It was surreal. Everything Sigyn had imagined life would be like after she escaped was wrong, but strangely right. Things had changed, quite drastically. People were the same. The technology was not. It was a shock when she saw how advanced everything had become. She had known that computers were growing more advanced every year, but this? Back before everything, computers with simple functions had been large, bulky. The screens were small and generally unclear.

Now though, these computers were small, people carrying them as they walked around to different pieces of technology. Sigyn saw more than one person use a handheld version. Small, rectangular. She had really missed so much in her time away.

So Sigyn stayed where she was, sitting on the ground, just outside of the large group of people working and talking. She sat with her legs crisscross, her arms resting gently on her thighs as she studied each person with increasing fascination.

These people were smart, geniuses. The words and knowledge that floated through their minds were so complex, so intertwined in other complicated projects, that Sigyn, despite over a hundred years of practice, couldn't understand the intricate emotions.

She watched them for a while, listening closely as each person talked to another, then made changes on a computer or on the metal contraption that was slowly coming together in the plastic room. There was a lot of movement, so many people moving this way and that. Yet Sigyn still felt as if she were the only person in the room. She was untouchable, they couldn't see her. She still wasn't sure if what she was seeing was real, or something she made up after her mind cracked. In all reality, she could be hallucinating.

Sigyn took a deep shaky breath, telling herself that she wasn't alone, that she had been rescued. When that calmed her mind a little, Sigyn threw her consciousness out around her, reaching for a mind, any mind, that wasn't hers. She was met with two dozen minds meeting her own.

She knew it had only been yesterday that she had felt this many people around her, but she had been exhausted, just waking up after having been rescued. But now, she was here, and they were here. All these people. There were so many of them. The emotions started crawling through the cracks of her interior barrier that usually kept her mind her own, left it unchanged by others. It was overwhelming

She slammed her mind shut against everyone in the room, finding the sudden influx of dozens of emotions disorienting. But now she knew. She wasn't alone, they were here with her. But she still felt lonely.

Being around so many people was crushing. She was far from being ready to be around more than a couple of minds with her barriers open, to fight their emotions so they didn't take over her own mind. Sigyn stood, walking quickly to the hallway that led to her room. The way was still confusing twists and turns, but she had found her way out this morning, she could find her way back.

She paused when she heard Loki's voice.

"…concerned about how long she was asleep. What effects would her imprisonment have had on her?"

It was Liz's voice she heard replying. "She could have PTSD, extreme anxiety, depression. She was on her own for a long time without human contact. It could cause attachment issues. There are so many things that she could experience that there is no good answer for what she may feel and act like."

Sigyn had never been particularly shy, even as a young girl. Even now, having little experience with people in the last five decades she found that she wasn't sure about social queues anymore. Because of this, Sigyn didn't care that it was rude to walk into a room where people were in the middle of a conversation. Especially when that conversation was about her.

The room was silent as Sigyn walked into the room and pointedly took a seat in a chair at a table in the middle of the room.

"Go," Loki said to Liz, nodding towards the door. Liz left.

Sigyn watched Loki as he turned and stared at her. "I was only concerned for your wellbeing."

She nodded, giving him a small smile to say that she understood, that she wasn't mad. Loki took a seat at the other side of the table, his eyes never leaving her face.

"I'm happy to have found you."

Sigyn reached her hand across the table, leaving her palm up, waiting for him to take it. He did. Very gently, careful of both her own mind and Loki's fragile infected one, she strengthened the connection between them, pushing the warmth she felt from his concern towards his mind. He gave her a rare smile.

But behind the emotions and thoughts on the surface, Loki's mind was still not completely his own. She hadn't been able to do it before, so now she guided him, his awareness and consciousness, to look at his mind through her perspective. She could feel his reaction, his shock anger, and grief. He studied his mind, just as Sigyn watched the natural green parts fight against the sickly yellow infection.

Very gently, Sigyn reached out to the walls she had thrown around the good part of Loki's mind, infusing her energy in it while gently showing Loki how to add his own. Between both of their powers and strength, and the concentration Sigyn focused on the current problem, they started waging war in Loki's mind.

It took a lot of effort, Sigyn's strength pushing against the sickness as much as she could, and Loki trying to follow her lead. They made little progress, but the amount didn't bother either of them. Sigyn was just happy by the fact that the sickness could be fought off at all.

What felt like hours later, Sigyn jerked back, yanking her hand out of Loki's grasp. The force it took her mind to pull away from his, to completely separate herself from the connection that had formed between them had forced her to physically pull away from him. She was just able to keep herself from falling out of her chair.

There were several moments of silence in which Loki and Sigyn watched each other. Sigyn breathed heavily, trying to organize her mind back to the way it was before she had gone into Loki's mind. Loki just looked stunned.

"It was all true," Loki said, leaning forward, staring into Sigyn's eyes. "I thought I had been making it up. Just before you left, you entered my mind. They had already been trying to hoodwink me. The manipulation they used caused me to hallucinate. I was convinced you were one of them."

Sigyn reached forward again, keeping the walls in her mind up and closed tightly. She moved her hand to gently touch his, then held onto it when he moved his hand to fit in hers. He looked into her eyes, the green bright and alive.

"When I came here and that woman led me to where you were, when I saw what had been done, I came back to myself. I realized you were real. I do not understand what is happening, how you have these powers. You pushed back the control they have over me. You have to save me from myself!"

His blue eyes, naturally blue, not the electric blue Sigyn had seen his eyes turn, stared into hers. His face was vulnerable, open. She had only seen that look on a man's face when they were truly exposed and desperate for help. Sigyn squeezed his hand harder.

He looked down at the table, holding her hand in his like she was the only thing keeping him alive. She couldn't stand the look on his face, or the guilty and self-loathing emotions. So she reached deep into herself, pushing the nervous feelings away, bringing forward the small bit of bravery that lurked far beneath everything that was her.

"L-Loki."

The word came out soft, hesitant, and Sigyn didn't recognize the voice at all. It was completely unfamiliar, just like the way the muscles in her throat moved.

Loki looked up at her, his face still vulnerable, but also surprised.

Sigyn gently cleared her throat, wincing at the feeling, before speaking. "It'll be alright."

He squeezed her hand. Sigyn opened her mouth to speak again, but closed it once she felt the strain on her vocal cords.

"You do not need to speak. You have already done so much for me, I do not know how I will ever repay you."

But Sigyn pulled her strength to the forefront of her mind. She needed to do this. There were things from her past that she had to share. Things that she just couldn't hold in anymore. Maybe Loki wasn't the right person for this. She had only known him for a few days. But her instincts told her she could trust him, that anything she had to say would never be told to another person.

"I-I have to." Sigyn took a deep breath, squeezing his hand tightly, then started her story.

"I was twelve when it started. I didn't know they weren't my emotions at first. After a few weeks, I noticed that the strange feelings always happened around my sister. I was close to her. She was younger than I was, but we never fought. I eventually figured out that I was feeling her emotions. Over time I was able to translate them into something I could understand. Her emotions were so different from mine, almost basic.

"After a while, I noticed I could feel more than just my sister's emotions. I had thought at first It had been because of how close we were. But at school one day, all these emotions just invaded my mind. I didn't understand it, it wasn't anything like I had experienced before." Sigyn paused for a moment, taking a few deep breaths before moving on.

"I was able to get my mind under control. I taught myself how to protect my mind, how to build walls. Once I could do that, I became curious about how other people's emotions felt. I was seventeen when I realized I could manipulate emotions. It was an accident that I found out, but I started practicing, finding the right technique.

"And then, just after my eighteenth birthday, my mother died." Sigyn paused again, taking a deep breath as the memories of that day washed over her once more. Her voice was a whisper when she spoke again. "I took her pain away in the last moments she lived."

Sigyn stopped, allowing herself to gain courage and be ready to move on to the next part. Loki watched her, trying to radiate calm feelings, but Sigyn's mind was to well protected for even a sliver to get in. She didn't even realize that he was trying to help in that way.

"Things were bad after that. My father locked himself in his study. When I finally confronted him he had a gun. He shot me. He shot me." Sigyn's eyes were stinging with tears now, and she looked down at the table. She followed the grain of the wood with her eyes, watching as it swirled and ran the length of the table. She could see tiny drops of tears gathering just beneath her chin, saturating the uncoated wood. "He shot me, then he shot himself. I thought I was going to die. There was so much blood, and I just lay there, waiting, begging, for someone to find me.

"Turns out the neighbor had heard the gunshots and had called for the constables. They found me there. I recovered very quickly, surprising everyone but myself. I could feel other people's emotions, could expel energy from my body in extreme situations. Why shouldn't I heal quickly?

"It was years later when I noticed I wasn't aging. I knew I was starting to run out of time. My brother had just graduated from college, my sister had been married and had children. They had moved on, could support themselves, so I did what I had to do and moved away, hiding behind a false identity to protect myself. I had to do that several times. And then my family was gone, and I still looked as young and healthy as ever."

Sigyn took a shuddering breath, preparing herself for what was the worst part of the story.

"Fifty years ago, I was walking down the street, on my way home from a late night at work. I heard shouting, so I did what any good person would have. I went to see what was going on and put myself in between a gun and a child. I wasn't able to save the child or his mother, and I was hurt badly.

"When I woke up, one of my friends was there. He was someone I trusted beyond anyone else. I had told him a little bit about what had happened to me, leaving it vague enough for him to fill the blanks in with his own mind. But he had seen me do some amazing things, impossible things. And now I had survived a gunshot through my abdomen. Something that should have killed me.

"He was scared. Instead of talking to me about it, he went to the doctors, then to the police when they didn't believe him. I was thankful that no one could see the truth in what he said. I was already so heartbroken. Someone I had thought I could trust beyond any other had sold me out. He left me there in the hospital. No family that knew I was shot, no friends.

"I thought I was safe. So, I stayed where I was, kept my identity. But it wasn't long after when they found me. I don't think they knew what I could do, they just knew I was different, that there was something unnatural about me. They shoved me into a van and drove off.

"And then...then-,"

Sigyn couldn't continue. Telling that part of her story to Loki had been hard with those old memories rolling around in her head. But the new memories, the fresh ones that hadn't had time to lose the sharp edges, ripped at her mind.

Before Sigyn knew it, she was sobbing, her hand no longer in his as she propped her elbows on the table and sobbed into her hands. She felt arms around her and that scent of cold air and the nameless scent intermingled with it. Slowly, she turned and wrapped her arms around Loki and sobbed into his chest.

Sigyn cried for a long while, and eventually, her tears stopped. Loki stood, whispering gently. "Come on. This is only your first full day out of that place. We'll get some food then you can rest."

Very gently, Loki guided Sigyn to a quickly put together kitchen. When they had both finished their meal, Loki took Sigyn's hands and led her back to the room she had woken in before. He stayed with her, sitting in that chair next to her bed until she was asleep.

Sigyn's mind was still raw when she woke the next morning. Still raw, but she could feel the traces of healing, of finally being able to examine and accept what had happened to her fifty years before. She lay in bed for a long while, forcing herself to think normal thoughts. Not thoughts of how she would get through the day, of how she would survive long enough to be able to leave her cell.

No, now she had time to remember the faces of her family, the many friends she had gained over the 120 years she had wandered through the world, looking for a place she could stay safe for a few years. But the last friends she had would be fifty years older now. They would have had children, grandchildren by now. She was just a memory to them, a mystery that had never been solved.

And Thomas had been one of her dearest friends. She had trusted him enough to be herself, to show him that she was different. But he betrayed her.

But there were others. Linda had probably looked for her when she disappeared. Her coworkers at the small doctor's office that employed her must have wondered where she went. People must have worried about her, been curious as to what had happened.

But did it matter now? They had moved on, no doubt in Sigyn's mind. She would have had to do the same. She would miss her friends, mourn for them, but she would have moved on, exactly like she had done a dozen times before when she had to leave her friends to keep herself safe.

So, after a time of thought, and allowing herself to feel saddened at the loss of her friends, she stood and dressed in the clothes that had been provided for her. She was happy to see that the clothes were simple, just as they had been yesterday. Pants, a loose shirt, and the same shoes she had worn the day before.

Sigyn wandered through the damp halls, no place in mind, just happy to be able to move freely through a place without guards, without being watched, without the threat of pain. She eventually found her way to the room in which the kitchen had been pieced.

"Ah!" exclaimed a man the Sigyn vaguely remembered seeing the night before. "Have a seat my dear! I have special instructions from Loki to serve you the best meal possible! It'll be a little bit of time before it is ready."

Sigyn just stared at the man for a moment, watching as he quickly went to the refrigerator and started gathering various ingredients. She touched his mind briefly, finding that he wasn't being controlled, and that he actually enjoyed cooking for her.

Sigyn sat at the table and watched the man as he worked. Sigyn was unsurprised that Liz appeared in the doorway of the room sometime later. She suspected Loki had asked, or commanded seeing as how Liz was under his control, to keep an eye on her, to make sure Sigyn was doing okay and coping with everything going on.

Loki needed not have worried so much. In her life, Sigyn had coped with many things. She knew how to take new information from a new place and adapt to it. Given that her memories were rather terrible, it might take much longer than usual, however.

But it wasn't Liz's presence that surprised her, it was the book in her hand. Sigyn just had a glimpse of the cover, but it was the next book in the series that she had been reading while she was still stuck in her cell.

Sigyn reached for it, her right hand leaving the table to stretch out towards the book. She could see Liz smile at her as she walked closer and handed the book to Sigyn. The smile was large and genuine when Sigyn's eyes lifted to Liz's face.

"You..." The word slipped from Sigyn's mouth without a thought, something that surprised her. She had thought that she would need time to speak to anyone except Loki. Yet something about Liz, it is the emotions that emanated from her or the book she had brought, made Sigyn trust her.

Liz's smile didn't falter. "They put me in charge of watching you while you were locked up. I thought some material items would do you some good."

Suddenly, Sigyn stood, her chair teetering and almost falling to the ground as she rushed towards Liz and threw her arms around her. The human contact was exactly what Sigyn was craving, though she hadn't known it. Some barrier released in Sigyn, and silent tears started falling down her cheeks. She felt herself let go of what had happened to her. She held onto the woman that had made her life better by supplying her with basic items.

"Thank you," Sigyn said, squeezing Liz tightly, and holding onto her.

They stayed that way for some time until the smell of cooking meat cause Sigyn to let go and look towards the cook. He smiled when he saw that she was staring at him.

"There will be enough for two," the man said, his eyes flicking to Liz. Sigyn sat back in her seat, her eyes moving to the cook, the plates of food he was putting together, and Liz, who was now sitting across from her. Sigyn clutched the book to her chest, holding onto it much like she had when the first one had appeared in her food cubby.

When the cook finally sat two plates of food in front of them, Sigyn didn't hesitate to pick up a fork from the plate and eating the mashed potatoes. Once those were gone, she moved to the steak. She took the knife and cut it into pieces she could manage before scarfing it down so quickly she barely enjoyed the taste.

She looked around when she was done, noticing that the cook was now gone, the heavy door to the make-shift kitchen closed, and Liz still eating her steak, but observing Sigyn at the same time.

Sigyn decided to ask the most pressing question on her mind. "How much do you know?"

"Almost everything from the past fifty years." Liz took another bite of the steak before continuing. "When I was assigned to you, I only knew that you were one of the best-kept secrets in the facility. It took me months to dig through file after file to find your records. I had to hack past a firewall just to access it. I know exactly what they did to you, how they hurt you. I know you killed Doctor Barrett." Sigyn flinched at the name. Liz looked at her more intently. "I don't know how you did it, but I don't blame you. After what that man did to you, I would have killed him too."

Liz had finished eating before Sigyn spoke again. "I know you're under his control, but thank you for what you did before, for your help. Thank you for telling me what you did."

"I may be under his control, but I'm still myself, I have my own thoughts. You make him different. When I took him down to help you escape he was different. He lost his control on us. However you know him, whatever you're doing to change him, keep it up."