Chapter Twenty Two
"The road begins with new born skin, We are right now You're a needle girl, in a haystack world, We are right now You're breathing in, The highs and lows We call it living, In this needle and haystack life I found miracles there in your eyes, It's no accident we're here tonight We are once in a lifetime..." Needle in a Haystack Life, Switchfoot
It was four in the morning when Ada woke up. Tony had gone to bed hours after she finally fell asleep, tinkering with some devices down in the lab. Now, she was wide awake and had already begun packing clothing into her duffel bag. She'd already made preparations for the trip to New Mexico before Tony showed up. The key was to slip away unnoticed before he noticed something was wrong. She'd already over ridden the security protocols he'd set up, hoping to avoid detection as she left the mansion.
Once she had her notebook and other necessities packed, Ada made sure that Jarvis hadn't sent an alert to Tony. This was something she needed to do on her own. If what was happening in New Mexico was any indication to where her people came from, she needed to investigate it. She just hoped that Tony would understand when she got back. She didn't want him worrying over the decisions she made. But there was only so much she could do without him becoming overbearing.
After getting in the shower, changing into fresh clothes and tying her hair into a ponytail, Ada was ready for her trip to New Mexico. The energy readings had come off from a small town outside the desert. That was where she would start her search, and hopefully, clarify everything.
By the time she was on the road, it was six in the morning. She watched the sunrise from the corner of her eye, admiring the mixtures of colors that filled the sky. When she was younger, she would always slip out and watch it. She couldn't explain why; there was something almost profound about a sunrise and a sunset. She shook her head at the thought. Spiritual or not, she still enjoyed watching it when she wasn't busy, and often did so.
A couple of hours went by as Ada drove down the highway, carefully maneuvering around the traffic. Not for the first time, she found herself silently thanking Clint that he did teach her how to drive. She'd borrowed one of Tony's cars, knowing he wouldn't miss it much. The one good thing about Tony's car collection was that he didn't spend as much time with it as he used to. Working on the suit had eaten away at whatever time used to be spent on his cars.
It was noon by the time she reached the border that led to New Mexico. The usual traffic patterns weren't what had stopped her on more than one occasion. It was the cops that had stopped her several times. She knew that she looked young, and they probably thought she was too young to be behind the wheel. It meant having to flash her SHIELD badge just to get them off her case, but at least they backed off.
Ada breathed out a sigh of relief as she pulled to a stop at the small town that had captured her attention. It was indeed smaller than what she had been used to. Though, Ada noticed with a start that the town had its own charm, to it. People who were going about their usual business hardly took notice of her arrival as she parked outside a diner. She was thankful for that. The less attention she drew, the better off she was.
According to the coordinates that she'd managed to find after fumbling through SHIELD's files, there was a scientist running research on the same anomalies they were looking into. Ada had quickly learned that Doctor Jane Foster was an astrophysicist; someone who studied the stars. She knew there was a lot more in depth studies that went into astrophysics, and the fact that Foster had chosen such a location told her that she knew more than she was letting on.
She stopped by a convenience store to pick up a few supplies. Stopping there meant that she could grab a bite to eat, along with gathering information on the town itself. The locals seemed friendly enough, if not a bit wary about a stranger walking into their store. Being relatively new to the area meant that they would likely feel suspicious of a stranger randomly arriving. She tried to maintain her composure while going through the shelves and gathering whatever material she needed.
"Excuse me, do you know where Doctor Jane Foster lives?" she asked the sales clerk as he rang up her purchase. She hadn't missed the suspicious look he threw her, but it didn't last long as he gestured to en old looking building just a few blocks from the convenience store, "Thank you."
Once she paid for her purchase, Ada quickly grabbed her supplies and climbed back into the car. The town itself consisted of a lot of dust. She'd noticed that most of it came from the desert, and it drifted in the wind. This was truly the first time she'd ever stopped by a desert-side town, and she was beginning to understand why. The dry, hot air wasn't all that appealing to her. The sun was also glaring down at her. It added to the intensity of the heat that seemed to roll off the surface.
She pulled to stop upon seeing two young women standing around the building, along with two men. All of them looked thoroughly annoyed with one another, as if they'd recently had an argument of sorts. Ada watched them curiously as she reached the door. Something had clearly ruffled them up, and she doubted it was anything good. She held back a sigh, knowing that her sudden arrival probably wouldn't help matters. One knock on the door was all it took for them to stop bickering, turning to see that someone was waiting for them to answer.
"I'm sorry, but this building isn't open to the public," the woman with black hair and glasses explained after reaching the door.
Ada rose an eyebrow at that, having already guessed that was the case. While she could just use the same excuse she had for the cops, something told her that wouldn't end well. Instead, she decided to go with a friendly approach, hoping that would gain her access to what looked like a lab.
"I'm sorry for showing up so randomly," she apologized, feigning innocence as the woman eyed her up and down, "I was just hoping that I could run by some questions with Doctor Foster. She's an astrophysicist, and she might have the answers I'm looking for."
"Wait a minute… I know you from somewhere," the woman mused, ignoring her plea as she tilted her head to one side. Then, her eyes widened as if something had clicked, "You're Ada Stark, aren't you?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Ada replied, feeling hesitant with her answer.
The last thing she wanted was to gain attention. She knew it was inevitable – the media constantly tried hounding her for questions regarding her history with Tony, and everything else involving her life as a Stark. So many people had jumped to the same conclusion when they first met. Ada had quickly learned that introducing herself as a Stark was probably not the best idea, even though most people would recognize her by now. They simply judged her based on who Tony was, and how he acted in the public.
The woman didn't bother saying anything else, and instead she turned back to where Foster was standing. She still looked just as annoyed as earlier, but she did a fairly good job at hiding it. Ada suspected that whatever was going on in there was far from over.
"Jane, someone's here to see you!" she called over her shoulder.
"Darcy, what have I told you about letting—" Jane stopped short when she recognized who Ada was. She winced at the accusing look that followed, knowing that she would have to explain herself sooner or later, "I'm sorry, but even a Stark isn't allowed in here."
The way she mentioned her last name was enough for Ada to force back a nasty retort. She was tired of people judging her just because she carried Tony's last name. While they may have shared similar last names, and she did have an attitude that was somewhat like his, they were nothing alike.
"Look, I'm actually here to ask you a few questions about your field of work," Ada snapped, suddenly wishing she could control the rising temper that followed, "A lot of… weird things have been happening that I can't explain. I was hoping maybe you could. My father doesn't even know that I'm here."
The older woman looked at Ada in surprise when she realized that she wasn't here just to cause trouble. She partly understood Jane's worry, given Tony's reputation and all. If there was one thing she loved proving, it was that she could take anyone by surprise with her explanations. Most of the folks that she ran into were taken completely by surprise when she would talk to them. As someone who had been accused of acting just like her father at times, it made their reactions that much more entertaining.
"Alright, fine," Jane sighed after giving it some thought. She hadn't dropped her guard, but her shoulders relaxed a little as she opened the door a little wider, "But only, and only if you can keep this a secret."
Ada gave a nod at that, deciding that was better than being tossed on the street. Jane could have just as easily done that if she posed a threat to them. She knew she would have just slept in the car if that was the case, but seeing as they were friendly, she wasn't too worried.
Once Jane let her in, she could see that the place was far more impressive on the inside than on the outside. Lab equipment was scattered throughout the building. A few tables were placed here and there. To the right was a small kitchen with a table for four. A set of stairs led to what she assumed were the bedrooms, and possibly the roof. The panoramic windows provided plenty of light during the day, and, Ada could only imagine what it was like at night to see all of the stars.
"This is quite the setup you have, here," Ada remarked, eying some of the equipment curiously.
There seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to how they were placed. Though, what caught Ada by surprise was that most of the equipment looked as if it had been hand-built. Tony would've had a field day trying to figure out how the equipment worked. As an engineer himself, he liked to nitpick certain equipment just to see how one designed it, and he would point out whatever flaws said equipment would have. People would often get annoyed with his attitude towards their work, but they took his criticism seriously when they realized that he was right.
"All of the equipment here helps me keep track of the readings that we've been getting, recently," Jane explained as she studied Ada warily, "Most of the readings came from the desert over the last couple of weeks." She paused, glancing around as if looking for someone. The two men from earlier seemed to have disappeared; Ada could only guess that the older gentleman had had enough with the younger one after their argument. "Have you seen Erik, anywhere?"
"Don't look at me," Darcy retorted with a shrug, "I'm not getting paid to babysit him; it's bad enough you expect me to babysit the new guy. Darcy Lewis, by the way," she suddenly introduced herself with a handshake after reaching Ada.
She couldn't hide the smile that followed as she returned the gesture. At least Darcy seemed friendly enough, for the time being. Ada had a feeling that Jane would feel suspicious of her. Once she brought up the idea of where she came from, and of her past, she knew that Jane wouldn't be all that happy with her presence.
Seconds later, and the two men finally returned to the room. Ada couldn't help but look away, feeling a spark of irritation when the tall, muscular guy with long blond hair smiled warmly at her. The one with gray hair had eyed her with the same suspicion Jane had.
It's not like I don't try to act as if I'm doing anything suspicious, Ada thought, trying to keep herself from looking too annoyed at the looks she received from Jane and the gray-haired man, who she could only assume was Erik.
"Who is this?" the muscular guy asked, eyeing Ada with curiosity.
While it was a nice change from the usual looks, Ada still felt unnerved by it.
"Ada Stark," she introduced herself, hoping she didn't sound too frustrated as Erik narrowed his eyes, "I'm sorry for barging in on you, so suddenly," she put in.
She knew she shouldn't have felt so irritated, given how she had randomly shown up and expected answers right away from Jane. If the roles had been reversed, she would have felt the same suspicion with them had they randomly shown up at her doorstep.
"Well, at least you seem to have better manners than the older Stark," Erik remarked, finally dropping his guard after realizing she didn't pose a threat, "Erik Selvig. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Pleasure's all mine," she returned the gesture.
She felt slightly relieved that he hadn't demanded why she was there, in the first place. She had no doubt that Jane would tell him once they were alone. There was only so much she could hide from them. Though, at least Selvig had been taken by surprise when she introduced herself in as pleasant of a tone as she could muster.
She glanced at the muscular guy curiously, suddenly aware that he hadn't dropped his smile since he arrived. He looked strangely familiar. Like someone she'd seen from a picture book. Though, she couldn't quite place why. He frowned after realizing that he was now the center of attention, and, that he hadn't introduced himself.
"Forgive me. I am Thor Odinson," he explained after reaching her, and taking hold of her hand. Ada froze when he kissed it, feeling her heart nearly skip a beat from the contact. The random gesture had taken her by surprise, and, he seemed to sense that when he noticed how tense she was, "Have I done something wrong?"
"No, it's just… people don't normally do that," she replied, feeling heat rise to her cheeks as she realized that 'Thor' was part of ancient Norse mythology.
From what she remembered, Thor was known as the Thunderer. She tilted her head to one side as she noticed he was looking at her with that same curiosity from earlier. It was enough to remind her that she shouldn't be too trusting. After the fallout with Emmett, and his father's attempt at taking her down, she knew that it wasn't safe to trust everyone.
"What is this?" Thor questioned.
He was eyeing the name tag on his shirt.
Ada tried not to look as she noticed even with the shirt, she could see the muscles rippling through it. If what he said about his heritage was true, then, she could understand where the muscles came from. Even if none of it made sense.
"Oh!" Jane's eyes widened as she reached for the name tag and tore it off, "My ex. Good with patience and bad with relationships. Uh… they're the only clothes I had that would fit you."
"It will suffice," he replied.
For a moment, Ada wasn't sure what to say as she realized how rude that was when he just left Jane standing there, gaping like an idiot.
"You're welcome!" she shouted after him, clearly miffed with his behavior.
Is this guy for real? Ada wondered, crossing her arms in annoyance. She knew she shouldn't have judged so quickly just on appearance and his first act, but, something about the way he treated Jane rubbed off her the wrong way. She was even more annoyed when he turned around, bearing that same smile from earlier.
"This mortal form has grown weak. I need sustenance!" he declared, earning a raised eyebrow from Ada.
Mortal form sounded like another term for someone who thought he was above everyone else. Which only annoyed her further, if that was possible.
"Would it kill you to ask nicely?" she asked under her breath, careful enough that he wouldn't hear.
"Something tells me this guy wasn't taught manners where he came from," Jane added under her breath, looking equally miffed.
"Well, at any rate, lunch is on me," Ada suddenly announced, earning looks of surprise from Jane, Darcy and Erik.
"You don't have to do that," Jane reassured her.
"Sure she does!" Darcy chimed in cheerfully, eyes brimming with excitement at the prospect of food, "It's a free lunch, who can turn down that offer?"
Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed. She had to admit, she liked Darcy's attitude and spirit. The intern reminded her of someone who could make friends with just about anyone, and, someone she would want to hang out with.
"It's the least I could do," she added.
…
"So, what sort of questions did you have to ask me?" Jane asked once they reached the local diner.
Ada was relieved to find it wasn't too crowded. She suspected this was a popular hub for the locals, and tourists who stopped by. Fortunately, with it being the middle of the day, people weren't keen on getting something to eat.
The moment Jane popped that question was when Ada found her fingers twining with each other. Honestly, she wasn't even sure where to begin. She'd thought of how she would start the conversation regarding where she came from, and where her powers came from. Now that she was put on the spotlight, she had no idea.
"I'm uh… not even sure where to begin," she admitted, glancing down at the table thoughtfully. "I sort of had this whole plan of asking if you knew of any anomalies that might've occurred sixteen years ago, but, now, I'm starting to realize how dumb that sounds."
"What do you mean by anomalies?" Darcy asked in confusion, ignoring the looks Thor and Erik were giving them.
Ada held back a sigh, knowing that she would have to explain herself sooner or later, "I'm not exactly what people would call… normal. I've been having these dreams about people who die right in front of me, and this one woman who… she sacrificed herself, and somehow sent the baby she was protecting away."
Even Jane looked flabbergasted with that explanation. She leaned back against her seat, eyeing her thoughtfully for the first time since she showed up. Ada glanced at Erik and Darcy, not missing the strange looks they were giving her. If they had seen the news, they would have understood why she was so wary towards talking about her powers.
"There haven't been any reports about anomalies appearing back than," Jane replied, eyes narrowing as she looked at Erik, who only shook his head. "I'm sorry; it sounds like something that should be investigated by the FBI."
She chewed the bottom of her lip at that, fully aware the FBI was the last organization she would have turned to. SHIELD, maybe, but, them? Something told her that would turn ugly, fast, if they knew the truth about her powers and where she came from.
Luckily, the subject had quickly been changed from her to Thor. Once the food arrived, he ate it up like it was nothing. Ada bit back a groan when she realized that the bill from this meal was going to be expensive. Between the food that he ordered, and the drinks, she had no doubt she was going to regret agreeing to paying for it.
"How'd you get inside that cloud?" Jane asked while he stuffed his face with food.
"Also, how could you eat an entire box of Pop Tarts and still be this hungry?" Darcy added.
Thor didn't respond, right away. With a mouth full of food, and the manners that he seemed to have, Ada had no doubt that he wouldn't have a problem talking with his mouth full. She was thankful he'd kept it shut until swallowing and taking a sip of his coffee.
"This drink, I like it!" he exclaimed.
"I know; it's great, right?" Darcy chimed in.
Without warning, he suddenly slammed the mug onto the floor, causing everyone to jump in surprise at the sound of shattering glass. Jane quickly cleaned it up, all the while Thor was offering a smile to the waitress who walked past, as if expecting her to do what he asked.
"What the hell was that?" Ada demanded.
"It was delicious. I want another!" he declared, still not grasping the reason why everyone was so annoyed and stunned with his behavior.
"Well, you could have just said so," Jane snapped, not sounding the least bit happy with the situation she was in.
"That is what I just did." Thor frowned in confusion, and it became obvious that he didn't understand that what he did was wrong.
"No, I meant ask nicely," she nearly rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"I meant no disrespect," Thor apologized after realizing the mistake he'd made.
"Alright. Well, no more smashing. Deal?"
Ada watched in surprise as Thor gave a nod. The fact that Jane had gotten him to agree at all caught her by surprise. He didn't seem like the type of person who would give in so easily. Then again, Ada barely knew him.
"Good," Jane nodded in satisfaction.
At that point, Ada suspected there was more going on than meets the eye. From what she gathered from Darcy, Jane was the one who ran Thor over. Darcy had tased him seconds later as he tried approaching them in his disorientation. Though, the more Ada watched him, the more she wondered if Thor really was from a different world.
A few more seconds went by before a group of men finally arrived in the diner. Ada rose an eyebrow when she heard them talking about a satellite that had crashed in the desert recently. Remembering what she had read from the SHIELD files, she had a feeling that the readings they had been studying led to this 'satellite' crash.
She glanced at Thor in surprise when she noticed how he'd taken an interest in the men's conversation. Seconds later, and he stood up to ask where the site of the satellite crash was. From what Ada had gathered, the whole area had been over by the government and was now heavily guarded. Which meant it had SHIELD written all over it. A shiver of unease swept through her as she realized that if SHIELD was involved, she would likely be questioned as to why she was there. She had been hoping that Jane would have some information about where she was from, but it seemed like that was a dead end as well.
"Oh, my God! This is going on Facebook!" Darcy exclaimed when Thor had received his answers and returned, pulling her iPod out in the process, "Smile!"
The man in question did just that, though Ada doubted he understood what she was talking about as she took his picture.
"Wait, where are you going?" Ada asked when she noticed he'd already started to leave.
"Fifty miles west of here," he explained.
"Why?" Jane's curiosity was suddenly peeked as well.
"To get what belongs to me."
"Oh, so you own a satellite now?"
"It's not what they say it is."
"Well, whatever it is, the government seems to think it's theirs. So, exactly how do you intend to get to the site in question and take it?" Ada asked, knowing that with SHIELD's involvement, it was not going to be easy taking back whatever belonged to him.
"Yes. If you take me there, I will tell you everything you wish to know," he replied.
That was enough to catch Ada's attention. She couldn't shake off the feeling that from the way he was acting, he meant what he said. It was painfully obvious that he wasn't from around the area, given his behavior.
"Yes. All the answers you seek will be yours, once I reclaim Mjölnir."
Ada rose an eyebrow at the mention of the hammer that Thor was famous for. She knew that Norse mythology was popular among archeologists. What amazed her the most was how much Thor's appearance resembled that of the actual Thunderer who was depicted from legends.
"Meowmeow? What's Meowmeow?" Darcy asked.
Ada couldn't hide the sheepish smile that followed at Darcy's mispronunciation. It was good to know that at least someone in the group had a good sense of humor. Erik joined them moments later when he noticed what Thor was talking about.
"Please, don't do this," he said as Jane made her way to the Jeep.
She only rolled her eyes as she leaned against the wall and watched them talk things through. After dealing with Tony and his behavior, she was no stranger to someone telling her what she should or shouldn't do. Thor just looked between the two in confusion, unsure of what was going on.
"You saw what I saw last night. This is no coincidence. We have to find out what's on that crater," she replied in a firm tone.
"But I'm not talking about the crater. I'm talking about him." Erik looked between Thor and Ada pointedly.
A shiver ran through Ada when she realized that he was likely also referring to her as well. She knew that she didn't belong here.
"But, he's promising us answers," Jane insisted, this time sounding desperate.
She wanted to know about those anomalies as much as Ada wanted to know about her past. She couldn't blame Jane for wanting to know more, especially as she considered the options that lay before her.
"He's delusional. Listen to what he's saying. He's talking about Mjölnir, and Thor and Bifrost! It's the stories I grew up with as a child."
She frowned at Erik's explanation, knowing full-well that stranger things had happened. Based on the files that SHIELD had kept, Ada suspected there was more going on than half the world even knew about. After all, she had her powers, and, a past family that was currently undefined.
"I'm just gonna drive him, there, that's it!" Jane crossed her arms, looking back at Erik defiantly.
"He's dangerous, Jane," Erik reminded her.
Not for the first time, Ada felt Erik's gaze boring through her. Her eyes narrowed when she realized that he was not only referring to Thor, but, her as well. She hadn't missed the fact that Thor was still watching Jane and Erik, as if unsure of what they were arguing about.
"I'm sorry, but, I can't take you," she sighed after realizing the truth behind Erik's statement.
"Then, this is where we say goodbye." Ada frowned as she watched Thor take hold of Jane's hand and kiss it tenderly. The blush that followed only reminded Ada that Thor clearly wasn't from the areas. "Jane Foster. Erik Selvig. Darcy Lewis. Ada Stark. Farewell."
Ada found herself watching as Thor walked away, leaving them behind. She glanced at Erik and Jane, not missing the sudden tension between them. After everything that had happened, she couldn't help but wonder if Jane was making a mistake.
Once he was gone, they headed back to the research warehouse. Ada blinked in surprise when she noticed the SHIELD vehicles that were parked alongside the front entrance. Agents were crawling around the building itself, and she noticed with a start that Jane was panicking at the sight of their appearance. She swallowed hard as she heard Jane shouting at them to stop, knowing that they wouldn't. That was when she spotted Coulson handing her what looked like a check. He spotted her, as well, and narrowed his eyes when she shook her head, willing him to understand that she wasn't here on SHIELD business.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded once Jane was distracted.
"Jane Foster has research we believe will help us with the hammer we found out in the desert," Coulson explained. Ada felt a lump forming in her throat when she noticed Jane approaching them, once more. "Trust us, Miss Foster; we aren't the bad guys."
With that being said, the trucks and vehicles pulled away, leaving next to nothing behind. Ada's fists clenched when she noticed that her duffel bag of all things was gone. She swore under her breath after realizing that SHIELD must have confiscated that, as well. Narrowing her eyes at the cold realization, she knew that this was anything but over. Whoever took her stuff was going to pay.