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Chapter Text

The cold wind was sharp against her body, biting at her cheeks and threatening to slow her movements. This was battle though, and one mistake could mean the difference between life and death.

With a roar, she swung her weapon forward, piercing the unknown blue giant in front of her before it could impale her. Its companion went to strike but with a flick of her head, the creature was flung to the sky and fell back to the ground several feet away, not to get up.

She turned to survey the scene of carnage, the figures fighting always unclear but her focus always returned to the man in the green and gold. His features blurry, but an instinct to protect overwhelmed her. She could see him staring at something, maybe his hand, distracted from the oncoming creature.

She flung her weapon, killing the monster instantly. The figure whipped around to see her and though his face remained unclear she could feel the instant relief on his features as he looked at her. While she looked over his body for injuries, she could tell he was doing the same.

Their moment of reprieve did not last long and both where quickly engaged by another enemy. She felt her weapon, a staff of some kind, return to her hands and come up to block the fist covered with shards of ice aimed directed at her blocked again before an opening lead to her slicing her weapon across the creature's knee, forcing him to crouch as his blue blood poured. With a roundhouse kicked, reinforced by her unknown power, she landed a sickening blow on the creature's head, knocking him out cold.

She became vaguely aware of shouting and when she turned to look the group her body reacted to as allies, seemed to be 100m away or so, having found herself separated from them by the fighting. She could see two of the figures holding up another and the group beckoning her to join them. She looked back to see another figure, clear red of his clothing standing out in the icy waste land, shouting back at them as he dispatched foe after foe.

She began to make her way to the group when the ground beneath them started to quake. Horror overcame her as she looked to the see the gigantic beast emerge from the ice in between her and her companions. It's red eyes narrowed in on them and they had no choice but to run.

She was quick to move, ducking as she went to avoid the tail and claws of the creature that pursed her group. She managed to close the distance until the figure in green and black was only a few steps ahead. His face still unclear to her, but she could sense a look of relief when he looked over his shoulder to see her fall in line beside him. She could feel her lips stretching into a grin within the chaos of it all.

Suddenly she became aware of the ground giving way beneath them, the creature fallen to the darkness below, when out of the corner of eye she got the smallest warning of the tail with its talons heading straight for her green and black companion.

Without hesitation she pushed the man forward, taking his place as a sharp talon pierced her side and dragged her backwards.

The figure turned around, his hand reaching for her but she was too far away. She saw another figure appear, having to physically hold the first man back to stop him diving after her. She could hear the faint sound of him screaming something, her own mouth opening, pure fear filled her voice as she called back to him.

And then she was falling…

Samantha woke with a gasp, a strangled sob managing to escape her lips. Her breaths came out fast and thick and she could feel the cold sweat covering her body. She gave a small jump as the door to her bedroom swung open and her dad stood there, looking ready to pounce into action despite being in only pyjama bottoms and a random band t-shirt with a slipper in one hand as a weapon.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Her dad asked frantically as his eyes searched her room for a potential threat.

"What are you talking about dad?" Samantha asked as casually as she possibly could, her breathing finally under controlled.

"Don't take me as an idiot Samantha, I heard you shouting." There was a pause as the two people in the room looked at each other before her dad managed to suss out the situation. "It was the dream again, wasn't it?"

Samantha could only nod as she brought her knees up to her chest to hug herself. Her dad gave a large sigh, before sitting down on the bed in front of her, his raised slipper dropping to his side within his hand.

This is getting worse, maybe I should go with her today. Make sure she's telling the truth.

Samantha tried not to show the alarm in her face, wanting that to be the last thing her dad did with her.

"Have you been taking your medication?" Her dad asked. Samantha gave him a meek nod, unsure if she could sound convincing if she lied out loud. Her dad gave her an odd look for a moment, as if he knew she was lying but decided not to push further. "Okay…maybe I should come with you to your appointment today-"

"Dad I'm fine, it's just a dream. Dr Angelo wasn't fussed by it so I'm not," Samantha shrugged, letting some of the tension out her back as she straightened her legs and swung them over the side to fully sit next to her dad.

I should go with her, she's hiding something again. I should be able to meet my lead later in the day.

"I promise you I will tell Dr Angelo about it, besides don't you have that meeting with your contact today for your case?" Samantha prodded, determined not to have her father join in.

"How do you know about that?" her dad asked with growing suspicion in his eyes. He didn't remember telling her about his meeting.

"You mentioned it over dinner," Samantha gave a non-committal shrug and thankfully her father brought it.

The sounds of birds chipping broke the silence between the pair and they both seemed to become aware of the sun starting to peak through her curtains at the same time.

"Dad, I'm a big girl now. If I can't go to my own Doctors appointment at 25 without parental supervision, then I really need to re think my life choices," Samantha tried to get him to laugh but the look on his face remained unamused.

"I don't think you want me telling you again what I think of your life choices," Her dad muttered, his features hardened. Samatha looked away, fidgeting under his intense stare.

"Come on it's too early for these type of talks. Besides I think I'm about to go blind with the sun reflecting off your head the way it is." Samantha finally said after a moment's pause. It seemed to break her father's mood and he relented with a small chuckle.

"I'll have you know I shave my head by choice," He shot back, his own amused smirk matching hers and mockingly pointing a finger at her.

"Seem to have been making that choice since your twenties," Samantha teased as she stood up and gave a stretch. "I'm going to get a run in before my appointment."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Her dad asked while still sat on her bed, his teasing tone dropped and replaced with concern.

"I'm okay," Samantha reassured, hoping he couldn't see her eyes she was once again lying to him. "Now get out my room so I can get ready."

"Okay, okay," Her dad held his hands up in surrender as he finally started to make his way back to the door. "I'll probably be gone by the time you're back from your run but I'll see you at dinner."

"By the way," Samantha called, halting her father's progression through the door. "Are all police officers trained in the art of using a slipper as a weapon or just the special ones?"

Samantha laughed as said slipper was thrown at her before her father left her alone, muttering under his breath about having a daughter far too quick for her own good.

Samantha could hear the tick tock of the clock on the wall, breaking the silence in the room. Dr Angelo was a kind looking middle aged woman who no doubt could see through the current non-committal answers Samantha was giving her.

The older lady straightened in her seat and tucked a cardigan further around her as she stared down the younger woman, waiting for her to fill the silence on her own. She had been working as psychiatrist for the majority of her carer, had seen all the tricks in the book and wasn't going to allow Samantha to get away with a shrug and half answered questions.

"Sorry what was the question again?" Samantha asked after too long a silence had passed.

"I asked if you've been having the dream again?" Dr Angelo repeated, looking unfazed by Samantha's answer. Samantha gave a reluctant nod, looking to the side and staring out the window into the car park of the health centre. "Remind me what happens in the dream?"

Samantha gave a sigh, knowing Dr Angelo know full well what her dream was about but decided to not be as resistant as usual.

"It's cold and I'm fighting these blue…giants or something. There's a large beast chasing after us and then I'm falling." Samantha said very matter of factly, trying her best not to show how much the dream gets to her.

"To your death?"

"I assume so, I've always woken up before hitting the bottom," Samantha gave a tight smile as the doctor made some notes on her paper.

"And the figures, have you been able to make out their faces yet?"

"Nope," Samantha popped her 'p'.

"I see," the psychiatrist hummed. "And am I right in thinking over the last 6 months when the dream began, it's becoming more intense each time?"

Samantha found she had no words to respond. How she could tell the woman each time the dream happened it felt more and more lifelike, she could feel her muscles ache through the fight, the cold against her skin and of course the utter despair as she fell to the darkness.

"And how often are you getting the dream now?" Dr Angelo asked next.

"Once or twice a week."

"So more regularly?" The older woman summarised. Samantha simple looked away giving her, her answer. The void was filled of the sound of her pen scratching on the paper, making notes for her letter afterwards. There was another pause before she asked her next question. "How are you finding the olanzapine?

"It's fine," Samantha shrugged, looking at her hands and finding a cuticle on her right index finger rather interesting.

"Hmmm, I ask because your father reached out to my secretary and says he has concerns you're not taking it," Dr Angelo revealed, her features remaining impassive.

Samantha tried to keep the irritation off her face but Dr Angelo was a skilled physician, she could see the telltale signs of her fleeting anger at her father contacting her behind Samantha's back.

"Maybe we should try lithium again?" Dr Angelo continued.

It would be easier to monitor if she's taking her medications.

"Why? So you can check I'm taking them?" Samantha asked, her anger slipping into the edge of her voice.

"Your father seems to agree with my concerns over your compliance." Dr Angelo gave a sigh, removing her glasses to look at Samantha. There was no judgement in her eyes, only concern. "We know Lithium is a good mood stabiliser to take alongside the olanzapine. But if you feel the olanzapine is enough and you're taking it regularly, we don't have to change your medication."

Samantha nodded, her posture taking a more relaxed tone as the potential argument was deescalated.

"Just tell me Samantha, are you starting to hear the voices again?"

Urgh what is taking Dr Angelo so long, my appointment was 20 minutes ago.

This job is so boring, should have taken the receptionist job at the gym. At least they're better looking there.

What if the tracking chip the government have on me, is in my neck and not my leg?

Samantha stared at Dr Angelo, giving a small smile and ignoring the noise from the waiting room which seeped into her head.

"No Dr Angelo, I haven't heard the voices in years."

The bus journey to her job was quick and Samantha gave a smile to the attendant at the news agent's next door as she walked past and into the BLACK SHEEP cafe. There were a small amount of customers dotted around the shop, a couple of the builders from the site down the road enjoying a late breakfast as well as some of the hungover students using a fry up to soak up the hangovers from the night before.

Samantha gave them a smile as she made her way behind the counter to see her boss Claire cleaning. Claire was a woman in her 60s who likely would be working in her cafe until the day she died. She loved the place as if it was her own child. The older woman gave Samantha a kind smile, her lines of her face easily forming the expression of happiness.

"Thanks again for letting me come in late," Samantha said as she made her way to the back to grab an apron and dump her bag.

"No worries at all, you know health comes first. Gareth's in the back with Vinnie unloading some of the deliveries if you could help." Claire said before going back to her cleaning.

Samantha dropped her bag in the corner of the kitchen where a table and chair were put to the side for the staff to relax in on break. She made her way to the back entrance to find Vinnie and Gareth struggling over some heavy looking boxes containing the daily deliveries.

"Need a hand?" Samantha asked brightly.

The pair dropped the box they were holding to look around and it was like looking at two opposites.

Vinnie was a 40 year old while man, tattoos covering both arms and coarse lines on his face from years of a hard life, and he barely mustered a smile at her appearance. Claire and Vinnie never went into how he became the cook at the BLACK SHEEP, but Gareth and Samantha had guesses about his previous life. It definitely concerned some jail time and both knew if ever closing up late, if Vinnie was near by you would be fine. Gareth even told her a story once of when she was away, a teenage boy tried to rob the place but he practically peed his pants and ran due to a mere grunt from Vinnie.

Gareth on the other hand gave her a large smile. The young black man was closer to Samantha's age. Originally from the states, he had come to London in an attempt to become big on the Westend after being unable to break in on Broadway. Though he had the face of a star with shining white teeth and a jaw line chiselled by the gods, he so far was yet to have his big break.

"Glad you could finally join us," Gareth teased caused Samantha to smile further. Ever since Gareth had joined the staff 6 months ago, he had quickly become close friends with Samantha the two finding a shared sense of humour and easy flow of conversation.

"Well I wanted to give you two a chance of looking strong before showing you up," Samantha said as she went to grab the box next to them.

"Careful, it'll need two of us -" Gareth was cut off by Samantha lifting the box with ease and showing no signs of strain or stress at lifting the heavy load. "Or maybe just the stupidly strong Samantha…girl power and all that,"

Samantha laughed as she carried the box inside, followed by Vinnie and Gareth struggling with a box between them.

"So what do you reckon?" Gareth asked her, nodding his head towards the couple in the corner of the cafe.

It was a mid afternoon lull in the day and soon they would be closing. The lunch rush had gone and Claire was in her office going through accounts while Vinnie was outside having a quick cigarette. Samantha and Gareth were on the counter, Samantha cleaning the coffee machine while Gareth tidied up the display of cakes.

She turned around and joined him leaning on the cake counter looking at the young couple, no more than 16 sat in the corner with a very awkward air about them.

"First date or last one?" Gareth asked, sending a raised eyebrow at her and a cheeky grin. He loved to do this with customers, guessing the reason for them being in the shop. He claimed it was to build his actor repertoire, see people in their natural habitat or some rubbish like that. Samantha had to admit though he was more observant sometimes then she gave him credit for.

Samantha looked at the couple and found herself focusing on the boy.

Just tell her you like Jenny and get it over with. Toughen up already.

Samantha gave a smug smile before speaking.

"Last, and he's going to do it by telling her he likes someone else." Samantha told Gareth, her English accent contrast with his American.

"There's no way you can guess that just by looking at them," Gareth scoffed. Then again he had been caught out by Samantha's guesses and observation skills before.

"Bet you for lunch tomorrow?" Samantha suggested.

"You're on," Gareth smirked, confident Samantha could not be so right just by looking—

"JENNY?! YOU LIKE THAT SLUT JENNY?!" The high pitched scream of the teenage girl filled the cafe as she threw her water all over the boy sat opposite her.

"It just happened, I'm sorry-" The boy began to plead, his face blooming bright red in embarrassment as the other few patrons in the little cafe were now staring at the young couple.

"I never want to see you again," the young girl spat before storming out of the cafe, door slamming behind her.

The young boy had the decency to look a little bit sheepish as he quickly gathered his items before scurrying out of the door but heading in the opposite direction of the girl.

"And that is why we get people to pay when they order," Samantha told Gareth, giving him a pat on the back as he stared at her with an open mouth.

"There is no way in hell you guessed that. How do you know that was going to happen?" Gareth asked, as he followed her back to the coffee machine.

"It's a gift," Samantha shrugged. "Three years of working in a cafe will give you great people reading skills."

"I still think you have bugs around this place, listening to people's conversation," Gareth mused, his American brain automatically thinking about wild elaborate plots of hidden technology and spies.

Samantha gave a teasing smirk, knowing his idea was a lot more plausible than the actual answer. Instead she let him believe what he wanted to.

Not much later Samantha was putting the key into the lock of her flat, looking forward to her day off tomorrow and the plans she had arranged with Gareth. She wasn't surprised to find her dad busy working away on his laptop, researching something or other for his case. When he retired 4 years ago after 30 years in the Metropolitan Police, her father just couldn't seem to enjoy the life of a retiree and before Samantha knew it, he was already picking up cases as a private investigator.

"I brought left overs from the cafe," Samantha called as she made her way into the kitchen. She heard a grunt of acknowledgement from her father. She gave a smile knowing he was doing what he loved, and went about warming up the food she had brought back.

Before long she had managed to drag her dad away from his work to get some food. He listened as she explained about the arguing couple and her plans with Gareth the next day. In turn he gave some vague updates on his current case, only when he case was closed would he fill her in on the finer details.

"How was your appointment with Dr Angelo?" Her dad finally asked, after clearly resisting the urge to bombard her with questions about it throughout the meal.

"It was fine, she's happy with my current meds and doesn't want to change anything," Samantha shrugged, feeling much less comfortable with the change in topic.

"And what did she say about the dream?" Her dad prompted.

"That I should keep a record of every time it happens but hopefully it will settle down soon." Samantha easily lied, knowing Dr Angelo had given no such reassuring statement. Her dad somehow bought it though and nothing else was said on the matter.

As the sky grew dark, Samantha could feel her eyes lids beginning to close as she watched some rubbish on the tele. She was quick to turn it off, say good night to her dad who was back at his table researching. The word HUGHES INTERNATIONAL and BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS flashed to her attention but she was too tired to register the words.

Samantha managed to change into her pyjamas and climb into bed without much effort and quickly fell asleep. All the while completely unaware of the raven haired figure in her mirror, in the green and gold outfit, watching her.

Chapter Text

Simon Hughes stood facing the table full of men in suits who between them could afford to run a small island nation for many years. His own three piece black suit was made to impress and not a single piece of flint or dust was on him. His blonde hair was slicked back, and his face had not even a hint of stubble.

"So as you can, Hughes International will plug the gap left by Stark Industries in the weapons field. With my lead and the product we have, we can change war fare as we know it," Simon gave a wide smile to the group of men, expecting an applause as he reached the end of his pitch.

Instead the room erupted into laughter, the group of middle aged men thinking they were sitting on some sort of prank.

"What's so funny?" Hughes asked, his smile turning cold and lacking warmth.

"Simon, we were all big fans of your father and what he did for this company," One investor stood up and said on behalf of the group. "But you're a pharmaceutical company. You have no business getting into the weapons field. And besides, with your current money issues, surely you should be looking at medicine development instead of this silly fantasy you've concocted?"

The rest of the group gave nods and mutters of agreement. The smile by now had dropped from Hughes's face. A muscle in his jaw flexed as a hand came up to ensure a hair was still not out of place.

"It is such a shame you all lack the ability to see the potential in this," Hughes said sadly as he made his way over to his desk and rummaged in the draws. "Oh well, I said I would be getting your money by the end of the presentation. I guess a demonstration of the product is in order."

The group suddenly became aware of a large towering man in a black suit, stood the other side of the board room door, clearly locking it from the outside. A panic began to settle amongst the investors and it was only agitated by looking at Hughes, who was now wearing a gas mask at the front of the room.

Then the mustard looking gas poured in and the room erupted into chaos.

Simon couldn't help but smile as he watched the carnage unfold, investors clambering over one another to reach the door and each one failing to open it. One by one the group began to drop to the floor as the effects of the gas took place until only the man brave enough to speak earlier, was left conscious.

Hughes walked across to him, taking his time, marvelling at the man as he continued to resist the gas. When he finally did approach him, the poor man grabbed Simon by the ankle, a pleading look in his eyes.

"You need help," Was all the man managed to splutter out from his position on the floor.

"No, I need money," Hughes replied before lifting his shoe and slamming it down into the man's nose, knocking him out cold.

The large dinosaur skeleton on display in the museum foyer matched the splendour of the Victoria architecture of the Natural History Museum. Samantha's lips automatically pulling up into a smile as all the fond memories of her parents bringing her here as child swarmed to the forefront of her mind. Mum's gentle voice drifted into her ears, reminding Samantha of the time she scolded her for correcting one of the museum staff on the information he was giving to the public.

"But mum, he was wrong," Samantha argued, barely 7 years old but already ready to argue with an academic about if dinosaurs had scales or feathers.

"Samantha, listen to me because this piece of advise will save you many issues in the future," Her mum said as she crouched in front of Samantha and placed a gentle hand on her cheek and swept back some of her hair behind her ear. "Just because you're the smartest person in the room, doesn't mean everyone else has to know it too."

Samantha couldn't help but give a small chuckle as the memory came back to her. Her smile slowly morphed to a sombre expression as it always did when she thought about her mother.

"Hey sorry I'm late," The sound of Gareth's voice gave her the welcome break she needed from her thoughts. She turned to give him a smile, wiping away any sadness from her face.

Like her, he had come in a dark pair of jeans and while his top half had a nice fitted chequered shirt, Samantha had gone for a more relaxed white t-shirt with a rainbow over the area a front pocket maybe.

"It's okay, I've grabbed our tickets. Come on before the line starts to get too big to get in." Samantha nodded her head in the direction of the exhibit they had special tickets for.

Samantha had to admit she was pleasantly surprised Gareth had invited her to the exhibit today. The two of them often spent time together outside of work, in between Gareth's failed attempts at making it on to the stage. She had even sat through some of his more questionable 'open mic night' performances for support. But the pair had never come to a museum together before.

She wasn't going to complain though. Samantha had actually being wanting to come seen the current special exhibit for weeks and if Gareth hadn't mentioned it, she would most likely have found herself here anyway on her own, knowing her dad wouldn't want to come. So when Gareth suggested the idea independently, she had jumped at the offer.

"Did you know this thing is suppose to be stronger than vibranium?" Gareth asked her as they joined the back of the small but moving queue.

"Nothing's stronger than vibranium, that's why it's called the strongest metal on Earth," Samantha said with a mild disbelief in her voice.

"Not according the tests they did on this thing when they found it, apparently they're still not sure what it's made out of," Gareth continued, unperturbed by Samantha's lack of enthusiasm for the information. "We're lucky to get in this weekend, I hear it's about to move."

"Really? Where's it going?" Samantha asked surprised since it only opened a few weeks ago and had heard no such thing.

"One of the Smithsonian's apparently," Gareth shrugged as they continued along the queue.

"That's strange, would have thought it would be going to Norway next," Samantha thought aloud.

"Apparently that have some sort of agreement with the museums over there. Some back door trade to get it over before the Norwegians can claim it," Gareth told her, drawing a very skeptical look at him. "I hear they traded the Hope Diamond to get a hold of this thing."

"By any chance is your source that weird conspiracy theory website that says it only landed on Earth 6 months ago, rather than being found in an archeological dig?" Samantha asked with a heavy amount of scepticism.

"There was a meteor shower only a few days before they announced finding it. They also have no proof of who funded the dig or when it started," Gareth defended vehemently while Samantha couldn't hold her scoff. "And then only a few days later another meteor shower hit New Mexico and suddenly a mysterious government agency swooped in and took over the site where something landed. Coincidence? I think not!"

Samantha couldn't help but laugh at the look of triumph on Gareth's face as he finished explaining everything to her.

"Well call me silly, but I'm not really planning to trust information from a website that claims Captain America is still alive and frozen in the Arctic." Samantha smiled at the museum worker as she handed their tickets to him, now at the front of the line.

"I know for a fact the US government is still sending search missions out there looking for him." Gareth said with passion.

"Okay, okay, whatever you say. Now put your tin foil hat away and let's enjoy the exhibit," Samantha said with a teasing smirk. Gareth responded with a playful push to her shoulder before deciding to leave the conversation alone.

The pair looked to the left to see the title of the exhibit plastered across both sides to the entrance.

NORSE MYTHS AND LEGENDS

SORTING FACT FROM FICTION

FEATURING LEGENDARY WEAPON: FRYKTE

As the pair passed through the entrance they became quiet, wandering along the different display cases outlining some of the more common myths of the Vikings and norse mythology. Accompanying the tales was a variety of artefacts collected over many years, including paintings and weapons long decayed by time.

As they progressed, the topic began to turn to detailing the exploits of the Norse gods. Samantha found herself drifting to the display case dedicated to the God of Mischief: Loki.

She read over the information describing how he was born a Frost giant, enemy to the Asgardians but taken in by the Allfather, Odin, and raised alongside Thor, God of Thunder. A trickster and sorcerer, the information described a picture of distrust by the vikings, believing these undesirable traits when compared to the warrior heavy Thor, often leading Loki to be the antagonist in their stories.

Samantha's eyes moved upwards and became transfixed on a painting of Loki, the artist unknown.

The figure stood proud, with what she imagined was a trade mark smirk of the God. The ends of glistening black hair could be seen poking out of the bottom of a golden hemet, adorned with two large horns rising upwards. His armour was black and green, with the occasional dotting of gold to match his head piece.

A surprised feeling of familiarity began to well up inside her as her eyes narrowed over the painting. She couldn't remember seeing the painting before, but when looking at it, it felt like she had seen it a 100 times.

"Come on, you have to see this thing," The sound of Gareth reappearing next to her, broke her from her staring of the art work, glad to push down what ever feeling of déjà vu she was experience.

She followed Gareth around the corner to the main display case, the centre piece of the attraction. Samantha's mouth couldn't help but drop open as the site of what lay behind the glass.

Frykte.

A glistening silver spear was mounted on two stands, a wicked glint over the edges of the spear head. Samantha had no doubt it could slice through most things like butter. Over the metal was intricate runes placed around the outside of the blade on both sides. Her eyes moved down towards the staff, where thick leather wrappings covered the majority of the blade, clearly for ease of the person holding it. If she looked closely enough, she could make out further runes engraved on to the leather. She marvelled at how despite being centuries old, it looked as if it was forged yesterday.

As she peered closer, she could see the faint glow of electric blue begin to outline the runes, she turned to ask Gareth if he could see it too but she found he was stood still staring at a display case on the wall.

"Sam, you might want to see this," Gareth said, calling to her over his shoulder.

She left the centre piece and missed the young child next to her ask, "Dad, why did it stop glowing blue?"

She approached Gareth from the side and could tell his face was one of utter shock. Once she reached him, she looked down to look at the case and the information in it.

The cabinet detailed the stories around the owner of the legendary weapon, Geni the Goddess of Wisdom and Intelligence.

It detailed the story of how Frykte came to be, forged by the dwarves in Nidavellir, Buri, grandfather to Odin, presented the weapon to his most loyal and trusted guard as thanks for saving his life. Through generations the weapon was passed down to the first born son until Geni's father. With great courage and skill, she demonstrated her right to the blade in front of the Allfather himself and won the right to take the weapon as her own, despite being a woman.

Samantha had to admitted she was impressed by the story, nothing like a bit of female empowerment, sticking it to the man. What she couldn't understand though, was why Gareth's face looked so shocked. She quickly scanned the rest of the information as well as the other display items at the bottom. The rest seemed to detail the story of her being a trusted advisor to the court and her close relationship to the trickster God, Loki. Nothing there would explain his silence now.

"Gareth, what are you-" She followed his eyes upwards to look at the portrait of Geni hung at the top of the display. "Oh."

Oh was an understatement, Samantha thought.

She looked at the artwork and it was as if she was looking in a mirror. The same blue eyes as her own and the sharp angle of her chin were staring back at her. The only difference she could find was the portrait's hair was longer, the same dark blonde, but placed in an intricate braid which finished just above her chest. Samantha's own hair skimmed the surface of her shoulders, but as differences go, that was it.

Samantha's eyes explored the Goddess's outfit and she stood legs shoulder width apart and holding Frykte in her grasp. Her mouth was set in a hard line as she looked prepared for battle. The glow of the runes of her weapon, matched the colour of her cape which billowed out behind her. The blue colour was threaded throughout her outfit, underneath the silver chest piece which exaggerated her figure. Her shoulders were covered by two more pieces of silver, matching the metal gauntlets on both wrists as well as the boots with knee high armour pieces. A small amount of blue material flared out from under the chest piece, covering the top of the tight black leggings she wore. Samantha thought it could be a skirt but then when she looked closer, each bit of material was merely a strip of fabric, meaning the Goddess wouldn't be restricting when moving.

"You do see what I do, right?" Gareth asked her once she had a moment to take in the whole painting.

Samantha's eyes traveled upwards again to focus on Geni's face.

"What? That it looks like someone used my face as the inspiration for painting of a god?" Samantha tried to joke but the self mockery died on her lips.

"Sam, that's not an inspiration. That's you." Gareth said, pointing a finger at the portrait. "Don't tell me you don't realise that?"

Ohh that boy is right, that girl does look like the portrait.

I wonder if this is a show or something in the museum, maybe she'll start giving a speech soon.

Samantha found her breathing beginning to pick up as she became aware of the stares of others in the room who had clearly spotted the likeness of her and the portrait. Gareth wasn't helping the matter but still expressing his thoughts loudly. Sensing she was about to be over run with questions from strangers, she grabbed Gareth's arm, over his shirt, and pulled him towards the exit.

"Hey, where are we going?" He asked, not being reluctant to being pulled away but not being fully compliant either.

"We've finished the exhibit, and I'm hungry. You owe me lunch remember." Samantha shot over her shoulder as she made their quick escape around the corner.

If Gareth could tell she was confused and a little bit panicked by the situation, he didn't let on. Instead he continued to allow himself to be dragged away.

The pair found themselves in a quiet cafe about a five minute walk from the museum, munching away on a cheap sandwich with a tea for Samantha and a coffee for Gareth. Sensing her discomfort Gareth decided not to ask any further questions about what had happened at the museum, not even why they left before seeing any of the other exhibits. Samantha was grateful it and it reminded her why she liked Gareth so much.

She wasn't afraid to say she didn't have many friends, not since leaving university. After what happened, she just found it too awkward to re-connect with her uni friends and then with all the other weird stuff she pulled, she found not many people had the tolerance for her friendship. That was until she met Gareth. But as the lunch wore on, Samantha knew she had to bring up the topic both of them were avoiding.

"So, what's the real reason you asked me to hang out today?" Samantha asked, once the sandwiches were finished and they were left with only their hot drinks.

"What do you mean?" Gareth asked with a half laugh. "Can't I just enjoy a day out with my best friend? Why does there need to be an ulterior motive?"

Samantha simply raised an eyebrow at him knowing it worked every time. Sure enough, after 10 seconds of being under her gaze, Gareth's smile dropped and his demeanour changed.

"My visa's ran out," Of all the things she was expecting him to say, that hadn't been one of them. "I need to head back to the US."

"Oh, well when do you leave?" She asked, putting her cup down and staring at it contents.

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!"

"Yeah, I kind of left it really last minute, you know me," Gareth gave a half smile but quickly dropped it when she saw the look of sadness on Samantha's face.

"How long until you get a new one and can head back?" Samantha asked, when she was met with silence she looked up to see her answer. "You're not coming back."

"I haven't exactly taken the Westend by storm, and my mom's not well so I want to be closer to home." Gareth explained.

"Completely fair," Samantha nodded along, swallowing down the hard lump.

"Hey, I still promise opening night tickets for when I get my big break," Gareth said causing Samantha to give a small laugh. When she didn't look up though, he reached across and placed a hand on top of hers.

She really is not taking this well. I knew this would happen, maybe I should-

Samantha almost jumped away from him, moving her hand out from under his and placed it under the table. Gareth knew straight away she was uncomfortable.

"Hey I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine," Samantha cut him off and gave a quick smile. "I probably should head back, said I would help my dad on his case." Samantha easily lied.

"Oh yeah, of course," Gareth awkwardly stood up too as Samantha gathered her bag and made to leave the booth they were sitting in.

The awkward air continued between the two as they made their way to the underground station in silence. When they arrived, they stood at the top of the stairs where they would need to separate and get different trains. Samantha herself felt embarrassed at her reaction but she couldn't help it. The contact just made the voice all the more louder.

"So I guess this is goodbye." Gareth stated as the pair turned to look at each other.

"I guess it is." Samantha nodded her head.

Trying to make up for earlier, she moved to hug him, making sure to avoid touching skin to skin. She could feel him tense slightly before relaxing into the hug. Gareth's hands came up, wrapping around her shoulders, giving her a tight but comforting squeeze. The pair seemed to decide at the same time to pull back, hands dropping back to their sides.

"I'm not very good with my emotions sometimes-" Samantha began to say.

"Sometimes?" Gareth interrupted with a deadpan tone.

"Okay, a lot of the time," Samantha gave an eye roll before continuing. "What I'm trying to say is I'm not good with people. But with you it was easy, so thank you for that. And I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too," Gareth gave her a sad smile. "Keep in touch?"

"Yeah," Samantha gave a breathy response, "see you on opening night?"

"See you on opening night," Gareth laughed with Samantha.

The pair stood there for a moment more before simultaneously starting to head in the direction of their platform. As she walked towards her train, she turned back around to find Gareth looking after her, and when she caught his eye he gave her a small wave. She gave a small wave back before turning around and heading to catch her train home.

Samantha pushed the key into the door, and opened it to her dark hallway.

"Today, Hughes International announced a $1 billion investment from various stake holders." Samantha could hear the news caster announce from the television in the living room as she made the way through the flat. "Surprising the market as the pharmaceutical company had been fighting off rumours of bankruptcy since the CEO Richard Hughes died and was replaced by his son Simon Hughes. The company spokesperson gave a statement saying Mr Hughes was delighted to share the news of the investment, showing the world Hughes International was still at the cutting edge of its field."

Samantha walked into the living room to see her dad watching the TV, his laptop out next to him.

"In other news, Washington DC continues with it's plans for the upcoming G7 summit, due to take place in 3 weeks time-"

"Hey I'm back," Samantha announced as she sat down next to him.

Her dad gave her a smile as he turned the TV off.

"Hey, how was your day?" Her dad asked.

She watched as he took his USB out of his laptop and placed the necklace it was attached to back around his neck. His USB and her mum's wedding ring were always to be found there.

"Good….Gareth is heading back to the States. Visa ran out," Samantha told him. She could see the sadness in her dad's face as he knew how good Gareth had been for her. "It's okay, who knows, maybe I'll head to US and see him someday."

She felt the soft hand of her father's come to rest on her shoulder in a comforting touch.

Damn, this is going to make my bad news even worse.

"So what's your bad news?" Samantha asked. Her dad tried to give her look of confusion, pretending it wasn't the case but she could tell straight away when she came in, he had something to talk to her about. She gave him a single raised eyebrow, and as usual the eye brow won.

"The case I'm working on, I need to head to New York for it," Her dad finally said.

"When do you leave?" Samantha asked, trying not to show how upset she was by it, especially after the news from Gareth.

"I catch the first flight out tomorrow."

"Wow, must be important for you to go that quickly." Samantha summarised. "You know I could just hack into whoever you're investigating from the comfort of our own home."

"That was a one time thing, I'm not having you break the law…again." He gave her a reprimanding look, not amused by her suggestion.

"Can't say I didn't offer," Samantha shrugged before asking her next question. "When do you think you'll be back?"

"Hopefully I won't be too long. A week, tops," Her dad reassured her, placing an arm around her shoulder and pulling in her in for a hug.

"Better make sure I tidy up from my massive flat party then before you get back," Samantha joked.

"A flat party? With what friends?" Her dad shot back, causing Samantha to said him a deadly look while he simply laughed at his own joke.

The ice was cold against her skin, the blue monsters attacking her again. She fought her way through them, saving the figure in black and gold. She ran to her friends as the creature gave chase and she felt her side pierced as she was dragged to the darkness below.

"GENI!" The figure in green and gold shouted, struggling against the man holding him to stop him jumping after her.

"LOKI!" Samantha felt herself scream, desperately trying to reach out to him but it was no use.

She was falling…

Samantha sat up in her bed, gasping for breath.

Well, that was new.

Chapter Text

Samantha stood taking the plates out of the dishwasher and putting them back on the shelves at the BLACK SHEEP letting her mind wander during the tedious task. It had just been under a week since her father and Gareth had left. Both had sent quick messages to let her know they had arrived safe and then she hadn't heard anything since. Gareth she could understand, but her dad not being in touch again was now starting to worry her.

She gave a sigh as her attention turned to the cutlery, it wasn't exactly like she didn't have enough problems of own to be dealing with. Ever since the museum visit, a night had not gone past where she hadn't woken in a panic and cold sweat having dreamed about falling to her death. Samantha kept trying to tell herself her brain was simply playing tricks on her after the incident at the museum, and had picked the names Loki and Geni to torment her, especially after the weird coincidence of how much she looked like the painting.

Samantha was confident it was all in her head and she was reading too much into it.

"Hey Samantha, are you okay to lock up?"

Claire's voice snapped Samantha from her thoughts and she turned to look at the older woman. She had a kind smile on her face as she stood in the doorway, a coat and a bag over her shoulder.

"Yeah, no worries," Samantha said with a small smile, closing the dishwasher and wiping her hands down her front.

"Thanks, I'm already running late to my sister's birthday dinner," Claire said as she turned and made her way to the door. As she left she managed to shout over her shoulder, "I owe you one."

Samantha gave a sigh as she looked around the now empty cafe. Vinnie had long left after cleaning the kitchen and since Gareth's position was still not filled, Samantha was having to work double to make up for it.

She walked through to the front and began to wipe the tables and put the chairs on top, once again her mind wandering.

There was a strange pull in her stomach, a want to see the spear, Frykte, again for some bizarre reason. Her hands almost seemed to twitch for a moment and she clenched them into fists to stop them. She needed a distraction and so she turned on the radio, hoping a random pop song would be able to take her mind off things.

It seemed to work for a while before the news came on. She was only half listening when a familiar word caught her attention and before she knew it she had walked over to turn the radio up.

"….and tomorrow is the last day Frykte will be on display in the London museum of natural history. The legendary weapon from Norse mythology has been on display for the last two months after it was found in an archeological dig just outside of London six months ago. It has caused record number of attendance at the museum since the exhibit first opened. After tomorrow it will be sent to America, to be on display in the Smithsonian Natural History museum in Washington DC. This is Tom Henderson, BBC news for radio 2."

Samantha couldn't help but give out a small laugh thinking if only Gareth could be here now to give her his 'I told you so look.'

The moment was fleeting though, and suddenly she felt a sense of dread she didn't understand why. For some bizarre reason she found she needed to see Frykte again, and if not Frykte, that picture. If she could just prove to herself there was difference between herself and the painting then surely her paranoia would be calmed. Maybe even stop the weird dreams she was having.

Just maybe, Samantha could put everything to rest once and for all, and finally seem like she was getting her life together.

When she first thought about going to see Frykte again, she imaged walking around the museum and being able to mingle in the crowd and go unnoticed. What she didn't expect was to be stood in the middle of the party for VIPs and museum staff to celebrate the end of the exhibit.

Apparently the rest of the country had also heard it may be the last time to see Frykte and so by the time she got home last night, all the tickets for the exhibit had been sold. Unlike the usual exhibits at the London museum, given how high profile it was, only limited numbers were allowed in at any one time. Samantha realised she probably she should have just left it at that but then her fingers started typing without conscious effort of her own and she quickly discovered an after hours event for staff and specially invited members of the history community to celebrate the success of the exhibit.

Before she knew it, she had hacked into the guest list to add her own name, and then managed to sneak in, posing as a member of staff.

She stood towards the back of the crowd hoping no one would realise she wasn't meant to be there. The party itself was taking place in the exhibit in the room next to where Frykte was displayed, a stage set up at the front with speakers. It was so stupid, and honestly Samantha didn't know what she was thinking. All this over looking like some kind of painting?

She started to make her way towards the exit, realising it had been a massive mistake to go there.

In her rush to leave she bumped into someone, almost spilling their drink all over them and herself.

"I am so sorry," Samantha said, scrambling to step back and realising causing a scene is not what you want to do when you've party crashed.

"It's okay, no harm done," The woman's voice was accented, Scandinavian sounding. When Samantha looked up she was met with a small, very light blonde haired lady with kind green eyes, maybe a few years older than herself. For a moment they narrowed as they looked at her, a small smile lifting at the corner of her lips. "Sorry, have we met before?"

"No, we haven't," Samantha shrugged, hoping she couldn't see the small sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"I could swear I know you from somewhere."

"I just have one of those faces," Samantha tried to give a nonchalant laugh but she wasn't sure how successful she was being.

The women opened her mouth to say something else but the person on her left cut her off before she could.

"Professor Larson, they're ready for you now," the older man said, giving Samantha a look to say back off.

"Enjoy the party," Professor Larson, Samantha assumed, gave her a smile before making her way through the crowd.

Samantha felt her shoulders sag in relief as she gave a large sigh. Too close she thought. She began to make her way through the crowd again when the sound of the speakers at the front came to life. Samantha couldn't help but pause as she turned to look and see the woman from before now on the stage next to a man holding a microphone.

"Hello everyone, we hope you're enjoying yourselves. It's very much deserved after your hard work these past few months and what can only be described as an extraordinary exhibit." The man said earning claps and cheers from the crowd. Knowing to leave now would be more suspicious than staying, Samantha gave a sigh residing herself to listen to the speeches.

"And now a word from the lady who spear headed the exhibit and who will be sorely missed as she takes a job at the Smithsonian to continue her good work with Frykte, Professor Ella Larson." The man took a step back, handing the microphone over the blonde lady, a loud round of applause erupted from the audience as the young professor stepped to the front.

"Thank you, but really the credit should be shared," Professor Larson said, a wide smile to the crowd. "As a child growing up in Norway, I would be surrounded by the stories of the old Norse gods, their heroics and also their antics. I loved the stories so much I decided to make a carer out of it, but never did I think I would have the opportunity to work with artefacts such as these. It still amazes me today what we can learn from our Norse brethren whether it from their triumphs or their mistakes."

"Though I will miss you Londoner's cheery disposition," a small laugh emerged from the crowd, one Samantha found herself adding too. "I look forward to seeing what further secrets we can uncover from Frykte with our friends at the Smithsonian."

She turned to the man again, taking a glass from him before turning back to the crowd and holding it aloft, many copying her actions.

"So in the words of our Viking ancestors, drink until you are full and sjáumst!" Professor Larson raised the glass slightly more, with again the crowd copying before everyone took a drink.

Soft music then began to play out the speakers and the crowd before to break off into smaller groups to chat.

Samantha made a move towards the exit, knowing now would be the best time to leave before she was caught. As she was nearly there though, the light from the room next door caught her eye. She paused, and the urge to go around the corner to see Frykte again, overwhelmed her. She clenched her fists, trying to force herself to continue to the exit. Then again, to leave now would mean she had snuck in here for nothing. And now was the best time to look at the painting since everyone was still distracted, discussing a job well done.

With a sigh of defeat, Samantha changed course and with as much subtly as she could, she stepped around the corner to see Frykte still on display, a spotlight on the weapon as it was placed in the centre. Though the crowd were next door, the noise of the room seemed to dim as Samantha approached the spear.

She came to a stop just in front of it, staring as the runes began to give a faint electric blue ago like they had the last time. She could see the intricate detailing over the blade, glinting in the light. Her eyes travelled downwards over the leather binding where more runes were. Her eyes paused over the one in the centre as unlike the rest of the runes, it glowed a faint rich green rather than blue. For a moment she simple marvelled at the artefact, wondering what technology they were using to get it to do that.

Resisting an urge to reach out and touch it, no doubt setting off multiple alarms, she pulled her eyes away and looked over to the portrait on the wall. She walked over, halting only a step away from it.

To her disappointment, as she looked over the features of the Goddess, she was once again reminded of how similar she and her looked. Her eyes desperately searched for something different between the two but again all she could find was her hair was shorter than the painting's.

"You look remarkably like her."

The voice next to her made Samantha jump in fright causing the person to chuckle, the sounds of the party next door returning to full volume. She turned to see Professor Larson stood next to her with an amused smirk, having snuck up on her. Samantha swivelled her head back to face the painting, hoping the academic couldn't see how nervous she was.

"Really, I don't see it," Samantha shrugged, trying to play it casual.

"I mean yes, the hair is shorter but for all intents purposes, it could be you up there," Professor Larson continued, Samantha sent a quick look to the woman who barely made it to her shoulders. "Is your family from the Scandinavian region?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Samantha sent her a tight smile, wondering what had caused the Professor to come single her out. She gave a quick glance around the room, realising it was only the two of them in the main exhibit.

"I never got your name earlier," Professor Larson said, holding her hand out to shake Samantha's.

"Claire Smith," Samantha said using the fake name she had put on the invitation list. She looked down at the hand but did not raise her hand to shake it. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a germaphobe."

"Ah," Larson gave a nod of her head in understanding as she lowered her hand. "So how are you involved in this wonderful exhibit?"

"I'm just one of the stewards, you know collecting the tickets and what now," Samantha shrugged, trying to be as vague as possible. She could see the Professor give a single nod but there was a distrust in her eyes. Hoping to distract her, Samantha decided to ask a question. "Do you know who painted this? I've looked online and couldn't find out who it was."

"Ah, unfortunately we do not know," Professor Larson answered with a shrug of her own before looking at the portrait herself. "All the paintings you see of the Gods in the exhibit are by the same painter but we do not actually know their name. The legend is one night they were visited by the Gods, and they were so honoured they had been chosen to paint their faces to share with the world, they refused to take credit for it. Saying the privilege of meeting the Gods was payment enough."

"It's a good story to get your paintings sold," Samantha found herself saying before thinking only realising how dismissive it sounded afterwards.

"So you do not believe the legends?" The Professor raised a single eye brow at her.

"I mean they are legends after all, myths and all that."

"Ah but even in myths, the truth is hidden. How else would we come up with stories so magnificent?" Professor Larson said. Samantha had no response and simply looked back at the painting above them. There was a moment's silence before Larson spoke again. "We could learn a lot from her story you know."

Samantha turned her head to woman, tilting her head down slightly to make eye contact, showing her she was listening.

"Despite many false beliefs, the Vikings weren't as sexist as many people believe. They valued strong woman as demonstrated by their Goddesses. The story is, Geni was the product of a long line of decorated male warriors. She had to fight to prove herself to be as worthy a warrior as her ancestors before her, which she did and then some. If the story is to be believed she was even stronger, more feared than her predecessors. Not only in her fighting skills, but in her mind as well. Alongside Sif, Goddess of War, the two fought for women's rights way before their time."

"Sounds like she was a badass," Samantha muttered, unable to stop herself. She paused for a moment wondering if she had been inappropriate but Larson simply chuckled beside her.

"Yes, by all accounts, she was badass."

The two shared a chuckle. For a moment Samantha hesitated to ask her next question, wondering how much further she could push it, but then again, she had come this far.

"It mentions here about her relationship with Loki, the God of Mischief, like as in dating or…?" Samantha trailed off, not really sure what she was asking but also needing to know following her dream.

"Ah, now that is one of debate," Larson said, clearly enjoying her captive audience and showing no signs of wanting to return to the party next door. "It was widely believe for a time the two were enemies. Too closely linked in a battle of wits, Loki's trickster nature clashing with her wisdom. Over time as texts are re analysed, it felt the two were more friends then enemies, their wits equal and their intellect only matched by the other. Then of course there is most recent theory amongst some of us younger academics."

"Which is?" Samantha prompted, her whole body now facing Larson.

"That they were lovers," The Professor stated and Samantha was taken aback for a moment. Larson gave a large sigh though before Samantha could say more. "Alas the theory is not popular in the Norse academic community despite the evidence. In fact it was what my thesis was on for my PhD. Geni has always been a favourite of mine."

A small knowing smirk crossed Larson's lips as she looked at Samantha, and the young Englishwoman grew uncomfortable under the gaze. She looked around the room to avoid her stare, her eyes returning to Frykte in the middle of the room.

"I have to ask, how do you get the runes to glow on that thing?" Samantha jutted her head towards the middle of the room but didn't step closer.

"Glow?" For the first time in the conversation, the Professor seemed on the back foot, confused by her question.

"Yeah, the bright blue they glow, expect the rune in the middle of the shaft, yeah what's the significance of it being green?" Samantha looked back down to Larson and was confronted with a very perplexed expression.

"I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're talking about. The runes do not such thing on Frykte," Professor Larson said.

Samantha's head whipped back around to look more closely at Frykte and the Professor was right, the runes were no longer glowing.

"Must have been a trick of the light," Samantha said, her voice quiet though as she began to doubt what she had seen.

Professor Larson didn't respond, only giving a suspicious stare at Samantha. Thankfully she was saved by the man from earlier walking into the room.

"There you are Ella, come on the museum curator wants to say thank you for all your hard work," he said as he walked in, complete oblivious to the tense atmosphere between the two.

Professor Larson looked over her shoulder to the man giving a small smile and nod in acknowledgment of his statement. She turned her head back to face Samantha again, the suspicion still in her eyes but her lips now with a smile.

"It was nice meeting you Claire, I hope our paths cross again in the future," Professor Larson said.

"Thanks for the history lesson," Samantha gave a small smile back and watched as the Professor walked away.

She gave one last look to the painting and then Frykte before quickly heading back to the main room and heading straight to the exit.

That night Samantha found it took a while to fall asleep but when she did, she wasn't expecting what she saw.

She was stood in a large training area outside. The sun was low as dusk settled on what appeared to be a golden city. She trained with a sword, swiping and stabbing a mannequin before her, every time the sword landed a blow, a bright flash would emanate from the sword. Though competent in the weapon, she could tell she didn't feel entirely comfortable with it.

"Oh dear, what did that dummy ever do to you?" A silky smooth voice said behind her.

She felt her lips stretch into a smile as she lowered her sword and turned to face the person who had joined her. For a moment she was dazzled by handsome he was, a sly smirk on his lips.

"Well I imagine it has something to do with not being to able to train with my own weapon today," she heard herself saying. Her voice was lighter, a more regal tone to her words.

"You have become remarkably dependent on Frykte," The man in green and black leather said with a shrug as he took a step towards her. "Maybe it is wise you practice training with another weapon every once in a while."

"It that why you hid Frykte from me today Loki?" She asked, sheathing her sword and taking a step towards him also.

"I am surprised you have not come to take it back from me," He said with a smirk, producing Frykte with a flash of green and spinning it in his hands. She felt her heart beat faster at the sight of him as he handled her weapon, the setting sun shining off his raven black hair.

"If you wish for me to disarm you, you need only ask," She gave a smirk of her own, her arms opening slightly wide as an invitation.

His response was a chuckle and wide smile of his own, amused by her antics.

"There is no need, I have finished what I set out to do." He tossed the spear back to her which she easily caught, twirling it in her hands before bringing it to a rest in front of her, its base hitting the floor.

"The only reason I did not summon it back to me is because I knew it was you who had taken it. Though now I regret not claiming it back sooner, I can only image what tricks the trickster has put on my beloved Frykte. " She could hear the teasing in her voice, enjoying the verbal sparing they were having.

"No tricks," Loki's voice turned serious, a sincere look over his features as he stepped up to her. He put a hand back on to the spear, tipping it down to rest in one of his hands, the other being hers. "Only a gift, for my beloved Geni."

She raised an eyebrow at him but obliged to look down when he so obviously wanted her to. Her teasing smirk dropped when she looked to see a new rune had been added amongst the rest, singled out by the faint green glow round it.

"What gift has your magic given me now?" She asked, her voice soft.

"Why don't you touch it and find out," he said back, his voice equally soft.

She looked up to see him stood right in front of her, an excited glee in his eyes with what he had done.

Her thumb came up and pressed the rune and for a moment she was blinded by the bright blue light which surrounded her. When it receded, where once her training tunic and leggings had been, was now her full battle armour, her hair neatly tide in a braid and she was ready for battle.

"Loki this is-"

"Completely selfish on my part," he shrugged, a trade mark smirk on his lips. "I do get very impatient while you have to change into this, especially as with my magic I can do it instantly and my brother has the whole lightening show. Now you have no excuses to keep me waiting."

"I would never," she could hear the mock offence in her voice but also feel the way her lips turned up into a smirk. She was conscious the distance between them seemed to have grown even smaller and she was all the more pleased for it. "And however shall I repay you for such a unique and thoughtful gift?"

"There are many ways to repay a debt Geni, let me show you."

And then he stepped forward and pressed his lips to hers and she did not stop him. Instead she responded as she had with every time he kissed her, with passion and longing. Frykte all but forgotten on the floor as her hands came up to wrap around his neck and bring him closer.

Suddenly the weight of someone in front her was gone and a biting cold hit her face. She opened her eyes to see she was back on the frozen landscape, a blue creature charging towards her.

As before she fought, killing the monster before her gaze turned to the man across the field distracted by his hand. The figure no longer obscured from her, but clear as the creature, it was the man from before, it was Loki.

The dream played out as always, she was fighting and then she was running. It was Loki she was running to and it was Loki she pushed away, to save him and take the razor sharp tail instead.

She could feel herself being dragged backwards, her despair growing. Loki turned to look at her, reaching out desperately to save her but she was too far gone. A large figure with a red beard running up to hold him back.

"GENI!" The heartache in his voice clear, fighting with every fibre of his being to be released from the man's grip to throw himself after her.

"LOKI!" She screamed, her hands reaching out for him but failing miserable.

Then she was falling…

Samantha shot up in her bed, a fresh sheen of sweat covering her body. After a moment, when her breathing finally settled, her dreams suddenly came back to her.

Well, this isn't good, she thought.

Chapter Text

She was stood overlooking a vast city, everything seemingly shining as if it were made of metal. The architecture looked almost medieval but with a hint of sci-fi. She wasn't sure where she was but the building gave her breathtaking views of the city below. The sun was high but she did not feel either overly warm.

She could feel a sense of anxiety in her stomach, and an anger underneath the calm expression she wore. She did not react when she heard a door open behind her, nor move her eyes from the view as the person came to stand next to her on the balcony.

"So this is where you have been sulking," she recognised the voice immediately despite it being slightly higher pitched than last time.

"I am not sulking," she grumbled out. Again, it as if she could hear her own voice but the inflictions were subtly different.

"Really?" She could see out the corner of her eye, he was smirking at her, a raised eye brow in her direction. "You should tell your face that."

"Is there a point to your intrusion Loki or are you merely here to comment on my facial expressions?" She asked, finally turning her body to face him.

He looked slightly younger than last time, his hair shorter but as black as ever. He was stood in more formal clothing, an armour of some sort adorned his body, decorated with green and gold. In his hand was a golden helmet, with two rather large horns protruding and curling upwards. She looked towards it and could feel her face pull into a look of mocking.

"The helmet? Really?" She asked, raised eyebrows of her own.

"Hey, I like to think I look rather dashing in this," he said, mock offence on his face as he puffed out his chest. "And you know as well as I do, today requires my full ceremonial armour, or are you planning to hide out here until the sun sets?"

"Do you really think I would be in this unless society and occasion necessitated it?" She asked, gesturing to the dark blue dress she wore. It was tight at the top but had light layers which flowed from the waist to provide some movement. She could feel the weight of a cape or shawl of some kind which was dropped over her shoulders and arms and went to the floor. "Though I would rather be battling a Bilgesnipe than attending this event, this day is a much about celebrating my father's success as it is about my oaf of a cousin. And even if it were not, my father would expect me there."

"If it's any consolation, I would rather be battling a Bilgesnipe as well,"

"Really?"

"Gods no, have you seen those things? Would much prefer a glass of wine and a bath," his dry tone immediately put her at ease, relaxing some of the tension in her shoulders as she gave a loud laugh, he too sharing in the moment of humour. After a moment of calm he then spoke again. "I am sorry today is not what you hoped it would be."

She gave a large sigh, feeling her anger beginning to build in her again.

"My whole life, I have been training for this day. Ever since I was child, I have done nothing but dream of this moment, to finally prove I am as good as any son. I am the first and only born in my line. It is my birthright to wield Frykte."

"I see the way my father fights with it, the respect and honour he has gained by simply being its owner. I wanted to make him proud, to prove I was worthy." She continued, the words tumbled out her mouth, unable to stop herself. She did not look at her companion but did take comfort when his hand came to rest on top of her own on the balcony wall.

"But because I am a woman, I am automatically ruled out. Instead it must go to the first born male in the family line. Even if that male heir is a baboon who I could defeat with one hand tied behind my back. He only holds the rank in the guard as he does due to his title, otherwise he would be a mere foot solider if based on his actual skill."

A silence fell, her anger slowly leaving her as her rant finally finished, she knew Loki had heard it all before. He did not interrupt her though, and instead simply listened, giving her hand a small squeeze.

"I could always change him into a frog if you'd like? I was planning to practice on Thor but I think your cousin would be more amusing, or maybe even letting a few snakes loose to ruin his big day?" Loki suggested, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes when he finally broke the silence. She heard the laugh leave her lips and her heart flutter at the intention of his gesture.

"I'm afraid I will not embarrass my father in that way, let us not forget this is also the celebration of his retirement as head of the royal guard," she said before a devilish smirk of her own marked her lips. "Tomorrow though, my cousin is fair game."

Loki laughed at this and she felt her smile widen as the knowledge she had made him laugh in such a way. The stayed like that for a moment not feeling a need to say more, before a knock at the door interrupted them. Loki took a step away from her, his hand leaving her own.

They both turned to look to see an elderly gentleman stood in the threshold, a kind smile on his face as he looked over the pair. He stood dressed in a golden armour, a helmet of his own grasped in his hand. In his other hand was a shining silver spear, the faint blue glow of the runes stood out amongst the golden backdrop.

"Ah, so this is where my daughter has taken to sulking," he said, a teasing smile of his own tugging at his lips. She gave a scoff and roll of her eyes causing the new arrival and Loki to share a chuckle.

"I am not sulking," she grumbled again.

"Your highness," the older man said as he came to stop in front of the pair, his head bowing towards the younger man.

"Lord Alvis," Loki gave his own nod of respect back.

"I am sorry to intrude, but I was wondering if I may be able to speak to Geni alone?" The man in the golden armour asked.

"Of course," Loki turned to her again, his smile shifting slightly along with his eyes to show a more gentle tone. "I'll see you at the ceremony."

She felt her head give a nod in response before the raven haired man left the room, her eyes not leaving his dark green cape as it billowed out after him.

"It appears whenever you go missing, I only need to find the younger Prince, and sure enough you will be near by," The man, Alvis, commented as he came to stand next to her on the balcony, an amused smirk on his lips. "And I remember the days the two of you used to hate each other."

"We were but children then father," she gave a shrug, moving to lean on the balcony wall.

"Oh and how innocent you were."

"I don't think Loki has ever been innocent," she said earning an amused laugh from the man.

"That is true, I should be grateful to the boy. I feel his reputation and his closeness to you, may be the only reason Lord Fandral has not yet attempted to court you," he said, placing his weapon next to him before leaning on the balcony wall as well.

If only it could keep away the many other suitors vying for her attention.

She heard the voice in her head, as if he had spoken it but his mouth did not move.

"You did not come to speak to me about suitors, or Loki," she said, her eyes squinting for a moment as she focused on some guards training on the ground the below.

"No I did not,' he said more quietly. There was a pause, a silence neither one felt the need to fill. He gave a sigh before he continued. "I wish for you to speak freely to me Geni-"

She gave a lid scoff at his statement, a sound of mockery.

"I have spoken plenty freely on my thoughts on the matter, yet it has made no difference," she said, a biting tone to her words. "Why should doing so now change that?"

Again a silence fell between the two, nether sure what to say next. In the distance they could faintly hear the chatter of a crowd and when she looked down, she could see a stream of similarly dressed people making their way into the building they were stood in.

"You cannot give Frykte to Hagen, father," she said quietly, a tone of defeat in her words. "He does not deserve it."

"And you do?"

"Yes, it is my right to-" She turned to face him, the passion building in her words but she was stopped almost immediately by him.

"But you are wrong, my daughter, it is not your right, nor anyone's right to behold Frykte," he said, equal passion in his words as he stood to face her. He grabbed the spear in question, and held it across his palms in between himself and her. "Frykte is not given but earned. Its loyalty is unquestioning but only if deserved."

She felt her response die in her throat as she looked at the weapon between the two.

"I was not simply handed this by my father, but instead I had to prove I was worthy by beating my brother in combat," he said, some of the anger in his words melting away and being replaced by calm.

"Uncle Frey challenged you for Frykte?" She asked, surprise clear in her voice.

"Yes as did my uncle against my father," Alvis answered as he looked at her. "There has always been a challenger to ownership of Frykte, always from the second born son."

"I did not know."

"There was never a need to," he gave a sigh, before twirling Frykte, and bringing it to stand by his side. "I never want you to think I regret having a daughter as my only child Geni. You must understand, I wish more than anything it was yourself today I was presenting Frykte to, but I cannot change what is written."

It was almost as if a spark had gone off in the back of her head, as connections were being made as she thought about his statement.

"But alas, it must pass to the first born male heir which is Hagen," Alvis continued, disappointment clear in his voice. He didn't seem to notice her distraction as she thought about his words.

"Of course father," she muttered half listening. She suddenly felt the urge to leave, an urgency in her tasks overwhelming her as a new purpose overcame her.

"Geni, why do have that look on-"

"I'll meet you at the ceremony, there's something I have to check," she started to make her way towards the door, before quickly turning back around and hurrying back a few steps to reach up and kiss the man on the cheek. "Mother would be proud of you today."

And then she left the room.

The next few moments were flashes, images of golden corridors as she rushed through them, ignoring the odd looks she received. All the while unspoken voices filled her head as she passed people. An image of a room full of books came next, her eyes desperately searching for one in particular. When she found it, her whole body became alive with excitement, a wide smile spreading across her lips.

Again flashes of golden corridors, more men in golden armour flashing past her as she ran somewhere.

She came to halt outside a large door, taking a moment to compose herself, with the book still in her hand before she walked through. The buzzing in the back of head grew in volume for a moment before she was able to settle it back down.

The room was vast, larger than anything she had seen before. It was full of people in similar clothing and at the front stood a large golden throne, with large decorative upside down arches giving it an almost U shaped appearance. On it, sat an older man, a golden eye patch on one eye with a matching gold spectre, as he sat over seeing the room. Next to him a kind looking lady sat and on the other side was a young blonde man, in silver and red armour.

Her eyes moved over to the right to see Loki sat there, a smile immediately appearing on his lips when he saw her. He gave her a questioning look as he took note of her slightly reddened cheeks from her running, and the book in her heads. She gave him a reassuring smile which seemed to placate him.

She turned to look across the room and found the man from earlier stood in front of the throne, next to two other men. One was older and looked similar to Alvis though slightly younger. The other was a young man, slightly older than herself she believed, short, blonde hair shining in the sunlight and an arrogant smirk adorned his lips.

Feeling eyes on him, Alvis turned and when he saw her, he too gave her a questioning look. She quickly made her way through the crowd and approached the trio.

"Ah Geni, glad you could finally join us," the other older man roared out, a smug expression to his face. "You almost missed Hagen's big moment."

The man slapped the younger man on the shoulder, clear pride in his feature.

"Apologies Uncle Frey, there was something I needed to check in the library," she said giving a small, fake smile. She turned to her father but before she could say anything, the other man cut her off.

"Always in those books, I don't understand why you even let her read so much," he said, turning his attention to the other older man. "I would never let a daughter of mine spend so much time reading rather than learning to look after the home."

"Yet again brother, I remind you Geni is my daughter and her time is much better spent expanding her mind, then organising someone else to cook our meals," her father sighed, clearly having had many of these conversations with him before.

"Father, I need to speak to you privately," she said quietly, turning her attention to Alvis. She somehow resisted the urge to berate her uncle.

Before he could answer though, a loud bang resonated from behind them and they turned to see the man in the throne, sat forwards, his spear having hit the floor to gain the attention of the room.

Immediately a silence fell as all attention turned to the front. Her father gave her a look as if to say, later, before turning to face the throne. She took a step back to blend with the front of the crowd. She gave a sigh, a knot of anxiety beginning to build in her stomach as she realised what she must do.

"Lord Alvis, you may approach." The eye-patch's man's voice was commanding. Though not loud, his voice carried throughout the room. Her father went to the bottom of the steps, and knelt before the man. His helmet placed under his arm and Frykte held vertically on the other side. "Speak."

"Odin, all father and king to the nine realms, it has been my honour and pleasure to have served in the royal guard for 3 millennia. I wish to thank you for giving me the privilege of serving you and your family. It is with a heavy heart I must ask your permission to be relieved of my duties as I am no longer the young man I once was." Her father spoke loudly and clearly to all the room to hear.

She found herself thinking it all very pompous, she knew her father and Odin had arranged and agreed everything already, and today was simply the show for rest of the noble class, an act for them to feel they were involved with Odin's court.

"Lord Alvis, you have served with great honour and dignity. You will be rewarded for your hard work and commitment with a place on my council. May the wisdom you have lead the royal guards with, be now used to help govern the people of the nine realms." Odin spoke with such authority, she wondered if anyone had ever challenged him. Her face was split in a wide smile as she looked proudly at her father, knowing how much the king's word meant to him. "As is tradition in your family, the time has come to give Frykte to the next in line, if they be worthy, as it has been since the time of our fathers and their father's before them."

Her father nodded before he stood up and and walked up the steps before placing Frykte at the feet of the king, the runes no longer glowing a faint blue. Alvis then stepped down the steps, remaining stood as his body turned to the two men from before stood to the side.

"If it pleases the King, may I present my nephew Lord Hagen son of Frey, who is by right, the next male in line to Frykte." She felt herself bite her cheek to stop her interrupting there and then as she watched, what could only be described as a saunter, as her cousin approached her father and knelt on the floor before the Allfather.

"Very well, is there anyone who wishes to challenge this claim?" Odin asked.

She took a deep breath, stealing her nerves before she stepped forward.

"I do!"

She felt every single head in the room turn to look at her as she stepped away form the crowd, the buzzing in her head skyrocketing. She did her best to ignore it all, focusing instead on keeping eye contact with the King, her shoulders rolled back and her head held high.

"I wish to lay my claim as the first born of Lord Alvis and therefore the true heir to Frykte." She said, hoping no one noticed the slightly wobble in her voice.

"This is outrageous!" A bellowing voice could be heard but not from Odin. Instead her uncle had spoken, his face almost bright red in his anger at her outburst. "She is but a women, Frykte goes to the first born male heir, she has no claim."

"Lady Geni, how do you answer these questions?" Odin asked, his face impassive and voice calm.

"Sire you cannot allow such-"

"I have known Lady Geni since she were but a child Lord Frey, and I know she is no fool. She would not speak up unless there were good reason," Odin interrupted her uncle, silencing him with a look before turning his attention back to her. "Lady Geni,"

With another deep breath she approached the throne, opening the book in her hand and holding the page out to the King.

"Allfather, I do not disagree Frykte belongs to the first born, but no where in our texts does it specify it must be the male heir, simply the first born," she said, coming back down the steps to kneel beside her cousin who was staring at her with wide eyes and no quite sure if he could stand yet or not. "As Lord Alvis's first and only child, it should be myself it is gifted to and Lord Hagen who challenges me to the right to wield it."

She kept her head bowed, waiting for a response. She could feel the room hold its breath as the waited for Odin to make a decision. She dare not look at her father for fear of the embarrassment and anger in his eyes.

Suddenly a small chuckle could be heard from above her and she looked up to see Odin give her a small smile.

"The Lady Geni is right, no where does it say it must be a male heir. It appears our own biases have clouded are memory." She almost collapsed from the relief of hearing his words. "She has rightful claim to Frykte."

"Then I wish to challenge!" Hagen next to her almost shouted after his father had sent him a look telling him to do so.

"As you are allowed too," Odin said with an impassive look. He then turned his attention to the room before making his announcement. "Tomorrow at midday, Lord Hagen will challenge Lady Geni for the right to be given Frykte."

Conversations broke out amongst the room and she finally risked a glance up to her father. She was surprised to see no anger in his eyes, only admiration as well as a knowing smile. She did not ponder on it for too long a her eyes travelled back across the throne, to a particularly pair of blue ones which were seeking her out.

She looked at Loki and saw the look of pride in his eyes, and for not the first time, she understood why he enjoyed creating mischief so much if this was the result.

Suddenly the images changed around her.

The wind was biting, the battle raged and then she was falling…

Samantha lunged up to a sitting position, a cold sheen of sweat covering her. A cool breeze crossed her face and she took a moment to gather her surroundings. The faint sound of the telly caught her attention, having to squint her eyes from the brightness when she looked towards it.

Her eyes managed to wander in the darkness to see the clock on the wall showing it was just past midnight. She looked down to see she had fallen asleep on the sofa after work, still clad in her jeans and t-shirt. She hadn't even managed to take her trainers off.

Her hands came up to wipe some of the grogginess from her eyes as the effects of the nightmare finally startled to settle. She wasn't surprised she had fallen asleep straight after work, the exhaustion from her poor sleep finally catching up with her.

It had been a few days since she had been to the museum, as with before the trip, the trend of waking up in a cold sweat and the feeling of falling to her death had continued every night. It wasn't exactly a recipe for a good sleep.

Now Samantha was plagued with these weird dreams of a golden city, her mind making up a story about Geni and the supposed mythical weapon from the museum. Tonight had been the first one since the night at the museum but this one had been longer, the imagers clearer.

She gave a dramatic shake of her head, as if to dispel the thoughts from her mind, conscious of how crazy it all sounded. The last thing she needed was another thing for Dr Angelo to pick up in their session tomorrow, well later today she should say.

Samantha reached for the remote and turned off the news report about the upcoming G7 summit. She reached her arms over her head to stretch out her back as she stood and then made her way to the kitchen for a glass of water.

As she stood taking a few sips, her eyes wandered over to the fridge were photos of her and her father were placed with magnets. Her eyebrows furrowed as worry swept over her, concern for her father.

It had now been just under two weeks since her father had left for the states and she was still yet to hear from him following his initial I've arrived safely text. It wasn't like him, when gone for long periods he would aim to send some sort of message every few days to let her know he was okay. She gave some leeway since he was in another country, but now nearly 2 weeks had passed and alarm bells were ringing in her head.

For a moment, she thought about calling the police then and there, report him as missing. But would the police be able to do anything? Was this a case of contacting the embassy? She honestly had no clue.

Just as she started to plan how exactly to go about reporting a missing person in another country, the sound of the a new email alert from her laptop caught her attention.

She wandered back into the living room to see the little red icon over her email box. Samantha clicked on it and gave a sigh of relief when she saw the email address of her dad under sender.

Her relief was short lived though, as there was no message written, only video attached. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was some sort of virus but after a quick check with her laptop security and reassurance it was genuine, she finally clicked on the video.

After a few seconds of loading, the screen produce the image of her father. He was hunched over a desk, staring directly into his own laptop's camera. The background was white, as if he was in a lab of some kind but it was too generic to give her any clues as to where he may be. Overall he didn't look to worse for wear but then she looked into his eyes and saw the panic there. Something was wrong.

"Samantha, if you're getting this, then I'm sorry," her father said immediately putting her on edge. "I hoped I would never have to ask this of you, but I need your help."

She had to remind herself to breath, as she leant forward and listened to the video intently.

"There's not much time to explain, but this job I'm on is more serious then I could have ever imagined. This may be the most important work of my life but I'm in trouble and I'm sorry, but now you are too."

Samantha could feel her breathing pick up at his words, a nervous energy beginning to tighten in her gut.

"When you get this email, you'll only have 15 minutes until they arrive at the flat. Take these coordinates, latitude 38.887100 and longitude -77.002850, there's more information waiting for you there."

Her father gave a pause on screen, clear regret and worry crossing his eyes before hard determination set in.

"You can't trust anybody," the pleading in his voice made her take a deep breath in shock. "I'm sorry Samantha to drag you into this, but know you are capable of more things than you think. I love you."

The video finished and Samantha was left looking at her own startled expression in the black screen. Her brain seemed to falter for a moment.

Her father's words finally started to sink in. Her first reaction was it must be a joke of some kind. But then she knew her dad, she knew already how big his current case was. It was more than a simple re look at a cold case, like his usual jobs.

No, this one he had been working at for weeks, days and nights consumed with it. She hadn't seen him like this since his days in the police. When he hadn't got in contact with since his first text, she had known something was wrong and the video she received was proof.

You'll only have 15 minutes until they arrive at the flat

Her dad's voice came back to her and it was if her brain had finally caught up.

Samantha stood up, slamming her laptop shut and grabbing it in one hand before running through to her room. She found her largest rucksack and threw her laptop in before grabbing what she might need. Clothes were thrown in without prejudice, draws left open as she scrambled to pack her bag against the ticking clock.

Ten minutes

She would need money….Samantha ran through to her dad's room and dropped to the floor, lifting up a loose floor board and putting in the code for the security box inside the hidden compartment. Her dad's hidden stash of money he kept for emergencies.

Eight minutes

Samantha stood up and looked around, wondering what else she might need that she couldn't grab on the road….her mind remembered the coordinates. Running back to her bedroom, she grabbed one of the books from her room which contained a map of the world. Her finger trailed over the pages until it landed on the US. So good, he's still in America she thought…wait passport!

Five minutes

She ran back into the kitchen pulling open draws trying to find where her dad put her passport. Every sound from the street outside gave her pause, wondering if her dad had overestimated how long she had. She found the brown booklet in the bottom of draw next to the fridge.

Three min—

The sound of multiple feet running up her stairwell caught her attention. Definitely not what she would expect on a weeknight. She popped her head round the corner to look at the front door, and could see the shadows beginning to form on the other side.

Grateful she was still in jeans and trainers, Samantha went back into her bedroom, shutting the door and looking for an alternative way out. She gave a jump when she heard the crash coming from the hallway, letting her know her door was no longer standing.

Running over to her window, she slid it open and began to climb out through it. With one leg in her room and one leg outside, she paused when she saw the drop below. Though two flights up, her window backed out on to the top of a hill about one storey below. She hesitated wondering if she was about to make a stupid mistake.

Suddenly her door was flung open and Samantha saw the barrel of gun aimed towards her. Before a shot could be fired she flung herself over the edge. She gave a grunt of pain as she landed on her side, letting the momentum take her, rolling down the hill to the bottom.

"Over there!"

Samantha head a shout behind her but she was already on her feet running. Somehow the fall didn't hurt her a much as she expected…but then again the adrenaline in her system was probably helping with that. The sound of gunshots hitting the floor behind her gave another shock to her system.

She came out on to the street in front of her flat building and froze when in front of her were 3 more men glad in black, clearing carrying weapons, beside them two large black SUVs. The trio gave her an odd look but Samantha tried to play it cool, As calmly as she could, she slowed her movements, pulled her hood over her head and began to walk in the direction of the Underground station.

The sound of a radio crackling to life caught her attention but she didn't pause to look back.

"Target is a blonde female in a black hoodie with blue rucksack running from the back of property,"

Samantha started to run again. She turned around the corner and ran as fast as she could. She could hear one guy was chasing after her on foot. It may have been just after midnight, but the streets of London were still busy. Even trying her best to avoid people she still collided with multiple persons, each one less impressed than the last. With how fast she was going, she was like wrecking ball, knocking down everything in her path.

She looked over her shoulder to see the man giving chase was struggling with the crowd as much as she was.

Seeing a park on the other side of the road, Samantha dashed across. A car's horn blared as she cut the driver off, lucky not to be hit. She gave them an apologetic hand up but did not stop.

Making it in to the park she gained speed now there were no obstructions. She gave a look over her shoulder to see the man giving chase was now 100m behind her, she wasn't sure when that happened but as they ran, the distance only seemed to grow between them.

As she reached the other side of the park, her heart sank when she saw one of the SUVs from before pull up with three men in all black climb out and start running towards her.

"Shit," She muttered as she pushed off her left foot and turned right to head for another exit to the park.

She was about to hit a scattering of trees which would hopefully provide some cover when the tree next to her took a bullet. Samantha knew she didn't live in the best part of London but a gun shoot out like this should surely have attracted police attention by now?

She ducked in between the trees, somehow avoiding being shot out by multiple people. As she ran she started to think of the nearest Underground station to her from here, knowing it was the only way she was going to lose her pursers. If she banked left, there would be a station just on the other side of the fence and she had put enough distance between herself and the group to give her time to climb it.

With a sudden turn to the left, she made her way to the tree line. Sure enough she could see the blue sign with a familiar red circle on the other side of the fence. What she didn't expect was how high the fence was. Picking up speed as she approached her plan was to jump up enough to grab the top of the railing. What she didn't expect was to clear the fence and land in a crouch on the other side.

The people on the pavement stopped to give her a funny look and Samantha's head whipped around to see the fence she had cleared, at least 2 meters high. She didn't stare for long though as the second SUV turned on to the street and came to a screeching halt. She didn't wait to see how many men appeared this time and instead made her way to the Underground, annoying the splattering of commuters as she raced passed them.

When she hit the ticket barriers, she placed her hands either side and easily jumped over them, grateful no transport police or underground staff were around to stop her. She could hear the heavy footsteps behind her and the sound of alarm and indignation as people were pushed out of the way.

She looked up to see a Northern Line was due in a minute, knowing she could grab that to then switch to Piccadilly to head to Heathrow airport, she started making her way to the platform.

The sound of the men chasing her was getting closer but Samantha could see the train in sight. With one final effort she was able to push forward and jump on to the train just as the doors slid shut. She turned around to look at the men who only managed to reach the platform as the train pulled away, their eyes scanning the crowd still looking for her.

Once in the tunnels, the adrenaline finally seemed to leave Samantha, and she all but fell into the empty chair next to her. She knew she was covered in sweat and her breathing was coming out hard and fast.

The implications of what had just happened finally seemed to catch up with her. Samantha had problems, she knew that, but she never expected to be chased by men carrying guns. Her dad hadn't been lying in the video when he said it was serious. The fear for her father multiplied by 10 as if that was what she was dealing with here, what the hell kind of trouble was he in over there?

"It's okay dad, I'm coming for you," Samantha whispered.

Chapter Text

The roar from the crowd was deafening, it appeared as if the arena seating was full to the brim, from those of the lowest class, all the way to those at the top. She could feel a nervous bubble of anxiety settle in her stomach, almost as if she were about to throw up. 

She stood in the centre, in some sort of armour and in her hand was a big stick or wooden pole of some kind. She looked to her right and could see the man, Hagen she thought, from before. He too held a large wooden pole in his hand and was dressed in armour. 

She looked back up to a box of sorts in the centre of the stand. The one-eyed man stood with his spectre in his hand as he looked down on the pair. To his right was the lady with the kind eyes and on his left the young blonde man. Next to him was Loki, an unusually grim expression adorned his features, tension clear in his shoulders. 

Her eyes continued to scan the crowd and she could see the man, the one she had called father, sat behind the King, his face giving nothing away as to how he felt. 

With a raise of his hand, the crowd fell silent and the one eye’ed man spoke.

“Lady Geni, do you insert your claim to Fryke as the firstborn of Lord Alvis?” he said, looking at her.

“I do,” she replied, keeping her voice strong as it carried across the crowd. 

“Lord Hagen, do you still wish to challenge for that right?” The man asked, looking at her opponent in the arena.

“I do,” Hagen almost shouted back in his eagerness to prove himself in front of the crowd. 

“Lord Hagen has officially challenged Lady Geni to the right to wield Frykte,” the king continued, his hand drifting over to the edge of his box where Frykte was placed on a stand, visible to all. “Lady Geni has already been told she must not use her gifts, and it is only fighting skill which will be rewarded today. They will fight with Staves to prove their worthiness and the winner will be the last one standing.” 

The pair gave a nod, placing a fist over their chest and bowing slightly in acknowledgement of his words. They then turned to face each other, each settling into a fighting pose. She could feel her muscles tense in anticipation as to what was about to happen. 

“It’s not too late dear cousin, save yourself the embarrassment and revoke your claim.” Her opponent sneered, quiet enough only she could hear.

“Funny, I was about to say the same to you,” she said, a smirk across her lips. She took joy in the way his brows furrowed, too stunned to come up with a response to her rebuttal.

A horn was blown and immediately Hagen was on the attack.

She had been prepared for this, knew his fighting style was hostile and impulsive. She easily blocked hit after hit from his stave as he aggressively came after her. At one point she had to roll out of the way, her body easily repositioning to block another quick attack. She could feel his initially burst of energy starting to wane and she took her opportunity, ducking under his next strike and bringing her weapon around to hit him on the back to send him stumbling forwards. 

She did not give him time to think as she swung her Stave low and took his legs out from under him. Hagen landed hard on his back, a loud grunt given out as he dropped his Stave and it rolled away from him. 

For a moment, as she stood over him, she thought about ending it there, bringing her weapon down to knock him out cold, but there would be no honour in that. Instead she dropped her guard, and offered a hand to her cousin on the floor. He looked at her with surprise but also gratefulness.

He leaned up to take her hand but then his smile dropped. She had no warning when suddenly he pulled her towards the ground, bringing his knee up as he did so and catching her straight in her nose. Her head ricocheted backwards as she lost her balance and ended up on the floor.

For a moment she was dazed, but only a moment. With momentum from her legs she was able to get herself straight to standing from the ground. The moment was all her opponent needed though to retrieve his weapon. 

“Poor form!” She heard cried from the royal box, she thought it may have been Loki but couldn’t be sure. From the boos and other jeers from the crowd, he had not been the only person unimpressed by Hagen’s trickery. 

Her hand came up and wiped some of the blood which poured from her nose before locking eye contact with her opponent again. The man simply smirked as he twirled his Stave in his hand, no shame in his actions. It was if a switch had been flipped, and all her previous inhibitions had disappeared. 

With a cry from each of them, both leapt at the air and their Staves met in the middle. He had underestimated her though, and her strength easily overpowered his as she pushed him backwards, taking him by surprise. 

She swung her Stave round over her head which he managed to block, but she left herself open and he planted a kick square in her chest, sending her backwards. The pair circled each other for a moment, each swinging their staffs to demonstrate their skill. 

“Why do you continue, cousin? You know Frykte belongs to me,” he taunted, the sneer clear on his face.

“Frykte doesn’t belong to anyone, you have to earn it,” she spat at him, remembering her father’s words from before. “Something you will never do.”

Hagen growled as he launched at her again, using high and low attacks. She managed to keep blocking, eventually leading to an overhead attack from him which she blocked with her weapon held horizontally above her head. With a show of her strength, she managed to push his staff backwards, knocking him off balance and giving herself space. Her leg came up and shot out like a bullet, catching her cousin straight in the chest and sending him flying backwards several feet. 

She leaped after him, pulling him up and placing him in a choke hold from behind. His Stave lay metres away, useless. 

“Yield,” she hissed, ignoring the blood running down her face from her no doubt broken nose. When he did nothing, she squeezed her arms tighter, ignoring the way his fingers scrapped at her arms. “Yield!”

“I yield! I yield!” Hagen shouted as he tapped her arm furiously indicating his defeat. 

Suddenly she let go and he unceremoniously fell to the floor. 

She turned to see the crowd on their feet, the cheering and applause rattling the very ground she stood on. Her eyes searched for one person though and she found her father stood, clapping with everyone else. His eyes were full of pride and the smile on his face was one of pure joy. 

“I object!” Her cousin shouted as he ungracefully clambered to stand. The king held up his hand, silencing the crowd again as the young Lord came forward to voice his protests. “You saw the strength she had, clearly she used her gifts. No woman could possess such strength.” 

“You pompous, sexist-“ She started to move towards him, anger she had never felt before at the accusation of cheating.

“This can be settled very easily,” the one eyed man said, silencing her and stopping her progression. “If Lady Geni did cheat, then you will have won the challenge Lord Hagen, and Frykte will answer your call.”

Her cousin sent her a smug smirk before holding out his hand. For a moment, she held her breath, doubt filling her. But then Hagen’s features changed, his eyes closed with concentration and his face started to go red. A small bit of spittle flew from his mouth as he gave a harsh breath in exertion.

She had to look to the ground to hide the amused smile which played on her lips. 

“Lady Geni,” She looked up to the King, and realised it was now her turn. 

Suddenly all her nerves from before came rushing back to her, scared Frykte would not answer when she called. To the King’s left she caught the sight of Loki looking down at her with a proud smile. He nodded his head at her and it was the encouragement she needed.

She took a deep breath before closing her eyes. She held her hand out and called to the weapon. Instantly she felt cool metal bound in leather fall into her grasp. She opened her eyes to see Frykte in her hands, shining in all its glory, with the runes glowing their familiar electric blue. 

An enormous roar ascended the crowd. She was faintly aware of Hagen storming off, but her eyes were too focused on admiring the weapon in her hand, now her weapon. She turned to the crowd finally, and held her weapon a loft, somehow increasing the crowd’s volume by ten. 

There were flashes again, multiple corridors as she made her way somewhere. It looked almost like a changing room of sorts with many different weapons layering the walls. 

Suddenly hands gripped her around the waist and she was spun on the spot, flashes of silver and red. When she was put back down again she turned to see the blonde man from before, the one sat next to Loki. 

His hair sat just past his chin, which was covered in a blonde stubble. The scarlet red of his cape stood out amongst the gold of the buildings. His lips demonstrated a wide smile as he left one hand on her shoulder. 

“Lady Geni, you are a mighty warrior indeed. I had no doubt you would win today,” the man’s voice was deep, matching the confidence he exuded. 

“Thank you Thor,” she said, the smile still having not left her lips from when she won. She looked over his shoulder to see Loki joining them, walking up behind the first man, both having clearly come straight from their seats to find her. “I’m sure I could show you a few moves if you asked.”

She was answered by a loud laugh, causing her and Loki to share a smile before the blonde man continued, “I may hold you to that. Though I look forward to testing Mjölnir against Frytke.” He held a hammer of sorts aloft. “Now, get changed. There is a celebration needed in your honour, which will be more epic than the battle you have just won.” 

“I look forward to it,” she gave a genuine smile. She watched him leave before turning her attention to the other person remaining. 

For a moment, the pair just looked at each other before bursting into large smiles. She collided with him as he stepped to meet her, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her up slightly. When he placed her back down he pulled back slightly but left her face in his hands. 

“Oh dear, it looks like your pretty face may be lost,” Loki teased as his thumbs came up and prodded slightly at her nose causing her to wince.

“I am not so sure. I believe I could pull off a broken nose,” she mused before a familiar warmth crossed over her nose. For a split moment there was an intense pain before it settled. She knew her nose was no longer disjointed.

“Now you do not have too,” he said quietly and with a much gentler smile.  His hands remained where they were and she could feel her breath hitch. 

Why am I not surprised she did not go straight to the healers?

“My father is about to walk through those doors,” she said quietly after the voice she heard but did not see spoken. 

“Then I shall leave you with him, besides I remember you saying Lord Hagen is now fair game,” he said, stepping back and dropping his hands. 

“Will you have time for such mischief before the revelries?” She asked with her own smirk as he made his way towards the door on the far side.

“Lady Geni, there is always time for mischief,” Loki shot back with a wicked smirk causing her to laugh. 

As soon as he left, her father walked in the main door. He came to stop in front of her and the pair stood in silence. She knew somehow, the pair had not spoken since her declaration in the throne room, she was too afraid to face him and see his disappointment in her. 

She looked to the ground, scared what he might say but she was surprised when she felt his arms wrap around her and pull her into him. 

“I am so proud of you, my daughter,” he said before pulling back and laying a palm on her cheek. “Your mother would be so proud too.”

Tears suddenly sprang forth in her eyes. She leapt forward and wrapped her own arms around him. The two stood wrapped in each other’s arms for a few moments more before they finally separated.

“Did you know?” She finally asked, he raised his eyebrows asking for further clarification. “Yesterday when you said about what is written. Did you know it never made mention of sex and I had rightful claim all long?”

Her father’s lips simply changed into a knowing smirk and she gave out a half laugh/half cry at his response. 

“Why did you never say anything?” She asked. 

“Because, if you truly wanted Frykte and were its rightful owner, it would not matter what was written in some text from thousands of years ago. If the norns have commanded it, it will be so.” 

She gave a large smile and then the scene changed.

The cold seemed to bite even more than usual after the warmth of the golden city. She could see Loki in the distance, throwing Frykte to kill the creature which almost killed him. The flash of red she could now see the blonde man from before, his scarlet cape once again clear amongst the blue backdrop. 

She was fighting, then she was running before finally she was falling…

Samantha woke with a gasp and to a very concerned air stewardess look at her. 

“Are you alright, Miss Jennings?” The woman asked, concern clear on her face. 

Samantha’s eyes darted around and her location suddenly came back to her. The rows of chairs in the confined space with the dimmed lights, she remembered she was on a plane. She took a few calming breaths before speaking.

“I’m sorry, I get bad night terrors,” she lied, but it seemed to do the trick as most people stopped staring. The people on her row though still gave her suspicion looks. “I won’t fall asleep again, not until after we land.”

Happy with her statement, the flight attendant gave another kind smile before walking down the aisle to answer a call button. 

Samantha quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and made her way to the bathroom, grateful there was no line. She gave her face a splash of water trying to wash off the sweat which had formed. She looked in the mirror to see the colour was slowly returning to her face. 

It was getting ridiculous now, having not gone a single night without waking up to the dream of falling these last two weeks. And now her mind continued to play cruel tricks with this sudden obsession with the goddess Geni, making up elaborate stories about her life. Samantha took another few calming breaths before making her way back to her seat.

She had to remind herself to focus on the task at hand which was finding her dad. The weird dreams would have to be put on the back burner for now. She just hoped once her the stress of finding her dad had resolved, her dreams would return to somewhat normality. It was a small hope, but one she clung to nonetheless. 

Samantha moved her weight from side to side as she stood in the line at JFK, waiting to get through border control. The noise in her head was pounding and it was only contributing to the headache which came from limited sleep and jet lag. 

After the incident on the plane, she had stayed true to her word and had not fallen asleep again but it meant she was going on very few hours sleep in the last 24 hours.

In her hand she clenched her passport tightly as she trudged along with the other hundred or so people from her flight. She looked outside to see the rising sun glinting off the frost in the early November morning. Slowly but surely she made her way to the front of the line and stepped forward when called.

“Documents please,” The young man behind the counter held his hand out and she handed over her passport as well as the declaration form she had to fill in on the plane. “And what’s the purpose of your visit to the United States?” 

“To see the sights and visit a friend,” Samantha said trying not to sound as nervous as she felt. She could see the man looking at his computer instead of her and there was a small furrow in his brow which put her on edge.

“Put your fingers on the scanner below,” he pointed to the green screen below him and Samantha did as she was told. She kept her eyes on the agent though as she saw him look behind him, giving the smallest nod and then turn back to the computer. “Please remove your hands.”

Samantha again did as she was told as she stepped back and reminded herself to keep breathing calmly. The hairs on the back of her neck were stood up and she grew increasingly anxious. No one else in front of her had taken this long. 

“Is everything okay?” She finally managed to ask but when she was met with no response, it gave her the answer. 

For a brief moment she looked around the room, wondering how best to get out of the situation when she saw a man in a suit and another border force agent walking towards her. 

One at booth 3, tall blonde girl 

Samantha’s eyes flicked up and she saw the big number three above her and her heart sank. 

“Ms Jennings, do you mind coming with us?” The man in the suit said once he was stood next to her.

“Can I ask what this is about?” She said, trying to remain somewhat polite.

“Just a few extra questions about your visit to the US, shouldn’t delay you too long.” The man gave a fake smile to which Samantha nodded her consent. 

Before she could take her passport back, it was already confiscated by the man in the suit who then indicated his head backwards as to follow him. Samantha felt the eyes of her fellow passengers on her as they watched her being escorted away. With the other border force agent on her heels, it was clear to all what was happening. 

Samantha looked towards the exit and part of her told her to run. Somehow she knew she would be able to outrun them but then what? Suddenly she would be fugitive in a foreign country making the task of finding her dad almost impossible.

As they led her out of the main immigration hall and down a side corridor, she had the thought to tell them the truth. Maybe if she told them her dad was in trouble they could help her….but then her dad had told her to trust no one.  He wouldn’t say that without good reason so right now she had to have belief in her dad, even if it meant lying to the authorities.  

Before long she found herself sat behind a table with the man in the suit opposite her. Her backpack no longer in her possession which only put her on edge further. The walls were bare except a clock on the left and the right wall obviously held a one way mirror in the centre. Samantha had to bite down the chuckle in her throat as she looked up at the camera in the corner and thought she was suddenly in an episode of Law and Order. 

“My name is Agent Tim Brown with the US customs and border agency,” he said as he tucked his tie neatly under the table and then picking a pen from his pocket to begin taking notes of the interview.  “I’ll start by saying this is a voluntary interview and you have the right to not answer any questions though please note failure to do so may mean you are not granted entry into the United States and may be deported. Do you understand?” 

“I do,” Samantha said, her hands clenching and unclenching into fists under the table. 

“The reason you have been brought to interview today is to clarify the purpose of your visit to the US and to ensure you are not gaining entry under false pretences,” he continued after her affirmation. 

Samantha’s eyes flicked to the one way mirror. 

So stupid, Tim’s going to eat this girl alive

She bit down on her lip as the new voice entered her head.

“Ms Jennings?”

She looked up to see the agent giving her a questioning look and she realised she had missed him speaking. 

“I’m sorry, what was the question?” Samantha asked, keeping her voice light.

“I asked, what is the reason for your visit to the US?” He repeated, making notes on his paper. 

“I’ve always wanted to come to the US. See the sights you know, and I have a friend here I was planning on visiting,” she shrugged, giving the answer she had practiced in her head. 

“Any sights in particular?” Tim followed up with. 

“The Empire State building, maybe see a show on Broadway. I was also hoping to head over to Washington DC and visit a few of the Smithsonians.” Samantha lied, making sure to keep eye contact with the middle aged, greying haired man opposite her. 

“And your friend?” He prompted, only pausing from his note taking for a moment. 

“He lives in New York, we used to work together in London before he had to move back because his visa ran out,” she answered, doing her best not to fidget in her seat.

“His name?”

“Gareth Williams,” Samantha hated bringing Gareth into this but maybe offering some element of truth/a real person to verify her story, may be enough to get her out of this. 

“Do you have a contact number?” 

Samantha paused, trying her best to not look alarmed at the question even though she had no answer to give. 

“I was planning on messaging him via social media when I landed, as a surprise,” she said but the man paused in his writing as he shot her an unbelieving look. 

“Odd you don’t have your friend’s phone number.”

“Why would I have his American phone number?” Samantha asked, unable to keep the snark out of her voice. “International calls are expensive, whereas messaging him on an app is free.” 

Thinks she’s clever, once we’re in to her laptop we can disprove her story and wipe that smug look off her face

Samantha’s eyes once again flicked to the one way mirror as her hands clenched into fists underneath the table. 

“And how long do you plan to stay in the United States?” The agent continued, not responding to her sarcasm. “It concerns me you don’t have a return flight already booked.”

“Only a week, I didn’t book my return flight as I wasn’t sure if I’m better to fly out of New York or Virginia as I’m not sure of my plans yet,” Samantha answered, crossing her arms over her chest, exasperation now clearly in her tone as her limited patience ran out. “Look is that the reason you pulled me in here?:

“Amongst other things,” Tim said, keeping his calm. “Which we will get too.”

“Before or after you illegal hack into my electronic devices?” 

The man stopped writing, almost dropping his pen at the statement. Samantha closed her eyes in frustration of herself, she wasn’t meant to say that. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Agent Brown said, trying to play it off. 

She thought about letting it go, continuing with the pretence of the whole interview. But her dad was in trouble and the sooner she got out of this room, the sooner she could start looking for him.

“I’m talking about your colleague on the other side of the mirror,” Samantha nodded her head to the wall on the right. “Who is currently trying to illegal access the files on my laptop. And before you say it, I know you have a right to search my belongings and electronic devices. But you should do so in the presence of myself which you have never given me the option of consenting to. Anything you gather on that laptop will just be grounds for me to complain to the US embassy on my return to the UK.”

The man opposite her resembled a fish for a few seconds as his mouth gaped open and closed. Realising she was giving them further grounds to deport her, Samantha decided to try a different approach. 

“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be antagonistic on purpose. It’s been a long 24 hours and I’m really jet lagged,” she gave a placating smile but from the look of the agent she knew she wasn’t winning. “Look just call Gareth, he flew back to JFK 2 weeks ago, on the 25th. He’ll be in your passenger logs. He’ll verify I’m just a regular person.”

Agent Brown said nothing as he gathered up his pad of paper and left the room. 

She gave a sigh as she realised what an idiot she had been and the man was probably already arranging her deportation back to the UK. Her arms stayed crossed over her chest as she settled in to what she imagined would be a very long wait. 

Samantha could feel her eye lids growing heavy again and her head fell forward for a moment before shooting back up. She gave herself a little shake to try and wake herself up. She was determined not to fall asleep on surveillance, the last thing she needed was them seeing her wake up screaming. 

She looked to the clock on the wall and saw she had been sat by herself for nearly two hours now. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could last before she would fall asleep, she just hoped they had been able to track Gareth down. But with how the Agent looked at her after she called them out for trying to hack into her laptop, she imagined even if Gareth vouched for her, they would still send her straight back home out of spite. 

Who the hell does this guy think he is?

I can’t believe they’re pulling rank here 

Samantha sat straighter in her chair at the return of the voices which had previously been missing the last 2 hours. The door handle rattled as it finally opened but instead of there being Agent Brown, she was instead met with someone new.

The man was in a back suit, short brown hair, another agent of some kind she guessed. His hair was parted to his left and the hair line receding slightly. He gave her a small smile as he entered, and only once sat down opposite her did he speak. 

“Hello, my name is Agent Coulson,” He said. His voice was mild and calm but surprisingly it only made Samantha more suspicious. “I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a few questions.”

“I don’t really think I have a choice,” she said back, too tired to pretend to be nice. 

“No, I guess you don’t,” he shrugged, giving another small smile. “I’m sure you know why you were pulled for further questioning today.” 

“I imagine it has something to do with my last minute trip and the fact I only brought my ticket and applied for my ESTA this morning.” Samantha said, eyes flicking to the mirror again where she was sure the two agents from before were stood watching.

“You would be correct,” Coulson said, bring his hands up to rest on the table, clasped. “But I’m not here to talk about that.”

“Then what are you here to talk about?" 

“I was wondering if you could tell me about the shooting which took place outside your home yesterday.”

The drastic change in conversation topic threw Samantha. She somehow managed to stop her eyes going wide in surprise but there was added tension to her shoulders which she knew the Agent had picked up on. 

“Shooting?” She did her best to sound confused.

“Yes, there was a shooting reported outside your apartment complex as well as reports of a young woman being chased in the surrounding area,” Coulson said, his voice and face remaining impassive the entire time. 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware that had happened,” Samantha lied hoping he didn’t have cctv footage which undoubtedly showed it was her being pursued. “It must have happened after I had left for the airport.”

“It must have,” he gave her a tight smile and she knew that he didn’t believe her for one-second. Surprisingly though he didn’t persist, instead his line of questioning changed again, sending her for a loop. “Do you know a Keith Jennings? Born 5th of August 1958.”

“Yes, he’s my dad,” Samantha’s nails dug into her palms as an outlet for her frustration all the while keeping her face as impassive as the man opposite her. 

“He’s also in the US, isn’t that correct?” Samantha nodded, not feeling the need to answer out loud. “He missed his flight back to the UK last week. Mind telling me why?”

Samantha felt her tongue turn to lead as no answers came forward. Her mind too sluggish from the lack of sleep and she was struggling to keep up with the twists and turns of the conversation. 

“Is it safe to assume your last minute trip has something to do with him?” Coulson asked when she gave no response. 

“In a way,” Samantha said, trying her best to be noncommittal. Her father’s words reminding her not to trust anyone came to her, so despite how much she wanted to tell the Agent about her concerns for her father, she instead decided to continue lying. “The reason for his visit unexpectedly got prolonged. I thought I may come out to see him but he’s not my main reason for travelling.”

“That’s slightly odd, if you don’t mind me saying.” 

The pair looked at each other and then her stomach suddenly twisted as she realised something. 

“What agency are you from Agent Coulson? You never did give that information.” Samantha said, looking him directly in the eye, no small smiles to give. 

“Did I not? How careless of me,” He gave the tiniest head tilt, and both knew it had been no mistake. “I work for SHIELD.”

“And why is SHIELD asking me questions? Do I need a lawyer?”

“I don’t know, do you?”

The two stared at each other, waiting for the other to make their move.

Suddenly a beeping sound filled the room and Coulson pulled out a phone from his pocket. With a quick look, he was already standing and placing the device back in his trouser pocket.

“You’re free to go Miss Jennings,” he said with a polite small. 

Samantha almost did a double take, it was the last thing she expected to hear him. 

“I am?” She couldn’t help but ask as she hesitantly stood up. 

“You are, we were able to contact Mr Williams who verified your story” he said as he swung the door open for her to walk through. On the other side stood Agent Brown from before, with an angry look on his face. “The border agents will give you back your personal belongings on your way out.”

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Samatha decided not to push it further and quickly made her way to exit. As she crossed the doorway, Coulson’s words paused her progress. 

“Enjoy your time in the United States Miss Jennings, I hope you enjoy the sights.” 

Again he gave her a small smile and Samantha knew he had not believed a single word she had said to him in that interview room. 

With a sharp nod, she quickly turned to Agent Brown and followed him through the corridors they had previously come from. 

The silence was tense, clearly the Agent wasn’t pleased with the outcome but could do nothing about it. Samantha was just relieved to be finally leaving the airport. 

With an angry grunt, the Agent left her in the baggage claim to make her own way through the rest of the airport alone. Thankfully Samantha didn’t have any checked luggage to collect and could make her way straight to the exit.

Her eyes went wide in surprise as she entered the main terminal to find Gareth stood there, watching the arrivals gate closely.

“Sam!” He gave a shout and wave when he saw her as well as a large smile. 

“Gareth, what are you doing here?” She asked when she came to stand in front of him. 

“Well, when US border force calls me asking about a crazy English women trying to sneak into the country, I thought I better head over to see what was going on.” He said and though she could hear the jest in his tone, she could see the tension in his eyes. “What are you doing here Sam?”

She opened her mouth to reply when she became aware of how many people were stood around her, and just how many cameras were probably watching them right now. 

“Not here,” she said quietly and gave a tight smile. 

“Okay,” Gareth gave her a worried look but didn’t not push further. “I brought my car, come on.”

Samantha gave a nod in thanks before silently following him through the terminal into the car park. Only once sat in his car, was the silence broken. 

“So are you gonna to talk to me or you going to pretend you’re not freaking out over something?” She looked over at him and realised he could tell from the moment he saw her, what a state she was in. It made Samantha remember how nice it was to have Gareth as a friend. He only gave a moment for her to respond before he continued. “Cause you look like shit.”

The pair burst into laughter at his statement, easing the tension between them since the terminal.

“I feel like shit,” Samantha admitted, desperate for a good sleep. She looked over to Gareth sat in the driver’s seat and could see the seriousness in his face. 

“You can trust me Sam.”

She was tired and despite her dad’s warnings, she needed someone. Anyone, to share the burden with for just a moment. Even if it meant he called her crazy and left her alone at the airport, she just needed someone else to know. 

“It’s my dad, he’s in trouble,” Samantha finally said. She expected disbelief, even mocking but instead when she looked at her companion, there was only concern there.

“How?”

“I don’t know. All I do know is he sent me some coordinates of where I need to go.”

“And the reason you didn’t tell any of law enforcement personal you just interacted with that, is because…”

“He said I can’t trust anyone,” Samantha said with a sad smile, looking out the windshield. 

“But you’re trusting me,” Gareth said, causing Samantha to turn and look at him with a look  of vulnerability, waiting for him to laugh at her. Instead, his eyes took on a look of determination as he swivelled in his chair and turned the engine on. “Okay, so where are those coordinates sending us?”

Samantha could feel the tears spring to her eyes with the knowledge Gareth was sticking with her. He was dropping everything and it made her truly grateful to have him as a friend. 

“Washington DC.” 

“Oh that’s not too bad, 4 and a half hour drive this time of day, I’ll just need to stop at my apartment to grab a few things and then we can head.” Gareth said as he pulled out his parking spot and made his way to the exit. “Now get some sleep, you’re making me tired just looking at you.”

Samantha gave a small laugh before conceding. She shuffled her body to rest against the door frame before letting her eyes drift closed. 

Chapter Text

Simon Hughes was an opposing man in his own rights. He was tall and underneath his impeccable suits, he had a body which was strong. He didn't have need for physical strength though, as that was what Boris was for.

Boris was the very large, 6'6 personal bodyguard he took with him everywhere, built like the Russian tank he was and always dressed to impressed in an impeccable suit of his own. He said very few words, mainly grunting in acknowledgement, his silence likely learnt from his days in the KGB back in Russia. Now he free lanced, and though he may not share Simon's ultimate goal, he was paid enough money to do whatever it took to help Hughes reach it.

Boris was sat on the couch reading a newspaper calmly while Hughes sat at his desk, looking over the most recent data from his test subjects. The sound of the door opening did catch Hughes's attention but his eyes remained fixed on the report he was reading. The shuffling of feet followed and he looked in his desk's glass top to see the reflection of his head of security.

Silence followed as Hughes continued to read his report, not caring enough to acknowledge the man's entrance. When the newcomer couldn't stand the awkwardness anymore he finally spoke.

"Sir," he gave a half cough, trying to get his boss's attention.

"I hope it's good news Stanley," Hughes murmured, his eyes not leaving the page. "Or have you just popped in for a chat?"

"I'm afraid we were unable to intercept her at the airport," Stanley said, his back ramrod straight as he stood to attention. At that, Hughes did pause in his reading, his eyes finally leaving the page as he looked up at his employee with a cold stare. "She was detained by customs and border agency, by the time she was released, it would have been too obvious to take-"

"It sounds a lot like excuses to me," Hughes said, closing his folder and placing it on the table in front of him. Ever so slightly he leaned around the man stood on the other side of the desk and aimed his next question at the man on the couch. "What do you think Boris?"

"Pathetic," He grunted, turning the page over in his newspaper and not bothering to look up.

"My thoughts exactly," Hughes said as he turned his attention back to Stanley. "Tell me, how does a random, 25 year-old girl who works in a cafe, manage to elude the best private security force money can buy?"

Stanley gave a gulp, before continuing. "She was unexpectedly more difficult to catch than we anticipated. Clearly she has training of some sort-"

"Boris?" Hughes called again, interrupting the man.

"Pathetic," The Russian repeated with a grunt, this time pausing in his reading to stare at the head of security and causing Stanley to take another nervous swallow.

"He says so few words but manages to say what I'm thinking every time," Hughes said with a sly smile. He stood up then and made his way to stand in front of Stanley, his voice deceptively quiet but his tone threatening. "Need I remind you, we are days away from realising the potential in this product, generations in the making. And all that is in jeopardy because of your incompetence."

Stanley opened his mouth but Hughes held a finger up, dangerously close to his lips, silencing him from speaking.

"Ah, no, no, no more excuses," Hughes gave a harsh smile, his eyes cold and apathetic. "Find the girl and bring her here." Hughes then stepped closer to speak quietly into Stanley's ear. "Or do I also need to remind you what happened to your old boss who failed to stop the security breach which caused this mess?"

Stanley's eyes went wide in fear for a moment a he remembered what exactly had happened to the former head of security. He managed to recompose himself before shaking his head vigorously at Hughes.

"Excellent," Hughes said with a large smile as he clapped the man on the shoulder and took a step back to lean on his desk. "Off you go then."

Stanley gave a nod in acknowledgement before quickly scurrying out of the door. As soon as he did, Hughes's smile dropped and a dark expression overtook his features.

"Do want me to find her?" Boris asked, already back to reading his newspaper.

"No, I need you here," Hughes said, straightening up and making his way back to sit in his chair. "They can handle Samantha Jennings, she's just a minor inconvenience, nothing special."

She could feel the chill against her cheeks as a biting wind swept across her. She gave a roar as she thrust Frykte forward and stabbed the approaching blue giant. With a flick of her head, its companion was sent flying into the air, landing with a sickening thud.

She looked over to see Loki staring at his hand, unaware of the creature approaching him from behind. She flung Frykte forwards, killing the monster instantly on impact. Loki's head whipped around to look at her and relief was clear in his features as he saw her unharmed. She could feel her own features morphing into relief as well when see saw no obvious injuries to his persons.

Another enemy approached and she just managed to block his fist full of ice aimed at her head. With a slice to the knee and then a power infused roundhouse kick to its head, the creature was down for the count.

"Geni!" She turned her head to look at Loki shouting her from 100m away. She could see behind him a blonde man was being held up by a larger man and a man with black hair. The only other woman present was shouting to the other member of their group separated by the fighting.

"Thor!" She heard the woman shout towards the blonde haired, red cape wearing man she recognised from before.

"We must go!" Loki shouted at the both of them. She was quick to start making her way across the frozen landscape towards them but Thor did not seem as keen.

"Then go!" Thor roared back at them as he continued to dispatch foe after foe.

She was closing the distance between herself and Loki when the ground started to shake beneath them. She looked up to see a gigantic beast emerge from the ice between herself and the group, its red eyes narrowing in on her companions. They had no choice but to run.

She felt her pace begin to pick up as she dodged and weaved around the creature's tail in pursuit of her group. As with every time she had this dream, the images became clearer and she could now make out Loki's panicked looks as he constantly kept turning his head over his shoulder to see she was still running behind them.

As well as the images, the fear and anxiety from being chased was becoming more and more real. It was as if she could feel her heart racing, whether from her own panic or by the sheer exertion she was having to put in to overtake the creature.

She managed to close the gap and another look of relief swept over Loki as he saw her running beside him. She felt her lips stretch into a smirk of her own when suddenly she became aware of the ground giving way beneath them.

The creature was falling into the darkness below but its tail extended and out of the corner of her eye, she saw its talons heading towards Loki. Without hesitation she pushed Loki forward, the sharp talon piercing her side and dragging her backwards.

She felt a cry ripped from her throat from the pain.

Loki went to dive after her but only by the grip of a larger, red haired man, did he not dive into the darkness as well.

"GENI!" He screamed as tried desperately to break free from the other man's hold. The pair becoming further and further away.

"LOKI!" She heard the sheer terror in her voice as she reached out to him but it was in vain.

She was falling….

"Sam, wake up!"

Samantha gave a jolt as she sat up in the front passenger seat of Gareth's SUV. Her eyes were wide for a moment as she took it to orientate herself as to where she was.

She was in Gareth's car, in America, travelling to Washington DC.

"Hey, are you okay?" She looked over to see Gareth's eyes darting between the road and herself, concern clear on his face. "You were muttering in your sleep, you seemed pretty upset about something."

"Yeah I'm fine," Samantha shrugged it off, her eyes returning to the road in front of her. With a quick look to the dashboard's clock she could see it was now middle of the afternoon meaning she had managed a good couple of hours of sleep. They were still on some motorway, interstate as they called it. "How far away are we from Washington?"

"About 30 minutes," Gareth answered, though most of his attention had returned to the road, he was still sending her worried glances out of the corner of his eyes. "It was that dream you told me about right? The one where you fall to your death?"

"Urgh, I wish I never told you about that," Samantha moaned as her hand came up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

After a few months of knowing Gareth, she had crashed at his one time following a drinking session in the pub. By the time she had dragged a very inebriated Gareth home and put him to bed, through all his indignation she didn't even appear the tinniest bit drunk despite drinking the same amount, it was just easier to sleep on his sofa than it was to try and cross London at that time of night.

Unfortunately it had been one of the times she had dreamt about falling to her death, very unlucky since she only had the dream once every two weeks back then.

It meant though Gareth had been woken by her screaming which then lead to the embarrassing confession about her recurrent nightmare. So far she had been able to avoid talking about it again but it looked like that run of good luck was about to end.

"So I'm guessing you're still having it then?" Gareth mused aloud casting another quick glance her way.

"No, I was dreaming about winning the lottery, it was actually rather pleasant," Samantha said with heavy sarcasm, reaching into her rucksack and pulling out her phone.

"Really?" Gareth asked, completely not picking up on her sarcasm.

"No, of course not, god you think 6 months in England and you would have learnt to pick up sarcasm," Samantha said as she scrolled through her phone.

She knew the international charges would be extortionate but there was a tiny glimmer of hope her father may send her another message so she kept her phone on. She tried to hold back her disappointed sigh when there were no new emails in her inbox. Two voice mail messages appeared and she recognised both numbers. Samantha couldn't help but outwardly cringed when she realised it was Dr Angelo's office and Claire from the cafe trying to contact her, no doubt wondering why she hadn't shown up to see them today.

She deleted the voice messages without even listening to them, already resigned to the fact she had likely lost her job and no doubt would have a lot of explaining to do to her doctor on her return to the UK. Right now though her focus was with her dad, and they were both problems that were for now, out of sight and therefore out of mind.

"Hey, I can tell when someone's being sarcastic," Gareth defended, which Samantha sent him a pointed look in return. "Okay, most of the time I can tell when someone's being sarcastic. I can also tell though when someone's changing the subject."

"Who would do a thing like that?" Samantha said with a look of innocence.

Gareth simply rolled his eyes at her before a comfortable silence fell between the two. A few minutes passed before Gareth decided to speak again.

"I've been meaning to message you, I'm sorry I've not been great keeping in contact after I moved back," Gareth said with a shy smile.

"It's okay, a move across countries is a big thing. How is your mum doing anyway?" Samantha shrugged it off, determined to not let him see the hurt she had felt when he had pretty much been radio silent since his return to the States.

"My mom?"

"Yeah, your mum, you said she was ill?" Samantha gave him a questioning look, finding his response odd.

"Yeah, I did say that," Gareth gave a nod, almost reminding him self before continuing. "She's okay, the doctors say her treatments are working for now but with it being a relapse of the cancer, they don't think it'll ever be cured, simply kept at bay."

"I'm sorry Gareth," Samantha said, wanting to reach out a comforting hand but refraining from doing so.

"As she says, it's just God's plan for her, she's much more at peace with it then I am," Gareth tried to sound calm but Samantha could see the worry in his face as he tried to concentrate on driving. "She's always been like that though, even when my Uncle died, she was so strong about it all."

"He was the one in the army right?" Samantha asked, even though she knew exactly who he was talking about. Gareth had always spoke with adoration about his maternal Uncle, the man practically raising him after his father left when he was young.

"So you do pay attention when I'm talking," Gareth joked earning a small laugh from Samantha.

"Only when you're interesting," Samantha teased and again the car with filled with the light laughter of both occupants.

"In all seriousness, I was meaning to message you. I saw the news about the shooting in London," all joking had left Gareth's face as he glanced at her with a serious expression. "I saw it was right outside where you lived. Do you know what it was about?"

"Oh yeah, that guy at the airport mentioned something about that," Samantha easily lied, looking at the windshield and avoiding Gareth's gaze. "I had no idea it had even happened until he told me. I must have already left for the airport."

Gareth gave her a suspicious look, as if he didn't believe her but then again he had no reason not to. Up ahead a sign singled their exit was approaching and Samantha was grateful for the distraction.

"Looks like we're nearly there," She said with a nod towards the sign.

"So any idea about where your dad is sending us?" Gareth asked, pulling off the highway as they neared Washington, seemingly having dropped his suspicions about the shooting.

"No, but I'm keen to find out," Samantha then leant forward and put the coordinates into the SatNav Gareth had picked up from his flat in New York. It showed they were twenty minutes away from the destination and Samantha raised her eyebrows when she saw it was a -

"A bank?" Gareth said as he looked at the screen. "Why would your dad send us to a bank?"

"I don't know," Samantha answered, her own brows furrowed in an expression of concentration as she tried to think of the relevance of where her dad was sending them.

"Well only one way to find out," Gareth said, following the SatNav's instructions and taking the road to the right.

"Doesn't seem very special," Gareth mused as he and Samantha stood outside the bank trying to work out why her father could have sent them there.

"What were you expecting? Some secret hidden location? This isn't a James Bond film," Samantha jested at Gareth who sent her a look with narrowed eyes.

"Your dad has always been very secretive about his work whenever I met him, and maybe the whole police officer job was his cover," Gareth got an excited look on his face as he began to think about all the possibly theories his mind could conjure.

"I had hoped you had left your tin foil hat at home," Samantha muttered as she started to walk towards the bank, ignoring the pout which Gareth shot at her.

Target approaching the building

Samantha paused as the door was held halfway open. Her head whipped around to look up and down the street with mild alarm in her eyes.

It was nearing closing time for the shops and there was a mild amount of foot traffic present on the pavement. A couple of cars were parked up, Gareth and Samantha having parked theirs at a near by motel they planned to stay at before walking the short distance to the bank. The occasional car would drive past but nothing out with what you would expect.

"Sam, you okay?"

Gareth's question broke her focus and she turned back to him to give a reassuring smile.

"Sorry, thought I saw something," Samantha then opened the door fully and walked inside.

Gareth cast his own eyes over the street wondering what had suddenly spooked Samantha but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. He followed her inside and they came to stop at the back of a, thankfully, very short queue.

After a few minutes they were finally called forward and Samantha had to swallow down the anxiety beginning to well inside at her, wondering what exactly would happen next.

"Hello there, how can I help you today?" The young-ish woman behind the counter gave them her fake customer service smile but both Gareth and Samantha could tell the woman was counting down the minutes until her shift finished.

The pair looked at each other for a moment, not really knowing what to say causing perplexed looks from the cashier. Samantha's eyes quickly glanced around the bank when suddenly the advertisement for a service caught her attention and it was if a lightbulb had had been turned on.

"Hi, I'm sorry to bother you," Samantha cringed at herself, knowing she couldn't sound more British if she tried. "I'm here to collect the contents of a safety deposit box?"

She could feel Gareth's eyes widen at her statement, wondering where exactly she had come up with the information but thankfully kept his mouth shut.

"No problem, do you have the name of the person who owns the box?" The woman turned back to her screen to ready herself to type.

"Keith Jennings, my dad, he should have put me on…the lease?" Samantha shot a look of help to Gareth, no idea if the terminology she had used was correct. By the wide eyed look and shrug he gave her, he was as clueless as she was.

"Ah yes, Miss Samantha Jennings, do you have identification with you?" The cashier turned her attention back to them and the two quickly straightened to face her and hide their surprise at Samantha's guess being correct.

"Yes, I do," Samantha reached into her rucksack and pulled out her passport, grateful she hadn't left it at the motel

While the woman went about recording and verifying her details, Samantha turned to look outside again. Strange she thought, hadn't the car that just drove past also driven past a few minutes ago?

"I'll give you this back," the woman continued to smile as she handed the document back over to Samantha, bringing the Englishwoman's attention back to her. "And do you have your key?"

"Key?" Samantha's eyes went wide.

"Yes, the key," she looked between the pair realising very quickly neither of them had it.

"I'm afraid my dad has that."

"That's fine, it'll be a small fee as we'll have to replace the key but as long as you have the password linked to the account we can open the box for you today."

Somehow Samantha's eyes went wider as her sense of victory for reaching this place was slowly dwindling. She didn't dare look at Gareth, knowing he likely had a look of panic on his features also. Samantha took a deep breath, relaxing herself and giving her time to think. If there was a password then why wouldn't he say that in the video…unless it had to be obvious.

And then it hit her.

She gave a small smile as she turned to cashier and said, "Sarah, the password is Sarah."

"That appears to be everything in order, let me just go grab your box," the woman then stood up and left out the door at the back of the little office the cashiers sat in.

"That was your mom's name wasn't it?" Gareth asked quietly.

"Yeah, it was," Samantha gave a sad smile before the pair stood in silence until the cashier returned a few moments later.

She unlocked and opened the box in front of them and showed inside was an envelope with Samantha written on the outside. She could tell straight away it was her father's hand writing.

"Here you go," the woman slid the envelope through the gap in the glass partition towards them before demonstrating there was nothing else in the box. "Is there anything else I can help you with today?"

"No, that's it thanks." Samantha gave the woman a small smile before paying what was due for the lost key.

Samantha picked up the envelope and walked outside with Gareth still yet to open it. She could tell there was an object inside it though, and not simply a letter.

Target has the package

Samantha's eyes swept the street again and her eyes narrowed on the same black SUV which drove past the building for a third time but this time it parked up a few metres down from where she and Gareth stood.

"So you going to open it?" Gareth asked, pulling her attention from the car.

"Not here," Samantha said, her eyes looking back at the SUV to see two men in suits stepping out and starting to make their way towards them.

Samantha grabbed Gareth's arm and pulled him into a quick walk towards a near by entrance to what looked like an underground station though Samantha knew it as called the Metro here.

"Hey Sam, the motel's back that way," Gareth pointed over to road on the right they kept walking past.

The noise at the back of her head suddenly began to increase and Samantha couldn't help but smirk.

"Just trust me," Samantha gave him a tight smile. Gareth gave her another questioning look but conceded with a nod.

She cast a look over her shoulder to see the two men from the car shortening the distance between them when Samantha and Gareth reached the stairs of the Metro and descended.

Just as they reached the bottom, a crowd of rush hour commuters descended from the track having just arrived at the platform. They ascended up the stairs on mass, blocking the men from continuing their pursuit down the stairs just by the sheer volume of people present.

Dammit!

Samantha couldn't hep but give a grin as she directed Gareth to one of the Metro lines which, after a quick glance at the map, she worked out would stop a 5 minute walk away on the other side to the Motel to where they were now.

Once sat on the train, Samantha finally spoke to Gareth.

"I'm sorry, I thought we were being followed," Samantha shrugged. She felt guilty not being entirely truthful with him but she was terrified at any moment Gareth would leave her on this wild goose chase her dad had sent her on. Though she never intended to get Gareth involved, now he was, Samantha found she was scared of facing the rest alone.

"Come on Sam, who's acting like it's a James Bond film now?" Gareth joked with her as she narrowed her eyes at him and gave him a teasing punch to his shoulder. "Ow! Anyway are you going to open it?"

Samantha looked down to the envelope tightly clutched in her hand. With a quick glance around the train to check no one was paying them too close attention, Samantha finally opened the package.

There was no note inside and as she tipped out the contents on to her palm, there was only one item.

A necklace with a wedding ring and a USB stick attached to it.

The pair didn't say much as they made their way back to the Motel, Gareth sensing Samantha was not keen to talk when she had recognised the item in the envelope. Samantha kept an eye out for any further potentially followers but they seemed to have lost them after getting on the train.

Once inside the Motel room, Gareth finally could hold his questions no more and erupted in a spew of them as Samantha went about opening up her laptop and taking a seat at the table.

"So I'm assuming you know what the USB means? And I'm also assuming it belonged to your father? But why put it in a safety deposit box, and not send it back to you?" Gareth managed to say in one breath. Feeling he was owed some answers, Samantha finally began to explain.

"You're right, it's my dad's necklace," she said, holding up the items for Gareth to see a bit more clearly. "This was my mum's wedding ring and this is a special USB stick I programmed for him."

"Programmed how?"

"Dad's PI cases sometimes got a bit controversial and he was always paranoid about people hacking into his files," Samantha explained as she turned back to face her laptop and plug the USB in to a port. "So he got a USB hard drive to make his files pretty much only accessible when in possession of the stick, which never left his person. The fact I'm holding this and it's not around his neck, well that worries me more than anything else so far."

"Okay," Gareth nodded as he seemed to understand what was happening. "But what did you mean by you programming it?"

"I meant this," Samantha swivelled the laptop towards where Gareth stood so he could see it was black. When his look of confusion only worsened, Samantha couldn't help but give a small smile. "Despite his files being stored on it, he was still a paranoid bastard. So my dad asked me to set up a failsafe and if activated, the only person who can access the files is me, by some very clever programming that I like to think would take even Tony Stark a few months to crack."

Samantha then turned the laptop back to her as her fingers fluttered across the keypad as she began to unlock the portable storage unit.

"So how does the failsafe get activated?" Gareth asked next, coming to stand behind her so he could see the laptop screen also. At the moment, there was only white code flashing across the screen.

"Only my dad can activate it, which makes me think he must have known he was in trouble and activated it before leaving it in the safety deposit box for me to find." Samantha said and then the suddenly the screen lit up and she could see her usual home screen again but this time with a new file window opened. "You can hold your applause for later for that marvellous piece of programming."

"I'll take your word for it," Gareth muttered but he was too focused on the screen. "Am I reading that right, and your dad was investigating Hughes International?"

"That's the name of the file. That's the pharmaceutical company right? The one that just received a bunch of investors?" Samantha asked, moving the mouse to open the file.

"That would be correct."

Suddenly multiple files filled her screen, as Samantha scrolled through the various documents her father had been collecting on the case. From the quick scan she could see, there were a lot of missing person reports as well videos of some surveillance of some kind. She managed to find the document where his notes were stored. Her eyes flashed from side to side as she speed read her way through the document.

"Looking at my dad's notes, it looks like he was hired by a company in London to investigate Hughes International before they decided whether to invest in it or not," Samantha informed Gareth but kept her eyes on the screen as she continued to read through his notes. "It's weird though cause a few weeks ago, just before he left, the company had terminated his contract…but he continued to work the case anyway."

"Is your dad one to go rogue?" Gareth questioned, leaning further over her shoulder to read the screen himself but at the speed Samantha was scrolling through, he was lucky to catch a word or two.

"No," Samantha stated, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "My dad's never broken a rule in his life. His notes talk about a project he stumbled across, project Bluebird...it's a new drug the company was working on, a biological weapon or something. It looks like he thought they may be involved in illegal human experimentation but didn't have any proof."

A silence filled the room, a sudden realisation of what Samantha said seemed to hit them both.

"Samantha we need to take this to the authorities," Gareth told her, stepping back from her chair. She swivelled in her seat to look at him directly.

"With what?" She threw her hands up in a questioning gesture. "My dad had no proof, it's why he came to America in the first place. All we have are some missing person files and a whole lot of assumptions. Besides we don't know who we can trust."

"And you call me the conspiracy nut?" Gareth scoffed at her. His eyes then narrowed as he leaned back towards the laptop and pointed to a video file entitled: SAMANTHA. "I think that one is meant for you."

Samantha gave her own curious look towards the video, before moving the mouse across and opening it.

The screen was filled with an image of her father but she recognised the background as their home back in London. He was sat at the table, where he would often work. Samantha opened up the information on the file and could see it had been made a whole year ago, pre dating any of the Hughes investigation.

"Okay, I hope this thing is recording," Her dad's voice flowed through the speakers as his image came to life. He shifted uncomfortable in his seat, his eyes travelling over the screen obviously checking if it was recording. "Samantha, I hope you never have to see this video because if you do, it means I've had to activate the failsafe on the USB."

"But in case I ever have to, or something happened to me, I wanted to make sure I got to speak to you one last time," her father looked past the camera, taking in the room before turning his attention back to the screen. "Sometimes I wonder if your mother and I did right by you, not letting you skip years or go to university early. Maybe we were wrong to hold you back, to be honest I think we didn't truly appreciate the mind you have, but we always knew the good you could do."

Samantha felt Gareth's eyes watching her, looking at her reaction. She kept her eyes focused on the screen though, her jaw tight as she felt the familiar sting of tears prick at the edge of her vision.

"Things have been hard since your mum died, for both of us," her dad gave a shuddery breath, his hand coming to twirl his own wedding band which he never took off. "And I know you've been punishing yourself since her death. Holding yourself back and hiding away in that cafe….but you're better than that Samantha."

Samantha's eyes flicked down for a moment, unable to look her father in the eye even if it was in a video. When she looked back up she could see her dad staring intently towards the camera, a fond smile on his face.

"You've been given a gift, something you sure as hell didn't get from me." Both her father on screen and herself gave out small huffs of laughter. "Your mum and I both knew you were destined for great things, I just hope you realise that too, sooner rather than later."

Her dad gave a large sigh and it seemed to break her trance. Samantha's hand came up to wipe the small trickle of tears which had fallen from her dad's impassioned speech.

"Anyway, enough of this depressing chat," her dad gave a small smile, his whole demeanour changing as he took on a lighter tone. "You won't even get to see this anyway, so no point getting upset by it." Her father's smile then grew into a lop sided grin, and then his eyes adjusted on the screen, as if he was looking right at her. "But just in case, I love you Samantha."

Her father then shifted forward and his image froze as the video came to an end.

Samantha continued to stare at the image, aware Gareth was waiting for her to break the silence. She took a moment to compose herself, aware he would have more questions for her based on what her dad had revealed but she knew she could not answer them then. Instead she moved forward and began to reopen the files stored on the USB.

"Sam-" Gareth began to say when he realised she wasn't planning on speaking, but he didn't get far into his sentence before she cut him off.

"Grab your laptop Gareth, there are a lot of files to go through, hopefully one of them contains where about my dad has gone," Samantha directed him, keeping an even tone in her voice.

"We should talk-"

"We should get researching," Samantha interrupted him again, turning to look up and face him. "Please."

Gareth took a moment, studying her features and conceding he would get no further information out of her now. She needed time to process what she had seen and so he gave a nod in defeat before grabbing his laptop and sitting down next to her at the table.

Chapter Text

"It's going to be okay Geni," she looked up to the face of Alvis, a calming smile adorned his features as he grasped her shoulders. His hair had less grey, with more blonde seeping through than last time, fewer wrinkles across his skin. She was conscious he felt taller than before, or maybe she was smaller. "I'll only be gone for a short time."

This knowledge seemed to send her heart racing, a sickly feeling creeping over her at the thought of him leaving. It was as if she could taste the bile at the back of her throat from the anxiety which overwhelmed her.

"But what if I hurt someone while you're gone?" She asked, her voice cracked from how dry her throat felt. She could hear she sounded younger, her voice lighter than before.

"I have told the staff not to enter your room until I return. Once I have sorted this business at the palace we can retreat to the country and we'll find a way to fix this, I promise." The confidence in his voice seemed to somewhat calm her but she found she could only nod in acknowledgement. "I'll be as quick as I can."

She was looking at the ground but could feel the slight squeeze of his hands, a comforting touch which did little to comfort. She did not look up as he left, listening to his retreating footsteps and the sound of the door closing behind him.

After a moment she looked around the spacious room. The ceiling was high and one wall was stacked from floor to ceiling with books of various sizes. On another side was a large 4 poster bed, the pillows and sheets looking more luxurious than Samantha had ever seen in her life.

Her eyes did not focus on anything in particular though, and after a quick scan she moved herself to sit on a chair in front of a vanity of some kind. She looked into the mirror to see a reflection of her pre-teen self. She couldn't be older than 12 or 13 she thought. Her hair was tucked into a tight braid which finished just past her shoulders but it was dull and limp. Her eyes had dark shadows underneath and her skin a sickly pale, clear to all she had not been sleeping well.

I wonder why we cannot go into the Mistress Geni's room, maybe-

Urgh where is that maid, I sent her out for supplies almost an hour ago-

I should have listened to mother and-

Suddenly her head was filled with unspoken voices, a pressure building up behind her forehead from it all. She felt her panic begin to rise, as she screwed her eyes tight and brought her hands up to her ears in a hopeless attempt at dampening the noise.

She focused on her breathing, remembering what her father had told - one breath in and one breath out. It was agonisingly slow but after a period of several minutes, the voices finally started to fade until she could hear them no more.

When she eventually opened her eyes, she could see the wetness to them, the strain clear. She knew with each passing day the voices were getting louder, more uncontrollable and soon, she wasn't sure she would be able to silence them at all.

There was a shadow of movement just on the edge of her mirror, barely noticeable but enough to have her reaching for the dagger she kept at her bedside.

When she twirled around, her dagger held high, it was met with an equally sharp dagger in the air. She traced the dagger down to the owner, and despite looking in his young teens, Samantha could tell by his eyes and the glistening black hair, this was Loki.

The two paused as they eyed their opponent, before both simultaneously retracting their weapon, albeit slowly and without breaking eye contact with the other.

"What are you doing here Loki?" She asked, her voice hard as she finally turned her back on him and placed her dagger back in its hiding spot.

"Hello to you too Geni," the young prince remarked as he sheathed his dagger back on his belt. "You would think you would be more welcoming after having not seen each other for 2 weeks."

"You would, if we actually liked each other," she countered, spinning back around to look at him with her arms crossed. Her anxiety bubbled in her stomach and it was taking all her control to not let it show on her face. She knew any sign of weakness would give Loki something to tease. "But seeing as we do not, I'll ask again. What are you doing here?"

"You wound me Geni, are we not friends?" He asked with a sly, knowing smirk. He began to wander around the room, picking up items and inspecting them as he went. She felt her nails dig into her palms. His hands lingered on an item which Samantha could only describe as a compass of some kind but multiple levels to it.

She stormed over, snatching it out of his hands and placing it back where it came from.

"We are not," she answered pointedly, slamming the object down with a little more force than necessary. "How did you even get in here?"

"The balcony, obviously," he shrugged, gesturing his head over in the direction of the large door to the right, the curtain blowing gently in the breeze. Loki continued his inspection of the room, either oblivious or purposefully ignoring her growing anger. By the teasing smirks he sent her way, she assumed it was the latter.

"But that's two stories high, how — no I'm not going to ask because that invites you to stay longer and you need to leave." She planted herself in the middle of the room, staring directly at Loki. The young teenager seemed to sense the change in her tone and gave up on his survey of the room and turned to face her directly.

"Not until you tell me why you have been absent from lessons and training these past two weeks," Loki insisted, his demands clear.

"I've been ill."

"I can see that," his hand waved in her general direction and she knew he was talking about the harrowing look on her face. "But there must be something else you're not saying. Otherwise why would your father not bring you to the Healers? Why is he planning on an extended stay in your country estate?"

"You need to leave," She said, a growing sense of unease at his questions began to build in her. She started to make her way to her balcony to open the door wider for him. "My father will be home soon-"

"No he will not, seeing as he only just left from the letter I sent on behalf of my father," Loki interrupted, a confident smirk etched across his features as he made no move towards the balcony.

"Loki-"

"How else was I suppose to ensure we would not be disturbed?" He gave a quick shrug as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He took a step towards her as he continued his questioning. "So are you going to tell me?"

She could feel the pressure beginning to build up behind her forehead again, a tight band which needed to be released.

"Loki, you need to leave," her voice was now strained as she scrunched her eyes closed, trying her best to remember to take deep breaths.

"I told you I'm not-" his voice was louder as he must have continued stepping towards her.

"This is not a game. I am not trying to trick you," she hissed, her eyes flashing dangerously as they whipped open to stare at him. For a moment, he seemed to falter, reading her expression but despite this he continued.

"Geni what is-"

"Loki. No-"

It seemed to happen all at once. As they both spoke, Loki took the final step forward and reached out his hand to her. The elastic band snapped and for a second she enjoyed the feeling of relief from the disappearing tightness. Her enjoyment was short lived as horror quickly swept over her as she watched Loki fly through the air and land with a sickening thud against her bookshelf.

She felt her eyes go wide as she rushed forward and crouched over his crumpled form. After an agonising moment, he slowly began to move, giving a loud groan. When he looked up, there was a small trickle down his forehead where a cut lay.

"Loki, I am so sorry, are you okay?" Her hands hovered over him, scared to touch him and do more damage.

"You have magic," Loki whispered, his eyes wide as he stared at her, ignoring whatever pain he was in.

"No..no, I…I do not know what that was but it was not-"

The noise came from Mistress Geni's room-

Is someone in there with her?

"Shut up!" She yelled, clamping her hands back over ears again as she rocked back on her heels and fell to the floor.

"Geni-"

"Please make them stop," she pleaded, she could feel the trickle of tears on her cheeks as she became overwhelmed by the never ended stream of noise in her own head. Her breathing wasn't helping, if anything it was making them louder.

She could sense Loki crouch next to her and saw the familiar green glow of his magic but it was fleeting and she was too preoccupied to enquire further about what he had done.

That's when she felt it, a comforting touch on her shoulder and suddenly the voices seemed to dim, making them bearable again. She looked up and followed the hand back to Loki, a worried look over his features with no hint of teasing. Slowly her hands returned to her side as she looked wide eyed at him.

"You made the voices stop," she said with awe as she stared at him. "How did you do that?'"

"Do what?" His eyebrows furrowed in a questioning look, unsure what she was asking.

A flash of gold out of the corner of her eye caused her to whip around to see a newcomer in the room.

Immediately she jumped up to standing, her head bowed to the floor. Samantha recognised the new arrival instantly, she had been the kind lady who had sat next to the one eyed man in her previous dreams.

"Mother-" She could see Loki take a step towards the lady from the corner of her eye but was cut off by her gasp. No doubt she had seen the damage to the bookcase from where Loki had collided with it earlier.

"What has happened?" The older lady asked, and Samantha was surprised to find her voice was as kind as she looked. Finally, she glanced up to see the older woman gently placing Loki's chin in her grasp as she inspected the cut on his forehead.

"It's Geni mother, she has magic but she cannot control it." Loki said, his eyes glancing in Samantha's direction. "It's why I sent for you, she needs your help."

Feeling the older woman's gaze return to her, Samantha's eyes immediately dropped to the floor, unable to look up. Terror gnawed at her stomach at her secret being discovered. Flashes of Alvis warning her not to tell anyone came to her mind.

"Is this true Geni?" The voice was so kind, it almost broke her. She did not deserve such warmth, not after how she had hurt Loki nor the danger she posed. The woman crouched, making it unavoidable to not look at her. "Geni, let me help you."

She lifted her eyes from the ground and in doing so, paused over Loki's gaze. For once there was no mocking, no sign of mischief, only concern. He gave the slightest nod, urging her to speak and it seemed to be the propellant she required.

"I've always been able to hear the voices," she said quietly but she knew both in the room were listening intently. "We tried to get them to stop, father turned from healers to sorcery but none could fix me or knew where they came from. My father told me to ignore them, and hope they would go away he said. And for a time I could but recently they've been so loud. Sometimes I cannot even hear my own thoughts anymore."

"You poor thing," the woman gave a sad sigh as she looked over her features, worry clear in her eyes. "What else ails you?"

She took a deep breath, stealing herself before she replied.

"Recently objects began moving around me. It is as if they react to my emotions. I have no control over it, and one day they flew so hard it hurt a nearby guard." She swallowed past the hard lump in her throat following her confession.

"Is this why you have been holed up in here these past 2 weeks?"

"Father thought it best, otherwise I might hurt somebody else. Until we can make it stop," No longer able to ignore her tears, her hand came to wipe the wetness from her cheeks. "But tonight Loki came, and I could not stop it. I hurt him."

She watched as Loki opened his mouth to speak but a gentle shake of the woman's head stopped him.

"May I listen to the voices?" The older woman held her palm out to her, an invitation.

With some hesitancy, Samantha finally reached out to place her palm in hers, a faint gold illuminated their hands. She could almost imagine the woman in her head, the feeling of someone looking around. The woman closed her eyes for a moment before a knowing smile spread across her lips. When she opened her eyes again, the gold light faded but she continued to hold Samantha's hand in her own.

"It is not magic, dear Geni, but a gift." Samantha could feel her eyebrows pull together in a questioning look. She felt the gentle squeeze of her hand by the older lady as she continue to crouch in front of her as she spoke. "Your mind is greater than anything we have encountered on Asgard before, and therefore it is not surprising it is capable of more than we thought possible."

Her eyes glanced to Loki seeing if he understood the woman's, his mother's, words any better than she did but the confusion was evident on his face also.

"I am sorry my lady, I do not understand," she interjected with, the tears finally beginning to stop. She gave a loud sniff, unable to stop herself despite how undignified it was. 

"The voices you hear are the thoughts of others, the objects you move, you do so with your mind," the woman gave her a gentle smile, she seemed to be the epitome of kindness. "For Loki or I to do so, would be magic and requires years of training and energy to do so. You have been gifted this ability without the use of seiðr, you are unique Geni."

"So there is no way to control it," she said, panic beginning to claw back into her throat. The idea of living the rest of her life in isolation did not appeal to her but then again, neither did hurting those around her without meaning too.

"I did not say that," the woman's smile turned into a smirk of amusement, one similar to Loki's. She straightened up as she let go of Samantha's hand. "It will take training, and I have no doubt as you learn more and grow, so will your power. But I have every confidence you will learn to master it."

Samantha could feel her own lips stretch into a smile, she could tell it had been the first true smile in weeks and almost immediately it was as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Geni!" The three heads in the room turned to look at the slightly out of breath Lord Alvis as he burst into the room. His eyes went wide for a moment as he took in the scene around him. Suddenly his fist crossed over his chest as he gave a small bow. "My lady, your highness."

"Lord Alvis, I would say what a pleasant surprise, but then again we are in your home so not really a surprise, but a pleasure all the same." The older woman gave a warm smile to the new arrival. "I hope you may forgive the intrusion, but it appears Geni required some assistance."

At the mention of her name, the older man looked towards her with worry before his eyes seemed to suddenly take in the shattered book case and the still bleeding forehead of the younger man in the room. His mouth just hung open, unsure what to say, where to start.

"I think it best we let Geni get some rest. Loki dear give me a few minutes before joining me at the door to head home. We'll fetch the healers to look at your head when we do so. I believe Lord Alvis and I have a few things to discuss first though." The woman sent Samantha a quick wink, causing her to smile once again.

Seeing the relief on her face, seemed to calm Alvis momentarily, allowing for the older woman to guide him out of the room and leaving her alone with Loki once more.

An awkward silence filled the air, she could feel a nervous energy to her, suddenly unsure how to act in his presence. She looked over to see him press some fingers to the cut on his forehead and give out a small hiss.

"It's going to get infected if you play with it," she found herself remarking without thought. It caused Loki to whip his head up, his usual smirk plastered over his lips.

"I did not know you were suddenly the expert healer Geni," he said before giving another hiss from his prodding.

"Sit down," she walked over and grabbed his arm, forcefully sitting him at the chair at her vanity before turning around and heading to a door on the left.

Inside was a bathroom of some sorts with a rather large bath. Before she could admire further, her hands lifted a towel from the side and dabbed it with the water from a basin. She returned to find Loki now playing with the items on her desk. On reaching him, she swivelled him around to face her before gently wiping away the dried blood which had stained his head.

For a few minutes they sat in silence, neither one knowing what to say before she decided to break it.

"Why did you come tonight Loki?" She watched as his mouth opened but she cut him off before he could say anything. "The honest answer only please."

He closed his mouth again, taking a moment to think before giving a sigh, releasing some of the tension in his shoulders.

"I was worried about you," he shrugged as if he didn't really care at all but she could hear in his voice he did. "You have never missed a day of lessons since we met, or training. It's also not the same without you there. Thor is too easy to trick, it is not as satisfying. Also he does not read for lessons, it's no fun when you're the only one answering the questions."

"It almost sounds like you missed me," she mused, a teasing smirk of her own as her eyes focused on the cut she was cleaning.

"Never," Loki scoffed, "we don't like each other, remember?"

"No we do not," she said but her usual malice was missing. Another pause in conversation came but this time it was comfortable. Once satisfied she had cleaned his cut the best she could, she placed the towel down on the vanity and focused her eyes on him. "Thank you…for getting your mother. Without it, I would probably be packing to leave the city and would never have found out what was happening to me."

He gave a nod, an acknowledgment of her words. Silence filled the gap as she stared at him, it was only for a moment before a soft sigh left Loki's lips.

"Damn,"

"We're friends, aren't we?" She asked, an amused smirk across her lips as they both came to the realisation at the same time.

"It would appear so," Loki agreed with an amused smirk of his own before the pair erupted into laughter.

Without warning, the air turned cold and the sky went black.

She was fighting; reaching out for him as she was dragged down and then she was falling

Samantha gave a strangled gasp as she sat up, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the mid morning light of the motel room. She looked down to see she had fallen asleep at the table, her laptop's black screen staring at her having gone to sleep hours ago. She gave a sigh as she stretched her neck side to side, feeling the cracks in her back as she stretched it out.

Next, her hands came up to rub some of the grit and sleep which had accumulated at the corner of her eye before giving a large sigh and slumping into her chair. For a moment she had to remind herself it had just been a dream, it want't real. Despite how much it felt like she was there, it was all an elaborate illusion her brain had conjured for her in a new way to present her stress.

A familiar ping of a new email alert brought her back to the room and she opened her laptop and logged back in, multiple screens opened from where she had been devouring her dad's notes in the hope of finding where he had gone. Her mouse hovered over the email icon, her breath holding for a moment in the hope it was another message from her father. It was quickly replaced with disappointment though as the two emails waiting for her were a random free offer from a pizza company and the other from her community psychiatric nurse.

Samantha quickly glanced over the email from her CPN, asking where she was and why she hadn't picked up her medication this week. With only the smallest tinge of guilt, she quickly deleted both emails and quickly forgot about them.

Remembering she was not alone, her eyes wandered back around the room, looking for Gareth but he could not be found. She became aware of his voice outside the room, and she lent over to the window to peak out the curtains to see him stood outside talking on his phone. Samantha couldn't make out his expression as his back was to her but from the tension in his shoulders, he was clearly on edge about something. She concentrated trying to hear what he was saying but at best it was still muffled.

After a few minutes he turned around and saw her staring at him from the window. Samantha raised her eyebrows in a questioning look, but he waved his hand and put on a smile, trying to reassure her. Samantha remained unconvinced but gave him privacy once more as she let the curtain go.

Taking the moment of solitude, she gathered her toiletries and some fresh clothes before heading into the bathroom for a shower.

By the time she had left the steam filled room, Gareth was now back at the desk reading over the notes the pair had made last night. Samantha placed her still wet hair in a small ponytail. Her body feeling rejuvenated, it was amazing what some hot water could do for you.

"Who was on the phone?" Samantha asked as she made her back to her bag to place her dirty clothes in it.

"Oh it was my agent, he's annoyed I missed some auditions yesterday he had arranged for me," Gareth gave a shrug, clearly not wanting to expand further.

"I'm sorry, if you need to head back to New York…" Samantha left the sentence hanging, the implication clear, she paused in what she was doing to look at him.

"Nah, I was never going to get it anyway, unless it's a revival of The Colour Purple, I'm not exactly most casting director's top pick," Gareth joked, gesturing to his face with a sarcastic smile.

"That's not true," Samantha said as she walked over to him and placed a hand on top of his shoulder. "There's always a chance they'll revive The Wiz."

Gareth laughed at her teasing smile as he playfully knocked the hand from his shoulder.

"In all seriousness though, the lack of parts for black actors in musical theatre seriously needs addressing," Samantha continued, as she took her seat by her laptop again.

"You don't have to tell me," Gareth said with a deadpan look.

"I'm white-splaining again, aren't I?" Samantha asked, her face scrunching in embarrassment.

"Just a little bit," Gareth held up two finds a few millimetres apart to illustrate his point but his teasing features made it clear he wasn't upset. They both smiled at each other before Gareth turned his head in the direction of her laptop, reminding them what they were here for. "Find anything useful?"

"Plenty but not about Project Bluebird," Samantha sighed as she closed her laptop. "I've managed to access Hughes International's system remotely, but any mention of the project is safely locked behind a firewall I can only break through with access to an internal server."

"So we need to somehow break in and hack into one of their in-building computers?" Gareth asked next after listening to what she said.

"For someone who claims to be just an 'actor'," Samantha gave half hearted quotation marks with her fingers as she spoke. "You do seem to understand my computer jargon rather well."

"I told you, I'm a big fan of Criminal Minds and my hero is their computer genius Penelope Garcia," Gareth argued but there was just something in his eyes which made Samantha hesitate to believe him. It was fleeting but there all the same. As if sensing her mistrust, Gareth changed the topic with a much lighter tone. "Right, we've hit a wall here and we need to refuel. Brunch?"

A short time later the pair found themselves sat in a diner of sorts. It had taken longer to find one than necessary as a result of all the road work in preparation for the G7 summit due to take place in just under a week's time. It had reminded Samantha of any time a world leader had done a state visit to London and the extra hour it always added to your commute due to all the security measures.

The pair were sat in a comfortable silence after having had a typical American breakfast…well it was what Gareth had called it, when Samantha initially seemed startled by the amount of sugar and cinnamon which seemed to be on offer for the first meal of the day. The pair quietly sipped at their hot drinks, a coffee for Gareth and a tea for Samantha. Her free hand played with the wedding ring next to the USB which was now sat at the base of her neck.

"So are you going to ask?" Samantha finally said, moving her head to the side and placing her hands across the table top.

"Ask what?" Gareth asked innocently as he too moved his hot drink to the side.

"About the video," Samantha answered, raising an eyebrow at her friend opposite her. "I know you've been dying too."

"Okay, you got me," Gareth placed his forearms on the table as lent forward to talk to. "What was your dad on about? You know the whole 'sorry we held you back' and 'your mind being a gift'?"

"It's kind of a long story," Samantha warned, her fingers beginning to nervously dance across the table. In the background she was aware of the faint music drifting around the diner from the radio, the latest number one single which she had never heard before today.

"We're not exactly pressed for time," Gareth pointed out, with a look urging her on.

"Okay," Samantha gave a sigh before looking around the cafe one last time, trying to find the right way to phrase what she would say next. "When I was younger I was…advanced for my age."

"Advanced?" Gareth gave her a confused look.

"Yeah"

"Advanced as in how? What your brain? What are you, like a genius or something?" He gave off a breathy laughing his posture relaxing slightly at his joke but when Samantha did not laugh, not even smile, all jest left his face. "Oh my god you're totally a genius."

"I mean, how do I answer that without sounding like a dick?" Samantha held up her hands up towards him, elbows resting on the table in a questioning pose.

"Wait…how genius are we talking here?" If possible Gareth seemed to lean ever further forward on his forearms. "Like Stephen Hawkins? Like Einstein level?"

"Well, technically everyone could be a genius in their own right, it just depends on what you measure intelligence as." Samantha avoided the question as she sat slightly further back in her booth.

"That is something a total genius would say," Gareth shot back at her with slightly narrowed eyes, which comically widened when he thought of his next question. "Wait, what's your IQ?"

"When I last checked it was 190 but I was 10-"

"10?!"

"And they reckoned I would easily score over 200 once I was older," Samantha continued, ignoring Gareth's out burst though inwardly she was cringing at herself.

"I thought the highest you could get was 200."

"Theoretically yes, but there have been a handful of recorded cases over that."

"Who's they anyway?" Gareth enquired next, finally starting to relax back into his seat again.

"Mensa."

"Mensa?!" Gareth shot back froward and raising his voice by several octaves.

"Shhhh," Samantha shot a quick look around the almost empty diner. The only people who seemed to be disturbed by Gareth's outburst were the waitress and the patron at the counter as she poured them more coffee. Samantha shot them an apologetic smile before swivelling to face Gareth again. "Anyone else you want to overhear our conversation? I don't think the chef in the back heard you."

"Sorry," Gareth replied meekly as he began to settle back into his booth. "How do you know the people at Mensa?"

"They came to me after my first IQ test and offered me membership" Samantha shrugged, grabbing her mug and taking another quick sip of tea before continuing. "But my parents said no."

"But if you're this some kind of genius…then what the hell are you doing working in a cafe?"

And there was the million dollar question Samantha had been dreading. She bit the inside of her cheek for a moment, taking the time to give a sigh as she looked out the window the bustling street outside before turning back to face Gareth.

"That's the long story part." She said with a grimace. Gareth simple sat further back in his both, opening his hands and inviting her to continue. "I was offered the chance to skip years at school, grades as would call it, but my parents were big believers in letting a child be a child. They didn't want me to look back with regret at not having a childhood. So they compromised and let me attend an elite private school in London with the deal being I stayed with my own age group."

"What did you think about that?" Gareth asked quietly.

"I was resentful at times but I got on with it," Samantha admitted. Her eyes then strayed back out the window as she continued telling her story. "And then the time came to choose what to do at university. My parents always talked about giving back, helping others. I mean my dad was a police officer and my mum was climate change scientist and activist before it was cool. So I chose to do medicine at Cambridge."

"You were at Cambridge?" Gareth raised his eyes in disbelief.

"Yeah," Samantha looked back at him and couldn't help the small smirk which crept over her lips, it had been a long time since she had been happy to tell anyone that.

"So what happened?"

"My mum died," Samantha stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world but she had to take a second to swallow past the hard lump which had formed in her throat. "And I realised…I was a horrible person. I was narcissistic, arrogant and generally just not nice to be around. I never had to work hard for anything, I was naturally athletic and my grades came easy, so why should I put effort into anything? It was all beneath me…hell I didn't even get into medicine to help people. Of course I said that to my parents and in the interviews but really I was only in for the title, the prestige that came with being a doctor. I didn't care about other people."

Samantha gave a bitter laugh as her hands clasped her tea mug tightly, the knuckles starting to go white. Her eyes focused intently on the golden shade of brown sat at the bottom of her mug.

"But my mum, she did, she would help anyone she could." Samantha gave a sad smile as she looked back up at Gareth, her eyes hard and her jaw set. "It should have been me that died that night, she had so much more to give, not me."

She let the statement hang in the air for a few seconds, grateful when Gareth did not move to fill the silence. It was a statement of fact in Samantha's opinion and Gareth had no response to it.

"So I dropped out of medical school, found an inconsequential cafe and hid away from the world." Samantha shrugged as she released some of the tensions in her shoulders and sat back in the booth. "My dad's right, it's my hiding spot. He thinks I do it because I'm scared, my mental health wasn't the best after my mum's death, but he's wrong. I don't hide there because I'm scared, I hide there because I don't deserve anything more."

And there it was, all laid out to bear for Gareth. Samantha felt almost naked, a raw vulnerability to her she hadn't felt in a long time. She didn't think she had ever been so open and honest with someone about this before, not even Dr Angelo.

"You can't keep punishing yourself for something that wasn't your fault." Gareth decided to say after a long pause. Samantha wanted to look away but his stare caught hers, forcing her to look at him and see the belief there. "Surely a better way to honour your mom is by living up to your potential?"

She couldn't help it, Samantha gave a small gasp at his candidness, not expecting it. Sensing he had said the wrong thing, Gareth quickly tried to backtrack.

"I'm sorry, I overstepped the line there," Gareth's voice cracked, embarrassment evident across his face as his cheeks darkened.

"It's okay, you're right…no matter how hard I try, I'm still taking the selfish option, aren't I?" The loathing and self hatred in her eyes almost broke Gareth. He attempted to reach across the table to take hold of her hand but Samantha was already moving. "I think I'm going to go for a walk, get some fresh air."

"Sam, don't - I'm- wait-"

"I'll see you back at the motel."

And before he could even stand up, Samantha was already out the door and lost in the ever moving crowd of Washington DC.

Chapter Text

Samantha wasn't really sure how she ended up there but somehow she found herself hidden amongst the crowd of one of the many Smithsonians.

She had been walking, trying to clear her head and forget how gut wrenching but true Gareth's comment had been. No matter how hard she had tried to move away from being that self-entered egotistical girl, she was somehow still taking the easy way out. Samantha had been able for years to ignore her dad's comments echoing similar themes, putting them down to his own grief and him not understanding her true reasons.

But she had laid it all bare for Gareth and he had pinpointed the issue instantly, and there was no hiding it. Samantha Jennings was a coward and was still as self centred as ever.

When she eventually took notice of her bearings again, she had found herself on a stretch of road which seemed to be littered with museum after museum. Prior to coming to America, Samantha had heard about the Smithsonians, had even been jealous of those who could come visit and now here she was, nestled amongst them.

After walking a bit further down she couldn't help the grin which formed when she saw the banner outside one of the museums. The now familiar weapon magnified on the plastic covering on the lamppost, wafting slightly in the breeze.

Frykte

With everything going on, she had forgotten the ancient artefact has also made its way over the pond and was now on display at the Natural History museum. For a moment she stood still at the pavement, staring at the entrance. People moved around her, school groups and tourists from across the World eager to make their way inside.

Samantha had a debate with herself, and for a second she began to turn her body away, taking a step in the direction of her motel….but there it was again, this nagging feeling, a pull of sorts to the museum. Closing her eyes and giving a sigh of frustration, she gave in to this strange desire and starting making her way into the museum.

And so there Samantha was, in the main display for Frykte, the crowds thick with all the attention the new exhibit was getting. The displays were brighter, more video presentations than its UK counterpart. The lights flashed from one of the many interactive displays and Samantha couldn't help but wince from the loudness of it all.

Thankfully the weapon itself was in a more secluded area, away from the bright lights of the modern displays, in order for it to be fully appreciated. Samantha walked over but did not push to the front. With how tall she was, she could easily see the magnificent spear over the rest of the crowd, sparkling in under its spotlight. She wanted to step closer, a voice in the back of her head telling her to reach out for it but Samantha simply clenched her fists. Her weird dreams were really starting to effect her.

Her eyes drifted around the rest of the room, and came to settle on the all now too familiar portrait of the famous Goddess Geni. Samantha had hoped her memory had been exaggerating the likeness, that she couldn't really look like a drawing from hundreds of years ago. Her heart dropped though when she was mistaken, her memory had been correct and it was her own mirror image staring back at her in the picture.

"Claire?"

The accented voice from her left startled Samantha from her thoughts. Her head whipped around and she was met by the questioning face of a small blonde lady.

"Hi…Professor Larson right?"

"That's correct." The woman gave a smile as Samantha easily remembered her name. Her hair somehow seemed a lighter blonde than last time, but her green eyes were still as kind. The slightly older woman looked professional, in a navy blue pant suit which was tailored precisely to her body. "Are you okay? I called your name several times but you didn't respond."

"Ohh urm," Samantha stalled, unsure how to answer her. No doubt the academic had been calling the fake name Samantha had used when she had snuck into the British museum the previous week. Though with everything that had happened since then, the time since their meeting seemed much longer. "I was too enthralled by the exhibit."

Samantha herself tried to avoid the grimace she felt internally from her poor excuse.

"Or it's because your name's not Claire," Momentarily Samantha froze, realising she had been caught. When her head turned back to look at the Professor though, her face had a knowing smirk.

"That obvious huh?" Samantha asked, her shoulders dropping slightly, giving up her previous pretence.

"From the very first moment we met," the other woman said with a smug shrug of her shoulders. The two still stood towards the back of the exhibit, thankfully no one too close to overhear their conversation.

"So why not rat me out in London?" Samantha found herself asking next.

"Because I was curious as to what self respecting twenty something year old gatecrashes a museum party. It's slightly odd don't you agree?"

"When you put it like that," Samantha mumbled, her eyes downcast to the floor.

"So what's your actual name?"

The older women looked up at her and Samantha thought she had no reason to lie further.

"Samantha, Samantha Jennings."

"Nice to meet you Samantha, call me Ella," the Professor said with a blinding, bright smile. "So, Samantha, care to tell me why you crashed our party the other week?"

"Would you believe me if I said I'm massive fan of history and wasn't able to get a ticket for the exhibit before it moved?" Samantha tried, her pitch rising slightly at the end of her sentence.

"I would not," Ella gave her an amused smirk and a moment of silence passed between them before she gave a large sigh and continued. "But I can tell you're not going to tell me the real reason which I'll have to live with. Unless, of course, you were there to scope the place out before stealing something?"

"I can assure that is something which has never crossed my mind." Samantha couldn't help but give out a small laugh at the suggestion.

"I would be more inclined to believe you if you hadn't followed Frykte to America."

"I am being truthful when I say this is a coincidence." Samantha responded, trying to sound as earnest as possible so the academic would believe her. Deciding she needed to eleborate, Samantha decided to tell a half truth. "My dad's out here doing some work and I came to visit. I was walking past when I saw the adverts for the exhibit and thought I would come in and see what it looked like."

"And what do you think?"

Samantha's eye followed Ella's as she gestured around the room, clearly wanting her impressions on the new display. It was rather unfortunate at that point the noise from one of the many interactive displays clashed with one of the many dramatised videos of the Norse gods, the sound mashing into an inaudible mess.

"It's bit more…." Samantha grimaced, unable to find the right way to phrase her thoughts, knowing her companion was head of the exhibit.

"In your face?" Larson supplied, her own look of derision as her gaze swept across the room.

"I was going to say eccentric," Samantha laughed and earning a laugh from the other.

"Yes it appears even though they offered me lead on the display, the powers that be had their own ideas on how to attract the public to the pieces." Ella stated and Samantha could hear the undertones of annoyance. "I miss your Britishness sense of reserve at times like this."

"It is very American," Samantha nodded her head, before another thought hit her. "God knows what the Captain America exhibit is like in the Air and Space museum."

The pair shared another laugh before settling after a few minutes. Both pairs of eyes swept the room again, taking in crowd and artefacts on display. The women both seemed to land on the picture of Geni at the same time. While Samantha continued to stare directly at the painting, she could feel Ella's eyes turn to examine her. The Englishwoman's jaw clenched tight, feeling under a microscope herself, as if she was now the one on display.

"You know it is a shame you were not here yesterday, you would have been great to bring along to my dinner party last night." Ella thought out-loud when she eventually removed her eyes from her companion. The statement had thrown Samantha completely off guard, not expecting it in the slightest. Her body turned a fraction so as to face Ella more directly and her questioning look was prompt enough for the Professor to continue.

"We academics when we get together like to talk about our more outlandish, as you say, far fetched theories in our field. For example the theoretical physicists love to talk about the theory of being about to shrink the distance between atoms and alter the size and mass of an object."

"That's by Dr Hank Pym, right?" Samatha interrupted.

"Very good, and do you know about the elemental 6?"

"No I don't."

"It comes from a Professor who studies the Far East, he spent some time in a monastery known as Kamar-Taj." Larson carried on, her eyes a light with her stories. "Something about 6 crystals each controlling a different essential aspect of life. "

"Sounds a little far fetched," Samantha said with a teasing smirk, echoing Larson's earlier words.

"Exactly!" The Professor's smile was wide again, clearly enjoying the conversation.

"And what's your theory then, that would have made me such an interesting dinner guest?"

"For someone who spends their time gate crashing boring museum parties, you are quite quick to catch on to things." Ella gave a teasing smirk of her own before her faced sobered slightly. "Have you ever heard of reincarnation?"

"What like Buddhism? Do 'good in this life and be rewarded in the next' kind of thing?" Samantha shrugged. Though the idea was far fetched to some, it was still a widely held belief by many, so it confused her as to why the party had been discussing it as a wild theory.

"Not quite." Ella said quietly, taking a moment to phrase her next part correctly before continuing. "Those of us who study ancient deities theorise there are reflections of the gods on Earth, reincarnations. We do not know how or what gods or even if the reincarnations know themselves. Of course there have been people who claim to be such but none proven."

It was then Larson's eyes drifted over to the drawing of Geni and the pieces suddenly fell into place for Samantha.

"And because I look like the painting…" Samantha let the end of her sentence hang, letting Ella complete it herself.

"You would have blown their freaking minds." The petite lady brought her hands up to demonstrate said blowing of minds and it couldn't help but make Samantha chuckle further. "I would have instantly been welcomed as the cool new kid on the scene."

"I think it would take more than looking like a random person from the viking era to make people think I was a reincarnation." Samantha theorised herself.

"You're right, there is more to it than simply looking like them. The reincarnation would likely have attributes, qualities associated with their previous life."

"So if you were, say Hades from Greek legend…" Samantha began the example.

"You may be a medium or have some connection to the other side." And Ella finished it.

"And with her?" Samantha looked back to the Goddess dressed in her armour, ready for battle.

"Well you don't happen to be a genius do you?" Though Ella laughed, Samantha didn't join in, a new pit of anxiety opening in her stomach.

"Far from it." Her voice was tight, suddenly not as comfortable with the conversation topic. "Doesn't sound as far fetched as the others though? Seeing as reincarnation is widely accepted by the large part of the Earth's population."

"Ah but there is more," Ella's eyes continued to remain alight, a passion and intelligence burning behind them. "Some theorise there is a potential for the two souls to meet, a catastrophic event to the reincarnation allowing them access whatever it is that connects the two…but it is merely a theory. Something to tell ourselves to keep us amused."

"Quite the theory." Samantha muttered but her eyes were once again focused on the ancient drawing. Suddenly feeling the need to be as far away as possible from the museum. "It was nice meeting you again Prof—Ella."

"It was nice to find out your real name." Larson teased, but Samantha could see the curiosity behind her eyes as her sudden want to lend the conversation. "Maybe next time you're tell me the real reason you're here."

"Maybe."

And with that Samantha turned and left, not once looking back at Frykte, no matter how much her body was telling her too.

"So when are you going to tell me how we're suppose to get into this place?"

It had taken another few hours for Samantha to make her way back to the motel, something Gareth took a while to forgive her for as he had panicked something had happened to her. She tried to explain she had ended up stopping for coffee near Hughes head quarters in order to try and access their wifi but Gareth still wasn't impressed. Only when she told him she had found a way to access the secure files did he seem to finally be willing to drop the events of the day. He even forgot about it completely when Samantha had presented him with the clothing she had brought him when out.

It was now the next day and the pair looked up at the skyscraper towering over the rest of the city as they made their way across the plaza towards it. The large letters down the side spelling out HUGHES INTERNATIONAL, showing the world who it belonged to.

"It's okay, just follow my lead," Samantha answered Gareth's question as they reached the glass front doors which lead into an impressive lobby. The ceilings were high and around the room screens were dotted with the latest news flashing up.

She could feel Gareth freeze besides her when they approached a security gate. Samantha felt eerily like she was an at airport with the level of security they seemed to have. The buzzing in the back of head began to grow louder and she had to take a few deep breaths for it to become manageable again.

"Relax," Samantha whispered to Gareth as the joined the back of the short queue for security, his body tense, almost expecting to be stopped at any moment. Gareth sent her look almost to say you don't say.

They managed to make it through security without incident and found themselves in the middle of the lobby with no idea where they were going.

"So what now?" Gareth asked, looking at Samatha. She wasn't paying him attention though, instead her eyes were scanning the crowd looking for something. He began to tug on the chinos Samantha had made him wear. "Also, why did we have to dress up like this?"

When she spotted a stressed looking young man rushing through the lobby, her eyes narrowed in concentration.

Oh man, I'm going to be so late to the introduction.

"This way," Samantha said, leaving Gareth's question unanswered as she began to follow the man from earlier. She could feel Gareth fall in to step beside her as they ducked through to a side corridor.

Samantha's eyes stayed glued to the man in front, but Gareth eyes were constantly darting around, wondering where exactly they were going. He was surprised when they entered a room with lots of other people, around the same age as them, all dressed in business attire. Samantha pulled his forearm and steered him to the table at the corner where a small line had formed.

When they reached the front, Gareth saw a stern looking woman in her mid-50s staring at them. Her hands hovered over a list and beside it were what looked like information packs with lanyards and passes lying on top of them.

"Name please," The woman asked.

"Hi I'm Kelly Smith and this is James King, from Berkley," Samantha answered with a wide smile and an impeccable American accent. It took all of Gareth's resolve not stare at her with wide eyes in surprise.

"Just in time," The woman said, ticking their names off the list and handing them both a lanyard and information pack.

"Thanks."

Samantha's smile dropped as soon as they turned around and the woman couldn't see their faces anymore.

"James King?" Gareth repeated, a clear question in his voice.

"I was doing research last night and found they were doing an open house day to post-grad science students, hoping to persuade them to come work for them after they graduate. Invite only," Samantha gave a fake smile and nod to a group they passed before they settled into the back of the room.

"And Kelly and James?" Gareth asked, his eyes sweeping around the room, a growing sense of unease when he noticed the multiple video cameras.

"They may or may not have got an email this morning saying their invitation was rescinded," Samantha gave a look of fake innocence which Gareth responded to with a look of disapproval. "Hey, we needed to get in here and besides, if what my dad said is true, I'm doing them a favour by not applying for this company."

Gareth opened his mouth to voice his protests when the lights dimmed and suddenly the screen came to life.

A propaganda type video filled the screen, showing workers who loved their jobs. Testimonies about what it was like to work for Hughes International were littered throughout videos of the facilities. Samantha paid little attention to it, instead scanning the room working out where they were going to go next. She just needed to find a computer with some element of privacy to get into their system.

The lights came back up and Samantha became aware of the large group being split into smaller ones. Wordlessly, the pair joined the nearest group and followed them as someone from HR began to lead them on a tour.

As they walked through the building, Samantha could hear the different voices of the various workers, indicating they had yet to find a secluded enough spot. She was aware Gareth kept sending her looks, asking what they should do next but she ignored him and focused on finding a computer.

As they reached the end of a long corner, Samantha became aware of the receding buzzing in the back of head and she looked over Gareth's shoulder to see an empty corridor.

"Come on," Samantha whispered, grabbing his arm and discreetly dropping out of the back of the group and quickly walking down the silent corridor.

They found an empty room and slipped inside. Gareth remained by the door, looking out through the frosted glass as if he expected someone to come charging in after them. Samantha had already walked over to one of the computers in the room and began to hack into the system.

"How did you know no one would be here?" Gareth asked over his shoulder.

"Lucky guess," Samantha shrugged knowing he wouldn't believe the actual answer. Her fingers flashed furiously over the keyboard finding the backdoor past the firewall she had left herself yesterday.

"Are you sure you've not done this before? You are rather good at it," Gareth remarked, sending her a cheeky smile.

"I could say the same to you," Samantha quipped back. Before either could say more, she gave an exclamation of triumph as she found her entry point and was given full access to the system.

She started to search through the anything related to the word Bluebird. When she did, it required another security wall to get through but when that fell, Samantha was not expecting what she found.

"Oh my god."

With the whisper that left Samantha's lips, Gareth left his position at the door and walked over to the terminal.

"Sam?" His eyes flashed to the screen, but all he could see were chemical compound outlines and words detailing different experiment numbers. "What is it?"

"You remember that project the CIA did in the 60s looking at mind control and ways to psychological torture people?" Samantha asked, her eyes wide as she scrolled through the information.

"Yeah, MKUltra or something, what's that got to do with what's going on?"

"Turns out Hughes International was one of the companies involved in creating the different drug compounds to experiment with, and it looks like despite the CIA shutting the program down, Hughes Sr continued the good work," Samantha said, a hint of disgust in her voice.

"So that's what your Dad found out? Project Bluebird is just the continuation MKUltra?"

"No, it's worse than that," Samantha looked at him, she clicked off the document and opened up a video. "Look at this,"

The room on the screen was empty except for one person in a hospital gown. In the corner a bed and the other a chair and desk. Suddenly yellow gas began to fill the room and the figure began to panic, running to the door and pounding their fists on it when they realised it was locked. Soon they started to choke followed by their legs collapsing underneath them. The gas kept pouring in though and soon the figure on the ground began to shake uncontrollably, clearly having a seizure of some kind. Samantha could see the blood pouring from their nose and ears.

"What the hell?" Gareth gasped, his face scrunched in horror.

"They haven't been using LSD like the CIA did, they've gone beyond that. If these files are true, they've been trying to create a new chemical compound to control people." Samantha said, clicking on to another video.

The new image was one of a young woman stood in front of a young man.

"Please, Ciara, don't do this," the man was pleading as he looked as the gun the young woman began to hold up. Her hand was shaking, as if she was trying to stop herself from lifting it but was unsuccessful.

"Kill him," an unknown voice said from off screen.

Gareth and Samantha jumped back in shock as the gun went off, killing the man instantly, the blood pooling around him on the floor.

"Oh my god, why did I do that? Jeremy!" The woman cried as she dropped to her knees and hugged the now lifeless body.

"Excellent," Simon Hughes appeared on the screen, Samantha realising his voice had been the one to give the orders. "We are making such good progress," he then paused as he noticed the woman's nose begin to bleed. "Oh dear, guess there goes another one,"

The woman gave him an odd look before she too fell to the ground and began convulsing. Hughes walked up to her, picked the gun up off the floor and shot her, stopping her shaking.

"Bring the next one in," Hughes said, handing his gun back to the other scientist, unfazed by what he had just done. He brushed some dirt of his suit before walking off camera.

"Looks like Hughes Jr has finished his father's legacy," Samantha said, Gareth too in shock to say anything.

But there was something else there, a niggle in the back of her head telling her something else must be going on. Her fingers continued to work across the keyboard as she searched the rest of the files before her body stalled, it tensing at the implication of the most recent document she had brought up.

"What is that?" Gareth asked, finally managing to break from his thoughts as he stared at the intricate floor plan with ventilations diagrams overlying it on the screen.

"It's the blue prints for the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Washington," Samantha mumbled, too shocked to speak louder.

"The Ritz-Carlton? Why would they have a floor plan for that in this file?….wait…isn't that where-"

"The G7 leaders are meeting in a few days time." Samantha completed his sentence, Gareth's eyes widened as he stared at her, both coming to the same conclusion. "Hughes is planning to use the gas on the most powerful people in the world."

A rigid silence settled over the room, the fainting ticking of a clock on the wall being the only sound made. Samantha could see a new determination in Gareth's eyes as he seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation.

Thought I could hear voices down here

"Someone's coming," Samantha quickly began to shut the computer down, making sure there were no traces of them using the computer.

"Wait, how do you-"

Gareth's question was cut off when a security guard opened the door and gave the two of them a concerned look.

"What are you doing in? This place is off limits," The man asked, his hand moving towards his hip where his gun rested. Samantha found herself freezing unsure what to say.

"Oh thank god you found us," Gareth stepped in, doing a pretty good impression of a stressed student. "We're here for the college day and we got separated from our group. The door got jammed and we've been stuck in here for 10 minutes."

The guard seemed to believe their story, his hand coming off his hip and settled into a more relaxed posture.

"They're doing work in this area, why there's no one else here. Now come on I'll get you back to your group," The man swung the door open, stepping to the side and making the pair walk out in front of him.

Samantha shot Gareth a grateful look, His improvisation had surprised her, then again he was an actor. The pair walked in silence, not wanting to say anything in front of the guard to get them into more trouble. They soon found themselves back in the room they were in earlier where the rest of the young scientists had returned to.

"Stick with the group next time," the guard warned.

"Will do, thanks for helping," Gareth gave him a smile which was met with an eye roll before he walked off. When far enough away, Gareth's smile dropped and his voice became low as he spoke to Samantha. "That was too close."

"I agree, come on we should try and get out of here," Samantha made to move towards the exit but Gareth's hand on her forearm stopped her.

"If we leave now it'll be too suspicious. We need to stay until there's another break," he told her. Once again she was taken aback but how sensible the idea was, though she was teasing earlier, it really did seem like Gareth had experience with sneaking in and out of places.

She gave a nod to say she agreed and the pair took some seats at the back of the room again, as another speaker came on to the stage.

Within a few minutes though Samantha felt something was wrong. Trying to act casual she looked around the room to find a man in a black suit walk into the room. Her eyes went wide when she recognised his face. Her head whipped back around to the front but every so often her eyes would dart back to the corner.

Those restricted files were accessed not far from here. Must be one of these kids

"Gareth, we need to leave now," Samantha whispered trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

"No I told you, we need to wait for a break," he replied, eyes focused on the speaker at the front.

Samantha risked another glance back over her shoulder to see the man in the black suit had been joined by another, and it was another face she recognised. Next to them stood a security guard from earlier, scanning the crowd.

"I lied," Samantha blurted out. Gareth turned to look at her then, now not hiding the panic creeping into her voice. "About the shooting in London, I lied when I said I didn't know anything about it….it was about me, people were shooting at me."

"What?" Gareth hissed at her, causing a few people around them to turn and give them funny looks.

"Yeah, long story, I'll explain later but see those two guys in suits over your right shoulder," She watched as Gareth tried to give a causal look over his shoulder, again Samantha was surprised by his discretion. When she saw him give a subtle nod she continued. "Yeah, they were two of the people shooting at me."

Over there, the dark blonde with the short hair and the black guy.

Wait isn't that-

Samantha risked a glance back over and could see the security guard was pointing the two men in their direction.

"And they know we accessed the files, come on time to go," she grabbed his arm pulling him out of the chair, taking the choice away from him.

They were again shot funny looks by the people surrounding them but they paid them no mind as they tried to walk as quickly as they could to the door they first came through when they arrived, without putting even more suspicion on them.

Samantha's heart sank when two more men in suits appeared in front of the door they were walking to. She shot Gareth a quick look of panic trying to show she recognised these men also.

"I think you two need to come with us," a deep voice said behind her and a rough hand was slapped down on to her shoulder.

With no conscious thought, Samantha's hands automatically came up and grabbed the forearm of whomever had got hold of her. Her head tucked in and she took a step back, lifting the guy over her shoulder and flipping him on to his back. Her legs stepped over him, keeping him locked in an arm bar as she applied pain to his wrist to stop him moving.

For a moment the room froze, she could hear gasps and murmurs in the crowd of seated people, the speaker having gone silent. Samantha herself had wide eyes, unbelieving at what she had just done.

And then all hell broke loose.

One of the men from the door approached Gareth and became engaged in a fist fight, one that Samantha was surpassed to see Gareth winning. If she wasn't mistaken, Gareth looked like an expert fighter. She couldn't pay much attention though as the other man behind her pulled her on to the floor.

She felt her breath leave her as the painful slam hit her. She could see a boot aiming for her head and she managed to roll out the way and scramble back into a standing position. The crowd on the other side of the room were now scrambling trying to leave on the other side and Samantha could see more men in black suit's pile into the room.

The man who had thrown her to the floor approached her, taking a swing as she did. Again, as if her body was on autopilot, she stepped to the side easily avoiding the punch. The man was clearly annoyed, not expecting her to be putting up a fight. If he paid any attention to Samantha's face, he would be able to see she hadn't expected it either.

He swung two more times, but instead of stepping to the side, she easily deflected them with her own arms. Then a gap appeared and her right arm flung forward, punching the man in the chest and sending him flying back several feet.

Somehow Samantha's eyes went even wider, not expecting it at all. The other men in black suits now looked at her more wearily, unsure of how to handle her. She looked to see Gareth placing a choke hold on one of the men, the first man he was fighting now lay on the floor unconscious.

Deciding to take her on as a pair, two men approached her. She took a few steps back, unsure what was going to happen next. One of them suddenly lunged towards her and she ducked out of his way, coming up behind him. Her leg came up, hitting him square in the back and sending him flying face first to the floor, not to get back up.

Two arms grabbed her around the waist and she could feel herself being lifted into the air, about to be slammed down. Her legs swung upwards, rolling her body up and placing her on top of the man's shoulder. He paused and looked up at, not expecting her to be able to pull off such a move. Samantha herself matched his expression of surprise. His hands came up in attempt to grab but her own arms reached up to grab one of the beams of ceiling, lifting the man up off the floor with a cross of her legs. She applied enough pressure to knock the man out.

When his body went limp, she let go and jumped down. So had no idea where she had learnt to do that.

Samatha suddenly heard a large bang, accompanied by a searing pain in her side. She turned around to see one of the few men left standing had a gun pointed at her from a few feet away. She could feel her legs give way as she fell to the floor from the pain.

"Samantha!" She heard Gareth shout but he was stuck fighting two guys in suits.

The man with the gun approached her, gun still held out pointing at her. She saw his finger move on the trigger. Without knowing truly why, she felt her head fling back slightly and suddenly the man was flying in the air, landing several feet away and not getting back up.

Samantha stared in open mouth shock, pretty sure she had just done that.

"Come on get up, we need to go," Gareth appeared in front of her, grabbing her hand and forcing her onto her feet. She looked around to see between them, none of the men in suits were still standing, but from the sound of feet approaching, there were plenty more coming.

She followed Gareth's lead as they ran out the room, not even pretending to be discreet. They ran through the lobby, ignoring the shouts from those running after them and those they barged into.

Samantha found she easily overtook Gareth as they ran, she actually found she couldn't stop herself after gathering such a speed. She could see the security barricade up ahead but by now the momentum was too much.

"Samantha what are you-"

The men at the door didn't stand a chance as she barrelled into them, knocking them over and crashing through the glass door. Only once outside did she manage to finally stop.

"What the hell Samantha?" Gareth asked her, out of breath as his eyes turned back to see the damage she had caused but surprisingly she didn't have a scratch on her.

Before she could answer his question, the sound of gun shots hit them and the two quickly began running again heading to their car parked a street away.

Once strapped in, Gareth shot her furtively glances looking for any injuries.

"Oh my god Samantha, you got shot, we need to get you to a hospital!" Gareth wheezed out, his eyes darting between her and the road.

"Actually I think we need to get rid of the cars following us," Samantha said, her focus on the wing mirror where she could see two black SUVs driving behind them.

"Shit," Gareth said, looking into the rearview mirror and seeing them as well.

He whipped the wheel around to turn the car right, earning honks from other road users but creating more distance between them and the SUVs. He took another sharp left but with the road now clear it was easier for the two SUVs to catch up.

"Hold on," Gareth told her. Samantha's hand came up to hold the handle above her head, unsure what Gareth was going to pull next.

He waited until the two SUVs were on either side of them, ahead a four way junction. Just as they hit the lights and Samantha could see them rolling their window down, Gareth pulled the hand brake up and twisted the wheel, immediately flipping the car around to face the direction they had just came. As quickly as he had done it, he dropped the hand brake and accelerated away, Samantha watched in the mirror as the SUVs scrambled to turn around but before they could, Gareth had already turned right and shot down a side street.

After a couple of turns down some of the quieter streets of Washington DC, and happy they were no longer being followed, Gareth found a large car park where the car could be hidden amongst the many parked there. Once the engine was off, his body whipped around to her, scanning her for injuries.

A confused look came over him though when he saw no blood pooling into her clothes or on the seat.

"Samantha, why aren't you bleeding?" He asked. She gave him a confused look back. "I saw you get shot."

"I did get shot," Samantha confirmed, as confused as Gareth why she wasn't covered in blood. Not only from the bullet but when she smashed through the glass door.

She pulled her top up to look at her lower abdomen. In her right flank where she felt the pain early, was now a nasty looking dark purple bruise, about the size of a bullet. The skin had split slightly just from the sheer impact and now her adrenaline was wearing off, she could feel the pain radiating from the site.

Though she had never been shot before, Samantha knew it wasn't a normal gunshot wound.

"You need to tell me everything, no more lies." Gareth said, his voice serious. It was as if his carefree personality had suddenly been replaced by a mature, sensible adult. Even just the way he was holding himself was different.

"I think I can say the same to you," Samantha replied. Though Gareth claimed to have taken a lot of classes to prepare for roles, she didn't think advance car driving was one of them, or being able to take on multiple trained professionals in a fight and win.

Gareth looked at her and almost a look of defeat came over him before his eyes hardened.

"Not here, come on we should take a bus or something back to the hotel, I have a feeling they'll be able to track the car."

Samantha gave no arguments as the pair silently unbuckled their seatbelts and left the car.

Chapter Text

The room was silent as the two security officers stood watching with bated breath. Simon Hughes paid them no attention as he watched the security footage of one Miss Samantha Jennings seemingly throw one of his guards into the air without touching him. The only change in his expression was the slight tilt of his mouth at the corner, almost amused by the video.

Hughes rewound the footage again, watching it from the beginning for the third time. The two security officers began to fidget but immediately stopped when the 6ft'6 giant, also known as Boris, stood behind Hughes, sent a grunt their way, sending fear into the other two men.

"Well," Hughes finally broke the silence, as he sat back in his chair and placed his tablet on his desk. His fingers began to rhythmically tap on the glass top. "This certainly makes things more interesting."

"We found their vehicle in a parking lot," Stanley, the head of security, managed to say after initially stuttering. His hands were clasped tightly being his back, the only outward sign of his fear. "But they were gone by the time we got there."

Hughes stilled for a moment, his fingers hovering over the desktop as he paused his tapping. It was only for a second, but it was enough to make Stanley audible gulp.

"How disappointing," Hughes gave a large sigh before directing his gaze to the door behind his two security officers. Suddenly two further men appeared and made their way across the room.

Stanley tried to move but they were quicker, and despite the pleas to his former colleagues, he was unceremoniously dragged from the room. The sounds of his protests, suddenly cut off when the door was slammed shut.

"Congratulations Mr Kingston," Hughes said with a short smile as he stood up and made his way to face the window behind his desk, placing his back to the other two in the room and buttoning his suit jacket as he went. The remaining security officer's eyes went wide, unsure what exactly was about to happen. "You've just been promoted to head of security. Now get out."

Kingston gave a quick nod of his head before scurrying out of the door as fast as he could. Silence fell again but was soon filled by the sound of Boris leaning forward to grab the tablet on the desk. His eyes glued to the screen as he watched the security footage himself, analysing the fighting style of the young girl and her unknown companion.

"What do you think?" Hughes asked, his head turned only slightly to the side to indicate who he was talking to.

"You should have let me take care of this from the start." Boris said in his thick accent, his tone flat and his feelings hidden. He placed the tablet back on the desk, straightening up to his full height.

"Hindsight is a beautiful thing." Hughes mused with a shrug before turning to fully face his window again. The plaza below filled with little dots of unimportant people scurrying around to do god knows what in their meaningless lives. "You're right though, she's gone from being an irritant to an actual problem now."

"Mr Hughes, you're nine o'clock is here"

The young feminine voice of his secretary broke the moment, her voice appearing from the intercom on his desk. Without looking at his bodyguard, Hughes walked over and pressed the button to respond.

"Send them in Janet" His voice lighter, hiding the cruelness from before. It remained in his eyes though as he gave his next instruction. "Find her."

Boris gave a nod in acknowledgement before making his way to the door. On his way out, he passed a wide eyed, well dressed man who gave him a wide berth as they passed each other.

"Ah Mr Stabler, thank you for meeting me today." Boris heard Hughes say as he reached for the door handle. "I never knew it could be so hard to get a meeting with the manager of a hotel."

The rest of the conversation was cut off from Boris as the door swung shut behind him.

The door to the room flung open as the pair shot through the threshold. Gareth quickly moved to the window, tugging the curtains shut while Samantha collapsed onto the end of the bed. She made to roll forward and place her head in her hands but instead she was halted by the pain in her side, a hiss escaping her as her hand came up the bruise left by the bullet.

"Okay Sam, no more lying." Gareth turned to face her, a new found authority in his voice Samantha had never heard before. Not just his voice though, his whole demeanour had changed, his back was straighter and their was a new sharpness to his eyes. "You need to tell me everything right now."

"I could say the same thing to you." Samantha shot back, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. Despite how close she had felt to the American after their time together, she was suddenly realising there was a whole other side to Gareth she knew very little about.

"What are you talking about?" Gareth questioned back, somewhat trying to scramble back on the persona of a struggling actor.

"Where the hell did you learn to fight like that?" Samantha interrogated, standing up to her full height making her considerably taller than Gareth. "And don't give me some bullshit excuse about being an actor and having skills…cause that was more than some play fighting."

"No you don't get to do that Sam." Gareth's voice was harsh, as his hands came to rest on his hips in a demanding posture. "This isn't some little game anymore, this is a matter of national security. You need to tell me everything from the start and then we need to go to the authorities."

"The authorities Hughes has probably already infected with that gas. My dad warned me, we can't trust anyone," Samantha argued, her hand waving off in the direction of said authorities."Wait a minute, 'national security' where the hell did this come from?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Again he was scrambling to hide the change in his demeanour but Samantha was having none of it.

"Oh really? Why are you lying to me?"

"You really want to go there?" Gareth raised his eyebrows at her, giving her an incredulous look. His hands suddenly began animated as they became an outlet for his frustration as they accompanied his rant. "Because you have no leg to stand on Sam, why didn't you tell me it was you being shot at in London? And for someone having a go at me about unknown fighting skills, you seemed to do pretty well yourself against those men…oh and how could I forget you being bullet proof?!"

"Stop avoiding my question," Samantha hissed, refusing to back down as she stared Gareth straight in the eye. A tension she had never felt with him before, covered the room.

"Because you never do that," Gareth gave a nasty laugh as he finally turned away from her.

This was not in the mission brief

"What wasn't in the mission brief?" Samantha asked, taking a step in the direction he had turned to, forcing him to look back at her.

"What?" Gareth's face though was one of confusion, his anger momentarily forgotten by her question.

"You just said about your mission brief," Samantha's voice lost some of its venom as she suddenly became unsure of herself by Gareth's response.

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did I heard-," a pit opened up in the bottom of her stomach, freezing her to her core when she realised what she had done, what it had meant. "No, no, no, you were safe, I'm not suppose to hear you."

Samantha began to back away from him, her hands coming to up to clutch either side of her head as her panic began to rise. The dingy walls with their faded rose patterned wallpaper, seemed to be closing in on her. The air felt suffocating as her breathing started to increase.

"Hear me? Sam what are you on about?" Gareth took a step towards her, concern evident in his voice and features.

"Your thoughts were safe," Samantha muttered taking a step back and keeping her distance from him. "I'm not suppose to hear them"

"Thoughts?" Gareth repeated, a confused expression on his face before realisation seemed to set in. "Sam, are you telling me you can hear my thoughts?"

"Of course I can hear your thoughts Gareth!" Samantha exploded, almost shouting and no doubt disturbing the neighbouring rooms. Her words came out fast and harsh in her panic. "I can hear everyone's god damn thoughts. How do you think I knew that room at Hughes International was empty? Or in the cafe, always knowing what people's conversations were about?"

"You're lying," Gareth scoffed.

"Believe whatever you want," Samantha told him before almost mumbling again to herself but loud enough Gareth could hear her. "But I've never been able to hear yours before, only with physical contact. You were suppose to be safe."

"Sam"

Coulson needs to hear this

Samantha gave an audible gasp, her eyes going wide as she looked at Gareth with a newfound hatred. It caused him to pause in his movement towards, so taken aback by the sudden rage in her eyes.

"How the hell do you know who Coulson is?" Samantha whispered, but he heard her. He would be able to her a pin drop with the silence which engulfed the space.

"I don't know who you're talking about," Again he tried to play dumb but Samantha could now see past his lies.

"The man from the airport, you just thought about him…." She pointed an accusatory finger towards him.

"You're wrong-"

Samantha shot forward, grabbing Gareth's arm, not really sure why initially but it came clear as soon as she made contact. Images of Coulson filled her head, phone calls and meetings in person as well as notes and files being written, her name and pictures plastered across the pages, all from Gareth's POV.

Almost as if she had been stung, as quickly as she grabbed him, she let go, flinging his arm as far away from her as possible. It was as if he could tell what she had seen and neither one knew what to say as they stared at each other.

"You're one of them," Samantha finally spat at her, pure loathing in her voice.

"Sam, I can explained-" Clearly realising he could pretend no more, Gareth began to plead with her as Samantha turned from him and started to grab her items from the room. He made to grab her arm but sensing him, she swiftly moved her arm out of the way and swung back round to face him.

"All this time, it was fake, you've been spying on me." Samantha accused, Gareth opening his mouth to deny it before closing it and his shoulders deflating in defeat. Samantha could feel a harshness at the back of her throat, a telltale sign she was about to cry. She took a shuddery breath to control herself before continuing. "At the airport, it was set up. You never came to Washington to help, it was to feed back to SHIELD this entire time."

"It started that way but Sam, it's not like that anymore," Gareth's eyes were soft as he tried to convey something else to her, willing her to stop what she was doing and listen to him.

"Bullshit," Samantha hissed back as she grabbed the last of her things and flung her rug sack onto her shoulders and moved towards the door.

She was halted almost immediately though by Gareth stepping into her path.

"Sam I can't let you leave with that hard drive, SHIELD needs it." Gareth said, a sympathy look to his eyes but she could see the way his body tensed.

"And what if I don't give it to you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. Out of the corner of her vision she could see Gareth's hands tighten into fists and she couldn't help the mocking smile which crossed her lips. "I can't believe I ever thought you were my friend."

"Hand it over Sam," Gareth demanded.

"Go screw yourself."

Gareth made to step towards her, but with no conscious thought of her own, her head flung backwards slightly, and with it Gareth was shot backwards into the air. He collided with the far wall, his head giving a resounding smack as it landed on the floor.

Samantha's eyes went wide, fear over hurting him. She made a move towards him but then she saw his eyes open as he looked at her from the floor. Unspoken apologies and betrayal were conveyed until Samantha broke the moment, and made a hurried exit out the door, knowing Gareth could not follow her in the state he was in.

As she ran, her hand come up to wipe the few tears which had fallen.

She was truly alone.

Samantha sat on a bench at the back of the room, it allowed her the privacy to gather her thoughts. The sound from the non-stop video reels and interactive displays seemed to provide her the whitewash noise she needed to gather her thoughts.

She didn't really know how she had ended up back here, hidden amongst the exhibit for Frykte at the Smithsonian but there was something about it that gave her a calming effect. As if just by being there she could breathe that little bit easier.

It was crazy she knew, that an exhibit about some mythical object seemed to be the only source of relief in her life. Dr Angelo was going to have a field day when she heard all about this when she returned to England. Not to mention the weird dreams, but considering she had uncovered a plot to brainwash the world's most powerful leaders and a secret spy agency had been stalking her for months, being comforted by a spear seemed to be the least of her worries.

Families and tourist continued to mingle around her and no one seemed to pay her mind. Even when she came forward to place her head in her hands in an almost visual way to illustrate how defeated she felt. Her muscles ached after the fighting, again how she had managed to pull that off was other thing to add to the 'worry about later' pile. As the adrenaline wore off, she could feel the almost pulsing to the deep bruise in her side. Maybe she should actually think about the bullet proof thing a little sooner?

Samantha became aware of his presence only when he sat down. Initially she thought whoever it was, needed to learn about personal space, but when her head lifted out of her hands, her body stilled by the site of who exactly had sat next to her.

"Miss Jennings. What a pleasure it is to finally meet you."

Simon Hughes sent her a smug smirk. His back was ramrod straight, perched only slightly on the bench, as if the idea of being sat where many others had disgusted him. He wore an impeccable dark grey suit with a bright white pocket handkerchief. His blonde hair was slicked back, with not a single strand out of place. His eyes hovered over her for a second before roaming the room, sharp and calculating.

Samantha took only a moment to compose herself as she sat straighter and responded.

"I'm afraid I can't say the same."

"Careful there, you nearly hurt my feelings." Hughes said, a teasing tilt to his words. "You know when I first heard about you, you were but a mere flicker on the edge of my consciousness. But after your performance at my building, you my dear have taken a headline act."

Samantha felt her jaw clench tight and her nails dig into her palms, trying not to let Hughes know his effect on her. She tried her best to look nonchalant around the room but by the amused smirk which continued to plastered on his lips, she knew she was doing a poor job of it.

"Have you seen the footage yet?" Hughes enquired, a genuine curiosity to his voice. "It is rather fascinating, how did you make one of my men fly into the air like that?" He left it a moment for her respond but when it was obvious she was not going to, he gave a sigh of disappointment. "Not much of a talker, are you? Well then let's cut the foreplay."

With a tilt of his head, Samantha followed his gaze to the far side of the room, and her heart leapt into her throat.

"Dad!" Samantha cried out, earning a few odd looks from nearby visitors.

She didn't care though, as there across the room from her was her dad. Her eyes raced over his body looking for any obvious injuries but there were none. She was about to jump up and run towards him when she suddenly became aware of the looming presence over her father's shoulder. The man was built like a house, and with a hand firmly planted on her dad's shoulder, it was obvious he was not a helpful tour guide.

"Yes, surprise I've had him the whole time…but I think you suspected that." Hughes brushed an imaginary piece of lilt from the front of his jacket before turning his gaze back to Samantha. His smile widened when she saw her face drawn in confusion. Samantha had been expecting some reaction form her father, even a relieved smile to see her. But instead she was met with only a blank stare, as if he didn't even recognise his own daughter amongst the crowd. "If you're wondering why he's just sitting there, it's because I told him too…..why yes Miss Jennings, your father has been under my control this entire time."

A horrible feeling blossomed in her stomach, as if she was falling from a height and had no sign of when the floor would come. Her palms became sweating and for a moment Samantha thought she was going to vomit right there with the nausea which overwhelmed her.

Hughes's eyes widened in amusement, clearly enjoying the torture he was putting her through and so he continued his fun.

"We knew exactly where the USB was, we even had a go at trying to crack it but I'm afraid even my best computer nerds couldn't." Hughes continued, a rather impressed tone creeping into his words. "It was rather ingenious the way you programmed the device. You know, if you weren't such a thorn in my side, I would be offering you a job Miss Jennings."

"I already have one," Samantha managed to spit out through clenched teeth once she finally managed to regain a sliver of composure.

"Ah yes, that dreadful little cafe, dear old Keith thinks you're a bit above that, quite disappointed in you actually," Hughes gave a small laugh, revealing in his torment of her. "Amazing what truth spills out when they can't lie."

"If you needed me to unlock the USB why send me the message to allow me to escape in London?" Samantha asked, trying to take advantage of how much Hughes clearly loved the sound of his own voice.

"Oh that wasn't me," Hughes gave her a look of derision as if he couldn't believe she thought he was stupid enough to do such a thing. "I guess your dad is a bit more street smart than I gave him credit for. He was able to find a loop hole in my wording enough to break out and give you the warning. It meant we had to put the USB back for you to find…but alas even my security messed that up so here I am, getting my hands dirty."

"Why not destroy the USB when you had it?"

"Turns out Keith managed to take some research data from our files and put onto his, and I need it back." His eyes flicked to where the USB lay at the base of neck, Samantha did her best not to raise her hand to cover it.

"Well you can't have it," Samantha told him, somehow managing to keep her voice steady despite how much danger she knew she was in. "Besides I've already shared it with the relevant authorities."

Hughes studied her for a moment, a condescending smile slowly stretching on to lips as his whole face faced her.

"What a shame," he sighed, "I would have thought you would have been a better liar."

Samantha's eyes shot to the floor, not watching as he reached behind him for someone to place an open laptop into his waiting hands. He shoved the laptop towards her, all hints of a smile gone from his face. "Open the files and give them back to me."

"No."

"Well this is awkward," Hughes mumbled out of the corner of his mouth.

"I'm not giving the files back," Samantha stated, holding her head high and refusing to let her fear show.

"I suppose I could always use my gas on you, but somehow I don't think it would work," he mused before the smug smirk returned, a knowing in his eyes for the ace up his sleeve."But then again, I don't need to."

Hughes's attention then turned to the far side of the room, where her father was stood with the tank of man behind him. From where she was sat, she could make out the small movement of the other man's hand, pointing towards her father's back. It didn't take a genius to work out what was in his hand.

"Dad," Samantha gasped before some logic came back to her. "No, you're not going to kill him here, not in broad daylight."

"You're right,….no he's going to kill himself." Samantha's whole body went rigid as she watched with abject horror as the man handed his weapon over to her father, which he took willingly. "But not before taking out half of this room. The decorated metropolitan police officer, will go down as a terrorist killing innocent tourists and children before taking his own life…what a way to be remembered."

Samantha for a moment had no words, her eyes sweeping over all the innocent people in the room and knowing she had no choice. Hughes had outplayed her and he knew it.

"You're despicable," Samantha finally managed to hiss when she regained some of her senses but it was barely above a whisper.

"No, I'm better, at everything." Hughes told her, the seriousness in his features demonstrated his belief in those words. "Don't worry Samantha, you can't always be the smartest person in the room."

For a moment the pair stared at each other, a growing buzzing at the edge of her fingertips, calling out for something as her anger grew. It was halted though by the laptop being shoved into her hands, obvious Hughes was now done with waiting.

Samantha stared at the screen, wanting for a moment to run, grab her dad and run somewhere they couldn't be found. But she knew that couldn't happen and there was no way she would lose her dad. She had already lost her mother, she wasn't sure if she could survive loosing him too. Even if it meant a madman getting control of the world.

With a sigh, she reached up and unclasped the USB from her necklace and worked quickly with her programming to unlock its contents on the laptop. Once satisfied with her work, foreign hands appeared to take the laptop and USB from her possession.

Feeling a new set of her eyes on her, Samantha looked up and was surprised to find Professor Larson staring at her intently, a wariness to her features as her eyes moved to look at her company. The two only shared eye contact for a moment, before Samantha's attention was drawn back to Hughes.

"You made the right choice," Hughes made to stand but Samantha became more focused on the far side of the room. Her eyes swept across the crowd to see her father standing also, being led out of the exhibit away from her.

"Wait, where are you taking my dad?" Samantha too stood up, suddenly becoming aware of two new men flanking her from behind, having appeared from within the crowd.

"Oh don't worry, you're coming too." Hughes shot her a smile over his shoulder.

Samantha could feel the tingling in her fingertips again, a need to reach out for something as her anger began to swell. Hughes could see the change in her stance, the tension in her shoulders.

"Ah ah ahhh, we'll be having none of that," Hughes wagged a finger at her, giving her look of superiority. "Unless you want dear old daddy to start shooting?"

It was if an elastic band had snapped and Samantha lunged.

The room around her went silent, the crowd halted in shock as it stared at her and Hughes. For in her hands was Frykte, it's sharp blade inches away from Hughes's throat.

Samantha's eyes widened a fraction, not even sure how the weapon had suddenly appeared in her grip. The buzzing replaced by a comforting grasp on the well worn leather, the runes giving off an electric blue, as if the spear was alive with energy.

"Oh Miss Jennings, you get more and more interesting by the minute," Hughes couldn't help the grin which spread over his features as this random woman from London, seemed to be the most interesting thing to have happened to him in years. If only she wasn't trying to stop him, the fun they could have.

His laughed snapped her out of her shock, causing her to step forward and place the blade directly on to his throat. It seemed to stop his laughter momentarily.

"Ma'am, put the weapon down!"

Suddenly she remembered where she was, the barking voice of a guard snapping the bubble she and Hughes had created around themselves.

Samantha's eyes flicked up to see multiple members of the Smithsonian security team flanking her, guns drawn. Very few patrons remained as they had clearly been ushered out at the first sign of violence.

"Put the weapon down or we will shoot!"

Hughes raised his eyebrows at her, daring her to make her move. She wanted to indulge her anger, for a moment let it slip and let the spear dig just that bit deeper into his skin, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction, knowing he would only love the fact he had managed to get under her skin so.

With one final deep breath, she stepped back from Hughes, placing Frykte on the ground as she did so.

Guards rushed forward, some pulling her to the floor as she was ruffly placed in handcuffs, while other escorting Hughes from the room, the genius playing the afraid victim to a tea.

Samantha didn't resist as she was dragged back up and out to the waiting police cars, her head bent low to avoid the stares from the public, the persistent buzzing in the back of head almost deafening her with how loud it had suddenly become.

The last thing she saw as the car pulled away, was a worried looking Professor Larson, animatedly talking to someone on the phone.

Chapter Text

The wind was biting, the battle raged and then she was falling…

"Jennings, wake up!"

Samantha gave a large gasp as she jumped up from where she had managed to slump against the wall and fall asleep a few hours earlier. The other occupants in her cell gave her concerned stares, even bordering on being afraid of her. Then again if she was trapped in a small cell with a stranger muttering and rambling in her sleep, she too would be giving that person a wide berth.

She looked around to the voice which had woken her, to see one of the custody sergeants stood at the bars calling to her. Giving an apologetic smile to the other occupants, she shuffled across to the officer wondering why he was calling her, since she wasn't due at court for another hour.

"It's your lucky day," The officer said as he put the key into the door and slide it open for her. "Museum decided not to press charges, you're free to go."

Samantha paused in the threshold, giving him a funny look as if she was waiting for him to tackle her when she made a break for it.

"Just like that?" She asked hesitantly.

"Just like that, you can grab all your stuff from the officer at the front desk, now come on before I lock you back inside," He threw his head backwards indicating it was time for Samantha to leave.

Deciding not to risk her luck further, she quickly stepped over the threshold and scrambled to grab her property which had been taken away from her when she was arrested. Not giving them chance to arrest her again, Samantha was quick to head the exit and make it outside.

Her eyes automatically squinted when she stepped outside into the bright DC sun, despite it being winter, it was felt like a UK summer day to her. Once adjusted to the daylight, her eyes scanned the street but she didn't really know what she was looking for. Or what to do next. Hughes was still out there, with her dad and no doubt about to enact his nefarious plan, but who would believe her?

As she searched her surroundings, her eyes came to stop at the small blonde lady stood by a car at the bottom of the steps, sending her a wave. Samantha had to hold back a smirk as she made her way down the steps to meet her.

"I'm guessing I have you to thank you for the fact I'm not currently in a cell, waiting for a court appearance?" Samantha asked, shoving her hands into her jean pockets as she looked at the woman.

"You would guess correctly," Professor Larson replied rather smugly in her accented voice.

"Thank you," Samantha said, "I honestly don't know what happened at the museum."

"I think I might, come on," the Professor shot her head backwards, pointing to the car before straightening from where she was leaning and walking around to the driver side. When she saw Samantha make no move to open the passenger door, she paused with the driver door partially open. "Or I could go back in there and say my bosses changed their minds?"

"That sounds awfully a lot like blackmail," Samantha pointed out.

"It does, doesn't it?" Ella gave her a cheeky grin as she sat in the driver's seat and shut her own door.

Samantha stood for another moment, thinking over what to do. She needed to stop Hughes, but she also could be about to miss her opportunity to find out what exactly had been happening to her.

Giving a frustrated sigh, Samantha eventually opened the passenger door and took a seat next to the academic.

"About time," she heard Ella mutter before pulling away from the pavement and driving off.

Samantha was sat facing the desk in a rather impressive office. The last place she expected to be was back at the Smithsonian but this was where Professor Larson had taken her, right into her office. To say she was shot a few funny looks was an understatement.

"Just send my 9:00am through when he gets here," Ella said to her secretary before closing the door and taking the seat opposite Samantha, behind a large wooden desk.

The English woman looked around the room, taking a note of the mountain of paperwork in the boxes off to the left, and the various books and artefacts which seemed to litter most spaces.

"Apologies about the mess, I'm still unpacking after the move from London," Professor Larson said as she settled herself into her chair before returning all her attention to Samantha.

A silence filled the room, with neither party really knowing what to say or how to start the conversation that needed to be had.

"Can I show you something?" Ella finally seemed to settle on, as she quickly stood up and grabbed a file hidden amongst the other papers off to her left. Before letting Samantha answer, she had already found what she was looking for and handing it to her.

Samantha gave her a confused look before opening the file, the professor already returning to her seat.

Inside the folder was picture after picture of different artworks, each one showing a very particular theme and it was making Samantha uncomfortable. Because in each art work, the same face was staring back at her and it was her own, but instead of her usual casual clothing, she was stood in armour, looking a force to be reckoned with.

"What is this?" Samantha asked, closing the file and throwing it on to the desk.

"When we were deciding what artwork to put in the exhibit, we collected multiple options for each God. We knew Geni had to be stunning, since we were displaying her weapon after all. And if you want stunning Norse artwork, there's only one person you turn to."

"The person who did the painting at the exhibit," Samantha said, earning a nod from Ella.

"Ever since they claimed to have met the Gods, this is the face they paint for Geni," Ella said, opening the folder and spreading out the photos across the table, "this is all their work."

"So I look like their lover or something, whatever gave them their inspiration, it doesn't mean anything," Samantha argued, gathering the photos and closing the file again.

"Do you remember the conversation we had about the reincarnation theory?" Professor Larson asked, throwing Samantha momentarily at her sudden change in topic. "About how the gods have reflections on Earth, and if a catastrophic event were to happen to the reincarnation they could access whatever it is that connects the two? Whether it soul or mind?"

"I remember," Samantha said, conscious this was very dangerous line they were treading and she wasn't sure if she was willing to cross it yet.

"Well let's say, if that catastrophic event happens and they access that link, what happens if they survive? Now that bridge is open?" Ella asked, her arms crossed as she sat forward and leant on her desk, maintaining eye contact with Samantha throughout.

"Hypothetically?" Samantha asked. Ella gave her a non-committal shrug as if to say sure. The Englishwoman paused, taking a moment to think before answering. "Then I would imagine, hypothetically, they would be nothing to stop the share of power between the two. The reincarnation may develop the powers of the God."

"Such as?"

Samantha's jaw clenched slightly as she felt the presence of a trap coming. It was inevitable she knew, and she also knew exactly where Professor Larson was going with her questions. It didn't mean Samantha believed any of it….but then again, it did all make sense….didn't it?

"Increased strength, maybe?" Samantha gave a shrug giving the most obvious answer.

"Of course, the Gods are so much stronger than us. They may even gain a fraction of the God's unique gifts." Ella said, conceding to the point before continuing. "And then if the God dies? What happens then?"

"The connection is lost, and the reincarnation goes back to being a normal human," Samantha answered.

"Or, maybe, all the God's powers and essence travels the bridge, and suddenly the reincarnation has the full powers of the God." The Professor suggested, she took a moment to let the information sink in for Samantha before she continued. "They may find they are stronger, faster too. Maybe even…bullets only bruise instead of kill."

Samantha did her best not to react to her statement, knowing it was what she was looking for. She couldn't help the way her eyes went wide though at the Professors next statement.

"Maybe the voices in their head get louder, unable to be ignored anymore," Ella said, her eyes watching Samantha carefully. When the other woman turned her head away, unable to keep eye contact, the professor gave a small grin of victory knowing Samantha couldn't pretend they weren't talking about theories anymore. "What was the catastrophic event Samantha?"

There was pause before Samantha spoke, a wily tinge to her voice "I thought we were talking in hypotheticals?"

"Given your display last night in the museum, I think we are past hypotheticals, don't you agree?" Ella tipped her head to the side ever so slightly giving the other woman a pointed look.

She watched as Samantha seemed to be weighing her options up in her head, before finally a small sag to her shoulders indicated she had decided to stop playing dumb.

"It was a car accident," Samantha finally said, her voice quiet. When she heard no noise from Ella, she decided to continue. "I was 21, my mum was driving me home from university for the summer. We were arguing…about something stupid of course." Samantha's hand came up to fiddle with the silver wedding ring sat on the chain around her neck. "I wanted to go on holiday with my friends, but my mum said it would clash for when my dad planned to take us on holiday. See? Something stupid."

Samantha gave a bitter laugh before continuing.

"It was a lorry, driver was from Eastern Europe, he had been forced to drive for the last 10 hours straight. Of course the poor bastard feel asleep at the wheel." Samantha paused, feeling the harsh lump in a throat, the sign of tears beginning to well. "We didn't stand a chance. Mum was killed instantly. I was dead too actually…for ten minutes. They said it was a miracle I even survived. You don't really get people back after a traumatic cardiac arrest. But miracles just kept coming and I somehow didn't suffer any permanent brain damage…well that's what they thought, until the voices started."

"Voices?" Ella asked, her voice quiet, her face free of judgement.

"Just randomly at first, I could hear other people's voices in my head. No warning, no control over it. Soon it became overwhelming, in large rooms I would get panic attacks from it," Samantha explained, her breathing picking up slightly just remembering how it used to feel when it all first started. "The doctors couldn't decide if this was how my brain damage was presenting or if it was a psychotic break secondary to PTSD from the crash. Either away I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital until I could pretend I didn't hear the voices anymore."

"Did they ever stop?"

"They used to, there were even times the medication actually helped and I couldn't hear anything at all. But then suddenly it was if the volume had been turned up by ten. Even now it's like there's this persistent buzzing in the back of my head, as if a radio is always on in the background." Samantha closed her eyes as for a moment the buzzing became louder and she had to take a deep breath to settle it back down.

"I imagine the office staff's inner thoughts aren't the most riveting to listen to," Ella sent her a small smirk, catching Samantha off guard only momentarily before she replied.

"Only magician's can read minds," Samantha said, crossing her arms over her chest.

You and I both know that's not true

Samantha gave a sigh as Ella's voice drifted into her head.

"No it's not," Samantha conceded, responding to Ella's question not asked out loud.

"When did you realise you were hearing other people's thoughts?" The Professor asked curiously.

"Pretty quickly after it started. Not hard to figure it out, but telling your Doctor that's the where the voices come from, only keeps you an in patient for longer." Samantha said darkly. "So I just learnt to ignore them, convince my doctors I couldn't hear them anymore."

"Can you hear everyone?"

"No…most people their thoughts drift in easily, some I have to concentrate to hear them, and then there are some I can only hear when I make physical contact with them." Samantha answered, fidgeting slightly in her chair, very aware how all this was sounded. Any minute she semi expected Ella to start laughing, claiming Samantha to be crazy and making up stories.

"Let me guess, when the voices became louder it also made it easier to single someone's out?" Professor Larson asked. Samantha gave a quick nod in response. "And one more guess…this all started 6 months ago?"

"How do-" Samantha began to ask, starting pull herself up in her chair with a growing suspicion of how much the Professor seemed to know about her.

"And of course thats when the dreams started as well," Ella mused, looking comfortable despite the growing agitation from Samantha.

"How the hell do you know about them?" Samantha asked through gritted teeth.

"I think my nine am is the better person to answer those questions," Ella moved her head towards the door where a shadow could be seen on the other side.

Samantha gave a confused look before it turned to anger when see saw Gareth walk through the door. She immediately jumped out of her chair to try and step further away from him. He was clad in dark jeans and a brown leather jacket on top, but as he walked into the room she caught the glimpse of a gun strapped to his waist.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Samantha asked angrily. Gareth threw his hands up to show he meant no harm. Professor Larson was still sat behind her desk, looking completely unaffected by the sudden tension in the room.

"Sam, please let me explain," Gareth started to plead but was cut off by Ella.

"I asked him to come," The Professor responded calmly.

"This guy has been spying on me for months, why would you invite him here?!" Samantha managed to keep a voice just below a shout but her growing anger was making it harder to keep her calm.

"Because I was the one who suggested putting you under surveillance in the first place," Ella said as if it was the most obvious reason in the world.

The anger immediately left Samatha's face and turned to one of pure shock. Every interaction she had with Professor Larson quickly ran through her brain, why she didn't seem confused by her questions; why, even though a busy academic, she happened to be at the exhibit the same time as Samantha in DC…..why she had approached Samantha by the Geni display the first night they met.

"That's why you came to talk to me that night in London, you knew who I was," Samantha stated and received a nod of confirmation from Ella. Samantha gave a loud, disbelieving laugh before making her way to the door. "I don't believe this."

"Samantha, please" Ella called after her, causing Samantha to momentarily pause in the doorway. "Just give us a chance to explain, and after that, you can walk out that door and never hear from either of us again if you want to."

Samatha closed her eyes and a harsh breath left her lips. Just walk away she told herself, these people had been lying to you the entire time you've known them. You owe them nothing. 

But Hughes was still out there and he had her dad, and she still had so many questions about what was happening to her.

Samantha's head hung forward in almost a sense of defeat as she realised she couldn't leave now. She needed answers and so far these two seemed to be the only ones with them.

"You have five minutes," Samantha said as she turned back around and closed the door. She decided to stay standing, arms crossed and gave them both a pointed look. "After that I walk out that door."

"That's generous, I thought she would only give us 2," Professor Larson joked but neither Samantha or Gareth laughed. With a slight nod of her head, Ella gave Gareth the signal to start talking.

"Maybe we start over?" He suggested as he stepped forward and held out his hand. "Hi, my name's Agent Brandon Davis -"

"So you were even lying about being called Gareth," Samantha said with a snide voice, her hands remaining firmly across her chest. After a few seconds, realising she wasn't going to shake his hand, he dropped it back to his side.

"I work for a government agency called SHIELD, it stands for Strategic Homeland-"

"Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics division," Samantha finished. 'Brandon' gave her a funny look, she merely gave a shrug. "I did some research after meeting your boss at JFK."

"Then you know what we do," he said but Samantha gave him no response.

Brandon gave a sigh before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, placing it on top of the Professor's desk. As if flicking the screen up, the phone began to project a video above it. For a moment Samantha marvelled at the technology having never seen anything like it before, but then again he was part a government organisation, she expected they had a lot of advanced technology at their disposal.

In the video was a meteor shower before the images changed to a crater, an object in the middle but unclear.

"Six months ago an unknown object crashed into a small town in New Mexico, what followed was something no one could have predicted," Brandon started to explain as he flicked the screen and a picture of the middle of the crater came into focus. It seemed to be a hammer, stuck inside rock…but the symbols on it…it almost looked like….

"You recognise it don't you?" Professor Larson asked.

"That's not possible," Samantha muttered.

"That's we thought, until this guy turned up," Brandon said, flicking the screen again to show a video which looked like it was lifted from cctv.

A man was lying on the ground, as if he were dead. Suddenly the sky started to darken and a monstrous bolt of lightening hit where the man had been lying. Samantha's eyes went wide as the sight but when the lightening receded, instead of the man still being on the floor, he was now stood, blonde hair flowing in the breeze, his weapon held aloft and his armour restored.

"That can't be who I think it is," Samantha's voice was low, barely above a whisper.

"I'm afraid so," Brandon said, the image freezing on the man with Mjolnir held aloft. "Samantha, meet Thor, the Norse God of Thunder."

Samantha found herself stepping closer to the image to look at it properly, try to see signs of the footage being doctored but she could see no such camera trickery afoot. When she realised there was none, she stepped back again turning her attention back to Brandon.

"He had a falling out with his family, ended up levelling a small town trying to resolve it," Brandon went on to explain as he picked the phone back up, cutting off the image. "After he left, my boss got concerned about what else was out there that we had no idea about. So we did some digging, and then our analysts matched the elements found from the crash site and the specific electromagnetic frequency to another crash site."

"Frykte," Samantha muttered but her two companions heard it.

"That's when we contacted Professor Larson. She had been brought in by the British authorities to analyse it," Brandon looked towards the academic.

"Like you Samantha I didn't believe them either when they first told me but then I saw the footage, the readings from the crash site. Our own investigations into Frykte only gave more questions than answers. The only explanation was that the legends were true," the Professor said quietly.

"It still doesn't explain why some government agency has been following my every move for the past few months, and you're almost out of your five minutes," Samantha told them, weight shifting on to her left hip and arms across her chest still.

"When I realised what the object was, I knew you had to be out there somewhere near by," Ella explained. "Well not you specifically, but what you are."

"And what am I?" Samantha asked defiantly.

"A reincarnation of the Goddess Geni," Professor Larson stated, not a hint of jest in her voice.

Samantha looked at the two, she had expected this to be where the conversation was heading, it didn't mean she believed it though. The look of the other two in the room showed they were being serious and genuinely believed that was the case.

"This is nonsense, the reincarnation theory is called a theory for a reason," Samantha scoffed, turning away from the two to look at the back of the room, not wanting to see their faces.

"Everything's a theory until you have proof," Ella pointed out, when Samantha didn't respond she continued. "We knew Frykte would seek out its owner so you had to be close by. Someone who would matched the qualities of Geni….do you really think someone with tests scores like yours wasn't already on a government watch list?"

Samantha bit down on her lip hard, her eye focused on the clock on the wall, slightly askew due to how it was hung. She counted the seconds until 5 had passed before she finally turned back around to look at them. Once she did, Brandon took it as his cue to speak again.

"Think about it Sam, it explains everything. Being able to hear people's thoughts; the strength; the ability to move things with your mind, oh and let's not forget the bullet that bounced off you," he pointed out.

"It's all powers Geni would posses," Ella added. "Surely you've noticed every time you're near Frykte or access the connection you have, the voices grow louder? You can suddenly fight like she could?"

The pair looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to speak. All Samantha could think about was how sweaty her palms now were, and how loud her heart sounded as it pounded in her ears. Some part of her was almost relieved, finally an explanation to what was happening to her, another part scoffed at the very idea of what they were suggesting.

"Wait a minute," Samantha's hand came up with a single finger raised as if she was about to make a point that would prove their madness wrong. "If what you're saying is true then surely Frykte should be on Asgard with her? If it's as loyal as you make it out to be, it would never leave her."

"Unless she wasn't able to wield it anymore," Ella answered, her voice quiet with the implication.

"Sam…your dreams, they've never been about your death," Brandon said, taking a small step towards her.

"I've been reliving hers," Samantha managed to choke out, a sudden wave of grief hitting her. The world seemed to suddenly go quiet, even the constant buzzing in the back of her head seemed to dim.

"Thor told his companions, when here, that Geni died shortly before he was exiled. It's one of the reason he thinks his brother Loki attacked him the way he did," Brandon continued after giving Samantha a moment to let the information sink in.

The statement itself had way too much information for Samantha to unpack, especially with all the information and revelations already thrown at her.

"How can this be possible?" Samantha questioned but didn't wait for an answer. "Surely in the reincarnation theory is true then there should be multiple reincarnations out there? Why me? What makes me so special?"

"We do not know," Ella answered honestly causing Samantha's shoulders to slump, as if all her energy had left her. Taking the moment of silence as an opportunity, Professor Larson spoke again. "There is one way to prove beyond doubt what we say is true."

Samantha's head shot to her. For a moment, Samantha wanted to run, to run out the office and never look back. For that fleeting moment she was happy to live in blissful ignorance for the rest of her life and never had to think about Norse Gods or mythical weapons again.

But it was a fleeting moment after all, and Samantha knew if she did that she would always wonder, what if?

So with a silent nod, she indicated for Ella to continue.

Samantha could sense it before she even walked into the room. As if, even without Professor Larson leading them to it, Samantha would have been able to navigate the corridors of the Smithsonian to find it, which wasn't a promising sign for her denial.

As she stepped into the room behind Brandon and Ella, her eyes immediately focused in on Frykte, carefully placed on two stands in the middle of the room. As she approached, the faint electric blue glow began to surround the multiple ruins.

"It never does that for me when I come in here," Ella mused out-loud, trying to relieve some of the tension.

"What do want me to do?" Samantha asked, not turning back to her but looking at the weapon.

"Legend says each rune on the handle, when touched, activates a new power to Frykte," Professor Larson said, her eyes intently watching Samantha as her hands hovered over the leather. "Touch one, and if nothing happens…well then you can walk out of here and probably sue SHIELD for invasion of privacy."

She couldn't see it, but she could feel the eye roll which came from Brandon in response to the Professor's statement.

"And if something happens?" Samantha asked, her hands hovering above the leather bindings by only millimetres.

"A theory becomes reality."

Samantha took a deep breath, her shoulders visibly tense as she picked up the spear. Like last time, a small electric current ran up her fingers to her forearms, almost as if a happy thrill from the weapon to be held by her again.

Her eyes looked up and down the staff, looking at the multiple runes wondering which one to press. One in particular stood out not only from its green glow compared to the rest being blue, but also the images of a dream coming back to her.

Only a gift, for my beloved Geni

Samantha closed her eyes as she pressed the rune and for a moment she held her breath.

Brandon and Ella had to cover their eyes from the suddenly blinding electric blue light which filled the small room. When they opened them again Brandon's mouth couldn't help but drop open in amazement.

When the light had receded, Samantha remained but no longer in jeans and a t-shirt, but instead her clothes had been replaced by blue and silver armour, her hair in a small braid and a blue cape flung out behind her.

In almost a comically fashion, Samantha's eyes went wide as she looked down at herself and then back to them. There was no denying it, they were right, Samantha thought, I'm a reincarnation.

As quickly as the armour appeared, Samantha pressed the rune again and another light followed and she was back in her regular clothes. She turned to look at the other two in the room. Brandon's face was a picture of shock and amazement while Ella only had a smug smirk on her face.

Samantha walked back over to them, keeping a hold of Frykte. In her eyes the pair could see an acceptance of some sort.

"So what now?" Samantha finally asked.

"Now, we stop Hughes," Brandon said confidently. "And then after, well that's up to you."

Samantha gave him a nod which he returned. With some reluctance due to how the spear felt in her hands, she lifted it to hand back to Ella.

"Oh no dear, please take it," the Professor held up both hands, avoiding being handed the weapon. "As far as I'm concerned it belongs to you, not the museum. I'm sure Mr Davis and his associates can sort out the logistics once you've saved the world."

Chapter Text

The skyscrapers of the city soon gave way to rundown warehouses and factories. Samantha's eyes watched it all but her mind never took any of it in . Her thoughts were too wrapped up at the revelation from the museum - to Gareth…Brandon she corrected herself, to the meaning behind everything which had been happening to her since the car crash.

Part of her was relieved, she wasn't going crazy. There was an acceptance as well, some part of her subconscious deep down taking the information as fact as soon as she heard it, it sounding right. There was another part of her though, in pure denial. The whole idea of being a reincarnated god was too outlandish; too unbelievable for her to accept.

Then again she was sat in the car with an agent from a secret organisation being driven to god knows where, to stop an evil scientist from brainwashing the world's most powerful leaders…not how she expected her week to turn out.

The image of her Dad back at the museum flashed across her mind, the blank look on his face as he stared straight at her. Her hands clenched into fists, and itched to grab Frykte to bring her a somewhat calming presence, which it somehow did. Instead the weapon lay in the backseat of the car, wrapped up in a long black bag so they could smuggle it out of the museum undetected.

They had now been driving for a good 15 minutes and Samantha could feel herself start to fidget with anxiety. Her and Brandon had remained pretty much silent since the museum, there wasn't even any low mumble of a radio to hide the tense silence between them.

When the 20 minute mark passed, Samantha finally decided to speak.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere safe," Brandon looked over at her for a moment before returning his eyes to the road, hoping to convey some reassurance in his features.

"Really? Because it feels like we're driving someone to kill me," Samantha admitted with a dry tone, her eyes flicking back out to watch the landscape they sped past. With each passing moment, the buildings appeared to becoming more and more run down and abandoned.

"I think it would take more than just me to kill you, plus surely you would hear it coming," Brandon sent her a cheeky smile but it immediately dropped from his face when Samantha merely glanced at him, no amusement on her own features. "Okay poor joke," he mumbled, holding his hands up from the steering wheel in defensive. Another tense moment of silence passed between them. She could see out of the corner of her eye Brandon opening and closing his mouth, working out how best to phrase his next comment before finally deciding. "Yesterday when at the motel, you said I was safe. What did you mean?"

"You just asserted I'm a reincarnated god, what more information does SHIELD want on me?" Samantha sneered, her tone neither kind nor friendly.

"I'm not asking for SHIELD," again he looked towards her and for a moment Samantha wanted to believe him but she knew she couldn't.

"I would have had an easier time believing that 24 hours ago," there was no anger or malice in her voice, only a sadness which seemed to hurt Brandon more.

"Yeah," he muttered, nodding his head in understanding.

Another few minutes passed before one of them spoke again.

"Hughes has my dad," Samantha almost blurted out. She wasn't sure why she had said it, after everything that had transpired between the two of them. Maybe because there was still part of her who saw her best friend Gareth sitting next to her and this was news she needed to share with that person.

Brandon's eyes went wide as he looked over at her in surprise, clearly not knowing the location of her dad's whereabouts until now. She decided to elaborate for him.

"At the museum he was there, Hughes used him to force me to give him all the evidence we had." Samantha admitted, her hand coming up to play with the wedding ring at the base of her neck, the USB no longer there. "He's under the control of the gas."

"Then we get him back and you make an antidote." Brandon stated with such confidence, for a moment it made Samantha almost smile. She didn't though, instead only giving a nod in acknowledgement before her eyes drifted back to the window and the pair returned to silence.

They carried on that way for another 10 minutes before the car finally came to stop outside what Samantha thought was the most rundown building in the area. She hesitated to unbuckle her seatbelt, Brandon sending her a question look at her hesitancy.

"You sure this isn't a 'kill someone' kind of place? Because it definitely looks like one." Samantha commented, her eyes roving over the property again and the deserted surrounding area.

Brandon only laughed at her question as he undid his own seatbelt and started to make his way inside. He paused to look back at her, waiting for her to move.

Samatha took a deep breath in, stealing her nerves before grabbing Frykte from the back and jumping out of the car. Brandon continued to watch her from the doorway which he was now holding open for her. She became away of a muttering in the back of mind, someone else was near by. Her hand gripped the black bag tighter.

"Ladies first," Brandon teased as she approached him.

Samantha stepped over the threshold and halted in shock.

The outside may have looked like a building fallen apart with peeling paint and foreclosure signs dotted around. Inside though was something out of her imagination. It was sleek, futuristic and looked as if it cost more money then she would ever make in her life.

Over to the left she could see an armoury of some kind, multiple guns, knives and weapons she had no idea even existed, were stacked neatly inside. Beside the locked cage was a training area, dummies and targets set up with mats and a boxing ring. She could make out a kitchen to the back in the centre, and rooms off to the side which looked like bedrooms.

Her eyes were drawn to the right and she thought she might just burst from excitement. The area was something out of science fiction movie. The latest lab equipment, computers and technologies she thought was only theoretical, littered the lab. Though Samantha had stayed hidden in the cafe, she still read, kept up to date with the latest science journals. She even sometimes fixed computers on the side over the years, to keep her skills up to scratch plus the extra money had been handy at times. This though, was beyond anything she had ever had access to before.

"Woah, is that-?" Samantha began to walk to the lab, her eyes glued to the centre desk, not believing what she was seeing.

"Projection and holographic computer table? Yeah, courtesy of Stark Industries," Brandon's face was tilted into a one sided smile as he watched Samantha's face light up with delight, the first true smile he had seen on her in days.

"What is this place?" Samantha asked next, her voice still light in her amazement.

"This is an off the books SHIELD safe house/field lab." Brand answered, coming to stand the opposite side of the table to her.

"Why are we here?"

"Because until we know who is compromised, this mission is being kept off the record." A new voice entered the room and Samantha suddenly remembered about the third person she had heard from before. Her head whipped around to see the new comer, his suit impeccable and his brown hair swept to the side. His face remained mostly neutral apart from the slight up tilt of his lips as he approached the table and stopped at the end, facing the pair. "Miss Jennings."

"Agent Coulson," her voice deepened, her momentary joy at the facilities dampened by the new arrival.

"I think we may have got off on the wrong foot last time we met." Coulson looked at her, his hands crossing in front of him to lay his palms over his front.

"I don't think we were ever going to get off the right foot given you've been stalking me for the last 6 months," Samantha gave a tight smile, her hackles clearly raised.

"Given what you're holding in your hand, can you tell me we were wrong to?" Coulson asked simply, his affect remaining light as if they were discussing the weather. His eyes flicked down to the black bag which contained Frykte, Samantha's knuckles white from how hard she now clenched it.

She looked to Brandon for a moment, her jaw tightening as she clenched her teeth before she spoke again. "Keeping what we're doing a secret does make me hesitant to trust you."

"A necessary precaution you have to understand."

"Sam," at his voice, Sam's eyes flicked back to Brandon as he spoke. "Until you and I broke into Hughes International and came across the test data, SHIELD had no idea what Hughes was up to. We had our suspicions it wasn't completely legal but unless you and your dad had uncovered his plan, we would have never realised."

"How does a word leading intelligence agency not know about a plot to basically take over the world?" Samantha questioned, disbelief clear in her voice. A look passed between the two SHIELD agents and the penny dropped. "You think Hughes has someone working for him in SHIELD."

"For something like this to have not reached our attention is by someone working on the inside to keep it that way." She would think Coulson was grimacing at his words if he wasn't so damn difficult to read with his dry tone and impassive features. "Whether by influence of the gas or good old fashioned betrayal, until we know, only the director and the people in this room know about this mission."

"And what is the mission?" Samantha's free hand came up to give air quotes, mocking the pair of seasoned field agents.

Coulson gave a nod to Brandon, whose hands began to work over the touch screen desk they stood around. Soon videos of the incoming G7 leaders filled the screen as well as the schematics for a hotel.

"In 36 hours the most power world leaders will be having a meeting in the Madison room of the Ritz Carlton." Coulson explained, "no security, no aides, only the leaders themselves in the room for 90 minutes."

"It's the prime moment to launch an attack and it to go unnoticed," Brandon added.

"But Hughes won't actually be on site though, the security in the rest of the building will be too tight, surely?" Samantha asked, her eyes flicking between the other two.

"No, do you remember those schematics you found in his files? About the ventilation system?" Brandon reached down and pulled said copy of an identical looking schematic up, a 3D model of the plans projected just above the table.

"We think Hughes will have already laid the bomb to release the gas, no doubt with a man or two on the inside to keep it undetected from the security measures." Coulson's hands came up to point where exactly they thought the bomb was placed. "He'll be stationed somewhere else, where he can detonate the bomb remotely."

"And Hughes's HQ is the perfect spot for it." Brandon moved his hands as if to enlarge the screen and suddenly the schematics of the building zoomed inwards and replaced by a detailed projection of Washington DC area. The Hughes International building and Ritz-Carlton projected in yellow to standout against the rest of the blue buildings.

"So where do I come in?" Samantha's eyes whizzed across the screen, taking all the information in.

"We want you and Agent Davis to infiltrate Hughes HQ, stop him and retrieve the data on Project Bluebird." Coulson stated as if it was a trip to the shops. Brandon's hand came up to turn the projection off.

"Why do I need to retrieve the data?" Samantha queried, her eyebrows furrowed in suspicion.

"SHIELD believes it may have some usefulness in our line of work." Coulson answered, though she could hear the tiniest amount of hesitancy in his voice.

"No…no way," Samantha's head began to shake as she scoffed at what he was suggesting. "We may be helping each other for a common goal here but don't mistake this as me working for you. If I go in there I'll send enough data back to convict Hughes but this gas it too powerful for anyone to have access to it or its formula."

"It would be safe with SHIELD." The senior agent argued.

"Remind me again why we're keeping this mission a secret?" Samantha shot back.

A tense moment followed, a look was shared between Brandon and his superior. An unspoken conversation seemed to happen before Samantha noticed the slightest deflation in Coulson's shoulder.

"Good point," The older man conceded with a mild shrug. "The Director won't be happy but then again, he's not here."

"Never thought I would hear Coulson bad mouth the boss," Brandon said with a hint of cheek and a teasing smirk directed at Samantha.

"That's him bad mouthing?" Samantha questioned with her own teasing tone before her smile fell realising who she was joking with. She pretended not to see the hurt look on Brandon's face when she did so.

"Getting back to the issue at hand," Coulson continued, his eyes clearly taking in the tension between the two. "We need to decide when it would be best to break into Hughes International."

"Tomorrow night," Samantha said immediately. "There's no guarantee when Hughes will be in the building. Except for tomorrow, he'll need to be there to oversee everything. He's too much of a narcissist to let anyone else do it."

"Then you have 36 hours to get yourselves ready to save the world."

The sudden weight of what they were doing hit Samantha, a twisting of her stomach at the expectation and responsibility which had just been given to them.

"This should be fun," the cheeky smirk reappeared on Brandon's face but it was not met with a smile from Samantha. His face instantly fell as he turned back to his boss. "Thank you sir, I'll urm….start looking at the weapons we have here."

He slowly walked away from the table, Samantha's eyes refused to look up though and stayed staring at the black screen in front of her.

"He's a good agent." Coulson said, his voice slightly kinder than before, and when she looked up she could see a sympathetic smile on his face. "A good partner to have."

"What's this? Couples therapy?" Samantha scoffed, unimpressed by the man's interference.

"You should ask him why he was reassigned." Coulson told her before giving one final nod and leaving the pair alone.

"Have you ever spared before?" Brandon asked her.

The two were stood on the mats. The pair had managed to find work out clothes in the bedrooms in the warehouse and Brandon thought it was a good idea to get some fight practice in. Frykte lay off to the side, Samantha could feel the increasingly familiar tingle in her hand, an itch almost for it to be back in her grip. She took to clenching her hands into fists, tightening the wrapping Brandon had showed her how to place to protect her hands.

Samantha responded to his question by simply raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'll take that as a no." Brandon summarised. "Well I guess we'll just have to see what happens."

His body tensed as he assumed an offensive stance. Samantha tried her best to copy but knew she looked woeful doing so.

Suddenly, Brandon brought a leg up towards her and she managed to just duck under it. Next he aimed a punch, but he had slowed down, she could see, and it was almost if he was moving in slow motion. Her mind went into a flurry, trying to remember how she had avoided the punched before but as his fist moved towards her, her body froze. She could do nothing as the punch landed squarely across her jaw and sent her tumbling to the floor

"Jesus, Sam, I'm so sorry," Brandon rushed forward, extending his hand out to her to help her off the floor. "I thought you were suppose to be some bad ass warrior goddess?"

"Clearly I'm still very much Samantha Jennings." She shot back, ignoring his hand and the subsequent hurt look on his face as she stood up on her own. A hand came up to rub her jaw trying to ease some of the throbbing.

"This doesn't make sense, you took down those guys so easily the other day?" Brandon thought aloud, his face furrowed in concentration as he thought over what had changed.

"Maybe it was a fluke," Samantha shrugged, the familiar flush of embarrassment covering her cheeks.

"No," he dismissed the thought straight away with a shake of his head. "It's like you were over thinking it…but that doesn't make sense."

"Actually it makes perfect sense," Samantha gave a sigh as the realisation hit her. "Think about, when I was fighting I was accessing the muscle memory and skills of Ge-her. Maybe one day I'll be able to do it consciously, but we don't have that sort of time so I need to rely on my subconscious….Try and kill me."

"What?"

"Seriously, try and kill me, don't give me time to think, just hit me." Samantha tensed her muscles again, ready to fight.

"Sam I'm not going to -"

Realising he needed a push, she brought her own leg up, hoping it was some kind of offensive manner. It seemed to do the trick as Brandon easily blocked and followed up with his own roundhouse kick. With no time to think, her hands came up to block the kick, stopping his foot centimetres from her face.

The pair froze, staring at each other before knowing smiles spread across both their lips.

Samantha pushed his leg back down, but Brandon followed up with a punch. Again she managed to duck out of the way. And so they went, Brandon pushing aggressively while she countered, with the occasional knee to his gut or kick of her own. They pair quickly found though that what may only be a simple hit by her, could send Brandon flying across the room. On more than one occasion Brandon would have to pick himself up off the far side of the mat, and dust off what he had landed on.

Throughout it, Samantha realised how lethal Brandon was. How had she never seen this side to him before? Of course she had noticed he was muscular, but never did it occur to her his physique was due to his fighting ability.

At one point he had her pinned on her knees, the creep of blackness at the edge of vision as he cut off the blood supply to the brain from behind. As her strength left her, her right hand came up, outstretched, calling for something. Immediately she felt the familiar electricity up her arm, the cool leather and metal in her hand as Frykte answered her call.

Samantha brought it up, whacking Brandon on the face and send him tumbling backwards. She spun around, Frykte held aloft and the sharp point landed a breath away from Brandon's throat. As he lay where he had fallen, he held his hands up in surrender, his eyes fixed on the glistening blade.

She gave an awkward cough as she relaxed her posture, dropping Frykte to her side. Brandon elegantly stood up and without a word walked over to the weapons cache at the side of the training area. Samantha narrowed her eyes in suspicion wondering what he was doing next but she couldn't help the small grin appear when she saw what he had returned with.

Brandon stepped back on to the mat, twirling a sleek metal pole in his hands, his intentions clear. Samatha herself found her hands automatically twirling Frykte with yet another skill she did not know she possessed. The action calming her.

Without warning, Brandon launched himself at her and there was loud clash as metal met metal.

And so the two continued, Samantha performed acrobatic leaps and twirls intermixed with a fighting style Brandon had called almost medieval at points. At the end of it, both were throughly wiped out and sweating more than Samantha thought was possible.

"I think you'll be just fine tomorrow," Brandon remarked when they finally put their weapons down.

"As long as you don't hold me back," Samantha teased, earning an exaggerated scoff of offensive.

"I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure I was the BLACK SHEEP laser tag champion, you held me back."

The mention of their old work place seemed to bring reality back to Samantha. It had been all too easy to fall back into the familiarity with good intentioned teasing and jokes they had grown comfortable with. Then she remembered the lies, the hurt she felt when she realised it had all been a deception. Brandon had never been her friend, she was simply his mission. 

Sensing he had said the wrong thing, Brandon's face immediately sobered. He opened his mouth hoping to back track but the moment was lost.

"I'm going to head to the lab." Samantha said, her back now to him as she started to make her way out of the training area, Frykte still gripped in her hand.

"Do you need some help-"

"No." She didn't even bother to look back when she said it.

Brandon's head and shoulders dropped as he stared at the floor. He didn't know Samatha could hear what he thought next.

You only have yourself to blame Davis

The sun was low, adding to the magnificence of the golden city below. She was sat by the window, on a reading crook with a cushioned ledge. She was in more relaxed clothing than she had ever been in before, black leather leggings and a loose dark green tunic over her top half. Her hair was in a loose braid to the side as her eyes roamed over the book in her hands.

She paused her reading for a moment, looking around the grand room she was in. The biggest bed she had ever seen with four posters, was on one side, the other a book shelf from floor to ceiling. She caught site of her reflection in the mirror across the room, and Samantha thought if it weren't for the long hair, she would be looking at herself.

The dark green and rick black and gold theme ran throughout the room and given the colour scheme, she had a good idea of who's room she was sat in. The smell from the top slightly too big for her, caused a comfortable warmth to settle over her as she readjusted herself and settled back into her reading.

A few moments later she was disturbed though by Loki storming into the room. He didn't spare her a glance as he began to pace across the floor, his shoulders tense and his brow furrowed. For a moment, she was taken aback by his beauty, the setting sun shining off his black hair, and she had to admit, her breath was taken from her. His fine black and green leather accentuating the tall, slim yet toned man he had become.

"I can't believe father is doing this," Loki ranted as he wore a hole in his floor. She felt herself give a sigh as her eyes returned to her book.

"Why hello there, Geni, how are you today?" She said out loud, a teasing tone to her words. She listened to him continue to pace but did not lift her eyes from her book.

"How can he make that witless oaf King?"

"I'm very well thank you Loki, this book I'm reading is most fascinating." She continued, bringing her finger to her lips to wet it slightly before turning the page. If Samantha focused hard enough, she could make out some of the words written, it was a language she did not recognise but she seemed to understand it all the same.

"We'll be at war by the end of the month!" She could hear Loki's hands slap against his side as he clearly lifted and dropped them again frustration.

"I think you may even enjoy it yourself, you can borrow it afterwards," she continued, purposefully continuing to ignore his rant.

"What?"

She could feel her mouth tilt upwards in a teasing smirk having finally caught the man's attention.

"Oh have we finished having conversations with ourselves now?" She asked, looking up at him and closing her book. He sent her an incredulous look, clearly not enjoying the teasing in her voice.

"This is serious Geni.," he told her, his hands coming to rest on his hips as he leant to one side.

"So was my book." She countered with as much seriousness as he. She swung her legs from beside her to place them on the floor. The two stared at each other.

"Stop trying to make me smile," he warned but she could see the beginnings of a smile peeking at the corner of his lips. He may have feigned a threatening tone but his eyes showed his warmth to her.

"But you always look so much better when you do," She gave the smallest of pouts but it was enough to break through his thin wall of defiance, and he couldn't help but give out a small laugh at her features. Knowing she had won and seeing some of the tension leave Loki's shoulder brought her own tender smile to her face. She opened her arms wide, gesturing him forward "Come here."

He did not need to be told twice and the young man settled himself quickly, placing his head in her lap, sprawled out on his side while she remained sitting up. Her hand easily floated down to run her fingers through his silk smooth hair, an action that elicit a pleasant hum from Loki's mouth as his eyes closed. They stayed this way for a few moments, she could tell it was a position the pair often placed themselves in.

"What ails you Loki?" She asked once he had truly relaxed, her fingers continuing to sweep through his black locks.

"I imagine you already know." Loki suggested, his eyes remaining closed, his face showing comfort from her touch.

"Know what?" She decided to play stupid, her voice remaining light. At this, he did open his eyes at her, giving his own pointed look. She looked down and continued her facade, forcing him to say it out loud. She heard him give a sigh before he relented.

"My father is stepping down from the throne, Thor is to be crowned king next week." Loki said, his tone hard to read.

"And you are surprised?"

"I thought he may wait a little longer, to see if my brother develops an ounce of maturity." Loki gave a small huff at the end of his sentence, his eyes focused on the ceiling above. She spared him a glance before returning to look at the wall on the far side.

"But Thor is of age and your father is old, why should he not take the throne?" She asked. She knew what she was doing, teasing him and leading him down a path.

"Because he is a fool, too easily drawn into battle." Loki argued, pointing it out as if it were the most obvious statement in the world.

"He is also your brother," she countered, her hand pausing in its trail through his hair.

"Exactly, I know him best. I know he is not ready, that he would drag us into another war with his hot headiness."

"Then who should be king?"

"What?"

At her question, Loki sat back up to face her. She kept her face neutral as she swirled the top half of her body to face him.

"If not Thor, then who should be King?" She repeated herself, and after a moment of his silence, she continued. "You?"

"You know I do not want the throne." Loki said immediately, an almost hurt look across his features at the very idea of it.

"Then what is this really about Loki?" Her voice somehow became even kinder, a gentle hand coming up to cup the side of Loki's face, which he leaned into, consciously or unconsciously, she did not know.

He opened his mouth, a clear argument about to be put forward before she saw the resignation in his eyes.

"When Thor is king, it will only cement that I am inferior to him." Loki admitted, his voice soft and barely above a whisper. "Not worthy of a crown," he almost spat out, his self hatred evident. He then looked up again, and stared directly at her. "I just want to be his equal."

"And you are, anyone who thinks differently is a small minded imbecile." Her insult illicit the faintest of smiles on his lips. "You are equal in the eyes of the people who matter."

"Sometimes I look at father and I see something in his eyes, a distrust he tries to hide but is there." Loki confessed, his eyes dropping to the floor somehow ashamed at what he had revealed. She could only feel herself fall that much deeper for him.

"Your father distrusts everybody, it is why he has been King for so long." She jested but was unsuccessful in obtaining a laugh this time. She gave a sigh before deciding to try another approach. "But what of your mother? Thor himself? Do they view you as inferior?"

"No," he elongated the vowel almost as if he did not want to recognise the truth.

"Then see, the people who matter don't view you as less." She gave him her best smile and by the way his eyes widened slightly as he looked up, she could tell he was as dazzled by her as she was by him when he first entered the room. "And to me, you are by far superior."

If pure adoration could be illustrated, she imagined it would be what was in Loki's eyes as he looked at her. He leaned forward and placed his forehead against hers, his breath fanning across her face.

"I love you."

"And I you."

They stayed close for a few moments more. She could feel herself thinking about what Loki was planing next, as if she could always tell when he was up to something. Sure enough, when he pulled away, there was a glint she knew as mischief in his eyes.

"Geni, I want to spend the rest of my existence with you by my side, will do me-"

"No," She dropped her hand and turned to face away from him, even going as far to open her book in her annoyance at what he was about to ask.

"What?" She could hear the surprise in his voice and had no doubt his face matched his tone. "You don't even know what I was going to ask."

"You were going to ask me to marry you." She told him and she resumed where she had left off in her book, refusing to look up at him.

"No," Loki scoffed at the very idea but when she looked back at him, an eye brow raised, she could see him falter before his shoulders deflated. She gave a satisfied smirk as she returned her eyes to her book. "Okay, yes…..wait you do not want to marry me?"

"I do not want to be a pawn in one of your schemes." She told him, ignoring the pang her heart gave when she heard the momentary hurt in his voice.

"I do not understand."

She slammed her book shut and turned to face him again.

"So you are telling me, your spontaneous proposal has nothing to do with your brother's impending coronation?" She questioned, watching as Loki did his best not squirm under her gaze. "That you know the news of a royal betrothal would take some of the attention away from your brother?"

"I would never do such a thing," His voice went high in fake indignation. She simply raised an eyebrow at him again, and it was all that was needed for him to crack. "Damn, it worries me how well you know me sometimes. You risk my reputation as a master of lies."

"I prefer the name silver tongue," she waggled her eyebrows at him and earned a breathy laugh in return.

She settled back against the crook in the window, Loki retaking his place on his side to lay his head in her lap.

"I do want to marry you, you know?" He said from his lying position, out of the corner of her eye she could see him looking at the ceiling as her own eyes returned to her book. "I've had the ring for months now. I have simply been waiting for the right time to ask."

"Oh I know, though your thoughts are closed off to me, your brother's are not." she informed him, an amused tone to her words. "Thor has been so excited about it, he's practically been shouting it in my head every time he sees me."

"I would expect nothing less." Loki muttered but with clear affection in his voice for his brother.

"May I see it?" She asked, trying to give off an air of indifference as she continued to read her book but inside she could feel the delight and excitement at the prospect of a proposal.

"Certainly not, it's a surprise." Loki scolded her but his tone was light and teasing.

"Then you must ask me again a week after the coronation."

"Why?" Loki sat up again, giving her a questioning look.

"So I can say yes," she said before turning her head to face him again with a one sided smile. "I'll even look surprised for you."

She was met with a breath taking smile from Loki, as he leaned forward and placed her face in his hands, pulling her face to his own. At some point the book either fell or was pulled out of her hands, she wasn't sure as she was too distracted by the way Loki's lips moved against her own. She had never been kissed like this before and she did not want it to stop.

All good things must come to an end though, and suddenly the warmth of Loki's body was replaced by a biting wind.

She opened her eyes and began to fight.

Samantha woke with a jump. She took a moment to reorientate herself. She was in the lab of the safe house, clearly having fallen asleep sprawled across the desk she was working at.

She wasn't sure if now knowing what exactly she was dreaming about made it any easier or not. If these were truly the memories of Geni then her heart gave a pang of its own. She was even jealous for a moment, never did she think she had been loved by anyone as much as Loki had clearly loved Geni. Even the feelings and thoughts of the Goddess were clear in her devotion to the raven haired man. She wondered if he too was still alive like Thor?

Out of the corner of her eye there was a flash of black, and she looked over towards a highly reflective piece of metal. She scrunched her eyes at it, wondering for a moment if she really had seen a shadow watching her, but it was only fleeting and Samantha decided to place the thought as merely a moment of paranoia following her nightmare.

She gave a large stretch, bringing her hands over her head, trying to ease the muscles in her back which had not taken kindly to her having fallen asleep hunched over the table in the lab.

She looked over the circuitry which was scattered across her desk, one of the gauntlets from the armour half modified in front of her, behind her on a mannequin with the rest of the supposedly ancient norse armour lay, items missing and added from her modifications. Hidden amongst the equipment on her desk was the experimental flexible bullet proof fabric she had found in one of the boxes hidden in storage. Frykte leant on the table, close enough for comfort but far enough away it wouldn't be easily knocked over.

Slowly she got back to work, fitting the material into its new design as well as creating her own motherboard. It's where Brandon found her an hour later, hardly haven moved from the spot all night.

Samantha didn't look up when she heard the door slam, she didn't even acknowledge his arrival with a nod, instead she chose to focus intently on her work.

"I brought snacks," Brandon said, holding up his peace offering as he approached her table.

"I'm not hungry," Samantha said, her eyes glued to the wiring she was laying.

"Sam you need to eat." When he got no response, he gave a loud sigh, placing his bag of food onto an empty desk. "Are you going to tell me what you're working on?"

"Just an idea," Samantha muttered, her nose giving a small wrinkle as the smoke from the soldering iron wafted into her nostrils.

"Didn't know you could do all this stuff," Brandon waved his hand over all the equipment dotted around her. Again she continued to focus all her attention on what was in front of her, ignoring the clearly desperate attempts of Brandon trying to speak with her. When she gave no response, he went for a different tactic. Holding up a screwdriver, he took a step towards her. "Need a hand?"

"No!" Her sudden movement to grab the screwdriver from him, halted Brandon. Samantha looked down, slightly ashamed by her actions. When she looked back up, she started to fidget under the intense look Brandon was giving her.

"We can't go on like this," Brandon stated, a depressed sag to his posture. "I need to know we'll have each other's backs later."

"Don't worry Brandon, I'm not planning to stab you in the back, literally or figuratively." Samatha said with a deadpan tone, placing the screwdriver back onto the work top.

"I didn't mean that."

"Well, what did you mean?" Samantha enquired, her arms coming up to cross her chest.

"Sam despite everything, I still see you as a friend."

She couldn't help but give a harsh laugh at his words, no joy evident.

"A friend?" Samantha mocked. "Brandon, how can we be friends when you've been lying to me for the whole time I've known you? I don't even know the first thing about you."

"Well that's a lie," Brandon countered, his own arms coming to cross his chest and match her defensive posture. "Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me haven't hacked into my file on the SHIELD database the first chance you got?" He raised her eyebrow at him and by the way Samantha's gaze fell to the floor, he knew the answer. "Thought so. So what did it say?"

She looked up at him, not sure how to proceeded. He nodded his head though, urging her to say what she read and so she did.

"Brandon Davis, 28 years old. Raised by a single mum in Chicago. Your Uncle was a Captain in the US army and heavily involved in your life growing up. He died when you were 16." Samantha gave a gulp, knowing if what he had said to her in London had any hint of the truth in it, his uncle's death had hit him hard.

"Go on," Brandon urged, forcing her to continue.

"You're bright, had good test scores. You could have gone to college but you wanted to be like your Uncle and so joined the army when you were 18." Samantha persisted in her summarisation of his file. "You rose through the ranks quickly become one of the youngest US rangers before being recruited to Delta Force and being one of their youngest sergeants in history. You left though when you were 25 to look after your mum who had got sick. When she got better, you were recruited by SHIELD."

"See, everything I told you was the truth." Brandon held his hands out to her, a pleading intonation to his words. "My favourite food really is pizza, I do actually believe in those wild and crazy conspiracy theories." He took a breath before continuing. "My Uncle was like a father to me; my mom really does have cancer and it's come back. You know the real Brandon. You know as much about me as I do about you".

"It's not the same."

"How is it not-"

"Because I didn't use that information to get close to you!" Samantha shouted, throwing her hands up in frustration. As soon as her anger came though, it disappeared, replaced by a wave of embarrassment and shame. Her voice was much quieter when she continued. "You knew how lonely I was; how desperate I was to have a friend. And you and SHIELD used that information to get close to me." Her throat began to feel tight but Samantha pushed through, determined Brandon hear how he had wronged her. "I've made a lot of bad choices in my life, hung around with the wrong people. I had never had a real friend…until you. But I guess you were really were too good to be true."

The pair stared at each other, but where she expected indifference, she saw true sadness on Brandon's face. The tightened jaw of someone trying not to cry.

I'm an idiot

"Sam, I can't begin to apologise for the circumstances as to how we met." Brandon's voice was tight, a crack only appeared at the end of his sentence. "I am sorry for the deception and the lies. But you have to believe me when I say though it started like that, by the end it wasn't." He took a step towards her, a pleading look in his eyes. "You are my closest friend…I know you may never forgive me, but I wanted you to know that before tonight, in case anything happened."

I'm sorry

Samantha looked to the floor, unable to hold his gaze any longer. Brandon seemed to take it as his cue to leave, giving a resigned nod before making his way to the door. Only when Samantha spoke again, did he pause.

"Why were you reassigned?" She found the question tumbling past her lips before she could stop herself.

"What?"

"From my case?" Samantha elaborated, her hands clenching and unclenching by her sides. "Why were you reassigned?"

Coulson

His breath filled laugh entered her head but she kept her face passive, not reacting to what she had heard.

"When you gather intelligence on someone, you have to be neutral, you can't care about them," Brandon started off by saying, taking a step back towards her. "But then we started to hang out together. I didn't mean for it to happen but suddenly I started to tell you things about my life, my real life, not the made up one for Gareth. I wanted you know me, not him."

"Coulson began to suspect I was holding information back, my reports were starting to lack details," Brandon confessed, his own hands fidgeting at his side. "As soon as you stop seeing the target as…well a target, you're compromised."

"That's why your visa ran out."

"They never expected you to come to the States. We were alerted only when the Border Force began to search for Gareth Williams. It flagged up on our system." Brandon told her. A genuine smile crossed his face as he spoke again. "I was never meant to see you again, but I'm glad I did."

Again, the pair entered a staring contest, Samantha trying to absorb all the information Brandon had told her. He made to move towards the exit, thinking she had nothing else to say and for a moment she planned to let him go. He had lied to her, spied on her the whole time she had known him.

But he was right, he had told him more about his life as Brandon than the made up falsehoods of Gareth. She had read his thoughts, knew there was no deceit or ulterior motive to the confessions he gave moments ago.

"It's hard when you can hear people's thoughts," she blurted out, causing Brandon to stop his exit yet again, and turn to face her. If he had given her the truth, then he deserved the same back. "There's no hiding what they actually think about you. After the accident people I thought were my friends came to visit me….and I could hear what they really thought about me….turns out I didn't have any real friends. It was easer to push people away after that, because then I could never get hurt."

"But you were different, you were one of the few people I could never hear, even when touching at the beginning." Samantha continued her own confession. "That's obviously changed now but at the time it was amazing. There was someone I could never know if they were lying, I had to believe what they were saying was the truth. That's why you were safe."

Brandon nodded in understanding, a grateful look to his eyes in thanks for her honesty. She wasn't sure what to say next, could she so easily forgive him for everything?

But then she remembered they could both die later, there was no guarantee success for their plan. Did she really want to leave their friendship like this?

"Did you at least get crisps?" Samantha found herself asking, nodding her head towards the plastic bag of food he had left abandoned on a nearby desk.

The smile her gave her, recognising the gesture for what it was, caused an equally relieved smile of her own. He walked back towards her, picking up the bag in the process and sitting himself down at the desk she was working at.

"Sam, you're in America they're called chips and of course I did. Pretty sure we class them as one of our five a day." Brandon jested causing the pair to share a chuckle.

It was the moment she decided to forgive him, because isn't that what friends do?

Chapter Text

Brandon and Samantha looked up at the towering skyscraper from the other side of the street, hidden by an alley.

Samantha was in jeans and a black hoodie, Frykte hidden in the black bag strapped to her back, the strap clutched tightly in her hands. Brandon had given her a funny look when they left the safe house, making a comment about where the snazzy armour was. She had shot back quickly, pointing out they were trying not to draw attention to themselves until they got inside, bright silver armour from a history book may give them away. It was easier for Brandon she supposed, the black ensemble with multiple hidden weapons and guns was much easier for him to conceal under his large coat.

"Looks like Hughes upgraded his security from the last time," Brandon muttered as he nodded his head towards the glass doors at the front. Samantha followed his gaze and could see no longer were there slightly older men, with white shirts and guns lazily strapped to their side. In their stead, stood men kitted out in combat armour of their own, holding weapons Samantha had only see in movies outside the bad guy's lair.

"I wonder who caused him to do that?" Samantha asked with a knowing smirk which Brandon shared.

"Come on, there's a side entrance on the blueprints which should get us past the first set of goons," Brandon ushered them forward, the pair sticking to shadows as they approached the side of the Hughes International building.

Sure enough, a fire-exit was there, hidden in a side alley. Samantha started to make her way towards it but was quickly grabbed and hurled back by Brandon. When she shot him a questioning look he simply pointed at the security camera on the far side of the alley, the one she had nearly walked straight in front of.

Creeping along the edge of the wall and within the blindspot of the camera, Brandon eventually stood underneath it where he then threw a small object up, sticking to the camera. Suddenly the machine gave a jump, crackles of energy flowing over it before smoke poured out of the circuitry and the camera fell forwards, almost as if it was falling asleep.

"Nice toy," Samantha commented as she stepped out of the shadows and joined him by the door.

"One of many," Brandon gave his own prideful smirk.

As Samantha opened the door, Brandon dropped his coat and pulled out one of his many guns, and held it aloft in front of them.

The corridor as expected was empty, and the pair did their best to walk down it as quietly as possible. It didn't matter what they did though, because as soon as they turned the corner, a group of 4 men, clearly having been in wait for them, brought their weapons up and began to shoot.

Miraculously, both Brandon and Samantha managed to dive into the open door next to them without getting shot. Having stumbled into an empty lab, the pair scrambled to find cover behind a lab bench.

The group of four men though continued to advance, loading bullet after bullet into the desk they were hidden behind. Every so often Brandon would attempt to shot back at them before ducking behind the desk again.

"Anytime you want to be that badass warrior goddess, would be fine by me," Brandon shouted over the noise of gunfire. After another attempt at pushing their pursers back, he crouched back down and turned to see Samantha clutching Frykte tightly, now out of the bag. Her eyes were closed and if he listened closely he could hear her muttering under her breath.

"Don't think, just do,"

Samantha suddenly lunged up, one hand placed on the table as she brought both legs up to jump over it in one swift motion. As she crossed over, she pressed the glowing green rune, blinding the group of men momentarily. Taking the advantage, she lunged forward barreling through one of the man, crashing so hard into him he was lifted into the air. She brought Frykte round, slamming it into the head of the next man with such force, he instantly crumbled to the ground.

The two other men had recovered by that point, but neither lifted their weapons, both too in shock at what stood before them to react. Brandon took the opportunity, lunging out from the behind the desk himself, and placing one man in a chokehold. It spurred the other man to react, but Samantha was already there grabbing his arm and spinning him back to face her. She brought Frykte up, held horizontally in both hands, as she whacked it against the man's face. As his head ricocheted backwards, Samantha's body twirled and landed a square kick in the man's chest, sending him backwards and on to the floor.

"Nice outfit," Brandon remarked, dropping the now unconscious man from his arms. "You make a few adjustments?"

Samantha had. After finding out when she pressed the rune it did not automatically revert the armour back into its original form, only cleaned what had been left from when it had been deactivated, she had decided to add her own twist to the outfit.

She had kept the silver metal chest piece after her own tests had revealed the material to be bullet proof. But gone was the long blue flowing cape and the large shoulder pieces, allowing her more movement. Her upper arms remained bare, and the silver gauntlets were now replaced with black ones with some toys of her own. Also gone were the blue straps of fabric resembling a skirt, and instead she was left in thick, black, leather leggings with matching calf high boots.

She twirled Frykte with pride, before slotting it into the holding place on the back of the chest piece. The braid in her hair swinging slightly as she did so.

"One or two," Samantha shrugged.

"It suits you."

The moan of the one remaining conscious henchmen in the room, brought their attention back to the task at hand. The pair walked over to him, and while Brandon remained standing, Samantha crouched down to be closer the man lying on the floor.

"Where are you keeping Keith Jennings? Where is Hughes?" She asked, rather politely if you asked her.

"I'm not telling you anything," the man spat at her, a grimace of pain in his face as his body felt like it had been hit by a truck.

"That's okay, I just needed you to be thinking about them." Samantha gave a condescending smile before her hand shot out and grasped the man's forearm.

Like with Brandon at the motel, she somehow managed to access an array of images from the man's mind. There was a few of her father, as he was being locked in a lab of some kind, the floor number coming to her easily. Next was Hughes, opening a locked door in his office in the background while the man's superior was giving him instructions about tonight.

When she let go of his arm, the man's eyes were wide, scared at what Samantha had just done.

"What the hell? What are you?" The man gasped for breath, trying to shuffle away from her.

Samantha gave no answer as she stood back up and turned to her companion.

"I know where they are."

She didn't turn to look back as she heard the ensuring struggling as Brandon pistol whipped the man, knocking him unconscious like the rest of the four person group.

The pair only encountered one or two more men before reaching where Samantha's father was being kept. Each group easily defeated, and with each one Samantha's confidence grew.

As they rounded the corner to the corridor, two guards stood, their guns already aloft in wait for them.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

"It would seem they know we're here," Brandon gave a loud whisper out of the corner of his mouth, his own gun held up towards them.

There was a pause, before Samantha moved, hurling Frykte forward and piercing one of the men's shoulders and pinning him to the wall. The other guard's shot rang out loud but there was no resulting grunt of pain, only a soft thwack of the bullet hitting the small black shield which had emerged from Samantha's left gauntlet, protecting her and Brandon.

"One of my toys," Samantha told him as the guard continued to shoot at them hopelessly.

"Is that-"

"The flexible graphene, activated by an electric current to form a shape?" Samantha finished his question with pride in her voice. "Yeah, I saw in the files SHIELD has been experimenting with it and there was some lying around the safehouse….oh good he's finally out of bullets."

Samantha deactivated the material, it neatly slotting back into her gauntlet, while Brandon lifted his wrist and sent an electric charge at the man who immediately fell to the floor, his gun already slotted back into his thigh holster. The guard pinned to the wall gave another cry of pain as Samantha summoned Frykte back to her, and then subsequently slid to the floor.

"You are getting rather good at that, and with the fighting," Brandon said, approaching the man with the bleeding shoulder and hitting him with an electric charge. He then crouched down, looking for an access card.

"It's this thing," her eyes glued to Frykte as she twirled it in her hands. "It makes whatever this connection is to her stronger."

"I'm not complaining," Brandon said, standing up and approaching the door. He hesitated though, not going to opening the door straight away. "You sure about this? You did say he was under Hughes's control."

"I'm not leaving my dad locked up any longer than he needs to be, open the door." Samantha instructed, her voice set.

Brandon did as he was told, swiping the card against the lock and making the light turn from red to green. As the door swung open the pair where met by a wary Keith Jennings, his posture tense as he held a chair aloft ready to use it as a weapon.

Brandon's hand jumped to the gun strapped to his thigh, but Samantha held up a placating hand across his chest, stopping him from drawing it. She took an apprehensive step forward, slotting Frykte into its place on her back.

"Dad, it's me, it's okay you're safe." Her voice was soft, as if approaching a wounded animal. For a moment she was met with only wide eyes and heavy breathing. She could sense Brandon tense beside her, his hand edging that little bit closer to his gun.

"Samantha?" Her dad managed to finally choke out, the chair immediately dropping form his grasp to the floor as the tightness left his body.

"Yeah," Samantha said with a smile, her eyes wet from tears she held back.

The pair moved together and seemed to meet in the middle, grasping the other as tightly as they could in their arms. Samantha buried her head into the place where shoulder met neck, shutting her eyes closed. She took solace in the way he held her just as tight, and if she was not mistaken, she could feel wetness to her own shoulder where her father's head lay.

"What are you doing here?" Her father asked before stepping back slightly and looking her up and down. He left his hands on her biceps but created enough distance that he could do a double take as he finally seemed to notice her outfit. "What are you wearing?"

"It's a long story," Samantha gave a laugh, knowing if that was an underestimation.

"I am so sorry, at the museum…I couldn't-" Keith started to say, regret and sadness evident in both his face and voice.

"I know, it's okay," Samantha cut him off, a kind smile on her face. "I know about Hughes and the gas. We're here to stop him."

At the mention of we her father seemed to notice the other person in the room. The way Keith's eyes widened was almost comically as he took in Brandon's appearance, not only by the fact he was there, but all the stealth clothes he wore, fitted out with multiple weapons.

"Gareth?" Her father asked, letting go of her arms and stepping around her so he could get a better look at the American. Disbelief clear not only by his facial expressions but by his tone as well.

"Actually his name's Brandon." Samantha said, earning a questioning look from her father. "Part of the long story."

The older man opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Brandon stepping forward.

"Hi Mr Jennings, nice to see you again," the younger man said, giving a small, bashful smile. Keith continued to look at him up and down, his eyes focusing on the gun on his side. Brandon kept his composure though, unaffected by the staring, and instead turned his attention to the other person in the room. "Samantha we have 15 minutes until the meeting."

"Right, save the world," Samantha nodded, her momentary bliss at being reunited with her father now gone with the reminder at what else was at stake tonight. "Come on we need to move."

She made her way to the door, grabbing her dad's forearm and pulling him forward. As soon as she stepped over the threshold though, a cascade of bullets were flung at them. Samantha jumped back, pulling her father behind her as she pressed them as close to the wall as possible. On the opposite side of the door, Brandon was stood. At one point he attempted to return fire but was quickly forced back to cover. With the quick thinking of a SHIELD agent, he shot the key access code for the door making it unusable, before slamming it shut in the hope it would offer some protection.

From the sound of the bullets, Samantha could tell they were approaching the room from the end of the corridor, and they were doing it fast. The trio walked backwards, creating distance between themselves and the door.

"So I don't think they're going to run out of bullets." Samantha said, wincing as bullets hit the door. The dents they left made it clear the door wouldn't hold for very long.

"Aren't you bullet proof, just walk through it to get to them." Brandon pointed out, motioning her in the direction of the gun fire.

"Bulletproof?!" Her dad repeated, with an incredulous look.

"It still bloody hurts," Samantha hissed at Brandon before turning to her dad again. "Yeah, add that to the long story pile as well."

"Well do the..the thing." Brandon prompted, looking at her pointedly, his hand waving in the air towards the door.

"The thing?" Samantha asked, no idea as to what he was getting at.

"Yeah, the thing," Brandon then began to nod his head up and down as if he were a broken down animatronic, suddenly she realised what he was hinting at.

"I don't do that," Samantha shot back, somewhat offended by his impression of her.

"Yes you do." Brandon argued, his hands coming to his hips. Both seemingly forgotten the impending danger just beyond the doors as they turned to face each other to continuing their arguing.

"It's not something I can just switch it on and off, I've only done it twice and both were when I was threatened." Samantha attempted to defend herself but Brandon was having none of it.

"People shooting at us feels very threatening to me," the agent pointed out.

"What are you two on about?" Keith finally shouted, flabbergasted the two were bickering like an old married couple while on he other side of a quickly failing door, were men with guns trying to kill them.

A creak of hinges caused them all to flinch as the three realised the door was mere seconds away from being shot down. Brandon grabbed Samantha by the shoulders, turning her to face him, no jest left in his face when he spoke next.

"You said it yourself, holding that thing gets you closer to her so use it." Brandon demanded of her as he nodded his head towards the weapon strapped to her back.

Samantha's face hardened as she nodded, understanding what she had to do.

"Step back," Her voice was low as she grabbed Frykte and placed it firmly within her grip.

Keith was reluctant to stray from his daughter's side, but was pulled from it by Brandon as he put the two of them close to a wall and out of the direct line of fire from the doorway.

Samantha took a deep breath, stealing herself as the hinges finally gave way and the door was flung forward. There was a pause, the four gunmen in the doorway momentarily halting their assault as they surveyed the room. Their hesitancy is all she needed, her knuckles turning white from how hard she gripped Frykte, and she imagined the men flying into the air. Her head jutted forward and with it, the men were flung high and far, each landed with a thud not to get back up.

"I can't believe that actually just worked," Samantha sounded out of breath as she stared wide eyed at the men lying on the ground.

"I can, come on," Brandon shot her a smile as he patted her on the shoulder as he made his way past her. His smile was infectious and Samantha found her own mouth morphing into a smile of her own.

She looked over her shoulder to see her dad staring at her with wide eyes of his own but walking out of the room. Seemingly following them without thinking about it, Keith stumbled past the four gunmen and two guards unconscious outside the room he was being held in. When he finally managed to lift his eyes from the floor he found he had blindly followed them into an elevator.

"Samantha, what…how?" Was all he could manage to choke out as the lift doors closed and they began to ascend to Hughes's private floor.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Samantha said, unsure how best to approach the situation, or even if now was the right time to have it.

"Try me," her dad persisted though, leaving her no option but to try and explain what exactly was going on.

Brandon at least had the decency to step away from the pair, staring at the lift buttons and trying to appear like he wasn't listening. It was pointless, but it was an attempt at some form of privacy which Samantha appreciated. She turned to face her dad and when she looked at his face, she realised there was no way to go about this subtly. No, she would just have to come out and say it, and so she did.

"I'm a reincarnated god from Norse mythology."

There was a pause, a tense silence as Samantha waited to hear what his response would be. Keith looked at her, his eyes searched her face to see where the joke was but when there was none, he still couldn't help but laugh.

"You're right I don't believe you," her dad said as his laughter died down.

"Have you never wondered why I never got sick as a child?" Samantha asked him, making the smile drop from his face. "How I've always been so clever, even from a young age? Or why I'm always that little bit stronger and faster than everyone else?"

"You were just advanced and lucky," her father shrugged as if he had never really thought about it before.

"No it's more than that," Samantha insisted. The stress to her voice seemed to capture her father's attention as he stood that little bit straighter as he listened to her. "Dad the voices I hear, their people's thoughts. The dream I've been having, it's her death."

Samantha left the statement hang in the air, allowing her father to understand it all. When he looked back at her, there was the smallest amount of acceptance in his gaze but she could still see how overwhelmed he was.

"It's a lot to take in I know," Samantha continued.

"It's more than that," Keith scoffed.

"But you just have to trust me, please."

Another silence followed before her dad spoke again.

"Okay."

Samantha could feel the relief and the physical drop in her shoulders as she relaxed. She knew it wasn't the end of the conversation, much more needed to be explained. But for now they were okay and that's all she needed.

"We're here," Brandon said at the same time the lift doors opened, lifting his gun from his side and holding it aloft ready to fire if needed.

The trio walked across the dark hallway, following it into the private office of one Mr Simon Hughes. Not once did someone jump out at them, or try and stop their progression.

"Something isn't right," Brandon muttered, voicing what they were all thinking.

"It never is," Samantha muttered back as she made her way to the concealed door in the back of the room which she saw from the guards memories.

Brandon and her dad stood behind as her eyes raked over the door, working out how to get it opened. Her eyes found the digitised lock and she could't help the smirk which lit up her face. Using another of her modifications, Samantha lifted her left arm to reveal the hidden computer screen in her gauntlet. Mentally she thanked SHIELD for its partnership with Stark Industries which had led to her finding prototype designs for the handheld device she now had, and with only a few adjustments of her own, she now had a fully functional computer the width of her wrist. One of its many uses quickly became apparent when after a few moments of her fingers whizzing across the screen, the door gave a beep as Samantha had successful hacked into the electronic lock.

Her victory was short lived though as, as soon as the door swung open she was sent flying backwards by a kick to her chest. Samantha shot past both Brandon and her Dad, crashing though the glass on the far side of the room.

The pair looked back from her to face the 6'6 giant which was Boris, as he stood in front of a group of ten or so men who had all apparently been waiting for them. The pair took a hesitant step back before Samantha reappeared besides them.

"I'll let you take the big one," Brandon said to her, as if he was offering her a favour. Samantha shot him an unimpressed look before stepping forward and squaring off against Boris.

"Does she not need help?" Keith asked, his eyes once again wide as he watched his daughter approach the heavily muscled man.

"No, believe me, she'll be just fine," Brandon reassured him.

The rest of the room was frozen as it watched what would happen next between Samantha and the large Russian. The moment was broken though when Boris went for a lightening fast punch.

Samantha caught his fist in her own.

For a moment, the pair just looked at each other, Boris with a look a pure shock at what this young woman had just managed to do. It only made Samantha smile before she twisted his arm into an unnatural position before landing her own powerful kick to his chest and sending him flying back into his men.

And then all hell broke loose.

Brandon and her dad became engaged by the men still standing. She knew Brandon could fight but what surprised Samantha was how good her father was, but then again he had been the Met's boxing champion for three years in a row at one point.

She couldn't spend long watching them though as Boris was quickly dusting himself off. As he shook some of the shock off him, his face hardened as his eyes narrowed in on her. He gave a grunt as he ran towards her.

Letting her instincts take over, she bent her legs in anticipation so when Boris neared, she jumped over him, summersaulting in the air. When she landed behind him, she had whipped Frykte out and her hands moved over the runes on their own accord until it found the rune they were looking for.

During her practicing at the safe house the day before, her and Brandon had discovered as Professor Larson had predicted, each rune had its own unique function. The one Samantha had decided to press, split Frykte in two, giving her a weapon to both hands.

Boris whipped around, the vein on his forehead growing bigger by the minute as his frustration grew. She could only smirk as he once again approached, angering him further. The man began to hail down punches with strength that no doubt very few would be able to handle, but Samantha met each one with a block from Frykte which showed she matched his strength, if not was stronger.

She kept her mind free as she allowed her body to automatically throw up its defensives. Then an opening appeared, and Samantha took it, smacking Boris hard across the face with one half of Frykte. Blood poured from his nose as the man stumbled to the side from the sheer force of the hit. Samantha continued, hitting the back of his knee with the other half and causing him to sink to the floor. She brought her leg up to finish him but Boris was good, and he caught her leg mid air.

Samantha attempted to tug it out of his grasp, but Boris was strong and he held on to her leg as he stood to his full height. Once there, his hold tightened and suddenly she was in the air, Frykte lost from her grip as she crashed hard into a set of shelves, the unit falling onto of her. Before she had chance to get up, she could feel her hair being used to pull her up and into the large, muscular arms of Boris as he began to choke her from behind.

Samantha felt her hands helplessly scrape at his forearms but it was doing very little. She could see the blackness starting to creep into her vision when she caught sight of the two pieces of Frykte on the floor. With great effort, she managed to manoeuvre Boris so that when she called for Frykte, it hit him on the back. It caused his grip to loosen slightly, but it was what she needed.

Grabbing his forearm, she dug her hip in and flipped him over it, surprising herself with own strength. Calling on Frykte once more, the weapon returned to her grip, now one piece again as she brought it down with such power, it knocked Boris out cold instantly.

Samantha leant on Frykte, her breaths heavy as she tried to regain her composure. If not for her spear, she imagined she would be on her knees. She looked up to find the rest of Hughes's men passed out on the floor, her dad and Brandon also taking a few moments to themselves to regain their breathing.

"How long do we have?" Samantha asked Brandon who subsequently looked to his watch.

"Five minutes," he huffed out, holding his side.

The sound of the elevator ping caught their attention accompanied by the sound of many feet. Brandon brought his gun out and began to shoot, halting the procession of guards.

"Go, stop Hughes, I've got these guys." Brandon shouted over his shoulder at the pair as he took up a position by the doorway which gave him ample cover.

She hesitated for only a moment before turning and making her way to the door at the back of the office, her father close behind her.

The room was darker, no natural light was present. Two rows of computer terminals spread across the room with one large terminus and screen at the front, displaying the multiple camera feeds from the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

Stood in the centre of the room, overseeing it all was Hughes.

The main barely acknowledged their arrival as he glanced over his shoulder from where he stood before turning his attention back to the main screen at the front.

"Ah Samantha there you are, and you brought Keith with you. How nice." She could hear the smile on Hughes's face even without seeing it.

"Shut it down Hughes, or I will," Samantha demanded, moving to the end of the row Hughes was stood in.

"I like the new outfit by the way, really adds another layer to your mystery." Hughes said as he turned his full attention to her. Samantha did her best to not show her repulsion from the way the man's eyes roamed over her body. "In different circumstances I would have love to taken you out to dinner and find out about all of this, you are the most fascinating thing."

Her response to his sleaziness, was to twirl Frykte and hold it aloft, the threat of what would happen if he didn't stop his plan was clear.

"But alas I'm slightly busy at the moment." Hughes then turned his gaze to Samantha's father, their eyes locking for a moment before he spoke again. "Kill her."

Samantha felt pain exploded in her left side as the gun shots echoed in the room. She fell to the floor. Either the connection was making her stronger or the armour had done its job, but it wasn't as painful as the last time….but it was still sore.

She looked up to see her dad standing over her, a gun he had snatched from the guards still held aloft towards her.

"Dad?" Samantha's eyes narrowed in hurt but it did nothing as her father continued to shoot at her.

With unnatural reflexes, she managed to roll out of the way and take cover behind one of the desks. Once out of bullets, Samantha leapt over the table, bringing Frykte up and pushing forwards to place a bar across her dad's chest and pushing him back towards a wall.

Every instinct was telling her to lift the bar up, smash it against his face and knock him out. But Samantha didn't want to hurt him. She still didn't know her own strength and so what had been her saving instinct during the journey here, she was now having to fight with everything she had to stop her hurting her father.

"Dad, fight it. You don't want to kill me," Samantha pleaded with him as she pinned him against the wall.

"Oh you're right, but it doesn't matter because I've told him to do it," Hughes chimed in with, his attention back on the screen at the front.

Samantha could see a countdown in the corner was now down to three minutes. A knee came up and winded her, allowing her dad to break her hold and push away from the wall.

The pair were in a standoff as Samantha stared at the dead eyed look on her father's face.

"Dad, I don't want to hurt you," Samantha said, dropping Frykte to the floor where it made a resounding clatter.

I don't want to do this.

She could see her father's hands clench and unclench, his breath coming out rough and hard as he stayed frozen to the spot. This seemed to get Hughes's attention who began to wonder over to the older man.

"Oh this is the gift that keeps on giving. Look how hard he's trying to resist." Hughes marvelled as he got uncomfortably close to Keith to inspect his features. "Guess you need more of your medicine."

Before Samantha could stop him, Hughes released the yellow coloured gas from his handheld container, surrounding her father's face momentarily. When the gas dispersed, his eyes were set in hard determination.

He lunged, Samantha only just managing to evade his fist. He followed quickly though with a blow to her stomach, winding her. When his next fist came up, she managed to block it and push him on balance, doing her best to refrain from the urge to pounce on him and finish him off.

Keith recovered quickly, rugby tackling her to the floor where the pair rolled for a few seconds before Keith ended on top of Samantha, landing a punch to her face. Her moment of disorientation allowed him the change to firmly place his hands on her neck and squeeze.

God dammit Samantha, fight back. Please don't let me kill you.

As she lay there, Samantha knew she could break his fingers or his wrist, to break his hold. But this was her dad and maybe, just maybe, she could get him to snap out of whatever control Hughes had over him. She had seen him trying earlier, maybe he just needed that last little push.

So instead Samantha just lay there, staring her dad directly in the eyes, no resistance to the way he was choking the life out of her. Knowing she had no air to speak, she mouthed instead: 'It's okay'

The blackness was creeping in, it was now or never.

"Samantha?" The grip loosened before coming away all together. Samantha couldn't help the large gasp she gave as she was able to breath again. When she managed to look at her dad, she could not describe the relief and elation she felt when she saw the emotion there.

He was back.

"What? How are you doing this?" Hughes asked hurriedly, as he began to make his way towards the pair when he saw Keith's make his way off her. "You've just had exposure to a double strength dose —"

Samantha watched as he reached into his pocket, no doubt with the intention to dose her father again. Her head tiled backwards and Hughes was flun, his back hitting the computer terminal hard.

"No, no, no!" Hughes shrieked as he scrambled up from the floor. He was enraged when he saw Keith step back and help Samantha off the floor. "That's not possible,"

"Haven't you learned by now to not underestimated a Jennings? " Samantha quipped as she took her dad's hand and pulled herself up. Her left hand came up to hold her right side where she could feel bruises forming. She turned to face the deluded scientist. "Step away from the controls."

Hughes whirled around and tried to slam his hand down on the button that would release the gas when suddenly Frykte penetrated the machine mere inches from where his hand was, sparks flying. Hughes jumped back and gave a yelp of surprise before being roughly grabbed by his shoulders and pulled to the floor. He looked up to see Keith Jennings stood over him.

Calmly Samantha walked up behind him to the terminal, and began to shut the system down, sending the relevant files to SHIELD before purging the hard drive.

"You can't do this, I have more power than you think, the people I control," Hughes spat out from his position on the floor.

"I give her 24 hours before she's synthesised an antidote," Keith said, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh really, Brandon thinks I can do it in 12," Samantha mused as she turned to look over her shoulder and stare Hughes down. Her lips tugged into a smirk as she delivered her next line. "Don't worry, you can't always be the smartest person in the room."

Hughes gave a growl as he began to make a move to stand, but before he could even move an inch off the floor, the muzzle of a gun appeared in front of him, with a very angry looking SHIELD agent welding it.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," Brandon gave a low warning.

Realising he was well and truly beat, Hughes held both hands up in surrender.

"That should be all the files SHIELD need to keep him in prison for a very long time, just need to delete the last of the system," Samantha told her companions, turning back around to look at them. Her mouth pulled downwards though when she saw the blood begin to trickle out of her dad's nose. "Dad, your nose."

Keith gave her a perplexed look, reaching to feel the sticky substance running down. When he pulled his hand back, he was met with bright red blood covering his fingers. He managed to look back at Samantha with a confused look of his own before his legs gave out.

"DAD!" Samantha shouted as she ran forward and caught him before he hit the floor.

She managed to cradle him as he fell to the ground, no longer able to support himself. His upper body lay in her lap as she knelt over him, his body starting to shake uncontrollably. His face was now a ghastly shade of white and his lips slowly turned blue.

"Dad, come on, you're okay," Samantha's voice tried to keep the panic to minimum but even she could hear the fear in her voice as she spoke. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

The sound of laughter reached Samantha's ears and she looked up to see Hughes, now managed to have sat himself up and resting against a control panel, looking at her father with an expression of pure delight.

"What are you doing to him?" Samantha spat at Hughes.

"Now, I'm doing nothing. It's what I did earlier that's the problem," Hughes said with smugness dripping from his words. "Come on Samantha, you saw the test footage."

Suddenly the images of the previous test subjects came back to her, the nose bleeds, the violent shaking and seizures as they overdosed from Hughes' experiments.

"I guess I never did work out what the safe dose of my drug was," Hughes gave a shrug, completely relaxed with the situation despite a gun still being pointed in his face.

Samantha opened her mouth to say something back, when she was distracted by the loud ragged breaths now coming from her dad's mouth. She could see the struggle he now faced just trying to breath.

"No, no you're going to be okay, I can fix this," Samantha said, tears beginning to prick at her eyes.

"You can't," Hughes shouted with a mocking tone.

"Shut up!" Brandon said, pushing his gun closer to him.

"She can't," Hughes shrugged looking at the SHIELD agent, "Not unless she can make an antidote in a few minutes but I think even that's above what the great Samantha Jennings can do." Hughes said, a smirk on his lips. "The only way to cure him is by using the antidote I have stored in my safe."

"Yeah, and what's the catch?" Brandon asked.

"Simple really," Hughes then looked at Samantha directly. "Release my gas and I'll give you the antidote."

Samantha's brain shut down for a moment as it comprehended what Hughes was saying. All she had to do was press a button and her dad would live, a simple choice. It would mean Hughes would be able to control the most powerful people in the world but her dad would live. She could be selfish, just as she had always been and keep her father alive even if meant letting Hughes win, a simple choice.

"Sam, you can't be serious," She heard Brandon say, his attention now on her and he saw her weigh up her options. "You can't do this, you can't let him win."

"But he's my dad," She whispered, defeat clear in her voice, her throat beginning to close. "I can't lose him too,"

"You're right, you can't." Hughes said, urging her choice. "You've already lost so much Samantha, you don't deserve this."

"Sam, I can't let you do it," Brandon said, his gun slightly lowered as his attention was now on Samantha.

Don't make me turn my gun on you

Samantha looked at him as his voice echoed in her head.

"You couldn't stop me if you wanted to," she said back to him and by the look in Brandon's face her knew that too.

"You see, she is a clever girl," Hughes remarked, taking the opportunity to stand up but when Brandon's gun shot back up to him, he raised his hands in surrender again.

Samantha took a deep breath before starting to place her dad on the floor, dark shadows now under his eyes with blood coming out of his ears and nose. But, as she lowered him his arm shot up and grabbed her bicep, halting her as she did so.

"Samantha, it's okay," Her dad managed to croak out, his voice weak. His head began to nod. "It's okay."

"It's not, but it's going to be. I can make it better," Samantha said, her tears now freely flowing as she could see how shallow her dad's breaths were not becoming. "I've already lost mum, I can't lose you too, I'm not strong enough."

"Yes you are, you're the strongest person I know," Her dad said, bringing his hand up to cup the side of her face. "I am so proud of you Samantha,"

She could feel her own breaths coming out thick and fast now as fought through the tears. Her hand came up to hold her dad's against her own.

"Don't leave me, please dad, don't leave me," Samantha said, gripping his hand tight and rocking slightly. Her voice that of scared little girl.

She could see the exact moment he stopped breathing, his eyes fluttering shut and his hand going limp her own.

A strangled cry left her lips, a burst of power exploded from her causing Hughes to go flying, landing with a sickening thud. Brandon lowered his gun, a defeated sag to his shoulders as he stood hopelessly watching as Samantha clutched the now lifeless body of her father.

A simple choice.

Chapter Text

"The leaders of the world's richest nations leave Washington today after what many have described as a monumental G7 summit. With plans for tackling climate change and the inequalities of wealth, it is being regarded as one of the most productive summits in recent years. Many saying the impacts of which will benefit generations to come. This is Lauren Henderson for BBC news, Washington DC."

The voice on the radio switched from a young female to one of an older male.

"In other news, Simon Hughes appeared in court today and plead guilty to the multiple charges murder, assault and fraud. The former CEO of Hughes International was arrested last week after documents surfaced online showing the company partaking in illegal human experimentation. They also linked the CEO to multiple missing person reports in the area. Shortly after his arrest, Hughes International declared bankruptcy and the company is currently undergoing liquidation," The news reader only paused for a few seconds before continuing. "In some happier news, next week the Museum of Natural History in London opens its exhibit on the Hope Diamond, the first exhibit of the famous jewel outside a Smithsonian in over 50 years-"

"Oh, I've got tickets to go see that," The elderly woman behind the counter said to Samantha as she wrapped up the flowers. "I was hoping to see that Fry-fret-"

"Frykte" Samantha supplied as she handed over the money for the flowers.

"Yeah, that thing," The woman took the money and placed it in the till. "Couldn't get tickets though. I heard on the news last night it's still missing. Who would to steal a thing like that anyway?"

"Who knows," Samantha gave a shrug, a small smile on her face, her hand playing with the strap to her duffel bag on her back. She reached over to take the flowers from the woman's hands. "Thanks very much."

The woman gave her a fleeting smile before moving her attention to the next customer. Samantha heard the bell rattled as she opened the door to leave the Florist, and made her way down the streets of London.

She took a deep breathing, having missed the refreshing chill in the air, the Christmas lights are already up ready for December starting next week. Though with the way the shops advertised, it was as if the Christmas build up started earlier and earlier each year.

It didn't take her long until she reached her destination, weaving through the graveyard until she came across the headstone she was looking for.

Sarah Jennings

January 1959 - May 2006

Beloved wife and mother

Keith Jennings

August 1959 - November 2010

Beloved husband and father

They were shining examples of what good one person can achieve

Samantha knelt on the ground as she lay the flowers down on the joint gravesite. The ground covered in freshly disturbed soil from the service last week where her father's ashes were buried next to her mother's.

She shifted herself, so she was sat crossed legged in front of stone, glad for the private spot, difficult for someone to stumble across her. There was a soft breeze, the cold nipping at her edges, reminding her of the time of year. She pulled her duffel bag off, placing the bag holding Frykte to the side, and wrapped her coat tighter around her.

"You did it Dad, we got the antidote to everyone he drugged. Hughes is locked away and I doubt he's ever going to see life outside a prison cell again," Samantha began to speak, her voice quiet as her eyes focused on the black granite in front of her. "The service was nice, Bill your old partner gave a great eulogy, better then anything I could have come up with. And don't worry, many a pint was drank in your memory in the pub afterwards, just how you would have liked it…you not so much mum," Samantha gave a small smile before sobering up. "I do have one bone to pick with you though dad. You were wrong, when you said I was strong enough. I'm not."

Samantha gave a large, ragged breath out and she fought to compose herself before continuing.

"I was about to do what Hughes wanted, I was going to sacrifice the world for you…some hero I am huh?" She gave a small, dark chuckle. "I'll never be as strong as you two were, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try. I'm going to do everything I can to keep making you proud, both of you…I promise."

A single tear fell down her cheek as she placed two fingers against her lips and then pressed them against the gold inscription of the stone.

With another large sigh, she stood up.

"You can come out of hiding now," Samantha shouted as she picked up her bag and flung the over her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder and gave a small smile to Professor Larson as she appeared from behind a tree.

"And there I was thinking I had snuck up on you, what gave me away?" The Professor asked as she came to stand beside Samantha. The other woman replied by simply tapping a finger to her forehead. "Ah, I assume that means your powers are getting stronger?"

"Every day since I started carry this thing around," Samantha tapped her bag where Frykte was hidden. Professor Larson nodded in response.

"My apologies for disturbing you."

"It's okay," Samantha shrugged, looking back at the headstone.

"For what it's worth, I think they both would be very proud of you."

Samantha could only nod her head, knowing if she spoke her voice would crack and tears would surely follow. Instead she turned away from the grave and started making her way back to the exit, Professor Larson easily following in step with her.

"I hear congratulations is in order," Ella said, shooting Samantha a large smirk, "for saving the world and what not."

"It was a group effort," Samantha shrugged again, her hands holding the step across her chest tightly. "What's brought you back to London anyway?"

"Apparently letting a prized artefact be stolen is grounds for firing someone, who knew?" Samantha gave a small laugh at Ella's words. "The Smithsonian was boring anyway, too many egos. UCL offered me a position as head of their Viking and Old Norse studies program, so here I am."

"And here I was thinking you were coming to get Frykte back from me," Samantha commented, their pace slow as they made their way back on to the path towards the gates.

"As I said to you already Samantha, in my opinion Frykte belongs to you, no one else," Samantha gave another nod, looking ahead and avoiding Ella's gaze. "That is, unless you want me to take it back?"

"What would happen if you did?" Samantha asked.

"Well firstly I would get my job back," Ella joked, causing Samantha to give out another small laugh. "But with yourself, I'm not so sure. If I were to take a guess, then your connection with Geni would slowly fade, the dreams would stop and I imagine bullets might be an issue for you again, though I think your chances of being shot at would not be so high if you were to give up Frykte."

"Probably, not," The pair shared a smile. Samantha could hear the sound of cars passing meaning they were nearing the exit and the road to the cemetery. "And the voices?"

"They would fade, may even eventually stop, who knows? You're unique Samantha, there's never been anyone like you."

The pair came to a natural stop as they faced each other close to the gates.

"And if I keep Frykte? Keep using my powers?"

"Then the connection would only strength. Your powers would only grow stronger and the dreams more intense. Until eventually there will be no difference between you and Geni. You may even not need Frykte to keep the connection open."

Samantha gave a slow nod as her words sank in. Her eyes drifted over Professor Larson's shoulder, back to the direction of where her parents' grave was.

"So do you want me to take it back?" The Professor asked, no judgement in her face, as if it was a simple question but both knew it was far from it.

Samantha looked at her, know the implications of her what she would say next.

"No, not yet anyway. Maybe someday I'll give it back but not right now," Samantha said earning a smile from Ella. "Thank you, for everything."

"Anytime you want to chat, I'm sure you'll know how to find me," With a parting smile, Ella then walked away from Samantha, wrapping her navy pea coat tighter around herself.

Samantha gave a smile as she watched the young woman walk away, knowing it wouldn't be the last time their paths crossed.

She began to see the white flicks of snow descend around her as it lightly fell, not thick enough to settle but big enough to remind people how cold it was. Samantha turned back around to give a look in the direction of where her parent's lay, before walking towards the exit.

She was surprised when she crossed through the gates and saw a familiar looking figure stood leaning against a black SUV, clearly waiting for someone.

Samantha held back her smirk as she approached Brandon, who was wrapped up tightly in a black trench coat and wholly hat. For a moment Samantha could imagine this was Gareth waiting for her after a shift at the cafe as they made their way to the cinema or to get some food. But then she could see the way he stood, knew his weight was shifted on to right where his gun was placed, reminding her of everything that had happened over the last few weeks.

"You got your visa sorted I see," Samantha said as she approached him, her hands shoved in her pockets to protect them from the cold. Brandon's face lit up in a smile when he turned to see her.

"I did, I see you kept the stick," He said, pointing at the duffle bag on her back.

"I kept the stick," Samantha gave a nod, a comfortable silence falling between the two.

She could see the bruises on his face were fading and she imagined in a few more days they would be gone entirely. Samantha's had healed within a day or two, another perk of being a reincarnated God she thought.

"So what are you going to do now?" Brandon asked, his arms crossing against his chest.

"My mum and dad used to say to me, if you had the power to do good, then it was your responsibility to do it," Samantha said, a fond smile crossing her features. "I didn't really understand that when I was younger and then after the accident I didn't think I had anything good to offer anyone. My dad disagreed as you know, caused a lot of arguments."

Samantha paused but she was grateful when Brandon didn't interrupt.

"I have these powers, and maybe I can do some good with them. Make them proud," She found herself giving a small smile which Brandon reciprocated. "I just don't know where the hell I'm suppose to start."

"I may be able to help with that," Brandon said, causing Samantha to raise her eyebrow at him, showing he should continue. "SHIELD have the resources you need whether it technology, money or people. We want to help you Sam, find out what you can do and give you the training to use it."

"Let me this guess, this has come from your boss Coulson?"

"Actually no, his boss, Director Fury." Brandon paused, letting the information sink in. "It means you have to move the States,"

"I didn't really have much going for me here anyway," Samantha gave a shrug. "An offer from the director though, kind of hard to turn down."

"Yeah, he doesn't really take no for an answer either but I think you could take him," Brandon joked causing another smile to appear on Samantha's face.

The silence returned again as Samantha thought over her decision, but really there was no decision to make.

"I'm in," She said and she could see the tension leave Brandon's shoulders, as if he were expecting her to say no. She began to walk to the other side of the car to get in the passenger seat. "As long as you don't drag me to any more open mic nights."

"Hey," Brandon began, holding a hand up in protest, "that was part of my cover and believe me when I say, it was as much torture for me as it was for you."

Samantha audibly laughed aloud at him as she opened the door and sat in the car. She gave one last look towards the cemetery. She would make them proud.

"Ah Samantha, I'm glad you could come. I've been worried about you," Dr Angelo told her as she looked over the 25 year old.

When she heard Samantha had made an appointment she was expecting it to be bad. She was pleasantly surprised though when Samantha walked in looking more confident and healthy than she had ever seen her. Her back was straighter, a new glow to her skin and there was just something different about her.

"I was sorry to hear about your dad." Dr Angelo said giving her a sympathetic smile. Samantha simply gave a nod in thanks. "Your CPN Charlotte says she's had difficulties getting hold of you."

"Yeah I was in the US for a bit, I'm actually heading back out in a few days time to start a new job over there." Samantha said, her eyes flicking to the car park outside the window.

"Are you sure this is the best time to move country? Especially after the loss of a parent so suddenly?" Dr Angelo asked, skepticism in her eyes. "Not that I'm not happy for you, I just worry you'll lose your support network."

"That was actually why I'm here today, to let you know you can discharge me from your care and not to worry." Samantha said, looking Dr Angelo in the eye. "I don't need a psychiatrist anymore."

Oh dear, her insight is gone.

"My insight hasn't gone," Samantha said with a smile causing Dr Angelo's eyes to go wide in shock. "I just don't have an illness to have insight into. I never did actually, I just didn't know the real reason for the voices until recently."

She's not been taking her medication, she's spiralled since her dad's death.

"You're not wrong but I actually haven't been taking the medication for months," Samantha corrected her, and somehow Dr Angelo's eyes went even wider than before as Samantha responded to the thoughts in her head. "They stopped working, but then again they were never going to work for long. And yes I can read your mind….also yes I know how bad that sounds but if you don't believe me, well believe this guy."

Samantha reached into her bag and produced a sealed letter and handed it to Dr Angelo. She then stood up and made her way to the door. The older woman was in too much shock to notice, ripping open the paper and to see the official seal and letter head.

"Wait," Samantha passed at the door and looked back at the stunned psychiatrist. "Is this from Professor Long?"

"Yeah, the head of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. My new job set up a meeting with him so it could be explained. Didn't want you filing me as missing vulnerable person." Samantha gave the Doctor a genuine smile, "thanks for everything, doc."

Dr Angelo simply stared at her, her mouth hanging opening as her eyes flicked between Samantha and the letter explaining what Samantha said was true.

Samantha left the room, closing the door behind her with a smile on her face.

Samantha stood in the middle of the lab, her gaze travelling over the shining silver equipment. It was slightly surreal this was her life now.

The door behind her swung open and she turned to see a middle aged man enter the room. His face had a slight amount of blond stubble to it, and his chequered shirt looked like it could do with a wash but that wasn't what put her on edge. It was the way he faltered as he saw her, his face going slack for a moment.

"I'm sorry, is this your lab? I didn't mean to intrude." Samantha said, shifting under the man's stare. She began to make a move towards the exit but the men held up both hands in a sign to stop her.

"Not at all, how can I help you?" His voice was accented, much like Ella's, Samantha thought. He seemed to have snapped out of whatever had overcome him when he entered the room, his face now taken with a charming smile.

"It's okay, I was just looking around the facility. New to SHIELD and all," Samantha shrugged, her eyes then moved back to survey the room. "It's quite a place."

"Don't worry, you get use to it. Took me a while when I joined a few months back." The man gave a small laugh which Samantha gave a polite smile in response. He held his hand up to her, "Dr Erik Selvig."

"Samantha Jennings," She took his hand and was surprised by the firm grip he took, his smile just a little too wide for first introductions. Sensing her discomfort, he dropped his hand but his smile remained. "I should leave you in peace. See you around?"

"Oh I do hope so," Loki said as he stared at Samantha from the reflection in the glass wall the pair were stood next to. His own smile wide and his eyes burning with intensity.

"Oh I do hope so" Selvig repeated unbeknownst to Samantha.

She gave one last awkward smile before leaving the room.

Chapter Text

She felt content, a pleasant buzz in her extremities as she walked along the golden corridor, leaning heavily on the person besides her. Samantha recognised the light headiness and slight blur to her vision for having previously experienced it herself a lot when at university.

She was drunk.

And she could tell she was happy, enjoying the feeling as her companion led her to wherever they were going. Occasionally she would stumble but the strong arm around her waist would catch her and hold her up.

"Honestly I am fine Loki, why must we leave the celebration?" She found herself saying, her head rolling to the side before turning to look at the young, black haired man next to her. She felt her breath catch at the sight of him, her heart rate picking up with how she pressed against him.

"Believe me when I say, you will thank me for this in the morning." Loki stated, keeping his head forward as he continued to pull her along the corridor.

"But I was having fun," she whined as they neared a door, which Loki directed them through.

The room was large, adorned with gold and silver furniture and design. She knew straight away it was one of the many guest rooms of the palace, not far from Loki's own room. She did not protest as he guided her to the sofa in the middle of the room, facing the large four poster bed. She fell ungracefully onto the seat, just managing to stay sitting as she manoeuvred herself to rest her back against the arm rest, so as to face Loki who took a seat next to her.

"And I was having fun watching you make a fool of yourself," Loki told her with a smug smirk, clearly enjoying the situation.

"Singing with Volstagg and arm wrestling Thor is not foolish," she defended herself, slightly annoyed at his mocking.

"It is when despite persistently losing you keep shouting for a rematch." He pointed out with a rise eyebrow that almost broke her stare into a smile but she managed to resist.

"Because I know I can win," she said, pointing at him, her words slurring slight and her finger wavering as if caught in a breeze. Loki simply hummed his response, clearing disagreeing with her statement. "Besides were you not occupied with Sigyn?"

"I was until you needed saving," Loki answered, pointing his own finger up at her. "You owe me for that by the way."

She gave a loud scoff and eye roll as she flung herself back again to rest against the side of the sofa. She took a moment to settle her stomach as the world continued to move around her yet she remained stationary. Once certain she was not about to vomit, she continued.

"How are you not full?"

"Because I did not down an entire casket of ale in a contest with my brother." Loki pointed out, his smug smirk once again plastered across his face.

"It's the Mid-summer ball, you're suppose to indu-in—indulge." She managed to say despite stumbling across her words at the end.

"Yes well you have indulged for the both of us." The raven haired man replied, but she could tell there was no mocking in her eyes, if anything he was looking at her with a fondness.

The pair stared at each for a moment, and she could feel the heat rise in her cheeks, trying to ignore the undeniable attraction she felt. It seemed to remind her of something, and suddenly she was making a move to stand.

"Norns, I should have said good bye to Fandral, he's probably wondering where I went." She exclaimed as she stood up, almost falling straight back down but she managed to right herself right at the very end.

Before she could take a step towards the door though, a pair of hands had already caught her shoulders, pulling her back. She was twirled on the spot and for a moment she thought she may finally vomit, but the feeling passed quickly, and she turned to look at Loki who remained close to her.

"Do not worry, he has already found someone else to occupy his bed for the night."

"That is just rude," she felt her face go bright red, her voice low and the embarrassment thick in her voice.

"Are you going to deny that was not your intention when you invited him to the ball?" Loki merely raised an eyebrow at her. Though she was tall, her head only reached the bottom of his nose and so he was still able to look down at her.

"You're one to talk, remind me again, when are you introducing Sigyn to your mother?" She shot back, a raised eyebrow of her own, refusing to back down and move away.

"If it's any consolation, Fandral is not a very giving lover, you have not missed out on a great experience," Loki remarked next, earning surprise from her. It was strange Samantha thought, the information of him being with another man was not the surprising information to her, but who it was.

"When did you-"

"The last Yule ball."

"That's where you disappeared to," she said almost to herself. Then without thinking, her next statement crossed her lips. "Well I am not too upset by it, he was not my first choice for tonight anyway."

"Who was?"

Suddenly she became aware of how close they were still stood, how Loki's hands had moved down to gently grip her upper arms. Her eyes flicked back up and for a moment they paused on his lips. Her almost confession combined with his proximity was causing her to flounder even more. Trying to regain some control, she took a step back, placing their arms into a neutral dancing position.

"You owe me a dance." She said, making her intentions clear. If Loki noticed her momentary lapse in judgement he did not say, he only raised his eye brows for a moment.

"There is no music." He stated but he did not step back nor let go of her.

"That has not stopped us before." She remarked earning a small laugh from her companion. She could feel her heart flutter and a heat pool in her stomach but was gladly distracted as Loki led them around the room.

Samantha could tell her feelings were way beyond those of friendships, though not yet acted on. It was something she was trying to quench, not wanting to allow it fruition for the repercussions it could have on their friendship. But tonight, the alcohol had seemed to fully dismantle any of her previous reservations or logical reasoning as to why she should keep things platonic with the man before her.

"Why do you do it Geni?"

His question startled her, so engrossed in her own thoughts. The pair continued to dance but their movement now more subdued, a subtle sway side to side as their focus turned towards conversation again.

"Do what?"

"Subject yourself to suitor after suitor?" Loki asked her, staring directly into her eyes, no judgement for her choices but a curiosity to them. "You've never been with the same one twice."

"Is it not hypocritical for you of all people to be asking?" She shot back.

"I have my reasons."

"And I have mine."

They continued to sway in silence for a few more moments before Loki gave a large sigh and decided to speak again.

"I am well aware of my title," he began with, "how even one night with a Prince elevates anyone's status, let alone a continued courtship. So I use them just as they are using me."

"What a sad way to think of connections with people." She muttered but she knew he had heard her.

"One I have learnt the hard way."

Her heart gave a pang, for she seemed to be all too familiar with the feeling. She also seemed to know of the experiences he referred to, as if she had shared his pain, been his confidante during those times.

Realising it was only fair she be as truthful as him, she stopped their swaying but remained close as she spoke next.

"No-one's thoughts are hidden to me when we are so physically connected. Even the hardest mind to read, is laid bare when I join them in bed. Suddenly all the traits and imperfections they see in me, are evident. No one can hide how they truly feel about me, and like you, I am simply a means to an end." If there was shock in Loki's eyes, she couldn't see it, nor was their sympathy, only understanding. If anything it only caused her to fall that much more for him. She gave a hard smile as she repeated his words back to her. "So I use them, as they use me."

"What a truly depressing pair we make." Loki remarked earning a soft laugh from her, and when she looked back up, she could see the soft smile which adorned his features.

"Don't we just?" She whispered back.

She could feel his hands move, the hand in between her shoulder blades, moved towards her lower back while the other hand gently lowered her hand back to her side, before placing it on her neck. She wasn't sure when the atmosphere had changed, but the air was now charged with an electricity. The hooded look in Loki's eyes no doubt reflected in her own.

"What am I thinking right now?" He asked, a teasing tilt to his words.

"You know I cannot read you Loki." She felt her heart rate speed up, he had flirted with her in the past, the two enjoying the teasing. But this time was different to before.

"Even when we are so physically connected?" For good measure, he tugged her even closer so she was pressed against his chest.

"Even then." She replied, spurred on by alcohol and determined to show Loki's teasing had not gotten to her, she decided to play just as dirty. "Why do you think you were my first choice?"

The resulting wide eyed expression and momentarily loss for words was exactly the effect she was looking for. She prided herself on being one of the few people who could catch Loki off guard such as this.

"What?" Was all he managed to say, she almost missed it with how quiet he said it.

"You are always my first choice Loki. Always have been."

In a moment of madness, and before she could regret it, she lent upwards slightly, but with how close they stood it was enough. Her lips reached his and her eyes automatically fluttered shut as she enjoyed the sensation of her lips against his. It felt natural, the way his mouth moved against hers and it took all her composure to pull back. She could not help but feel smug with the way Loki leaned in for a few seconds after, his eyes remaining closed, his lips slightly parted.

When he did open his eyes again, he looked at her, a question evident in his eyes.

"See, nothing. You could have hated that, and I would never know." Her voice was gentle but the teasing tone clear. She would not show him how much the kiss had meant, nor how good it felt. No, she would continue the joke, just as they had always done. "Goodnight Loki."

She managed to stumble away from his unusually silent self, and when she reached the bed, she practically collapsed on to it. The festivities and drink finally catching up on her.

Her eyes closed.

And then the wind was biting.

And she was falling.

Samantha gave a gasp as she sat up, her alarm blaring off her phone on the side of her bed. She quickly reached to the side and hit the snooze button before sinking back into the bed in her darkened room.

It was still too early for the morning sun to be showing making it all the more harder for her to leave the warmth of her covers. Her mind instead relived the dream she had just had. Samantha wondered if she would ever get used to the dream of falling to her death, but after 18 months of the recurring nightmare, she still always woke up with a fright, a cold sweat covering her body.

A sudden weight on her stomach caused her to give an oof but she was not annoyed. She looked down to the black and white cat which was now kneading on her chest, accompanied by the odd meow.

"I guess you're hungry," Samantha muttered, her hand coming up to scratch the cat's head which caused it to immediately start purring with pleasure.

Samantha hadn't been planning on getting a pet, she was content in her little flat in Brooklyn by herself but after only a month of living here, she had been walking past an adoption centre. When she overheard the thoughts of the staff about an older cat who was about to be put down despite being a lovely animal, Samantha had found herself walking in and demanding to see said animal.

It turns out the 12 year old moggy, though playful and a fan of human company, seemed to be too old for anyone to want to adopt her. It was love at first site though for Samantha, and before she knew it, she was walking home with her new pet in her hands and an afternoon spent ordering off the internet to fill her flat up with cat treats.

Apparently the previous owner had been a fan of Harry Potter before they couldn't look after the cat anymore and given his age, Samantha had no choice but to continue with the name Lupin.

She shifted slightly in her bed but it was enough to show Lupin she was about to get up. As quickly as he had jumped on her, he was off, running into the open plan kitchen and living room where his food bowel was kept.

Her alarm began to blare again, her snooze time used up. Realising she could no longer avoid leaving her bed, Samantha pulled her covers back and made her way to the kitchen, walking past where Frykte was kept by the front door for easy access. As she reached up for the cat food, Lupin responded with enthusiasm, rubbing his body against her lower legs.

Once her cat was tucked into his breakfast, Samantha made her own bowel of cereal and made her to way to the room she had made the study. Her eyes wandered over the large timeline spread across the far wall. Taking a seat at the desk in there, she began to write down what exactly had happened in her dream prior to the fall, occasionally spooning a mouthful of cereal into her mouth.

When finished, she took the piece of paper and made her way over to the wall, where multiple pieces of paper were lined up against the long red line which reached from one end to the other.

An accumulation of the last year of her life, since moving to New York, dedicated to understanding and remembering her previous one.

Lupin announced his entrance with a large meow, padding into the room before making himself comfortable on the seat she had just vacated,

"What do you reckon Lupin? Loki looked about 19, they did say it was after the Yule ball….but we have had dreams about two of them…I'm going to put it there," Samantha reached up and placed the piece of paper about 3/4s of the way along the line, nestled in-between the other notes she had made. When she turned to look back at her cat, Lupin had already fallen back asleep, causing a soft smile to appear on her face.

It disappeared quickly though when she saw the time and realised she was going to be late.

"Sorry, sorry I know I'm late," Samantha prattled as she ran into the training room, wrapping her hands ready as she went, after quickly throwing on her work out gear.

She could hear the machines working hard as even though it was still early in the morning, the room already had a few SHIELD agents scattered around it, looking for early work outs before they started work.

When she looked up, she wasn't met by who was expecting to meet in the training room. Instead Phil Coulson stood with a polite smile and his impeccable suit with not a crease in sight.

"Oh, where's Nat?" Samantha asked as her pace slowed and she came to a stop in front of the agent.

"Agent Romanoff has had to go on a last minute assignment." Coulson answered, his voice keeping its usual neutral tone.

"Well, Brandon got shipped out last week somewhere and I know Clint's indisposed for the foreseeable future, so who's taking my training today?" Samantha questioned next.

"No one," Coulson gave a short, sympathetic smile. "Given your unique circumstances, Director Fury would prefer for your training to be kept to as limited a number of people as possible."

"Why would he-"

Is that her?

She doesn't look all that intimidating. I think I could take her

I hope she does that mind thing with Coulson.

Samantha's head turned to the side, listening to the thoughts of the other occupants in the room. She could feel their stares on her, an uncomfortableness of being watched came over her. The young woman turned back to face the older agent with a hard smile, one which didn't reach her eyes.

"Never mind, the other people in the room answered it for you." Samantha gave a quick look around the space again before her eyes fell back to Coulson. "Do you know when they'll be back?"

"I'm afraid I can't say."

"Because you don't know or because it's classified?" Samantha raised an eyebrow with her question.

"Does it matter?" Coulson retorted with a small shrug. When Samantha gave no response, he continued. "You're more than welcome to stay here and train on your own."

"I would rather not be gawked at by every gym user in the room. I think I'll just head home and work on those security upgrades you've asked for." Samantha was already unwrapping her heads as she spoke.

Phil didn't give a verbal response, only nodding his head in understanding. Not feeling the need to stay any longer, Samantha made her way out of the room.

It wasn't like she couldn't train on her own. Far from it, since joining SHIELD and training under its three best agents, Samantha had become quite adept at fighting. No longer did she have to rely on muscle memory and the fear of being killed. Her muscles had grown and with each day she trained and stayed close to Frykte, the stronger she grew.

It wasn't only in her fighting prowess either, where once she wasn't sure she could move things with her mind, the skill was somewhat easier now. Of course it tired her and though she could fling people quite far, the nuance, the control of the moving object was still something she needed to work on. She knew it was possible, she had seen it in her dreams.

All these skills had become invaluable to her, with the multiple missions she had already performed for SHIELD. And yet….she still felt like an outsider. Sure Brandon treated her as if they were still back in London, before all the stuff with Hughes happened. Then she had been introduced to Agent Barton and Romanoff to further her training, and both treated her like an equal. If anything, Nat was unimpressed by everything else…or was that her Russian indifference?

But at the end of the day, those three were still just human. Exceptional and talented beyond belief, but human. They didn't have to worry about holding their punches incase they broke their sparring partner's jaw, or hurling someone across the room if felt threatened enough. Sure when she was with them she could mostly forget about it, the three of them never giving her any special treatment.

However all three were now gone, and Samantha felt even more abnormal. The thoughts from the other agents in the gym only proving how odd they all thought she was. She didn't want to give them any more reason to stare at her, so she left as soon as she could.

In record time she was changed back into her normal clothes and making a break for the exit. She was almost out of the building when a familiar accented voice calling her name, caused her to stop and turn around.

"Dr Selvig, I didn't realise you were back in New York.' Samantha gave a smile as she looked at the older astrophysicist as he made his way over to her from the room he had been in.

After their initial meeting, she didn't see Dr Selvig for a while. She quickly found out it was because he had been assigned to a project who's facility was a mystery even to Samantha. However, whenever he was visiting the area, he had a knack for finding Samantha, always trying to persuade her one way or the other join his team. Though tempted, Samantha had no desire to leave New York just yet, enjoying her life as it was.

However, because of their multiple encounters, Samantha had found herself striking up a friendship of sorts with the older man, especially when she found out his connection to Thor when he had been on Earth. He would sometimes get irritated when she mentioned the God of Thunder but was always willing to answer her questions about Asgard. With his chats alongside her many discussions with Professor Larson over the last year, Samantha was pretty sure she was becoming an expert on the subject herself.

There were other times though, when speaking with him, he would get this look in his eyes and she felt he was seeing through her, expecting something she couldn't give. It was an odd feeling she knew, but one she couldn't help but have.

"Oh just a flying visit, my friend Dr Foster was presenting our work on Einstein-Rosen Bridges at Columbia last night so thought I would pop by while in town for her." Eric said, giving a large smile of his own when he approached her.

"Of course, the Foster theory," Samantha nodded with understanding, having been at the talk herself last night. "She's a great speaker."

"You were there?" Samantha answered with a nod. "Well of course, you more than most would have an interest in our work."

"I suppose so," She couldn't help but give a small laugh at his comment. Seemingly without telling him, he had know who and what she was from the very first moment they met.

"I hear congratulations is in order for yourself, Dr Jennings." Selvig said next, an almost proud smile on his face as he moved the conversation forward.

"Thank you but I can't call myself that for another few weeks, well, not until the official paperwork goes through." Samantha said, grinning from ear to ear at her accomplishment.

No longer hiding in her little cafe in the middle of London, Samantha had embraced who she was and in the last year was making up for lost time. It had taken some convincing by multiple parties, but she had managed to wrangle a computer science and engineering PhD from Columbia within a year. With a few strings pulled by SHIELD of course, but she had managed it. She had even sold a few of her designs to Stark Industries as well as other developed computer programs and consultancy work for different Government agencies, allowing her to live a comfortable lifestyle. There was no way she would have been able to afford her 2 bedded flat in Brooklyn without it, even on the pay SHIELD was giving her.

"I hear you're already looking for your next one, would I be able to interest you in joining us in the astrophysics field? We could use a mind like yours." She should have expected this she supposed, having had him already drop a few hints encouraging her to study the field in the past.

"I'm afraid I'm already in the process of organising a biochemistry PhD. Maybe the next one though." Samantha offered with a cheeky grin and earning a large laugh from the astrophysicist.

"That is a shame. I for one, would love to have you come join us at Project Pegasus." Selvig said, a hopeful look in his eyes as he mentioned his work yet again.

"The work outline you've sent me is very tempting." Samantha admitted. "Renewable energy is sorely needed and the work you're doing does sound interesting."

"I sense a but coming."

"But as I've said before, I'm very happy here in New York at the moment. I'm currently not looking to leave it any time soon."

"There's something else troubling you as well."

Despite having only met the man in passing with conversations lasting 20 minutes at the most, it was at times like this Samantha felt the man had known her his whole life. He just seemed to be able to read her, tell when something was bothering her or when she was happy about something. She seemed to reason he must just be good at reading people.

"Do you not think there's something else to the project?" Samantha asked, finally voicing what she had been thinking ever since he had sent her a very brief and heavily redacted outline of the project to her, with one of his many attempts to recruit her. "Don't get me wrong, renewable energy is a hot topic, but to have NASA and the US Air Force involved in a project for it with SHIELD? There's something else going on there, surely?"

"Well, if you ever want to find out, you know where I am." His eyes turned dark for a moment, and if she didn't know any better, she would say he was flirting with her.

Anger briefly flashed across his face as something behind her shoulder caught his eye. She turned to look and could see someone heading in their direction and with a quick read of his thoughts, she knew Eric was about to whipped away.

"I'm afraid I must leave you." Dr Selvig said with a sad smile as his eyes returned to her. "Take care Samantha."

"You too Dr Selvig." Samantha gave a small smile and a nod before continuing her walk to the building's exit.

If she turned around, she would have seen Dr Selvig staring after her, accompanied by a raven haired man in the reflection of the glass door he stood next to.

Samantha stretched as she counted her breathing. Trying her best to relax.

After coming back from the SHIELD building, she had spent most of the day working on upgrading the intelligence agency's server security. It was a project they gave her last week while she was in between missions, and for the most part she enjoyed it. Samantha enjoyed being able to sit at her computer and get lost in the world of code and programming.

After a while though, she could feel her body start to get angsty. A pent-up frustration as a result of not working out that morning. So here she was, trying to mediated in the hopes it would calm her a little bit. It was something she had taken up to help with controlling the ever present noise in the back of head. Without it, she doubted she would be able to enter any public space without breaking down from the sheer volume of it all.

Just as her physical strength grew, so did her ability to read other people's thoughts. She had managed to train herself to control it somewhat, allowing people privacy when she was speaking with them. But there were some thoughts, no matter how hard she tried to block it out, would always break through.

After about five minutes, Lupin had clearly grown bored or hungry, and was bumping his head against her legs which were crossed beneath her. Samantha gave a sigh, knowing no matter how much deep breathing she did, her body was too on edge to relax, and she needed some sort of physical activity to tire her.

As she put out Lupin's food for the evening, she thought about going for a run but looking at the frost which was settling over Brooklyn already, she wasn't very keen on the idea.

Samantha returned to her computer and accessed the SHIELD server, looking for appropriate places she could train. She had to be careful, pick somewhere with no people. If she truly wanted to exercise and train, she would need to be allowed to show her strength, she even thought of taking Frykte along with her. Bringing an ancient mythical weapon which was still technically missing from the Smithsonian plus her potential for knocking the boxing bags over, made her training options limited.

She could go back to the SHIELD building she supposed, but even at this time of night, she imagined the odd agent would still be hanging around. Samantha was keen not to be gawked at. So, she search the SHIELD database for any other training facilities they had in the area, maybe a safe house she could use.

The only place she seemed to find was an old fashioned boxing gym, about 30 minutes by the train into Manhattan. It was odd, Samantha thought, for the gym to even be on SHIELD's radar. It still looked privately owned and not actually run by them. But for some reason SHIELD had deemed it a place of safety. More so curious about why the intelligence agency had taken an interest in the place, rather than the gym itself, Samantha found herself heading out the door and towards her nearest subway station.

It didn't take long and before she knew it, she was stood outside the building which for all intents purposes looked closed if she couldn't hear the thoughts of the owner in the back of her mind, going over his takings for the day.

With Frykte hidden in the bag tightly strapped to her back, Samantha headed inside and came across a gym which she imagined wouldn't have looked out of place in some boxing drama from the 70s. Inside there was only one man, his back to her as he worked a punching bag to a pulp.

Samantha gave him a curious glance as she walked past but the guy seemed too focused on his workout to notice. Odd, she thought, even from the back, the tall blonde man seemed familiar somehow. She continued without pause though, and headed up to the office upstairs where an elderly man was sat.

After knocking and being invited in Samantha took a quick read of the guy to tell he seemed pretty harmless. Still unsure why SHIELD was so interested in this place, but also liking the atmosphere and the chance of privacy, Samantha found herself paying a small but generous fee to the owner to allow her 24 hour access to the gym when she wanted it, mostly with private use.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, the owner eagerly accepted her money. As he went about finding her a spare key, he gave a small chuckle before speaking.

"You know, in my 40 years of owning this place, I've never had a request like this…accept for 2 weeks ago. What are the chances?" The man asked with a cheery smile.

"Someone else wants 24 hour access to this place?" Samantha asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yes, the gentleman downstairs," the man nodded his direction towards the man she had walked past on her way inside. "Between you and I, I think it's more the privacy he wants."

Her gaze turned towards the man also, once again struck by a feeling of knowing him but unsure from where. She was quickly distracted though by the owner giving her, her own key and instructions on how to lock the place up. Once happy she understood, he began to put on his coat and hat, clearly not planning to hang around any longer.

"Mr Rodgers," the man said as the pair walked down the stairs, catching the attention of the man who had been working out. He was now sat on a bench, wiping some of the sweat off his forehead. At the call of his name though, his head whipped up and he stood to his full height, as the pair approached him. "It appears we have another keen gym enthusiast. Miss Jennings has also just acquired access to the gym 24/7."

As Samantha looked at the suspicious face of the man, she was once again struck by the familiarity. The blue eyes, the square chin and muscles in places she didn't even know there could be, it all reminded her of something but she couldn't remember what.

Before either of them could speak, the elderly owner was speaking again, realising he was about to miss his train home. He quickly said his goodnights, reminding Samantha to lock up before dashing out of the door.

She looked back to other gym user, suddenly realising his height being a good inch or so taller than her. She could sense the suspicion coming off him and hers too was increased when she realised she couldn't hear his thoughts, even if concentrating.

Feeling a need to break the awkward silence, Samantha finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone else would be here," was what she offered.

"It's okay. I'm finished anyway." The man seemed to relax only slightly, but enough he felt comfortable enough to turn his back to her as he took the wrapping off his hands and threw them into his bag.

"Are you sure? I can come back later." Samantha said, pointing her thumb in the direction of the door as an indication of her leaving.

"Please ma'am, I insist." He sent her a swift smile, before picking up his bag and making his way towards the exit.

"Thank you." Samantha practically shouted after him and was rewarded with a nod before the man went through the door.

Ma'am? Samantha mouthed to herself, suddenly feeling very old despite being 26….she didn't look that old did she?

Decided to analyse the encounter later, Samantha dumped her back on the bench, wrapped her hands and began to warm herself up with a few light kicks and punches on the sandbag. After a few minutes though her mind was hit with a thought as it suddenly realised who she had just met. So shocked, she couldn't help the cry which passed her lips.

"Holy shit!"

That was Captain America.