Hey Folks!
Sorry for the delay!
It's been very hectic lately, lots of things happening that were important for a deadline and on top of that I went and got writer's block. Bleh!
Anyway, here is the next installment for you all, I hope you like it!
Also... WOW! I'm still being blown away by the support. Please do keep it up! Follows, Favourites and Reviews are always welcome!
Here we go...
CHAPTER 6 - Compass.
Classified Location, 2013
Captain Rogers was stunned with trembling disbelief as he stood at the base of the dais steps, looking into the glass cylinder at the familiar woman that was strapped into it under sedation. There was no logical way that she could be there, breathing and alive in front of him. She had been identified as deceased all those years ago, he had seen the newspaper with her picture... And he had attended her funeral in the pouring rain. He had even visited her grave whenever possible until he was taken by the ice. And when he had eventually been found, one of the first things he did after adjusting was to go back to lay flowers on her grave and to clear away the leaves from her head stone, which he continued to do every chance he could get.
How could she be here now after seventy years?
"Cora?" He spoke incredulously, not expecting an answer but needing to release any doubts into the atmosphere.
"You know her?" Natasha asked, surprised by his proclamation as she quickly looked at him and then back to the sleeping hostage, trying to figure out their connection. Judging by Steve's expression, they had been close once upon a time.
Steve didn't respond to her question, silently trying to understand how it could be at all possible that the woman before him was Cora Elizabeth Pritcher. His Cora. She looked just how he remembered, barely aged at all. If this was her, then how was she still young after all this time? He himself had only managed it because he had been frozen, his new metabolism and body keeping him protected from the cold and the time that had passed him by. But Cora... She couldn't have survived, she wasn't like him. How had they done this? How could this be her?!
"I'll see if I can get the pod open." Said Natasha, hurrying over to the computers.
Steve knew she was talking, but he was barely registering her words whilst his stare was fixed on Cora, taking in every detail of her in search of some sort of answer or confirmation that he wasn't imagining this. He had wanted her to not be dead so many times, dreamt of her returning to him so many nights that he wasn't entirely sure if this was real, and he needed some sort of explanation or assurance that he hadn't lost his mind.
She was clad in a tight black body suit that ended at the knees and had no sleeves, allowing access for the I.V needles that were inserted into the inside of her elbows, as well as the multiple wired sensors that were stuck to her body that were obviously monitoring her health. She also had a small metal disc about the size of an old penny attached to her temple and a seemingly matching collar around her neck that had no apparent purpose or function, but they still angered the Captain. It was almost as if she was treated like a slave or a dog, permanently tagged and brought to heel by her sadistic master. Steve was not an overly violent man without proper reason, but that collar alone made him want to snap in half the person responsible for it.
Steve quickly shook away the rage, reminding himself to remain composed, to focus on her as she was now and not what they had done. They wouldn't be doing it to her again, and she needed him to be here for her without any thoughts of vengeance. There was no telling what state of health she would be in, but he knew she would need his aid and kindness most of all. Though she looked physically fit and unharmed, her mind might be another matter. After all those years of experimentation, there was no telling what the damage could be.
She certainly looked like Cora, her elegant form and features perfectly akin to his memories even though she was without the 40s style now. Her auburn hair was still long and waving in small tendrils from being damp, and her cream skin still looked soft and silken beneath the small beads of dew that rested on it. She was very real to him. As impossible as it should be, he was nigh on positive that his Cora lay before him.
Steve didn't wait any longer, his thoughts snapping to take action and get her out of her prison instead of allowing his speechless shock to hinder her rescue further. Snatching up his shield as he leapt up the stairs, he mounted the Vibranium disc on his forearm and smashed it precisely into the locking mechanisms of the glass cylinder, causing a loud clashing ring to echo in the lab with each strike which startled Natasha for a brief second.
As the locks bust apart, he swung the shield onto his back and pulled open the heavy glass door with a strained heave, fighting the mechanisms to slide it around.
He paused for a split moment, his deep emotions struggling with his sense of rationality and duty as he was mere inches away from her now. The mission wasn't over, and he couldn't allow himself to become overwhelmed right now.
Carefully he began to slide out the needles from her arms, small trickles of blood emerging with each one before he moved to quickly rip away the sensor pads that were stuck to her skin, respectfully leaving the ones that disappeared beneath her suit to monitor around her chest, instead resorting to ripping the wires free from the sensors. After a moment of investigation, checking around the hateful collar and the temple disk, he could see no latch or join to remove them. They would have to remain for now.
Carefully gauging the best way to release her entirely from the capsule, he tore the leather straps from their fittings that were keeping her restrained. He started at her legs first, working up to her arms and head, his gloved hand gently cupping her face to lower it comfortably as her head lolled forward now.
Wrapping a strong arm around the back of her waist and holding her firmly against him, he wrenched the last straps apart that were constricting her chest and stomach, her limp body immediately falling into him to be caught now that she was free of her bonds.
With loving care, he reached down behind her legs and scooped up her knees before gently laying her down on the cold grated floor of the dais.
"Cora?" He whispered to her, his palm resting tenderly on her damp unkempt hair above her forehead.
She didn't respond, remaining entirely still and peaceful in her chemical slumber as he checked her pulse. It was steady and strong which helped to ease his worries a little. However, she was rather pale and held slightly dark circles beneath her eyes, her skin chilled to the touch and beaded with water as if she had been in cold water a moment ago.
"She won't be waking up for a while, Cap." Natasha called as she looked at the computer screen, "Looks like they keep her heavily sedated when she's not on ice."
"Not anymore they don't." He replied quietly, softly and discreetly brushing a thumb over Cora's pallid cheek, knowing now why she looked so sickly: She must have been recently thawed. So they had kept her on ice after all. But how had she survived that for so long? "How much longer with the data, Natasha?"
"A few minutes. A lot of the files are encrypted but I'm sure SHIELD can break it with a bit of time."
"Make sure you get it all. I want to know everything they've been doing to her..."
"I got it, Rogers." She interrupted, looking up with a reassuring gaze.
Steve nodded, trying his best to remain professional but his heart was constantly trying to overrule his head.
So she had been frozen for all this time, after being secreted away with great care and anonymity for the experiments. But why? Why had they chosen her and gone to such great lengths to fake her death, which was so obvious to him now?
He had never been able to see her in her casket, under the excuse that the car accident had left her severely injured. And the painting... It had disappeared from her apartment but it hadn't been found in the cab either. He had stupidly let it go instead of investigating further. If he had, then perhaps he would have seen through the ruse but he let his grief taint his vision. He had unknowingly abandoned her when he could have saved her from all those years of torment.
His guilt twisted at the idea of her begging and pleading against whatever experiments they had been doing to her, crying out for him to help her and knowing that he would never come.
His hand began to tighten on the grated floor next to Cora, his fingers having unconsciously slipped into the gaps and started to crush the metal into his fist from shameful rage.
"Ready, Cap." Said Natasha, unplugging the data drive from the computer and storing it safely in her utility belt which knocked him from his painful thoughts.
"Davis?" Steve said through the secure channel, releasing the contorted grate as he watched Cora breathing steadily.
"Here, Cap."
"ETA on the med team?"
"They've just arrived."
"Tell them I'll be bringing the candidate right up and she'll require medical attention asap." Steve instructed, not going to take anything for granted regarding her health. He wouldn't know exactly what they had done to her until they cracked the encrypted files, but for all he knew she could have endured the worst of tortures, and he needed to make sure she would recover both physically and mentally.
"Affirmative." Davis replied obediently.
Slowly, as if handling a new born or a priceless gift, Steve slipped his arm beneath hers to slide around her back and gently sit her up, lifting her head to rest against his shoulder. Scooping up her legs beneath the knees, he cradled her gently and with weightless ease, carrying her protectively against his chest.
Though she was pale and weak, she still held the same elegant beauty that had haunted his memories since the day he had lost her. He had never allowed himself the hope of being so close to her again, and now that he was against all odds, all he could hope was that this was a blessing and not a curse for her. That this was his second chance to keep his promise, and to repent for his mistake in leaving her alone back then.
Descending the steps of the dais, he saw Natasha's intrigued and questioning expression as he passed her, heading for the door and the medical team on the deck. He knew that Natasha had seen his reaction, that was certain, but she obviously didn't know the details of their relationship. However, Steve wasn't sure if he should explain how close he was to Cora. After all, his gut still told him that Fury was hiding something about this mission, and he didn't want to give him an excuse to remove Steve from this due to his feelings for her. Although, come to think of it, he doubted there was anyone within SHIELD brave enough (or stupid enough) to try and keep him away from her. Still, he didn't want to give them any reason to try. He would be damned if he allowed anyone to take her again, now that she was his world once more.
Washington DC.
The room was quiet and cool, the only sound being the rhythmic beats of the heart monitor as Steve diligently sat beside Cora's private hospital bed. It had been two days since she had unimaginably re-entered his life, and she still hadn't opened her eyes or showed any sign of waking to ease his anxious heart and tired mind.
He hadn't slept, unable to bring himself to rest in case it all turned out to be a cruel dream sparked by the loneliness that crept up on him from time to time. And he wasn't ready to let her go yet if that was the case.
There hadn't been a day outside the ice where she hadn't graced his thoughts and made him miss her terribly, unable to heal the wound that she had left behind. Now that she lay in front of him, her chest rising softly with each glorious breath, he wasn't going to take this miracle for granted. He was going to be there when she woke up, and he was going to be there when she needed him the most. Just as he should have been.
Occasionally Natasha would join him for a while to keep him up-to-date with everything they found in the salvaged data from the ship's computers, but most of the files were still heavily encrypted and were going to take time to crack. So far they had only discovered some trivial statistics that had no meaning without context, and that she had been mainly frozen during her incarceration, thawed only for short periods of time for more tests of varying degrees of inhumane science. They didn't even know who had ordered the experiments, as it was very clear by the technology and secrecy they had available that they were not amateurs in the slightest.
Despite all of this, however, one thought about the rescue mission kept rolling uneasily through Steve's head: The candidate he was sent to retrieve was a mutant of super-human power, and was important enough for them to go to great lengths to claim her by faking her death so elaborately.
Was it true? Was there something hidden within her that he never knew about? And did she know about it herself, and had purposely hidden it from him? The answers and information were still frustratingly hidden in the locked files. For now he would have to try and be patient for the truth, but the waiting was utterly torturous, and he found he couldn't stop his curiosity from delving into his thoughts and memories.
If she was somehow different, then it would mean that Cora was not all that she seemed after all, and she could have been hiding secrets from him back then if she knew of this power she held. It would mean that he didn't know her as well as he believed he did, and that gnawed at him with insecurities.
Regardless of his foolish doubts, Steve refused to think she was false. He would hold onto his faith in her, no matter what. She had never given him any reason to doubt her character, and by god he wasn't going to start now. Though he still questioned whether the current situation was real, he would never distrust Cora's soul. She had been responsible for some of the greatest moments in his life, and he wasn't going to let go of them for any reason.
Still, it was all just so confusing and difficult to accept that she was alive. He had gotten so used to his grief for her, so accustomed in the hopelessness of her loss that he wasn't sure how to proceed. He didn't know what to expect when she woke up, or even how to act around her. He didn't know what she was capable of doing, what they had exactly done to her in the experiments or if they had succeeded in their goals. There was so much chaos in his head that it felt like his skull wanted to split in two whilst his heart was leaping for joy.
However, through the haze of all the uncertainties and shock, there was one small glimmer that would not be denied in him: Steve was desperate to hear her voice once again. Just one simple word would be enough to unburden his soul and brighten his world, even if she just said 'Hello'.
Quietly, Steve dug into his jeans pocket and fished out the small brass compass that he always kept with him. He was fortunate that the rescue crew who found him in the ice had also salvaged the metal keepsake because inside was something that he cherished dearly.
Clicking open the dull golden lid, he pulled it back and smiled fondly at the strip of black and white photographs that were nestled firmly on the inside: Their Coney Island pictures, the half she had given to him when they had last seen each other. They had been his constant source of courage for him in the modern world, a reminder to keep going because she had faith in him to make a difference, and he wouldn't let her down.
A spike in her audible heartbeat caught his attention, his gaze snapping up as he carefully put away the compass and stood up to move to her bedside, her heart monitor jumping for a second time.
Suddenly, Steve caught the tiny movement in his peripheral vision as some of her fingers quivered. It was only slight, barely noticeable and easy to miss if he weren't so focused on her every move.
His sight was honed onto them as if willing and pleading for them to twitch again. As her heart skipped once more, her fingers slowly curled in and out, as if trying to figure out where they lay.
Steve couldn't control the bright hopeful grin that sprang to his lips as he looked back to her face, "Cora? Can you hear me?"
Gingerly her eyelashes fluttered by jittery fractions until her soft dusky lids parted with a sleepy heaviness. Steve released a held breath as he smiled, finally seeing those beautifully hypnotic eyes that he had missed so much. Though they were unfocused and still grasped in a weary haze, they glistened with earthy tones that reminded him of so many moments they had spent together, especially the blushing glances they had shared.
Her eyes slowly blinked a few times, her hands flexing experimentally as her legs fidgeted a little beneath the hospital blankets. That seemingly innocent act furrowed his brow with thought and sparked his curiosity: If they had kept her mostly sedated in the capsule for the past seventy years, then her leg muscles should have atrophied from lack of use. The fact that she could move her legs easily, told him that they had kept them working, possibly taking her out of her glass pod to walk for reasons that he wouldn't know until the files were cracked.
Cora mewled ever so slightly as she steadily began to awaken, her heart monitor returning to a relaxed rhythm as she became more and more aware of the world around her. However, her sights did not notice Steve it seemed, instead simply gazing around in an unaware state somewhere between reality and dream. He assumed that it was the remnants of the drugs which had been pretty powerful to keep her solidly unconscious for so long. He just hoped that they hadn't caused her any harm.
"Cora?" He asked gently, trying to remain soft and friendly as he stood beside her bed. However, her reaction was not what he had hoped.
Her eyes that were weary before, suddenly sharpened at the instant of his words, flashing to stare at him in shock and... fear. Her heart monitor began to race, the beats increasing with her breathing as she cautiously pulled herself further up the bed and further away from him.
Steve didn't understand, couldn't comprehend at first why she was acting so terrified of him, but then he realised that she might still be groggy and confused from the tests and drugs. He should have expected this sort of reaction really.
"It's alright, you're safe." His hands raised to try and reassure her, try to calm her nerves, but it had the opposite effect.
Cora threw herself out of the bed, wrenching the I.V needle painfully from her hand as she stumbled, though she didn't seem to notice any pain. The heart monitor began to blare out with a continuous alarm from being disconnected from her finger as she haphazardly backed away from Steve towards the curtained window on the other side of the room. Her legs were unsteady and she was obviously disorientated, She looked almost reminiscent of a deer awaking from sedation.
Pressed against the bland cold wall in her loose hospital gown, bare footed and with her long auburn hair falling passed her face in disarray, she stared at Steve with bewildered terror, obviously trying to figure out what was happening and where she was.
Carefully, as if trying to calm a frightened doe, Steve walked around the bed and slowly stepped towards her, his hands once again raised so she could see he wasn't holding anything that could hurt her.
"It's alright, just stay calm." He cooed, "You're safe, Cora. No-one is going to hurt you, I promise."
Her balance faltered for a brief moment, but she caught herself against the wall and pushed away the dizziness that had evidently taken hold. Steve desperately wanted to go to her, to help her, but he knew that a sudden act like that could make things worse. He had to be patient, let her accept his help on her own terms.
"I'm not going to hurt you." He said gently, stepping forward again which she instantly registered, "It's just me. Please let me help you, Cora."
There were a few possibilities of how he thought she may react to him at that moment: Relief, fear, reluctance... But never had he entertained the idea of what was to come.
Her earthy eyes were beginning to mist and redden, her silken English voice shaking ever so slightly when she finally spoke in quiet overwhelmed tones, "Who are you?"
Steve's face and hands slowly dropped with shocked comprehension. Standing still with the blaring of the life support echoing in the room, he stared at her with stunned heartbreak in his blue eyes as he realised the dreadful fact of her revival: She didn't remember him.
Suddenly the door flung open to allow nurses to rush into the room in response to the life support alarms. Steve whirled immediately to tell them to leave, but the damage was already done.
Cora slammed back against the wall in startled terror as the window beside her and those to the adjacent hallway exploded into scattering shards, making the nurses duck and scream. Steve instinctively covered himself from the glass for a split second, just before the hospital bed and equipment were viciously catapulted from the floor to smash into the far wall over the heads of the staff.
Steve witnessed the entire violent scene happen before his unbelieving eyes with no visible explanation as to what had caused it. He flashed back to look at Cora, seeing just how shocked and terrified she was as she stared at the chaos with panting breath.
Suddenly, Cora screamed with pain which was quickly stifled as her eyes scrunched closed and her contorting body fell to the floor in convulsing agony, her teeth gritted against the blue electric shocks that sparked across her which emanated from the metal collar around her neck.
He rushed to her side, unsure of what he could do to help her but unquestionably needing to try. He slid to the floor beside her, reaching for her shoulders to ease the wrenching motions of her tormented body, but the moment his hands touched he felt the harsh static jolt him as well, forcing him to pull away instantly.
He watched helplessly, trying to think of how he could make it stop when she suddenly ceased fitting, her violent tremors ending to let her body slump into unconsciousness once again as tearful trails flowed quietly over her heated cheeks.
Steve immediately seized her, protectively pulling her up to rest against his chest and search for the pulse in her neck as her head lolled back on his arm. He released his bated breath when he felt her heartbeat rushing through her vein, gathering her up closer to him to cradle her and brush away the hair from her face, a small rivulet of blood beginning to trickle from her nose. Tenderly wiping the blood away, he ran a finger over the metal collar around her neck and then the small disc at her temple with angry thought, his expression hardening with loathing for the devices and whoever had put them on her. He knew without a doubt that it was to blame for the torture he had just seen her suffer. The collar was a kind of restraint and punishment, an inhumane and cruel form of control placed on her by her captors who knew exactly what she was capable of doing and needed a safe guard to stop her from using it against them.
The small frightened chatter of the nurses caught his attention as they were grouped together by the door with a few armed guards who looked at Cora and the devastation of the room. The bed was a tangled and broken mess amidst the shattered glass, along with the fuzzing and sparking life support machines around it.
Steve didn't have to think hard to know what had happened, and judging by the way the guards kept flitting their wary sights towards Cora as she lay in his arms, neither did they.
Steve had been sent to rescue a mutant of super-human power, and Cora had just accidentally shown them what she could do.
Cora had been moved to a secure wing of the SHIELD headquarters following the extraordinary telekinetic display in the hospital room. It was a section of the building that had specially built cells for the sole purpose of containing those who may otherwise be too dangerous to be kept in regular jails.
Steve didn't like it at all. Against his objections and arguments about imprisoning her, Nick Fury had insisted that she be contained there, not only for her own safety but for everyone else's too considering her only form of control seemed to be the shock collar.
Steve had then demanded that the restraint be removed now that they knew it caused her immeasurable pain every time it was triggered, but Fury once again overruled him on the grounds that it was their only fail safe. Until she could convince him that she could control her powers, the collar had to stay on. Of course, that decision didn't sit well with Steve either, and the moment Nick was out of sight he had released his anger by punching through the corridor wall, much to the surprise of the people around him.
When the guards had walked into the new hospital room where Cora was being temporarily monitored and he was once again standing vigil at her bedside, the Captain had physically blocked their path when they had marched forward to collect her. Steve's expression had been one to make them all back down without argument. Reluctantly, Steve had then unhooked the heart monitor from her finger and scooped her up with her still wrapped in the blankets, mournfully marching to the transport downstairs that would take them to SHIELD HQ and her holding cell.
They had walked past her previous room which was in the process of being cleared, and the staff were being given the usual warnings over not disclosing any information about what had happened.
Cora was powerful without a doubt, but he still didn't see her as a threat. She was just frightened and confused. She needed support, not punishment.
Now as always, Steve sat diligently at her bedside, waiting once again for her to wake. He looked at the new restraints that now bound her to the bed, a vulgar copy of what she had been through for the past seven decades. It made him feel sick with guilt to see her subdued in such a way, knowing that he couldn't release her no matter how much he wanted to as he was certain they were under surveillance. He just hoped that it wouldn't frighten her even more.
However, as much as it pained him to see her so lost and confined, the feeling paled in comparison to the agony of knowing he was now a stranger to her. The way she looked at him now... She remembered nothing, seeing only a potential threat, someone who could hurt her. That alone broke his heart. Steve would sooner hurt himself a hundred times over rather than cause her harm, but she didn't know that anymore. What if she knew nothing at all, complete memory wipe that left only emptiness? How could he tell her everything that had happened over the years, and what they were to each other if she barely knew anything before the hospital incident? He couldn't. He was all too familiar with how it felt to lose everything you had ever known, and he was certain that no good would come of burdening her with the knowledge of her previous life.
So, after a lot of difficult soul searching, Steve had decided that he would just have to keep their past a secret, and hopefully with time, she would remember it all on her own. It was the only thing he could do now: Give her the chance of a life without mourning the old one. He would, of course, be there for her if she wanted him to be. He would not abandon her again.
He felt as if he had failed her so many times, whether from being weak or just absent. Never again. Steve would be her rock, her safety net, anything she needed him to be in order to cope with this alien life that had been thrust upon her without so much as an explanation. He would be her guardian through everything she would have to endure now that she was awake, including the future confusion and fear of the power she held if she couldn't remember it.
Judging by her reaction when her power had unexpectedly manifested, she seemed just as frightened and shocked by her actions as they all were, and that meant she didn't know what she could do. More importantly, it could mean that she didn't know how she did it or how to control it. And the data they had retrieved from the facility was still proving troublesome with the encryption, unwilling to give up any more secrets or hints of how to help her deal with her gift.
The thoughts of what she had done made him wonder about their past. Back in the day, she must have had a tremendous control to keep it hidden from him so successfully, if indeed that was what she had done. There was no way of telling yet if she was even aware of her gift when she was taken, but his gut instinct told him that she did.
Knowing that she was even more unbelievably unique during their time together, made him reminisce and search for any signs he had missed that could have pointed to what she was capable of doing. And that made him begin to rethink that night with the mugger: Steve had been knocked unconscious, and when he came to she said the guy had been scared away. What if he hadn't? What if she had fought back now that her date wasn't awake to witness it, and that was why she seemed so defensive when he questioned her about the money?
Had he been so blinded by her that he didn't see the clues of what she was? More importantly, if that had truly happened and she knew of her power, why had she felt she needed to hide it from him? Why couldn't she trust him?
A slight moan knocked him from his reverie, getting to his feet in anticipation as Cora began to rouse from her sleep. Taking a step back and a deep breath to settle his nerves, he tried to pull up a comforting demeanour, something that would put her at ease rather than making her want to flee.
As he watched and waited patiently, she gently began to blink, just like before, allowing consciousness to ease into focus with the steady beats of the heart monitor. However, it didn't take her as long this time to notice Steve's presence, and the beats audibly began to quicken as she stared at him.
"Hello again." He said gently with a small smile, his hands in his pockets with nervous habit, one hand grasping the brass compass for courage.
Cora didn't answer, instead she tried to move away just like before, but when she was halted by the tight restraints on her wrists and ankles, she began to panic. The heart monitor shot up into a dancing beat, her breathing quickening as she tried to struggle and pull against the bonds, straining against the straps with gritted teeth and desperate groans.
"Wait, don't..." Said Steve, stepping forward and placing a warm hand on her forearm.
She immediately froze and stared at his grasp, her sights then snapping up to his uncertain face as she seemingly tried to decide what she should do. If she truly didn't remember anything before waking in the hospital room, then this could possibly be the first time she had ever been touched to her knowledge.
Steve wasn't sure what to do. He had acted on impulse without thinking of the consequences, but as he looked back at her with a soft reassuring smile, her heart rate at least didn't seem to react badly to it.
"It's okay." He added slowly, "They're just for your own safety. Things got a little out of hand last time, and I don't want to see you hurt again."
Cora didn't respond, her breathing and heart still racing and obviously frightened.
"I'm not going to hurt you, but you need to stay calm as best you can. It's important." Said Steve, slowly removing his hand and stepping back to take his seat again in the hopes that the act would ease her anxiety a little, giving them some distance and placing her physically higher than him, "Do you remember what happened before? When you panicked?"
Her deep breaths began to tremble, her eyes becoming wetter as she slowly nodded in response. Even though she was still terrified and on the brink of breaking into tears, Steve felt relief at finally having a reply from her.
"I'm not sure, but I think it happens when you become suddenly scared. So you just need to relax, and I promise I'll explain everything. Okay?"
"Who are you?" She whispered, bordering on a whimper through her refined English accent.
"My name is Captain Steve Rogers." He replied with a gentle smirk, trying his best to not feel the emptiness of their disassociation.
However, her brow immediately contorted with instant thought, her gaze bowing with some sort of recollection that threatened to build Steve's hopes, but it quickly disappeared.
"Where am I?" She nervously asked next, her eyes darting around the room as she noticed that it was very different from the last time she had woken up. This one was harsh and intimidating, a fully encased metal cell with a full mirror on one side and bright lighting from the ceiling.
"We had to move you to somewhere safer after what happened." Steve said, biting back the anger he really felt for her being brought here like she was a prisoner. "You're at SHIELD headquarters now."
"SHIELD?" She questioned.
"It's..." He began, a small wry smile playing on his lips at the idea of trying to explain what they actually did. Perhaps the details should be left till later. "It's complicated, but the basics is that SHIELD monitors potential threats in the world, and when it's needed we deal with them. We're the good guys."
"And am I a threat? Is that why you're keeping me here?" She asked timidly, her earthy eyes locking on to the restraints as she tried to lift her arm to emphasise her question. Her sadness and uncertainty cut him deeply.
"No." He replied, his brow furrowed with pity at the very idea that she could think of herself as dangerous. He knew the bonds weren't helping to convince her. "You're not a threat."
When she didn't respond or look at him, he knew that she didn't believe him at all. Of course, actions speak louder than words, and all she knew was that she had somehow caused chaos and was now imprisoned against her will. It was a harsh beginning to a life restored, and not exactly a basis for trust.
With a comforting smile, Steve slowly stood and walked to the end of the bed where he began to unbuckle the straps on her ankles. He could feel her surprised apprehensive gaze following his every move. As he then went to each side of her bed in turn to remove the bonds on her wrists, Steve knew that he was going to cause a lot of tension and arguments with Fury by what he was doing, but in all honesty he could barely give a damn. Right now, his only concern was her.
Every time he got close to undo her restraints, she shifted slightly away from him, and he fought back the hurt it caused, knowing she was still very uncertain of everything. She was vulnerable, fragile and confused, and in her eyes she was utterly alone, not knowing who to trust. She needed time to adjust and to learn for herself, and the least he could give her was his understanding and patience.
Steve returned to his seat as she fidgeted in the bed, sitting higher up on the pillows in her hospital gown with the blankets spread over her bare legs. They were quiet for a moment, neither of them knowing how or if they should break the silence between them. It wasn't a painful hush in the room, but more like a deep breath before deciding to plunge. He had just shown her his trust, and she needed to decide how to respond to him as a stranger showing her kindness. He could understand how it might take her insecurities a moment to agree on what felt right, but fortunately it didn't take long.
"Thank you." She said quietly.
Though she didn't look at him when she said those words, the relief and joy he felt from them was exuberant. It was like fresh air to him, feeling comforted with the small gesture of trust and recognition that she may begin to see him as a friend, and not someone to fear.
"You're welcome." He replied with a fond smile.
Cora then noticed the small clamp on her finger, lifting her hand to look at it more closely and followed the cord as it led to the tall beating machine next to her.
"It monitors your heart beat." Steve explained, smiling at how adorable she seemed as she looked back at him slightly sheepishly, "That's what the beeping is."
She didn't respond. Instead she sat ringing her fingers with anxiety and looked down at her legs, obviously trying to work up some courage. Steve decided not to push her but to allow the opportunity settle and ask any questions. It was obvious she wanted to know something, but she was still unsure of the situation.
"Please..." She finally began, visibly fighting her nerves in order to gain answers, though at least her heart beat had pretty much returned to normal now, "Tell me what's going on. How did I get here?"
"Well, to put it simply, we rescued you a few days ago."
"Rescued me?"
"Yeah." He replied, deliberately dancing around the finer points of her story. She didn't need to be bombarded with difficult facts right now. "We found out about a ship, and that you were being kept on it for experiments. So my team and I went in to get you out."
"Experiments? What kind of experiments?"
"We're not sure." He said, the slight lie feeling sour on his tongue, "We retrieved a lot of their research, but we're still going through it."
"What I did before...When I was frightened..." She said, nervous of admitting what had happened in the hospital room, "It was definitely me?"
"We think so, yes."
"Did they do that to me? With the experiments?"
"No." Steve said, seeing her expression fall a little as she looked down with troubled thought, "We think they took you because of what you can do. They were trying to copy it somehow."
"Why?"
"We don't know. Not yet."
There was a moment of silence where she just gazed straight ahead, her expression turning more hurtful as her heart started to speed up. Steve watched with worry, trying to figure out what she was thinking about and wanting to fix it. He didn't like to see her so distraught and lonely.
"I... I don't remember anything." She said, turning to face him. Her heart wrenching expression ripped him deeply as tears dripped from her long eyelashes.
"I know." Steve said, his heart aching for her and wanting to make her happy, "But you will. With time."
"You called me Cora." She said, trying her best to remain calm and composed though she wanted to weep. "Is that my name?"
"Yes it is." Steve smiled gently, shifting in his seat to leans on his knees, "Cora Elizabeth Pritcher."
At the statement of her full name, her gaze snapped to attention, her interest peaked with hope and a gasp. He didn't let the chance go to waste now that she seemed to be easing into the situation and becoming more comfortable with him in the room. He didn't want to bombard her with hurtful facts, especially the ones that revealed her true age, but the look on her face told him that she needed something to hold on to. She needed herself.
"You are twenty four years old, and were born in England." He added softly, "You used to live in New York where you attended university to study Art. Your favourite colour is blue, and your favourite ice cream is strawberry..."
Steve immediately stopped himself as he realised he had just shared some very personal information, things that would only be known by someone close to her rather than her rescuer. But the damage was already done, the stunned curiosity on her face showed that it had not passed her sharp wit.
"Do you know me?" She whispered with a mixture of fear and awe.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to remind himself to bury their relationship and all hints of it. But that sweet innocent look she held as she waited for his answer... He couldn't stop himself entirely. He couldn't deny some form of bond with her.
Steve nodded slowly, "Yes. I know you, Cora."
"How?" She asked with tearful eagerness, sitting up straighter in the bed.
"We were... friends. Before you were taken." He replied, trying his best to smooth over his idiotic admittance.
It would have been better if she had a clean slate from the start, but it was too late now. He just had to make his answers easier for her to accept without slipping up on timeline issues. Steve hadn't counted on these kind of questions yet and he hadn't figured out the answers entirely. He just hoped he could keep it up for now, even though it felt rather sour to dodge around the truth.
"When was I taken?"
"A long time ago." Said Steve, fortunately not getting a chance to finish or indulge anymore of her queries.
The metal door slid open, catching both of their attentions as two armed guards took positions either side of the entrance. Nick Fury entered, his leather coat swathing behind him as he walked, and a stern unamused expression covering his features.