For a moment, Sarah considered lying to the men. But one look to Fury convinced her that he knew more about what she experienced than what he was letting on. As if he was reading her mind, Bruce confirmed. "You were talking in your, well, I guess it wouldn't be your sleep. But nonetheless, we already figured out that you made contact with Loki."

Sarah sat up and scrubbed her face with her hands. "Alright then, there goes my mysterious allure. So what does this mean?"

Bruce hesitated, looking down momentarily. Fury took the silence as an opportunity to step in. "While we still need to run one more test, I can be fairly certain you are the woman we have been looking for."

An icy feeling ran through Sarah's veins. Can she even be considered a woman anymore? Fury essentially told her that she was an alien, or whatever you called a being from another realm. Loki's words were still ringing in her head: she was supposedly promised to him. And now, Fury is treating her like some toddler who was too stupid to handle the truth. The icy trickle of fear melted into something Sarah considered more palatable: anger. "Thanks, Captain Fucking Obvious. I already realized that, but what does this mean? You mentioned a prophecy in the car. Now that we all know that I am this Valkyrie-witch hybrid, what does this mean for me and what am I supposed to face?"

Fury studied Sarah for a moment. While he preferred not to be cursed at and talked to like an idiot, he did admire that she refused to feel powerless. Any other person who learned that they weren't even a part of the world that they were brought up in would have taken more than 10 seconds to adjust before realizing that he purposely gave her an ambiguous answer. Still, she had powers that she was unaware of. Powers that he was quite impatient to unlock; but, he decided to wait until she felt like a part of the team. It was a delicate balance, he thought, if she considered herself a true member of S.H.I.E.L.D, she would stick around; if she felt like a pawn instead, she could easily turn her impressive strength against them. Fury wanted her willing to comply, but also just as eager to get back to her home realm. "What you need to face is a debriefing with the rest of the team. Bruce will show you to your quarters. Get some rest and someone will get you when it is time for the meeting."

He spun on his heel and quickly exited the room before Sarah could shoot out another question. "That still doesn't…..answer anything." She finished lamely before looking at Bruce. "Does he do that a lot?"

Bruce nodded as he helped her off the table. "More than I can count. You get used to it, eventually."

Sarah tried to take a step and found out that transporting her mind to another realm had a surprising physical effect when her legs bowed and she started to fall. Bruce instantly wrapped his arm around her waist and helped support some of her weight. "Are you alright?"

Nodding, Sarah looked up. Bad move, she thought, as she realized that Bruce's face was much closer than she originally thought. For a moment, she could not speak. Sarah just looked into Bruce's eyes, which were a curious mix of sadness, concern, and hopefulness. Finally, she regained control of her vocal chords. "Yes, thank you."

Bruce frowned slightly. "Hopefully there are no other side effects. I should have realized that your body would have some sort of reaction to this. I'm sorry for my shortsightedness."

They started to walk down the hall. Fortunately, Fury ensured that Sarah's room was a short distance to the lab. "Please don't apologize. You can't expect to know everything at all times."

"It's just difficult to not be in control of a situation." Bruce shrugged as he opened the door to Sarah's quarters. Why Fury insisted on calling it a room or quarters instead of the cell that it was made Bruce feel apprehensive. It was almost like he didn't want Sarah to realize her true part in this scheme.

Sarah felt strong enough to pull out of Bruce's arm. She quickly surveyed the room, it was a standard cell with a twin sized bed and nightstand. "A bit of a control freak, then?"

Bruce returned Sarah's half grin. "I have to be. There tends to be a lot of destruction whenever I lose control. At least, whenever I lose control of the other guy."

Something in Sarah's memory clicked into place. "You were that green guy during the attack. I thought you were on the good side."

Bruce waited until Sarah was seated on her bed before he answered. "Technically, I am neutral, but yes, I tend to be on the side of good. My other half tends to be less discriminating. He's definitely not someone that you want to count on." Noticing the dark circles under Sarah's eyes, Bruce made his way to her door. "I'll let you rest. But I do want to warn you about Loki before you get involved further. There is a reason why he is considered the God of Mischief. He will freely lie and use any vulnerabilities of yours for his own gain."

"Is that why he called me Sigyn? What does that mean anyway?" Sarah did not miss the startled look on Bruce's face.

"Sigyn was the name given to the baby. If he knows that you are that child, then he clearly knows about the prophecy. Loki's dangerous, especially if he is aware of your strengths." Bruce's voice was low as his thoughts started to whirl.

"So my name is Sigyn?"

Bruce looked Sarah in the eye. "You don't have to be. Not all prophecies have to end in the way they are predicted. But try to take your mind off of it for now, get some sleep. I will see you in a few hours, Sarah."

Easier said than done, Sarah mused. Though she couldn't help but notice how strongly Bruce stressed her name. Sarah might not know exactly what the so-called prophecy said or if there even was a prophecy, but something was telling her that Fury and his team were working to make sure that the predictions did not come true. At this point, there was really only one person who would give her more information, even if it would be suspect, at best. Lying back on the small bed, Sarah started to regulate her breathing and hoped that she could get into the same mindset as earlier. Turns out, she didn't need to visualize a relaxing room this time. She just thought about Loki's cell and within moments, was standing in front of the aforementioned Fallen Prince.

Loki, to his credit, looked as though he had been expecting her. Seated neatly in his chair, book in hand, he merely glanced up and smiled. "I was wondering how long it would take you to come back. I assume those fools did not tell you much, if anything."

Deciding that two could play that game, Sarah shrugged just as nonchalantly. "Did you expect anything less from mere mortals? Any resemblance of control and they are practically frothing at the mouth."

Setting the book down, Loki chuckled at Sarah's blunt description of the Midgardians. She had only known that she was not one of them for, perhaps, 20 minutes and was already referring to them as 'the other beings.' "I stand corrected. And here I thought you would be surprised at their lack of forthrightness."

Sarah scanned for another piece of furniture to sit on. Even though her physical body was not on this realm, she could still feel the fatigue setting in. Finding none, she settled for leaning against the small table. "There really isn't much about humans that surprise me these days. No matter whom they are and what kind of power they think they wield, they are all fundamentally the same."

Loki scanned the level headed woman. Once she realized her true potential, she would truly be unstoppable in battle, he decided. Shoving aside his quickening heartbeat, merely the reaction of excitement and nothing more, he formed a game plan. Sigyn would not be the type of creature who would instantly fall in love with him, that was more of a talent from those idiotic humans. Loki knew that in order to draw her to his side, he would need her trust and needed to be seen as an equal-his queen. Wait, Loki thought, where did that come from? It wasn't until Sigyn raised her eyebrow in question did he realize that he had been silent too long. "I don't know how much more I can tell you. You were promised to me and I have bigger plans that do not involve sitting in this miserable hole."

Sigyn was unimpressed. "You might not tell me much about the future, but how about the past? Tell me about my parents."

Loki briefly considered steering the conversation back to the promised union between them, but reminded himself that honestly would give him more headway. "Your mother was indeed a Valkyrie, Ashish. She was incredibly powerful. Not only was she a brilliant fighter, but she was also quite gifted in the art of persuasion, which came in handy when she was fighting injured." Loki fixed Sarah with a pointed look. "Or pregnant. Your father is far less known. Generally, Asgardians stay away from the witches. But there was the sorceress that led a coven who went by Caprina that Odin preferred to keep an eye on. Ashish worked with Odin to spy on the coven and in the process managed to convince Caprina's partner to leave with her. He did not stay with Ashish for long, though perhaps just long enough to impregnate her. Where he went after, we were never sure. But to demonstrate his appreciation towards your mother, he promised a union between the two of us."

Sigyn's brow furrowed in thought. "That seems like a huge reward for just stealing someone's partner. Also, everyone keeps referring to this prophecy, but all you are telling me is that Odin picked out your future wife before I was born. Clearly, there is more to the story that you aren't telling me."

"Have you considered that everyone is using the wrong word? They say prophecy, I say promise." Loki stood and began to leisurely pace. "But I would like to know why they keep throwing that word around. Perhaps Director Fury is trying to convince you that you have a more important role."

"But why would he do that?" Sigyn thought for a moment. "He hates you, that is clear, even if he doesn't say it outright. So if this so-called prophecy is just an agreement between Odin and Ashish and if I am as powerful as my mother, then Fury would be trying to keep us apart to keep you from getting stronger."

Oh, she is catching on so quickly. Loki thought as a warm sensation snuck through his limbs. He recognized it immediately. Pride. He just met Sigyn, how can he be feeling such emotions about her so soon? "And if you as strong as Director Fury and I believe you will be, then you also would have the power to destroy me. That is Fury's true intention, to use you as a way of finally winning against me."

Sigyn felt stuck. "So what is this, an intergalactic pissing match between you and Fury? Both of you will try to lure me to your side to help you with your own agenda." Loki did not bother to deny the allegation, so Sigyn continued. "What about what I want? I have a fucking choice in this too, goddamn it!"

It was like being back in the system again. Two parties fighting over what was best for Sarah without bothering to consult her on what she wanted. On one hand, she had connections to life on Earth. She could easily walk away from all of this and get back to her life. But another part of her questioned how realistic and simple that would be. Staring at Loki, she could sense a growing sensation of excitement and the beginnings of infatuation. She wasn't blind; Loki was extremely attractive and highly complementary of her budding talents. But he was also responsible for the attempt of the destruction of Earth. Sarah couldn't decide if she wanted to pull Loki close and kiss him senseless or if she should run as far away as possible. She couldn't even decide if she wanted to refer to herself as Sarah anymore. Two realms fighting for her alliance while her two selves were at war. It was enough to make any person's head spin, from Midgard or elsewhere.

Loki saw the internal struggle that Sigyn was now facing. "You do have a choice and it would be quite obvious what I would prefer you choose. I think I have given you enough to consider for now. But please see me soon, because, dare I say, I am growing fond of our chats."

Sarah felt the pull of her physical body from deep in her stomach. She tried to find the right parting words. Goodbye seemed to be insignificant and flimsy. "I wish I could say the same, but I don't know nearly enough about you yet." She threw Loki a crooked grin. "Don't worry though, sweetie, I'm sure I'll see you again."

She closed her eyes and did not open them, even when she felt herself returning to her body. Sarah merely rolled to her side and curled further underneath the blankets. A small smile crept onto her face as she considered what her powers could be and if she was strong enough to align with Loki and choose between being his equal or his assassin.

A/N: Please review! I'd love to hear what you think about the story so far or if you have any suggestions that you would like to see incorporated!