Chapter 6

Currently, it was curled up on the floor. Sleep or pain had taken over and its wings had grown since last he had seen it. The colors drifting across it were a mixture of greens and greys. He knelt down next to it and placed his hands over its temples. A shudder swept through its body, angry reds and oranges rippled from where his fingers touched the feathers and fur.

He closed his eyes and felt with his mind for a subconscious. In an instant he was inside its thoughts. Memories drifted by, thoughts sliced by him, and scrambled emotions writhed about. Loki was mildly amused to see his baseball cap floating about. He adamantly refused to take it off.

He looked up at the sky. It was dark. This wasn't a good sign. A dark sky meant a sickness; a sickness of the mind. A few scraggly trees spotted the gentle hills. A mind was similar to a planet but more… complex. Swirling rivers screeched and screamed in little valleys below his feet. Occasionally stopping and spreading into oceans, before shrinking to little gurgling streams. He was taken aback at how strange her subconscious was. Most beings minds reflected their homes or places they loved to be. This wasn't anywhere. It was landmarks, geological formations, and so much more. No place could be like this.

After being initially overwhelmed by the onslaught of sights and sounds, he took a good look around. A small window in front of him offered a view into a room. It was a white room with four people standing and a woman holding a baby. He recognized them as Kate's family. They stood limply, almost like zombies, with dead eyes, limp hair, and emotionless faces. Even the baby had the same inhuman look on its little face.

"You could have stopped him." The man said in a monotone voice. The family all stood lifelessly, gazing at Kate with glazed, dull eyes. There wasn't anything in there expressions to be seen as malice, but there was an aura about them that portrayed wickedness.

"No, no I couldn't!" Kate whimpered and sobbed in a corner. When Loki laid eyes on her, he felt a flicker of pity. This was how she had looked the day he had seen her; ragged, starved, and in agony. The small mortal shivered and clawed limply at the walls, like she might be able to scratch her way out.

"You were right behind him, and all you did was watch." A little boy accused. Kate turned away from them and started to sob even more uncontrollably. Loki felt an urge to go and comfort her, but the window he watched from, was too small. Instead, he turned away, going to search for another memory. As he walked away, he heard a howl so wretched, that he almost turned back, but instead hardened his heart. It wasn't Kate. He was here to help Kate.

Loki wandered around a lake of shifting voices, stopping at another window. This one was large and round. He peered in.

A different version of Kate sat in the middle of claustrophobically small circular room. She was in a strait jacket, which did not bode well. The walls were padded and beige colored. In fact, everything was beige except her eyes; they were an icy gray. The effect was rather peculiar.

"Monsters are demons under the bed, and demons are monsters tearing your head!" she said in a sing song voice over and over again. Loki was mildly curious, actually. She giggled and balked as she sang her little tune. Her watery grey eyes roved and flitted aimlessly around the room. She resembled a goblin, with her twisted, lopsided smile, and matted hair.

"Hello, can you direct me to the gift shop?" he asked. Why not have some fun? He had always enjoyed talking to the voices in other's heads. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but her eyes glittered with uncontrolled cleverness.

"Gift, gift, gift. Who needs gifts when you can have talksies? Who needs shops when you can have gifties?" she muttered. With every word she twitched. Loki smirked. This was fun. This wasn't a memory or a voice; this was a state of mind. Maybe when Kate was starving, this was how her mind was? How intriguing.

"You better run, run, run Loki Lock. My monsters are coming to tear you head!" she giggled. A raspy cough lurched out of her throat. It was like sandpaper against gravel; it hurt to listen to.

"And how do you plan to do that? Need I remind you that you are bound?" he asked sarcastically. He was beginning to like this…could you call a state of mind a mortal? No, but he liked her any way.

She giggled again. "Oh, am I?" her straight jacket slithered off of her like grotesque snakes, writhing at his feet before melting into the ground. He wasn't fazed in the slightest and turned his attention back to the mind-state. She now wore an exact replica of what he was wearing the day Kate had run into him. A trickle of weariness started to form. She couldn't hurt him, surely? Now that he thought about it, he didn't know. He had never been scared of another being, well that wasn't entirely true, but he wasn't afraid of this little mortal, was he?

"You better run, run, run Loki Lock! My demons are coming. Wait!" a scowl crossed her face before a look of absolute glee followed. "I'm the demon!" she cackled madly before stopping abruptly. "I said, you better RUN!" she bellowed. Then she rushed at him. He made a quick decision that he should run too.

A spongy pink path wound around trees and lakes, mountains and valleys, all undulating in size. His feet pounded down again and again. The spongy texture made it hard to gain any speed or traction, but it seemed that Kate was having trouble as well, and that was good enough for him.

While he ran, he heard her cackle and giggle manically. She started gaining ground somehow, but he wasn't worried. This was still fun. Loki himself started to laugh a little when she got close enough to touch him. She would tap his shoulder, kick his legs, or grab his arm before falling back. She was baiting him. But he was baiting her. He was heading for a large white tree; its branches tickling the dark sky above. But this was no ordinary tree. This behemoth constantly shifted into an equally great white lion.

The girl was close. He heard her giggling, felt her fingers snatch at the air behind his shoulder. Loki's long legs carried him over the roots of the massive tree, leaving swirling imprints. When he hurdled over the last root, he skidded to a halt and turned around at exactly the right time. The tree morphed instantaneously into a massive lion, with paws the size of trampolines, fangs longer than his leg, shimmering purple eyes, its mane was woven out of millions of slim white branches, and it rippled with sinewy muscle. The large white lion snatched the insane girl in its jaws. The lion's calculating purple eyes glanced at him for a moment before turning back to its catch. The girl screamed in delight as it bit her. Loki was slightly disturbed by how happy she was, but shook off the feeling.

Loki watched as the bloody girl literally fell apart. "Well, that's rather disarming." He muttered. Her body literally disintegrated into small slips of paper. Words written in red ink covered the small slips. He picked one up carefully. One word was written on this one; Vision.

Loki was wandering through her memories again. He had walked through here more than once, but each time he found something new. During his previous stroll, he'd come across a field of dead memories. Unsalvageable, he hadn't stayed long, but it bothered him greatly that so much was gone. These were recent memories, broken and scorched. He pushed his worries aside. It probably had something to do with her transformation.

His musings wandered from how fragile Kate's mind was, to what he would eat for dinner. After a little while he realized he was walking in a field of knee-high trees. In size, they were more like shrubs, but proportionally, they were similar to trees. He saw trees with fluffy feathery leaves, some with jagged, stony branches, and a few had trunks with strange lumps under the bark. They came in all colors as well; striking blues, energetic reds, serene yellows, angry oranges, and many colors he hadn't even known existed. Above each tree was a floating name. With a little curiosity, he found his. His tree was by far the smallest and most alarming. Its trunk was gnarled and shaped rather like a tear drop. Its leaves on the other hand, were large and soft. They were vibrantly orange on the edges, but a creamy white in the middle, sprinkled through with pale green. The green speckles formed intricate patterns. It was beautiful in a strange way.

He was about to touch the tree when he heard a gasp behind him. "What are you doing here?" a voice shrieked behind him. It was Kate.

"Why hello Kate, how are you?" he asked pleasantly. This wasn't the insane Kate. This was the Kate he had talked to in the holding room. It was the same Kate that had hugged him. Loki wasn't entirely sure how he knew, he just did. Just like he knew how to handle a dagger, it came naturally.

She gave him an apprehensive look. Then, her face seemed to brighten. "Can you help me remember?"

"What?" he was taken aback by the strange question.

"Follow me." She said, before turning around and climbing onto the back of a large wolf. She reached down and pulled him up behind her, his feet brushing the top of a large tree with purple flowers. He was a little surprised at how she had pulled him up, and that a large wolf had materialized out of nothing. Normally, one's mind automatically obeys the laws of Physics and mimics reality, incapable of branching out. Then again, this was Kate's mind.

They rode through the twisting landscapes that were her psyche, weaving passed memories that called out for someone to watch. The wolf ran on a road that zigzagged through so many scenes, it was overpowering. But Loki had been in other's minds, he knew how to shield himself from this. Every once in a while a wild animal would come to chase them, and Kate would urge the wolf to go faster.

Soon, they were at a wall; a golden barrier of energy that changed and contorted with every touch. There were no memories, thoughts, or emotions here; just emptiness. Nothing could be seen through it. They disembarked, and the wolf trotted off into a dense forest before dissolving into the darkness.

"I don't know what it is. Kate doesn't either." His body stiffened. Something was wrong. Loki slowly turned to look at her.

"What do you mean, 'Kate doesn't either.' Aren't you Kate?" this was new. He had never experienced this before.

"I am her, but I am not her. I guess you could say I'm that little voice inside her head, or a past self, or a self to be, or even a self meant to be!" She gave him a sly smile before turning back to the wall. Loki gave her a confused scowl, but decided to let it be. Even when he pushed the concept away, he couldn't help but feel like this was something he should know. Later, he would figure it out, but not now. There was quite a bit to figure out, wasn't there?

"There are cracks, and they seep through, contaminating her dreams. Every time I touch it, painful blisters appear and I become confused. You touch it and see what happens." She insisted. Apparently her curiosity was greater than her regard for his wellbeing.

With a shrug, he reached out and felt the wall. It was smooth and pliable, bending inwards when he pushed. There was something very familiar to it, and evil, but he didn't know what it was. He was starting to get frustrated by all this; it was all so familiar, but none of it made sense. After much poking and prodding, he gave up getting through and looked to Kate.

"When you say you can't remember, how far does your memory go?"

She scrunched her face in concentration. "Well, I remember my family, but they're only images, like I should remember their voices and personalities, but I can't. This wall is in the way. I remember the city, the school, and recent stuff, but everything else is blurry, or not even there. I definitely remember the man breaking in and…" she trailed off, a pained look in her eyes.

"What did this man do?" he asked quietly. Her face was so confused and crestfallen. Deep in her eyes, you could just make out the depression in her, but she fought to let it be concealed. Eventually, her she focused on the ground.

She was uncommunicative, like remembering this was hard. "He…killed them, but I was out of the way. I had hidden in a closet. Police came, I was taken to an orphanage, and I ran away. I lived in the city for almost a year before you showed up, getting in my way." She meant it as a joke, but Loki didn't find it funny at the moment. Neither did she.

"What do I call you?" he asked softly. She didn't seem to hear him at first, but she did.

"Protector is my name. I was born from mistrust, fear, anger, and love."

Loki nodded. He did, in fact know what was going on. This was another state of mind. This one was very self-aware compared to others. Protector started to talk again.

"Kate wanted to protect those she loved. She couldn't when the man came. When Romanoff pulled the gun on her, it drove her temporarily insane with fear. Obviously Psychopath had control then. But I was born. Her natural walls had collapsed. When the dust settled, I rose victorious. Now, she has me to help her. And who do you think helped refine my skills? Got any guesses?" she hummed slightly and looked at him, expecting him to know the answer. All the hopelessness, trepidation, and loneliness were gone now; replaced with a brutal intellect, and stubbornness. A suspicion started to form and he really didn't want it to be confirmed.

"The answer, dear Loki, is you. You made her realize that protecting those she loved was more important than her own well-being. I was made to protect." She finished her little speech rather dramatically. But it hit home. Made to protect. This reminded him an awful lot like his mother. Made to protect.

"Since you obviously don't know how to get through, you should go." She said evenly. There was a steely glint in her eye when she looked at him now.

He hummed. "Why should I?"

"You don't belong here, simple as that. You have over stayed your welcome. I wouldn't want you to be hurt by Psychopath." She said with mock worry. He glanced at her and raised his eyebrow with disinterest. Protector scowled at his apparent indifference. So she wasn't very perceptive. Maybe he could use this to his advantage.

"You can be rather irritating." He said teasingly. He still wasn't done examining this wall though. If he stayed here long enough, he could figure this out. He needed to buy some time, but how?

She sighed. "I know."

Almost too fast to register, there was a blur of movement. Then, before he even knew what was happening, a jagged blade of metal impaled itself in his chest. He fell to the ground, the metal hefty and surprisingly painful. He was so aghast he almost missed the last words Protector said.

"Good bye Asgardian. Come back soon." She smiled sweetly and he was swept up and up and up.

The feeling of being forced out of someone's mind isn't pleasant. Imagine a bubble forming inside your chest, but it doesn't go away. Then your toes start to tingle, and a pounding builds behind you temples. Needless to say, Loki was almost glad when he awoke to find SHIELD agents dragging him away from the thrashing, wailing thing that he now knew was still Kate. Almost.

She closed the door, took five deep breaths, and then opened it again. The thick oak door, slid on its hinges soundlessly, allowing her to see the two beings in front of her. One was tall, with black hair, gold and green leather armor, and wearing a dark green baseball cap. Standing next to him was Protector. She frowned. Protector took her job seriously and this could end up getting messy. Truth be told, she was a little over-protective. Protector lived up to her name very well. Out of all of her advisors, she was most weary of Protector. It wasn't that she couldn't be trusted, on the contrary she was the most reliable, but she was young and incredibly passionate. She watched the scenes unfold before her; Protector conjuring a jagged sword and waiting to hear the man's response. Who was the man anyway? Why couldn't she remember? In fact, who was she? Where was she? How did she get here? Protector had told her, repeatedly to stay in the room, stay there and wait. But had she listened? No, she'd gotten bored, and now she regretted it immensely. A pounding in her head was forming from all these unanswered questions, but the worst was yet to come; Why can't I remember what happened a minute ago?

She had already forgotten about Protector and the man. By now she was puzzling over her apparent amnesia. Her head in her hands, she tried to pull herself together, to find an anchor. Nothing worked. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't focus. She started to pant, heavily from the strain of remembering, sweat ran in rivers down her forehead and into her eyes, blurring the scenes before her. Soon, she was scared. Very, very scared.

"Help me." She hissed to know one in particular. Her voice was laced with unbridled despair. The darkness was closing in. Suffocating waves of feral panic mingling with an all-consuming loneliness that threatened to crush her.

But, soon she heard a soft, kind voice, murmur in her ear, "Always."

I've spent this entire week editing my chapters and finishing the ones that weren't done. This one is much shorter than normal, and the next one will be too, but after that, the long ones will be back! I finally have an awesome plot and direction for this, and i'm so excited to show you guys! By the way, can we talk about Marvel's new Captain America comic? Hydra?! Freaking Hydra?! No way! So, as it's a stupid decision, I've elected to ignore it. Who's with me! Alright so I hope you like this chapter, as always, Review (come on just a few words, it isn't that hard), Fave, and Follow!

Bye:)