Even the names of them weren’t recorded, at least until now. They’re a superstitious lot. They believe names have power but that simply isn’t true. An old wives’ tale.

*Trix cranes her head back at him and smiles briefly*

Trix: I’m glad we have it now. I’m running out of things to tell her before I get to the parts I do not want her to know. I already shared that we know what we do from stories that were passed down over decades. Agatha is convinced we live in some sort of coven that has the ability to determine prophecies and she seems way too interested. She keeps asking about where I came from and giving my exact city name isn’t working anymore. I think she went to investigate our city in this universe but didn’t find anything. She’s going to ask even more clarifying questions soon and I’m going to run out of ways I can stall without revealing what’s actually going on. *She starts pacing and it’s incredibly easy to slip into the beginnings of an anxiety attack due to Agatha’s manipulations*

Loki: *closes the book and makes it disappear. He looks at me with a gentle smile* You’re doing very well, Trix. The wounds on your soul are starting to pile up but you are being incredibly strong. We’ll get out of this soon. For now, rest and heal as I tell you more stories about my oaf of a brother and how I got him out of another stupid situation when we were younger. Then we can worry about appeasing the witch.

*Trix just lets out a small smile as she closes her eyes and just listens to him weave a tale meant to calm her down and make her laugh*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*As Trix endures her captivity and befriends Loki, the team proceeds to close in on Agatha’s lair.*

***To be continued***

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