Chapter Text
"I suppose I should thank you for extending your hospitality, Mister... Coulson, was it?" Anna Gardner asked, her voice deceptively calm (yet still trembling slightly) as she looked around the interrogation room, "but I am unsure what you were trying to accomplish by bringing me here before I could finish my pizza." The two were alone in the room, but Ward was standing guard outside the room, and Fitzsimmons were staring intently at the screen because they were insanely curious about the possibility of another Asgardian on Earth.
"I think you and I both know why I brought you here," Coulson replied. "There's something you're hiding from us. I want to know why. I want to know how you knew about my agent's condition." "What I did didn't work on him," she replied, "the only time I saw that happen before was when the Allfather first had men use the Berzerker Staves." A nervous smile crept onto her face. "I'm not trying to hide what I am, Mister Coulson. If you know of Berzerker Staves--if one of your men has used one--then you know I am of Asgard."
Coulson's nostrils flared slightly--he hadn't expected her to be so forward about where she was from. Although, he figured, it could only be because she was hiding something else. One revelation meant to draw attention from another. "You're right," he replied as he sat down across from her, looking into her face. "We do know what you are. What we don't know is who you are. You only arrived in Arcadia Lakes six months ago, and since then we know there have been more incidents than the one in that video."
Meanwhile, Fitzsimmons and Skye—now that they had their confirmation—were occupied with a call to Dr. Randolph. Or at least an attempt at one. Right then, instead of speaking with him via video feed, they were looking at an empty chair while hearing him speak in the distance. “Look, I’m sorry,” said the off-camera voice, “but I’m really not feeling well. Could you come back another time?”
She visibly paled at his phrasing, and at the mention of the incidents, she looked down, unable to meet his gaze. "I... I move around. You stay in one place too long, people start to realize you're immortal, you know? I don't know about the incidents. All I did was knock out a guy who was harassing me."
"I doubt that." He leaned forward slightly. "Whatever caused those people to black out came to Arcadia Lakes with you." He paused significantly. "And unless I'm mistaken, you haven't been here long enough for people to notice your immortality. You only came here recently."
They must’ve tried at least six times before the Asgardian finally answered. “Sorry about that,” he said, “some people just can’t take a hint. Anyway, I take it this isn’t a social call. What did you find?”
Anna's gaze snapped back up to Coulson's face, blue eyes widening. "How did you know?" she asked. "You knew enough of the incidents to know what I was talking about," he replied, "that the blackouts were related to the man you knocked unconscious. Your speech patterns were a clue too. It's still pretty formal, and you've picked up some American slang, but not much. Now," he softened his stare slightly as he looked her in the eyes, "You can trust us, Miss Gardner. Who are you, really?"
“It’s really more of a who,” Simmons answered, tilting her head slightly. Fitz picked up her statement. “She’s calling herself Anna Gardner. We found her in South Carolina She claims to be from Asgard…” “But we want to be sure,” the biologist finished. Dr. Randolph raised an eyebrow. “So you ask me? Look, just because she might be from Asgard doesn’t mean I knew her. It’s been centuries.”
“Can you please just take a look?” Simmons asked, causing him to grin slightly. “How could I say no to such beauty?” Skye drowned out Fitz’s huff with a few keyboard strokes and a, “Patching the feed through to you now.”
Anna's breathing was shaky, her eyes fixed on Coulson's, gauging him, trying to figure out how much she could trust him with. Finally, she sighed and began explaining. "My name is Sigrun," she began, "I am a healer. Throughout my duties, I made some... unpleasant connections, one of which has decided to come after me. I thought this would be a good place to hide." Some of the nerves left her eyes and she started to glare at him. "Does that answer your question?" She clenched her fists at her sides, silently resolving not to stay anything more.
Realization dawned on Dr. Randolph’s face shortly after the woman said she was a healer. “You’re in luck,” he told the agents, “I actually do know this one. She really is a healer. She came down here a little after I did, patched some of us up. I remember her telling me once she didn’t much like healing people like me.” His voice went higher-pitched for a moment in his best impersonation of her. It wasn’t very good, “Couldn’t knock us out or numb the pain. You can imagine the issues.”
“Well no need to worry about hiding for now,” Coulson reassured her, “You’re perfectly safe here.” Sigrun shook her head. “No,” she asserted, “I was much safer in my apartment. You have no idea the danger I’m in here.” Now she looked a little desperate, “Please, just let me go back. I swear I mean no one any harm.”
“What was that about hiding?” Skye asked, “Any idea what that might mean?” Dr. Randolph shrugged. “Not sure,” he admitted, “she went back to Asgard not long after she arrived. Something about…” he stopped abruptly and his eyes widened. “No,” he murmured, “no way.”
“What?” all three demanded at once. He disappeared from the screen for a moment, then reappeared with a book. “I remember when this one started circulating,” he muttered to himself, ignoring their questioning, “Tell Coulson to see if she responds to the name Sigyn.”
“She already told us her name,” Fitz said at the same time Simmons protested, “I thought you said you knew her.” The Asgardian sighed, “Not her name! I remember her voice and her breasts, not much else. Just do it.” Skye got right on it, immediately calling Ward’s communicator and relaying the message to him.
Sigrun jumped when she heard a rapping on the door, and then visibly paled at Agent Ward’s entrance. “Please,” she asked Coulson, even as Ward quietly informed him of Dr. Randolph’s message “could he leave? There’s no need…” Coulson, meanwhile, nodded to Ward, then indicated for him to stay. “Why, Sigyn?” he asked, turning back to her, “is there something wrong?”
“How…” She visibly trembled, “That’s not my name.” The lie was painfully transparent, and everyone in the room could tell. “How’d you know?”
Simmons asked, glancing from the feed to the video call. The Asgardian just shook his head, “Get her the hell out of there now. You won’t like what comes to find her.”
“Who is she?” Skye demanded, “What’s coming for her?” “Don’t know your mythology, do you?” he asked, “After all, you’re the ones who arrested Loki’s wife.”
In the interrogation room, Ward put a hand to his ear, then said to Coulson, “Sir? You might want to leave. There’s something…” Sigyn shook her head fervently, “No,” she said, “please don’t leave me alone with him.” “You’d rather be alone with someone your husband murdered?”
“What?” Coulson stared intently at Sigyn, as if seeing her in a new light. “You’re…” She sighed, sounding more exasperated, “Yes,” she said, “And I apologize on his behalf for whatever he did, but please, if you value your life and the life of everyone on this vessel, get your man out of here.” “Was that a threat?” Ward took a step closer to her. She raised her hands defensively, “No, it was not. You do not understand. The… the being that is after me, he and his followers can take over others minds, and it is so much easier to do to a berserker.” She turned back to Coulson and repeated, “Please.”
Coulson looked between the two, the fugitive and his agent, then said, "Fine. Ward, if you could leave us alone."
The hissing chuckle that filled the room took both of them off guard. "I'm sorry... Coulson, right?" Ward blinked and his eyes changed to a solid red, "I'm afraid Agent Ward isn't home right now. And I've got business with the Trickster's slut here. Isn't that right, Sig?" "One of his followers?" Coulson asked softly as Sigyn took steps back against the wall, trembling. "No," she answered, "he came himself." She slowly leveled a stare at the man, like a deer in headlights. "Mephisto."