*Author's Note: I am so sorry for the delay of this chapter! I've had an extremely busy and exhausting week. I wrote only a few lines a day, so I apologize in advance if this seems disjointed or slightly out of place compared to the rest of the story. Thanks, everyone, for your patience and continued support, and I hope you enjoy!*
1990s [Exact year known only by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury]
North America [Exact location known only by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury]
Aura stared at the ceiling of her cold cell room, fiddling with the Arc Reactor pendant on her necklace. Her head slowly turned to the door as she heard it open. She honestly couldn't tell anymore what was real and what was made fictional by her mind. She found it best just to go along with any scenario her brain conjured.
How many times had Loki come to save her? She stopped counting after the 150th occurrence. There was no use in keeping track anymore. The times she saw Director Fury were so few and far between, she assumed all the interactions with him were real. She didn't know why she would hallucinate that man anyway. He wasn't very empathetic.
The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. stood in the doorway.
She squinted against the light. "Another interview?"
"No, actually. I'm afraid there's a possibility this base has been compromised. I'm transporting you to a new location."
Aura blanked. A new location? Well, this was…new.
Fury stepped inside the room, holding a pair of specialized handcuffs made especially for the Asgardian. "You'll be needing these."
Her eyes closed. She really didn't want to go through a transportation phase again. And the last time she did it was back when the S.S.R. originally found her. It wasn't fun then, and she didn't think it would be fun now. In all honesty, she would rather they drug her. Then she could wake up in the new location without the hassle of feeling like a caged animal.
With a deep breath, she rose and offered her wrists. Habitually winced when the cold hit her hands. Her fingernails still hadn't recovered. They remained black. Although, they no longer hurt. That had passed some time ago.
The director pulled a strip of cloth from inside his trench coat. "You're going to have to be blindfolded. Where we're going, only I know the place of. I've got a select number of hidden bases set up around the world. I'm taking you to one."
"Will there be someone in there with me?"
"If I allow someone to be stationed there, I will hand-pick them myself."
She turned around to be blindfolded, so he couldn't see her frown. If he allowed someone to be stationed at the new location? If? So there was a good chance she could end up at the new place alone? Would she have run of the new location? So she could feed herself? That could be interesting. But she would rather be trapped in a cell and have even a silent guard interacting with her twice a day than complete isolation.
The director tied the blindfold around her. "It did cross my mind to transport you while you're unconscious, but once we get in the air, I figured we could take the blindfold off and let you sightsee for a short time. Even though you'll have no idea what direction we'll be traveling."
Her slightly pointed ears piqued at his words. "Really?"
"After all you've been through, you deserve some fresh air. And we'll be flying over countryside, so you'll have a view."
Aura relaxed her shoulders. Perhaps this transportation wouldn't be as bad as the last time. As little as Director Fury came to visit her, he was being extremely nice.
"Can you follow the sound of my voice?"
She blinked underneath the dark cloth. "Uh, I'm not sure. I've never had to do that before."
Fury studied the half elf. Sighed. "You won't have to." He took her elbow and gently led her through the underground compound. "We're about to enter the hangar. The helicopter is waiting, so it will be louder than what you're used to. Have you been on a helicopter before?"
"No. Is…is it safe?"
"Yes, we'll be safe. It's just going to be us, and I'm flying with the latest cloaking, so we won't be shot out of the sky."
Her jaw set. Shot out of the sky? They could be shot out of the sky? That didn't seem very safe. But she didn't have time to think any more about it because Director Fury took her into the hanger. She made an exclamation and sunk her head in between her shoulders in an attempt to cover her ears without the use of her hands.
The whining engine and another reverberating sound she couldn't identify filled the small hanger space and echoed with ferocity.
The director put an arm around her shoulders and guided her into the chopper against the wind the blades caused. Placed her in a seat and strapped her in, making sure to tightly slide the door shut. Then put a headset on her. Hopping into the pilot's seat, he repeated the process for himself and spoke into the headset mouthpiece. "Hold on to your butts."
Aura startled at his voice coming directly into her ears and instinctively tried grabbing something for support. However, she was reminded of the cuffs around her hands as she couldn't grasp anything. So she resorted to pressing her arms against her chest and pressing the rest of her body into the seat for stability.
Especially when the helicopter lurched upwards and slowly began its ascension. She wanted to look around her to see what was going on, but the blindfold only allowed her to see darkness. Her breath held as she pressed her arms against her more.
Fury remained silent until they were in the air for some time. At least, until he made sure her sense of direction would be confused. "How you doing back there?"
The Asgardian had been breathing through her mouth in attempt to keep herself calm. And startled once again at the deep voice coming through the headset. "I feel kind of sick, actually."
"Changes in elevation. You'll get used to it. Is this your first time flying?"
"On Midgard, yes. I don't know if the Bifrost would be considered flying or not. That made me sick, too. I guess I have a weak constitution."
"I don't know about that. Some people are more sensitive to pressure changes than others. Here, this may help." He locked in the tilt and speed of the chopper and unbuckled his harness. Swiftly moved back and took off her blindfold. "I'm going to leave the door shut, but at least you can look out the window now."
Aura blinked at the sudden flood of light then looked at the director, her vision slowly focusing. Her eyes widened. "Director Fury, who's flying the helicopter?"
He chuckled. "We're going in a straight line, so I have the controls locked in. But I'll return to my seat now. We'll be getting close to mountains soon. For now, enjoy the view down below."
She eyed him as he returned to the little section she assumed was for the drivers. Heart still pounding at the thought of this craft spiraling out of control. She swallowed. Yes, she may have some form of invulnerability here, but she didn't know if that meant she would be safe from falling at this height. And Director Fury surely wouldn't survive.
How high were they? She peered out the window to her right. Gasped with delight.
Green grass and various trees sped by underneath them on undulating hills. She pressed against the glass to further see the details, even if most were blurred by motion and distance. However, it didn't matter anyway, as the lush green landscape suddenly gave way to a sea of blue. Deep blue similar to her eyes.
Another gasp, and she turned to view the director in his driver's seat in the special recess. "That's not the ocean, is it?"
Fury glanced behind him. "No. Those are the Great Lakes. Do you know where the Great Lakes are?"
She looked back out the window. "No. I've never heard of them."
"Good. You know, we haven't talked much about this Bifrost. Why don't you tell me about it while you're enjoying the few? Should help you stay focused on something than other how you're feeling."
Aura nodded, smiling at the water down below. "The Bifrost is also called the Rainbow Bridge. It works both ways, but you have to go through Heimdall. He's Asgard's Guardian and controls the Bifrost. He sees everything that happens in the Nine Realms."
"Everything?"
"Everything. He has a special sight. And I suppose some type of higher understanding if he can process it all at once."
"Has he been able to see you?"
Her head tilted, and she grew quite for a few moments. "I've assumed so, but he has his orders. He didn't want to banish me, but again, orders."
Fury gave a nod. "I know those all too well. How does the Bifrost work? Do you know?"
"Heimdall has a giant sword he puts in this mechanism-type thing. Then he turns it, and the Bifrost shoots to the desired location. I'm not sure if he controls the location with his mind, or if the mechanism is able to direct it somehow. But the Bifrost shoots out of a giant spire needle thing."
He chuckled at her lack of knowledge of proper terms for something she was familiar with. "And do you simply walk across the Rainbow Bridge?"
"Oh, no. You step through the gateway, and it blasts you through space to your designated location. It can be nauseating if you're not accustomed to it. And they warn you all the time about not falling out of the Bifrost stream. Apparently, you can end up in strange places and times. I don't know if that's true or not, but I wouldn't want to find out."
"The Bifrost shoots you through space?"
"Uh-huh" She pointed, excited breath fogging up the window. "What is that all the way down there? There's a little white speck down on the Great Lakes."
The S.H.I.E.L.D. director looked out over the instrument panel before him. "Most likely a boat. People enjoying their day on the water."
"Can they see us?"
"If they could, they wouldn't pay us any attention. Aircraft fly over this area all the time. They're used to it. Either way, they're not going to mind because they're busy doing their own activities."
Aura looked back at him and nodded. Remained quiet for a couple hours. Enjoying the beautiful scenery. She didn't mind the silence because she kept herself occupied with the landscapes, remembering every detail so she could think back upon them later. For when the illusions would plague her mind. At least she would know this was real.
She could create a safe place with the imagery flying by. Yes, she remembered Asgard and its splendor, but that was so long ago. Faded and fragmented memories. This would be fresh, new. She couldn't tear this apart in her mind. It was what she hoped, anyway.
Nick Fury's voice eventually came over the headset again. "Another thing we haven't discussed is this mysterious figure you call Loki."
Her eyes snapped forward, and she froze. "Do we need to?"
"If you find him important, I think we ought to."
"I…" She didn't want to lie that she didn't care about him, but she didn't know how to get out of this conversation. "I don't know that we need to talk about him."
His one-eyed gaze wandered over his shoulder. "If I remember correctly, when you first mentioned him back in the 40s, you infer he's one of the most powerful beings in the universe. You don't want to explain why you claim that?"
Aura bit her bottom lip. "I promised myself I wouldn't betray him. I don't want to go into detail about him."
The director exhaled hard through his nose. "Could he find you if he wanted to?"
"I don't know."
"Would his abilities be impeded by our technology? Because it seems like Asgard relies more on magic than science."
She hugged herself. "I don't know if he could find me or not." Her eyes squeezed shut, and her mind played all the times of her hallucinations over and over.
"You obviously protect him because you're attached to him, dare I say love him. Does he return your affection? Because I would be looking for my long-banished love if I had his power."
"I said I don't know," she cried much louder than intended. Hot tears slowly rolled down her cheeks, her voice turning into a whimper. "I…I don't know."
Fury locked in the controls again and ducked out of the cockpit to sit in the seat across from her. "Has this Loki hurt you?"
Looking up, her eyes widened. "What? No! No, Loki has never hurt me. Not my Loki."
"Then why does he make you so upset? Is it because he hasn't come for you yet?"
Her gaze returned to metal plating floor. "I don't want him to come to Midgard. People like the Colonel will hurt him. I can't let him be hurt because of me."
He rose his left brow. "Aura, I'm a spy. I know how to read people's emotions and understand what they're feeling. And I know there's more to this you're not telling me. So. What are you trying to avoid?"
She glanced at him. "I-I don't know if I can talk about it."
"Yes, you can. Do you want to know why?"
"Why?"
"Because you have survived on this God-forsaken planet all this time. You've withstood abominations such as the Colonel. You somehow continue to put others' needs above your own. Your greatest weakness? Not having confidence in your own strength. Whatever you've been dealing with on your own, you can tell me about it. It's nice to get things off your chest every once in a while, believe me."
The Asgardian took a deep breath as she clutched the Arc Reactor pendant, but it didn't stop her tears. "My time alone, it's been driving my mind mad. I've been having hallucinations, and, and I keep thinking they're real, but they're not. And I've had so many, it's been hard for me to tell what's real and what's not."
The director studied her in quiet for a bit. Looked out the cockpit window. "We're at the area where I need to blindfold you again. But I'll see if I can find someone I trust to be assigned to the base. I'll also do some research on a few things for the next time I'll be able to visit you. For now," he held out the strip of cloth.
Aura nodded and shifted enough so he could tie the blindfold around her once more. Listened to him return to his seat and take control back over the helicopter. Sat in silence, in stillness for the rest of the flight.
She had hoped Director Fury would have some insight or at least some advice regarding her misperceptions, but maybe it was for the best he didn't. Part of her wondered if she deserved this fate after all this time. Perhaps a servant loving a royal was a universal crime that even destiny decided to punish.
Her acceptance of this new grim outlook didn't change when the dark-skinned man told her they were descending. Hadn't changed when the helicopter came to an abrupt stop and turned off. Nor when he helped her out of the aircraft.
Fury led her down a series of hallways and put her in a new room. One that actually wasn't cold this time. He removed her blindfold and handcuffs. "Welcome to Providence."
Aura's eyes barely scanned the updated room. Providence. It was one of those words which held multiple meanings, had multiple connotations depending on the way it was used. Ironic one of its meanings could be fate.
He noticed the despondent look in the back of her deep eyes. Sighed. "I'll have someone here within two days at the latest. I can promise you that. As far as your hallucinations go, I need to do some research before I'm able to help you. I know how they work, but I'm not sure if your mind is physically different than ours. I may see Agent Carter. Would you like me to say anything to her for you?"
Her gaze snapped to him. "No."
"Are you sure?" When he didn't receive an answer, he headed for the cell door. "Very well. I need to visit Tahiti. I'll be back when I can."
She watched every step he took toward the door, heart pounding. "Wait!" Running up to him, she grabbed his black trench coat for extra effort. "Tell her I miss her. Please. And that I love her. She was like a mother to me."
He gave a nod. "Of course."
"Thank you."
With another nod, he left.
Her nostrils flared at the hiss of the door. It mocked her. This new door jeered at her plight. But her shoulders dropped as she moved to the bed and sat rigidly upon it. Rubbed her wrists where the cuffs had been.
In a way, it almost made this life more bearable. Viewing it as a punishment for her horrendous crimes of love.