Just as before, her spell did not paralyze him completely. He stood before her, remembering all those times when the Consortium first woke him up. The disorientation. He was aware of his surroundings but could not move.
"They use the word 'unworthy' as if we are all the same, but we are not. I was the lowest of the low, and they laughed at my efforts, and my belief that the Vault was real, and not the stuff of legends. They still laugh but now they are afraid of me. Their thoughts are open before me. I need more evidence, more proof of the great treasure," The Speaker said.
"It's an old story," Bucky said. He strained against her spell but gave up. "The oppressed gain power and become oppressors. Then there's the story about people becoming obsessed with something, an idea, to where everything else is driven away. That's you."
She moved closer to him, staring into his eyes. This made his discomfort worse. This woman was boring into his soul and she had the potential to be very dangerous. He had no idea how to handle this situation. "You are older than you appear. Much older, as if you have lived several lifetimes but empty places exist. Times you don't want to remember?"
"That's true," he said. "I am older than I seem. I have lived several lifetimes." No point in denying what she said. Where was Thor? He had barely left. He had to be close by.
"Someone you admire, someone... you love. They oppressed him, beat him down, and yet... he did none of the things you say and you wish I would follow his lead."
Steve hadn't crossed his mind. This woman was digging deeper than just surface level but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He couldn't hide anything from her but perhaps he could use that to his advantage. He made an effort to concentrate on Steve, on how he used to be and the choices he made.
"He never let obsessions rule him except for you, so I'm sure he would understand." She moved away and took her place by the table leaving him to ponder what she meant. She picked up one of the broken pieces and studied it. "This is under an enchantment."
"I don't know what the hell it is," Bucky said. " The place I was in before...could do things like that, but there was no treasure!"
"I'm sorry. I wish I did not have to do this, but you insist on hiding things and I need answers," she said, extending her hands. A long gold thread of light touched him. An image appeared, of himself and began to move. It was like watching a movie of his life. The Bucky he saw appeared rough as if he hadn't slept for days. Then without warning, he saw him lash out and hit something. The scene pulled back and he saw Tony. Tony in a different suit, wild anger in his eyes. Tony was different. Hitting him again and again, then Tony firing at him, then Steve helping him, fighting Tony. Holding him back. Another long blast and his arm blew away, the force pulling at his shoulder and spine. Another memory, of standing with Tony in the Palace, the astonishment on his face when Bucky mentioned his ability to control himself. What the hell...
"You do not remember this?" She asked. "And yet this happened."
"That... wasn't me," Bucky said. "I don't understand why he's doing that…" The memory surfaced, of going on a forbidden mission to hunt down Zemo because he caused this. Peter's questions. Steve's evasive answers. Things were getting mixed together in his own head.
"I believe you," she said. "That was not you. This is something your friends left behind but connects to you. This, spell, must allow me to visit other dimensions, other realities. I have not yet learned to use it to its fullest."
"Regina could do that, " Bucky said, stalling for time. Her abilities were starting to frighten him but he couldn't let her know that. "She showed Peter his other life." With a sinking heart, he realized he would be the object of experimentations, again.
"And now it is mine. What else will we see?" There was no hint of cruelty in her voice, merely a fascination with her own powers. She didn't know what she could do. This could get dangerous.
Another flash of light. Scenes his life with the Consortium, and with another group, he didn't recognize but they didn't look much of an improvement. He saw himself being frozen and revived. T'Challa chasing him with bloodlust in his eyes, T'Challa welcoming him like an old friend. Seeing Steve. A series of vignettes, ending with him and Steve by the lake and Steve pulling him into a kiss. The way Steve looked at him. He loves me. His discomfort magnified a thousand times.
"How touching," she said. "He loves you despite what you are."
"This won't help you," Bucky said. She knows what I am. Despite his semi-paralyzed state, he sensed another presence. Someone close by... maybe the Leader was coming awake.
"ENOUGH! Release him!" A loud voice and a brighter flash flooded the room. Bucky could move. Thor had finally shown up.
When he regained his senses, The Speaker was attempting to throw the golden thread at Thor but he deflected it. "Who are you?" She hissed.
"I am Thor Odinson, God of Thunder," he replied. Bucky thought he knew relief when he appeared on the plains of Wakanda but it was nothing compared to the way he felt now.
"That's impossible! You are a myth, a legend." Her eyes were wide with terror.
"Oh, so you have heard of me!" Thor sported a sudden smile despite the circumstances and turned to Bucky "There are places where they haven't if you can believe that," he said.
Bucky didn't know if he was trying to be funny or not. He didn't know the man that well but he seemed to have the situation under control.
"I'm sorry that I took so long to get back, but I picked up their signal again." He held up his hand and the gem on the ring on his smallest finger was blinking. "Close to here. I was following it but had to return when I saw you were in distress. Now this person... will be our guide as we wander through this place. As you can see, I am no legend. Whatever powers you might own, they are nothing compared to mine. Now unfreeze this gentleman long enough so we can borrow his cloak and then enchant him again. We will take a little walk and the fewer involved, the better."
The Speaker stood still as if contemplating what to do. For half a second Bucky was afraid she would lash out again and he would be caught in the crossfire. Thor's words did not frighten her, but she did as he said. The Leader came to, looking bewildered as Thor apologized as he removed his cloak and then he went back into his suspended state. He gave it to Bucky who wrapped it around himself and pulled the hood over his head. Thor did the same and then forced the Speaker out the door.
Outside nothing had changed. The light of a constant new morning, the red plants. Other figures passed them by and bowed as a way of greeting. They did the same, following the course the blinking light on Thor's ring set for them, following it through other rows of stone houses, across a large open stone lined courtyard that was probably the center of the community. Through more stone-lined streets, past more houses, until they came to the top of a hill looking down on a valley full of ruins. It appeared uninhabited.
"This place is forbidden," she said. "They are the ruins of our original community, from long ago, when our ancestors first came here."
"So naturally, you come here as often as you can," Thor said. The Speaker turned to him, amazement in her eyes. "I would have done the same. One need not have the power to see into other's minds to know such things. We are not your enemy. We want the same thing. To find out where his friends are, to release them and if we can we will help you solve your own mystery, but my mission is to see my friends safely home. Do you understand this," he asked. "I have no ill will toward anyone here. Now our friends are here, somewhere, in this area. Find them."
She nodded. Something about her relaxed. Perhaps it was knowing she was close to finding her own answers and it was best to work with them rather than against them. "It's been a while since I was here. Some ways are dangerous. I must get my bearings."
"Just be sure that is all you do," Thor said. She stepped a few yards in front down a path that led down the hill.
"I did not know about you and Steven," Thor said, staring after her. "That would explain your reaction to my joke about a woman in his life."
"You saw that?" Bucky asked, wincing.
"Yes. There is no need to keep it a secret, around me. What did she mean, despite what you are?"
Buck took a deep breath before replying. After they took care of this mess, Thor would be far away, sorting out the problems with his own people. "I'm asexual." There he said it.
"Ah, I see. And Steven knows this?" Thor asked. Bucky nodded in response. "From what I could tell, it makes no difference to him,"
"He says it doesn't, Look, I really don't want to talk about it.."
"Of course you don't, and we won't, but let me say one thing. What you are is nothing you should hide away. Despite what others might say or think, nothing about you, the way you are, makes your relationship with Steven any less valid, no matter what form it takes."
Thor's words caused something to snap together in his mind. After all his internal struggle, could the answer be as simple as this? Believe Steve when he said it didn't matter. It was a small moment of clarity. "Thank you," he said. "You're very wise."
"One doesn't live to be my age without picking up a few things," He said still staring straight ahead at The Speaker. "I believe they are somewhere down there."
"Is this where you thought it was?" Bucky asked, calling down to her " The Vault? Is this why you came here?"
She nodded. "It made sense that the old legends would begin here, where it all started. I would wander around for days at a time but found nothing. If they caught me, they punished me."
"In my experience, forbidden places are forbidden for a reason. Often people will make up stories of ghosts and weird happenings to keep people away. I've seen it done often on your earth," Thor said.
"That's why there are ghost stories?" Bucky asked.
"Yes. I'm sorry if I destroyed any fond illusions but yes, that's why. Often times though, the original purpose for the legends was forgotten but the stories linger on. That might be what happened here."
They followed the path down the hill. It was steeper than it looked. Rocks fell down around them but none of them lost their footing. The red light on Thor's ring glowed stronger and stronger. At last, they stopped by a large stone building.
"This is it, they are here," Thor said.
The speaker appeared puzzled. "There is nothing special about this place," she said. "It does not differ from any other building here. There are no legends, nothing."
"It might appear that way, but I'm sure there is something here, that your people forgot or suppressed." He walked around it, touching the stones as he did. "There is one thing special about it. It doesn't appear to have any doors or windows. This isn't a tomb is it?"
The Speaker shook her head. "I don't think so."
All Bucky could think about was Steve somewhere on the other side of that wall. He wanted to pull the rocks apart and call his name but knew it would do no good. He placed his good hand against it as a small attempt to be closer to him. There was something odd about it the building.
"It feels warm," he said. He changed hands, this time using his metal vibranium fingers to move up and down the stones. Tiny electrical sparks shot out. Thor walked over to him studying the reaction.
"Well, let's see what we can see," Thor said and stuck out his hand. They waited a few moments and his weapon appeared out of nowhere, darting through the air. Without a word he held it above his head and lightning came down from the sky. A white flash changed the simple stone building into a cathedral-like structure that reached upward. The Speaker cowered and started to run for cover but seeing Bucky's calm reaction found her courage to remain with them.
"That was another illusion," Thor said. "And the others in this community will know I am here, but it matters not."
"Well, can't you smash it or something let them out?" The thought of seeing Steve again pushed everything else out of Bucky's mind.
"Can you do this?" The Speaker's voice was just as eager as his. The answer to her lifelong quest was right there, making her eyes glow with excitement.
"I don't think so. There is some kind of errant enchantment on this. Something…"
"It can't be beyond you. You're the God of Thunder!" Bucky gave in and smashed his metal hand against the wall. It had no effect.
"It's not beyond me. Do you understand computers?"
"A little, not much."
"Well, for a program to work, someone must enter a code, and that code must be correct. If the code is wrong, nothing can make it work unless it is fixed, or overridden."
"You mean if someone didn't do the enchantment right… if the spell is faulty..." the Speaker asked. "You mean it's not doing what they wanted it to do. It has gone astray."
"It is as I suspected. Someone was messing around with things they did not understand. Just like someone must override a computer code, someone must override the spell. The best way for this to happen is for it to start the inside because this is where the enchantment originates. Then we here, from the outside, can finish the work."
"So if we can send word to Steve and the others to break Regina's hold on the inside first, you should be able to break through and finish the job. How do we get word to them?" Bucky allowed his mind to go into overtime until his eyes fell on the red blinking light on Thor's ring. "Can you send a message with that?" He asked.
Thor looked down at it. "We could, but what code could we send with blinks and signals they would understand?"
"Leave that to me. This is what I want you to do…"