2 months earlier

There was a camera to the left, hanging up in the corner of the cell; another sat in the center of the ceiling. Both watched her every move.

Jennica had been relocated so many times that she no longer knew where she was being held. The last of the familiar faces disappeared after the final jury, where she was ruled away as dangerous. A criminal.

She never expected her life to become this, locked behind glass, a shock collar around her neck, as if she was some animal, some freak. Oveaus lied... or he did not foresee the outcome of her returning to Earth. It ruined her life, shattered the remaining human inside her heart. Maybe her brother felt the guilt, and that's why he hadn't spoken to her since her timely return.

Clawing at the collar, she winced at the light shock it left her fingers. She only wanted it loosened, but comfort was not what her captors were meant to provide.

Where is your magic now, Oveaus?

Her heart ached at the emptiness. She was lonely. She missed everyone, even those that had broken her heart. Even certain people she wished to avoid. She just wanted the presence of a being who had the slightest bit of compassion for her circumstance.

No mother, no father, no brother... Jennica felt about ready to snap.

WHOOSH

The automatic doors to the inaccessible spread open. Two people walked in, both men, and Jennica didn't notice her eyes had blurred behind gloss until she realized she couldn't make out their faces. One was considerably taller than the other and wore a tinted face shield.

"Don't mind the big lug, he thinks the disguise will help him look more convincing, but it really doesn't." The shorter one spoke, startling her with his abrupt tone. "I told him he didn't even need it."

She didn't respond.

"It helps me play the part, Stark, you know that." The face shield was lifted. My God...

"Thor!" He was here! Someone she knew and could trust... Thor was here. Jennica was so happy, she could have cried.

"My gosh, not so loud!" The man, Stark, responded with a sharp tap to his watch. No... not a watch. It was something. Something beyond her.

Thor met Jennica's eyes. His were apologetic, sorry that he couldn't have come sooner. All he could offer was a soft smile.

"H-How did you find me?" Jennica managed to breathe out through the collar, the metal ridges inside pressing against her esophagus painfully. "Are you here to get me out?"

"Essentially, yes." Stark replied, looking up. "Thor told us everything, so we won't waste time to explain your backstory, but we came to the conclusion that you needed to get out. A simple breach to the security system and a... somewhat forged permission slip from the Senate that you belong to us now is why we're here with a key."

Jennica gave a cautious glance up at the surrounding cameras. She gulped.

"Don't worry about those." Stark gave a few more taps to the device on his wrist. "They won't notice we're here as long as I have this baby."

Jennica gave a slow nod.

Thor took a step closer to the glass. "I know you've heard of the Avengers. We've convinced your captors that you belong on our team and are one of us."

Jennica frowned. "Am I?"

"Legally no, not yet." Stark replied. "Eventually, we'll have those rights signed off but we had to pull an illegal because according to Point Break here, we couldn't wait any longer."

The sizzle of magic resting in the charm, burning to her chest, reminded her again. She was a danger. It was the reason she was here in the first place.

"I-I can't believe you both got in here so easily."

Stark scoffed. "Please, this prison is a prototype, the R.A.F.T. It's barely intact, security-wise, they were only testing it on you."

Great. I'm an experiment.

Thor pulled open the sliding glass door once Stark had unlocked it. In that moment, Jennica had never had to fight tears so willfully. She ran into his arms.

"You're safe, now..." he pulled the collar from her neck, tossing it aside and resisting the will to crush it with his bare hands.

"Can't we have a heartfelt reunion in the chopper?" Stark interrupted, ushering them away. "We have to go before they discover what we're doing."

Thor nodded and looked down at her, Jennica's weakened frame becoming more obvious. "Act natural."

She didn't know what her natural was. She was weak and exhausted... and starving.

Stumbling from the cell, she clung to Thor's arm, failing the natural but rushing away. No one dared to stop them. It was a relief. Was it supposed to be this easy? Nothing came easily, she had grown to learn that.

"I really hope we never have to do this again..." Stark mumbled under his breath, a wave of cold air rushing against them all as they approached the landing pad. Sitting there was the helicopter.

Jennica refused to cast a second glance back to see if anyone was watching, refused to give them another chance to look down on her like a monster. She hated it with her entire being. She wondered if this is what Loki ever felt like... being a monster like herself.

"Just sit by Thor, you'll be fine." Stark's voice dropped in volume, a bit of sincerity showing through. He noticed how pale her face had become. The helicopter door slammed shut.

They each took their seats, Stark sitting across from Jennica and Thor, who was taking protective glances at her every few minutes.

"Even for me, that was easy..." Tony Stark mumbled. "The place was almost empty, the security was basic. This may be a prototype but for one of the biggest criminal prisons to ever exist, it seems a bit off to me."

"Let's not worry about that now." Thor had lifted his gaze. "We have greater matters to worry about."

"This is the upteenth time you've told me. And what, she just can't control her power?"

"These Fractals strengthen, and now they are becoming too strong for her to withhold."

"So this isn't just about the Fractals. It's about saving her life."

Thor nodded, briskly. "Yes. She is a dear friend of mine, I could not let this power consume her. She never asked for it."

"And she'll die if we just take it away..." Tony frowned. "There's gotta be a solution."

"I will consult Asgard's archives again, tomorrow. We need to focus on getting her secured and comfortable first."

"Yeah, and keep this quiet, okay? We don't want the government at our door."

"You should be thankful..." his voice whispered into her head, blocking out the voices of her companions. A voice she had not heard in so long. Oveaus. He was here. "You would not have escaped so easily without my magic. Be thankful. I am stronger now."

"B-Brother..." Jennica croaked through her cotton mouth, her eyes staring ahead past Stark.

Tony's brows furrowed. "Is she alright?"

"She doesn't look it." Thor's heartbeat quickened its pace. "We need to hurry."

"Oh hush... don't be afraid. I told you everything would be alright, didn't I?"

The helicopter came in for a landing. The outside air was cold.

"Where have you been, Oveaus?" Her mind cried. She wanted to scream. "You were gone! You weren't there for me!"

The world was fading, darkness blotting her vision, her veins were burning.

"Get her inside, and get Rogers!" Stark was shouting above the wind.

Her back hit a mattress. She was being wheeled away.

Voices met her ears, foreign and inaudible. She tried to listen, but he was blocking them out.

"I told you this would happen. They will kill you. The Fractals..."

She continued in her mind, fighting to speak back. "You told me you would come! You told me you would help me..."

"I am. And I am here."

The voices were urgent now, but she could still not decipher what was being said.

"You don't have much time."

She was in a new room. The smell was strange.

"The collar is gone, the Fractals know they're free... the power will consume you."

Her veins turned purple, burning hot and excruciating, beyond her control. She was afraid. She couldn't breathe.

"Jennica, stay with us!"

Thor, help me... She couldn't respond with her own mouth.

"What's going on?" A new voice entered, and she could finally understand the words. "Is this her?"

"Stand back, Rogers!" Thor was loud, shouting.

Her veins were searing, turning black... her fingers illuminated and burned holes through the sheets on the medical bed. Help...

"Take the locket away!"

"We can't, Stark, she'll die!"

"Or we all will!"

"Give it to me... let me have your power."

There was no more medical wing. No more foreign voices. Just a void... and Oveaus. Her eyes had rolled back into their sockets.

"I will end your suffering."

His hands took hers, frighteningly strong and smooth. The burning went away, flooding from her blood to his.

"Do it for me."