Ellie woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly well rested. She'd stirred, and heard Kamala above her. She'd looked to see Kamala's head hanging down from the bunk above her, hair dangling everywhere. That made her smile. They'd exchanged good mornings and Kamala invited Ellie to breakfast. As much as Ellie likes sleeping in, Kamala's company had been a real comfort so she hadn't hesitated.
The Chimera cafeteria had beaten the Fireflies' and Jackson's. Ellie'd had what they called a Denver omelet that was pretty much the bee's knees. Sadly, after that, Kamala had told her she was on another mission today and she would be gone until the evening, probably.
"Good luck," Ellie had said.
"I'd appreciate that…" replied Kamala, "if I needed it!" She even struck a pose.
Ellie laughs. "In that case, go easy on 'em."
Kamala is really easy to like, and the feeling seems to be mutual. It's gone a long way to helping Ellie keep feeling sane.
She was heading back to her room when she ran into the shining Scandinavian man leaving his. She pulls up, a little taken aback simply by his presence.
"Young Ellie!" he calls to her heartily. "Good morning!" He's very vivacious and jolly. It's no act.
"Good morning," she says, having nothing else to say.
He looks at her shirt. "Ho ho! Excellent choice!"
She looks down. When they got to the Chimera, Natasha had taken her to the outfitter and they'd managed to get her set up in a couple well-fitting pair of jeans and a few t-shirts. She'd grabbed this one at random. It reads 'I 3 Thor.'
She thinks about how they all have hero names. She smirks. That one suits him pretty well. She points to him as he approaches. "Is that you?"
"The one and only! And since I haven't formally greeted you—forgive my rudeness—it is a pleasure."
He holds out his hand and she shakes it.
"It's pretty fitting," says Ellie. "You could be a God of Thunder in that outfit."
"Oh?" He's confused for a moment. Then he breaks into a smile. "Ah, you misunderstand! It's no outfit, at all! The best Asgardian smiths were consigned to craft my gear, and there's no substitute for the mighty Mjölnir!" He pulls his hammer from his belt, tossing it into the air and catching it.
Ellie's nonplussed.
"Mm, you don't believe me, do you? Here." He offers her the hammer.
She doesn't understand where this is going but she takes it.
As soon as he lets go, the hammer's weight drags her forcefully to the ground with a clang. She practically falls on top of it.
"Dude!" she says. "How could it possibly be that heavy!?"
Thor smiles with good-natured amusement.
She finds her feet, crouches over it, and pulls on it with all her might, but it doesn't move a millimeter. After a few moments, she gives up. She stands up, panting slightly. "You're seriously that strong?"
He wears an unmocking smile. He glances at himself. "Well, I am mighty. But in truth? Many have so asked, but it's misleading. To the bearer, Mjölnir is light as a feather. But only the worthy may bear it. It's magic, put shortly. It was so immaculately designed. And this day, and all leading up to it, I have proven worthy." He holds out his hand and the hammer flies into it with a metallic whooshing sound.
Ellie's jaw is hanging open. Her voice comes out small. "You're really a god?"
"By birth, indeed."
Goes a ways to explaining his glow. "Where are all the other gods?"
"Well, ah, let's see. Preoccupied, largely. Most of my kin reside in Asgard, the realm of my birth. I spend most of my days in Midgard, these days—what you would call Earth—where I find there is much work to be done. I found the Avengers a passingly noble assemblage, and I'm honored to fight by their side. We do great work down here, you know!"
Ellie gapes. She'd thought she was past the wildest parts, but this is something else. "What about Zeus? Hera, Hermes, those guys, do you know them?"
He chuckles. "Ah, yes, the Greco-Roman fellows. Well, in truth, no…" He rubs his beard. He leans in conspiratorially. "You know, I'm not convinced they exist. At least, I've never met them. My friend, Heimdall, he is gifted with divine eyes that see all the nine realms at all times, and he's never born witness to them, so if that doesn't suggest they aren't real, I don't know what does."
Ellie gapes. "He can see everything?"
He considers for a moment, but in the end he just says "well, yes."
"Do you think he can see where I came from?"
His brows climb. "Well, that's an excellent question. Shall we ask him?"
If there's any reason they shouldn't, it's beyond Ellie. She shrugs and nods her head.
"Very good." He steps next to her and puts an arm around her shoulder. He raises Mjölnir into the air. "To Asgard!"
Then, they are surrounded by lights of every color Ellie has ever seen, and perhaps more, and she feels herself lifted by an ineffable force.
She senses that they're moving at an impossible speed an indescribable distance, but it's not jarring, it's perfectly smooth.
Then the light dissipates, and she's standing on a broad stone platform covered by a dome. It's surrounded by water, and on one side, a bridge made of rainbow colored light leads to a prosperous looking city with tall spires and golden domed buildings.
Her mouth hangs open, her body still, her muscles slack.
A man wearing golden armor and holding a massive sword point down into the ground stands atop a series of concentric steps in the middle of the platform. His skin is dark, and his eyes glow an eerie gold color. He glances their way, wearing a solemn expression. His glow is not as bright as Thor's, but still pronounced. It's platinum in color.
Thor doesn't seem to take notice of her condition, and raises his arms as he greets the man cheerily. "Old friend Heimdall, good day!"
"Good day, old friend," he replies levelly.
"We come bearing a curious question!" Thor points at him with a wry smirk. "But perhaps you already know!"
"I witnessed your conversation." Heimdall glances at Ellie. "Old friend, by my eyes, which never lie, I do believe Natasha instructed you not to overwhelm your young guest."
That gives Thor pause. He strokes his beard, speaking under his breath. "Oh shit, she did. Nevertheless! Young Ellie is hardy, yes?" he says to her entreatingly.
Ellie breaks out of her stupor and climbs the steps next to Thor. She speaks to Heimdall directly. "Can you really see everything?"
"It is true. This vigilance is my primary labor."
"Can you see where I came from?" She looks between him and Thor. "Can we go there?"
Heimdall considers, expressionless. "The Bifrost—the divine force which conveyed you here—can be summoned by a few Aesir to travel nigh-instantly to any of the nine realms. Yours, I'm afraid, is not among them. The force which brought you to Midgard—which I did witness—is unnatural. And so it is unnatural for you to be here at all."
Ellie's face falls and her stomach twists. Even the gods can't take her home.
"Do not despair, young one," Heimdall continues. "That which is done cannot be undone. But that which is done, may be done again. You will continue to find your new companions all noble, capable, and determined to your likely surprise. If anyone can send you home the way you came, it is they."
He talks like an immortal. And he seems wise. Ellie's inclined to believe him, but it doesn't change the feeling too much right now.
"Ah, Ellie," says Thor compassionately, "I wish the answer were better for you. But it would appear that for now, you must continue to wait."
Limbo again, like Sacramento.
She takes a step toward Heimdall. "Heimdall… is that right?"
"So I am called."
"Did you… did you see what happened to me, in that… in that place?"
"I am aware of what you speak."
Ellie looks down, playing with her fingers for a second. She looks up. "You can see everything… How do you deal with it?"
Thor looks between them, curious.
Heimdall considers once more, his eyes not leaving hers. "To bear witness to all things is rightly, among other things, a burden. Also, it is a tremendous gift, by which the Allfather has ordained me the Watchmen of the Gods, a duty I bear willingly for all time. By my vigilance, Asgard is kept safe, that it may stand eternal.
"When I was granted this gift, I went for a time in suffering, seeking in vain a manner by which to unsee that which I was seeing. I found ultimately that this is not possible. Instead, I embraced all knowledge and with it, the strength to bear witness, and to use this gift as best I may. But and to that, I am Aesir, of divine blood. Such a gift would be, for a mortal, a terrible curse."
"Then what do I do?" Ellie asks, brow wrinkled.
"Firstly, be thankful that your gift is unequal to mine. Secondly, I prescribe that which I have just spoken, inasmuch as you find you can."
He talks like someone from ancient times, but for better or worse, Ellie understands. It too doesn't make her feel better in the moment. Still, she knows she's lucky to have had the chance to ask. "Thank you," she says simply.
"You are most welcome."
"Young Ellie," says Thor, curious, "share you a gift similar to Heimdall's?"
Ellie has a small, secret smile. "Something like that."
"Hmm… Well, I should return you to the Chimera. I do have business this morning. Heimdall! Thank you, old friend."
They clasp forearms. "It is my duty, old friend."
Thor puts his hand around Ellie's shoulder again. "I'll ask this time. Are you ready?"
Ellie smiles. Funny, how this, how any of this can feel normal, or right. But it kind of does. She nods.
He raises his hammer. "Away!" he calls grandly.
After a few more moments of brilliance and color, they're standing in the same spot that they left from, in the lodging area.
When they arrive, Natasha had been walking right toward them. She stops, surprised.
She glances between them, then shoots Thor an aggravated look.
"Ah," says Thor awkwardly, "forgive me, Natasha, Tony requested my immediate attention this morning. I must go!" He floats into the air, spins his hammer at a blurring speed, then hurls it in front of him, flying incredibly fast down the stairs and out of sight.
Ellie smirks. Even gods can feel chagrin, apparently.
Natasha shakes her head and walks up to Ellie. "How you feeling this morning?"
"Okay. I had a Denver omelet. It was awesome."
Natasha smiles. "I like those, too." She tilts her head, a softer look on her face. "That all you're feeling?"
That makes Ellie feel small and she looks away for a second. She screws up her face. She senses that she should be honest with Natasha. "I'm frustrated," she admits. "And—" Sad, she decides not to say.
Natasha's look lingers for a second and she nods. "I know the feeling. And I know what helps me through it." She pats Ellie on the shoulder. "Want to go a few rounds?"
Ellie enjoys the sympathy for a moment, then Natasha's words sink in. Her features slacken. She waits for Natasha to say she's joking.
She doesn't.
Ellie hits the ground hard, sliding across the asphalt on her shoulder. The whole left side of her face aches from the last hit.
"Motherfucker!"
She rolls face down and pushes herself up with her hands.
"I hope you don't expect me to let you kick my ass without swearing," says Ellie. She's not panting, but she's not far from it. They've only been going at it for ten minutes.
Natasha has resumed her combat stance, feet spread, shoulder turned toward Ellie, arms cocked and ready. The only part of her that moves is her chest when she breathes easily. "That's more of a public facing policy."
Ellie dusts herself off. She's wearing a suit not unlike Natasha's, but made to fit her. Which is good, because the ground would be taking skin off if she weren't.
Well, that's not quite right. She's not really wearing this suit, and she's not really getting her ass kicked. Natasha had taken her to the HARM room on the Chimera, which in a way is the craziest thing yet. After an orientation, they had sat her down in this chair and stuck these wires on different places around her head and body. After a few minutes of concentration, she'd 'woken up' in this simulated combat training space.
Right now they appear to be on an empty suburban street at night time, fighting under street lights.
The space may be simulated, but Nat's punches and kicks feel real enough.
"May not be very gracious," says Ellie, "but I did kind of figure you'd go easy on me."
"Who says I'm not?" replies Nat.
"Seriously?"
"Ellie, you came at me the same way three times in a row."
"Got to work eventually, right?"
Nat offers a little smile and shakes her head. "This may be a tough pill to swallow," Natasha loosens up for a second then snaps back into her stance, "but you could take this as a compliment."
Ellie snorts, then advances on Natasha.
She comes in with her fists raised, but she moves to plant a hard kick to her gut. Natasha slips to the side and grabs Ellie's leg, which doesn't surprise her. She uses that as leverage and swings her other leg into Natasha's face.
She's treated to a momentary look of surprise before her foot slams into Natasha's cheek. Natasha drops her and Ellie flops to the ground. She rolls over once but Natasha is already coming at her and she plants a boot into Ellie's gut, causing her to roll over a couple more times.
Ellie's able to scramble to her feet as Natasha resumes her attack. Natasha throws a straight that Ellie dodges, and a hook she avoids by leaning back. She goes to kick Ellie in the side and Ellie absorbs it with the thick of her arm.
Natasha's leaned back but her middle is exposed, and Ellie plants her right fist into it. It's more or less like punching a tree.
Natasha doesn't even react and uses the same leg to kick Ellie again. Ellie's not ready for it this time and the blow to her side is pretty painful. She takes a page out of Nat's book and grabs the leg. Nat takes a page out of Ellie's and uses the leverage to kick at Ellie's face. Ellie is able to lean out of the way.
Natasha lands on her hands and feet, and smartly cartwheels directly back into her fighting stance. She doesn't attack again.
Ellie is panting now and rubs her side. "Man, how many sit-ups do you do a day? Punching your stomach is like hitting wood."
"Core strength is key," says Natasha, "but honestly, not so much in the way of sit-ups. Most of my exercise is done this way."
"Huh… but wait, isn't this not real?"
The voice she heard on that jet sounds throughout the space.
"What you are seeing and feeling is not technically real," says the accented voice, "but just as your mind is taking real feedback from your experience, the muscles in your body are proportionately stimulated by electrical signals."
"Wait… does that mean Nat's kicking the crap out of me for real?"
Nat chuckles.
"Well, no, Ms. Ellie," the voice continues, "damage is not applied to your body, only your own exertion. Mind, if you push yourself hard in here, you will be sore afterward."
"Huh. Hey, I haven't met you, yet."
"Apologies, Ms. Ellie, you can call me Jarvis. Only, you won't likely meet me in real life. I am an artificial intelligence, designed by Mr. Stark. And this HARM room simulation was designed by me, in turn. It's why I'm here, overseeing the simulation."
"An artificial intelligence? You're a real AI?"
"That is correct. There are not many like me at present, I might note."
Ellie's read about AI in some science fiction she's read, and the Savage Starlight comics, too. It had always been unthinkable that she'd ever meet one. Like a lot of other things she's seen recently, she files it under crazy-Earth things to be thought about later.
"Given your story," says Natasha, dropping her stance for the moment, "I figured you'd at least be scrappy. You really surprised me with some of those hits, though. Your reflexes are impressive."
"Yeah," says Ellie, sniffing. "Maybe I'm just a bit jumpy." She looks at her hand, flexing her fingers. "But actually… I think it, um… I think it might be an inhuman thing." The word still feels strange coming out of her mouth.
Natasha blinks. "What do you mean?"
"Like, you know how when you get into a fight, things almost kind of slow down?"
"Yeah, that's generally attributed to adrenaline."
"Yeah, well, after I woke up in that place, it's like… more, than before."
"I see. That could be a great asset for you, Ellie. What else have you noticed since you woke up, when I found you?"
Ellie sniffs again. She's only told Kamala so far. She'd like to keep some details to herself, but it doesn't need to be a secret.
"I can sense things like I couldn't before. Like in a way that shouldn't be possible. You can think of it like this; I can see all around me. And even through walls and stuff, sometimes."
Natasha's brows twitch. "That seems pretty special. How clear is it?"
How clear is it? Kind of unignorable, Ellie thinks. She considers. She closes her eyes and enters her own fighting stance, fists raised. She beckons Natasha.
It's not exactly like looking at Nat with her eyes open, but Ellie can see her brow twitch again. She considers for a moment, then advances on Ellie.
Ellie keeps her eyes closed. When Natasha gets within striking distance, she throws a nasty hook at her, but it's well telegraphed. Ellie just leans out of reach, then throws a straight right into Nat's jaw.
Surprised, Natasha staggers. Ellie advances, eyes still closed, but Natasha quickly follows up with another kick to her left side. Ellie blocks that one, too, and this time she kicks with her left leg at the one that's holding Natasha up.
Natasha jumps right as Ellie's leg contacts hers, doing a handspring backward to regain her feet. As she lands, though, Ellie's there and she takes another fist to the jaw. Natasha does another backward handspring. Ellie charges with more force but this time Natasha is ready. She rolls onto her back, plants her feet on Ellie's torso and uses her momentum to throw her over herself and tumbling to the ground.
Ellie grits her teeth on her hands and knees, eyes still closed. Nat advances while Ellie is in a crouch, going to punch her in the base of the head. Ellie moves out of the way easily, half stands and throws her elbow backward into Natasha's surprised face. While she's stunned she turns and kicks her hard in the middle.
Natasha staggers backwards, recovering. She holds up her hands. "Okay! Okay, that's good. You've made your point."
Ellie opens her eyes and turns toward the older woman, waiting for her response.
There's a little blood in the corner of Nat's lips. Ellie starts at that. "Shit, sorry."
Natasha smiles as she wipes the blood away, shaking her head. "No sorries in the HARM room, Ellie. That was pretty amazing. You fought better like that than with your eyes open."
Ellie considers how she feels about that.
"Do your eyes have to be closed for that to work?"
Ellie offers a rueful smile. If only. She shakes her head.
"Ellie, have you ever considered how much more difficult it would be to fight someone with their eyes closed?"
"Huh?"
"Imagine fighting me if I could do what you can."
Ellie thinks. It's pretty strange… but if Nat had her eyes closed the whole time, if she didn't even need to look… shit, it would be impossible. It's hard enough already to guess what she was going to do next.
Natasha smiles. "That's a pretty amazing advantage."
Ellie feels a little heat in her cheeks. She's not wrong.
"Any other new tricks you want to share with me?"
"Huh? Um… I don't think so."
"Don't say no so quickly. Inhuman abilities can manifest in any number of ways."
"They can?" Ellie scratches the side of her head. "Like how? I only know about me and Kamala so far."
Natasha tilts her head. "We have a friend, Hank Pym. He's become the leader of the inhuman resistance, you might say. He's rescued countless inhumans and given them a place to live and hone their abilities, safe from AIM. Two of his top people, twins, developed the ability to teleport miles in an instant."
Ellie's eyes go wide. "Seriously?"
"It's true," says Nat. "And that's not all. While visiting the Ant Hill, I've seen people who can levitate, throw plasma from their hands, all sorts of things."
"Whoa…"
"I'm not inhuman," says Nat, "but from what I've heard, it can be a process, exploring your abilities. Sometimes it doesn't seem like a power until it… happens. Is there anything else that feels different?"
Ellie considers. There is something. Something that's welled up in herself, at certain moments. When Nat told her how AIM had dragged her here against her will. When Kamala told her that Taskmaster's little experiment might have killed her. While she was fighting Nat.
But that's just a feeling, right? She's always had that. Something about it feels different, though.
"That," says Nat.
Ellie looks at her.
"Whatever it is you're feeling, explore that."
Ellie frowns. She looks at her hand. It's not so far beneath the surface. She can feel it in her chest and belly. With a little effort, she can move it to her hand. It feels like a pressure.
"It seems like you have something," says Nat. Ellie looks at her. "Do it," she says. She raises her arms in an open gesture. "Do it to me."
Ellie shakes her head automatically.
"You can't hurt me in here, Ellie," says Nat. "Well, you can hurt me, but not in any lasting way."
Ellie frowns, uncomfortable. She shakes her head again. "I don't want to do that."
Natasha considers her. There's a lot going on behind her eyes, Ellie can't be sure what.
Natasha lowers her arms and looks up. "Jarvis, can we have a neutral synthoid?"
"Yes, ma'am."
With a buzzing sound, one of those robots appears a few feet to the side of them. It lands softly on the ground, its pistons absorbing the light impact. It settles, and stands idly.
"That's the same one I saw at that place," says Ellie. It's like the one that picked up the bush.
"AIM calls them synthoids," says Natasha. "They use them like footsoldiers, basic labor, that kind of stuff. The all-purpose model. They're not very dangerous." Natasha looks it up and down disapprovingly. "They have some dangerous cousins, though." She puts her hands on her hips. "If you won't do it to me, do it to that."
Ellie hesitates. It's not an entirely good feeling. She doesn't exactly want to 'explore' it, as Nat put it.
Her brow firms up and she raises her arm at the robot. It doesn't look at her or react.
Natasha watches expectantly.
The feeling is right there, but the hesitation is natural. It reminds Ellie of when she was a kid and afraid to pull out her loose tooth.
"Think of what made you feel that way the first time," says Nat.
She sees Taskmaster wearing his arrogant smile.
Tell me what terrigen smells like? I've always wondered.
The feeling flares inside her, pushing to the edges of her ribcage, causing her chest to swell painfully. It spreads into her fingertips, causing them to sting and burn. It builds until the skin all over her body hurts.
Scared, she waivers, making a pained sound and clasping her hand to her chest.
Nat reaches a hand toward her. "Hey, steady, are you alright?"
She keeps seeing that asshole choking Dina to death after interrogating her, and her ramming her knife into his throat, sawing it as his eyes bug out of his head.
She feels sick.
"Easy, Ellie," says Nat, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady her, "easy. Sorry I pushed you."
"I don't want to do that again," says Ellie. She doesn't like how weak she sounds.
"You don't have to," says Nat, "they also say there's a time and place for everything. Maybe that was rushed."
The pressure inside Ellie has receded for now, but it's still there. She nods.
"Okay," says Natasha. "Let's put that aside." Everything Natasha does is natural. Almost natural. But Ellie can tell there's a considerable undertoe of thought. This isn't just a session for Ellie to get out her frustration. Natasha is watching her. Pushing her. Testing her. "Want to go another round?"
There's a lot going on for Ellie. She wants to impress Natasha, she really does. But she's not so—
"Maybe that's enough for now, then," says Natasha. "Same time tomorrow?"
Ellie looks back, brow furrowed, nervous, uncertain, but eager to please. She nods.