13 – Into the Fire – May 15, 2012

It was like stepping into fire and ice all at once. Aspen felt as if her body was being ripped apart and then put back together. Then it stopped. She realized she'd closed her eyes and quickly opened them to find herself standing at the very edge of a sharp precipice. She took a step back, flattening herself against the rock wall behind her. A wind was howling, and she felt it tug her toward the edge. Feet planted firmly, she looked around her surroundings. The cliffs she rested on were not made of rock, but stone, she realized. It was a statue. She could see the rippling of the portal hidden in a crevice behind the statue. Then she noticed what must be the Asgardian Palace shining in the distance. She sucked in her breath. It was incredible. Golden spires reached up to the sky in a graceful ascent. To her it looked like organ pipes that reflected the sun with a brilliant almost blinding glare. It took her breath away. Asgard was beautiful. In all the time she'd known Loki, she'd never even wondered just what his world looked like. His world was breathtaking.

Water flowed all around her under golden bridges that connected the city. She could see a glimmer of color and realized that must be the Rainbow Road that led to the Bifrost. Though she'd spent quite a bit of time with Thor and Loki, it still felt completely surreal to be in their world – an entirely different world from her own.

She looked downward and her mind calculated the distance to the ground. If she climbed, she could make it down to the bridge which would take her into the city. The city itself was a series of buildings and golden architecture like something from the future. She could see elements of rather medieval architecture too, but there was no question that their culture was more advanced. Hovercrafts flew by in the distance. Aspen was able to push aside her newfound powers for a moment and simply gawk at the city. It seemed to be nearing sunset and the colors that were cast upon the reflective gold of the palace were incredible. Cleary time moved a little differently here than on Earth. She suppressed her desire to start quoting Star Wars as another hovercraft passed and began her decent.

She'd never scaled a mountain or, in this case, a statue before, but she found that the skill came easily to her now. She could judge distance and the strength of a hand and foot hold with a single glance. When she was close enough to the ground, she leapt down, landing on a stone bridge that led into the city. She found with a start that her leg was feeling completely healed. She'd forgotten that she was injured in all the chaos of the night before. She took a deep breath and started walking.

Her brain alerted her to an approaching person a moment later, and she ducked behind some shrubs. An Asgardian guard passed by, and she could tell how old he was and how much he weighed by the lines around his face and the distance between footfalls. She shook her head clear of the irrelevant information and waited until he had passed before resuming her journey to the palace. Some of the buildings on the outskirts of the city seemed to be houses, and she saw a laundry line up in one small yard. A grey cloak waved in the breeze, and she stole into the yard and snatched it, looking around to make sure that no one had seen. She tossed the jacket Stewart had given her in to the bushes, glad to be rid of it. It smelled like the lab and her heightened sense of smell made it all the more pungent. She wrapped herself in her cloak and felt decidedly more Asgardian.

When she resumed her walk into the city, she fought off the instinct to hide every time someone passed her. They'll only notice you don't belong here if you act like you don't belong here, she told herself, keeping her feet going in a steady pace. The architecture became continuously more beautifully the deeper into the city she travelled. Waterfalls fell away down below and, as she crossed a bridge, she paused to enjoy the scenery. Then she remembered what was at stake and hurried on. The lingering pain in her head was still there like the remnants of a headache that wouldn't quite go away.

She wondered how she was going to get into the dungeons. She supposed if she dressed like a guard she might not be questioned but how would she find a guard's uniform? Also she had no idea where the dungeons were. The palace that had looked vast from a distance looked monstrously huge up close. She wondered if Thor was there now. Why hadn't she thought of that before? Surely he would help her. But would he? She'd be asking him to help her steal one of the things his father had stowed away for a good reason. She knew his father would never agree to it, and she couldn't ask Thor to go against him. And then there was the matter of Loki. Aspen knew he was her best hope. Thor would never agree to help her if he knew she was working with Loki. She'd just have to keep a low profile. She hadn't interacted much with Thor while he was in New York, but he would probably recognize her. She remained extra cautious as she continued on.

When she entered the palace she thought the guards would stop her, but they didn't even look at her as she passed. She found a deserted corridor and stopped, pressing her fingers against her head and trying to figure out what she was going to do next. That's when her brain exploded into a blueprint of the Asgardian palace. She yelped, terrified that her mind was now that advanced. She wanted to push the blueprints out of her head – it was like she had something not quite human in her brain and she hated it, but she knew how useful the map would be. She shut her eyes and focused.

…

"My daughter is very fond of you," Ava Tolvar said to Steve as they stood in the lab an hour after Aspen had left. Steve was absentmindedly staring at the wall and realized he'd been standing like that for a long time, his thoughts miles away. Ava was working at her table, swilling a beaker of blue liquid over a Bunsen burner.

"I'm fond of her too," Steve said. He looked over at Ava suddenly feeling like he needed her approval to feel that way. She might not have been there for most of Aspen's life, but she was still her mother, and he respected that.

"It's alright," Ava said, giving him a small smile. "Aspen's not a child anymore, she can make her own choices. She definitely could have done worse."

Steve ducked his head. "I'm the lucky one," he said.

"You're not what I imagined, you know," Ava said. "Of course I've seen the news reels, know what you did back in the 40s. I know you were involved with New York, but none of that went to your head. You're humble and don't think yourself above other people. Unlike some." She looked darkly toward the door, and Steve knew she was thinking about Stewart.

"I'm not anyone special. I'm just a man who was given the opportunity to help people. I wanted to do that before the serum but no one would give me a chance. Not until I met Doctor Erskine."

"You do know why he picked you?"

"He told me that a strong man already knows power and might lose respect for it if he gained more but a weak man who doesn't know power values strength and compassion."

"He was a wise man," Ava said.

"Yes, he was."

"I'm sorry he didn't get the chance to see you become the man you are. I can see that compassion and see how you value your strength. You don't let it get to your head, don't assume that you'll always come out on top."

"I'm still the same man I was before, I just have a few life experiences that have made me stronger."

"Aspen too. I'm so proud of the woman she's turned into. She's fearless and bold and doesn't let her emotions break her down. Everyone needs to break down once in awhile, but she has such a control over herself. You've been a great help to her. I'm just sorry I missed this transformation."

"She's one of the most incredible people I know," Steve agreed.

"Have you told her that?" Ava asked with a smile.

"Not enough…" His cheeks colored a little. Ava smiled wider.

"She thinks you're incredible too. I can tell. Her eyes light up any time you're near her, and she sticks to your side like she belongs there."

"When I woke up in this world, she was the first person who really took an interest in me. Everyone else wanted something from me or gawked over the fact that I was Captain America. She was the first person to really see me for who I was – as Steve Rogers and not a 'superhero' from another time. She didn't have to befriend me but she did. After awhile it felt lonely when she wasn't there like there really wasn't much for me without her."

Ava was watching him with a sad smile on her face. "I wish that you weren't involved in this," she said. "This is no life."

"I don't think either of us has lived much of a normal life. I'm not sure we ever will. She wanted so badly to find you. I don't think she would have stopped until she did."

"This is all my fault."

"That's not what I meant," he hurried to stay, but Ava held up a hand.

"It is. Mine and Gregor's. My sister had reservations about the project. She said it would never lead to anything good because people can't handle that kind of power. She was right, but we didn't listen. Now look at the mess it's made. Everything up to this point, everything bad that has happened to Aspen, was because of this serum. We should have put our child's safety first, but in the end, we never put anything above our work." Steve could tell she was close to tears. He wasn't sure what to say or do, but then Ava seemed to compose herself. "I'm going to make this right," she told him. "No matter what it takes."

She turned back to her work, and Steve contemplated her words. If none of this had ever happened then Aspen would never have worked for SHIELD and they would never have met. Would he give that up, give her up, if it meant she faced none of the loss or hardships she'd dealt with her entire life, if it meant she still had her family? Yes, he would. He ached to think of a life without Aspen, but he would give her up if it meant she could have a normal, happy life. He thought about what she'd said when he'd asked her if she would go back if she could and live out her life the way it should have been. I wish I had grow up with my parents, wish I'd never met Danners, but like you, I wouldn't give up the people I know now. Clint, you. I think sometimes normal is overrated. Her words resonated in his head as he remembered their conversation on the drive to Everest.

It didn't matter anyway. Neither of them could go back, and Steve realized he didn't want to go back. Having to redefine life as he knew it, adapt to a completely different time, it was difficult but he had grown stronger through it. He wondered how Aspen was handling Asgard. He knew that if anyone could accomplish the near impossible feat Stewart had assigned her, it was her. The thought of her working with Loki made his hackles rise, but he also knew that Loki was probably her best shot at breaking into the vault. If anyone knew how, it was the Asgardian trickster.

"She'll be okay, you know," Ava said softly. Steve started at her voice, so lost in his own thoughts.

"How can you know that?" he asked.

"Because she has to. She has to come back. Aspen's a fighter, and she will fight until her last breath."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

…

Aspen found her way down to the dungeons easily thanks to the map in her brain that was beginning to creep her out. She'd found a guard's uniform and had put it on. It was a little baggy, but she could hide that under her cloak. The helmet she wore nearly slid down over her eyes, so she'd shoved a cloth into the top to settle it a little higher on her head. She was sure she looked ridiculous, but nobody batted an eyelash as she passed. The dungeons were guarded, but she walked past the guards with no trouble and entered. There were no guards down here, but she imagined their security system was something more than locks and keys. When she first glimpsed the cells, they confirmed her suspicions. There were no iron bars on these cells. The walls were made up of some sort of energy field she suspected would electrocute the prisoners. A quick scan of the walls confirmed this as her brain worked in overdrive. She carefully stepped forward, ignoring the curious stares of the inmates. Her heart began to beat out a very fast tune, and she was sweating under the layers of clothing and armor. With every new cell, her heart gave a jolt, expecting to see Loki. Finally she had reached the last one. She took a deep breath and walked to the front of the cell, looking through the opaque energy field.

His eyes flashed to her immediately, and for a moment there was no recognition. He narrowed his eyes as she continued to stand there. "I suggest you either move on or say something," he said. "Right now you're invading my privacy." The snarky tone was still there, and Aspen forgot for a moment that New York had ever happened. When she didn't move or speak, Loki narrowed his eyes. "Cat got your tongue?" he asked.

Aspen shook her head and reached up to pull the golden helmet from her head. "Hello, Loki," she said.

Loki stared at her in disbelief, not saying anything. It was the first time Aspen had seen him utterly wordless. "How are you here?" he finally asked, his words coming out in a hiss.

"I came through a portal. I'm here on a mission of sorts. People's lives are at stake."

"So you travelled all the way here to save people? Still putting your own life at risk for worthless humans."

"That's what heroes do, isn't it?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"So you've accepted that you're one of them now," he said, giving her a penetrating stare.

"No. I'm still just Aspen," she said.

"Where are your friends?" he asked.

"The Avengers? I'm not sure. Only Steve came with me."

"Ah, yes, the soldier." His eyes darted around for a moment before resettling on her.

"I came to Asgard alone. Listen, I don't have a lot of time to explain, so I'll give you a short reason for why I'm here and what I need."

Loki gestured for her to continue. "By all means. I'm not going anywhere," he said, bitterness souring his tone.

"I'm looking for a certain object that happens to reside in your father's – in Odin's treasure chamber." Loki narrowed his eyes, and she could see the curiosity and interest darting behind them. She took a deep breath and continued. "I need to break into there and retrieve the Warlock's Eye."

Loki was silent for a long moment. "And why would you need such an object? To control that super soldier of yours?"

Aspen bristled. "This has nothing to do with Steve. Well, his life is at risk if I don't retrieve it, but I'm not using it on him. I'm not using it at all."

"Then why do you need it?"

"I don't need it. But there's someone who does. Someone who took us captive. He has my mother and father too. He'll kill Steve if I don't return and probably my parents too."

Loki seemed to consider this. "Why does this person need the Eye?"

"He wants to build an army and have control over it. It's a long story, but he got ahold of my parents' research and has the ability to create an army of people with highly developed brains. He also found a way to harness Steve's strength and heightened abilities. Basically he's finding a way to counteract the Avengers."

"I'm not seeing the downside to that."

Aspen glared at him. "It will be New York all over again only this time you won't be the one trying to take the throne. Do you really want some power-hungry human succeeding where you failed?"

Loki narrowed his eyes. "I doubt he could succeed."

"I don't. I think he has the tools he needs to build an unstoppable army."

"So why are you retrieving this for him if you want to stop him?" Loki asked, feigning disinterest.

"Did you not hear the part where Steve's life is at risk?"

"I heard, but I don't really care."

"Or my parents? He'll kill them too. Then I really will be an orphan." She saw a flicker of emotion behind Loki's eyes before it was quickly masked.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Help me."

"I can't do much from in here," he said.

Aspen sighed. "Yes, I know. That's why I'm going to release you."

"I won't argue with that, but why should I help you help someone who's trying to create the chaos I should be creating? This is Odin's treasure chamber we're talking about after all. It's not child's play getting in."

"I know that and I know it's asking for a lot. Believe me, I don't want to deliver this into his hands but I'm not seeing another way out. He has no reason to keep Steve alive if I don't bring it back."

"You don't strike me as the type to give up so easily. I know you better than that." Aspen looked at Loki and saw something that looked like pride shining there. It surprised her.

"I'm not giving up. There's another reason why I need to get back." She looked down for a moment before meeting Loki's keen eyes again. "Before I left I was injected against my will with a defective serum. If I don't get back within a week I'll die."