I came out of the darkness slowly. The first thing I knew were the voices. I knew all of them and I could give them names: Steve, Nat, Tony, Banner, Thor, Clint, Nick, Phil. Their voices floated around me like clouds. The next thing I got was my sense of touch. I could feel the bed beneath me and sheets over me, I could move. I tried to signal to them that I knew what they were saying. I held up the okay sign. My taste came, along with speaking. I kept quiet because I wanted to hear what they were saying.

"He's slowly deteriorating. He demands to see her every day. He's upset that we won't tell him what happens. Phil said.

"Keep him under control. She'll be better soon. The doctor has been saying she's improving." Fury replied. I cleared my throat.

"I am getting better ." I could tell that my voice was scratchy and hoarse. "Could one of you get me some water please?"

They both started a bit.
"Please? I would do it myself but my vision hasn't returned, though I can feel it resurfacing."
I heard a bit of fumbling and a faucet running. I held out my hands and received the cold plastic cup. I drank the water quickly, downing the entire glass in two gulps.
"Thank you." I gasped. "How long have I been out?"
"About a week, Stark found you in the stairway of your apartment building. Your shoulder was hurt as well as several cuts and bruises. You had knocked your head on the ground and passed out." Nick told me.
I nodded painfully. "Someone sent an assassin after me. Well, not an assassin, a kidnapper. The thing is he had a one track mind. All of his thoughts were repeating over and over: completer the mission, find her, bring her. He got confused when.." I abruptly stopped.
"What? What happened?" Phil asked.
I shook my head. "I need to talk to Steve."
I could tell the room I was in was bright.
"Why?"

"Please, I just need to talk to him, now."
"We'll get him here right away."
As I waited my eyesight slowly improved from just light sensitivity to being blurry black and white, plain black and white, then color. I greedily relished being able to see again. The hospital room was very spick and span. The bed was a standard hospital bed, with the remote by the side to tilt the end up and down. I used it to prop myself so that I was almost upright. There was a little counter with a sink in the corner and cabinets above that which probably held a bunch of medical supplies. I looked down at my arm. An IV line led to a bag over my head. I stared at it for a second, debating weather or not to take it out. I decided against it. Nick and Phil had both left the room.

I glanced around again, I could sense many nearby thoughts. I was on a hospital, most obviously. They must've taken me here after they found me last… wait, how long had it been? Oh, yes a week. I waited for a few more minutes. When Steve walked in I had almost fallen back asleep. I shook myself back to reality.
"Steve!" I exclaimed. "Listen, there's something I need to tell you."
"So I was told." He replied. "I came as quick as I could."

"I don't know if you'll believe me.. I find it hard to believe myself. It might hurt a bit.."

"You can tell me." He said bravely, "What is it?"
"Bucky…" I took a deep breath. "He's not dead."
He nodded slowly.
"And, well, he tried to kill me."
Steve closed his eyes. He breathed in and out then turned away from me.
"Wait, wait, it's not completely awful. He's not right!"
"What do you mean?" He turned back, his eyes flickering intensely.
"He's being controlled. The only reason he was trying to kill me was because he was ordered to. It was his only thought, until I said something about his name, and about you. He looked okay, except for his arm."

"What was wrong with his arm?" Steve was hanging off my every word now. Bucky was so important to hi, I could see that even without being able to read his thoughts.
"It was made out of metal, but it was just like a regular arm, in the sense he could move it easily."
"He was being controlled?"
"That's what I think."
We talked on and on until Steve was satisfied. As he was leaving I smiled at him.

"Steve, be happy. After this whole fiasco with Loki is done with, I'll help you find him. He has strong feelings towards you. We'll find him and if he comes to find me again, I'll remind him of you. It stopped him before, it'll stop him again."
He smiled, it filled me with warmth. Suddenly the world wasn't as scary.
"Thank you. I'll hold you to that."

"I'll count on it." I sighed. "I wish I had your strength and bravery."
He winked at me. "You have more than you give yourself credit for."
I laughed. "Thanks for the confidence."
"Well, you deserve it."

Phil and Nick came back in after Steve left. They explained the situation of Loki to me. Not that it needed to be explained. Apparently since I had been gone the situation had gone downhill. They wouldn't tell him what was going on which enraged him even more. I could see where his frustration was coming from. After they finished explaining I sat up in my hospital bed.

"I need to speak with him." I flinched, it hurt a bit to move.
"It would be unadvisable and frankly unhealthy for you to go anywhere. Your body is just not in the condition where you could or should be moved."
"Then bring him here! You can bind him, make sure he can't escape. I need to speak with him. If it really has been a week since I was attacked, then he is going to be deteriorating rapidly. I'm surprised he hasn't already snapped."
"You just don't understand how extremely volatile he is right now." Coulson said calmly.
"You forget how much I know, Phil." I whispered tensely. "I can see your memories."
I closed my eyes and inhaled. I watched his memory of speaking with Loki the day before. He faced Loki, and sat in my chair.
"We're just not sure, we can't tell you what happened to her."
"I need to know, why can't I speak with her?" He said, clearly distressed.
"She is incapacitated and unconscious, she has been for a few days."
"What happened to her, has she been injured, did somebody attack her?"

"We can't tell you, not even Shield knows yet, though we are working on it.
"I need you to tell me! TELL ME! Where is she? What have you done to her?"
I watched as he kept demanding and Phil kept denying. I raised my hand and slid the memory aside.

"He's definitely deteriorating. I really need to see him, as soon as possible, what is your estimation on how long it will be until I can go and see him? If you don't have an estimation, ask one of hte doctors. I need to know how soon we can either get Loki here or I can go to Shield because if I don't see him soon…" I shivered. "Let's just say, Loki is overly fond of me. I can't guarantee what he will or will not do in order to find me."
"Was that a threat, Miss Evans?" Fury asked.

"It was a statement of my extensive knowledge of Loki's mind. I may not have seen him since my powers developed but I am still a psychologist."
Fury and Coulson shared a look. They nodded together.
"You and Loki will meet in a secured room in the basement." Fury stated.
I glanced down at my hospital gown.

"I'd appreciate if someone would bring me my uniform."

With much pain and struggle I managed to change into my uniform. I had waved off the female nurse who offered to help me. As I changed I noticed the black and blue bruises covering my side. I couldn't help if Bucky had kicked me in his anger, not understanding what he was doing. The IV line had gotten in the way quite a bit. A doctor had come in and told me I couldn't take it out, after replacing the bag with a different one, which was odd because now that I was awake I shouldn't need one anymore, at least that's what I remembered from my short courses in physical medical studies I took in college. But, no matter, the doctors did know better than me, at least in this case. At that point I was so exhausted that I couldn't read anyone's thoughts, other than the most frontal thoughts, the ones that appeared in text above people's heads. I walked over to the door to my room, flinching with every movement. I opened it and leaned out. I glanced both ways. The hallway was empty. I closed my door and laid back down on my bed, then heaved a sigh of relief. It felt so nice to lay down. My eyelids felt heavy. My whole body felt heavy. I swung my legs back over the side of the bed and stood up. I couldn't fall asleep now. I had to stay alert. I grabbed hold of my IV pole and drug it over with me to the sink. Agent Coulson walked in as I was splashing cold water on my face. After grabbing a towel I dried my face and turned to face him.

"He's here?" I asked.

Coulson nodded. I put the towel down and straightened my back. He led me out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. I drug the IV line wit hme and followed him in. He pressed one of the buttons and the elevator plunged downward. I bit my tongue to stop myself from getting to nauseous and nervous. Closed spaces were still not great for me. Closed, small spaces. The elevator came to a stop. I stepped out first into a hallway crawling with Shield agents. Proceeding down the hallway, I glanced at them. I stopped at the most heavily guarded door.
"I assume this is the place?" Less of an assumption and more of a courtesy to ask.
"Yes." Coulson nodded again. "Please go in and get your work done."
I grunted in return and watched them unlock the door. I opened it and stepped inside. The room was a meeting room. Loki sat at one end of the table, his elbows on the table and his hair in his hands. When he heard the door close he looked up. He stood up when he saw me. There was an oppressive silence which took over the room. We stared at each other. His thoughts were running at a million miles an hour, so fast that I could only catch glimpses of singular words. Dead, hurt, tired, different. The thought with different lingered a bit longer so I was able to catch it. "She is different."
"Loki." I whispered. "I am different."
He continued staring at me blankly. My breath was getting more and more labored. Finally I couldn't stand anymore. I sat down in the chair nearest to me. My eyes threatened to close, I was going to fall asleep. My toes felt like they were falling asleep too but in the awful pins and needles way. Whenever I moved them it just spread and got worse.
Loki approached and sat down. I heaved breaths, trying to get air moving through my lungs.
Why am I having trouble breathing? I thought. My injuries couldn't have caused this. Just push through for now.
"I'm not dead." I wheezed. "I was hurt but I'm not dead."
He grabbed my hand. His eyes glinted.
"Who was it?" He asked, his quiet voice tense with anger. "Who hurt you?"
"It was a man who was sent to kidnap me. With what's been happening…" I trailed off, not bothering to finish. I shook my head.
"What has happened to you, are you alright?"
I looked at him, he was genuinely concerned. I smiled, his eyes were level with mine.

"I'm fine, I'm great. Do you sense it too?"
"What?" He leaned back in his chair, keeping hold of my hand.
"My powers, something uncommon, potential. Whatever you'd choose to call it." I cleared my throat. "Thor said Heimdall saw it."

Loki tilted his head back so he was looking at me over his nose.

"You finally figured it out then?" He smiled from the corner of his mouth. "How did it happen?"
"Bruce lost it. He grabbed me but I was avle to take control of the situation."

"What are they? Incredible intelligence? Extreme strength? Telekenesis?"

"I guess you could say incredible intelligence…" I trailed off, unsure of how to explain it to him. Without him thinking it was an invasion of privacy, which, frankly, it was. I decided to give it to him straight. "My powers, they allow me to read and control minds. There are certain limitations. I can't control people or delve deep into their thoughts when I'm fatigued but otherwise I have free reign. Right now I can only see your foremost thoughts, floating above your head."
He glanced up.
"Do you have any other questions?"

"Not that I can think of, love, other than one."

"What?"

"Why do you think the assassin came after you?" I thought for a moment, he was asking a valid question.

"I'm not quite sure…" I paused for a moment to catch my breath. "I think I'll find out soon."
He nodded. His manner was much more subdued. Maybe this is what he's like when he's alone and not trying to mess with you.
"Loki." "Cressida." We spoke at the same time and then paused. I stood up.
"I missed you." I whispered.

"I did as well." He responded, reaching out and touching my hand.

I grabbed his and squeezed.

"I'll see you as soon as I can." I told him, letting go of his hand and walking to the door. I knocked on the wood in the pattern I had been taught.
"Good day." I reverted to a more formal air when the door opened.

"See you soon." He smiled.

I walked out of the room. They closed the door. I turned to Coulson, my breathing still heavy and my body still tired.
"Everything is fine with him, he'll be okay. I need to get back to the hospital room. I'm so tired and I feel like I am about to collapse."
"Thank you for your assistance Agent Evans." Coulson said. "Go and get some rest. Be ready to work as soon as you can."
"Will do."

He walked me up to my room. I pulled the IV pole along and managed to get into bed without collapsing.
"He obviously needs your help, Evans. We wouldn't dream of taking you off this assignment now, after all that's happened."
"Thanks Phil."
"One of the doctors is going to be here in a couple of minutes." He told me. "Most of the Shield personnel will be moving Loki back to his normal confines."

I nodded and leaned my head back on the pillow. Coulson left and I kept myself awake until the doctor came in. For some reason he was wearing a surgeon's mask. He walked to the cabinet and pulled out a cloth and a bottle of liquid. He poured the liquid onto the cloth. I was so tired that I was essentially blind. I couldn't see thoughts, hear thoughts, none of it.

"Doctor?"

No answer. He turned around, I saw a pair of wire glasses which looked oddly familiar. There was something tickling in the back of my exhausted mind. The man was familiar, I knew his face, his bald head. It was the man who had been taking notes during the whole meeting about my powers.
"Wait, you're a field agent…. Why are you here?"

"Please hold still Agent Evans, I need to activate the effects of the IV."

The IV? Was it going to strengthen whatever side effects that were coming from it? He held the cloth up, clamping down on my nose and mouth. I refused to breath and tried to dig myself out of the sleepy hole that was forming all around me.
Come on mind. Work. Stop him. Work work work!

I thrashed underneath him. It was finally too much, I had to breath. I inhaled through my nose deeply. My vision quickly went black and I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head.

As I slipped out of consciousness he leaned next to my ear and whispered two dread inducing words.

"Hail, Hydra."