Chapter Eight:
When Emblym had slowly began to come back to life, she realized that her arms were not stuck in the fabrics of a straitjacket. She hadn't been completely free, exactly, because her wrists had still been cuffed to the bed.
Emblym hummed at the small freedom that she had been given, she usually wasn't treated like this. They must want something from her, however Emblym didn't quite know what.
Emblym sighed, glancing around. Her room still had no windows to gaze outside, unfortunately, but it also didn't have a huge one-way mirror either. There had been a door, she noticed, which did have a small, rectangular window on it.
Emblym frowned, was she in an actual hospital room? Yes, she did see the medical equipment connected to her body, but she had never been in a real hospital room.
Back ay the Institute, if she had been injured or sick - which was often because of the lack of food and water she recieved - she was left in her room. Nobody came to help her because nobody wanted to risk death by her strange, magical knife.
The door opened and Emblym sat up straighter. It was the black guy again. His hands were folded behind his back and he eyed her as he walked from the door to one of the seats against the wall.
He was silent for a few moments and Emblym frowned, annoyed, "If you could tell me why you are here instead of just ominously sitting down, that would be great."
He rolled his eye, "Why did you save those people?" He asked, and Emblym rose an eyebrow.
"Why? Are they dead?"
"No. They all survived thanks to you. They're waiting to thank you, actually. What I want to know, is why?"
"Do I really need a reason?" Emblym asked, raising an eyebrow, but the black guy didn't talk, waiting for the response he wanted. "We were going to die. I think that's cause enough."
"You didn't do it for any personal gain?" He asked, "No favours? Not so they would be indebted to you in the future?"
"Why would I?" Emblym demanded testily. "You know, despite what others may think and what you might have heard, I'm not a monster."
"No, just a brutal murderer," he replied sarcastically.
"I can't help that," Emblym said, and he rose an egebrow, testing this. "I can't! The voices, they..." Emblym scoffed, "Why am I even trying with someone like you? What are you waiting for, anyway? Didn't you say you were going to take me back to the institute? Or, kill me, for that matter."
"Ms. White, I want to offer you a third option," he told her, hands folded and Emblym rose a tentative eyebrow. "Community service. Work with me, and I'll have your records expunged."
Emblym stared at him, then began laughing wildly, tears forming in her eyes that she couldn't wipe away because her hands were cuffed. When she finally calmed down, she stared at him, a few giggles still slipping last her lips. "Nobody is going to sign my records away."
"I wouldn't be too sure."
"And, nobody would accept me to do any kind of service in a community if they know what I've done."
"They don't have to worry about that."
"And, what about Wonderland?" Emblym narrowed her eyes at him. "All that work you put into me, waiting to finally get me to snap about it, thrown away?"
"I'll find another source," he shrugged.
"No, you won't," she shook her head. "I'm you're only source, and you know that. If I do this, I am not in debt to you. I owe you nothing."
"I am well aware."
"And, I decided if I want to step out, at any time." He rose an eyebrow, surprised by this. "If I want to opt out, I go back to the Institute and you leave me the fuck alone."
Fury went silent for a moment, before finally saying. "Deal."
• ️ ️ ️ ️•
Emblym was led to a different room by three different men with big guns. Some do the voices were reacting to them, very pleased with the sight of 'fine young men'.
The black guy led her into a room with large glass windows several people were inside, two looked to be in a heated argument. Three of them were men and one a woman. They all turned their heads when the black guy opened the door to enter, then they looked at Emblym, who smiled cheerily.
"Who's that?" One man who looked really annoyingly under-dressed, but everything else about him pointed to being rich. He had a sharp goatee, nice shoes, and a golden Rolex watch on his arm.
"This is Emblym White. She'll be joining you in finding the Tesseract," the man explained, leading her into the room.
"Why are there SHIELD officers with her?" Another man asked, he had shirt cut, brown hair and tanned skin that made him very dark. Emblym knew he had spent hours on end in the sun and that was what he was rewarded with.
"Escorts," He replied, probably not wanting to push the situation.
"How old is she?" The other man asked. He had blonde hair that was cut short and a very shaved face. His muscles were tense against his familiar red and white uniform, and Emblym rose en eyebrow. She was learning about this man on her last day she went to school, before the voices came. Steve Rogers, or Captain America.
"Nineteen," Emblym replied, her eyes narrowed. "Or, so I've been told."
"Why is a kid working with us?" The rich guy demanded, very annoyed by her prescense.
The black man opened his moutg to speak, but Emblym cut him off. "Why I am here is not your concern," she said. "Our job is to get the Tesseract, right? Let's do that, and stay out of each others way,"
"In order to find the Tesseract, we need to work as a team," Steve Rogers said.
"You're right," Emblym nodded, smiling, even. "And we can do that, and stay in our own lanes at the same time. It's not rocket science, Blondie." She gave him a obnoxious smile and then moved to pull up a chair, and sat down easily. "You were having a conversation before I joined the picture. Carry on." She waved her hand and then watched with keen eyes as they began to shift away from her. All of then came to tbe same conclusion of disliking her based on her first impression.
Emblym smiled, this would be good, for now.
The black man rubbed his temple and motioned to the dark haired man, saying, "Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him."
"Let's start with that stick of his," Steve replied, and Emblym assumed he meant the golden staff that was held up by a small stiltes. "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."
"I don't know about that," the black man crossed his arms, "But it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."
"Monkeys?" The Viking frowned. "I do not understand."
"I do!" Steve exclaimed like a child who had finished the last, winning move in a card game. "I understood that reference."
The rich guy rolled his eyes and then turned to the man referred to as Doctor Banner. "Shall we play, doctor?" The rich guy asked, jokingly.
Banner smirked and replied, "Let's play some." Then, the two made their way out of the room together.
"Natasha," the black guy said and the woman turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "I need information out of Loki and I need you to get it. Tell me when you're ready to go." she nodded and stood, exiting the room. He looked at the last remanding blonde man. "Until we have the the location of the Tesseract from Stark and Banner, there's not much we can do but sit and wait."
"That is quite alright," he said, and stood. "Agent Phil Coulson asked to speak with me. I will be there." He gave the man a pat on his shoulder before leaving the room.
As room as the door closed, the black guy rounded on Emblym, who had been picking out from underneath her fingernails. Remains of the rubble were still keeping hold underneath it and it annoyed her. "What was that?" He demanded, his eye narrowed and he was angry.
"You know, I have known of your existence for a week and I still haven't caught your name," Emblym frowned, thinking about this, but went back to her nails.
"Our team needs to be built on trust. We can't have that when your planting doubt and anger in their heads."
"I am not!" Emblym scoffed. "I'm planting seeds of doubt against me. It'll help them grow, trust me."
"You'll find that trust you, of all people, very little," he growled.
"Then, don't trust me. Your choice. I'm only here to find this Tesseract thing, then, I'm gone, right?" Emblym didn't wait for him to answer, as she stood up and stretched. "I'm going too find something productive to do with my time until your are ready for me to do something actually fun." She waved her fingers. "Ta."
