"Jane Foster," he said softly, extending his hand, "may I?"
She nodded and extended her hand to him.
James took it and closed his eyes.
'Cortana,' he murmured, 'Do a full direct analysis of the energy wave.'
The scan began.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Aether did not react to the scanning.
Because Cortana operated as a biological-digital hybrid embedded within James's mind, the scan registered as organic interference rather than a technological/artificial intrusion. The Aether detected nothing unusual.
[Aether energy is rising. It looks to be draining Jane Foster's life force. According to some of the sorted files I have stored, it is using the life force to sustain its current activity and prevent it from getting sealed again. The rate of absorption is slow but alarming.] Cortana analyzed.
James's eyes narrowed as he exhaled.
'So it's waiting for its owner,' he closed his eyes in thought. 'Waiting for the Dark Elves to arrive. They're the only ones who can properly wield it."
[That is correct, how would you like to proceed? Through Force extraction using the Space Stone?] Cortana asked.
'No.' James mentally shook his head. 'She wouldn't survive the collision of two Infinity Stone energies. And the Aether, the Reality Stone, we still don't have a full understanding on how it works, not even back home, do we know how to truly use the infinity stones. Acting blindly would be reckless."
He snapped his eyes open as he came to a realization.
'What if I draw it into myself?'
[That is inadvisable.] Cortana said in a warning tone. [It's a high-risk operation.]
'My body is a stronger lure than hers,' James mentally told her. 'I've been enhanced using the Space Stone. Logically, I'm a better host candidate, and I have you, and if necessary, we have the space storage for a forced containment."
[Risk remains significant. Consider Jane Foster's condition. The Aether may accelerate its life-drain on her during transfer.]
James let go of his hand thinking to himself.
Thor, Odin and Jane just watched James comically change faces the whole time as they waited for the result of his observation.
After several seconds, James spoke aloud.
"I'm going to transfer the aether as its new host," he said to them with conviction. "I know it's dangerous, but the main issue we have is whether it will drain Jane Foster's life before detaching from her."
He explained his worries to them.
Odin looked at James' eyes for his bold plan.
"A bold approach," the Allfather said. "But how do you intend to subdue it once you become its host?"
"I'll suppress it using the Space Stone's own power, then seal it within me. Once the Dark Elves come here to claim the Aether, we eliminate them, the Aether becomes unbound. It will lose its previous owner, which would make it easier for me to claim ownership."
Thor stiffened from his declaration.
"You believe the Dark Elves will attack Asgard?"
"Of course they would," James replied without hesitation. "Without the Aether, they're restricted to the desolate dark world because of the light. With it, they could claim freedom by descending all into darkness. Five thousand years they had been waiting… they won't waste the coming of the Convergence, the original owner can track the location of the Aether when it's active and not sealed."
Odin's expression darkened from the news.
"You believe they would dare invade Asgard?"
"I know they won't charge blindly," James said. "But for sure they would plan for an infiltration, a disruption of some sorts. Are you certain Asgard still remembers how to counter them?"
Silence came to the room.
Then Odin turned around to leave.
"Then proceed. Asgard will be ready before they come."
He departed without further words.
Thor stepped closer.
"Are you certain of this?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm not certain of anything," James answered honestly. "If there was a safer way, I would take it, but this is the best we can do right now."
Thor and Jane exchanged glances. No words were needed between them.
"James," Thor asked again, "will this endanger you?"
"Danger is subjective to every being," James replied. "I carry the Space Stone as its host, already enhanced by it. The Aether is not yet in crystallized form where it can truly show its power. It's not strong enough to overpower me."
Cortana interjected within his mind.
[Recommended way to approach: induce high-energy emission from the stone. Lure it through resonance to avoid causing harm to Jane from ripping it off her.]
James acknowledge Cortana's suggestion
"I'll start generating a controlled energy surge on your arm, Jane," he explained aloud. "It will lure it out to latch on to me, as it slowly transfers."
Jane inhaled, then gave a nod.
"Alright I'm ready, let's do it," she said firmly hoping it wouldn't hurt.
"Thor, please guard the entrance," James said to him. "Ensure no one would interrupt."
He turned to Jane.
"I need you to relax completely. Slow your breathing and focus on a single peaceful thought. It's critical that you remain stable and calm."
Jane nodded, then laid down back on the Soul Forge to use as her bed as she lightly grips on the edge.
James stood right next to her as he took her hand mentally preparing himself for the ordeal.
Then he began.
The Space Stone pulsed within his chest as he carefully released a controlled stream of energy. The power flowed from his palm into Jane's.
The Aether reacted instantly.
It sensed purity, power, and resonance of an infinity stone.
It may not be sentient in the human sense, but it can recognize a familiar energy it could consume.
James continued to focus to keep the stream steady.
He shaped the energy into a condensed mass within his palm.
The Aether moved from Jane's hand, drawn by the bait of energy.
It swallowed the energy without resistance, with the perfect resonance, the Infinity Stone's energy was easily consumed by the Aether.
James kept feeding it, luring it out of her.
Gradually, he moved the condensed energy from his palm toward his forearm, inviting the Aether to follow through.
For a brief moment, it seemed to pause, but then it surged forward.
The crimson energy flowed free from Jane's body and rushed into James's forearm, devouring the energy mass waiting there.
"Get away!" James shouted for Jane.
Jane backed off instinctively, she could see the red Aether that used to be inside her going inside James.
Thor burst into the chamber after he heard James shout, the blue aura of the Space Stone flared violently on his arm.
The blue light exploded throughout the chamber, as the aura wrapped around the invading red Aether like a containment field.
Pain detonated through his nerves, as he felt every clash of the two infinity stone energies fighting for control.
His right arm trembled violently as his veins pulsed with a red and blue light feeling like an overfilled balloon containing a storm.
Sweat dripped from his body like an indoor rain from the excruciating pain.
"James!" Thor stepped forward wanting to help in any way.
"Get out!" James growled through clenched teeth as he gaved Thor a bloodshot stare on how serious he is. "I need to focus!"
Thor hesitated, seeing the agony that his friend was in, but if that is the only way he could help his friend, then so be it, pulling Jane away James was left all alone.
The clashing of two energies moved up his arms and deeper into his body.
Inside his body, the Space Stone attempted to suppress the Aether's volatile energy into submission. But the Aether resisted, writhing like liquid fire.
'Cortana!' James shouted in his mind, knowing the chamber wasn't soundproof. 'Status!'
[It's going critical.] She warned. [The Aether might be in liquid form but it retains its massive energy density. Suppression is possible, but stability remains uncertain. Your skeletal system is strained, microfractures are forming all over.]
James felt it. The creaking of his bones, the small snaps inside him, giving him pain like never before.
'Reinforce it!' he ordered. 'Use all the nutrient packs and emergency rations we have in storage for regeneration. I'll focus on suppressing the Aether to compliance."
[Absorbing all nutrient packs in storage for bio resources. Rations will be summoned to the stomach, beginning super Metabolic digestion. Diverting resources to the skeletal system for repair.]
James increased the Space Stone's output, to try and contain the Aether. He began attempting a forced dimensional compression for containment.
"If suppression fails," he muttered through gritted teeth, "I'll move it to my internal storage."
[Risk of backlash is significant, but viable.]
Outside the chamber, Thor shielded Jane as tremors rippled through the structure.
Within James's body, blue and crimson energy clashed violently.
Elsewhere in Asgard—the Dark Elves were already moving.
Among the returning prisoners from the Nine Realms minor skirmishes, one captive remained unnaturally calm.
One of the last Cursed Warriors.
James continued suppressing the Aether with the Space Stone's energy.
Now fully wrapped in a containment field, the Aether could no longer drain his life force. The immediate threat of being consumed had passed. But sealing it inside his internal storage where the Space Stone recedes could still be dangerous, the Aether is still fighting back.
The collision of two Infinity Stone energies inside one body was extremely dangerous.
Pain radiated through him in waves.
Even with the Space Stone holding the advantage, the backlash was immense.
Far beyond Asgard's walls, Malekith commanded what remained of the Dark Elf fleet.
Their final battleship moved stealthily through space, cloaked in darkness.
The Convergence window was approaching.
The breach would come from within.
This was their only opportunity in five thousand years.
Odin deployed Asgard's entire army, deploying all defences for the coming of the dark elves.
The Asgardian Shield flared to life, a magic shield big enough to encase the palace and surrounding central city. Asgardian Skiffs rose to the sky, looking like old-fashioned Viking boats but powered by high-tech magical engines. They were smooth, stylish, and built for war.
Ascending outside the shield to protect the rest of Asgard from the invaders.
Inside the dungeons of Asgard, Loki paced around in restlessness.
Time in isolation was his punishment.
He thought of everything that happened, everything he did wrong and how things could have been.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The shimmering lights that create the containment fields trembled.
Loki looked around where the sound could be.
In a nearby cell, a prisoner screamed for help.
Then—A roar.
Black mist flooded the chamber, as the screams died down.
The hidden Kursed warrior who disguised himself as a marauder during the raids of the nine realms completed his transformation.
He seized a still living prisoner who was locked with him and slammed the prisoner's head to the light barrier. The light screen was put under immense pressure electrocuting the prisoner and staying solid, the final heavy strike of the Kursed put the light screen to its limit and shattered.
The containment field was now gone, two guards who came running after hearing the screams, charged. Yet their strikes proved futile, none of their weapons could do him any harm.
The Kursed warrior grabbed the guards by their neck and drained them of all their life force.
The Kursed warrior advanced, breaking cell after cell, releasing chaos in the Asgardian Dungeon to distract the defenders.
When he reached Loki's cell, he stopped.
He did not recognize him. Some instinct held him back.
"You'll want to go left," Loki offered casually.
He had no interest in helping Asgard.
Within a chamber where James was left alone, he remained focused as the Space Stone continued to surge.
Blue energy coiled around the Aether and suppressed it further, dragging it toward his storage space.
"Come on…" he muttered while giving it his all.
With a final exertion, the Aether was forced through the dimensional boundary.
It vanished from his arm.
With an exhausted collapse to his back, he could finally have a few seconds of rest. "Phew…"
The Space Stone's energy withdrew gradually back to the stone.
Inside his storage space, the Aether remained dormant.
For now, James had control.
He could release it out of him at any time, containing it physically if necessary.
But whether he could claim it was another matter.
Asgard would not tolerate one being holding two Infinity Stones — unless acknowledged by them.
The struggle inside him had proven something else, the Infinity Stones, though would be synergized to each other normally, would clash to resist ownership if one is already bonded to someone else.
Hearing no noise inside the chamber Thor rushed back inside with Jane following behind.
Seeing James laid on the ground, he couldn't help but ask. "How are you my friend?"
Looking at Thor, he replied. "Good, just give me a second to rest. How's outside?"
"There's unrest in the dungeon," Thor told him. "But the Palace Shield stands strong. The Dark Elves cannot breach it."
James gave him a tired look as Jane came to his side to help him sit up.
"The prison riot is the breach," he said. "It's a diversion. If I've learned anything from Earth movies, they're targeting the shield generator."
Thor blinked. "How did you deduce that?"
"Because that's how every invasion story works."
Thor took his words seriously and grew alarmed.
"I will check on the shield generator core."
As he was about to leave he stopped and turned back to James. "Your sure you are alright?"
"I'll be fine," James said as Jane helped him to his feet and lean on the Soul Forge table. Faint creaking of his bones still echoed when he moved. "Take her somewhere safe. I'll join the fight shortly."
Thor departed with Jane, as James remained leaning on the table.
The Umbra Sentinel soon formed around him again getting ready for combat.
"Cortana," he said to her now that he has a helmet to muffle his voice. "Redirect the Space Stone's energy for maximum regeneration."
[Energy reallocation in progress. Full recovery underway.]
He waited, in his full suit of armor as the energy course all around him, repairing all the damage from the internal clash of energy.
Outside of Asgard, the Dark Elves arrived.
Cloaked fighters slipped through the defensive line undetected.
But Heimdall's eyes cannot be escaped from this close, he moved like a golden streak, intercepting the first vessel and tearing it down from the sky with his blade, but three more slipped past, intensifying the war.
The Dark Elf fighters were unnaturally agile and sharp like a blade, weaving through the golden bolts of light beams from the Asgardian's fixed defensive towers.
Even at close range, the shots failed to land a hit.
The Asgardian Skiffs rise to intercept the intruders, from their own beams of light and magical rockets, they all fail to get a hit.
They had grown complacent, unable to stop the dark elves they had long thought went extinct.
The Dark Elves fought with coordinated cutting strikes, slicing clean through a skiff before banking away.
Aboard the Dark Elf mothership, Malekith roared.
"Impossible! How could the Aether have vanished!"
He could no longer sense it.
James's storage space had severed the connection completely.
Their target was gone.
The invasion's objective became meaningless.
But retreat was not an option.
For five thousand years, they had waited for the convergence.
"I will go to its last location myself," Malekith decided.
He entered a cloaked fighter and left.
Following Loki's misdirection, the Cursed Warrior advanced toward the core of Asgard's defensive Shield.
The bodies of drained warriors lay behind him.
He had a single objective, and he was close.