Flawed Minds

Chapter Five

Subject 88 - P.O.V

I awoke in time to notice Thor entering the cell. He seemed to be bothered by something, but when he saw me awake and slowly trying to sit up, his face changed and he was smiling again. Curious..

"Lady Nova! How are you feeling?" I chuckled a little at that, considering my brain felt like it was full of cotton wool and remembering even small things was an impressive feat, and sighed as I sat up fully leaning back against the glass.

"I'm ok I think, just a little lightheaded," I smiled, looking up at him. He nodded understandingly, then walked over and sat next to me, leaning against the glass the same way that I was.

"They're in there trying to figure out how to help you, you know." I looked at him, curious. "We think the answer might lie in your mind, but I promise you we'll find something that will help." He was so sincere, and I found myself feeling grateful for all of them. For a while we sat in silence, my electrical attacks coming and going; the pain was bearable though, as the effect was shared while our shoulders were touching. I considered the position I was in, aware that my condition was worsening by the minute, and couldn't help but think that if it wasn't for them I would probably be dead in the snow right now. So even if they didn't manage to help me and I didn't survive, at least they had shown me real kindness for the first time. I shakily reached out and took Thor's hand, who squeezed mine gently.

"Do you want to hear some stories from when I was a boy in Asgard?" He asked after a few moments of silence, and even though I was so tired that I could barely think I nodded. I knew nothing of Asgard but the way he described it made it sound like the most beautiful place in the universe. I found myself laughing at Thor's tales of him and his brother, Loki, when they were little. It was a shame how things had become for them, Thor told me everything that had happened with his brother, including the attack on New York where Loki had unleashed aliens right above Stark Tower, but he insisted to me that Loki wasn't himself at the time; I didn't need him to say it out loud to know that he forgives him. Loki was now in the dungeon in Asgard, and Thor was just happy that his brother was safe and out of trouble. I didn't blame him, I thought I would probably be the same if I had a sibling. The conversation was abruptly cut short as the doors slammed open, causing me to panic and yet another painful electrical surge. Tony Stark stormed in, followed by Steve and Clint; Natasha and Bruce were nowhere to be seen, and from the look on Tony's face, I couldn't blame them.

"What the hell are you thinking suggesting bringing your psychopath brother back to Earth?" Tony snapped at Thor through the glass, who just looked at Steve wearily.

"What-?" I began to ask, confused, but there was no point in trying to ask any questions as I was immediately spoken over.

"Don't be a fool Stark," Thor grumbled, heaving himself upright to walk over to the others. "I merely thought of a way to help her. Come on, use that big brain you have-"

"That is EXACTLY what I am doing Thor! I'm using common sense!" Tony angrily tapped his head as he spoke and I sighed, lifting myself up to sit on my chair, feeling that I might as well get comfortable.

"I'm sorry Stark but you are not allowing yourself to consider, Loki may be the only option we have to help her!"

"I hope he's better than the psychiatrists I knew," I muttered, humoring myself while I was being ignored. "They just made things a whole lot worse."

"Ok so say we bring him here and he escapes, starts killing people, who's fault would that be?" Tony yelled.

"So my next psychiatrist is a murderer and might kill me too- I can't say that's not familiar." I continued my muttering, unaware that Clint was listening to me and stifling a laugh, until I looked up and locked eyes with him, suddenly and ridiculously finding myself fighting a laugh in the middle of this argument too.

"He wouldn't do that," Thor stated simply with a shrug, not exactly convincing.

"Oh he wouldn't do that? Of course, he would never kill people." Came the sarcastic response from Tony, making Steve sigh loudly. "Oh I'm sorry Captain, did I say something wrong?" He ignored him and turned to Thor.

"How can we be sure he won't perform one of his little magic acts and disappear?" It was at that exact moment Clint lost his battle to keep quiet and let out a loud snort. My hand flew up to my mouth in a futile attempt to stop my own laughter; Tony Thor and Steve turned to look at him in disbelief, and he simply laughed and cleared his throat.

"I'm uh, I'm gonna go find Nat," He shot a look at me then turned around quickly and left the room, still chuckling. The others turned around, looking at me, and I smiled weakly.

"I, uh, I'll explain later, it was something I said-" I noticed their faces and stopped talking, averting my eyes back to the floor, thinking it was probably better to let them continue their argument.

"Anyway... Thor?" Steve continued. "What could you do to ensure Loki doesn't escape?"

I felt unusual all of a sudden, I could see the electricity running over my skin but I felt numb- no, fuzzy- as though my whole body was affected by faint pins and needles. I was about to speak and say something but I found that I couldn't move my jaw.

"We can keep him shackled with Asgardian chains, we also have a new way of making sure he behaves- and I personally shall not take my eyes off him." After a moment of thought, Thor continued. "I could always bribe him." Tony scoffed loudly and rubbed his temples.

"You guys are insane," He muttered. I was feeling more and more ill, my vision was going blurry and I couldn't focus properly on anyone's words, I had to strain to understand. I tried to get their attention but I felt sluggish, as though I couldn't move my limbs.

"Tony this may be the only way to learn everything that Hydra did to her," Steve reasoned. "She might hold something in her mind that could help us discover what else Hydra is planning. We already know this electricity thing is not helping her memories, and I doubt it's doing her sanity any good either, she could end up irreversibly damaged. We help people, Stark, and she needs help." Tony roughly ran a hand through his hair and looked at me for a moment; I could only look back at him, dazed. His expression softened.

"You're right," Tony exhaled loudly, Steve and Thor both looked surprised at his change of mind. "You're both right. She needs help, and on top of that if we help her she could help us. But if that maniac ends up running loose I am blaming the both of you." I felt wrong, it was the only way to describe it; I still couldn't feel the sparks that I could see coming off me. I was beginning to feel extremely dizzy and my vision went blurry, I tried to speak again but nothing came out. I tipped on my side and my body met the floor with a thud, my vision turning black.