Chapter Twenty Three

"You've been gone for a long long time, You've been in the wind, you've been on my mind You are the purest soul I've ever known in my life, Take your time, let the rivers guide you in You know where you can find me again, I'll be waiting here 'till the stars fall out of the sky..." In The Wind, Lord Huron

Phil Coulson studied the notebook carefully once he pulled it out of the duffel bag. He wasn't expecting to find Ada there, with Doctor Foster and the others. Much less carry around the notebooks she'd been using for the last ten years. She had begun gathering a collection of notebooks with detailed collections of her dreams, providing yet another reminder that she was different from everyone else.

He let out an audible sigh, knowing that he would have a lot of explaining to do himself. He'd watched her grow up from the tiny baby that was brought in sixteen years ago. While it may have been from a distance, he always did what he could to make sure that she was safe, and she had everything she needed. The subtle gifts that were left during her birthday were just a small reminder of that notion. It pained him to know that he could only watch her grow up from afar. Stark had done a good job at raising her, but there were times when he regretted sending her to the orphanage.

As Coulson continued studying each detailed page of her notebooks, he noticed with a start that these were no ordinary dreams. He couldn't shake off the feeling that someone had been reaching out to Ada. That between her dreams, and the people that threatened her were somehow connected.

"You know, she's gonna find out sooner or later."

Coulson looked up, eyes narrowed when Barton leaned against the doorway of their makeshift shelter.

SHIELD wasted no time in taking over the area that surrounded the mysterious hammer. The energy readings it gave off were enough to warrant such a high level of security. Scientists had been studying the readings in question, trying to figure out why not even the strongest agent couldn't lift it.

"Look, I promised the boss I would keep this from her for as long as I can," he sighed, setting the notebook back into her duffel bag. "The less she knows about her people, the better off she is."

Barton only crossed his arms, not looking the least bit impressed with that excuse, "I wasn't talking about that," he retorted. "You basically raised her before shipping her off to the orphanage."

He couldn't hide the smile that followed. While it wasn't entirely true, he had spent the first few months with her. Maybe that was why he'd taken such a liking to her. Despite the attitude that rubbed off of others the wrong way, she cared about people in ways that others wouldn't.

"She's better off with Stark," he reluctantly admitted, knowing full-well that much was true.

As much as he hated to admit it, raising a child in his field of work wouldn't have been the easiest task. They would have constantly moved from state to state, and that wouldn't have been fair to her. She'd learned how to take care of herself thanks to growing up in the orphanage. But she now had a loving family thanks to Stark. He grudgingly admitted that letting Stark take her into his custody had been one of the better ideas SHIELD came up with.

He just hoped that if she ever did find out that he was the one who looked after her, she wouldn't hate him for giving her up. It had been a difficult choice. But it was the right one.

…

"Years of research. Gone," Jane sighed in frustration.

She, Darcy, Erik and Ada were all sitting on the rooftop after the SHIELD agents left with everything. Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as she considered the options that were stretched before her. She sat beside Darcy, unsure of what to say in such a situation.

The fact that SHIELD had taken away her stuff left her feeling angrier than ever. They obviously knew more about her own past than she did herself. Which left her wondering how much Coulson was leaving out.

"They even took my iPod," Darcy complained.

"What about the backups?" Erik asked.

"They took our backups. They took backups of our backups. They were very thorough," Jane replied.

Guilt stabbed at her heart as Ada thought of how things had turned out. She was just thankful Coulson hadn't dragged her along with him. She supposed that things could have turned out worse, had he thought it through. She knew she would never hear the end of this from Fury, let alone Tony.

"Just downloaded like, thirty songs onto there," Darcy went on with her complaining, and Ada couldn't hide the smirk that followed.

Despite the situation they were in, she enjoyed Darcy's company. Of everyone at the makeshift lab, she was the friendliest. Ada suspected that because of her personality, she and Jane clashed constantly over their priorities.

"Could you please stop with your iPod?" Jane snapped, clearly having had enough with Darcy's complaints.

Darcy just rolled her eyes, though Ada used their momentary distraction as a chance to slip away. She knew that she didn't belong there. The longer she stayed, the higher chances she would have of Jane or Erik figuring out that she too worked for SHIELD. Something told her that wouldn't sit well for either of them. That was one of the reasons why she hated having to lie to everyone about her field of work. It was for their safety as well as her own. But she hated knowing that when they found out the truth, they would eventually feel as if she had betrayed them.

With that thought in mind, Ada didn't plan on letting SHIELD get away with what they did. Jane's research was important to her, and Ada couldn't help but feel partly responsible for what had happened. Besides, there was always the possibility that Jane's research also had some kind of connection to her past. That in itself was enough incentive for her to go back and get some revenge for their intrusion.

The car was parked just a few feet from the building. Ada grabbed her set of keys that were hidden in the compartment, and she quickly started the engine. She was biding her time, though. Ada peered through the window, watching as Jane finally reached her.

"Where are you going?" she demanded once she was close enough.

"To get back what SHIELD stole from us," Ada replied without hesitation, "I'm guessing the only way to do that is by finding that Thor character. You want in?"

Jane looked at her doubtfully, eyes narrowing slightly as she took Ada's explanation into consideration. She knew it was risky to go after SHIELD. But, she suspected the risks were worth it. A few more seconds went by before Jane finally made up her mind.

"Who are you, really?" she asked warily.

Ada didn't miss the accusation in her tone. She bit back a groan, knowing that Jane wouldn't likely trust her anytime soon. Though, she couldn't necessarily blame the older woman for her lack of trust.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she admitted truthfully.

It isn't as if I even know who I am, she thought bitterly.

Relief swept through her when they reached a storefront. It turned out to be a local pet store, and from what she could see, Thor was already inside. Ada almost smirked when she noticed how he was talking to the sales clerk, who looked nervous beyond belief with his behavior.

Jane followed her inside after she parked the car and climbed out. She wasn't surprised to see that Thor was struggling to understand what the clerk was telling him. Though, judging from the look written across the clerk's face, he was equally as flustered.

"Thor, come with us," Ada ordered after reaching him.

The sales clerk looked between the three of them, clearly exasperated. Thor only offered a charming smile when he noticed they'd both returned.

Once they'd cleared things with the clerk, Jane led Thor to the car while Ada typed in the coordinates. She was thankful she'd had them memorized. After hearing Thor mention how far away the 'satellite' location was, she had the directions mapped out in the back of her mind.

"I've never done anything like this, before," Jane started, suddenly sounding anxious, "Have you ever done anything like this before?"

"More than you can count," Ada muttered under her breath.

She could have probably written a book on the number of rules she'd broken throughout her life. Tony would've likely grounded her to kingdom come if he found out how many times she went behind his back. She hated having to lie to him, but it was necessary when she first joined SHIELD. Now that he knew the truth, there weren't as many secrets between them.

"Many times. But, you are brave to do it," Thor reassured Jane.

Ada glanced at her mirror. With Jane sitting beside Thor, she noticed with a start just how much bigger he was compared to Jane. What surprised her the most was how comfortable Jane seemed now. It was a far cry from when they'd met earlier that day.

"Well, they just stole my entire life's work," she muttered with a shrug, "I didn't really have much left to lose."

"But, you're clever."

That took Jane by surprise. Ada rose an eyebrow at the sudden change in subject.

She tried ignoring whatever they were saying, and she instead focused on the road ahead. With the road being nothing more than a dusty path, driving became a bit more hazardous. Not for the first time, Ada was thankful that she had been taught how to drive, especially given the condition these roads were in.

"Thanks," Jane murmured, sounding more embarrassed than anything else.

"Far more clever than anyone else on this realm."

That, Ada found herself disagreeing with. And while she didn't say anything out loud, she could tell that Jane was trying to keep herself from blushing. Clearly, Thor wasn't all too concerned about one's modesty. Flattering others was the best way to win their hearts.

"Realm? What do you mean by Realm?"

"You think me strange?"

"Well, where we come from, there aren't exactly realms," Ada explained over her shoulder. "Maybe galaxies and other planets, but definitely not realms."

Though, she didn't want to rule out the possibilities that realms didn't exist. After all, stranger things had happened. Ada had no doubt that there was still so much to learn about this world, and, others.

"Is it a good strange, or a bad strange?" Thor asked curiously.

For once, Ada didn't have an answer to that question. She knew she couldn't necessarily say anything out loud. Given her powers, and her history, she was in no position to tell him otherwise.

"I'm not quite sure, yet," Jane admitted, suddenly ducking her head.

"But, who are you, really?" Ada asked, suddenly wondering if she and Thor shared some kind of connection.

"You will see soon enough," he answered.

"You promised me answers," Jane said in an accusing tone.

"What you seek; it's a bridge."

Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat at the mention of a bridge. She wondered with a start if that was how that woman in her dreams had sent the baby away. A bridge of some kind could have somehow rescued that baby she was desperately protecting. There had been strange patterns in the ground when the golden light appeared. But, the pattern had disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared, seconds after the woman was murdered in cold blood.

Her hands gripped the steering wheel harder than she intended. She felt nothing but hatred towards the assholes that killed all those people. Innocent people who did nothing wrong. They were only struggling to survive in the harsh world. None of them deserved to die the way they had.

"Ada, is everything alright?" Jane's voice suddenly cut through her thoughts, causing Ada to flinch slightly.

She shook her head, trying to clear the dark thoughts from her mind.

"Just peachy," she muttered, suddenly wishing a hole would open up and swallow her.

Luckily, it didn't take them much longer to reach the construction site in question. Ada parked a few miles away to keep them from getting detected by SHIELD. She suspected they would have monitors scattered throughout. They needed to be careful, if she wanted Jane and Thor to get out of this alive.

Once they climbed out of the car, they dropped to the ground on their stomachs and crawled towards the site.

Ada peered over the ledge to see what looked like a large city in the middle of a desert. Flapping white tents formed around what she guessed was the 'satellite' everyone had been talking about. She watched as a network of agents passed by an electric fence, a fence that was also protected by heavily armed agents. She knew getting past that kind of security wasn't going to be easy.

"Now, stay here. Once I have Mjölnir, I will return the items they've stolen from you. Deal?" Thor looked between Jane and Ada, as if expecting them both to listen.

"No. Look what's down there? You think you're just gonna walk in, grab our stuff, and walk out?" Jane demanded.

She brought up a valid point. Ada wasn't in any hurry to try and get through SHIELD's security, even if she could probably knock down a few agents. Besides, the last thing she wanted was to get into anymore trouble than she already was.

"No, I'll fly out." With that being said, he ran down the hill towards the compound.

She watched the scene unfold before them with keen interest. Thor had already punched his way through the gate, knocking down several agents in the process. Rain had begun to fall as he continued making his way through the compound. Ada had already formed an umbrella-like barrier to keep the rain from soaking them, letting her powers stretch between herself and Jane.

"What's this?" Jane asked, catching Ada by surprise.

"Oh, sorry," Ada murmured when she realized she was looking at her. The rain started falling almost instantly when she broke off her concentration. Jane let out a startled gasp as she got soaked to the skin. "Sorry!" she yelped, but it was too late.

They were both soaked, now.

"Wait, that was you causing all of this?" she asked in disbelief.

Her powers were used so automatically that she wasn't even aware, at the time. To her surprise, and relief, Jane didn't sound angry like she was expecting when she too noticed what was happening. Thor had already punched his way through half the agents that were trying to stop him.

A crane was being pulled up over the compound, and, it didn't take a genius to see who was up there. She ducked beside Jane so that he wouldn't see her. What was Clint doing here? Then, she remembered hearing from Natasha during one of their sparring sessions that he had been reassigned to assist in the New Mexico project.

By now, Thor had reached the inner part of the compound. A large agent who was twice his size suddenly stopped him in his tracks. Ada's eyes widened when Thor took him head on, gripping him by the shoulders and tossing him into the mud.

The two started a mud wrestling match, the bigger guy gaining the upper hand as Thor slipped several times. She was amazed that no one could take Thor on. Glancing up, Ada noticed that Clint had aimed an arrow to where Thor and the other guy were fighting.

She used the rain to her advantage and formed a ball of water nearby. Clint was ready to fire when the ball hit him in the face. She ducked behind Jane once again when he looked in their direction. Jane was struggling not to laugh when she realized what Ada had done.

Finally, Thor had reached what she assumed was Mjölnir. Everything seemed to slow down as he reached down to grasp it with his hands. Lightning streaked across the sky when he tried pulling it out of the ground. Ada was tempted to help him out, but something told her it was best to leave him be. It felt as though everything in that moment was some kind of test. After what felt like hours of watching someone struggle to pick something up, Thor gave up, letting out a cry of sorrow.

"I think now might be a good time to leave," Ada sighed, backing away from the fence as she realized it was over.

She hadn't missed the fact that several SHIELD agents were headed in their direction. Ada had no doubt that Clint had already given them a heads' up. Given how they were technically intruders, and could just as easily be placed under arrest, Ada wasn't in any hurry to get caught.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Jane nodded in agreement.

They quickly headed back to the car and pulled away from the site once the engine started. By now, the rain had finally stopped, as if that in itself was a sign. When Thor had mentioned he was going to fly out of the compound, she could only imagine what was going on through his mind after realizing he couldn't lift the hammer. All of the stories of Asgard and Thor being the son of Odin suddenly began to make sense in a way.

"So, what exactly happened, back there?" Jane asked once they'd put distance between themselves and the compound.

Ada swallowed hard, recalling how her powers had developed in the first place. She'd tried explaining that, herself multiple times. The problem was, she knew so little about her own past and where they came from, that it was impossible to explain the truth.

"That's part of the reason I wanted to talk with you, actually," she admitted. Jane glanced at her in surprise as Ada tried ignoring her piercing gaze, "You see, I was born with these powers. I don't know how, or why, but… I thought that maybe your research might have an answer to the million dollar question."

Jane looked at her thoughtfully when she realized that was what she had said back at the diner. And it was still a vague explanation.

"I may not have the answers to those questions," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "People aren't normally born with powers."

You're telling me? Ada bit back a groan, fully aware that she was anything but normal. She tried not letting that get to her, though. There were plenty of people out in the world with powers that managed to make a living. While they had faced a lot of prejudice throughout the years, mutants were slowly but surely making a comeback.

Thankfully, Jane didn't push her any further. They'd returned to the warehouse in a matter of minutes. By then, most of the ground was surprisingly dried out. What bothered Ada more than anything else was that the ground didn't even look as if it had rained.

Erik and Darcy were already waiting for them when they returned. The moment they got inside was when Erik pulled Jane aside to discuss what had happened. Of course, he sounded angrier than usual. Darcy was only smothering her laughter as Jane nearly got arrested, all for the name of a complete stranger.

"He committed a crime! He's in jail!" Erik pointed out.

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip once more, wondering if that was the case. She doubted SHIELD would arrest Thor right away. He'd tried reclaiming his hammer by breaking into a heavily secured location. She doubted that would sit well with Coulson, who was likely in charge of the compound.

"I can't just leave him there!" Jane snapped.

"Why?"

"You didn't see what I saw!" She threw her hands up in the air, letting out a groan of frustration.

"Look! Look! It's Meowmeo." Darcy showed them a picture of the hammer in a book she had picked up. Both Jane and Erik looked at it skeptically.

"Where'd you find this?" Jane demanded.

"The children's section. I just wanted to show you how silly his story was," Erik explained, looking rather sheepish now.

"But you're the one who's always pushing me to chase down every possibility, every alternative!" Jane pointed out.

"I'm talking about science, not magic!" Erik was shouting now

By now, even Ada was getting tired of hearing their argument unfold. She'd learned how to deal with confrontations, and was no stranger with them. Working with Clint as her trainer had taught her the meaning of how to deal with confrontations, and patience.

"Look, this is neither science nor magic," she finally spoke up, causing everyone to shut up for a few seconds.

Erik's jaw nearly dropped open when she revealed a tiny flame in the palm of her hand. By now, even Darcy was gawking at her as she caused the water from the kitchen sink to put out the flame. Ada suddenly felt self-conscious under their curious looks, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was making the right choice by trusting them.

"That is awesome!" Darcy exclaimed with a little jump.

"Well, magic's just science that we don't understand yet; Arthur C. Clarke," Jane added once Erik shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. "Ada is able to manipulate both fire and water, both of which could be forms of higher brain function!"

"Jane, enough of this!" Erik snapped. "You're talking about something that shouldn't even exist."

He glared pointedly at Ada. She only returned the gesture, crossing her arms as she realized the reason behind his frustration.

"Well, if there is an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, then there's something on the other side. An advanced being could have crossed it!"

Erik suddenly pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly losing his patience with Jane's explanations. What she said made sense, though. Ada realized with a start that Jane made a valid point as far as higher functions were concerned.

"Oh, Jane…" Erik let out a sigh of frustration, realizing there wasn't any point in continuing the argument. "Fine, I'll go and rescue him."

With that, and a final glare at Ada as he turned to leave, she was left to explain herself to Darcy. Though, Ada would have rather preferred Darcy over Erik any time.

"So, you can control fire and water?" Darcy asked, glancing at Ada in surprise.

"Pretty much," she shrugged it off, having had this conversation enough times, "My father thinks that I'm a mutant of some sort, but… something tells me even they don't have powers like these." She was already exhausted enough, and to think about it only left her mind feeling numb. "You wouldn't happen to have a place where I could sleep, would you? I can always opt for the car," she suddenly added.

"Yeah, we can pull out a mattress upstairs," Darcy replied.

Ada gave a nod at that. She didn't mind the idea of sleeping under the stars, as long as it didn't rain, again.

When that task was finished, Ada flopped onto the mattress and welcomed what soft comfort it could provide. She thought back to what Jane had said about her research. While they may not have had a connection, she wondered once again if she and Thor somehow shared a connection.

'If you're listening to me, I want answers,' she suddenly asked, knowing that the voice that spoke to her could possibly provide some answers.

'What you seek is already in front of you, Ada.'

Ada blinked in surprise at the voice's quick response. She wasn't expecting such a quick response, especially when the voice had remained eerily silent for days. Ever since she had put the necklace on, it seemed as if the voice only spoke when she needed it the most. She wished there was an easier way to contact it without putting her life in danger.

'That doesn't help me, much,' she complained, wishing there was an easier way around those questions, 'Did you use the Einstein-Rosen Bridge to send away that baby?'

Judging from the silence that followed, the voice was surprised with her question. She doubted whoever was speaking expected such a question, especially from someone so young.

'We used something that is similar,' the voice replied. 'Our people have the ability to teleport objects through short distances. What I used killed me, in the end. It took too much energy.'

It didn't take Ada long to realize what she meant by that. The voice belonged to the woman that had transported that baby to safety. But, she was more interested in finding out if she knew about her mother or father.

'Nadia, do you know anything about my family?' she asked warily.

A pause followed. For a moment, Ada was afraid the voice had left her. Then, she spoke again. That familiar recognition swept through Ada when she heard her voice.

'I am your mother, Ada.'