"I think it is high time for your brain to meet the Valkyrie within."

Sigyn and Thor gaped at Director Fury. "What the hell are you talking about?" Sigyn said at the same time as Thor thundered "She needs training, Director."

When Sigyn threw a questioning look at Thor, he continued. "There is no safe shortcut to unlocking her full capabilities."

Bruce put his hands in his pockets and looked to the floor. Natasha elbowed him in the side, hard. Rubbing the affected area, Bruce hissed. "How many times do I have to tell you? Inflicting sudden and deep pain is a quick way to get the other guy to pop up and say hello."

Unfazed, Natasha hissed back. "You can't let them do this! We were just talking about how Fury was pushing Sarah too fast. Say the thing that you just told me, quick!"

Bruce watched at Natasha looked at Sigyn with concerned eyes. "I can't. There's no way Fury would listen to me at this point. He thinks that I'm only defending Sarah because I am attracted to her."

"Well, it's better than if we do nothing!" Natasha cleared her throat and called out "We agree with Thor, don't we, Bruce?"

When the other three swiveled around to look at the scientist, Bruce felt a cold knot of tension in his stomach. It wasn't as though he was afraid of Director Fury. Bruce was worried that once Fury dismisses his theory, that he will get overly upset. The big guy always liked it when Bruce lost control, even for a split second. It was all he needed in order to come out. He moved his attention from Fury to Sigyn. But then again… he thought. "We do. If we push Sarah too fast, she is not going be able to process all of the changes. Sarah needs rest and counseling to come to terms with her new identity."

Sigyn tried not to feel uncomfortable as Bruce talked about her as if she was not in the room. Part of her wanted to argue with him and say that she was more than strong enough to deal with all of this, that she was dying to finally learn who she was, no matter what the cost. On the other hand, another part of her that happened to be growing at a rapid pace, wanted to avoid siding with Fury at all costs. She did not trust the man and wanted him to be perfectly clear of where she was aligned. Yep. This isn't awkward at all. It wasn't until Sigyn saw the sheepish expression flash on Bruce's face did she realize that she spoke those words out loud.

Bruce cleared his throat. "My apologies. But, honestly Sarah, you haven't even slept for more than a few hours. We're all exhausted and have faced enough excitement for one day. Why don't we all get some sleep and agree on a plan tomorrow afternoon?"

"I may be mistaken, but I don't seem to recall when you became my superior, Doctor Banner." Fury's eye was shining with, well, fury.

Incredulous, Bruce fired back. "And what do you propose we do when Sarah suddenly is able to unleash unholy hell on all of us and is too sleep deprived to care?"

Fury opened his mouth to retort, but then closed it. While he still appeared unhappy, he was at least considering the situation. "Fine." He bit out before turning back to Sigyn. "Tomorrow. Noon."

Spinning on his heel, Fury stalked out of the gym. As soon as the door swung shut, Sigyn spoke up. "So….can someone show me back to my room? I might be a little turned around."

"Let me." Natasha stepped forward.

Sigyn let Natasha escort her out of the gym. At first, Bruce and Thor tried to follow, but one look from the redhead had them freezing where they stood. They walked down the hallway in silence. Despite the late hour, Sigyn still noticed quite a few agents walking around. Natasha smiled at her once they entered the elevator. "Are you as sick of men and their ulterior motives as I am right now?"

Sigyn laughed. "Are you kidding me? If I have to stand between Fury and Thor when they are whining about each other again, I am going to lose my mind."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. Sometimes, working with almost all men is worse than any catty drama that women are rumored to come up with."

The elevator doors opened and they stepped out into the hallway. Sigyn thought for a moment before asking Natasha, "Is there a reason why Fury hates me? I don't remember ever insulting the man."

"I don't know." Natasha admitted. "I mean, he's usually pretty no-nonsense, but for some reason, he is more curmudgeonly whenever you come up in conversation. Honestly, I was hoping that he would want to bring you into the Avengers, but I really don't see that happening."

Turning the corner, Sigyn recognized the corridor and knew that her quarters were behind the third door to the left. "Why were you hoping that I would stay here?"

Natasha shrugged. "It would be nice to have another female with heightened skills than the average agent."

Cocking her head to the side, Sigyn studied the redhead. "Are you trying to say that you were hoping that we would become friends?"

"Is that a problem?"

Sigyn shook her head. "Not at all. It's just unusual. I don't usually make friends that easily."

Natasha swiped her card on the reader next to the door. "Maybe you weren't looking in the right place." As the door opened, Natasha turned to walk away. "See you in a few hours."

Sigyn saluted in response before spinning on her heel and practically diving into the bed. Her small window showed the beginnings of daylight as she idly wondered how long Fury and his team had her running around today. The mattress was just a hair away from being uncomfortable and the sheets were cheap and itchy. But Sigyn didn't care. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Some hours later, Sigyn felt a large hand running through her hair. While it was a foreign feeling to her, it wasn't entirely unpleasant. She sighed and tried to curl in closer to the warmth that sat just to her left. When she heard a low amused chuckle, Sigyn opened her eyes in confusion. Loki looked down at her, his fingers still intertwined in her hair. "It's about time you woke up. I was beginning to get concerned."

Knocking the hand off of her head, Sigyn sat up. The smirk on Loki's face only deepened. "I must say, though, I was pleasantly surprised when you arrived in my bed. Unless I'm mistaken, it appears that you perceive time with me to be safe and enjoyable."

Sigyn scoffed and pretended that the shiny white surroundings were infinitely more interesting than the tall, dark, imprisoned prince. "Don't flatter yourself. I'd cuddle with a furnace if I was sure that I wouldn't get burned."

Loki leaned back, practically giggling at Sigyn's false dismissal. "But, my dear, I at least reciprocate the physical desires." He then grew serious. "It is troublesome that you feel that my prison cell is safer for you than that silly Midgardian building. Tell me, what is Director Fury planning for you?"

Without understanding why, Sigyn told Loki the whole story. She watched his facial expressions carefully. He looked vaguely proud when she recalled her spar match with Thor and frowned when she spoke of Fury's treatment towards her. When she finished, Loki was pacing the room, his finger tracing the outline of his lips softly. Sigyn tried hard to not stare at his mouth. She was still coming to terms with the fact that she was technically engaged to the same being that multiple parties wanted to see dead. To add her feelings of attraction might be too much to deal with at the moment.

Loki watched as Sigyn tried to look everywhere but at him. When he first stood and paced, Loki saw the small flush on her cheeks and was worried at first. However, he soon realized that she had been fixated on his mouth. His heartbeat began to pick up as he began to suspect that his feelings toward his fiancée were not entirely one-sided. So it was with a sharp pang of disappointment that he watched as she tried to talk herself out of accepting her feelings towards him. Loki mentally shook himself. You'll soon have plenty of time to convince her to love you. First you need to figure out the Fury problem. It was clear that the angry Midgardian was hoping to use Sigyn as a weapon to kill him. Loki had figured that out almost instantly. But it did not explain the resentment towards Sigyn, who should be seen and treated as an ally. Suddenly, a distressed sound cut through the silence. Loki was so deep in thought that he almost forgot Sigyn was still sitting on his bed. He looked back at her and felt his stomach drop to his knees.

Sigyn was lying on her side, clutching her stomach. Her breath was coming out in pants while her face was pale. Loki rushed to her side. "What is it? How can I help you?"

Sigyn could barely hear Loki over the crashing waves of pain. She tried to form words, but all that came out were embarrassing squeaks of pain. Loki took her face into his hands. "Sigyn please, tell me what is happening! You are stronger than this. Talk!"

After a shuddering breath, Sigyn muttered. "I don't know. It feels like someone just cut me open and is rearranging my organs. Oh god, it's spreading!"

Sigyn curled into a fetal position as her hands clenched in her hair. As her tresses moved from her face, Loki caught a glimpse of her ears. He stared in amazement as her rounded tips began to shift and take on a pointed look. A feeling of utter rage crashed over him. Fury. Wrapping his arms around Sigyn, Loki leaned towards her changing ear. "Sigyn, love, listen to me. You have to go back. Fury is up to something and you need to stop him."

As another spike of pain tore through Sigyn's body, her head this time, she let out a shout. "I can't, Loki. Please, it feels like I'm dying."

Loki pulled her in closer to his body. "You can stop this, darling, please try. I'll find you, I promise. But now you have to go back."

With a scream of pain, Sigyn felt her mind slam back into her body. She opened her eyes and looked wildly around. While she recognized that she was still in at the headquarters, Sigyn realized that she was in some sort of glass cell. At first, she thought that the cell had an exceedingly low ceiling. When she tried to move her arms, Sigyn quickly realized that she was strapped down to a table instead. The agony had finished spreading to her entire body. Another wave hit and Sigyn's back bowed up as she screamed. The pain shot from her middle out into the tips of her fingers and toes. She was able to turn her head and stared at her right arm. Her fingertips were elongating as sharp talon like nails spread from her nail bed. I'm turning. Sigyn realized with a jolt. Oh god, my body cannot keep up with this, I'm dying. Sigyn knew that she had a limited window of opportunity to survive. Once the pain subsided, Sigyn began to take a couple of deep breaths. She flexed her limbs and quickly curled them to her stomach. The transformation was far enough along that the straps that had been holding her down were easily ripped away.

Sigyn jumped off the table, unsure when she how long she would be capable of moving. It wasn't until that moment did she see Director Fury glowering at her from the other side of the glass. Sigyn ran to the pane and began to slam her fists against it. "Fury, stop this. You're killing me!"

The Director was silent. He just continued to stare into the cell; a twitching muscle in his jaw was the only movement that Sigyn could detect. Sigyn continued to pound on the glass, begging Fury to turn the machine off. She noticed, with panic, that her vision was beginning to go black. Sliding down, Sigyn resumed her fetal position and wordlessly pleaded with Fury. Finally, after a long minute, Fury finally gave his answer.

Sigyn could only gasp as Fury's lips twisted into the bloodthirsty smirk that she had the displeasure of experiencing. She sank into unconsciousness with a sense of relief.

A/N Don't forget to review! They are the sunshine and rainbows in my dark and snow covered world! Seriously, though, I live in Wisconsin. I think I've seen the sun for a grand total of 45 minutes in the last 2 months.