Well it only took me...almost three years...to finish writing this story, but I've finally done it. I might have been inspired to write this again after binging all of Loki. Maybe.

Anyways, I hope you like it!


Chapter 14: A Cell

Time passed relatively fast for Ciara in Asgard, and despite the cushy living conditions that came from staying in the castle, it was made very apparent that she was still a prisoner. Kept away from almost everyone, Ciara was treated with suspicion on the occasion she was seen wandering around.

To say this had gotten boring and annoying to Ciara fast, was an understatement. So, she needed ways to entertain herself, waiting for the day that the Bifrost repairs were complete and she could get the hell away from Asgard.

"Must you be here gawking?" Loki gave an irritated sigh, not looking up from the book that he was attempting to read. Ciara tilted her head as she paced in front of his cell.

"But this is the most freedom I get without some guard giving me hassle or someone giving me looks," she complained, taking a seat against the wall on the other side of the shimmering gold.

"Surely there are more interesting places that serve that purpose, far away from me," Loki still didn't look up, turning the page deliberately.

"Yeah," Ciara snorted. "The minute they realise that I'd done that, Odin will toss me in a cell down here too. I doubt you want that," she pointed out.

"I thought no cell could hold you," Loki replied lightly, before sighing and closing the book with a snap. He finally looked at her, and saw her grin, amused by his comment. "I have no interest in your company, so why do you insist on providing it?" he asked. Ciara didn't reply straight away, her eyes on his book.

"Because you're the only entertaining one around here," her honest answer caught him off guard. "What's the book?" her next question confused him even more. He looked down at it, and his eyes hardened. He tossed it aside.

"I already told you, I have no interest in your company," he told her coldly as her eyes followed the book. They both looked up, as they heard a door open and footsteps make their way down. "I would recommend you take that as your invitation to leave. I believe the AllFather would be more inclined to lock you away, if he finds you with me," Loki warned with a sneer. Ciara rolled her eyes.

"I said you're the only entertaining one," she said as she pulled the hood of her cloak up, and her being shimmered as she melted into the shadows, visible only to him. "But even you get boring," with that, Ciara was gone, and Loki sighed, letting his head fall back against the hard wall behind him.

Easily evading the guards making the rounds in the dungeon, Ciara made her way back upstairs and continued to wander the palace as she usually did, trying not to huff as she moved. Until she heard metal clash against metal, and stopped, looking around curiously.

For a month, Ciara had kept to the same routine, avoiding most people and keeping to herself to avoid annoying Odin and causing problems for herself, and she was fed up with doing so. Instead of ignoring it, she followed the noises, and found the training halls, where warriors of all kinds were training with a mass of different weapons.

Laughing as he bested each man who came after him, Thor tossed them aside with punches and kicks that would have broken almost every bone in the body of a human, but only seemed to bruise the Asgardians. Even ones who came after him with weapons had no chance against the Crown Prince.

"Come now!" Thor goaded, having taken down most of the people in the hall. "Is there anyone who can give me a challenge?" he laughed, with no arrogance behind his words. Ciara smiled slightly as she watched him draw laughter from those around him.

"Very well," there was a heavy thud as Volstagg dropped his axe and approached Thor. The Prince's eyes gleamed with excitement as the rotund Asgardian stood in front of him with a cheery smile. "Perhaps I can provide you with an appropriate challenge," he offered as Ciara studied the man she hadn't seen since New Mexico. He, like the rest, hadn't changed a bit, and she'd avoided them since she'd arrived in Asgard. After all, they had met when they had gone against Loki, and if Thor had told them what had happened recently, she doubted that they would be very friendly towards her.

Instead, Ciara kept to the back as she watched the two fight, throwing powerful punches that made Ciara wince, but the two just continued to laugh and exchange barbs, before Thor caught a punch and the two grappled with strength that would have easily given Blob a run for his money. She put a hand to her chest as a painful pang jolted through her, as it usually did when she thought about her former team. Ciara shook her head quickly, and focused on the fight as people cheered for each side.

With a bellow, Thor took a half-step back and with a powerful lift, he hauled Volstagg up and tossed him across the hall. He crashed into multiple others, who cried out as they all hit the ground with a tremor, as Thor roared with laughter.

"Oh, how I miss the days of peaceful training," Sif rolled her eyes nearby with a smile. Ciara resisted a grimace, still not a fan of the woman. "Perhaps I may offer a challenge?" she offered, and with a flick of her wrists, allowed the blades to burst from her weapon. Thor's laughter faded a little as she smirked at him.

"Uh, perhaps another time, Lady Sif," Thor bowed his head, his voice a little nervous.

"Too bad," Sif laughed lightly, letting the blades vanish back into her staff. Volstagg laughed as Thor helped him to his feet, grinning too. His blue eyes lifted suddenly, and he straightened up with a grin.

"Ciara! Have you come to challenge me as well?" he greeted the speedster, who froze as their attention turned to her. She cursed. She hadn't meant to linger. Her eyes moved to Volstagg, whose smile had faded slightly, while Sif was scowling, and the other two of the Warriors Three exchanged curious looks.

"Um...sorry," pulling her hood back up, Ciara rushed out of the room, a nauseous feeling in her stomach. Thor and Volstagg looked to each other, offering small smiles.


Hiding back in her room, Ciara slumped down at the desk in the corner and sighed heavily.

"I'm going to get chewed out for this...how boring," she complained, slumping over the desk as she poked at a book she'd left open, with a notebook beside her that had her writing scrawled along the lines. Her brow then furrowed as she thought about how Thor had responded to seeing her there. "I helped Loki...I was his enemy. Now I'm a trespasser in his home...why did the big guy treat me like..." Ciara put her hands on her head, messing up her hair as her mind replayed what had happened in the training room.

The speedster sighed again, turning her head to look out the window. The Bifrost was still under repair, with no word on when it would be completed. And she wanted nothing more than to get the hell away from Asgard.

Ciara jumped, when there was a thudding knock at her door, and she shot out of her seat. For a moment, panic overwhelmed her, thinking that Odin had heard and was deciding she was more trouble than she was worth. Instead, the door opened slightly, and Thor peeked inside. She stared at him with wide eyes, as he blinked back at her. It took her a moment to realise he was waiting awkwardly, and she cleared her throat.

"Uh...come in?" she offered, and he beamed, pushing the door opened.

"It has been a while since I have seen you, Ciara," he commented, now standing awkwardly in the room with her.

"Yeah well, I figured that hanging around you might annoy your dad, so," she shrugged, and he smiled a little more at her words.

"I am surprised that you would consider that, since you do not often care for any sense of rules," he pointed out, and Ciara's face heated. He had a point.

"I..." she wasn't too sure what to say, and Thor's smile faded.

"Ciara," he approached her carefully. "I heard that you helped to fight the Chitauri forces on Earth. You even stayed when that...missile..." he tried the foreign word. "Threatened to destroy everything," he continued, putting his hands on her shoulders while watching her expression. "Despite everything, you still helped us save people," Thor pointed out, and Ciara pulled out of his grasp.

"I didn't," she told him stubbornly. "I fought the Chitauri because it was interesting. They gave me a fight; an adrenaline rush. I stayed because I didn't care about what happened to me," Ciara explained, her tone cold. "I wasn't trying to help-" she stopped abruptly, thinking of Penelope crying over Marcus' body. Thor's brow furrowed when he saw the emotions cross her face. "Nobody is going to cry over me if I die. And I have nobody that I'd cry over either," Ciara continued, fighting the memory down.

"I would mourn for you," Thor's words made her snort.

"Would you really?" she didn't sound like she believed him. "I helped your brother for my own selfish reasons. Just like I did when I helped you," Ciara reminded him, but when she looked up, she hesitated, seeing his expression. His bright eyes were deadly serious.

"I would mourn for you, Ciara. I believed you my friend, when I came to Earth," he told her quietly. Ciara gave a quiet laugh in response.

"You'd be the only one," she told him, even quieter. Thor sighed, stepping back, and Ciara was surprised when the gap he put between them hurt.

"Pardon the intrusion," he murmured quietly, turning and leaving without another word. Ciara couldn't help but laugh to herself as she slumped back into her seat. After all the time she'd spent on Earth running, it was only now that she felt completely alone. When this thought came to her, her vision blurred as tears started to sting her eyes. "Dammit.." she whispered, voice shaking as she buried her head in her arms, unable to stop herself from crying.


A sharp pain stabbed through her arm as the scientist jabbed her roughly with a large needle, drawing blood, but Ciara didn't even blink. Used to the pain and not willing to be slapped again by the burly man holding her arm in place with thick gloves, she kept still, resisting rolling her eyes. The way they treated her, it was almost as if they expected her to infect them with her speed.

"Done," the scientist announced as he removed the needle and placed the vial of blood into the case with the rest. Ciara glanced down at the bruises already forming around her arm where she'd been injected multiple times with little care, before she was yanked back to her feet and thick, heavy, metal bands placed tightly around her wrists. Immediately her heart rate sped up and her hands went clammy. This never boded well.

"Get moving," the burly man shoved her along, and Ciara stumbled over her bare feet before catching herself, knowing far worse would happen if she fell. Her breathing was uneven and she felt sick as she was forced along a corridor flooded with artificial light, and into another room. Once she was pushed through the doors, they slammed shut, and the room lit up to reveal a maze. Above, an intercom buzzed to life.

"You know the drill. Get moving," a voice ordered, and immediately Ciara felt the hum in her wrists as the bands buzzed to life. Immediately, everything slowed down for her, and she started running, making her way through the maze. As much as she hated to use her powers for these people, she hated what would happen if she didn't, more. With speed they were barely able to register with their machines, she moved through the maze, remembering the layout from the last dozen times she'd been forced to run it. It never changed, and she'd memorised it after the first run.

So much so, that she almost ran straight into the wall that was blocking her path. Ciara skidded to a stop, and regretted it immediately as the bands around her wrists beeped loudly, and released jolts of electricity that forced a scream from her lips before she could stop herself. Her muscles locked and her body went rigid as the electricity paralysed her and seared pain into her memory. After a moment, it faded, and she collapsed, gasping for breath.

"Shit," the young girl mumbled, forced to keep moving before she received another shock. She continued to run, searching desperately for the correct path. She knew the path by heart. Of course they were going to change it up. Tears stung at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall as she panicked, trying to find the way out before the time limit. "I...can't..." she whispered, before hearing a loud buzzer above. The electricity raced through her body, making her scream again as she crashed to the ground, having still been running. She convulsed, before finally the electricity stopped, and she gasped for breath.

"Disappointing as always," she whimpered as a hand roughly grabbed her hair and yanked her up slightly. She didn't look up, instead glaring hatefully at the shoes of the man who she'd once called her dad. "I shouldn't expect much from a monster," he tossed her aside, and straightened up. "At least you'll be useful in saving the human race from others like you," Ciara's breath caught. "What, you thought you were the only one?" Trask asked mockingly. "Your kind have been around far too long, embedding yourselves in our society, in our families," he spat at her, standing over her. Ciara made the mistake of looking up at him, and saw his disgusted look. His anger grew when her blue eyes met his dark ones, and his boot lifted up, coming down on her hard.

"No!" Ciara gasped, sitting up sharply. Her breathing ragged as she remembered where she was, she sat back in the chair she'd fallen asleep in, and the blanket fell from her shoulders. Astrid must have called in while she was asleep. Not that Ciara registered this, as she stood up, heart still pounding painfully against her chest. She grabbed her cloak and pulled it on, letting the magic cover her like a shield, and she slipped out of the room.

It was next to impossible for her to forget her dream, of her childhood, after her powers had manifested and she'd been kept as a research subject for her father to experiment on in a way to build something he believed would 'protect' the human race from mutants. Nausea rushed over her, and bile forced its way up into her mouth, and she staggered to the steps outside, just making it before she threw up what little she'd eaten during the day.

On her hands and knees, Ciara breathed heavily, tears in her eyes as she shook, adrenaline rushing through her from the nightmare and willing her to start running. A sense of hopelessness washed over her. There was nowhere to run to this time.

A hand suddenly touched her shoulder, and she slapped it away quickly, scrambling backwards and getting back to her feet, ready to run. She stopped when she recognised Volstagg, a little red in the face, watching her with a concerned look.

"Are you alright?" he asked carefully.

"I'm fine," she muttered, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Sorry, I'll go back to my room," Ciara muttered, but he called out as she turned away, pulling her hood up.

"What brought you out on such an evening?" he asked her suddenly, and she stopped.

"I..." Ciara hesitated to answer, but when she looked around and saw his gentle smile, she felt compelled to respond to him. "I needed some air," she answered with a shrug.

"I see. Don't stop on my account," he told her, and immediately Ciara turned around completely, looking baffled.

"Why?" she demanded, and his smile was replaced with confusion. "What's with the pleasantry?" Ciara asked him, too wound up to stop herself from letting the questions spill out. "Why are you being so nice? I helped Loki, I was Thor's enemy. Surely that puts me on the 'do not speak to her' list," her frustration was obvious, and Volstagg tilted his head a little.

"It's true, I do not trust you. Thor warned us of your...indecision of a side to pick," Ciara almost laughed at his choice of words. Almost like she couldn't pick a side, rather than didn't want to. "However, Thor does not believe that you have any reason to bring harm to him, or the people of Asgard. So why would I deem to treat you like..."

"A mortal?" Ciara finished, and his brow furrowed at the snide tone. "I'm on Asgard but I'm not Asgardian," she laughed bitterly at this, and to her anger, tears started to pour down her face. "I was on Earth, but I'm not human. I don't have..." she choked on a sob, putting her hands to her face, and froze when Volstagg wrapped his arms around her.

To her frustration, her tears only got worse in Volstagg's embrace, and she pulled away, wiping at them furiously. "I'm sorry," she muttered, and he simply smiled. Ciara sighed, unable to believe that she'd let so much slip.

"If I may," Volstagg cleared his throat. "It would appear that a patient ear to listen may help you," he suggested, and Ciara looked up at him as she backed up against the wall and slid down.

"And I suppose that's you?" she asked, sounding tired.

"I would offer, if I believed you would trust me with your secrets," Volstagg chuckled. "Thor did liken you to a mystery," he told her honestly, and Ciara remembered their interaction on the Helicarrier, when he'd managed to make her angry. She sniffed, and stood again.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'd rather just go back to my room," Ciara decided.

"Allow me to accompany you," the large man caught up and matched her pace as she started walking away.

"Wow, that's how much you don't trust me?" she snorted, tugging at her cloak.

"Not quite," Volstagg laughed cheerfully, stroking his long red beard. "I simply wish to ensure that you return safely," he grinned, and it widened she laughed this time.

"How chivalrous of you," she shrugged, finding herself grateful for the company. The two walked in peaceful silence, broken occasionally by Ciara asking random questions.

"Seriously though, what is with all the feasts? Astrid is forever telling me about them," Ciara commented, making Volstagg chuckle. He glanced down at the silver-haired girl, who already seemed back to normal without a trace of the emotions he'd seen on her when he'd first spotted her on his way back from the tavern. "Are you sure that-" she stopped so suddenly that the large Asgardian took two extra steps before he realised, and turned to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned as he saw her looking around.

"What is..." Ciara peered down a corridor to her left, even paler than usual. Once again, she seemed to have completely switched. "What's down that way?" she asked quietly. Volstagg followed her gaze, frowning.

"The treasury, where ancient relics and treasures are kept safe," he answered slowly. Ciara didn't move, feeling the pull of the Tesseract calling her. It had been muffled; quiet, since she'd been on Asgard. Now she was closer, and the pull was consuming her exhausted mind. "Lady Ciara-" Volstagg started, only for Ciara to vanish in a gust of wind as she took off running. "Oh no..." he murmured, and hurried to find some guards, hoping that he and Thor hadn't been wrong about her.

Pulling her hood up, Ciara blended into the shadows to avoid guards on patrol, as a compulsion pushed her to keep going. She didn't know why, but she was too tired to resist it.

Stepping into the relic room, Ciara shivered, feeling magic sparkling in the air. It was heavier than anywhere else she'd been since arriving on Asgard, and it weighed down on her. She moved silently down the stone steps as her bare feet barely made a sound, and she looked around at the collection of relics, ignoring most. She paused at a blue and black casket that radiated a kind of power that made her shiver from a cold energy, and she quickly moved on, passing a massive golden gauntlet.

Finally she stopped by the Tesseract, which shimmered with power. Blue light flowed from it, calling to Ciara as she reached a hand out and the light started to wrap around her fingers.

The doors burst open and amongst the guards, Thor charged in. He spotted Ciara, his eyes going wide as he saw the light curling around her hand like tendrils.

"Ciara!" he called, rushing towards her, but it was too late. Her fingertips brushed the cube, and energy burst out, slowing Thor and throwing most of the guards off their feet as the light consumed Ciara entirely. It only lasted a minute before fading, and Ciara collapsed, eyes closed and her breathing slow.


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