1980s [Exact Year Classified Top Priority]
United States [Exact Location Classified Top Priority]
A knock sounded on the cold cell room door.
Aura lifted her head from her metal desk, eyes searching the back of the door. Waiting for someone to enter.
Peggy Carter walked in with a small yet sad smile.
The Asgardian stood to her feet. Concern rising within her. Peggy normally carried unpleasant news with that expression. She played with her fingers held in front of her.
The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. sat on the bed and patted it. "Would you care to join me for a minute? I'm afraid I don't have much time."
Aura nodded. There had only been two other times Peggy had wished to speak to her like this. The first time was her supposed "attack" on the Colonel. The second was when Peggy, along with Howard Stark, became the head of the organization founded from the S.S.R. Neither were inherently bad, but both meant changes were ahead.
Not that all the changes were inherently bad, either. One of the changes were to her room. Yes, it was still cold, but it was nowhere near the debilitating chilliness it was her first year. Her fire was incapacitated, but she could freely move about her room. They also gave her a simple desk and chair. Periodically giving her paper and various pencils for her to draw what she remembered of Asgard. It gave her something to do during her isolated times.
Peggy took one of the half-elf's hands. "I'm afraid I have some news."
Her brows knitted with concern as the older woman's expression subtly altered. She waited for her to continue, but nothing else was said. "What kind of news?"
The Director took a deep breath, her accent wavering slightly. "I'm afraid I've come to say goodbye."
"What? Why? Are you sick? I can try to heal you. Please let me try to heal you."
"Aura, no, I'm not sick." She brushed a few strands of gray hair out of her face. "I'm not sure if you have this on Asgard, seeing how you haven't aged one bit since we found you, but we Midgardians have a stage in our lives called retirement. I'm in my sixties. I'm getting old, and it's time for me to use my talents elsewhere."
"You're not old. Your physical body may be growing older, but your heart has not changed since the day I first met you."
Peggy smiled and squeezed the other's hand. "You have always been so kind to me. Despite the things Howard and I have been forced to do to you under the Colonel."
"They were your orders. I don't hold those against you or Mr. Stark. Is…is the Colonel going to be the new director?"
"No. He suffered from an unfortunate assassination two weeks ago. I would've told you sooner, but there was an investigation, retaliation, and so forth. Plus, I wanted to be certain before I let you know."
Aura released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Her emotions were conflicted. She wasn't heartless enough to wish death upon an individual, but at the same time, the Colonel was heartless enough to deserve death. She empathized with his surely mourning family, however. But she did not feel sorry for the man, and she wasn't quite sure if it was bad or not.
The last time she directly interacted with the Colonel was when she had her…incident. She had seen him over the years occasionally, yes, but he typically stayed a room away from her and didn't speak to her himself. She didn't think a man of his demeanor could be scared of someone like her, but it was the only thing that made sense.
As much as her transformation had terrified her, she was glad it kept him away from her. Even if that one time was the only time it happened. It still sent chills down her spine when she thought about it. She tried her best not to think about it, but nightmares were something she had no control over. Her jaw set.
And demons never died. Especially not the personal ones.
Peggy squeezed her hand again. "Are you alright?"
Aura blinked, coming back to reality. "Yes. I-I'm sorry. And I'm sorry to hear about the Colonel."
"Even though I don't believe you own a single ounce of sarcastic nature, I'm going to believe your last statement was sarcasm. Nobody misses the Colonel, trust me."
"Not even his family?"
The leaving director softened. "I'm sure his family does miss him. You're thoughtful to care about them."
"Is that why they're making you retire? Do they somehow blame you for his assassination?"
"No, my dear," Peggy laughed. "I'm leaving on my own terms. I can tell the times are changing. A board has been enacted by the government. S.H.I.E.L.D. may have a director, but they will have to answer to higher powers again. It could be a good form of accountability. It could also backfire. Regardless, I'm too old and senile to deal with it."
Aura wrapped her arms around her. "You can't leave. I don't want you to leave."
Peggy blinked back tears and kept an even tone. Stroked the other's tri-colored hair. "I know, I know. I don't want to leave you, either. You're so brilliant, and I'm going to miss you so much."
"A-at least give my love to your children and niece."
"Oh, I most certainly will. And perhaps the new director will let you send letters and your lovely pictures to me."
This brightened Aura's heart, but she still released a few tears. "I hope so. I want to still be able to stay in touch with you. I don't want to let you go."
A new, deep voice startled the women. "It's time."
Peggy looked up, lightly dabbing her eyes. "Oh. Yes. Right." She helped the Asgardian back to an upright sitting position. Lightly brushed the other's chin with the side of a forefinger. "Chin up. Hopefully, I'll be able to see you again. I know the time seems rough right now, but what do I always tell you?"
Aura's deep blue eyes glittered with unspent liquid. "Be brave."
"That's right. No matter what, be brave." She took Aura's head in both her hands. "Oh, I am going to miss you so much."
"I'm going to miss you, too."
The man spoke again. "Agent Carter, I do not wish to keep the chopper waiting any longer. Fuel is an expensive resource."
Peggy blinked at her old title. "Of course. Goodbye, my sweet Aura."
Aura rose with the older woman. "I…I don't want to say goodbye."
"Then you don't have to. We'll meet again."
She nodded. Gave her one last hug before watching her leave the room. She almost wanted to follow Peggy, but the dark skinned man standing in the doorway made her pause. He watched at her with one eye.
Much like Odin.
Her breath caught as she swallowed. The staring man said nothing; simply stood with his hands behind his back. Unblinking, unmoving. His all-black attire made him all the more intimidating. She didn't know who he was or where he came from. Not that it surprised her much, but since her interactions with other beings was so scarce, she expected an introduction in the least.
Barely moving, he shut the room to the door. Still without a word directed to her.
Hearing the lock slide into place, she jumped. And though she wanted to be distressed by Peggy's departure, she couldn't help but think of this new man. The pit of her stomach told her he was the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
An organization she knew hardly anything about, despite being with it since it was called the Scientific Strategic Reserve. Well, she did know something about it. She knew it stood for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Which was quite a mouthful. And she knew it was a spy organization. Maybe not all spies, but that's what she got out of what Peggy and Mr. Stark told her.
No, it wasn't all spies. S.H.I.E.L.D. had soldiers, too. And the one soldier called the Captain.
Peggy had been heartbroken relaying the story of how the Captain had been lost. She spoke so highly of him, and she made him seem so noble. "The perfect embodiment of America," that's what Peggy had said, "And one hell of a man."
Aura couldn't help but smile as she recalled that day. She had a feeling Peggy liked this Captain more than she led on. Apparently, he had been a willing experiment for a new program. Howard Stark was so proud of his success. And when he tried to tell the story, he spoke in terms she had no possible way of understanding. But she smiled and nodded, nonetheless. She hadn't wanted to dampen Mr. Stark's enthusiasm.
She presently frowned. Peggy wasn't going to be around anymore to share stories with.
Her eyes lowered as she went to her desk and sat down. She understood why Peggy had to leave. Midgardians aged at a much more rapid rate than Asgardians. Even if the time on Midgard passed more slowly. She always had a hard time wrapping her head around that one.
But she had seen this before. Many times before, with all of her old friends back when there were castles and knights. She couldn't save them. Her healing magic didn't extend lifespans. She couldn't make them immortal. So she watched them die one by one until a whole new era came to pass over Midgard.
After that, she swore to herself she wouldn't let herself get attached, yet, she couldn't help it. Yes, there were mean Midgardians, just as they were mean Asgardians. Overall, however, they were highly compassionate. Most only wanted to learn about the world around them. There were actually almost identical to Asgardians in nature.
Except, they didn't live nearly as long.
She sighed. Was this why she had been banished to this particular Realm? To watch everyone she grew to care about die while she remained helpless? This was what she assumed, anyway. No one could truly know the mind of Odin. Not even Queen Frigga. The king of Asgard was a man of his own accord.
Her fingers played with the pencils, and she stared at the blank piece of paper in front of her. She could always start writing a letter to Peggy now. But what would she write about? The menacing man in black with one eye? They already seemed familiar to each other. She didn't really have anything else to write about. There was nothing extraordinary happening in her life.
Of course, she could always tell her about her beloved. She went rigid. No. She wasn't stupid. Anything she wrote about to Peggy would obviously be read by others to see if she would leak any new information they could drill her on later. And she was not betraying Loki. Especially when she still begged Heimdall every day to keep him off Midgard.
She tapped the pencil on the desk. She would have to draw a picture then. But of what? Even though they liked her drawing pictures of Asgard so they could see what it looked like, she was by no means an excellent artist. All of her pictures were just rough ideas. She had honestly never drawn before until they slapped paper in front of her one day.
Would Peggy like a picture of herself?
Aura's face scrunched with doubt. She knew she wouldn't like a picture of herself. Despite the times of Peggy telling her she was pretty, she didn't like looking at herself. It made her feel uncomfortable. Vanity wasn't allowed among the palace servants, and even if it was, she didn't think she would be vain in any way. It didn't appeal to her.
She liked keeping her head down and going through the halls unnoticed. She hated when people looked at her. That was even more uncomfortable than when she had the rare chance of looking at herself.
But what would Peggy like? Oh, she had an idea. She would do her best to create the Captain. She had never seen a picture or likeness of him, but she had an idea of what he looked like. And with as much as Peggy implied she liked him, it seemed like the best option. Peggy would probably be happy with anything sent to her, whether it looked like the Captain or not.
However, as time passed, Aura realized she ended up drawing a rendering of the man missing his left eye. She didn't realize he was the one her mind wouldn't leave. It wasn't because she was intrigued by him. It was because of the exact opposite. Her gut churned with the assumption he was the new director, and she had no idea what kind of a man he would turn out to be.